《Sarah & Diana or How the Landlady's Infernal Heritage Changed Her Tennant's Life》


 1. The Landlady

    The first sign that Aunt May was approaching was the roar of her car¡¯s engine. It was a familiar sound and sight. Her pride and joy. A convertible, pink, and that type of American car unique to the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century. A huge car not meant for the modern city, and worse, a car not meant for the terrible driver she was. She carelessly bumped it up to the sidewalk, knocking over a trash can as she did, then opened the door. The deliveryman that was about to pass her, swerved just in time to not crash into the door, flipped the woman off, then sped off on his bike. Aunt May pushed her sunglasses into her hair, dyed an unnaturally light blonde, took a cigarette from the front pocket of her jean jacket, casually lit it and loudly clicking her heels headed to the terrace where her niece was waiting.


    Even though it was a chilly autumn, her niece had decided to sit outside on the terrace. She was reading an article, which, according to the cover page, was about ship building in the late 1600¡¯s. She looked up when one of the pages fluttered away in the breeze, sighed in annoyance then sorted her papers and put them in her bag.


    ¡°Aunt May,¡± she greeted the older woman, who dropped down in the chair across from her.


    ¡°Do I have good news for you,¡± she said, looked around for an ashtray, shrugged and took her niece¡¯s empty coffee cup to put the remains in.


    Her niece pushed her reading glasses back up, leaned back and gave her aunt a dubious smile, ¡°You found¡­¡±


    ¡°A room for you!¡±


    ¡°I have a room,¡± the girl said. It was true, though her room was little more than that. It was so small that she could go to the bathroom and fry an egg at the same time, then with one step be in her bed.


    ¡°A good room, Sarah,¡± Aunt May responded, getting a door key from the pocket of her jean jacket.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rent?¡±


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford one thousand a month.¡±


    ¡°Just one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean just one?¡±


    ¡°One buck. That¡¯s all it costs.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually free,¡± Aunt May said, waving a crisp bill around, trying to get the attention of the waitress, ¡°But for administration purposes she needs a payment.¡±


    ¡°She?¡±


    ¡°Some lady I played mahjong with last week. Cleaned house and she bet a room in the suburbs. She seemed relieved to be rid of it though.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a rat-infested hellhole, or I¡¯m losing some internal organs?¡±


    ¡°Looked like a nice enough place on the pictures, though don¡¯t take my word for it. She said she¡¯d take you to check it out.¡±


    ¡°Aunt May,¡± Sarah sighed, ¡°How am I going to live in the suburbs? I don¡¯t have a car.¡±


    Aunt May grinned, producing another key from her pockets, ¡°Happy birthday. Maybe now you can actually visit sometimes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re giving me your cad...?¡±


    ¡°You wish. You¡¯re getting a neat little only-driven-on-sundays grocery car.¡±


    Sarah glanced at the luxury car, swallowing her regret, then turned her attention back to her aunt.


    ¡°So, mahjong¡¯s getting popular huh?¡±


    ¡°Down in Chinatown, sure. Did you see that documentary on gamb¡­¡±


    Aunt May never finished her sentence, interrupted by a loud engine. The polar opposite of Aunt May¡¯s yacht rushed into the street. A shiny Japanese import, black and sleek. The hunting panther to Aunt May¡¯s sleepy tomcat. It was neatly parked in front of the pink luxury car and a woman got out.


    The woman wore her hair down to her shoulder, voluminous curls that spilled down over her expensive Italian suit. The wind tugged at the open purple blazer, briefly showing off the black silk she wore under it. Instead of wearing a tie, she kept the top buttons of her shirt open, though her bosom did not seem to leave her much of a choice in that area.


    Sarah followed the woman with some interest, not surprised to find that it was Aunt May¡¯s appointment.


    ¡°She the girl, May?¡± the woman asked. Not waiting for a response, she pushed two delicate fingers under her bra, retrieving a business card and handing it to Sarah.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sarah said flatly, ¡°I love strangers¡¯ boob sweat.¡±


    She wiped it on a napkin, then read it.


    ¡®Cristal W O¡¯Leary, Real Estate Agent.¡¯


    Oddly, there was no number or address on the card. Just a logo that Sarah couldn¡¯t make sense of. If she looked at it too long, it hurt her eyes.


    ¡°So,¡± Sarah said, putting the card down, ¡°Are you a serial killer or just in the organ trade?¡±


    The woman looked at Sarah over her sunglasses. Just long enough for Sarah to note that her eyes were so dark that they could¡¯ve been black voids, before she pushed it back and bared her wide teeth in a toothy grin.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Bit of both, given the chance,¡± she said airily, ¡°but I¡¯m really just here about the room.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t tell if the woman was sincere, but assumed it was simply a strange sense of humor.


    ¡°Normally,¡± Cristal continued, ¡°I¡¯d introduce myself with a big musical number, but the medium doesn¡¯t really loan itself to that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Now, do you want to see the room?¡±


    ¡°...I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just show me some pictures?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like the real thing. You coming, May?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sarah was it? I¡¯ll drive you there.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Sarah started her protest.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aunt May replied, searching her pocket for another smoke, ¡°I¡¯ll be with you girls when I¡¯ve had a cup of joe.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to let me get in a car with a stranger.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Aunt May said, holding the unlit cigarette between her lips, ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you. It¡¯s a ten minute drive, so even if she wanted to harvest your organs, I¡¯ll be there before she gets the chance to do it properly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Not as reassuring as you think.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Cristal said, impatiently tapping her watch, ¡°We¡¯re wasting daylight.¡±


    ¡°Car got lights doesn¡¯t it?¡± May mumbled, ¡°Wish I could find mine though.¡±


    ¡°You coming?¡± Cristal asked, clicking her heels back to the car, ¡°If you¡¯re really worried, I¡¯ll give you my phone to call the cops.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Sarah said, collecting her research, ¡°If you sell my organs I don¡¯t have to pay my student loans, so I guess I¡¯m in.¡±


    Cristal showed her pearly whites again, opened the door for Sarah, then rushed to take her place behind the wheel, hitting the horn even as her passenger was getting in.


    ¡°Impatient much?¡±


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Cristal said, leaning forward to put her hands under her shirt. Briefly, Sarah spotted the bottom of a detailed back tattoo and a moment later, the woman pulled her bra from under it.


    ¡°Needed the privacy to deal with that,¡± she said, buttoning up her shirt that suddenly fit perfectly.


    Sarah blinked, glanced at the bra discarded to the back seat, then subtly tried to glance at the woman¡¯s chest.


    ¡°That¡¯s one amazing push¡­¡±


    ¡°No time to talk,¡± Cristal grinned, ¡°Buckle up.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t bother to put her own seatbelt on, hit the gas without looking, then recklessly swerved into traffic.


    The house looked ridiculous, like something you¡¯d see in a cartoon¡­ specifically Scooby Doo.


    If houses could have a bad back and aching knees, this house would have complained about it. The ancient Queen Anne style mansion was a HOA¡¯s nightmare, though if there was one they had clearly given up their fight. Now the dark foreboding house found a life as an abstract center piece to their perfectly-clipped lawned, white-fenced, Gray SUV¡¯ed neighborhood.


    In the garden of the house house across from it, a kind looking old man watched it liked a hawk. He had been pretending to rake leaves, even though there was not a single one on the grass, and stared at the house when he thought no one was looking.


    What the man was looking at, Sarah had no idea. The porch seemed empty, as did the too high lawn. She waved to the man as she got out of the car, got a brief wave back, and followed Cristal up the path.


    There was a brief change in the air, momentarily feeling as if she walked into a boiler room, though it was gone a moment later.


    ¡°Well,¡± Cristal started, appearing by her side, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... different.¡±


    ¡°So is your roommate.¡±


    ¡°Hey, nobody said anything about¡­¡±


    Sarah never finished her sentence, distracted by the door opening and a man heading out. He had a swagger in his step, like he had just conquered some mighty obstacle, though his victory lap was cut short when he tripped over his own feet on the way down. The cause of his sudden stumble was a woman calling after him.


    ¡°Andy!¡±


    It was a pleasant voice, full of warmth with a soft hint of sugar to it.


    The woman it belonged to was tall, towering almost a head over the man. Her slender fingers caught him under the arm, effortlessly stopping him from falling and pulling him back to the top of the stairs. She turned him around and put her toned arms around his waist, lifting him up to her face.


    ¡°You need one for the road.¡±


    She mumbled, but Sarah could hear her as if she was whispering in her own ear. Awkwardly she watched as the woman intensely brought her lips to the man¡¯s, leaving him fully on the defensive. The man¡¯s eyes remained wide open. He was unsure what to do with his hands and seemed relieved when the woman let go of him.


    The swagger he had had a moment earlier was gone and he seemed to have trouble even remaining on his feet as he stumbled down the stairs.


    Cristal elbowed Sarah in the side, ¡°Something for you?¡±


    She pointed to the man¡¯s crotch and said something about his ready equipment, but Sarah never processed what had been said. She was too distracted by the woman that remained on the porch. She was wearing nothing but a silk dressing gown. It hung half open and the black garment hid just enough of the woman¡¯s skin to form a perfect frame to her alabaster skin.


    She kept her red hair long on one side, with the other side pinned back behind her ears. Her glasses rested low on her nose, clearly an accessory and not for the woman¡¯s vision. However, what captivated Sarah was not how she looked, but how she looked at her. She looked at Sarah like she was dessert.


    The redhead brought her fingers to her lips, then down again, puffing out a cloud of smoke, though there didn¡¯t seem to be a cigarette in her hands. She pushed her glasses back up, then seemed to notice her visitors for the first time.


    ¡°Cristal!¡± she said heartily, ¡°Who¡¯d you bring?¡±


    ¡°Your new roommate!¡± Cristal said, striding up the path. She embraced the woman, gave her three air kisses, then pulled back.


    ¡°You coming, girl? She doesn¡¯t bite.¡±


    ¡°I might,¡± was the reply, ¡°If she lets me.¡±


    Even though the woman intimidated her with her presence, Sarah couldn¡¯t resist her curiosity to meet this person, that seemed to be made from the finest marble. She started up the stairs and got a whiff of the woman¡¯s perfume. It was a flowery bouquet, lilies, mixed with a subtle hint of aged vanilla, like she had been rummaging among antique books.


    She smiled, baring a perfect set of teeth, and stuck out her hand.


    ¡°Welcome home then,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m Diana.¡±

 2. Dianas house

    Nervously, and acutely aware of how nervous she was, Sarah extended her hand to take Diana¡¯s. Even though the woman''s grip was strong, her hands still felt soft and delicate. Sarah pulled her own sweat soaked hand, which seemed extra limp to her,  back, then introduced herself as ¡®Sarah Becker¡¯.


    ¡°Well, Sarah,¡± Diana said, pushing her glasses up, ¡°Again, welcome home. If you¡¯re planning to stay here anyway.¡±


    Sarah was curious to see what sort of place this carved-from-marble woman would live in, but she still nervously glanced over her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait out here for your aunt,¡± Cristal said, producing her phone from her pocket, ¡°She¡¯ll be here in a few lines.¡±


    ¡°Lines?¡±


    ¡°Minutes.¡±


    Sarah looked hesitantly at the door, which had been decorated with a wreath of purple star-shaped flowers.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t bite,¡± Cristal reiterated, nodding to the door, ¡°Get inside before you catch a cold.¡±


    Even though it wasn¡¯t that chilly, Sarah nodded and followed the woman into the house, hearing the sound of Aunt May¡¯s car heading into the street as she did. The heavy brown oak door fell shut behind them, leaving Sarah alone with the strange woman. ...Even though Diana¡¯s clothes could barely be considered an outfit, Sarah felt underdressed now that she was alone with her.


    ¡°You can put your bag and jacket anywhere,¡± Diana said airily, ¡°I¡¯ll make you some...coffee?...tea?...Something stronger?¡±


    Sarah briefly considered asking for a glass of vodka, then weakly said tea was fine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed and be with you in a bit,¡± Diana said, ¡°Just follow the sound of the tv.¡±


    Sarah hadn¡¯t noticed it when she entered, but when she payed attention, she could hear the soft drone of a television, which appeared to be playing some kids¡¯ show.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sarah replied and hung her stuff on the coat rack, which she noticed, on closer inspection, resembled a row of small, but rigid, bronze phalli.


    She glanced down the hall at Diana, who just disappeared into what was probably the kitchen, then shrugged and just wrote it off to the woman¡¯s sense of humor.


    Following the sound of the television, she found herself in a small but spacious side room. If she had to describe it, she¡¯d call it a lounge. A fainting couch, in a surprising vibrant red velvet among the brown wood interior, stood on one side, flanked by two leather chairs on one side, with a similar black couch across from those. In the center of it all stood a low table with a neatly spread bouquet of chalice-shaped flowers, purple,  and a multi-tiered tray, neatly decorated with cookies and chocolate, as a neighbor.


    The outer wall was entirely given over to a set of three huge windows, which even in the middle of the day had the curtains, dark green with blue tassels, drawn. An odd decision, considering the window side of the room had been given over to a small forest of houseplants that cluttered the floor.


    The interior wall held a collection of paintings, mostly portraits of women, though in the center was a large painting that looked like a piece from the Renaissance. Four horned, winged women showering a fifth figure with attention. The fifth figure being a handsome man, whose crotch had been covered with an orange cloth that did nothing to hide the product of the women¡¯s affections. It took Sarah a moment to notice the man too had wings, but where the women had batlike wing, the man¡¯s were swanlike. For some time, Sarah tried to remember if she knew this bible story, then suddenly was brought back from her reverie by the television that decorated the third wall. She glanced at the device on which a girl, who was very pink, was singing about brushing your teeth. The whole thing seemed bizarrely out of place in this room. Sarah assumed the news or such must¡¯ve been on after or before the kid¡¯s show, and Diana was planning to watch that. She glanced at the painting again, then resolutely decided to sit with her back to the work in one of the comfortable leather chairs.


    Diana appeared a moment later.


    ¡°Did they already do the song?¡± she asked, looking slightly irked when Sarah nodded. Sarah hid a look of confusion at the woman¡¯s enjoyment of a children¡¯s show, then pointedly stared at the tv when she saw what Diana was wearing.


    It seemed the designer of the dress couldn¡¯t decide if they wanted to go for sexy or cute, as such the white garment ended up decorated with an odd pattern of smiling sausages on forks, but also enough cleavage to make a butcher jealous.


    ¡°So,¡± Diana said, taking the cups from her tea tray and neatly placing them on the table, then holding the metal over her chest, ¡°What flavor tea would you like?¡±


    ¡°Any is fine¡­¡±


    ¡°But I have,¡± Diana said, then started a seemingly endless list of flavors available. When she got to the F¡¯s Sarah hastily stopped her at ¡®That one¡¯, afraid that it would go on forever.


    ¡°Forest fruits,¡± Diana smiled warmly, ¡°Coming right up.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Again, Sarah was left alone with the kids show, that had trudged along to a man in an odd purple fairy dress and a bunch of puppets fighting a machine that shot taffy.


    ¡°What even is this?¡± Sarah mumbled, glad to hear Diana¡¯s shoes click back into the room.


    She dropped down on the couch across from her, hung the tea bags in the cups, then very slowly crossed her knees, leaned her elbows on them and her chin on her folded hands.


    ¡°So,¡± she said again, ¡°Sarah Becker.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Sarah said, politely trying to keep eye contact with the woman. The woman¡¯s glasses slowly slipped down her nose, before she hurriedly pushed them back up. Briefly Sarah thought Diana¡¯s eyes were an odd swirling red, but that was probably just a trick of the light.


    ¡°You need a room?¡± she asked pleasantly, as if she didn¡¯t know why Sarah was there.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much that I need a room, but I want a better one.¡±


    As she spoke, Sarah noticed from the corner of her eye that she was tracing undefinable patterns in the air with her finger. Even though they added nothing to her words.


    ¡°And Aunt May said I could get one here for a dollar a month¡­ Which leads me to my question¡­¡±


    She dropped her hand dropped to her lap to stop the unconscious drawing, ¡°How?¡±


    Diana let out a soft giggle, ¡°I don¡¯t need the money. I just want the company.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­¡±


    ¡°Just formalities. Should I give you the tour?¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes up, briefly considering if the awkward conversation would become less so and, deciding that it probably wouldn¡¯t, she nodded.


    ¡°Sure¡­ As long as this doesn¡¯t lead to me being locked in your dungeon.¡±


    Momentarily, Diana looked nonplussed at Sarah, then giggled again.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she said, then added under her breath, ¡°We just met after all.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Come on, I¡¯ll show you around. Oh, the tea¡­¡±


    Diana picked up the steaming glass of amber liquid and downed it without a second thought. When she put it down, three honey colored points faded from where Diana¡¯s fingers had been, leaving only a couple of new dents.


    Sarah looked for the source of the orange light that had played on the glass, couldn¡¯t find it, then shrugged it off as her imagination.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to drink yours?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I have your strong throat,¡± Sarah replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get to it later.¡±


    ¡°Very well then, follow me.¡±


    Diana had led Sarah through the hallway, talking as she did. Sarah only half listened, fascinated by the new sights of this strange woman¡¯s house.


