Blest

by Blaise Lucey

  Ben turned white. “Whoa, um . . .”

  “I told you”—Gunner took a few steps closer to him—“to throw those at the bottom of the stairs.” Gunner’s face stayed blank for a few more seconds, then he burst out laughing. Ben chuckled uneasily. “Just wait,” Gunner said, grabbing Claire around the shoulders and gesturing at the stairs like he was pointing out some grand vista. “Just wait until Mom sees all the beer cans at the bottom of the stairs. That’ll show her who’s really in charge, huh? Huh?” He looked past her. “Ben, get my sister a drink.”

  Before Claire could protest, a red plastic cup appeared in her hand. She looked down into the sloshing, clear liquid. It smelled like nail polish remover. Julia had settled onto the floor between Shane and Erik, crouching over the cards and arguing about the rules of some drinking game.

  “The best things in life taste bad, that’s my motto,” Ben said, his tongue doing somersaults on each word. He leaned against the staircase with her as they watched the rest of the demons play card games, and hoisted the other beer in his hand.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Claire said quickly. She’d never actually drank anything more than a few sips of beer. Usually she just liked to hold the cup as a conversational prop.

  Ben snapped the second beer open and proceeded to chug. “Gunner really kicked that guy’s ass back there.” He belched.

  “Who?”

  “That idiot Leo. Who does he think he is, trying to pick a fight with Gunner?”

  Claire rolled her eyes. She was used to a moderate amount of Gunner Worship from Gunner’s old friends, but this was a whole new level.

  “No, really,” Ben said insistently. He raised his voice. “Shane, how badass was it, that showdown with Leo?”

  Shane looked up. “Yeah. I just wish that something had actually happened. I can’t believe freaking Jim Blest broke it up, of all people. Being an angel made him a little more of a man, I guess.”

  Claire’s heart fluttered. She remembered how he had dashed into the fight, shouting and pulling Leo away.

  “Still,” Ben continued. “I wish Carlos had seen it. He would have liked that. And he would have seen what we’re up against.”

  “Soon enough, man,” Shane said. He flipped a card. “Seven. What the hell is a seven?”

  “It’s Never Have I Ever!” Maria squealed.

  He snorted. “Right. Um . . .”

  “Never have you ever benched over fifty pounds,” Gunner suggested.

  Shane grinned. “Oh, screw you, man. You saw what—”

  “Never has Mayor Morrisey ever been in an actual battle!” Ben exclaimed. He staggered across the living room toward the game. While the rest of the Scale looked from Shane to Ben in horror, Claire caught a smirk on Julia’s lips.

  “What’d you say?” Shane asked sharply.

  “Nothing!” Ben crowed, finishing his beer and tossing it onto the pile at the foot of the stairs. He tripped on his feet and slipped on the pile of cards, falling to the carpet with a thud. Miraculously, he kept his beer from spilling.

  “Ben!” Erik shouted. “What the hell, you ruined Kings!”

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” Claire muttered. She slipped out of the commotion and lightly sprinted up the stairs, her cup still in her hand. She reached the bathroom and closed the door, then dumped the vodka into the toilet and retreated to the mirror. She blinked at the girl reflected there, pale and tired-looking, with too much eye makeup caked on. Was that her real face? Her real eyes, staring back? What had happened to her?

  She held herself on the edge of the sink, dipping closer to the mirror and staring fixedly on the crimson wings poking out of her back. Her eyes lingered on the single white feather.

  Claire’s phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. She leaned away from the mirror and read the text. Check your window. The unnamed number glowed on the screen. She hurried out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Someone hovered outside the window—someone with white wings and blond hair, glistening in the moonlight.

  “You shouldn’t have come!” she whispered, as she lifted the window.

  ”How could I resist?” Jim smiled, and her heart picked up speed.

  “They’re all downstairs,” she said. “What if they catch you?”

  “You’re worth it.” He ducked through the window and dropped silently to the carpet, bringing the cold autumn air with him.

