The Many Lives of Avery Snow

by Christy Sloat

  “The Watcher will take care of him,” Lillith answered. Mr. Grey, I couldn’t have him being punished as well. I knew we needed him to help but I just didn’t know how to put all the puzzle pieces together. I knew what my job was, a diversion. That left me wondering why my father was needed.

  “Don’t worry it is a Watcher’s job to cause harm if their soul is in harm’s way. He can make a choice to either help or not but I am pretty sure he will help. Avery, you are his soul to watch and he will do anything to protect you. That is how a Watcher works,” Ianni said.

  Pretty sure? That was not 100% sure. This was looking like one big test. I wasn’t even sure that Benjamin would come to me. I knew he wanted me, especially after what had just happened in the shop. Speaking of which, my head hurt a lot due to his lovely handiwork. I would enjoy seeing him disappear.

  We talked more about our plan, which didn’t include what my father was to do, but that was okay. I really wanted him to stay safe and out of it. Dallas decided that they would all go to the neighbor’s boathouse to wait. He didn’t want to leave Landon or I but he was willing to do whatever it took to help save us. Kerri came up to me and hugged me before she and Justin left. Then it was like a procession line, everyone coming up to say their goodbyes. It was rather depressing. Aunt Paul just mumbled, “Be careful,” before she left the house with her head down. I felt bad that she was dragged into this. For some reason Ianni and Lillith thought she needed to be here.

  Justin promised he would be, “Listening in from the boathouse.” Which I knew was his psychic way of listening. Lillith gave me a hug and that threw me off, because I know she didn’t like me, but I hugged her back.

  Dallas was next, his eyes looking the saddest I have ever seen. I didn’t realize until now that this had to scare the crap out of him. He lost his parents and now he could lose his cousin and his girlfriend. I kissed him passionately hoping that it would send him good vibes. It must not have worked, because when our kiss broke he still looked sad. He said nothing and walked away. His face caused me more pain then my head did. My heart broke for him. I was just as scared as he was but I tried not to show it. My father grabbed me and held me in a hug. It had been so long since I was wrapped in his arms. It felt like a lifetime.

  He whispered in my ear, “The Angels are on our side. Once this is all over we will have nothing but time to help us heal from the past.” I fought back the tears.

  “Okay father,” was all I could reply. Then he left too. Ianni stood before me now. A beautiful Angel before me. It was like my father had said, the Angels were on our side and I knew it was true.

  “I will not fail you Avery. I promise you. I will give all my Light to protect you. I know you don’t understand what I am willing to do. This is all I have wanted and instead of being shunned out like Dedrick I will be cast out for saving a human and taking down a Dark Guide.” She was really proud of her decision. I had to rethink the whole guilt thing. If this is what she wanted for her self then who was I to stop her? She was sacrificing a lot to help us, but ever since our short discussion about pillows I had an idea Ianni wanted to be human.

  “You really want to be human don’t you? Why?” I had to know reason.

  “Avery I can’t really explain it to you. All I can say is for centuries of watching and standing by to guide humans, it has done nothing but make me long to have the things you have. To have emotions like you do. Like love.” She practically squealed. “I just never acted on my wants, I stood by and waited. I would never cast myself out and become like Dedrick. This is like a door opened and I want to take it.”

  “Yeah, an exit door. Exit right out of Heaven.” She laughed and so did I.

  “I want to be able to return a hug from you with real feelings. I don’t feel anything when we hug. It’s just empty.”

  I thought that sounded very sad and I couldn’t imagine hugging someone and not feeling anything. It sounded very lonely to guide someone for centuries and not be able to talk to them. That was like being invisible to everyone. It made me feel better to think that since she had shown herself to me she seemed to have gotten what she needed emotionally.