    The first room she showed was the library. It wasn¡¯t big, but it was well stocked. A bay window had been filled with comfy pillows, which was one of only two places to sit. Next to the window was well worn leather chair, facing outside, where Sarah assumed Diana did her reading.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to read the books,¡± Diana smiled, ¡°Just put them back where you found them and¡­ Stay out of the restricted section. Those books bite.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Diana chuckled, ¡°Nothing, but if the book¡¯s behind glass, please don¡¯t touch it. They¡¯re collectables.¡±


    Sarah looked at the displayed books, wondering what kind of literature the ancient-looking leather bound tomes held.


    ¡°Next room. You can read later.¡± Diana said, taking Sarah by the wrist. Her hand was a strange mix of warm in the fingertips, but a pleasantly cool palm.


    ¡°The kitchen¡¯s a bit on the tiny side,¡± Diana said apologetically, showing Sarah to one of the many doors in the hallway.


    The kitchen was thrice the size of her current apartment, which was so small that she could theoretically fry an egg while she did her business, then probably get into bed with two steps.


    ¡°It¡¯s great,¡± she hastily said when she saw Diana¡¯s proud beaming at her perfectly maintained kitchen, ¡°I don¡¯t cook much anyway.¡±


    ¡°Take-away every day, and your belly will pay,¡± Diana said, poking her fingers in Sarah¡¯s side.


    ¡°Personal space, please¡± was Sarah''s response, gently pushing the fingers away.


    ¡°Sorry, I get excitable sometimes,¡± she said, her face falling.


    Sarah shrugged, ¡°Let¡¯s just continue the tour.¡±


    Diana lit up again, her embarrassment apparently immediately forgotten.


    ¡°Oh. Thing about the fridge. It¡¯s communal unless you put your name on something, so if you have family sending you cookies or something, don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s other people living here?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes. One¡¯s a model, so she¡¯s not around much. The other rarely leaves his room, so don¡¯t be surprised if you don¡¯t see him often. Then there¡¯s Pan and Penny. Penny¡¯s pretty sociable, but Pan keeps to himself. They''re traveling though.¡±


    Sarah shrugged, ¡°I guess the house is big enough for six people, wait¡­ Pan?¡±


    ¡°Surname. But you¡¯re right. Plenty of space. I still have three empty bedrooms even,¡± Diana said, the delight obvious in her words, ¡°Don¡¯t you just love a bustling household?¡±


    ¡°...Sure.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so here¡¯s the living room¡­¡±


    It took at least an hour and a half for the tour to be over and Diana showed Sarah to what would be her room. A round room in a part of the house that Sarah would describe as a turret. The room was empty save for a four-poster bed that currently was missing the linen, a rickety chair and a desk that was too low for her to work at. In this room too, the curtains were all drawn. She briefly considered saying something about one buck being too expensive for this room when she saw Diana cover her cheeks in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯ve put all the stuff in the laundry, but didn¡¯t put anything back on the bed. I guess it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not staying but¡­¡±


    Sarah looked at Diana, something about seeing the excitement drain from her face and the soft pout that started to form in her bottom lip left her to answer.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll take the room.¡±


    The radiant smile on Diana¡¯s face reassured Sarah that she had made the right choice in taking it and she should be sure to thank her aunt for finding it, then suddenly remembered.


    ¡°Diana! We forgot¡­¡±


    ¡°Cristal and your aunt? Cristal has a key, so she¡¯s inside already¡­ probably.¡±


    ¡°Oh...good.¡±


    ¡°Want to give me a hand with the bed?¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s my room, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Diana nodded, then looked thoughtful for a moment.


    ¡°White sheets? Red sheets? Black? Blue? Green?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you have for me. ¡­I know I don¡¯t have the sheets for a bed this size.¡±


    ¡°Comes with the room,¡± Diana said, then studied Sarah quietly for some time, before very resolutely deciding.


    ¡®Pink sheet, blue blanket. I¡¯ll go get them.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I help you get them?¡±


    ¡°No can do,¡± Diana said, lightly walking out of the room, ¡°The washer and dryer are in the basement.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°House rule. The basement¡¯s off limit. Unless I tell you it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°House rule. Are there many of those?¡±


    ¡°A few. You¡¯ll pick them up sooner or later.¡±


    Sarah nodded, then listened to Diana run down the stairs.


    She blinked a few times, then realized what she had done. Confused at her readily agreeing to the strange living situation, she walked to the window and pulled one of the curtains open.


    In the garden across from Diana¡¯s house, the old man still quietly watched.

 3. Breakfast with Diana

    Sarah woke to the sound of her phone buzzing against the floor. Sleepily, she felt around till she got her hands on the vibrating device and groggily answered.


    ¡°Mister Bredero?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Bray-duh-row,¡± the man replied, ¡°Not Breederoh. And you can call me by my first name.¡±


    Sarah mouthed the words along as he said them. She only got the name wrong when she was just up, but he still seemed to take it personally.


    ¡°Sure, Tracy,¡± she said lamely, pushing herself up, ¡°What can I do for you at¡­ What even is the time?¡±


    ¡°Six AM, give or take,¡± Bredero continued, ¡°But I have work for you.¡±


    ¡°How original,¡± Sarah answered flatly, running her hand through her hair and suppressing a yawn, ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve emailed it to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why wake me up?¡± Sarah moaned, dropping back to her bed, ¡°You know I keep office hours.¡±


    ¡°Inspiration strikes when it does, miss Becker, now if you could get on to that as soon as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Sarah said, ¡°After nine.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for Tracy Bredero to answer, instead opting to turn her phone off and dropping it back to the carpet.


    The still bare room felt as alien as when she went to bed the night before. The borrowed pajamas were comfortable, but those too felt strange on her skin.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll sleep a little longer,¡± she mumbled to herself and pulled the down covers back over again, though being hyper-aware of the strange room she was in, she couldn¡¯t get back to sleep.


    She rolled around for another twenty minutes, then decided to get out of bed instead.


    After giving herself a minor heart attack by stepping on her phone and almost putting her full weight on it, she looked around for her clothes, realizing they were gone.


    A moment of panic caught hold of her and with jolt of panic, she ran for the door, finding that it opened without problems. She giggled to herself, feeling silly at the thought that somebody would have locked her in a turret as if she were Rapunzel. She stepped into the hallway, looking at the floor to not have to bother with the paintings on the wall. Diana had proudly showed off the collection on this floor, which wasn¡¯t really to Sarah¡¯s taste. ¡®Shunga¡¯ she had called the paintings. Sarah had simply called it ¡®medieval Japanese pornography¡¯.  She had politely nodded as Diana had enthusiastically pointed out the favorites in the works, though all the huge genitals on the pictures did was make Sarah uncomfortable.  She stopped in front of what Diana had claimed to be her absolute favorite in which a man was penetrating one woman with his own equipment, while also penetrating the woman behind him with  a marital aide tied to his waist.


    Sarah looked at the ancient scribbles, which Diana had offered to translate for her, though Sarah had hastily said she¡¯d rather see her room.


    Even though none of the people on the drawing had their eyes towards the frame, Sarah felt watched by them and hurriedly headed down the stairs, hearing and smelling the signs that somebody was baking.


    Sarah wasn¡¯t one to talk to people in the morning, but wanting a glass of water, she relented to having to deal with whoever was cooking and hoped they weren¡¯t a chipper morning person.


    She yawned widely when she entered the kitchen, muttering a good morning as she opened her eyes, stopping mid sentence as she did. She wasn¡¯t sure where to look first. The floor or what awaited her in the kitchen. A woman was bent over the oven, quite a feat on the heels she had on. Black stockings led up to her hips, where they were overtaken by her garter belt that disappeared under the garter skirt, which formed the accentuation to her cobalt satin underwear. The frilly garment did little to cover up her well toned backside that looked like it could¡¯ve been hewn from marble. Though even as the result of a million squats faced Sarah, what mostly stood out to her was what appeared to be a leathery tail dangling between the woman¡¯s legs. She assumed it was part of the underwear, but that did not explain why it lazily swept to and fro. She assumed that maybe the woman had been dancing.


    Sarah stared until the woman, was it Diana, rose from her crouch, then ducked back into the hallway, almost knocking one of the many paintings from the wall.


    ¡°Sarah?¡±


    Diana¡¯s voice drifted from the kitchen, melodiously elocuting both syllables of her name, ¡°Is that you?¡±


    There was a moment of silence, then the sound of something being picked up, some light taps of a nail on plastic, then Diana starting to speak. Sarah assumed Diana was probably on the phone, though she couldn¡¯t make out what was being said. Mostly, because Diana appeared to be speaking Russian.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She heard a chair scrape across the floor, then the sound of somebody sitting down.


    Sighing in relief, Sarah stepped into the kitchen finding Diana chatting happily on the phone.  She wasn¡¯t dressed, but Sarah was glad to see that she had at least covered herself with an apron. She smiled when she saw Sarah enter, mouthed a good morning, then continued her phone call.


    Sarah absent-minded rummaged around the kitchen cabinets until she found a glass, feeling Diana¡¯s eyes on her as she filled it from the tap, then sat down at the table across from her.


    Diana immediately rounded off her call and placed her phone face down on the table.


    ¡°You¡¯re up early.¡±


    ¡°Boss called,¡± Sarah shrugged, sipping off her water, ¡°Sorry to intrude on your...private time?¡±


    Diana leaned back in her chair, ¡°I¡¯m just baking, you¡¯re not intruding.¡±


    ¡°At this hour?  In that outfit?¡±


    ¡°Heat bothers me,¡± Diana said, pouting, ¡°But a lady still has to look her best, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Sarah replied, still not properly opening her mouth, sure her hair looked like somebody had set off a firecracker in it, and the pajamas she had borrowed were wearing her more than the other way around.


    It stayed silent for some time. The awkward only punctuated by the soft scrape of a tray in the oven meeting the metal walls. Sarah took the silence to study the pattern on Diana¡¯s apron, little devils dancing with angels, and her still groggy brain connected that the tail she had seen was just a novelty part of that.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, ¡°Always up this early?¡±


    Diana smiled, ¡°I haven¡¯t gone to bed yet, I wanted to call my sister.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Russian?¡±


    ¡°...Sorority sister,¡± Diana hastily corrected, ¡°She is Russian.¡±


    ¡°Huh. And you learned Russian just for her? Where did you go to college?¡±


    ¡°Russia,¡± was the dry reply.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve guessed,¡± Sarah mumbled.


    The silence fell again until Diana¡¯s phone rang.


    It was a familiar sound to Sarah, who had watched the cartoon the noise was from religiously when she was a child. In the show, the sound came from a high tech compact mirror that doubled as a phone. Here in the kitchen the sound just seemed absurd to her.


    She giggled at the noise. Diana just patiently observed Sarah from behind her glasses.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to answer that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    The phone stopped ringing, only to be replaced by a chime from the oven.


    ¡°Now, that, I do have to check,¡± Diana said, getting up from the table, ¡°Should I make coffee while I¡¯m up?¡±


    ¡°If you want to,¡± Sarah mumbled, fixing her eyes tightly to the wooden table she was sitting at, trying not to look at the half naked woman going about her business. Which was made harder when Sarah realized she was sitting with the coffee maker in full view. She closed her eyes when she saw Diana head for the machine.


    ¡°You¡¯re big on kids¡¯ shows, huh?¡± she asked, distracting herself from the perfectly shaped flesh in front of her.


    Diana turned around hastily, almost tripping over her heels as she did. She leaned on the table and smiled wide, ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°I used to be...when I was little,¡± Sarah said weakly, unsure how to respond to the enthusiasm, ¡°I recognized the sound from your phone.¡±


    ¡°Who was your favorite girl?¡± Diana said, relentless now that she had found something close to common ground.


    ¡°Uhhh...¡± Sarah stammered, trying to recall the names of the characters, ¡°The one with the red hair?¡±


    ¡°Sam!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± a new voice said.


    It was a man that spoke, a boy really, that entered the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh, did we wake you, Sam?¡± Diana asked apologetically.


    Sam was a lanky youth, probably in his late teens, that kept his hair buzzed short, which, combined with his physique, gave him the appearance of a kid¡¯s first day at military school. As such, Sarah found his choice to walk around in just pajama bottoms strange.


    ¡°Hadn¡¯t slept yet,¡± he yawned, scratching his stomach as he did, ¡°The code¡­¡±


    ¡°The code can wait, Sam,¡± Diana said, ¡°Go to bed.¡±


    ¡°But I just wanted one of your muh¡­¡±


    Diana turned around and Sarah saw that she moved her glasses lower, probably glowering at Sam.


    It was enough for him to turn heel and head to bed as told.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Sarah said when the boy was gone, ¡°Sam¡¯s the one that rarely leaves his room?¡±


    Diana nodded, ¡°He was supposed to stay here for a summer only, but he¡¯s cute so I kept him.¡±


    Sarah blinked, wondering what Diana thought cute about the gangly teen, then looked over shoulder to see what the ¡®muh¡­¡¯ Sam had been after were. It was a tray of hot muffins.


    ¡°You can have one,¡± Diana said, placing Sarah¡¯s coffee in front of her, ¡°I just baked them to have something to do while I was on the phone.¡±


    Diana said down across from her with a cup of coffee.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sleep soon?¡±


    Diana smiled softly and brought the cup to her lips.


    ¡°Coffee doesn¡¯t do much for me,¡± she said and downed the mug in one go, ¡°Besides, I can sleep when I¡¯m dead.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t some dramatic statement, Diana just seemed to like how it sounded.


    The silence fell again, still just as awkward as before.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sarah said, ¡°Before I forget ¡­ where are my clothes?¡±


    ¡°In the laundry,¡± Diana said airily, ¡°Thought you¡¯d might like them clean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like if you didn¡¯t sneak around me when I¡¯m sleeping.¡±


    Diana did not seem taken aback by the snappy tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put a laundry basket next to your door then,¡± she said calmly, ¡°Are you still going out with your aunt to get your belongings today?¡±


    ¡°She sent a text message last night. Apparently she is driving to Florida for a poker match.¡±


    ¡°Your aunt seems fun, but I think that leaves you stranded?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a bus here somewhere and I can go pick up my new car for the drive home.¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve driven you, but I don¡¯t have a car and Cristal¡¯s out of town too,¡± Diana said, she seemed to be musing more than talking to Sarah, ¡°Should I call around for a ride?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll take the bus.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. Oh, about the house rules¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any jewelry?¡±


    ¡°Not a whole lot.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, if there¡¯s any religious iconography in there, I don¡¯t care what denomination, keep it in a  box and never take it out in the house.¡±


    Sarah frowned, then shrugged, ¡°Whatever you say, your house. ¡­I guess I¡¯ll get started on work then.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to bring you more coffee?¡±


    Sarah smiled, getting up from the table, ¡°Only if you put on more clothes first.¡±


    Diana gave Sarah a playful pout as she headed back upstairs, then shrugged and picked up her phone to see who had called.

 4. Downtown

    Sarah tried the front door, finding it not budging no matter how much she jiggled the knob, pushed or pulled.


    ¡°Di¡­¡± she started the call, only for the woman to appear at her side immediately. Thankfully dressed, though the velvet mini dress didn¡¯t seem to exist to cover up much.


    ¡°Sorry, dear,¡± she said, reaching for a rack of keys in the hallway, ¡°It¡¯s locked from this side.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some uninvited visitors.¡±


    ¡°You do seem the type to attract those,¡± Sarah mumbled. Diana just smiled and pushed a rainbow-colored key into Sarah¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose the key,¡± she said, ¡°I can¡¯t replace them.¡±


    The key looked, apart from the color, like an ordinary house key to Sarah, who couldn¡¯t imagine what made it so irreplaceable. She still nodded, said she¡¯d watch it carefully, then put the key into the lock. Diana let out of a soft gasp, smiled innocently when Sarah turned around, then just gently let her out.


    ¡°Have a safe trip, dear. Remember, bus stop is left, then right, then left again, then out the street and go left, take the third right and it should be there. If it¡¯s the stop for the school bus, you¡¯ve gone too far.¡±


    Sarah smiled, not mentioning that she already had entered the stop in her phone.


    ¡°Thanks, Diana. Have a good day.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Diana said, a devilish smile playing on her lips, ¡°I¡¯m bound to¡­¡±


    ¡°A...ha,¡± Sarah said, shrugged as the door closed behind her, and started to walk.


    She hadn¡¯t noticed inside the house, but she appeared to be walking in a scented cloud of whatever detergent Diana used. A scent she couldn¡¯t quite place, but she wanted to say it was a mix of cinnamon, and a high note of ginger.


    ¡°Go right,¡± the robotic woman¡¯s voice of her phone''s route planner said and Sarah mechanically turned, still more concerned with placing the specific perfume than the world around her. As such, she didn¡¯t notice the strange response people had to her passing by. Parents taking their playing children inside when they saw her, others crossing themselves and even one child openly glaring at her.


    She casually kept walking until she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away, ducked and turned around, only to find herself eye to eye with the man that lived across from Diana and, by extension, her.


