by Lola StVil
“Aaden…” I begin.
“I know, babe, we stay here, we die,” he says as he sends a stream of fire into the crowd outside. I look over at him. He called me “babe”; I always liked that. There’s so much I want him to know. This can’t be it. Not like this.
“Wait! What are they doing?” East asks as he watches from a crack in the remaining wall.
“They’re joining hands. That means the Powerball they’re forming is gonna be one massive nuclear son of—”
“We can’t let them join hands! Stop them!” I shout.
Every member of the team fires on the Paras. Even Swoop manages to send a pointy makeshift bat out the window. It goes right into the chest of a Para a few yards away. Easts wrangles three of them and flings them down the street. Diana returns with a mixture and tries to heal Swoop and battle at the same time. I kill half a dozen in a matter of seconds, and Aaden sets a group of Paras on fire. But nothing we do can stop them from joining hands.
I shout as I dive to the floor. The power that surges out of a mega Powerball like the one forming outside will be next to impossible to withstand. We all look at each other, knowing this may very well be the last moment of our lives.
This is it. The Powerball will come in a wave as big as the ocean itself and kill us all. From the corner of my eye, I watch in horror as the last Para needed to connect the circle makes contact with the Para next to him. The super Powerball isn’t coming, it’s here.
“Take cover!” is the last order I give to my team as I shield Easton with my body. I see Aaden quickly placing himself in front of Diana and Swoop, using his body as a shield. It won’t work. We will all die no matter what because of the sheer power of the blast. But I’m glad we’ll go out as a team, as a family. The super Powerball has formed and heads straight for us…
Just as the mega orb is about to tear us into pieces, a brilliant blue light cracks the sky open wide. Diana helps Swoop to her feet, and we head outside to see what’s happened. All of us, including the wrathful Paras, watch in amazement as four bursts of light travel gracefully down to the ground.
Once they touch the ground, they form bodies, but it’s still too bright to see if they are male or female. They are simply brilliantly illuminated outlines. The figure in the middle holds out its hand, and suddenly, every Para around us falls to the floor, lifeless.
We watch in awe as the light starts fading from the four figures. Standing before us is Jay Hall, Miku Oda, Marcus Cane, and the figure who killed everyone is none other than my mom, Emerson Cane.
The Guardians are back! But we don’t race towards them because they are powerful leaders or because they are legends of the angel world. We race towards them because they are the part of us that has been missing for far too long. Finally, finally, our moms and dads are back; our hearts…are whole again.
Chapter Nineteen:
Supernova
I’m not sure how much time passed while I hugged my parents. It seemed like only a few seconds, but it could have easily been an hour. It doesn’t matter. I would like another ten years of just being in my parents’ embrace. I didn’t know how much I missed them until just now. I try really hard not to tear up. I am a leader, and leaders don’t tear up from happiness, or so I thought. But one look in my dad’s eyes tells me leaders do tear up. In fact, they cry.
“Dad, I’m okay. I’m good. Promise.”
I smile back at him so he knows that I’m telling the truth. He can’t talk; he just pulls me close again.
“Hey, you’re not allowed to squeeze the First Noru to death,” I tease.
“I’m Marcus Cane. I can do what I want,” he says playfully as he hugs me even tighter.
“Move over, Marcus, that’s my baby,” Death says as she joins in the embrace.
When I can finally pull away, I look into my mom’s face. She’s been aching to see me. Seriously, it’s all she can do not to make the world stop so she can just stand there and look at me.
“Hi, Mom,” I whisper as she looks me over.
“Hello, Carrot,” she replies, filled with emotion.
“Mom, I promise I’m okay,” I assure her when I spot the growing concern in her eyes.
“Oh, my baby Carrot,” she says, sounding overwhelmed.
“Mom, you can’t call me that,” I mumble, more than a little embarrassed.
My parents exchange a look of amusement and share a laugh at my expense. Mom looks me over yet again.
“You look tired, Carrot. Have you been Recharging? Are you keeping up with your vitamin mixtures? Are you drinking enough? You look so thin. We need to get some nutrients into you!” Mom says, growing more and more concerned by the minute.
I look at my dad and silently beg him to rescue me.
“Emmy, you’re fussing. Pry is fine,” Dad assures her.
“But—”
“Let her get the rest of her team together. I promise you can fuss over her later.”
“Okay. You’re right. But I’m not done hugging you yet, young lady,” she warns.
“I promise a thousand more hugs, but Dad’s right, I need to check on the others,” I reply, barely able to escape her hold.
I walk a few feet over to where Swoop and her parents are standing. They too have been locked in an embrace. I go over to Aunt Miku, who isn’t technically my aunt, but she’s been in my life since I was born, so she might as well be. She looks at her daughter with pain and profound sadness.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I should’ve stopped him from killing Key, but I couldn’t get to her in time. I’m so sorry,” Swoop pleads as she rests her head on her mom’s shoulder.
Uncle Jay strokes her hair and speaks with a soft assuring tone. “We don’t blame you, baby girl. You know we got you no matter what went down here. We love you.”
“There’s so much I need to tell you—I have a son,” Swoop says excitedly.
