Chapter 2

The night wind slapped me in the face when I stepped outside, my hair whipping around my face. I tried in vain to tame it with my hands, but my vision was obscured by wavy strands of chocolate. It took me a moment to locate Mammon, who was strolling down the street some distance away. If it weren't for his white hair that almost lit up like a match head, I might not even have spotted him. Without paying any attention to my surroundings, I bounded down the steps and ran after him.

If this was his way of taking care of me, this was going to be a very long year indeed.

I caught up with him half a minute later, but he didn't even so much as look at me when I appeared by his side.

"Ugh…" he muttered to himself. "I don't believe this. Of all the rotten luck...Why should I have to look after some human? It's insulting, that's what it is!" Did he even realize that I could hear him? He seemed to be talking to himself, sulking over the task that he'd been appointed with. "This should be Satan's job, not mine…" Mammon continued to talk as if I wasn't there, but I wasn't tempted to stop him. What was there to say? "That rotten bastard…" he cursed. "Does he really think he can scare me into doin' whatever he wants? And just so we're clear…It's not like I can't say no to Lucifer, okay?!" It took a moment for me to understand that he was speaking to me instead of to himself. He quickly averted his eyes as he continued to mutter under his breath. "I only agreed to babysit you because, um…Well, you know, because…uh…." His voice drifted off, making it difficult for me to hear him over the fierce wind. "Anyway, it doesn't matter!" he said more firmly this time. "Just don't go thinking that I'm scared of Lucifer or anything. Because I'm not!"

His ramblings were beginning to amuse me, he was clearly not the prestigious luminary he presented himself to be.

"All right," I said, refraining myself from adding 'if you say so'.

"…Oh," he said, sounding a little disappointed for some reason. "Okay then, as long as we've got that straight." His pace quickened to a degree where I had trouble keeping up with him.

His long legs seemed to be moving faster and faster, almost as if he were suddenly in a hurry to get home. My heels were clicking on the pavement, echoing around the dark and silent street.

Soon, we were stalking past a high hedge that rose up at least two feet above my head, obscuring whatever lay beside it. The only thing I could make out, were two turrets that silhouetted the night sky. Little black blots were circling around the turrets, and it was only when I squinted my eyes that I saw they were bats flying at high speed.

I almost ran straight into Mammon when he suddenly halted. "Tch…" he muttered. "Watch where ya goin', will ya?"

Only then did I notice we'd arrived at a massive iron gate with sharp looking spikes sitting on top, and when my eyes traveled further I finally saw what those turrets belonged to.

A path led up to a large ominous looking mansion. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. The turrets were there, as were there balconies and massive ornaments decorating the outer walls. It almost felt more like a castle, and I couldn't help but feel curious as to what the interior would be like. There was something both intriguing and haunting about the pace, and I was yet to decide which one trumped the other.

The bats came flying our way as Mammon pushed the gate open and went right over our heads. He didn't wait for me to enter, he simply slipped inside and left me standing outside. I considered his silence an invitation to enter the property, so I followed after him and closed the gate behind me.

It was too dark to make out the entire garden around the house, but there were paths and old crumbling walls and even flowers. Though I wondered how they even grew here; Solomon had taught me long ago that it was always dark in the Devildom. A few benches lined the path, and I thought I could distinguish a few more a little further into the garden, but the small lanterns that lit up the garden didn't reach far enough for me to see.

Behind the large mansion was what appeared to be a large stretch of grass that ended in a tree-line. At least, that's what I thought the dark mass in the distance was.

This garden was actually quite charming, and I enjoyed my surroundings as I followed after Mammon along the lit path. Fireflies were dancing around the lanterns, and I even thought I saw a black butterfly take off from the flowerbed on the left, near a bench. How lovely this place would look if the sun had the chance to shine on it.

The feeling I got from the mansion had instantly shifted towards intriguing, perhaps even inviting, though it still looked rather sinister in the dark.

Mammon dragged his legs up the steps towards the front doors, which were illuminated by lanterns on either side, giving off a soft, warm yellow glow.

The ancient looking wooden door creaked as he opened one, revealing to me a grand entrance hall with two sets of marble stairs leading to the upper levels of the house on either side. Paintings adorned the high purplish blue walls. A long carpeted hallway led further into the house. Beside the stairs, as if guarding the entry into the living area of the mansion, stood two massive dragon-like stone gargoyles. Their tales wrapped around the high pedestals they were sitting on, lowering their horned heads threateningly. The rest of the house was separated from the entry hall by a large wooded arch, beyond which I could see a lit fireplace and a sofa.

