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Dark, black, nothingness. There are so many ways to describe that hole, but nothing would get me down there. Into that abyss, that dungeon that would forever swear to shut out the darkness within.
I knew how many there were, there were 20 and yet I counted them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13....
I couldn't see the 14th step, it had already been swallowed by that black, and nothing would get me down there, nothing could make me climb down to turn on the light.
I closed the cellar door and ran out of the kitchen. Mother would be home soon and then she would make the yummy pancakes again. I didn't know what it was, but she always got a "secret ingredient" from the cellar.
When she came home and opened the cellar door again, I got a quick look downstairs before she sent me off to get that ingredient after she had turned on the light. I counted again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...17, 18, 19, 20.
I was right, there were 20, they were all there.
The rest of the evening passed peacefully, my mother fetched a rubbish bag from the cellar and put it by the door, then she told me to go to sleep and I followed her order.
I shouldn't have eaten so much. I looked at the clock, it was already after 2:00. I had to go to the bathroom. But when I opened my bedroom door I saw a light, a light coming from the kitchen. Was mother still awake?
I walked into the kitchen and saw where the light was coming from, it was coming from the basement, had she left it on?
I went over to the door and I didn't know why but out of habit I counted them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13....
I shook my head, was I that tired? I counted again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13....
Again I looked around me, then again down into the cellar. The lamp was on, it filled the room in a dim blood-red light.
And down to that lamp, which I now wanted oh so much to turn off, ran 13 steps, no more, no less.
And so, like a moth, I followed the call of the light, closing the door behind me. |
“Let group meditation session number two officially begin!” Summer exclaimed. Victor gave her a quick glance before resting his eyes on the crystal buddha statue sitting on her dresser. Connor raised an eyebrow, presenting a nervous smile. “How are you guys not excited?” Summer added. “We don’t have to lie to our parents ever again.”
“Hold on, why aren’t your parents here?” Victor asked.
Connor shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“So… did you like, choose your parents? How does this whole coming back to the physical plane thing work?”
“No, I didn’t choose my parents. I was given my orders and told that they lived near you.”
Victor crossed his arms. “What if they decided to move? What if we moved?”
“I honestly don’t know what I would have done.”
“Okay, what
do
you know?”
“I know that you’re an asshole.” Connor smiled wryly. “I wish I had all the answers, but like I said before, I’m only here to observe you.”
“Why didn’t the big guy come here himself? Oh wait, let me guess, you don’t know?”
“Everything is in God’s plan.”
“Whatever you say.” Victor turned to Summer. “Hey,” he said in an accusatory tone. “How did you fold so easily? All that arguing about what movie we saw was for nothing.”
“I tried,” Summer said—her fingers twiddling with her amethyst pendant. “I really did, but that woman can read me like a book.” She plopped down on the floor pillow. “But that’s all in the past. Let’s focus on the present. Hey, meditation is all about focusing on the present. I brought it back full circle!” Connor laughed, causing her to pause for the sarcastic quip, but it never came. Summer had grown so accustomed to his verbal jabs that their absence perplexed her.
“Did she take your water gun? I don’t see it anywhere,” Victor asked.
“I hid it in the garden last night, but when I went looking for it this morning, I couldn’t find it.” Victor shook his head. His chain swinging side to side like a pendulum. “Now,” Summer said. “Let’s get down to business. V, when you went angel mode before, your eyes were open both times, right?”
Victor sat down. “Yeah.”
“When I started meditating, it was with my eyes closed at first, and then eventually I learned how to enter a meditative state with my eyes open. So let’s do it that way. Connor, you should try it, too. If you practice enough, you might see your wings.” Summer caught herself staring at his chest. She quickly averted her gaze. “Connor, where’s your necklace?” She asked.
“I overslept, and I was in such a rush that I forgot it. Sorry.” Connor presented a look of genuine embarrassment.
Why is he being so nice?
Summer thought. She wasn’t complaining. Quite the opposite, actually. She rather liked this new, more endearing Connor. “Accidents happen. It’s okay,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to it.” She clapped her hands, startling Victor. “Focused meditation is when you meditate while focusing on an object, sound, or sensation. I had no idea we were gonna have to go demon slaying so soon, so my original plan of having you guys gradually get to the point of open-eyed meditation was ruined.” Summer suddenly got an idea. She sprung up, ran to her dresser, and opened the bottom drawer. After some digging, she pulled out a blank sheet of printer paper and a pencil box full of colored pencils.
Connor got up on his knees to see what she was drawing. “What are you doing?”
Summer rigorously added the finishing touches. “You guys are gonna love this.” She turned the paper around and showed them her masterpiece.
Victor burst into laughter. “What the hell is that supposed to be?”
Summer looked at the paper and then back at Victor. “It’s a demon. Connor, you see it, right?”
Connor covered his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his laughter. “Uh… why is there blood coming out of its mouth? You know we’re not fighting vampires, right?”
“It’s called artistic license. Don’t stifle my creativity.”
Victor recovered from his laughing fit. “I don’t think that’s what artistic license means.”
Summer turned around and grabbed some thumb tacks from her drawer. She stuck the piece of paper onto one of her walls, in full view of everyone. “Okay, I want you guys to focus on this demon—”
A loud guffaw interrupted her. “Sorry… please continue,” Victor murmured.
“As I was saying… focus on the drawing as you meditate. The same rules of clearing your mind and focusing on your breath still apply.” Summer moved to the side and watched as they crossed their legs and began meditating. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two boys while focusing on their auras. After several minutes of stability, Victor’s aura slowly started expanding. She noticed his eyes flash gold before returning to their original brown color. Connor’s aura hadn’t moved an inch since they started. He would look at the drawing for a couple of seconds and then sneak a glance at her before returning his eyes back to the drawing. After ten minutes of this, Summer clasped her hands together. “Okay, you guys, I think we’re done for today. Group meditation session number two has officially ended!”
Victor let out a loud sigh. “You’re not gonna keep doing that ‘group meditation session’ thing every time we do this, are you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Her mouth twisting into a devilish grin.
Victor checked his phone. “Perfect. We ended just in time for me to prepare for my date.”
“Your what?” Connor asked.
“You remember that girl on the bus that was checking me out?”
“You mean the one that you creepily smiled at?”
Victor snorted. “I saw her as I was walking to English and I spit some game. It was love at first sight… for her.”
Summer rested her hands on her hips. “Do you even know her name?”
“Come on, Summer, you know me better than that. I love all of my women. Her name is Catelyn, and she’s a sophomore. Her sun sign is—”
“Okay, I get it,” Summer said, her arms dropping to her sides. “What are you guys gonna do?”
“Hold on, Summer,” Connor interrupted. “You’re really letting him get away with saying he loves his
women?
Last time I checked, Bridgette was the only woman you were seeing.”
Victor first responded with a flat stare, but a hint of a smile eventually swept across his face. “Hugh Hefner didn’t start off with a mansion full of bunnies.”
“Ew,” Connor said. “That was really lame, even for you.”
Summer couldn’t help but laugh. Victor had always been quite handsome, but he just recently figured that out for himself. Since this realization, he fancied himself some sort of playboy. “V has a point,” Summer said. “We all have to start somewhere.”
“Oh, my apologies,” Connor said, immediately picking up on the sarcasm. “Shoot for the stars, V.”
Victor’s smile waned. “Thanks for the support, guys,” he said in a tone indicating that he knew he was being mocked. “Anyway, Summer, we’re going to the coffee shop that just opened near the school.”
“Have fun,” Summer said.
“Thanks.” Victor turned to face Connor. “Well?”
Connor gave him a fist bump. “Good luck, bro.”
“Who needs luck when you have game!” Victor exclaimed as rushed out of the room.
Connor stood near the door, picking at his nails. He eventually turned around and said, “I don’t think I made much progress.”
“You seemed distracted. Is everything alright?” Summer asked.
“You were in my peripheral vision the whole time.”
Summer apologetically raised both of her hands. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I should have stood farther away.”
“I didn’t really mind. It was just a little hard to focus.”
Summer turned and walked toward the drawing on the wall. She leaned forward to inspect it, her nose almost touching the piece of paper. “It probably had a lot to do with the drawing. I’m definitely gonna make some changes to it tonight.” Summer turned back around and was met with Connor’s lips pressing against hers. Her eyes turned into hazel and white saucers. Connor grabbed her hips, pulling her toward him. She closed her eyes, then delicately wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The smell of his cologne was subtle, yet intoxicating. Connor slowly pulled back, his deep blue eyes piercing through his lenses.
“Um… what was that?” Summer asked—her heart fluttering.
“I got tired of looking.”
“I noticed you checking me out, but I thought that was just a guy thing. So… you actually like me?” Connor leaned in and kissed her again, tightening his grip on her waist. He pulled back and smirked. Summer still had her arms wrapped around him.
“I tried as hard as I could to not develop any attachments, but I misjudged how emotional humans truly are. First, I developed feelings of camaraderie with V, and then I developed those same feelings for you. But one day, I looked at you and felt something… more. Do you want me to let you go?” Summer sheepishly shook her head from side to side. “Good. Because I really don’t want to.”
“I’ve thought about trying to see if you liked me, but… I used to think our friendship was more important.”
“Used to think? What changed your mind?”
“That kiss.”
***
Victor stared at his closet, looking for the perfect outfit. He settled on his favorite red graphic t-shirt and his yet to be worn pair of black jeans. He checked his pair of red sneakers for scuffs and then jogged down the stair. His father was sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game.
“Damnit, Martinez…” Mr. Au mumbled before checking the time on his phone. “V, didn’t you say your date was at four o’clock?”
Victor sat on their large mahogany-colored recliner. He pulled on a lever and his feet shot up. “Yep.”
His dad looked at his phone with a furrowed brow. “It’s 3:55.”
“Dad, trust me. Showing up on time is the worst thing you can do on a first date. You gotta make em’ wait a little bit, it drives em’ crazy.”
“Dating sure has changed since I was a teen.”
“A lot has changed since you were a teen.” Victor flashed a sly grin. His dad snorted to himself and then turned his attention back to the baseball game. He lost himself in it, cursing at every bad pitch and fielding mistake.
Victor eventually stood up. “Let’s go.”
There was a sheen on the giant white coffee cup towering over the shop. The building was red-brick, and despite it being completed only a month ago, it had the worn look of a hole in the wall. Victor walked up to the door and read the
Sergio’s Coffee
written in bold black letters. He surveyed the inside of the shop, looking for Catelyn’s beautiful auburn hair. He slithered through a crowd of students huddled near the entrance to get a better look, eventually locking eyes with her. She wore a stunning green blouse that matched her emerald eyes. Her jean shorts showing off her athletic legs.
“I’m so sorry. My dad’s car was having problems,” Victor lied, smiling a suave smile.
Catelyn perked up, seemingly surprised by his apology. “Oh, it’s no problem. Things happen.”
“I just need to let you know I go dutch on dates. Will that be a problem?”
Catelyn presented her wallet purse. “Not at all.”
Victor sat down, still smiling. “I’m not really much of a coffee guy, but I had to check this place out.”
“I can’t make it through the day without my morning latte, and it’s near the school so I can walk here after practice.”
“Practice? You play a sport?”
“Field hockey. I’ve been playing since I was in elementary school.”
Victor feigned a look of shock. “Wow, so not only are you gorgeous, you’re an athlete. That’s an elite combination.” Catelyn blushed, dropping her eyes. Victor could have sworn there was a hint of sadness in those eyes, but he brushed it off, sneaking a glance at her chest instead.
The waiter appeared before them, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “How are you guys doing? My name is Mark and I’ll be your server today. Do you two need more time?”
Victor looked at Catelyn. “You’re the coffee expert. What do you recommend?”
Catelyn’s cheeks were still pink. “We’ll both have a medium iced vanilla latte, thank you.”
Mark forced a smile. “Perfect.”
Victor felt the table shaking. He looked down and saw Catelyn’s leg bouncing up and down. “When is your next game? I don’t know much about field hockey, but I’m down to watch you guys play.”
“Oh, we have a game next Saturday.”
“I’ll be there.”
The table stopped shaking. She smiled, revealing the tiny gap between her two front teeth. “So… do you play any sports? You sure look like you do.”
“I’ve never really been into playing organized sports. Training with my dad keeps me in pretty good shape, so that’s enough for me.”
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything like that with my parents.”
Victor leaned in. “Why not?”
“My parents aren’t very friendly.” She chuckled nervously. “Sometimes, I wonder if they even like me.”
“That’s weird.”
“What is?”
“I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.” The waiter showed up—ruining his smooth line—and placed their drinks on the table. Victor moved the cup to his mouth and took a gulp. It took everything in his power to not spit it out. “Wow… this is amazing.”
Catelyn used the thick plastic straw to stir her drink. She took a sip. “This is way better than the lattes I make at home.”
Victor put his glass down and glared at the light-brown witches’ brew. “I think you might turn me into a coffee guy.”
They finished their drinks while periodically stopping in-between sips for small talk. The conversation mainly revolved around Catelyn’s thoughts on a variety of teachers and students. They laughed when Mrs. Walter’s faint mustache came up, and the conversation came to a halt after mentioning their star quarterback’s ACL injury. They paid separately, then walked side by side to the parking lot, where Victor saw his dad’s car pulling up. He gave her a side hug and then started toward the car.
“Hold on. I almost forgot something,” Victor said, doubling back to Catelyn.
“Wh—” Victor cut her off with a kiss. |
Melek, as always, woke up two minutes before his timer went off. He then immediately went through his nightly checklist. Fully charged earbuds? Check. Music app open on his phone? Check. Hatchet blade sharp and clean? Check. Everything was in its proper place and in tiptop shape. He put on his all black attire, checking his trench coat for ash. Melek used his solid black hair tie to put his flowing golden mane in a ponytail. The all too familiar sounds of police sirens blaring and his neighbor’s suggestive screams hushed as he shoved his earbuds in and swaggered out of his apartment.
***
She truly believed that her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her muted screams and constant squirming were fruitless. The large, horrific smelling hand covering her mouth made her nauseous, and the sound of her heels scraping against the wet pavement were $800 Givenchy nails on a black chalkboard. The wound on her knee caused sporadic pulses of sharp pain to permeate throughout her body.
The giant man with his hand over her mouth paused for a moment and looked around, his grip on her body tightening as he stilled for a few seconds before continuing to drag her to god knows where. “Must have been my imagination,” he whispered. “If you came with me quietly, I wouldn’t have had to do this.”
Why would I follow you anywhere?
She thought. The captured woman had spotted the man’s menacing aura and crimson eyes from afar, but her instincts didn’t tell her to take off her heels before running away, so she instantly fell flat on her face. Her cries for help echoed in the crisp night air for only a moment before he got a hold of her and dragged her to the nearest alleyway.
“Don’t worry, you might be the one he’s looking for,” he growled.
“Hey!” a voice yelled. The sudden noise startled the red-eyed giant, causing him to loosen his hold. She took advantage of his confusion by breaking free and stumbling away from him, kicking off her heels with each step.
“Stupid bitch!” the giant screamed before catching up to her and throwing her against a brick wall. The impact of her back slamming against the rough surface knocked the wind out of her. The pain was unimaginable, and it took several seconds for her vision to return. Once it did, she saw a blonde-haired man standing in front of the giant. The woman squinted to get a better look, but all she could clearly see was blonde hair, striking green eyes, and a bizarre aura that had swirls of black and white dancing around in no discernable pattern.
The green-eyed man with the zebra aura lifted a hand up to his ear. He paused and then jumped up and down with his hands flailing like an inflatable tube man. The woman’s mouth hung open. She fought through the pain, examining the movements of this lunatic.
Of course
, she thought. The entire night had felt like a fever dream, so why not cap it off with a good old-fashioned dance routine? The giant stood frozen. At that moment, the woman knew that they were thinking the same thing.
What the hell is going on?
The giant suddenly flew toward her, landing on his back. The woman looked up at the blonde-haired man and saw violet eyes glaring at the red-eyed monster. He was rhythmically jumping in place, white earbuds protruding from his ears.
The giant rose and stumbled before eventually standing his ground. “W-What the hell are you?” he asked. The blonde-haired man kept hopping around, mouthing something to himself while grinning a wide grin. The giant sprinted to the woman. He lifted her up and threw her at the blonde-haired man. He tried to catch her, but he misjudged the distance, causing her to hit the pavement. Her entire body was in so much pain that she let out a shriek loud enough to mask the sound of the giant running away. She lay there on the ground, her consciousness slipping away. The last thing she saw before letting go were two violet eyes peering down at her.
***
Melek paused the music. The joyous rage that consumed him every time he pressed play dwindled away, leaving behind the emptiness he had grown accustomed to. He stood still for a moment, shocked at what had just transpired. The loud clomp of the demon’s feet repeatedly hitting the pavement caused Melek to hesitate for a moment. His desire to run after that detestable creature was strong, but the woman let out a shriek that caused Melek to bolt toward her instead. He stood over her and immediately noticed the bloodied scratches on her knee. He saw her light brown skin underneath the rips in her teal dress, and the bottoms of her feet were wet and blackened. The woman stared at Melek with glossy hazel eyes before losing consciousness.
He weighed his options. The nearest hospital was well over ten miles away, and the thought of carrying her on his shoulders for that long of a trek seemed preposterous. He could call an ambulance, but since the uptick in crime, the response times had been ridiculous, especially in that part of the city. Melek eventually realized that he was wasting precious time. This person was hurt and in need of help, so he picked her up and headed toward his nearby apartment.
Melek gently placed her on his bed. He found himself suddenly ashamed by the bareness of his apartment. He grabbed the first aid kit located under his kitchen sink and placed it near her motionless body. Melek inspected her, checking for other visible injuries. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and in phenomenal shape. She had toned arms and legs, with the rock hard calves of a runner. The small pool of blood under her knee alarmed him, so he hurriedly cleaned the wound and bandaged the area. The woman let out a dry cough, causing Melek to gaze into her hazel eyes.
“W-Were am I?” the woman asked.
“Are you feeling nauseous?”
“W-What?”
“I asked if you’re feeling nauseous.”
“No… wait, you’re the dancing guy.”
Melek remained stoic despite feeling a tinge of shame pass through him. “Any dizziness?”
“No, just a little tired,” she rubbed her shoulder, “and really sore.”
“Well, the good news is you don’t seem to have a concussion.” The woman tried to sit up. “Be careful. I haven’t finished checking you for injuries.”
“I’m fine. I—” She gawked at her bandaged knee. “What the hell was that thing? And what the hell are you? I’ve never seen someone with an aura like yours.”
Melek stood up and walked toward his kitchen, his eyes checking the freezer door. “So, you’re able to see auras.” He forgot to mask his aura before heading out. A rookie mistake. After turning the faucet on and washing the blood from his hands, he reached for a paper towel. “That behemoth was a demon. As for what I am—let’s just say I’m special.”
“Of course he was,” she said flatly. “First the crime, now this?”
“You’re aware of the increase in crime, yet you went out at night dressed like
that
?”
“I was working.”
“What work could possibly require you to—oh.”
“The better question is, what kind of person dresses like Spike and goes around dancing and fighting demons in the middle of the night?”
“Dresses like who?”
The mystery woman shook her head. “The point I’m trying to make is… well, I guess I don’t really have a point.” She flinched and then grabbed her knee. “I can’t believe I didn’t say this right away. Thank you. That guy was going to kill me. Also, thanks for not copping a feel.”
“I can’t believe you just thanked me for not sexually assaulting you.”
“In my profession, I tend to see the worst side of men.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about any of that from me. And, you’re welcome.” Melek reached into his cabinet and took out an empty glass. He filled it with tap water and handed it to her before taking a seat on the bed. “What’s your name?”
“Ashley. And you?”
“Melek.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“You think so?”
“No, I’ve sort of conditioned myself to say that.” She laughed. It sounded so dry and awkward that it caught him by surprise. Melek couldn’t help but smile.
“I like your laugh,” Melek said.
“Now you’re the one lying.”
“No, I really do. It’s unique.”
“Well, thank you. I don’t get to show it off much. I’m kind of out of practice.”
“I know the feeling. So, Ashley, do you live nearby?”
“I don’t know where I am at the moment, so I have no idea.”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that. You’re just a couple of blocks from the alleyway.”
