Saturday. Oct 15.

It was a beautiful day...if you ignore everyone, that is.

I stayed in my dark bedroom, staring at all the blood red colours that are within-- the ceiling, the walls, my bed...

Zan already left the residence. I don't know if Joan will hypnotise him again if he reaches her. After all, even if Joan is my best friend, I can't understand what goes in her mind.

I hear a knocking on my door. I guessed it's Angelo since he's the only one in this house to ever knock in my room. Even if it's not in my house, he's the only one who's polite enough, out of everybody I know, that will knock. "Little Miss, are you there?" He called out.

I groaned in reply and did not answer back.

"You haven't eaten your breakfast yet."

Again, no answer.

After a while, I hear his footsteps slowly fading away. He was walking away, maybe guessing that I wasn't in the mood to eat or just don't want to eat at all. I'm like that sometimes. I openly tell him that I don't want to eat any meals may it be starters, breakfast, lunch, supper or even snacks!

I turned my whole body to the other side of the bed, now facing the drawer and the window. On cue, my phone placed on the drawer rings.

I lazily picked it up after it rings more and placed it on my ear. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"What are you doing right now?" He excitedly asks despite knowing that I'm annoyed.

"Trying hard not to kill you." I answered blankly.

"Oh come on, Little Miss." He laughed like I'm joking. "I'm going to visit you. You're still at your house?"

"Yeah."

"Great, bye." He hung up.

I care less about the situation right now. I'm annoyed about everything and everyone. Why? Because I can't find any new informations regarding Deane Ryan. It's like he knows that someone is searching for him and so, purposely tried to play hard to get. Can I even catch him? I can't if he can disguise as anyone.

I burrowed my head in my soft white pillow. After a moment, I sensed someone coming. Knowing that it may be Kanae, I ignored it.

I hear my front door open. That was the time I started panicking. Kanae never opens my front door nor knock on it!

Despite the panic I'm feeling right now, I stayed calm, still my head buried in my pillow.

"Oh, welcome Kanae. What brings you here today? You never entered through the front door before." I hear Angelo comment. So he knows Kanae. Knowing this, Kanae still prefers to enter through my bedroom window.

Wait-- Kanae, was it? Angelo asks Kanae...right?

I'm beginning to sweat and panic even more. Kanae... There's something wrong with him, I know.

Footsteps coming closer towards my bedroom.

"Entertain her. She's out of the mood today." Angelo told him before he leaves.

The knob turned and the door opened. The person in front of me looks like Kanae. He paid attention to the details. I should applaud his observing skills.

I decided to play around until I corner him so I can attack him without him trying to run away. Is this Deane's ability? Is the person in front of me Deane?

"Kanae, go away!" I insisted, going back to burying my head in my pillow. "What's your business anyway?!" I asked, muffled from the pillow, hoping that he understood what I said.

"Nothing. Just wanted to visit you." He answered with the same carefree expression Kanae usually wears. "What made you so annoyed?"

"Do you remember the time that I talked about Deane Ryan?" I asked with upturned eyes. I know that I didn't mention about Deane Ryan in his own name. The way I described him is "the next prime suspect after Adam Smith."

"Hm? Yeah. What about it?" Bullseye.

"I'm just annoyed because I can't seem to find any other informations about him." I buried my head once more, rolling around while groaning.

"I can help you with that."

I quickly threw my pillow away and jolted. "Really?" My eyes sparkled in excitement. I didn't know that Deane can tell informations about himself. I'm not quite sure if he'll be honest or not.

"You know, Deane can be anyone." Oh I see, I see. He's trying to say that he's Deane and not the Kanae that I know. I already know that. He thinks I'm dumb. I'll politely play along then.

"I already know that, Kanae." I crossed my arms and the once excited face faded away into a more disappointed one.

"He may even be someone in front of you, right now, talking to you."

"I already told you, I know about that!" I insisted.

