Chapter 2

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒐

°. ⋆༺♱༻⋆. °

When I stepped into Devil’s Kettle High School for the first time, I was welcomed by a large banner that read ‘Welcome, Devils!’ in purple and yellow letters, the school’s colors. Apparently, their mascot was a devil, too.

What a lovely school.

I scoured the endless hallways, looking for my locker. Finally, I found it. It was in the most random spot. Easily forgettable. And, just my luck, it was jammed.

As I struggled to get it open, I heard a voice behind me. An especially charming, female voice.

“Do you need any help with that?”

I turned around, opening my mouth in response, only to close it immediately in shock.

In front of me, stood a literal angel. Tall, with fair skin, long black hair and piercing, icy blue eyes. Her smile was that of a seductress, dizzying me and turning my legs into Jell-O. Whoever she was, she screamed ‘trouble.’

Which is all the more reason I fell for her on the spot.

“N-no,” I managed to stutter. “I’m quite fine. Just my locker, it’s jammed, but no worries, I’m kind of a locker-expert, you know…” I trailed off, mentally scolding myself for being so stupid in front of this… this goddess.

But the girl only laughed in response, a sound even more alluring than the rest of her, somehow. She tilted her head and chewed her bottom lip, studying me.

“Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

“Yeah,” I answered, thankfully without stumbling upon my words this time. “My dad and I moved here from Malibu.”

“Malibu?” she raised her perfect eyebrows, “fancy! Why leave Malibu for this town? We don’t have beaches around here. Only this spooky waterfall that seems to swallow everything. I’ll show you one day, if you want.”

She said that last sentence with a more playful tone that made my heart jump.

“A creepy waterfall? Sounds fitting for this place,” I admitted, “and, to answer your question, my dad and I moved here because of his recent divorce with my mom. I guess he couldn’t stand to be around her anymore.”

The girl’s smile faded and she studied me more carefully. “You’re sad,” she concluded, and I didn’t know if it was sympathetic or criticism. “I like you. What’s your name, newbie?”

“I am Lilith Cove. I’m a senior,” I exhaled tremulously. I hoped she would say that she was a senior, too. She looked my age. I wanted to see more of her.

“Lilith,” she paused, tasting the word. “That means ‘night demon’, you know?” she licked her lips. “I like demons. They’re fun. Although I imagine a Californian like you would have a more sunny name, like Helia, which is Greek for sun, or whatever.”

“My name is Jennifer Check. I believe we have classes together,” she smirked.

“Wait…” I processed the name. “Jennifer Check? As in… the nutcase’s best friend? I heard the rumors.”

Again, Jennifer’s smile faded, but this time her expression also lost every hint of playfulness.

“Needy… Yes, that is what I called her. She was my best friend…” she trailed off as if she’d just come to that realisation.

Immediately, she beamed up at me, her devilish grin back in place. “No matter!” she exclaimed cheerfully, “something tells me that you will be my new bestie.”

She moved closer to me and my breath hitched, anticipating her next move. However, she only yanked at my locker, which I had forgotten all about.

“There,” she smiled proudly, “told you we’d be besties.”

Before I could reply, she brought her necklace to her lips, a silver heart-shaped pendant and thoughtfully toyed with it. Satisfied with whatever conclusion she’d come to, she gave me one last long look, winked, and walked off like a catwalk model, talking to some of the popular girls as if our encounter had never happened.

Great. The school’s mysterious goddess, who, for some reason, seemed to have taken a liking to me, was also the queen bee.

How she thought we would be best friends was beyond me.

I shut my locker carefully —I didn’t want it to be jammed again— and headed to class.

I was ready for whatever this day brought.

Little did I know how adventurous my first night in Devil’s Kettle would be…