So, no one has read my last two chapters which is just dandy. Joking aside, it doesn't really matter as I'm mainly putting this up here to make myself write but to my family members - you know who you are - come on.
Regrading her hand woefully, Georgie sighed. One fingernail left, that was all she had. What was she meant to do after that one was gone? Chew gum? Drink copious amounts of coffee? Smoke? No, she would not smoke; that was bad for you. Not seeing anything else for it, she chewed the nail. There it was done. Georgie supposed she would have to start work.
"Do you reckon gamblers give some of their winnings to charity?" The question was sent out to the room in general.
Nyala, being sociable for once and sitting in the kitchen, did not answer. Anything that was not to do with computers or coding held no interest for her. From under lashes, Seb flicked a look at Georgie but did not respond. The two of them had not conversed since their argument, neither one of them able to break the painful silence no matter how much they wanted to. Eloise was there but was in one of her moods, so it was left to Lydia to reply.
"Maybe", she said hesitantly, stretching the word out as if she was considering it, although Georgie knew she was just being kind. "Why, what did you have in mind."
Shrugging to show she did not really care, Georgie said "Just thinking. If they did maybe we could stop them, persuade them to use their money selfishly instead."
Georgie saw Seb quietly shake his head. She wondered if she should ask him but that would mean breaking the silence and she was not sure how she felt about that. She loathed being on bad terms with anyone, let alone Seb but the way things were it was probably best if they remained unspeaking. Yet, she wanted his opinion.
Eloise saved her from this dilemma by thumping the book she had been ferociously studying on the table. Cutting a hand through the air, she disagreed. "No. It would just turn into us forcing gambling additions on people which sort of undermines the whole not getting ourselves into Hell thing we have going on."
Seb nodded in accordance with Eloise then returned to his studies. Instantly Georgie saw they were right. She was scrambling for ideas which to Georgie was like taking Walter Raleigh's compass and sextant from him, putting him in alone on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic and saying 'have fun'. Perhaps she would have been able to find a solution to their predicament had she not been going against her morals. Corrupting people, making sure they went downstairs instead of up once their time came did not nor could ever feel right. Georgie felt like a tightrope walker trying to keep on the straight and narrow whilst life was doing it's best to pull her off. She supposed she'd just have to tighten her core and keep her balance.
"That little snag", she said, disguising hopelessness with bravado.
"Hades seems to be a bit distracted at the moment", said Lydia. "And Mats seems to be enjoying the milk delivery trade – not that I'm convinced it's going to do anything – so maybe we can leave it for a bit, just until Hades starts asking questions."
"Perhaps", Georgie said looking down. "But that doesn't help Hades."
Pushing away from the table with a screech of his chair, Seb picked up his laptop and notes and stormed out of the kitchen, refusing to look Georgie in the eye. She watched him go, a heaviness in her ribs drawing her soul down. Turning back to the others, Georgie was met with open mouths from Lydia and Eloise and a raised eyebrow from Nyala who had finally looked up from whatever illegality she had been performing.
"What?" she asked them.
"You feel sorry for him", accused Eloise.
"No", Georgie backtracked minding her footing so she would not have to dig herself out of a hole. "That's not it."
"Then what is it then", said Lydia her usually kindly expression replaced with one of barley withheld revulsion.
"It's just", Georgie clutched at the air trying to put her feelings into words. How to explain that Hades was not a bad individual. What evidence did she have to go on; that he made her sleep to recover her strength, that he treated Spike with kindness, that he still tried to befriend Seb despite the boys obvious hatred, that he often looked so sad and lost making Georgie want to hug him and tell him all would be all right. The faces of the other girls told her they would not understand. "I don't know", she conceded massaging her forehead.
"What?", said Eloise. "The great wordsmith herself can't explain why she wants to help the devil fill his home with humans."
Throwing her hands up Georgie wished she had the answers. "No, I can't. And don't call me a wordsmith or any other of the cynical names I know you call me when I'm not there. My brain is frazzled, I'm not thinking straight, and I want a holiday".
Sliding down the cupboard she had been leaning against, Georgie flopped to the floor, banging her head against the side but she hardly cared.
'Oh good', she thought. 'Now they think I'm weak.'
The three other girls looked at each other, animosity fleeing their faces as quickly as it had come. Lydia and Eloise looked awkwardly at each other, silently mouthing Lydia said, 'I think we broke her'. Teeth gnashed together in a grimace, Eloise agreed.
Brain swimming, Georgie wished the ground would open up and take her away from the kitchen; preferably to a beach with enough swell to surf and a café selling hot chocolate, but pretty much anywhere would have done.
"There's something to be said about charities", said Nyala sleepily, turning from her computer.
Georgie did not speak but gave the other girl her full attention, inviting her to continue.
"Could we stop people giving money from charity?", continued Nyala. "Send out emails or fake news saying a charity is corrupt. Would people fall for that? I don't know; I don't spend a lot of time with humans."
Pulling her splayed legs up, Georgie considered Nyala's face and decided she had enough room in her life for one more strange friend. "It could, if we were clever about it and found the right audience."
"But that would leave charities out of pocket", said Lydia, concerned.
