Alastair was an asshole. There's really no way around that. The thought made Ruby laugh. Of course he's an asshole. This is hell. You don't meet nice people down here.
She hated being down here. Soon, she wouldn't be. She just had to work up her strength a bit.
Every now and then, she wondered where Dean was, and if she'd see him before she left. The fact that he was down here made her stomach clench, because it made her think of Sam being topside alone, and she could deny her feelings for him all day, but she'd still be worried. The kid was a mess. Without his brother, he'd only be worse.
"Ruby!" She flinched and lifted her head up. Alastair grinned sadistically. "We've got a newbie! Someone you might like! Sold her soul, just like you." It was a low blow, and she had to grit her teeth against a sarcastic remark. "Why don't you give her a welcome?"
Ruby hated dealing with anyone who sold their soul, especially girls. Alastair knew this, of course. He was hoping she'd freak out and attack the girl. But she had more restraint than that. Didn't she?
Cowering on the floor was a beautiful young woman. Ruby despised her immediately. "What'd you sell it for?"
She got nothing but a whimper in response. "Hey, bitch." She grabbed her shirt and yanked her up. "When someone asks you something, you answer. Not everyone down here is as nice as I am."
Green eyes met hers. Pain was evident, pain that had been there way longer than the mere hours she had spent here. "Fame? Beauty? What was it?"
"I just wanted it to stop!" She yelled. Ruby recognized the accent. "British, huh?"
She laughed. "And what was so bad that you sold your soul to stop it?"
Tears were running down the girls face. "He touched me! He came into my room and he touched me and I begged him to stop but he never did!"
"Who was it? Uncle?" She saw no reaction in the girls face. "Was it Daddy Dearest?"
Anger hardened the girls features. "What would you have done?"
"I wouldn't have sold my damn soul! Bad things happen to good people, sweetie. It's a fact of life. Daddy touched you. That sucks. But you fixed it, right? Ten years, no Daddy, no pain, no guilt. Only problem? Now you're stuck down here forever, and let me tell you sugar, it's a lot worse down here."
Defiance lit up her eyes. "I'm not scared of you."
Ruby laughed. "It's not me you have to be scared of."
The girls defiant mask slipped. "Try having your skin peeled off. Bones torn out. And that's just the start."
Tears were running down the girls face. "Crying only makes it worse. But eventually it stops. You wanna know why?" She didn't give the girl a chance to answer. "Because you become like me. A demon. You stop being the tortured, and start being the torturer. Does that sound fun?"
The girl had enough brains to keep quiet. Ruby lowered her voice. "What's your name?"
The girl swallowed. "Bela."
Ruby gave her a hard stare. "Remember that. Hold onto it. Don't ever let them take away your name."
Bela nodded silently, her eyes growing hard and determined. Ruby wondered how long it would take that look to fade.
She released her grip on Bela's shirt. The girl fell to the floor in a heap. "Have a nice day!" Ruby said with false sincerity before turning to walk away.
As she walked, she thought about Bela. "Bad things happen to good people." She whispered to herself. "But good people make bad decisions. How do you think most of us ended up here?"