"Darkness is just light turned inside out."

― Beezlebub

/ / h a r r y / /

It's the third day, and I still haven't gotten the shit I want. 

Evelyn has been acting as if the kiss never happened and I don't know how to feel. Should I be upset? Am I supposed to act as if it never happened, too? She seems to always be lost in thought and I noticed she barely leaves the bedroom. I remember checking in on her once and she was just laying underneath the blanket, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't care I was in the room and she didn't say a single word to me. Ever since the kiss, she's barely spoken to me. Her skin looks sickly and her hair looks dry, unlike how it looked when she fully transitioned. She looks a mess and I have no idea what's happening.

I stare at her now from the doorway and she's doing the same thing as she was doing before—laying down and her eyes are focused up on the ceiling. From where I'm standing, I can see the dark circles underneath her eyes and her lips are cracked. She notices my stare and I smile at her, walking into the room. "You look like shit."

Her eyes leave mine and she looks back at the ceiling. It's almost as if it hurts her to move. I sit down on the edge of the bed and sigh. I expected her to reply to me, not look away. I decide to lay back on the bed, too, and I look up at the ceiling.

"So this is what you've been doing for the past few days, eh?" Her head turns to face me again and my eyebrows knit together as I frown. "What's happening to you? You were perfectly fine three days ago!" Her lips part and I wait for her to say something...anything. But she doesn't. "Come on, tell me what's bothering you. I can help you but I can't do that if I don't know what's wrong."

She looks back at the ceiling and after not talking for so long, she finally speaks, "I feel...empty." 

Her voice is weak and dry.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hungry," is the only word she manages to get out before she rolls over and curls up into a ball. 

"You couldn't have just said that from the start?" I ask and she shrugs. 

Women. 

They're so fucking difficult. 

Her knees are pulled up to her chest and I sit up to get a better look at her. She closes her eyes and licks her dry lips. I rub the back of my neck and mentally curse myself. How could I forget? When a demon is born, they must feed immediately. She hasn't fed on any fear and now she's suffering.

"I'll go get you something," I say, gently squeezing her shoulder and getting off the bed. 

She attempts to moist her lips by licking them but she does not have much luck. I watch her for a few more seconds before walking out of the room. I do not shut the door behind me because she will be here by herself. I scratch the side of my neck as I walk out of the house and begin to think of what I am going to go.

I need to find someone for Evelyn to mark.

But who?

There are so many people out there and I don't want to bring back someone she won't want to mark. I'm not going to get her a person of the male gender. There's no way I'm going to do that. I will simply get a woman who looks younger than her. Younger women are so full of themselves and they never care about the situations they put themselves into. If I get Evelyn a teenager, everything will be fine. I just have to make sure this teenager won't be missed if she goes missing for a little while.

I move my hair out of my face and place my hands behind my back as I walk on the sidewalk. I decide not to take the car because I know I won't have to force anyone to come back with me. Someone will come with me because they want to. I know how the system works and there's always one person who hasn't been taught to not talk to strangers. Oh, how I adore them. They are so quick to go with you if you offer them food or shelter. They never think about the consequences.

Most of the homeless teenagers like to stay where they cannot be found if they are runaways. I smile to myself because I know exactly where they will be. The bad part of town is where I'll most likely find them. I pass by several buildings and my smile widens when I see a fast-food place. If I get a burger, more than enough people will be running at me. I open the door and walk inside of the building.

The man behind the counter smiles, "How may I help you?"

"Just one cheeseburger," I say, rocking back and forth on the heels of my feet.

"Okay," he nods and tells me the price.

"No," I laugh and shake my head. "That'll be free."

He looks at me as if I was born yesterday, "Excuse me?"

"That'll be free," I repeat.

"Um, no," he says. My hands ball up into fists and I tilt my head to the side. I can feel my eyes changing. I can feel my teeth slowly becoming sharp. This is my favorite part of persuading the cashiers to make my stuff free. His eyes widen and his lips part. He wants to say something but nothing comes out of his mouth. I smile just to show off my teeth and his skin is as white as a piece of paper. "W-What are you?"

"I'd like my burger now," I say.

