by Idella Breen
We walked out of the office space, and Henry shook my hand before shaking Peter’s. “It was great doing business with you both. I look forward to speaking with you soon, Ms. Trust, about your future show. I have some great ideas to run by you.”
“Me too, Henry.” I smiled through exhaustion.
“Great! I’ll have Jess call you with the details.”
“Thanks,” I said. I was mentally exhausted, and my couch along with my TV dinner was calling my name. That or my bed. I couldn’t tell which was calling louder. I needed to be home to decide which was more important. My caffeine kick had fizzled out after the first hour of negotiations.
“Eliza.”
I turned to Peter.
“Can I walk you out?”
Smiling, I nodded, and he fell into step beside me.
“I think that all went well. Are you happy with the outcome?” Peter asked.
I sighed. “I’m happy with it. I guess I’m still in shock. I can’t believe I’ll have my show here. It’s-”
“Amazing? A dream come true?” He finished.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Peter chuckled. “I’m happy for you, Eliza. You Know, May and I have been worried about you.”
“Why?”
“May spoke to Angela about a week ago and said she mentioned you were having a hard time.”
“Oh.”
He raised his hands placatingly. “She didn’t go into details. Just mentioned you were struggling a little bit with some things that had happened recently.”
I nodded, and he opened the door leading back into the main gallery.
“Are you?” He asked.
“Struggling?”
Peter nodded. I thought for a moment. Things had been tough lately. The word, intense, came to mind.
Shrugging I said, “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Peter touched my shoulder gently making me pause mid-step and turn to meet his concerned gaze.
“You would tell if it wasn’t, right? If you were in trouble?”
Peter had always been like a big brother to me, or at least he tried to be after I turned him down and pointed out May. Before that, I was more like his older sister, bailing him out of tough situations. May had been good for him and his development into a responsible person. His attempts to big brother me were nice sometimes, but there were just some things you couldn’t tell your big brother, and my life was becoming one big secret after the other.
“Everything is alright, Peter. Thanks for asking but I’m a big girl, and I can handle whatever life throws at me.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You always were the responsible one. I just worry sometimes.”
We made our way to the exit and Peter pushed the door open for me only so I could crash into someone. “Sorry!”
“We really need to stop running into each other like this.” Gabriel chuckled.
I felt the hot burn of anger as I met his gaze. His eyebrows rose. “You!”
“Hello, Eliza. It’s nice to see you again.”
“I want to have a word with you.” I sneered as I thought of how June had been hurt because of the man in front of me. I knew June told me to forget about it but seeing him here before me with his charming faux smiles just rubbed me the wrong way. How dare he! After what he did.
Gabriel frowned but Peter cut him off before he could respond. “Eliza, is this guy bothering you?”
“You could say that.”
Gabriel’s features momentarily darkened before he smirked. “I just wanted to offer to buy you a coffee again. But I guess you’re busy.”
I was going to regret this, but I couldn’t let him get away with what he had done to June. “You know what? I’d like to get that coffee.”
His eyebrows rose again. “Yeah?”
“You owe me one. I might as well cash in. Besides, I have something I want to speak to you about.”
Gabriel held out his arm. “I’ll drive.”
I moved forward but was stopped by Peter’s hand on my elbow. “Are you sure Eliza?”
I hesitated, before the image of June’s back flashed through my mind, and I squared my shoulders. “I’m sure.”
He nodded and let go. “Be careful.”
I smiled and walked passed Gabriel, refusing to take his offered arm. He frowned but led me over to his red Ford Mustang parked in one of the patrons reserved spaces. We drove in silence. Gabriel attempted to start several conversations, but I refused to speak with him until I was ready. Instead, I silently fumed in the passenger's seat until we reached Belltown. I was relieved when he pulled up to the familiar cafe at the marketplace where we first met. I didn’t speak until I had a steaming cup of coffee in my hand and we were sitting outside on the patio.
“So, Eliza, what did you want to talk about?”
“What are you?”
He smiled. “I thought it would be apparent.”
“It’s not.”
His smile fell. “I’m an angel.”
I nodded. “But, you hurt June. Why? Aren’t you supposed to be the good guy?”
His smile disappeared. “That woman overstepped her boundaries. I simply made sure she wouldn’t do it again.”
“By tearing her apart?” My voice rose.
“She was dealt with appropriately.”
“Oh, yeah?” I said, and stood, as my voice rose once again.
“I only did what was within my rights. She broke the rules, and I made sure she was punished. I didn’t do anything wrong, Eliza. Surely you must see that. The soul stealer was in the wrong.”
“I see everything perfectly.” I sneered, taking the lid off my still steaming coffee, and dumping it on his lap.
“Hey!” He jumped up.
“You're an asshole. I’m just exercising my rights to put you in your place. Surely, you understand?”
Gabriel wiped furiously at his pants with a napkin.
“Thanks for the coffee. I feel much better; refreshed even.”
He looked up, and there was a wildness in his eyes. “I’ll make you pay for this.”
