Eli woke to the smell of something he hadn’t had in a long time: Kraft Dinner. About 10 years ago, it was belled as a drug due to its addictive nature and cheesy goodness. This ban sted for 5 years before it was repealed. However, his parents never let Eli eat it. His father said it contained too much soy and would make him too feminine. Eli rolled out of bed and checked his phone. It was 10 p.m. Eli entered the kitchen as Amy turned around, holding two bowls of KD with sliced hot dogs mixed in.

  “Hey, you, you’re finally awake.” Amy set the two bowls down on the table, one in front of herself and one in front of Eli.

  “Hahaha, and people say I make outdated references.” Eli smiled but didn’t touch the bowl of KD.

  “I will have you know that it is an unfaible cssic.” Amy grinned at Eli

  “Thankfully, companies support emution nowadays. I prefer to py the 60th-anniversary edition. It runs better on my ptop.”

  “What no PC?”

  “Of course, I have my own PC. I just wasn’t allowed to bring it with me to college.” Eli's smile fell from his face at the mention of his PC.

  “What do you mean, weren’t allowed.”

  “My parents said that it would be too much of a hassle trying to fit it in the car. They already had enough luggage with them for their vacation. They also said that it was too much of a distraction for college.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight. Your parents prevented you from taking your PC because they didn’t want to give up space that they pnned to use for luggage?”

  “No, I mean yes, that is what they said, but they always pack light, and I would have had more than enough space for the PC. They just didn’t want me to have it. They never wanted me to get one in the first pce, but I was able to scrounge up enough parts to make my own.”

  “Nice, also your parents are dicks. Not a fan of KD?” Amy pointed at the cooling bowl of KD in front of Eli.

  “I haven’t had it in years, not since I was seven. After that, it was banned, and my parents never bought it again. As for the food, it’s yours. I’m not going to take it.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not mine to take.”

  “What do you mean? I made a second bowl so you could have some.”

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t want to assume anything.”

  “Assume? How… what did your parents do to you?” Amy stared intently at Eli

  “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” Eli would not meet her eyes. “Do you have a computer?”

  “Oh definitely, custom built and everything. I’ll show you ter. Also what’s your opinion on Xenos individuals?”

  Eli looked around the room, checking to see if there was anyone listening. “What kind of Xenos? There are so many different species. I can’t give you an opinion without knowing which species you are talking about.”

  Amy looked at Eli at first with suspicion before a rge smile bloomed on her face. “I just meant in general but if you want to get specific, what do you think of concubi.”

  “They are a fascinating species of Xenos that most associate with the Succubi/Incubi of old, though the term Concubi is more specific to the general, unfortunately most literature surrounding concubi as a people is filled with conjecture and rhetoric projecting stereotypes from old times, as such I don’t trust most of what I know about them and am particurly keen on learning more from a more accurate source.” Eli smiled at the chance to talk about his favourite topic.

  “Wow that’s a better reaction than I expected.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Amy scratched the back of her head. “I figured from my impression of you that you would be respectful about it I did not expect you to be a nerd about it.”

  Eli’s face fell. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I am normally able to keep stuff under wraps, I let things get away from me. I did not mean to make things awkward.”

  “Oh Eli, it’s nothing like that. You’re fine. There’s nothing wrong with nerding out about stuff. I really don’t mind. Here, let me show you something.” With that, Amy’s body shifted: her skin shifted to a light blue hue, rge bat-like wings protruded from her back, a spade-tipped bck tail swished into view, her hair colour faded from a deep bck to a stark white, her emerald eyes seemed to gain this deep-seated glow and her curves all around just increased in size.

  Eli was, at first, taken aback by the sudden transformation. But then his face lit up like a Christmas tree, with a big dopey grin as he stared. “Wow”

  “Yeah”

  Even her voice was different, like a melodious song. It seemed to slide across the ears like silk. Eli gazed deep into those emerald pools that seemed so deep and tranquil before he averted his eyes. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.

  “Sorry”

  “Why?”

  “For staring.”

  “Oh, you are just too cute. When you look as good as I do, it comes with the territory.”

  Eli’s face was on fire. He hoped to clip through the floor and out of reality. Why did she call him cute? He wasn’t cute. That just wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be cute. He was a guy, and guys can’t be cute.