    ¡°Hello, my child,¡± he said. It seemed a strange way to address a stranger until she realized that the man wore the black cassock of a priest. Sarah sighed. Barely a day in the neighborhood and already the fundies seemed to be after her.


    ¡°Do you need help crossing the street,¡± Sarah asked, not feeling the urge to deal with this man.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you a question,¡± the man said, patiently folding his hands in front of him, continuing without waiting for permission, ¡°What is your favorite bible passage?¡±


    Sarah was ready for the question.


    ¡°When I¡¯m talking to your kind, Psalms 22:2 comes to mind.¡±


    ¡°Very witty,¡± the priest continued, ¡°Are you aware you¡¯ve wandered into a den of sin?¡±


    ¡°My aunt did invite me to Vegas once, but I didn¡¯t have the time to go.¡±


    ¡°Your jokes won¡¯t protect you when you stand face to face with the lord, my child. How would your mother feel about you having dealings with one of the daughters of the whore of Babylon?¡±


    Sarah looked at the man as if he were crazy, then a mischievous thought popped into her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid my mother is dead, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is she?¡± the man seemed unconvinced.


    ¡°Sure is,¡± Sarah continued, ¡°A dark wizard killed her when I was little and left a lightning bolt shaped scar on my forehead.¡±


    Before the man had a chance to formulate a response, Sarah pulled her bangs back and when the man leaned in for a closer look, she placed her middle finger on her forehead.


    ¡°See?¡± she said testily, then turned around to continue on her way, ¡°Now leave me alone.¡±


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    ¡°The Lord Jesus will be here when you¡¯re ready to be saved,¡± the priest called after her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold out for Superman,¡± she snapped back over her shoulder, then crossed the road to be away from the man, barely avoiding being hit by a speeding car.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve used him there,¡± she mumbled to herself as she caught her breath and checked over her shoulder. The priest was gone.


    ¡°Weird,¡± she said to herself and continued on her way.


    Sarah had picked up her new car and the stuff from her old apartment, then dropped off the morning¡¯s research at Bredero¡¯s office. Now she was sauntering downtown, trying to find a florist to buy flowers to thank Diana for welcoming her into her home.


    As she walked down the road, hands in her pockets and her thoughts elsewhere, she slowly started to notice that men were paying more attention to her than usual. Men, and even some women. When one seemed to follow her, she quickly ducked into the first store she passed.


    ¡°Can I help you, ma¡¯am?¡± the man behind the counter said, ¡°I don¡¯t think is this your kind of es-tah-blish-men-tah...¡±


    Sarah took a moment to check where she had hidden herself, finding it was an upscale jewelers.


    ¡°Just browsing,¡± Sarah said casually. A voice in the back in her head urged her to splurge the returned security deposit of her previous apartment, just to prove the man that she had just as much right to be in the store as him.


    ¡°Around the corner there¡¯s a,¡± the man pretended to think for a moment, before adding the name of the store with a theatrical detestation, ¡°Hot top-pick-kuh¡±


    When Sarah didn¡¯t respond, he added, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s more your type of es-tah-blish-ment-tah.¡±


    Sarah ignored him, continuing to browse the store until something caught her eye. A crucifix, made of soft pink gemstones, lined with gold.


    ¡°How much for this¡­¡±


    ¡°Fivvvvve hundred and fiffff-ty doh-llars, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking?¡±


    ¡°Afraid noh-tah, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll go check out Hot Topic,¡± Sarah said, heading out the door.


    ¡°You do tha-tch, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and left the store, ¡°Have a nice day, ass.¡±


    ¡°My ass will have a nice day, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Still annoyed, Sarah continued to the florist, where she was welcomed by the sight a cheerful dark skinned woman putting sunflowers in her hair to amuse a child that was the spitting image of herself.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Sarah said, ducking under a low hanging plant, ¡°I need some advice.¡±


    The woman pulled the flower from her hair, gave it to the child to put in her own, then warmly smiled at her customer.


    ¡°What can I help you with, sweetie?¡±


    ¡°I recently got a new roommate and I wanted to give her some flowers, but I don¡¯t know which would suit the...Miss?¡±


    The woman closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, before offering her a conspiratorial look.


    ¡°You¡¯re living with Diana, aren¡¯t you? I know exactly which to get her.¡±


    ¡°...How¡¯d you know?¡± Sarah asked, nonplussed. The woman responded by tapping her pierced nose.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a minute,¡± the woman said and Sarah watched her head through the store, collecting flowers.


    The woman quickly worked to finish the bouquet, mentioning their names to Sarah as she did.


    ¡°These are white camellias,¡± she explained as she built a perimeter of them, only for a series of orange ones to follow.


    ¡°Marigolds. African to be exact, then these are peach blossoms and finally, just one Bachelor¡¯s button.¡±


    There was some quick cutting and a moment later there was a pink ribbon around around the flowers.


    ¡°Twenty dollars, sweetie,¡± the woman said, ¡°And that¡¯s a steal, and only cause they¡¯re for Diana.¡±


    ¡°Popular woman, huh?¡±


    ¡°Without her I wouldn¡¯t have my shop.¡±


    ¡°Aha¡­¡±


    Sarah paid the woman, then leaned in, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s up with her hate of religious symbols?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the woman said, her smile momentarily gone, ¡°And if she hasn¡¯t told you, you¡¯re not ready to know. Have a nice day now.¡±


    Sarah nodded, took her flowers and headed out the store, back to her car.


    Her car wasn¡¯t much, but it moved, which was enough for her. An almost box shaped car from somewhere in Europe, ideal for the city. The only problem seemed to be an unbalanced steering wheel, which would start to wobble at speeds over fifty. Another issue was that there was a CD stuck in the player and the previous owner had no idea what was on it.


    ¡°Devil music,¡± the old lady had said.


    Sarah opened the volume as she merged into traffic, smiling when a familiar guitar started to play. A light turned green right as the drums set in and a moment later she was singing off key along to the music.


    ¡°Living easy,¡± she started, trying to roll the window down, finding it stuck after a few inches, shrugged and hit the gas.


    The rest of the CD was rock music she had never heard of, but it didn¡¯t bother her in the fifteen minute drive to her new home.


    When she passed the bus stop, she saw the priest that had accosted her earlier. Bible in hand and either waiting for the bus, or her to return. She was glad she could speed by and found Diana outside. She was relaxing on the stairs to the front door. Basking in the autumn sun with a glass of something brown.


    Sarah rolled her car onto the driveway, getting a curious glance from Diana, though the woman made no effort to stand up.


    ¡°I guess she¡¯s used to people showing up,¡± Sarah mumbled, struggled to get the key from the ignition, then headed up to the door.


    ¡°Are those for me?¡± Diana said, delighted at the bouquet, ¡°Am I glad I took you in. So thoughtful.¡±


    ¡°Just a thank you for the¡­ very generous rent.¡±


    Diana smiled, put her drink down and took the flowers from Sarah.


    ¡°That looks like a piece of junk,¡± she said about the car.


    ¡°It moves,¡± Sarah shrugged, then returned to the car to unload her boxes.


    ¡°Need help?¡± Diana called, then ducked her face into the flowers, before looking up again.


    ¡°Just some books and clothes,¡± Sarah shrugged, ¡°I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. Now, about these flowers¡­ That¡¯s a bachelor¡¯s knot. You got these from Nia.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The florist downtown.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I caught her name.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hers,¡± Diana said, ¡°I should call her.¡±


    ¡°You do that,¡± Sarah mumbled, ¡°Popular, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea, dear,¡± Diana said. Even though Sarah couldn¡¯t see her, she heard the smile in her words.


    Sarah turned around to see how close Diana was for her to have heard that, but the woman had disappeared into the house. Shrugging her shoulders, Sarah set to getting the boxes inside.

 5. Getting Settled

    Sarah sat on what was now her desk, her feet on the chair, wobbling it left and right as she studied the room. Having lived in cramped apartments for the past five years, she didn''t have a lot of stuff and, as such, her new lodgings felt distinctly empty. She sat staring at a blank wall, wondering what she could use to brighten up the stark void.


    "Maybe a bookshelf?" she mused to herself, then quietly added, "...For the twelve books I have."


    A knock on the door distracted her from her thoughts.


    "Come in," she called, expecting Diana, but getting Sam instead.  He had taken the time to put on a shirt, but it barely seemed to fit, clinging tightly to his form.


    "...Sam, right?" Sarah greeted him.


    "Samuel," was the terse correction. He had a raspy voice, as if he had forgotten to drink all day, "Diana asks if you want to come down for dinner."


    Sarah was about to reply that she''d have a sandwich in her room, though Samuel persisted before she could.


    "And I personally would like you to buzz off for a bit so I can wire the room."


    "...Wire?" Sarah asked, stopping the swiveling of her chair, "Like, hidden cameras?"


    Sam rolled his eyes, "You want to get online and watch TV, don''t you? So if you could just clear out for thirty minutes, I can be done with this and get back my real work."


    Sarah shrugged,  getting up from her desk, "What is your real work?"


    "That''s above your head, now scram."


    "I''ll let you talk to me like that," she replied icily, "just once."


    There was a moment of tense silence, then she pushed past Sam out of the room.


    As expected, Sarah found Diana in the kitchen, once again wearing little more than her apron. She was singing to herself as she removed the crowns from a bowl of strawberries.


    "No matter what you do on the stage, keep it light, keep it bright, mhm mhm mhmmmmmm."


    She sucked some strawberry juice off her pinkie, turning around from the counter to see who had joined her.


    "Oh," she said, her pinkie still on her lips, she sucked the juice off then pulled it away with a soft ''pop'', "Sarah."


    She licked the remains of the juice from her lips before asking, "Sam sent you down?"


    "Real charmer, that one," Sarah replied, "Is he always like that?"


    "He''s fine when he gets used to you. Doesn''t like it when people, how should I put this... intrude in his world."


    Sarah raised her brows, but didn''t say anything.


    "Dinner then?" Diana cheerfully continued.


    Sarah took a chair at the kitchen table, implying her answer, watching Diana fuss over her pots. The redhead suddenly put her nose in the air and inhaled deeply.


    "You''ve met Father Kramer?" she wanted to know, not turning away from whatever she was making.


    "Who?"


    "Our across the street neighbor. Bit of a B-book thumper."


    Sarah resisted a scoffing laugh, before trying to sound as innocent as possible with her next question.


    "B-book? Are you like a rabid atheist?"


    "Farthest thing from it," Diana said airily, "I just don''t much care for... those people. Besides, they don''t care for me either, which is why they want me out of the neighborhood."


    "You''re joking."


    "Oh no," Diana laughed, "They have the Home Owner''s Association. This house is an eyesore to them, plus there are other reasons they don''t like me."


    "I''ll tell you over breakfast tomorrow."


    An egg timer went off and Diana forgot about the conversation, quickly serving the meal for Sarah though not helping herself to a plate.


    "Not hungry?"


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    "I eat while cooking," Diana smiled, "So I''ve had my fill. Have to know how it tastes before I serve it. How is it?"


    Sarah looked at her plate, identifying the pasta on it as tortellini.


    "I''m sure it''s great," she said, balancing a bite on her fork and watching the steam curl off it briefly, before finally putting it in her mouth. It tasted fine, which she was about to answer, when she swallowed and the burning sensation followed. Tears sprang to her eyes and she felt her face turn red. Through misty eyes, she saw Diana clasp her hands over her mouth, then rush to get Sarah a glass of milk.


    "That''s a bit much..." Sarah said a moment later, breathing heavily


    "I''m so sorry," Diana said placatingly, "That''s what I''m going to eat after work."


    Sarah downed the rest of her milk before finally regaining her composure enough to speak.


    "Tastes great," she smiled weakly, "Apart from the mustard gas."


    Shaking her head to herself, Diana served her a fresh plate, "This should be easier on you."


    Sarah carefully took a bite, found this plate didn''t make her feel like her entire body was on fire and hid a sigh of relief.


    "That''s a lot of pepper," Sarah observed, inclining her head to the abandoned plate of extra spicy food that was still on the table, "Are you from down south?"


    "Sort of," was Diana''s giggled answer. All she had to say before she moved the bowl of strawberries to the kitchen table to continue the decrowning.


    "Dessert," she informed Sarah, "And some for later.... Speaking of later."


    Diana left the rest of the sentence hanging in the air, making sure she had Sarah''s full attention.


    "Hm?" was all the eating woman said in return.


    "I''m going to have a guest over and I''d like you to stay in your room while they''re here."


    Sarah blinked in confused, then spoke through a mouthful of pasta,  "Why?"


    "You could go out too," Diana mused, "But they''ll be here all night and you probably don''t want to climb in through the window."


    "But why should I hide from," Sarah stopped in the middle of the sentence to swallow her food, "Whoever they are."


    "If you can do this for me, Sarah," Diana said, calmly lobbing off another crown with her thumbnail, "I will come clean first thing in the morning. Well, if I think you''re ready for it. I''ll bring you snacks and drinks too. Please, Sarah?"


    Diana lowered her glasses slightly to give Sarah puppy eyes, an odd experience as the orange seemed to swirl in them again.


    "It''s your house, I suppose," Sarah finally shrugged, continuing her meal, "As long as you don''t make a habit out of locking me up, I''ll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don''t exist."


    "That''s a bit mu... Oh wait, that''s from Harry Potter, isn''t it?"


    "Sure is, "Sarah said, "By the by, this pasta is great."


    Diana''s glasses returned to their proper perch and she bared her teeth in a wide smile, "Glad to hear it."


    Sarah had taken a long shower, helped herself to Diana''s fancy imported soaps, and now was lounging on her bed in her bathrobe, watching the television Sam had installed. Well, not so much watching as chasing channels. Even though Diana seemed to have a subscription that included every channel in the world, she couldn''t find anything worth her time.


    She was about to turn off the TV when there was a knock on the door.


    "Sarah, dear, are you decent?"


    "By your or my standards?" she called back.


    Diana laughed, melodious and cheerful, then didn''t wait for permission to enter.


    "And you ask if I''m decent," Sarah asked incredulously when she saw what Diana had on.


    "Would you believe me if I told you it''s cultural?"


    "What culture is the Marquis de Sade?"


    "As much as I''d love to exchange quips, Sarah, sweetie," Diana said, putting a tray with a variety of snacks on it on the edge of Sarah''s bed, "I really would, but work calls."


    "...Are you a prostitute? Or uhh, dominatrix?"


    Diana winked, "Tomorrow, dear. It will all make sense tomorrow. Good night."


    "Good night," Sarah mumbled, took a pretzel from the tray and watched Diana leave the room. The redhead gave a last look over her shoulder and for some reason Sarah thought she looked guilty. Then the door closed.


    "That," Sarah said to herself when she was sure she was alone, "Was a lot of latex for not a lot of clothes."


    She turned her attention back to the tv, but nothing could interest her, so she placed the tray of snacks on her desk and retired for the night.


    Sarah shot up in the sheets, bathing in sweat, then looked around the dark.


    "Well," she said to herself, grabbing a glass of water from the night stand,  "I''m not being burned for witchcraft. That''s nice."


    She gulped down the water, then tried to remember when she had gotten, or if she had even gotten it herself. It didn''t matter. She was glad it was there.


    Laying back down, she tried to make sense of what she had dreamed. It had started with a vivid dream of her first, and only, boyfriend and their unsuccessful attempt to make love. She was fine with the memory of both of them being too nervous to get in the proper mood, but it had quickly turned into horrible nightmares of inquisitors and torture, ending in her being thrown on the pyre and finally waking up.


    "Just a dream," she said to herself, pulling the blankets up to her chin. When the wind sent a ripple through the curtains and a window slammed shut she pulled them over her head.


    She didn''t dare move her blankets until she heard the front door open and Diana''s cheerful laugh cut through the eerie silence.


    There were two more voices. One sonorous male and one that Sarah could only describe as squeaky, scratchy, and deep all at once. The language they were speaking however was entirely alien to Sarah, unable to even guess what continent the language was from.


    A few moments later, the sound of a motorcycle leaving and speeding into the night. She picked up her phone from the floor and checked the time. It was around four in the morning.


    Shaking her head, she listened to the sound of somebody, probably Diana, coming up the stairs, followed by the gentlest knock on the door.


    "Sarah, sweetie, are you up?"


    Sarah nodded meekly before realizing that was rather pointless and opened her mouth to respond. Diana had already cracked the door and left herself in. She was in a bathrobe and sat down at the foot of Sarah''s bed.


    "You okay, honey? Still up?"


    "Just a bad dream," Sarah assured the woman and got a light pat on her foot in return.


    "That''s okay... Comes with the territory."


    "I''m sorry, What?"


    "Explain in the morning..." Diana said, making sure not to meet Sarah''s eye.


    "It is morning!"


    "Go back to sleep," Diana laughed, "I''ll explain over breakfast if you promise not to throw anything at me."


    "We''ll see," was all Sarah had to say to that.


    Diana patted Sarah''s foot again, then got up, "Sweet dreams, dear."


    "Can''t be worse than what I''ve had."


    Gigging, Diana left the room, leaving Sarah to stare at the dark ceiling.

