Chapter 2: The Book
     “How was it?” Jennifer asked Lauren as they walked into the cafeteria.
     “Same old, same old,” Lauren replied with a shrug. They sat down at the empty table in the middle of the cafeteria.                                “Enough about me, how was your date with Al last night?” Lauren asked with a small smirk, causing Jennifer to turn red.                                                     “I-It was great! We went out for Italian food.” As Jennifer talked about her date, Lauren thought about what it would be like to meet someone like she had. 

“What kind of dudes are you into? I’ve never heard you talk about anyone,” Jennifer pried, taking a sip of her Coke.
      “I don’t know. Maybe someone with purple hair to match mine,” Lauren joked, smoothing down her black and purple hair. Jennifer laughed, causing some of her coke to come out of her nose.
“Aw, Miss Perfect that was nasty!” Lauren chuckled into her milk.

    “Where were you young lady? You’re five minutes late,” Her mother demanded once Lauren opened the door.
     “Oh, my cult and I ran out of demon candles, so I had to drive downtown to pick them up along with some voodoo charms,” Lauren replied sarcastically, kicking off her black boots.
     “A package came for you.” Lauren quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed the package and scurried upstairs. She ripped open the box, to find that it was her care package that she’d purchased from England. There was jewelry, some antiques, and a large, leather bound book with a pentagram on the front. She smiled and crashed onto her black, velvet chair, and flipped it open. The book was something that she’d been waiting for since December. It was an antique that had originally been in Bodleian Library! It was a journal written on demons and other mythical creatures, along with how to communicate with them. This book had costed her enough money to buy a house, but to her, it was all worth it. Since the journal was ancient, it was all in old British text, but she’s gotten used to it over the years. She flipped to a page that had an illustration of a demon-summoning ceremony. It told her about how to summon a demon and the materials needed. The next page gave her examples of chants to summon particular demons, and they all seemed to have a similar goal. To grant a wish. Lauren thought for a few minutes, before deciding,
     “I’m going to summon a demon!” she shouted, standing up and racing out the door, book in hand, to go to the grocery store.

     “I can’t believe that you can buy dried rosemary and wolfsbane in the herb section.” Lauren muttered to herself. She sprinkled the herbs into a pentagram form, and lit the candles at the sides. Then she pulled the book to her, and did the final step. Honestly, she was a skeptic about all this. She was just simply bored. The line of herbs caught on fire, just as the book said, but it soon died down and then. Nothing. Lauren sighed in disappointment.
“What was I thinking anyway?” she asked herself. She swept up the herbs, and put the candles back into her desk. She yawned and checked her clock; 11:39. She changed into her oversized Sid tee, and got ready for bed. She snuggled into her Furry Bones plush, and sighed.
“I knew that it wouldn’t work.” She mumbled, and soon she fell asleep. She was completely unaware of the emerald eyes gazing at her from outside of her window.

Chapter 3: The New Student
     “Alright, and then we apply the Pythagorean Theorem, and . . .”
Lauren inwardly groaned as her geometry teacher droned on and on.
     “Um, excuse me? Is this Mr. Park’s class?” a British laced voice asked, waking Lauren up from her daydream. She looked to the doorway, where a boy was standing awkwardly. The boy had messy, golden hair, and emerald eyes. He had similar clothes compared to Lauren, black leather jacket with an Iron Maiden tee underneath. He was also the most beautiful creature that Lauren had ever laid eyes on. She smiled a bit, which was a new for her, but then he made eye contact with her. She quickly dropped her gaze and pretended to write some solutions.
     “Yes. I take it you’re the new student? Arthur Johnson is it?” Mr. Park asked, looking down at his thick notebook.
     “Yes sir,” Arthur replied with his beautiful accent.
     “Take a seat next to Ms. James.” Lauren immediately looked up at the mention of her last name. Arthur smirked at her, and walked over, taking the empty seat to her left.
     “Hello, Love,” he said, taking out a folder and pencil out of his plaid backpack. Lauren smiled nervously back.
     “Hi,” she said quickly, and then went straight back to working, hoping that he didn’t notice her flustered expression.

