Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  The thunder and lightning strike again. If the council comes, none of what happened matters. They will be highly pissed off at having been summoned. Keeping the world in balance is a huge undertaking and they don’t have time to sort out arguments between the Sage and me. They had never come down to Earth, and I don’t want to be the reason why they do so now.

  “Look, I just don’t understand why this human is so important,” I say.

  “You are thinking like a boy. You need to think like a Guardian. Look at the bigger picture and get it out of your head that you need to be nice. You don’t need to be nice, Marcus. You need to be triumphant. Spending time with a human to let her open up to you is in no way evil.”

  “Even if she is falling for me?”

  “Even then, it is considered necessary for the greater good. You don’t have to marry her. Just talk to her.”

  I would love to throw him into traffic, but that would be wrong.

  “And it wouldn’t be the nice guy thing to do,” he said, amused.

  Well, at least he stopped summoning the council, I think.

  “Yes, that would have been bad,” he says.

  Okay, so here is my list of things I can’t stand: Travelers, the Splash and mind readers. I’m not sure which is at the top.

  “Your list is short, young Marcus. Wait until you’ve been on Earth a little longer.”

  Yeah, mind readers are definitely at the top of my list—the very top.

  ***

  After our frustrating meeting with the Sage, Mimi and I head to a small city in the Arabian Peninsula, called Dubai. It is home to the tallest structure in the world. It’s two thousand feet and looks like any other skyscraper, except it keeps going up so that the tip of it looks more like a needle than a building.

  The ride was smooth and quiet. Once we reach downtown Dubai, we fly to the skyscraper. Mimi gets to the very top and jumps off of it. I follow her. We make several trips, jumping and flying. Finally, she sits near the ledge, a few feet away from the top.

  “I’ve never been here before,” she says.

  “It’s the calmest place I’ve been to. You think the humans feel comfort with height? Maybe that’s why they keeping building things higher.”

  “Many of them have a real fear of heights.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “I guess they spend too much time on the ground.”

  “Or we spend too little in the air.”

  “Could be.”

  “Thank you for taking me here.”

  “Well, I’ve got a whole night planned. This is just the beginning.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, and don’t even think about trying to get any information out of me. My lips are sewn shut with Samson string.”

  “Are you sure I couldn’t get it out of you?” she says as she leaned in.

  I was gonna stay strong. Then I smell her perfume. It smells like lavender in the summer night. It mixes perfectly with her natural scent. She leans in even closer. Man, I can’t keep a secret for nothing around this girl. I kiss her. I had to. For several minutes we just hold each other. We don’t speak. We just look out onto the world we are supposed to be saving.

  “Baby?” she says.

  “Yeah?”

  “Never mind”

  “You want to know how I feel about Emerson.”

  “Yes.”

  “I have no feelings for her. You’re the one I love, please believe that.”

  “I do. And I was wrong not to side with you about the Sage.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, he isn’t Omnis. He can be wrong. Sure, it’s never happened, but there’s a first time for everything.” She embraces me and I feel like things are finally okay with us again.

  One of the reasons I took my girl to Dubai was because they have a Snap shop I heard was really good. It’s fun to try out a new power. Too bad it only lasts a short time. They have all different kinds. You can get a Fire Snap five, which means you will be able to shoot Fire from your mouth for the next five minutes. Or you could get a Fire Snap for ten minutes. The longest Snap is fifteen minutes.

  Para angels invented Snaps so we could all see what it feels like to have other angels’ powers. Akons can have Snaps, but nothing will happen. Their powers don’t come from Omnis. They come from Atourum, so only he can give them more powers or take them away.

  The thing about Snaps is they are fun to mess around with but should never be brought in during a battle because sometimes they are faulty. It would be dangerous to take a Fire Snap during a battle. You could open your mouth but instead of fire, you hiccup dry air.

