After a grueling day, Malina returned to her computer, her personal escape from the mundane Hell of her day. Eagerly anticipating another session of DOOMED, she noticed the Pen Pal program was still saved. Contemplating for a moment, she decided to open it and establish a connection.
"Is this Ghost Boy from DOOMED?" she typed.
"Yes, is that you, Sour Demon?"
"Yeah, it's me," she replied.
"Oh, good. Sorry for not being online for so long. I had to improve my grades to get back on."
"Really? Well, I'm about to play DOOMED again. Are you joining?" she asked.
"Sure. Just so you know, everyone knows what you did to Chaos. You might get some fans. They've started calling you the Chaos Slayer."
'The Chaos Slayer?!' Malina thought, bewildered.
"Anyway, I'll see you online."
Malina blinked. Was defeating Chaos really that significant to everyone? She shook her head and logged into DOOMED.
As Sour Demon appeared, many players noticed her.
"There she is! The Chaos Slayer!"
"I can't believe she's a newbie!"
"How did she manage to defeat Chaos?"
Sour Demon blinked before noticing Ghost Boy and FryerTuck.
"Told you," said Ghost Boy.
"I can't believe I missed it! How did you defeat Chaos?" FryerTuck inquired.
"I just blocked his view and got behind him. Then, I shot him in the back of the head," Sour Demon shrugged.
"That's it? No epic battle to the death? No grand speech? Just a shot in the back of the head?!" FryerTuck questioned.
"That's all there was to it," Sour Demon replied, rolling her eyes.
FryerTuck stared at her in disbelief. Ghost Boy rolled his eyes before turning to her.
"Well, I suppose we can share our real names now. I'm Danny, Danny Fenton," he introduced.
"I'm Tucker Foley..." FryerTuck began.
"If you repeat that line, I'll shoot you!" Sour Demon interjected.
Sour Demon sighed before facing the two.
"Malina. Just Malina," she introduced herself.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, we found out who Chaos was. It turns out our friend Sam was Chaos. And she's none too pleased with how you defeated her," Danny revealed.
"Wait, she?" inquired Malina.
"Yes, she!"
All eyes turned to see Sam approaching, no longer embodying Chaos. She had adopted a new avatar.
"Thanks to you, I'm starting from scratch at level 1. It's bad enough that no one fears Chaos anymore," Sam remarked with a frown.
"So, what's the plan? Are we going after the keys again?" Malina questioned.
"I believe the four of us could collaborate effectively," Danny interjected.
"At least I'm not the sole girl in the group now. Let's see how you fare, newbie," Sam challenged, eyeing Malina.
"A piece of advice—never provoke someone whose name includes 'Demon,'" Malina cautioned her.
Hours later,
The four of them played through the levels, and each time they neared the end, either Danny or Tucker, and sometimes both, would get hit, forcing them to start over. However, Malina couldn't deny that there was fun in starting anew and discovering new strategies to play. Moreover, it gave her the opportunity to outplay Sam on numerous occasions.
"Okay, okay! I concede! You're the superior player," Sam exclaimed after their demotion to level one.
"Don't you forget it, Chaos," Malina smirked, prompting Sam to turn away with a growl.
"Damn, I thought I had checked everywhere by the time we hit the 13th level!" Tucker lamented.
"Did you watch your back?" Malina inquired as they regrouped.
"It's been fun, guys, but I've got to log off. I promised my parents I'd do something," Danny announced.
"Yeah, same here. I've got another matter to attend to," Tucker chimed in.
"Me as well," Sam added.
Malina was taken aback but nodded in understanding.
"Alright, I'm heading off too. I've got some cleaning to tackle. Can we catch up later, Danny?" she asked.
"Uh, if I find the time, sure," Danny replied, sounding somewhat uncertain.
"See you all next time," Malina said before logging off.
She leaned back in her chair, exhaling deeply. Who would have thought that playing with others could be so enjoyable? She might not know those three very well, but she had to acknowledge they were delightful companions.
"Making some new friends, Malinka?"
Malina groaned upon hearing that familiar voice and her nickname.
"Why are you here?!" Her question came out more as a demand.
"Just checking in on my favorite little sister," Zdrada replied, grinning.
"Go away," Malina said, turning her back to her.
"Aww, is poor little Malinka feeling lonely?" Zdrada teased, squeezing her cheek.
Malina growled and shoved her sister away. She stormed off, leaving Zdrada with a smug smile.
"That's sisterly love for you, Malina! Just accept it!" she called out.
"FUCK YOU!" Malina shouted.
