by Lola StVil
“I told you.”
“Since when did demons startle you?”
“Well, that’s what happened, okay?”
“If you don’t want to tell me what happened, then don’t. But don’t lie to my face.”
“You’re the one keeping secrets. Where were you?”
“You want me to hide things from you so you feel better about hiding things from me.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Really? So Bex didn’t say he’s in love with you?”
What little strength I had left begins to leave my body. A small gust of wind can blow me over right now. He reads my face and looks away.
“You heard when he said it? Damn, I was going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time.”
He sighs heavily and rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration. When he speaks, his voice is low, deep and controlled. “I know how Bex feels about you. I knew before he did. What I want to know is do you feel the same? Are you in love with Bex? Does any part of you want to be with him?”
“No, I…I don’t.”
“Then why is your voice trembling?”
“Aaden—”
“Wait, let’s just stop. Pry, I want to know where you stand with the Kon. I want to know more than anything, but I’m not gonna be the asshole who forces you to address this when your best friend’s fighting for his life. The Bex discussion can wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Aaden, he’s gonna be okay, right? He can’t die. He can’t.”
“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up. Then we can go check on our friend.”
Aaden waits outside as the twins take me to the restroom to clean up. When I’m done, we all head back to the waiting room. Thankfully the floor has been cleaned, but I can still see Randy’s blood in my mind’s eye. I can also smell his blood beneath the cleaning product they used on the floor.
I can’t think about the fact that today could be Randy’s last day. I can’t think about the questions that Aaden asked me. The only way I can think to stay sane while we wait is to get back to business.
“I know this is a bad time to even think about this, but East needs to get his powers back. So while we wait for the Healers to update us, I need an update on the mission,” I inform them.
“We’re seriously going to talk shop while Randy is hurt?” Key asks.
“There’s nothing we can do for him but wait. In the meantime, he would want us to help East get his powers back,” Bex replies.
“It seems cold-blooded to me,” Key says.
“We can put this off for a while, Pry,” East suggests.
“No, we can’t. The entire Demon world is after you. And just because we have Paras standing guard doesn’t mean we’re safe. The only way to get rid of the demons is to find the Layu vial first. Swoop, call as many contacts as you can; we need the location of the Brothers.”
“I called everyone I know. No one knows where Kontrol and Kalamity are,” Swoop says.
“Check again. Someone has to know something,” I order.
“I can take a look at the search Randy was working on. Maybe there’s something there,” Key offers.
“Great. Bex, I need you to—” My voice dies in my throat as a Healer steps into the waiting room.
She looks serious and sad. We all stand up. My hands are blocks of ice. The pit of my stomach is invaded by wave after wave of guilt-soaked anxiety. I am so glad someone on the team speaks because I don’t think I can get the words out.
“Is Randy going to be all right?” Key asks.
“The First Noru’s attack should have killed him on the spot. The reason it didn’t is because he caught the tail end of the blast. Being hit by the weakest part of the surge would mean no damage at all had he been an angel or demon. But for a human, it’s still a very severe injury. The First Noru’s attack sucked the very life out of the human’s organs. Had we gotten to him a few seconds later, it would have been too late.”
“So you’re saying he’s going to be okay?” I ask.
“He won’t be ‘okay’ for a while, but he’s alive, and in time, if he drinks all the mixtures we give to him, he should be fine,” the Healer replies.
The relief that fills the room is palpable. She tells us we can go in and see him, but warns us not to stay too long. Everyone starts to enter Randy’s room, but I can’t go in.
“You can’t just stand out here, Pry,” Aaden says as the others disappear inside.
“What if I go in there and he tells me he hates me? What then? I almost killed him, Aaden. He may be alive, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t lose my best friend.”
“Maybe you did. I doubt it, but yeah, it’s possible. You still need to go inside and see him.”
“I don’t know if I can take Randy looking back at me with hate in his eyes,” I admit.
He comes closer and brushes a stray hair from my face. I still can’t believe what his touch does to me.
“Look at me,” he orders.
I have no choice but to stare into his fiery gold eyes. It’s hard not to fall into them. They remind me of Hawaiian sunsets—impossible to look away from.
“How could anyone hate you? You have the biggest heart I know. You’ve been there for Randy, and he’s not going to throw that away because of an accident.”
“I love him so much. If he hates me…”
“Never gonna happen. Not Randy.”
“I put a hole through him,” I whisper.
Aaden embraces me and reminds me what a loyal friend Randy has been. And when we pull apart, he kisses me tenderly.
Dear Omnis, why can’t this be our mission? Why can’t we just stand here, holding each other? Why must there be demons and nightmares to get in the way?
“Pry, you coming?” Aaden asks.
“Yeah, you go ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I promise.
I know that Aaden and the others are right. I have to go inside. But I just need a few moments to gather my courage. Man, this would be so much easier if it was just a demon or some bloodthirsty creature out to kill me.
