by Lola StVil
When it’s time to take RJ back home to his human parents, we think Swoop will have a major setback. But instead, she’s fairly happy. That’s because she found out all there is to know about the human family RJ was with. The woman is a second-grade teacher and her husband is a pediatrician. They were looking to adopt for years and they were overjoyed to get RJ. The one who has the most trouble saying good-bye to RJ is East.
“He’ll never know he was wanted. How could you just give him away?” East demands.
“I don’t want him to grow up with fireballs and orbs that suck the life out of you. I want him to have friends, go to birthday parties, and live a normal life,” Swoop replies.
“He won’t have powers; he’ll feel less than, believe me,” East whispers.
“If the day comes where he needs his powers, there are steps his father and I took to make sure he can get them.”
“And who is gonna watch over him?”
“RJ has a pushy second cousin named Easton who will spy and stalk him to make sure he’s okay,” Swoop teases.
“Damn right. He’s family and I’ll keep all the monsters away, human and otherwise,” East says.
“So are you ready to say good-bye?” Diana asks East gently.
“Yeah, I guess. But I will only allow RJ out of my sight if he knows he has a friend. Someone who will look after him when we’re not there,” East replies.
“Like who?” I ask.
“Well, RJ and I so happened to walk by the pound yesterday—his idea, not mine. Anyway, he picked out a puppy, and I would feel better about dropping him off with the humans if he got to keep the puppy.”
“The humans may not like puppies,” Swoop says.
“And what does that say about them?” East replies.
“Okay, okay, we will get the puppy—”
“Noodles,” East says, interrupting me.
“What?” Diana says.
“The puppy we picked out, it’s a grey English bulldog. We named him Noodles,” East says proudly.
“Okay, fine. We will take RJ and Noodles back to the humans, and you will make sure they still don’t recall anything that happened. Deal?” Swoop says.
“Okay. It’s just…He’s a really sweet kid, you know? I don’t want to miss out on his life,” Easts says.
“I know, but I love him too much to watch a demon harm him or a stray Powerball take his life. East, please, help me through this,” Swoop says with tears in her eyes.
East smiles and takes her hand.
“Okay. I’m with you,” he says.
The next day we deliver RJ back to his adoptive parents along with Noodles. When we get back home, Swoop fills us in on her other life for the first time.
“Santini noticed I was acting odd at times, and by the time we figured out I had an alter ego, Raven had grown much too strong,” Swoop says.
“Bird, why didn’t you tell us?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to be kicked off the team.”
“We never would have turned you away,” Pryor says.
“I couldn’t be sure of that. And I was hoping I could contain her.”
“What about Santini? Why didn’t you tell us about that?” East asks.
“Because I knew it was wrong. He’s full demon. And every demon can’t be as great as Uncle Rage. Yet I was drawn to his darkness.”
“That’s what Malakaro was counting on,” Bex says.
“Yeah, I guess,” she says sadly.
“Swoop, did you love the Gentleman?”
“Yeah, but that’s not always enough…”
“Are you going to be okay with RJ gone?” I ask.
“Key’s gone. That’s half of my wings right there; and now my son. No, I’m not okay. But Key was a fighter; I want to be one too. And when RJ hears about his mom someday, I want him to hear that I kicked Malakaro’s ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Six:
All That Matters
While Swoop did the best she could to adjust to life without her sister, Randy gave in to the pain. He found no reason to fight to get back to the life he had before. I could see just how much it hurt Pry to have her best friend so withdrawn. She talked to him for hours, trying to get him to open up, but he remained a closed book. He wouldn’t tell her what he was thinking or how he was feeling.
Pryor brought Randy to my dad’s house because she wanted him to talk to Randy and explain that sometimes, no matter how powerful you are, you lose people you love. And while Randy did get some peace from his talk with my dad, it did little to pick up his mood. In school, the Face had to bring him into her office because he wasn’t participating in class like he normally did, and the teachers were worried. From what East told me after spying on the two, the Face didn’t scold Randy. She just told him that his pain would take time and that she would be there if he needed her.
It’s another month before we see any sign of life in Randy. It comes when Bex says they have a possible location for Malakaro. That’s when a light goes off in Randy’s eyes. He starts researching all the ways there are to take on evil. It’s all he does. He’s up all hours of the night and refuses to make time for anything other than the pursuit of Malakaro’s destruction.
Pryor would rather Randy go back to being his old self, but she knows that time is gone. Randy will never be the same after the death of the only girl he’s ever loved. And while she isn’t crazy about the new “seek and destroy” version of Randy, she knows it’s better than catatonic Randy. So for now, we have reached a peace in the household, although it is fragile and based on the assumption that we will someday kill Pryor’s brother.
With everything that’s happened, I have not gotten the chance to speak with East about his family. I did kill his sister and stepfather. While he didn’t like his stepdad, Frank, they were members of his household. I should have addressed this a long time ago. I find East standing by his locker, getting ready for the next class. I’m not really sure what I can say to him, but I know that I’ve put this off for far too long.
