Nanako felt cooped up. She’d been inside of this mystery of a mansion for two days now, and she felt like she was trapped. She was sitting in the lounge with Emma, May, and Hideki.

“I want to go somewhere,” She said suddenly, staring out of a window, her feet curled up underneath the red blanket she had used to shield herself from the cold air.

“Go where?” Emma asked curiously as she sipped on her tea, looking up from her book.

“I’m not quite sure. Can we go out onto the town?” Nanako shifted her gaze from the window to Emma, an innocent shimmer in her yellow orbs.

“Well, of course. We’re not prisoners here,” Emma said with a light-hearted giggle.

“What will we do if we go out?” May asked, looking away from her phone.

“Oh, we can go see Voxie and Evan!” Hideki shouted, causing Nanako to jump a bit.

“Evan and Voxie?” Nanako questioned.

“They’re some friends that we know. Wait a minute; they’re also--!” Suddenly, Morgan was in the room, and she clamped a hand down on Hideki’s mouth.

Morgan rolled her eyes. “I’m coming with you guys,” She said, before turning to Hideki and whispering, “Let her find out on her own.”

Hideki shrugged. “Whatever. Alright, let's get ready. Meet in the foyer in ten.”

-

Nanako sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stared at herself. She lifted up her hand, staring at it in the mirror. She tried to summon her magic, and it worked. But not so well.

Electricity shot out of her fingers, flying everywhere. Nanako gasped and tried for a few minutes to get it to stop, and it finally did. “Shit… that’s not stable at all… let’s just hope I don’t cook Voxie or Evan,” She mumbled, looking away from her reflection. She couldn’t bare to see it anymore.

-

Nanako shifted from one foot to the other, slightly nervous as Hideki banged on the door of the townhouse in front of them. It was like a house in New York, as were most of the other houses along this street. Though, the bricks were black and gray, like they’d been caught on fire before.

The door swung open, and a woman raised an aluminum baseball bat above her head, ready to swing at Hideki. “Woah, woah!” Hideki yelled, putting his hands up.

“Jesus,” The woman huffed. “I almost bashed your skull in. Get in here, you dumb-asses.”

Morgan, Nanako, Hideki, Emma, and May shuffled inside. Nanako liked the look of this place; it was rustic, with a touch of forest-elf decor here and there.

“Oh, God! Why are you letting them in here!?”

Nanako turned her head quickly at the panicked voice. There was a man sitting- no, crouched into a position that told her that he planned to make a quick escape, on the couch.

“Chill. It’s Lucifer’s kids,” The girl told him, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Nanako began to study the pair, as she did with every other new person that she met here in Hell.

The woman (who she presumed was Voxie) had jet-black hair that fell past her shoulder blades. She had straight bangs just below her eyebrows, and her eyes were a rosy pink color. Her skin was the color of milk-chocolate.

The man (again, she guessed that this was Evan) had light gray skin. He had chocolate brown eyes, that were filled with panic. His crimson red hair was in disarray, as if he hadn’t brushed it in a week, let alone washed it. She couldn’t help but notice the jagged scar that ran along his neck; it almost looked like someone had sliced his throat.

Nanako blinked, turning her head when Hideki nudged her. He was talking. “And this is the new Halfling,” He finished. Evan and Voxie looked at each other, and then at Morgan, whom hadn’t said anything since they’d arrived. “Your dad took in a Halfling?” Voxie asked in a slightly hushed tone.

Morgan nodded. “Yeah. Halfling, meet Voxella and Evander. Voxie and Evan, meet Nanako. The Halfling.”

“It’s very nice to meet you two,” Nanako said, giving a curtsy.

“God, I hate her. She’s like the chick version of Lucifer if he was dipped in sugar,” Evan groaned, leaning against the arm of the couch.

“Shut up, Evan,” Voxie snapped, turning to Nanako. “So… you’re a Halfling, huh?” She asked, putting a hand on her hip.

Nanako nodded, biting the inside of her bottom lip. “Yes… I-”

Voxie snatched her by the wrist. “And just what is your business here in Hell?” She nearly whispered through slightly gritted teeth.

Nanako’s eyes widened. “I’m here to attend Lucifer’s school…” She answered, trying to pull her wrist away. Voxie let her.

Voxie crossed her arms, staring down her nose at the girl. “Alright, then.” She briskly walked over to Evan and began to whisper to him. He threw around some of what seemed to be snarky remarks, and she hissed back at him.

Voxie looked back at Nanako, before straightening up. “Nanako, Evan and I wanna have a word with you,” She announced.

Nanako gulped, looking back at Morgan, who nodded. “They’re safe,” She told Nanako.

The teenage Halfling sighed and blinked hard, clenching her eyes shut for a moment, before nodding. “Alright.” She followed Voxie and Evan into another room. The room was a dining room. It wasn’t anything magnificent. It had a table that could fit about six people, with a mossy green tablecloth.

Evan sat down in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. Voxie took her seat and swatted Evan’s feet off of the table, to which he grumbled in dismay.

“So,” Voxella started. “You’re a halfling?”

“Yes. My mother was a demon, and my father was a human,” She said.

“Did they come with you or send you off on your own?” Voxie asked, intertwining her fingers together and putting them on the table in front of her.

Nanako swallowed. “They’re gone.”

Evan snickered, and Voxie looked down at the table. “Oh. What were their names?”

“My father’s name was Simon.” She stared blankly at Voxie. “I don’t know anything about my mother.”

“Really? Why?”

“She died giving birth to me.” Nanako rubbed one of her eyes. She felt tired.

“And your Dad never told you anything about her?”

“No-”

“The Dad did it,” Evan chimed in.

Voxie raised an eyebrow and stared at Evan. He gave her a ‘what, are you stupid?’ look. “What? The dad obviously killed the-” Voxie punched Evan in the shoulder.

Nanako rolled her eyes. “My dad didn’t kill my mom. She died due to complications during my birth,” Nanako repeated herself.

Evan snickered. “Blah, blah. We didn’t call you in here to hear your sob-story.”

“Then why did you want to speak to me?” Nanako asked, her gaze narrowing in suspicion.

Voxella and Evander exchanged glances, before Voxella leaned over the table.

“We’re the only other Halflings alive.”