by Curd, Megan
I tried to calm him down. “Ethan, this isn’t something that I chose to happen –”
“No, you did choose to do it. I told you to stay away from the human, but oh no, you just couldn’t do it. Then you go and fall for her and what’s that get you? Not eternal damnation like any other Guard before you, you get to transition up.”
“Don’t be so jealous of him, Ethan,” Reina said gently as she rubbed Hannah’s back. “He has a much harder decision in front of him than I would ever want to face.”
Ethan and I answered at the same time as Hannah began another coughing fit. “What’s that?”
Reina took the now red and green towel from Hannah and lifted it to our eye level. “As a Guardian, you’re granted one pass. With this, you can help one human. This is for eternity.”
“Easy. I choose Hannah.”
“You say that now. Hannah is all you know. Saving her from transitioning into a Hunter will only give her human status once more. You’ll still have to give her up since you said her time has come.”
I scooped Hannah up and wrapped my wings defensively around her. “I will protect her. It’s not her time to go. I want to save her.”
Reina smiled sadly. “Then I can do that. There will be repercussions for interacting with her, you know that, right?”
“Yes. But save her. I’ll deal with the problems later.”
She nodded, then held her hands out to me. “Please give Hannah to me.”
For some reason, it scared me to hand Hannah over to the pure white woman. Sincerity was something I’d never known before. What if Reina just killed Hannah on the spot? That’s what would be normal for someone like me. How did I know she wouldn’t just let Hannah transition? The life of a Hunter was worse than a Fallen.
Reina’s hands remained outstretched. “Levi, I know trust isn’t something you understand. You will begin to learn it as a Guardian. This is the first chance you have at trusting someone. I give you my word that I will stop the transitioning process and Hannah will remain human. How things end after that is out of my control.”
It seemed like a fair enough vow. I looked down at Hannah. Her pale face was tinged with green, and blood was starting to ooze from her right ear. It was now or never. I swallowed and gave Hannah a kiss on the forehead. “Hannah, Reina is going to make it all okay.”
In response, Hannah let out a cry of pain and curled up in a ball. “It hurts! My stomach! It’s on fire!”
Reina didn’t wait for me to hand Hannah over. She snatched her out of my arms, pulling apart my wings like she had the Jaws of Life. “Levi, I have to do this now! Her body is changing!”
I nodded numbly as Reina ran from the room with Hannah. Ethan and Angie looked like deer caught in headlights. Angie turned her eyes on me. “Do you care about her?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then why aren’t you with her?”
That’s all the encouragement I needed. I sprinted out of the room, following the scent and trail of Hannah’s tainted blood.
It wasn’t hard to find them. I ran up the marble stairs (in a double wide? No way this could be real.) and found them in the second bedroom. The walls weren’t glass, but they were white and almost surgical looking. The room was pristine except for the girl occupying the bed.
Blood was everywhere. Hannah had taken a very visible turn for the worse. She wasn’t even crying out anymore. Instead, she lay limply on top of the once snow white sheets, brown blood pooling around her.
Reina was standing over her, eyes closed, tears streaming down her face.
“Reina, you said you’d help her!”
She didn’t respond, she just lifted her hand to silence me and then continued to look like she was asleep standing up.
It was impossible not to go to Hannah. It was instinctual at this point to protect her. I went over and placed my hand on her chest to look for a pulse. There was nothing.
Warmth wound its way down my cheeks. I wiped it away, only to realize it was tears. Tears? I didn’t know how to shed tears. For over a hundred years there had been no emotions at all. The pain of Hannah’s loss enveloped me.
I cried for the first time since dying.
I tried to cover it up. We weren’t supposed to even be able to cry, especially not over a human. Plus, I was a guy. Guys, no matter what variety, shouldn’t cry. A single tear made it down my face and fell on Hannah’s chest.
