When I got to the Satellite, the first thing they did was wash me in acid.

It stung a lot. Demons are weak to liquids like that…but only if they somehow can’t escape. And for a demon, there’s always a way to escape.

Just not for me.

After they got all the germs off me, they put me in a really small room. It was all white, and maybe 10 feet across. I decided to call it the Box. I wondered how long I’d have to live in it.

Eventually, Mr. Toll came into the Box, holding a suitcase. He knelt down beside me. I looked away.

“Sweet little Knell,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this day since the moment I saw you.”

“Leave me alone,” I said back.

“You don’t really want that. I’m your only friend in this place. I’m your father, after all.” He smiled, and I hated him for it.

He took some needles out of the suitcase and gave me a few shots. “Now, this will only hurt for a little while,” he said. “I wish I didn’t have to do this, but they want to know that I can control you.”

The last shot made me feel sleepy…even though I’d never felt sleepy since I became a half-demon. I didn’t want to sleep again, especially not there. It was scary to think that, in a few minutes, I would have no idea what was happening to me.

Mr. Toll held my head in his hands and said something to me. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was probably something gross anyway. I was too tired to move, so I just stared up at him. He rubbed my hair as everything went black.