• The Other Chapters:
    Chapter 1
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5

    Chapter 2

    It was a bright, brisk, fall evening when Haily stepped onto the old-fashioned, elegant, white brick walk. She did her best not to stare at all the two and three story buildings made of matching red brick, but it was very hard. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her little black envelope. Her instructions were written inside. The ink didn’t show very well in the bright daylight. She glanced around. She stepped into the shade of a nearby tree and letters became clearer. “Ok. Let’s see. Um…room 33, Shadow Hall. Well, that’s a creepy name.” She glanced up, hoping to see someone who could help her. A young man, with shaggy blonde hair was on a nearby walk. He was walking slowly, so she felt secure in approaching him. She jogged over and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned, she put her hand out and introduced herself.
    “Hello Haily.” His voice was a rich baritone, sending shivers through her. He gripped her hand as he replied. “I’m Gary. Is there something I could do for you?”
    “Yeah. If you could direct me to Shadow Hall, room 33?”
    “Sure. May I?” He extended his hand and she gently placed hers inside. They walked leisurely as Gary made idle chatter. Haily inserted little bits of information when he asked her questions. “You must be new here. Is this your interview, or are you looking for you class? Interview? Are you nervous? Yes?! Ha ha! Don’t worry! Who’s your interviewer? Oh! Dr. Skowiak?! Ew! Advice. Relax and don’t let him frighten you. Skowiak likes to scare people although he’s one of the nicest men I know.” The questions and commentary continued until Gary stopped them in front of a building nearly identical to all the ones around it.
    Haily turned to Gary. “Thanks. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again.”
    Gary stared her in the eyes for a few tense seconds. Before she had a chance to fidget and tug her hand away, he brought it to his lips and gently kissed it. “Goodbye Haily. I shall do my best to see you again.” With that he released her hand, turned and trotted away. She stared after him. She didn’t know what to think of Gary. She started. No time to think about him now, she told herself. You’ve got bigger fish to fry. She turned and steadied her heart rate as she reached for the silver handle set in a cherry wood door.
    Gently she pulled the door open and peered into a dark room. After a few seconds her eyes adjusted and she could make out a plush sofa and recliner chair facing away from her on the other side of a large desk and desk chair. She pulled a little farther and let herself in. The door swung shut behind her with a soft whoosh. She shivered. There was a sinister feeling in the room. She started at a rustle from across the room. Her breathing came in short gasps as she searched frantically for the source of the noise. A cold draft touched her. She shoved her fist in her mouth to stifle a scream. A hissing voice came from the darkness.
    “Who are you? Why are you here?”
    Haily tried to steady her breathing but her words came out a little breathless. “Is that how you greet a new student?”
    “New student?” the voice scoffed. “You’re scared witless. I can smell it. I can’t accept pansy students like you. Now get out.”
    Haily’s fear melted in the face of her indignation. “Pansy?!?! You dare call me pansy?!?!” She snorted in rage. “Well, if that’s the case, maybe I don’t want to be here. Good day sir!” She turned and yanked the door open. Or at least she tried. Though she pulled with all her might, she couldn’t get it to budge. There was cruel giggling behind her.
    “Silly child. You pulled when you came in. You should push to leave.” The voice giggled again, this time louder. Red with shame, Haily gently pushed the door, but still couldn’t get it open. She pushed harder. Soon she was pushing with all her might, but still it would not open. The giggling grew louder yet. “Come. Sit. You shan’t leave until I dismiss you. Which I have not done. I have locked that door and it will remain locked until I open it. There is no key. Any and all lockpicks will melt if they even touch the door. You have entered this interview and you shall finish this interview. Or you shall die trying.” A beat. “SIT!”
    Haily found herself moving toward the voice. Soon she was sitting on the floor next to the recliner looking up at a slim form. “Now, show me what you can do. Come girl! You have to be able to do something!”
    Haily thought hard. She didn’t know what kind of something he was looking for. She rolled her lip over her bottom teeth and chewed on it as she thought. She could feel the disgust radiating from the form above her and did her best to calm it by thinking harder. Slowly she could feel the tension diminish and become more relaxed and calm.
    “Humph,” the figure grumbled. “I suppose that’s a fair show of ability. Now, tell me your entire boring life story so I can stick you in the right classes. Drink this when you need to.” A glass filled nearly to the brim appeared in her hand. It was too dim in the room to be able to see the contents clearly. “It’s water. I don’t want to be left hanging when your voice gives out.” The voice was filled with sarcasm as though the person above her was bored out of their mind. And suddenly she was telling this mysterious figure everything she had ever thought, done, failed to do, and felt. She was saying things she couldn’t remember ever experiencing but somehow knew to be true. She paused now and then to drink from the glass in her hand, which contained the cleanest, purest water she had ever tasted. When she finally finished, the glass had refilled itself three times, her eyes were beginning to droop and her rear end had fallen asleep. She blinked. It was darker in the room than it had been before. Much darker. She glanced up at the figure, attempting to stifle a yawn. There was a silence. She was too intimidated to break it and let it stretch into what felt like infinity. Suddenly the figure’s head snapped up and a green glow emanated from where she would have guessed the face to be.
    “So, little one,” the voice was silky smooth. “I believe I have found the right place for you.” Haily held her breath, anxious to know what her new life would be like. The voice became commanding, refusing to reveal any secrets about its decision. “In two days time you will report yourself to Professor Jenkins. He will be your instructor in all your studies. Dismissed.”
    Haily stood carefully, unsure if her legs would support her. Slowly, she hobbled around the desk and blindly felt her way to the door. Recalling her earlier mistake, she gripped the handle and pushed. Silvery moonlight spilled in. She glanced back at the chair in time to meet the green glow of the figure’s eyes. They grew brighter as she watched. Startled she shoved the door open farther, allowing more light in. With the added light she could see the figure’s hand that gripped the chair arm. There were five fingers on it, and each was long and slightly bent. She inhaled sharply as she caught sight of a green tinge. And when the scaly texture became apparent she turned and fled. The door swung shut behind her, but not before she heard the cruel giggling of the figure.
    Gasping for breath, she sprinted down the walk before coming to a stop in front of a building about six doors down. There was light and noise coming from within. Cautiously, she pulled the cheery door open. She had to shade her eyes from light coming out. Suddenly it grew dark. She uncovered her eyes and looked straight into the sharply defined face of Gary. When he recognized her, his serious expression broke into a grin. “Haily! So soon! Just couldn’t stay away could you?”
    Haily glanced up and down the row of buildings, put her hand on Gary’s chest and shoved him inside. As soon as she was all the way in, she slammed the door shut. All the noise in the room past the entryway stopped at the bang. Faces began appearing around the doorframe. Someone whistled. Another one laughed. “It’s Gary! And he seems to have found himself a girl! Took him long enough!” Haily’s face turned red and she pulled her hand back like she had been burnt. “Gary, can I talk to you?”
    “Go ahead Sweetheart!” someone in the back called.
    Haily blushed an even deeper red. “Somewhere private? Please?”
    Gary sensed her discomfort. He grabbed her hand and led her away from all the laughing voices. That was when she noticed there weren’t any girls in the room. She must have found a men’s dorm, or an all male party. Her face felt as though it were on fire. He pulled her into a bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
    “Sit. Are you okay? No, wait. Don’t answer that. I can see that you’re not okay. Tell me what happened. You were white as a sheet when I caught you in the doorway.”
    Haily flung herself at Gary and began to bawl into his shirt. “Oh God! That was the scariest ordeal I’ve ever been through! The room was dark, there were strange noises, the door locked behind me, the guy I talked to wasn’t very friendly, for some reason I told him everything about me, and when I was leaving, I swear his skin looked green and scaly! Tell me I’m delusional, or hallucinating, or something! I don’t want to believe it’s true!” By the time she was finished, she was hysterical, bawling her eyes out and clinging to Gary’s shirt as though it was a life raft. And she had the hiccups.
    “Wait. I thought you were supposed to have Skowiak. He hates the dark, and just pretends to be scary. I don’t of any lizard-men around here. I think that’s what you’re describing.” He sat on the bed, forcing her to sit too. She was beginning to calm down some, so he loosened her grip on his shirt a little. “Are you sure he was green and scaly? Could it have just been an illusion?”
    “Illusion? No! No! I saw it! I saw it and I ran out the door and ended up here!” Her voice cracked and the tears poured down harder than before. Gary pulled her in close and rocked back and forth. Eventually she fell asleep. He looked at her sweet face and couldn’t help feeling that she was the most beautiful creature alive. He lifted her so he could stand, and laid her on the bed. He found a blanket and gently covered her. Bending down, he stroked her hair. “Good night Haily.” He gave her a light kiss on the lips, straightened, turned and walked to the door. He stopped and glanced back. There was a small smile on her face. He smiled back, stepped quietly out the door and let her rest in peace.

