by Lola StVil
It doesn’t help that they’re now in the target zone of the spewing lava. It gushes up from the fiery hole like fireworks in the night sky. As angels, we can withstand heat longer than humans, but falling into the center of a volcano is certain death even for us.
We all race to stop Diana’s fall, but it’s obvious that if Aaden doesn’t save her, she won’t be saved at all; luckily Aaden manages to close the gap between him and Diana. He grabs on to the hem of her dress just as she’s about to enter the center of the massive hole. He managed to dodge the gush of lava that came his way before, but now Aaden’s luck has run out. The lava makes direct contact with Aaden’s forearm, causing him to let go of Diana. This time there is no saving her; Diana falls into the volcano. The Kaster team member is dead.
All of us stop midflight, stunned at what we just witnessed. I regain control of myself and order the team to get away from the spewing lava. When we are at a safe distance, Aaden says he’s going after her, and I forbid him.
“I can’t just sit here and let her die,” he shouts as he tries to get past the pain of the flesh melting off his forearm.
“No, you can’t go in there. The only thing you’d be doing is making sure you die with her,” I reason.
“I killed a kid. Oh. My. Omnis. I killed Nix,” Swoop says as she starts crying hysterically.
“Swoop, it’s okay. You didn’t drop her. It was an accident,” East says as he places her head on his chest.
“WhatdidIjustdo?WhatdidIjustdo?” she says, sobbing.
“Hey, what’s that?” Aaden asks as he looks towards the mouth of the volcano.
“It’s a fire swan,” I reply as I spot the graceful fire-breathing bird soar up from the center of the volcano.
“Yes, but what’s that?” Aaden asks again.
That’s when we get a closer look and find the fire swan has a passenger on its back—Diana. The bird glides across the sky and away from the deadly liquid fire. It lands on the outskirts of a small nearby Italian village. We follow and land just moments after Diana.
She hops off the fire swan and her wings return as she marches over to us. Swoop is overcome with joy as Diana nears her.
“I’m so glad you’re alive! I’m sorry I—” Swoop is stopped midsentence by Diana’s fist. I’ve never seen Diana punch before—I mean really, she hits Swoop so hard, she falls to the ground and blood erupts from her nose and mouth.
“You want to fight me, fine. You want me off the team, that’s fine too. Whatever you want to do to me, I can take. But so long as this kid needs me to survive, you damn well better stay away from me. Because if this kid dies, if this kid doesn’t get to make it into this world, I will hunt you to the end of this earth.
“I will bring hell down on you and there will be NOTHING anyone can do to stop me. Not Raven. Not Redd. No one. YOU PUT MY KID IN DANGER AGAIN and I’ll shove an apple in your mouth, slice you open, spread you over an open flame, and roast your ass like a suckling pig.”
“Diana—” I call out.
“No! I’m so sick of this shit! How dare you question Nix’s goodness? Pryor grabbed my hair and dragged me across the damn room. Who do you think stopped me from attacking her? Who do you think controlled my body so that when you grabbed my neck, I didn’t fling your scrawny ass to the other side of the world? I was a damn Kaster. I didn’t forget how to fight or how to protect myself, and I damn sure didn’t forget how to kill.
“But Nix has used his mind-control powers to stop me from hurting any of you. He called on the fire swan to save us, but he waited because he believed that the team would come to help. He’s just a baby. He still believes in things right and wrong. How dare you put his life in danger and then question his morals?
“Where are your morals, Swoop? When you were in bed with the second most evil guy on earth? Tell me, did your morals take the day off when you two fucked? Or maybe your morals were on vacation the day you found out you had an evil side but decided to keep it a secret? If you had told your team like you were supposed to, they could have helped, but instead you hid it and cost hundreds of innocent lives. So far Nix hasn’t killed anyone. Can you say the same?”
Nix causes Diana’s markings to light up. She looks down at them and speaks with a firm voice. “Nix, don’t interrupt Mommy when she’s scolding someone.”
