Torn

by Ashley Stambaugh

  "How, how are you doing that?" Lee stammered, his eyes still locked on both of their hands.

  Melina shook her head. "I don't know." She continued to stare down at their hands until the light diminished, and the last of the burn marks disappeared. With a bewildered expression, she pulled her hand back and looked over at Dean and their guardian angels. "I healed his burn marks, just like I healed my own back in the hotel room."

  Henry’s brow creased as he tilted his head to the side. "How did his hand get burned in the first place?"

  Melina's cheeks flushed as her gaze fell down to the floor. "From me," she said.

  "You burned him?" asked Dean.

  She nodded and then raised her head to look at them again. "I got upset with him when he tried to stop me from going to help you," she said as she looked at Dean. "He had a hold of my hand when the anger flared up, and the next thing I knew my hand grew really warm, and I burned his palm." Her eyes started to fill with tears as she lowered her head down toward her chest. "It's the demon powers. They're starting to take over, just like Maura said they would."

  "Well, if the demon powers are taking over," said Henry, "then how did you just heal Lee's burn marks as well as your own? That's not a Noxin demon power."

  She blinked the tears away and then stole a glance at Lee. He looked back and forth between her hand and his, shock still evident on his face. "I don't know," she said.

  Henry crossed his arms and then started to rub his chin. "Maybe it's your angel powers trying to fight back."

  Melina's forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

  "Well," said Henry. "Since you can't get rid of the demon powers, then maybe your angel powers are trying to reverse them. You know, so you can use them in a good way."

  "That makes sense," said Merrick.

  "Yeah, it does," said Dean as he leaned up from the couch. "You were mad when you burned Lee's hand, but when you healed your own burns, it was after you were trying to help me. And you were just trying to help Lee when you healed his palm."

  Melina put her hand up to her head and closed her eyes. She was so overwhelmed. "I think I need to lay down."

  Henry nodded. "That would probably be best," he said and then turned to Dean. "For both of you."

  "I agree," said Merrick as he patted Dean on the shoulder. "Get some rest. You'll feel better tomorrow."

  Dean gave them both a small nod and then turned back to Melina. "What about Walter and Phinneas?" he asked.

  "No," said Melina as her eyes snapped open and she raised her head. She was still on edge after seeing that Noxin demon fly, and she didn't want to see Phinneas just yet. Not until she’d at least had some time to try to think about what she was going to say to him. "Walter and Phinneas are busy right now. They'll return sometime tomorrow, and I can fill them in then on all of the new developments."

  "Okay then," said Henry. "Merrick and I will leave you for now, but we'll be on high alert."

  Melina gave them both the best smile she could manage and then watched them both disappear. She bit down on her lower lip and then looked back over at Lee. He just stared back at her.

  Dean cleared his throat as he stood up from the couch. "I'll, uh, show myself to the guest room."

  "Let me help you." Melina rushed to his side and slowly walked him down the hallway. Several seconds later, she was back in the living room with Lee.

  "We both have had a pretty rough night," she said, "and I know you probably just want to go home, but I don't want you to leave until we've at least talked about everything."

  He shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much to discuss. I know you didn't mean to burn my hand, and I know Dean was in trouble and needed your help."

  She wasn't sure how to respond at first. Ever since her pain had started to escalate, and ever since Dean had arrived, Lee's mood toward her was so back and forth. He was caring and sincere one minute and then cold and distant the next. And being cold and distant was not how she expected him to act when she was trying to apologize and explain everything. What was going on with him?

  Even though he wouldn't admit it, she knew he was scared. But was he more scared than she realized? Fear affected people in different ways, and maybe this was his way of dealing with it. Or was there something else besides the fear? He had said he wasn't jealous of Dean, but she couldn't help but wonder about it.

  "Lee," she said softly. "I'm sorry you're getting caught up in all of this. I know you're probably scared right now and maybe even a little upset that Dean is staying here, but he didn't have any other safe place to go, and…"

  "It's okay," he said. "I understand about Dean. And I may be a little freaked out, but this is something I can work through and eventually come to accept."

  Her eyebrows scrunched together. What did he mean by this was something he could accept? Was there something else that he couldn't? She held his gaze for a couple of seconds and then realized she was probably overanalyzing it. Her face relaxed as she tried to smile at him.

  "I guess we both have things to try to accept."

  He gave her a small nod as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and made his way over to the door.

  Melina followed him and walked him down the stairs to the back door.

  He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "You should get some rest. I'll be in touch."

  "Okay." Again, she tried to smile, but it only made things worse. As she watched him walk away, the pressure below her eyes started to build, and her vision became blurred with tears. She blinked her eyes a few times then shut and locked the door before heading back upstairs.

  After she locked up the door to her apartment and turned off all the lights, she went to check on Dean. The door to the guest room was closed, so she gave it a soft rap with her knuckles.

  "Dean," she said. "Are you all settled in? Do you need anything?"

