(8 years ago...)

Mia

My name is Myahnaielle. I am a demon residing in the depths of the underworld, living alongside other demons. My mission is to destroy humanity and I train at every waking moment for that sole purpose. Every day, I tirelessly work and slave myself to become ready for my purpose. Under the tutelage of archdemons, succubi, and others, I train and endure hours of ruthless beating to become more resilient. I knew nothing other than fighting, bloodshed, and suffering. I never understood why, however. I never understood why the other races on earth must suffer and perish. It is the earliest thing I vividly remember, yet I never learned the rationale behind it. Since the reason behind my existence is to cause suffering and misery, my objective must have an explanation of its own. I do not question it often, but when I do, I get the exact same answer: It must be done.

Eventually, I stopped questioning it, the same as I stopped questioning the endless training and combat priming that I go through on a regular basis. I stopped questioning why I had to get my arms ripped off and my back burned with a scalding hot blade. I stopped questioning why I had to walk through a snowy landscape barefoot. I stopped questioning why I had to be choked and be left out of breath for extended periods of time. I stopped questioning why demons had to toy with my body whenever they saw fit. I stopped questioning why I get left to die of hunger, only to be fed my own brethren at the last moments. I stopped questioning everything else I ever knew and understood it all to be normal and ordinary. I accepted all of it.

Everything I ever endured became routine. The hunger, the thirst, the pain, all of that became quotidian and standard. It was all to forge and mold me into what I am supposed to be. To turn me into what my purpose in this existence requires me to be. An unstoppable force of chaos and mayhem that thirsts for destruction and havoc. It is my purpose, after all. Why deny it? Why dread it? It is inevitable.

I remember an encounter I had with the soul of a man running away from a pack of hounds, desperately seeking refuge while knowing he is in the realm of eternal suffering. I was alone when he fell in front of me, wearing nothing but a small piece of cloth covering his private parts. What caught my eye was the fact that the upper right half of his face was missing and his skull was exposed. The bones of his left shoulder were exposed as well, leaving the skin on the rest of his arms hanging loosely. Other parts of his body lacked flesh as well, mainly on his torso, legs, and back. He looked at me with tears flowing down his face alongside the red mortal blood. And inside his mouth, some teeth were missing. 

"Help me!" The man cried. "Please! Get me out of here!"

"I..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say or do. I could only stand there and gaze at his suffering, knowing it will never end.

Suddenly, three hounds of hell appeared and grabbed him by his legs before pulling the screaming man away to resume his endless torment. I watched as he screamed for help and begged them to let him go, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. The trail of blood he left behind remained visible and noticeable to the naked eye, leaving one to wonder what kinds of torture his soul undergoes and will undergo for the rest of eternity.

"Myahnaielle!" The male voice of an archdemon spoke. I turned around and watched as a winged demon in dark armor landed behind me. "What are you doing here?!" He asked. His voice commanding and filled with unexplainable rage. He possessed a face that many succubi adored and swooned over with short dark hair that gleamed from time to time. His green eyes pierced into my soul, sending chills down my spine.

"I was just-" I did not manage to finish my sentence as he grabbed my right arm and broke it, leaving me to scream before he kicked my face.

"Shut it! I do not want to hear your screams, insect! I will not tolerate not listening to orders. When I command you to come to me, you obey every word, understood?!" Before I could reply, he stomped on my face repeatedly. "I! SAID! UNDER! STOOD?!"

"Yes! Yes!" I screamed as I coughed blood. "Understood!"

The archdemon grabbed me by the foot and flew me away to a tower, where three female archdemons were gathered. Not even landing, he threw me towards them, making me strike the ground with enough force to shatter my legs! As I lay there, I let out a shriek of agony. The female demons laughed at me as my legs healed on their own. One of the archdemon women placed her foot on my back and kept me from moving.

