Chapter Two:

After the whirlwind that was Princess Charlotte, or Charlie as she insisted being called, came through her store and dumped the biggest request that she has ever had in her lap, Millie could only stare at Charlie in disbelief.

" Um, Millie, are you okay? Oh of course you're not! I just unloaded all of this on you. I'm sure very surprised and..."

Mille tuned out the rest of the princess's rambling, and watched her pace around the store. 'What in the seven Hells is going on?! The princess of Hell wants to commission ME to stock her library?! This is so amazingly terrible. I don't know anything about royalty or what they would like! This has to be a mistake, yeah a mistake. Maybe the princess got lost looking for a different bookstore. One that caters to the fancy and rich. I'll just set her straight and be done with this...even if it would be a great opportunity for my little store.' Millie ended her internal monologue with a final nod to herself.

" Ahem, Ms. Charlie, I'm flattered that you would ask me to take on such an important task but I that you have the wrong place. I'm nothing special. I just own this little hole in the wall store. I'm not what people would call " high-end" she said.

Charlie stopped her rambling and looked at Millie and took her by the hand. " Oh, please don't say that! You are special and I definitely don't have the wrong place. I've quite a bit about you and your store! It's like the only place in Hell to get good books and from the human realm too!", stepping back, Charlie twirled around and gestured to the multiple bookshelves. All lined neatly with an array of different books.

" The way you have all the books arranged! All the books I've never even seen before! You even have some of those super rare old-timey books everyone loves! I have an entire hotel that would kill for that kinda selection! I'll do ANYTHING to get that sort of stock for the guests!" Charlie said as she looked up and down the aisles.

"Of course you'll be paid handsomely for your work! So, please Millie, will you help me?", the princess gently took your hands in hers again and gave you such a look of determination and hope, that you felt like you couldn't let her down.

Letting out a hefty sigh, Millie looked at Charlie, " Okay, I'll help you."

"Really? Oh wow.

Ohwowohwowohwowohwow!

Ohmysatanohmysatanohmysatanohmysatanohmysatanohmysatan!!! THANK YOU!!!!" Charlie was practically beaming and positively radiating happiness to have Millie agree to her request.

Millie sighed again, but smiled at the princess's enthusiasm. She spoke with Charlie for a bit to set up an appointment for the following day for the princess to come back to the store to iron out all the details. After agreeing on a time, Millie said her goodbyes to Charlie and closed the door.

She leaned against the door and put her head in her hands.

' This is going to be one Hell of a task...pun completely intended.'

-- The following day, Millie sat with Charlie in her small office space in the back of the store. She left the 'closed' sign on the door and closed the blinds to the shop.

They discussed the genre of books Charlie wanted for the library. She rattled off a list of genres, fiction, non-fiction, thrills, and of course romance. Millie thought about suggesting ebooks too, but changed her mind. Wouldn't want a certain flat faced overlord to spy on the residents through the devices.

Millie had a general idea of the books she would start the list off with, a few of the classics, definitely. While she was making a list of books, Charlie had jumped from stocking the library, to how it would make everyone friends, and somehow result in redemption.

Raising an eyebrow, Millie made a mental note to add some psychology and counseling books to the list. It seems the princess was a bit naive about how to convince the residents of her hotel to change their sinful ways, open up, and become friends. ' Maybe I'll personally suggest some books for the princess about making friends. It might help her be a little more realistic.'

It wasn't that Millie thought that redemption was completely impossible. No one believed that angels could be killed, and look how that turned out! Maybe, just maybe the princess could be the one to make that happen.

' Maybe I could be one of the lucky ones to get redeemed. No more waking up in the middle of the night to gunshots and screaming. No more fixing my windows when someone throws rocks at my shop. Or scrubbing graffiti off the front door...No more being worried about being kidnapped, sold, murdered, or worse.'

Millie shook her head slightly, as if to shake the thoughts away. ' Let's not get carried away. No one knows if it's even possible.'

As Charlie rambled on about sharing and trust falls, Millie cleared her throat to get her attention. " You know Charlie, it might be a good idea for me to have a list of what the residents like to read. That way the library will have something everyone can enjoy."

" Wow Millie, that's a great idea!", Charlie shouted. "I should have asked everyone yesterday, but I guess I got a little too excited.", looked down at the table, sounding a bit gloomy.

" W-well you could just ask them to-"

"Oh my gosh! I just got the best idea ever!"Charlie abruptly stood up and grabbed both of Millie's hands. " What if you came to the hotel, and spoke with everyone and asked them what they like?", she beamed at Millie.

Milie tensed up at the notion of meeting new people. She was an introvert through and through. She enjoyed getting lost in a new story. She enjoyed her alone time, which happened to be all the time...

Unless she had a customer...

She knew she wasn't the greatest at making friends but she did have at least two friends she could count on. Which didn't bother in the slightest. She knew she could trust them with anything and that they wouldn't judge her when she went on and on about a book she was reading or a show she was obsessed with. She missed it. She missed them.

It wasn't like she could find people like her old friends now. She was in Hell for goodness sake! Every sinner was out for themselves. Taking what they wanted when they wanted. They weren't exactly trustworthy. She learned that lesson fast after she fell.

In any case, the thought of meeting and talking to someone new? Her anxiety could never. " O-oh I don't know about that..."

Charlie looked Milie deep in her eyes and gave her the saddest puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen. " Pleeeaase?", she even poked her lip out, sealing Millie's fate.

" Okay, fine. I'll come to your hotel and s-speak with the residents. But it has to be one on one, I-I'm so good with crowds.", Millie closed her eyes, she caved to the princesses wishes.

Charlie screamed in joy and excitement and hugged Millie so tightly, that she thought she might be crushed.

"I don't think I'd be able to thank you enough times for doing this for me! You'd have to meet Vaggie, she's my girlfriend, and we work together. And... oh, there's Angel Dust, he's a... well... he's a porn star, but he's trying to better himself! There's Husk and Nifty and... let's say, a lot of people living in the hotel!"Charlie scratched the back of her head, a little embarrassed that she was getting carried away again.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Charlie gasped loudly, " Oh my gosh! I totally forgot that I planned a group trust exercise today! I gotta get going, but thank you so, so much Millie. This

truly means a lot to me. I can't wait to tell everyone that we'll have a special guest tomorrow!", she squealed in excitement.

Giving Millie one last bone crushing hug, Charlie sped out the door of the bookshop. Millie could only stare after the princess, her knees shaking until they couldn't hold her up any longer. Collapsing to the floor of her office, Millie pulled her hair in pure panic.

" WHAT THE HELL DID I AGREE TO?!"