The Fall of Zephyr

by Angelina Singer

  “Like what?” Brielle, being a younger and less-experienced sorter, clearly wants to hear anything and everything from Luna - her curious mind cannot be satiated by just the typical Upperworld knowledge.

  “Well, as I said, it’s painful, so I’d rather not relive it.” Brielle nods apologetically and nervously rubs her hands together.

  “I understand, don’t worry about it.”

  The two sit in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, until Luna breaks it.

  “Was there something specific I could help you with? I’m sorry, I’m just… dealing with a lot at the moment, and I’m not feeling super conversational at this time.”

  “Oh I understand. No, I just, I guess I came by since you seemed obviously distraught earlier and I wanted to check on you. That’s all, I suppose. Although, I’m not… half humanoid like you, so I probably won’t ever experience emotions like that. But looking at you now, I’m thinking that might be for the best.”

  Luna nods politely, even though most of what this younger girl says is often a bit harsher than she likely intends. She’s got a good heart, but her inherent inability to feel complex emotions definitely shows itself to Luna.

  EPILOGUE

  “Hey, Onyx.” He looks up to see the small form of his one-true-love, Luna, looking up at him from the floor directly in front of the throne in the Grand Hall.

  “Oh, hello Luna.” He smiles even though he’s been bored out of his mind, and uncomfortably stationed on the highest chair in existence.

  “How have you been?” She asks politely, even though she already knows the answer.

  “Oh, just fabulous. Basically, I just sit here while the world goes on without me. But on the bright side, I don’t actually feel the need to sleep anymore! Evander suggested it could be something about the life-force current flowing through me, I’m not totally sure. It is unfortunate though, since sleeping would be a great pastime.”

  Luna forces herself to smile at his attempt at positivity, but it is getting more and more difficult. She’s been visiting him in the Grand Hall just about every day, and it has been so difficult because they cannot get too close, or even take a leisurely walk in the comfortingly familiar purple fog of the Upperworld.

  “Onyx? I miss you.”

  He smiles sadly. “I miss you too, Luna.”

  “Do you think… I’ll ever get to love you again?”

  Onyx smiles again, this time with less pain and more sympathy, thinking about how his new employment has left her feeling at a loss as well.

  “Well, honestly, I don’t know how you can without being obliterated.” Onyx smiles at his own joke, but Luna remains pensive, and clearly not enthused.

  “Yes, I know. But… you can’t really sit there forever right? That’d be crazy…”

  Onyx sighs. “Unfortunately, it’s not all that crazy. I’m taking over for Zephyr, remember? And he didn’t exactly have a social life beyond this chair, so why would I get to?”

  “But you’re the Head Guide! That is your job…”

  “Was my job. Now apparently, my job is sitting here, doing nothing for all eternity.” Onyx looks down at his feet, since he hates letting Luna see him cry.

  Luna moves a couple paces closer to him, but then stops herself before she accidentally touches him or the throne. This new arrangement is destroying them, and neither of them can escape.

  “Well, I still love you, Onyx. I always will. And I’m happy, at least we had the time together on Earth that we did. We’ll always have… the memories…” Now Luna begins to openly sob, and Onyx is enraged that he cannot get down off of his throne and comfort her the way he has, even since day one of her existence.

  “Luna, this is utterly ridiculous. I will get off of here, someday, somehow.”

  “But you’ll put the entire Upperworld in jeopardy! Besides, you couldn’t get off of there even if you wanted to - you are literally stuck.”

  “I know, but I have to. I absolutely have to. I cannot live like this.

  Luna nods, but she frowns, because she cannot think of any possible solution to fix their problem. It is an unfixable dilemma, and even if he could get off that chair, Onyx would do the right thing and stay, because he always puts the good of humanity before himself. He always has, and he always will.

  “Onyx. Onyx!” Luna turns around to see Griffin running down the Grand Hall toward the throne room. His excited voice bounces off of the bare stone surfaces of the columns and ornate decor.

  “Hello, Griffin. What can I do for you?” Onyx tries to smile, but this business of faking it is destroying him inside. Very soon, he worries he’ll become as stoic and cold as Zephyr was.

  “Onyx! You are never going to believe this, but I think I can help you!”

  His bright blue eyes widen, but he is loathe to get his own hopes up. “Help me… what?”

  “I think I can let you get off the chair without putting the realms in danger!”

