The Devil's Deal

When I awoke I was surrounded by light. For a second I thought that he had stolen me again and pushed time out of my grasps, and then it occurred to me that I may be dead. Maybe talking to him had been my test; a trial to see where I ended up now that my life had been stolen away from me. But where did that leave me? As a saint or as a sinner? Had I saved two lives or none at all?

My heart was pounding as my eyes began to water from the intense brightness, and I blinked rapidly to try to calm my senses. A faint beeping sound filled my ears and I shivered, clenching my eyes shut to relieve my throbbing headache. With my eyes shut I could see those icy emerald eyes, as real as though I was seeing them before me. Fear wrapped its claws around my heart and my chest tightened, my eyes snapping open to escape the incoming anxiety.

This time I could see, and it was so beautiful that it was as though I had been born again. I was alive -- breathing and pulsing, and the warmness that caressed my heart at that moment made me feel as though I was an angel and floating above in the sky. Death hadn’t stolen me, and with a desperate heart I prayed that he had been a figment of my imagination too.

My prayers were cut off by a screeching sound in my head, and a groan left my lips as I pressed my fingers against my forehead in a desperate attempt to stop it. “Kayla?”

My eyes snapped open and immediately met a pair of blue ones, which were staring at me in worry. A smile formed on my lips at the sight of my mother, relief shooting through me like a spark. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, wrinkles creasing her brow as she watched me. “The doctors said that you weren’t harmed by the accident, but if you’re hurting just let me know and I can get someone.”

A frown formed on my face as my heart began to race erratically in my chest. “Accident? What accident?” My voice was hoarse with anxiety as I awaited her answer, my fingers curling into tight fists as green eyes appeared in the front of my mind.

She looked positively distraught as she walked over to me, kneeling down in front of me and cupping my cheeks with her hands. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her wrinkles seemed to be more prominent, but through it all she was looking at me as though I was terrifying her. “The crash, sweetheart. You don’t have amnesia, do you?”Her words leaked of panic and borderline hysteria, and they were making me feel the same. I had hoped that the crash had been a dream or a faux form of reality, conjured up by my mind as a result of overworking. No crash meant no deal, but now… I was unsure of where I stood.

I paused for a moment. Would I feel my soul missing? I didn’t feel empty at all. In fact, I felt so filled up by butterflies and knots that I wanted to keel over and hurl. What does a soul feel like? Is it life? If so I hoped with every part of me that there was still life left in me.

The absurdity of what had happened occurred to me and I almost wanted to laugh. I wanted to laugh manically until my stomach was sore, because the whole ordeal sounded so completely insane that I began to wonder whether the crash had affected me after all. No one could save lives like that. A snap of the fingers did nothing more than create a brief sound that was gone in an instant. It wasn’t possible. At least, I hoped that it wasn’t.

“Kayla? Do you remember what happened?” Blinking in wariness, I turned my eyes to my mother, who was watching me with eyes clouded by concern. “Do you want me to get the doctor?”

I let out a sigh, running my fingers through my auburn hair and clenching the strands between my fingers. “Noah,” I muttered, realization dawning on me. “Where’s Noah? Is he okay?” My voice was becoming louder and more shrill, and dizziness rushed through me as I went to stand up. My mum grabbed my arm and pushed me back down onto the chair, and as the continuous beeping sound filled my ears I recognized that I was in a hospital. “Why are we in the Hospital? What’s wrong with Noah?”

Mum gave me a soft, tired smile and grabbed my hand, pulling me onto my feet with steadying arms. Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she pointed towards the bed. “He’s alright, sweetheart. He just got a bit of a concussion and some scratches but he’ll be back to his old self within the next few days.”

I couldn’t help it; a smile formed on my face at the sight of my brother’s chest heaving up and down. His eyes were closed and bloodied scratches marred his face and body, but he was still my beautiful baby brother and it brought tears to my eyes to see him alive.

Shaking off my mum’s arm, I walked slowly over to the bed and knelt beside him, taking his cold, tiny hand into my own and reaching out to brush his chocolate locks from his face. My fingers caressed his cheek, running over a scar that ran from his ear to his mouth before brushing it over his lips. I smiled wistfully as I squeezed his hand, leaning forward to give his cheek a soft kiss. Although I hated the sight of my brother so vulnerable, it was infinite times better than the lifeless image of him that had been plaguing my mind.

“I’m sorry, Noah,” I murmured, trailing my fingertips over his skin. I felt a presence beside me and my mum grabbed my hand, squeezing it in hers. She didn’t have to say the words. She was blissfully happy that we were alive, and as much as I tried I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have been my responsibility and at my price.

A splitting ache shot through my stomach and I fell backwards, my hand clutching at my shirt in agony. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart, and tears formed in my eyes as I clenched them shut. “Kayla? Are you okay?”

