by Lola StVil
Aaden turns towards Mrs. Greenblatt’s office (AKA “The Face”). We call her that because she is always giving us a look of disapproval. As far as the humans are concerned, she is just a guidance counselor. But the truth is she is a Quo. That means she is like East: half angel, half human. The Face is our guide; she was told to look after us by my mother, should we ever be in danger.
We run up to Aaden but before we can stop him, he storms into her office so hard he nearly pulls the door off its hinges. The Face is sitting behind her desk, with her perfect signature bun atop her head, in the middle of a phone call.
“DID YOU KNOW THEY HAD HIM?” Aaden asks venomously.
“Mr. Case, you need to remain calm and—” The Face warns.
“DID YOU KNOW THEY TOOK HIM?” he shouts as he looms above her.
“Wait, what’s going on? Aaden, who did they take?” I ask.
“My father,” he replies.
“Uncle Rage is on earth?” The Twins ask at the same time.
The Face goes on to explain that Uncle Rage decided to go look in on Aaden at the last minute, so he was not in the light when the explosion went off. He met with the board and they agreed to keep that fact a secret. That way Uncle Rage could infiltrate the demon community in search of any information that could bring down Malakaro.
“You let him go out there on his own?” Aaden rages.
“That’s the way he wanted it, Mr. Case. He knew the demons would never trust him if he was surround by angels,” The Face says calmly as she uses her powers to close her office door without having to touch it.
“This is such bullshit,” Aaden replies.
“Why didn’t you tell us Uncle Rage was still here?” I ask.
“He did not want any of you worrying about him I would imagine,” The Face says.
“Well, guess what? We’re worried. My father is in the Forest of Remains. And the only thing shielding him from the forest is that he’s inside a Holder. The Holder has a time release. In three days it will self-destruct and there will be nothing between my father and certain death.”
“Is that true?” Key asks our guide.
“I overheard some demon scum talking about it,” Aaden confirms.
“Well? Is it true?” I ask impatiently.
“Yes, it is. I was told not to tell you by the board,” she replies.
“I don’t give half a rat’s ass what the board said. You sat on this info knowing it was life and death. I should kill you,” Aaden says with certainty.
“You know, I’d be good with that,” Bex says.
“Bex!” Key scolds.
“She shouldn’t have hid it from him,” Bex counters.
“Gotta say, Mrs. Greenblatt, not cool,” East says, shaking his head.
“All of you seem to be under the wrong impression. I am not here to be ‘cool’ or to do what you think I should. I am here to ensure your safety. If the board feels keeping things from you would be better for you in the long run, I will do just that,” she says calmly.
“We can’t let anything happen to him,” Key pleads.
“We aren’t just sitting by doing nothing. We have sent Paras out to see what can be done,” she assures us.
“‘See what can be done?’ Are you serious, lady? He’s in the Forest of Remains, you know damn well what that means!” Aaden roars.
“Sorry, but what’s the big deal about this forest?” Randy asks.
We tell him about the Byelle and what skilled hunters the creatures are. We then tell how no one ever comes out of the forest. Randy clears his throat and just nods. I think he doesn’t speak fearing his voice will echo his fear.
“Even if the Paras could get past the Byelle, there is only one route to the forest,” Swoop says.
“The Isle of Splendor.” I sigh.
“Yes, and no angel has ever been given permission to enter the Isle,” East reminds us.
“What’s this Isle place, and if it’s really extra creepy, can I get the ‘Disney’ version of the explanation?” Randy says.
“To get to the forest, we would have to get permission to go through the Isle of Splendor. It’s a territory owned by the Movatu, also known as the four elements,” Key tells him.
“You mean like earth, water…”
“Yes, Randy, those four elements,” Bex snaps.
“You need permission from fire? Um…how does that work?” Randy pushes.
“They are beings; siblings to be exact. Each one represents an element. All four of them rule over the Isle and all four of them hate Omnis. They hate angels, and most of all they hate humans,” I reply.
“Why do they hate us?” Randy asks.
“They’re pissed off about this little thing called global warming,” East says.
“Oh.”
“The point is they hate us all. And to rub it in our faces, they allow demons passage though the Isle at anytime. But angels are never permitted to enter,” Bex adds.
“Exactly, so how are Paras going to get to him?” I ask.
“We haven’t figured that out yet, but we are working on it. We are starting a dialogue with them and the board feels that in time, we may get them to allow us to enter,” The Face adds.
“Ah yes, the joys of angel bureaucracy,” East quips.
