Chapter 3.1
The smell of sulfur filled her senses, her hair catching the wind as she turned to find the source. Grasping her necklace, she muttered a prayer and felt her senses heighten; It seemed to be coming from the center of campus. Excusing herself from the group, she moved quickly as the smell grew stronger.
The sky darkened, ominous storm clouds forming much too quickly. They began to spiral in, the epicenter focused over the quad. Breaking out into a run, she knew she was the only one that could stop this, if she could just get there in time. Turning the last corner, she froze, her eyes growing wide with terror.
The quad was on fire.
Students were running, colliding with one another as they tried to escape. In the center of the field, a large runic circle flared to life, its red glow filling the sky as the storm clouds choked out the sun. The fire kept spreading, but she had to push forward.
Flames licked at her heels as she ran, and she avoided their unnatural energies as best she could. She drew closer to the center of this mad ceremony, then muttered another prayer to ask for more assistance. A blade appeared in her hand, its radiant glow pushing back the flames. With a path cleared, she saw her target.
Just a few feet in front of her, a demonic woman stood in the center of the runes. Several bodies lay nearby, their blood spilled to power its hellish intentions. The demon's back was turned, hopefully distracted by the pending completion of its ritual.
She gripped her blade, running forward as she tried to stab the demon through the heart. The demon proved too fast, spinning in place and knocking the blade to the ground. Clawed hands grabbed her throat, drawing blood as she felt herself lifted off her feet.
The demon grinned, its black horns wreathed in hellfire. She felt its terrible hands close tighter, its claws push deeper into her. With one last smirk, the demon's eyes flared, her bright amber irises glowing, and everything went black.
---
She woke with a start, her breathing heavy and erratic. The covers had been kicked to the floor again, and the sheets were covered in sweat. She slid her legs off the bed, reaching for the glass of water on her nightstand. As she emptied it, she noted the clock -- 5:37 AM.
"These dreams are gonna be the death of me..."
Knowing it was pointless to try and go back to sleep, she started her morning routine. A cold shower to shock the system awake, followed by a small snack in preparation for her morning run.
Her route around campus was quiet, as usual. Other than the occasional drunk college student on Sunday mornings, the campus felt like it belonged to her at these early hours. Today, she was off to the science building, where her favorite spot on campus awaited her.
She crossed the quad, a beautiful space when it wasn't on fire, and approached the long stairs leading to the south end of campus. She skipped up the steps, pausing before she continued her run. Turning around, she slid down the railing, and cheered when she made it the entire length without falling; her balance was getting better. Returning to the top, it was only a few short minutes to get to the trees surrounding the large, mirrored building. She paused when she arrived, taking a moment to study the tallest oak in the area.
"Alright, deep breaths, find your path..." She muttered.
With a burst of speed, she vaulted up the trunk and grabbed a branch, swinging onto it. Her footing secure, she started climbing higher, a smile growing on her face. Sweat formed on her brow, and before long she had reached her goal-- The highest branch that could safely hold her weight.
Many months ago, she had secretly trimmed the branches to create a small window, only visible from this spot. She settled in, catching her breath, and looked out over the quad. The many paths crisscrossing the open field made it look like an abstract piece of art. Some paths were paved, some worn into the grass from the footfalls of thousands of students, all of them weaving in between the many trees that scattered the area.
The buildings that surrounded the quad were calm, their lights off, their stillness emphasizing the subtle sway of the trees. Each building was unique, the older ones betraying the true age of the university, but all of them were beautiful. The newer buildings were far more reflective, their sleek design standing in stark contrast to the bricks and arches of the main halls. It was on these newer buildings that she finally saw the first flickers of dawn.
As the minutes passed, more and more light flooded the campus. Deep reds and oranges painted the buildings, the light reflecting into her tree and illuminating the similarly colored leaves around her. Next, the morning rays hit the trees in the quad, the dew sparkling as their colors joined the painting in front of her. She took a deep breath, crisp air filling her lungs, and drank in the beauty of the world around her.
Off in the distance, a car horn sounded, shattering the illusion. The world was stirring, and it was time to return to her life.
"Almost got a whole twenty minutes today... Same time tomorrow?" She smirked as she talked to the tree, then began descending out of her personal paradise.
She resumed her jog, taking a more direct route home; She had no interest in getting caught in the first wave of students trudging to class. A block away from her apartment, her phone went off. She pulled it out, curious who else would be up this early.
Mom: Mailed out your book yesterday! We're so proud of you :)
She froze, her key in the door, rereading the text over and over. Reloading the conversation didn't help, the words refused to change. When she finally responded, she did so more out of obligation than anything else. She tossed her phone on the couch, looking at her surroundings.
"I'm home!" She called out, knowing full well no one could hear her.
She absentmindedly made herself breakfast, the book looming in her thoughts. It had been easy to lose herself in school, to pretend she was nothing more than a simple college student, but that would change once it arrived. She would need a few days to run some tests, and then her mission would begin.
