Between

by Mary Ting

  “Trinity…why?” Michael was filled with anger, brewing even more seeing Claudia on the cold floor, helpless. He wanted to go to her, enclose his wings around her, and whisk her away now that she was healed. But he needed answers, and the only way he would get them was by asking calmly.

  Michael’s tone quickly released Trinity’s tension. Her pounding heart was now at a steadier pace. “Michael, I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t thinking straight. I wanted Nicholas to think I’d killed her. I know that I can be difficult, but I’m not a…” She couldn’t get the words out and Michael took a couple of steps toward her. In fear of not knowing what Michael would do, she pulled out a sword. “Stop. Don’t come near me.”

  Michael remembered Trinity leaving her dagger behind. “Where did you get that sword?” It looked like one of the Twelve’s swords, but he couldn’t tell for sure. Surely she couldn’t get a hold of one, he thought.

  Trinity didn’t answer; instead, she pointed the sword toward Claudia. “She’s healing, but I won’t hesitate to do it again.”

  “Calm down. I just want to talk…that’s all. Now, walk away from Claudia. I don’t want to hurt you. I want you to tell me everything. Then I’ll let you free. See, I’m walking back.”

  After Michael backed away, Trinity walked away from Claudia.

  Michael’s eyes narrowed sharply on Trinity. “Tell me everything you know. Then, you must never come back. I don’t want to ever see you again. Speak quickly before the others come.”

  It took her a moment to register what he had said. His words stung sharply; he might as well have twisted a dagger in her heart. When she had been told he was still alive, her spirits burst with happiness that they would be reunited. But here she was, alone; he had just told her he never wanted to see her again. “But…where will I go? I’ll be alone.”

  “You should have thought about that before. I told you I would never forgive you. And you should know better than anyone that I keep my word.”

  “Michael, please,” she pleaded desperately.

  “Start talking. Now!” His loud voice startled her, made her tremble. Her blood pressure escalated, and her grip on the sword got even tighter.

  “I’m not working with the demons. Please, you gotta believe me. I…” Trinity said, desperately trying to convince Michael, but he cut her short.

  “Stop lying. No more lies! How did you know about Aliah’s hide out?” Michael asked, anger raging inside.

  “I didn’t know it existed. I was taken there. I was told to bring Claudia there. It was an order by…” Trinity stopped speaking as the rest of the alkins and guardians appeared.

  “Stop!” Michael commanded. He needed to hear Trinity’s explanation.

  Everyone halted, except for Patrick. He had just arrived, behind Trinity, and didn’t hear Michael’s words. Trinity whirled around, fearing someone was behind her, and accidently plunged the sword into Patrick’s chest.

  “Patrick!” Holly yelled in anguish, unable to believe her own eyes.

  Patrick gasped and drew in his breath with a look of shock. Trinity immediately dropped the sword and froze. Davin raced to capture Trinity, but Michael gripped Davin’s wrist and shook his head to let her go. Davin returned a questioning look, but did as told. Trinity took the opportunity to flee with tears in her eyes, for she knew it would be the last time she would see any of them.

  The venators surrounded Patrick, who was curled up on the floor, as they waited for him to recover. When he didn’t show any signs of healing, Michael picked up the sword and realized with dismay that it was one of the Twelve’s swords, for sure. It looked exactly like Aden’s with the inscription that read “Angel of God”—the only sword that could kill an angel. He remembered holding it, remembered how it felt in his hand when he had killed Aden with it. How did she get a hold of it?

  Austin looked up to see Michael’s expression as Michael telepathically related the details. Austin’s face paled as he realized the implications, and he too wondered how she’d gotten a hold of it. Michael handed the sword to Austin and headed toward Claudia. He enclosed Claudia in his arms, placed her on the bed and sat beside her.

  “We need to take him back to Katherine,” Holly uttered with urgency. “Why are we wasting time? Let’s go!”

  When Austin showed Holly the sword, she stared at it with disbelief.

