Lenieve loomed over Kurai, his eyes going all starry.
You were obsessed with the unknown, remember?
That darkness in your heart, I heard it.
Thou couldst have lived a happily ever after with that stupid lady, yet thou returned,
As foolish as ever.
Now when thou look at me, you're shocked, flabbergasted, bewildered!
Humans are strange.
Thou believes thou hast escape me because God saved you.
But my house is now so neat and I've returned.
I needth not to show myself but I need you to remember who owns you when you lose access to your own mind.
Because when you do, I am reborn stronger.
So little human, if I am a demon.
What does that make you?
He tracked Kurai's every step as she moved toward her bedroom and followed after her.
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
That was the her usual recited prayer that her father taught Kurai and Teruna to pray before they slept, and recited prayers are what leave people vulnerable to malicious demons like Lenieve.
Lenieve slipped into Kurai's dream and they were in the back of the yard.
"This won't match my dress," Kurai thought in the dream.
This is my chance!
Lenieve dashed through her open window and violently placed the sash for her navy blue church dress that had white polkadot on it on the grass.
"Thank you," Kurai thanked the invisible force, twirling around.
At that moment, a woman who was walking in the Tsukikage family's yard saw what was happening and gawked at the sight, and Kurai innocently asked:
"What? Does this not happen with you?"
The woman just slowly shook her head and kept staring with shock.
That's when a thought popped up into her mind.
A spirit wants to be friends with you.
What?
Coldness crept up on her spine she felt a hard slap against her face and woke up with cold sweat.
Lenieve paced around her room furiously.
"What ails this child?! She craves a friend, yet rejected my friendship?!"
"Why bother with the company of that insignificant child?"
"How foolish, how blind thou art! Had her guard fallen but a moment, I couldst have claimed her soul, yet she resists!"
"Hmph...seems thy stratagems have failed...yet again."
"Why thee!"
Lenieve quarreled back and forth with his minions until he finally shushed them.
"No matter how much I falter, how much my schemes fail...I always return. I will make her regret rejecting my friendship. May this foolish mortal mark my words very well: thou mayest flee, resist and even think thee safe...but I always return."
Kurai woke up with a severe sore throat, and no matter how much ginger tea and water she chugged, the sickness lingered in her throat.
Her throat felt all dry and clamped that she was beginning to feel miserable.
How did I even get sick?
She checked the time on her phone.
9:00 AM
It was far too late to ask her parents for assistance since they were at work, and they stayed home with her yesterday when they should have been doing better things with their life like being at work.
So she didn't want to bother them to assist her with her sickness.
She sat up on her bed and glanced over at her pink Bible on her bookshelf that she got when she was eight.
The cover of it was slowly peeling off from the time she aggressively pulled it out from being stuck on the shelf and when it fell on the floor, Kurai didn't mind her room being unorganized so she shrugged and left it there.
Her mother scolded her for that, saying it was the word of God, so it was sacred, it wasn't just some book that should be laying around on the filthy floor but Kurai would always suck her teeth and go about her day, still believing that she didn't need to listen to her mother because to her it's just some old book.
Kurai hadn't prayed for the morning, speaking to God still made her feel ashamed since she had run away, and she didn't know how to thank him properly.
She couldn't eat the breakfast her mother prepared for her, her throat was annoying her too much.
All she wanted right now was for the aggravating sickness to go away.
Don't move.
A wave of intense heat that felt like a hot breeze spread over her body. She had always felt it whenever she was reminiscing about death, but this time the heat was so hot like boiling water that she didn't know why she didn't move.
When it was all over, she quickly clasped her hands together thinking that God sent her an angel to cure her and whispered:
"Thank you, God."
Shadows rippled across the walls as unholy laughter echoed.
"Humans are really easy to deceive," Lenieve boasted, his pointy tongue piercing the air, "All it takes is to make her think I'm an angel."
Another sneered, "That's why you're the boss!"
The laughter erupted again.
But then one of them hissed, narrowing his eyes towards Kurai.
Kurai was smiling and teasing her friend she met on her online lessons about two years ago, named Jinwoo, over a voice call while also stuffing her mouth with a plate full of the breakfast her mother had prepared.
"Tch." One demon scoffed," How dare she act so after all we've done? If she was obsessed with angels like she was used to, it would have made our job alot easier."
"Humans are a real pain in the ass," another grumbled, crossing his arms. "One minute they cry out for help, the next minute they laugh like nothing happened. This generation is fucked."
Lenieve smirked, his voice deep and low.
"Let her laugh. The higher her joy climbs...the harder she'll fall and I will burn her joy to ashes."
And with that, Kurai's room was filled with unholy chuckles that she was unable to hear.
"Jinwoo, you seriously borrowed data just to talk to me?"
"Yeah, but I have to go back to class just now."
"Oki but can I tell you something?"
"What?"
"I think God sent an angel cuz—!"
No don't tell him that you idiot!
Lenieve rage was enough to cause her wifi connection to cut off and the call abruptly ended, leaving Kurai confused but by that time she had finished eating so she scraped out the remains in the bin and was about to wash her plate when Lenieve knocked it over and the plate shattered on the floor.
Why is all this happening?
Kurai grabbed a broom and scoop and threw the pieces of glass away, inspecting every area of the kitchen to make sure no spare glass was laying around.
Kurai frowned a bit but her determination to make a better decision for her life fueled her to try working out some Maths equations so she headed to her room and sat by her desk and watched videos of people guiding her through with challenges topics.
Lenieve just stared into her soul with fury.
