by Lola St. Vil
She glares at me, and suddenly the room felt less comforting.
“Everyone take a seat. We are short on time,” the Sage says.
“What else is new?” Jay remarks.
The Sage ignores Jay and continues to speak.
“This mission is in grave danger.”
“We’ve been looking for the Triplex everywhere. We’ve gone over the clues and we’ve got nothing but that doesn’t mean we won’t find it,” Marcus protests.
“If your ex-teammate destroys the Council like she plans, there will be no Earth to save. If the Council is disbanded, there will be no balance. That will mean the end. Not just for humans but for Angels and Demons as well.”
“I’ve threatened a few Pawns and Sellers. They’ve give me info on Redd’s location but we never make it there on time. She’s always ahead of us,” Ameana says.
“I suspect she is using a Trim to slow down the Angels who are chasing her,” The Sage says.
“Shouldn’t you know exactly what is happening with Redd?” Marcus asks.
“It’s difficult to see anything at all with Redd. She is not Angel or Demon”
“Where would she have gotten a device to slow down reaction time?” I ask, thankful that Marcus had given me a run down on most Angel gadgets.
“I’m guessing the Market,” Ameana says.
“You would know a lot about that place.”
“Drop it Marcus,” she warns.
“What is he talking about?” Jay asks.
“Let’s just say Ameana has a tendency to go where she’s not supposed to,” Marcus replies.
“Me? What about you? You’re not supposed to be all cuddled up with the human that’s going to cause the destruction of your mission but that’s all you’ve been doing.”
“Are you saying I’m not doing my job?”
“Can you honestly tell me that you are? Instead of finding my best friend and helping her come back to the good, you’re in some alley trying to get some.”
“Are you spying on me?”
“Please, I have better things to do than watch you throw your mission away.”
“Then how do you know where we were?” he asks.
Jay chimes in, “Man please, everyone knows where you were.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“I’m just say’n. You know I love Emmy, but we are about to fail this mission and the only thing you can do is get with your girl.”
“This mission is all I think about,” Marcus retorts.
“Is that why she comes in here smelling like trash? She tried to kiss you and ended up in the dumpster again, didn’t she? She’s so damn stupid!” Ameana spits out venomously.
“Look, I know you’re hurt that Marcus and I –” she cuts me off.
“—Screw you and Marcus. I could care less if he feels like slumming it.”
“Ameana, I have tried to be nice to you, why are acting like this?”
“Acting like what? A pissed off Angel? Well, let me see… Now, why would I possibly be upset with you, Emmy?”
“You said you didn’t care about me and Marcus anymore.”
“I don’t, but because of you and your Twilight knock-off romance, two members of my team are dead and my best friend is lost to evil.”
“It’s not my fault we lost Rio and Reese.”
“Nothing is ever your fault. You just happen to be around right? ”
“I loved Reese and Rio like they were my family.”
“Well, they weren’t like my family. They were my family, and you took that away. Then you have the nerve to come in here and say hello like we’re friends. We are not friends. I hate you. I hate that I came here to save your ungrateful ass.”
“Fine, then kill me.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“No, go right ahead. You seem to think that I am enjoying this situation. You think I like the way this is turning out?”
“I think you love it. You love being in the center of all this drama because you get to have something you never had before—a life.”
“Fine, maybe I am as screwed up as you make me out to be, but at least my mother didn’t kill me!”
Ameana waves her hand in the air and suddenly I am airborne. I crash into the wall and find Ameana’s hand wrapped around my throat, her face mere inches from mine.
She has a look so murderous; it shakes me to my core. But I refuse to show her just how frightened I am. I look at the Angel head on.
“Ameana, let her go. Now,” Marcus says in a calm, deadly voice.
“She’s tearing my team apart.”
“It’s my team, and she’s not the one sleeping with Rage.”
It’s like Marcus took the air out of the room. Ameana releases me. Jay is the first to recover.
“What the hell is Marcus talking about?”
“It’s not like that. Rage and I—“
Jay cuts her off. “—Rage and I? What the hell do you mean ‘Rage and I’?”
“Jay, calm down,” Marcus says.
“Don’t even try it, Marcus. How long have you known that Ameana was betraying us?” Jay shouts.
“I am not betraying anyone!” she protests.
Before I knew it, they were all screaming, cursing and threatening each other.
Then The Sage says something that causes the entire room to fall silent; something that would change everything.
“Rio is alive.”
CHAPTER FIVE: HOPE
The Sage’s announcement renders the room silent. He motions for all of us to sit down. The Guardians look at each other and silently agree that nothing else matters right now except what the Sage has to say.
When he speaks, the undertone of disapproval in his voice is hard to miss. “Now, if you are all done acting like infants, I have very important information to share.”
“Is Rio really alive? Where is he?” Marcus demands.
“How is that even possible?” Jay asks.
“Yes, Rio is alive. Atourum, or Lucy as she goes by in this cycle, did not destroy him.”
“Why?”
“She is keeping Rio alive because the Twins are very powerful. Having one is good, but having both would be better.”
