"Fiore, honey? What're you doing?"
"Hi, Ma!" Fiore knocks a box of gummies off the top shelf, just barely catching it. "Trying to grab some snacks for my new friend! His name is Kyle."
"Oh, did you make a new friend at school?"
Fiore piles two packs of animal crackers onto her arms. "Guess again."
"Hmm. At the playground?"
Fiore's perpetual smile widens. "Nope! He's a demon I summoned in the basement."
"Another one?" Her mother chuckles, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Now, why would a demon want animal crackers?" she asks, bemused.
"I don't want him to get hungry. He's my friend."
Her mom ruffles her hair, sighing. "Fine. Just don't take too much, okay? We don't want to be wasteful, now."
"Don't worry, I won't!" she chirps, topping off her pile with a bar of chocolate. "See you in a bit, Ma."
"Oh, and don't be down there too long! You've got math homework to do."
"I know, I got it.”
Struggling to hold the pile of food about half her size, along with the blanket slung over her shoulder, Fiore cracks open the door and descends into the basement.
"Heya, Kyle, I'm back."
She walks around an unstable tower of storage bins before stopping at the edge of a carefully drawn neon pink circle. Kyle skulks over to her from inside the circle.
"How many times do I have to tell you, my name isn't Kyle," he growls, flaring out his wings to their full length.
He's a frightening sight. Three pairs of wings sprout out of his back, and three matching pairs of horns and eyes adorn his head. A halo-like broken glass hovers above him, too still to be moving but too alive not to be. Despite all of this, Fiore doesn't flinch the slightest at her new friend.
"Well, if you're not gonna tell me your real name, I'll just have to call you Kyle," she grins. "I brought you something! Here."
She tosses him one of the animal cracker packs. He slices through the packet, a mix of bright white and pink animals spilling onto the floor.
"What is this supposed to be?" He scowls at one of the remaining crackers in his hand, picking at the sprinkles with a clawed finger.
"Animal crackers! Oh, man, I love these," Fiore giggles, struggling to open her packet. She pops one of the crackers into her mouth with a flourish. "I got you some other stuff as well. I'll leave it here for you."
Fiore sets down her load at the circle’s edge, and the unopened packet of gummies at the top of the stack tumbles to the ground. Kyle tries to get over to Fiore, but she backs away before he can. He's left hissing as he collides with the circle surrounding him.
"Hey, now," she giggles, going back to her animal crackers.
Continuing his relentless pacing, he growls, "Let me out."
"You've gotta lighten up, man. You're so angry all the time! Like, what’s that about?”
He stops pacing. "You know, I'd be less angry if I weren't trapped down here in this infernal place."
"It's not that bad down here. It's good for making pillow forts.”
"Regardless. I want out."
Fiore perches on one of the nearby crates filled with who knows what. "Fine. How about we strike a deal? I can let you out, in exchange for a favor."
This catches his attention. "What kind of favor?"
Her feet pound a rhythm on the crate as she flashes a broad grin. "I need you to help me pass my math quiz next week."
Kyle lets out a sharp, bark-like laugh. "That's what you summoned me here for? A little school test?"
"I mean, not really." Her empty cracker packet drifts to the ground. "But I'm here to make the most of the situation, and you probably know more about this than I do."
Kyle starts to laugh again, but Fiore cuts him off with a loud stomp.
"Hey, mister, do we have a deal or not? I mean, I could just leave you down here . . ." Fiore’s eyes drift over to the staircase as her face takes on a dramatic smirk.
Kyle is silent as he glances between the thin pink line imprisoning him and the slice of light at the top of the stairs, tempting him with freedom. Fiore can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Kyle doesn’t need to know that she'll probably let him go anyway. Her ma always told her to make the most of any situation, and she'd rather go to the demon in her basement than to a math tutor.
“I’ll teach you if you let me out, and then you owe me a favor,” says Kyle. “Then I’ve got something I need, and you’ve got something you need.”
“Hey, that’s not how this works. You don’t get two things! I’m not that bad at math.”
Kyle’s barbed tail flicks angrily behind him. “I don’t agree to these terms, then.”
Fiore makes one last pointed glance toward the door, sighing. “Guess I’ll just have to leave you down here, then.”
She starts to walk away, her stride long and slow. She rests a hand on the doorknob as a sharp voice calls out from behind her.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Fiore spins around, a twinkle lighting up her eyes. "Pleasure doing business with ya."
