by L. L. Wright
“Emmie,” Jenny said quietly. “What’s going on?”
“I have something she wants,” Emmie said. Her memory was still puzzling it out, but she remembered tucking the crystal into her bag the night she climbed out her window. The night she had met Malcolm. The same night she became trapped in her own mind for weeks.
“Who wants? What is it? What are you talking about?” Jenny asked. Emmie rushed back across the room and grabbed her hands.
“Hailey. I took something from her the night I left. I didn’t know what it was. I still don’t, but I think she tore my room apart looking for it so it must be important. And if it’s important to her, I’m willing to bet it’s important to The Faction too,” Emmie said, smiling with wide eyes.
“How does that help us?”
“We can use it as a bargaining chip. If The Faction wants it, they’ll have to agree to let us stay together. We’re a package deal.”
“Do you really think that’ll work? From what I’ve heard they don’t seem like the negotiating type,” Jenny said.
“I do. But I have to get it and hide it somewhere safe and out of their hands before I meet with them.”
“Ok. So where is this thing now?” Jenny asked.
“That’s the tricky part. I think it’s at Faction Towers. It was in my bag when I left that night, but then I was sedated and I haven’t thought to look for it since.”
Jenny frowned. “What is it anyway? How can you be so sure it’s valuable enough to bargain with.”
“I’m not really sure. It’s a crystal, or at least it looks like one, but there was something inside it. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Emmie chewed at the inside of her cheek.
“I have,” Jenny said with wide eyes. “I’ve seen Malcolm use it during interrogations.”
“What do you mean, use it how?”
“He told me it’s a truth stone. The demon holding the stone isn’t able to lie, no matter how much they want to,” Jenny explained.
Emmie gasped, “I don’t think the stone belonged to Malcolm at all. I think it’s angelic,” she whispered. Her eyes were wide as she thought through the implications.
“But that would mean,” Jenny paused, and her forehead creased. A moment later her hand flew to cover her mouth and her eyes snapped up to meet Emmie’s. “Hailey would have had it with her.”
“What if The Faction had it wrong the whole time? What if she wasn’t taken by the demons at all? What if she’s been working with them all along? Of her own free will.”
“I don’t know Em. I mean, isn’t it possible that she just happened to have the stone with her when she was grabbed?” Jenny asked.
Emmie sighed. She mulled over the question distractedly, biting the inside of her cheek.
“I don’t have proof, and I’m not sure why, but my gut says no,” Emmie replied. “I’ve
seen the kind of magic you’re describing in the truth stone before. Inside the City of Angels. Only there. I haven’t seen anything like it at Faction towers.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” Jenny said.
“I know, you’re right.”
Jenny exhaled deeply. “But, for what it’s worth, I think you’re right,” she said, wrapping one arm around Emmie’s shoulder.
Emmie smiled. Is it weird that this isn’t weird? she wondered, at the same time realizing that she was already feeling attached to the idea of having a sister in her life, and by her side.
40
Leo
“Where could she be?” Leo asked. He paced back and forth across the wet cemetery grounds outside the mausoleum. “It’s been hours, and she’s not answering her phone.”
Collin rubbed a palm over his mouth and shook his head. “She has to be in the city. We’ve been here the whole time. There isn’t another barrier in Connecticut, and anyway, this is the only one she knows about,” he said.
Leo pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He dialed the security guard at Faction Towers. “Will, it’s Leo. You haven’t seen Emmie, have you?”
“Hmm. Emmie,” he said, mulling the name over.
“Dark red-brown hair, green eyes. Literally the only human, angel hybrid,” Leo said. The irritation was evident in his voice.
“Right. That Emmie. Yeah, I saw her leave a little while ago.”
“You mean she came back a little while ago?”
“Nope. Never saw her come back come to think of it, but she definitely left about an hour ago.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
Leo ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. He turned to Collin and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She was at Faction Towers. Will didn’t see her come in, but she left an hour ago,” he groaned.
