I accidentally summoned a Demon and I call him Fred

Lesson number one

As soon as everyone went to bed, I spent the remainder of the night trying to remove the ring from my finger. It felt like each time the ring came on, it had become tighter. Leaning over the counter, I added more butter, soap, and whatever they had in their kitchen that I could use to slip it off. Nothing worked.

My chest started to become tighter. It was the same feeling of anxiety and frustration flooding over me. My life felt like a pile of broken glass with sharp edges of instability, loss, and guilt. This wasn't the kind of life I wanted for myself. I didn't want any of this.

I never wanted to be wrapped up with a Soul eater. Now, Alex is added to the mix. I wished for my old life back.  I pictured myself graduating from my normal school and working a typical job. I would have never thought my life would turn upside down and then shattered. My mind was constantly on the edge of insanity and despair. And yet, I was the one who caused it all. I made a deal with the devil. My mother was the price. I kept Fred a secret, and he ate another soul.

My Tia Sofie was right about one thing: I was not blessed like my supposed step-sister. I am a curse.

I kicked the cabinet below the sink as if it were going to diminish all the emotions building inside me. A pulse of stinging pain radiated from my toe to my foot. The loud bang echoed, causing even me to jump.

'C'mon MK! Let's be friends again,' Fred whined as his pointy chin rested on his shadowy, slim fingers. He popped up occasionally, pretending to be obedient. He promised to be quiet for the rest of the night if I kept the ring on. I knew it was just another lie.

'I promise. I won't cause any more problems,' Fred said, placing a hand across his chest. He stood before me so nobly as if he didn't just eat at Jerald's spirit guide.

"You're crossing your fingers, aren't you." I didn't even have to look behind him to find my suspicions to be true.

"Listen, jackass. I don't have time to deal-" A door cracked open to reveal a tired and grumpy giant coming out from his slumber with no shirt. The universe gave this guy height and abs. What else did the universe bless him with?

′I could probably think of another blessing.′

"Shut up, Fred." I immediately snapped as Alex raised an eyebrow. He sat at the edge of the couch with his head resting on his hand. Alex didn't mind being half naked with only pajama pants. I, on the other hand, did fucken mind.

"Hey buddy, put a shirt on. Nobody here wants to see that." I found myself lying as Fred whistled loudly. At first, I thought Fred was only visible to me, but Alex stared directly at him.

"Why is Fred out?" He grumbled as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was currently 3:00 A.M., the time that demons came out to party, or at least that's what Fred said.

Fred twiddled his fingers at Alex as if he was saying hello. I glared at my so-called spirit guide with sharpness that could cut a man's throat. 'If you say anything stupid, I'm chopping all my fingers off,' I threatened in my mind.

There was no telling what Fred was going to say. He was inconsistent when it came to revealing himself to others. There would be days when he was only visible to me. On other days, he lavished on showing himself off.

"Just chatting with Fred and trying to take the ring off," I muttered at the end, feeling consciously shy. "Can you please put a shirt on?" I added, my voice cracked. This shit is embarrassing. A small crescent smile curled on Alex's lips. My eyes involuntary followed his lips, making me wince at another embarrassing moment I created.

I shouldn't have kissed him. Now everything feels weird.

'Why are you such a prude?' Fred's voice lingered in my thoughts, breaking whatever hypnosis Alex had on me.

"Shut up." I impulsively grabbed a roll of paper towels beside the sink and chucked it. I knew it wouldn't have done anything to Fred. If anything, it only went through his smokey figure. I was so distracted by Fred that I didn't realize Alex had moved from the couch to the kitchen.

"First lesson you need to learn about soul eaters." Alex stood next to me and easily sat himself on the kitchen countertop. He leaned over me with his legs far apart as he lazily looked down at me. If this guy wanted me to feel small, he succeeded.

"You need to stay calm." He pinched the bridge of my nose, causing another thump to punch my chest. Before I could step away, his hands touched my face, trapping me in his space. He was close enough to the point our noses touched. If he was trying to keep me calm, this was doing the exact opposite. My mouth went completely dry, unsure what to say.

Instinctively, I wanted to pull away. Then, all of a sudden, he murmured a language I was not familiar with. It could have been mistaken for Latin, but it flowed effortlessly from his mouth.

If this was a spell, it felt like a tranquilizer. My worries slipped away, leaving me in a state of peace. Every muscle in my body relaxed like a heavy weight had been lifted. Alex's forehead rested against mine, and his thumb touched the bottom of my lip. I wasn't sure what would happen next until a roll of paper towels was thrown directly at me. Alex had caught it without flinching.

"Fred-" I breathed, turning my head towards where the item was thrown. He was the only culprit I knew who loved to throw things. I stepped back, ready to scold Fred, but he was gone. I turned to find Alex flipping the ring in the air. It landed magnetically back in the palm of my hand.

"How did you get it off?" I found myself amazed at how he did it so effortlessly.

"Soul Eaters are like any negative spirits. They feed on emotions." Alex hopped down from the countertop and poked my forehead gently. I didn't swat his hand at this point. "See, you're learning. It's important to be in a relaxed state, or you'll find yourself being easily manipulated or worse, lose control." He added.

"So, is that why you keep poking me?" I frowned. It was his way of training me. Was he watching the Hulk with Rei to come up with this bogus idea? He analyzed my behavior and came up with a conclusion from his test on what he thought would rile me up.

It was funny how my heart twisted, thinking it was just an experiment for him. If that was the case, nothing about Alex was actually genuine. He doesn't care. He was fulfilling his assignment.

This shouldn't surprise me, yet I feel sad. If this is how Megan was led to believe, I felt like an asshole to throw stones and judge her. Sure, she was an obsessive freak, but if he was her first significant other or whatever they were, it still sucks to be thrown to the curb and be treated indifferently as if nothing happened.

"You can say that." He answered with a shrug. His voice was passive and monotonous until his eyes locked on mine. A small smirk curled on the corner of his lips, revealing a small dimple. "Or I just may find your reactions cute and hot."

Before my heart could involuntarily skip a beat, I decided to land my fist directly on his stomach. He slightly hunched over after the small blow. A small 'oof' sound escaped his lips.

"You should really put on a shirt." I patted his shoulder as I returned to the couch. At first, I expected him to be angry or annoyed, but his devilish and annoyingly good-looking smile never disappeared.

"Be careful, MK. I may fall for you." Alex whispered, ruffling my hair before I could swing at him again. He walked back to his room, leaving me more confused and frustrated. This was not the time to have these mixed feelings. Adding Alex to the mixture of my troubles would make things worse.

There was only one thing I needed. I needed to know what happened to my mom. Second, I needed to add another lesson to the Alexander booklet of rules. This will probably be my new apostle creed or new commandment.

Lesson number one: Thou shall not fall for Alexander Count. 

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