Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 30540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Then stop walking, and flip it.
My steps crash into a halt, and in the corner of my eye, I see the other kids looking at me like I've lost my mind when I toss a coin in the air all of a sudden.
It lands on the ground, and my heart starts pounding so, so hard I can barely hear anything over it.
Tell the truth, Sheena. Don't lie. Don't risk lying.
Well, Sheena?
The world around me seems to spin as I hear myself choke out, "Heads."
My fingers tighten involuntarily around my iPhone, and I feel like I'm floating as I wait for the Devil to speak.
None of this still feels real, even though it was only days ago that I had my back against the wall, and I was so desperately terrified I found myself begging for the Devil's help.
Would you like to flip the coin again?
The words are completely unexpected, and they scare me even more for some reason. "I...uh..."
What's the right thing to do here, God?
Make up your mind, Sheena.
Do you or do you not want to toss the coin again?
"N-No." Because only an idiot would choose tails, which would involve sending him my nudes. Right?
Another full minute passes.
So be it.
It's the same robotic voice speaking to my ear, but why does it feel like I can practically hear the grimness underscoring the words?
You'll hear from me again.
The line goes dead, and my knees buckle immediately after.
God. Oh God. Help me.
I know I could be dead by now if I hadn't asked the Devil for help.
But what's the point of living if I'm to spend the rest of the days being the Devil's toy?
#02
An entire week passes before I get my second call, and the moment I hear a robotic voice slide into my ear, I realize right away this was all part of the Devil's dastardly plan.
Hello again, Sheena.
The Devil thrives on fear and feeds on despair, and he's been clearly biding his time before making his move. I have no doubt he would've waited a month or even a year if that was what it took. All he cares about is lulling me into feeling a false sense of security. He wants me at my most vulnerable...and that's exactly how I'm feeling now, with icy sweat slowly layering over my skin.
My gaze swerves to the analog alarm clock I have on my bedside table.
6:08 AM.
That's more than an hour earlier than the time I usually wake for class, and I can't think of a single reason why the Devil would want to talk to me this early in the morning.
Do you always sleep like that?
His question has my mind hurtling towards the edge of madness again, and the covers fall away from my body as I sit up and pull my knees under my chin.
He's just messing with your mind, Sheena.
It's just not possible for him to have found a way to spy on me again.
Right?
I imagined you as the pajama-wearing type, but this is a pleasant surprise.
My gaze frantically sweeps all over my surroundings, but nothing leaps out of me. My things are exactly where I've left them, and with shutout roller blinds covering my windows, there's just no way for anyone to see me from the outside.
This can only mean he's lying...unless he's managed to plant hidden cameras in my room.
Is pink your favorite color?
I dive under the covers the moment he says 'pink'.
The Devil is the first man to ever see me in my underwear, and I'm torn between terror and shame when I hear a strange noise emerge from my phone.
It's the Devil laughing at me.
Again.
"Why are you doing this?" I choke out. It just doesn't make any sense for someone like him to waste his time with me like this.
I told you before, didn't I?
You intrigue me.
Oh God, not that again.
Is there no way to 'un-intrigue' myself in his eyes? How can the Devil not see what the rest of the world is seeing? How does he not realize that there's nothing interesting about me?
It doesn't please you, does it?
That I find you intriguing?
"It scares me," I say jerkily.
As it should.
The robotically spoken words only shove my mind closer and closer to its breaking point. He really is the Devil, with how he tells me I 'intrigue' him one moment but then admits to wanting me scared the next.
I am not a nice man, Sheena.
Does he really think I don't know that?
And there is nothing I hate more when someone breaks their word with me.
The line goes dead, and the urge to laugh and cry at the same time now feels painfully familiar.
Nothing about this make any sense, and maybe that's the point of all of this.
The Devil being who he is, maybe all he wants is to watch me unravel call after call, wants me completely broken by the time he tires of me...just for fun.