by Emery Skye
He didn’t say anything for a long while. I was almost hysterical. My heart beat fast.
“You weren’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Rage filled my body as he said those words. I couldn’t look at him.
“Yeah, well I didn’t plan on you either,” I snapped. “You do what you have to do to find your brother, and I’ll do what I have to do to help my sister.”
He reached for me, and then withdrew.
Tears filled my eyes as I walked back into the bedroom to sleep on my square inch of bed. I prayed I wouldn’t dream tonight.
The darkness concealed my surroundings. However, after a painful amount of time, a faint light revealed the cave room and scarlet chair. I stared at the chair timidly, feeling awe and trepidation. I never noticed the smell of mold and mildew that lingered in the air. I gagged. Never before had the stench so overwhelmed me. Something shiny lingered on the wall. I tried very hard to see what it was, but I couldn't. The cave was as uncontrollable as my emotions.
Feelings of ineptness tainted my mind. People usually associate a dream with its maker. In other words, the dreamer has control over the dream, but I felt no control here. I was a prisoner in my mind. I had no power over my body or voice. My thoughts rebelled against me.
I had no ability to fight, but if I did, would I fight? On the contrary, I knew I would flee. Some warrior I was. Warriors fear nothing. Not even the unknown. Nathan would force himself to move, to fight. Enough!
Every line of the cave bored into my mind. The tunnel on the right was the entrance, and the one on the left, the exit. I needed to see the cave behind me, but everything else was restricted. The scene imprinted in my mind, and I filed it away for further contemplation later.
A woman I recognized entered the room. I'd dreamt of her before a long time ago. She was one of the first demons I’d dreamt of. Beautiful, long, black hair silhouetted her flawless figure. She seemed to defy gravity. Her beauty was angelic, but she was so dark.
“Sire, the girl will be here shortly,” she sounded like a screeching banshee. My ears throbbed. “We sent a welcoming committee.” My ears felt bloody when she finished.
“Thank you, Raven. I can always trust in, and rely on, you,” His tone was benevolent.
“Yes, Sire,” she said as she approached the chair.
Everything faded away. I drifted further into my subconscious, into the blackness, with one plea: Remember.
Amalie’s arm woke me up as it collided with my face. I never could sleep next to her. When we were little she’d sneak into my bed after a nightmare. After she’d fall asleep I’d move to a spot on the floor. I always awoke curled in the fetal position and huddled close to the slice of comforter that had fallen on the ground, but it was better than waking up to a hundred bruises and a black eye.
If she could fight demons in her sleep, she’d be unstoppable.
When I opened my eyes, the ceiling glowed red from the sunlight. I carefully lifted Amalie’s arm off my face, untangled our legs, and released myself from her furious grip. She was a strong girl, far less delicate than she looked. Her hair and the comforter were in equal disarray. I stroked the dark chestnut locks out of her eyes and laughed. She still wore mascara. She looked like she had two black eyes. I couldn't wait until she saw herself. Sparks would fly.
Both Taylor and Lucas were asleep, and Nathan was—of course—MIA. Coffee had been made, and the bags packed.
I poured myself a cup of joy. At home, coffee was mandatory, but it wasn’t acceptable for students at the Academy. Well, caffeine wasn’t, and that was just so wrong.
Coffee acted as my cure and comrade. It ran down my throat and into my chest. My body warmed and became more reenergized with every sip. After my first cup, the fog vanished. I was forgetting something. I was supposed to do something today.
I dreamt of the voice in the chair, again, and this time, a woman had entered the cave. Their conversation was hazy. They mentioned a girl. The girl had been important for the last few dreams. I couldn’t remember why.
Taylor moaned, rolled out of bed, and hit the ground with a bone-jarring thump.
“Ouch!” she groaned. She sat up, and had raccoon eyes like Amalie; she looked rough. After her eyes fully opened, a scowl leaped onto her face, and she jumped to the edge of the bed and looked down over the side. I assumed she searched for Lucas. Then, she scooted back to the other corner, reached over, grabbed her bag from the floor, and ran into the bathroom.
How funny.
