Falling Awake

by T. A Richards Neville

  “And I’d say that look on Nathan’s face over there- agrees with me.” She nudged me and waved at him animatedly as he stood staring at us, his mouth practically hanging open. I did not want him to think this effort was in any way for him.

  “Looks good enough to attack doesn’t she? Mellissa shouted over at Nathan.

  “Shut up will you!” I nudged her hard in the arm, and glared at her. “People will hear you.”

  Nathan scowled and turned his attention to the guy standing beside him, starting up a conversation, glancing my way every now and then.

  Mr Kelly checked everyone was present, and we left on the bus on a short drive to Notre Dame. It was seven forty five in the evening, and the sky was a deep bronze background to the cathedral. We filed off the bus and were greeted at the entrance by our tour guide, who introduced himself as monsieur Lyle.

  If I thought the outside of the imposing stonewash, gothic structure was unbelievable, it was nothing compared to the inside. It was breath taking; I actually gasped as I walked in and turned full circle in awe of the glowing detail and fantastical decoration. I pulled my IPhone out of my pocket and sent Ressler a text telling him I was here.

  “Oh My god, this place is magical,” Mellissa whispered in adoration. It must be something special if it got her attention. She never cared for history or architecture, or religion, unless it in some way connected back to a boy. A gorgeous boy at that.

  Oversized archways lined the pews, the full length of the aisle, cast in gold from the large elegant chandeliers the hung from each archway in all their gloriousness. The stained glass windows cast an almost fluorescent, blue-violet glow from up above, shining down on us, making the whole place feel like there had been lighting effects added.

  Lyle led us down the aisle, explaining something about the cathedral bells, and went on to name them one by one, but I was distracted at the sight of Ressler appearing from behind one of the arches up ahead. I glanced sideways at Mellissa, panicking in case she had seen him, but she was too busy taking in her surroundings, oohing and aa-hing.

  “Mellissa, I have to go pee real quickly. I won’t be a sec,” I said, knowing that wasn’t true.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” She asked me. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No,” I said a little too loudly and forcefully, causing her to raise hey eyebrows at me.

  “Stay. I don’t want you to miss anything. I really won’t be long. I’ll find it.”

  “Okay.” She gave me a look of un-surety, diluted with suspicion. I slipped away from the group without being noticed, and passed under one of the arches.

  “Ressler,” I whispered loudly under my breath, and I jumped as he appeared beside me, dragging me back outside with him.

  “What are you doing?” I pulled my arm free of his grasp. We stood outside overlooking the river Seine as the night began to grow to a deep shade of blue, and I looked behind me at the brilliant golden glow of the cathedral to make sure no one was watching us.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, stepping back, his eyes travelling the length of my body from the ground upwards.

  “Thank You.” I instantly felt heat flood my cheeks, and I knew they’d turned pink. “Is that why you dragged me out here?”

  He glanced behind him. “No. We have a bit of a situation.”

  “What do you mean, a situation?” I asked, with worry rocketing through me.

  “The other night, when you said someone was in your room. Well I hung around the Hotel after I left you, and then I followed you to the Champ De Mars today, and I wasn’t the only one following you put it m##

  # that way.”

  “

  Excuse me?” I choked out the words with dread looming heavy in my stomach. So there was someone in my room. The realisation was haunting, and goose bumps rippled up over my arms.

  “That’s not all…I recognised him. His names Sabre and he’s a fallen angel. And to say he isn’t a one of the nice ones would be putting it lightly. So whatever he wants, it can’t be good.”

  “Is he here tonight?”

  He hesitated and then said, “I haven’t seen him yet, but I’m guessing he’s not far away.” He looked at me; regret mixed with fear, and held his breath until I found my answer.

  “Right,” I said mechanically, my mind whirring back into focus as I digested what he was telling me. A fallen angel was here tonight to kill me, or do god knows what else to me, and I couldn’t even tell anybody.

  “Should I go back to the Hotel?” I asked him, not sure, what I should do next, but with fear propelling me to do something, anything.

