THE GHOST RIDER'S PROTÉGÉ 3

Next day Rowan and her dad drove to the abandoned sub-way tunnels. They left just before evening.

"why are we here? This place is for drunks and addicts"

"and the devil's office"

"what? Why here? I thought it would be somewhere great, like in a volcano."

"I think you just answered your question, he wanted it to be inconspicuous."

"huh, not a bad idea"

They walked they're bikes through the tunnels until they found a door. It had no locks or handles on it.

"how do we open it?"

John flashed his hand into bone. Than waved it over the right side making a fire engraved number lock pad. John looked to his right and left checking if any one was looking.

"great now what?"

"you know sometimes I wished Slate would teach you and not me."

"oh, ha ha."

He typed in 333-666-4242.

"huh. Figures" rowan said rolling her eyes.

The door opened, just by a crack, but it was opened. They entered to find an office. Nothing looked weird. It was like a business office. There was a secretary, administrator and over by the water fountain was gossiping workers. But were they actual people?

"this is Satin's office?"

"what were you expecting? People getting tortured in blood-splattered caverns?"

"well ya. That's what it looks like in books and T.V."

"you know Satin is not old-school"

"now you tell me, so now what? do we inform the the secretary?"

"ya"

The two walked to the secretary's' desk.

"can I help you?"

"yes, I'm john blaze and this is Rowan blaze."

"oh, I'm guessing you two are the ghost riders, Rowan I saw your jump. The devil is expecting you, please come with me."

"good thank you"

"is it that easy?"

"um, ya."

Rowan, still weirded out by the office, and her dad were lead to a door with a wooden frame.

The secretary knocked on the door using her knuckles lightly.

"Mister Satin, john blaze and his daughter are here"

"great! Send them in."

The door flung opened. Revealing the devil sitting at his metal desk with his feet perched on his paper weight.

"hello john, Rowan I was expecting you, its about your daughter isn't it? Well sun-down will happen in a few. You can show me then."

"why did you tamper with my mind while I was jumping?"

"it was a test, you see. And haven't you heard 'never do a deal with the devil?"

"I didn't do a deal with you."

"not directly, no, but you did tell me not to interfere, you know I just had to. Ah, I think the sun has now set, show me what's been bothering you."

Naturally john blazed with no pain and no hesitation. Rowan, on the other hand had troubles. She grunted and groaned till the fire enveloped her. It hurt less this time, but the heat was still intense. There, side by side was a skeleton on fire with a pale girl with hash marks and no deep voice.

"look at me! I'm not like my dad! What am I?"

"I wanted to test something, you see I came across with a shinigami way back when. Of course it wasn't under my command. Shinigamies don't have a leader, they're not pack animals they kill just to live longer. So I decided of the next rider to be a mix, like a mutt. Those symbols in your skin both protect and enhance your power. don't worry this was all intended, you would've known if you read the fine print."

"so I'm a cursed test dummy until I break it?"

"don't put it like that, it sounds mean and evil."

"so what powers so I have?"

"your fire powers are from the rider side. You have the penance star, given by your father, but I don't know what's your greatest weapon. But here's the best part, you get to chose how the guilty die judging by the level of sins they did."

"how much levels are there?"

"nine, haven't you read inferno?"

"no, maybe I will. But shinigamies aren't Italian, theyre Japanese."

"they are Japanese, but since you're not a full shinigami. I added a twist. I don't actually know what you do to achieve death you'll have to ask one yourself or figure it out."

"joy, ready to go?"

Rider nodded, he was ready to go.

They turned back to human, easier for john, not so much for rowan. She moaned with frustration till she got it right. Rowan tried twisting, spinning and tried a lot of unnecessary movements till she snapped her fingers. And she turned back to normal.

"really rowan, its that easy?"

"ye-yeah I guess so, ha!"

John grunted with disappointment, "figures"

"ha! Ok. What do we do first?"

"well we should get you to see a shinigami first before anything else"

"how do we find one?"

"we should check Japanese locations"

"ooh! There's a teriyaki restaurant near by the cutest Toki Doki vender in the mall!"

"not what I had in mind, but ok."

"cool ready?"

"yep lets go"