This place wasn't at all what I was used to, but I appreciated the elegance nonetheless. A small spark of curiosity awakened in my mind about what my own room would be like.

Mammon halted in the center of the hall and finally faced me. "This is the House of Lamentation," he explained, though he didn't seem as reluctant as he had before. Perhaps he was proud of the place he called home. "It's one of the dorms here at RAD," he continued. "Well, it's not just one of the dorms, it's the dorm reserved for student council members." His face fell and a bit of his old attitude resurfaced. "Lucifer, Asmo, and the others take every chance they can to insult me. Callin' me scum, sayin' that I'm a money-grubber and stuff…But I'm an officer of the student council, same as them. The elite of the elite, the top of the RAD social pyramid." Suddenly, a bright smile lit up his face and he noticeably puffed up his chest. "In other words, I'm a big shot. A real big shot. Like, even regular big shots are impressed by what a big shot I am." His words were obviously meant to impress me, but I did not care for people who liked to brag, whether there was truth in it or not. It seemed he caught on to my thoughts, and it must have been written on my face, because he features once again turned dark, his blue eyes glaring at me from underneath his white bangs. "So don't you go thinking that I'm just some ordinary demon. I'm nothing like those other peons walking the halls here. By the way, Diavolo is even more of a big shot. He's so important that he's got his own castle. That's why he doesn't live here with us."

Of course, I already knew this. Lord Diavolo was the Prince of Hell, the next ruler of the Devildom. But I would be wise to keep my knowledge to myself. As far as everyone here knew, I was some ignorant human.

"I see," I replied, trying to sound neutral.

Mammon narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, but he let my lack of response slide. "…Anyway, the long and short of it, is that us seven brothers all live here together, just like Lucifer said. Now, it's time to show you to your room. Hurry up, or I'm gonna leave ya behind." He turned and made his way over to the righthand stairs, without waiting to see if I followed.

Once we'd made it up the stairs, Mammon led me into a long wide hallway going off towards the left and the right. The purplish walls were lined with torches, though they held bulbs instead of actual fire. They cast an eerie blue light along the walls and on the carpet on the floor. There were many polished black doors along the hall on both sides. Expensive looking vases and more paintings were positioned here and there, and four large chandeliers with doused candles were hanging from the ceiling.

Mammon moved right at the top of the stairs and I followed without question. He clearly wasn't pleased with his task of being my guide, and I couldn't help but think he was nothing but a blackguard. The way he wore his uniform, all wrinkled and unbuttoned, made it clear to me that he had a certain disregard for rules, and didn't bother with them. Granted, he was a demon, so it shouldn't have surprised me, but the others I'd met had seemed at least a little disciplined, though some more than others.

There was still something gnawing at me, possibly worry over the fact that I was to be stuck in a house with seven male demon lords. And alone, at that. Again I wondered what Solomon had been thinking bringing me here, though he might not have expected I'd be staying here with the Lords. Perhaps he'd thought I'd be staying with him, where he could have kept me safe.

At the moment, I felt far from safe. I felt nervous, in fact, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time.

We arrived at a door on the left hand side near the end of the long hallway and Mammon unceremoniously dumped me there. "Here's your room, enjoy, bye." Without so much as a second glance, he opened the door across and disappeared inside, slamming the door behind him.

I flinched at the sound and heaved a deep sigh before opening the ebony door to what I hoped was my own room. Unmistakably, there was magic in this mansion that the demons had referred to as the 'House of Lamentation', because as soon as I closed the door behind me, dim lights came on, offering me a view of a surprisingly cozy and comfortable looking bedroom.

There was a large bed in the center, with a thick mattress and plenty of squishy looking peach colored pillows and cushions. Behind the door was a large wardrobe and a massive bookcase covered the entire wall opposite the bed. The shelves were empty, though there didn't seem to be a fleck of dust on them. Had they cleaned everything before I got here, or was this room simply freshly furnished? The walls were painted in a deep color purple, though it was a rather warm feeling tone, with a hue of peach. A wooden desk stood on one side of the window, and a dressing table on the other. I saw myself reflected in the large mirror that stood atop it, finding that I looked a bit too apprehensive for my own liking.

