“I really needed a wish today,” she said looking up at him, smiling. “Thanks.” His eyes were brighter than the water in the fountain, more fluid, but somehow just now they were clouded. “Did you and Noland fight?”
“Only a little,” Emile smiled dryly.
“I’m making everyone’s life miserable, I’m really sorry to cause so much trouble. I mean you guys are missing school and everything just to lug me around.”
“Missing school? Achaia, please don’t tell me that after everything you’ve learned about us, that you actually think we go to human schools–” Emile frowned. “And even if we did, it is a pleasure to be out of that place. If that is what they call an education, then the human race needs more help than we Nephilim can give.” He smiled down at the water.
Achaia laughed “My dad always wanted to home school me, but I wouldn’t let him–”
“I hope you know that none of us think of you as any kind of burden or inconvenience.” Emile grabbed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“None of you?” Achaia turned and looked up where Noland stood, again with his back to them. “He can’t even stand to look at me.”
“That’s not you, it’s him. Okay?” Emile smiled weakly. Achaia nodded.
Achaia knew that logically none of this was her fault. She hadn’t known who or what her father was. She hadn’t chosen to be a Nephilim. She hadn’t asked for their help or their protection. Yet, so much of their time and effort was being dedicated to her. Not just protection from who, or what, had taken her father, but now also from their own people… It almost made her feel worse. She hadn’t chosen to become a burden to so many others, it’s just what she was. How had everything in her life gotten so out of her control?
Emile could feel the weight Achaia was carrying like an elephant sitting on his chest. They were still sitting on the edge of the fountain talking. The others had begun walking around chatting with merchant gypsies and looking at touristy souvenirs, except for Noland who stood with his back leaning against one of the stone walls near the street from which they had come.
Emile could feel the tension rising up from him like steam, even from that distance, he was on edge. Emile could feel the crowd around him too. His chest fluttering with excitement, stress, annoyance…
In a crowd this size it was difficult to tell what was coming from who, if he didn’t know them personally. Then one emotion cut through the rest. He huffed a deep breath out of his nose as it hit him, rage.
Emile looked away from Achaia, scanning the crowd. He squeezed her hand tightly, and tried to meet Noland’s eye. But Noland was actively avoiding it. He was studiously watching Amelia.
Emile felt his eyes burn, and shut them tight as he tried to focus on the source of the rage. It was getting closer.
“Are you okay?” Achaia was asking.
“Something is wrong,” Emile tried to calm himself, but the rage was consuming. He opened his eyes again and scanned the crowd. His eyes burned white hot. Then he saw him. A man on a mission, moving too fast to just be in a hurry, cutting through a tour group.
The man wore a cap that covered his face, but he looked up, and right at them. Emile saw the man’s eyes, and stood up and in front of Achaia. The man’s eyes were black like tar, and the blood vessels surrounding that portion of his face seemed to be carrying ink instead of blood, making his eyes look bruised. The look in his eye was so empty— inhuman.
Emile looked frantically back at Noland, but he still wasn’t paying attention. “Olivier!” Emile called.
Olivier, who stood a few yards away with Yellaina looked up immediately. Following Emile’s gaze, he nodded. Moving so quickly Emile couldn’t tell what direction he had taken, Olivier vanished.
As Emile looked back to the man, coming through the crowd, he saw Oliver appear behind him. He matched his stride, and tailed him as he approached.
“Emile?” Achaia asked, putting a hand on his arm.
“Demon.” He said lowly. “Stay behind me.”
“Where?” Achaia sounded and felt calmer than Emile had expected.
“Two O’clock.”
When Olivier had taken off, Yellaina alerted Amelia and the two were making their way toward Emile and Achaia. Noland had finally noticed as well, and was coming in behind Olivier and the possessed man.
Just as the man made it to Emile, bearing teeth that were too numerous for a human mouth and sharpened like needles, they had him surrounded. They closed in forming a tightened cocoon around him, Olivier blocking the crowd’s view.