  To a buy a Snap, I won’t use human money. It has no real value in our world. The currencies we use are our wings. Our wings have three layers. The first coat is the one that is easily replaced. It is made to withstand all types of flying conditions. Things like Snaps cost about two or three feathers off of our first coat. It’s no big deal as our outer coats grow back quickly.

  The second coat is closer to our souls, so it’s more valuable. When we go to Sellers to purchase things most of the time their asking price starts with the second coat. Say I went to Tony-Tone to get weeping oil. Weeping oil costs five two-coats. That means five feathers taken from the second coating of my wings. But knowing Tony-Tone, he would probably ask for ten two-coats.

  The third coat is the one that covers our soul. Since our souls are to us what the heart is to humans, angels rarely pay from their third coat.

  The person we buy from doesn’t literally pull out our feathers. They simply touch our wings and the agreed upon layer will fly away into the merchant’s hands.

  Fifty first-coat feathers equal one second-coat feather. And four second-coats equal one third coat. Third coats do not grow back like the first and second coats do. You give too much away from your third coat, and you will no longer be able to fly. And the light will no longer be in your reach.

  A few angels have gotten addicted to Snaps and the power they hold. They begin to look for ways to extend the duration of time they have powers. In the black markets, Sellers sell Snaps that can last for days. But they cost five third-coats. And there is no guarantee that there won’t be any side effects.

  Some angels have stripped their third coats bare in an attempt to get more and more power. They become power junkies. Soon they have no more third coating and cannot fly back home. I knew all about junkies from my Earth life. Once they taste something they like, getting them to give it up is almost always a losing battle.

  When an angel has given all of their third coating away, it is called being Grounded. If an angel is Grounded he will be reduced forever to a life on Earth. There are a number of angels who have had that happen. They request to be heard by Omnis. He rarely looks into matters of angels who have been Grounded. I think it makes him mad that we could trade in our wings for temporary power.

  Sellers who operate Snap Shops have to be licensed by the council. There are rules they have to follow. The council gets to inspect all their flavors to make sure none of them are harmful. Also Sellers have to have a meter in the front of the shop to tell them if the person entering their shop has a soul. If they sell to Runners or Pawns, their shop will be closed down.

  It’s easy to know if you’ve hit upon a Snap Shop. There will be no lights on or people in the window, but the sign says “Open.” Humans pass by them thinking the owners forgot to change the sign. Then way in the back of the store, there is a room filled with gumball machines and what looks like different types of candy.

  I look around for the Snap Shop Jay had told me about. He said they had pretty good powers. I know Ameana has always wanted the power to Blink like Reese. Snap Shops are open twenty four hours a day. But after midnight, some kinds of Snaps are not allowed to be sold. Fire Snaps, Lightning Snaps and Brawn Snaps.

  We knock on the door and the Seller opens up. We follow him to the back of the shop. Some Snaps come in the form of Tic Tacs. Some are bubble
gum tape and others are rock candy. They have Snaps of all colors, shapes and texture.

  “Hey, can we get eight Gum Snaps, please, two Ice, two Blinks and two No See.”

  A short while later the Seller comes back with a bag filed with the Bubble Gum Snaps we had ordered. He touched my top coat and my feathers flew right into his cash register. We walked out into the night.

  “I’m so excited! I have been wanting to Blink for the longest time,” Mimi says.

  “We only got the five minute ones. Do you want me to go back and get the ten or fifteen?”

  “No, five is perfect. Can we Blink first?”

  “Okay, but save the Ice ones. I want to do that last.”

  She looked a little nervous about putting the white gumball in her mouth.

  “I can’t believe you are such a punk about this, Mimi. I have to tell Reese. You are afraid of a little old Blink Snap?”

  “Oh, okay. It’s on now.”

  “Wait, where do you plan to Blink to?” I ask.

  She is a few feet away from me. She takes a few more steps back. She pops the gumball into her mouth and instantly disappeared.

  “Meana?” I ask, looking down the street for her.

