“Very nice, Princess, but your feelings have little to do with Guardian Wallace’s actions,” Principal says as if he is tired of hearing everyone’s voices.
“Princess? I am interested in your opinion,” the pretty woman begins. “If Guardian Wallace were to be placed with another charge, how would you feel about that? Would you accept another Guardian?”
“I would accept the Hierarchy’s decision. I would not feel…happy about it, but I’d accept it. I wouldn’t want another Guardian, though. I’m half Guardian, so I could just learn to protect myself. I actually would like to attend school here and train to be someone else’s Guardian.”
Again, the room breaks out in whispers. Keely’s face grows warm. She rubs her arms. No matter where she goes, she’s the freak.
“We’ll take a break before judgment is passed,” the man in charge declares. “All students need to report back to your classes.”
Nick guides Keely to the side of the room as the students clear out. “Thank you for speaking on my behalf.”
“I don’t think it did a lot of good. They don’t seem to like me much.”
“It doesn’t matter if they like you. They can’t act as if they feel any specific way. They’re supposed to be neutral.”
“How long will it take for them to decide?”
“I have no idea. Hopefully they do it quickly. I just want this over with. I mean, if they want me to resign, I will. They can’t stop me from being with you. And if they assign you a new Guardian, you need to take it. The more protection you have, the better.”
“I don’t want another Guardian,” Keely sulks.
“You can’t go without one.”
“You can teach me how to take care of myself. Train me to kick ass like you and Bryon and Lila.”
“Keely?” Nick takes her hand. “You should have told me about Dustin.”
“Why? He did what anybody would have done.”
“No, he didn’t,” Nick says, disgusted. “We are supposed to be a team. We work together. If he had done the right thing, he would have been with me when I found you and Lila.” He shakes his head. “When I think of Dustin holding you so Apophis could hit you, I just want to kill him.”
“What?” Bryon stands behind Keely, his face a mask of disbelief. “What did you just say?”
“Bryon, it’s not like it sounds,” Keely begins, but he cuts her off.
“It sounds like Dustin held you so your sick and demented Demon brother could hit you. Dustin?”
“Nothing wrong with your hearing,” Nick says. “To the point of unconsciousness, isn’t that right?”
“I only remember him hitting me once. Then I woke up in that cell.”
“Why did he do it?” Bryon asks, his voice tight with anger.
Keely explains once again why Dustin was forced to do what he did. She gives him the short version because her mom and dad make their way over to them.
“I can’t believe he did that. I mean, I believe you, I just can’t believe it,” Bryon says. “If they don’t kill him, I will.”
“They won’t kill him. Will they?” Keely puts her hand over her mouth. If she had thought that, even for a second, she would have lied.
“He’s been branded with treason. It is punishable by death most of the time,” Nick says.
“He doesn’t deserve to die. Hasn’t he been punished enough?”
“I kind of want to kill him,” Bryon says casually.
“Ugh. Stop it. Both of you. I would have done the same thing for either one of you. Would you want me to be sentenced to death?”
“Keely, you need to calm down,” Kimberly says stiffly. “They can’t hear you speaking pertly about their practices.”
“It’s wrong, Mom. Who are they to judge? They are not God. I understand in some circumstances it may be necessary to kill, but not for what Dustin did. He was tortured. He lost an eye. And I’m fine. He did no permanent damage to anyone but himself. It isn’t right.”
“If they shouldn’t judge, then neither should you. If his Oath meant that little to him to disregard it so easily, who is to say he won’t do it again? You should have told us, Keely. You’re lucky he hasn’t hurt somebody else already. Everything worked out o.k. this time. But what about next time? What if the next time he decides someone’s more important than Nick and it costs him his life? Would you be so forgiving then?”
And too much of this little speech makes sense to Keely. She nods, grinding her teeth. “I would want to kill him too. It’s just, nobody did die. Can’t they like, un-Oath him?”
“I’d rather be sentenced to death than have my Oath revoked,” Bryon says quietly.
“They can. They’ve done it before,” her mom states.
“I just find it hypocritical the Hierarchy may decide I’m too much of a threat and execute me, but Dustin jeopardizing my life for Lila’s life may cost him his life.”
“It’s a different world here,” her mom sighs.
“They are not going to execute you, Honey,” Kevin says.
“There is no way. We would never allow that to happen,” Bryon adds rigidly.
The Hierarchy enters the room and takes their seats, same as before. There are few people still in the surrounding seats, but the room has drastically cleared out. Keely recognizes one man from Friday. He came with Nick as part of his search party. The rest she’s never seen before. They all take their seats and wait for a ruling.
“We are unable to make a definitive decision about Guardian Wallace until we understand more about you, Princess. Please come forward and take conference with us,” the man announces.
So this is it. It’s her turn. She rises and as Nick moves to stand, she puts her hand out. “I need to do this alone.” She places herself in the chair in front of the Hierarchy. Her stomach churns with nerves, but she tries to appear at ease. She reminds herself she has nothing to hide.
“Princess, has the extraordinary circumstances surrounding your life been thoroughly explained to you?” the pretty woman asks.
