Torn

by Ashley Stambaugh

  She nodded her head in agreement. "I guess you're right. But do you think you can come by tomorrow? I’d like for you, Tessa, and Gwen to all be there when Walter and Phinneas return. That way we can discuss everything together."

  "I was already planning on it," he said. "And I can take off as much time as you need me to. I want to be available for whenever you need me."

  A small smile spread across her lips. "Thank you."

  He shrugged. "I'm just glad I can help you. Now come on. I'll walk you back out to your Jeep."

  "Okay," she said as she walked over to the rack by the door. Lee helped her put her coat on, and once she was ready, with her hood pulled up and sunglasses on, he escorted her outside.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  After saying good-bye, Melina started up her Jeep and took off back toward her apartment. She pulled out onto the main road when all of a sudden a black figure appeared in the passenger seat beside her.

  Melina gasped as she jerked her head, and the steering wheel, to the side and saw the figure start to transform into Maura. The Jeep's front right tire hit the curb hard, causing her to bounce up in her seat. She immediately looked back in front of her as her hands scrambled to steer the vehicle back onto the road. Once she had it aligned, she slammed on the brakes and shifted it into park.

  She whipped her head around again and glared at Maura. "What are you doing?"

  "I wanted to talk to you," Maura said as she wiped the remaining soot from her cheek and then twisted a piece of her long black hair around her finger.

  "But how did you get in here without me seeing you?"

  Maura stopped twirling her hair as she tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. "Um, I teleported."

  "But I would've seen you teleport in," said Melina. "You just sort of materialized like you were already in here."

  "Very good," said Maura. "I teleported into your Jeep while you were inside and then hid out in stealth mode until you came back." She leaned back against the seat with a proud smile on her face.

  Melina took in a deep breath as she shook her head. "What do you want?" she asked, trying not to let her voice shake.

  Maura sat up straight. "I want to know how the demon powers are coming along in you. I have plans that I'm getting tired of waiting to act upon, so the sooner you succumb to the powers, the better."

  Melina's brow furrowed. What were these plans Maura was talking about? And why did they rely on her giving in to the demon powers?

  Maura smirked and then said, "I'm sure you've developed at least one of the powers by now. Am I right?"

  Melina swallowed hard as she stared back at the demon.

  "Ooh, I am right," said Maura, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Which one is it? The stealth ability?"

  Melina continued to stare at her in silence.

  "No? Well then, I bet it's the burning touch, isn't it?"

  Melina tensed as she thought back to when she had burned Lee's hand. It made her want to cringe just thinking about how she had hurt him. She tried to calm her mind and relax her tensed body, but it was too late. Maura had noticed the small change in her composure.

  "Who did you burn?" Maura asked and then tilted her head back toward Lee's apartment building. "Your precious little boyfriend?"

  "It doesn't matter," said Melina. "I'm not going to allow it to happen again."

  Maura let out a hearty chuckle. "Oh you aren't now, are you? Sweetie, you don't have a choice."

  Melina straightened her back and looked right into Maura's eyes. "Yes, I do actually. We all have good and evil in us. We just have to choose which one is going to win. And I choose good."

  Maura's malicious grin faded from her face. "It's not that easy."

  "I know," said Melina, "but I'm not alone in my struggles anymore. I've got some great friends who are willing to support me through all this."

  "You think that's going to work?" asked Maura.

  "I do," Melina said in the most confident voice she could manage. "Walter and Phinneas said that whichever power I absorbed first would always remain the dominant one unless I allowed the other one to take over. I may have been passively allowing the demon powers to grow stronger with all of my fear and doubt, but not anymore."

  "You're going to believe them over me?" asked Maura.

  "You're a demon," Melina replied. "I probably shouldn't believe anything you say."

  Maura stared at her for a few seconds and then said, "I've been working with Adelia ever since the first human like you was discovered. I've seen firsthand what happens to a human who's absorbed both angel and demon powers. You should believe everything I say."

  Looking into Maura's hard and determined stare, Melina began to wonder if what Walter and Phinneas had told her was really true. What if she couldn't reverse the effects of the demon powers? What if she couldn't bring her angel powers forward again? She briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. Doubt was not going to get to her anymore. Maura was not going to get to her anymore.

  "No," she said as she opened her eyes and stared at the demon. "I don't believe you."

  Maura glared back at her and then suddenly her eyes turned a fiery crimson color. A low growl escaped through her gritted teeth as a black smoky matter began to rise up around her, and she started to morph back into her demonic form. The smoky matter seemed to overtake her as her human skin slowly faded away. Her fingers became bent and gnarled with long, black claws replacing her nails. She sneered at Melina, showing off her now sharp and jagged gray teeth.

  Melina's breath caught in her throat as her entire body froze. Maura had said that she wouldn't kill her since she had both angel and demon powers, but had her decision to fight the demon powers changed Maura's mind? Transforming into her demonic form wasn't a good sign. She had full use of her powers that way, and who knew what she would do with them if she was mad.

  Melina gulped down the lump in her throat. She wouldn't be able to bring out her light shield to protect herself, so hopefully Henry would show up if needed. She leaned back and angled her face away from the demon, trying to brace herself for whatever was going to happen next.

