Fallen (editing)

Chapter 2

I rub my head after eating.
No horns.
I touch the sides of my head, feeling only smooth hair.
Damn it. I hope I've got some fangs at least.
I feel around the inside of my mouth, only feeling some dull canines.
Damn it.
I rummage through the Walmart bag, trying to distract myself. I pull out the hair dye.
"How do I use this?"
I hold up the box.
Dimitrio hops next to me, reading the back.
"It's saying you have to wash it in. You need water."
"Where am I getting water from exactly? And I'm NOT using dumpster water."
"Go to a human house."
I sigh and stand up. I scan the roads and see a building with humans standing on the balconies next to the Walmart.
"What is that?"
"That's an apartment complex. Humans live there in small rooms."
"How do you know all this anyway?"
Dimitrio laughs. Well, caws.
"Cuz I actually pay attention in class, unlike some people."
"I didn't think that I'd need to know all that crap about Earth!"
"Surprise, Sylt. Happy birthday, too."
"Shut up."
I walk down the street, pulling the hood of my cloak down over my head.
Dimitrio flies above me, cawing out advice.
"WATCH OUT! Don't run into that car!"
"What the Djinn is a car?!" I shout to him.
Humans walking near me give me strange looks.
"Pathetic humans," I mutter.
I follow Dimitrio up the stairs leading up to a door.
"I think an old man lives here; I saw him walk in. It should be easy to take the house."
"Finally, some fun!" I crack my knuckles and stretch my back.
I knock on the door. An old, balding man answers the door. His eyes are a milky blue and his white skin is cracked and dry.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr...."
"Bernice."
"Mr. Bernice. I have an offer for you."
I look into his watery blue eyes and intensify my gaze, piercing him with my mind.
"Give me your house. I am your new master."
"Master," he repeats dreamily.
"Yes, I am your Master. You will obey me."
"Obey," he repeats.
I take a deep breath and my voice goes back to normal.
"Take your belongings and make room for me."
"Yes, Master."
Dimitrio caws above me.
"Good work. Didn't think you'd still have your powers here."
"Neither did I. I would've looked like a fool if I didn't."
I walk into the apartment, Dimitrio perched on my shoulder.
I look around, seeing the dumpy futon and the small kitchen. The floor is dirty and the walls look like they're peeling off.
Dimitrio caws.
"Let's get rid of the human then get settled in."
"Good idea."
I look towards Mr. Bernice. I compel him to look at me.
"Leave the house after showing me around. You may live in the alley beneath the house."
"Yes, Master."
Dimitrio nods in approval.
Bernice shows me the living quarters, the bedroom he calls it, and the bath room.
Dimitrio pecks at the Walmart bag holding the dye.
"I'm about to ; hold on."
I turn to Bernice. "Leave."
"As you wish, Master."
He hobbles and gets his things and goes out the door.
I hear his hobbling footsteps go down the rickety stairs.
"Read the instructions for the dye."
Dimitrio stares at me.
"Oh, right."
I pick up the box and scan the back.
I open it up and pull out the bag, a plastic hat, and a strange brush.
I pour out some water like the box said and mix in the dye. The water turns black. Black enough that it covers up the purple of my hair.
"Let me help you."
Dimitrio hops onto my shoulders, directing my head over the bath room's water basin. A sink, I think.
I massage the black into my hair and pull the plastic hat onto my head.
The box said to let it dry and then to wash it out.
"Let's go," I say to Dimitrio, who's busy reading a thin book on a white porcelain chair.
"What is this thing anyway?"
"I think humans call it a toilet. They use it to, ah, relieve themselves."
"So they're pathetic and filthy?"
"Apparently."
"I can't wait till we get home," I mutter.
I walk out of the bath room and head into the kitchen where there is a large white box with handles.
"Open it. It might have food."
I pull the box open and see shelves of food.
There are fruits, I think. They're red and the size of a small ball. There are also orange ones.
I pick one up and show it to Dimitrio.
"What is this?"
He pecks at it, trying to break it with his beak.
"I don't know. Bite it."
I put it up to my mouth and bite down.
Juicy flesh explodes in my mouth. The thing is sweet and kinda sour, but delicious. The juice runs down my chin, dripping down onto my neck.
"This is good!"
I hold out the fruit to Dimitrio, who
pecks at it. The juice stains his beak.
"This is good!"
"What? You thought I was lying?"
"Well, you did trick me into eating meal worms once."
"That was that one time!"
"Really? What about that time when you tricked me into eating root bark? Or when you spiked my drink with beetle juice?"
"Well..... That was that one time."
"Lies!"
"Fine, fine, you win. But you gotta admit, that was pretty funny. You looked like you were about burst into flames."
"That's cuz I was, smart one. And I did, do you remember? You had to get, like, 5 bottles of tonic to put me out!"
I laugh, thinking about the good times.
