14. Livy
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LIVY
W e passed a sign that read ‘Yellowbrick Community Center’, before driving down a long winding driveway. The white marble building reflected the stern sunlight, making my eyes squint as we pulled up in front of the center.
A nervous-looking demoness in a plaid skirt and black top stood by the door waiting to greet us. She was tall and slender with shoulder length brunette hair. She smiled so intensely I wondered how long before her rosy cheeks cracked.
“So s-so so good to finally meet you, Lady Sunny, Princess Ferina. I’m Margy.” She bowed her head and stammered like a broken pipe as Ferina and I exited the car.
“No need to be so nervous. We don’t bite, I assured her.” showing my palms.
“Speak for yourself. I bite plenty.” Ferina said, shooting me a playful wink.
“I’ll warn the fellas.” I whispered back at her .
“It’s always an honor to host such esteemed guests. The children in the homework room are just dying to meet you. Won’t you come with me please?” She turned, leading us past the double doors and into a chilly hallway.
“So, the idea for the homework rooms started when we saw that some of the city’s children needed help with their homework but their parents were too busy with work to help them. That’s where the community center comes in. The first room you’ll be visiting is mine, homework room number one. After that, you’ll be in homework room number two. Later in the afternoon, after they’ve had snack time, you’ll go to homework room number three.” Margy gestured for us to follow her up a staircase.
“What’s the difference between the rooms?” I asked as we climbed the floors.
“Great question.” She praised. “Well, room one is for children ages 5-6, room two is for ages 7-8 and room three has the 9-10 year olds. The homework rooms are on the third floor.”
“What’s on the first and second floors?” I asked.
“That’s right, this is your first time in the center. I should have started with a tour, but we’re already a bit behind schedule.” She laid both hands on her chest. “The first floor has a game room and administrative offices. The second floor has a sports room, lounges and free rooms people can use to book anything they like. Today we have a German class in room 14, an anxiety workshop in room 15 and a pottery class in room 12. And a few other classes and workshops spread out across all floors.”
“Oooh, pottery. Sign me up for the next one!” Ferina’s hand jumped up.
“We’re always pleased to host you, Princess.” She chirped.
We reached the third floor and a chorus of voices spilled into the long hallway. They came from the numerous rooms that occupied the floor. The louder voices hushed as our heels clacked down the hall. The doors were closed but I could hear adult voices asking the children to quiet down and patiently wait for Ferina and I to visit them.
They were excited to meet us. That warmed my heart. I loved children, and reveled in the chance to meet new ones.
No group was more cheerful than the children. Their little happy faces always made me smile, their laughs were more contagious than chicken pox. I was happy to be here and couldn’t wait to have fun meeting the little bundles of joy.
Margy rolled the door to her room open. Twenty children beamed at us from their desks. Most of them were the human presenting demons, a few of them were thraxies. But the one thing they all had in common was a tiny pinch of menacing mischief that was sewed into each and every one of their smiles.
“Hey guys, It’s nice to meet you. I’m Livy.” I waved, stepping past the threshold and into the big, bright class.
One of the boys spat something into his palm. Moving with the stealth of a fox, he burst from his chair and gunned it for me.
A giant wad of bubble gum was perched between his dirty little fingers. Weaponizing the gum, he swung it at my hair.
I drew back, out of his sticky path and this only seemed to excite him. He screamed like a banshee, jumping to take several more desperate swipes at me.
“Toshi no! I told you, you have to behave today.” Margy scolded, a look of pure horror brimming on her face. She swung her finger about furiously.
“Rambunctious little guy, aren’t you? I was just like that at your age.” I took a giant step back, still hoping to make friends with the boy.
“Go to hell!” He cursed, jumping up and pasting the gum onto the center of my blouse. He made sure to really smear it into the fabric.
“Colorful vocabulary. You must be your English teacher’s favorite.” I tugged the gum loose, as much as possible, plastering a smile on my face and trying to be a good sport.
“Go to hell! Go to hell!” Toshi ran around the class, ripping posters from the walls at top speed while the other kids laughed and pointed. Margy chased after the boy, apologizing profusely to Ferina and me.
“And I thought this would be boring.” Ferina gave Toshi heavy handed applause. “Now that’s a real demon child. I hope to have one just like that one day.”
“Clearly I still have a lot to learn about demon culture.” I muttered, scraping as much of the remaining gum from my top as I could, still a pink blob remained.
“Lady Ferina! Lady Ferina! I read a book about you last year! Can I touch your beautiful hair?” A little blond demon girl in the front row waved, excitedly trying to get Ferina’s attention.
