Lavender Fields

by Natalina Reis

  Joan’s head snapped up to look at me. “No, he never had any such thing.” A quick glance at Caleb confirmed she was telling the truth. It wasn’t a blackout. What’s going on?

  After a moment’s hesitation, I decided it wasn’t the right time to analyze a situation I was beginning to suspect had something to do with angelic intervention. “Never mind that now, Caleb. You need to rest and get better first.”

  There was a little smile on Caleb’s lips. “Can I get some water?”

  Joan jumped to her feet and was out the door in search of water before I could even offer to do it for her.

  I was left alone in the room with the man I so desperately loved. Yes, it sounded ridiculous to be so infatuated with someone I barely knew, but angels tended to feel everything to the extreme. Just like the speed of my wings, I had gone from attracted to head over heels in love with this soul I had been sent to harvest. Almost fearfully, I edged closer to him, my hand on the blanket mere inches from his.

  “Do you remember me?” I had to know. He’d called me by my name earlier, but what did that really mean?

  Caleb’s eyebrow lifted in a deep arch. “Of course.” My heart skipped a beat. “You had dinner with us a little while ago. You thought you had met be before.” And just as quickly my heart plummeted. Not what I was hoping to hear. “Did you think I lost my memory?”

  I smiled sadly. “No, though I wanted to make sure.” It was not a lie. “I’m glad you remember.”

  To my great surprise and delight, he suddenly grabbed my hand. “Thank you,” he whispered, his beautiful eyes shiny and tender. “For taking care of Joan while I was here.”

  “I didn’t really take care of her,” I protested softly. “She’s perfectly capable. We kept each other company. She helped me as much as I helped her.” Isn’t that the truth?

  He squeezed my hand. “Thank you. I owe you big time.”

  Another sad smile crept to my lips as I wondered whether I had made things worse by saving him the first time. This last accident didn’t seem… natural. Something was off, and I was going to find out what. Unconsciously, I rubbed the side of his hand with my thumb, thrilled at how that simple touch could ignite such heat in me. Caleb didn’t flinch, allowing me the small caress, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “Can’t leave you alone.” Joan was standing by the door, staring at us and smiling. “A hospital isn’t exactly the place for romance, you know. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

  My face and neck burned so I let go of his hand. Caleb chuckled. “Brat!”

  “Asshole.” In a few quick steps, she crossed the space to the bed and hugged her brother. “But I love you.”

  Caleb was still laughing, the sound muffled by Joan’s body. “You’re going to suffocate me.” It was a weak protest, but she let him go all the same. Caleb looked at me, a smile still lighting his bruised face. “You’ll get used to her. She’s an acquired taste.”

  She smiled over at me. “But once you get used to me, you’ll never be able to let me go.”

  I knew that. I was already hooked. For whatever reason, I was emotionally attached to this elfin girl. I felt protective and comfortable around her. Is this what it feels like to have a sibling?

  “Like a rash you can’t get rid of.” The statement earned Caleb a pointed look from his sister, who I was sure would’ve punched him were he not injured in a hospital bed.

  With much regret, I realized the night was practically over and soon the sun would be up. I had to return to Arcadia before anyone missed me. Saying goodbye was never easy, but for some reason that time was harder. I held Joan in a hug, my heart heavy with apprehension. If my suspicions were right, Caleb could be in a lot of danger, and I wasn’t sure how I could change that.

  Before I left, I turned one last time to look at Caleb. His eyes were closed again and his breathing had slowed. A sigh escaped my lips.

  “He’ll be okay,” I heard Joan whisper behind me. “You’ll be okay.”

  I smiled, waved, and left my heart behind.

  Samael

  ____________

  POISON

  Not even the beautiful sight from the Edge could distract me. It was the third time I’d walked by, looking but not seeing, too preoccupied with whatever kind of dark forces were at play or who was pulling the strings of Caleb’s fragile life. I was certain the hand of some seraphic force had something to do with his accident. Gabriel had promised he wouldn’t hurt Caleb, but there were others who wouldn’t have any qualms about taking the life of one who was already supposed to be dead.

