“I like blue also,” I smiled at the memory. “It reminds me of the ocean back home.”
“Home?”
I kept my focus ahead even though Milo stared at me. Home was a subject I didn’t enjoy talking about. It made me sad to think of the family I left behind, the memories, the joy.
“What’s your favorite candy?” he asked in a more upbeat tone.
Relieved he changed the subject I replied, “Easy. Red gummy bears.”
“Just the red?” he asked puzzled.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “My dad liked the red ones. Anytime he bought me a pack he’d separate the red from all the other colors. I guess I got used to them.”
“Where is your dad now?”
“Los Angeles,” I replied sadly. “After he and my mother split, he stayed behind.”
“Home is Los Angeles. With your dad,” Milo realized.
I nodded.
Milo carefully studied my face, his eyes lingering on mine a little too long. The curiosity on his face turned into what seemed like fascination? Maybe adoration? Whatever it was, it made me feel warm inside and exposed. I wondered what Milo thought of me. Did he think I was a fragile little human girl with emotional baggage and daddy issues? My defenses shot up so fast, I replied, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How?” He frowned, lip curled to a half-smile.
“All...weird.”
“Why are you always so guarded?” Milo asked. “What are you afraid of?”
I’m afraid of liking you.
“I guess it’s something I do subconsciously.”
“Is it from a broken heart?”
“No,” I shook my head. “That’s not the reason. It’s because—” I stopped. I hated wearing my feelings on my sleeves.
“You can tell me,” Milo said waiting patiently.
I looked away unsure of what to do, afraid that if I opened up, I’d cry.
“My mother cheated on my dad with Paul,” I blurted.
Milo’s eyes raised in surprise followed by silence. Then his eyes softened. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”
“It’s something I really don’t talk about.” My eyes glazed at the thought as if it happened yesterday. The resentment I held for my mother still burned inside my chest. My mother was the reason I didn’t believe in love or marriage. She was the reason I guarded my heart, never attaching myself to anything or anyone.
When I saw Scarlet barreling toward us, I stiffened. God, not this bitch again. I sure had a taste for guys with crazy ex-girlfriends.
“Well if it isn’t the little redneck from Hicksville.”
“That’s enough, Scarlet,” Milo said in a warning tone.
“Remember this: you’re only a toy, temporary, replaceable,” she said emphasizing every word. “He’s only going to use you like all the other girls. I’ve seen it so many times, it’s entertaining.” Her lip curled into an evil grin.
Every single word that came out of her mouth burned. I restrained the urge to say something I might regret, so I kept quiet. I wasn’t about to waste my energy on her.
“Quit being such a cock-block,” I heard a voice from behind. It was Alva, the angel with the blue hair. “Why don’t you go torture someone else?”
“Great, it’s Milo’s little sidekick.” Scarlet rolled her eyes at Alva.
“Ladies, it’s a party. Not the UFC,” Eli said placing one arm around Scarlet and the other on Alva. Scarlet tossed Eli’s arm off then left in a huff.
“I’m Alva Blue. I’m this one’s best friend,” she said bumping her arm on Milo’s.
I couldn’t help but feel a tiny hint of jealousy. Like the other angels, Alva was gorgeous. She looked exotic with beautiful olive skin and high cheekbones, but I wasn’t sure of her ethnicity. Brazilian maybe? Mexican? She was at least two inches taller than me and had the body of a bodybuilder—a feminine one with her curves still intact. What did the angels find so appealing about humans when they had girls like Alva among their kind? I wondered if angels dated each other. I wondered if Alva and Milo were ever a thing.
I cursed under my breath. The stupid angel and devil were at it again, tugging me back-and-forth like a puppet. I had no clue how to control the jealousy I felt or my lousy judgmental mind.
“Blue? Because of the hair?” I asked Alva.
She nodded, her expression friendly and non-threatening.