Okay, Pryor. You get just one walk around the clinic. Then you need to grow a set and go see Randy, the smart, sweet-faced innocent human you almost killed.
I start down the hallway, certain that one go-around won’t be enough to gather the courage I’m lacking. I see a light flickering on and off in Ruin’s room. I head over there and find the door slightly open. Ruin is in bed with her eyes closed, and the light overhead goes on and off.
“Sparks, aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” I ask.
She quickly turns off the light in the room. I smile brightly and shake my head.
“Nice try. I know you’re still up,” I reply.
The light turns back on. I quietly pull up a chair next to the bed, careful not to wake Ruin.
“You’re sneaky, Ameana-Rose. Just like your dad,” I tell her.
She “smiles” by adding even more light to the room.
“Your dad was sneaky when we were kids too. One night, our parents had to go to a meeting, so they left your dad and me at home with our babysitter, Tony. He thought he’d put us to bed, but we snuck off into the kitchen.
“We played ‘Rescue the Human.’ I made him lie down on the floor and pretended like I saved him from a burning building. And no rescue was complete without a nice mixture to make sure the human was healed. I called it ‘HELP!’ It was made up of hot sauce and glue. I made your dad drink all of it. He almost passed out, it was so gross.” I laugh as I take Ruin’s hand in mine.
I look out towards the hall, making sure that we are not being overheard. I have never really talked to Sparks and now is as good a time as any.
“Look, when you get here, you’re going to hear things about your parents and about your family…the Angel world can be very confusing at times. But here’s what you need to know: Your mom is insanely brave. She went up against the biggest bad guy in
all the world and she held her ground. When it comes to making mixtures, no one is better than her.
“And don’t tell her I told you this, but she has this incredible sense of fashion. A few weeks ago I saw her in a pair of peep-toe suede sepia-colored heels…so hot. The minute you learn how to fly, you should totally raid her closet.
“There’s another thing you need to know about your mom, the most important thing. You are her hero. You saved her from her dark side and she loves you so much. You’ve only been here for a few months and you’re already saving people. You’re just like your dad.
“Your dad…he’s going to drive you crazy. He will make your dating life a living hell. He’ll try to stop you from growing up because he wants you to be his little girl forever. And he has a temper. So, if you get anything tattooed or pierced, or throw yourself off a forbidden mountain because the other angels are doing it, be prepared for the scolding of your life, kid.
“Last thing about your dad: You are the center of his world. And the same goes for your mom. I know what that’s like, and that’s the best gift they can give you. Not everyone gets to be loved in this world, but you are surrounded by it. Your parents can’t wait to meet you. I can’t wait to meet you.
“You are going to be leaving us for a little while but you’re never far from your dad’s mind or from any of us. You’re a Noru. That means you are a part of us, and no matter where you go, you will always be a part of our family. My best friend got hurt tonight, and it was my fault. From now on, I promise to be a better leader. I won’t let you or anyone else I love get hurt.
“I didn’t realize until this very moment how cool it is that there will be another Noru. In all the chaos, I didn’t take the time out to be grateful to Omnis. I would have liked things to work out a little differently, but a baby is still a pretty awesome thing. I hope you get your dad’s eyes. He has lovely eyes…”
She lights up the room so much it’s almost blinding. I laugh softly and playfully scold her.
“Okay, Firebug, time for bed…”
She slowly turns the lights down; I get up and head out the door. I look back over at Ruin and the baby.
Pryor Reese Cane, “unofficial” stepmom. It doesn’t sound that bad. In fact, it sounds kind of nice…
When I get back to the waiting room, the team tells me that Randy looks good, well, for a guy that’s been shot by the First Noru. They tell me he’s well enough to force them to promise not to cancel the party this weekend. I plan to scold Randy for putting a party above his health, but given that I’m the one who hurt him, I don’t know if he’s gonna be open to even talking to me.
I enter the room and see him lying in the bed, with his eyes open. There are various colored mixtures floating into his body by way of invisible tubes. His chest is covered with a glowing substance that moves in wavelike patterns as it mends his wounds.
His face is pale; his eyes have lost their color. They are now translucent. I can see through his eyes all the way to the back of his eye sockets.
Damn.
“I know, it’s freaky, right?” Randy says.
“Do your eyes hurt?”
“No, the Healer says they should go back to normal soon. Right around the time I can blink again, or you know…stand up,” he teases.
“I am so sorry. I can’t believe I lost control like that. Randy, please don’t hate me,” I beg.
“For all the times you saved my life, you’d have to kill me another six times before I can get mad.”
“Randy, seriously. I hurt you. If the blast had been full force, you would be dead.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It’s okay for you to be angry and decide you don’t want to talk to me.”
“Pry, it was an accident.”
“That doesn’t change what I did. Do you remember anything?” I ask.
“You were sitting in the waiting room and had your eyes closed. You were fine one minute, and then you started lashing out like you were trying to fend off an attacker. I called out your name, but you didn’t hear me. I ran over to you and that’s when you started blasting everything in sight. What happened?”