  “No. You’re safer here where there are plenty of people around. You better get back inside before they send a search party after you,” he said, nodding towards the cathedral.

  “What about you?” I didn’t want to leave him.

  “I’ll be here. I’ll always be here.” I leaned up and threw my arms around him, hugging him, and he pulled me to him gently, hugging me back. He ran his fingers over my hair and inhaled the scent of it deeply.

  “I’ll see you inside.” He let me go, and reluctantly I let go of his hand and went back inside catching up to the group.

  Mellissa stood at the back with her arms crossed, glaring at me.

  “You were so not at the toilet,” she mouthed quietly, prodding a long nailed finger into my chest. I stared at her gob smacked. Did she see me outside with Ressler? We followed the group to the alter of the cathedral as the tour guide, whose name I’d now completely forgotten, went on about the different organs in his French accent, echoing around the walls of the vast cathedral.

  “What do you mean?” I said, feigning obliviousness. “I went to the toilet.”

  “Oh yeah? Then where is the toilet?” she asked me, with a smug expression on her face.

  “Its…It’s um.”

  “Exactly. You have no idea. You were obviously off calling Caleb. You are so obvious.” She rolled her eyes and I smiled with relief.

  “Right.” I worked to slow down my erratic breathing. “Sorry. I promised I would call him.”

  “Don’t apologise to me. You didn’t have to lie though. I understand you’re missing him. I totally get it. I won’t judge you.” I felt instantly guilty. I wished lying about phoning Caleb was the only thing I had to cover up from my best friend. She really had no idea at all, and it hurt me more now than it ever did before. I desperately wanted to tell her everything, and I promised myself that when we got home, or more importantly, IF I got home, I would. I didn’t care about anyone else, she was like my sister, and I wanted to tell her what was going on.

  As the tour continued around the cathedral, I couldn’t help but constantly glance around me, worrying in case I spotted someone out of the ordinary. But nothing appeared unusual, and I couldn’t see Ressler anywhere either, unless he was doing an amazing job of hiding.

  When it was time for a toilet break and the group separated, I sat on the wooden pews alone whilst Mellissa went to ‘Powder her nose,’ i.e. call Drake.

  I took in the beautiful surroundings around me and could almost feel the history of the place, as if I was soaking it up. I got up and walked over to the south facing rose window that sat high and proud, the colours of the rainbow emanating from the intricate design. I knew that the rose was made up of eighty-four panes divided up into four circles, and I only knew that thanks to google on the bus ride here. There was more to the design, but I couldn’t remember all the complicated details.

  I could see for myself that painted into the fourth circle, were pictures of angels holding candles. I zoomed in more on my iPhone camera to try to see clearer. Caleb had the potential to be any of those angels, but I very much doubted that he was. He may have pegged himself as the worst of the worst, but I didn’t agree. I also wasn’t foolish enough to think that he was angelic either.

  I tried to keep myself thoroughly distracted from any sinister thoughts of being followed or watched, by soaking up as
much of the cathedral as possible. For reasons unknown to me, I actually quite liked being in here. I could count on one hand the amount of times I’d stepped foot inside a church, and right now, I felt the safest I had in a long time, despite someone possibly coming to hurt me.

  As I continued to stare up at the Rose Window through the lens of my IPhone, a blinding pain flashed behind my eyes and I dropped to the floor holding my head in my hands. Caleb, carrying the body of a limp woman in a white nightgown scorched my mind, and as quickly as it appeared, it vanished again, the pain subsiding with it.

  “Pria, are you okay?” Nathan crouched down next to me, panicked.

  “I’m fine,” I said, latching onto his arm for support, and pulled myself up.

  “What happened?” he asked, scrutinising my face for any sign of injury.

  “I just got a little dizzy that’s all, and lost my balance. Probably from staring up at the window for so long.” He looked up at the window then back at me like he didn’t believe a word of it, but he didn’t argue with me.

  “Oh no,” I cried. “My phone.” I bent down and picked up the shattered phone. Cracks spread across the width and length of the screen like a million spiders legs, and I cursed under my breath.

