What would you trade your soul for?
The answer is simple for Jessa: nothing. Life isn't perfect, but it's pretty good with her best friend Taylor at her side.
But everything changes when the Devil--disguised as an attractive high school girl--comes...
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"The dance is in a week and a half," I said to Lana, "which doesn't give us a lot of time."
We were in her hotel room, drinking a bottle of complementary champagne. The hotel employee who had dropped it off looked very confused when he realized it was going to two obviously underage girls, but he hadn't questioned it. Clearly he realized that Lana—whoever she was—wasn't someone to be questioned.
I had only ever tried beer before, and the experience hadn't been that enjoyable, so I had thought that I'd also find champagne repulsive. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It was sharp, but had a sweetness that I liked, and the bubbles danced on my tongue like Pop Rocks. Unfortunately, this was Veuve Cliquot—an expensive brand, Lana told me—so I doubted I'd have champagne this nice for quite some time. So I was trying to enjoy it.
After we had made our deal, I had spent the rest of the afternoon by myself brainstorming a plan. And now, after dinner, I had run over to the Marriott hotel to discuss the details I had scribbled into my notebook. Lana was sitting on the bed cross-legged, listening to my impromptu presentation as she sipped from a tall-stemmed glass.
"First things first," I said, pacing across the beige carpet, "we need to figure out exactly how we want to reach our end goal."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, one option is to find a way to have Billy ask you to the dance yourself. Of course, that means we have to get him to like you and hope he works up the courage to ask you to the dance in time. The second option is for you to ask him yourself—but you can't ask him too soon, because that might freak him out." I took a breath. I honestly didn't know what I was talking about, but it had all made sense in my head. Now that I was saying it out loud, I couldn't help but wonder if Lana thought I was a blubbering idiot. "The third option is to go to the dance by ourselves and hope we can get something to happen there."
"Let's aim for the first two," Lana said, refilling her glass. "Better not to leave it to chance at the last second."
"Okay, well then we really need to get a move on. It's Wednesday and the dance is next Friday. So we only have nine days to work our magic." I paused. "Speaking of magic... what's the rule for you using it with this deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I know you're not supposed to use your magic unless it's to help other people. But you've used it a few times already for other purposes—like to show me visions and to make money appear out of thin air."
"Ahh," Lana said with a nod. "You're right. When I first left Heaven, my powers were completely bound. Couldn't do a single thing unless I was helping a human. But over time, since I've been so good," she batted her eyes at me, "things have loosened up a little. Technically I'm not supposed to use my powers down here unless it's to help someone. But usually there's a little wiggle room. And I know when something I'm doing is toeing the line." She looked at me. "So what do you want to use my power for?"
