Don't you think its funny

That people will throw tons of money

To watch and read about fairy tales

With things like mermaids and flying whales

Don't you think its funny

That when a child is crying, nose runny

Her mom will say "Superman is by your side."

With the man who touched her still lurking outside

Don't you think it's funny

When a boy finds a dead bunny

His father will say "It's in heaven now, don't fear"

Before he goes and kills a dozen baby deer

Or maybe it becomes funny in the end

When you realized you lived in a world of pretend

But it won't be you laughing at the joke

But the criminals and monsters you hid in the smoke

Blissful ignorance can only last so long

Awareness of the cruel world is what makes you strong

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Jules woke up to whispering. Once she overcame her drowsy daze, she quickly realized that she was not in her room. The cream colored walls were decorated with fairy lights, posters of Harry Styles, and cut out images of models from magazines. The covers that kept her warm did not feel like the crocheted blanket her mother had made for her last birthday.

She slowly sat up and grimaced as her muscles ached with the movement. Confusion began to set in. At the foot of the bed sat a girl whose thin brown hair was instantly recognizable. It was Abby with her face in her hands, sniffling softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Abby?" Jules' voice was hoarse and her throat burned harshly.

Abby's head shot up and her watery eyes stared as Jules like a deer in headlights. Abby scrambled towards Jules and tightly cupped her hands with her own.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. You're my cherished friend. I never meant for this to happen." Tears continued to roll off her cheeks.

At first Jules was concerned. She had never seen Abby so emotional. It didn't take long for the concern to quickly morph into fear as the memories of last night began to come back to her. In her peaceful slumber, Jules had been released of all her anxiety as if a tight rubber band had been pulled away, relieving its suffocation. Now that she was back to reality, it felt as if the rubber band was released making everything snap back to her at full force. It was an invisible whiplash.

Jules jumped off the bed and scanned the floor wildly before she found a white trash bin. She hurled whatever was left in her stomach. Her already sore throat burned even more.

"Jules!" Abby crouched down by her sickly friend and tied up her hair with one of the scrunchies decorating her wrist before she disappeared into the bathroom. She came back and handed Jules a glass of water and a pill.

"Here, drink this. It will make you feel better."

After last night's events, Jules didn't know if she could trust Abby anymore. She stared at the red pill wearily and decided to only take the water.

Abby felt hurt but she understood.

Jules gulped the water trying to ignore the bitter taste of the leftover bile in her mouth while Abby played with her clammy hands nervously. Then the girls sat in a strained silence. One did not know what to start asking and one did not now how to start answering. It was quite the hindrance.

"Jules." Abby ran her fingers through her hair not knowing how to fix this. "I know you're confused, I know you're scared, and I know you feel betrayed. I swear, I will explain everything and answer all you're questions but we need to take care of your health first. Please, just give me a chance to explain everything."

Jules squeezed the glass cup in her hand, feeling uncertain. But then she remembered about her mom.

"I have to go home," Jules shakily stood up still feeling weak, "My mom is probably freaking out right now."

Jules' knees suddenly gave out on her. Luckily Abby caught her before she fell and guided her to the bed.

"You can't leave in this state. You're still too weak. It's okay, I called your mom last night and told her that you wanted to sleep over. You don't need to worry." Abby gave Jules' shoulders a comforting squeeze. "Please, just calm down. We can talk after you eat and shower."

Jules just nodded her head tiredly. She didn't have a choice right now. Plus, she had an uncomfortable stick on her skin from last night's wine spill and could really use a shower.

Abby guided her unsteady friend to the restroom and set aside some long sleeve clothes that Jules would feel comfortable wearing.

"Don't touch the bandages I placed on your neck. Keep them on for a while longer to make sure your neck heals up properly. They're water proof so you don't have to worry about them too much."

Jules touched her neck, only now noticing the soft adhesive stuck to it.

"I'll be back Jules. I'm going to make breakfast for us downstairs," Abby informed before leaving the room.

Jules had a hard time trying to figure out how to turn on a shower with three different handles and two knobs. After about five minutes of struggle, she was finally able to feel some relief as the warm water rushed down her skin.

However, her tranquility began to fade when her thought's began wondering back to him. Who was that man? What did he want from her? Why did his lips, eyes, and voice enrapture her so deeply?

It was almost like a moth to a flame. He was dangerous--that much she could conclude herself. But even though she was aware of the man's threatening persona, she still felt a pull towards him. Something in her wanted to get closer even while knowing getting too close would burn. That was the most confusing part of it all.

