22

'I can't believe Kuro's fast asleep after two huge cups of coffee and we're still wide awake like a pair of owls when we barely tasted it,' groaned Lucien, looking at the cat comfortably stretched out in front of the fire without a care in the world.

'I guess we should stick to fruit tea instead,' nodded Grace. 'Even after such a long and tiring day, I'm just not feeling sleepy!'

'I feel like doing something, but what??' said Lucien, looking a little fidgety.

'I didn't know caffeine worked on demons, too,' grinned Grace.

'Why shouldn't it? We're not that different!' said Lucien, his purple eyes gleaming in the firelight.

'Oh, yeah, you're so similar,' said Grace sarcastically, tapping his horns.

'Why are you always after my horns!?' exclaimed Lucien indignantly, brushing her hand off.

'Ssh, Kuro will wake up!'

'Nah, he's dead to the world!'

'Don't say that...'

'Why not?'

'Well, I kind of like him now, I suppose.'

'What about me?' said Lucien cheekily.

Grace smiled warmly. 'I like you, too. You're a good friend...'

'I suppose I could say the same about you,' nodded the demon. 'You only came here the other day, but you already belong here like family!'

'Thank you,' said Grace sombrely. 'It's been a while since I felt what "family" is...'

'But your aunt was family, wasn't she?'

'Only in name, like your father was to you. I was all alone after my parents died.'

'It's kind of a pity they were good people, or you could have met them here,' mused Lucien.

'Don't be silly!' said Grace, not sure whether to be cross or amused. 'I'm glad they're there. As for me, I'll meet them eventually when I get out of here... if I do...'

'You will for sure when you die,' said Lucien reassuringly. 'Unless I ever find a way out; in which case I'll be sure to take you, of course.'

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the low crackling of the fire and Kuro's quiet breathing.

'Want to go for a moonlight walk?' suggested Lucien suddenly.

'After what happened yesterday, I don't think so!' said Grace with a shudder.

'Don't worry, I don't think he'll come by when I'm with you; his spells work better when you're alone, you see.'

'Speaking of spells, how did you enchant this castle?' asked Grace curiously. 'Do you naturally have magic powers you can use, or did you learn it?'

'No, I wish I was born with magical abilities, but I don't really have much – nothing useful, anyway. But I do know that some of the spells I learnt and used don't work so well when humans try them, so maybe it's a mix of both.'

'Oh...'

'Gosh, I'm getting really restless sitting around...'

'I can see that.'

'Well, suggest something, for goodness sake!'

'Read something?'

'That's a good idea! What are you going to do? Should I pick out a book for you?'

'Actually, I was wondering...' said Grace, looking down at her clothes, rather dusty after all she had been through. 'I've been in my school uniform ever since I landed here, and I'd like to change into something else.'

'Oh, go ahead!' said Lucien. 'Just hunt around in my mother's closet and see if there's anything that fits you. You can get new ones made at the tailor later, too.'

'Well, thanks, but I do need a bath first,' said Grace.

'OH!!' said Lucien, and he jumped up excitedly.

'What–what's wrong?' said Grace in surprise.

'Nothing's wrong, it's right!' grinned Lucien. 'I'm so glad you said that! I'd totally forgotten about bathing with everything that's been going on! Let's do that, then!'

'Erm... couldn't I go first, please?' said Grace nervously.

'Of course! That's what I want! Let's go!'

'Just show me the way, please?'

'I'll show you a lot more than that!'

'Huh?'

'Come on!' he said, pulling her arm gently as he led the way out the door and through the hallway.

'Gosh, it's so cold here,' shivered Grace. 'I'm starting to second-think the bath now! Maybe I should take it tomorrow morning instead, after the sun rises!'

'No, you're going to like the warm water!' said Lucien, opening a short wooden door. 'You'll have a great time, I promise!'

'Oh, nice room!' said Grace, looking in.

It was a small and cosy room, with a large wooden tub in the centre, a wooden shelf on the side, and even the walls were paneled with wood. There was a small window at the top, and rays of moonlight came in through it.

'Let me just light these candles... and there! Doesn't it look cosy?' said Lucien, as the room lit up with a gentle, comfortable light.

'It's lovely, but what about the water?' said Grace.

'That's what I'm here for!' grinned Lucien, and he had the same eccentric inventor look she had seen on him earlier.

'Erm... please don't tell me there's some machine for this...' said Grace nervously.

'How did you guess!' said Lucien in delighted surprise. 'Yes! Before, the only way to have a warm bath around here was to either have it in the day – when it's not wanted anyway – or by lugging buckets of hot water here at night; but NOT ANYMORE!'

'R-really?'

'Yes! Just two weeks before I summoned you, I invented a machine – a sort of legacy to my dishwasher – to heat up bathwater right here!'

'Really?' said Grace, looking around. 'Where is it?'

'There!' said Lucien, and a curious contraption appeared in the corner, seemingly out of nothing.

'Where did it come from?!' said Grace, jumping in surprise.

'Hehehehe!' said Lucien, clearly enjoying himself.

'Lucien!'

'Well, I put an invisibility charm thing on it,' grinned the demon. 'Usually, I suck at them, but it somehow worked this time! Ha! So, as you can see, we just strike a match and light this up, and this, and this...'

'I hope we won't set the place on fire with this thing,' said Grace worriedly. 'After all, the room is made of wood!'