“Hey, you got a minute?” I ask.
“Yeah. Is the team okay?”
“Yeah. I mean, as okay as they can be. This is actually about you and me,” I reply.
“Silver, if you’re going to ask me for my hand in marriage, I’m going to need to see the ring first. I have a list of demands. First, it must be from Tiffany’s,” East jokes.
“Can you be serious for one sec?” I ask nicely.
“Oh, yeah, okay.”
“I’m sorry about the way things went down with your sister and stepdad,” I admit.
“Um…no, you’re not.”
“What?”
“Silver, you killed them with your bare hands. You took their lives away because you felt they should not be allowed to live after causing Sparks’ death. And you know what? You were absolutely right.”
“You don’t hate me for what I did?”
“I have tried to mourn for the two of them, but when I do, I have to replace their faces in my mind. That’s because I can’t recall one kind thing my sister or stepdad ever did for anyone. They may not have had black wings, but they were, in fact, demons all the same. You did the world a favor.”
“Yeah, but I should have talked to you first. I am sorry about that.”
“Apology accepted. If you want to make it up to me, you can do me a favor.”
“Anything,” I reply.
“Find out how long your dad plans to string my mom along.”
“Ah…”
“I’ve known about them for a while now. I like your dad. I do. But my mom is a good Quo. She’s made mistakes, but she’s kind and loving. She wants to be in your dad’s life. Now, if he wants that, then great. But if he’s playing her and just keeping her around for fun, he needs to let her go; while I get hurting my sister and my stepdad, hurting my mom is unacceptable. I mean it, Silver. If Rage breaks my mom’s heart, it’s gonna be a situation.”
It’s Thursday morning and the team is loading boxes
of food onto the vans headed for the many elderly residents of New York City who are homebound. It always feels nice to do some charity work after our missions are over, especially this last bloody one. Also, Key loved this food bank. She helped out a lot here, as did her dad. So we thought it would be nice to spend some time here too.
“East really threaten you like that?” Pryor asks as she loads a box into the car.
“Yeah, I honestly didn’t see it coming,” I reply.
“I didn’t even know your dad and Winter were dating,” she says.
“I knew something was going down, but I didn’t know they had gotten that close,” I say to myself.
“So are you going to talk to your dad about it?”
“What am I supposed to say, Pry? Hey, Dad, can you get over my mom’s death and make Winter my new mommy?” I joke.
“Yeah, that can’t be an easy conversation.”
“Exactly. Besides, I already have my own ‘uneasy’ conversation scheduled today,” I reply.
“You do? With who?” she asks.
I don’t say anything, but my silence speaks volumes. It was next to impossible to even think about our personal lives with everything that’s been happening. But now that things have settled down, or at least are more settled than before, I want to know where Pry and I stand. So I tell her exactly that. She asks if we can talk after we’re done loading. It feels like it takes years, but finally, we’re all done. We head over to the house, and thankfully, we are alone.
We head up to her bedroom and she changes out of the worn jeans and now dusty T-shirt and into shorts and a simple top. She puts her hair up and her face is freshly washed. She’s not wearing any makeup or anything. She looks beautiful.
“I really want to thank you for being there for the team and for me,” she says, smiling brightly.
“I know in the past I didn’t really do my part. I…I was happy to help.”
“We really could not have pulled through without you, Aaden. I don’t know how to say thank you.”
“You just did. Although, there are other ways to thank me,” I reply suggestively.
She laughs and looks away, suddenly shy.
“Look, I was kidding. I know it will take some time for us to be where we were before all of this, but we love each other and we can make it work. All that matters is that you and I are back together,” I assure her as I take her hand in mine.
I embrace her from behind and kiss her neck. She lifts her shoulders up slightly as if to prevent contact with my lips and her skin.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask.
She nods yes but doesn’t speak. I turn her around so that we are now eye to eye. I study her face while she averts her eyes.
“What is this, Pry? I know you’re not shy,” I tease.
“No, it’s not that,” she says with a small smile.
“Okay, then what is it?”
“You were right. I was holding on to so much anger when it came to us. It took a lot of time, but I think I’m finally past that rage.”
“I know, that’s why we’re here, right?” I reply.
“Aaden, you asked me to forgive you for breaking up with me and I do. I forgive the hurt you caused me and I get why you did what you did.”
“But there’s something else bothering you,” I venture to guess.
“I haven’t been in a lot of relationships, but it seems to me that for a couple to get back together, there needs to be two things: forgiveness and a willingness to risk being hurt again.”
“And you’re not willing to risk it?”
“Aaden, I risk my life all the time. I place it in your hands every day as my second in command. I would entrust you with my life, wings, and my very soul.”
“But not with your heart—not again,” I whisper to myself as pain travels across my chest.