“We don’t have time for diplomatic means. He only has three days,” Swoop reminds her.
“You don’t give a shit about him, do you?” Aaden snaps at The Face.
“That is not true,” she counters.
“The hell it isn’t. If he were an angel, the board would move earth and the light to save him. But he’s just a demon so who cares, right?”
“Aaden, I assure you—”
“My father risked his life for the Angel world over and over again. He lost everything, including my mother, yet the angels still treat him like shit, so fuck you and your assurances!”
“What do they want?” Bex asks pensively.
“Excuse me?” she says.
“They aren’t keeping his father alive for three days to be nice. They want something or they would have tortured and killed him already. What do they want in return for Rage’s safety?”
“I’m not certain I should mention it,” The Face says.
“Lady, I swear to Omnis—”
“Aaden, enough,” I order.
He looks back at our guide with ire. I can understand his fury. I myself would love to shake her a few times, but it won’t help anything. And if my mom left her to protect us, I know it means she’s strong. She may not have our powers, but she definitely won’t be bullied. I can tell because she is just as calm as Aaden is pissed. I try another approach.
“Mrs. Greenblatt, we need to know what the demons want in exchange for Uncle Rage. We would really appreciate it if you could tell us, but we can’t force you. However, if you don’t tell us, we’ll go to every demon hangout, in search of answers, no matter how dangerous or how deadly…” I caution her.
“I have no doubt that your team would be foolish enough to do something like that. Fine, I will tell what they want,” she says, only to remain quiet following her statement.
“DAMN IT, LADY, WHAT THE HELL DO THEY WANT?” Aaden screams.
“You.”
“Wait, what?” I ask rudely.
“The demons want Aaden to surrender himself in exchange for his father,” The Face confirms.
“Okay, fine. Let’s do it,” Aaden replies with little thought.
We start to argue immediately. Aaden and I go back and forth. He is willing to sacrifice himself and he won’t listen to reason. I plead with him to reconsider. The rest of the team backs me up, but Aaden is stubborn and won’t reconsider.
“The board feels that surrendering a Noru would be a terrible idea. Placing any of you in the hands of Malakaro would be folly and will lead to horrific consequences,” The Face says.
“I don’t care, I’ll surrender myself,” Aaden says firmly.
“The decision is not up to you, Mr.
Case,” The Face corrects him.
“Tell the board to kiss my ass—I’m giving myself up.”
“Actually, as much as they hate to admit it, this kind of decision is not up to them either. I was just getting the details from them on the phone when you barged in. You see, as it turns out, since the matter has to do with a member of the team, it is ultimately up to your leader.”
It feels as if the whole world has stopped and is looking to me. The room grows still. Aaden looks at me desperately. His intense gaze bores a hole right through me.
“The board will go along with whatever decision you make as this pertains to your team. But Ms. Cane, we need an answer. Will you trade your second in command for his father?”
“Pry, losing my mother caused my father to sink into the depths of grief. Every day, he’d fall deeper and deeper. It killed me that I couldn’t save him. But this time I can. I can save my father. Please, please let me do this,” Aaden begs.
“I’m sorry; answer is no,” I reply softly.
Aaden looks back at me with disbelief, followed by betrayal and hurt. He heads for the door and right before he walks through it, he turns towards me and speaks in a broken voice.
“You just took away the only family I had…”
CHAPTER FIVE: THE GIRL HE LOVES
My first instinct is to go after him. However that isn’t the instinct of a leader, it’s that of a girl who doesn’t want to hurt the angel who’s been on her mind most of her life. So, I ignore my first instinct and gather the group in the hall. Unfortunately, by that time class has let out and we are inundated with students from every direction.
The humans have not gotten used to the angels being there. They still stare in wonderment at their stark beauty and grace. Hardly a moment goes by where some girl isn’t “accidently” bumping into Bex or East. If Aaden were with us, it would drive the girls into a deeper frenzy.
The human males hate the guys on the team because often their girlfriends are found sneaking a peek at them. It’s funny, because as much as they glare at the guys on my team, whatever Bex, East, and Aaden wear suddenly becomes the “it” thing. East loves fedoras. He looks so stylish and trendy with one on. A few guys mocked the look, only to wear the same thing a few days later.
They all love his unapproachable demeanor and the fact that he doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks, least of all the adults. They clamber to be next to him so much, he often avoids coming through the front of the school. He prefers to sneak in the back (that is when he bothers to shows up to school).