  Chapter 26

  Facing the Dark

  They were all gone, even Ianni. I stood in the entertainment room shaking badly and all alone. I was letting my nerves get to me. I did some breathing exercises to calm myself down but it hardly did any good so I gave up. I was supposed to be upset right? I was faking a fight with Dallas, so maybe shaking would be okay. I had to really try to get myself so upset that Benjamin would come. The Dark Guides come to those who are in their worst hours. I had yet to have Dedrick come to me awake but I had seen Benjamin in the shop and I was awake then. So maybe he had the power to come to me while I was awake. I would face him no matter what. I needed to help Landon so I had to put my best actress face on. I tried pretending to cry but it didn’t really work out. So I just faked it. I put my head in my hands and focused on the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I thought of losing my mom and the tears started to fall. Just the thought of her being gone took over my emotions and the tears flowed. I thought of the day she died, right in front of me, and a vision came to my mind;

  “Avery, we need chocolate chips to put in the batter,” she said as she added the egg to the batter. I ran to the counter and grabbed the bag of chocolate chips. They were my absolute favorite cookies. I handed them to her and she tore into the bag and put them into the mix. I looked at her, admiring how she mixed it all together. Her apron that we had sewn together hung from her neck.

  “All done, do you want to lick the spoon?” She asked me as I practically grabbed it out of her hands. What a silly thing to ask, of course I did. I loved licking the spoon. I sat at the table enjoying the batter when my mother started putting the cookie batter onto a baking sheet.

  As she started putting them into the oven I turned my head and looked out the window. I saw the kids from across the street playing hide and go seek. Something I loved to play with them.

  “Mom can I go outside?” There was no answer. I turned to face her and that is when I saw her falling. It was like slow motion. The cookie sheet fell to the ground first. Then my mother fell next with a large thud. I ran over to her and I screamed. At first I thought she was joking with me.

  “Mom!” I yelled shaking her lifeless body. But this time she was not joking. My mother lay dead on the cold kitchen floor. I ran outside yelling for someone to help us.

  When the vision ended I was in the state of sadness that was needed to have a Dark Guide come. I wondered how the vision had come to me. It was the first vision of my mom that had ever come to me. The only visions I had ever had was of Landon and I. This was new.

  Then I did it. I called him. I screamed his name as loud as I could, “Benjamin!” I hated the way even saying his name made me feel. Like insects crawling around in my mouth. I wanted to puke, but maybe it was good to feel so upset and grossed out. I waited a while and nothing happened. I thought about what Ianni had said you can’t simply call them. So I did the most drastic thing I could think of doing.

  He wanted my soul right? Well he would come if I would do something he wouldn’t want me to do. End my own life or at least threaten to. I opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside. The night was pitch black and freezing cold. I looked out over the lake and then looked down. It was definitely high enough to do some real damage.

  I walked to the hand railing and swung my leg up over the side of it. Now balancing on the railing I tried again.

  “Benjamin. I will do it, I will kill myself.” The night air became colder, if that was even possible. I didn’t think it could in a matter of just seconds. That is how I knew that he was here. A chill ran up my spine. I was too afraid to turn around but I felt his presence there with me.

  “What in the name of all things demon are you doing?” He asked me, his hot breath steaming up my back. I shook at the feeling of the cold air from outside mixing with the heat from
him. It was a very odd feeling. “You better bring your skinny ass down from there. I don’t feel like fooling around with you tonight. I have better things to do.” So he didn’t take me seriously did he? Well that would be no problem I would just have to do better.

  “The only way I am coming down is well, down,” I said, motioning to the ground beneath me. His breath on my back got hotter so I knew he was coming closer. “Don’t come any closer freak! I will do it. After what I saw you do to Katherine I don’t trust you.”

  “Okay so you want me to just stand here and let you take your own life?” It actually sounded like he felt bad or worried. What did he care? That wasn’t possible. He didn’t care about me any more than he cared about Katherine. “So what do you want from me? Why did you call me here, huh?” He was becoming impatient. Good.

  “Well, I don’t want my soul to go to waste. I want to take Dedrick up on his deal. I want to give him my soul. I called you here because I haven’t been able to reach Dedrick except for in my dreams, and since I can’t sleep that’s not possible is it?” I tried to hide my trembling voice.