Hannah’s eyes opened wide as she sucked in a shocked breath. The blood that pooled around her disappeared as though the sheets had been bleached. She grabbed her throat, touched her face, then looked at Reina. “Am I dead?”
Reina sighed and laughed. “No, Hannah, you’re not dead.”
“You called me Hannah. You hadn’t called me by my name.”
Reina shrugged as she looked at me and winked. “I have a feeling you’ll be around for a while.”
Hannah smiled. “I sure hope so.”
“Hannah, do you mind if I borrow Levi for a moment?”
I squeezed Hannah’s hand in assurance. She smiled at me as she answered. “Sure, no problem,” she kissed my fingers and smiled once more. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
Reina put her hand between my wings and guided me out the door, but not before I took one last look at Hannah. I had never come so close to losing someone I loved more than her, not even my mother.
I would make sure to take care of Hannah better than I did my mother.
“Levi, Hannah is safe…for now,” Reina said, cutting into my thoughts.
“What do you mean, ‘for now’?”
“The Fallen cut her ankle. The wound healed before you noticed it, but those kinds of wounds don’t go without lasting scars. I managed to reverse the transition, but that doesn’t mean Hannah will never exhibit Hunter tendencies.”
My veins went cold. “Hunter tendencies? Do you mean –”
“Not in the extreme manner, no. That would take a complete change. She may show increased speed, heightened smell and hearing, those types of things. She will still be human, but the effects of the Fallen wound will stay with her forever.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to think about Hannah becoming a Hunter. That was a sentence worse than death. “Hannah will want to know.”
“You know you can’t tell her.”
“Why not?”
“Because then she’ll know even more than she needs to, plus there’s nothing that can be solved by telling her. What would it achieve? Her having nightmares? Tell her we reversed the transition. We did. That’s all she needs to know. If she starts to have the abilities I mentioned, explain that it was the mark left on her from the Fallen’s attack. It was. Give no more information than needed. There’s no need to scare her with things that won’t happen.”
It made sense. “What about Ethan and Angie?”
Reina dipped her head. “I’m afraid they need to leave. You’re transitioning up. Hannah is a human that has been marked. They are no longer affected by either of you. I will make sure that the council hears that Angie’s time as a human was extended. Ethan will guard her from a distance, and continue on his path.”
“You can’t allow him to transition up?”
“That’s not something I have the liberty to offer. That’s something that happens only to a choice few, and no one can tell why. You were chosen for some reason. Maybe you will learn why, maybe not. Just be thankful that Hannah came into your life. I believe she was the catalyst.”
“Why a human?”
Reina smiled. “She’s no ordinary human, now is she?”
“That’s the understatement of the century.”
Reina laughed and stroked the top of my right wing. “Your wings will be marvelous when you complete the transition. The glow they have is already mesmerizing.”
There wasn’t much I could say to that, so I just nodded. Ethan and Angie were downstairs bickering from the sounds of it. “I should probably go man the fight downstairs before Angie tries to kill someone who’s already dead.�
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“That’s a good idea,” Reina chuckled. “Keep them in line when you return. Hannah should be able to move this evening. I’d recommend leaving before nightfall. You and I will be in touch.”
I nodded. As I started down the stairs, her words sunk in. “Wait, why will we be in touch?”
“You’re transitioning. Your Call is recovering from becoming something even more sinister than you can imagine. I will make sure I am appointed your higher up to come to if you ever need anything.”
Reina really was kind. Her genuine smile warmed me to the core – something that was new to me. She and Hannah had the ability to touch me like no one else. I had forgotten what it was like to feel, to live. This was an amazing transition. The thought of Reina watching over Hannah to make sure she was healing well and keeping up on my transition sounded good to me. “Thanks, Reina. I appreciate it.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. This is what I’m here for. Now get downstairs and stop those two friends of yours from tearing my kitchen apart!”
On cue, I heard a clattering noise coming from the kitchen. I sighed and darted down the stairs. Who knew what they’d be doing down there.