Jules was done showering before Abby came back and spent some time walking aimlessly.

Abby's room was very different then hers. It was more colorful and modernized. Abby had a whole table dedicated for her makeup. There was a square box full of brushes, hooks that hung on the wall where different necklaces dangled, and slightly opened drawers that revealed colorful pallets, lipsticks, and other things that she did not recognize.

One picture on the table that was displayed inside a gold baroque picture frame caught her attention. She picked it up. It was a picture of Abby and her family having a picnic. Her parents were standing and holding each other close while their six children sat on a red plaid blanket holding fruits and sandwiches. Jules remembered Abby mentioning at lunch that she had many siblings annoying her constantly. Looking at the picture made it harder to believe that Abby was a bad person. It was almost as if the picture was telling Jules to give Abby a chance to explain everything. If that was the case, it worked. Jules was a forgiving person to the point where it was her strength and her flaw.

When she placed the picture down, she noticed a piece of scratch paper with a familiar name written on it. There were about ten names written on the paper and Jules recognized some of them as classmates from her school. All the names were scratched out except the last one. The name at the bottom read Jack.

Jack from her 6th period class?

Before Jules could think about it any further, Abby walked in bringing the aroma of pancakes and bacon with her.

"Sorry for the wait, my siblings forced me to make them some too. Here, we can eat on the floor. I have a mini bench we can use as a table."

The smell of the food made Jules realize just how hungry she really was. She thanked her friend and said grace before digging in. She could feel her strength slowly coming back to her.

It didn't take long for both girls to finish their meal. They had eaten together so many times before but this time it was different. There were no smiles, no laughs. Just the eagerness to devour the food in order to sooth the aches in their stomach caused from being over stressed.

Abby knew she could not procrastinate any longer on telling Jules the truth.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to sound absurd and it's going to be a lot to take in. I'll need you to stay calm and hear everything I have to say."

Jules nodded nervously.

Abby sighed, "I don't even really know how to start. It's all very complicated." She scratched her head in frustration. She felt like she was telling a child that monsters were real. It was a horrible feeling but this was a burden that was thrust upon her by the academy students who were too lazy to clean up their own mess.

"I'm sure you have your own knowledge of demons and Satan so this might seem confusing. This is going to sound absolutely horrifying--I know--but it's the truth. In this world, Satan scouts out for vulnerable people who have desires that are out of their reach. He gives them what they want and in exchange they have to work for him. Those who have agreed to work for Satan are what we call Dealers. But they weren't given this name because they signed off their soul. They were given this name because of what they do, what their job entails."

Abby had to pause to think of how she was going to explain the next part. It made her more nervous that Jules kept a blank face.

"Dealers have to constantly find mates--other humans out there with innocence left in them. Human innocence, virtue, and grace is like food to Dealers. If they don't constantly feed off of it, they go to hell and suffer eternal damnation. That's how Satan keeps them working for him. The fear of burning in hell dominates the guilt of making others go to hell instead."

For you are my mate. Jules could hear the ghost of his voice against her ear causing a shiver to ride up her back.

"How do Dealers get mates?" Jules asked urgently, her heart rate picking up. One part of her did not want to hear the answer while the other part needed it.

"In order for a human to become a Dealer's mate, there must be a deal made between the two. That is why they are called Dealers. It's along the lines of: if you become my mate, I'll do this for you. Once the human agrees to this, a bond is formed and the Dealer is able to eat up their mate's innocence by making them sin. The mate of a Dealer is what we call a Peccator"

Jules recognized the word. "Peccator means sinner in Latin," she whispered out.

Abby nodded.

"The Dealer will eat off their Peccator's soul until the Peccator is consumed by sins and is guaranteed to go to hell when they die. In other words, Dealers help Satan collect souls."

Abby glanced at Jules with guilt plastered on her face. She could no longer look Jules in the eye.

"All the academy students are Dealers."

Jules' heart leaped into her throat. She knew this was where the conversation was leading up to but it still frightened her to the core. Suspecting it was one thing. Hearing it was another.

"In the world of Dealers, there is a hierarchy," Abby continued, "One that was established by Satan to motivate Dealers to collect more souls. The more Dealers collect, the more powerful they become--making this look like a competition instead of a forced chore."

Abby frowned. Saying it out loud highlighted just how disgusting the system was.

