When I was a little child, I used to be obsessed with this one television show. 

I would sneak into one of the many living rooms in my house, away from the prying eyes of the servants and my family, and I would binge-watch “Sesame Street.”

Elmo and Cookie Monster were my main addictions. My drugs, if that makes more sense.

I wanted to be them, I wanted to dress like them, act like them, have fun like them. My greatest wish had been to one day fall asleep, then wake up in their world, far, far away from my own life and duties.

I thought that everything they did was funny and brilliant. My dog, Cookie -yes, she was named in honor of Cookie Monster - would always curl up on my lap, and the two of us would spend hours upon hours watching the episodes I had previously recorded in secret.

Sometimes, I would re-watch the same episodes for a week straight, so big was my adoration for Sesame Street.

I really did believe that they were magical puppets created by sorcerers. I truly did think that one day, my dream would come true, and Elmo would come and get me. Elmo and company would become my best friends, alongside my dog, Cookie.

As I grew older, I distanced myself from their world, their show. Turning myself away from the colorful puppets, the marvelous voice actors, and the childish enchantment the show gave. Never did I think I would go back and relive those embarrassing memories.

Nonetheless, as I followed closely behind Noelle and Tony, careful not to trip over my feet in the obscurity of the passageway, I couldn’t help but be brought back to my childhood.

I was feeling all excited and giddy, which surprised me because it was pretty immature of me.

I mean, come on!

I was fifteen years old, not four. What was there to get excited about? It's not as if I still had a soft spot for Sesame Street, right? It's not as if the childhood obsession would suddenly resurface again, right?

Okay, who was I trying to fool?

I had just gone through a secret passage, located in the back store of some children’s toy department. And the Sesame Street theme song kept playing in the back of my head. 

Over and over again, I heard their voices, felt their presence near me.

For a troubling, questionable moment, I sincerely did believe I was about to enter the beautiful world of Sesame Street.

A light expanded from down the path. As we approached it, I closed my eyes to keep it from blinding me. When they finally fluttered open, my heart started hammering. 

Maybe I would relive my childhood, maybe the dreadful, dark song I had heard earlier was nothing more than a –

Never mind.

Wherever we walked into, this place was obviously not my confidential paradise.

My earlier expectations about the Infinity did not deceive me. It sabotaged me.

The only thing that greeted us upon our arrival were clowns. No, not one of the giddy, bubbly clowns who worked in the kid’s section of the store.

These clowns were terrifying.

And I hated terrifying clowns.

As a scream of terror threatened to burst out of my chest, the clowns bowed deeply, forming two perfect, long rows. They continued all the way towards a tall, imposing building, who stood on the other side of the passageway's exit.

The Infinity Headquarters.

“Welcome back, Miss Noelle,” the clowns said in unison, their creepy voices resonating inside my head.

Noelle flicked her hand and stared at me. Daring me to question her position in the company once again. Daring me to call her a regular employee.

Of course, I kept my mouth shut.

The three of us were escorted to the main entrance, and I had to strain my eyes to make the shape of the top. Contrary to Happy, Toyful, Yay! the Headquarters were anything but joyful.

Black, gray and white balloons floated across the entrance, as people dressed in similar navy blue costumes walked passed us. They all looked grave and solemn, appearing to be in a rush. Each of them looked more intimidating than the last.

Bodyguards dressed as clowns smiled evilly at us. 

“Glad to have you back with us, Miss Noelle,” they kept repeating. Ignoring Tony and me, though there were some of them who occasionally met my glance. They would emit low rasps and peals of laughter that almost made me pass out from fear.

Did I ever mention that I hated clowns? Because I really did.

As we made our way inside, I gasped. If I thought that the outside was nightmarish, the inside was certainly something else entirely.

The lyrics of the company’s song hung proudly on huge banners. The Infinity's snake-and-swords logo was plastered on the end of the banners.

Sorcerers of all kinds went around with their business. Most of them wore professional suits like Tony, Noelle and me, but others opted for strange costumes. Creepy costumes. 

There were sorcerers dressed as cockroaches. Others were dressed as humongous spiders. 

Cute bunnies holding knives, kittens licking blood off their lips, rats showing gnarled teeth...

It was only after I accidentally stepped on one of the rat's tails that I realized that these weren't sorcerers in disguise. Those awful, blood-curdling creatures were real.

Oh, god. What the fuck have I walked into? The visual representation of “If Halloween and Wonderland had Children?”

Just about any horror, combined with a mixture of either very vibrant colors or dull, depressing hues, were present on the first floor.

We stepped inside an elevator, and Noelle pressed the button for the highest level. When it stopped on the fifteenth floor, Tony got off.

“I’m late for a meeting,” Tony said, “See you around.”

He disappeared around a corner.

The doors closed again and the elevator rose rapidly. Noelle and I were the only ones inside. 

Feeling uncomfortable from the awkward silence and the wonder I had just witnessed, I turned to Noelle and asked the first thing that popped inside my head:

“How did you and Tony meet?”

At first, Noelle glared at me, perhaps annoyed that I was trying to stuff my nose in her business.

In my defense, I could not care less about her life. I just needed a topic to overcome this moment and calm my nerves down.

“We met through his mother, during a Vodou ceremony,” Noelle finally said, “She’s a well-known Vodou priestess in our world, and all of her children inherited a portion of her powers. They're all too busy doing their own thing; thus, Tony had agreed to come work for me. We are business partners, nothing more.”

At long last, the elevator stopped, and we stepped out.

I followed Noelle through a series of complicated hallways and turns. Eventually, we stopped in front of a closed door. It was armed with two clown bodyguards.

“We are honored to have you back with us, Miss Noelle,” the scary clowns bowed respectfully. 

Noelle and I stepped inside the room, and I was surprised at how normal it looked. Except for a long, rectangular desk, a cabinet and a few plants splotched with rainbow-colored paint drops, the office was bare.

Behind the desk, a large poster of the Infinity's symbol was hanging. In it, the stupid lyrics of the theme song we had heard after going through the passageway, was written.

This decided it. This girl and her followers had poor taste.

Noelle took a seat in front of her office and gestured for me to sit on the chair opposite to her.

“So,” she said, as I loosened my tie, “There’s your proof. Welcome to my organization.” She sneered at me.

Oh, she was delighted alright. Happy that she had handed me my own ass on a golden plate.

“There are many things you need to be aware of and -”

“You never got to tell me what’s your deal with Damian,” I interrupted.

As I expected, she flinched. Conceivably, she had believed I would not bring him up so early in the discussion. 

Out of all the questions, all the concerns I could have had, her relationship with Damian was what I was the most intrigued about?

Yes.

For now, it was the only thing I needed to be informed about. The rest, such as her knowing about Demetrius, her claiming that Damian was now awake and everything, would come later.

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked.

Typical. It seemed as if she wanted to avoid the question. Perhaps, she had thought I had forgotten about what she said before we found ourselves fighting against those grade one demons.

I was nice enough to refresh her memory. “You said that you were going to team up with me for two reasons, and Damian was one of them. What were you implying?”

Noelle turned on her chair, staring outside the window. For a moment, the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own palpitation.

I was beginning to wonder if she had passed out on the chair until she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

“I want him,” she said quietly, while she swung back to face me, her eyes perforating into mine, “I want Damian.”