TPN x READER #2?? (Second drafts)

Chapter 2

Idk if I dislike the pacing, or if I like it... I I think I might not... I am still sticking pretty close to the first drafts, which is probably why it feels off, at least to me...

Well, if you are reading this by some miracle, please let me know what you think! I do appreciate any constructive criticism or suggestions you might have :))

Isabella was struck with a strange sort of notion as she met the eyes of the young girl before her.

She sat straight-backed, perched on the edge of her chair, her hands folded politely in her lap. Her feet dangled high above the floor, and Isabella was certain she could be no older than four.

That was why she seemed peculiar— it was the composure the young child held. Isabella found her own posture stiffening as she held herself in a more imposing manner.

What was it about this child that made her feel smaller than the Grandmother herself did?

"This is [Name]," Grandmother Sarah introduced the child.

Isabella stopped sizing up the girl with a motherly smile, any traces of her hesitation vanishing. "Hello, [Name]."

"Hello, Isabella." The girl smiled brightly, as if the cold, calculating expression of hers had never been there in the first place. But the smile was replaced with a similar, plain look as she asked, "Or should I call you mom now?"

Isabella's own face sweetened. "Only if you'd like," she said, "but that would be wonderful."

She had been interested to meet the girl she'd heard about– supposedly a cattle child who had been raised initially at Headquarters due to some sort of 'special circumstance.' Isabella strongly doubted this was the exact truth, of course, but she knew her own place well– and that was not the place of someone who was permitted to ask questions.

"Would you accompany me to your new home?" The mother asked, holding out her hand for the girl. [Name] slid carefully off of the chair and took it, before pulling her suitcase off of the table.

Now that she stood at her full height, Isabella could see that the girl was even smaller than she'd initially thought. She quickly stifled a sort of smile at the child's apparent seriousness. Could it be because she was nervous?

"I'll carry your suitcase," Isabella offered.

[Name] looked up at her and then shook her head stubbornly. "No." 

And that was that.

Soon they walked through the field hand in hand, as the grass tickled [Name] just above her boots. The wind was blowing gently, nice and refreshing in the humid summer air.

The whole scene was interesting– it felt as if [Name] had just taken a step straight into another world. Even the house looked like it belonged somewhere in Europe several hundred years ago. She hadn't spent much time in the demon world thus far, but the organisms at this farm were identical to that of the human world— much unlike the plantlife of the demon world. However, she noted, there was a general lack of wildlife– demon-world esque or otherwise.

Isabella soon spoke with a casual hum, "Hey, [Name]."

When [Name] looked up to her, the woman's eyes were still trained on the house they approached. "Yes?"

Isabella smiled, as her purple eyes slid to the girl's. "You know the secret of the house, don't you?"

There was the slightest pause in the girl's gait, the only sign of her surprise— one that didn't go unnoticed by the woman.

That question, asked so suddenly, wasn't so much within expectations.

With a tilt of her head, [Name] weighed her options, and made a decision. "Yes, I do," she replied simply, her gaze focusing straight ahead.