ã€ŠEvolution of a Nobodyã€‹


 Chapter One

    ¡°Your father¡¯s dead! Your father¡¯s dead! Your father¡¯s dead!¡± The voices carried on behind Albaer in a constant loop. ¡°Miss your daddy?! Miss your daddy?! Miss your daddy?!¡± But no outward tears stung Albaer¡¯s brown eyes. They remained within, for now.

    The sound of feet padding after him as he walked back to his apartment was a constant, and his slender arms screamed at him to cover his ears and lower his head to hide from the taunts. His legs screamed at him to run, every fiber of his being commanded him, ¡®Get away!¡¯

    But he didn¡¯t.

    He walked on, the feet behind him were like a constant drumming, leaving him with no hope that it would stop. ¡®Just tolerate it for now, you¡¯ll reach your place soon, and they¡¯ll keep going on to theirs just like they always do.¡¯ He told himself, knowing he was right.

    Behind him he knew every voice and face without looking. Six of them, some had been friends, once, when he and they were small and in elementary school. Now in high school, they were anything but.

    The sun shone down indifferently, casting his shadow behind him, occasionally the sound of sneakered feet ceased to step and became the sound of two feet landing, they were jumping on his shadow, putting it beneath them.

    A mockery of their childhood games. Still, Albaer said nothing when their laughter came on, ¡®Don¡¯t mind the bullies, they¡¯ll get bored and leave you alone, just be nice, just tell your teachers, just¡­ just¡­ just¡­¡¯ His mother¡¯s admonition rang in his ear.

    She was wrong. They didn¡¯t get bored, this was their entertainment on the way back to their homes.

    His dark hair hung loose and helped hold the heat in close to his head, but it didn¡¯t burn as much as bad advice that he couldn¡¯t bring himself not to follow. ¡®Teachers are worthless.¡¯ He cursed their inaction, even though part of him understood it. ¡®Easier not to get involved, they¡¯re like the other students, the pitying looks are all over the place, but nobody does anything.¡¯

    In spite of Albaer¡¯s own resolve to show nothing to anyone, he wrapped his arms in front of his slender stomach and tried to ignore the growl there. He grabbed the dark straps of his backpack and hiked it up higher, pretending he wasn¡¯t hugging himself. ¡®Show no weakness.¡¯ He said to himself again and again, and finally he reached his safe space.

    Ahead was the path that led to the complex where he lived. It was a simple set of interconnected gray painted apartments, wooden structures with a plaster/mesh surface covered over with seashells, every time he looked at it, he remembered his lessons in science class. ¡®Millions of years ago, all this was under water, that¡¯s why you find shells so far from water today.¡¯ Albaer enjoyed those lessons.

    It made the present seem so small, to think on time scales like that. ¡®In an eyeblink, this life will be over, and none of them can do anything to me then.¡¯ Even he was aware of how depressing the thought was, but it wasn¡¯t death he thought of, but his high school life.

    Behind him he could hear the voices calling him, ¡°See you tomorrow, Alby! See you, shadow boy! Later, bitch!¡± The taunts and jeers faded as the six of them began to talk of other things as they made their way on to their own residences.

    He took out his key and unlocked the door, a simple two bedroom apartment greeted him. A kitchenette to his left with a stove, microwave, and refrigerator. A living room with a table and television, a sliding glass door that led out to the public pool he didn¡¯t dare use.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m home?¡± Albaer¡¯s voice cracked a little, no answer came. ¡®She must be out.¡¯ He thought. ¡®Good.¡¯ He added, and went to his room.

    Tears burned hot inside his body, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to let them out. He tossed his bag onto the single bed and turned on his own television, and the game system along with it. He didn¡¯t need to select a game from the cases beside it, though there were several, there was only one choice.

    ¡°Hylarim, here I come.¡± He said in the cracked voice of a boy becoming a man. He slid down from the bed to the floor and synced up the smooth black plastic controller to the console. The green logo flashed across the screen, he selected the CD tray to load from, and began.

    Hylarim was the largest and most popular open world game on the market¡­ doubly impressive because it had been around for years. Sequels had appeared, but Albaer had no interest in them. They were MMOs, Massive Multiplayer Online games. ¡®I don¡¯t want to play with other people, other people suck, I want my own story, not to be part of theirs.¡¯ He let out a shudder and selected his character, ¡®Kami¡¯.

    Kami was as far from himself as possible, a tigerman with ripped muscles, powerful jaws, and most differently of all, maximum charisma. He had the same character for a very long time, and had maxed out stats to the point where the quests were not a challenge on even the highest difficulty level.

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    That was the point, that was the fun. ¡®Here, I am a god.¡¯ Thanks to his programming and editing skills... and a dev kit loaded console, he could create his own mods and then install them. The 3-D models were a bit pricey, but a side job got him the money to pay for models, so the game never got old.

    And in this way, Albaer ensured he didn¡¯t need anybody.

    He let out a sigh and tapped his foot on the soft cream carpet that had begun to fade with age and imperfect cleaning. The new mod was ready and it was time to play the story he himself had written.

    ¡®Time to lead the rebellion and destroy the six evil overlords.¡¯ He grinned¡­ ¡®Even if it does have a long load time.¡¯ He chuckled a bit at the joke that even he knew wasn¡¯t really funny, and popped up to go get a soda.

    The promise of the fun ahead made him impatient, but pushed aside the misery of only minutes before.

    The off-white refrigerator door resisted his pull for just a moment, then gave in with the crisp crack it always did, and Albaer¡¯s eyes searched the shelves. There wasn¡¯t much, lots of condiments, most of those half empty, some fruit that wasn¡¯t going to last much longer if it wasn¡¯t eaten.

    His eyes fell to what he wanted, ¡®Beast¡¯ a can with a single claw through the name, an energy drink that didn¡¯t work well because it had no sugar. But he liked the flavor and it was cheap.

    He snatched the black and blue can and popped the top. Just as the audible crack and fizz began, he heard something unexpected.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡± He heard a woman¡¯s voice utter.

    ¡°What in heaven¡¯s name?¡± Another equally feminine voice gasped out.

    Albaer froze. ¡®That came from my room.¡¯ He recognized and looked toward the split in the hall between his mother¡¯s room and his.

    He turned his eyes toward the door, ¡®Run, get a neighbor to call the cops. Get help.¡¯ He told himself, but he didn¡¯t move, he stood frozen and listened.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± The first woman asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

    ¡°How should I know?! I did the same thing you did!¡± He heard the second voice retort.

    That gave him pause, ¡®They sound confused, not criminal, and I have no window there for them to get in through¡­ so where did they come from?¡¯ He asked himself. He wondered briefly if they¡¯d been hiding in the bathroom, but dismissed the idea as unlikely, they sounded afraid too.

    ¡®If I call the cops, they¡¯ll get in trouble, and they sound distressed already, mom will think they¡¯re burglars, and if this is just some big misunderstanding¡­ fuuuuck.¡¯ Albaer cursed as he realized he was talking himself into going in there.

    He set his sixteen ounce can down quietly on the counter, then reached into the pantry, moving with great care when opening the door to not make a sound. His hand wrapped around a broom handle, and then he headed back to his room.

    Step.

    Step.

    Step.

    His heart was in his throat, and it pounded there, his eyes were wide, he could hear the two women talking in his room, arguing was more like it.

    ¡°This is your fault! I don¡¯t know what you did, but you did something! We should be facing Kami right now, but no! No, we¡¯re not, and I know I did my part correctly!¡± The first voice said with abundant snark.

    ¡®Kami? My Hylarim character?! Are they from the game company?! Did they find out about my black market dev kit?!¡¯ Albaer¡¯s panic became very, very different. Fines for software modification were hefty, and neither he nor his mother could afford it.

    It was not enough to make him lower his broomstick, but it did make him less afraid that violent meth heads had broken in ¡®somehow¡¯.

    He raised the broom up, clutching it at the base just above where the bristles connected.

    ¡°Me?! You always blame me! I¡¯m powerful, sure, but even I can¡¯t take both of us out of there to somewhere else! If I had screwed up, it would just be me here now! So something else must have gone wrong!¡± The second voice said just as his hand reached for the brass cylindrical knob of his door.

    Albaer counted out in his mind, preparing to burst into the door. ¡®Alright, on three¡­¡¯

    ¡®One¡¯ He thought, and took a breath.

    ¡®Two.¡¯ He thought, and exhaled deeply and in silence.

    ¡°Youuuuuu!¡± He heard them blame each other again.

    ¡®Three!¡¯ He took another deep breath, wrenched the knob and burst into the room with the cracked shout of the sort that only a teenage boy could make, waving the broomhandle high like he was going to bring it down on the head of whoever was in reach.

    Twin shrieks of alarm reached him in turn as the pair scrambled back in shock, pressing themselves against the wall.

    Albaer¡¯s shout became something else almost immediately. A shout of fear and confusion brought on by the unexpected.

    From what he¡¯d heard, he expected two women, what kind of women, anything from executives who had waltzed in to demand his console be turned over, to druggies hoping to rob him, either of which would have been a thing to shout over.

    What he got presented before his eyes, brought another shout, ¡°What the hell are you?!¡±

    On its face, the question was stupid, because what they were was obvious, he¡¯d seen their sort many times in fictions and games, but never before had he seen them in life.

    Any teenage boy would have called them beautiful, with long slender legs and arms, classical hourglass shapes with oval faces and long hair, one blonde, the other inky black. Their features seemed quite delicate, and would have raised alarm in no one, if anything, by themselves, attraction and protective instinct would be naturally expected.

    But it was their other features that brought alarm. On the left, the inky black haired woman had a pair of horns growing from the sides of her head, while black batlike wings sprang from her back, and her flesh was a bloody red. A long dark tail lashed frantically where it hung low at the height of her ankles. Her counterpart, a more conventional skin tone that you¡¯d call ¡®lightly tanned. Her hair was long and golden, tumbling down behind her. However, from her back, sprung wings of white feathers.

    An angel, and a demoness, and they were in his home.

    ¡°What are you?!¡± He shouted again, and the pair, dumbstruck by the unexpected confrontation, had terror filled eyes of their own, as if he was the monster.

    Albaer waved the broom over his head, clutching it tight with both hands, ¡°How did you get in here?!¡± He shouted the question, and the pair of unexpected entries did something else he never expected¡­ other than exist.

    Their knees grew weak, they collapsed to the floor, and they began to let out a wailing, keening cry as if they¡¯d come upon the corpse of a loved one. ¡°It can¡¯t be! It can¡¯t be¡­ it can¡¯t beeee!¡±

    The angel wept, while the demoness could not even manage words.

    Albaer slowly began to lower his improvised weapon, his fear began to abate, and the obvious set in for more than one reason.

    ¡®Something is very¡­ very wrong here. It may be them, it may be me, it may be both, but ¡®something¡¯ is.¡¯ And for the moment, he could only wonder what it was.

 Chapter Two

    The danger sense that was going off like a fire alarm in his head moments ago stopped as quickly as it began, the wailing of the two women was painful and grating to his ears, but worse than that was the despondency on their faces.  The fact that they¡¯d more or less broken into his home was no longer relevant in his mind.  The way they knelt and keened toward the ceiling showed the most unutterable depths of despair that he¡¯d ever seen outside of a mirror.

    Albaer set the broom aside at the wall, it slid down and fell to the carpeted floor with a thud that was drowned out by their cries.

    The fact that they were creatures out of mythology and fantasy, or worse, or maybe better, out of some anime series, was less relevant at the moment.  A thudding from upstairs began which brought them up short.  ¡°Hey!  Keep it down, brat!¡±  His upstairs neighbor shouted and stomped on the floor several times.

    The pair of women were caught off guard by the sudden noise, so much so that their faces froze.

    Albaer took advantage of that in an instant to crouch down in front of them, he held a finger up to his lips and whispered, ¡°Shhhhh.¡±  Foreign as they were, they understood the request to be quiet, though with the noise above stopped, little choked sobs began again.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure what to say here¡­ I really don¡¯t know where to begin.¡±  Albaer said, their eyes were full of tears through which they stared at him, so luminous and bright they were that he looked away, unable to bear what he saw in them.  ¡°You would think my years of video games and anime would prepare me for this sort of thing¡­ but no.  No it definitely did not.¡±  He looked sideways at them with a fragile, shaky smile, though they clearly didn¡¯t understand, if he read their pursed lips and curious eyes right, they returned his smile with ones of their own.

    ¡°So¡­ um¡­ I guess¡­ names.  Yes, names first.  ¡°My name is Albaer, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    ¡°Albaer Albaer Babtiste Lamark?¡±  The pair repeated.

    He shook his head and his hand back and forth in front of the space between them. ¡°No, no¡­ just Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    ¡°I-I see.¡±  The angel said, ¡°I am Lialah,¡± she then put her hand on the demon¡¯s shoulder, ¡°and this is Raziel.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ so¡­ Lialah, Raziel¡­ no family names?¡±  He asked.

    ¡°Camilla.¡±  They said at once, and that at least brought a smile to their faces.

    Albaer flopped backwards, catching himself on the carpet when his hands thrust back behind him.  ¡°Okay¡­ one of you is adopted I assume¡­?¡±

    They shook their heads, and Lialah was the one to explain, ¡°The name comes from the training house where we prepared for¡­¡±

    ¡°For?¡±  Albaer asked, she¡¯d trailed off and looked away, taking some of her long blond hair, she fidgeted with the locks, winding her finger around them over and over again.

    Raziel thrust her sharp looking red finger down at the floor between them.  ¡°This¡­ which we failed.¡±  She grimaced enough to bare sharp fangs, and then the angry look faded to one of woe again.  ¡°We failed¡­¡±  Her back arched and she looked up to the ceiling, ¡°By the Lord of the Undead¡­ we failed.¡±

    Both of their sets of wings were shaking, and Albaer felt a rush of panic that they would begin that keening wail again.

    ¡°Wait!  Failed at what?!  What were you trying to do exactly, maybe there is some way to fix it!¡±  He urged in a rushed, hoarse voice, going up to his knees and curling his legs under him, in a bold gesture he grabbed both of them at the shoulder.

    That brought them around for a moment, and their faces met him again.  The demon woman had bright, sparkling ruby eyes, while the eyes of the angel were a brilliant sapphire blue.

    ¡°You¡¯re not dead after all, so there¡¯s still something, maybe?¡±  Albaer faltered a little, but flailing for something to say, it was the best he could do.

    The pair traded looks, ¡°Do you know ¡®Kami¡¯?¡±  Lialah asked in a hopeful voice as smooth as silk.

    ¡°Oh boy¡­¡±  Albaer moaned and ran a hand through his sandy hair.

    They cocked their heads at him.  ¡°Well?¡±  They asked at once.

    Albaer fumbled for words, ¡°Do you have ¡®video games¡¯ where you come from?¡±  He asked as delicately as he could.

    ¡°We have¡­ games.¡±  Raziel replied, her dark eyebrows furrowed, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t sound like you mean what we do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to show you, I think.¡±  Albaer replied and grunted a little when he stood up, he went to the television which had gone into power save mode and swept his hand across the base of the screen to power it back on.

    The music picked up again and the pair stared at it in disbelief.  ¡°Where are the musicians?¡±  Raziel asked, she pointed up, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s coming from up there.¡±  She focused her eyes on the television, ¡°And that is a weird¡­ wait that isn¡¯t a window¡­¡±  She snapped her mouth shut, but Lialah was already quiet and watching with fascination.

    Albaer seated himself in front of the screen and scrolled to the character ¡®Kami¡¯.  ¡°Is this who you were looking for?¡±  He asked and pointed at the screen.

    ¡°Yes!¡±  They exclaimed at once and clapped their hands together.

    ¡°Now if we can just get him,¡± Lialah said with joy, ¡°go ahead, summon him, I don¡¯t know how we ended up here but¡­ maybe if he¡¯s a summoned being instead, well that should still do!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll summon him.¡±  Albaer said, and he felt Raziel staring at the back of his head, she picked up on his tone and that something was amiss in all this even if Lialah had not.

    He tapped the green button on his controller and the scene shifted, as did the music.  Albaer made the character go into third person and began to move him across the screen.

    ¡°That is Kami.  He¡¯s just a character in my story, he¡¯s not a summon to the real world¡­ just lines of code expressed as a visual for me to play with.  He¡¯s not real¡­ fiction¡­ fantasy.¡±  Albaer said as gently as he could, then set down the controller and turned to face them both again.

    Raziel gave a little nod.  ¡°That explains it.  That¡¯s why we failed¡­ that is why the spell rebounded and brought us here¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±  Lialah asked, scratching her head, she looked over to the demoness beside her.

    ¡°You can¡¯t summon fictions, Lialah.  You just can¡¯t.  If we could do that, we¡¯d solve our problems just by making up heroic stories every year and recycling old plots with new names and descriptions.  But we can¡¯t.  Even a normal summon might do¡­  But when they¡¯re not real at all?¡±  She shrugged her shoulders, spreading her arms and wings out as she did so.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there.¡±  Lialah whispered and her bright blue eyes were blurred by tears again.  ¡°Then we really did fail.¡±

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    Albaer picked up on the meaning behind their exchange, ¡®Thank goodness for all the anime isekai shows I watched.¡¯  Albaer thought with a mental sigh of relief to go with it.

    ¡°Wait so¡­ if we didn¡¯t actually get the hero we wanted, then we can just go back home again!¡±  Lialah brightened, and then so did Raziel.

    The pair stood up and almost synchronized, they interlocked their hands and stretched out, ¡°I hate to be rude and just leave,¡± Raziel said with a smile, ¡°especially after you¡¯ve been nice to us, but we have work to do.¡±

    Lialah¡¯s wings fluttered a little and she even blushed a faint rose shade on her cheeks.  ¡°Right, work, I¡¯m so sorry Albaer, we didn¡¯t mean to intrude.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay, this is something I¡¯ll never forget, but always doubt happened¡­ Now, since you¡¯re leaving anyway,¡± he gave a bold smile to them both, ¡°you¡¯re the prettiest guests I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    ¡°You are a nice¡­ whatever you are, aren¡¯t you?¡±  Lialah said with a demure little smile in return.

    She then tightened her hand in that of the demon.

    ¡°Thanks a lot for the explanation, Albaer, and ah¡­ have a nice life.¡±  Raziel said with a fangy smile that felt friendlier than it looked, they then raised their hands overhead and spouted off a series of syllables that Albaer couldn¡¯t follow.

    And nothing happened.

    The pair looked at him, each other, and with their arms still raised straight overhead, they repeated the syllables.

    Again, nothing happened.

    Albaer simply watched and waited.

    They did it again.

    Nothing happened, their arms tensed.

    Raziel found Albaer¡¯s eyes, ¡°You¡­ wouldn¡¯t happen to be a supremely powerful sorcerer using barrier or nullification magic right now¡­ would you, Albaer?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±  He said with a decisive shake of his head.

    ¡°What about magic items enchanting your home against travel spells?¡±  Lialah asked hopefully.

    ¡°If I had that, you probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten in here in the first place.¡±  Albaer replied, and the pair gave quiet nods of agreement at that one.

    ¡°Then¡­ why isn¡¯t it working?¡±  Raziel asked him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what is supposed to happen right now,¡± Albaer replied and took a step away from them, ¡°but if I had to guess?¡±

    They let go of one another and bent forward at the waist to look at him more closely with intense, hopeful expressions.  Their lips pursed, their eyes brimming with expectation, they addressed him together. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d say it¡¯s a lobster trap situation.¡±  Albaer suggested.

    ¡°A what now?¡±  Lialah asked.  Raziel¡¯s face began to darken at the suggestion of a trap, even one she didn¡¯t recognize, and Albaer held up his hands with palms facing her to settle them down, then backed away another step.

    ¡°Lobster, it¡¯s a kind of crustacean, an animal that lives on the bottom of our oceans, traps for them are wire mesh cages, there¡¯s a hole they go through to get at bait placed inside, but once they¡¯re in they just can¡¯t get back out.¡±  Albaer proposed, and Raziel¡¯s darkening face was unchanged.

    ¡°Who would do that?¡±  Raziel demanded, her fingers closed into fists, but her hostility at Albaer dissipated with his evident helpfulness.

    ¡°Maybe no one.¡±  Albaer said and started to relax.  ¡°Look, magic¡­ I guess it is a thing in your world, so you were able to use it to travel, even if you didn¡¯t mean to.  That got you here.¡±  He thrust a finger down at his carpeted floor.  ¡°But magic does not exist in this world.¡±

    ¡°So that means¡­ we¡¯re stuck?¡±  Lialah gasped and her hand darted up to her mouth.

    ¡°Maybe?¡±  Albaer rubbed his chin and thought about it, ¡°Maybe, I mean that was just an analogy, you got to this side and can¡¯t get back, but maybe somebody on the other side could pull you through¡­ how should I know what magic can do?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I want to try something.¡±  Raziel interjected, she held out her hand and concentrated.  She squeezed her eyes shut and began to growl like she was pushing some horrible weight.

    Then, in her hand, there appeared a simple little black sphere the size of a ping pong ball.

    ¡°So, that works.¡±  Raziel said and glanced at her companion.  ¡°Try yours.¡±

    Lialah did the same, and after several seconds of concentration a little white sphere appeared in her palm as well.

    ¡°Internal magic works fine,¡±  Raziel thought out loud and looked back over to Albaer, ¡°show us yours.¡±

    ¡°I told you, that¡¯s not a thing here.¡±  Albaer crossed his arms, beautiful or not, strange as it was, he felt annoyance building up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, how else could that thing work, pictures don¡¯t move, and-¡±  Raziel snapped her mouth shut when he started to laugh.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±  She demanded with a grimace.

    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®real¡¯.  It¡¯s not moving by magic, these are just digital renderings, in this world we use science to do things.¡±  Albaer explained.

    ¡°Sounds like another word for magic.¡±  Raziel retorted and put her hands on her hips, closing her fingers around the little black ball.

    ¡°Magic is just what people call stuff they don¡¯t understand until science figures it out.¡±  Albaer retorted.

    ¡°Then use your science to send us home.  C-Can you do that?¡±  Lialah asked and folded her hands together as if in prayer.  ¡°Please¡­ whatever you are, people are depending on us¡­ if you can, but if you don¡¯t¡­ so many will die¡­¡±

    The angel was clearly growing agitated, her wings shook, her fingers shook, the hands which clung together moved to cover her mouth, and her sapphire eyes were blinking rapidly as she fought against tears.

    ¡°Can you do that?¡±  Raziel pressed, and as naturally as if she¡¯d done it a thousand times, she put an arm around Lialah and pulled her close, and enfolded the angel in her arms.

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±  Albaer answered, his annoyance fading as their desperation and emotion mounted.

    Raziel didn¡¯t look away as Lialah shut her eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t, or you won¡¯t?¡±  Raziel snapped.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t.¡±  Albaer spread his arms open and shrugged, ¡°First of all, I¡¯m not a scientist, I¡¯m just a student, I haven¡¯t gone to learn any of the sort of science that would be needed to address even the possibility of getting you home.  I¡¯m something of a nerd so I know enough to know the existence of other dimensions¡­ where other natural laws exist, is at least considered.  But the science to even test that, let alone create a travel path?  No, that¡¯s not even on the drawing board¡­ uh, explored, yet.¡±

    ¡°A student?¡±  Raziel asked, she squinted at him.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in high school.¡±  Albaer replied, ¡°I still live here with my mother, I don¡¯t have the slightest idea what to do about sending you home.¡±

    ¡°Could you take us to your scientists, maybe?  Perhaps they could help us?¡±  Lialah half whimpered it as if it were a plea.

    Albaer went to his tan wooden desk, pulled out a chair and sat down heavily causing it to creak under him.  ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±  Raziel asked, sensing his reticence.

    ¡°Because you two don¡¯t exist here.¡±  Albaer replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re very real.¡±  Raziel retorted with a little frown made from her dark lips.

    ¡°Alright¡­ ah¡­¡±  Albaer put a hand to his chest, ¡°I¡¯m a human being, we¡¯re the dominant species on this planet, apex predators.¡±

    ¡°Really?  Not orcs, or demons or angels or-¡±  Raziel was about to list off too many things for him to go over, so he cut her off.

    ¡°None of those are real.  This planet has only humans as intelligent civilized creatures.  There were others once, but the last evidently intelligent species similar to us died off twelve thousand years ago on their last little home when a volcano erupted.  The other species, we drove them all to extinction over the course of thousands and thousands of years.  There are no orcs, angels, demons, goblins, trolls, or anything else.  Those exist only in our mythologies and fictions.¡±  Albaer explained it as gently as he could and then put his hands in his lap, clasping his fingers into an interlocked position and shifting uncomfortably.

    ¡°You don¡¯t exist here¡­ at all.  You never did.  If I took you to scientists of any sort, you¡¯ll spend your lives being subjected to all kinds of experiments.  You¡¯ll both be prisoners, and our governments will exploit you like a resource.¡±

    Raziel hissed like an angry cat.  ¡°I¡¯d never allow that to happen to us.¡±

    Albaer shook his head, ¡°We¡¯re not apex predators for nothing, we¡¯re a species built for war and predation¡­ we do a lot of great things¡­ but trust me, you won¡¯t be happy with the outcome if I do what you¡¯re asking me to do.¡±

    ¡°If humans are so bad¡­ Why aren¡¯t you doing what you say will happen to us?¡±  Lialah asked in a quiet little voice.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like people, so I don¡¯t want to be like people.¡±  He snorted with contempt, ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°So?¡±  Raziel swallowed, ¡°What happens now?¡±

    Albaer put a hand on the desk at which he sat and began to drum his fingers over it, ¡°I have questions about where you¡¯re from¡­ but that can wait, I guess.¡±  He clenched his other hand into a fist.

    Unutterable despair began to form on their faces again, and their fear, their sense of isolation was clearly growing by leaps and bounds as their lives hung by a thread and his hands seemed to hold the shears.  ¡®I can¡¯t just throw them out¡­¡¯  He realized, and he made a decision.

    ¡°My- My mother works very late, and sleeps a lot, she¡¯s away, right now, for awhile.  So¡­ I don¡¯t want to send you out into my world, ignorant and alone¡­ that won¡¯t end well for you.  I guess¡­ I guess you could stay with me for now at least.  Maybe people where you¡¯re from can call you back home, right?¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ th-thank you, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±  Raziel replied.

    ¡°Thank you, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±  Lialah added.

    ¡°Just¡­ call me Albaer, that¡¯s easier.¡±  He said and stood up.

    ¡°Albaer, then.¡±  The pair affirmed.

    ¡°Let me get some sleeping bags for you, you won¡¯t have to worry about my mother, she completely respects my privacy and never comes into my room, there¡¯s only one rule in here¡­ other than not bothering the neighbors.¡±  He thrust his hand out pointing to the door behind him.  ¡°Out that door is a hall, at the far end is another room.  That is my mother¡¯s bedroom, and under no circumstances are you ever to go in there.  She needs all the rest she can get, and¡­ I doubt she¡¯d handle you two very well.  Myths don¡¯t often spring to life in front of you, okay?¡±  Albaer asked, though he tried to be light hearted, the steel in his voice was uncompromising in the extreme.

    The pair nodded.  ¡°Of course, we understand.¡±  They said and nodded again for emphasis.

    ¡°Good,¡± he relaxed, ¡°it¡¯ll be getting late soon, so I¡¯ll get you some sleeping bags and extra pillows, you can at least be comfortable.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±  They said again as he showed his back and left the room, they bent forward at the waist, bowing deeply to their unexpecting host and wondering¡­

    ¡®What do we do now?¡¯

 Chapter Three

    Albaer went down to the basement, unlike most apartments, his on the ground floor additionally had a lower level as well as an outside storage area.  The stairs were simple wood, smooth but not polished or painted, and went down at a forty-five degree angle.  He flicked the switch in the dark and flooded the room with light.  The walls were smooth concrete and lined with shelves.  Most of the shelves had small boxes and old trunks, there wasn¡¯t a lot of space left.  What was in them, even Albaer wasn¡¯t entirely sure.

    ¡®Dad¡¯s things.¡¯  He thought reflexively and went to one of the things he was sure of.  He opened a box and found three large sleeping bags.  They were the best on the market when they were made, and that was only a few years earlier.  ¡®I don¡¯t know if angels or demons can even sleep on their backs or¡­ well do they ¡®want¡¯ to hold their body heat in?  Do they even ¡®have¡¯ body heat?¡¯  Questions with no answers abounded in Albear¡¯s mind as the sound of nylon on nylon rustled while he tugged them out of the box and put them under his arm.

    After that, a pair of pillows meant for outdoor use, waterproof and rot resistant, Albaer couldn¡¯t help but think of when his dad bought them.  ¡°Camping and comfort may not go hand in hand naturally, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t!¡±  The big teddy bear held up the pillows like they were a trophy and went to the counter to buy them while humming his favorite symphony.

    Albaer still smiled at the memory in spite of everything, it was enough to make him linger, and then head back to the stairs to clomp his way up to where his unusual guests waited.

    <hr>

    As soon as Albaer left them alone with the door closed, Raziel turned to her companion.  ¡°Do you think he¡¯s telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°Why would he lie?  It¡¯s not like he knew we were coming¡­ none of this,¡± Lialah swept her hand out to encompass the room, ¡°looks like anything ¡®I¡¯ve¡¯ ever seen before.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll give you that, and he doesn¡¯t look familiar either.  He¡¯s like a mutilated elf or something, or a really tall, thin dwarf.¡±  Raziel muttered and crossed her arms in front of her breasts.  ¡°Assuming he¡¯s lying probably isn¡¯t the best thing, at least not without evidence.¡±

    Lialah threw her shoulders back, squaring off against her sister and put her hands on Raziel¡¯s arms, she made the demoness face her, ¡°We¡¯re going to be okay.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±  Raziel said and, unwilling to meet the sapphire blue eyes any longer, let them follow the path of her curiosity where the little box and the rectangle continued to function, the character on the screen was inhaling and exhaling while the view of him panned around in a circle.  ¡°Kami¡­¡±  She mumbled, part of her ready to accept at least that much was the truth.  ¡®You¡¯re not real.¡¯  She told herself, then reached down to the little black controller.

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    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch that, you don¡¯t know what it is.¡±  Lialah admonished after allowing her companion to break away from her touch.

    ¡°If it were lethal he probably wouldn¡¯t have left it lying around.¡±  Raziel pointed out.

    Lialah turned up her nose and put her back to Raziel, her wings fluttering a little in agitation.  ¡°Don¡¯t blame me if you end up in yet another world unable to escape, who knows where that actually is.¡±  She inclined her head toward the screen.  ¡°Who ever heard of a window not on a wall, or door, or something¡­¡±

    Raziel moved the little stick around, the feel of the dark thumb shaped instrument was strange, soft but not soft.  Kami moved around with her and the view snapped back over his shoulder.

    She moved it around again, and Kami ran in a circle.

    She pushed a button, Kami jumped, and Raziel smiled.

    Meanwhile, Lialah¡¯s eye turned toward a closed door on the other side of the room.  She approached it, standing there for several seconds as if she could see through it if she stared long enough.  A little brass knob polished to a shine that reflected her face, somewhat warped, back at her, sat there inviting her to turn it.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go in there.¡±  Raziel said while mashing buttons on the controller to see what else Kami would do.

    ¡°If it were dangerous, he would have told us not to open it.¡±  Lialah replied, her tone full of smugness when she threw Raziel¡¯s words back at her, the demon shrugged.

    ¡°What¡¯s this button do¡­?¡±  She asked out loud when she found the buttons underneath, and Kami raised his hand and began to spout flame from his palm as he ran forward.

    Lialah grabbed the knob, turned it, and opened it up, inside, she saw the impossible.

    ¡°Is he rich?!¡±  She eeped out.  There was a pure white tub on the floor, and a wash basin to her left, and a chair¡­ for some reason open and full of water down below it.  A looking glass hung on the wall which was broad enough for her to stretch out her arms and wings and still not reach the end of it.

    ¡°Sister!  Look at this!¡±  Lialah exclaimed hoarsely while pointing out the state of the room.

    Raziel held onto the controller, but followed the call of her closest companion and looked inside.

    ¡°He only mentioned a mother, right?  He¡¯s got to have servants to haul buckets in to fill that up¡­ or¡­ do you think that¡¯s what the seat with the water in it is for?¡±  Raziel asked.

    ¡°Maybe?¡±  Lialah asked, ¡°Is it to drink from¡­ you could get a cup easily, or a bowl, but a bucket to fill that tub doesn¡¯t seem like it would be a good fit¡­ and where¡¯s the bucket?¡±

    Raziel pointed out the cabinet beneath white wash basin with the silver device hanging over it.  ¡°Maybe down there?¡±  She asked rhetorically.

    Lialah crouched down, opened the cabinet and saw the metal tubes beneath, ¡°Sister, I think he might have been lying about there not being magic¡­ there¡¯s a wand here.¡±

    ¡°A wand?¡±  Raziel asked, and Lialah stood back up.

    It looked a lot like one, a long wooden stick, and a rounded end with a hole.  It wasn¡¯t ¡®quite¡¯ the same, but then, what was?  Even the familiar was a little removed from the norm.

    ¡°Maybe you have to use wands here in order to do magic, do you think?¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth a try, if he is lying, then we want to get out of here now.¡±  Raziel said, but looked with abundant regret at the tigerman on the screen.  ¡®So long, Kami.¡¯  She thought as her sister, her companion, her friend, raised the wand overhead.  Raziel dropped the little black controller onto the carpeted floor and put her hand on the wand just above her sister¡¯s hand so that they were connected.

    They rattled off the syllables of the spell and held the wand tight with their eyes shut, waiting for the magic to work.

    The spell was almost over when Albaer entered the bedroom with his arms full, he dropped them to the floor in a heap just as they finished casting and exclaimed, ¡°Why are you in my bedroom with my plunger?!  Did you do something to my toilet?!¡±

 Chapter Four

    ¡°Plunger?  What¡¯s a plunger?  This isn¡¯t a wand?¡±  Raziel asked and lowered it across her body, holding it in two hands.

    ¡°Ah, no.  No it isn¡¯t.  I told you, there¡¯s no magic in this world.¡±  Albaer retorted, then approached, snatched the plunger out of their hands and marched it back into the bathroom to shove it beneath the sink.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re rich, right?¡±  Lialah asked point blank.

    ¡°What?  No!¡±  Albaer replied reflexively and closed the bathroom door behind him.

    ¡°So how can you have a private bath and¡­¡±  She said, clearly not believing him based on the way she rattled off the contents of his bathroom.

    ¡°Okay, so¡­ most people have these things.  The bath doesn¡¯t require a well, the wash basin isn¡¯t filled with a bucket, and we definitely aren¡¯t using the ¡®white water seat¡¯ to drink from or fill anything.  That is a toilet and it¡¯s where we relieve ourselves.¡±

    ¡°You carry a whole seat outside?!¡±  Raziel had been staring at the game screen while Albaer spoke, but that sounded so absurd that she turned her attention back to him.

    Albaer made an exaggerated sigh, ¡°No¡­ we have indoor plumbing¡­¡±  He shook his head, ¡°No, never mind, just¡­ look.¡±  He said and went into the bathroom.  He turned on the sink, and water flowed and began to heat up.  ¡°When you relieve yourself, you flush this by pressing the lever.  Here, watch¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait you¡¯re not going to¡­ in front of us?!  Are you a pervert or?¡±  Lialah began to ask before he violently shook his head.

    ¡°No!  I am not a pervert.¡±  Albaer snapped.

    ¡°Pervert.¡±  Raziel nodded.

    ¡°No!  I¡¯m going to show you using this!¡±  He snapped again and tore a piece of toilet paper free.  ¡°You clean with this, then throw it down there and press this lever.¡±  He said and pushed the chrome lever on the toilet, and the water began to spin around.

    ¡°Ooooh¡­¡±  The angel and demon bent over and watched the paper disappear.

    ¡°Right.¡±  He said, and then went to the bathtub and turned it on.  Water spewed from the shower head in a steady, constant rain.

    ¡°Indoor rain¡­ you¡¯re sure this isn¡¯t magic?¡±  Lialah asked with a skeptically raised golden eyebrow.

    ¡°Indoor plumbing, it¡¯s a big deal here.¡±  Albaer replied, his face deadpan, his voice dry, he pointed to the pile he¡¯d dropped on the floor.  ¡°We can talk more tomorrow, for now¡­ ah, I guess stay in here.¡±

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    They reached for the bags and clearly found them to be strange, but at least the concept must have been familiar because they laid them out side by side, and slipped into them, lying on their stomachs.

    Albaer however, chose not to sleep.  Instead he picked up the controller and laid down on the bed, then resumed his intended game with gusto.  Strange as it was to have an angel and a demon, pretty ones no less, nearby, his habits won out.

    He took on a few quests and even leveled up again.  On this occasion, he rescued several children from a cult of vampires hiding in an undead riddled tomb, winning the right to buy property within the city.

    The angel and demon chose to take their positions at the foot of his bed, and so he didn¡¯t realize it at the time, but Raziel chose to stay awake and watch him play.

    Or at least, he didn¡¯t realize it until she complimented him when the reward music played and Kami took his victory stance.

    ¡°So that¡¯s all a game¡­ none of it real, huh?¡±  Raziel said, and he glanced to his left to see her bright red eyes that caught the light of the TV screen.  She was lying on her stomach and propping her head up on the palms of her hands and had her elbows on the pillow.

    ¡°None of it.¡±  Albaer answered her.

    She didn¡¯t say anything for a bit.

    ¡°You don¡¯t really think they¡¯re going to be able to get you back, do you?¡±  Albaer guessed.

    She glanced up at him, then she inched out of her sleeping bag a little and rolled over to look up at where he sat.  He tried very hard not to notice that her clothing was low cut at the breasts, and tried to focus on the screen again instead.

    ¡°No, no I don¡¯t think so.  I think if they knew how then they¡¯d have done it when we vanished.¡±  Raziel said, ¡°If you want to know what I really think,¡± she paused and listened, catching her sister¡¯s steady breathing, she answered, ¡°I think they either tried more ¡®potentials¡¯ and succeeded so they¡¯ve abandoned us as dead.  Or¡­ the Kingdoms are preparing for war again, and they can¡¯t bother with us anymore even if they think we¡¯re alive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Albaer replied to her, and meant it, he wouldn¡¯t quite look at her, but he did his best with his sweaty palms to divert his body to other things.  ¡®She just lost everything, don¡¯t be selfish.¡¯  Albaer cursed himself with the advice, and Raziel went on.

    ¡°We actually have those in our world.¡±  She pointed to the screen where vampires and goblins were battling against lizardmen and orcs when Kami appeared on the screen and the prompt asked the player to choose whom to support.

    ¡°You do?¡±  Albaer asked, letting out an enthralled ¡°whoa¡± when she nodded.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡­ played around a little bit while you were gone, sorry, I was just curious.  But I saw a lot of the stuff our world has, elves, dwarves, everything but things like you, I mean¡­ people like you¡­¡±  Raziel said, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t mean to say you¡¯re a ¡®thing¡¯ just-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I get it.¡±  Albaer answered and asked in return, ¡°So¡­ why did you even need Kami, how does this mean your people will end up in a war?  I just- sorry, I know this is a lot to ask from a stranger.  Especially after you¡¯ve-¡±  He cleared his throat, stopping himself from saying ¡®lost everyone and everything¡¯ and after the throat clearing ended he said instead, ¡°found yourself in such a strange situation.¡±

    Raziel looked away from him, ¡°I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d rather not say right now, if that¡¯s alright, it¡¯s a long talk.¡±

    ¡°Alright, would you like me to¡­ I don¡¯t know, teach you how to play?  You¡¯ll need your own character of course.¡±  Albaer added with haste and started to save his game.

    ¡°Yes!¡±  Raziel brightened up and scrambled out of the sleeping bag as fast as she could without making noise, her fingers twitching, her hands out, and a smile that bared all her fangs while he set the game console back to square one and created a profile for her.

    ¡°Okay¡­ now this is the first thing you do¡­¡±  He said and handed her the controller, ¡°Sit down in front of me, I¡¯ll help you out.¡±

    She nodded along and sat down on the floor so that his legs dangled against her arms.

    ¡°First, press the black button on the right before the right side stick¡­¡±  He said, and she tilted her head back to look up at him.

    ¡°Thanks again, Albaer.¡±  She said, and he smiled down at her.

    ¡®I really shouldn¡¯t have had her sit there, I swear I was only thinking about how to help her with the controls but now I can see straight down her-¡¯  He rubbed the back of his head and looked away, ¡°No, no it¡¯s okay.  Stress needs a release¡­ right, so I¡¯m happy to help.¡±

    Before she could respond he cut in again and said, ¡°Now create your character¡­¡±  Focusing on the game helped, if not as much as it always did, at least some, and that was good enough for the moment at least.

 Chapter Five

    Raziel proved a quick study when it came to the controls.  She had her character up and going in minutes, mastered the mechanics, and for her part she chose a half demon.  While she was running the character through the starting town, Albaer had to ask.

    ¡°Why a demonoid?¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°I thought I should ease into the idea of humans.  I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be here¡­ or¡­¡±  She glanced up at him, ¡°if we can even survive here.¡±

    It was dark, but the light of the television screen was good enough to show her face.  ¡°Right¡­ different biology.  You might not be able to eat our food, drink our water, or who knows, even breathe our air in the long term.¡±  Albaer acknowledged and she looked at him with new respect, leaning her head back a bit.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re smart, huh?¡±  She asked.

    ¡°I guess.¡±  Albaer shrugged.  ¡°I get good marks in school at least.¡±

    She recentered her focus on the game and noticed that the townspeople weren¡¯t very friendly with her.  ¡°Go away, demonspawn.¡±  Was played in a number of voices.

    She frowned at that, like they were talking to her and not her character.  ¡°Why won¡¯t they talk to me?¡±  She asked Albaer with a grimace.  ¡°It¡¯s a lot harder to get started if they¡¯re going to make me an outcast.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s part of the game story, if you start as one of those races,¡± he pointed to the humans and elves on the screen that walked by with pretty good pathing to get to their job sites, ¡°they¡¯ll be more friendly.  As you drift farther and farther away from looking like them, they¡¯ll like you less and less at the start.  Demonoids, half demons, are shunned in this fictional world.  It¡¯s hard to win people over, you have to do more repeat quests, you¡¯re punished more severely for crimes that as a human you might only get a warning for, and others are quicker to attack you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.  They¡¯re bad.¡±  Raziel made the judgement without hesitation.

    ¡°In the story, they fought a long war against demons, and other races too, so they developed an automatic hatred for any member of their old enemies¡¯ races.¡±  Albaer explained as she finally found somebody willing to give her a quest.

    ¡°That¡¯s not better.¡±  She pointed out, and Albaer shrugged it off.

    ¡°Maybe not, but it¡¯s just a game.¡±  He replied to her and she set off on her quest.

    ¡°So¡­ no magic, how does this thing work?  That¡¯s not a window, so what is it, how does it do all this stuff that it¡¯s doing?¡±  She asked him with a hint of underlying zeal.

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    ¡°I promise you, I¡¯ve got no idea.¡±  Albaer chuckled and lay backwards on the bed.

    ¡°What?¡±  Raziel demanded and paused the game, she got up and leaned over him, hands on her hips, ample bosom hovering over his face, she raised a brow at him and then narrowed her eyes.

    He flicked a glance at her outline dimly illuminated by the screen and then focused on her bright red eyes, ¡°I said, I have no idea.  I bought the console and the TV but I have only a vague idea of how it actually does what it does.  The game is programmed by hundreds of people, the console built by thousands, and the same goes for the controller, the TV and all the components.  Nobody really knows how it¡¯s ¡®all¡¯ made.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡±  Raziel¡¯s lines of sharp teeth were exposed, she put one red finger on his chest, ¡°Is this your way of keeping some sort of secrets from us¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, I promise!¡±  Albaer answered with a slightly higher pitch, her finger had a very sharp tip, more like a talon or claw than a finger alone.  ¡®I wonder how strong they are?¡¯  He had the uncomfortable thought, but turned away from it a moment later.

    He relaxed a bit, ¡°Look I don¡¯t mean it¡¯s a total mystery, it¡¯s just that¡­ well there are lots of parts, everybody knows how to do ¡®their¡¯ part, whether it be harvesting resources to make them, or putting them together, or writing the code¡­ a set of instructions, or creating different parts, no one person knows it all, but our machines require a lot of complexity, so we specialize to create different parts each and then put it together at the end.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I find that hard to believe.¡±  She replied, but removed her finger.

    ¡°If you want I can pick up some books for you, and even some things to play with a bit if you¡¯re really curious.¡±  Albaer said and yawned.

    That made her smile, and her smile was beautiful until, as the game went to power save, it panned to a firelight view that flickered just right as she showed her teeth.  ¡°Thank you, Albaer.¡±

    He shuddered at the winged demon looming over him.  ¡°No problem.¡±  He replied, but privately wondered, not for the first time, ¡®What have I gotten myself into.¡¯

    ¡®Did I say something wrong?¡¯  She wondered, but brushed it off.  ¡°I¡¯m going to keep playing, if that¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah sure, go ahead, I need to sleep now though.¡±  Albaer answered and pulled the blanket over his head.

    The volume of the screen went down to a barely audible level and the demoness kept at the game long into the night, far beyond the point at which he finally managed to go to sleep.

    He woke up to see Raziel still at the console and her character now in vastly improved armor, charging toward a dragon while a group of NPCs followed after her.  Tellingly, her NPC followers were a mix of races, a feat only achievable by doing lots of ¡®Good Will¡¯ quests.

    ¡°You had fun.¡±  Albaer said inching his way down the length of his bed to avoid her and then hopped off.

    He made barely more than a gentle thud when he landed on the carpet.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah fun, yeah.¡±  Raziel was staring at the screen and cackling as she swung her axe into the dragon¡¯s face.  ¡°Take that you scaly bastard!¡±

    ¡°Somebody is really into it, what¡¯d you do, suck out a gamer¡¯s soul on the way here?¡±  Albaer said with a half joke as he walked away and into the bathroom.  He didn¡¯t hear her respond, or really anything from behind the closed door and turned on the water, the roar of the shower beat down, and in that quiet private space he was able to relax, strip, and step into the steam to get ready to start the day.

    Albaer washed his hair and body, and tried to prepare himself.  ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay, you¡¯re going to be okay, you¡¯re going to be okay¡­ it won¡¯t be that bad.  It won¡¯t be.  It¡¯s just another day¡­¡±  The lies poured past his lips on a loop, and were only interrupted when he heard Lialah shout¡­

    ¡°He asked what?!¡±

 Chapter Six

    ¡°What are they shouting about out there¡­ what did I say?¡±  Albaer asked himself aloud, then stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and quickly went about brushing his teeth.  His hair dripping wet and body still damp, whatever it was that they were going on about, it could wait.

    ¡°Anyone who would say something like that, we can¡¯t trust, let¡¯s get out of here!¡±  Lialah¡¯s voice was muffled, but she was clearly outraged, and ¡®what¡¯ she said hit him like a ton of bricks.

    He heard them walking away and panic set in, ¡®If they go out in broad daylight¡­¡¯

    He spun on his heel and snatched the door knob, flinging it out hard enough to hit the wall, he saw they were already out of his bedroom.  He rushed out after them and down the short wall, out into the living room and saw them just as they were reaching the door by the kitchen.  ¡®Why couldn¡¯t they be more familiar with toilets and less familiar with doors?!  I¡¯m not going to make it!¡¯  He shouted in his head, his eyes wide with alarm, they flung open the white painted door and took a step outside.

    Their wings opened, ready to fly, Albaer jumped, ¡®Best leap of my life.¡¯  He thought as he dove forward, snatched them by their ankles, and tripped them up before they could gain momentum.

    ¡°Hey!  Let go of us!¡±  Lialah and Raziel looked at him with cold, furious eyes, but driven by raw adrenaline, he yanked as hard as he could, sending them sliding over the smooth entryway and slamming the door shut just as they let out a shocked outcry of their own.  Albaer thrust his back against the door, arms and legs open and breathing hard.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go out there!¡±  Albaer hissed.

    Raziel looked him over, whatever she wanted to say, she didn¡¯t say it, though Lialah¡¯s angel wings were beating hard to bring her to her feet, she put her hand on her sister¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°No.¡±

    Lialah¡¯s mouth closed slowly on its own when she saw what her sister did.  Albaer¡¯s face was contorted with raw fear, fear they¡¯d seen a thousand times over in their world.  He was breathing hard, his limbs were tense, and sweat was already springing onto his skin.  ¡°No¡­ you can¡¯t¡­¡±  It was practically a beggar¡¯s plea for coin, or a starving man¡¯s plea for food.

    ¡°Ah- Alright¡­ alright¡­¡±  Lialah raised her soft lily hands up and waved them up and down, ¡°Just¡­ calm down, okay, we¡¯re not going¡­ I promise¡­ just calm down¡­¡±

    ¡°I-I told you¡­ it¡¯s dangerous out there for you¡­ you have to trust me¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ just promise me you¡¯ll stay inside today, OK?  I¡¯ll tell you anything you want later, but don¡¯t go outside¡­¡±

    ¡°Apologize to my sister.¡±  Lialah said and crossed her arms, ¡°Apologize to her, and I promise we¡¯ll stay here and we won¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°No.  If that¡¯s what he thinks, that¡¯s what he thinks¡­¡±  Raziel was back on her feet again, one arm dangling and the other holding onto it, she didn¡¯t look at him.  ¡°It¡¯s a common enough sort of thinking, I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s racing heart began to go down, he put a hand on his chest, and fear gave way to confusion.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ help me to understand.¡±

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    ¡°Soul sucking¡­ calling someone a soul sucker is one of the worst things you can say, it¡¯s incredibly intimate to share something like that¡­ so just¡­ sucking it out¡­ I thought we didn¡¯t exist here, so I didn¡¯t expect to hear that.¡±  Raziel explained, she refused to look at him, and now that he thought about it, Lialah had turned her face away too.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.  I didn¡¯t know.  It was a joke¡­ in our myths and legends, demons sucked souls and things like that in some stories¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to say something hurtful¡­ I promise.  Really¡­¡±  Albaer lowered his head in contrition.

    And noticed that his towel was gone and lying several feet behind them.

    ¡°I forgive you, I guess I should have figured you wouldn¡¯t know, I was just caught by surprise¡­ but could you maybe¡­ your towel?¡±  Raziel replied and covered her face.  She was naturally red of flesh, but her sister, clearly, could turn close to that color, and did.

    ¡°Pervert.¡±  Lialah muttered and covered her face as well.

    Albaer groaned and walked past them to pick up his towel.  ¡°You two don¡¯t have anything else to wear¡­ and¡­ what do you eat?¡±  He wrapped it around himself and returned to his room.  They didn¡¯t quite follow him, seeming instead to prefer taking in the rest of the apartment and speaking to him from a distance.

    ¡°Plenty, we eat plenty.¡±  Lialah said just as her stomach rumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make some breakfast, and show you how to do things around here to look after yourselves while I¡¯m away.¡±  Albaer said a little louder from his bedroom.

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±  Lialah said just loud enough for him to hear before he emerged in long pants and a long shirt.

    ¡°Is that comfortable?¡±  Raziel cocked her head, ¡°It¡¯s warm out there and you-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s necessary.¡±  Albaer answered curtly and brushed past to go into the kitchen area.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±  Raziel replied and the pair walked tentatively after him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have ¡®lots¡¯ of time, so just a few things and we can do more when I get home.¡±  Albaer said and pointed to the large black rectangle shaped box.  ¡°This is a refrigerator, food that will go bad, goes in here.  Help yourself, but be careful.¡±

    Lialah nodded, ¡°Not to worry, I know a lot about nutrition, get me a few books on what the stuff is and I¡¯ll figure out if it¡¯s safe for us or not!¡±  She flashed a charming pearly white smile which he didn¡¯t return.

    Her smile faded when one didn¡¯t come back her way, and he turned to a white wooden door.  He opened it and pointed to the foodstuffs, ¡°Do you have cans like these in your world?¡±  He asked and pulled out a can of soup.

    Albaer extended it to Lialah and both she and Raziel handled it back and forth, ¡°Metal, yes, but nothing shaped like this?  Is it a weapon?¡±  Raziel asked and shook it up and down in one hand.  ¡°Do you throw it or¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s got food in it.¡±  He said and taking the can back, he pulled an electric can opener away from the wall.  ¡°Put this here¡­¡±  The magnet clipped into place against the top, ¡°Then hold the lever down here¡­¡±

    Raziel watched the can spin around and the little black device held it in place while it made a steady whirring noise.

    Then there was a click, and he pulled it away and held the can upright and out to them again.  ¡°See?¡±  Albaer asked, ¡°Soup.¡±

    ¡°But where do we start a fire to heat it up?¡±  Lialah looked around for a fire pit or fireplace and found none.

    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡±  Albaer answered, ¡°You absolutely do not, start a fire.¡±

    ¡°But how-¡±  Raziel was cut off.

    ¡°Like this.¡±  He said and poured the thick, chunky yellow contents into a large wooden bowl that he removed from the cabinet.

    ¡°Put it in here, and hit the numbers one, zero, zero.¡±  He spent the next few minutes explaining microwaves, what not to put in them, and the fundamentals of not burning down his home.

    He had them demonstrate it a time or two, and showed them the workings of the sink and how to handle washing the dish afterward.

    Short as the lessons were, it was enough.  And when he was done he said, ¡°Later I¡¯ll show you some really good stuff, but for now¡­ stay in my room.  You can read, play games, watch TV, whatever, just keep it down.  My mother will come home soon, she must be working another all nighter, so after you¡¯re in my room, stay there.¡±

    For a moment the fearful look filled his eyes again, and the two nodded emphatically.

    ¡°We will, we promise.¡±  The pair said at once.

    ¡°Okay, good, I¡¯ve got to go¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ see you later.¡±  Albaer said to them, and ventured out the door.

    It shut and locked behind him with a click, they watched the brass latch turn, and heard him depart.

    They looked with at least a little anxiety at the closed door.  ¡°He must be serious about how dangerous it is out there.  That¡¯s like battlefield fear.¡±  Raziel said with pity.

    ¡°I guess¡­¡±  Lialah said peaceably and went to take up the bowl of soup, and with that they headed back to Albaer¡¯s room.  ¡°I wonder if all humans have splotchy skin like that though, or if it¡¯s just him.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±  Raziel replied and got her game going again while Lialah closed the bedroom door and sealed themselves away.

 Chapter Seven

    Albaer sat in class and tried to focus. There were about thirty other boys and girls, and the teacher, a young woman teaching English, was droning on. The desk at which he sat was a single solid unit, with the writing surface attached to the chair and a steel undercarriage for holding books for class use. Hatred burned in his heart for the desk design.

    The reason was behind him, a bigger boy put his feet up on the metal undercarriage and kept tapping at it. ¡°Do you mind?¡± Albaer asked with a whisper.

    ¡°No.¡± The bigger one, a dark haired young man with a shit eating smile on his face replied and tapped harder.

    Albaer tried to ignore it. He was ¡®evidently¡¯ successful, and the one at his back didn¡¯t care for that. For a moment the tapping on the underside of his desk stopped and Albaer had a sense of relief, the constant irritation had been maddening.

    Then the pain hit.

    A sharp pain in his leg. He looked down, the one behind him was leaning over, he had a thick rubber band, and he drew it back, and let go, snapping it forward and holding on to the far end. The tip cracked against Albaer¡¯s jeans right at the calf.

    ¡°Hey, stop that.¡± He whispered.

    The shit eating grin was back. ¡°Make me.¡±

    The crack came again.

    And again.

    And again, and again, and again, and again, and again. The pain mounted and mounted.

    His mother¡¯s words echoed in his ears, ¡°Don¡¯t fight, don¡¯t fight, just be good and tell a teacher if you¡¯re having problems.¡±

    ¡°Stop it.¡± Albaer said again.

    And again.

    And again.

    The shit eating grin stayed in place on the face of the one behind him, and the smug little, ¡®Make me.¡¯ was whispered as a taunt.

    The pain kept growing until tears began to form in Albaer¡¯s eyes, and his ¡®stop it¡¯ came out as a plea.

    The rest of the class saw. On only one face he saw horror, but that one face was part of a student who did nothing.

    The teacher up at the front had paused her lecture and looked out at him, her mouth open like she knew she should do something, but one look at her, and Albaer knew the truth.

    ¡®I¡¯m alone.¡¯ He realized, and wept at his desk in the middle of class while the teacher resumed and the pain continued to mount until the rubber band itself snapped and the bell rang to mark the end of the torment.

    ¡°Albaer.¡± The teacher called out as they all got up to leave, he picked up his books and approached, winding his way through the students, most of them would not even look at him. Alone with the teacher for at least a minute, he stood in front of her, she was slender, young and in her early twenties, not much older than her actual students, with soft brown hair and a gentle, oval face, he wanted to resent her.

    But he couldn¡¯t, angry as he was, he didn¡¯t. He saw the reality of it, ¡®She¡¯s out of her depth. As afraid to act as I am.¡¯

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    ¡°Does Jason, does he bully you?¡± She asked.

    In his head Albaer wanted to scream, ¡®What did you just see you stupid bitch?!¡¯

    The absent resentment flared up like an inferno. An inferno he could not let out. ¡°No¡­¡± He lied, ¡®How ashamed do you want me to be?! Why do I have to say it?! If you won¡¯t do anything while you¡¯re watching it, why would you ask such a stupid question and believe I¡¯d expect anything out of you if I say yes?! You¡¯ll just make it worse!¡¯ The rant he desired to scream at her, remained locked in his skull.

    ¡°Okay then.¡± She said, accepting his obvious lie and then looking away from him as fast as her head could turn.

    Unwilling to see him anymore after she got the excuse to ignore what happened, Albaer walked out, rushed to the restroom, and washed his red face.

    Lisa was waiting outside the bathroom when he emerged. Her arms crossed and one foot on the wall while the other was on the floor, her head was turned toward the door of the boy¡¯s bathroom when he came out. ¡°Hey, you OK, Albaer?¡±

    He took one step, it was a limp. ¡°Why do you ask, Lisa? If you¡¯re here, you already heard.

    ¡°Jason¡¯s not really a bad guy, he¡¯s just¡­ a little rough.¡± Lisa defended him, stepping beside Albaer and putting a hand on his arm.

    He shook it off, causing her long red hair to bounce a little behind her back. ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night, Lisa. I¡¯ve got to go. Go see your friends.¡± He half hissed it at her, and her green eyes blinked.

    ¡°Albaer, it¡¯s not like that, you¡¯re-¡± She said, but he put his back to her, moved to the side wall, and began to limp through the now mostly empty hall without her.

    ¡°They¡¯re not that bad¡­¡± She said after he left her alone, and went on to her own room.

    At least things were calm for the next few classes, though it was hard to hide the limp, he kept his head down, avoided meeting anybody¡¯s eyes, and kept his arms tight into his body, clinging to the black strap of his backpack as an excuse and holding himself to the far wall of the hallways of the school to avoid bumping anyone by accident.

    That didn¡¯t stop the reverse from being done to him on purpose, even when it was mostly empty, his arms repeatedly smashed against the yellow brick of the building¡¯s walls.

    Nor did it stop the whispers, ¡°Miss your daddy?¡± graced his ears time after time.

    But Albaer said nothing back, his mother¡¯s admonition to be good, be nice and not start fights, always stayed his hand and stilled his tongue.

