The new year was a time for new lives.
It was the only time demons were born from the skies. Some were celebrated with festivals at popular locations, while others like myself went by unnoticed.
The fireworks were what triggered the spirits into being reborn. The lights and noises from celebration of what had passed gave them life for the wonderful unknown of the future.
And while fireworks lit up the sky, they also lit up something within Lavender's heart.
Instead of her soul being the golden colour it was, it was starting to grow a reddish tinge around it.
I didn't know what to feel about the new changes. And as for such a strong colour overtaking her, it gave me nothing to work on.
Lavender herself was feeling the same as she always had. Our child curiosities in each other had diminished and were replaced with awkwardness. She even stopped taking her medication Mr Solo had first prescribed to her to keep me docile. The tired haze I had been living in was refreshing to lift out of.
It wasn't like I was going to hurt Lavender, but I was experiencing things that hadn't been awakened since before our visit to the doctor and all the repeated visits to the chemist's after that.
As much as it was for her own good, I wasn't going to be so willing to be drugged again when she decided to suppress me again.
Being a ten year old and having such a big responsibility suddenly expected of you was scary. We were a few years shy of becoming teenagers, and had to try and find ourselves amongst all this emotional mess.
And the redness growing around her soul was really worrying me.
Was it hate? Was it sickness? Was it even love?
What was there to love about me?
Perhaps it was hate?
Mum or Dad couldn't offer me the answers to my questions either. They had no idea about demons or what to expect with them. There wasn't a lot they taught outside the schools set up to teach them.
Our closest one was three days drive from us. And attending Lavender's school with her was not an option, as stated on her enrolment forms.
It was a place of safety and growth. To them, no demon could offer neither of those things.
Lavender was off to her first day of year five. She hugged Mum goodbye at the front door while Dad waited to drive her to the bus stop. I rushed over for my hug, like I always did.
It hadn't changed in any way. Her warm smile didn't falter when we parted and she waved goodbye.
But her soul was still tainted...
"Teddy" Mum's hand rested in my shoulder "time to get you ready for school too."
"School?" I turned to her then gasped in excitement as I realised what it could mean "we are going all the way out there?!"
"Not exactly" she chuckled and led me over to the lounge-room.
I watched her go to her bedroom and go to the bed dominating the middle of the room. It was a grand thing made of wooden framing and carved with swirling patterns along it. It even had banisters reaching from all the corners to reach the flowery netted canopy above it.
There was a wooden dresser against the left wall beside the door I stood at. The mirror in the middle of it had photographs of our family wedged under the bordering wood.
A window with billowing silken curtains was to the right of the bed, open and letting in the fresh air.
I waited by her door impatiently, knowing that Mum and Dad's private room was not for me to go sticking my nose in. But when Mum pulled out a laptop from under the bed, she ushered me over.
"I've got you enrolled into a school for people just like you" Mum gushed while she set up the laptop "I wanted to make sure you got the absolute best education like what Lavender is."
"A school in a screen?"
She laughed and turned it on. After waiting for Mum to navigate through, she had me connected to another screen that was divided into sections with names on them.
Mum typed in my name and stood back to marvel her handiwork. I was confused at how she could be so proud of a black screen that only reflected us.
"If you need to talk to the teacher, press this button here" she pointed to the one she had placed a piece of tape over with a handwritten label "the teacher's name is Mrs Francy; her name is right there, see?"
As soon as Mum pointed to the name, a woman appeared in the box. Mum straightened up and they both smiled at each other with a small giggle.
"I'll leave you be" Mum chuckled and kissed me on the head "I'll be right outside if you need me. Thank you, Mrs Francy."
I watched Mum leave with sudden nervousness then turned back to the screen where the stranger waited.
"Good morning" she smiled at me "you must be our new student, Teddy. I'm your teacher, Mrs Francy."
I was in awe at her. Mrs Francy's eyes were pale purple instead of black. Her dark skin had the same spots as Mr Solo down her shoulders that were exposed until her jumper cut across the front of her at the bottom of her screen. Her horns were not bending ones like mine, but were twisting silver branches with a winding pattern around them.
Her hair was short and silver. It was gently spiked upwards and didn't pass the back of her head. It tussled around her long ears that were flattened down.
She didn't look old like Mum either. She was a young teacher.
Several more demons filled the screens within a few seconds of each other. They were a mixture of colours that my eyes took in with happiness. Black mixed with gold, and white tangled with pink. There were so many new and exciting things to take in all at once.
"Good morning, children" Mrs Francy chimed.
"Good morning, Mrs Francy" they all sang back.
The teacher placed her spread fingertips together and bowed her head slightly. The others followed the movement without hesitation while I was left confused.
"Today, we have Teddy joining us. He lives with his human, Lavender. Let's give Teddy a warm welcome."
All the others waved and called out greetings to me. I felt overwhelmed by thier kindness and tried to return it to them enthusiastically.
"I like your name, Teddy!" one demon named River piped up. His gold splattered skin stretched into a wide smile as his black eyes sparkled. He only had one gold horn, the other broken near the base of his black hair that was speckled silver.