“If that’s the case, then no. My boss sends me to different areas of the city. I actually live near Bridge Plaza.”
“That’s pretty far away.” Melek glanced at her bandaged knee. “Are you sure you’re okay? I mean, that guy messed you up pretty bad.”
“That was nothing. My brothers did way worse to me growing up.” There was a pause. “While horse playing,” she clarified.
“Can you stand?” Melek asked.
Ashley slowly inched her feet toward the edge of the bed. Once they hit the ground, she stood up while holding onto her knee. She began limping awkwardly toward the kitchen. “Told you I was fine.”
“Fine, is the last word I would use to describe you right now.” Melek shot up and grabbed a jacket from his closet. “Here, put this on.” He picked up a pair of flip-flops. “And these. They’ll probably be a little big, but at least they’ll protect your feet.” Melek handed her the jacket. After she took it from his hands, she leaned in for a kiss. His lips were as stiff as boards.
Ashley pulled away. “I’m sorry. I just…”
Melek placed the flip-flops on the ground. “It’s okay.”
“Yeah, forget about it.” She put on the clothes Melek handed her. The noise of her stumbling around in his apartment in oversized flip flops almost made Melek laugh. After she finished testing out her new footwear, she plopped herself on his bed and used his jacket as a blanket. “What were you doing out there?”
Melek sat down next to her. “I was going out for a walk.”
“Do you always go out for walks in the middle of the night while carrying a hatchet?”
“I’m surprised you even know what a hatchet is.”
“I noticed the holster in your closet. I grew up in a rural part of upstate New York, so I’ve seen my fair share of tools.”
“I guess it’s no use lying to you. The hatchet is for the demons. Decapitation is the only way to kill them.”
“So you just go out slaying demons with a hatchet? Sounds like you have a death wish.”
Melek furrowed his brow. “You didn’t even flinch after I told you that demons exist.”
“I’ve always sort of believed in the supernatural. You could have told me vampires are real and I’d believe it.”
“I’m pretty sure I can confidently say that vampires do not exist.”
Ashley chuckled under her breath. “What about the dancing?”
“Huh?”
“You were dancing. Actually, it was more like jumping around.”
“It helps me get into the right mood to fight. I’m normally not a violent person.”
“What about the music? What gets you in the mood to dance?” Ashley failed to hide her mocking grin.
Melek pulled out his phone and showed her the singular track in his music library. “
Blood in the Streets by Ghostface,
” he said.
“
This was my brother’s favorite song. He was always going on about how much better nineties rappers are.”
“
Was
? What happened to him?”
“He died.”
“Sorry for your loss.”
His brother’s crooked smile appeared in his mind’s eye. Melek became filled with equal parts disgust and rage.
“
I’m over it,” he seethed.
“Your eyes…”
Melek collected himself by focusing on his breath. “Yeah, that happens sometimes.”
“I saw them change back in the alleyway, too.”
“Remember when I told you I was special?” Melek asked. “Let’s just call that one of my gifts.”
“Why the hell are you being so cryptic?”
“If I told you the truth, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Melek, you just told me that demons exist. I don’t think anything could trump that.”
“Honestly, it’s something I’m not very comfortable talking about. All you need to know is that I’m different.”
Ashley scoffed. “Okay, zebra boy.”
“What?”
“Your aura. It’s black and white like a zebra’s stripes.”
Melek pulled out his phone and started searching for the number of a taxi service. “I really hope that nickname doesn’t stick.”
“Too late.” Ashley glanced at his phone. “Oh wow, you’re already getting rid of me? Does
zebra boy
bother you that much?”
Melek chuckled. “Even though it’s a stupid nickname, that’s not why I’m calling a taxi. You need to get home and rest. I also recommend that you see a doctor, since you insist on lying about how much pain you’re in.”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
Melek dialed the number to the nearest taxi stand and put the phone to his ear. “Whatever.”
After finally getting a taxi to agree to come to his apartment, he checked his wallet. “Damn it,” he sighed.
“What’s the problem?”
“I don’t think I have enough money to pay for your fare.”
“You’re so sweet.” Ashley lifted her dress, revealing a thin nylon velcro strap attached to her thigh. Melek noticed the faded green dollar bills peaking out from under it. The velcro crackled as she removed the strap and collected the money. “I think I’m going to be okay,” she said before taking a one-hundred-dollar bill and waving it in front of Melek’s hand. “Thank you for everything.”
Melek really wanted to grab that bill. “I can’t.”
“Zebra, you don’t have to put on this noble act for me.”
“I don’t need your money. Thanks for the offer, though.” The groceries he envisioned himself buying started disappearing, one by one. “Let’s wait for the taxi downstairs.”
Melek and Ashley made their way to the front of the building. The sound of her flopping as they walked through the lobby tickled him.
Ashley gave Melek a peck on the cheek before hopping into the cab. “I’m going to bring your jacket and flip-flops back, I promise,” Ashley said.
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
After Melek made it back to his apartment, he almost collapsed from exhaustion. Never has his mattress looked so tantalizing. The small circle of dried blood on his sheets didn’t deter him. He hopped onto his bed and fell asleep.
Melek opened his eyes, a white void stretched before him. He sprung up from the ground and looked around in a panic.
Hello, Melek,
a voice said. The words echoing in his mind.
“Fuck,” Melek said. “Why now?”
Turn around,
the voice bellowed.
Melek turned and moved his head upward toward the face of the skyscraper-sized being standing before him. The creature’s flowing golden and white cloak covering its entire body. There were two golden gauntlets in place of its hands and it had a colossal white theater mask as a face—a massive golden handle attached to the mask. Melek tried to hide his awe. Despite meeting with this being several times by now, he still found himself dumbfounded by its size and beauty.
“What do you want?” Melek finally asked.
I’m sure you are aware of the increase in demonic activity. I desire reaffirmation of your dedication now more than ever.
“
I am a man of my word.”
I sense less rage in you.
“
Anger is an emotion, not a sustainable state. It comes and goes.”
This new temperament is… concerning, to say the least.
“Well, I—”
Remember what they took from you!
His voice rattled Melek, causing him to swallow his indignation about being interrupted.
Remember why you fight—why you survive. Hone your hatred. Sharpen it like a blade’s edge. KILL. THEM. ALL.
Melek awoke to squares of sunlight slanting through his barred windows. He clenched his fists. Flashes of his brother assaulted his mind. He let out a smirk. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” |
Melek knew he would regret drinking that lady’s wine, but the cherry-red bottle poking out of her grocery bag called to him and his parched throat. How could he possibly resist?
His migraine was harrowing. It was as if someone repeatedly stabbed his temple with an icepick. The bang of metal hitting metal, the buzz from the automatic welding machines, and the loud hum from the dozens of industrial fans joined forces to break him; yet he refused to fold. Melek looked up at the enormous digital clock above him and a sigh escaped his lips. Only thirty minutes left. Pick up the driveshaft, place it in the straightener, press the button ad nauseam. It was monotonous work, but if he got into a good enough rhythm, he would sometimes enter a zen-like state. During these fleeting moments, the memories that constantly attacked his psyche quieted down, and the otherwise backbreaking manual labor seemed tolerable.
Tony, his supervisor, waddled toward him and leaned against one of the machines. The man was short, middle-aged, and onion shaped. He wore a baseball cap to hide his thinning hair, and his crooked teeth had turned a bright yellow from the decades of smoking. His black wedding band contrasted against his pasty white skin. Melek assumed that—at one time—he was at least moderately in shape, considering the fact that the band was now tight around his ring finger. “Yo, Melek,” Tony said. “A couple of us are going out for drinks after work. You down?”
Melek blew away the strands of dishwater-blonde hair obstructing his vision. “I don’t drink.”
“That sexy new temp is going out with us. She’s been checking you out nonstop since she got here, and tonight is the perfect opportunity to get to know her a little better.” He cracked a hideous smile, sending shivers down Melek’s spine.
“I already have plans. Sorry.”
“Your loss. What I wouldn’t do for a piece of that—”
The bell signaling a shift change came to Melek’s rescue. After removing his work gloves, he clocked out and bolted out of the factory.
Of all the places Melek had lived, New York was easily the most bizarre. The idea of an adult purposefully not owning a car never even crossed his mind until he got here. After a couple of days of constant bumper to bumper traffic and having to cross his fingers before searching for a parking spot, he sold his car and never looked back. Besides, the walk home let him clear his head, or more accurately, it let him
try
. On his way home, he would occasionally stop at a bodega that sold the best beef patties in New York. The thought of biting into one of those tasty morsels made him quicken his pace.
Outside the bodega, he saw two young boys playing with a basketball. It looked like the older boy was helping the younger one learn how to dribble. A feeling of nostalgia lifted Melek’s mood as he reminisced about the games he used to play with his older brother. Then, like clockwork, an even more powerful wave of melancholy replaced the joy associated with those memories.
He peered up at the sign that read
Bartholomew’s Deli
and patted his stomach before taking a step inside. The raging hangover caused by downing copious amounts of cheap wine still plagued him, so he was in desperate need of some comfort food. Once inside, he encountered the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of his favorite spot. The owner, Mr Bartholomew himself, was in the area behind the counter, alternating between cooking something on the grill and checking out a customer. Melek had to squint his eyes to see him through the smudge covered bulletproof barriers lining the counter. He sauntered through the unorganized food aisles until he heard a yelp come from Mr. Bartholomew’s direction.
“Is that who I think it is?” Mr. Bartholomew asked. His high-pitched voice and thick Eastern European accent spread like a wave throughout the bodega.
Melek responded with a head nod, but then quickly realized that Mr. Bartholomew probably couldn’t see him through the smudged barrier.
“Seriously?” Mr. Bartholomew yelled. “All I get is a head nod?”
Oh
, Melek thought. “Uh, how you been?”
“Terrible,” Mr. Bartholomew said. “What the hell is going on in this city? Three murders this week alone, and it’s only Tuesday! Even for New York, this shit is ridiculous.”
A large knot formed in the pit of Melek’s stomach. He suddenly recalled the bearded demon’s red eyes gleaming as he was on his knees, unaware of the hatchet about to end his worthless existence. Melek was used to seeing demons. Hell, killing them is what got him up in the morning. But they almost never openly interacted with humans. Something was emboldening them, and it irked Melek to his core not knowing what.
Mr. Bartholomew gave the eggs on his grill a flip. “Don’t worry about it, kid. How have you been?”
Melek snapped back to the present, forcing a warm smile. “Working. You know, same old shit.”
“So, what brings you here today? Wait, lemme guess. You’re craving some of my world famous beef patties?”
“Oh, they went from the best in New York to world famous. Seems like you’ve been keeping busy.”
Mr. Bartholomew smiled, his veneers beaming in the dimly lit bodega. “A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. I would have filled you in, but you’re no longer a regular.”
“I had to slow down. I was gaining weight, and I need to be in great shape for my job.”
“You can afford to gain a couple of pounds, Melek. So what if you go from the body of a supermodel to the body of a regular model?”
Melek chuckled for the first time in what felt like months. “Mr. Bartholomew,” he said. “Give me two beef patties. I’m fighting this horrible hangover and it’s currently winning.”
“Coming right up.” Mr. Bartholomew immediately bustled through the doors that led to his storage room. He returned with six of the triangle shaped pastries in hand. “So, what drink caused you all of this trouble?”
“Ever heard of a brand of wine called—”
“Wine did this to you? Did you drink it before or after you popped some Midol?”
“Are you seriously breaking my balls over the fact that I drank some wine?”
“To be fair, I would have made fun of you regardless.”
“Why do I come here again?”
“Because I have the best beef patties in the Milky Way.”
Melek walked up to the counter and peered at the trays of deep fried deliciousness on display. Below the chicken wings was a row of already cooked beef patties. Mr. Bartholomew always made sure that Melek’s food was as fresh as possible, so they must have been left out for a while.
“Melek.” His light-hearted tone of voice disappeared. “My daughter couldn’t sleep last night because she was having nightmares. These murders are ruining my love of this city.”
“I wish I knew what the hell was going on,” Melek said. He had a working theory, but he would never share that part of his life with Mr. Bartholomew. Melek leaned on the counter and looked toward the kids playing with the basketball outside. “I heard that a crop of police just straight up quit. Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see the day when New York police officers would actually throw in the towel.”
Mr. Bartholomew checked on the patties in the deep frier. “How old are you now?”
Melek turned his attention away from the two boys and met Mr. Bartholomew’s gaze. “Twenty-two. Why?”
“When I was your age, I already had my first son. You ever think about settling down?”
“What’s up with these questions? You a psychiatrist now?”
“Listen, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’ve been looking at some real estate in Vermont—”
“Please don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about moving.”
“I am,” Mr. Bartholomew said. “And I suggest you do the same. You’re a good kid, Mel. You should settle down and start thinking about your future.”
“You’re talking like you’ve already moved.”
“I love New York, but if I have to choose between the city I love and my family, I’m choosing my people ten times out of ten.”
Melek moved away from the counter, allowing a customer to check out. He glanced over at the kids and noticed the older one running toward the basketball, now rolling across the street. Without thinking, he sprinted out of the bodega. A bus appeared in Melek’s peripheral vision, turning the corner and speeding toward the boy. A loud screech scratched at his ears as the bus attempted to slow down. He scooped the boy up and leaped onto the sidewalk.
The bus driver opened the window and stuck her head out. “Oh my god! Are you two okay?”
Melek looked down at the boy. “We’re fine,” he said. The kid’s eyes were closed, and he was shaking—his fingers indenting the ball. “Hey kid, what’s your name?” Melek asked in a soothing tone.
The kid finally opened his eyes and slowly looked up at Melek. “J-Josh.”
“You saved my brother!” The younger boy exclaimed. He was now on their side of the street, staring at Melek with a look of astonishment. “You ran by me so fast, I almost didn’t even see you!”
“You’re welcome,” Melek said casually, trying to not let his ego swell. “What’s your name?”
The younger one glanced at his brother, still tightly clinging to Melek. “Colton.”
Melek put Josh down and inspected him for injuries. “Hey Josh, are you hurt?”
Josh composed himself. He then started dribbling the ball as his gaze met the sidewalk. “No.”
“Ya’ll good?” The bus driver asked. The car rumbled violently while idling.
“We’ll be okay,” Melek said. The bus driver rolled her windows up and drove away; her passengers staring at the three of them until the bus turned the corner. Small crowds began forming nearby. Mr. Bartholomew stood in front of his bodega with his hands on his hips, gawking at the three of them. Colton tried to pry the ball from Josh’s hands, but Josh yanked it away, illustrating that they truly didn’t understand the weight of the situation they had just avoided. Melek smiled and put a hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Hey, I just saved your brother, so I’m gonna need something in return.”
Colton eyed Melek suspiciously. “What?”
“I need you to look out for him, okay? I know he’s probably always talking about how he’s supposed to look after you and stuff, but—”
“It’s so annoying!” Colton said. “He thinks he can tell me what to do because he’s bigger than me.”
Melek contained his laughter. “My brother was the same way. Let me tell you a little secret. We sometimes have to protect our big brothers too. They may be bigger, but we’re usually smarter.”
“Did you hear that Josh? I’m smarter than you!”
“No, you’re not!” Josh exclaimed
“Are too!”
“Are not!”
“Guys,” Melek said. “Where are your parents?”
“We’re staying with our Mom this weekend and she lets us do whatever we want,” Josh said while pointing to an apartment building a couple of blocks away.
“Check in with her,” Melek said.
Josh looked at Melek like he had just said the dumbest thing ever. “Why? All she does is watch TV all day. She doesn’t care.”
“Colton,” Melek said with a wink. “Remember what I just said?”
Colton repeatedly tapped the side of his head with his pointer finger, signaling that he was the brains of this little duo. “Josh, I’m hungry,” he whined.
Josh gave Colton a glare, then eventually let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll make you something to eat.”
“I’ll walk with you guys. Just lead the way,” Melek said. They began walking toward the run-down apartment building. Melek asked for the ball from Colton and began spinning it on his finger. The kids started counting how many seconds he could keep it spinning. After almost breaking his recently established record of ten seconds, they finally made it to the front entrance of the apartment. “Alright, this is where we part ways,” Melek said. Josh snatched the ball away and sprinted toward the entrance.
Colton ran after his brother, stopping at the top of the steps. He tapped the side of his head with his pointer finger one last time before turning back around and running through the two graffiti-covered doors.
By the time Melek made it back to Mr. Bartholomew, the small crowds that formed near the accident had dissipated. The second he stepped inside the bodega, Mr. Bartholomew threw a grease-stained brown paper bag at him. Melek opened it and took a whiff of the four beef patties inside.
“A little extra for the hero,” Mr. Bartholomew said with his eyes glued to the food sizzling on his grill.
“You’re the best,” Melek said.
“I know.”
Melek devoured two beef patties on the walk home, saving the other two for later. All that extra food was only going to weigh him down. He opened the door to his studio apartment and immediately ran to his kitchen to put the patties in the freezer, closing the freezer door slowly. If he shut the door too quickly, it wouldn’t close properly. He learned that the hard way after he slammed it shut one night and woke up to melted ice cream and defrosted TV dinners.
One could best describe Melek's apartment as cozy. He had two pieces of furniture. His queen sized mattress lay on the floor, and the tiny TV stand Mr. Bartholomew gifted him was in a corner, collecting dust. Sunlight passed through the black bars on his windows, casting square shadows onto his carpet. He oftentimes felt like he came home to a jail cell.
He went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face before getting undressed. After giving each article of clothing the sniff test, he concluded that everything but his boxers were clean enough to wear again. Laundry day wasn’t for another three days, so he couldn’t afford to be too picky.
He hanged his clothes and then glanced at his earbuds. Once he saw that they had been charged, he grabbed the sheath holster tucked away in his closet and removed the hatchet to inspect the blade—ash particles dotting the steel. After wiping it with a cloth, he put it back in its holster and hopped onto his bed, setting the timer on his phone for three hours. |
The sky is filled with dark smoke from the sea of flames consuming the houses, trees, even the people. Within the fire a little girl is trembling on the ground her brown hair and blue dress are covered in burn marks. Barely breathing she looks up with teary eyes sees a woman wearing a weaponize armor suit flying above her. Her red eyes and pink hair glare down at the fire, she points a big canon down to the ground right where the little girl is. Preparing to fire, a man with glowing white hair flies between them, they both yell at each other the little girl can’t hear what their talking about. They start to fight each other their clash sends shock waves across the sky during their fight a stray shot heads for the little girl, the man teleports in front of her. The light is so bright that everything goes white.
The bright sun shining down on the ocean, the sounds of the water hitting the warm sand a teenage girl brown hair, yellow eyes wearing a small white scarf, dark green jacket, light blue shirt, black pants, and brown boots is standing on the beach staring up at the sky. She reaches up to grab the sun then smiles big. On a cliff over the ocean an academy where students learn to becomes pilots, engineers, many other opportunities given at the academy. In the main hanger by the launch bay a student engineer in blue coveralls he’s black hair and green eyes are covered in dirt. Him and many other engineers are working on armor suits and their weapons, another student wearing a long black jacket, brown shirt, black glasses, dark blue pants, brown shoes, blue eyes, and purple hair walks over to the student laying down on a wooden board underneath a yellow armor suit. He lightly kicks the student’s black boot, he comes out from under the suit.
“Huh? Alf your back. When did you return?”
“Just this morning, plane landed early.” Alf
“Still repairing Ginia’s suit? She sure did a number on it. She needs to be more careful with it.” Alf
“No, no Alf I’m just doing some finishing touches on it.”
“Always doing an excellent job, Iven. I can always leave my suit with you.” Alf
“Thanks Alf.” Iven
“By the way have you seen Ginia or Diaz?” Alf
“I couldn’t find either one to say hello.” Alf
“Diaz was here an hour ago, Ginia hasn’t shown up yet.” Iven
“Guess I’ll go find Diaz knowing Ginia she probably overslept or dozed off looking up at the sky.” Alf
“She really loves the sky, doesn’t she.” Iven
“She rather be up there than down here on the ground.” Alf
“See you later, Iven.” Alf
“See ya.” Iven
The intercom over the hanger turns on.
“Alf and Iven report to the headmaster Earl’s office.”
“I repeat Alf and Iven report to the headmaster Earl’s office.”
They’re both confused, but head for the headmaster’s office, walking inside Diaz is already waiting for them.
