Black Butterfly

by A. G. Hobson

  “Not ancestral, but celestial. You are the reincarnation of JArial. You just don’t remember. We cannot be killed by demons or we will be stuck as celestial entities until we find a soul to attach to. But the demon loses certain powers just as if one of them lies with us.”

  “I’m a what? No. Impossible!”

  “It’s the only reason you’re still alive Montana. He would have lost every bit of power he had left if he tried to kill you. And that’s why he couldn’t take you into hell. We can’t enter there, at all.”

  I sit there completely bewildered. “I can’t.”

  “You’ll see. Things will manifest now that you’ve been through all of this.”

  “How long have we existed?”

  “Since the beginning. Just like the devil and Belfagor. We have been. I wasn’t supposed to fall for a demon. He was so charming and I loved him with all of my heart. But Belfagor was so angry when he discovered what I was. He murdered me. I didn’t know what he was either. But he was losing his demonic talents that they possess while on the earthly plain. Hayden was very young when he found out that he was losing power. He was so happy to have a son. I didn’t know he was trying to impregnate me. He believed that he loved me in a twisted way but had an agenda from the start. He thought I was simply human and that Hayden would just be half human and demon. But when he started to weaken, he began to dig and discovered my lineage.”

  “This is too much. Why did you not rescue me from the beginning?”

  “You were too close to the entrance. I can’t go that far and I’m not allowed to contact Hayden.” She looks sad. “I know he would have tried to save you. He isn’t like his father. He hasn’t lost any of his powers being with you. If anything, he’s stronger. Everyone has been searching for you. Somehow, Belfagor was able to keep you hidden from him. Your poor family is going crazy.”

  “How long have I been gone?”

  “Two months.”

  “I went without food and water for two months?”

  “Yes. But the time is tortuous in Purgatory. The same rules for hell apply there. It’s just the in between.”

  “Two months? Wow. I need to call my parents. But, what can I tell them? If I say that I was kidnapped, there will be a manhunt for someone they’ll never catch.” I pause and think about Hayden and how he must think I don’t want to be him. It seems like it was yesterday that I was lying in his arms. Tears pool at my bottom lids.

  “Hayden will believe you. But there’s one thing.” Synth says to me. “He can’t know about me. My condition to staying on this earth is not communicating with my son. I have watched him grow and become a man years ago. There were so many times that I wanted to just reach out and hug him. But, I couldn’t. And… you can never tell him.”

  “That seems so unfair. We can’t help whom we fall in love with. Who would punish someone for falling in love and having a baby from that love?”

  “It’s not so much as a punishment as much as it is protection.”

  I sigh. I know that it’s time to make some phone calls. But… who should I call first? I don’t know what to say to my parents and what Hayden will do when he finds out what happened to me.” Synth slaps her knees and stands.

  “I guess the shock of the heavy stuff will come eventually. You’re taking all of this very well.”

  “I’ve been through some extreme shit. Nothing can really shock me right now. I found out that demons exist and walk this earth. When Hayden showed me, I was horrified at first. I got used to him so seeing others scared me in a different way. So, revealing that angels roam as well and reincarnated every lifespan isn’t shocking at all, even saying that I’m one doesn’t overwhelm me. I must process being kidnapped, starved and bitten by demons first before I even consider thinking about me and the angelical stuff. I’m glad I am one though. It’s why I’m still alive.” I slide to the edge of the bed and toss the covers from my lap. “Do you have a phone?” She walks over to her dresser and yanks the drawer open. She grabs a cell phone and tosses it to me. She looks at the walls and begins removing the paintings of her and Hayden. After she finishes, she walks over toward me.

  “I’ll give you a little privacy.” She slowly moves toward the door with the paintings stacked on her forearms and opens it. I lift the phone to dial as soon as she slams it. I contemplate on who to call first and I immediately decide on Hayden. He can make sense of all of this and instruct me on how to deal with the shit storm that I’m about to go through.

  “Hello?” His voice is an immediate comfort to me.

  “Hayden… hi.” I say just above a whisper.

  “Montana!!?? Is that you?? Where are you? What happened?” His voice is raised and high in pitch.

  “Yes. It’s me.” Tears weld.

  “I’ve been so worried about you. I searched and searched for you.”

  “I know. I’m…”

  “Where were you Montana?”

  “You looked everywhere but the obvious place. I was taken by your father.”

  “Santana? Why would he…”

  “Belfagor took me. I’ve been locked in a cage at the gate of hell. Purgatory.”

  “What?” He shouts. “I checked with the keeper to see if you had died. He didn’t tell me that you…”

  “I’m assuming that that was the point. I was starved, bitten and mentally tortured. It was all that hell is supposed to be and probably more. The screams and the heat… it was all so…”

  “Bitten? By what? I can’t imagine how you must feel Montana. I’m so sorry. Have you talked to your family? They thought I did something to you. Police has been after me, checking into my background. Please tell me where you are.”