Nix glows again.
“What? No. I’m not doing that,” Diana says to her son as she looks down at Swoop.
“There’s no use begging,” she says in response to the silent conversation she’s having with her son.
“No, Mommy does not want to do that. Nix, I said no,” Diana says firmly.
Suddenly, her markings light up again. This time her eyes start to glow. Diana is moving towards Swoop on the floor. We all stand at the ready in case we have to defend Swoop from her. But instead of attacking Swoop, Nix uses his mom’s body and makes her sit down next to Swoop. Nix then makes his mom put her arms around Swoop and hug her.
Swoop looks back at us, not sure what to make of it.
“Swoop, when a kid hugs you, hug back,” East whispers.
Swoop slowly wraps her arms around Nix, and although she tries to fight it, Swoop can’t help but smile. Hell, neither can the rest of the team. Malakaro may take great joy in pulling families apart, but his son seems to welcome bringing people together.
When we get back to the clinic, the Healer tends to Aaden’s forearm and informs us that Bex is still not awake. They have given him strong mixtures that force him to remain unconscious in order for him to fully heal. They tell us it’s going to be another few hours before he’s awake. The news of Hunter’s death is spreading; once it’s officially out there, we will come under attack. I’m hoping Bex will wake up before then and put an end to the Para issue.
Like the fact that I cheated on my boyfriend…
As we take a seat once again in the waiting room, we are all bursting with questions for Diana. But we try not to stare at her or openly judge her. The fact is we have all made huge mistakes and we can’t keep pointing fingers. But that’s just it: does Diana even consider sleeping with Malakaro a mistake? Is she in love with him? Is he even capable of love?
“I know you guys have questions. I get that. And thanks for not yelling them at me all at once,” Diana says softly as she looks over at us from her chair.
“We are trying really hard not to judge, but…really? Malakaro?!” East says.
“Yeah, I have to agree with him; Diana, what were you thinking?” Aaden asks.
“Was it some kind of mixture he forced you to drink?” I ask.
“No, he didn’t. Okay, I’ll tell you what happened…” Diana says reluctantly.
“No. You shouldn’t have to. You were right. We made mistakes. You did too. You’ve never forced me to reveal my love life to you, and you shouldn’t have to,” I reply.
“Excuse me? When you found out I was dating Mel, you got so deep in my affairs, she almost called out your name during sex instead of mine,” East reminds me.
“East, that’s way too much info,” Swoop says.
“Okay, but for the record, she does call out my name. And my name alone,” East says pointedly while he looks over at Aaden.
Aaden wisely disregards the remark.
“That’s because Mel was going to be in our lives. Is that the case with Malakaro? Because if it is, then…”
“Pry, I don’t want him in our lives. I don’t want him anywhere near Nix. It was a onetime thing. I told you I used a Tam. I had no idea it wouldn’t work.”
“As I said, Diana, you don’t have to tell us since things are over with you two. But if you want to, we’re here to listen,” I reply.
“I’m ready to tell you guys what happened. I just can’t explain it well…” Diana says as she launches into her story. “That night on the rooftop, I was really missing Sparks. I was thinking of going to a bar but then just decided to stay there feeling sorry for myself. I was there for maybe half an hour when he landed
on the roof beside me. It normally would have scared the hell out of me, but I was too miserable to care…”
“Why aren’t you afraid of me? That’s foolish. You’ve never been a foolish girl,” he said.
“I’m not afraid. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so already. So I’m guessing you need something. But what could you possibly need from me?” I asked.
“Your wings have grown in nicely. The Kon must think highly of you to give you a portion of his soul.”
“I’ve earned it. Are you here to take it back?”
“No, why would I do that, Ruin?”
“Who knows why you do anything. And my name is not Ruin. It’s Diana.”
“Yes, forgive me. I had forgotten,” he said, laughing softly.
“What do you want?” I asked again.
“I want you to make the mixture you made for yourself,” he ordered.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Don’t play games with me. I want it. And I want it now.”
