FORBIDDEN

by Curd, Megan

  “She’s all yours,” I said as he dodged my punch. He sat down on the school’s rooftop. The bell had just rung for first period, but we ignored it. Saving two girls who weren’t supposed to be alive was a bit more pressing than human high school at the moment. I smiled at the idea of running away with Hannah, but it disappeared as soon as it came. There wasn’t a place on earth safe for her right now.

  Ethan cocked his head and threw a rock in my direction. “What are you grinning about over there, dorkasaurus?”

  “Nothing feasible.”

  “Good. Just get used to that,” he sighed. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. That was one of the few times I’d seen him genuinely think about anything. “You know, as stupid as I think you are, it seems like it works. You two, I mean. Plus, it seems like it’s been good for you. Well, obviously it’s been good for you. You’re transitioning,” he looked up at me and smiled. It looked sincere. “I’m happy for you. That’s why I’m willing to help you. If you think Hannah and Angie are key to something, let’s keep them looked after. It doesn’t seem like they’re telling us much in the land down under, anyway. I say screw ‘em and go rogue for the Guardians.”

  That was the first thing that Ethan had ever said that made any sense to me. Maybe there was hope for him still.

  Ethan walked to the edge of the rooftop and peered over. “Dude! Principal Williams is down there. Dare me to hock a loogie and try to hit him in his bald spot?”

  I sighed, and a second later I tackled Ethan over the ledge before he could spit on Principal Williams. We went untraceable to humans and fought our way back up into the warm air as we rolled and punched one another. Hannah would have rolled her eyes. Angie would have just yelled at us to cut it out.

  For us, it was the perfect time to ignore the immense duty we’d taken on for just a brief second.

  Ethan whooped as he caught my right leg and pulled me out of the dive I’d gone into. He flung me with force higher into the sky and darted upwards to meet me. I dodged just in time and put him in a headlock. We hurtled to the ground and pulled out of our descent just in time, rolling along the leaf-ridden ground. Ethan laughed as he settled against a nearby tree. “It’s been a while since I’ve had fun.”

  I winked at him. “You should try it once in a while. Maybe Angie wouldn’t think you were such a miserable excuse for a person if you were nicer.”

  He looked at me, shocked. His tone was hollow and surprisingly remorseful. “I’m not a person, Levi. I’m dead.”

  “Yeah, but you’re still a person. You’re talking, moving, interacting. That’s what a person does, right?”

  Ethan shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s not the same. I’m dead. You’re dead. We’re different than them. You would probably be better off to remember that, too.” He stood up and brushed himself off. “Back to work?”

  I nodded, more aware of the stark differences between Hannah and I than ever before. “Back to work. How do you wanna do this?”

  “I’m not sure. Why don’t I call Owen to Hannah’s place tonight and –”

  “Absolutely not! I’m not having him anywhere near Hannah.”

  “He’s not gonna hurt her, dude. Why would he do that?”

  I threw my arms up in frustration. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you just got done telling me earlier that everyone’s painted a target on her? I’m not letting a Guard, Fallen, or any other unmentionable thing near her if I can help it.”

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “Whatever. What I was going to say was I could convince Owen we needed to do an intervention to make you see the light. Explain she touched you, then say you’re not thinking straight. It’d get you off the hook, he’d come, and we could find out where his dad is. Now was that really that bad of an idea?”

  It wasn’t, but I still didn’t like it. Nothing we had planned thus far was a great idea, though. It all seemed to be coming from the seat of Ethan’s pants, and that was somewhere I’d rather not venture for a whole host of reasons.

  I shuddered at the mental image that I created, but held my hands up in defeat. “Fine. We’ll do it your way, but you better have my back if things get ugly.”

  “No problem, dude. I told you, screw the Guards. It’s not like they’ve done anything for me anyway. Does tonight at nine work?”

  They may not have done anything for him or me, but the vast amount of damage they could do to us wasn’t something I wanted to think about.

