Persephone

A Deal with the Devil

**Hello (ง︡'-'︠)ง**

Elaine bit her thumb as she paced back and forth, surveying the clock. Seeing the time made her even more anxious.

"Why aren't they back yet? Did something happen?" Elaine wrung her hands together, before pulling at her hair. "Arlo's the strongest out of all of us. If he falls..."

She didn't dare finish that thought.

"Should I get Remi? Isen? No, they're not stronger than Arlo..." Elaine bit the tip of her thumb again, making it bleed.

Suddenly, she stopped pacing, realization striking her.

"No... I must be insane..." Elaine told herself. She couldn't possibly think of going to who she thought she could go to. He hated Arlo! There's no way he would help him!

But Seraphina...

'No! There's no way he'd help her now! Even if she still cares about him...'

And yet... Elaine remembered how much he cared for Seraphina. How much he did for her. How he looked at her. Elaine knew she wasn't imagining any of that...

With that thought in mind, she exited the girls' dorm, searching for her target.

"What do you want, Elaine?" Zeke sneered at her, seeing her approach him.

"I want to see John," Elaine spoke firmly, determined.

'Please don't let me be wrong...'

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"What do you want, Elaine?" John was his usual pissed-off self, his gaze hardening even more at the sight of her, but Elaine refused to cower. Seraphina and Arlo needed her!

"John... I'm here to request aid from Wellston's King." Elaine tried to keep her cool. 'Suck up to him a bit and maybe he'll tone down his mood.'

"Why should I help trash like you? As I recall, before I was King, and when I was a cripple, you looked down on me." John rose from his seat, stalking towards Elaine, who had to put all of her effort in appearing brave. John gripped her collar tightly then, threateningly. "And now all of a sudden you want my aid?" he growled, before shoving her away. Elaine fell to the floor ungracefully.

"Ugh!" Elaine winced in pain from the force of the impact. John glared at her before turning his back to her.

"Go ask those losers at the Safe House if you're so desperate." John dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Zeke then moved forward, getting ready to remove Elaine from John's presence, but Elaine wasn't having that.

'Oh Fuck this!' "Seraphina's in danger!" Elaine got straight to the point. She saw John tense and gulped when he turned his angry gaze back to her.

"Why do you think I would care?" John sneered, but Elaine was watching him closely, and she took in his tense posture at the mention of Seraphina being in trouble.

"You do." Elaine didn't waste a beat. She was swimming in shark infested waters, but her friends were about to be consumed by a tsunami. John fully turned to face her, hands in his pockets, gaze alit with fury.

"I. Don't." John said. He took a step closer to her in warning. "Now leave before I decide to show you no mercy."

Zeke made a move to grab her again and Elaine struggled in his hold.

"No! Please! I'll give you anything you want if you help Seraphina! Please!"

"Shut up! All your yammering is pissing the King off!" Zeke smirked, enjoying the power trip. He began dragging her towards the door.