“Diaz.” Iven
“This is where you were.” Alf
“Alf welcome back.” Diaz
She hugs Alf
“Thanks Diaz.” Alf
“Headmaster good to see your still growing old.” Alf
“Haven’t lost your charming touch, Alf.” Headmaster Earl
“Headmaster, is there a reason why you called us here?” Iven
“Yes, but where is Ginia? Is she not with you?” Headmaster
“Sorry sir, but…” Iven
“We honestly don’t know where she is.” Iven, Alf, and Diaz
Ginia is running on the sidewalk by the beach sand.
“Man, I’m so late. Headmaster is going to have my head!” Ginia
“Thankfully Alf hasn’t returned yet.” Ginia
Making her way to the academy she spots a boy around her age standing by the ocean with a dazed look, his white shoes by him. He takes a few steps into the water, surprised she runs towards him.
“Stop! Don’t do it!” Ginia
She tips on the sand and pushes him into the eater. Ginia bows and apologies multiple times to him.
“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” Ginia
He rings out his red shirt then brushes back his blue hair and dust off the sand on his gray pants.
“Will you stop saying that. I heard you the first ten times.”
“So sorry. So sorry. So sorry. So sorry.” Ginia
“More than that why did you push me into the water?”
“Oh! Well, you see, I thought that you were…” Ginia
“You thought I was.”
Ginia looks away, standing back up he helps her up.
“How stupid. I was just taking a drip in the water.”
“Well, how about a change of clothes?” Ginia
“Huh?”
“The place I work at has clothes there so you don’t have to wear those wet clothes.” Ginia
“That’s alright, I don’t need…”
Ginia stares at him with puppy dog eyes, big and wide.
“Fine, fine. Just stop staring at me.”
“Really? Yeah!” Ginia
Walking a few more miles down the beach there’s a big wooden house on the beach the sign says Hutside BeacH, inside are snacks, tourist items, some games, and a rental shop; surf boards, jet skis, and other beach supplies.
“Jason! Are you here?” Ginia
Jason comes out from the back.
“Ginia your early for your shift.” Jason
“Jason is the owner of this place. It’s nice sense it’s by water.” Ginia
He sees her and the boy who is soaking wet.
“I’ll go get some new dry clothes. I hoped you said your sorry for getting this poor kid wet.” Jason
Ginia lowers her head. Jason gives the boy the clothes he goes to change.
“Seriously what’s the story? What did you do?” Jason
“I don’t know where to start.” Ginia
He comes out of the changing room in a white button shirt, blue pants, and black shoes.
“Looks good on you.” Jason
“Yeah, you look great in them.” Ginia
His white eyes looks at the clothes that he is wearing.
“How much?”
Huh?” Jason and Ginia
“How much for the clothes?”
Don’t worry about it since Ginia ruined your clothes she’ll pay for them.” Jason
“Yeah… wait what?” Ginia
“Come on Jason, how am I going to pay for them?” Ginia
“With your next paycheck.” Jason
“What! Please Jason at least give me a discount.” Ginia
As Jason and Ginia argue he looks down with a sad look.
‘Is it really okay for me to?’
“I’ll…accept this. Thank you.”
“That settles it.” Jason
“Eh! Not you too!” Ginia
The boy smiles a bit.
“Hey, I never did ask for your name. What is your name?” Ginia
“It’s Kia.” Kia
“Kia, huh. It’s nice to meet you Kia.” Jason
“How long have you lived here in this city, Kia?” Ginia
“Hmm… I don’t know.” Kia
“What do you mean?” Ginia
“I don’t remember anything about my past or about myself.” Kia
“Really? Wow, I never would have guessed.” Ginia
“Is it amnesia?” Jason
“Don’t know. Sometimes memories come back, but disappears the next day.” Kia
It goes silent, no one speaks a word then a phone rings. Ginia pulls out her phone as she answers.
“Hello…” Ginia
“Idiot! Where are you? I’ve been calling you for two hours!” Alf
“Alf? When did you get back?” Ginia
“Get here in ten minutes, got it.” Alf
Ginia turns pale, panicking; she runs as fast as she can leaving Jason and Kia alone.
“If you're not doing anything, would you mind helping out here at the shop?” Jason
“Sure.” Kia
Ginia almost makes it to the academy in ten minutes, dashing through the hallways right up to the headmaster’s office. She swings open the door.
“Sorry, I’m so late!” Ginia
Alf grabs her head and squeezes very hard.
“You finally got here, Ginia.” Alf
“Yes….” Ginia
“Alf your squeezing too hard.” Ginia
“Oh, am I.” Alf
He squeezes harder.
“I’m very sorry, please forgive me.” Ginia
She grows even more pale.
“Calm down, Alf. We still need to learn more about our mission.” Diaz
“Fine.” Alf
He lets Ginia go, she falls to the ground.
“Don’t think your off the hook Ginia.” Alf
“Yes, sir. Thank you Diaz.” Ginia
“Now that you feel better Alf, let’s continue with our conversation.” Headmaster Earl
“Alright.” Alf
Ginia remains on the floor while everyone else continues to talk.
“The mission that I am assigning to you is to protect and escort a young noble girl around the city and through her trip here on Earth.” Headmaster Earl
“What do you mean on earth? Is she not from Earth?” Iven
“She’s from Areth, right.” Diaz
“Correct. On her own request she wishes to talk to the leaders to bring this war to an end.” Headmaster Earl
“Not the first time someone wanted to stop this war.” Alf
“She says she’s the daughter of the Safire family.” Headmaster Earl
Ginia gets to her feet wobbling a bit.
“Safire family? The ones who are leading Areth?” Iven
“Yes, this may be the key to stopping this war or starting a whole new one.” Headmaster Earl
“When does she get here?” Diaz
“She should be landing at our base in five minutes.” Headmaster Earl
A small spaceship that looks like an airplane flying over the ocean. A young girl with long blonde hair and black eyes stares out the window wearing a pretty pink dress and a small jacket, light pink gloves, crystal earrings, red high heel shoes, and a white closed lily in her hair.
“My lady, we’ll be landing soon.”
“Okay, thank you Lantz.”
Her guard is wearing a brown leather jacket, white shirt, black tie, dark brown pants, black shoes, and carrying a small gun on his waist.
“When we land we should be greeted by our escorts.” Lantz
“I wonder what they’ll be like? What are they wearing?”
“Will they accept us since we’re from Areth?”
“I don’t know about that Ms. Nadia, but I will do my best to protect you.” Lantz
“Thanks Lantz, but I’ve told you not to call me Ms.” Nadia
“Sorry, my lady.” Lantz
“Just Nadia, is fine.” Lantz
“Alright, Nadia.” Lantz
The spaceship prepares to land on the base Alf and his team are waiting for them. Landing safely the door opens, lowering down to become stairs Nadia is the first one off followed by Lantz.
‘
Headmaster, why just a small team to protect this girl? Why not a bigger escort or a more experienced one?
’ Alf
‘
Someone will try to stop these negotiations from happening. A small team like yours are more moveable then others and who knows who may have a grudge against Areth.
’ Headmaster Earl
‘
Wanting to make this trip of her’s fail is not an option, understand Alf.
’ Headmaster Earl
Nadia and Lantz walk up to them then bows their heads.
“ Hello my name is Nadia Safire. This is my guard Lantz, we are in your care.” Nadia
“My name is Alf, this is my team we will be protecting you and your guard from now on.” Alf
“Thank you.” Nadia
“Please right this way.” Alf
They walk to the entrance of the base where a car is waiting for them.
“Me and Iven still have some work to do, so Ginia and Diaz will be accompanying you.” Alf
“Sorry, but I have something to do too.” Diaz
“Then Ginia you’ll be guarding her alone til Diaz can join you.” Alf
“Yes, sir.” Ginia
Nadia, Lantz, and Ginia get in the car then it drives off.
“Diaz find out if she was followed.” Alf
“Yes, sir.” Diaz
“What about that something you had to do?” Iven
“I don’t know what you're talking about.” Diaz
She chuckles then walks away.
“Guess I’ll go finish my touch ups.” Iven
“What about you, Alf.” Iven
“I want to look something up then I’ll follow behind them.” Alf
“You mean spy on them.” Iven
“You make it sound so wrong.” Alf
Driving through the streets Nadia looks at everything passing by.
“Is there a place you want to visit, hmm.” Ginia
“You can call me Nadia, Ms. Ginia.” Nadia
“Ginia is fine. May I can you Lantz?” Ginia
“Yes, Ginia.” Lantz
“As for where to go…” Lantz
“Ocean! I want to see the ocean!” Nadia
“Okay, I know the best spot.” Ginia
The car pulls over as they get out of the car the ocean is shining bright with the sun above it. Both Nadia and Lantz are amazed by the view; they can’t take their eyes off it.
“What do you think?” Ginia
“It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined.” Nadia
“Yeah.” Lantz
“Why not get a closer look?” Ginia
“Really?” Lantz
Nadia runs ahead of them.
“Wait for me, my lady.” Lantz
He runs after he Ginia smiles making her way to them. Nadia takes off her shoes, splashes in the water, Lantz gets down on one knee, cups his hands together, and scopes up some of the water. Nadia splashes Lantz, laughing he tries to splash her back. Ginia sits on the beach watching them play in the ocean happy to see them having a good time. Back at the academy Diaz walks into the control room with lots of people on computers with a big screen in front of them.
“Diaz, what can we do for you?”
“I want to see if our guest was followed by anyone or happens to have an uninvited visitor aboard her ship.” Diaz
“Right away.”
They all scan the area around Nadia’s ship as well as the route she took to get here. Diaz’s phone rings.
“Hello.” Diaz
“Find anything?” Alf
“Not yet, I took a look through her ship. Found nothing suspicious, about to see if anyone from Areth followed her.” Diaz
“What about you? Anything on Nadia or her guard?” Diaz
“She was born and raised on Areth as for her guard he came from Earth then traveled to Areth. Don’t know how he got off Earth without being notice. He’s family has killed during the war twenty years ago says he blamed the army for their deaths.” Alf
“Did Nadia come here to make peace or to kill more people?” Diaz
“No clue, lets keep an eye on her just in case.” Alf
“Right.” Diaz
“Also don’t…” Alf
“Don’t tell Ginia, right.” Diaz
“Right, I’ll inform Iven later.” Alf
“Okay, bye.” Diaz
She hangs up.
Up on the screen shows the Earth and the surrounding areas. The sun starts to set Nadia and Lantz collapse on the beach.
“You two finally had your fill?” Ginia
“Yes, it was so much fun.” Nadia
They hear a growl coming from Lantz’s stomach.
“So hungry.” Lantz
Nadia and Ginia chuckle, Ginia helps Nadia up.
“There's a place near here with really good food. Let’s go there.” Ginia
“Okay.” Nadia
“Yeah.” Lantz
He jumps to his feet. They arrive at the Hutside BeacH is busy for it being so late in the afternoon.
“I’ve never seen it this busy before, wonder what happened?” Ginia
“Ah! Ginia, been a while.”
“Arika, you’re working today?” Ginia
She is wearing a white shirt, blue skirt, black shoes, and a black tie.
“Jason called and said that you were running late again.” Arika
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, be right there.” Arika
“You work here, Ginia?” Nadia
“Sometimes to earn a little more money.” Ginia
“Hey Jason! Jason!” Ginia
“Stop yelling, your disrupting the customer!” Jason
“Sorry.” Ginia
‘Yet he is yelling as well.’
Lantz
“If you're sorry, hurry up, change, get out here and help!” Jason
“Yes. You two go find a seat. I'll be there soon.” Ginia
Ginia runs to the back to change Nadia and Lantz takes a seat by the wooden rail with a view of the sea.
“The ocean is pretty even from far away with the sun setting on it.” Nadia
“It’s much more beautiful than the one back home.” Lantz
“I hope everyone back home can see the same view one day.” Nadia
“Yes, one day.” Lantz
He looks at the menu
“There’s lots to pick from Nadia, have a look.” Lantz
She picks up the menu.
“Sorry for the wait, can I get you something to drink or to start with?” Kia
“Water is fine.” Lantz
“I would like…” Nadia
Nadia looks up her eyes grow pale. She suddenly stands up out of her chair.
“What’s wrong?” Lantz
“Are you alright?” Kia
Nadia tries to speak, but no words leave her mouth. Ginia finishes changing, she sees Nadia trembling, she goes over to them.
“You okay Nadia?” Ginia
“Ginia.” Kia
“Kia, are you helping out?” Ginia
“Yes, Jason, ask me when you left.” Kia
“Oh! Sounds like him.” Ginia
“Ginia, do you know him?” Nadia
“Y-yes, kinda, we met today on the beach.” Ginia
“She ruined my clothes so she brought me here to get new ones” Kia
“You didn’t have to add that part.” Ginia
“Oh really? It’s true, isn’t.” Kia
“Well, yeah…but..” Ginia
“Excuse me, but are you..” Nadia
“Kia, can you take table 4?” Jason
“Yes! Arika can you take table 6 for me?” Kia
“Yes!” Arika
Kia runs off to take care of table 4 Nadia calms down after Kia leaves.
“How about some food?” Ginia
“Yes, let’s see.” Lantz
“I recommend this here. This is also good.” Ginia
“Ginia, you're drooling.” Lantz
“Sorry, everything looks so good.” Ginia
Nadia watches Kia.
‘No doubt. He has to be.’
Nadia
The sky turns dark, stars and moon appear in the sky and on the sea. Jason closes up, Nadia and Lantz wait outside.
“Thanks for your hard work Kia, Arika.” Jason
“Thank you.” Kia and Arika
“What about me, Jason?” Ginia
“See you tomorrow Arika.” Jason
“See you tomorrow.” Arika
“Don’t ignore me!” Ginia
“Good night Arika.” Kia
She walks away.
“Do you need a ride, Kia?” Jason
“Actually..” Kia
“Wait.” Nadia
Nadia and Lantz walk up to them, they seem really serious.
“I wish to talk to you.” Nadia
“Me?” Kia
“Then I’ll be going. See you tomorrow Kia.” Jason
“Yes, see ya.” Kia
“So what did you want to talk about?” Kia
“Let’s go somewhere else.” Nadia
“Ginia.” Nadia
“Huh?” Ginia
They're all sitting in Ginia’s apartment at a small table in the living room Ginia makes some tea then serves it to them.
“Thank you, Ginia. Sorry for the trouble.” Kia
“No, no it was just as a surprised to me as it was to you.” Ginia
‘I wonder why Nadia wanted to talk to Kia? And why it had to be in my apartment?’
Ginia
“I apologize for bringing you here all of a sudden.” Nadia
“I to apologize.” Lantz
“I don’t know why she wants to talk to you.” Lantz
“I’m to am curious.” Kia
“Me too.” Ginia
“Kia, are you from Areth?” Nadia
“Huh?” Kia
“Huh?” Ginia
“What did you say?” Ginia
“Are you or not?” Nadia
“Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know.” Kia
“You don’t know?” Lantz
“Kia has amnesia.” Ginia
“Really?” Nadia
“Yes, except for my name, everything else is a blur.” Kia
“Nadia, why do you think Kia is from Areth?” Ginia
“I don’t think I just know. I can feel a connection with Kia.” Nadia
“A connection?” Kia
“Yes, a connection that connects us to our god and to all who are born and raise in Areth?” Nadia
“Your god?” Ginia
“Lord Karinana the god of machines and lightning. He help create our home Areth. After the chaos that took place out lord went to sleep and was never seen again.” Lantz
“Oh! I didn’t know Areth had a god.” Ginia
“I thought the people of Areth made their home.” Ginia
“Is the reason you came here is for your god?” Ginia
“Yes, I want to end this war and bring our god home.” Nadia
Kia smiles.
“You really like your lord.” Kia
“Yeah, I actually got to meet him.” Nadia
“Wow! Really?!” Ginia
“I got lost when I was little walking through the forest.” Nadia
“Oh.” Ginia
‘They have a forest?’
Kia
“I found a shrine that was abandoned, I visited everyday. I didn’t realize how late it was so I stayed there until someone came for me.” Nadia
“You must’ve been scared.” Ginia
“It was, it started to get really cold. I tried to keep warm by huddling up, but I was getting sleepy.” Nadia
“As I was passing out I saw someone standing in front of me with glowing white hair. I tried to reach out my hand to them, but my eyes closed.” Nadia
“We found her by the door of her family’s house, sleeping soundly.” Lantz
“The last thing I felt was a warm touch carrying me back home. I just know it was lord Karinana who saved me.” Nadia
Sniff
“He sounds like..”
Sniff
“A great god.” Ginia
“Right, that’s why I want to bring him back home like he did for me.” Nadia
“I truly hope your wish comes true. I may not remember where I came from or who I am, but I know your god is happy to know you care a lot about him.” Kia
“Thanks, Kia for your kind words.” Nadia
“No, thank you.” Kia
“Huh? Why?” Nadia
“I don’t believe I come from Areth or maybe even earth for now I wish to live my life where I am and maybe some day my memories will come back.” Kia
“I would like to tell you about my home, is that okay?” Kia
“I would love that. And some day I would like to show you Areth.” Nadia
“I’ll even give you the grand tour.” Nadia
“Sounds amazing, I look forward to it.” Kia
“Ginia, Lantz, you will join us, right?” Nadia
“Of course!” Ginia
“It would be an honor.” Lantz
Kia looks up at the clock it’s past 9 pm.
“I should be getting home.” Kia
Kia stands up.
“You can stay if you want.” Ginia
“No, it’s fine Jason asked me to come in early tomorrow to help out.” Kia
“So you’re getting used to the job already.” Ginia
Ginia stands up.
“I can at least walk you to the door.” Ginia
“Thanks, you have a good night Nadia, Lantz.” Kia
“Yes, good night.” Nadia
“Night.” Lantz
Ginia walks Kia to the door, waves goodbye as he heads for home.
“Are you sure you didn’t want to ask anything else?” Lantz
Nadia shakes her head.
“If he doesn’t remember we shouldn’t push him too much.” Nadia
“Memories can be painful when remembering something you shouldn’t, right.” Lantz
Ginia walks back into the room.
“Why don’t you two stay here tonight? Your hotel is quite far from here.” Ginia
“Is that alright?” Nadia
“Yeah, it’s more fun with more people.” Ginia
“Then we would love to stay.” Nadia
“Great, I’ll start making dinner.” Ginia
“I’ll help.” Lantz
“Really? Thank you.” Ginia
Happily watching Lantz and Ginia she thinks about Areth’s god, hoping her hard work will pay off. Walking home Kia quietly stares up at the night sky.
‘Is it true that I’m from Areth?’
Kia
Then looks down at the street and the houses passing by.
‘Or do I come from Earth?’
Kia
“All I remember is standing by the water asking myself, who am I?” Kia
Kia chuckles a bit.
“Maybe it’s best I don’t remember. Though I would like to see Areth with Nadia and the others.” Kia
“I wonder what Areth is like?” Kia
Up in space a giant spaceship as big as a whale heading towards earth, standing by a window up towards the top two men in white military suits, black trimming with two stars on each shoulder; one with brown hair and blue eyes, the other with blonde hair and green eyes Atreus down at earth.
“We’re finally here.” Man 2
“Ready the pilots for landing.” Man 1
“Yes, sir.” Man 2
The order is broadcast to the whole ship, the hangers and to all hallways. A soldier knocks on a door, it slides open.
“Lieutenant Commander Fania, your suit is ready and waiting for you.” Soldier 1
A woman with pink hair finishes putting on her dark purple suit, she turns around looking at him with her red eyes.
“Alright, tell the others to get to the hanger immediately.” Fania
“Yes!” Soldier 1
Fania heads for the hanger, all the soldiers are suited up, ready, and waiting. Fania puts on her armored suit. The spaceship begins it’s descent to earth.
“Remember our mission is to capture lady Nadia alive! If she refuses take her by force, understand!” Fania
“Yes, sir!” All Arethian soldiers
The next day on the beach Jason readies to open shop Kia and Arika meet up on top of the stairs, walking down they see Jason ready to work. Kia notices the sky turning dark; Ginia, Nadia, and Lantz are eating breakfast together Nadia sees the clouds turning dark. Headmaster Earl sitting at his desk sees the weather changing dramatically.
