Paying the Price (RP)

It was pretty late by the time everyone left. The evening had been strange, but maybe not as strange as some of her past nights. At least this one didn’t end with her being scolded in the Administrator's office. While David moved through the house, collecting glasses and plates, she helped Sarah make the bed on the couch. "I’m sorry about the disruption tonight" she said softly as she fluffed the pillow

Sarah usually stayed up late, but they still kept her from getting to sleep earlier if she wanted to. Living in such a small apartment, without a private space to call her own, wasn't easy. "Next time, I’ll talk things through with you before inviting anyone over" she promised.

With David outside taking out the trash, she used the opportunity to send a quick text to Kat. She was glad she’d invited her. Things would have felt even more awkward without her, and she wanted to let her know she appreciated she came over: "Hey! Thanks for coming tonight" she hesitated for a moment as she considered what to type next. The cozy night at home might not have been Kat’s idea of a good time, and she wanted to make sure they would meet again if it wasn't: "Next time – you pick what we do 😉"

She thought about texting Per and Circe too, but something held her back. What could she possibly say to Pers? She’d been distant the whole evening, and she wasn't sure what to say about the big revelation either. She couldn't even make sense of what she felt about it. Maybe it wasn’t the right time...

She set her phone aside and started her usual evening routine, waiting for David to come back so they could gossip about the night’s events before heading to bed.

Emma would have pulled Kat into a hug if she was there right now. She smiled as she texted her back, telling her 'good night', and that it was a 'joy' having her over.

Later, after slipping into bed and cuddling with David under her blankets, she sighed and paused for a moment when he asked her about Pers. It was obvious he didn't catch any part of the conversation that night, and she was not sure it was a bad thing. But she was determined to keep no more secrets from him. Not even the whole 'vampire' thing, which she was just waiting for the right opportunity to break to him. She took a breath, her fingers lightly brushing against his skin as she spoke.

"She works as an escort now. Kat does, too. And from what I overheard, Sarah as well."
Her voice grew a little sadder as she continued with the rest: "There was some talk about Pers trying to convince Kat to switch agencies"" her heart sank just saying it. Pers was once an old friend; it was hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she was mixed up in something like this.

Persephone left Emma's house, ashamed at her behavior, confused about her vision of her patron, worried about Circe's growing interest in Persephone's life, and the fates of Kat and Sarah. How could she save them? How could she protect Circe? COuld she save herself?

No. She was lost. But may she could save others. Maybe.

That night, she tossed and turned in bed. She got up and journaled. She drew tarot cards (she drew The Tower...great, yeah she already knows her life is falling apart). She even tried praying, but the words tasted like ash in her mouth.

She needed help. She didn't know who else to turn to. What few friends she once had were back in California, though she had burned a lot of those bridges before she left. She couldn't go to her parents. She couldn't involve Circe.

Emma. Maybe she could cope with it, maybe. She had to try.

By this time, it was almost dawn. She sent Emma a short text, and then another, and another.

"Good morning! I'm up early apparently and wond"

Her hands were shaking so badly, she accidentally hit send.

"Heh, sorry! Hit send on accident. So would you wanna come over and have some coffee this morning?"

Oh! What about Circe??? Panicking, she looked up her kickboxing school online. Oh thank the goddess they have an intro class this morning! She quickly booked the class.

"Circe will be in a kickboxing class, so it will just be us. I want to explain "

She looked at the sentence, unsure of how to finish it. So she just hit Send.

She lay in bed and played out what she might say to Emma, over and over, for an hour or two. Nothing felt right. She finally gave up and took a shower, slammed an energy drink, and put together a simple breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola. She didn't eat it, leaving it on the counter for Circe. She started a pot of coffee and went to awaken her sister.

Circe was confused about getting awoken so early -- it was like 7 am and she was still a bit jetlagged, after all. But Persephone insisted, putting on a fake enthusiasm for her big day in London. She said, "I have all kinds of fun plans for us. First thing, you are gonna take the intro class at my Kickboxing Academy! I have breakfast made already, so get those lazy bones up and join me. Chop chop!"

Eventually, she got a confused and still sleepy Circe out the door and sat at her kitchen bar with a large mug of coffee, checking her phone addictively and wondering what in the world she was going to say to Emma.

It was dark outside when Emma woke up to the soft buzz of her phone alarm. Even though it was already seven in the morning, the heavy clouds blanketing the sky made it feel like the dead of night. Groggy, she reached for her phone and scrolled through her messages, among them was the one from Pers. She hesitated before opening it, finally deciding against it. She didn’t want to deal with anyone else’s problems first thing in the morning.

