I put on my eye patch covering my demon eye and my hat covering the part of my horns I couldn’t retract into my head. I left my apartment to get some fresh air in the nearby forest. I’ve always loved nature ever since I was little. I would embrace every second of being in touch with the outside world. As a child, I loved making flower crowns for my mom before she died. I loved the feel of the smooth petal against my finger and every time I jabbed my finger on a rose bush I didn’t cry. I would admire how such a beautiful flower could be so protective over its blooms.

On my walk, I watched the leave flow through the calming spring air. But, this walk wasn’t just to observe trees. I was going to see my mother for the first time in seven years. But, in the distance, I found a patch of very colorful petunias. I went over to the patch sat down and started making a flower crown to put on her grave as I did on her burial. As I was making the crown, I heard a female scream coming for the distance. I ran as fast as I possibly could in the direction of the scream.

When I got there, I saw a woman running away from a man who had a butcher knife in his hand. The woman had half her hair shaved with a slice going through the shaved side of her head. I ran up to the man I threw him to the ground the knife flew away from the man he must have passed out once he hit the ground but a few seconds later the woman collapsed. I ran over to her to check her pulse it was still beating steady and the cut wasn’t too deep so I picked her up and brought her to my apartment.

I laid her on the couch and grabbed a roll of bandages from the cupboard and wrapped up the cut. Then I let her wake up on her own. I sat at the table a watched her sit up and make eye contact with me.

“Well, you were out a long time,” I told her with a smile.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I must have gotten drunk and met you and yeah, I’m so sorry.” She told me very apologetically.

“No, that’s not what happened at all. You were being chased by some psycho and I stopped him before he could do any more harm to you. But, once he collapsed to the ground you collapsed as well and had a cut along your head. So I brought you to my apartment to fix you up.” I told her with a smile as I walk over to the couch she was sitting on.

She looked at me with a grateful gleam in her eyes.

“Thank you so much. Oh, and my name is Lucille.” She told me with a sweet smile that told me she wanted to know my name.

“I’m Asher nice to meet you, Lucille,” I told her with a straight face.

Once I finished a look of horror spread across her face.

I was about to speak before she yelled, “YOU’RE THE DEMON BOY FROM THE HILL HOUSE!”

I was in shock she was too apparently. Nobody except my mom, dad, and little brother knew I was part demon. Except for that one girl who peeked through my window. That girl was obviously intoxicated so how could she remember. Unless she wasn’t and just was tipsy. Now I’ve terrified a young lady named Lucille...wait.

“You’re Lucille Jones the girl always right behind me in the grade book,” I told her really thinking about what I said.

“Yes, don’t hurt me please.” She mumbled to me in a soft gentle voice.

“I would never hurt anyone with my demon I promised myself,” I told her reassuringly.

She slowly moved towards me again. This time, she was inches away from me and she took my hat off and asked me to show her. I did.

Slowly my horns pulled out through my upper forehead. She looked at them in awe and rubbed one. She looked confused after feeling them.

“They’re so smooth. I expected them to be really rough.” She told me amazed and confused.

I just smiled at her.

“Do you have a tail and wings like the demons in the books have?” she asked me while gently taking off my eye patch.

“Yup,” I told her with a glimmer of fear shooting through my body.

She was the only person to think my demon parts were interesting. I didn’t want to scare her.

“Can you show me? You don’t have to if its uncomfortable or anything, I mean-”

“Why not?” I cut her off, grinning.