“I don’t like this, Chloe contact Diaz and get everyone ready to fight something is coming.” Headmaster Earl
“Yes, sir.” Chloe
A siren goes off all around the academy, everyone hurries to their stations. Iven gets Ginia’s, Diaz’s, and Alf’s suits ready. Diaz hears the siren going off as she gets a call from Alf.
“Alf! What’s going on?” Diaz
“Don’t know, just get to the hanger as fast as you can.” Alf
“Got it.” Diaz
Another sirening goes off in the control room.
“What happened?” Diaz
“An unidentified spacecraft is trying to enter our atmosphere.”
“What?!” Diaz
“Diaz? Diaz? What’s going on?” Alf
“Looks like we got trouble, something is coming.” Diaz
“Order the evacuation of all citizens to the safe zone, now!” Diaz
Diaz hangs up, she runs out heading for the hanger. Alf walks out of a room trying to call Ginia. Ginia, Nadia, and Lantz walk into the academy hearing the siren Ginia’s feels her phone ringing.
“Hello.” Ginia
“Ginia! Where are you?” Alf
“We just walk into the academy. Why is the siren going off?” Ginia
“There’s an emergency to get to the hanger bay right now!” Alf
“Yes.” Ginia
Ginia hangs up
“What’s going on, Ginia?” Nadia
“I don’t know, but you guys should go to Headmaster Earl’s office.” Ginia
“Is it that bad?” Nadia
“Don’t worry we’ll take care of it. You two just get somewhere safe.” Ginia
“Alright, we’ll head there right away.” Lantz
Ginia nods then runs off Lantz leads Nadia to the headmaster’s office. The sky starts to roar Jason looks up.
“Looks like a nasty storm is coming.” Jason
“Hey guys let’s close up til the storm passes.” Jason
“Okay.” Kia and Arika
Lightning crashes down, the people on the beach scream.
“Hey! It’s too dangerous here, get out of here!”Jason
They all ran for the streets or their cars, Jason sees some people to scared to move.
“Kia, Arika! We need to help these people!” Jason
“Right!” Kia and Arika
The three of them split off, warning as many people as they could to leave the beach. Ginia gets to the hanger Alf and Diaz finish putting on their armored suit Iven helps Ginia get her’s on. They all walk out onto the platform the storm keeps getting worse then it suddenly stops. Their all on edge, Diaz spots something up in the sky.
“Alf, look up!” Diaz
They all look up a giant spaceship is breaking the sky apart. The doors to the ship’s hanger opens.
“Shields up!” Fania
A force field is put up around all the soldiers and Fania, they detach then fly down to earth. Alf sees people coming out of the ship.
“Ready the shield and the canons.” Alf
A force field lights up around the academy, three large canons are brought up to the platform. Fania sees the canons preparing to fire.
“Half of you go to the city! The rest of you are with me!” Fania
“Yes, sir!” All Arethian soldiers
Alf receives a call from the control room.
“The enemy is splitting up and heading to the city.” Control room
“Got it.” Alf
“Ginia, their heading for the city take some men and protect the citizens til they evacuate everyone.” Alf
“Right away.” Ginia
“Let’s go!” Ginia
“Yes,sir!”
Ginia flies off with a few other pilots, Fania tires to shoot at them.
“Fire!” Alf
The canons open fire it takes down some of them, but their shields are strong, the shield around the ship is even stronger.
“Aim for the pilots, we’ll deal with the ship until the evacuate is complete.” Alf
Fania quickly flies towards them Alf takes out a laser sword ready to fight Fania. Jason, Kia, and Arika are almost finish getting people off the beach when Arika sees someone coming.
“Jason.” Arika
Jason looks and sees them too.
“Run! Run!” Jason
The soldiers start to fire at the citizens.
“Arika, get down!” Kia
He pushes her down to the ground dodging the lasers, Jason runs back to them.
“You guys alright?” Jason
“Yead, you okay Arika?” Kia
“Yes, thank you.” Arika
Kia and Arika get to their feet making it to Jason’s car. Hurrying inside the car Jason hits the gas trying to get away. Kia looks up at the broken sky and the soldiers attacking the city, he grabs his chest.
‘What is this feeling? Why does it hurt so much?’
Kia
While the city is under attack Nadia, Lantz, and Headmaster Earl are watching from his office.
“This is awful.” Nadia
“Why are they here? We never told anyone about us coming here?” Lantz
“Is this my fault?” Nadia
“My lady.” Lantz
“Don’t blame yourself. They would have come if you were here or not?” Headmaster Earl
“I have to stop them.” Nadia
She tries to run out the door, Lantz stops her.
“Please let me go Lantz! I can’t let them kill those people!” Nadia
“My lady, please calm down.” Lantz
“But Lantz.” Nadia
“They might be here to take you back or possibly to kill you.” Headmaster earl
“K-Kill me?” Nadia
“They wouldn’t dare she is the heir to the Safire family.” Lantz
“If they make it look like we’re responsible for her death then they would gladly go to war with us. There’s no way out of this without bloodshed.” Headmaster Earl
“Sorry, that’s the fact of this situation.” Headmaster Earl
Nadia goes silent, Lantz tries to comfort her. Ginia and the other soldiers fly as fast as they can to the city, more explosions happen all around the city. Ginia gets more angry, tightening her fist. Jason, Arik, and Kia are driving to the city’s edge where the safe zone is, Arika looks to the side mirror, one of those people is right behind them.
“Jason their right behind us. One must have followed us.” Arika
Jason and Kia looks to see.
“Shit.” Jason
He tries to go faster, the soldier is going to fire at them.
“Jason he’s going to fire!” Kia
The soldier fires Jason moves right to left avoiding the bullets.
“Jason, watch out!” Arika
Jason sees the debris laying in the road, he tries to dodge it. It hits the side of the car swerving side to side it flips on its side. The soldier lands away from the car, Jason slowly crawls out of the car.
“Kia, Arika, are you guys okay?” Jason
“Yes, but Kia is knock out. I can’t move there’s too much broken glass.” Arika
Jason gets over to them he uses his apron to cover the broken glass. Arika moves across the apron Jason pulls out Kia Arika helps him. The soldier points his gun at them.
“Hold it! Don’t move!” Arethian soldier 1
Jason gives Kia to Arika; he puts himself in front of them.
“What do you want?” Jason
“Why are you attacking us?” Jason
“Shut up! Answer me!” Arethian soldier 1
“Tell me where Lady Nadia is?” Arethian soldier 1
“I don’t know who that is?” Jason
He shoots a bullet pass Jason’s ear.
“Jason!” Arika
“Shut up, girl!” Arethian soldier 1
Arika holds Kia close with tears in her eyes.
“Leave them alone.” Jason
“We really don’t know who this Nadia is.” Jason
“We never seen or met her.” Jason
The soldier tires to fire again, Ginia falls down from the sky screaming she waves her laser sword at him.
“Ginia!” Jason
“Hey, you guys go protect the citizens! I got this!” Ginia
“Yes, sir!” All pilots
“Ginia!” Arika
“Hurry get out of here!” Ginia
When they try to leave the soldier shoots at them; Arika screams.
“Hey! Let them go! They have nothing to do with this!” Ginia
“Not until I get what I want.” Arethian soldier 1
“And what is that?” Ginia
“Where is Lady Nadia?” Arethian soldier 1
“Nadia? What do you want with her?” Ginia
“So you know her. Where is she?” Arethian soldier 1
“Sorry, but she is a special guest. I can’t give her up to a stranger like you.” Ginia
“Is that so?” Arethian soldier 1
He opens fire Ginia blocks the bullets with her sword to protect Jason and the others. Out of bullets he tries to reload Ginia rushes towards him he pulls out a knife to block her blade, but she cuts it in half. He pulls out a small gun and shoots her in the stomach, Ginia groans then he kicks her.
“Ginia!” Jason and Arika
Her suit protected her from the bullets she tries to get up, but he points his gun to her head.
“Where is Lady Nadia?” Arethian soldier 1
“I’ll never tell you.” Ginia
“Fine.” Soldier 1
He pulls out a grenade then looks at Jason, Arika, and Kia.
“If you don’t tell me I’ll throw this at them.” Soldier 1
“You crowd.” Ginia
“What will it be?” Soldier 1
“Even if I did, you would still kill them, wouldn’t you?” Ginia
“I won’t tell you nor will I let you kill them!” Ginia
“Have it your way.” Arethian soldier 1
He removes the pin, throws it, and fires his gun. Ginia hits his hand making him miss, she tries to grab the grenade, but he grabs her hair missing the chance to grab it. Jason holds Arika and Kia in his arms, Ginia grabs the soldier’s arm, flips him over her head, and looks as the grenade goes off.
“Jaosn! Everyone!” Ginia
Filled with shock and despair Ginia can’t believe what happened.
“You should have told me, if you did they maybe would have lived.” Arethian soldier 1
Ginia holds a gun to his head.
“Then you can apologize in the afterlife.” Ginia
The soldier grins, but they hear a small spark coming from the smoke. They both look up as the smoke disperse Jason, Arika, and Kia are okay.
“You're alright!” Ginia
“Not possible..how could..” Arethian soldier 1
Jason coughs from the smoke, opens his eyes to see that they are alive.
“What happened?” Jason
“Jason.” Arika
“Arika, you okay?” Jason
“Yes, I’m fine.” Arika
“Goo, how is Kia?” Jason
He looks at Kia with a surprised look, Arika looks too, his hair is glowing.
“What’s going on?” Jason
Arika tries to touch Kia’s hair, but it shocks her.
“Ouch!” Arika
“What’s wrong?” Jason
“His hair is electric.” Arika
The soldier pushes Ginia away, he tries to shoot them again, Ginia gets to her feet then cuts him in the back with her blade. He falls to the ground bleeding out; Ginia runs to them.
“Jason, Arika!” Ginia
“Ginia.” Jason
“I’m glad you’re alright. What’s going on with Kia?” Ginia
“We don’t know after the smoke lifted he just started glowing.” Arika
“For now let’s get you guys to safety first.” Ginia
“Okay.” Jason and Arika
Ginia helps Arika up as Jason lifts Kia over his shoulder, out of the corner of his eye his face goes pale.
“Ginia.” Jason
“What is it, Jason?” Ginia
He points behind her and Ginia turns around, more Arethian soldiers appear ready to fire on them and the other citizens still in the area. Ginia transforms her right arm into a cannon, she points it at them. Ginia tires to aim, but there’s too many.
“It’s no good I can’t get them all. My cannon is too small if only I had a bigger one I could get them all.” Ginia
Kia’s hair glows brighter and the electric grows stronger.
“What?!” Arika
“What the heck?” Jason
Ginia looks over at them, the lightning spreads all over the debris, it starts to come together melding into one.
“What is that?” Ginia
It flies towards Ginia.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Ginia
She closes her eyes after a few seconds she opens them feeling a spark coming from her right arm. Ginia sees a bigger cannon flowing with lightning.
“What is this? A new weapon?” Ginia
Both Jason and Arika are shocked as Kia’s hair stops glowing.
“I have no idea what happened, but I’ll gladly take it.” Ginia
She readies to fire.
“And send them all flying!” Ginia |
Connor noticed Victor’s leg bouncing up and down. He hadn’t said a word since they got into the car, and he aimed his gaze at the back of the passenger’s side seat. “V, you good?” Connor asked.
Victor turned and looked at Connor, a barely noticeable smile on his face. “They’re going after kids now? I’m turning that thing to ash the second I see it.”
“Hold on,” Mr. Au said. “Let’s ask it a few questions first. We still don’t know why they’re going after people.”
“Yeah, of course,” Victor said. “I meant after we interrogate it for a bit.”
Mr. Au turned and glanced at the water gun in Summer’s hand. “Summer.”
“Yeah?”
“I like the new gun.”
Victor perked up. “When did you get it?”
“It came in the mail yesterday, almost right after you left.”
“Well, it looks really cool,” Victor said. “Not a fan of the color scheme, though.”
“Right?” Connor added.
Summer stared daggers at her boyfriend. “You told me you liked it.”
“Well, I—”
“Summer, I haven’t been to SooHoo park in years,” interrupted Mr. Au. “Is there a shorter way?” Connor’s soul returned to his body.
Summer turned around and focused on the road. “Yeah, me and granny found a shortcut a while back. If you take a left at Patterson and then a right at Murray, you can save like ten minutes.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Au gave Connor a quick wink through his rearview mirror before turning his attention back to Summer. “Can you tell me what else you saw? Did you get a good look at the demon?”
“Or demons,” Victor said.
Summer leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. “I didn’t see any demons, but I remember how he felt. His heart was beating really fast, and he was surrounded by darkness. He was sweating a lot and… oh yeah, his backpack was red.” She opened her eyes, wrapping her arm around her water gun. “That’s all.”
“What’s a kid doing alone at the park?” Mr. Au asked.
Summer started tapping the water tank with her pointer finger. “Maybe he went there with his family but got separated?”
“I can see the backpack being full of camping equipment. There’s a campground not too far from the parking lot,” Connor said.
“Not a bad theory,” Mr. Au said.
Connor turned and noticed Victor still violently shaking his leg. “Hey, V, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Were you daydreaming or something? We’re wondering why this kid is all alone.”
“Does it matter?”
“We have very little information, so we’re trying to put the pieces together.”
“I don’t care about any of that. There’s a kid scared for his life. When I see a demon, it’s dust… after we question it first.”
“I guess there isn’t really much point in speculating,” Mr. Au said. “We’ll find out soon enough.” The occupants leaned in unison as he took a sharp turn. “Mrs. Kahale told me you’ve been training really hard, V. That’s my boy.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten this far without her,” Victor said. “Summer, I had no idea your granny was this cool.”
“That’s good to hear because she hasn’t stopped talking about you.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s actually really sweet.”
Victor’s leg stopped shaking. “I hit the dummy today and it didn’t move.”
“Wait, when?” Summer asked.
“I just told you. Today,” Victor retorted with a flat stare. Connor chuckled to himself.
“No smarty pants, what I meant was why didn’t you let us know earlier?”
“It happened almost right before you came outside.”
“Dude, that’s awesome,” Connor said.
“It’s no big deal, really. I only did it once,” Victor said.
“Don’t downplay your achievements, Victor,” Mr. Au said. “We’re proud of you.”
“It
was
a pretty great feeling. I got so excited, I picked Mrs. Kahale up and spun her around. She wasn’t too happy about that.”
“How are you even alive?” Summer asked, wide-eyed. “I remember my dad picking her up after a game-winning touchdown and she gave him the stink eye for the rest of the day.”
“I guess I really am just
that
lovable.”
Connor pretended to dry-heave. Mr. Au diverted his eyes from the road to check on him; Summer rolled hers. “So,” Summer said. “Can I get a progress report on your ability to see auras? Connor is starting to see colors.” She gave her boyfriend a warm smile.
“Every single one of my hand’s pores is etched into my mind,” Mr. Au said. “Yet I haven’t seen a thing.”
“I didn’t know you were even trying,” Summer said.
“Why wouldn’t I? What if I meet a demon wearing sunglasses?” He presented a sly grin.
Summer laughed. “Okay, that’s fair. How about you, V?”
“No colors yet, but it’s getting easier every day.”
“That’s great!”
Victor inspected Summer’s water gun. “Hey dad, did you bring your axe?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Summer has her water gun.” Victor slammed his fists together. “And I have these.” He turned and looked at Connor. “Where’s your weapon?”
“Damn,” Mr. Au said. “I bought you an ax, but I booked it to my car the second I got a call from Summer.”
“It’s okay,” Connor said. “There’s no way I could have hidden an ax from my parents.”
“It would have stayed in the car. I was making some modifications to it, so I had to keep it in the garage.”
“Wow, thanks I—”
“You should get a sword!” Victor exclaimed.
Connor laughed. “What? Why a sword?”
“I could have sworn I’ve seen pictures of an angel with a sword.”
“You might be talking about archangel Michael,” Mr. Au said. “Connor… is he real?”
“Hold on dad, I got this one. Let me guess, you don’t know?”
“Hilarious,” Connor said, unsmiling. “There are powerful angels in heaven, but I have never personally met one. I also don’t remember seeing any swords.”
“It honestly feels like you learn nothing about the universe once you reach heaven,” Victor complained.
“I don’t know… I think it’s kind of interesting that you still have a lot to learn after you die,” Mr. Au said.
“Heaven is just another plane, free from your physical body,” Connor said. “You don’t magically become all knowing.”
“We’re almost there,” Mr. Au said. The car immediately went quiet. Connor peered through the windshield as they drove along a narrow path surrounded by dense forest. A large, almost empty parking lot was at the end of the path. The striping was a faded white, exposing the lot’s worn asphalt. Splotches of yellow and brown dotted the grass, and shoddy looking park benches could be seen in the distance. The gazebo stood out the most. It was in pristine condition. The glossy maroon paint glistening, juxtaposing with the surrounding area.
“This place has seen better days,” Mr. Au said as he opened the car door. He snatched his axe from the trunk and then glared at the concrete trail. “Summer, lead the way.”
Summer raised her water gun and starting jogging along the trail. “The bridge isn’t too far ahead.” Connor and Victor moved to her side. Their eyes darting around the poorly maintained park.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Victor said. “Where is everyone?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Summer said. “Mayor Adams cut park funding last year. Almost all the remaining money went to maintaining the park in Shivesly. They’ve pretty much abandoned this place.”
“I didn’t know public parks were only for the wealthy,” Mr. Au said.
“That gazebo looks like it was just built,” Connor said, pointing.
Summer turned to look at the gazebo—the sunlight bouncing off the amethyst dangling around her neck. “I wish I had an answer. Last time I was here, it was in pretty bad shape.”
“Guys, stop,” Mr. Au said.
“What’s wrong?” Victor asked. Mr. Au pointed toward some trees. Connor looked and noticed two figures peering up at the branches, searching for something.
“Demons,” Summer said.
“I got 'em’. You guys go ahead,” Victor declared.
“That is not happening,” Connor said.
“I can take them.”
“You’re not going alone.”
“That’s enough,” Mr. Au said. “Connor, go with Victor.”
“But—”
“Victor.” Mr. Au’s gave his son an icy look.
“Yes, sir,” Victor said. He stood while facing the direction of the demons. Connor saw his aura rapidly expand and then he… vanished. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream came from the trees. Connor froze in his tracks. At that moment, he questioned if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Under a large tree stood Victor, who was bent over with his hands on his knees. One demon was writhing on the ground while wrapping his arms around his chest, gasping for air. The other demon seemed to have disappeared entirely.
Mr. Au shook his head. “Unbelievable…” There was a pause. “Summer, let’s go,” he eventually said.
“Y-Yes, sir,” Summer replied, walking along the trail before her.
“Hurry up!” Victor yelled. Connor snapped out of his stupor and sprinted toward his friend. Once he reached Victor, he saw a pile of ash sitting atop the grass nearby. The screaming demon was on his back, breathing laboriously.
“I Knocked the wind out of him,” Victor said “I was trying to break a rib, but I’m not there yet.” He then stood up straight, presenting a gleaming, toothy grin. “Hey! I have a few questions for you. If you answer correctly, I’ll let you go.”
“Who the hell are you?” the demon murmured.
“I’m asking the questions. Where is Aayan?”
The demon’s eyes widened. “I’ll never tell you. Just kill me now.”
“Kill you?” Victor reached into his pocket and pulled out his bottle of holy water. “When I’m done, you’re gonna wish you were back in hell.” A shiver trickled down Connor’s spine. Victor’s gleeful smile warped into a snarl.
“Wait! I don’t know anything, I swear. I woke up in this body and was told to bring this kid to Aayan.”
“Where were you when you woke up?” Connor asked.
“I-I don’t know.”
“You can go,” Victor said.
“V, what are you doing?” Connor asked.
Victor didn’t move an inch. He was staring into the demon’s eyes as his snarl transitioned back into a grin. “Are you deaf? I said you can go.”
“V, why—”
“Connor, he obviously doesn’t know anything.”
The demon leapt up and starting running in the opposite direction. “You’ll never see me again, I promise!”
“Hey, watch this,” Victor said. His eyes flashed gold and then he vanished. A loud
crack
forced Connor to look in the direction of the demon. He was greeted by Victor patting his clothes while sauntering back to where Connor stood—a pile of ash behind him. “Let’s catch up with the other guys,” Victor said.
