The Porter

by Ashley Dotson

  Trust him! I commanded my daemon. Dad trusted him, so we trust him too.

  “I think going to the high school is a great idea, but I’ll take you over there. I thought you might want to see the town, my church. School can wait until tomorrow when you’re settled.”

  “No!” I roared, “I need Orrin. That’s why I’m here. He’s at the high school, he’s waiting for me. He needs me.”

  “I don’t know who Orrin is, but you can’t begin looking for him until you know your surroundings, what you’re up against, where you’re headed.” He followed me down the hallway and out the door. “And I can’t help you if I don’t know what lies in your past.”

  I didn’t know which way I was going. I still had yesterday’s clothes on and I didn’t care. He stopped while I kept walking, “You’ve barely learned how to control your birthright. I’m not a daemon, but I’m not an outsider to your world. I can teach you things you need to know.”

  I stopped. My daemon growled.

  “You’re still far too young to be off of Neutral ground. Your father sent you here to me so I could teach you more, show you what I know- what he wasn’t allowed to ever teach you. Don’t go after anyone yet.”

  My breath caught in my throat. This guy knew about the gag order my dad adhered to for my entire life. He had been forced to keep his life as a daemonologist a secret from me. Lillith had told him never to say a word, and later my father made a bargain with Orias who also told him to keep silent until the time was right.

  “Please,” he held out his hand to me, “don’t go off unprepared. It doesn’t matter who or what you’re looking for. I don’t believe you’re ready to see him yet. Come with me and tell me what has happened the past few days. We can get another cup of coffee and go for a drive and you can tell me why you needed to leave Providence in such a hurry.”

  I hesitated for only a moment. He was right about it all. Finding Orrin meant everything to me, but I needed to be less emotional and more logical about approaching him.

  “You seem to know an awful lot about me. Why don’t I know anything about you?” I asked him.

  He laughed loudly- not the reaction I was looking for. “James is so absent-minded sometimes- or maybe he’s just a mad genius, but I blame him.” He shook his head thinking about his old friend, “He was just trying to protect you. I’m sure you know that by now.”

  “My dad is awesome.” I said hesitantly, “But yeah. He likes to leave me out of the loop for my protection.”

  “You don’t need to defend him to me, that’s for sure. He kept you in the dark, and I didn’t agree with all the choices he made in regards to you, but that’s not my place. And you’re right- he is awesome.”

  “We agree on that too then.”

  The two of them were more than just friends. I think they were more like brothers. I was anxious to see what it was he thought he could teach me. It was hard not to be smug about humans, to think them lowly and simple. My daemon had a massive superiority complex.

  “So,” Mr. Reese started as we walked toward his car, “tell me about Orrin?”

  Chapter 3

  Balmorhea

  I jiggled my leg impatiently as we drove the one main road through town. His church was every bit as bland as the house. I noticed for the first time Mr. Reece wore the outfit of a priest. He had on a plain black shirt with a funny, starchy white collar around his neck. It made me want to pull at my own shirt. It looked uncomfortable, and it was a constant reminder to the world exactly who he belonged to.

  The town, the church, and even his office fell into the same category- white. The town seemed to lack color and variety in a way that wasn’t uncomfortable, just boring. Vanilla. The buildings that made up Balmorhea were dated. Many were stucco, or painted over, trying to cover the worn-down, cracked concrete, sun bleached wood, and over exposed windows that no one could even see into because the sun reflected from it into the eyes of any onlooker. The sun was a terror, torturing anything and everything in its reach.

  I can end their torture, if you would only let me….

  A voice from within me buzzed like a persistent bug, but I shooed it away easily. I didn’t know for how much longer I could maintain my control. As long as Orrin was out there somewhere I knew I needed to focus on more important things than ending the world or destroying human kind…blah, blah, blah.

