Lea’s eyes started to open again, her body feeling rested after that short nap and the events preceding it. She found herself alone, however, hugging a pillow where Noara was supposed to be. She sat up and looked towards the living room. Noara was sitting on the couch, head low, and smoking. Her eyes were fixed in nothing and she looked tired and sad. Lea worried a bit. She got up and walked out. As Noara noticed her, she put the joint away and got up, turning towards her. She opened her mouth, but the words didn’t come out. She paused, and tried to think about what she was going to say.

- So… How did you sleep? – She said awkwardly, slightly embarrassed by the things that happened an hour ago.

- Good – Answered Lea in a dry way – Your bed is comfortable.

- Really? I almost like to sleep on the couch rather than on the bed. It’s too old – After that, an awkward silence arised that the demon wanted to cut as soon as possible. She started walking towards the kitchen – So, like, if you want I can start making lunch. It’s honestly a bit late. Are you hungry? I… - Before she could continue though, Lea interrupted her.

- I’m sorry for making things awkward. I mean, more awkward than they already are – Lea said, pointing out the detail that she was still kidnapped – Thank you for helping me. Really – Noara looked at Lea and faintly smiled at her.

- No problem. And please, don’t apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong – She looked at the ground – If someone has done wrong here it’s me. And a lot of it. I shouldn’t have brought you here – Lea was surprised, as she wasn’t expecting an apology from her – I’m sorry, I don’t think you want a stupid apology from your captor. I’ll just…

- No, no, please – Lea said softly, walking forward a bit – I’m glad you apologized – She wanted to get closer to her, but it somehow felt awkward. She was still in hell. She was still here against her will. Whether she was comfortable or not wasn’t important. Her smile faded away and her lips slightly curled down. Then she heard Noara talking again.

- Do you want to go home? – Lea looked at Noara’s eyes and couldn’t help but stare at them – I’m not going to keep you here anymore. I can even show you where you can go to get back to the human world.

- Why…? – She tried her best to bring herself to ask this question – Why are you letting me go? – Noara walked towards the couch and sat there, legs spread, arms resting on them and head down.

- Because I fucked up and this is the only thing I can think of that will fix it – She looked at Lea; she had her mouth slightly opened, with a tired look that gave pity to Noara - I wanted to get out of here, out of this city, so badly that I did something awful. I am sorry – Lea tried to approach her again, this time without that many doubts in her mind. She walked towards the couch and sat next to her, facing her.

- Thanks – She said quietly, a soft smile on her lips – But honestly, I don’t want to go back – Noara looked up at her and blinked twice – There’s nothing left for me out there – She tried her best to calm her nerves and breath slowly, forcing the air to go in and out slowly. She looked at the demon, trying to bring up a new topic that she was curious to hear – Why do you want to get out of this place anyways?

- It’s a very personal thing, but – Noara paused for a second – To hell with it. I want to get as far away from my father as I can – Noara moved her lips in discomfort. Thinking about him always made her feel a bit nauseous – I don’t want to tell you the whole story between my dad and me, but suffice to say I don’t like the guy. At all – Lea could swear she saw a bit of fire in Noara’s eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, on a random spot. Lea chuckled at a realization – What are you laughing about?

- It’s just funny. That’s the exact reason I don’t want to go back home. My father is a major asshole. He has a gang of demons that do shady stuff for him and he’s – She tried to find the words to describe him, but all of them didn’t feel tough enough – the worst. Just the worst. I mean he’s the reason I almost – She imagined the flames in front of her again and tried to shake the thought away – Well, he and other reasons. But he is one of the worst parts.

Noara listened close. She couldn’t help but feel a punch of sadness and pity. And on top of that, a need to help this person. It was the least she could do after all the trouble she put her through. She turned towards Lea and gave her a determined look.

- Well, fuck it! Then don’t go back! You can just stay here! – She blushed, understanding how something like that may have sounded – I mean, in this city. I’m sure I can convince Lys to let you stay with them or one of their friends. Or here if you wanted to, but that’s more up to you.

Lea felt joyful. Her eyes opened up and she couldn’t keep herself from smiling, opening her mouth and breathing in excitedly. Then, the consequences that something like that may have starting piling on her head.

- But then, what about my father? He’s going to come look for me. And what about you? You still need the money to get away from here. I don’t want to be the reason you have to stay close to your abusive father.

- To the first, I don’t know. I don’t think he would be able to find you. To the second, I don’t mind. I’ll find the money doing something else, I’m sure. Even if it takes me decades.

Lea felt a slight throbbing pain in her chest. She suddenly wanted to help Noara, and she was still worried about her father finding her. And about what her father would do to Noara if she didn’t keep her promise of returning his daughter. She was far too anxious to think rationally. She looked at Noara. She had her thumb and index finger on her eyes, rubbing them. She didn’t want to admit it but she was worried as well. Lea felt a small fire inside of her, the fire of determination. She was determined to not get back to the abuse that her father put her through, and she was determined to help Noara.

- When is the exchange happening? With my dad, I mean.

- In 2 days. Why?

- Because we’re going to think of something for me to stay here safely and for you to get the money you need – Noara looked at her, her mouth opened. She was blinking, incredulous – But first – Lea got up and went to the kitchen – We’re not going to get anything done if we are scared and anxious. And, since I’m going to be staying here for a long while, we should celebrate my stay by doing something fun – She reached into the freezer and pulled out a bottle of vodka that she saw Noara buying earlier – Turn on that Switch, we are going to have a night of vodka and videogames! – She smiled at her friend, trying to cheer her up. Hoping that her enthusiasm and will to move forwards rub onto her. She saw the demon chuckled a bit.

- For sure! What do you want to play? I bet I can kick your ass in Mario Kart! – She grabbed the console and turned it on while Lea was preparing some shots of vodka.

- You have Mario Kart? Nice! – She said, joyful. She concentrated on that feeling, joy. She had a problem coming soon, she needed to think of something to fix everything. But for now, she would think about this moment and only about it. She deserved to be happy. Happy in hell with her demon friend.