  “Is it insured?” he asked me, taking the phone from my hand and giving it the once over.

  “What do you think?” I asked bitterly.

  “Hmm sorry about that,” he murmured, handing me back my phone and shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.

  I spotted Mellissa emerge from one of the archways. “I’ll see you later Nathan,” I said, leaving him standing there without even so much as a thanks for helping me, but I really didn’t care I was so pissed.

  “Look at this,” I pulled the smashed phone from my pocket and thrust it at Mellissa.

  “Oh my god, what the frick?” Her eyes were wide as she took the phone turning it around in her hands. “How…?”

  “I dropped it. I dropped the damn thing. It still works, but I can’t see a freaking thing.”

  “That is just my idea of hell. I’m so sorry. I’m sure your dad will pay to get it fixed for you though,” she said, attempting a smile of encouragement. “You can always borrow my phone.”

  “Yeah thanks,” I muttered, putting the phone back into my pocket.

  “And you dropped your phone why?”

  “No, not why. I didn’t mean to do it Mellissa. It was an accident.”

  “Okay, keep your hair on. I was just asking.” She shot me a look of death.

  Mr Kelly rounded us all up to make sure everyone was back, and told us we would be going upstairs for the final part of the tour, but I could only think about what I had seen. Who was that woman? Was it me? She looked like me. I got the awful feeling it was my dead body, and I really hoped I didn’t just see my own death. I had to tell Caleb about my dreams. I hadn’t even thought about mentioning them up until now. I didn’t think they held any significance, or I didn’t want to think they did. It was one of the two- most likely the latter.

  At last, we explored the towers upstairs and got up close and personal with the famous, humongous cathedral bell, before being able to go outside and walk around on the balcony. I stood just under the gargoyles and looked out over the city of Paris where the Eiffel Tower glittered to life with a show of a thousand diamonds in the distance. Strobe light’s bounced from the crown, cutting across the night sky. I was speechless, the scene was so perfect.

  The river spread out below me lit up by glowing spotlights, and lamps, and I sucked in a breath at the beauty of this magnificent city. I’d truly never seen anything like it. I would have taken pictures had my phone not been completely shattered.

  “I am so getting this on video,” Mellissa said next to me, reading my mind.

  “It’s pretty right?” I said, unable to do anything but smile.

  “It’s so pretty. This is the ultimate selfie.” She videoed herself and the scene before us, until it was time for us to head back to the bus. Walking to the entrance of the cathedral, I heard a little clatter next to me but I ignored it, assuming it was nothing, and headed outside with the rest of the group. Everyone was huddled around by the doors, as Mr Kelly chatted with the tour guide, and we waited for stragglers who needed to use the toilet. I put my hand up to brush my fingers through my hair and felt my earring was missing.

  “Shit. I’ve lost my earring. I thought I heard something drop back there,” I said to Mellissa.

  “Want me to come with?” She was watching back the video she had just taken.

  “No. I know where I dropped it.” I pushed my way to the front of the group and tapped Mr Kelly on the shoulder. He smiled down at me. “Sir, I dropped my earring in there. Mind if I go and get it?”

  “Yes, go on. Hurry though, we’ll be departing soon.” I thanked him and pushed through the heavy doors hurrying down the aisle, the pattering of my sandals bouncing back off the nearly empty halls as I went. There were only a handful of visitors left inside. I caught the glint of my golden earring shining up ahead, and I ran over, scooping it up, and secured it back in place. I stood up to leave and a hand clamped tight over my mouth, suffocating my scream, dragging me forcefully back. I instinctively kicked out but I was no match for whoever was holding me. One hand was over my mouth, and there was an iron grip around my waist pulling me away from the main area of the cathedral, and backwards through the arches. My legs hit every slab of concrete on the way up the damp, narrow, winding staircase.

  We finally stopped when the moonlight broke through the dim glow of the staircase, and we were on the balcony at the very top of the Cathedral, where I had been only moments ago.

