Devilish Love

9. He Got Offended

Chapter 9: He Got Offended

The Devil actually got offended.

It was rather funny to watch, actually- his face paled, and a light blush formed on his cheeks, just like light red dust on them. His voice sounded a little higher when he said "Do you recognise me, you nitwit?"

I nearly cracked up then and there. Nitwit? But at the moment before I was going to drop my bags and roll on the floor laughing, I remembered Ianthe and Gadina, who were relying on me to bring them to Hell. (It may have seemed strange that they were so willing to drop their lives in the Customs area, where there was high traffic and lots of customers. Ianthe had not elaborated on her exact reasons for leaving, but I guessed that poor working conditions was one of them.) 

The three men immediately dropped to their knees. One man, a man stupider than the others, dropped into a curtsy before realising his mistake. Mortified, he fell to his knees too.

Why did I laugh more in the afterlife than in my own life? 

Suddenly, I didn't feel so much like laughing. I stared at the ground. For the first time, I acknowledged that I, the famous celebrity Kayla Marie, had lived a sad life. Hiding from fans. Following a strict schedule. Starving myself. Wearing clothes I didn't feel comfortable with. Having to post pictures or videos of myself to keep fans happy. I, too, had been a slave. Just like Ianthe and Gadina had been.

A hand touched my shoulder lightly. "Are you okay?" The Devil asked, concern laced in his tone.

I wanted to say I was okay. After all, that was what I had always told my fans: I was happy, don't worry about me, thank you for showing me support. I was always required to reverse the "happiness"- I always had to thank the fans. Always had to reassure them about my mental state. Somehow, though, my words failed me for once. My throat was dry, and the words would not come out. I was such a failure...I felt a sense of blinding rage take over my senses. 

Even in the afterlife I was still a pawn. I would have to hurt others to save another. Hurt the Devil to save Ajax. Now that I knew him- okay, I barely knew him, but I didn't want to get the Devil to submit to me. It was cruel to use him as a way to get what I wanted. The red-hot anger covered all rational thoughts like a screen of thick blood. And self-loathing cut through that screen, and I wanted to cry out in agony.

All of a sudden, a voice boomed in my head. I think it was in my head. I didn't know. I heard a chilling voice say "OBEY THE ORDERS." It resonated through my head and left my ears ringing.

I spun around frantically, trying to find who had yelled. But there wasn't anyone. In front of me, the Devil and the stupid goons were still squabbling away. But it felt distant and far away from me. Like I was watching them through a screen. Because I needed to find who had said the voice. Where are you? My eyes scoured the area desperately.

But what I had been told to do was wrong. You couldn't embarrass someone just to make yourself seem better. That was plain bullyi-

"OBEY," the voice hissed.

I swayed, and a pair of hands caught me. Gentler than I could imagine. 

"Clear out," I heard someone commanding. He sounded very authoritative. I was sure I had heard that voice before.

"I said clear out! Do you not recognise me?" That person must have been mad...he had raised his voice. 

Footsteps clacked on the concrete platform and then they were gone. 

"Hey, Kayla Marie. Can you hear me?" a voice murmured in my ear. I shivered. It tickled...

I bolted upright.

"Ah! I'm so sorry I fainted," I cried. Seeing the judgemental, I don't believe you look on the Devil's face, I hastily added "I am fine now. Really."

Quickly, the Devil let go of my shoulders and I stood up properly instead of leaning on his steady arms. 

Somehow, I did feel better. Even though I was standing next to the Devil, looking at a train that would bring me to Hell, I felt optimistic. (I suppose that's what all the inspirational speakers were going for back on Earth.)  Maybe I could easily apply the positivity as I was facing a death-or-death situation, with only one ending. Since there wasn't much I could do at this moment, I was being uncharacteristically perky. 

I pushed the sad thoughts I had had earlier away. 

"Very well. We should get you on the Trainwreck now. You need a good rest, and can nap on the train," The Devil said, not meeting my eyes. I smiled. Was the all-powerful Devil feeling embarrassed? By what? His high voice when he's mad? I couldn't help but think that that was cute. I mean- I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams (and some were pretty wild) that the Devil would feel shy.

"Let's go, then," I told him.

Furtively, I looked around for the three burly guys who had come up earlier, but they were all gone. I took that as a good sign that security had skipped us. After all, I was under protection of the Devil. With this layer of authority over me, I doubted that anyone would dare to X-ray me for contraband items. Unfortunately, it also meant that I was using the Devil to gain something. It was absolutely despicable. But I ignored that whisper of unease, my conscience. 

So I happily clambered aboard the train. We sat in the seventh carriage from the front. It was grand inside. I think this carriage was the Devil's personal one, because it seemed too luxurious for a normal dead soul going to Hell.

It had plush seats and velvet sofas. A glass chandelier hung from the ceiling of the carriage, glistening and lighting up all parts of the carriage. The carriage was bathed in a soft golden glow. Windows were placed opposite the seats for us to admire the view, but the Devil ordered in his signature grumpy fashion "Draw the curtains."

"Why?" I asked, as I drew the curtains close.

"It's too bright," he said, and plopped an eye mask over his eyes. End of conversation.

I mused over his weird reply as I tried out all the seats in the carriage. It was definitely not too bright, since it was night. There I was with my rhyming couplets: "bright" and "night". I was starting to think the afterlife brought out the Shakespeare in me. After all, as Shakespeare once said "Hell is empty and all the devils are here", one of my personal favourite quotes of all time. Although Hell wasn't empty, from what I had heard. 

I had gone off-topic as usual. I went back to thinking about the Devil's weird reply, but got to no conclusion. Anyway, I was busy enough weighing the softness of each chair and how comfortable I was in each one. Eventually, I settled for a beautiful curved wooden chair with a cosy black cushion. The Halfway To Heaven bags were placed under my chair, and I knew my spirit friends were safe, because I'd heard a tiny little snore from one of them. 

I curled up in my chosen chair and fell asleep while the train rocked to and fro, speeding it's way to Hell.

Hehe the Devil is such a baby. Yup, so you got a little insight into Kayla Marie's life. Kinda. An insight into what fame does to you, I guess.