I pulled some clothes on and waited for Amalie to wake up. Watching those two was like watching a movie. Unfortunately for Amalie, Lucas woke up before she did. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned loudly. His face twisted and turned in every direction like he was waking up every muscle in his face. Even his toes stretched and curled—he resembled a cat, well, a lion. I would have to make sure I woke up first as often as possible. This was too funny to miss.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I said.
“Good morning. Been awake long?” He sat up slowly.
“Long enough,” I answered.
Just then, two doors opened: the bathroom and the main door. I dreaded both Taylor and Nathan. Lucas jumped up. Amalie sat up, eyes wide.
Taylor walked over first; she wore a black skirt, thick leggings and a fluorescent top. How practical. Nathan stood three heads taller than Taylor and his face stretched longer than usual. I immediately tore my eyes away. Amalie stared at all of us, awed.
“Amalie, your eyes are stunning,” Taylor said, laughing sarcastically.
“Anna, ugh,” She looked at me, grabbed her bag, and ran into the bathroom.
Trying to avoid Nathan, I stared around the room and decided a tornado hit it. Comforters were thrown every which way; sheets were scattered across the floor, bags strewn around, and the lamp was knocked over—by Amalie, no doubt. The chaos was disconcerting. I jumped up and began cleaning.
“That’s what cleaners are for, Anna,” Taylor said.
“Their job isn’t to clean up after animals, Taylor.”
Lucas laughed. Everyone stared at me, bewildered.
Nathan came to the rescue.
“Cleaners are actual day creatures whose job is to clean after animals and everything else.”
I didn’t understand, but I also didn’t want to speak to Nathan, so I stopped cleaning and returned to my seat and my coffee.
Taylor sat on her bed and looked at Nathan, who was still standing awkwardly by the door.
“Where were you?”
Her directness had always annoyed me, but I suddenly much appreciated it.
“Nowhere,” he answered, sitting on Amalie’s bed, just as Amalie came out of the bathroom.
Amalie wore a bright sweater with a ton of layers. Two scarfs: one black and one white were wrapped around her neck and tucked into her puffy (but, not in the marshmallow sense) jacket
She looked at Taylor, who stared at Lucas. She shot her a piercing gaze, and then her lips curled into a thin-lipped smile.
“I’m ready! Can we go already?”
“I agree. We should get on the road. We've already wasted enough time,” I chimed in.
Nathan stood and walked to the door. He opened it and stared from Amalie to me and then back to the door.
“Amalie, you look so much better with makeup. I’ll give it to Anna. She doesn’t need makeup to look descent. You, on the other hand—”
“Taylor,” I interrupted. “Let’s go.”
Taylor stepped in front of me and shoved Amalie as she walked to the door. Three weeks ago I would’ve come close to breaking her nose for doing something like that. What changed?
Obviously, not Taylor.
Nathan kept his composure like a Secret Service Agent and let her pass. His eyes met mine and lingered momentarily, and then he marched into the hall. Lucas followed. I started toward the door and Amalie blocked me. She shifted, and suddenly stood so close I could h
ear her breath.
“Yes, sis?” I asked, dumbfounded by her sudden, obvious anger.
“I can’t believe you, Anna. Do you think I'm stupid? No, wait. Don’t answer that, I know you do. Just like I’m reckless, right? Let me clue you in, you’re the one acting reckless and stupid. You shouldn’t be whispering in the dark with a Warrior you barely know. You used to be so careful. So cautious. Sure, a little crazy, but never reckless,” she emphasized the word to prove her point. Then she turned away; her hair whipped my face like a horse’s tail swatting a fly.
“Amalie,” I said, but she already walked out the door. I cursed under my breath. She’d obviously only heard bits of the conversation.
As we walked down the street I fixated on Amalie's words. Why did it matter that she heard us? It's not like we said anything bad.
She’d called me stupid and reckless. My fifteen-year-old sister who loved drawing and loved everything about life called me stupid… and reckless. I tried to wrap my mind around it. Did she have something against Nathan?
It sure seemed that way, but he was helping us. She didn’t know him like I did. Then again, how much did I really know? Ugh. When did everything get so confusing?