“Ok. I’m going to skip the obvious question of how she got there. Where do you think she went?” Collin asked, leaning against the stone structure.
“She doesn’t have anywhere to go,” Leo huffed. He started pacing again and ran a hand through his hair.
“Maybe she just went out for some air,” Colling shrugged. He pushed off of the mausoleum and started walking toward the front gate.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. Unless you’ve got a better idea,” Collin said, continuing toward the front of the cemetery.
Leo pulled out his phone again. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Emmie’s name.
“It’s still going to her voicemail.” He shook his head. “Something just feels off. How the hell did she get back into the tower without anyone seeing her?”
"The elders must have made her a portal. That's the only explanation."
"But why would they do that? I've only heard of an Elder extending a portal under dire circumstances."
"Beats me, man. But standing around in a cemetery all day is no joke. I'm starving."
"When aren't you starving?"
Collin shrugged and turned out of the parking lot. He headed toward the main road. Back to Hartford.
"I have a hunch I need to follow. Just let me out here," Leo said.
"What kind of hunch?" Collin asked, shooting him a sideways glance.
"What if Emmie went home?"
"Why would she do that? It could be a trap. The Faction searched it after we found the malachite in her blood, and it was empty. But that doesn't mean it will stay that way," Collin said.
"As angels, we put The Faction first. It’s what we were sent to earth to do. Protect humanity by hunting demons. It's basically part of our programming. But Emmie is a human who was injected with angelic qualities. Putting The Faction above all else isn't hard-wired into her. They must have had her take an oath or swear to uphold our codes as her own before giving her the full power of a Sigil."
"And you think the first thing she did after swearing to put The Faction first is to go back to the house where demons experimented on her for fifteen years?" Collin asked. His eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Yeah, I do. Maybe she’s saying goodbye to her past, or looking for closure. Or maybe she left something behind. Humans are sentimental. There are a hundred different reasons she could have gone back there,” Leo said. He unbuckled his seatbelt and tapped on the door impatiently.
Collin sighed. “If you’re seriously going to walk into a potential demon trap, I’m coming with you,” he said, tossing Leo his phone. “Put the address in.”
Leo typed the address into the navigation app and clipped Collins phone to the case on the dashboard. “I thought you were starving.”
“I am. But, it’s like you said. Faction business comes first,” he said, following the GPS instructions.
“Is that really why?” Leo asked.
“No,” Collin chuckled. “We’re not mindless drones. We make our own choices, just like humans and demons. The difference is our commitment to the cause, and our loyalty to those we fight beside. We believe that there is nothing more important than ridding the earth of demons, and witho
ut all of the emotional distractions of humans we aren’t easily swayed from that goal,” he explained. “I’m coming because you’re like my brother, and I have your back, always.”
Leo nodded his head and smiled. “Thanks. I think of you like a brother too.”
“Besides. There’s a McDonalds in West Creek and I’m getting tired of the dining hall food,” Collin shrugged.
Leo shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Just drive,” he said.
Collin made a left onto Spruce Street and Leo dialed Emmie’s number again.
“Voicemail?” Collin asked as he stuffed a handful of french fries into his mouth.
Leo nodded, and looked out the window. His mind considered all of the possible reasons Emmie had been unreachable for hours, but as the car came to a stop he let out a sigh of relief, there’s a light on upstairs.
“Looks like you were right,” Collin said. He leaned against the steering wheel and craned his neck for a better view of the window. “So, now what?”
Leo climbed out of the car. He heard another car door open and close behind him. He heard the icy blades of grass crunch as Collin walked onto the lawn, stopping beside him.
“Do you smell that?” Collin asked. He tilted his head toward the window and closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath.