“It’s not just about me. After we broke up, I was a wreck. It would be fine if all I had to do was keep my grades up and try to make the cheerleading squad, but Aaden, I’m the First Noru. I’m supposed to save human lives and protect my team. In the past few months I failed at that repeatedly. And that’s largely because I was too heartbroken to think straight. Malakaro has already taken one member of my team, and he won’t stop until all of you are dead. I can’t afford to be distracted like I was after we broke up.”
“Pry, I won’t hurt you again. You have to know that,” I remind her.
“But I don’t know that. And neither do you. It might not even be you who messes up next time. Maybe I’m the one who does something stupid and you break up with me. It doesn’t matter how things with us end; all I know is when it does end…it hurts too much. Maybe I could take the pain of losing you because of the sheer ecstasy that comes from having been with you. But my team can’t take what happens when you and I part.”
“Pry, we can fix this. We can find a way to be together. We can do this if we want it badly enough,” I plead as I take her hand.
“The worst thing about our breakup was feeling that I lost one of my best friends in addition to the guy I love. Now at least I have my friend back. Maybe that can be enough.”
“No! It can’t. Pry, we belong together. We make sense together. Baby, please, don’t run away because of fear. I’ve done that all my life and all it does is make things worse. You taught me that.”
“I’m not a girl in love when I’m with you; I’m a leader distracted. That is unacceptable.”
“Then I don’t get it. Why did you ask me to come here? You just wanted to turn me down in person?” I ask.
“I asked you here because I missed you so much over the past few months that the thought of not…”
“Wait, what are you saying?” I ask.
“I know we can’t be together. And I know that what I’m about to ask is selfish and impossible, but…I want us to make love, one last time.”
“Why?” I demand.
“Because when you walk away from paradise, you should take one look back.”
“Damn it, if it’s paradise, don’t walk away! C’mon, Pry. Baby, don’t do this. Don’t walk away. Don’t leave me,” I reply as I take her face in my hands.
“Aaden, I tried. Please believe me. I just can’t.”
“This is bullshit! You can blame it on the team, you can blame it on your title, but at the end of the day, you are the one putting an end to us; you are the one walking away. You’re giving up on us.”
“Yes, I am.”
The finality in her voice tells me it would be pointless to argue. And even if I could argue, I’m not sure what else I could say. I’m fucking exhausted. I’m pissed at everyone, including myself. I can fight everyone and everything to get back to the girl I love. But when that same girl sends me away, there’s nothing left to do but go. I sigh, shake my head, and aim for the door. She calls out to me in a soft pained voice.
“My mom helped out a Quo family a while back, and as a gift, she was given a small chateau in the countryside of France. We never got around to going there, but this weekend, I’ll be staying there—alone. I know you probably won’t show up, but anyway, that’s where I’ll be,” she offers nervously.
I don’t turn back around to face her. Instead I open the door and walk out. This is the second time in my lifetime I’m walking away from my heart.
My dad and I sit on the steps of his house, each of us with a bottle of Coy Dark. He listens to me as I recount what happened hours earlier with Pryor. He doesn’t say anything while I talk, he just listens. It’s hard to get anyone to shut the hell up and just listen, so I appreciate that.
“Why would I go and say good-bye to her? That’s fucking crazy, right?” I conclude.
“You need to stop all that cursing. That shit doesn’t help.”
I could point out the obvious, but I decide to let it go. “I’m not going over there to see her,” I reply.
He doesn’t reply; he just smiles to himself and shakes his head.
“What is it?” I push.
“I
think it’s so funny that you think you have a choice,” he says.
“Hell yeah, I have a choice. She’s not taking me back. I don’t have to go over there and play this out.”
“Aaden, there are very few things I’m sure about. But I would bet my wings that you will be in France before the weekend is over.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she wants you to. The fact is, if Pryor asked for your damn balls on a plate, you’d be in the kitchen looking for a knife. You’re in love and that love crap demands everything.”
“She knows we’re supposed to be together. Why is she doing this?” I ask.
“Why did you hurt her?”
“I wasn’t trying to. Dad, you know that.”
“Yeah, I know. But you did what you felt you had to do, and that shit hurts like a Powerball in the face, but you did it. Pryor not taking you back right now, it’s painful for her, Aaden. But she has her reasons and she wants this last day with you. How can you say no to that?”
“She wants to be with me for one night and then what? Just throw us away? I’m not going to France so I can get a taste of what I can’t have. I’ve already been to the Center. How much agony is enough?”
“Aaden—”
“Do you have any idea how hard it was to leave Pryor? Now I’m supposed to just watch her walk away again? C’mon!” I rant.
“It sounds like she’s going to leave you either way. The only difference is, in this scenario you get to have some time with her.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
“I’m not asking, Pryor is. And for the record, I would give my life to spend an hour with your mom.”
“I’m not trying to be an asshole, Dad. I just…I love her.”
“Your mom had a bunch of shit happen on one of her final missions. Bex’s dick of an uncle Wolf made it so that I literally could not put one hand on your mom. Marcus gave us a mixture that allowed us to touch for just twelve hours.