Not my mission. Their mission.
She ate her breakfast slowly, alone in the house her parents paid for. Her tuition graciously donated by the Church, all to support a life in Their service.
She sighed.
No longer hungry, she instead got dressed for the day and headed out.
"Gonna need a lot of coffee today..." She mumbled, pulling a scarf around her neck as she locked up.
Thankfully, she had lighter classes today; Most of the heavy stuff she had frontloaded early in the week. They went by quickly, though there wasn't much to do other than show up and collect the homework. The one bright spot on today's schedule was choir-- music always cheered her up. She had been singing for as long as she could remember, and after many years of lessons, she'd grown quite talented; Her teachers always used to say she had the voice of an angel.
If only they knew how true that was.
---
Amara pulled her beanie down tight, the cold air billowing around her. The wind wasn't that strong, but she didn't want to take any chances. Next to her, Nick occasionally glanced around, always keeping an eye out for suspicious characters. At the moment, thankfully, the two of them were relatively isolated.
"So, Nick... I've been thinking about my dad." She started.
"That's never a good sign." Nick muttered, slowing his pace to match hers.
"Well, it's different this time. Normally, thinking about him... just doesn't go anywhere. I have no idea who he is, or even if he knows I exist." Amara sighed, her mind replaying past conversations.
She had gotten very little information about her father growing up, and eventually she learned to stop asking. When she was old enough, her mother finally shared the slightly awkward truth; Her father was just a drunken fling, a few nights of fun. He had left town long before Amara's mother learned she was pregnant.
She cleared her throat.
"Now, with everything we've learned this last week, I can't help but wonder, if he were a succubus--"
"Incubus." Nick whispered.
"--Right, incubus, whatever. If he were an incubus, isn't this exactly what would happen? He shows up, impregnates some unsuspecting woman, and then vanishes. She's left to raise a kid on her own, and has no idea the kid's a demon."
Nick stayed quiet, likely giving her time to decide if there was more to say. "Well, when you put it that way... Is it worth asking Evelyn about this again? If she remembers anything strange?"
"Right, because that's a normal thing to ask a parent-- Hey, was dad, like, a little weird? Maybe a little demonic? 'Cuz I have horns now and I'm really confused." Amara chuckled as she imagined the conversation.
"Well, I was thinking you could ask with a bit more tact, but clearly that's expecting too much." Nick laughed, jumping aside to dodge Amara's punch.
"You know what I mean!" She huffed. "I tell my mom pretty much everything, and it would be obvious if I were tiptoeing around the truth."
Nick moved closer again, nudging her with his elbow. "What if you did tell her?"
Amara went quiet, staring at the sidewalk passing beneath her feet. Her mind raced with possibilities, wondering how the conversation might go.
"I... I don't know. She would be supportive, curious, and probably a little freaked out, but I'm not scared she would be upset." Amara looked at Nick again, "I just don't think I'm ready yet. The thought of telling someone, even mom, about this..."
The two of them walked in silence for another few minutes, leaves billowing around them as the autumn winds picked up. In the distance, cheering could be heard from the stadium, the game already underway. Nick pulled out his phone, silently texting for a moment, then pocketed it again.
"Vee says everyone is already there," He said, "and that she's mad we're late."
Amara laughed, "I'm not afraid of her! I'll be late if I want to!" She raised her arms over her head, arching her back as she stretched. She made a face as she did, clearly not getting the relief she wanted.
"Everything okay? You pull something?" Nick asked.
"No, it's this Go--" Amara stopped herself, biting her tongue, "this fucking tail. You ever get leg cramps? When you sit a weird way for too long, and you have to walk around to shake it out? My tail does that constantly in this sweater, and it sucks."
She looked around, wondering if she could find somewhere to hide. She grabbed Nick, dragging him to a nearby building before opening the doors. As she darted inside, she turned to him and held up her hand.
"Stay here, holler if anyone gets close. I'll just be a minute!" She closed the door, now alone in a small staircase. Other than a few small bulbs, the only light here was sunlight filtering in through the window in the door. Safe from prying eyes, she uncurled her tail from her waist and set it free.
A sigh of relief left her lips, and she walked around as she stretched. She moved her tail in large, dramatic flourishes as she tried to shake it back to life. She flexed, raising it high before pulling it into her hands to massage it. Finally, she gave it a quick whip through the air, satisfied she'd worked all the kinks out.
"Back in the sweater you go..." She mumbled, still not sure how to feel about it. As she left, she caught Nick looking back at her, but his eyes quickly darted back to his phone as she reached the door.
"Nicholas! Were you watching me?" Amara asked, feigning indignancy.
"Hey, I'm just curious. You live with it, but most of this week we've been out in public, and I've barely seen it." He tucked his phone away as they started walking.
"Well, don't let me catch you again, or I'll suspect you're developing a new fetish!" She smirked, bumping into Nick, "Girls with tails... that must be hard to find porn of."
