Sethry provided for a somewhat decent week of "no eating." Though Nerezza felt guilty for disobeying the simple rules, she knew she wouldn't have made it the full week entirely off of water.

Once that week was up, Nerezza was happy to start cooking again, anything to take her mind off of Sethry and make it up to her parents.

The demon was quite nice. He came from a demon realm and typically haunted places where he could feed off of despair - in other words, Nerezza's plight. He had confessed to being a somewhat weaker demon, with a special name she couldn't pronounce whatsoever. He could nudge people's emotions, though that one ability of his was overshrouded by the typical demonic aura all demons had, though, most had a better control than he did. At least, that was what she was told.

In the weeks afterwards, Nerezza found herself enjoying hiding in her room, even more so when her parents seemed to bother her less while she was there. Still, a sense of guiltiness overtook her whenever she spent time with him. As a daughter and growing adult, she found that she wasn't serving her parents correctly, even if nothing actually changed.

She actually felt as if she were betraying them by not being out and about in their house, for not being there to listen to their advice and allowing them to build her into a better person. All the rules and punishments in place were only there for that matter, and for some reason, not being there for them to be reinforced felt like she was doing something incorrect.

Everytime she brought it up, however, Sethry dashed it away. He didn't know much about being a human adult, but for some reason he kept trying to instill that - from what he had seen - her parents weren't the best. He amended that weren't the worst, either, but still continued to try and prove the point.

Until, at some point, he brought up an entirely new tact.

"Nerezza," he said, the name slipping from his tongue easily, "have you ever thought of leaving?"

She frowned up at the ceiling before turning to her side, aiming her voice for the demon beneath her bed. "No, why would I?" she said into the darkness, seemingly talking to herself.

"You live an unfair life, and you are of age, I believe. Aren't you supposed to move out at eighteen in the human realm?"

Nerezza nodded, realized he couldn't see her, and said, "Yes, I guess that is true. But my parents are doing what they think is best for me, and the longer I stay, the better of a person I could become, right?"

She almost felt the pity emanating off of him. "Being from the demon realm where plenty of demons encounter humans, I think I have found that your story is not rare but also not common." Nerezza frowned, not saying anything. "Your parents are unbelievably strict. I do not see why they don't try and move you out since you have gotten your school thing from your computer."

Nerezza snorted. "It's called a diploma, from online schooling." She rolled almost off the edge of her bed, and said to the floor, "And I know the answer to that second part."

"What is it?"

"Well," Nerezza began, "our neighborhood is very tight knit group of business people. My parents did, unfortuneately, broadcast my birth to everyone, so they know I exist. I don't know how my parents have kept them not suspicious of me since I've only ever seen the majority four or five times, but still. They can't get rid of me because our friend group would be suspicious."

"But if your parents have kept you away from them, then what is stopping them from continuing to pretend?"

Nerezza shrugged and stared at the ceiling again. "I don't really know. But my guess would be that all firstborn's in businesses are typically considered heirs, and until my parents have another child, they can't really get rid of me, even if I wasn't groomed for the position."

A moment of silence stretched as Sethry seemed to consider her words. "Why don't they set you up as owner and then rule from the sidelines? You are certainly compliant enough to do so."

She frowned. "I am not! I just listen to reasons and rules. I'm sorry if I am not the typical rebellious teenager."

Another stretch of stilted quiet, then: "Nerezza, you need to get out of here."

"What?" she said, incredulous. "What part of my previous answer don't you understand, Sethry?"

His shadowy blob slid out, and then he was standing beside her bed. He crouched in front of her face, their breaths mingling as he placed bracing hands on the frame beside each side of her head. Her mouth tightened as she found dark black eyes boring into her.

"You do not believe what I am saying about other human eighteens. The only way you'll believe me is if you leave and see how wrong you are living."

Her brows furrowed and she leaned forward, a fire lit in her brown eyes. "My parents are raising me to be better. I'm sorry if you can't see that." She harrumphed and rolled over, pulling her blanket high over her shoulder until she was huddled on the far side of the bed.

Nerezza almost completely froze as Sethry sighed and slipped onto the bed behind her, his body leaning over her as he spoke. "Your world is so minuscule in your mind. You have not traveled as I have, communicated as I have, or developed as I have. Of course, I am a Stuaweuft, an entirely different species than you, but I believe we are more related than you think."