     “Was he cute?” Jennifer asked as Lauren took out her binders from her locker.
     “Too cute for words,” Lauren replied. Jennifer was having trouble taking this in. Lauren talking about anyone other than to complain about them? It was unheard of.
     “He must be a real god.” Jennifer joked, earning a sigh from her best friend.
     “He must be,” she replied dreamily, and Jennifer almost fell backwards in shock. She snapped her fingers in front of Lauren’s face, trying to wake up her real best friend.
     “Hello? Anyone home? I’m looking for Lauren, can you call her back for me?” She asked, causing Lauren to scowl and shove Jennifer’s hand away from her face.
     “Be quiet,” she muttered, causing Jennifer to laugh with relief.
     “There she is!”

     “See ya tomorrow.” Lauren called over her shoulder to Jennifer, who went the opposite direction from where Lauren lived. She continued walking, with a rhythmic clunk of her boots. She was almost to her driveway, when an all-too familiar voice called out to her,
     “So this is where you live is it?” Lauren spun on her heel to find Arthur standing behind her.
     “What are you doing here?” she demanded, preparing to run inside at any second.
     “Well, you did call me here,” he replied with a shrug, and then pulled down the sleeve to his jacket, revealing a familiar looking pentagram tattoo. Lauren’s eyes widened, and remembered last night’s activities.
     “It worked,” she whispered, and then grinned childishly, raising a fist into the air.“It worked!” she shouted happily, and Arthur gave her an odd look. “I can’t believe it! A real demon! Can you really grant my wish?” She asked him excitedly, running up to him with a spark in her eyes.

    “Yes I can.” He replied, and got down on one knee, holding out one hand like a gentleman.

“Your wish is my command,” he said with a devilish smirk. Lauren blushed and took his hand, pulling him up.
     “I wish, to find someone to live for,” she whispered, but she still knew that it was clear in his ears.
     “You do know the price, don’t you?” he asked, and she nodded. She’d read enough to know that a demon grants a wish in return for a soul. They called it a deal. Arthur sighed, and muttered, “So young…” But nonetheless, he pulled out a composition notebook, and ripped out a page, scribbled something onto it, and then handed it to Lauren along with a pen.
“Please sign on the dotted line.” Lauren took a shaky breath, and thought this over. Is finding someone for this life really worth my next? She thought silently, and then took a deep breath. And with no more thoughts, signed in messy cursive, Lauren James. Arthur plucked the piece of ripped paper out of Lauren’s still trembling hands.
“Are you alright, Love?” He asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.
     “I’m fine.” She replied with a reassuring smile.
      “If you say so.”

Chapter 4: Yes, Your Majesty
    “When will I get my results?” Lauren asked, now confident with the idea of a demon finding her soul mate.

     “When the time comes,” Arthur replied, reading over the paper covered in scribbles.
     “Well then, what should I do until then?”
     “Don’t worry, if you read here, it says that I’m your loyal servant until your wish is granted.” Arthur shoved the paper into her face, and very messily, it did indeed say that he was indebted to her until she got her wish.
     “Wait, does that mean that you can do things for me until then?” she asked, a smile creeping its way up her face.
     “Yes,” he replied, and swung his bag onto his shoulder.
“Your wish is my command after all.” Lauren thought for a second, her finger resting on her chin, and then snapped her fingers.
     “Can you get me straight A’s and a ticket to the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway?” She asked, her voice laced with skepticism.
     “Yes, Your Majesty.” Arthur replied with a grin, and then reached into his bag. He pulled out a ticket, and a stack of papers. “Here is your ticket, and here are the next assignments, all done and perfect.” Lauren looked over the papers, and they were all of her essays, debate notes, worksheets, everything! And then she looked at her ticket, and it was indeed a ticket to see Phantom on Broadway! She squealed and embraced Arthur.
     “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she shouted, and released him.
     “I’m only your loyal servant,” he said with a perky smile.

