Zillas was uncomfortable in the clothing she was wearing: a nice, plain blue skirt and matching blouse with white sandals. Her hair had been trimmed, so that she would look all neat and tidy. She hated this, hated it more than the kids at school.
Zillas, now aged nine, was going to see the Elder for the first time. Her mother hadn't said why she was seeing the Elder; only that she must look 'nice'.
"I hate this skirt," Zillas grumbled, standing in front of the Elder's house, the summer sun beating down on her back relentlessly. "Give me some pants and a shirt any day."
The door opened, and a teenager – Zillas had no idea who he was and quite frankly she couldn't have cared less even if he introduced himself (which he didn't). He smiled at her with the fakest smile Zillas had ever seen (she could sense his feelings quite easily: he was rather loathe to have Zillas, the town Freak, visiting his Master).
I'm not too fond of you either, buddy, Zillas thought, walking past him quickly without looking at him at all. She followed him silently and walked past him again when he motioned for her to step into what was obviously the Elder's meeting room. She stepped into the room…
…And immediately felt uncomfortable. There were pictures of Ciephied, the dragon god, all over the walls, as well as a statue right behind the Elder, who sat in a lotus-style position on a red cushion right in front of the statue. He smiled at Zillas – the first real smile that she had seen in a while – and beckoned for her to sit down. She did so, but they sat there in complete silence for a few moments, uncertain of what to say to each other, especially in the room that they were in.
Zillas felt beads of cold sweat begin to form on her brow, and she knew that the Elder could see her discomfort, even if he pretended not to notice.
What is with this room? she thought. W-why am I so nervous here? They're only statues and pictures!
"Hello, child," the Elder said, looking hard at Zillas. "I have heard many things about you."
Zillas looked at him, convinced that her nervousness must have been showing in her eyes. Then she saw that they weren't alone – or rather she felt it. A presence, hidden from the Elder, but not from Zillas, made itself known to the girl, and her gaze hardened, her voice became firm and somewhat frightening.
"Why did you bring me to this shrine, old man?" she asked, staring into his eyes.
Silence. "Well?" she asked, her intense gaze never wavering. The Elder let out deep breath and managed to meet her gaze.
"I wished to know how you are doing, that is all," he stated. "I have heard that you haven't any friends. Is that true?"
The presence vanished then, and with it, Zillas' boldness. She suddenly felt alone and very small.
"Y-yes," she replied meekly. "None of the other kids like me…"
The Elder's expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that, Zillas," he said.
Suuuuuuuuuure you are, she thought, irritated. "Don't be," she snapped at him. "I'm not."
She stood up and walked out, shoving the teen out of the way as she left.
The Elder sighed – she was strong willed, but she hadn't yet become aware of her darker side, at least, that's what he wanted to believe…
"Oh, Ciephied," he prayed, turning to the statue. "What am I going to do if she turns into a monster?"
Of course, the statue remained silent. It was, after all, made of stone and wasn't able to answer him.
But the Elder somehow had the feeling that Zillas, despite being half-Mazoku, would turn out to be a good-hearted person some day…
Author's notes: Short, sweet and hopefully interesting. What did you think?