  She heard the bed squeak and then footsteps coming in her direction. The door opened and out peeked Dean, dressed in a white cotton shirt and blue plaid pajama pants.

  "No, I'm good," he said. "I was just getting ready to go to sleep."

  "All right," she said. "Well, if you want to take a shower in the morning, the guest bathroom's right across the hallway here." She gestured over to her left. "The towels are in the linen closet. Oh, and I'll finish explaining everything to you tomorrow."

  "Okay, thanks," he said with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

  "See you in the morning."

  He closed the door, and then she headed back down the hallway and into her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and, after grabbing a pair of pajamas, went straight into the bathroom. She couldn't wait until the morning to take a shower.

  About half an hour later, she emerged with freshly blow-dried hair and her warm flannel pajamas on. She turned the bedroom lights off and then climbed into her bed. As she stared up at the dark ceiling, all of the events from the day started to replay in her mind, along with all of the questions they created.

  A heavy sigh escaped her. She wanted sleep to come, but she doubted it would. Her mind was just too busy, and she didn't foresee it being shut off any time soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  After staring up at the ceiling for who knows how long, sleep eventually claimed Melina, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. She tossed and turned all night as visions of her burning Lee's hand, and the demon attacking Dean, swirled through her mind. Finally, around five o'clock in the morning, she was released from her restless slumber and woke in a cold sweat.

  Breathing hard, she sat up in bed and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. That was one of the worst nights' sleep she'd ever had. A heavy breath escaped her as she climbed out of the bed and made her way into the bathroom.

  Without even glancing at herself in the mirror, she reached for the cup by the sink and filled it with water. She drained the cup with three big gulps and then bent down to the sink and splashed her face with water. After fumbling around for the h
and towel, she dried her face off and finally looked into the mirror. Due to her lack of restful sleep, the dark circles around her eyes were even worse now.

  "Great," she muttered. "I look about as awful as I feel." Her body ached, and her eyes stung, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She turned the water off, then ran a hand through her wavy brown hair and sighed. "Might as well get ready for the day."

  She quickly applied a light amount of make-up and then pulled her long locks up into a casual ponytail before heading back out to her bedroom to get dressed. After throwing on a dark green sweater and some jeans, she tiptoed out into the hallway and made her way toward the kitchen to make some coffee.

  She was trying her best to be quiet and not wake Dean, but as she crossed the threshold from the living room to the kitchen, she saw someone sitting at the table in the dark. A small yelp escaped her as she jumped and then fell back onto the floor with a thud. The person immediately hopped up from his chair and rushed over to her. Melina looked up and saw that it was Dean.

  "What are you doing up right now?" she asked as he helped her up off the floor. "And why are you sitting in the dark?"

  "I couldn't sleep," he replied. "And I didn't want to wake you, so I left the lights off."

  Melina walked into the kitchen and flipped the lights on. He was still in his pajamas. "How long have you been awake?"

  "For about half an hour or so," he said and then briefly looked her over. His eyes lingered a second longer on her face, and then he gestured his hand in her direction. "Looks as if you're ready to start the day."

  He had noticed her eyes, and probably her miserable appearance in general, but he hadn't said anything about it, which she was grateful for. She knew how pitiful she looked. She didn't need everyone to keep reminding her of it. "Yeah," she finally said as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I couldn't sleep either."

  "Nightmares?" he asked.

  "Something like that."

  He nodded and then looked down at the floor. "Same here."

  Melina continued to watch him as her expression saddened. She remembered how she'd felt after the first time a Noxin demon had tried to take her soul—scared, helpless, paranoid. And she would almost bet he was feeling the exact same way right now, even though he was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

  "Do you want some coffee?" she finally said, breaking the silence.

  "Yeah," he said as he raised his head back up. "Coffee sounds good."

  She gave him a soft smile and then stepped over to turn on the coffee machine. About ten minutes later, she and Dean were both sitting at the kitchen table, each with a steaming hot mug of coffee in front of them.

  Dean took a long sip and then looked over at her. "Did Maura tell you how you were able to absorb demon powers after you had already absorbed angel powers?"

  Melina nodded as she took a drink of her own coffee and then recalled everything Maura had told her.

  "So…" she said after she finished filling him in, "that's why you don't need to worry about possibly absorbing demon powers. Your absorbing ability closed up a while ago and probably met its limit after you absorbed the angel powers."

  Dean shook his head. "And here I've been thinking that it would be so cool to have my ability be as strong and powerful as yours, but now I don't know. I mean, no offense or anything, but I think I'm fine with just having a normal absorbing ability. If you could consider our ability normal, that is."

  "No offense taken," she said. "Having my ability be so strong is definitely seeming to be more of a burden." She let out a heavy breath and then took another long drink of her coffee. When she looked up from her cup, she noticed Dean was staring down at the floor. His forehead was creased, and he looked deep in thought. She wished her angel powers were working again so she could hear what he was thinking.

