Deals with the Devil (PA #1)

Chapter 24

Willow, Age Eighteen

I wake up to a slap on the face. "Hunghwha," I groan out incoherently. My brain is slow to adjust to being awake and my eyes are barely open, but I can easily feel the peppy gremlin sitting on top of me.

"Birthday hits for the birthday girl! Only seventeen more to go, but I'll save them for when you least expect it," Eli threatens cheerfully.

Voice raspy with sleep, I ask, "What time is it? I'm too tired for this."

She hums. "Well, you did go to bed four hours ago. That's more than enough sleep, right? Anyway, we have a big day ahead of us, so you need to get ready now."

"Four hours—Eli! It's three o'clock in the morning! If the sun isn't up, then I shouldn't be either."

"But it's your birthday, Will! Dad and I have a surprise for you, and we need the full day to execute it. Now hurry up and get dressed. I picked out an outfit for you and everything."

"Only one problem."

"No," Eli asserts. "There are absolutely zero problems today. Just listen to what I say, follow my instructions, and we'll have lots of fun!"

"Eli," I sigh, exasperated.

She tenses. "Don't start with me, Will! I've been planning this day for months—Dad was barely any help, let's be real—and everything will go according to plan! No objections."

I cut off her tirade. "Eli! I physically cannot move from this bed because you're crushing me with your surprisingly heavy body."

Elizabeth visibly deflates. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." She swings a leg over my torso like she's dismounting a horse before standing next to my bed. "Also, I have a perfectly proportioned body, fucker."

I push up into an upright position. "You're so short that you have to use a stool to reach the bathroom sink. And you can't call me names on my birthday! That's illegal!"

"Um, that stool thing was one time, get your facts straight. I just sit on the counter now, no stool required. There are also no real laws in Hell. Unless you count the one that says Elizabeth Morningstar must be a bad bitch at all times. I follow that one religiously." She smirks as she does a poor imitation of the Catholic sign of the cross. Her version involves finger guns and clapping, so I'm not sure how effective it is at getting God's blessing.

Time to change the subject before she continues to hype herself up. "Right, okay, sure. Where's the outfit I'm supposed to wear today?"

Effectively distracted, Eli makes her way to my closet and I'm slow to follow. Once in the walk-in space, I find her shoving hangers aside to reveal an unfamiliar garment bag hidden behind the rest of my fancier clothes.

Brow furrowed, I ask, "How long has that been in there?"

She pulls out the garment bag then turns to regard me. "Like, two months. I was banking on the fact that you barely wear anything that can't be folded and put into a drawer, so you wouldn't find it."

"I like to be comfortable," I defend myself.

"You're lucky we have to wear uniforms at PA," she scoffs. "Hell knows you wouldn't make any friends in sweats and a t-shirt."

While the reminder of my upcoming attendance at Purgatory Academy sends a spike of anxiety through my chest, I smile at the idea of waltzing through the school in outfits that would constantly irritate Eli. "Who am I going to make friends with, anyway? We already know most of the demon spawn and they're terrible. I can't imagine that the angels will be much better."