  “Yes, baby?” she whispers softly in my ear. She had Blinked right on to my back. I was completely taken off guard. She laughs at being able to sneak up on me.

  “You’re supposed to use it to travel great distances. I’m like five feet away.”

  “I’m supposed to travel to what I want. And you’re what I want.”

  “Alright, sexy, hang on to me.” I pop my Blink Snap into my mouth. The two of us disappear. It looked like the street we had just left had suddenly gotten blurry. Seconds later we are standing in the middle of the Dubai Marina courtyard.

  The city is alive with energy and lights. The trees are lit up and the fountain in front of us springs water out in a dazzling display of patterns. Mimi hops off of me and her eyes are immediately drawn in to the center of the fountain. It’s circular with a myriad of different colored fish. The underwater lights reflect waves on my baby’s face, making her already beautiful face that much more amazing.

  “This is my favorite one so far,” she says. Mimi loves fountains. She doesn’t ever make a wish herself, but she loves watching people throw pennies in.

  “Don’t hate me for saying this—you are so beautiful.”

  “Don’t hate me for saying this—I know.” She bursts out laughing. She was never really one to brag about her looks. This was a big step for her.

  “I think the Snap has faded out. I don’t think we can Blink anymore,” I say.

  “Good, I want you to stand still while I do this.”

  She bites her lower lip. She moves in slowly. She tilts her head to the side and does something she has never done before: she kisses me. She didn’t wait for me to test myself to see if I could resist kissing her. She just leaned in and sought my lips. No waiting game. No test. Just her. It was … nice.

  I don’t remember what made me stop kissing her. I’m sure it was something out of my control because I never would had stopped on my own. She looks up at me and a grin spreads across her face.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “You’re so pretty when you Shine.”

  “What? You—.” I look at my reflection in the water and, sure enough, I am glowing so brightly, I looked like I could blind the whole city of Dubai.

  “You are so gonna pay for that.” I run after her playfully. She takes off immediately, laughing the whole way. When we get into the air, she dodges and swerves but I keep up with her. Then, out of nowhere, she disappears. I knew she had taken the No See Snap.

  I find her hiding behind one of the skyscrapers. I knew it was her because the flag on the top looked like it had been wrapped around something. She’s hiding under the flag twenty stories up.

  “Gotcha!”

  “You are such a cheater,” I accuse.

  “I would have beaten you anyway. I’m faster than you.”

  “You are not.”

  “Really?” Oh, so now she wanted to challenge me, huh?

  “Okay, we’ll race.”

  “Where to?”

  “The other side of the country.”

  “You’re on.” No sooner have I said that then she takes off. I fly fast and steady on her heels. Then I get a small lead and I pop in my No See Snap and disappear. Then I wait for her to catch up and I trip her. She only loses her balance for a fraction of a second, but that is enough for me to maintain my lead.

  “Cheater!” she shouts as she tries to catch me. We fly at top speed and are neck and neck most of the time. Just a few miles shy of our destination, she stops.

  “What? What’s wrong?” I ask, concerned.

  “I think I hurt my leg back there.”

  I rush over to her. She sees me coming and pops an Ice Snap in her mouth and before I realize it’s a trick, she blows a breath of ice around me. I am trapped in a block of ice.

  “That is not angel-like behavior,” I say.

  “Don’t let the wings fool you,” she teases. I smash the ice and it falls harmlessly into the water below.

  “I win,” she screams.

  “That’s because you cheat.”

  “Yes, I do, but it works out for you.”

  “How does your cheating work out for me?”

  “Well, you don’t get to win but you get a consolation prize.”

  “What?”

  “Me.”

  We kiss so intensely we lose focus on where we were flying. We start to fall, but we don’t stop kissing. We just don’t care. From the corner of my eye, I realize that we would soon hit the water below. Now one thing I know for sure about girls: angel or no angel, they hate their hair to be messed with.