    When the bell rang for lunch there was only one place he wanted to be, and he rushed out ahead of the rest of the math students to get there early.

    The library. The large double doors were glass and offered a clear view to the many rows of books on shelves that were twice his height. ¡®I need to grab some things for Raziel and Lialah¡­¡¯ He reminded himself and quickly ran through the relevant sections. A book on basic electronics, computers, internet use for dummies, and a few books on nutrition¡­ and for good measure, a history book.

    For a solid hour Albaer lost himself in a book of his choosing, the world he loathed was gone and the brighter fantasy was all there was. Even the pain in his leg and arms were gone.

    The cool stone against his back felt comforting, the little corner in the far end of the library where he was unseen, a bookshelf to his left, a wall to his right and at his back where he could not be ambushed, it was all a great relief.

    For that brief time, Albaer could smile.

    But the warning bell rang, and it had to end.

    He stood only slowly, the pain was coming back, and with it came the familiar sense of dread.

    ¡®Just a few more, just a few more and that¡¯ll be all.¡¯ He told himself and went to the checkout counter.

    ¡°Two week delivery.¡± The old librarian said from behind her horn rimmed glasses, her silver hair done up in a bun, she was the stereotype of a librarian come to life.

    He nodded, threw the books into his black backpack, zipped it up, and left.

    A few more shoves from one class to the next, and some punches to his slender biceps which were anything but friendly, but against which Albaer could not protest, and his other arm ached too.

    The last bell rang with science class, a few dozen people, the one virtue of it was that there were more seats than people, allowing Albaer to isolate himself out of reach.

    ¡®One more ordeal, then I¡¯m home again and free for the weekend.¡¯ He told himself, counting the minutes and the seconds of his life away until the bell rang to allow him to leave.

    The familiar game of shadow jumping began after him, but Albaer had other things on his mind. So much so that he didn¡¯t notice the shouts ¡°Your daddy¡¯s dead!¡± for a while.

    Nor did he notice that his indifference had an effect.

    ¡®I wonder if they¡¯ll like¡­¡¯ Albaer¡¯s thought was interrupted when he felt himself being yanked backward, his entire body spun so hard that one leg in mid step came up and toppled him off center. There was only a split second before the fist connected with his face right at the eye, and he fell hard on the concrete. He hit his elbow and yowled out at the sudden pain that lanced through him like a blade on fire.

    ¡°Ahhhh,¡± he rolled on his back, the pack there caught most of it, but that just meant more force on the back of his head, and for a moment everything was blurry.

    ¡°Shit! Go! Let¡¯s go!¡± He heard the one who struck the blow shout out, and take off running. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody, or you know what will happen!¡± It was one last admonition, and as he rolled over on his side, spitting blood from where he¡¯d bitten his tongue, Albaer shook his head.

    He got up to all fours and slowly began to stand before people poked their heads out of windows in response to his scream of pain. He held his stomach and then his elbow and shouted with a shaky wave of his arm for them not to bother. ¡°I fell down, that¡¯s all.¡± He said and gave a weak smile, then forced himself to straighten up and walk as if he were fine.

    ¡®Idiots, I don¡¯t know what will happen, all I can do is imagine that it would be worse.¡¯ He thought, and hobbled up to his door when he couldn¡¯t fake it anymore.

 Chapter Eight

    Albaer opened the door and disguised the pain in his voice as best he could, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m home!¡± No answer came and he frowned, ¡°Right¡­ long shift¡­ she¡¯ll be asleep for hours¡­¡± He reminded himself with a whisper, then walked as quietly as possible over to her door, cracked it just a bit and peeked in. Sound asleep and quiet.

    He closed the door with the knob turned far to the left so that even the catch didn¡¯t make a noise, and turned the handle with a very slow motion to the right so that the door was securely closed without a sound.

    His own room was very quiet, the very slight noise of the game system at work told him that Raziel and Lialah were still in there, the telltale noise of a magic casting character¡¯s lightning attack would have been like whitenoise to someone else. But to Albaer who logged at least a thousand hours or more on the game, it stood out like a sore thumb.

    He almost opened the door, then he paused. ¡®What if they¡¯re changing¡­?¡¯ Then, pain or not, he thought again, ¡®Wait¡­ What if they¡¯re chaaaaanging¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t keep the pervy smile from his face, pain or no pain, he was still a young man and human or not, they appeared to him to be radiant beyond measure. He closed his eyes, ¡®Don¡¯t be a jackass.¡¯ He reproved himself and lightly rapped on the door with one knuckle. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± He whispered.

    He didn¡¯t hear any opposition to his entering, and so he turned the knob and opened the door.

    His right eye was starting to get blurry by then, ¡®I guess it¡¯s starting to shut.¡¯ It was an abstract sort of thought, like he was observing, rather than enduring.

    But even blurry as vision out of that eye was starting to be, he could see the dismayed faces, demon with her many fangs, angel with her quivering wings, and both covering one another¡¯s mouths.

    ¡°Was there a battle out there?!¡± Lialah asked as she got to her feet.

    Raziel set the controller down, leaving her character to continue taking hits from a foe Albaer couldn¡¯t quite make out.

    ¡°Did you slay your enemies, or just escape them?¡± She asked and approached Albaer while he closed the door.

    He brushed past them both, walking in between and throwing the backpack on his bed before flopping down in the chair at his desk.

    He ignored their questions and went for the zipper, yanking it open, he began pulling out the library books. ¡°H-Here.¡± Albaer said and handed the stack over to Lialah. ¡°Something for both of you¡­ I¡¯ve got homework to do right now, just¡­ just keep it down, okay? I need quiet¡­ I need quiet¡­¡± He said twice, softer each time.

    He winced at the pain in his arms and hissed as he drew the books out, his eyes were squeezed shut to hide the tears of pain, he could feel them looking at him from behind but had no desire to talk.

    ¡°Albaer can I-¡± Lialah began, a tiny, tentative voice barely louder than a whisper.

    ¡°Leave me alone! I¡¯ve got work to do!¡± He snapped and flipped a book open with a satisfying crack of its spine, opened up a blank document on his computer, and began to get to work immediately.

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    His fingers created a constant clatter on the keyboard, but it wasn¡¯t without pain, ¡®I must have landed harder than I thought, or they hit harder than usual.¡¯ Albaer wasn¡¯t sure, but his elbows, forearms, and biceps screamed at him while he worked.

    ¡®At least it¡¯s easy.¡¯ He told himself as he pounded out an essay from memory.

    ¡°Albaer¡­¡± Lialah tried to get his attention again, she had a tiny little voice, delicate, really.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk, let me work.¡± He dismissed her perfunctorily, a part of him didn¡¯t like that, and he could feel the sting his words left behind.

    ¡°You¡¯re not ¡®spotted¡¯ are you?¡± Razelia demanded and put a hand on his shoulder.

    He whirled on her so fast, shooting to his feet when her fingers touched him, that the chair fell tumbling to the floor where it made a dull, heavy thud on the carpet. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± He hissed with tears in his eyes, she yanked her hand back.

    ¡°That- That still hurts¡­¡± He softened his voice when she drew back a pace and held her hand at the wrist as if he¡¯d bitten it.

    But then he caught her question, and it was so utterly absurd that his anger vanished, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Did you ask if I was spotted? Like covered in ¡®spots¡¯?¡±

    His right eye was shut completely now, and it hurt like hell, and he regretted the sudden motion throwing Raziel¡¯s touch away, the pain of that jerking motion was added on to the rest like additional interest on a loan he never wanted to take out.

    ¡°The marks, from this morning, injuries of some kind, or am I wrong?¡± Raziel remained a pace from him, and Albaer turned away from her to return his attention to the book and his schoolwork.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Albaer answered, ¡°Nothing can be done about it. But¡­ no, there was no battle, I didn¡¯t even fight back.¡±

    Tears of anger formed so fiercely that he was rendered blind in his left eye, while in his swollen right, they burned where they were trapped, unable to escape. The unutterable humiliation made Albaer¡¯s body shake with impotent rage, he balled up his fists and swallowed his anger and hatred the way he always did. His mother¡¯s admonition still rang on.

    ¡®Just be good. Don¡¯t hurt people, don¡¯t fight. Be a good boy.¡¯ And Albaer tried. But it wasn¡¯t enough to keep the hate at bay, nor the tears of anger that came with it.

    ¡°Albaer, let me help¡­¡± Lialah asked, more gently than any human ever could, and her small voice, so sincere, it was impossible to take it poorly.

    ¡°How can either of you do anything? You don¡¯t know anything about this world, you barely know anything about me.¡± He didn¡¯t turn around to face her, he cleared his throat, ¡°Just let me do my work, I need to get it all done tonight, I¡¯ll explain more to you after my mother¡¯s shift is supposed to begin, sorry I snapped at you¡­ just¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Let her, Albaer, trust us.¡± Raziel gave a fangy smile that was anything but trusty looking, her hand came out, hesitated to touch him, and then she brought it back to hold one of her hands in the other.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have access to World Magic, but I still have access to Body Magic, the ¡®internal magic¡¯ remember? So I can at least do this much.¡± Lialah¡¯s smile came and went with nervous energy, and then her hand went up as Albaer turned to the side in his chair, he wiped his left eye clean.

    ¡°Fine, whatever, if it will get you off my back, go ahead and do it.¡± Albaer quipped, eager to just get it over with.

    Lialah¡¯s open pale palm developed a bright, otherworldly glow, it was merely a pinpoint at first, but it grew, and grew, and grew, becoming the size of the head of a pin, then a baseball, and finally the size of a human head.

    She was gritting her teeth and growling like an angry puppy as she put in the effort, and the ball of magic redoubled in size and began to wash over Albaer himself.

    The steady glow grew and hummed like a fresh new hard drive, and his entire body was coated so that he was blind as if he were in a fog of the purest white. While it might have been the color of the hottest flames, Albaer immediately thought of it like being wrapped up in a warm blanket in front of a warm fire on Christmas Eve. ¡°This is¡­ wonderful¡­¡± He whispered in reverence, the swollen eye began to heal, the scrapes fading, the bruises returned to normal flesh, inch by inch he was bathed in the healing angelic light until no ache or pain of the body troubled him in the slightest.

    ¡®So that is an angel¡­ so then¡­ What does a demon do?¡¯ He wondered, and then focused instead on the healing process itself, as the light gradually began to recede like floodwaters returning back to their point of origin.

    Lialah lowered her hand with a smile and then asked with a proud little smile, hands on hips and all when she leaned forward a little, ¡°How did I do, Albaer?¡±

    Albaer moved his arms around, he touched his back, his sides, the back of his head, the side of his head all pain and all injuries were completely gone.

    ¡°I¡­ yes, I¡¯m much better¡­ thank you¡­¡± Albaer said and bowed his head in hushed reverence while she preened, and he tried desperately to think of something else to add.

 Chapter Nine

    The welcome relief Albaer felt at being healed entirely of his physical wounds was matched by a considerable amount of curiosity regarding his already curious and unexpected guests.  ¡®How I even managed to think of homework or school is going to be a mystery I will never solve.¡¯  He thought and took a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I snapped at you both, you were trying to help and I was rude to you.¡±  He made his apology and met their eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve already got enough problems.¡±

    Raziel and Lialah relaxed the evident tension and their wings folded in around themselves, ceasing to tremble behind their backs.  ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±  Raziel replied with a dismissive wave toward her sister.  ¡°She¡¯s the one who healed you, I can¡¯t use healing magic.¡±  She gave him a long, steady look, ¡°But you probably figured that.¡±

    Lialah wrung her hands, ¡°No, no it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s what that kind of magic is for, my sister would have if she could¡­¡±  She briefly dropped off the sentence and had a hard time meeting his eyes, ¡°I see what you were trying to protect us from¡­ I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t believe you when you said it was dangerous.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s jaw tensed.  ¡°It would be worse for you, they do that to me despite my being a human like them, what would happen to you is probably worse.¡±

    Raziel picked up one of the books he¡¯d brought for her and, evidently more to fidget than anything else as she wasn¡¯t looking through the pages, she asked him flatly, ¡°Why?  Why did they do that to you?  What did they do anyway?¡±

    Albaer never explained it to his mother, he never admitted it to teachers or authority figures, but confronted by living myths who had no one else to tell and nowhere else to go, he turned away from them and slumped forward.

    ¡°I exist.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±  Lialah asked, he caught the reflection of her face, her bright blue eyes seemed more knowledgeable than he wanted to admit, but the baffled way she asked revealed how utterly alien she really was to his world.

    ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person, but people¡­ humans¡­¡±  Albaer scratched his head, ¡°Look on your world maybe parents can give birth to both angel and demon children, maybe orcs and goblins and whatever else lives there can get along with what¡¯s different, but that isn¡¯t always the case here.  Remember what I told you about other intelligent species?¡±

    The pair gave little nods in unison, but clearly didn¡¯t appreciate the implications.  ¡®A human would have gotten that.  And that doesn¡¯t say much for us.¡¯  He thought and gave out an exasperated sigh, ¡°We have a whole planet to ourselves because what we couldn¡¯t kill for food, we killed off as competition for food.  We don¡¯t treat differences very well, even between each other.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­ not different, are you?¡±  Lialah asked and looked him up and down unsure of what she should even be looking for.

    ¡°Sure I am.  My father¡¯s dead, my mother is barely here more than to sleep.  Of course, I¡¯m my father¡¯s son, and given who he was, that¡¯s bad enough.  So, I¡¯m more or less without a normal family or life compared to the rest of them.  More than that, I like different things than the popular people do, so¡­ I get targeted.¡±  Albaer said it as rationally as he could, openly stating what he¡¯d long understood to be true.  However, regardless of how well he understood it, saying it out loud made it so much worse, and his eyes filled with tears of frustration.

    The hand on his desk clenched into a fist so tight that it shook and his jaw clenched with rage.

    ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re allowed to hurt you whenever they want¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡±  Raziel pursed her lips, but both she and her sister blinked in surprise when Albaer let out a long and bitter laugh.

    ¡°Right!  They can do whatever they want, and I can¡¯t do anything about it because the ones who should stop it don¡¯t give a damn!  That bitch¡­ that bitch¡­ and not just her¡­ everybody knows¡­ and they either watch and do nothing, or take part in it themselves.  Yeah, there¡¯s rules.  The ¡®teachers¡¯, if you want to call them that¡­ don¡¯t teach the lessons they think they do.  They¡¯re not supposed to allow it, but they ignore it because it¡¯s easier.  Or they ask if I need help knowing I¡¯ll say no because it¡¯s humiliating.  Even if I did say something and they did something, I¡¯d just get it worse later.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ why not hit back?  Aren¡¯t you allowed to even do that?¡±  Raziel asked.

    Albaer¡¯s bitter laugh and bitter words faded away, he couldn¡¯t look at either of them.  ¡°Yes.  But also no.  I was always taught not to use violence, not to be violent.  Don¡¯t hurt people, don¡¯t get into fights, don¡¯t get into trouble.  Just be a good boy and¡­¡±  Albaer sucked in a breath, ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but even if I did that, what¡¯s the point?  I¡¯ll just get jumped by several of them later.  So¡­ nothing can be done.  If my father were alive and¡­ not who he was, maybe he could have done something.  But I can¡¯t tell my mom as it is¡­ she works too hard, I can¡¯t burden her with this.¡±  He shrugged.

    ¡°All I can do is put up with it until I can leave.  Then never see them or this shit town ever again.¡±  He fiercely wiped his eyes to get rid of that shameful display and put his back to them again.

    ¡°Humans are complicated.¡±  Lialah said and taking up a book from off of the bed, she looked down at it.  ¡°A Concise History of Everything.¡±  She said the title aloud, and that prompted another thought from Albaer.

    ¡°So you can read it, I admit I was curious when you spoke my language, but you can read it too?¡±  Albaer asked, though he didn¡¯t feel like turning back to face her, it did bear asking about.

    ¡°Sort of.¡±  Lialah answered, her melodic voice was such that he could practically hear a little smile on her face even if he couldn¡¯t see it.  ¡°We summon heroes to our world, but they would come over not knowing how to talk to us, so the ones responsible for the ritual have a spell that imbues us with a translation skill.  I didn¡¯t actually know it worked on written words until just now, but¡­ I¡¯m still thinking in my language, but I¡¯m speaking in yours.¡±

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    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice while I was playing those games?¡±  Raziel asked.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention to you, I was¡­¡±  She began to tap one finger against the other, looking a little sheepish, ¡°you know, with the little well in there that keeps refilling¡­¡±

    ¡°The toilet¡­ wait that¡¯s what you were doing?!¡±  Raziel asked, ¡°Just flushing it over and over?¡±

    ¡°Well it was interesting!  Endless water¡­¡±  Lialah defended herself, but her blush was blatantly obvious.

    ¡°Great¡­ the water bill is going to be high this month.¡±  Albaer rolled his eyes, and as if to distract him from it, Lialah jumped back to the subject.

    ¡°But yeah, I can read the languages of this world, and speak them this way.¡±  Lialah said, ¡°I can probably even go from one to the other¡­ since it turns out this works on written words.¡±  Lialah¡¯s blush hadn¡¯t vanished, but she¡¯d stopped her awkward finger tapping at least, even if she hadn¡¯t managed to raise her eyes back up to Albaer again.

    ¡°Huh¡­ neat.¡±  Albaer had to admit, and decided to let the toilet issue go.  But true to the nature of questions and answers, her answer only led to more questions.  He thought about what to ask next, and settled on something.  ¡°Can you actually speak your language if you want to?  I¡¯d like to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Both of ours, or just mine?¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°I thought you two were sisters?¡±  Albaer glanced over at Raziel who rolled her eyes.

    ¡°I look nothing like her.¡±  She pointed her red finger sharply toward the one she called sister.  ¡°We¡¯re siblings by how we grew up, not by birth.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ right... so you were adopted.¡±  Albaer concluded.

    ¡°Again, no.  We grew up in a¡­ I don¡¯t know how to explain this, a school, a school for ritual candidates.¡±  Raziel explained, and her red eyes no longer rolled, but she approached and put a hand on his shoulder.  ¡°I suppose we owe you answers, but this isn¡¯t comfortable to talk about, so do I have to answer more on this?¡±

    ¡®Are you going to make us leave if we don¡¯t talk?¡¯  That was what Albaer ¡®heard¡¯ in Raziel¡¯s question, he closed his eyes.  ¡®Don¡¯t be cruel, they¡¯re alone, they¡¯ve got nobody, and they¡¯re nice.¡¯

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I would like to hear what your languages sound like though, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±  Albaer gave a warm smile up at the fangy demon woman, and she straightened up a bit, heartened.  Meanwhile he tried very hard, and failed, not to notice the way her breasts bounced just a little when she did so with such a crisp motion.

    ¡®I¡¯m a pervert.¡¯  He thought with resignation, but kept the smile on his face to listen.

    Lialah folded her hands together in front of her waist, spread her white feather wings and bent humbly forward, ¡°Mao eriya sen sha lao falenshi sa lo phashi lah, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    It was melodic, harmonious, and beautiful, musical the way she spoke, and Albaer was transfixed.  ¡°So that¡¯s your language.  It¡¯s beautiful, does it have a name?¡±

    ¡°We call it ¡®Cloud Tongue¡¯ as you would say it.¡±  Lialah said and brushed a lock of golden hair away from her face and back over her ear.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty nice, but it¡¯s all soft.¡±  Raziel waved a dismissive hand and spread her wings as wide as she could, her hands on her hips, her red eyes flashed like a ruby catching the light of the sun, and she spoke her mother tongue.  ¡°Xlkz mvzkp, nmytk wskcht plkj znkzi tktkyl, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±  Where Lialah¡¯s had been melodic as a mother¡¯s rocking lullaby¡­ the savage guttural language of the demon might as well have been a Death Metal concert.

    ¡°So¡­ that had almost no vowels¡­ I doubt I could ever say anything like that.  But it was¡­ something else.¡±  Albaer said after flailing for something nice to say.

    Raziel took it for a compliment.  ¡°Thank you.  We don¡¯t use vowels much except either in a name, or in reference to something very specific.  Angels use them like they¡¯re going to rot if they don¡¯t.  Storm Tongue is much¡­ stronger.¡±  Raziel smirked.

    But Lialah piped up, holding her hands up into fists, she glared at her sister earnestly and bounced her heels while she exclaimed, ¡°We just like pretty sounds, what¡¯s wrong with that!¡±

    Albaer held back any noise of his own while he watched the angel bicker with the demon, if he ever doubted they were siblings, he didn¡¯t anymore.

    It was only his stomach growling that stopped them from arguing.  ¡°You¡¯re hungry¡­ ah, actually¡­ so am I.¡±  Lialah said and put a hand on her stomach.  ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can we eat too?¡±

    Raziel seemed the more conflicted, ¡®asking¡¯ for things didn¡¯t seem to come naturally for her, she unconsciously put a hand on her own stomach as well, but before he could say yes she said, ¡°I¡¯m happy to do some chores or something, unlike my sister, I am not a freeloader.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll work too!¡±  Lialah piped up, and Albaer got out of his chair.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.  I can feed you both without shopping today, and I¡¯ll show you some things you can do to help out, I just have to make sure my mother isn¡¯t here.  I don¡¯t want her asking why I¡¯m making three meals.¡±  Albaer said placatingly and went to the door, his hand was on the brass knob when he turned back and asked, ¡°Just out of curiosity¡­ when you were speaking your languages¡­ what were you saying?¡±

    ¡°My sister was saying some very lewd things, she¡¯s a shameless pervert.¡±  Raziel said and crossed her arms in front of her chest, she whistled casually and looked away while Lialah turned as red in the face as the demon herself and exclaimed.

    ¡°I was not!¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ was she?¡±  Albaer asked with his head cocked sideways a little and Lialah turned on him with her wings fluttering hard enough that they almost lifted her from the ground.

    ¡°No!  Raziel, tell him!¡±  Lialah pleaded.

    ¡°Fine, she wasn¡¯t.¡±  Raziel shook her head and went over beside her sister.  ¡°She¡¯s a bit of a prude, if you want the truth.¡±

    ¡°I am not!¡±  Lialah squeaked out, ¡°Just because I¡¯m not a succubus doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a prude!¡±

    ¡°Whatever you have to tell yourself, virgin.¡±  Raziel looked down at her sister just a little with a cocky smirk that exposed her sharp teeth again.

    Lialah took a deep breath to shout something back, her hand raised and finger ready to point, she stopped, they both did, when Albaer cleared his throat and coughed into his hand.

    ¡°Oh¡­ ah¡­ what we were saying was¡­¡±  Lialah said and faced him again, bowing with hands in front of her waist, and waiting in silence until Raziel rolled her eyes again and imitated her, they then said in unison, ¡°Thank you very much for helping us, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    ¡°Y-You¡¯re welcome.¡±  Albaer flushed red in the face and left the room, closing the door behind him.

    ¡®How long has it been since I heard the sound of a ¡®thank you¡¯ and to think I¡¯d hear it that way¡­ and hey¡­ did Lialah imply that Raziel is a succubus¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡¯

    He kept his eyes tight shut and after calling out for his mother and hearing nothing, confirming she was gone, he stood outside his door again for several minutes with his hand on the knob.  ¡®Do not go into the bedroom where a succubus is waiting with her sister, with a full blown hardon¡­ we¡¯ve had ¡®enough¡¯ misunderstandings already.¡¯  Albaer told himself, taking several minutes longer than was comfortable before he dared re-enter again to give them the all clear.

 Chapter Ten

    He opened the door and then stepped back, unwilling to enter the bedroom lest he remember he was living with a succubus and an angel.  ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you how to do some things around here.¡±  Albaer said and opened a small closet, ¡°This is a vacuum cleaner.¡±  He said.

    ¡°Looks like a weird weapon.¡±  Raziel said with a queer look at it.  ¡°What does it do?  I mean if there¡¯s nothing there, what¡¯s there to clean?¡±

    Albaer did a double take at that, raising one finger and opening his mouth, she seemed so serious, he folded the finger back into his hand and let that drop to his side.  ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    He plugged the vacuum cleaner into an outlet a few inches above the floor, then wheeled the appliance out to the carpeted living area, and flicked it on.

    It roared to life with a sucking whirling nightmare-like noise of the sort that sent dogs and cats running for cover, and evidently set demons and angels alike to flight.

    Their wings sprang out and they leaped up and away, bonking their heads into the ceiling and then dropping down to low crouches, Raziel had a leg back and knee bent, one taloned hand up and bent above, one open with talons facing the machine, and her mouth open to bare all her sharpened teeth.

    Albaer caught sight of the way Lialah moved after striking her head, she flipped backward, assisted by her wings, and landed squared off against it with one hand on the floor and one fist cocked back.

    He froze, and turned it off.  Every fiber of his being screamed ¡®danger¡¯, their eyes were hard as the stones he was reminded of when looking at them, and they did not move an inch after the noise stopped.  ¡°Ohhhhkay¡­ calm down¡­ everybody calm down¡­¡±  He said in a slow and gentle way, taking his hands off of the appliance.

    ¡°Are your heads alright?¡±  He asked with a quiet, friendly smile at them both.  His easy manner and concern for their well being saw them calm almost instantly.

    ¡°What monstrous¡­ thing is that?¡±  Raziel asked, ¡°Is it dead?  Did you¡­ slay it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not alive, it¡¯s just a machine.  It sucks dirt and stuff off of carpet to help keep the place clean.¡±  Albaer said while trying not to laugh at their overreactions.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a noise.¡±  He explained.

    ¡°It hurts.¡±  Lialah said with a shake of her head.

    ¡°A lot.¡±  Raziel agreed and glared down at the upright machine.

    ¡°Okay¡­ never mind, you don¡¯t have to do that chore, I guess it¡¯s hard on you the way nails on a chalkboard is to me.¡±  He slid the vacuum cleaner away, the gray upright machine with its deflated bag was enduring terrible glares from both women, and if it were alive, it would likely have been begging for Albaer to close the door and hide it again.

    He then went to the kitchenette and they followed behind them with darted glances back to the storage area where the machine stood waiting.

    ¡°Ah, other things then, I¡¯ll show you how to use an oven, and make some simple foods, after I show you how to use the internet, if you want to try to pull down recipes and experiment¡­ you¡¯ll have the time for it.  I can afford to waste a few ingredients for you to learn¡­ and I guess it would be nice to have a meal made¡­ mom doesn¡¯t have time anymore.  Her job as a nurse is too demanding.¡±  Albaer blinked back tears and was grateful he wasn¡¯t facing them directly while standing in front of the oven.

    ¡°So¡­ first you do this¡­¡±  He then proceeded to show them how the coils conducted heat to warm up and cook food in pots and pans, and how to use the oven beneath the stove, explaining how it controlled the temperature, how to set the timer, and other basic things.

    Lialah¡¯s eyes lit up when she looked at the shiny black appliance, and she nodded along sagely while he went through what to put in it, such as metal, and what not to, such as plastic.

    Her wings fluttered with childlike excitement, and she peppered him with questions.  But the most ominous of them was, ¡°Is it really alright if I accidentally ruin some of the food?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t ruin it¡­ but if we have to throw some away, it happens.¡±  Albaer shrugged, and the pair responded with unabashed stares.

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    ¡°You are rich!¡±  They exclaimed.

    ¡°No, No I¡¯m not.¡±  Albaer shook his head, ¡°If I were, I¡¯d hire somebody to take care of the assholes who make¡­ life difficult.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re talking about wasting food!¡±  Lialah half cried out.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but we can just have more delivered, oh and the spice rack is over there, those are-¡±  He never got to finish that sentence.

    ¡°Spices?!¡±  They yelped and scrambled in a heap toward the double decker spinning spice holder.

    Lialah got there first and began yanking the little glass bottles up to read the labels.  ¡°Cinnamon?  Salt?  Oregano?¡±  She carefully set the bottles down one by one as she read the names off and locked eyes with her sister who was busy doing the same.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­ this can¡¯t be.¡±  Raziel whispered as she set down a container of crushed mint after inhaling the rich smell and sighing as if the demon was breathing in the air of heaven.

    ¡°Are spices rare for you back home?¡±  Albaer asked, nonplussed by their excitement.

    Lialah began to put them back with the utmost reverence, like she was touching holy relics.  ¡°Very.  War happens so often that it¡¯s hard to keep trade going for very long, so you might have ¡®a¡¯ local spice and learn to work with that, but so many¡­ this variety wouldn¡¯t even exist in the homes of the highest nobility.  Just what you have here would be worth enough gold to live a moderately comfortable life until you died of old age if you were careful with it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.  Well, we¡¯ve got good supply chains.  So this is cheap here.  Experiment with different foods if you want, just don¡¯t burn down my apartment.¡±  Albaer said with a smile, and then glanced at Raziel, ¡°And I¡¯ll get you something to fix the hole your horns punched in my ceiling.¡±

    Raziel reached up and touched the pointed horns, tapping her finger on a tip and coming away with bits of powdery white plaster.  ¡°Sorry.¡±  She said sincerely.

    That was all fairly simple, but as an extra precaution he went through the other things as well.  ¡°Never¡­ ever drink this stuff.¡±  He explained holding up detergent, liquid bleach and other bottles one by one, then stopped, ¡°Wait, it might not actually be poisonous to you two, but it¡¯s lethal to us, or dangerous at least.  But I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.¡±

    The refrigerator and freezer combination had Lialah enthralled, she opened and closed the door a dozen times with childlike laughter, ¡°It¡¯s like having fall and winter in boxes!  This world does have magic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not magic, you can make something like this by hand if you have the right tools.¡±  Albaer corrected her with a gentle smile and finally, firmly closed the door of the refrigerator again, letting his hand linger there so that she wouldn¡¯t open it another time.  She took the hint and let her hand fall at her side.

    ¡°I normally handle all the bills so my mom doesn¡¯t have to, but, if you really want to be able to help me, I can show you how to do that.¡±  Albaer added as they followed him out of the kitchen area.

    ¡°You¡¯d trust us with your family treasury?  You¡¯d trust a demon with it?¡±  Raziel asked.

    Albaer¡¯s face went ashen gray as he looked over his shoulder at her, ¡°If you were going to do to me what happened out there, you¡¯d have already done it.  It¡¯s easier to trust you because you¡¯re not human.¡±  He turned his face away from them and his voice perked up again.

    ¡°Here¡¯s how you do laundry¡­ and do not attack the washing machine or the dryer.¡±  He said as he took them downstairs to where those units lay.

    The lights flicked on, and they looked around at the arrays of junk and old things around the basement, but Raziel picked up on one thing at least.  ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a fishing pole, isn¡¯t it?¡±  She asked with a cheerful smile and pointed past him to the wall.

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±  Albaer said with a winsome little smile on his face that she couldn¡¯t see from behind him.

    ¡°I knew it!  It looks different, but when we lived back home, I used to fish with the old orc who tended the grounds.  It¡¯s nice for something other than doors to make sense around here.¡±  She rushed forward to take the long black rod off the wall.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±  Albaer snapped so sharply that Raziel froze in mid-gesture.  He lowered his voice and repeated.  ¡°Please.  Don¡¯t touch it.  It was my father¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I just wanted to see what made it different from¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Raziel put her hand down, as well as her gaze, and her wings seemed to droop a little.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ you didn¡¯t do anything¡­ it¡¯s just a sensitive subject for me, he used to take me fishing before¡­ before things happened.  I just don¡¯t want anyone messing with his things.¡±  Albaer looked over to her and gave her a forgiving look with the corners of his lips turned up just a bit.

    ¡°Wash and dry your clothes here¡­ and¡­ I guess we¡¯ll need to get you something you can wear when what you¡¯ve got is being cleaned, we¡¯ll get that taken care of today.¡±  He said while taking them through the motions of washing and drying a load.

    ¡°That¡¯s most of it, other than the bills, I¡¯ll show you how to use the TV for more than just video games, and introduce you to the internet, I think you¡¯ll like that one.¡±  Albaer chuckled a little, and the remaining tension melted away.

 Chapter Eleven

    Lialah seemed to find the whole process fascinating. But when Albaer was finished, she asked, ¡°Do you mind if I just use magic?¡±

    Albaer¡¯s inner D&D nerd raised its happy head and he instantly said, ¡°Please, do. But tell me how!¡± He rubbed his hands together while Lialah popped the latch on the dryer, stopping the cycle, then removed a thick, drenched black blanket.

    The soaked, thick fabric splashed water all over the concrete, but she was nonplussed, holding it over her arm, she uttered a complicated array of syllables while placing one hand over the object, and the water began to rise out and hover in a ball overhead.

    It was bubble-like, contorting and shifting in the air as more and more water was added to it until the last drop lifted up from the blanket and from the floor.

    She then flicked her hand toward the large white sink nearby as if she were shooting a basketball toward the hoop, and with an echoing splash the ball of water dropped and the sucking noise of the drain picked up.

    ¡°Wow, that might even cut down on the power bill, fantastic.¡± Albaer said it casually, offhandedly even, but inside he was giddy as a kid on Christmas. ¡®Magic! Real magic!¡¯ He thought and suppressed the urge to dance with excitement.

    ¡°There, all done.¡± Lialah said with a satisfied nod and looked over at Albaer, ¡°Demons can¡¯t use water magic, so I¡¯ll handle this chore, and believe it or not¡­¡±

    ¡°She is a pretty good cook, at least with a fire pit and a stewpot.¡± Raziel interjected.

    Lialah turned up her nose, ¡°I am excellent I¡¯ll have you know.¡±

    Albaer saw the fight brewing and headed it off at the pass. ¡°Right so¡­ now let me show you this.¡± He led them back up the creaking stairs to his room and took his computer off of power save mode.

    ¡°This¡­ is the most powerful thing humanity ever made.¡± Albaer said with reverence while he pulled himself up to the desk after sitting back down on his chair.

    Intrigued, Lialah and Raziel leaned over his shoulders at his right and left sides, he was acutely aware of their breath and noted a clear difference. Lialah¡¯s breath was a little cooler than a humans, not cold, but it didn¡¯t have the same heat a human¡¯s would. If humans were summer, she was spring.

    By contrast, if humans were an early summer morning, Raziel was a hot August day. He also couldn¡¯t help but notice how near they were. Instinctively he wanted to withdraw, ¡®Relax, idiot, they¡¯re not going to hurt you.¡¯ He told himself, though his fingers shook a little with his anxiety at their closeness.

    Instead he opened up the most popular and powerful search engine in the world, added a few more tabs, and said, ¡°Name something. Anything.¡±

    ¡°Succubus.¡± Raziel quipped immediately.

    ¡°Cooking.¡± Lialah added.

    ¡°Now name two more things.¡± Albaer held his smile back as he opened up two more tabs.

    ¡°Hylarim¡¯s Dragon Keep¡­ I keep getting lost.¡± Raziel admitted.

    ¡°Uh, Angels, I guess?¡± Lialah said, unable to think of much else.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Albaer said after typing out each of the things they said into each different tab¡¯s search engine.

    ¡°Here, everything you could want to know about angels as humans see them. Our myths, legends, the religions built around them as messengers and servants of god, and so on.¡± Albaer said, and then switched to images. A long list of pictures of angels from various D&D guides, fantasy art, and anime shows came up.

    ¡°See?¡± Albaer asked, and while Lialah was clearly intrigued, leaning farther over his shoulder so that her breast brushed against him and sent a jolt of excitement through his body, she clearly didn¡¯t appreciate the significance of what he was showing her.

    Albaer cleared his throat several times and clicked over to the next tab, ¡°A map of the place you keep getting lost in, along with the locations of all the traps and treasures therein.¡± He said as he clicked on the wiki entry that came up first.

    Raziel darted her hand out to cover his and began guiding the mouse around the way she¡¯d seen him do. Her hand was warm and firm, and had it been gradual, or invited, he would have enjoyed it more.

    As it was, it was only a half second before he yanked his hand away from beneath hers while she obliviously clicked the map to enlarge it. ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s where the hidden tunnel is.¡±

    She took her hand away, and stared with rapt fascination at the screen.

    Albaer waited until her hand left the mouse and tentatively put his own back on it.

    He went to the second tab from the left, and brought up the results of searching for ¡®cooking¡¯. ¡°Pretty much every recipe ever imagined is found on the internet.¡± He explained, ¡°Art, music, science, history¡­ This gives us access to the totality of human knowledge for the last twelve thousand years. Everything ever written, composed, or built can be seen, read about, or listened to.¡±

    ¡°Gods are said to have this kind of power¡­¡± Raziel whispered, ¡°Gods¡­ actual Gods are supposed to have this.¡± She watched while he opened up a website, hit ctrl+f and typed in ¡®steak¡¯, and the numbered list of mentions came up which he hit the down arrow to take them through so they could get the full effect.

    Raziel¡¯s ruby eyes were wide with awe, ¡°Even our greatest Kings can¡¯t have more than one big library, and no clear way exists to sort it all. At least not like that.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s our most powerful tool. I can talk to people around the world in real time, play games with people on any continent, I watch movies from other countries, and even go to higher education from right here at my desk and watch our best lecturers teach us about things.¡± Albaer¡¯s anxiety was briefly suppressed by his excitement over introducing them to the internet, and then he cursed himself.

    ¡®She searched for ¡®succubus¡¯. What is likely to come up for that¡­?¡¯ Albaer knew exactly what was going to come up since he had the ¡®safesearch¡¯ setting to ¡®off¡¯.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for now, let me show you how I handle the bills.¡± He said and clicked the address bar to type in the power company URL.

    He felt Raziel¡¯s eyes go from the screen to him. ¡°Wait, I want to see what came up for ¡®succubus¡¯.¡±

    ¡°We really should move on, I just wanted to¡­¡± Albaer tried to say, and thought back to the time he¡¯d found all kinds of insults about him scrawled on a bathroom wall. ¡®The school took weeks to clear it all off¡­¡¯ He never forgot that they left it up, or the indifferent faces of the administrative staff when he asked about it.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t pay attention to them, and they¡¯ll stop eventually. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you.¡± The bald-headed old principle had said when Albaer dared ask about when it would be cleaned off.

    ¡®Liar.¡¯ He still thought that word about the lazy bastard. And that was only one wall.

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    ¡°Albaer?¡± Raziel asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you looking, what is it you don¡¯t want me to see?¡±

    Her hand touched his shoulder, and he stiffened again.

    ¡°Raziel, maybe you should just trust him, we¡¯ve seen enough, I get what this does now and it¡¯s amazing. Let¡¯s just move on, Albaer has other things to do than indulge us.¡± Lialah insisted.

    Raziel gave a very quiet nod at her sister, ¡°I¡­ alright, fine.¡± She muttered, and Albaer closed the succubus tab without going to it.

    He suppressed his sigh of relief, and created a quick list of sites where the bills were paid.

    He then signed in on his mother¡¯s bank account and moved on quickly to ask, ¡°Do our numbers translate well to you? Like¡­ you know, to do math?¡± Albaer asked, and Raziel gave a quick nod.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s no problem. So I just do that every day?¡± She asked, and he shook his head.

    ¡°No, once a week, and you check the account before you order groceries. I guess Lialah will handle the food and laundry, you handle the bills and supply shopping, and split the chores. I have a job, and so does mom, so money won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Albaer said and gestured to the computer with an open hand.

    ¡°That settles all the business of living stuff, and now you know about video games, but let me introduce you to something else. Streaming services.¡± He took up the controller, turned on the TV and brought up his favorite anime streaming service. ¡°There are a lot of fantasy shows you might like, maybe some will have glimmers of what it was like back home for you¡­ if that¡¯s a good thing, I guess?¡± Albaer didn¡¯t press the matter, but they watched the screen intently.

    ¡°So there are people in the box performing plays on demand?¡± Lialah asked, and Albaer coughed hard several times.

    He pounded his chest and waved one hand back and forth in the negative, ¡°No, no not at all. People create these shows, and we have machines that¡­ I guess, remember them, or keep them, the way books keep words, and then you can watch what people did over again whenever you want.¡±

    It was a crude explanation, but it seemed to convey the truth well enough that they had no other questions.

    After that he showed Lialah in brief how to handle groceries, and that the food was delivered to the apartment, and at that point her eyes just glazed over.

    ¡°I give up. This place is magical, I¡¯m just going to call everything ¡®a different school of magic¡¯ and accept it at face value. This is too bizarre, too weird.¡± She said and put her hands on the side of her head and shook it back and forth. ¡°We have world magic at home and people starve, we can summon heroes from other worlds, and can¡¯t get food brought to our doors¡­ it¡¯s a whole other level here!¡± She suddenly looked at Albaer with wild hope, ¡°Is there ¡®any¡¯ chance that maybe¡­ even if we can¡¯t travel home, maybe we can tell them we¡¯re still alive?! Something to communicate with, could that be a thing somebody made?¡±

    ¡°Lialah¡­ just don¡¯t.¡± Raziel brought her sister up short, ¡°Just don¡¯t, okay? Not right now. This is a lot to take in and we need time to think about it all.¡±

    Lialah frowned, but Albaer had to fight back his relief when the wild stare left her eyes.

    But he couldn¡¯t leave her hanging and hopeless. He thought it over, ¡°No, nothing like that exists now, but¡­ maybe, just maybe, if we study how your body magic works, we could modify something?¡± It was a wild proposal, a random thought of dubious possibility.

    But it had their attention. ¡°You think?¡± Raziel¡¯s eyes were sharply focused, and Albaer could do little better than shrug and acknowledge it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way to know unless you try, you¡¯re here all day with not much to do, study how our systems work, I make enough that I can afford to buy parts here and there, it might take you a few years, but you won¡¯t succeed ever if you don¡¯t at least make the attempt. In the worst case scenario-¡±

    His words were immediately interrupted. ¡°We¡¯re trapped here with you till we die.¡± Lialah finished.

    Albaer winced, ¡°I¡¯m not the best company maybe¡­ but I¡¯ll do my best to make sure you don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Lialah said immediately, covering her mouth when she saw the stung look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ this isn¡¯t home, you¡¯ve been wonderful, but you don¡¯t want to be trapped in your town¡­ we don¡¯t want to be stuck hiding in your bedroom¡­ I promise, I didn¡¯t mean anything bad about you¡­ I¡¯m sorry if it sounded that way.¡± She lowered her hands and clasped them in front of her waist, she bowed and spoke in her own language. ¡°Mao enshila, saphinshi safloa, eto mali, Albert Babtiste Lamark.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for him to ask, ¡°You¡¯re the kindest host we could have, and I am glad to know you, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    Albaer knew how little he really understood about his unexpected guests or their ways, but he had the distinct impression, from her studied posture and the way her words flowed like running water, that she was trying to honor him in her tongue. Or at least express some deep form of gratitude.

    The praise should have warmed him, but it had been so long since he had any, in fact he was quite uncomfortable. He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. There was no proper answer he could make except to respond, ¡°It¡¯s no problem¡­ what was I supposed to do, kick you out¡­?¡± He asked the question rhetorically, but part of him knew all too well the range of responses they could have gotten. He also knew that most of those would have been much, much worse even than that.

    Though he said nothing of those, he cleared his throat, ¡°Alright, now let me get my school work done, you two¡­ I don¡¯t know, read, or cook something, or play games or watch something. If you want to use the internet, be my guest after I¡¯m done. I¡¯m going to sleep early, it¡¯s been a long day.¡± Albaer said, shifting the subject.

    He proceeded to take no note of them as he returned to his school work. Lialah left the room and before long he heard the sound of the pots and pans as she tried her hand at cooking.

    Raziel tore into the stack of books he¡¯d brought home and began reading through it while waiting on Hylarim to update with new content, out of curiosity, he watched her through the reflection on the screen. In retrospect it should have been obvious that she was a succubus. The shapely face and gentle sloping hourglass curves, the sort of breasts that no man could keep from noticing, not to mention her captivating ruby eyes and long silky dark hair, she was temptation come to life. Of course her ¡®sister¡¯ was beautiful in her own right, which struck him as strange. ¡®In the oldest lore, angels had bizarre appearances. Demons sometimes did too, but they were humanized sooner¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s possible that others came here before these two and became part of our mythology?¡¯

    He could think of no way to confirm that, but the reality was¡­ they were here now, and Albaer knew he had to think of a long term plan, he couldn¡¯t hide them from his mother forever. ¡®I¡¯ll need to learn more about what their magic can do.¡¯ He thought, noticing the way Raziel read through the book in her hand on internet use. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have to do what I can, the same as they are¡­ and when I leave¡­ I can smuggle them with me if I have to.¡¯

    He was just finishing up his work, and Raziel had just started playing her character in Hylarim when Lialah entered the room with a few plates holding a crude mashed potato and meat mix ladled with a little too much butter and gravy.

    ¡°My first attempt¡­ from the cookbook there¡­ I hope you like it.¡± Lialah said with a warm smile as she handed a plate to Albaer and to Raziel.

    ¡°Are you sure this will be safe for you two to eat?¡± Albaer asked, and at that they both nodded.

    ¡°Strangely enough, this actually looks like stuff from back home¡­ though it takes a lot longer for us to make it¡­¡± She dug a spoon into the bowl and took a mouthful.

    Albaer shrugged and did the same. It wasn¡¯t quite perfect, but the explosion of flavor told him that Lialah knew what she was doing. His eyes popped open, ¡°Amazing.¡± He said and stabbed the spoon into the mix to take another bite with a smile spread all across his face.

    She grinned and sat cross legged on the floor with her own plate and tore into the meal. ¡°Thank you.¡± It was a quiet response, but it was meant, and that was what counted.

    Albaer wolfed his portion down, then put on an anime fantasy series and sat back to watch, he barely noticed that he got an audience until he¡¯d streamed six straight episodes and was ready for bed.

    The exhaustion of the day hit him like a freight train, from the nightmare of school to the difficult but sometimes enjoyable process of introducing the world to his guests.

    There wasn¡¯t really a need to converse, he simply wished them goodnight and flopped down under the covers and shut his eyes.

    He barely noticed if they wished him goodnight as well, and fell into a deep, deep slumber.

    He was therefore completely unaware when Raziel got up in the middle of the night and stared down at his sleeping body. Her blood red eyes lingered on his face, seeing him clearly even in the pitch black was no problem for her. ¡®What were you hiding from me, why didn¡¯t you want to show me what my search would bring up¡­?¡¯ She wondered.

    Albaer was nothing but nice to them, even aggressively protective, and when he came home, she understood why. A demon always knew pain by sight, one look and she knew all the ways he was injured and how much pain he must have been in, walking all the way back. And that had happened before. ¡®I still can¡¯t believe my sister didn¡¯t realize he was bruised up before he even left¡­ no, that makes sense, she¡¯s seen no humans and few bruises.¡¯

    All in all, Raziel considered it strange he was willing to help them at all. But this rankled. So, she sat at his computer, did as he did, and found the search engine.

    She used one sharp finger to tap the keys, his own rapid typing was unusual, but Raziel resolved to practice it a bit later. For now, she keyed the letters one by one and then hit ¡®Go¡¯.

    The page loaded, and she began to click through the links one by one, including ¡®images¡¯.

    It was only a few minutes of exploring the way humans saw her, before all the demoness wanted to do was cry.

 Chapter Twelve

    Raziel knew very well what she was, how her body worked, and what that meant back home.  Now, here, in a whole other world where her kind did not even exist, ¡®Somehow I¡¯m still a fetish.¡¯  Every lewd act, every single position, the art portraying succubi tore her down to becoming nothing more than the receptacle of other people¡¯s wants, or the cause of their destruction.

    Her fingers shook as she tried to control the mouse and clicked it far more often than she meant to.  When she figured out how to set the browsers side by side, she couldn¡¯t help herself.  Raziel searched for angels, and found the miracle stories, the beautiful valiant representations of her sister¡¯s race, every noble and virtuous trait seemed to be attributed to them.

    For her own self, it was not so.  ¡®In the best case we¡¯re nothing but whores¡­ enjoyable temptations to play with¡­ the worst though¡­¡¯  Every vice, every wickedness, every disgusting trait and flaw was heaped upon her.  By the time she couldn¡¯t bring herself to keep looking, she was convinced¡­ ¡®This is why he¡¯s helping us.  My sister because she¡¯s supposed to be everything good, and me, because he wants me to be¡­ that, or at least assumes I am.¡¯  Raziel¡¯s despair clawed at her mind while her sister slept soundly, snoring softly and drooling a little into her pillow.

    ¡®I can¡¯t even get trapped in another world without escaping that!¡¯  She cursed her very birth, and glared at the sleeping Albaer.  Every kind thing, it felt ¡®tainted¡¯ now.  ¡®Maybe he doesn¡¯t really think I¡¯m that way.¡¯  She told herself, but it rang hollow.

    He hadn¡¯t tried anything¡­ yet.  ¡®But maybe he¡¯s just waiting, I wonder if humans have a heat cycle or something¡­¡¯  Raziel¡¯s despondency was briefly distracted by the question of her host¡¯s uncertain biology.  She set it aside, in Hylarim there were multiple story elements, including romances, and none of those involved anything resembling a heat cycle.  Not even that one with the slutty lizard maid she kept finding in game books about.  ¡®If there¡¯s no heat cycle, there¡¯s no mating season, if there¡¯s no mating season, that means that their sexuality is year round, like the apes in my world¡­ which means when he looks at me¡­¡¯

    The despondency was mixed with anger, anger at him, anger at her world, anger at his world, and anger at herself for not being used to it by now.

    Her red eyes burned down at him, while she was less innocent than her sister, Raziel¡¯s lack of innocence had not always ended as well as her sister assumed it had.  Even among demons, succubi had a reputation, one that followed her into every first hello and out of every last goodbye.  Whether she¡¯d done anything or not, nobody wanted to be the one who ¡®couldn¡¯t even get laid by a succubus¡¯ and so it always ended the same way.  If she didn¡¯t do anything, they said she did, ¡®And who would believe a succubus¡¯ denial?¡¯

    Which left Albaer, a point of confusion in her head.

    And if it was one thing Raziel hated, it was not understanding something.  She clenched her jaw and fought back her tears, she cleared the browser history to hide what she¡¯d been up to, then went to lie down beside her sister.

    All that, it required answers, answers she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d get by just asking.

    She slid into the sleeping bag and pulled the top tight over herself.  She stared up into the darkness and tried to get all the lewd images and art out of her head, and while she did manage to eventually go to sleep¡­

    They did not leave her even in her dreams.

    She woke up to the sound of the falling water he referred to the other day as a shower, and saw that her sister was not beside her.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She unfurled her wings and stretched out, the memory of her findings last night coming back to her in the moment, she scratched her horns for a a few seconds, then ran her hands through her hair so that the dark strands tumbled down her back.

    He must have heard her get up because she heard him shout from in the bathroom, ¡°My mom works long weekend shifts at the hospital, so you¡¯ve got the run of the apartment today, as long as she doesn¡¯t call me, we¡¯re fine, so just keep an eye on my phone, alright!¡±

    ¡°Your what?¡±  Raziel called back to the door.

    ¡°Uhhh, little rectangle thing, it¡¯s sitting on my desk, it¡¯s black, if you see numbers on the screen and it starts to vibrate, that¡¯s her.  Nobody else ever calls me.¡±  He shouted back in an offhand way.  ¡°Don¡¯t answer it, just¡­ hand it to me through the door or bring it to me if you ever see it vibrate or make noise.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ right.¡±  Raziel replied and glanced over at the desk where she saw what he referred to as a phone.

    ¡°What does it do?¡±  She asked loud enough for him to hear.

    ¡°All the same stuff as a computer with an internet connection, and a little extra, it lets you talk to people all over the country.¡±  Albaer said and went back to humming.

    ¡°Ah, can I try it, maybe?¡±  Raziel asked, suddenly intrigued.

    ¡°Yes, just don¡¯t hit the green button!  Code is two-four-six-zero-one.¡±  He said, and Raziel snatched the device up.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±  She said and tapped out the code, figuring out all the little pictures meant different programs were easy, figuring out how to use them all, that took time.  But she got faster and faster at it, and grew more and more confident.  Her thumbs flew over the screen and her fang filled smile grew broader with happiness as she played with the new instrument.

    Until she hit the green button.

    ¡®Damn, how do I leave?!¡¯  She hit the contacts list and saw only two names, ¡®Mom¡¯ and ¡®Dad¡¯.  ¡®Maybe if I hit history it will take me back?¡¯  She thought, and a black, blank screen came up.  She glanced over her shoulder at the bathroom door, the water was turning off, she heard Albaer¡¯s foot on the floor.

    ¡®Damn it!¡¯  She cursed, the one thing he¡¯d asked her not to do, and she¡¯d done it.  Given what his world thought about succubi, ¡®There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll believe it was an accident!  Maybe it¡¯s no big deal but¡­¡¯  She had no idea if it was or not, and finally she found out what to do.  She swiped up, closing the application, and quickly selected something else.

    Her wings were still twitching when he stepped out of the bathroom wearing a thick white robe tied at the waist.

    He looked at her cockeyed, ¡°Raziel¡­ is everything alright, did you¡­ see something wrong, do something wrong, I mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh ah¡­ no, no, no nothing¡­¡±  She turned to look over her shoulder and flashed her fierce but sweet smile at him, ¡°Just¡­ flustered a little bit.  All these new things, you know.¡±

    ¡°Right, right¡­ forgive my question, this is a lot for all of us to take in.¡±  Albaer smiled back at her, ¡°But unless you plan on taking in more, please excuse me while I get dressed.¡±

    ¡°Oh!  Yes of course¡­¡±  Raziel laughed half heartedly and set the phone down on the desk again.

    ¡°Your sister is making breakfast¡­ she¡¯s trying her hand at scrambled eggs and bacon, why not join her, I¡¯ll be out in a minute and then you two can have a shower¡­ take turns with the shower I mean, there¡¯s not comfortably enough room for two in there¡­ not that you would¡­ or that there¡¯d be anything weird if you did because you¡¯re sisters and there¡¯s nothing¡­ never mind.¡±  Albaer stopped his rambling as best he could.

    He took a deep breath, then stammered out what he should have said in the first place, or meant to, at least.  ¡°Ah, yeah, just go-go get breakfast, I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡±

    Raziel¡¯s lips were smiling, but her jaw was clenched. When he finished though, she said, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±  She then went out the door and closed it behind her.

    Albaer went over to the phone and took off his robe, he glanced back at the shut door and looked down at the device.  Nothing ¡®seemed¡¯ odd.  ¡®So why so flustered?¡¯  He sorted through the browser history and checked the open apps, and found that the phone app he always kept open was closed.

    Albaer shut his eyes, ¡°Can I possibly look more pathetic?¡±  He asked himself, and quietly began to get dressed.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Albaer emerged after throwing on some plain tan cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, and found the pair already seated, the table had only two chairs, and Lialah made a quick apology.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know where the other chair is¡­¡±

    ¡°My father¡¯s chair is downstairs¡­ under the steps.  Leave it there.  It¡¯s his, nobody sits in his chair¡­¡±  Albaer said, blinking several times.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±  Lialah said, there were three plates on the small round table, and she stood up from her seat.  ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll move so you can sit down, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±  She jerked herself up to her feet and grabbed her plate.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Albaer said, and shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s sorry.  Give me a moment.¡±  He returned to his room, took the chair from his desk and brought it back, putting it into place where his plate sat waiting for him.  The white plate was heaped with eggs and bacon and even some slightly overdone toast.

    ¡°Some things are similar at least.¡±  Lialah said, slowly reseating herself when Albaer did, ¡°Your milk makes the eggs fluffy, the same as milk back home.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±  Albaer quipped and took a bite.  ¡°It tastes great.¡±  He added as the silence stretched.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Lialah had a faint blush on her cheeks at the unexpected praise.

    For a little while the only noise was the sound of spoons or forks scraping over the glass plates, and the awkward tension grew.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some clothes today¡­ but, I guess I can¡¯t take you out to try them on.  I¡¯ll need your measurements and I¡¯ll just have to do my best¡­ I¡¯ll let you pick what you want off of a website, just a few things, nothing my mother would notice.¡±  Albaer said, and laughed, ¡°If she sees me getting skirts and dresses, she¡¯ll have questions.  So get things that will kind of¡­ look like they belong here, alright?¡±

    Raziel couldn¡¯t resist.  It struck her as deceptive.  She gripped her fork a little tighter, the steel began to bend.  ¡®No undergarments¡¯, is what he¡¯s really saying, and passing it off as funny¡­¡¯  She knew from the various artistic works that male and female humans wore different things, including ¡®support¡¯ undergarments at the chest, and what she saw on the screen, from slutty to humiliated succubi, was burned into her mind.

    Part of her wanted to shout, to yell, to rage at him and storm out.  But the bruises she¡¯d seen that covered him when he stopped them from leaving, and the injuries he came back with, told her he was truthful about the waiting danger.  ¡®I don¡¯t know if we can handle that¡­ and given that I¡¯m a walking fetish¡­ I don¡¯t know how we¡¯ll get by with nowhere to go.¡¯  How strong humans were had yet to be tested, and Raziel wasn¡¯t sure if she really wanted to know.  ¡®What if his wondering if we¡¯re stronger is the only thing keeping us even this safe?¡¯

    So she didn¡¯t yell at him.  Or at all.

    The dark and twisted things humans drew of her kind ran around in her head, and so she looked at Albaer and replied with a blunt, simple, ¡°Fine.  It¡¯s your home, we¡¯re just uninvited guests here.¡±

    Raziel picked at her food, it was good, and that grated on her too.  The words she hated most went around in her head, the ones that played at guilting her into compliance.  Variations of the theme, ¡°I bought you this¡­ so you owe me,¡± springing to her mind from a number her past would be paramors.

    She looked down at her plate, not really noticing or caring that she killed whatever mood was left.  ¡®Eating food he buys, wearing clothes he buys, using his sleeping bag in his bedroom, this is the kind of dependency my nightmares are made of.¡¯

    She let her fork drop with a clatter to her plate, ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk¡­¡±  She stood, then stopped.

    ¡°No¡­ never mind, I can¡¯t.¡±  She said immediately and looked at Albaer as if it was all his fault.

    ¡°Do you mind if I go use your console¡­ I¡¯d like to play some games, if that¡¯s okay with you?¡±  Raziel tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice when she said it, but she wasn¡¯t entirely successful.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah sure, go ahead.¡±  Albaer replied to her, ¡®What did I say?¡¯  He cast the silent questioning look at Lialah, who looked with as much confusion as Albaer at the retreating back of her sister, the black bat wings shook with anger, and when she closed the door, she slammed it shut.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Lialah put her hand over that of Albaer, ¡°Don¡¯t mind my sister.  Demons are a passionate people, hot blooded, and hot tempered.  She¡¯s probably just feeling trapped a little bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there¡­ other than you, family I mean, friends, back home, is that it?¡±  Albaer asked.

    Lialah gave a slow shake of her head, denying his question.  ¡°No¡­ I teased her about being a little ¡®free¡¯ when she was younger.  But the truth is, for years, she barely spent time with anyone.  We were the Potentials with the highest magic compatibility¡­ the best chance to summon a hero to protect our world and¡­ and keep the nightmare sealed.  But doing a summon like that has a high risk of dying.  So¡­ so nobody wants to get too close to us.  So there¡¯s nobody to miss.  We¡¯re all we¡¯ve got.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s heart went out to her, the melodic voice of the angel woman flowed as smoothly as moonlight over water, and in the depths of her sapphire blue eyes, he could see the aching want for something to just¡­ not be, that she couldn¡¯t change.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ that was too forward, wasn¡¯t it?¡±  Albaer asked, and wrenched his face away from the eyes of the angel.

