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“Ouch, be careful, Belle,” a young halfling winces as the small, brown-skinned girl climbed on his shoulders. She reached for the fire escape ladder, hoisting herself up and grabbing the cool metal before ascending upward.
“Sorry, Azlan,” her small voice apologizes. When she made it up to the first platform, she gazed down at her friend. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Though it was dark, Belle could see a smile forming on his lips. He shook his head. “I’m fine, see.” As if to illustrate his point, Azlan rolled his shoulders, demonstrating to her that he was, indeed, fine. “Can’t hurt me, I’m invincible.”
Upon hearing her half-demon friend’s boast, she giggled. “Yeah, and I’m a pride demon,” she joked.
Shaking his head, Azlan took a step back. He then used his heightened agility to grasp a ladder, climbing after Belle who had already ascended the stairs towards the roof.
At the age of thirteen, Belle knew she shouldn’t be out this late. After all, demons preferred the night over the morning, making it dangerous for any human to be out at this hour. The humans with a daring streak ventured further into Eden City, where most purebloods resided.
Although the outer sectors had few to no purebloods, the humans and halflings who lived there were dangerous enough. Gangs had formed, drugs were sold in every shadow, and the death rate had increased, despite the news suggesting otherwise.
Nevertheless, Belle had to escape. Her foster parents were constantly fighting, and the only solace the young girl found was with her half-demon friend, Azlan. They had met three months ago, when she assisted Azlan in escaping from a predicament with a local gang and on a few occasions, the police.
He was a tagger. Being just fifteen years old, he felt that the only way he could communicate his thoughts was through his art, particularly spray painting. However, this was strictly illegal in Eden. He didn’t care about the consequences, which frequently led to more trouble. From this turmoil, his relationship with Belle was born; she was his protector, and he was her artist.
“Earth to Belle,” said Azlan, waving his hand in front of the young girl’s face. Belle blinked as if she had been in some sort of trance. “I thought I lost you for a minute there. Where were you?”
She gave him a sidelong glance and then smiled. “It’s nothing, it’s fine. Let’s go, we don’t want to miss the fireworks.”
They climbed in silence. Upon reaching the roof, they hurried to the edge just in time for the fireworks to begin.
It was that time of the year again when demons from all over the world gathered to celebrate the day, they could walk the earth again. To the Damned, it was a time of triumph and merriment.
However, to the mortals, it was like literal hell on earth. Despite this, Belle enjoyed watching the fireworks, especially in the company of Azlan. Their rooftop hangout had become a regular meeting spot throughout the months they had known each other.
“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” Belle gazed up at the sky, starry-eyed. She always relished the spectacle. Viewing the fireworks from up here was a unique experience, away from her makeshift bedroom in the shaft she called home.
“Yes,” Azlan responded breathlessly. His gaze was not drawn to the lights in the sky, but to the greyish-green-eyed girl beside him. Oblivious to her friend’s admiration, Belle continued to stare up at the sky.
Turning his gaze away from her oblivious state, Azlan watched the lights illuminate the night. Hoping that moments like this would last forever.
