A strange sensation came over Keshiema, and they were suddenly standing on a rooftop near the city's edge. He held her steady until she regained her balance. She felt sick to her stomach for a minute, but slowly regained her composure."You can teleport," she said, exasperated.

  "You're not the only one with a lot of tricks." He chuckled softly as she tested her balance.

  "So, you promised me a good time. I hope your idea didn't end here." She gestured to the rooftop.

  "Don't be silly. Follow me." He gave a half-charming wink. "oh, and it would be good if you'd be stealthy about it."

  Keshiema followed quietly, understanding the threat of rebels or city guards possibly being nearby. She focused her thoughts to find Dásos's mind. "Where is it you're taking me."

  "I want you to be surprised." They kept on in silence, picking their way towards the edge of city limits, until Keshiema heard an odd noise. She stopped, trying to focus on the sound. Dásos brow creased in concern. "What's wrong?"

  "I hear something." She tried to focus on the sound, but could not make sense of it.

  "Sort of a deep, rhythmic noise?" he smiled.

  "You hear it?"

  "No, but it means we're getting closer." The rhythm became clearer as they continued on. When they finally left the city and the pavement turned to soft sand dunes, the need to stay quiet eased. "Do you know who invented music?" Dásos asked her.

  "I was always told The God of Eden was the mastermind behind that."

  "That seems about right. Not even demon-kind would give the true inventors credit."

  "Who then? If not Him?" Her glacier-blue eyes stared into his soul.

  He spared a glance to her lips, a mistake he regretted instantly. "Humans, of course." he said, quickly looking away. "What other creature could have such imaginative creativity? Eden's Creator couldn't imagine himself out of a brown paper bag."

  "A bag made of paper? You're the one with the imagination."

  "It was an old human thing. Before the Apocalypse. They were such indulgent, wasteful things at the time." His words were bitter, filled to the brim with spite.

  "I forget how old you are, sometimes."

  "You've only just met me, Little Sparrow." He laughed.

  "Not just you. Save for some of my classmates, the demons around me are hundreds, if not thousands of years old."

  He tilted his head and gave her a cocky smile. "Some creatures are much older than that. Some might even call them timeless."

  "But you all look and act so young," she huffed.

  "There used to be a saying - the older humans would use it a lot. 'You're only as old as you feel." He made his voice sound raspy and whistly, making her giggle.

  "Sounds like something they would say." She shook her head, still smiling.

  "We're almost there. Its right over this hill." He practically shouted as he grabbed her hand and started running. "You're going to love it."

  When they reached the top of the sand dune, Keshiema stopped to take in the intense scene before her. An enormous fire blazed at the bottom of the dune slack. Several dozen people surrounded the pyre, singing and dancing. A few of them occupied instuments she had only ever seen in Ancient History books. The sounds rising from the instruments filled her heart. She started to walk forward, but Dásos pulled her to a stop.

  "You can't go down there looking like that." He laughed.

  She analyzed her outfit. "They don't like Academy students?"

  "They don't like demons." He corrected as gently as he could, but the words still stung.

  "Oh." Looking at the group again, she saw what her naivety hid from her: Humans. "So why did you bring me, then? If I can't go down there and enjoy the party?" Her colors shifted to a fiery red with black streaks.

  "Calm down. I can make you look the part. You just have to be cool. Try not to try too hard." She raised an eyebrow. Moving faster than her eyes, he took her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  Her hair and eyes practically glowing red, she shoved him away. Not that she disliked having his arm around her, but that was not the point. Permission was definitely required for such intimate contact. "Whoa! Phoradendron, buddy, I don't know if you understand what boundaries are, but you just crossed mine!" As she turned around, he was in front of her again. She jumped in surprise. She expected as much from him, but her reflection in the full-length mirror he manifested caught her off guard.

  In front of her stood an olive-skinned girl with golden brown hair and dark hazel eyes. A patchwork bohemian dress, complete with gold medallions on her ankle, wrist, and waist, replaced her ATGs.

  The absence of her horns shocked her most. Reaching up, she patted her head in disbelief. "Oh god! What have you done to me?" she stumbled backwards, falling on her bottom. "You turned me human! What's gonna happen to me? What are the Elders gonna to say? To hell with sneaking out! They won't even care about that! And Alex? What's he gonna do? To you?"

  "Keshiema!" he had to have said her name about half a dozen times before she heard him.

  She stopped, trying to catch her breath, trying to hold back her tears. She did not know who she was before this; how was she supposed to know who she was now?

  "Keshiema," he knelt down beside her and put his hands under her forearms. "You're not human. At least not any more than you already were. It's just a mask." Gently, he brought her to her feet. He brushed his fingers against a charm bracelet adorning her wrist. "It's just a glamor spell. Now relax, and enjoy the party."

