by Lola StVil
“Your son was lucky to have you. He died knowing he was loved. That’s the most important thing you could have done for him. And even if he’s no longer here, he’s still with you. You can fill up that space with the memories he left you. Instead of mourning that he died, you need to celebrate that he lived.”
She smiles at Aaden’s words, wipes her face with more tissues, and breathes deeply. Her face is red and puffy, but she has stopped crying.
“Thank you,” she says to him as she tries to compose herself.
“We know that we matter to you. You matter to us too. But, Mrs. Greenblatt, keeping us from living isn’t going to stop us from dying,” I say as I walk over and take her hand.
“But…you’re just babies,” she says weakly.
“When I was six months old, I killed a demon by waving my rattle at him. Aaden parted clouds when he was only a few days old. And by the time the twins were in preschool, they had already eviscerated half a dozen demons. Even when we were kids, we weren’t kids,” I reply gently.
“Yes, I suppose so,” the Face replies.
“How about this, you loosen up the reins—just a little bit—and we promise to check in more often.”
“I guess that would be acceptable,” she says, surprising us with a relieved smile.
“Could they really send me to prison?” East asks.
“If Frank dies, they will try, but they’ll need to get past me. I’m the only one allowed to make your lives miserable,” she teases.
“Well, we’d really be happy if you let us take off for the weekend. It’s Pry’s birthday Sunday,” Swoop says slyly.
“There are demons after you, one of your team members may go to prison, and you want to party?” the Face says, back to her rigid tone. Thankfully she catches herself. “Well…I suppose a tasteful celebration would be okay.”
“Guys, I don’t really want to have a party,” I counter.
“What? C’mon, Pry! You only turn sixteen once,” Randy says.
“East is going through a lot right now, and we should focus on him, right?” I ask East.
“Actually, I’m up for anything. This might be my last weekend of freedom so…bring it on!” East shouts.
“Guys, I’m not sure—”
“Pry, just leave it to me. Tomorrow is Friday. That means we have one full day to plan your birthday weekend!” Swoop says as she starts texting furiously.
“Aaden, help,” I beg.
“I think it’s a great idea.”
“What?”
“Pry, you need a break. They need a break,” Aaden pleads.
“Mrs. Greenblatt, did you have a sweet-sixteen weekend?” I ask.
“No. I had a sweet-sixteen year! I partied so hard I only recall flashes,” she admits.
“Seriously?” the twins ask in unison.
“My parents had to pay a lot of money,” she adds.
“Your party was expensive?” I ask.
“No, but the aftermath was. We destroyed something during the party and we had to pay to rebuild it.”
“What did you destroy?” Aaden asks.
“Greece.”
And for the first time since I’ve known her, the Face shares a laugh with us.
A few minutes later, Bex appears in the hallway and discreetly signals me to go over to him. Everyone is already deep in party-planning mode. The only one who notices me leaving the room is Aaden. He is keenly aware of my absence. I head out before he can question me.
“Bex, you wanted to see me?”
“I found out who gave the order to fire on you despite my instructions.”
“Who was it?”
“Cash Bowen. He’s the second in command of the Omari. He felt that I was lax in not taking Easton down, so although I said to wait, he released the Powerball.”
“Just one could do that?” I ask.
“Yes. It’s a collaborative team. If one of them feels they should strike, then they all strike. That is, unless the Kon says otherwise. And Pry, I did.”
“Why didn’t Cash listen to you?”
“He thinks that I’m weak and that I shouldn’t be Kon. So he went against me.”
“Oh. What’s gonna happen to him?”
“His life as an Omari is over.”
“You relieved him of duty?”
“Yes.”
“Bex, Paras train their whole lives to become Omari. Cash…he could retaliate.”
“Good. That way I have a reason to kill him.”
“Bex!”
“Pryor, you could have died! Do you get that?” he snaps.
“Yeah, I do. I just don’t want things to get awkward for you and the Paras.”
“I love the Para world. I would give my life for all of them. But I am the one in charge and I will decide when we take a life—not Cash or anyone else!”
“Okay…”
“Cash has been arguing with me a lot lately. I should have known he would turn on me.”
“But turning on a Kon is rare, right?”
“Yes.”
“Who was the first Kon the Omari disobeyed?” I ask.
“You’re looking at him.”
“Oh. Bex, I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. I’m sorry.”
“Just forget about it.”
“Okay, but did you mean what you said? Do you really feel that way about me?”
“You’re a smart girl. I don’t see how you could have missed it. Unless you didn’t want to see it.”
“I never thought…you were always with Key.”
“Well, I’m not now.”
“Bex, you know I’m with—”
“I didn’t say it so that you could say it back. I just wanted you to know. It was way past time you knew.”
“What do I say to that?”
“You could tell me that you don’t feel anything for me. Then I would…I don’t know what I would do, but…at least I would know. So say it. Say you have no feelings for me.”
Bex looks at me with longing in his eyes and waits for my reply. I part my lips to confirm that I am not into him. But no words escape my mouth. My silence fills up the space between us. Aaden enters the hallway and studies the pensive looks on our faces.