I tell him about my nightmare. He listens and concern spreads across his face. Only Randy would find it in his heart to worry about the girl that just tried to kill him.
“Pry, you know your mom doesn’t blame you for what happened to Sam. She knows you did everything you could. We all do.”
“That doesn’t matter. In the end he was mine to look after and I failed. I don’t know how I’m going to live with that, but it’s the truth.”
“This isn’t just about Sam. Having nightmares about the Center means it’s still in your head. You need to talk about it. Maybe that way it won’t be so…awful. You should talk about it with Silver. I mean, he would understand what you’re going through better than anyone, right?”
“No, I can’t talk to Aaden. In fact, when he asked me what happened, I lied.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s dealing with a lot right now. I don’t want to add dysfunctional girlfriend to the mix.”
“You can’t keep this from him.”
“I will tell him, but not right now.”
“Then when?”
“Soon. I don’t want to hold anything else back from him.”
“What have you held back?”
“Bex said he’s in love with me. I didn’t tell Aaden.”
“Bex said what? I’m knocked out for a few hours and I miss that much?”
“It happened before you got hurt.”
“Bex just came out and told you?”
“Yeah, we were arguing and then he just said it.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I couldn’t think of one damn thing.”
“Do you have feelings or something for Bex? I mean, this isn’t the first time sparks have flown between you two.”
“There are no sparks flying.”
“Pryor.”
“Can we talk about something else? Like the fact that your best friend almost killed you?”
“What’s even worse is she’s using me so that she doesn’t have to deal with her love life.”
“Yes, she is. Now be a good friend and give her a break,” I suggest.
“Okay, fine. But now I’d like to talk about my love life.”
“Um, okay, did I miss something?”
“Well…yeah, you kind of did.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve been trying to work up the courage for a while now, but there’s nothing like being shot in the chest by Death’s daughter. It really lights a fire under you and forces you to live for the moment. So now, I am going to drink as many vials as it takes to be well enough to go to the masquerade ball.”
“You can’t go to the party, Randy.”
“Oh yes I can, and I will. I’m done being afraid. I’m done waiting for the ‘right’ time. I want Key to be my girl. And the first step is asking her out to the ball.”
Before I can reply, Aaden bursts into the room, beaming, and sweeps me off my feet. He spins me around wildly like a madman.
“THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH!” he shouts as he playfully squeezes the life out of me.
“What’s happening?” I ask, laughing at his odd behavior.
“Diana just came over to me and said she’s staying! She’s staying, Pry!”
“What? Wait, what made her change her mind?” Randy asks.
“She wouldn’t go into details. She just said it was something you said,” Aaden replies.
“What did you say to Ruin?” Randy asks me.
“Nothing. I was talking to Sparks. I guess Ruin overheard,” I confess.
“I don’t know what you said to my daughter, but it was enough to get her mother to stay. You kept my family together. Pryor, I love you.”
He pulls me in close and we hold each other. I didn’t think it was still possible, but right here and now
, we are all utterly and completely happy.
Chapter Thirteen:
The Silver Experience
It’s Saturday morning and we have come back home; believe it or not, the house is in one piece. That’s because some friends of my parents quickly gathered and reassembled it. They said given all the help they have received from the Guardian team, the least they could do was make sure their kids had a home to go back to.
We thanked them, and they went on to apologize for how long the light is taking to be repaired. I assured them that the team was okay with the seemingly endless delays in repairing the light. They knew we weren’t, but they let us lie and pretend we weren’t missing our parents.
When we get back, the first thing we do is send East out to Mind wipe the entire neighborhood. The humans now walk around with no idea that there was a massive explosion only a few hours ago. I’m grateful that East can Mind wipe; it helps us out a lot. I’m even more grateful that we’re all out of that damn clinic.
Actually, not all of us are back. The only way the Healers would agree to let Randy out for the game night later tonight and the ball on Sunday was if he stayed in the bed all day and let them look after him. I hated leaving him there, but he insisted I get ready for my “super sixteen” weekend, as he called it.
I would never say this out loud, but I’m actually getting excited about my birthday. Normally I would be worried given how determined the Demon world is to kill East. But so far, the Paras have been successful at keeping them away from us. We could actually have a demon-free weekend!
What’s even better is that East got word last night that, while Frank is far from recovered, he is out of danger. They are certain he will live. That means East no longer has to face the possibility of prison. That takes a tremendous amount of weight off our shoulders.
We also have good news on the mission front. Swoop has a half-angel friend who might know where the Brothers are. As soon as we get confirmation we will be off to see them and get East’s powers back.
In addition, and I never thought I would say this, but one of the things that I am most happy about is that Diana is staying. (Randy pointed out that it may help Ruin to feel more welcome if we stop calling her by her demon name.) I talked to the team about it and they all agreed.
