Midnight Playground

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There was no getting away from the demons that night and after a few stern warnings from them, she had no choice but to stay inside under their watchful eyes. Although Cole wasn't one to care if she happened to disappear from time to time, he wouldn't look the other way if he actually caught her in the act. He had his own appearances to uphold in front of the other demons. For tonight, she had to make-do with what she had in her room to console her anxious mind. With glazed over eyes, she gazed around her surroundings. It wasn't like she felt the need to complain or anything like that. With all things considered, her living arrangements were ideal for a young woman, or anyone for that matter. She had a huge king-sized bed that was set against one of the walls, the wooden frame posts a touch in shade darker than the floorboards. The walls were cream, with a thin strip of wood that lined the middle as a border. Her desk was on the opposite end of the wall, right next to her book shelf that only had a few books, making it look a little out of place. And of course, there was the large window that withheld the sight of the dark surrounding forest and was just at the right height that the moonlight could seep leisurely into the broad room.

She wandered over to her bed and ran her fingers along the smooth material of the silk sheets and sighed deeply. The room had never held any comfort for her. The familiar sights didn't have any feeling of warmth or nostalgia. Despite its large size, the room still felt cruelly small and stifling. She didn't linger inside her room for long. It was still early in the evening and falling asleep proved to be impossible after everything that had happened that night. Once she entered the corridor her nerves from earlier began to resurface. She didn't like the shadows. The demons used them to their advantage and it wouldn't be the first time that she had been cornered by one of them. Her eyes flickered on the dim light that glowed beneath the strip of the bedroom doors. The majority of the other clients had acquired possessions such as laptops, televisions, and computers, pretty much anything that they desired - courtesy of their contractors. It was a little funny to say the least but it did appear as though the demons rather enjoyed spoiling their mortals, almost like they were a novelty to them. It had been strange at first, especially during the first few months of joining the household. The demons had continuously returned to her with many items, including games, clothes, plushies, Jace had even once brought home a kitten for her. She grew to regret not accepting his offer now but she knew that she wouldn't be able to care for it forever. After all, her time was ticking away. In the end, she had refused all gifts - which they didn't find to be an endearing quality of hers at all. And so, they had turned their attentions on the more grateful girls, though even to this day she would find some new item in her room. It was usually a book and despite hating the idea that they were playing with her, she couldn't refuse something that she evidently loved more than anything.

It was true that she had never considered the demons to be heartless creatures. She wasn't sure what they felt but they took the time to learn each of their personalities and so she knew that some care must have gone in to being with them. They treated them all as individuals, whether they were their own clients or not. She respected that about them, although she did have to wonder if they saw humans as puppies - something that they could spoil and enjoy while they were still young. In some ways, that was a more frightening thought to accept.

Cassie rounded the nearest corner on her left and headed down the long windy staircase. Her contractor Cole was different from the other demons - she knew that. At first, he too had offered her generic gifts that most young girls would have loved. When she had refused them, he hadn't looked all that surprized and now he simply waited for her to ask instead. She didn't like relying on him at all but there were instances where she had outgrown her clothes and so she had little choice in the matter. At one time, she had even asked him if she could choose her own clothes, if he was to accompany her and in retrospect, she probably shouldn't have asked him in front of the other demons. She didn't understand the rule about not leaving the grounds and she doubted that she ever would be able to.