     Lauren fell backwards onto her bed and giggled; she couldn’t wait to find him! She clutched her Hello Batty plush to her chest, just dreaming of him.
     “Your bedroom is very interesting.” Lauren sat up to see Arthur next to her on her bed.
     “How did you get in here?” she asked, looking him over to make sure he didn’t have a crowbar hidden in his clothing.
     “Window, of course,” he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lauren walked over to her window, and checked both the locks and the fly screen. They were just as they were when she checked yesterday.
     “Forgot. Demon,” she whispered, and walked over to him. He was inspecting her book collection, and he picked up the book that was left open. It was the book that she summoned him with.
     “Blimey! I haven’t seen this one in a while, couple centuries at least!” he exclaimed, flipping through the pages.
     “You… recognize that book?” Lauren asked, looking over his shoulder to read what page he was on. It was an illustration of an old man. He was smiling, and his wrinkle-covered face made him look like a wrung towel.
     “I remember posing for this!” Arthur laughed, shaking his head.
     “W-What? This is an old man from the late 1600’s at least!” Lauren said, picking the book out of his hands, and held it next to his face, comparing the two. “I suppose you sort of look alike.” She put the book down, and studied the old man’s face.
     “How about now?” Lauren looked up to see an old man next to her and she let out a shriek.
     “Arthur?” She asked, and touched his face. She then looked into his eyes. They were bright emerald, and didn’t have the faded look that most elders had in their eyes. They looked like they were full of fire, and could go bungee jumping off of the Empire State Building at any second. She looked back at the illustration, and he was a perfect match.
     “Demons can change their age at will, Love.” When she looked back, he was the same Arthur as before, zipping up his jacket.
“I remember how shocked the artist was when he saw me change back. It was bloody priceless!” Arthur chuckled, and then snapped his fingers, as if remembering. “Show me your shoulder.” Lauren gave him an odd look, but pulled down her oversized tee so that he could just see the tip of her shoulder.
“There it is!” he exclaimed after examining it.
     “What?” Lauren demanded, and looked down to see a pentagram tattoo, that matched his perfectly.
“Seriously!?” she exclaimed excitedly. She’d always wanted a tattoo, but she had imagined a skull instead. Of course, a pentagram was great as well.
     “It basically shows other demons that you’re mine.” Arthur said happily. Lauren looked at him with a look of pure shock on her face.
     “What,” she demanded, glaring daggers into his face.
     “Alright then, g’night,” he said, crashing onto her chair.
     “Um, what are you doing?’ Lauren asked, walking over to her bed.
     “Well, I’ll be staying here. I can’t leave my owner in danger after all,” he replied with a shrug.
     “Do you have to be in my room?” Lauren asked, wondering what would happen if her parents woke up to see Arthur watching Lauren sleep.
     “Yes.” He crossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees, proving that he wasn’t leaving. Lauren sighed and flopped into bed.
     “So graceful.”
     “Shut up!”

Chapter 5: The Transfer Student
     Lauren walked through the hallways with her head held higher than usual. All of the girls in the hall glared at her with envy as she walked next to Arthur. Lauren glanced at him, remembering their previous conversation:
     “You do know that every girl in school is going to hit on you right?” Lauren asked him with a light chuckle.
     “Doesn’t matter, you’re the only one I care about, Your Majesty.” Arthur replied with a grin.
     Lauren smiled a bit and looked down at the ground. She was alright with being the envy of every girl in school.