He begins to inch closer to me. I know he's not going to harm me either if he's posing as Kanae or himself. I know he wouldn't hurt the Princess now, would he?

"I am Deane." He says.

I stared at him blankly. Now I see Deane, in front of me, I have no idea what to do now. I didn't expect Deane to come so quick so I don't have a plan when he does show up.

"No reaction?" He asks as he examined my whole body. "No trembling in fear, no shock, nothing. Nothing at all?"

"So what?" I finally have something appropriate to say.

"I'm the man you're looking for!" He presented with arms stretched out wide and a wide smile to match.

I continued to stare at him dryly. "I knew it from the beginning." I said, calmly folding my blanket and slowly standing up, ignoring his whole existence entirely.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, Missy." He grabbed my arm to stop me from what I was doing.

Before I can turn and react, I felt his touch quickly fade away. I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye that passed through the window and attacked Deane. The time when I turned around was the time that the real Kanae has already pinned Deane on the ground with one foot on his butt. All while saying, "I'm the only one who calls her 'Missy!'" Visibly annoyed.

"What took you so long?" I asked.

"Oh nothing, Missy. I was just having fun watching you and this imposter." He turned his head to me and smiled. "But he crossed the line when he called you something only I would call you." He turned his head back to Deane, who I'm not sure if he's hurt right now or not.

I sighed, not knowing what to do next. "Deane, I need to talk to you."

Kanae removed his foot from Deane's butt and let him stand by himself. Deane cracked his bones in his whole body. Afterwards, he was surrounded by red clouds then revealed a tall man. Around an inch or three taller than Kanae. Heck if I know, to be honest.

Deane wears a suit similar to a businessman and is proudly showing his human disguise to me. He's staring at me, hoping to see a reaction. I didn't give him what he wants obviously.

He stands closer and closer to me. Kanae doesn't seem to mind. Me neither. I don't mind. That's why even though he's standing an inch close, I would just plainly stare at him until he gets frustrated and so, will walk out.

He didn't give up after a while. "It's about my father's case."

That sentence alone made him stop showing off and so, backed away so far. He walked around with one hand on his chin as he thinks about it deeply. Kanae and I are waiting for a comment. I know it's not that hard to think of something to say, is it?

After a while, he abruptly stopped, which alerted the both of us. "He's innocent, no doubt." He finally commented. After so long of deep thinking, that's what he only has to say?!

"I know. And I also know that you're trying to prove Father's innocence too." I calmly sighed. "Anyway, you were the intruder who was talking in rhymes and the previous school guard who never revealed his name."

"You're good at this game, Mi--" before he finishes his sentence, he glances at Kanae, who is cracking his knuckles while wearing a wide devilish smirk. His eyes moved back at me and he continued, "--Princess." He substituted.

"I wasn't able to recognise you before because I have so few informations about you so I can't make my move. Well, now that I know about you, I can finally make my move. Anyway, what can you say about this?" I openly asked, still with a calm and stoic expression.

"Knowing my motives, that makes me your ally, right?" He cutely tilted his head with a reassuring smile. "Do you want me to work for you?"

"Not at all. Besides, you may still be a member of 666. I won't take you from them."

"You just keep on amazing me." He smiled wider than before as he stares at me dreamily. "What kind of power do you have?"

"It's not a power. It's a skill. Anyway, I just want to exchange informations with you regarding the case." I explained as I try and look for things that explains TCM666D.

"I took everything you have about this, remember?" I turned to him and I see him raising his eyebrow.

"So, what'd you think? Found any clues?" I stopped looking and turned to him.

He looked away and scratched his head. "That was useless." He whistled away while having a carefree expression.

"Right. Because that entry is the only proof I saw in Earth. The entry that you wrote." I emphasised. "Didn't think that through, did you?"

He sighed in embarrassment but doesn't look like it. He turned back to me and pointed at Kanae with his thumb. "What are you doing here with a demon?"

