The Recruitment

DELLA

I take a deep breath of the cool night air and walk to the pizza place down the road. The scent of pizza hits me before I even get to the door. I’m not exactly starving after feeding on two men, but the warmth inside is inviting.

I consider the possibility of finding a vacant vacation home. Mikey would know. Sliding into a booth, I keep my hood up and put on my black-framed glasses to read the text on my phone.

A familiar, cute wild-haired waitress approaches. “What can I get you?” she asks, her aura a soothing blend of blues and purples with just a few black wisps. She seems like a good person.

“A small Hawaiian and an iced tea, please.”

She nods and walks away.

As I wait, I text Mikey to ask about any empty places.

The waitress returns, looking a bit anxious. She hands me my iced tea and taps the napkin underneath it. I thank her and pull the napkin closer, noticing the writing. “~Guys watching you at your five. Be careful.~”

I knew I liked her. I fold the note and stash it in my pocket, then head to the restroom. I wait outside the door for them. Predictably, they follow. They freeze mid-step when they see me leaning against the wall.

“You boys are really freaking me out,” I say, crossing my arms. “String Bean, come with me. Leave your friends behind.” I walk into the ladies’ restroom.

“String Bean?” I hear.

“She means you, Professor,” one of them says with a laugh.

“Oh, I’m never going to hear the end of this,” String Bean mutters. I hear the door open, and he walks in, looking nervous. Good.

“Now, I am Delaney Hearse. I go by Della. Why are you guys following me?” I ask.

“I’m a recruiter for a college. The gentlemen with me are students serving a rather ineffective detention,” he admits.

I can’t help but laugh. His aura is a mix of blues and oranges, and I don’t see any lies. “Okay. So, if it was just you recruiting me—someone who can’t afford college—how would our first meeting go? I assume it wouldn’t be in an alley, a bar, or a women’s restroom.” I raise an eyebrow and gesture toward the empty stalls.

“You’re right. I would have approached you at your home, where you had your burst of magic. I work for a college that specializes in such things,” he explains.

“You know…?” I ask around a lump in my throat. My heart starts pounding.

“Yes. I also know you didn’t mean to kill them. And I know that they were going to…hurt you,” he says, carefully choosing his words. “As for affording the tuition, your name is on the registry. Your parents have already paid for your education.”

I snort in disbelief. “Sure. My parents? They paid for me to go to college? I find that hard to believe,” I say.

He takes a patient breath. “John and Kerri-Anne Hearse are not your birth parents. There’s a bit of a mystery about how you ended up where you did. But rest assured, you are a demon like us,” he says gently.

~Demon? Not my parents?~ This is a lot to take in. He seems to notice that I need a moment and stops, giving me time to process.

“Demons? Who is us?” I finally manage to ask.

“Yes. Demons. Like you and me, your parents, and some at Solomon Academy,” he explains.

“So I’m not just crazy?” I ask.

“No. Not at all.” He chuckles.

“Do you have any proof of this Solomon Academy? I’d hate to have to start killing people because I got kidnapped and trafficked,” I say, though the idea of such a feast is somewhat appealing.

“Of course.” He waves his hand and the air shimmers, revealing the castle from my dreams.

“Oh. That’s where it came from… Okay.” I shrug. My visions never lie, and neither do auras. Besides, I need a place to stay tonight. “When do we leave?” I ask.

“We could leave now, but I think the boys were excited for pizza,” he admits.

“Okay. I already ordered mine anyway,” I say, heading out. I notice he’s not following, so I poke my head back in the restroom. “Come on, Professor String Bean!” I call, heading back to my booth.

The guys are laughing in the hall. “You boys coming?” I ask. They snap to attention. Now that’s power!

I slide into the booth, all the way to the window so everyone can fit. String Bean is still in the ladies’ room.

“Do you think he’s okay?” I ask as the guys pile into the booth.

“Oh yeah. He’s just trying to gather what dignity he thinks he has left,” the redhead says, chuckling. “Professor String Bean…”

“He hasn’t told me his name yet, so it is what it is.” I shrug.