     “How were you able to change your schedule according to mine?” Lauren asked, as she looked over his new schedule, that was identical to hers.
     “How is it that you are still able to question me?” he asked, while adjusting his cuffs. Lauren rolled her eyes, and shut her locker.
     “Lauren!” Lauren turned to see Jennifer running to her, her pink heels clacking beneath her.
     “Hey,” Lauren replied, turning to her.
     “So… This is Arthur?” Jennifer looked him up and down, and gave an approving nod.
     “He is so your type,” she concluded with a wink.
     “Shut up.” Lauren chuckled, lightly punching Jennifer in the arm. They were interrupted by the bell, and they parted ways.
     “People see us that way, huh?” Arthur teased, wrapping an arm around Lauren. She rolled her eyes and shoved his arm off.
     “Remember why I called you?” Lauren said. But the thought had never crossed her mind. Maybe a creature that ate souls could be her soulmate. She looked over at him. His laid back expression would easily make him attractive to any girl. She realized that she’d been staring at him a little too long, because soon enough she’d crashed into someone in front of her.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” she apologized, as she looked up to see a boy turn around to look at her. He was tall with black hair and almond eyes, he also had 5 piercings that were all over his face except for his ears.
     “Mm,” he replied, and then ignored her entirely. For high school, that was maybe the equivalent to someone giving you flowers and chocolates simply to be kind.

     Lauren sighed in relief as her 4th period bell rang, which meant lunch. She felt her stomach growl as she stood up.
     “Are you hungry, Majesty?” Arthur asked, popping up next to her.
     “What gave it away?” Lauren grumbled, as she walked out of her foreign language class. Arthur had been following her all day, making her even less popular with her female classmates. He’d been able to convince every one of their teachers so far for him to sit next to her, and she couldn’t even read without his breath down her neck. They walked into the cafeteria, where Jennifer was already sitting at their usual table.
     “Hey,” Jennifer said, as Lauren sat down next to her. “How was your quiz in 3rd period? I want to know so I know what to study extra.” Jennifer pulled out her bright pink binder, covered in forced selfies of her and Lauren.
     “I don’t remember much…” Lauren admitted. Throughout the entire test, Arthur had given her his, all done, correct, and matched to her handwriting perfectly.
     “Oh, I can tell you all of the questions, Love.” Arthur said, and Lauren looked at the table to find a three-course meal with a traditional roast, mashed potatoes, and croissants.
     “What is this!?” she exclaimed, looking over the meal big enough to feed every single pilgrim in Plymouth.
     “I simply prepared what I could with what I had. Is it not to your liking?” Arthur asked, looking it over.
     “N-No. It’s fine. Anyone want some roast in a public cafeteria?” Lauren offered, and Jennifer put her sushi tin back into her backpack.
     “May I sit here?” The three looked up to see the boy that she’d bumped into earlier.
     “Yeah, of course. Help yourself to some food if you want also. We’ll have enough leftover, don’t worry,” Lauren said, as the boy sat down next to Arthur.
     “I’m Leon Wang. I’m a transfer student.” He introduced himself with a gentle smile.
     “Oh, I’m Lauren, and this is Jessica,” Lauren said, pointing at herself, then Jessica.
“So, where are you from?” Lauren asked, cutting into my meat.
     “Beijing,” he replied, and took a croissant.
     “Oh! I heard that the world’s largest shopping mall is in Beijing,” Jennifer commented, and Leon nodded, obviously uninterested.
     “Your Majesty, are you finished with your food?” Arthur asked, whilst glaring at Leon. Leon looked at Lauren oddly.
     “Do you pay him for this?” Leon asked, pointing at Arthur.
     “No…” Lauren sighed, and Leon continued to stare at her.
     “You are quite pretty.” He blurted, and then covered his mouth, with a small blush creeping over his face.
     “I apologize. I thought that I was speaking Cantonese.” And that’s when Lauren knew, she’d found him. She’d found the person whom she was looking for.

Epilogue
     “Arthur, I think we’ve found him!” Lauren squealed on their way home.
     “Are you quite sure? You thought the same about me until you realized that I was out for your soul.” Arthur replied, and Lauren turned to him.
     “What does that mean?” Lauren demanded, and she knew that he was forced to answer.
     “I just don’t have kind feelings towards him.” Arthur replied with a nonchalant shrug, but his eyes said different.
     “Oh.” Lauren continued walking, and stared silently at her demon guardian. She didn’t understand what he had meant by “kind feelings towards him,”. Lauren didn’t even know if demons could have kind feelings. But the fire within her, the fire that told her Leon was the one, it still burned fiercely. With the help of her demon, she would become his, and he would become hers.