by Lola StVil
Just before the orb touches down, a figure lands in front of us and blocks its path. He should have been obliterated given the size of the Powerball, but he is somehow able to remain standing.
I can see the silhouette of the angel as he channels every drop of power he has into redirecting the ball. He manages to derail the orb of death and hurl it back into the sky, where it explodes. As the Paras rush in to help us, I focus on the figure that stood between certain death and us; it’s Bex.
The blast never touched us, but it did get close enough to do damage. My wings are bleeding, as are my arms and legs. I reach over and check on East. He’s wounded but alive. I can’t say the same for Frank. I don’t know if he’s dead, but his eyes are closed, and he is motionless. If he’s alive, it will be nothing short of a miracle.
The Paras quickly carry Frank off to the nearest clinic. They take hold of East, and I rage at them, thinking they’re about to hurt him. Bex assures me that they’re taking him to get healed. I don’t reply. I’m too angry to even look at the Kon right now.
Bex stood there and gave the signal to end my life. How messed up is that? What the hell was he thinking? He actually told the Omari to fire!
I’m not only livid with what just happened, but I’m genuinely shocked. I never thought Bex would actually do it. How dare he try to kill me? Seriously, what the fuck just happened?
“Pryor!” Aaden calls out.
“Huh?” I reply.
“We need to get you to a Healer.”
“No, I need to talk to—”
“You aren’t talking to anyone right now. You’re hurt,” Aaden replies.
“Swoop and Key, follow East and make sure the Paras get help for him,” I order.
The twins take off after their cousin.
“I told you the Paras are looking after him,” Bex says.
I’m about to curse him out when Aaden pulls me aside.
“You need to go and get healed. I’m not asking, Pryor.”
“I need to talk to Bex,” I spit.
“It can wait. Your wings are damaged and your cuts are deep.”
“No, I want to talk to Bex right now.”
“Damn it, Pryor, just do what I say!” he snaps.
“You do not yell at me. I am not here to follow your orders. You follow mine. Is that clear?” I demand.
We glare at each other, both of us determined not to back down. When he speaks again, his voice isn’t angry but concerned.
“I am not asking you to get help as your second in command. I’m asking as the guy you’re with. The guy you say you love. I need you to go and get healed. Please.”
Damn him and his intense gaze! How am I supposed to say no to him when he looks at me like that?
As Aaden walks me out, I look over at Bex. I have never been this pissed off at anyone before. It’s all I can do not to go over there and drive a damn blade into his chest. I am so angry I don’t really register the pain that’s traveling throughout my body. It’s only when I try to walk that I start to understand just how bruised and wounded I am.
“Oh…” I groan as I put weight on my leg.
Aaden hooks my arm over his shoulder and supports my body weight. He could have easily carried me, but he is mindful of how it looks for the first in command to be carried off. It makes me look weak, and that is not what we want the Paras to think of us.
We are about to head to the clinic to join the others when Uncle Rage runs towards us. I try to convince Aaden to leave me for a few moments to go and talk to him.
“No, we need to get you help,” Aaden says.
“I’m fine. I’ll stay here, lean on this wall, and wait for you.”
“No, I’ll brief my dad when things calm down.”
“That’s what you said last time and it pissed him off. You know Uncle Rage. If he thinks we’re in danger, he’ll tear this block apart. Go and update him. I’ll wait for you here.”
Aaden reluctantly does as I ask. I use this time to look around for Bex, but I don’t see him. Maybe it’s just as well; I don’t know what I would do if he were standing before me.
“Silver’s with his dad; I’ll take you to the clinic,” a voice says behind me.
He comes around so that we are face-to-face. It’s the Kon, my former friend.
“BEX, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!” I order.
“Pry, what’s wrong?”
“Really? You’re gonna stand there and act like nothing happened?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You gave the Omari orders to fire at my team, at me!”
“What?”
“Don’t you dare lie to me Bexington, or I swear to Omnis I’ll kill you right here and now.”
“You think I ordered the Omari to shoot at you?”
“That is exactly what you did!”
“How can you think that?”
“You are the Kon. The Omari follow your orders. You didn’t want me to go in and help East. When I did it anyway, you told them to fire at me, you duplicitous asshole!”
“Are you kidding? I’m the one who redirected the Powerball.”
“Well, I guess you had a change of heart. Maybe you decided not to be a complete dick and actually be useful.”
“That is not what happened!” Bex vows.
“Yes, it is! You have been walking the line between the Para world and us for years. And when you gave the signal to fire, you chose whose side you were on. You betrayed us; you betrayed me.”
“I tried to save you!”
“The hell you did! You gave the order to attack.”
“I would never do that to you!”
“You gave the signal. I know you did. They would never have made a move without you.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“You actually think that I could take your life?”
“Why not? You were willing to take Easton’s life!”
“That’s totally different.”
“BULLSHIT! THERE IS NO FUCKING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND EAST.”
“YES, THERE IS—I’M NOT IN LOVE WITH EASTON!”