 6. Dianas True Form

    The wind rolled in through an opened window, sending the bottom edge of Sarah''s bathrobe dancing. She had not slept any more, partly because she was afraid her brain might continue the story, but more specifically, she wanted to know what Diana had to say to her as soon as possible.  As such, she had sat in her bathrobe until her phone''s alarm informed her it was seven AM. She rushed out of the room, then pretended to be composed, taking the stairs calmly one at a time in an attempt to not seem too eager.


    The house smelled of baking, but when Sarah entered the kitchen, she only had the droning hum of the oven for company.


    Two notes had been left on the counter. One was in a handwriting that was best described as ''a right handed man writing with his left foot'' that only read ''gone out''. The other was in a cursive that would''ve made a medieval monk proud, which read ''Don''t feel too great. Staying in bed for a bed. I made breakfast muffins. Will be done soon. Don''t worry about me. I''ll be okay in a few."


    Sarah sighed, slightly annoyed that she had to wait longer for whatever Diana had to tell her, but was distracted by a loud DING from the oven. A muffin took the edge off most of her initial frustration. She tossed the hot muffin from hand to hand until it had cooled enough to eat, then wondered how to spend her morning if answers wouldn''t be forthcoming. Still tossing the muffin, despite no longer being necessary, she returned to her room, dropped down on her bed and picked up her phone to check for messages. There were none.


    "Free morning," she mused out loud to herself, she put her phone down on her bed and left the room, not bothering to get dressed beyond the bathrobe.


    "Guess I''ll read a book or something," she continued her monologue, heading to Diana''s library, sure there must be something that would interest her.


    Now that Sarah had the time to observe it properly, Diana''s library looked like a bookstore from a clich¨¦ fantasy novel. It was filled with odd, old tomes, bound in leather and written in strange languages. There was plenty of fiction as well, but nothing that directly caught her attention. In the end, she found a small stack of children''s books hidden behind a pair of doors. She picked a few at random and considered where to read. She had settled on the lounge when the loud chirping of birds attended her to a door she had not noticed on the first tour of the house. With her small pile of books balanced on one arm, she pushed it open and stepped through it... Into a spacious backyard. It was mostly moss and a single weeping willow next to a lily filled pond. Remains of the summer''s flowers bordered the edges of the garden. With the autumn sun quickly warming the garden, Sarah breathed in the pleasant morning scents and, delighted, took place under the tree. She dropped her stack of books next to her, sighed contently and started.


    "It''s a funny thing about mothers and fathers..."


    "Oh! Sarah! There you are!"


    Sarah put down The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe, and made a mental note that she was on the start of chapter five.


    Diana left the house, surprising Sarah by being fully dressed in a neat skirt and blouse combo. She had the top three buttons open, still teasing any onlookers with the orange lace of her bra, but it was a remarkable improvement to Sarah, who was suddenly very aware she was still in her bathrobe and pajamas.


    Holding two steaming mugs, Diana reached out to Sarah, despite still being several feet out of reach.


    "Cocao," she informed Sarah when she took the offered drink, then sat down in the moss across from her, tucking her legs below her body as she did.


    "I see you found something to do while you waited," Diana started in a vague attempt at conversation.


    "Not a lot of my usual reading in there," Sarah replied, inclining her head towards the general direction of the library, "Couldn''t even make heads or tails of most of them."


    "They''re for work," was all Diana had to say, offering a mysterious smile, "Don''t worry about them. You have more pressing concerns."


    Sarah, who was enjoying her slow morning, frowned, "Like what?"


    Diana took a sip of her cocoa, then ran her fingers through the moss, separating the green foliage, before finally gently coughing and letting the cat out of the bag.


    "You''re not going to like hearing this, but your aunt screwed you."


    "Aunt May? How? Why?"


    "Before I tell you more, I need you to promise me to stay calm and not freak out."


    Sarah leveled her gaze till she could see herself reflected in Diana''s glasses, then slowly nodded her assent.


    Diana breathed in deep, fidgeted with the rim of her glasses for a moment, then smiled weakly before finally saying what she had on her mind.


    "Let''s start at square one... I''m a succubus."


    Sarah took a sip of her chocolate milk, then drummed on the cover of the book still in her lap. She decided on a soft chuckle as a response.


    "So, you like sex? That hardly seems worthy of a confession."


    "No, I don''t just like sex. I need it to live, as much as you need food and water."


    "Bit of a drama queen, but you do you..."


    Diana sighed, downed the entire cup of steaming cocoa in one gulp and stood up, starting to unbutton her blouse as she did.


    "Watch," she said. Sarah took an unimpressed sip of her drink and watched Diana take off her blouse, then unzip her skirt and drop it to the dirt.


    She ran her hands through her fiery red hair, then calmly coaxed two spiraling horns from the wild mane. They were as pliable as the actual hair and she shaped them to resemble a ram''s, then held them still while they solidified.


    Sarah blinked, unsure how else to respond. She removed her cup from her lips, slowly lowering it.


    Next, Diana stretched out, still as graceful as ever as she clasped her hands above her head. A sound, much like two umbrellas opening rapidly at the same time, resonated through the garden and two large leathery bat wings burst from behind Diana.


    Sarah''s cup dangled from her hands, leaking the brown liquid into the moss.


    Finally, Diana put her hand on her lower back, pulling out a tail like a rabbit from a hat, which swished cheerfully behind her, until she got it under controlled and rested the forked coriaceous appendage between her legs.


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    Sarah''s cup dropped to the floor, spilling the last of the cocoa into the soil and she opened her mouth to scream. Nothing came out


    "Hey," Diana pouted, "You promised you wouldn''t freak out."


    "Do I have a choice?" Sarah breathed, "You''re... You''re..."


    "A demon," Diana finished, then added, sounding somewhat hurt, "And I''ve been nothing but pleasant to you."


    "...So you can eat my soul!" Sarah started, then suddenly her brain took over and she started rambling.


    "Wait, do I have a soul? Should I have been going to church? Is this why you don''t want religious stuff in your hose? Can I call the lord Jesus to smite you? Was there blood in the muffins? Am I tainted by staying in your house?"


    "I don''t eat souls," Diana patiently answered, somehow having indexed her raving questions neatly, and answered them in order, "Yes, you do. Only if you want to. Yes. No. Only blood orange, and no."


    Meanwhile, Sarah had chosen to slap herself in the face, talking to herself as she did, "Come on, Becker. Wake up, Wake up."


    Diana took the three steps she needed to get Sarah, placed her hands on her knees as she hunched down, then looked over her glasses to make eye contact with Sarah. Sarah responded by scooting backwards, dropping her book from her lap, and remembering she was sitting against the unyielding thick trunk of a tree.


    "I mean you no harm," Diana sighed, "Please calm down and listen to me."


    Sarah continued to gasp for air. Diana sighed, then took off her glasses entirely, fixing Sarah in her gaze. Sarah felt a wave of serenity wash over her and suddenly noticed how beautiful Diana was. All she wanted was to be held by the otherworldly woman. And maybe find her lips.


    A moment later the feeling was gone and the sense of impending dread returned.


    "As you can see," Diana said patiently, "If I wanted to harm you, you''d let me. Now, let me explain..."


    She straightened herself out again, stretched and finally sat down again, neatly tucking her legs under her as she had before.


    "I hope you don''t mind if I don''t go back in disguise right away. It''s nice to have the wings out..."


    Sarah regained some sense of self control and chuckled nervously.


    "Fine," she said, "I''ll listen and then I''ll wake up a little later and you''ll just be a strange woman that likes to bake in her underwear."


    Diana offerend an apologetic smile, "I''m afraid only half of that is true, but let''s see. I started at the beginning, which leads us to point two: Your aunt."


    "Aunt May?"


    "Your aunt loves gambling a little too much. And she''s not good as she''d you like to believe. Plus, like most compulsive gamblers she has some very poor judgement."


    "And?"


    "Well, she gambled with you as a stake."


    Sarah laughed, finding this just more proof that she was in a dream.


    "What kind of casino would allow that?" she challenged the claim.


    "Cristal''s kind. Now, next. Do you know what a cambion is?"


    "That''s French for mushroom, isn''t it?"


    "No, that would be champignon. A cambion is the child of a mortal and an incubus, or succubus."


    "So?"


    "It needs a virgin womb."


    "Well, that puts me out," Sarah said hurriedly, "Total slut, right here."


    "Liar," Diana retorted, though she sounded amused, "I know you''re a virgin."


    "...how?"


    "Those horrible dreams you had tonight, about the inquisition."


    "Yes?" Sarah asked, not realizing she hadn''t told the woman what her bad dream had been about.


    "Those were the doing of a friend of mine. A mara, which is how I had a walk in your memories. Shame about that high school boyfriend of yours. He was..."


    "Yes, yes. I remember, big dick. Tasted awful."


    Diana laughed, "Did it? I didn''t see that, but I know you''ve never been with a man. The nightmares were an unfortunate side effect."


    "...You could''ve just asked."


    "And you would have lied," Diana observed rationally, "Like just now."


    "So?" Sarah mumbled, "You want to impregnate me with a demon baby?"


    "If that''s okay with you," Diana replied, "Though I am not an unreasonable woman. It''s not your debt, so I shan''t insist on it. That said, the debt must be paid in full."


    "Can''t Aunt May write you a check?"


    "Bad credit. Especially with Cristal, which is why she''s making a run for it to Florida. But as I said, I''m not unreasonable. There are other ways to pay the debt."


    "Like?"


    "Even an immortal creature like myself needs money in this world. You could work for me until you''ve paid the amount."


    "Which is... how much?"


    "A lot," Diana replied, holding the O several seconds before she finally clamped down on the T.


    "What''s with the long O?"


    "That''s the amount of zeroes in the sum."


    Diana smiled as she saw the look of horror on Sarah''s face.


    "Then there''s the quickest way. Have the cambion and raise it. All expenses would be paid, hence me needing money."


    "...I don''t want children," Sarah said hastily, putting her hands on her stomach and slowly sliding them down, before finally flinching at a thought, "Especially not with horns."


    "Those come in later," Diana assured her, before continuing her offers, "There''s also option three. You stick with me for a while, so I can feed off you."


    "Which you''d do... how?"


    "Sexually."


    "Any other options?"


    Diana smiled wider, showing off her teeth which now included fangs on the top and bottom rows, "There''s one more, which will be most pleasing to you."


    Even though Sarah was still convinced she was dreaming, she might as well humor whatever part of her psyche was concocting this bizarre scenario. Aside from that, she thought that if she stayed in the dream longer, she might be able to remember it if she could ever afford therapy.


    "Hit me," she said.


    "Maybe if you''re good," Diana teased, "But..."


    Sarah breathed in deep.


    "There''s a human emotion that is far more delicious than lust to creatures of my persuasion."


    "Which is?"


    "Happiness."


    "So you want to... eat my happiness?"


    "Just a little bit, every once in a while. Honestly, nothing that can''t be cured with a big tub of chocolate ice cream."


    "Then why don''t you eat the ice cream?"


    "Eating doesn''t work the same way for us it does for humans. Different biology."


    "Thought for the rest it''s all compatible? That''s convenient."


    "Indeed, anyway..."


    Diana stood up and curled her horns back to wherever she hid them.


    "If you tell me where''d you find happiness, I''ll help you attain it. And then feed off you sometimes. You''d just be one of many. One of them is coming later today. You''ve met her, Nia."


    "...The florist?"


    "The very one. Even took a cambion for me. Sweet girl. So, just tell me what would make you happy and we''ll get you there."


    Sarah quietly watched Diana hide the signs of her infernal nature, wink over her shoulder and then head back inside, not bothering to get dressed .


    "But," Sarah said quietly to herself as she looked at the cocoa staining Diana''s shirt, "I don''t know what would make me happy..."

 7. Anger

    "Who was that princess stuck in a tower?" she asked herself, then stood up to open the curtains.


    Sarah shrugged, then froze when there was a knock on the door. A


    "Sarah, honey, do you want dinner?"


    "Your favorite."


    Diana took a small step back, calmly observing the furious Sarah.


    "How did you know?" Sarah demanded.


    "How do you know what my favorite food is?"


    Sarah closed her eyes, breathed in deep to calm herself, then still raised her hand to slap Diana.


    Diana did not move.


    "So I did," Diana confirmed, "And I regret that, but..."


    "Sarah, dear..."


    "Sarah! I''m sorry and it won''t happen again."


    "You can''t."


    Diana sighed, finally bothering to also enter the room, "Sarah, I''m sorry, but you literally can not leave. Your aunt signed a blood bond. You''re stuck unless I let you go."


    "Let me go."


    "Why not?"


    "Somewhere else!"


    "I can afford a room."


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    "Like you''re not taking advantage of me?"


    Sarah considered hurling an insult at Diana as her mind raced, but she finally sighed in defeat.


    "Fine. I''ll stay the night."


    "But, the debt must be paid and it comes down to your aunt then.''


    "Do you want dinner then?"


    "Fine, no use in starving I guess. ... Unless you like, substitute milk with semen."


    "I''m not sure how I feel about that answer."


    "I don''t want to know!"


    Sarah had dreaded an awkward dinner with just her and Diana, but the woman had said she had pressing business in the cellar, which left Sarah to eat by herself.


    She was still stoically chewing when Sam entered the kitchen. The boy had put on a wife-beater that was obviously too big for him, and too long since its last wash.


    "You," Sam responded, rummaging through the fridge without another word.


    He sighed, as if just hearing his name from Sarah''s mouth was the most tedious thing he had ever heard.


    "Can I ask you something?"


    Sam turned and placed a large bottle of soda down on the dining room table.


    "Not if you just work with me for a bit."


    "You''re here of your own accord, right?"


    "So, you like... whatever you have going on with Diana?"


    "Coding."


    "Code."


    Sam scoffed, "I don''t bother with Diana''s fling of the week. No use getting to know the names unless you''re sure they''re not disappearing into the night next week."


    "She''s done what she can. Now.."


    "Would you like to help me be even more happy?"


    Sam grabbed glass, his bottle of soda, then retreated from the kitchen.


    "I''m ecstatic to be done with this chat. Enjoy your meal, Susan."


    Sarah sighed, proceeding to eat and staring blankly at the fridge, suddenly spotting a drawing on the white plastic exterior. It had clearly been done by a child. A crayon work, showing a poorly drawn shop with a host of colorful flowers outside it. Next to it was a scribble of the child with her parents. The junior artist had past progressed stick figures into weird triangle shaped bodies, but had not learned dimensions yet, leaving the parents the size of the shop.


    She placed her empty plate in the sink, then spitefully took it out and placed it upside down on the table, then returned to her room.


    As she headed towards her room, she passed the cellar door, through which she could hear the soft giggles of Diana and the soft pleased moans of another woman.

 8. Dungeons, Dragons, and a Demon

    Sarah sat in the kitchen, where she was chewing a dry piece of toast. She had considered making a proper breakfast, but came to the conclusion she did not want the risk that came with messing up a demon''s kitchen.


    "Might as well go then," she muttered, dropped the remains of her toast on the table. The normal urge to clean up struck, then she decided solidly against it. It was her act of rebellion against her captor for the day.


    "You should clean that up," Sam said, entering the kitchen, "Diana hates a mess."


    Sam shrugged, wiped the crumbs off the table and started on his own breakfast.


    After fumbling the key four or five times, she finally got inside and checked herself in the rear view mirror. She shook her head at how disheveled she looked from thirty meters running to the car, then put her key in the ignition and... nothing. Merely the protesting sputter of an engine that refused to cooperate.


    "Don''t throw the doors!" Diana called from the kitchen.


    "Car not running?" the redhead finally dared ask.


    "I''ll call you a taxi, if you want?"


    "I can call a tow if you want?" Diana offered, lowering the pan she was stirring.


    "Then..." Diana said, looking around and lamely held the pan out to Sarah, "Would you like some breakfast?"


    "Whatever you want," Diana said, seemingly slightly hurt at the piled on rejections, "I''ll keep something out for you. Sleep well."


    It was well past noon when Sarah woke up again. The weather hadn''t let up and, because of that, she had decided to stay in bed. She grabbed the remote from her night stand and turned on the television, hoping to find something worth watching. As she expected, there was little on even at this time and in the end she ended up watching some old kid''s show about a trio of children turning into bug-themed superheroes.


    "Booty call," she said out loud to herself.


    "Diana?"


    It was a woman that spoke. A vaguely familiar voice.


    "Can I just come in? I don''t like talking to wood."


    The door opened and Sarah was surprised to find the florist from a few days earlier enter. She was even more surprised that the florist was dressed in little more than the silk shirt and shorts that consisted her pajamas.


    "Sarah," was the lame introduction she offered in return, "I''m guessing you were Diana''s date?"


    "And you''re one of her previous victims."


    She took a moment to suck on her lollipop as she thought about the correct word, then smiled,


    "I''d say beneficiary. Sounds a lot better."


    "Look, I don''t know where she got you, but there''s worse people to be saddled with. Sure got me out of my slump."


    "That''s a new one," she said, still chuckling, then plopping the lollipop back in her mouth.


    "Well, Diana sent me up..."


    "Come on! She just asked if... Well, this is really awkward."


