I had been looking at the picture that karuhi07 attached to their DM for a long time. The message simply read, 'can you see it?'
Senne stood next to me silently—a little too close for my comfort, her back hunched and her cold black flames almost pressing against my skin—studying the picture together.
"I give up," I said.
Senne said nothing, but she was very focused on the picture. I didn't want to break her concentration as it seemed she was at least 'feeling' something, even if she couldn't 'see' it.
My patience ran out after a few more minutes, though.
"My arms hurt from holding this up. So do you see something or not?" I asked her.
"Just one more minute, Bree, please. I almost got it," she said, pleading.
I endured, waiting expectantly, thinking that we would finally crack this cryptic message.
"I got it now," Senne finally said, all smug.
"What is it?"
"Her face is perfectly symmetrical. A very pretty face."
"What the hell?"
I slapped her side hard.
"Aw, don't do that!"
Senne protested.
"You wasted my time only to say she's pretty?!"
The picture that karuhi sent was a picture of a girl, whom I have to admit indeed was very pretty, but you didn't need twenty minutes to tell me that. This being the Internet and all, though, there was no reason to believe that the girl in the picture was actually karuhi07.
"But look, Bree," Senne pointed at the picture, "her eyes are not symmetrical."
I poked her side, which made her flinch again.
"I don't see any difference at all."
"Possibly impossible to tell with human eyes. But I can see it."
"And why do her eyes even matter? Why would she send this to us—if this is her at all?"
"She wasn't lying, she can see me," Senne announced. Confident.
"How? And how do you know she can see you?"
"It's her left eye. It's slightly bigger. Perfectly symmetrical face, but with a bigger left eye. It must have been a very very long time ago, but someone in her ancestry must have made a deal. It's in her 'genes,' as you guys call it. She can see spirits. Some of them anyway."
I found that rather unsettling, but a bigger concern hit me soon.
"Wait, are my eyes asymmetrical too?! Is one getting bigger than the other?!"
"You are asymmetrical in so many ways that it's not even a concern."
Senne shrugged.
"Jeez, thanks a lot."
"But that's kinda cu…"
Her voice cut off as she coughed dryly and the flame on her face flared up for a second.
"What is it?"
"Kind of a cumulative effect of bad genes. Yes. That's what I was about to say. Yes. Truthfully."
"Screw you."
I got up from my chair and went back to bed. It felt like that's what I had been doing the whole day.
Senne walked over to my side, crouched, leaned her flaming chin on my bed and asked,
"So what will you say to her?"
"Nothing."
"Huh?"
"I'm not going to respond."
"Why not? This is interesting."
"I hate it when you say something is interesting."
Senne paused, as if pondering, then said,
"It is highly amusing."
"Shut up."
"Oddly entertaining."
"Just let it be, Senne."
She sighed and asked, "Why not? Isn't it rude if you don't reply?"
"She's creepy. I don't trust anyone who makes deals with devils."
It was too late when I realized I'd just said something truly stupid.
"Shut up," I told Senne who was clearly trying to suppress a laugh.
"She could be dangerous. Who's to say she's not with another devil, like, right now?"
"Negative. She's many generations down the line from the deal."
"Are you sure? You can tell?"
"I have a keen eye, and besides—" Senne got up, stretching her back, and continued as she puffed out her chest, "no other devil is a match for me."
"You can't even juggle three balls."
I reminded her.
"I can do two. You've seen it."
I groaned, remembering.
"Let's face it. We are weak. I'm dying, literally. And you don't have your power—whatever it may be. This could go really badly for us."
"I am oddly offended by your lack of trust."
"That's not how you use—"
My words trailed in the air as Brian walked in.
"Bree, there's someone at the door."
"And?"
I sat up.
"It's a girl."
"…and?"
I was a little confused.
"She's looking for you."
My heart sank. The only one I could think of who could randomly visit me like this was Abigail.
"Tell her I'm not home."
"I said I would go check if you were at home. If you don't want to see her, I'll tell her you are not in."
"Good. Yeah, just do that, Brian. Thanks."
"But she said if I told you Karuhi was here, you would let her come in."
I had never thought there could be a worse visitor than Abigail.