  Mimi had worn her hair in thick loose curls. She had put in a sparkling hair clip to hold part of her hair away from her face. I don’t know how long it took to make her hair like that. But if it got ruined, I would hear about it. I pull myself away from her lips and pop in the last Snap. My breath became ice. I blew on the water below and the lake froze over.

  We land safely, but it is hard to stand up.

  “Wait a minute,” she says as we slip on the ice and land on our butts.

  “I’m just trying not to get your hair wet.”

  “It’s better that I break a rib than get my hair wet. You are absolutely right.” She smiles then blows at the bottom of our feet. A thin layer of ice forms on the bottom of our shoes.

  I get up first and hold out my hand to pick her up. She reaches out and takes my hand. I lifted her up off the ice effortlessly.

  “Thank you,” she says.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Our kisses start out tender and sweet then grow more intense. We’re wrapped into each other so deeply that we are unaware it’s been more than five minutes and that the ice is melting. I don’t think either one of us gave a damn. The ice melts quickly. We don’t stop touching each other for a second. The ice caps could have melted and we would still be standing there kissing.

  The ice gives way under us. The block of ice we are standing on starts going under from the weight of our bodies. We don’t try to stop it. We hungrily search out each other’s lips and find the taste we longed for. The more we kiss, the more we want. We sink slowly into the Indian Ocean.

  ***

  After the date, I drop Mimi off and fly over to Emerson’s. I’m so glad it went well. Mimi deserved a fun night after everything I’ve done. And what I’m about to do.

  I knock on the door. Her mother, Marla, opens up for me. She frowns and tells me Emmy is in her room.

  I open the bedroom door slowly and, sure enough, she is in the corner of her room sitting below the windowsill. Her knees are hunched up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She doesn’t bother to look up as I enter.

  “Hey, how are you?”

  She doesn’t reply.

  “Emerson, we need to talk.”

&n
bsp; She stays quiet.

  “You are essential to the fate of this planet. You can’t just shut down. I know it sucks what happened. And I’m sorry about Sara, but you have to try and come out of this hole. We need you. The world needs you.”

  She doesn’t move and inch. I sigh and get down on the floor beside her.

  “Emmy, I miss you.”

  She looks into my eyes. I see life where there hadn’t been any before. She isn’t fully with me, but she cares about what I am saying. It’s the first sign of life she has shown since the funeral. It is hard for me to be so honest. The line between helping save the world and shattering Mimi’s heart is thin.

  “What?” she asks in a weak voice that cracks as she speaks.

  “I miss you.”

  “Why?”

  “Since I met you I have been unable to count in days. I can only count your eyes. How long until I see your eyes again? That’s the only clock I have in my head.”

  “You are just using my feelings for you so I can help you save the world. Screw you. Screw the world,” she says flatly.

  “Emmy, it’s all true. There were times when I was supposed to be out tracking Runners and I would come to your window instead and watch you sleep. I used to be outside your window, but that was too far away from you. I programmed a Port to lead right into this room.”

  “I brought a pack of No See Snaps. I took them one after the other so I could be invisible and spend the evening with you. I took them like an addict because the more I took, the longer I could be with you.”

  “You only care about me because of the stupid mission. You’re watching me because it’s your job,” she says, not bothering to hide her indifference.

  “My interest in you is a thousand times more than what it should be. How could you not know that I am in love with you? Everyone else does.”

  “I’m just a stupid human you have to pretend to be interested in. Get out.” She puts her head down.

  I wait to see if she would lift her head back up. She doesn’t. I go towards the door. I’m nearly out of the room when I turn back and speak to her from the doorway.

  “You blow on your ice cream before you eat it. When you watch horror movies and the scary parts come up, you close your cat’s eyes along with yours. You have a photo album of the clothes you’d like to wear but don’t think it’s right to ask your mother for. You have a picture you took of me on your cell and don’t think I know about. You look at it the same way you look at the clothes in your album—like you have no right to ask for it.”