He watched the girl stamp her way down the street, kicking at rocks as she went. They scattered: down the street, into the grass, across the road. He could taste her black anger, her frustration, and fear. The darkness rolled off of her in waves, caressing his tongue and nose…he reveled in it! She was the one. Her anger was strong, fresh. It would not be easily quelled.

    The demon lord looked down at his clenched fist. A glowing, gold light worked its way through his dark leathery claws. He grimaced in disgust. Opening his claw, slowly, painfully the golden light of the accursed demon soul grew stronger. Blindingly strong. With a curl of his lip, the lord threw the golden soul into the angry, adolescent girl.

    Tess’s black mood was a normal one. The detention she had finished was a normal occurrence, so was the stupidity of her teachers and the ignorance of her parents. This path was the long way home; just a little extra time away from the pain.

    It hit her like one of her father’s slaps, right in the middle of her back, causing her to stumble forward. Only practice allowed her to remain on her feet. Spinning around, she had a fist ready to strike back, only there was no one.

    That’s not very nice. The voice startled Tess and she spun around again.

    “Whose there?” Tess called, angry at the person teasing her. The street was empty. Sunset was near and all the happy families were sitting down together enjoying a homemade dinner (something Tess had never experienced.)

    I’m very sorry. Family dinners are very important.

    “Where are you?”

    I’m in your head, silly. The voice giggled.

    “Well get out!”

    I cannot. I’m your demon now!

    The demon was still buzzing around in Tess’s head the next morning. Tess could make neither heads nor tails of it, but she knew three things. First, the fact that there was voice in her head; second, she was positive that she was not insane, and third, this so called demon in her head had made the previous night far more bearable than it had ever been before.

    See! I told you we would get along! Tess smiled stiffly, her mouth unused to the motion.

    School was simple and boring. None of Tess’s teachers picked-up on the fact that her misbehavior and unruliness was grown out of boredom. Amazingly, Tess’s unexpected passenger aided in the passage of time during the school day; cheerfully pointing out when teachers were wrong, when other classmates made fools of themselves, and sometimes (Tess was convinced) caused rather humorous accidents.

    Teachers, classmates and parents were baffled at the sudden change in Tess’s affect. She was still the silent and solitary girl everyone expected, but there was a slight smirk that now played across her face as if she knew something everyone else did not. A secret happiness born from the fact that her father’s slaps no longer hit home…