Kyomi found herself in study hall marinating over the party. The room was about the size of the school’s library. But instead of being full of bookshelves, it was occupied by various tables and desks. Most of them were taken by older students going over their exam notes in hushed whispers. The rest had old textbooks and ungraded papers taking up whatever space remained in the area. Atop her desk were her feet as she allowed herself to breathe. Her book bag was on the floor and her jacket was thrown off to the side.

She felt an emotion bubble in the bottom of her stomach that she wasn't sure was excitement or anxiety. The idea of going to such a large event was something she shouldn't miss out on. Hunting had begun to consume her life and she wished she had more time to behave like a regular teenager. Parties, movies, etc had become a distant memory with demons always on her mind. Her life had changed so abruptly within the past three years and she hated it at times. But still, she knew any time spent not training was a risk.

'Just shut up,' Her feet hit the ground as she sat forward and slapped herself on the forehead. 'Don't you dare like yourself out of going?'

Someone cleared their throat loudly from her left. From across the room, a teacher put their book down briefly to glare in her direction. The glare was more annoyed than hateful, though it stung just as much. Someone mumbles under their breath that the study hall room was meant to be quiet, making her blush. The teacher eventually stopped staring at her and went back to reading some novel with an odd cover. Kyomi felt a bit of sweat grow on her back, she had no idea that she had been so loud.

Her phone had two bars and she turned her attention to its screen. A few texts had come in from the group chat, thankfully about their math exam instead of the party. A few of her friends asked if she wanted to come over to the nearby nature reserve to study with them. Her eyes drifted away from the messages and to the time. It was a quarter to two, with it being thirty minutes before class was dismissed. She planned on walking home today to clear her head and have some time to herself.

There was so much to think about. Demons had been unusually active downtown and she wasn't sure if she needed to contact other hunters for help. It wasn't like she couldn't handle a one-on-one fight, she had been doing so for months. But she was becoming rusty from the lack of sleep and stress from high school nearing its end.

She found herself sighing at her grandparent's newest text, followed by her cousin's. They wanted to know if she needed advice on whatever lies her parents had spun. The school year was coming to an end and her family was becoming more suspicious. It would be harder to hide her true nature when she moved to college. Or worse, she stays to work at the family store.

"Miss Kyomi," The teenager was thrown out of her thoughts upon hearing someone scowl her name. It was the same teacher from before who was now looking at her intently. Her book had been cast aside for her focus to be completely on the sixteen-year-old. "Are you using your phone to study for your final exam?"

Kyomi found herself cursing internally as she remembered that the study hall has strict rules. One includes the fact you couldn't just come in there to sit on your phone or chat. "Oh yeah. My laptop died so I'm going to finish my notes on my phone."

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The older woman scowled but couldn't argue with her any further. She made sure to show her a black laptop screen for further proof. "Well, make sure to bring a charger next time. We will have to send you back to the lunchroom if you don't."

'That's ridiculous.' Kyomi gave a weak smile as she tried not to show her discomfort. A few seniors were staring at the two of them, the teacher had raised her voice purposely. "I'll make sure to remember that next time."

Hours later the sixteen-year-old found herself setting the table for dinner. Her mother was off chatting with her friend outside, while her younger cousins vandalized the walls with crayons. It would be just the four of them as her aunts were busy with work and her older cousins had boyfriends to worry about. This left her the only sane member of the household present.

She groaned at the sight of one of the children chewing on a red crayon. Her fork twirled in her pasta as she focused on just eating and not stopping the chaos from unfolding. It was a simple dish that had a bit too much vinegar added to it. Her lips pursed together at the sourness as she took a bite.

If she got distracted she would end up leaving late for the party. The teenager had gotten dressed in a plain sundress, her swimsuit in a drawstring bag on her back. It was rare these days to see her wearing something that didn't stop at her knees. She didn't want to get fully dressed yet until she saw what the pool looked like up close.

Even if she was just going to have fun, she had a weapon. If a monster was near she wanted to kill it before it hurt her classmates. The thought of one appearing upset her a bit, she wanted to have fun for once. But monster hunting, fighting weekly for what sometimes was her life would never end. No matter how hard she tried, Kyomi knew she would never be a typical teenager again.

"Stella, spit that out," She yelled as the toddler looked up with a crayon falling out of her mouth. It was dripping in pink-tinged slobber. "Crayons are not food!"

"Crayons are not food!" The other three children copied her with amusement. They were old enough to know that the stubs were made for doodles.

They found it hilarious that the youngest of the group was now tearing up from the noise. Quickly, Kyomi walked over and picked the toddler up as they sniffled. She silently wished she had just let the child eat it. An ear-piercing cry left their mouth as they chewed on a fingernail, a red blush taking over their soft skin as they began to sob.

She swore that she'd never have kids after dealing with these four. The three others watched with worry, coming to terms with the fact what they had done was mean. Allowing the three-year-old to eat the crayon and get sick wasn't a joke. One of the more sensitive of the three even began to silently cry with a soft whine.

'Please no,' The teenager watched as the child glued to her hip started to hiccup. If she puked on her, she was going to curse God himself. Baby puke was one of the circles of hell in her household.

"Shush, it's okay you guys. Can you help me get her a napkin to wipe her spit up?" The children glanced worriedly before getting to work, running towards the kitchen table for a paper towel.

Throw-up splashed on the new stained carpet and a new howl left her cousin's chest. It was followed by what she could only hope was a diaper full of only pee. A loud cry from the others proclaiming how gross it was and that someone had an accident filled the room. Tonight was going to be a long night.