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    "You wish," Nia scoffed, "No, it''s awkward, because it''s really nerdy. One of our regular players is missing today, so now we don''t have a healer. Could you fill in?"


    "Like rolling a bunch of dice and pretending you''re fighting goblins..."


    "Offer''s open for the next thirty minutes. If you ask me, Sarah was it? If you ask me, Sarah, playing a game on a rainy day sure beats feeling for yourself and watching..."


    "Watching Barbie movies."


    "Mhm."


    "Normally I''d say that''s none of your business, but, since we''re sort of in the same boat."


    "Her friend brought me here. Glad she did, cause I was about ready to suck dick for money."


    "Maybe I''ll tell you what happened some other time, but I''ll tell you up front. Diana''s the best thing that ever happened to me and, if you play your cards right, she can be for you too. Now, if you''d excuse me..."


    "Might as well," she grumbled.


    She found the others in the lounge, converged around the small table, on which the platters of sweets had been replaced with several bowls of chips and assorted snacks, as well as a large plastic matt that took up half the available space. Nia was speaking to a man, using a bunch of terms that sounded like English to Sarah, but didn''t mean much to her. Another man was sitting in a chair next to the table, placing tiny plastic figures on the mat.


    "Uh... hi?" Sarah said, hoping to draw some attention, "I''m Sarah and I''m supposed to be your healer today."


    "Sarah, you say?" he echoed her name, standing up and knocking the tweed blazer he had hung over the back of his chair down to the floor. He held out a hand for Sarah, who almost stumbled over the man with the figures to get to him.


    "Doctor Thomas Thomas," he introduced himself and gave her a firm handshake.


    "My father thought it was amusing. Most people jus thought I was a strange stutterer, which is why people call me doc now. I''ll be your dungeon master today. Nice to have you at the table, Miss Beck."


    "Becker. And Sarah''s fine... Doc."


    The man with the figures kept positioning them, occasionally checking a notebook. He grunted to himself in annoyance, then tapped one with his finger so lightly that you''d think he hadn''t intended to move it at all.


    "Huh?"


    He stood up, took Sarah''s hand and brought it to his lips. Sarah pulled it away before it connected.


    "You''ll pick it up soon enough," he assured her, "It makes more sense when you''re doing it."


    "Bit early to be drinking, isn''t it?" Sarah asked, deciding to be as pleasant as she could manage to Diana.


    Nia let out a soft sound of appreciation at Diana''s words, then dropped down in one of the empty chairs, "Right you are, Di, can we get started?"


    "Wow where were we?" Doctor Thomas asked, though appeared to be mostly talking to himself as took his place at the head of the table, "Oh right. You were on your way, on a diplomatic mission to benefit the goblin revolution, when you were jumped by the trolls..."


    "In that case, Dennis. Lupin was next to move."


    "Dennis''s player character. You will be playing Gutrot."


    "If it''s my turn," Dennis said, loudly to make sure everyone was listening to him, "I will..."


    "I''m afraid that this is where we wil finish up today then," Doc said, "Did you get all that, Mister Moore?"


    "I got way too involved in that," she said, "And poor little Caliban died for me."


    Sarah looked down at the table. She had to admit it had been fun, then shrugged, "If you guys will have me."


    "She can redeem herself next time," Nia laughed, "Dennis, you''re giving me a ride home, right?"


    "Sure," Diana said, "If nobody''s in a hurry to go home."


    There was a conspiratorial look between Diana and Nia.


    "My wife has her ever so charming friends over for her book club, so I''d rather be here, than listen to an in depth analysis of the latest bestseller."


    "I''m already here and I still have to have dinner," Sarah said, then looked at Diana, "No mushrooms."

 9. Sarahs choice

    Diana had turned on the tv in the lounge, letting an exceptionally bad fantasy movie play, while she fussed over the room and rapidly eliminated the mess her guests had made. She swept out the room and a moment later they heard the kitchen faucet start to flow.


    "So," Sarah said, only half watching the movie and awkwardly trying to make conversation, "How did you meet Diana?"


    "Me?" Thomas was the one to answer, "I met her to discuss a donation to a fund raiser. She was selling an ancient Greek vase showing two men who were..."


    "I think I know her taste well enough to know what the men were doing," Sarah cut him off, "And then you ended up as her, what was the word, dungeon master?"


    "Quite so."


    "Not the type of dungeon master I''d expected with her."


    Thomas pushed his glasses up, giving Sarah an inquisitive smile, as if he were inviting her to say more. When she didn''t, he just shrugged and returned to watching the movie.


    "My wife can''t abide these," he said, clearly not that interested in the film, "Won''t watch a movie unless the tears don''t stop flowing till the end, but that''s all good..."


    Sarah frowned, "I thought you''d like to spend time with your wife."


    "Oh, I do," Thomas laughed, "But every man needs his ''me''-time. Every woman too, come to think of it. Don''t give me that look. We''re very happy, but we give each other space, which is probably why we are happy."


    "So you''re not here because..."


    "Sarah," Nia snapped, "A word in the hallway? I wasn''t asking."\


    Sarah followed Nia into the hallway, where she leaned in closer to make sure only Sarah could hear her.


    "What the fuck are you doing?" she whispered, so close that Sarah could feel her breath on her lips, "I get that you want to know more, but not everyone''s on about Diana''s condition. She keeps regular company..."


    "Oh," Sarah mumbled, "Good call. I''ll give it a rest."


    "Good. If anybody has something to say about Diana, they will tell you themselves. Don''t go chasing answers, understood?"


    "Something wrong, girls?" Diana asked, stepping out from the kitchen, looking the part of the perfect housewife, especially now that she was happily beating away at a bowl of batter.


    "Just helping Sarah understand some things," Nia said sweetly, "Didn''t want to bother the doc during the movie."


    "He''s seen that twelve times," Diana laughed, "Did Dennis shower yet?"


    "Tell him I said to get in the shower or he doesn''t get... Well, he knows what he won''t get."


    "Is Dennis one of her...?"


    "He is. What she sees in him is beyond me though. ...Guy wouldn''t have seen a bar of soap in the last ten years if it wasn''t for her."


    "That just leaves your usual healer," Sarah observed, "Are they...?"


    Nia shook her head, "She''s so straight that that not even Diana ha any power over her."


    "Stop talking about me!" Diana called in a sing-song from the kitchen, "It''s rude!"


    "Sarah as about to call something back, but was interrupted by the chime in from the doorbell.


    "Pizza!" Nia said happily, forgetting the conversation and rushing to open the door.


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    Sarah shrugged and returned to the lounge, watching a dejected Dennis slog towards the bathroom.


    "Soooo," Sarah said, half listening to Nia talking to the pizza delivery boy, or girl, going by the voice, "You''re a doctor?"


    "Only in name," Thomas replied, adding with mock gravitas, "I regretfully inform you that I can not look at your aching joint, because my doctorate is in art history... Now I will naturally ask you what you studied in college, purely for the pleasantries.''


    "Nothing," Sarah shrugged, "Didn''t go to college. I got a job using mom''s connections. I''m a research assistant to a writer, Bredero?"


    She left the name hanging in the air, wondering if the man would''ve heard of her employer.


    "I hope the contemporary writer and not the Dutch playwright."


    "...The former. What''s wrong with the Dutch guy?"


    "I hear he''s terrible at paying his employees a living wage," Thomas said, then conspiratorially leaned in to Sarah, "He has been dead for four hundred years, you see."


    Sarah chuckled, "No I don''t work for a dead guy."


    She pushed the thought that the way her life was going, it wouldn''t surprise if she was, away, then finished her sentence, "Just the young adult writer."


    "Awful books," Thomas said, shaking his head, "I''ve read them, my daughter likes them you see, but I can''t stand his work... I will however admit his research is generally very well done. Good on you, miss Becker."


    "You can just call me Sarah," Sarah mumbled for the fifth time that day.


    "Sorry," Thomas had apologized the same amount, "Force of habit. Normally when I see anyone your age, it''s one of my students, thought you obviously couldn''t be..."


    "Why not?" Sarah challenged, sure she could be in his class if she wanted.


    "Because you''re actually listening to what I''m saying, Miss Becker. Oh see, there I go again. Then again, I''d probably lose you to when I start to inform you about decay on Rembrandt''s Nachtwacht."


    "The noct-wat?"


    "Night watch. A very famous painting, but I''m already seeing your eyes turn glassy"


    "What are you nerds on about," Nia asked, balancing the pizzas into the room on her arm.


    "Just shop talk," Thomas said, taking off his glasses to clean them.


    "You''re an art nerd too?" Nia followed up to Sarah, putting the four boxes of pizza on the table.


    "At best a regular nerd," Sarah smiled weakly.


    "Good. I don''t want to sit here talking about erection pottery."


    "Etruscan," Thomas corrected, placing his glasses back on his face, "But in any case, let''s watch the movie and not exclude Miss Carlson from our... Oh, dear. The credits.''


    "Just rewind it," Nia said, dropping down in her chair and hungrily eyeing the hot boxes on the table, "I missed half of it anyway."


    "You''ve seen it twelve times," Thomas supplied.


    "...I haven''t seen it," Sarah added.


    "Well then, Miss Becker, oh shoot, feast your eyes on the worst the nineties have to offer.


    Thomas picked up the remote and rewound the movie as Sarah glanced at the pizza, then at Nia, who shook her head, then nodded in the general direction of the kitchen. Clearly they''d wait for Diana and Dennis to come back before they ate.


    Sarah sighed, looking longingly at the pizza, then simply focused on the movie.


    Sarah was startled from her sleep by a gently shake of her shoulder.


    "Sarah? Sarah?"


    "Hrm?"


    "You should go sleep in your bed. Your back will thank you tomorrow."


    Sarah opened her eyes and found herself under the dimmed lights of the lounge, where she had apparently fallen asleep in her chair.


    "...how long have I been out?"


    "Most of the movie and then some. We didn''t want to bother you."


    "Well, at least nobody tried to make me pee my pants," Sarah said, rubbing her eyes.


    Diana sat down on the armrest of the chair and absent mindedly ran her fingers through Sarah''s hair, "I was going to ask if you''ve given my question some thought, but between the game and the movie, I haven''t given you much chance for that."


    Sarah pulled away from the sign of affection, pushing Diana''s hand away by the wrist.


    "What question?"


    "What would make you happy?"


    Sarah sighed and sank back down in the chair, remaining quiet.


    "If you don''t know, you can always try new things. Have you considered community college."


    "You have to be joking."


    Diana smiled, "It did wonders for Val."


    "Who?"


    "Our usual healer. I guess you''ll meet her next time, if you still want to play."


    Sarah considered the question as she got out of the chair.


    "Well," she started and saw Diana''s face fall. The woman was expecting to be turned down, "I should try new things to find my bliss, shouldn''t I?"


    Diana''s face lit up, "So you''re not leaving?"


    Sarah shook her head. She had taken most of the game to think about that. People around Diana seemed to be a lot happier than she''d ever been, so she had selfishly made up her mind, though refused to say in as many words.


    "Where else am I going to get rent this good?" she replied, making it sound like a pragmatic choice, "Even with the added fees..."


    "Can be worth it, given the chance," Diana said and softly brushed Sarah''s hand with her fingers.


    Sarah hastily pulled her hand away and put it in her pocket, "Good night, Diana."


    "Good night, Sarah," Diana said innocently. She remained on the armrest until she was sure Sarah had gone upstairs, then slowly let herself sink down in the warmth Sarah had left in the chair.

 10. The Search for Happiness

    Sarah drummed her nails on the plastic of the car, bent over the open hood, and staring at the task she had set herself.


    "That''s definitely an engine," she observed out loud despite not having an audience. She picked up the manual for the car that she had tucked between parts she didn''t know the function of. She opened it, wondering if she could make any sense of it and finally gave up.


    "Guess I should call a tow.." she muttered and dropped the manual to the still wet asphalt.


    Sarah looked up, wiped her hands on her shirt and frowned at the man that lived across the road, trying to recall his name.


    "Father Kramer," she greeted him coldly, "If you''re here to sell Jesus, I''m not buying."


    "Your immortal soul is your business, my child. Well, yours and His, but I wanted to know if I could help you with your car. Being a good neighbor. Mark 12:31."


    The man offered her a smile that was all teeth, which made him look like a used car salesman.


    "I''ll leave it to a mechanic," Sarah said and slammed the hood to punctuate, "So unless there''s something about cars in Mark, you can head on home."


    "I''m sorry you feel that way, miss..."


    "Becker."


    "Miss Becker. The Lord teaches us to look out for our neighbors. Please don''t be ready to throw one away after one bad meeting."


    "Let me ask you one thing," Sarah said, picking up the manual so she could put it back in the glove box, "Simple yes or no."


    "By all means."


    "Have you ever yelled at people outside an abortion clinic?"


    "My child. As it seems you are someone that can quote scripture by heart," was the start of his reply, referring to their previous meeting, "And you should know that in Psalm 139 it says..."


    "Yes or no, father?"


    "My child..."


    "Sounds like a yes to me. Have a nice day, sir."


    Sarah slammed her car''s door, then headed up to the house. She heard the man''s footsteps behind her and prepared to defend herself if necessary, trying to remember the three weeks of self defense classes she had taken. When his feet sounded closer, she picked up the pace, which was when the front door opened.


    The sound of footsteps behind her immediately stopped when Diana appeared in the open doorway. She lazily leaned against the door frame, briefly brought two fingers to her mouth before pulling them back and holding her hand loosely at her side. Even though she was holding nothing, let alone a cigarette, she blew out a cloud of bluish smoke, then smiled politely at Father Kramer.


    "Can I help you, neighbor?"


    "Luke 13:3, hellspawn," Kramer snapped, turned on his heel and stormed home.


    "Luke wishes. More like seven..."


    "Uh, Diana. What was all that?"


    Diana brought her fingers to her lips in her imitation of smoking and smiled, "That would be the neighborly love of Father Kramer. Our local preacher."


    "And he knows about your... condition?"


    "Oh, he does. He does very well."


    "I thought you hid it well."


    "I do now, yes. Even I have my slip ups. And what a sweet slip us she was..."


    Diana looked dreamily at the drifting clouds, then stepped aside to let Sarah in.


    "...so how''s the car?" Diana wanted to know, her dreaming forgotten."


    "Fucked."


    "Do you need it this week? I think Dennis knows cars, so I can always have take alook."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "He would?"


    Diana grinned cheekily, "You think many people say no to me?"


    "No. No, I guess not."


    "Where were you going anyway?"


    "Out. Was done working for the day."


    Diana didn''t respond, simply waiting for more explanation from Sarah.


    "Thought I might go for a drive. Get my head straight and think about your question."


    "Well, if that''s off the table. I have an alternative. Go get your computer."


    Sarah frowned, shrugged and headed upstairs to get her laptop as told.


    Sarah stared at the screen, moving the slider on her screen from right, to left, back to right, and back to left. The screen turned red, green, red again.


    "You seem conflicted," Diana mused, looking up from her crafts, "What are you picking?"


    "If I''m indecisive."


    "Well that seems obvi... That''s not what you''re picking is it?"


    Sarah smirked, "Nope. They want to know if I like to work with my hands."


    "Mechanic?"


    Even though they were in the kitchen that had no view of the driveway, Sarah glanced over her shoulder to where about she thought her car was parked, "Definitely not a mechanic."


    "Farming then? Sewing? Let''s see, what else..."


    Sarah dragged the slider to the left, "Guess I''m not working with my hands."


    "Suit yourself," Diana said, "Of course, you could learn to bake. That''s working with your hands. Open a little bakery and sell cake."


    "I don''t think I''m suited for that either," Sarah sighed and leaned back in her chair.


    "All you''ve been saying is ''no'' to all my suggestions," Diana offered, "Maybe you should be a stay at home mom."


    "And then?"


    "Then you get to say ''no'' to some rugrats all day."


    "No thanks."


    "There you go again," Diana giggled, "Hey, what about teaching?"


    "No to anything with kids, Diana."


    "Suit yourself."


    The two continued in silence for a while, until Sarah suddenly stopped clicking buttons."


    "Hey, Diana?"


    "Hm?"


    "How''d a sex demon like yourself end up as the all American housewife?"


    "Bit rude," Diana said with a frown.


    "I''m essentially your prisoner, so I think we can skip niceties."


    "That''s fair. Anyway, first of all. I''m not a sex demon, I feed on intense human emotions. It''s just that that''s easiest to get out of them while having intercourse."


    "That''s an answer to an entirely different question."


    "Secondly," Diana said, "I just wanted a change from what came before. Can''t say this is what I had in mind though. In the eighties I was a pop star in Japan."


    "Were you now?"


    "Oh yeah. Every week they''d fill live houses and scream my name. Now that fills a lady."


    "But wait, you''re obviously not Japanese..."


    "Not in this life, no."


    Sarah frowned, shrugged and continued on her test, unsure if Diana was messing with her.


    "Well that''s that," she said fifteen minutes later, "The computer says I should either... be an umpire or an orthodontist."


    "Oh yeah," Diana said, continuing to cut paper into shapes, "Those tests are trash."


    Sarah blinked, her voice incredulous as she asked, "Then why did you make me to it?"


    "Because it got you thinking! Any breakthroughs?"


