Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
~ * ~
Several hours later, after I was safely home in bed and curled up with a book, there was a gentle knock on my window. What in the world?
I set the book down on my nightstand and frowned, moving slowly to see what it was. I padded in my bare feet across the wooden floor, and when I made it to the window, I carefully pushed the curtain aside. Caleb grinned on the other side of the glass as he knelt down on the roof outside and I released a nervous laugh. “Caleb, what are you doing here?” I asked him, while opening the window so we could talk.
“Hey, are you interested in going for a walk?”
“Now?”
“Unless you have something more pressing to attend to.”
My stomach did a backflip and I had to hide my smile. “Sure, just let me get some shoes.”
His smile widened as I grabbed my sandals from the corner and quickly threw on my leather jacket. Internally, I was doing a celebratory cha-cha and thrilled that he had stopped by unannounced. “What are you listening to?” he asked me suddenly, when I realized that Pandora was still playing on my iPhone.
“Oh, it’s called Post-Modern Jukebox,” I told him sheepishly. “It’s this guy, Scott Bradley, who takes modern songs and gives them a vintage feel. It’s kinda been my thing lately.”
“Hmmm…” he acknowledged with a smile as I turned it off and went to climb through the window beside him.
“I’d ask what kind of music you listen to, but … do angels listen to music? Maybe I shouldn’t make assumptions.”
Caleb laughed and disappeared in a burst of light, only to turn back up again on the sidewalk just below me. “Naw, I listen to music,” he responded casually. “Or more accurately, encounter music that I’m fond of.”
While he was talking, I had already begun to shimmy down the tree at the edge of our roof — taking each branch at a time. I was pleased with my success when I landed safely on the ground beside Caleb.
“It’s nice to see you again,” I told him with a smile.
He smiled back at me and gestured down the path. “How could I stay away, when there is someone as interesting as you waiting for me?”
My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t contain my smile of pleasure when I looked up at him. “So… tell me how that works. You listen to music, how? I don’t exactly see you with an iPod.”
Caleb grinned as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and responded, “There are other ways. It’s kind of hard not to pick up on a few things here and there. Eternity comes with a lot of downtime, so I’ll occasionally listen in on a concert, or be present while it’s being played.”
I shook my head and laughed. “That’s so weird to think about!”
“Why, suddenly angels can’t have hobbies?” he asked me with a grin. “It’s not like people die and their soul is not who they were before. Personalities spread out infinitely in each direction across time. Artist continue to create art, storytellers continue to tell stories… and musicians will always compose, because it brings them pleasure to do so. It wouldn’t be heaven without great works of art to celebrate it.”
I nodded slowly. “What do you listen to?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Sure.”
“Actually … I listen of a lot of indie music. There is something soulful about it that I really enjoy.”
“Huh … I never would have guessed.”
We talked some more about music, our favorite composers, and songs that had spoken to us personally, then moved on to other subjects. We took the dirt path away from my house and followed it around the block, totally enraptured in one another’s company. Every now and then he would make me laugh with such biting and offbeat humor that I would crumple from the strain of trying to keep it in.
He grinned every time he saw me do it, clearly pleased by my reaction. The last time I had to wipe a tear from my eye I was laughing so hard and looked up at him with a smile. “I really should be heading back. Dad would kill me if he knew I was out this late.”
“I understand,” he told me sympathetically. “I also wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t like the way we left things.”
My smile faded slightly when I stopped walking and caused him to stop and face me properly. “You’re just being careful, there’s nothing to apologize for.”
He offered me a conciliatory smile and we started walking down the street towards my house again. I loved the curve of the winding street and earthy smell that came from living on the outskirts of town. Canopy roads and white picket fences just weren’t possible in the inner city. A breeze blew past us on the road and I shivered against the cold, bringing my arms in close around my body for residual warmth. I could see my breath in the air around us as Caleb noticed me begin to tremble.
Without a single word exchanged, he moved closer towards me and I felt warm again. His presence brought me comfort and the chill faded until I felt nothing but… calm. Realizing that, I smiled and inclined my head towards him.
Caleb and I walked in silence for a couple blocks until we made it to my house. Neither of us were ready to say goodbye, so we found ourselves lying on my roof looking up at the stars.
“They make everything seem so small,” I told him quietly. “It’s like everything else just disappears.”
He hummed in agreement and rolled over on his elbow to look at me. “Want to see something cool?”
“Sure!” I told him with a grin.
He lay back on the roof and raised one hand in front of us, waving a finger slightly against a constellation. As I watched in fascination, the stars began to move and twinkle brightly in the sky. I laughed in delight, mesmerized by the light show he put on for me and feeling remarkably special and appreciated.
“Thank you,” I breathed out sleepily. “It was beautiful—”
“If you’re quite finished now, Eric would like to speak with you,” a woman’s voice cut through the silence. Caleb sighed and we both rolled over to see Maya sitting on the chimney with a bitter scowl cutting through her gorgeous features.
“I was just about to leave,” he told her crisply.
He was?
