“Yeah?” I murmured from the pillow.
The hall light came streaming into the room, shining on my face as the door creaked open. “How ya doing?” he asked me slowly. His voice was gruffer than I expected, but I forced a pathetic looking smile and hoped it would be sufficient. “There’s someone here to see you.”
Who on Earth would be coming over to see me? I wondered to myself blearily, sitting up in bed and blinking several times to get the sleep out of my eyes. “Who is it?”
“Come downstairs and see for yourself,” he insisted, not doing a very good job of hiding a smile.
I groaned, “Ugh, fine. Tell them I'll be right down.”
He nodded stiffly and threw me one last sideways glance before shutting the door behind himself. I sighed heavily and rolled over in my bed, forcing myself to get up and walk over to the door. My feet were like cinder blocks as I dragged them down the stairs to where the front door was wide open.
As I looked out into the yard, there were thirteen people from the church congregation all standing on the lawn, holding candles. In front of them stood our pastor and his wife, holding a homemade pie.
“What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously.
Pastor Dave took a step towards me with his hands clasped gently in front of him. “Well, you ran out so quickly this morning we didn’t really get a chance to talk. Some of us here know that you’ve never felt quite welcome in our church. Small town, old prejudices and what not. We just wanted you to know that not all of us think that way. You’re always welcome here. You’re wanted, and you are loved.”
“But, what about what happened?” I questioned in disbelief. “Some of the people were pretty angry.”
He nodded solemnly. “I’m not sure what happened either, some things we’ll never have an explanation for. And your father’s right, there are some nasty, narrow-minded folks among us that say one thing and do another. I hope that won’t change your opinion of us who are trying. No one should feel unwelcome in the Lord’s house, including you. You don’t have to worry about what they have to say, we’ll make sure of that.”
“I … I don’t know what to say.”
I wanted to believe them, to accept what they were saying, but a lifetime of experience had taught me differently. Nevertheless, I felt like I should give them the benefit of the doubt and put on a smile that may have come out more of a grimace than I intended.
The pastor just smiled, crinkling the skin around his eyes. “Just because my predecessor believed certain things, doesn’t mean I plan on following in his footsteps. I follow my heart to where it guides me, surely you can understand wanting to be judged on your own merit and not based on the people who came before you.”
I barked a laugh and wiped away the tear threatening to spill over. All this time, I thought they were the only ones being judgmental and assumed the worst, but I was just as guilty. Not all churchgoers are hypocrites just because they fall short every now and then. It is possible to believe in something and still fail to live up to it, that’s why you have to keep trying — and why there’s Grace.
“Yeah, I think I do,” I told him in a gargled sob.
The pastor’s wife stepped up and offered me the pie she was holding. “I don’t know what your family likes,” she told me. “But I hope you don’t mind some apple pie. It’s sure not to be as good as your mama’s, but it was all I could throw together at the last minute.”
Fighting back tears of deep emotions stirring in my chest, I embraced her in a hug. “Thank you, I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
She hugged me back just as firmly and gave me a smile of encouragement. When we released, every one of the people in the yard came up and shook my hand on the porch steps, then quietly took their leave. Thankfully, Dad saw I was getting a little overwhelmed and stepped in to thank the well-wishers and send them on their way. “Thank you everyone, but I think it’s time we went inside. It’s been an emotional day for us.”
“All right. You hang in there, Wynn. There are always things in this life that are hard to face, just remember you are never alone.”
He gave me a knowing wink as his wife took him by the hand and they walked to their car. I was so confused and overwhelmed by the kind gesture I didn’t know what to think. That same stirring I’d felt before was back inside my chest and I decided to leave at least part of my heart open to the idea God hadn’t turned his back on me, maybe there was hope after all.
Elyse wrapped her arms around me in a hug before I even made it back inside. My heart was so overwhelmed with love, I didn’t know how to react except to cry with happiness. “See?” she whispered softly into my hair. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I shook my head and smiled. “No.”
She wiped one of my tears away with her hand as Kevin put his arm around her. “Come on, who wants dessert?” he asked encouragingly. “Apparently, we’ve got pie.”
Dad and Nate both snickered as Elyse gave my hand a gentle squeeze, leading us off towards the kitchen. I thought back over this afternoon, embarrassed at how quickly I’d almost gone running to Aidan for help. Knowledge is power and when you only have half the story it can be a dangerous thing indeed. It cemented my decision to end things with him the next time he dropped by.
I needed to give hope the chance I’d been denying it all that time, to believe that things really could turn out for the best. I followed them into the kitchen, tears still pricking at the corners of my eyes. Dad cleared his throat and held a chair out for me at the table. Once I was seated and Elyse was happily dishing out the food, he pulled an envelope from one of the drawers in the corner. “There’s something I’ve been waiting to give to you,” he admitted. “Now feels like the perfect time. This came for you in the mail the other day — congratulations.”
I accepted the envelope from him and stared in awe at the return address. “The University of Alabama?”
“Go ahead and open it,” Nate encouraged from beside me. “What if it’s an acceptance letter?”
