Avoidables

by Rachel Medhurst

  ‘I know how good you are,’ William replied, holding out his hand.

  Artie took it as they shared another laugh. Purple shook his head and smiled too. I knew I looked like an idiot as they looked over at me.

  ‘Don’t worry, Hope, everything is as it should be,’ William winked at me again and I gasped. Was William…?

  ‘Okay, let’s go.’ Artie turned to head towards the door. William shook Purple’s hand and then came to me. As soon as our hands met, my back started to vibrate and my shoulder started to grow.

  ‘Oh crap!’ Purple said, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me.

  It was too late, my wings burst through my top, and my arm was suddenly there.

  ‘Sir, the chancellor is here to see you,’ a guard called from the other side of the door. William stood there, staring at me. His eyes were wide and filled with awe.

  ‘I’ve never seen it done quite like that,’ he whispered.

  ‘Sir…?’ The knocking grew louder and we all looked around.

  ‘Put them away, Hope,’ William said, going over to the door, ‘Just one moment please,’ he called.

  ‘I can’t.’ I looked around for an escape route.

  ‘Yes, you can. Close your eyes and pull on the muscles of your wings.’

  I opened my mouth to respond but he shook his head. Was it really that simple? I was unsure if he was an angel himself or whether he was just aware of us. It seemed that he was one of us if he knew how to pull wings in.

  Closing my eyes, I concentrated. It took a moment, but eventually the muscles moved. My wings started to fold and retreat into my back. Concentrating on my arm, I did the same thing. Before, I had tried to force it, but the calmer I was, the easier it happened. It was such a weird sensation. I had to swallow a couple of times before I was able to look up again.

  ‘Well done.’ Purple patted my back.

  William opened the door. There was a short man with very blonde hair waiting on the other side.

  ‘Chancellor, you’ve missed the meeting, they were just leaving.’

  The man looked over at us and cringed. I didn’t hide my own disgust as he walked into the room. This was a genuine Perfect.

  ‘And is everything sorted with these…?’ He gestured towards us.

  His handsome lip was curled up. I had to laugh. He glared at me as he looked at my shoulder stump.

  ‘Yes, everything is sorted. You may go back to work.’ William’s face was screwed up. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it for the chancellor’s benefit or because he found the man as repulsive as I did.

  The chancellor spun on his heels and walked away quickly.

  ‘It’s time you got out of here,’ William said, leading us out of the room.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘What are you doing?’ Jason watched me from the stage. We had brought him out into the open room so he could move a bit.

  ‘I’m practicing,’ I replied, pulling my wings in once again.

  I had done it a few times since returning from the meeting. I was getting the hang of it quickly.

  ‘You didn’t know that William was one of us?’ Jason asked.

  I walked to him and sat on a chair that I pulled up next to his.

  ‘No, in fact, I don’t know enough. It shocked Artie too. I want you to tell me everything.’

  He frowned at me and took my hand.

  ‘Hope, I…’

  ‘Hope, we need to go.’ Purple rushed out from the back of the stage. I jumped up automatically. It had been a few weeks since we had a proper job but I knew Purple meant business.

  ‘Wait,’ Jason called as I turned to leave.

  I turned back to him and looked down into his gorgeous face. His hair was sticking up and his face was still pale.

  ‘There’s something you need to know…’

  ‘There’s no time. The rebel is in the city and we need to act fast.’ Purple grabbed my arm and pulled.

  I sent an apologetic smile over my shoulder. I tried not to think about what Jason had wanted to tell me. Was it something to do with the women that Artie’s brother had mentioned?

  As we walked outside, I made my arm disappear so no one else could see it. Everyone knew me in Lower Side. If I suddenly showed up with two arms, they would freak out.

  ‘I don’t know what you see in him.’ Purple wrapped his arms around me and lifted us into the air.

  I relaxed and allowed the motion to take us. We flew south, away from the river and to the very border of Lower Side.