She dragged herself out of bed with a sigh. The room was still cold, and it was soooooo tempting to stay wrapped up in the warmth of the covers for just a little longer. If only she didn’t have so many errands to run today…

After running through her usual routine and scrubbing away the remnants of sleep, she finally picked up her phone again and went through Persephone's text, lips twisting into a sad frown. She stared at the message for a moment, then poured the freshly brewed cup of coffee into the sink.

She didn’t want to take on anyone else’s mess. Her life was complicated enough already. She and Pers used to be close, but years had passed without contact. Was it fair of her to reach out now, and ask for her help? She better not ask me for money for drugs. After the way she looked like last night, she assumed the worse.

At the end of the day, she was too much of a bleeding heart to turn her away. They were friends once, even if that felt like a lifetime ago. Having coffee wasn’t asking for much, and she could keep it brief.

"Don’t worry about explaining anything. I don’t mind what you do for a living, I just want to make sure you're safe. I’ll swing by for a bit before starting my day."

She hit ‘send,’ hoping Pers wouldn’t expect too much from her, and get the message that she couldn’t afford to stay long.

Grabbing her coat from the hook by the door, she wrapped a scarf around her neck and picked up her umbrella. The wind was biting this morning, together with the rain, so she bundled up as best as she could. A few short minutes later she was at Pers, ringing the buzzer to her appartement.

Persephone had finally dozed off after she got Circe out the door. She was slumped on one of the low, minimalist sofas with her coffee, still full, sitting on the low coffee table in front of her. She didn't even awaken when her phone buzzed with Emma's text. Indeed, it was only when the doorbell buzzed that she bolted upward, in that strange state of disoriented panic when one suddenly wakes from deep sleep.

"Um, yes! I'm coming! Just a moment..." She stumbled upwards and kicked the coffee table with her shin. She cursed and ignored the pain. As she looked around, she realized she had not picked up as she had wanted to. The place wasn't a total disaster, but the kitchen was a mess of dirty dishes, empty wine bottles, and delivery boxes that she still hadn't had a chance to clean up since Circe's arrival.

She splashed some water on her face and rubbed it with a dish towel -- ew this is dirty! -- and she tossed it aside. She walked over to the door and smoothed her rumpled clothes. At least she had gotten dressed this morning, before waking Circe.

Persephone opened the door and smiled at Emma. She was wearing a causal, loose-fitting pair of black yoga capri pants and an oversized sweatshirt with the word Stanford across the front. She wore fluffy pink ankle socks, had her hair in a messy pony, and wore no makeup. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes, which were a bit bloodshot -- she looked exactly as she felt, exhausted. She mustered some cheer and welcomed her friend.

"Hi Emma! Thanks for coming by. Come in!"

She held the door for Emma and offered to take her coat as the door closed behind them. She walked into the condo, a large space with an open floor plan on the corner of the second to top floor, just below the penthouse. The big feature were floor to ceiling windows on two walls, giving a breathtaking view of the city around them. In the middle of the space, a minimalist and likely expensive set of sofas and a coffee table sat, looking austere and unused, save for a cup of coffee leaving a ring. To the side opposite the windows was a large, commercial grade kitchen with stainless steel appliances, an island, and ample counter space, though most of it was occupied with empty take out boxes, wine bottles, and dirty dishes.

Persephone walked around the island and got a mug and the coffee pot, which was still hot and mostly full. Pouring a cup, she asked, "I forget how you like it. Cream or sugar?" She offered Emma her coffee once it was prepared to her liking and invited her to join her on the sofas.

After an awkward pause, Persephone opted for small talk, saying, "So, um, how are you?"

Persephone’s disheveled appearance was shocking, but not nearly as much as the sight of her apartment. The space was beyond enormous—like something out of a magazine, but somehow even more breathtaking in person. The furniture was sleek, modern, and definitely expensive, and the view!! If only the rain wasn’t pouring, she was sure it would have been breathtaking.

How on earth could Persephone afford all of this?