  The church was a blinding white brick, white steeple, and white sidewalks lining the sanctuary that probably looped around back to the hidden Sunday school classrooms. I imagined all the people smiling their clean white smiles, wearing their white Sunday best, thinking their simple clean thoughts. I envied the congregation of Mr. Reese’s church. This town seemed to be safer because it wasn’t Neutral territory. Both sides, angels and daemons, knew that God’s house wasn’t a place for their war. I knew evil was everywhere, lying in the core of every creature, but that evil seemed to be absent from this place, it was a quiet, innocent place. It was supposed to be rejuvenating, but I thought it just looked boring.

  Mr. Reese’s office looked quite like his house- orderly and untouched. Everything had a place, and nothing looked like it had been update for almost twenty years. It fit him- his house, the town, his church, and his office.

  “I don’t know why you’re here, Layla.” Mr. Reese took a sip of coffee out of his white mug, “Your dad said your time was up in Providence, and had to leave immediately. I’ve figured out bits and pieces though.”

  “Oh. Well, that sounds about right.” I didn’t want to offer up anything without something in return.

  “Come on, Layla. He told me to help you. Now I’m not sure what that means exactly. James said that if I wanted to know anything more, it would be up to you.” He finished, but I remained quiet.

  Tell him so we can kill him…

  And I did tell him, but not so I could kill him. My father trusted him, he opened his home up to me, and I needed some help from someone, and trusting a human seemed better than trusting an angel or daemon at the time. Mr. Reese listened, intently, as I told him about our move to Providence, finding Ben and then Orrin. I told him how even though I hated Orrin and he wanted me gone, we couldn’t stay away from each other. He nodded every now and then, seeming to understand even more than I allowed my words to reveal. He was a daemonologist after all- he would know about soul-ties, birthrights, and he would probably know about the prophecy surrounding my birth- maybe. The story spilled out of me, recounting the time Orrin and I spent together, as he helped me unravel of my birthright, and his judgment after his death at Lillith’s hands on the beach only a few nights ago.

  He sat quietly, absorbing my story. It took only minutes to tell, but I had lived a lifetime in that year. My life before my birthright was gone erased like the wrong answer to a math problem. Nothing else before Providence even mattered. I held tight to my humanity- it’s what linked me to my father. My mother gave me my wings and who know what else, and my daemon was tied to Orrin. I refused to give any piece of myself to Lillith. She may have been a part of my history, but she had no place in my present or future.

  I felt exposed under Mr. Reese’s scrutiny. He sat quiet for far too long, like he was waiting for me to continue. I had told him everything….ish.

  And he knew it.

  “A daughter of Lillith,” he finally whispered.

  “Ugh. Don’t call me that! She is no mother of mine,” I balked.

  “I know you don’t see it that way,” he calmly reassured me, “I knew your other mother, I always wondered about her. I thought she was…something,” he laughed. “James was blinded by her beauty, her perfection. It wasn’t that she looked or sounded like an angel, it was just that she was perfect- for him that is. She was perfect for him. I always thought he was the luckiest man in the world.” Mr. Reese sat there with a distant look in his eyes, smiling, remembering a different and better time.

  “I have no plans in helping Lillith, any other daemon, or angel for that matter. I don’t care about
this prophecy right now…”

  “But you need to,” he interrupted. “It will forever and always be your destiny. Layla, most times we think of destiny as being some far away concept, something to fulfill when we are old. But every day you live brings you closer and closer to it. Your destiny could be fulfilled tomorrow. It’s…essential. Don’t try to forget about it. Embrace it, just like you mother said. It doesn’t have to mean something terrible, but only you can achieve it and mold it into something positive.”

  “It’s just too much right now. I just want to find Orrin.” I sighed, “I’ll worry about that later.”

  He paused, his eyes softening, understanding that through all my turmoil, I was still a seventeen-year-old girl, alone and worried. “I understand. You’ve taken on a lot, but you’re stronger than you think. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  “Thanks,” I rolled my eyes.

  “I’ll help you. In any way I can.” He sat up a little straighter, “And right now, I think that you need to do two things.” He extended two fingers trying to make a point like adults usually do, “One- finish your senior year. You have three months to go. You’ll need that diploma. You do live in the human world, and you do need to worry about paying for your future.”

