Chapter 6

Todd continues to help Annette with her shopping despite the attention they were now getting. Betty had left the store earlier in a huff and some kids came running up to Todd.

"Why are you so tall?" A little boy asks.

"I eat my fruits and vegetables. That's how I got so tall," said Todd. The little kids, five of them, all say 'eww' unison and laugh.

"Are you Annie's friend?" A little girl asks.

"I'm her grandson."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Todd mentally laughs at the last question. Kids normally don't fear something unless they know what it is or had a bad experience early on in life to cause them to fear something. "I dress like this every day like it's Halloween for me all the time."

"You can dress like that all the time?!" One of the kids excitedly asks.

"Yes you can. But it's not wise to wear a mask. It hinders your sight."

"Is that Halloween make-up you are wearing?"

"Yes. I use a water-base makeup so it's easy to wash off."

Parents of the kids who were bugging Todd with questions, take their kids way so they could finish their shopping.

"Come along now, Todd. We still have to finish our shopping," said Annette. "You sure are popular with the younger ones."

"Kids are not easy to deal with when they ask a lot of questions," said Todd.

"Remember you used to be that young too. You asked a lot of questions too. Mostly about the garden when you visited. Still a shame you didn't get a chance to visit as often."

"Well I'm here to make up for lost time, Annette."

"And for that I am glad. When we get home, we'll watch some Golden Girls."

"Let focus on finishing our shopping first." Todd helps Annette get the rest of the groceries on her list.

As Todd and Annette go through the isles, people watch in either fear or wonder at the fact a demon was walking amongst them. A few of them mutter about the impossibility of a demon walking amongst mortals and some start whispering about needing to hire the local priest from the church to preform a banishment. Todd could feel his ears burning. A lot of times, humans didn't know how to properly banish or exocise a demon, which could leave with nasty consequences. Priests would be called in to finish the botched armature job.

Todd wasn't looking forward to dealing with a priest anytime soon but he planned on dealing with the issue when the time came. As he and Annette neared the checkout, the whispering continued. Not as bad as what you can hear in Hell, Todd thinks to himself.

Annette pushes her cart up to the cash register. "Hello, Tina. Good to see you today," said Annette. She puts her groceries up onto the conveyor belt.

"Good to see you too, Annie. How are you..." A slight blush appears on Titans cheeks when she sees Todd. "Is that Todd?!"

"My grandson came back home the other day. He's out helping me shop today." Annette finishes putting her groceries on the conveyor belt.

Tina quickly looks away from Todd. "Were you able to find everything, today?"

"I was, Tina. So how's the family?"

"They are doing well. Candice started talking today. Her first word was 'Mum'."

Todd watches Tina for a bit, watching her actions. He noticed that she was hesitating for a bit. There was always that one mortal who fell for a demon. After the groceries were scanned and bagged, Todd helped Annette put them in too the cart. It was another ten minutes before Todd and Annette leave the store.

"That went better than expected," said Annette.

"That it did," said Todd. What he said was a lie. Annette could not hear what Todd could hear. He could hear everything that was both said and unsaid. It was just Tod's nature...well a demon's nature. They had to listen for the ones who summoned them and then from then on, listen to said summoner until the contract is over. "Let's head home, Annette. We can go shopping for furniture later."

"I'd like to take you to that one Café."

"Let's head home and put the groceries away first. Then will work from there." Todd could tell that Annette was getting tired. Even at her age, rest was needed. Todd rarely needed rest. Even last night in his 'room' he didn't truly rest. Now with the looming threat of a priest being sent on him, rest may not come for a long while. He helps Annette load the groceries into the backseat of her car.

"What would you like for dinner tonight, Todd?"

"Surprise me."

"Are you sure? I may end up making something you won't like, like steamed Brussel sprouts." Annette laughs a little. She remembered that Todd, as a little kid, didn't like Brussel sprouts. But she still doesn't realize that this Todd wasn't her 'Todd'.

"I don't mind your cooking. People's tastes in food change over time."

"Sounds good then." Annette closes the car door once all the groceries were in the car. "Let's head home then." She gets into the driver's side of her car and sits down in the driver's seat. She waits until Todd sits down in the passenger seat, buckled up, and had shut the door before she started the car. "How about you choose the radio station for the drive home, Todd."

Todd turns the radio on and Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne starts to play. He smirks. Seems life may he good here for me after all, Todd thinks to himself.