“Now wait a minute, I’m his best friend. Milo and I go way back,” Eli interjected. “Don’t listen to her. I think the toxins from the fake blue hair are making her delusional,” he said waving his finger in a circle around one side of his head to signify Alva was crazy.
“As fake as your accent? You’re not even British,” Alva shot back saying the last word in a British accent.
I giggled.
“Bloody hell,” Eli said touching the cross earring dangling from his ear. “I lived in England most of m’life. It’s natural to pick it up the accent.”
“Yeah. Okay,” Alva said crossing her arms. I could tell they had history together. The way Alva warmly smiled at Eli.
And as if to answer my question Milo added, “Lovers’ quarrel.”
“They used to date?” I asked surprised.
“Unfortunately,” Alva sneered.
“She still loves me though,” Eli said placing his arm tightly around Alva’s neck which she reciprocated by turning around and locking him in a chokehold. They tossed and turned on the ground then rolled down the hill until Eli broke free. They both stood up and waved from below.
“You’d think they’d hate each other after the breakup,” Milo said. “Now they act like brother and sister.”
“It’s so weird seeing angels act so…”
“Human?” Milo said it in a tone to remind me of my preference for humans over angels.
Eli ran back up the hill, pulled out a joint from his pocket and offered it to me. “It’s organic. Straight out of my personal stash.”
I shook my head. It was bizarre seeing the angels party like humans. I’d never thought I’d see an angel clutching a joint let alone drinking alcohol. They were nothing like the pious angels I read about in bible school or saw on TV. This world was completely hidden from the media.
“Not even a tiny hit?” asked Eli.
“No thanks, I’d like to keep whatever brains cells I have left to finish high school,” I replied.
Eli inhaled from the joint then passed it Milo who also took a hit. Milo’s eyes glazed over. He smiled then offered the joint to me.
“It’ll take the edge off,” Milo promised.
One look into Milo’s dark soft eyes had me melting like ice-cream. Letting my guard down, I grabbed the joint in between my fingers and succumbed to the temptation. I always told myself I would never do drugs or drink, but I was angry. Angry at my mother for cheating on my dad. Angry she plucked our family from the only place I’d ever called home and dragged us three-thousand miles to the middle of nowhere where we had no family and didn’t know anyone.
I inhaled the smoke sharply allowing it to fill up my lungs. Being the inexperienced smoker, I coughed up a storm when I felt my throat burn from the smoke. I gave the joint back to Milo who continued to smoke like a seasoned veteran.
“Come here,” he told me.
I took one step closer to Milo. He placed both hands on the side of my cheeks and pulled my face toward his as if he was going to kiss me.
“Part your lips,” Milo commanded.
I did as he asked, unsure of what he was doing. Milo inhaled from the joint, then his face inched closer to mine with his lips parted. I could feel the heat pulsating from his face when Milo blew the smoke from his mouth directly into mine. Instinct took over, I closed my mouth and inhaled.
“How does freedom taste?” Milo asked gazing deep into my eyes.
“Divine,” I replied.
Milo smiled. He took my hand and hooked his fingers with mine. It didn’t take long for the high to kick-in becau
se Milo’s touch sent tiny waves of intense and pleasurable electricity that shot through my fingers all the way up my arms. My lips unconsciously twisted into a goofy grin and suddenly all of my worries, my anger—it all disappeared.
“Eli, why did you move to Georgia from England?” I asked.
“Better job opportunities,” he smiled.
“Like what?”
They all exchanged glances I wasn’t sure how to decipher.
Milo’s jaw tightened as he tried to keep the guilt out of his expression. And I couldn’t help but feel like he was hiding something. Without looking at me, Milo said, “We all have our…duties.”
“Duties?” I frowned.
“Uh…well, we’re bouncers at Eve’s Paradise,” Alva answered.
“And we’re also recruiters,” Eli added.
“Recruiters?” I thought back to my first night at Eve’s Paradise when Alva asked if I was interested in meeting the angels. “Are you pimps?” I giggled.
