Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend

10- Amusement Park

"Mephistopheles. Although you are but a youngling, you are still a full-fledged demon. You realize what being a demon means, do you not?"

"Yes."

"Then why must you act like humans do? You were sent to a human village to observe how they behave, not to become one of them."

"I am aware."

"Are you, truly? I was informed that you were attempting to learn human emotions and behavior."

"I was not."

"Lying is human behavior, for instance. We, demons, are truthful creatures, as deceitful as we might appear."

"I know. I only have to follow the contracts then claim my souls. You only told me this a thousand times."

"Sarcasm is also a human trait. Now, tell me, Mephistopheles. Why were you trying to learn how to smile?"

"I was not."

"So you are just going to deny it then. So be it. Go ahead, learn about human emotions. You will understand what I mean soon. Once you experience it, you will know why we, demons, should not harbor any sentiments towards our contractors."

Sylvia was silent throughout the taxi ride to the amusement park. Something about Mephistopheles was bugging her, though she could not put a name to it. Was it the way he dodged her question twice? Was it how distant he felt, as opposed to how he acts at home? Was it this sense of uneasiness that she herself was feeling? Was it all of this? She did not know, but it bothered her. Mephistopheles himself did not start any conversation with her, being too pre-occupied with how the cab moved and how the scenery changed. He reminded her of her cat being taken for the first time to the vet. Granted, he was tense and alarmed, but his big green eyes were full of awe and astonishment as they stared out the window. Sylvia sighed deeply; she missed Mittens so much.

"You okay?" He apparently caught her sigh and was now looking at her. It was a bit of a shame that the sunglasses hid his gem-like eyes. She half smiled as she replied: "Yup, I am good. We're almost there." The amusement park could be seen from a distance, and the cab soon came to a halt. Sylvia paid the fee then checked her wallet for how much money she had left. Not much, but not empty either. It should be enough to last her until her monthly pay. When they both stepped out of the car they were both reminded of how noisy these locations were, what with the screaming from rides and loud engines. They looked at each other with a mutual sense of discomfort, then slowly made their way to purchase the tickets.

While Sylvia got the tickets, Mephistopheles watched the rides ahead. Again, he had that childish look of wonder all over his face, which served to put some of her worries at ease. If he was not having fun, he was at least seeing and experiencing new things. So this day out was not a complete waste of time and money. She handed him his ticket, which he eyed curiously, then put hers in her pocket.

"Come on, let's get going." Sylvia said.

Sylvia decided to let Mephistopheles pick the rides, a little curious to see his preference. Again, she expected him to want the risky and dangerous ones, like roller coasters or drop towers. Again she was surprised to know that it was not the case at all.

"I don't know," he said when she asked him if he wanted to go on a roller coaster. "Something about being thrown around like that kinda bugs me." His tone was sarcastic and critical. "Do you humans like being tossed to and fro like that? Well, I guess you do." He answered his own question and walked away. What this picky demon actually wanted to ride, or at least appeared less uninterested in, were the carousel and the Ferris wheel.

"I thought demons would prefer action and all that stuff." Sylvia commented, watching him nonchalantly riding a plastic white horse. "You always tell me my wish is boring." She added, resting her arms on her own horse's head. "Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we want to be played with like a ball. I'd like to do the moving myself, thank you very much." Mephistopheles had both his legs crossed on the horse's back, while he leaned on his arms which he had rested on the toy's behind. It impressed Sylvia how he could keep his balance so easily, even if the carousel was dreadfully slow. He seemed so comfortable too. At least he wasn't tense like earlier, though the general noisy atmosphere was getting on both of their nerves. She secretly liked that he shared her aversion towards crowded places.

Thus, the ride ended as it had started, slow and boring. Even Sylvia would have chosen something else, maybe the horror house, or shooting games. But she was here for Mephistopheles, not for herself, so she would gladly accept to be stuck in a dreadfully slow Ferris wheel if that was what he wanted. Alas, that was indeed what he picked next, and they waited in line for their turn. At least they won't be able to hear the obnoxious amusement park music once they were in a cabin. She comforted herself. She noticed something peculiar about her contract demon, however. Just as she was observing him for the whole day, he was also frequently casting short glances at her whenever he made a choice or expressed an opinion, as though he was feeling for her reaction. This was a little strange too, since he usually talked quite comfortably with her at home and never seemed to care what she thought about it. Maybe introverted demons existed too, she thought to herself as she climbed into a red cabinet. This ride was a little more amusing than the last, for Mephistopheles stuck himself to the transparent glass and watched the scenery from above. This was a fun sight to see for her, and she genuinely enjoyed his curious reactions whenever the Ferris wheel would stop then move again. When was the last time she had come to these kinds of places? She suddenly found herself drifting towards thoughts of the past and instantly stopped herself. There was no good to be had from that mental torture. Sylvia had come here with the intention of thanking Mephistopheles for his support, and she was not going to let anything spoil it.

Or so she thought, for the second the pair stepped out of their cabinet, they were faced with David and his sister who had been waiting in line for their turn. At the sight of the girl next to him, Sylvia's heart dropped to her knees, and she found herself struggling to keep herself on her feet. David was twice surprised, first by the coincidence of their meeting, and second by the strange man standing next to Sylvia. The said strange man glanced at Sylvia in what appeared to be concern.

"Sylvia! What a coincidence." David commented with an awkward smile. As it were, things were still tense between them, and he was not sure how to break the ice. "Oh, this is my sister, by the way." He pointed at the girl next to him, "Her name's Mary. Say hi Mary, don't just stand there."

Mary was a tall girl who was no older than 17. She had David's sharp blue eyes. But unlike her older brother, who was a blond, she was a brunette with smooth short hair. She waved at the pair, her eyes traveling from Sylvia to Mephistopheles. The latter constantly shot glances at Sylvia, who was hiding her shaking hands under her armpits. Her lips trembled at her pathetic attempt at a smile, and she drew back from them.

"H-hi. Nice to meet... you." She mumbled, her voice barely audible. She was trying her best to keep it together. The day was almost over, and she did not want to ruin it for Mephistopheles, who was already watching her with visible worry on his face.

"Are you okay? Sylvia." David asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah."

"I think we should go." Mephistopheles eyed the pair, then wrapped his arm protectively around Sylvia's shoulders. He did not understand why her mood shifted so drastically all of a sudden, but he could guess that it had something to do with one of these two people. The move was then to take her away from them.

"And you are?" David added somewhat bitterly. He did not like how casually Mephistopheles touched her. He disliked even more how comfortable she was with that touch. Sparing him no glance, Mephistopheles turned Sylvia away from them and started to walk away, when the little girl suddenly spoke:

"Wait."

Sylvia felt weak in the knees. Were it not for Mephistopheles' hold, she would be on the cold, harsh ground right now.

"I think I know you from somewhere. You're... " Her dynamic voice crumbled into a mournful tone. "You're his sister, aren't you?"