by Lola StVil
* * *
Diana goes downstairs and leaves the door open, allowing me a perfect view of Pryor’s room across the hall. Against my better judgment, I enter and close the door behind me. Right away I’m greeted by her scent: lilies and summer rain.
I walk over to the framed pictures on her dresser. Many of them are pictures of her parents and her little brother. I pick one up and study it. Everyone smiles back at me from the frame.
I remember the day they took that picture. It was the day she successfully flew around the world on her own. It meant she mastered flight, a proud day for most angels. But Pry was mad because she thought she should have flown faster. She had the second best time in our class but that wasn’t enough. Finally our instructor agreed to let her try again, unofficially. She did better than any one of us would have guessed. She was beaming.
There are other pictures on her dresser, most of which I recall: pictures of her and the team. All our training sessions, trips around the world, and outings were well documented.
Next to the photos I spot a small orb. It’s a Reply. I activate it with my touch and it reenacts Pryor laughing and sticking her tongue out playfully. She’s the most beautiful thing Omnis has ever created. Hearing her laughter triggers a surge of longing unlike anything I have ever felt. I put the Reply down and that’s when I spot—under her bed—the box.
We had jokingly called the box “Mini Omnis.” We called it that because the box was always out of our reach. We tried a dozen times but could never find it. When we asked Pry what was in her secret box all she would say was that it’s the place she puts things she can’t live without.
For years we speculated about what she was keeping in there. Bex thought she was keeping some secret mixture that would do her chores for her. The twins joked that Pryor was keeping a demon there to practice her powers on. East often said she was keeping some crazy mixture that caused her hair to be the shade of red it was.
Whatever she was keeping in the box, it was very important to her. She hid it under her bed and covered it with a Triplex. A Triplex is an invisible coating that makes it impossible to see an object even if it’s right in front of you unless you know it’s there.
She must have forgotten to place the coating back on.
I pull out the white wooden box from under the bed. It has different complex patterns carved on the side of it. I’m not sure what treasures she’s hiding in there but for some reason I feel as if knowing the answer will bring me closer to her. I sit on the edge of her bed and open it. There’s only one thing in there—a hammer.
Not too long ago she came to me upset and ready to give up on the thought of us being together. She said she was trying to knock down the wall I had put up and she needed something to give her hope. I sent the hammer to her. And here it is, in the place she puts the things that matter most.
“Damn…” I whisper softly to myself.
That’s when it happens. The weight of her absence forces my head down and despair washes over me. The thought that she is in pain renders me weak and shakes me to my very core. But what takes me over the edge is that what Diana said was right—it’s my fault. I’m the reason she’s been taken—or worse.
Please, Omnis, don’t take her from me…
“We have a problem,” Key says.
I look up and find her standing in the doorway.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—are you okay?” she asks.
I clear my throat and gather myself. I then place the box back under the bed.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks, studying my troubled face.
“Yeah, I’m good. What’s up—did Randy find something?”
“Um…no, not yet. But we were monitoring social media to make sure news of Pryor’s disappearance was still under wraps and there was breaking news on twitter about Bex.”
“What news?” I ask.
“We now know what he had to do in order to ensure the Omari didn’t come after you. They are forcing him to give up something,” she replies sadly.
“What?”
“Us—Bex is leaving the team.”
Chapter Seven:
Susu
It’s ten minutes later and everyone gathers in the kitchen except East, who still has not replied to the texts I’ve sent him. We confront Bex about leaving the team but he is resolved to do just that.
“They can’t force you to leave the team,” Swoop protests.
“She’s right. We have to fight this, Bex,” Randy says.
“It’s my fault, they can’t take it out on you,” I tell him.
“The Paras feel that my loyalties have been shifting. They want me with them, and as the next Kon, that’s where I belong,” Bex argues.
“So you actually want to leave us?” Swoop asks.
“No, but I think that they may have a point. I’m not behaving like an angel who will be king someday. I stood by and let Silver torture one of my own. What kind of king does that?” Bex pleads.
“You couldn’t have stopped me, Bex. I blocked your path. There was no way you could have gotten to me to prevent me from hurting Hollander,” I remind him.
“The truth is, I would have let you hurt him. Him and a hundred other Paras if it meant we would find her,” Bex replies.
“I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them you tried to stop me but that you had no choice.”
“Silver, it doesn’t matter to the Paras. All they know is that I stood by and watched you inflict pain on my own kind,” Bex says.
“If they want to send the Omari after me then let them. You can’t give up your place on this team,” I tell him.
“If the Omari come after you, they will kill you. They won’t capture you and take you away. If you’re caught by them, you’re done. We have our differences, but I’m not gonna let that happen,” Bex says.
“When are you leaving us?” Swoop asks.
“I told them I needed a few days. They were reluctant but finally agreed in the end. That means as usual we are short on time, so we better get back to work because as of now we have nothing to go on,” Bex reminds us.