They erupted in laughter.
“No, we’re not pimps,” Eli said. “We recruit runaways. Give ‘em jobs. That sort of stuff. To keep ‘em out of trouble.”
“That’s nice of you,” I said.
“If you’re interested, maybe you’d like to help us recruit?” Eli’s eyes met mine challengingly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Milo said with a protective edge.
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Actually, the jobs are specifically for angels. Unfortunately, the employment discrimination law doesn’t apply to us. Humans aren’t very happy about our kind,” Alva answered swiftly in an attempt to cover up for Milo.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I understood what it was like to be discriminated because of your race. In middle school, I was bullied because I was Mexican, and bullied by Mexicans kids for not speaking Spanish. In Los Angeles, I remember speaking the language, but once we moved to Dixon I wasn’t allowed anymore. The teachers at school forbade it, and my mother never spoke Spanish to us in front of Paul because he didn’t understand.
I turned my attention back to the party where everyone danced carelessly. Amid all the dancing and black clothing, I saw a beacon of tousled ginger red hair—a girl staring right at me from the bottom of the hill. She wasn’t dancing; she was alone. The freckles across her nose were barely visible. My sister Priscilla smiled at me, one finger pointing into the crowd as if she wanted me to follow her.
I jerked back, my mind spun. The high suddenly became more intense. I had to be hallucinating.
“Is there a bathroom somewhere? I have to pee.” I announced without taking my eyes off Priscilla.
I felt Alva’s cat-like violet eyes assess me as I tried not to panic. She looked down in the direction I was staring and returned confused.
“Yeah, I’ll take you,” Milo offered.
“No, I’ll go alone.” I stormed down the hill as I watched Priscilla get lost in the mass of dancing bodies. I pushed through the crowd accidentally bumping into a girl who clearly wanted to murder me.
“Watch where you’re going!” she screamed at me.
“Sorry!” I said apologetically. Picking up my pace, I elbowed my way through the crowd. I couldn’t lose Priscilla, not again.
When I finally broke through the dance floor, I’d lost track of her. I stopped desperately scanning the space. I was standing at the entrance of a lush wooded area. Priscilla pointed into the woods. I ran after her, almost tripping on fallen tree limbs, and brushing off any branches that got in my way.
“Priscilla!” I called. “Wait!” My desperate pleas went unanswered. And no matter how fast I ran, Priscilla was always five steps ahead of me. The sound of my heartbeat began ringing at my ears, and for a moment I thought I might be losing my mind.
Priscilla stopped right before reaching a clearing where fire torches formed a circle. As I carefully drew closer, hooded figures took shape. I crouched behind a tree, watching with anxious eyes. I counted thirteen of them, covered from head to toe in black robes, their faces shrouded by a hood over their heads. They chanted unintelligibly in low voices, all of them very still. In the center of the circle, someone in a white robe remained in child’s pose.
“Come forth, my child,” the voice of a man commanded holding a gold chalice in his hands. The person in the white robe stood up and approached the man with the chalice.
“Lord, master of the universe, our god, our liberator, we bring you this child to serve you, to serve our cause, and to swear allegiance in your name.”
My eyes remained glued in a trans-like state as I tried to process what I was seeing. What was going on? My mind must be playing tricks on me. Blaming it on the weed, I wiped my eyes and massaged my temples. When I turned to Priscilla, she was gone.
The man removed the hood to reveal a young girl with blonde hair, then stripped her robe off. The girl was left with only her white bathing suit on. Something about her felt familiar, but from my angle, I couldn’t place her.
The man handed the chalice to the girl, then took out a long dagger out of his right sleeve. He began to chant in Hebrew raising the dagger to the air as if he were praying. Bringing the dagger down, the man sliced the palm of his hand. I felt my skin prickle, not from the cold, but from fear. My muscles tightened when the man folded his hand into a fist squeezing his blood into the gold chalice. The girl, in turn, did the same. Then she spoke with a familiar Southern drawl in her voice.