"Aww! Poor little thing!" She spoke, her voice oozing contempt and mockery. I looked up at her as she twisted her heels and dug deep into my back. The armor she wore that covered her beautiful body displayed her ranking in the demon hierarchy, making her an archdemon. The man who flew me in landed and grabbed the girl, taking her lips into his. I watched silently as they exchanged passionate kisses with her foot on my back. When they stopped, she grabbed me by my short red hair and pulled me up.

"That's how you kiss a man, Myahnaielle. Remember that," She stated. "You'll need to remember it once you grow into your fully-formed body. Then, you'll see how fun it truly is to hang around us." Teaching me a lesson that I fail to understand the need for. If I am to destroy humanity, why would I need to learn about exchanging passionate kisses with men? Is it truly for conquering the human world? Questions like this often lead me to confusion and curiosity, but I have never gotten an answer to any.

I looked her in the eye and watched as she licked her lips with a grin on her gorgeous face and understood how succubi and vampires attract their unsuspecting prey. One look at her would make any man drool over her unnaturally artistic form. The curves that women supposedly desire and men dream about, the large chest and rear that men love in women. Her black hair that flows freely down to her back was too alluring not to lose one's self. I admired this archdemon. I loved her as a mentor and superior. She treated me the way I was designed to be treated and talked down to me, but I could not help but admire her. Her name is Anphaeleona and she is my role model.

"I-Is it necessary?" I asked. She responded by shoving her index and middle fingers in my mouth and down my throat. I immediately started to gag and felt like puking, but she removed her fingers after three seconds. As I coughed, she looked at me with an ecstatic grin on her face as she found pleasure in her methods.

"How's your regenerative healing?" She asked. "Last time we fed you to the hounds, it took you thirty minutes to regrow your internal organs. I wonder how long it'll take you now."

She took flight with me in her arms and flew to a giant field, where she threw me to the ground. I fell and rolled before eventually stopping after having rolled and tumbled enough to cut my arms and legs. As I tried painfully to get back on my feet, the sounds of canines instantly caught my attention. I was already used to having creatures gnaw and bite at me, and yet I felt the exact same feeling that overwhelmed me every time strike me once more. I watched in horror as three black hounds with pointy ears and red eyes emerged from the distance and made chase. Three drooling large dogs with teeth sharp enough to tear through flesh with little effort.

Running for my life once more, I watched as Anphaeleona laughed and observed me while sitting on a rock. As I ran, the image of the damned soul appeared in my head. He must have felt the same sensation and there was no doubt about it. I realized that I do not want to experience this fear anymore or even see anyone experience it for themselves. Not content with seeing me manage to run, my mentor threw a knife, stabbing me in the leg. As I fell on the ground, I looked at her and watched as she laughed hysterically. I noticed then that a man with a chain wrapped around his neck had his head on her lap. I deduced that he was nothing more than an enslaved soul she uses for her entertainment.

The piercing sounds of the dogs caught me by surprise when I realized that they were getting closer. My entire body shook as I gazed at the approaching creatures and felt the fear of getting eaten overwhelm me once more. The thought of having demonic dogs tear my limbs apart once more drove an inexplicable sensation within me; A sensation known as fear. It is exactly what that human must have felt. It overwhelmed me to the point that I started shedding tears. Suddenly, a blinding light appeared to my left. The light was so strong that I had to shield my eyes. A beam of that same light emerged and pierced through the animals, killing them instantly.

"What's happening?!" Anphaeleona shouted in utter shock. The pain in my leg vanished and the knife disintegrated into nothing, but I was too focused on the ethereal beauty of the light that drew me closer.

"Come, child." A voice spoke. It was deep and heavy, yet sounded gentle and soothing. Compelled by the light, I got on my feet and took a step towards it, feeling the fear and dread wash away as a sense of peace overwhelmed me. It was the first time that I have ever experienced such a feeling. It was something I could not find the words to describe, but I realized that it was the opposite of everything that I have experienced for the past eight years.

