“Okay. That’s still a little weird for me to talk about,” I said to him.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Not because of the baby part of it, only because it’s a human memory. You know when I was still alive. It’s just weird.”
He shrugged and started back for the house.
Great, I hurt his feelings again.
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll get over it,” Charlie said.
We stood there silently for a moment. Cody walked back into the house and slammed the door behind him. Kaeden was still sitting on the porch like a spoiled brat not looking at us.
I sighed and shook my head. I’d never been surrounded by such a sensitive bunch before.
“So, Ryker’s really like you, huh?” Charlie said breaking into my thoughts.
I nodded. Even though I knew he’d be invaluable at the end, I couldn’t help but feel extremely bad for him, knowing that he’d have to say good-bye to the sunlight forever now. At the same time I couldn't help but feel a deep rooted envy in his self-control. In my first few months I starved myself just to spite what I was. Ryker was able to walk freely among his gypsies and not have the urge to kill them.
“I guess I should head in there and see if Code’s okay,” I said to her.
She nodded, “I’ll take care of Kaeden. He’s just upset because he’s used to being able to dispense his brand of wisdom without having someone cutting him off.”
We both laughed as we headed up the driveway. Charlie jogged ahead and hopped over the banister. I smiled when I saw her land in a cross-legged position on the floor directly in front of Kae.
I climbed the stairs and gave him a side-glance. He smiled and I knew we were okay. I opened the door to his home and tossed my jacket on the floor. Scratching my head for a second, I looked around.
Now. If I were a sad angel-demon, where would I hide?
A smile spread across my face. I suddenly had an idea of where my angeldemon would be. I walked to the staircase that led to the second floor and I jogged up. Then I headed down the hall and found the staircase that led to the third floor and jogged up those as well. I walked around the length of the house until I came to the bay window that decorated the third floor window and pushed it open. Stepping carefully onto the widow’s walk, I leaned over and grabbed onto the side of the house.
Taking a deep breath, I started to pull myself up toward the roof. Thankfully, the roof of Kae’s home wasn’t as slanted as his prior one so once I got up there I wouldn’t have to worry too much about balance.
After a couple of minutes of careful climbing, I was able to hoist myself up onto the roof. I decided not to look down because one thing I took from being human was my fear of heights. It wasn’t as bad but it was still enough to give me the shakes.
Quietly I walked to the perimeter of the roof using the moon as my source of light. I didn’t see him. I guess I didn’t know him as well as I thought. As I turned to make my way back to the front of the house I stopped short.
“I thought you’d be up here,” Cody said to me.
“Well, I thought you’d be up here, that’s why I came up. To find you.”
“Oh. I was up here for a little while and then I went down to find you. When I couldn’t, I figured you’d either run off again or maybe you came up here to get me. It doesn’t matter. We’re both here now.”
“Cody why are you so upset with me? Is it really because I left again? Is it because of what happened to Ryker?”
I felt really horrible for some reason. I never worried about hurting his feelings before but now, seeing how worn out he looked I had to know if it was because of what I did and if so what exactly it was that I had done.
“No,” he said with a sigh.
He lowered himself to the roof and winced slightly in pain. Then he laid himself flat on the roof and crossed his arms behind his head.
“Tell me then,” I said sitting down next to him.
“Aren’t you cold?”
I shook my head and he ran a hand up and down my arm. I shivered slightly but it definitely was not from the cold. He smiled and put his arm back behind his head.
He sighed and kept his eyes on the stars.
“Do you want to see what that looks like through my eyes?” he asked suddenly.
“You can do that?” I asked curiously.
“Yes. But I can’t reverse it.”
I sat there confused for a moment. Then it hit me. What he was offering was to make me like him. Then I’d never die. Ever. I’d be like me and like him. That wasn’t something I wanted. I wanted to be able to die. I wanted to be able to somehow taste mortality.
“Cody, I can’t,” I replied quietly.
“I know. Worth a shot though. Listen,” he said suddenly sitting up, “I don’t think I can make it when you confront Skiles.”
“What? Why?”
He ran his hands through his hair. I leaned over and shook him but he refused to look at me. He brought his legs up and turned his face away.
“Cody! Why?” I asked him again.
“Because I’ve seen what happens, Finn. I can’t be there for that,” he said quietly.
“What happens?” I asked raising an eyebrow at him.
“I can’t tell you.”
I wanted to grab him and shake him until he passed out. What did he think I was? Some kind of gossip mongerer? Who was I going to tell? The Underground Monsters Brigade?
“Fine,” I snapped.
I pushed myself to my feet, and started to walk away. His hand gripped around my ankle and somehow he got to his feet and caught me as my balance gave way.
“Stop being dramatic. I can’t tell you because you’re not like me. You’re different. Wait. That came out wrong. Look Finn, I trust you; with my life and soul.
But I can’t discuss things that only Heaven or Hell can see with someone who isn’t an angel or demon. If I could I’d tell you everything I see. Not just the end. Everything.”
