Phoenix refused to make negotiations; He found them unreasonable, and if he was being asked to do something out of the kindness of his heart, then he needed something in return. âI came from a long line of horrible people. Itâs honestly bothersome to explain, but letâs not get into the family drama.â His timer was ticking, glancing between the two before he realized how staring down at her was causing a cramp in the back of his neck. Phoenix rolled his neck, eyes shutting momentarily in terms of shortâshe had to be at least the worst type of short to exist. âWhy the hell are you so tiny? Did you not have any vitamins growing up? Itâs concerning and aggravating.â Phoenix filtered through more letters as she spoke about trade until one caught his attention with a chuckle. âListen to this,â He interrupted her from going on about her soul. âSon of Hades, almighty spirit, Iâm planning to get married to the love of my life. I wish for you to bless us, free us from misfortunate, and even though your father may be Hadesââ Confusion fell over his features, eyes widening, and with a snap of his finger, he realized why this story sounded so familiar. âIt looks like your sister also wants to get rid of you. What are the odds of that? Youâre her misfortune. Thatâs hilarious.â Phoenix was almost delighted to be the center of attention of two sisters, one after the other, and the destruction on both ends was precisely what he needed. âDonât be weird. I donât rip the soul from out your body, I simply attach a red bracelet to you for the months you owe. Iâll explain in more detail after you accept,â He dropped all the letters to search for a contract on hand, patting away at body even in places he wouldnât put the contract. âI know itâs here somewhere. Aha.â His fingers wrapped around a scroll, a twisted smile forming on his lips before handing her the wrapped scroll. âRead the terms and conditions, then sign by using your blood. Donât be like the last person who bled to death; I asked for a thumbprint, not a wrist slit.â While he waited for her to respond, Phoenix began to dust his shrine with a low hum, and how dusty his area had gotten was disrespectful. Granted, it was his fault in the first place for refusing to check up weekly, but how can an area get so bad after four months? âWould you mind hurrying up?â
âWhat?â It perhaps wasnât the brightest of actions to snap something from a godly being's hands yet the mention of her sister regarding a letter had her snatching the paper in an instant. Her sisterâs cruelty had been a daily occurrence yet to see it scrawled so brazenly had dragged the venom deeper; that she would want to be rid of her entirely. âI donât want her to disappear like she wants me to.â It wasnât a nicety she should have afforded her, the bitterness was simply a tang on her tongue but it never reached her heart. Her sister would always want what Florie had, from clothing to food and the affection of her father, but she had never expected that she would take the person she planned a life with. âThey just canât get married.â She cast the letter aside, allowing it to blend back with the others, a wish she prayed that he wouldnât heed. âItâs that simple?â Hesitation grew yet despite it, she took the scroll and swiftly unravelled it. Florie knew the warnings; to avoid a deal at all costs because rarely does a god follow through in the way you expect of them. âIâm not going to be a zombie, right? Or a clown⌠no never mind, Iâm reading, I swear Iâm reading.â She brushed aside the disarray of roses and letters from the altarâs stool and the ability to read fled her when it was so difficult to ignore the roaring of her heart. Never mind the urging for her to hurry up, stomach fluttering with the fear heâd retract the offer to help her if she hesitated any longer. âOkay, okay. Why do you have so much small print and why is it so tiny?â The contract inches from her face when she gave in to the race of time and her focus swapped to the scanning of the objects laid out for his affections for a sharp edge. Thoughts that it had been a sign that she shouldnât make the deal had risen if there was nothing to draw blood when she had grazed her hand over one of the many roses. âItâs just a few months for Lukaâs sake.â A whisper while she tore her thumb across the thorn, her heart taking on an aggressive thrum but not enough to derail her, nothing could have stopped her from sealing her thumbprint on the bottom of the parchment. âYouâre not going to kill me now, are you? I respect your family but Iâm not ready to be a sacrifice to a god, my dad⌠oh my god, Iâll never get to be buried on the hill, heâll bury me with loopy Littlewood from next door for being a sacrifice to Hades.âÂ
