  He glanced up at her and gave her a knowing look. "I was just thinking about what the demons could possibly be planning to do with the guiding angel powers they've stolen. Obviously it's something bad, but it seems even more threatening now since Maura said she wanted to use you as a weapon."

  Melina nodded as she clutched at her stomach and stared down at the floor. Having Maura say that bothered her, too. Actually it more than bothered her. It scared her. It was just one more thing that made her fate seem absolute.

  She tried to rub away the knotted feeling that had suddenly taken over her gut, but it didn't work. The more she thought about Maura and the demon powers taking her over, the more she felt like she was going to be sick. She pushed her coffee aside and then wrapped her arms around herself as she looked back up at Dean. He was staring down into his coffee mug, watching the hot liquid swirl around and around as he tilted the cup from side to side.

  "Are you going to be okay?" she asked him.

  He kept his eyes downward for several seconds before finally raising his gaze to meet hers. "I think so," he said with a small nod. "I just don't want it to happen again."

  She gave him a sympathetic smile and then said, "Well, I'm not trying to scold you, but I have to ask. What were you thinking coming toward the demon like that without your light shield up?"

  His eyebrows raised as he shook his head and said, "I don't know. I was hoping to catch him off guard by sneaking up on him and then at the last second have my shield burst out and burn him. It obviously didn't work out the way I had planned, though. Stupid floor board."

  "Squeaky floor board or not, it was a risky move."

  "I know," he said. "One that almost got me killed." He swallowed hard and then looked back down at his coffee.

  Melina lowered her gaze. It was scary to think about, but he was right. If Merrick and Henry hadn't shown up, they both probably would've been killed by the demon. The knot in her stomach tightened at the thought.

  "It's a good thing Merrick and Henry showed up," she said as she looked back up at Dean.

  He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, it's a very good thing."

  "Merrick will do everything he can to protect you from the Noxin demons," she said.

  He nodded. "It definitely helps to know that Merrick will show up to protect me if another demon comes after me. But what I'd like to know is how that demon knew where I was. Maura knew I had angel powers after she saw me throw my light shield around you, so I knew that they knew about me. But how did they find me?"

  Melina shrugged. "My guess would be that Maura probably followed you or had one of her minions follow you. That's the most logical explanation."

  Dean nodded again. "Yeah, you're probably right. It just creeps me out, though, you know? To know that I was followed. But I'm sure it's not the last time it's going to happen."

  "No, unfortunately it won't be," she said. "Not now that they know about you."

  They both sat silently for about a minute or two, and then Dean spoke up again.

  "I know you're a little leery right now, but don't you think we need to call to Walter and Phinneas to tell them about everything that happened last night?"

  She quickly shook her head. "No. They said they'd return after they'd spoken to the other elders, so we'll wait for them to come here. Hopefully I'll be ready to speak to Phinneas by then."

  "All right then," he said as he stood up from his chair. "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready." He reached for his coffee mug, but Melina stopped him.

  "You're my guest," she said with a small smile. "I'll take care of it. Now go take your shower."

  He smiled back at her. "Thanks," he said and then disappeared down the hallway.

  Melina gathered up the coffee mugs then stood up from her chair and walked over to the kitchen sink. She dumped the leftover coffee down the drain, and as she was rinsing both of the cups out, she heard her cell phone beep from the counter behind her. She placed the mugs into the dishwasher then stepped over to her phone and glanced at the screen. It was a text from Tessa.

  "Are you awake?" it said.

  Melina's brow creased as she typed b
ack, "Yes, I'm up. But what are you doing up this early in the morning?"

  She waited for a response but received none. Then all of a sudden there was a knock at her apartment door. Her brow remained furrowed as she walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Tessa.

  She opened the door. "Tessa, what are you doing here this early?"

  Tessa stepped over the threshold and pulled her into a tight hug. "I couldn't sleep."

  "You and me both," said Melina.

  "I've been so worried about you," Tessa said as she pulled back and looked at her. "After Lee told me everything yesterday afternoon, all I wanted to do was talk to you and see if there was anything I could do. But you were asleep, and I know the toll this is taking on you, physically and mentally, so I didn't want to wake you. I wanted to come back over here last night, but again thought you were resting and didn't want to bother you. I couldn't wait any longer, though. That's why I'm here so early. I've been anxious all night."

  With a small yet appreciative smile, Melina closed the door behind Tessa and gestured toward the kitchen table. "Come in and have a seat so we can talk."

  They both sat down at the table and after asking Tessa if she wanted some coffee, which she politely declined, Melina told her about her encounter with Maura at the cemetery and then about all of the events that occurred later on that night. By the time she had finished, she and Tessa were both in tears.

  Tessa dabbed under her eyes with the end of one of her shirt sleeves and then placed her hand on top of Melina's. "I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this. I wish there was some way I could help you."

  Melina wiped the moisture from her cheeks then took in a shaky breath. "Just having you here helps more than you know. I don't want to lose my best friend."

  Tessa gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "You're not going to lose me. Why would you think that?"