When my gaze traveled away from the mirror, they fell on a door on the other side of the bed. Curious, I walked around the bed and opened the door to see where it led. An actual chuckle escaped me when I was greeted with a rather lush looking bathroom.

Again the walls were purple in color, but the white bath, sink and toilet were in stark contrast. Three small windows were aligned high up in the wall, leaving little niches adorned with purple and peach colored candles. Even the soap resting on the sink was purple. A closet with fluffy looking white and purple towels was standing close to the claw-footed bathtub. All the tabs were bronze and curved.

The sight of my own private bathroom made me itch to get a bath going. It seemed I had discovered my first good thing here. If only that bookcase wasn't so empty. Though with a mansion this size, I suspected there was some form of a library. Perhaps they would allow me to visit it.

In fact, now that I thought of it, what exactly was I allowed to do? Was I to be a prisoner or would they let me roam around freely and do as I wish? Lucifer had mentioned school, starting the following morning, but I'd never been to school. Everything I knew I taught myself or was taught during my time in London, when I lived in service of my then best friend Madison and later, by Solomon. Before meeting Madison I lived on the streets, unable to even read a single word and write nothing but my own name. Solomon had been the one to teach me all kinds of different languages and had given me knowledge unlike any human being had any business of knowing. If I had been human, of course.

After closing the door to the bathroom and promising myself I would take a bath the next evening, my eyes fell on the bed once more. There were two black bags that I recognized as my own sitting on the foot of the bed and beside them stood a black woven basket with what appeared to be a fresh toothbrush and rather lush smelling bath bombs. In a variety of purple of course. There was also a black envelope with a golden border.

I opened it to find a white piece of paper with slender and neat handwriting;

Sorea,

Myself, Lord Diavolo and my brothers, welcome you to the Devildom.

I expect you are momentarily feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I would like to assure you that you are safe here with us. My brothers and I will look after you should you come across any problems in the future. I do however wish to warn you not to trust any other demons you encounter. Demons have a natural urge to devour any pure soul they lay eyes upon, and the outcome can be rather unpleasant to say the least. To ensure your safety, I ask you not to leave the grounds unattended at any time. You are not to leave the house after ten in the evening during weekdays, not even if one of my brothers persuades you to do otherwise. They can be quite mischievous, I'm afraid. Do not let them corrupt you.

You are expected at eight in the morning for breakfast on weekdays. School starts at nine. Your RAD uniform can be found in your wardrobe.

Furthermore, everyone in this house has their tasks, and I would very much appreciate it if you would participate.

There is probably no need to explain this to you, but it would be best if you keep your secret to yourself and refrain from confiding in anyone else. This includes Satan for the time being. Should you wish to discuss the matter, you will come to me and me alone. I am always available to you should the need arise.

If there is anything else, do not hesitate to come to me.

~Lucifer

Lucifer. Even in his letters he came across as dominant and prideful. Being given strict rules was not something I was accustomed to. For as long as I could remember, Solomon and I went wherever we pleased, whenever we pleased. To be locked up in this mansion would truly make me feel like a captive.

It was good to know that Lucifer welcomed me gracefully, but I truly did not understand why. What exactly was he gaining from this arrangement? It had nothing to do with him directly, and I couldn't imagine it had been Satan's request. Perhaps Solomon had promised Lucifer or Lord Diavolo something in return? But what could they possibly want that Solomon could offer? Surely as mighty High Demons, they could acquire whatever they wanted?

Instead of feeling better, I felt only more confused, but pondering on it too much would only ruin whatever was left of my evening. Tomorrow, I would have to indulge in the presence of demons, and so I needed to put my mind at ease.

Thinking about what Lucifer had said in his letter, I stepped over to the wardrobe and opened it. Inside hung three uniforms in the same style as the brothers had been wearing when we were introduced. Only instead of trousers, my uniform came with a skirt in that typical school-girl fashion. Three white blouses –after hearing Mammon's words I presumed green was limited to council members– were neatly suspended from hangers, and I'd apparently been given the option to either wear a tie or a bow. Feeling rather annoyed at having to wear something so different from my own style, I slammed the wardrobe shut, thinking this couldn't possibly get any worse.

How very wrong it had been to assume that.

