Blood To Blood

by Ifè Oshun

  When I emerged, the opened French doors to my patio revealed an elaborate spread of various blood types in heavy, cut-crystal goblets. A warm Pacific breeze fluttered the linen tablecloth as well as fresh flowers in an elegant vase.

  I was hungry, but took a second to appreciate the view. The deep azure blue of the ocean formed a sharp line of contrast against the powder blue of the sky. I inhaled the tangy salt air, along with the scents of various animals, abundant plants, and freshly cut grass.

  “Mind if I join you?” Justin said, leaping onto the patio from the ground about twenty-two feet below. He took off his winter jacket and threw it on the floor. It was still wet with whatever precipitation was falling in Boston.

  “W—what?” I stuttered. “How did you get here?”

  “I haven't figured that out yet,” he mused. “All I know is I knew you were hungry. I could actually feel your need tugging at me in Boston.” He smiled as he fell into the seat across the table from me. “Before I knew it, I was here. I just followed your scent.”

  Wow. “Justin, we’ve got a lot to discuss, but this isn’t the place to do it. If my Mom sees you, she'll know you're different, and we can't reveal what happened last night. You're going to have to go back.”

  “You're still hungry, Angel.” He paused as if measuring something in his chest. “I don't think I'm capable of leaving you in this condition.”

  “You mean to tell me you can't help coming to me whenever, wherever I'm hungry?”

  “I think so.”

  “And you can't leave while I'm still hungry?”

  “Sounds about right.”

  Seriously? How was I going to be able to hide him from Mom if he showed up every time I got hungry?

  Just then I heard moans coming from guests throughout the mansion and grounds. I ran over to the south window to look down on the pool. Guests were collapsing on the deck while some fell into the water and sunk to the bottom. Good thing they couldn't drown. Then there was a ripping sound and I felt the approach of something massive, like a huge boulder of energy rolling toward us.

  More AOs, Cici transmitted. Meet us in the great room. Now.

  “Justin, can you wait here for me until I get back?”

  “Yes, I think I can physically stay here as long as you're not too far away,” he said as I raced into the dressing room to put on something more Mahá-like.

  “By the way,” he called from the bedroom, “Bodiel and Knowledge are coming.”

  “How do you know?”

  “They made me. I know when they come.” Made sense. I threw on my own makeup and put my hair up in a simple, somewhat tall, bun.

  The family was already in the great room, along with Moira, Cassandra, and other guests. I joined Mom and Dad just as the doorbell rang. We looked at each other, perplexed. Maximillian, one of the oldest immortals on the PE staff, made his way painstakingly, and with as much dignity as he could muster, to the door to open it.

  There on the doorstep stood Bodiel and Knowledge, dressed as if they were ready to spend the day on the golf course; polo tops, khaki shorts, white socks, and Ray Bans.

  “Please come inside,” Mom said, before she and Dad offered them the perfunctory greeting. They responded sincerely as if it were perfectly normal to come in through the front door.

  Like photonegative images of each other, Bodiel and Knowledge trained their gazes on me. It was obvious to everyone that despite their mortal dress and the luggage they cheerfully rolled in, they were very powerful beings. Fear-filled looks were directed at me by some of the guests. “It's a pleasure to meet you Angelika,” they said. “We look forward to seeing the Abilities showcase next, unless there are objections?”

  The question was directed to Cassandra and Moira, who quickly shook their heads “no.” Shoftiel was nowhere to be seen, probably somewhere cleaning out his crazy gun.

  “Excellent,” Knowledge said. “We will retire to our quarters now, until we are called.”

  Mom gestured to staff to take the newest guests to their rooms and they were led away. You could hear a pin drop. As they passed by, I noticed they had no scent. How strange. Were all angels scentless, I wondered? I couldn't remember if Shoftiel had one, but since he scared the wits out of me, it was understandable that I hadn't taken the time to explore that side of him. Cassandra and Moira had scents even though neither had a heartbeat. Perhaps they had a scent because they had fallen. Or...maybe, Bodiel and Knowledge were masking their scents the way Adrian did when he was invisible.

