Anthony held my hand as we left my very first therapy appointment. He held my hand ( literally ) the entire time. We signed the consent forms for the most part and got into some of my bigger problems. The therapist got Anthony involved a few times during the session, as he could tell we were very close and what he thought was important to me.

I leaned my head against Anthony's shoulder. He allowed it, but was pretty silent. Something about him had been off ever since he suggested therapy. He'd been quieter than usual. And paler than usual. It made me uncomfortable at night when I looked at him because sometimes he looked translucent. Maybe he was coming down with something and he didn't want to tell me? He did keep secrets and that was okay. He was a secretive type of guy, but I expected him to at least tell me if he was okay or not. I never pressed or even asked because I knew he would tell me when he was ready.
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The next afternoon, it was business as usual. I took my time today, just as the therapist suggested. Just slowly noticing every little habit and to not rush through the day. It was something I could try. It wouldn't hurt anyway. I concentrated on brushing my hair after I showered. It was... Strange. It felt strangely relaxing. I put the brush back on the vanity and heavily sighed. I didn't even recognize myself in the mirror today. I looked just a tad bit green. I could be kind of sick.

I had a pretty freaky dream last night. Of course it included Anthony, but he wasn't himself. His skin was gray and scary. I wanted to hug him or comfort him, but he always wanted to hurt me. As I ran from him, he was able to break my femur and slowed me down. I had no clue why I had run into the basement to get help. A burgundy door was there. That was all.

He broke every bone in my body until I was completely immobile. I shook in fear, expecting him to kill me. He lie on the floor next to me and gently bit my ear, just like Anthony did out of habit. His voice sounded so far away. His voice had an echo and a deafening demonic buzz to it.

I knew he was smiling " No matter what girl, I always get what I want. Your toy was just 1 of many. " he stroked my back like I was a kitten. " You woke me up. Now you must pay the price. He was the perfect host. Young, smart and... gullible... All he wanted to do was stop me from hurting you. Funny how things turn out, right babe?" I silently cried on the floor. I didn't know what any of those statements meant.

I woke up, sweating profusely. I ran into the backyard at 4 a.m.just to get away from it. Not my boyfriend. But whatever was... Controlling him. I came back inside, my tears all let out into the gentle morning shower. It was freezing but it was nothing compared to the fear I felt sleeping next to him in our own bedroom. It was 11am now. I was exhausted, but managed to complete my task work early. I wanted to see if that door in the basement was really there.

I creeped down without making a noise. I silently opened the door to the basement and closed it behind me. I ran to where I saw the door. Sure enough in the left farthest corner, there was a shabby burgundy door. I opened it and was blinded by the white light that accompanied it. When my eyes adjusted, the room looked crazy. I closed the door. There were Bright white fluorescent lights. There were tables and tables of flasks, test tubes, samplers and the like in terms of chemical apparatus

But to the left there was a table with what looked like a dead toad. I moved closer to it. The tiny jar said ' Venon'. Or it could have said venom. There were an assortment of weird things. A huge book, that was tearing at the seams and seemed older than I could even guess. There were vials filled with colors that seemed unnatural. I opened the book and there were images of different demons. And what they did. I flipped to the middle It read ' how to ensnare a trickster, read page xxviii on ' trickster demons ' '

I closed the book and backed away. But what did any of this even mean? I wasn't even sure. I jumped as I saw a moving snake ensnared in a guarded tank. I let out a sigh of relief.

I was shocked " Excuse me, what are you doing here?" I turned around, afraid. A younger girl, about 12 looked up at me. She was dressed plainly. The only thing different about her was her brilliant gold and blue eyes.

" Hi." I managed to get out. How she had gotten there, I was not sure of.

" What are you doing here? This is my master's work place. He doesn't like humans. When he finds you, he's going to do something bad to you." I knelt to her size

I analyzed her words and formulated the best natural response " Who's your master?" I asked gently

" His name is Keith. But to humans he goes by Anthony. " Believing was hard. I was confused. I was so confused. I backed away from her but her eyes glowed as she touched my forehead.
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I woke up in bed. I checked the time and it was about 1:30. I remembered it all but, she some how got me back into my room before anything weird happened. That room was so white, it was scary. I wouldn't confront him about it. I hated confrontations plus, he looked sick. I wouldn't fight with him about. I didn't have anything against doing witchcraft, I was just upset at him for not saying anything. We were going on 5 years soon. This would be almost 5 years that I'd known Anthony... Or Keith? I felt like I didn't know him at all. I sighed and lie back down. My appetite went when I saw his dead toad.

I still reluctantly walked downstairs and made rice and soup. I couldn't look at him. Not when I was still shaken about the things I found and... Who was that kid? I wasn't sure. But Anthony was her master? Meaning what?

My shaky hands dropped one of his porcelain bowls. I quickly cleaned and swept the mess of pale shards away into the trash. I washed the vegetables and  peeled and chopped a good amount of them. Making this would be a success, considering my cooking skills were above average. A twinkling tune played in the background. Before I set the fire on, I looked to see who the call was from. My mom's picture appeared. Her auburn hair and warm hazel eyes. I hadn't seen her for more than 2 months since I left. It was early September, so I had calculated about right. I picked up but put my line on mute.

" Honey oh thank goodness, you picked up. Your father and I have been worried. The police have been searching-" I unmuted myself, furious.

I almost growled into the microphone " Mom. I am legally an adult. You could have kicked me out of the house when I was 18 but you chose not to. I am going to be 20 within 19 days exactly. That's 19 days you have to lose my number. I'm finally happy and if you loved  me so much you and dad would've quit fighting while I was still home." I didn't even wait for her reply. I hung up, screamed in rage and threw my phone across the kitchen.

 It still looked intact (as most androids are after even the hardest falls) but I wasn't okay. I carefully finished making lunch when Anthony came in the kitchen, looking almost frantic. He looked at me and quickly hugged me. I was confused as % why he hugged me. He was pale but far less than earlier. " Babe, what's up?" I whispered. " I fell asleep but I heard the dish shatter and something sounded like it cracked. I woke up and came running downstairs. Is everything okay now?" I remembered what the you girl said about him and humans, much less me. 

I stepped back into the counter, not meeting his eyes. He moved even closer and kissed the edge of my lips. A very important question raised in my head 

' Was he kissing me because he loved me or was he just pretending? Or was he using me?  He promised he loved me but he was keeping many more secrets than he was letting on, or even that I had found out about.' I was ready to sock him in the arm and run off. That wasn't the move. Liar or not, would Iseriously hurt a sick person?

I kissed back sweetly, nonetheless. He wanted me, he would have me. For now. I didn't know what he'd do if he knew. I let go and continued to make lunch. I could feel his eyes sometimes. It was almost unnerving. Bit this time it was more of... admiration and adoration. The look was unwanted right now but I let it slide. I was... I wasn't  just upset... I was angry at him. But I was sad. I was disappointed and the like. I experienced a spectrum of emotions in seconds, none of which he could probably register. 

I served him lunch and simply left. " Baby, where are you going?" His displeased frown gave me a clear sight of what he felt. " I'm not feeling great. I'm actually going to lie down." I walked but in my mind, I wanted to run far.