“Goodnight, Wynn. I’ll see you again soon.”
She opened a portal to the other world and a swirling, mystic cloud appeared miraculously on the rooftop. Maya cast a baleful glance in my direction and walked through it without another word. Caleb cast his eyes downward and turned to me apologetically, like he wanted to say something but then thought better of it.
As he disappeared into the night, I called out after him softly, “Okay, we’ll talk later.”
Chapter Seven
Mammon’s Downfall
It had been almost a month since Aidan had shown up in my life and I finally felt like I was treading water. Even so, I knew there was a test coming and couldn’t help but feel anxious knowing I would soon face a Demon Lord alone. It was like a cloud looming overhead and I had no way to prepare for it.
“A little to the left,” Lacey called to me from the catwalk.
I took the step she commanded and waited while they adjusted the angle of the light. It wasn’t the way I was used to spending my Saturday mornings, but there we were, in the middle of a stage light hang and focus. The last few hours had been spent with a crescent wrench, tightening the bolts on every stage light in the theater. It was confusing at first, but then it started to make sense. Mostly, I just followed her instructions and tried to stay out of the way.
“How long are you going to need me here?” I asked her with a yawn.
“Just a few more seconds!”
I yawned again and stuffed my hands into my pockets. Lacey and I were rapidly becoming friends, she was so easy to be around. In all four years we'd been at this high school together we ran in different circles, so we’d never really had occasion to be friendly towards one another, but I was really starting to enjoy her company.
Even if she was a mo
rning person.
She was funny and driven, with a clarity uncommon for people our age. She knew what she wanted to do with her life — I admired her for that. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do after graduation. She inspired me.
However, Lacey wasn’t my only new friend. Caleb had been coming by a lot and we’d gotten to know each other pretty well. We would retreat into the back of the library after school, or go on walks around my house after everyone was asleep, every time was different. I hadn’t smiled this much since before Mom went into her coma. Even with the upcoming trials clouding my future, just having someone to talk to felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Ryan and Elyse had both noticed the shift in my behavior and questioned the sudden cheerfulness. All I could do was shrug and tell them the truth — I was happy.
“All right, we’re coming down!” she called to me again.
“Thank goodness,” I mumbled to myself, itching part of my wrist. It had been stinging and itching like crazy lately. I tried to be discrete while scratching it underneath the sleeve of my cardigan. It didn’t bring much relief. Lacey started the decent down the rusty ladder and I walked over to grab a doughnut from the Krispy Kreme box they’d generously donated to the cause.
Lacey came up beside me and took a bear claw, digging in right away. “Sorry about this. It’s not what most people would consider ‘girl time’.”
I nibbled on the edge of my apple crueler and gave her a supportive smile. “That’s okay, I don’t even know what that would entail. I’ll take power tools and elbow grease over a manicure any day.”
She laughed, “You sound just like my mom, she’s fairly unconventional as well.”
I snickered at her joke as we ate our breakfast quietly.
“What about yours?” she continued, “I’ve never met her personally, but I know she had a reputation for being…”
“A witch?” I offered helpfully.
Lacey laughed again uncomfortably and said, “I was going to say ‘unpopular,’ but sure, that works.”
“That’s because you’re more tactful than I am,” I told her dryly. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it.”
She exhaled slightly and visibly relaxed, folding her legs up in the chair beneath her. “It must be hard without having her around,” she prodded gently. “Are your grandparents able to help?”
“Well, my grandma died of breast cancer when I was still really young and Richard is still in jail.”
“And Richard is…?”
“My maternal grandfather,” I explained at the look of confusion on her face. “He was an abusive alcoholic. I don’t think of them very often to be quite honest, they’ve never really been part of my life. Mom and her brother, Garret, ran away from home back when they were still in high school. Dad’s family isn’t much better, they cut him off after he and Mom got married… they didn’t approve of her. We’ve been the black sheep of his family ever since. I guess that’s why the five of us are so close. Mom, Dad, Nate, and Elyse … they’re the only family I’ve got.”
Lacey chewed on the doughnut uncomfortably for a moment and I decided to change the subject.
“How much more do we have to do? It looks like we’re almost finished.”
She nodded in agreement. “Once Phil has adjusted the final three we should be able to get out of here.” The two of us shielded our eyes from the blinding ray and looked up into the rafters. “How’s it coming, Phillip?”
“I need both of you to stand down left so I can angle this.”
We obediently walked to the edge of the stage and waited for him to tilt the beam until it was shining on us directly.
It didn’t take long for him to adjust the shutter and call down to us on the stage, “All right, we’re done! See you guys on Monday.”
Lacey and I both cheered quietly and went down into the seats to get our bags. “Thanks, Phil! Let me know how the programming goes.”
“Okay, I’ll text you later.”
Her aura swelled with pleasure as she waved goodbye to him. “Come on, let’s get out of here!” she laughed, pushing open the double doors. “I wanna get home!”
We chatted pleasantly on the drive and she told me about her family.
