When I awake, Delilah isn't lying next to me. I look around and see she's sitting in my desk chair across the room from me. She's holding a seven-string guitar that's brown but fades into orange in the center of it. Her left hand is on the fretboard and she's holding a rose-colored pick in the right. I assume she went to get her guitar when I was sleeping.

"Morning, sleepy head," she says, "You talk in your sleep."

"I do?"

"Yeah. It's cute."

I sit up in bed and run my fingers through my hair.

"I wanted to sing a song for you," she admits, "I don't really sing in front of people unless I think they're special. And since you fall into that category, I got a song for you."

"Alright. I'm excited to hear it."

"Cool! Let me tune her up real quick."

She starts to tune her guitar, each string she makes slight adjustments until it sounds to her liking. The morning sun is shining through the drapes and onto her and her guitar. It's like she's an angel sent to play me a song.

"The song is called, I Won't Leave," she says with a faint white smile.

Delilah starts to strum and wow. She's not just good at guitar. She's fantastic. The best I've ever seen or heard by far. Listening to her is like listening to three people playing the guitar all at once. She's doing the bass, the main score, and the rhythm all at once. Using her hand and thumb around the fretboard, she's doing the entire work of a band all by herself. And then she starts to sing:

"Nowadays, all I see are all the things you're not

Between those songs you sing, it's all I can think of

Since then the words you left behind

They cover every bit of my soul

Nowadays, it's all I ever need

All I ever need from you...

I never thought a woman so small could have a voice so pure and powerful. I've never heard anybody that sounds like her before. And when she gets the chorus—

"Whatever it is that keeps me from denying your love

I will never know

Whatever it is that keeps me from denying your love

I will never know

Whatever it is that keeps me from denying your love

It's not what I want...

I guess we got what we need..."

My skin begins to have goosebumps. I've felt the exact same way with Jesus. I've been frustrated with him. At my wit's end. But I still don't let him go. And at the end of the day. I guess we both got what we needed.

Delilah plays a few chords that progress the song well. She then begins the second verse:

"Nowadays, all I hear are prayers that I forgot

And amongst those many prayers, I'd rather lose them all

Since then the days are getting longer

But I keep getting lost in the throes

Nowadays, it's all I ever need

All I ever need from you..."

She repeats the chorus, but with more soul this time; throwing her head back and forth gently and getting into it. She then stops to strum a couple of chords and belts the first two lines while singing the last two:

"I guess we got what we need

I guess we got what we need...

I guess we got what we need...

I guess we got what we need..."

She strums furiously and ends the song with a righteous bang. When she's done she beckons me with her eyes. "Well?" She's asking.

"How long have you been singing?" I ask, my heart—no my soul, pounding.

"I remember always being in love with music. I started really studying it when I moved to Colorado."

"Listening to you... It was..."

"Shitty?"

"Uncanny. You're fantastic Delilah! The way push your guitar to its limit. I can feel your emotions through your voice and your instrument. How did you get so good?"

"I had a good teacher. You wouldn't believe her name. I would play in a cemetery all night until the morning came. 'This audience won't mind listening.' she said."

"Sounds like a good teacher."

"Yeah... She is."

There's a knock at my bedroom door. I tell them to come in and I'm shocked when I see Lucy enter my room. Delilah's eyes widen but the rest of her face lights up like she's seen her before.

"I couldn't help but hear my songbird sing," Lucy avows.

Delilah sets her guitar down and immediately hugs Lucy.

"How'd you get in here? You guys know each other?" I ask.

"Your mom let me in," Lucy says with a casual tone, not taking her eyes off Delilah.

"Judas, this was my teacher!" Delilah tells me. I look at Lucy and she just winks at me. How intertwined is Lucy in all this?

"I promised her a favor," Lucy starts, "I would make Delilah a household name. That I would turn her into a legacy."

First Delilah, now me? What is Lucy up to?

"Should we tell him?" Lucy asks, looking at Delilah in a way that makes me feel like they were more than just student and teacher.

"Tell me what?" I ask, still hoping my assumption is wrong.

Delilah's ocean eyes meld with mine and she tells me in a soft tone, "Lucy and I had a thing before I was adopted. She's my ex-girlfriend."

And there it is. Lucy might be the Devil, but she's also the ex-girlfriend of the girl I like. Out of all the people I might've ended up competing with, I have to compete with the most charismatic being in existence. 

"But you don't have to worry," Lucy says, "I'm not gonna get in the way of you two. From what I hear you guys make a cute couple."