    ¡°We¡¯re staying here, you¡¯re helping us¡­ we should know about each other at least.  Maybe I shouldn¡¯t talk about my sister, but I think this much is all right, this time.¡±  Lialah said and looked in the direction the door slamming had come from.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make this as comfortable for you as I can.¡±  Albaer promised, ¡°But just to be on the safe side, I¡¯m going out, you two get clean and, I suppose you can borrow some of my clothes to change into while you wash yours.¡±

    ¡°But weren¡¯t you-¡±  Lialah asked, and Albaer shrugged before saying.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.  We¡¯ll get some things ordered for you today when I get back, alright?¡±

    ¡°A-Alright.¡±  Lialah answered, something about the way his brown eyes seemed ¡®empty¡¯ bothered her, but she was unable to put her finger on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±  Albaer promised.

    He went to the door, put on his shoes, and Lialah followed him as he did so.

    ¡°Albaer¡­ can I, at least hug you goodbye, is that okay, do humans do that?¡±  Lialah asked.

    The young man of youthful middle build gave a little nod, like he knew he¡¯d been lying about things being fine, and let her arms enfold around him, and then her wings, soft as the feathers of the softest bird, followed, engulfing him in white as bright as daylight.

    ¡°You stay safe out there.¡±  Lialah said, recalling the pain she felt ripping through him the day before when she healed his wounds.

    ¡°Yeah, sure, Lialah.  Just¡­ take care of the place for me.¡±  Albaer promised again, though he didn¡¯t return her hold, he did enjoy it when it was given, and headed for the door as soon as she let go.

    The doorway had a few thin vertical windows around the frame, and from there she watched as he disappeared.

    No sooner than he was gone and she was sure of it, then she stormed back to his room to confront Raziel.  ¡®What¡¯s gotten into her¡­?¡¯  She wondered while the game music and the noise of the shower both grew louder.

    ¡°Raziel¡­ Albaer has gone out, he didn¡¯t say when he¡¯d be back.¡±  Lialah knocked on the bathroom door, ¡°Come on, Raz, it¡¯s loud, but it¡¯s not that loud.  I know you can hear me.¡±

    ¡°I heard you!¡±  Raziel snarled with the rough gravel voice of an angry demon.  ¡°Even a walking fetish has ears!¡±

    Lialah stopped with her hand on the doorknob.  ¡°Come on¡­ there aren¡¯t even any demons in this world, don¡¯t be like this now.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not!¡±  Raziel¡¯s furious voice came muffled through the door, ¡°But go onto that computer, type in what ¡®I¡¯ am¡­ and you tell me this isn¡¯t home all over again, but worse!  Worse because I¡¯m trapped, we¡¯re trapped, and there¡¯s nothing we can do about it!¡±

    ¡°Raz, come on!¡±  Lialah snapped and rested her head on the door to talk through it, ¡°Everything is fine, Albaer isn¡¯t a demon, he¡¯s not an angel, or an orc or an elf or¡­ just- just be reasonable!¡±

    ¡°You be reasonable!  You walk around beautiful and innocent and people want to protect you, they want to be around you, perfect fucking angel.  But one look at me and I¡¯m just meat that makes them horny¡­!  The first thing I thought when he said we don¡¯t exist in this world¡­ after realizing how screwed our world was, was at least nobody thinks of my kind like they do back home!  But they do!  That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t want to show me before!  I looked last night after you were both asleep!  I¡¯m either evil personified or a plaything again!¡±

    Lialah sighed, she opened her mouth to speak again, but as if she knew her sister was going to say something, Raziel barked back at her, ¡°Just go look!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±  Lialah said and moved away from the door, she went to the computer in a handful of steps, opened up a search engine the way she¡¯d been taught, and typed in ¡®Succubus¡¯ and within a mere minute or so she muttered quietly to herself.  ¡°...Okay, maybe I was wrong¡­¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    It was quite some time before Raziel emerged from the shower, and she was clearly upset and getting it out of her system as best she could before Albaer came back. Lialah closed the browser window, her wings twitched with impotent frustration.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you all these years.¡± Raziel pointed to the computer screen where the window had disappeared. ¡°What you never believed. You were never treated that way, so you couldn¡¯t imagine I was, but that¡¯s how it is back there.¡± She bit off the words like hardtack and then flopped herself down on Albaer¡¯s bed. It didn¡¯t help her that it smelled like him, but the whole place was filled with the smell of human. ¡®At least it¡¯s ¡®clean¡¯ human.¡¯ She thought and folded her wings around her body so that she was hugged in black.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lialah said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry I didn¡¯t believe you. Or¡­ I mean, thought you were exaggerating. You¡¯re so strong¡­ I just couldn¡¯t imagine it.¡±

    Raziel snorted, ¡°Sure, but no strength changes what people ¡®think¡¯ or what they believe. And since I ¡®can¡¯ draw power from sex and desire, strength just made my reputation worse. Nobody ever believed it was really me, just what I took from others for myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lialah offered again, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you. Seeing what people say about succubi when you don¡¯t even exist here¡­¡± Lialah shook her head and lowered her eyes to her sister. ¡°I just thought you were being dramatic, exaggerating, or boasting about the attention you got, since I¡¯m the delicate one people want to protect.¡±

    ¡°That actually makes some sense, but now we have another problem, what to do next? We¡¯ve got nowhere to go and nobody is likely trying to find us. Unless someone else tries to summon Kami, we¡¯re alone, and if they do and show up here? That just adds another problem to the mix. I doubt Albaer can hide us all.¡±

    She casually picked up one of the books Albaer brought back, this one about electronics.

    Lialah went to the search bar and looked up ¡®wild lands¡¯ and ¡®wilderness¡¯. She pointed to the results. ¡°This world has wildlands too, we have wings, since Albaer turned on the light to go down into the basement, that means he probably can¡¯t see well in the dark. If we fly at night we can go into the wilderness and hide there. Nobody will ever find us, we can live off of what we catch.¡±

    Raziel looked away from the page she was reading and over at Lialah, anxiety was etched on the angel¡¯s face, her eyes and wings both twitched with her words. ¡°You never took a single class in outdoor living, it¡¯s not as easy as you think. And we don¡¯t know anything about the monsters here. Plus if we go, we¡¯re saying there really is no hope of going home.¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to go back?¡± Lialah asked, and Raziel shut her ruby eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s still home, and while I didn¡¯t have a lot of people there I liked, I still want to help our world¡­ if we go back, we can try another summoning, pick another hero from another world, and the sacrifice can go on¡­ and more won¡¯t have to die¡­¡± Raziel stopped talking when she had to swallow the lump in her throat.

    ¡°Raz,¡± Lialah whispered, ¡°there¡¯s no guarantee it devolved to war, they had other Potentials¡­¡±

    ¡°None of which made it through half the ceremony.¡± Raziel pointed out, ¡°Li-Li, I love you, but by the heroes you are a hopeless optimist, it took long enough to get us ready. Do you really think there was time for another try?¡±

    Lialah was silent, but now Raziel could no longer focus on the book in hand, she went over to the television and resumed playing her video game. They fell to silence for a while, before Lialah asked, ¡°Have you been trying out any more of your Body Magic?¡±

    Raziel paused the game, ¡°Not really, we manifested the measuring orbs and you managed to heal Albaer, but that¡¯s it. Why?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t access World Magic since this world doesn¡¯t have any, but what if we can still strengthen our own reserves? Mine was replenished this morning, that means we¡¯re not going to run out permanently. Maybe we can practice Raw Magic.¡±

    Raziel let out a thick laugh, ¡°Raw Magic¡­ without incantations¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Lialah looked away from the computer screen to where her sister sat on the floor leaning back with her hands on the carpet.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s impossible, it¡¯s just that anything useful, item creation, copy, invisibility, things like that, requires a team effort in the best case, not to mention¡­ we put everything into summoning, if we give that up, we¡¯ll have to start all over. We¡¯ll be weak.¡± Raziel gave her sister a long look, ¡°You saw what this world thinks of me, do you think I want to be weak living dependent on somebody who sees me that way?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this alone.¡± Lialah whispered with a weak, frustrated voice.

    ¡°And I can¡¯t do it at all. At least as I am I can fight, if we make ourselves weak in a world like this one, how can we hope to survive?¡± Raziel looked up at her sister with shimmering ruby eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lialah took a deep breath, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that of you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just- just forget it.¡± Raziel replied with regret and picked up the controller to resume the game. Lialah got up only to clean the table and kitchen, but otherwise seemed content to remain at the computer exploring the knowledge of her new world.

    It was hours before they noticed that Albaer had still not come back.

    It was another three hours before they began to worry about that.

    When they heard the door open, they froze, Raziel paused the game. ¡®His mother, or him?¡¯ They wondered, and waited, their breath sharp, hesitant, anxious. The door knob jiggled, and then opened.

    Albaer stepped inside, emptied his pockets, threw the contents on the bed, and walked past them both without a word. His ¡®walk¡¯ was more of a stagger, and the bathroom slammed shut without a word passing between any of the three.

    ¡°What th-?¡± Raziel whispered to her sister.

    There had been blood on Albaer¡¯s face, and now the sound of the shower was on full blast. The noise of a curtain drawn, and nothing more.

    <hr>

    ...Earlier that day¡­

    Albaer approached his supervisor. ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate it if you could let me work today, I know I¡¯m not on the schedule, but something has come up and I need a little extra.¡±

    An older man past his middle years, Jonathan Foxworthy had silver hair cut close to his head, a bulging physique that was only slowly losing the battle to time, making him appear stronger than he should have been at his age. His sharp brown eyes were not long on pity, but even so, he heard the catch in the young man¡¯s voice and softened a little. He clenched his jaw and sighed from behind his desk.

    ¡°Look kid, you¡¯re not scheduled to work today, you¡¯re still a minor, you can¡¯t pull any more hours on the books or I¡¯ll get in trouble with the labor department. I don¡¯t want my face or my store on the news as going hand in hand with child labor law violations.¡± Jonathan quipped.

    Albaer clenched his fists and sat down opposite his boss when the old man nodded. The young boy put his clenched hands into his lap. ¡°So let me work off the books then! Pay me in cash! You know you¡¯re short handed!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re why I¡¯m short handed, did you forget that detail?¡± Jonathan asked.

    Albaer winced, but the tears that formed in his eyes might as well have been in front of steel. ¡°That was my father¡¯s doing, not mine.¡±

    Jonathan did not let up, ¡°I know that, boy, and that¡¯s why you get to work here, why I didn¡¯t fire your ass after he got busted, and why other parents won¡¯t let their kids work here, and why some won¡¯t even shop here. Did you forget that?¡±

    ¡°Nobody will let me forget.¡± Albaer hissed back. ¡°Nobody¡­ not you, not teachers, not students, nobody will let me forget. I¡¯m sorry. Okay? I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry about what he did, I¡¯m sorry you lost business keeping me, I¡¯m sorry you lost employees keeping me, I¡¯m sorry you lost contracts keeping me, I¡¯m sorry alright?! The bad seed is sorry, now¡­ may I please work today?¡±

    Jonathan felt a stab in his heart as the boy in front of him begged for forgiveness for things he¡¯d never done. ¡®Poor kid.¡¯ Jonathan thought. Albaer was a steady worker, but the taint of his father and the man¡¯s exit from the world would not leave him alone, ever.

    ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m turning off all the cameras, you get cash in this office when you¡¯re done, and if you ever tell anyone I let you work more than the allowable time, you¡¯re fired.¡± Jonathan said with icy calm.

    Albaer heard him, and heard what he didn¡¯t say. ¡®And who would believe you anyway?¡¯

    Whatever sympathy he suspected Mr. Foxworthy might have for the situation Albaer found himself in, the old man had a business that came first.

    ¡°I understand, Sir. Thank you.¡± Albaer stood up and went to the grocery store¡¯s employee rest area. He put on a blue apron with the silver fox logo on the center and tied it behind his back.

    He then went out and got to work, ¡°Get the deliveries in, you¡¯ve got seven hours.¡± Jonathan said when he emerged from the office and saw Albaer descending the stairs.

    ¡°Yessir.¡± Albaer mumbled and went out into the back area. That was something of a kindness, he could work alone then, and nobody was there to bother him.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The big white truck lowered the boxes, they were stacked higher than Albaer¡¯s head, and there had to be a thousand of them, or so it appeared. ¡®It¡¯s not really that many, but this will take all day.¡¯

    He grabbed a small aluminum ladder and set it by the front column of cold white cardboard, stepped on top of his short ladder, picked up the box overhead, and hopped down.

    He then headed inside to the large walk-in freezer and set the box down on the cracked, dirty old wooden pallet in the corner.

    Again. And again. And again. Albaer went out, long after the truck vanished, he carried the boxes of produce in and set them down.

    Working alone at one of the dirtiest jobs, he was content with the quiet, a quiet that was interrupted when a feminine voice spoke up at his back.

    ¡°So granddad¡¯s got you working today, huh?¡± She asked.

    Albaer turned around with the next box in hand, ¡°Hi Lisa.¡± Albaer said with a dull, unenthusiastic voice, ¡°Look I¡¯m working now so¡­ do you mind?¡±

    She was fairly pretty as girls went, with flaming red hair that hung straight down her back just below the shoulder, a youthful body forming into womanhood, and bright emerald green eyes. She wore a smile on her face that exposed her pearly white teeth, and Albaer didn¡¯t really care if she was there or not.

    ¡°Oh come on, I¡¯m working today too.¡± she said, ¡°At least let me help you.¡±

    ¡°No thanks, just¡­ go do whatever you do.¡± Albaer replied.

    ¡°Okay.¡± She said with a cheery face, walked past him, and picked up a box before following after him.

    Albaer rolled his eyes, and said nothing.

    With twice the hands at the task, it went twice as fast, the steady walk back and forth from the boxes to the freezer saw the produce and dry goods put away in not quite half the time it otherwise would have taken.

    And with the job done, Albaer settled into the next step. He went past the plastic flyguards that hung down, opened up a supply closet, and unwound a hose.

    ¡°I got the pushbroom.¡± Lisa said and when Albaer hooked up the hose and powered it on, he began to spray the ground to push away the debris. Lisa with her broad broom began to push over the pavement, catching anything she could and keeping it in the path of the flowing water so that little by little, it was carried into the sewer grate where it fell with a wet splash down out of sight.

    Albaer said nothing in response to Lisa¡¯s steady smile, but the cleanup was done in short order thanks in part to her help.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He finally said after curling the hose back up and putting it away. A handspan from where he stood, she glanced up at him, smiled again, and said the same.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Her smile was genuine and pretty when she said it.

    ¡°Do you think you can take some time to help me study¡­ Grandad is paying you under the table today, right? He won¡¯t mind if we use some time for that.¡± Lisa brushed her hand through her hair, and Albaer nodded.

    ¡°Yeah, if he doesn¡¯t mind using the time for that, check with him, and bring your books to the break area.¡± Albaer said with a shrug.

    ¡°My books are actually at my apartment, come over there instead.¡± Lisa offered, ¡°My parents won¡¯t be home for hours, and I¡¯m just having trouble with this one assignment. I¡¯m no good at history.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but still, just check with him first.¡± Albaer replied.

    ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll grab the cash for you too.¡± Lisa said, and Albaer nodded along.

    They went inside, he threw the apron in the bin, and left the store to cross the street to the duplex where Lisa and her family lived. A simple gray painted building, the double apartment held the grandfather on the first floor, and then Lisa and her parents on the upper floor. Together they ran the family business, a grocery store which had been a fixture in the neighborhood for decades.

    Lisa, he¡¯d known since they were young, going from neighbors to friends, which held for some time until Albaer¡¯s life went to hell, and she distanced herself. But when it came down to it, he still counted her as a friend. More than once he told himself, ¡®I can¡¯t blame her for not wanting to get involved in my problems. They¡¯re not hers, why should they be?¡¯

    So he barely spoke to her at school.

    And was now barely more than friendly to her at work.

    <hr>

    Getting her grandfather to pay was easy enough, she knew the old man had a soft spot for Albaer, and for good measure, she put the cash onto two disposable gift cards. She put her money, and half of his, on her card, and the other half on his, and was putting them into her pockets when she saw some friends of hers.

    ¡°Lisa! The old man making you work today?¡± A high pitched voice asked.

    Lisa waved to her frenemy. Sarah. A year older and the ¡®it girl¡¯ of the school, the popular one, the one who dated the football captain and was rumored to have modeling agencies lining up to sign her. She had an exotic blend of European and Asian features with long straight black hair and a slender, even small frame which belied her wild nature and clever, witty mind.

    Lisa approached and nodded, they gave each other a gentle hug while the rest of the little group came close, a blend of boys and girls alike, it was clear they were on a little ¡®supply run¡¯ for a good time.

    ¡°Yeah, you know how it is.¡± Lisa shrugged, ¡°My grandpa won¡¯t let my parents fire the Bad Seed, and won¡¯t do it himself, so now I¡¯ve got to pick up the slack. On the upside though, I¡¯ve got money.¡± She showed off the gift cards loaded with cash, and gave a big smile to them all. ¡°Why don¡¯t I finish up what I¡¯ve got to do at home, then you swing by in about two hours and I¡¯ll snag some supplies and come hang out with you, huh?¡±

    She pocketed the cards again, and Sarah smirked a little, ¡°Sure thing, Lisa, see you in about two hours.¡±

    Lisa made her escape from the eight, walking with haste out of the door, across the street, and then to the side alley where the door opened to a set of stairs that would carry her up to her home.

    Albaer was waiting at the side door when she got there, and she was quick to unlock the door and hurry in, not bothering with another word. ¡°I¡¯ve only got about an hour today, so¡­ let¡¯s hurry, okay?¡± Lisa said with a weak smile.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Okay, sure. But I thought your parents weren¡¯t coming home for some time?¡± Albaer asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve got plans with some friends.¡± Lisa said without looking back at him.

    ¡°Oh, nice.¡± He said neutrally.

    As she opened up the door leading to her flat, she said, ¡°They¡¯re my friends.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Albaer replied, noncommittal.

    ¡°They can be really nice. And a lot of fun to hang out with.¡± Lisa added on the way to her bedroom.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Albaer answered witheringly, she didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Her room was what one would expect, A desk, a TV, a little bit disorderly, with her bed still not made up, but the pink and white covering still more or less in place.

    ¡°This is the part I don¡¯t get.¡± She hastened to the subject, ¡°I just can¡¯t explain how¡­¡± She then went into the subject of the Revolutionary War and some of the victories that were won.

    And Albaer launched into a passionate lecture on military tactics and strategy, his hands made wild gesticulations and his smile lit up the room as he went on with vigor about the power of disciplined ranks, supply line importance and how that made it hard for the British to maintain the fighting, while the revolutionaries had stuff close at hand and so had an easier time of it.

    He was thoroughly lost in the subject, explaining the fine points of how social and political factors made war go from possible to inevitable, and brought the British Empire to the negotiating table with the other Great Powers and finally forced them to surrender control of the Thirteen Colonies.

    Albaer went on almost faster than Lisa could take notes, until she finally stopped typing and said, ¡°This wasn¡¯t in the history book!¡±

    ¡°No, those are brief, but you know how I love history, so¡­ I read a lot of it.¡± Albaer answered with a grin, ¡°Now, if you put this stuff in this order¡­¡± He took the mouse when she removed her hand from it, and highlighted various parts, ¡°and just construct a good narrative, you¡¯ll have your paper finished and I can basically guarantee a near perfect score.¡±

    ¡°Th-Thanks Albaer.¡± Lisa said, looking down, guilt hit her over the gift cards in her pockets.

    Albaer shrugged. ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡°Listen¡­ Albaer¡­¡± She started to say, a slight stammer to her voice, and then he interrupted her.

    He checked the clock, ¡°Wow, look at the time, I hope I haven¡¯t kept you.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± She said, they¡¯d gone over forty-five minutes over. ¡°Let me see you out.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± He grinned boyishly, his brown eyes lustrous as if all was right with the world, and briefly forgot that there was money involved.

    She froze for a moment, and then led him out, ¡®I¡¯ll give him mine¡­¡¯ Lisa said to herself as guilt gnawed at her guts and she opened the side door in time to see Sarah and her friends coming around the corner.

    Lisa¡¯s first fear was, ¡®No! If they see him leaving here my reputation will be ruined!¡¯

    The fear proved well founded, as Sarah revealed when she said, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s he doing coming by here? Are you two going out?! Oh that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Albaer stiffened, looking at Lisa with a panicked plea on his face and silence on his lips.

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh god no! I have better taste than that, Sarah!¡± Lisa laughed, ¡°The Bad Seed ah¡­¡± Her mind raced and clung to what it found first, Sarah¡¯s accusation, ¡°came to tell me he liked me. As if.¡± She laughed, and watched Albaer¡¯s face twist, too frozen to move, too frozen to run, too shocked to even speak.

    He was so caught up in what he heard from her lips that he never saw the punch coming. Though he felt the paralyzing agony in his kidneys and his body began to spasm as he was folded sideways, the next hit connected to his ear, and all he heard was ringing when his eyes shut.

    He couldn¡¯t quite make out what Lisa was saying, or what any of them were saying under the torrent of abuse, the only blessing Albaer had was that when his head scraped the wall and blood ran down the side of his face, they decided they¡¯d done enough to him and let him collapse. At least whatever they¡¯d said was nothing but noise to his ears.

    He lay hacking on his side, unable to hear whatever Lisa was saying to her nice friends, but whatever it was, it got them to leave.

    Lisa crouched down and brushed her hand over his face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She said, ¡°Let me help you up¡­ I¡¯ll call your mom to come get you¡­¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Albaer spat blood out of his mouth, it landed on her white shoes, his body was spasming, heaving and coughing, but his eyes at least had cleared up, and he stared up at Lisa accusingly.

    ¡°Ah¡­ alright¡­ I¡¯m sorry but they were¡­¡± She began to try to apologize again while Albaer rolled over to all fours in the shadow strewn alleyway between buildings.

    ¡°Save it, Lisa.¡± He spat blood into the moist and dirty space, his knees were scraped bloody and covered with muck.

    ¡°I was trying to get rid of you before they got here!¡± She snapped, ¡°You ruined it! You overstayed, you wouldn¡¯t have been here if you¡¯d just gone home! It¡¯s your fault!¡± She wept with rage as he got to his feet clutching his gut and fell back to rest against the building opposite her home.

    ¡°Is that what you tell yourself every time?¡± Albaer grunted out, his hurt and betrayal replaced by the same look of loathing he gave to everyone else.

    Lisa didn¡¯t answer him, she reached back into her pockets and took out both of the cards she¡¯d loaded money onto, the bright silver reflective design of presents on the cardboard covers caught the light from within her open door, and he looked at them with the same loathing he now held for her.

    Albaer snatched them into his hands, ¡°Why are there two?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I made a mistake!¡± Lisa yelped out, ¡°I made a mistake and I fixed it!¡±

    ¡°Too bad that it doesn''t work every time.¡± Albaer grunted and after he shoved the cards into his back pocket, he turned to the side and pushed himself away from the wall. He felt her eyes as he began to half limp and half walk away.

    He¡¯d gone not ten steps when he looked back at her. ¡°Do one thing for me.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± Lisa asked. She wiped her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re going to let me call your mom for you¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. She¡¯s busy, she can¡¯t come¡­ som-something else.¡± Albaer hissed through the pain.

    ¡°Tell your grandfather¡­ I quit. I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near a family that created something like you.¡±

    He turned away and rounded the corner, but he definitely heard the door slam when she went back inside.

    ¡®Gah¡­ at least it¡¯s only a mile or two.¡± Albaer thought, and put on the best show of painlessness as he walked the rest of the way home.

 Chapter Fifteen

    Lialah made a tentative step toward the bathroom door, the pain on the young man¡¯s face was made more stark by the fact that in most ways, he wasn¡¯t bad looking.  ¡°Albaer?¡±  She asked, she put her head to the door and rapped lightly with her knuckles.

    He didn¡¯t answer.

    She glanced back at her sister.

    Raziel shrugged, she knew the look on Albaer¡¯s face from her own experience.  Betrayal it seemed, knew no race.

    ¡°Albaer, can I come in?¡±  Lialah asked, her voice melodic and gentle, Albaer tried to play it off.

    ¡°You want to come in while I¡¯m in the shower?¡±  He asked rhetorically.

    ¡°Yes¡­ wait¡­ no¡­ I¡­¡±  Lialah stammered, ¡°Look you¡¯re hurt!¡±  She spat out, ¡°I¡¯m an angel for fuck¡¯s sake¡­ let me take care of you!  Where were you today?!  You were gone for hours!¡±

    ¡°At work!¡±  He snapped, not giving her the permission she sought.

    ¡°Are you with a militia or¡­ how does that happen at work?!¡±  She said through the door, her wings trembling, her hand still only because she braced the door.

    ¡°This didn¡¯t happen at work!¡±  He snapped again, ¡°Look it¡¯s none of your business!  It doesn¡¯t matter!  I¡¯ll come out when I¡¯m¡­ when I¡¯m clean, then do your angel thing or whatever!¡±  Albaer shouted back.

    ¡°Okay then¡­ Okay¡­ I¡¯ll wait here¡­¡±  She said in a small, timid voice before she stepped back.

    Things were quiet for a minute, just the noise of the water.

    ¡°Wait, I thought you weren¡¯t working today?!¡±  Raziel said, her eyes narrowed, her rough voice hard, her heart full of suspicion.

    ¡°Look on the bed!¡±  He shouted through the door.

    ¡°What am I looking for?¡±  Raziel asked a little louder than she had to, wallet, house keys, and a pair of square cards with rectangles etched into them.

    ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­ you learned a little about shopping while I was gone, right¡­ cards and not coins¡­ or do I need to teach you about that?¡±  He asked.

    Lialah glanced over at Raziel, and the demon nodded her sharp chin.  ¡°Yeah, I figured a few things out from the books, looked up a few words, I got a, what do you say here, a ¡®crash course¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Those two rectangles in there are disposable credit cards basically, I went to work today and got an extra shift.  There should be about one hundred twenty dollars on there, between the two of them.  You can use that to buy yourselves some clothes and hygiene items, tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant, clothing¡­¡±

    ¡°And what¡­ what do you want for it?¡±  Lialah asked while Raziel dropped the cards on the bed and stared down at them with absolute fury.

    How much money that was, neither one was especially sure.  But they knew it took Albaer all day to make it, and he came back beaten up for his trouble.

    ¡°What do you mean?  You¡¯ve got nothing to offer.  Just stay in hiding until you work out what to do.  Now would you mind shutting up?  I¡¯m trying to wash up in here and we can talk in a few minutes or¡­ whatever.¡±

    Raziel¡¯s disbelieving stare was answer enough for Lialah.  It was somewhere between an insult, and the greatest relief the succubus had known in quite some time.

    The succubus stared down at the cards she¡¯d dropped back onto the bed, going from a look of loathing to looking at them like they were precious holy relics.

    She went from looking at them to the white door between her and Albaer, and back to the cards again.

    ¡°What do you think happened to him out there¡­?¡±  She whispered to her sister.

    ¡°I think¡­ what happens a lot of days¡­ When I healed him last time, there were old injuries that still hadn¡¯t healed before.  What kind of monstrous place have we been trapped in¡­?  He can¡¯t be bad¡­ So why¡­ why?¡±  Lialah reached down to pick up one of the cards off the bed and looked at it.

    ¡°He¡¯s crying in there.¡±  Lialah said in a tiny voice.

    ¡°I know.  I can hear it too.¡±  Raziel¡¯s pointed ears wiggled a little when she whispered back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go make something, there¡¯s a recipe I want to try¡­¡±  Lialah set the card down and made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her, while Raziel went to sit in the chair at his desk and turned it around to face his bathroom door.

    The water finally went off after several minutes while Raziel steeled her heart against disappointment, her arms were crossed in front of her chest and her legs closed firmly together, her sharp ruby eyes locked immediately onto Albaer¡¯s face.

    ¡°We need to talk.¡±  Raziel said immediately when he closed the door behind him, his face and legs were clean of blood and muck, but it just highlighted the injuries she could already see.

    ¡°Can I get dressed first?¡±  Albaer asked, looking down at his bare feet and white robe tied at the waist.

    ¡°If you want to do that while we talk, yes, but otherwise, this can¡¯t wait.¡±  Raziel said unable to completely hide the fact that she was breathing harder already.

    ¡°Fine.¡±  Albaer said and went to sit on the bed.

    It squeaked under him and he sank into it an inch.  ¡°I¡¯m going to ask something¡­ I want an honest answer, then I¡¯m going to apologize for asking it, and then¡­ if everything is how- how I now think it is?  I want to do something for you, but it requires you to trust me.  Do you understand?  Raziel asked.

    Albaer did not, not even a little, and said so.  ¡°Of course not.¡±  Albaer snapped, his lips turning down in a little frown.  ¡°This is the strangest start to a conversation since you showed up here¡­ which isn¡¯t a lot, but it¡¯s strange this happened more than once.¡±

    Raziel tried to smile, but her ruby eyes were serious, ¡°Demons tend toward the blunt side, so I hope I don¡¯t offend my host by asking this.  Am I a fetish for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±  Albaer did a double take and blinked several times, his mouth dropping open.

    ¡°I got on the computer the other night, after you were all asleep, I looked up my race.  How humans see us- me.  I know why you didn¡¯t want to show me¡­ and¡­ honestly it¡¯s the same back home.  So¡­ is that why you¡¯re helping my sister and I?  Her because she¡¯s an angel you¡¯re supposed to care for, and me because you lewded me from the moment I showed up?¡±

    Albaer gave her a long, steady look.  ¡°This is about the way I offended you before, isn¡¯t it?  Not just what you saw on the computer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as innocent as my sister, I¡¯ve also seen your eyes, and whether you¡¯re a human, or an orc, or a demon or what, I know attraction when I see it.  So am I going to have to trade myself for your help at some point, or what?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±  Albaer answered immediately, ¡°I- you¡¯re beautiful¡­ my god you¡¯re both¡­ like something out of a character creation kit, sculpted out of the fevered dreams of a god of radiance¡­ I won¡¯t deny it.  I¡¯m a boy, and I¡¯m young, I can¡¯t help it¡­ but I¡¯m not going to extort anything from you in your time of need.  What¡¯s out there¡­ nobody should have to face¡­ nobody¡­¡±  He hung his head and covered his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ so sorry¡­¡±  Raziel replied, his hand was shaking, and she put her own over his knee, leaning forward to look at him.  ¡°I know being asked a question like that must sting, if you want to throw me out over it¡­ I wouldn¡¯t blame you, but please understand, I¡¯ve been treated as a walking fetish for a¡­ a long time.  Then I found that¡­ and I¡¯m a slut or a monster in a world I don¡¯t even exist in¡­ I didn¡¯t know what to think, what to say, what to feel.  You¡¯ve been nice to us, I¡¯m grateful for that.  I just didn¡¯t want to go through that again where I had nowhere to go, or a sister to look after, and I didn¡¯t want to really start liking you, only to find you betraying me when I needed you and had nowhere else to go.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Betrayal¡­¡±  Albaer whispered hoarsely, ¡°I know a thing or two about that¡­ I¡¯m sorry I made you feel that uncomfortable, it¡¯s natural to look, though god knows I tried not to stare¡­ this is still so unworldly to me¡­ but no.  I promise you in the name of whatever you think is trusty to swear on, I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not that man.¡±

    ¡°Again¡­ I¡¯m deeply sorry.¡±  Raziel said, and then moved her hand to pick up the cards.  ¡°So¡­ this is money¡­ to get things for us to take care of ourselves?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but today was my last day on the job, I quit.¡±  Albaer smiled a little and winced, hissing in pain when that hurt too much.

    ¡°Oh¡­ what happened?¡±  Raziel asked.

    Albaer pointed out the injuries.  ¡°Someone I worked with let¡­ or made¡­ this happen, I can¡¯t look at them anymore.  Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll find another job.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±  Raziel said and crossed her arms again to glare at him.

    ¡°So?¡±  Albaer shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll try, that¡¯s close enough.¡±

    ¡°Albaer¡­ I want the truth, you being different and having¡­ lost your father, that¡¯s the reason behind all this?¡±  She asked, her wings twitched again.

    ¡°No.  It¡¯s also being my father¡¯s son.¡±  Albaer replied, he saw her blank expression, what he took for confusion, or questioning, and sighed.  ¡°Go onto the search engine I showed you, type in ¡®Nathaniel J. Lamark¡¯ and confine your search to the last few years.¡±

    Raziel did as he asked, and the results scrolled past her eyes, she went to the oldest, ¡®Company finds cure for breast cancer¡­¡¯  The demon read aloud, then at Albaer¡¯s nod, she looked at the article.

    ¡°Go to the next date when you¡¯re done, and keep doing that until you get up to his obituary.¡±  Albaer said.

    ¡°Town selected for manufacturing new drug¡­ after clinical trials result in approval¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to read it so I can hear it, just get through it.¡±  He said, and she began to read silently.

    ¡®Factory breaks ground, mass land buys as town pins hopes on new industry¡­¡¯  Then, ¡®...clinical trials called into question¡­¡¯  Then ¡®...whistleblower reports payoffs to doctor results submitted for review¡­¡¯  Then ¡®...patients die after switching treatment¡­¡¯  Then ¡®¡­ a major pharmaceutical giant rendered bankrupt¡­¡¯  Then ¡®...The doctor of death, corruption and Lamark¡­¡¯

    It got bleaker and bleaker, and she finally pushed herself back from the desk and turned to look at Albaer.

    He nodded, ¡°To me he was¡­ dad.  I used to play games with him, he took me fishing, hiking, horseback riding, he and my mom were happy.  Go read the one at the top.¡±

    She turned back to the computer, went to the results page and saw the top listing, ¡®...Doctor behind major corruption in pharmaceutical industry takes life in prison¡­ Doctor Nathanial Lamark was found hanging in his cell while awaiting trial on charges of fraud, insider trading, and multiple counts of negligent homicide for faking his research results for a drug that ultimately led to the deaths of hundreds of patients and caused the closure of Pharmitol Inc and the closure of the Wesington factory.¡¯

    She went back to looking at Albaer, ¡°Yeah, he was my dad¡­ most of the good memories I have are of him¡­ and he did that.  Then he died, he took his own life.¡±  Albaer¡¯s body began to shake, ¡°He killed himself in prison rather th-than face up to what he¡¯d done.  This town depended on that factory, and he not only cost hundreds of lives, but ruined thousands more.  Unemployment and poverty are high here, and some of the people in this town¡­ they died because he told them to get switched to the drug he knew didn¡¯t work.  And of course¡­ again¡­ since he¡¯s now dead?¡±  Albaer bit the words off bitterly, ¡°Nobody can punish him.¡±

    ¡°Leaving you.¡±  Raziel concluded.

    ¡°Yeah.  Me.  I get beaten up, treated like shit, because of things I had nothing to do with¡­ I tried to show I was good, that I¡¯m not like him¡­ but nobody cares.  I¡¯m the ¡®Bad Seed¡¯.  My mom got thrown out of her church group, I got kicked out of all the clubs, they can¡¯t kick me out of public school but they can make it hell there.  We can¡¯t leave because my mom can¡¯t work anywhere else, she¡¯s got a contract with the hospital.  When that runs out, we¡¯re done.¡±  He explained.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡­ not a damn thing¡­ I just had to be his son¡­ and I never did get to ask him why he even did it, we weren¡¯t rich, but we weren¡¯t poor either.  Did he want money that badly?  I just don¡¯t know, and now I never will.¡±  Albaer met her ruby eyes.  ¡°There, now are you sure you want to stay with the son of a mass murdering conman?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±  Raziel replied, and moved from the chair to the bed, she moved the cards aside and sat behind him, her arm and wing went around to draw him into an embrace, the thick leathery bat wing pressed against him, and her arm, strong as steel, held him tight against her body.  ¡°Xvmkchlato mkdizlnchala dkdnoza Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±

    His sobbing wasn¡¯t loud, but he wept against her blood red flesh and it muffled it only in part.  ¡°Wh-What¡¯s that mean?¡±  He stumbled the question out.

    ¡°You¡¯re not the bad one, Albaer Babtiste Lamark.¡±  Raziel whispered, and kissed his forehead.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter here.¡±  Albaer said in a weak, broken hearted voice.

    Raziel put her forehead against his own and said with quiet reserve, ¡°That comes to the next thing, I know you¡¯re in pain¡­ and I would have my sister take care of you right away, but that will make this easier.  But, this part goes with being a demon.  Soul sucking ¡®is¡¯ a thing that demons can do.  But it is terribly taboo.  The equivalent of rape.  But we can engage in ¡®sharing¡¯.  Or ¡®mingling¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Okay this is sounding ominous¡­¡±  Albaer answered, but didn¡¯t move away, her touch was welcome, a little warmer than that of a human.  He did not want to pull away from it.

    ¡°I want to look into you, a part of you¡­ I want to help you a little.  But to do that, I need you to open yourself to me.  I¡¯m not sure if this works on humans, but my sister¡¯s magic did, so mine should too¡­ I think.¡±  Raziel said and scratched one of her horns.  ¡°Will you let me try?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±  Albaer leaned back and looked in askance at her.

    ¡°I want to see the ones who did this to you.  I can fly at night, I won¡¯t kill anyone, I promise.  But¡­ just trust me.  Will you trust me, Albaer?¡±  Raziel asked and clasped his hands in hers.

    ¡°What do I need to do?¡±  He asked, ¡°I guess after all the trust you¡¯ve put in me¡­ sort of¡­ I would be shitty if I didn¡¯t return it at least some by now.¡±

    Raziel snorted, ¡°Just lay back, your pain will help me work, and I can even feed on it somewhat¡­ Although succubi usually feed on desire, any demon can draw something from pain.¡±

    ¡°A-Alright¡­ go ahead.¡±  Albaer said, and he lay back on the bed, resting his head on the pillow.

    Raziel looked down at the shut eyed boy, on the cusp of true adulthood, he was filling out well, and to endure the beatings he did, he must have been tougher than he looked.  With the right training, he might have made a great warrior.  ¡®Poor unfortunate soul¡­ not to worry, this is the least I can do.¡¯   She lowered her forehead to his, and opened her mind, darkness enveloped her as she found before her an array of scenes in chronological order.  Some were larger, some were smaller.  ¡®If this is like other races, then the larger it is, and the ¡®cleaner¡¯ it is without cracks, the more intact it is.¡¯  She went through her identifiers and began to sort.

    If he¡¯d been a demon, he could have entered her mind as well, and this would be more intimate than the most soul consuming sex.  Every memory Albaer ever had was bound up in here, he had no way to protect himself, no knowledge of mental defenses.

    She began to walk through it, she touched one from a little while ago as a test.  He was in the shower with his legs pulled up to his chest and his head buried in his knees while steaming water burned his flesh.

    She abandoned the memory, ¡®So, that works.¡¯  She thought with horror and went back further, she didn¡¯t have to go far, ¡®Lisa.¡¯  She picked up the references and more memories appeared that were connected to her, the memory web of the mind, each one connected to others, the thicker the line, the more important it was, the brighter the line, the happier it was, the darker it was, the worse it was.

    Lisa¡¯s line was now one of the darkest Raziel had ever seen, and unable to resist, she went to an old one she was bound to.  Trading him an ice cream cone, a tiny Albaer crying with his cone on the sidewalk, and her handing him her own before waving goodbye and walking away with an older version of herself.

    All the memories of her had become dark ones, Raziel touched the line, and the shade of the line began bright, a cheerful yellow, a vibrant green, a romantic red, and then slowly grayed as time went forward, until the present, when it was black.

    The succubus went back to the most recent memory, and listened to what Lisa said, the emotions of hurt and betrayal on Albaer¡¯s face, she could see reflected in a window beyond Lisa.

    Looking at his blood on her shoe, Raziel shifted a little, she caught a face.  Other memory webs connected to him.  A good looking kid of wavy brown hair and a chiseled jaw, the dark haired girl had a web of her own, which Raziel resolved to return to.

    She winced involuntarily at Albaer¡¯s pain as he tumbled to the ground, she got better looks at their faces, and made note of the names.  She became faster and faster at sorting through the memories of the young man, and conveniently enough.  She found a house.

    Raziel grinned, ¡®Lisa¡­ and Trevor¡­ you¡¯ll do for a start.¡¯  She thought, and then broke the connection, allowing the room to come into view.

 Chapter Sixteen

    The connection broken, Albaer quickly spoke up.  ¡°I really don¡¯t want you going out there.¡±

    Raziel smiled, revealing her row of fang filled teeth.  ¡°Then why did you let me do that?¡±

    Albaer had a hard time looking at her, but she waited in silence until he did.

    ¡°You asked me to trust you.  You put your faith in me even after I offended you, you sleep next to me, and you¡¯re actually nice to me.  I should at least trust you when you ask me to.¡±

    Raziel assuaged his fears, ¡°Not to worry, there¡¯s no moon tonight, I can blend into the darkness, I can make it back here without being seen.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s lips went tight.  ¡°I really don¡¯t like it.  What if you get caught?¡±

    ¡°Can humans fly?¡±  She asked, her fangy smile ever so charming in his eyes, for all its ferocity, Albaer couldn¡¯t help but see her as a fairly normal girl in the way she expressed herself.

    ¡°No.¡±  He answered with some reluctance.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be fine, I promise.¡±  She said with confidence, ¡°This isn¡¯t like before, a rash decision, I¡¯ll prepare for it.  I know that computer thing has maps and whatnot, I¡¯ll get a look at the whole area, all the landmarks that I need, I promise, I will be safe.¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­ somehow I think¡­ if you really wanted out of here, I couldn¡¯t stop you anyway.¡±  Albaer gave a little snort and a shake of his head, ¡°Now if that¡¯s done, could you ask your sister to come in here, this really hurts.¡±

    Raziel nodded rapidly and covered her lips with her hand, ¡°Oh¡­ right, I¡¯m sorry!¡±  Her wings fluttered back and forth, fanning him briefly before she shot to her feet.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±  He said with a weak smile before he lay himself down again.  ¡°I think I just want to lie here for awhile¡­ this was an unpleasant day and I¡¯m going to need to find another job soon.¡±

    Raziel left the room and went straight to where her sister worked over the stove.

    ¡°Did you get what you wanted?¡±  Lialah asked, her bright blue fixed on the red of her only family, she put down the wooden spoon she was using to stir the pot, letting it rest on the rim and focusing entirely on her demon companion and sibling.

    ¡°Yes, and then some.  I didn¡¯t snoop much¡­ but the fact that he¡­ ¡®shared¡¯ with me was enough.  I¡¯d never done that before¡­ he was my first.¡±  Raziel¡¯s smile was as weak as the injured Albaer¡¯s.  ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what that was for me, so maybe it doesn¡¯t count.  But still, it was nice¡­ and a good test.  We¡¯re safe here, and I agree with you.  I have things to do tonight, but tomorrow...¡±  Raziel swallowed hard, there was no small amount of fear in her eyes despite her words, so much so that she reflexively put her arms up and brought her sister in for an embrace.

    ¡°Tomorrow we go back to Square One.¡±  She whispered into her sister¡¯s ear.

    The hot demonic breath caressed the soft ear of the angel, ¡°Are you sure?¡±  Lialah whispered.  ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we explain it to him first?¡±

    Raziel had steel in her voice when she answered, ¡°He bled for a succubus.  A succubus he barely knows just because I¡¯ve got nowhere else.  Who does that?  Yes I¡¯m sure, and we can explain it ¡®after¡¯ the fact.  Do it before, and he¡¯ll just try to talk us out of it.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ we do it together.¡±  Lialah answered and rising on her tiptoes, she kissed the red forehead of her sister, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll go take care of Albaer, keep stirring the stew for a few minutes while I do this.¡±

    ¡°Minutes?¡±  Raziel asked and her ink black eyebrow rose.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it slowly¡­ I want him to enjoy this, just don¡¯t let the stew burn.  I¡¯ll be cross with you if you do.¡±  Lialah stepped away and pointed a finger decisively toward the bubbling pot with the thick brown broth atop the bright red heating coil.

    Raziel took the wooden handle in hand, holding it straight up and down, she began to stir violently, the pot began to slide around.

    ¡°Not like that!¡±  Lialah exclaimed and grabbed Raziel¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°Gentle, slowly.  Just keep it moving in the heat, the simmer will make everything taste better-¡±  Lialah stopped, Raziel had ¡®that¡¯ look.

    ¡°Are we still talking about stew here?¡±  The succubus had a big, wide grin spread over her face and mischief sparked in her eyes.

    Lialah threw up her hands into the air, ¡°Why¡­ Why me?¡±  She asked with faux exasperation.

    ¡°I¡¯m a succubus, why not?¡±  She laughed at her self effacing humor and tilted her head toward Albaer¡¯s room.  ¡°Go on, I can stir a pot for a few minutes without burning everything down.¡±

    Lialah left her sister behind without another word and closed the door to Albaer¡¯s room.  A bit of guilt went through her for going behind Raziel¡¯s back, a little pang in her chest that she felt should have stopped her.

    But that wasn¡¯t to be.  Albaer lay on his stomach, the white robe on, and to her surprise, that sense of overwhelming hurt, had faded quite a bit.  It wasn¡¯t completely gone, even without touching him or looking into his mind, she felt sure it would never truly be forgotten.  But it wasn¡¯t dominating his mind.

    He hadn¡¯t said anything.  At a loss herself just yet, she held her hand out and activated a healing spell, one meant not only to heal, but to ¡®enhance¡¯ the experience.  ¡°This will go slower than before,¡± she finally said as the white light reached his feet, ¡°but please don¡¯t worry, this will feel very good.¡±

    He nodded without saying anything.

    She was right, no, she was wrong.  A kind of warmth, complete and total serenity, like being bundled up in a blanket by a warm fire on a cold winter night, began to overtake his skin.  It enveloped him, surrounded him, and it grew only more intense the further along as the slowly expanding ball of light went up the length of his body.

    He sighed, the pain in his knees was completely gone.  The bruises to his bones which should have taken months to heal, vanished.  His heart was pounding in his chest, but even that began to slow until it was beating at a resting pace, and within minutes he was rendered blind.  But not in a bad way, ¡®All I can see is an endless light¡­ like walking through the clouds in the sky¡­¡¯  He thought, and felt very much as if he were in fact floating.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The voice of the angel however, could still reach him, his hearing worked.  ¡°Albaer Babtiste Lamark, mashalaen, faosi loa phowa si Raziel, onani toashi rasenshi loam asha sin saleh.¡±  The angelic voice, melodic as any birdsong, penetrated his ears, but he understood little other than his name, and that of Raziel.

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said from beyond the radiant glow, ¡°what I said is not something I thought I ever would.  You don¡¯t know my sister¡¯s life¡­ and in a way, I didn¡¯t either.  Now that I do, my gratitude is beyond measure.  So what I was saying was this.  ¡°Albaer Babtiste Lamark, in two days you¡¯ve done more for Raziel than people who knew her for a lifetime.  So now, let us do something for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been nice to me, you¡¯re healing my wounds, you¡¯re doing chores to make life easier¡­ I haven''t really done anything.  A few dollars, food, and a bag to sleep in isn¡¯t anything.¡±  Albaer answered, and silvery angelic laughter reached his ears.

    ¡°We may seem like we¡¯re more than we are, but we feel hunger, cold, loneliness, fear, like you do.  Our home has hunger, an angel or demon can starve¡­ we can find other food sources, but in the end¡­ we can die like you.  We¡¯ve been hungry before, and it isn¡¯t a good feeling.  So of course, even if it seems little in the land of plenty, this means a lot to us.  We have no home anymore, I know my sister wants to try to find a way back, she wants to keep my hopes up.  But while I¡¯m with her, wherever that is, that¡¯s home.  And I don¡¯t think we will ever make it.  We may be with you for the rest of our lives¡­ if you¡¯d have us.  So the least we can do is offer our skills to you.¡±

    Albaer recalled a time when he sat in an automatic massage chair, the warmth, pressure, the vibration, it was a marvelous thing¡­ and this was a hundred fold better.  The dull aches of the day¡¯s torment was slipping away, like sloughing off old, dead skin with a vigorous scrub.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing¡­ why are you telling me this?¡±  Albaer¡¯s suspicious mind tingled a little bit.

    ¡°Because¡­ because we¡¯re going to go back to Square One.¡±  Lialah replied, ¡°My sister didn¡¯t want to tell you until after, and she¡¯ll probably be mad that I¡¯m saying anything.  But you should know.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±  Albaer replied to the seemingly distant voice of Lialah.

    ¡°Right¡­ no magic.  You know I looked at your myths about angel visitations and I don¡¯t recall anyone enfolded in angel light being snarky.¡±  She answered with fairly obvious annoyance.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why they don¡¯t visit me?¡±  Albaer wasn¡¯t sure if he was shrugging or not, his entire body seemed to have blended with the light itself.

    Lialah gave an exasperated sigh, ¡°You¡¯re just like her, I swear.  Fine.  In my world, magic is referred to as ¡®Squares¡¯.  I saw some of your board games, you move pieces from square to square to advance around¡­ it¡¯s the same thing, but the ¡®Squares¡¯ are a diverging path of specializations.  How far down each one you can go in a path is determined by birth.  If you have a natural talent for summoning, maybe you can go twenty squares down there and summon powerful monsters¡­ but if you¡¯ve got low potential for stealth magic, maybe you can¡¯t ever reach invisibility magic no matter how hard you try.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±  Albaer asked, more lost than before.

    ¡°No.  Magic potential, and total limits of growth are things too, say you have limited mana growth potential, maybe you could reach maximum summoning squares, but never actually cast above the fifth one unless you found another mana source to add to your own.¡±

    Understanding began to dawn on the floaty feeling Albaer.  ¡°Is that why you work in pairs to summon a hero?¡±

    ¡°Yes.  The power required was simply too great for any one person, so Potentials are paired off to stack their skills.¡±  She explained to him, but Albaer, being himself, could not resist the urge to ask questions.

    ¡°So¡­ why not just combine every magic capable person together to summon one super powered thing to obliterate whatever danger threatens your world?¡±  Albaer asked.

    He immediately regretted it, because Lialah¡¯s voice became full of sorrow.

    ¡°Because we can¡¯t.  The First Law of Magic that we ever uncovered was the Law of Diminishing returns.  My sister and I double our skills.  Add a third person, and it increases only by one third.  Add a fourth, and even if they have equal power to us, or even greater, and it goes up only by one fourth.  Before long, you could add the most powerful caster in history, and still not gain even a measurable fraction to the whole.  The more you add, the less you get, further, you must be compatible, and it is very rare for large numbers of compatibles to exist.¡±  Lialah replied to him and he felt as if a hand was stroking his cheek, even though he wasn¡¯t sure it was even there to be stroked.

    ¡°Now, my sister and I are resolved to square one, we will abandon all of our skills, return to the first square, and start again.¡±  Lialah said, and Albaer, who could not make a face, was nonetheless aghast.

    ¡°You can do that?!¡±  He asked.

    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re born with a computation of twenty squares, you can put them anywhere as you learn, but each one you learn is one that you can¡¯t then put into something else.  To help protect our world, we put almost everything into summoning, it¡¯s what Potentials do¡­ it¡¯s the least we can do.¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t really understand.¡±  Albaer answered her, feeling utterly at a loss, he wanted to reach out, but he could not will his arms to move.

    ¡°We will begin again, we can¡¯t access World Magic anymore anyway, and put our Body Magic into squares of learning that will help us live in your world.  And also, into things that will help you.  It isn¡¯t without its risks, which is why Raziel wanted to say nothing.  But I believe you should know.  For a while, we will be weak, not for long, but for a bit at least¡­ we will be helpless as a newborn babe.  We will be in your care for that time.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous to tell people that?¡±  Albaer offered the rebuking question, but beyond his view, Lialah just laughed.

    ¡°Before we knew you bled for us, perhaps.  But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a risk now, I think it¡¯s more dangerous not to tell you, than to tell you.  If it isn¡¯t too much to ask¡­ can this ¡®school¡¯ be stayed away from for just a few days?¡±  Lialah asked with a hopeful air.

    ¡°Yes, just a few days.¡±  He answered, ¡°If that¡¯s what you need.¡±

    The light began to fade away, and his sense of his own body began to return to himself, slowly, steadily, and his bedroom came back into view.

    ¡°Wow¡­ how long did that last?¡±  Albaer asked while slowly sitting up and stretching out.

    ¡°About five minutes or so.¡±  Lialah answered with a demure blush.

    ¡°It felt like forever¡­ that was amazing¡­¡±  Albaer stood and began to stretch out, but it wasn¡¯t lost on him that she kept blushing.  ¡°Uh, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s just¡­ that spell¡­ unlike the other one, I feel what my magic feels.¡±  She admitted, her face turning almost as red as her sister¡¯s.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you, did I?¡±  Albaer asked while wondering, ¡®If that were the case, is a blush the proper response?¡¯

    ¡°No, not at all, but it means, every part of you my magic touches, I felt as if I were touching you.  Don¡¯t make me say it¡­ pervert.¡±  She covered her face to hide the crimson on her face.

    Albaer¡¯s jaw went slack, the robe did not come away to reveal it, but the poking at the fabric certainly did make it obvious. ¡°So you were touching my ah¡­ and also the¡­ oh¡­ ohhhhh.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how that spell is supposed to work!¡±  She eeped out and then half squeaked, ¡°I¡¯m going to go finish making dinner¡­ you just um, stay here, we¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s ready, okay?!¡±  Lialah said and scrambled out the door, slamming it behind her and unable to get that giant boyish happy smile out of her head.  ¡®I did not think that spell through before I cast it¡­ he seemed so damned innocent I¡­ I¡¯m never going to live this one down!¡¯  Lialah groaned in her head as she got back to the pot so fast that Raziel practically jumped out of the way.

    ¡°Perverts¡­ humans are perverts¡­ perverts¡­ perverts!  That wasn¡¯t what I meant about making healing feel good!¡±  Lialah snapped at a very confused Raziel and began to stir the pot as if it had offended her, with wet little drops flying out to land with a wet plop on the counter and stove top alike, her white wings flapping hard enough with frustration that pots and pans nearby began to rattle and clang in the breeze she made.

    ¡°So¡­ you had more fun than intended.¡±  Raziel began to form a fangy, cheshire grin on her face.

    ¡°Raziel¡­ shut up.¡±  Lialah said, and kept abusing the stew until it was time at last to eat.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Albaer got dressed, choosing another pair of tan shorts and a plain black t-shirt before emerging to the main room.  ¡°Make sure you leave enough food for my mother to get a serving¡­ you know, if she wants some.  She usually eats at work, but I like to leave something for her.¡±  To the relief of angel and demon alike, he wore a smile on his face and he had a spring in his step.  Behind him he was dragging the chair from his desk and he yanked his arm forward, the wheels didn¡¯t carry it far, but it stopped right at the table nonetheless, to within an inch or two from where he wanted it.

    ¡°So, food?¡±  He asked, glancing over to where the blushing angel was nearly done.

    She piped up a little higher pitched than she needed to, ¡°Yes!  Just a second!  Raz, put bowls on the table, will you?¡±

    Raziel gave her sister a double take as if to ask, ¡®What happened in there?¡¯ before reaching for the bowls and spoons and taking them to the table.  No answer was forthcoming, not even by facial expression, which only deepened Raziel¡¯s curiosity.  But she let it go for the moment.

    The bowls felt strange in Raziel¡¯s hand, far smoother than the wooden bowls she was familiar with, with bright colors and bendy, flexible material that gave when she pressed her fingers against it.  She folded her wings around her body and after laying a bowl with a spoon down at each place, she sat.

    ¡°So¡­¡±  Albaer asked congenially, ¡°did you do anything fun while I was gone?¡±

    ¡°Video games and reading¡­ nothing remarkable.  Your world though, what great evil are you trying to seal?  Can I ask that?¡±  Lialah asked and shuddered while she set the pot down between them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand.¡±  Albaer replied while she took their bowls up one by one and ladled stew into them.

    The meat and potatoes fell with wet plops that showed how thick the stew was, and steam rose with the succulent smell of a well made meal.  Albaer inhaled the scent, closing his eyes while he took it in, and three bellies rumbled at once.

    ¡°That¡¯s why your world has all these wars, right, you¡¯re trying to create heroes?¡±  She asked, and shut her mouth at a glare from Raziel.

    ¡°You¡¯re still not making any sense.¡±  Albaer replied offhandedly before putting the first spoonful in his mouth.  An explosion of flavor hit and his mouth watered even more than before, his eyes widened in disbelief.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re an angel¡­ and not a goddess of cooking?!¡±  He offered the praise and immediately shoved his spoon back into the bowl and drew it up to his mouth for another bite.

    ¡°You¡¯re far too generous, I¡¯m not that good.¡±  She said, and shifted the subject, ¡°I was just reading about history, that¡¯s all.  Your world is complicated, confusing, magic is everywhere but nowhere.  Your computer, that one thing is worth more than-¡±  Lialah shook her head in dismay while unthinkingly looking back toward the tool.

    ¡°Anything!¡±  Raziel filled in the gap and charged ahead with her own inclinations, her eyes sparkled, her talon tipped fingers interlocked, ¡°I¡¯ve been reading all about your game designers, they¡¯re like gods creating whole worlds.  No wonder we were fooled into thinking Kami was a real person, such a rich story¡­ we never imagined something like this!¡±

    From there Raziel leaned back in her chair, her arms wildly gesturing while Albaer helped himself to another bowl, and then another.

    Until she came to another thing that stopped him dead.  ¡°And by the way¡­ why did you make Kami the way you did?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, what?¡±  Albaer asked with his cheeks stuffed with stew.

    ¡°He¡¯s a fighter and a mage, and he has some crazy destructive powers, I-¡±  Raziel couldn¡¯t blush, but she folded her hands into her lap and looked down sheepishly with fluttering dark eyelashes, ¡°peeked at your character a bit.  Your quest log.¡±

    ¡°That goes against the gamer code, you know.¡±  Albaer didn¡¯t really glare, it was a little invasive, but not the same as reading a diary.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I figured that when I felt guilty snooping.  But your character quest log, you made him some all conquering force of nature¡­ so how come?  How come you wanted that when you won¡¯t even protect yourself?¡±  Raziel asked, and then snapped her jaw shut when she felt a pinch on her leg from her sister.

    ¡°What my sister means Albear,¡± Lialah interjected, ¡°is she¡¯s wondering why you enjoy all that fake violence, but you just go with it happening in the real world?¡±

    Albaer¡¯s expression changed, the luster in his eyes was gone, and Raziel realized how badly she¡¯d overstepped.

    ¡°Forget I asked, I¡¯m sorry, that was rude.  Please accept my apology.¡±  Raziel said and bowed her head to him.

