It was definitely the worst eighteenth birthday ever.
âYou sold me to who?!â I shouted at my father, who stared back at me calmly over his morning coffee, as if we were discussing breakfast rather then him making a dark deal with supernatural beings.
âYou know I hate repeating myself, Donald. â He answered irritably, âBefore you were born I promised the dark spirits of Opes my firstborn child on their eighteenth birthday. I honestly thought we werenât planning on having children at that time, in my defense.â
I stared at him open mouthed, even the misty dark creatures hovering over the kitchen chair across from me seemed slightly surprised at his nonchalant tone. âSo you guys own me now?â I asked them, my voice squeaking slightly at the last word, a bad habit Iâve had since my adolescence began.
They didnât have eyes, but were facing my general direction, their voices low and rough, like gravel being poured onto a fresh grave. âTechnically, just your soul. You should be fine, really. Plenty of people are soulless.â
âWhat did you even get for my soul?â I pointed a finger at my father.
He sighed, âThere was this really great Porsche I wanted, but couldnât afford.â Shrugging he added âIt seemed like a good deal at the time.â
I couldnât believe it. âYou traded that car when I was five! You traded the car you sold my soul for!â
âHonestly, Donald, stop making such a big deal about this. Itâs just your soul.â
I turned to my mother, who was reading the gossip/society section of the paper through this whole conversation. âDonât you have anything to add?â
âListen to your father, dear.â Was her helpful addition. She didnât even glance up from her reading.
Thanks, Mom. I turned to the tall fiery beings silently standing in the corner.
âAre you guys part of the âdark spirits Opesâ too?â
The tallest one shook his head, his voice was high pitched liked the scream of an infant.
âNo, we are the dark gods of Venustas. We are here to collect your soul as well.â
I threw up my hands âDad! You sold me to TWO dark beings? Isnât one enough?â
For the first time my father looked upset. âThat wasnât me! I only sold you once.â
Again my mother chimed in without looking up. âThat was me, Iâm afraid. Sold off my firstborn many years ago for youth and beauty.â She checked her makeup briefly in a compact and then met everyoneâs disbelieving stares. âWhat? You think looking this good is NATURAL? I wasnât planning on having children. If I hadnât forgotten about that deal and Mary Jane down the street hadnât been flaunting her nursery designs everywhere, I wouldnât have agreed to have one.â
There was so much wrong with that. I really didnât know where to start. The two supernatural groups were staring at each other hostilely. I braced myself for the upcoming fight.
That was when the Devil appeared in a burst of flame. He was a bit too big to fit into our kitchen, his horns broke a small crystal in the chandelier above and his two hooves were scratching the hardwood floor. My mom was going to have a field day. Although, she did technically sell my soul away so my sympathy for her was pretty low.
âI am here to claim your soul, mortal!â He cried, holding up his fist in a threatening manner. He then seemed to notice the general chilly atmosphere of the room, as well as the multiple groups of dark beings. âWhat Iâd miss?â
My father sighed. âWasnât me.â
My mother shook out her paper, returning to her reading. âWasnât me either.â
Everyone stared at eachother in astonishment, and after an awkward amount of silence I slowly raised my hand.
âActually, that one was me.â
The dark spirits laughed. âYOU sold your soul to the Devil?â
I crossed my arms defensively. âYou think getting an all-expense paid scholarship to Harvard is EASY? Besides, itâs not like I KNEW that my parents had already sold my soul twice.â
My father chuckled. âLike father, like son, I guess.â
I glared at him. âShut up! Iâm still mad at you.â
 The Devil, the dark spirits and the fiery gods all faced off in the corner of our kitchen.
âIt seems we are at an impasse.â The Devil growled, his spiked tail snapping in irritation.
The fire surrounding the dark gods grew brighter. âSo it would seem.â They screeched in reply.
âWe submit that we settle this in the Ancient Tradition.â The dark spirits spoke in unison.
The Devil laughed in response. âAn old fashioned approach, huh? I like it!â
The tension in the air grew thick as silence settled among the three. I stared worriedly into the group, wondering if I should try to move out of the way of whatever supernatural fight they were starting.
 The three groups of beings crouched in unison on the kitchen floor, facing each other. They each raised a fist.
 âROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, GO!â