by Lola StVil
“You’re being dramatic,” I reply.
“I’m the only human in a team full of powerful angels. If I wasn’t dramatic, you’d never notice me,” he teases.
“Key is not going back to Bex, so stop using that as a reason not to ask her out.”
“She’s in love with another guy. How smart is it to ask her out?”
“What happened to the Randy who was going to be brave and grab his chance before it passed him by?”
“He got better and now he’s in his right mind. I know, blast me,” he says with his arms out, ready to take the hit.
“What? No!”
“C’mon, Pry, please?”
“No!”
“If you were really my friend, you’d try to kill me again. It might make me brave.”
“I’m sorry, I only try to kill my best friends on weekdays, and as you know, today is Saturday.”
“Pry!”
“Randy, you are a great guy. You’re smart and courageous, and Key would be lucky to have you in her life. Now stop acting like a sidekick and go be the hero of your story. You can do this,” I plead as I look into his eyes.
“I can do this,” he says, mostly to himself.
“Yes, you can. Now go!” I reply as I open the door and shove him back inside.
Randy reluctantly goes through the crowd in search of Key. I honestly don’t know what Key is going to say to Randy. But I think it’s important that he gather his courage to ask. If he gets turned down, I’ll be there to help him through it.
Please, Key, don’t turn him down…
I hear yet another loud outburst from inside. I guess someone just got the high score on the pinball machine. There must be a few winners, because the noise level increases dramatically.
I start to head back inside when I spot my reflection in the door. The last time I saw my reflection on a shiny surface was in my nightmare last night. In it, I was facing a shiny table, and behind me was a searing blaze. I watched my skin melt off and onto the table. Recalling the nightmare sends a cold chill down my back.
I didn’t tell anyone; however, Bex knows. He looked me over this morning and said I looked like I needed to rest. I blamed it on all the excitement, but he knew better. He cornered me in the hall a few moments later, and I confessed to him. He tried to convince me to talk about the dreams, but I said no.
What’s the point of discussing it? The Center is over and these dreams are just that—dreams. I can handle them.
Randy bursts out of the door and reaches out for me without warning.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
His voice is fairly calm, but there’s something off about it. It’s like he’s trying to sound casual.
Maybe Key said yes, and he’s trying to hide his excitement!
“Hey, Pry, remember when we were in India, you cut yourself and poured the blood around you and Harm, the Kaster who killed Sam, right?”
“Yeah…”
“What was that called again?”
“It’s a Fight or Flight line.”
“Can you get out of it?” Randy says with growing concern.
“No. It’s a barrier. The only way to get out is for the two beings inside the circle to come to an agreement or if one kills the other.”
“Oh, well, in that case, we have a problem. Silver just made a Fight or Flight line around Bex.”
Chapter Fourteen:
Siren Of Souls
We race back inside the arcade and find Bex and Aaden under a large translucent dome formed by the bloody circle around them. The crowd gathers around the circle and looks on with a mix of fear and fascination. I signal to the rest of the team to keep everyone back. But the crowd will not heed our warnings; both angels and humans are far too enthralled with what’s about to happen to step away.
“BEX AND AADEN, YOU TWO COME TO AN AGREEMENT AND TAKE DOWN THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT LINE RIGHT NOW!” I order.
Bex and Aaden don’t follow my orders. In fact, I don’t think they even heard me. They stand glaring at each other as if they are the only two beings on Earth. I continue to shout for them to stop, although I know it’s futile. I can see the look in Aaden’s eyes; he is ready and willing to take Bex’s life. And one look over at Bex tells me he’s in Kon mode. That means he will not stop until he’s drained every drop of life from his opponent.
Fuck!
“Guys, please don’t do this!” Swoop begs.
It’s too late. Even as the words leave Swoop’s mouth, Aaden and Bex are in midflight, headed straight for each other, each with a Powerball in hand. When they collide, the sheer impact causes both of them to go tumbling backwards into the air. They land hard on the floor, so hard the entire foundation of the mall shakes.
