by Tara Benham
I didn’t know what time the earthquake was going to happen, or if there would be any tremors before the main one. I just knew that as soon as it started, I needed to get Gray and the group to safety, hidden away from Meph. He must not have known I was out here, or Declan might have made some deal with him because so far he hadn’t made any appearances. I needed to set up a system between myself and Hannah throughout the night to make sure nothing happened while we were asleep. If he started to get desperate, he might change his game plan.
“Hannah.” I leaned over towards where she and Gray were sitting. “I need to go to the bathroom. Walk with me?” With Gray in close proximity, it was the best excuse I would have to get her away from him.
“Sure. I need to go, too.”
We quietly excused ourselves and headed to the wooded area.
“I was thinking about tomorrow. Meph hasn’t bothered us today, but that doesn’t mean he might not try something tonight. We should take shifts staying awake to make sure he doesn’t try to pull something tonight and come for Gray.”
“What if he comes during my shift?” she asked timidly.
“You yell. Loudly. I will wake up and come help.”
“It’s okay. I’ll take the first shift.”
“I’ll lay out with you if you want. I’ll be content watching the stars for a while anyways. They look so different from Earth.”
“Thanks, but you need more sleep than I do. Besides, I’m not really sleepy right now. I think I have too much sugar coursing through my body.”
“Me too.”
Back at the camp, I made a show of yawning and stretching before saying good night. Inside my tent, I crawled in my sleeping bag. I was pretty sure it was going to be a fruitless attempt, but I had to try. I needed to be on top of my game tomorrow. Hannah had agreed to wake me in a few hours to give her a break. It only seemed like minutes had passed when I heard the tent being unzipped.
“I’m up.”
“Shh, Angel. Scoot over.”
“Declan! What on Earth are you doing?”
“I wanted to see how you’re doing. I asked Hannah if she needed a break yet; she said she was okay. Scoot over. It’s cold out here.”
“Go away! Get your own sleeping bag!” I felt him push me effortlessly over to the side and slip in behind me.
“Alissa’s in my tent. I really don’t want to go back there. She crawled in a little while ago complaining she was scared. Once she fell asleep, I slipped out. I need sleep too, you know.”
“Fine.” I rolled away from him.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. He was warm. I could feel myself drifting back to sleep. “Bay, tomorrow is going to change everything. I just really want this one night beside you. I want to pretend that tomorrow isn’t going to happen. I need you to tell me what you’re supposed to remember.”
“Since the beginning.” I groggily responded.
“Yes, Angel,” he whispered. I felt him scribble something into my hand, but I had already fallen asleep before I could decipher it.
“Bayla.” I heard Hannah somewhere in my foggy haze. “Bay. It’s your turn.”
I was careful not to wake Declan as I slipped out of the tent. Hannah winked at me, then headed to Gray’s tent. I plopped down on the blanket Hannah left out, and stoked the fire. She had placed a full bottle of water out for me and some cookies. She was probably trying to make sure I wouldn’t fall back asleep. It was peaceful out. I laid down on my back, wrapped in the blanket and watched as several falling stars crossed the sky. I’d read somewhere that humans made wishes on these. They were supposed to be a sign of good luck. I wasn’t one to believe in luck, but at that moment, I pretended I did. I could use any help I could get tomorrow.
“Not asleep, are you?” Sadie asked.
“No, just watching the stars.”
Sadie sat down beside me close to the fire. “The stars are definitely more beautiful this side of Heaven, but I miss it up there sometimes.”
“Why are you awake?” I chose to ignore her reference to Heaven.
“I thought you might need company. Besides, I can’t sleep. I’m nervous about tomorrow, and I have been upset since I found out about Haddy.”
“Don’t say his name to me.”
She nodded, and sadness emanated from her. “Bayla, I know you hate me, but I can help tomorrow.”
“How do I know you’re not still working for Meph and that this isn’t all some ploy you two put together?”