  Onyx frowns and shakes his head. “That’s impossible, Griffin. Although I appreciate your attempt, that’s very thoughtful of you.”

  “No, I mean I actually have a way. I’ve already worked it all out and everything.”

  Luna looks over to Griffin. “Seriously? Please don’t tease me, I just can’t handle it if you are.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got it. Allow me to explain. Actually, Evander, get in here!”

  Evander saunters into the Grand Hall upon Griffin’s signal, and he carries with him a digital sketch board with some thoughts mapped out on it. “Hello, Onyx. Hope you’ve enjoyed the throne, but we’re about to get you off of it.”

  “I sincerely hope you can.” The mock enthusiasm drips from Onyx’s lips.

  “Oh, we will. It’s as simple as this.” Evander sets the digital board in front of Onyx and Luna. “It was your idea, Griffin, after all. Why don’t you do the honors?”

  Griffin cannot hide the smile creeping onto his face. “Okay! So basically, the reason Onyx is stuck on the throne and untouchable is because the life force current is flowing through him - the power source for him as the Most High Being. However, we are looking to create sort of a wireless set up, so that the current stays in the chair, and Onyx can continue to produce the orbs remotely.”

  “Does that mean I can hug him again?”

  Evander rolls his eyes, but smiles. “Yes, Luna. You can go back to business as usual as soon as it’s all set.

  “Wait a second here. This all seems far too good to be true. How in the Upperworld do you intend to pull this off?”

  Griffin smiles. “By going back into your past. The answers we need are in your past.”

  “There isn’t much to tell, I’ve just been a Head Guide here, you know that.”

  “No, not that past. I mean the past before that past.”

  Onyx and Luna exchange confused glances. Evander steps slightly closer to explain.

  “We’re talking about what happened before any of that. That’s right, we are going back to Earth year 1790 to visit your mother.”

  Onyx’s face blushes bright red, and he looks down at his feet in embarrassment. “I didn’t know you knew the extent of that, Griffin.”

  Evander chimes in to explain. “I told him, I am a record keeper, after all. I figured you wouldn’t mind, since it might just be the thing to set you free without causing the entire Upperworld to descend into the Underworld.” Evander scratches the back of his neck, hoping he has not offended Onyx, but their friendship extends far beyond the formality that Onyx has had to recently adopt.

  “Okay, so what good is that going to accomplish?”

  “That’s simple. Your tie to the life-force current is linked to your pre-Upperworld past, because part of your qualifications for the position involve a link to Earth, which in your case, is your humanoid-conception. If we can trace back the exact moment your history changed -”

  Griffin cuts in. “- in this case, that could be the moment your mother decided to abort you, then we can take that snapshot
of history and input that into the system. This is what we would call a ‘major turning point’ - it is like a key to sort of ‘break the rules’, so to speak. There is a lot of power in that one moment.”

  “Okay, so say you find the exact moment. Then what do you do?”

  Evander smiles. “Then we pause time momentarily, just long enough to input the time coordinates into the main system of the Upperworld’s processing system. And just like that, you’ll be free. The orbs will keep flowing, but you can lead a more normal life, maybe even be a guide again, if you want to.”

  Onyx and Luna exchange a knowing look, and neither of them can hide the smiles on their faces.

  “This sounds…” Luna pauses to find the right word, and Onyx finishes for her.

  “… amazing. Let’s try it.”

  Explore a forbidden past to find the moment that will set him free…

  The Rise of Onyx

  The conclusion to

  The Upperworld Series

  Coming Fall 2018

  Exclusive First Look:

  Luna’s calm footfalls fill the acoustics of the Grand Hall, where Onyx has been charged with the responsibility of producing enough orbs to keep the entire human population from dying out. She approaches him, smiling, despite his extreme boredom and feelings of utter despondency.

  “Hello, Onyx.”

  He lifts his head up from where it was resting on the back of the throne, and looks down at her with weary, eyes not unlike a cloudy blue sky.

  “Hello, Luna.”

  She walks a bit closer to him, just reveling in his presence even though she must stay far away from the current that runs through him now. A silence loaded with desperation fills the space between them, as the human portions of their hybrid forms become desperate for each other.

  “How is… everything here going?” She motions to the area around the throne, but Onyx understands that she means everything in the Sorting room, as well as the orb production.

  “Just fine, I think. I’m new at this, but I am also getting quite tired of it.”

