Angelic Nightmare

by H G Lynch

  “Reid?” she breathed, her voice trembling both in fear and weakness. God, whatever that shockwave was, it took a lot out of her. It was like when she’d thrown those lighting beams of fire at the old woman before and the boy yesterday. Like a powder keg igniting. All her power, more than she’d realised she had, swelling and exploding in one insane burst, with only the slightest spark needed to set it off.

  What the hell is happening to me? It was a numb thought, not a scared one. She was more worried about Reid than herself right now. “Reid? Reid, what’s wrong? What happened?” she crawled over to him shakily. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, and jerked back when his head swung up abruptly.

  His pupils were dilated, his fangs out, and a thin line of blood was trickling from his nose. He was still clutching his head, and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in pain. Ember had no idea what was wrong or what to do. Panicking, she scrambled back and yelled down the hall, “Ricky!” Her voice came out as a terrified whistle. Gasping, she swallowed and tried again, her heart lodged in her throat. “Ricky!” she screamed, her voice high and shaky.

  Ricky was by her side instantly, eyes wide, gripping her shoulders and searching her face.

  “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone a little away from frantic.

  Trembling, Ember turned and pointed at Reid.

  Ricky hissed through his teeth, looked sharply at Ember. “What happened?” he asked in a steely voice.

  She shook her head, her pulse throbbing in the base of her throat.

  Ricky knelt by Reid, laid a hand on his back. “Reid? Reid, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  Reid turned his head slightly to the side, growled through his teeth. Sherry came running into the room, stopped dead when she saw Ember sitting on the floor, terrified, and Reid clearly in agony.

  She dropped down beside Ember, with wide, anxious green eyes. “What’s going on?” she whispered shakily.

  “I-I don’t know!” Ember choked. It was a good question. All she knew was that whatever that shockwave had been, it had done something to Reid in her fury. And she didn’t know how to stop it or take it back.

  Reid snarled something through his teeth that almost sounded like words, his fingers fisted so tightly in his hair that she could smell a tiny amount of blood from his nails digging into his scalp. Or maybe it was just the blood running from his nose.

  Ricky leaned close to Reid. “What?” he murmured.

  Reid hissed, gasped. “Com-compulsion,” he grunted, then bowed his head again, breathing hard.

  Ricky’s head whipped up to look directly at Ember with unwavering eyes. There was something in his expression that Ember couldn’t read, but she flinched from it anyway.

  “Sherry, get Hiro and take Ember out of here. Get her as far away as you can. Go. Now!” Ricky snapped.

  Sherry, next to her, tensed, but nodded, sprung to her feet. She grabbed Ember’s arm and hauled her to her feet despite her shaking legs.

  Baffled, her head spinning, Ember let herself be dragged to the front door and shoved out hastily. She stood on the doorstep, stunned, while Sherry went to get Hiro. She was back in an instant with Hiro racing after her.

  Then they ran, pulling Ember with them, into the trees behind the house and all along the narrow pathway, getting further and further from the house. Ember didn’t understand what was happening, but apparently everyone else did.

  Eventually, when Sherry ran out of breath and energy, they stumbled to a stop somewhere deep in the woods, an area that was surrounded by high, crumbling stone walls with an intimidating iron gate in one wall. The only way in and out of here was the way they’d come, but it was far off the beaten track. It would be all guesswork getting back to the path.

  “What’s going on?” Ember cried, collapsing onto a fallen tree trunk. Her head hurt, her muscles hurt and she was so, so confused. Hiro and Sherry exchanged a coded glance, and Ember’s heart gave a scared squeeze.

  “Ember, it’s you. You were compelling him,” Sherry murmured quietly, watching Ember warily like she might suddenly snap and trying to kill her.

  It stung to see that Sherry was…afraid of her. Why?

  “No. No, I didn’t…” She shook her head, making her dizzy. But Hiro’s amber eyes were fixed on her so seriously that she had to pause, uncertainty adding to her bafflement.

  “Yes, Ember. You did. Not on purpose, no, but you compelled him. Sort of. I could feel it, like a mental blast of power. I don’t think Ricky or Sherry could’ve felt it, but since I’m linked to you now, I felt it. That blast of power must’ve hit Reid like a ton of bricks. I’d be surprised if it didn’t burst some blood vessels in his brain. Ember, that was…That kind of power…” Hiro shook his head, sucked in a deep breath.

  Ember was shaking again, so badly that everything she saw was quivering, and tears prickled her eyes. Why did these things keep happening to her? How could she possibly have the amount of power Hiro was implying?

  Then she remembered something Cris had said, right after she’d discovered she could make fire-creatures. “To be able to mould an animal you don’t feel close to takes…unheard of strength. I don’t think anyone’s done that before.” And he’d said things like that a lot since then, said she had more power than he could’ve ever imagined. But he’d said it all like it was some amazing gift.

  This didn’t feel like a gift anymore. It felt like a curse. She didn’t want this much power, she didn’t want to hurt people without meaning to, simply because she couldn’t control it. Now, she realised how stupid she’d been to argue with Reid about the mirror. Cursed objects were lethal, and she was one of them now.

  “But…how? How did I do it? How do I have this much power? I didn’t have this much power before, so why now? What changed? How do I— how do I stop it?” Tears ran down her face, and she curled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself tightly as if she could squeeze all the excess power out of herself that way.

  Surprisingly, Hiro was the one to come over and sit on the log next to her, and put a hand on her arm soothingly. “I don’t know, Emz, I really don’t. But I know someone who might.”

  Sniffling, she looked at him. He grinned and pointed upward. It took Ember a moment to realise what he meant.

  “Oh…you think…” She looked up at the cloudy sky, saw nothing but the churning, heavy clouds ready to let loose another shower of snow. Wind whistled through the trees, whipping her hair across her face, drying her tears to chilled tracks on her cheeks.

  Sucking in a nervous breath, she called out, “Raphael!” Her voice broke, and she had to take another steadying breath before she could try again. “Raphael! Please, I need to talk to you! Raz!” Nothing happened.

  But when she looked down, Raz was standing in front of her, wearing white linen trousers and a white t-shirt. His long, dark hair was loose and swirled about his face in the freezing wind.

  “Yes? What do you need to talk to me about?” he asked, his eyes fixed evenly on her face.

  She shivered. Looking to Hiro, and then to Sherry for support, Ember frowned. Sherry was still standing a safe distance away, and Hiro was eyeing Raz with a look of distaste. No help there.

  Swallowing her anxiety, Ember met Raphael’s eyes. “Raphael, what’s wrong with me?” she whimpered, biting down on her wobbling lower lip. But she held his gaze.

  He tilted his head quizzically, a slight frown creasing his brow. “Wrong with you?” he asked, confusion in his once-dead voice.

  “Yes, wrong with me. There’s something wrong with me. Why have I suddenly got more power than I can handle? What changed? How do I get rid of it?” She tried to keep her voice from shaking, but failed miserably.

  Something in Raphael’s face changed and a look of comprehension dawned on his features. His lips curled ever so slightly in a compassionate smile. He knelt in front of Ember, heedless of the snow soaking his thin trousers. Vaguely, Ember wondered if his trousers would go see-through, like
they should when they got wet, or if some magical angel power would stop that happening. Really, she knew she was just trying to find things to distract her from her panic attack.

  “Ember,” Raphael stared directly into her eyes, smiling —actually smiling, as if he found this all so very amusing — “there’s nothing wrong with you. What’s happening with your powers is what is supposed to happen. Haven’t you noticed the pattern yet?” he asked, gently.

  Ember, still utterly perplexed, shook her head slowly. She had no idea what he meant. What pattern?

  Raz sighed, very lightly. “Every time you are in great danger, or your emotions start to get out of control, your power builds. It’s like a natural defence system. Remember when you were faced with Owen and the witches, when they kidnapped you and Sherry?”

  Ember nodded, saw over Raphael’s shoulder that Sherry shivered. Ember couldn’t blame the girl.

  “Do you remember what happened? Your power exploded. That was the first time you realised what you could do. You discovered your fire ability.”

  Oh, she remembered that very clearly. She’d felt every ounce of every bad emotion she’d ever felt burn up inside her and flames burst from her hands.

  “And when Sherry was taken by the ghost? You may not have realised it, but your power was swelling. It was merely a coincidence that you developed your ability to create fire-creatures when you did. It was simply the time when your power reached that stage. But when the ghost…harmed Sherry,” Raphael said ‘harmed’ very carefully, as if he didn’t want to hurt her by stating the obvious. Haunting Harry killed Sherry. “Again, your power reached a new level.” Raphael must’ve seen the look in her eyes, read the memory she was thinking about, because he reached out, very hesitantly, and put a hand on her knee. It was the most sympathetic, comforting, human gesture he’d ever made.

  Because, of course, she wasn’t just thinking about that night. She was thinking of the time, days later, when she’d poured kerosene over her clothes and hair, and struck a match, hoping to burn to death. She’d been out of her mind with grief over Sherry’s death. Now, the memory made her shudder. She locked it away in that secret, dark place in the very back of her mind, where she hoped it could be forgotten.

  “Ember,” Raz said quietly, bringing out of her dark thoughts, “This is just like then. Your power is getting ready for the battle it knows is coming. The only way to control it, to get rid of the excess power, is to fight the battle.”

  “But…I don’t know when that battle will be! I can’t just lock myself up, waiting to explode, until the next time someone tries to kill me!” She knew, though, that that was exactly what she would do if it stopped her hurting her friends again. She’d lock herself away in a steel cell if she had to.

  “The battle will be soon. Very soon. Likely tomorrow. Hold out until then.” Raz looked serious again for a moment, and he stood up. He turned to her friends. “Keep her safe tonight. Tomorrow will be a great trial. For all of you.”

  Sherry and Hiro nodded solemnly, and Ember knew they were taking it as a vow. A personal responsibility that they wouldn’t just shrug off. Raphael started to shimmer, began glowing with an inner light. Something about his words struck Ember, and she reached out as if she could stop him. “Wait!”

  He paused, his glow dimming a little as he looked at her steadily. “Yes?”

  She chewed her lip, then sighed. “Won’t you be helping us?” she asked.

  Raphael hesitated. He nodded. “I will do what I can.” With that, he blew up in a shower of blinding sparkles that rained down on the glittering snow, and he was gone.

  Well, she thought, tiredly sarcastic, this is just great.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Ember? Emz, can I come in?” Reid’s voice came, muffled, through the door. She curled up in a tighter ball under the duvet, wishing he would go away so she could sleep. She was tired, and she kept hoping that if she went to sleep, when she woke up, everything would be back to normal. She wouldn’t have the weight of humanity on her shoulders and she’d be in control of her powers, and most importantly, she wouldn’t be arguing with Reid over every little thing. She hated it. Sure, they always argued, but that was more like bickering. They never really meant it. But this was different. In the last few arguments, she’d meant every word, and she knew he had too, even if he didn’t know it himself.

  She listened to the whispers through the door. Someone, probably Ricky, was encouraging Reid to come in. “I don’t care. Go in there. She needs to know you’re okay.”

  “Or I’ll just make her feel guiltier. What if she starts crying, huh?”

  “Then you make her feel better.”

  “I can’t! Dude, that’s the problem. I don’t know if I can make her feel better. Not now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  There was long pause, and Ember strained her ears, curious. Finally, Reid whispered, “I don’t think she wants me near her just now, man.” Even though his voice was a muffled whisper, he sounded…hurt.

  It made Ember feel worse. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Not physically like she had, and definitely not emotionally.

  “You heard what Sherz and Hiro said. Raz says there’s going to be some sort of battle tomorrow. She needs you, man. Go on.”

  A sigh. Then footsteps; someone walking away. Ricky going to the living room, she guessed. She waited tensely.

  Finally, the door creaked open, and she curled the duvet around her more. She heard Reid catch his breath, make a tiny sound of pain. Her heart jerked as she suddenly remembered what this must remind him of; those torturous weeks after Sherry died, when she’d gone crazy and then turned zombie, refusing to look at him or talk to him, instead hiding under her duvet most of the time. Her guilt swelled even more, and hot tears slipped from her eyes, catching in her lashes.

  “Ember?” Reid murmured softly.

  She didn’t reply. Maybe if he thought she was sleeping, he’d go away.

  “I know you’re awake. I can hear you caring under there,” he said with forced lightness.

  She didn’t giggle.

  He sighed, and she felt the bed give under his weight as he sat down next to her. He placed a hand on the duvet where her shoulder was. “Please come out of there,” he said quietly, very gently pinching at the duvet.

  She felt more tears slide down her face, wasn’t sure anymore what she was crying about; the lack of control she had over her life, or how guilty she felt for hurting Reid.

  “I’m not leaving until you come out from there, Emz. I’ll sit here all day and all night and eventually, you’ll have to come out. You can’t be a bed-mole forever.” Reid drummed his fingers on the duvet.

  She almost smiled.

  “It’s a pity, really. You see, I have this amazing girlfriend, but lately, I haven’t been able to find her. I think she got lost somewhere in amongst all the angst floating around. I’d really like to find her again, and I was wondering if you would help me.” His voice had taken on that sweet, teasing quality that always made her heart flutter like a dove behind her ribs.

  Now she did smile, she even giggled, before she could stop herself.

  She could practically hear Reid grinning in triumph as he said, “Ah, so you are awake. Does that mean you’ll help me look for my brilliant, sexy girlfriend? I miss her rather a lot, so you’d be a big help.”

  Biting her lip, trying not to grin, she wiped away the teardrops clinging to her lashes with one hand. She sniffled, and slowly, crawled out from under the duvet. Sitting up, she looked at Reid, knowing she must’ve looked a state. Her hair was all over the place, falling into her eyes, which were sore and probably red-rimmed. Her cheeks were most likely blotchy. But Reid still looked at her with adoring blue eyes that shone even in the darkness —she’d closed the curtains and turned off all the lamps when she’d slunk into the room.

  “There we go. Ah ha. I think I can see it now,” Reid murmured, leaning over to rub the tears off her cheeks. He brushed her hair ba
ck off her face gently.

  “See what?” she whispered, her throat dry and achy from all the silent crying.

  Reid tilted his head to look at her, examining her face. “Wait, hang on…” he muttered, leaning in slowly.

  She held perfectly still while he pressed a light, warm kiss on her lips. Her lips tingled and a feather of shivers ran down her spine. She felt a blush colour her cheeks a little.

  Reid leaned back and smiled. “There. There’s my girlfriend.” He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone, light as a butterfly wing.

  Chewing her lip, she cast down her gaze shyly, and Reid slid his arms around her, bringing her to him. She wanted to smile and cry at the same time, tucked her head against his shoulder, curling her fingers into his t-shirt.

  “Shh. It’s okay, Emz. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise you, Firefly, everything will be okay,” Reid murmured soothingly, stroking her hair.

  Feeling her mouth tremble, she said softly, “You don’t know that. Nobody does. What if something happens to you? What if next time I snap, nobody can fix it? What if-if someone comes and…” She couldn’t finish, but she clutched tighter at his shirt, more tears escaping and running down her face. “Then nothing will ever be okay.” She couldn’t stand the thought that she’d hurt him earlier, hated even more the thought that someone else could do more than just hurt him. The Society members and those damned knives.

  He pushed her back gingerly and took her face between his hands very lightly, looking into her face intently. “Nothing is going to happen to me. Ember, nothing is going to get me. You know why? No, look at me. You know how I know that?”

  His azure eyes were fixed on hers, and hard as she tried to look away so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes, the fear and pain and guilt, she couldn’t.

  Miserably she whispered, “No. How do you know?”