Page 5 of My Demon Neighbor
"No, I know you wouldn't want to go. But he lives right there. He could give you a one-on-one class."
I shook my head, my free arm clamping around my middle instinctively. "That's not...I can't..."
"What if I was there too? Would that make things easier?" she suggested, and I exhaled loudly.
I knew I had to compromise somewhere, somehow. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life cooped up in this house. I wanted to be able to go back out, and I didn't think I could even try until I felt confident in my ability to protect myself. I had to start somewhere, and having Nessa with me had to help, right?
"I suppose."
"Great! Do you want me to talk to him?"
"You have his number?"
"No, but the community center website had his socials. I thought I'd try that."
"I can do it." Icoulddo that, right?
"You sure? You're not just saying it?"
"I'm sure," I promised, then sighed. "I don't—I don't like being trapped in this house either, Ness."
Nessa made a sympathetic sound. "I know, sweetie. This will be a good first step—you'll see."
"I hope so."
I sat down on the couch as we continued talking, and when the call ended, I pulled up the website on my phone, knowing I'd chicken out if I put it off for later.
Since I still remembered the community center's name, finding the website, and Pythor's socials from there, was easy.
I'd deleted all my socials in a fit of anxiety a few months ago, so I had to make a new one to message him. I went with a generic username, then used a corner of my current painting for the profile pic before opening a chat window with him.
Then I stared at it as I tried to figure out what to say, as I tried to get up the nerve to sayanything. My eyes flicked to the set of paintbrushes, and I sighed.
I had to do this. If I wanted any kind of life, I had to take the first step. Those bastards stole everything from me. My freedom, my soul, my sense of safety. I didn't know if I'd ever get it all back, but I knew I couldn't give up without giving it my best try.
"I got this," I muttered to myself, then started typing.
