Black

by Angelina J. Steffort

  His pale green eyes were staring at me. They weren’t set in the evil mask I had seen in the graveyard. They were lost. Confused.

  Adam, I willed my mind to speak.

  The eyes blinked.

  I felt my pulse accelerate. Had the vision just reacted to me?

  You have gone crazy before, the voice in my head commented.

  I focused on Adam’s face. His expression had changed. He looked like he was searching for something.

  Adam, I tried again.

  Before I could see a reaction, something brushed my face. It felt familiar.

  “Claire,” I heard Chris’ voice from a distance. “Claire, wake up.”

  My eyes opened to a vision of white. Chris was radiating light from within, and he was framed by wings.

  “You did it,” I cheered weakly. He looked impressive. Beautiful. He had actually done it.

  “We did it.” Chris’ face was gleeful. I hadn’t seen him that happy since before Adam’s death.

  “We need to tell the others.” They would be ecstatic.

  “No need,” Jenna’s voice came from the door. Ben was standing right behind her, both of them smiling.

  “Now we can take them on together, Dad.” Ben stepped forward. He slipped out of his shirt and walked to stand next to his father.

  A second later, a pair of wings was bouncing left and right of his shoulders. Even though I had seen him this way once before, I couldn’t get used to the way he looked with that pair of feathery white wings. It was a breathtaking vision.

  Jenna was leaning in the doorway, observing the scene. She winked at me when she saw me gaping at Ben.

  “Put your clothes on, Ben,” she instructed with a grin. “Chris, I’ll get you a new shirt.” She pointed at the torn fabric on the floor.

  He laughed. It was a joyous sound. Almost surreal with all the pain we had been enduring.

  I leaned back and watched them for a while. They were talking. Obviously exchanging information and experiences related to their powers. I wondered if they had ever talked like this before. It was a whole new aspect in their relationship.

  I had never fully appreciated the similarities between Ben and Chris. The way his chest was built. The hair and eyes. The way they lifted their chins slightly when they laughed.

  This was a moment of victory for all of us. Then, why did it feel like something was wrong?

  I slowly got to my feet and crept out of the room.

  Jenna had left to get Chris a fresh shirt and the others didn’t notice that I was leaving.

  I made my way down the hallway to the guest room. It felt as if I had moved in permanently, I was spending so much time at the Gallagers’ now.

  My limbs were heavy from the strain my body had gone through in the past days. It made me want to lay down and rest.

  On the way over to the bed, my eyes fell on my phone. The display was lit up from an incoming text message.

  I glanced down at the screen and gasped at the words I read.

  I need to see you. Adam

  All tiredness was gone in a heartbeat. Was it possible? Was this message really from Adam? My Adam.

  This could be a trap, the voice in the back of my mind intercepted my thought process.

  Yes, it could be. But it could also be Adam, wanting to see me.

  I sat on the bed, conflicted over what to do, before my curiosity got the best of me.

  When? Where?

  I typed the two words carefully, as if I could embed another message in them. The message I really wanted to send. Adam, I love you. Adam, I miss you.

  My hands were shaking when I hit send.

  I stared at the screen intensely, waiting for a reply. It didn’t come. Instead my phone buzzed from a call. I almost dropped it, jumpy from tension and anticipation.

  It was Sophie.

  “Hey, little sister,” she hooted into the phone when I answered.

  “Hi, Sophie,” was all I managed.

  She was wondering if she should come home over the next weekend.

  “Honestly, I feel guilty for leaving you alone all the time,” she admitted.

  Having Sophie around was the exact opposite of what I needed at the moment. Things were getting more dangerous by the day and the last thing I wanted was Sophie in the cross-fire of Volpert’s feud.

  So, I put on my lighthearted voice—as well as I could.

  “You wouldn’t see me at all. Even if you were here.” I almost sounded convincing. “The Gallagers have practically adopted me. I am there all the time.”

  Sophie’s voice was relieved. “That’s good to know. I need to call Jenna and say thank you. It is crazy here. We don’t get much sleep...” She was going into detailed descriptions of her days at the hospital.

  My mind drifted back to Adam. He wanted to see me. This meant there was some part of him that remembered me. Or it’s a trap, the voice in my head repeated my concern to me.

  It could be. It was likely. But if there was even the slightest chance I might get to see Adam, to talk to him, to understand what was going on, I would take it.

  Even if that would cost you your life? the voice asked.

  It won’t come to that, I answered and ignored the mild complaining in the back of my mind.

  “Are you sure Ian shouldn’t drop by to check in?” Sophie’s voice pushed my thoughts into the background.

  “I’m fine, Sophie,” I reassured her again. “Really, don’t worry.”

  I wouldn’t put her at risk.

  “Just make sure you learn all you can. I want a good doctor as a sister. Not one of those who mix up a liver with a kidney.”

  Sophie laughed. It was a good sound to hear.

  “I need to go,” I excused myself. “Talk to you soon.”

  “Talk soon.”

  I put the phone down and got to my feet, still waiting nervously for Adam’s reply, but the phone remained silent.