'Oh, it's perfectly safe!' said Lucien airily, as a spurt of steam shot out of one of the openings with a sudden hiss.

'Are you... sure?' said Grace anxiously, as the steam intensified and the machine made strange creaking sounds.

'Absolutely! Look how beautifully it's working!' beamed Lucien, just as a tiny spring came flying towards them.

Grace shrieked. 'Ah! We'd better turn it off!'

'No, no,' laughed the demon. 'That's just the adjustable candle acting up again! The main machine works fine enough!'

A rush of hot, steaming water poured into the tub and filled it halfway through. Then Lucien adjusted some knobs and a stream of cool water followed.

'Wow,' said Grace, who was quite awestruck.

'Wait till you see the special feature!' said Lucien, who looked as excited as though he, too was discovering it for the first time. 'Stand over there, please!'

Grace did as he asked, and watched curiously as he pushed a large blue button. A whirring sound followed, and then a frothy gurgling that made her wonder what would follow.

'Oh, here it comes!' said the demon, rubbing his hands gleefully. 'YES! HERE IT IS!'

Grace gasped. A burst of large, soapy bubbles came out of the pipes and floated across the room.

'It has BUBBLES?!!' she exclaimed. 'OH MY GOSH!'

'I told you you'd like it!!' said Lucien happily, pressing the button again and grinning as Grace jumped in delight and tried to pop some of the bubbles that came near her.

'I love it!' said Grace, and she walked up to the machine and pressed the button herself and clapped her hands in joy as the room filled with bubbles.

'Well, have a good time, then,' grinned Lucien. 'Choose your dress and then take your time with the bath. I'll be in my room, reading until the caffeine wears off.'

'All right!' said Grace happily, and she ran to her room and opened the cupboard.

Inside was an array of dresses, but as she inspected them closely, she found that most of them were rather long and heavy. Finally, she found something that would not only fit her perfectly, but was also light and pretty. It was a white frock with cream-coloured lace at the edges. She smiled. It was perfect.

Bathing in the warm wooden tub in the cosy room felt so relaxing that Grace briefly considered falling asleep there and then. Then, she remembered the blue button and reached out to press it with a giggle.

'Yes,' she nodded comfortably, as bubbles surrounded her and she sank into the hot water again. This was the closest to Heaven she had been in a long time.

Lucien sat in his bed, reading. He was just beginning to yawn when he heard footsteps pass outside his door.

'Grace? Is that you?' he called out softly.

'Yes,' said Grace, stopping. 'You aren't asleep yet?'

'I can't believe you took this long to bathe,' said Lucien. 'Come in, will you?'

'Well, I like long baths, okay? And besides, you're the one who set it up so nicely!' said Grace, opening the door and going in.

Lucien put his book aside as he looked at her in surprise. 'That dress... really suits you! I didn't even know my mother had one like it!'

'Thanks,' said Grace. 'It's quite light, but I think I'll enjoy it better in the day, when it's hot. For now, I'm freezing! The weather here is so strange!'

'That's Hell for you,' said Lucien. 'Here, come sit next to me and you'll stay warm.'

'I think I'll just go to bed...' said Grace awkwardly.

'No, I'm bored to death,' groaned the demon. 'This book sucks! Do talk with me for a while until I get sleepy!'

'Well, all right...'

'Are you comfortable?'

'Yeah...'

'What do you like to do when you're the last person awake in the house?' said Lucien, leaning back into the pillows.

'I feel like I'm the only person left in the world,' smiled Grace. 'It's strange, but it's also beautiful.'

'Oh, I feel that way too!'

'And I look out of the window and stare outside, I guess. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I think.'

'What do you think about?'

'About my parents, about my early childhood... and about my future.'

'What's your happiest memory?'

'Hmmm, bubble baths!' giggled Grace.

Lucien laughed. 'Silly! I mean for real!'

'No, really!' said Grace, closing her eyes in happy nostalgia. 'My earliest memory is taking a bubble bath and my mother blowing more and more bubbles above me while I tried to pop them all. I was so happy... and today, when I least expected it, you reminded me of that.'

'Wow, I didn't know,' said Lucien.

'What's your happiest memory?' said Grace.

'Reading my first book from Earth; it was like a door into another world.'

'How old were you? And which book was it?'

'Eleven or twelve? The book was "The Secret Garden".'

'Oh, I read it at the same age! It's one of my favourites!'

'After that book, I had only one wish: to go to Earth and have a garden! Oh, and to befriend a robin!'

'There were no robins where I lived because everything was cemented,' said Grace sadly.

'No garden, either?'

'No, just a foot-long strip of grass in front of the house.'

'That sucks! You know, I often wonder, over here, we have no choice but to live like this, but why do humans make a hell for themselves when they have such a beautiful Earth?'

Grace thought for a few moments. 'I don't know...' she said at last.

They fell silent and Lucien sank deeper into his pillow and sighed comfortably.

'I'm starting to feel a little sleepy now,' he said to her. 'What about you?'

'I feel quite comfortable,' nodded Grace, feeling her eyes closing. 'And ready to dream about beautiful things! Hey, do you have dreams?'

'Both while I sleep and while I'm awake!' grinned the demon.

Grace laughed and got up. 'Well, I'll leave you to them, then!'

'Good night, Grace,' said Lucien with a yawn.

'Good night, Lucien. And sweet dreams!'