by Lola StVil
“Hey, we are committed to the cause,” Key says.
“Actually, I just didn’t feel like getting dressed,” Swoop adds.
“And we got Bex to dress up too, kind of,” Key tells us.
Bex comes towards us in jeans, a sports tee shirt, and fluffy slippers with bear heads on them.
“I hate this,” he says to Key.
“You look adorable,” she lies.
“Why doesn’t Aaden have to dress up?” Bex protests.
“Because he’s not lucky enough to be with me,” Key jokes.
He smiles and pulls her in for a kiss. I study the two of them reflectively.
“You guys are really lucky; you two are a great couple,” I tell them.
“Aw, thanks Pry,” Key says, beaming.
“Aaden didn’t show up today?” Bex says to me.
“No, but I didn’t expect him to. He’s spending some time with his dad before Uncle Rage has to report to the Board,” I reply.
“I can’t believe a demon is gonna be on the Board; it’s kind of cool,” Swoop says.
“I’m happy about it too,” Key replies.
“Randy, would you like to escort the hottest bunny in the school to her history class?” Swoop asks, linking her arm in his. He smiles and they walk off.
“I should go too. We’re having a chem test and I need to go over my notes,” Key says as she stands on the tips of her toes and kisses Bex good-bye.
“Where’s East?” I ask.
“I saw him a few minutes ago. He had just finished mind wiping Marisol,” Bex says.
“How’s he taking the Marisol thing?” I wonder.
“Not well. I think he really cares about her.”
“Why didn’t he bring her up before?”
“I’m guessing he didn’t think he’d see her again. And now they’re both in the same school…”
“I’ll have a talk with him later and see if I can get him to cheer up,” I tell Bex.
“You sure you don’t need any cheering up yourself--I mean with the way things went down with you and Silver?” he says.
“Randy told you?” I ask.
“We kind of forced it out of him.”
“Well don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
Bex looks over at me, unconvinced.
“No, really. I am. I mean, yes I wish things had worked out differently, but…I’m not the angel he wants,” I add.
We lean against the lockers for a few moments, not saying a word. Both of us lost in our own thoughts.
“It’s just so fucking frustrating. Back at the hospital he was close to saying something, but I was so mad, I just pushed him away. But he should have just told me anyway. It’s like, what the hell? If you want me, come and get me. And if there’s something that’s holding you back from me then tell me what it is! I mean really, why does everything with Aaden have to be so fucking--”
“Complicated,” Bex says, finishing my thought.
“Yes!” I reply desperately.
He looks over at me with understanding and compassion.
“Sometimes you need it to be simple and easy. With everything else going on, you want to know that the angel you’re with will love you and give you a chance to love them in return. No complications. No secrets. No walls.”
“No walls…” I whisper in agreement. Amazed he chose the exact words I used with Aaden the night before.
I look into his eyes. That’s when I notice, for the very first time, just how green they are. They crackle with intense emerald colored sparks. They remind me of lush, peaceful rolling hills. They beam with warmth and sincerity. I’m also noticing for the first time just how close together we are standing.
“I have to go to class, but I’m here if you need to talk, okay?” he says.
“Yeah, thanks,” I manage to say.
As he walks away, he casually touches my arm and says good-bye. Randy appears just after Bex leaves. He tells me he forgot a textbook he needs for class. I hear him but his voice is far away.
“Pry, are you okay?” he asks.
“Um…yeah…I’m…”
He watches me as I watch Bex walk down the hallway. Randy then hands me something.
“Here, you look like you need this,” he says.
I look down and Randy has handed me his sweater. He says I need it because of the sudden “chill” I seem to be experiencing.
Oh, no…
****
Later that night, The Face calls and says she needs to see us urgently. I was a little relieved to have something to think about other than my little moment with Bex. I’m sure it was nothing, and I will most likely never feel that way again. Still, it’s a crazy thing to have happen in the first place.
I push that whole incident out of my head as we gather at the table in the kitchen. A few moments later, The Face pops up on a Port. She stands before us with a grave look on her face.
“Rage convinced the Board to be more open with your team and to share what they know,” she begins.
“Okay, so let’s have it,” Aaden replies.
“Malakaro found Laswell,” she says calmly.
“You said he’d never be able to do that!” Randy shouts.
“We didn’t know that he could,” she admits.
“Big surprise. You people don’t know shit,” Randy blurts out.
We all turn to him, shocked; Randy so rarely loses his temper.
