“I doubt he’s interested in being a politician. I don’t even know what he likes.” Nora frowned. She didn’t know much about Ben. They never spoke much about his life. All he had said were things he shouldn’t have said. He liked human psychology, and that might’ve been related to his angelic duties. That’s all she knew. Did angels even have hobbies? Were they allowed to? Danny had a clear interest in Italian art and religious history.
“Hey, are you coming? The bell rang.” Josy nudged Nora as she walked towards their first class.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry, my mind wandered off.” Nora squeezed her eyes shut for a second so she could refocus,
“Yeah, I’m sure. You can daydream about kissing that Greek god all you want in class, but we can’t be late,” Josy teased.
She had no idea how close she was, thought Nora.
Michael came into the cafeteria during lunch break and headed for the table of the girls.
“Hi, can I join you?”
“Sure.” Felicia made room so he could sit besides Nora.
“So, that was quite a thing. How are you feeling?” He asked Nora.
“Honestly? No idea.”
“I thought you had already forgiven him for what happened at prom.”
“If that was the only thing he did, yeah. But there’s more.”
“The bet thing?”
“Yes, the bet thing. They played for my feelings, as if it was just something they could take or manipulate. That’s not cool, Michael. And definitely not something you can just forgive.”
Her fierceness shocked Michael.
“Teachers talk to us about consent and abuse. Well, I think the bet they made can be categorised under abuse. They manipulated my feelings, they tried to trick me into liking them. How is that not emotional abuse? I really want to, just so I can move on with my life, but I need to make sure no one else will fall victim to this.”
“Nora, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“No, because I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to hit him again.”
“I can still do that. If you want.”
“Don’t. I don’t want anyone to get hurt anymore. I just want this to be over.”
“Well, just let me know if I can do anything for you. I’ll come with you if you’re going to talk to him.”
“We will too,” Felicia added. She reached out and put her hand on Nora’s. “You still have your friends.”
***
Nora closed her locker and saw Ben standing next to her with Danny behind him.
“It’s rare to see you two so close at school.” she said.
“I know,” Ben replied. “But we need to know and we want to hear it together.”
She saw Michael walking towards them, but he wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying.
“Who do you choose?” Danny asked.
The question took Nora by surprise. “What?”
“Who do you choose? Who do you love more?” Danny pushed.
“You honestly think I love either of you? Sure, there are things I like about you, you’re both great in your own way. But I still have more reasons not to like you.” Nora tightened the grip on her books. “So arrogant. Do you think everything is okay now? That you can ask for a confession like this? If I truly liked one of you enough to date you, I wouldn’t even say it now.” Nora was furious. She walked towards Michael who was waiting at the other side of the hall, grabbed his arm and whispered, “Let's go.”
“Nora!” Ben called out, but he could only watch her as she walked away.
***
Michael looked at Nora with concern. “What’s wrong? Did they upset you?”
“Yep, they definitely did.” Nora felt her throat closing. She wasn’t sure whether to scream or cry, or both.
Michael checked if they were out of sight and stopped Nora, lifting her chin to look at him. He saw the tears in her eyes.
“What did they do?” He held his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s nothing they did, but what they implied. They think I love one of them, and they want to know who I love more.” The words came slowly, but Nora immediately felt better after saying it out loud.
Michael waited a bit to ask his question. “And do you?”
“No!” Nora frowned. “At least, I don’t think so. They’re nice guys, but I don’t want a boyfriend.”
Michael sighed. “Do you want me to talk to them?”
“No, that’s okay. They’re just being idiots. Can you stay with me? I don’t really want to be around them for a while.” Nora leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder.
“Of course. I’ll be here as long as you like.” Michael embraced her.
Nora squeezed out her tears, stepped back to wipe them, and saw wet spots on Michael’s coat. “Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wet your coat.”
“Don’t be silly. That’ll dry. Are you okay?” The look in his eyes revealed more concern than Nora had expected.
“Yeah, I’m fine now. I just needed a moment. Thank you.” She patted him on the chest.
Her throat felt dry, and she didn’t have time to buy anything during their break. “Sorry, I’ve to go. I need a drink before class starts. I’ll see you there.” Nora ran to the bathroom for a sip of water.
Chapter 26
Textbooks waited for Nora to open them, but she couldn’t focus on her studies. The incident kept replaying in her mind. Why did they think she liked them enough to date, or even love them? Had she given off the wrong signals? Had the time she spent with either of them been dates? Everything about Danny and Ben confused her. If only she kept a diary, then she knew what she had thought on those days.
She rummaged through a drawer and found a notebook. The first few pages were filled with scribbles, but there was more than enough paper left to make a decent diary. It was better to start immediately.
She dated the first page and started her diary writing about what happened that day. Not only with Danny and Ben, but also with Michael. They had been friends for years, but he had changed since the beginning of this school year. He tried to be closer to her, and today he hugged her.