"At the Dalmellington Academy, we have a name for this hierarchy. The student council--Randall, Skye, Alec, Jake, Simon, Ellen, and Ana--they are at the top. Each of them specialize in one of the seven deadly sins. They are known as the Deadly Knights. All the other academy students are just called commoners...like Jonathan."

Amongst all that was being thrown at her, Jules had completely forgotten that Jonathan was an academy student. So far, that was the hardest thing to digest.

"I know what you're thinking," Abby unconsciously held her knees to herself, "How could someone as kind and well-mannered as Jonathan manage to make a deal with Satan? He has his reasons but it is not my place to say. However, I can tell you my story." Abby pulled down her shirt to reveal the symbol of a J underneath her collar bone. "I'm Jonathan's Peccator."

Jules' eyes widened. It was becoming hard to breathe. The air felt like it was thickening.

"I know I look happy all the time but I suffer from depression." Tears began to well up in Abby's eyes. "It really took a toll on me freshman year of high school. No matter what I did, no matter what I told myself, I felt like I had no purpose in this world. I felt like I was drowning in never ending sadness. And one day," Abby's voice broke. She had to takes some deep breathes to compose herself. "One day I tried to kill myself by jumping off the balcony of my old house. But my suicide attempt failed. I woke up in the hospital with my family devastated. And the hurt in their eyes when the doctor said my injuries would only allow me to live for less than a week made me regret everything."

Jules' eyes began to water too as she watched her friend's body shake with sobs.

"I wanted to take it back. I didn't wan't to leave my family. They loved me so much and I was putting them in so much pain." Abby hugged her knees tighter. "That's when I met Jonathan. Dealers are able to sense desire and he sensed my desire to live. He visited me at the hospital at night and said he could help me but it would be for a price. I knew what I was signing up for."

Jules couldn't listen any longer.

"Abby, I'm sorry you had to go through all that pain, I really am. But I do not understand why you're telling me this. Nothing can justify making a deal with the devil. John 8:44. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

"That's not what I'm trying to say," Abby interjected, bewildered that Jules could still pull out a Bible verse at a time like this. "I just don't want you to see all the academy students, Jonathan....me as outright evil monsters. Please, try to understand us."

Jules shook her head and backed up against the night stand behind her.

"I don't think I can do that. I can't trust people who have given away their precious souls for evil. You are bounded to Satan in some way. How do I know that he has not possessed you and made you speak all these lies?"

"Because you're a Peccator yourself!" Abby blurted, pointing at Jules' neck. Once the words left Abby's lips, she covered her mouth and gasped. She did not mean to tell Jules so suddenly.

"Wait, Jules, I didn't mean to--"

But it was too late. Jules had already rushed to the mirror and ripped off the bandages on her neck. There in plain sight was the image of the menacing crow. It was all coming back to her.

Jules started to pant. She was mortified. She couldn't breathe. This was all too much for her.

"Take me home," she pleaded through her gasps for air.

Abby was afraid that the girl would have a panic attack if she continued. But there was still something very important she had to tell Jules.

"Jules, I know you're scared and I know you're confused, but you have to come to the academy tonight before sundown."

"I want to go home. Please, just let me go home."

Abby realized that it was futile to try to reason while Jules was still stuck in a state of shock.

"Okay. I'll drive you home," Abby said in defeat.

The drive was completely silent. Jules just stared out the window trying to catch her breathe. Abby didn't know how to console her. When they arrived, Jules whispered a quick thanks before leaving the car with a slight tremble in her steps; she paused before she closed the car's door. She had one more question burning in her thoughts. It was something that Abby had purposely avoided telling her.

"The one who put this mark on my neck. Where is he on the hierarchy?"

That was the question Abby was hoping Jules wouldn't ask. But Abby had made a promise to answer everything.

"He reigns at the very top, even above the student council. " Abby gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "At Dalmellington Academy he's the . More specifically, they call him the"

Jules could feel her nausea resurface. There was one more question that was biting inside her, making her feel raw with nerves.

"What is he going to do to me when he comes back?" The question could barely slip past her lips.

Abby's haunted expression told Jules that she would not be receiving an answer.

In the end, Abby could not keep her promise. It was one thing to tell a child that monsters exist, but it was another thing to tell a child that those monsters were after her. Abby was incapable of doing the latter. Her heart could not bare to say it and she was sure that Jules' heart could not bare to hear it.

Some truths were too dark to be said out loud.