  Looking behind him, she saw the dancers and musicians. They looked happy and free. Walking down the sandy embankment, she left the shadows behind her. "Do they think you're a human too?" she glanced at him, careful not to lose her footing.

  "I don't know. Probably." He flashed a smile, showing a set of dull teeth. His ears were also rounded now. "I've never told them either way. I just let them make their own assumptions."

  She scoffed at such a minor change in appearance. "It must be nice, not having to worry about anyone judging you based on your looks."

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "Vanity really is a human trait, but that's not to say demons don't have their share of shortcomings. Try not to land in the pitfalls of both."

  They quieted as they neared the group. Everyone stopped and stared when they noticed her, and the musicians set down their instruments carefully. Keshiema took Dásos' hand, holding it tightly as one of the guitarists walked towards them. His dark brown eyes looked over her suspiciously. He wore a sleeveless shirt showing off the colorful art that etched his skin.

  The singer followed slightly behind, wearing dark sunglasses, despite the late hour. He also wore a sleeveless shirt to show off his inked skin, including an archaic depiction of a reaper looking down from the man's left shoulder. Neither of the musicians looked happy.

  "Dire! Shadow! Nice setup tonight!" Dásos smiled brightly at the two men.

  "Who is this, Tal? The guitarist asked suspiciously.

  "Tal?"

  "Short for Talamh. I told you, I have a lot of names."

  "This is my new friend. I hope it's alright she tagged along."

  "Hi." Keshiema wanted to panic, but managed to stay calm. "Should I have given a fake name?"

  "There's No need to lie. Just let them make their assumptions." Dásos nudged her forward a little.

  She could feel herself blushing as the two men looked down at her. "I'm Kesh."

  "Shadow." the singer said, holding his hand out to her.

  "Take his hand and give it a couple small shakes."

  "I know what a handshake is. I did spend eight whole years around humans." She shook Shadow's hand. "And didn't we shake hands when we met?"

  "Pleased to meet you Kesh." Shadow gave her a kind smile, revealing a dimple in his right cheek.

  'The other one must be...'

  "Dire." The guitarist held his hand out as she let go of Shadow's. "Any friend of Tal's is a friend of ours."

  Dire excused himself, leaving Shadow behind. "So, what's your story, Kesh?" Shadow's smile slightly eased her anxiety.

  "I don't really like to talk about it." Only a handful of souls knew her story. She preferred to keep it that way.

  "No problem. We understand that here. A lot of us have stories too painful to talk about." Shadow's smile faltered.

  "How's the crowd tonight?" Dásos broke in, changing the subject.

  "It's good. There's a lot of familiar faces dancing around. Some new ones since the last time you showed up, but that's normal."

  "what can I say, I'm a busy man."

  "not too busy to make new friends though."

  "you know me, Shadow, always have to meet new people, keep the circle fresh."

  Shadow lifted his glasses to really look at Dásos. "I don't know...do I know you?"

  "Green." Keshiema spoke out loud before she could catch herself.

  "What's that?" Shadow looked at her, leaving his glasses on top of his head.

  "Your eyes. They're green. It's a rare color for..." She hesitated, realizing she might be overstepping.

  "For what?" he looked at her with genuine curiosity.

  "For humans." Dásos blurted. Keshiema blushed brightly. "She has a thing about eyes. The windows to the soul, the gateway to Ethera, you know, spiritual mumbo jumbo."

  His words were fairly accurate. It bothered her that he knew that. "So, you know everything about me now?"

  "If you don't like it, use parchment when journaling. And stay quiet around the trees. What the trees know, I do as well."

  "You're a little odd, kid." Shadow winked and gave her a smirk, "We like that."

  She sighed with relief, "You don't want to throw me out for looking at you too closely?" She thought of her hot-headed classmates over the years.

  "Of course not. Why don't you come hang out over here? I'll introduce you to the rest of the group." He gestured towards the makeshift stage the band played on.

  "Would you mind telling me what the instruments are called?"

  "Sure. That's a common question from orphanage kids. You spend time at one of them?" Shadow walked slowly to match her shorter stride.

  "I spent a few years at May and Chu's before I... had to leave."

  Stopping dead in his tracks, Shadow turned to face her. "Wait, 'Kesh' as in 'Keshiema?' You're Toby's friend?"

  "Phorest, I think this guy knows what I am."

  "You know her friend, Tobias?" Dásos asked lightly. "Relax, we don't know that yet."

  "Well, I did. He was adopted by the same family that took me in. Him and his sister."

  "Mia?" Keshiema covered her mouth as mixed emotions of joy and grief washed over her.

