by StVil, Lola
“And now we’re here because you called and said you wanted to go all the way. So, as a nice guy, I had to come and give you what you want.”
“That’s so kind of you.”
“I’m an Angel that way,” he smirks and takes my hand. I outline his lips with my finger. He holds me tight.
“Thank you,” he says.
“For what?”
“Saving my life.”
“Rage throws like a girl, he never would have caught me,” I joke.
“No, you didn’t just save me today. You save my everyday.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyday I get to lay eyes on you, I am saved; saved from the chaos and violence that comes with being a Guardian. I don’t need to fly up to the light. You are my light.”
“Okay, you would definitely get to third base.”
We break out laughing then remember my mom is in the other room, and we quiet down.
“Jay wanted me to tell you he’s sorry his power was on the blink.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Oh, and other thing—“
“—He loves me,” I say shaking my head.
“He loves you, the car driver that was tinkering with his tire and the stray dog in the alley way.”
We laugh at the thought of Jay walking down the Manhattan streets proclaiming his love to each and everyone. When our fits of laughter finally subside, Marcus and I look intently at each other.
“The Redd Summit is bad, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“How bad?”
“Very.”
“Okay, well all we have to do is find a way around the Key.”
“There is no way around it.”
“Wait, you sent Ameana and Wolf to The Sage so he could help them look for another way.”
“Yeah but—”
“—But you know there is no other way.”
“No. I’ve heard about Oka’s with Scars on them. They do not open without a key. Ever.”
“Then why did you send Ameana to The Sage?”
“She may have to take charge of the team. She will need his advice.”
“Why would Ameana be leading the team? Wait, are you telling me you’re going to Hell by yourself?”
“Well, that’s where you told me to go the last time we argued so…”
“That’s not funny. You can’t go alone. You have to take the team.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t.”
“Why?”
“BECAUSE I CAN’T LOSE MY FAMILY AGAIN!”
His outburst shocks me. My mom calls out and says to turn the TV off. Marcus stands before me – a tortured, angry, lonely leader.
“What happened to Rio, Reese and Miku was not your fault.”
“What about what happen to my mom?”
“Its not your fault she got into drugs. You know that.”
“It was my job to look after her. It was my job to stop her from destroying herself. But I failed. When I started this mission, I swore that I would never let anyone down again.”
“You have not let anyone down.”
“Really? So where’s Reese? Rio? Miku? They all needed me and I let them down. I will not risk Jay and Ameana’s lives. I can’t lose them. I won’t.”
“They’re Guardians, they knew the mission would be dangerous.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to get the Twins back myself. Miku was right; I am the reason they are in this situation. And I will get them out of it.”
“Your team was trained for all of this, let them help you.”
“We weren’t trained for everything; I wasn’t trained for you. I have nothing to arm myself with when you look at me like…”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m breaking your heart.”
“You are. Please, please don’t go alone,” I run up to him and hold on to him tightly.
“Emmy, I have to do this.”
“If you promise not to go alone, I promise never to save your life again,” I sob the words into his chest. He strokes my hair and presses me against him.
“The Summit is on day two, that’s in a few hours. Whatever they decide, it will be carried out on day three, the same day that the council was given the ultimatum. If we can stop Redd then maybe the Council will recede whatever order they agreed on at the Summit.”
“What if you don’t make it back?” I ask him.
“Ameana will take charge. She’ll find the Triplex.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.”
“Marcus—” I try to finish my sentence but a lump forms in my throat.
“Hey, Em. We are not really in this room talking about a dangerous mission,” he says softly in my ear.
“Where are we?”
“We’re at the dance. The dance you thought I didn’t remember. Only I did. And we are there now. You’re wearing a beautiful dress that shows off your amazing eyes. We dance all night. You spill punch on your dress and you’re sure the night is ruined. I take you outside and tell you everything is fine.
“You look up at the sky and wonder what could be better than being up there. I say being down here with you. You do the thing you do when you’re embarrassed; you look away and off to the side. I reach out and guide your head back to me. I want to see the one thing I am now living for.
“I lean in to kiss you. You don’t go catapulting down the street. You don’t get blown into a dumpster. My Rah has been retuned. You are mine to hold, mine to love and mine to kiss.
“And when we kiss, when we finally kiss, the heavens will part so all the Angels can glimpse true love…”
CHAPTER TEN: UNPROTECTED
We spend the next few moments in silence but the room was still “loud” in a way. All the things we want to say to each other just hang in the air. He knows I love him. I know he loves me. But in the end, it won’t change what has to happen.
He gently pulls me away and tells me it’s time to head back to the house. His plan is to locate the Oka with the team, then go off to Difi, find Lake Sariah and get the key. I want to beg him once again not to go alone but I’m certain my pleas won’t change his mind.
