by Riley London
“I thought my sword was all that I needed to feel complete, at least as an angel.”
“Yes, but sometimes there are other things, passed down through the generations. If you were meant to have anything from your parents, they may have left it somewhere on the surface for you, and the angels would’ve retrieved it and brought it here.”
“Did your parents give you anything like that? Something passed down through the generations?”
Benjamin looked over at me, before he placed his hand inside of his pocket.
A second or so later, he pulled out his palm, and there was now a smooth, clear stone that sat in the middle of it.
“I used it on you a few times, when we first met.” Benjamin smirked. “Before I thought that you might follow me willingly.”
“What is that?”
“It’s used to confuse my enemies, sometimes render them unconscious.” Benjamin explained. “But I have to be careful of my usage. It’s a rather draining little thing, but I can’t deny that it comes in handy, from time to time.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“My father.” Benjamin placed the stone back inside of his pocket. “It’s a Nash artifact. I plan on giving it to my own son, someday.”
“What happens if you have a daughter?”
“I’d be happy, either way.” Benjamin smiled. “Would you like to look around the rest of the room? See if there’s anything here that was meant for you to have?”
“Sure.” I shrugged, then began strolling down the stone walkway. I passed more glass cases, some containing books, others containing weaponry, but none of it felt like it called to me. Although, I wasn’t exactly sure what called to me truly meant as far as angel stuff went.
Did Benjamin mean I was supposed to hear a song in my head when I found something good? Would the heavens open and the angels rejoice?
Who knew?
I continued my walk through the room of artifacts, until I came across a necklace on display.
The description beside it told me that it was forged out of limestone, and despite its age and appearance, it’d only been found circa 1998.
Huh.
That was the same year that I was born.
Angelic energy. Source unknown.
I wanted to ask Benjamin if it was against the commandments to randomly try on angelic jewelry, but that wouldn’t have mattered too much to me, anyway.
I was going to try it on, regardless.
I pulled the necklace away from the display, angling the stone into my palm.
It was a lifeless color, just dull and gray and empty.
But as it rested against my hand, I noticed that the sides of the stone seemed to be bleeding with color, as hues of green began to shade its outer edges.
What the hell?
I kept my attention on the necklace, and the colors continued to swirl against its rocky center, until the stone was completely covered in a moss-like shade of green.
My confidence about putting the necklace on wavered, as it suddenly felt so much heavier in my hand.
No.
I needed to be brave.
If this was meant for me, then it was meant for me.
And unless my parents were complete psychopaths, then the necklace wouldn’t have been given the power to kill me, right?
Right?
I took in a deep breath as I brought the necklace down over my hair and let the stone rest against my chest.
And that’s when my world went red, red, red.
“They’ll kill her. They’ll kill my baby.” A woman with blonde hair and bright eyes sat atop a burning throne, her eyes wide with panic. “What are we going to do?”
“I knew that we couldn’t keep her for long.” A man with long, brown hair and pale, white skin sat in a burning throne of his own. “They’ll drive themselves mad with jealousy. They’ll rip our daughter to shreds—”
“Lucifer!” The woman cried out. “I am completely aware of what they will do to our child! Do you not hear my woes?” She then moved away from her throne, as she walked over towards him. “Do you wish to torment me? All because I dreamed of a child?”
“There was a reason the angels did not grant your prayers, my love.”
“The angels did not grant my prayers because they despise me! They always have.” She rested a hand against her stomach. “They forced me to take matters into my own hands, just like I did with Eve in the garden.”
“You doomed her.”
“I freed her.” The woman growled. “No woman should be created to serve any man. You would not love me half as much as you do, if I bowed down to your every whim.”
“This is true.” Lucifer grinned at the woman. “Although, it would make trials such as these non-existent if you’d listened to me in the beginning, my love.”
“Yes, but the trial is here now. No need to imagine a world without it.” The woman sighed. “Is there no way that you can control your Princes of Hell? Do they no longer respect their king?”
“They respected my word on the understanding that I would never have an heir to the throne. They imagined that one of them would someday take my place as ruler here.” Lucifer continued. “And now that I’ve killed their dream of kingship with the birth of our daughter as next-in-line, they no longer respect my words.”
“Tell them you will still choose one of them to be king! Assure them that our child is no threat to their way of life—”
“But we could never know for sure, could we, my love? Our daughter could always come into power, if she wants. She could always command her place on the throne and ask whoever sits on it to step aside. The princes do not like the reality of their situation.”
“And so, we must bow to their wishes.” The woman’s voice was lined with contempt. “We must give them what they want? Our child must die?”
“Lilith, she does not have to die.” Lucifer continued. “But she cannot remain in Hell.”
“But she is an infant.” Lilith cried. “If she is not with me, then she is dead. And if I am not with her, then I am dead, too.”
“The people on the surface will take care of her.” Lucifer’s tone was steady. “We will make sure of it.”