As the man reached out to grab Emile, Olivier, as quick as a viper pulled his dagger out of its sheath and slit the man’s throat. Emile heard Achaia’s gasp, as she squeezed his arm. He turned around as the man disappeared into ash, he was beyond saving.
Emile took Achaia’s face in his hands. Her eyes were wide in horror. “He wasn’t a man anymore. I couldn’t sense anything human in him,” he said.
Achaia didn’t look like she was actually hearing him. “He just—”
“Disappeared?”
“Slit his throat.” Achaia said staring disbelievingly into Emile’s eyes. “Olly—”
“Achaia, look at me. I need you to hear me, and comprehend what I’m saying.” Emile spoke lowly, so none of the passerby could hear.
Achaia shook her head in his hands, then looked back up at him with focused attention. She was utilizing every ounce of self-control she had. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“There are two types of demonic procession. Voluntary, and involuntary. When demons take control of a victim, the person fights it. Most times the person thinks they are going insane, they seek help… When it’s voluntary, a form of demonic or satanic worship, the person volunteers their body. They give up any and all rights to it. This guy, you saw that, his eyes were black?”
“Yeah,” Achaia said nodding.
“You saw the area around the eyes, where the blood vessels looked black?”
She nodded again.
“That was the spread of the demonic infection if you will. It had taken over his blood, his life source. The man was becoming a demon. He couldn’t be saved.”
“At all?”
“If there was anything human left in him, his body would have laid here as the demons fled, he disappeared like a demon, because he essentially had become one.”
Achaia nodded. “Okay.”
Emile could feel Noland’s anxiety levels rising. “Noland was right, we shouldn’t have come out.”
“Well at least we know for sure, now.” Noland said, coming to Emile’s side. “Lucifer is definitely after her.”
Olivier nodded solemnly. “Yeah, we should be getting back.”
“We leave first thing tomorrow.” Noland didn’t leave any room for debate or arguing. “And we aren’t making any stops on the way.”
7
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
“The woods are lovely,
Dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
-Robert Frost
A ray of light shone through the shutters on the windows with a lustrous intensity turning the backs of Achaia’s eye lids a bright orange. Achaia’s body had been ready to be up hours before but having forced herself back to sleep, she was being woken up in the middle of a sleep cycle.
“Come on! Get up! We have a plane to catch.”
Noland, Achaia thought a series of evil thoughts in his direction.
Noland, Emile, Olivier and Amelia were all standing at the foot of their beds as Yellaina and Achaia’s eyes fluttered open with hostile glares.
“I hope you don’t wake up that way every morning.” Olivier said stepping forward. “I’d hate to see you look at me like that, first thing, for the rest of my life.” Olivier joked sitting on the foot of Yellaina’s bed.
Yellaina’s glare instantly broke as she cracked a smile. Eve
ryone looked shocked by his comment. Yellaina was smiling with more than her lips, her eyes were bright as well.
“Now that look on the other hand, I can handle.” Olivier smiled.
Noland made a choking sound in his throat. “Okay can we get to the plane, please?” He interjected sounding as annoyed as usual. “At least they have barf bags.” He added under his breath turning to leave the room.
Is he incapable of being happy for anyone else? Achaia was in a foul mood with him already, not a good sign for the rest of, what was sure to be, a long day.
“Good grief, just give us a minute.” Achaia threw off her covers and sat up. “To be fair, I wasn’t even told we had to wake up so early today.” She stood and stretched her neck and shoulders which were stiff from the stress of the day before.
She hadn’t slept very well. She could feel the stiffness of her bed-head from the restless tossing and turning, sure that it looked as bad as it felt falling over her shoulders.
“Oh, right. Well you passed out almost as soon as we got back, so…” Noland shrugged. Achaia glared at him. She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.
“Just get out so I can change.” She demanded, moving to the foot of her bed in a power stance. Morning grumpiness woven through her words.
