Chapter 3

I kept Lara's words in the back of my mind.

While Mom went out to chat with the neighbors, I quietly slipped to the door of Julia's room. It wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, I saw Julia's flushed cheeks. Her dark hair hung over her chest, making her skin look strikingly pale.

Julia's legs were wrapped around Philip's waist, rising and falling with his movements as she let out soft moans. Philip kept thrusting as he muttered filthy, crude words.

The room was dimly lit. Remembering what Lara had told me, I quickly looked for Julia's shadow. The moment I saw it, I clapped a hand over my mouth.

Even though Julia had her legs around Philip's waist, the shadow on the wall showed a large snake coiled tightly around him, its head raised high and its tail swishing eagerly.

I wondered if Julia was really a snake demon.

Julia seemed to notice me outside the door right away. She turned and glared at me with round, dark eyes that showed no white at all.

I broke into a cold sweat. I rushed back to my room and huddled under the blanket, trembling.

Mom came back, muttering curses under her breath. "Strutting around like that, doing nothing but luring men all day, and she still can't manage to get pregnant."

I desperately wanted to run out and clamp a hand over Mom's mouth. If Julia was a snake demon, would she devour our entire family?

For several days after that, I couldn't bring myself to look Julia in the eye, terrified I'd see those black eyes from that night. But Julia treated me even more kindly and often insisted on doing my chores for me.

…

To everyone's surprise, Julia became pregnant a few days later.

Mom was so happy that she killed a chicken to celebrate. It flapped a few times before going still. She told me to bring over a basin of hot water to pluck the feathers.

I carefully carried the hot water into the yard. That was when I saw Julia crouching on the ground, chewing on something. The corners of her mouth were smeared dark red, and there were a few chicken feathers stuck to her lips.

I was so startled that I didn't dare to breathe. My mind went completely blank. I forced out a smile. "Julia, w-what are you eating?"

Julia calmly wiped her mouth. As she walked past me, she said softly, "Kate, I don't have much of an appetite, so just save some chicken soup for me."

I plucked the chicken with shaking hands, only to find that all its organs were gone. When Mom saw it, she assumed a stray cat had gotten to it and launched into another string of curses.

…

Julia's belly grew at an alarming speed, becoming perfectly round within three days. Since Philip couldn't sleep with her during that time, he spent every day in the village gambling and drinking.

One day, Julia said she was craving honey water. Mom sent me to the edge of the village to buy some honey while grumbling under her breath, "Make the most of it while you can. If that baby isn't a boy, I'll beat you to death."

I trudged toward the village entrance, feeling hollow.

Along the way, I ran into Felix Rowland. He was one of the men who had been with Julia at our house before.

Felix blocked my path with a sly grin. "How come your sister-in-law hasn't been taking clients lately? Her skills are really—"

I kept my head down and said, "Julia is pregnant."

Felix looked excited. "What? Could it be mine?"

I shook my head. Just then, I noticed Felix scratching his arm as if it were itching. The patch of skin had been clawed raw until it was nearly purple, dotted all over with tiny markings that looked just like snake scales.

Lara had been right. The men who had been with Julia were starting to grow scales.

Strangely, no scales appeared on Philip. I didn't see any on his legs, arms, or face.

…

In less than a month, Julia's belly had swollen to the size of a ball. She walked around the yard with one hand pressed against her lower back.

Aside from that one night, I never saw Julia's shadow take the shape of a snake again. I wondered if my eyes had played tricks on me.

But how could I explain the scales on Felix's body? Could it have been some kind of skin condition?

…

On a stormy night with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, blood pooled beneath Julia's legs. She writhed on the bed in agony.

Mom said she was going into labor. I asked if we should fetch the midwife from the village, but she slapped me.

Mom said she had delivered both me and Philip herself, so there was no need to spend the money. She said childbirth wouldn't kill anyone. Then she kicked me and told me to get a basin of hot water.

When I carried the water in, Julia's face was pale with pain, and her legs were spread wide. The sight was frightening.

Mom's hands were covered in blood as she reached between Julia's legs, pulling at something.

"It hurts. It hurts so much," Julia groaned.

Mom told me to hold Julia down.

Mom's hair hung wild around her face, making her look monstrous. She slowly pulled an egg from between Julia's legs. "It's out, it's out."

The egg was as large as a washbasin, golden and oval. Julia had actually given birth to a golden egg.

The egg was eerie. It grew increasingly transparent with each passing second. I could almost make out a small black snake moving inside, its red forked tongue flicking in and out.

Yet Mom cradled the egg in her arms, cooing and rocking it as though it were a baby.

I was convinced that Mom had lost her mind. I moved beside her and tugged at her sleeve. "Mom, Julia laid an egg."

Then I turned around and saw that Julia, who had been lying there soaked in blood just moments ago, was gone.