“You alright, buddy?” I asked, but I knew he would lie. I felt it before he opened his mouth.
“Yes,” he whispered and sniffled, then wiped his eyes frantically.
“Go find your grandpa, okay?” I turned his body by his shoulders and nudged him from under the bleachers. Hopefully, he would make it there without anyone else getting in his way.
I stood slowly and turned around to face Ben. He was glaring at me and it made a smile stretch across my face. This guy didn’t know when to stop, he didn’t know when he was beaten. And coming against me, he’d lost before we could begin. He’d pissed me off with what he said about Lucifer, worse with what he said about Misty, but to come after the kid? No, no way was I letting it go. I glanced at his friends behind him, knowing they would have his back, even if they didn’t want to. It was the way weak minds worked, always looking to their leader for direction. It didn’t matter if they followed him over a cliff, they needed someone to lead them through life. It was pathetic.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said and squared my shoulders. “Beating on a kid is pretty low, even for you.”
“And you should have stayed out of it,” he said and cracked his neck like he was preparing for a fight. “You don't know how to do that, though, do you? Always have to be right there waiting in the background. You’ll never be anything more than their pet, a project they took in as an experiment.”
He let his fire out, filling his palms with his angry red flames. It was something he was proud of, something he used against those who didn’t have an aggressive power. He thought it made him a bad-ass, but he was wrong. So very wrong.
I flicked my eyes from his to his hands and blew out a soft breath, just to be dramatic. The fire died instantly and his eyes widened. Confusion covered his face, not understanding how I was able to do something I shouldn’t have. Nobody should be able to put his fire out, at least not from his body. If it had been on the ground it would be different, but to take it from his hand was something else entirely. I waited a minute, watching him until he tried to use it again, and enjoying every second after he realized he couldn’t.
I was a thief, and it was something not many people knew. Ben didn’t know, not until the moment I used his own power against him. Lighting the flames in my hands, I stepped closer and spread my arms out dropping the flames to the ground. My smile stretched wider as their yells filled the space around us, and the fire closed us in. I snapped my fingers, again for dramatics, and let the fire die.
“Nobody cares about your little fireballs, Ben.”
His friends were smart enough to take off running, but Ben lunged at me, full of hatred and adrenaline. I relished in the feel of his nose re-shattering under my knuckles. He hopped back up and I waited, letting him come to me, it was more entertaining that way. He rushed again, and I stepped to the side, letting him fall past. I turned and kicked his knee in from behind, then walked around him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, the way he had done to Ezra. I lifted him off the ground- he was dead weight but I didn’t feel it- and leaned in until our noses touched.
“If I hear another word about Misty, or find out you’ve been messing with Ezra again, I will destroy your life. I won’t kill you, Ben, but I will make you wish I did. And trust me when I say this, I won’t feel bad about it. You were right about me being the son of Lucifer, but you were wrong by thinking I’m weak. You were very, very wrong.”
I dropped him in a limp pile and walked away. Coming out from under the seats, I came face to face with Charles. He didn't say anything out loud, but the nod of his head was enough. He turned and walked toward the building, knowing I would follow. I hung my head and trailed behind him to his office.
Charles had a way about him, a silence, unlike anyone I’d met, a presence you couldn’t ignore. Of all the people in my life, he was one of the few I actually feared. There was something about him that got under my skin and made it crawl. We sat in his office for a few torturous minutes before he decided to speak.
“Do you know my history?” he asked and I shook my head. I’d heard bits and pieces over the years, but not much. And like I’d said, he made me uncomfortable so I tried to avoid him more often than not. “I wasn’t a Watcher like most people believe. No, I was here long before they were. When I fell, it was because my best friend took his power and abused it. He knew he was stronger than the rest and he convinced them he knew a better way for us to live.” I raised my head and met his eyes. Was he talking about Lucifer?
“He was incredibly skilled at everything you could think of, he could master anything laid in front of him within minutes. He was the best of us, the chosen one, and in the end he let that power get to his head. He became manipulative, using his abilities to shift and change those around him. He had so much, but he craved more- demanded more.” Charles broke eye contact and looked out the window. His hands ran through his hair before he linked his fingers together and leaned back with a sigh, and met my eyes again.
“I see a lot of him in you, Max. I know you didn't get the chance to know him, but when I watch you- and I have many times over the years- I see your father. The way you move, the way you process information silently, and the power you’re hiding from everyone.” He raised an eyebrow and I dropped my gaze.
“What you did to that boy was wrong- not because he didn’t deserve it- but because you used your power to lord over him. You could have broken up what he was doing to Ezra and then walked away, but you wanted to humiliate him instead. It is not the way a leader behaves, and one day you will be a leader. It doesn’t matter if you want to be or not, people will naturally gravitate toward you, the same way they did Lucifer.”
I nodded, knowing he was right even if I hated the words he was saying.
“You going to kick me out?” This was my second fight in a couple weeks, and I knew the rules as well as anyone else.
“No.” He stood and walked to his calendar, looking at the date, then walked back and typed a text to someone. “Go to class and after school you need to head to the gym. Sebastian will be waiting for you.”
