Devin stood still. There was a strange yet model-like man in her living room. Every part of her wanted to run away or call the police. Instead, she was standing there, having an introduction.
" My name is Kindynos." He said smugly.
She raised a brow. " Kindynos? Did your parents name you intoxicated."
" It's not English dear."
He didn't even know her. Why was he trying to sound so endearing." Where are you from?" She tried.
He remained quiet for a good five seconds. " Not quite sure."
" What? Were you born in the sea?"
He shrugged. " I could have been. What about you? From New York I suppose."
Devin crossed her arms feeling more at ease now. " I think it was Central Park..."
" Is that your idea of a joke?" He said with a tight grin.
Her smile was wry. " You started it your sea crap."
He matched her expression exactly, and got even more comfortable." I'm here to grant you your wishes."
Devin lips twitched. This city was surely full of psychos. " My wishes?" She questioned in disbelief.
" Your wishes." He repeated. " You might to sit down."
Suddenly, she found herself sitting on the Kitchen stool. Her eyes widened when the guy didn't react. " You moved me..." She stated in a quiet voice.
" I'll grant you ten wishes. Anything you want." He crossed his legs. " I can do anything except control the fate of a life. Meaning I can't bring back great grandma Jackie, or kill Aunt Vanessa. You understand?"
"This isn't happening..." Devin's voice was distant.
" But it is." In a second he was right in front of her. " If it helps, you can think of me as a genie. After I grant your wishes, I'll disappear."
She could have all she wanted right this moment, he was offering. But at what cost?
" If you're a genie, where is your lamp?" There was no longer fear, just curiosity. " A genie grants wishes because he gets granted freedom. You seem... free, and I haven't bought any knickknacks in ages. What would you gain in return?"
He sighs and takes small strides towards her. " That's for me to worry about." He looks down at Devin's shirt and his brow furrows. " Is that vomit on your clothes or a fashion choice?"
He was too close for comfort. " Yes, my friend's. Don't change the subject." She looks up at him, straight in the eye. " What if I lose my soul or something in the end?"
" You won't."
His vague response didn't make him any more trustworthy.
She shakes her head, still maintaining eye contact. " If you can't tell what it is, there is no point in trying to convince me. I don't want your wishes..." She did a good thing. The last thing she was going to do was lose something for uncertainties. But if what she did was good, why was this man staring down at her like she had just wronged him?
" You're smart." He smiled at her. " Have a good night... Devin."
How did he know her name- Thud!
Devin sprung awake in bed. It was morning and she felt amazing. Was last night a dream? She pondered. A man had broken into the house and was babbling nonsense about... wishes
Looking down at herself she realized that she was in her pajamas. Now she was starting to consider the possibility of that dream being real. She wasn't even drunk enough to change from her vomit outfit and forget.
She sprung out of bed and went about looking for the clothes. They weren't in the laundry basket, or in on the floor. The house wasn't big enough to be looking for something for so long. Where else would she look? She looked into the closet. There was no way it would be there ... But there was no harm in checking.
The clothes were there. Ironed and cleaned. Not a trace of regurgitation was seen. Last night did happen...
She stood quietly for a while. The man wanted to grant her a wish.As an intelligent woman, she reasoned and rejected his offer, because if you think about it, there had to be a pricey catch. As a broke wench, she had to think about how much she could gain.
dinnng
The doorbell rings.
Devin reaches for the phone on her bed. It was eight thirty, on a Saturday morning. There was only one despicable soul that would come to her that early.
She checked the peak hole. It was her sister.
" It's too early Maggie! Go home.!" She yelled before marching back into her room.
The door rattled a bit and whispers echoed from the living room.
Not this shit again. " You didn't." She said. She swung the door open and saw her sister and her husband Sam sitting comfortably on her couch. In shock, she glanced and pointed at the door. " You broke in...?"
Maggie shook her head. " It's not breaking I'm if you have a key Dev."
"You're right, that's trespassing."
She smiles and slides an envelope across the table. " I would have just slid it in when you weren't around but knowing you, I thought it'd be better to bring it in person." Her voice chirpy.
" What is that?" Devin asked, already knowing what it was she picked up the envelope and threw it on Sam's lap. " Take that and leave. I'm not taking anything from you guys."
Maggie crossed her arms. " It's too early for this Devie..." She said with a loud drawl.