A group of cheerleaders gather in front of the lockers, across from us. They keep looking at the guys on the team. First they smile, and then they quickly look away. I think the main girl in the group, Harper, who I genuinely can’t stand, is going to try and come over. I’m guessing she’s about to ask one of the guys out. Knowing her, she might ask them all.
“We can’t stay here,” I tell them.
“Follow me,” East says as he guides us to an empty classroom.
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Bex asks as soon as we are all alone.
“How did you know I have a plan?” I ask.
“C’mon, Pry. You’d never let Rage die. You couldn’t even part with the human,” Bex says.
“Hey, since I’ve been chased by demons, nearly blown up, and am slated to be killed, do you think you can call me by my first name?” Randy snaps.
“Seriously, how are we going to help Uncle Rage?” Key asks.
“And shouldn’t Silver be a part of this conversation?” East asks.
“We need to give him time to blow off some steam,” I reply.
While what I said is true, there’s more to it than that. When Aaden said that I took his family away, it felt like he stabbed me straight in the chest. I know it’s selfish to think of it that way, but that’s how I feel. How could he say that to me? How could he say it to the team? I am trying to keep in mind that he’s going through hell right now but honestly, it still hurts and I need a few minutes before I can speak to him in a calm voice.
“I can’t believe Uncle Rage is in the middle of the forest waiting to die,” Swoop says to herself.
“He was the first adult who allowed me to curse around him. I thought I was so cool,” Key confesses.
“He convinced my mom to let me join the Noru,” East says in a pained voice.
“When I first got to this school things were really rough. I hated it. I thought I’d do like the humans did and for weeks I’d sneak out and get drunk. It was so stupid. He knew what I was up to but he never told my parents. Instead he dragged me to his house and scolded me. Then he scolded me again because he said I had made him what he never wanted to be--the voice of reason.” I share with the team.
“He sounds like a great guy, but can he be saved?” Randy asks.
“Well, we are damn sure gonna try,” I reply.
“What’s the plan?” East asks.
“The four elements hate angels but Aaden is only half angel,” I remind them.
“So you think they will allow him passage?” Randy asks.
“Not based on that alone, but if we have something to trade, they may be willing to let us all go through their territory,” I suggest.
“Okay, like what? I mean the elements are powerful, immortal, and a pain in the ass. What could they possibly need from us?” Swoop asks.
“That’s Randy’s job,” I reply.
“What? I don’t get it,” he says.
“Randy, you’re a super reader. You finished the entire Game of Thrones trilogy in less than three days.”
“Actually, it only took me two days. I’ve been dying for the last two books to be completed. You have no idea how hard it is waiting for your favorite author to hurry the hell up. Damn you, George R.R. Martin,” Randy replies.
“I need you to use your reading ‘super power’ to read through all the journals that chronicle the four elements. There might be a clue as to what we could offer them in trade for passage.”
“No problem.”
“Also, Channel One did a documentary on the elements, take a look at it.”
“I’ll get my laptop and get to work,” Randy says as he heads out of the room.
“Also scour their twitter feed, YouTube page, Vine account, and everything else you can get your hands on. They might hate humans but they love social media,” I call out as he heads out of the room.
“What do you need me to do?” East asks.
“Head to the nearest Seller shop and see if they have some kind of device that can override the time release on the Holder. Maybe we can give Uncle Rage a little more time,” I reply.
“And if we don’t find it in any Seller shop?” he asks, worried.
“Then find out where Hun’s market is today and go there,” I instruct.
Hun’s Market is a massive warehouse where demons go to buy items that are forbidden. The market is never in the same place twice so that the demons don’t get caught. But if you really want to find out the current location, there are ways to get the info. It usually means beating the crap out of a demon, a task the team is more than willing to do.
“I’ll go with you,” Key says.
The two of them take off. I look over at Bex. He’s in deep thought.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I have a few contacts, some influential Paras that might be able to shed some light on the elements. They might be able to tell us what’s not in the history book,” he says.
“Great, get going. Uncle Rage is short on time.”
He nods and hurries out the door. Now only Swoop and I remain. Her head is bowed down, and for the first time in a long while, she isn’t her usual happy, ‘off the wall’ self.
“Swoop.”
“Yeah,” she replies in a weak voice.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Silver won’t recover if we don’t save his dad. He’ll never get past it. He’s always looked out for me and now…”
<
br /> I reach out for her and embrace her tightly. When she pulls away from me, there are tears in her eyes.
“Hey, stop that. We are going to get Uncle Rage back,” I vow.