Noland chuckled to himself a little, but didn’t move.
“NOW.” Achaia said moving toward him shooing him with her arms. She grabbed Emile on her way to the door and tossed him out as well. “Okay Romeo, you too.” She said snapping her fingers at Olivier, who was still sitting on Yellaina’s bed, and pointing toward the door like an airport marshal.
“Oh right. Sorry.” He stood up with a bashful grin. Making his way for the door, he turned his eyes down as he passed her.
Achaia shut the door behind him, and turned to grab her bag on the floor.
“He really gets to you doesn’t he?” Yellaina asked with a grin on her perfect lip-stick-model lips.
Who looks that good in the morning? Achaia thought amazed. “Who?” she asked aloud, perfectly calm as she exchanged her shorts for her toothbrush and jeans.
“Noland.” Amelia said, sounding annoyed at Achaia for not following what, was apparently, quite obvious.
“Oh, yeah. Is he always so— arrogant?” Achaia said, ignoring Amelia’s tone. “He’s just so…”
“Hott?” Yellaina added sitting up straight in her bed.
“I was going to say irritating…” Achaia shrugged “But I mean, yeah, I guess at first.” She squinted remembering the first time she had seen him. How her nerves had all seemed so bare. “Now…” She shrugged again, trying to shake off the memory. “How could I ever be attracted to someone so obnoxious?” Achaia almost yelled as she zipped up her jeans.
“I’ve just never seen anyone get so worked up over someone they didn’t like. Maybe it’s a human thing…” Yellaina got up out of bed and started getting dressed herself. “You have to admit though, he is super attractive.”
“I gueff. In an infuryaing way. Whiff, I ‘ont ike a aww.” Achaia said with her toothbrush in her mouth.
“I didn’t really catch that,” Yellaina smiled. “But, whatever you said, I’m pretty sure it was just denial anyway.” Her smile widened as Achaia groaned with frustration, and Amelia rolled her eyes.
“It thought you said Nephilim didn’t date.” Achaia said spitting out her toothpaste.
“Nephilim don’t.” Yellaina said.
“But your human is showing,” Amelia smirked.
After getting dressed and taking advantage of the breakfast provided by the hotel, they made their way back to the airport.
They sat in the terminal waiting for their flight for over four hours. Yellaina went to talk to someone about what had been taking so long. Hungry and cranky, Noland was getting on Achaia’s nerves more than ever. “So this is why we were in such a rush to get here…” Achaia said looking around unenthused. “I see why you were so desperate to leave.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? I’m an angel not a fortune teller.” Noland snapped back. He was tired too. She could tell from the bags under his eyes, that it was taking a toll on his mood. The two of them, both hungry and tired, were not a good combination.
Yellaina walked back over to them with a look of dejection strewn across her face. “There is a lot of snow over the Alps, they’ve postponed all their flights.”
Noland sat up straight, now he was awake with frustration.
“Private jet or not, we don’t have a say in the matter.” Yellaina said. “We can’t use the runway.”
“We really need to get out of here. We need to get her out of here. This place is so crowded…” Olivier started anxiously.
“But safe. With airport security… The worst thing that could happen to her is that she’ll be pick-pocketed.” Emile said calmly. He seemed to be the only calm one in the room, he also appeared to be the most exhausted.
Achaia looked at him with concern. He crossed over to her row from his seat across from them and sat down next to her. “You don’t look so good.” She said examining his face.
“I hate airports. I try not to stay in them for very long. It’s never a good idea for me.” He slouched in his chair and tried to close his eyes, but was unsuccessful.
“So talk. Distract yourself. What’s up?” Achaia smiled at him in an attempt to change the subject.
“Well we have to keep you on the move, so Luc doesn’t find you. Our flight’s late, we’re in a place completely crowded with people, most of which are overly emotional, freaking out about something. And for you, and for me, this is bad.” Emile sighed.
