by K. D. Peters
For never having rode on a motorcycle before, I had to admit that it really was a lot of fun.
Sitting on the back of that bike, I felt the wind blow through my hair that was sticking out from under my helmet and tried to make myself relax. We’d been on the road for a good five hours by then, and in all honesty, I didn’t have the first clue as to where we were. I was guessing that we were probably somewhere close to the Virginia state line now, considering the change in the scenery and temperature. I could feel the warmth even through the blowing wind. As I watched, all of the colors of the beautiful spring were flying past us. It almost felt fitting for me to see those changes in the world now. Especially when I considered how much my life was already beginning to change.
Our morning had been pretty busy when it came down to it. Within an hour of us getting up and me changing his bandages, we’d been ready to go. Chris had made sure to pack up everything we’d need for the time being in a backpack, then locked up the house and walked out with me to his motorcycle. I’d asked him what he was going to do about his home there, but he didn’t really say much to it aside from the fact that it was the least of his worries. Fallsburg wasn’t a safe place for us anymore, and there wasn’t a whole lot of time to think about all the little things. I just went with it, considering that I’d already seen how he wasn’t that concerned over money when we’d first met. I didn’t think I’d ever quite get over seeing him throw that book in the trash like he did.
But my mind was immediately pulled away from any of those thoughts when I took a good look at what we’d be riding on down to Baton Rouge. I’d never ridden on a motorcycle in my life, and I was actually a little bit nervous at first. While it was true that this one seemed pretty nice, and was a Harley to boot, I couldn’t help but wonder just how I’d do on it. But once we did that U turn and got going out onto the highway, that nervousness faded pretty quickly, and I found that I was really having a lot of fun sitting behind him and holding on as I watched the world fly by. This was an amazing new life experience, and probably was going to end up being the first of many for me now.
But as I thought about that time, I found that my mind was going back as well to that phone call that Chris had made. He’d been speaking to a guy he called Zane Hedel, who was apparently supposed to be someone just like us. I’ll admit that I felt like it was good for me to hear that conversation then, because now I was beginning to understand just what may have happened with Saffron years ago. I really had no doubt by now that he’d been in my life before, especially once Chris confirmed to me that he believed that somehow, Saffron had sealed up my memories of him. But I’ll admit that it actually bothered me a little bit too when I realized that. As silly as it was, I actually wanted to see Saffron again. In fact, I was finding myself even now clinging to that small memory that had managed to surface during that phone call. Thinking about it, I had to admit that I felt like Saffron may have loved me dearly in that time that we were together.
Well, that is, if the ones like him were even capable of love.
Still I knew that I had felt so safe with him at that moment. And, even though it was extremely hard for me to admit it, I really wanted to see him again. It didn’t matter anymore to me about what he was or the things he’d done. In remembering that one moment in time, I felt like I missed him so much. I needed him back in my life. I needed his answers, and most importantly, I needed his strange comfort.
But there was another thing that also nagged at my mind from that morning, and even continued to do so as I sat there holding onto Chris. It was something that actually even overrode all of the mixed feelings I had about Saffron.
It was the knowledge of what I was about to become.
I’ll be the first to admit that the whole thing with the wings in Chris’s back had both frightened and fascinated me. Even leaned against him at that moment, I couldn’t feel them at all. They were hidden flawlessly within his back. My mind drifted back to the night before as I thought about that. I had leaned against his almost bare back all night long, and still hadn’t felt them. A part of me couldn’t help but wonder just how that was even possible. Just how could we be so human, yet not be human? While I understood the fact that we were mixed with creatures that had definitely never been human in their entire existence, the whole thing still intrigued me on a very deep, personal level. A part of me wanted to understand just how all of this could be. After all, everything that’s taught to us in the modern age disputed everything that we apparently were.
Turning off of the highway to another two lane road, I found myself trying to push all of those thoughts aside though and relax. Now that we’d been able to get off that highway again, I felt like I could do so. Chris had mentioned to me before that he liked to avoid busy highways when at all possible, and I was just fine with that. Apparently, he wasn’t too fond of a lot of traffic, and figured ways around it. I couldn’t complain too much about that one though. I didn’t like the idea of being around so many cars either on just this bike with no protection other than a helmet. And besides, the scenery was beautiful on these country roads.
But riding along, I also found that I could reflect better in my mind about what I was doing now too while I looked at the passing trees and listened to the steady, loud roar of the motorcycle I was on.
I couldn’t really say in the end that I’d wanted to just up and leave like I did. After all, doing this was essentially leaving behind everything that I had ever known of my life to go with a guy that I really didn't know that much about. My instincts trusted Chris, but my head still felt a little apprehensive about him. I’d always been raised to think that no one does anything without hidden motives. But I couldn’t quite figure his out. He didn’t seem that concerned about my father. And although he’d said that he was doing this because he wanted to, he’d also said something before about doing this to keep a promise he’d made a long time ago. But he’d never really clarified just what that promise was. Just what did Chris really want to do with coming to find me like he had? And more importantly, who was this person that he'd made this promise with?