“Actually, I think I may have something,” Randy says, guiding us into the kitchen to view what’s on the screen of his laptop.
“Whoever runs The Center must hate Noru. So I’ve been focusing on beings that have voiced concern about you guys existing. While there aren’t many, the few are very vocal about it,” Randy explains.
“How did you compile this list?” Bex asks.
“I’ve taken names from every angry tweet, Facebook post, blog entry, and news feed. If they have bitched about it, they are on this list,” Randy replies.
“There’s over two hundred angels on here. How will we narrow it down?” I ask.
“I’ve already done that. Everyone on this list still actively hates you guys for being so powerful and expresses their dismay. Everyone except this angel,” Randy says, pointing to the profile of an older, slender Para angel with dark rimmed glasses and silver-white hair.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“His name is Colton Bishop. Take a look at this,” Randy tells us.
He shows us Bishop’s webpage. His entire site is dedicated to the reason why Norus should not only be banned from the Angel world but should be destroyed altogether. This angel genuinely hates us.
“What does the site prove? Other than that he’s a raving lunatic?” Swoop asks.
“Once he created this site, he posted on it regularly. He took great pains to make sure it was current and filled with anti-Noru propaganda. Then all of a sudden he took the site down. He erased all traces of himself online and in the media. I had to do all kinds of Hacker-Ninja things to find what little info I did.”
“Maybe he changed his mind about us,” Key offers.
“Not this guy. He has a whole manifesto here about the dangers of Noru. There are only two reasons why he would stop shouting that the Norus should
be destroyed. He’s dead or he has found a better way to get his point across,” Randy reasons.
“It’s not a strong lead, Randy. But it’s all we have. Good job,” I tell him.
“I know a few places I could check out, places that cater to embittered, paranoid angels who think everyone is out to get them,” Bex offers.
“Great. In the meantime, the twins can go to Hun’s Market and see if there’s a Seller there who might know something. Sellers are notoriously nosy. They deal in gossip just as much as they do forbidden objects.”
“It’s worth a shot.” The twins agree in unison.
“When this is all over, we will deal with this crazy thing about you leaving the team. That’s just not gonna happen,” I say to Bex.
“I didn’t know you cared,” Bex teases.
“Luckily I don’t have to like you to have you on the team,” I reply.
“Well then, Ruin should fit right in,” Swoop says.
“Where is she?” Randy asks.
“She’s gone,” I reply.
“She’s a real pain but she’s a fantastic Healer; we could use her,” Key replies.
“I know she’s gifted, but she also brings issues with her. Anyway, she’s long gone by now,” I tell him.
“She’s probably lurking somewhere nearby,” Randy replies.
“Why would she hang around after I told her to go away?” I ask.
“Because she has nowhere to go. She doesn’t have a good handle on the whole ‘not being evil’ thing, but for a demon, she sure has saved a lot of angels,” Randy says.
“Randy has a point and besides, if she’s not with us, she’s going to turn to the only other being she has a connection with—Malakaro. Wouldn’t you rather her be here than with him?”
“You’re right. I’ll go get her and bring her back,” I reply.
“No one is going anywhere until I get some answers,” the demon at the front door demands.
I turn and find my father, Rage, standing in the doorway.
* * *
“Who has her?” my father asks as soon as we are alone.
“Who has who?” I reply.
“Don’t screw around with me, Aaden. I know something is wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong. I went on a stupid, drunken bender,” I lie.
“That’s crap and you know it.”
“You don’t think it’s possible that I just lost control?” I ask.
“No, not like this. Look, I made the mistake of believing what others were saying about you once and I won’t make it again. I know you, Aaden. You know better than to get into drugs.”
“Dad, everything’s fine,” I assure him.
“The hell it is. The only being in the world that can affect you this much is Pryor. If she were somehow in danger, I have no doubt that you would take on the entire Angel world. Now what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“Damn it, Aaden, I will not ask you again!” he says in no uncertain terms.
I have no choice but to update him on the past few hours; right away he is livid and ready to take action.
“You have no idea where she is?” he asks, on high alert.
“No, The Center is in a Whirlwind. So there is no permanent location,” I reply.
“Okay, I’ll take care of this. I’ll take out as many angels or demons as I need to, but don’t worry, I’ll get her back,” he says, in a frenzy .
He goes charging for the door. I quickly stand in his way. He looks at me, puzzled.
“Dad, you have to let me do this on my own.”
“Pryor’s my best friend’s daughter. Everyone on the Guardian team vowed to look after the Noru. I am the only team member here, I have to find her.”
“You want to help, that’s great. We’re not going to turn down help from anyone. But I have to take the lead on this. Pryor isn’t here, that makes me the First Noru as of now. This is my team and I have to lead them.”
“I won’t sit back and let them take the only child Marcus and Emmy have left. You need to step aside and let me take care of this,” he rages.