My heart skipped, and I took a step back. His features darkened and Gabriel looked every bit the avenging angel he must have been as he spoke. “This is the part where you run.” He lunged.
I screamed, and jumped back, knocking a chair over. Dodging tables and customers I took off down the sidewalk. Shit! Did I really just do that? I laughed even as I ran for my life. Who knew dumping coffee on an asshole was so liberating?
I could hear his heavy footfalls behind me, and I pushed my legs harder. People jumped out of my way as I charged down the sidewalk and through the marketplace. It was late afternoon, so the lunch crowd was about, filling the streets. I pushed and shoved people even as I sensed Gabriel gaining on me. What I needed was a way to either put some distance between us or a place to hide. Glancing around the busy streets, I spotted an alleyway hidden between an apple booth and a pineapple vendor. There! I lunged, pushing a senior man out of the way in the process. He cursed at me, even as I dove into the opening, escaping the crowd. Leaning heavily against the brick walls I tried to catch my breath, only to look up, and realize there was no outlet.
“Shit!”
A deep mocking laughter made me spin around coming face to face with a very pissed off angel.
***
“I’ve tried to be a nice guy, but you’ve tested my patience, Eliza.”
I snorted even as my legs wobbled. “Your head is so far up your ass that you can’t even see your own shit.”
He frowned. “That’s not very ladylike. You’re so vulgar.”
He advanced. I stepped back, bumping up against the solid stone of the wall. A dead end.
He smirked. “Too bad your harlot isn’t here to save you.”
“Shut up!”
He grinned. “Did I offend you? Good, you deserve it after the way you’ve treated me. I’m next in line to be an archangel, you know.”
“Did they make a mis
take?”
He frowned. “Cute. You’re my last assignment. All I have to do is take your soul, and claim it for my side, stealing away its essence; then I’ll dump what’s left of you back on that soul stealer. If I do that, I’ll be promoted, and I’ll finally gain the recognition that I deserve as the powerful angel that I was born to be.”
“More like, inflated egotistical bastard.”
He frown deepened. I guess he didn’t get my sense of humor. “I didn’t expect you to recognize greatness even if it hit you in the face. Your soul is already tainted. Truthfully, I pity you.”
“I rather have a tainted soul than choose your side!”
“So, you’re already planning on choosing the demons side? Well, I guess this worked out in my favor then. I’ve made sure that we won’t be interrupted for a while. It will be plenty of time to kill you and enjoy doing it.”
“What did you do to June?”
He smirked. “Not enough. I just made a couple of suggestions to people looking to move up in the company. Nothing Death won’t eventually figure out how to handle.”
He stepped closer, and I finally felt the panic I had been fending off overwhelm me at the realization that I was alone; June wasn’t going to save me this time.
“How would you like to die? I prefer the slow kill, but I’m benevolent.”
I opened my mouth, to tell him to go to Hell, when his shadow suddenly moved and grew, morphing into a new shape as it rose from the concrete to stand between us. It grew until it stood a head above Gabriel, then it solidified. Kaleb stood between me, and my would-be murderer. The enemy of my enemy was my friend, I mused. I’ll take what I can get.
Kaleb smirked. He had a toothpick in one hand and seemed to be cleaning out his teeth as if he had just enjoyed a meal. What do demons even eat? I shuddered at the thought.
“Gabe, long time no see. How have you been?” His smooth voice cut through the tension placatingly.
“It’s no business of your’s bottom feeder!” The angel spat.
Kaleb seemed unconcerned. “Ah, self-righteous as always, I see. Good to know some things never change.”
“Get out of my way demon!”
Kaleb shrugged. “You’re welcome to try and move me. I’ll warn you, though, I’m still ever so famished. Drug addicts are always a bit on the skinny side. They never fill one such as myself completely; if you know what I mean.”
“Why would I?”
The demon looked surprised as if just seeing Gabriel for the first time. “Oh, pardon my rudeness. I mistook you for one of my underlings. Your soul is as black as the soot on my boot.”
Kaleb laughed, as Gabriel growled and charged at him, tackling the demon to the ground. I screamed and jumped back pushing myself as close to the wall as I could. It was fascinating, as it was terrifying, to watch the two men roll around in the dirt. They kept flickering in and out, transforming from gruesome angelic creatures, back into their human disguises.
One minute Gabriel was pounding Kaleb’s face in, and the next the demon was breaking the angel's arm, only for it to mend back together immediately. After a very pointy tooth whizzed by my head, I realized it might be a good idea to escape, while I still could. I didn’t know what Kaleb hoped to gain from saving me and I didn’t want to stick around to find out either. Slowly, I moved along the edge of the alley, until I made it passed the dueling supernatural beings, then I took off as fast as I could. They didn’t even notice me leave.
As I rounded the corner, three blocks away from the fighting and finally out of the marketplace, I pulled out my cell phone. I scrolled down to the number saved by the name, Grim Reaper, and clicked the speed dial. It rang. And rang. And rang.
“Come on June, pick up.”
By the sixth ring, I was in full-blown panic mode. Then, it clicked.
“Hello?” June sounded breathless.