“I, Savannah Dixon, give my body and spirit to you my lord, my liberator. I promise to dedicate myself to his purpose in complete devotion.”
“No, Savannah, what are you doing?” I whispered. “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”
I drew back, a cold, heavy ball formed at the pit of my stomach as Savannah drank from the chalice. This isn’t happening, I told myself. I’m seeing things.
Standing up, I backed away slowly until I heard a tree limb snap. The hooded figures turned their attention to the woods, searching with penetrating glances. I took off into a sprint until I reached a small worn down chapel made of stone.
Inside, there were was a bathroom that was dark and gloomy with only the moonlight filtering through a tiny window offering the only light. Two girls were adjusting their outfits and checking their faces using the light from a phone. They paid no attention to me as I strolled by to an empty stall. I shut the door behind me and rested my forehead on the stall door.
What was that back there? Was it some kind of ritual or cult? Whatever they were doing, it scared the shit out of me.
My lip trembled as my breathing slowed. My eyes focused on the writings on the wall; random phone numbers, hearts with names inside, I froze when I saw ‘Priscilla wuz here’ written in black marker. I brushed my hand across the letters. My sister was here. But when? How old was the writing? I searched the wall for any hints, clues but found nothing.
Before I could recount my memories of everything I’d seen tonight, I heard soft moans inside the stall next to mine. Was there someone seriously having sex inside the girls bathroom? A nauseated feeling rolled through my body as I stood there in stunned silence. The moans became more frequent and a little louder. I was about to leave when I heard the girl murmur, “Oh, Dylan.”
Dylan? Dawn’s Dylan?
I suddenly felt like I had to pee and throw up at the same time. Dawn was going to flip when she found out Dylan was a cheating scumbag, but I couldn’t tell her unless I was entirely sure. Going against all reason, I peeked through the gap in the stall. The girl’s sequined jacket was against the opening. Then the guy’s face came into view over the girl’s shoulder as he trailed his filthy lips along her neck. His blonde hair was tied back over his signature Hawaiian shirt.
I snarled under my breath. That motherfu—
Suddenly, those sapphire blue eyes Dawn fell for were staring back at me. I jumped back and hit the wall. Shit, he saw me. I ran out of the bathroom disgusted when a pair of strong hands grabbed me by the arms.
“Ther
e you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Milo took one look at me, concern flooding his eyes, then asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I want to go home,” I said jerking away from Milo’s grip.
By the time we reached my house, the sky was pitch black. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, or stars. During the flight home, my high faded. Sober and alert, I had plenty of time to analyze my thoughts. Savannah was pledging her allegiance to them, but why? And for what? Or I had I really hallucinated it? I’d never been high in my life, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’d heard smoking pot made you paranoid and you laughed a lot, but hallucination wasn’t on the list. But how could I explain Priscilla?
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Milo asked shortly after landing.
I twisted around to face him. “I’m going to pay you back for my car. And…after tonight, I think we should”—I looked down at my fingernails, my face suddenly warming—“stay away from each other.”
Milo thought it through then replied, “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes,” I said standing my ground. I didn’t want to be a part of his world.
Milo narrowed his eyes then lifted his chin. “Funny. Because your face turns red when you’re lying,” he replied sounding completely unconvinced.
I dropped my hands to my sides. “No, it doesn’t.”
“What happened back there?” he asked again stepping closer to me.
“I already told you, nothing.” I didn’t want to give away how scared I was. Afraid of whatever supernatural crap Savannah was involved with. I wondered if Milo could sense my fear. I wondered if he knew about Savannah or if he knew my sister.
“You’re going to have to lie better than that if you really want me to leave,” he said taking another step. I responded by taking a step back, my body was against the wall with only a tiny gap of space between us.
He waited. “Are you sure you don’t want to see me? Because if you don’t, I promise, I won’t look for you again.”
THE TRAGIC + DIVINE Page 14