Leo copied the action. His eyes snapped open. “Demon blood,” he whispered. The upstairs light went out, and they exchanged wide glances. Leo watched as the front door swung open and a girl stepped outside, followed by another girl. Emmie, but who is that with her? He felt his chest tighten and his body freeze when both girls turned around. Emmie's eyes met his and he saw something fierce flash behind them. She grabbed the girl's arm pulling her behind her back protectively. What the hell is going on? Is she protecting a demon? He heard the grass crunch beneath his own feet as they carried him across the lawn. Fingers wrapped around his forearm, stopping him, and pulling him backward with only a yard left between them. A pair of glowing green eyes caught his attention, pulling his gaze away from Emmie. His mind flashed back to the night he saw Emmie's eyes glow. He stared at the demonic light. It emanated from the pupil and lit up her entire iris, but in spite of it, all he could see was the fearful green eyes behind the glow, the same shade of green as Emmie's.
41
Emmeline
Why am I locking the door? No one even lives here anymore, Emmie thought as she pulled her key out of the deadbolt, silently wondering what would happen to the home she had grown up in. Jenny stood beside her. She had a sad curiosity in her eyes and Emmie could feel the sympathy rolling off of her. She’s lost as much as I have. Maybe more. At least I had the illusion of a somewhat normal childhood. I doubt Malcolm made time to read her bedtime stories or to tuck her in at night. She grew up on the run, surrounded by demons, and here she is full of empathy and sisterly support. Emmie turned and stepped down off the porch. She picked up a scent, and then saw something moving at the far edge of the lawn, someone. Her vision snapped as her eyes adjusted to the darkness all at once and Leo came into view. She pulled Jenny behind her, and held her wrist tightly, afraid that she would be snatched away, again. She watched as Collin grabbed Leo’s arm, pulling him backward with a strength that surprised her. A small distance lay between them and Emmie felt her adrenaline rise. Her hands shook and her heart pumped wildly in her chest, and then she noticed a burning sensation along the angelic mark at her ribs.
“Emmie, you’re glowing,” Jenny whispered, peeking around Emmie’s side with wide eyes.
Emmie looked down. She could see the faint glow of her sigil beneath her cotton shirt. She tilted her head to meet Jenny’s glowing eyes. Her expression was full of terror as she stared at the angels she had been taught to fear. The ones that had orders to kill all demons on sight. The wrist Emmie held onto trembled and she could hear Jenny’s heavy breaths heaving wildly. She released her grip momentarily before interlacing their fingers and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“What are you doing here?” Emmie asked. Her tone was clear and cool and she could feel the angelic magic radiating from her sigil. She knew the brand gave superhuman strength and speed and she had heard mention of it healing wounds almost immediately, but any other abilities it gave were a mystery. It would be really helpful if there was some kind of manual or ‘sigils for dummies’ book I could order on Amazon.
Leo was silent. His blue eyes were glacial, cold, detached and locked on Jenny. Emmie felt enraged by the predatory look in his gaze. His brow furrowed and his body was ready to attack. She swallowed hard, shifting her own cold glare as she took a deep breath and turned toward Collin.
“We could ask you the same thing,” he said. His fingers were still wrapped around Leo’s forearm. “You joined The Faction. You knew that would mean leaving everything else behind, but you took the oath anyway. And the first thing you did was come back here? To meet with a demon?” His words sounded like a question as they met her ears, but they stung like an accusation. Leo’s eyes were ice. His body was filled with anger and the instinct to hunt. She could see it in his clenched jaw and balled fists. But Collin was different. His eyes were deep, filled to the brim with betrayal and disappointment. The boy who lived in his lab, carefully avoiding relationships. Hiding behind his sarcasm and computer screens. Keeping his world small and his heart protected. Emmie could see it in his face, everything she needed to know. He had let her in. He had become invested in their unlikely friendship, and in his eyes she could see that he regretted lowering that wall.
Emmie sighed and shook her head, desperate to clear away the effects of the sigil. The confidence and clarity she felt coursing through her was an intense and welcome change, but the cool detachment she noticed pushing its way past her other emotions scared her. She knew angels didn’t have the emotional complexity and depth of humanity that normal humans had, but she hadn’t imagined that becoming a true angel and accepting the brand would change who she was.