"Myahnaielle! Stop right there!" Anphaeleona ordered, but I felt like disobedience is the right thing to do. I stepped into the light as she flew in to pick me up, but it was too late. I stepped into the light and felt myself drift asleep, falling into the arms of someone. In the last moment of consciousness, I caught a glimpse of a blond man with blue eyes looking at me with a smile on his face.

"You're safe. It's time for you to have a normal life."

The last thing I heard was this deep and breathtaking voice calmly whisper these words into my ears. I opened my eyes to find myself in a field of green grass under a cerulean sky that made me feel lost in its striking color. The rare clouds that appeared in this new blue sky were white as snow and very alluring. Not long after, I took note of the silence and lack of screaming souls or laughing demons. The sun bathed my skin with its golden light, making the red hair that covered my face shine brightly and beautifully. Even the air around me was clean and did not reek of the smell of blood or endless rotting flesh.

"Wow..." I gazed around me and let my hand flow through the grass. "Green, beautiful, living grass..."

Looking around me, there was nothing but greenery that stretched for a distance, but a black stretch of land split the greenery in half. It was what humans refer to as 'roads' and the machines that drove on it were 'cars.' That is what I was taught in the underworld.

'Underworld...'

As I thought of that word, the memories of everything that I have experienced rushed back into my mind. For the first time, however, I did not feel happy about these emotions whatsoever. I felt disgusted. I felt destroyed and humiliated. But the beauty of this new world that I found myself in was enough to dull the pain. This unbelievable sensation of beauty and wonder was all it took for me to forget about my life in the demon world. The beautiful sky and the green pulchritudinous grass made me forget about my mission. I got on my feet and walked on the grass, listening to the silence, and enjoying the bewitching land around me. It did not matter to me that I was alone in a world I know little about. In fact, I found pleasure and solace in that.

My roaming led me to find an area with buildings. The sound of people was noticeable enough from that distance. The voices were loud but were not those of the screaming damned. It was quite the opposite. The voices were those of people talking to each other and children laughing and playing around. Those voices were quite pleasing to listen to and it filled me with a sense of joy that demons were not supposed to feel. We are supposed to thrive on human pain and suffering, but I did not...

As I got closer, I saw children that appeared to be around my age playing around with a ball. They kicked it and passed it around. Walking further into this town, I watched as people walked around. Not demons, people. Human people walked around the place, exchanging money for food and talking loudly with one another. It was a refreshing sight that I doubted would be enjoyed by my demon peers, but it was very delightful for me. Everyone was busy with something. There were people buying food, others sitting around and talking. Children ran around in this place, too. Not everyone looked happy, but none of them were screaming voices of the damned, and that was enough for me to be stunned and astonished. None of the people around me wore armor or tattered rags that could fall at any second. And there was absolutely no tortured souls.

As I continued to walk around, I found myself in an empty alley. When I turned around, I saw two older kids standing in front of the exit and blocking it. They seemed slightly taller than me and looked quite menacing. But I have experienced worse than what these mere mortals had to offer. Their appearance shows how mean they are, but they are nowhere close to demons.

"Look, Fred! A new face in town!" One of them said. "Are you lost, girl?"

The looks on their faces reminded me of demons and how they smiled at their prey. I did not sense any kindness or humbleness from them and knew not to trust them. However, I did not know what to do and stood silently as they approached me.

"Yo, Jerry! She's a cute one!" The other said. "Where are you from, little girl?"

My tiny useless wings were already hidden, so I blended in. I could not reveal my secret, lest I be burned to death. I did not know what to answer them, however. A cowardly response that would make them feel even more predatory, or a strong and intimidating response that would expose my identity? Jerry grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him, but I tried to stop him.

"Stop!" I shouted, but he only laughed.

"Come on, girl! I'm not gonna hurt ya! Where's your mom?"

"Let go!" I shouted and slapped him, this time he pushed me on the ground.

