A/N: Hey guys! So sorry about the late update today, it was a busy week last week and this weeks no better but I'm trying to manage my time a little better ^^; So this chapter is a little later in the day but I hope that's alright, either way, I'll shut up and start
Disclaimer: Engineer, not game designer
Lessons
Madeline woke up the next morning wondering if she had simply imagined all that had happened the night before but the look in Anthony's eyes when he came downstairs, the wariness that stood in them, confirmed it to her. He was wary of her, he thought that she might reject him, turn him away because of what he was. It made her wonder, what else had this little boy been through in his short life. She made no comment as she got breakfast around for the two of them, she was happy that she had gotten some time off work in between her transfer, it was what made her decide to come here in the first place. She wondered what might've happened to Anthony had she not been there that night when he'd wandered to the police station. When the toast finally popped up she snagged it and her coffee mug and shuffled over to the table. Anthony looked about as tired as she felt, staring down the orange juice he'd poured with a vengeance, as though all his problems rested with it.
"So," she broke the silence and the boy nearly jumped out of his seat, and she couldn't help the small smile that snuck onto her face. He looked toward her grouchily, a look she decided to ignore "if you're part demon, how come you look human, except for the whole glowing thing." The woman amended, handing off some of the toast and offering the cream cheese, both of which the young half devil accepted gratefully.
"First of all, I'm part devil, not demon." He said quietly
"What's the difference?" Madeline asked as though this were ordinary breakfast conversation and not something out of this world. Anthony glanced at her exasperatedly, like her she had asked him what color the sky was. "I'm sorry, I'm not exactly versed in the lore of the underworld." She teased, Anthony looked back to his toast.
"Devils are intelligent, have a mind and will of their own, demons are mindless beasts, seeking out only their own pleasures and needs. Though many times you can use the two terms pretty interchangeably, at least that's what I've noticed." He mumbled at the end
"How do you know all this? Did your dad teach you?" she asked, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she thought of the prospect of running into this kid's father, he could still be out there for all she knew.
"He did when I was little, but… he's gone now…" Anthony bit his lip "He left to protect us." He added before she could ask, he looked up at her before continuing "After he left I would read his old books but… some of the languages I'm not very good at. I was still practicing when…" he trailed off and Madeline realized that he was thinking back to his mother
"Languages?" she asked, trying to pull his mind from the topic, he took a bite of his toast and nodded, swallowing it before grumbling out something that the woman assumed was an example but she couldn't even discern words, let alone what they meant. The half devil took a drink and said
"Demonic languages, my dad taught me and… mom when I was little, but there's a bunch of them that I don't know, some of them I can read but I don't know how to make the sounds. I wish I did though…"
"That's…" Madeline puffed her cheeks out as she thought about it "wow… you taught yourself?" she asked and Anthony nodded, she whistled and shook her head. "I thought it was cool that I could introduce myself in Spanish but… jeez…" Anthony blushed slightly at her amazement, looking very pointedly at his breakfast.
"I just like to read, I like to learn things." He said to the second piece of toast. Madeline grinned at his sudden shyness
"Did you go to school?" she asked and he nodded, she continued prodding gently "You must've liked it then huh?" he shook his head.
"I… other people are difficult." He said after a moment's contemplation. Madeline couldn't help it, she burst into laughter at the serious look on his face. It was a very true statement as the middle aged woman wasn't the most social herself but she didn't expect this kid, who was probably more intelligent and stronger than all of his classmates, to be shy and reserved. Anthony blushed harder and grumbled something under his breath as Madeline tried to regain her own.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect that." She said, still grinning hugely "Yeah, they are difficult, I've had my fair share of difficult people." The half devil was still grumbling but he had the smallest hints of a smile on his face. She took a drink of her coffee and then asked
"So you never said, why do you look human if you're half devil?" Anthony's eyes crossed as he tried to look at his hair "Do devils look human?" she continued, Anthony shook his head, swallowing his food before answering
"No, only the fact that they stand on two legs and have two arms. I don't know why I look human most of the time." He said, looking at his hands, she could tell that this was something that he'd thought about before.
"Most of the time?" Anthony nodded, closing his eyes and seeming to concentrate very hard, Madeline started to get worried when sparks of blue electricity flew off the boy's skin. She was about to say something when it completely covered him and then when it vanished, left something entirely different in its place.
A/N: Haha! I'm excited to do the next chapter now :3
Till next time,
-Winged Element