  I was due back at my desk in less than ten minutes, my lunch break almost over. I was queasy, a strange feeling for an angel. Maybe I should talk to Gabriel. Ask him about what’s happening. No, I couldn’t do that. Then I’d have to admit to breaking the rules and flying down to Earth, seeing the one I saved, getting involved in things an angel shouldn’t get mixed up in. I’d have to find out some other way.

  With my hands stuffed in the pockets of my jeans, I made myself go back to headquarters, my eyes on the ground, my back hunched. Is love always this complicated? This painful? I sat at my desk and slumped over the top, eyeing the tower of files and useless papers Amy had piled on it. What was the use? What good was I doing with the work given to me? Why wasn’t I out there doing something worthy of an angel? Or even worthy of a human being? I rested my forehead on the desk and sighed loudly.

  “Romantic woes, Sky?” Amy’s annoying, high-pitched voice grated in my ears. “Angels and love don’t mix. You should’ve learned that a long time ago.”

  What a crock of shit! Angels and love don’t mix? Whatever happened to the concept that angels were love? That our main goal and mission was to spread love and protect it? Even my job as a death angel was supposed to be an act of love, bringing the freshly departed ones to their ultimate destination, a place of love and warmth. Where had things gone so wrong that angels were now condemning the act of love? The very emotion they had been created to protect and serve?

  I bit my tongue, fully aware that if I told her exactly what I thought of her comment, I’d be in even bigger trouble.

  Stewing in irritation, I rummaged through my pockets for heavenly money, wanting to get a cup of coffee in the vending machine. Buried deep within my pocket was my phone. I pulled it out and punched in the password. A picture appeared on the screen, the one I had taken of the note on Gabriel’s desk. I had forgotten about it, but now my curiosity was awake. There was a Seraphic translator in the community room. The problem was I had no reason to go there now that my lunch hour was over.

  I jumped out of my chair like a metal coil and propelled myself toward the stairs. Think this through, Sky. Think this through. I climbed the stairs two and three steps at a time and found myself facing Gabriel’s office door—or what stood for a door, a wispy curtain of heavenly fabric. I chuckled bitterly. Gabriel was all about open-door policies. Unless you crossed him. Then it was more of a close-the-door-on-your-face policy.

  “May I come in, Gabriel?” Without waiting for permission, I stepped inside his large office space. He was bent over some scrolls with a magnifying glass. If it weren’t for his coloring, all snowy-white skin, hair and even clothes, I would’ve taken him for one of those old-school detectives of literary tradition.

  His head snapped up, his pale blue eyes slightly out of focus and a rather surprised expression on his face.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I was wondering…. You look really busy, so I thought you may want me to grab you a mocha caramel latte from the coffee shop.” Nicely done. Gabriel loved his fancy caffeine. The kind not available in the vending machines.

  He blinked a few times as if stunned—truth be told, I’d never shown this kind of kindness toward him before—and licked his lips. “That would be very nice, Sky. Thank you.” He thrust his hand into his pocket looking for money.

  “No, my treat.” I shook both my head and hand enthusiastically. “I’ve been nothing but a p
ain lately. It’s only fair that I do something nice for you.” Okay. Don’t go crazy or he’ll be suspicious.

  Gabriel was shocked into silence and waved a thank-you and goodbye at me. That was all the permission I needed. I practically flew out the door and down the path to the community center. The building was one of my favorites because it was wholly constructed of heavenly glass, even the floors. No matter where you were in the building, it was as if you were floating in the clouds. It was the closest feeling I could licitly get to flying these days. The coffee shop was on the farthest corner of the building, but I had another stop first.

  I dropped into one of the comfortable stools in the translator booths and didn’t waste any time firing up the machine. It was a weird contraption that resembled a fax machine. You either inserted the paper with the text to be translated into a slot or sent the machine a message with it. I punched some numbers on my phone and waited for the telling pinging sound that the translator had received the message. It normally took only a few seconds for it to spit out a translation, and I was not disappointed. In less than a minute I had a fresh-out-of-the-oven translation of the cryptic note on Gabriel’s desk.