Delilah and Lucy begin to talk amongst themselves catching up. I'm not sure if I can trust Lucy but I need time to think. And It would just seem rude to make a scene about Delilah's dating past. Whoever or how many people she dated in her past is none of my concern honestly. I do wonder what her relationship with Lucy was like though. And I do appreciate her telling me the truth about her and Lucy's past.

I tell them that I'm going to make breakfast and they don't seem to notice. When I get downstairs, my mom's letting Squid into my house.

"Hey Squid," I say, "Wanna help cook breakfast with me?"

"Nah, not really. Is Lucy here?"

"You know Lucy too?"

"Sure do! Lucy was the first person to follow me on my socials. She's doing me a favor to help me become a famous influencer a while back. She said we're having a meeting at Judas' so she can help us with the favors she's going to grant us."

So that's why Lucy's really here. She's granting favors for all of us. However, I don't see how Lucy is going to deliver her end of the bargain. I mean, I would be crazy to believe this teenage girl gave my father a brain aneurysm to bring Delilah closer to me. Delilah is yet to be a household name or 'A Legacy'. And yes, Squid is popular, but they're no influencer.

I ponder on the new information as I prepare our breakfast.

I bring up four plates of waffles drenched in maple syrup topped with a thick slice of butter to my room when Delilah, Lucy, and Squid are all in a conversation. I hand them their plates and utensils and take a seat on my bed. Delilah is sitting next to me, Lucy is on my chair, and Squid is on the floor to Lucy's right.

"These waffles are amazing," Delilah says with a mouthful of waffles.

Before I can thank her Lucy chimes in: "Delilah was telling me how you two met. How's your bladder, Judy?"

"Still tiny," I say.

"Remember in seventh grade when you peed yourself during lunch break?" Squid asks.

I think back on that fateful day in seventh grade. I had rounded the corner and stumbled upon Daniel Martinez with a wet spot in his pants. His face was red and he looked panicked. I offered to trade pants with them since we both looked the same size. Over some arguing and some force on my part, I got him to switch pants with me. And I made sure to make a scene to give Daniel some cover to run away.

"What was it you said when you walked around pointing at your pants?" Squid asks.

"I'm a pee—pee piss—piss boy," I say. Squid and Lucy laugh. Delilah just looks at me with a suspicious expression.

To be honest, I've never told the truth about that story. That it was Daniel's pants and not mine. I've never told a soul the truth. And I don't think I ever will.

"Your father will reward you in heaven for the deeds you do in private," Lucy starts, "Or something like that. My king and I, we have—well a complicated relationship. And for so long I've wondered, can the Devil be redeemed? Well, I believe she can be, but I'll need help. I'll need an angel, a devil, a human, and someone who knows their way around a bible."

We all stop eating and look at Lucy.

"You're the Devil," Delilah says, gesturing towards Lucy. Lucy puts the tops of her hands under her chin and smiles.

"They're the human," Lucy says, pointing at Squid.

"I know my way around a bible," I say.

"That means I'm the angel..." Delilah says.

There's a moment of silence at what Delilah said.

"Are you sure you got that right?" Delilah asks Lucy.

"D," Lucy says.

"Shouldn't Judas be the angel?" Delilah asks, "He literally sees and hears God."

"My precious Delilah," Lucy starts, "Out of everyone in this room, you are the closest thing to an angel by a long shot. And not just by looks. You sing like an angel. You play like an angel. You think with the empathy of one. You are our messenger from God that will spread our message. 'And an angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone like the cosmos around them, and they were filled with great terror. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring The Word that will be for all the people.'"

"Luke two, verses nine through ten," I say. I set my plate of waffles down and turn towards Delilah, "Delilah look, it hurts me when you don't realize how amazing you are. You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. You're extremely talented and caring. And I hear you say things like you don't know why everyone's staring at you. But they're not staring at you because there's something wrong with you. They're staring at you because they're afraid of you. And it's not the kind of fear you get from seeing a spider. It's an intimidating, nervous, exciting fear. You want to get closer to it but you think you're unworthy of it. And I think with Lucy on our shoulder, and Squid grounding us, and you flying us through the stars with your voice, and me guiding us with God's word, we can maybe redeem a Devil or two."

"That was beautiful, Judas," Delilah says, "I guess I'd be an asshole if I said no now, huh?"

"Oh yeah, the biggest," Lucy says.

"Okay," Delilah starts, "Let's do it. Let's redeem the Devil." 

https://youtu.be/CIQvjp5M9hI