“Can you make sure my mom’s gone to bed before we go?” I ask him. He gives me a quick, reassuring hug and takes off down the hallway.
As soon as Marcus disappears, I dial the number on the business card Tony-Tone gave us. He answers on the first ring.
“It’s Tony, how can I serve?” he says.
“It’s Emmy. I need your help.”
“And if I don’t help, you’ll get your superpower boyfriend to threaten my life?”
“You know if Marcus really wanted to kill you, he would have a long time ago.”
“That’s true. He has a soft spot for me doesn’t he? Admit it.”
“Tony, please focus.”
“Okay, okay. What do you need?”
“I need Brom. That thing you said keeps you from being harmed by the elements.”
“Where are you going?”
“Difi.”
“Um…yeah, that’s not going to help you. Brom is used for earth’s atmosphere; the cold of Siberia or the heat of the desert. To withstand the atmosphere in the House of Fire, you would need Brom in a liquid form.”
“Fine, do you have it?”
“Marcus is taking you to the House of Fire? I thought he loves you?”
“He does.”
“Man’s got a funny way of showing it.”
“Do you have it or not?”
“I don’t have any on hand.”
“Well, how quick can you get some?”
“It will be a few days.”
“I don’t have that much time.”
“Sorry.”
I hear Marcus comi
ng towards my room. I hang up just as he enters.
“Your mom’s sound asleep. We should go.”
“Before we head to the house, maybe I should talk to Julian.”
“You want to talk to your father now?”
“Well, we have a little time before Ameana and Wolf come back so, maybe I can get him to tell me more about where the Triplex may be hidden.”
“It’s worth a shot.”
“Can you text him to meet us at the house?”
“I can but the truth is he’s probably there already.”
“Why would he be at house?”
“He hangs there all day trying to talk me out of being with you.”
“All day?”
“Every day.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Actually, I like knowing where Julian is. I don’t know that I trust him.”
“Has he done something?”
There’s a dark expression on Marcus’s face but it changes quickly.
“Hey, no secrets remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. Julian hasn’t done anything. I just like to know where he is.”
“Well when we get there, I really would like to talk to him alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can handle him.”
“Okay.”
We step onto the Port and I close my eyes and pray Marcus will forgive me for what I’m about to do. It’s not that I want to make him angry; I’m just not ready to lose him. I’m not sure what help I can be in Difi but I want to be there for him. And if in the end I can’t save him, I can at least ensure that the Angel I love doesn’t die alone.
Marcus is right; when we pop into the Guardian’s home, Julian’s already there. It’s still very hard for me to lay eyes on the Angel who raped my Mom. Although according to him, he and my mom were lovers. He says the Council punished him for breaking the rules by making my mom forget who he is.
Julian says that when he approached my mom sixteen years ago, she faintly recognized him. They made love and when it was over she forgot who he was again. I don’t know if it’s truth or not but I know that in my mom’s mind, she was raped. And I’m a product of that. Yet she has never once looked at me with regret, and that’s what makes my mom so amazing.
But how do I deal with the guy who did that to her? I know he says it was love but he can’t know for sure. Also my mom will have to keep repeating her life here on Earth unless Julian can stay away from her. And in every cycle, he has been unable to do that.
Marcus says I have Julian’s eyes. Although his are not purple, they are the same shape and intensity. He has a smile like mine, and I’m told we are both stubborn. When he sees me, Julian instantly stands up and verbally attacks Marcus.
“Still putting my daughter’s life in danger, Guardian?” he says spitefully.
“I’m not doing this with you now, Julian.”
“You know you need to let her go, Marcus” he pleads.
“He’s not keeping me against my will. I want to be here.”
“You are sixteen years old; you don’t know what you want.”
“So, you are going to give me advice on being an adult? The man who raped my mom.”
“Stop calling it that. We were in love. We are in love.”
“She doesn’t even know you.”
“She does, somewhere inside, she knows me. She remembers me. She remembers us.”
“I’ll be in the other room if you need me, Em,” Marcus says, trying hard not to let Julian get to him.
“If it’s about the Triplex, I’m not going to help unless you vow to stay away from Marcus.”
“You are so selfish. Finding the Triplex can save the entire world.”
“Not with Marcus at the helm. He can’t even control his own team.”
“He’s a better leader than you. It’s your fault they are down here. If you had done your job—”
“—I KNOW!!!”
He stomps over to the window and looks out onto the street.
“I loved your mother so much. I couldn’t watch her torture herself anymore. I had to point the way into the light.”
“It was against the rules.”
“So, now you are suddenly all about the rules?”
“Look, I didn’t come to fight with you. I didn’t even come to ask about the Triplex.”
“Then what is it?”
“Rio is alive.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“The Sage told us.”