    "Well, it''s not going to get me any money, but I... I kind of want to try painting."


    "Then I''ll get you some supplies."


    "Shouldn''t I start tomorrow. After a good night''s rest?"


    Diana frowned so far that her glasses slid down her nose and fell off her face. She managed to get them on her pinkie before they reached the floor.


    "Just start today," she said calmly, dropped her crafts to the kitchen table and left the room, "There''s still hours of daylight left. I''ll get you set up in the back yard."


    "I''ll start to..."


    "''I''ll do it tomorrow'' are the words of somebody who is not going to do anything to begin with, so you''re going to start right away."


    "But..."


    "No buts," Diana said and resolutely left the kitchen.


    Fifteen minutes later Diana stood staring at at a blank canvas in the backyard. She almost looked the part, but her clean apron and undisturbed palette clearly betrayed her inaction. She tapped her phone, changed the song for the fifth time, hoping a new tune would inspire her. She sighed, ripped her earbuds out and continued to stare at the taunting white canvas. She closed her eyes, then pushed one of her brushes into the paints, mixing without looking. The color she created vaguely reminded her of roast turkey. After briefly considering to mix another color, she just splashed the brown paint on the canvas. She started at the smudge for what seemed like forever, only to come to the conclusion that it was just paint spatter. She sighed, forming a line between them, then decided to stop thinking and simply let the paint brush do the work...


    "How''s it going?" Diana asked.


    She left the house, holding two steaming mugs of cacao like the last time Sarah had been in the yard.


    "Uhhh," was all Sarah had in response.


    "Sounds promising," Diana laughed, handing Sarah the warm drink. She turned to study the painting. As far as Sarah could tell, she was squinting behind the her glasses while she studied her work.


    "What is it?" she finally darked ask.


    "Beats me," Sarah replied with a shrug of her shoulders, "I call it ''paint on a canvas''."


    "So it''s up to the audience to decide what it is," Diana said and downed her hot cacao in one gulp. She folded her arms and let the empty cup dangle from a delicate finger.


    "...It''s the Rape," she said decisively.


    Sarah choked on her drink, sputtering an answer, "Excuse me?"


    "The rape of Helen of Troy. So more a kidnapping, then... you know?"


    "I can assure you that''s not what  I went for," Sarah said a lot more confident than she felt about it, "And honestly. I think we''re better off trashing it."


    Diana looked at it, then smiled at Sarah, "Well it''s only your first attempt. Maybe the second will be better."


    "Or maybe painting''s not for me."


    "Tell me that after you''ve done a hundred, Sarah. How often did you fall off your bike when you were little? Same general idea. Now, I''ll leave you to it. "


    Diana glanced a last time at the browning painting, before explaining her sudden departure, "I suddenly feel like making moussaka."


    Sarah just watched her leve, then started on putting a fresh canvas on her easel.


    "Two," she said to herself ten minutes later when the brush connected with the fresh canvas.

 11 - Dianas Background

    Sarah chuckled to herself, finding it somewhat amusing that the main ingredient of her meal appeared to be eggplant. She put it in her mouth and innocently looked at Diana who gave her a quizzical look.


    "Something funny?" the other woman wanted to know. She sat across from Sarah and loosely dangled her fork in her hand, somehow managing to hide her face in the steam of the single mouthful of food on it.


    "You don''t use a lot of emoji, do you?"


    "Can''t say I can make much sense of them."


    "You might want to look what eggplant is used for."


    Diana put her food in her mouth and seemed to swallow the steam whole, leaving her flushed and radiant at the same time.


    "You''re not going to look it up?" Sarah asked as Diana simply kept eating.


    "No phones at the table," Diana said gently, "Well not when I''m sharing a meal."


    "Come to think of it," Sarah observed a moment later, "You said you eat emotions."


    "Mhm..."


    "But you''re eating... food?"


    "Just for the pleasure of eating. Or maybe I''m eating your joy at my delicious cooking."


    Sarah frowned down at her plate, considered claiming the meal tastes like shit, but Diana laughed before she could open her mouth.


    "I''m joking. You''d feel it if I was taking anything from you. I just like food. My body is mostly the same as yours. I can eat if I want..."


    "But you eat..." Sarah started, confused at the discrepancy.


    "That toom which obviously has no equivalent for humans. I did say mostly the same."


    "While we''re on the subject. Are you actually from, you know.. hell?"


    Diana lightly put her fork down on the table, it lightly clicked, she then giggled, "I can''t really tell you the history of my people over dinner, but I can tell you this. I''m not from you are imagining as ''hell''."


    "Then..."


    "Simplest answer that you''ll understand; I''m from another dimension, which just happens to look a lot like what humans call ''hell''. This, I admit, might be our own fault."


    "Do I want to know more?"


    "Only if you want to ruin our meal with a boring history lesson."


    Sarah frowned, then shook her and took a moment to eat, before continuing the conversation in a slightly different direction.


    "One day I''ll figure out how to tell if you''re bullshitting me," she said, looking levelly at Diana.


    Diana playfully cocked her head and made a teasing kissing face for Sarah before replying, "I''ll wait that lifetime."


    That evening, Sarah had decided to hang around in the lounge, half watching the incredibly sappy romantic comedy Diana had on. Most of her attention was on he book she was reading, though she''d occassionaly dare a glance when the music swelled to underscore important plot elements.


    When the credits finally rolled, she lowered her book and stared intently at Diana, who had impassively watched the whole thing.


    "Do you actually like these?" she asked, drumming her fingers on the book''s cover.


    "Sometimes. I just like stories in general."


    "I''ve noticed you watch a lot of kid''s stuff."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Kid''s stories are more fun, because kid''s stories are fantastical and bizarre. With adult stories you get..."


    She waved dismissively to the television.


    "But a story is still a story, and you learn to love other people''s when you''re stuck in the house all the time."


    Sarah flicked her book to the table, almost knocking over Diana''s tray of fresh baked cookies when it landed.


    "Now that you mention it. I''ve never seen you leave the house. Well, the grounds anyway. Why''s that?"


    "Well for one. If I get too far from the house, the whole structure collapses."


    Sarah smirked.


    "Honestly. It would happen. Secondly, I can''t leave the grounds if I wanted to, thanks to a certain angel. Well her and Father Kramer. Mister ''I open a few books on demonology and now I can play jailer for an innocent woman''."


    "Okay, I''m confused."


    "You say you''re not from hell, but you are a demon. And demonology, which to my knowledge is based on theism, works on you."


    "Well, there''s science behind it, which is just obscured in a lot of magical hocus pocus. Let''s just say that when we and the angels came here, we set a bunch of rules. Like in Star Trek, the prime directive."


    "Nerd," Sarah said, more to show she was listening than to insult her.


    "Anyway, we said to not bother the humans. You guys were still figuring out how a pointy stick was better than a regular stick to kill something at the time after all. When they really started figuring out stuff, some of us decided, ''screw the rules, we are gods'' and started to meddle with the locals. That had the unfortunate side effect of binding us, to your, human''s, realm. Some stuff happened and now I''m an immortal being stuck in a subrub."


    Sarah stood up, then burst out laughing, "Well that was definitely bullshit. Goodnight, Diana."


    Diana pouted, then sighed before softly answering, "Good night, Sarah..."


    Diana stood on her tip toes to reach the top of the kitchen windows, singing to herself as she cleaned them.


    ''I''m not wearing underwear today,'' was the first Sarah heard out of her mouth when she was close enough to make out words. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Diana had put on a skirt, so she might have been telling the truth, still Sarah decided not to pursue the subject.


    "Good morning to you too," she said, checking the stove to see what Diana had in store for breakfast and, to her disappointment, finding nothing, "You seem even more chipper than usual?"


    "Do I?" was the reply as Diana returned to the soles of her feet, "Probably because my sister will be visiting today."


    "...Won''t she be trapped by whatever Kramer did?"


    "Nope. That''s just for me."


    Diana picked her glasses from the counter and put them on before turning around, "How''s pancakes sound?"


    "Pretty good."


    Diana set to cooking while Sarah scrolled through her news feed, when something suddenly occured to her."


    "Hey, Diana. Two questions."


    "Go ahead."


    "Well, first is a two parter. You''ve lived different lives, right?"


    "Mhm."


    "Were you Lady Di?"


    Diana laughed, "I wish. No, but I think I was in movies those days. What''s the other question?"


    "Why do you wear glasses? You barely showed me your eyes when you showed... the rest. Do you actually need them to see?"


    "Do you really want to know?"


    "Would I ask if I didn''t?"


    Diana stopped beating her batter and put the bowl and whisk down, then sat down across from Sarah.


    "I''m only going to show you this once," she said calmly, then took off her glasses, gingerly placing them on the table. She held her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them. Sarah gasped. It hadn''t been tricks of the light. Her eyes were the faint flickering orange of a burning candle, rolling and dancing in the center of the whites.


    "Well, humans love eye contact and this is almost impossible to hide, so..."


    She picked up the glasses and put the end of one of the temples in her mouth, "Besides, aren''t they a little sexy?"


    "...I guess."


    "You can compliment me, you know," Diana smirked, " It won''t make you gay."


    Sarah returned the smirk, "Tiffany Charles already took care of that in high school."


    Diana put her glasses back on and returned to her baking, smiling softly to herself, " That''s how it is then?"


    "Didn''t you poke around in my memories?"


    "Only the ones with any relation to men''s... things. I suppose that explains why there were so few."


    Sarah returned to her phone''s news feed.


    "Actually," Diana said, briefly stopping the beating, "Then what was up with that clumsy attempt at sex with that boy?"


    "High school drama," Sarah shrugged, "They made fun of him for being a virgin."


    "So you thought you''d help him? Very altruistic."


    "Not entirely. They kept avoiding me in the locker rooms."


    Sarah changed the pitch of her voice, imitating her one time tormentors, " Ew. Don''t go near the dyke, Becker, she''ll try..."


    "I think I know where that story leads," Diana cut her off, "That''s all in the past, right? So, what happened to that Tiffany girl?"


    "No idea. I just thought she was hot. Didn''t actually know her."


    "Fair enough," Diana said, and quietly returned to baking until her phone buzzed. While still pouring the batter into a pan with one hand, she used the other to see who had contacted her.


    "Oh good," she said, not able to suppress a happy skip, "Lily will be here around twelve."


    "Question," Sarah immediately threw out, "Sorority sister, or sister sister?"


    "Younger sister. Either nineteenth or twentieth after me."


    "So, should I be worried about her?"


    "Probably. She has her own feeding sources, but she''s a bit aggressive, and still very young by our standards."


    "Well, I''m counting on you to protect me if she tries anything."


    Diana flipped the pancake, then turned around to grin evilly at Sarah, "What if I only invited her to share you?"


    "Then at least the debt will be paid...."


    "So, do you want to..."


    "No."


    " Too bad," Diana laughed, turning back to her pan, "Guess you still have work to do then."


    " So I do," Sarah sighed and started to think of what to paint.

 11. A night out

    That afternoon, Sarah sat at the kitchen table, reading a book on painting for beginners, while Diana, who was taking a break from cooking, happily tapped away on her phone.


    The quiet moment was cut short by the doorbel. First a long ring, then a disjointed rhythm of short and long notes.


    "Lily!" Diana called and dropped her phone into the pot of apple sauce she had been bringing to flavor. She didn''t even notice as she rushed for the door, leaving Sarah to try and get the device out with a pair of meat tongs, listening to the muffled sound of conversation at the door. It started with two voices screaming in delight, then what Sarah expected was some hugging and finally some incredibly quick back and forth as the women approached the kitchen. Diana was the first in.


    "I got your phone," Sarah said, lamely holding it over the sink to let the mushed apple drip off.


    "Oh thank you!" Diana laughed, "That''s okay though. They''re cheap."


    Sarah looked at the black plastic, "Isn''t that a six hu..."


    "Not important," Diana cut her off, excitement radiating from her face, "Presenting, for your pleasure! My sister! Lily!"


    "Corny," was the response from the woman that entered. Sarah had expected somebody that looked like Diana, but nothing was further from the truth. Her sister, Lily, had taken the guise of a woman of Asian descent in her early or mid twenties. She was dressed in snug men''s clothing. Black dress pants with suspenders, a white dress shirt and an open waist coat. She had a news boy cap and a small suitcase in her hands. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses that she forced down simply by frowning. Her eyes had the same strange effect as Diana''s, though Lily''s were the warm blue of a pilot light. The glasses went back up and she asked her sister something that Sarah couldn''t understand. The two women spoke some Asian language, Sarah thought it was Japanese, but wasn''t well versed in languages enough to be sure.


    "Oh good," Lily said, switching back to English and putting the sunglasses in her front pocket, "I want to see properly."


    After she did that, she politely offered Sarah her hand, introducing herself, "Lily, though you might know me as musical sensation Yuri."


    Sarah introduced herself, noticed Lily''s hands were warm in the pals, but icy in the fingers, then shook her head, "Sorry, never heard of you."


    "Well that''s why I came all the way out here," she laughed, dropping herself in a kitchen chair, "Escape the press for a bit."


    Sarah took her place back at the table, unsure if she should be making conversation, but did anyway, "So, you''re famous?"


    "Here and there," she replied, smiling warmly, "Though that''s not why I''m here. Diana..."


    "Yes, darling sister?"


    "Cookies"


    "In the oven."


    "I don''t know how you live a life of domestic servitude, but I''m glad you do. Now give me cookies. Come on. cookies!"


    "When they''re ready...."


    "Can I interrupt," Sarah asked, "I have a question."


    "Hit me, girl."


    "If you''re Diana''s sister. Why are you..."


    "Why is she white and I''m not? Cause I listened to the chefs and gave myself an Asian twist. Maybe in a next life I''ll be Latina."


    It didn''t seem remotely interesting to Lily, who was studying her nails as she spoke.


    "What my sister means to say," Diana filled in as she squatted down to check her cookies, "Is that we''re not bound to one look. Takes a lot of time to pick a new one though. We have to go to..."


    Diana raised her hands to finger quote the next work.


    "''Hell'' for a year or two. It''s not comfortable, but it''s also a good way to not get busted for being around too long. Speaking of busts. I can''t imagine why my lovely sister..."


    "Why I what?" Lily demanded, ready for combat.


    "Why my lovely sister would go for such an unenticing body. It''s so flat!"


    "When you''re as good as I, you don''t need assets to catch your prey.


    When she finished the sentence, she locked her eyes on Sarah, who suddenly knew how a mouse felt when it caught a cat''s eye.


    "Thanks for explaining that," she said hastily, picked up her book and hid her face behind it, leaving Lily and Diana to their conversation. It drifted briefly back to Japanese, sharp tones, then Diana cut Lily off.


    "...It is rude to exclude somebody in the room."


    "Such a good housewife," Lily laughed, "How many kids are you raising at the moment?"


    "Just the one with Nia, though that''s mostly her business."


    Sarah frowned behind her book, trying to figure out the mechanics, but before she could fully form the mental image of a retractable phallus, Lily distracted her by talking further.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Nia you say?" she asked, pronouncing the name with a certain fondness, "Is she..."


    "Get your own toys," Diana laughed, which led Lily back to Sarah.


    "So, Sarah, was it? I know my sister''s stuck here, so can you tell me what there''s to do in town?"


    "Can''t say I''m much for partying," Sarah replied and put the open book face down on the table, "But I hear there''s a nice..."


    "Of course one of your wouldn''t know," Lily said to Diana, "You always get freaks and homebodies."


    She stuck her tongue out at her sister to finish this statement, then stood up to investigate the contents of the fridge.


    "Well, nice to meet you too," Sarah mumbled, picking up her book so she could leave the kitchen, "But I really should finish this book. I''ll be in the lounge if you need me, Diana."


    Diana nodded, trying to give her a look of sympathy, but the look of excitement at having her sister around was hard to get off her face. The oven beeped and she clapped her hands in delight, which was Sarah''s signal to disappear from the room.


    Sarah had read half a chapter, then decided to chase channels instead. She was in the middle of this when Lily burst into the room.


    "Come on, girl," she said, "There''s more to life than books and TV. Come out with me tonight."


    "I would," Sarah said, then hastily thought of an excuse, "But the car''s busted and the buses stop at seven."


    "Just some car trouble? Which one''s yours?"


    "The hunk of junk in the driveway."


    Lily left the lounge, yelling at Diana to bring her a toolbox.


    Three hours later, Lily, Who had found some striking pink dungarees to put herself in, came rushing back into the lounge.


    "I got her moving, S."


    "S?"


    "Do you prefer B?"


    "I generally prefer Sa..."


    "Don''t be a stick-in-the-mud," Lily laughed, "I got your car running. Come check it out."


    Sarah followed the oil covered woman, very much aware she was not wearing a shirt under her clothes. She decided to put her full attention on the car instead. Lily skipped across the lawn, got into the open door and turned the ignition. The motor came to life immediately.


    "Just some water damage," she said excitedly, "So that means your car is running and, unless you want to pay my bill, you owe me one. Come on, go out with me."


    Sarah folded her arms, "What''s the bill?"


    "S. ...Sarah! Come on! I don''t know anybody here!"