  “Well I guess not. I can bring him here, but I have to ask, why him and not me? I can promise the same things he can,” he said in a sexy voice. Ugh he was so disgusting. But he had a good question. Why Dedrick? I raced through my mind to think of a good answer. It had to make complete sense if he was to make Dedrick leave Landon.

  “Because, he was the first to confront me about it and, and I…” I stumbled across my own words. “I like him. I don’t like or trust you, I trust him. I know he won’t screw with me,” I lied.

  “Fair enough. I can understand your feelings for Dedrick, he is enticing isn’t he?” Double ugh! I turned to face him so that I could look him in the eyes. I had to make sure he knew I wasn’t fooling around. So I carefully turned the upper half of my body and when I faced him, he looked entirely different than before. This time he was a tall handsome man. With blue eyes, jet black hair, and a pair of lips very thick and full. I didn’t let his good looks faze me or change my mind. These guys thought they could trick people with their good looks. No way, not me. Maybe the weak or depressed, like Katherine, but I was becoming stronger and almost bad assed. No more weak Avery, not after these past few months. I had cried enough tears.

  “I want Dedrick now or I go off this balcony and I mean it, I will. There is nothing left for me here.” Just saying these words to him made me feel so terrible because they were so far from true. I had a lot to live for and I was ready to be the Avery that Dallas deserved and the friend that Landon, Kerri and Ianni needed.

  “Fine, let me beckon him, he will come.” He turned and walked away. I heard him whispering something unintelligible. I looked away and tried to say in my head; “Everything will be okay, he is calling Dedrick.” I said it to Justin hoping he was reading my thoughts. I didn’t know if he was telepathic for sure but he had read them before.

  I looked out across the lake and watched the swans circling each other in the moonlight. They had a romantic quality about them. As soon as I lost myself in my thoughts about the swans I was quickly brought back to reality when I heard shouting behind me. I turned to look and there stood Dedrick. His black wings were pulled up tight against his body, but he was naked. No clothes, just wings covering his butt. I turned my head and swallowed hard. Yuck, what the hell was he doing naked? This was certainly sick. I just prayed Lillith was upstairs getting Landon out of there like she promised.

  “Oh, so you want to talk do you? Do you know what you just pulled me from? I had him in my grasp, only moments away from agreeing. And here you demand I give up what has been promised to me for how many years, for this?” He yelled. I tried not to make it seem as though I was listening in.

  “You will do this Dedrick, I demand it. This is mine and has been mine for just as long. If she happens to request you, well then so be it,” Benjamin shouted back.

  I was so confused. I was his? How? If I was truly promised to Benjamin this was news to me. God I hoped not. They stopped shouting and Dedrick came out to the balcony. I tried not to look at him in all his naked nastiness. I didn’t want to see all of that and be imagining it in the future.

  “So you want me, huh? I find this all too strange Avery. You didn’t want me around at our last meeting. Why now sweetheart? Do you want what I promised you?”

  He was beyond gross, he was revolting. I nodded and tried to fight back the bile rising to my throat. He smelled awful, like death and decay, but that’s what they were right? They ate people’s souls, they brought death and caused decay, so it made sense.

  “Yes I want what you promised me. I want to be happy and not sad anymore.” Just as I said these words he grabbed me from the balcony and pulled me into the house. Benjamin helped by holding me down. Dedrick stood over me and expanded his wings. His dark eyes turned a shade of gray, it was the scariest moment of my life. If Ianni didn’t come now I was as good as dead.

  “You are going to give me your soul!” Dedrick yelled. He raised his hand above his head and his fingernails turned into claws. I screamed as loud as I could. So loud, in fact, I think I injured my own eardrums. He only laughed, my fear was like pleasure to him. Benjamin raised my head and then slammed it down into the hardwood floor. I felt a rush of something wet and warm run down my neck. Blood. He had split my head open. I was starting to get woozy and dizzy. Dedrick swung his hand down and thrashed through my chest with his claws. My white shirt was now bright red with blood.

