The Shoma

by Lola St. Vil

  Jay slams his fist into Marcus’s face, causing Marcus to lose his balance. Marcus rebounds and strikes Jay in the midsection, Jay groans as he doubles over. Marcus is about to attack again, but Jay Glides and Marcus misses his target. The more they fight the angrier they get.

  The team shouts for me to pause them with my powers, but they are moving too fast for me to get a shot and freeze them. Miku says she doesn’t want to sing and hurt them.

  Finally, Rage takes to the air and is able to divide them. He summons up a fire ball to get their attention.

  “Hey, enough!” Rage shouts.

  “YOU WANT THIS JOB, JAY, COME AND TAKE IT FROM ME!” Marcus roars.

  “MAN, FUCK YOU!”

  Marcus glares at him. I’ve never seen the First Guardian seething, so livid. He lands back on the ground. He orders Jay to land. Jay reluctantly follows orders.

  “Turn around.” Marcus orders.

  “Marcus, no.” Ameana says.

  Marcus ignores her. Miku begs him not to do what he’s about to do, but again, Marcus does not respond.

  “Jayden, turn around!” Marcus orders again. The chill in his voice causes me to shiver.

  Without a word, Jay turns away so that the back of his head is now facing Marcus.

  “What’s he gonna do?” I ask Emmy in a whisper.

  “He’s going to press on the Deck behind Jay’s head.” Emmy says, in deep dismay.

  Emmy explains to me what it means for the leader to touch the spot on the back of a Guardian’s head, called a Deck. Jay’s body shakes uncontrollably for several seconds.

  When Marcus is done, Jay has, for the time being, lost both his wings and his powers.

  By the time we get back to the villa, Rahell has called Marcus no less than thirty times.

  Each time the conversation ends the same way—Rahell begging and Marcus patiently telling her he can’t do anything to help.

  “You could send her to voicemail,” I offer.

  “No, if I were her, I would be calling every second, too,” Marcus replies.

  “Hey, can I talk to you?” Rage says as he enters the spacious living room.

  “Yeah.”

  They go off a few yards away. Rage looks serious and stressed; although not as stressed as Marcus. The leader looks down right drained.

  “What is it?” He asks Rage.

  “I wanted to know if…you know…”

  “No, Rage, I don’t know,” Marcus says, slightly irritated.

  “I wanted to know if you, like…you need me to do anything.”

  “No, just take care of Ameana. She’s pretending she’s not stressed out, but she is,” Marcus says.

  Rage nods and heads out to the patio. Marcus calls out to him before he reaches the double doors.

  “Hey, Rage…thanks…for asking.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He replies as he leaves the room.

  “Miku texted me, she’s gonna stay with Jay until he cools off,” Emmy says as she enters.

  “Oh,” Marcus says simply.

  Emmy and I exchange a look of sympathy.

  “I’m gonna check on Ameana,” I offer.

  As I head out of the room, they begin to talk. He really needs her right now. Maybe this means they are finally starting to see how much they need each other. I listen in and hope I’m right this time.

  “Are you gonna give Jay his powers back?” Emmy asks the leader.

  “Eventually. I can’t believe they haven’t called. Why is Wolf doing this?” Marcus asks.

  “His heart’s broken. He’s just trying anything to fix it.”

  “How is this gonna fix anything?”

  “You think if you hurt the person that hurt you, it will make everything right again.”

  “Does it?”

  “No; but by the time Wolf learns that, it’ll be too late.”

  “Did I ever tell you about the first time we met Arden?” Marcus asks.

  “No.”

  “The team was in Daraquin, training, and we had downtime so she threw a bash to welcome us. In a matter of minutes, she was able to organize a dozen shadow servants, a live band and a full Coy bar.”

  “That sounds like her.”

  “Everyone dismisses Arden as a pretty face with no purpose, but that night, at the party, we all went from just teammates to actual friends. She helped us do that. She also helped us save the witness to the Triplex location, and how do I repay her? By refusing to save her life.”

