Nanako woke up, startled. She was confused as to where she was, but before long, she realized that she was not in her own bed, that she was not in the bed at her grandparents’ house, but, instead, she was in the bed at the University.

Her bare feet hit the surprisingly freezing floor, and she cringed. Being in Hell, she expected it to be hot. But right now, it was colder than anything she’d ever felt. And she was inside.

There was a firm knock on her door, and she sighed, glancing in the mirror as she smoothed down her hair and straightened her tee-shirt. She opened the door slowly, not surprised to see Calypso standing there.

“Good morning, Miss Nanako,” He greeted. “I came to see if you were up and about yet. If you would like it, there is breakfast downstairs in the dining hall,” Calypso informed.

Nanako mustered up a smile. “Thank you. I’ll get dressed first.” She realized that she had missed dinner last night. Oh well.

Calypso nodded and left, leaving Nanako to get ready. She grabbed a white blouse that she’d picked out, a pink pleated skirt, some knee-high socks, and a pair of slouch boots. She brushed her hair in the mirror, staring at herself. She looked the same as always; same pastel turquoise hair, same dusty yellow eyes, same peachy skin, even the same style. But she felt so different.

She shook her head, walking out into the hallway. Nanako’s boots tapped lightly on the red carpet, and she became anxious as she neared the dining hall. She took a deep breath and entered, quickly finding a seat that Morgan had saved her, between her and Emma.

Nanako brushed her hands down her blouse, her fingers tingling with anxiety as she stared down at the breakfast on her plate. Cinnamon toast with an over-easy egg, three slices of bacon, and, on the side, a cup of sugared strawberries. And a cup of milk. She was slightly taken aback, her mouth dropping open. This was her favorite meal. How did they know that? This couldn’t have been a mere coincidence... because her bacon was covered in syrup.

“Something wrong?” Calypso asked from across the table, one carved eye slightly narrower than the other, giving the illusion of a raised eyebrow.

“Nono. I was just… hungry,” She said, smiling feebly.

Morgan grinned, looking satisfied. She recalled spitting in Nanako’s tea when she wasn’t paying attention yesterday. She recalled being able to read Nanako’s memories now that a speck of Morgan had been in her system. And she recalled searching for Nanako’s favorite meals. She decided to respect Nanako’s privacy (though she desperately wanted to dig deeper and invade every one of Nanako’s memories) and only search for things that would help to know what Nanako liked.

Nanako was tearing up her plate. She remembered that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, which only made her hungrier. She startled, looking up when she heard scornful laughter.

It was the boy- Lucifer’s son- laughing. He was sitting beside Calypso, watching Nanako forget her manners. Nanako’s eyes widened, horrified, and she quickly wiped a speck of syrup from her lip. “I-I apologize for my lack of manners. I just… haven’t eaten since yesterday morning,” She apologized on instinct.

“Why do you say sorry all the time?” Morgan blurted, an eyebrow raised as she stared at Nanako from the side.

Nanako was slightly baffled at the question. Why did she apologize so often? She looked down, slightly puzzled by that question. “I’m not sure. I was just raised that way,” The girl said, slightly sinking down in her chair.

Emma gave her a kind smile. “That’s alright. We’re all raised differently. Right, Mook?” She said, looking to Mook.

Mook scoffed and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms and huffing. “Whatever. I wasn’t raised like a freak.”

Nanako bit her lip hard. A freak? She’d never thought of herself as a freak. Is that what she was? Anxiety suddenly coursed through her veins. She swallowed hard, looking down at her hands. Electricity crackled at her fingertips, startling her. She shoved her hands into her pockets, feeling the electricity continue to pulse through her fingers.

Morgan became snippy, and shouted at her brother to shut up. Mook shouted back, and before long it was a screaming match between the siblings, which was not unusual. “Fine! I fucking apologize, princess!” Mook yelled at Nanako, who was struggling to keep the electricity under control.

Nanako didn’t reply, standing up and dashing out of the room. She ran into a bathroom, slammed the door, and sat down on the floor quickly, staring at her hands. The pulse was weaker now, but the electricity was still circling her hands, the dulling white light beginning to fizz out, before her hands were completely limp. They were asleep, and she sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

Were these her powers? Electricity? Would she ever learn to control them? What could they do?

Someone knocked on the door, and they didn’t wait for a response. The door opened and a pair of converse stomped into the bathroom. “God, this is so stupid…” She heard a male voice say, and she knew it was Mook.

Nanako shot upward, standing quickly, her eyes slightly wide.

“They made me c-”

Nanako cut Mook off quickly. “It’s okay! I forgive you! I just need time to-to think, that’s all,” She said extremely rapidly; too quick.

“You don’t seem fine. They want you to come back, so-” He grabbed Nanako’s upper arm, trying to guide her out the door.

Nanako yelped in surprise, shoving him backward. Electricity shot into her fingers, and she felt him jerk as it hit him.

Mook quickly released her, and she backed up. He stared at her in shock. “Woah…” He breathed, blinking twice, before putting a hand to his chest, staring down at the spot that Nanako had shocked him.

Nanako’s lip quivered. “Don’t tell them. Please,” She said quietly, strands of pastel hair sticking to her lip gloss.

Mook blinked again, rubbing a hand across his face. “When did those come in?” He asked cautiously, as if she would shock him again if he asked the wrong thing.

“...They came in earlier. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Please. I want to get this under control by myself,” She said, voice suddenly firm.

Mook smirked. “Well, it’s obviously not under control,” He taunted. Nanako narrowed her eyes and nudged the door shut with her foot, locking it.

“Mook. If you tell anyone, I will hurt you,” She said. This was serious for her.

“Ah, chill. I won’t tell your dumb secret. But, if you don’t get your powers in check soon, shit’s gonna go downhill. So, I’ll keep your secret.” Nanako breathed a heavy sigh of relief, relaxing her muscles and slightly slumping. “On one condition.”

She tensed again. A condition? What could he possibly want from her? She was just a lowly halfling, and she couldn’t give him anything of value. “Fine… what is your condition?”

Mook smiled mischievously, his eyes narrowing and his white teeth gleaming in the bathroom’s light. “You let me train you.”

Nanako paused, her face going blank. He just wanted to train her? Why? “Dea-”

“One more thing!” Mook cut her off, his grin widening, his amber eyes glimmering with something that Nanako could only describe as not a good idea. “You take me to the mortal realm.”

Nanako instantly shook her head. “No way in hell,” She said, her voice solid and full of authority.

“Tsk, don’t get your panties in a twist. I only want to see. It’s not like I’m suckering you into letting me stay there forever. I just want to go and check it out and then come back. Is that too hard for you, princess?” He snickered.

Nanako stared at him. She wanted this secret to be kept. But she had no idea what he was capable of if she were to take him to the mortal realm. “I’ll think about it. But only if you teach me whatever I want to know,” She said.

Mook stuck his hand out to shake. “Alright. Then it’s a deal.”

Nanako stared at his hand; the soft, pale skin, his skinny, spindly fingers, the black fingernails that screamed to back away, not to touch him.

“Deal.”

She shook his hand.