“Did I miss something?” he asks.
“No. Pry and I were just talking,” Bex says.
“Yeah, but we better go back inside before Swoop invites the entire city of New York to my birthday party,” I reply, trying to lighten the mood.
“You go ahead, I need to have a talk with Bex—alone,” Aaden says.
I would like to argue with him, but there’s a certainty in his tone that tells me it would be pointless. The tension between him and Bex is palpable. I go inside the room, but stay close to the door so I can hear what’s going on between the two of them.
“I don’t know what you thought you saw just now, Silver, but it was nothing,” Bex warns him.
“Fair enough. But, Bex, if I ever catch you looking at Pryor the way you were just now…I will kill you.”
I know I need to speak to Aaden, but I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to add to the tension between him and Bex, but I don’t want to keep secrets from him. I need at least an hour with Randy to figure out what I’m going to do.
Before I can pull Randy away, Luna enters the room of excited angels and whispers something into Aaden’s ear. He looks over at me, concerned. He then leaves the room and I follow.
“Hey, what is it?” I ask Aaden once we’re alone in the waiting room.
“I really want to be there with you, but Luna just told me Diana should be ready to be released sometime this weekend.”
“And you want to spend as much time as you can with Sparks until then,” I reply sadly.
“I’m sorry. I hate this. It’s your sixteenth birthday. That’s important. I should be there for that,” Aaden says to himself.
“I’m disappointed, but I do understand; really, I do.”
“Don’t do that,” he says.
>
“Do what?”
“Don’t be an amazing girlfriend right now. I’m blowing you off to spend time with Diana. I’m a crap boyfriend. Suck the life force out of me or something.”
“If it will make you feel better, I could break your legs or maybe snap off a wing. You don’t really need your wings, do you?” I tease.
He smiles, but it’s quickly replaced with sadness. I wrap my arms around his neck and move in close. He places his hands on either side of my waist. Although we are physically close, looking in his eyes, I can tell he’s a thousand miles away.
“Hey you, where did you go?” I ask as I study him.
“I’m right here.”
“Aaden, talk to me.”
“The moment Diana said she was taking Sparks away, I felt like I had this hole in my chest. And it just keeps getting bigger with every passing…”
I don’t know when to tell him about Bex’s feelings for me, but I am sure now is not the time.
I place my hands on the sides of his face and make him look into my eyes. My heart aches knowing just how much Ruin’s exit is hurting him.
“Sparks knows that you’re her dad. She’s not going to forget you—ever.”
“That’s what I’d like to think, but the reality is no matter how much you love someone, when they’re not around, you forget. My dad has told me countless stories about my mom, but in the end, she’s just a ghost to me. How long is it before Sparks forgets my voice? How long before she forgets me altogether?”
“I believe Ruin when she says that you can be with Sparks once she’s born.”
“Yeah, I believe her too. The problem is we’re in battle every other day. Who’s to say that I will live long enough to ever lay eyes on my daughter?”
“Aaden, you can’t give up hope like that. We’ll figure something out. We spend way too much time in this clinic. Let’s sneak off and go see something on our Ha-Ha list,” I suggest.
The Ha-Ha list is a list of odd, wonderful places and things we have always wanted to see on Earth, everything from a pink lake to a garden of living statues.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll take a walk,” he says.
“Okay.”
“I’m not trying to be a jerk; I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I know.”
He kisses me gently and heads for the exit.
“If you don’t get in there, your birthday weekend is going to be a birthday month,” Randy cautions as he enters the hallway.
I don’t reply. I just look out at the exit as Aaden walks away. He gets smaller and smaller until I can no longer see him.
“Pry, are you okay?” Randy asks.
I tell him about Ruin’s plans to leave.
“How can I help?”
“I don’t think you can. He’s going to lose Sparks.”
“He doesn’t have to. I mean, not if you let him go,” Randy says carefully.
“Randy, are you suggesting I let go of the angel I love and lose him again?”
“No, I’m suggesting you let Sparks be with her dad.”
“I’m not the one keeping them apart!”
Swoop runs out of the room, doing summersaults. She is beaming with joy and anticipation. When she realizes that Randy and I are in the midst of an argument, she gives us a stern warning.
“No! I do not care what is going on with you two. Handle it!” Swoop demands.
“There’s nothing going on,” Randy lies.
“Good, because everything is all set.”
“Swoop, you got a party together that quickly?” I ask.
“‘A’ party? Ha! We are having an all-out extravaganza! Pryor, the next seventy-two hours will be drama free, scandal free, and demon free. Do you hear that, world? The Noru are officially on vacation!”
Chapter Eleven:
We Made A Deal
It’s early Friday morning and some part of me really thought that East would rethink throwing this party. I was wrong. East is brimming with excitement; this party is all he can talk about. In fact, the entire Angel world can talk of nothing else. Marcus and Emmy’s daughter turns sixteen. It’s making the news all over the world.