    ¡°Do you think I like this?  I don¡¯t.  I don¡¯t want to get hurt, I don¡¯t want to come home beat up every day.  I hate them.  I hate them all so damn much¡­ the teachers, the students, my former friends, the administrators¡­ I¡­ hate them¡­ but what can I do?  I¡¯m one guy.  If I don¡¯t defend myself it ends faster, if I just let them do what they want to me, it ends and I can go away.  And my mom, she always said to be good and don¡¯t fight.  Just be good and people will like you, just be good and you won¡¯t be alone, just be good and you can make friends.  Everything will be fine, just fine, fine, just fine if I just don¡¯t do anything bad.¡±

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    He wasn¡¯t really paying any attention to them anymore, he was looking down to the scraps of remaining stew in his bowl.  ¡°If I don¡¯t do anything bad, everybody will see that I¡¯m good¡­ they¡¯ll see I¡¯m not my dad and don¡¯t deserve this¡­ then mom and I can have friends again, be happy again.  I can¡¯t have dad back¡­ but we can have real lives¡­ just as long as I don¡¯t do anything to anybody and put up with whatever they do.  The pain always stops eventually¡­¡±

    ¡°Kami helps me put up with it all, I can blow off steam by blowing things up in the game.  I can pretend it¡¯s Jason that I¡¯m throwing off a cliff after setting him on fire.  I can pretend it¡¯s Trevor that is running away from me.  I can pretend it¡¯s Lisa who is trying to apologize¡­ as long as I can pretend, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    The table was quiet.

    Albaer raised his head.  ¡°Wow, I never realized how pathetic that sounded until I said it out loud and heard it with my own two ears.¡±  He huffed, ¡°Pathetic.  All I¡¯m trying to do is act the way my parents, particularly my mother, want me to, and it¡¯s made me pathetic.¡±

    He dropped the spoon back into his bowl, it landed with a wet smack into some of the few juices left behind at the bottom, and then Albaer folded his fingers together and brought his hands up to his mouth, leaning his face forward against his fingers with his arms propped up on the table at the elbows.  He stared seemingly at nothing for a short time while Lialah and Raziel stared down and ate quietly.  Only the noise of their spoons striking plastic bowls sounded within the little apartment.

    ¡°You¡¯re not pathetic!¡±  Raziel said and dropped her spoon in the same way.  ¡°You¡¯re not pathetic, or gutless, or anything else.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was gutless¡­ or anything else.¡±  Albaer said, dropping his hands down and leaning back in his chair.

    ¡°But you were thinking about it.¡±  Raziel deduced, ¡°You took in two strangers who in your world, shouldn¡¯t even exist.  I know your world¡¯s mythology about my race.  By all rights you should have automatically thought the worst of me.¡±  She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw a tiny bit of blood that hissed when it was exposed to the air.  ¡°But you didn¡¯t.  You let us stay here when it would be a whole lot easier for you to just throw us out and forget us, and when I thought terrible things of you, things I shouldn¡¯t have, and asked you¡­ you forgave me.  Those aren¡¯t things just anybody could do!¡±

    Albaer found the contents of his bowl very fascinating at that moment, or so it looked when he wouldn¡¯t meet the ruby eyes that stared at him so intensely.

    ¡°My overly blunt and overly detailed sister is right.¡±  Lialah said, she clung to her spoon, wrapping it in her slender fingers with such intensity that it began to crumple in her hand.

    ¡°Your world is as cruel and violent as you warned us, I¡¯ve only barely scratched the surface, but the weapons you use are beyond anything I¡¯ve ever seen.  We got lucky with you, so don¡¯t be so down, okay?¡±

    Albaer exhaled heavily through his nose, ¡°Yeah, yeah you¡¯re right, excuse me for bringing the mood plummeting so suddenly.  I¡¯m luckier than a lot of people.  I still have my mom, and you two are great company even if you¡¯re a bit odd.¡±

    ¡°As if we couldn¡¯t be.¡±  Raziel smirked.

    ¡°What she said.¡±  Lialah added and crossed her arms in front of her chest in a huff and looked away with obviously exaggerated haughtiness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see about getting you some things to wear, yeah?  What do you say?¡±  Albaer said and rose from the table.  ¡°I don¡¯t have much but-¡±

    Raziel¡¯s hand moved faster than his eye could follow, two of her fingers covering his lips and a warm, affectionate smile on her face that exposed the row of sharp fangs.  ¡°Albaer, don¡¯t apologize for giving us a gift.  Whether it¡¯s a copper or a gold piece, we didn¡¯t do anything for it, and it will make us more comfortable, so thank you.  Thank you very much.¡±

    Albaer blinked several times, breathing against the hard red fingers of the succubus, he mumbled out, ¡°Mmkahy¡­¡±  And blushed.

    The others rose from the table and followed him into his bedroom.  He sat down at the computer while the sisters leaned on his shoulders, they didn¡¯t weigh very much, but despite the softness of their skin there was a solidity underneath that made him think vaguely of granite.

    He signed in, opened a browser, and cleared his throat while trying not to think of the radiant pair so close to him, and trying really hard not to notice their cleavage in the reflection of the computer monitor in front of him.  He coughed into his hand, cleared his throat, and opened up several more tabs.  ¡°I don¡¯t really know what you want in terms of clothing¡­ but here are some popular sites.  This one sells what we call ¡®goth¡¯ material, this one stuff for teenage girls, this one just something of everything.  Try to get two sets of each.  I can¡¯t get you much, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°Albaer¡­ stop doing that.¡±  Lialah said and put a hand under his chin, she turned his face up toward him, ¡°Again, we¡¯re thankful for what you¡¯ve done.  Please,¡± she blinked her eyes several times in rapid succession, ¡°we¡¯re not demanding, this is already heartbreakingly kind just based on what you went through to get this for us.  We¡¯ll do our best to buy cheap and leave some left over.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±  He said to her, ¡°It¡¯s just what I¡¯m used to¡­ just, I¡¯ll let you shop.  I¡¯m going to take a few minutes and go for a walk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±  Lialah smiled, let go of his chin, and both she and her sister moved to allow him to leave them in peace.

    As he walked out, he heard Lialah say, ¡°Alright Raz, you go first.¡±  Then he shut the door and heard only muffled chatter before he walked to take in the evening air, the warm breeze, and the quietly ending, eventful day.

 Chapter Eighteen

    ¡°Got Topic¡­ oh I like this one.¡±  Raziel clicked around at some of the short skirts and tight shirts.

    ¡°All that about you not wanting to be a fetish¡­ and now¡­ and that is what you want?¡±  Lialah said askance.  ¡°What are you trying to do, seduce Albaer?¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay if I do it.  I like being sexy,¡± Raziel said and fluttered her wings a bit, ¡°and black is definitely my color, tell me I wouldn¡¯t look great in that, I dare you.¡±

    ¡°Well, he told you to buy what you want, but if you give the young man a heart attack or a hard on-¡±  Lialah said and let the statement hang, shaking her head reprovingly.

    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you little miss less-than-innocent all of a sudden?¡±  Raziel gave a teasing wink up to her sister.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!  He¡¯s a male though, and even if he¡¯s not a race we¡¯re familiar with, the parts are all there and I¡¯ve seen the way he looks at¡­ and I saw that stuff on the web.  I¡¯m just saying-¡±  Lialah tried to say, but Raziel clicked ¡®add to cart¡¯.

    ¡°No.  We can trust Albaer.  I wasn¡¯t sure at first, but I ¡®shared¡¯ with him.¡±  Raziel said and clicked ¡®add to cart¡¯ twice more in rapid succession for some shorts that would come halfway down her thighs and an oversized t-shirt to go with the pair of shorts that made her think ¡®sexy¡¯.

    Lialah put a hand on her sister¡¯s before Raziel could hit ¡®check out¡¯.  The total was just ten shy of what was on the card, leaving a little left over for self care things like soap, tooth brushes, and hair care.

    ¡°Raziel.¡±  She said with more seriousness, her face blank, her voice steady, Raziel looked up at her.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t another infatuation, is it?  Because remember we don¡¯t know anything about the outside world from experience, just the bare scraps we¡¯ve consumed already.  Don¡¯t play around here, I know you love to do that, but this is serious, we have to live here with him.  We¡¯ve got no other option.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±  Raziel said, suddenly small voiced, the brashness gone.  ¡°But I want to feel good, I want to feel confident, and when we reset to Square One, I still want to dress like me.  We didn¡¯t have clothes like this back home, but damn it, if we had,¡± she jabbed her talon at the screen, ¡°that¡¯s what I¡¯d have worn.¡±

    Lialah slowly removed her hand from the mouse, ¡°I understand, I¡¯m sorry for doubting you.¡±

    She waited until Raziel finished, and then sat down when space was made for her.  ¡°Okay, see now ¡®I¡¯ am going to go a more respectable route, something prim suits me, and apparently there¡¯s this very large religion, a lot of girls go to their schools, and they have this wonderful uniform.¡±

    She quickly added three pairs of red plaid skirts, and three white collared button down shirts to go with it.  ¡°Apparently they revere angels, so if we have to go out, I¡¯ll wear this and be perfectly respectable.¡±  Lialah checked out, and similarly, she had enough money left over for a few care items.

    ¡°Perfectly prudish, you mean.¡±  Raziel taunted her and arched her back, stretching out her arms and her wings.  ¡°You could stand to be a little more daring, but hey, if you¡¯re too shy, you¡¯re too shy.  You¡¯ll grow up someday, sister.¡±  Raziel patted the blonde hair of her sister with a taunting laugh to join it, and then while Lialah fumed silently, went to turn on Hylarim and play some more.

    <hr>

    Albaer was enjoying his walk, his mood was already improving, but it wasn¡¯t without its recriminations.  ¡®She¡¯s got a point, why are you always apologizing, that¡¯s even more pathetic than the rest¡­ you¡¯ve been telling yourself you don¡¯t deserve to be treated like crap.  So why are you apologizing as if you did?¡¯  He had no ready answer to his question, but the comfort the pair offered him, the simple gratitude was a gift of gold.

    ¡®An angel, and a demon, and they¡¯re more humane than humanity to me.  Just¡­ wow.¡¯  Despite the somewhat bitter acknowledgement, a degree of gratitude for their kindness was matched by sympathy for their plight.  ¡®In a few years I can leave this place and never come back.  But them?  They have nowhere they can go, nothing they can do.  If I kicked them out, they¡¯d have to head for the wilderness and pray never to be found.  They¡¯ve got literally nothing.¡¯  It was a sobering thought that consumed him so completely that he almost didn¡¯t even see her coming.

    Or rather, he didn¡¯t see her at all, but he did, when she called his name.

    ¡°Albaer!¡±  He ducked immediately and protected his head.

    ¡°Albaer, no!  It¡¯s me!  It¡¯s Lisa!  Lisa Foxworthy!¡±  She shouted.

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    He slowly straightened up to get a look at her, and when he did, he gave her the same empty stare he gave everyone.  ¡°That changes nothing.¡±  He said, and walked on.

    ¡°Albaer, I was on my way to your place!¡±  She shouted, and jogged across the street.  It was quiet now, the waning hours between day and night when the twilight would take over and darkness would cover the town.

    ¡°Is your posse still with you, did you want to watch some more?¡±  Albaer asked, he ignored her further, neither running nor slowing down as she came jogging up to him, breathing hard and bowing her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!  I¡¯m sorry!  I¡¯m really sorry!¡±  She said and reached for his hand.

    He flinched back, yanking his hand away from hers and looking at her with the empty, glassy eyed stare.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±  Albaer replied.  ¡°You made your choice, and it was yours to make.¡±

    ¡°No!  I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±  Lisa half yelled, half whimpered.  ¡°You know me!  You¡¯ve known me since we were little!  I¡¯m not like that!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.  I did know a Lisa Foxworthy a long time ago, she was a nice, sweet girl who liked making people laugh and who people were happy just to be around.  She was great, I liked her a lot.  I don¡¯t know who the fuck you are, and I don¡¯t care to.¡±  Albaer replied, ¡°Go on, leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°I just said those things because Sarah was there, and so were-¡±  She had glistening tears in her bright green eyes, but they did nothing to slow his scathing response.

    ¡°Those nice friends who are so nice once you get to know them.  The ones who knocked me in the muck, cracked a few bones, and punched me so hard in the kidney that I seized up and fell to my knees.  Are those the people you mean?¡±  Albaer stopped and glared at her.

    She hung her head in shame.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I just wanted them to like me¡­¡±  Lisa said and blinked her long eyelashes.

    ¡°Well then, you should have given me a swift kick to the face too, you¡¯d be in with the group for sure then.¡±  Albaer clenched his fist.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that!  I¡¯m your friend¡­ I just had a bad moment, I panicked and said the wrong thing!¡±  Lisa approached, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to get you hurt, you weren¡¯t supposed to be there¡­ I just got so interested in what you were saying, I lost track of time.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault, of course it is, what else should I expect, right?  I¡¯m¡­ what was it you said?  A ¡®bad seed¡¯.¡±  He hissed the last words out at her.  ¡°You¡¯re no friend of mine.  I don¡¯t want to know you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry though!  Really!¡±  She exclaimed and tried to touch him again, he jerked away from her, stepping back a pace.

    Her hand drew back and she clutched it into the palm of her other hand, then held both of those at her sternum and lowered her head.  ¡°Really, really sorry?¡±  Albaer asked, he sounded almost conciliatory.

    ¡°Yes!  I just made mistakes, I didn¡¯t mean for you to get hurt!¡±  She said and wiped her eyes with the back of her left arm¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°All right, so prove it.  Go to Sarah, and Trevor, and the rest of them tomorrow, and tell them that you lied.  Tell them in public too, because you know they¡¯ll spread it around.¡±  Albaer demanded, and Lisa froze stiff as an icicle.

    ¡°But then, then I¡¯ll be-¡±  Lisa bit her lip.

    ¡°A joke? A laughing stock?  A liar?  What else?¡±  Albaer crossed his arms.

    ¡°I can¡¯t!  Can¡¯t you just forgive me?!  I said I was sorry!  You always used to forgive people when they said they were sorry!¡±  Lisa was shouting now, loud enough that he felt the need to look around to make sure nobody would bother them.

    Only then did he notice that he wandered to one of the emptier areas, a place once meant for employees of Pharmitol to live.  Nobody was around.

    ¡°Okay, fine, I forgive you.  Now you can leave me alone, you got what you wanted, go home.  I¡¯m doing the same.¡±  Albaer said and wheeled around, ignoring her again.

    ¡°Hey!  You didn¡¯t mean it!¡±  She accused him after she found herself rooted in place by his sudden physical and verbal turnabout.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±  He said as she scurried to catch up to him.

    ¡°Mean it!¡±  She demanded.

    ¡°You first.¡±  Albaer retorted, ¡°Until you make it right, I won¡¯t even consider it, and why should I even if you tried?  You can¡¯t unring a bell once it¡¯s rung, and this time it tolled for our friendship.¡±

    He picked up the pace and kept his eyes ahead while she took longer than comfortable strides to keep up with him.

    ¡°Did you at least tell your grandfather I quit, or do I have to call him too?¡±  Albaer asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll tell him in the morning, is that alright, Albaer?¡±  Lisa asked.

    ¡°Fine, whatever, but I¡¯ll call him also, just to make sure you¡¯re not lying about that too.¡±  Albaer retorted.

    ¡°Albaer¡­ I¡¯m your friend, I-I just made a mistake.  I¡¯m not like the ones who do those things.  I¡¯m not!¡±  Lisa blinked back her tears as she insisted on her innocence of the charges, to which Albaer said in a flat, uncaring monotone.

    ¡°From where I¡¯m standing, and from where I was lying on the grime in the alley by your home where I went to help you, you¡¯re exactly that.  Have fun with your new friends, I hope they¡¯re everything you wanted.¡±  Albaers bit off the words with a sour expression, and took off at a run.

    Lisa stood there in disbelief, watching as he picked up the pace, there wasn¡¯t a chance in hell of catching Albaer, so all she could do was watch him put more and more distance between them, until he was totally out of sight, which didn¡¯t take long thanks to the blurring in her eyes.

    One tiny part of her mind however, had one rational question¡­ ¡®How can he run like that after the beating he took?¡¯

 Chapter Nineteen

    It was already dark when Albaer reached his house.  He¡¯d walked farther than he intended, and took a roundabout way home that he correctly guessed would ensure no further unexpected encounters.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±  He shouted when he breezed through the door.  Leaving Lisa behind proved a liberating feeling, and oddly enough, it could even have been said that he felt good seeing her upset.  Like, payback.

    ¡°Welcome back, Albaer!¡±  The pair in his room said pleasantly, just a little louder than normal to ensure he heard them.

    ¡°Are you done shopping?¡±  He asked as he began clearing the table.

    ¡°Yes.¡±  The two said at once and came out of his bedroom.

    ¡°Here, we¡¯ll help with that.¡±  The two said at the same moment, Lialah went for a cloth and began to wipe the table down, Albaer put the dishes in the sink and the remaining stew in the fridge, while Raziel began to wash the dishes.

    There was more work for three than for one, but with six hands at it, the whole thing was done in no time at all.

    ¡°Did you find things you like?¡±  Albaer asked while breaking out some ice cream from the freezer beneath the fridge.

    ¡°Yes, I found stuff on Got Topic, there was a little more money than you said, but I didn¡¯t feel like spending too much, so I got a few sale items.  Black skirt, shorts, some leather things but it didn¡¯t say what kind, I¡¯m hoping for dragon skin.¡±  Raziel had a fang filled grin on her face at that.

    ¡°No, sorry, my world doesn¡¯t have dragons, they¡¯re mythological too.¡±  Albaer replied, and his curiosity about their home increased.  ¡°It¡¯s probably from a cow.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s nice too, we even got a few accessories.¡±  Raziel said, then added, ¡°I can¡¯t say I like that we can¡¯t get ¡®girl¡¯ underclothes¡­ but I understand.  It would raise questions.¡±

    ¡°And a skirt won¡¯t?¡±  Albaer pointed out.

    ¡°I saw some pictures of men wearing skirts and¡­¡±  She trailed off when Albaer began to look at her cockeyed.

    ¡°You were looking at some websites that had nothing to do with the clothing¡­¡±  He dragged his hand over his face with an exasperated sigh.

    ¡°We can still cancel the order¡­¡±  Lialah said, a deep blush forming on her face when she understood what he meant.

    ¡°No, no.  I¡¯ll¡­ look, my mom works and sleeps and that¡¯s it, as long as you do the laundry when she¡¯s at her shift, it should be fine.  And¡­ I can come up with something.  I¡¯ll just tell her that I made some unusual friends who needed somewhere to wash their more risque clothes.  If she asks more, I¡¯ll just tell her that I¡¯m letting them wash their clothes here on the condition that they behave a little safer than they otherwise would.  She¡¯ll accept that.¡±  Albaer¡¯s smile was a little fragile, but present.

    ¡°It¡¯s also sort of true.¡±  He added with a snap of his fingers.

    ¡°Wait, so we can order undergarments then?¡±  Raziel pointed out.  She gave Albaer a teasing, long look.

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    He blushed, ¡°Yeah, yeah you can, with that story I can explain anything unusual here if I have to.  My mom, she was always a big advocate of being safe, she might have approved of some things.  But she¡¯d always say that if it made you safer, it was probably a good thing.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll edit our orders right away.¡±  Lialah said, and snapped her fingers the same way he did.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going to play some Hylarim then, you have fun.¡±  Albaer said and entered his bedroom, the console was already on, of course, and he quickly loaded up Kami and resumed his fanmade quest line.

    Lialah sat behind him trying very hard not to blush that there was a boy sitting next to her while she selected bras and panties, and immediately thought, ¡®I should have left this to Raziel.¡¯  Her blush deepened though, when she imagined what Raziel would acquire if it were left to her.

    But all thoughts of that were erased when Raziel, after standing over Albaer¡¯s shoulder and watching him play until the darkness hit outside announced, ¡°I¡¯m going to get going.¡±

    Albaer paused his game as the summoned dragon appeared on the screen, its body slowly emerging from a portal of shimmering blue he¡¯d cast in the air.

    ¡°What exactly are you going to do?¡±  Albaer asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a demon.  That comes with a few perks.¡±  Raziel said with a smug look, ¡°And I¡¯m a succubus, I know exactly how to handle this.¡±

    ¡°Without being seen?¡±  Albaer looked up at her from where he sat on the floor.

    ¡°Oh¡­ he¡¯ll see me, he just won¡¯t see me.¡±  Raziel made the flippant remark and a knowing, rough little chuckle began.  ¡°I promise, I won¡¯t leave a mark on him.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±  Albaer asked.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll start with Trevor.¡±  Raziel said with a sharp nod, ¡°He hit you first, I think that makes him a kind of ringleader¡­¡±

    ¡°Only one tonight!¡±  Lialah insisted all of a sudden.  ¡°I don¡¯t want you out too long, I¡¯ll worry.  Let me do the other one.¡±

    ¡°You?  Miss goody goody?¡±  Raziel looked down at where her sister sat finishing the order updates.

    ¡°Yes.  What they did was wrong!  And I want to help too!  Why shouldn¡¯t I?  You know I can¡­ I have my own way of doing things.¡±  Lialah¡¯s lips threatened to start quivering, and Raziel gave a sigh of submission.

    ¡°Fine, you take one, I¡¯ll take the other.  I¡¯ll pass the memories of Lisa to you, if that¡¯s alright with you, Albaer?¡±  Raziel asked, and his answer was quick.

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re thinking, what you¡¯re doing, or how you¡¯re doing it but¡­ I¡¯m inclined to trust you.  Do what you think best.  The door will be open for you.¡±  Albaer replied, and then went back to the game.

    They nodded at him and left the bedroom to head for the front door.

    Raziel and Lialah looked out into the darkness when they reached the exit.  No sound, no people, but an eerie noise of insects, loud, but out of sight even for them.  ¡°Are you ready?¡±  The demon asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±  Lialah answered.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need his memories, we¡¯ll need to share, but only a little.¡±  Raziel remarked, and when Lialah nodded, the demon took her sister¡¯s face in her hardened hands, and pressed her forehead to that of the angel.

    Memories of Albaer¡¯s day passed from one to the other, the shock of betrayal, the pain of being struck, spitting up blood and lying in the muck after they were done and finally left.

    ¡°He¡¯s so nice¡­ how could they¡­?¡±  Lialah¡¯s face was twisted into anger, her fists clenched at her sides.

    ¡°I have no idea, but we lucked out by ending up here at least¡­ don¡¯t take too long.¡±  Raziel said as she straightened up and gripped her sister¡¯s hand.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to worry about you either.¡±  The demon did not wait for the sentiment to be returned, she stepped out into the darkness, her ears twitched, her wings spread out in all their glory and fury, then she took to the air on the moonless night in search of her target.

    ¡°Raz¡­ you softie.¡±  Lialah chuckled, giving a last look in the apartment behind her, then closing the door gently behind her, she stepped out, spread her wings, and flew into the night in a different direction than the demon before her.

 Chapter Twenty

    Raziel felt the warm night air washing over her body, it always reminded her of swimming upstream in the great river Tem, the currents and waterfalls were all powerful and long, and the water was always warm.  The powerful current threatened the lives of those who were weak, but for the winged demoness, it was only a blissful resistance to be conquered.

    At home, Raziel would scream with pleasure when she reached the greatest heights to which her wings could take her.  But here, now, her tongue was bound by her promise to be careful.  ¡®But so much of it¡­ for all its differences, this is just like home.¡¯  The air was breathable, her body felt light, and she savored the feeling of complete and total freedom.  She would never say it, but, ¡®I pity Albaer¡­ and anyone without wings, they don¡¯t know what they¡¯re missing, being tied to the ground the way they are.¡¯

    She flipped herself over several times, somersaulting in the sky, heedless of the way she tumbled, her confinement to his home had been very brief, but only now did she realize how much it was getting to her.  Now¡­ now that she was free as a bird on the wing again.

    She might have enjoyed it for hours, the temptation was there.  ¡®But I have something to do.  Promises to keep, and an open door waiting for me to come home to sleep.¡¯  That was a warm, pleasant feeling, the thought of somebody waiting for her, hoping for her to come back, other than her sister, she struggled to think of anyone who gave a damn.  ¡®The teachers weren¡¯t so bad.  But I guess it¡¯s hard to get invested in thirty or forty of us at once.¡¯

    She dismissed the memory as she came nearer to her destination, the boy, Trevor, which Albaer knew where lived.

    The house was what, back home, Raziel would have called a manor, but this one was almost a copy of the ones around it, ¡®The wealth of this world¡­ it¡¯s beyond my wildest dreams¡­ even Albaer has a room of his own¡­¡¯  To the demon who shared a space with ten others, that in and of itself was unimaginable.

    The tools of this world were things on par with myths of her home, gods who could access all knowledge and craft whole worlds, it seemed unthinkable.

    And yet there it was, the proof of it all, within talon tip striking range in his home, and passing beneath her now as she circled in low and silent.  Albaer had the scent of his attacker on his body when he came home, so finding him in the home was easy.  She landed on a grassy area.  ¡®No crops?¡¯  She wondered, it seemed bizarre that nobody was growing food.  ¡®Where does it come from?¡¯

    Raziel put that curiosity aside and followed her nose to where the smell was strongest.

    A window on the upper floor, she reached out to touch the home, it was made of a mix of wood and stone.  Nothing her talons couldn¡¯t have pierced with ease.  ¡®No evidence.¡¯  She reminded herself, and listened, the sound of snoring came from within.

    ¡®Perfect.¡¯  Her smile became predatory, she jumped up to the second story and caught the ledge, she peeped in, the room was dark except for a dim light coming from beneath the door that led to its interior.  Even better, the window was slightly cracked, while insects chirped around her, she slid the window up and folded her wings within, she crept in, remaining low, her body slinking over the carpeted floor and over to the bed.

    The concealment of night was nothing to one of night¡¯s creatures, no more than the ocean was a barrier to fish.

    She rose up beside him and looked down, he wasn¡¯t a bad looking kid, chiseled face losing what was left of its childhood behind.  His chest rose and fell steadily, as if he slept without guilt.  A smile on his sleeping face suggested pleasant dreams.  The faint smell of desire, that much was familiar, easily recognized across all lines of race when it came to a succubus.

    She held her hand over him, [Deepest Dreams].  She released the spell.  [Aspect of the Succubus], [Dream Walker].  She then got on top of him, the bed creaked a little, the squeaks of the mattress giving in to her added weight added to the creaking noise.  But it was nothing.  Her feet were on his chest, his breathing became more labored, and her hands rested on his face, cupping it as if he were a lover.

    Then the red eyes closed, and she entered into his inner world.

    ¡®This is not what I expected.¡¯  She thought, and looked around.  A happy sort of music was playing somewhere, the sky was green, the grass beneath her feet, that was blue like the sky should have been.  The bouncy tune was so disgustingly happy that she couldn¡¯t help but tap her feet to it while she sought her prey.

    She didn¡¯t have to look long.  Trevor was sitting on a chair watching a television, there were characters bouncing up and down, bizarre creatures, legs growing longer and shorter, with ¡®Da da dadadadat da¡¯ playing on a loop.

    Raziel didn¡¯t know much about the world of humans yet, but a few things she was sure of.  ¡®That television would have to be plugged in for it to work.  Well, dream logic, who cares?¡¯  She brushed it off.  Trevor, unfortunately, and also unsurprisingly, was nude.

    A young woman with ink dark hair popped into existence, similarly nude, and frankly in Raziel¡¯s view, ¡®From what I saw of her, she probably doesn¡¯t look nearly that good naked.¡¯  The woman who appeared out of nowhere was holding a tray, bending forward and babbling nonsensical syllables, on the tray there sat a cup of milk, ¡®Oh don¡¯t tell me¡­ oh by the gods are ¡®all¡¯ humans perverts?!¡¯  Raziel asked herself and strode over to where he sat.

    She gave the woman a shove, knocking the nude dark haired woman onto her side down on the bluegrass.  Trevor¡¯s eyes shot up to Raziel.  ¡°Stop.  I bind your tongue, mortal.¡±

    She laughed as his lips twisted into knots on her imperious command.

    Trevor¡¯s eyes, once blissful and confident, were suddenly full of fear, his fingers clawed at his painfully stretched and knotted lips.

    ¡°Do you know what I am?  Nod if you do?¡±  Raziel said, and he didn¡¯t respond.

    She grabbed his hair and yanked him from his chair, then threw him onto the grass and brought her foot down onto his spine.  The sky turned red, the ground shook and cracked around him, fire spouted upward from the many gorges he saw, his pretty Sarah remained frozen where she lay, but the music remained unchanged.  He was now trapped on an island surrounded by impossible pits, the heat of them being like volcanos.

    He couldn¡¯t scream, but he could try, and did, his cheeks puffing out from the failure.

    ¡°I am a demon¡­ a demon out of hell.¡±  She used her fearsome fangs to best effect, opening her mouth to let him see the jagged knives, and plucked from her passing remembrance of what she read of human mythologies.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re dreaming, boy?¡±  Raziel hissed and laughed, and kicked him on his side, sending him rolling over the grass several times to land on his back.

    She jumped, her wings spread out in all their glory, and landed on his stomach.

    ¡°You are¡­ this is a nightmare¡­ but the nightmare is one you won¡¯t awaken from.  Your twisted evil has brought you into my grip¡­¡±  She dug her talons into the dreamer¡¯s flesh and began to pull it away.  ¡®Am I overacting?  Maybe.  But he¡¯ll wake up fine, this will do.¡¯  She told herself, and when his face was twisted in confusion, she saw her chance.

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    ¡°Unbind.¡±  She said, and his lips untwisted.

    He immediately protested, ¡°Evil?!  I¡¯m not evil!  I¡¯ve never done much¡­ I¡¯m no worse than anyone else!¡±  He howled in protest and writhed under the demon while her appearance changed, muscles grew and her face became twisted and fearsome, as she grew, flames began to gout from her pores.

    ¡°You?  Innocent?  Let¡¯s see, I never make mistakes!¡±  Raziel hissed, and shoved her hand through his open mouth, tearing his brain out through the gap between his teeth.

    Trevor gaped at seeing his own brain, and hovering over it, like on a flat screen, his memories unfolded.

    ¡°You beat that boy into the muck¡­ why?¡±  The demon¡¯s hand grew, she stepped off of him, and took his entire body into her fingers, she began to squeeze.

    ¡°His name¡­ his name is Albaer!  He deserves this!  Not me!  He deserves everything he got!  Everything and worse!¡±  Trevor protested, staring at the boy on a loop going down again and again.

    ¡°Why?!¡±  She shook him hard, rattling his head around before stopping.  ¡°Tell me why I should take him in your place?!  Convince me!¡±

    ¡°Because his father-¡±  Trevor began, and Raziel cut him off.

    ¡°We already have his father, boy.  He burns, and burns, and thirsts, and thirsts, and has no hope or relief.  I was thinking I would take you to his chamber, share in his torment¡­¡±  Raziel made what she herself counted as a melodramatic laugh as she raised the boy aloft overhead and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Albaer is a bad seed!¡±  Trevor shouted.

    To his eyes, she seemed, frankly disappointed.  Her body grew and the distance between himself and the grass grew with her.  ¡°That¡¯s your best argument?!  That he is related to someone evil?!  We have your great, great grandfather in our hell¡­ he burns¡­ burns brighter than the sun, if we use your words, then you are also the seed of evil.  A bad seed¡­ and one I will enjoy tormenting for a long, long time.¡±

    ¡°But he¡­ but Albaer¡­¡±  Trevor¡¯s mind raced like mad, desperate to come up with something to say Albaer had actually done.

    The demon¡¯s fingers began to burn at the muscle where his protective skin had been peeled away.

    But the demon¡¯s face cocked at him, it scratched at its horns, his brain in the demon¡¯s other hand was almost ¡®pulsing¡¯.  ¡°Let¡¯s find something, demons must be fair, it¡¯s part of the rules.¡±  She said offhandedly and began to filter through his recollections.

    ¡°Ah, here he is, you were very young then, hardly an age where you can be called guilty of anything.  But we¡¯ll see.¡±  Raziel mused, and let it play.  It was clearly Trevor and Albaer, but much, much smaller.

    ¡°Hmm, you look like friends.¡±  Raziel said, and it was true, they were playing in a sandbox, wearing shorts, Trevor handed Albaer a cookie, Albaer broke it in half and gave part back over to Trevor.  ¡°Oh yes, so evil¡­¡±

    Trevor howled in pain, his muscles felt like they were being cut by a blowtorch.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy you¡­ you¡¯ll nourish my lust, your screams, such pleasure¡­¡±  Raziel laughed and snapped her fingers, they began to shrink, she dropped the terrified young man, his bones snapped like twigs, and the demon crouched down and leaned over him.

    ¡°This is the end for you¡­ and you authored it yourself by preying on the innocent.  That¡¯s the truth of hell¡­ that you mortals craft it all on your own, this dream, this nightmare¡­ I¡¯m going to carry you from it¡­¡±  Raziel gave what she hoped was a thoroughly villainous laugh, and it was at least good enough that the human on the grass began to crawl away from her.

    ¡°Just a dream¡­ it¡¯s just a dream, if I can just wake up, just wake up I¡¯ll be fine!  I¡¯ll be in my bed again, at home, safe!¡±

    The demoness walked behind him as his arms pulled and legs pushed him over the grass.  The blades of grass began to cut his flesh like actual knives.  Raziel stepped over him, straddling his body, she put her talons on the back of his neck and pushed him down, piercing his face with the once soft surface.  ¡°Wake up?  Why would I let you wake up?  No¡­ I won¡¯t.¡±  Raziel laughed and drew one talon over his cheek, slicing it open, but Trevor protested.

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair!  You said you had to be fair!  At least give me a chance!¡±  Trever yowled, and he immediately raised his head away from the sharp blades.

    ¡°Fair, fine.  I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡±  Raziel taunted, she snapped her fingers again, and a few feet away, there was the figure of Albaer as Trevor last saw him.

    ¡®Just a puppet illusion, but he doesn¡¯t have to know that.¡¯  Raziel suppressed her giggle and told her lie, ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened, Albaer, I¡¯ve called you into this boy¡¯s dream to decide his fate, do you know him?¡±

    Raziel¡¯s ¡®doll¡¯ of Albaer looked around, alarmed, and confused, but answered.  ¡°A dream¡­ a dream¡­ alright, it¡¯s a dream, yes, I know him.  That¡¯s Trevor, he did these things to me¡­¡±

    Raziel plucked from the memories she gleaned and the wounds she drew from sharing with her sister, and the clothing of the boy vanished to show a body bruised, battered, bloody and beaten, two years worth of abuse scattered over his body were laid bare before Trevor¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that!¡±  Trever shouted.

    ¡°By inches, you did, two years worth.¡±  Raziel laughed, ¡°What, did you think wounds didn¡¯t happen at all if they healed?  Foolish boy.¡±

    Trevor was still trying to claw his way forward, but she held him by the nape of his neck and met the eyes of her doll.  ¡°Boy, Albaer, this one is bound for Hell.  But he wants me to be fair, and what could be more fair than letting you decide?  All you have to do is take one step back.¡±  She closed her talons tighter around Trevor¡¯s neck, he gasped.  ¡°Stick out your hand, Trevor, if he takes it and pulls you away, I¡¯ll let you go, but if he doesn¡¯t?¡±  She giggled and crouched down by his face, her horn grazed his head where some skull was exposed.

    The doll, her illusion, would do exactly what she wanted.

    ¡°You come with me.¡±  She said, and Trevor¡¯s arm thrust out with wild desperation across the gap to where Albaer stood.

    ¡°Come on!  Man please!  I know I was a dick to you!  I¡¯m sorry!  Forgive me!  Please forgive me!  I¡¯ll never do anything again!  Never!  I¡¯m sorry!¡±  Trevor¡¯s fingers twitched, his body trembled.  ¡°I want to wake up!  Please let me wake up!¡±

    Albaer did not step back, but nor did his hand come out.  ¡°I don¡¯t forgive you.  I hope I never see you again.  When I leave that trash town, I¡¯ll spend my life trying to forget you.¡±

    The doll seemed to waver, ¡®Albaer would probably actually let him go to Hell¡­ but hey, object lessons, and I did promise I wouldn¡¯t take any lives.¡¯  Raziel shrugged it off, and the doll stretched out his hand.

    ¡°But nobody should suffer forever, no matter how much of a piece of shit you were, fine, this is just a dream I¡¯m having anyway, or you¡¯re having, I don¡¯t know, nothing matters, so why not?¡±  The doll said, and he grabbed the burnt flesh of Trevor¡¯s hand, and pulled.

    Raziel let go and stood up, seemingly perturbed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  ¡°Well, this is unexpected.  That¡¯s never happened before.¡±

    Trevor watched Albaer¡¯s hand like it was the hand of God, it clasped around his own, and pulled him away from the demon¡¯s grip, and such was his relief that he barely registered the knife-like pain of the blue grass over which his legs were dragged.

    ¡°Are we done?  I don¡¯t want to be around this guy, even in dreams.¡±  Albaer answered.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re done, Albaer.¡±  Raziel snapped her fingers and ¡®Albaer¡¯ vanished in a puff of smoke.

    She put her hands on her smooth hips and sauntered over to the crumpled heap.  ¡°You got lucky, boy.  Most victims of what I saw would have laughed and watched you be dragged away.  So fine, you get to live.¡±  She snapped her fingers again, and the scene, everything about it, began to restore itself, the frozen image of Sarah, the grass no longer cut like knives, the gaps began to close up, the sky turned green again, and the fire vanished.

    And most importantly, he felt his body starting to heal.

    She nudged him onto his back, but didn¡¯t kick, however she did put her foot on his chest and held up her red hand with the sharp talon tips.  ¡°Oops, I healed ¡®all¡¯ of you.  You need a reminder.  Something to tell you how close you came.  Not that it will help, animals like you are bound to come to me sooner or later.¡±  She clicked the talons of her hand together, bent over, and sliced open his cheek again.  She held the talon up, a drop splashed down on his face, and while he watched, she licked the sharp tip clean.

    ¡°Sleep well, boy.  I suppose I can wait a few more years for you.¡±  She said, and stepped away, then vanished.

    Raziel opened her eyes as she exited the dream.  His body was now in a cold sweat, trapped still in the dream he couldn¡¯t wake up from.  She thought for a moment, and a wicked thought came to mind.  She drew her talon over his cheek, slicing it where it had been done in the dream she¡¯d invaded.

    Then she got off the bed, it creaked and squeaked again as she put her feet on the floor.  ¡°That should do the trick.¡±  [Delay cancel magic one minute].  She set the spell to end after muttering her satisfaction, gave a sharp nod, and went for the window.

    She held the window sill, pulled the glass down, and pushed off, wings spread, and took to the air to return to Albaer again.

    Raziel saw no reason to remain, her work was done.  So she didn¡¯t see the young man shoot upright in his bed, gasping for air like a drowning man in the dark space, touch his cheek to find the blood still there, and fall back sobbing like a baby until dawn.

 Chapter Twenty-One

    Lialah¡¯s flight through the sky was almost straight up.  The clouds were the best place, even on a moonless night, the face of fear Albaer made when they almost left on their own was etched into her mind.  Raziel feared for her sometimes, that she knew, their teachers doted on her, as they did on most angels.  But they didn¡¯t know her well enough in Lialah¡¯s mind, to truly be called ¡®caring¡¯.

    So only Raziel was there to comfort the anxiety that thrummed through her veins.  And without her sister at her side, Lialah went straight for the greatest security.  Concealment.  The nature of humans was mixed at best in her view, and it made ¡®Square One¡¯ all the more frightening.

    ¡®Why did I suggest that?¡¯  She asked herself, but she knew the answer.

    And it was that answer that had her scanning the ground below.  The scent of the woman was still on him when he came back, but even without it, her location was so precise that it was no problem to find the right place.

    Lialah landed outside in the alley.  She crouched down, Albaer¡¯s blood was still there on the strange stone that passed for walkways here.  She reached down and took some of it to her finger, rubbing the red back and forth over her pale skin.  ¡®Such a terrible thing¡­¡¯  She thought, recalling the deep hurt of betrayal that haunted his eyes.

    It stung, it stung deep.  And it stung all the deeper because Lialah saw that same expression on her own sister¡¯s face.  That moment of understanding when someone deeply trusted proved they shouldn¡¯t have been.  Raziel¡¯s pursuit of physical pleasure never bothered Lialah, not much at least.  ¡®But she gets so set on seeing more¡­¡¯  Lialah closed her eyes, it was no wonder her sister had become a cynic.

    The fact that she was okay with returning to ¡®Square One¡¯ and trusting Albaer to look after them both, was telling.

    Lialah put a hand on the door and turned the brass knob.  It clicked open, and she went inside.  From there she followed her nose, her steps were light, gentle, and made no noise.

    Finding Lisa¡¯s room, she opened the door, closed it behind her, and approached the girl.

    Lisa had her head covered by one pillow and her face buried in another.  She was wide awake, and she was sobbing.  ¡®This is unexpected, is she genuinely sorry?¡¯  Lialah wondered, and plucked from what she read of angel mythology among humans.

    A quick rattling of syllables in her own tongue, and she cast the spell of [Silence].  The magic released, and Lisa stiffened a moment later, first for the sound of a voice, then from her own inability to produce any noise.

    ¡°Look at me, child, look at me.  You¡¯ll be safe, I promise you.¡±  Lialah spread her wings out in all their angelic glory, and spread her arms out like she was offering an embrace.

    Lisa slowly relaxed her tight grip on the pillow that she held against her head, moved it aside, and turned to look behind her.  There, in the gentle yellowish light of her lamp, was an honest to god angel.  Her mouth moved, she tried to speak, to shout, but no words came out.  Her bright green eyes filled with fear, she touched her throat and looked up at the honey blonde figure out of mythology.

    ¡°I am your guardian angel.  You may call me, Lialah.¡±  She said in her melodic voice, ¡°I think you know why I am here, lost little lamb.  Now, I will restore your voice, but promise me you will not panic.¡±

    Lisa gave a little tiny nod, then repeated it several times.

    The babbling brook of her mother tongue rattled off [Dispel].  And as she did, Lialah raised her hand, allowing Lisa to speak.

    ¡°A Guardian Angel¡­ for real?¡±  She asked and drew her knees protectively up to her chest.

    ¡°Yes.  We¡¯re not normally so direct, maybe a handful of visits in person per century.  But here I am.  Tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±  Lialah said and flapped her wings a little, carrying her floating over to the girl¡¯s bedside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡±  She asked, doubt creeping into her voice while the faint stirring of air caressed her pale cheek.

    ¡°Yes.  This is about Albaer, but talking helps.  So, talk.¡±  Lialah said, and sat down on the bed.

    ¡°I did something terrible¡­ and I did it all for nothing.¡±  Lisa whimpered and explained all that had transpired.   Lialah¡¯s wing came out and enfolded the body of the teenage girl, drawing her inexorably closer to the body of the angel.

    ¡°So, do what he said, confess before they can hurt him more.  Do you want him to hurt more when they start taunting him?  You know how the rumors will go, don¡¯t you?¡±  Lialah gave the girl an indulgent smile and put a hand on her thigh.

    ¡°Yes¡­ they¡¯ll beat him up, then at school, they¡¯ll talk about him being a c-creeper, or a s-stalker, they¡¯ll say all kinds of mean things, and then I¡¯ll have to agree, because if I don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll be the ¡®Bad seed¡¯s girl¡¯ or they¡¯ll say I¡¯m into creepers.  I¡¯ll be an outcast¡­ I don¡¯t want to be an outcast!¡±  She cried.

    ¡®An angel, a real angel¡­ this has got to be a dream, I¡¯m dreaming¡­ well if I¡¯m dreaming, I¡¯ll go with it.¡¯  Lisa told herself.

    ¡°Do you think Albaer wanted this?¡±  Lialah asked, and brushed a hand over Lisa¡¯s forehead, and in an instant she transferred the emotional load taken from him while he was healed.  The shock and hurt of her betrayal, it ran through her mind as if it were her own instead of his.

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    Lisa hurled herself into the bosom of the angel and yowled, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to!  I was just afraid and I said the wrong thing!  The worst thing!  I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±  Her tears burned on her cheeks until they pooled in the bosom of the angelic being, warm wings encircled her, folding the young girl into her embrace with heavenly warmth.

    ¡°You did a bad thing, he may never get over it, he may live for the rest of his life carrying the memory of you taunting him in front of his bullies, by people you wanted to like you.  Why do you want that¡­ you saw what they did to him.  Why¡­ why would you want to be friends with them?¡±  Lialah asked, it was for her, a genuine question as much as a rhetorical one.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!  I don¡¯t know¡­ I really don¡¯t!  I just want to be liked!  I don¡¯t actually like them¡­ I just want to enjoy my time at school and they¡¯re the best way to do that!¡±  Sarah insisted, ¡°I like Albaer¡­ but after what his father did¡­¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you want to use people for your own benefit, and you threw Albaer to them to hurt so that you could better your chances of using the people who hurt him?¡±  Lialah asked the question in the starkest terms, and Lisa didn¡¯t try to deny it.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again!¡±  She promised.

    ¡°Will you tell the truth?¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡±  Lisa all but begged.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re already doing it again.¡±  Lialah rubbed her back, ¡°Tell me who you spend time with, and I will tell you who you are¡­¡±  The angel said, ¡°If you do nothing, nothing changes.  When school begins again, the rumors will begin with it, he will suffer more humiliation, be taunted ever more, and that will be your fault.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t tease him!¡±  Lisa promised and looked up at the beautiful angel¡¯s brilliant face.  ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll give them more to hurt him with?  You must know that heaven doesn¡¯t have lawyers, you can¡¯t think pleading that you didn¡¯t personally do it will alleviate your responsibility for what happens because of you?  Come now, child.¡±  Lialah said with a voice as soft as a cloud, she rubbed the girl¡¯s back, ¡°And you can¡¯t think Albaer will care about the distinction either.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no I guess not.  He¡¯s already told me he hates me, and he won¡¯t forgive me.  I messed everything up¡­ and do you know the worst part?¡±  Lisa asked, her hands trembling around the angel, she didn¡¯t wait for a response.

    ¡°I have a crush on him, I¡¯ve liked him for years, since we were little, and now I¡¯ve not only made him hate me, I deserve it.  We were friends as little kids, I¡¯ve known him most of my life, if things hadn¡¯t happened with his dad, we might be boyfriend and girlfriend now.  He¡¯s so¡­ smart.  But he¡¯s nice too, he was always willing to help me with my homework, study, he even saved my grandad¡¯s life once.  He found my grandpa on the floor of the store and called nine-one-one.  It¡¯s why my grandfather kept him working there, he thinks of Albaer like a grandson, though I doubt he¡¯d ever admit it.  And now I¡¯ve messed everything up and I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°You poor thing¡­ you poor, cowardly little thing.¡±  Lialah whispered into her ear.  ¡°If you like him that much, help him.  Be brave, do you think your choices end with this one?¡±  The angel asked the weeping girl.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand.¡±  Lisa asked, and Lialah asked immediately¡­

    ¡°If you find a boy you like, and your friends make fun of him, will you join them?  If a man promises you happiness, will you cheat on your husband to have it?  I think you will.  You¡¯ll feel guilty again and again, and hate what you¡¯ve done¡­ but you¡¯ll keep making the wrong choice because it¡¯s easy.  If you can leave the boy who helps you to be torn apart by the wolves because you¡¯re afraid of a scratch, what can¡¯t you do?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t- no- no that isn¡¯t me!¡±  Lisa sobbed, but she couldn¡¯t meet the angel¡¯s piercing blue, and hung her head.

    ¡°Prove it.¡±  Lialah whispered, and imposed Albaer¡¯s shock on her all over again.  ¡°Will you fix that?¡±

    ¡°Help me¡­¡±  Lisa whimpered as his anguish tore through her mind.

    ¡°I am helping you¡­ be glad a demon didn¡¯t visit you tonight¡­ compared to what you nearly suffered, this is nothing.¡±  Lialah said, and Lisa¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°A d-demon?¡±  She whispered.

    ¡°Yes, I made this visit to you so that a demon wouldn¡¯t, they wanted to take you to Hell¡­ but I am here to prevent that¡­ but I can¡¯t come often, and what happens to you is ultimately in your hands.¡±  Lialah warned, and existential dread swallowed Lisa whole.

    ¡°But¡­ but I¡¯ll be an outcast¡­ they¡¯ll call me a liar, my school year will be ruined, maybe more than one¡­¡±  Lisa¡¯s lower lip quivered and she looked down again at her blood-stained shoes on the floor.

    Lialah was about to speak, but Lisa jumped ahead.  ¡°Alright¡­ alright.  I¡¯ll do it, this is my fault¡­ I¡¯ll fix it¡­ but can I ask you for something?¡±  Lisa asked.

    ¡°You can ask, child.¡±  Lialah promised, caressing the girl¡¯s cheek and leaving trails of comfort and warmth where her fingers passed.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I did to Albaer¡­ I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll ever speak again, even if I do fix this.  He already said he doesn¡¯t forgive me.  But, can you visit Albaer for me?¡±  Lisa blinked her eyes up at the endless sapphire blue as her Guardian Angel rose to her feet.

    ¡°Yes, I can visit others¡­ but why?¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°Can-Can you carry my feelings of remorse to him, the way you carried his anguish to me?  I want him to know how genuinely sorry I am¡­ I won¡¯t ever go near him again if he doesn¡¯t want me to.  I won¡¯t.  But I want him to know beyond any doubt even if nobody else is sorry for what they did, at least one person is.¡±  Lisa said, a voice full of shame, her heart aching, her sobs were somewhat abating.

    Lialah agreed.  ¡°Yes, I can do that for you.  But only after you have undone what you have done.¡±  She said, and put a hand over Lisa¡¯s forehead, the girl felt a pulsing sensation where the angel touched her, and then Lialah drew her hand away.

    ¡°So¡­ what happens now?¡±  Lisa asked and curled up her legs into her chest again, her bright red hair a fairly bedraggled mess that she didn¡¯t care about.

    ¡°Now, I leave, and you, you sleep.¡±  Lialah whispered and held up her hand again.  The casting syllables ran past her lips faster than Lisa could have understood, and the spell [Sleep] was released.  Lisa¡¯s eyes began to close like their lids were dragged down by heavy weights.

    ¡°Humans.¡±  Lialah said, and straightened the girl¡¯s legs out, then put her covers over her, exited the room, the apartment, and the building as silently as she¡¯d entered it.

    Out in the dark alley again, she glanced once more down at Albaer¡¯s still wet blood in the darkness, then jumped, spread her wings, and began to fly back to what, wholly to her surprise, Lialah began to think of as home.

 Chapter Twenty-Two

    Albaer remained up late, the pair were gone, and envy briefly flared up.  ¡®Flight.  What a thing that would be¡­ I¡¯d trade half my life for wings.¡¯  He thought, and made Kami cast his ¡®flight¡¯ spell.

    It began to rain in the game, the thunder cracking overhead, lightning flashed, and another noise split the sky.  A dragon¡¯s roar.  Early in the game of Hylarim, dragons were a dangerous species.  Arguably one of the most dangerous in the game, progressing up to the highest level of difficulty where one was considered a world ending game boss.

    But now Kami could tank that thing alone.  Between his flight, his magic, his morph magic, and the player mods that let him swap from vampire to werecat, Kami was now the unknown God of Hylarim.

    And yet whenever it rained, Albaer still took a small penalty.  The fur covered character soaked it up like a sponge giving him the appearance of a wet pet.  ¡®If he were real, I bet he¡¯d smell too.  Can gods be stinky?¡¯  He laughed, it wasn¡¯t a question he expected would be raised in any theological seminaries.

    But it was worth a cheap laugh, the truth was, he kept glancing at the door.  He flew around with Kami, and pretended he was flying out there.  The sense was enhanced when thunder rolled outside his home, and Albaer got up to turn on all the lights.  He opened the window, ignoring the drops of rain that fell in, and then went to the front door.  It was unlocked.

    He stared down at the knob, his hand went out and checked it, the knob turned.  It was unlocked.  ¡®It¡¯s dark out.  What if they can¡¯t find the place?¡¯  He asked himself, and flicked on the kitchen and living room area lights, he opened the door to his mother¡¯s room, reaching just inside and flicking the switch close by.

    He went back to the door, taking long strides all the way there, he grabbed the handle and yanked it open, the rain began to come down in earnest, a great torrent ran over the street outside.

    Lightning cracked, and Albaer turned his eyes to the sky and searched for distant dots growing larger.  He saw none.  ¡®Is lightning dangerous to demons or angels?¡¯  Somehow it was hard to imagine.  ¡®Maybe.¡¯  Was his best answer.

    But with the lights all on and the door wide open, the apartment was as visible as it could be.

    Albaer returned only slowly to his room, he left the bedroom door open, and sat down in front of the game again.

    The storm on the TV was so much like the one outside that he got lost in the fantasy.  Closing his eyes, Albaer made Kami roar out in the night, and pretended to be accompanying Kami in his journey across the sky beside the only friends he had.

    The quest marker grew closer, and even with all his enchanted gear on, his magic couldn¡¯t hold out forever.  Kami¡¯s magic would fail soon, but Albaer didn¡¯t want to descend from the sky.

    Not while they were still gone.  Not while he could pretend.

    He turned up the volume, closed his eyes, and listened to the soaring sound of air whooshing past.  The storm in the game wasn¡¯t a threat, even if the rain slowed him down a tiny bit.

    When his eyes were shut, it was like he was flying free, like he was Kami, not the teenage boy with a dead father, a town that hated him, a mother who was always gone, and a nightmarish school life that just saw his last remaining ¡®human¡¯ friend make fun of him, betray him, and let him get beaten up.

    The sky was open, in his mind he could stretch out his hand, touch the electrons, and make them obey.  The clouds were dark and secure, and nothing could bother him.

    Then the telltale buzz hit and killed the fantasy.

    Kami¡¯s voice was shouting, his body flailing aimlessly and grabbing at nothing.  He was racing against the falling rain, and the ground below loomed larger and larger, until one crack of lightning lit up the screen, and then the whole screen went black when Kami hit the ground.

    Hylarim had a unique degree of realism for a game, and that was that you suffered real consequences for your actions within it.  If your character broke his leg in the wild, he would have to find help.  Total healing magic just wasn¡¯t part of the deal.  At least not on hardcore mode.  There, if you died, you died.  Injuries would have to be treated, and you¡¯d have to drag yourself to a healer to pay them to look after you.  For serious injuries this meant that weeks or months of in game time could pass.  The benefit for this was that it opened up a lot more quests, and all new equipment, and you gained a large experience boost.  But the downside was that most people could never finish the game.  Not many could run through it without dying.

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    The screen blacked out, if Kami survived, then the screen would slowly blur back into view, and if there were broken bones then he would have to set them and keep Kami alive until someone wandered by.  Wanderers could be bandits, they could be thieves, merchants, soldiers, or even monsters.  Surviving the fall didn¡¯t guarantee anything.

    But then¡­ the lights throughout the apartment went out, as did the television and console.  Everything went black but the flashing of the lightning outside.

    ¡®How will they find this place in the dark?  Even if they can see perfectly well, this is just one apartment out of many, one wrong door and they could be exposed!¡¯  Albaer shot to his feet and rushed for the door to the basement.

    His hands fumbled for the light switch, slapping around on the wall, ¡®I have to make sure they can find this place.¡¯

    He slapped around in the dark for a good ten seconds before he realized, ¡®Oh¡­ that won¡¯t work anyway¡­¡¯  He then clambered down the steps, the wood thudding under his feet, his heart racing, the basement even darker than before without any light from the upstairs to help him.

    But for some things, Albaer needed no help.  Countless trips, countless memories, countless outings, and now all the things from it were packed away.  He rushed for the place where the fishing rods hung, a bin sat there, large and blue with a tight seal on it to keep the contents protected.  Albaer flung it open and tossed the lid aside.  His hands dug through in the dark.  ¡®Come on¡­ come on I know you¡¯re in here.¡¯  He thought with frantic urgency, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be.  You¡¯ve got to be.¡±  He yanked things out and tossed them on the floor until the nylon-like feel brushed over his hands, his fingers snapped closed like a bear trap around the object, and he pulled a bright white tarp out of the bottom.

    He then dug through further, ¡®We¡¯ve got to have some left¡­ we didn¡¯t get lost that often!¡¯

    That was one of the scariest and happiest of his memories, he and his dad, the sun overhead, fishing out in a national park, going for a hike that weekend.  A bright summer day¡­ then getting thoroughly lost.  He still smiled back on it, because his father was fearless.

    The lessons still rang true.

    ¡°Follow the flow of water and you¡¯ll find people eventually.  Fire is both friend and foe.  Yes it can burn you, but the smoke and light can easily be seen from the air, and when you want to be found, that¡¯s your best chance.¡±  He could still see his father¡¯s bearded face, a smile that would one day be grandfatherly.  He¡¯d simply pitched a camp, waited, and then ignited flares and started a fire.  A helicopter rescued them in no time after they failed to check in.  So, he got a helicopter ride on top of everything.

    His hands fumbled around , the noise of scraping and his heavy breathing was the only noise in the house, and then he found one.  ¡®Flare ho!¡¯  He thought with relief and headed back for the stairs.

    His feet pounded on the wood, and he rushed out the wide open front door, wind was howling, and Albaer¡¯s imagination ran wild.

    ...Raziel blown off course, landing somewhere, being found, dragged off to a lab¡­ Lialah, knocked into a powerline, electrocuted, or being stumbled upon by the police, carted away for a life of experiments and interrogation¡­

    ¡®Nothing happened.  Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened.¡¯  Albaer reminded himself as the wind and rain beat and battered his face.

    He unfurled the white tarp and tied off a corner to the beams that held up the stairway to his upstairs neighbor, thankfully the corners had ropes permanently secured to them, so this proved easy even in the rain.

    Confident it would not blow away, he unrolled it, held out the middle, and popped the flare, the bright red light lit up the area around him.  Albaer held tight, keeping the square as visible as possible even though his side had no corners to secure to anything, and waved the red flare back and forth overhead.

    Lightning brightened the darkness again and again, ¡®How long can this take?¡¯  He had to wonder, rain continued to rage against him, what didn¡¯t strike him hit the ground and the rushing torrent moved past his home and soaked his shoes and well past his ankles.

    ¡®Is this doing any good?¡¯  He wasn¡¯t sure, but he kept at it, Albaer¡¯s flare cast him in red light sharper than Raziel¡¯s skin, the light reflecting off the tarp and catching the eye, he could only hope they¡¯d realize it was him.  ¡®Hopefully they¡¯ll realize no other idiot would be standing around out here in the middle of the rain holding a reflective tarp and a bright red light.¡¯

    Albaer was just beginning to fear it was all for nothing, that they¡¯d taken shelter elsewhere, or worse, something went wrong.  Then a lightning strike showed two pairs of wide spread wings against the night sky.

    He waved his flare faster, his arm nearly ready to fall off, he held it high above his head and began to jump around, splashing water about and soaking what wasn¡¯t soaked enough already, until he saw them start to descend.

    Albaer sighed with relief as they finally splashed down, ¡°Thanks for the light show, I was honestly worried we¡¯d get lost.¡±  Raziel said and smacked him on his weary shoulder, he dropped the flare to extinguish in the water.

    ¡°Same here, without that reflection it was getting really tough to tell one place from another.  I was starting to get worried we¡¯d gone too far.¡±  Lialah squeezed his hand as she followed her sister into the dark apartment.

    ¡°Heh, yeah, no problem.  I knew you¡¯d be fine of course but, you know, can¡¯t be too careful.¡±  Albaer covered his thoughts up and undid the cord to bring the tarp inside.

    When he closed the door after they were safely inside and dripping wet, he spoke to them with a very straight face, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re back, and safe.¡±  Then asked,  ¡°So, how did it go?¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Three

    Moments later, the lights began to flicker on and return to life, lighting up the apartment.