“If you ‘can’t be there’ for the fight that means I’m probably going to die,” I mused to myself.
For the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy with myself. I knew that I was going to be killed and I couldn’t help but feel elated about it. I stood up and did a little dance out of sheer excitement.
“I’ve never seen someone so excited about dying,” Cody muttered standing up. “I hate to break you, but that’s not the reason, so you can stop dancing now.”
“What?”
I stopped mid-dance and stared at him.
I saw that mischievous grin starting to take over his face. He winked at me and set himself down on the roof again, pulling me along with him. Once he was in a comfortable laying position, he pulled me next to him and put an arm around me.
“There’s a different reason I don’t want to be there. I shouldn’t have even told you that much. I’m sure going to get into a lot of trouble, but I don’t care. This love emotion is more powerful than I thought, and I like being able to feel it.”
I snuggled in closer to him. I was pretty sure that’s what he wanted so I thought I’d let him have it. He turned his face slightly and kissed me on the side of my head. I squeezed the arm he had wrapped so protectively around me and snuggled in a little closer.
“You should make an army, dolly.”
“An army of what?” I asked curiously.
“Of ... you know ...” his voice trailed off.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. That had to be the most preposterous thing anyone had ever said to me.
“No thanks,” I responded breezily.
“It’s just a thought. I know I would do it for you if I could,” he said thoughtfully.
“I don’t feel the need to burden the world with monsters.”
He chuckled and we lay there quietly for a while just watching the stars. At one point a shooting star flew in an arch over us and I gasped. I had never seen one before. It looked like it was being led by some kind of winged creature
flying at unbelievable speeds.
Next to me, Cody chuckled again.
“You should’ve seen that the way I saw it.”
“I’m sure it’s completely different. Of course I saw that differently than a human would. So maybe you should see it the way I saw it,” I teased.
“I’ll think about it.”
“What? No. That wasn’t an offer or anything. I was just teasing you.”
“Hm.”
I sat up a little and looked over at him and saw that his eyes were closed. I sincerely hoped that he didn’t think that I would ever change him, because it wasn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime. Or any lifetime for that matter.
I turned myself away from him and closed my eyes. I figured if he was going to take a nap, I might as well do the same. My sleeping schedule had gotten completely messed up lately with this new daytime clock that seemed to be fixed inside of me.
I held myself up by my elbows first. I wanted to just watch the night sky unfold. It was so peaceful being up here, especially now that Cody seemed to have fallen asleep.
“Ouch!”
I flinched and rubbed my head. It felt like something had stung me. Next to me Cody stirred but kept his eyes closed and his breathing even. I got up and looked around us. There was nothing there. I walked closer to the edge of the roof and looked down. Still nothing.
Shrugging I turned around and went back toward Cody when I saw something that turned my blood to ice. If I had blood that is.
Hovering over the unsuspecting and sleeping demonic angel was Ava. She was standing there looking down at him like she was studying some kind of scientific experiment. She had a hand on her chin and another arm folded. Even in the light of the moon her burns looked horrendous.
Using a foot, she nudged him. He didn't budge. If he was awake and aware of what was going on, he was doing a really good job of acting like he didn't. But knowing my luck, he really was asleep.
“You know if he had never seen you all those years ago, I would've been able to convince him to help me kill you,” she said in her raspy voice.
“Whatever.”
“Don't act like you don't care,” she said vehemently. “I could've disposed of you at any time I wanted before he showed up and attached himself to you. Now it'll take more than just me to do it.”
She looked so angry. I knew that if Cody wasn't up here, we would've gotten into a fight. One of us would've tumbled off the side of the house and the other would've been the victor. It made me wonder who it would be. One look at the cold hard fury in Ava's eyes told me it was a toss-up.
Slowly and deliberately she started to walk toward me. It seemed like she wasn't going to be able to contain her need to kill me. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for her, confident in the fact that if I died right now someone would save Kendall.
I looked up at the moon and smiled. Tonight sure would be a pretty night to die. I turned my attention back to Ava and saw Cody was crouched behind her. He held a finger to his lips to keep me quiet. I let my eyes travel around the roof hoping that wouldn't give her any indication that he was up and ready.
She whipped around and Cody was suddenly back in the spot he had been in, looking like he was sound asleep. Scoffing, she came toward me again. Faster this time. Her hands were outstretched and she let out an unearthly growl as she came at me. I steeled myself waiting for the shove that would throw me off the roof and end my life forever.
I wasn't going to fight her.
There was no point.
This is, after all, what I wanted.
Weird, shouldn't I—
My thought was interrupted by the sound of Cody's angry grunt and Ava's scream of terror. I opened my eyes in time to see him barrel into her and send her flying off of the roof of the house.
I turned as quickly as I could and almost lost my footing. I felt his arm get a firm grip on me and steady me. I felt my heart racing thinking about how I almost fell off of the roof right behind her. It would've been a tragic way to die; not in a fight.