“Dude, what the hell was that?”
“He wasn’t going to tell us anything.”
“How do you know? We barely asked him any questions.”
“He feared Aayan more than he feared me. Even if he knew something, he wouldn’t have said shit. Trust me.”
“What is up with you today?”
“We’re wasting time. Do you remember where the bridge is?”
Connor wanted to keep digging, but he had to admit that Victor was right. Time was not on their side. “Follow me.” He ran toward the bridge while scanning the surrounding area. There were large swaths of dead grass along the pathway, and the benches were brittle and discolored. It looked as if a light breeze could level the entire park. They reached the bridge just as Mr. Au and Summer were walking up a grassy decline. A young boy with blonde hair so light that it could be mistaken for ashen was walking next to them, his arms wrapped around Summer’s torso. The boy noticed Connor running toward them, and his eyes widened. Summer’s blouse wrinkled as the boy’s grip on her tightened.
“It’s okay. These are my friends,” Summer said. His hold loosened for a moment, but as soon as he saw Victor, he completely let her go. A warm smile formed on his face as the young boy stood there gawking at him.
“Wow… gold,” the young boy said. His eyes were bloodshot.
“I bet you’re getting tired of hearing that,” Summer said. The lighthearted tone in her voice removed any tension Connor had felt.
“I’m getting used to it.” Victor knelt down in front of the boy. “Hey, kid, are you hurt?” The boy didn’t respond. Victor appeared to have put him under some sort of spell.
Summer tapped the boy on his shoulder. “Trevor, this is V. He asked you a question.”
“So your name is Trevor,” Victor said. “I’m not gonna lie, that’s a pretty cool name.”
“Your aura. How is it gold?” Trevor asked.
“How about this. I’ll tell you all about me if you answer all of our questions first. We got a deal?” Victor showed Trevor his fist.
Trevor gave Victor a fist bump. “Deal!”
“Did you see anyone else on your way here?” Mr. Au asked.
“No, this place looks deserted,” Connor said.
“Lets get back to the car. We can’t risk encountering anymore of them,” Mr. Au said.
Victor turned to face his father. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll take them out.”
“This isn’t about you,” Connor said. “The kid is safe, so let’s get him home.”
“Yeah… you’re right,” Victor said.
“I’m not going home,” Trevor said.
Summer gently rubbed his shoulder. “Sweetie, why don’t you want to go home?”
“My grandpa hates me. He said I’m possessed.” Connor and Summer shared a glance.
Mr. Au threw his axe over his shoulder and started toward the car. “We’ll talk about this when I know we’re safe.” |
Connor tried to pat the dirt from his sweatpants, but to no avail. He stood before his mid-twentieth century bungalow, staring at the steel-blue front door. Connor counted down from five, then jogged up his porch steps. He could hear the faint sound of baseball commentary from the front yard. He was finally home.
“Welcome back, honey!” his mother exclaimed. She was a heavy-set woman with dyed bleach-blonde hair. Her crow’s feet flexed as her mouth curled into a smile. “How was the movie?”
Connor set his keys on the kitchen counter. “Pretty good. It was way longer than I thought it would be, though.”
His father turned from the TV, fixing his cool, dark-brown eyes on his son. Connor felt naked as he scanned him. “Welcome home, son.”
“Thanks.” Connor glanced at the game’s score.
They’re losing. I have an opening,
he thought. “So, what’s the score?”
His father sunk into his recliner, shuffling his charcoal-black hair with boney fingers. “3-2. Bottom of the 8th. Sanders hit a two-run homer off Martinez. We had a pathetic bullpen last season, so why we decid—”
“Connor, what happened to your pants?” His mother asked suspiciously.
Connor feigned a look of indifference as he inspected the dirt on his pants. “Oh, that? I accidentally fell in the parking lot. No big deal.”
His father smiled. “And you didn’t run home crying. You toughed it out and risked being made fun of. Damn it, I wish our outfielders had that mentality. Did you know—”
Connor’s mom put a hand on his husband’s shoulder. “Honey, please…”
“Oh, right. Sorry about that. So, are you hurt?”
Connor chuckled nervously. “I’m fine, just a little tired. I’m thinking about heading to bed early.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’ll tell your father to turn the TV down.”
“Damn it!” his father yelled. Skinny veins popping out of his neck as he snarled at the screen.
Connor’s mom sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.” She squinted at Connor’s chest, then asked, “Where did you get that necklace? It’s so pretty.”
Connor smiled warmly at his amethyst pendant wrapped in slivers of gold. “Summer gave it to me. It was a gift.” Connor looked up, a mocking grin met his gaze. “Um, V got one too.”
“Mhm,” his mother said. “Put your pants in the hamper; I’ll wash them later. Good night, sweetie.”
“Good nigh—damn it!” his father yelled, waving a dismissive hand in his direction.
“Thanks guys. Night.”
They didn’t even ask me what I saw,
Connor thought as he scurried up the stairs. He undressed, then neatly folded his clothes before putting them in the hamper. While inspecting his dirt covered shoes, he glanced over at the row of identical sneakers that formed a line next to his closet door. He placed his dirty shoes near the hamper.
I’ll clean them tomorrow,
he thought while eying the door to his bathroom.
Connor stood in front of his bathroom mirror, looking at the clear outline of his aura. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breath for several minutes before opening them to the same transparent outline he saw every night. He slumped his shoulders.
What good is having wings if I can’t even see them?
Connor removed the bandage on his forearm, revealing the scabbed over cigarette burn mark. Losing himself in the exposed pink of the wound, he recalled the events of the sanatorium.
If I just had more information,
he thought.
Then what, idiot? You’d magically be able to put a stop to it?
He wore duplicity like a cherished baseball cap, yet even he didn’t know how much longer he could hide how grave the circumstances truly were. A perpetual sense of foreboding clung to him since they encountered the first demon. Actually, that’s not it—he felt off the moment he saw Victor enter his angel mode for the first time during gym class. It was a stark reminder that Connor didn’t belong—he was nothing more than a tourist tasked with spying on his best friend. There were moments throughout the years when he forgot his purpose for entering this plane. Moments when all that mattered was studying for an important test, or landing his first skate trick. Moments when he would lie awake with Victor and Summer on a three-way call, chatting and laughing into the early morning. Ultimately, what Victor awakening his powers did was remind him of his duty, something he throughout the years slowly began to forget.
Connor replaced the bandage and then hopped onto his bed, staring up at his sky-blue ceiling. His walls were the same shade of blue; splotches of white paint of varying shapes and sizes were scattered about. Some mornings, he’d wake up and feel like he had actually slept under the beautiful summer sky. He rolled over and checked his phone. To his delight, he saw a text from Summer.
Our second meditation session is tomorrow at 11:30! :)
Connor smiled and responded with a thumbs up emoji. He laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. Summer’s face was all he saw. Her beautiful smile covering him in a sheet of comfort. Physical attraction was one thing—and there was plenty of that in spades—but with Summer, it was much more. It had been sixteen years since he entered this plane, yet his time in heaven was still vivid. He recalled the warmth permeating throughout his ethereal body. Summer was the only person to elicit a similar feeling.
Calm down. She’s just a friend. These feelings aren’t real,
he lied.
The pale morning sun slanted through his partially closed blinds, leaving pillars of light on his covers. Connor opened his eyes and let out a groan. His dreams of late have been of him flying above Covington without a care in the world. Then, as if clipping a bird’s wings mid-flight, he would come crashing down, waking up right before hitting the ground. He suffered through the dream several times that night, each time causing him to spring up in a panic, his heart pumping violently.
He checked his phone.
Shit, I’m gonna be late!
He sprinted to the bathroom, causing his comforter to fall to the floor. He brushed his teeth and freshened up as best as he could. After getting dressed, he darted out of his house.
Connor stopped a couple of houses away from Summer’s eccentrically colored home and turned on his phone’s front-facing camera. He checked for sleep in his eyes, tussled his hair, and ended with a quick sniff of his armpits before continuing toward her house.
The exterior of Summer’s home was a mishmash of bright colors. The incredible variety of vegetation and the goofy stone and plastic knickknacks sprinkled about made it easy to spot from a distance.
There was a black sedan parked in Summer’s driveway. Connor inspected it and realized that it was Mr. Au’s car. He plodded up the porch steps, looking at the neon-green colored front door suspiciously. Connor rang the doorbell and Summer appeared, glaring at the ground. She stepped to the side to reveal her grandmother sitting at a table with Victor’s dad across from her. After walking inside, he saw Victor sitting on the couch, his eyes focusing on the stone attached to his necklace. Connor patted his neck, feeling for the pendant. All he felt was his cotton t-shirt.
Dang it
, he thought.
“Good morning, Mrs. Kahale. Good morning, Mr. Au,” Connor said.
“It’s 11:47 Connor. You’re late,” Summer’s grandmother said while giving him a flat stare. “Please sit down.” She pointed at a chair. Connor snuck a look at Summer before taking a seat. Anguish and rage twisted her face into a look that made her almost unrecognizable.
“Where did you guys go last night?” Mr. Au asked. Connor froze. A cavalcade of potential responses sprinted across his mind, yet he couldn’t grab one. “I guess silence is better than an outright lie.” Mr. Au added while giving Victor a disapproving glare.
“Not only did Summer lie to me
twice
in one day, I find out that you guys were out playing hero and putting yourselves in danger?” Mrs. Kahale said.
“She needed our help!” Summer said. “We couldn’t just sit here and do nothing!”
Mrs. Kahale slightly flinched at the sudden interjection. She then leaned back in her chair with her arms folded. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
“And say what? There’s a demon holding a girl hostage? You can only kill him by chopping his head off and holy water stuns him for a little bit? Besides, we didn’t know if we would even make it in time. Talking to the police would have wasted precious time.”
Mrs. Kahale glared at her. “Watch your tone.” Summer turned away, her fingers fiddling with her pendant.
Victor sat up abruptly, eying his father with an unfazed stare. “Dad, you told me you would support me no matter what, right?”
Mr. Au raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean I want you recklessly putting yourself in harm’s way.”
Victor’s face was iron. “I found something last night, dad. Something that’s been eluding me ever since mom died.” Victor slightly lifted his head, maintaining eye contact. “Last night I found my purpose.” He shot a glance at Summer, his face softening. “I want to help people—to save them from these creatures that are here to do us harm
.
I don’t think me getting these powers now is a coincidence. But even if I never learn how to master them, I can’t just stand by as people lose their lives.”
A chuckle escaped Mr. Au’s lips.
“Is something funny?” Summer’s grandmother asked, her voice oozing perplexity.
“I finally know how my parents felt.” He moved to the empty cushion next to his son. “When I first told my parents I wanted to join the military, they didn’t talk to me for weeks. Even after all the pleading, I didn’t budge. I knew I had an opportunity to help people, and that’s all that mattered to me.” He paused for a moment. “V, what can I do to help?”
“What?” Mrs. Kahale asked. “Chester, they’re sixteen!” She almost fell out of her chair.
“Only two years younger than I was when I enlisted. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I want this. I hate the thought of potentially losing my son. But I really do think he got these powers for a reason, and maybe the same is true for your granddaughter.” He flashed a smile at Summer and then continued, “The number of murders I’ve heard about in the last month alone is sickening. There’s something going on here, and I’m almost certain these demons are the cause.”
Summer walked up to her grandmother. “Granny, when I jumped in her body, I felt her despair—her praying for the nightmare to end. It’s something I’ll never forget. I love you more than anything, but I don’t regret my decision.” Summer tried to match Victor’s hard resolve, but Connor noticed a hint of trepidation.
“I’ll train her,” Victor’s dad added. “I’m more than willing to take time out of my day to make sure that your granddaughter can properly defend herself.” Connor didn’t have many interactions with him, but he suddenly knew why Victor lit up every time he mentioned his dad.
Mrs. Kahale stared at her granddaughter with glossy eyes. “Summer, I…” A tear fell down her cheek. “I can’t lose anyone else. I don’t think my heart could take it.”
Summer embraced her. “I have two guardian angels watching my back, granny. I think I’m gonna be okay.” Summer finally smiled her bright, toothy smile.
Mrs. Kahale wiped away the tears on her cheek. “I still think we should try to get the police involved. I’ll head over to the station this evening.”
Summer nodded. “Thanks, granny.”
“So,” Mr. Au said while facing Summer. “When are you free to start your training?” |
The little boy fixed his eyes on Summer’s bright-orange water gun, annoying Victor to no end. He tried everything in his power to get him to stop his incessant gawking, but sadly, nothing worked. Summer sat facing the window, her foot tapping an anxious tune.
Victor found the bus to be surprisingly clean. He recalled the last time he used public transportation. Trash was scattered about, stains of unknown origin covered the seats, and the smell of stale sweat coated his nostrils.
At least the smell is the same
, Victor thought.
“We’re here,” Connor said.
They immediately bolted toward the sanatorium. The bus driver cursed in their direction as they barged through the folding metal doors. Victor felt the rhythm of his heartbeat quicken with each step. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement that had him so agitated. Whatever the feeling, it wrapped itself around Victor, strangling him like a noose.
You got these powers for a reason
, echoed in his mind. He recalled the conversation with his father after his panic attack—his reaffirming words gave Victor solace.
The St. Peter’s sanatorium was constructed in 1903. The dirty, off white eyesore perfectly embodied the phrase ‘style over substance’. Its moss covered pillars attempting to evoke a neoclassical aesthetic aged horribly. And the building’s parking lot was riddled with cracks and litter. A melodramatic plea during a city council meeting and a petition somehow accruing over ten thousand signatures had saved it from being demolished.
There was a single black van parked near the front of the sanatorium. Rust spotted its exterior, and the front bumper was completely gone. Victor and Connor tried to get a peek inside, but the tint blocked their view. Victor pulled on the driver’s side handle, and to his surprise, the door opened. An indescribable funk assaulted them.
“Oh my god, what the hell is that smell?” Victor asked. He peeked at every corner of the interior, trying to find the source.
Connor pinched his nose. “I have no idea.” The smell made him leap backward. He coughed and spat on the ground. “Did you find anything?” he asked, eyes watering.
Victor suffered through the smell long enough to scan the inside. Food crumbs coated sections of the carpet, and about a dozen black ice air fresheners hung from the rearview mirror. “Besides the smell, nothing looks out of the ordinary,” he replied with tears blurring his vision. Victor slammed the door shut. While dry heaving, he noticed Summer standing near the entrance, waving them toward her.
Victor tried to open the sanatorium’s colossal front doors delicately, but its hinges screamed in protest, ruining any plans of subterfuge. The inside was mostly the same disgusting shade of white as its exterior. Two massive roman style support columns stood several feet apart, and a line of thin blue paint wrapped itself around the base of each column. There was a giant round seal in the center of the lobby. A faded-white dove was in the middle, surrounded by a circle painted sky-blue.
There she was, lying on the seal. The young woman’s dark brown hair was a tangled mess and her wrists and ankles were tied. Black duct tape covered her mouth and her cheeks puffed when she noticed them approaching her. She started squirming violently—her muffled cries bouncing off the paint chipped walls.
Summer sprinted to her. Victor and Connor edged their way forward, darting glances at every corner of the lobby. Connor turned to Victor and shook his bottle of holy water. Victor promptly pulled out his bottle and unscrewed the cap.
Summer set her water gun down before grabbing the edge of the duct tape covering the young woman’s mouth. “This is gonna hurt,” she said before ripping it off.
The woman started screaming. “He knows you’re here, he’s behind th—”
A man appeared from behind one of the columns and dashed toward them. He smacked the bottle out of Connor’s hand and it shattered on the ground. Glass shards peppered the marble floor. The figure started toward Victor. He swiped at the bottle, but Victor moved his arm at the last second. Victor started a punch aimed at the man’s face, but he ducked and then kicked Victor’s hand. The bottle made a loud
crash
as it hit the ground.
We really need to get plastic bottles
, Victor thought as he got into his fighting stance. “Summer, focus on getting her out of here! We’ll take care of this guy!”
Summer turned her attention back to the young woman and started untying the rope around her wrists. “You’re gonna be okay. My friends will take care of him.” The young woman could only muster a nod. Streaks of sweat and tears silvered her rosy cheeks.
Connor recovered and sprinted toward the figure. The man turned around, revealing his blood-red eyes. The demon countered Connor’s punch with a kick aimed at his leg. Connor reeled back while holding his thigh. He bit his lip and let out a low grunt.
“Did he send you guys?” The demon howled. Victor ignored his question and lunged at him, aiming a punch at his throat. The demon leapt backward, causing his punch to whiff.
He’s faster than the last one
, Victor thought.
“V, get into angel mode!” Connor yelled. He landed a punch to the demon’s face, staggering him.
Summer was still untying the rope. The young woman’s eyes were glued to the fight. “Your friends, they’re so… bright,” the young woman murmured, her body still shaking. Summer starting freeing her ankles. The braided rope previously binding her wrists lied coiled on the grand near them.
Victor backed away from the demon. He closed his eyes and formed the hand sign Summer taught him. The demon’s sunken red eyes and the young woman’s terror filled gaze crowded his mind’s eye. “V, you can do this!” Connor yelled, ducking a punch from the demon.
“Shut up, I’m trying to focus!” Victor exclaimed.
After removing the rope from the woman’s ankles, Summer picked up her water gun and bolted toward the demon. She lifted the gun and steadied her aim. Streams of holy water splashed against the demon’s cheek, causing smoke to billow from his face. He dropped to the floor, writhing in pain. His screams echoing throughout the lobby. Summer ran back to the woman and helped her to her feet.
Victor’s eyes shot open when he heard the demon’s screams. Connor stood over the squirming demon. He then turned to face Victor. “The holy water’s effects won’t last long, V. You can do this!”
Shit
.
What is wrong with me?
Victor thought
—
still attempting to enter his angel mode.
Summer and the young woman trudged out of the sanatorium. The woman limped to the black van and leaned on the vehicle’s body. “There’s… an ax in the back of the van,” she said.
Summer yanked the door open, immediately covering her nose with her sleeve. She grabbed the ax hidden under a large black sheet. The dried blood on its head gave her pause, but she collected herself and closed the car door. “I’ll be right back!” she yelled.
Connor stood over the demon’s floundering body, waiting for his moment to attack. The demon’s hoarse screams squashed any chance of Victor focusing. He weighed his options. Summer and the girl were safe, so they could count their losses and make a run for it. But Victor had no timetable for the holy water’s effects, so the demon could easily catch up to them. Besides, where would they even go? His inner monologue was interrupted by Summer dashing toward Connor. She was carrying an ax—maroon-colored blood crusting the head’s edge. Connor grabbed the ax and lifted it over his head. Summer grimaced as Connor repeatedly chopped at the demon’s neck. A pile of ash was all that remained.
Victor collapsed to his knees and punched the ground. “Fucking worthless…” he whined, his fist stinging from making contact with the hard floor. Connor dropped the ax. It made a loud
clunk
as iron hit marble. Connor ran to Victor and put a hand on his shoulder. He helped Victor to his feet, and they walked to the exit. Summer snatched up the water gun she dropped near the seal before catching up with them.
The young woman was still leaning against the van. The red marks on her wrists and ankles made Victor perk up. He kneeled beside her and forced a radiant smile. “Hey, I’m V. And these are my friends Summer and Connor. What’s your name?”
Her face lit up. “Gold,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen gold before.” Victor turned to face Summer.
“Hold on,” Summer said, “you can read auras?”
The young woman nodded. Her messy brown hair partially covering her face. “Your aura is Violet.” She turned to Connor, “And yours is white, but,” she squinted while lifting a hand to cover her eyes, “it’s so bright. Who in the world are you guys?”
Summer presented a nervous smile. “They’re… special,” she said. “I’m sorry, what’s your name again?”
“April,” the woman said with her eyes still fixed on Connor.
Summer tenderly put her hand on the woman’s arm. “April, who was that guy in there?”
“I don’t know. I was walking home from work when he grabbed me and put me in his van. He tied my hands and wrists and then put duct tape over my mouth.” April looked at her wrists. Tears formed as she inspected the red marks.
“You’re gonna be okay. He won’t hurt anyone else,” Connor said.
“He… kept saying ‘I want you for myself’ over and over again,” April stammered.
