The room was dark purple lined with black, especially the Queen sized bed. It had poles heading for the ceiling, it joined itself into a square at the top where grey curtains fell off the bed almost perfectly beside one side, the right, that was thrown onto the top of the bed. On the same side there was four wooden chairs opposite each other, a thick blanket over the top of which pillows spills out from the bottom.
I waltzed over to the pillow den, and pulled the blanket up to reveal fairy lights lined across the top. The yellow lights were sellotaped to the top, dim enough so that the laptop was the only thing that lit up the den. On the screen, the end credits were playing but it was paused. It's clear who ever left it were only half way through the credits. I felt empty being here, as though any emotions I did have slowly left.
"Cute." I said, standing up and straightening my back. I looked over to Adrian. "Why do they call you Adrian?"
"It's my mortal name. My real name, is obviously Lucifer."
"I still prefer Derek" I said.
"I know." He growled, sounding pissed off.
I looked around the room and noticed a second computer on my desk, the only thing open is the news the date clearly titled 'The Black Dahlia.'
I wolf whistled at the sight of the entire 1947 murder case.
"Man. This case was truly amazing." I said, sitting down in the brown spin chair. The computer had dust over it, a finger print was only present on the space key to turn it back on, it seemed. "I remember first finding out about it. A breathtaking case."
"Yes we have the murderer down here with us." I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Really?"
"Yes it was 73 years ago. Of course I have them here. Until you marry me again though, I can't let you see them." I saw in the reflection of the dimly lit computer his wink. I hummed.
"I don't want to see them, I don't care who killed Dahlia. I care how they did it. Naked, cut in two? Drained of blood? That's not even the best part. Extraordinary." I scrolled through the website. "Why is this even open?" I turned to look at him.
"I'd figure when you woke, it'd be your new favourite case." He said cockily.
"It's not, surprisingly, enough." Adrian had a look of plain shock on his face, as though he never had a slimmer of doubt I'd love the case. "I love the Room 1046 murder. There's not a single clear thing beside that one man was murdered. It's beautiful."
"Beautiful is not a way to describe a murder, my dear." I cringed, I hate endearing words.
"Lucifer!" A sudden voice shouted, slamming the door into my wall.
"What is it, Madison?" I tore my eyes away from my computer to see a young lady with an obvious red wig, since I'm 100% black people can't naturally grow red hair.
"You're needed by Gerwyn, him and Irwin are trying to swap jobs again."
"So why does he want me?"
"He... he doesn't, sir. But it's disrupting others from their jobs and torturing is slowly stopping."
"I'd say it's less torturing more deserving punishment." I commented, leaving the Dahlia page to see any more news pages from 1947, a lot of unsolved cases.
"I'll be back in a minute, love." Adrian then promptly left.
"You're Thallia." The maid said, looking at me curiously.
"Please, call be Dabria."
"Odd name."
"Oh, yeah? What's yours?" I said slyly, moving towards the den to clean it up.
"I'm Mary." I folded the blanket and looked at her for more. "Mary Oscpit."
"Why are you in Hell? Shackled to be a maid, not a very good one I might add." I commented, pointing at the pillows I was now packing up under the bed.
She raised her eyebrow, and leaned her head forward before abruptly stopping as though her head smashed into something.
"You need to grant me permission to enter your room, otherwise I'm stuck here." Mary rolled her pathetic eyes at me and I had half a mind to beat her into oblivion just for that.
"Ok. You may enter." I smiled grimly at her, as she entered and began to clean, the metal ball behind her going a bit less annoying as it dragged across the soft cream carpet.
I laid on my bed and began to close my eyes. Being pregnant is difficult. This is why I hate kids, or at least one of the many reasons.
"Would you like new towels in your bathroom?" My eyes shot open.
"Bathroom?" I rolled painfully to the other side of my bed, swinging my legs off the side. I followed her voice through an oak door on the other side of my bed. "Holy hell." I gasped at the sight, I haven't felt this much emotion since I got pregnant. The bathroom is about half the size of my room, and the bath shower was half the side of that. The bath, sink, and toilet was white, shockingly. Not so shockingly though was the wall, they were black tiles with brown cement line was black and brown. The bath was full with dyed red water, the toilet was opposite the bath and it looked like one of those Japanese expensive toilets and sink.
"You only get the best, Sir Lucifer always said." I slowly began to remove my shirt, my entire body in pain. When I finally got it off I saw my stomach was about two months along, should I be worried?
"Oh really?"
"Yes. No matter what happens, Lucifer drops anything to get to you. Whenever you want. It's rumoured he once cancelled a meeting with God when a sundae wasn't getting to you quick enough."