  They hugged each other tight. Claire could feel Jim’s heart beating just as fast as hers. She buried her face against his collared shirt and inhaled the warm, clean scent of him. An abrupt rush hour started in her mind, a thousand thoughts honking and swerving, trying to get her attention. She didn’t want to ask, but . . .

  “Did you dance with Sydney tonight?” Claire murmured against Jim’s shirt.

  He peeled away from her, tipping her chin up with his finger. “Sydney?” He saw her expression and laughed. “Yeah, we danced, but we’re just friends. You’re the only one I want.”

  She nodded, relief flooding through her. Every time she was with the Scale, she felt anxious and on edge. It made her doubt things—herself, her feelings for Jim. When everyone else around you was so convinced that what they believed was true, you started to think it, too. Even if you knew everyone else was wrong.

  “So we never actually got to dance tonight,” Jim said. He dropped to his knee, like an old-fashioned knight, and Claire couldn’t help but giggle. “May I have this dance?”

  “Of course.”

  Jim kicked off his shoes, took her left hand in his and put his other on her waist. Together, with the cool air rippling in from the window, they danced.

  They danced slowly, like an old couple that already knew each other’s every movement and every step. They danced with no music, nothing but their quiet breathing and the whispers of the trees outside the window. Claire lost herself in Jim’s crystal-blue eyes, feeling as light as the air around them, like the slightest breath of wind would blow them both away. And half-hoping that it would.

  “Claire,” Jim said so quietly she barely heard him. “Claire, I think I love you.” They kept turning in slow, slow circles. “No. I know I love you.”

  Butterflies fluttered deep in Claire’s chest. “I love you, too.” In that instant, she knew it was true. Jim was the only thing in her life she was certain of. When he bent down to kiss her and their lips connected, it was like a lightning bolt had struck her.

  It was crazy, but she knew that they would somehow figure it out. The demons, the angels—at the end of the day, none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was the boy in her arms, the boy she loved with all her heart.

  • • •

  Jim left when the downstairs had gone quiet again. As he turned to say goodbye, Claire leaped against him, crushing him against the window and kissing him one last time. He laughed between the flurry of kisses and opened the window a little wider, so he could step back out on the ledge. He winked at her and then dove into the air, fading into the distance like he was turning into just another one of the stars in the sky.

  “Claire.”

  She jumped back from the window. Gloria stood in the doorway in her bathrobe. Her mother’s short, coppery hair was matted on one side, and her dark brown eyes glimmered with tears.

  Claire realized in horror that her mother had seen Jim flying away. An angel. She peered past her mother, into the hallway.

  “Gunner’s not here,” Gloria whispered. “I think they went to the lake.” She shuffled slowly into the room, stopping at Claire’s bureau and running her thumb over a picture of the three of them in front of one of their old houses—Pittsburgh, Claire thought. They had all started to blur together at some point.

  Finally Gloria made her way to Claire’s bed and lowered herself onto it. She sighed, looking at the picture again, then back to Claire. “I’d ask yo
u to sit, but I know you won’t.”

  Claire stayed in place by the window. What had her mom seen? What should she say?

  Gloria smiled. “Michael’s son is getting pretty handsome.”

  “You—” Claire started. How did Gloria know Jim’s dad?

  Her mom put her hand in the air. “I’m not going to tell anyone, honey,” she said quietly. Her eyes flashed to Claire’s. “But you need to end things with him. Soon. Otherwise . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  “Otherwise what?” Claire asked, her mouth dry. A tangle of anger and fear twisted in her stomach.

  “Otherwise, someone’s going to find out. And that someone won’t keep your secrets like I do. They’ll want to report it. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that . . . angels and demons have fallen in love before. Centuries ago. But their children . . . the love . . . it all turns horrible. The only thing that angels and demons agree on, that the Tribunal all agrees on, is that an angel and a demon can never be together. If anyone else finds out . . . you’ll have all of the angels and demons on the Field coming after both of you.” She inhaled, a sharp, quick sound. “And it will all be over.”

  “Why?” Claire asked, her voice shaking. “Why can’t we just be together? Things are going to be different between us. We’re not the same as some storybook romance from hundreds of years ago!”

  “The Tribunal would say differently, honey.”

  “That’s not a good enough reason!” Claire slammed her hand down on the windowsill, surprising herself with the force of her anger. She lowered her voice. “And why should I listen to you, anyway? You’ve been lying to me and Gunner our whole lives.”

  Gloria’s eyes glistened. “Claire, I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing—I thought I could keep you safe.”

  “And clueless!”

  “I always meant to tell you sooner, but I was afraid. I thought I could just keep running and somehow save you from what being a demon meant.” She rubbed tears out of her eyes. “But it was foolish of me. You can’t run or hide from who you are.” She rose from the bed and reached out her arms hesitantly. Claire hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and let her mom hug her.

  “You’ve grown up into such a beautiful, strong woman. I’m so proud of you,” Gloria said, her voice catching. “Please. Promise me you’ll end things with Jim, before it’s too late.”

  “That’s a promise I can’t make,” Claire said.

  Her mom frowned, kissed her once on the forehead, then turned and left her room without another word.

  “I won’t do it,” Claire said to the empty space. She took a shaky breath, listening to the heavy silence around her and the noise buzzing in her head. “I won’t.”

  16

  Before the Drop, the angels met on top of Sydney’s roof and watched the sun set over the lake, turning the water into ripples of pinks and purples. Jim was the first one to get there. He heard Sydney approaching from her attic—he didn’t even need to look now to see which of the angels was coming; they all moved in such distinct ways. “Hey,” he said, without turning around.

  “Hey.” Sydney settled next to him, swinging her legs in a companionable silence.

  “Okay, so the Drop,” Jim said slowly. “Can you tell me what it is now?”

  “Fine, okay. I just didn’t want you to worry about it last night. Things were already crazy enough.” She shuddered. “I swear, Shane just wants to break the Pact and make it seem like it was our fault so the Tribunal doesn’t step in.”

  “But the Tribunal doesn’t care about a Drop?”

  “No, because you’re not really violating The Pact. People might get hurt, but it’s not—”

  “Hurt how?”

  Sydney tossed her blond braid over her shoulder, her hands clasping the roof and squeezing hard. Her eyes reflected the peach-orange sunset. “You know the game ‘Chicken,’ like when two cars race at each other full speed, and whoever turns away first loses?”

  Jim nodded.

  “Well, this is like that. An angel and a demon ‘drop’ from the tallest thing they can find, a building or a cliff usually, and they don’t use their wings. Whoever spreads their wings first is the one who loses.” Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Last time, I lost. To Shane.” Sydney’s eyes focused somewhere on the distance.

  “Did anyone get hurt?” Jim asked anxiously.

  “Not last time, no.” Her face turned grim. “But—and this stays between us—I’m a little worried about Leo.”

  “Has he ever done a Drop before?”

  Sydney shook her head. “No. And he’s not the best flier, you know that.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Jim said. “After all, angelic durability, right?”

  “Well . . .” Sydney said uneasily. “We’re Durable up to a point. Not a Drop like this. Shane said the Sunner Tower, downtown. It’s more than forty stories high.”

  Jim started to reply, but the rest of the Feather appeared. Leo told everyone that he had just come from dinner, and had barbecue sauce smeared on his face as proof. “My dad says chicken wings are the best way to prepare for a Drop. Lots of spicy stuff to get your blood flowing, plus if you weigh more, you fall faster.”

  Miles raised an eyebrow. “And getting lots of barbecue sauce all over your face? Is that part of the strategy?”

  Leo grinned and wiped the sauce away. In the far distance, the skyscrapers of downtown St. Louis poked up against the sky. “Great,” he said. “This will be a good warm-up flight.”

  “Come on, guys,” Sydney said, standing up. “It’s time to go.” She jumped off the edge of the roof and started off toward the distant skyline.