"Me too!" another boy called March breathed. He was one of the more unique ones with his pure white skin that was stained across his white eyes with a swipe of pink. I could see his spiralling white horns were wrapped with woven threads that dangled down towards his pink hair.
"We are going to be talking about favourite things today" Mrs Francy spoke as both boys quietened down "can anyone tell me about what they like that their humans don't?"
Immediately, everyone threw their hand up in the air. They all looked so excited to share what they were all silently struggling to keep controlled.
"Marcy. "
"My human likes cakes" a girl replied in a burst of energy "but she didn't like the butterfly one I made her. I think it was because I used orange ones."
The girl was met with giggles. Her black eyes genuinely looked for answers from Mrs Francy who only smiled warmly.
Marcy looked like a butterfly herself with her fire orange speckles and patches across her black skin. Her light orange hair bordered her rounded face in two plaits that were tied with cherry shaped bauble elastics. Her eyes were red like the cherries, but looked so warm and kind compared to the red bordering Lavender's soul. She had tiny white horns that looked like little flower buds amongst her hair.
Why would she make a cake with dead butterflies on it? Would a simple colour change make a human suddenly love something so odd?
I tried to picture Lavender warming up as I offered her a butterfly cake. Somehow, it didn't seem like it would work.
"Oxley."
A kid with silver specks down his forehead lowered his hand. He was the only one here with an injury so prominent. The long scar running across his nose from his right eye to his left cheek was gouged so deep it didn't even look real. His right eye looked more grey compared to the black left one.
It didn't even look like he had horns underneath his mess of black hair.
"Uh, well, my human doesn't like flowers" he mumbled and looked away "I picked a bunch from the garden and she..."
He picked his eyes up briefly that darted away again.
"She likes her garden more" he finished.
"Thank you for sharing, Oxley" Mrs Francy spoke to make a small smile come across his face "what about you Teddy?"
I stabbed the button and paused.
"My... human" I smirked at the word and bubbled up at the memory resurfacing "oh! she likes strawberries! We wore matching dresses once and ate cake with them in it!"
"But you're a boy!" Oxley squealed out in amusement.
"Are you wearing it now?" River piped up innocently over the chorus of rising laughter and comments.
Mrs Francy called for order then looked to everyone.
"Children, we need to remember our differences" she reminded with sternness edging her voice "sometimes a boy will wear a dress, and sometimes a girl would rather get her clothes dirty with grease. Everyone has their own favourite things that might seem a little strange to someone who isn't used to seeing things like that. We mustn't make fun of them for something they like. What do we say?"
"Sorry, Teddy" everyone groaned back in guilt.
"Now, our favourite things are things that humans will see as odd. You may like flowers or butterflies" Mrs Francy noted to make each kid smile "but they see it as something to make fun of or get angry about, like Teddy's dress just now. Humans are emotional creatures. Sometimes they may use their bad words or even use their hands instead of their words to show how they feel."
I saw Oxley look away again at the mention of abuse.
"But we must remember not to use bad words or our hands back at them; otherwise we will be no different to the bad human doing those things. I know you all are better than going and hurting other people."
"Mrs Francy" Oxley spoke up hesitantly and then checked the area quickly "if a demon doesn't like their human, can they find a new one?"
I leant forward in interest. The others all looked to their teacher for the answer.
"We all know humans have soul lights" Mrs Francy began "and we can see the ones that are not taken by another one of us. Usually, demons stay with one human for their whole life; quite like old married couples. But if something does happen and we find one we do not like, or doesn't like us" she quickly added "we can search for another soul. Despite old tales, we can not physically enter a human to take their souls. But it will take some time to make a new bond again to prepare for a Bonding."
Bonding?
"Who here has Bonded to their human yet?"
Several hands flew up proudly. Only another two remained down apart from mine and Oxley's.
"These things take time" Mrs Francy reassured us "and sometimes others are a little more tricky than others. We cannot remain amongst the lights if we do not take our place."
There was nodding and mutters of agreement. Mrs Francy looked proud of what she had accomplished.
"For homework tonight, children" she smiled "all of those who have Bonded; I want you to work on keeping that bond strong with them. There is no point in a Bonding if you do not attempt to keep your human happy with you."
Some looked pleased while others were obviously worried.
"And for those who have not Bonded" Mrs Francy spoke warmly "I want you to focus on doing that. You only have a certain time here amongst the lights to do that. It will be a little scary, but it is for the best of you all."
The warm smile came again and I felt all my worries disappear.
"So tonight, when your humans are having dinner, I want the five of you to save some room in your stomachs. And then, when it is time and things are right, you will eat your human's soul."
I felt my stomach drop instantly to fill me with dread.
A soul was a human's life force. And i had to take that from someone as precious as Lavender...
Mrs Francy bowed her head and touched her fingertips again. The others followed enthusiastically.
"May your Bonding be bright" she uttered, just as everyone repeated it. I kept my head bowed and fingers touched so that no-one could see the tears dropping onto the blanket below me as they all left.
ns 15.158.61.42da2