"You little brat! How dare you slap him?!" Fred yelled.

"Leave me alone!"

"You better expect punishment for this!" Jerry replied.

Suddenly, a pound bang could be heard and Jerry fell on the ground, holding his head. "Argh!" He shouted. Fred turned around and got smacked with the same thing that hit Jerry. A round object with a handle on it.

"Are you okay?" I young voice asked. I looked at the origin and saw a kid with breathtaking green eyes and brown hair look at me with concern drawn beautifully on his face. With the sun behind him, he looked even more beautiful. His features were made even more visible. His looks were enough to sweep me off my feet. He reached his hand and offered to pull me up.

I felt lost in his face as the only thing that went through my head was: 'cute...'

"Um..." The boy spoke again as I lay on the ground. "Did they hurt you?"

"N-No..." I replied as I reached my hand and he pulled me up. He smiled at me and made me blush and look away, trying to hide the smile that formed on my face.

"Excuse the frying pan here. I don't have anything else on hand. What's your name?"

'My name?'

The only name I have ever known was the one the demons called me by. Seeing this world, I was too afraid of my name sounding insane enough for people to catch on. But when I looked at the boy again, I felt compelled to tell him.

"M... Myah..."

"Mia? That's a lovely name. My name is Justin. I get it you don't have a last name?"

"N-No... I do not."

"Well, a lot of people around here don't. Nice to meet you, Mia!" The boy exclaimed. He offered me his hands once again, looking cute and silly. I could not help but shake his hand and giggle, watching as he laughed too.

This moment was interrupted by the embarrassing growling of my stomach. The last thing I consumed was the internals of a feral demon. That was two days ago. I looked away once again, this time feeling embarrassed. "You're hungry. Let's get you something to eat."

Justin grabbed my hands and pulled me with him. He stopped in front of a man and placed a few coins in front of him and got two white things in return before pulling me towards a bench made of wood. Giving me one of the items and unwrapping it for me, I saw that the white was only a wrapping that revealed something tasty in it. The smell was enough to make my stomach beg for it. Not wasting any second, I bit into the food and ate, marveling in the taste.

"Oh wow! This is so good! What is this?" I asked with a stuffed mouth.

Justin smiled and said: "This is falafel. They're very tasty!"

I looked at the falafel once again and started to remember the only thing I ever consumed other than actual food. The thought of having to consume demons alive made me feel so sad I started to shed tears. I paused and stared at the food with tears dripping down my face, but that did not last long as Justin wiped the tears away with his hand.

"You're crying. Are you okay?"

"Huh? I-I'm fine." I nodded my head and smiled, feeling moved by the kindness of this stranger. "I... I have never tasted food this good..."

"Oh! Well, we can try lots of other stuff, too! I've saved enough for a feast! We can go to my place and eat as much as we want!"

I looked at the generous boy and smiled, knowing there are people this kind in the human world. I realized from this point on that I do not want to destroy the world of the living. I want to see it all and explore everything this beautiful world has to offer, especially if Justin were to accompany me. No amount of demons can convince me otherwise now. This world is not for them and I will not allow them to destroy it no matter what.

'If I could preserve people like Justin, I would do anything.'

Justin took us to his apartment after buying a ton of food. Instead of sitting inside, we climbed to the rooftop. There, we sat and enjoyed the view of the old buildings that paled in comparison to the myriad palaces of the demon world. As we ate, Justin started telling me about himself.

"So, I don't know who my parents were. I ran away from an orphanage where they kept me. It was bad. The place was filled with bad caretakers. They only wanted the money and kids were damned to rot in there." When I heard the word 'damned' that came out of his mouth, I felt my skin crawl. "I was never adopted. I'd see people come in and adopt kids, but it was never me. I also was always alone. I had no friends there."