Zdrada smiles, taking a puff from her cigarette. She observes Malina engrossed in her new game, surrounded by newfound friends. It brings her joy to see her sister finally have companions to share her playtime with.
Later,
Malina returned to her computer after some cleaning to calm herself. She noticed a message and opened it; it was from Danny.
"Hey, Malina, are you there?"
"Just got on, is something wrong?" she replied.
"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to apologize for logging off DOOMED so abruptly. I could tell you were enjoying it, but I need to manage my time better or I risk losing my computer privileges."
Malina pondered his words and understood his predicament. Among the three she played with, Danny was the one she talked to the most. Her thoughts drifted to Zdrada, prompting a groan.
"Do you have an annoying older sister?" she inquired.
"You too, huh? Yes, I do."
"Does she barge in whenever she pleases and start bothering you for no reason?" she typed.
"All the time. I know she has good intentions, but I'm not a kid anymore."
They spent the next couple of hours discussing their sisters. Malina was somewhat astonished to discover common ground with a human.
"Though, ultimately, I suppose I can appreciate that, despite being a nuisance, she's just acting as any big sister would."
"It seems like it doesn't bother you as much anymore," she observed, surprised.
"Huh, Jazz was right. Talking about it with someone else does help. Who would've thought?"
Malina reflected on their conversation. She and Danny had talked about their sisters, and she found herself less annoyed than expected. In fact, it seemed as though she had unburdened herself and felt a sense of lightness.
"Yeah, so do I," she wrote.
"Anyway, it's getting late. I have school tomorrow. It was nice talking to you, Malina."
"Yeah, you too."
Malina felt her cheeks warm before she slapped them. She watched Danny log off and then leaned back in her chair. The thought that a demon like her could feel better after talking with a human made her sigh. She looked up at the "sky" and shook her head.
"This means nothing. We merely talked about our sisters; that doesn't make us friends. Besides, he's oblivious to the fact that I'm an actual demon," she said, attempting to dismiss the emotions she was experiencing.
Zdrada wasn't too far away as she watched her little sister struggle to suppress a blush while maintaining her sour mood. She had been observing the whole time and noticed how Malina was chatting with someone on her computer. It seemed that her little sister was enjoying herself. Deciding not to intrude, she turned and left her alone.
The next day,
Malina couldn't pinpoint the reason for her eagerness to return to her computer. She opened Pen Pal, searching for any trace of Danny, but to no avail. She decided to play DOOMED, yet none of her teammates were online. Numerous players attempted to invite her; some sought bragging rights, others were novices believing she would enhance their team.
Hours later, she logged off. Just as she was about to power down her computer, she noticed something—a message from Danny! With restrained excitement, she clicked to open it.
"Hi Malina, I apologize for not being online today. I had a difficult morning and plan to go to bed early. I'm sorry for any inconvenience. I look forward to our next conversation; I truly enjoy our talks." -Danny.
Malina sighed, acknowledging that his reasons were valid; humans indeed experienced life differently from demons. She pondered whether to reveal the truth. What would his reaction be? Would he continue to speak with her if she disclosed her reality? Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. To him, she was merely another human from someplace in the world, and perhaps that was for the best.
Elsewhere,
"GRRR! I thought she would have given up by now!"
"I told you, making a mess of her job was pointless!"
"How can a demon enjoy cleaning?!"
"Calm down, sis. We need a better plan."
"And you think hacking her computer will work? Why did you add that game?"
"Because we need something to leverage against her. And we've hit the jackpot."
"What jackpot?"
"It took me a while, but I found the person she's been talking to."
"Why does he look like an angel?!"
"He may wear the colors, but he's not an angel. He's human!"
"A HUMAN?!"
"And he's unaware that Malina is a demon. This could work to our advantage!"
"But how? If he's human, then he's on Earth!"
"Well, then, it seems we'll have to send Malina to Earth."
I'll conclude the narrative here for the moment. Danny and Malina have started to bond, and it appears that Malina is beginning to view Danny as a friend, although she won't acknowledge it. Zdrada visits and notices a change in Malina, expressing hope that she continues to forge friendships. I've decided to introduce two original characters, known as the Twin Demons. Their names are yet to be determined, but they covet the positions of both Malina and Zdrada in hell and have been monitoring Malina's conversations with Danny. Notably, both demons are female.
I understand that pairing Zdrada with Jazz may seem unexpected, but if you've followed my 60-chapter saga 'Demons in Amity Park', you'll recognize it's a concept I've decided to integrate into this narrative. The crossover won't occur since Malina and Zdrada are both in this story. While I haven't finalized the details, I'm welcoming suggestions. However, if nothing comes to mind, don't worry. Any feedback on the chapter is greatly appreciated.