The Devil (BOOK I + II)

10 | "Jesus, You're Fucking Insane"

Chapter Ten
"Jesus, You're Fucking Insane"

"she was brave and strong
and broken. all at once,"
~ anna funder

┏━━━━━━━┓

   "Are you sure we're safe?" I heard Gala whisper nervously behind me.

   I chuckled and made another turn in the dark corridor. "No, Gala. There's demons and ghosts living here, waiting to suck the purity out of willing souls."

   She squeaked before hissing, "This isn't funny!"

   "It totally is." With a wide grin, I stopped walking and turned to her. We were both dressed, our faces hidden behind our masks. "I offered for you to go the proper way," I reminded her.

   In the darkness, my adjusted eyes caught her grimace. "Yeah, because I didn't want you to get killed."

   I gushed playfully. "Aw, so sweet." She glared, but I gave her another wide smile. "Don't worry. I've used the employees halls lots of times growing up. I know where we're going."

   They technically used to be the servants quarters. This house was old. But Ruben and I were never scared of the creaks the house used to make in the night. At least, I wasn't. Still, we used these halls to sneak around, without being followed.

   When Gala and I stepped out of my bedroom a few minutes prior, and saw Daemon nowhere in sight, I took that as an advantage and led her to the opposite side of the wing.

   I didn't want to take the boring way downstairs, because I wanted to sneak into the crowd, without anyone recognizing me.

   "How much longer until we're there?" Gala's soft voice brought my attention back to her.

   "Give it another few minutes. We're near the stairs, so the second we reach the bottom, we should be good." I paused, pursing my lips at her. "You do realize you don't have to whisper, right?"

   Even in the darkness, I saw her cheeks flush. "Whatever."

   I flashed her another grin before whirling in my spot, leading us both down the worn out stairs, which groaned after each step we took.

   Still, true to my word, when we reached the bottom of the stairs, I quickly led the both of us to the banquet hall, which was already filling with guests disguised in masks.

   I sucked a breath while my body slid forward, admiring the pale blue, silver and dark green accents. The wall of windows were on my left, showcasing the dark sky, but that was the only dark thing in the well-lit room.

   The chandelier was covered in crystals, which were shining on the beige walls. The stage was on the opposite side of me, with a large dance floor and circular tables surrounding the space. 

   I hadn't realized how much I moved forward until I glanced over my shoulder, only to see that Gala disappeared in the sea of bodies while I was in my own world. I felt slightly anxious from her absence, but I ignored the feelings as my eyes scanned the room.

   They fell on papa seconds later, who was sitting at the table closest to the stage. Next to him was Boris and Stefano, but their sons were nowhere to be seen. I frowned, wondering if Rolie would even be present today.