They arrived on Earth, and her father pulled her in for a hug. His little, brave girl was going on a dangerous mission.
"Be careful," he said for the umpteenth time, and she smiled. She was sad she lost her mother. She knew her father was a demon, and his people wouldn't accept her either because she was half witch. But maybe... maybe after doing this and saving the demon race—they would accept her.
This wasn't just a mission for her. She was going to prove herself and save the demons whilst looking for a spell to bring her mother back.
"Take this." He handed her a necklace with a weird light emanating from it. "It'll make sure you don't blow your cover—right now, you're fully human, but your powers are intact." She nodded and wore it around her neck.
His soft gaze lingered on her forehead a while before he turned around and waved his hands like he did earlier, and the portal appeared again, and he vanished.
Seraph drew a breath.
She was alone now, completely on her own.
It was then the weight of the mission hit her—she was really going to kill someone. A person. Who was she kidding—she couldn't even hurt a fly, talk more of killing someone.
She started having second thoughts when she remembered her mother. She was the reason she was doing this—to end the curse and bring her back. She held the necklace and looked around, taking in her surroundings.
Moist scent of stone.
Cracked cobblestone walls.
Moss-stained rocks.
Dangling street lights...
She was in an alleyway.
She walked out, and kids almost bumped into her. She held herself from falling and looked at the direction in which they ran. It was filled with people—they seemed to be watching something.
She walked slowly to the spot, adjusting the shawl wrapped around her neck and the backpack placed on her shoulders. A man stood on the platform, holding a scroll, and from the looks of it, he seemed to be someone from the palace.
The man opened the scroll and cleared his throat.
"People of Nevaline, as you may know, the prince, Xavier, has come of age to marry."
The ladies didn't let him finish before squealing. Seraph rolled her eyes and focused on the man.
"And he is in need of a woman to be his bride. The selection will take place first thing tomorrow morning, and you all are invited to perform, and maybe... you may be chosen to be his bride." He laid emphasis on the "MAY," which made Seraph scoff.
The probability that any of them would be picked was zero to none. This was just the king's way of satisfying his people; a princess from another kingdom would probably be selected.
But she couldn't deny that she was a bit intrigued by the offer. Being a princess would probably quicken her mission more than being a maid, but how would she win? She was very unfamiliar with the customs of the people here.
The man finished his speech, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
The man stepped off the podium and was hurled into a carriage, which made its way to a place that Seraph could only think of as the palace.
The crowd dispersed slowly in groups, and she immediately felt out of place. She turned and started walking in the direction of a certain group of people who seemed to be her age. They were busy talking about the announcement that had just been made.
"I can't believe that Prince Xavier is getting married soon. He's so handsome and mysterious. He'll probably choose me," one of the girls said, flipping her hair back.
Seraph just trailed behind them quietly, listening to their conversation.
"Yeah, and I can't wait to be the one who gets chosen and rule over you all."
"You wish," another sneered, which made the second one glare at her.
"Bianca, what do you think? Will I get chosen?" The girl asked Seraph, who didn't answer since her name wasn't Bianca. The girl waited for a response but didn't get any, which made her turn to look at "Bianca," only to see Seraph behind her.
"Who are you?" she asked with scrunched brows.
Seraph blinked and pointed at her chest. "Me?"
"Yes, you!"
"I'm Seraph, a nobleman's maid," she replied, avoiding her gaze, hoping they would believe her lie. She didn't quite look the part.
The girl passed Seraph a scrutinizing look.
"I know most noblemen in our town, and I've not seen you around here."
Seraph gulped.
She was about to get caught. What would she say?
She opened her mouth, about to say something, when the first girl spoke.
"Her master probably came for Xavier's wedding. I mean, look at her attire—she doesn't seem to be someone from our kingdom. She's probably a maid to a rich man."
Seraph let out a shaky breath.
"Yes, that's... right," she stuttered, wiping invisible sweat drops from her forehead.
"Okay then. Nice to meet you, Seraph. I'm Lindsay, this is Laura, my sister, and she is Margaret."
Seraph nodded, took note of their names. The one who saved her was Margaret. She thanked her stars she was here. She wouldn't have been able to keep up with all the lies. Ironic, right? A demon who doesn't lie.
A girl approached them, and from the looks they gave her, she immediately knew she was the Bianca they mistook her for earlier.
"Sorry, I was trying some food at the pie shop," she rasped—breathless. She must've run all the way here.
She had the same stature as her so Seraph understood why they mistook her for her.
Lindsay rolled her eyes and continued walking, when Margaret stopped.
"I have to go, guys. Won't want Mother to start looking for me. Come on, let's go, Bee," she said, pulling Bianca, who nodded and followed her.
When Seraph heard "Mother," her mind reeled back to her own mother—those times when she would scold her for coming in late. But now, she wasn't here anymore.
It dampened her mood, but she hid it and continued walking with the girls.
She had no idea where they were going, but she at least hoped they were going to a house where she could sleep for the night.
Who was she kidding? Who would let a stranger sleep at their house? They barely even knew her, and she was planning to spend the night with them. Crazy...
They continued walking for a while until they reached a building, which Lindsay said was their stop. She waved them goodnight and walked away from the building. She badly wanted to tell them to let her spend the night with them, but it was weird. She couldn't just intrude, especially since she was a "rich nobleman's maid."
With a sigh, she continued walking, without a clue of where she was going.
A gust of cold wind hit her, making her wrap her hands around herself, rubbing her sides. She had nowhere else to go, and right now, she couldn't cast a spell, because it would blow her cover.
She wandered around the cold streets, looking for a place to at least stay for the night, when a hooded man bumped into her, making her fall to the ground.
He stopped and stretched his hands towards her.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?"
The necklace around her neck glowed a bright shade of green.