Marcus has a revelation, “She wants to find out what their Heed is and use it against us.”
“Exactly. Rio and Miku are powerful on their own. So imagine what a force they’d be together, once their hidden power is revealed.”
“The Council ordered Rio to die. How can they permit Lucy to undo what they’ve done?” I ask.
“What Lucy does with an Angel once they are in the House of Fire is up to her. Normally she destroys them, but she saw the chance to have the Twins on her side and she’s going to take it. The truth is, while your team isn’t having any luck finding the Triplex, neither are the Akons.”
“So she’s hoping having the Twins on her side would tip the scales in her favor,” Jay says.
“Rio would never join with her,” I protest.
“His soul is weak. It will not have a choice. The Twins are connected. They died together. That’s a strong bond. They fight for good or they fight for evil. Either way, they will not be parted.”
“Then we’re screwed because Miku is already evil,” Jays says almost to himself.
“If that was the case then Miku would have joined forces with Lucy already. Miku is not completely evil yet,” The Sage informs us.
“After everything Redd has done? How is that possible?” Marcus asks.
“We all have good and bad in us. Miku has done a lot of good as a Guardian. That has slowed down her descent into evil. Everyone has their own individual line; a line where once crossed, one can’t go back to good. Miku has not yet hit that line yet.”
“So we can actually save her?” Marcus speaks to the Sage with a hope in his voice that has been missing for days.
“Yes, but the fact is, as Redd, she is rapidly undoing all the good she has ever done as Miku.”
; “So once the evil has caught up with the good, she’ll be evil forever?” Jay asks.
“Worse, once the evil catches up, all she’ll have to do is reconnect with Rio and he too will join the darkness.”
“Yo, real talk, why we still sit’n here? Let’s get our boy,” Jay says, rushing to the door.
Marcus and I exchange a look. Things have never been that easy; especially not when it came to Lucy or the Council.
“Jay, wait” Marcus orders.
“Wait for what?”
Ameana must have felt the same way, too. She addresses the Sage.
“What haven’t you told us?”
“Lucy and The Akons are waiting for Redd to turn completely evil.”
“So?”
“So, in three days Redd is planning on punishing the Council if they decline to step down.”
“Do you have any idea what her move is going to be?”
“No, but I’m certain it’s the act that will send her over to the darkness.”
“Why don’t we just find her and tell her Rio is alive?” I wondered.
“She’s past that. She needs to see her loved one face to face. That way the revenge that is driving her can subside.”
“So, we have three days to find Rio and stop Miku from turning evil forever?” Marcus says.
“Where do we find Rio?” Jay asks.
“I don’t know where he is. But I know someone who might be able to help you find him.”
“Okay, who is it?” Jay asks impatiently.
“His name is Wolf; he’s a former member of the Omari.”
Everyone in the room became even more alert then they already were. Marcus looks angry. Jay looks pissed off and Ameana is seriously concerned.
“Um…who or what is the Omari?” I ask.
Marcus fills me in. The Para’s are lead by one ruler. The ruler is called the Kon. The Omari are an elite group of Para Angels chosen by him. Their job is to take care of great threats to the natural balance. They are neither good nor evil. They are almost robotic-like in their thinking. They can not die. They do not rest. They only have one job: Kill.
“So they are Angel assassins?” I ask.
“There is nothing Angel-like about them,” Marcus says bitterly.
“They are killers, Emmy, and it doesn’t matter who or what is in their way. Once they are given a seek-and-destroy order, they can’t be stopped,” Jay explains.
“Why is it every time I learn something new about Angels, I end up wishing I didn’t know,” I say out loud to myself.
“Who is this Wolf?” Ameana asks.
“Wolf is the only one in the history of the Omari to walk away from his calling. He is rather…unorthodox,” The Sage explains.
“How can he help us find Rio?” Marcus asks.
“He has firsthand information from a Pawn he encountered.”
“Ok, where can we find Wolf?”
“At Bliss.”
“He’s in prison!” Ameana shouts.
“Angels have prisons?” I ask in complete bewilderment.
“Bliss is a holding facility for Angels who have…lost their way. It has helped a lot of Angels get back on the right track,” The Sage informs me.
“So, we’re supposed to go to a con for help, man that’s weak,” Jay says, dismissing The Sage.
“Wolf may be your only hope of finding Rio.”
“Okay, let’s go find this Wolf guy and get the Twins back,” Marcus says and charges ahead. The Sage calls after him.
“Marcus, I see you are still with the human”
“Um…the human would really like to stop being called ‘the human,’” I say to the room.
“Forgive me. Marcus you are still with Emerson?”
“Yes, I love her,” he says, looking into my eyes. It’s the first time he has said it in a room filled with people. Ameana looks away.
“She will need you.”
“For what?” he asks.
“It does not matter. You will not be able to help.”
“Sage, is Emmy in danger?”
“Go, find the Twins. Then return to your original mission and find the Triplex. Time is not your friend.”
“What about Emmy?” Marcus insists.