I groaned and dropped my head. He was another one I’d been trying to avoid. I swear he watched me like a hawk, expecting to catch me trying to touch Misty in the middle of the hallway like some sort of predator. He was harder on me than any other kid in school, in the classrooms and in the gym. Far harsher with me than any of the others teachers were. I’d heard my parents and Andi getting on to him about it once and all he said was, “he needs it. You all coddle him too much.”
Chapter twelve
Misty
My last class was speech, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I did not want to have to stand in front and give a presentation, I was having a terrible day. The flashback I had in the library stuck with me, the pain eating at my chest like a parasite. I made it to the room and took my seat, glancing at Max next to me. He was staring at the board, his knuckles white from his grip on the desk, and vein in his neck popping out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked and leaned across the aisle.
“Nothing,” he said and flicked his eyes to me quickly then away. I narrowed mine.
“Don’t you lie to me, Maximus Carter,” I hissed. I wasn’t putting up with his crap after the day I had. He turned to me and smirked.
“I got in another fight with Ben, but don’t worry about it. Every thing’s okay.”
“What? Are you getting kicked out?” I didn’t think they would expel him, but it would be hard not to. They were strict about the no fighting rule, and two strikes meant you were out- no exceptions.
“Nope, I get to spend time with Sebastian after school,” he said and turned back to the board. I knew how uncomfortable Sebastian had been making him recently, but it wouldn’t be as bad as he was thinking. I had to be there, too. It was something they’d made me do at least once a week for years. A little extra training with the family, sometimes I hated it, but usually, I had a good time.
Sara
rushed in looking frazzled and walked straight to her desk, sorting through papers. When she looked up, her eyes zeroed in on Max and he lowered himself into the chair. She whistled to get everyone's attention and took her seat.
“Any volunteers?” she asked and looked around the room. “No? Alright then. Misty, you’re up.”
My shoulders slumped and I sighed, but pulled the paper from my folder and made my way to the front. Sara gave an encouraging nod, and I replied with a stink eye. She knew how much I hated speaking out in class, but given the class was public speaking, it wasn’t something I could avoid. Stepping behind the podium, and clearing my throat, I began to read my speech.
“Throughout history, prejudiced idealism has occurred. We’ve learned about racism and easily understand why it’s wrong, why a person should never be condemned for the color of their skin. We learned about how people didn’t accept different religions, and as we know now- it doesn’t matter which religion you follow, but whether you believe or not. We’ve heard about how people were persecuted for their sexual orientation, their social status, and even at one point- if they were a man or woman. We have learned from their history with almost all things, but in our generation, we have a different problem. We are living with prejudice again, whether you were born human or nephilim, and sometimes- although rare these days- if you were changed to be a Guardian. We walk through life with a chip on our shoulder, afraid of who is judging us. Humans are afraid of nephilim for things they have no control over, and nephilim hate humans for the way they’ve treated us in the past.
I loathe all of it. I don’t like being afraid to go out, and I don’t like seeing the fear on someone’s face when they find out I have fallen angel DNA running through my blood. None of us can choose who our parents are, or how we were created. Why should we live this way? Segregated to the point everyone fears anyone different than them? Have we truly not learned from the past? Have we not seen the way the hatred ate away at them and split their countries down the middle? Did we not learn from the darkness that was allowed to come in and take over, destroying the majority of the world while it was here?"
I took a deep breath and looked around the room. I didn't need my paper for this part, I hadn't really been reading what I'd written anyway.
"I don’t know how to make humans accept me, I don’t know how to show them I’m not someone they need to be afraid of. But I do know that I can live my life with an open mind. I can walk next to a human and not judge him, or think he’s weaker because of his lack of power. I can love those around me, and teach those I can to love others. The world may never feel complete peace, but I hope we find a way to live together. I truly hope we can find a way to coexist without the constant fear of those different from us.”
I walked back to my seat and wondered what I had said. It wasn’t exactly the speech I’d prepared, but it was what was on my chest and felt like a good time to let it out. I zoned out the rest of class, and when the bell rang, Max tapped my shoulder to snap me back to reality.
I followed him to the gym without speaking, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Stepping into the open room, I smiled at Sariel and Sebastian wrestling. Max and I went in different directions to change and came back at the same time, then took a seat to watch the rest of their match.
They were both panting when they broke apart and I started clapping. They laughed and told us to get out there. Sebastian handed me my sword and Sariel gave one to Max. Mine was shorter, a gift from Andi during the war. The metal had been forged by the angels, and on one side there was an inscription, “heart of light.”
We fenced for a while before they told us to break, then we split up and worked one on one. Standing across the mat from Sebastian, he told me to bring my power forward.
“I don’t know if I should,” I said and stared at him. Hoping he’d understand without me having to say it.
“The best time for you to learn control is when you feel unstable.” He took my hands in his and cupped them. “Bring it forward, Misty.”
I closed my eyes and let the power flow through me, the sparks tickling my skin before bursting from my palms. The ball of electricity sitting in the middle, waiting for me to give it direction. I looked back to him, wondering what he wanted me to do with it. We didn’t normally do this inside.