Just you wait Kurai, just you wait.
--
Sigh...
Mrs. Tsukikage looked at the bill, the dinner that she and her husband had arranged had cost alot considering that Ginza is one of the most expensive places in Japan but she thought it would be a good for the family to spend time with Kurai.
I'll just work harder, then I'll have more money to provide for my family.
Mrs. Tsukikage was signing up Kurai for a group therapy session, she was still worried about why her daughter would ever run away from home in the first place and thought it'd be a good idea for her to attend a group therapy session to get to know other children her age since half the time Kurai isolated herself from the family.
When the family arrived home, Mrs. Tsukikage knocked on Kurai's door.
"I signed you up for a group therapy session." Mrs. Tsukikage said.
"What?! Do I look like there's anything wrong with me?" Kurai yelled.
"Yes, why else would you run away?" Mrs. Tsukikage replied.
Kurai fumed and began to shout louder but when Teruna came by the door with an innocent look in her eyes, Kurai felt immense guilt and she settled down.
"Fine...I'll go that stupid therapy session but it better be worty your stupid money."
The small room of the therapy session had chairs that were setup in a circle for four adolescents, and a soft light spilled through the blinds, cutting across the tatami mats.
At the center, the therapist who was a calm woman in her thirties, folded her hands.
"I am Mrs. Endo but feel free to call me Yua ," she said softly," This is a safe space. You can share as much or as little as you want. No one will judge you."
A boy with messy black hair and glasses, tapped his foot.
"I...I don't know if I belong anywhere," he said finally," At my university, I feel invisible. At home, I'm just...ignored."
A blonde girl shifted in her seat, twisting the strap of her bag. "Same," she said, eyes fixed on the floor. "People...think I'm a cold hearted person who is always loud and rude, but I'm just...scared to be hurt again."
Another girl, Mina, barely looked up.
"I...I get panic attacks," she whispered. "I can't even tell my parents. They'd...just say I'm overreacting."
Her hands shook slightly as she gripped the edge of her chair.
Then everyone's eyes looked at Kurai, awaiting her to speak.
It was Iike the room had suddenly shrunk.
Every pair of eyes felt like a spotlight, burning into her skin.
Her chest tightened, like a cage pressing against her ribs.
She felt like a cat being cornered and had no where to run.
Do my hands look funny?
Her hands itched to hide, her stomach twisted into knots, and heat crawled up her neck.
She didn't know how to feel, the prickling awareness or unseen judgements pressing down her.
She wanted to disappear and melt out of sight.
I wonder what would happen if we pick up our chair, knock the shit out of that woman and run home?
What no! I'm not doing something like that!
You got any better suggestions?
Kurai argued with her parasite(remember the parasite is her instrusive thoughts), refusing to do something so violent.
That's when she finally recognized a boy sitting on a chair.
Vilitgo skin and horrible at doing his makeup.
Gengyo.
You didn't even try to help me, I can't afford to embarrass myself.
Confidence was restored within Kurai and she spoke despite her stuttering that tried to hold her back.
When Gengyo's chance came to speak and went, Mrs. Endo gave a small smile.
"I hear all of you. This is why you're here, to feel safe, to be heard, and to start learning how to carry your weight without carrying it alone."
The adolescents exchanged glances, smiled and some travelled home themselves and some called someone to pick them up.
Kurai got up from her chair and ignored Gengyo who waved at her to get her attention, then she pulled out her phone to tell her mother that the session had finished.
"Hey um...Kurai?"
Kurai rolled her eyes.
"What now? You didn't do anything back there, now you want to talk?"
"What'd you expect me to do?"
"I don't know?! Defend me like I did for you?!"
Kurai toned down to not draw any attention.
"You ruined my mood, I don't want to talk."
Gengyo sighed and took his pen and scribbled something on a piece of paper, folded it and handed it to her.
"Give me a call when you want to talk, okay?"
Kurai's mother came at the worst time so Kurai stuffed the paper in her pocket and acted normal.
"Hi sweetie, how was it?"
"Eh...it was good I guess."
Mrs. Tsukikage smiled when she noticed Gengyo.
"Is he a friend of yours?"
"No okaasan," Kurai scowled.
Why won't he just leave already?
"Oh Kurai don't be rude! Of course we're friends!" Gengyo replied, sounding offended.
Kurai gave a condescending smile, alerting Gengyo that he should leave instantly but Gengyo wasn't giving up that easily.
"I almost thought you two were sisters," Gengyo gasped, buttering Mrs. Tsukikage up.
"Oh you're such a nice young man, Kurai, are you sure he isn't a friend of yours?"
"Yes...I'm sure."
So you really want to get rid of me huh?
Gengyo waved them bye and left.
And Lenieve hovered over Kurai again.
Yessss this is the type of guy you should be talking to!
At home, Kurai pulled out the piece of paper.
Am I really doing this right now?
Yes she was.
She typed in the numbers that appeared on the paper on her phone and texted the number on WhosApp.
I didn't want to see you again let alone text you.
Gengyo was waiting for Kurai to reply so when he saw her notification, he replied quickly.
Things happen, I'm not in the wrong for not doing anything. You wanted to kill your family just because your life was deemed far too precious.
Ugh!
Kurai stomped out of her room and made herself a sandwich.
Eating sure calms her down because when she finished eating, she forgot why she was so mad at Gengyo.
I wasn't going to ever kill them, I was just really scared about the whole mission thing.
Alright, alright good, I don't want to see you doing any thing stupid, okay?
Sigh, ok Gengyo