Aunt Vanessa?

Jessica groaned, irritated at the interruption. Sienna’s expression didn’t change—calm, collected, like the perfect little wife she believed she was. She turned around, excusing herself as she made her way towards the door.

Nate, on the other hand, felt a cold chill trickle down his spine.

“Hello?” The voice cut through the house, cheerful, unaware, and deeply out of place.

Nate barely had time to brace before arms wrapped around him.

“There’s my handsome nephew,” came the voice again, light and familiar, like nothing in the world had changed. “God, you’ve gotten taller. Where’s your mom hiding?”

Aunt Vanessa was Cassandra’s sister.

Nate’s body tensed like a pulled wire.

Before he could answer, heels clicked across the floor behind him. Sienna stepped forward with that practiced grace, hands folded over her apron, chin lifted like a debutante awaiting praise.

“I’m right here, sweetheart. How have you been, Vinnie?”

Vanessa blinked. Turned.

The confusion didn’t show immediately. First the slight pull in her brows. Then the smile faded.

“I’m… sorry?” she said, confused.

“It’s me,” Sienna said sweetly, “Cassandra??”

Vanessa’s smile twitched at the corners. “Oh. Cute.” She let out a little laugh, glancing at Nate like she was waiting for a punchline. “Is this, like… some inside joke? I didn’t know you had clothes like that as well Sienna”

Before he could respond, a blonde blur flounced into view.

Jessica threw her arms around Nate’s neck, her ass swinging. “Naaatey! You’re being rude. Who’s this hag?”

Vanessa recoiled like she’d been slapped. “Excuse me?”

Jessica blinked, then giggled. “You look mad. Are you mad? Are you jealous?”

Nate acted quickly, his hand landing on her hip as he turned to look at her. “Jess, hey. Why don’t you go try on something cuter for me? Maybe something in pink. Then I’ll take you somewhere?”

Her eyes lit up. “Ooh~ okay, okay! I’ll be back and you better watch me bedazzle you!”

She scampered off, giggling to herself like a child.

Nate turned to Sienna. “Sweetheart, think you could make us some lunch?”

The way her eyes sparkled at that—like he’d handed her roses and a ring. “Of course, darling. I’ll make it just the way you like it.”

She closed the distance between them and kissed his cheek, her lips lingering too long, and vanished into the kitchen with a soft hum.

Leaving just Nathan and his confused aunt alone in the room.

Vanessa stood frozen, staring after the women like she’d just walked onto the wrong movie set.

“What the hell is going on in this house?” she exclaimed.

Nate exhaled, slow. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to collect scattered thoughts. “It’s... complicated.”

“Try me.”

“There’s this… thing. A demon. Her name’s Selene.” His voice was distant. “She’s taken over mom’s body. Changed people.”

Vanessa said nothing. But her face twisted in slow, horrified comprehension.

“She’s not pretending. Sienna believes she’s mom and for some fucked up reason thinks I’m her husband. Same with Jessica—she used to be our neighbor, Margaret. Now she’s a teenage bimbo with the emotional range of a rubber band.”

Nate’s voice cracked then. “They’re not acting. They’ve been rewritten.”

“And you?” she asked, quietly. “Where do you fit into this little... freakshow?”

He looked at her, suddenly tired. “I think I’m the reason it’s all still going. I’m the prize. The puppetmaster’s favorite toy. I don’t get to quit. I just have to... choose how to survive it.”

Vanessa stepped back, the weight of it pressing in on her. Her eyes darted around the house—tracking sounds. A clatter of pans in the kitchen. A giggle from down the hall. The air itself felt different now than it usually did at her sister’s place.

“Aunt Vanessa,” he said softly, “If you leave now, you might stay you. I don’t want her to get to you.”

She met his eyes. And what he saw in hers wasn’t resolve. It was doubt. And yet he saw some courage. She was the adult in the situation, she had to take charge.

And sure enough, he heard Selene’s voice slide into his skull.