Dad nodded in agreement with a smile on his face as I tore into the hefty paper. I ripped it open and eagerly pulled out the cover letter. “Dear Ms. Hendricks, we’re delighted to inform you…” I stopped talking as smile started to creep across my face. “I got in!”
All of them started cheering with delight as I pulled out the rest of the pamphlet. “I can’t believe it, I got in! They want me to start fall semester.”
Elyse and Kevin buzzed happily with conversation as I glanced over at Dad in the corner. He was smiling at me too, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I hadn’t thought about it until now how it must be affecting him, knowing that he was about to lose both his daughters in such a short period of time. Suddenly, I felt guilty for leaving him like that — even though it was the natural progression of life, that didn’t make it any easier.
I walked over and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. “I love you, Dad.”
~ * ~
“Ten minutes everybody!” Lacey called into the dressing rooms. “I’ll be calling ‘places’ in five!”
We responded with the customary “Thank you ten” without stopping our assignments. When it came to running the cast, Lacey was a professional. She was driven and focused. Once those lights were down, nothing in the world was going on except what was happening on stage.
You could feel the energy in the theater today. It was the final dress rehearsal and everyone was excited. Ms. Carmichael, our director, took her seat in the open house and I retreated quietly to the edge of the stage. Lacey muttered checklists under her breath as she whizzed past me and headed off towards the lighting booth. As the actors took their places, the lights dimmed and the accompanist played the familiar, melodic tune.
Everyone had recovered from the tumultuous party and were back in the swing of things at school, but I still kept my distance from them. I didn’t feel worthy of their friendship after what I’d done at the lake house. I had to find a way to redeem myself first.
&
nbsp; Halfway through act two, I was responsible for flying in one of the set pieces from the mid-rail. I walked over to the ladder, cringing slightly from my mild fear of heights, and started my assent. I'd been up to the catwalk almost every rehearsal, but it never got any easier. The rusty, metal rungs of the ladder were cold on my skin as I climbed hand over fist in the dark until I reached the top.
When I finally reached the catwalk, I pulled a miniature flashlight from my back pocket and skirted around the rickety passageway of the fly rail to the lighting instruments. It was my final cue of the show, so I decided to watch the rest of it from up there — it was, after all, the best seat in the house. Looking out over the railing, I made myself comfortable and watched Fiona sing Come to Me, Bend to Me from the bridge of Brigadoon, pleading with Tommy to return.
My eyes watered as the actress reached out across the vast chasm between them. Her quiet tears of longing brought up emotions inside me that I had been fighting for a long time. Fiona would never be happy without Tommy, yet they were separated by an opposing force much larger than either one of them, they simply could not overcome it. He couldn’t change who he was any more than she could … much like a demon who had foolishly fallen for an angel.
Tommy and Fiona do end up having a happy ending, but my story was not going to be the fairytale I wanted. Some obstacles were just too great for even love to conquer.
Even though I knew it could never happen, I still wanted him. His companionship and the way he made me laugh as we talked throughout the hard times left my heart completely open to him. His absence left a hollow void in my chest, but maybe it was better this way — there could be no happy ending for an angel and a demon, no matter how much they loved each other.
The scene was drawing to a close when a familiar chill ran down my spine. I recognized the smell of cologne, mixed with a hint of brandy, and I knew a particular Demon Lord was here. “Hello, Aidan,” I addressed him casually, without even turning to acknowledge him.
He smiled that terrible grin of his and joined me on the rail so we could watch the show together. It was the first time I had seen him since my decision to no longer train, but I hadn’t told him that. I knew he'd come find me eventually. “It’s getting almost impossible to sneak up on you,” he acknowledged approvingly. “It’s good to know all that training hasn’t gone to waste.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He shushed me with his hand and gestured to the stage. “This is my favorite part!”
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I didn't think musicals were really your thing.”
“Psh! Not the musical,” he answered with a grin. “Now opera, that's art! People sleeping with each other, killing each other, yelling in Italian, and at the end, everyone dies. It’s glorious!”
“My mistake.”
“No, I mean the glorified lie you enjoy so much — the one where you pull the strings like a puppeteer and make them dance for you. Tell me that's one step away from playing God.”
I scoffed at his callous and inappropriate depiction of what we were trying to achieve. “It’s for my grade. You’re going to make fun of me for it?”
Aidan smirked, turning to face me as he rested his weight on his elbows. His blond hair was trimmed back and groomed into an ultra-glamorous hairstyle, with dark eyes staring back at me. You could barely see the glint of his earring in the shadows and the broadness of his shoulders, hidden beneath the curve of his leather jacket. “What about the issue of your feeding at the lake house? You certainly liked being in control then.”
“I didn't realize you were keeping tabs on me,” I quipped.
“Oh, but I am!” he insisted. “Very close tabs. After your encounter with Belphegor the other night it would seem that you’re a natural! You could hear his screams for miles when he eventually sought refuge in his palace. It took everything inside me not to laugh at him, knowing my little protégé had won.”
