Devilish Love

5. Heavenly Orders

Chapter Five: Heavenly Orders

I reached Customs. It was in the building I had seen earlier, and was very office looking, with shiny countertops and people in suits. A woman with white hair called me forward to her counter. As I walked I tried to ignore the stares of everyone who was angry that I had just jumped queue. Honestly, yeah. But I was awesome so I could jump queue. Yeah.

"Kayla Marie, aged 26. Female. Past profession: Model cum actress."

"Yep. Mostly actress, though."

The woman peered at me over the top of her glasses as only old women do. I bet she was super old. Like centuries old. Why was she still employed? Amazing. I wondered if she was blur, or if her senses were mostly okay. Did she have dementia?

"I know what you're thinking, child," she remarked as she flipped a few documents.

Oh! Of course I was just thinking that she was amazingly pretty.

"Flattery doesn't get you into Heaven," the old woman smiled at me. "But I've checked your documents and you are okay to go on to Heaven. You have mostly done good deeds in your life. Now, please check this list and sign."

I gulped as I scanned the list of good deeds I'd apparently done. Stuff like donate to charities- yep, I'd done that. But other stuff like...helped old women, was kind to poor children and loyal to family... it wasn't me.

This sounded like someone else. Someone else I knew. Not me. I hadn't done half of the things on this list. But that someone couldn't be dead, right? Surely that person I was thinking of was still alive and kicking.

Hands shaking and sweating, I signed the list. I know it was a horrible and selfish act.

The old lady led me to a room. "Sit here. The officials from Heaven will come soon." She said that sentence like it was new to her, rolling the words on her tongue slowly. I guess she didn't let people into Heaven often.

I was weighed down by guilt. What had I just done? I didn't deserve to go to Heaven... but I had come so far. I had suffered too. Fame came with a huge price. And I was beautiful and popular...surely I would fit into Heaven.

Yes. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I could totally do it.

No. I couldn't. It just wasn't in me to lie about good deeds I'd never done...how could I claim credit for what he had done? Maybe it wasn't him, but then again it sounded a lot like him.

I pushed my chair back and stood up, running to the door. I burst out and the old lady looked at me in surprise. "Well, well. Decided against going?"

"I...I didn't do that good stuff on the list. It was someone else," I choked out. I felt horrible once I'd blurted it out, but at the same time I also felt relieved. Like maybe I had a chance to be a better person.

"Yes, child. But that someone else has given up the good deeds to you."

"What?" I felt as if a hammer had whacked me in the chest repeatedly. "You're saying that..."

"Yes." The old lady whispered a few other words that left my head spinning.

"So it is your choice. What do you want to do?' She asked calmly.

"I...I don't know-"

"What choice? Don't be ridiculous. This is treachery," a voice boomed.

I jumped closer to the old lady but she had vanished. Great.

I was now facing a man dressed in flowing, stately robes of cream and gold, a stern expression on his face. I was too scared to look directly at him, so I focused on his feet.

"You did a deed swap. That is illegal. You are to go to the underworld where you belong. Heaven does not accept scum like you." He thundered.

I fell to my knees. Yes, I was that pathetic. "Please, please give me a chance! Surely I did enough good things to go to Heaven!"

"Kayla Marie, you did initially. But your actions in the past year have pushed your good deeds down a little. That means you missed the cutoff to Heaven by one good deed. One virtuous act. One more and you would have entered our gates. But you do not have it. And...the foolish one you swapped deeds with is probably now in Hell rotting away."

I gasped. I knew who had helped me, and I knew who would be rotting in Hell. An image flashed in my head of chains tied to that person and I could hear blood curdling screams of agony as if I was really there.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Can you please just let this slide? I will...go to Hell," I said miserably.

I felt the anger fade slightly. The air became less charged with electricity and danger. In a slightly softer voice, the guy said "We will let both you and the foolish one into Heaven if you do this for us."

He bent down and told me my task.

"Will you really uphold your promise?" I asked.

"Yes." His gaze was solemn. "We Heavenese do not lie."

"M...may I ask why I must do this?"

"We are proud people. But we recently suffered a humiliation, two millennia ago. And our King has never forgiven the Hellish. Hence we must exact revenge. If you are able to do so, it will be a ticket straight to Heaven for both you and your friend." He didn't answer my question, not really. I had wanted to know why this task. Not the reason  behind giving me a task.

The thing is, he's not my friend. I don't even know why my ex Ajax would do it for me. And was he really dead?

Tears began to spill over and I hiccupped, swallowing back tears. "I-"

He waved a hand. A flickering holographic image appeared, and I saw Ajax, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was murmuring to himself. He was in a dark room. A torture chamber? A prison cell?

"I'll do it," I said softly.

The Heavenly official smiled smugly. He knew I was trapped. "I wish you luck in reclaiming glory to Heaven." Again, he whispered a bone chilling sentence in my ear. My shoulders shook as I tried to digest this horrible thing he had just uttered.

He shimmered and disappeared in a burst of light.

I stared at the spot in the room where the Heavenly official had stood and thought about the task I had.

"Make the devil fall in love with you. Ensure you have complete control over him, that with one touch you can have him begging for you. That is your task." His first sentence to me. The first time he had told me my task.

That meant one thing. I had to make Lucifer, the Devil, love me.

How the hell?

What had I gotten myself into?

Ajax. Remember Ajax. He deserves happiness. You have to do it for him.

Okay. I got this. I would do it.

But the second time...what he had said the second time was too cruel.

I had thought the Heavenese were angelic people.

It just went to show that you couldn't assume things about people. I took a deep breath but found it hard to breathe in oxygen. Guilt from what I was about to do...if I was to fulfil his second command, that is... overwhelmed me and weighed heavily on my lungs.

But I knew I had to do this. Not for me but for Ajax, the person I had hurt too many times before and who deserved a place in Heaven.