    "You don''t know me either. Come on. Maybe you''ll go home with a hottie."


    Sarah almost laughed at the absurd mental image, then sighed in surrender, "Fine. I''ll go. ... If Diana has something I can wear."


    Lily smiled wider, her roundish face beaming as she set to kicking the tools into the garage.


    "Maybe I should take an assertiveness class," Sarah mumbled to herself, heading inside.


    Diana had called the skirt Sarah had borrowed ''conservative for clubbing''. Sarah called it ''just slightly more than a belt'', and even as she drove into the city, she constantly felt the urge to push it down and make sure she didn''t expose her underwear. Lily meanwhile hummed along to the music, not saying much. The minidress she had on was even more revealing than what Sarah had on, blue latex. Had Sarah not needed to pay attention to the road, she might have felt the urge to ogle Lily, who, for the sake of form, wore a thick faux fur coat over her dress.


    "I feel like I''m driving a pop star around," Sarah said, turning the radio down and attempting to make conversation as they entered the city proper.


    "Close enough," Lily said, "I''m a musician, and I have considered a job as a pop star like Diana had, but there''s more fun in taking the lead when the guys think you''re just some boring artsy girl. Hey, is that your deal too?"


    Sarah smiled, "Can''t say I''m into guys."


    "Ah so we''re going to a girls club? That sounds like my kind of party."


    "You mean a gay bar? Never been to one..."


    "S, S, S," Lily said, shaking her head, "You need to embrace your heritage."


    Sarah stopped talking, pretending to be fully engrossed in trying to find a parking space."


    "Let''s just go dancing. It''s probably dead though, it being Tuesday."


    "I, S, am the queen of the night, so my people will flock to me."


    Sarah sucked her lips in, then them go with a soft pop, "Let''s just go."


    It was more crowded than Sarah had expected, which was enough excuse for her to hang at the bar and sip an overpriced soda. She leaned against the bar, watching Lily dance with comer after come and seemingly never running out of energy. Men and women equally were willing to give her the time of day, though Lily herself would occasionally look somewhat wistfully, at Sarah.


    It was around around one AM before she actually took a chance on bothering Sarah. Before she could protest, the excited girl pulled Sarah onto the dance floor and she clumsily tried to copy the fluid, elegant motions, though she mostly seemed to amuse Lily with her amateurish display. Suddenly, Lily wrapped an arm around Sarah, pulling her in for an embrace.


    "Slow song," she whispered in her ear.


    Sarah wanted to pull away, but when she was firmly in the warm embrace of the energetic woman, she let herself be softly rocked to and fro while Lily whispered the lyrics in her ear. Sarah somehow did not need to strain hear what was being said.


    "Let your mind do the walking. I''ll let my body do the talking," was what she could make out. She was ready to stop when Lily''s whispering stopped and the warm sense of breath against her ear was replaced by the moist lips, enveloping her earlobe a moment later. Her tongue playfully danced past the skin, then, just as quick as it came, it was gone. Sarah had wanted to protest, but now that it was taken away, she wanted it back.


    Another fifteen minutes of trying to keep up with her later, Lily dragged Sarah to wardrobe.


    "I''m done. You''re good to drive, right?"


    Sarah did not understand the need to go home, but was glad to feel the cold autumn night air, and even more glad she could hear herself think again. Lily took the lead to the car and seemed anxious to get home. Sarah just shrugged, started the car and started to drive.


    Lily hadn''t spoken the entire ride home, only lightly stroking Sarah''s exposed leg until they rolled up the driveway. When the car was parked properly, Lily took Sarah''s hand before she could leave the car, pulling her back in.


    "Look at me," she said huskily. Sarah turned, still half in her seat and was just in time to see the hand coming. She gently cupped Sarah''s chin in it, then slowly leaned forward, puckering her lips. Sarah was too surprised at the sudden gesture. Sarah waited for what seemed like an eternity for Lily''s mouth to come so close that she could taste the girl''s cocktail on her own lips. Her lips parted, unsure what was happening, then, suddenly, Lily removed her hand from Sarah''s chin and lightly tapped her nose.


    "Just kidding," she giggled, "Ooh, you''re so red."


    Sarah watched the laughing woman leave the car, flabbergasted at what just happened, then followed her into the house. She wasn''t sleepy, as Lily had shocked her wide awake, so she decided to hang out in the lounge for a bit. Lily joined her a moment later. She had helped herself to a bottle of wine and two glasses.


    "Wasn''t that fun?" she asked, sitting on the armrest of Sarah''s chair as she filled their cups, "You should go out more."


    Sarah smiled weakly, unsure how she should feel about this new addition to the household and took an offered glass, "I''ll consider it."


    "Then let us drink to getting a stick out of the mud," Lily laughed, raised her glass above her head, then started to sip and started to run her fingers through Sarah''s hair. Still not sure how to respond, Sarah finished her glass and quickly refilled it, then another... and another...

 13. Painting Lily

    The sound of a door closing half woke Sarah from her slumber, which was almost immediately followed by the the enticing aroma of freshly brewed coffee. She shifted her weight and returned her arm to clutch her teddy bear, slowly trying to pull it closer. She tried to push her face into the stuffed animal''s fur, finding nothing but soft skin. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was clutching a woman''s leg.


    "Good morning," Lily said in a cheerful sing song, "Are you always so affectionate in the morning?"


    Sarah blinked, then pulled back from the woman, startled. She pulled all the blankets towards herself and as a reward brought Lily''s naked body into full view. Sarah responded to this by hiding under the covers, finding that she had stripped to her underwear, but not put on her pajamas.


    "What happened?" she asked, refusing to get out from under the covers.


    "You drank most of my wine, got drunk, then I dragged you to your room..."


    "Did we...?"


    "Never with a drunk," Lily giggled, "I just decided to sleep in your bed."


    "...Why?"


    "Diana didn''t tell me where I could sleep, and she was a bit busy with that Sam kid, so I didn''t want to bother her..."


    "Well, thanks for the heart attack. Can you get dressed now and leave?"


    Sarah recoiled when she felt a hand stroke her hip trough the blankets.


    "You''re more fun when you''re drunk," Lily replied. A moment later Sarah felt her weight leave the bed, then heard the door open and close. She waited a few seconds to make sure she was really alone, then got out of bed to properly stretch. She noticed her phone, discarded in her clothes from the night before, and bent over to pick it up.


    "And than you for that," Lily said behind her. Still bent over, Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see that Lily had never left the room. She was leaning against the door, still naked, gave Sarah a sly grin, then hurriedly opened the door and dashed out.  Sarah sighed, picking up her phone.


    "By the by," Lily said, peeking around the wood, "Cute butt."


    A moment later the door shut again and Sarah listened for footsteps to make sure she was definitely alone. She sighed, dropping herself back on the bed, checking her phone to find only one message. It was from her employer.


    ''No inspo,'' it read, ''you get the day off''.


    "Guess I''ll get back to painting then," she muttered, checking the clock next, muttering a curse when she found it was eleven already.


    She shot into her bathrobe, then rushed to the kitchen, hoping to find Diana had kept some breakfast for her.


    She was surprised to find Sam in the kitchen, then just giggled at the bizarre scene in front of her. Sam, dressed in nothing but his pajama bottoms, showing his back covered in fresh red marks, was eating a bowl of cereal, tapping the handcuffs, that still dangled from his wrist, against the table every time he lowered his spoon. Diana, who unexpectedly had her horns and tail out, was bent over the stove where she was making eggs and bacon. She was in her usual dress of underwear and apron, though the underwear was black leather today. She smiled at Sarah when she heard the giggle. Lily, who hadn''t bothered to get dressed at all, was the last person in the room. A steaming cup of coffee stood next to her, slowly going cold while she fussed over a small mirror. She was running her hands through her bob cut, teasing out her own horns. They were less elaborate than Diana''s, thinner, and having fewer of the grooves and ridges, though Lily appeared to be highly skilled at styling them. She has finished a double curl on one side and was gently twisting the other into shape.


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    "Something funny?" Diana asked, flipping the bacon as she did.


    "I didn''t expect to arrive overdressed to breakfast," Sarah said, tried to hold back a giggle, then burst out laughing.


    Sam looked annoyed at her. Lily just grinned.


    "Open your robe and you''ll fit right in," she said excitedly.


    Diana rolled her eyes at her sister, then gave Sarah a soft smile of concern.


    "Would you rather eat in the lounge?"


    "Just bodies, right?" Sarah offered.


    "So you can share yours with us," Lily filled in, finishing her other horn.


    Diana snapped something at Lily in a language that hurt both Sam and Sarah''s ears. They flinched and covered them instinctively.


    "Fine, fine," Lily sighed, tapped the rim of her cup and demonstratively hid herself in a cloud of steam.


    Sam finished his cereal, meekly got up and put his bowl in the sink.


    "Where are you going?" Diana demanded when he headed out of the kitchen.


    "To work on..."


    "Where are you going?" was the question again, sharper this time.


    Sam sighed, "To sleep."


    "To sleep who?"


    Sam gave Sarah and lily a resentful look. then repeated his words, mumbling the last words while looking at his feet.


    "Can''t hear you," Diana said. Sarah watched with some interest at this, not having seen Diana like this before.


    "To sleep, mistress."


    "Very good," Diana said, "Now march. And don''t forget to brush your teeth."


    Diana''s tail swept back and forth in delight as she watched Sam returned to his room, then smiled at her other tennant.


    "Sarah, sweetie? Eggs?"


    "Uh, sure..."


    Diana started to hum to herself as she prepared the food.


    "So," Sarah said awkwardly, "Long night?"


    "Eight hours as always," Diana replied, "Lily, stop playing with your coffee. Oh, you mean Sam?"


    "Mhm."


    "He''d been ba...  You don''t want to hear about that."


    "I do."


    "Shush, Lily. Did she do anything stupid last night?"


    "She drank too much wine."


    "I was asking her, Lily. I know what you''re like."


    "I thought you''d be happy I''m here," Lily said, pouting over her coffee.


    "If you''d tone it down a little."


    Lily stuck her tongue out, a last act of defiance before sulkily returning to her coffee.


    "So, did she, Sarah?"


    "Did she what?"


    "Do anything stupid?"


    "Nah, she mostly just danced."


    Diana gave her sister a knowing look, as she put Sarah''s breakfast on the table, then glanced out the window.


    "Sunny," she observed, "Are you going to paint today?"


    "I apparently have the day off, so probably."


    "Can I model?" Lily interjected, her pouting immediately forgotten.


    "Can too."


    "Mhm."


    "S! Let me Model for you!"


    "I don''t think I''m that good yet..."


    "Saraah... Come one!"


    Diana and Lily patiently watched Sarah, who was putting food in her mouth to not have to answer the question.


    Sarah swallowed, then sighed, "If you cover yourself, I''ll have a go."


    "Just underwear!" Lily retorted, "I''ll go see if I have something nice."


    Sarah watched Lily leave, then cocked her head at the triumphantly smiling Diana.


    "You''re welcome."


    "I am?"


    "Lily can''t say no to a challenge, so now she''ll sit still all afternoon instead of... whatever she was planning for today."


    "You think it would''ve involved me."


    "She probably would''ve dragged you out, yes. Probably shopping."


    "Shopping''s not so bad..."


    "For sexier clothes?


    "... Thanks then."


    Diana gave Sarah a playful smile, then returned to the counter.


    "Again, you''re welcome."


    Sarah regretted taking Lily up on her offer. She had been very cooperative, but had insisted on the most provocative pose within the bounds that Sarah had set. As such, Sarah had spent most of her afternoon looking at Lily, who had one hand down her bikini bottoms, while she held a book in the other, pretending to read. Though, much to Sarah''s relief, she was only simulating and not getting herself off. Due to the risqu¨¦ subject matter however, she had decided to go abstract and ended up painting a vague resemblance of the woman in bright blues and yellows.


    "I''m done," was all she said as she put her equipment down.


    Lily took her hand out and stood up from the recliner, hurrying to see.


    "Wash your hands first," Sarah ordered, shielding her work from the girl.


    Lily simply pushed her aside, using, much to Sarah''s relief, the hand that had held the book.


    She contemplated the painting, cocking her head one way, then the other, then almost turned herself upside down for a proper study.


    She pouted at Sarah, "I thought you did realism."


    "I tried something new."


    Lily stomped her foot once, then headed inside, not wasting a word further on Sarah.


    There was some discussion from inside the house and Diana appeared a moment later, gave the still confused Sarah a soft smile, then studied the work.


    "It''s... Interesting," she observed, "I think I can sell this for you, but it''s not going to make you rich."


    Sarah shrugged, "Do whatever you want with it... I''m going to go take a bath."


    "Lily''s here, so don''t forget to lock the door," Diana called after.


    She watched Sarah leave, took her phone from her apron pocket, then took a snapshot of the painting before following inside.

 14. Dianas request

    Sarah had been soaking in the bubbles for thirty minutes when somebody knocked on the bathroom door.


    "No, Lily! I don''t need or want your company!"


    Diana laughed from the other side, "Wrong sister. Can I come in?"


    "Must you?"


    "It would be nice."


    Sarah considered it, finding she had no reason not to trust the woman, but still kicked at the water, sending the top layer of foam dancing into the air.


    "Fine."


    Diana, carrying a pile of clean towels entered the bathroom and giggled when she saw Sarah.


    "There''s foam. You don''t need to cover yourself."


    Sarah sighed, "Do you need something?"


    "I need you to," Diana started and fell silent as she put the towels away.


    "I know you probably don''t want to, but I need you to take Lily out tomorrow."


    "You''re right. I don''t want to do that."


    "Can you though? I need her ...out."


    "I thought you liked your sister."


    "I do, but you''ve seen what she''s like."


    "So? Why do you need her out."


    "I have a buyer for one of my collection over tomorrow. I don''t need my reputation by her offering complementary services."


    "Hrm. Can''t she go out by herself?"


    "She can, but she''s more likely to go with somebody in tow. You know what. Name your price. I''m sure I can bribe you."


    Sarah leaned back, staring at the ceiling for some time as she considered her options, before finally answering.


    "Can I keep that favor in reserve?"


    "Sure."


    "Then just give me a full tank and I''ll take your sister wherever she wants to go, as long as I can keep my clothes on."


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    "Very well. Just get her out of here by twelve."


    "Will do," Sarah said and gave a mocking salute, sending the water flying as she did and splashing Diana''s glasses.


    Diana responded by putting her hand in the water and splashing Sarah''s face. She didn''t wait for a retaliation, but simply wiped her hand on her apron as she left the bathroom."


    Diana was about to close the door, but was distracted when Sam came up to her.


    "Can I," he said. sotto voce, though still loud enough for Sarah to hear, "Can you let me out of my cage?"


    "Do you have a good reason?" Diana retorted, not bothering to lower her voice.


    "I think it''s chafing."


    Sarah frowned, wondering what sort of cage would let somebody walk around then house, then shrugged and tuned out the conversation. The door closed properly a moment later.


    A few hours later, Sarah found herself back in the kitchen with the sisters. Diana had made spaghetti, bathing the kitchen in the telltale scent of the spices she used, specifically garlic. Lily was in the middle of slurping a strand into her mouth when she spotted Sarah, who had not bothered to get dressed in more than her pajamas. Immediately she finished the noodle and a grin appeared on her face.


    "Wanna play Lady and the Tramp?" she asked teasingly.


    Sarah pulled out her chair, sat down and levelly stared at Lily before answering.


    "I''m sorry, was that a horror movie?"


    Lily looked taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "Oh. She''s getting claws."


    "Dinner, dear?" Diana interrupted, "It''s spaghetti."


    "I can see that. I''ll have some."


    While Sarah waited for Diana to serve her her meal, she quietly observed Lily, wondering where to take her the next day.


    "Something on my face?" Lily asked, then moved her hand to the top button of her shirt, "Or are you looking for a better view?"


    Sarah sighed, then shrugged, "No, thank you. Would you like to come into town with me tomorrow?"


    "To do what?"


    Sarah shrugged again, "No idea. I thought you''d might like to see the place during the day."


    "I could use a ride into town, I think," Lily replied, sounding uncharacteristically thoughtful for a brief moment, "Is Nick still chasing ambulances?"


    Diana put Sarah''s dinner in front of her, then joined them at tale, answering as she moved.


    "To what I know," she said distastefully, "If we had wills, mother would''ve written him out of it."


    "Guess I''ll go say hi to our dear brother then..."


    Diana leaned over to whisper to Sarah, "Dodged a bullet there, didn''t you?"


    "What was that?" Lily demanded to know.


    "Nothing," Diana said, turning her attention back to her plate.


    "You''re the one who insists on good manners, D," Lily said accusingly, "Isn''t whispering in company rude?"


    "Shush, Lily..." was all Diana had to say that.


    Lily just grinned triumphantly at her, as if she had won the discussion, then continued eating.


    "If you''re going in town tomorrow," Diana continued, "Sarah, can you drop by Nia for me? She''ll be at her shop."


    "I guess. What am I doing there?"


    "Bring my daughter her birthday gift. I''d go myself, but, well... you''ve seen the issue."


    "Fine with me."


    "Thank you."


    "By the by..."