“Was he alone?” Victor asked.
April used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. “It was just him, but I heard him say a name.”
“Do you remember the name?” Summer asked.
“He turned around while driving once and said ‘Aayan can screw himself.’”
They all shared a glance. Victor shrugged his shoulders before kneeling back down and peering into the woman’s dark brown eyes. “We’re gonna take care of you.” He turned to face Connor. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”
The bus stop bench was wide enough to fit the four of them. Victor sat with his back slouched, vacantly staring at the ground—Summer and Connor periodically sneaking glances at him. The nearest hospital just so happened to be the one Victor recently got released from. His stomach turned at the thought of having to step foot in there again.
April took a break from staring at Connor to glance at her brooding savior. “What’s wrong?” April asked. She had used one of Summer’s extra scrunchies to tie her hair into a ponytail.
Victor looked at her and sighed a weary sigh. “It’s nothing. How are you feeling?”
April smiled. “Grateful.” She looked at her wrists. “His aura was so dark and twisted. His eyes were full of hate and... desire.” Summer gently rubbed April’s back. “How did you guys even find me?”
“Summer saw you in a vision. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have even known you needed help,” Connor said.
Summer blushed. “And if it wasn’t for these guys, that demon would have killed me.” Victor slumped lower.
“Demon?” April asked.
“Yeah,” Connor answered. “They’ve been around for a long time, but they rarely harmed humans before. I don’t know what’s causing this change.” He rubbed his nonexistent beard.
April stared at him, trying to parse this new information. She eventually turned to Summer and asked, “You had a vision? I’m sorry but… what does that mean exactly?”
“To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. I saw the sanatorium, and then I sort of jumped in your body for a couple of seconds. I felt your fear, and the pain in your wrists and ankles.” Summer paused for a moment. “I’m… so sorry you had to go through that.”
April’s eyes widened. “You jumped in my body?” Summer nodded, her mouth morphing into a nervous smile. “It doesn’t matter. You guys saved me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“Repay us? We saw someone in danger and helped them. Anyone would have done the same,” Summer said.
April grabbed Summer’s hand. “Thank you.”
Summer pouted at April’s injuries. “You’re welcome. It’s great meeting someone else that can read auras. The only other person I know is my grandmother.”
“Growing up, I didn’t know anyone else like me,” April said.
“That must have been difficult,” Connor added.
“It was tough at first, but eventually I learned how to deal with it. My parents still think I’m a little crazy, but at least I know who to be friends with and who to stay away from. It’s kind of like a superpower.” April turned back to Victor—his head was still down. “Summer, why are Connor and V’s auras so… different?”
“Well, Connor was an angel, and V is half-angel.” April raised an eyebrow. “I really wish I had more to say, but that honestly sums it up.” Summer chuckled.
April gave Summer a flat stare. “First demons, now angels… I think I’m starting to feel lightheaded.”
Victor slightly lifted his head. “I know the feeling. You’ll get used to it.”
Rain drops pattered on the bus’ windows. They all got glares as they scurried to the open seats in the back of the bus. It only took a couple of minutes for the drizzle to turn into an outright downpour.
Victor stared daggers at the blue hospital sign about a mile from the building proper. When they finally reached the waiting room, he recoiled in disgust. Connor spoke to the receptionist and within ten minutes, a nurse came to where they were seated. She guided April to the examination room.
“Don’t forget about the holy water!” Summer exclaimed. An elderly woman seated nearby turned to give Summer a confused glance.
April waved at them as she walked away. Once she was out of their view, Summer glared at Victor—her eyes full of venom. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She seethed. Victor went mute, frantically darting his eyes around the room. “We just saved someone's life, yet all you could do on our way here was pout?”
“We? I didn’t do shit.”
“So What!” A thunder crack tore through the hospital’s thick walls. He suddenly felt everyone’s eyes on him. “I don’t exactly know why we got these powers, and honestly at this point, I don't care. What I do know is someone needed our help, and we helped them. You’re a superhero, right? Isn’t that what it’s all about?”
“I…” Victor dropped his head and stared at Summer’s shoes. Summer rarely got mad, and he couldn’t even recall the last time she screamed at him. On the bus ride to the Sanatorium, he envisioned things going differently—him saving the day with one glorious punch. The thought of him not being able to even get a hit in never crossed his mind. He raised his eyes to meet Summer’s gaze and winced. Her face communicated disappointment, twisting the knife already in his chest. “I’m so sorry,” Victor said. Summer ran to give him a warm embrace. He got whiplash from her sudden change in demeanor.
“You
just
got these powers,” Connor said. “Why would you beat yourself up over not mastering them yet?”
“What if you guys got hurt? What if April got hurt? It would have been my fault.”
“V, get over yourself,” Summer said, her demeanor changing again. “We all knew the risks, and we went anyway. You aren’t alone in this.”
Victor grabbed the amethyst attached to his necklace and studied its sharp ridges. “April must think I’m a huge dickhead.”
“Well, I think you're a huge dickhead, and we’re still somehow friends,” Connor said.
Victor smiled and then pulled out his phone to check the time. “Shit, how are we gonna explain being out so late to our parents?” Victor asked.
“I texted my granny that we were going to the movies,” Summer responded.
Victor turned to look at the water gun on the nearby table. “With a water gun?”
Summer presented a sly grin. “She was in the kitchen, so she didn’t actually see us walk out.”
“Alright, what movie did we see?” Connor asked.
“Why does that matter?” Summer asked.
“Well, if our parents ask us what we saw, we need to have the same answers.”
“Good point,” Victor said. “So… what
did
we watch?” |
Mr. Au stood before her with his arms to his sides; two muscular appendages hanging from a broad torso. He was glaring at Summer with a look that made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Stern and focused.
Victor’s backyard was surprisingly large for a home of its size. The grass was neatly cut, and it was a rich forest-green. His furniture set was monochromatic, clean, and free of any wear and tear. It was in stark contrast to her own backyard. What Summer’s backyard lacked in tidiness it made up for in sheer flamboyancy. Flowers of varying shapes, sizes, and shades lined its edges. And her patio furniture set consisted of a table with a tree stump painted green as its base, and faded rainbow-colored beach chairs. Summer turned to Connor sitting on the deck, messing with his phone. Her eyes then moved to Victor, who was looking back at her with a mocking grin stretched across his face.
Connor lifted his head. “You got this.”
“Yeah, go get em’!” Victor yelled, still smiling.
“Summer, look at me,” Mr. Au demanded. She jerked her head forward. Mr. Au then glared at the deck, shaking his head. “Hey guys, go inside until we finish.”
“What?” Victor whined. “I really wanted to see this.”
“You guys are distracting her. This isn’t a game. Besides, you two are already proficient enough in hand to hand combat. I’ll be going through the basics for a while, so there’s nothing here for the two of you to learn. Now please, go inside.”
“Yes, sir,” Victor said with a tinge of defiance in his voice. He ambled his way through the glass sliding doors. Connor gave them a quick nod before following behind him. Summer relaxed her shoulders. The nest of snakes battling in the pit of her stomach eased their relentless attacks.
“You ready to get started?”
Summer put her arms to her sides and straightened her posture. “Yes, sir.”
“The most important thing when it comes to hand to hand combat is your fighting stance.” He put his hands up before continuing. “Hold your hands high to protect your head and face. Keep your fists clenched, but relaxed. Make sure your elbows are high and close to your body, and keep your weight evenly distributed on both of your feet to create a stable base. You want to stay light on your feet, so keep your knees slightly flexed to allow quick movement in any direction. Okay, now you try.”
“Yes, sir,” Summer said, raising her hands and mimicking his stance to the best of her ability. Outside of gym, those few years of volleyball in middle school, and the cheerleading debacle her freshman year, she rarely got much exercise. Despite this, she was still in pretty good physical shape. A true testament to the power of fortuitous genetics. Victor had been an uber-athlete since she first met him, and Connor had hidden how adept he was at martial arts for all these years. The thought of her potentially becoming dead weight crept up from time to time since they encountered the demon at the sanatorium. A holy water gun was great and all, but she realized that being able to defend yourself without the need of a weapon was the ultimate contingency. Summer took a deep inhale and looked up at Mr. Au, awaiting his inevitable critique. The snakes in her stomach were rearing for another go.
“Make sure your elbows are close to your body.” Mr. Au moved Summer’s elbow and then tapped one of her knees with the back of his hand, causing her to bend them slightly. He backed away, inspecting her stance. “Perfect.” Summer could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on his face.
***
Connor was sitting on the couch, peering through the large glass doors.
“Oh my god,” Victor announced.
“What?” Connor asked, still staring at Summer.
Victor crossed his arms and looked Connor up and down. “You finally made a move, didn’t you?” Connor went mute, his face flushing red. “Finally!” Victor exclaimed.
“How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face, man. Before, when I caught you staring at her, you had this sad puppy dog thing going on.” Connor furrowed his brow. “But the look in your eyes is completely different now.”
“V, what are you talking about? Sad puppy dog?”
“Trust me. I’m a master at these things.”
“Did you know she was into me?”
“Of course I knew. She blushed the first time she saw you.”
Connor was taken aback. “She did?”
“She did.” Victor sat up. “I’m really happy for you. Summer is awesome.”
“Thanks. So… how did your date go?”
“She’s already in love.” Connor rolled his eyes, sighing a deep sigh. “Seriously, though, it went great. She’s hot, nice, and really easy to talk to. Also, I learned that coffee sucks.”
“Why did you go to a coffee shop in the first place?”
Victor shrugged. “She’s always carrying around one of those giant plastic iced coffee cups.”
“Wait a minute, you actually took what she likes into account?” Connor used his hand to cup one of his ears. “Are those wedding bells I hear?”
“Relax.”
Connor laughed, then turned to the backyard. His smile waned as he watched Summer practicing kicks. “Do you think Summer is gonna have another vision?”
“I don’t know. Helping April was amazing, but Summer was so shaken up after her vision that I’m not looking forward to her having another one.” Victor rubbed the top of his recently cut head. “We’ve got to find a way to protect people from these demons without relying on her visions. I mean, what if that was a onetime thing? Are we just gonna wander around the city looking for people with red eyes and spiky auras?”
“Do you remember the name of the guy April told us about?” Connor asked. Victor gave him a perplexed look. “We asked her if the demon was working with someone and she told us she heard him say a name—it’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“Oh yeah. I think his name was… Aaron?”
“No, that doesn’t sound right…” Connor closed his eyes, desperately trying to recall the name. “Aayan!” he eventually yelled. “I’m pretty sure April said the demon mentioned someone named Aayan.”
“So, you think this Aayan guy is the reason why these demons have been hurting people?”
“I don’t know.” Connor glanced out the window. Summer and Mr. Au bowed and then started toward them
Mr. Au slid the door open. “You guys better watch out. Eventually we’re gonna start sparring, and she might give you fits,” he said with a hand on her shoulder. He gave Victor and Connor a look. “Why the serious faces? What were you guys talking about?”
“Summer, do you remember when April told us that the demon mentioned someone named Aayan?” Connor asked.
Summer used her palm to wipe the sweat from her forehead then wiped it on her thigh. “Yeah, she told us the demon said ‘Aayan can screw himself’.”
“April also told us that the demon said he wanted her for himself,” Connor said. “I’m guessing this Aayan guy is the one that ordered him to kidnap April.”
Victor leaned back in his chair. “I haven’t met many demons, but from what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine one of them taking orders.”
Mr. Au left and then returned with a towel in each hand. He threw one at Summer and used the other one to wipe his face and arms. “You guys need to fill me in.” Victor’s dad threw the towel over his shoulder. “Summer, did your grandmother talk to any police officers at the station?”
“Yeah… let’s just say it didn’t go very well.”
“I’m gonna need details.”
Summer sighed. “Well, she spoke to a receptionist and told him she wanted to report the existence of demons. After immediately getting laughed at, she walked out of the station.”
Victor snickered. “What did she expect?”
“Victor,” Mr. Au said with a glare.
“Sorry.”
“At least she tried. Make sure you practice your stance and I’ll email you a couple of videos for you to watch. Call it a homework assignment.” He gave her a wink. “Now, let’s get you back home.”
Summer waved her hands over the car’s air vents. The sun was especially brutal that day, illuminating the neighborhood and causing everything to look slightly overexposed. “It’s so beautiful outside,” Summer noted as she passed an immaculately kept front lawn. “But this heat…”
“Yeah, and it’s supposed to be like this all week,” Mr. Au said. “Hey Summer, let’s talk for a minute.”
Summer turned to him. His eyes were still on the road. “Sir?”
He chuckled. “You don’t have to call me sir.”
“Yes, si—I mean, yes, Mr. Au.”
“I want to personally thank you.”
“Your welcome, but… what for?”
“V had a tough time dealing with his mother’s death. He started acting out and I would constantly get phone calls from his teachers. Then he came home from school one day and told me about this little surfer girl from California with a cool purple necklace.” He presented a warm smile. “Listen, I know V can be a little rough around the edges, but your positive attitude has done wonders for him. Please keep being that light in his life.”
Summer felt tears forming. “Thank you for those beautiful words. I promise—” Her vision suddenly became blurry. She collapsed into her seat as the world around her faded away. There was nothing but darkness. A feeling of weightlessness started at her toes and trickled up the rest of her body. Then, as if someone flipped a light switch, a building materialized below her. She quickly understood why she felt weightless. Summer was flying—or rather, floating—above the building. She surveyed the area and immediately recognized it as her old middle school.
Summer jumped into the body of a young man. A mixture of sweat and tears burning her eyes. She waved a hand in front of her face and saw nothing but still darkness. Using the same hand, Summer reached around for nothing in particular, hoping that she could get her bearings. She felt slick plastic on her fingertips. She reached again and felt rough bristles. A broom. The faint smell of chemical cleaner combined with the stench of sweat and fear in the air. It was so revolting she almost gagged.
Summer woke up to Mr. Au leaning over her, shaking her. “Summer, what happened?”
“I… had another vision.”
“What did you see?”
“Nothing, it was completely dark. I did feel a broom, though. And I smelled chemical cleaner. Wait, before I jumped into the guy’s body, I was floating above Newburg.”
“The middle school?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her temple with her fingertips.
“We’re going back to get V and Connor.”
“Wait!” Summer exclaimed. “Drop me off at my house first. I need to pick some things up.”
Mr. Au buckled Summer’s seatbelt and sped toward her house. Once there, Summer darted through her front door. Her grandmother jumped when the blur in the shape of her granddaughter sped up the stairs.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Summer ignored her and grabbed four bottles of holy water from her closet. She sped back down the stairs and stopped at the foyer. “Granny, I had another vision. He’s in Newburg and he’s terrified. Mr. Au said he’s gonna drive us there after we pick V and Connor up.”
“Wait, what?” Her grandmother rose to her feet.
“Please, granny, I don’t know how much time he has. Mr. Au is gonna be with us this time.”
“Summer, please… be careful, okay?”
“Don’t worry, granny. I have three guardian angels now.” She ran outside and jumped into Mr. Au’s car.
Mr. Au parked in his driveway and sprinted through his front door. “Guys,” he said. “Summer had another vision. This time, the person is at Newburg
.”
“
The middle school?” Connor asked.
“Yeah. V, I need you to get my ax from the garage.”
Victor sprung out of his chair. “Wait—”
“V, get my ax. Now!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mr. Au, take this.” She handed him a bottle. “Holy water stuns them for a little while.” She turned to Connor. “Did you bring one?” Connor reached into his pocket and presented a glass bottle. “Good, I’ll give a bottle to V when he comes back.”
“Summer, you said you felt a broom and smelled chemical cleaner, right?” Mr. Au asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’m thinking he’s in the janitor’s closet. Do you guys remember the layout of the middle school?” Victor appeared with a giant ax in hand. It had a cherry red handle, and the silver-colored head was gleaming. Mr. Au grabbed the ax and inspected it.
“Once we get there, I’m sure I’ll remember the layout,” Connor said.
Mr. Au peered at everyone in the room. His large hands making the ax look significantly less imposing. “Okay guys, let’s go.” |
Victor brushed the blades of grass and chunks of soil off his jeans. He tried to catch his breath, but he mistakingly looked at the whistle hanging from Mrs. Kahale’s neck. His shoulders tensed at the sight. “I’m gonna break that whistle one of these days!” he yelled.
Mrs. Kahale lowered her sunglasses, revealing her coffee-colored eyes. The whistle attached to her string necklace swung from side to side. “You’ll have to rip it from my cold, dead hands.”
Victor’s training went from a moderately strenuous exercise in restraint, to an all-encompassing obsession. That dummy’s face was all he thought about at school. It got so bad that Summer caught him drawing sketches of it in one of his textbooks. That drive rubbed off on Mrs. Kahale—her interest level increasing exponentially as each day passed. So much so that she was spending a Sunday afternoon intently watching a teenager punch a man made of rubber.
Victor rested his eyes on the crumpled piece of paper attached to the dummy’s head. He would occasionally imagine it as the face of the demon he encountered at the sanatorium.
I choked
, he thought as he visualized the demon’s lanky build.
That’s never happening again
. Victor would recall Summer’s words at the hospital, soothing him if any sense of ineptitude crept up, but the feelings never truly went away.
His peripheral vision caught Mrs. Kahale raising the whistle to her lips. Its airy, high-pitched blare heightening his focus as he entered his angel mode. It only took him nine seconds. A new record. The drawing’s red eyes grew larger as he sprinted toward the dummy. The ‘light’ punch he threw caused it to fall over. His eyes were now on the blank space where several pickets used to be.
Damn it
.
“Hold it,” Mrs. Kahale said, staring at the timer on her phone. Victor focused on his breath for what felt like centuries, but eventually, the added physical and spiritual weight piled on, signaling that he was back to normal. A brief moment of sluggishness replaced the exhaustion he used to feel after exiting his angel mode. “Ten seconds,” she said.
“Damn it!” he yelled.
“You’ve been going at this nonstop. Maybe you need a break.”
“I’ve been getting lucky with these one-on-one fights. I can’t keep getting kicked out of angel mode after one punch. No breaks. Let’s go at it again.”
Mrs. Kahale placed her hands on her knees. “Okay, how about
I
take a break then?”
Victor noticed the sweat droplets dotting her face and arms. “I’m sorry. Please take as long as you need.”
She took a gulp of water from her thermos. “You really go all out, huh?”
“My dad prepared me for this.”
“I wasn’t in the military, so I’ll never be able to ride you that hard.”
“You could have fooled me. You’d whip any cadet into shape.” Victor plopped down on the grass and stared at the base of the dummy. “Thanks,” he added.
“For what?”
“You paid for this dummy out of your own pocket, and you’ve been here every day helping me. Not to mention the damage I did to your picket fence and flowers.”
“You did most of the work, Victor. Besides, we can’t just sit around and let these demons harm innocent people. You might be our best shot at getting this situation under control. Unless you can point me to another nephilim.”
“A nef…”
“That’s what they called human-angel hybrids in the Old Testament.”
“I think we can come up with a better name than that.”
“Okay, Victor the demon slayer.” Mrs. Kahale lifted the thermos to her lips.
“Summer told you about that?”
She slammed the thermos down on the table. “Break time is over!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
“Can I open my eyes now?” Connor asked while using one of his hands as a blindfold.
“Not yet,” Summer said. Connor peaked through an opening between his fingers, seeing only her thigh. “Okay, open!”
The large neon-green water tank Connor saw made him raise an eyebrow. Her right hand was wrapped around the light-blue grip and her left hand was cupping the plastic forestock. A wide black strap was draped across her shoulder. Connor’s eyes moved up to her face, and he saw her blindingly white smile.
“Tada!” She exclaimed.
“What in the world is that thing?”
“My granny broke my last water gun, so I purchased a little upgrade. It came in the mail yesterday. What do you think?”
Connor desperately wanted to question the practicality of lugging around something so large. He wanted to ask her why she spent money on something so ridiculous. But most importantly, he wanted to know why she went with such a hideous combination of colors. He looked into her eyes and forced a smile. “It’s perfect.”
“I love it too! I wish they had some different color choices, though.”