“We heard,” Miku replies as she exchanges a look with her husband.
“It’s with a demon, but—”
“Kiana, we can talk about it later,” Miku says.
“Okay,” she replies, looking at me with great alarm. I think Swoop is terrified that her parents will hate her for having a kid with a demon. Although the Guardians accept Uncle Rage as family, it’s hard for them to embrace other demons. Uncle Jay must register Swoop’s fears as well because he takes her face in his hands and speaks to her in a gentle tone.
“RJ is fam. It doesn’t matter how the little man got here. He’s here, and we got his back and yours,” he vows.
“Really, Dad?” Swoop pleads.
“C’mon, be easy, baby girl. We know we would love anything that’s a part of you,” Uncle Jay says.
“I do love you, but honestly not as much as I love your boots!” Aunt Miku says, looking down at Swoop’s royal blue peek-toe bootie boots; they have thin stiletto heels and a fringed outline.
“You like?” Swoop gushes.
“No, I love!”
“Thank you.”
“Ferragamo?”
“Burberry.”
“Nice!” Aunt Miku says, dripping with admiration.
Uncle Jay and I exchange a look as he moves in and hugs me.
“I think someone is going shopping,” I warn him.
“For weeks and weeks,” Uncle Jay says, shaking his head.
“Hey, why are you standing over there? Come give your aunt a hug! Don’t be difficult like your dad. Hardheaded idiot that he was,” Aunt Miku jokes to East, who stands aside awkwardly.
“Um…okay,” East says. He looks over at me, reluctant to walk toward his aunt. For years we have all been like family, but now that he knows he’s actually family, East is nervous about how his father’s sister will greet him.
“Easton, move it! I’ve been waiting too long to hold my brother’s kid,” she demands.
East hurries over to her, and she embraces him and then looks him over as if she never saw him before.
She shakes her head in wonder. “I d
on’t know how I could have missed it. You have his eyes,” Aunt Miku says.
“Is that a good thing?” East asks.
“Yes, sweetie, it’s a great thing. Wait until I tell you all about your dad. Do you know he once glued me to a chair so he could go play with his friends? And he didn’t get in trouble.”
“Why not?” East asks.
“Oh, honey, your dad had charm. It was hard not to love him,” Aunt Miku replies.
My mom calls Aaden over and curses him out lovingly for not rushing over to hug her. Aaden promises to be quicker next time. She asks about Uncle Rage and demands that Aaden make him come to her as soon as possible. So, after Aaden and my dad exchange a formal but friendly nod, he greets Swoop’s parents and gets on the phone to relay my mom’s message.
“Death said to tell you to get your ass over to her, now!” Aaden says to Uncle Rage.
As we all come together and greet one another, Diana stays in the back, not sure of the reception she will be given. I take her hand and walk her over to the Guardians.
“Mom, this is Diana. Diana, you know my dad, Marcus. This is the rest of his team,” I say, hoping this goes smoothly.
“We know most of what took place down here but not everything. Who is Diana?” Aunt Miku asks.
“She’s the new member of the team. She saved us a few times and continues to do so,” I reply.
“She also tried to kill you a few times,” my mom points out to me.
“Yes, but Uncle Rage tried to kill you back when you guys first met, remember?” I reply.
“I do. Diana, it’s a pleasure to meet you and Boom,” my mom says.
“How did you know his nickname?” Diana asks.
“It never hurts to be friends with Fate,” my mom says.
“Can you tell me—”
“No, Diana, I can’t tell you anything about what has yet to happen. But I can tell you that Boom will grow up to be happy.”
“He’s going to make it into this world? Are you sure? I was so worried. I thought I’d never see his face. Thank you,” she says as she bursts into tears and hugs my mom. Mom slowly hugs her back.
“Pryor, the Kon is awake. He asked to see you,” the Healer says as she runs up to us.
“Go, check on Bex. We’ll take care of things out here,” Dad says.
“Thank you. I’m glad you’re back,” I reply, stealing one last hug.
“Me too.”
I walk into what’s left of the clinic. I’m surprised that Bex’s room is still somewhat intact. He’s sitting up in the bed. He looks good for someone who almost died. Many of his wounds are healed but not all. His wings are spread out behind him and are pinned to the wall. There are vials of different colored mixtures floating through the air going in and out of his chest. He catches me looking at his wings as I enter.
“It’s not that bad. They just want to make sure that I won’t use them for the next few hours while they heal,” he promises me.
I walk over and wrap my arms around him. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I confess.
“Yeah, same here.”
“Sorry, I think I’m messing with the flow of the mixtures entering your body.”
“I don’t care. Don’t stop hugging me—ever,” he says. So we hold on to each other for a little while longer. I pick up one of the stray chairs that are turned over and sit beside his bed.
“I’m sorry it took so long to find you,” I say to him.
“It’s okay. I had time to catch up on some reading,” he teases.
“I’m so glad we got you out in time. I can’t even think about what would have happened if we were too late.”
“You don’t have to think about that. What matters is that you got to me in time. I knew you would. Pry, you always do.”
“Please, Bex, you know I don’t get a lot of chances to save the great Kon,” I reply.
