JESSIE
This man has long, sharp teeth, pitch black eyes and blood all over his face, looking like a complete demon. This isn't just a demon but a vampire, well, according to that YouTuber, they're called Nocturnes, and he was right, these creatures are not hot, they're ugly as fuck.
He slowly leaves the stall, and he looks deep into my soul. My back is stuck against the wall by the mirrors and the sinks. We cannot let anyone see us in this manner. I have to do something; I am supposed to do something if something drew me to follow him in the first place.
It was like I was being told by some entity to help that woman. So why amn't I doing anything? Where did the confidence I had before go to just now?
"You Nytheris don't mind your business, do you?" he asks me, and from the looks of things, Nytheris have been kicking these Nocturne's butts for the longest time. As they should because this mother fucker just murdered that woman.
"And I thought you Nocturnes only come out at night?" A recognisable voice says, and I look to see that it's Sebby looking at the creature with so much hatred. And he is right that the YouTuber did say that Nocturnes only come out at night.
They don't burn under the sun; the sun only makes them weak.
"Were you that hungry, man, Jesus?"
The Nocturne hisses, and then he attacks me. He puts his hand around my neck. And he looks at me with those big black eyes of his, then tilts his head.
"You're different," he says, and I don't know what that means.
"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Sebby yells, launching toward the Nocturne, grabbing him and throwing him out of the bathroom. The Nocturne stumbles, but he lands on his feet.
"Are you okay?" he asks me.
I nod my head, but my eyes don't leave the Nocturne. This is new territory for me. It feels like I've been dragged into a CW supernatural teen TV show. But this isn't a show, this is my life.
"You're going to regret that." The Nocturne spits.
"Oh shut up," Pilar says, kicking him on his back. He falls forward, and I jump when Sebby's claws spring out. And he attacks the Nocturne by stabbing him on his chest, and Pilar does the same thing on his back. He lets out a painful scream, and I fear people are going to hear it and then walk out of the room to see what is going on.
Nobody wants to see people with claws killing a black eyed creature who killed a woman who came for a funeral.
The Nocturne goes pitch black and then disappears like he was never there in the first place. I just stare at what just happened in utter shock. This is so bizarre, like so bizarre.
Sebby and Pilar jam their hands together in a high five; they feel good for killing that Nocturne. They look like this is just a normal thing for them to do. They just go out of their houses to kill demons at night?
They're rejoicing, meanwhile, I'm still shocked.
"Oh no, are you okay, sweetie?" Pilar asks me, placing her hands on my cheek. I nod my head, trying my best not to look or sound fearful.
"Mhmm. I mean, this is my first time seeing an actual demon. And you guys are killing a demon. So… yeah."
"Aww."
"What the hell just happened to me?" Oh my God, the woman that Nocturne attacked has just come out of the bathroom, and she has blood on her neck and a bunch of holes on it too.
She's still alive.
She looks at me. "Oh, hello Leonard, you look sexy as ever and young too." She says, placing her hands on my cheek, and I step away from her.
Why the fuck is she addressing me as my dad?
"Come on, sweetie." Pilar walks toward the hysterical woman. I don't even know her; maybe my dad or mom did. I don't know. Never met her in my life. Could she be my dad's mistress? I don't know.
Pilar stands in front of her and looks into her eyes. Her green eyes appear.
"No creature attacked you." She says, and I think she's trying to erase her memories, and the woman looks like she's lost in a trance.
"You came here, did your business and then walked out, okay?"
"Yes."
"Good girl, come on, let's get you cleaned up." She takes her hand and they walk into the bathroom together. I haven't stopped looking at them, and what the fuck she just did to her.
"What did she do to her?" I ask Sebby.
He smiles.
"She glamoured her. We Nytheris can do that."
"Like, get people to do what you want?"
"Yes, and no. It's kinda tricky. You have to learn how to have a lot of focus to glamorise someone. It's not easy. But Pilar has mastered it perfectly."
I nod my head in understanding.
"I get this is all too much for you."
Yes, this is all too much for me.
"What is going on here?" Camila asks, looking between me and Sebby. Sebby sighs.
"Mom, don't worry, we've got it under control."
"Oh, really, like how you lent a human your life. The council is going to find out, and you're going to get into trouble," she says. And I look away, standing there awkwardly.
I have seen Camila scold Sebby countless times, and I never feared that she would scold me, even though I joined him to create trouble and havoc. She's always had a soft spot for me.
But this time, Sebby seems to be the only one getting in trouble, and that trouble is bringing me back to life.
Sebby doesn't say anything; he just looks away from his mom with anger in his eyes.
"Jessie, dear, are you okay?" she asks me, walking toward me.
"Uh, yes. Yes, I'm fine."
I am not fine. I just saw a Nocturne almost kill a woman. If I hadn't gotten here in time, then she would have been killed.
What is even my life right now?
"Oh, sweetheart. You've already been through so much; we didn't mean for this to happen to you. But don't worry, we're going to get to the bottom of what happened to you, what that thing was that attacked you that night."
I nod my head because I would really want to know what that thing is and if it would be coming for me again.
The door to the women's bathroom swings open and out comes Pilar and the woman who called me by my father's name.
She just walks past us, and she goes to join the others in the church. My eyes haven't left her since. Her neck is healed. It no longer has wounds on it; it's like she was never bitten in the first place.
What did Pilar do? Kiss her?
"What happened?" Camila asks.
"Uh, red-headed Barbie over there got attacked by a Nocturne." Pilar answers.
"A Nocturne? In broad daylight?" Camila says, looking genuinely confused.
"Yep."
"But how? They usually come out at night?"
"I really don't know. Maybe he was that hungry." Says Pilar, and everywhere goes quiet, and I realise they're all looking at me.
"Oh my sweet boy." Says Camila. "I'm sorry you had to see that; you're probably frightened."
Honestly, I'm tired of being frightened. It stops here.
"Why did I go after that Nocturne? Like I was talking on the podium, and when I saw that man going after the woman, I had the urge to follow him and like save her?"
"That's the feline instinct, my dear. That's when you have the urge to protect humans from demons. It was given to all of us by the almighty Goddess Bastet. And now that you're a Nytheri, you have the instinct as well."
"But how come I didn't do anything. When I got here, I just froze." I felt like a complete coward; it felt like I was facing my father all over again.
"That's because you were probably frightened, my dear. You've never come in contact with a demonic creature before; this is your first time seeing such a thing. It's new to you." Camila says, and I look at Sebby, who hasn't kept his eyes off me since.
"Now come, we are going to discuss all this later, but for now we have to go bury your father; your mother is worried about you."
We hold each other as we find our way in the church.
We all stand in circles at the cemetery as we watch them bury my dad. My mom and I hold each other as we watch things unfold.
Wow, so this is it. Leonard Humphrey is gone forever.
I feel a chill, like there's something about this cemetery that just screams eerie, like there are billions of other people here.
Being a Nytheri is strange. And I just figured I have a lot to learn.
"Goodbye, mother fucker." I say to my dad.