Hell Hath No Fury Like the Devil's Daughter Scorned [NaNoWriMo 2013]

Chapter 6: Shopping

“Princess?”

“Mmm…” I groaned. Who was waking me up at this hour? Whoever it was, that person was getting on my nerves. I found it difficult to fall asleep last night after Akaden’s visit, and finally fell asleep at the crack of dawn. I needed more sleep! Otherwise, how was I supposed to stay pretty?

“Princess! It’s already noon! Were you planning to sleep the entire day away?” Oria’s voice penetrated through the haze of sleep.

Though I was still half-asleep, somewhere in my mind, the fact that Oria was the only one in the house who knew of my origins registered. “Don’t call me Princess,” I mumbled sleepily.

“Glad you still remember who you are,” Oria muttered, thinking I would not be able to hear her. Apparently, she was the one who forgot that I have better hearing than humans.

“Alright, alright, I’m awake,” I grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “For Master’s sake, Oria! I only fell asleep at 6 in the morning!”

“Why?” Oria asked, looking concerned. “Are you unwell? Do you need me to do anything for you?”

“No, but sit down,” I replied, pulling Oria down to my bed. “Listen, Akaden came last night.”

Oria’s hand flew to her mouth in shock. “What? He came? And you’re still here? He didn’t take us back?” Oria asked question after question, knowing Akaden’s job in Hell as well as I did.

“No, I persuaded him not to. But frankly, I’m not sure how long it would take for us to return to Hell, and not by our own accord,” I confessed, drawing my knees up to my chest and resting my head on my knees.

“You mean Master will send more Trackers after us next time?” Oria asked.

“No, I mean that Father might decide to come himself. And maybe even bring him along.” I shuddered at the thought of him coming along too.

Oria gasped at what I said. “The Master… He wouldn’t… Right?”

I sighed. “I have no idea too Oria, but I sure hope that doesn’t happen…”

Oria stood up, a determined look on her face. “There’s no use sitting here and thinking about it. If the Master’s coming, he’ll come. Right now, we should experience as much as we can in our limited time here, because it’s unlikely Master will allow you to escape again…”

Oria was right. Since it was only a matter of time until my return, I might as well enjoy my time here. “Help me dress?”

“Of course, my Princess.”

~~~

“Ah, our Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened,” Cayden remarked from his position at the dining table next to his siblings when I walked into the dining room.

“Sorry for waking up so late,” I apologized. Cayden waved aside my apology and walked into the kitchen. A few moments later, he emerged and gave me a bowl of noodles. I smiled at him gratefully and began eating, surprised at my own hunger.

Glancing at Jeremy, I was surprised that he hadn’t made any remarks on how late I had woken up, given his attitude towards me. Whereas Cayden had been really nice to me, Jeremy seemed to prefer pretending that I wasn’t there and often talked to me and Oria in a sarcastic manner.

“Is there something on my face, Keela?” Jeremy drawled, with an eyebrow raised, as he noticed my gaze. I blushed at getting caught. What if he thinks I like him?

“N-no,” I quickly replied and looked down at my bowl instead.

Jeremy didn’t reply, and the silence that followed was awkward. Cayden, ever the mood-maker, cracked another one of his jokes that were usually so bad that almost nobody laughed.