  What did I see in Jason? I had spent hardly any time with him. I didn’t know a lot about him. Yet, every time I saw him, or even thought of him, my heart went funny. It was annoying how one man could affect me so much.

  ‘There he is,’ Purple shouted.

  In the distance, the wilderness stretched away from the city. A small car was speeding away across the dirt. There were several red lone mountains dotted between the cities. Rebel and roamer camps were often set up at the base of these mountains.

  ‘Where the hell did he get a car from?’ I shouted.

  Most vehicles in Lower Side had been destroyed long ago. Riots had taken place and the Avoidables had been so stupid, they had torched most of the cars. Which ruined it for the rest of us.

  ‘Purple, we can’t really go…’

  ‘Yes, we can,’ he shouted back, ‘Use your wings, Hope, we’ll get there quicker. Just make sure he doesn’t see you. I’ll grab you when we get there.’

  I pushed out my wings and Purple let me go. Flying out here was so freeing. The wilderness was deserted apart from our stupid friend.

  We slowly caught up with him. Purple went ahead. He was more experienced at flying and his huge wings took him further than mine did. The wind brushed my hair away from my face as we got nearer the car. It was going really fast. The dirt billowed out behind it, which made for good cover. I caught up with Purple and he grabbed me. As I pulled my wings in, he swooped us down towards the car.

  ‘I’m going to drop you on the bonnet,’ he called.

  ‘What!?’ I shouted back. He was going to kill me if he did that.

  ‘Okay, the roof then. You can grab on to the roof.’

  ‘Are you mad?’ I screamed.

  We were getting nearer. I started to panic, squirming in his arms.

  He grunted. ‘Stop it, you’ll be fine.’

  The breath left my lungs as he dropped me straight on top of the car. I thudded against the metal and flew backwards. Swearing as pain vibrated through my body, I threw my hand out to the side and managed to clamp onto the top of the door. Thank goodness the window was open.

  My body swung with the effort of trying to hold on with one arm. I was just about to fall off the side when Purple grabbed my legs and swung me back. I pushed out my other arm and grabbed the other side of the roof.

  The rebel swore as he pumped the brakes. I was thrown forward as the car screeched to a stop. Flying, I landed on the dirt just in front of the car. My arm smacked on the ground. I grit my teeth as a bolt of pain jolted through me.

  Purple landed and pulled the rebel out of the car.

  ‘What the…?’ The man spluttered.

  He was a skinny short guy with a huge nose. He stared at Purple as he held him up in the air by his t-shirt.

  ‘You okay, Hope?’ my supposed best friend called.

  I wasn’t alright. As I slowly began to rise, I cried out in pain. Purple was beside me in an instant, the man still in his hand.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s my arm,’ I replied through clenched teeth.

  The pain sliced through me. Sitting up, I looked down at my arm, gasping at the same time as Purple. It was bent the wrong way at the elbow.

  ‘Oh man, I’m so sorry, I…’

  The rebel kicked Purple in the shin. The dragon half breed spun and threw him. He flew through the air and thudded against his car bonnet, landing on a heap on the floor.

  ‘What is it with you today?’ I asked, win
cing as I cradled my arm to me.

  Purple bent down as a flash of anger crossed his face. Had I made him angry because I couldn’t do the job properly?

  ‘No, it’s not you,’ he said, reading my mind, ‘It’s something else. I can’t tell you, but…’

  I swallowed. He was talking about Jason. The mystery was getting too much. I wasn’t prepared to be left in the dark anymore.

  ‘Tell me! I know something’s not right and I want to know now. You at least owe me that!’ Cringing, I gestured at my messed up arm.

  He glanced over at our prisoner. He was quiet for a moment, knocked out on the ground.

  I thought Purple might refuse to say anything, but when he looked back at me, I knew I wasn’t going to like what was coming.

  ‘Jason is engaged.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘Jason, we need to…’ I almost choked. ‘…talk.’