SIXTEEN
“You are the biggest jerk I have ever met in my entire life!” Angie wailed as I walked into the kitchen. “I don’t know how you can be so rude.”
Ethan took the jabs in his usual stride of apathy. “It’s a skill I practice daily. No need to be so impressed.”
It was unbelievable that two people could be so antagonistic toward one another, especially a Guard with his Call. If they didn’t end up killing each other, it’d be a miracle. I stepped between them and broke up the heated argument. “Guys, can you stop being at each others’ throats for five minutes?”
Angie crossed her arms angrily. “If he would stop being so mean all the time I would be fine. He’s supposed to guard me or whatever, but he’s just plain mean!”
I sighed. She had a point, but right now wasn’t the time to pick sides. “Angie, listen. We all need to chill out.”
I poked a finger in Ethan’s chest. “E, you need to get Angie back home and she needs to be in school tomorrow. Make her parents think she slept over at Hannah’s. I’ll make Hannah’s think she slept over at Angie’s. They were only gone a day. No big deal. Hannah and I will come back tonight. Reina will make sure we get there okay.”
Ethan shoved my hand away from his chest. “Oh, so now that you’ve gone and started transitioning, you think you can boss me around?”
“Dude, I’m not telling you anything that we wouldn’t have done before this mess started. I’ll be there tonight. We can figure out everything then. Just get Angie back safe, please.”
Ethan grunted, then picked Angie up and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. He didn’t wait to expand his wings, so the shirt he was wearing was shredded immediately. Angie got a mouthful of feathers, which probably muted the derogatory things she was calling Ethan right about then. I couldn’t blame her.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Miss Kind Soul. Let’s get out of here before the new Guardian gets all emotional and tries to give me a hug. Maybe I’ll get to transition now that I’ve touched a human. It can’t hurt my odds, apparently,” Ethan muttered, ignoring the punches Angie was throwing and disappearing out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
There was definitely some cleaning up to do with him when I got home. Problem was, I didn’t really care whether or not he was mad. He didn’t have the capacity to have true emotions anyway, did he? Jealousy, rage, pain, those were rampant for us. Nothing out of the usual. Now if he showed any signs of remorse, happiness, or excitement for anything good, that’d be different.
It would never happen.
I sighed and walked back up the stairs to find Reina back beside Hannah, who was now sitting up in bed. Reina was obviously doing her best to erase some of the more terrifying memories of the day, but it didn’t seem to be working.
“You cut your tongue when you fell in the kitchen, which is why you were coughing up blood,” Reina explained half-exasperated.
“No, I didn’t. I was throwing up blood everywhere, and it was kind of green. Why are you trying to tell me I wasn’t turning into some demonic thing?”
Reina looked at me confused. “Apparently she has a good memory.”
“Apparently,” I said, amused at the situation.
Hannah crossed her arms and stared at me stubbornly. “Are you here to tell me that the Fallen that sliced my leg open was actually a tragic, self-inflicted accident or something?”
“No, actually I’m not. I was just thinking we’d get you home so you could sleep in your own bed. You know, something a normal, non-demonic person would do who had to go to school tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding me, right? I nearly die, then I start turning into something out of a horror movie, but we’re still talking about going to school?”
Reina laughed at the same time I did. I shook my head and opened my arms. “We’ll talk about it on the way back. Come on, let me take you home.”
For a moment Hannah hesitated. I found myself second-guessing whether she was healed or not. I dropped my arms awkwardly. “Would you rather Reina take you home?”
“No,” they both said quickly. Hannah looked at Reina, then back to me and blushed. “I just really don’t want to get attacked again.”
“Fallen wouldn’t think of it, love,” Reina said gently, putting a hand on Hannah’s crossed arms. “Levi is transitioning into a Guardian – and what an impressive one he’ll make,” she added. “Nothing will bother you on your trip home. I’ll follow you two on your way back and make sure of it.”