  Instead, there was a knock on the door. Ben popped his head in.

  “Jaden is back.”

  When we arrived in the living room, Jaden was sitting on the couch. He jumped to his feet and disappeared for a second just to reappear right in front of me half a second later.

  “You are here,” he noted. “Everyone is here.”

  Jenna and Chris were standing by the window, their faces expectant.

  Ben walked around the room in a slow circle while Jaden led me back to the couch and made sure I was comfortable.

  “Excuse my short absence,” he started. “I had to check a theory.”

  He had my attention.

  “What theory?”

  “Well, let’s approach this logically.” Jaden looked at all of us and sighed, obviously conflicted how to break the news. “My research has confirmed there are only two ways Adam can be alive. Either he never died, or he never really died.”

  My mind stumbled over his logic. “Jaden, this is really just one option.”

  “Correct. There is only one slight difference.” Jaden gave. me a wistful look. “If he never died, he wasn’t killed by the demons, he might have been petrified. In a temporary, death-like state.

  “If he never really died, the demons did kill him, but only part of him.” He looked at all of us, taking in our confusion.

  “Jaden, I was there, I saw him die,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, you were there,” he agreed. “But what did you see—or really see?”

  I didn’t get him.

  Jenna and Chris exchanged a look and Ben started walking around the room in slow circles.

  “Tell us again,” Jaden encouraged.

  I took a deep breath.

  “He was hit by the demons’ lightning. Two at the same time. Right into the heart.” I conjured the painful memories.

  “What happened next?” he pushed.

  The images were flashing before my inner eye as if it was happening right now. With the memories, there came pain.

  “Is this really necessary?” Jenna’s voice ca
me from beside me. “Can’t you see she is suffering?”

  “We need to know what we are dealing with.” Jaden’s response was business-like.

  “What happened next, Claire?” Jaden had turned to me and was standing right in front of me. “I need to know.”

  “He fell,” I finally forced out after a long pause.

  “Did he say anything after he was hit? Did he move?” Jaden pressed for even more details.

  “Jaden, I can’t—” This was torture.

  He took my hand. “Please, Claire. You are the only one who was there. What you saw may make all the difference.”

  I closed my eyes, focusing on this darkest hour in my existence.

  “He looked at me. And then his eyes rolled back before he fell.”

  “Before or after he was hit?”

  “After.”

  Jaden squeezed my hand. “Thank you. I know this is hard for you.”

  It was hard for all of us. Every single person in the room could feel what I felt. They all suffered with me. I wasn’t alone. Not this time.

  Jaden let go of my hand and took a step back before he continued.

  “This was the missing piece of information.” He made a long pause and looked at each of us for a moment. “Adam died, but he never really died.”

  My head couldn’t comprehend what Jaden was deducing so logically from my story.

  “Adam was part-angel, part-human, right?” Jaden stated common knowledge. “When the demons hit him they killed his angel-half and his human-half.”

  I watched Chris and Jenna stare at each other in horror.

  “That’s impossible,” Chris shook his head. “I would have noticed.”

  “Think about it,” Jenna said as if suddenly everything made sense. “It’s the only way.”

  “He never really died,” Ben joined the conversation. “It wasn’t halves—it was thirds. There was a third part that survived.”

  “Or was awakened through the death of his human death and angel death,” Jaden finished.

  I suddenly felt left out. Everyone seemed to be comprehending. What was I missing?

  “Would someone please explain to me what is going on?” I burst out.

  All four of them looked at me as if they were just remembering I was still there.

  It was Jenna who found her voice first.

  “If both parts of Adam are dead—angel and human—but he is still alive, this means there must have been a third part hidden somewhere inside of him. Too weak to show itself while the other two were still alive—”

  “Adam must have had demonic heritage,” Jaden finished the thought.

  I felt my jaw drop.

  Ben was watching his father from the corner of the room where he had stopped pacing.

  “What we need to know now is which parent he got it from.”

  All faces turned to Chris.

  “And you are everything but a demon,” Jenna reassured Chris.

  Jaden nodded. “Chris, I feel nothing dark when I am next to you. Not even the slightest hint. It’s impossible he got it from you.”

  I watched Chris’ face go from horror to relief and back to horror.

  “But Abigail was mortal,” he reasoned. “She was mortal. She died giving birth to Adam.”

  Abigail, Adam’s biological mother, I remembered. She had died giving birth to Adam, just seconds before Chris had spread his wings for the first time when he had held tiny, newborn Adam in his hands.

  “I know this is hard for you to wrap your head around, Chris,” Jaden looked at him intensely, “But think about it. Abigail died young. Even if she hadn’t developed demon powers, the demon-gene could have been dormant. Having the gene alone doesn’t make a demon. There are many factors. She might have never turned bad.”

  “I guess we’ll never know,” Chris said in a strained tone. He sat down in an armchair and buried his face in his hands.

  Jenna was watching him with a weary expression.

  I couldn’t even begin to imagine what the two of them were going through right now. And Ben.

  He was still standing in the corner, lost in thought.

  I let the new information sink in for a few minutes.