Bex’s words stay with me through the entire process of being checked out by the Healers. I just keep hearing his confession over and over again. Thankfully there is so much commotion I don’t think Bex and I were overheard. I knew Bex had feelings for me, but I had no idea he loved me.
Bex is in love with me…
Should I talk to him about it? What do I say? How do I handle this? Should I tell Aaden? No! Aaden would lose it. But do I want to keep things from my boyfriend? Is that the kind of relationship I want to have? What if he kept something that huge from me, how would I feel? Well, I don’t have to tell him if I don’t return Bex’s love, right? Wait, do I feel something for Bex? We had that moment in the hallway at school, but that was nothing. Right?
“Pryor!” the Healer shouts.
“What?”
“I’ve been telling you to lift your arm so I can treat the gash on your forearm for five minutes now,” she replies, irritated.
“Oh, sorry.”
The Healer shakes her head and continues to work on me. It takes a few hours, but they manage to heal all of us. After making sure that everyone is okay, Aaden stops in to check on Ruin. I was hoping he’d come back with good news, but judging from the look on his face when he joins us in East’s room, nothing has changed. Ruin is determined to leave as soon as Luna says she can.
I would like to talk to Aaden, but I can see by the way he folds his arms across his chest he’s in no mood to talk. And even if he were, this would not be the time. The team gathers in Easton’s room, everyone but Bex, who is attending to Para business.
Thank Omnis, because I have no idea what to say to him the next time we see each other.
I would give anything to talk things over with Randy, but now is not the time. What we need to concentrate on is East. He is in the ho
spital bed, seated upright, and while his body may be healed, his spirit is broken. We all watch him, not sure where to start. By now the whole Angel world knows all the horrible things Frank has done to him.
“East, why didn’t you ever say anything? If we knew things were that bad at home, you could have come to stay with us,” I offer.
“You could have stayed with us too, even before we knew you were officially family,” Swoop says.
“My dad would have been more than okay taking you in. You know that. East, we could have helped,” Aaden says.
“Or at the very least, I could have broken a few of Frank’s bones or splattered his guts on the walls. You know, like any good friend would,” Key says.
“Well, I couldn’t cause Frank any physical pain, but I would have hacked him for you,” Randy says.
East smiles slightly but doesn’t reply. I place my hand on top of his and look into his sad eyes.
“East, we love you. Why did you keep this from us?” I ask again.
“Because I didn’t want everyone to look at me the way all of you are looking at me right now, like I’m some poor pathetic victim,” he says.
“We don’t think that. You should have told us. It’s okay to need help. Just because we’re Noru doesn’t mean we don’t need help,” Key says.
“I tried to say something, but it’s not the easiest thing to bring up, okay?” East replies.
“I know, but you really should have. Easton, we can’t read your mind. You need to be open with us. That’s what makes us a team. That’s what keeps us together,” I remind him.
“Pry, I couldn’t come to you. I’m the weakest angel among you. Half the time the demons don’t even take me seriously because I’m a Quo. I didn’t want to look even weaker by admitting what was happening with Frank.”
“You never fought back?” Swoop asks.
“No. I knew I could, but it just felt…wrong,” East admits.
“East, were you really going to kill him?” Key asks.
“I don’t know. I just…I had been his punching bag for so long…”
“You don’t have to think about that prick anymore. Now you know who your father really was. And Uncle Rio was amazing. Key and I never met him, but everyone says so. He had a shield that saved the Guardian team a million times. And he knew what the entire city of Manhattan was feeling. They called him the human mood ring,” Swoop adds.
“I read about him. Back before I knew he was my dad. I was impressed he was so important to the survival of his team.”
“He was,” Key replies.
“What do you think he would say if he were here today and found out his son can’t even fly?”
“We are going to get the Layu vial and get your powers back,” Randy says.
“Is that enough? Even with my powers restored, am I strong enough to be Rio’s son?”
“Of course you are,” Swoop says.
“Look, it was one thing for me to be Frank’s son. Frank is an abusive jerk who hates me. But being the son of the most powerful twin angel that ever lived…I don’t know how to do that.”
“Rio would have been proud to have you as a son. And even if you didn’t have any powers at all, he’d still welcome you into his life,” I promise.
“Pry, how do you know that?” Easton replies.
“Because my dad told me all about Rio. And while they had their issues, he was always about family and sacrifice.”
“And me? I tried to kill my stepfather. What am I about?”
“Given what we know about him, you showed great restraint. I would have painted the entire West Side with Frank’s blood a long time ago if I were you,” Key says.
“Same here. They never would have found the body,” Swoop says.
“Well, I’m glad to know that all of you are united. It’s too bad it’s under the umbrella of violence and bad judgment,” the Face says, standing in the doorway.
“Is Frank gonna make it?” East asks.
“He’s been badly hurt, and while the Healers are doing everything they can, it doesn’t look good,” the Face says.
“How long until they know for sure?” I ask.
