Chapter 5

As we walked down the busy streets, people stared at me the whole time, no doubt it was because of me and Andrew. A person with horns and a tail carrying a rabbit, what a bizarre sight! I walked into a store and did not last a minute before we were booted out.

“No pets!” They screamed as they kicked me out the door.

I argued back, “He’s not my pet!” 

“That’s even worse!” They hollered at me and slammed the store door.

Silence enveloped all of my world for a few minutes before laughter spewed out of Andrew’s mouth.

“Are you an idiot?” He asked as he fell out of my arms and rolled on the sidewalk. 

I rolled my eyes and walked in the opposite direction from Andrew. He hopped after me, still laughing his tiny head off.

“Stop laughing!” I shouted at him.

A young child pointed at me from across the street and howled with fear, “Dad, look! A crazy person!” 

My face grew dark, and I grabbed Andrew. I sprinted into an empty parking lot with inhuman speed.

“Do we even have money?!” I asked dejectedly.

Andrew turned to me slowly and asked, “Did you not grab my wallet out of my jacket?”

I put Andrew down on the ground and pointed at him.

“Stay here, I will be back shortly.” I said as I threw my shirt off, revealing a massive scar on my chest.

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked with the utmost confusion.

Wings sprouted out of my back. The wings were huge and made of black feathers, each one looking incredibly soft. I lifted off the ground and pointed at him once more.

“I said I would be back, so stay!” 

Andrew watched as I went. Once I was out of his sight, he looked at my shirt sprawled out on the ground.

“A demon boy who wears crop tops and booty shorts just asked me to stay put in a parking lot. What has my life come to?” Andrew asked, perplexed.

I descended to the ground in front of him, holding his jacket. My wings folded back into my skin, and I picked up my shirt and put it on.

“That was quick.” Andrew remarked.

I put his jacket on, the sleeves were too long, so I had to fold them.

“Not really. Let's go.” I said as I walked in a random direction.

A lot of time passed before we came across a store designated for pets. Andrew hopped around and told me what materials to grab. Everything was going smoothly until something caught my eye. A little girl with big, bright green eyes and long blond hair, decorated with a flower crown made of lilies and a skull, stood looking at the fish in the fish tanks. She wore a black robe that was a little too big for her. She reached her hand to touch the fish tank, and I was startled to see that she had no flesh on it. It was a skeleton's hand. She seemed to have felt me staring at her and turned her head sharply in my direction. I looked down at Andrew and noticed that he had seen the same thing I had. He was frozen on the spot, and his eyes were filled with terror and confusion. I had too many things in my hands, so I could not pick him up and calm him down.

“Andrew, there is no need to panic.” I tried to reassure him.

He did not respond, and the little girl approached us with a face full of joy. Her appearance was truly the least terrifying thing I have ever seen. Sure, her hands had no flesh, but I could tell that she posed no threat. The aura around her made me upset nonetheless, she had the aura of someone who had died. There was something wrong with the aura, though. Sure, it was obvious that she was dead, but there was something else mixed in. Something cold. She bent down and stared at Andrew. She put out her hand in an attempt to pet him, but she hesitated and looked up at me.

“Mr. Pretty demon, can I pet your bunny?” She asked with hope and wonder in her eyes. 

Andrew seemed to have calmed down and looked up at me. It was as though he knew that she could understand him if he spoke, so he did not say a word. He wanted her to think he was a real rabbit. I thought to myself that she must have noticed the curse on him, but maybe she did not know how to properly identify a curse. 

“Go ahead, it seems like he likes you.” I assured her.

She petted Andrew with the sweetest smile on her face. Her bony hands ran up and down Andrew's head endlessly. The door jingled when a tall woman with an afro walked into the store. The store clerk looked confused and called out to her co-worker.

“Yo, I think a ghost just walked in!” The store clerk laughed nervously.

“Lilly! It’s time to go.” The tall woman shouted. 

She wore the same outfit as the young girl, except this time the robe fit her. The young girl stood up and jogged away. Just as she was about to leave my sight, she stopped in her tracks.

“Pretty demon, you better be careful. There’s someone powerful watching you.” The little girl warned. Her face was covered in fear.

The girl joined the woman and exited the store. I was dumbstruck, as I could not believe that I had forgotten what type of guy Jayin was. Why did I believe that he would let me go without watching me? How did I not notice his sight?

“Are you okay?” Andrew asked, looking up at me.

I said as I strolled to the till. “I’m perfectly fine.”

Andrew told me how to pay, and we exited the store. I immediately looked up at the blue sky and squinted my eyes.