" My thought exactly. Take your money and your husband out of my house."
Maggie was a pest and a disturbance that worked against Devin's peace of mind. She was her older sister. Maggie made it her trademark to parade around the city with her curly little bob and her politician husband.
She ran a popular clothing line in the name of Elroy; A branch from their grandparents company.Therefore she had the time to parade around. She made it her life's work to help her poor little sister in any way she could. That meant handing her wads of cash in an envelope. Devin's pride would never let take any handout, except when she was desperate.
Her husband was another person Devin disdained and loved. He was a politician but he had ample time to also be her sister's shoe pony. Six foot of tall, blonde, and dumb, Devin usually said. He was quiet and happy to follow Maggie wherever she needed to be. They were another couple Devin hated being around.
Devin looked at Sam, with hands on her hips. " Can you tell your wife to leave my house please?"
Cautiously, with a smile, Sam held Maggie by the waist. " Come on sweetheart... You heard Devie let's go, I have to head to the office."
Maggie frowned at him, and then at her sister, and then back at him again. She grabbed her little conch purse and an envelope full of cash. Angrily she tossed the conch at her husband and the cash at Devin.
" I'll leave then. Burn the money if you like, but I know five grand can do a lot of good for you." She trots away with her Sam right behind her.
With a sigh, Devin shuts the door behind them. Her forehead knocks gently against the door several times. She couldn't figure out why she was surrounded by people who physically and mentally drained her this much. All she wanted to do was relax and reel in from the previous day. She turned and stared at the money in the envelope on the floor.
It would do a lot of good...
Δ
Two hours later, she came out of the orphanage feeling a little lighter. The tension from that morning felt a little lighter. Truth be told, that money could have paid her rent for a few months but she was one stubborn woman. She had promised herself not to spend any of her family's money, and she meant it. So instead of burning her sister's surprise presents, she would donate them immediately before her subconscious decided that the funds would do just fine with her.
It was a sunny day out, she walked into an ice cream store for something cold and sweet. " One strawberry and one mint scoop, thanks."
" That has to be the most atrocious combination."
She immediately flipped her head to see the man who made that comment. Of course, she froze, like an idiot. It was the man from yesterday. She stood gaping up at him, while he stared back with the smuggest smirk she had ever seen.
He reaches out in front of her, grabbing a cup of vanilla ice cream from the counter. "You're holding up the line." He whispers near her ear.
She smiles at the ice cream man and the people standing behind her, beforeleaving the que.Embarrassed, she scurries away from the shop. The man was standing outside eating his ice cream.
" Are you stalking me?" She walked up to him and asked.
He nonchalantly stares at her. " It's an ice cream parlor... I always come here."
" You were at my house." She stared at him intensely.
" And...?" He shrugged sarcastically.
" AND???"
" I don't see the problem here. I didn't steal from you, or hurt you... I did trespass, apologies for that." He glanced at his watch. "Nice meeting you again, but I have places to be."
He walks away, leaving Devin to pick her jaw off the sidewalk. She wondered whether she would have to walk it off or call the police. She didn't know him, but somehow he found a way into her place and offered to grant her wishes. If she didn't know any better, he was walking away, worry-free because he knew she wasn't going to report him.
She glanced at her phone. Her shoot was in an hour. She makes a run for it, waving at the next taxi that passed her way. The man had distracted her for a second and now she was going to be ten minutes late for hair and makeup.
Arriving on set she apologizes for being late and blames traffic. They usher her into the makeup room with two other girls and get started. Today was a group shoot for a popular brand called Delta. It featured both men's and women's clothing and had the most celebrity recommendations over the last five years. She was modelling for the spring collection. Devin could not help but feel butterflies in her stomach as she sat there getting ready. This was a huge turning point in her career. If this photo shoot gained enough attention she would gain many more opportunities to model for bigger brands.
Not that this wasn't already a big deal, but she needed to aim higher. That was the only real way to prove to her family that she didn't need them.
The shoot went well. Everyone was thanked afterward and many of the staff went for coffee, including some of the models. She joined them, because why not? She would get connections and maybe some friends in the industry.
Later, it was revealed that the brand had awarded contracts to four models from the photo shoot - two of whom were female and two male. Devin surveyed her surroundings with contemplation. In total, there were ten models present, comprising both genders. Among them was herself; she possessed an attractive visage and stood at a moderate height. With odds of fifty percent in her favor, she harbored high hopes of being selected for the opportunity at hand - if not, she would simply move on to the next prospect.