“You don’t. You just have to trust me. Nathaniel trusted me. Father Paul trusted me, but warned me not to say anything to you. I had no intentions of telling you who I was or who Nathaniel was, but when Declan found out who I was working for and what I had done to Hadraniel, he made me tell you. He threatened to imprison me in Hell if I didn’t, and that’s worse than the thought of being erased. That boy loves you.”
“Declan does not love me. He’s a demon. I’m his competition in this mission. He’s using his demon ways to keep me close. Haven’t your heard the human saying ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’? The same is happening between us.”
Sadie snorted. “You keep telling yourself that, Bay.”
“So you were a Delivery Angel before you fell? My roommate, Aniston, is a Delivery Angel.” At the mention of Aniston, her eyes lit up. “She’s the one that Haddy was going to ask to be paired with...until you erased him.” I could see that I had hit her hard with that, and it wasn’t really fair of me. If she was being honest, she probably felt horrible about the deed. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t kind of me. I’m angry, but I don’t have to be mean.”
“Tell me about Aniston.”
“She’s bubbly. When I was home, I could barely tolerate her, but now I miss her. I would give anything for her to come bouncing into my room telling me about the sweet baby cheeks she kissed before delivering them safely. She’s the one that delivered Gray. If I make it home, she’ll be surprised at the hug she’ll get from me.”
“So you, Aniston, and Hadraniel were all the same age group?”
“Yeah. Do you miss Heaven?”
“Yes. I made the wrong choice. I have to live with those consequences. I’ve met other Fallens that are like me. We are just living and dealing with our mistakes. Unlike the Rogues, we don’t try to be evil. They wanted to join forces with Lucifer. The rest of us just wanted freedom of choice. It’s not all it's cracked up to be, let me assure you. Do you trust me enough to sleep some more while I stand watch?”
“Not really.”
“Didn’t figure as much. You don’t mind if I stay out here with you, do you?”
“Nah. It’s fine.”
I passed her the box of cookies. If she was going to stay up too, she was going to need the sugar. Sometime during the night, I decided I would wake the others up right before sunrise to climb back up the hill. I thought watching the sun rise one last time on their town would help them later when it was gone. I went to Gray and Hannah’s tent first, then Everett’s, then to mine to get Declan, saving Alissa for last. They all agreed that watching the sun rise on the town would be fun. Alissa was even up and ready to go with the rest of us with little arguing. Declan seemed a little odd. I wasn’t sure if it was because of last night or if it was because he woke up alone. Either way, I didn’t have time to worry about that.
The hike up wasn’t as torturous because we didn’t have all the gear with us this time. We still had a few minutes to rest and catch our breaths before the sun came up. The sky changed from dark blue to the light blues, purples, oranges and pinks that I’d come to know as Kentucky sunrises. It truly was a blessing to get to witness. The glass from the windows in towns were sparkling and making a great memory for the group. I looked over to Hannah, and with tears in her eyes, she mouthed ‘thank you’ to me. She knew why I had made this suggestion. I was glad I got to witness it too. It was a spectacular view. We lingered at the top for a few extra minutes before Gray decided it
was time for breakfast. He was met with a chorus of agreement about needing food. I’d brought a portable coffee maker with us, just in case we had time to enjoy one final cup before the events of the day happened.
Declan held me back from the group, as the others headed back down the hill. His eyes were full of emotions this morning. He seemed to be struggling to find the words to convey whatever was on his mind. The gray of his eyes almost seemed to change shades with his emotions. They were darker right now, but when he laughed, they almost seemed to be silver. There was nothing more I could want than the opportunity to stare into his eyes for all time, learning all the different shades of emotions without any concerns for the world, but we had things to do.
“You didn’t answer me last night.”
“I said, ‘’since the beginning.’”
“No, about the other thing.”
“What other thing?”
He looked at me like I had two heads. “I wrote I loved you in the palm of your hand.”