The first one to recover is Bex. He quickly sends a Powerball towards Aaden, knocking him back down to the ground. Bex flies over, grabs him off the floor by his throat, and lifts him high above his head. He then viciously hurls Aaden to the other side of the dome. Aaden’s skull bangs into the barrier as he slides down to the floor yet again.
Aaden falls forward and smashes into the ground. Once again, before Aaden can recover, Bex yanks him by his right leg and spins him around high above his head several times. He then flings Aaden face-first into the barrier. The crowd gasps as half of Aaden’s face splits open, causing the exposed “meat” of his flesh to stick to the dome and slide down onto the floor. Aaden crumples alongside the pieces of his separated flesh.
He’s not moving…
Bex goes in close to administer what will in all likelihood be the last blow. He reaches out and grabs Aaden by his chest with both hands, but Aaden kicks Bex with so much force, one of the Kon’s bones rips through his body and protrudes out to the side. Bex groans in utter torment as Aaden continues to pound on his broken leg. Despite being in agony, Bex manages to summon a Powerball from the palm of his hand, but before he can throw it, Aaden sets the lower half of Bex’s body on fire.
Now writhing in pain, Bex uses his Powerball to suck the life out of the blaze that is trying to consume him. He manages to stop the flames, but by then Aaden has gotten up and attacked him from behind. The two grapple with each other mercilessly. Aaden snaps Bex’s left arm out from its socket. Bex cries out as he tries to stand with only one functioning leg.
Aaden grabs Bex by his hair and rams him into the barrier once, twice, three times. The blood gushes out of the side of Bex’s head and sprays all over the barrier. Aaden throws the Kon onto the floor like discarded trash. He then stands over him and summons up a fireball, determined to end Bex’s life once and for all. Aaden hurls the fireball down at Bex, who manages to roll away from the flames at the last second.
Furious that the Kon avoided death, Aaden goes after him with renewed rage. Bex crawls on his belly, attempting to get enough space to regroup. He doesn’t get far; Aaden stamps down on Bex, placing his foot down in between the Kon’s shoulder blades. He keeps Bex pinned down on the floor like a helpless insect; he then latches on to the base of Bex’s wings and starts to pull.
The sound of wings ripping is unlike any other. It’s a cry that defies words. The horror unfolding before the crowd is no longer fascinating. It is terrifying and has to be stopped. Yet we all know there is no stopping at this point. One of these two will not make it out of the barrier alive, and right now, it’s looking like Bex is going to die.
The bone that connects Bex’s wings to his shoulders snaps. The Kon howls like a wounded animal about to die. All Aaden needs to do is yank on Bex’s wings one more time and the Kon is dead. Knowing this, Bex gathers his strength and aims a Powerball at the barrier, knowing that it will rebound. It does exactly that; it hits Aaden in the chest and sends him flying off of Bex. The two angels, both badly wounded and bleeding, show no signs of stopping.
“There has to be a way to break the barrier,” I shout.
“No, it has to come from inside,” the twins reply.
“We have to try anyway,” I shout.
&nbs
p; I signal for the team to aim at the domelike barrier in an attempt to crack it open. When the surge of power makes contact, the dome shakes.
“Keep going!” I shout.
The team follows my orders, but instead of the barrier giving in, the power surge rebounds and comes back towards us in full force.
“Get down!” Key shouts to everyone.
Before the crowd can comprehend what is happening, a mushroom cloud of energy engulfs us. Every angel outside of the dome places themselves between the humans and certain death. The swell of power rips into everything in its path. Some injuries are minor, but some are serious and may be life threatening.
While the angels tend to the humans, I look over at the dome, hoping all of this is over. It’s not. Bex and Aaden are dead set on taking each other’s life. Desperate, I search through the crazed crowd and find Diana. I whisper something in her ear and she quickly agrees. We head over to the dome and stand only inches away. I give Diana the signal and hope my plan works.