She went home after that, feeling at ease. Even the unsettling feeling she had about the man had gone away. He probably was not going to come back anyway. He would find another poor soul to send to hell.
But fate always had a way of showing her who's boss. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a smile from a man sitting on her couch. The man.
" You were out for a bit, how was your day?"
She stared. " What?"
He waved her off. " You're right. I don't care about that."
" You're back here. How did you-"
He raised his hand. " I'm gonna stop you right there." He clasped his hands together and looked her dead in the eyes. " Let's not go through this again, okay? I'm the man from yesterday, I can grant wishes. Yadayadayada..."
Devin closed the door behind her and leaned against the door with caution. " But I told you no."
" I recall but, why?"
" WHY! Because I don't trust you. You could be the devil's worker or something."
He leaned a bit forward and frowned. " I'm not the devil's worker. Is that what you've been thinking all this time? I'm a demigod.
You don't have to worry."
Oh, but she did worry. He needed her for something. Why else would he still be trying this hard to persuade her? The problem was she didn't have anything of value, so what he wanted was something that she would not want to part ways with. Like her maybe life.
" You don't seem surprised."
She gulped. " I've watched and read a ton of things. I wouldn't surprised if you were Zeus himself."
He laughed. " If I were Zeus, I wouldn't be trying to make you wish for anything. I'd be in your bed." He retorted, his voice deep. His expression seemed serious. Too serious for this kind of joke.
She scoffed to hide her flush. Shit, " You wish. I don't fall for pretty faces."
He grinned at Devin. " You think I'm pretty?"
" I just say it like it is. There's no point in denying an obvious fact."
" I respect that, but..." He paused, " What about my offer?"
She stood, thinking for several seconds how wrong this could go. Surely he wouldn't force her if she refused now. " I have to think about it."
He maintained silence. Devin could tell from his amused grin that he didn't believe her. He stood for a moment before walking towards her, hands in pockets, sparing only an inch between them. She noticed it before, but he smelled so much of wood. The good kind. Holding her breath, she prayed that he couldn't hear her heart racing.
" Your heart is racing. Relax, I don't bite." He said. Then he leaned forward and whispered close to her ear. " I'll come for a response later, and it better be good." He tucked her hair behind her ear, before meeting her eyes again.
She blinked and he was gone.
He did have powers of some sort. If he was made, he had to be a demigod or a sentient maybe. He couldn't read her thoughts either, so he had no affiliation with the devil, hopefully. What was he then?
In any case, Devin didn't need him. She was closer to her dreams now, and the contract would enable her to pay her rent and bills for the rest of the year, She didn't need wishes or him. And she would tell him that when she saw him next.
Δ
A week passed by, and they were no signs of the man or the freaking contract. Some of the other models she kept in contact with had gotten theirs the night of their last shoot. Now she knew the universe truly hated her. At least she still had her main job. It wasn't everything but it paid the bills.
She gnawed on her fingernails in frustration. She never understood why things didn't work out for her. How could she not have been picked? It didn't make any sense.
Her phone dinged. It was her stupid school reunion next weekend. Just another excuse for the country club brats to gather and discuss the many benefits of their capitalist society. She never attended those.
Especially not since the incident. A lot of them weren't even her friends. Just another reminder that high school was the worst.
As if on cue, Sharon called to her. " Devon!"
She rose and ran speedily into her office. " You called?"
Sharon put on her glasses and flipped through the file on her hands. " The magazine for this week is missing a column." She glanced up at her. " The column I asked you to send a week ago?"
" I asked Lynn to give the team a call before I went to get you're coffee."
The continued stare she lays on her prepares Devin for a Sharon showdown. That's usually when Sharon points out all her flaws and the flaws of this generation.
This time, it didn't happen.
She makes a phone call and looks her dead in the eyes. " Clear out your desk Devon."
" It's Devin, and I made sure that you're request was passed to the right-"
" Did you though?" Sharon interjected. " If you made sure, I wouldn't have to address this issue with you, would I?"
" But I-"
She interrupted again. " I need competent people in this office Devin. Not someone that would mess up something as simple as a coffee order and something as big as this column." She shut the file closed.
" You're fired."