  No one moved, huddled together in silence, grief stricken, for they knew that there was no cure. Even Trinity’s healing powers could not have saved him.

  Vivian placed her hand on Holly’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. But all Holly could do was stare at Patrick’s wound, which shed no blood.

  “I’m sorry, Patrick. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I didn’t have your back this time. It’s my fault,” Holly mumbled as she placed her hands over her face and started to cry.

  Suddenly, a small beam of light radiated around him and then it got brighter and so intense that they had to look away. As the light dimmed, Patrick’s spirit, which had disconnected from his body, appeared in front of them. “Holly, don’t burden your heart. It’s not your fault. It’s my time to leave this world. I will carry the memories of the good times we shared. Weep for me no more, my brothers and sisters, for I am going home!” With a peaceful smile, he vanished.

  “Patrick!!!” Holly cried, still unable to believe he was gone. “No…no…no,” Holly muffled her words in her hands, as tears escaped through her fingers. Her cry was soft but utterly painful.

  The alkins didn’t know what to do. They too were in shock and couldn’t believe what they had witnessed. It happened so fast that it took a while for it to register that Patrick was dead.

  Still feeling flabbergasted, Austin felt something in his heart he hadn’t felt before. Anger and pain shot through his body. He felt the emptiness as if someone had ripped his heart out. The emptiness spread through his body and made him feel weak; so weak, he thought he would collapse. And for the first time, he understood Claudia’s pain from losing Gamma. After he gathered himself, he enclosed Patrick’s body in his arms. “I’m taking him to Katherine. Why don’t you guys watch over Claudia for a while? Holly, let’s go,” he commanded.

  Holly numbly gazed at him. Then the three of them were gone.

  Austin gingerly placed Patrick down on his bed at Island of Eden. He stood there as his eyes gazed upon his friend who was now gone forever. Holly rested her hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Austin…we need your mom.”

  “She’s already on her way,” he muttered weakly. Then he sat on the bed, wondering how this could have happened. He gripped the comforter tightly with both of his hands, releasing his anger and pain as his body trembled in agony. He’d never trusted Trinity, and he blamed himself for not acting upon his instincts. Holly and Austin waited for Katherine as they sat silently, only hearing the sound of the waves crashing in. Daily, it was a peaceful sound, but today it wasn’t.

  Without warning, the double doors flung open and Katherine appeared. Startled, Holly and Austin stood up. “What happened?” Katherine asked, looking at Patrick. Her eyes welled up with tears, and they started to fall. She approached more closely with her eyes set on him, drawing out the memories they shared. “Oh, Patrick. I’m so sorry.” She placed her hands on his cheeks and poured out her heart and pain. Holly turned away as streams of tears uncontrollably fell. Austin fanned his wings and flew away, unable to handle the unwanted emotions of pain and loss.

  After Holly filled her in with the details, Katherine called a meeting with the Divine Elders. She also sent a few watchers

  to go after Trinity and sent Holly to find her son.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Michael sat on the edge of Claudia’s bed as he curled her hand into his. His eyes glued onto the movement of her chest rising and falling. He wanted to make sure she was breathing and the healing process was steady. Every time he looked at her, his guilt would overpower him, so he focused his eyes on her hand in his. It had been a couple of days since
the incident, and though she was showing signs she was completely healed, she hadn’t woken up yet. Davin had forged a note to allow Claudia to be excused from school, stating that she was out ill for the rest of the week.

  Claudia peeled her eyelids open one at a time to see an unclear vision of Michael holding her hand affectionately, and she wondered if it was just a dream. Finally, when her eyesight came to, she let out a warm smile and didn’t say a word. She lay there gazing at Michael as she started to recall how she got there.

  “Michael,” she finally called in a hoarse whisper.

  Michael gave her a relieved smile, caressing her silky hair and soft cheek. His heart pattered when she lit up her all-too-familiar smile, the purity and innocence of it reminding him of the day when she captured his heart and soul at Crossroads. Completely spellbound by her, his human emotions washed through him and caused heat to infuse throughout his body. “How are you feeling?”

