Chapter Three: Rose Says:

That Devil had an effect on me. He was just a boy. I would probably never see him again. So, why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? Instinct warned me to run away. My parents told me to stay away from his kind. But, I wanted to learn more about him. Looking back now, he’s probably the reason I saw the truth.

The next day, I went to work like I normally did. I hadn’t thought much about what I would do if I ran into that Devil again. I didn’t see him again yesterday. I hadn’t expected to either. We had just opened for the day when I saw him approaching us. My heart jumped in my chest.

“It’s you,” I said. He raised his eyebrow at me.

“Yes?” he asked. I shifted my eyes away from him.

“Uh… well… uh…” I said. I didn’t even plan on what I was going to say to him if I ever ran into me him again. I blinked and rubbed my eyes.

“Something wrong?” he asked. I shook my head.

“No,” I said. I moved aside and walked by me. I could’ve sworn he whispered something beside me. When I turned my head, he had disappeared. Did I imagine him there? I turned walked into the bakery.

Sure enough, the Devil sat on the bench near the door. He whistled loud enough to make me jump. He sat like a proud kind, smirking at me. I folded my arms across my chest.

“Okay, what do you want with me?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders. I breathed to stay calm.

“Look,” I said. “I don’t know what you are playing at, but I don’t like it.” He pushed back his black hair.

“I’m not playing a game,” he said.

“Excuse me?” I asked. “Then… what are you doing?”

“Wouldn’t like to know?” he asked. I didn’t know whether to slap him or scream. I breathed harder as I rocked on my feet.

“Look, are you going to buy something?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said.

“Then can you please leave?” I asked. “This is a bakery. You shop here. If you are not doing that, you can’t linger around here. So could you please get out of here?” This Devil put up his hands.

“Fine,” he said. He got up and walked past me again. For a second time, I froze and turned around. This time, I heard him just as clear.

“I will be seeing you again,” he said. By the time I turned around, the glass door had swung closed, making the bell ring above. A chill ran down my spine. My mind went blank.

“Rose?” I heard. I whipped around to see my grandma walking from the back office. I cleared my throat and pressed my lips together.

“Yes?” I asked in a squeak. She raised an eyebrow.

“Who were you talking to?” Grandma asked.

“A customer that came here yesterday,” I said, pointing to the door. “He just left.” Grandma pushed up her glasses.

“Did he want anything?” she asked. I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “He just showed up for no reason and told him leave.”

“Is that right?” Grandma asked.

“Yes,” I said, bowing my head. When I glanced up, I caught a cold look in her eyes. Something about her facial expression made me shiver.

“Grandma?” I asked.

“It would be in your best interest to not associate yourself with that boy,” she said in a growl. I stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Grandma…” I said.

“That boy will lead to your ruin and tarnish this village!” she said. “Stay away from or you will be shunned.” I didn’t know how to response. I had my mouth opened, but I doubt that any words came out. Suddenly, Grandma smiled.

“That’s all I wanted to say,” she said. She clapped her hands. “Come on, let’s get going. Today’s going to the be a busy day. The festival is coming up this weekend, you know?” I slowly nodded.

“Yes… Right…” I said. I followed her around to the back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Grandma look so angry before. I didn’t like it.