She sounded so worried that I forced myself to stand up, my back slightly arched to alleviate the pain. “I think it’s just that time of the month,” I covered, shooting her a tense smile. “It came as a bit of a shock.”

She nodded her head understandingly and walked over to her bag, grabbing out a package and placing it in my hand. “Go to the bathroom and fix yourself up then,” she said quietly, a slight flush forming on her ivory cheeks.

Blushing, I nodded my head and staggered my way to the door, trying my best to make it look like I wasn’t in pain. As soon as I was out of the room I pressed my hands to my stomach, a tear dribbling down my face as pain coursed through my entire body. Shoving a sweaty strand of hair behind my ear, I walked crookedly to the bathroom, placing myself into a stall and shutting the door.

I sat down on the toilet, leaning over my body in an attempt to lessen the pain when it all suddenly came to a stop. My hands were still clenched into my shirt as the pain disappeared, and I slowly straightened myself up with a sigh of relief. Running my fingers through my hair, I leant my head against the wall behind me and closed my eyes, almost wary of it coming back.

“Did you like my call?”

My eyes shot open and I fell forward slightly, a cough of surprise building its way up my throat. A pair of cold emerald eyes met mine and I let out a soft gasp, my heart clenching tightly as anxiety began to stream through my entire body. “You!” He laughed at this, standing as though it was quite natural for him to be standing inside my stall and blocking the door. “Y-You’re not real!”

Rolling his eyes in distaste, he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes gleaming silver in the light. “I’m starting to regret my decision to pick such an ordinary mortal,” he spat, his eyes sparkling with frustrated amusement.

“What are you doing in this stall? I could have been half naked!” My head was spinning as I clutched my arms around my body, attempting to shield myself from him.

He glared at me, his green eyes hardening. “You may find this disappointing, but I do not find you at all attractive. So no matter how many times you throw yourself at me I’ll never submit. I’d rather fuck the most hideous of demons than even think about touching you,” he sneered, his nose curling up in revulsion.

I flinched at his words, my heart clenching in pain as my eyes clouded with tears. It wasn’t that I wanted him to find me attractive, because I would obviously never think of doing anything like that with him, but it was how disgusted he sounded at the prospect of me that made me upset. I had never thought of myself as an attractive person, but I’d never assumed that I was that ugly.

When he saw my tears he rolled his eyes, pointedly avoiding my own. “You mortals and your self-consciousness,” he grumbled snidely, his cheeks flushing slightly in frustration. “If it helps, I’ve seen a lot of mortals that are hell of a lot uglier than you.”

I let out a croaky laugh when he said that, a small smile forming on my face as I wiped the tears from my eyes. The look on his face was priceless; he looked as though he wanted to crush himself into a pulp for saying those words. The compliment itself wasn’t wonderful, but the fact that it had come from him made me smile.

And then I realized exactly who he was and the smile was wiped from my face. “What are you doing here?” I repeated quietly, my eyes trained on the ground as I readjusted my position on the toilet. “Couldn’t you have at least waited for a more convenient time to appear?”

An amused look formed on his face as he lifted his gaze to meet mine, his emerald orbs steely and sparkling as he watched me. “Watch your mouth, Mortal,” he snapped, though he seemed to find humor in my words.

“My name’s Kayla,” I corrected gently, becoming frustrated with his demeaning way of referring to me. “And while I may be a mortal, I prefer not to be called by that. Would you like it if I called you Devil?”

A smirk formed on his lips. “I would like it very much, actually.” I sighed at his response and he grinned, showing pointed, pearly-white fangs beneath his lip. “And are you forgetting who’s in charge? I can call you whatever the fuck I like,” he snarled aggressively, asserting his dominance. “I could care less what your name is, Mortal,” he drawled darkly, chuckling at himself at the end.

At my frustrated silence he laughed again, running his incisors over his lower lip. Blood dribbled down his chin and he licked it up hungrily, swirling his tongue over his lips as a soft groan left his mouth. Disgusted, I turned my eyes away from him. “I’m here to remind you of our deal,” he said lowly, his vibrant green eyes probing into mine. “You and your brother are alive and well, and now I want my end of the bargain.”

Panic bubbled in my stomach at the thought of giving myself over, and my stance hardened in preparation for a fight. Not that I could take him on, but I knew with every part of me that I wouldn’t be able to allow myself to leave without seeing my family. “What’s that?” I asked quietly, silently dreading the answer.

His eyes followed me blankly. “You, of course. You agreed to do my bidding, remember? I have your first quest.”

Frightened, my voice came out whispered and croaky. “Which is what?”

He smirked, his eyes flashing with malice. “You’re going grave-digging,” he leered.