  “Marcus, you can’t take this on too. You aren’t the reason why this is happening,” Emmy replies.

  I don’t hear Marcus’s reply because at the exact time, Ameana comes running down the hallway with a globe in her hand. She zooms past me and I follow her, as does Rage. She enters the living room.

  “Miku texted me, she broke a Splash and she thought you should read it…” Ameana announces.

  “Why do I need to see it?” Marcus pushes.

  “Not you. Emmy,” Ameana replies.

  “Okay, break it,” Emmy says.

  Ameana hurls the globe at the wall and late edition of the Splash gathers for us to read.

  The Love That Never Was

  Hello my winged ones. I have very troubling news to report. It seems that we have been lied to. The human and Marcus were, in fact, never in love. According to the First Guardian’s wife, the human has stalked him ever since they met last year. However, the First Guardian has never returned her feelings.

  How is it possible to be hunted and stalked by a mere human? Well, we have an exclusive interview with the First Guardian’s wife, Bianca Cane. In this interview she reveals the terrible ordeal she and her husband have suffered at the hands of the human.

  IM: Tell us Mrs. Cane, what has life been like with this stalker and why can’t Marcus get rid of her?

  Mrs. Cane: My husband is a hero, and like all heroes, he is a victim of his own kindness. He saved Emerson a few times, as that was his job, but since then she has been unable or unwilling to let him go. She insists on going on missions, following him home, it’s really gotten out of hand.

  IM: So Marcus was never in love with her?

  Mrs. Cane: No, he never loved her. He felt bad for her and she mistook those feelings for love. I tried to ignore the situation, but now that the media is reporting that my marriage to my husband may be a fraud, I just have to speak out. This Emerson girl has ruined his past relationships, but I wil not allow her to ruin our marriage.

  IM: Is that what she is trying to do?

  Mrs. Cane: Yes, that’s why I came today to clear this up. My husband knows the human is unstable, that’s why he moved out for a while. He didn’t want her to come after me; so, for his wife’s safety, he sought out a new residence.

  IM: Rumor has it she is there as well.

  Mrs. Cane: You see what I mean about her obsession? I have tried to make allowances, given her mental state, but enough is enough.

  IM: Her mental state?

  Mrs. Cane: Yes, she was so obsessed with my husband that, while he was on a mission to save his fallen teammate Rio, she followed him to Difi. She literarily followed him to hell.

  IM: There have been rumors of the two of them going to Difi together…

  Mrs. Cane: Yes, well that’s why her poor mother was kiled. She went Difi and as a punishment for being where she wasn’t supposed to be, her mother was filleted open and her body discarded on the kitchen floor.

  IM: Such a sad situation.

  Mrs. Cane: Indeed, that’s why I try to be patient with her. Her mental state is fragile. My mental state would be fragile too if it was my fault my mother was killed…

  We watch as Emmy finishes the article. None of us knew what to expect. Ameana tells her not to worry about it and that the Splash is always lying about her, too. Rage says everyone knows Bianca’s full of it and to let it go. Marcus is fuming. He picks up his cell to call his wife.

  Emmy begs him to put down his cell. Her eyes fill with tears; she lowers her head and asks that
everyone leave the room except me. The team says they want to stay, but she begs for them all to go while she sobs into her hands. I signal to Marcus that I will look after her. Finally, the team leaves us alone.

  “Emmy, don’t cry. We know you aren’t to blame for your mom’s death. Please, don’t cry,” I beg her.

  She looks up at me. There are no tears in her eyes. The sobbing, the shaking and labored breathing were all an act. Emmy isn’t weeping and broken, she’s calculating and focused.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Eta, if Marcus realizes I’m not upset, he’ll wonder why and force me to tell him my plans. Then he will try and stop me.”

  “Stop you from what?”

  “Destroying Bianca.”