“I felt you scribbling, but I thought it was nothing, so I just fell asleep.” Knots were building in my stomach.
“Okay. Well do you?”
“Declan.” I whined a little. He was really wanting me to profess my love to him when I might have to kill him later? “Why now? Why are you asking me this now?”
“I want you to know, so that whatever happens, you have that to hold on to at least. If you feel the same way, I would like to hear it today before it’s too late.” There was a hint of despair in his voice.
Tears of anger and fear escaped the corners of my eyes. This man was not going to make anything easy for me. I’d lost Haddy, and if things didn’t work out today, I was losing Father Paul and Aniston, and yet he wanted me to tell him I loved him even though I was going to lose him, regardless of today’s outcome. It wasn’t fair. “Yes!” I screamed at him. “Not like it does either of us any good to know. One of us is going to lose, and no matter which of us it is, we both do by telling each other ‘I love you.’ This is the worst possible time in the world to do this to me, Declan - ”
Before I could finish my thought, he pulled me in for a kiss. It was different than the first two. This one felt like we were both in search of something to help us breathe, to help us survive. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. We probably would have stayed that way forever if the group didn’t start whistling and clapping. I didn’t even realize they were still in sight of us. I quickly pulled away, blushing. Declan, being Declan, bowed. Causing more whistles and cat calls. Alissa was the only one who didn’t look happy. A part of me wanted to gloat, but I couldn’t. Everything for her was about to change, and now the hope of being with Declan was just taken away from her too. The walk down was full of jokes in the direction of Declan more than me. They could see I was a little more embarrassed about the audience while Declan pretended to have planned the whole thing. Hannah dropped back to walk beside me.
“Is that even allowed?” Hannah asked, her eyes widened in surprise.
“I don’t even know anymore what’s allowed. I’ve broken so many rules this mission.” I shook my head. “I think at this point, it’s game on, so I’m done with the rules. I need to get my head in the game.” She simply nodded and walked with me in silence the remainder of the way. Just as we got to the bottom, the first little rumbling tremor occurred. It wasn’t enough to be too worrisome, but it was enough to be felt.
“Sadie, what’s your dad’s testing show? Are we safe here? That was a little strong,” Gray asked evenly. He didn’t seem to be panicked, but I could tell he would end the trip if he thought it was unsafe to remain here.
“Everything he has researched has shown that we are fine. Just the plates adjusting themselves some, nothing major.” She did nonchalant well. If I hadn’t been aware of the truth, I would have believed her.
“Then let’s get breakfast.”
Or have they ceased to care at all for if I fall or stand. ~Cathi Desurne
At camp, our tents looked like they had been ransacked. I know the quake wasn’t strong enough to have done it. Meph must have been here searching for something. He obviously could see that we were all gone, so it had to be an object he was on the hunt for, not a person. Declan mumbled something about a deer or raccoons, and everyone seemed to buy it. He had been talking about animals all weekend so he would know. I looked sideways at him. He seemed to know what Meph may have wanted, because he headed straight for his tent. He emerged several moments later looking content that everything that he needed was still there. I took a walk over to the tree where Hannah and I had hidden the sword and made sure it was still there. Thankfully, it was. If nothing was missing, maybe it really was just an animal. Or it could be Meph trying to mess with my head.
My nerves were on edge the whole morning. Anticipation was starting to get the best of me, so I suggested a walk to the falls. The ones where we fished at yesterday, not where we’d swam. I needed to do something, anything, besides sitting around waiting. We decided that if it was deep enough, we could swim in this pool, too. Everyone was ready after taking time to put their swimsuits on and grabbing towels. Alissa and Sadie joined us as well. I think finding the camp as we had this morning made them uneasy. I double-checked that I had my small sword on me before heading towards the water. Declan kept his distance from me this time. In case Meph was watching, he didn’t want to be seen being too friendly with me.