The lights start to flicker on and off through the mall. Sparks is awake. I thought she’d see her father, mess with the lights, and get his attention. But once she realizes that her father is hurt, she’s no longer satisfied with tampering with the lights. She starts to blow out light bulbs and shatter windows.
She then takes over Diana’s body and makes her place her hand against the dome. She creates the biggest ball of fire she’s ever made and slams it up against the barrier.
Knowing that the barrier will make the fireball rebound and hit his daughter, Aaden shouts at her, “SPARKS, NO!”
It’s too late. The blast hits the dome, and we brace for the impact. Only it doesn’t come. Spark’s fireball managed to crack the dome. It’s a small opening, but an opening. We all look at each other in amazement as the Fight or Flight line disappears, taking the dome with it.
We have the Healers fly in and tend to the humans. A few of them who were badly injured had to be flown to the clinic. The Omari came, but Bex assured them he was fine and that there was no need to stay. The Healers place both Bex and Aaden on a Port headed to the clinic.
I order the twins to follow Aaden and Bex personally to make sure they get there safely. I have Randy and East look in on Diana and her daughter. In the meantime, I help out with cleanup and will myself to stay calm. The team comes back not long after and reports that so far, everyone is okay.
“East, I know you Mind wiped everyone, but I need you to go back and check the video feed, in case someone left here before you could get to them. I need to make sure everyone, human or otherwise, thinks the Fight or Flight line was broken because Bex and Aaden agreed to a truce. We don’t want anyone to know the Firebug cracked the dome. It would draw too much attention. Speaking of which, how is she?” I ask Diana.
“As soon as Silver was safe, she settled down. She should be back to sleep soon; I gave her a mild mixture.”
“Good. Before she goes to sleep, it might help if you get on a Port and go to the clinic so Firebug can see that her father is safe,” I suggest.
“You want to go in first or should I?” Diana asks.
“You can go to the clinic.”
“You’re not going to see them?” East asks.
“Did the Healers say they would live?” I reply.
“Yes.”
“That’s all I need to know.”
“Pry, maybe you want to take a few minutes to, you know…blink,” Randy says.
“Excuse me?”
“He’s right. You’ve kind of been on autopilot for like an hour now,” Swoop says.
“I don’t need to be evaluated. What I need is to have my orders followed. Is that an issue with anyone here?” I ask calmly.
They all say no. I order them to help the other angels and Healers in any way they can. I tell them that when they’re finished, everyone is to report back to the house, no exceptions. Randy asks if I need to talk; I decline and head back home.
On my way there, my cell phone alarm sounds and lets me know that we’re trending on Twitter. In fact, we’ve made the news all over the world. So, what’s the top headline? Marcus Cane’s lovesick, bubbleheaded daughter can’t keep the boys from fighting over her.
The headlines pop up in different places: Buzzfeed, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Everyone in the Angel world has found a way to make fun of what they call my massive failure as a leader. Everyone is reporting it as if I were standing in the middle of the room flirting with Bex and Aaden, then I dared them to kill each other to see which one of them loved me more.
Some of the news outlets are predicting that tonight will be the start of the end for my team. How could they be led by me? I can barely handle my own love life; how can I expect to handle an entire team?
I’m getting Google alerts every ten seconds now. There are videos about the team on YouTube, Vine, and a dozen other video sites. I click on one of the clips from the Angel Network, Channel One. The reporters sit on a panel and discuss my disappointing career as a leader.
“I think what we need to keep in mind here is that these angels are just teenagers, Robin,” the angel in the middle with the designer suit and dark-rimmed glasses says to the panel.
“I disagree, Zed. These are not normal teens, and they aren’t making normal mistakes. They didn’t stay out past curfew. They decided to fight each other to the death and allowed humans to get hurt in the process. And who can be blamed for this? Pryor. It takes more than powers to lead, it takes character. And that girl has not shown any,” the reporter on the right adds.