She’d never seen him in a bad mood, but this was as close as she’d gotten. She didn’t like seeing him unhappy.
“Yeah,” Achaia agreed, “other than that?” she added enthusiastically cheery, smiling wide.
Emile laughed, it was a pathetic sounding laugh but a laugh none the less.
Noland hadn’t realized that his leg had been shaking so violently that he’d been vibrating the whole row of chairs connected to his own, until his duffel bag fell off of the seat next to him. He was anxious, sure, but why so agitated? He looked up across from him once more to Emile practically leaning on Achaia’s shoulder. They weren’t actually touching, but he might as well just go ahead and lay on her.
Noland stood abruptly and stomped away from the rest who were staring at him as if he were an armed gunman. Well, when put that way, he was armed, so the look made sense. But he didn’t care. He calmed himself down and relaxed his face.
As he approached, the girl at the computer smiled crookedly. He’d gotten her attention. He smiled back and her cheeks flushed. “Hey.” He said in a silky sweet almost nervous sounding voice.
“Hi,” she said back with a weak smile and an Italian accent, trying to make eye contact, but unable to keep it. She was cute enough. She had long brown hair, an average build, and had a clear olive complexion.
“I was just wondering,” he started, leaning against the counter in front of her. His hair was unkempt and he knew he looked tired, but maybe if he played it sweet she’d take pity on him at least. He made sure to speak mostly with his eyes. Their bright green reflecting the fluorescence of the overhead lights, sparkling.
“We had a private flight arranged for today. It was supposed to leave three hours ago. And, well…” Noland tried his best to look honest, “normally I wouldn’t mind the delay, but we need to get to Moscow. My friend,” He said nodding toward Emile. He really was starting to not look so good. He was now leaning fully on Achaia’s shoulder. “He is supposed to be having surgery tonight. We really need to get there. This is the only doctor we’ve found who can perform this kind of surgery and he doesn’t have anything else available until two months from now. And well…” He said looking back over again. “I don’t think he has that long…”
“Oh no!” The girl said. Her eyes were wide and she had a look of genuine concern on her face. “I’ll see what I c
an do to get it authorized. It’s just all the snow. It’s not safe right now.”
“I know. But like I said, normally I wouldn’t care, it’s just….” He looked over at Emile again.
“You’re right, he really doesn’t look good. What does he have?” She asked picking up the phone and dialing for assistance.
Noland struggled for only a second realizing that she was distracted by the phone and that her English wasn’t good, so he threw out the first thing that came to his mind. “He has a disease called” He coughed and lowered his voice, “Consecotaleophobia.” He squinted his face and shook his head knowing it was a terrible lie, luckily she wasn’t looking at him or listening anymore as someone had answered her call. Noland stood up straight, and sighed. He began to pace as he listened to the girl’s conversation.
“Yeah,” she said nodding, her attention fixed on the phone. She rattled off something in Italian, which Noland didn’t follow, paused, then said, “Gratsi.” She looked back up to him with a semi-confused look on her face. “Oh that’s awful.”
“Yeah. It really is. He’s only seventeen.”
The girl now looked as if she was about to cry. He figured he’d done enough damage.
“Okay, well I’ll just go wait with him. Thanks for all of your help.” Noland walked back over to the group who were all looking rather worn.
“What was all of that about?” Yellaina asked. Amelia looked at him with scorn. Achaia didn’t pay attention to him at all, she was too distracted by Emile’s state.
Olivier smiled at him mischievously. “You got bored and needed a flirt?”
Noland smiled. “Nothing,” he said looking at Yellaina. His tone was smug, but he was trying not to laugh. Olivier knew him well enough to know what was going on.
A man arrived at the desk and Noland watched as she pleaded with him and pointed in their direction. After a minute or two the man left and the girl came over. “We have an emergency pilot who is willing to make the flight. If you’ll follow me.”
“Thank you so much.” Noland said looking again sincere.
Transgression Page 14
