"Mother said you'll be going to hell when you're older."  He said, grinning from ear to ear.

Nova clutched the little rag doll to her chest, color draining from her cheeks as she stared at him. He stretched out his hands and felt her hair between his fingers. It was a rich brown color like his father's with an added streak of red hair, but she had the eyes of the woman whose portrait hung in the castle's hallway.

"Is it because of what I did?" Nova asked, her voice breaking as her lips trembled. He didn't understand why she was trembling. Was she cold? Should he offer his jacket? Would she prefer a hug?

He spread out his arms and walked towards her. Nova instinctively withdrew herself, gripping her doll with her trembling fingers. He studied her face carefully. Perhaps she didn't like hugs.

"Mother said a demon will come and take you there." He continued. Nova's back pressed against the wall as her breathing quickened. He noticed, reached forward and pressed the back of his palm to her forehead to see if she was coming down with a fever. She made a sound and took in a sharp breath. He smiled. Nova was so pretty.

She suddenly jerked away when they heard mother call for him. They knew she'd be in a lot of trouble if she found them playing together.

Nova studied his hair to see if there was any trace of red in it and exhaled when she found nothing.

"Will you play with me again tomorrow?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with so much excitement that his head bobbed from side to side.

She opened her mouth to answer but suddenly felt a third presence. When she looked at the window towards the north of the castle, she saw the queen, his mother, staring hard enough to bore a hole in her skull. Her heart raced in her chest as she realized their special playground had been discovered. But the queen didn't move from where she stood. The glare in her eyes sent a clear warning Nova understood well, even as a child. They would never play together again.

The queen left the window and called for her son once more. He didn't wait for an answer as he ran towards the castle, completely oblivious to what Nova had just witnessed. She followed quietly behind him, but he suddenly turned around and faced her, a strange shadow drawn over his features.

"I bet demons aren't as scary as Father is." He muttered.

 
Quickly recollecting himself, he puffed his chest and added, "Not that he scares me."

Nova noticed his reddening cheeks and wondered if he was coming down with a fever.

"If you must go," he continued as they walked a considerable distance apart into the castle, "Promise to take me with you, alright?"

When she didn't reply, he skipped over to where she stood and pried the rag doll from her tiny fingers.

"I'll return it tomorrow when we play again, alright?"

Later that night, he thought he heard a girl screaming from beneath the castle. She sounded awfully familiar, but he didn't let it get to him. 

When tomorrow arrived, he stood at their special playground, kicking sand with his feet as he waited.

Nova never came.

Copyright ©2024 by Obah B. Chimere. All Rights Reserved.

A/N: Please note the name you see at the beginning of every chapter indicates the character's POV you're reading from. Thank you for taking the time to check this book out, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Nova's pic as a child above.