"Hi, Ma!" Fiore knocks a box of gummies off the top shelf, just barely catching it. "Trying to grab some snacks for my new friend! His name is Kyle."
"Oh, did you make a new friend at school?"
Fiore piles two packs of animal crackers onto her arms. "Guess again."
"Hmm. At the playground?"
Fiore's perpetual smile widens. "Nope! He's a demon I summoned in the basement."
"Another one?" Her mother chuckles, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Now, why would a demon want animal crackers?" she asks, bemused.
"I don't want him to get hungry. He's my friend."
Her mom ruffles her hair, sighing. "Fine. Just don't take too much, okay? We don't want to be wasteful, now."
"Don't worry, I won't!" she chirps, topping off her pile with a bar of chocolate. "See you in a bit, Ma."
"Oh, and don't be down there too long! You've got math homework to do."
"I know, I got it.”
Struggling to hold the pile of food about half her size, along with the blanket slung over her shoulder, Fiore cracks open the door and descends into the basement.
"Heya, Kyle, I'm back."
She walks around an unstable tower of storage bins before stopping at the edge of a carefully drawn neon pink circle. Kyle skulks over to her from inside the circle.
"How many times do I have to tell you, my name isn't Kyle," he growls, flaring out his wings to their full length.
He's a frightening sight. Three pairs of wings sprout out of his back, and three matching pairs of horns and eyes adorn his head. A halo-like broken glass hovers above him, too still to be moving but too alive not to be. Despite all of this, Fiore doesn't flinch the slightest at her new friend.
"Well, if you're not gonna tell me your real name, I'll just have to call you Kyle," she grins. "I brought you something! Here."
She tosses him one of the animal cracker packs. He slices through the packet, a mix of bright white and pink animals spilling onto the floor.
"What is this supposed to be?" He scowls at one of the remaining crackers in his hand, picking at the sprinkles with a clawed finger.
"Animal crackers! Oh, man, I love these," Fiore giggles, struggling to open her packet. She pops one of the crackers into her mouth with a flourish. "I got you some other stuff as well. I'll leave it here for you."
Fiore sets down her load at the circle’s edge, and the unopened packet of gummies at the top of the stack tumbles to the ground. Kyle tries to get over to Fiore, but she backs away before he can. He's left hissing as he collides with the circle surrounding him.
"Hey, now," she giggles, going back to her animal crackers.
Continuing his relentless pacing, he growls, "Let me out."
"You've gotta lighten up, man. You're so angry all the time! Like, what’s that about?”
He stops pacing. "You know, I'd be less angry if I weren't trapped down here in this infernal place."
"It's not that bad down here. It's good for making pillow forts.”
"Regardless. I want out."
Fiore perches on one of the nearby crates filled with who knows what. "Fine. How about we strike a deal? I can let you out, in exchange for a favor."
This catches his attention. "What kind of favor?"
Her feet pound a rhythm on the crate as she flashes a broad grin. "I need you to help me pass my math quiz next week."
Kyle lets out a sharp, bark-like laugh. "That's what you summoned me here for? A little school test?"
"I mean, not really." Her empty cracker packet drifts to the ground. "But I'm here to make the most of the situation, and you probably know more about this than I do."
Kyle starts to laugh again, but Fiore cuts him off with a loud stomp.
"Hey, mister, do we have a deal or not? I mean, I could just leave you down here . . ." Fiore’s eyes drift over to the staircase as her face takes on a dramatic smirk.
Kyle is silent as he glances between the thin pink line imprisoning him and the slice of light at the top of the stairs, tempting him with freedom. Fiore can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Kyle doesn’t need to know that she'll probably let him go anyway. Her ma always told her to make the most of any situation, and she'd rather go to the demon in her basement than to a math tutor.
“I’ll teach you if you let me out, and then you owe me a favor,” says Kyle. “Then I’ve got something I need, and you’ve got something you need.”
“Hey, that’s not how this works. You don’t get two things! I’m not that bad at math.”
Kyle’s barbed tail flicks angrily behind him. “I don’t agree to these terms, then.”
Fiore makes one last pointed glance toward the door, sighing. “Guess I’ll just have to leave you down here, then.”
She starts to walk away, her stride long and slow. She rests a hand on the doorknob as a sharp voice calls out from behind her.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Fiore spins around, a twinkle lighting up her eyes. "Pleasure doing business with ya."