The Blood Inside

Chapter 1 My name is Saya Kazane. I’m a seven-year-old devil. I live on my own in an abandoned house, but I usually go to the underworld when I need something. I don’t really have many powers. All I know right now is that I’m very stealthy, and I’m pretty good with daggers. I usually spend my time hanging out with my best friend, Alita. She isn’t a devil, just a normal human girl. We’ve been friends for a couple of years now. She is the same age than me. Her skin is flawless, a smooth porcelain. She has striking hazel eyes. The thing I love the most about her is her hair. Her long raven hair with those crimson strands in it captivates me. “Hey, Alita, can you come out?” I stand in front of Alita’s house. “Yeah, I’ll be right down!” Alita runs downstairs and out the front door. She sees me and continues to run toward me. She jumps on me and easily takes me down. I lay on the ground as Alita pins me down. Her hands are gentle on my shoulders. The grass feels soft underneath me. Her hair reaches down to the sides of my face. “Alita, you were so fast. I didn’t even see you coming.” “Thank you. I have grown as a speedster.” We lock eyes and stare at each other. “My gosh, Saya, you’re so pretty. I can get lost in those scarlet eyes of yours. Why can’t I be as adorable as you?” “What are you talking about? You’re the cute one. I love those crimson-red strands in your hair. My beauty pales in comparison to you.” “You’re wrong, Saya. You’re absolutely gorgeous. So what would you like to do?” “I thought we just lie in the grass and stare up at the clouds.” “That will be nice.” She falls over to her side and lies next to me. I reach over and hold her hand. “The clouds are beautiful today.” She takes a deep breath and then releases it slowly. “They are. I wish we could stay next to each other forever. Don’t you . . . Alita.” I look over to her and notice that she is sleeping. “You look so peaceful.” I turn my attention back to the clouds. “I think I’ll get some rest too.” As soon as I close my eyes, I start hearing a noise. I sit up to look where it’s coming from. I keep hearing the noise but can’t figure out where it’s coming from. When I stand up and turn around, a cat is sitting in the middle of the street. “Kitty, come here before you get run over.” I notice a car down the street. I start running toward the cat. “I’m not going to make it.” Suddenly, a blur runs past me and picks up the cat and then stops on the other side of the street. I realize it was Alita. She comes walking back, holding the cat. “Alita . . . how did you?” “I told you I’m getting faster.” The cat jumps out of Alita’s arm and scratches her wrist. “Ow.” She raises her arm to reveal the scratch “Are you okay?” I grimace as I ask. “Yeah, I’m fine.” A small amount of blood comes out of the cut. I smell the scent of the blood. The cut heals instantly. My face becomes stone-like as I stare at Alita. “What’s the matter, Saya?” “Alita, can you answer something for me?” “Sure.” “Are you an angel?” “Yeah, is that going to be a problem?” “I have to go home now.” I turn around and walk back to my house. “Can we talk tomorrow?” I hear her shout, but I don’t answer back. The next day, Alita goes outside and runs to Saya’s house. “Saya!” Alita hears nothing. She shouts out again, “Saya, are you home?” but still no answer. She walks up to the window and notices there’s nothing inside. She goes up to the door and sees a piece of paper taped to it: I’m sorry, Alita, but I had to leave. Now that I know you’re an angel, we can’t be friends. “I guess I’ll head for the city.” I travel north on foot. The city slowly starts to come into view. “I wonder what the city has in store for a seven-year-old devil.” While I’m walking alone, I hear a scream coming from a distant park. When I reach the park, I hide behind a row of bushes. I peek through and see two girls and a boy around my age surrounding a guy kneeling on the ground. I catch a glimpse of a girl with long raven hair with the crimson strands in it. Her skin is the same flawless porcelain. My body goes into a brief state of shock. “Alita?” This raven-haired girl places her hand on the guy’s chest. The guy screams before he explodes outward, fading away into dust. “Yay, Miss that was fantastic.” The blond girl’s voice comes out sounding eerily excited about that guy’s gruesome death. The three of them leave the park. I decide to follow them. I notice that they are heading toward the city. I must meet this girl. Only a couple of minutes pass before they go inside this twenty-story building. I walk up to the door and stand there. As I place my hand on the door, I feel eyes looking upon me. “Hello there.” When her voice hits my ears, I slowly turn my head. She has a more childlike tone to her voice in comparison to mine and Alita’s serious tone. They’re standing there staring at me. How did they get next to me? I just watched them enter this building. My eyes fall onto the raven-haired girl. Her hair is longer than Alita’s. Both of them have those striking hazel eyes. It’s like she is peering deep into my soul. The blond-haired girl with pigtails is standing behind her. She has pitch-black eyes that sporadically sparkle. When you look into them, it was like staring into space. And she has cream skin. The boy stands next to her as they hold hands. He’s big for his age, which I assume is the same as mine. His hair is golden-wheat blond, and he has gray eyes that never strayed from her. “Hello.” My voice barely comes out. “You’ve been following us since the park. Is there something we can do for you?” I don’t say a word as I stare at her. “Well?” the raven-haired girl speaks sternly. “You look just like her,” I mumble under my breath. “What was that?” asks the raven-haired girl. I regain my focus. “What? Nothing. There’s something I need to know about you.” “What would you like to know?” Since this girl looks like Alita, there’s only one thing I wanted to know. “You wouldn’t happen to be an angel, would you?” When I ask it, silence begins to fill the space between us. The blond-haired girl bursts out into laughter. “Miss, she thinks you’re an angel! That’s great!” Her voice was higher pitched. It was pleasant though, and it fits her quite nicely. The raven-haired girl looks at me with a slight smile. “Actually, I’m a devil. All three of us are. My name is Kira Azazel. This energetic girl with the blond hair is my best friend, Rin. She’s a year older than me. The lovely boy you see standing next to me is my future husband, Liam Sirzech. He’s two years older. I live in this condominium with my parents, my brother, and Rin.” Kira, what a beautiful name. I knew it would be. “You live here?” My head rises up to take in this enormous building. “Yep,” she says with an even more childlike tone, “my father is rich and pretty powerful. How about you? Do you have any family?” “No,” I say as I turn my head away. “So what is your name, and what is a young devil like you doing out on her own?” My eyes quickly revert back to her. She was good at sensing me, even at a young age. “My name is Saya Kazane, and I left home because of somebody.” “Saya, that name is lovely. I think it fits perfectly with you. Rin, you may have some competition for my favorite name. Saya, I will never get tired of saying that. You said you left home because of somebody. Why, did someone harm you?” asks Kira. “Do you want us to go kill this person?” Rin immediately follows up with another question. “No, thank you. I just want to start a new life. I’m trying to find a place to live now.” Kira looks down at her dress and frowns. “Oh look, I got a hole in my dress. Saya, would you like to help me pick out a new one?” she says that with a sparkle in her eyes. She lets go of Liam and walks over to me. Her hand is outstretched toward me. I feel the warmth of her hand, without even touching it.