  Speculation ran wild in whispered conversations once they left the room. Immortals have a way of whispering that is hard to hear by other immortals, unless they are telepathic. To the mortal ear, the whispering sounds like a nearly inaudible hiss. I wondered what the guests were saying about this latest installment in my Mahá from hell.

  “They are shielded,” whispered Mom as she led me by the arm to a smaller private room. Dad and Cici followed shortly and she closed the door behind them. Dad raised his hand and another door magically appeared in the opposite wall. He quickly shepherded us into the room, and once inside, the door quickly disappeared. The room was empty and devoid of windows. There were no corners or edges, no ceiling. It felt like we were inside an airless, soundproofed orb.

  “It's an Aeonion loop,” Dad explained. “An endless loop of energy contained within a magical parameter. No one can see where we are or hear what we say.”

  Mom turned to me. “We have other new guests who came while you were getting dressed. They sit on the Council with me. Apparently, some think that my judgment of your abilities may be compromised because you are my child.”

  “The Abilities showcase could be problematic for you,” Dad added. “The time-freeze ability may be seen as unredeemable because you cannot control it.”

  “The Council members may suggest your destruction today,” Mom said, looking at my hand. She held it in her own the way she used to do when I was little, comparing the length of my fingers to hers and slowly tracing the shape of my fingernails. For her sake, I concentrated on my breathing and refused to let anxiety get the best of me.

  “We can’t let this happen,” Cici cried. She was more agitated than I’d ever seen in my whole life.

  “If the vote for destruction prevails, I cannot stop it,” Mom’s voice remained even despite the blood tears streaking her cheeks. Numbly, I realized I was crying, too, when her thumb swabbed a tear from my face. “There is no repeal process. The execution would be immediate.”

  Despite the news and the pain it caused, my feet stayed on the ground. I thought of Sawyer and promised myself that if I did live to see him again, I’d find out why I was even thinking about him at a time like this.

  “I can make us disappear.” Dad’s voice was steely. “Right now.”

  Mom’s face was grave. “We’d run for eternity. We’d have to take everyone we love with us, or they’d use them to draw us out.”

  This could very well be the last time we would be together. Whatever I said now was vital because it could constitute the last memory they had of me forever. I marshaled my thoughts and found my words. “I will not run,” I said steadily. “No one will suffer because of me.”

  I wasn't afraid to die. In light of the destruction I could possibly wreak, it might be in the best interests of the family. Cici burst into tears. We lingered within the Aeonion Loop as long as we could, but eventually, Dad led us out to the outer room and we dissipated one by one back into the rest of the house. As I made my way back to Justin, I resigned myself to my fate.

  “You're gonna die.”

  I turned around to see Moira leaning casually against the banister of one of the minor staircases. Her hair looked as if she never combed it, and she wore the same thing as yesterday, just more wrinkled.

  “You have no say in whether I do or not,” I answered.

  “Not yet,” she hissed. “But I have dibs for your head when the word’s handed down.”

  I held her gaze and proc
eeded to pointedly brush my left shoulder off with my right hand as if flicking dirt in her direction. “Good luck with that,” I spat before turning on my heel and walking away.

  As I moved up the stairs, my stomach growled. I felt a sense of peace at the thought of Justin’s familiar scent and taste and the post-feeding comfort I could find in his arms. When I got to my room, however, he was with Bodiel and Knowledge. “Is there a way to help him so that he's not a slave to my hunger?” I asked them.

  “We've adjusted that,” Knowledge answered.

  “I'll still know when you're hungry, there's no way to stop that.”

  “But now he will have a choice and will no longer be compelled,” Bodiel added. “We have also tweaked him so that he will not read as an immortal. Now we need to help you control your ability.”

