Erin Makes a Deal With the Devil

Chapter 1 - Prologue And Chapter One

Prologue

"Interesting night planned?"

The Home Depot cashier winked at me and made a big show of scanning the heavy chains, ropes, and various bits of metal connectors, dragging them along the belt and causing all eyes in the room to focus on us thanks to their loud clanking. I try not to shiver as it reminds me of another metallic clanking.

"I have a very big dog at home," I fell into my well-practiced lie with ease, smiling broadly. "He's quite the escape artist."

"Huh, I bet," the cashier seemed to lose all interest and finished scanning the rest of the items quickly and spinning the tablet around for me to pay. I tapped my card and attempted to smile politely at the cashier, who merely scowled back at me.

$764.39.

I winced a bit at that. That, and the fact that any remaining sense of morality I had and less than a thousand dollars was apparently what I’d finally stooped to. But it was the cost of doing business. And it needed to be done.

Chapter One

Five years ago I graduated college with my best friend Nina, both at the top of our class, smiling proudly in grad photos, waving our bachelor's degrees around and hugging like the sisters I thought we were. Our friendship was one of such utter devotion and loyalty, the rest of our sorority even nicknamed us The Twins, although we looked nothing alike. Nina was tall and supermodel thin, preternaturally beautiful in an almost alien way with her white blonde hair and blue doe eyes. Half a foot shorter than her, with mousy brown boring hair and boring brown eyes, a too-big nose, and chaotic dusting of freckles, it was a wonder anyone even saw me when we were together. Despite that, Nina was gracious about her beauty, bordering on the self-conscious, and I ignored the stabs of rage that gripped me every time she complained about gaining a pound or having a barely-there blemish marring her perfect face. I'd listen and comfort her as she whined, and I was always there waiting for her when she'd come home crying after a date with a guy I'd wanted but could only get after she broke his heart. I was always the second choice. I really should have seen it then, that malignant part of her determined to hurt me. If I'd known, I'd have cut her off like a cancer before she could infect everything.

After graduation we both got jobs at the same firm, and that was when the college games turned into true competition. Due to our same hiring date and low status with the partners, our performances were always measured in relation to each other. For me to succeed, Nina had to fail, and vice versa. I refused to fail. I showed up early and stayed late, kissed the ass of anyone who could give me a leg up on her, and it was still never enough to surpass her. The stress was driving me insane. I even gave a maintenance guy named Carl sloppy, half-hearted head in a janitorial closet in exchange for arranging an elevator breakdown to trap me inside with the handsome and single son of our CEO, Sam Arlington. As far as I knew he and Nina had never actually met, given he rarely showed up in person and she was off work the Mondays he did. I thought I saw my future in that elevator, a senior partner and happily married to a smoking hot 50 million dollar trust fund with rock solid abs, if only I could just have him to myself. Unfortunately the doors were fixed after a mere five minutes of mostly silence, my attempts to make conversation met with bored "mmhmms" and "uh huhs." Never once did he even bother to meet my eyes. I was beyond furious as the doors opened. Carl shrugged with indifference when I glared daggers at him, and I muttered a quick Aramaic curse under my breath. He wouldn't be scamming any blowjobs for a while with genital warts he’d soon be dealing with.

Two years into our employment and Nina and I barely spoke anymore. Of course she'd call me to see how I was doing after she'd gotten another raise or another public accolade from the boss. Apparently unable to stop herself from rubbing it in, her voice would drip with faux concern as she'd ask me if things were alright, if I'd remembered to eat and pay my student loan, if I needed anything. As if we were still kids and I still needed her to take care of me. If we were still friends at that point it was in theory only; the only times I saw her outside of work she seemed to want to pretend everything was fine and normal, and I just let her, watching with detachment as our friendship dissolved. I began watching almost obsessively as she started dating Sam, the man who was meant to be my future husband, and then with a win on a nearly impossible case, her star grew ever brighter within the company. There was talk her name would be on the door before she was 30. A year later she was officially one full pay grade above me and engaged to Sam while I sat alone at home, drinking cheap wine, online shopping, and reading books on witchcraft.