We both looked over the side and saw Ava's mangled body on the ground. But like Paige, she got herself to her feet slowly and untangled herself. She set her bones back in place and looked up at us in cold fury.
“Come back up! Or do you want me to come down?” Cody shouted to her.
She let out an angry shout and ran off. I wasn't sure where she was going but I was sure it wasn't to Skiles. He had already turned her into us in a way. I wondered what she had meant by it would take more than just her to kill me. It made me think of the hybrid monsters she was trying to make. That was the first time I had thought about that in a while. I guess seeing her in front of me talking about it herself was enough for me to start putting together different monsters in my head.
“No. I'm sick of her,” Cody suddenly said. Leaning over he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I looked at him and saw his eyes shift from normal to evil. Immediately his eyes whipped back into her direction. With one step forward, I watched him fall down to the earth below.
“Cody!”
I was terrified that he was going to hurt himself when he hit the ground. To my surprise, he landed firmly on his feet and ran off after her so quickly that he was just a blur.
I contemplated jumping off and going after him. I wasn't sure I'd be able to land right and if I didn't there was a good chance of crippling myself horribly. I turned and ran toward the side of the roof where I had pulled myself out of the bay window.
Carefully, I lowered myself down while keeping a firm grip on the roof. I used my leg to feel for the widow's walk. Against my better judgment I looked down to see where it was. I felt that familiar sting of fear nip at me when I saw how far down the ground really was.
I closed my eyes tightly. Don't think about it and just do it, I told myself. I took a deep breath and let go. I landed perfectly on my feet. It wasn't much of a drop but I had suddenly been overcome with the fear that I was going to miss completely and fall to my second death.
I opened my eyes. I let out a breath of relief and pushed open the bay windows. I stepped into the quiet house and wondered where Kae and Charlie were. Had they seen Ava? Did they go after her like Cody?
“Hey hey, kiddo,” came the voice in the room.
I turned my head to the right and saw Drake sitting comfortably in one of the chairs. I immediately brought my defenses up. I didn't trust him anymore. Not after what he did to me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him coldly.
“Are you okay?” he asked getting up. I saw a look of confusion on his face.
“I asked what you're doing here.”
“Am I not welcome here anymore?”
“No. You aren't. Not after what you did to me,” I said through clenched teeth.
“What? What did I do to you?”
He seemed completely bewildered and even though he would have to gain my trust back again I felt like he deserved an explanation.
“Look. Let's go somewhere and talk. I'll explain everything,” I said with a sigh.
He nodded and I led him down the stairs to the second floor to my room. I grabbed my journal and made a one lined entry. I closed it and tossed it on my bed.
Drake followed me as I snuck him out the back of the house.
part I
Charlie
21. Missing
(Day 24)
“I'm telling you I don't know where she is,” I shouted for what seemed like the millionth time.
“You have to know! You both were here when I went after Ava,” he shouted back at me.
I was struggling to control myself. I knew Finn would've been upset if she came back and found her boyfriend ripped to shreds. I took a deep breath and glared at him. Maybe if I kept quiet, he would back off.
“Charlie was with me the whole time, Cody. We were sitting here. We saw you run off after Ava. I heard Finnegan lowering herself off the roof. After that I heard her footsteps inside the house, then that was it. I as
sumed she had gone to bed,” Kaeden said calmly.
“You two have to be the most irresponsible beings on the planet,” he screamed.
He's just upset because Finn is gone. He has every right to be angry; let him scream and tire himself out. He'll run out of steam soon.
“Look. Aren't you supposed to be a psychic or something? Why can't you tell us where she is?” I asked.
His eyes filled with demonic power. I wasn't scared though, if I wanted too I could morph right into him and have his strength. I knew that the best way to do this would be to shift into Finnegan. I know he'd never hurt her and I really didn't feel like fighting him right now.
“Don't,” Kaeden said quietly.
I glanced at him and figured he'd read my mind and knew what I was going to do. I sighed. This was a no win situation.
“I'm going inside,” I said. “If either of you get a lead of any kind, let me know and I'll go get her.”
Cody opened his mouth, probably to scream at me again, so I didn't stop. I walked straight into the house. I pulled my hat off of my head and hung it on the coat rack. I decided that I wanted to watch TV before I went to bed and started to make my way to the living room, when my foot caught on something heaped on the floor.
Finn's jacket.
I picked up and rifled through the pockets. Maybe there was some clue as to where she had gone.
Outside I could hear Cody screaming at Kaeden. I wondered how long Kae would be able to take it before he lost his composure. I guess being able to hold out for so long was a perk of having been around for as long as he was.
After I had turned her pockets inside out, I sighed and put it on the coat rack under my hat. I put my hands on my hips and stood there. There had to be a clue somewhere as to what happened to her. Lately when she disappeared, she would say something; to me at least.
Maybe I should check upstairs.
As I made my way past the window, I pulled back the shade to see how Kaeden was holding up. Cody had his arms up in the air waving them wildly. Kae on the other hand, was standing where I left him looking completely calm and collected.
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