  Maura moved in closer to her, only inches away from her face. "You're going to regret this," she spit out through clenched teeth. A loud, menacing growl escaped her, and then she vanished in a swirl of black smoke.

  ****

  When Melina arrived back at her apartment, she saw Dean standing at the kitchen sink washing some dishes. She gave him a small smile before hanging her coat on the hook by the door and then setting her purse down in one of the chairs by the kitchen table.

  "I went ahead and ate some lunch," he said as he placed a small glass plate into the drying rack. "I would've waited for you, but I was starving since I didn't eat anything for breakfast. Did everything go all right with Lee?"

  She nodded. "Yeah. He said he'd do whatever he could to help, and he's coming by tomorrow."

  "Well that's good," said Dean. "But you look a little frightened and upset. Are you sure you're okay?"

  She held his gaze for a couple of seconds and then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I had another visit from Maura."

  Dean finished drying his hands off with a dish towel and then turned to look at her. "What did she want?"

  "She wanted to know if the demon powers had completely taken over yet or not. I told her I wasn't going to let that happen, that I was choosing good over evil."

  He raised his eyebrows. "And how did she respond to that?"

  "That's the scary part," said Melina. "She got really angry and morphed into her demonic form. I thought for sure she was going to do something to hurt me, but she didn't. She told me I was going to regret this and then teleported away." She hugged herself a little tighter and then rubbed her hands over her arms.

  "You just need to relax until Walter and Phinneas get back."

  "Yeah," she said as she nodded her head. "I need to go call Tessa first, though."

  "Okay," he said.
"I brought my laptop with me. Do you mind if I connect to your Wi-Fi?"

  "No, go ahead," she said. "It's a public one that I have for the bookstore, so you don't need a password to connect."

  "Thanks."

  Melina headed into her bedroom with her phone. Tessa's number rang and rang and finally went to voicemail. She sighed. She wanted to talk to her friend, but this would have to work. A short and sweet message would probably be best anyway.

  "Hey, Tess. It's Melina. I'm so sorry about this morning, and please don't think it was your fault. I don't have much control over these demon powers, at least not yet. Walter and Phinneas think I can reverse them and make my angel powers dominant again, but I'm going to need all the support I can get. Can you please stop by my apartment when you come in to open the store tomorrow? I'll, um… I'll hopefully see you then."

  After ending the call, she lowered her phone down to her side. She hoped Tessa would show up tomorrow and wasn't upset with her. And she hoped Walter and Phinneas were right, and she could bring her angel powers back.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The next morning, Melina was woken up by the sound of her cell phone beeping. She leaned over to the lamp on her nightstand and fumbled around with her hand until she found the switch. After turning the light on, she picked up her phone and saw a text from Tessa.

  "I'm on my way," it said.

  She glanced up at the top corner of her phone screen and saw that it was a little after seven thirty in the morning. Great. She hadn't set an alarm because she figured she wouldn't be able to sleep again, but apparently she'd been wrong. Her sleep was actually peaceful last night, and if it hadn't been for Tessa's text, who knows how much longer she would've slept.

  Good thing I showered last night, she thought to herself as she stepped out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. It wouldn't take her long to put on a little make-up and style her hair.

  About twenty minutes later, she walked back out into her bedroom and over to her closet. She picked out a pair of khakis along with a dark brown knit sweater. After she was done changing her clothes, she pulled on her brown boots and was about to head out into the kitchen when the photo of her parents caught her eye. She walked over to her nightstand and picked up the small picture frame.

  "I'm going to do my best to try and fix all of this. I don't want to feel like I'm disappointing you anymore."

  She held the frame for a few seconds longer and then set it back down on the nightstand. As she made her way into the kitchen, she saw Dean sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal.

  "Good morning," she said as she walked over to the fridge and grabbed a cup of strawberry yogurt.

  "Morning," he replied back.

  "Did you sleep any better last night?" she asked.

  He shrugged. "A little, I guess. It seems like you had a good night's sleep, though."

  Melina nodded as she pulled a spoon out from one of the cabinet drawers. "Yeah, I did actually. It didn't help to improve my appearance any, but I do feel a little better."

  "Well that's a good sign," he said. "When's everyone supposed to be here?"

  "Tessa should be here any minute now, and I think Lee might be here within the next hour or so. But we can't start anything until Walter and Phinneas return, and who knows when that'll be." She paused for a second and then asked, "Are you sure you want to go today? I don't want to risk the Noxin demons finding out where you are now."

  He let out a long sigh. "As much as that attack scared me, I know I can't stay hidden forever. They'll eventually find me again if they really want to. Besides," he said with a slight shrug, "I want to help you."

  "Thank you," she said.

  Dean smiled and gave her a quick nod and then returned his attention back to his bowl of cereal. Melina finished her yogurt and then headed downstairs to meet Tessa in the bookstore. Since she wasn't there yet, she waited for her in their office.

  About five minutes later, she heard the back door open and close and then Tessa called out.

  "Melina, are you down here?"

  "In here," she said as she stood up from her chair and made her way over to the doorway. As she stepped out into the front room she saw Tessa coming toward her from the back.