  “Imnotcute” Eli tried to respond, but it came out as more of a squeak than actual words.

  “Oh, that is just too precious. But I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?” Amy grinned as she saw Eli’s reaction.

  Eli couldn’t even look at Amy at this point, his cheeks were so red. “I said I’m not cute. You don’t need to make things up to tease me.”

  “Oh Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. People like you are just too fun to tease.”

  “What do you mean people like me?” Eli stared at Amy in confusion.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out when you’re ready. I wanted to show you my true form for two reasons: One, I don’t want to be stuck at home wearing a disguise all the time, I actually like how I look nowadays and I am not staying like that all year. And two Concubi are infamous are colleges and I wanted to make sure you were aware of that.”

  “I’m afraid that I have never heard anything in regards to college incidents with concubi other than the sexual rumours but from what I understand about concubi, from the few truths i’ve been able to find, their powers have nothing to do with sex.”

  “No, nothing like that. As you said, Concubi are not some form of sex fiend like the old myths and legends. While some individuals lean into the role, it is always just that, a role. Concubi, while having the distinctly ‘demonic’ looks, are actually a kind of empath.”

  Eli watched Amy with rapt attention. This was new information, and he didn’t want to miss anything. “So you can read other people's emotions.”

  “Sort of. While we can get a general idea of how someone is feeling within a small vicinity, our main power does pertain to sex somewhat. We can share our emotions and thoughts with partners or people with whom we share a deep bond of trust. Though sex isn’t required, all that is required is a simple touch, but most concubi use it during sex.”

  “Wow, that’s actually kind of wholesome. It's way different from the garbage that gets spewed online or on the news.”

  “Either way, my sharing a dorm with you is so important to know because Concubi are infamous around colleges. If you live near a concubus, the odds of you manifesting your powers are quite a bit higher than around other Xenos. It’s a really peculiar phenomenon that doesn’t really have an expnation yet. So if weird stuff starts happening, please talk to me. Also, I do apologize in advance.”

  “I mean, when I was a kid, there were a bunch of Xenos at my school. Despite what my father said, I still hung out with them quite a bit, and my Xenos gene never activated, so I doubt it will now.”

  “Alright, but please come to me if anything weird happens. I have another friend who is an empath, and they work with me to help people who just came out. Also, eat your dinner. It’s getting cold.”

  “Yes Mom,” Eli smirked at the comment before finally digging into the bowl of KD. Yeah, it was cold, but it was amazing. Once dinner was finished, Eli insisted on helping with clean up. He would not take no for an answer and insisted it was the least he could do.

  Afterwards, Eli went back to his room to settle down for the night. He tossed and turned. He couldn’t get Amy calling him cute out of his head, the way it made his heart race and how he felt when she did it. It didn’t make any sense. He was a guy, and getting called cute should bother him, make him upset, and maybe even get him angry. So why did it make him feel so giddy? It took a long time, but Eli finally fell asleep.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  Eli woke up in a field of flowers. The sun was overhead without a cloud in sight, and it was beautiful. Flowers stretched across his field of view in every direction toward the horizon. The ndscape of flowers was only broken up by a cabin in the distance. From here, Eli could tell that there was a woman sitting on the porch in a rocking swing.

  Eli squatted down and admired the flowers: lics, lilies, marigolds, vender, roses. Every kind of flower was present. Eli thought back to when he was a child and would make flower crowns with his sister. They would py all day in the forest near their home. There was one meadow in particur that they had enjoyed, with a lonesome tree in the center surrounded by flowers. The two of them loved to py there until their father found out.

  While Eli was reminiscing about the past, he had started to weave a flower crown. He hadn’t done it in years, but it kept his hands busy. Suddenly, the sky was dyed a maroon red, and his father's voice boomed across the sky.

  “I warned you, boy. No son of mine is going to spend all day picking flowers. You are going to be a man someday. It looks like I will have to teach you the hard way.”

  Plumes of smoke began to rise in the distance, and all around him, fires began to spring up, just like the meadow so long ago. Everything was beginning to burn. Eli looked around and saw smoke bnketing the sky. Eli ran towards the cabin. Maybe there, he could escape his father.