  “Don’t Move,” A masculine voice threatened, through gritted teeth. “Or I will break every bone in your tiny little body before you even have a chance to open your mouth and scream.”

  The hot sticky hand peeled away from my mouth and spun me around viciously. I grabbed the railing of the balcony to stop from falling right over the edge.

  I stood face to face with a boy who wasn’t much taller than myself, and even though he appeared youthful on the outside, his steely yellowing eyes held a depth of age hidden inside them. Age and pure evil.

  “Who are you?” I breathed, still gripping onto the railing.

  “You’re worst nightmare.” His mouth pulled up at one side in a sneer. “I’m not here to play games. I’m here for you, and I’m not leaving without you. He burned fiery daggers into me with his eyes and they flashed to black as if a film had been pulled over them. He definitely wasn’t human, or just a boy. He was here to hurt me; I could feel it surging through every bone in my body. It pulsed in me like a live current, and I knew he was responsible for it.

  A small gust of wind picked up and ruffled his shaggy black hair causing it to fall over into his eyes, and with minimal effort, he blew it away with one puff of his breath, then quicker than my eyes could register; he advanced on me. He moved swiftly, a dark blur in the moonlight, and the next thing I felt was a sharp pain in my upper left thigh. I staggered to the floor gripping my leg and let out a ragged scream. Only no sound came out of my mouth. I had been completely muted.

  “Keep it down will you?” he ordered, with an amused but wicked tone.

  “Someone might hear us.” I opened my mouth to curse him, but I was once again met with only deafening silence. Pulling my bloody hand away from my wounded thigh, I wrapped my fingers around my throat, clawing at it frantically and tried once again to speak. It was a wasted effort and no sound escaped my throat.

  What was happening to me?

  Tears spilled over and ran down my cheeks, dropping heavily onto my bare bloody legs as I tried repeatedly to find my voice.

  “You can’t speak,” he said, with the same wicked tone that held underlying amusement from seeing me suffer.

  “And I’ve stabbed you.” I robotically looked down to where my blood was now pooling around my legs, and saw a four-inch wide gash in my thigh, deep red a
nd black in colour, with bright red blood flowing heavily from it.

  “You won’t die,” he smiled. “Well, not yet anyway. Not until I want you to.”

  I wiped the hot tears from my eyes, probably leaving streaks of blood across my face, and sniffed back the sobs that should have been noisily tearing through me.

  “I just wanted to test out a theory, and unluckily for you- you didn’t disappoint.” He rubbed a hand along his jaw, and turned his savage, piercing black eyes on me.

  “Pity for you though, because now you’re coming with me.” He whizzed over and hauled me up by one arm. I pushed all of my weight onto my right leg, and soundlessly screamed in pain as he dragged me over to the farthest end of the railings.

  “Those amateurs…and Michael.” He spat the name out like it was a disease. “They were nothing but a mockery. They thought they could take you for themselves and offer you up to our master as a hostage. Fools!” He bellowed. “But you’re boyfriend dealt with that for us. How kind.” He held his hand up over where, I’m sure instead of where his heart should be, there was surely a black void in its place.

  “I tried to take you that day you were left alone. I wasn’t going to kill you, just knock you out for a little while, but once again your nifty little boyfriend showed up and I hadn’t come into my powers then. I wasn’t as strong as I am now.”

  He swung me around so I was nose to nose with him, and I pushed my head back as far as it would go. He gripped my arm so tight, I thought it would shatter any moment under his strength.

  “If you bit me now, your teeth would drop out from the blood that now flows in my veins. Go on do it. I dare you,” he taunted me, with a sick grin on his face.

  “You probably think your boyfriend’s something special.” He widened his eyes and made an O with his mouth. “Oooo, a fallen angel, how mysterious.” Suddenly his face hardened and his eyes narrowed, slicing into me, the darkness seeping out of them full force. “Well I’m a demon angel. The top of the pecking order.” His grip bit down into my skin tighter and I squeezed my eyes shut.