“Well, before I get an embarrassing nickname, I’m Sorin,” the redhead from the alley says with an impish smirk.

“Hello, I’m Della,” I reply. I see the waitress coming over with our pizzas. Her eyes are alert, but her face doesn’t give her away. I nod to let her know I’m okay, and she relaxes. I like her even more.

I open my pizza box to reveal the cheesy, pineapple goodness. I take a bite and hum in delight. So good.

“Pineapple?” Sorin asks, scrunching up his nose.

“Shut up, man. You’ve eaten snails. You have no room to talk,” Oz says, opening their box of pizza, which is more of a mound of toppings than a pizza. To each their own.

Professor String Bean joins us, looking a bit flustered. I try to ask what’s wrong, but he seems determined to ignore me. Fine.

“So, I have some questions. You guys go to the Solomon school, right?” I ask, and Sorin and Oz nod, their mouths full. “So you guys are demons too?”

Sorin shakes his head. “I’m actually not. I’m a mage,” he explains.

“I’m a lust demon. You can guess what I feed off of.” Oz winks at me. He looks so smug—it’s like he’s asking for me to take him down a notch.

“Kleenex and desperation?” I ask, deadpan.

Sorin starts choking on his pizza beside me. I pat his back, making sure he’s okay. He grins down at me, a playful glint in his blue eyes. Even String Bean lets out a snort. “That was good.” Sorin chuckles.

I smile innocently. I wonder what I am. “What kinds of demons are there?” I ask. “Sorry, I’m just curious. I’ve spent most of my life thinking I’m just nuts.”

Sorin gives me a gentle smile.

“Well, you have your Sevens, like us,” Oz says, gesturing toward himself and String Bean.

“What are the Sevens?” I ask.

“Demons of the seven deadly sins,” he explains. “Then there are the crossroads demons. Never make a deal if you don’t have to.”

I nod, but I still don’t have a clue what I could be. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually.

We finish our pizzas while they tell me about classes. They have some weird ones: Humans 101, divination, power control, human influence, summoning circles, gym. Weird.

The cute waitress comes over with our checks. I grab her hand.

“Thank you again,” I tell her. I squeeze her hand, trying to convey how much it means to me.

“All good, girl. We gotta watch out for each other.” She smiles and winks at me.

String Bean takes both bills and pays before I can argue. I wait with the guys.

I wonder if the school is in Hell. How do we even get to Hell? My mind is just coming up with scenes from ~Supernatural~ episodes. Probably not helpful.

Professor String Bean comes back and gives Oz a little piece of paper with a grin but doesn’t say anything. A busty blonde waitress sends him a flirty wave. I see a little wisp of pink float from her to Oz and sink into his skin. Huh. Maybe I am a Sevens demon after all.

“Why the long face?” Oz nudges me as we walk out onto the street.

“Just thinking about what I am. Nothing sounds right,” I confess.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. You’ll have a placement test when you get to school,” Sorin assures me. Oh. Well, that’s good.

“Which is when, String Bean?” Oz grins at his teacher.

He frowns at Oz, disapproving. “May I remind you that you are in detention already?” he says.

“Why does she get away with it?” Oz laughs.

“Because he still hasn’t introduced himself,” I point out.

Professor String Bean’s cheeks turn a bit pink. “It’s Doctor Tenn,” he says.

“No fucking way. You’re joking, right?” I ask, grinning widely.

A worried look crosses his face. “No…”

“I thought you looked like David Tennant!” I exclaim. Sorin snorts, probably at my display of nerdiness. “He’s The Doctor!”

The Doctor sighs and leads us down an alley.

The cold nips at my bare legs as we walk down the cluttered corridor. I can’t wait to get out of this dress and put some pants on.

The Doctor stops next to a large, glowing mirror. It shines like the moon. It’s beautiful.

“Come on, Della, let’s get to school,” Sorin says, taking my hand and walking forward.

I watch as the mirror ripples around him like a curtain, moving down his arm and toward mine as he disappears. ~You got this, Della! You’ve done weird shit all your life—what’s walking through a magic mirror?~

I take a breath and step through the surface of the mirror.