The Helper

    I must be the least popular person in the Heartland, human or Nightmare. People like me well enough, but mostly because they respect my mother. A woman who runs the local temple because she stayed when her sisters left, even though she went to University. She praises our town in public, but in private wishes she could have a do-over so she could move to the Monster Capital. Instead she got our family estate, began her own hair salon, and had three children with a man who got her pregnant by accident when she was still going to University. 

    To this day she still isn't married, even though she had me and Dad move in with her when Grandma moved to the city to stay close to my Aunt Abigail. 

   Considering the fact that I'm a bastard, you'd think that I'd find it easy to be evil. I don't. I hate like pranking people, don't like making people angry, and I have a lot of power to use for making charms and spells for people. I don't want to spend my life as a fairy or, gods forbid, a sorcerer, but I wonder if I'll have any say in the matter. I guess I should be grateful I have a demon. 

    

    I spend every afternoon after school working for my mother or one of her colleagues. Since the Heartland is in Monsterland, we naturally have an evil cult that's supposed to be a secret. So of course everyone in town, and a lot of the people outside town, know about it. They don't worship anything, just gather for tea every Sunday and discuss the next human sacrifice they're planning. We're monsters, of course we sacrifice infants. I don't see why humans think it's disturbing for the most evil people in Estellia to kill infants, especially when they don't give them the time of day either. After all, all the infants my mother sacrifices are ethically sourced from our local foster care system. 

   I'm not involved in any of the sacrifices. I don't have any ethical qualms, I just can't stand the sight of blood. I just help with the cleanup and the set up. The rest of the time I'm helping people set up spells, clean their homes, and settle disputes between us and rival cults. Before you ask, no we don’t compete for sacrificial infants. There's way more than enough for everyone. There was a very memorable incident where no one could find any office chairs though. I don't think I'll forget the battle that ensued, no matter how long I'm alive. 

   The cult members think I'm trying to win over my mother so she'll let me keep more of my power. I let them think that, because it's the only way anyone will ever think I'm capable of doing anything evil. The truth is I'm terrible at making friends and no one wants to hang out with me. I know I could just go home and do homework, but then I'd be bored so I help out instead. When the cult doesn't need me, I help the mayor out. When the mayor runs out of things to do, I look for businesses to help out. I'm always helping other people, so that I'll never need anyone to help me. 

  

    My brother and sister are much better at this then I am. They're much better at channeling power, tormenting others, and holding the crowds attention. My sister even did a skit for the crowd at our temple once. We do that a lot, since the humans have been spreading rumors that our God was reborn in the valley. 

   My mother says they're right. Andrew, my brother, and Jennifer, my sister, both hope that it's true. I know it isn't. I haven't told her, but all of the incidents line up to moments I lost control of my demon. I try to stop them from placating the God, who I know isn't paying attention to us, when I know it's all my fault. I don't seem to be able to win though. 

   "Why do you want us to suffer?" Jenny keeps asking me.

   I don't know what to tell her. I, the eldest daughter, the one who should be powerful enough to inherit the valley when my mother dies or moves away. Instead I'm too weak to control my worst impulses, and I run away from home so much that, as my mother reminds me constantly, I'm doom to awaken our God for real and cause them to rampage and destroy our home. 

   I want to be the one our family can rely on, who can protect our home from anything, but I can't be that person. With each passing day I feel less and less like a person who anyone can depend on at all.

   I need help.