  TWENTY-TWO

  I slinked to the far side of the class and took my usual seat beside Hannah in Biology. She jumped in shock when I became visible again and punched me. “Where have you been?” She hissed under her breath.

  “Busy doing Guard-ish things. You know, saving you from certain doom and things of that nature. No big deal. Just enjoy continuing to breathe.”

  She grinned and poked me in the ribs before going back to her notes. I smiled at her flirtatious nature. She wasn’t as strong as she was portraying herself to be, but I wouldn’t let her know that she’d been talking in her sleep. The things she said made my heart hurt – that is, if I had one. Did I have one? It was hard to tell sometimes, especially after what Ethan said earlier.

  “Why the frown?” Hannah whispered.

  “Huh?” I hadn’t even realized my emotions were being displayed for the world. I needed to get used to this again. There was so much to adjust to as I transitioned.

  “You’re frowning.”

  Mr. Allen cut across our hushed conversation. “Anything you want to share with the class, Levi? I notice you’re late. Do you have a note?”

  I pulled out the note Ethan had scrawled before I came in, Mr. Williams’ signature perfectly forged. That guy came in handy. Mr. Allen pursed his lips and went back to his lecture.

  With the class underway again, Hannah persisted. “Why the frown?”

  “No reason, just focusing on stuff.”

  “Guard-ish stuff?” she smiled as she mimicked my tone.

  “Yep. Now study. The world needs cures for the hiccups and stuff like that.”

  She rolled her eyes and returned to taking notes. This wasn’t the end of the conversation, I was sure, but at least I’d staved her off for a little while.

  Twenty minutes later the bell rang and before I could get out of the room, Hannah grabbed my wrist. I was going to have to figure out how to be unnoticeable to her again. Could those things be undone? Probably not with the bond we shared. I sighed when she looked at me with an intensity that made me laugh. She was so fierce for a sixteen-year-old girl. And stubborn, had I mentioned that? I laughed in spite of myself. That didn’t help my cause. “Will you take me home, please?”

  “Hannah, you have two more classes.”

  “Mortal peril has a way of putting things into perspective, and you need to tell me what you’re doing to keep me safe.”

  I rolled my eyes and smiled at her. “One skip. This isn’t becoming a habit. Everyone dies at some point, yet everyone still attends high school. You’re not the exception.”

  She grinned. “One time. Scout’s honor.”

  In a flash she’d scooped all her books off the lab table and dumped them in her book bag. She looked up expectantly. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Without even thinking, I reached for her hand and intertwined my fingers with hers. It felt so good to have her in my grasp. She didn’t seem to mind, so that was nice. It was so hard to figure out a girl. How did Ethan deal with all the girls he put moves on? My head might explode if I tried to figure out more than one girl. This one was going to be the death of me as it was.

  We made it to the doorway and took the stairs two at a time down to the parking lot. Her eyes were wide and excitement was written all over her face when she faced me again. “We’re flying, right?”

  “Not today.”

  Immediately her face fell. “Why not?”

  “Safety issues. Do you rem
ember the last couple times we’ve flown? I’d prefer to keep a low profile when we’re together. You’re a danger magnet.”

  She nodded, her expression somber. With her left foot she subconsciously rubbed where the dark scar was forming on her right ankle. “Fair enough. Are we taking that car, then?”

  “I thought you wanted me to go straight? You know, be Guardian material and what not?”

  “Then how are we getting home?”

  “What’s so wrong with walking? People have been doing it for millions of years. Seems pretty safe and straight forward.”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Fine, we’ll walk all thousand miles home. That’ll take us all day!”

  Just then Reina pulled up in her red Corvette. Her eyes were wild, and I could probably take one guess why. “Levi, where have you been? I’m supposed to be in charge of you and I haven’t been able to find you for the past thirty-six hours! Do you know how bad that looks?”

  I held onto Hannah’s hand tight, even when I felt her want to pull away. “Not as bad as it looks when you’re trying to make Hannah jealous by flirting with me and I don’t want that.”

