Chapter 2

Todd was a bit scared at the sight before him. He was in the bathroom, standing before the shower. Water didn't go well for demons, especially holy water. But now that Todd was living with Annette, it was best to make sure she was happy. He looks down at his form. The clothes he warn, well what would considered to be clothes, were not in the best of shape. Annette was busy repairing his skull mask with something called resin while she told him to take a shower. "This may not end well," said Todd to himself.

"Todd give me your clothes. I'll get them washed while you are in the shower," said Annette as she comes into the bathroom. She had some clean towel in her arms and a pair of flannels pajamas in her arms. "These are for you to use."

Todd takes the towels and pajamas from Annette. "I don't think I'll be able to wear these, Annette."

"Nonsense. Its my job to take care of my grandson, making sure he is fed and clothed during his stay here."

Todd sets the towels and pajamas on the sink. He was a bit embarrassed that Annette hasn't left yet. "Can you leave, please?"

"Oh sorry. Put your clothes outside the door and just holler if you need anything." Annette leaves the bathroom.

Todd didn't feel like scaring Annette. As soon as he could sense she was downstairs in the living room, he undressed. As instructed, Todd leaves his clothes outside the bathroom door. He turns on the water and waits for it to warm up before sticking his hand beneath the stream. He was shocked that the water didn't burn him like holy water did. "That's good, at least." He gets into the shower, closing the curtain behind him.

Todd stands underneath the hot water for a few minutes, allowing himself, for the first time in a long time, to relax.

He glances over at the shower caddy hanging from the shower head. He noticed a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash was in it. "I'm going to end up smelling like a fruit salad by the end of this. Well its better than smelling like brimstone and ash." He takes the bottle of shampoo, opens it, and smells it. Todd makes a face at the scent that assailed his nose. Humans think this stuff smells good! Todd smells the shampoo again. "I could smell worse."

After an hour, Todd finishes his shower. It felt strange to be clean, in a sense Hell, was never clean. During his shower, Todd had taken on a more human form. He runs his hands through his short shaggy hair and up to his horns. Todd runs his hands up his horns, making sure they were still in one piece after the vigorously scrubbing he gave himself.

"Still in one piece. That's good." He steps out of the shower and gets dressed into the flannel pajamas he was provided. "It's going to take some getting used to living here. I'm going to have to make sure no other demons show up." Todd heads downstairs. The smell of cooked meat hits his nose. He heads into the kitchen to find Annette pulling a meatloaf out of the oven. "You didn't burn yourself, did you?" Todd asks.

"Only a little but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I am able to enjoy a home-cooked meal with my grandson. How are the pajamas fitting you?" Annette sets the meatloaf on a heat resistant pot holder that was sitting on the table. "Be a dear and grab two plates from the top shelf in the cupboard above the sink. I have a hard time reaching things on thst shelf without the aid of a step ladder."

"Maybe we can move things around in the kitchen so they can be easier to reach?"

"We could. Tomorrow we will be heading to the grocery store. I noticed that as I was making the meatloaf, I need a few groceries."

"Are you sure? I couldn't double check for you." Todd sets the table for himself and Annette.

Later that night, Todd and Annette were sitting in the living room watching TV. They were watching Golden Girls. Todd was holding a ball of green and blue yarn while Annette was knitting from it. "It's been a long time since you last visited. You stopped writing and you stopped calling. I didn't expect you to stop by. You didn't even bother ringing the door bell when you came in!" Annette hits Todd on one of his horns with her cane. It wasn't a hard hit but enough to make Todd shy away a little. "You could have gave your poor grandmother a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, Annette. I was just busy with life," said Todd. It was a lie. Todd was still trying to hide the fact of what he was from Annette.

"It's okay, Todd. I forgive you. But next time you leave, you be sure to keep in touch with your dear grandmother."

Todd watches Annette a bit. "So what are you knitting?"

"I'm making a pair of socks for you. I thought that after making you a sweater of dark colors, why not give you something that is brightly-colored."

Todd started to zone out. He slowly starts to feel a tickling sensation in his nose. He realized too late what it was. Todd ends up sneezing and the coasters on the table catch fire from his sneeze.

"Todd! What on earth happened?!"

Todd quickly puts the fire out right as the smoke detectors went off. He quickly gets rid of the ashes of the coasters. "Sorry, Annette."

"It's okay. The fire department will be here shortly to make sure thst it wasn't too serious."

"Fire department?"

"Your family, after your grandfather passed away a few years ago, wanted to make sure that I was safe."

I'll deal with fire department when they get here. Just have to remember not to hurt anyone, Todd thinks to himself.