  “I will tell you everything. Just come and get me Hayden. I need you. I haven’t called my family because I don’t know what to tell them. I need your help with that.”

  “I can be there in a blink of an eye. Just tell me where.”

  I place my hand over the phone and stand. I walk to the door and open it.

  “Synth! What’s the address here?” I yell out into the hall.

  “28058 Grand Duke Road!” She shouts back.

  “28…”

  “I heard her. Who is that? And how did you get there? How did you get away, Montana?”

  “I will explain everything when you get to me.”

  “I’m so glad you’re alive. I didn’t realize how much I truly love you until I couldn’t be with you. I missed you terribly. My heart was torn into shreds.”

  “Come get me Hayden.” I simply say before we both hang up. I toss the phone onto the bed and walk over to it. I look around the room once more before I sit down.

  Synth enters the room again. “So, the parentals are going to stay out of our way. My dad just left and my mom is going to lie down. You two should be able to be alone. I’m going to get lost myself. I don’t really want him asking me any questions.”

  “Synth, you should stay. See your son. These rules are idiotic.”

  “Most rules are. But they are meant to be followed.”

  “You canoodled with a demon and had a child. You’re still here. Telling Hayden what you told me shouldn’t hold too much of a consequence.”

  She sighs and looks at the ceiling. “Did you know that demons are fallen angels and the reason they look like monsters when they’re in hell and beautiful here on earth is because of being disobedient? Consequences for breaking rules can be very harmful. I don’t want to be an entity in limbo or a gatekeeper for purgatory because we can’t inhabit hell itself. Following rules is why I can still live here peacefully and inherit new bodies when the old ones grow old.”

  “But you don’t know. You should tell your son that you’re here. He has no idea he has direct angelical ancestry. It would probably change everything. He would have a choice.”

  “His father made that choice for him.”

  We both hear the bell ring. Hayden is here.

  Synth shoots me a stern look and glances at the floor. I�
��ve learned so much since I’ve been gone and I don’t know if I can hold it from him, if I even want to keep it from him. The bells rings again. She walks to the bedroom door then hurries down the stairs. I soon hear a multitude of footsteps. Hayden bursts through the door wild-eyed exploring the room for sight of me. He is looking just as delicious as he was the last time I saw him. His knee length wool overcoat swings as he rushes in, the neck of the coat raised almost touching his ears. His dark colored designer shoes tap against the floor. I notice his black slacks compliment his blue dress shirt. He is always so well dressed. It’s just so mature and sexy.

  “Montana!” He yells out reaching toward me as I run to him. “I’ve been out of my mind!” He embraces me, running his hand along the back of my head then my back. He holds me close for a few minutes then pulls away to look at me. “How did you survive? They should have killed you. And who is this girl? How did she find you?” Synth steps up and claps her hands together in front of her rocking on the balls of her feet.

  “I promise I will explain every detail. Just give me a second.”

  His eyes search my face. His worried look softens and he places his hand beneath my chin. He leans down and softly pecks at my lips. My eyes close and I wrap my arms around his neck. “I have been out of my mind since you left.” He pulls me in and kisses my forehead. He inhales and sighs. “I love you… I love you so much.” He breathes.

  We finally tear away from one another. “This is Synth. She saved me from purgatory once I ran from Belfagor and a gorilla-like demon.”

  “First, how did she save you? And how does she know about this and where you were?”

  “The gorilla demon came to me while I was in a cage. He opened it and attacked me. He bit into my wrist,” I lift my arm showing him the bandage.

  “Barl? He should have killed you. No one has ever escaped from Barl…” His voice raises, slightly alarmed.

  “He was going to kill me. I could see it in his eyes. But I believe Belfagor stopped him and they began fighting. I couldn’t really see him. He began beating him. I used that as my chance to run. When I could hear a multitude of footsteps I called out and Synth heard me.”

  “How? How could she hear you unless she is a demon? And, I don’t know her.” He looks over to her. She smiles.

  “No. She’s not a demon Hayden.”

  “Then, how?” He is agitated.

  “Well…” I hesitate. How can I tell him everything without telling him everything? “Belfegor revealed something to me about me and Nija confirmed it.”

  “What? What could they possibly know more about you than me? I’ve literally been inside of your mind. And what does this have to do with this girl?” He raises his hand toward Synth.

  “I don’t know how but they know a lot that you don’t. For one, I’m sort of a reincarnated angel and so is Synth.” I pause and wait for his response.

  “Huh? What do you mean? I’ve heard of them but you're definitely…” he abruptly stops speaking and places his hand over his mouth. “That’s why they couldn’t kill you. But I should be… my father...”

  “Yes, and that’s another thing they revealed to me.”

  “What, that my father killed an angel and was cursed to live in his form at minimal power?”

  “He killed your mother’s human form and was cursed.”

  “What are you saying Montana? Am I…” he pulls away from me and searches my face with his eyes.

  “Being with your mother caused the power to diminish. He only has his full potential of power in hell. He can never transform here. And he is weaker when he is on earth. It took a lot of strength to come and take me, but he didn’t trust anyone else to do it.”