    Raziel put her hands behind her head and whistled as if she had absolutely ¡®not¡¯ done anything wrong.  ¡°You know what¡¯s funny, Albaer?¡±  She asked as she proceeded to run her hands through her silky black hair and gave her head a vigorous shake.

    ¡°What?¡±  He asked as he headed past them toward his bathroom, thinking to grab a towel.

    ¡°You humans developed a lot of the same beliefs about demons, succubi in particular, as our homeland.  Some of those beliefs are even kind of true, we have a natural affinity for certain types of dark magic.  Succubi can infiltrate and manipulate dreams, it¡¯s one of the first things we learn how to do.  I just¡­ paid Trevor¡¯s dreams a visit.  If you see him again and he asks you if you had any unusual dreams, it¡¯d be a good idea if you said ¡®Yes, of a beautiful and terrifying demon, but you just don¡¯t remember any details¡­ or something like that.¡±  Raziel preened, stretched her limbs and wings out, and batted her dark eyelashes at him for a moment, ¡°Emphasize ¡®beautiful¡¯, of course.¡±  She added with a taunting laugh when Albaer rolled his eyes at her theatrics.

    ¡°Ohhhhkay, I don¡¯t think I want any details.¡±  Albaer said while they followed after, he rubbed his head vigorously with a brown towel and tossed it to Raziel.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t as subtle, Lisa was awake.¡±  Lialah explained what happened, and Albaer¡¯s face was carefully neutral, showing no emotion while he reached out and took another towel to throw to her.

    Lialah caught it and began to dry herself off.  ¡°She is genuinely sorry for what she said, and what she did.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±  Albaer shook his head.  ¡°I literally, really do not care how sorry she is.¡±

    Lialah approached, ¡°I think she¡¯ll make it right, confess, so that you don¡¯t get more¡­ bad treatment over it.¡±  She put a hand on Albaer¡¯s arm, he looked down at it.

    Then up at the angel inches away from him.  ¡°If she does that, that¡¯s more than I expect, but it just prevents future attacks that haven¡¯t happened yet.  I¡¯m still on the bottom at school, and that¡¯s how it will stay as long as I¡¯m in this place, and I can¡¯t leave.¡±

    Lialah looked away from the hardness in his lustrous brown eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll heal you, every time¡­ I promise.  Every time you come through that door.  I don¡¯t have all the magic I used to, how could I?  But we¡¯ll help.  It¡¯s the least we can do¡­¡±  Lialah¡¯s eyes became steady, ¡°I hope that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Albaer softened, one hand came up and touched the hand that still held his wet arm.  ¡°You know, if I hadn¡¯t met you two, I might have forgiven Lisa.  I might have been willing to let it go just to keep her around.  Humans are social creatures, we need community, we need each other.  We¡¯re unhealthy in the absence of others in the long term.  I was so desperate just a few days ago that if she¡¯d done that, I¡¯d have said ¡®I forgive you¡¯ just to pretend I had a friend.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, no you wouldn¡¯t.¡±  Raziel said, straightening up as she dried off her hair.

    ¡°Yes, I probably would have.¡±  His lip curled up a little at the corner, ¡°I hate to overuse the word ¡®pathetic¡¯ so I won¡¯t, but there aren¡¯t many other words.  Let¡¯s just say, I think of you two as friends, it hasn¡¯t been long, but maybe because we¡¯ve traded trust¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±  Albaer shrugged, ¡°If I¡¯ve got friends here, I¡¯m not worried about being out there.¡±

    Raziel rolled her eyes, ¡°My sister is right, but you know, I still say you should just learn to fight.  There¡¯s no reason you shouldn¡¯t defend yourself, why should you get beaten up, just because you were unlucky about your dad and¡­¡±

    ¡°From who?¡±  Albaer asked and peeled off his soaking wet shirt.  ¡°Look, I know a lot about history, military stuff, but I don¡¯t know anything about fighting and there¡¯s nobody who would teach the ¡®Bad Seed¡¯ how to fight.  Anybody who could, just wants me to bleed anyway.¡±  His voice was thick with sarcasm, and Raziel was not without a quick retort.

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    ¡°Us?  Our world has lots of war, and my sister and I are both well trained, we had to be in order to subdue any hero we summoned, you know, just in case.¡±  She explained, and Albaer shook his head.

    ¡°Thank you, but no thank you.  I¡¯ve got no reason to fight, and all my mom asked was that I- you know.¡±  Albaer said, his face was warm again, a light flush on his cheeks, ¡°I¡¯ll stick with my books and video games.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±  Raziel replied, ¡°Now, about our wet clothes?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±  Lialah replied and held up a hand.

    Seconds later the water was drawn out of the fabric of each of them and combined into a ball of undulating and pulsing water easily the size of all three of their heads combined.

    She guided it to the bathroom and with a light flick of her wrist, it arced into the tub with a powerful echoing splatter, and then began to disappear down the drain.

    ¡°I can¡¯t get over how useful magic is.¡±  Albaer grinned stupidly, giddy all over and his hairs standing on end every time he saw it.

    Lialah had a little smirk at his praise, ¡°Thanks.¡±  She said, and smoothed out her clothing.

    ¡°Now,¡± Raziel eyed the console, ¡°Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±  Albaer said and went to flop down on his bed, the worries of his day were gone, school would come, if not for a few days as he was already thinking of the excuse he would use to call in sick.  ¡®Mom won¡¯t notice, she doesn¡¯t notice anything anymore.¡¯  He thought, and stretched out with a groan.

    ¡°Keep the volume down, Raziel, but the screen won¡¯t bother me.¡±  Albaer said.  He didn¡¯t hear what she said, because before he knew it, he was out like the lights were earlier.

    No sooner than he was out cold than Raziel was on her feet.  The game paused.

    ¡°Raziel, what are you doing?¡±  Lialah asked while laying out their sleeping bags and folding her wings around her body.

    The demoness was standing over the sleeping Albaer and staring down into his resting face.  ¡°I can¡¯t do healing magic, my race can¡¯t do that¡­ but there is something I can do.  I can make his dreams into utter bliss.¡±

    ¡°Raziel-¡±  Lialah hissed, ¡°You didn¡¯t ask him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him in his dreams.¡±  She said without looking at her sister, though even without looking, the demon felt the reproachful look of the angel.

    ¡°You know that isn¡¯t the same thing.¡±  Lialah critiqued her.

    ¡°We know he bled out there to get us things to wear.  And standing out in that storm, he doesn¡¯t have fur, or a thick coat, or heat magic.  It¡¯s nice to be put first for once.  Is it so strange for me to want to show my gratitude?¡±  Raziel replied with the rhetorical question.

    ¡°If you insist, then why not just stimulate the pleasure centers of his mind, going into his dreams now is probably not the best idea.¡±  Lialah pointed out, and Raziel relented.

    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s no worse than putting an extra blanket on him, so I¡¯ll do that instead¡­ but the other way would have been fun for me too.¡±  Raziel pointed out with a pout.

    ¡°Gah, just do it, finish your game, and come lie down, we¡¯ll ¡®reset¡¯ and hope to the gods he¡¯s as good as we believe.¡±

    Raziel put a hand on the sleeping young man.  ¡°I shared, with him.  I¡¯ve been wrong about a lot of things, but not this.  Not this.  Dream.  Dream wonderful dreams that fill you with bliss all night long.¡±  She said and uttered a string of complex syllables, and she watched the smile start to form on his face.

    Suddenly no longer in the mood for games, she saved, turned it off, and slid into the sleeping bag at the foot of his bed beside her sister.  ¡°Before we do this,¡± Raziel asked, ¡°did you ever regret our binding?¡±

    ¡°No.  No I didn¡¯t.  And not just because it made us the most powerful summoners in the world.  I didn¡¯t regret it, because nobody could have asked for a better sister, or a better friend.¡±  Lialah asked, and kissed her sister¡¯s forehead, she pinched the demon¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Alright.  Then let¡¯s do it.¡±  Raziel took a deep breath.

    ¡°Shua nesi.¡±  Lialah whispered.

    ¡°Xtpk zxpl.¡±  Raziel whispered at the exact same moment.

    ¡°Square One.¡±  They uttered the phrase in the language of the world in which they now lay, and clung together hand in hand.

    Before each of their eyes, their skills appeared, and began to disappear, yellow squares in summoning, in strength enhancement, in speed enhancements, in flight, their body magic spells, everything.  It took an hour for it all to happen, but it did.

    ¡°C-Can you move?¡±  Raziel asked in a tiny whisper.

    ¡°N-No.  So this is how weak I was as an infant¡­ I can¡¯t say I like it.¡±  Lialah whispered back and managed to flop her head to the side to face her sister.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long at least, so just be patient and keep trying to move.  When Albaer wakes up, everything will be fine.¡±  Lialah added.

    ¡°I know.¡±  Raziel said, for the first time in her life, confident that her sister was right.

 Chapter Twenty-Four

    Albaer awoke in the morning with the sense of the utmost contentment, his entire body felt as if he slept on a cloud, whatever the dream had been, though he couldn¡¯t recall it, he knew it was marvelous. He slid his legs over the side, taking a moment to look first, lest his roommates had moved somehow or for some reason while he was asleep. Then seeing that they weren¡¯t there, he set his feet down, scrunched his feet over the off-white carpet, and stretched his arms above his head while arching his back with a groan.

    ¡°That was the best night¡¯s sleep I¡¯ve had in a very long time.¡± Albaer said and walked over to check. He found a ruby eyed demoness looking up at the ceiling, and an angel lightly snoring beside her.

    ¡°Well, we did it, we went back to ¡®Square One¡¯. I assume my sister told you?¡± Raziel said in a quiet, scratchy voice.

    Albaer stared straight down at her, ¡°Uh, yeah, how did-¡±

    Raziel¡¯s lips moved at a glacial pace, ¡°Because of course she would tell you. I love my sister dearly, but she is hopelessly predictable. Predictable, and far too trusting.¡±

    ¡°She said while lying helpless on her back beside that same sister.¡± Albaer pointed out.

    Raziel wheezed out a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m one to talk, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯m lying here the same as she.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask, if you¡¯re so naturally suspicious, why not do it separately, one of you go back to ¡®Square One¡¯, let the other protect her, and then the other one does it?¡± Albaer asked, his curiosity piqued.

    ¡°Because we bonded in order to perform the summoning for Kami. Our ¡®Squares¡¯ were linked, or stacked, maybe like links in the chain, you can¡¯t shorten it without breaking it.¡± Her head flopped to the side and she looked up with the one she had available. ¡°She couldn¡¯t go back to ¡®One¡¯ unless I did, and I couldn¡¯t unless she did. We either went together, or not at all, and from what I¡¯ve read about your world, and what we¡¯ve seen with you, we won¡¯t survive unless we do it at all.¡±

    ¡°So now that you¡¯ve done it, what happens?¡± Albaer asked.

    Raziel was very, very quiet. Only the snoring of her sister broke the silence.

    If it was possible, the demoness went even more limp. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. We¡¯ll have a few days where we¡¯re completely helpless, our strength resets to barely enough to speak. We can¡¯t feed ourselves, we can¡¯t drink, we can barely turn our heads. In my world¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Albaer asked and sat cross legged close by her so it would be easier for her to see his face.

    ¡°In my world, going back to ¡®Square One¡¯ is the deepest possible form of trust. Usually it¡¯s only bonded pairs, or family, or the closest of battle comrades that will be trusted to be present because any horrible thing can be done. There are all kinds of stories even so, of mates who have slain their own, comrades or even family members who took advantage of that vulnerability. Even once someone can move, they lack most of the skills necessary to protect themselves. So someone bigger and stronger, which is most people, can get away with a lot.¡±

    Raziel let that hang while Albaer soaked it in.

    ¡°That means the person taking care of them while they¡¯re helpless, also acts as a bodyguard until the reseted person can grow strong again in new ways.¡± Raziel explained and took a deep breath.

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    ¡°Why me, then? We barely even know each other really.¡± Albaer asked.

    ¡°Because we don¡¯t have a choice, you¡¯re the only human we know. I doubt we can find someone else, even if they exist we¡¯ve got no way to know who they are. You¡¯re it. Plus, you were my first ¡®sharing¡¯. And you bled for us, you knew it was dangerous out there, you knew you¡¯d get beaten down, but to help us, you went. I guess what I¡¯m saying is, I have every reason to trust you now.¡± Raziel tried to move her arm, but the mere weight of her sister¡¯s hand over hers prevented more than a very slight shake.

    ¡°Take my hand, would you, Albaer Babtiste Lamark?¡± Raziel asked.

    A chill washed over him as the gravity of the situation for them hit home, he took her hand and folded it in his. Her hand was very, very warm, and her fingers moved only a little, the sharp talons barely more than a light scratch.

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t easy for me, or for her. All I can do is hope we made the right choice, I¡¯d be lying if I were to say it isn¡¯t scary. I¡¯ve seen your internet, there¡¯s a whole genre of hentai based on this exact situation.¡± Raziel was not smiling when she said it, nor did she laugh, and neither did Albaer.

    ¡°You did.¡± Albaer said and patted her hand, ¡°You did. I promise. No harm will come to you. But I will ask that you be careful about what internet websites you go to, viruses are a problem.¡±

    Raziel gave a half snort, ¡°If I was at all unsure, I¡¯d have said something along the lines of, ¡®Just take me and leave my sister alone.¡¯ But if I had to say that sort of thing, we wouldn¡¯t have done this in the first place.¡±

    ¡°I suppose not.¡± Albaer added and patted her hand again, ¡°How do I take care of you? I¡¯ve never taken care of a demon or an angel before.¡±

    ¡°At ¡®Square One¡¯, we need life energy from living things, we can take food, but it¡¯s faster and safer with the life energy of others. Obviously, it has to be freely given. We can¡¯t exactly take it by force.¡± She managed a weak little smile at that.

    ¡°Safer how?¡± Albaer asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Our bodies are very weak, so food contamination could hurt us more than it otherwise would.¡± She explained, and Albaer gave a sharp nod of understanding.

    ¡°Right, but giving you life energy¡­ how do I do that and is that dangerous?¡± Albaer asked.

    ¡°Just relax, stay how you are, and I¡¯ll do the rest. And it can be lethal, but only if I take too much at once. You¡¯ll replenish it on your own over time.¡± Raziel explained, and Albaer cleared his throat, shifted his posture a bit, and bowed his head with a deep breath.

    ¡°Do it.¡± He ordered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go very slow so it doesn¡¯t hurt, it might even feel good.¡± Raziel said, and she began, it was a light tingle in his hand, barely noticeable, but warm, comfortable, a steady flow almost like blood ran through his system, and he felt himself, and she sighed while taking his essence into her body. ¡°That felt great. Just do that for me a few times a day for the next two or three days, and we should be on our feet again soon, we should even have a few basic ¡®Squares¡¯ open to us.¡±

    ¡°I really want to ask about those squares, but one other thing comes to mind¡­ and given what just happened, it¡¯s going to sound bad.¡± Albaer said and furrowed his brow.

    ¡°Yesss¡­?¡± Raziel could barely adjust her facial muscles, but he detected a distinct tension in her voice.

    ¡°How do we handle¡­ you know? The bathroom situation? That would be uncomfortable even if I were a woman, I guess. But I¡¯m definitely not.¡± Albaer gave his head a vigorous shake of denial.

    Raziel¡¯s inability to blush did nothing whatsoever to disguise her immediate discomfort, nor take any of it out of her voice when she replied simply.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Five

    Lialah woke up eventually, as unable to move as her sister.  Albaer extended his hand, and allowed her to draw life from him as Raziel had, it had a distinctly different feel to it when she did.  Raziel was a tingling sort of sensation, whereas Lialah it was more of a long caress.

    When it came to pass that it was over, Albaer said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel right having you just lie on the floor for the next few days.  I can take the floor, and you can take the bed.  I feel like a perverted creeper if I just leave you down there.  Plus it seems like the bed would be more comfortable.¡±

    ¡°I-I guess.¡±  Raziel agreed.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±  Lialah agreed likewise, but their eyes were clouded with a hint of doubt.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just thinking of you here.¡±  Albaer insisted, rubbing the back of his head, ¡°I get why you might doubt that, but the offer stands.¡±

    Raziel finally rolled her eyes, ¡°Alright, me first.¡±

    Albaer nodded, crouched down, opened the sleeping bag all the way and tossed the top half over.  He then put an arm under her leg beneath the knee and another under her back.  He hefted her up, and couldn¡¯t help but notice, ¡®Her bat wings are so¡­ smooth, her body so warm¡­¡¯  Her hair soft as it looked, smooth as silk, he closed his eyes and set the demon gently down on his mattress.

    ¡°Lialah?¡±  He asked.

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes?¡±  Lialah answered, avoiding his eyes.

    ¡°Here or there?¡±  He asked and pointed from where she was, to beside Raziel in his bed.

    ¡°I want to be with my sister.¡±  Lialah said instantly.

    ¡°Okay¡­ just be still, I¡¯m not going to hurt you, I promise.¡±  Albaer said as he undid her sleeping bag and flung it open in the same way.  He took her in his arms as he had Raziel a moment ago, ¡®Her wings, so soft, her hair, like Raziel¡¯s, her skin soft, warm¡­ the smell of lilacs¡­¡¯  He tried to think of something else and in his own discomfort, he wouldn¡¯t look at her as he carried her to where Raziel lay waiting, and set Lialah beside her.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be bored just lying there for days so, ah, this is new to me.¡±  Albaer avoided looking at the pair, going so far as to put his back to them, ¡°I think, I think you need some entertainment, yeah.  I can put on a movie, I only have the one TV but you can take turns, and I¡¯ll be on the computer if you need anything, yeah?¡±  Albaer moved around with a kind of nervous energy, his hand darted for the controller sitting on the desk and missed it, instead knocking it to the floor and popping open the battery section.  The batteries slid out and rolled away from him as soon as it landed.

    ¡°Just a moment, okay, I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±  He dropped down to all fours and grabbed the dark controller, the battery part, and looked around for the pair of Double A batteries.

    His fingers fumbled around to get the batteries in the right positions, switching the positive and the negative ends in the wrong direction¡­ twice.  ¡°Damn it¡­ like getting a phone charger plugged in, you can never get it the right way the first time for some reason.¡±  He gave a lame laugh and got the batteries right at last, connected the two halves back together with a telltale click, and gave a loud deep sigh of relief when he got the console going again.

    ¡°There!¡±  Albaer exclaimed and the little ¡®donk¡¯ noise came off the television when he selected an anime streaming service.  ¡°Now, what kind of series do you like?¡±  He asked without looking over his shoulder, ¡°Action?  Drama?  Romance?  Comedy?¡±

    ¡°Action!¡±  Raziel said.

    ¡°Romance!¡±  Lialah asserted.

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    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a problem¡­ ehhh, take turns?¡±  He asked while staring at the screen.

    ¡°Albaer¡­ Albaer it¡¯s alright.  We¡¯re not going to melt if you just look in our direction, just pick something and sit with us.¡±  Raziel said.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah sure.¡±  Albaer thumbed his finger over the stick and jumped around aimlessly until he selected a random series about a young man living with various female monsters.

    Something about it just felt¡­ right given his situation.  When it started, he stood up and set the controller by the computer on the desk.  Only then did he glance at the bed and realize that Raziel couldn¡¯t properly see the screen.

    ¡®Idiot.¡¯  He cursed himself, they watched him more than the show, though as it was only on its intro music that was no surprise.  ¡®If you¡¯d just looked, or thought, you¡¯d realize she couldn¡¯t have enjoyed it.¡¯

    ¡°Here¡­ let me help you.¡±  Albaer said, a little flush coming to his cheeks, he went into his closet, grabbed an old stuffed animal that he¡¯d never thrown away, and then returning to the bed he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to move you a bit for this, is that okay?¡±

    Raziel had trouble moving her head, but she answered with a soft, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just be careful.¡±

    Albaer nodded and leaned past Lialah, he put a hand under Raziel¡¯s upper back, raising her up, and then shoved the old stuffed bear under her pillow to give it some extra height to let her see the screen.  He lowered her back down and stepped aside. ¡°Can you see better now?¡±  He asked.

    ¡°Yes, much better, but I¡¯m very thirsty, could I have some water?¡±  Raziel asked.

    ¡°Me too, please.¡±  Lialah asked with the faintest potential hint of a smile of encouragement.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah sure, sure of course, anything you want.¡±  Albaer said and left the room.

    Even from his bedroom, even over the noise of the television, they could hear him fumbling around, the clatter of glasses, plates, and other things as he tried to get them what they wanted.

    ¡°Sweet, but not as innocent as he seems.¡±  Raziel said in a quiet little voice, ¡°Which may not be so bad, it would be stranger if he didn¡¯t notice us that way.  At least this makes him more understandable.¡±

    ¡°Does it though?¡±  Lialah retorted, then relaxed, ¡°I guess it¡¯s too late now, this will be an uncomfortable few days.¡±

    Albaer returned a moment later holding two tall plastic cups with lids on them, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is the best I could do, I added some ice to make it better, ah, some might spill when you try to drink unless I help you sit up.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±  They said at once, and Albaer inched closer, setting one cup down, he got an arm under Lialah, lifted her halfway up, and brought the cup to her lips.

    ¡°This would have been easier with straws, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡±  He said and tilted the cup for her.

    Lialah felt the cool water flow past her lips, she swallowed greedily, acutely aware of his eyes on her face, his breathing and hers briefly aligned until he poured too quickly and she began coughing.  Her body spasmed for several seconds while he apologized.  ¡°Damn!  Sorry!¡±  He said, dropping the cup and spilling some of the water on her clothing, he pounded her back while she coughed it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it was an accident.¡±  Lialah replied and relaxed as he fumbled to pick up the cup from her lap and set it aside.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±  He promised, glancing at the demoness on the other side.

    ¡°Uh huh, and¡­ how are you going to reach from there without lying on top of my sister, pervert?¡±  She asked, and he paused to think that over.  She had a point, getting the pillow adjusted against the headboard had been awkward enough.

    The bed was against the wall, so¡­ ¡®Move the bed.¡¯  It was an obvious solution.

    ¡°A little rearranging, and this way you can see the TV better too.¡±  He said with a bright smile, pleased with himself that he had an answer.

    ¡°Just stay still, ah¡­ forget I said that.¡±  He said, flushed in the face again, he grabbed the far end of the bed and began to pull, kicking the sleeping bags out of the way, he dragged the bed toward the door, then reached down, picked up the foot end, and began to rotate it.  The weight of the heavy old frame, with two bodies on it, plus a mattress, was considerable, he grunted repeatedly as he swung it around, and then setting it down, he pushed it against the wall so that it faced the television on the far side of the room.

    He wiped his forehead with the back of one arm, ¡°Whoo!¡±  He said with a boyish grin, ¡°Done, now I can reach you both with ease¡­ to help you I mean.¡±  He picked up the cup, went to Raziel¡¯s side, sat himself beside her, and helped her up to drink.

    There was no choking that time.

 Chapter Twenty-Six

    The next few days were not that different from the first few hours.  Albaer allowed them to absorb some of his life energy several times per day, he brought them water when they needed it, and let them pick what to watch while he searched for work on his computer.

    His frustration was difficult to hide, and he tried to do his best, and he was certain that neither picked up on it, until Raziel spoke up.

    Lialah was asleep, snoring quietly, and the demoness did the unexpected, and slid her legs over the bed.

    ¡°You can move?¡±  He said with widened brown eyes as Raziel stood on unsteady feet, bracing her hand against the headboard.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I won¡¯t be entering any tournaments for a little while, but I can move around again.¡±  She said and with wobbly steps, she went to where he sat at his computer.

    He moved to rise, but she held up her hand.  ¡°No, no you¡¯ve done enough.¡±  The demoness said, unfurling her wings and taking the last few shaky steps toward him on her own.

    Her hand caught his shoulder, and he felt her put her weight on him, ¡®That feels nice.¡¯  He thought, when she did it and drew herself closer.

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about something, aren¡¯t you, Albaer?¡±  She asked, the sharp points of her talon tipped fingers dug into his skin just a little bit.

    He lowered his head, the urge to lie was overwhelming, but somehow it felt futile.

    ¡°Yes.¡±  He admitted.  ¡°I quit my job.  I quit my job over what Lisa did, I¡¯m trying to find another one, but I¡¯m not having any luck.¡±

    ¡°You can find work over that thing too?¡±  Raziel asked, intrigued, she leaned over his shoulder, he swallowed, her proximity passed her warmth to him, but her focus was on the screen.

    ¡°Not me, evidently.¡±  Albaer admitted self-deprecatingly.  ¡°But other people, yes they can.  I was hoping to find something that would let me work from here so I could-¡±

    ¡°Albaer, we¡¯re not children, once we¡¯re up and about, both of us, we¡¯ll get our strength back quickly.¡±  Raziel informed him, ¡°I¡¯ve been watching nothing but your anime stuff for the last few days, do you think I¡¯m sort of a perpetual damsel in distress, helpless without you to save her?¡±  She chuckled and clacked the talons of her free hand together as if the very idea were absurd.

    Albaer kept his mouth shut for a moment, then said, ¡°No¡­ but it felt nice to feel needed.¡±

    Raziel fell very quiet then as she heard the way he said it.  ¡°Albaer¡­¡±  She said while he continued scrolling through the screen, she caught a glimpse, the message he had was another rejection.  Her sharp ruby eye caught the phrase, ¡®bad seed¡¯ though missing the context, it wasn¡¯t hard to work out given what she knew.

    He clicked on another message on the dark screen of the browser, ¡°Albaer,¡± she said, putting the tip of her finger under his chin and tilting his face up to her, when she had his attention she went on to say, ¡°you¡¯ve been a big help, really.  Not just now, before this also.  But if we¡¯re going to live here, being trapped and helpless doesn¡¯t appeal to me or my sister.  I don¡¯t want to be a ward you have to watch over.  We¡¯re friends, we should be helping each other.  A team.  Okay?¡±

    Albaer sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hands fell away from his desk, ¡°Yeah, yeah you¡¯re right.  It was a little awkward¡­ especially the bathroom, but I liked feeling useful, helpful, that was nice.  Plus¡­ let¡¯s be frank, there¡¯s no way to get you hired anywhere with no credentials.  No college.  No high school diploma.  No way you can walk into an interview with angel or bat wings, is there?¡±

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    ¡°No, no I suppose not.¡±  Raziel pointed out, ¡°However, that isn¡¯t the only thing that can happen.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±  Albaer asked, and at that, Raziel giggled.

    ¡°¡®Square One¡¯ means starting over, and my sister and I have a lot of options.  We need the basics of course, our flight skills, our strength and speed, the simple level things.  But that won¡¯t take long, just practice.  Then we can start building up our magic again.  Illusion magic, for example.¡±  Raziel stretched out, arching her back and putting a sharp talon between her teeth.  ¡°I¡¯d make a really pretty human don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Wait, you can do that?¡±  Albaer gasped, his eyes popped.

    ¡°Yes.  If you¡¯re willing to help us some more, to be our test subject while we practice.  My sister and I could try with each other, but we can¡¯t possess our opposite, and our resistance to magic is naturally too high for us to succeed at lower ¡®Squares¡¯.¡±  Raziel asked, and that took Albaer from excited to see magic to wondering what he¡¯d be getting himself into.

    ¡°That sounds dangerous.¡±  He frowned.

    Her teasing succubus air melted away and her hand came back down to his shoulder.  ¡°I will never hurt you.¡±  She vowed with a steely look in her blood red eyes.

    ¡°What do I have to do?¡±  He asked after searching her for any hint of unspoken pain ahead.

    ¡°Today we¡¯re just going to be able to move around, walk, get things for ourselves, we may need your shoulder to lean on a little bit.  But, if we do that, then tomorrow we can start building strength properly.  Using you.¡±  Raziel said, and he stared dumbly back up at her.

    ¡°Angels and demons are both essentially spiritual races, we can grow on our own, but we work best with a host.  In short, I would take over your body, and take you for a run.  When you ¡®do¡¯, I gain.  My sister would do the same, and we¡¯d get back more of our old physical power.  It¡¯s painless, I promise, the worst you might have is some sore muscles from the exercise.  But the whole experience for you is like just being asleep.¡±  Raziel promised, and Albaer thought it over.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be sorting through my memories, changing anything, nothing like that?¡±  Albaer asked.

    Raziel shook her head hard enough that her long dark hair bounced wildly about behind her.  ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°I guess you do need some¡­ some familiarity, how long would you need to take it over?  I do need to go back to school again soon, I skipped two days and called in sick. But that can¡¯t last forever.¡±  Albaer reminded her, and she thought about it.

    ¡°What if we just take it while you¡¯re asleep?  You still get your rest, and you¡¯ll just need a shower after that.¡±  Raziel suggested.

    Albaer could think of no problem with that, ¡°Agreed.  When I¡¯m asleep, I¡¯ll entrust my body to you two.  You put yourselves into my hands, I¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    ¡°Great, after we¡¯ve got what we need, we¡¯ll get ready for the next step in learning to live among humans.¡±  Raziel chuckled a little.

    ¡°Next step?¡±  Albaer asked, raising an eyebrow.

    A yawn caused him to turn toward the bed, Lialah was stretching out, able to move as well, clearly.  ¡°Yes.¡±  She yawned again, blinking her brilliant blue eyes, ¡°Cultural exchange.¡±

    ¡°Cultural exchange?¡±  Albaer asked and looked up at Raziel and back over to Lialah.

    ¡°We need to know more about humanity, this world, its customs, so we need first hand experience.  So, once we can disguise ourselves properly and manipulate the minds we need to, we¡¯re going to go to your school.¡±  Lialah said and sat up on the bed, slowly rubbing one eye.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be as helpful there as you are here.¡±  Lialah added, along with yet another yawn.

    ¡°Uhhh¡­ yeah, yeah of course, how could I not¡­ that¡¯d be great, you know, really great, can¡¯t wait to have you there, you know.¡±  Albaer said, speaking far faster than he intended, and wishing to get the taste of the lie out of his mouth.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven

    It was strange to watch a demon and an angel walk around like old people who¡¯d had sex far rougher than they should have, stooped, hobbled, and groaning when they pushed themselves a little too much, but the strangeness of Albaer¡¯s existence did not endure.  They moved around over the course of several hours, and each one that passed saw them grow noticeably stronger.

    Able to walk steadily, at least for a little while.

    Their hands shook when trying to hold cups, so they sat at the table and held their cups in both hands.

    Albaer poured water for them so they didn¡¯t have to, and finally, Lialah asked, ¡°Can I have something to eat?¡±

    She still had a small voice, and still had some trouble looking at him after he said he was willing to let them use his body to help themselves get back to form, but Albaer said nothing about it.

    He got up, went around the counter that divided the living room and the kitchen, and reached into the pantry, pulling out a can of soup.  The two women drank their ice water quietly with nothing more than an ¡°ahhh¡± to break the stillness of the early afternoon.

    ¡°Do you think she did it?¡±  Raziel asked her sister.

    ¡°I think so.  The girl was heartbroken.¡±  Lialah replied after setting her cup down.

    ¡°Well she hasn¡¯t come by here, which is just fine by me.¡±  Albaer popped the cap on the can of chicken noodle soup, pulled out a small pot and dumped it into place with a thick wet ¡®plop¡¯ of noodles, broth, and white chicken meat.

    ¡°She¡¯s probably embarrassed, or ashamed still.¡±  Lialah said reprovingly, ¡°I felt her sadness, I brought it with me so you¡¯d know her remorse¡­ but I told her I¡¯d only give it to you if she confessed.¡±  Lialah turned around to speak to Albaer, he had the faucet going and the sound of running water in the can made her pause briefly.

    When the water was dumped with an additional ¡®plop¡¯ and he began to blend the water and soup with a wooden spoon and the stovetop was clicked to a low setting, Lialah added, ¡°It wasn¡¯t right, what she did.  But she didn¡¯t do it with a plan to hurt you.  She panicked.¡±

    Albaer didn¡¯t say anything, he kept looking down at the whorling mass of noodles, meat, and other chunky vegetables.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡±  Lialah almost demanded, but anything else was stopped when her sister¡¯s hand slowly stretched out and came down over her own.

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    ¡°Lialah.¡±  Raziel half whispered, half growled.

    Albaer only continued to stir the soup and stare down into it for several seconds more.

    ¡°Okay.¡±  He said at last and raised his head.  ¡°Pop quiz.  If I were to attack Raziel while the two of you are too weak to do anything about it, would you ¡®A¡¯ join me in hurting her?  ¡®B¡¯, panic and run away?  Or ¡®C¡¯, do everything you could do to protect her, even if you knew you¡¯d fail, even if you knew you could get hurt too?¡±  Albaer hissed the words and his eyes grew fierce with angry tears, the wooden spoon in his hand was clenched hard enough that the sound of a ¡®crack¡¯ punctuated his question, leaving Lialah quiet.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ever abandon Raz¡­¡±  Lialah said in a mousy voice.

    ¡°Right.  I¡¯ve known Lisa since I can remember.  I always thought of her as a friend, and I thought I was giving her space while things were happening to me.  I didn¡¯t want her getting caught up in my shit life.  Then there was no avoiding it, I was right at her door, there was no way out of it, she could have shut the door.  She could have pulled me in.  She could have said I was dropping something off she left at the store.  Instead, she stood there and watched, she told a lie, then watched me get the crap kicked out of me.  She didn¡¯t even ask them to stop.  What makes you think I give a damn how sorry she is?¡±  Albaer hissed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask her to fight, but she threw me into the fire to warm herself and thinks her apology will fix my burns?  No.  No.  No.¡±

    Lialah hung her head.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s none of my business, I overstepped my bounds, I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Albaer looked down at the stove and brought the soup broth to his lips and gave a long, loud slurp.  He then looked back to Lialah and sighed.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the brutal comparison, obviously I would never do that.  I just couldn¡¯t think of a better way to help you understand what you were asking me to do.¡±

    ¡°I know.  Again, I¡¯m sorry too.¡±  Lialah half whispered while she watched him make the final preparations.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you I can forgive.  All you wanted to do was help.  But some things you can¡¯t make okay just because you want to.¡±  Albaer replied, his voice was hard, but sincere, the clinking of glasses, plates and bowls came out of the kitchen as he reached up and pulled down a pair of gray glass bowls and plates.  Lialah wasn¡¯t looking any longer, though she could hear him put down the metal spoons.

    ¡®Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid.  How could you not see that, you knew what you were going to go see¡­ even if you didn¡¯t expect genuine remorse, why did you think you could fix that?  You can¡¯t fix it.  You can¡¯t ¡®really¡¯ fix anything¡­ but hopefully at least she did the least of her promise.¡¯

    Behind her, Albaer ladled the soup, then reached into the pantry area and snagged a bag of salty crackers which he shook out to line up around half the bowl each.  He carried the plates to the table and laid down one each.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a lot, but I need to order groceries, so this will have to do for now, besides, if you¡¯re still feeling weak you shouldn¡¯t have anything hard on¡­ I guess whatever kind of stomachs that you have?¡±  Albaer scratched his sandy hair as he tried to work out how to put that.  ¡°Anyway, enjoy.¡±

    The pair ate in silence after that, sipping at the soup until it was gone, their minds so far elsewhere that they didn¡¯t notice when Albaer excused himself to go back to his room again.

 Chapter Twenty-Eight

    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±  Raziel said when she finished her soup and noticed that Albaer was gone.  She leaned forward, catching her hand on the table to stop herself from falling over from the weakness that hadn¡¯t yet left her.

    Lialah¡¯s heart was filled with shame.  ¡°I know.  But she was just¡­ sad.  I hate seeing anybody sad, I thought if he could know what she felt, maybe they could-¡±

    ¡°Could what?¡±  Raziel asked, her own heart burning with age old frustrations of her own, her talons dug into her palms, too weak to draw blood, it was nonetheless a painful thing, but not painful enough to make her relax the tension in her fingers.  ¡°Go back?  Whatever they had before, whatever they were, even if he forgave her, how could he ever forget?  There¡¯s no going back.  Not from anything, once done, it¡¯s done forever.  I know that better than anyone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I really didn¡¯t mean-¡±  Lialah started to insist, her slender fingers fidgeting with one another as she finished the soup Albaer made for them both.

    ¡°To take her side?¡±  Her sister interrupted again.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡±  Lialah insisted, ¡°I wasn¡¯t taking a side.¡±  Her denial was strident and certain, but Raziel¡¯s steady stare told her she thought otherwise.

    ¡°That is taking a side, my naive sister.¡±  Raziel insisted in return.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡±  Lialah said, unable to look at her sister, instead she focused on her twitching, shifting fingers, her wings folded in close to wrap around her body in a self embrace.

    ¡°We meant to summon Kami.  Instead we¡¯re here.  What you meant doesn¡¯t matter.  What you did does.¡±  Raziel hammered it home, and Lialah¡¯s lower lip began to tremble.

    A twinge of regret and her own advice touched Raziel, she could see the way the angel was nearly reduced to tears, but her resolve stiffened.  ¡®Someone has to bring my naive sibling into line, or who knows what her meddling could screw up.  She could really hurt him without knowing it, or offend him so much that we¡¯re thrown out.  If that behavior becomes a habit, we could get in real trouble when we start going out into this world a little more.¡¯

    As much as Raziel had come to trust Albaer in the short time they¡¯d known each other, it wasn¡¯t lost on her that it was still a short time.  That was the reality she didn¡¯t want to face, but one of them had to.  He was still essentially alien, unlike any other race she knew, with a culture that was utterly unfamiliar and part of a world which was fending off who knew what kind of horrible disaster.

    ¡®So many wars, so destructive, what horrible monster are ¡®they¡¯ trying to keep sealed away?¡¯  Raziel asked herself that question more than once, and the way his mysterious items worked, she¡¯d quickly come to love them, but the question of how they worked, the source of their power, it still wasn¡¯t clear.

    ¡®My adorable sister¡¯s blunder of a question might have been a problem, but we still need to know.  I¡¯ll ¡®have¡¯ to ask at some point, but if it¡¯s a bad question, we must be able to protect ourselves.¡¯  Raziel hated the way she thought.  It ate at her.  It made her think of the reputation of her race at home.  ¡®Conniving, predatory, vicious, backstabbing.¡¯  And there she was, her sister was lost in her own world of thought.

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    Raziel looked back, in Albaer¡¯s room she heard the sound of a mouse clicking on the scree, ¡®And here I am, wondering if I¡¯ll have to turn on the one protecting and providing for us¡­ how can I criticize my sister¡­?¡¯

    The guilt ate at her, gnawed like a dog on a bone trying to get the last little bit of flavor out of it.

    There was one constant answer that she could always turn to whenever she felt guilty about how she was thinking of, or treating, or had treated, anyone.  And nobody ever minded.

    ¡®Why would they?  I¡¯m a succubus.¡¯  She licked her lips out of view of her sister, thinking about even the possibility of turning on him, ¡®I don¡¯t have to tell him what I was thinking¡­ if I just offer sex, that¡¯s apology enough even if he doesn¡¯t know why.  I¡¯ve seen his eyes wander.¡¯

    But there was still doubt.  The unknown set her ill at ease, and too, there was their earlier¡­ misunderstanding.  ¡®I don¡¯t want to confirm the way this world sees me¡­ strangely enough, this is like starting all over with a blank slate.  Maybe wait.  Wait a while and see what happens.¡¯

    Unexpectedly, Raziel¡¯s thoughts and her conclusion that she should in fact, wait a while, brought a sense of unlooked for relief.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Lialah said and looked down into her bowl of yellowish chicken noodle soup.

    ¡°Just- Just be careful.¡±  Raziel reminded her, ¡°I know you mean well, I do.  But Albaer is not an angel, or an elf, or a demon.  We barely have a grasp of his culture and we don¡¯t really know what will happen if we do the wrong thing.¡±  Raziel said and patted her sister¡¯s thigh.

    Lialah gave a weak little smile back in response, ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±  She replied, it was as good a promise as Raziel could expect, and that gave her at least some small relief.

    <hr>

    ¡®Another submission, another rejection.¡¯  Albaer cursed his luck, his fingers were sweating, his confidence in his ability to find work was dubious at best.  ¡®Son of a murdering fraud.  Thanks a lot dad, great legacy you left behind.¡¯  Albaer thought and hit ¡®submit¡¯ dropping another resume into another company¡¯s box.

    The ¡®swoosh¡¯ sound of a successful upload came and went, and after he didn¡¯t even know how long, Albaer had applied to every job within walking or cycling distance.  ¡®Although, I don¡¯t exactly ¡®have¡¯ a bicycle¡­ I guess I could buy one on the cheap somewhere, but there¡¯s no point to that if I don¡¯t have somewhere to go on it.¡¯  Albaer¡¯s thoughts went around and around in his head.

    ¡®What will my mother say if she learns I quit my job?  She¡¯ll find out sooner or later, I can¡¯t disappoint her, she needs me to be responsible.  Working as a nurse pays nothing, everything is expensive and costs more all the time.  Where will we get more money¡­ there¡¯s got to be something I can do, someone who will hire me.  If I let her down, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do, what we¡¯ll do.  And those two out there¡­ I told them they could stay here, they trust me, nobody but mother has trusted me since dad.  What will they say?  They can¡¯t live on their own here.  They¡¯ll die.  I quit my job, they know I quit my job.  What will I say to them when I hear their bellies rumbling?  Sorry, you¡¯re going to go hungry because my friend made me sad?  Irresponsible idiot!  You¡¯re going to let them down.  You¡¯re going to let your mom down.¡¯  He stood up and paced, and paced, and paced.

    He paced until his legs hurt, he paced until his calves screamed at him, he paced until he grew tired of that and flopped himself down on the bed and stared at nothing.  The others hadn¡¯t come in yet, eager to be anywhere else, he shouted out to the pair, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to sleep, if you can do your possession thing, do whatever you want with my body, just put it back here when you¡¯re done with it.¡±

    He didn¡¯t hear whether or not they responded, and nor did he care.  They heard him, that was plenty.  Whatever they did, they did.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine

    ¡°I go first.¡± Raziel said when the pair stood over the sleeping young man a little while later, she looked down at her slightly shorter sister, her steady eyes brooked no argument, and normally that was enough.

    Not so easily this time.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lialah demanded, her arm moved of its own accord and her hand clasped Raziel by the wrist, keeping her from raising it without a struggle. She looked up at her sister and would not avert her gaze without an answer.

    Raziel shook her sister¡¯s hand away, twisting against the weakest part of the hold where her slender fingertips met. ¡°Because I¡¯m stronger than you. Because if some part of him resists, I can take him, because if something goes wrong, a demon is better suited to dealing with that than an angel. Because I couldn¡¯t live with myself if anything happened to you, and because you¡­¡±

    She hesitated and then rushed the words out, grabbing her sister¡¯s wrist as Lialah had done to her a moment ago. ¡°Because between the two of us, you have a better chance at survival here without me, than I do without you.¡±

    That caught Lialah by surprise, ¡®If it¡¯s one thing she can do, it¡¯s survive¡­¡¯

    Raziel¡¯s lip turned up in a crooked little smile. ¡°Angels are beloved here too, if something went really, really wrong, and you had to run? Appear in the nearest church, set yourself up as a divine messenger, and you¡¯ll be fine. Or run off to some poor lonely soul and comfort them. You¡¯ll charm their hearts and live out your days in peace. You would be celebrated, I would be hunted. I¡¯m not complaining, that is just how things are. So, I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    Lialah pouted a little, ¡°You always get your way.¡±

    ¡°I wish.¡± Raziel replied with a snort. ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, we will try again tomorrow, but I don¡¯t want to waste a day.¡±

    ¡°Fine, just be careful.¡± Lialah said and watched with one handed folded into the other in front of her waist.

    Raziel¡¯s wings spread outward, they beat a few times, and her body moved to hover over the sleeping young man. ¡°Thanks again, Albaer, I owe you.¡± She said, and slowly dropped down on top of him, he stirred as she straddled his body, her knees coming down to either side of his waist, she lowered her head down and touched her forehead against his. A complex array of syllables that roughly translated would have meant [Demonic Trait], [Possession], and she felt her body begin to lose its substance.

    She looked at her arms, they were already transparent after only a few seconds, her body lost its weight and she could see through her vanishing limbs that the place where her knees depressed the mattress had bounced back into form.

    For a few moments her vision darkened entirely, and then she could see everything clearly. She was staring upward at the ceiling.

    She moved her limbs, they were very human, she moved her hands, turning them out and back again. She wiggled the fingers, they moved the way she wanted.

    ¡°It worked.¡± Raziel said and sat up. ¡°So this is how Albaer¡¯s body feels.¡±

    ¡°You would say it like that.¡± Lialah said, she had a hand on her ample chest and she was breathing deep sighs of relief. ¡°I¡¯m so glad it worked.¡±

    ¡°This does make me think of one thing though¡­ how did he know I¡¯ll give his body back?¡± Raziel asked after planting her feet on the floor and standing up.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Lialah replied, ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡± Raziel said, and whistled.

    ¡°Right. Go ahead, but take care of it, I¡¯ll wait here in case his mother returns¡­ she¡¯s like a ghost.¡± Lialah pointed toward the door, ¡°Go ahead, we don¡¯t know how long this will last, but don¡¯t run too hard.¡±

    ¡°Right, right¡­¡± Raziel said and put her hand over the solid chest of the host body, his heartbeat was quite different from that of a demon. Slower, with a steady rhythm, reminding her of her favorite river¡¯s constancy of current.

    ¡°Wish me luck.¡± She made Albaer¡¯s face smile and caught a reflection of it on the screen of the television. ¡®He has a nice smile.¡¯ She thought, and took a few tentative steps, then a few confident ones, then a few longer ones. And finally she was out the front door with a solid long stride that became a jog that became a run.

    His body was in fairly good shape, as her arms and legs pumped, she touched the flesh beneath his shirt and found it to be far more solid than she initially believed. Raziel wondered about that for several minutes until it hit her. ¡®The beatings. His body was toughening up¡­ warrior training?¡¯ She dismissed the optimistic thought as the wind she ran against continued to pound his face, warriors to be, they were typically enthusiastic about their growing strength.

    Albaer was not.

    She ran on, and on, and on. The minutes carried her forward over miles and still his body kept up, little by little she could feel her own frame benefiting from the effort she was putting into his.

    It was the waning hours of the evening on this world, a red sky against which sat a fading orange tinted sun, itself behind some distant clouds, stragglers from the recent rain.

    Raziel felt all her stress, all her worries, all her fears melt away under the pounding feel of his curious footwear over pavement. The shoes he wore were odd to say the least, and it occurred to her, ¡®We forgot to buy shoes. I can¡¯t ask him for money for that¡­ we¡¯ll just use the ones we have.¡¯ She saw a few people walking past, and they all had different forms of footwear, her own might look a bit out of place, but she had to ask, ¡®How often do you really look at another person¡¯s shoes?¡¯

    That was well and good, and perked her mood up immediately over the tiny hill of brief self recrimination over forgetting something as basic as footwear suited to this new world.

    But the world conspired to ruin it when she heard a voice she knew.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Albyboy! Miss your daddy! You¡¯re running away because your dirtbag daddy died?! Huh?!¡± The voice was deep, masculine, and Raziel knew it form his memories.

    ¡®Albaer doesn¡¯t want to fight.¡¯ She told herself, and ignored the voice.

    But it rankled.

    She heard the footsteps behind her, he was chasing Albaer.

    Chasing him.

    Chasing her.

    He was chasing her.

    Raziel began to feel the rushing pulse of the human body she possessed, the steady heartbeat had increased during the run, but it grew even greater when the sense of being pursued came over it.

    ¡®Just ignore it, just ignore it, just ignore it. He doesn¡¯t want to fight, he doesn¡¯t want to hurt anyone, he just wants to be left alone. And what if you lose? He¡¯ll get hurt, maybe bad, and it¡¯ll be all your fault! How will you make that up to him after he entrusted you with his body?!¡¯

    So she ran.

    The pace slowed, relief overtook her. ¡®Who knows what kinds of warrior arts humans are capable of?¡¯

    ¡°Go on, run away Albyboy, just like your daddy did from you! Bet your mom wants out, maybe she¡¯ll suck me off for a bus ticket away from the ¡®Bad Seed¡¯!¡±

    ¡®Thank goodness he¡¯s asleep inside, I couldn¡¯t bear to watch it¡­¡¯ She thought with relief.

    She finally hit what she felt was a good turnaround point and began to jog back.

    Her pace slowed some for the uphill jog, which proved a bit of a strain on the muscles. ¡®Still, this has to be about four of their miles. I¡¯ll just have to tell Lialah to go the opposite direction to avoid trouble-¡¯

    Raziel was so lost in thought that she didn¡¯t know why she was falling until the pain hit ¡®twice¡¯. The side of Albaer¡¯s knee, and then on the palms of his hands which she¡¯d used to protect his face.

    From the side, there was a string of laughs, familiar laughs from memories she¡¯d seen in the first sharing. She pushed his body up, and glared over at them. ¡°Gonna cwai? Go wun an cwai! Maybe ask daddy to teach you how to fight! Pussy!¡± Pointed fingers and stupid laughs, she looked them over, giving them a practiced assessment.

    There were four of them, all male, dressed in short sleeve shirts in a rainbow of colors, and knee length shorts of black, gray, and tan, and white shoes. They were a little larger than Albaer in body, but not noticeably, and a look at a few told her it definitely wasn¡¯t all muscle.

    She picked up the stick that had been thrown like a spear and hefted it in both hands. The lack of reaction from ¡®Albaer¡¯ seemed to embolden them, this area was empty at present, leaving them all briefly alone.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bad throw. But I really don¡¯t want to fight. I¡¯m trying to keep a promise.¡± She said and rubbed the side of the knee where she¡¯d been struck. ¡®No serious damage, Lialah can heal it before going out. Even at ¡®Square One¡¯ she has that much power.¡¯

    Raziel watched them approach, ¡®If I start to run before the knee feels better, they might get me from behind. Never let them get you from behind.¡¯ She told herself as they came closer.

    ¡°You never fight, that¡¯s what makes this so-¡± The largest of the four was cut off in mid sentence when Raziel reflexively lashed out, she thrust the stick faster than their eyes could follow, and got the blunt end of it directly in his eye.

    He fell backward and landed on his behind, his hand clutching at his face and rocking back and forth, ¡°My eye?! You hit me in the eye!¡±

    ¡®Okay, you¡¯re committed, I¡¯ll apologize later.¡¯ Raziel understood at that moment that she had no other choice, no wings, no magic, but the body she controlled was a good one. And more importantly, she had her instincts from her education at home. An education that included hand to hand combat training from the time she could walk.

    And the demoness was unleashed.

    The stick came out while stupid faces were still looking confused, it cracked across a second jaw, sending the wounded tumbling into a third, and as they fell in a heap she jumped at the fourth. This one, she had to admit, at least had instincts. He tried to swing and strike Albaer¡¯s body, but she thrust out her elbow, catching him in the crook of his arm, sending it careening backward and then using the same arm to land a strike at his throat.

    He fell to his knees, choking and grabbing at the place she¡¯d struck when she used Albaer¡¯s knee to hit him in the nose. A spray of blood went out.

    ¡°Mah node! You bwoke mah node!¡± He yowled from on the ground, while the others were rising, she held the stick in both hands, raised it up, and they had a single look of unmitigated horror at what they saw.

    Albaer¡¯s eyes were soft, gentle and brown.

    But there they saw the bloody red of his demonic possessor, and a mask of endless hatred twisted across his snarling face as she used his body to bring the stick down again, and again, and again.

    Until those three fell limp and unmoving, leaving only the first, who was finally staggering to his feet. Fear was etched on his face, his friends were unconscious, or so he hoped that was all it was. He found himself ensnared in the unblinking eyes of the angry demon, he took a step back, the stick thrust out, hitting him in the sternum, he fell, hacking, coughing.

    Raziel grabbed the dark mop of hair and tilted his head back, he yelped at the sudden pull at his scalp, but couldn¡¯t tear away from the grasping hand.

    ¡°You will never touch Albaer again. You will never speak to him, you will look away when you see him. Neither you nor your friends will ever cast your eyes toward him again, or I will take those eyes away.¡± Raziel growled down at him.

    Confusion, fear, and pain were etched on his face, his mouth was open, but his head was shaky and no words came out, only hard breathing as he tried to make sounds other than huffing.

    She gave his head a violent shake. ¡°Tell me you understand!¡±

    ¡®What is this¡­ this isn¡¯t Albaer¡­ it sounds like him, it looks like him except for the eyes¡­ but it isn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Taylor¡¯s mind was a rushing stream of consciousness fixated on a path of horror and dismay. His friends moved ¡®a little¡¯ where they¡¯d fallen, but the merciless beating they¡¯d taken while on the ground would not be easily recovered from. The sound of cracking bone had reached his ears more than once in those few seconds, and now he had only himself to fear for.

    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­¡± He whimpered and tried to raise his shaking hands.

    ¡°Tell me you understand me¡­¡± The low voice growled like gravel through a woodchipper.

    ¡°I-I yes, I won¡¯t, I understand¡­ I¡¯ll tell them the same¡­ I promise!¡± Taylor answered.

    ¡°Good. As for your trash friends, they¡¯ll live. And you¡¯re going to tell people that you got into a fight with each other, and that it went too far. Albaer, he was never here.¡± Raziel insisted again.

    ¡°Albaer was never here.¡± He repeated, the merciless bright red glowed like a red moon at night, and all he could think of was his desire to leave this spot.

    The hand released its hold over his hair, and Raziel turned away, then threw the stick up on top of a nearby roof.

    Raziel did not run the rest of the way back home, rather it was a steady, constant light jog, and she found her sister waiting on her just as she expected, inside the room they shared with Albaer.

    No sooner than Raziel entered than Lialah knew something was amiss.

    ¡°Just heal me up, I¡¯ll explain everything, then you can take his body out for a test run. It¡¯s really pretty good, if he¡¯ll ever let us teach him how to use it he might make a passable fighter.¡± Raziel said and waited under the disapproving frown of her sister while the most basic form of healing magic did its work.

 Chapter Thirty

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you took him out and got him into a fight.¡±  Lialah said while her sister sat on the bed and lay herself down.  The faint glow of white healing light was working very slowly, a result of her ¡®Square One¡¯ status, but it was working.

    ¡°They ambushed me¡­ him¡­ us.¡±  Raziel retorted while she stretched out.  ¡°There were only two choices, take the beating and come home crippled, or fight.  I didn¡¯t want to get him hurt while he trusted me with his body, so I fought.  I couldn¡¯t exactly ask him for his preference.¡±

    ¡°I guess, but still.  You know how he feels.¡±  Lialah replied and put her hand on Albaer¡¯s knee.  ¡°Wow, they hit that one pretty hard.¡±

    ¡°No kidding.¡±  Raziel answered, and stared up at the ceiling.  ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I possessed anyone, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m out of practice or if it¡¯s always been that tiring.¡±

    ¡°It could be both.¡±  Lialah said while she felt the last of the knee injury fade away.  She touched the injured spot, her fingers lightly grazing over it to confirm the efficacy of her magic.  ¡°I¡¯ve got him good as new, get out of him and let me try.¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting.¡±  Raziel said when she felt her sister¡¯s hand on Albaer¡¯s body.  His face became quizzical.

    ¡°What is?¡±  Lialah asked.

    ¡°Albaer¡¯s heart began to race when you touched me¡­ him, I mean, right there.  And it felt fantastic, apparently human bodies really, really like to be touched.¡±  Raziel said, then quipped, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m out, you ride him now.¡±

    Lialah pinched the bridge of her little nose and she took a deep, long suffering breath at the smug smile on Albaer¡¯s face.  ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t put it like that.  It¡¯s just possession, don¡¯t make it dirty.¡±

    Raziel laughed hard enough that she had to hold his hand against his chest, and spasmed for several seconds before the laughter faded.  When it finally did, she began to fade out, and appeared over his body again, stradling it the way she had when taking over in the first place.

    Lialah stepped back and Raziel carefully slid off of him.  ¡°Is he still sleeping?¡±  Lialah asked in a soft little voice.

    Raziel looked over her shoulder and nodded.  ¡°Yeah, yeah he is, he looks so peaceful like that, it¡¯s hard to believe, given everything else.¡±

    ¡°Raz, when we¡¯re able to disguise ourselves as humans¡­ know something about human society, enough to get by and have done everything we need to in order to fit in, what next?¡±  Lialah asked, and stepped past her sister, mounting the bed and straddling him as Raziel did before her.

    ¡°Jobs, I guess.  We have to pay him back for the food and clothing at least, maybe we find a place to live, and just live like normal humans for as long as we can.¡±  Raziel replied with a shrug as she stretched out her arms and wings.

    ¡°Ahhh, humans are a good fit, but damn I, what was their saying¡­ ¡®feel the burn¡¯ after that.¡±  Raziel cracked her knuckles and watched her sister fade from the physical and rise inside his body.

    ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t half bad.¡±  Lialah remarked, sitting up and moving his hands around.

    ¡°His man parts are¡­ ahhh, wow that¡¯s going to chafe.¡±  Lialah said, shifting a little bit before standing up.

    ¡°Yeah, they do that.  I¡¯ve never possessed a man of any race before, how do they walk around with those things in the way all the time?¡±  Raziel made a face, then after giving a low laugh, ¡°Just go, and run the other way.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Raz, don¡¯t worry, I can handle myself.¡±  She brought Albaer¡¯s arm and bent the forearm to make his bicep bigger.  ¡°I¡¯m a tough one, despite my sweet and innocent appearance.¡±

    Raziel shook her head and rolled her eyes, ¡°Just go, ridiculous little toughie.¡±  Another laugh followed behind the angel in the human body, and Lialah left the apartment.

    She started to jog, and after the first few minutes realized, ¡®Wait¡­ she didn¡¯t tell me what ¡®the other way¡¯ was, and I didn¡¯t ask.¡¯

    Unwilling to turn around, Lialah kept his body running at a steady constant rate, ¡®She probably took him off at a dead sprint for most of it.  So impatient, impulsive.¡¯  Lialah thought as she saw the world through Albaer¡¯s eyes.

    It really was beautiful, there was no smell of butchered meat, the streets were relatively clean, the sewers were not just open pits that waited for the rain to wash the waste away, and there wasn¡¯t the smell of shit from chamber pots just dumped outside.  While she felt a longing for her own home, and a fear for its well-being if another hero wasn¡¯t summoned, ¡®This one isn¡¯t bad.  Once I get used to the culture and can hide my nature, I might even be happy here.¡¯  She savored a short fantasy as she jogged.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    A home in some comfortable place, those marvelous cooking implements manipulated under her skilled hands producing fragrant aromas to delight the taste buds.  Her sister yelling at the videogame screen as her character died on the easiest difficulty setting.  Albaer¡¯s voice coming from somewhere asking about what to eat.  ¡®Albaer¡­¡¯  That caught her off guard, but then she thought about it.  ¡®Even if we leave, when we leave, I can¡¯t imagine not seeing him again.  He has no idea how significant some of his actions are for us at home.  It would be nice to keep seeing him.¡¯

    She enjoyed the thought and kept up her steady pace until a voice she knew caught her ears.

    ¡°Albaer!  Please!  Please wait!¡±  A woman¡¯s voice.

    Lisa¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Albaer you haven¡¯t been in school!  You haven¡¯t come to work!  Please just wait and talk to me!¡±  She was shouting, a deep catch of pain in her voice.