“Nice try, little cutie. You can’t trick me that easy. I was a demon brat once. Now, what’s in your hand? Show it to me.” Ferina progressed on the girl reaching out an open palm to her. “Give it here.”
The girl’s lips squeezed into a pucker so tight it was like she was sucking on a lemon wedge.
Ferina folded her arms, staring down the girl. “Show me.”
“Fine. You’re no fun.” The child relented, sticking her tongue out. She opened her palm, revealing the bright yellow frog with black spots all over it.
“Oooh, a poisonous African slype frog. Boy does this bring me back. You know, I used to terrorize my teachers with those when I was around your age.” Ferina gazed off wistfully, her eyes glossing over and losing herself in a cozy childhood memory. “It warms my heart to see the younger generation carrying on this proud tradition.”
“If it’s poison, shouldn’t we take it away from her?” I asked.
“Only the saliva is poisonous. As long as you handle it with care it’s mostly harmless.” The girl patted the frog’s head .
“What a smart girl you are!” Ferina showered her in endless praise, her head nodding like a bobblehead. “You really know your poisonous amphibians. The Demon City education system truly is the finest in the world.”
The frog blinked in confusion, and I did the same. Yup, I definitely had a lot more to learn about demon culture. If we were back at the Prometheus Pack, that little girl would have been made to spend a few days at the re-education center. But instead, she was being praised like a model student.
The smell of smoke alerted me to a student crouching in the back of the class. I zeroed in on him just in time to see him setting a book on fire and sticking the blazing book back on the shelf.
“Hey, you! Stop that.” I sprinted to the back of the room tossing the flaming book off the shelf. It hit the ground before it could burn me. I stomped the flaming book vigorously so it wouldn’t spread. The little firestarter cackled like a hyena.
I managed to put out the fire, but the sides of my heels were covered by ugly black burn marks and the stench of cooked rubber heel turned my stomach.
“Okay, you know what? I’m firmly against spanking children but keep this up and I might just reconsider.” I bit my lower lip, raining my index finger high.
Utterly unperturbed by the threat, he stuck his nose in the air and told me that my shoes were always ugly. Then he turned around and gingerly strolled back towards his desk.
Was I losing my touch? Back home it only took one word of warning from me to daunt the proudest of he-wolves. There were even a few betas who feared me.
But these demon kids? They were an all-new level of beast for me to conquer.
Margy offloaded Toshi into his seat, pushing his chair right up to the desk, locking him in place. “Now, class. That’s enough fun. Sit up straight and quiet down. We're about to start.” She exhaled, looking exhausted.
I joined Margy and Ferina by the white board as the children finally quieted.
“Okay, good. So why don’t you start by standing and introducing yourselves. Tell us what you want to be when you grow up.” Margy waited, eagerly crossing her hands over her belly.
Nobody volunteered leaving Margy to call out, “Lucinda, why don’t we start with you?”
A girl with red pigtails drew her chair back, her smile was unnaturally wide and her eye contact was so intense, it was as though she were trying to look straight into my soul. “I’m Lucinda Mardigreen.” She said with a voice full of pride. “My father is a member of Parliament and one day I’d like to be Chief Adviser to the king.”
“Yeah, when pigs fly! A girl’s never going to be an adviser to the king.” The little boy next to her yelled loudly and several students snickered harshly.
The girl’s head dipped, her cheeks going bright red. She appeared on the brink of tears.
“Hey! Don’t you bully her. Of course, she can be the adviser to the king if she wants to be. There’s no job that men can do that we women can’t do better!” I said proudly.
“You tell him, Sunny!” Ferina pumped her fist skyward.
“Shows how much you know. You’re just a wolf. You don’t know anything, Outsider!” The boy stuck his tongue out and jerked his head away in anger.
“Apologize to Lady Sunny this instant!” Margy gasped, piledriving her foot into the floor.
The floor rocked and it rocked again, this time shaking the building. Ferina and I exchanged glances as the glass window fractured. That wasn’t Margy, the way the building now shook, it felt more like an earthquake. A banging, rumbling noise accompanied the quake.
“What’s happening?” Ferina asked and the fear that gripped Margy’s face spoke for her.
The banging carried on as a plum of white mist built up outside the window. Ferina and I flew to the windows to see what was going on.
A gang of nine men crowded the community center door. They had swords, daggers and other weapons. Security guards splayed out on the grass in front of the building. They were either dead or knocked out.
The gang set off a series of small caliber bombs, the white smoke partially masking their faces.
The loudest bang so far roared like a dragon and the door blew wide open.
They stormed inside brandishing swords and daggers. Alarm shot through me as my brain raced a million thoughts per second.
This had to have something to do with our visit today. But who the hell were those men and what did they want?
