What do you do when you were raised in the occult? When you were conceived in a ritual between an occultist and a voodoo priestess? When you've never known anything but the struggle of trying to find your way in the world of the supernatural?

Beatrice Deveraux was a gifted witch, with a startling secret. She didn't come by her powers naturally. Not that most witches did, of course, but it was the way she got her powers that threatens her life. 10 years ago, she made a deal at a crossroads to gain power beyond her wildest dreams.

Unfortunately, she got more than she bargained for.

It was dark that night, and she knew what she was doing. She had no real power of her own, much to her mother's dismay, but she knew how to do her research. Crossroads demons appear between midnight and dawn, and Papa Legba only responds to certain chante lwas. And of course, there was the lunar cycle to consider. The waxing of the moon would be perfect for gain. Luckily, the perfect date had come. April 5, 2009. The moon was a waxing gibbous in Virgo, which was just right for gain and change. The summoning would take place the following Tuesday morning, the day of power. It was the perfect date.

And so there she was, drawing a veve in the dirt road in a sort of trance. She was chanting under her breath, but when she opened her eyes, she didn't see Papa Legba. At least, she didn't see what she had expected to be Papa Legba.

Whatever it was she was looking at, it was wearing all black, red eyes, and a grin.

"Don't tell me you weren't expecting me," he said. "Usually people that bury a box of their belongings at a crossroads know what they're getting into."

"I was expecting-"

"You were expecting me. In some form or another, you expected me." He looked down at the veve in the dirt and chuckled. "You're your mother's daughter, Bea."

The young teen looked down and chuckled. "I'm not, and that's the problem. I'm not living up to her reputation and she and my father are starting to think I never will. I'm starting to agree with them."

The demon chuckled and stepped closer to her, until he was toeing the lines in the dirt. "What is it, exactly, you want? Surely you didn't summon me for the sparkling conversation."

"I want power. I want the power to make my dreams come true." She stood as she spoke, nothing but determination in her voice, eyes smoldering with ambition.

However, the demon didn't seem impressed with her.

"Why not just ask for your dreams to come true? Seems the easiest solution to your problem. Most people ask to be the best in their field, or for someone to love them. Why the middleman?"

Bea, who tended not to take anything too seriously, was equally as unimpressed with the demon in front of her.

"I don't take the easy way out," she explained. "If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to earn it. I just …. Need a little push."

The demon smirked and closed the distance between them further. "I can make that happen," he said. "But, of course, there's fine print. Aside from the standard 10 years you have to live before we come to claim your soul, that is."

"Fine. What is it?"

"You'll be living a life between human and demon. You can have all the power you want to make all of your dreams come true, but you'll be working for us. Every full moon, starting this Saturday you bring a soul to us. I'll leave the method to you." He chuckled at the look on her face. The startled, disbelieving look on her face. "Oh, don't give me that look. The boys downstairs have been waiting for you to make a call about gaining more power."

"Why's that?" She crossed her arms and looked skeptically over the demon in front of her.

He simply chuckled again. "That would be telling." He put his hands on her shoulders and smirked at her. "We just want to take full advantage of this deal. That's all. So. Do we have a deal?"

Beatrice thought about this for a moment. On the one hand, she wasn't super keen on owing anyone anything. On the other, she had to prove to her mother that she wasn't a total failure. That she could manifest her own desires. Then, finally:

"We have a deal."

The demon smirked and pressed his lips to hers.

Suddenly, she felt a surge of power course through her. Her very blood was changing. What used to pump lukewarm through her veins now burned with hellfire. Her eyes opened as the kiss ended, and everything around her lit up. She could see everything so much clearer than she could before. Her skin tingled with a sensation that she never felt before.

The demon was gone, but Beatrice was left transformed.

There was no other creature like her now. She was somewhere between demon and voodoo witch, and she could only guess what she was capable of. One thing was for sure, though. There was nothing she couldn't do.