The water was just as cold, and just as invigorating for me today as it had been yesterday. Sadie and Alissa laid their towels out and dipped their feet in, but stayed on the bank. Hannah joined in with us to swim. She was using her time wisely to enjoy it as much as possible. I figured she was like this always, though. She seemed to be full of life, and ready for any kind of adventure. From the stories she’d told when we were at her house, she got this from her parents. Most of her childhood had been spent taking trips to new places.
Declan started a splash war between the guys, and Hannah and I quickly joined in, teaming up to defeat them. The late morning passed without another tremor, but just as we were getting out, a second, larger one occurred. I had a feeling the next one would be the big one, and it wasn’t a good idea to be in the water, or out in the open for that matter. If we were in the trees, we could avoid being easy targets for Meph. Gray seemed to begin second guessing Sadie.
“Usually, there’s two or three tremors like that if plates are moving.” Declan had authority in his voice. His reputation for being a walking encyclopedia was going to be useful today if we were going to keep everyone in this valley. “Just in case though, let’s go to the meadow. Open spaces like that are the safest places to be.”
I knew the safest place to be was the cave, but without any timeframe of when the next one was going to happen, I couldn’t find reason enough to push everyone in there at the moment. I needed to come up with something, and quickly, to get them in there before it happened, all the while keeping Meph from seeing where we went. All of the previous plans I’d made weren’t going to work. As everyone seemed to be on edge, I did the only thing I could come up with.
“I know where there’s a cave. We could pack our lunches, go exploring and have a picnic there. Best part is, if there is another tremor, we’ll be safe in there.”
“I’m game for exploring a cave,” Hannah chimed in. I shot her a grateful look for seconding my suggestion.
No one else had a better suggestion. We gathered blankets, food and water before packing up our bags. I convinced them to bring our packs in case we wanted to hang out for a while and do further exploring, and everything seemed to be falling into place. Right before heading out of the trees, everything went silent. The birds stopped mid song. Meph was close. For a second I panicked but saw Sadie indicate we needed to keep going. I knew she was right. There wasn’t anything left to do now but go. I steadied myself, moved closer to Gray and headed out. We were halfway to the falls when the ground began to rumble again.
I saw move
ment out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see Meph running towards Gray. Sadie pushed him forward and yelled, “Run!”
“Hannah, go! Take the group. You’re know where you’re going. Go!” I yelled as I was pulling my smaller sword out of my boots.
It took her a minute to comprehend what was happening, but once I yelled go the second time she didn’t need another word. She grabbed Alissa, pulling her into a full-on run while telling Everett and Gray to follow her quickly. Sadie stayed closed to where I was, but when I looked around, I couldn’t find Declan anywhere. It was time. We were now enemies. Words shared earlier no longer had meaning. In the end, one of us would be the victor, and the other gone. Sadie suggested we put our backs to each other. I was facing the group. It was hard to watch them stumbling, as they tried to make their way to the cave. The ground was rippling, and crumbling all around them. More than once, Hannah had to pull Alissa up, and Everett and Gray helped them jump over places the ground had separated. Fear struck in me, as I realized the water was sloshing up out of the edges of the pool, which would make getting into the cave a challenge.
I turned after noticing a movement in the corner of my eye, and saw Meph heading in the direction the group had gone. I told Sadie to look for Declan. I ran into the woods and grabbed the larger sword. I needed to have a bigger weapon if I was going to defeat Meph. At a full run, I caught up to him just as he reached the water’s edge. I tackled him. The group was out of sight already, and I hoped they had reached the cave before he’d been able to see where they went. We were wrestling, but with the ground moving as much as it was, it was hard to do much. The quake's intensity was growing. The falls increased in power, and large rocks were rolling down the hills. Another shake caused me to topple backwards away from Meph, allowing me to time to push up onto my feet. I picked up my sword and swung at him. He rolled out of the way and was back on his feet before I had a chance to swing at him again. He was circling, but I made sure to have him in front of me at all times. Meph was a dirty fighter, and he wouldn’t be following any rules.
