Eric __________________________ Eric saw the pain that Ash was going through and wondered how he could relate. Both his parents were still alive and well, and although they got into the occasional dispute, overall they had been a complete little family. He looked at Ash and his heart cried out for him. Eric could not stand up so he just sat up again and stuck his arms out. "Hey come here, you look like you need a hug." Eric didn't know what else to do and when he was feeling down a hug always did him good. He agreed completely with one thing; Not another grilled cheese ever again. Ashburn __________________ Ash smiled through his tears. "Sorry to get all emotional, its just... well if this is real I'm sad she had to die." With a grunt of effort Ashburn managed to get off the cot, his right arm hanging limply by his side. Although the pain had subsided it still had not healed enough to be used and he could only coax one his ring finger to move. Ash gently hugged Eric back, before realizing something that had just occurred to him. Awkwardly reaching into his right pocket with his left hand he felt around until he found what he was looking for and puled it out. The pill box was a small white plastic unit, rounded with a cheap plastic lid that said "Meds-to-Go". Ash struggled for a moment to open it one handed to reveal the white pills inside, Aspirin. "I'm so sorry Eric. I forgot that I have these for my joint problems, do you need one?" Ash asked, sitting back on his cot as the fatigue really hit him. Eric _____________________ Eric looked at the bottle. He was in a lot if pain but for some reason it was the only thing keeping him anchored in reality. "No I'm fine....thank you though." He wondered what was next for him and Ash, would they be destined to stay in this box under lock and key. "Hey Ash....What do think is gonna happen next?" Ashburn _________________________________ Ash lay back down on his cot, placing the container in his left pocket. His fatigue reduced slightly as the cot took over the burden of his weight. "I'm not really sure man. If we really are demons I'm guessing we will start going through puberty round two, extreme edition, after we finish recovering." Ash chuckled at the thought Mabel __________________________ "I'm taking food to the owners" Mabel loudly shrieked over the noise of the kitchen. A few "yes ma'ams" made it to her ear as she made her way out of the kitchen. She felt no problem lying, after all its not like she could say she had three employees locked in the basement. Balancing a tray with two grilled cheeses and one blended grilled cheese she checked that nobody was looking and then headed into the basement. The door to their "hospital", as she called it, had a heavy duty lock on it and two metal cross bars. She had wanted to make sure it would stay closed through their whole transformation. Using her free hand she easily lifted the heavy beams and set them aside, the lock made a loud click as she unlocked the door. Entering the room quickly she closed the metal door behind her. The three boys were still in their beds, but obviously in better shape. Ashburn had almost completely recovered, and only had left a still mending arm, luckily the transformation on him had begun so he was to fatigued to do more than stand for a few moments. Eric's ribs had receded into his chest but evidently he was still sore. For them she had brought the solid grilled cheeses (after all who doesn't love grilled cheese?) as a reward for their recovery. Zack was still in a coma, but was progressing none the less. His face was half mended, though no skin had regrown at all. This left his face resembling a tuxedo cookie with one side normal and the other wide a mass of muscle and skinless. His eye socket on the shattered side had been covered over by the muscle. For him she had brought the blended shake, since he was still being force fed directly into the stomach. "Well today is a special day." She said blandly, not sounding the least bit excited "You two have recovered well enough to eat solid food. Congrats." she said, setting the plates of grilled cheese on their stomachs. "You also get your first lesson in being a demon" She said, a little hint of excitement creeping into her voice "I was going to wait for scar-face over there to wake up but I guess he just loves his sleep." Leaning against the wall of mirrors she began, her tone taking the characteristics of a military briefer, direct and to the point. "The Biology of a demon "A demon is considered fully developed when their heart stops beating, as it indicates that the human body has totally ceased to exist and the soul has taken complete control. The soul, as you have probably guessed, is the source of all a demon’s powers and energy. It self-replenishes by pulling energy from the world around it, but this is a slow process and when a demon is low on energy they must sleep while their soul recoups. "A demon technically has no need to eat, breathe or drink since their soul provides all the energy for the body. However, as a vestigial leftover from your days as a human, you will still crave food and oxygen. It is much like drug withdrawal and many demons prefer to just avoid the discomfort and will do these things out of habit. The exceptions to this are some radical demons that resent anything human and refuse to take part. According to them the strong cravings, headaches other symptoms go away after about two centuries or so. Sleep is not even really needed if you keep your energy output very low. "On that note a demon is essentially immortal. Since the body has no mortal “needs” our bodies can regenerate using the soul’s energy, even lost limbs (though you do have to eat to regenerate limbs but that it a matter for a different lesson). As long as some part of your body remains, and your soul, you will always regenerate and recover. Though major damage can take weeks to repair. The only way to kill a demon is to use up all of a soul’s energy. Once all of a soul’s energy has been used up the demon is dead even if the body is in perfect shape otherwise. You most likely will faint long before that point, but for those of you with special powers using them recklessly is an easy way to get killed. It takes a lot of energy to use your powers, and if you make a major display of force you may very well extinguish your soul." Before anything could be asked she took her empty tray and left. Locking the door behind her, leaving the boys to digest the information