November went by quite quickly and I hadn't seen any sign of that weird hatted figure since Halloween. I'd spent November studying and had only been to a few simple missions since. Chris and I had spoken several times, but we'd both been so busy. I missed him.
I pondered this as I sat at my desk, staring at the first snow fall. I'd started my week off by finishing my essays and now had nothing to do. What would normal people do? Someone tapped at my door and I glanced round.

"Hello?" I called.

"Open up, it's me." Victoria shouted back.

I got up and let her in. She smiled and seated herself on the bed. Over the course of a few weeks, she'd started to look better. The black rings under her eyes were gone and she had been happy again.

"How goes the studying, nerd?" She grinned.

"I don't always study." I pouted.

"Are you kidding me. That hot boyfriend of yours will think you don't like him." She teased.

I felt my face heat up and she laughed. She'd seen Chris once and would never let me live it down. I suppose I had been kind of neglectful. He might think I hated him and find someone else. Someone hotter.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Victoria asked.

"Not much." I replied, shutting my laptop.

It was true. Auntie Makoto would go home to see our extended family and I used to go with her. This year I wanted her to go without me. I felt awkward around my family since my parents death. Facing them reminded me of everything I'd lost.

"What about you?" I asked, not wanting Victoria to ask about my parents.

"Going to see the folks from tomorrow." She said, rolling her eyes.

From what Victoria had said, her parents were loving, but had been concerned for her. They'd disapproved of Hunter. She talked about her parents for a bit and I felt a little down. I wished I could spend the holiday with my parents. I wanted nothing more than for them to be alive still.

"Anyways, I better go and pack." She said, winking at me.

When I was alone again, I stared round my small room. I glanced at the bracelet. Should I? Do demons celebrate Thanksgiving? Would it be presumptive? Where would I sleep? Wait, don't think of that. I got up and grabbed my Hello Kitty rucksack.

Stuffing PJs, clothes, toothbrush and all the necessities inside, I slung the bag on my back. I gripped my wrist and pressed the panels on the bracelet. I'd locked the door after Victoria had left so no one could get in. I closed my eyes and the world around me dissolved.

And I was face down again. On the grass. Sheesh.

"You gotta stop doing this." Lemmy said, helping me up.

"Happy Thanksgiving." I smiled, when I got to my feet.

"Oh yep, human custom. Happy Thanksgiving." He grinned, clapping me on the back.

The Netherworld looked normal, well as normal as it was possible for this place. It was morning in my world so it must be morning here too. The buildings that housed the legions were a hive of activity.

"Thanks Lemmy." I said, turning and jogging away.

"Anytime, kid. Don't get lost." He called.

I vaguely remembered the building. Pushing open the door, I noticed Tris in the lobby, talking to a small group of people.

"This is where you'll report for orientation," She smiled, and glanced round when she saw me. "Hello, Junko."

The people were two boys and a girl. One of the boys had blond hair and a stunning smile. He held up a hand and waved.

"This is Junko. Junko, these are three new recruits." Tris said, beaming.

I managed to wave back. The other boy looked interested for a split second then his eyes went back to his bracelet. The girl was watching me though with curiosity. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her red and black hair was tied up neatly and she was dressed smart.

"Are you a human?" She asked.

"Um, yeah I am." I replied.

The boy looked up from his bracelet and shrugged. The girl was watching me though, eyes cutting straight through me.

"Are the rumours true?" She asked.

Rumours? I blinked dumbly and Tris motioned for the girl to quieten down. I realised she must mean about Chris and I. Not wanting to go into detail, I looked away. People might speculate but it wouldn't be fair to come out and say it.

"So, it is true then." The girl said.

I looked at her and she looked almost sad. Her eyes watered and she stomped away. Tris smiled and followed her. The boys trudged behind her. What the heck was that?

"Wow, that was awkward as hell." Keith said.

He'd appeared next to me, watching their retreating forms. Well, it was awkward, but who was she? Why was she so upset?

"I-i don't understand." I stuttered.

"Let's get some food and I'll tell you." Keith said, nodding for me to follow.

I didn't know what they ate here, but sure I'd go. We walked together and he told me that Chris was busy. He'd be free soon, but for now I'd have to wait. That was fine and dandy, but who was that girl.

The Netherworld's streets were cobbled and looked like something ripped from a Jack the Ripper documentary. We sat down in a small restaurant. This was different to the buildings where the legions were based. Across the way two monsters were sat, having a conversation in a language I didn't understand.

A dark cloud hovered near the door. I stared at it then back to Keith. He seemed unphased so I should be too. We ordered drinks, well he ordered for me. The menu was so cryptic that I couldn't order.

The waitress bought the drinks over and left us alone. There was so much I didn't understand. I sipped my drink to find it didn't taste that bad.

"So, that girl?" I asked.

"Do you know how legion leaders are selected?" Keith asked, throwing me off.

"Not a clue." I replied.

"It takes two things to be one; a rich family and the skills to wield the Grim Scythes."

Grim Scythe? That scythe that Chris used. I remembered now. Ok, so clearly the Netherworld's elite families were like Earth's elite families. So, Chris was rich. It didn't matter to me, really. I liked him before I knew and I still liked him. Money meant nothing.

