Chapter Two – The Past She Hid

The night was calm, the stars scattered like silver dust across the sky. The boy and the demon girl sat together on the same wooden bench where they first met. For a while, neither spoke. The boy kept glancing at her, as though there was something he longed to ask but was afraid it might hurt her.

Finally, he whispered "Can I ask you something?"

Her crimson eyes flickered toward him. "What is it?"

"You told me what you are" he said softly, but… how did it happen? Were you always a demon?

The girl’s lips opened, then closed again. She had never spoken of that night, not to anyone. But the way his hand rested gently over hers gave her courage. She lowered her head, her voice trembling.

"No" she said. "I was human once."

The boy waited, patient and quiet.

She drew in a shaky breath. "It was many years ago. I was just a little girl then. My parents… they loved me so much. I remember my mother’s laugh, my father’s strong hands when he held mine. That day, we were driving somewhere. I don’t even remember where anymore maybe to visit relatives, maybe just for a trip. The road was empty, the sun was bright… and then, everything changed."

Her voice grew heavier, her eyes wide open.

"A shadow appeared on the road. My father tried to stop the car, but it was too late. The vehicle screwed, crashed, and rolled down a slope. I remember the glass shattering, my mother’s scream, the weight of metal crushing down. When I opened my eyes, I was covered in blood. My parents… they weren’t moving anymore."

Tears shimmered in her red eyes. The boy squeezed her hand, silently urging her to go on.

"I thought it was the end. But then, I saw him a figure standing in the smoke. A demon. He had caused the accident. His eyes burned like fire. He looked at me… and he smiled."

Her voice shook as memories she saw their way back.

"He said I was lucky. That he could give me a new life. I didn’t understand, I only cried for my parents. But he didn’t care. He bit me his blood mixed with mine. My body burned, my soul twisted. When I woke again, I wasn’t human anymore. I was like him. A demon."

The boy’s chest ached as he listened. He could almost see the frightened little girl she had been, trapped in darkness she never chose.

"For years," she whispered, I hated myself. I hated what I had become. I wandered alone, feeding just enough to survive. I told myself love wasn’t for monsters like me. That all I could ever do was hide.”

Her eyes finally met his, filled with sorrow and hope.

"And then I met you."

The boy reached up, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "You didn’t choose this life," he said firmly. But you still chose kindness. That makes you more human than anyone I’ve ever known.

For a long moment, she only stared at him, her heart aching in ways words couldn’t describe. Then, for the first time since that cursed night long ago, she felt lighter as though sharing her pain had finally broken the chains of her past.

Under the starlit sky, the demon girl leaned against the boy’s shoulder, and for once, she allowed herself to believe in tomorrow.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***