She had no idea escorts made that kind of money. It was uncomfortable thinking about it as she glanced at the mess around her. Pizza boxes, empty wine bottles scattered across the counters. She couldn’t help but think that Persephone had been entertaining men here, maybe even as recently as last night. That would explain why her friend looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

Emma, on the other hand, looked perfectly put-together. Her outfit was elegant, in a minimalistic sort of way; a beige raincoat over a tight-fitting black turtleneck, and a pair of jeans. Her makeup was also minimal, but flawless, and her blonde hair neatly braided, French style. The contrast between her composed appearance and Persephone’s haggardness couldn’t have been starker. "Wow" Despite the mess, the apartment was undeniably beautiful, and she couldn’t help but admire it "This place is amazing... everything looks great." She moved closer to the floor-to-ceiling windows, trying to take in the view despite the downpour. "Just black, thanks" she called out to Pers "I try to keep it healthy... those things really add up" Her smile was a little strained, her mind still on the clutter, and what it might mean.

Sitting down on the couch, she crossed her legs and took a sip of the coffee, holding the cup for warmth. She was acutely aware of how out of place she might have seemed in the apartment—so put-together, while Persephone looked like she was running on fumes. They had exchanged small talk just yesterday at the coffee shop, so she knew the usual "How are you?" was nothing more than a way to break the ice.

"I'm fine, you know. Nothing new since last night" she said softly, trying to force herself to look into Pers bloodshot eyes "But how are you really doing?" Both of them knew something was off, but she needed to hear it from Pers. Give her the opportunity to pour her heart out.

Persephone smiled weakly at Emma's compliments. She replied, "Yeah, the company actually owns the space. I've just been assigned to it while I'm in London. When I'm working, they drive me aroud in a company car, give me pretty much inlimited discrtionary spedning for food, clothing, and so on... It's ...nice, I guess."

She took her coffee from the coffee table, now cold, and sipped it. When Emma asked her how she was really doing, Persephone could feel a breakdown coing on.

No. That won't do anyone any good. Suck it up, you wimp.

She closed her eyes and breathed for a moment, regaining her composure. She looked at Emma and began her story.

"So. Um, this is gonna sound strange, and you probably won't believe me, but I swear, Emma, it's true! OK?"

She gulped hard and contiinued.

"So, after graduation, I went to Stanford and studied computer science and marketing and wanted to write that art app I always used to talk about, right? Well, I met a girl there, Meredith, and fell in love. We worked on the app together. We raised venture capital -- a lot of it. Several hundred thousand dollars. This was gonna be BIG and it felt like my dreams were coming true. We incorporated as an LLC, started hiring, working on prototypes, alpha testing, the whole nine. We did market studies and it looked like, if we could position it properly, it could be a major player. Meredith found this mysterious angel investor to come in witih a big sum -- millions, this time. She insisted he was a sure bet, so I leveraged all my savings. I was so excited, and so confident, even my parents bought in; they basically put their retirement funds on the line. "

Persephone stopped for a moment, as tears began to roll down her face. She sniffled and conitnued.

"We had all this debt, Emma. And then, without warning, she took it. All of it. Meredith emptied our accounts and disappeared. We couldn't pay our devs. Our product was DOA. We would have no way to generate income or pay back the debt. My money -- my parents' money - was gone. All of it. I... I panicked. i didn't know what to do. I went back to the angel investor that Meredith had brought in -- I hadn't met with him prior, but he was willing to meet with me -- and explained the situation. He was empathetic; he was kind; he was was fabulously wealthy; he was, in a word, my savior. My life's work, my parent's retirement -- everything -- he could save it all. All I needed ot do was ... sign his contract."

She sobbed now, nearly wailing with pain, in between sentences, as she continued.

"I didn't know what else to do! I... I couldn't let that happen to my parents. My parents, Emma! I signed it all over to him. All of me. Body and soul. He wrote a check, I paid off my debts, launched my app, and... it failed. We made enough to pay the devs and the intiail investors, but nowhere near enough to pay back the angel investor. Not that it mattered. I had signed myself over to him."

Her sobbing subsided and she turned to Emma and looked directly at her. She said, "I sold my soul for that money, Emma. Like, literally. To a devil. The angel investor worked for the being that now owns me. Like a certified, fire and brimstome, biblical demon, Emma. I am not joking. I'm doomed for all eternity to serve a demon and do its bidding. And I knew what I was doing when I did it, but I couldn't see any other way. I was such an idiot..."

She looked down at the coffee table and shook her head. Her voice was hollow now, defeated. She continued, "So now, I travel around the world in fabulous luxury, getting people to sign away their souls, just like what happened to me. And sometimes, Emma? Sometimes I don't close a deal; sometimes I have to... enforce a contract. and that means, when someone's time is up... I..."

She pulled her legs up onto the sofa and hugged them against her chest, hard. She began to shake and shiver, unable to speak.