"Take it!" he shouts, turning behind him to grab a burger. When he throws it at me, I catch it and lick my teeth. The man gasps and looks as if he is about to hurl.

I walk out of the building and concentrate on fixing my appearance. I try my best to make my hair look neat and not like a bird's nest on top of my head. I want to look like I'm living a good life. No one will want to come with me if I look a mess. If they see that I'm 'professional-looking,' they'll come and Evelyn will be able to mark someone for the first time. I hold onto the burger tightly and check my surroundings ever so often. So far, I haven't seen anyone that I'm interested in. I only see old men sitting on the sides of the streets. They won't do anything for Evelyn. I bet they are three breaths away from stroking out and they already smell like death.

Oops?

After fifteen minutes of walking, I hear talking from behind a brick building. I look around a few times before going to investigate. Sitting on the ground is a girl who doesn't look a day over twelve. She's looking downward but I'm still able to see her face. There's dirt on it and she looks as if she hasn't had a proper bath in days. Short, red hair sits on her shoulders and it looks stringy. Her white shirt's covered with dirt stains and so are her jeans. One of her sneakers has a hole in them. I cannot help but smile to myself. This is her. I take a step forward and she looks up at me. Her faded, gray eyes meet mine and my smile quickly vanishes. Her eyes make me feel...lost.

"Who are you?" her voice is soft.

"Your savior," I grin.

"What do you want?"

"I want to help you."

Her eyebrows knit together, "You don't know me."

"And?"

"I don't know you."

"And?"

"What makes you think I need help?"

"You stink."

"Oh?" she turns her entire body to face me but she doesn't stand up. "You think I need help because I stink?"

This is amusing to me. "I can tell you don't have anywhere to go."

"I do," she argues. "I go to the shelter every night. I'm taken care of. Who are you? A cop?"

"Nope," I shrug my shoulders and show her the burger. "I'm just a man trying to help the people of his community."

"Is that food?" the corners of her lips are suddenly wet with saliva.

"Yep."

"Who's it for?"

"You."

"Why?"

"I already explained."

"How do I know it isn't poisoned?"

"Because it's still warm," I point out. "I literally just bought it."

"You could have poisoned it on your way here."

"You're a chatty one."

"So?"

"How old are you?"

"A number."

"Now, that isn't very nice."

"Why do you want to know?" she looks me up and down. "What do you want from me? There has to be a catch if I eat the food you have, right?"

"Nope," I shake my head. "I just want to help you. The clothes you have on are looking a little rough. I have a sister that wears about your size, I think. She's home now. I can take you back to our place and you can try on a couple of her clothes."

"You must think I'm stupid, don't you?" she smirks. 

"Not the slightest bit," I say. "My sister will take care of you."

She looks away for a brief moment and when she looks back at me, her eyes are beaming, "Really?"

"Really."

"What's her name?"

"What?"

"Your sister," she repeats. "What's her name?"

"Um..." I laugh to myself for being such an idiot. "Her name is...uh...G...G...Ge...Gemma? Yeah, that's her name."

"Okay," she stands up. "I'm Kirby. Can I have the burger now?" I toss it to her and she catches it, unwrapping it and smelling it. She takes a bite out of it and leans against the wall as she chews. "Thank you." My only response is a nod. "Is your sister nice?"

"She's the nicest person you'll ever meet," I say. "Come on, it's not a long walk."

"We're walking?"

"I didn't bring my car."

"Oh," she nods her head. "I don't mind walking."

"Good."

I start walking and I make sure Kirby is right behind me. If I lose her, I'm screwed. She takes another bite out of the burger and smiles through her eyes. I can tell how happy she is for the burger and by how happy she is, she's more than welcome to come with me. Once she figures out that Gemma doesn't exist, it'll be too late. She won't be able to leave. She'll have to stay with us until Evelyn gets her strength back. Then, she can leave and Evelyn will be able to find her whenever she wants to feed.

"I never got your name," she informs me.

"Maybe I don't want you to know my name."

"I thought you were trying to help the people of the community?" she asks me. "We can't thank you without knowing your name."

"What if I don't want to be thanked?"

"You're complicated," she sighs.