I was brought back to reality by Chris hollering out to me over the noisy motorcycle. “Hey, I think we should stop and get some lunch. It looks like there’s a restaurant a few miles up the road according to those signs we just passed.” He told me.
“Okay. Sounds good to me.” I hollered back.
We ended up pulling into a small diner several miles up the road. It looked like one of those little Mom and Pop places, and seemed very quiet and out of the way. Parking the bike near the building, Chris turned it off and pulled off his helmet. “May as well get something to eat now. We've got a long ways to go.” He admitted.
“You know, you still owe me some clothes and all too.” I reminded him as I slid myself off of the bike.
“I know, I know. We’ll take care of it before we stop somewhere for the night.” Chris promised. He got off of the bike and slipped the key into his pocket, taking a quick look around us. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he was making sure that nothing was following us. By then, I was getting that he was always on guard for stuff like that. But he seemed to relax after the quick look. “Come on, let’s get inside.” He said, lightly patting my back.
I felt myself smile as I nodded in agreement. This was slowly starting to become Chris’s habit now. I’d noticed it even before we left Fallsburg. If he wanted me to come with him, or even if he just wanted my attention, he’d pat my back or shoulder. It was funny, but I actually thought it was kind of sweet in a way. Like we were slowly trying to get used to one another.
Walking into the diner, I couldn’t help but think that it was pretty nice. It was small and cozy, with a few tables and booths that reminded me of what they had in the 1950s. Everything was very clean and well kept. I noted that it definitely wasn’t busy either. There were three other people in there, and they were spread out in the room. They didn’t even bother looking up at us as we walked in. Taking a s
eat at one of the booths, we waited for the waitress to walk over, and then glanced at the menu. It had a lot on it, and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit surprised about that. “They’ve got a lot of choices for such a little place.” I told Chris.
“A lot of places like this seem to. Go ahead and order whatever you want though. It doesn’t matter to me.” he replied.
“Now is that any way to speak to a young lady, Christoff?”
The two of us quickly looked up at the sudden voice, following it to the side of the booth. To my surprise, there was a young man walking over to us. He didn’t look like he was much older than us, and had black hair and vivid eyes that almost looked like they could’ve been a dark shade of violet. Dressed in black jeans and a black leather jacket, I couldn’t help but think that he was a bit stunning. In fact, he was almost as good looking as Chris, although I felt like he was pretty hard to top. As we watched, the man stood by the table and smiled at us.
Chris just looked back at him, no real expression playing on his face. “You know I hate it when you guys call me that. What are you doing here?” he asked him. I noted that he didn’t sound too happy to see him. But at the same time, I felt curious as to who this was. Obviously, he and Chris knew each other fairly well. Looking back at him, I found myself studying his eyes. Could those have been human eyes? I wasn’t too sure…
The guy wasn’t put off by Chris’s attitude. And he didn’t seem to notice how hard I was looking at him either. “You know that I go wherever the wind takes me now. But I’m surprised too. I’ve never seen you traveling with anyone before, let alone such a pretty girl. And just who might you be?” He said, looking back over at me with a friendly smile. He certainly acted friendly enough, although now I noticed that he did talk a bit strangely. But as I continued looking at him, I suddenly got a strange feeling. Almost as though I should’ve known him.
“It’s a long story that you should be able to figure out if you just take a good look at her.” Chris told him.
The man placed his hands on the table, leaning down to look me in the eyes. As strange as it sounds, for just a moment, I could’ve swore I saw tiny flecks of red flash in his irises. But just as quickly, they seemed to be gone. “Ah, yes. I think I see. You’re Saffron’s daughter, aren’t you?” he finally said as he backed away again.
“Apparently I am. So I’m guessing you know all about us too.” I noted. I heard the hesitation in my voice, but hoped he didn’t notice.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to. “I should. After all, I am just like you.” The man said. He turned his head and gave his shoulder a quick pat as he took a seat in the booth beside me.
Now I got it. That was why he felt so familiar, even if I didn’t know him personally. It even explained those beautiful looks of his, and those powerful eyes. He was the same as me and Chris. I took an even bet that there were wings hidden in his back as well from that gesture, although I knew that there was no way I could tell unless he actually brought them out. Though he did gesture that they were there....
Chris glared slightly across the table at him. “So I guess you're going to invite yourself to sit here with us now?” he said.
“Don't worry. I won't bother her. Besides, you’ve never protested my presence before. I was beginning to think we may have even been friends.” The man replied.
“Stop that. You’re being annoying again.” Chris told him.
The man didn’t seem too worried about his apparent attitude though. Instead, he looked back at me. It was odd, but he actually did seem very friendly. A little bit more friendly then Chris had initially been. “Actually, I do feel as though I’ve been a bit rude. My name is Wilhelm Marcos. But everyone just calls me Will.” he said, finally introducing himself and offering a hand.
I couldn’t help smiling back as I shook his hand. “Ariana Benson. Nice to meet you Will.” I said. I had to admit that did seem pretty nice, and it was kind of funny to watch him slightly ruffle Chris’s feathers. I was getting the distinct feeling that he probably did it a lot. At least, if the way Chris was acting towards him was any implication.
