The Devil's Smile

Chapter 13

“Are you deaf rocks?”

I let out a little shriek before plunging forward and head butting the heart just of a Demi God that had appeared to stand before me.

I hit him with a solid thought but his body did not even shift an inch. I on the other hand was shot back against the wall where I crumbled like a bag of you guessed right rocks full looking up through the messy here I knew I was staring at one of the cursor brothers but not the one I had seen before. He was golden. There was no other way to describe him. Rage golden here the colour of the sun that colours the sky in the early morning. His skin was also sun kissed. And his eyes were like new leaf cut topazes the yellow jewel which I recall having seen somewhere. He was prettier than his brothers. Like really freaking gorgeous. No shiny demigod would ever compare to this one and that made me very wary.

He grinned that me displaying his perfect white teeth and there were suddenly all these warm feelings around my heart. Like happiness sprouted through my body and was spreading like weed.

he offered me his hand and I knew from the gasps of the along the line of the resident dwellers that he was playing far more attention to me than at any got normally did dweller. Ignoring it share it was a trap I pulled myself up and pressing back against the wall. The Demi God reached out then dropping one of his hands against the wall. “No need to throw yourself at me sweetheart.” His low lilting words drifted into my ear. “If you ask nicely I'm sure we could sort something out why don't you give it a try? My name is Amor… go ahead please say Amor….”

Before I could shut stutter out some asinine reply a voice cut across the room. “Hey seduction get your ass back over here? We don’t need rocks anymore.”

Silas dismissed me as the rest of the Demi gods laughed it like it was the funniest thing that any Vandelay inhabitant had ever said. A more drawback his smile dimming to a half smirk. “Guess I'll see you around then dweller.”

Then he was gone taking all the energy and warmth with him. I sagged against the wall chest heaving in and out as I fought for air. Gerrit turned sympathetic eyes on me his brow creased as he dropped a hand briefly on my shoulder. “I am really sorry Charm. Those 5 are trouble and any dweller who catches their eye hasn't lasted very long in Godville as soon as they turned their attention to one of us they make it their mission to destroy.” He trailed off staring at the look of horror on my face and tried for something more supportive. “if you can manage its stay as far from them as you can. Don't let them see you and eventually they will get bored and turn their attention to someone else.”

I didn't reply. I was still trying to catch my breath. His advice was great someone just needed to tell my clumsy curse and the gods because they weren't clearly done with amusing themselves with my misfortunes yet Red remained quiet choosing not to mention the encounter as we dragged ourselves back to our dingy little dweller cave she was trying to be considered because she knew me well enough to know that I definitely didn't want to analyse what happened. She asked me once if I was okay and I granted out to reply. That was the extent of our conversation for the night and I quickly fell into the second bed in her room even though I was pretty sure that there was a room in the male dweller section with Charm Archer written above the door. I pulled the blankets over my head screwed my eyes closed and forbid the cursor brothers from hunting me until sunrise.

The next morning all dweller recruits were up with the second sound of bells indicating first light which we of course couldn't see from our concrete tomb.

“When do we pull night duty?” I asked Red as we quickly dressed. We didn’t exactly have uniforms but the requirement was plain colours and modest amount of coverage so as not to offend the Demi gods with our dirt dwellerness.

“You are on call for your dorm rooms at all times,” she said pulling on her black top which had long sleeves and hung almost to mid-thigh.

She took off before I could demand to know how they planned on finding me at all times and I tried not to take it personally full Red didn't deal with stress very well and whenever I got into too much trouble she always was silent drawn into a private little crisis on my behalf.

Wait at all times? Where their restrictions? What if they needed me when I was in the bathroom? What if more than one of the rooms needed me at the same time? Next night deal with it later I'm armoured to myself sleeping on my flat boots.

They were the only pair I owned but they were of the highest quality they had been handcrafted by my mother decided that leather work was a waste of time and it would be more productive for her to spend her days exploring the tavern instead I had expected Corporal Thomas to pull her up many years back since there were no room for those who were without skills to exist in the village. Everyone must be there way. Everyone must provide. She managed to get away with it though and I hate it to think what she might have exchanged for her special privileges.