“What, why are you all looking at me? Do you realize what this means? Laswell is going to be tortured and made to tell the location of the five Rye. And once Malakaro knows where each Rye vial is—”
I jab Randy in the leg under the table to signal to him to shut the hell up. We have not told The Face who the Blue Rose is, and now would not be a good time to do that. Thankfully, Randy goes silent.
“So Malakaro has Laswell. What now? Does the Board try to rescue him?” Key asks.
“If they don’t, we will,” I counter.
“You will do no such thing. You will stay here where it’s safe,” The Face demands.
“We can’t leave Laswell in the hands of Malakaro. You know what he’s capable of. He could get Laswell to talk and reveal everything,” Bex reminds her.
“At the very least we have to stop him from torturing Laswell,” East says.
“Laswell is dead,” she informs us.
“Fuck!” Aaden says, furious.
“Malakaro tortured him and threw him in the river.”
“So you’re telling us Malakaro could have his hands on the location of the first Rye vial?” I ask.
“No, what I’m saying is that he has it; Malakaro has found the first vial.”
The room gets eerily silent. No one says it out loud, but we are all thinking the same thing: This could be the beginning of the end…
“Now, if your team plans to go off like you have before, we can’t stop you. However, we are hoping that somewhere along the way all of you have acquired some kind of maturity. We’re hoping you will let us handle this,” The Face says.
“So far we are the ones who have made a difference, not you guys,” I remind her.
“Yes, Pryor, I have to hand it to you. You have a very capable team. However, the reason we want all of you to stay away from this is because Malakaro wants you all involved. He is determined to pull your lives apart. We cannot let that happen. So please, let us handle this. We are in contact with the second Keeper. We are moving her now,” The Face says.
“Okay, fine, we’ll stay out of it,” I promise.
“Thank you,” The Face replies.
She looks at our troubled faces.
“Try not to worry. Worst comes to worst, we will seek out the Blue Rose heir and take him out.”
“Just like that, huh?” Randy says in a tense voice.
“Randy, the Blue Rose heir could be some demon who’s better off dead. Pry wouldn’t enjoy killing the heir, but alas, we do what we must. Stopping Malakaro from overthrowing Omnis is more important tha
n saving the heir’s life. It’s more important than any of us at this table,” she says.
Randy looks over at me with an expression I can’t quite make out.
“If the Board manages to secure the second Keeper, we won’t even need to find the heir ,so let’s slow down,” East encourages.
“Good point. I just wanted to come by and update your team. And also impress upon you how important it is that none of you wander off. I talked to your father, Aaden, and he agreed that while he’s off in a conference with the Board, you should return back to this house so you will all be back together.”
“Yeah, it’s fine I guess,” Aaden replies.
“Now, I’ll see all of you bright and early tomorrow,” The Face says as she smiles and heads out the door.
As soon as she’s gone, I take Randy aside. When we first discovered he was the heir, we all talked for hours about what to do. We agreed to keep it a secret since there was no way Malakaro was going to find all the vials, but now that he had found one, I know Randy is freaking out.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“He’s going to find them, Pry, he’s going to find them all and you’re going to have to kill me so that he doesn’t use me to end the world,” Randy blurts out.
“That’s not going to happen. I will not let it. Trust me.”
“I want to be heroic like you and the rest of the team, but I’m scared of him. I want to act brave and everything, but Pry, I’m scared. He’s gonna get me.”
“No, Randy, he’s not.”
“Yes he is! You have to do it. You have to take me out now, before Malakaro can get his hands on me,” Randy says, frantic.
“You have to calm down. I get why you’re upset, but remember the entire Angel world has only one goal: stopping Malakaro. And we will do just that. We got Rage out of the forest, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he says.
His tone is suddenly calm; too calm. He’s almost resigned as he nods.
“Randy, are you really okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, sorry for the freak-out session,” he says as he heads for the door.
“Wait, you’re not sleeping over?”
“No, I should spend at least one night this week in my own room.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow,” I reply as I embrace him.
“Are we really going to sit by and do nothing?” Bex asks when Randy leaves.
“Well, it would be a different approach,” Key replies, standing in the doorway of their room.
Swoop bounces down the steps in a complete blur, and before I know it, she’s standing only inches away from me.
“Well, whatever we decide, we need to do it quickly. I have a DJ gig tonight,” she says.
“Malakaro found one of the vials and you’re worried about a gig?” Key scolds.