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“When I found you, you were evil from the tips of your hair to your toes. You were conniving, selfish, dark, and wrathful. You had an inner turmoil I could tap into and turn into a weapon. That’s why I made you a Kaster. You were malevolent and perfectly wicked. And yet they accepted you.”
“You mean the Noru?”
“Yes, they let you be a part of their team. They let you into their lives and into their hearts. It’s a weak and foolish place to be, but still, you were granted access. What did you do? What is the name of the mixture you used to trick them into—”
“Into what?”
“Loving you,” he said, avoiding my eyes.
“That’s when I saw him—Jason. Not Malakaro, as he had come to be, but Jason, the son of a powerful leader who left him behind. A guy who was so disconnected he thought I’d used a mixture to gain acceptance.
“All my life I was rejected and cast aside, but I had my grandmother. She showed me what it meant to be loved and cared for. That made the difference in my life. And I still got off track. I can’t imagine what it was like to have no one. I looked into his eyes, and I swear I saw who Malakaro could have been. And that guy…he deserved love.
“It’s crazy, but standing there on that rooftop, I realized just how lost Jason had been. He had to become Malakaro because it was the only way he was going to survive. I knew what that felt like because I have had to fight my dark side ever since I found out I was pregnant with Sparks. But even that didn’t always save me from myself.
“Jason didn’t stand a chance against Malakaro. He should have been lost forever, yet there behind Malakaro’s eyes, Jason reached me. And for a few moments, while I brushed his cheek with the palm of my hand, I gave him something he never had before. I acknowledged him.
“I spent years going in and out of group homes. Years being passed around from one messed-up situation to another. And the only thing I wanted, the only thing I ever needed, was someone to say three words. It wasn’t even ‘I love you.’ I didn’t dare wish for that. What I wanted, what every abandoned kid wants, is for someone to say ‘I. See. You.’ That’s it. We just want to be seen.
“And for a moment, I gave him that. But I knew I had to be careful with Malakaro, so I went to pull my hand away, but he reached out and placed his hand on top of mine. He wasn’t a cold, calculating monster then. He was just someone who needed contact with another being.
“I told him there was no mixture. He looked…sad. It’s like that mixture was his last chance to be part of a family. I told him that all I did was try to be good. He said he could read the evil in me. I told him being good is a minute-by-minute kind of thing. He said it sounded exhausting. And I laughed. We both laughed.
“I confessed that Spark’s murder left a rage inside me that I never allowed myself to tap into and that sometimes I still long for the powers that came with being evil. I told him that while I would never do anything dark, I missed the control that came with being a real demon.
“He told me that today was always a day he considered ‘a day of fools.’ I asked why, and he said that it was his birthday. And what a waste of time it was to wonder if his father ever stopped to think of him on that day. Nevertheless, he did wonder. And he felt that wondering made him weak.
“He saw the act of being accepted by the team as some kind of magic. So he leaned in close and studied the magician. The next thing I knew, we were in each other’s arms, just trying to outrun our pasts. We ran all night. And in the morning, we were in the exact same place,” she concludes.
“In the morning? So Malakaro stayed the night?” Swoop asks.
“Jason stayed the night. Malakaro left as soon as the last sign of Jason had faded. I knew it was Malakaro because he threatened to kill me should I even think of revealing what happened on the rooftop,” Diana replies.
“Maybe he’s got an alter ego like my cousin,” East teases.
“No, it’s not like with Swoop. Malakaro is who he is. Jason was what he could have been or maybe what he once was. But the next day I heard Malakaro forced a human to set himself on fire, just to watch it happen. So make no mistake about it, he is evil. Sleeping with him was a colossal mistake. But I can’t help but be grateful for Nix. I was worried he’d be evil, but from the very first marking, the kid has been so sweet and so kind.”
“Where does Bex fit into all this?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, Pry. I really am. Bex came onto the roof just as Malakaro was leaving. I begged him to keep it quiet. I had used a Tam, so there was no reason to think I’d get pregnant. He wanted to tell you, Pry, but he gave me some time to find a way to tell you myself. Then I found out about Boom and things got crazy,” she explains.