  I didn’t want to delay, so I slid it into my pocket and rushed to the coffee shop to order the archangel’s favorite drink. While I waited for the barista, I played with the piece of paper inside my pocket. I wasn’t sure why, but I was convinced it had something to do with Caleb’s situation. Gabriel only used Seraphic when he wanted to keep something secret and away from prying eyes and ears. I couldn’t wait to read it.

  Gabriel was overjoyed with the offer of the drink, if a little suspicious—he kept looking at me from the corner of his very blue eyes. He offered to pay for it one more time, but I turned him down. I owed him—or so I told him. He thanked me again and dismissed me from his office to go back to examining the scrolls. I strolled down to my desk, purposely making a big show of my lack of hurry so as not to alert Ms. Cranky-Pants. I shuffled through some of the piled documents on my desk, pretending to work, and when I was certain no one was looking, I inserted the translation into one of the files so I could read it without attracting anybody’s attention.

  Even though my brain was begging to read it fast, I took my time. I wanted to truly understand what it said, especially if it were about Caleb. For once, I didn’t allow my lack of impulse control to rule over my common sense. The first couple lines had nothing interesting or telling, but then I saw Caleb’s name written in the same paragraph as Samael’s.

  A cold shiver went through me. That couldn’t be good. Samael was a dark angel whom many called “the blind one.” Not because he couldn’t see, but because he was virtually blind to anything decent and good. He had no conscience or qualms about doing the wrong thing; in fact, he thrived on evil.

  Should Samael be inclined to take Caleb Pierce’s life, the Department of Heavenly Collections would turn a blind eye. Due to an unavoidable glitch in the system, Mr. Pierce missed the date of his own death and is now a walking embarrassment for the department. I would be truly appreciative if both our departments would collaborate to bring this matter to a satisfying conclusion.

  By the end of the note I shook uncontrollably. Only a thread of leftover sense—and my angel DNA—prevented me from flying to Gabriel’s office and strangling him. How could an angel of good be so deceptively evil? How could he even consider such a move? Collaborating with the Other Side. Was the big boss aware it was happening? My best guess was no. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—believe the boss would ever be okay with such a thing. I had never liked the archangel very much, but I believed he would do the right thing always. That his angel heart would prevail in the end. Everything I had always believed had been destroyed. I was working for an evil angel.

  When Gabriel left later that day, I was still sitting at my desk, absently shuffling papers. Cranky Amy left soon after, throwing curious glances at me. I wanted to scowl at her but had no energy left. Ironic that the hyperactive angel didn’t have the energy to even stand up and walk home.

  Tessa, another angel who worked in the maintenance department and often had to deal with my broken wings, came by my desk on her way out. “Are you feeling all right?” She seemed worried. Tessa was one of the very few angels who treated me with a modicum of respect. I think she felt sorry for me, always being mocked and ostracized. “You don’t look well.”

  Angels didn’t get sick much, other than a hangover once in a while from too much ambrosia and, on the rare occasion, what went for a cold in Arcadia. I shook my head in denial. “I’m fine, Tessa. Thank you for the concern. Just tired.” Which was a pretty outrageous statement considering we didn’t get tired ever.

  The tiny, big-bosomed angel clicked her tongue like an old woman and humored me. “Go home, young Sky. Get some rest.” Then she left, throwing me a few more worried glances as she headed out.

  I was spent, but not because of physical tiredness. My heart bled. All my convictions and values had been wiped out in a single move. The ones I thought I would trust to do the right thing weren’t what they seemed. My whole world had collapsed. If I couldn’t trust an archangel to do what was right, who could I trust? I suddenly longed for something I had never had: a friend, a sibling, a lover. Someone in whose arms I could hide and weep.