Swoop’s ability to gather angels for a party should be considered a superpower. She has the weekend all laid out. Saturday we are supposed to go to Dave & Buster’s. That’s a huge arcade designed for adults.
There will be a mix of humans and angels acting like kids on a sugar high. There will be music loud enough to ensure brain damage, human and angel food, and an unlimited supply of Coy. Swoop rented out the entire mall. So, in addition to the above, there is also a bowling alley, paintball room, shops, and yes, more Coy.
The only way I would agree to let East be a part of this is if he drank a vial of Base. That’s a liquid that has a very bad reaction with Coy. As soon as a drop of Coy passes East’s lips, he will throw it back up. So, I’m pretty sure he will behave, since puke breath isn’t the best way to charm all the girls he’s gonna try to take home.
Sunday, my actual birthday, Swoop will be hosting a masquerade ball. She has already sent out a list of appropriate attire. She wants girls in gowns and guys in their designer best. I didn’t think anyone would go for it, but the last time I checked, #Sweet16maskmaddness was trending.
I hate to say it, but the team really does need some time away from it all. And like Aaden said, they are not the only ones. I could use some time off. I mean, like five or ten years where I don’t have anything to do but lay in the sun somewhere, surrounded by clear blue waters and a sky that goes on forever.
And who is lying beside you in the sand? Aaden or Bex?
What? Where the hell did that thought even come from? Yes, Bex and I had…a moment or two, but when I close my eyes, the angel that I see myself with is Aaden. It’s always been him. And although things aren’t ideal right now, I want him in my life forever.
I remember how he cared for me when Sam was killed. I made his life hell in the cabin in Ireland, and he never complained. I refused to stay awake, I fought him, and I cried for days. He held me and wouldn’t let the sorrow swallow me whole. I also recall our first kiss together. My first kiss ever. It was by far the best feeling in the world.
I have to try to fix things for him. I have to find a way to get Ruin to stay.
I give a thought to what Randy said about letting Aaden go off with Ruin. I hate it. I mean, I seriously get violently ill at the thought of not having Aaden around. But in the end if that’s what needs to happen in order for him to be a better dad, then I can suck it up. Or at least pretend to be okay with it because it’s what’s best. But we are not there yet. I still have one more move to make.
I knock on Ruin’s hospital room and hope she lets me in. If not, I’ll have to break down the door, and well, since this is a mission of peace, that’s probably not a good way to start. I knock again and she calls out for me to enter.
Dear Omnis, let this go well. Or at the very least grant me some self-control so I don’t strangle her.
When I enter, I find her packing up what little she had with her. I have no real idea what I’m going to say. I find myself longing for a nice demon battle instead of this scene that’s about to play out.
“Is this a good time?” I ask.
“Yes, Sparks isn’t up yet.”
“Great. I wondered if we could talk.”
“Honestly, I’m really not up for twelve rounds right now,” Ruin replies.
“I’m not trying to fight with you. I just want to talk, okay?”
“Fine, talk about what?”
“Aaden told me that you’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t act like we’re best friends or anything, but you really have helped us and we would like it if you stayed. I mean, if you want to stay, we’re good with that,” I offer awkwardly.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Ruin, you’re making this harder than it has to be. Just stay,” I snap.
“Why?”
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“I told you, it’s helpful to have you around.”
“C’mon, Pryor! You’re a grown woman now, stop beating around the bush. You have something to say to me, then say it.”
“Fine. I am good with you leaving, actually more than good. But you and Sparks are a package deal. So I need you to stay because that’s what Aaden wants. I love him and it’s killing me to watch him hurt like this. He needs Sparks. He can’t handle not being around his child. Don’t do this to him. Don’t take her away.”
“But isn’t that ‘just like me’?” she asks.
“What?”
“You’re standing here pissed off because you think I have found yet another way to trick Aaden to be with me. So what’s my plan? I tell him I’m going and then he grows bitter when I’m gone and blames you? And then he dumps you and comes back to me? You know what, that’s a great plan.”
“So that’s really what you’re doing? Using your child to manipulate him?”
“No, it’s not. And do you know why I’m not doing that?”
“Enlighten me.”
“Because it takes too much damn time. Got it? I don’t have time to sit and conjure up ways to get Silver. I have one hundred and fifteen things on my list and Silver doesn’t even make the top one hundred.”
“I’m just supposed to believe you?” I scoff.
“Little girl, I don’t really give a—I don’t care what you think, or do or don’t believe,” she says, catching herself.
I’ve never known Ruin to care about cursing or what that meant. She always just said what was on her mind. Now she’s censoring herself for her child. Or is it another form of manipulation?
“Okay, say I do believe you. What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. How do I keep the Kasters from setting my kid on fire because I betrayed them? How do I explain to her that her parents love her but will never be together? And my personal favorite, how do I make her understand that she’s a gift and not a mistake when everyone hates her.”
“We don’t hate Sparks. We could never hate her,” I reply, offended.
“No, you just hate the woman that brought her life.”
“Look, you have lied and gone out of your way to be an enemy of mine. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but it’s like every damn time I turn around you are taking something away from me.”