“Lock the doors.” I barked, but my voice was drowned out by the sea of screaming children. I hadn’t noticed it before, but every last child had left their seat and watched as the gang members stormed inside.
Margy shook like a leaf, visibly confused and unprepared. She mumbled something incomprehensible.
“We need to lock the door!” I barked and Ferina and I locked the deadbolt, and braced ourselves against the door.
The children kept screaming and Margy just stood there in a stupor.
“Margy! Snap out of it and help us brace the door. If they try to break in, the locks might not hold.” I roared, and Margy snapped out of it, joining Ferina and I as we braced the door.
“What’s happening?” Ferina asked Margy and she shook her head .
“Lord. What- what do we do about the other children and everyone else in the center?” Ferina said.
“I’m going to go to the administrator’s office. He’ll have an intercom we can use to tell everyone in the center what’s going on and to barricade themselves in their rooms.” I said.
“I’m coming with you.” Ferina replied.
“No, you’re the princess. The children need you here to protect them.” I argued.
She glowered at me, seeming to think of a good argument to counter with. But instead, she softened her features realizing there was no choice. “Be as quiet as you can and call me if you need backup.”
I nodded firmly, opening the door and squeezing through it. Ferina locked the deadbolt behind me, and I sprinted down the long hallway.
The patter of footsteps running around the homework rooms let me know most of the other rooms heard the banging and likely didn’t have a clue what was going on.
I warned the attendants in the other three homework rooms to lock the doors and now all I had left to do was get down to the first floor to the administrator’s office. Then I could warn the entire center and get help.
I reached the staircase, gripped the railing, and peered down. My heart scampered as I watched the intruders race up the staircase.
A small shadow flickers across the corner of my eye. I spun around to see a child, no more than four or five running past me, he started down the stairs.
I grabbed him, pulling him to my chest and covering his mouth as he started wailing.
“Shhhh! I’m trying to help you.” I whispered. “It’s dangerous to go that way.”
I recognized him, he was from the last homework room I warned. Why the hell did the attendant let him out ?
I wasn’t sure what the intruders wanted. But if they would break into a packed community center with swords and bombs, I had to assume they weren’t above hurting children.
I ran with the boy, trying to contain his thrashing and calm his resistance. I tucked into a broom closet locking the door. The boy screamed so loudly my hand couldn’t fully contain it.
I set him on his feet and turned him around. “Shhh! Didn’t you hear me? I’m trying to help you. There are bad men out there. Now, why did you leave the homework room?” I asked in hushed tones.
“It’s snack time. I want milk -” he said a bit too loudly and I covered his mouth.
“Okay, okay. I’ll get you all the milk and cookies, whatever you want. But first I need you to stay here and hide while I go get the-.”
Footsteps thundered outside the door and my voice cut.
I placed a finger on my lip, signaling the child to stay as quiet as possible.
His brow twitched with annoyance, and he drew himself back. “I don’t like this game. I want to go now!”
For the love of the gods.
Someone tried the doorknob and I pulled the boy deeper inside. My heart rate quickened as the door started rattling. The sound of a foot ramming the door raged through the air.
Frightened, the child grabbed a hold of me. The lock broke and the door eked open.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I initiated the shift. Only Mellow could save us now.
The bones in my spine began to buckle as the door flew wide. Three men rushed in, engulfing me like deadly flames. My wolf fangs had already started to show when the men set their blades to my neck.
“Don’t even think about shifting.” One of them snarled. “If you do, it’ll be the last shift you’ll ever have. ”
I canceled the shift knowing there was no way they would let me complete it.
“You can take me. Just, for goodness sake, don't hurt the child.” I put both hands in the air.
The men drew to the peripheries of the closet, gesturing for a fourth male to enter.
I recognized his dark hair and sunken eyes the moment I laid eyes on him. He was the leader of the resistance movement, the man I met in the church.
“Varcus?” I asked as his dark and stern eyes perused me.
His sights gleaned over the child then back to me. “Where is the king?”
I glowered at him wordlessly and he frowned.
“Sir, we found Princess Ferina, but the king isn’t with her.” A masculine voice called out from the hallway.
Varcus grabbed my arm with the strength of a forklift and steered me out the door. The child ran behind me, as fast as his little legs could take him.
We returned to the homework room to see Ferina, Margy and all the children sitting in the corner. Two swordsmen stood guard over them.
“Take the child and go sit with the princess.” Varcus instructed, sounding both impatient and worried.
I took the boy and sat with him next to Ferina.
“Did they hurt you?” Ferina asked, baring her fangs at Varcus and his men. “They won’t answer a single one of my questions. What the hell do they want anyway?” Ferina asked, reminding me that her memory of Varcus and the resistance had been wiped in the church. As much as I wanted to ease her fears, I couldn’t tell her all that I knew then. She would never trust me again if she knew I’d kept what happened in the church a secret from her .
