After drawing various sketches of the ox and her version of a werewolf the high-class wolf demon transformed into, Mara nodded off. It wasn’t long before she found her way back to her dream. 

For just a young boy, his grip on her hand was quite firm. They walked hand in hand until they reached a park nearby. Though they did not run to get there she was out of breath all the same.

‘Here, take a seat.’ — The boy gestured to the park-bench. — ‘You look tired.’ 

She was. She couldn’t find it in herself to argue. Whatever he was, he was anything but what he seemed to be. That innocent and friendly smile could not belong to someone who could terrify her School’s worst bullies just by staring at them. Although, now that they were away from it, she admitted to herself that seeing her harasser on her knees like that did give her some twisted satisfaction. The boy suddenly reached for her chin catching her by surprise. She flinched but remained still.

‘That looks painful.’ —  He closely examined the wound. — ‘Are you concerned it will leave a scar?’ Even though he spoke with his mind, his face was too close to hers. She felt his warm breath on her skin and she could even see his lively blue eyes dancing around in excitement. She pulled her face away; the intrusion was too much. It was difficult to breathe with someone that close. She fiddled with her hair and wanted to hide her face behind it; that was where she felt the most comfortable.

‘Why do you do that?’ The boy cocked his head, apparently oblivious of her current discomfort.

Her expression must’ve showed how lost she was at the question.

‘That thing you do, with your hair. You were pulling your it to your face just now and you did it earlier too.’ His genuine curiosity was disarming. She felt her face flush and quickly looked away.

‘Ah, I’m sorry! Does that embarrass you?’ — He sounded clumsy. — ‘My friend tells me I ask a lot of questions and some people don’t like that. He’s the first one to tell me that. Back where I’m from, people normally just leave me to do or ask whatever I want. But things are different here and all of this is a new and exciting experience for me.’

Mara shifted uncomfortably and struggled to keep eye contact but he only smiled. She reached for her bag and pulled her notepad. The boy patiently waited, again with that curious look of his.

‘How are you talking to me in my head?’ It read.

‘Mm? How you ask…’ — He looked pensive for a moment. — ‘I just kind of think the words… but it does take some concentration. It’s something we just learn how to do back home, you know, when we don’t want people listening in.’

‘Where are you from?’ She quickly wrote.

‘Wait, why are you writing now? Earlier, you spoke to me.’ The boy suddenly burst out. Mara flinched again. Maybe this was the moment where he would start teasing her about her voice. She wrote again: ‘Please don’t change the subject.’

‘Stop thinking non-sense. Here.’ — He reached again for her chin. — ‘Let’s fix this first. I don’t like to see you bleeding.’ He sounded dismissive.

She wondered again how he could read her so well. He spoke in her mind. Could he read her mind too? But right then, as she thought it, the boy did not react. Instead, he brought up his other hand and what appeared to be white bright smoke began to bubble from it. At first with no shape or form but then, as though reacting to the boy’s will, the smoke took the shape of a very small but perfectly round shape. It couldn’t have been bigger than a marble ball, but he held it in his hand. Without preamble, he pressed it onto Mara’s bleeding chin. At first, she felt nothing but then gradually the burning sensation of from the scrape began to cool. When she touched it, she realised her chin was smooth again and there were no traces of her injury, not even blood.

She rubbed her chin again and again in bewilderment while the boy only gave her a satisfied smile.

‘How is that? That’s just a little something I picked up last week. It’s not the most famous colour in Hel-, ahem, from back where I’m from, but it works pretty well. It heals all sorts of wounds. I’ve been practising it with our elders. It just doesn’t heal mortal wounds or if you lose a limb. But the elders are so smart. They’re working on ways to improve it. Of course, I’m going to be there every step of the way. They already tell me I’m the best student they’ve ever had.’

He looked slightly smug now while Mara only stared at him in stupid disbelief.