Chapter 1

Emily and her dæmon Ebisu jumped out of the car as soon as it ground to a shuddering halt along the wet pavement. Grey clouds overcast the sky and sent the city of London below into a dulled murmur of dark light, misted and blurred through drops of rain. Buildings stood tall, and the river snaked through the city, its black waters surging with the swell from the grey day. The air was cold, yet not cold enough to send children and their dæmons inside, as the park of green opposite Emily's house was bustling with a throng of squealing kids. Ebisu stood on the pavement as a wildcat, watching, his mottled fur buffeted by the stiff wind, and Emily began to walk to her front door. It was a basalt black, grimy, and with an almost sticky sheen to it. The number five was plastered to its centre in blued bronze.

Emily's mother came walking from the car to the house, her sparrow dæmon flitting above her head. Her hands grasped two heavy plastic bags. Emily watched but made no move to help. Her mother's face held an unreadable expression, her brows furrowed, and her duffle coat and dark hair flapped in the wind, making her look eerily like a witch. Emily thought to herself, that isn't far from the truth. Ebisu leapt to the girl's shoulder and settled as a mouse, his soft fur brushing her cheek. He whispered, "We'll sneak out later, after you've changed, yeah?"

Emily nodded.

Her mother, who's name was Valerie, set down the bags at the doorstep, and brought out a jagged key. She pushed Emily aside almost forcefully, and worked the latch until the door swung open and her dæmon, Griffen, fluttered inside. She strode through, and Emily followed, holding Ebisu at her breast. The hallway was dark, until Valerie snapped on the lights. A sheet of dust swirled in the mingled light and stung Emily's eyes. Her mother set down the bags on the floor and kicked off her heavy leather boots. Then she shrugged off her coat, turned on one heel, and walked into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Emily stood in the damp cold hall. Ebisu jumped down from her arms and landed onto the floorboards as a polecat. He skittered to the two shopping bags, his claws snagging in the plastic. Emily watched him, and then stooped to sit beside her dæmon. He had slipped inside the bag, and was now pulling out a bar of chocolate. Emily took the purple wrapping in her hands and tucked it into her furry coat. Ebisu delved back into the bag, this time hauling out, as quietly as a polecat could, a bottle of whiskey. Emily, who was only fifteen in age, smiled, took the bottle, and stowed it away in her jacket. Then she stood, Ebisu leaping into the air as a robin, before running down the hall and clambering up the rickety stairs.

Girl and dæmon made it to the top room, and Emily slammed the door and collapsed onto her carpeted floor. She laughed.

"Mum will notice it's gone," she said, bringing out the bottle of whiskey.

Ebisu flicked his beak.

"She hardly notices Dad's gone these days. Who knows."

Emily stopped smiling.

Her dad was never around, and he couldn't be, because he was dead. He died years ago, hit by a double decker bus. To Emily, any mention of him was like reopening a wound in her heart and gouging a nail through the flesh. She shuddered, so Ebisu flew to her breast and became a soft cat, apologising by rubbing his tabby head against her chin.

He felt Emily's pain too.

He was a part of the girl.

Soon he would settle his form, because Emily was almost an adult.

The girl sat up, and brought out the bar of chocolate. She peeled back the purple patent packet and took a square to her mouth before chewing and swallowing the sweet treat. She ate another square, and then a row, and let the sugar seep down her throat. When she put the packet down, Ebisu, as a robin again, pecked at the chocolate crumbs.

Emily knew that she could eat her fill because her mother wasn't going to cook her dinner. She rarely did. She would usually lock herself in her room with her dæmon, and if Emily dared to get close she would hear quiet sobs and moans. She didn't know why specifically. But she could guess.

Ebisu flapped his small brown wings and said, "We should get ready to go."

Emily nodded, then stood and paced to her clothes rack, which had no use because all of her clothes had ended up in a heap on the floor. She crouched, and sifted through the pile of fabric until she found a pair of jeans that weren't too filthy, and a jersey top patterned with the print of a leopard. She undressed out of her stifling constricting school uniform, remembering that the day was a Friday so she wouldn't have to wear it for another 48 hours, and then flung it to the other side of her room before clumsily pulling on her chosen outfit. It was cold outside, so she wore a pink jumper with a zip fastening. Ebisu watched as a lynx on the bed, impatiently clawing at the sheets with his long claws. When Emily was dressed, she pulled a comb through her tangled golden hair, and then gathered her things into a backpack. The whiskey and chocolate, her keys, a half emptied packet of Marlboros, a broken lighter that still worked on occasions, and her remaining five pounds. She slung the bag onto her shoulder.

Ebisu gracefully leapt off the bed and prowled to the door, ready to go. Emily followed. They quietly crept down the stairs, past Emily's mother's room and its closed door, and into the hallway. Emily pulled on her socks, her converse, and then her warm furry coat patterned with an oriental scene of a tiger and some trees. Ebisu became a tiger himself, and his rippling fur glowed in the cold light from outside. Together, girl and dæmon quietly slipped out of the house and onto the grey street.