    Lialah turned and looked, and frankly Lisa looked far, far worse for wear.  While she was dressed well enough, blue shorts, a white t-shirt that hung loose, the long fiery red hair hadn¡¯t been brushed in days at least.  Her cheeks were flushed, one green eye was puffy, and another was swollen shut.

    ¡°I did it!  I told the truth like I said I would!  Just talk to me, okay?!¡±  Lisa said as she jogged over to where Lialah stood.

    Lialah closed her eyes, ¡°Is that why your eye is swollen shut?¡±  She asked.

    Lisa gave a tiny nod and touched the swollen part.  ¡°I told my grandfather everything too¡­ he¡¯s not talking to me now.  He-He fired me.  Now my parents aren¡¯t talking to him, and they¡¯re mad at me too.  I told the truth at school, to-to Sarah.  I got to her before she could start any nasty rumors about you!  Her boyfriend smacked me¡­ now they¡¯re not talking to me either¡­¡±

    Lisa reached out to grasp at Albaer¡¯s hand, and Lialah stepped away reflexively.

    ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯m sorry for what I did!  I like you, I like you a lot¡­ I know what I did was bad, but I told the truth!  Doesn¡¯t that count for something?!¡±  She stamped her foot and angry tears began to run down her good eye.

    ¡°Why do they care if you lied about Albaer, that¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±  Lialah asked, a tiny bit intrigued at least by the odd turn of events.

    ¡°Because no matter who somebody is, you don¡¯t toy with relationships, that¡¯s a rule.  A fake love confession is like cheating on someone¡­ but¡­ wait¡­ why¡¯d you say it like that¡­?¡±  Lisa asked and stepped closer, her pitch rising as something felt off.

    Lialah froze, ¡®Damn, I referred to Albaer in the third person, didn¡¯t I?¡¯  Lialah realized her mistake almost immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go, w-we can talk later.¡±  Lialah stammered, and Lisa stepped away.

    ¡°Okay¡­ if we can talk later, that¡¯s better than not at all, but¡­ I have something for you, please take it.¡±  Lisa said, and reached into her pocket.

    Lialah opened her eyes to look at the closed hand, and heard a gasp.

    ¡°Albaer has brown eyes¡­ yours are blue¡­ you¡¯re not Albaer, are you¡­?¡±  Lisa asked, and then shook her head, bouncing her red hair around.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve heard of contacts, I was trying something new.¡±  Lialah grasped for the excuse, grateful for the internet advertisements for random nonsense.

    ¡°Then take them out.  Prove it.¡±  Lisa demanded, but took another step away.

    ¡®Damn it¡­ a smart one.¡¯  Lialah cursed.

    ¡°Who are you¡­ really?¡±  Lisa demanded, her voice quaking and her feet taking steps back.  ¡°Did you do something with the real Albaer¡­ I-I¡¯ll call the police!¡±

    Lialah was never one to swear the way her sister sometimes did, but at that moment she cursed inside her own head as never before.  ¡®The police, no, I can¡¯t have that.  Who knows what kind of trouble that would cause for him, even ¡®if¡¯ we¡¯re not found.¡¯

    She raised her hands and held them out toward Lisa placatingly.  ¡°Calm down¡­ calm down, I can explain everything.  Ah¡­ but not here.  Come¡­¡±  Lialah said, but then tried to think of something else, ¡®There is nowhere else¡­¡¯  She clenched Albaer¡¯s jaw for a moment, ¡°Go to Albaer¡¯s home¡­ this weekend, you¡¯ll get an answer then, I promise¡­ it¡¯s far, far too complicated otherwise.¡±

    Lisa looked Albaer over, every bit of him was the same, even the musk she knew from him hovering over her shoulder and helping her work, the voice was perfect.  But she knew his eyes so well that she could never mistake them for anyone else¡¯s ever, and those were not his, even if the color alone had changed, they weren¡¯t his.

    ¡°Alright¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll do that¡­ Saturday.  But if I don¡¯t get answers, I¡¯m calling the police.¡±  Lisa said, then backed away, and ran.

    Lialah watched her go, ¡®I really screwed up¡­ Raz will never let me hear the end of this one, I got onto her about a measly little fight.¡¯  She cursed her misfortune again, and resumed her run, paying far closer attention to the streets as she went, than she had before.

    The angel¡¯s focus never wavered, not even a little, not until she returned to the apartment of her host and laid his body down and exited from it.

    Albaer remained asleep, but as soon as Lialah emerged, Raziel knew something was wrong.

    ¡°Lialah, what happened?¡±  She asked and put her hand on the angel¡¯s soft pale shoulder.  Red eyes full of concern, she stepped in close and put a hand on Lialah¡¯s cheek to turn up her sister¡¯s face so that they could look at one another directly.

    ¡°I messed up.  Bad.  Really bad.  My first time out and¡­ look we need to wake Albaer, I need to tell him, we need to tell him what happened, both of us, and let him decide what to do.¡±  Lialah said, and they reached down to shake him awake together.

 Chapter Thirty-One

    Albaer sat up on the bed and put his hand on his head, ¡°Wow, that was bizarre, my legs are sore, and I need a shower.  Though maybe it¡¯s for the best if you didn¡¯t use my body to handle the shower part, god knows what you two would have done with it.¡±  He laughed, and then stopped laughing a moment later.

    As soon as they¡¯d shaken him awake they were stepping back and kneeling on the floor.  That was wrong.  Raziel was looking down at the floor one way, Lialah another.

    Their wings were drooping, their wings never drooped.  Lialah looked like she was on the verge of tears, chewing on her lower lip, and Raziel was clenching her hands into fists.  Both of them sat on their heels and rested their hands on their laps, but while Raziel¡¯s hands were clenched, Lialah was fidgeting.

    A chill came over him.  It was all wrong, all too wrong.  He turned to face the pair and said only, ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    The two stiffened.

    ¡°Did you screw something up, am I in trouble, am I dying or something¡­ come on spill it!¡±  Albaer demanded, his eyes darted from one to the other and the pace of his breathing picked up as the myriad of possible things that could have gone wrong, went wild in his mind for a moment.

    ¡°No, nothing like that!¡±  Lialah answered, ¡°You¡¯re fine, ah, better than fine, actually.¡±  She tapped one of her fingers against the other, ¡°Your body is completely intact and we kind of took care of everything there, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±  Albaer asked while leaning forward toward the very contrite looking pair, he rested his forearm on his thigh and added, ¡°Whatever it is¡­ I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t on purpose, but what do I need to know?¡±

    ¡°I got into a bit of a fight.¡±  Raziel answered with an angry growl.  ¡°It was an ambush!  They got me with a stick and knocked me down!  I couldn¡¯t run away and I didn¡¯t want to let you get beaten up when we couldn¡¯t take care of you so I fought back!¡±

    Albaer was quiet for a moment and let her tell her story in full, her hands were shaking on her thighs, her fingers opened and dug her talons into her exposed red flesh, her wings went out and stiffened, then shook with anger.  ¡°Four of them, there were four of them, they said horrible things, horrible things and I got so angry¡­ I hurt them, pretty bad I guess.  I¡¯m not sorry though!¡±  She snapped at Albaer, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I broke your rule about not hurting anyone, really!  But I couldn¡¯t just stand by and let them do things to you while I was there!¡±

    Albaer let out a heavy, unhappy sigh when she finally finished.  ¡°I guess¡­ I guess I can understand that.  It would be hard for me to stand by and do nothing if somebody I cared about was going to get hurt.  And from what you say it sounds like it won¡¯t get around.¡±

    ¡°No, no it definitely won¡¯t.¡±  Raziel insisted with a shake of her head that made that beautiful silky cascading hair dance at her back.

    ¡°So what about you, Lialah, did you get into a fight?¡±  Albaer asked, he smirked a little, ¡°It¡¯s okay, just tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no not exactly.¡±  Lialah said without turning to look his way, she explained it all, from start to finish, and Albaer¡¯s already light skin paled.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­ What am I supposed to say to her?!  Why didn¡¯t you just keep going?!  Why did you stop and talk to Lisa of all people¡­ and you invited her here?!¡±  Albaer¡¯s voice was full of alarm as he imagined the police coming to his apartment, he looked toward his door, beyond which lay his mother¡¯s room.

    ¡°Do you know how much trouble that would make for my mother?!  Doesn¡¯t she have it bad enough without having the police show up for the ¡®Bad Seed¡¯?!¡±  Albaer didn¡¯t shout, but he hissed every word with a serpent like anger, ¡°And now you expect me to talk to her?!¡±

    ¡°Albear, that isn¡¯t everything¡­¡±  Lialah said, and he fell quiet while she blinked back tears and explained why she was brought up short, the swollen shut eye from having been hit at least once, and Albaer went quiet.

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    ¡°It was just an accident, Albaer, my sister didn¡¯t mean it.¡±  Raziel insisted, snapping at him sharply.

    Albaer forced himself to calm down, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.  You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right.  It was just an accident, there¡¯s no way you could have predicted that.  I couldn¡¯t have, why should you, and how should you know what to do in that situation, you¡¯re not even from this world.¡±  He wasn¡¯t really talking to them at that point, more himself, and so they remained quiet and waited.

    ¡°Lisa Foxworthy is one of the smartest girls I¡¯ve ever known, very much her grandfather¡¯s grandchild.  She knows something is up, a regular lie won¡¯t do.  Can you erase her memory or anything like that?¡±  Albaer asked, his eyes blinking as rapidly as his heart was now beating.

    ¡°There is magic for that, and you humans don¡¯t seem to have defenses against magic.  But we don¡¯t have that ¡®square¡¯ available yet.  We just recently reset, we¡¯ll get it soon, but probably not before she comes to see you.¡±  Raziel lowered her head.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±  Albaer looked up at the ceiling.

    ¡°Really sorry¡­ but we¡¯ll get it, even if you tell her the truth, it¡¯s not a high level spell, if she¡¯ll just cooperate for a little while we can use it later.¡±  Lialah said in a squeaky, nervous tone.

    ¡°I guess.  I guess.  I guess.¡±  Albaer muttered, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine, I¡¯m going back to school, we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±

    He looked down at them both and put on a charming smile, ¡°Buck up, you two.  It¡¯ll work out.  We¡¯ve got a few days before she comes by here, and whatever happens, happens.  Just build up your magic as fast as you can in ways that will help you make the best of being stuck here, and then everything will be fine.  Now if that¡¯s everything,¡± he glanced out the window, ¡°I¡¯d better go back to sleep.  What about you two?¡±

    They both shook their heads.  Raziel however, was the one to speak up.  ¡°No, we worked your body pretty hard, now we need to convert some of what we got over into mana to put toward advancement.  The harder we work your body, the more we can do.  Tomorrow we¡¯ll use it on some fighting arts, it¡¯s probably best if we don''t take a chance running outside again.¡±

    Albaer raised his arm, tilted his head down, and took a sniff.  ¡°Yeah you ran me to a stink.¡±  He then got up and went to the bathroom.  ¡°Okay, shower first, then sleep.  All the rest sounds fine, though I don¡¯t really get quite what you mean.¡±

    Raziel¡¯s face lit up and she started a professorial lecture, her eyes shut and her fangy smile spread open as she chattered at a mile a minute.  ¡°Progress comes by way of training, physical strength and stamina built up by exercise can be ¡®converted¡¯ into magical growth.  Magical growth can take place by studying magic books with manabindings, that¡¯s the fastest way to build progress for magic, but we don¡¯t have those here, so we have to convert physical improvement in ourselves to magical improvement instead.  There¡¯s a cost, if I were to break it down into units, two units of physical growth becomes one for magic.  But we get more if we use another body as a host.  But to do it, we have to engage in prolonged meditation.  Does that make sense?¡±

    ¡°I heard, ¡®I¡¯m a magic nerd¡¯ in all that.¡±  Albaer said from within the bathroom while the shower roared to life.

    ¡°Hmpf.¡±  Raziel huffed, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked away.  ¡°It¡¯s true, but a real friend wouldn¡¯t come out and just say it like that.¡±

    Albaer and Lialah smiled from different rooms at the huff, it was hard not to enjoy the indignity of the demon after her impromptu lecture, ¡°Just don¡¯t magic my door open like a pervert while I¡¯m in here.¡±  Albaer said and shut the entrance before peeling off his clothes.

    ¡°She always was good at that stuff.¡±  Lialah said loud enough for him to hear, ¡°I¡¯m not half bad either, but she got the technical aspects faster than I ever did, just don¡¯t mind us if we don¡¯t say or do anything till morning.  This takes a while.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±  Albaer said as he stepped into the steam.

    The water cascaded over his body and he leaned back against the wall.  Lialah hadn¡¯t made an issue over his lack of reaction to learning that somebody had struck Lisa.  The truth was, he didn¡¯t know how he felt about it.

    A part of him thought, ¡®Serves you right.¡¯  Another thought, ¡®I couldn¡¯t have watched it happen.¡¯

    For better or worse, that told him one thing, he cared enough about what happened to her to not want ¡®that¡¯ to happen.  He washed and rinsed his hair, scrubbed his face and then the rest of himself.  The hot water felt good on his skin, though they left him a little bit sore.  Based on what they said, they each had to have taken his body out for a few miles worth.  ¡®I should be more sore than I am¡­ maybe it helps to be possessed?¡¯  He wasn¡¯t sure and he doubted they would know.  Even if it were true in their homeworld, what would they know about humans?

    He emerged, dried, went out, grabbed a pair of boxers from a drawer, and glanced over to where they would normally be asleep.  As it was, they were sitting cross legged with eyes shut, their backs straight against the wall, and breathing in a steady, uniform rhythm.

    Albaer shrugged, put on his boxers just out of view even if they wouldn¡¯t have seen anything, then went and got into bed.

    He fell asleep quickly, and as he dreamt, he relived the course of their actions.

 Chapter Thirty-Two

    When Albaer awoke, he found the sisters had finished some time during the night and gone to sleep beside one another, a little closer than they previously did, and Albaer felt a twinge of guilt run through him as he took care to go about his morning routine without awakening them.  ¡®I was probably a little hard on them, especially Lialah, maybe it was justified, but still, it was just an accident.  She had no idea she would run into Lisa and she still knows nothing about human culture.¡¯

    He crept to his mother¡¯s room and cracked the door open, there she was, still asleep in her bed.  ¡®She works so damn hard¡­ she¡¯ll be up and gone soon though, really soon.  I should get a move on.¡¯

    Albaer closed the door quietly and rushed to the kitchen, he poured two cups of milk, then two bowls of cereal and added two spoons.  For good measure he added two cups of juice and set all of those things on a plastic tray which he carried into his bedroom.

    He scribbled out a quick note [Mother sleeps, leaves for work in a few hours, stay quiet and in here, enjoy your breakfast, I¡¯m sorry if I was a little mean last night.  ~Albaer].  He then set the note and the food on the desk with his computer, then snatched his backpack and headed out of the apartment.

    His trek to school was an uneventful thing, it took very little time, and when he arrived, others were still streaming over the open ground to the front door.

    Albaer didn¡¯t particularly mind when he was shoved a bit, at least in the sense that it was expected and he was used to it.  As usual among the sea of bodies walking in through the glass doors of the school, he took ¡®his place¡¯ along the far wall.  He was not the only one to do that, larger students, athletes, and popular students got the middle, the rest went around them, and the lowest on the social totem pole took the wall and kept their heads down.

    His first class of the day, the predictable things happened.  A tack was on his seat.  He saw it, and the usual options passed through his mind.  ¡®Demand to know who did it¡­ get laughed at.  Knock it out of the way, and probably get publicly shoved or something afterward for ruining their joke.  Tell a teacher, and watch them do nothing.  Or¡­¡¯

    He clenched his jaw, and chose the least evil.  He sat down on it, it pierced the fabric of his pants and stabbed at his flesh.

    It was a small tack, nothing serious, and only drew a drop of blood, he winced, and behind him he could feel the stares of others waiting for him to react.  But he pretended to not even notice it, not even feel the pain.

    But he did feel it.  The physical was there, the presence of the piercing metal was something he knew how to ignore by now, but more than that was the absolute anguish and humiliation of not being able to do anything about it.  Victimhood was the other way to spell despair.

    Their eyes and the disappointment from the sniggering assholes who waited for him to wince, that was the only tool he had with him to fight back.  He used it.

    Albaer gave them nothing.  But their prank worked, and that was good enough at least.  ¡®I probably won¡¯t get shoved when I leave at least.¡¯  It was a passing thought and for a while at least nobody seemed to pay any attention.  At the head of the class sat an old man with a balding head and wisps of white hair still clinging to his scalp for dear life.  He wore cheap tan khaki pants and equally cheap black shoes, with an equally simple button white shirt, suit jacket to match the pants, and a bright red tie that hung down the middle, the only real color he had, like a bit of rebellion against his bland existence.

    If it was a rebellion, his voice didn¡¯t join the fight, he droned on and on in a constant monotone that held neither emotion nor care for anything he was teaching.  As history teachers went, he was the ideal man to keep anybody from ever giving a damn about the subject.

    He did little more than read names, dates, and places from the book, and Albaer knew exactly why, too.  The old man was actually the physical education teacher, a coach for their basketball team, and so all he really cared about was basketball.  The school had a great team, and as such he had a great reputation as a coach.  As a teacher?  Albaer didn¡¯t care if the old man was there or not, because even if the teacher was physically present, mentally he wasn¡¯t.

    The students at least paid enough attention that they were essentially just writing down test answers so that they could pass, a few of them were players.  Unlike any other students, they wore jackets.

    Another thing Albaer thought was just, dumb.  ¡®Wearing a jacket in the summer so everybody knows you put a ball through a hole really well is just¡­ crazy.  On the other hand they¡¯re not likely to ever kill hundreds of people or ruin a town either, so¡­ there is that.¡¯  Again Albaer cursed his father and tried to focus on the material.

    He stopped listening to the indifferent teacher and focused on reading the book instead, which went quite well until the bell rang.

    Albaer waited, the athletes got up first and headed out, and the rest of the class a moment after so nobody would get in their way.  They walked out chatting, most of the students were already talking about anything but class.

    Their voices buzzed about this or that thing that Albaer didn¡¯t really care about.  He plucked the tack out of the seat of his pants without wincing, and moved on when he could.

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    His next class took him to English.  His teacher was Mrs. Simons, an older middle aged woman, overweight but not obese, with chubby cheeks and a cheerful disposition.  She talked excitedly about her subject, which today covered the writings of Edgar Allan Poe; she was one of the few teachers Albaer enjoyed.

    She barely noticed the students, or so it seemed, her nose buried in a book which she held in one hand close to her face while the other gestured about with wild abandon as she read off a nineteenth century poem.  It was easy to enjoy her passion, and as Albaer enjoyed reading, it was ¡®her¡¯ he looked forward to.

    Her class was another matter.  Her oblivious nature meant she didn¡¯t see anything when the boy behind Albaer put his hand up behind Albaer¡¯s ear, drew back the forefinger to the thumb, and then ¡®flicked¡¯ Albaer¡¯s earlobe.

    Albaer didn¡¯t wince, the sound of the flicking of his ear was a little ¡®thump¡¯ or ¡®thwipp¡¯ noise that only he could hear, and he was the only one who could feel the sting.

    He shifted a little and tried to ignore it.

    Another flick to his ear.

    The pain individually was minimal, less than the bite of an ant, but it kept going.  ¡°Do you mind?¡±  Albaer said in a hushed tone.

    ¡°No.¡±  The answer came from a shabbily dressed and half shaved boy in a green and black shirt.  He giggled, revealing yellowed teeth, and when Albaer turned back, another flick hit his ear.

    ¡°Stop it.¡±  Albaer said and tried to inch away.

    People were starting to notice.

    ¡°Nah.¡±  The boy replied, giggled, and did it again.  Albaer knew nothing about the boy other than his name, George.

    It was the twelfth flick that really started to hurt, it was the same pain as always, but the humiliation was worse, and Albaer squeezed his eyes tight shut.  ¡®Just don¡¯t fight, just don¡¯t hit anyone, be a good boy and I¡¯ll be happy.¡¯  The words of his mother echoed in his ears and bound his entire body like the chains of the accused to a torture rack.

    Nowhere to go.

    Nothing he could say.

    And bound by the words of the woman who raised him, nothing he could do.

    Nothing but endure.

    ¡°Come on man, knock it off.¡±

    An unexpected and familiar voice pierced Albaer¡¯s ears.  Deeper than George¡¯s, it came from somebody bigger too.  Strangely enough, it sounded empathetic.

    ¡°Mind your business, Trevor.  I¡¯m just joking around, what¡¯s it matter?¡±  George did stop and looked over to the seat two across from him, eyes left Albaer and turned to Trevor instead.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t.¡±  Trevor said, and he turned his fixed gaze on George, the two traded a stare so hard that the girl between them leaned back as far as she could in her cheap wooden seat to not catch the unspoken fire between them.

    George, as it turned out, blinked first.  He looked away, ¡°Whatever, man, whatever.¡±  He said with a sullen look of regret at the back of Albaer¡¯s head.  He sat back in his chair, well away from reach of Albaer, and the tension melted.

    Eyes left Albaer, and the pain in his ear began to fade away.

    Class, as it turned out, was uneventful the rest of the time, his oblivious teacher took up assignments at the end, told them the one for the following day, and just like that, the bell gave off its steady five second ringing noise.

    Albaer slowly rose to his feet when Trevor approached, Albaer reflexively stepped away to leave, when the young man spoke.  ¡°Hey, Alby¡­ Albaer, I mean.¡±  Trevor said, and Albaer stopped his withdrawal and looked up.

    ¡°You¡­ Are you okay?¡±  Trevor asked, suddenly unable to meet his former target eye to eye.

    ¡°You mean after what happened at Lisa¡¯s¡­?  Or just now?  The answer is yes either way¡­ so is that all or are we done here?¡±  Albaer asked and turned to leave.

    ¡°Wait!¡±  Trevor snapped and shifted on his feet uncomfortably, his hands were shaking, and he looked down at the carpet between them.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Fine, whatever.  I don¡¯t care.¡±  Albaer quipped.

    Trevor reached up and touched the spot on his cheek where he recalled the talon slicing open flesh, the promise of torment, his sweat, his fear, the texture of the mark chilled his blood even at that moment.  ¡°Just¡­ yeah, just one question, I swear.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ what, I¡¯ve got another class to get to and it¡¯s on the other end of the school.  You know it takes me a while to get there.¡±  Albaer remarked, and Trevor knew exactly what he meant.  Being repeatedly body checked into the wall would slow anybody down.

    ¡°Sorry, yeah, yeah man uh, did you¡­ a few days ago, have a nightmare, or like, a strange dream?¡±  Trevor asked the question, his eyes finally found those of Albaer, and to his surprise, the slightly smaller young man stopped.

    ¡°Actually, yeah.¡±  Albaer said as he recalled Raziel¡¯s guidance.  ¡°I can¡¯t recall the details, but there was kind of a demoness involved, I think¡­¡±  He scratched his head, ¡°Dreams are really strange, fuzzy sometimes, hard to remember, but that¡¯s the one that comes to mind.  Why?¡±

    Trevor¡¯s eyes welled up as if he were about to start bawling, his hands trembled as if he¡¯d been stuck outside in a terrible blizzard, ¡°N-N-No reason.  No reason it¡¯s just uh¡­ listen, thanks¡­ thanks a lot¡­ I mean that.¡±  Trevor then slowly stuck out his trembling hand.

    Albaer dropped the hand that was scratching his hair and slowly put his hand down to take that of Trevor.  ¡®He¡¯s sweating, damn his palms are so¡­ just so damn sweaty¡­ What did Raziel ¡®do¡¯ to this guy?¡¯  He wondered, but then out loud Albaer said, ¡°Um¡­ I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.  But I guess you¡¯re welcome.¡±  They shook hands briefly, Trevor¡¯s grip was weak, limp, like a dead fish flopping over.

    Albaer released the hold, wiped the sweat off of his palm by rubbing it against his pants, ¡°I gotta go, have a good one¡­ I guess.¡±  Albaer said with haste and rushed out of the class just as people began to filter in, unaware that Trevor was watching him go with what amounted to hero worship.

 Chapter Thirty-Three

    When Albaer was gone and they were alone, both Lialah and Raziel were quick to begin a vigorous exercise routine.  Fearful of waking Albaer¡¯s mother before her departure, they focused on core work and exercise that could be done in near total silence in the small shared space.

    Certain that they could hear better at least, they spoke in whispers so soft it seemed unlikely that anything with less than magic enhanced hearing could have known they were there.

    Their wings were wrapped around their bodies, and their muscles strained minute after minute.

    Raziel held on to Lialah¡¯s ankles, holding her feet flat against the carpet while Lialah took long, deep breaths, her hands behind her head, she dragged herself up so that her elbows touched her knees.

    ¡°One hundred and forty-eight¡­¡±  Raziel whispered as Lialah dropped back.

    ¡°One hundred and forty-nine¡­¡±  Raziel leaned closer and whispered in a higher pitch as her sister touched elbows to knees again, and began to fall back.

    ¡°Come on, one more, you can do this¡­¡±  Raziel urged.

    Lialah¡¯s body struggled, wiggled, her torso twisted as she hauled herself up, touched elbows to ankles, and her sister¡¯s fearsome fangy smile spread out over her red face.  ¡°One hundred and fifty!¡±  She whispered with excitement, and Lialah dropped back down again.

    Raziel stood up and extended her hand to the angel, who clasped the fingers of her sister and allowed herself to be helped to her feet, she popped up with a little hop and took a deep breath.

    ¡°How much are you going to trade for enhancements to magic?¡±  Raziel said while reaching for the untouched juice and taking a sip, then taking the other, and handing it to her sister.

    ¡°All of it.  I don¡¯t like this.  We can¡¯t work, we can¡¯t earn money, we can¡¯t be seen, we can¡¯t go out without serious risk, and we can¡¯t look after ourselves properly.  We got lucky with Albaer, but we¡¯re basically a high risk burden.  I don¡¯t want to be a burden¡­¡±  Lialah said and bit her lip, chewing on it uncomfortably.  She glanced around at the four walls of the room which confined them perpetually close together.

    ¡°Is it reminding you of sharing all that space?¡±  Raziel asked, recalling the long hours of instruction, the limited food, the utter lack of privacy.

    ¡°Kind of.  It was nice being on our own.  Being trapped doesn¡¯t appeal to me any more than it does you.¡±  Lialah replied and glanced at the bedroom door that split them off from the rest of the apartment.

    ¡°At least there¡¯s stuff to do.¡±  Raziel said and went over to the computer and sat down to read.  Lialah had to acknowledge that much at least, Raziel was reading about electronics, leaning far closer to the screen than she had a need to, she unfurled her wings and let them flap with happiness enough that the remaining milk in the bowl of cereal began to ripple against the edge like a still lake over which the wind began to blow.

    Lialah turned on the television, activated the console, scrolled to a streaming service, turned on subtitles, and began to watch something muted.  The quiet was eerie, every creak and noise was cause to turn and look in alarm, their heads darted more than once to the ceiling, to the shut window, to the door to the bedroom.  Their bodies tingled with the fear of being caught, being forced to flee.

    Being on their own in a world that wasn¡¯t their own.

    But the company was good, and little by little, they relaxed until the tension melted away entirely on its own for the rest of the day.

    <hr>

    It wasn¡¯t lost on Albaer that Lisa wasn¡¯t in class that day.  Not in any of the classes they shared.  Given that he knew that she knew that something was amiss, he wasn¡¯t surprised.

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    Albaer endured the remainder of the day and began the walk home, ¡°Hey, how¡¯s your dad doing?¡±  The voice started it off the way it always did.

    ¡°What¡¯d you give your dad for father¡¯s day?¡±

    ¡°Go cry to your daddy!  Go on!  Go cry!¡±

    The taunts and steps followed behind Albaer, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to either turn and attack, or take off at a dead run.  ¡®Even if I can outrun them, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can, their words will follow after, and I¡¯ll be back there tomorrow again.¡¯  He told himself, ¡®And there¡¯s no way I can take on that many, real brave, real brave that six or eight of you chasing after one of me, so brave!  So tough!¡¯  His hatred boiled up like bile in his gut, it churned like the waters on the rocks beneath a high waterfall.  Roaring in between his ears like an air raid siren.

    Only the gentle voiced admonition of his mother stayed his hand, and his desire to be what she wanted, to do what she wanted, to make her proud of him.  ¡®After dad, somebody has to do it.¡¯  He thought, and so he hung his head and pretended they weren¡¯t there.

    There were fewer of them today, and a rush of gratitude toward Raziel hit him like a typhoon wind.  ¡®Her little scrap might not have made the rounds, but, but they¡¯re not here, so that¡¯s a few voices I don¡¯t have to put up with.¡¯  It was enough, not much, but enough, to make Albaer smile in spite of their taunts and shouts.  So though his head stayed down and his back hunched as if his black backpack were heavier than it actually was, he walked just a little bit straighter until behind him somebody said what he was waiting for.

    ¡°I¡¯m bored, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Whoever spoke took off at a run, Albaer heard them at his back and just continued the same steady trudge, hands smacked him one by one in the back of his head, knocking him slightly forward each time, with the last of them turning to look back at him and shouting, ¡°Ask your dad to teach you to duck, asshole!¡±

    Albaer gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw, and said nothing until he got home.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±  He said as he unlocked the front door and walked past the kitchen.  ¡°Mom?!¡±  He shouted.

    No answer.

    ¡°Okay, you can come out!¡±  He said, and Raziel exited the room, followed quickly by Lialah, they had warm expressions on their faces, their wings closed half way, and each of the two gave him a soft half embrace to welcome him home.

    Raziel¡¯s talon tipped fingers barely grazed his arms, she took exceptional care to ensure she did no harm.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the hug, that¡¯s new?¡±  Albaer said when they had each stepped away.

    ¡°We saw it on some TV shows, it¡¯s a traditional welcome home here, isn¡¯t it?¡±  Lialah asked, briefly blushing.  ¡®Did I get that wrong?¡¯

    ¡°Kind of, but that¡¯s usually for lovers, spouses, children, with friends it¡¯s usually only if they haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time, and I saw you two this morning.¡±  Albaer said and tossed his backpack against the wall where it landed on the carpet with a thud.

    ¡°See, I told you.¡±  Raziel smirked and put one hand on her hips, ¡°She insisted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.  It was nice.  It¡¯s also used to make people feel better, and there hasn¡¯t been a day out there that I didn¡¯t leave feeling like crap, so if you want to hug me when I get home, that¡¯s a welcome change.¡±  Albaer said with a decisive nod to match his improving mood.  ¡°How about you tell me the important information, how did it go?¡±  Albaer asked, and they knew immediately what he meant.

    ¡°We got back our ability to fly.¡±  Raziel said with a relieved sigh.  The pair flapped their wings lightly to demonstrate and gently hovered in place.

    ¡°Great, but is that, no, of course it is.  If I could fly before and then couldn¡¯t, that would be a big deal.¡±  Albaer corrected himself and entered the kitchen.

    ¡°Very much so.¡±  Raziel emphasized.  ¡°But that¡¯s not all, I won¡¯t bore you with the details-¡±

    ¡°Magic is never boring in a world where there¡¯s none of it.¡±  Albaer quipped and cracked open the refrigerator.  ¡°Are you two hungry?¡±

    ¡°Famished, for both things.¡±  Lialah admitted.

    ¡°Right¡­ of course.  I don¡¯t mind you taking some of my energy I guess, but wait until I¡¯m settled down.¡±  Albaer said and took out sandwich meat and bread, the crinkle of the wrapper and the smell of roast beef quickly made all three stomachs rumble with anticipation.

 Chapter Thirty-Four

    The next two days were busy enough for Albaer, homework and material he missed out on had to be done, tests and quizzes taken.  Life.  Just normal life.

    But one thing definitely differed.

    Albaer would sleep, and one or the other would take over his body and emerge into the living area with her counterpart, and the fight would begin.

    ¡°Hit harder!¡±  Raziel said as her sister struck Albaer¡¯s body with an open palm to the chest.

    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡±  She said, ¡°I can¡¯t bring myself to hit him too hard, and even if I could, we don¡¯t know what the human body can take!¡±  Lialah pointed out while hovering in front of her sister.  Her arms out at a guard position while the demoness relied on the surprisingly firm flesh of Albaer to serve as her armor while she possessed him.

    ¡°Just do it, you can heal him and he won¡¯t remember a thing, he won¡¯t even be awake for it.¡±  Raziel pointed out and went on the offensive, the soft human hands could not tear through even the soft skin of an angel, but it could dig in hard, and with hard calluses, she could strike like a hammer.  The angel gave no real ground however, and showed no pain, blow for blow, strike for strike, they hit and blocked and hit again.

    Raziel¡¯s fist connected into Lialah¡¯s gut, and the angel finally nearly fell, only to snap back up with a vicious uppercut which struck the demoness via Albaer¡¯s chin and sent her staggering back.

    Apart again, they shifted stances, Lialah taking a side stance with one foot back with a hand up and back, while the other was low and stretched out above the outstretched leg.

    Raziel took a cross with both feet at her side, ready to charge, and used the powerful muscles of the host body to rush in, they came to grips, Lialah used Raziel¡¯s charge against her, flinging her, only for Raziel to hit the carpet, roll, turn around, and come back.

    A feature of the place they grew up was that each child was taught the arts and culture that birthed them, including their martial arts.  Whereas demons attacked with strength and ferocity, going for piercing, painful, heavy blows augmented by their tearing talons and vicious biting teeth, angels did not.  Angels fought like flowing water, redirecting strikes and controlling the flow of the fight, always in motion, always keeping their opponent off balance.

    Contesting at one another while in possession of a human body had its stumbling blocks.

    Raziel jumped back out of the way, and then promptly landed on her ass.  ¡°Damn it!  No wings!  I swear¡­¡±  She said and rose to her feet rubbing her bottom where she¡¯d landed with a thud.

    Albaer¡¯s face expressed her sheepishness while Lialah waited for her to get back up.

    ¡°It happens, his body isn¡¯t half bad.  Humans are tougher than I thought they¡¯d be.¡±  Lialah admitted while she looked over his bruised up, shirtless, sweaty torso.

    ¡°No kidding, when I beat a few of those folks into a pulp, well, there are lots of races who wouldn¡¯t have survived, but they were still moving when I left.¡±  Raziel gave the reluctant praise to the boys, ¡°And those were just children really, I have to assume that the adults are tougher.¡±  She put a hand on the sweaty torso and ran his fingers over it.  ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t get too touchy with his body, but if I were to guess humans are at least as potentially strong as orcs, maybe moreso.¡±

    They dropped their hands in a mutually agreed upon breather, ¡°And their weapons¡­ Did you know they built a weapon that can destroy entire cities?  Albaer was right, it¡¯s way too dangerous out there if we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going into.¡±  Raziel said, and eager to rest, Lialah took a seat at the table.

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    ¡°Since we can¡¯t sacrifice Kami¡­ obviously.  Do you think they found another sacrifice for the seal, or do you think another Hero War got started after we left?¡±  Lialah asked, she didn¡¯t really look at Albaer¡¯s face then, the red eyed sympathy would have been too painful, especially on a face so emotive as his.

    Raziel approached, Albaer¡¯s sweaty hand stroked her cheek, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.  There¡¯s no point, we can¡¯t go home to do anything about it, and even if we could, it took two years just to find Kami, for all the good that did us.  For all we know, we might end up in the same situation all over again, in this world or some other one.¡±

    Lialah pressed her hand against the back of Albaer¡¯s and held his firm against her cheek.  ¡°I know, I know, but look at us.  I have nightmares about more orphans like us being made in the struggle to create sacrificial heroes.  So many lives, so little peace¡­ All for what?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, as many tomorrows as we can make.¡±  Raziel said while she looked down at her sweet tempered sister.  ¡°That¡¯s all we can do, this place must be similarly poorly off, they probably fight all these wars as weapons tests in case a seal of their own gets broken.  But then¡­ with weapons like these, who knows?  Maybe they¡¯re the ones sealed ¡®out¡¯ of somewhere else.¡±  Raziel gave a grim laugh that was only half joking.

    ¡°So¡­ what do we do about Lisa?¡±  Lialah asked, eager to change the subject.

    ¡°You want my honest opinion?¡±  Raziel replied, ¡°We kill her.¡±

    Lialah regretted the subject shift and stared open mouthed up at Albaer¡¯s grim face.

    ¡°She knows something is wrong, if you leave the decision up to me, wait until nightfall, I¡¯ll snatch her up, fly her up as high as possible, and drop her to her death in the middle of the night a long, long way from here.  I don¡¯t trust anyone who would betray Albaer, or any old friend, just for some popularity on the spur of the moment.  And I remind you, our lives are on the line.  Humans are dangerous.  Say we tell her the truth, she promises not to tell, then what?  We let her walk out and she blabs.  The next thing we know we¡¯re test subjects until we die.¡±  Raziel crossed Albaer¡¯s arms and shook her head.

    ¡°I will absolutely not allow that to happen to us.  I say we get rid of this bitch.¡±

    ¡°But she was genuinely sorry.¡±  Lialah replied, aghast at the merciless demoness.

    ¡°She also genuinely betrayed Albaer so some nasty bitch would like her.  He¡¯s done with her anyway, so it¡¯s not like he cares.  Maybe down the line she¡¯d feel bad about selling us out, but what good is that to us if we¡¯re poked, prodded, cut up, and gods of home alone know what else before then?  No thanks.¡±  Raziel replied.

    ¡°I felt her sorrow, she¡¯ll grow from this!  She¡¯s just a girl, a young girl who made a mistake!  I don¡¯t believe she¡¯ll do it again!  And we can just wipe her memory later if we doubt her.  It won¡¯t take that long to learn invisibility, morph, or illusion magic, the first few ¡®Squares¡¯ are fairly easy.  We won¡¯t have to trust her for long!¡±  Lialah took Albaer¡¯s hand and looked up into the bright red eyes of the one to possess their benefactor.

    ¡°Albaer wouldn¡¯t approve, you know that, he says he¡¯s done, but someone kind enough to take in mythic creatures of unknown origins because we have nowhere to go¡­ he wouldn¡¯t want us to act like that.  Maybe he¡¯s angry at her now, but-¡±  Lialah clutched the warm human hand, and she saw the bright red eyes relent.

    ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t do anything without talking to Albaer first, but at the first sign of her turning on us if we choose to trust her, we¡¯ll find out how high up in the air I have to drop a human from to finish them.¡±  Raziel said with exasperation and a heavy sigh of frustration.  ¡°And you say I always get my way¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe not always, but too often.¡±  Lialah said and stood up again, ¡°Another round, I¡¯ll take his body this time?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±  Raziel said, ¡°But be careful of straddling the waist, apparently wrestling with you made him hard again, and this isn¡¯t how either of you probably planned to lose your virginity.¡±  The demoness threw back Albaer¡¯s head and laughed while laying the body down to exit it and allow her sister to take her turn.

    Lialah was still blushing even when it was Albaer¡¯s cheeks instead of hers.

 Chapter Thirty-Five

    It was the night before Lisa was to visit.  Albaer was used to dreaming of the things they did with his body, which was very strange, and sometimes amusing.  ¡®At least it¡¯s not a mystery about what they¡¯re doing with me.  I wonder if I should be insulted that the only thing they¡¯ve said about my dong is that it¡¯s in the way?¡¯

    That question came up sometimes during his most private minutes of relief which had him watching the bathroom door and dreading them bursting in or needing to use it.

    It didn¡¯t happen, however.  ¡®They¡¯re extremely respectful of my privacy, and they don¡¯t seem to know their actions with my body replay in my head later.¡¯

    But looming largest in Albaer¡¯s mind was Raziel¡¯s suggestion of simply killing Lisa and disposing of her body.  ¡®Demon?  Or, I suppose that¡¯s not fair, would a human think differently?  And how do I feel about that anyway?  Am I seriously considering it?¡¯  He asked himself that question, and immediately thought¡­

    ¡®No.  Absolutely not.¡¯  Every time he thought of Lisa, he thought of what good friends they used to be.  The way she laughed, an occasion where she kissed a ¡®booboo¡¯ when he scraped himself, that bright flaming hair and how it caught the light and how her smile lit up a room.

    Then there was her mocking laugh before he fell down at her feet, and how she stood there watching.  Saying nothing, doing nothing, until the others were gone.

    He compared that to the angel and the demon with whom he now lived.  ¡®It hasn¡¯t been a lifetime, it¡¯s been no time at all, really.  But Raziel protected my body, and both sisters took a risk flying out into the night to do ¡®something¡¯ to help me.  If Lisa lets things slip, accidentally or in hopes of getting something out of it?¡¯  Albaer hated asking that question because the answers were worse than either Lialah or Raziel could possibly have imagined.

    The Japanese Imperial experiments on Chinese prisoners, the American concentration camps of Asian Americans that didn¡¯t even get an apology for more than fifty years.  The German genocide of the Jews, Slavs, Roma, and others.  The Turkish genocide of the Armenians, the horror and slaughter of the last century and some, what humans did to their own kind?  ¡®How much worse would they do to a demon that is automatically despised merely for existing?  What horrors would they subject a gentle soul like Lialah to in order to work out the secrets of magic?  While they¡¯re too weak to resist¡­?¡¯  Albaer¡¯s imagination could not have been anything but horrible.

    And no matter how bad he thought it was, his certainty that he lacked imagination only grew.  ¡®What humiliations, what dehumanizations, and they¡¯re easily exploited and manipulated too, compliance of one can be secured by threatening the other.¡¯  He clenched his jaw hard enough that pain, dull and constant, radiated outward.

    He lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling while he considered the options in front of him, the one thing he was certain of above all else was¡­

    ¡®I will not let anyone do them any harm.  Not even Lisa.¡¯

    Which left the problem of what to actually do?

    ¡®Could we confine her somehow, keep her in some way that she can¡¯t tell anyone until they¡¯ve gained the skills to wipe her mind?¡¯  Chills ran down Albaer¡¯s spine when he realized just how casually that idea came up.

    ¡®Are you seriously considering becoming a kidnapper?  I guess that¡¯s better than being a murderer, but on the other hand, maybe Lisa can actually help?  If she¡¯s genuinely sorry, maybe guilt will be enough?¡¯  Albaer brought his left forearm up and laid his tricep over his eyes.

    It was Raziel who finally broke the silence, joining him in his room, she pulled the computer chair over to his bed and sat beside him in line with the bed.  She sat in silence for a little while, looking at him and waiting for his arm to come down at his side, and when it did and he glanced at her, she covered his hand with her own.

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    The warmth of her hand never failed to strike him, like she was somehow ¡®more alive¡¯ than any human he¡¯d ever known.  Her sharp talon tipped fingers poked his skin without piercing it, a testament to her efforts to be careful with his body.

    Neither one said anything, she just slowly tapped her talons on the back of his hand and searched his face for something, though he wasn¡¯t sure what.  Affection?  Compassion?  Worry?  Fear?  Whether she found what she sought or not, he did not know.

    But whether it was found or not, it didn¡¯t stop her from breaking the silence.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to die here, Albaer.  Me, or my sister.¡±  She said it without the usual forceful confidence, a shyness, an uncertainty that was not totally unfamiliar to him out of her, but was very rare to be sure, slipped out in the way she spoke.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to live as¡­ what did your shows call them¡­ lab rats?  And not just experiments for your race, either.  My sister was more interested in the history of your world than I.  For me, I like your tools.  Your metal music, your games,¡± a little tiny smile formed, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯ve been playing around with your computer a bit to learn more about how it works, I might have a knack for it.¡±

    Albaer nodded along, still looking at her face but saying nothing.

    ¡°I think I could actually find some kind of happiness in this world, gods of the beyond know, my world wasn¡¯t especially kind to me.  But I¡¯ll be able to hide myself here, soon.  And then, then I can kind of have a life I can enjoy.  No seal holding back great evil, no summons to worry about, this honestly won¡¯t be that bad for me.  For me or for Li-Li.¡±  She used the affectionate nickname for her sister and leaned backward in the chair, looking up at the same ceiling as if she were searching it for answers.

    ¡°Why am I beating around the bush like this¡­ the gods know I¡¯m not one for that, look I think it¡¯s best if we put an end to Lisa.¡±  She spat the words out in a rush.

    Albaer said nothing, he kept his face quiet, calm, and neutral, and only after seconds of this did Raziel cock her head down at him.  ¡°No protesting?  No anger?  No, ¡®get out of my apartment¡¯?  Really?¡±  The succubus¡¯s breasts heaved as she took a deep breath.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but silence wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    Albaer chose that moment to answer, ¡°What should I say?  What can I say?  ¡®Don¡¯t hurt my friend, you can trust her¡¯?  We both know that is a lie.  I care about her enough to say I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to her¡­ but the problem is¡­ what right do I have to tell you not to protect yourselves?  If she blabs, you could suffer immeasurably, and for as long as your race lives.¡±

    ¡°So you understand¡­ it¡¯s best if she does not survive.¡±  Raziel answered, her voice gentle, her hand over his, it stiffened a little.  ¡°If I- if I am the one to do it, will you throw both of us out, or only me?¡±

    ¡°For what, trying to protect yourselves?  Look at what my own kind does to me, it¡¯s got to be even easier to dehumanize people who aren¡¯t even humans.  Whatever you do, I can¡¯t help it.  I can¡¯t stop you.  I can¡¯t even blame you.¡±  Albaer sat up in his bed, and Raziel moved to allow him to put his feet on the floor.  He opened his legs enough to allow her to slide the chair back into place again.

    When she did, he cleared his throat, his hand came out from under hers and though it trembled, it moved steadily upward to caress the horn jutting out of the side of her head, and then inside, to touch the dark red cheek.

    Raziel could not move when he did this, in all their brief time together Albaer had barely touched them in any way.  His roughest touch was to protect them from dangers they hadn¡¯t imagined.  All else had been casual, and a few times, intimately clinical when they could not move to care for themselves.  On those occasions he even kept his eyes shut.

    This however, felt very different, his hand went back, to run through her silky black hair, and he tilted her head slightly forward.  ¡°I will let you stay here, no matter what.  You¡¯re¡­ friends.  Maybe¡­ maybe better than that.  I understand you have to protect yourselves from any harm, I do.  But if she dies, if something happens to her?¡±  Albear bent forward and kissed the forehead of the succubus.  ¡°I¡¯ll be sad for a long, long time I think.  Please, think of something else if you can.¡±

    Raziel was unable to blush, but the touch of his lips, cooler than her skin, but still warm, the bold way he spoke, and the sense of sorrowful doubt that suggested he had already given up on Lisa¡¯s life, left her reluctant enough that she leaned back away from him so that all contact ceased.

    In a clipped, decisive sort of way, she met eye to eye with her host in more ways than one and said with tight clenched fists¡­

    ¡°I will try.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Albaer answered, and then Raziel got up, walked out, and shut the door behind her with no more words to pass between them.

 Chapter Thirty-Six

    Lisa stopped in her tracks within sight of Albaer¡¯s home.  Every hair on her body stood on end.  Tingles and chills ran up and down her spine like greyhounds on a racetrack.  ¡®That wasn¡¯t Albaer, and if it wasn¡¯t Albaer, what was it, who was it?¡¯  She¡¯d asked herself that so many times that she¡¯d long ago lost count.

    There was nobody she could ask, nobody she could speak to, nobody who could tell her anything, and anyone she thought to ask, ¡®They¡¯re more likely to throw me into a nuthouse than to be of any help.  And what would I say anyway?  My friend had different colored eyes so I think he was a different person?¡¯

    She snorted and shoved her hands into her pockets to at least slow the shaking in her fingers and dry the sweat from off of her palms.

    Lisa took a long slow series of deep breaths, ¡°Okay, whatever is going on, it can¡¯t be that bad.  But¡­¡±  She muttered and glanced at the distant setting sun.  ¡°I wish I¡¯d come first thing in the morning.¡±

    The late hour was on her since she waited as long as she could, delaying the meeting as she had only prolonged the inevitable.  She took her phone out of her pocket and then tried calling Albaer.

    The telltale tone of a dead number began to grate in her ear and caused her to wince.  [The number you have dialed is not in service, please try again later].  ¡°Great.¡±  Lisa groused, took yet another breath, and walked the rest of the way to his home.

    The day was quiet, weekends usually were.  With so little work to be had¡­ in part due to Albaer¡¯s father destroying their biggest employer, most people just stayed home.  She knocked on the door and then leaned to the side to look through the window pane.

    ¡°Be right there!¡±  Albaer¡¯s voice carried from within his bedroom, and Lisa shouted back needlessly.

    ¡°Okay, take your time!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Are you sure you can do this?¡±  Albaer whispered to the seated demoness.

    ¡°Yes, I can.  And if I can¡¯t, my sister can, you just have to trust us Albaer.¡±  Raziel said and leaning forward, she patted his hand and then handed him the dark tinted glasses.

    He lay down on the bed in a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt, then closed his eyes.  Lialah stood over him.  A string of syllables flew out of her lips, and she uttered the sleep spell.  As if he were worn out after a very long day, his eyelids felt heavy and slowly closed in slumber.

    Raziel climbed on the bed and straddled him, then pressed her forehead against his, and within moments she began to disappear as she occupied his body.

    Raziel stood the body up, put the shades on over his eyes and gave the shirt a quick tug.

    ¡°Wait here.¡±  Raziel told her quiet sister, and Lialah sat down, her fingers fidgeting with one another, the angel gave a tight nod.

    ¡°I know.  This is my fault¡­ just fix it, please.¡±  Lialah pleaded, and Raziel left her alone, shutting the door behind her and then opening the front door.

    Lisa took a step back when she saw that Albaer was wearing tinted sunglasses indoors.  ¡°Al-Albaer?¡±  She asked, lowering her head a little.  ¡°Ah, I¡¯m-I¡¯m here like you asked.¡±

    ¡°Come on in.¡±  Raziel said with the tranquility of a lake on a windless day.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put some coffee on.¡±  She said, and Lisa crossed the threshold of the apartment.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Raziel chirped up while she worked with the little black coffee maker, and placed the cheap white filter in while she said, ¡°There¡¯s a lot to talk about here, I know.¡±  She cracked the bright red coffee can lid open and tossed it aside before she began scooping in the dark roasted grounds into the filter.  ¡°I¡¯m sure you have questions, and I want you to be at ease.¡±

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    ¡°Um, yeah¡­ yeah I¡­¡±  Lisa felt her blood run cold, Albaer¡¯s motions were always steady, a constant rate that never really changed.  But the person she watched through the open area between kitchen and living area wasn¡¯t like that.  That person made hard, fast gestures that gave the impression of decisiveness, even anger.  ¡°I do.¡±  Lisa got out.

    ¡°While I¡¯m getting the coffee ready, why don¡¯t you start from the beginning, tell me what¡¯s really bothering you¡­ other than having turned on me the way you did.¡±  Raziel said, and intending to or not, she gave Lisa a long look from behind the glasses which caused Lisa to look away almost immediately and to stay turned away until Raziel went back to making coffee.  When Raziel held the pot in the sink and the slow trickle of water began to fill it, Lisa could speak again.

    The fury which underlay the tone was another red flag.  Albaer¡¯s eyes, Lisa could never forget them.  He hadn¡¯t been angry when he looked up at her from down on the ground.  ¡®Sad.  Unbelievably¡­ sad.¡¯  She recalled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Lisa said with tears in her bright green eyes.  She brushed a hand over the black eye she wore.  ¡°At least I confessed.  And¡­ I was punished.¡±  She bit her lip, Albaer wasn¡¯t looking at her, the young man was focused on the glass pot that still hadn¡¯t filled.

    ¡°It was a bad decision in a moment of panic.  If I could go back and undo it, I would.¡±  She added.

    ¡°Everybody makes bad decisions.¡±  Raziel said, ¡°You, me, everybody.  But even bad decisions we wish we didn¡¯t make, they have consequences.  You know that.  You¡¯re wearing the proof of it.¡±  Raziel glared again with a look of ice.

    Lisa flinched at the cold words and watched quietly while Albaer poured the water into the coffee maker, replaced the pot, and turned it on.  It began with a click, and Albaer rested his hands on the counter and leaned forward a little.  ¡°So, now that we¡¯ve figured out how useless ¡®sorries¡¯ are, spit it out, why are you really here?¡±

    Lisa flinched.  ¡°That day¡­ that day Albaer was out, you were out, it wasn¡¯t really you¡­ was it?¡±  She searched the face of the boy she knew, his glasses obscured everything.  ¡°I¡¯ve known Albaer since he was little, I know everything about you¡­ him.  The way he smells, the way he cries when he¡¯s sad, the way he laughs, the way he gets wild with his hands and bounces in his seat like a happy baby in a high chair when he goes on about a subject he is passionate about.  I know the way he moves, and that is why I know it wasn¡¯t really him out there.  Albaer has eyes as soft and brown as a doe.  Those were blue, deep and beautiful as sapphires.  But even without the different colored eyes, I would have known that wasn¡¯t Albaer.¡±

    Raziel watched as the little coffee maker finished its task.  ¡°With only two people in the house,¡± Albaer said, ¡°this appliance is very useful.  You can have enough for everybody in just a minute or two.¡±  She said and brought the creamer out of the fridge and moved the sugar over to her little workspace.

    Raziel listened as the girl went prattling on, and she did her best to ignore the feelings that the girl carried with every word.  She reached up and took down two cream colored coffee mugs, set them down, and filled them both.

    Raziel poured cream and sugar into a cup, stirred it, and left the other one for herself black.  She set the cup down in front of Lisa and then sat opposite her and took a quiet sip.

    Lisa shivered, ¡°And that¡¯s how I know you¡¯re not Albaer either.  Albaer has an even bigger sweet tooth than me, he¡¯d never get just black coffee.  And he would put away the creamer back in the fridge before coming to sit down.¡±

    Lisa¡¯s entire body shook with fear, the four walls, the shut door, they all closed in around her, a cream white prison of plaster, and an unknown in front of her that was glaring down at the cup of dark liquid as if it had said something rude.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Albaer, and you¡¯re not the one who I saw that day, are you?¡±  Lisa asked, and her body began to shiver, ¡°Did you kill him¡­ did you kill Albaer¡­ is he alright¡­?¡±

    ¡°Albaer was right, there¡¯s something to you after all.¡±  Raziel mumbled.  ¡°At least you¡¯re not a total idiot, and you¡¯re worried more about him than about yourself right now, which isn¡¯t really unimpressive, I guess.¡±  She said with reluctance while Lisa searched the blank face of the young man.

    ¡°Let me¡­ let me see your face, all of it.  Take those off.¡±  Lisa tried to sound demanding, but with her skin tingling and body trembling, it was a plea more than anything.

    ¡°Fine.¡±  Raziel replied, ¡°I was going to show you after we talked, but maybe it is better this way.¡±

    ¡°Maybe what is?¡±  Lisa¡¯s voice dropped even quieter, ¡®Did I make another huge mistake?!¡¯  She screamed her doubts in her head.

    ¡°This.¡±  Raziel said, looking down and closing Albaer¡¯s eyes, she reached up and removed her sunglasses from off of his face.

    She raised her head, and with the greatest possible slowness, she opened up her eyes to reveal the bloody and demonic red.

    Lisa never got the chance to scream when she opened her mouth.

 Chapter Thirty-Seven

    Lisa shot to her feet, her mouth opened to let out the bloodcurdling scream her body commanded her to make independent of any higher thought.  When she pushed herself away, the coffee cup toppled over on the table and rolled halfway over where it was stopped by the handle.  The tan colored coffee was not as confined as the cup, immediately it gushed out to spread over the table and dripped down to the carpet below with a noise so soft that only Raziel and Lialah could hear it while the liquid put a permanent stain on the fabric below.

    Raziel was now well versed in controlling Albaer¡¯s body, her hand shot out and her fingers entered Lisa¡¯s mouth to grab her tongue, she inched closer, Albaer¡¯s head tilted back.  She lifted up, forcing Lisa to look upward.  The red haired girl struggled, she tried to swing her arms and pull away, but the hold of his hardened fingers on her tongue was far too tight, stinging and throbbing pains from her captured tongue made her gag even more than she would have otherwise, her body went up on its tiptoes as the far stronger body of Albaer put her against the wall without even a thud.  ¡°Now, now, stay calm, girl, just stay calm.¡±  Raziel looked down into the fear filled green eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to hurt you, or to hurt Albaer.  In fact he¡¯s not only fine, he¡¯s better than fine.  I¡¯ve just got his body for right now, you understand?¡±  Raziel shook the hold on her tongue, forcing Lisa to nod.  ¡°Focus, focus now, girl.  This¡¯ll be a whole lot easier if you just keep your cool the way Albaer did. He was shocked, but he didn¡¯t scream when he saw me, and he saw all of me, not just my eyes.  Do you want me to let you go?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh hahhh¡­¡±  Lisa whimpered, her eyes were wet, she was still struggling, her hands grabbed hold of Albaer¡¯s wrist and tried to drag his hand away from her tongue.

    She made no progress.

    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to understand that?  Raziel asked with a cruel stare.  ¡°Drop your hands, girl, and then blink if you want me to let you go.¡±  Raziel gave the order, and after a few seconds more of struggling, Lisa dropped her hands to her side.

    ¡°Good.  We¡¯re getting somewhere.¡±  Raziel said with a serene smile.  ¡°Now, I don¡¯t trust you, human.  So I¡¯m going to let you go, but first I¡¯m going to push you down to the floor, and you¡¯re going to lie down on the carpet on your back, and you¡¯re not going to move while we have our little ¡®chat¡¯.  Do you understand?¡±  Raziel asked, and Lisa tried to answer.

    ¡°Ahhh hahhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh for¡­¡±  Raziel¡¯s eyes rolled, ¡°Blink if you understand.¡±  She repeated her prior instruction, and Lisa blinked several times in rapid succession.

    Raziel then slowly brought her down with a gentle tug until Lisa was put on her knees, and then, to Lisa¡¯s surprise, Albaer¡¯s body put a hand on her back and helped her lie down gently on the carpet.

    Raziel got down on her knees so that she was straddling the red haired girl and gently patted the pale freckled cheek.  ¡°Good girl, now, if you scream, my hand goes to your throat instead of your tongue, blink if you understand.¡±

    Lisa blinked.  ¡®Oh God¡­ oh God, oh God, oh God¡­ please¡­ what¡¯s happening here, what¡¯s going to happen to me?!  What happened to Albaer¡­ why¡­ why?!  How?!¡¯  So many questions filled her mind before his body settled on top of hers.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    In some of her lewder moments, when she imagined what sex must have been like, she thought of Albaer in this position, or herself, but now experiencing something close to the reality of it, she felt anything but the desires that had her keep her door locked at night and her face buried in her pillow.

    ¡°Now,¡± Raziel withdrew her fingers, releasing her hold on the tongue.  To Lisa¡¯s surprise, Albaer¡¯s body shook the two fingers and looked at them with a little grimace.  ¡°You¡¯re free.  Sort of.  Humans make a lot of saliva¡­ do I make that much?¡±

    Lisa looked up, aghast, whatever it was on top of her had gone off an insane tangent, and she could say nothing to it.