Maybe she was upset that I’d fallen for a Legite who was temporarily my instructor. I felt like that should bother me more, but maybe it’s because Nathan was only a few years older than me, and he wasn’t really my teacher. When Dr. Chayyliel returned, he wouldn’t be a teacher of mine anymore, at all.
Great. This was exactly what I needed. The guy I…had strong feeling for didn’t want me around, and my sister was mad at me.
My conversation with Nathan perplexed me even more. I wanted to know how his parents died. How could he and Alyosha be related and be so different? Why had I never known they were related and what Alyosha meant about the Council. Too many questions, not enough answers.
Don’t ask questions. Do as you’re told. The good little angel in me said.
The wind blew softer than last night, and the cold was less intrusive. Lucas pulled the Fliegendes around the strange hotel, and we each took our seats. An awkward silence tinged the air as we drove. It was enough to make me want to pull my hair out. Unfortunately, there was no music to help.
“Where are we going now?” I tentatively asked Nathan.
“The Soothsayer Library,” he said, flatly.
“You’re kidding, right?” Taylor jerked forward so her nose was, once again, in our business.
“What is the Soothsayer Library?” asked Amalie.
I turned and smiled at her. She didn’t reciprocate.
Taylor answered.
“The Soothsayer is a crazy old hag. She’d just as soon kill us as look at us.” Taylor crossed her arms under her breasts. “If she doesn’t,” she slid a finger across her throat, “she'll send us to someone or thing that will.”
I wished Taylor would shut up. Amalie’s face went white.
“Will someone please tell me what is going on?”
“Here we are!” Lucas exclaimed. He smiled like an idiot.
I squinted out the window when the Fliegendes came to a stop. Snow and more snow.
Figures. Nathan and Lucas took us out to the middle of nowhere to turn us in to The Council. I should have known. Surprisingly, it wasn’t me who went on the defensive. It was Amalie.
“What the hell is going on here?” she screeched. Her jaw clenched, her eyes squinted, and her eyebrows rose. Her switch flipped quickly. It seemed like yesterday that she crawled into my bed because she feared the dark. Now she seemed ready to take us all on.
“Whoa, little girl,” said Lucas jumping down into the snow. He opened her door. “This is the Soothsayer Library.”
“What? Do you think I’m an idiot? There’s nothing here but snow,” Her teeth made a grinding noise.
“There is more to life than meets the eye, Amalie.”
Great, now Nathan chastised my little sister with clichés. Wonderful.
“Follow me.”
I grabbed Dr. Azrael's gift, still wrapped, and stuck it in my pocket. Dr. Azrael told me to keep it with me. With that, everyone got out of the vehicle, but Taylor.
“What is it now, Taylor?” I asked.
“There’s absolutely no way in hell that I will take another step toward the Soothsayer. You're all out of your minds! Seriously, the Dark World is one thing. This,” she gestured around all of us, “is outrageous. Fucking insane. I.N.S.A.N.E. Insane. Get it?”
Amalie jumped in front of me.
“This is seriously weird, Anna.”
“Okay. So you want to just go back and forget about Alyosha?”
Her skeptical look turned incredulous.
“Because that’s what you’re saying, Amalie. You’re saying you want to go home and forget him. Everything we've done: breaking out of the Academy, missing Bethel, possibly having all our wings clipped. All of it. For nothing.”
“Why do you have to be such a bitch? Of course I won’t forget him,” she shoved me. It stunned me. Amalie shoved me, and it actually hurt.
“Whoa, trouble in paradise!” Taylor came between us. “Amalie has half a fucking brain and doesn’t feel like dying today. She’s actually being smart.” She glared at Amalie. “Don’t ever tell anyone I said that.” She looked back at me. “I’m not going anywhere near the Soothsayer.”
“Me either. If Taylor’s not going, neither am I,” agreed Amalie.
I looked at them, standing side by side. They looked more like sisters than Amalie and me. Taylor had short hair and Amalie’s was long, but it was same color. They both had style. Both had curves and were about the same height. And, right now, they both hated me.