Kanae jolted and was about to speak but I butted in. "He's not a demon." I slightly shake my head.

Deane approached him. I can sense Kanae trembling in fear but tries hard not to let it show. How stupid. Demons can sense fear more efficiently than any other humans. He's stupid that he thinks human standards are equal to demon standards. Is it hard to think that demon standards are higher than humans?

"But he acts just like you." He protested as he narrowed his eyes at him. "He acts as a demon disguising as a human. Plus, he's thinking that I'm an enemy. And it would be unlikely if you had a friend this protective of you be a human." He explained like he knows everything. I heard about Sherlock Holmes before. And it's obvious that he's John Watson trying to show Sherlock he can deduce too.

"He's a human." I raised my voice. "No matter how much you deny it, he's 100% human!"

"But his personality doesn't match any human I observed so far. Plus, he's friends with you?!" He turned to me then shortly after, turned back to him, noticeably examining him closer. His pupils shrank like he saw something shocking. I paid close attention to catch on what he just saw. He then began to unbutton Kanae's shirt, which was unsettling for a short moment until I finally saw what he saw-- a Demon Contract Mark, or simply a Contract Mark that's like a Death Mark but it has a different design and it marks your contract with a demon or a human. He stared at it but Kanae, no matter how much he struggles, couldn't fight him off.

After closely examining the Contract Mark, Watson finally has something useful to say to Sherlock. "Could it be..." He trailed off as he stares at me. I see Kanae buttoning his shirt in panic.

Deane dashed to me quicker than my eyes could follow. The next thing I knew was that my blouse was unbuttoned in the same manner as Kanae. Speaking of Kanae, as soon as he saw my unbuttoned blouse, he quickly looks away with his face flushing a very bright red. He's embarrassed. I guess even if he acts like a demon, he still knows his limits. He's still a human after all. No one can change what species they are. I know that so well. I said in my thoughts as they were filled with my memories of my instincts occasionally showing up.

"I'm right..." Deane muttered to himself, studying the mark imprinted on my left part of my chest. "You made a demon contract!" He stared at me directly in the eyes with a face that is a disgusting mix of panic and disgust.

"Don't state the obvious, Deane." I dryly said, hoping that he couldn't see through my mask as I'm scared that he can kill me because of a simple demon contract.

"You just dug your own grave, Missy." As if on cue, he finished his sentence and nothing interrupted. The both of us simultaneously looked at Kanae, who's facing the wall in embarrassment.

"I'm not even going to bother." He whispered.

We shrugged it off and I continued the conversation. "I was assassinated!" I justified. "I never once agreed to this."

"It seems your death is near." He calmly stated as he fixed his glasses from the bridge of his nose.

"I fucking had a death mark! My death is already avoided." I continued to angrily protest as I button up my shirt. "To be honest, he was the one that helped me avoid my death."

Deane turned to me, his eyes shone as the sunlight from the window reflected on it. "Wait, what? How?" He asks with a clear confused face.

"Since you're a demon, you wouldn't know about remedies from the death mark as said by a nephilim." I stated as I finish buttoning the last button on my blouse and tied the ribbon on my collar. "It was an intimate act that acted as a benefit for his two needs. As other humans say: 'hit two birds with one stone.' A fellow nephilim I know says that an intimate act will cancel out the death mark's 'evil' power or something like that so it was considered a remedy for angels. Plus, it's less life-threatening considering the remedies you wrote about in a demon's perspective. That entry is a clue on what you might be, and not who."

"So you received that gem necklace from the same nephilim? The one that changes colour..?" Deane asks, turning his whole body to me.

I nodded. "That's the only gem necklace I have."

"Ironic for someone rich like you." He immediately blurted out.