“I actually really like the colors,” Connor lied. He stood up and closely inspected the gun. His fingers brushed across the barrel until his hand eventually met with hers. The softness of her lips melted him every time he went in for a kiss; two cherry-flavored feather pillows resting on a silky-smooth surface. She wore the mango perfume that day, his favorite. He pulled back and removed the gun from her torso, gently placing it on the floor before continuing the make-out session. He opened one of his eyes and peered at the nearby bed. Connor tried guiding her toward it, but he was met with resistance.
“I know what you’re doing,” she said, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
“What do you mean?”
“Connor, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”
“What?”
“My granny is
right there
. It would feel weird. Besides, I want our first time to be special, which means no interruptions.”
Her reasoning hit Connor like a spiked bat. Every time he entered her room and closed the door, it felt like they were the only two people on earth. He couldn’t believe that he had to be reminded of her grandmother’s existence. “Of course. I keep forgetting.”
“How could you possibly forget?”
“It’s just… when we’re together, everything else ceases to exist.” Connor truly did not know why he said that out loud.
Summer paused and stared at him. She then let out a cackle, piercing Connor’s soul. “I can’t believe you actually said that.” Summer used a finger to wipe a tear from her eye.
“I can’t believe it either,” he mumbled.
“I really didn’t mean to laugh at you like that. I used to daydream about my future boyfriend feeding me poetic lines. But now that I’m hearing it in real life…”
“I get it.”
Summer pouted and gave him a peck on the cheek. “My granny thinks you’re whipped.”
“Wha—I don’t even—”
“Don’t worry. I confessed to her that I’m the whipped one.”
Any embarrassment Connor felt suddenly dissolved. “Wait, did you just call me your boyfriend?”
“Am I wrong?”
“I don’t know, Summer. Boyfriend is a strong word. We’re more like friends with benefits.” He flashed an impish grin, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came when he saw Summer’s dark face, still as a rock. “Summer, I was joking.”
Summer’s stone face crumbled as she started giggling. “Connor, you’re making this too easy.”
“And you’re getting way too good at that.”
Summer stuck her tongue out. “Hey, wanna see something?”
“Sure. But before that, let me just say that you are a terrible instructor. Every time I tell myself I’m going to meditate, you distract me.”
“You’re the one that jumps on me the minute we enter my room.”
“Let’s not act like I’m the only one that does the jumping. Anyway, you were gonna show me something?”
“Oh yeah, check this out.” Summer leapt into a fighting stance. Connor noticed her stable base and almost perfect arm placement. “Mr. Au just taught me this, so the form might be a little off.” She sharply exhaled before launching an almost picture perfect roundhouse kick. Connor was about to rain her with praise, but her leg buckled and she collapsed onto a floor pillow.
Connor covered his mouth with his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked. Summer started laughing uncontrollably. Connor fell down next to her and began cackling. After five minutes of nonstop laughter, they found themselves on the ground, staring into each other’s eyes. The sound of their breath and the hum from the air conditioning were the only things Connor could hear. At that moment, he wondered if it was even possible for her to be as whipped as him.
“Hey, Connor.” she said, her eyes still peering into his.
“Yeah?”
“I can see your wings.”
“And I see… damn, it’s gone.”
“It’s okay, keep practicing.”
“The violet was still pretty muted. But muted colors are better than nothing, I suppose.”
Summer suddenly closed her eyes, her body going limp. Connor called her name, but he got no response. His heart raced as he started lightly nudging her.
Shit. A vision.
***
“Need another break, granny?” Victor asked.
Mrs. Kahale used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Not this time. And that’s Mrs. Kahale to you, nephilim.”
Victor laughed while turning his attention back to the dummy. “You ready?” he asked. She set the handkerchief down on the table and placed the whistle between her lips. Eight seconds after the whistle’s blare, he was back in his angel mode. He leapt at the dummy and tapped it again. It wobbled back and forth before finally standing still. He was overcome with disbelief.
“Woohooo!” Mrs. Kahale screamed. Victor was startled by the sudden noise, but he quickly recovered. In his excitement, he sprinted toward the old woman, picking her up and then spinning her around. “Victorrrrr!” she yelled while being lifted off the ground. “Put me down!”
Victor abruptly stopped spinning in place and then placed her back down. “Oh my god, Mrs. Kahale, I’m so sorry I jus—”
“You did it!”
“
We
did it! Alright, let’s go again.”
“You can punch that stupid thing all day, but
I
am going back inside and taking a bath.”
Victor checked the time on his phone. “Wow, what time did we start again?”
“Four hours. We’ve been out here for four freaking hours.”
“How about we take a five-minute break and then get back to it?” Mrs. Kahale stared at him with squinted eyes. Victor grinned back at her. “Okay, ten minutes?”
The patio doors violently swung open and Summer charged toward them. A large and plastic contraption was in her hand. Victor’s couldn’t stop staring at it. “Summer, wha—”
“V, I got another vision. I let your dad know, and he’s on his way right now. Do you need any holy water?”
Victor dug into his pocket and presented a small plastic bottle. “No, I—”
“Perfect!”
“Summer, slow down,” Mrs. Kahale said.
“Granny, he’s terrified, and he needs our help.”
“What did you see exactly?”
“He’s hiding under the bridge at SooHoo park. The boy looked young.”
“So it’s a kid this time? Damn,” Victor said.
Mrs. Kahale crossed her arms. “Is he alone?”
“Looks like it,” Summer said.
“What else did you see?” Victor asked.
“I could see some sunlight, but he was hiding in the shadows. And he was wearing a backpack.” Connor appeared right behind her.
“Is my dad here?” Victor asked.
“Not yet.” Connor reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of holy water. “Need me to grab you a bottle?”
“I’m good.” Victor placed a hand on Mrs. Kahale’s shoulder. “Wanna come with us? I doubt I could convince you not to come if you wanted to, so I might as well ask.”
“Thanks for the invitation, but I’ll pass.” She reached both of her arms out and gave Victor a tight hug. “Please be careful. We’re not done training yet.”
“Get ready, because when I get back, we’re gonna go even harder.”
Mrs. Kahale waved Summer and Connor over to her. “You thought I’d forget about you guys?” |
Victor flinched as Summer began applying warm water to his wound. She then tossed the water bottle aside before dabbing Victor's bloodied hand with a paper towel. Mr. Au grabbed the first aid kit in his car and handed it to Connor, before doubling back toward Jake, who was leaning against the driver-side door.
Victor glared at his reflection in the puddle of water and blood on the ground. “Hey, uh… what you did back there was pretty awesome.”
“You’re the one who kicked that demon’s ass,” Summer said while eying the first aid kit. “All I did was put a little pep in your step. Do me a favor, though. Next time, how about you
only
aim for the head.”
Victor smirked. Summer showed absolutely no fear in the face of a demon. Was it adrenaline that made it seemingly so easy for her to dash into danger? “Either way, thanks,” Victor said.
“What are friends for?”
“So, who taught you how to treat a wound?”
Summer cracked a nervous smile. “I was always getting hurt as a kid. It got so bad that my granny taught me a little first aid.”
Connor picked up the tossed water bottle and then handed her a tube of antibiotic cream. "I'm not surprised. You took every game we played way too seriously." He brushed a loose strand of hair from her shoulder.
Victor rolled his eyes. “You guys aren’t gonna turn into
that
couple, are you?”
“Couple? Wait, who told you…” Summer glared at Connor. His cheeks flushed a bright red.
Victor snickered to himself. “I was just teasing. I’m happy that you two are together. Just please, don’t get all lovey-dovey around me. I get uncomfortable when strangers do it, so imagine how I’ll feel watching you guys exchange kissy faces all day.”
Connor placed his hand on Summer’s shoulder. “No promises.” He took the antibiotic cream from her and pulled out a bandage roll.
Victor turned to see his dad talking to Jake. “Guys, he can read auras,” he said. “First April, now Jake. I think I’m picking up on a pattern.” Summer dropped her eyes and promptly started wrapping Victor’s wound.
“Your dad interrogated the demon,” Connor said.
“Wait, really?”
“He said that he was just following orders.”
“From Aayan?” Victor asked. He then snuck a glance at Summer, tightly wrapping his hand. She was absorbed by the act.
“Yep. Your dad also got a description out of him.”
“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere!”
“I wouldn’t get too excited,” Connor said. “He’s apparently a tall white guy with long brown hair.”
Victor exhaled sharply. “Great, we’re looking for a tall white guy in Wyoming. That really narrows it down.”
“That’s not all. We found out that La’el might be the person behind all of this. Actually,
person
isn’t the right word…”
“That’s a pretty name,” Summer said while inspecting Victor’s freshly wrapped hand. “Who’s that?”
“La’el is the overseer of hell.”
“So he’s the devil?” Victor asked, stiffly moving his arm up and down.
“The devil, as described in many religions, is inaccurate,” Connor said. “Even the various depictions of hell are incorrect.”
“Are you actually about to provide us with some important information?” Victor asked, feigning a look of shock.
Connor poorly hid a smile. “I’ve never been to hell, so of course I can’t really prove that what I’ve been told is true.” Connor placed the remaining bandage roll back in the first aid kit. “Hell isn’t a place where damned souls go to burn for eternity. It’s more like a rehabilitation center.”
“So, hell is like a prison?” Summer asked.
“Uh… sure. When a mortal soul who has committed horrible acts dies, instead of ascending to a higher plane, they go to hell, where they’re given an opportunity to be sent to heaven.”
“This La’el guy must be the warden then,” Victor said.
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Connor said. “I was told that La’el was one of God’s first creations, tasked with helping souls repent for what they did as humans. Ultimately, he decides who stays in hell and who is allowed into heaven.”
“If this super old and powerful angel is in charge of keeping them in line, how do they end up possessing humans?” Summer asked. “He must be terrible at his job.”
“Angels aren’t omniscient. There are prison breaks on earth, right? The same thing applies to the souls in hell. It’s just that before, demons would only possess humans to revel in as many of earth’s pleasures as possible. Drinking, gambling, drugs, etc.” Connor met Summer’s gaze. “It’s possible that La’el is purposefully sending demons to this plane in order to harm the spiritually sensitive… people like yourself.”
“Over my dead body,” Victor declared.
“
Our
dead bodies,” Connor retorted. “We’re not gonna let anything happen to you. Besides, it might just be a coincidence. We still don’t know what’s really going on.”
Summer forced a smile. “Those demons are gonna be in for a rude awakening when I find my water gun.” She grabbed her amethyst pendant and her smile waned. “Thanks, guys. Seriously.”
Victor placed his uninjured hand on her shoulder. “I thought angels were supposed to be all loving and peaceful. Why would this La’el guy be sending demons to this plane?”
“That’s the million dollar question,” Connor said.
Mr. Au walked up to them and examined Victor’s hand. “Wow, good work.”
“Thank you,” Summer said. Her eyes moved to Jake standing near the car, staring at the pink horizon creeping up behind the school building. “What did he tell you?”
“Jake’s the new orchestra teacher. He was going inside to grab some papers he left behind when he noticed a man and a woman running toward him. He panicked when he saw their auras, so he hid.”
“Anything else?” Connor asked.
“That’s all I could get out of him.”
Victor started toward Jake. He leaned on his dad’s car, making sure to obscure his injured hand. “Do you live nearby?” he asked. Jake stood still, gawking at him. “Um… you okay?” Victor added.
“Yeah, it’s just… gold. I’ve never seen someone with a golden aura before.” He glanced at his necklace. “Can you read auras as well?”
“No, the necklace was a gift from my friend, Summer.” He pointed to her as she and everyone else headed their way. “She’s the mystic of the group.”
“Wow, you are all blessed with such beautiful auras, but yours and Connor’s are especially radiant.”
“Yeah, we’re a bit… different,” Victor said.
“You know, anyone can learn how to read auras. It’s difficult, but with enough practice, it can be done.”
“Really?” Summer asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes. I can teach you how, if you’re interested.”
“Of course! Thank you!” Summer exclaimed.
“You’re welcome. You can even teach yourself how to change the color of your aura, but it’s a pretty advanced skill. Even I haven’t been able to do it yet.” His eyes met Victor’s. “Oh yeah, you asked me if I live nearby. My apartment is about thirty minutes from here.” He turned to look at Mr. Au. “If you wouldn’t mind…”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Victor watched with familiarity as they drove past the school’s practice field. He remembered the grunts and screams that came from the football players doing drills as he got driven home after class. The enormous pine tree he would look up at every morning was just as ominous as he had remembered, and the flagpole was still slightly bent from the time Stephen Elder’s dad drove up to the school drunk.
Jake was in the front seat, staring out the window. “I’ve gotten bad vibes from people before,” he said. “But what I felt back there was something different. I always wanted to believe in the existence of supernatural beings, but knowing that demons are real…”
“You’ll get used to it,” Victor said flatly.
“Why were they after me?”
“I wish we knew for sure,” Connor said. “But we think someone is ordering these demons to hunt down the spiritually sensitive.”
“Any clues as to why?”
“Nope,” Victor responded. “We’re still iffy on most of the details.”
Jake exhaled sharply, then glanced at Summer, her hand resting on Connor’s knee. “I guess I really do need to buy a bunch of holy water.”
“I’ll text you the link to a great wholesaler,” Summer said. “But this should hold you until you can get more.” She pulled out a bottle from the seatback pocket and handed it to him.
Jake shook the bottle and watched the liquid settle. “I oddly miss when the rise in murders was my only source of paranoia.” He sighed a deep sigh. “Now, let me fulfill my promise. The best way to learn how to view auras is to look at yourself in the mirror, except you don’t actually look at yourself, you look past yourself.”
“Huh?” Victor asked.
Jake smiled. “Stand in front of a mirror and relax your eyes. Instead of looking at anything specific, you use your peripheral vision to look at your aura. For an example, have you ever spaced out while looking at someone? You aren’t actually looking at that person. You’re thinking about something and your eyes just so happen to be on the person you’re facing. It’s very similar to that. Look at yourself, but focus on your peripheral vision instead. It’s going to take a lot of practice, but eventually you will see an outline around your body. If you keep it up, you might even see colors.”
“How did you find out about this?” Summer asked
“I’ve always been interested in new-age philosophies and practices. There are a bunch of groups online that help people like us thrive in a world that dismisses our gifts. I can send you some links, if you want.”
“Please, do!”
Jake turned to peer out the window. For several minutes, all anyone heard was the hum of the car’s engine. The setting sun presented a picturesque horizon while also giving everyone a break from the smoldering afternoon heat. “I don’t know how best to ask this,” Jake said, breaking the silence. “So I’m just gonna come out and say it.” Jake turned around. “Connor, V, are you guys human?”
“I am,” Connor answered. “I used to be an angel, though. And V is half-angel.”
“From his mother’s side, I’m assuming?” He presented a nervous smile to Mr. Au. “No offense.”
Mr. Au chuckled. “None taken.”
The wooden frames and multicolored bricks that comprised the many unfinished buildings in Jake’s apartment complex caught Victor’s eye. A haze of dirt and the potent smell of freshly laid cement caused everyone to recoil, prompting Mr. Au to close the windows. Eventually, they reached a three story building painted dark-blue. It was one of the few finished buildings in the complex.
Jake cracked the car door open. “I don’t really know what to say. Thank you just doesn’t feel like enough.”
“It’s more than enough,” Mr. Au said. “Please, keep in touch. We need as many allies as possible.”
“Hopefully we meet again under better circumstances,” Jake said before walking through the front door of his apartment building. Mr. Au let out a loud yawn and then drove out of the complex.
Despite living in Covington his entire life, there were vast swaths of the city that Victor had never seen before. Looking at all the unfamiliar buildings on their way home filled him with a surge of anxiety. But after reaching a recognizable stretch of road, he sank a little deeper into his seat. “Hey Summer,” Victor said. “How often should I do that mirror thing?”
She grabbed Connor’s hand and lifted it up to her face. His eyes widened. “I actually just came up with another exercise that doesn’t require a mirror. Lift your hand up and stare at it, but move your focus to the outline of your hand with your peripheral vision.”
Victor lifted his uninjured hand and stared at it blankly. His hands used to be so rough and covered with cuts and bruises. The faded lines of his old wounds were the only reminder of his old self. “We’re not gonna add this to the group sessions, are we?” he asked. “I don’t think I can stop myself from laughing if it’s just me and Connor staring at our hands for thirty minutes.”
“No, you can do it in your free time.” Summer lowered Connor’s hand while still clasping it. “Connor, eventually you’ll be able to read colors. I’m so excited!”
“What color is my aura?” Mr. Au asked. One hand was on the steering wheel and he wrapped his other arm around the passenger’s side headrest.
Summer leaned forward. “Mostly red.”
“What does that mean?” Mr. Au asked.
“Red is usually associated with strength and passion.”
“What about gold?” Victor asked.
Summer shrugged. “You’re the only person I’ve ever seen with a golden aura.”
“It’s gotta have some elite, super special meaning,” Victor said. “What do some of the other colors mean?”
Summer leaned back in her seat and peered up at the closed sunroof. “White is associated with spiritual balance.”
Victor gave Connor a quick glance. “Balanced? Oh, please…”
“Shhh,” Connor said with a wry smile on his face. “Let her finish.”
Summer let out a snort. “Someone with a mostly blue aura is usually creative and sensitive. Green is associated with compassion, yellow is optimism and friendliness, orange is ambition and courage, brown is greed and self-involvement, grey is depression and sadness, and violet is usually for the spiritually advanced. Jake’s aura was violet, by the way.”
“You said there were swirls of black in our auras when we were in the hospital,” Victor said.
“The only people I’ve seen with completely black auras are demons. But usually black shows up when someone is injured or under a lot of duress.”
“I’m gonna have to write all of this down,” Victor said.
“Being spiritually sensitive is more than just crystals and seeing people’s auras,” Summer said. “As you continue to meditate and train, you will start to notice the subtleties of human communication. Eventually learning what it means to
really
connect with someone.”
Victor stared at his hand for a while, trying to parse her meaning. His gaze suddenly rose. “Connor, why did you hide the fact that you could see auras?”
“You never seemed like the type to believe me. You constantly mocking Summer was confirmation. I didn’t want to say anything that might push you away.”
“Yeah, I made fun of her, but she was still my friend. You could have said something.”
“As time went on, I grew fond of laughing at the two of you bicker.”
Summer squeezed Connor’s hand. “So… you just sat there and let him tease me for years because you thought it was funny?” Connor grimaced and then swiftly pulled his hand away. A loud guffaw came from the driver’s seat.
The sunset’s purple and orange hue hypnotized Victor. He sank even deeper in his seat as the sporadic number of recognizable buildings turned into several miles of familiar locales. They dropped Summer off first. Victor saw all the tension in her grandmother’s body release the moment she noticed their car.
“Text me when you get home,” Summer said as she backed away from the car.
“That’s way too long of a wait,” Connor said. Victor desperately wanted to say something snarky at that moment, but he controlled himself.
“Don’t forget to practice seeing your auras!” she exclaimed. “You too, Mr. Au!”
The drive to Connor’s home was a quiet one. Exhaustion hitting everyone at once. Even Mr. Au couldn’t stop himself from rubbing his eyes.
“Text me when you get home!” Victor exclaimed as Connor was standing on his porch steps.
“Very funny,” Connor said. “Thanks for… well, everything, Mr. Au.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Connor, we were pretty awesome back there, weren’t we?” Victor asked.
“Absolutely. Heal up, bro.”
“Will do.”
Victor promised himself that he would take a shower the second he got home, but he made the mistake of sitting down first. The couch felt like it was made of the finest upholstery, and the distance to the stairs lengthened with each breath. His dad interrupted his fusion with the couch by walking up to him with a first aid kit in hand. The almost blindingly sharp pain got duller and duller with each passing moment after they left the school. By the time Victor got home, he almost completely forgot about his injured hand.
“Lemme see,” his father demanded. Victor lifted his arm and let his father unwrap the bandages. Mr. Au’s eyes widened. His hand appeared to be almost completely healed.
Victor clenched and then unclenched his fist. “Good as new.” |
Connor’s old middle school came into view, drenching him in nostalgia. Memories of stressing over assignments and praying for the abolishment of pop quizzes filled him with a bizarre sense of longing. It was a simpler time; A time when Connor truly felt like a normal teenager, free from the burdens that currently plague him.
The building had an exterior composed of brown brick—immaculately maintained shrubs and bushes garnishing its otherwise plain looking facade.