“Oh, Nate. She’s perfect. So much to reshape. I wonder what I can give you this time?”

He closed his eyes. He wanted to believe that he was just imagining her voice in his head due to all the stress.

Jessica huffed as she pulled her top on, on the way out of the house.

“Ugh! Who stocked these closets? Everything’s so basic! I’m gonna head back to my place and grab some proper outfits. Don’t go anywhere, Natey” She winked, stuck out her tongue, and bounced out the front door..

Vanessa watched her go, jaw slack. “She used to be… Margaret, you said? I think I did see her once last year, god it’s unbelievable.”

Nate nodded as he walked over to the dinner table and sat down where he kept his laptop.

After taking a few minutes to freshen up, Vanessa walked back in and sat down beside him, glancing at half-dozen tabs he had opened, forums, folklore archives, digital scan PDFs of books that hadn’t seen daylight since the 1800s.

It was all surreal. Vanessa wondered why stuff like this was on the internet to begin with.

Sienna waltzed in a moment later, carrying a tray with pristine presentation: cucumber sandwiches, fresh fruit, two glasses of lemonade, and a cup of soup with a delicate sprig of parsley floating in the center.

“There we go,” she beamed. “Something light for lunch, just to tide you over.”

Nate didn’t miss the way she lingered behind him, her fingers brushing lightly along his shoulder before she went back to humming in the kitchen. Vanessa, meanwhile, sat perfectly still, hands folded, eyes flicking toward the silverware like she was debating if one of the knives might be useful in an exorcism.

“Okay,” Nate said quietly, scrolling, “listen to this.”

*Selene—known in older texts as ‘Saal’neth’ena’ is a lesser succubus originally bound to the dreams of mortal men. Not powerful on her own, she draws strength from attention, desire, and especially identity erosion. She doesn’t steal souls—she hollows them, reshaping hosts into living fantasies to keep her presence fed and hidden. Her magic doesn’t corrupt like a virus—it rewrites narratives to corrupt the host and those around them.*

Vanessa leaned in. “So she… edits people?”

“Exactly. She doesn’t **** her way in—she makes you want to become the role. And once you believe it enough… you’re stuck.”

He clicked to another page. A forum thread from years ago, buried deep.

*Warning: if you encounter Selene, do NOT engage in any of your fantasies with her. The moment you accept the role she offers—mother, lover, maid, toy—she starts making it real. Even observing passively is risky. Distance and denial are the only early defenses. Once she’s anchored? It’s too late.*

Vanessa sat back, pale. “So we’re already screwed.”

“Not entirely,” Nate said. “There’s mention of a way to unseat her.” He tapped the screen. “It says that if the possessed host is bound and **** into a situation out of Selene’s control, we can loosen her grip. But the tricky part is overpowering a reality altering succubus without playing into her hands.”

“Easier said than done,” Vanessa muttered.

Sienna appeared again, wiping her hands on a dish towel, smiling like the perfect sitcom wife. “The custard I made for you guys is almost ready! I hope you still like caramel, Vanessa. I added a touch of cherry on top. Nate loves cherry, don’t you, sweetie?”

“Uh… yeah,” he murmured. “Thanks, honey.”

She beamed and retreated again.

Vanessa waited until she was out of earshot before leaning in. “She’s terrifying. I can’t even dream of the rebellious Sienna acting so out of character”

“She thinks she’s playing her part.” Nate’s eyes were tired. “That’s the worst thing about all this. She’s not even pretending anymore. This is her now.”

They ate slowly, quietly. Every bite of food felt unnervingly good, neither Cassandra nor Sienna were ever good cooks.

“We need to hit this hard,” Vanessa said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “Before she gets back. Before any more... roles are reinforced.”

Nate nodded. “I’m going to pull more info on the succubus. Rituals. Maybe something from her past. Something Selene wouldn’t see coming hopefully.”

Vanessa looked toward the hallway.

And for a moment, she felt it—the house breathing around them. Watching. Shifting.

Selene was listening.

And she didn’t like being researched.