Nick shrugged, "Eh, I'm pretty sure I'm not a furry, so I'm not too worried."
"What's a furry?" Amara asked, her head tilted.
"You... you can't be serious." Nick gawked, "You've never heard of furries?"
She shook her head, certain she was about to learn, whether she wanted to or not.
"Wow... where do I even start? Furries are like... did you ever see Disney's Robin Hood? Or Zootopia?"
Nick continued, his impromptu lecture taking up the rest of their walk to the game.
---
The campus stadium was full of life, though it wasn't at full capacity. It could technically hold close to 10,000 people, but it only reached those numbers a few times a year. The college football season had started about a month ago, and attendance had evened out after the first few games. Other than football, the stadium made an ideal spot for several large events, and it wasn't uncommon to see the field repurposed during the off season.
Thankfully, since today's game had already started, most of the students were comfortably settled into their seats. Amara hadn't been late on purpose, but the convenience couldn't be ignored; She'd been terrified of crowds ever since growing her tail, and this made it easier to navigate safely.
Nick and Amara made it to the bleachers quickly, and from there it wasn't long before they found their friends.
Tessa was sitting above everyone else, cupping a large thermos in her hands. Her short black hair was shaved on one side, replaced with a collection of tattoos. Needlessly intricate eyeliner decorated her face, which was also adorned with a small collection of piercings. The effort she put into her makeup didn't reflect anywhere else; her outfit today was mismatched, baggy, and likely hadn't been washed in a while.
Vee sat on the bench in front of Tessa, her appearance much more polished. Her blonde hair had been partially braided behind her head, and what little makeup she wore was barely noticeable. She was leaning back, resting her elbows next to Tessa as they talked.
Chloé sat off to the side, the last of Amara's friends present. A long, deep blue coat hid her relatively small body, and a small journal sat in her lap. A matching scarf hung off her neck, and she routinely fidgeted with the few strands of hair that weren't up in a bun. Thin glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, and her green eyes lit up with excitement as they spotted Nick and Amara approaching.
"--so that mostly makes sense, but why is there so much porn? What does that have to do with cute animal people?" Amara asked, scoping out a seat as she approached the rest of the girls.
"What's this about too much porn? Have you been holding back on me?" Tessa grinned as she jumped up, "Actually, I don't care. Amara! Get over here!"
Amara eagerly accepted the hug, but made sure that Tessa's arms stayed away from her waist. She repeated this with the other girls, excitedly greeting everyone before sitting down.
"So, I have to find out from Vee why you left the party early?" Tessa asked, settling back down on her perch. "You just... got tired and called it a night? You're such a grandma."
"Look, it was my first time, and it was just a little overwhelming!" Amara glanced at her feet, hoping they would accept her answer; Better they thought she was boring than find out about her and Nick.
Vee moved closer, stealing a seat next to Nick before talking. "Oh, lighten up Tessa. At least she's smart enough to take care of herself. How hungover were you on Sunday?"
"No more than usual, but that's what coffee is for!" Tessa held up her thermos, then raised it to her lips and drank. As she lowered it, Amara couldn't help but notice the heavy bags under her eyes.
"How much coffee have you had today?" Amara asked, eager to change the topic away from the party.
"I dunno, 5 or 6 drinks? What do you care?" Tessa stuck out her tongue before noticing Amara's disapproving stare, "Look, I've just been sleeping like shit, okay?"
"Caffeine tends to be less effective in larger quantities, you really should cut back..." Chloé said, finally breaking her silence. Her eyes were focused on her journal, and she continued drawing as she spoke. "I bet you'd sleep better too."
Tessa groaned, rolling her eyes as she threw her head back. "You guys suck. Normally I love when it's three on one..." She put her coffee down, then pivoted to lay across the bleacher. "Ah well, maybe I can put together a real foursome for the Halloween party... Wouldn't that be a treat!"
Amara bit her tongue hearing Tessa's comment; She was used to her friend being vulgar, but it felt different given her recent sexual discoveries. "Speaking of Halloween, do we have a plan?"
"That depends on what we want to do." Chloé started, flipping to the back pages of her journal, "Officially, the school has a few events they put on. They always have a movie night in the quad, and normally several fraternity halls partner with the event committee to turn their places into haunted houses. Unofficially, however, there are several notable parties being planned for the weekend. The most prominent is at the same place we all went to last Saturday."
Vee leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of Chloé's journal. "Do you always write stuff like this down? I thought your journal was just for drawings and class notes."
Chloé closed her book, pulling it into her chest again. "W-well, last year Tessa complained that we didn't do enough..."
Hearing this, Tessa sat up again, spinning to face Chloé. "You did all that for me? Seriously?" She leaned in, hugging Chloé tight. "You're adorable! Okay, let me see what our options are..."
Tessa moved down next to Chloé, pulling Amara close as all three of them looked over the holiday schedule. They pulled out their phones, trying to put together a plan for the coming weekend.