Suddenly A Succubus
Chapter 20.2

Amara had spent all morning finishing her edits on her latest photoshoot. Most of the previous day had been spent taking pictures; experimenting with new angles, playing with the lighting, and switching outfits occasionally. She’d never had so much pressure for a photoshoot to go well, but with Brandon’s threat hanging over her head, she knew she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

When she finished, she had three sets of photos she was really happy with. She’d contacted Chloé late last night, asking if she could borrow the charity’s portable table to set up a new fundraising effort on the quad, and she’d been more than eager to help.

After setting up the table, Amara had integrated her photos with Chloé’s app, which ensured that most of the money spent would go to the charity. Once they’d finished, she quickly called Nick to explain her plan, and it only took him a few minutes before he’d joined all the girls on the quad. Once they were together, and the lunch rush was about to start, Amara started posting about her new project.

It was, predictably, somewhat of a slow start. She knew she was making a huge gamble, and she had taken to nervously pacing behind the table as she waited for the first sales to start coming in. Thankfully, once the crowds appeared, she was able to channel her apprehension into extroversion as she tried to sell her photos.

Amara had never been the most popular person, but she certainly wasn’t a hermit. She’d been offering her photography services for a while, and through her friends she had access to an impressive cross section of the student body. According to Tessa, her recent debut as a party girl had also bolstered her reputation. Her Halloween “costume” had apparently garnered quite a bit of attention, though she’d been unaware of that until recently, given her actions after the party.

All this meant that, despite her hesitations, her photoshoot was a huge hit. Not only were there plenty of students on campus eager to buy them up, she also had a surprising amount of engagement from various online communities that had nothing to do with the school.

When she wasn’t talking with friends and casual acquaintances at the charity table, she was checking her socials to see another wave of donations and support. Everyone seemed to love the photos, they were impressed by her editing skills, and most of all, excited that the money was going to a good cause. For a moment, the attention even reminded her of the high she’d felt at the Halloween party, but with Nick’s help she was able to avoid a downward spiral.

Of course, the other thing propping up her good mood was Derek’s big announcement. She’d initially missed it, as she spent most of yesterday working on her photoshoot, but Tessa and Nick had blown up her phone in excitement. It was a surreal experience; after so many months living in fear of Derek, the tables had finally turned. He’d confessed to absolutely everything, not just the incident with Stephany, and there was a faint air of celebration on campus as she talked with everyone that approached the table.

She was in the middle of a conversation with several friends she hadn’t seen since Halloween when the moment she’d been dreading finally appeared. From across the quad, she saw Brandon drawing near, his insufferable smirk clearly directed at her. From the look of things, he didn’t know what she was up to, and she was itching to wipe that smile off his face.

As he approached, Nick began corralling the crowds to give her some space. Once Brandon closed the distance, he leaned up against the table and pulled out his phone. “Well, Amara, I’m nothing if not a man of my word. It’s been a week, and you have yet to give me an answer. Did you think I was bluffing?”

“Oh, I believe you. I just don’t care,” Amara said.

“I’ve got it pulled up on my phone right now, one click and you’re through!” Brandon was clearly frustrated, his face already turning red.

“But Brandon,” Amara said, a smile growing on her face, “don’t you want to contribute to our charity first? I’m selling some of my portfolio to raise money!”

“This isn’t a joke, Amara. I’m going to ruin you.” Brandon was furious now, though he was doing his best to hide his temperament from the nearby crowd. He began typing on his phone, likely setting up what he thought was the final nail in Amara’s coffin.

Before he could finish, Amara saw one of Nick’s friends approach the table in curiosity. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close, eagerly talking a little bit louder to put on a show for her blackmailer. “Oh my gosh, Alex, did you hear the big news? I’m a succubus!”

Brandon froze, looking up from his phone in shock at Amara’s words.

“Wait, I don’t get it, you’re a what?” Alex asked.

“A succubus, a demon, whatever you want to call it.” As she spoke, Amara scanned a QR code on the table. She angled herself so that Alex and Brandon could see her screen and continued. “I’m raising money for the charity, and since the fire happened on Halloween, I figured I’d do a sexy photoshoot in my costume!”

Amara started scrolling through the photos she’d taken, eagerly watching as Brandon realized what was happening; in every single photo she’d taken the last two days, she’d been wearing nothing but her sexiest lingerie, and her demonic aspects were front and center. Some photos highlighted her horns, some her tail, and her wings had appeared in roughly half of the shots. In one photo she was straddling her tail while moaning, in another she licked its tip while winking at the camera, and each set had dozens more. She’d made the pictures as sultry as possible, and had surprised herself at how willing she was to flaunt her body online.

Finally, she showed Alex a picture she’d taken at the Halloween party, one where her tail looked like it was attached with the belt Nick had made. “See, I took all the pictures in that costume, and then edited them to look real!”

In actuality, a vast majority of her photo editing had been to create the illusion that editing had happened at all. She’d subtly altered tiny details to make it look like there had originally been a belt around her waist, or glue residue on her horns. Just like she’d done with her actual costume, the goal was to seed just enough doubt to make people think her true form was nothing but the magic of photoshop.

“Of course, these aren’t all of them. The sexiest photos you can only see if you buy the sets, but I’ll let you in on a little secret, Alex… I’m naked in some of them!”

Alex, either through legitimate interest or the efforts of a sexy demon hanging off his arm, didn’t hesitate to buy all three sets. As he left the table, she overheard him talking with Nick, pestering him about how he should totally reconsider dating Amara. She laughed to herself before refocusing on the matter at hand.