“That’s not true. You save me every damn day.”
“Bex, about Hunter…”
“I know; he’s gone. I could feel the powers of the Kon coming back to me. That meant that…”
“Sorry.”
“Yeah, me too. How did he die? The New Order?” he asks.
“No. Aaden killed him.”
“What?!”
“But I gave him permission to do it. I’m sorry. We had to. He was holding an innocent human hostage and…”
Bex doesn’t talk for a while. He looks up at the ceiling. There’s so much pain and sadness on his face, it makes my chest ache to watch him. I place my hand on top of his.
“Do you hate me?” I ask.
“No, Pry. I get why it had to be done. I just…he was my family.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Let’s talk about something else. The Healer told me what happened out there. I hate that Paras are dead. I really do. But I’m glad the revolt is over. Not all the Paras were against your team, Pry,” he says.
“I know that. And I know that now that you’re back, we can fix things with the Paras.”
“So…the Guardians are back, huh?”
“Yeah, I still can’t believe it. It’s been years.”
“According to the news, all of the angels are back. That includes my mom.”
“Is that good?”
“Yeah, I kind of missed her cold and distant ways,” he jokes.
“Bex, there’s something we need to talk about.”
“I know. In fact, there’s a lot we need to talk about. But right now I need to get the Omaris in order and my kingdom. And you should take a few days with your parents. In fact, if I can offer some advice, I think the whole team could use some time off.”
“Yeah, I get that, but we still don’t know who the butterfly is or why it will lead Randy to turn evil.”
“That can wait a few hours. Pry, I think the team needs this.”
“Okay, maybe a few hours.”
He takes my hand and kisses it. His touch warms me all over. I smile back at him sadly.
“Hey, this is a good day. In fact, it’s a perfect day. We’ve suffered some losses, but your parents have returned. The New Order is over. And I get to be with the girl I love, the girl who risked her life to save me. Pry, now that your parents are back…I can’t wait to tell them all about us. Wait until they hear that you and I are going to be married. You and I will exchange our Rahs and be one.”
“Bex, I—”
“That’s what kept me going in that hole. I knew that if I just held on, I’d get to hold you again.”
I am so screwed. Damn it!
“Bex?” I call out.
“Yes?” he replies with a sweet smile.
“I…I think you should rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“No, Pry, you should go be with your parents. Bellamy insisted on coming to guard me.”
“That’s fine, but I want to be by your side.”
“See that? Best. Girlfriend. Ever.”
When Bex closes his eyes to Recharge, I sneak out to the hallway to call Randy, but before I get a chance, Aaden walks down the debris-filled hallway and calls out my name.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“Yeah, I gave them the weekend off. I know I should have asked, but—”
“No, it’s fine. I would have done the same thing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. The Guardians have cleared all the bodies from the street. Your mom is like a supernova when she sets her mind to something—she had your house rebuilt in literally the blink of an eye.”
“I thought it couldn’t be rebuilt.”
“Me too. But when you are Death, there are a lot of strings you can pull, I guess. How’s Bex?” he asks sincerely.
“Still needs a little time to fully heal, but he’s going to be okay.”
“Good.”
This is the first time we’ve been alone since the night in the alley. We have so much to say to each other, yet we remain silent. It’s what we do best.
“Look, back the
re, when we were fighting and I called you ‘babe’…it just came out,” he explains.
“Let’s not talk about that right now. I mean…Bex is still recovering.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that calling you ‘babe’ felt…never mind,” he says as he turns and walks away, deflated.
“Natural,” I call out.
He turns back around to face me. “What?” he asks.
“When you called me ‘babe,’ it felt natural to me. And it also felt…good.”
Aaden and I wisely decide to leave our conversation where it is, and he goes to check in on Diana. As soon as he’s gone, I call Randy. When I tell him everything he’s missed, he scolds me for not calling him sooner. But I remind him that he said he wanted to spend time with his dad.
“I know, Pry, but I’m missing major events here. I was there at the start of this story, so don’t phase me out. I’m an essential character,” he says with all seriousness.
“I promise to keep you updated,” I reply.
“Not good enough. I want to be front and center.”
“I know, and you will. I just thought maybe it was time you did more normal things so that you could…”
“So that I could avoid turning evil and destroying the world?” he guesses.
“That and catch up on The Walking Dead. I hear this season is a crazy one,” I tease.
“It is! Guess who died in the last episode—wait! Don’t use my love of The Walking Dead to distract me!”
“Okay, okay. Sorry. Hey, I heard they’re rereleasing a new box set of Game of Thrones season seven with extended interviews with the cast and crew.”
“I know! It’s so mind blowing! They even have footage with R. R. Martin at his desk, writing the last book! I mean how cool is that—hey! Stop it, Pry!”
I laugh at him and he joins me. It’s been a while since I messed with my best friend.
“It is cruel and unusual punishment to use my love of all things fantasy against me.”
“Sorry, Randy. I couldn’t resist.”
“Seriously, Pry. Is everyone on the team okay? Should I be there with you right now?”
“No, we’re good. But we need to see each other soon. I miss your face,” I admit.