At one of the red lights, she chortled at a joke I made and turned to me with a smile. “How come we don’t hang out more after school? I’d love to have you over sometime.”
“That would be great!” I agreed with her immediately. “I don’t… have a lot of female friends.”
“Well, you have one now,” she insisted playfully. “Is this your neighborhood?”
I nodded and gestured to the right of the entrance sign. “Yeah, it’s the second street on the left.”
She maneuvered her car through the winding street and pulled into the driveway. I waved goodbye and grabbed my phone out of the cup holder. “See ya later, Lace.”
“Later!”
The car door shut behind me as I walked over to the porch and opened the door into the living room. “Wynn, you’re back!” Elyse greeted from the kitchen.
I sighed contentedly and nodded, “Yeah, we got out early. Where are the guys?”
“Dad took them both out fishing.”
“I bet Nate loved that,” I told her with a smirk.
She snickered and handed me a glass of lemonade. “No kidding. How’s the show coming along? Did you get everything, I dunno, hung?”
“Yup, all the lights are hung, we’re just waiting on Phil to program them into the board. You know, Lacey is kind of awesome. I really like hanging out with her.”
“That’s great,” she responded cheerfully.
I smiled and headed off towards the hall, then stopped myself halfway there. “Oh, while I’m thinking about it, do you know where Mom keeps her address book? I’ve been looking for it everywhere.”
“Yeah, I’ve got it in my bedroom to address the wedding invitations.”
“Can I borrow it for the night? I … uh … need to mail out graduation announcements.”
She nodded approvingly and went back to the planner in her lap. “Sure. Dad will be glad to know that’s been taken care of.”
“Thanks! Let me know when the guys get back!”
I skipped up the stairs and instead of turning left like I always did, I went right and opened the door into Elyse’s bedroom. It was painfully girly with a white canopy bed, adorned with a dozen pillows and a floor length mirror by her closet. On top of her dresser was a bouquet of silk roses and next to that, the thing I was looking for. I recognized the leather booklet immediately, snatched it up, and stole back to the privacy of my bedroom.
Graduation announcements were actually the last thing on my mind, but it gave me the excuse I needed to look up Nadia’s address. I took a seat at my desk and searched through its pages. “Nadia … Nadia… Where are you…?”
Flipping to the section for last names that began with “B”, I grazed over each page carefully.
“Carter,” I mumbled in disappointment. “She isn’t in here. Maybe she got married?”
I went back to the beginning and looked over each and every page, but there was no “Nadia” anywhere to be found. Chewing on my bottom lip, I turned it back to where I started. It was a store bought organizer which had given the same number of pages to each and every letter of the alphabet. They all had six, except for the letter “B”, which only had five.
Mom must have ripped it out, I realized suddenly. She had been careful, meticulous.
My heart sank deeper in my chest as it dawned on me that it would never be that simple.
Well… Crap.
~ * ~
Monday afternoon found me back in the auditorium for another rehearsal.
It was like a well-oiled machine; Lacey called the cues and everyone else filled in the blanks. At one point she had to feed an actor his lines, but for the most part it seemed to be going well. As the first act drew to a close, I felt a chill run through the auditorium. Goosebumps ro
se up and down my arms and I shrugged back into my sweater without giving it another thought.
That is, until I started hearing voices.
I had to be hearing things, or maybe feedback through the headset. I took it off and focused on the play again. I had a jacket ready to help an actress with an upcoming quick-change and waited patiently for my cue.
The noises kept growing louder and I realized it wasn’t coming from the headset. I looked around, but nobody else seemed to hear the violent murmuring except me.
They were too faint to be distinguished at first, but then grew louder until it sounded as if a swarm of flies had finally been given a voice. I stepped out onto the stage to try and determine where the furor was coming from when a dead silence fell over the auditorium.
The silence was even worse.
My stomach dropped as everyone slowly turned towards me, their once colorful auras melting into smoky black mists cascading off their bodies.
The itching on my wrist flared up painfully as adrenaline coursed through my body. My classmates moved in closer to surround me. Their deadly expressions bore into me as the tendrils of their auras got closer and closer.
“Wynnona Hendricks,” they all hissed. “The Earthwalker.”
“You shouldn’t be here!”
“Abomination,” a few others wheezed.
The angry mob walked around me slowly, circling me with their arms raised up high in the air. Their bodies began to sway in an eerie fashion, contorting in inhuman ways and I realized they were dancing. I watched, not knowing what to do, as their dance became faster and more grotesque. It felt like someone was hidden above us, pulling on marionette strings and making them dance like puppets. Faster and faster they danced until finally the puppeteer’s strings were cut and they collapsed on the floor.
At first I was relieved, until they looked up at me with black eyes and began clawing their way across the wooden surface. An inky black wisp reached out towards my ankle and a husky voice rang out of nowhere, “Enough!”
All at once they stopped crawling and a purple mist appeared. The djinn that had been present at my trial stepped out onto the floor. “I am Mammon,” he told me matter-of-factly. “Otherwise known as Greed. You know me as one of the Demons Lords.”
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 11
