Salem meets Daisy (Salem’s POV)

*This story is under my folder titled “Salem, Daisy, and other lost souls in Cherry Brook”. Gacha Club character designs are under my forum titled “My character designs<33[2]”. Enjoy! The top half of Salem is human, bottom half of him is snake.*

Every day and night was the same. Athan would wail pitifully from his monster curse, Christian was slinking through the shadows, cursing any person who laid eyes on her to die, and Eerie…well, she was looking for more people to curse.

Salem was slithering through the woods, his snake tail rustling on the leaves. His stomach was empty, in search of mice to eat. There was still the human part of him that felt guilty about taking lives away, but that was a small part that faded in and out of his soul.

There was a careful tapping on the leaves that could only be the telltale sign of human footsteps.

Salem looked up from the dirt ground and felt quite the delight when he saw that there was a blond haired girl around his age walking throughout the woods, the ends of her nightgown dirt-stained. By the way she looked around, it seemed like she already knew her way around, but that the particular part of the woods she was in was new to her.

Salem felt a smile creep up his lips as he slithered closer, closer…

“A human? Out here? Why, what a treat!” Salem said, squeezing his tail around the girl’s body extra tight so that she wouldn’t run.

Her face flushed a little as she studied his tail. It must have astonished her, how the top part of him was human and the bottom part of him was a snake. His heart felt all strangled, thoughts of kissing her and eating her skittering around in his mind.

“Eyes up here, m’lady.” Salem said, fighting internally to keep the giggle out of his voice.

The girl looked up, transfixed by his eyes. Christian said that he had bright, tantalizing eyes. Eyes that she could sense were around ever since he was human, eyes that he was born with.

“What’s your name? Why are you here?” Salem asked, taking care not to let her go. For why ever would he ruin the fun?

“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, seeming to regret her words.

No, no! She didn’t need to worry, he could watch her face light up as she talked every day, hear her words every night!

“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.

Oh, why ever would they call such a sweet thing a witch? He sensed no malevolent aura from her and she was just the cutest little creature! Why, he could eat her up!

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

Ah, great! She was happy with herself. Salem felt a sorrow bloom inside of him, something that he always tried to push away.

But he didn’t let it fade. It was raw and real, Daisy deserved to feel some slight truth about him. A truth about him that wouldn’t make her worried or frightened.

“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, looking down at his own snake tail.

The snake tail he was cursed with, the snake tail that made him feel like a monster, the snake tail that had terrified so many.

If only he could believe his own words.

“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.

If she wanted to run, that was understandable. He was squeezing his tail all around her waist. Yet at the same time, he didn’t want to let go, because if he did, then she would go on saying such awful things about him and then the hunger would return, he’d ravage her like a beast. After the hunger would come the loneliness and then it would all start back up again. He wasn’t sure how long he could on with the creature that he was.

Daisy didn’t run. Instead, she smiled and said:

“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.”

Salem could have hissed with joy, but he stopped himself before he could make any embarrassing noises. Loosening his hold on her just a bit, he led her far, far away, to where his cave waited. It was dark and lightless, the only brightness being the flowers that grew in between the cracks in the rocks.

Perhaps it would be comfortable if she slept in the coils of his tail. If that was the case, then he wouldn’t let her go. Not until the morning. Not until she had to go home.

Until then, she would stay by his side. He wouldn’t be alone, just for the night.