A child’s sobs tore through the room, and Lilith’s lips curved into a smile. “If she is to leave my side forever, then I will enjoy the moments I have left beside her, even in her tears.”
“Qui totum vult totum perdit....” Lucifer murmured, once Lilith was out of sight.
“Celeste? Celeste!” Benjamin’s voice was at my ear. “Celeste! Wake up!”
I opened my eyes and tried to focus on something, anything.
Eventually, my gaze landed on Benjamin’s own.
“Celeste...your eyes...” He murmured, as he stared down at me.
Fuck.
Had I passed out or something?
Benjamin looked terrified.
“They’re red. Why are they red?” He whispered his next question.
“I don’t know.” I replied, as I closed my eyes again, no longer wanting to see that look on Benjamin’s face.
Why was he looking at me like I was a demon straight out of his nightmares?
I couldn’t handle that, not coming from him.
Not coming from one of the kindest people I’d ever met.
“The necklace.” Benjamin continued. “Celeste, I came over as soon as I heard you fall. But why were you wearing the necklace?”
“I guess it called to me.” I replied, with my eyes still closed. “I think I saw them, Benjamin.”
“Saw who?”
“My parents.” I answered, as I took in a breath. “Lilith...she looks just like me. Except older. And my dad—”
“You mean Lucifer?” Benjamin corrected.
Lucifer to you.
Dad to me.
I didn’t have the energy to argue, though, so instead I just nodded along. “Yes. Lucifer. I saw him, too.”
“Did you say anything to them?”
“N
o.” I shook my head. “It was like I was watching an old memory. I’m not sure they could even see me, or if I was even really there.”
“A memory amulet.” Benjamin hummed, and then I heard what sounded like the necklace hitting against his own chest.
I opened my eyes at that, just in time to see Benjamin staring down at the amulet.
But it wasn’t turning green, not like when I’d touched it.
It was still that same, limestone gray.
“Your eyes are back to normal.” Benjamin smiled down at me. “Good.”
“Sorry. It must be hard for you to deal with the fact that one of your friends is a demon.” I faked a smile right back at him.
“Celeste. You’re not a demon.”
“I’m part-demon, at least.”
“And are we really going to say that we’re just friends?” Benjamin asked. “Especially after the visions with Ashmedai—”
“We don’t need to talk about that right now, do we?” I brought my feet closer to my chest. “Not if you don’t want to, I mean.”
“I have no problem discussing it, Celeste. I’m not ashamed of what I want.” Benjamin replied. “Are you?”
“No.” I answered. “But I’m not sure I know exactly what you want from me, Benjamin. I’m not an angel like you, no matter how many classes I take, no matter how much I train. I mean, hell. I can’t even see wings.”
“I don’t care about any of that, Celeste. I just care about you.”
“I care about you, too, Benjamin.” There was a sudden appearance of that same, angel electricity, as it floated just above my fingertips.
“Can I kiss you?” Benjamin whispered, and I responded with a nod.
Benjamin’s kiss was measured and leisurely, like we simultaneously had all the time in the world, but we were still running on someone else’s clock.
His kiss matched his personality to a T.
I smiled into it, as I positioned my hands on Benjamin’s shoulders.
Fuck.
The electricity sparking from my palms seemed to mingle with whatever sparks were shooting off from Benjamin’s skin, and I would’ve sworn that I was melting into a puddle.
I pushed Benjamin away, as a realization dawned on me, mid-kiss. “We probably shouldn’t be making out in the artifacts room.”
“Why not?”
“Benjamin.” I lightly chuckled at his reply. “We could get in big trouble, couldn’t we? Besides, didn’t you mention something about breath control? I don’t want someone to find us passed out with our pants down, do you?”
“Why would our pants be down?” Benjamin grinned. “Is there something on your mind, Celeste?”
“Benjamin, I’m serious—” He interrupted me with another kiss, and I leaned right into it.
Oh well.
I guess someone was going to find us passed out with our pants down, but I honestly didn’t care.
Not when kissing Benjamin felt this good.
As Benjamin’s hand went down towards my thigh, an alarm blared throughout the room.
“I thought classes were over for the day.” I leaned away from Benjamin, before I glanced up at him.
“They are.” Benjamin moved away from me, and offered me a hand to pull myself up from the ground. “Which means that we need to get to our stations.”
Garry’s Funhouse was in ashes.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think.
My second home was gone, just like my first.
Benjamin, Zachary, Charlie and I were standing in position, waiting for our turn to investigate the scene for ourselves.
We weren’t allowed to get any closer than we were, standing on the other side of the road. The police and firemen had been called in, and we were giving them a chance to do their jobs.
“When they’re gone, we’ll survey the area.” Benjamin assured me, as he took a step closer to my side. “Celeste?”
I still didn’t have any words to say, as I looked over at the caved in sign.
