Does this chapter really need an accompanying note? I think not. I just wanted to add one. Enjoy this first chapter. It will change your life forever. Jk. Enjoy~
C.H.A.P.T.E.R. 1
I've been the Devil's assistant for three years now. Ever since that day; exactly two weeks after my fourteenth birthday....
Buses, I think to myself with a scowl. They never seem to come on time. I sit on the edge of the cold seat and wait for one to arrive, all the while kicking my new Converse against the ground. Suddenly a man comes up to the bus stop and stands, waiting with me. I feel eyes on me, but it's a moment before I take a quick glance at him and confirm what I already knew -- he's watching me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight when he gives me an amused smile.
The man must be in his late twenties, or very early thirties. His hair is thick and dark, jet black. Even from where I'm sitting I can tell he has piercing green eyes. His beauty is breath-taking, but in a way that makes my insides feel like I've swallowed ten pounds of ice. I scootch to the far edge of my seat -- handsome men make me nervous.
"Little girl," he says to me in a tone that suggests he knows very well I am not a little girl. I try to ignore him by staring straight down at the scuffs on my right shoe. "There's an ice cream truck. Wouldn't you like a cone?"
My first thought is: Holy crap! This guy's trying to kidnap me! Stranger danger! Stranger danger!
And the second: Oh please. If you're going to try to abduct me, a least be a little more mature. Seriously, ice cream? I'm fourteen, not four.
I turn my head to decline and possibly kick him where the sun doesn't shine if necessary when my gaze locks with his. I find myself unable to look away, no matter how hard I try. It isn't because his eyes are extremely beautiful, no; I literally cannot look away, and believe me I try. I try to twist my head, move my eyes, but I can't. I finally give up with a small grunt of frustration. The mysterious man, who I am convinced will now kidnap me and take me to his house to cook up for Thanksgiving dinner, is still staring at me in that amused way.
He straightens and I with him. Unwillingly, I stand and follow him as he leaves the bus stop, heading across the street. However much I mentally scream at my feet to stay, they up and follow the man, like I'm under some sort of spell. I desperately look around for someone to help me. There is no one.
I keep following him until he comes to an alley between an old-looking butcher shop and a store selling women's undergarments. Both are closed for the night, offering no help. My head is screaming and my heart is hammering, but my feet won't stop, can't stop. I'm positive I will explode.
Finally he stops in the mouth of the alley and turns around, staring at me with those chilling green eyes.
"Tiffany." This wrenches a gasp from chest.
"How do you know my name?"
He only smiles; not a friendly one, but a bone-chilling smirk.
"I know a lot of things about you, Tiffany. Possibly even more than you know about yourself," he muses. My eyes widen. "Would you like to know how?"
I don't answer, frozen still as he begins to circle slowly around me, possibly for suspense. It's clear he's amused by my fear. He stops and leans forward, whispers in my ear:
"I'm the Devil."
He pulls back to see my reaction, clearly anticipating shock. But I'm not a fool. There must be something, something "magical," for lack of a better word, about the man. Normal human beings tend not to put spells on people them to keep them from running away.
Feeling brave for a moment, I stare straight back at him. I can tell he's a bully, and I won't let him push me around.
"What would the Devil want with me?" I ask haughtily. He recoils, surprised by my reaction. He quickly composes himself and continues to walk around me slowly. A small voice in the back of my head tells me to dash the hell out of there, but I hold my ground.
"Naturally you would be feisty. Like Delilah."
"My mom?" I ask, caught off guard. The Devil smirks, pleased to get this reaction out of me.
"It was quite a long time ago when I met her. No offense to your mother. Or rather it was a long time ago in human years. For me time is infinite, and a few decades pass quickly. Delilah was fourteen years old, your age. I was on earth one day, and I saw her. She caught my attention."
I simply stare at him, waiting to see what he could possibly be talking about.
"You see, I was looking for an assistant. The old one, well he was execu-- had to leave, I'm afraid. It was very hard on me, so I set out to find a new one. Once I saw her, I knew she was perfect for the job. She was fierce, not afraid to speak her mind, and she was young; easy to teach.
"I approached her with my offer, and she refused. I should have expected this, for she seemed like someone who wouldn't be tied down. After all, she was still at her rebellious teen age."
I guess that resistance of being tied down finally gave way, I think, considering her life now.
The Devil continues to speak. "Even after I explained to her the benefits of being my assistant, she turned me down. Of course I could have forced her to come with me, but I was willing to make a bargain. She didn't have to come with me, as long as she gave me her first child, when they were fourteen years of age. She quickly agreed-- you can't really blame her, really. She was a mere child herself."
My mouth parts slightly in shock. He can't mean--
"Which brings us to this moment, Tiffany. I have come, to claim you. As my assistant."
I don't know whether to throw up, faint, or punch him. I settle on letting my eyes lose focus and then refocus, repeating the motions over while the world spins around me.
"I do hope you won't put up a fight like your mother did. It won't do you good, anyway. This time I'm not willing to make negotiations."
I'm silent; numb. And then I speak.
"And what exactly does this job entail?
He stares into my eyes with his green ones, not blinking once. "You will be doing things that most human assistants do. Chores. Cleaning, washing, errands-- I assume you've heard of Cerberus?"
I swallow. "The three-headed guard dog of Hell?"
He nods, amused. "Correct. You'll find he's quite friendly once he gets to know you. If you live that long." My eyes bug out, but he chuckles, reassuring me for the time being that he's only kidding. "You'll have to take care of him, and other mundane chores. Just because I'm the Prince of Darkness doesn't mean I don't have these tasks."
I'm quiet.
"You're wondering about the benefits I spoke of," he says.
"How did you--"
"You'll be invincible," he tells me. "Nothing can kill you. Can't have my assistant dying on me, can I? Which brings up the fact that you will be immortal. Now don't go peeing yourself with excitement. It's simply because I'm going to need you around for a long time, and I don't want some hunched old woman walking about. Besides that, you'll be able to manifest objects, and have other magical, ahem, powers. You will learn all of this through lessons."
I choke. "Immortal? Wait--"
"We really must go now. This is already taken too much time."
"Wait! I need to say goodbye to my brothers-- they-- they'll be worried about me."
"You'll have plenty of time to see them when you come up to the earth plane," the Devil says with a look at his wrist. He seems to be checking the time, despite the fact that there is no watch there. "Besides the chores, I'll need you to come here to collect corrupted souls."
My head is spinning with all this seemingly impossible information. Cant this really be happening? Or will I wake up the next moment to find myself in my bedroom, sweating like I do when I have nightmares?
"Now, if you're through gawking-- the chariot awaits." He snaps his fingers and a dark coach appears outside of the alley's narrow mouth, complete with a set of four jet-black horses. I gasp. "Sorry to rush you, but you know how it is . Or rather, you soon will. Now come. The Underworld awaits!"