Michael was an entirely different story, but equally confusing. They had known each other for so long; it was hard to say when their relationship started to change. She wasn’t even sure if she could see him as something other than a friend. Or if he liked her like that.
Her pen paused as she wrote those words, ‘Michael hugged me.’ She didn’t remember the hug clearly, or how long it lasted. Her mind was still with the brothers. She felt calmer afterward; that counted as something. Did he like her, or was he just trying to make her feel better?
Normally she would’ve called Felicia, but they still didn’t talk. Nora wanted her friend back, she didn’t know who else to talk to. Felicia was the best in regards to boy talk, but not when the subject was the one Felicia liked. Talking to her about three guys going after her would make things worse, not better.
Nora went to the library whenever she didn’t have class. She kept her diary close, to write everything down when it came to her. She ate lunch while writing all she remembered about Danny, Ben and Felicia. She wanted to find out what was going on, how she felt about it, and the boys.
It overwhelmed her that in the past sixteen years no boy showed any interest in her and now there were two, possibly three. She even kissed one—twice.
***
The next few days were quiet. The boys kept their distance. Nora did her best to act natural around her friends, when they had lunch together. Felicia was slowly warming up to her again, including her in the conversation, and Emily didn’t feel threatened by talking to her. She was glad her relationship with Josy had stayed the same. Maybe they got even closer.
Since Nora lacked romantic experience, she used her books to guide the decision. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest way to figure out which guy she loved, but it was something. Nora still thought love wasn’t rational, more like an instinct or reflex
. She imagined that the first time she’d fall in love, she would feel butterflies in her stomach. It would make her lose her appetite, or forget what she was doing because her mind was occupied with only one thing—him.
None of this had happened. Not even during the two kisses she shared with Ben. There was something—no butterflies—caterpillars at most, and they need time before they would turn into butterflies. What if he wasn’t an angel and she would spend the next two-and-a-half years in the same class? He would hang out with her, try to get her to go on dates again. She was sure he would beg for another kiss at some point.
Ben’s strategy was obvious. He tried to use lust as a trigger for love. He acted like most teenage boys she knew from her books and school.
Danny’s approach was more interesting. Mostly because it seemed like he didn’t even want her to fall in with him, he only wanted to be a good friend. He would’ve been, if he wasn’t an angel who had made a deal with the devil.
***
Danny asked Nora to go home with him since he had news she had to hear. She was reluctant, but decided to go. It might be the end of it all, that’s what she hoped.
“Danny, are you serious?” Matthew sat down next to Nora.
“As serious as the Devil himself. If we break off the deal, we still owe him. And he’ll take the most precious thing he can. You.” Danny nodded toward Nora.
“No, he can’t. That’s not fair.” Ben jumped up.
“Why not? We failed him.” Danny was still calm.
“Then he should punish us, not her,”
“And how is this not punishing us?”
Ben slowly realised what Danny was saying.
“We can’t let that happen.” Matthew said. “You can’t break the deal. I’m sorry, Nora. It seems you’re still a key player.”
“Can I just pick one and be done with it?”
“It doesn’t work that way. You need to feel love and right now, you’re not feeling it.”
“The deal we made is bound by the Devil’s blood. That’s how he knows when it’s complete. If you pick someone, you need to love that person for real.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Are we really that terrible?” Ben asked.
“You made a deal that could kill me and I don’t even know you. Yes, you’re both that terrible. You’ve lied to me, you’ve manipulated me, you’ve hurt me in more ways than one. I can’t love you.”
Matthew squeezed her hand. “Go home for now. Sleep, and go to school. I will try to figure it out. You can always text or call me. But I want you to do something for me.”
“If I’m able to.”
“Consider it the favour you owe me. I want you to forgive these idiots and try to see if there is some love you feel for either of them.”
Nora’s face turned sour.
“You can do this, Nora. I know you can. Look inside yourself and you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.”
“Fine. I’ll do it for you.”
“You’re doing this for you too. What you’ll find will help you for the rest of your life.” Matthew smiled at her. “Go home. Let me handle these idiots.”
Nora rose to her feet and walked towards the front door. Danny stepped aside and Matthew followed her.
“It’ll be alright. I promise. Focus on yourself first. You will find an answer.”
Chapter 27
Last period had just started when Nora felt her phone vibrate—a text message. It couldn’t be Felicia. She was a few seats away actually doing homework instead of chatting away with Emily. She noticed the bracelet on her left wrist. It warmed Nora to see that her friend still cared for her. She still didn’t talk to her like she used to, and lunch was still off limits, but her wearing the bracelet was a start. Nora had felt better since she wore hers as well, maybe because it represented her connection with Felicia. She knew they could work it out, and time would heal the wounds caused on both sides.
At the end of the lesson, Nora had time to see who sent the message, and saw Danny’s name blinking on her screen.
I need to tell you something.