“If Mom was alive and someone took her, would you step aside?” I challenge.
He looks like he’s going to argue but then thinks better of it. He manages to calm himself down as he studies me.
“It’s not your fault they took her,” he says after a moment of silence.
“It is. They told me to stay away from her and…”
“I don’t care who they are, they don’t get to decide who you end up with. Screw them and their bullshit rules. You love her?” he asks.
“Yeah, I do.” I met my father’s serious stare.
“Does she love you?”
“She has never said it but…I think so.”
“Then go get her,” he pushes.
“And you’ll stand down?”
“You’re the First Noru right now, so if that’s what you want, then yes.”
“We could use your help,” I offer, knowing he would lose it if he were completely cut from the mission.
“Anything you need,” he replies. I tell him about Randy’s theory about a secret society.
“That would explain why I haven’t been able to find anything on The Center. The bastards are operating underground.”
“It’s very likely. Have you ever heard of a Para named Bishop?” I ask.
“Colton Bishop?”
“Yes.”
“Sure, he’s a loudmouth Para-conspiracy nut. He wouldn’t shut up about the ‘dangers’ of mixing angels with other beings. When you and the other Noru were born he went into overdrive. He ranted for weeks about how it never should have happened. But I haven’t seen or heard about him in years. You think he has something to do with The Center?”
“Randy thinks it’s a good bet. Could you dig around and see where he is?” I ask.
“I’ll get on it,” he promises.
“Also reach out to any contacts you can in the Demon world. Also ask Sellers, Pawns, anyone and everyone. We need to find this Bishop guy. He’s our only clue right now.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s the team holding up?” he asks.
“They’re trying to deal but it’s hard on them. The twins are just getting over not having their parents around and now their leader is missing. Easton is worried like crazy because he keeps trying to look calm and collected. Randy is trying to focus his research so that the reality of the situation doesn’t hit him.”
“And Bex?”
“Things with the Para and I are…complicated,” I admit.
“Whatever your issues, put it aside and focus on Pryor. She’s all that matters.”
“Believe me, I know,” I reply.
“There’s something else,” he guesses as he looks into my unsettled face.
“Diana’s here. She helped us out earlier and I wanted her to stay but she’s so…”
“Diana,” he says, nodding with understanding.
“Exactly.”
“Whatever you do, keep Pryor’s disappearance a secret. If the Angel world finds out, so will her parents. And they won’t survive even the possibility of losing another child.”
I rake though my hair with both hands. My father studies me once again. It’s as if he can see the tension traveling throughout my body.
“Aaden, talk to talk me.”
“What if I don’t find her?” I whisper.
“Bullshit, you got this. I know you do,” he assures me.
He then does something that’s always embarrassed the hell out of me: he embraces me and tells me he loves me. I fought hearing that when I was a kid but that never stopped him from saying it. But today, I don’t fight him back. Today it feels good to hear. Today, I say it back.
After he looks me over, he makes me promise to contact him should we need any help. Then he
heads for the door and I call out to him.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“When Mom died…how did you do it?”
“Do what?” he wonders.
“Live without her. Pryor’s only been gone for a few hours and I can’t…”
“Aaden Grey, you are not allowed to have those thoughts. Pryor will be fine. Her father is First Guardian, he taught her to be strong. And her mother is the most stubborn woman you will ever meet. I’m telling you that girl just refused to die. And Pryor is the very same way. She will make it through this. It’s your job to make sure you do the same.”
* * *
The team flies off to hunt down more details while Randy works furiously on his laptop. Diana reluctantly heads back towards the house. In no mood for a second round of fighting, I head out before she gets to the door.
East is not answering his phone. I don’t want to worry the others but I don’t like not knowing what’s going on with him. I use the GPS tracker Pryor had us all install on our phones. Thankfully he did not turn it off.
I find East at the shelter on West 28th Street. It turns out I don’t even need the GPS to tell me where he is because he’s shouting so loudly he can be heard out in the street. Worried, I rush inside the shelter and find him in the middle of a crowd of humans, trying to stop a fight.
East stands in front of a small-framed girl with curly hair and caramel skin. He blocks her from taking a swing at a giant overweight guy with long stringy hair. The crowd holds the guy back but the person who really needs to be held back is the girl. Although the guy towers over her, she is determined to get at him. I recognize her; it’s Marisol.
Easton met her a few months back and saved her from an abusive boyfriend. In doing so he exposed us. Then she transferred to our school and Pryor had him Mind wipe her. I knew he was involved with some girl since he was disappearing all the time, but I didn’t know who it was.
“You touch that boy again and I’ll make sure you’re locked up!” Marisol vows as she lunges full force at the mammoth-like man.
Easton is the only thing standing between her and a violent end. The man yells back and vows to kill her if she ever so much as speaks to him again.