It's a weird hobby, I know, but I've been into it since I was a teenager, and I swear some little spells have actually worked. I once made a girl that called me a fat cow trip over a curb and break her wrist. At least I think I did. I felt a little bad about that, but she deserved it. I admit, when I was younger I did have a slight problem with binging and I was on the heavier side, but I wasn't truly fat. I was just built a little larger. Those nights I'd spend gathering days worth of food in my room, shoveling it all down mindlessly and hating how much I enjoyed it, were all in my past now. The jolts of pleasure that each glorious bite would send rocketing through my body, the shame and secret thrill I'd feel when my hand brushed the curve of my bloated belly, the shaking orgasms intensified by being stuffed full, none of that was a problem anymore. I had turned it around before it was too late, substituting pizza and cake with carrots and celery in a pale imitation of the pleasure from a binge, and I had pretty much stayed under 165 pounds since that dark time. My last "episode" had been when Nina robbed me of that promotion months before. Naturally, Nina never had to struggle with her weight, or work, or romance, or anything else in her life.

Even with the hefty salary and all of the overtime, my spending habits were starting to catch up with me yet again. No matter how hard I worked there was never enough money left for me to keep up my lifestyle after taxes and bills. I needed more. Always more. That night in August was when I got the idea to try a money spell. I gathered all my candles and herbs and miscellaneous crystals and followed the spell exactly. The smoke from the candle was thick and flowing straight up, a positive sign. Swirling smoke meant failure. I left my offering of rum and spices on my altar and closed the circle I had cast before falling into bed, already dreaming of what I'd do with the riches I was sure to receive. If it worked properly, the money should have started rolling in by the end of that week.

Two weeks and zero dollars later, I was despondent. Rent was due soon and so was my car payment. And my gym membership, cellphone, and electricity. I felt like I was drowning. And then in its infinite wisdom the universe threw me a lifeline. I was messing around in some customer accounts and saw a lot of places where the amount paid didn't match the invoice, sometimes by thousands of dollars, in our favor. It occurred to me how simple it would be to just shuffle that excess off into a "personal" account. It turns out it was exactly that simple, and I spent the next few months flush with cash and flying high. Not even the brand new BMW Sam bought for Nina could put a dent in my mood; surely I'd make enough to have one of my own soon. It was the perfect plan: the only other person with access to these accounts was Nina, and she never checked them anymore now that she was too busy with her fiance. And if they did find it, I could point to Nina.

In January, on a normal Tuesday in the office, the clouds are cold and grey outside. In an instant, my entire world would be turned cold and grey. For the next few years at least.

I was sitting at my desk, sipping the Venti Chocolate Chip Mocha I was able to splurge on and reviewing documents I had to prep for the week. Everything seemed alright with the world, until the team of federal agents strolled through the glass doors of the office and announced they were looking for "Erin Vetten". I dropped my coffee as my heart pounded in my chest and I saw Nina pointing in my direction, looking upset.

I was numb as they ordered me to stand and place my hands behind my back to be handcuffed. None of this could possibly be happening. I was vaguely aware of Nina crying and saying she was sorry over the sound of federal agents reading my rights, but that she had to turn me in. For the good of the company, and for Sam. My thoughts reverberated in an endless chorus of denials and accusations against her, but I said nothing as they led me away and out the door to their SUV.

I was charged with felony embezzlement, and sent to a medium security facility three states over from my home. It was the worst 3 years of my life. None of my friends came to visit, the food was absolutely horrible, the women were terrifying and disgusting, and the guards were assholes. I saw nothing but grey walls and chain link fences for three fucking years. By the time I got out, I was livid with Nina. How could she have done this to me? I was her best friend! I wouldn't have turned her in, unless there was something really good in it for me. I needed to make her pay.