“That doesn't mean I’m giving up! I don’t want to be a demon, and after seeing that part of myself nearly devour one of my friends … it was awful. I didn’t like not being in control. Which is why I think this,” I said, gesturing between us, “whatever this weird, master-student relationship is, needs to stop. I don't belong in the Demonic Realm and I can’t risk getting swept away as part of it.”
He pushed away from the metal railing and looked at me with a baffled expression. “You’re finally coming into yourself and now … you want to stop?”
“Yes. I don’t like what it’s doing to me. I don’t like knowing I’m capable of being that callous and self-serving. I'm grateful for what you've done, but I think you’re using this arrangement to try and manipulate me. All this was is a means for my survival, not laying the groundwork for something more. You want me to embrace my demonic nature, and that’s in direct contradiction to my own personal agenda — I have no intention of surrendering my humanity. I’m fighting for my life here, to earn my way into Paradise, if the Council found out…”
“Who says they have to know?”
“I’d KNOW!” I shot back at fiercely. “And that’s all that matters.”
“You claim you don't want to be a demon, but everything you do contradicts that. Deny it if you will, but you’ve enjoyed our time together — it’s made you stronger. You've already bested two of the Demonic Seven, if you came back to the realm below the others would lay themselves at your feet. No other champion has come this far, you have the opportunity to do what no demon ever could — enjoy the power of a Queen without the limitations of being separated from the Mortal Realm.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ … I’m sorry, but the answer is ‘no.’ I don’t like what spending time with you has done to me, and I won’t be training with you again. You should probably leave.”
“Your words cut me, precious girl. Sooner or later, you'll come around. I think you'll find I can be quite convincing when I want to be.”
“Are you … flirting with me?” I asked him dumbfounded.
“I may have been before,” he conceded, “but that last part was a threat.” He looked past me to the intricate system of ropes and pulleys. “What do you call this strange contraption?”
His sudden shift in tone put me immediately on my guard. “It's … called the fly rail. We use it to bring in set pieces.” My words were slow and cautious since I didn’t know where he was going with this.
His countenance hardened and a dangerous glint appeared in his eye. “Fascinating, all the trouble you humans go through for such a simple thing. These metal pipes are about … four hundred pounds?” he hummed, doing the calculation in his head. “And completely dependent on this system of counterweights. That means these lead bricks are the only thing keeping them from crashing to the ground. Well, perhaps now you’ll see you don’t get to just write me off like that.”
“All right, I get your point!”
Aidan sneered. “Good, then know that you're responsible for what's about to happen.”
With a snap of his fingers, Aidan disappeared in a puff of smoke. Twenty feet below me, I heard the ominous sound of rope snapping. Immediately, the lead stage bricks connected to it went hurtling to the ground, bending the iron frame. It landed with a tremendous crash and everyone on stage moved away from the back wall in surprise. A set of rigging flew up the wall in front of me and the heavy pipe the weights had been holding began falling, right where everyone now stood.
In a fit of panic, I reached out and grabbed the rope to try and stop it. My body jerked violently upwards as it tried to pull me with it, but I wrapped my legs around the metal rail to keep me from flying up into the rafters. I knew I wasn't strong enough to keep the beam from coming down, but if nothing else, I could give the people on stage time to get out of the way.
“HEADS!” I screamed down to them at the top of my lungs. “GET OFF THE STAGE!”
There was a murmur of confusion down below me when finally,
someone looked up. “Holy crap, it's coming down! Move it!”
Actors went flying in every direction as they tried to clear the path, screaming obscenities along the way. In a matter of seconds, adrenaline just took over and I gritted my teeth as I mustered every bit of strength I had inside me. There was a painful pop as my shoulder dislocated from its socket and I screamed out in pain.
The weight of the beam coming down tried to lift me from the railing and I wrapped my legs around the metal rail even tighter. “IT’S COMING DOWN! MOVE!!!!”
I couldn’t see what was happening beneath me but I hoped they got out of the way in time because I couldn’t hold it any longer. I squeezed the rope with everything I had, trying to slow its descent. A red stain smeared along the rope as it ripped the skin off my hands and slid through my fingers.
I could feel shifting on the metal catwalk and I knew someone was climbing up the ladder to help me — I just had to make it until they got here.
“I’m almost there! Hang on, Wynn!” Ryan called to me from below.
My jaw tensed as I gritted my teeth in pain. “I CAN’T!” There was no skin left on my hands and my blood had made the rope slick. I had to let go.
The second I released it, the massive metal pipe plunged to the floor and smashed through the stage. Splinters of wood flew in every direction and a few people screamed, but all I could think about was the pain in my hands and shoulder—I couldn’t help them anymore than I already had. Ryan and Phillip became visible as they climbed off the ladder and onto the mid-rail next to me. I was a weeping mess by the time they got there, curled up in the fetal position and cradling my hands to my chest.
“Wynn, are you okay? What happened?”
All I could do was whimper in response and offer up my hands to show them the damage. Both of them gasped when they saw the blood. Ryan’s face contorted with deep concern and took them gingerly in his hands, kissing me on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay,” he promised. “Phil and I are going to help you down from here.”
“He’s right, we’ll get you to the hospital and everything’s going to be fine. CAN SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE?”
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 28