    "You guys don''t have to sleep, right?"


    Diana nodded. Lily pretended to not hear the conversation.


    "Then why, Lily, were you in my bed? You could just have done anything else till morning. ... You have a room for her, right?


    "She knows where to go when she wants to have a lie down," Diana said, fixing Lily in her glare, "So stay out of Sarah''s bed unless you''re invited."


    "You know I don''t like being alone," Lily pouted.


    "But Sarah does, so respect her privacy."


    There was a brief moment where both the infernal women held each other''s gaze until Lily finally turned away.


    "Fine, I will."


    "Thank you," Sarah and Diana said in unison.

 15 - Back to town

    "...That''s what you''re wearing?" Sarah asked, hardly believing what she saw, closing the trunk of her car, "To visit your brother?"


    Lily looked down at her outfit, "What''s wrong with it?"


    "Maybe nothing for your family, but..."


    "But what?"


    "Go change. I don''t want to be arrested for driving around prostitutes."


    "You lack the fur coat to be a proper pimp," Lily smirked, "...oh we could buy you one!''


    "No, thanks. Go change."


    Lily pouted, but finally relented to Sarah''s determination to not let her in the car dressed as she was. Ten minutes later she returned, back in the outfit she had on the day she arrived.


    "Was that so hard?"


    "Though this was a free country," Lily muttered, getting in the car.


    "That may be, but I''m the queen of this car."


    "What does that make?"


    Sarah remained quiet as she backed out of the driveway.


    "Well?" Lily insisted when the car sped forward.


    "The court jest probably," Sarah laughed, turning up the radio to drown out whatever Lily had to say in response.


    Finding themselves downtown too early for the things they wanted to do, Lily had dragged Sarah to a caf¨¦ to share a drink. Sarah had a cup of chamomile tea and watched with some amusement as her company drank something that seemed to be mix of every sweet flavor they had on tap, finished with an overdose of espresso.


    "You don''t need to sleep, do you?"


    "Nope," was the cheerful reply.


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    "Then, does that do anything for you?"


    Lily leaned forward conspiratorially, baring her teeth in a wide grin as she did, "I get jitters in my tail."


    Sarah frowned, took another sip of her tea, then got suspicious when Lily''s attention seemed to drift elsewhere.


    "What''s up?" She asked.


    "Don''t look now, but that guy''s checking us out."


    "Not interested in guys, so I''m not going to look anyway. There''s one checking you out over there too."


    "That''s just my life."


    "Do you hear yourself? How do you deal with it?"


    "Sometimes I get one, sometimes I get both. Sometimes I get them to fight over me..."


    "Please behave," Sarah pleaded, catching the glint of mischief in her eyes.


    "You''re boring, S."


    "I prefer ''sensible''"


    "Dull, boring, langweilig, saai, noioiso, tsu-ma-ra-na-i"


    "I get it," Sarah sighed and drank the rest of her tea, "I''m going to leave you now. Enjoy seeing your brother."


    "You don''t want to meet him?"


    "Is he more like you or Diana?"


    "I think he and I take after our mother. Diana takes after... well, nobody in particular. Odd one out."


    "In that case, I''m good."


    "Your loss."


    "I''ll take the L," she said, getting up and putting her jacket on as she spoke, "I''ll meet you back here at five."


    "Yes, your highness.


    "Good, you know your place," Sarah chuckled, ducking down to take the present she had for Nia and Diana''s daughter from under her chair, "Stay out of trouble."\


    "Diana didn''t have time to call?" Nia demanded, folding her arms as she saw Sarah enter.


    "She had work."


    "She always has work," Nia bit back, angrily pushing a sprig of yellow flowers into her hair, "It''s her daughter too. She could at least call on her birthday!"


    Sarah, who found Diana''s uncaring response to her daughter a little uncharacteristic, tried to change the subject, hoping Nia wouldn''t take out all the resentment on her.


    "...That''s a nice flower," she tried to distract, "What is it?"


    "Whin," Nia replied curtly, "You can put the present on the counter."


    She did not pay attention to Sarah placing it, instead opting to make a quick bouquet. It consisted of the yellow flowers she had in her hair, as well as some purple ones in the shape of a five-pointed star.


    "Diana will know what it means," she said, slamming the flowers down on the table, "Tell her to at least call Iris tonight."


    "You could just send her a text message," Diana sighed as she picked up the flowers, "But I''ll see what I can do."


    "You can do what  I said," Nia snapped, "Now go."


    Sarah was about to argue it wasn''t fair that she was getting this treatment, then simply left the store.


    Sarah had spent the afternoon in the local bookshops, collecting all works on demonology she could, find which amounted to three books in total. Slightly disappointed, she arrived to the caf¨¦ at around five past five, where  she found Lily sitting crossing legged on one of the tables, her shirt open so far that her cleavage was one step away from indecent exposure. She watched two burly men yelling at each other on the sidewalk, one animatedly waving a purple piece of fabric around, then pointing to Lily.


    "Oh, Jesus Christ," Sarah sighed, "What now?"

 16 - Lilys wilting

    "Jesus Christ," Sarah said again, watching the argument unfold. She fixed her eyes on Lily and glared when the girl cheerfully waved at her.


    She was about to stomp over and yell at her when a barista grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back from the terrace.


    "Don''t want to get between those meatheads, honey," she said calmly, then folded her arms as she studied the spectacle across the road.


    "...Can you tell me what happened?"


    "Is it important?" the barista asked, parting her purple painted lips in a grin, "I kinda wanna see this."


    "Yes cause she," Sarah replied, making an effort not to sigh in annoyance, "Is apparently my responsibility."


    "Ah. Well, when you left," the girl said, then turned to look at Sarah and make sure she was the right person, "That was you, right? When you left, she got on her phone. Took a few selfies. Thought she was an influencer wannabe or something. She left, then came back a few hours later. Thirty minutes later, the first meathead shows up. The one holding the underwear."


    Sarah frowned at the piece of fabric the man was waving around, then felt blood rush to her face and she muttered under her breath, barely aware she opened her mouth, "That''s mine."


    "Busy girl, isn''t she?" the barista said, sounding amused, "Anyway, slow day, so I watched them, and she somehow managed to take her underwear off under her pants, gives it to the guy, and tells him to wait in the bathroom. Should''ve stopped them at that point, but they should start paying me more first. Five minutes later, gorilla number two shows up. She flirts with him a bit, then sends him into the bathroom... and now we''re here."


    "I''m going to kill her," Sarah said flatly, there was no hint of threat in her words, just a cool determination. She dropped the flowers she was holding and started to move mechanically.


    She spoke one word every step she took, "I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Her."


    The barista let out a melodious giggle, cocked her head at Sarah, then watched her storm between the two men that were about to fight.


    She tried to yell Lily''s name, though it came out as an angry hiss instead. The men, shocked by the new development, took a step back to let her through.


    Sarah took three steps until she was face to face with the girl and could spit her words, "What. The. Fuck. Is your problem?"


    "Oh," Lily smiled, "You''re finally here."


    She slid off the table and threw an arm around Sarah''s neck.


    "Sorry, boys," she said to the two angry men, "My girl''s here."


    She winked at the one holding Sarah''s underwear, "You get to keep that though."


    Sarah was about to form an indignant response when Lily planted her lips on hers. Sara''s indignant response turned into an indignant slap. She pushed Lily back, sending her slamming into the table, then turned on her heel and made for her car.


    "You can walk home!" she screamed over her shoulder.


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    Angrily, she strode towards her car, but was stopped halfway by the barista.


    "You dropped these," she said, handing Sarah the bouquet, "And uhh...."


    "What?" Sarah snapped, ripping the flowers from her hand.


    "Don''t have to take it out on me, honey," the barista said, "Just wanted to ask if this means you''re single now."


    Sarah''s mouth fell open, then she simply paced past her.


    "You know where to find me if you change your mind!"


    After Sarah slammed the car door, she spotted Lily in the mirror. The girl was casually sauntering up to the passenger side. Vindictively, Sarah locked the doors and watched Lily try the handle a few times. She knocked on the window and Sarah pushed the gas, leaving Lily behind and cutting into traffic without looking...


    Sarah and Diana sat at the kitchen table, Diana patiently listening to Sarah who explained what had happened downtown.


    "...And then I got here," she finished.


    Diana stopped in the middle of pushing a breadstick into her mouth, "So, you slapped her?"


    "Sure did," Sarah said, a hint of pride in her words, before quietly adding, "Probably shouldn''t have."


    "You shouldn''t," Sarah agreed, "Mostly cause she probably liked that."


    Sarah sighed, "Guess I should go find her then."


    "She already called. She has a ride."


    "On a dick..."


    "Probably that too, yes," Diana said and finished her bread stick, "But I meant a ride home."


    "Too bad."


    "Well, good news. Just one more day and she''ll be out of your hair. Now, about that barista..."


    "What barista?"


    "Lily told me the the barista hit on you. Was she cute?"


    "Not where my mind was at the time...."


    Dina smirked, twirling a bread stick between her fingers, "Maybe you should go back and see her. Could be a good time."


    "Or I could lose a kidney."


    "Sarah, sweetie. You moved in here, with me, a stranger, without a second thought and this is the time you choose to be worried."


    "..."


    "Hm?"


    "...I''m going to bed."


    "I''ll put something in the fridge for when you inevitably get hungry at three AM," Diana said cheerfully, standing up to prepare it, "By the way..."


    "Hm?"


    "I told Lily to buy new underwear for you."


    "...great..."


    Sarah woke up and checked her phone.


    "Ha," she said, in a sort of drowsy triumph, "She was wrong. It''s two."


    She dropped her phone back on the bed, where it bounced off the overturned cover of the book she had been reading, and she sighed when she heard the device clatter to the carpet. She picked it up, relieved it was undamaged, then got out of bed to find what Diana had left in the fridge for her.


    The house felt oddly different at this time of night. The paintings that cluttered the walls seemed even closer and overbearing than usual, and, bathed in the white glow of her phone''s flashlight, the walls seemed closer than usual.  Adding to the eerie presence was a green light seeping out from under Sam''s door, behind which she could hear the clattering sound of somebody typing at breakneck speed. Aside from that, the house appeared to be in deep rest.


    She yawned widely as she stumbled down the stairs, the found the light in the kitchen was still on.


    Dreading Lily''s presence, she trudged on and found...


    Nothing. Just an empty kitchen. It didn''t seem like Diana to leave the light on unnecessarily, but she shrugged the thought off and started to explore fridge for something to eat.


    Diana had left her more options than she expected; Chicken, a whole apple pie, meatloaf, and a bunch of sides from earlier meals. She decided on the apple pie, took the entire thing out and started to eat without bothering to sit down. She noticed the soft hum of the oven, explaining where the sudden urge for pie came from.


    She lost herself in the taste of Diana''s excellent baking, not noticing the sound of the front door opening. There was some muffled conversation from the hallway, then a delighted squeal which brought Sarah back to her senses. The sound of feet approaching the kitchen followed.


    "D," Lily asked,"Is that you?"


    Sarah briefly considered hiding under the table, then stoically continued eating, waiting for her to enter the kitchen.


    Lily had apparently found a moment to change her clothes, now dressed in a skimpy mini dress, covered by a trench coat that still hung open.


    "Oh," she said, "S. You missed one awesome party."


    Sarah levelly stared at Lily, chewing her pie as calmly as she could.


    "...We cool?"


    Sarah remained quiet.


    "We''re not cool, I guess," Lily said calmly, "Where''s D?''


    Sarah shrugged her shoulders, took another bite of her pie, then watched as the frustrated Lily went searching for Diana.  She couldn''t resist a slight, spiteful smile as she watched the demoness leave.

 17 - A quiet afternoon

    Sarah was reading one of her books on demonology in the lounge, while Diana had one of her many shows on and quietly knitted. There was something so relaxing about the rhythmic soft clicking of the knitting needles and Sarah had forgotten to hide the cover of her book from Diana. She didn''t need to bother. Diana was barely watching her show and was entirely fixated on the yellow and purple bouquet that graced the center of the table.


    "...so?" Sarah said, putting her book face down on her lap and covering the title with her hand in, what she thought was, a casual gesture, "What''s up with those flowers?"


    "Hm?"


    "Nia said you''d know what it means, so what does it?"


    "It means she''s cheesed off," Diana replied, not bothering to stop her needles clicking.


    "They''re flowers?"


    "Look up flower language if you must know. Let''s just say it''s clear to me."


    "Aha," Sarah said, then continued to read.


    "Hey, Diana," Sarah said a few minutes later, taking a break from knitting, "How''s that for you?"


    "What?" Sarah asked. Diana nodded to the tv set. Sarah looked up at the


    "A husband and three kids? No thank you."


    Diana forced a weak smile, "Running a restaurant, honey."


    Sarah blinked, "What gives you the impression I can cook?"


    Diana shrugged, "It''s not that hard. Just follow the recipes, then you start experimenting."


    "Okay," Sarah smirked, "Simple enough, but then why would I have you?"


    Diana returned the smirk, "So your ass doesn''t end up homeless."


    "Did I hear ass?"


    Sarah let out an exaggerated sigh when Lily entered the room, "Guess I''ll go read elsewhere."


    "Lily," Diana said without looking up, "Go put some clothes on."


    Lily pouted at her sister, then retreated as quick as she had come. Sarah watched her leave, frowning the girl left her tail dangling in the doorway for a moment. trying to seductively beckon Sarah with the appendage. She shook her head, turning back to her book.


    "Thank you for that," she mumbled between lines.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "You''re welcome."


    For five minutes the room was back at peace, the sound the television, the clicking needles and the occasional page turn the only sounds, until Lily returned.


    Even though Sarah had been of mind to ignore her, she now stared blankly at what enterred.


    "Well," Lily said, clutching the bonnet that matched her dress in her hands, "I''ll be going to school now. Pa would be ever so mad if I''m late."


    "Be sure to stop by the well on the way home," Diana said calmly, "We need water."


    "Sure will, ma!" Lily called, put her bonnet and a moment later she heard her footsteps on the stairs.


    "Explain?" she asked when she was sure Lily wasn''t coming back


    "Just acting out. If you go along with it, it stops being fun for her..."


    "Does this also work on... you know?"


    Diana''s knitting stopped as she gave the question some consideration, "Probably. Sleeping with her would definitely get her off your back. She''s only really interested in people who aren''t into her."


    "Wh?"


    Diana shrugged, almost dropping her wool from the needle as she did, "It''s the challenge aspect for her. She''s the same with everything. Once she gets good at it, she stops."


    "Seems like a hard life for a musician."


    "That''s why she plays almost every instrument. She of course had several lifetimes to learn."


    "Come to think of that, Diana. I know you don''t ask a lady, but..."


    "How old I am?"


    Sarah nodded.


    "I was old when the Romans were just building their city. Lily, my younger sister as you know, has an appearance in the bible."


    Sarah laughed loudly at that, "Sure, Diana. Where?"


    "Easy..." Diana said lamely, "Something starting with easy..."


    "That does fit your sister."


    "Rude!" Lily called from the hallway.


    "Accurate!" Sarah threw back.


    "Ha, made you talk to me."


    "Point for her," Diana chuckled.


    "Shush."


    "Hey, Lily. What did you call yourself in those days again?"


    "There''s a question. Something with O. Oho...something. I don''t remember. Just look it up."


    "No, thanks," Sarah mumbled, starting to read again.


    Lily entered the room, barely dressed in daisy dukes and a top that was little more than a folded towel tied around her chest.


    "You know it''s cold out?" Diana asked.


    "Not going out," Lily replied, showing a toothy grin, "Staying in all day with my sister before back to Japan tomorrow."


    "Big concert?"


    "I''ll be practicing some sort of flutistry, yes."


    Sarah rolled her eyes, pretending she didn''t hear Lily, which was the signal she needed to drop down on the side of Sarah''s chair.


    "Whatcha reading?"


    "None of your business," Sarah snapped back, putting her hand over the page, forgetting to hide the image on the other one.


    "Oh!" Lily Said, "Barry!"


    "Barry?"


    "That''s what he calls himself now. Baphomet to you, I guess. Book on the templars?"


    "Yup," Sarah lied through her teeth.


    "Well, they never worshiped him. Not for a lack of trying on his part, so your book is probably nonsense."


    "...Thanks for the warning," Sarah said icily, "Can I get back to my book?"


    "Sure."


    Sarah tried to read, while Lily remained perched on the armrest.


    "Do you mind?" Sarah snapped, pushing her aside.


    Lily pouted at her, then decided to sit in another chair instead, sitting be a rather broad word to describe what she was doing. She had her legs over the arm rest and her head hanging down the other side so she could see her sister, albeit upside down.


    "What we watching?" she asked, then turned to look at the television, "Oh. That burger show. Hey, I haven''t had one since I got here. Can you make me one? A good one?"


    "Burgers for dinner," Diana said, "Noted. Do you want as well, Sarah?"


    Sarah looked up from her book, at Diana, then to Lily, who smiled serenely and offered a playful wink.


    "I think I''ll go out for dinner tonight," she responded, biting back the remark she had for Lily, instead stating, "Enjoy your bonding time."


    "Suit yourself," the sisters said in unison.