“If I stopped having fun every time evil did something, I’d be…well, I’d be you,” she quips.
“Seriously, what are we going to do about this?” Aaden asks from a few feet away.
“I hate standing on the sidelines, but The Face is right. Malakaro wants us in the mix so he can hurt us. Maybe this time we let things play out on their own. At least for now,” I suggest.
“Sounds good to me. I’m off,” Swoops says.
“Wait, I’m coming too,” East says, following her.
“And why is that?” Swoop asks.
“Because I love and care about you. I want to make sure you are safe.”
“In other words, your car won’t start?” She laughs.
“Third time this week,” East confirms.
“C’mon, I’ll take a look under the hood,” Key says.
East makes some crude joke about Key’s statement having a double meaning. Bex comes down and warns him playfully about messing with his girl. Exhausted, I start to head up the steps to my room.
“Oh hey, Pry, someone delivered a package for you earlier. I put it on your bed,” Swoop calls.
“Okay, thanks,” I reply as I pass Aaden on my way to my room.
He smiles politely at me. I smile back. There’s no reason to be upset with him. In the end it is what it is. We are just friends, and that’s going to have to be enough.
Once in my room, I find a long gold metallic gift box about the length of a rose on my bed. It’s wrapped in a simple black bow. I open the box and find a hammer: a bright, shiny, sturdy hammer.
“…Aaden, my hands are bloody and raw from banging on your stupid wall. I don’t know what to do. Should I go get something to help me break down the wall or wipe the blood from my hand and walk away?”
I slide my fingers along the surface of the tool and hold it close to me. I open the door to my room and find Aaden looking back at me from the doorway of his room across the hall. I smile, weak with relief. We exchange a quiet look of understanding. He doesn’t say anything, but that’s okay. We don’t need words; I have a tool to help me.
*******
“Randy, you need to calm down, seriously,” I demand over the phone.
“I can’t calm down, Pry, this is an emergency,” Randy insists.
“Not being able to watch the premiere of The Walking Dead is not an emergency!” I remind him.
“Okay, now you’re just talking crazy.”
I laugh at him, which does nothing to soothe his hysteria.
“I told you, it’ll be fixed by the time you get here. The cable company is already on their way. Now get dressed and get your butt over here!”
“I’m on my way; don’t start without me!” he warns as he hangs up the phone.
I’m not really into zombie madness like Randy is, but I’m excited about spending “non” angel time with him. The rest of the team has gone out for the night just so Randy and I could hang out together.
I look at the setup in the living room and smile to myself. I have put out huge bowls of angel and human snacks, lots of soda, and a pizza’s on its way. To top it off, we have more than enough throw pillows to muffle our screams for when something unexpected happens in the episode. I’m officially ready for a normal human weekend.
My cell phone rings and it’s Randy yet again.
“Randy, get over here or I’m starting without you,” I threaten.
“The human can’t speak now; he’s bleeding to death next to me.”
“Who is this?”
“A Port will appear with a mixture on it. Drink it.”
“Who the hell is this? Where’s Randy?” I demand.
“Drink the mixture and he lives,” the deep voice replies.
I look over at the door, ready to take off.
“Ms. Cane, your friend is not home, so looking at the door and contemplating a rescue is foolish, as you have no idea where to find him. Drink the mixture.”
I look around the room but can’t find the device being used to watch me.
“You have three seconds,” the voice replies.
“Don’t hurt Randy. He’s not a part of this,” I beg.
“One.”
“How do I know you will really let him live?” I ask.
“You don’t; two.”
I think about alerting the team via text, but whomever it is that’s doing this has a visual on me.
“What will the mixture do to me?”
“Three.”
I hear Randy scream in the background. It’s a chilling cry laced with agony.
“Okay, okay! I’ll drink it. Just leave him alone.”
The Port appears with a vial on it. Inside the vial is a black liquid. I drink it. Almost immediately, I lose control of my body and fall to the ground. Everything starts to get hazy. Soon, my vision is completely gone.
Lying on the floor paralyzed, I hear the door open, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps all around me. Someone picks me up and whispers in my ear as I’m passing out.
“The Center has been waiting for you…”
END OF BOOK 2
BOOK 3 OUT SOON!
YOU CAN ALSO READ LOLA STVIL’S P
RIOR SERIES, CALLED “THE GUARDIANS” AND FIND OUT WHAT DRAMA, SCANDAL AND ADVENTURE TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE NORU.
