“I’m going to ask her to prom,” Ben said. He was such a douche bag, more so than most.
“You gonna tap that?” One of his friends hit his arm and smiled, but kept his eyes on Misty. Her shirt was still raised and her body was bent over, showing us every outline.
“Yep, she’ll be begging me for it.” Ben laughed. “She needs someone to put her in her place, and I have the equipment for the job.”
I cleared my throat and locked my arms over my chest. Standing behind them, at least four inches taller than each and boiling with rage. Their eyes widened when they looked over their shoulders.
“What do you want?” Ben asked and I raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to say something or just stand there like a creep?”
I didn’t enjoy speaking to anyone, least of all these punks, but there were times I had to.
“Watch what you say about her,” I said without looking from his eyes. He didn’t need me to say more, they all knew who I mean. Everyone knew Misty was my best friend, they knew how close we were, and they also knew I wouldn’t tolerate them talking about her.
It wasn’t new. Since Misty hit puberty, the guys noticed her. They would talk about her in the halls, whisper in class, and watch her when she walked away. I got in my first fight a few years ago when a human kid decided to spread a rumor about him taking her virginity. I kept the rumor from going any further than his lunch table and also got suspended for breaking his nose.
“You can’t stop me from taking her out, idiot. She’s not yours.” Ben was getting brave, using a tone he’d not used before. He’d gotten bigger over the years, and his power had grown with him. He was able to create fire, which was impressive for some, not for me. It wasn’t an unusual power, it was actually the most common. And I couldn’t care less about his little flames.
“I can stop you,” I said and leaned closer to his face. “Keep your eyes off her, and her name out of your mouth.” I wanted to use my power on him, but I kept myself from doing it. It wasn’t something I was comfortable with, and luckily I wasn’t linked to him at all. If I had been, I might not have been able to stop it.
“What are you going to do if I don’t? You're pathetic, and I think everyone is lying about who your father is,” he said and smirked then looked to his friends. “But don’t worry. I won’t say her name, not until she’s yelling my out and begging for more.” He laughed and I punched him.
The blood gushed from his nose and his head jerked back. I stepped closer and one of his friends shoved me from the side. I turned to throw another hit, but my arm was caught by small hands.
“Max,” Misty whispered and pulled me back a step. “It’s not worth it.”
“Yeah, Max. Let your girlfriend pull you away, it’s not like your tough enough to take us anyway.” Ben wiped the blood from his face as he stood and sneered at me. “No wonder your father didn’t want you. He was probably embarrassed to have such a weak kid.”
I took a step forward, but before I could say anything my jaw dropped. Misty flung herself at Ben, shoved him to the ground and punched his already bloody face with her tiny fist.
“You shut your mouth, Ben!” she yelled and I snapped out of it. Wrapping my arms around her waist I lifted her off her victim. “Don’t ever speak to him like that again! You have no idea what you’re talking about!” she was screaming loud enough for the entire gym to hear us. They gathered around and I pulled her away. Charles and Sariel stepped into the opening, and I lowered my eyes as I set Misty back to her feet. A slow clap had my head snapping up.
“Well, well, well,” Charles said and walked around the circle everyone had formed. “Stand up, Benjamin.” He looked from face to face before settling on Misty and grinning. “I want you to learn something from this. If you think you can say something in this school without me knowing, you’re wrong. If you think you can fight and I wouldn’t know about it, you’re wrong. There is not a single thing in this building I do not know about,” he said and gave Ben a pointed look. He waved Misty over to him and she closed the distance with her head hung low. He used his finger to lift her chin and then smiled at her. “You have spent years ignoring their words about you, and for that I am impressed. Today you lost control, not because of yourself but because of the words against someone you care for, and for that, I'm proud.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “But we don’t condone fighting, no matter the circumstances. All of you are to stay for detention after school today.” He nodded at Sariel, who grinned. “It’s time for the floors to be waxed.”
Chapter Six
Misty
After spending hours waxing the floors I was finally home, and my body didn’t want to move from the couch. Detention was awful, but it was worth it. I hated Ben, I had for years, but he was easy to ignore. I’d heard the things he’d said about me. I knew he called me names and talked about me in ways that made me sick. I knew there was a reason my family seemed to dislike him, even if they had to be professional and not be obvious about it. Sebastian’s eyes would follow Ben around anytime he was near me, and Max had always made sure to be closer when he was around.
I wasn’t afraid of Ben, not even a little bit, but he did make me uncomfortable.
When I sax Max hit him, I knew Ben had finally gone too far. Max had more control over himself than any of us, he was never emotional or unstable. Despite what people thought and said about him, he was not a loose cannon. People liked to make assumptions based on the fact he was the son of Lucifer, but they’d forget about the part where Lucifer helped us win the war. They ignored the knowledge that Lucifer had been redeemed.
Nobody wanted to look past the bad things he’d done, even if the good saved us all in the end. It’s harder for people to acknowledge the praise someone deserves, and much easier to continue to condemn them for the mistakes they’d made.
Either way, Max wasn’t his father. He’d never even met him. It was totally unfair for people to have the preconceived notions they did about him.