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of annoyed you spilled the coffee, I¡¯m going to have to explain that to Albaer when he wakes up, you¡¯d better hope I can clean it off the carpet¡­ but at least you didn¡¯t spill mine too.¡±  Raziel said just as her cup tipped off the edge and tumbled down to the carpet where it splashed, leaving a big, dark stain soaked into the carpet.  ¡°Damn it!¡±  Raziel said, and her shoulders slumped.  ¡°That¡¯s what I get for setting flags.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­ why do you have his face, why do you have my Albaer¡¯s face!¡±  Lisa half squeaked out, only for the dismayed face of Albaer to fill with sudden rage and his fist come down and land by her ear with such force that she felt the brief breeze it made wash over her skin and the floor shake at the blow.

    ¡°Your Albaer?!  The last I heard was you let him get beaten into the muck and made fun of him¡­ and even before that you barely talked to him anymore, all to boost your own status.  You don¡¯t get to call him yours, girl.¡±  Raziel hissed over Albaer¡¯s tongue, and that was enough to make Lisa cry harder.

    ¡°I told the truth though, and¡­ and I¡¯m here.  Now please, is he alright?  What do you mean ¡®asleep¡¯ and what are you!  Please, I need to know!  What did I meet before, what am I seeing now?!¡±  Lisa barked her questions more fiercely than she thought possible, but whatever this thing was, it clearly knew a great deal more about her than she did about it.

    But one thing she was sure of.

    ¡°You¡¯re a girl, aren¡¯t you?¡±  Lisa guessed.

    Raziel closed Albaer¡¯s mouth, ¡°What?¡±  She asked.

    ¡°The way you talk about him, like you want him, like you have feelings for him.  Whatever you are¡­ you¡¯re a girl, I¡¯m sure of that.¡±  Lisa said with confidence while she looked up at the conflicted face and the red eyes that briefly looked away.

    ¡°What if I am.¡±  Raziel asked.

    ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that¡­ but what ¡®else¡¯ are you?  Are you a ghost?  A dead ancestor?  A great grandmother maybe?¡±  Lisa guessed several things at random, and as wild as they were, Raziel could only put Albaer¡¯s fingers to his nose and take a deep, exasperated breath.

    ¡°You¡¯re just trying not to say it, but you¡¯ve already guessed, haven¡¯t you?¡±  Raziel finally said, cutting the rambling girl off.

    She lowered Albaer¡¯s face close enough to hers that their lips nearly touched, the soft breath passed the tiny span between them both, and Raziel made another demand.

    ¡°Say it.  You know the word, the word for the definition of evil, cruelty, and malice, for unrivalled strength, viciousness, hatred, lust and every other sin and vice in your twisted minds¡­ say it.¡±  Raziel said with her eyes looming like twin blood moons in the untouchable sky.

    Lisa moved her lips several times.

    But after trying and failing several times, and with the face of the boy she¡¯d known for most of her life hovering so very close, fearing what would happen to herself and to Albaer, she obeyed.

    Lisa whispered the word, ¡°Demon.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Eight

    ¡°Bingo, Bingo, you win the prize!¡±  Raziel exclaimed with a bright smile utterly at odds with Albaer¡¯s usually grave, serious face, and then with her pointer finger, she tapped Lisa¡¯s little button nose several times in a row.  Raziel then tittered a bit and put one hand on the chest of her host.  ¡°My name is Raziel, Raziel Haleu.  My sister and my friends sometimes call me Raz.¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s insane, is she insane, can demons be insane?¡¯  Lisa wondered and tried to make a smile back up at the body of the friend who loomed over her.  ¡°N-Nice to meet you, Raz.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s face frowned over her, the calloused finger came down and found the tip of her nose again.  ¡°I said, ¡®my friends¡¯ and ¡®my sister¡¯ sometimes call me Raz.  That would not include you.  You may call me Raziel.¡±

    Lisa struggled to keep back her shudder. ¡°Ah, right, Raziel then, so¡­ Albaer?  Is he still, I don¡¯t know, ¡®in there¡¯?¡±  Lisa asked with a shiver of horror that she finally failed utterly to suppress any longer.

    ¡°My host?  Yes, yes Albaer is simply asleep right now.  He¡¯s still very much alive and very much himself.  I¡¯ve simply borrowed his body so we can have a little chat.  I figured it would be easier this way than if you saw what I really looked like.¡±  Albaer¡¯s body chewed on his lower lip for a moment, ¡°Believe it or not I was going to make this a bit friendlier, but it turns out you figured things out sooner than I expected.  I didn¡¯t think you would be so familiar with Albaer¡¯s little quirks.  My sister and he both like cream and sugar, but I can¡¯t stand the stuff.¡±  Albaer¡¯s body sighed with annoyance and he ran his hand through his sandy hair, ¡°I suppose I have only myself to blame for that part.¡±  Raziel shrugged Albaer¡¯s shoulders out and then slapped his hands hard against his thighs.

    ¡°But maybe this is for the best, you need to understand my position here, my sister¡¯s position, and Albaer¡¯s position.¡±  Raziel said matter of factly before the futile struggle of the girl under her picked up again.

    More annoyed than angry at her attempt at escape, Raziel pinned her down at the wrists until Lisa was huffing, puffing and spoke instead, it seemed to be no effort at all for the one inside Albaer to use his body to immobilize her.  ¡°Of course I know the little details!  I¡¯ve¡­ we¡¯ve¡­ I used to come and play with him when we were little, we shared a kiddie pool, I was with him when he first tried coffee, how can you think I wouldn¡¯t know all about him?!¡±  Lisa¡¯s anger with the presumptuous creature surpassed her fear, and she glared hopelessly and helplessly up at the tranquil, sarcastic face that slowly began to turn to anger.

    Raziel¡¯s fury was greater than she let on, so much so that she removed a hand from Lisa¡¯s wrists and put one finger just behind Lisa¡¯s cheek, forgetting that Albaer¡¯s body had no talons, she trace a finger around the red haired girl¡¯s face as if to peel it away.

    As if she sensed the threat, Lisa tried to wiggle and move until Raziel put the finger on Lisa¡¯s forehead and pushed the back of the girl¡¯s skull firmly against the carpet until all the struggling and wiggling ceased.  ¡°Because anyone who did, who knew the value of the boy, would have taken the beating for him.  They wouldn¡¯t have mocked him into the muck after using him for her benefit.  So, I figured you never really paid attention to him.¡±

    Lisa fell quiet, she had to wait until the sense of shame retreated after such an accusation, ¡°How do you know about that, any of that?  What kind of demon are you even?!¡±  Lisa remained limp, but her expression was like flint to hide the lingering loathing for her own actions.

    For the moment, she was unprepared to struggle more, whether Albaer¡¯s own body was much, much stronger than Lisa realized, or whether the demon possessing him had enhanced his strength considerably, she didn¡¯t know.  Either way, she couldn¡¯t move unless she was allowed, or found an opportunity.

    She was trapped, and that was that.

    ¡°I¡¯m a succubus, if you really want to know.¡±  Raziel replied matter of factly.

    That hit Lisa as disturbing in several uncomfortable ways.  ¡°D-Did he summon you?  Was he so lonely, so utterly alone that he wanted a demon lover¡­?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Raziel saw her opportunity and took it.  With a haughty face that seemed even more out of place than his mocking laughter, Raziel asked, ¡°What if he did?  What if he was so bereft that he searched Heaven and Hell for someone who would keep him company?  Do you have the gall to blame him for longing for anyone, anything, even a monster that will hold him in her arms for some other reason than to more easily stab him in the back?¡±

    ¡®Me?  Albaer¡¯s lover, oh that¡¯s¡­ well he isn¡¯t a bad looking one, but still, better to leave it to this one¡¯s imagination.¡¯  Raziel thought and expelled a lovestruck sigh from his lips.

    Unable to bear it, Lisa closed her eyes and shook her head when the finger moved away and allowed her to do so.  ¡°No.  No, I guess not.  Is that what happened?¡±

    Raziel continued to run with the path the girl gave to her, she smiled with malice, baring his perfect teeth and answering, ¡°Let¡¯s just say this is all your fault, girl.  Albaer will lose his body again, and again, and again.  My sister and I take turns controlling it, she heals him when you or your vile ilk do terrible things to him.  That¡¯s how he was able to run away when she had his body and you encountered them.  And that is why I have him now.  I protect him from harm, fighting his enemies, and if I have to¡­ I will put them down.  He¡¯s so gentle that he refuses to even protect himself.  So now we have an arrangement.  His waking time is his, and we get the rest of the time for ourselves while spending time on Earth.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re both his lovers?¡±  Lisa sounded accusing, a mix of intrigue, horror, and a very deep blush that stood out on her pale freckled skin all hit her at once.

    ¡°That¡¯s really your focus right now?¡±  Raziel asked with a cockeyed stare.  ¡°I guess both male and female humans are sex crazed perverts.¡±  Albaer¡¯s body laughed, neither confirming nor denying Lisa¡¯s assumption.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a pervert!¡±  Lisa¡¯s blush deepened at her denial.

    ¡°Sure you aren¡¯t, human.¡±  Raziel said dryly.  ¡°Here¡¯s the bottom line, girl.¡±  Raziel raised three of Albaer¡¯s fingers and arched his back.  ¡°First, this is all your fault.  I know him with the utmost intimacy, he was my first in ways that only demons and angels can experience, and whatever you think of my kind, I am bound to him.  Neither I nor my sister can ever do him any harm, which considering his recent experiences with humans, is a huge plus.  Even for a demon, you are one cold bitch.¡±  Raziel said and lowered one finger.

    Raziel then lowered her second finger and said, ¡°Second, we will protect him from all harm, including any harm you might do.  If it were up to me, I¡¯d be finding out how far you can survive a fall from, then I would drop you from twice as high.  But my sister thinks you might have redeeming qualities.  Also, Albaer would be sad to see you die.  He¡¯s had enough sadness, I don¡¯t want to bring him more.  But, and this third one is very important to you personally... If you put him in danger again, and I mean in any way, even by blabbing that poisonous tongue of yours somewhere...¡±  She brought the third finger down and lowered herself so that Albaer¡¯s cheek was pressed to Lisa¡¯s.

    ¡°I.  Will.  End.  You.¡±

    Albaer¡¯s body came up, and Albaer¡¯s pointer finger came down to touch Lisa¡¯s nose again as gently as could be.  Lisa could feel the abject conviction in the body on top of her.  ¡°Do we understand each other, girl?  You will remain quiet, never say anything, never reveal anything, go on about your pretty, pathetic life, chasing popularity and status, and maybe it will make you happy.  But leave Albaer to those who will not betray him for a seat at a table full of snakes.¡±

    Raziel was done, and Lisa, deathly quiet for several seconds before she cried out a promise.

    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t say anything!  Not because of you, or your threats, but because it will cause problems for Albaer¡­ I don¡¯t want to bring more trouble down on him.¡±  Lisa vowed, then protested, and she felt Albaer¡¯s body come to a more relaxed state.

    ¡°There¡¯s just one thing¡­¡±  Lisa¡¯s eyes moved around as if she wasn¡¯t sure which way to look, and at this, Raziel could only wait.

    ¡®I hadn¡¯t expected questions after that¡­¡¯  She thought, then nodded.  ¡°Go on.¡±  She encouraged the young woman.

    Lisa¡¯s lips closed like a vacuum seal, a steady ¡®mmmm¡¯ noise behind her lips as she mustered the will to speak, and finally like the breaking of a dam, her request, her plea, burst forth like water that could no longer be held back.

    ¡°Can I see what you really look like?!¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Nine

    Raziel thought that over, whether she should have expected that question or not was something she was a little uncertain of, and her instinctive answer was no.  However, just as Albaer¡¯s mouth opened to say no, she gave it a second thought.  She then closed his mouth and nodded.

    A quick shrug and she said, ¡°Alright, why not?  Maybe it will drive the point home about just what you¡¯re dealing with.  I¡¯m going to stand up, lay Albaer¡¯s body down on the carpet, and then I will emerge.  Don¡¯t think you can run, I promise you that whether with my wings or with my feet, I can catch you.  If I have to chase you down, I¡¯ll ¡®drop you off¡¯ at home from a thousand feet up.¡±

    Lisa shivered, there was no mercy to be had in that voice.

    Albaer¡¯s body stood up, stepped back, and then with glacial slowness lay down on his back.

    Lisa watched with a mix of fascination and horror, it wasn¡¯t lost on her that this ¡®possessing demon¡¯ was taking a great deal of care with the body of Albaer, and that was almost more disturbing than her presence in the first place.

    The ratio of which was more disturbing however, began to change when she saw the demon come into view.  Lisa inched herself back against the wall, spreading her arms with palms flat against the white painted plaster on either side of the corner to which she¡¯d withdrawn, her feet pushing against the carpet, every fiber of her being eager to just put one more hair¡¯s distance between herself and what she was seeing.

    Rising slowly over the top of Albaer¡¯s body, a red skinned demon woman was changing from translucent to a flesh, an honest to god demon, right down to the bone white horns emerging from the sides of her skull, which came to sharp points at the forehead.

    The skin shone red as freshly washed cherries, trending toward the shade of darkened blood.  She came into view straddling Albaer, the position looking lewd enough that Lisa¡¯s horror was mixed with jealousy.  Yet other than the nature of the position, Lisa could not feel any illicit intent.  The demoness bent up at the waist and gave a lingering look to the sleeping young man.  ¡°Stay sleeping, my Albaer.¡±  She said and stroked his cheek, then stood, her wings popped out from her back to spread wide apart, her arms stretched and she yawned to reveal vicious, knife-like teeth above and below in her mouth.  On a more familiar level, had Lisa not been told that Raziel was a succubus, she would have guessed it immediately.  From the sultry curves and breasts barely contained by the dark shaded top, with her flat, toned red belly exposed, and lean strong arms which carried talon sharp finger tips at the hands.  The fact that the demoness before her had not sliced his cheek with her fingers was both a shock and a relief to Lisa, who remained as far from the monster of mythology as the cursed wall allowed her to be.

    Raziel put a hand on her hip and waved the other up and down the length of herself as if to say, ¡®take it all in¡¯.  ¡°What¡¯s that saying you humans like at surprise reveals?  Voila?  Ta-Da?  Something like that?¡±

    She didn¡¯t wait for the answer to the question she hadn¡¯t cared about, instead Raziel made a slow, steady, seductive walk toward the red haired human girl and brought her wings close so that the black tips pressed to the white plaster.  Raziel then brought her hands in close, on either side of Lisa¡¯s head, pressing her red palms flat.  She bared her fangs and her bright ruby eyes caught the light to glint and cast Lisa¡¯s fear filled reflection back at her.

    ¡°Do I need to say anything more, ¡®human¡¯?¡±  Raziel asked rhetorically.

    ¡°I¡­ no¡­ no¡­ no I won¡¯t ever say anything!  Never, I¡¯ll never say a word¡­ but is he happy?  He likes you?  Likes your s-sister?  Can I talk to him?¡±  She tried to lean and look past the demon, but the ink black wings obscured her view, their leather impenetrable to Lisa¡¯s limited eyes.

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    Lisa¡¯s heart palpitated madly in her chest, trapped under the demoness¡¯ eyes, she sought an escape that didn¡¯t exist.

    ¡°No.  Not today.  This has been hard enough and I won¡¯t risk it.  He needs rest, possession takes a toll on his body and on ours.  Just remember what the consequences will be if you betray him again.  I will drag you down into the pits of hell myself if I have to, Lisa.  My sister got her way with you once, but I don¡¯t trust remorse alone.  Lots of people are sorry for the things they do, that doesn¡¯t always stop them from doing it twice.¡±  Raziel held back the sigh, but Lisa showed some unexpected backbone.

    She clenched her fists and stared through tears of fear and frustration, ¡°But is he happy?!¡±  Lisa demanded.

    ¡°Of course not.  What is this, one of your cartoons where a stranger comes along and fixes all the protagonist¡¯s problems with a kiss?  Are you stupid, little girl?  His last childhood friend betrayed him for popularity, his entire town blames him for his father¡¯s actions, his mother is always gone, how on earth could you think I or my sister can make him ¡®happy¡¯ through all that?!¡±  Raziel hissed.  ¡°We do what we can for him, I will fight for him, my sister will heal him.  We laugh, we play games, we do have fun, and¡­¡±  Raziel smiled with quiet contentment, ¡°he has a charming smile when he¡¯s not being so serious.  We make his life better, that¡¯s all that we can do.¡±

    ¡°I want to make it right though!  I have to!¡±  Lisa quietly exclaimed, ¡°I have to do it because¡­¡±

    She looked down, her clenched fists unfurled.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to confess your love for him and expect sympathy from me, are you, human?¡±  Raziel looked at her with incredulity, her dark eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed in front of her chest again, but the bat wings still barred the way of Lisa¡¯s eyes and where the boy quietly slept.

    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ What I mean is¡­ the reason Albaer¡¯s father did what he did, it¡¯s because he was protecting my mother.¡±  Lisa whimpered, the piercing gaze of the demon seemed to burrow into the depths of her soul, dredging up words that Lisa begged God to help her keep quiet.

    But God wasn¡¯t listening, only the succubus.

    ¡°You say that like that¡¯s supposed to make sense.¡±  Raziel said with disinterest.

    ¡°A lot of people knew about the scam¡­ I know because it¡¯s a small place.  I heard my parents talking to each other and to others, and the way they always shushed me when I asked what they were talking about.  Albaer¡¯s father was part of it, but he wasn¡¯t the only one involved.  One man couldn¡¯t do all that, the state prosecutors were after a lot of people, but Mr. Lamark was the key, he killed himself to take what he knew to the grave and let people go back to normal lives¡­ our lives went on, and the whole town turned on Albaer.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±  Raziel shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re awful, awful people.¡±

    Lisa wanted to argue, but found no words that would allow her to do a good job of it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone was supposed to get hurt but¡­ nobody could have stopped things after a certain point, and then people started dying, including people here.¡±  Lisa confessed, ¡°I was a coward, I just wanted a normal life¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmpf, so first Albaer¡¯s father was sacrificed on the altar of your convenience, and then Albaer follows.  What a wonderful place.¡±  Raziel hissed with disgust.

    Raziel looked away from her and toward the door.  ¡°Just get out.  If you really want to make things right, you can start by not making things worse.  And remember this, if ever you do, I¡¯ll never stop chasing you, if you want to talk to him, do it at school.  For now, let him rest, he needs it.¡±  Raziel said and moved her left wing out of the way, allowing Lisa to walk out alive.

    The green eyed girl gave a lingering, longing look to the sandy haired boy and watched when, to her surprise, the demon crouched at his side and picked him up with the utmost care to avoid disturbing his rest, and then carried him back to his room without paying her any further mind.

    And Lisa had no idea what to make of that¡­ or anything else.

 Chapter Forty

    Before Lisa was out the door leading to the outside world, Raziel was at the bedroom door with Albaer, ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Raziel said through the door, and it opened to allow her through. She turned to the side and slid into the room to lay Albaer down, he was breathing lightly, barely audible even to the delicate hearing of either of the sisters.

    Lialah put a hand on her sister¡¯s back, ¡°Things will work out for us.¡±

    ¡°Ever the optimist.¡± Raziel replied without looking over at the radiant, innocent, angelic face. ¡°But we can¡¯t risk optimism here. That¡¯s dangerous. We got lucky once, we can¡¯t count on it happening twice.¡±

    Lialah¡®s spirits went up despite the seemingly dire tone of her pessimistic sister. ¡°How long do you think it will be before he wakes up?¡± She put a hand over his chest to feel his heartbeat. Even at rest it was many times the speed of her own.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long, but it¡¯s better for him to rest longer.¡± Raziel said and covered her sister¡¯s hands with her own, his heartbeat was heavy to her touch, strong, if slower than hers. She could feel it even through her sister¡¯s hand. She glanced away, toward the way out of the room and the apartment they were forced to share.

    ¡°I wonder what it feels like to be possessed.¡± Lialah mused, ¡°To be like a puppet on strings¡­¡±

    ¡°I asked my teacher about that once, he said there was nothing but white light and a buzzing sound, a blankness, like a dreamless sleep.¡± Raziel remarked, then brought her hands together in a sharp clap and a fangy grin, ¡°Now I¡¯m going to get back to reading this stuff and-¡±

    ¡°Is it the game guides to Hylarim again?¡± Lialah asked with a knowing smile that was wiped away when her sister denied it with a shake of her head.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been reading all about these electronic systems and computers. I¡¯ve even been tinkering with Albaer¡¯s stuff, I¡¯m getting pretty good at it. Plus, I¡¯ve now managed this.¡± Raziel stood up, babbled a few syllables in the guttural language of demons, and her horns began to fade, and then her skin began to go from red, to a lighter tan shade.

    ¡°Your eyes are still red.¡± Lialah said, and Raziel shrugged it off.

    ¡°Nothing some color contacts can¡¯t fix so there is no sense in wasting mana.¡± The demon replied.

    ¡°And the wings?¡± Lialah asked, waving toward those.

    ¡°A little more work, that¡¯s all, a few more nights of his body and some more sparring between us, then?¡± The demoness snapped her fingers, and struck a pose with one arm up and the other waving up and down the length of her body. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready to disguise myself as the beautiful, the exotic, ¡®Isadora Blackworth¡¯, one of his online friends. His mother took me in as an act of kindness due to a difficult home situation. And you,¡± the demoness put her hand on the pale shoulder of the angel, ¡°my dear Lialah, can be my sister Karen.¡±

    Lialah crossed her arms and stared deep into the smiling eyes of her sister, and at the spreading grin over the demoness¡¯ face as she tried to keep from bursting into laughter.

    Lialah made her answer abundantly clear, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve learned nothing about this world since coming here, did you really think I would fall for that? No. Under no circumstances, none whatsoever, will I ever take the name Karen.¡±

    Raziel let her hand fall away from her sister¡¯s shoulder and clutched her gut as she bent forward while she broke down laughing.

    Lialah tried not to smile, and wasn¡¯t very successful. The deep, rich, full laughter of the demoness had been too often rare for her to not savor it when it came. But she tried, her lips fighting against her will until the smile began in earnest, and she flung up her hands in dramatic despair. ¡°You¡¯re impossible!¡±

    ¡°And you love me for it.¡± Raziel said when straightening up.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll take ¡®Alessandra¡¯.¡± Lialah insisted.

    ¡°Oh, alright. Fine! Call yourself whatever you want.¡± Raziel quipped and then left the side of the sleeping Albaer to sit down at the computer. She went to a free education website and began to stream videos of computer repair.

    ¡°I plan to.¡± Lialah retorted and snatched up the controller to stream a forensic drama. The familiar ding of her selections rang predictably from the television, and within minutes Lialah was engrossed in the scene of a body discovered by fishermen, and the case began.

    ¡°Humans make some of the best entertainment.¡± Lialah said and sitting cross legged on the floor, she leaned forward to catch every subtle nuance of the male and female detective team.

    ¡°Uh huh, they do. But I prefer their video games.¡± Raziel said as she clicked through the slide show that the video linked her to.

    ¡°Interesting, but not for me.¡± Lialah passively disagreed and watched the story unfold, and for a little while there was quiet between them, if not their chosen ways of passing the time.

    Albaer woke up when the other two had already gone to sleep. It was pitch dark in his room but he could hear the gentle sounds of their breathing on the floor a few feet from them. His dreams relived it all, through his own eyes first, and then¡­ after she emerged¡­ confusion. ¡®Only what I could hear, no sight¡­ but what I heard?¡¯

    He drew his legs up to his chest, never in his life had Albaer felt more like a small boy, even when he was a small boy, than at that moment. He lowered his head between his knees, ¡®Bastards¡­ bitches and bastards¡­ assholes¡­ I was being good! I was putting up with all the abuse, all the punches¡­ all the kicks, all the pain, because I was the son of the guilty bastard¡­ the only guilty one and he ran away from his obligation! I wanted to prove I was the Good Son, the Good Boy, the Good Man¡­ but fathers, mothers, the ones who sneered at me and didn¡¯t care when they saw me limping¡­ the ones who whispered ¡®Bad Seed¡¯ and ¡®Son of Evil¡¯ whenever I passed¡­ They were guilty too! I didn¡¯t do anything! They did!¡¯

    Everything heard howled like a gale force wind, a hurricane of pain and the weight of the days since his father¡¯s arrest and suicide battered him like a tiny ship in a stormy sea. ¡®It was all for nothing! All for nothing! I was never the bad one! I never had to suffer! Mom never had to suffer! I have to tell her the truth¡­ and Lisa knew¡­ though maybe she didn¡¯t know that I didn¡¯t?¡¯

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    One thing was sure, one thing was absolutely and totally sure, ¡®My mom couldn¡¯t have known, I have to tell her.¡¯ He thought, ¡®Even if she¡¯s asleep¡­¡¯ Albaer told himself.

    Disturbing her rest was probably the worst thing he could do to the hard working woman, but this was an exception. First however, he had to calm himself.

    He took slow, measured, even breaths. His pounding heart was so forceful Albaer swore he could hear it in the darkness. He slid off of the bed and set his feet on the floor, slowly standing and reached for his cell phone. It had no value anymore except as a flashlight, nobody had called for over two years now.

    But still he kept it charged. He unlocked it and turned the face away and let the dim white light help him guide his steps.

    The light caught Raziel and Lialah, though they slept in separate bags, they were inseparably close. A flash of envy stabbed through him. ¡®If I had a sibling, this might have all been easier.¡¯ He thought, but then imagining two enduring what he had rather than himself alone, made him rethink his desire.

    He did let the light linger on them, they were impossibly beautiful in his eyes, which was more the pity that they were dependent on him. Had they not been? He set the notion aside, it was enough to look at them with the tenderest trust that he could. And then take one long step over their sleeping bodies to reach the door.

    He turned the knob with a click and stepped out, briefly flipping the phone face up to check the time again. It was well after two in the morning and he nodded, confirming his decision to himself.

    Albaer then flipped the phone around to focus on the cream carpet and walk the short, dark hallway to his mother¡¯s room.

    He knocked a little bit, but heard nothing inside.

    He reached for the door knob and tried it, the knob turned. ¡®Unlocked.¡¯ Albaer thought and lightly pushed the door inward toward the room.

    He went over to the bed, the light guiding him over the carpet until he was at her bedside, he sat down and put a hand on her head, he stroked the head of his sleeping mother.

    ¡°Mom¡­ listen¡­ I found something out today¡­ L-Lisa, you remember her of course. She¡­ she came over. She told me things, things I didn¡¯t know. I thought that to be good, to prove that I was good, I couldn¡¯t defend myself. I thought¡­ so many times, ¡®This is what you get.¡¯ And that I deserved it. I thought that was why nobody would help¡­ why nobody cared. But, listen, don¡¯t say anything.¡± He said when her face turned toward him as he caressed her cheek, he swallowed hard. ¡°Just listen, I know not only that I¡¯m not the only bad one, I¡¯m one of the few good ones. I¡¯ve been letting some bad people blame me when I shouldn¡¯t. I know, I know how important it was for you that I be a good boy, a good son. But I can¡¯t do it your way anymore. I¡¯m tired of getting hurt. I¡¯m tired of feeling ashamed. And I don¡¯t have to anymore, do you understand, mom?¡±

    She lay quiet, silent. He was fairly sure she was pretending to be asleep. ¡®Just deal with reality, mom! I can¡¯t do this alone!¡¯ He cursed in his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to defend myself¡­ I promise I won¡¯t start any fights¡­ that¡¯s good enough, but I won¡¯t let people do whatever they want anymore. I guess¡­ I¡¯ll just have to hope you understand that.¡± Albaer said, and glanced up to see two outlines in the darkness, winged shadows.

    Alarm shot through Albaer like lightning as he realized it was Raziel and Lialah. ¡®Are they insane?! What if she wakes up and sees them?! What if she really is awake and only faking it, and sees them?!¡¯ He wondered and shot to his feet, blocking any view his mother would have of the entrance to her room, he pointed past them, telling them to go.

    They did, immediately.

    ¡°Goodnight, mom, I love you. Even if this doesn¡¯t make you happy, I¡¯ve got to do this.¡± Albaer said with a sad shake of his head, then picked up his phone and made his way out of the room. Closing the door behind him with a click, and returned to his own quarters.

    Albaer gave both a glare in the dark, knowing damn well by now that they could see him flawlessly. He closed his bedroom door with another click and gave a rough, hoarse whisper, ¡°I told you two to never do that! Never go in there!¡±

    ¡°Ah, w-we¡¯re sorry. We heard you, so we were worried.¡± Raziel said, ¡°She didn¡¯t see a thing, I promise.¡±

    ¡°R-Right, it¡¯s fine, if she had, she¡¯d have reacted.¡± Lialah said and took Albaer¡¯s arm to guide him back to his bed.

    ¡°I-I guess, I guess it was strange of me to do that, I just needed to talk to her, she¡¯s so tired¡­ working all the time¡­ I just needed my mom for one minute¡­ I-I assume you heard everything?¡± Albaer asked.

    Raziel pressed him down to a seated position, and Lialah went and fluffed his pillow. ¡°We did, and we agree, you have a right to be safe¡­ I of course think it¡¯s silly to not defend yourself, no matter whom you¡¯re related to¡­ but you thought you were doing the right thing. If you change your mind, you should change your actions.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve had¡­ had such a rough day, Albaer, I know this is a lot to take in, a-a few more hours of sleep will do you good.¡± Lialah said and put a hand over his forehead and drew her delicate fingers over his eyes as Raziel pulled the covers over him again.

    ¡°I guess, and as long as she didn¡¯t see anything¡­ but just don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± Albaer replied with a yawn.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± The angel and demon said as one.

    ¡°She¡¯s a beautiful woman though, isn¡¯t she, it¡¯s no wonder she and dad got together.¡± Albaer said with pride.

    ¡°She¡¯s unlike any wife I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Raziel said with a little smile in the dark.

    ¡°She is something else.¡± Lialah agreed with tiny nods. ¡°But you need your rest, Albaer.¡± She urged.

    Albaer nodded, and then Lialah whispered a few rapidly said syllables. For good measure, she uttered the word in his tongue, [Sleep]. Albaer began to breathe in and out in his slumbering rhythmic pattern, and Lialah then grabbed her sister¡¯s arm and yanked her away from the bed.

    They rushed out of the room, closing the door without even making a click, then returned to the room of Albaer¡¯s mother. The door flung inward and Lialah fumbled for the light. Raziel closed the door before the light could break the hold of the darkness over the room.

    It blinked on, bright as day, and there was Albaer¡¯s mother.

    ¡°H-How long do you think she¡¯s been dead for?¡± Raziel stammered.

    ¡°If forensic shows try to be accurate? Months? Maybe years.¡± Lialah guessed when they looked down at the desiccated corpse. The body had been thoroughly dried out, the limbs stiff against the body, the eyes were gone, hair still remained which must have been a vibrant wheat shade of gold when the body was still alive. The skin was wrinkled and muscles shrunken almost to nothing, but the cause of death was clear as day.

    The noose was still around her neck, though the rope had been sawn through. Around the room were various air fresheners and oils to eliminate any lingering odor.

    Whatever the real timeline, one thing was absolutely clear to both the angel and the demon¡­ the inhabitant of that room had not left it in a long, long time. When they traded a glance at one another, both Raziel and Lialah recognized that they had the same understanding.

    ¡®We are not the only ones in this apartment who need help.¡¯

    They swallowed, hard. Slowly they withdrew from the room, but neither could shake the feeling that the eyeless sockets of Albaer¡¯s mother were watching them as they left her alone again to return to her lonely son.

    -End-

 Chapter One

    Raziel slipped into Albaer¡¯s body as soon as she was able, and the routine began again.  Albaer slept as the pair worked to make themselves stronger.

    Unlike the usual state of banter between the two, on this night, they were quiet.  Raziel used Albaer¡¯s fists as if they were her own, with Lialah deflecting them with a swift but gentle batting away of the human wrists with her steel strong angelic fingers.  Her flowing style of combat kept Raziel moving, feet flying over the carpeted floor without missing a beat.  A steady, angry look in the red eyes of the body her sister controlled.

    Teeth clenched as her own mind raced, struggling to understand the nature of what she saw and heard in the room she now thought of as a tomb.  ¡®Does he really believe she is alive and sleeping?  There¡¯s no way, right?  How could he?¡¯  On the surface at least, it seemed impossible, somebody had to have cut the rope, somebody had to have laid the body down on the bed, somebody had to have treated the corpse, put up the air fresheners, and done all the things to ensure nobody knew the truth.

    That somebody could only be one person.  ¡®Then how can he think she¡¯s alive, going to work, and sleeping?  Just as questionable, where is the money coming from that he¡¯s been using¡­¡¯  Raziel¡¯s thoughts were linear and structured, determined to get to the bottom of the matter, but in the quiet blue eyes of her sparring partner and sister, she saw only the deep and shimmering pools of pity that made her deflections soft and her movement hesitant.

    ¡®Albaer¡­¡¯  Lialah¡¯s thoughts ran parallel to her sister¡¯s.  Nobody liked being pitied, but as his name came to mind and though Raziel threw counterjab after counterjab in response to her demonic sister¡¯s aggressive attacks, she couldn¡¯t help the well of pity rising within.  ¡®Like my imaginary friend from when Raziel was little¡­ the one that would ¡®visit¡¯ when she was sick.¡¯  Lialah had an inkling that loneliness played a part in their ¡®sort of rescuer¡¯ deluding himself.  And with that inkling came a hint of regret that was all her own.

    But even with that conclusion, Lialah¡¯s inner healer told her it was more.  She ducked beneath her sister¡¯s strike and struck her palm against Albaer¡¯s sternum, he didn¡¯t crumple, but he went back coughing and hacking before diving out of the way of a followup and resuming the offensive with gritted teeth.

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    Only when they took a break did Lialah finally give voice to her thoughts.  ¡°How can we help him?¡±  She asked while picking up a towel and throwing it over to her sister.

    Raziel was now well accustomed to his body and snatched it out of the air, she began wiping the sweat away and said, ¡°I have no idea.  I¡¯m no good at healing, but even if I were?  This is a whole other thing.  I¡¯ve never seen it before.  The only thing I can think of is to start digging into the subject.  There¡¯s got to be an explanation.¡±

    ¡°Are you any good with that internet stuff?¡±  Lialah asked while Albaer¡¯s body stretched out on the floor after throwing aside the towel.

    ¡°Yeah, pretty good, I can search for some information, maybe see what I can find¡­ but you¡¯re better for this kind of thing than I am.  Whatever I find though, you can use it.¡±  Raziel said and slowly emerged from his body.  When she had a solid form again, she tapped the smooth cheeks with her razor sharp finger tips.  He was breathing hard from the exercise, but appeared otherwise completely at peace.

    ¡°You¡¯re a succubus.¡±  Lialah pointed out and when Raziel moved aside after what the angel judged was a moment longer than necessary.  ¡°Making people feel good is-¡±

    ¡°Is not the same thing as making things better.¡±  Raziel interjected.  ¡°I can give him wonderful dreams, stimulate all kinds of emotions, from lust to fear, but I am no healer, sister.¡±  The demoness crossed her arms in front of her chest and shook her head with decisive force, sending her dark hair flying about behind her.

    Lialah thought about that as she got on top of the sleeping body and pressed her forehead to his.  Her form faded away as she took possession of Albaer¡¯s flesh, and a moment later she stood him up.  She gave the limbs a quick shake and a wiggle to ensure she had full control and then gave her sister a long, steady look.  ¡°We¡¯ll just have to do our best¡­ I¡¯m going to take him for a run, and don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s late now, I shouldn¡¯t come across anyone.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going to get on the internet and see what I can uncover.¡±  Raziel said and gave a quick dismissive wave before walking away and leaving Lialah to take off out of the front door at a dead sprint.

    As soon as she was alone at the computer, Raziel began searching.  She clicked open multiple tabs on the browser and despite the severity of the situation, everything from Lisa to the literal corpse down the hall¡­ her sharp fangs were bared in a smile.  ¡®This is so¡­ what¡¯s their word for amazing and wonderful¡­ ah¡­ ¡®cool¡¯, a weird word to use for it, but it works!  This is so cooooool!¡¯  She exclaimed with glee as she used the information tool.

    Like some goddess of knowledge, all the information, all the learning, everything she could ever dream of knowing, all right there at the tips of her talons with a few strokes of her fingers.  She began typing in phrases in every search engine on every tab.  Shifting the mouse around, she bit her lip and leaned in close to the screen as if doing so would let her see the results faster.

    [Mental health], [Talking to dead people], [delusions], [hallucinations].  Every word she could think of that might have some hint of success, she typed in until the tabs were so many that she could only see the first letter of each website title.

    ¡°Talk to the dead, psychic services¡­¡±  Raziel read the title out loud.  ¡°Huh¡­ I thought magic wasn¡¯t supposed to be real here?  If there¡¯s no magic, how can they talk to the dead?  Well¡­ worth a shot.¡±  She thought, and clicked the link.

 Chapter Two

    Albaer looked at the succubus and scratched his sandy hair, he cocked his head, opened his mouth to speak, then thought the better of it and cleared his throat as soon as the demoness''s sister came into view.

    "Why are you looking at me so strangely?"  Raziel asked, "You told my sister and I we should buy clothing... and we have."

    The red skinned succubus put her hands on her hips, she''d gone full ''goth girl'' minus the make up.  Her sister, a golden haired and pale angel, was wearing a plaid skirt and white shirt.  Even without looking, he knew ''exactly'' where they''d shopped.

    "Raziel, Lialah, when you were exploring the stores for clothes... ah... what keywords did you use?"

    "Clothes for demon girls, of course."  Raziel said with a fangy smile spread over her face.  "It turned out that there was a store called ''Goth Topic'' which specialized in just the sorts of things I''d wear.  Strangely enough, they also had clothes suitable for an angel... or so my sister insists that it was for."  She waved a hand over at the white winged angel who moved to stand a little behind her sister.

    "Did we... do something we shouldn''t have?  Is there something wrong with our clothing?"  Lialah asked, "I thought it was strange that humans would have a place to sell clothing for... people, who don''t exist here but... is this wrong?"  The angel girl''s soft voice was filled with worry and she began to pick at the skirt and glance at it as if searching for defects.

    ''So, that explains the Catholic schoolgirl outfit, and... the black miniskirt, mesh top, spiked wrist bracelets, fighter cap... everything... great... this... is going to be awkward.''  Albaer thought and dragged his hand over his face from forehead to chin.  "I''m sorry, I really should have checked what you were buying... those aren''t exactly school clothes"

    "But..."  Lialah insisted, "The site said this was a Catholic Schoolgirl outfit!  It said so, I swear!"  She insisted, putting a hand over her white shirt at the chest and looking increasingly worried.

    "Yes... if you go to a Catholic School... for anyone else... it''s basically perv bait."  Albaer said and immediately regretted it when she straightened up and gasped.

    Raziel frowned, she straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest.  "And mine?"

    "Different perv but kind of the same thing... not really what I had in mind with school clothes... this is my fault... I''m... I''m sorry."  Albaer sat on his bed and looked down at his carpeted floor.  "It just didn''t occur to me to make sure you knew what you were doing, how could you know anything about my world... Listen, you can borrow some of my old clothes, it''s not great, just some old ripped jeans, baggy shirts, but it''ll do for today."

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    The two stared at him for a long moment of time before the demoness chose to speak for herself and her sister.  "Don''t worry about it... misunderstandings happen.  But ah..."  The demoness took the hat off her head and cocked her head down at it, then looked at herself in the mirror and flashed herself a smile, "Can we keep this stuff?"

    Albaer threw back his head and laughed, falling back with his arms open on the bed, his laughter, rare as it was, was deep and rich and it was quickly joined by the uncommon duo.  "Yeah, fine, I''m still not fired from work... I''ll pull a few extra overtime hours and pick some suitable things up for you afterward.  Trust me, neither of you wants to be seen around this town in those clothes."

    He got up and left the room, leading the pair with him down to the basement, he pulled the string secured to the dangling overhead light, their shadows danced back and forth on the walls as they descended over the creaking old wooden steps, and he went straight to a large rubber bin.

    "These aren''t great..."  He added without looking over his shoulder at the pair and then popped the top off the large blue bin and rummaged around.  "But they''ll do."  He reiterated and pulled out a pair of jeans for each, then handed them back, then a pair of shirts, simple plain black and plain blue fabric.

    "Albaer?"  Lialah asked while she looked down at the clothes he handed to her, and then traded a glance with her red eyed sister.  Raziel said nothing, but the hardened red gleam said plenty.

    "There''s... a lot of blood on these."  Lialah finally said.

    "That''s why they''re here."  Albaer said and put the top back on the bin.  "I use the clean parts of things in here to make patches for the others, don''t worry, the blood is mine, and on those, it''s mostly on the lower legs, just cut the jeans off above the knee, instant jean shorts, perfect for this weather.  Just use your magic to pull the blood off the fabric to clean the shirts, and no more problems, it''s all clean..."

    Albaer was rambling, his voice picking up speed and pitch.  "Come on, hurry up and get changed, get your illusions ready and-"

    Raziel put a hand on his shoulder, he stopped speaking and glanced down at the sharp talon tipped fingers.  "Albaer... how long has this been going on... the truth... who did all this...?"

    Albaer blinked rapidly several times before closing his eyes, taking a breath, and turning away from her.  "Come on, do you think I keep track?  It doesn''t matter, just hurry up and go get changed.  If you want to learn about human society, one of the first things you should know is that we live and die by clocks, we don''t want to be late."

    He then strode away before either the angel or the demon could properly process things, they looked down at the rust colored marks of blood and the tears which still bore snag marks from where they''d been dragged, and the pair swallowed hard.  "This may be harder than I thought..."  Lialah mouthed the words to her sister, and at them, the Demoness nodded.

    "Maybe so... we''ve got a lot to make sense of, and I don''t think we''re going to like it..."  The demoness answered.

    "Hey, make it quick!  We''re walking, so we need to be gone in the next ten minutes!"  Albaer called from upstairs as if nothing were wrong, and after one brief second of reticence, the pair went for the stairs.

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡±  Lialah asked with a whisper in her own language so small she was sure that Albaer couldn¡¯t possibly have heard it.

    Raziel gave a tiny nod and answered in the language of her race, ¡°Yes.  Psychic powers seem to exist here so I scheduled an automated appointment with one¡­¡±  Lialah looked briefly confused, cocking her head to one side, until Raziel clarified, ¡°like a magic assistant¡­ I think.  Anyway, they¡¯re going to reach out to me and we can try to talk to his mother¡¯s ghost¡­ but we do need money¡­ a bunch.¡±

    ¡°Power costs money.¡±  Lialah whispered in her tongue with a shrug, and they were quiet, lost in their private hopes and reflections as they modified Albaer¡¯s old clothes and changed into them at last.

 Chapter Three

    Albaer stood sideways at the entrance to his home, his hand on the knob while he waited, counting the seconds as the morning marched on.  He opened his mouth to call for Raziel and Lialah to hurry up, his mother¡¯s refrain in his head, ¡®Be on time for school.  Good boys do their best to be on time and not make trouble for themselves, their teachers, or their parents.¡¯

    He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled.  ¡®She¡¯s been saying that since I was a kid¡­ would it really be so bad if I were late once in a while?  Other people are late and what happens to them?  Nothing that I can see.¡¯  He slowly closed his mouth and waited without speaking until the pair appeared, exiting his room in clean but ripped and wrinkled clothing.

    They were also¡­ undisguised.  Their wings, Raziel¡¯s talons, red skin, her eyes, all were still ¡®themselves¡¯.  ¡°How do we look?¡±  Raziel said with a playful little smile that made Albaer immediately think¡­

    ¡®Right, her ¡®teeth¡¯ too¡­¡¯

    Raziel¡¯s ¡®pose¡¯ for lack of a better word to come into his mind, was almost a taunt.  The back of her hand curled against her hip which she¡¯d swayed out, her other arm hung loose, and the ruby-like sparkle full of energy and confidence that made him briefly look away from her gaze, and over to Lialah.

    True to form, she had a slight blush on her face and rather than a pose, she picked at her clothing in a small nervous gesture.  Her fingers pinched the cloth, pulling it out a little, then letting it fall away again.

    ¡°Great, but you¡¯re not disguised.  You definitely cannot leave this apartment as you are.¡±  Albaer insisted, he locked his eyes on Raziel and held his unblinking eyes on hers.

    ¡°Right, right, of course.¡±  Raziel answered, then she and Lialah muttered a string of unintelligible syllables under their breath.

    Their fingers snapped almost in sync with one another, and Albaer flinched and squeezed his eyes shut, holding one hand up to protect himself from the flash, he lowered his hand when he felt the dimming and opened his eyes again.  He blinked a few times, while the blurry outline of his friends came into focus.  Raziel¡¯s dark hair remained, as did Lialah¡¯s blonde, but the wings and fangs were gone.  ¡°Your eyes.¡±  He said to Raziel, and she blushed, her skin was now slightly tan rather than red, and to his surprise, a tiny blush rose to her cheeks as if he¡¯d embarrassed her.

    ¡°Wow!  That is one hell of an illusion.¡±  He said and gave a rapid series of jerking nods of his head, ¡°Other than the eyes, perfect.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sorry, I almost forgot.¡±  Raziel went into the bedroom again and came out still inserting contacts that turned her eyes a vibrant green, her finger fumbled a bit and she bit her tongue¡­ revealing that her teeth appeared human as well.

    ¡°I¡¯d have done the eyes, but I don¡¯t want to waste the mana, we put enough squares into illusion magic that we should have no trouble holding this for the whole day, but I didn¡¯t want to chance it.¡±  Raziel added, then blinked her eyes and clapped her hands.  ¡°Ta-da!¡±  She said with a broad grin on her face.  ¡°Human.¡±

    ¡°So are your wings¡­?  Can I?¡±  Albaer asked, and when she understood, Lialah turned around.  The rip in her shirt  that the wings must have passed through didn¡¯t appear there either.  He approached and waved one hand up and down her back¡­ and felt nothing.

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    ¡°Amazing.¡±  He breathed out and then touched the part of her shirt that should have been torn, and he felt the warmth of her skin.

    ¡°Oh!¡±  Lialah squeaked out and jumped forward away from him, and Albaer responded with a gasp and jumped back, both their mouths caught open in surprise.

    ¡°I thought- Sorry!  I was expecting to feel clothing!¡±  Albaer exclaimed and waved the hand rapidly in front of himself to disavow the sudden touch of the skin of her back.

    Raziel smirked.  ¡°Getting touchy with my sister in front of me, a bold move for you, Albaer.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!  I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±  He exclaimed, his face flushing red as his head swung back and forth, shaking his denial at the accusation of his ¡®boldness¡¯.

    ¡°It-It¡¯s fine.¡±  Lialah said when she turned around, ¡°It works by playing with your perceptions.  You ¡®think¡¯ you¡¯re close enough to touch there, but in reality all illusion is just playing with light, so I¡¯m not where you think I am.  You were nowhere near my wings but¡­¡±  She balled up her fists and snapped, ¡°it won¡¯t work if you come right up on me and start getting all touchy!  I can make it look like there¡¯s nothing there, but that¡¯s all.  When we get a little higher we can alter touch perceptions, but not yet.¡±

    Albaer felt her staring at his offending hand, and he gingerly put it behind his back out of her sight, ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry.¡±  He said, his face went from slightly panicked, to grave.  He took another deep breath, his eyes went down a little bit and asked, ¡°Are you two sure about this?  You don¡¯t have to, you know.  I-I can keep paying for what you need, even if they do finally let me quit or just plain fire me, I¡¯ll figure something out.  This puts you at risk, and your people might find a way to bring you home still!¡±  He emphasized, his hand tensing around the doorknob, he pressed, holding it shut even tighter than it was while at rest.

    ¡°They¡¯re not coming for us.¡±  Raziel¡¯s words dripped with vitriol and bitterness, her knuckles cracked from the tension in her hands.  She only relaxed when Lialah put a hand to rest on her sister¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°M-My sister is right, Albaer.  They¡¯ve probably been at war since our first week here, most Kingdoms had already mobilized their armies, we were the last hope¡­ and we failed.¡±  Her blue eyes clouded over and her long lashes fluttered as she tried to blink back the sorrow that tried to escape out of her eyes and down her cheeks.  ¡°In the entire history of the Summoning, no summoners have ever just vanished.  Even if they could take the time to try and figure it out, they probably won¡¯t be able to.  They¡¯re probably afraid that whatever we tried to summon will just take them too.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±  He started, until Raziel¡¯s eyes bored into him, demanding he be quiet.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got no family, Albaer.¡±  Raziel added, ¡°There¡¯s nobody who gives enough of a damn about us to risk it themselves, we were assets, tools to try to save the world, and we¡¯re now broken ones as far as they¡¯re going to think of us.  And what do you do about a lost broken tool when it might be dangerous to try to get it back?¡±

    Albaer¡¯s silence was answer enough.

    Lialah¡¯s little smile was bitter, trembling as if the corners of her lips were almost too heavy to hold up.  ¡°Like my sister says¡­ and you can¡¯t take care of us forever, what if you die?  Or get hurt?  Even if you don¡¯t, will you just waste your life trying to look after us while we hide in your bedroom?¡±  Lialah approached and put a hand on his bicep, she looked up at him and said flatly, ¡°No.  Even if you did say yes, and I can see you want to, we can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±  Albaer protested again, or tried to.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±  Raziel strode over to him and leaned a little forward, she put her hands on her hips and abruptly stated...  ¡°But¡­ nothing.  We have to find a way to live out there, get familiar with your culture, and how everything works.  Besides, if we do that, we can actually help.  I won¡¯t be some sort of useless burden! Now are we going or what?¡±

    Albaer felt the fight go out of him with a weighty sigh, his arms felt limp and heavy.  ¡°Yeah, yeah we need to go, just listen to me, follow my lead and ah¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±  The pair asked at the same moment.

    ¡°The zippers¡­ on your pants¡­ Please raise them.¡±  His face turned red again as he looked down at the little brass zipper clasps that stuck out at the crotch of their denim.

    ¡°The what¡­?¡±  Raziel demanded and put her hands on her hips.

    ¡°Th-The little brass tab sticking out, grab it and pull it up¡­ and hurry please.¡±

 Chapter Four

    ¡°Okay, okay, we¡¯ll go, we¡¯ll go.¡±  Albaer said and put his hand over the one of Lialah¡¯s which touched his bicep.  She squeezed, and when she pulled her hand back again, he gave them one last look, Lialah had a tiny tremble barely showing in her fingers, and Raziel had subtly taken a small, subtle step forward that he had failed to notice until just then, putting herself just a little ahead of her sister as if to protect her.

    He gave them both a reassuring smile, ¡°Forget what I said.¡±  He told them, ¡°It¡¯s just my experience has been a bad one and I was projecting that on you¡­  There¡¯s just one thing you need to do and you¡¯ll be fine.  You¡¯re both disguised as very pretty girls, that will put you up near the top of the hierarchy right at the start.¡±  Albaer gave a pleasant, encouraging chuckle that came past his closed mouth with a little quirky smile to match.

    He then opened the door and held it to allow Raziel and Lialah to pass him by before he shut and locked the door behind him.  It was sealed with a click, he noisily jiggled the knob, nodded with satisfaction when the door didn¡¯t open, then put away the key and walked to where his erstwhile roommates stood waiting and watching him with quiet expectation.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s this one thing?¡±  Raziel finally asked when they were several minutes walk from Albaer¡¯s home.

    ¡°Simple,¡± he said with a shrug, ¡°pretend you loathe me.  Maybe pretend to... pick on me a little bit, I¡¯ll play along, and then your year here will be okay at the least.¡±

    Both angel and succubus traded long looks of utter dismay, eyes widened in both shapely faces.  ¡°Not gonna happen.¡±  Raziel said and spat onto the sidewalk.

    ¡°Really, it¡¯s all right, you¡¯ve got to understand, high school is full of ingroups and outgroups, the popular kids, the loners, and then you¡¯ve got¡­¡±  He shrugged and tried to smile only to give up and face away from them, ¡°I won¡¯t put up with things anymore¡­ but if you want to make things better for yourselves instead of harder, I¡¯ll go with it for now and take one for the team.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±  Lialah answered with defiance in her steady sky blue eyes.

    He could feel them drilling into the back of his head.

    But he no longer chose to argue, ¡°Anyway, so when we get there, just follow me, I¡¯ll have to take you into the administrative office first and get you registered for classes.  And if you change your mind¡­ no hard feelings, just give me a wink and I¡¯ll play along.¡±

    Neither Lialah nor Raziel said a word, and close as they were, when Lialah caught sight of her sister, even Lialah could not read what was written across the face of the succubus.  But for her part, she had only one thought.  ¡®That¡¯s the saddest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡¯  Her heart tore in two, but she kept her face absolutely neutral lest he turn around to speak to them, and instead moved on in subject.

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    ¡°Will it be difficult to get started?¡±  She asked with faux cheer in her voice.

    ¡°No, not really, we¡¯ve got a decent cover story, but we might have to fake some paperwork later, nobody will look too closely as long as you¡¯re from a long way away, and¡­¡±  He looked over his shoulder and smirked at them, a sparkle danced in his deep brown eyes, ¡°there¡¯s not much farther away from where you two came from, short of Heaven or Hell.¡±

    He barked with laughter at his poor joke, and they laughed with him, silvery voices drawing eyes toward them from those who were on foot and going about their business in the early morning hours.

    When he realized he was being watched, Albaer lost his step for a moment, nearly tripping over his own two feet and stumbling toward the pale concrete of the sidewalk.  The beginnings of mocking guffaws from other boys heading in the same directions themselves began, and before he could stumble halfway over, Albear¡¯s sense of utter shame burned like the surface of the sun, sweat sprang to his skin, ¡®How long till I stink like I haven¡¯t showered¡­?¡¯  Shame atop shame promised a spiral of disgust for himself in his guts that might have gone on to the very doors of the school, except for one curious thing that stopped it all cold.

    ¡°Watch yourself!¡±  Two voices rose up at his back, and faster than he believed possible, firm holds took him, a hand from each grabbed his shoulders and drew him upright again, and drew themselves closer so that they were obviously with him.

    The eyes that were locked on Albaer¡¯s pending humiliation turned instead to reappraise the illusion clad Lialah and Raziel, as teenage boys were prone to doing.

    ¡°Were you planning on running off ahead of us?¡±  Raziel laughed to cover the moment, ¡°You won¡¯t get away that easy!¡±  She traipsed in front of him and did a quick pirouette that would have made any skilled dancer proud.  ¡°I¡¯m as quick on my feet as you are, I promise you!¡±

    Catching her drift, Albaer injected, ¡°Yeah, sure you are, sure you are.  Heh, we¡¯ll have to race again sometime and see how you hold up.¡±

    The moment was gone, the rush of heat to his skin and his fears of the things that lay ahead, all vanished like they¡¯d never happened, and with that they walked along in amiable quiet for the last few minutes of the journey to school.

    The morning was a comfortable one, if trending toward autumn, a light breeze blew and ran through Albaer¡¯s sandy hair to caress his scalp, the brief heat he felt before was lightly blown away, and when they reached the open gate between the stone walls that secured the school he stopped and turned around.  Albaer forgot at that moment what he was going to say, the breeze caught the golden strands of Lialah, and the inky dark strands of Raziel, and carried them past their bodies to dance wild and free.

    Raziel¡¯s horns, her red eyes, her crimson skin and sharp claws¡­ the wings of both women, all gone¡­ and it was only in that moment that he realized, ¡®My god¡­ they¡¯re beautiful¡­¡¯

    Everything about them seemed so different, Raziel struck what could only be called a ¡®power stance¡¯ with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face, feet shoulder width apart, while her sister Lialah stood with quiet reserve, her eyes casting about and taking everything in.  Whereas Raziel was focused and intent, her sister was broad in her attention giving, ¡®I wonder if that made them more compatible for magic use?¡¯  The thought came and went as he was absorbed in his fresh look at them in their disguised state.

    ¡®It¡¯s not real, they¡¯re not humans, this is only an illusion.¡¯  He reminded himself, and said, ¡°Here we are.¡±  He turned to one side to avoid obscuring their view and gestured to his school.  ¡°Checkfeld High, my school and¡­¡±  He glanced around, the grounds were empty, the others had all gone in, ¡°my private Hell.¡±

    Raziel gave it a long look, ¡®It looks more like a fortress than a school¡­ a guard at the front door, and thanks to video games I know that¡¯s a gun he¡¯s got there¡­ big stone walls, a lockable gate, everything made of red brick¡­ a lot nicer than where we used to learn.  At least to look at.¡¯  She thought, and followed Albaer to the entrance.

 Chapter Five

    The guard at the gate was the definition of not much to look at.  A pot belly, a smug look on his fatty face, his blue uniform and gold colored badge made him look like a caricature of the police officer he wasn¡¯t.  Raziel read the name.  ¡®Scott Teperson¡¯.  Albaer walked past the guard without a word, holding the door open to allow Raziel and Lialah to pass by.

    ¡°That¡¯s unlike you.¡±  Lialah said, leaning close to Albaer to speak after the door was allowed to slam shut behind them.

    ¡°A lot of things are unlike me.¡±  Albaer said.  He could feel eyes staring at the back of his head.  He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the guard they left behind.  ¡°I used to say hi to him.  I said it every day, he even said it back.  Most people ignored him, but I didn¡¯t like being ignored, so I tried to be nice.  Then a few months ago he just stood by while I got pushed around.  Why should I bother keeping up appearances?  I¡¯m not.  I won¡¯t.  Not anymore.¡±  Albaer insisted, then clearing his throat he said...

    ¡°This way.¡±  Albaer pointed toward a single tan wooden door in a dark walnut colored metal frame, a small rectangular window was above the doorknob allowing people inside to see out and outside to see in.

    He opened the door, again allowing Raziel and Lialah to pass through ahead of him.

    The first thing Raziel noticed was the low fuzzy gray walls that divided up the office, it gave each person working there their own space, various papers hung from tacks on the wall and what desks she could see were almost identical to those she was familiar with in her world.  ¡®Practical is practical, no matter the world, I guess.¡¯  Though her eyes lit up a little when she saw the computers here and there.

    At the front desk, they saw an older woman of wrinkled white skin and a swept over haircut that hung down over one ear.  She had two pearl earrings and a sour look on her wrinkled face, as if she¡¯d just sucked on a lemon.  Her horn rimmed glasses might as well not have been there as the moment the old woman saw Albaer, she lowered her glasses to get a better look at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±  She said, ¡°Let me give you a tardy slip, young man, young ladies, I¡¯ll get your tardy slips and then you can get to class.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±  Raziel shot out immediately, and the woman froze before she¡¯d even stood all the way up.

    ¡°What do you mean nope young lady?  Do you think you can just flout the rules?¡±  The old woman asked, her face was already turning red.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not a student here, I can¡¯t be late for things now, can I?¡±  Raziel said and walked past Albaer to lean on the desk and fold her arms one over the other.

    ¡°You¡¯re being rude.¡±  Lialah said quietly, the old woman¡¯s face was getting redder, her nostrils were flaring, she looked ready to explode, until Lialah spoke.

    ¡°Excuse my sister, it¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re new¡­ she¡¯s nervous, she gets brassy when she gets nervous¡­ ah, Albaer¡­ could you explain it?¡±  Lialah put a demure hand on Albaer¡¯s bicep, and as the old woman began to calm under Lialah¡¯s tender act of meekness, he ran with the moment.