“June! Oh, thank God. Are you okay? Are you alright, June?”
“Eliza? What’s wrong?” Her voice was a little more steady.
“Gabriel was trying to kill me, and he said you were in trouble. I thought you were getting beaten again. I was so scared. You’re not hurt, are you? I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt because of me again. Oh, Jesus! You’re hurt aren’t you-”
“Eliza! Calm down. You have to calm down, honey. I don’t understand what you’re saying. Take a deep breath.”
“Oh my God. I can’t breathe. June, I can’t breathe. I’m running, and I can’t breathe, and you could be dead!”
I tripped but caught myself on the concrete wall of a building. I leaned my whole body weight on it as my vision swam. Several people gave me a wide berth on the sidewalk.
“Eliza, I need you to breath.”
“I can’t!” I wheezed.
“Listen to me. Listen to the sound of my voice, Eliza. Focus on my breathing and my voice. Can you do that honey?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. I’m okay. Nothing happened that I can’t handle. I’m not hurt, and I’m fine. Gabriel didn’t do anything to me to me directly. I had suspected that he was behind the sudden coup but it didn’t hurt me. Death just has everyone on lockdown right now, but I’m going to see you as soon as I can. I need you to tell me what is happening calmly or I can’t help you. Can you do that for me? Can you tell me what happened?”
I nodded, and my breathing began to even out at the soothing tones she was using. “Yeah. I’m okay now.”
“Good. Tell me what happened.”
“Gabriel, he tried to kill me, but Kaleb stepped in, and stopped him. I just barely managed to escape while they were fighting one another.”
I heard her curse. “Are you okay? Did either of them hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I heard her sigh.
“But I’m scared, June. I don’t know what to do.”
There was a pause on her side of the line followed by some muffled voices yelling. Then I heard June curse again. “Eliza?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re going to have to do what I say, okay?”
“What do you want me to do? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing I can’t handle, but you’re in danger. You can’t go back to your apartment. Both Kaleb and Gabriel know where you live and you’ll be alone. You’re going to have to walk around the city and stay in crowded places, but that will only hold them off for a while. If what you say is true, and they’ve broken the rules, then anything is fair game, and I wouldn’t put it passed them to send their minions after you.”
I shuddered. “What should I do, June?”
She was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking, then she sighed. “Eliza, I can’t come to you right now. I can’t leave where I’m at. I’m going to need you to come to me.”
“Okay, I can do that. Where are you?”
“Honey, I’m in the Otherworld.”
“The Otherworld? Is that a club?”
“Not quite.”
“Well, how do I get there?”
“Eliza, you’re going to have to go through a portal to get here.”
“A portal? Right, of course. Why not? It’s the Otherworld, after all?” I could hear the hysteria building up in my voice.
“Eliza, take a deep breath.” I did as she instructed.
“Are you still with me?”
I nodded. “Yeah, sorry. It’s been a long fucking day.”
“I know, but I need you to hold it together. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah. I make no promises, but I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all that I ask.”
“What do I need to do? Where do I find this portal.”
“Listen carefully, and do exactly what I tell you to, and it will work out somehow.”
“That sounds reassuring.”
“It’s the best I can offer. This hasn’t been done in a long time.”
“I’m not going to die from this am I.”
“No but...”
&nb
sp; “But?”
“You might be ripped apart. But it’s not that big of a deal. The percentage of that happening is low.”
“I don’t feel so good, June.”
“Just do what I say, and it will be fine.”
“Are you sure? You don’t sound sure.”
“Trust me, Eliza.”
I paused and looked around at the people walking passed me without giving me a second glance. I was no one to them; just another face in the crowd. But to the woman, on the other end of the line, I was someone. An important someone that she has been protecting for a very long time. If there was one person that I could put my trust in it should be the woman, that has spent every one of my past lives, watching out for me. I smiled. “I do trust you. I trust you with all my heart June.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “Good. Thank you. Now, here’s what you need to do.”
Chapter 10
Of course, it was in the old city. The old city was known as a portal hotspot, after all. It was no big deal. Honey, where are you going today? To the old city. I hear there’s a new portal down there! Okay, have fun, but be back in time for dinner! Shit, I’m losing my mind.
June explained that I would have to go down into the old city also known as the Seattle Underground. It was what remained of the old Seattle after the Great Fire of 1889. Seattle was essentially rebuilt on top of itself afterward, and all that was left was the ruin of history. I had taken a tour of the Underground when I first moved to the city as a freshman at Washington University. It had been scary and creepy, but it also helped my love for Seattle grow as I learned how the city, I knew today, came to be. It wasn’t that surprising that something supernatural would exist in such a historic place.
The first problem I faced was getting there. Gabriel had brought me back to Belltown, to get coffee, and the closest entrance to the Underground was about sixteen minutes by bus from where I currently was. Thus, leading me to the only real challenge I had. I couldn’t avoid public transportation anymore. I finally have to take the bus. It was a crowded enough place that I wasn’t in any danger of Kaleb or Gabriel attacking me, and it was the quickest way of getting to my destination.