"Rumoured?
"Well... no. My co-worker was the one who didn't get it to you quick enough. We can see him from our only window that has a clear view to his torture. It's a reminder."
"I can imagine my 300 years away are heaven for you. 600 years this time, I suppose." I slowly pulled my trousers down and undid my bra.
"Nope." Although I didn't care, I hummed in question like I did. "He loves you more than Adam loved Eve. Every time you've left it's worse than when you're here."
"Gee, thanks."
"Either he is in, his in his office, taking his anger out on us or doing jobs he hates in order to distract himself from you. Us maids and servants count down the years till you're back. We're more tortured than those outside in those kennels being killed every five minutes." Oh. So she's dramatic? Good to know.
"I doubt it." I commented, sliding into the bath, the temperature mixing so it was perfect for me. I'm beginning to like hell.
"It's true. Whenever you leave, it's like a part of him leaves too. He can't function without you, physically." Mary began to fold the new towels, and wipe down the surfaces even though they looked spotless to me.
"Bit.. pathetic, don't you think?" I inquire.
"It's not entirely his highnesses fault. You started dating, on one of your lives here. Dating a demon means he gets half of your demonic energy, so you're less likely to leave him, especially if it's a prince."
"Energy?" She groaned.
Mary is lucky Adrian isn't here. I have half a mind to give her a punishment just for mocking me. Does she do this to me in every life?
"Yes. Energy. You're accepted into hell as a resident here, not a prisoner. Having this energy is similar to having a keycard in a business. Depending on how strong your power is, the more places you can walk freely into, no questions asked."
"So since I'm the Queen, can I walk anywhere?"
"No. This is hell so sexism exists. You can't enter a kitchen, you might get fat if you have unlimited access. You don't have access to some of the more extreme torture zones, you're a girl so you can't handle it. You can't go onto roofs, women are emotional you might kill yourself. And most of all, you can't go into a king's room, without permission. Dead or alive, you might catch him cheating." Mary disclosing this information seemed like she was letting out too many secrets.
I rested my head against the comfortingly cold wall. "Wow. So, how do I shave if you're worried I'll kill myself?"
"We shave you, the maids and I." Mary cringed saying it. Oh, I'll have fun knowing that.
"I want a shave now. Everything besides my head." I smiled forcefully at her.
"Even-?" She started, but I cut her off.
"Everything, Mary. Hop to it."
"Yes, your highness." She bowed, and quickly scurried off. As much as I found it funny, I still couldn't laugh, so I just basked in the warmth.
Mary and another maid was back within two minutes, a bit slow.
"Would you like to check our blades, and that they're up to your standard, your highness?" The second maid looked at Mary in disbelief.
"Mary!" It scared Mary, causing her to jump and look at the second maid in shock. The second maid looked at me and bowed. My eye brow raised and my interest in her perked. "I'm terribly sorry, my Queen. Holding your own blades is absurd and against our rules, Mary should've thought twice. Please forgive her."
My eyes scanned the girl up and down, she seems to be only somewhere between sixteen to eighteen. Her posture was straight like a ruler, and her ankle with the shackle was so scrapped of skin I thought I could see her bone poking through. Her clothes were so dirty you could barely tell it was the traditional, frilly black and white maid uniform. The same I remember seeing school children wear with their hats on St. David's day. Her, what seemed to be once light brown hair, was now matted and coal black. Her finger nails had permeant dirt under them, and she wants even wearing shoes.
"I don't. Lucifer can deal with her attitude later. For now, please continue what I requested."
"Of course."
We sat in silence for half an hour, they took time to add loads of skin care products so that it was very relaxing. We also put a speaker on that connected to the radio in the upper world. Updating me on traffic conditions and news updates.
I finally spoke up, and opened my eyes, when the news started talking about pop music drama.
"So, what's your name?" I asked, looking over to the younger girl.
"My name is Lilith, my Queen."
"A beautiful name."
"Yes, I believe it's Jewish, and an English name, which is strange for an Italian girl to say the least." I tilted my head, confused.
"Lilith, the language change." Mary hissed at her. I had half a mind to glare at her, but I was too confused. Was Lilith mocking me?"
Lilith gasped and removed the razor from my arm, "I apologise, your highness. I don't speak English, but because this entire place is made of people who speak several other languages, when everyone talks whoever it listening has it translated automatically for them. For instances, I'm speaking Italian right now, and you are speaking it back to me. I've seen it prevent racism too, since no one can tell me to 'speak english', not that they would anyway."