  I smiled a little, because he was right.

  “Two,” he touched his extended middle finger, “continue your training. A couple of months creating and throwing fire is only a tiny piece of what you have inside. You’re a daughter of Lillith…”

  “Rrrrgh” I buried my head in my forearms and cringed at that phrase again.

  “Deal with it. It is what it is, Layla. And you are the daughter of one of the most powerful daemons ever created. And you have angelic powers that have barely revealed themselves.”

  My wings twitched internally, I had forgotten of their existence until that moment.

  “And who do you supposed I train with? Unless I find Orrin, I won’t be able to control anything for much longer.”

  “If you resume your training, you can use your birthright. You’ll be learning self-restraint in the process. It’s important for your daemon to know who’s in control, especially since it is going to become increasingly difficult for you stressful points in your life.”

  “And who do you suppose I should train with?” I scoffed. There wasn’t anyone who was as fast or strong around here, which meant he must have been talking about himself.

  “You?”

  “Of course,” he looked offended. “I think I might surprise you. I might be old, but I’m pretty sure there’s a lot I could teach you about this world, about your birthright, and even defending yourself.”

  A sharp knock on the half-opened door announced that our conversation was no longer private.

  Electric blue eyes touched mine for the briefest moment, but it was enough.

  It was him.

  I gasped, holding my breath inside, afraid and unsure of what to do.

  Orrin.

  “Excuse me, sir.” The voice was unfamiliar, the confidence, years of experience and self-assuredness was not present. “I was hoping I could talk to you for a quick moment.”

  “Sure, Heath.” Mr. Reese said rising out of his creaky office chair. He glanced in my direction walking over to the door, “Layla Justus, let me introduce you to one of the members of the church, and one of your fellow classmates. This is Heathcliff Darringer…”

  “Lord, no! Just Heath,” he said, extending his roughened hand to me. I stared at his hand, which looked so familiar, but gone was the fine smooth skin of the Orrin I knew. This Orrin was a stranger. I raised my hand willing myself to be calm. I touched my fingertips to my palm hoping it would be safe for me to touch him. As I slipped my hand into his, I almost fell to my knees. We both jumped at the current of energy our touch created. I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. A smile broke out onto my face, and it took every ounce of control I had not to jump into Orrin’s arms.

  He was talking to me, I knew, but I was frozen by the cool blue of his polite stare. I could see his mouth moving, but my brain wasn’t registering anything he was saying. His voice was laced with a strong Texas twang, and instead of feeling grateful he was with me again, I found my anger mounting. I just stood there, staring at this familiar stranger’s hand, feeling so much love and happiness, yet knowing he felt nothing.

  The moment was over too quickly. I felt cold from the loss of his touch. The handshake had been brief and cordial- for him, but achingly, heart-breakingly painful for me.

  Heath?

  Heath Darringer?

  This was Orrin, my Orrin, and he didn’t have the slightest notion of who I was. It was obvious by the quick way he dismissed me. He wanted to speak with Mr. Reese, apparently in private.

  “I’ll be just one moment, Layla.”

  I had no chance to speak, as I was shooed out the door. Like a crazed stalker, I listened and watched them through the crack between the jam and the door. I couldn’t take my eyes off Orrin. He was alive. He was whole and uninjured and perfect.

  And beautiful.

  Orrin wore a plain, white v-neck t-shirt and pale blue jeans, with work-worn holes near the pockets and around the bottom, which almost covered his brown dusty boots. His skin was tanned and the ends of this hair were lightened by the sun. His hands, those beautiful hands, were roughened from some kind of manual labor but scrubbed clean. He looked bigger, stronger somehow, than before. But it was unmistakably, undeniably, unquestionably my Orrin.

