Story 2: Anna and the Peach (Part 1)

She sat in front of me all year. Always so quiet, I didn't know much about her except other than that she was smart. The few times you have heard her speak was to give a correct answer. I honestly never paid much attention. Heck, I never even knew her name but I stumbled upon her secret.

It was late. I had stayed back to help out some of the sports clubs which of course ran late. Classes had long since been dismissed and the halls and classrooms were empty. Or so I thought. 

Returning to homeroom to retrieve a book I had forgotten in my desk, I was surprised to see her there. Almost as much as I surprised her. She turns and jumps back, her face impossibly red as her hair changes from silver to black, eyes from red to brown, and a set of curved horns, batlike wings, and a smooth prehensile tail with a spade-like tip disappear as if by magic. 

"Y-You saw, didn't you?” she says quietly.

"It was kinda hard not to.” I reply in a neutral tone, still processing what I just saw. Part of me wants to turn around and pretend it was just my imagination. 
“Sorry for walking in on you, uh, changing. I thought everyone had gone home.”

"I'm sorry you saw that.” She says, her posture shifts from surprised to unsure, but there's a hint of relief. “I just don't know how to explain myself to people. I know most people would be afraid of me, and my mom has never told anyone about me being half succubus because she is afraid people will hurt me.”

"Hey hey, I'm not going to hurt you, but…” I pause as my mind stumbles over the word, succubus. I step away from the door, pushing it closed with my foot. “Well, can't say I'm not a little freaked out. But you're not going to try and possess me or hypnotize me or anything like that, right?”

"No! I could never hurt you.” She states firmly. Yet her body language suggested her confidence on the matter was anything but sure. “I have a lot of control over myself, but I have to admit being around you is making it hard. I want to touch you and kiss you so badly but I can't. I don't know what would happen if I did.” Her eyes hold a deep hunger as they make contact with my own.

My eyes go wide. I've never had someone express a desire for me in such a ... predatory way. “Oh, oh wow. I'm uhh, flattered but I'm not really– Never mind. I should probably just go.”

"Please don't go!” She cries before covering her mouth, surprised by her own outburst. “Please.” She continues now just above a whisper. “I just have one request before you leave.” She implores as she takes a step forward. She tentatively stretches out a hand.

I hold my hands up defensively, but make no movements to the door. I keep my eyes on her. "Woah look, I think I see where this is going. I'm not going to tell anyone what I saw. You seem… nice. This doesn't have to get weird.”

"No, I promise I just want one thing from you.”

"Fine, but I make no promises that I'll be able to acquiesce your request.”

"Can I just hug you? I've been so alone and it's been hard to make friends because I have to hide this side of me. You are the first person to find out and not run away. I just want to feel like I have someone I can count on.”

I feel a pang of pity working into an uncomfortable knot. “Look, I didn't want to be rude by running, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with this. I'm not really a hug a stranger kind of girl. Even if I knew it was safe. I mean…” I stop to think about her words, “You said you're only half succubus, right? What exactly does that mean?”

"My mom's a succubus my dad wasn't. I actually don't know who he was. I can control my succubus half, but it is a struggle sometimes. If I get too close to someone, like really close, and I get a little carried away I could take their life energy. The more I control my emotions the better I am at suppressing my succubus half, but it still takes a lot of effort. And right now, you have me feeling very vulnerable.”

"Ok ok. Well if that's the case, let's just try to stay calm. I have one last question.” I take a deep breath as if it would help her remain calm. While keeping more than an arm's length away I take a measured step away from the door. “The whole 'draining life energy' thing. How's that work? Does the umm, "source" need to be human?”

"I have a hard time explaining it, but the best way I can is to say it feels like a deep hunger. It's like when your stomach is growling, and nothing will satisfy it. But if I were to take a human's life energy, I would feel satisfied for a while.” She pauses for a moment, seeming a little uncomfortable talking about it. 

"I've tried it a few times, and I've never gone too far, but it was enough to know I needed to be careful. It's hard to describe, but I feel like I could do anything I wanted to that person, and they would be powerless to stop me.”

I sigh. I should probably be more worried, maybe I should ask who she's fed on before, but that feels like an overstep in this situation. “You're really making it sound like running away would've been a good idea. But…” I take a step closer to her, we're actually fairly close in height, and look into her eyes. "You say you don't want to hurt me. I can understand that feeling, and I want to believe you. I want to help but... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.”

Her eyes seem to soften as she looks back at me, but she is still hesitant. “You probably should be. I have to keep this a secret for a reason. Sometimes I can't trust myself around people. But you are the first person to see me for who I really am, or at least the first person to not run away screaming. You are very special.”

I stifle a laugh and an eye-roll. "Well, I wouldn't go so far to call myself special, but when you've been around my family... let's just say we aren't the running away types.” I smile playfully trying to ease the tension. I offer her my hand. "Instead of a hug let's just start his this. I'm Momo, it's short for Oniyama Momohime. I know it's a little old-fashioned but I'm actually named after my great grandfather.”

She looks away for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought, then she takes my hand. "I-I'm Anna. Anna Kryneli. It's nice to meet you." Anna's hand is warm and soft and I can feel her uneasiness come through her grip. She seems to be struggling to find the right words. “I know this is probably a stupid question, but can I ask you one?”

I give her hand a gentle squeeze and a light terse shake before letting go.
"Sure why not. We've made it this far. Ask away."

"Would it be okay if I stayed with you for the night? I don't really feel comfortable going home right now, and I'd rather not be alone."

My eyes widen in shock. "Oh! I... wow, I was not expecting that kind of question." I hold my hand to my chin as I begin to think out loud. "I mean, I suppose you could, but then my family might ... although it should only be my dad and brother at home right now. They'll be fine with my having company… hell dad will probably be thrilled I brought a friend. But Aki is going to ask questions…" My voice trails off and I grumble a bit more.

"Heck with it. Okay, you can come over, on one condition." I hold out a finger to emphasize the number one.

A look of relief washes over Anna's face, and she seems genuinely grateful. “What's the condition?”

"Call your mom.” I say pointing at her dramatically. "I'm not having an angry momma-succubus freaking out because her daughter never came home. With my luck she'd somehow track you down to my house and then there'd be a fight. And I really don't want to switch schools again.” I pull out my phone before she can pose any questions. “Just, I don't know, tell her I invited you over to help me study or something.”

Anna smiles and pulls out her own phone, dialing a number and holding it to her ear. She seems a little nervous as she waits for someone to pick up. "Mom? Hey, I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be staying the night at a friend's house. It's nothing to worry about, we're just studying and I asked for her help with my math homework." She pauses for a moment, listening to the person on the other end of the line. She seems to be getting a little frustrated by the person's tone of voice, and her voice raises slightly. "Mom, I know you're worried but I'll be fine. She's a good person, I promise. You don't need to worry about me." She hangs up the phone and turns back, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry about that, she's just a little very overprotective.”

"Yeah, I can relate. Let's just say my mom can be a bit of a tyrant; the first time a boy made me cry she threatened to break his arms. Dad's more of a softy, although he can be a little…” I hold up a hand as if trying to grab the right word, but end up waving it off. “Anyway. If we explain the situation, I doubt he'll give you too hard a time. He knew I was going to be late today, but we should still go now before he gets worried.” I pat Anna on the shoulder as I lead us out of the school.