“That my real father is the Demon King? That he was a Watcher, the only fallen Watcher that didn’t return to Heaven? That I am the only known living daughter born directly from the bloodline of an Angel?”
The pretty woman smiles. “Your Guardian keeps you well informed. Do you understand how special you are?”
Keely shrugs. She doesn’t feel special, but this is what everyone tells her. “I guess so.”
“When someone has a parent from an Arch Angel bloodline, this person takes the title White Warrior. Currently they are our most valued lineage. Long, long ago, if an Angel married another Angel’s offspring, a Watcher, or a Guardian, their children were also very special. They were given the title Doyenne. These children were believed to have been sent from the Heavens in order to shepherd man. Obviously over the years, these children have died, forcing the Doyenne into extinction. It is a term no longer used until now. You, Princess, are a Doyenne. So you see, you are not a Guardian, nor are you a Watcher. What we must discover is if you are here to lead the Angel’s children, or the Demon’s.”
Keely can feel every eye in the room on her. Feel the weight of their stares. “I don’t think I’m here to lead anyone. You see, when we were in the Demon realm, someone found a book. A Demon Grimoire. I was able to read it. My real father made sure he had daughters. He did this because he knew he needed his daughter to fulfill a prophecy.” She tries very hard not to fidget. “I’m here to bring Heaven and Hell to Earth. But I don’t want to do that. I saw what it looks like. I saw what will happen. It’s the most horrible thing you can ever imagine. I have people here that I love very much.” Tears fill Keely’s eyes. “I don’t want to hurt them.”
“Princess, are you claiming you have no alliance with the Demon King?” Nick’s dad asks.
Keely feels as if he is steering her
in a specific direction. Feels as if she should follow. “Yes, sir. I have no alliance with my father. I do not want an alliance with him ever.”
“You’ve been very forthcoming. The prophecy does not help your case,” the man in charge says.
“Yes, I know, but I can’t do this on my own. I need your help. How can the Hierarchy help me if they don’t know what I need help with?”
The man smiles. “Indeed.”
“How do we know this isn’t a trick? Some plan you and your father devised to earn our trust?” Principal questions.
“I’m not that clever. Or that crazy. And honestly, I could have gone and hidden in a Demon realm. I could have kept this information from you. Or I could have just fulfilled the prophecy,” Keely says curtly. “I came here. I asked for your help. That should be proof enough.”
“I’d like to hear more about this prophecy,” Coach announces.
Twenty-Eight:
She watches him sleep. He snores peacefully. No sign of pain. No sign of anger. Not one spec of guilt found anywhere on his face. His sweet face she loves so much. Tears swell in her eyes until he blurs out of her vision.
Lila moves closer to his bed silently. Part of her wants to wake Dustin up. Beg him to tell her it isn’t true. That he didn’t do the things he’s accused of, but she knows it would be a lie. Knows in her heart that he did it. All of it. How has she been so blinded? How could she, of all people, not know he was insincere every time he told her he loved her? Every time he kissed her, hugged her, touched her. It was all lies. The lips, the arms, the hands of a traitor.
The repulsion rolls in her stomach. She fights the urge to vomit. Fights the overwhelming urge to smother him. It would be so easy. He’d never see it coming. Just like she never saw his betrayal coming. Kill him as he has killed her.
Dustin shifts. Opens his eye enough to see Lila. To recognize the expression on her face. He tries to see past the murkiness clouding his vision. He’s certain it’s the vision. Lila looks murderous. Looks like she does when she’s facing a Demon. Not how she looks at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.
Lila doesn’t answer. Can’t speak. The tears spill over. Drop from her chin.
“Lila?” Dustin sits up awkwardly. “What happened? What’s the matter?”
“You’ve been branded by the Hierarchy. Branded for treason.” She turns to leave. Dustin grips her wrist trying to stop her. She whirls on him, yanking her arm from his grasp. “Don’t touch me!” Her breathing is erratic. She pants, her chest rising and falling quickly. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
“Please, let me explain.”
“There is nothing to explain. Did you help Apophis? Did you give him Keely to murder?”
Dustin doesn’t say anything. He stays very still, afraid if he moves at all she will walk out of his room and out of his life. He can’t live without her. Doesn’t want a life without her.
“That’s what I thought. There is no justification for what you did.” She turns back to the door. Turns her back on Dustin.
“Please, Lila. I love you.”
She pauses. Wipes the tears from her cheeks. “Well I hate you,” she says just loud enough for him to hear and walks out the door.
***
Keely changes into a shorts and tank top pajama set. Pulls her hair into a sloppy pony tail and gathers the pencils from her bed. Sprawls out on her stomach and leafs through page after page of Asmoday. She blows out a big breath and tosses the sketchpad on her nightstand. Today was an exhausting day. She’s had quite a few of those lately. When things settle down—if things settle down, she’s staying in bed for a week.
Keely wonders how far she is falling behind in school and if she is able to attend the Academy, if it will matter. She just wants to graduate this year.
The cord vibrates in her heart and Keely sits up expectantly. She hadn’t realized it, but now knows she had been waiting for him.