He then looked at his wristwatch and acted like he was late for a meeting. I applaud his dedication to his default human form but there's something in me that tells myself that he was just acting so he can run out and exit the conversation we have right now. I don't know why exactly but it tells me that he's hiding something from me and is desperate to hide it at all costs. Does he know the killer already but the truth can destroy me? Does he have a prime suspect that can break my trust to all humans? What is it, I wonder... Either way, all the possibilities have something to do with breaking me.

"Missy, are you fully dressed now?" Kanae asks in a distance.

"Oh sorry. You were hiding there in a while that I actually thought you left already." I voiced out my honest feelings.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Yet he completely ignored it and continued on with his own story that's somehow accurate enough to be considered a reality that was never said.

He finally turned around and heaved a sigh of relief as he sees me fully dressed with no Deane in sight. "Glad that's over."

"Why?" I raised a brow, confused.

"That guy's all types of trouble!" He answered while throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Yeah but still..." I trailed off, trying to think of a good reason why he's not trouble. I eventually thought of none and managed to stir the conversation like I need him. "...he holds a lot of private and personal information about my dad's involvement in the case but he's trying hard not to tell me. Probably because he doesn't want to hurt me even if it's emotionally."

The room was silent for a while. I can feel Kanae's stare at me while I hang my head, pretending to ignore the fact that he's directly staring at me.

"Well we wasted a lot of time, didn't we?" Kanae stretched his arms out and forced out a big loud yawn that echoed in the whole room. "Now I know you have no plans on Monday. I still need to tutor you in Maths, right?" He winked and smiled with his hands still on his back. He then exited through the window again, carefully trying not to break it. I hope he knows that that window was broken several times now and I can't afford to lose it another time. He waved goodbye and smiled brightly before completely disappearing out of my sight.

•

Monday. Oct 17.

Sitting on a dining table, I patiently wait for my breakfast that's being cooked by Angelo right now. I have my bags all packed up and ready to go, my appearance is presentable, I still wear my ankle boots instead of my black school shoes even though I changed my boots and still haven't changed back since then. I decided that my new clothes are more comfortable to be in and won't change it until another massacre happen...or my own near-death. Who knows?

"Are you happy that your parents extended their vacation on Leeds?" Angelo asks while the sizzling echoes in the whole dining room despite the noise comes from the kitchen.

"I don't feel anything about their absence nor their presence." I honestly answered. Unfortunately, Angelo thought I was joking.

"They're your parents. It's impossible to think that you don't feel anything." He laughed it off. I became silent. The whole sizzling was the only noise I'm hearing and am willing to listen to. "Actually, I was like that in my childhood. It's a phase that everyone eventually encounters in their lifetime. So I think that even if you think you don't care about them, someday you'll know that you were lying." He calmly continued thinking that I might be listening to him. At first I thought it was going to be his life story but then the next sentence intrigued me and I don't know why. Humans encounter phases like that...in their lifetime? A demon-acting phase? Is Kanae in a phase then? No, that's not it. I know it's different. That's just Kanae's personality. He's not going through a phase.

As thoughts kept on pulling me away from the main thought that Angelo was telling me, I stayed silent until the sizzling stopped. The only noise I cared about when it disappears. "Is breakfast ready?" I asked with shining arms like I'm excited.

"Yes." He obediently answered.

•

Before Class.

I showed up to school with no sign of injuries from last time. I hope they don't think it's weird for me to go to school in a condition yet here I am, looking like something never happened!

The door creaked open, interrupting my stare through the window. I thought that it was someone else but then then it was revealed to be someone I'm uninterested that's always early.

I turned away and continued to stare at the window, ignoring the two girls' existence entirely. Even though I got rid of their hypnotising aura and Adam himself admitted defeat, I still dislike them.

"It's weird to see you all healed so quick." AC commented.

I continued ignoring her. I don't want to waste my efforts listening to her blabbering. Lana stayed silent. She was always this decent. I wonder what made her snap last time. Was it because of AC as she herself stated? She was implying that AC has been abusing her and is not treating her like a human being she is. I don't know if it's the panic talking or it was her own subconscious finally able to talk after such a long time.