  Sitting there wouldn’t help me, or Caleb for that matter. He was in great danger. Samael was not someone to be trifled with; he was dangerous, cruel and ruthless. Caleb didn’t die in that accident, so I was sure there would be another waiting for him down the road. Samael wouldn’t rest until he saw his charge dead and his soul most likely harvested by the wrong side. I had to do something. But what exactly?

  Eventually I dragged myself home, dropped on my sofa, and covered my eyes with my arm. Think, angel. Think. My brain was muddled with so many thoughts and revelations I couldn’t think straight. If my brain was confused, my heart was pulling toward Earth and that hospital where Caleb was slowly healing from injuries that could’ve killed him. Injuries I now knew had not been accidental. No wonder he couldn’t remember ever picking up his bike from the shop. He must’ve been placed on that bike by Samael right before crashing into a car. Caleb had been plucked from the streets of Boothbay Harbor like a pawn in a chess game and dropped in the middle of an ongoing accident.

  I need to be with him. Now.

  Uncaring of who might see me, I left my house and dropped off the Edge as soon as I reached it. I didn’t care about my speed anymore. Let them catch me being reckless. Let them hand me to the big boss for disciplinary action. Urgency burned in my chest, a fear that if I didn’t get there soon enough, it would be too late.

  I may have broken the sound barrier on my way there. I set down with a great cloud of dust from the dirt in the back of the hospital, shook myself off, and ran inside. Caleb’s bed was empty. I felt as if someone had taken a hard punch to my gut. Oh God, no!

  “You’re looking for the young man who had the motorcycle accident?” It was one of the ICU nurses. I nodded, incapable of talking. “He’s been moved to the third floor. Room 108.”

  The poor nurse almost fell when I wrapped my arms around her in a big bear hug. “Thank you.” I left her a little shell-shocked and ran up the stairs to the room where Caleb was alive and well. Tempted to just crash in, I thought better of it and knocked, rapping a happy rhythm on the painted wood.

  Joan opened the door, and as soon as she saw it was me, she threw herself in my arms. “Sky, so happy you’re here. They moved him out of the ICU yesterday. Where were you?” Having my whole world crushed like a bug. “He’s been asking about you.”

  Is that a little tap dancing my heart’s doing inside my chest?

  She was still holding me when we entered the room. Caleb was half sitting on the bed, a few less tubes poking out of him than two nights before. “You’re looking better,” I said, aware of the silly smile stretching my lips and wrinkling the corners of my eyes. “You look alive.”

  Caleb laughed. I n
oticed he was clean-shaven, allowing for a better view of the big gash and scratches across his face. “Barely.” He looked at his sister. “Get us some coffee, squirt.”

  “Just because you’re sick does not make you the boss of me.” The protest belied the grin on her face and the arms crossed over her chest. Caleb attempted batting his lashes and pouting comically. She cracked. “All right. I’ll be back.”

  I was still standing by the edge of the bed, unable to take my eyes off Caleb. “I probably should let you rest….”

  “No.” The quickness of his reply startled me. The smile was gone from his lips, but his eyes were warm. “I’m so glad you came back.”

  Pitter-patter, pitter-patter went my heart. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  He motioned for me to sit on the edge of the bed, closer to him, and I obeyed gladly.

  “You’ve just met us. Why would you care?” Because I’m in love with you, fool. “We don’t have any family left. I owe you big for being there for my sis.” He lowered his voice. “And for me.”

  “She made me feel like I was part of the family, Caleb.” The truth was often the easiest way to hide secrets. “I’m the one who’s grateful. I don’t have much of a family either.”

  “Thank you for taking care of her. It means a lot.” He looked down at my hand resting close to his on the bed.

  I gulped. Was I reading too much into his words? He was probably just grateful I hadn’t left Joan alone. Still, it was heartwarming to hear him say it. “My pleasure, Caleb.” I smiled and lowered my eyes.

  Silence enveloped us, my fingers tantalizingly close to his, my eyes stubbornly glued to the bed.

  “Joan really likes you. I’m a little jealous, in fact.”

  My head snapped up. What did he mean by that? To my great frustration, his eyes revealed nothing.

  “Jealous of what?” I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask.