by Lola StVil
“Did you really do that?” Disney asks him.
“Yes, I did,” Mason says, bowing his head.
“You flew a guy into a tornado?” she says.
“He was harassing Langston because she wouldn’t go out with him. That’s nothing; Perry made Quinn create a sleeping spell, next thing you know, he wakes up in a Mexican prison. He was there for almost a month.”
“Mason! You guys left him there?” she says in disbelief.
“Hey, it’s his fault. He should have worked harder in Spanish class.”
“That’s kind of harsh.”
“Remy wanted to separate him from some of his organs. Regal wanted to take him to something called ‘hot yoga.’ I have no idea what that means but it didn’t sound good,” he says, laughing.
“You guys really stick up for each other. I like that.”
“That’s what a team does: get on your nerves and have your back,” he says. She looks at him with sadness in her eyes. Her voice is soft and small.
“Guess I haven’t been much of a team player, have I?”
“Well…no. But I get it.”
“You do?”
“You have feelings for someone that you shouldn’t and it pulls at you. It’s like this enormous force pushing you towards the thing you’ve been told you can’t have. It doesn’t stop you from wanting it. It doesn’t stop you from dreaming about it. Especially when that thing is within your reach,” he says, looking like he’s about to kiss her.
GET THE HELL OFF HER!
“Mason, that day on the roof, you wanted to tell me something. What was it?” she asks. They don’t kiss, but I still need him to give her some space.
“I wanted to confess—I didn’t always like humans. I thought you guys were small, weak, annoying beings. I didn’t want your kind to die, but I certainly didn’t want to risk my life for humanity,” he says.
“Really, what changed?”
“I saw a car accident once, a lady was pinned under and her toddler was a few feet away, crying hysterically. We are limited in what we can do in terms of intervening with the human word. The only time we are allowed to do anything is when it directly affects the Shadow world or threatens the existence of all mankind. So, as you can imagine, that’s not often.”
“What happened with the lady?”
“She was under the car and the upper part of her body was mangled and broken in impossible ways. Yet the only thing she cared about was her son and how to keep him calm. She should have died right then and there, but she stayed alive by sheer will. And the moment she saw the paramedic, she closed her eyes and accepted death.
“Lissy, this small one-hundred-and-twenty-pound lady fought off death itself for her child. That’s when I realized what I first thought was weakness was actually courage. There was no reason for her to think she could stop death from coming for her, but she didn’t care. She stayed alive for a whole hour because she refused to give in.
“Following that day, I traveled the world and everywhere I went, I saw greed, violence, and cruelty. But I also found humans that, like the mother in the car, displayed uncanny strength and fortitude.
“I found a woman in London camping beside her kid’s hospital bed every day despite the doctor telling her that he won’t ever wake up. I went to Mexico and watched an entire village gather to support the eldest member as they headed towards their first chemo treatment. I’ve watched fathers in war-torn countries—on the brink of annihilation—part the sky with their laughter, all because their kid did or said something funny.
“It left me with a whole new appreciation for humans; like Shadows, they have powers too. Forget super strength, fire manipulation, or teleporting. The ones with the true powers are the humans. They have the power to hold on no matter what. Humans have faith. And I will give my life to protect that,” he says as she looks on in admiration.
Perfect.
“You don’t miss being around other angels of your kind? You guys are stuck here on Earth, right?”
“Yeah, but we’ve made peace with it. The hard part isn’t fighting evil; it’s making sure you’re not distracted while doing so.”
“Is there something distracting you now?” she asks in a whisper as their eyes lock onto each other. Mason lets out a long breath and then bites his lower lip. He slowly scans her.
“You could say that,” he replies.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she offers.
“No, I think this struggle is all mine,” he says as he groans with regret.
Bastard.
I’m thankful that Saudia interrupts. She tells them that she may have found a way to get to the afterlife after all. Argh! What is it going to take to stop this girl and her team? I listen closely and watch closely but then the screen goes blank.
“Damn it!”
One of the enchantments they have in the loft has a “safe word,” which means once certain words are spoken, any listening devices and surveillance will be rendered useless. Now, I have no way of knowing what other foolish plans they have to get that stupid veil. What makes matters worse is the fact that I can’t get Disney to agree to save her own life and become a Shadow. I want to find out more about what’s going on, but a demon I know texts me that he has eyes on the woman I have been trying to find: Sadie.
***
Sadie enters the bar and isn’t the least bit surprised to see me. She signals for us to head to the back room. She casts a spell on the room so that we cannot be overheard.
“I don’t have time for this. I’m busy,” she says.
“Busy killing people’s mothers and leaving them to die on the street?”
“Oh…Talon,” she reasons to herself.
“Yeah, he told me what you did. Why would you kill Disney’s mother?” I demand.
“It’s complicated and now is not a good time.”
“Sadie, she trusts you. You’re part of the Alliance, how can you kill a human? You’re on their side, remember?”
“Yes, Kane, I remember.”
“Then what the hell?!”
“You can kill someone and never touch them. Your action can set off a chain of events that get people killed. You of all demons should know that,” she says sadly.
“Okay, enough with the riddles and the ‘wax on’ crap. Tell me what happened!”
She tells me what took place the night Disney’s mother was killed. She’s right. It’s complicated and, frankly, messed up.
“You have to tell Disney,” I insist.
“No, she can’t know.”
“She deserves to know what really took place. If she knows, she might have a different take on the whole Kane-don’t-kill-people thing,” I reply.
“This would just crush her, and she’s already been through so much. If you care about her, you can’t tell her anything.”
“That’s real easy for you to say, Sadie! I have never lied to Disney, not once. That’s all I have here, okay? She’s around ‘good guys’ who heal the sick, feed the poor, and shit strawberries.
“Meanwhile, I’m the asshole demon she is trying to stop loving. You get that? She’s trying to wipe out her feelings for me like it’s a damn cancer. What Disney and I have—the only thing we have—is that I have never lied. Yes, I killed, I tortured, and I hunted humans. But I don’t lie—not to her.”
“She loves you? She said that?”
“Yeah, but don’t go picking out your ‘plus one’ yet. She hates me too. I tried to make her a Shadow and she was pissed. What the hell is it about the humans that makes her want to save them?”
“She doesn’t have a past like you do—no one does.”
“What do you know about my past?” I push.
“There’s so much we need to cover, you and I. But now is not the time. I need you to promise that you will not tell Atlas what happened to her mom.”
“It’s not just about me not wanting to lie to her. Sadie, Atlas could be in danger in her own home.”
“No!
That is not the case. I took care of it.”
“You cannot keep this from her. I know it’ll be hard for her to hear but—”
“You think because Atlas is a nice person, she isn’t susceptible to evil? You tell her this news and she will go off! That girl that you know—the one you fell for—will be gone. The last Seeker could have her Break and become a demon. Is that what you want?”
“ARGH!” I rant as I put my fist through the nearest wall. Sadie comes over to me and places a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m working on the spell to get Ella back so she can to talk to you so you can find out who killed her. I’m doing my part, so do yours. You had many chances to kill our favorite human but you didn’t. Don’t let all your effort go to waste. If you tell her what happened to her mom, one way or the other, we lose her.”
“That’s funny, you say that like I actually have a shot. She won’t choose me.”
“Oh, dear boy, when it comes to love…there is no such thing as choice.”
***
I planned to rush over to Disney and tell her the truth, but I learned that today is her mom’s birthday. So, she invited her father to meet her at the cemetery to place flowers on her grave. I want to be there for her. But I don’t know if she’d want me there. So, I watch her on the smoky screen of the Hobb.
She’s sitting in front of her mother’s grave, alone. I’m guessing her father didn’t show up. I’m not sure how long she’s been there but it must have been a while because the caretaker is trying to find a nice way to tell her he needs to close the gates. She looks so small, kneeling beside the large marble headstone. She had placed flowers at the base of the headstone: a dozen big, beautiful white roses.
“Don’t worry, Mom, I’m sure Dad will show up. I called him all last night. We talked this morning; he’ll be here. You know how he is,” she says, trying to sound upbeat. She strokes the marble as if it were her mom’s face.
“There’s been a lot going on so school’s been…delayed a little. But I will get back to studying this weekend. I’m just a little behind, not a lot. Promise.” She takes a deep breath and addresses the stone again.
“Mom, I know you loved Dad but did you ever wish you didn’t? There’s this guy…well, this…demon…he’s awful to others. He hurts them and takes life without a second thought. But I swear there’s something in him that I am drawn to. Something that makes me want to save him. Yeah, I know. It’s crazy, right?” She suddenly starts to laugh.
“Do you remember when I like five and I gave my Happy Meal to the homeless guy by the train station? You said that was nice but that the guy was wearing like three-hundred-dollar sneakers. It turns out, it was all just a scam. I was so heartbroken; I refused to share anything ever again. But then you took me to a homeless shelter with people that really did need help. It helped restore my faith, right away.
“But this isn’t like that. Liam isn’t some heartbroken kid without a Happy Meal. He’s angry, dark, and he can be cruel. So I should stay away from him. I know that. I’m trying. I just don’t know how to stop loving him. Was it like that for you and Dad? Was there any part of him that could have been redeemed? Or is it all just pointless?”
“I’m sorry, but we have to close the gates,” the lanky man with the rake says gently.
“Wait, my father is supposed to come and see my mom. He just needs a little more time. Five minutes, okay?” she pleads.
“Okay, I’ll come back,” he says.
It’s an hour later, and that jerk of a father never showed up. The more time passes, the more heartbroken she becomes. I hate watching her suffer. I make a mental note to kill her father but then I remember she’d hate that. Screw this. I fly over to the cemetery. It would have been quicker to teleport, but I wanted time to figure out what I was going to say. How do I make her feel better? What do I say to pull the sadness from her eyes?