“They should know if he makes it in the next few days. The blast from the Powerball sent a large fragment of glass into his heart. If he can survive the surgery to repair it, there may be a chance.”
“Well, I don’t care what happens to Frank,” Swoop informs her.
“How can you all be so smart and yet so damn stupid?” the Face asks.
We all look at her in shock. The Face never curses. She is always the model of self-control.
“For the love of Omnis, what’s so hard to understand? The Angel world is afraid of you all. You have more powers, strength, and ability than the entire Para world combined. The Center was formed out of fear. My ex-husband wasn’t the only one who was afraid of what the Noru might do. Many angels share his fear,” the Face reminds us.
“That isn’t our fault. We didn’t ask to be powerful. We’re just trying to handle it the best way we can,” Swoop snaps.
“That’s not good enough. The only beings that the Angel world would hesitate to cross are the Guardians. But all of them are stuck in the light. You are here on Earth with no protection whatsoever. And all you do is place yourself in danger, repeatedly,” the Face accuses.
“We didn’t mean—”
“Pryor, I don’t care what you and your team meant to do. All I know is what actually happened. Easton tried to murder a prominent member of the Quo community,” the Face says.
“You don’t know what Frank did to him,” Key argues.
“Yes, I heard about that and I am sorry. Had you brought it to my attention, I would have handled it. It’s part of my job to ensure all of your safety.”
“I know East was wrong to do what he did, but given the horrible situation created by that sadistic bastard, East had every right,” Aaden argues.
“No, Silver, he didn’t have any right at all!”
“All you care about are the rules. You don’t care what happens to us so long as we hand in our papers and get a passing grade. Like being good in school will help us when a demon comes and rips our throats out.”
“You think the danger you face is from demons? No, Pryor. The danger isn’t from evil itself. The danger, the real danger is what happens when an army of Paras decides that the Noru are far too powerful to remain alive.
“Don’t you get it? The Angel world has never encountered your kind before. It scares them. And if they think for one second that your team is unable to manage your powers, they will take it away from you by blood or mixture. Whatever they have to do, they will do.
“Easton, you had every right to be angry at your stepfather, but to try to take his life isn’t what angels do. You showed a tremendous lack of judgment and control. Do you really think the Paras are eager to place even more power into your hands?”
“Wait, what are you saying? They aren’t going to give me my powers when they find them?” East asks, beside himself.
“Easton, forget your powers, if Frank dies…you’re going to prison.”
Chapter Ten:
Another Funeral
We all start to speak at once. The Face remains calm and waits for us to regain some kind of composure. Once that happens, I signal to the group that I will be speaking for us. And judging by the look on the Face, what I’m about to say will displease her.
“There is no way I will permit East to go to prison for confronting his abuser. What East did was rash, but that’s what happens when you have a sadist for a father.”
“Pryor, I understand Easton’s frustration, and were these normal circumstances, then I would be inclined to agree. But Easton is about to garner great power. And so far he’s shown us that he’s incapable of handling them,” the Face insists.
“This is such bullshit!”
“Language, Ms. Case!” she cautions.
“You know what, maybe you suggested he go to prison
if Frank dies. It’s like it would be better for you. You wouldn’t have to try to look out for us anymore. You would be free of us,” Swoop says.
“Excuse me, young lady?” the Face counters, shocked.
“When they decided that East’s fate would be prison if Frank dies, did you fight for him at all? Or do you just want us out of the way?” I push.
“Maybe prison is exactly what is called for. Maybe it’s not just East that needs to be put away, maybe all of you need to be contained,” she rages.
“YOU WANT US LOCKED AWAY BECAUSE YOU HATE US THAT MUCH?” I counter.
“I WANT YOU ALL LOCKED AWAY BECAUSE I CAN’T GO TO ANOTHER FUNERAL!” she screams.
We all look at her as if her head just exploded. There are tears in her eyes and she’s shaking angrily. We have never seen the Face lose it like this. Everyone in the room is speechless. When the Face speaks again, her voice is soft and full of grief.
“They placed my Noble in a box, my baby boy. He’s in a box under the earth and I will never hold him again. I am never going to hear his voice. He’s gone. My baby is gone. I dream about him every night. Then in the morning, I open my eyes and I realize he’s really gone and I want to die.
“You can’t begin to comprehend the pain that comes from standing over your dead child’s body. It’s an agony that no one should have to endure. So yes, I want them to lock you all away because then you’d never get hurt. I don’t want your parents to feel what I feel.
“You all are a handful of crazy, but you’re my handful. So I send you to detention, I give you extra work, and I push you to go to class because I can keep an eye on all of you. I couldn’t save my son, but I will be dammed if I lose any of you. I can’t go to another funeral. I just can’t.” She bursts into tears right before our eyes.
Aaden instantly reaches out and embraces her tightly. She clings to him and sobs loudly. Aaden strokes her hair and patiently waits for the sobbing to die down. He walks her over to the small table in the corner of the room. He then picks up the box of tissues on the table and helps her dry her eyes.