Daisy meets Salem (Daisy’s POV)

*This story is underneath my folder titled “Salem, Daisy, and other lost souls in Cherry Brook”. Gacha Club character designs are under this forum: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116005&start=1125. I hope you enjoy!*

Daisy walked through the woods, the ends of her lavender nightgown already speckled with dirt. The moon lit the rock-ridden soil ground for her, she could see as clearly as she did in the day.

The chill of the night and the stone-cold glow of the moon gave such pleasant goosebumps among her skin, such fanciful frightful thoughts of what waited in the darkness.

Daisy simply liked to learn about the more “nightmarish looking” creatures by reading books just because it was much more fun than reading about mundane words about everyday life.

Of course, most of the town called her a “witch” for reading such words. Even her parents and her older sister, Demelza, had taken part in their words! Her little brother, Justin, was much too young to think of her as anything other than his sister, but one day, he would join in. It was inevitable.

So, Daisy would talk walks in the moonlight in hopes of finding something interesting and so that she wouldn’t have to worry about their words. Nothing much happened, but Daisy kept coming, for just because nothing happened didn’t mean that nothing would ever happen.

There was a rustle in the leaves, as though something were slithering in the dirt. Daisy walked more carefully, so as not to scare away whatever was out there. She listened in as she walked further and further…

“A human? Out here? Why, what a treat!” A boy’s lilting voice cried out joyfully.

The slithering got closer, Daisy felt something tightening around her waist, her muscles were constricted, as though she was very near death. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her skin felt far too close to her own muscles.

Daisy looked down. A red and black snake’s tail circled around her body, a tail that was far too big to be a normal tail, a tail that stretched on and on, overtaking quite the blot of the floor.

“Eyes up here, m’lady.” The lilting boy’s voice said in a tone that sounded like a smile.

Daisy looked up, her heart skipped a beat. For attached to the snake’s tail was none other than a pale boy with such vibrant green eyes, so bright that they gave her a jolt of surprise when she made contact with them. His black hair grew in jagged angles, but nonetheless, it framed his face just like a painting. His grin was one of thin, cracked lips, like aged marble. His sharp teeth glinted divinely.

Daisy had read about all sorts of different creatures in her books and suspected to be a creature of Asian folklore, a naga, the human-serpent magical being, but she did not prod, for that was something he would choose to talk about if he wanted to.

“What’s your name? Why are you here?” The boy asked, not letting her go.

Oh, but if he let her go, then she would be all alone, then her thoughts would come tumbling back and she wouldn’t feel his wonderful tail encircling her body, protecting her!

He could be trying to kill me, though. He might choke me to death and eat my corpse. But then, I would be with him forever! My body would be in the land of magic forevermore! Is death as terrible as my parents say it is?

“Oh, I’m Daisy! I just like to come here to relax and to find a certain magic in the air. The whole town calls me a witch just because I do these things, but I don’t even practice magic! I’m not a witch…yet. But what about you? What’s your name?” Daisy asked.

She felt his tail tighten around her body, her heart raced yet again. Never before had she ever experienced something so lively, so exciting! Would she live or die? It was up to him to decide!

“Salem. Salem is my name. I’ve had a somewhat similar predicament to you. I used to be human but I got too caught up in the fae world and now I am this. The human world had called me a monster for even trying to seek more. I am sorry that they are treating you the same way. I see not much has changed.” Salem said, his green eyes holding hints of sadness.

“You don’t need to be sorry. I’ve learned to live with it.” Daisy beamed.

Yet his words had brought about a new perspective in her mind. The romanticism of life or death had blinked away for just a moment. For just a moment, she thought of an eternity of being shunned, of possibly never seeing him again, of living a life of miserable solitude, all with sanity crawling away…

“I’m glad that you’ve got a positive outlook. It’s good that you’re not upset with who you are. The worst thing is hating the body that you live in.” Salem said.

He looked down as though he wished to crawl within himself, as though he didn’t believe his own words. Daisy tried her best to think of words that could comfort him, but her thoughts were all tangled up like his tail, not making a single shred of sense.

Why couldn’t comforting someone be so much easier than closing herself off?

“Say, do you mind if I keep you for the night? I’m awfully lonely tonight and I would most appreciate your company.” Salem said sweetly.

“I’m just fine spending the night with you! Whatever can make you feel better, Salem. These are trying times that we’re living in.” Daisy said earnestly.

Salem’s smile was enough to make Daisy’s heart twinkle evermore, for it brought life to his pale, gaunt face, made his eyes glitter brighter than before.

As Salem whisked her away, Daisy felt the benevolent hope that she wouldn’t be alone, that she’d find her one true solace…

For if Salem cared enough to speak to her, then perhaps he’d know how deep her despair was.

But that was for later, if he really loved her. She wouldn’t pressure him.