Justin then reached for the bag to grab something, but he slipped and fell from the roof. I immediately conjured my wings without even realizing and flew down, grabbing the boy before he fell to his death. Then, I flew back to the top with him. When I sat him down, he looked more shocked by my wings than the fact that was going to die. He stared at my wings for a bit before I noticed that they were popping out. I immediately hid them back and stared at the kid, thinking that he would be scared of me and run away at any second.

"Wow..." He spoke. "Nice wings!"

I raised an eyebrow at his unexpected joy. Confused, I asked: "What? Aren't you... Afraid?"

"Afraid of what? Wings?"

I sighed and sat next to Justin once more. Having seen my wings, I've never felt so afraid of losing someone. Just the simple thought of having to lose a precious someone made me feel hurt. I covered my face in my hands and began to cry.

"W-W-What's wrong?!" Justin exclaimed. "D-D-Did I do something to make you cry?"

"N-No..." I replied before wiping my tears. "I'm... I think if you knew what I am, you won't be so eager to be my friend."

"Never!" He exclaimed. "I'll always be your friend no matter what! You can tell me anything!"

I looked at him, baffled by his ignorance. His face showed nothing but confidence and sincerity. His eyes were enough to make me forget the fear I have for my own kind. Once again, my mind could only think about how adorable Justin looked with his confident face. Such feelings were unexpected of a demon, and yet I feel them towards a human I just met. Looking at him, however, made me realize that he may be different from the rest. Something about him was irresistible. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words did not come out. I felt too afraid to tell him. "N-No. I can't do this," I replied. "It's not so simple. You're the first friend I ever made, Justin. To lose you so easily..."

Justin grabbed my hand, making me look at his courageous eyes once more. "You can tell me. I promise I would not turn my back on you. I would never do that. Ever."

"But..."

"I promise."

I sighed and grabbed him, pulling him back to his apartment, where I sat him on the bed. Then, I stood in front of him and took a deep breath.

Showing my wings, I said: "Justin, I am a demon." I closed my eyes after that, waiting for the lash of anger or fear that would come at any second. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes to see him looking at me with a casual stare.

"What?" I asked.

"You're a demon. I figured as much."

I rested my face on my palm and sighed. "How did you know?"

"The wings."

"Oh yeah?! You don't saaaaay!"

The boy and I then laughed it off.

"So, where are you staying?"

That question made me stop laughing in a blink of an eye. I looked at him and scratched my head before shrugging. "I don't know. I don't have a place to stay. I just arrived today."

"Oh. Alright then! You can stay at my place!" Justin stated. "And before you say it, I am not changing my mind." I felt my heart about to burst after hearing this, so much so that I leaped on the boy and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you! Justin! You're the best!".

At night, I slept on Justin's bed and waited for him to join me, but he didn't. After an hour of waiting, I got up and looked for him, only to find him asleep on the couch. He had already hit the sack by the time I came to check on him. He looked very cute and peaceful, yet it broke my heart to have him sleep like this. So, I carried him and placed him on the bed before lying next to him.

An hour or so later, Justin jumped out of bed when he saw me next to him. "Whoa! When did I come here?"

"You were cold, so I brought you here and warmed you up all night," I replied, winking at the blushing boy.

"B-B-But..."

I reached for his hand and gently pulled him back to bed. Despite his evident embarrassment, he sighed and complied as soon as I gave him a doggie-eyed look. I wrapped my arms around him and fell asleep once again. I have not slept for a few days and this was the first time I ever closed my eyes while lying next to someone I love in a warm and comfy bed. I loved the feeling so much that I grew more attached to Justin just by this simple gesture of kindness. But the next day, I discovered that I said something awkward when I talked in my sleep. I did not know that I mumbled in my sleep and said the following: "Mmm... Justin, you're so cute... I... Love you..."

And he heard. Justin heard it all...