  Reina’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. It was evident she wasn’t used to being called out. “I – well – it was just me trying to help!”

  I lifted the hand that was intertwined with Hannah’s. “No, Reina, I’m good with Hannah, and I managed it all by myself.”

  Reina was beginning to turn an ugly shade of puce. For a second I thought she was going to come after me, but then she swallowed and plastered on a smile. “Well, I’m happy for you two. Just don’t forget that without a Guardian’s help, she’s running on borrowed time. She’s only human, Levi. You need me to help, and I can’t do that unless I know where you are. We’re on the same team.”

  There was nothing to say to that. Not because there weren’t a million things I wanted to say, but because Hannah needed to be away from Reina’s harsh truths. Without another glance at Reina, I scooped Hannah into my arms and burst into the air, ripping my hoodie and book bag to shreds.

  Ethan appeared by my side within seconds. He looked livid. “Reina shouldn’t have said anything. Can I spit on her head?”

  Hannah answered before I could stop her. “Go for it.”

  He dove and I didn’t have to look down to know the screeches were coming from Reina as Ethan literally rained down the loogie-fest he’d been dying to use earlier today. I was glad he’d saved it up for now.

  I laughed as I held Hannah in my arms. “I thought you were a pure soul?”

  “I’m still learning the ropes of this pure soul thing. Give me time.”

  “Ethan comes in handy sometimes, doesn’t he?”

  Hannah chuckled. “Yeah he does, but don’t tell him I told you that.”

  “Mum’s the word.”

  * * *

  “Don’t let Reina’s comments get to you, babe,” I said for what was probably the thousandth time as we walked up the front porch steps to her home. “She’s trying to help, but I’m convinced she doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human. She’s one hundred percent crazy.”

  “And one hundred percent gorgeous,” Hannah muttered under her breath.

  There was no reason to argue with Hannah. She was irrational about the outside looks of Reina. Why couldn’t she see that she was just as beautiful, plus she was awesome on the inside, too? I’d take that any day over a runway model with an attitude like Reina’s. Instead of making a comment, I slipped my hand back into hers as we entered her room and pulled her close to me.

  “She really does have you under her spell, doesn’t she?”

  Hannah and I both jumped at the deep, amused tone of Owen. I turned around and kept Hannah behind me, closest to the door. Owen noticed and laughed at the move. “Don’t worry, Levi, I know you’ve been…chosen,” he chose his words carefully and sneered, “to transition. I just wanted to see if it were really possible for a human to get a higher being wrapped around their finger like everyone has been saying.”

  Owen took a step forward and smiled at Hannah, his head cocked to the side like a cat playing with its prey. “You really aren’t that spectacular for a human, you know that, right?”

  “You have no business here, Owen,” I said shortly, cutting him off before he could say any more to Hannah. I opened the door and motioned for her to go downstairs. “But before you go back to where you belong, I do have a question for you.”

  He seemed to mull over the idea of humoring me by picking only God knows what out of his fingernails. After a few seconds of silence, he looked back up. “Why should I answer anything you have to say? You’re a traitor. Not only are you transitioning, you’re fraternizing with a human. How long do you think that’ll last? I tried to warn you before you got in too deep. No, whatever it is you need to know, I think you’re better off on your own.”

  I took two steps forward and put my hand threateningly on his shoulder. That’s when I noticed he wasn’t able to look me in the eye. “You’re going to answer because you have no choice. I can take you now, and we both know your ego is too sensitive to be bruised that badly. Now answer my question.”

  Owen growled but nodded his head. “This is the one time I’m giving you anything, Levi. I tried to be a friend to you and stop you from getting in this. What do you want?”

  “Where can I find your father?”

  The reaction was instantaneous. Before I could react Owen grabbed my throat and pinned me to the ground. “How do you know about my father?”