  CHAPTER SIX:

  THE REQUEST

  Emmy was not kidding about having her sights on Bianca. She spent most of the night in my room, learning everything there was to know about my cousin. She inquired about the full extent of Bianca’s powers, her past misdeeds and her love life. I was okay telling Emmy most of it, but when we get to the part of Bianca’s love life, I feel a little…uneasy.

  I’m not a fan of my cousin, but she’s still family. How much of her life can I reveal in all good conscience? I wouldn’t want anyone to know about my love life. Why should I share information about someone else’s?

  This isn’t just someone else. This is Bianca and she’ll keep going after Emmy if you don’thelp her.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Emmy has been staring at me for like two minutes now, waiting for me to tell her about Bianca’s love life.

  “I know it’s hard, Eta, but I need to know as much as I can,” Emmy pushes.

  “I’ve told everything—almost.”

  “What did you leave out?” Emmy insists.

  “There was a guy; the only guy she’s ever loved. He was an Angel. He broke her heart. His name was Jackson. He’s the reason she especially hates Angels,” I confess.

  I go on to reveal to Emmy that Jackson used to read poems to Bianca. She trusted him enough to share her writings with him. I also confide that Jackson was Bianca’s very first. She was determined to get his Rah.

  “What happened?” Emmy asks.

  “He said he could never give it to her because she wasn’t good enough. She was Quo and that meant she was nothing.”

  “So she fell in love with a jerk?”

  “It was more than love. She had a whole life planed around him. She would talk to me about it for hours at a time. And then he broke up with her and her world…shattered.”

  “Who was the guy after Jackson?”

  “There was no ‘after Jackson.’ Every other guy she encountered was merely a means to an end. A tool she used to get what she needed at the moment.”

  “And what is it that Bianca really wants?” Emmy asks.

  “Power. Importance. She wants to prove Jackson wrong. She wants to matter so much; so that everyone needs her.”

  “So Bianca is what happens if Oprah decided to use her powers for evil?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Did she ever get back at Jackson for what he did?” She asks.

  “No. I always wondered why. I think it’s because she really loved him and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him.”

  “Too bad Wolf doesn’t feel the same,” Emmy replies.

  “I know! What the hell is that?” I blurt out.

  “I keep thinking he’s going to change his mind at any moment now, but so far, he’s serious.”

  “What were they like together? Wolf and Ameana?” I ask.

  “They were very different. They argued a lot, but you could tell there was heat under all the insults. Still, I didn’t know he had a house built for her.”

  “I didn’t hear anything about it, either. Do you think she was better off with him than Rage?” I probe.

  “Better or not, Ameana’s in love with Rage; and that’s where she’s gonna stay.”

  “That’s not always the case. Look at you and Marcus. I mean everyone knows you two belong together, but it just never seems to work out.”

  “Don’t worry, Marcus and I will have a happy ending. I don’t give a damn who I have to take down to get it,” she vows.

  “Can I ask you something; what happens to the souls of people that die while the light is gone?” I ask.

  “Miku told me the souls that would have gone to Difi are there now, but the souls that would have gone to the light are on the bridge. The place where normally only teenage souls are kept. They are over capacity and fear that the bridge may not hold everyone,” she replies.

  “What would happen if the bridge did fail to hold everyone?”

  “Then everything the Guardians have done would be in vain.”

  “How?”

  “If the bridge doesn’t hold, it would be worse than Lucy getting the Triplex, because she wouldn’t need a map to find the souls; they’d all be out in the open for her to capture.

  Then she’d build her army, and then…nothing.”

  “What do you mean, nothing?” I ask.

  “I mean, there would be nothing left. No Angels, no Quo, no humans, no insects, nothing…”

  My mouth becomes dry, my hands sweat and I feel a heaviness descend upon me. Emmy studies me for a few moments and smiles.

  “Wow, Eta, I know that look so well. It’s the look you get when you ask a question and wish to Omnis you hadn’t. I can’t remember how many times I had that same look.”

  “Okay, so this whole mission thing is second nature to you, now. What advice would you give me about going on one?”

