Demon's Neighbor

Lilac froze. She was sure she trailed Ella far enough to avoid any suspicion. Thump. Thump. Her heart pounded in her chest.

“Scared you stiff, have I? My apologies, I don’t mean to cause any contention. I only wish to know why you are following me,” Ella explained.

The darkness lifted from Lilac’s surroundings and her form solidified as she ended the invisibility spell. “I’m the one that should apologize,” Lilac said. “It’s not proper to sneak around like that.”

Ella studied Lilac with a calm gaze. “So why were you following me?” She asked again.

“I, um… I wanted to find out when you were going to show the hero around the academy…” Lilac admitted. She was surprised when she heard Ella chuckle.

“I knew someone was going to follow us. Didn’t I say it would be better if it was just Alan and I?”

“You did, but I thought you said that because there was a crowd that would want to come along too,” Lilac said.

“Look,” Ella took a seat on the edge of a desk. “I want to have some alone time with Alan. If you’d like, I could give you a tour right now. Unless… you only wanted to come along to be close to him?”

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you like that,” Lilac waved her hands in front of her to politely decline Ella’s offer, conveniently avoiding her question. “I’ll explore on my own later. Sorry for bothering you,” Lilac turned to leave.

“You’re a dark magic user, correct?”

Lilac halted and glanced back at Ella over her shoulder. “Yes? What about it?”

“It would be best if you don’t involve yourself with Alan,” Ella warned.

“I’m not sure I follow…” She turned to face Ella again.

“If the hero were to be close to someone with dark magic, there could be dire consequences.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lilac flashed her a smile and departed from the classroom. Since there was nothing else to do, she figured she would try to find her apartment. The hallway was quiet without the sound of anyone else around. As she returned to the foyer, voices from the entrance hall reached her ears. A quick glance confirmed that the other students continued to surround the hero and prince.

Outside of the academy, the cool fall breeze was refreshing against Lilac’s skin. High in the sky, the sun smiled down on the world, doing its best to maintain a pleasant temperature in the atmosphere.

In the distance, a tall stone building marked Lilac’s destination. The girls’ dormitory sat on the east side of the campus, beyond the terrace she had seen through the classroom window. Since there was still another week before classes officially started, the grounds were nearly deserted.

Only one human was in sight–a girl with loose ribbons decorating her long blonde hair, resting peacefully underneath the shade of a tree. The girl caught Lilac’s eye as she walked by. She was certain the girl wasn’t there when she arrived at the academy.

The girl woke up with a groan. Her eyes opened and fixated on Lilac, who had stopped to observe her. Blink. Blink blink. She bounced to her feet, her eyes sparkling. “What an adorable creature standing before me!”

Lilac retreated a step. “Huh? Adorable…? Creature?” There were no animals around her, and the girl was staring directly at her.

“Tell me, what is your name?” The girl shuffled closer to Lilac.

“Um, Lilac,” she answered, taking a step away from the girl. “Who are you?”

“Oh, my apologies, I got ahead of myself there.” The girl dusted off her skirt and bowed her head. “I am Emmalyn Roswell. Are you a new student?”

“Yes, I am.” Emmalyn’s sudden formalities allowed Lilac to relax a little. “I was on my way to find my room when I saw you sleeping here.”

“Ah, forgive me for distracting you. Perhaps I can help you find it?” A wide grin extended from one side of her face to the other.

“I don’t mind,” Lilac said. “I’d be grateful if you could.”

“Excellent! Allow me to show you the way, Lilai,” she started toward the distant dormitory.

“Lilai?” She fell into line beside Emmalyn. “My name’s Lilac, not Lilai.”

“I know,” Emmalyn smiled. “Isn’t it a cute nickname?”

“Nickname?” Lilac’s head tilted. “What’s that?”

“You don’t know what a nickname is?”

Lilac shook her head in response. “I don’t think we have those where I come from.”

“A nickname is something you call someone in place of their real name. I thought everyone used nicknames… where are you from?”

It took a moment for Lilac to remember her guise. “I come from a far away land on the kingdom’s border,” she told her.

“Really? I always wondered what life is like in the country,” Emmalyn voiced. The building was close now; the stone path they walked on prepared to turn right into an open court that guarded the entrance to the building.

In the center of the court was a large stone fountain. Water spouted from the top and cascaded down several intricate levels into a pool below. Hedges of green bordered the small area, and a couple girls sat on a bench in front of one of the bushes, whispering to each other. Between the shrubs, the stony path continued in all four directions, one of which led to the wide wood doors of the girls’ dormitory.

“Here we are,” Emmalyn glanced up toward the top of the towering building. “What room are you in?”

“I think it was 437?” Lilac racked her brain to certify her response. “Yes, 437.”

“That means we’re neighbors!” Emmalyn softly clapped with excitement. “I’m in room 441. It’s only a couple doors down from yours.”

Lilac followed Emmalyn up the couple steps in front of the building and entered the dormitory behind her. Inside, a hall led to a large carpeted room full of comfortable furniture. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving light to all around. Each of the room’s corners housed a wide red-carpeted staircase.

“Welcome to the commons!” Emmalyn continued walking as she turned to face Lilac. “This is a good place to meet new people. I often hold tea parties here for anyone who’s interested,” she said.

“Tea parties? That sounds interesting…” The concept was foreign to her; tea wasn’t a huge deal to the demons, and they certainly didn’t have any offered at parties.

“I’ll be hosting one in the afternoon on the first day of class. You’re more than welcome to join!” Emmalyn flashed her a toothy grin and spun around to see where she was walking. “You’ll love it here. The only downside about where we’re staying is that we’re on the fourth floor, so it’s a lot of work to get there.” She lifted a foot onto the first stair, and then the other. “So what are you most looking forward to about studying here, Lilai?”

Lilac followed the girl up the stairs that twisted the opposite direction halfway. “Definitely getting to know other humans,” she said, giving herself a spiritual pat on the back for the not-suspicious wording that verbally identified herself as a human. “I haven’t had many opportunities to interact with people in the past.”

“That’s wonderful!” Emmalyn reached the top of the staircase and turned the corner to continue up the next flight of stairs. “I mean, wonderful that you’re trying to make some friends, of course! Not the other thing. That’s a little sad.”

The second floor’s layout was similar to the commons on the previous floor, only on a smaller scale. Only a few pieces of furniture were set up, brushed off to the side of the room like a glorified timeout corner. Most of the open area felt like a wide hallway that connected the two halls of apartments.

“What are you most looking forward to?” She turned the question on its asker.

“Love,” she answered fast as a rabbit. “My parents want me to be engaged before I graduate in a couple years, and I want to find that special someone who will make me happy,” she glanced back at Lilac. “That’s my wish.”

Giddy energy coursed through Lilac. “Ooh, that’s lovely! You’ll have to tell me all about it when you find someone!”

“Of course!” Emmalyn stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around. “Ta-da! Welcome to the fourth floor. Our rooms are this way,” she pointed to the hallway on Lilac’s right and started that direction.

They passed several doors on either side of the hall. Next to each one was a thin metal plate attached to the wall with the inscription of a number. 403. 408. 412. 419. The numbers climbed the more they walked. By the time they reached 437, they were much closer to the end of the hall than they were the stairs.

“This is it,” Emmalyn announced. “Your new home!”

Lilac stared at the dark wooden door for a minute before reaching for the golden knob.

“What’s your plan after you settle in?” Emmalyn asked out of curiosity.

“I think I’ll try meeting some of the other new students,” she replied. Lilac intended to fulfill her duty to the best of her ability. After all, watching the hero was the whole reason she was here in the first place. What else would she spend her time on?