I couldn’t tell whose sigh of relief was louder – mine or Hannah’s. Either way, it seemed both of us were a little nervous for the flight back. This time when I opened my arms, Hannah smiled and crossed into them. “Let’s go, Guardian.”
That sounded pretty good to me.
* * *
We got home a little over a half hour later – nine pm. We crawled through Hannah’s window while Reina was downstairs at the front door, giving Mr. and Mrs. Gordon the information we needed them to believe. After she was done, she’d make them forget they ever met her. It was pretty smooth, in my opinion. Hopefully I could be that effective if need be.
I sat on the edge of Hannah’s bed while she was in the bathroom getting ready. It was the first time I’d actually had a chance to really look around her room and take in the surroundings. The little things she liked – her tastes in music, the friends she was closest with, and how much her family meant to her – all stood out. It made me feel alive to see her living so vibrantly. The happy smiles in the pictures made me long for the happiness they felt. It was a happiness I hadn’t experienced in forever, but something told me that the squirm in my stomach wasn’t from pain, jealously, or rage. It was something different. Hannah brought out the best in me.
“What are you smiling like a big dork about?”
I jerked to the right and saw Hannah with a purple toothbrush hanging out of her mouth with a lopsided grin. She stood with her hands on her hips, and even dressed down, she was gorgeous. I laughed when the toothpaste began to drip. She quickly sucked back in the little bit that threatened to escape from her mouth. I teased her playfully. “Go spit before you get that crap all over your floor. You look like a bigger dork than me, in my opinion.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and vanished back into the bathroom for a couple minutes. This time I made sure to keep my expression neutral. Why did I hide the smile that wanted to erupt?
“Don’t act like you’re not a kid on Christmas day,” drawled Ethan as he landed on the tree branch outside of Hannah’s bedroom.
The scowl I had become accustomed to over the past century returned with a vengeance. Ethan brought out the worst in people, it seemed. How had I missed this all these years? “Ethan, go back to Angie and do your job.”
He mock-sal
uted me before giving me the bird and darting out of view. “Your wish is my command, Guardian.”
Geeze. The guy could really be a douche when he wanted to. Had I been that way?
Just then I felt the soft pressure of Hannah’s hand running along my wing. “This doesn’t hurt you, does it?”
I laughed. “No, it only hurts to bring them out or take them back in. Once they’re in place, it’s fine.”
“So why does it hurt to expand them?”
“Because we’re meant to realize that there are no gifts for being a Guard.”
Hannah’s voice came out in a whisper. “But you’re not a Guard anymore, you’re a Guardian. Do you think it’ll hurt to put them in?”
She had a point. Now that she’d made the comment, I was curious. “Huh, I hadn’t thought about it. I guess I could see. Close your eyes.”
“No. I want to watch.”
“It’s not pretty.”
“It wasn’t pretty,” Hannah amended with a gentle smile. “Now it might not be the same. I want to watch.”
I sighed. There was no point in arguing with her. She’d win. Girls always won, even if the guy really was right. It was like some code or something. It was kind of annoying, actually. I shook my head in mock defeat. “Fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Eyes closed, I waited for the pain. Instead, a warm sensation ran down my spine, just like when Hannah begged for me not to die. Hannah gasped, and I opened my eyes.
“Did it hurt?” she whispered.
“No, not at all, actually.”
“Turn around.”
Cautiously I did a one-eighty so my back was facing her. Her hand traced the spots where my wings expanded. I felt her fingers gingerly run down the ugly scars that remained there as reminders.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“Now I know you’ve lost your mind. They’re ugly scars, Hannah. No reason to sugar-coat things.”
“Maybe they were before, but not now. Go look.”
I walked into her bathroom and craned my neck to see my back in the mirror. She was right. The ugly scars were gone. In their place, slightly golden lines shimmered like odd tattoos. They weren’t ugly by any means, just…different. I liked them. A lot. I flexed to see them ripple and completely disappear into the surrounding flesh.