I'm Being Kidnapped by a Demon. Lovely, huh? (Under Revision)

Chapter 5

            Now seated comfortably with a bowl of beef stew I listened to Cody and Rachel's conversation. It seemed to be the only way to find out about anything anymore. Cody wasn't exactly the sharing type. "So why isn't she with Hunter?" My new acquaintance asked. Cody shrugged.

"He dismissed us. Apparently he doesn't have time to babysit her."

Rachel looked at him with a smirk, before turning her attention to me. "And what is your name, child?"

"Gracie." Cody and I both answered at the same time. I looked at him and frowned. He only rolled his eyes.

How rude. I shook the thought away. "Cody?"

"What?"

My mouth moved into a frown at his bluntness, but I pushed on. "Why does Tucker have a cats' ears and tail?" The picture wouldn't leave my mind and I couldn't find a way to rationalize it. A roiling began in my stomach and I pushed it away, no longer hungry.

The silence that filled the room made my hands twitch nervously in my lap before Rachel spoke up, directing her words towards Cody. "She doesn't know, does she?"

"I haven't exactly had time to tell her." He muttered, but his face almost looked... guilty?

"Told me what?" Cody thought for a moment, beginning to open his mouth when a door on the opposite side of the room opened to a small child. She was a little shorter than Tucker, the basket she carried bumping against her hip. As she skipped into the room her little black dress swished softly around her ankles. A gnarled oak staff that was taller than her rested in her other open hand.

"Jackie. Where have you been?" His voice adopted a similar tone to the one he had used on Tucker and I sent another surprised glance in his direction. Why was he nice to everyone but me?

Jackie turned an oddly expressionless face on Cody. "I was helping Aku. He's got the virus again." She replied primly, setting what looked to be a heavy basket down at her feet.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him?"

"You're not the boss of me." The little girl placed a hand on her hip her lip jutted out in a pout. I almost laughed, barely masking it as a cough. She turned her body fully toward me and my laughter immediately died in my throat. Her eyes were blood red, glowing slightly in the dim lighting. I couldn't even see a pupil. Movement on her back drew my gaze to a set of small black wings. They were tiny little things that reminded of a bat, positioned right between her shoulder blades. My eyes widened and I could feel the blood leave my face, swallowing hard. "Who are you?" She asked crossly.

"That's Gracie. You have to be nice to her." Rachel told her sternly.

"Well, all right but I don't see why I should." Jackie set down her staff, leaning it precariously on the wall. Without another word, she skipped gracefully out of the room calling Tucker's name.

I watched her go, my expression frozen into a look of shock.

Cody sighed, waving a hand in front of my face a moment later. "Hey are you going to be okay or do I have to have you see a shrink now?"

"I-um..." I tried to blink several times uneasily. "H-how old is she?"

"Who? Jackie?" Rachel looked after the girl with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Technically, I'd guess she's about twenty."