When Ben started spewing his nonsense, I couldn’t take it anymore. It’d been a long time since I’d lost my temper, and I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever punched someone. But it felt good, so good I was still smiling about it hours later.
I finally rolled myself off the couch and went to the kitchen to search for food. My parents had left school and said they would be back late tonight, and Ezra was staying at Uncle Eddie’s. Margarette was on vacation for a few weeks, so I was alone in the house.
Grabbing a Lunchable and soda, I made my way up the stairs to my room. I paused by the office door and peeked inside. They usually always kept the door closed and locked, which annoyed me when I was younger, but something I’d gotten used to. The light on the desk was one and sitting in the middle was a journal laying open. I set my things down and took a deep breath. Taking a slow step, knowing I was doing something I shouldn’t, I tiptoed across the floor. I thought I would just turn off the light and shut the door behind me, which I’m sure they had meant to do but forgotten. I reached over to pull the chain but caught a glimpse of the words written, my name stood out like a beacon in the night.
I was a moth and this was my flame. I knew I should look away, but I didn’t.
I bent over the desk and ran my fingers along the words, soaking them in and feeling the blood pound throughout my body.
“There is still no trace of Misty’s parents, and after seven years of searching, I think it’s time we give it up. There’s no way to question every single person who had a nephilim baby around that time, no way of knowing where to look. I wish there was a way we could somehow use her DNA and find who her parents are, but I would never allow them to test her.
That company is hiding something, and I plan to find out what it is. Bash and I plan to take a trip in a couple weeks, hopefully, we can find what we’re looking for.
The kids are doing well. Misty will be finishing soon and I pray she doesn’t leave us as soon as she does. I know it’s selfish, but I want
her to stay home for as long as possible. The world is a scary place, and if I can shield her from it for a just a little longer, I want to. But I can’t stop her from making her own choices.
Ezra will struggle when she leaves, and I hate thinking about it. My poor son has such a hard time making friends and I can see the pain it causes in him. I wish more than anything in the world I could take that pain away.
I think we’ve finally found the girl, but I’m not sure how to approach. When I saw her the first time it was a shock, and I still don’t completely understand. But there is something about her eyes that I can’t ignore. Bash thinks I need to leave it alone, but I can’t let it go. What if she needs us? What if there something more about her we don’t know yet? I feel it deep within my soul, she’s someone I need to help. I just don’t know how.”
I had no idea they were searching for my parents, they never acted like it was an issue. I wish I could say I remembered them, but I don’t. Not really, anyway. There are bits a pieces of things I can’t kind of see, but they all blur together. I was so young when I was taken, far too young to remember my life before then. But every once in awhile I’ll hear a song, or catch a whiff of a familiar scent and it makes me think of a woman. A lady with bright blue eyes and a wide smile, one who had long dark hair and a soft voice. But I might be making her up in my head because anytime I try to recall her in a memory, she’s not there.
I closed the journal and picked it up to put away, they will know I was in there but maybe they’ll have forgotten what page was open. I didn’t want them to know I’d see it, or think I was snooping through her private things. I pull the drawer open and went to set the book inside, but something slid out from the pages and fell to the floor. Setting the journal down, I bent down to grab it. When I saw what it was, I froze. Staring up at me from the photo was a girl. The picture was distorted like it had been from a security camera, but it still caught her features.
Hair as black as Andi’s had once been, and eyes as blue as mine. Her face was familiar, but I couldn’t bring myself to compare. There was a hardness about her I’d not seen in many people. Her outfit was black and tight, molding around her body like a second skin. She looked tough and scary, but under those eyes was a pain so deep it would haunt me. I could see it from the fuzzy picture and imagined it was worse in real life.
Who was she? And why did seeing her hurt so badly?
“Misty?” Andi called from downstairs and I jumped. Slamming the desk shut and turning off the light. I folded the picture and tucked it in my pocket then quickly left the room.
“Hey,” I said and skipped down the stairs, holding my soda high so it didn’t spill. They were setting their bags down by the door, and when my feet landed on the bottom step, I stopped. “You’re mad.” It wasn’t a question, I could see the frustration on her face. Her eyes were shining a little too bright, and her hands were fisted at her sides.
“A fight, huh?” she asked quietly and narrowed her eyes. “Not just a fight, but between you and Max, you broke the kid’s nose and chipped his front tooth.”
I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, ready to give them the best excuse I could come up with.
“Good job,” Sebastian said and patted my head. My eyes snapped open and jaw dropped. I looked from him to Andi, and let out a relieved breath when I saw her smiling.
“That little jerk deserved more than a broken nose,” she said and I chuckled.
“You’re not mad at me?”
“You kidding? Heck no. I would have done it long before you did.” She came over and cupped my cheek with her hand. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart. But next time try not to break anything. He might be nephilim and able to heal quickly, but his parents are not pleasant people to deal with.” So that’s where they’d been. Having a meeting with Ben’s parents, who were pretty much bigger versions of their son.