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    ¡°I brought them here to sign them up for classes.  I thought they should shadow me for the day, they¡¯re the daughters of... ¡°  Albaer stopped speaking, cleared his throat, then went on, ¡°one of my mother¡¯s friends.  They ran into a bad spot, so we¡¯re letting them stay with us for a while.  At least for a semester or two.¡±

    ¡°I-I see.¡±  The old woman muttered, ¡°Do they-¡±  The old woman cut off her own question and fixed Albaer with a lingering look of disapproval.

    He hung his head.  ¡°Yeah, they know.  But it still beats homelessness.  Look, can you just get them registered?¡±

    ¡°Fine.  Fill these out, and we¡¯ll need the documents provided to us by the end of the week or we¡¯ll have to call social services.¡±  The old woman pointed out and taking two brown clipboards from a drawer at her desk, she held them out to each of the two girls.

    Albaer stepped back from the desk and sat on one of the cheap fabric covered office chairs laid out for visitors, it was old and not particularly comfortable, and his eyes kept watching the old white round clock on the wall.

    Raziel and Lialah scribbled steadily on the papers, then handed them over within a fraction of a second of one another.  ¡°Your penmanship is awful.¡±  The old woman said reprovingly to both of them, ¡°You should both work on it, all important things happen on paper.¡±  The old woman then set the clipboards down and began to type out the information to register them both.

    Raziel however, could not resist, ¡°I can see how important it is, and of course I will accept your advice for all it¡¯s worth.¡±  She wore a sweet smile on her face that the old woman completely misunderstood.

    ¡°Ah, so you can be polite, keep up that habit¡­ Isadora.¡±  The old woman said as if she were praising a puppy that performed a trick.

    ¡°I promise I will.¡±  Raziel said with a broader smile, behind her, Albaer covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh.

    The woman beamed a bit brighter, and Lialah moved to stand in the way of Albaer so the woman wouldn¡¯t notice his struggle to not laugh.  ¡°Alright, Isadora Blackworth, Isabella Blackworth, you are both now students here, you can shadow Albaer Lamark for the day and learn how things are here.  I¡¯m sure back in,¡± she lifted up the clipboard, ¡°California, you had a way of doing things.  But here, we¡¯ve got our own ways.¡±

    Lialah caught sight of the woman¡¯s name on her nametag, ¡°Of course, Miss Karen.¡±  Lialah hastened to answer before Raziel could get another jab in under the woman¡¯s nose, she gave a pleasant little smile to the woman with a half downcast and deferential look, and the woman nodded in approval.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, now get going¡­ I guess I can let the two of you off for today.  But you,¡± Karen said and leveled a finger past the pair and toward Albaer, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a tardy slip to sign.¡±

    Albaer rolled his eyes, ¡°Sure, whatever.¡±  He said and stood up to approach the desk, the woman scribbled out her reprimand and slid it across the desk for Albaer to take.  He shoved it in his pocket and headed for the door.

    ¡°Nice one, Isadora.¡±  Albaer said when the door closed behind them.  His blank face was replaced by a budding sly little smile.  ¡°I wish I had wit like that.¡±

    Raziel folded her hands behind her head and straightened her back, tilted her head up and preened a little, ¡°It¡¯s a gift, it¡¯s true.  But I also had to practice it a lot.  Succubi have a reputation after all, basically anything physical is assumed to be just us being kinky.  So I worked on my wit a lot, subtle or sharp, it¡¯s a pleasure to play with¡­ that¡­ came out wrong.¡±

    Albaer chortled while Lialah blushed at her sister¡¯s forthright word games.

    The halls were empty and so there was no fear of being overheard, so Albaer questioned them again, ¡°So, you¡¯ve got your backstories straight?  And you¡¯re sure you can handle the paperwork issue?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±  Raziel said and slapped him on the back.

    ¡°Yes¡­ we can do it, however to be sure, I¡¯ll have to do a few things¡­ like what I did with Lisa, or close to it.  But it will be fine.¡±  Lialah said and when Albaer put his hand on the chrome door handle, he stopped to give her a cockeyed, questioning look.

    ¡°Trust us.¡±  Lialah said and put her hand on his.

    Albaer took a long, deep breath.

    ¡°I do.¡±  He said, turned the handle, opened the door, and stepped into the first circle of his private hell with the angel and the demon following behind him.

 Chapter Six

    Albaer¡¯s entry into class normally drew few looks to none, but if it was one thing that was guaranteed to draw the notice of boys and girls alike, it was the unexpected entry with him of two very pretty girls.

    Raziel and Lialah gave polite waves, though Raziel complimented her wave with a brash, toothy smile when compared to the relatively slim, shaky smile of her sister.  With their hair down and loose, bouncing about with every step, they followed Albaer up to the front.

    The teacher, a mouse spirited woman, looked at them in surprise.  ¡°Albaer, who-¡±

    He cut her off.  ¡°Isadora¡±  He stepped aside and put a hand on Raziel¡¯s shoulder, ¡°and Isabella Blackworth.  They¡¯re the daughters of a friend of my mother.  They¡¯re shadowing me today before they get books and everything.  They¡¯ll be in school here.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±  The teacher blinked back her surprise, Albaer was not normally one to interrupt, she looked him up and down, something was off, the hairs on her arm stood up, she felt it, but couldn¡¯t place it.  Then she appraised her new students.  While they wore ratty jeans with patches aplenty, and old shirts a little too large, the long silken hair, the curve of their hips and slender legs, their bright eyes and sharp featured well defined faces marked them as easy rivals or better versus the ¡®popular¡¯ clique of cheerleaders.

    ¡°Go ahead and sit down, Albaer, and let your friends introduce themselves.¡±  The teacher suggested, while a wan attempt at a friendly smile crossing her face only briefly.

    Albaer shrugged without a word and went to his seat.  The chair on either side of him was empty, but the ones in front and back were not.

    While he seated himself, Raziel spoke up.  She bounced once on her heel, making her chest stand out for just a moment with a light rocking motion before she folded her hands behind her back.  One hand came to her front again and pressed to her chest as she spoke,  ¡°I¡¯m Isadora Blackworth, seventeen, Isabella¡¯s sister, I¡¯m from California, and I like computers, video games, indecent clothes and decent people.¡±  She gave a pearl white smile and locked eyes with Albaer, she winked.

    He tensed, ¡®This is how it has to be.¡¯  He told himself and tried to make himself okay with it.  He closed his eyes, ¡®They¡¯re more alone than I¡¯ll ever be, I can let them have this.¡¯

    ¡°The only one I know here is Albaer, for now, and he¡­¡±  Raziel cleared her throat, ¡°Is my oldest friend in the world.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s technically true as long as I don¡¯t explain what world I mean.¡¯  Raziel ruefully thought.

    Lialah spoke next, her voice was softer, silkier, she didn¡¯t bounce or have the aggressive, squared posture of her sister, instead she looked each of them in the eye, as if they were some small injured animal and she were an angel of mercy.  Her sky blue eyes loomed larger than they had any right to in the moment as she said, ¡°Like my sister told you, I¡¯m Isabella, we¡¯ve been friends with Albaer¡¯s family for a long time.  Things¡­ got hard at home, the jobs dried up, our mom couldn¡¯t afford us, so she asked if we could stay here for a little while, a semester, maybe more, till things get better behind us.  Ah, I like reading a lot, and also fashion and just relaxing.¡±

    ¡°Are there any questions for our new students before we get started again?¡±  The teacher asked, a hand went up.

    Albaer knew without a doubt that the hand belonged to the person behind him.  The one who made him cry so openly, so shamefully before.

    ¡°Yes?  You in the back?¡±  Raziel asked, pointing toward the boy.

    ¡°Uh, you know what his dad did, right?¡±  The gruff, young man asked with a sneer of derision at the back of Albaer¡¯s head.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Albaer told us about it.  Sad, but it wasn¡¯t Albaer who did it, so¡­?¡±  She gave a large, heavy shrug in answer and cocked her head at him, ¡°So why bring it up?  The guy who did it is dead, what more do you want?  It seems kinda dumb to bring it up now.¡±  Raziel matched his derisive sneer, and the young man turned red and went sullen.

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    ¡°Alright, take your seats.¡±  The teacher instructed, ¡°There are plenty, so sit wherever you like.¡±

    They didn¡¯t need to be told twice, multiple heads looked at the empty seats nearest to themselves and tried with little pointing gestures with fingers or cocky nods that were meant to look attractive or confident, suggesting an empty seat or two.

    But instead the pair went and sat on opposite sides of Albaer himself.

    ¡®Great.  I can feel it, they pissed him off.¡¯  Albaer told himself and waited.  A twinge of the familiar fear washed over him as he heard a backpack open behind him and the rustling of a hand in search of something, continued for several seconds.

    The teacher was droning on about ¡®something¡¯ but Albaer barely heard the lesson.

    A moment later, he felt a stinging pain in his calf, and heard Jason¡¯s stupid laugh behind him.  The stupid grin, he couldn¡¯t see it, but Albaer knew it was there.

    Albaer said nothing.

    It struck again.

    And again.

    Raziel and Lialah saw it.

    They glanced at Albaer out of the corner of their eyes.

    ¡°Knock it off.¡±  Albaer said without turning around.  It was a rough whisper, loud enough to be heard.  Instead he looked forward, the teacher saw again.  But she never stopped droning on.

    He felt Jason¡¯s eyes leave him, and even though he still couldn¡¯t see the bastard, he could feel the smug look deepen.  ¡®He wants to make me cry again, in front of them.¡¯

    The snap of the thick rubber band against his calf stung him again.  ¡°I said¡­ knock it off.¡±  Albaer spoke through gritted teeth, and a little louder, eyes began to turn toward where they sat.

    Albaer¡¯s eyes roamed around only briefly, part of him took on a preternatural calm.  ¡®My mother¡¯s advice¡­ I¡¯m just ¡®done¡¯ with it¡­ I promised myself that I won¡¯t let this keep happening!¡¯  Anger, it wasn¡¯t the first time he felt it, but it was the first time he embraced it.

    ¡°Or what?¡±  Jason asked with a shit eating grin on his face.  It wasn¡¯t loud, he was making a pretense of doing nothing, but it was an act that fooled no one.

    ¡°Do it again, and find out.¡±  Albaer hissed.

    Jason drew back the rubber band as Albaer looked back at him, they locked eyes, Jason hesitated, Albaer did not look away, but nor did his leg move.

    So dared¡­ Jason¡¯s smile vanished, it became a scowl with a deep set frown, and he let the end of the rubberband go, it snapped with a loud crack against Albaer¡¯s leg, and Jason waited.

    Albaer raised his hand.

    ¡°Snitchy bitch.¡±  Jason whispered, snapping back up straight to pretend his innocence.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Albaer ignored him, ¡°Could I use the restroom?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead, but be quick, we have a quiz in a few minutes.¡±  His teacher insisted, and Albaer nodded, made his exit, and vanished from the room.

    When the young man was gone, Jason leaned back and propped his feet up on the undercarriage of the chair, he folded his hands behind his head, smiling like the cat who ate the canary, he glanced at Raziel and Lialah, fairly daring them to say something.

    Raziel¡¯s fury burned white hot as only a demon could, ¡®That is the most punchable face I have ever seen in all my life.¡¯  She thought while gritting her teeth.  Only the tiny shaking of Lialah¡¯s head got her to stop.

    ¡®Wait.¡¯  Lialah said without vocalizing it.

    Albaer returned as quietly as he left, he stood at the door, shutting it so slowly that it made not even a click, then took the long route around the front so that he would pass directly in front of his teacher.  She was silent, waiting for him to take his seat, he paused for half a step, looked at him, their eyes met, but hers could not meet his for a moment.  He gave a little half nod to her, then returned to his chair.

    And took one step further.

    His arm came up, his hand made a fist, and just as Jason was starting to understand what was happening, but before he could assume any posture of defense or alarm, Albaer¡¯s fist slammed into Jason¡¯s ear.

    The young man tumbled out of his seat and fell face first into the paper thin carpet floor.

    ¡°That.¡±  Albaer said, and to add insult to injury, he spat on the fallen Jason, who was already scrambling to his feet, stumbling around as he tried to orient himself.

    The teacher found her voice almost immediately as the voices of the class went up in pandemonium of ¡°ooohs¡±, cheers, jeers, and calls of ¡°Fight!  Fight!  Fight!¡±

    ¡°Albaer!  Get to the principal¡¯s office!  Now!¡±  She shouted, taking up her ruler in desperation to drown out the noise.  She began beating it against the chalkboard until the students became quiet again.

    Albaer didn¡¯t argue, but as he reached the door he looked back at her and said, ¡°So you can talk.¡±  Venom and contempt dripped from his tongue, and she stepped back on one foot, her mouth open in shock at what he said before he slammed the door at his back.

    ¡°Someone- Someone help me get Jason to the nurse!¡±  She exclaimed as the boy found his feet again, he was hunched over, his left hand on his head, he stammered out.

    ¡°No¡­ No, it''s fine!  I¡¯m fine!  It didn¡¯t hurt at all, it was nothing.¡±  Jason cleared his throat and sat back down again.  But under his breath, so that Raziel and Lialah could hear him, but the teacher would not¡­ ¡°He¡¯s leaving school on a stretcher, fucking believe it.¡±

    Raziel and Lialah responded only with laughter that turned his face even redder than his ear.

 Chapter Seven

    Raziel and Lialah¡¯s ability to stifle their laughter did nothing to change the reality of what they heard Jason say behind them.  The teacher, mouse that she was, said nothing about Jason¡¯s uttered words, looking away as if to say, ¡®I heard nothing.¡¯

    ¡®She heard it.  She saw it.¡¯  Lialah realized, and likely so did the others.  And with that she turned her mind elsewhere.  To why.  ¡®Lisa did nothing when Albaer was attacked outside her home.  And the ones who attacked him did it as a group.  The ones who attacked him while Raziel was in possession of his body attacked him together as well.  No duels, no ¡®one on one¡¯.¡¯

    Only one word could come to mind for them.

    ¡®Cowards.¡¯  Lialah mouthed the word while looking at the teacher at the head of the class, and the bright blue eyes of the angel in disguise loomed like moons of blue, intense enough that the teacher didn¡¯t look at Lialah again.

    Instead the woman coughed, cleared her throat, and then pointedly turned her back to focus on the board behind her where a shaky hand wrote things Lialah didn¡¯t care to read.

    The more the angel thought, the more sense it made.  ¡®Albaer¡¯s mother killed herself, so did his father, leaving their son to fend for himself¡­¡¯  As she followed this train of thought, Lialah began to wonder more about their unexpected host.  ¡®Is he just¡­ afraid to deal with her death?  Is he utterly mad?  Deluded?  Lying to himself about the corpse in his house?¡¯  No clear answer came and yet she couldn¡¯t let go of the questions.

    She was so focused on her inner thoughts that she noticed nothing until her sister poked at her several times.  She then blinked and refocused, the teacher was repeating Lialah¡¯s assumed name several times.  ¡°Isabella?  I said please borrow a book from your neighbor, and then read the passage on page sixty-six.¡±

    Lialah blinked her eyes several times and then extended her hand to the nearest person, a chubby young girl flashed Lialah a weak little smile, blushed, brushed back her loose brown hair, and handed the book over.

    Lialah returned the smile and her neighbor flushed red with embarrassment and looked away, down at her now barren desk, and Lialah stood up after turning to the proper page.

    The disguised angel cleared her throat and just before she began reading, an impulse overtook her.  ¡®I¡¯ll never be able to be in a play back home, never again¡­ but hey, why can¡¯t I perform a little while I¡¯m here?!¡¯  It was a singularly delightful warmth that burst in her breast when she felt the eyes of the students on her, and she didn¡¯t ¡®read¡¯ the passage.

    She performed it.  She read it once in silence, measured the tone, and thrust one hand out into the air as if reaching to grasp the sun in the sky outside and called out her woeful lines with the full force of an angel of judgment.  Gentle fingers soft and tender, now hard as steel, one foot back and one before her, she barely glanced down at the book, keeping her eyes fixed at the far end of the class.  ¡®All pity choked with custom of fell deeds, and Caesar¡¯s spirit, ranging for revenge, with Ate by his side come hot from hell, shall in these confines with a monarch¡¯s voice cry, ¡°Havoc!¡± and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men groaning for burial!¡¯

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    She snapped the book shut with a clap of thick bound paper and dropped it on the empty desk, a slamming thunder to cap off her routine, as Lialah were back home again on the stage, she lowered her hand, bobbed at the knees and quietly took her seat.

    The student body of her class was quiet, silent, and for a long moment not even the teacher who called on her said anything.  From somewhere in the class, which Lialah took no notice of, somebody said, ¡°How do we follow that?  Were you in the drama club back home?¡±

    Lialah handed the book back to her neighbor, whose blush now deepened ten times over.  Lialah answered the unnamed voice saying, ¡°No, I just used to do plays¡­ it wasn¡¯t a club¡­ I guess.¡±  She shrugged.

    Her neighbor¡¯s fingers shook like they were freezing and were sweating as if they were too hot, and when she tried to take the book back, she lost her grip.  The book fell to the floor with a second slap to the ground, and someone piped up¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s not how encores work!¡±

    Amidst a flurry of brief laughter, the chubby brown haired girl let out an ¡°eep¡± and said, ¡°S-Sorry!¡±  Then hastily bent over, snatched it up off the floor and set it back down on her desk.  She then flipped it open to a random page and began to read, or pretend to.

    ¡°Ah¡­ that was good¡­ a good reading, Isabella.¡±  The teacher said with a wan smile and a faint red tinge to her cheeks.

    Raziel couldn¡¯t keep the grin on her face when Lialah lost herself in the brief performance.  ¡®So¡­ they have plays here too¡­ that¡¯s fantastic.  And a club for it¡­¡¯  Raziel looked down at the skin on her hands, she blended in perfectly with humans, nobody would know her for a demon, let alone a succubus.  ¡®Maybe we should try that together?  If I want to perform, I can do it without being relegated to the sex temptress who dies every time.¡¯

    Then it hit her.

    Her eyes widened as the obvious beat her about the brain with its potency.  ¡®I¡¯m not a demoness here.  I¡¯m not a succubus.  Neither of those are real in this world, I can be¡­ do anything¡­ As long as I stay in disguise I am completely free.  Nobody will assume I¡¯m just a¡­ what were those advertisements for?  Blow up toys?  Sex dolls?  Nobody will just think of what I can do for them.  No, not quite true, bastards still very clearly exist here.  But I won¡¯t be prejudged as long as I keep myself hidden.¡¯

    A world of possibilities opened up to the demoness and her smile spread out over her face like butter on hot cakes.

    ¡®Even if my world is safe¡­ even if they¡¯ve summoned and sacrificed a hero, or made one and sacrificed them, even if Albaer or we come up with some way to get back, I don¡¯t think I want to go.¡¯  Raziel realized it almost out of the blue.  ¡®Between endless opportunities to be whatever I want here, and¡­ that, back home?  Oh yes, I will definitely stay.¡¯

    Neither paid that much attention to the lesson, though they did pretend a fair bit until the bell rang and they watched the students rise to go to their next class.

    ¡°You two,¡± Jason said as he stood up, he rubbed his head once, then reached out to touch Raziel, she glared daggers at him, stilling the outreach of his hand, he then asked, ¡°you were shadowing that guy, so you don¡¯t know your way around why not come with me?¡±

    The glare went on, and Lialah turned to give him the same withering stare, his hand slowly lowered.

    Like they shared the same tongue, the pair said simply, ¡°No.¡±  Then when the class began to file out, Raziel snatched up Albaer¡¯s backpack, and they left the room with only one place in mind to go.

 Chapter Eight

    Albaer sat with his arms crossed in the main office, the chair was as uncomfortable as ever and he shifted a little bit in the cheap old material, tears and rips were the smallest problem, it was also filthy, and the material inside was either flat or sticky from past spills. It was also the chair they made those in trouble sit in, and it was, in a word, familiar.

    ¡°Albaer what did you do? Did you steal something like your father?¡± The secretary asked, and Albaer shook his head.

    In the past, her comment would have cut, now, it only stung. However, the sandy haired young man didn¡¯t wince. Nor did he retort. He simply glared at her without blinking. ¡®Lisa knew¡­ lots of people knew¡­ nobody told me¡­ I spent all that time being treated like shit to prove I wasn¡¯t bad, all for nothing¡­¡¯ His anger only intensified when she looked away from his disgust filled glare.

    ¡°It¡¯s not right that I¡¯m here.¡± He said at last.

    ¡°What?¡± She snapped her head around so fast he briefly wondered if she was giving herself whiplash. Her eyes and eyebrows widened in shock, and her mouth dropped as if she no longer had the strength to keep it closed.

    ¡°I said, it¡¯s not right that I¡¯m here.¡± Albaer answered with the unbreaking, steady stare. ¡°I was attacked in that class, Jason keeps doing this, over and over again, he whacks me, hits me, tries to provoke me, and nobody does anything. Today I did something myself, nobody else was going to do anything. So why hasn¡¯t he been here every single day, while I¡¯m here now after doing what you people always tell us our whole lives it¡¯s okay to do?¡±

    Struck nearly dumb by his rant, the old secretary managed to ask only, ¡°What¡­ do what?¡±

    ¡°Stand up for ourselves. We¡¯re always told to tell teachers, but the teacher could always see what was happening, it was out in the open, but she does nothing. Why isn¡¯t she here explaining why she can¡¯t control her class?!¡± Albaer raised his voice an octave, and it seemed to get the principal¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Albaer! Get in here!¡± The gruff snark of the weary bureaucrat was thick and weary, like gears that had ground too long without oil, and Albaer slowly rose from the sticky, torn seat and walked past the divider to go into the back room.

    Albaer sat before the principal, and the old man¡¯s eyes became flint. He was a world weary figure if ever there was one, stooped, a shaking in his hand, white hair in a combover that was the definition of denial. His cheap suit was a knockoff of a pricey brand, and he smelled of coffee and tobacco mingled with cheap cologne.

    ¡°Trouble follows you, doesn¡¯t it, boy?¡± The principal asked. The old man snatched a coffee cup off the table, sloshing some dark liquid over the top to add to the natural darkness of the expensive oak desk.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Albaer crossed his arms in defiance and the bushy gray unibrow of the principal went up. ¡°It comes before me. My father did stuff, but he was born before me. So were you, and you make my life harder. This place sucks, and a bunch of people before me made it that way. I¡¯m just stuck here in this shithole.¡±

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    The principal choked and sputtered some of his coffee out over his face, the dark water ran along the channels of his wrinkled old face before he could wipe his face clean with the back of his hand, coughing the whole time and setting the coffee down, it was a minute before he could speak again.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got an attitude problem, boy. You need to respect your elders! Your daddy should have taught you that much. Show some respect, son.¡± The old man shot back.

    ¡°I¡¯m not your son and I¡¯m about a year from not being a boy. And I tried your way!¡± Albaer exclaimed and leaned forward with angry tears in his eyes. ¡°I tried! I tried to show everybody I wasn¡¯t the bad seed! That I¡¯m just Albaer, just myself! But you¡­ fuck all of you! You let people smack me around, torment me, pick on me¡­ but fuck me if I defend myself! Then it¡¯s just proof that I¡¯m the problem! That got me here today! Yeah, I hit Jason! But he¡¯s been targeting me for months! Your trash teachers don¡¯t do a damn thing about it! Respect?! How about I get some elders worth respecting?! How about that, huh?!¡± Albaer shouted out loud, his face red and flushed with emotion, he pounded his fist on the desk and yelled across at the old man¡¯s stunned face.

    ¡°The school has a zero tolerance policy on fighting!¡± The principal snapped.

    ¡°Which means it has a one hundred percent tolerance for bullies and thugs! I get picked on, you do nothing. I fight back, I¡¯m punished because I started a fight! If I did any of what that bastard or his friends did, you¡¯d charge me with a crime! But I¡¯m supposed to take it?! You suck! You¡¯re all just¡­¡± Albaer began wiping his face vigorously to clear off the angry tears, ¡°I hate you. I hate all of you¡­ lying¡­ backstabbing¡­ vindictive little tyrants¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± The old man practically exploded, ¡°You disrespectful brat! I¡¯m going to call your mother in for a conference! Something has got to be done about your nasty attitude! We do things the way we do for a very good reason! We have lots of experience and learned how to do things the right way. That¡¯s why boys should listen to their elders.¡±

    Albaer stopped listening at the word ¡®conference¡¯.

    ¡®No¡­ no you can¡¯t¡­ you just can¡¯t. She- she¡¯s asleep¡­ all the time, from work¡­ she needs her- her rest¡­¡¯ Albaer¡¯s tears threatened to return. ¡°No¡­ no you can¡¯t do that, she can¡¯t come in¡­ she¡¯s always working, see and-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, boy! My son-in-law runs the hospital where your mother works¡­ or rather, worked. She quit two years ago to avoid being fired!¡± The principal smacked his open palm on the table, the clap of noise from the flesh striking the wood brought immediate silence to Albaer, who practically jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise.

    ¡°You see Karen on the way out, you get a notice from her for a parent teacher conference, and you come back here with your mother on Friday of this week, or face expulsion!¡± The principal demanded and then thrust a shaking hand out, pointing to the door. ¡°I¡¯d kick you out for the day, but you¡¯ve got two girls shadowing you that I don¡¯t have anyone else to watch¡­ mind yourself, boy. You swing one time on one person, you start any trouble today for even a bug crossing the courtyard, and you¡¯ll get worse than expulsion. Now get out!¡±

    Albaer stood, ghost white, having barely heard a thing, he walked like a man on autopilot, like a crude movie robot, and carried out the principal¡¯s instructions. He didn¡¯t even look at the smug face of Karen as she slid the paper across to him just as Raziel and Lialah entered the room before he could leave it.

 Chapter Nine

    ¡°Isabella, Isadora?  Why are you here?  Did you get in trouble or something.¡±  Albaer asked, briefly surprised by their sudden appearance.

    Both of the pair knew right away something was wrong, white faced as he was, there was no hiding that, but they independently realized that to say anything then would only make it worse.  ¡°You¡¯re the only one of the three of us who knows where to go next.¡±  Raziel answered with a chortle and a warm smile of her ruby lips.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ this is a much bigger school than what we had imagined, do you want us to get lost?¡±  Lialah asked with a quizzical cocking of her head which said what a ridiculous idea that was.

    ¡°Right¡­ right, sure, of course, this way.  Uh¡­ I left my backpack in the classroom though.¡±  Albaer said, until Raziel held it up in her left hand.

    ¡°You did,¡± she smirked, ¡°but luckily I happened to see it.¡±  She said and held it out at chest height.

    Albaer took it and slung it on his back, glancing back over his shoulder to where Karen sat, the old woman looked briefly stunned at Raziel¡¯s feat, and he swiftly stepped to one side to block the woman¡¯s view of the dark haired illusion bearing demoness.  He leaned forward, disguising his intended whisper by hunching his back while he donned the backpack again and said, ¡°Thank you, but this backpack weighs about thirty-five pounds.  Not many girls your age could just hold it out at chest height like it was nothing.¡±

    Raziel gave a little nod of understanding, and they made their way out of the room.

    The hall was less than crowded thanks to the delay, in fact only a handful of people, twos or threes, were seen in the empty halls as teenagers made their way with haste that was a little too delayed in use to get into their classes.

    Albaer however, didn¡¯t use any haste.  ¡°This way.¡±  He said and began to head down the hall, while he did, Lialah put her hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡±  She asked, looking at him with wide eyed worry.  The tinge of heartfelt concern wasn¡¯t in every syllable of the question, it was in every letter of every word.

    That made it both easier and harder for the young man to bear.  ¡°Yeah¡­ no¡­ I mean, it¡¯s normal, see they have something here called ¡®zero tolerance¡¯.  If you fight, you¡¯re in trouble, period.  It doesn¡¯t matter if you started it, or finished it, or even if you lost when you were just defending yourself.  You¡¯re in trouble the same as the- the one who provoked you.  I tried fighting back once, a long time ago.  It just made trouble for my mother¡­ and mom, she- well, you know her advice.¡±  He sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that nobody believes I don¡¯t start things, some don¡¯t believe me, like that bastard, but that it just doesn¡¯t matter if I did or not.  Even if they believe me, I ¡®fought¡¯ so I¡¯m in trouble¡­¡±

    Raziel and Lialah took a moment to process that.

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±  The sisters said at the same moment.

    ¡°Tell me about it, now they want to have a conference with my¡­ my mother¡­¡±  Albaer lost his step for a moment, a brief shiver came over his body and he was blinking back tears.  ¡°Th-They don¡¯t understand, she needs rest.  She can¡¯t deal with this¡­ I should have just let Jason do what he wanted¡­ they¡¯ll¡­¡±

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    Raziel took one long step and then moved in front of him, she whirled around to face him, dark hair whipping about behind her she said, ¡°She won¡¯t have to.  Or¡­ did you forget, I don¡¯t actually look like this?  I can just as easily look like her.¡±

    Albaer stopped dead.  ¡°Wait you can¡­ you think you can impersonate her?¡±  He asked in a rough whisper, his deep brown eyes loomed with wild and desperate hope.  ¡°I won¡¯t have to tell her?¡±

    ¡°With ease.¡±  Raziel said with a little smirk, ¡°But I think Lialah would do a better job than I would, she is the one who used to perform.¡±

    ¡°On the stage.¡±  Lialah pointed out, Albaer resumed his walk down the hall, and Lialah tightened her lips, ¡°That¡¯s different, something like this¡­ it¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ try?¡±  Albaer pleaded while his face turned red again.

    Lialah touched his arm after a moment, her slender fingers closed around his bicep and briefly tightened over the muscle there.  ¡®He¡¯s asking me to impersonate a dead woman¡­ that he doesn¡¯t even know is dead¡­ or has at least denied to the point where he doesn¡¯t believe she¡¯s gone¡­¡¯  It was hard not to think of home in that moment.  The tragedies of wars to create sacrificial heroes, it had birthed a whole field of art, music, plays, paintings, and sculpting¡­ and the look on his face reminded her of one such work.  Titled simply ¡®The Loss¡¯ it was a young angel holding the body of his mother as his city burned around him.  The utter defeat and empty, hollow look just before the cry could begin resonated with her when she saw Albaer¡¯s face.  She couldn¡¯t say no, instead she simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.  Both of you.¡±  Albaer said and then reached for the chrome handle of the door.  ¡°This is the next class, biology, the study of life,¡± he said, cutting off anything they might have said, he hesitated, ¡°Lisa is in this one¡­ so just¡­ you know.¡±  He briefly looked down, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

    ¡®Oh yeah!  The bitch I practically made wet herself!¡¯  Raziel put her hands behind her head, interlocking her fingers and walked in after him with a smug smile on her face.  ¡®I wonder if I can do it again looking like this¡­ nah, better to keep it quiet I guess.¡¯  She dismissed the idea, but it was a pleasant thought.

    ¡®That poor girl¡­ she must be so lost¡­¡¯  Lialah thought and looked knowingly at the back of her sister¡¯s head, she knew Raziel better than anyone, and that smug look she could feel on her sister even without seeing it, told her all she needed to.  ¡®I guess I should be glad she didn¡¯t do worse to LIsa than terrify her.¡¯

    She couldn¡¯t help but think back to the last time Raziel lost her temper on someone.  ¡®They never did find the tusks from that orc¡­ well¡­ they did find one of them¡­ but given where she put it, he didn¡¯t want it back.¡¯  Lialah suppressed the shudder of disgust.

    When Albaer entered the room his eyes immediately went to Lisa, up at the front, a skinny, middle aged man in thick glasses and a lab coat looked down over the rims when he saw the late arrivals.  ¡°Albaer and¡­ whoever, you¡¯re late.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lane.  It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±  Albaer said and stepped out of the way to gesture to the two girls accompanying him.  ¡°This is Isadora and Isabella Blackworth, they¡¯re staying with me for a few months and they¡¯ll be attending school here while they do.  They¡¯re shadowing me for the day.¡±

    Their teacher¡¯s nose was narrow and had a faint wheeze to it when he breathed, and his narrow, even shallow cheeks puffed out a little when he spoke.  ¡°Take a seat, sit with Albaer and follow him.  Albaer, open your book to page one hundred seventy-two.¡±

    The room was unique in the eyes of both angel and demon, the school of their homeworld consisted of a single long seat and table per row set facing an instructor.  This classroom had multiple stools around individual raised rectangular tables, each one with a sink and a series of unfamiliar instruments.

    With some reluctance the pair went to a side wall, took a pair of metal stools and brought them to where Albaer sat.  Curiosity about the glass tubes set in small containers that held the tubes upright and the wide round bottles which narrowed up at the top.  The little red dashes that ran up the sides of the bottles made no sense to either of the two.

    Raziel distracted herself by looking down at the cream white paper and the text therein.  ¡®The structure of cells¡­ the building block of¡­ no way¡­ this is what ¡®flesh¡¯ and ¡®organs¡¯ are made of?!¡¯  The demoness shoved herself close to Albaer, and hunched over the intricate color pictures showing the parts of the cell in a human body.

    Lialah however, found herself looking around the room while the teacher went on, he may have looked somewhat absurd, but he droned on with such passion, his voice carrying clear to the far side of the class, that it was hard not to pick up at least some of what he was saying.  It was because of her roving eyes that she caught Lisa¡¯s steady glare at Raziel.

 Chapter Ten

    Lisa glared at the pair of girls who sat closer to Albaer than she liked.  ¡®That dark haired one¡­ the demoness said she had a sister, and who can say what demons can do?  Why shouldn¡¯t they be able to hide their nature by pretending to be human?¡¯  It made sense, as much as anything did since her world turned upside down¡­ again.  ¡®First all those people die, the jobs go, my oldest friend¡¯s father kills himself, his mother just¡­ I don¡¯t even know.  Then everything goes to shit, now Albaer hates me, and I¡­ he summoned a demon¡­ and demons are ¡®real¡¯... plus I met a real angel¡­¡¯  That last part, she had her doubts still.  ¡®I could have just been dreaming.  But if demons are real, why not angels?¡¯  Both ideas kept Lisa up at night, staring into the utter emptiness of the deepest darkness.

    ¡®Now two mystery girls whose names I¡¯ve never heard show up?  And they¡¯re staying with Albaer?  It can¡¯t be a coincidence, no, I¡¯d have to be an idiot to think it is¡­ which means one of those two girls is Raziel, and the other¡­ it¡¯s gotta be her sister.  At a guess, Isadora is Raziel, the way she moves, that cocky swagger¡­¡¯

    Lisa reached up and touched the dark circles under her eyes.  Despite having been kept up many nights by the feel of those talons on her flesh and the promise to drop her off from a thousand feet in the air, and the fact that one really existed at all, what really grated her was worse than terror personified.  It was the presumption of the demoness who claimed to know the young man better than herself, the one who grew up with him.

    ¡®Wait, are they actually having sex with him¡­ ugh, did he¡­¡¯  Lisa¡¯s mind jumped to that and recalled the way the demon succubus straddled him, the way she¡­ touched his cheek while he lay unconscious or ¡®asleep¡¯ on the carpet.  ¡®I guess¡­ but...¡®  The thought transitioned to a vivid, wild imagination of the boy she grew up with indulging in a wild orgy of lewd sex with two succubi sisters, and her face began to turn as red as the demon¡¯s skin.

    It was Albaer who noticed.  ¡°Lisa¡­ Earth to Lisa.¡±  He said and waved his hand in front of her several times.  ¡°You good?¡±  He asked and she suddenly blinked several times in rapid succession.

    ¡°Oh¡­ y-yeah sorry!¡±  She eeped out and looked down at her book again.

    ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare.¡±  Isadora said with her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

    ¡°S-Sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Lisa said, though it was not for staring that she made her apology.  She swallowed hard and caught a glimpse of Albaer¡¯s textbook to catch the page number, then thumbed her pages forward in the book with a shaking hand.

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    The teacher droned on about cell mechanics until Isabella raised her hand the way she¡¯d seen other students do.

    ¡°Yes... Isabella?¡±  The teacher asked, his passionate lecture being interrupted brought a little frown to his face but he looked at her over the rim of his glasses and waited for her question anyway.

    ¡°Yeah, uh, this is really interesting-¡±  She smiled when his frown disappeared and a bright twinkle came to his eyes.

    ¡°It is, isn''t it?  So fascinating, to learn the very fundamentals of life itself, there is no better field of study!¡±

    Lialah cleared her throat and, sensing he was about to go on and on, she rushed out her question, ¡°It really is, but how do you know all this stuff, I mean¡­ like these details¡­ My eyes are good, really good.  But I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you never used a microscope?¡±  He asked, his little frown returning.

    ¡°No, never.¡±  She shook her head, bouncing her blonde hair around, there was a faint hint of laughter around the room.

    ¡°Oh, I see.  Well that¡¯s a tool we use that lets us look at very, very small things that the naked eye could never hope to see on its own.¡±  He answered, and Lialah perked up.

    ¡°So¡­ could it see a soul?¡±  She asked, ¡°Or like¡­ magic, I mean¡­ if magic were real, do you think it could see that?  Or what about other dimensions?¡±

    The teacher chuckled and shook his head indulgently, ¡°No, no.  I think not.  If those were real, I doubt they¡¯d be viewable by a microscope, more likely they would be based on some form of wavelength like radios and would need something suitable for something like souls or magic, and according to current hypothesis on other dimensions, you would have to tap into the energy of a collapsing star or the gravitational pull of the resulting black hole in order to find other dimensions.  But that is a question more suitable for the astronomy or physics classes at University.  Professors Maxwell and Manning have done some exceptional work in their respective fields, and may be able to tell you more.  If you¡¯re really interested,¡± he snorted, ¡°in those subjects instead of Biology, they¡¯re renowned experts who personally select their students.  If you stay till graduation with top marks in those classes, you have a chance at selection for their classes.¡±

    ¡°Selection?¡±  Raziel asked, ¡°Like apprenticeship?¡±  She asked.

    ¡°Yes, those two have the rare privilege of selecting who gets to study under them, a condition of working there.¡±  He shrugged, ¡°Most professors don¡¯t get to do that, but¡­ most aren¡¯t leaders in their field either.  Success is the ultimate path to freedom.¡±  The older teacher actually made a very serious face, his eyes moving around the room, ¡°You children should bear that in mind.  You may fake success for a while, but ultimately, if you try to make your work more than it is, terrible things can happen.¡±

    All eyes turned toward Albaer, and his head hung down.

    ¡°Real success is the highest form of social currency.  Remember that.¡±  The teacher was not looking at Albaer when he said it, and when he saw that the students were staring at the sandy haired young Albaer, the teacher cleared his throat and moved on.

    ¡°Now¡­ ah, enough sidebar questions, let¡¯s move on, we have a lot to cover before you go to lunch.  Move on to the structure of the heart on page one hundred and sixty-two¡­¡±  The teacher resumed his impassioned lecture to the students of his class.  However, for all his efforts at presenting the material in an engaging way, he lost four minds to their own thoughts all in the same minute.

 Chapter Eleven

    The rest of biology class passed uneventfully, each one lost in their own thoughts and only passing attention was paid to the lecture.  ¡®A way home¡­ a real way home¡­ maybe?  To let them know we¡¯re alive?  Maybe to get back¡­ maybe to bring some of these tools back with us?¡¯  Lialah turned that thought around in her head with growing excitement¡­ that is, she did, until she saw her sister¡¯s face.

    Even disguised as the human ¡®Isadora Blackworth¡¯, she could read Raziel like a book.

    Demons didn¡¯t have an easy time at home, and succubi were even worse off than imps, seen as having little worth beyond their capacity to induce pleasure, only their magical potential gave them another avenue of potential success.  Even with someone like her sister, a prodigy with magic potential that far surpassed others of her age, she was often subject to the advances of those who were meant to be either teachers or¡­ if she sought them, friends.  ¡®She¡¯s not thinking of home right now, not even a little bit.  It¡¯s the technology she¡¯s interested in¡­¡¯  Lialah watched her pouring over the book, her eyes rapidly sweeping over the pages.

    To the angel¡¯s surprise, Albaer wasn¡¯t telling her to slow down.  His eyes were moving as fast as hers.

    It was at just that moment that it occurred to her that she only saw Albaer doing homework ¡®once¡¯ and that was when he had an abundance.  ¡®Is he¡­ smart?¡¯  She wondered in her own mind, not even harboring a passing thought that he was dumb, but watching him keep up with a prodigy made her reevaluate the boy again in a new and different light.

    Lisa watched the way Albaer and Isadora zipped over the pages of the book, reading far ahead of the others by leaps and bounds, notably in her mind, neither seemed to be aware of the fact that they were taking turns turning the page, or even that either was even doing it.

    She tried to focus on her own book, reading the section she was told and understanding it as she assumed, well enough to pass the test before she was allowed to forget the knowledge she didn¡¯t need.

    A few feet behind her was the proof that her lab station wasn¡¯t really paying attention.  Several of the more popular girls were gossipping in hushed tones, confident they wouldn¡¯t be noticed.  Confident that nobody would say a thing even if they noticed, they gabbed on.

    ¡®...so then he was like¡­ no, I just don¡¯t want to, and they can¡¯t make me.¡¯

    ¡®Based.  Totally based.¡¯

    ¡®I know, right, and he¡¯s on the football team, we¡¯re going to go to the same college¡­¡¯

    Lisa vaguely recognized who was speaking, but it all seemed so¡­ stupid.  She closed her eyes, ¡®Why did it seem so important¡­ I just wanted to be liked, but¡­ liked by ¡®that¡¯?¡¯  Getting an ¡®in¡¯ with them¡­ just the thought, it made her remember the utterly broken look on Albaer¡¯s face when he was down on the ground outside her home, the shock of betrayal, the hurt on his face as he tried to hold back and mostly failed.

    ¡®Even if they became ¡®nice¡¯ tomorrow, I couldn¡¯t be friends with them, just listening to them makes me relive that moment¡­ What am I supposed to do¡­?  I¡¯m so confused¡­¡¯  She closed one hand over the other in her lap and sought answers again and again.  ¡®Angel¡­ please come again, I did what you said, I told them the truth before the rumors spread, I¡­ I¡¯m on the outs now, with everyone, or most people¡­ but Albaer hasn¡¯t forgiven me and now a demon, possibly two, watch me.  I don¡¯t know what to do!  What do I do?!¡¯

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    No answer came to her, and no angel spoke, let alone appeared as it had that night.

    It wasn¡¯t until the bell rang and the class stood up that an idea came to mind.  Bold, unthinkable, and¡­ ¡®I might get hurt, or fail¡­ but it¡¯s worth a try.¡¯

    ¡°Now we¡¯re going to lunch,¡± Albaer said as he snapped the book shut and shoved it in his backpack, ¡°it¡¯s not what you¡¯re used to back home I¡¯m sure, but it isn¡¯t half bad.¡±  He chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s better than my microwave soup and sandwiches at least, but probably not as good as your cooking.¡±  He gave a warm smile to Lialah, who in turn waved the compliment aside.

    ¡°Nonsense, you taught me how to use those tools so it¡¯s only natural I should get proficient with using them.¡±  Lialah said, and it was Lisa¡¯s turn to hang her head as she watched Albaer walk out without saying a word to her.

    A few minutes later they were standing in a long line leading to a brown metal framed doorway with no door to close it.

    Albaer, for his part, ignored the constant deniably deliberate brushes that rammed a passerby¡¯s shoulder against his own, and kept speaking with Raziel and Lialah as if nothing were happening.  After the sixth one, Raziel leaned close, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡±  She asked in a whisper, recalling the way he¡¯d quietly told them not to interfere before.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too deniable, if I do anything about this it¡¯ll just get me in trouble, at least the last one everybody could see he was provoking it.¡±  Albaer explained, and the demoness traded a displeased look with her sister.

    She smiled wickedly and she flicked the demonic ear just a little to catch the more precise motion of footsteps veering closer than they had any business being to a long line.

    ¡®They want to be petty?  Fine, I¡¯ll show them petty.¡¯  Raziel kept her cheshire smile on her face while she watched Lialah read her mind, and then as a rather largish boy came close, she stuck her foot out.

    At that same moment, Lialah grabbed Albaer at the arm to ensure he was rooted like a rock to his spot, and while he looked at her, just before he could ask what she was doing, he felt the thud and heard the crash.

    He looked to his left and down where he saw a young man covered in spaghetti and meat sauce.  ¡°Sonofa...¡±  He was saying, laughter rang out and turned him redder than the sauce that stained his white and blue striped shirt, but before he could rise, Raziel was down beside him on one knee.

    ¡°Are you alright?  Did you hurt yourself?¡±  She kept the cheshire smile on her face, her bright eyes looming and shining like stars over him, her radiant, ethereal and illusory beauty on full display, his hormones immediately getting the best of him.

    Anger melted away in the fires of his desire to look cool.

    ¡°I tried to catch you before you could fall after accidentally bumping into my dear friend, Albaer, goodness, you have to be careful about that, you know?  Unfortunate accidents happen while trying to hit people from behind, making people look clumsy and cowardly, so I¡¯m sure you just lost your footing...¡±  She said and when he closed his hand around hers, she tightened her grip, stood, and gave a solid yank, pulling him to his feet.

    He looked down at her, briefly surprised by the ease with which she did it.  ¡°Y-Yeah of course, ah, I¡¯m fine¡­ just an accident, uh¡­ thank mmm¡­ Eric, my name is Eric.¡±

    He was a sizable young man, as humans went.  Or so Raziel thought when she had to raise her chin to look up at him.  Muscular, athletic.  ¡®Kind of like Albaer¡¯s muscles¡­¡¯  She thought.  Typically Albaer dressed ¡®down¡¯ with loose clothing that made him look smaller than his true size, but having handled his body herself many times as she and her sister built, destroyed, and rebuilt their skills into something that would be more apt to let them survive?  By now there was no question left in her mind, his body benefited enormously from their efforts, breathing easier and being considerably stronger than when they began.

    Eric in front of her was waiting quietly, and Raziel snapped back to the moment, ¡°Isadora, Isadora Blackworth.¡±  She said and jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward her sister, ¡°My sister, Isabella, the two of us live with Albaer.¡±

    Eric¡¯s face, red with embarrassment, was briefly jaw droppingly stunned by her words, ¡°You live with him?!¡±  Eric said rather louder than he intended, and heads turned in their direction.

    ¡°Yes, they do.¡±  Albaer said, finally speaking up, he said it with the kind of matter of fact contempt reserved for stupid questions.  ¡°They¡¯re¡­ very dear friends, not that it¡¯s any of your business Eric, but they¡¯re staying with me for a few months, maybe more.¡±

    Albaer glared up at the taller boy, a hard expression on Albaer¡¯s face, his jaw set, Eric was darting eyes back and forth between the two and the target of his dislike, struggling for words until someone spoke up.

    ¡°Hey!  Move it along, we want to eat!¡±  A voice farther down the line called out, and Albaer showed his back to Eric, pausing only to put a hand on Raziel¡¯s shoulder before he moved up and entered the food service section of the cafeteria.

 Chapter Twelve

    ¡°Take one of these.¡± Albaer said and took up a brown plastic tray with multiple spiral grooves in the center and sides radiating outwards. He handed one to Raziel and another to Lialah and then set the tray on three steel poles secured in front of a long glass guard. On the other side stood a number of old ladies in white aprons with simple gray dresses underneath and black nameplates over the left breast, all were wrinkled and had some degree of dourness about them, almost daring the students to make their day either better, or worse.

    Just beyond the glass, before where the various old gray haired women stood wearing hairnets and frowns, various substances sat which Lialah looked at with a dubious eye. She sniffed the air, it was hot, at least, but it smelled a little stale.

    ¡°Mashed potatoes with gravy.¡± Albaer said, and the first and fattest of the old women slapped a scoop of white lumps into a small white bowl and then ladled some watery brown substance over the top, then handed it to Albaer.

    ¡°Next!¡± She snapped.

    ¡®Is this¡­ food? Are they really serious?¡¯ Lialah asked herself, the stuff Albaer¡¯s home had might not have been fresh, but it was at least prepared with as much care as could be given, this¡­ was one step removed from the slop her orphanage and school fed to pigs in their troughs.

    ¡°Uh, same.¡± Lialah said and with the noise of the wet plop from indifferently prepared food, she felt immediate regret. She kept her face blank for a moment as she looked down at the little bowl when it was offered from over the top of the glass. She took in more of the woman¡¯s face while reaching for the bowl and caught something familiar. ¡®Like the broken ones¡­ in the mines or fields¡­¡¯ It was hard not to recall her home in the old woman¡¯s face, and it was a mixed bag of emotions to do so. Some parts, the brilliant sky with its shifting colors in the changing seasons, the bright waters, the endless forests and the celebration after every harvest¡­ but the dark sides were not possible to ignore either. The wandering laborers of no home who struggled to find work. The miners who were never meant for a cave or the field workers or laborers who were stooped by years of lack of care after efforts that brought them little but that day¡¯s bread.

    She felt that same sympathy all over again that she felt the first time she saw an old goblin that could no longer walk with his back straight from the years of heavy burdens. ¡°Thank you, you look nice today.¡± Lialah said and flashed the woman the brightest smile she could.

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    For a moment the old woman blinked like she was snapping herself out of a trance, her mouth moved in disbelief, like she couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d been spoken to.

    Lialah took the bowl and set it down on the center of one of the spirals the same way she¡¯d seen Albaer do, and by the time the little tap noise of glass meeting plastic happened, the old woman smiled back and said, ¡°Thank you. Have a nice day.¡± The old woman returned the smile given by the angel, and they each moved on to the next person.

    Raziel was brash and cheerful, she didn¡¯t really pay mind to people, but every gesture was over the top. ¡°I will have¡­ those green bean things!¡± She said, putting one foot down and standing sideways to the server, she pointed her finger down like she was a warrior commanding a charge. ¡°And then¡­ those yellow seeds!¡±

    Albaer¡¯s face began to crack, his chest began to heave, and when he saw the demoness wink at him, he couldn¡¯t keep it back. He began to laugh at Raziel¡¯s antics. It snapped some of the staff out of their own zombified rote pace to look at the curiously energetic young woman and the laughing young man beside her, ¡°Ra-Isadora, that¡¯s ¡®corn¡¯.¡±

    Raziel crossed her arms in front of her chest, gave him the most arrogant look she could muster and said, ¡°Are those not the parts that more corn grows from?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­¡± He answered.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m right.¡± She said, ¡°Yellow seeds they are.¡±

    When his laughter finally began to die down, he wiped his hand across his eyes to clear the tears from them and answered, ¡°I guess. I guess you are.¡±

    A few of the staff, snapped from their doldrums by her antics, wore little smirks of their own.

    They made it through the line with soggy vegetables, lumpy mashed potatoes and dried chicken with a slice of processed cheese over the top which hadn¡¯t quite melted all the way, and from there Albaer led them out of the brightly lit building and out to a large open grassy area with lots of stone tables. Large numbers of people mingled together in little isolated groups around various spots, some didn¡¯t even seem to care for tables, having found the occasional tree to put their backs against to sit with friends.

    Albaer inclined his head to the left. ¡°Over there are the more popular girls, cheerleaders, athletes, and their boyfriends. If you want to have an easy time here, make friends with them.¡± He inclined his head to the right, ¡°Over there are the drama nerds, band members¡­ things like that. I don¡¯t know about where you¡¯re from, but here? Here, school is full of cliques. Some people can move between them, usually if they have a relative in one they¡¯re not a part of. But otherwise¡­?¡± He stopped in his tracks and looked once over each shoulder, ¡°I sit over there. Maybe it¡¯ll be no big deal because you¡¯re just shadowing me, but I¡¯d advise you not to.¡±

    ¡°Hmpf.¡± the pair said at once, and with no other response forthcoming, he sat on the bench at the gray stone table.

    Two more trays hit the stone slab¡­ and then just as Albaer was putting his spoon into the lumpy mashed potato, a third followed.

    He looked up and saw Lisa sitting in front of him.

    Raziel glared at the girl with malignant hate, but the human girl, despite a moment of being shaken and staring around her, leaned forward and whispered¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re Raziel. Aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    Raziel¡¯s face hardened and her eyes narrowed to a focus on the girl in front of her.  ¡°I knew you were smarter than you looked.¡±

    Albaer and Lialah snapped their eyes toward the disguised demoness as soon as she gave up the secret, their lips parted at once to object or protest until Raziel¡¯s hands fell to each of their knees on either side of her and gave a reassuring squeeze.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in pretending, is there?¡±  Raziel asked pointedly and leaned toward the red haired girl and her shimmering emerald green eyes.  She glanced around as covertly as she could, with only the smallest twitch to see if they were being watched or eavesdropped on.

    While the fact that Albaer had two pretty girls with him drew definitive commentary and many a wayward glance as rumors no doubt began to spread, his outcast status kept some distance from them at least, so she was able to whisper comfortably after seeing nothing amiss.  The babble and noise of other cliques was substantial enough that no birds landed on the nearby branches, and nobody seemed inclined to approach the table.  Students lounged around on the grass, against the occasional tree, or at other gray stone tables.

    Lisa¡¯s heart began to pound in her chest, she couldn¡¯t meet Raziel¡¯s baleful stare for long, the memory of the talon tracing over her face, threatening to tear her open¡­ the promise of being dropped from high in the sky to a quick and brutal end¡­ both were fresh in her mind.

    Still, she faked her confidence as best she could while her courage held and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to be that smart.  You told me you had a sister, now Albaer shows up here with two girls who act very close to him?  I¡¯ve known him my whole life, I¡¯ve never heard of Isadora or Isabella or the Blackworth family¡­ which by the way has real edgelord Goth Topic vibes¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, I like it.¡±  Raziel said, briefly distracted from the exposure she crossed her arms in front of her chest, ¡°It¡¯s like that family from the Hylarim game¡­ the one with the secret society¡­¡±  Raziel trailed off when Albaer started to crack a smile in spite of himself.

    ¡°She¡¯s got a point¡­ it¡¯s an obvious reference.  I like it¡­ but I¡¯m a nerd so¡­¡±  Albear shrugged.

    Lisa rolled her eyes at his interjection.

    ¡°So what happens now, are you going to try to expose us?¡±  Lialah asked, leaning forward toward her, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do that, you¡¯re a good person at heart¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re her sister¡­ can I¡­ have your real name?¡±  Lisa asked, the warmth of the blue eyes was heart melting, she felt like a child that had been caught about to do something bad, but was being comforted rather than scolded.  The rapid pace of her heartbeat began to slow down, and this one, this one she could look at directly and without fear.

    ¡°Lialah¡­ if you want to know.¡±  Lialah answered and reached across the stone table, without thinking, Lisa took it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice name¡­ I won¡¯t say anything?  I¡¯d rather not die¡­ and even if I said anything, who would believe me?  What am I supposed to say?¡±  Lisa snorted, ¡°¡®Oh those two beautiful girls aren¡¯t real humans¡­¡¯  I¡¯d be locked up in a crazy house the same day.¡±

    ¡°Not for long, you wouldn¡¯t be.¡±  Raziel said, her stare was not even broken by a blink.

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    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything¡­ I promise.  I promise.¡±  She repeated herself again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I really am, and I¡¯ll do anything to make it right with you.¡±  She said, looking at neither of the two who sat beside Albaer, but only at Albaer himself.

    ¡°Even if you could, how could I forget it?¡±  Albaer asked, ¡°You made a choice, Lisa.  Even if I forgive it, how am I supposed to just let it go like nothing happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±  Lisa thought it over, then lowered her head.

    ¡°If I stood by while you were getting beaten up, would you really ever look at me the same way?¡±  He asked.

    ¡°No¡­ I-I don¡¯t know.¡±  She answered, her eyes welling up, ¡°But still, I want to make it up somehow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you.¡±  Albaer answered, ¡°And it might not matter anyway, I may not be here for long.  Things are different¡­¡±

    Before he could explain just how, Lisa¡¯s mouth opened and she screamed, ¡°Look out!¡±

    All the martial arts in the world were inadequate for the simple act of being ambushed from behind while seated at a stone table, particularly when unintentionally trapped by having others seated on either side of him.

    The basketball hit Albaer hard in the back of the head, knocking his face forward a bit, the shock of the blow briefly stunning him, it rebounded away, and even before he looked, the ¡®who¡¯ came immediately to mind.

    He turned his head to look, and there was Jason, standing there with a smug, shit eating smile on his face about twenty yards away.  For a brief moment Albaer was impressed, the shot hit him right in the center of the back of his head.  ¡°Sorry.  It was an accident!¡±  Jason lied, and without even thinking about it, while others chuckled or laughed, Albaer knew that the idiot would be believed.

    ¡°Albaer!  Are you alright?!¡±  The trio shouted as he stepped over the stone bench.  He didn¡¯t answer, he turned around while they were still standing up, and he ran.

    Not away.

    He ran toward his smug, smiling tormenter.

    ¡°Fight!¡±  Someone shouted, and Albaer vaguely heard the others, the sea of students, but it was like static from an old television, mere white noise, background, meaningless.

    His arms pumped and his heart raced, all he could feel was an overwhelming sense of hatred and the smug smile disappeared off of Jason¡¯s face.  Ages of frustration boiled over as he ran bellowing down on the young man.

    Raziel and Lialah barely had time to realize the nature of his intent before the gap was closed, but their intent to rush to his aid died when he did the unexpected.

    Jason took a wide, crude, untaught swing toward Albaer¡¯s face, only for Albaer to drop with one leg back and hit Jason¡¯s solar plexus with the palm of his hand¡­ and as the boy bent over and started to gasp, Albaer spun on the forward heel to plant himself into a side stand and brought his other hand up to smash into Jason¡¯s nose, snapping the boy upright again and sending him falling onto his back.

    From there, Albear jumped over top of him, shouting, raging, he couldn¡¯t hear the cheering of ¡°Fight¡± anymore, he brought his hands down in open palmed blows that avoided damaging his fingers, while under him Jason flailed and tried to rise or hit anything he could.

    Albear grabbed the young man¡¯s hair at the top of his head, yanked it back to tilt his face up, and then brought his fore and middle finger down in a V shape that dug both fingers into Jason¡¯s eyes.

    The tormentor screamed like a wounded beast and clawed at Albaer¡¯s fingers, his cries became pleas that went on until Raziel and Lialah reached him and pulled Albaer back.  ¡®Albaer is going to kill him¡­ we probably shouldn¡¯t let him do that¡­¡¯

    Jason lay flat, breathing hard, crying, clutching at his eyes¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t see!  I can¡¯t see!¡±

    Albaer stopped yelling, he was breathing hard, still glaring hatefully at the defeated and broken unfortunate Jason, his body began shaking in the aftermath of his adrenal rush, and only then, far too late, did a teacher come rushing outside.

    The teacher, Albaer¡¯s teacher¡­ she saw Jason, saw Albaer, and paled.  ¡®I wonder what she¡¯s thinking¡­ maybe wishing she¡¯d said something when she saw what he did to me before¡­¡¯  He wondered, his glare shifted to her as her face paled when she beheld the damage to the writhing boy on the grass.

    ¡®This is your fault, bitch.¡¯  He thought while she pulled the broken boy into her lap when she knelt down beside him.

    ¡°Let me see!  Move your hands!¡±  She shouted in a panic down at Jason and then turned her head away from Albaer, ¡°Someone go get the nurse!¡±  She cried as she forced the young man¡¯s hands away..

    Only then did Albaer look around further, and saw far less than cheerful faces in every direction¡­ a mix of dismay, horror, and mute fascination¡­ but the fun¡­ that was over.