  He was holding a faded baseball cap that had a blue baseball insignia. Both men noticed my inappropriate behavior, so Mr. Reese quietly closed the door in my face. I was being strange, but after everything I had just told Mr. Reese, why couldn’t he see who this person really was? Mr. Reese was a daemonologist, even a retired one, but it wasn’t a job one ever retired from. Why didn’t he sense his daemon? It was as if Heath had been not only been given this life, but his life had been etched onto others’ memories too.

  My daemon crawled within me. I could feel it, like its alien presence, rippling within me, tearing a path through me to get to him. Controlling it was difficult at best. It had only been two days since I laid eyes on my love, but it felt like a lifetime. I would never forget the way he looked the moment before Lillith ripped his heart out of his chest and burned his body into black ash on that cold dark beach. But the Orrin behind that door wasn’t burned or even injured. He was perfect, unmarred and untouched by the evil world we lived in. That innocent yet perfectly chiseled face knew nothing of its true dormant nature, the beast lurking behind those eyes, the powers that he possessed, the love he had.

  The love he had with me.

  I angled my head awkwardly staring at the two of them through the old key hole. I could hear them perfectly through the closed door, but I couldn’t see anything. Orrin looked at the door and raised his eyebrow, feeling my presence. I tried not to smile to brightly or get my hopes up so early. I probably looked too eager, ecstatic even. Mr. Reese opened the door and caught me eavesdropping, gave me a stern look, and then closed the door again. Apparently Orrin didn’t mind being heard only stared at, because I could hear every word he was stammering.

  Why does he think he knows Orrin?

  Why can he see through to my daemon and not Orrin?

  I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to hear. I never would have dreamt that there would be another girl in his life.

  “Mr. Reese,” his voice sounded nervous, which was unlike him, “I wanted to talk to you, sir, before I asked Daisy.”

  “Alright,” Mr. Reese said calmly, obviously aware of the boy’s unease, “I’m pretty sure I know what this is about and honestly, son, the sooner the better. Daisy’s been shopping for that dress and wishing you would hurry up and ask her. I figured you two were going together anyway.”

  “Well, you know I always like to get your permission, sir.” Orrin continued.

  “Heath, you have it!” I could practically hear th
e smile on Mr. Reese’s face, “Now go ask my daughter to prom.”

  “Thanks so much, Mr. Reese!” Orrin, or Heath, was so excited. I think he grabbed Mr. Reese in a hug. They must be close. Mr. Reese sounded genuinely happy that my soul mate was asking his daughter to go to the prom with him.

  I. Was. Pissed.

  Part of Orrin’s judgment meant he was given a clean slate and the chance to start over as a human. Anyone who broke the Laws of Neutrality faced a severe penalty, whereas Orrin’s penalty had a silver-lining, and out-clause. Yes, he would live a human life, but there was one problem with that- he wasn’t human. According to Orias, I alone, his soul mate, had the ability to lift the veil and remind him who he was. I didn’t know how to do that. I hoped we would see each other, and he would gaze into my eyes and remember me instantly.

  Well that obviously that didn’t happen. Plan B?

  And Daisy?! He’s asking Daisy to prom? Grrrreeeeeaaat!

  So I removed myself from the door. I didn’t need to eavesdrop anymore. A brick wall wouldn’t have stopped me from hearing their conversation. I was seething. Hot tears formed in my eyes and I tried to hold them back. I wiped my eyes with the back of my glowing hand and sat back down. I couldn’t erase what I had just heard. The rampant flow of thoughts and worries assailed my mind.

  “Sorry about that.” Mr. Reese moved back toward his chair, unaware of my current crisis.

  “Who was that again?” I asked, dumbly, like he hadn’t just introduced Orrin to me using a wrong name.

  “That’s Heath,” he waved dismissively, “that’s Daisy’s boyfriend.” He rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same, “Heath and Daisy have only had eyes for each other for as long as I can remember. They’ve grown up together. I think of him as my own son sometimes. Even when they were in elementary school, they were inseparable. I love that kid. I’m sure he’ll be by the house later when Daisy is home. He stopped by because he wants to ask her…” He paused staring at me, “Layla?”

  Was it fear or concern that was in his voice when he said my name?