  My whole body shook as I stood in front of him. He sat in a chair in Artie’s dressing room. Looking comfortable, too comfortable. He was lucky I didn’t reach forward and stab my finger into his wound.

  Purple’s father had put a cast on my arm. I was not feeling so good.

  ‘Hope, your arm!’ Jason sat upright in his chair. ‘What happened? Why didn’t you come to see me when you got back?’

  Lowering myself onto the sofa on the other side of the room, I avoided his gaze. Instead, I looked down at my not even dry cast. It was massive and went all the way down my arm, bending at the elbow. Growling at the offending material, I sat forward. My dark hair fell over my face.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I whispered, fighting the knot in my throat.

  He stayed quiet, only speaking after what felt like forever. ‘I tried…’

  ‘No you didn’t,’ I growled. ‘It’s been months since we met. We even…’

  Jumping up, I stood in front of him. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the reflection of my pain. ‘How dare you be upset?’ I went to try and raise my hand to hit out at him, but it wouldn’t move. Stupid cast!

  ‘Hope, listen to me. The angels advised that I did nothing to cause suspicion. Did you not think that I might have had a life before you came and stole my heart?’

  I slumped back onto the sofa. The muscles in my face screwed up. That was hardly an excuse.

  ‘What else should I know? Do you have kids?’ Heat ran up and down my aching arm. I needed to calm down, or I would end up breaking something of his.

  ‘No, I don’t have children. It’s only going to be a marriage of convenience,’ he sighed and looked away from me. I studied him closely. Why couldn’t he meet my gaze? Did he just say…?

  ‘What do you mean it’s going to be a marriage of convenience?’

  Getting up, I tried to move away, but he reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me so tight to him that I ended up standing against his knees. God! I wanted to extend my arm and punch his beautiful face but his hand locked around my knees.

  ‘Look at me,’ he whispered.

  I couldn’t help but let my gaze trail down to meet his. Tears sprung to my eyes when I saw unshed tears sitting in his. ‘This has been arranged for a long time, Hope, it’s all part of the plan.’

  ‘What plan? Do you love her?’

  If he loved her, I would let him go willingly. He claimed we were soulmates, but if he married another woman, I would know it wasn’t true.

  ‘No! I’ve never loved anyone until I met you. I asked you to read that book, Hope. I’m assuming you didn’t.’

  I tore my gaze away from him. He had planned on marrying someone he didn’t love, when all the time he was having a relationship with me?

  ‘You know what? Forget us.’ I ripped away from his grip and stormed out of the room. He yelled out to me, but luckily he couldn’t follow.

  ‘Hope, where are you going…?’ Purple called. He had been talking to Artie.

  I ignored him and rushed out of the theatre, I needed some air. Pushing my wings out, I groaned when my top ripped. I wasn’t actually planning on flying anywhere when I stormed out, but in the end, I flew to our hideout and made up a bed for myself.

  Purple had managed to go back to the flat after the guards had left and got our things. We had stashed them in our mountain hide-out for safety. Digging into my bag, I pulled out the book that Jason had given me. Crawling into my makeshift bed, I opened it. It was a journal. I hadn’t realised.

  Jason said that the book contained information about our mission on earth. He had said that he knew quite a lot about it when I had first met him. I had been so caught up in our new love, I had forgotten all about it. The first lot of handwriting was misshapen but small.

  My Beloved,

  Today we signed the contract to meet again in the next lifetime. You and I shall be part angels and then become whole when we meet. How will I know you? Past lives have not gone quite as planned but this time we need to get it right. So much is riding on us and I want to help the angels bring more light to the world now. Earth will be destroyed if the discrimination carries on. We may only be a soul and not a true angel, but that’s why they chose us. We can cope with the harsh realities of the world easier than they. I know we can do it.

  Your Beloved.

  The scrawl on the page then became bigger and more feminine.