We walk some more and when Kirby is finished with her burger, she just drops the trash onto the ground and keeps moving. She looks up at the sky a couple of times and it reminds me of Evelyn. She's probably still in bed, looking up at the ceiling. God, she'll be so happy when I bring Kirby to her. She'll get her strength back and we can move on with our plan. Louis will be gone before we know it and anyone who gets in our way will end up just like him.

"Can I have another burger?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Maybe later," I lie.

"With cheese and lettuce and tomatoes like before?"

"Sure."

"What about fries?" she sounds excited. "It's been so long since I've had those!"

"Why are you on the streets, anyway?"

"That's none of your business," she mumbles.

"And why is that?"

"You won't even tell me your name."

"I suppose you have a point."

"Right."

"If I tell you my name, you have to tell me why you decided to be out here. Deal?"

"Okay."

"I'm Harry," I say. "Now, what's your story?"

"It's not much of a story," she shrugs and wipes the bread crumbs off of her mouth. "I just got tired of being sent to multiple foster homes, you know? No one wanted me and I figured since I'm going to be eighteen soon, I might as well start taking care of myself."

"Yeah, because you're doing such a good job at that." I mutter.

"Look, I'm trying! Okay? Besides, you and your sister are going to help me. That's what you said."

"Uh-huh."

We walk in silence for a little while and I'm anxious to get back to the house. I speed up a little and Kirby follows with a bright smile on her face. She's excited. I put my hands into the pockets of my jeans and turn my head a certain way to get my hair out of the way. Kirby's hair barely moves when she walks. That's how dirty it is. The house comes into view and when I slow down, Kirby slows down. I walk to the front door and open it, walking inside.

"It stinks in here," Kirby whispers but I hear her.

"Stay in here," I instruct and she sits down on the sofa. I walk to the back of the house and the door to the room is shut. Slowly, I place my hand on the doorknob and open the door. I peek my head inside of the room and raise my eyebrows.

Evelyn isn't on the bed anymore.

I open the door entirely and walk into the room. I expect her to be sitting on the floor but she isn't anywhere to be seen. I check in the closet but she isn't in there. I walk out of the room and look down the hall. Kirby's still on the sofa and she's looking around. When she sees me looking, she waves. I just smile and walk across the hall to the bathroom. I turn on the light and once again, Evelyn is nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you?" I ask myself through gritted teeth.

I step out of the bathroom and stop when something catches my eye from the kitchen. I turn my head to see something sitting on the floor. What the hell? I walk into the kitchen and look down at the floor to see what it is. It is an empty pack of raw beef. I scratch the side of my head and notice the blood from the meat on the floor. The pack looks like it had been ripped open and my eyes widen.

Did she eat this?

The fridge is open and I take a look. The other packs of raw meat in the fridge have been ripped open but if she was trying to eat them, she didn't eat all of them. She only took a few bites. I guess the beef was her favorite. I run a hand down my face and sigh. Did she just eat the meat and leave? How the hell am I supposed to go find her?

"What's going on?" Kirby asks from the living room.

"Nothing," I respond. "You can leave."

"What? Why?" she sounds hurt. "I thought you were going to help me!"

"Well, you thought wrong!" I shout back. "Get out before I snap that pretty neck of yours!" I hear her gasp before the front door opens and slams shut.

Evelyn wouldn't just leave like this. I'm the only person she knows right now. Well, she knows Louis but she wouldn't go with him...not after thinking he treated her horribly. She wouldn't try to go finish him off now because she wants to stick with the plan. She wants to terrify him first before killing him. I tug at my hair and slowly shake my head.

What if he came and took her?

What if she was eating the meat and he came here to get her? What if he was watching the house when I left? I almost laugh at myself. He doesn't even know where this place is. He was out of it when Evelyn and I left him back at the apartment. Unless...Unless he wasn't actually unconscious and he was planning this entire thing. I'm such an idiot! He probably has her at the apartment right now! My lips form in a thin, straight line. I've gone through too much to get to where I am now. I'm not going to let some idiotic man ruin my plans. I storm out of the kitchen and walk out of the house. I get into the car and grip my hands on the steering wheel.

I'll kill him myself if I have to.