  I hooked his leg with my foot and took him down. Within seconds the tide had turned, with Owen now sprawled on the ground. I put my knee on his chest and applied enough pressure to give him the impression I was going for. My hand rested against his throat. “I have my connections, too. Answer the question.”

  He coughed out a response as he struggled against my grip, all the while unable to look at me directly. “I don’t know.”

  His head made an audible thud against the hardwood floor. Good thing no one was home downstairs. He laughed. “You’re stronger, but you’re just as dumb as you’ve always been. I’ll tell you where my father is, but there will be consequences.”

  “I can sort those out. Haven’t you noticed all the Fallen I’ve taken care of that you’ve sent?”

  “He’s in Sandusky. Lives in a house on the lake. Name’s Clay. Ask for him; humans know him. He’s as traitorous as you are.”

  I let go of his throat, eased off his chest, and he stood up to brush himself off. He started toward the window, but then turned and looked at Hannah. “How much do you like living, human?”

  There was no way I was going to let him talk to her in thinly veiled threats. I motioned toward the door without looking at her. I was going to send Owen back to where he came from, but not with Hannah standing there. “Hannah, can you wait downstairs for a minute?”

  It seemed like she wanted to stay, but thought better of it at the last minute. She took two steps backward and toward the door before Owen called out. “I wouldn’t go down there right now if I were you.”

  She found her voice too soon for my liking, but she was surprisingly strong. “And why not?”

  Owen played his part well. His eyes wandered from Hannah’s to look me squarely in the eyes. He was proving a point. “Because your friend Angie is in the driveway being greeted by some of my friends. I’m sure Levi wouldn’t want you caught in the crossfire, now would he?”

  Just then a scream erupted from the driveway.

  Hannah tore down the hallway before I could yell for her to stop. Owen just stood there and shook his head at me. His expression was a mixture of sadness and amusement. “See what happens when you get attached? Bad things happen, Levi.”

  The desire to punch him was overpowering. Before I took the time to think it through, I tackled him through the window. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it straight through the window. The glass shattered and surrounding wall splintered t
o pieces. There wasn’t time to look at how much damage I’d done. I pinned Owen’s arms behind his back before he could unfurl his wings.

  The ground shook as we crashed at the foot of the tree. Screams erupted in the front yard, but there was no way I was letting Owen get away. He would only come back with more Fallen the next time around. I unfurled my wings and picked him up by his throat. Hovering inches off the ground, I slammed him against the tree trunk. Leaves that had struggled to stay attached now fell to the ground around us. “Call them off, Owen.”

  He coughed out a laugh as I slammed him against the tree once more. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. They’ve been given a job. They won’t stop until it’s finished.”

  I must have loosened my grip, because Owen broke free. My wrist cracked. It had to be broken. He grabbed my right wing. “I really didn’t want it to come down to this, Levi. We tried to be diplomatic and warn you ahead of time. You shouldn’t have kept the human past her time. There are reasons we can’t let her live, and now you’ve caused more than enough trouble for me. Your wings are going to be mine.”

  There wasn’t any time to fight back. I struggled against him, but he’d been fighting for much longer than I. He pinned my wings painfully across my back and pushed me forward into the front yard. He must have wanted me to see the carnage.

  Three Fallen destroyed Hannah’s parents’ cars. They were reduced to a smoking pile of rubble. The neighbors were screaming for someone to call 911. Could they even see the Fallen? Probably not. What did this look like to them? It must have been terrifying.

  Where were Hannah and Angie? I scanned the yard for them, but panicked when they were nowhere to be seen. Where were they? Owen seemed to pick up on the issue at the same time, because I heard him mumble curses under his breath.

  With no warning, the air was knocked out of my lungs like we had collided with a freight train. I was eating grass. Owen was a writhing mass on top of me. One of the Fallen must have attacked.

  “Yeah, bet you didn’t think about little old me!” screamed Ethan from somewhere. Ethan? He was here? Of course he was – Angie was in danger. Wait, if he was here, then where were the girls?