Sadness ate at me. I didn’t want them to see that.
“Look, fine with me. You can stay out in the snow all by yourselves and just wait for us to come back,” I turned and walked away.
“You won’t come back!” Taylor shouted.
“All the more reason for you to come,” My senses were on high alert, surrounded by this unknown environment, but they didn’t need to be to hear Taylor rush toward me in the snow just seconds later.
“I really hope I don’t regret this, but I highly doubt it,” She jutted her pointy chin up towards the sky.
Amalie wasn’t far behind Taylor, but she didn’t speak to me as she walked up behind us.
The thought nagged at me. What could possibly scare Taylor more than the Dark World?
Chapter 18
The trip through the snow wasn’t half as bad as the night we left the Academy. The snow wasn’t nearly as deep, we were all dressed properly, and we left a lot of our stuff in the car, taking weapons and other essentials with us.
Nathan led, Lucas brought up the rear, and I stayed a few feet to the left, while Amalie and Taylor were sandwiched in the middle. The thought of food sounded good right about now. We hadn’t eaten much breakfast, and the trip here—wherever here was—was longer than I expected. We walked about a quarter mile in silence. The tension could be cut with a butter knife. Suddenly, Nathan stopped and looked down.
“Now, we wait.” he said.
“Seriously, pretty boy?” glowered Taylor, rocking back on one heel.
Nathan ignored her and sat on his bag. My every faculty zoned in on the situation as we all sat on our bags. Taylor didn't move for a good half hour. Nathan stared away from us into the nothingness of the Fourth Dimension. Amalie fussed with her hair, like always. Taylor shifted her weight once. I could smell the crisp, dry air come in waves and feel it lift strands of my hair onto my face. Amalie’s nose turned bright red. She sat at Taylor’s side, as far away from me as possible. The air tasted thin, and it burnt my lungs. Every exhale thickened the frosty air, and it took on a haloed structure. Lucas hugged himself. Nathan’s jaw clenched.
“Dude, what the F, it’s freaking cold out here,” Lucas scoffed.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Taylor injected.
Nathan continued staring forward in
to nothing. At least, I thought it was nothing. Then, I saw the glimpse of something. A cabin materialized. I jumped to my feet and I grabbed Amalie and stood her beside me. She pulled away a little, which pissed me off, so I held her tighter. Taylor’s face was the biggest shocker. Her brow was pinched, and her eyes were wide and scared.
Nathan stood and walked casually toward the large, log door. Taylor sobered and then followed. Nose in the air. Lucas nodded me forward. I motioned Amalie ahead of me. When we reached the door, Nathan almost grasped the handle, but stopped. Instead, he pulled a thick string. The door slowly opened.
“See, there are booby traps for Angel’s sake,” Taylor whispered loudly.
“Taylor! Shush!” I scolded.
“No. Seriously, that can’t be good,” Amalie whispered with a raspy voice.
“Chill,” Lucas commanded in his typical beach-bum voice.
“Don’t be mean to Taylor. She didn’t do anything wrong, Anna. You don’t have to be so bossy all the time,” Amalie said.
I sighed.
“Now you see it! She's always like that,” Taylor went off like a little kid who'd finally gotten some attention.
“Guys, we need to focus,” commented Lucas.
“Shut up, Lucas!” We all yelled at him.
“Geez, I was just saying,” He turned away, wounded. I think he glared at me.
Beyond the door was a downward staircase. Nathan glanced back at me. His eyes sparkling. I couldn’t help but smile at him. He turned and started down the stairs. The air smelt musty. The walls were composed of dirt. It was like we were going down a snake hole.
It was strange. We entered a hole that could kill us all, including a Warrior I really liked and a girl who was my archenemy. Strange, to say the least, but I felt comfortable.
Humans assume they are almost always safe, but they really live on the edge every day. They're surrounded by demons they think they know and tons they don't. It's crazy how out of touch with reality they are. That's why I’m alive—to keep them oblivious and keep them safe. Was it fair to keep them hiding in sweet oblivion, or did it really endanger them more? I’d never really thought about it before. That’s not what we were taught.