That evening, Satan pondered about the situation more than he cared to admit, even to himself. Despite his own reluctance, he'd been a little curious about meeting the human, if only to see what all the fuss was about. Needless to say, he'd been disappointed. There had been nothing special or remarkable about her, though he did suppose she could be deemed lovely –or perhaps even beautiful– as far as human standards were concerned. She surely was different compared to demon females, that much was clear. Apart from High Demons like himself and his brothers, no other demon looked human; some had subtle additions, such as horns or a tail and forked tongues, and some didn't look remotely human, being covered in fur or reptilian skin. They came in all shapes and sizes.

Perhaps seeing a human among all these colorful looking demons was a little intriguing, but she remained nothing more than a human being, the very thing creatures such as himself were made to corrupt and deceive. Not that he had any interest in doing that to this girl for now, she'd seemed in a bad enough state as it was.

So no one had told her about the arrangement?

She'd looked positively rattled at the news. Her amber eyes had gone wide with what he imagined was fear, and he couldn't help but feel a little amused at her rather virtuous reaction. The girl was about to have a very difficult time. Satan wasn't particularly bothered with such things, but not letting her in on the joke did seem unnecessarily cruel. Especially for someone like Solomon, though he was known for his devious actions. He'd expected as much from Lucifer, who never hesitated to manipulate if he felt the need for it, but it seemed even Lucifer had been surprised over the fact that no one had informed the poor girl. Poor girl? What was he even thinking? The poor girl was the sole cause of his displeasure, and he had no intention of coming to her aid in any way. She'd be devoured alive before the week was over, and it would be good riddance and the end of his misery. Lucifer would most likely not be amused, but Satan didn't care about that either. All he cared about was being left alone.

Even his sleep had been ruined by pointless thoughts about his predicament. Satan woke up in an even worse mood than the day before, and he blamed no one but the human girl for it. If his grades were to plummet because he failed to concentrate in class, there was going to be trouble for her. In fact, he decided he would ignore her very existence. If Lucifer wanted someone to hold her hand, then he was more than welcome to himself. Satan had others things to do, such as studying and finding out how quickly he could get his new stack of finished books to reach the ceiling of his bedroom. He reckoned he had about fifteen more to go.

After getting ready and dressed, he made his way down the long hallway and down the stairs. Some of his brothers had already arrived at the breakfast table judging by the sounds of voices drifting up the stairs, but Satan hoped that the human would stay away until he'd gone out. He'd gotten up earlier than usual in hope of avoiding –correction, ignoring– her.

As expected, the ones already at the table were his younger two brothers Beel and Asmo, and his older brother Mammon. As per usual, Levi wasn't up yet, since he always stayed up late playing his weird games. Lucifer was nowhere to be seen, but that was more a rule than an exception; he was an early riser and usually ate before the others did on weekdays. He was so eager to please Lord Diavolo that Satan wouldn't be surprised to find he actually slept on his desk so he could continue with his work the moment he opened his eyes. That is, if his body didn't continue to work while he slept. That wouldn't be surprising either. It was sickening to say the least, that someone as prideful as his oldest brother was nothing short of pathetic in his desperate fervor concerning the Demon Prince.

"Morning, Satan!" Beel said through a mouthful of what looked like toast with pixie eggs when Satan entered the dining room.

Satan mumbled something in response and sat down at the table opposite Asmo, who beamed at him while painting his nails in between careful bites of his toast.

"Well, good morning sunshine!" Asmo sang.

"Is it?" Satan simply muttered. He wasn't even in the mood to retort to Asmo's teasing today.

"Yo, do ya really gotta do that stuff at the table?" Mammon shot at Asmo as he eyed the opened bottle of nail polish standing dangerously close to his own plate.

"Why don't you worry about your own business, like escorting our new guest to school?"

Mammon snorted at that, as if that were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "Forget it, I ain't about to ruin my image by showing up at school with a human on my arm."

"Sorry, what image is that?" Asmo teased, earning his an exasperated look from Mammon. "The only image I'm seeing is you strung up by your ankles from the chandelier if you continue to neglect your responsibilities."

"Gah!" Mammon suddenly gasped. "I'm outta here! If Lucifer comes lookin' for me, I wasn't here." With that, he snatched his uniform jacket off the back of his chair and hurried from the room while clumsily trying to shove his arms into the sleeves.