  The fires were spreading now. An all-consuming wildfire was spreading across the horizon, and the field was abze. Eli continued running as he heard his father hurl insults at him. As Eli ran, his lungs burned as he tried to escape the fire. Eli saw that the smoke began to converge in a central location, swirling and compressing together, forming the rough outline of a man. The insults seemed to be coming from the smoke man now. Eli tried to keep running, but he couldn’t escape. The fire was everywhere. No matter where he turned, the fire was springing up to block his path. It was like the fire was always one minute ahead of him. The smoke burned at his lungs as he stumbled through the bze. For a moment, Eli felt weightless as he was hoisted into the air by the smoke figure.

  “You though you could escape? No, it’s time you learned to be a man once and for all.” With that, the smoke man lowered Eli over the raging fire. The fmes began to lick at his feet. Eli kicked and screamed in agony, but he couldn’t break the man’s grip on him. He struggled and cwed at the man, but the man was unaffected. The fire was rapidly climbing Eli’s body now. Every nerve in his body was firing in distress. Eli burned, and the smoke took his breath away. The fmes licked his face and climbed their way up to his eye. He could only scream in agony as the vision slowly warped from the heat, starting to bubble and twist before it slowly faded to bck.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  Eli could only scream, the fire, he needed to put out the fire. It burned. Everything was burning. Eli couldn’t think as he rolled off the bed, trying to extinguish the fire and screaming all the while. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see. All that was left was fire. Two hands firmly grasped his shoulders. Eli thought he could hear someone, but he couldn’t tell. He just knew that he needed to extinguish the fire. He screamed and cried as he tried to escape before finally something sat down on top of him, those same two gentle hands cupping his face.

  “....E….li”

  “...lm….d…n…li”

  “Eli!!!”

  “Eli, look at me.”

  “Huh,” Eli said with a lurch. He noticed a girl sitting on top of him, her emerald eyes piercing right into his soul.

  “Eli, what are five things you can see?”

  “Wha..”

  “what are five things you can see?”

  “Um, your eyes, your hands, the walls, the bed, the ceiling.”

  “Good. What are four things you can hear.”

  “The ceiling fan, cars, birds, your breathing.”

  “Okay, good. What are three things you can feel?”

  “The bed, your hands, the wind from the fan.”

  “Good, welcome back Eli. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just a nightmare.”

  “That was not ‘just’ a nightmare.”

  “I heard you screaming and came running. Are these nightmares frequent thing for you?’”

  “I get them from time to time, but never something like this. I…. I was burning. Everything was burning. The fire was everywhere. There was a man, he… I… I couldn’t escape.”

  “Shush, everything’s alright. I’m right here. It’s over. It’s all over. You can rex.”

  “Thank you Amy, I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Don’t even start with that. It’s not your fault. Besides, this is what I do. I am going through to be a counsellor and work with people who deal with anxiety. You were basically having a full blown panic attack and I know how to help with those. Either way, it’s over now, you’re alright. Do you need me to stay? I can afford to miss css today.”

  “No, I could never ask that of you, not after everything you have already done for me this morning.”

  “Alright, one more thing before I go.” Amy leaned down and reached toward Eli’s face. “Stay still now.” Eli could feel Amy carefully and gently adjust his gss eye before she finally stood up and got off of him. “You should really see a healer to get that looked after.”

  Eli slowly climbed to his feet. “I can’t, need to be 18 to sign any release forms.”

  “Wait, you’re 17? How are you in college?”

  “It’s a long story, maybe another time.” Eli slowly scratched the back of his, not meeting Amy’s gaze. He couldn’t get the image of Amy on top of him with her warm emerald eyes out of his mind. A blush spread across his face just from imagining it.

  “Oh, something’s making you feel better. I wonder what. Hmm.” Amy smiled before she left his room, grabbing her purse on her way out the door.

  Eli slumped onto his bed, feeling emotionally drained and exhausted. Today was going to suck. Amy chose this point to stick her head back into the room.

  “Don’t forget about the party tonight, okay? You’re going to have a great time, I promise,” Amy said before she left once more.

  Eli smiled awkwardly in return. Maybe today wouldn’t be too bad, hopefully.