“Boom, is that Nix’s nickname?” Swoop asks.
“Yes. Sparks liked light, but Nix has a thing for sounds. Every morning a delivery truck stops down the street from us and he hears it. It always makes this loud sound as it goes over the speed bump. He got used to it, and one day that damn truck was late. He spent the whole morning asking where the truck was. ‘Mommy, boom?’ I’d say, ‘No boom yet,’ and that little monster would not stop asking until finally the truck came. He got all excited. ‘Mommy, boom! Boom!’”
“Diana, what are you going to do if Malakaro finds out?” Aaden asks.
“I don’t know. All I know is that I can’t lose another baby. I would die,” she says.
“Is there a chance Malakaro could be happy about his kid?” Swoop dares to ask.
“Maybe. Or maybe he’ll see Boom as a threat. You never know with him. I can’t risk it.”
“I think you’re right. Boom is safer here with—” Suddenly, before I can finish my thought, an explosion shatters all the windows and the doors. We all quickly take cover, but it’s too late. There are white Powerballs coming at us from all sides.
“Swoop, you’re closer to Bex’s room, make sure he’s okay. And protect the Healers,” Aaden orders.
“Diana and East, take the back door; we have the front. We can’t let them get inside here.”
“Who’s shooting at us?” Diana shouts as she takes her position.
I quickly peek out of what remains of the window. They spot me and send dozens of Powerballs my way; I barely get down in time.
“It’s the New Order, but they also have backup from a few dozen Paras who are very unhappy with us,” I announce.
We attack from our various positions. One of the Healers runs out to help us, but we send him back to Bex’s room because if Bex doesn’t survive, there will be even more Paras out to kill us.
“Pry, get down!” East yells. I see the massive orb head towards me, and I dive down to the floor hard; the floor cracks underneath me. Aaden sends balls of fire outside in rapid succession. We hear the Paras cry out as the flames hit them. East sends his lasso out the door and captures one of the Paras. The lasso starts to drain him of power. Diana manage
s to finish the job by sucking the life force from the Para.
Swoop manages to flip towards Aaden and pushes him down to the ground so that the Powerball headed for him misses its target. I rapidly Pull as many Paras as I can. They are falling left and right. And even though we are under heavy fire, there is no doubt in my mind that we will win this.
“All we have to do is take out their first line of defense. We got this!” I yell at the team.
“Pry, look!” East says. I follow his gaze and look towards the alley down the street. Another hundred or so Paras have joined the fight against us.
“We can’t stay here, boxed in like this,” Aaden says.
“We have to go,” Diana shouts.
“We can’t leave Bex here, and he’s not well enough to fly,” Swoop says as she dives to avoid a stray Powerball. She doesn’t duck in time, and the Powerball hits the right side of her, taking off half of her face.
“Bird!” Aaden shouts as he rushes over to her. She’s crying so loudly her screams fill the street. Swoop is forced to hold what remains of her face with her hands. Before Aaden can reach Swoop, a Powerball hits a nearby support beam, causing the wall behind Aaden to fall down on top of him. I want to go over to him, but then I would be leaving East defenseless. There are twenty or so Paras that are determined to take East out. He needs me as backup. Thankfully Diana has been able to reach Swoop and now is trying to calm her down. However, Swoop is in so much pain I worry she may not last the battle.
“Boom, are there animals near us?” I ask him.
“He says yes, but only dogs and cats,” Diana shouts.
“Can he try to control the Paras?” East shouts as he ducks the latest round of Powerballs.
“He isn’t strong enough yet,” Diana says as she searches through the mixtures scattered on the floor around her.
“Shit! Pry, I can’t find anything that will help Swoop,” Diana says.
“Go check the rooms in the back. They might have something there. Go! I’ll look after her,” Aaden says, having clawed out from under a ton of debris.