  “You know,” Miles said to Jim, “Sydney and Shane did a Drop last summer.”

  “Yeah, she told me,” Jim started to say, but Miles cut him off.

  “Did she tell you why?” Jim shook his head, and Miles pressed on. “Their parents organized it. They wanted to see whose kid was better. I think losing that Drop really screwed with her,” Miles went on, whispering now. “I know General Lumen wasn’t too happy about—”

  Nora swatted him. “Miles! Quit gossiping! And you call me the nosy one.”

  Miles shrugged. “Someone’s got to throw Jim a freaking wingbone here.” He grinned. “And Leo ate all of his.” Leo rolled his eyes and jumped off the roof to join Sydney. Miles laughed and took off after him.

  “Who knows,” Nora said, looking at Jim. Her face was somber, like she was already expecting the worst. “Maybe you’ll be good luck.”

  • • •

  The first building Jim noticed as the Feather glided over St. Louis was the Gateway Arch, which was glowing a platinum blue that shimmered on the waters of the Mississippi River behind it. He had been to St. Louis once or twice before, but never at night. All around the enormous arch were the skyscrapers of St. Louis, their lights glittering. For a second, Jim almost felt like he had entered his mural on the water tower. Even flying through the sky made him feel like the figure in the middle of the painting.

  Sydney pointed. “The Arch was a Portal to Glisten once. That’s why there are so many angels and demons around St. Louis. There were a lot of battles here once upon a time.”

  “Hey!” Miles whirled around at them, his wings flapping furiously. “The demons are already there.”

  The Sunner Tower stood right beside the water. As Jim flew to it, he could see figures standing on the roof. He could tell which one was Claire right away. She was talking with some blond girl he had seen a few times before, mostly as she came out of the bathrooms, smelling like cigarette smoke. He hoped that Claire wasn’t actually making friends with anyone in the Scale. He couldn’t imagine that any of them would be a positive influence.

  The Feather landed on the opposite end of the roof from the demons. Shane and Gunner stalked up to them immediately. Shane rolled
on his feet cockily, while Gunner’s fists were clenched in rage. Jim tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes focused on the two of them and not let his eyes skip to where he knew Claire was standing.

  “Leo, I’m amazed that your wings can even hold up your freaking fat body,” Shane said. “Are you sure you won’t just drop like a brick?” His gaze slid over to Sydney. “Then again, maybe if Sydney had weighed a little more, she wouldn’t have lost so badly last year.” He turned to Gunner, as if conversationally. “It was sad, really. In front of her mom and everything.”

  “Watch it, Shane,” Leo thundered.

  “Let’s just do this thing,” Gunner said, and stormed toward the edge of the building. Leo followed.

  The wind tore over the roof, howling in their ears. They were so high up that Jim could barely see the pavement below, where one lonely streetlight was flickering. The streets were deserted, which he decided was a good thing. You couldn’t really invent a better way to give away the angel’s secret than by jumping off a skyscraper and then magically floating up at the last second.

  “My dad had people disable all the security cameras around here,” Shane said, looking at Sydney, “so there’s no need to snitch to the Tribunal about this.”

  “They don’t care about Drops!” Nora said. “Shows what you know.”

  Shane snorted. “Sure, they don’t care about Drops when they’re proposed by angels. They have kind of a double standard for demons, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  “I’m sick of talking,” Gunner said. He looked pointedly at Leo. “Ready?”

  Leo puffed out his chest. “Let’s see how much you’ve learned in the past month, man.”

  All the other angels and demons flew down to the sidewalk, where they could watch the Drop from below. It took almost a minute just to glide to the ground. The wind from the top of the skyscraper seemed to chase after Jim as he flew down, roaring in his ears and pressing like cold glass against his face. Miles decided to go headfirst, diving off the roof and cutting up right at the last second. Halfway through his own descent, Jim caught a flash of dark brown hair to his left and saw Claire fly by him. His eyes widened as he watched her dive through the air alongside Julia. How had she gotten so good at flying so fast?