I bite into the fruit again, savoring it. I offer some to Dimitrio who pecks at it gratefully.
We finish it up and go back to the bathroom to rinse out the dye.
"Where do I wash it out?"
"Go into that big basin. I think it's where humans clean themselves. It's should work like this one here."
He taps the sink with his claw.
"Ok then."
I hop into the basin and turn a handle attached to the wall. Water comes out of a structure on the wall suddenly.
"DAMN IT!!!!!"
I yell and jump out of the basin, sopping wet.
Dimitrio laughs, hardly even breathing.
"I-it's n-n-not fun-ny! I-I-it's c-cold!"
He just laughs harder.
"H-help m-me!"
He laughs some more and snickers.
"You're supposed to take off your clothes, smart one."
I hurry and strip out of my cloak and the strange clothes I woke up in.
I jump back into the basin, still shivering.
"W-what n-now?"
"On the handle thing, make it point to the H."
I pull the handle the way he told me too.
Hot water comes this time, relaxing my shivering muscles.
I breath. "Ah."
I scrub my head, watching black water come out of my hair.
I stay in the basin for a while, rinsing my body off and letting the hot water run down it.
I rinse out my hair one more time and step out of the basin.
I shake my head, trying to get the water out.
"What now?"
"Dry yourself."
"With what?"
"There's this big cloth thing hanging right there. Use that."
I pull the cloth off and use it to dry my hair.
I look in the mirror, scanning my appearance with crimson eyes.
My dark purple hair was now a murky black, hints of purple peeking through.
It looked pathetic. Like I was a human trying to look tough.
I snort at the thought. A human, tough?
Dimitrio flies into my head and he pulls at my hair with his beak.
"It's human enough, I guess."
He looks down, snickering.
"You're a wimp!"
I look at my new body. It's lean, I guess, but I don't have the build I had back home. My stomach is muscled and flat. I poke at my lean arms, wincing at how pathetically human they are.
Dimitrio snickers some more, pointing his beak at my skinny little legs.
"It's not funny!"
"Uh, yeah, it is."
He falls over, laughing.
I huff and glare at him.
I wrap the cloth around my waist and walk to the kitchen for some more food.
I pick up one of the fruits from the white box. I lean against the wall, biting into it.
I peek out the window, and see the old man.
He's leaned up against a wall covered in newspaper. He's shivering violently and coughing.
A twinge of some feeling plucks at my heartstrings.
Oh no, stop right there.
I don't listen to my conscious.
I check to see where Dimitrio is; still in the bathroom. I check one more time just to be sure. I take a breath.
I walk outside, still only wearing that piece of cloth, and go down to Mr. Bernice.
His lips are tinted blood red and he's pulling the newspaper onto himself.
He looks up, shaking, and says dreamily,"Master."
I look down at him. "Don't call me that. You can call me Sylt. I am your grandson."
"Grandson," he repeats.
"You will help me and my friend adjust to your world."
"Help."
"Stand up."
Mr. Bernice, or my grandfather, stands up quickly.
He follows me up the stairs and into the apartment. I look around; no Dimitrio in sight.
Grandfather shuffles to the dining table and sits down.
I pick up my unfinished fruit and bite into it.
"Would you like more, Master?"
Grandfather's voice is still dreamy.
"Talk normally."
"Do you like apples, son?"
His voice is gruff, but surprisingly gentle.
"Is that what these are called?"
"Yes."
Apple.
I pick up an orange fruit out of the white box and hold it up.
"What's this?"
"An orange."
"It's called an orange?"
"Yes."
I bite into it and spit it out as soon as it passes my lips. The sour taste of it makes my tongue cringe.
"Blech!"
I scrape at my tongue with my fingers, trying to get the bitter taste out.
"You have to peel the top layer off."
I look up and see Dimitrio sitting on one of the rafters of the ceiling.
He looks down at me coldly.
"Why is the old man here?"
"My, uh, powers must be glitching."
"Are you sure?"
I shrug, trying to look nonchalant.
He glares at me. I glance away, and stare at the orange.
I take a bite of what's been peeled away, and a sweet juice explodes in my mouth. I lick my lips and take another piece.
I hold it up to Dimitrio. He looks at it then at my face.
"It's good."
He flies down and perches on my wrist. He pecks at the fruit.
I go to Grandfather who's sitting in a chair in the front room.
"What's the white box called?"
"That's the fridge."
"Fridge," I repeat, rolling the word over my tongue.
"Fridge."
I ask Grandfather to show what the other stuff is.
He tells us the large basin is a tub and the clothes I woke up in are called jeans and a t-shirt.
He puts them in a machine called a clothes dryer and says they'll be ready in the morning.
He leads me to a bedroom where a bed is already laid out and ready. Dimitrio flies over the room then rests on a table next to the bed.
I climb onto the bed, pulling the blanket over me.
"Good night Dimitrio."
"Good night Sylt."