“Someone’s watching you?” Andrew asked with curiosity.

I looked down at him with an unreadable expression.

“Yes, someone is watching me, and there is nothing I can do about it. Don’t worry about me, I’m just here to help you fix your curse, and then you will never see me again.”

Andrew started to hop across the street. I followed him in silence, and we walked to a park. It was lush with greenery, and the sun shone through the leaves, landing on the dirt path. I admired the surroundings as we walked, this was a sight I hadn’t seen in an incredibly long time. Andrew hopped onto a bench and sat staring at the river below. I put down the bags and sat down next to him.

“That girl died, right?” Andrew asked while staring at the steadily moving stream. 

“Yeah, it must have been something to do with her hands that caused her death.” I replied.

A leaf from a tree fell gently into the river. It floated down the stream alongside the other leaves that had fallen in.

“Here I am. Living without a care in the world for my life. I wake up and look forward to the sunset. I drink until I can’t think anymore, all because life is too much for me, and then, as soon as I saw that little girl’s smile, I realised how stupid I had been. Yet, I know that it won’t change how I take care of myself.” Andrew spoke until he paused.

“I just feel bad, you know?” Andrew said sorrowfully while glancing at me.

A gust of wind blew a thousand more leaves off the trees. They swirled around each other until they found a place to land. I gripped my arm with my void black hand until it bled, and I clenched my teeth. 

“Fuck!!” I screamed into the sky. “Just shut up, Andrew! People die all the time, so don’t feel bad. It doesn’t bring you anywhere good, trust me.”

I dropped Andrew on the couch in his apartment, and I put his rabbit food in a bowl alongside his water bowl. I filled a box with litter while Andrew looked at me with disgust.

“I hate this. When can you turn me back?” Andrew asked with a sour face.

“When I find an object to get rid of your curse.” I replied.

Andrew stretched out on the floor.

“Do that soon, I want to be human again.”

Andrew fell asleep without another word. I grabbed an apple from the fridge and ate it while I cleaned his house. I spotted a piece of paper hidden underneath his bed and picked it up out of curiosity. On this piece of paper, there was a happy couple. One of them had red wavy hair, his eyes were shut, and he wore a massive smile on his face. A woman was hugging him, her face was flushed, and her smile was equally as happy. The photograph was ripped in two. It was clear to me now that Andrew was struggling with heartbreak. 

I shut the door leading to the balcony and looked down below me. Rows upon rows of houses filled the scene. I took off my shirt and saw my own reflection in the glass door. My white hair complimented my blue eyes, I almost looked serene, but my huge scar on my chest and black hands ruined the illusion. I quickly stretched and leapt off the balcony. As I fell, my wings sprouted out of my back, and I took flight. I soared through the sky and headed to the clouds. The sky was starting to turn ashen as the sun fell slowly into the horizon. I headed north, soaring at incredible speeds while still having fun. I dropped into the clouds and fell almost to the earth before I quickly flew upwards back into the sky. It was extremely exhilarating. I spun and soared for minutes on end before stopping abruptly. My wings folded back into my skin, and I shot down through the clouds. I fell for what felt like eternity, and as I got closer to the earth, I shut my eyes. 

I opened my eyes abruptly when something grabbed hold of my body. A large black hand, like my own, had grabbed me. The arm was connected to the ground below. A moment passed until the arm shot me into the air. I tumbled until I unleashed my wings from my back. I turned toward the sky with a scowl. I felt a strange feeling coming from my left, and I turned my head sharply in response. In front of me was a huge mountain range. The mountains were lush and green. Houses were scattered among the trees, and waterfalls ran down the mountains to feed the lakes. It was beautiful. If it were any other day, I would have stayed here to watch the rivers flow and to listen to the birds sing, but something was calling me. I followed the strange aura until I arrived at a cave. This cave looked man-made and was built directly into the mountain. I walked into the steep cave, almost tripping with every step. The walls of the cave had faintly painted drawings on them. The paintings depicted humans worshipping a cube-shaped object. This had me highly intrigued. I continued walking down the cave until I was met with a large door. It looked as ancient as it could be, and the wood on it was beyond repair. I opened the door with a loud, ear-piercing squeak and was met with a large room. The floor was made of dark stone, and the walls were filled with ancient texts and paintings of humans worshipping. In the middle of the room, an object in the shape of a cube laid on a thick rectangular pillar. I approached the cube to get a better look. The enigmatic object was pitch black and had white lines wrapped around it. I went to touch it, but I was hit with a sudden realisation. A word written on the stone carrying the cube read, “The curse of immortality.