  She turned to place the other hand on Michael when he immediately gripped her wrist to stop her. Claudia then realized she had a needle inserted into her arm. As her eyes traveled upward, she saw a clear plastic bag—an IV bag.

  “I had to,” he said. “I didn’t know how long it would take you to recover. Since you’re not in Halo City, you needed things to help you replenish your body. You’ve been out for two days.”

  Then Claudia felt something else, something she had never felt before. “Michael, what the heck is coming out of my…down there? What is that?” she asked, wiggling, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

  “It’s a catheter. Don’t worry. Vivian placed it there for you. We didn’t want you to urinate on your bed.”

  She immediately stopped squirming. “Oh. When can I take it out?”

  “You can take it out now. I can help you.”

  She reached down and pulled the tube out slowly while Michael held the bag of urine. Beautiful, she thought sarcastically. He was holding a bag of her urine. Michael was so sweet. He didn’t grimace nor did he show any sign of discomfort.

  Michael seemed a little withdrawn as he asked her questions. “Do you remember what happened?”

  Then it suddenly hit her. “I was stabbed through the heart with a dagger by Trinity. Where is she?” she asked nervously.

  “I let her go,” he said, reaching out his hands to hers.

  Claudia snatched her hands back. “You let her go?!” she repeated his words, wondering why he would do such thing when she’d tried to kill her. For a moment, she felt betrayed.

  Michael looked distraught at her sudden distance. “Claudia. Please understand, as crazy as it may seem, she isn’t evil. I know she didn’t mean to. Though she acted selfishly, at the end, she was trying to make it seem like she killed you so that Nicholas wouldn’t go after you anymore. And as much as others may think, she didn’t make a deal with Nicholas.”

  “You believe her?” she asked, finding herself astonished by his words.

  “Yes,” he said, so certain that she almost believed him. “Someone is trying to throw us off, to make it seem like she is the traitor, but I have my eyes on Michelle and Gracie.”

  “But they are the ones who gave the venators the information,” she said, confused.

  “Maybe they were told to. To make it seem like they are working with us.”

  “Where is Trinity?”

  Michael leaned in, stroking her hair. “I told her to never come back. She won’t bother you again.”

  Though Michael sounded convincing, something didn’t feel right to Claudia. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Something else happened.”

  Michael looked at Claudia, but he seemed to look past her. “Patrick,” he said, unable to finish the rest of his sentence.

  She knew from the look in his eyes that something went horribly wrong. “Michael, what happened to Patrick?” she asked with urgency as her heart pounded with anticipation.

  “He’s gone.”

  She knew what he meant, but she couldn’t comprehend the truth of what he’d said. “Gone?” She gulped. “Gone where? He isn’t dead…is he?”

  Michael didn’t answer. And she knew at that moment what his answer was. He didn’t need to say a word; he answered her with his eyes. Then she thought about Holly and Austin. They’d lost a friend, and it was all because of her. Her heart became heavy, consumed with guilt.

  “Claudia,” Michael said, breaking her out of her thoughts. “This isn’t your fault. Patrick took Trinity by surprise. She was afraid and confused.”

  “Patrick is dead because Trinity was confused?!?!” Her tone had turned harsh and Michael looked surprised. She was angry because all he ever did was make excuses for Trinity. Maybe it was because of his guilt about leaving her, but whatever the reason, she didn’t like it.

  “Why is that every time I bring up Trinity, you get mad?”

  Claudia opened her mouth to speak her mind, but stopped. Once her hurtful words were spoken, she knew she could never take them back, so she held in her anger. What’s the point? she thought. He didn’t seem to understand her point—the point where Trinity killed someone innocent, her own kind, all because she was confused. Claudia knew she was up to no good, but he just didn’t seem to see it. And the fact that she tried to kill her was the last straw. She didn’t want to discuss Trinity anymore. Her mind was occupied by thoughts of Holly and Austin. “Can you take me to see Austin and Holly?” She pleaded and stood up, assuming he would do as she asked.