  Luna tilts her head slightly. “You’re tired? I thought you don’t get tired anymore, because of the current? At least, that’s what you told me before.”

  Onyx shakes his head. “Well, I don’t get physically tired anymore, perhaps that is what I meant. Sitting here, and not really doing anything, is quickly wearing on me.”

  Luna nods, and frowns sadly. “Well, it’s important, what you’re doing, you know. You saved all of us.”

  Onyx sighs. “I know, but I do wish I had the chance to make that choice on my own. I was volunteered to do this, and even though I didn’t know what I was getting into and didn’t really want to, there was not time to find a suitable replacement before the entire Upperworld would be sucked into the portal.”

  “Well, I think you are amazing. I really do.”

  “That makes one of us.”

  Luna takes a step closer to the throne.

  “Not too close Luna, I’m dangerous. Don’t forget that. I could not live with myself if I….” He cannot even bring himself to finish that sentence, but he counters with another one instead. “No wonder Zephyr always seemed so cold. This is a miserable existence.”

  “Maybe it’s worse for you because you are part humanoid.”

  Onyx nods. “It is possible. Although, I guess we’ll never truly know about Zephyr’s origin. Not that it matters now – he is long gone.”

  She hastily changes the subject before Onyx gets too upset again. “Well, Evander and Griffin are working to get you out of there, isn’t that exciting! There is so much to be grateful for, Onyx. I’m grateful for this. I’m grateful for the chance to have you back, even though nothing is guaranteed.”

  Onyx brushes a piece of his short blonde hair out of his eyes. “You and me both, Luna. Any day now, I am trying to remind myself I’ll be freed. But it is steadily getting harder and harder to fully believe that.”

  “I understand, I really do. But you have to stay positive, please? Can you do that, at least for me?” Luna is not accustomed to being the stronger one – as long as she has existed, it has always been Onyx to make her stronger and keep her safe. Now it is her turn to do the same for him, and she’s not used to the responsibility it holds.

  “I’m going to try, Luna. That’s the best I can say about that right now. Beyond that, I really don’t know.” He runs his hand through his bleach-blonde hair and sighs again.

  “Whatever happens, we’ll at least be able to say we tried.”

  “That is true, but oh my pod I really do hope it works. I can’t do this forever. I just can’t.”

  Special thanks to my very talented friend Joel for helping me polish up that epic fight scene between Onyx and Seth! Couldn’t have done it without you 

  Angelina Singer is a college student studying English, Music, and of course, Creative Writing. In her spare time she enjoys crocheting, and mentoring younger music students at a local music store where she has been studying guitar for nearly a decade. She views her writing as a way to simultaneously escape from and embrace reality, especially through the twisted labyrinth of a dystopian setting as seen in The Upperworld Series.

  Facebook: @AngelinaSingerAuthor

  Blog: angelinasingerauthor.wordpress.com

  Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angelina-Singer/e/B0743ZF23N/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

  Book one of the Upperworld Series: The Sorting Room

  Who decides where we are born and who we love? Luna is an immortal entity in the Upperworld learning how to assign human souls to the body and life they’re intended for. Onyx is her mentor and guide there, teaching her everything she needs to know about assigning souls and dispatching them to Earth. Everything goes well until Luna’s friend makes a major mistake and Luna is sent to Earth after covering for her. In her absence, an unbelievable secret is revealed that changes everything she thought she knew about how the world works. Will Luna survive long enough on Earth to fix things? Or will she succumb to the pressures and pitfalls of living life as a human girl before the entire system unravels?

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546936637/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

  Available now on Amazon in paperback and digitally for Kindle!

  Reviews are greatly appreciated.

  Also by Angelina Singer…

  JUST LIKE A PILL

  When Scarlett gets a sinus infection the week before Homecoming, she never knew that she would be plunged deep into a tangled mess involving the hunky guitar player, Maxx, who goes to her school. She quickly develops a mysterious side effect that appears to cause Maxx to be instantly attracted to her. With her health-freak fashionista friend Izzy by her side, Scarlett searches desperately to find answers about the sketchy "antibiotics" that she took to combat her symptoms. The time clock is set to one week, and between dodging the fiendish escapades of the high school "it-girl" who dates Maxx, as well as the feeble advances of nerdy Greg, Scarlett has to figure out what's real and what's not before anyone she cares about gets hurt.

  ALSO AVAILABLE on Amazon and Kindle! Any reviews would be great!

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1533537941/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1