Adrian was sleeping so soundly, he had no idea what I was up to.
I smugly slithered back into my terrarium.
While he was at the office, I tried to manifest my human form at home.
First try: human torso, snake tail.
Second try: snake head, human body.
Third try: human head, snake…
This rogue cultivation was fast, but it seemed a bit unstable. Or maybe I just hadn’t done enough of it.
To avoid being captured by a research institute, I decided I needed more practice.
Oh, right, there was another downside: I got hungry way too fast. It must be a human eating habit. I used to be fine with one meal every six days, but now I was starving every six hours.
And of course, Adrian didn’t like to stock food at home.
I rummaged through the fridge but couldn’t find anything good. In the end, I just gnawed on a few peaches.
11
The sound of the lock turning. Adrian was back.
There was no time to get back to the bedroom, so I had to revert to my snake form right where I was.
He had come back for a file.
He paused when he saw me on the floor. “You’ve been running around again, Lyra.”
He scooped me up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the peach pits on the table.
I flicked my tongue out guiltily.
But he didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He just sat down and started browsing a food delivery app.
Noodles, scrolled past.
Barbecue, scrolled past.
Burgers, scrolled past.
I was getting so agitated I was practically drooling, crawling all over the table.
An almost Imperceptible smirk touched Adrian’s lips.
After the food arrived, he took a call and left, saying it was an emergency meeting.
“Ah, well. Looks like I won’t get to eat this,” he said with a strange smile. “I’m off to the office, Lyra. Don’t run around, okay?”
Once I was sure he was gone, I quickly turned human.
I tore open the package. It was fragrant, golden fried chicken. A lot of it.
Surely, he wouldn’t notice if I just ate a few pieces.
I grabbed a piece of chicken and brought it to my mouth, only to realize my mistake.
I was currently in my snake–head–human–body form. I couldn’t eat.
I was devastated. I started frantically trying to switch forms. After struggling for what felt like an eternity, couldn’t even manage the human–torso–snake–tail form. All I could do was stare at the fried chicken with
longing.
