Hades' Halls

Testy

So, no one has read my last two chapters which is just dandy. Joking aside, it doesn't really matter as I'm mainly putting this up here to make myself write but to my family members - you know who you are - come on.

Regrading her hand woefully, Georgie sighed. One fingernail left, that was all she had. What was she meant to do after that one was gone? Chew gum? Drink copious amounts of coffee? Smoke? No, she would not smoke; that was bad for you. Not seeing anything else for it, she chewed the nail. There it was done. Georgie supposed she would have to start work.

"Do you reckon gamblers give some of their winnings to charity?" The question was sent out to the room in general.

Nyala, being sociable for once and sitting in the kitchen, did not answer. Anything that was not to do with computers or coding held no interest for her. From under lashes, Seb flicked a look at Georgie but did not respond. The two of them had not conversed since their argument, neither one of them able to break the painful silence no matter how much they wanted to. Eloise was there but was in one of her moods, so it was left to Lydia to reply.

"Maybe", she said hesitantly, stretching the word out as if she was considering it, although Georgie knew she was just being kind. "Why, what did you have in mind."

Shrugging to show she did not really care, Georgie said "Just thinking. If they did maybe we could stop them, persuade them to use their money selfishly instead."

Georgie saw Seb quietly shake his head. She wondered if she should ask him but that would mean breaking the silence and she was not sure how she felt about that. She loathed being on bad terms with anyone, let alone Seb but the way things were it was probably best if they remained unspeaking. Yet, she wanted his opinion.

Eloise saved her from this dilemma by thumping the book she had been ferociously studying on the table. Cutting a hand through the air, she disagreed. "No. It would just turn into us forcing gambling additions on people which sort of undermines the whole not getting ourselves into Hell thing we have going on."

Seb nodded in accordance with Eloise then returned to his studies. Instantly Georgie saw they were right. She was scrambling for ideas which to Georgie was like taking Walter Raleigh's compass and sextant from him, putting him in alone on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic and saying 'have fun'. Perhaps she would have been able to find a solution to their predicament had she not been going against her morals. Corrupting people, making sure they went downstairs instead of up once their time came did not nor could ever feel right. Georgie felt like a tightrope walker trying to keep on the straight and narrow whilst life was doing it's best to pull her off. She supposed she'd just have to tighten her core and keep her balance.

"That little snag", she said, disguising hopelessness with bravado.

"Hades seems to be a bit distracted at the moment", said Lydia. "And Mats seems to be enjoying the milk delivery trade – not that I'm convinced it's going to do anything – so maybe we can leave it for a bit, just until Hades starts asking questions."

"Perhaps", Georgie said looking down. "But that doesn't help Hades."

Pushing away from the table with a screech of his chair, Seb picked up his laptop and notes and stormed out of the kitchen, refusing to look Georgie in the eye. She watched him go, a heaviness in her ribs drawing her soul down. Turning back to the others, Georgie was met with open mouths from Lydia and Eloise and a raised eyebrow from Nyala who had finally looked up from whatever illegality she had been performing.

"What?" she asked them.

"You feel sorry for him", accused Eloise.

"No", Georgie backtracked minding her footing so she would not have to dig herself out of a hole. "That's not it."