"I...I... finished!" Nova cried out as she walked out of the pigpen.
"Pftt." Raymond, another orphan who was younger to her, passed by her. "There's one pig remaining."
Nova quickly looked around and when she couldn't see any, she asked him, genuinely confused. "Where?"
"Right in front of me." Raymond pointed at Nova and Nova charged at him. "Is that so? Then let this poor pig have a bite of its food." Raymond ran away. He was quick on his feet and that was the only good thing about him.
Priest Andrew came to the pigpen. He was carrying a bucket of water in one of his hands and a change of clothes in the other. He placed the clothes on a slab around a tree made for sitting. It was at the perfect spot, away from where Nova was standing.
Nova knew what was coming and squeezed her eyes shut. He lifted the bucket using both of his hands and threw water upon her. All the dirt washed off her. She quickly grabbed her clothes and moved to the washroom to clean herself properly and change.
When Nova came back, she met Priest Andrew in the living room of the orphanage. He looked like there was something he wanted to say. She wiped her hair and got an ice cream out of the fridge to eat. She was hungry after working for so many hours.
She took a bite and noticed that the priest still had something on his mind.
"Do you want to say anything?" Nova asked as she got up to throw the wrapper around her cone ice cream. When she came back, she met the priest's eyes.
"Nova." Priest Andrew said. "Let's talk. Properly this time." Nova nodded and sat with him in the living room. "So, you want to move out?" He looked into her eyes enquiring the truth. She nodded in all seriousness.
"Yeah. I want to go to College." The priest didn't move his gaze but the pressure he was putting didn't even faze Nova. He sighed. "You know the reason why I haven't sent you to school so why are so-"
"I can hide my horn at will and remove it at will too. Though it does come out when I'm scared or excited, I'll be able to hide it." Nova's horn began to show and she quickly pulled her hoodie so it couldn't be seen. The priest was surprised. He didn't even notice it come out and she covered it in time or...it's probably that his old age got to him and he didn't see it.
"So? What do you think?" Nova smirked.
"I acknowledge the fact that you are totally not ready to live alone."
"See. I told you'd let me stay - wait. What? Not ready? Why?" Nova stared at the priest and he smiled at her. "It's cause of how you behave. I said you're not ready. And that means that I'll let you move out when you are ready."
'You aren't even aware of what you are. I have to tell you everything soon.' Priest Andrew thought. He wanted what was best for her and he decided to tell her whatever she had to know. But he wouldn't tell her everything because he couldn't. He just wasn't allowed to. And he would explain the reason to Nova, someday.
Nova grinned. "Let the training to get-ready-to-move-out begin!" She jumped out out of her seat. Raymond entered the room and looked at the priest. The priest nodded at him and he left. Nova stared, curious. "What was that?" She asked as she was about to leave the room herself. The priest had a very serious and dark expression when she asked but then he smiled. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. It's boy stuff."
Nova made a oh-I-get-it face and left the room after bidding the priest goodnight. When she left, she caught up with Raymond and asked him about what had happened. "I can't tell you." He scurried off to his room. Nova stared. Her horn was coming out and she quickly pulled her hoodie on out of habit. She was getting curious and excited.
The next few days, Priest Andrew was observing Nova closely and she could sense it. She tried to be on her best behaviour and avoided her horn from coming out in the public. At the end of the week, he called Nova to his room. "It was really good. You're absolutely ready to leave but before you do...I guess it's about time I tell you and show you somethings." The priest got up and opened the door to let Raymond, who had knocked, in. "Raymond, you see, has been training as my disciple for a year now. And he'll be in charge of taking care of you."
"But he's younger to me." Nova didn't like being in the hands of someone younger than her and better than her. It was really egoistic of her but she just didn't want to lose the confidence she had toughly gained.
"Don't worry. Once you gain control, Raymond is of no match to you." Priest Andrew gave a unfortunately-true smile. "Well. That's only if you learn to control it."
"Control what?" Nova stared eagerly as the priest headed to the bookshelf. As he pulled a book, she thought a secret passage was going to open. A loud noise came from the bookshelf as it creaked. Nova arched her back in excitement and her horn protruded out. She quickly pulled her hoodie. And.....nothing happened. The priest sat back on the sofa with the book and Raymond sat adjacent to him. Nova felt betrayed. All the novels, movies and shows betrayed her.
"This book is about- Nova. Listen." The priest said. His tone was soft but commanding. Nova raised her head and began to pay attention immediately. That tone meant that he was serious.
"What do you think your horn means? More like, what do you know about it?" Raymond asked her. Every child at the orphanage knew about Nova's horn but even Nova didn't know what it symbolized. She had often pondered on that question herself but she'd never reach a conclusion. In the beginning everyone was scared of her and she totally hated her horn and her powers. She felt as if the world would have been easier without what she had.
But now she had learned to accept what she was born with. After all, there must be a reason for it. But she was never determined to find out the reason. She felt as if the reason was something of the past and she'd always get a feeling of Deja-vu whenever she thought about her horns as if she had done that long ago.
"I know it's not normal. And it looks like a freaking goat's." Nova laughed at what she said. The priest stared at her. "It means you're part demon." The priest's voice was serious. Nova didn't have to look into his eyes to know that he was telling the truth. But still she was dumbfounded by the fact as she uttered, "Huh?"
"We don't know part how much demon you are but you are part demon. Ever wondered why you have better senses and you can feel and do stuff others can't? Like you can read thoughts-"
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes. And you also have pyrokinesis? Come on. You must have thought something about it."
"I did think about it." Nova looked seriously at them. "I always wondered why I was so OP." She laughed and they didn't. The priest sighed and Raymond rolled his eyes. "Joking." She looked at them, dead serious, right into their eyes. "I obviously thought about it. Like why I was the only one like that but demon? I don't know. It's too much to think about at once. Give me some time. I'll get back to you all."
"Let's talk about it all later." She walked out of the room and went to sleep. She skipped dinner. She wasn't up to it. The revelation about being part demon hit her hardly. She couldn't believe it but she knew Priest Andrew and Raymond had no reason to lie to her about it. They were saying the truth, but how did they know? I mean having horns didn't man that she was part-demon. It didn't, right?
After a few days, she went to Priest Andrew. She had to talk to him about it. The priest had been waiting for her. He was ready. He was ready to tell her what he could and was supposed to. What he couldn't and was actually supposed to tell, had to wait for another time. Nova had been down these few days and he knew that she had been thinking about everything seriously. They met outside in the garden.
"Nova." The priest gave her a warm smile. Nova hugged him and after pulling back, she smiled back at him. "We have to talk." She spoke. The priest nodded.
"I want to know everything. Tell me." The priest grinned at her. "Let's get right into it then."