I Was a Twenty-Something Demon Girl

Chapter 4

We spent a few more days together. Since I was now "fully recovered", Sophie insisted that I go with her to some of her favorite spots around town. I'll admit, Chicago was a lot bigger than I remembered. Even having grown up there, I hadn't seen half of what the city had to offer. She took me to museums I had never heard of, little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and all sorts of wonderful bars. In fact, all the time we spent together made me momentarily forget about my desire for revenge. I almost wanted to stay.

I couldn't, though. I couldn't accept this. I couldn't let them win. I had to get back. The only problem was that I didn't know how.

Sophie and I were sitting outside of a local cafe. She got her usual, a vanilla iced coffee with cinnamon. I was always more for fruity drinks, myself, so I got a strawberry acai tea. I called it my "pink thinking drink", since it was my go-to when I was studying for classes. I hoped it would help me come up with a way back, preferably one that didn't give me away too quickly, so I could find some help in the Spirit World.

She and I bounced ideas off of each other for a few minutes, but nothing seemed to stick. There were no consistent portals, no rituals, no spells, no people capable of sending me back.

"What about your sister? I remember you told me she visited you at one point, and she used a portal, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how she did it. When they tossed me here, it was just a door they opened in the back of the boss's office. I can only assume that's what she used this time, too. Besides, I'll just get myself killed if I follow her back through a portal."

"True. Well, I'm out of ideas."

I look down at my drink. Empty. "God damn it...What else is there?" I stopped for a moment. "God damn it." I looked up, my eyes widening. "God damn it!"

"Alright, babe, take it easy. We'll think of something."

"No, I figured it out! God! I hadn't even thought about the big G."

"Oh. There is one?"

"Well, yeah. There's a Hell, so logically there'd be a Heaven, too. There's also Valhalla, Olympus, Spaghettiland, and about five hundred other cities that I can't exactly get into right now. If there's anyone that'd be willing to help a demon home, it'd be them."

"Is this 'big G' as forgiving as they say?"

"I dunno, I never met them. All I know is Heaven is Hell's sister city and receives generally favorable reviews on Travelosity."

"Good enough, I guess. How will you do it?"

"I'll need a big church. Not one of those new televised megachurch things, either, I'm talking about cathedrals. There's gotta be one in Chicago, right?"

"Yeah, I know one. There's one near the West Loop that should do it. It's the oldest one in the city, so I'd imagine that's about as close as you'll get. Old Saint Patrick's."

"Perfect. We'll try that one first, then."

We both stood up, and she pulled up a map to the church on her phone. "It's about an hour's walk, or we can take a bus if you'd like."

"Let's walk. I want to make this last."

"What're you talking about?" She tilted her head to the side.

I solemnly looked at my feet. "I don't know if I'll come back. It's going to be dangerous. I don't think I'm ready to leave you yet."

She lifted my chin up and smiled. "Who said you had to leave today?"

She had a point. "Maybe I don't...I could go for one last date before I go."

"Wonderful idea, darling! And I know exactly where to go, but we'll have to drive there." We made our way to the parking lot behind her apartment building, where she kept her car, a rather beat up red sedan. Clearly, there was a reason we walked everywhere until now. It struggled to start, smelled like weed, and the leather seats stuck to me wherever my skin was exposed. She explained that this was her grandmother's car and she hated driving it unless it was absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, this date spot would be absolutely worth the drive.