"I'm talking to you!" AC continued, poking my head. "Hey!" She knocked. It's like dealing with a child.

The door opened again and entered is a boy with a bouquet of roses in his hand and one in his mouth. He made a very grand and flashy entrance that none ever turned to look and satisfy his need for attention. AC continued on poking my head and I continued to ignore her no matter what.

Carol approached the quiet Lana and handed her a rose. "Your silence always makes me hear my heart pounding louder each time I see you." I see Lana blush, unable to say another word afterwards.

Carol then moved on to the next target, AC. He handed her a rose from behind and whispered in her ear. I couldn't make it out since he covers it with his hand. AC blushed too, unable to talk or even move.

I was the last target. I was waiting for my rose but Carol simply ignored me and proceeded to exit. What happened?

"DUMPED!" AC commented as he shoves her rose on my face.

I burned the rose just by looking at it. It's one of my abilities-- to burn things at will by using my mind. Pyrokinesis, I believe is the term.

AC dropped the rose in fear that the fire will reach her and desperately tried to get rid of it by stepping on it repeatedly. "What is wrong with you?!" She asks with an obvious wrath in her eyes. So she genuinely likes the roses she receives? Hmph, just like me.

I turned my head back to the window, which just made her more mad. I didn't care. I'm not listening to her anyway.

My mind was blank for what felt like minutes but then I snapped back to reality and was surprised with the fact that I had been staring through the window for hours undisturbed!

"It looks like you were sleeping with your eyes open." And the first thing I see is Joan, who just managed to suddenly appear in front of me with a wide bright smile.

"What time is it?" I asked as I cycled through the window and her face.

"12." She immediately answered. "It's lunchtime, come on. I miss our group."

I slightly smiled at her statement. I'm not the only one... "I miss our group too." I whispered.

Joan turned to me and asked, "you said something?"

I smirked and walked past her. I turned to her with a secretive smile and a fang hanging out. "I didn't say anything." I giggled.

"Hey, no fair!" Joan ran to follow me to the cafeteria.

•

Lunchtime.

"It sure does feel good to be back to normal!" Joan stretched her arms out with a feeling of relief.

I continued to silently watch her across me. I continued to smile unnoticeably.

"Hey, did you just smile?" She immediately noticed. Didn't expect that though. "Hey guys, she just smiled!" She points at me as she faces the other people in the same table. It's humiliating. Doesn't she know that?

"That's an achievement." Zan commented. He takes a spoon of his meal while smiling. "Someone else might get that." He continued as his gaze slowly turned to Kanae.

Kanae immediately noticed this so he abruptly stopped eating and faced Kanae with a serious look. "What?" He asks. "Are you implying something?"

"Didn't expect a delinquent to listen to what someone has to say." Even though they are friends, they still somehow get into fights. Not those serious fights before though. Sounds like bickering. And I'm happy to know that the two are getting along.

"I can't help it. I have ears, you know." He talked back with a smirk, thinking he won the verbal argument.

"I can understand the conditions of other people who have ears because they're so ears-istable. I don't know what happened to you." He smirked. To be honest, their verbal arguments is just basically them insulting each other with a smirk and a proud attitude.

"A bad pun and a comeback in one. Good one, Zan. That's an achievement." I complimented...if by complimented meaning I talk monotonously that sounds a little like sarcasm.

Across me is a dying hyena apparently-- the complete opposite of my reaction."You're hilarious, Zan!" Joan hits the table repeatedly, not knowing her own strength. I see the table slowly cracking and felt sorry for it but decided not to say it and just continued watching her laugh like a dying hyena.

"Disgusting." I simply commented complete with a disgusted expression directly targeted at her.

Out of nowhere, a rose emerged from behind Joan. I immediately had an idea who it is. Carol continued emerging out Joan's back while carefully and gently handing her the beautiful bright red rose. "Please stop hurting the poor defenceless table. It didn't do anything to you and I hate to think that karma's going to get you."

