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“She was narcissistic and abusive, and it was no life. Not that the streets were any better, but it was like picking between a rock and a hard place,” Jack explained as I played with my food.
“Sounds like it was shit all round for a while there,” Hadley noted.
“It was, but I got through it.” I let my gaze drop, not wanting to delve into my past any further, and thankfully the others caught on as Wayne brought up how he and Paris had grown up in foster care.
Their mother had been held hostage, but the Council was able to find them as soon as they were born due to there being such a spike in demonic aura. Apparently, if they hadn’t been twins, or if Paris had taken longer to come out, they might not have been discovered, so they were grateful.
They’d been raised like soldiers though, taught how to fight and defend themselves, and mastering specific weapons. They definitely gave off such badass vibes.
The others joined us part-way through our conversation, and I learned that Thomas, Matthew, and Flynn, were all at the same high school and were friends when they got picked up and experimented on. They were only seventeen at the time. As soon as their demonic abilities were created via the experiments, they got picked up by the High Council and moved here. They were all eighteen as well, although they’d be turning nineteen later on in the year.
Dylan used to work in IT during his high school days and then afterwards until his eighteenth birthday. He thinks his love for IT may have influenced his unique demonic ability with electronics.
Whereas Hershel had just started at college in a degree he thought he’d like, then wound up here on his eighteenth birthday.
Xander retold me how he’d come to be, which Hadley had already told me today, but hearing it from his perspective was different. He said most of his memory of Hell was blank, which he was grateful for, but he did know who he’d been and how he was the way he was now.
He’d actually died five years ago and gone to Hell, then was cast out six months ago when he got turned into a demon but retained his soul. Now he was here, learning and wanting to right his wrongs. He felt bad about the girl he’d hit while driving drunk, and he fell silent once he mentioned it.
Finally, the teachers all joined us, with Dezikiel taking the head of the table once more.
He gave me a soft nod as I looked over at him, and then the keepers came filing in with plates of food.
Tonight was roast chicken and vegetables, with assorted sides of soups and casseroles, along with a couple of pasta dishes.
I snatched up a plate of roast chicken and served myself some roast veggies from the platter before pouring gravy on top.
“Your favorite, right?” Jack murmured as I sipped my glass of Fanta. The keepers had come around with assorted beverages, offering them to us and showing us the bottle first. Juices, soft drinks, and plain water were the selection.
I nodded as I dug in.
My mother had always made a roast chicken on Sunday nights growing up, and I’d always looked forward to it.
Had one of the guys mentioned it and gotten it on the menu for my birthday? The thought made me smile.
The light conversation over the meal was relaxed, mostly on current events and the mention of a possible storm coming over the next few days, and talk about adding new movies into the cinema, which Mr. Baron said he’d get on top of.
I found myself joining in and laughing with the others when Xander choked and snorted out his soft drink.
By the time dinner came to a close, I was relaxed in my seat, listening to Diane and Hadley argue lightly over what they thought was coming out for dessert.
Then all eyes fell on me as the keeper returned, this time carrying a giant chocolate mud cake.
I frowned, before realization dawned on me as everyone, even my hellhounds, began singing Happy Birthday to me.
I was moved by the gesture as the cake was placed before me, with eighteen candles all around the outside and a silver eighteen made out of frosting on the top.
I blew out the candles on my cue, laughing as Diane demanded to know what I’d wished for.
My hellhounds were quiet, and I wondered if they were still trying to understand the whole birthday thing. Hadley had said they still struggled with celebrations.
I refused to answer her demands, and instead, one of the keepers handed me a knife.
I caught sight of their wispy black hand from underneath their cloak, but I didn’t let it bother me as I took it.
“Don’t forget, if you touch the bottom, you have to kiss the closest boy!” Hadley declared as she clapped her hands in excitement.
I just rolled my eyes as I sliced into the huge two-tiered cake.
