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It’s nighttime in the demon realm.

Three small, pale blue moons hover in the sky giving off enough light to see without drowning out the stars.

I can hear a stream of water near, and small birds sail slowly in the distance.

We’re standing in a field of short grass, or at least what looks like grass, and a few miles away, I can see the skyline of the city.

“This is Sorealis,” Donella breaks the silence between us, their arm still wrapped around me.

“My home.”

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” and truly it is.

It smells like fresh corn out here, like right as you peel the green leaves back.

How is that even possible?

“How do you feel Lellies?” Donella asks, bringing their eyes to mine.

I actually hadn't noticed until they said something, but my legs do feel a little warm; no ear popping though. I’m trying to process that I traveled to another realm, with a demon, and I don’t even know their pronouns yet. I tell them as much and they nod, looking back at the city.

“You did really well for your first portal walk. The warmth should go away soon but that’s why I brought you out here first so you don’t have to take in the city while trying to adjust. It can be a sensory overload if you’re not careful. And I use both she and they, what are yours?”

“I appreciate it and okay. I use she/her. Should we start walking that way then?” I say pointing towards Sorealis.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t have you walk that far. I did promise to keep you safe after all,” they say with a smile, “we’ll be riding in this.” Donella pulls what looks like a small, smooth stone out of their leather jacket and, with a flick of their wrist, throws it in the air where it expands to a—scooter? No, it’s more like a chariot but futuristic. A square-shaped platform hovers over the ground with a triangle-shaped panel in the front.

Donella steps up and gives their hand to help me up. As soon as we’re on, it expands on the sides to give us more room and a bench seat rises from the bottom. “With the board, it should only take us about 20 minutes to get to my place. Ready?”

Ready to ride a hovering scooter bench underneath three full moons to a city filled with magic, gods, and monsters?

“Sure.”

Right away, the board purrs to life, moving across the field about the same speed I would on a freeway. I take a moment to really look around and take this in. A few hours ago I was partying with my friends on an average Friday night, and now, this . Being chauffeured by a demon to a city in another realm with a pair of witches in roach form in their pocket.

I can’t think too hard on that right now.

“So what do you normally do when you’re not saving humans from being sacrificed?” Donella laughs, shaking their head and putting their arm on the bench behind us.

“I am a psychologist, and I support a few clients in art therapy on the side, mostly with music.” That’s it! Therapists have a way of putting people at ease, even when they're not on the clock.

No wonder why I felt so ready to trust them.

“I’ve heard of art therapy with, like, drawing pictures or painting; how does it work with music?”

“Depending on the music, it can stimulate the brain and activate the reward center. Or people might use it to shake memories loose or process emotions.”

“Wow, I’ve tried talk therapy before and it didn’t really work for me. I may have to look into that when I go …back up? Out? How do you refer to Earth from here?”

“Some folks say ‘here’ and ‘there’ and some say ‘Earth-side,’ ‘Sorealis side’, but truth be told, I never really paid too much attention to what form is used because I’d never left this realm before tonight so, whatever works for you is fine with me.”

“Alright, cool.” A comfortable silence blankets us once again as we continue moving towards the city.

The air whips through my curls, but the front panel of the board keeps it from blowing up my dress so I close my eyes and just try to keep my mind blank.

I can freak out when I get back home.

I don’t want to cry on Donella’s shoulder just because she has the skills to take it.

What can I be grateful for right now?

I’m grateful to be alive.

I’m glad I was the DD tonight and not drinking.

I’m grateful for Donella coming out of the cauldron so I don’t have to deal with this by myself.

I’m grateful my girls are on Earth safe and sound.

I’m grateful I followed my gut.

I repeat these statements, and add new ones as I come up with them, until the board slows down.

I open my eyes to the city.

Now that we’re closer, I can start to see the skyline break into individual buildings.

I’m about to ask Donella about the area when suddenly bright lights shoot up into the sky.

“Oh no.” Donelle’s quiet words bring cold fear into my chest and I huddle closer to them without thinking.

“What is it?” I ask.

