Abby returns to her childhood home, at her parents’ behest, to go through her things in the attic as they plan to sell the place. While going through old boxes, she rediscovers the spirit board she used to talk to her only friend as a child. For eight years, Abby would huddle under her blankets with a flashlight, whispering to something that would move the planchette in response. But when she was sixteen, and upset by their unwillingness to help her, despite that being supposedly what they did, she told them never to talk to her again. She hid the spirit board away in her parents’ attic and forgot about it.
As something on the other side reaches out to her, spelling her name and a greeting, she flees the attic. Finding herself invited to lunch by her parents, she quickly accepts, not wanting to be left in the house alone with whatever had told her hello.
At lunch, she bumps into her ex-boyfriend from high school, Todd, who invites her to dinner to catch up. Once back at the house, she asks the board if something is there, and it responds before asking if she’d like to meet. Figuring that if she were losing her grip, her mind couldn’t produce a flesh-and-blood entity, she tells them to appear. When a demon appears, she’s momentarily terrified.
The demon, Van, reintroduces himself. He and Abby rekindle their friendship and start spending time together. But as Abby gets involved with Todd, Van isn’t afraid to voice his displeasure over the situation. When the possibility of a second chance with Todd could give her the life she had always wanted, will the comfort and companionship she finds with Van distract her? As things turn strange with Todd, could Abby use him in return to provoke her personal demon to confess what he seems to be holding back from admitting?
Tropes: devoted demon, ‘stalking’ to protect her, provoking a demon by using your ex, bargained demon x human, oh that was a demon you were talking to as a kid, second chance gone wrong
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Content Warnings
Roleplaying Scenario Involving Dubious Consent: Towards the end, the FMC and the MMC engage in a roleplay about her being an angel he must corrupt to keep in Hell. She plays the part of an angel who is resistant. She, herself, is consenting.
Childhood Parental Trauma/ Present Day Toxic Relationship with Parents: The FMC was emotionally abandoned and neglected by her parents. She was extremely lonely as a child. Her parents are dismissive, demanding, and overly critical in areas including but not limited to: weight, employment, lack of partner or children, presentation of herself
Exhibition as a Means of Provocation: The FMC has sex with an ex-boyfriend to provoke the MMC.
Sexually Shaming Language: The ex-boyfriend of the FMC with whom she is having sex, uses degrading language as they have sex. It was not discussed beforehand, and she finds herself upset by it.
Violence: The FMC’s ex-boyfriend goes to grab her, threatening her, but the MMC intervenes. The MMC grabs a hold of the ex-boyfriend and threatens him, then throws him to the ground.
Questionable Biblical Lore: I’ve taken some liberties with the biblical lore.
Ignoring of Boundaries/’Stalking’: The MMC ignored the FMC, telling him she never wanted to speak to him again. He stayed hidden in her life, helping her and keeping her safe.
Infidelity: The FMC unknowingly sleeps with a married man.
Disordered Eating: There is a brief mention of the FMC having starved herself in her teens to be skinny in order to be popular. However, she would also binge when she pushed it too far and felt comforted by the food. She has since recovered.
Alcohol Consumption
Explicit Sex
Shonna Preston 