The demon's curse

Chapter 2

My alarm clock goes off and like always, I have the urge to throw it against the wall.

No, I'm not a violent person.

I groan and turn it off 'gently' as I rub my eyes, yawning tiredly. I look over at Emily's bed and soon notice it's empty. I tilt my head to the side, vaguely remembering the fact she always has to start an hour earlier on friday.

I smile softly and stand up before I get ready for school.

As soon as I'm done in the bathroom I walk over to the table and take some cereal, milk, a spoon and a bowl before I start eating.

Well nothing bad happened, right? It was just the cold, like always. Don't be so paranoid, Grace, you're making things harder than they already are. I remind myself. I know I should really stop overthinking things... if it was only as easy said as done.

I sigh and finish eating quickly to go to school, only to walk into class just in time. As always, the day is tough because of so many difficult classes, but I manage to go through it somewhat unharmed.

Once it's noon, I see Emily again and I walk towards her quickly.

"Hey there." I smile and she smiles back half-heartedly.

"Hi," she greets me back.

"How are ya?"

She simply shrugs. "I'm fine, I guess."

"Sure?" I question worriedly. I've known her for a while now and I just know something's up. I can see it at her expression and her behavior.

"Just some stupid people, nothing to worry about," she tells me as she waves it away.

I frown and let out a sigh. Stupid people huh? Of course. Probably the same people as always. They think they're so good, or no, they think they're the best. They look down on everyone, and for some reason especially on Emily. I hate them.

"Don't mind those stuck-up brats, you're much better," I try to encourage her, probably with failure as result since I'm bad at encouraging people.

She nods slowly, trying to hide her sadness but still, I immediately notice it didn't work. "Yeah... Maybe," she mumbles.

I sigh and shake my head. "They're just a bunch of crooks, okay? Forget about them. They're not even half as good as you."

"A-alright... Wanna eat something? I'm hungry."

It's crystal clear she just changes the subject so she doesn't have to talk about it anymore, but I just nod, not wanting to make her feel worse than she already does.

"Let's go." She starts to walk and I move quickly to follow behind her, eyes glued to the ground.

Those stupid brats... I sigh and try to stop thinking about it, though it's difficult.

We go to the nearest pasta restaurant and order what we want. We stay silent the whole time, even if we're walking back home. I wish she didn't mind, but I know she does.

After a few minutes walking, when we're almost at the dorms, I look up at the sunsetting sky.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a little walk, okay? I'll see you in an hour or so," I tell Emily and she nods slowly.

"See you later," she mutters, looking down while walking away from me. I feel bad for leaving her alone right now, but I really need to take some fresh air and a break from this thing called life.

I take my usual walk through the forest, enjoying the silence. I love it here, the fresh air and the silence, it's so peaceful, even when it's already dark like now. I put my hands in the pockets of my jeans and walk around slowly until I hear something. I shrug it off at first but when I unconsciously come closer to the sound, which starts to sound like chanting, I become curious and decide to go and take a look.