  Dearest twin,

  Today we did sign a contract and I’m so ready for our mission. You will recognise me, not by a physical trait, but you will see my soul. No matter what is happening in our lives, we will find a way to fulfil this mission. As we know from past experience, physical life is not easy and our thoughts control our lives. If we can at least try to wake up and see past our own agenda, we’ll surely succeed. No matter our experiences this time, know that I’m ready to save the world. I’m always your beloved mate, and if you’re with another soulmate in this lifetime, I will honour that and wait until we are together again. We chose this mission and I have every intention of bringing the city that we’ve been chosen to heal together again.

  Your Beloved.

  Tears ran down my face as I read our journal entries. Our handwriting was different and each letter was a declaration of loyalty to the mission and of the love we had for each other. There were no names which I found interesting. Pausing for a second, I had a flashback to the first night I had met Jason. I remembered sitting beside him in the bar as I showed him my soul through my eyes. I never would have done that before, but something in him made me do it.

  Jason had asked me to read the journal so I would understand our mission and what we had to do to achieve success while we were here. He said that he had been researching his whole life and had been given the journal by a government official. I now knew he was talking about William.

  ‘Are you okay?’ A voice interrupted my thoughts, making me jump.

  Purple came into our cave as I swiped at the tears that soaked my face.

  ‘Go away,’ I grunted, curling up and turning away from him.

  I heard him come over and lay next to me. His huge arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me close. I rolled over and buried my head into his chest as the sobs exploded from me. He didn’t say a word, just held me with one arm.

  After a while, I pulled back.

  ‘Didn’t I tell you years ago that love is bad?’

  ‘Don’t,’ I sniffled, wiping my face.

  ‘You’re crying your eyes out and you don’t agree?’ He stood up and lifted his t-shirt over his head. It was soaking wet with my tears. Going over to his things, he picked out another tight black one.

  ‘Love is the most powerful thing in the world and beyond,’ I whispered.

  ‘What’s happened to my tough nut? You’ve gone all soppy on me,’ he chuckled.

  He lit the pile of wood we always had ready for when we needed to escape.

  ‘I…’ I didn’t know what to say.

  Since I had met Jason, a softer side of me had emerged, and I didn’t think it would ever go away. The journal had made
it worse.

  ‘It’s your angel side, I’m sure.’ He sat down on the opposite side of the fire. I watched him through the flames. He really was a beautiful dragon half-breed.

  ‘Yes, probably. I’ve not felt the same since…well, since it happened. I wish Artie would tell me what happened with my mother.’ The tears threatened again as I pictured the last time I had seen her.

  We had been living in Lower Side. My mother had always kept a low profile. She would make me go out to get our food and water. One day she was reading a story to me when a group of guards stormed the flat and took her away. They told me that they were going to kill her, leaving me on my own. That had been ten years ago. I had been eight years old.

  ‘I’m sure he will in his own time,’ Purple replied, lying down on the floor.

  ‘I’m also sick of not knowing what’s going on with all this.’ I tried to gesture around us, but the cast stopped me. A wave of emotion hit me, so I curled up on my side again. I felt so lost.

  ‘It’ll all come clear to you soon,’ Purple whispered as he drifted off to sleep.

  I lay awake for a while, trying to make sense of it all. My brain raced, but eventually I gave in and joined him in the land of the oblivious.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Something wasn’t right.

  It was the morning after I read the journals and we were outside the theatre, about to walk through the door. I put my casted arm out to stop Purple as we both listened carefully. A shuffling and scraping sound came from inside.

  ‘Come on.’ Purple gestured for me to follow as he opened the door and sneaked in.

  I stuck close behind him. Standing in the shadows, we looked towards the stage. No one was there.

  My body jolted when I noticed that our prisoner was in the aisle, not far from us. The rebel was pulling the wooden chair that he was tied to, along with him. He shuffled forward, lifting up onto his feet, pulling the chair forward a couple of inches, then sitting back down again.