Demon Daughter (Book I)

2.1 | The Crystal Palace

The morning had dawned. The bright sun illuminated the cosy little room and wandered across Ravenna’s sleeping face. Waking up, she rubbed her eyes with her fists and looked out the window. Directly outside grew an old apple tree with many white blossoms. It seemed to be snowing as they fell, even though it was spring now, the heat lasted from early morning until dusk, with the coolness only spreading in the evening as the sun began to rise.

For an hour, Ravenna lay supine, staring at the cloud-decorated ceiling, but her mind wandered back to the events of the previous day. She imagined a blue butterfly flying along the river, inviting her to come, and herself wading through the water, drowning...

The child was born from a demon’s seed... the child will be a portal until the world ends...

No, the girl shook her head, trying to wind away the intrusive thoughts. Was the butterfly just playing tricks on her? But why was she walking out of the house at night like a weak-willed girl so that she could try to cross the river again? To actually commit suicide? No, something didn’t sit right here.

With a deep sigh, Ravenna threw off the blanket and lowered her bare feet over the edge of the bed. Suddenly, she turned her attention to an old mahogany guitar wedged between the wall and the wardrobe. She had been learning to play it since she started school, but now she only had time to play it a few times a month. Her violin lessons were much more time-consuming, and she still couldn’t play properly.

Without even knowing why, Ravenna stood up, and soon her hands pulled the guitar from the corner. It was already dusty, but she blew it off, sat back down on the bed and placed the guitar in front. In the past, she had always started her mornings with music, so she wanted to remember what it means and forget everything that had happened yesterday. A few seconds later, the first quiet chords showed up, slowly flooding the whole room. Ravenna’s fingers gently brushed the strings, she enjoyed her song with her eyes closed, but when the door creaked she raised her head. Agnese stood in the doorway.

“Started playing again?”

The girl sighed deeply, putting her guitar against the wall, and looked out the window.

“Something’s bothering you again?”

The edge of Ravenna’s bed sunk.

“I know you, Ravenna, you are still thinking about yesterday. Did something happen that I don’t know about? Why can’t you tell me?”

“I’m fine, really.” She tried to convince her by turning to her and smiling. “I just wanted to play.”

“I see, but if you feel sad, you can talk to me anytime, okay?” Agnese stood up, looking at her anxiously, and walked to the door. “Mum made pancakes, I know they’re your favourite. Make sure you come!”

She disappeared down the corridor. Ravenna fell into her bed and lay still for a while, but eventually decided to get up, got dressed and crossed the room to the corridor. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a door she had never seen before, even though she had lived in this house since she was a baby. For a moment she stood frozen, some strange force seemed to be pulling her towards, calling her to open the door, but for some reason, she hesitated. The feeling was exactly the same as when she had heard the voice calling. She was shaking, she didn’t want to give in, but without realising it, she stepped closer and tentatively lowered the handle down...