We sat and talked about the day, and how Ben had used Lucifer to hurt Max. Neither of them were happy to hear about the things people said, but it couldn’t be stopped. Andi said she’d call Reed and Sara to make sure Max was alright, but I told her it wasn’t necessary. The words people said never seemed to bother him, not as much as they bothered me. I wanted to ask them about the girl in the picture, but I didn’t.
We said our good nights and I went to my room. Max was already there, sitting at my desk with his feet up and a book in hand.
“You get in trouble?” he asked and I shook my head, then headed to the closet to change.
“You?” I asked as I pulled my PJs on. The shorts and tank top where a little more revealing than my others, but I needed to do laundry.
“Nah,” he said and stood when I stepped out. His eyes scanned my body, and heat filled my cheeks. He cleared his throat and looked away. “They didn’t say much about it, actually.”
I laid down and pulled the blankets over me, then patted the bed for him to sit. He laid beside me, linking his fingers with mine, and I exhaled loudly.
“I’m glad.” I closed my eyes and let his breathing soothe me like it always did.
“Have sweet dreams, Misty.”
“Goodnight, Max.”
Chapter seven
Misty
I slept most of the day, and when Andi came in to drag me from the bed, I threw a pillow at her. She laughed and opened my blinds, trying to kill me with sunlight.
“Get up, lazy butt.” She plopped down on my bed and yanked the covers back. “Harvey called a bit ago and asked if you wanted to go out tonight. I told her yes.”
I groaned and shook my head. Harvey loved going downtown, but I hated it. I hated being surrounded by strangers who looked at us like we had the plague. Who tensed up anytime we got too close, acting like we would blow up at any moment. It was uncomfortable to be stared at and whispered about. And I hated that I couldn’t use a cell phone myself, if I could have, I would have told Harvey no way.
“I don’t want to go.”
“Too late, she’s on her way over,” she said and brushed the hair from my face. “You need to enjoy this time in your life, Misty. Go out with your friends and have fun.”
She didn’t understand why I always chose to stay home and hang out with them. Why I’d rather play board games with Ezra on the weekends when other kids my age went to parties and hung out downtown.
“They don’t like us there,” I said and rolled over, she snorted.
“Who cares if they like you? There will be plenty of people in life who won’t like you, but that doesn’t mean you should be a hermit.” The bed moved when she stood and I heard the closet door open. I didn’t look but felt her come back. When my eyes cracked she was standing in front of me, holding up a black dress and had a smile on her face.
“I’ll do your makeup,” she said and I shook my head again. “Yes, this is happening, sweetheart. Whether you like it or not, you will be going out tonight.”
What kind of parent forces their kid to go out and wear a scandalous dress to boot? Most girls my age would probably love it, they would be grateful for their mom was so cool and lenient. But I didn’t want to be like them. I wanted to enjoy my family while I was still living there. I didn’t need to go to parties or get drunk to have fun. I had fun watching movies and reading to my little brother.
“If you don’t get up I’m going to light your bed on fire,” she threatened me and I let out a growl in response. She hadn’t done that in a long time. Not since I had refused to go to school one morning because some kid was picking on me. Unlike others who have power over fire, hers was blue and didn’t burn you unless you were full of evil. Her blue flames were said to the heavenly fire, able to burn the darkness from a person. It was something only she could do, and what had won the war against the demons.
I rolled out of bed and snatched the dress from her hands. She grinned and ushered me to the bathroom, telling me to shower quickly.
When I got back to my room she was standing next to the window and running her necklace back and forth. Her
eyebrows were furrowed and mouth set in a thin line, shoulders pulled back and focus on something I couldn’t see. She had pulled her white hair up and tied it in a knot on the top of her head. She was my parent, but she looked the same age as I did. Not to mention I was a good five inches taller than she was.
“Are you okay?” I asked and moved toward her, frowning when she looked over her shoulder and placed a mask on her face.
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” The mask was one I’d seen many times. When she was hiding her pain or fear, or when she was assessing her surroundings. There were many faces she wore, but the most genuine was the one she had for us. The smile would reach her eyes and peace would flow from them.
I knew something was bothering her, but I didn’t push. If she wanted to talk to me about it she would. I briefly wondered if she was worried about the girl she was looking for, the one I stole the picture of.
She spent far longer on my hair than I would have, and applied my makeup with precision I didn’t possess. By the time she was finished with me, Harvey was waiting on the bed. My blond curls were hanging down my back, and eyeshadow darker than normal. The black dress fit tight around my waist and the hem flowed a few inches above my knees. The thick straps wrapped around my neck and left my back exposed lower than anything I’d worn before. I would have felt awkward if it wasn’t for the dress Harvey was wearing, which was far more flashy than mine. Her dress was white and seemed to shine against her mocha skin. Her braids were down and curled at the ends, making them bounce with every move.
Andi smiled down at me after applying some lip stain and used her fingers to fluff my hair around my shoulders.
“Beautiful,” she whispered and stepped back. Sometimes she would give me the strangest looks, like a part of her, didn’t know if I was real or not. I know it was hard for her when I was younger. She spent a long time thinking she’d watched someone kill me, and then she spent the following years fighting a war and trying to protect me at the same time.
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