“The very reason why I’ve never cared to travel between realms, the awful timing.” Donella finally tears her eyes away from the skyline to face me again.

“When I left here and came to Earth, it was two weeks before the games. But now, in less than an hour in Earth time, the opening ceremony has already begun.”

Oh.

I was thinking some sort of aliens were about to attack us with fighter jets or something.

“Why is that bad?”

Donella hits a few buttons on the board in front of us before answering me, slowing the board down as we near other traffic.

“I’m sorry Lellies, it’s not terrible, it just slows us down. Let me get us home safely and I’ll explain everything.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize—I hope it’s not too much trouble, I don’t mind staying in a hotel if you don’t want company.”

With one hand holding a joystick now and the other hovering over a group of buttons, her fingers stretched to hit one at a moment's notice, she chides me softly.

“Nonsense Lellies, you’ll stay with me.” The small smile she flashes me as she navigates through tall structures and narrow alleyways puts me back at ease.

I watch the lights and other boards whiz by us. I’ve been invited into a demon’s home, in the demon realm no less. I wonder what it’ll look like? How long will I need to stay here? Are there certain manners I should attend to?

The questions are quickly forgotten as we slow down in a neighborhood of dome-shaped structures. Lights flicker from some of the windows and I can see smoke coming from the top of others. Sweet, I’ll just imagine that I’m living in a renaissance movie, I can work with this.

Our board stops in front of one of the domes on the edge of the cluster. “This one’s mine,” Donella says, hopping down and holding her hand out for me to follow.

“There are homes like this back on Earth, made to combat high temperatures. Do these homes serve the same purpose?”

Donella puts her right hand on the front door. “No, they’re just—can you give me your hand please? They’re just the style the builder liked at the time.” A light flashes beneath my hand that Donella holds against the door. “You can come and go as you please now.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. Please. Come inside and excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting guests. Let me find something more comfortable for you to wear and then I’ll explain the games.”

Their home resembles a studio apartment in that everything except for the bathroom is within view. Donella flits around haphazardly in the open space around us, stacking books left open and dog-eared on the table, picking up half-full cups gathered together on the nightstand, and shoving clothes in their closet. Before shutting the closet door, they pull a blue pajama set off a hanger and hand it to me.

“You can get freshened up in there, feel free to use any of the products you see and take your time.” I give her a nod and a smile and close the bathroom door behind me. I undo the zipper on the sequin side of my dress and watch the yellow fabric slip over my brown, freckled skin. It feels gross to me. This is the dress I was kidnapped in, the dress I almost died in.

But it’s also the dress I got saved in, I fought back in this yellow fabric, and traveled to a realm I didn’t even know existed. I kind of want to throw it away and never look at it again, but I also feel a pull to keep it. Bending down to pick it up, I fold it and put it on the counter; I’ll decide after my shower.

There are four knobs in the shower so I pull each one until I find the right temperature and pressure I like, then set to identifying the products that fill the counter space. After lots of sniffing, and pouring a few things in my hand to check the consistency, I decide to use the contents of a green jar for soap and a purple one for lotion. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to put any of these things in my hair and risk damaging the curls so I plan to put it in two braids when I get out.

I’m about to step into the shower when the fear creeps in on me again. Am I truly safe here with an absolute stranger who also happens to be a demon? Don’t most 90s horror movies start with a shower?

I move back to the bathroom door and put my ear against the wood. I can hear clinks and cabinets opening and closing, Donella must be cooking. And she basically gave me the keys to her house with that scanning thing. And she saved me from those witches. I’ll be alright.

And if not, I’ll throw this heavy green jar at her and run like hell.

But honestly, while I review the cons of trusting someone this quickly, my heart is already at peace. It might not seem like the most responsible decision, but I want to trust Donella; so I will.

Once my skin is clean and my hair is braided, a pungent peppery aroma pulls me from the restroom. I find that Donella has made us something sort of like a chicken pot pie and is cleaning up the last of her dirty dishes as I near the table in the center of the room.

“You’re just in time! This is tekemu , it’s a little spicy but I have a cheese sauce on the side if you need to cool it down.” Donella sets a cup in front of each of our bowls before sitting across from me. “And this wine is made from a fruit similar to cherries on Earth.”