  Tessa stopped when she saw Melina. "Hey," she said in a low voice.

  "Hi."

  An awkward silence hung over them until Melina finally spoke up again.

  "I'm so sorry about yesterday," she said, taking a step forward. "I just didn't want to hurt you, and then when you didn't respond to my text I was sure you were upset with me."

  "No, I wasn't upset," Tessa interjected. "I was busy helping my brothers with a house they're renovating, and I didn't have my phone with me. It wasn't until late last night that I realized I had a text from you. I didn't want to risk waking you, so I didn't text back. And I'm the one who's sorry. I should've been more careful with what I said to you."

  Melina shook her head. "That's just it. What you said was the truth and was nothing for me to get angry about. You shouldn't have to watch what you say around me." She looked her friend straight in the eyes. "I need to control these evil feelings. I need to bring my angel powers back and reverse the effects of the demon powers. Do you think you'd be willing to help me?"

  Tessa quickly nodded her head. "Of course. But… how am I supposed to help you do that?"

  "The banned demon told Walter and Phinneas that the guiding angel powers should remain dominant in me since I absorbed them first. So the elders think I'm passively allowing the demon powers to grow stronger because of all of my fear and doubt. I need to believe in myself. And what better way to get me to believe in myself than knowing that I have others who already believe in me?" She shrugged her shoulders and gave Tessa a small grin.

  Tessa returned her smile and then walked over and embraced her in a tight hug. "You know I would never give up on you. I know you can do this." She kept her arms around Melina for a few more seconds and then released her as she took a step back. "So, what's the plan?"

  Melina opened her mouth to talk when suddenly the back door opened. She looked over Tessa's shoulder and saw Gwen step inside.

  "Gwen, I'm so glad you're here," she said.

  "Melina." Gwen walked over to her and gently wrapped her arms around her. She then took a step back to look at her. “Is there anything I can do?"

  "Actually, yes," said Melina. "Why don't you and Tess come upstairs with me for a while? The store doesn't need to be opened yet."

  Gwen and Tessa both nodded and then followed Melina up the stairs to her apartment. They all gathered around in the living room, including Dean, and then Melina began to fill Gwen in. About ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. Melina went to answer it, and when she opened the door there stood Lee.

  "Hi," she said with a smile. "Come on in."

  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then stepped inside. After hanging up his coat, he and Melina joined the other three back in the living room. He greeted Gwen and Tessa with a smile and then gave a small nod to Dean. Melina took his hand and led him over to the loveseat.

  "Well," she said, clasping her hands together, "everyone's here. Now all we have to do is wait for Walter and Phinneas."

  "Do you think they've found anything?" asked Tessa.

  Melina shrugged. "My guess is they haven't been able to locate Adelia. At least not yet. Otherwise they would've returned by now."

  "So what does that mean if they can't locate her?" Tessa asked. "That Adelia really is gone?"

  "Maybe," said Melina as she turned her gaze down to her hands. The only explanation for the Noxin demons still being able to fly had to be that an elder guiding angel was helping them. It had to be. It was the only reasoning that made sense. So if Adelia really was gone then who was helping the demons?

  She took in a deep breath and shook her head. She didn't need to jump to conclusions. Walter and Phinneas said that if Adelia had become a Fallen then that would make it even harder to
locate her, so that could also be why they may not be able to find her.

  "We won't know anything until Walter and Phinneas get here," Melina said as she raised her head, "so we shouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet. Hopefully they'll be here soon."

  ****

  When Walter and Phinneas had first arrived back at The Realm they had debated on whether or not they should tell Cecil and Helene that Adelia may not have been destroyed. After several minutes of discussion they had finally decided there was no need to worry the other elders until they knew for sure, so they had gone straight to the summoning stone.

  The stone rested on a pillar in the center of all the temples, but it was far enough away from them that it was secluded and quiet. The pillar was down in the middle of several stone steps with trees and bushes growing all around it, giving it another veil of privacy. They both stood in front of the crystalline stone and stared at it.

  "I think you should be the one to do it," said Walter. "You have a lot more experience with it than I do. I've only used it a couple of times."

  Phinneas nodded. "You're right. I'll give it a try. But I think you should help me. It might help to strengthen the power of the stone."

  "Okay," said Walter. "Should I put my hand on the stone, too, or…"

  "Just take my hand and think of Adelia." Phinneas held his right hand out to Walter and then placed his left one on top of the stone.

  Walter grabbed Phinneas's hand and then closed his eyes. He brought up an image of Adelia in his mind as he started to think about how they needed to find her. A few seconds passed, and as he peeked his eyes open to catch a glimpse at the stone, he noticed it was starting to glow. His eyes popped open as he let out a loud gasp.

  Phinneas jerked his head toward Walter and looked at him with wide eyes.

  "It glowed," said Walter. "Does that mean…"

  "Yes," Phinneas said. "It means Adelia is still with us. If she had been destroyed, then the stone wouldn't have glowed at all."

  They both stared at each other, the shock of their sudden discovery still lingering over them. A few seconds passed, and then Walter finally found his voice again.