I land inside the gate and see her kneeling down, in tears. I make my way towards her but I halt in my tracks when I realize she’s not alone. A figure comes out of the clearing near the trees and greets her.
Mason.
“What are you doing here?” she asks him as she quickly wipes the tears from her face so that he doesn’t see.
“Hey, I’m sorry I had to call you, I didn’t know how long you’d be,” the groundskeeper says as he approaches them.
“Thank you, we appreciate it, Henry,” Mason says.
“You know him?” she asks Henry.
“I sure do. He comes here every few days and puts flowers on this grave. I told him my wife was buried here and that she loved white roses. I get them for her whenever they are on sale. So, Mason came the next week with two handfuls of flowers. One for your mom and the other for my Rosy,” Henry says.
“You come here to see my mom?” she asks Mason.
“It’s not a big deal, Lissy. We have all your time tied up, and if it wasn’t for us, you’d be here more often so…”
“It is a big deal. My own father couldn’t come and see her on her birthday,” she says.
“It might be hard for him, he’s grieving. Are you ready to go? If not, I think Henry can be talked into giving you some more time,” Mason replies.
“No, I’m ready,” she says, looking deeply into his eyes. She turns to her mother’s headstone, kisses the palm of her hand, and places it on the marble.
“Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.”
Mason walks her past me and down the path that leads to the street. New York City is unseasonably warm, and she suggests that instead of flying, the two of them walk home.
“Sure, we can do that,” he says as they begin to stroll down the street. She stops abruptly and faces him.
“What is it? You okay?” he asks.
“Kiss me.”
He sighs deeply, shakes his head, and looks into her eyes. She moves in and closes the gap between them. But she doesn’t lean in for the kiss. She is waiting on him.
“Lissy…you’re heartbroken about your mother, your whole world is changing, it’s a lot. I don’t want to take advantage of that.”
“No, you wouldn’t do that, would you? You’re a nice guy.”
“You wouldn’t think that if you could read my thoughts when it comes to you. I’m barely hanging on—I want you.”
“You’re right, given everything that’s going on, this would be a bad idea. The reasonable thing to do is to take a step back when I come towards you.” She leans in even closer. He studies the depths of her eyes and supple lips. Mason does not step back…
“And then she kissed him! She kissed him!” I shout as I slam my fist down on the kitchen table and leave a deep imprint on the kitchen counter. Pest looks up from his book, sees the dent on his counter, and sighs. I probably should not destroy his stuff.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“It’s okay. I’ve had to put insurance on all my appliances since knowing you,” Pest replies as he goes back to his book.
The kiss was a few days ago, yet it pisses me off like it just happened, still brings me to a raging boil. I’ve been so pissed off I have shut down the Hobb. I haven’t looked in on Disney in nearly a week. I’m sure she doesn’t need me to do that. She has Mason…
“You should have seen that snake; he was getting off on it. ARGH! He may be right for her but…he’s not right for her,” I say mostly to myself.
“Um-hum,” Pest replies, not brothering to look up from his book.
“I was there, I watched them together, and you know what, he was holding her wrong,” I reply in deep thought.
“Um-hum.”
“Pest, are you listening?!”
“Yeah, yeah. He’s wrong and you’re right. Got it.”
“What the hell’s so damn interesting about that book?” I ask.
“You should know, you sent it to me—thank you, by the way. It’s fascinating.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t send you anything.”
“Are you sure?”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, I’m sure,” I reply as I inspect the book in his hand. It’s a leather-bound book with gold carvings on the front.
“It’s The Last Winter. You and I were talking about it the other day. So, I thought you found a copy and sent it to me.”
“I didn’t. Was there a note?”
“Yeah,” he says, then goes into the living room and comes back with a small white card with silver lettering.
“What’s it mean?” I ask.
“It’s Latin. It means ‘Seek light even in the darkest of places.’”
“Well I didn’t send it. And why is it so interesting? You’ve read that fairy tale a million times.”
“Yeah but this version is different. For one thing, it’s handwritten. Also there are notes in the margin, notes that I believe are made by the author.”
“And that’s interesting because?” I ask, growing impatient.
“The Last Winter was written by an anonymous Shadow. He or she calls themselves ‘Midnight.’”
“Fine, why is this ‘Midnight’ person sending you a book you didn’t ask for?”
“Good question. I can’t help but think that he’s trying to tell me something.”
“Can you play book detective later? Right now, I just want to know if it’s okay to kill Mason.”
“You’ve never asked me that before—if someone should or shouldn’t be killed.”
“What’s your point, human?”
“This softer side of you is kind of nice.”
“You’re right. I have changed—I have softened. I will let Mason choose how he dies. He can bleed out or I can make it quick,” I conclude.
“That’s not what I was trying to say.”
“Fine, then tell me what to do. Tell me who I can gut, because I need to do something.
Pest, how the hell could she do that?” I demand.
“That’s an interesting question. There’s research taking place at Johns Hopkins University—”