  He raised his hand again saying, “Tu affero vita, tu affero vita. You give life.” He swung his hand back down and I closed my eyes. I was giving up all hope that anyone would save me. How could they? There were two very strong Dark beings in this house. I thought of everyone out there. I thought of Ianni and how I would miss seeing her turn human. I would miss so much, but I also wondered if I could go Home? I knew once you made a deal with them, you went somewhere else and not to Heaven.

  I braced for the impact of his claws but it never came. I waited and still nothing came. I felt Benjamin let my arms go but for some reason I heard nothing. It was silent. Then there was a bright light that I could see and feel on my face. I was too scared to open my eyes so instead I closed them and rolled to my side. My head pounded and I reached back to feel the blood. There was a lot of blood and a huge cut in my skull. I laid in a fetal position still not hearing anything. Was I dying? Did he actually kill me and that is why I am deaf? Maybe I am passing on.

  “Avery open your eyes! It’s okay, open them,” a voice invaded my head. I knew this voice, it was mom!

  “Mom?”

  “Yes honey. Open your eyes and fight back. Don’t let them win. You are stronger than they are. Although you don’t believe it, you are.”

  “Mom, are you still in between, or did you go Home?”

  “Darling, I will go Home, the promise I have made with Dedrick is now over. Once you and Landon pass on and come Home, well then so will I.”

  “Wait, so we have to die first? I don’t understand.”

  “I told you before Avery, your souls must return Home in order for me to return. But that is okay. Time here is different than on Earth. I will be Home soon. Until then I will continue to watch over you. I love you and can’t wait to see you live your life. Now open your eyes!”

  Her voice left my head and I knew she was gone.

  I did as I was told and opened them slowly. The bright light took over the whole room and I could see that I was still in the house. I strained my eyes and tried to see what was happening. I saw a figure on the ground lying next to me. Benjamin. He was dead. His eyes were glassy and hazed over. His wings were no longer black like once before, they were turning to ash. I tried to stand but I just fell back down. My equilibrium was totally off. As my eyes focused I saw Ianni basked in a glowing light. Her light. That was what was so bright. It was beautiful.

  “Ianni,” I moaned, my voice catching in my throat.

  “Stay down Avery!” Sh
e shouted. I watched her sway and move holding some sort of sword in her hand. The sword was glowing with a white fire, that was the only way I could describe it. She swung it and Dedrick jumped out of her way, his clawed hands thrashing wildly at her. They were fighting over me.

  I rolled myself over to the couch in the corner and tried to prop myself up, completely ignoring Ianni’s request to stay down. That is when I saw another bright light enter the room. He stood there in a cloak of white, holding a sword as well, his burning with white fire also. Mr. Grey.

  “No stay away!” Dedrick shouted. He was actually afraid. Mr. Grey did not stay away, instead he joined in the fight holding his sword in front of him and chopping into Dedrick’s body. He sliced him several times and each time he opened him up a black liquid poured from his body. They continued to attack him, now two on one. Dedrick’s body turning ashen, like Benjamin’s.

  I felt hands grab me from behind the couch and I screamed in terror. I stopped when I realized that they were my father’s hands. He lifted me into his arms, like a baby, and carried me through the bright room and out of the house. Once we were outside it dawned on me that that was why he was needed in this fight. He had to be the one to save me. Two Affinity’s were stronger than just two normal souls.

  “You had to be the one to carry me out right?” I asked.

  “Yes. No one else could enter the house while the fight went on. Any other soul could not enter, let alone see, in the light of the Angel. Only Affinity’s can see through the light, due to how pure our souls are.” He checked me over and once he saw my head he took off his sweatshirt and placed in gently on the gash. My chest burned, but he didn’t have anything to place on those cuts.

  “Mom, she spoke to me,” I told him.

  “Me too. She is the one who told me all that. How the hell else was I to know?” He laughed. I laughed, or tried to, but my head started spinning and I could see the blackness coming over my vision. And then I passed out.