“Take it back,” he said.
“What?” How did he expect me to do that?
“I want you to pull it back in.”
I’d never tried to do that before, and I wasn’t sure if I could. I took a deep breath and focused on the energy, willing it to sink back into my body. My face was dripping with sweat, and my arms were trembling. The ball was stubbornly sitting there without dimming at all, if anything, it’d gotten bigger.
“I can’t do it.”
“You can do it, but you’re too afraid to,” he said. “One of these days you’re going to have to accept that power you have and learn to use it. Learn to control it without letting it control you.”
He smiled but I could see the disappointment, then he called for Max over his shoulder. They came over and he asked Max if he was able to take it from me. It wasn’t difficult for him to do it, we’d been passing my electricity back and forth for years. Max easily pulled it to himself and put it out, but it wasn’t a surprise, it was one of his abilities.
He called himself a thief, but he was so much more than that. He was able to take and use other people’s power, he could also counteract them. If someone set something on fire, he could put it out with water or air. If they could levitate, he could bring them down. If they could move things with their mind, he could freeze them. When someone was able to stop time around them, he was able to restart it. When a kid went invisible a couple years ago, he was able to force him visible. He could also take my energy and use it or kill it.
Max was everyone's booster, and also their kryptonite.
“So let's talk about what you did today,” Sebastian said to Max when we were walking to the bleachers. Max shook his head, but Sariel told him to tell them what happened.
When Max told me he’d gotten in a fight, I assumed it was over something stupid. I should have known better, and if I hadn’t been preoccupied I would have. Max never lost his temper so to think he’d fight over something small was silly. When he said Ben had been picking on my little brother, my sparks flew around the room. Neither Sebastian or Sariel paid attention to them, probably trying to control their own anger. Max waved his hand to put them out and kept talking. I wanted to go find Ben and at the very least punch him myself. I hated the thought of Max fighting, but not nearly as much as I hated knowing Ezra had been bullied by someone my age, someone much bigger than him. I hated thinking about how he was probably scared and hurt, and until Max showed up, he’d been alone.
Ben better not ever come near me again. Because I don’t think I’d be able to stop myself from losing control on his face if he did, consequences be damned. Later that night Andi told me Ben had been expelled and wouldn’t be allowed to return under any circumstance, despite the threats from his parents. I think it was just as hard for her to keep from going to beat him up as it was for me. I was protective of Ezra, but Andi was the perfect example of a mama bear- one nobody should ever want to come up against. Sebastian said Ben’s parents tried to argue and then started to pick a fight until Andi walked into the room. He smiled when he replayed the scene, saying Andi stood toe to toe with Ben’s mom and told her she was more than welcome to prove her strength, but her words were pointless. The woman nearly peed her pants- Sebastian said. I believed it, I’d pee my pants too if Andi was in my face ready to fight.
Chapter thirteen
Misty
Everyone left early in the morning, saying they wouldn’t be gone longer than a couple days. I asked if it was okay for my friends to stay the night, and Andi agreed quickly. Sebastian wasn’t nearly as happy about it, but finally said it was fine as long as I kept the boys out of my room. He knew Max wouldn’t touch me, n
o matter what the situation was, Max was just my friend.
I pulled the photo of the girl from my bag, wondering again if she was the one they were looking for. I’d meant to put the picture back, but I’d forgotten. I stared at it, and I couldn’t help myself from thinking maybe I’d been remembering things wrong. Was it possible for Raven to be alive and if so, was this her? Would she look this angry? If she was alive, what happened to her? Where had she been?
I shook the thoughts from my mind, knowing it wasn’t possible and not wanting to set myself up for pain when I found out she wasn’t Raven.
Ezra threw my door open and flung himself on the bed, flopping in the middle and giggling.
“Woo! Let's have a party!” He leaped to his feet and jumped, jostling my body from side to side. I grabbed him and pulled him down, covering his face with my pillow.
“Calm your jets, crazy kid.” I tickled his sides until he threatened to pee. I laughed, letting him know he’d be doing laundry if he did.
We had breakfast- cereal and pop tarts- the only thing I was good at making. Watched some cartoons, and he took a nap on the couch while I did homework. The doorbell rang around five. Harvey brought pizza, and Liam held bottles of soda. Max came in a little after them, carrying bags of silly string and face paint, saying we were going to war. It was sweet how Max wanted to do something for Ezra, knowing he would love it. I hadn’t said anything to my little brother about what happened with Ben, but I wanted to. I wanted to tell him not to worry about it happening again. I wanted to promise to always take care of him, but I didn’t want to lie. As much as I’d like to make those promises, I knew it wasn’t something I could keep. There would be hundreds of other times in his life someone felt the urge to be cruel, and chances were I wouldn’t be there for them.
After we stuffed ourselves to the point we were all suffering, Ezra asked if we could play. Max handed us each a bag of ammunition, aka- silly string, and Harvey covered our faces with war paint. We split into groups and headed out opposite doors. Harvey and I snuck around the house and crawled to the roof, then we waited.
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