a new beginning

I looked out the window of the train, and the trees were a bright green. It has been many years since I have been to the mortal realm. I think I was five or six, but the sky was grey with smoke, and I remember playing in the rubble. I shake away the memory. I am not Caldra, princess of night, anymore; I am Lysara, the “psychic”. 

I let out a sigh as we pass by a bright blue lake, then I look at my trunk. It had only the essentials and then some. Clothes, makeup, and a second pair of shoes. It also held, candidly, rare herbs, chalk, a wand, and my tiara, disguised in a secret compartment. I hear a slight knock. “Miss Caldra, the train will arrive at its destination in a few minutes.” I glare at the figure through the glass. It was Azmodious, my butler and personal guard.

 “How many times do I have to tell you, Henry,” I say, sternly, “ My name is not Lysara, not Caldra,” I say, my frustration bubbling up, I was easily angered these days, after my mother's death, I have worked harder to make up for her absence, losing all of my friends and accomplishments. 

I was alone now, forced to face the world as a psychic, who most people thought was a fake. I stand up as the train comes to a stop, the door opens for me and I step out, my black hair with hints of red pulled into a braid, my blood red dress clashed with my pale skin, my heels clicked when I walked, and if you were paying attention to my shadow, you could see hints of a tail and horns. 

I held my chin high as I stepped off the train, Azmodious catching up with me, his breathing ragged. “Why must we move so quickly, my lady? We are not in a rush,” He says, Beads of sweat trailing down his face. “I have a personal matter to attend to, take my things to the manor, and if anyone asks where I am, tell them I am in my room resting and not to disturb me,” 

I say, walking in the opposite direction from the manor, into the magical part of the city. I passed through the veil that looked like a brick wall, which removed my human disguise, and it would return it as I left. My pale skin got a red tint, my horns curled around my head, and my tail was close to the ground. I felt many eyes on me. 

It was rare to see me in hell, legendary to see me on the mortal plane. I walk down the street, looking at the wares of the stalls. I had one item in mind that I needed: a deck of tarot cards. I didn’t think that my cards, infused with demonic energy, would be appreciated by the mortals. 

I found a deck; it was an original. I snatched it off the table and placed it out of sight in the palm of my hand, and continued to look at the wares before I left. There were still many people watching me, but I ignored them as I walked through the veil again, my human form returning. I walk towards the manor, and I grab a loaf of bread from a bakery, paying seven silver for it. 

I smile at the baker while leaving, but the second I’m out of the bakery, I pull out a muffin in my pocket and eat it. I hear the baker yell at a boy trying to steal an apple. The boy ran past me, pushing me out of the way, making me stumble and fall. The tarot cards are flying out of my pocket. I quickly collect them and place them back into my pocket.

 I hear the boy laughing as he runs away., I roll my eyes and walk away. The walk was a blur, but soon I arrived at the manor. The second I was within the safety of the manor walls, I teleported to my room and collapsed into my bed. Sleep quickly came too.