  It was just like an angel one-stop repair shop. I quickly informed them of the appearance of the Council elders. Justin, whose angel-induced immortality and blood-tie bond of secrecy, allowed him to be in on everything that had happened, turned pale. The angels stared alternately at the floor and the wall for a few wordless moments.

  “We cannot intervene in the decisions of the Council,” they finally said. “To do so would disrupt the flow of free will. However, we will do all in our power to help you right now. You must work with us. If you put all your energy into this effort, we will be successful.”

  “Let's begin,” Knowledge said.

  “Wait,” Justin interjected. “She still needs to eat.”

  “Of course,” said Bodiel as he gently took Knowledge by the elbow and evaporated.

  It occurred to me that Justin would suffer from the same blood-tie distress if I were to die. As he offered his neck I fervently hoped Bodiel and Knowledge could fix that for him, too, if it came to that.

  Mealtime was different now that there was no limit to how long Justin could go. I couldn’t believe he was still alive, although he grew lethargic the longer I fed. A few minutes later, I had my fill. “You still eat food?” I asked.

  “Kidding? I could eat a horse.”

  Bodiel and Knowledge reappeared. After a communicative glance from them, Justin turned around to leave the room. “I’m going to find some grub,” he said, before closing the door behind him. Fortunately, it was normal for a newborn to have a donor at their Mahá, so no one would think twice when they saw him in the house. I was ready for what was coming but felt very nervous, too. I took a deep breath.

  “You are anxious,” said Knowledge, “but not enough to trigger the time freeze.” She grabbed me and started tickling me. I screamed in shock, and fought against her without thinking. “Give it all your effort. Control your anger.”

  I heard her clearly, but it was so hard. Ever since I was small, I absolutely hated being tickled. It made me angry and uncomfortable and icky-feeling and—

  “There it is,” Bodiel said. He went to the window and beckoned me over. Knowledge released me and I looked outside. Sure enough all guests and living things were frozen in time.

  “Apologies, Angel,” she said, “but that was the fastest way to get you to that point organically.”

  It was impossible to remain upset in the face of such courtesy. “No problem. Now what?”

  “I see a brief moment, the equivalent of one sixteenth of a second where you may be able to use your will to stop the freeze before it is initiated,” Bodiel said.

  “So how do I do that?”

  “Locate that brief moment of time. It may be something you see, hear, or feel. Concentrate. Will it to stop at that time and you will save yourself and your family.”

  I nodded, although what he said made no sense whatsoever.

  “Let's get things back to normal,” Knowledge said.

  I did. So quickly that I impressed myself. Before I could finish patting myself on the back, however, Knowledge sucker-punched me square in the nose. The bridge cracked and red rage flooded my vision.

  “There,” said Bodiel. “Concentrate, Angel. There it is!”

  Instead of screaming in rage, I took a quick breath through my mouth and willed myself to find what he was referring to. And then I saw it. It was a barely noticeable impression before my eyes; almost like a small button. I'd seen it before but didn't think it had anything to do with freezing time.

  “Too late,” Bodiel said. “Everything's frozen again.”

  “Saw it this time,” I muttered while wiping blood from my face. “It's been there in front of me all along. Just didn't make the connection.”

  Knowledge smiled sweetly. “Unfreeze, Angel.”

  I did. And then I held up my hands in a “time out” gesture. I wanted to see if I could do it on my own, without the abuse. Sorry, Bodiel said distinctly in my head. My throat started to constrict as if someone were strangling me. But neither angel had moved to touch me. I couldn't breathe, couldn't do the one thing that calmed me down enough in order to function. I felt myself lift off the ground. Where was it? Where was the button? I spluttered and coughed as the pressure on my windpipe increased. My voice will be ruined! I thought wildly. I saw the button and willed it to be pressed. Sure enough, the convex part of it clicked into concave as if I had pressed it with my finger.

  The strangulation ceased. I drew in a long ragged breath before falling onto the floor. Knowledge came to my side. Afraid of what she might do next, I cowered away from her.