  “I have angelical blood running through me?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Dammit!” He spins around facing away from me. I’m an angel and a demon?” He says confused. “Which is total fucking redundant by the way.” He runs his fingers through his silky charcoal curls. They bounce and dance with each stroke. “Is this why I’m so important? Is that the reason he has Gayle and Santana ‘looking’ after me?”

  “I guess they keep an eye on you to make sure you are in the dark. They want to make sure your mother never comes back.”

  “If he murdered her human form she should be stuck in a spiritual limbo.”

  “But she’s not. She was granted another body with the promise of never contacting you.”

  “Should that be more important than finding me? Is that supposed to make me feel better about this? Belfagor is a fucking demon she is supposed to be the better part of me. Yet, she allowed the depth of hell to be my future.”

  Synth writhes, biting her bottom lip, interlocking her fidgeting fingers as she steps into the corner of the room, listening.

  “There are things we can’t possibly understand about rules and such. Heaven has its rules as well as hell. If you understand why your father never revealed your mother’s identity, why can’t you understand her keeping her distance? The two places are literally impossible to reconcile this battle is coming one day and you would have to choose sides.”

  “Obviously they chose for me! I’ve been on this earth for many years and no one has ever mentioned my connection to angels. They only taught me to hate our counterparts.”

  “We should go Hayden.” I walk over to Synth. “Can you give me some clothes and shoes to wear outside?”

  “Of course.” She hurries from her corner and rumbles through her drawers and closet. She finds a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and black converse sneakers.

  “Where do you want to go? You obviously can’t go back to my place.” He turns toward me and looks at Synth.

  “I guess I’m going home.”

  “You can wait downstairs while she dresses.” Synth steps up as I yank my shirt over my head. Hayden doesn’t respond. He simply eyes her and turns to walk out of the door. Synth watches as he leaves. “He senses something about me.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I can feel the animosity toward me from him. He doesn’t like me at all.”

  “It’s because he doesn’t know who you are.”

  “And getting to know who I am will only make things worse than you could imagine.”

  “Think about it. He is going to have a ton of questions that Belfegor will never answer.” I say as I dress. I sit on the bed to put on the shoes.

  I stand and walk toward the door. “He will figure it out now that you’re in my life. I plan to keep in touch so that I can know more about myself.” Synth writes her number on a notepad on her desk and rip the paper from it. “Here. Call me on the phone or call out to me. I will hear you. Good luck with Hayden. He is a great young man even with him being a demon. He has ‘good’ in him. Something no demon in hell has.” She shrugs.

  “I will and thank you.”

  I leave her room and Hayden is waiting for me at the end of the stairs. He opens the door and I walk out. When we get into his car, he looks at me and sighs. He places his hands on the steering wheel and starts the vehicle. Of course, it’s a new car. He now has a black Mercedes Benz SUV.

  “You were almost murdered because of me. I don’t even know why this is happening. I’ve been confident in who I am for so long. Knowing that I could have been raised a Nephilim instead of Cambion makes me wonder. I am like I am because I was raised by demonic influence. With a demon father raising me my choice was made for me. The woman who help to create me should have been around to give me a choice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry about my life, I just wonder how different things could have been and what type of life I would have lived.”

  He pulls out of the driveway into traffic. He doesn’t say another word as he heads toward my family’s home. I still can’t believe it’s been two months since they have seen me.

  “What are we going to tell my family? Where will I say I’ve been?”

  “We’re going to tell the truth and fudge the details. I can create video footage and a
suspect.”

  “Don’t create a fake video of a real person. Make the suspect unrecognizable.”

  “Okay.” He looks over toward me and smiles. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

  He turns his gaze back to the road.

  “Should we go to the police station first? It would make sense that the police find me and not you. And it makes more sense that they call them to come and get me and not you.” I suggest.

  “Taking you to a police station would require a lot of people to be influenced by my power. I can do it but it will take an exponential amount to pull this off.”

  “Then what will we do?”

  “Will you be willing to say that you left because of everything going on? That way we don’t have to involve the police at all.”

  “It will break their hearts.” I look at my hands. “How can I do that to them?”

  “You could tell them the truth…” he shrugs.

  “What? They will think I’m insane.” I shoot him a worried look.

  “It actually would make things much easier.”

  I think for a minute. How will they take it? They’ll think I’m nuts. Can I risk my family thinking I’m crazy?

  “How about we wing it? We can go in and if things go left, then I will use everything in me to fix it. This is all my fault anyway. Don’t wreck your brain. You’ve been through enough.” He reaches over and grabs my shaking hand. I’ve never been more nervous about anything in my entire life. If I reveal all of this to them, does it make them a target? They could be killed. As we get closer to my house my heart begins to beat. My parents and sister must be out of their minds with worry. I lift the hand that Hayden isn’t holding and bite at my nail. He turns onto my block and my heart threatens to burst through my chest.