Chapter 3: The Change

When Lyra woke up, she could already tell that her aunt was home. The sun was out, and the ray of light coming from the window had hit her eye. She could hear how loud Wendy was outside.

Before heading out, she had to compose herself. After taking a deep breath, she worriedly opened her door.

The older woman glared at her as soon as she walked out. The floor beneath her feet felt like ice. She could feel her heart exploding at any moment.

"What exactly happened last night?" Wendy finally broke the silence. "I told you to give our VIP his drinks and you just left without even finishing the job. Did you know that he was assaulted at our bar? Oh gosh! Imagine if you were there. You could've easily saved him! That would mean tips would be more than enough for over a month. "

Lyra was right; her aunt was mad. But not for the same reason that she expected.

"I have no idea what happened. I think I blacked out. " She lied. Of course, she knew what happened. But, she was not so sure how accurate it all was. Everything just seemed so unreal.

"Oh goodness! Maybe I miscalculated the-" She was about to say something but decided to drop it once she realized how close Lyra was.

Great, just freaking great. She could see how Wendy's eyes averted her gaze. This is the same woman who she knew since she was a little girl, she could tell when she is hiding something. And sadly, the only thing she's hiding right now is something so disgusting. Lyra wouldn't even bother to ask about it.

But that one guy... Derrick. He kept on circling her mind ever since she woke up. Even while she was eating, she couldn't really forget the moments that she had with him. Were they all true? Was she hallucinating? Was it a fragment of her memory that her brain made up just to cover up for the trauma? Her train of thoughts spiraled into different branches that she couldn't even trace. She was confused.

After frying up some eggs for breakfast, Lyra rushed back to her room to check on one thing.

Her breathing stopped as she saw a wet pair of pajamas in her laundry basket and also her white dress, together with her freshly folded ones, those that she had just finished washing yesterday morning. She would never put something that she had already worn here, especially those wet ones. There must be someone else.

She rushed to the bed to check for something; just a single piece of short black hair would suffice. It would be enough for her to prove to herself that she was indeed sane. Because right now, she would never believe it.

A man that appeared out of nowhere just to save her and keep her out of her misery. And he also introduced himself as the devil who had heard her cry for help. What a great plot! This all leads to her first conclusion, that she is losing it. Although she did not expect it, she can actually see why.

Her whole life is fucked up, and her mental health is suffering. It's not that surprising at all. But she's too sane to realize all of that. Wouldn't she be fine then?

She tangled her own hair in frustration. What is happening to her and why can't she find any answers? Was he even real? Was she dreaming?

While trying to remember the night better, she grabbed her dirty clothes and headed over to the back where her washing machine was.

Every step she took, she became more and more confused. She kept shaking her head, trying to forget all those crazy dreams. How could his alluring smirk still be in her head? She could still hear it, echoing and making her heart skip a beat. She had to keep reminding herself that he was not real. It was just her silly little brain that made him realistic.

"Right! The water! " She almost hit her forehead against the wall when she remembered. "I was drugged. Of course, it was just a pure hallucination. It couldn't-" again, she was stopped.

However, it was not just because of her flashbacks. As soon as she opened the lid of the washing machine, she found it to be full.

She couldn't remember that she left a curtain in it. It's also filled up to the rim. And as she pulled it out, her eyes grew bigger and bigger.

"Holy cow!" she almost gagged. "What the hell is this?" she asked, crying her eyes out.

Never had she seen that much money in her whole life. A pile of hundreds stacked on top of each other. This could easily translate into at least twenty thousand dollars.

Her hands trembled at the sight. She almost hyperventilated, trying to think about what she could have done last night to have this much laying around.

"I gave this to you, as a gift."

Her jaw dropped as the handsome man appeared out of nowhere and casually rested his head on her shoulder. It made her heart jump. She almost fell just by hearing him. And when she finally saw his face, he just looked at her like she was overacting.

"What?" he asked. "Why do you look so surprised again? Do we need to do the introduction all over again?"

"The drug must have been too strong for me. How the hell am I still seeing him?"

Derrick tightened his jaw, "Excuse me?" He rolled his eyes. "Are you treating me as a hallucination, woman?"

"Breath, Lyra. He will eventually disappear. Just wait for a bit. Drink more water, yeah?"

Derrick's eyes almost fell out. He couldn't believe how the woman closed her eyes and started meditating just to clear her mind and remove him from the equation. He was offended.

"This woman," he said, while shaking his head. "Do you want me to prove my existence?"

Lyra halted. And finally, he locked eyes with her. She instantly closed her eyes as soon as she realized.

"Lyra, he can't be real. The results online said that the hallucinations would stop after a day. It should stop tonight. "

"I am not your fucking hallucination, woman!"

With her eyes closed, she could still feel the breath of the man right on her neck.

"What do you want as proof? Should I smash your mirror? Do you want me to burn the building down? Or should I torture your disgusting aunt?"

"I do not need revenge."

"Are you sure?" He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I am the devil, I can hear all the evil thoughts that people have. And they get louder as I come closer to them. Even louder for their own ears. "

Derrick pulled her closer into a tight hug and said, "You may choose to not listen, but I know that you hear them too. And let me tell you something — this may be the very first time that I've heard of yours. So, why don't we act on them together?"

"I—" Lyra looked at his eyes directly. "I can't hurt her," she whispered. "She's still my aunt."

"The one responsible for the same night."

"Still-"

"Lyra!" She jolted when she heard the loud yell that came from the kitchen. Derrick let her go and watched as she proceeded to run out.

As soon as she left, Zin popped out right behind him.

"She won't be acting on them, ever, huh?" he said as he scrunched his freckled nose. "I really thought she was going to be our biggest recruit. Too bad."

Derrick smirked. He didn't look as worried as Zin. "She's very interesting," he responded. "No matter how loud her evil thoughts were, she was able to suppress them within seconds. She knows how to stop herself from being evil."

"And she is apparently really good at dealing with her hallucinations," Zin added. That earned him one death glare coming from the devil himself. "Sorry, it's just too funny for me. I could tell how intelligent she is. I mean, it's a possibility that you might have been just her imagination. Don't take it as harsh; she's just being smart , okay?"

"I think I am not as smart." The devil sighed. "I should have thought a lot more before I decided to let you come with me with a human body. I never expected you to be more irritating with a voice. I should have let you stay as a crow. The cawing sounded more tolerable than all this yapping."

Zin covered his mouth with both hands. He even bit his lip to stop himself from talking. But the three feathers that suddenly popped from the side of his ear made it obvious that he felt extremely threatened.

"Prepare," Derrick said.

"Hmm?"

"I can hear her."

"Miss Lyra? She's calling you—wait, evil thoughts?" he clapped with his four fingers in excitement.

"No," Derrick said. His eyes shifted. There was nothing but anger and madness in them when he continued, "Her aunt... she's preparing something."

"This means that we are going to eat well tonight. Could you give me more power so that this form would stop sprouting with feathers every time I get too stimulated?"

Derrick grunted, "No. I think this time we have to stop her."