Mr. Au hopped out of the car and snatched his ax from the trunk. “Connor, lead the way,” he said as he made his way toward the building’s entrance. Connor grabbed his bottle of holy water, cueing Victor and Summer to do the same. He then hurried toward one of the four enormous front doors and pressed against its metal push bar. Years of use faded its silver color, leaving it murky and smudged. Unfortunately, the door didn’t move, prompting him to try the other three. But they were just as uncooperative as the first.
“It’s locked,” Connor said.
“Yeah, we can see that,” Victor snorted.
“Watch out,” Mr. Au said while waving Connor away. He took several steps back and then launched into a front kick, busting the door wide open. He stomped through the entryway, gripping his ax with two hands. Summer and Connor both turned to give Victor a glance. He smiled, unmoved by this sudden feat of superhuman strength.
“Hopefully, all that noise grabbed the demon’s attention,” Mr. Au said.
Connor prowled ahead. “And why would we want that, exactly?”
“If this guy is in the janitor’s closet, I assume he’s in there to hide, and I’m pretty sure I just made enough noise to distract the demon’s search for a bit.” He stopped. “Decapitation is the only way to kill one, right?”
Victor paused, staring at the bright red handle of his father’s ax. “Yes, sir.”
“Got it. Connor, take point.”
“Sir,” Connor said with a nod.
As Connor stalked through the halls of his old middle school, he was astounded by how small everything looked. The lockers he used to peer up at now came up to his shoulders, and the hallways he remembered getting lost in when he first got there as a pimple-faced sixth grader were now significantly more narrow. The pale sunlight beaming through the windows partially illuminated their path—each of their shadows licking at the walls. The school’s layout became more familiar with each step. By the time they reached the end of the first hallway, Connor recalled the location of the janitor’s closet, right across the hall from his seventh-grade science classroom.
They eventually turned a corner, and Connor pointed at the entrance to the closet.
“Wait,” Mr. Au said with a hand up. “I’ll lead the way from here. Remove the caps from your bottles and be prepared for anything. It’s quiet now, but who knows what we’ll find once we get inside.”
“Why
is
it so quiet?” Summer asked, wiping the sweat from her eyes.
“I don’t get it either,” Connor said. “It’s possible that the demon is upstairs looking for him, but we would have heard something by now, right?”
“Guys, we’re wasting time,” Victor said.
Mr. Au started toward the door. “You’re right. Let’s go.” He slowly turned the dull-brass doorknob and walked into a seemingly empty room. The pungent smell of all-purpose cleaner and dirty mop bucket water made Connor recoil. A large grey cabinet stood beside a stainless steel slop sink. Connor reached his hand out to open it, but Mr. Au stopped him. He put a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to be quiet. Connor leaned forward and heard quick and shallow breaths coming from inside the cabinet.
“Please, don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you,” Mr. Au said. The sound of arduous breathing was his response. Mr. Au paused for a moment. “I’m going to open the cabinet now, okay?” he eventually said. He then pulled on its handle, revealing a young man curled up into a ball. The man lifted his head, presenting his sunken brown eyes. Sweat clumped the dirty-blonde hair that streamed across his forehead. His gaze shifted from person to person until finally landing on Victor—a look of wonder quickly replacing one of abject horror.
Victor smiled. “Are you hurt?”
“N—No, I saw them coming toward me and I hid.”
“Who did you see?” Summer asked.
“Hold on,” Mr. Au interrupted. “There were multiple people after you?”
“Yeah, I saw two of them. Their auras were so...” He lowered his head into his hands. Connor and Victor shot a look at Summer.
“Hey, what’s your name?” Mr. Au asked.
The young man raised his head. “J—Jake.”
“I’m Chester,” Mr. Au said in a calming tone. “Listen, Jake, I know you’ve been through a lot, but we have to get out of here. We can talk more once I know we’re safe, okay?” Mr. Au reached his hand out. “Let’s get you out of there.” A loud
thud
from a nearby door slamming shut made everyone but Mr. Au jump. Jake’s flinching made the broom next to him fall. A couple of heartbeats later, the door to the janitor’s closet swung open.
A svelte man with black hair and a filled out beard stood before them, his blood-red eyes darting across the room. “What the f—” escaped his lips before he suddenly collapsed, squirming on the floor. His screams echoed throughout the halls and smoke peaked through the gaps between his fingers now covering his face. Mr. Au stood over him with the emptied bottle of holy water in his hand.
I didn’t even see him move,
Connor thought.
“Get Jake out of here and book it to my car!” Mr. Au yelled, trying to pierce through the demon’s blood-curdling screams. He threw his car keys at Victor.
“Dad, there’s no way we’re leaving you here!”
“V, I’ll be fine!” He flashed a reassuring smile. “Connor will stay here and help me deal with this guy. Now go!”
Summer turned to Jake and helped him up. “Can you run?” Summer asked.
“What the hell is going on?” Jake asked, his eyes glued to the demon writhing on the ground.
“Just follow us!” Victor exclaimed as he darted out of the room. Summer grabbed Jake’s hand and tailed Victor, letting out a shriek as they hopped over the demon.
Mr. Au stomped on the demon’s chest, holding him in place. His loud cries eventually turned into groans of anguish as he lied there, using a hand to cover his smoldering face. “Connor, throw me your bottle,” Mr. Au demanded. Connor screwed his bottle of holy water and flung it at Mr. Au. He caught it, unscrewed the bottle, then held it over the demon. “Good, now hold his legs.” Connor stumbled toward the demon and used his full bodyweight to hold his legs in place. “Hey, can you hear me?” Mr. Au asked.
The demon moved his hand. A bright red burn mark stretched across half of his face. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked.
“Who is Aayan?”
“What?”
Mr. Au tipped the bottle over and a drop landed on the demon’s neck. He shrieked as he covered the affected area. Connor’s eyes moved from the demon to Mr. Au—whose mouth curled into a wisp of a smile. “I’m not gonna ask you again,” Mr. Au said.
“I don’t know who he is. He’s just some guy we were told to take orders from.”
Mr. Au’s grip on his ax tightened. “Who told you to take orders from him?”
“La’el.”
Connor’s heart sank. “La’el?”
The demon presented a grin, oozing with malice. “The one and only.”
What does he have to do with this?
Connor thought.
“Connor, snap out of it,” Mr. Au said. He turned back to the demon. “Who is La’el?”
“He’s the overseer of hell,” the demon answered, his eyes locked on the partially tipped bottle of holy water being held above him.
“So he’s the devil?”
The demon chuckled, his yellow teeth peeking through his cracked lips. “The devil isn’t real. There is only La’el.”
Mr. Au gave the bottle a light shake. “What does Aayan look like?”
“He’s a tall white guy with long brown hair. He wore an all white suit when I first met him. That’s all I know, man. I promise.” Mr. Au put the cap back on the bottle. “So, you’re gonna let me go?” the demon asked, smiling nervously. “I won’t hurt anyone, I swear.” A flash of red moved downward as Mr. Au sliced through the demon’s neck with one swing. Connor quickly jumped backward, avoiding the human shaped pile of ash.
Mr. Au helped Connor to his feet. “Let’s catch up with—” a loud
bang
came from the direction of the school’s entrance. They shared a glance, then sprinted out of the room.
***
Victor lessened his pace, allowing for Jake and Summer to catch up. “We’re almost there,” Victor said.
He sprinted past the spot in the hallway where he got his first kiss, and he glanced at the display case full of awards he used to look at every morning on his way to class. So many memories flooded his mind all at once. It was almost overwhelming.
Victor turned the corner and saw a thin young woman standing near the exit doors, facing them. He stopped and peered into her red eyes. Summer—seemingly undeterred by the demon’s presence—darted past him and splashed her with the entire bottle of holy water. A loud wail came from the demon as she collapsed—smoke rising from her squirming body.
“V, you got this!” Summer exclaimed. “We’ll be outside waiting. Jake, let’s go!”
I got this
, Victor immediately thought, not allowing himself to dwell on what he had just witnessed. He took a deep breath. The now familiar wave of bliss showered over him. A tingling feeling permeated throughout his body as he received a sudden burst of energy. He then leapt several feet into the air, soaring toward the demon until he was right above her. He curled his hand into a fist and dropped to the ground, landing a punch to her temple. A small crater formed beneath the pile of ash that used to be her body.
Victor looked at his hand. The bliss he felt waned as blood began dripping from his knuckles. A sharp pain started at his hand and then made its way up his entire arm. It took everything in his power to not let out a scream. The sound of footsteps coming from behind caused him to turn around. His dad and Connor stood at the end of the hallway for a moment before eventually sprinting toward him.
“What was that noise?” Connor asked. Victor turned his body, revealing his injury. He grimaced when his father held his hand up to inspect it.
Mr. Au glared at the pile of ash resting atop the small crater, then turned back to his son’s injured hand. “It doesn’t look good”
“Dad, did you forget about my super healing?” Victor forced a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m already feeling better,” he lied, turning to face the exit. “Summer and Jake are waiting for us outside.” Connor and his dad helped him to his feet, and they trudged ahead. Victor snuck another glance at the crater. Small cracks fanned out from the indent caused by his fist, exposing the dirt underneath.
“What happened?” Summer asked when she first saw them. “I heard a bang and then—” She gasped after noticing Victor’s hand. “V, are you okay?”
“I’m gonna be fine. I just need to rest it for a bit and it’ll be as good as new.” Victor locked eyes with Jake, who was standing near the car. While maintaining eye contact, he walked up to him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks to you guys.” He winced at Victor’s bloodied hand. “What happened?”
“Oh, this? Just a scratch.” |
“You’re pretty tall for a nine-year-old,” Summer said. The open car window caused Trevor’s flowing blonde hair to ruffle in the wind—his eyes laser-focused on Victor.
“My grandpa said my dad was really tall,” Trevor said. He was stuck to Summer like glue. His hand—which was the same size as Summer’s despite being seven years her junior—was resting atop of hers.
“Trevor, look at me,” Summer said. “You remember the promise you made to V, right?”
“Of course I do. I just made it a couple of minutes ago.”
Victor chuckled. “I like this kid.”
“First question,” Summer said. “What were you doing at the park alone?”
Connor peeked into Trevor’s backpack. “And why did you bring a dead Nintendo DS, three bottles of water, and a box of honey buns?”
“The DS was for when I got bored,” Trevor said. “But I ended up playing it all day and I forgot my charger, so it didn’t last very long. The water and food was for when I got hungry.”
“Okay, but why were you there by yourself?” Summer asked.
“My grandpa said I’m possessed and that he’s gonna send me to a catholic school, so I ran away.”
“Well… are you possessed?” Victor asked.
Summer’s face dropped. “V…”
Victor flashed a wry smile. “After all that we’ve been through, is that
really
a crazy thing to ask?”
“I’m not possessed!” Trevor said.
“Do you know why your dad would think you are?” Summer asked, her face softening.
Trevor lightly squeezed Summer’s hand. “Last week he was helping me with my homework, then out of nowhere, I started dreaming. I woke up to my grandpa shaking me. I told him what I saw in my dream and he started praying and talking about the devil and stuff.”
“Sounds like he had a vision,” Connor said.
Summer didn’t want to overreact, so she forced a smile. “What was this dream about?”
“I was flying for a little bit and then I stopped and looked at this building. Then I was in the body of this girl. She was all tied up and really scared.” He paused. “That’s all I remember.”
Summer tenderly rubbed his back. “It’s okay Trevor, you’re not possessed.” She gave Connor and Victor a glance, and they responded with a nod. “I’ve had these dreams too.”
“Really?”
“Yep, and Connor was right. They’re called visions, and that’s actually how we found you.”
“You were in my body?”
“Well… sort of.”
Trevor shivered. “Weird…”
“Hey Trevor,” Mr. Au said. “How did your grandpa react to you being able to see auras?”
“He doesn’t believe in it.”
“What do you mean?” Victor asked.
“When I first started living with him, he would yell at me every time I started talking about that sort of stuff, so I stopped.”
“That’s horrible,” Summer said. “What you have is a gift.”
Trevor perked up. “My mom used to tell me that.”
“So your mother also had this gift?” Connor asked.
“No, but she always told me she wished she did. She used to take me to the park and ask me to call out people’s auras as they walked by.”
“Where’s your mom now?” Summer asked.
“She’s in heaven.”
Summer used her thumb to gently rub the top of Trevor’s hand. “And your father?”
“I don’t have one,” he said, a trace of anger in his voice. The car fell silent for a moment—his words hanging in the air.
Mr. Au barreled through the palpable discomfort. “Do you know why those people were chasing you?”
“No. I was messing around with my DS in the gazebo, and then I saw three guys with black auras running at me. They were really slow.”
“Wait,” Mr. Au said. “Did you say you saw three guys?”
“Yeah.”
Mr. Au alternated glanced between Victor, Connor, and Summer. V apparently made quick work of the two demons they saw on their way to Trevor. Maybe this mystery third demon wised up and fled?
“You’re a pretty fast runner, huh?” Victor said, obviously trying to shift the tone to something less dire.
“I’m the fastest kid in my class. Every time we play kickball, I get picked first.”
Connor exhaled sharply. “We still have no idea why they’re coming after people.”
“At least we saved the kid,” Victor said.
“My name is Trevor.”
Victor mockingly put both of his hands up. “You’re right. Sorry, Trevor.”
“You’re a very brave young man,” Mr. Au said. He pulled into a gas station and stopped near a pump. “I’m going to get some gas. Trevor, do you know your home address?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“I know things aren’t great at home, but your grandpa is your legal guardian. He’s probably been worried sick.”
Trevor furrowed his brow. “He doesn’t care about me.”
“I bet you’re pretty hungry,” Summer said.
He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah…”
Smudges of dirt covered Trevor’s clothes, and his shoes were caked in mud. The red splotches on his face suggested to Summer that he was mildly sunburned, and the dried lines of sweat and tears left his cheeks discolored. “Mr Au,” Summer said. “How about we head over to my place so he can clean up a bit and get something to eat?” She then dramatically raised both of her eyebrows.
Mr. Au paused for a moment. “You’re right,” he eventually said while shooting Summer a reaffirming look. “I’ll be right back.”
Summer spent countless hours babysitting throughout the years. Sometimes the indirect approach worked best. “See, it’s no problem,” she said, smiling.
“I’m not going back home,” Trevor said. “I mean it.”
“I believe you. But even a kid as brave as you has to eat, right?”
Trevor eyed her suspiciously. “Do you have French fries?”
“We do! I’ll make you some when we get home.”
“O-Okay.”
“Do you still want to know more about me?” Victor asked.
Trevor hesitated, but he eventually turned away from Summer. “Yeah,” he said. “Why are you and Connor so different?”
“What if I told you that angels are real?”
“I already know they’re real.”
“Well, Connor here used to be an angel, and so was my mom.”
“My grandpa told me about fallen angels. Are you guys evil?”
“I can’t speak for Connor here, but I know I’m not evil,” Victor said, refusing to meet Connor’s glare.
“Don’t worry,” Summer said. “No one here is evil.”
Mr. Au returned with furrowed brows, annoyed at the current price of gas. Summer could hear his muffled curses from her seat. “You’re gonna love Summer’s house,” he said as he put his key in the ignition.
Summer spaced out, watching buildings buzz by as they drove down several main roads. She eventually snapped out of it, realizing that no one had spoken in quite a while. She turned to Trevor and saw the heaviness in his eyes, but it wasn’t just him. Everyone’s body language suggested fatigue.
Mr. Au pulled into Summer’s driveway. “Welcome to my house,” Summer said.
“Wow,” Trevor said, wide-eyed. “So many colors.”
Mrs. Kahale opened the front door in a bright yellow sundress and flip-flops. “Welcome back.” She paused for half a second, then aimed an ingratiating smile directly at Trevor. “And who is this handsome young man?”
“I’m Trevor.”
She glanced at the red backpack in Connor’s hands. “Well Trevor, I’m happy to see that you’re safe. I bet you’re starving.”
“Summer told me you have French fries.”
“Of course. But first, I need you to wash up a bit, okay?”
Mrs. Kahale gave everyone a wink before leading Trevor through the front door.
“Did you tell her about Trevor while I was getting gas?” Mr. Au asked.
“I actually forgot to call her,” Summer said, smiling. “She’s just psychic like that.”
Despite exhaustion trying to set in, seeing her house through Trevor’s eyes was a shot of expresso. Every flamboyantly colored flower pot and oddly placed knick knack fascinated him. His eyes were hummingbirds zipping around a flower full of nectar. She jokingly thought that he might pass out from sensory overload.
Mr. Au, Victor, and Connor seated themselves in the living room. Summer heard them conversing as she dug into her freezer, removing all the frozen fruits, vegetables, and imitation meat to get to the bag of organic French fries in the back. Summer remembered the first time her grandmother brought them from the store and—at the time—she found the idea of organic French fries to be comically pretentious.
Summer despised the smell of cooking oil, so she placed a cinnamon apple scented candle on the kitchen counter. As she was placing a pot full of oil on the stove, a loud
bang
came from upstairs, almost making her tip the pot over. Heavy footsteps immediately raced up the stairs. She took a second to recover from being startled before running toward the noise’s source.
The bathroom door was wide open. Summer saw her grandmother holding Trevor’s head up. The water spraying from the shower head was pattering on Trevor’s motionless body. Mr. Au swiftly turned the water off and handed her grandmother a towel. “I rushed in here after I heard a bang and I found him laying down in the tub,” Summer’s grandmother said while poorly trying to maintain a measured demeanor. “He’s still breathing but,” she inspected the back of his head, “I think he hit his head on the tiles.”
“Is he having a vision?” Mr. Au asked while facing Summer.
Summer was still trying to process everything. “I-I don’t know.”
“Trevor has visions?” Her grandmother asked.
“We were going to tell you after he got cleaned up,” Summer said.
“It’s okay, we just—”
Trevor moved his arm to touch the back of his head. “Hey,” Mrs. Kahale said, “what happened?” Trevor didn’t respond.
Summer knelt down by the bathtub. “Trevor, can you hear me?”
Trevor slowly raised his head—his eyes locked on her amethyst stone. “Yeah.”
“Did you have a vision?”
“I saw the church me and my grandpa go to every Sunday. I was a girl with black hair and she was hiding under one of those chair things.”
“A pew?” Connor said.
“Yeah, she was hiding under a pew and…” Summer’s grandmother lightly touched the back of his head. Trevor grimaced the moment her fingers made contact.
“Trevor,” Summer said, “what church do you go to?”
“St. James.”
“That’s off 47th Street,” Mr. Au said, already halfway out the door.
“Go,” Mrs. Kahale said, “I’ll take care of everything here.”
The car was imbued with a manic energy. All the fatigue they previously felt had completely dissipated. Even the way Mr. Au drove was representative of the tone. The turns were sharp, and his inconsistent speeds forced Summer to hold on to the grab handle.
Summer could count the number of churches she knew by name on one hand, or more accurately, two fingers. They pulled up to a dark grey building that was about the width of one of those mom and pop shops she would see when she visited her family in the south. The length—on the other hand—was preposterous. Three giant spires of different sizes protruded out of the top of the building like mohawks. She noticed the small crosses that rested atop two of the spires. The crossless spire had its wooden frame exposed, and it was a lighter grey than the rest of the building. There were construction vehicles parked next to the marquee sign that read:
Closed for construction. The sermon will instead be held at 1897 Davidson Ave.
Mr. Au burst through the church doors and the sound of a female’s voice hit Summer’s ears. She couldn’t discern what was being said, but the cadence was repetitive. They got closer to the nave, and the words became more recognizable until she heard: “
I didn’t mean it,”
over and over again. Once they reached the nave, it was revealed to them that the source of the muttering was a woman with auburn hair. She stood with her back turned to them—her head aimed at the black-haired woman laying motionless before her. Dark red blood stained the corner of the pew next to them.
Victor took a few steps forward and the auburn-haired woman turned around to reveal her crimson red eyes. The face that looked back at them sent a surge of anxiety throughout Summer’s entire body, leaving her rigid. Her eyes were the only part of her that dared to move, and they immediately focused on Victor’s face.
Victor slumped his shoulders before whispering a single word. “Catelyn?”
The orange-haired demon formerly known as Catelyn rushed toward Summer, pushing her into a statue of the Holy Mary. Summer felt an intense pain in her chest for only a few seconds before losing consciousness. |
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