№2|Eyes Are The Window To The Soul
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Once Cruella arrived at her job, she entered the breakroom to see Catania’s second assistant, Diane, in the break room making coffee.
“Good afternoon Cruella,” Diane’s soft voice welcomed.
“Hey, Diane!” Cruella perked up “how was the date last night?”
“Great, yeah, Lily was great,” Diane muttered into her cup.
“Lily huh?” Cruella smirked.
“Yep, great girl.” Diane nodded slightly.
“Yes, yes, Gabriella is a great girl.” Cruella chuckled.
“Gab-Gabriella?!”
“Yep, I know there wasn’t any “Lily”, she was Gabriella the entire time wasn’t she?” Cruella leaned against the counter.
Diane nodded sadly, “yeah...sorry I didn't tell you.”
“Nonsense honey,” Cruella smiled, hugging her best friend, “you and she have nothing to be sorry for, she’s my new roommate after all.”
“She is?” Diane’s voice lowered “oh…”
“Yeah, Is that a problem?” Cruella asked.
Diane sighed and shook her head “not at all...let’s get upstairs, you can tell me about your day.”
“Oh! I met this really cute boy named Hexicah, Hex for short, he works at the mechanics in Brooklyn. He’s super nice, creative, funny! He’s just...ahhhh…” Cruella swooned, sighing in delight.
“Sounds like Cruella has a boyfriend~” Diane cooed as they boarded the escalator.
“I do not! He’s just a friend for right now! Plus, you already know I have someone.” Cruella reminded her.
“Yeah, but he isn't perfect for you,” Diane muttered.
“Well, he’s perfect for me at the moment, and until I can be convinced otherwise.” Cruella shrugged, getting off the escalator and walking down the halls of famous fashion design offices.
She reached an empty corner office with a beautiful view of New York City at sunset, basking the city in a wonderful pink glow.
“Remember when we were little and my mom would take us up to the office and we’d pretend to be fashion designers.” Diane reminisced.
Cruella chuckled, nodding slightly “we ran around with my mom’s makeup on, trying to act as models.”
“You’re gonna get this office Cruella, somebody will find your drawings to be beautiful just like I do.” Diane smiled, rubbing her shoulder.
“I hope so…” Cruella muttered, leaving the office and walking into Catania’s.
“Cruella,” Catania began, looking up from her computer “where’s Precious?”
“Precious!!” Cruella shrieked, running back to the car, quickly fumbling with the keys as she started the car, speeding back to Perez Mechanics. She hit her forehead on the wheel, “dammit! How could I possibly forget her cat!”
Once she got back to the mechanics, Cruella swiftly opened the door to see Hex trying to wrestle the cat off of Ector’s face. Cruella grabbed hold of Precious, who finally let go of Ector. “We are never getting a cat!” Ector scolded, pointing at the cat.
“I’m sorry…” Cruella stumbled a bit.
“You alright, Cruella?” Hex looked at her concerns.
“Yeah...I’m fine...it’s just blurry..” Cruella dropped to the floor.
~D.I.T.N~
Cruella woke up to the warmth of a hot towel being dabbed on her forehead. She looked up to see Hex smiling at her.
“You’re awake.” Hex noticed, Cruella chuckled slightly. Hex couldn't help but stare into her chocolate brown eyes, he was lost in them. So much so he didn't notice the towel trailing down her chest, making Cruella blush.
“He-Hex!” Cruella stammered.
“O-Oh! I’m sorry!” Hex quickly moved his hand, blushing as well. Cruella slowly sat up, groaning a bit.
“How long has it been since you ate?” Ector leaned up against the wall.
“Well I ate lunch-”
“That’s good.” Gabriella nodded slightly
“...yesterday.” Cruella continued.
“For the sake of the gods! Ven aquí, tenemos comida arriba. (Come here, we have food upstairs.)” Gabriella grabbed Cruella’s hand, leading up upstairs.
“Your apartment is on top of the mechanics?” Cruella tilted her head.
“Yeah.” Gabriella opened the doors to reveal a medium-sized apartment.
The house is equipped with a large kitchen and one modern bathroom, it also has a fairly small living room, two bedrooms, a small dining area, and a cozy living room.
The building is shaped like a short U. The two extensions extend into a garden path to each side.
The second floor is smaller than the first, which creates a layered look in combination with the roof. This floor has a very different style than the floor below.
“Mama! Donde Estas? (Where are you?)” Gabriella called out.
“Gabbina! Estoy en la cocina! (I’m in the kitchen!)” a voice replied, the smell of chicken soup filling Cruella’s senses.