“Still feel like releasing those photos, Brandon? It would be a big help for the charity, the more attention the better!”

The two locked eyes, and Brandon finally spoke for the first time in minutes. “This isn’t over, Amara. I’ll find a way to make you mine. You’re going to regret making an enemy of me.”

She leaned in, whispering into his ear. “Well, until then? I think you’ve got an overdue date with your hand, so how about you leave me the fuck alone.”

After a final contentious glance, Brandon scowled and walked away from the table. Amara celebrated by running back to Nick, grabbing his arms excitedly. “Nick! It worked! He ran off with his tail between his legs!”

Nick laughed as Amara danced around him, elated to be free of her blackmailer, but their revelry was cut short when Tessa pulled Amara back down to earth.

“Careful, we've got trouble,” the witch said.

Confused, Amara scanned the crowd to look for any problems. She was scared she might see Mr. Wellington, or possibly another member of the cult. Both Tessa and Nick had warned her that some people might see through her photo stunt, and she was ready to defend herself if need be. The person walking towards the table, however, was the last person on Earth she wanted to fight.

Vee.

She was wearing blue, relaxed jeans that hugged her hips and ended just above her simple, black flats. An oversized, thickly knit green sweater hung off one shoulder, though it was held partially in place by the purse slung across her body. As Amara’s eyes traveled higher, she gasped.

Vee’s face, previously an impossibly perfect visage, now had two incredibly distinct blemishes. In the middle of her left eyebrow sat a massive scar, at least two or three inches long. The hair hadn’t grown back, and likely never would. A second scar, slightly smaller, cut through her upper lip on the right side. The scars had definitely come from a blunt force strike, but the lack of a sharp outline indicated there had also been substantial burn damage.

She held Vee down, clenching her free hand before lashing out. Her bone-covered knuckles, clad in hellfire, struck Vee’s brow, a sickening crack filling the air as the angel’s head fell to the ground. Amara struck again, furiously, this time connecting with her lip as she felt Vee’s body start to surrender.

Terrible memories flooded Amara’s head, memories she’d previously failed to recall. She clenched her fists, not in anger, but to try and hold herself together. She took a deep breath, attempted to steady her nerves, and watched as Vee walked closer. Soon enough, the girls were standing face to face, neither saying anything before Amara finally attempted to break the silence.

“Um… Hi, Vee,” Amara said nervously.

The blond-haired girl had stopped just a few paces away from Amara. She directed her gaze towards the ground before speaking. “…Amara.”

“I, uh… I didn’t know you were back. Did you… just get in?”

“Yeah. First day.”

The two girls stared at each other in silence for a moment. In the corner of her eye, Amara saw Chloé light up and try to move in, but Nick and Tessa held her back.

“That’s… um… It’s nice to see you again. Did you… get any of my texts?” Amara asked hopefully.

Vee paused for a moment, pulling out her phone. “…All of them, actually. A hundred and forty-seven.”

“Oh, I… didn’t realize I’d sent that many. I hope it wasn’t annoying I just… I was worried, and no one knew anything…”

Another round of awkward silence. This time it was broken by Vee, glancing over Amara’s shoulder to the pile of QR codes sitting on the charity table. “So, you’re fundraising for the fire relief?”

“It was Chloé’s idea, since she already had her app and everything. We’ve actually cleaned up most of the building, so now money is the biggest roadblock.”

For the first time since this conversation started, a hint of a smile crossed Vee's face. “That’s… really great. I didn’t know you guys had put this together! I actually just came into a tiny bit of money I don’t need, might as well donate it, right?” She scanned the QR code and started to open the link.

“Wait, Vee, before you—” Amara tried to stop her, but it was too late. She could clearly see a picture of herself on Vee’s phone, her demonic features on full display. Vee froze, her breathing quickened, and her body tensed.

“Amara, what the fuck is this?”

“Please, I’m sure this looks bad, but I—”

“But what? You want to tell me that it’s not what it looks like?” Vee moved closer, her hushed voice at odds with her furious demeanor. “That’s what you said last time, just minutes before you almost killed me, Amara. Or have you already forgotten about that?”

“Vee, I—”

“Is this some sort of sick joke? A victory lap now that I’m out of the picture?”

Amara gasped, the accusation reopening all the pain she’d felt on Halloween. Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. “…Is that really what you think of me?”

“I don't know what to think, Amara. I have no idea who, or what, you are.” Vee didn't give her a chance to respond. She rushed past Amara, shoulder checking her as she left the conversation. The crowd nearby parted to let Vee through, and Amara could already hear the onlookers whispering.

Amara stood still, doing her best to hold herself together. After a few moments, she felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to see Nick standing next to her, with the other girls right behind him.

“Aww Vee left already? Is everything okay?” Chloé asked.

“We had a bit of an argument during the… right before the fire started.” Amara said quietly, her body tense.

“I had no idea how bad her injuries were! Did you see those scars? Whatever happened must have been really bad… I guess it’s lucky you were with her, right?”

The tears in Amara’s eyes welled, threatening to break free, and she pulled away from Nick before heading back home. The whispers from the crowd picked up, but she didn’t care. Her steps quickened, and before long she was running, trying to get home. She was suddenly back in the circle, Vee’s expression slowly turning to hate before striking Amara, and the pain returned.

When she arrived home, she slammed the door behind her and collapsed on the floor. What little control she had left vanished, and she lost herself to her tears for the better part of half an hour. In time, Nick knocked on her door, and did his best to comfort her as she processed her feelings.

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