As I watched the store clerk heading into the stockroom to fetch my new mobile phone, I pondered human psychology. I had just walked into a store, bought a new phone using a wad of cash I'd taken from a meth house, whose previous occupants had suddenly found themselves in no further need of it, and the only response I'd had to the fact that I was a fucking murderous harpy were a bunch of oglers and a few comments of 'awesome costume, mate'.

It was a lesson for controlling people that I intended to take to heart. Humans didn't see what was in front of their faces. They only saw what they wanted to see. And sometimes, controlling what they wanted to see was easier than controlling what they really saw. Monsters didn't walk into stores and buy phones. Everyone knew that, and so they simply didn't see me. Things would no doubt change quickly if I tore a couple of heads off, but as long as I refrained, I could just walk around with impunity.

I wasn't even pretending to be human. My voice was horrific; after so long without using it, it was barely comprehensible. I didn't have hands! I was walking around naked, for goodness' sake! Yet no-one cared.

Despairing about the intelligence of humanity, I headed out of the store with my new purchase clutched uncomfortably in my wing-claws. This is really the sort of thing my feet are for, but that might spoil everyone's delusion that I'm in a costume. Hopefully, the meth house was still undisturbed; I'd need some time in private to do some research. I just needed to find a deserted alley somewhere to take flight, so I could get back there.

As I headed down a side street, my ears twitched at the sounds of footsteps behind me; I was being followed. Perhaps not everyone was as dull as I'd assumed? I ducked around a corner and waited for them to catch up, wondering who it might be, and what they wanted.

Two hulking men came around the corner, knives drawn and leers plastered on their faces. "I'm sure a chick like you doesn't want to get hurt, so just chuck us that bag, and we'll be on our way."

Oh, just muggers then. They'd probably seen all the cash I had in my bag while I was in the shop and foolishly followed me. That was convenient; I hadn't wanted to eat the occupants of the meth house, in case they were so drugged up that their meat was poisonous. But first, there was something I really had to know.

"Sorry, but I have to ask," I screeched. "Was that pun deliberate?"

The pair of muggers looked at me in confusion. I guess it wasn't then. Not that it made any difference to what was about to happen next. I'd just been curious.

Before either of them had a chance to respond, I darted forward and pierced their throats. I really needed a better way of storing people alive for later, without having them screaming their head off in transit. Perhaps a bit more research to do once I got back. Maybe chloroform would turn out to be easy to make or something.

Hmm... If I had been a spider, would I have got poison? I could paralyse them and web them up for later. That would be cool. I'd need to read up on harpies too, in case I had any neat tricks that even I didn't know about. It wouldn't be too far-fetched, since Lily had spotted pretty quickly that my flight was unphysical, so supernatural abilities seemed fair game.

I grabbed my lunch, flew back to my borrowed home and for the first time since Lily had been back in the cell, I settled back to read.

Dammit, these phones were really not designed for use with claws!