Cruella could feel her side front teeth turning into fangs, drool dripping from her lips, Cruella raced to the kitchen and sniffed the pot, “ahh~ beautiful…”
“No! No! No!” Cruella was whacked with a wooden spoon on her nose “the food isn't done yet! No eating till it’s done!”
Cruella whimpered and backed away from the pot to face her attacker “owe!”
She was a slim young woman of below-average height. She has long, white hair which curls slightly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest; her hairstyle's most distinctive trait is a short, upward ponytail obtained by gathering and tying the hair covering her forehead.
Because she always used this style, her hair adapted to it, with the hair on her forehead remaining pointed upwards even when not tied. She has large blue eyes and a curvy, voluptuous body, with large breasts.
She wore an outfit consisting of a black, short and revealing strapless one-piece dress with baby blue edges, bearing the writing “Ice Queen” on a pearly blue stripe going down from her right breast to her upper left hip, plus a baby blue symbol of a dragon on the front right part of her waist.
She also wore a small, light blue baby collar with a thin ribbon holding it up, light-colored boots reaching up above her thighs, and similarly long gloves, almost reaching up to her shoulders. Both the boots and the gloves had belt-like upper edges each closed by a button.
“Ector! Gabriella! Hex! Kitchen! Now!” the lady yelled, the Perez kids rushed into the kitchen “who’s this?” the woman questioned, pointing the spoon at Cruella.
“That’s Cruella, Mama,” Hex introduced, helping Cruella up, “she’s new.”
Mama smiled and brushed off Cruella’s clothing, “why hello! I’m sorry for hitting you with the spoon,” Mama extended her hand, shaking Cruella’s hand, “I’m Emma but everyone calls me Mama.”
“Nice to meet you, Emma,” Cruella smiled, Mama glared at her, “I mean Mama!”
“Good,” Mama smiled, serving Cruella, Gabriella, Ector, and Hex some soup. Mama noticed Cruella staring at the soup with hungry eyes, “eat up mi Nina, you’re too thin! You need to eat.”
“O-Oh, I-I’m not hungry…” Cruella tried to lie but her stomach betrayed her.
“Eat Cruella.” Mama encouraged her.
“I-I’m trying to loo-lose weight,” she muttered, Mama laughed.
“Cruella,” Mama helped Cruella up from her chair, she looked at Cruella up and down “you’re in perfect shape, why lose weight? You got boobs and an ass, I don't see why you’re trying.”
“M-My boss says I’ll never be a model with the way I look now…” Cruella mumbled.
“Do you really wanna be a model?” Mama questioned.
“No,” Cruella shook her head, “but my boss says my designs will never be seen in stores,” Cruella began to cry, her tears staining the floor tiles, “so just take the easy route and opt-out to be a model instead.”
Mama slapped her, shocking everyone in the room.
“You never opt-out of your dreams, Cruella,” she hugged her softly, the touch of a mother’s love bringing Cruella to tears, “if you wanna be a fashion designer then be one! Fuck your boss! She doesn't know what she’s talking about!”
Cruella smiled and cried into Mama’s shoulder, “t-tha-thank you!”
“No problem,” Mama kissed her forehead, “now eat, my darling.”
Cruella drooled, digging into the soup like a wild animal, “this is amazing!” her eyes turned bright pink, “gods and goddesses, you’re an amazing cook.”
“I know, but slow down, you’re gonna choke.” Ector chuckled, eating his soup.
“Sorry,” Cruella rubbed the back of her neck, “I’m just so hungry.”
“No wonder you’re Hex’s girlfriend,” Mama giggled, “you two are so alike.”
Hex and Cruella blushed madly “WHAT?!”
“You two aren’t dating?” Mama tilted her head, “your auras are inline.”
“What does that mean?” Cruella asked Mama could see Hex rapidly shaking his head and mouthing the words no.
“When two people's auras are in line, their personalities, likes and dislikes sync up perfectly, allowing them to be soulmates,” Mama explained, a bright smile on her face.
Hex hit his head on the table in annoyance “gracias Mama. (Thanks, Mama).”
“But anyway,” Mama smirked and faced Ector, “Ector, ¿terminaste lo que te dije que hicieras? (did you finish what I told you to do?)”
Ector nodded, “si. (yes.)”
Mama smiled, “Bien, no Necesito más drama. O que Alguien salga lastimado, Como lo hizo tu padre. (Good, I don't need more drama. Or anyone getting hurt, as your father did.)” her smile turned into a frown.
“Mama? Are you alright?” Cruella’s voice was laced with concern.