"We'll give them the money", said Georgie, head beginning to calm.
"How", queried Eloise. "We're students."
She made a good point but it did not matter. "We'll rob a bank", said Georgie as though it was nothing. "Or get Hades to give us the cash. He would do it", she said to their disbelieving faces.
Clapping, Nyala flashed a brief smile before returning to her laptop. Nodding to each other, Lydia and Eloise agreed. "If you think it'll work we can ask Hades when he gets back", said Lydia.
"Georgie can ask him", said Eloise sharply.
"Fair", Georgie said, picking herself off the floor. A warm flash of fondness for the three girls overcame Georgie. Their situation was sticky at best so naturally there would be tension between them, but they still had helped her when she felt lost. "Thanks guys", she said.
Lydia smiled back as Eloise huffed. Unable to resist, Georgie threw her arms around Eloise's and squeezed her.
"Get off", said the bigger girl, batting a fist at Georgie who skipped away.
Leaving to do work, Georgie's thoughts turned once more to Seb. Damn her pride, she needed to talk to him. There was no use letting the lad wallow in a pool of self-pity.
Bounding up the stairs, Georgie's smile could have powered a dozen homes. Calling out his name when she tapping heartily on his door, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had not realised how much she had missed him. "Seb, we need to talk", she said when no answer to her first call came.
Georgie thought she heard a chair creek inside the room and crossed her fingers in hope. But then the front door opened. 'No', she prayed.
"Georgie, I need you."
"Damn", Georgie muttered. No more sounds came from Seb's room and she realised she had lost her chance. Georgie was getting very close to hitting Hades over the head with a cricket bat. "I still want to see you Seb", Georgie said to the silent room. "Whenever you want."
Reluctantly leaving, Georgie returned Hades call, "Coming."
She did not hear Seb's door open or the two eyes looking forlornly out at her retreating form before softly closing the door once more.
"Hades, mate", said Georgie coming down the stairs. "We need to have a talk about timing."
"And we need to have a talk about espionage", said Hades as Spike helped him out of his coat. It had finally become cold enough for an extra layer to be required. "I think you'd be rather good at it."
Georgie laughed, unable to help it. "I'm not getting involved in any hairbrained scheme of yours", she said. "I'm swamped as it is trying to fix all your other problems."
"You can't call it hairbrained before you've heard what it is", said Hades holding out his hands for Spike to remove his kid gloves. "Come on you'll enjoy it."
Had there been a film crew in the hall with them, Georgie would have seriously broken the fourth wall. As it was, she just raised an eyebrow. "No. And I won't hear anymore of it. I don't care what it is – You know what. I don't even want to know. Just don't get Spike or Mathias killed. Or any of us for that matter." She was about to head back upstairs when something caught her attention. "Why is Spike taking your shoes off for you."
Devil and demon looked at each other and shrugged. "Because sometimes it's nice to remember I'm the boss", Hades said.
Turning to Spike Georgie said, "And you're Ok with this?"
"Well, I can't really complain can I", said he. "It's quite a cushy job and I don't mind as long as he says please and tank you."
"Which I always do", Hades added.
"Yeah right", said Spike.
Watching them Georgie was reminded of the stereotypical bickering couple of the silver screen. One was left in a state of total perplexment throughout the show, never knowing if the two really loved each other or stayed together out of social necessity or border. That is until the very end where after a near death experience or something of the sort they allowed their true colours to be revealed and you understood that never had their been a truer love.
"What is she thinking Gov?", whispered Spike.
"I don't want to know", said Hades, leaning ever so slightly back from Georgie. "I don't like that look on her face."
Shaking her head, Georgie dispelled their worries. They could be so overdramatic. "I was just hoping that we aren't being broadcast as a television show in some parallel universe. The fanfiction about you two would be indigestible."
"I understood some of those words", said Hades, brow creased.
"Don't worry about it", she said. "Oh, before I forget. Nyala came up with another idea but it needs money."
"I don't have any", Hades notified her quickly. "No liquid assets in any case. At least, none from this millennia." Giving her a sad and practiced smile, Hades tried to assure Georgie that there was nothing he could do to help this situation.
That did not work for Georgie. "Just sell some of your clothes."
Face bleached, Hades stopped breathing. It was a testament to his time on Earth that he did not explode into a fiery ball of rage and start the biggest arson related incident since 1666.
"I'm really not interested in your hysterics", said Georgie. "Cough up or it will go down in history that the devil and his human fell out over creative differences. The differences being that the human thought her devil's clothes would look a lot nicer on the bourgeoise second hand market (Footnote 1). Now I really must get on."
Swiftly turning on her heel, Georgie marched upstairs radiating barley contained fury. Only her grin, hidden from Hades expressed her true thoughts.
"Damn me if that girl isn't terrifying", said Hades.
"You can't be damned Gov. That sort of stuff doesn't work for you."
"I know, Spike I know." Hades pressed his fore and middle fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Where did I go so wrong?", he said.
"Sorry Gov?"
"Nothing Spike. Don't worry about it."
1. I'd like to see you come up with a more absurd paradox. Up the Anarcho-syndicalists.