Joan abruptly stopped and her face flushed with the same colour as the rose in her hands. She was left speechless as she stares into the distance-- into Carol's beautiful sky blue eyes.

As Carol turned away, my body flinched in excitement, repeatedly thinking about the same words in my head. "I'm next I'm next I'm next I'm next." I can't wait!

And once again, Carol walked past like I'm not existing! This has been the second time today and I do not take this lightly at all.

I punched the fixed and no signs of breakage whatsoever table and it broke in pieces afterwards. Naturally, a lot of people came as uninvited audiences and I'm not used to this at all. Having great friends, those said great friends covered their entire field of vision so they wouldn't see me and will suspect me again of being a monster. Annoyed and frustrated, the people started decreasing and leaving the cafeteria. We thought that it's simply because they are annoyed and frustrated. We didn't notice the time and realised we're going to be late if we don't hurry up.

I stayed sitting on the chair, staring at the broken table, motionless. A little creepy for some humans.

I hear footsteps walking back for me. "Hey..." He says in a serious voice like he's threatening me. "How long will you stay there and sulk?" Now I can feel his glares piercing directly at me even if I don't see him. Despite the threatening tone, I didn't move an inch.

Unfortunately, he wasn't satisfied and was even more mad than before. He took me by the collar and raised me up. I'm slowly choking. I can feel the pain of choking but I stayed motionless, avoiding eye contact.

"ANSWER ME YOU FUCKING DEMON!!" He shouted right at my face as he violently shakes me back and forth. I was like a rag doll-- motionless but is following the motion he wants me to.

Eventually, he got tired so he just threw me away like the rag doll I consider myself as and left with hints of anger as he passes.

I felt betrayed and abandoned. Like the dream I had when I was badly injured. The Kanae I saw then wasn't this short-tempered. Something might have triggered him. Did I trigger him?...

I feel so guilty.... And I feel guilty that I feel guilty... I'm a demon. Curse these emotions! Why do I suddenly care? I want to revert back to my demon self again....

I want to die.

•

Oct 21. Friday.

Carol still ignores me, the flowers are slowly dying because I've been ignoring them in the same manner as Carol has been ignoring me. Slowly wilting, slowly dying... The flowers who once made me feel safe, secured and relaxed...are slowly fading away...intentionally.

I'm not paranoid. I just simply stopped contacts altogether. I feel like I'm back in my demon side again. Should I be happy or pity my friends?

My door's locked and boarded, as well as my window. No human can pass this barrier. No light can. It's dark....just like my home.

My home... My home... I miss my home...

"Celeste.... CELESTE!!" The sudden shout made my ears almost bleed. It was enough to wake me up. That alone is enough at least.

I slowly opened my eyes. When I see that it was none other than Kira, I continued to sleep again.

To wake me up this time, she smacked me with her long wooden stick used to smack misbehaving elementary students.

I dryly stared at her as I barely felt the pain. The sound alone was enough to wake me up. I don't need the pain to accompany it.

"Your behaviour is unacceptable!" She lectured.

I didn't particularly care so I just continued my sleep like nothing's happening.

"Um, Teacher..." Carol called out.

I immediately subconsciously jolted to sit properly and turned to him as soon as I hear his voice. Kira smirked like she knows my weakness. Partially, yeah. She does.

My actions are a bit too obvious recently especially when it comes to Carol...

Maybe that's the, if not, one of the reason/s why I can feel piercing glares coming from the direction of Kanae's seat. As I glanced at him, I see a glare that's like killing me. It was a demon glare that I didn't imagine a human would do. It's full of wrath but is trying hard not to be noticed.

He said something that I couldn't hear because of the distance and the other noises nearby overlapping and maybe I didn't make it out accurately but it went something like:
"I hate you." Or;
"I'll kill you."