“Ye-Yes, I’m fine. Just, remember the old times,” she sniffled a little.
“Our father, Sergio-”
“he died in the army.” Hex cut Ector off, Ector glared at him and grunted.
“Oh...I didn't know.” Cruella looked down.
“Yeah, you didn't know...” Ector scoffed rather loudly.
“Ector! Tranquilo ahora! (Calm down, now!)” Gabriella scolded, glaring up at Ector.
“No! She doesn't know!” Ector slammed his hands on the table “you don't know shit about our family! You just met us today and you act like you’ve known us our entire life!”
Cruella whimpered as Ector continued, “you don't know the shit we went through! The pain, the abandonment, the hurt! You’re just a nobody assistant who stutters too much!”
“You’re never gonna be a part of our family! Never!” Ector looked into Cruella’s eyes to see they were filled with tears. He looked at Hex to see he was pissed, Ector gulped as Hex pinned him to the wall.
“Say some stupid shit like that to her face again and I’ll make sure you’re throat is more burnt than Gabriella’s cooking,” Hex whispered threateningly “so I’d advise you to say sorry,” he squeezed his throat, “now!”
Ector kicked him off of him “if you think I’m gonna say sorry to her, then you must be dreaming.” Ector growled at Cruella and walked out.
“I’m sorry about Ector, he gets touchy when people bring up what happened.” Hex apologized, sitting down again.
“If you don't mind me asking, Mama, is Ector adopted?” Cruella asked, wiping her tears.
“Yes, he is,” Mama replied, “and so are Hex and Gabriella.”
“Ector and my husband, also their father, Sergio, we’re very close,” Mama nudged her food with her spoon, “he was the only one who got Ector to open up the first few months here.”
“He had such a hard time opening up to use because of his magi,” Gabriella sighed, thinking of her brother, “his soul magi had to power to read others minds and souls, people never trusted him so they never got close, eventually he accidentally took one of his best friend soul.”
Cruella had a shocked look on her face, “wh-what?!”
Hex nodded sadly, “yep, he still keeps an alter up for his friend, Milo, in his apartment.”
“Does his magi allow him to talk to souls?”
Mama sighed softly, looking up at the picture on the fridge of Sergio, Milo, Ector, “he talks to Milo every day, he always says he is sorry and keeps him updated on everything that happens in the mechanics.”
“I-I-I have to talk to him!” Cruella rushed out of the apartment.
≫──── ≪•◦❈◦•≫ ────≪
Ector marched through the dark streets of New York, his head down as he muttered to himself “damn Cruella, think she knows everything.”
“Well,” a familiar voice from behind snickered, “look who stumbled into the wrong part of town.”
He looked behind him to see a formattable foe, “Emmanuel “Snake Eyes” Morales.”
Emmanuel is a young man whose most prominent features are his black hair and a ruby red snake tattoo above and under his right eye. His attire consists of a dark coat with a heart like designs running down the sleeves and sides of the coat.
Beneath this, Emmanuel wears plate armor, which covers his abdomen, and dark pants bearing the symbol of Ruby Rebels. On top of all this, Emmanuel sports a dark, high-collared cloak.
“Leave me alone Emmanuel,” Ector walked off, soon being stopped by Emmanuel’s goons, “fucking great.”
“Now, Ector, I know you wanna visit dear sweet girlfriend, Saree, right now, but oh wait – where’s her job?” Emmanuel smirked, gripping Ector’s shoulder, “my turf,” he whispered.
Ector so desperately wanted to punch him, but this was his turf, and fighting might as well start a war. Hex barely let Saree visit already because her job was on his turf.
He didn't like the fact he was dating her, but Hex understood that Ector loved Saree with all his heart, so he let each other visit every once and awhile.
However, Emmanuel didn't understand this.
Emmanuel was about to strike Ector but his phone rang, he groaned and answered it, “hello? Is it done? Yeah… good,” Emmanuel hung up, “let him go,” Emmanuel smirked as the goons followed his orders, “go see your girlfriend.”
Ector saw the vicious smirk on Emmanuel’s lips and began to run, running towards the bar Saree worked at, “Giddy Ups.”, he looked back at Emmanuel “I swear Snake Eyes if she’s hurt, I’m coming for your head!”
Emmanuel walked off, but not before uttering the words, “let the war begin.”
~A/N~
Hey everyone! This is the second installment of DeVil's In The Name! I'm so happy that i finally get to post this story becuse its one of my favorites! I feel like I've really grown as a writer and this book is proof of that!
Dont forget to comment, vote, read, and share!
(Edited on September 29th, 2020)