  "They were pretty quiet kids. I couldn't really understand it at first. The place they came from was pretty run down but had a great caretaker. Lily, I think was her name. Anyways, it took a while, but he finally started to open up. I asked him why he was so cold against us – me and the family. He told me he lost his best friend about six months before the adoption. Said his old caretakers were ruthless and she and his sister were his only light in that time of darkness and that he felt horrible for the last things he said to her."

  "What I had to say wasn't too kind either." Keshiema stared at the ground. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to hold back the tears. "Phorest, how strong is this spell of yours?'

  'Strong enough to hold through a bit of emotion." Dásos gave her an empathetic, sad smile.

  "Where is he now?" Her heart raced, hoping to hear good news.

  "Don't know. He left home a couple years before I did and never made contact with us again." Shadow put his arm around her shoulders. "But if these guys find out who you are, they're going to know what you are." He whispered. "I don't think you're bad, but not everyone here feels the same, a lot of these folks have lost a lot to your kind."

  "I don't have a 'kind.' I'm a halfling." Her heart sank.

  "Funny, he never said you were half human. Always just said he grew up in a mixed orphanage. By the way you were able to protect him I just assumed you were a full-fledged demon like Talamh."

  A threatening look flashed across Dásos's face before he gave Shadow a wide-eyed stare. "You knew?"

  "Honestly, I don't know how." Shadow shrugged off Dásos's concern, not noticing the menacing look. "I've always had a knack for it. Knowing what people are, I mean."

  "Huh, go figure. Does anyone else know?" Keshiema felt the threat behind the question, but again, Shadow appeared not to notice.

  "No. I thought it best not to tell others. At first, I was afraid you might kill me if you knew. Didn't want to risk anyone else's life. Now, I just feel like it's your own business."

  "I wish everyone was as kind-hearted as you are." Her eyes sparkled as tears started to form.

  "From what I've seen, both kinds have some things to learn from each other." Shadow ruffled her hair.

  "So, you're not going to tell anyone I'm a demon?" Keshiema asked bluntly.

  "It's none of my business if I don't think you're going to hurt anyone." His words helped to ease her concerns.

  "As long as they don't come after me first."

  "Sassy little one, isn't she?" Dásos rested his hand on top of her head, smiling. She responded with a sneer.

  "yeah, odd and sassy. Makes for a good mix. I think the guys'll like you."

  "So you're still going to introduce me?"

  He laughed and continued walking. He did not say anything until the three of them reached the rest of the group. "so, you've met Dire." Dire gave her a nod of acknowledgement as he fiddled with his guitar.

  "Justice." Justice sat on an improvised chair. His blue-green eyes met her gaze, and he smiled as he brushed his hand through his short, dark brown hair. "hey." He went back to adjusting his guitar, too.

  "Johnny." The next guy said abruptly as he held out his hand. His head was shaved on the sides, and what was left of his brown hair was styled into a fan-like blade down the center of his head. She could see something in his brown eyes; Perhaps glee to see someone shorter than himself. He was short for a man, but many of the humans lacked significant height. The taller ones had not lived long during the first battle of the apocalypse. Unless they knew how to fight with their hands, most of the humans had to resort to hiding. Smaller people were able to hide much better.

  "Hi." She shook his hand, and he sat back down.

  "Hey man, wait up!" Shadow called to someone who was walking away. "I want to introduce you to...ah whatever, you can meet him later. He's our drummer. Awesome guy." She watched the figure as he walked away. He was tall and thin, and his hair was black. For a moment, she thought she felt a familiar aura about him, but it vanished as quickly as she felt it. "He's like you," Shadow whispered. "But you probably knew that already.

  'Did I?' She asked herself. "I've never met another."

  "Well if you stick around a while, he'll probably be back in a couple days."

  "I can't, I have to get back tonight."

  "Hey! Everyone! I need a drummer!" Shadow called out into the crowd. After a moment, one of the men came jogging up.

  "And you've got one! Did your guy take off again?"

  "Yeah, he's got business elsewhere tonight."

  "Always does when we reach Denim."

  "You travel?" Keshiema interrupted the men.

  "It's the only way to live. You should join us when you can cut your ties here. Tal always knows how to find us."

  "Like an annoying groupie." Dásos grinned.

  "Well, we're gonna play. You can sit up here but it does get fairly loud."

  "I think I'll try dancing." She smiled. He gave her a nod and picked up a microphone. Dásosgrabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bonfire.

  She had heard music before, but nothing like this. Most of the music she was used to was dull and lifeless, designed to play when some important demon walked in during a propaganda-filled ceremony. This music was alive and had feeling. It was emotional and fast-paced. As the beat grew heavier, Keshiema danced her heart out. The last time she could remember dancing, she had thought she was human. She let the rhythm carry her as she got lost in the symphony.