“This is so cool, everything looks and smells amazing. Thank you so much.”

“It’s my pleasure Lellies, please, eat.”

The first bite of tekemu is like a raw radish, spicy and bright. But once I’ve drizzled the cheese sauce on, I find a good balance of heat and start to taste the other flavors in the dish. I only have a few moments to savor them before my focus is on Donella again.

“So, the games. They’re called The Parvian Games and they’re played between the gods of different realms, some on teams and some as solo players. The only requirement is that they must have living believers. I believe you might recognize Hades, Rhea, Jehovah, or Vishnu of Earth?”

“Yes, some of those sound familiar.”

“Great. Well, all these different gods come together once every ten years and compete in different activities like animal making, strongest hurricane, or creating and curing a new disease on the spot. Asherah is the only god that doesn’t participate because she’s the judge. That’s another Earth goddess, do you recognize her as well?”

“No, I’ve never heard of Asherah.”

“Oh, well perhaps you’ll get to meet her,” Donella says with a smile.

I only nod at that, barely able to chew my mouthful as I contemplate that. I could meet a goddess tomorrow, one of many.

“Since the games are in his realm, Jarren makes a big deal about being the best host possible. He won’t take any visitors until the games are over tomorrow night, especially ones that will require a court hearing. We can go to the games instead tomorrow if you’re up for it, and then meet with him first thing the day after next.”

My mouth full, I nod and let Donella continue to explain the history of the Parvian Games, who might be in town to see them and the liveliness it brings to their small city. I do my best to soak in the information, it’s truly interesting to me, but my eyes get heavier by the minute. I guess almost dying and realm jumping will do that to you.

Donella’s chuckle shakes me out of my haze momentarily. “But these are all things I can tell you more about tomorrow when I show you around. I can tell you are tired Lellies, let’s call it a night.”

They stand and grab both our bowls and walk them to the sink while I follow with the cups. I’m still following Donella when they stop at their couch.

“I thought you said we were going to bed?”

“Yes, of course. The bed is yours, have a good night's rest.” They give me the softest kiss on my forehead before gently pressing my back to move me forward. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Oh,” I blink, wondering if I gave her the wrong impression over dinner. I’m not scared of her anymore. “Thank you for the kind gesture but I don’t want to make you sleep on the couch. I told you, I could’ve gone to a hotel if it was going to be too much trouble for you.”

“And I told you you’ll stay with me. You are no trouble to me Lellies, I want you here.”

“Well then, you are no trouble to me . I know you want to be a good host but I want you there,” I point to their bed on the other side of the room. I cross my arms and give them my serious face. “Either we both sleep on the couch or we both sleep in the bed.”

“You drive a hard bargain human,” there's that dimple again, “the bed it is.” I win.

Donella lets me pick which side of the bed I want so I climb across the bed to be closer to the wall. I barely feel the mattress move as they get in beside me.

“Sometimes I move in my sleep.” I say it fast like all the words are strung together. A hushed “that’s alright” comes from Donella as they tap a button on the wall, turning the lights off in the home.

I turn towards the wall, lying on my side, and try to focus on my breathing to fall asleep but scenes of the last few hours keep rolling through my mind on an endless loop. I might have to get a journal and a therapist when I get out of here.

I flip over onto my back and then to my side again. I wonder if my friends made it home alright, what year it will be when I get back home, and how I’m ever going to keep this secret to myself for the rest of my life. I contemplate becoming an author so I can tell my truth in story form and no one will ever suspect a thing. I count about a hundred sheep and thirty cows for good measure. I squint to count the leaves on the tree outside the window, backlit by two blueish-silvery shades of moonlight.

“Donella?” I make a quick promise that I’ll only call their name three times before giving up and letting them sleep, “Donella?”

“Hmm?”

“How do you feel about cuddling?”

A strong arm quickly wraps around my belly and pulls me backward. I feel the soft rise and fall of her chest behind me, her breath brushing over the baby hairs on my forehead. I can finally shut my eyes.