Santi: The Devil's Pioneer

Chapter 16 - A Swim Before School

“So, where are we headed?” I whisper to Emily as she texts away in her phone.

We were now riding in a black car, presumably owned by Kiki who was driving. Emman up front. While Peter stayed in the back with Emily and I.

“Probably hit some cigs before going back to school.” Glancing at his watch, he continues, “we still have an hour, anyway.”

“I still can’t believe you managed to snuck out of school. With your car, too. Did they change guards or something?” Emily asks, finally placing her phone away.

“A little bribery never hurts anybody.” Emman chuckles, looking back at us.

“And that bald security guards accepted it? He threw me in detention last year for trying to buy gum from outside. What a dik.” She cusses.

“Sometimes, you just have to know when and how to grease somebody’s palms.” Peter answers with a laugh. “Luckily, we caught him online shopping for his girlfriend. Guess their 2nd anniversary was coming up.” He shrugs.

The three boys laugh at their mischievousness. They were smooth and sly. It kinda made me miss my father. He always enjoyed mischievous acts in any way possible.

“How do you get away with all that sht?” I ask myself in amazement. Rich people were amazing. They can get away with anything. Anything, except for Hell.

“It’s kind of an innate quality. We were born with it, you know.” Emman answers and the two others laugh.

I raise my eyebrows in question, and Emily quickly answers, “They’ve known each other since preschool. That’s why it’s kind of hard to get rid of one or the other.”

“Yeah, we tend to come as a package.” Peter follows.

“Oh, wow,” was all I could mutter.

How genuinely nice it must’ve been to grow up with people who understands you. People you can relate to. How nice it must have been to be a kid here on Earth.

“We’re here!” Kiki shouts, opening the car door wide. He runs against the wind, with his shirt flying behind him. “Emman, park the car!”

We were at the beach.

They said they were going to take a smoke break.

A smoke break at the beach.

At the figging beach.

I get out of the vehicle to see Peter and Kiki’s sandy clothes already off their bodies. My eyebrows cross in frustration. My insides burn. Humans were useless and stupid. They could have gone to school and avoided all the trouble. But no, they wanted to take one figging smoke break at the beach.

“Hey, you okay?” Emman asks as he gets out of the car after parking it properly.

“What the hell do you think? This is shallow, even for you rich kids. You could be figging acing it at school contributing something to the world but fck you needed to smoke some cigs.” I snap in frustration.

My temper was something I knew I could never control. I mean, in Hell, I could control it and it was always set to the highest setting. I loved the drama and the anger. It fueled me. But Earth was different. Hell had no consequences for me. Earth can simply put me in jail and that would ruin the whole evil masterplan. I had to learn to take a chill pill.

“Hold on there, Judgy McPherson. The school’s only like 5 blocks away. We can literally walk from this beach towards our school and no one would even break a sweat. Also, we’ve had had a long morning, having to follow after Emily’s mess. Who do you think cleaned up after her lame-ass party?” He exhales, clearly frustrated, as well. “You know what, think what you want about us. I don’t owe you an explanation. I don’t even know you.” Emman angrily walks away, bringing his shirt over his head and throwing it unto the ground before jogging towards the ocean.

Immediately, I felt bad. But at the same time, I felt no remorse about taking out my frustration on him. I couldn’t see his point in all this. They just wanted to have fun; I know. But it was at the expense of troubling others. Dumb boy didn’t even make sense. He can try to justify it all he wants, but skipping school for lunch, cigs, and a swim was not right at all.

I stayed by the car, leaning unto it, watching them swim like idiots. They played in the water like they were five-year olds and their mothers took them to the beach for the first time. It was very unbecoming.

“I heard Emman shouting at you. What was that about?” Emily appears at my side, holding a cigarette to her lips.

“Nothing.” I answered.

“You should know, he has a temper. He doesn’t show it much, but when he gets mad, he is real mean.” She says in between puffs of smoke.

He was mean? He hasn’t even begun to match my level of meanness. His cruelty is nothing but a joke to the live I’ve lived and the woman I’ve become. Emily’s words made me laugh, literally.

“That cutie? He’s mean? Him? He’s nothing but a big pudgy ball of goop. I’ve met meaner people than him.”

“On the streets?”

“Huh?” I lose track of my words. Then it hit me just as quickly. “Yeah, yeah, sure. His temper is not as hot as some people I know on the streets.” Or demons, it could work, either way really.

“I know you’re tough as hell, but just be careful around him. He’s not as charming as he seems. Besides, every cutie has a dark secret.” She grins, facing me.

“What do you mean?”

“I’d expected your cheeks to redden even just a little, maybe.”

My cheeks don’t redden. Hell has made me as white as a mouse, and I may have gotten a little tan during the days I’ve spent on the human world, but red cheeks are for the stupid and weak.

“You called Emman a cutie. Do you really think he is?”

Oh.

“No, that was a joke. You should stop taking everything so seriously.”

“Oh, come on. You can tell me.” She nudges.

I smile weakly, and purse my lips.

“A cutie, he is not.” I exclaim, starting to walk away. Emily follows me without a word. I stop underneath a big beach umbrella randomly left on the beach. Emily stands behind me.

“Well, good.” She taps out her smoke on the sand, and looks at me. I try to avoid her gaze by focusing on the childlike playing I was witnessing but she grabs my face gently and forces me to meet her sight. “He’s not ready for a relationship. It’s a long story but he’s heartbroken and waiting for someone. Don’t mess it up for him, okay?”

She was really serious. Too serious that I honestly think she’s the same person who broke Emman’s heart and is making him wait. But I shrug the thoughts away. It wasn’t for me to meddle into the affairs of humans. I’m only here to float along and get my revenge towards the angels.

“Okay. I told you I don’t like him.” I scoffed.

“Hey, you ladies not gonna take a swim?” Kiki asks, grabbing a towel and plopping on the space on the sand between us.

“It’s too hot. It’s noon, for figs’ sake.” Emily mutters.

I shrug at him and he shrugs back, jogging back to the ocean.

“So, where are you staying today?” Emily asks and I ponder.

Would I be going back to the streets tonight? I wonder if I’d ever survive weeks here on Earth without proper sustenance. This human body was a whole lot weaker than Hell-me.

“I don’t know.” I answered, honestly.

I didn’t want to go back to the streets. I know I’m tough, but I’ve also grown accustomed to a certain standard of living. Being Queen of Hell assured me the greatest of comfort and luxuries in life. But that title was proving to be useless on Earth.