A few days later, Justin introduced me to a boy he just met recently under the same circumstances. He returned with his family to meet Justin after the first encounter and left him to have fun for a bit. I opened the door to Justin's room and saw the two boys waiting for me on the bed. Upon seeing me, Justin jumped down and grabbed my hand. "Mia! Alex is here! Come and say hello!" He pulled me closer to the boy, who looked shy upon first meeting me. He looked away shyly for a second before reaching his hand out to shake mine.

"Nice to meet you!" I spoke first. "My name is Mia."

"I-I'm Alex," He replied. "Nice... To meet you, Mia."

"Oh, come on. I don't bite."

"I-I guess?"

Later, Alex grew accustomed to me and we grew to be close friends. Eventually, he showed his funny and enthusiastic side where he would casually strive for entertainment and fun, sharing everything with Justin and me. I told him about my secret, and he showed jealousy rather than fear or disgust. We became so close that we were inseparable. Justin and I grew up together and as time went by, my feelings for him continued to grow and intensify. But when Justin learned of his true destiny, the destiny of being the one to smite the demons, I feared for our relationship. I dreaded a day that Justin would strike me down with his sword, feeling no remorse for the friend he grew up with. But I felt Justin's love for me despite his role as a deity. And I could not help but love him as well.

I have learned that the three of us were being watched by a certain man who happened to be the current monarch of the kingdom we reside in. King LeoDivinus is a man who watched over Justin in secrecy until the latter received his powers. It was his idea to make us move into a new home and live like normal teenagers under his watchful eye. He saw Justin and me as his children and we definitely saw him as our father. Despite that, however, I did not want Justin to see me as his sister. His majesty wanted to give me Justin's last name, but I wanted to earn that name in a different way, and so I chose the name 'Cooper' with the middle name 'Valentine' for a reason that was all too obvious.

Eventually, it became time for the three of us to move into a new home, where Justin, Alex, and I would live together and go to a proper school. I packed my bags and took them down to the street, where Justin, Alex, and a guy named Ethan waited for me. We've met Ethan when Justin tried to steal from him and got caught in the act. After seeing how miserable we lived, he took it upon himself to better our lives and help us earn a decent living. He is an honest man with a heart of gold. To see him bond with Justin and me despite who we are made me appreciate humanity even more. Every day, I would look at Justin and pray that he would save this world that I grew to adore. With people like him, Alex, and Ethan in it, I would not let any harm befall it.

I entered the car and Ethan drove us to a building overlooking the ocean. I looked outside the window and watched the water glimmer under the shining light of the sun and the golden sand stretching from one side of the beach to the other. With people relaxing and swimming in the ocean, the beaches were filled to the brim. Ethan parked the vehicle and we all got out of it before taking the bags out of the trunk. The two boys looked very excited to live in a new home, especially Alex. Alex was eager to live away from his parents with his two best friends in a building complex overlooking the ocean. I, too, loved the idea of sharing a house with the two people I saw as family. But despite everything being arranged for Justin's sake, he was the least excited about this. He did not like the obligatory rule of becoming a student and learn stuff that has nothing to do with his role as a deity.

"Oh, you three are gonna love this!" The main doors slid open and led us to a lobby where a bellboy took the bags from us and led us to the elevator. When we arrived at the top floor, the four of us walked out with the bellboy.

"Over here, everyone," The bellboy spoke.

"I know where the condo is, Pierre. I've seen it many times," Ethan spoke sarcastically and laughed with the bellboy.

"Ah, monsieur Ethan. Of course."

When the bellboy opened the condo door, the view from the inside came into view and I gasped loudly, placing my hands on my mouth. Alex whistled while standing still, dumbfounded by the beauty of such an apartment. When we got inside, more of its details became visible. The spacious living room merged seamlessly with the elegant kitchen, making for a breathtaking setting. The balcony provides a view of the city and the ocean simultaneously due to being a wraparound balcony. I stood in the center, gazing at the room with mouth agape. The building was tall enough for us to view most of the city, and the view provided by the top floor made it even better.