“Look. I know that for you The Faction is the bigger picture. I’ve heard the speech, and I’ve skimmed enough of the codes to know that angels are supposed to live and breathe to hunt demons and cleanse the earth. But, Collin, she’s my sister. I can’t just turn my back on her. I won’t. No matter what this thing is doing to me,” she said, running a hand over the mark seared into her side.
“What do you mean she’s your sister?” Collin asked. He cocked his head to the side and his forehead creased with confusion. “Like, some kind of demon connection?”
“What do you think the sigil is doing to you?” Leo cut in. His eyes followed her hand, now resting on her ribs.
“No. She’s my human sister. We’re twins,” Emmie explained, ignoring Leo and directing her words at Collin. Her eyes shifted to Leo, and she noticed that his stance hadn’t changed. His eyes were still locked on Jenny and his body was rigid. “When Hailey and a demon named Malcolm murdered our parents and kidnapped us, apparently assuming their identities, it seems that they thought separating us would be a fun addition to their experiment.”
“How do you suddenly know all of this?” Collin asked. His eyes were narrow with suspicion and Emmie had a feeling that he already suspected her answer.
“Chamille,” Emmie said, exhaling loudly. “The elders had an entire file on me that they were just keeping to themselves. She thought I had a right to know the truth about my own life. To know that I had a twin sister.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the baby picture she had folded up and tucked away before leaving the rest of the file behind and extended it to Collin. She watched curiously as he unfolded the picture and stared for a second before his eyes shot up and darted back and forth between herself and Jenny as she peeked around her shoulder.
“That was nice of her,” Leo snarled. “Chamile is so selfless, I’m sure there were no ulterior motives at play.”
“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else trying to reclaim your epic love,” Emmie shot back. “Your soulmate. The woman that killed my parents, and
then kidnapped and experimented on me and my sister for fifteen years. You want to talk about ulterior motives? Maybe you should have paid a little bit more attention to hers and none of us would be here right now.”
Leo took a step forward, despite Collins firm grip on his arm. He clenched his jaw tighter and said, “None of that is her fault. She was taken by the demons too. She was injected with venom just like you.”
“Really? Is that what you’re still telling yourself? I’ve been involved in all of this for about five minutes and even I know that’s bullshit.” Emmie paused and looked away. She ran her free hand through her hair and chuckled wryly before she turned back to Leo.
“Hailey is an actual angel, Leo. Do you seriously think injecting her with some demon venom would cloud her judgement so much that she would lose herself completely? Do you even hear how that sounds?” Emmie seethed, glaring into his intense eyes. She took a step forward, challenging him to do the same, but Jenny tugged at her arm and she backtracked. “A third of my blood was demon blood and I would never do the horrible things she has done. Do you really think she has no free will? Do you honestly think she’s blameless in all of this?” Emmie demanded.
“Ok. Ok. Everyone needs to calm down,” Collin said as he stepped between them. He turned his attention to Emmie. “ I think I know what’s going on with you,” he said pointing at her right side, to the place she could no longer feel the sigil, but knew it would always be. “Sigils were meant to mark pure angels, but you’re half human so I think it’s fighting your humanity. That edge you feel, the push and pull on your emotions. I’ve experienced it to a lesser degree when I’ve been rebranded after being without a sigil for too long. The mark is trying to subdue your emotions, to make you less human and more angelic.”
“What?” Leo asked. His eyebrows raised in surprise. “You’ve never mentioned this before. What’s going to happen to her?”
“I didn’t mention it because it didn’t matter. Everytime I get rebranded I’m a little on edge for a week or two. It’s not a big deal for me. But, I’m not half human,” Collin said. “I can see the effects are wearing on her though. I mean look at her, she looks like she’s going to tear your throat open as soon as you turn your back.”