“How did you fare today?” Asmoday asks immediately.
“Fare?” Keely smiles at his sometimes strange terminology. Like he came from another time, not just another place. “It was all right, I guess. I have to go back tomorrow to find out whether or not they want to kill me.”
He rubs his lips together and nods. “They like to stretch these things out.”
“Apparently. I just want to know where I stand. I hate feeling like I don’t belong anywhere.”
“You belong with me.” He says this as if he were talking about the sky being blue. As if it is a widely known and accepted fact.
Keely hugs her pillow to her chest. She smells his sunny, summery scent on it. “You’ve been coming by a lot.”
He nods and picks up her sketch pad. Examines the first picture of himself. “I think you draw me better than I am.”
“I think it’s a very accurate rendering of you,” she says a little defensively.
“Yes, but you give me more depth in my eyes than I truly have.” He turns the pad so she can see.
She stares at the drawing then looks up into his eyes. Too many seconds go by before she looks away. “It’s accurate.”
“I am a handsome man then,” Asmoday says with a grin.
“You know you are.”
“So you agree?” His smile turns wicked and Keely sighs.
“I guess so. You’re very… symmetrical. I like to draw you.”
Asmoday kicks off his shoes and lies on Keely’s bed beside her. “It’s very relaxing for me when you draw.” His eyes graze over her. “You’re calm. I like that.”
“You know what I like?” Keely asks, folding her arms over her chest. She doesn’t wait for an answer. “I like how you make yourself at home in my bedroom.”
“I like that too.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“I like that as well. You are quite good at it.”
“You bring out the best in me,” she says with a tight smile.
“Yes, there it is again. You’re in a mood this evening.” He sits up and leans on his elbow.
“I’m tired. And I’m stressed.”
Asmoday touches her cheek gently. “You’re scared.”
Keely stares at him. Takes a shaky breath. “That too.”
“May I hug you?” he asks softly. “This is something brothers and sisters do, correct?”
“Yes, it is. But it wouldn’t feel like a hug from my brother. You’ll turn it into something else and make me feel uncomfortable and I’ll just feel even worse than I already do.”
Asmoday winces at how true her words are. “It will only be a hug. You need one.”
Keely nods her head. She does need one. She leans into Asmoday and he wraps his arms around her. Sometimes she holds things inside too long. So long that a simple hug breaks all her resolve. Opens the flood gates. This is one of those times. She bursts into tears and Asmoday holds her tighter. He doesn’t say a word. Just allows her to cry. They stay this way until her tears finally dry.
“I always wanted a brother,” she says as she wipes her face. She sniffles. “Not the way I imagined it, but you’re not so bad.”
“Mmm. I think you paid me a compliment,” he says, though he doesn’t sound happy about it.
“Simmer down. Don’t let it go to your head or anything.”
“May I sleep with you?”
Keely goes very still. Feels as if she is made of stone. Her stomach dips like she took the plunge on a roller coaster. That came out of nowhere. “Ugh, what?”
“May I sleep here tonight? I slept so well this morning and I believe you will sleep better with me here as well.” He glances at her and smiles devilishly. “You thought I was asking to have sex.” He laughs. It’s such a wonderful noise to Keely’s ears. “I thought we were not allowed to do that?”
Keely pushes herself off
the bed. “We’re not.”
“Yet, that is the first place your mind ventured. I find that fascinating.” He stares at her, his expression one of amusement.
“Don’t, you’re a total perv most of the time. It’s not such a leap.” She digs out her old boy band sleeping bag from under the bed. Unrolls it and sways her hand Price is Right style. You just won a night on the floor.
He eyes it with disgust. Raises a brow. “I cannot fit in that…what is that?”
“That is your bed. Take it or leave it.”
“May I have a pillow?” He stands beside the bed and looks at her with sad dark eyes, but she feels happy and content inside. Knows he does as well. Big faker.
“I only have the one. Sorry.” Keely pulls back her bedspread and snuggles into her bed. Smiles at Asmoday’s struggle to get comfortable on the floor. She set his bed up in such a way that they have no trouble seeing each other. She hadn’t meant to do it. At least not consciously. She sighs and throws the pillow at him. He needs it more than she does.
Asmoday looks at the pillow like it’s a brand new car. As if she has given him an amazing gift. “But you only have the one.” He looks up at her, his expression unreadable. She tries to capture his feelings through the cord, but they are changing too rapidly to get a fix on them.
“I’ll be fine. I have a soft bed,” she says.
“You are going without so I can be more comfortable.”
“O.k., don’t make a big thing about it. I just thought you could use it more than I could.” She lies back and closes her eyes.
“Thank you, Keely.”
“You’re welcome. Good night.”
“Yes. Good night,” he whispers.
***
Kimberly fumbles the plaid suitcase from her closet and heaves it on the bed. Begins to fill it with the necessities. A few family photos, a couple changes of clothing, toiletries.
Kevin joins his wife and hands her the envelope of cash. She shoves it inside the inner pocket of the suitcase.
“Did you pick up the hair dye?”
Dark Calling Page 27