Ferina was the only friend I had in this strange city. I wouldn’t piss her off by letting her know I had any contact with the people trying to dethrone her brother.
“I don’t know but we have to come up with a plan. They obviously want Malek. They’re probably planning on holding us hostage to lure him out,” I whispered to Ferina.
“Oh, this would do more than lure Mally out. He’d come guns blazing ready to snap all their spines,” Ferina chuckled as though it were funny.
“Toshi, sit back down!” Margy rasped.
Toshi lunged for one of the swordsmen, teeth first. The kid chomped into the gigantic man’s ankle like it were a hot fudge sundae. These little demons were going to be the death of me.
The man yelled in pain, swinging his leg back and forth like a pendulum. Toshi dug in like a tick, being tossed about on the leg like a fish on a line.
I ran for him just in time for Toshi to unclench his teeth and fly into my arms.
Toshi laughed merrily and sang a song as he clapped his hands to the tune.
Irate, the large swordsman inspected the bloody teeth marks on his ankle. His chest puffed out and his eyes twitched in rage. He took a giant leap in our direction and murderous intent salted the air.
“He’s just a child. He doesn’t know any better.” I insisted.
“Is this what you do? Attack defenseless children?” Ferina swooped in, putting herself between the man and where I stood with Toshi.
“I’m the only one who’s been attacked here,” he grounded out.
“Nobody’s going to hurt the kids. We’re not here for them.” Varcus said to Ferina before dropping a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Go tend to your ankle and calm down, Peter. I’ve got it from here.”
Peter muttered something to himself before storming out the door .
“Where’s Malek?” Varcus asked me and the look in his eyes told me he was more than a little tired of asking me the same question.
“I don’t know.” I folded one arm at my side.
Varcus paused considering my words.
“Go make sure Randy, David and Sirius have everything under control in the other rooms. I don’t want any kids getting hurt.” Varcus instructed the remaining men in the room and most of them went to the other homework rooms.
Relieved to see that the children weren’t in any immediate danger, I put Toshi to sit beside Margy.
“You two are treading dangerous waters here.” he breathed, running his finger through his hair.
“None of my men want to hurt the kids. But the bride and sister of the Demon King? You two are a different story. To my men you two are basically Malek’s shadow and no less guilty than he is.”
“Guilty of what?” Ferina asked incredulously. “Guilty for giving you life and protecting your home with everything he has?”
“Oh, I know that even you couldn’t be that na?ve, Princess. Your brother has never cared about us.” Varcus stabbed an accusing finger between her eyes. “The only one he has ever given a crap about is his bride, and to a lesser extent, you.”
Ferina made a swipe at him with her nails, and I grabbed her arm, yanking her back before the attack could land.
“Don’t play into his hands. They outnumber us. It’ll only get you killed.” I released her arm.
“Call Malek and tell him to come get you.” Varcus reached into his pocket and threw a cellphone at my feet. “My men are getting antsy. I won’t be able to hold them all back if they decide to take out their frustrations on you. There’s only one of me and seven of them. ”
“Don’t give me that crap. You’ve got your minions wrapped around your finger. They won’t do anything you don’t order them to.” I kicked the phone back in his direction.
He was basically a cult leader. None of his men would dare challenge him. Besides, what would I call Malek for? Just to have him run straight into a trap? One that could get him killed.
They didn’t fool me, they came here with more than swords and bombs. They know Malek’s power. They had to have brought something capable of seriously hurting him or worse.
Varcus narrowed the distance between us, drawing his lips right up to my ear.
“I admire your spunk, little she-wolf. That’s one of the reasons I’m hoping you’ll join us one day.” He whispered, voice dropping an octave, forming a chilly threat. “You know we didn’t plan this on a whim, we risked our lives and freedom just for the intel that let us know Malek would be here today. We will not leave without confronting the king. You will call him or even I can’t protect you and the princess from what my men will do.”
I drew away. A dark ruthlessness twisted in his eyes and reality burst to life within me. This demon may have thought himself the good guy, but a love of carnage lurked in his heart and there was no limit to what evils he would do to fulfill his ends.
I looked at Ferina, and she wore a mask of pure burning fury. She was the princess, and I was the newbie in this world. I understood none of the rules in this twisted Game of Demons, but I had to become an expert player and fast because lives depended on it.
The children whimpered, their petrified eyes scrolling up to Ferina and I, begging us to keep them safe.
“Well? We are running out of time.” Varcus scraped the phone up off the floor and reached it out to me. “I’ve given you your options. Now what’s it going to be?”