“Well, I have to say that you certainly do favor your father Ariana. I was pretty surprised when I looked into those eyes of yours. I didn’t think anyone else could have such powerful eyes like that.” Will admitted. He’s one to talk, I thought as I looked back at him. He has much more powerful eyes then I do.
But I didn’t voice that. Instead, I just smiled back at him. “Trust me, I’ve gotten that a lot lately.” I replied.
“So what exactly are you two doing all the way out here anyways? I wasn’t really expecting to see you of all people around here.” Will said, looking back at Chris.
“We’re heading to Baton Rouge to stay with Zane. I figured it might be better to just take her there for now.” Chris replied.
“I see. So I take it she hasn’t gotten them yet. Probably would be the safest bet in that case.” Will agreed. He glanced around, then spoke quietly again. “So, you know about what happened in these last few years with those two, right?” he asked him.
“Zane mentioned it. Although I can’t believe he was dumb enough to let it go on long enough to piss off the big one. I would’ve thought that Saffron was a lot smarter than that. At least, from everything I’ve ever known about him.” Chris said.
“It’s just how they are. We both know that. Your own father pushes whatever he can with the more powerful ones. He sees himself as at least equal with the rest of them. He even likes to test the limits with the Darkest One at times.” Will noted.
“And we’re not speaking of my father, remember?” Chris snapped.
By then, I was beginning to understand that there must have been some sort of rift between Chris and the one who was his father. I was half tempted to ask him about it when it was just the two of us again, but somehow, I wasn’t too sure if I could. I really didn’t want him snapping at me either. And, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know all of his secrets yet. I was just beginning to start making myself comfortable with Chris. I didn’t want to destroy all that I’d already built up in this strange relationship we’d been developing.
Will himself didn’t seem too put off though. Instead, he just shook his head. “If you insist. I suppose it's not for me to question you on all of that. However, I will say that I do think that you’re taking quite a risk here in running with her like this. From what I’ve heard in the last day or so, they’re mobilizing again. And this time, it’s going to be big.” He said quietly.
“They’re starting again? But it’s been at least fifty years now. Why the hell are they after us full force again?” Chris asked him.
Will just shrugged. “Don’t really know myself. The numbers have remained the same since then for as far as we can tell. Most of the Grigori have had their breeding abilities stripped now, and the Fallen Ones that are roaming about in the mortal world are taking more precautions with things because of the past troubles. After all, they didn’t really like the outcomes from the previous hunts. In fact, when it comes down to it, Ariana here is the last of the new. I can’t image though that they’d do it only because of her or of Saffron. They can’t stand him, but he’s definitely not worth such effort to them.” He explained.
“What about those clans? Do you think they have anything to do with it?” Chris asked him.
“Clans?” I repeated, not quite following now.
Will just gave me an understanding smile as he looked back at me. I couldn’t help but think that he had a beautiful smile. Will himself seemed very inviting. Even more so then Chris, although I still thought that Chris was the better looking of the two. “Like I said, you’re still very new to all of this. Apparently, from what we’ve heard, there are three clans of Nephilims now. Basically, they’re like us. But the big difference is that they were authorized by the Higher Ones, and they’re run by three Seraphim that didn’t fall from grace into the darkness. I forget exactly what the purpose of creati
ng them was though. Something about them being the protectors between the seen and unseen world. Anyways, they exist now too. And they’re the reason that us original Nephilims got our new names. We’re now called Shadow Wings, or more simply the Beautiful Fallen.” He told me.
“The Beautiful Fallen.” I repeated quietly to myself. I guessed such a name would make sense. Especially considering our parents. But to think that there were clans similar to us was something. With what Will was saying, they never had anything to worry about. I couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy inside of me for that. It just didn’t sit well.
Chris himself looked back at Will. “Good enough explanation, but back to what we were talking about. Do you think that they’re back to this vendetta because of something with them?” he said.
“Honestly, I couldn’t say. They do tend to be odd at times. But I can certainly tell you that I know what I’m hearing now. And it isn’t good. He’s in on it this time.” Will replied, looking Chris directly in his eyes. His voice had turned very serious as well.
Chris put his cheek against his hand, looking even more annoyed now. “You have to be kidding. He needs to just give it up. There’s no way he’ll ever be able to eliminate us all over a grudge with our parents.” He said.
“Well-spoken from the one who could be considered our leader.” Will commented.
Chris quickly shot him an annoyed look again. “Leave it.” He growled.
I felt myself tilt my head at this. “What do you mean?” I asked Will. It was pretty strange that he called Chris a leader.
“It’s nothing to worry about. You’ll find out soon enough. But for now, I think it might be better if I stuck around here just a little longer. As much as I hate to say it, I think you’re going to run into trouble if I don’t.” Will said, smiling at me. I likened it to telling me to just be patient.
Chris seemed to catch onto what he was saying pretty quickly. “How many have you seen?” he asked him.
Will thought about it for a moment. “In the last three hours, I’ve already fought with two. And believe me, they were aiming to permanently clip my wings. I’m beginning to think they see an elder like myself as a good prize for their leader.” He finally answered.