  Since Michael didn’t respond, she sat down and met his eyes, wondering why he didn’t open up his wings.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t take you.”

  “What do you mean you can’t take me?”

  “We need to give them time. I don’t think we are wanted right now.”

  She let out a long, heavy sigh and understood. “Okay,” she said calmly, knowing getting all worked up wouldn’t help the situation. “Sorry. I’m just…ahhhh!” She covered her face with both of her hands, drowning in her pain and guilt.

  Surprised by her action, Michael embraced her with his arms. He hated seeing her like this. Obviously, he couldn’t find the right words to comfort her, so he did what he knew usually worked—he wrapped his wings around her and took her away.

  When they reached their destination, Claudia lifted her head in surprise. They were high up in the clouds. Michael leisurely flew through the clouds, hoping this would cheer her. As always, she lit up with a huge smile, sometimes closing her eyes to relish this incredible moment. Michael knew it would be only temporary, but it was enough to help her ease her mind and heart.

  “Thank you,” Claudia said, resting her head on his firm chest.

  Michael drew her out and looked deeply into her eyes. “Claudia, only for you. I can’t feel the wind on my flesh or heat from the blazing sun, but I can feel you. You are real. I can feel you.”

  Claudia held him tightly to let him know how much his words meant to her. Like always, there were no words, but she felt his love for her that made her utterly complete.

  “I have one more thing to show you before we go,” he said smiling. “Hold on.”

  Michael skillfully moved his hands in a circular motion, gathering the clouds into a ball, and then he exhaled his breath and blew on top of it. The clouds burst out like a cannon ball and dispersed in different directions. Claudia beamed with amazement. The puffy white clouds were now in a formation of a giant heart. “For you. I’m sorry if I hurt you. You are the only one that can make my heart float. You are the only reason why my heart is full,” he said.

  “Michael,” Claudia said and held him tight. “You didn’t hurt me. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “If you’re not happy, then I’ve done something wrong.”

  “Michael, I can’t be happy all the time. Sometimes I’ll be sad, irritated, or mad, but that’s all part of being a human. Nothing can ever be perfect. If I’m mad at you, I’ll let you know. You can’t blame yourself…well…only if it’s your fault,” she teased, trying to
make him smile.

  “All right,” he said, sounding convinced. “But before we go, I have something to ask you?”

  “What is it?” she asked, hearing the nervousness in his tone.

  He started singing. Claudia heard a sound so pure and perfect, a voice of an angel. Hand over hers, he guided them to the nape of his neck, drew her in as he rested his hand around her waist. They started to slow dance through the clouds as he continued to sing “At Last” by Ette James.

  At that moment, Claudia stared in awe. Her heart was wrapped up in the spell of the song, and he was her dream that she could call her own. To her, they were in heaven and her heart burst like the fluffy heart Michael just created with his breath. She felt like Jell-O in his arms. He had her utterly enthralled.

  “Will you go to the Valentine’s dance with me?” He chuckled, knowing how he’d just made her completely swoon.

  Still feeling astounded, she shouted, “Yes!” Her smile outshined the sun, and his lips tenderly surrendered to hers.

  As they continued to soar through the clouds, Michael wanted to talk to her about her bow. He had so many questions. Mostly, he wanted to let her know that he didn’t approve of her having one. It would attract more demons toward her in battle. But he thought to delay the questions since it wasn’t the appropriate time. He knew it would most likely cause an argument—one that he didn’t want right after this romantic moment.

  After a while, they went back to Claudia’s room. Claudia saw Davin first, holding a blow dryer, examining it closely and switching it on and off. Vivian was putting on Claudia’s makeup while Caleb was surfing the net.

  All three of them stopped and stared at Claudia and Michael in shock as if they were thieves, being caught red handed.

  “Uhhh…what’s up, Claudia?!” Davin exclaimed, dropped the blow dryer and reached out for her hug. “Glad to see you in one piece.”

  Claudia giggled and felt pure bliss to see them.

  “What a strange way to greet someone,” Caleb said.