That’s all the text said. If he wasn’t even going to try, then neither was she. She ignored it and went home. Her new relationship with Felicia was still undefined. They weren’t best friends, like before. Or enemies. Should she still avoid him, just until Felicia gave the ok?
After dinner the doorbell rang. Nora was upstairs doing her Math homework. She didn’t notice her mom’s call until she opened the door and called her name again.
“Nora, there’s a boy for you. I told him to wait in the hallway. He said he wanted to talk about a test tomorrow? I don’t think you mentioned it.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, we might get a surprise oral exam for Spanish tomorrow.” Nora had to make something up. Who would be here?
“Not much of a surprise if everyone knows about it.”
“Teachers always try find new tricks to make us study and then don’t test us. They just want to make sure we don’t fall behind.”
“Ah, that explains why the new boy wouldn’t know much about that.”
“New boy?”
“Yes, Danny I think his name was. He has a few questions.”
“Oh right. I guess I’ll explain how things work around here.” She went downstairs, followed by her mom, who went into the kitchen and closed the door to the hallway.
“So, Spanish, huh?”
“Eh, yeah. I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“At least your lie is viable. Spanish has the most oral exams,” Nora said. “But you didn’t come here to talk about Spanish class.”
“You’re right. I sent you a text, but you didn’t reply.”
“For a reason.” Nora crossed her arms.
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t need to tell you something. It’s important, and I have to tell you soon.”
“I don’t even know if I should talk to you right now.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You’re not secretly in love with me, are you?”
“What? Wait.” Danny was taken aback by her reply.
“You can’t be serious.” Nora’s mouth fell open. She opened the front door and pushed Danny out. “I don’t love you. I can’t be with you. I don’t even like you. Bye.”
“Nora, wait. I have to show you,” Danny shouted before she closed it.
“What do you mean, ‘show me’?” Nora asked, her curiosity piqued. She opened the door just a little. She didn’t want her parents to hear what they were talking about. “I’m not going to kiss you.”
“No, I won’t kiss you. I know you don’t believe me and think I’m a liar, but I want to show you who I am, what I am. Before you judge me for something I’m not.”
“Why does it have to be now?”
“Ben thinks it’s unwise to show who I really am and Matthew also advised against it, but I don’t care. I want to be honest with you. If I don’t do it now, they’ll find a way to shut me up.”
“Why do you care so much what I think?”
“Because you’re the reason I’m here.”
Her cheeks grew warmer and her breath was stuck in her throat.
“I know lying is bad. I’m a frigging angel, I should know. But revealing myself is not something we should do. Angels have their own code about interacting with humans and we broke almost all of them by coming here. And now I’m going to break the only rule left. I want to show you my true self.”
Nora was stunned. She had seen statues of angels in church and in her favourite paintings, but they looked nothing like Danny. She remembered the wings from his Halloween costume. Ben’s had felt so real. If he was an angel, he had been giving her hints since the beginning. If he was here for here, was he her guardian angel? That couldn’t be right, since he was the one that caused the rift between her and Felicia.
Her mind raced, quickly reviewing everything that had happened the past six months. All the clues, all the conversations. If what he s
aid was true, everything would make more sense. He at least deserved to be heard.
“Do you know a quiet spot out of sight?” Danny asked her. The question broke her out of her thoughts.
“Eh, yes. One second,” Nora closed the door and asked her mom if it was alright to go on a walk with Danny. He would bring her home afterward. Her father didn’t like it, but he gave them half an hour after her mother gave him a look.
She grabbed her coat and put on her boots. When she opened the door, Danny didn’t look her way. He had his hands deep in his pockets, and the collar of his coat pulled up.
“You look like you don’t want to be here,” Nora said as she closed the door.
“Is it a bad thing I don’t want to be here?” There was a tremble in his voice she never heard before.
“Then why did you come?” Nora led the way to a small park with enough trees to resemble a small forest.
“Because I think you deserve to know. We threw this thing at you, expecting you to believe it. But you wouldn’t be you if you accepted everything someone told you. Not the kinds of things that change your world entirely.”
“Thank you, but won’t breaking this last rule have consequences for you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Danny shrugged. “I’m already doomed to eternal Hell, so showing you this won’t have significant consequences for me.”
Nora stayed silent.
“Ben and I are angels, but I left something out. I’m no longer welcome in the Angelic City. They kicked me out. That story I told you about the woman I loved, that’s a true story. That woman was human, and she died of cancer. I thought she didn’t deserve it and went against His order. The archangels weren’t pleased with my rebellion and threw me out.”
“What happened to you then?”
“I went to Hell and found a place I could call home. But who wants to call Hell home? I’ve spent centuries there, and my wings gradually changed colour. They’re nearly black now. My body changed as well. I just… hope I won’t scare you. I used to look more like this, but hell changes you, for the worst.”
Devil's Deal (Infernal Contracts Book 1) Page 19
