"Mama." The boy called. A rather beautiful woman unlocked and opened the door.
"What do you want, you little demon?" She hissed. The boy made sure that piece of cloth covering the right side of his face was in place. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I'm hungry." He said timidly. She snickered.
"Didn't you know? Demons don't eat." She kicked him in the pelvis and he cried out in pain. She left after he crawled into a fetal position and began to cry. He laid there till nightfall when the house was silent.
A light click came from the door. "Erik?" A small voice called.
"Yes?" He called. The door opened revealing a small figure. Her black hair framing her face and draping over her shoulders.
"It's me; I brought you some cheese and bread. It's all I could sneak past Mama and Papa." She knelt down beside him and handed him the bread. He sat up and chocked down the food.
"Why do they hate me?" He asked after finishing the food. Tears welled up in the young girls eyes.
"They don't like the way your face is." He sighed and looked at his hands.
"Why am I the only one who looks like this? Why doesn't anyone love me?" He asked sadly.
"Erik, I don't know. But never say that no one loves you. I love you, you are my brother." She hugged him.
"But they are scared of my face." She pulled the cloth from his face.
"I love you and your face doesn't scare me. I wish I could get them to stop hurting you but," He cut her off.
"But they will hurt you." He said readjusting the cloth on his face. She nodded. "I love you Rosalyn." He said giving his elder sister a hug.
"I love you too, Erik. I have to go now, if they find me I'll get in trouble. Goodnight." The 13 year old girl said to her brother.
"Goodnight." He whispered as she slipped out of the room and locked the door. The seven year old curled up in a ball and sobbed for the rest of the night.
The next morning the house was awoken to Monsieur Mulheim's shouts. He entered the house and slammed the door. "Helen!" He called to his wife.
"What is it William?" She said pulling her robe on and running down the stairs.
"I know how to get rid of the little devil!" He said excitedly.
"How? How?" The woman asked. Rosalyn slipped down the stairs and listened in on the conversation.
"There is a traveling fair in town, gypsies. They can take him off our hands for good." She gasped.
"Really, we will be rid of him!" She said excitedly practically jumping up and down.
"No! You can't!" Rosalyn yelled.
"And why not?" Her father asked.
"He is your son! My brother! You can't send him away! He doesn't deserve that, not the gypsies!" she shouted. Her father stormed over to her and smacked her left cheek.
"He is not my son! If you like we can send you away too!" She whimpered in pain.
"Then send me away! At least I will be with my brother, whom I love! He is a child you can't send him to them, they will kill him sooner or later!" She shouted.
"Rosalyn go to your room. The monster is of no concern to you." He mother said pushing her up the stairs.
"No!" She shouted. Suddenly there was a knock at their door. Her father opened the door revealing a gypsy man.
"Hello Monsieur, I came for the boy you told me about." He peered into the room and looked around.
"Yes, right this way." He led the man to a back room and opened the door. "Get up." He bellowed. Erik stood as best he could due to his injuries. "This is him." His father said.
"Why would I want him he looks fine." The gypsy said. The boy's father pulled his cloth mask off. "Oh." The gypsy said. "Why he is a devil, no, a Devil's Child. That's what we'll call him. Here 120 francs for him."
"Only 120?" His mother asked entering the room.
"Take it or leave it." The gypsy said.
"Take it." The woman urged her husband.
"Very well 120 francs for the boy." The gypsy handed over the money and grabbed the boy by the arm. Erik cried out in pain.
"Shut it you little demon!" He commanded hitting him in the back of the head with is hand. He pulled the boy toward the front door of the house.
"No!" Rosalyn yelled running down the stairs. "Erik! No!" Her father caught her by the dress.
"Where do you think you're going?" He hissed at her as he pulled her away from the door. The gypsy walked out of the house hauling a crying Erik along with him.
"Rosalyn!" He yelled before their mother shut the door.
"Erik!" Rosalyn cried as her father threw her to the ground.
"Stop it!" He shouted. "He is gone and is never coming back!" Rosalyn wrapped her arms around herself and began to cry, whispering her brother's name between sobs.