"You can leave the bags here, Pierre," Ethan said before giving him a tip. "You three go pick your rooms."

"Pick your rooms!" Alex exclaimed in utter joy, forgetting the concept of gravity. "I've never heard this phrase ever said before!"

The three of us went and each picked a room that suits their liking. Each of our rooms had a nice ocean view and spaciousness with walk-in closets so large they could fit two king-sized beds each. I felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of the room. It made me realize how poor Justin and I actually were. It was a real punch in the gut. Ethan walked inside the closet and found me at a loss for words. "I... I don't have enough clothes for even a tiny portion of this..."

"You'll buy more clothes eventually," He replied. "Get settled. Life is gonna be ten times easier for you from now on!"

As he walked away laughing, I began unpacking what little clothes I have. After finishing, I made it outside and found the boys sitting in the living room. "How do you like the house?" Justin asked me, looking happier than I expected him to. Seeing the grin on his face made me smile as well.

"It's awesome! I can't believe we get to stay in a place like this!"

"Neither can I!" Alex exclaimed. "We have this entire baby for ourselves! Time to throw a party!"

At the beginning of the school year, Justin and I enrolled in Alex's high school. Justin did not seem too pleased with this, as he has a dislike for authoritative people. However, he grew to be a favorite of both teachers and students and it became hard for me to retain him from the constant swarms of lesser women while evading men simultaneously. Justin's popularity did not go well with some students, however. Notably two boys by the name of Jason and Adrian. Two bullies that had a reputation in school. They got into many fights with Justin and Alex, only for a girl called Zoe to step between the boys and stop them whenever things get too far. But out of all the people who went to that high school, the three of us found a friend in a catgirl called Selena. She and I became close enough that I let her in on my secret and plotted on getting Justin to go out with me, only to fail miserably every single time.

"Mia, we've been trying this for months!" She exclaimed. "We've tried seduction, blackmail, cheezy romantic accidents, making him jealous, you name it! Nothing worked!"

"You're right. He's so rock-ribbed it's unbelievable! Why does he possess an iron will that's determined on avoiding me?!"

"Why haven't you tried using your powers?" Selena asked.

I sighed and held the bridge of my nose. "Because I don't want to use dirty tricks, and even if I tried, he's immune."

"Immune?" That is when I realized that I cannot tell her who Justin really is and I gasped.

"I-Uh, I think I heard him once saying that he learned some immunity runes."

"Oh..." I sighed when Selena ate the lie up.

A thing that I accounted for is the boys' lack of general cooking skills, and so I have learned to cook and became pretty good at it. One day, as I was walking home all by myself, I passed a restaurant with a sign announcing that the establishment is hiring. I walked inside the restaurant and asked a waitress about it. She led me to the manager who scoffed at me for being a teenager who didn't even look qualified for cooking.

"We're hiring chefs, not waitresses, Ms. Cooper. Although you'd make a good waitress."

"Oh yeah? Who's your head chef?"

As soon as I said that, a chef entered the office of the manager. With a smirk, he leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms. "You called?" He asked with a smirk plastered on his face.

"I challenge you to a cook-off! You choose the dish. If I beat you, I get the job," I stated.

"Oh! Hohohohohoho!" The manager laughed. "This is gonna be interesting! What do you say, John?"

"You got it, lady! Don't go soiling my kitchen with your tears after you lose!"

He lost.

As soon as I got the job, I proved to be an exceptionally talented cook. Taking the talents I acquired over the years and my passion to feed Justin and Alex, I improved my skills and became a more efficient cook. Business boomed after I got the job and the restaurant got itself a few new dishes added to the menu. I worked hard and tirelessly. I took on late shifts and cleaned before leaving. One day, I suggested that Justin and Alex eat at my restaurant without knowing that I was there. When they arrived, I made them the food myself and served it to them with a smirk. Getting to watch Justin dumbfounded and Alex's dangling jaw made my day.

"Bon appétit!"