“Maybe she lacks training. These kids may not know what they’re doing,” Zed suggests.
“No, no! Pryor Cane knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s just like her mom. You know her father, Marcus, was with someone else when their mission first started. What happened? Pryor’s mother used her charms and her body to get what she wanted. And now…well, like mother, like daughter,” the final reporter adds.
“It’s such a shame. She somehow ended up wrapping two powerful angels around her little finger. She could topple the world if she wanted to at this point. She made the Kon fall in love with her. She made the Last Akon’s only son fall for her. I mean, this ‘Siren of Souls’ is going to be the death of all of us.”
I don’t realize I have thrown my cell across the street until I hear it smash into the pavement. A wave of anger overtakes me, and before I know it, I’m beating the hell out of the wall behind my house. The more I pound, the angrier I get.
“It’s only a fair fight if the wall can kick back,” someone says behind me.
“Grandpa?” I reply as the older, former First Guardian comes into view. I reach out and embrace him. He tries to pull away, but sensing I’m not ready to let go, he holds me a little longer.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“You’re my grandchild. I can come see you as much as I want to.”
“You came to check on me.”
“Was I wrong to do that?”
“No, but I’m fine.”
“Your mom was a bad liar too,” he says with a smile.
“Okay, so I’m not doing so great,” I admit.
“Well, bring your behind over here and talk to me,” he says.
We walk over to the landing and sit on the steps of my house. I lean into him as he places his arms around me protectively.
“Now, I keep a close watch on the Angel world. So I know what’s going on. I also know that angels lie—a lot. So, I want to hear it from your mouth, Carrot. What’s happening?”
I explain what happened tonight and how things got out of hand. He listens without saying a word. When I’m done, he takes out a small piece of candy wrapped in a shiny silver wrapper. It’s called “Uh-Oh.” It’s a treat Sam and I used to beg him for when we were kids. You pop it in your mouth and it takes you back to the last time you laughed at something silly. And for a few moments, that laughter comes back.
“Aw, thank you,” I reply as I pop it into
my mouth and laugh.
Grandpa watches me carefully. We both know there’s only so much the candy can do for me. When it’s dissolved in my mouth, I’m back to feeling…awful.
“Grandpa, I can’t have that kind of behavior on my team. But I love Aaden, and I also want Bex to be a part of my life. I don’t know what to do.”
“I came here to wish my granddaughter a happy birthday, and that’s what I’m going to do. I also came here to tell you how proud we are of you, given how you’ve handled everything. Anyone else would have cracked under the pressure. Especially that father of yours,” he jokes.
“Grandpa!”
“Well, I’m just saying. But all that aside, you’re asking for advice from me as a former leader. Now if I do that, you know I can’t sugarcoat anything? I will tell you what I would tell any leader in your situation.”
“Yes, I know. And I’m okay with that because I have no idea what to do,” I admit.
“Pryor, you’re lying to yourself. You know exactly what to do. You’re sitting here afraid to do it because Pryor the ‘young woman’ is afraid to do what needs to be done. But you must learn to compartmentalize. Sometimes there isn’t enough room for ‘the leader’ and ‘the young woman in love.’ When that happens, you need to decide who to let in and who to keep out. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Good. I hope you choose to let the right version of you in. Because choosing the wrong one could get you and your whole team killed.”
An hour later I head to the clinic where Aaden and Bex have been transferred. They are staying in rooms across the hall from each other. I go in to see Aaden first. I try not to think about the relief washing over me knowing that he’s on the mend. I don’t pay attention to the overwhelming desire to wrap my arms around him. He opens his eyes as soon as I enter.
“What is it? Is something wrong? Is Sparks okay?”
“Yeah, everyone is fine.”
“Good, I thought…”
“No, your daughter is handling this better than her father. In fact, she’s more mature than you.”
“Look, I know what I did was crazy. I shouldn’t have attacked Bex, but you don’t know why I did it,” he protests.