The Sage looks at me with sad eyes.
“Courage young one, courage.”
We all know from experience that when The Sage feels he has said enough, there is no getting him to change his mind.
We head out onto the street and, despite yet another warning from The Sage about the impending doom of the mission, we are all excited.
“Yo, he’s alive man! Rio is alive!” Jay and Marcus cheer like they were at a Runner ball match and they just scored a goal. Even Ameana is smiling. Soon Marcus calms down and speaks in a serious tone.
“Look, I know it’s been rough, but the chance to get Rio back is a chance we cannot let go to waste. We can’t afford to do anything to screw it up.”
Everyone agreed. The First Guardian continues, “No matter what our differences, we are a team. It’s time we started acting like it.”
“That means no more secrets, Ameana,” Jay says.
“Fine.”
“Good, so from now on, complete disclosure. If it has to do with this team, every member of this team should know about it,” Marcus orders.
“Alright, but we ain’t done talk’n ’bout this Rage BS,” Jay insists glaring at Ameana.
“Fine, but can we focus right now?” she asks him.
Jay nods in agreement.
“Ameana, can I talk to you?” I ask.
She is about to object, but then thinks better of it. I take her off to the side.
“Look, I’m sorry for saying that stuff about your mom,” I confess.
“Whatever,” she says.
“No, I really am. I don’t care what our differences are. You died terribly and the fact that your mom made it happen… I never should have said what I said.”
“It didn’t mean anything to me.”
“I wish you had a chance to have what I have.”
“I’ve already had Marcus, remember?”
“No, I mean I wish you had a Mom who cares about you; everyone deserves that.”
“Well, some of us weren’t that lucky. Some of us wait for death to find the love of our lives. Then that gets taken away, too…”
She starts to march off. I go after her.
“Ameana, wait—“
“Look, I know that you want everyone to be friends, but that will never happen with you and me.”
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Is that why you kissed Marcus when he and I were still together?”
“I told you how sorry I was about that.”
“And I told you how little I cared.”
“So what, you and I can’t even be civil?”
“He was the only love I have ever known…”
“I’m so—“
“—don’t say you’re sorry. I already know that. You’re sorry you kissed my boyfriend. You’re sorry you’re going to cause him to betray his mission. And you’re sorry that I have to give the only guy I ever loved back his Rah. But that’s just who you are Emmy: a sorry little girl.”
“Ameana—”
“—and it doesn’t matter what you do or say. You will never get to kiss him. NEVER!”
****************
Marcus calls Ameana over to him and orders her and Jay to get supplies we’ll be needing for the trip. I watch Ameana and Jay fly away. It still amazes me to watch them take off. Once they hit the sky they look like a bird. Their speed is too fast for human eyes to capture. It’s like when you think you see something out of the corner of your eye. You turn quickly but it’s gone. Well, chances are, that’s an Angel.
Marcus and I gather back at the Guardian’s home on the upper east side of Manhattan. The five-story building is an amazing structure. I wish Mom and I could live in a place like this; although I really like our place now. It’s not
fancy but it feels like home. My cat, Ms. Charlotte, and I love it. My mom daydreams about being able to afford more but I think even she would have a hard time leaving our cozy two bedroom home.
Marcus turns to me. He’s checking up on me. I can always tell because he turns his head to the side and studies me.
“Are you worried about what The Sage said just now about you needing to have courage?” he asks.
“No, because you’re all the courage I need.”
“Thanks, but if you were worried, it would be understandable. In fact, if you want to stay—“
“—don’t you even try it. Rio is alive and I’m going to be a part of the rescue team. Nothing you can say will stop me.”
“I had to try. So what were you and Ameana talking about?”
“Girl stuff.”
“That makes it sound like it was fun.”
“Who said it wasn’t?” I lie.
“Emmy she looked like she wanted to hurt you. Badly.”
“Let’s just say today wouldn’t be a good day to ask for your Rah back.”
“Got it. You know Em, this is hard for her.”
“Is that why she went to Rage?”
His face darkness.
“Marcus, why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was a lot going on.”
“Okay, well, we should have the same agreement you have with the team: full disclosure.”
“What do you mean? I tell you stuff?”
“Yeah, but I want to know everything. Even the things that are hard to hear. We should have no secrets between us.”
“Okay.”
“No, Marcus. I’m serious. You and I are a team. We both need to be honest with each other. No matter what. We are risking so much by being together. The last thing I want is for us to keep things from each other.”
“Okay, no secrets.”
“Great, so what was the question in your head The Sage said ‘yes’ to?”
“I asked if your lips on mine would feel as good in real life as it has felt in my head.”
Best. Boyfriend. Ever.
******************
CHAPTER SIX: WOLF
Once Ameana and Jay come back with supplies, we head for Bliss. I still can’t believe there is an Angel prison. Speaking of Angels, here are a few tips when flying with them: One, don’t eat or drink a few hours before the flight; two, buy the best lip balm on the market because the wind makes your lips desert dry; and the third and most important tip, don’t fly with your boyfriend.