As I stared at the remnants of the bar, an ambulance’s whine made its way through the streets. Once the vehicle was parked in front of what was left of Garry’s, I silently watched as two EMTs hopped out of the back of car.
They then rushed towards the ashes of the bar, gloves on their hands and stethoscopes around their necks.
Wait.
Was there someone in the building? When it burned down?
No!
Anxiety rushed through me, and before I’d even realized it, I was halfway across the street.
“Celeste!” Benjamin called after me, but I couldn’t stop myself, even if I’d wanted to.
I had to know if he was okay.
I had to.
As I approached the EMTs, they looked at me with a confused stare. “Ma’am, this is an active emergency scene—”
“Is he dead?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Is he?”
“Ma’am, please. We need our space—”
“Just tell me the truth!” I screamed, as my hands shook with an unspeakable rage. “Please. Please, please, please. Just tell me.”
One of the EMTs, a man with kind eyes and a tanned skin quietly responded. “This man was dead, even before we got here. There’s nothing more that we could do for him. I’m so, so sorry.”
“How did he die?” The rage inside of me boiled, but I managed to keep it out of my voice. “Do you think it was the—Do you think he died quickly?”
“Typically, in fire-related deaths, the smoke gets to people before the fire ever has a chance to. So, yes, there’s a good chance that this man died of smoke inhalation, and he didn’t feel a thing.”
“Thank you.” I nodded down at the EMTs, as I walked away from the scene, and headed back across the street.
“Celeste! You can’t just do that. You could’ve blown our cover—”
“Garry’s dead.” I turned my attention towards Charlie as I spoke.
“What? Are you sure?” Charlie asked.
“I just saw the body.” I replied. “He was nearly charred to a crisp.” I tried to suppress the recent memory, not wanting to remember Garry like that, ever.
Garry was the life of the bar.
He wasn’t a corpse, barely recognizable due to the flames that tore away his skin.
“Couldn’t you just bring him back?” Charlie suggested. “When they roll him away to the coroner or wherever, couldn’t you just follow them and—”
“No.” I shook my head. “I wouldn’t even try.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to bring back a zombie.” My eyes welled with tears and frustration. “When I brought you back Charlie, you never looked that bad, not once. But Garry was—Oh my God.”
The reality of the situation hit me all at once, and I doubled over to rest my hands on my knees.
Garry was dead. Garry was dead. Garry was dead.
And he wasn’t coming back.
“How could this have happened?” I asked no one in particular. “Yeah, the bar was old as hell, but Garry always kept up with fire safety, followed all the codes. He wouldn’t have let this happen.”
“That’s why we need to survey the area.” Zachary responded. “It may not have been Garry’s fault here.”
“What are you saying?” I snapped my head up towards Zachary. “Are you saying that it might be my fault?”
“I’m saying that demons talk, and maybe the one that possessed Charlie started spreading some shit around, about how he saw the daughter of Lilith at this bar.” Zachary continued. “No one’s saying that it’s your fault, Celeste, but this might have been some demon retaliation.”
“Retaliation against what? Against who? I haven’t done anything to them.”
“You exist.” Benjamin answered, with his tone filled with sorrow. “That seems to be enough to antagonize them.”
“But we don’t know anything for sure, right?” Charlie looked back at me. “Celeste, this may have just been an accident, okay? We have t
o take the time to look into it. I need you to stay calm, okay?”
“I am calm.” I replied through gritted teeth. My rage felt like it was hitting a fever pitch, and my palms suddenly felt so warm.
“Celeste. Your hands.” Benjamin nodded down towards them. “Control yourself.”
“I am in control.” The golden warmth in my hands dissipated, as I turned to look back at the burned down bar. “And you’re right, Charlie. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
We waited until the police and the EMTs were gone, seemingly taking a break from the crime scene.
Maybe they needed to pick up some more yellow tape.
“I’m not seeing anything here too unusual for a natural fire...” Benjamin spoke, as he stood off to the side of the ashes. “I see no evidence of demonic activity.”
“Me neither.” Zachary replied, while peering down at the bar’s burned down sign. “Could this have just been an arson case? Celeste, did Garry happen to owe anybody a lot of money?”
“No.” I answered. “Garry was a lot of things, but shady wasn’t one of them. Everything he did was legal, on the up and up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” My response came out pointed. “And don’t ask me anything else like that, alright?”
“Got it.” Zachary backed off, as he walked towards another edge of the bar’s remnants.
“Celeste...” Charlie was right beside me, with a wary expression. “I think I might have found something.”
He bent over the ashes, before he pulled something out of them, something brittle and half-broken.
He handed it over to me, gently placing it in my palm.
Once I looked down at the object, I desperately wanted to scream.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to run.
And I wanted to never look back.
“What is that thing?” Charlie asked, as he squinted down at it to get a better look.
“It’s half of an amber chain.” That was all I had in me to say, as terror began to course through my veins.
“This can’t be.” Mrs. Deveraux held the chain in her hands.