  So, the theory was that Adam was alive. That was good news. The bad news were that he wasn’t anything like before. The parts of him that had been human or angel were gone. This gave me lot to think about.

  Jaden was watching me from the corner of his eye as I yawned widely. I was physically tired from processing everything.

  “Time for you to lay down and rest,” he commented. “We still have a lot to figure out. All we have for now is a theory.”

  “And a very good one,” Ben threw in.

  “We need to make a decision soon.” Chris looked up.

  “What do you mean?” I wondered.

  “Adam is alive. Even if all that’s left of him is a demon—he is still my son.”

  Jenna gave him a pitying look.

  He was right. And I agreed with every fiber in my body. Even if he was a demon, and we weren’t one-hundred percent certain that’s what he was, he was still Adam.

  I needed to see him soon. I needed to see for myself what he was—or wasn’t.

  “So, I have a demon brother,” Ben said, his voice surprisingly light. “Should we stake him out and capture him?”

  All eyes were on him now. Some filled with shock, some with admiration for how lightly he was taking the news.

  “I just mean—maybe there is some spark of good left in him.”

  It was Sunday morning. I was staring at the message as if I could force more information out of it by pure willpower.

  Jaden’s theory changed everything. I needed to get a chance to talk to Adam alone before the demons attacked the next time. But would it make a difference if I did? If he was truly evil now—

  It had been quiet after Adam’s death. We hadn’t heard or seen much of the demons. They had tried to get me twice. Ben had saved me once. Jaden the other time.

  I wasn’t sure if anyone would be able to help this time—trap or not. So, I had decided not to tell the Gallagers or Jaden about the messages.

  Lucas Baker was eliminated. Who knew if they knew about Liz. I didn’t know if they knew about all of the Gallagers. And I couldn’t risk them finding out.

  But did it reality matter? Volpert was still upset that I had gotten away that night, and he would stop at nothing to take revenge.

  It was certain revenge would come and that it would be painful, the only thing uncertain was what it would look like.

  Whatever it will be, you deserve it, the voice in my head came to life. I quickly shut it up and tried to focus.

  Another thing I could be sure about was that I wouldn’t endanger any of the Gallagers this time.

  I was just rolling over and forcing my brain to shut up when my phone buzzed.

  My hand reached for the rectangle and held the screen before my eyes. I froze.

  Tonight. Where it all began.

  Ice-Cold

  The pencil scratched over the paper as I scribbled the note.

  Gone to see Adam. I just had to go.

  Sorry. Claire

  I folded the paper in half and placed it on the bed.

  It was getting dark outside. Jenna and Chris were busy in the library. Ben had checked in on me just a few minutes ago, and Jaden was out somewhere, trying to learn more about angel-demon hybrids. We had decided together, that we had to get Adam back somehow. And this demanded information. If I was quick, I would be back before anyone could notice.

  After all the Gallagers had done for me—and Jaden—I wouldn’t risk any of them just to satisfy my childish, and very dangerous need to see Adam.

  With a quick look into the hallway, I made sure the coast was clear before I tiptoed downstairs and out the front door.

  My car was waiting for me at the side of the building. I jumped in and started the engine.

  No one came to stop me. They were all busy. So,
I slowly drove away from the house and into the evening traffic.

  Every few blocks, I checked the mirror for a familiar car and the street around me for familiar shapes, but there was nothing. It seemed my plan had worked.

  I instantly felt guilty for running away like this. But I knew, if I had told any of the Gallagers about Adam’s message, they would have never let me go. Let alone Jaden. He depended on my safety more than anyone.

  Adam, the voice in the back of my head said. It was all I needed to hear to let go of all guilt. I needed to see him. I needed to know if it was true. If all that was left of him was an evil shell.

  Where it all began, Adam’s message had said. It was only a few minutes later when I parked at the graveyard. The street was empty.

  I opened the old iron gate ever so slightly and slipped in. No sense letting the gate stand wide open for nighttime dog-walkers to use or a passing police cruiser to notice. My heart was racing in anxious anticipation. I didn’t know what to expect. Would he come alone? Would he recognize me? Would he remember me?

  “I see you got his message.” It wasn’t Adam’s voice, but it was a familiar voice.

  I instinctively turned towards the sound and found a dark, slender silhouette under a nearby tree.

  When she stepped out of the shadows, I froze. Her face I would recognize any time, any place.

  “Maureen.” Adam’s ex-girlfriend.

  Maureen tilted her head and her jacket shifted to expose a silver amulet around her neck.

  She was part of this. I had suspected a connection with the demons after I noticed the pendant on her necklace at Adam’s funeral—the same one the demons wore—but I couldn’t be sure until now. Was she a demon?

  A trap after all, the voice in my head warned me. Of course it was. But even knowing the odds of this being a trap, if there was the slightest chance of seeing Adam, I would gladly risk it.

  “How nice of you to come,” she said in a sweet and false voice.

  “What do you want?” I felt stupid for coming alone. With his reduced powers, Jaden wouldn’t know if I needed his help and the Gallagers were all busy. I was on my own—I had planned it that way.