“Where is he?”
“They are holding him in an Oka.”
“So Marcus is going to drag you all over the world to find an Oka that could be anywhere?”
“We have a few leads, but it won’t matter because the Oka has a Scar.”
“Who made the lock?”
“Tony-Tone.”
“His work is the best. There is no undoing a Scar made by Tony.”
“I know. We have to get the key.”
“Tony actually told you where the key is?”
“Difi.”
“Emmy, no!!!” he runs towards me and shakes me.
“Let go of me!”
“Damn Marcus! How dare he try and take my child to the House of Fire. It will kill you.”
“He’s not taking me.”
“I don’t understand,” he says.
“He isn’t taking anyone. He wants to go alone.”
“Good, he’ll die down there and Ameana will lead the team. Maybe then you’ll be out of harm’s way.”
“How dare you say that? Marcus has saved my life countless times.”
“It’s his job to save you. But the truth is if he was any good at it, you wouldn’t need to be saved at all.”
“It’s not his fault that my name is the only clue to finding the Triplex.”
“Every single day you are with Marcus your life is in danger.”
“I don’t care.”
“Are you that unhappy?”
“It’s not about that. Julian, I love Marcus. Just like you say you love my mom.”
“What you and Marcus are doing is wrong.”
“But it wasn’t wrong for you to love my mom?”
“That’s just it; it was wrong. I was wrong to love her because look how her life turned out. She just keeps coming back to Earth and she doesn’t get any closer to the light. That is my fault. My love did that to her. What do you think Marcus’s love will do to you?”
“Look, I didn’t come to argue. I came to ask for your help.”
“You want me to talk Marcus out of going to Difi alone.”
I walk up to him and whisper softly, “I want you to get me liquid Brom so I can go with him.”
“You want my help to go to Difi?”
“Yes.”
“NO!”
“Julian, listen—”
“—No, you listen. For once in his miserable days as First Guardian, Marcus has made the right decision. You should not be going to Difi. Yes, maybe he should take a few members of his team but that’s up to him.”
“He isn’t going to take anyone because he doesn’t want to lose any more members of his team.”
“Oh, but he would be okay losing you?”
“He doesn’t even know I’m asking you this.”
“What’s to stop me from telling him?”
“You do, and I will never talk to you again. Triplex or no Triplex, I will never be in the same room with you.”
“Emerson, I am only trying to protect you. Why don’t you get that?”
“I’m trying to protect Marcus, why don’t you get that?”
“It’s his job to save humanity.”
“I can’t lose him.”
“You are going to lose him either way. If by some small chance the Guardians survive and complete their mission, you will loss Marcus to the light.”
“Stop saying that.”
&nbs
p; I turn away from him. I don’t want him to see me cry. He shouldn’t get to see me like this. I don’t consider Julian to be friend or family. I will not breakdown in front of him.
“Emmy, I know how it feels to try and protect the ones you love. I’ve been looking out for you since you were born. You and your mom.”
“I never needed you to look out for me. And my mom will be fine. If something happens to her, she will come back. That’s part of the punishment.”
“Yes, if she dies naturally. But your Mom is not a Seller, if she’s in a car accident or is injured, there is no coming back.”
“Then she would go into the light.”
“No, she’d be where Rio is right now – Limbo.”
I make myself face him. I tell him things I’ve been afraid to say out loud.
“I love Marcus. I loved him even when he wasn’t mine to love. He saved me from something much worse than demons; loneliness. Since he’s been on Earth, I have felt something a kid who was a product of rape never gets to feel: Wanted. He makes me feel wanted. Please don’t take that away.”
Julian seems like a man who has had a knife plunged, however softly, into his chest. He turns away from me. I touch his hand and address the only person who can help me.
“I know Marcus will be taken away from me eventually, but not like this. He doesn’t deserve to die alone in Hell.”
“So, you want me to let you die beside him?”
“No, I want you to give me what the Council didn’t give you: More time with the person I love.”
“I’m your father. I can’t send you to Hell.”
“You don’t get it; without Marcus, I’m already in Hell.”
“I will tell you what they should have told me when I first fell in love: Brace yourself.”
He turns to look at me with renewed resolved in his eyes.
“Then Julian, you better do the same, because I am going to the House of Fire with Marcus. And nothing, no one, is going to stop me.”
“I will not give you the Liquid Brom.”
“Then I guess I’ll go there unprotected.”
“You will die.”
“There are things far worse than death.”
I turn and walk away from him. He calls out after me.
“Wait! I’ll help you…”
* * *
After agreeing to help me, Julian hurries off to Hun’s Market. I want to go to make sure he gets the Brom but there is no way Marcus will let me out of his sight. And my going anywhere with Julian would make him very suspicious.
