Monster

Aether coughed, eying each of the human kids suspiciously. It disturbed him every day, the way they kept giggling and talking behind his back. As soon as he turned to write on the board, they began chatting. And he only had to turn again and glare, and they would fall silent like a corpse. He concluded humans were stupid.

He often liked to demean them, because he was part demon. The other part of him, which was as human as these kids, only heard in silence as he meted out judgments. He didn’t like to think that he had anything to do with humans, let alone have a human mother who had dared to have an affair with the Devil ages ago. She had dared to leave him for dead too, when he was only days old. But he couldn’t die.

The demon in him had survived.

Aether smiled, almost proudly, when the current turn of events hit him again.

He had agreed to marry a human.

Up until then, he hadn’t actually believed that his father was the sadistic monster everyone believed him to be.

Now he knew.

Shrugging, he looked at the kids again, wondering why in the world he had ever decided to become a teacher. He never liked kids. He hated them actually. But the job was easy and the pay was good, enough to survive in the humans’ dominion anyway. And if he ever used his powers, no one even thought of suspecting the good old teacher in the neighbourhood.

That was why he stuck.

And as far as marrying a human was concerned, he liked to have a positive vibe. It would be just like having a roommate. Not that he had ever had a roommate, but how bad could it be? He’d just have another extra thing in the house. Only, this thing would be walking, talking, and...

No.

He wouldn’t allow her to talk. There won’t be any talking.

The thought made him feel at ease. And just then, another realization hit him.

What about the constant presence?

He woke up, and she’d be there. He would sleep, and she’d be there. He’d bathe, and she’s there. He eats, and she’s there.

He breathes... and she’s there.

The thought panicked him out of his wits. His heart suddenly started to hammer against his chest, and sweat covered his entire body. Wait. He hadn’t thought this through when he’d agreed to that midget’s deal. He slackened his tie, and took deep breaths in order to calm down.

He had to get out of this.

There was no way in this world that he could marry. Marry a human, for that matter. Nothing on earth was worth it.

And he almost turned to go summon the squirrel, when another thought hit him.

What about hell? What about the promised entry?

He still wasn’t strong enough to rip the doors to that place open by himself. And it would be decades before he could. Thanks to his constant rebellion, at least that sick jerk of a father had let him through. At a rather hefty price, yes, but he was going to visit hell.

And that was part of a plan that he had devised years ago.

He couldn’t back out of it now.

He relaxed, comforted by his thoughts. He could do it. After all, it was for the sake of the only dream he had ever had.

And if he was ever asked, everybody deserved that much.

***

She looked around, intimidated by the very interior of the house. There was something sharp, rugged and rather demonic about the place. Everything in there was either black, or a dark blue. Not to mention, it smelled of blood.

Just what kind of a person was this guy?

She had been scared out of her mind, once she was told that the one she would be marrying was the Devil’s son. But now she knew that he was an illegitimate. Which meant he was part human, and the thought soothed her.

To be completely honest, she still couldn’t believe something like this was happening to her. She was a spiritual person, but she had never believed that demons and monsters could actually exist. They were there in holy texts, of course, but she had always thought that it was something made up to make people walk the right path. Now she knew better.

What surprised her though, and to an extent even hurt her, was the fact that it was the Devil who had decided to help her.

The Devil.

Where was the good she had always believed in?

Shrugging, she pushed the thought out of her mind. It was what it was. What could she do about it? The most she could do was make the best out of the situation. And if she tried, maybe things would work out.

Wasn’t the guy a teacher?

Which meant he was someone who liked kids. And anyone who liked kids couldn’t really be a bad person.

Devil’s son or not. The rather haunting house or not.

She breathed and then sat down on the black couch, calmly. It was going to be okay. He had agreed to marry her too. How bad could it be?

It couldn’t be any worse than what she had already faced.

And it wasn’t as if she could back out now.

The contract had been formed. Her body still hurt from the ordeal of it, but it had been done. There was nothing to worry about.

She would do just like she was told. Sit there, wait for the guy and get ready for a marriage. That was all.

Aether stepped into the house.

She screamed.