This intrigued me. Could Adrian be speaking a whole other language? Irwin and Gerry probably are, Hungarian, maybe?
"Lilith is only nine, please excuse her lack of explaining."
"Please excuse Mary. Her old ass name forces her to forget that I've been here for over three hundred years. And she's only been here for sixty eight years." I almost chuckled, Mary seemed gobsmacked and I loved that.
"You're nine?" I interrogated the poor girl.
"Yes. But I'm not here because of something I did. I got to choose where I went. I chose hell."
"How did you get a choice? Why would you pick hell?" I added, my curiosity heightening to learn more.
"I should thank my parents, really. The only thing I'd ever think to thank them for." Her hand gently lifted up my arm as she continue to shave me, relaxing me. "My parents beat me, they really wanted me to be a boy to marry the new born princess. Every child after me didn't live, and so they called me a demon child. Decided I was cursed and tortured me anyway they deemed necessary. They verbally abused me too. I had two older sisters, from my fathers past marriage. I believe my mother made him believe he needed to be royal and that he should take whatever means necessary to do it, because my sisters used to tell me how nice my father was. I watched them beat my sisters, one was fifteen, the other was twenty. Every weekend they came to visit my father, as though they believed he changed from the last time they saw him." She sighed.
Lilith grabbed a bottle of body wash and began to rub it up and down my arm, like she was focusing on something else.
"One weekend, was worse. My parents finally had a boy, a week prior. He seemed really healthy, and so I couldn't touch him. I was forced into the basement to avoid contact." She smiled sadly. "When my mum came downstairs, I knew he died. They would've happily forgotten about me otherwise. She grabbed my arm, dragging my upstairs. She was going to kill me. My father had the knife, when suddenly my sisters walked in. They tried to stop them, and when they all were arguing I grabbed the knife, and I killed my parents. My sisters ran to the police, leaving me behind. Where I killed myself." She sniffled, I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she quickly wiped her tears away. "Anyway. Because it was traumatic, and I was under 10. I got to choose where to go, and I chose here. I wanted to see my parents burn. I wasn't allowed. Instead, Lucifer let my body grow till I became nineteen, so I was cable of chores."
I felt a strange urge to protect this girl, especially after she admitted she's really nine years old.
"Could I wash your hair?" I asked, running my hand through her hair.
"If it is what you wish, my highness."
I laid back down, for another half an hour. Eventually turning myself so they could do the other side of my body. I listened to the news again. There's traffic on the M4. The sound of silence, beside light talking, was motivating. I felt like a movie star. Is this how actors felt?
Soft music began to play through the speaker, singing me to sleep almost. Until my bathroom door was bust open, causing the maids to jump up. Lilith accidentally cut my arm, two slices straight across my arm, about an inch long. They weren't even that painfully.
"Who is it?" I asked, not opening my eyes.
"Sorry, my love. I just got worried when I couldn't find you." I could feel his smile from here.
A couple seconds went by with angry whispering before I realised Gerry was also there.
"Look!" Gerry fumed, "Her arm! It's bleeding!"
I don't know what happened next, if I'm honest I was falling asleep. It was four am last time I checked, maybe five. When I heard Lilith scream though, I felt myself get pulled out of the bath until I was in front on her, my back towards her. My eyes finally opened to see I was staring dead into Adrian's. His eyes were blood red, his skin reverted back from its human colour, and his hand was wrapped around Lilith neck. I didn't realise, because his arm was going in between my arm and side.
"Get off her." My voice came out cold, as though it was an order.
"You're bleeding." He retaliated, as though it was a valid argument to kill a child, even if she did look older.
"Get off her." My voice raged, his arm slowly removed itself from her. I felt ragged breath against my back. I kept my eyes level with Adrian's, challenging him.
I felt a towel wrap around me, covering me up.
I turned around to see Lilith getting up from her knees, used to it. She apologised to me but I waved her off, checking her neck without touching it, she was an abuse victim it was extremely likely she suffered with PTSD.
Just as quickly as those emotions came over me, they left.
I looked over to Adrian, who hadn't calmed down. I put my hand on his arm, and leaned into him. He relaxed into my touch, until I let go.
"We need to leave. I want Lilith to have a shower. I can't have a dirty maid getting her dirt over my room." I'm not that good of a liar, don't blame me.
"But-" Gerry tried to cut in.
"Don't be a perv, Gerry. You've already seen me naked." I pushed him forcefully out of the bathroom, Adrian didn't need persuasion as he commanded Mary to stay and help Lilith wash.
"But I'm touch starved!" He cried.
"Shut the fuck up."