Still I wondered how she was doing without Red and me. I wondered if she had even noticed yet. A yearning for home sank into my body filtering through my blood and into my bones. Settling in with permanence. I had to accept that I would never go back. I knew that logically but emotionally being at Godville still didn't feel real if Red hadn't been here then I would have probably started thinking about this escape by now. I would have taken my chances on the route through the 9 rings and make my way back to the village.

“Charm! Hurry up! The next bell is about to ring and you haven't eaten yet!”

Red’s voice cut through my moment of sadness indicating that she was actually waiting for me at the end of the hallway. I sprang into action my feet dangling in the bed sheets I hadn't bothered to put back up my rock hard bed. It had been so narrow and uncomfortable that early this morning I had ended up on the floor. Which is why I was now tripping over the sheets and flying through air.

I tumbled out of that open doorway the stone floor biting me into my skin. I heard a deep side above me and by the time I started up a bandage had appeared in Red’s hand. It took her a minute to patch up my elbows and quickly stitch the hole in the knee of my black pants. A new record even for her.

The bells tolled again then and we started running. I managed to snatch up 2 pieces of hard bread from the almost empty tray of food with sat on the table in the main recruiters room shovelling the tasteless cardboard into my mouth as I hurried after my friend.

“You need to attend your dorms first,” Red breathlessly informed me as we ran up the stairs taking 2 at a time.

It was a miracle that I didn't crack my skull open at any point. With the clumsy curse that I had been in this world with it was really a miracle.

Which reminded me…” I forgot the cap to hide my hair,” I mumbled around my breakfast.

Swallowing the bread I took a moment to run I hands over my head. s**t. My hair wasn't even pulled back instead hanging in a mass of scruffy blue curls. “My hair is out and the boobs, Red. I didn't wear a top to hide the boobs!” My top was white for freaks sake. White and fitted. It was actually my usual sleep shirt and I had been too busy agonising to change properly. I might as well have stepped out naked.

Red grab my hands before pulling them from my hair before she started dragging me in her now familiar way. Don't worry about it the Demi gods have already training in the arena so none of them will be in their rooms. If you just pass the any keep your head down and hopefully they won't notice you.

Before I could protest again she was gone. Dashing across the domed room heading east towards the female dorms. We knew the layout from our basic tour the previous unicycle but it was easy to lose direction since everything looked so similar. I did at least remember where the meal dorms were. The pathway to the West on the opposite side to where I was supposed to be cleaning. Supply cards were located at the beginning of the sleeping quarters which meant that I had nothing to hide behind until I got there. Wrapping my hair up in my hands I quickly swelled it around and then talked it back into my shirt. This was the best I could do. I took off with my head lowered my eyes constantly moving sure that they are when no demigods in the path.

The long haul way I traversed had massive flu to ceiling windows on one side which gave me an uninterrupted view of Godville. It was a huge state with multiple buildings. There were also all trees plants and water features which to be honest still kind of freak me out. So much water everywhere. What did they do with it all? Why couldn't they share it with the villagers who were desperate for more? A mail dweller pushed a cart passed me and I could see his double take at a female on his side of the building but he didn't stop to ask me what I was doing. Luck was on my side for once. The Demi gods in my assigned dorms better requested well or change. The tension would kill me otherwise.

The long hallway opened to a room that jutted out over the grounds giving an uninterrupted view of the sacred sand arena a massive circular open topped stadium. I paused for a beat taking in the grandeur of it all. I knew about a lot of buildings now. I knew that Demi chords with gifts for barricades would put a roof worried in inclement whether I knew that it could see 2000 and that there were special box top idea for the gods I even knew that on occasion original gods would grease the demigods with their presence and watch the battles. There were always some secondary or minor gods there of course but the original swear the big draw card. So yeah I now know more than I had never expected to know about the training stadium curse of the overachiever who always left next to me. What I didn't know was what was the point of it all. How did the battling sometimes to the death show the gods anything of any real worth?

Why would the original gods want to recruit the strongest demigods in Elysium?

It always struck me as odd that they would invite in the very beings who might be strong through their positions. The very beings who might end up more powerful than they were themselves. What evidence did the Demi gods have that they would go to Elysium when they died? There was so much faith going on in that scenario and frankly the gods didn't seem the type to throw all your hopes at.