    The lizard-man giggled. He had scared the girl near to death. The scent of fear still lingered in the air. He flicked his tongue in and out, trying to get as much of it as possible before his mistress called him. There was a wrenching inside of him, like a hook pulling him by his innards. He growled in frustration, but did not fight the pull. To do so would be to experience more pain than any mortal creature could endure. The room he was in slowly disappeared, the desk and chair replaced by torture racks, the thin, dark wood paneled walls becoming thick, light gray stone. He began to shake. Those chairs could hold a minor demon like himself as well as any mortal. But what he dreaded more than anything, was the meeting of Jacaia, the greatest demon of all.
    “So, my ugly little beast, you managed to scare a little girl out of her wits.” An invisible hand turned the lizard-man so that he was facing the silky voice that hid a dangerous fire underneath. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story? You see, you only started it.”
    The lizard man cringed as the speaker came into sight. He was expecting her true form, a giant beast with blood-red horns. He was surprised to find a petite woman with rich blue eyes and black hair. He searched, but could find no horns, anywhere. He relaxed. There was no chance that Jacaia would wander the world in such a simple guise. “Simple guise, hmm? This is one of the most difficult disguises I have ever maintained. You see, I search for a man. I search for several men actually, but I have found the one I need. The only problem I have now is a little girl, clinging to him. Yes. The little girl you scared today. She can see right through my guises. I cannot fool her. I have to get rid of her. And that’s what you were supposed to make happen today. Make her go home. Maybe scare her into Dove. But no. She ran from that room and straight to a friend. Together, they could learn things that could overturn all of my carefully laid plans.” She stood silently for several very tense seconds. “And now, they’re both here, at Raven, where I have to see them every day.
    “And you, my little friend, you have failed. Do you know what I do to failures? Hmm?” The lizard-man’s gaze was drawn to the wall. It was lined with the most gruesome torture devices any demon had ever seen. “Yes. I’m an expert at torture. You won’t die until I get bored. And I’m a demon. I won’t ever get bored.”