Nerezza rolled a little to peer up at his face, not realizing how close he was. His face was inches from hers. "Sethry, what are you doing?" she said, a little breathless. This was something she had never experienced before, and she didn't know how to react. She wasn't sure if it was fear that sent her heart pounding or something else entirely. She squirmed a little under his gaze.

Yet, he quirked a brow curiously. "What do you mean? I am only trying to offer you more heat." He draped an arm along her waist, sidling closer as if in confirmation to his words.

To her neverending surprise, she felt actual heat emanating from him. After their initial encounter, they had never gotten close again. She had just assumed that the cold aura also meant he as a person was just cold-skinned, but she stood corrected.

Sethry, however, was on a completely different train of thought. "Will you consider it, Nerezza?"

"Consider what?"

"Moving. Leaving. Escaping. Whatever you want to call it."

Nerezza, trapped beneath his arm and curling into his warmth, only said, "I'll consider it."

***

She didn't consider it.

Nerezza continued to live her everyday life, Sethry now choosing to move with her in her shadow everywhere she went, and at night, he now slept at her side to provide heat despite his disturbingly cold aura. For her sake, he was learning how to better tamper down on it, and now it was only a thin inkling of feeling that was easily ignored.

Her life was the same with a few small tweaks, she decided.

***

Nerezza placed the plates before her parents, reaching as far as she could with her arms so she wouldn't impress her horrid scent against them. She'd already gotten in trouble for that again.

"Nerezza, come back for a moment."

She paused on the threshold, turning in half-surprise. And then a spider crawl of worry climbed up her back. What did I do wrong? she thought, slowly stepping back in.

Her mother curled her nose, focusing only on her plate as she cut her meat daintily. Nerezza's father merely sat back in his chair and beckoned her where he could see the girl without turning.

Nerezza - clad in the same t-shirt and pants as always, with oily brown hair and a greasy face - was not much to behold. She knew her father grimaced because of this as he scanned her.

"We are hosting a party and you'll be expected to go. It's in two weeks' time." Nerezza blinked as the man turned back to his plate, discussion over on his part.

Her mother, however, glanced up with only her eyes, and said, "You need to shower and be fitted for clothing." She grimaced. "I...will be in charge of clothing you." She turned a well-hidden look to father, bespoking all the anger she felt for having to deal with Nerezza herself. But she was the only other woman of the household, and she certainly wasn't going to let her ugly daughter dress herself even with a tailor there.

Nerezza saw that, and more on her mother's painted face right before it turned into a fake smile. "The tailor will be coming tomorrow. Shower. You'll be expected to be out here in the living area instead of hiding in your room like a rat."

She winced, feeling the jab for what it was worth. Nerezza knew the guilty feeling hadn't been for nothing.

Still, she only nodded and walked away, conversation over. As she walked she turned her head just a little to the side and spoke to her own shadow.

"Did you hear that, Sethry?"

A figure slithered out, but remained a dark blob that only somewhat blended with the shadows. He said, "I'm glad you will be showering. Even your shadow has begun to stink."

"Is that possible?" Nerezza asked, frowning.

He shrugged - or whatever it was he did seemed to appear like one.

Nerezza turned back to the hall. "I was talking more about the party. What could it be for, do you think? Especially if I have to attend," she added, thinking about the last one she had been to. Years ago, Nerezza realized. It'd been awhile.

"I guess you have two weeks to find out."

"And why would I do that?" Nerezza said, entering the kitchen.

As Sethry spoke, she began to clean. "Your parents are both business people. They can scheme, at least that's what I think they do." Sethry frowned, then shook his head. "I wouldn't put it past your parents to not be planning something for this."

Nerezza pursed her lips. "I'm not important enough for that. Business people only scheme with other, bigger business people so they can get benefits." She gave Sethry a long-suffering look. "At least, I think that's what they do," she said, echoing his words.

Sethry chuckled, a soft sound belying his sharper and dangerous features. Though a lot of things seemed to do that. Nerezza nearly blushed and looked away, focusing on her cleaning.

"Will you be using your shower tonight or tomorrow?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Tonight. I want to use a lot of soap."

Sethry nodded. "Will I be coming with? In your shadow?"

Nerezza reared up. "What?"

"Would you prefer I stay in your room, then?" he asked after a second, blinking curiously.

"Yes!" she flustered.

Sethry turned away as if to inspect something, a small smile on his face at her reaction.

***

Sethry you sly demon kekeke