His brothers' constant bickering was ruining Satan's mood even further. They always acted like this, and at times he even enjoyed it and felt compelled to join in, but there was absolutely nothing funny about today. All he wanted was to finish his breakfast and get ready for school. He couldn't even blame Mammon for failing to do as he was told this time, because this time Satan agreed with him. This whole situation was a nuisance to say the least.

"So, Satan," Asmo started with a charming smile, clearly having decided on a new victim now that Mammon had left. "Have you thought about your wedding night yet?" Satan almost choked on his coffee, which only added to Asmo's amusement. "Considering your inexperience, I'd be more than willing to teach you a thing or two. And since you're such a fan of reading, I have a few steamy books you can borrow. But I'd be more than willing to teach you myself."

An angry scowl formed on Satan's face. "Who're you calling inexperienced?" He wasn't that green.

"You know your hand doesn't count, right?" Asmo shot back with grin. "Surely you wouldn't want to come up short?"

Movement from the doorway caught Satan's eye just as he was about to snap something rather unpleasant, and he found Lucifer standing on the threshold with Sorea hovering by his side, wearing a RAD uniform –minus tie or bow– and a frown not unlike his own. The look on Lucifer's face was to be expected, but it was the affronted look on Sorea's face that was most surprising. She walked into the dining room –looking rather composed, he had to give her that– and made for the table, snatching the first edible thing she found off the plate and almost crushed it in her fist. Clearly, she wasn't as composed as she appeared.

Her eyes settled on Asmo, and Satan could have sworn he saw little sparks of gold swirl around in those amber colored orbs. "I will have you know there shall be no fornicating," she snapped at Asmo, whose brows rose in surprise at her outburst. If her flushing face was any indication, Satan was fairly sure she was trying very hard not to look at him, but he couldn't help but feel a little amused at her old fashioned choice of words. Fornicating? Really? "And for your information," Sorea continued, sounding less conservative this time. "I am yet to agree to anything." With that, she stuffed the toast into her mouth and stalked out of the room, leaving the brothers to stare after her.

"What a very distasteful conversation to have," Lucifer broke the silence, clearly not amused. "Not to mention despicable." Then he shifted his stern gaze from Asmo to Satan, who had barely taken part in said conversation. "And you," Lucifer added. "I expected more from you."

This was typical Lucifer; this unreasonable, unfair way he treated others. He was always on Satan's case about something, and he was just about finished with it. His stomach twisted into a knot as he tried hard to resist grabbing his glass of poison apple juice and throw it at his conceited brother. It was pure willpower that prevented him from doing so, even though the image in his head was more than a little satisfying.

"Where's Mammon?" Lucifer asked with a sigh, as if he had already expected him to be skipping his duties. "Don't tell me he's already left." Duties. Like they were all his subordinates. "How very surprising. Satan, escort Sorea to school, and please don't embarrass me more than you already have."

Satan slowly rose up from the table, his eyes boring into Lucifer, who observed this with nothing but a cock of his dark eyebrow. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to happen, but he was beyond caring for consequences. This had been a poor day to begin with, but of course Lucifer had managed to make it worse.

"Is there something you wish to say, Satan?" Lucifer's voice was calm, waiting for the situation to unfold. He'd always been frustratingly patient if he wanted to, and yet there had been something challenging in his voice.

Satan already knew that he couldn't intimidate his brother; Lucifer was simply fearless, dominance was in his very nature. None dared oppose him, his word was law, and that very fact ticked Satan off beyond anything else. It wasn't jealousy, nor was it anger over something he had done. It was simply deep-rooted dislike for his very existence. Satan wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. His jaw clenched as he looked into those dark eyes, eyes that gave away nothing, not even a hint of anger, the way Satan's no doubt did.

"Isn't it a bit early for this stuff?" Levi walked into the room, fixing his hair with his hands. "You guys are so lame." He sat himself down at the table beside Beel, who sat watching the situation with a concerned frown on his face.

Somehow, Satan was glad for Levi's interruption, because with the arrival of his brother the moment had been broken, and he felt his anger fade to annoyance. "I'm out of here," he said and walked right past Lucifer into the entry hall and out the large, heavy wooden doors leading outside. He took notice of the human sitting on a bench near the flower patch, nibbling on her toast. Their eyes met for only the briefest of moments, before he continued to ignore her and left through the wrought iron gates to see whether at least the remainder of the day could be salvaged.