"A rich family?" I asked.

"Yeah, that girl you met is from one of the richest," Keith replied. "And you are with the demon she's betrothed to."

My eyes widened. Chris had never mentioned an engagement. Was he going to leave me for her? I gulped and Keith sighed.

"He won't leave you. The engagement was called off long ago. She's promised to some other demon now, but there are feelings still."

"How come it was called off?" I asked.

"Not for me to say," Keith replied. "Ashley was not happy though."

Ashley? The girl demon. I remembered her expression, hurt and rejected. She looked like how I imagined I looked after finding out about Hunter and Collette.

"I could talk to her?" I suggested, wanting to patch things up.

"Nah, not gonna happen. She heard the rumours and now they're confirmed, yeah, she hates you." Keith replied, draining his drink.

Yeah, thanks for that. I was hated even though I did nothing. I didn't know this girl. I pushed my drink away and Keith smiled.

"Do you hate me?" I asked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Does it look like I hate you, sweetheart." He laughed, when I shoved his arm.

We left the cafe and walked towards the centre square of the legion buildings. A guy was walking towards us. His hair was brown, slightly shorter than Keith's.

"There you are." He said, and Keith pretended to hide behind me.

"I think he sees you." I sighed.

The guy approached and smiled, "Hi, I'm Greg."

"And no one cares." Keith grinned, pushing Greg away.

He waved at me and they disappeared together. I made my way towards the building, passing Lemmy and waving. He smiled and returned the gesture. He was accompanied by some new recruits. They all eyed me with keen interest.

When I got back to the foyer there were no new recruits hanging around. Thank goodness, I didn't want to be stared at again. The whole building seemed abuzz with new activity and I realised that it was Monday so this was a work day. Evidently, they didn't get Thanksgiving off.

"Well, look who it is." Andy had appeared, sauntering towards me.

He was dressed as strangely as ever, but seemed happy. I smiled and he stood next to me.

"Yeah, happy Thanksgiving." I said, and he smirked.

"That's the holiday where you guys eat turkey, right?" He asked.

"It's a little more complex than that." I replied, and he shrugged.

"The new recruits are here, lots of stuff happening. You can hang with me for a while." Andy stated, grabbing my hand and dragging me along.

He led me into a room towards the back of the building. It looked like a training room. It was a training room. He tried to get me to exercise, but it became apparent I was really unfit.

"Come on, you can do better." Andy grinned, when I struggled to do a push-up.

"I'm gonna die." I wheezed, and he laughed.

"Are all humans this bad?" He asked, sitting next to me.

I was content to lay there on the mat, breathing heavily. I supposed all humans would be considered unathletic since demons had superior strength and speed.

"I guess, compared to you," I mumbled. "I always hated sports."

"I just wanna help you defend yourself a little." Andy said, leaning down, blue eyes staring into mine.

It made more sense now. If I was attacked I would have no way to protect myself. Andy shifted and pulled something from his pocket. He handed it to me. A gun. Wow, how responsible.

"I-i don't think I should." I said, looking at him.

"The guns here contain spirit pressure. They can be loaded with silver bullets too," He said. "You should consider it."

I sat up and accepted the dangerous weapon. I stuffed it into my bag, not intending to actually use it. Andy smiled again, clearly happy with my decision.

"Why'd you give it to me?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Chris would be so upset if anything happened to you. I just want to cover all the bases so that we don't have another Sabrina incident." He spoke, then covered his mouth.

"Sabrina?" I asked, realising she was the one before me. She'd sold her soul.

"Yeah, I've spilled it now. She was the other human." He replied, running a hand through his fluffy hair.

"Were they in love?" I murmured, and he looked pained.

"Come on, seriously?" Andy said, then noticed my interested expression. "Yeah, they loved one another."

"Something happened to her." I stated, remembering that she was violated and ended the contract.

"Eric happened. He wanted her and it just-my god-it sucks." Andy groaned.

Eric had? My mind couldn't form the thought. He'd attacked her. Andy noticed my expression. My mouth must have been open in an O shape. He took a breath and reached over, touching a hand to my shoulder.

"Am I safe?" I asked, and Andy smiled slightly.

"Yeah, you are." He sounded so confident.

We left the training room and he walked me to Chris' office, leaving me by the door. He pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. I realised he didn't want me to say anything. I wasn't going to say anything anyways.

I knocked on the door and Andy patted my shoulder, leaving me there. I waited a few minutes before entering. No one was here. Weird. Maybe it had been a rough day. I shut the door and walked towards his bedroom.

Knocking on the door, I heard swearing and then the door opened. Chris must have been expecting someone else. He looked surprised.

"Hey, I thought you were Tris." He said, letting me in.

"Why're you up here?" I asked, and he sat down on the bed.

He'd thrown his suit jacket over a chair and his shirt was slightly unbuttoned.

"I wanted to get away for a bit." He said, glancing at me.

"I-i can go if you want." I murmured, pointing at the door.

"Or you could stay and hide up here with me." He beckoned me over.

My face heated up and I shuffled nervously, before approaching, cautiously. A cold hand grasped mine and pulled me closer. He stood then, hugging me. I smiled as I breathed him in. I kind of hoped no one would find us.

Notes