  “Relax,” she said. “You did it. You stopped the freeze before it initiated.” She helped me up and, leading me to the bed, made me lie down. Bodiel came with a cool cloth and held it against my face. It felt soothing. My broken nose had already mended itself.

  “The time freeze kicks in when you lose yourself in emotions, Angel,” she continued. “It's important for you to step outside of panic, pain, and confusion in order to control this ability without exception.”

  I nodded in understanding, and used the now-warm cloth to wipe away the remaining blood. My throat still felt a little raw.

  “Do you forgive us, Angel?”

  “Yes,” I said without delay. “After all, this is what will save my life eventually…isn't it?” Bodiel and Knowledge smiled at each other.

  Instantly, we were standing on a landscape, but it was nowhere I could identify. We were surrounded by fire as far as the eye could see. There was a deafening roar of flames, and beneath that was constant howling. Even the sky seemed to be on fire. But the fire had a life of its own because there were no objects to burn. The ground was the color of blood and the heat was unbearable.

  I turned back to Bodiel and Knowledge, but before I could ask them where we were, they shoved me to the ground and flew away. I was too scared to scream, too scared to cry and what was worse, there was nowhere to run. I stayed on the ground where I fell, cringing from heat so hot it made me burn.

  I was wrong about Bodiel and Knowledge. They didn't have my best interests at heart. I’d been fooled, and would pay for my stupidity by dying here in this hellish place, alone. I attempted to take in a long breath, but the air was so hot it burned my throat. The smell of my burning flesh filled my nostrils and I vowed that if I got a chance, angels, or not, I’d hunt them down and kill them.

  Then I heard the click. It was so familiar, I would have continued to ignore it if it hadn’t just occurred to me. Suddenly, I made the connection. The clicking sound started the process of the time freeze. If I stopped the click, the freeze could not commence. Concentrating, I reversed the click so I wouldn't even get to the part of having to press the button. I controlled the time freeze completely by deciding when and where the click would or wouldn't take place.

  I was immediately surrounded by a flurry of wings, and found myself once again back in my room. I was still on my knees in the same position I had been cringing in. Knowledge picked me up and gently placed me on my bed.

  “That was all part of the test?” I managed to ask. My throat was scorched to the point where it hurt to talk.

  “There's no need to talk, but only if it
's okay with you,” Bodiel said.

  It's fine to talk this way, I transmitted. Will my voice be okay?

  Knowledge stroked my hair while I watched light particles drift with their own awareness from the pores of her skin. Rest and rejuvenate and all will be well.

  Would you really have hunted us down? The question caused a wrinkle to appear in Bodiel’s inhumanely smooth face.

  I was pretty mad, but I guess that was part of the test, too, huh?

  No, Angel, he said. The anger was all you.

  We laughed out loud, even though my laugh was weak and pathetic.

  Did I make it?

  Yes, I heard them both simultaneously. We are confident you will be able to control the time freeze, and more importantly, control yourself.

  Rest. We will send Justin. Knowledge smiled. We will not call for the ceremony until you've had enough time to rest.

  And then they were gone. Still on my back, I painstakingly pivoted my head to the left and ended up face-to-face with Justin laying next to me on the bed. “We really have to stop meeting like this,” he joked. His laughing came to a halt as he took a closer look at me and his mouth turned into a grim line. “My god, Angel, what did they do to you?” He bit his wrist so that it bled and held it to my mouth. It was all I could do to open my lips and allow the blood to trickle between them. I drank this way for a few minutes until I fell asleep.

  I awoke to a darkened room and growling stomach. Justin was still there at my side. “I told your folks you were exhausted,” he explained. His voice sounded deep and soothing in the darkness. “They think it’s from the news of the Council. And the Council thinks it’s a reaction to the presence of the AOs.” He placed his wrist to my lips again. “Don’t worry, I’ve eaten a ton of food.”

  I drank more in stages. I was eventually able to hold up my head, then sit up, then push him back on the pillows and take my fill. It really was a good thing he was immortal now because I surely would have killed him a hundred times over with my insatiable need.