  “Don’t.”

  “What? No. Emmy, I want to help you guys. I really do.”

  “Marcus always tried to get me to go back to school. He wanted me to just sit in math class and worry about tests, proms and human boyfriends. Sometimes, I think anout what would have happened if I had listened,” she says, mostly to herself.

  “Emmy, do you regret going on the missions?” I ask, shocked to even have to pose the question.

  “It’s not that simple. I couldn’t have Marcus if I didn’t go on the missions; and even if Marcus wasn’t an issue, I can’t stand the thought that the world could end and I didn’t try to stop it.”

  “So why would tell me not to go?”

  “Because missions always take more than you have to give, and you think you know loss, but you don’t. The Guardians and I are successful at fighting evil and completing missions, but there are two ‘demons’ we can never defeat: the twin brothers that seem to accompany us on every mission: ‘Suffering’ and ‘Death.’” Emmy jokes morbidly.

  “You feel like ‘suffering’ and ‘death’ are always chasing you guys?”

  “Yes and even though they don’t catch us, they certainly get close enough to touch us.”

  “I’m sorry about Rio and the others,” I reply.

  She clears her throat and looks away from me. I try to think of a way to brighten her mood.

  “But you don’t have to worry, because your mom is on the bridge, waiting for you, right?” I ask hopefully.

  “No, the way it works, my mom’s soul is basically in Limbo. She’s out in a void that neither good nor evil have access to.” She replies.

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Fair was never something the Council was good at. In fact, they worked really hard to suck at it,” she says bitterly.

  “Emmy, how do you it?” I ask.

  “Do what?”

  “How do you get past your mom’s death? I can’t seem to get over the fact that my grandmother isn’t here anymore. The only person I’ve thought about more than her is Marcus—and the team. You know…the mission.”

  Great cover, Eta. Why don’t you just write it on your forehead in lipstick “Dear Emmy, Iheart Marcus.”

  “I’m not,” Emmy replies.

  “What?” I say, forcing myself out of my own head.

  “I’m not over it. I don’t think any
one ever gets over losing the people they love,” Emmy says in deep thought.

  “How do you not go crazy?” I wonder.

  “Good question.”

  “I used to be afraid of thunder. Nipoe would let me run into her room and hide under the covers. Then when I got too old to do that, I would just stand outside her door, too ashamed to knock, but too scared to go back in my room.”

  “Did she know you were there?”

  “Yeah, she could see my feet under the door, pacing. She would open the door and say she was scared and ask me to keep her company. Then she’d call me her hero.”

  “She sounds nice. Sorry she’s gone,” Emmy hugs me tightly.

  I reach out and embrace her back. That’s when I decide what I’m going to do about this Marcus situation I’ve been having. I’m going to get rid of all Marcus thoughts once and for all: I’m going to take Gentum, the vial that stops you from feeling anything for the person you care about. That way I can be a real friend to Emmy like she’s being to me.

  “I’m a little better now, thanks,” I say as she lets go of me.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay, but tell me, what exactly are you planning for Bianca?”

  “I don’t know, but I want it to really rattle her. I want to rip her “miss perfect” mask off and reveal the cold-blooded snake behind it and to do that, I have to know as much about her as I can. So tell me more about Mrs. Cane…”

  It’s been two weeks now and Rahell has moved from calling just Marcus on the phone to calling every member of the team. We told Marcus it would be understandable if he were to turn his phone off, but again, he refuses. He picks up every time she calls. Some days it’s as many as ten times. Rahell will not give up.

  The only source of laughter comes from Rage’s ordeal with Ameana. The healer was right; she has very human cravings, but with an Angel twist. She doesn’t crave foods, but their scent. Or sometimes scents from nature. Usually scents that are hard to come by.

  The look on Rage’s face when he has to go and seek out what she desires is priceless. Once it was three in the morning when we heard Rage stomp out of their bedroom and into the hallway. We all quickly got up to see what imposable task Ameana had set before him.