Winter's Fall

by Alessandra Jay

  “I’ve got just the room for you. And I will help you myself.”

  Claire puts her hands on my shoulders and leads me forward, towards the back end of the shop. The girls follow us as they sip their drinks, which reminds me that I have one myself. I drink the orange beverage, then pull it away from my mouth with my lips pursed from the taste.

  “Have you never had a mimosa?” Victoria giggles at my side as she watches my face.

  It isn't so bad of a taste, I was just surprised it wasn't normal orange juice. But then again, we are in Eden. Now that I know this drink can help me relax, I chug the entire glass. Claire laughs and flicks her wrist, refilling mine. But I just sip this one.

  We stop in front of a purple door with the number 27 over the top and it slides open for us to walk through. I enter first and instantly become confused because there isn't much to look at. A small round platform is the only thing that furnishes the large room.

  Around the platform are pillows of all sizes scattered throughout the floor. My entourage head straight over to the pillows and throw themselves on the floor encircling the raised stage. Claire stands next to the stage and raises her hand to motion for me to take my place in the middle.

  Reluctantly, as I step up onto the platform, I awkwardly look around at the beautiful faces I get to call family. They all smile up at me, which eases my nerves. But still, I feel like I'm on display. Claire summons a small remote to her hands and asks me a question I don't know how to answer yet.

  “Scarlet, when you close your eyes, what is it about the ceremony you wish to see? I can see your sister has the planning covered, but for the dress’ sake, I’d like to get a vision started.” As I’m trying to comprehend in my mind what she’s saying, I look down at my feet, uncertain what to say.

  “I know it’s weird, but just close your eyes and tell us what you see. It’s worth it, I promise.” Demi mind speaks to me at the perfect moment.

  Just when I was going to request another drink, she calmed me herself. Doing as she says, I close my eyes and I picture that day. Evan’s handsome face is all I see. Nothing else holds my attention.

  “So…what do you see?” Nova impatiently asks.

  “Um, Evan. All I see is Evan.” I answer honestly. The girls giggle at my innocence.

  “Your love for him is evident. Try to zoom out, slowly. Start with his outfit, then move forward.” Claire tries to talk me through it.

  So I keep my eyes closed and I follow her voice. In my mind, Evan is smiling at me from the altar. His eyes look wet from fresh tears and there’s not a sliver of doubt in his expression.

  Looking at Evan in his full attire, he looks like a model in his tailored tux, dashing white shirt and bowtie. From his lapel hangs a beautiful silver snowdrop flower. Immediately I know what I want.

  “Snowdrops.” Is all I say. Belle squeals from her seat and claps with glee.

  “Beautiful. Any details? Color? Indoor/outdoor?” Claire pushes for more.

  “White and silver.” I can't give her anymore information because I stop myself from seeing more once I see the snowdrops.

  I refocus my concentration with my eyes closed and try to envision more. The image of Evan shows clear as day and I turn my head to look around. We are inside, but the decor is forest-like. I figure that might be enough.

  “An indoor forest is what I see.” And lucky for me, it is enough.

  Claire clicks a few buttons on her remote and, before our eyes, the entire scenery of the room changes. The girls sit still on the now grassy floor as they look around with bright eyes, admiring the changing view. The walls are now draped with vines covered in snowdrops, some white and some silver.

  “That should do. Now we can find the perfect dress to go with your scenery.” Claire presses another button on her remote and a group of holographic dresses materialize and slide down from the ceiling.

  “Tell me your three favorite from this group.” Claire watches me as I ponder this tough decision.

  I pick my favorite three and she clicks again. Another group replaces the first and I pick my favorite three. We do it twice more until I have a handful of my favorites.

  I look up and they are all hanging high above our heads in a tidy line. Suddenly the first dress falls gracefully towards my body. Unsure of what is going on, I feel apprehensive and I squeeze my eyes closed, anticipating what might happen next. I hear a few oohs and ahhs from the girls. I slowly open my eyes and see a large mirror has been placed directly in front of me. The first dress has replaced my original clothing and the hologram fits around my body.

  It looks gorgeous as the tulle flurries all around me. But as I look at myself, I can’t picture it being THE dress. With a single shake of my head, Claire clicks for the next dress.

  We get to dress ten and I finally see fireworks. Everything about it looks perfect - the fit, the length, the material. I can tell every person in the room has fallen in love with it. If only it wasn't a halter top.

  “I just wish it had long lace sleeves instead.”

  After trying on so many dresses, I feel like I finally understand the language and the process. With another click of her remote, we watch the dress redesign itself while it’s still on my body. The moment I see my reflection, it takes my breath away.

  When I close my eyes again, it is what I am wearing standing across from Evan. It felt real before, but now it feels surreal to be so close to happening.

  With tears in her eyes, Demi answers for me. “We’ll take it.”

  Chapter 33

  Village Heartache

  Floating on a cloud is an understatement after the day that I had. First a Dimitri breakfast and then I find my perfect dress. It’s just all going so smoothly, which is something that feels rare and foreign to me now.

  After we leave the dress shop, Demi interlocks her arm with mine and walks by my side the rest of the way to the estate. With the new information about my vision of the ceremony, she wants to make all of my dreams come true. So as I convey all of the details I saw with my eyes closed, she meticulously jots them down in her binder.

  I’ve seen countless amounts of romance movies, so I have some idea of how much work goes into planning a wedding. But now that it's mine that I'm planning, it surprises me how much orchestrating is actually required to have each individual phase of the wedding come together as one. I'm overwhelmed from all the planning and I'm really not doing much.

  Demi has completely taken over, for which I’m grateful. Now that we have so many things confirmed, it’s going to happen much sooner than we expected.

  Since we came back, Evan has been glued to my side. The girls don't want to ruin the surprise of my dress, so they just gush about how I looked in it. Evan’s curiosity is clear on his face and I can tell by the way he has stuck to me that he’s just as anxious and excited as I am for us to seal our bond.

  It seems that the romantic atmosphere is contagious because Demi said goodbye and left right away to be with Silas, and all anyone can talk about is love. It’s a nice change from all of the chaos that has been following us. As the enthusiasm of love flows throughout the room, Hunter and Owen gravitate closer and closer to each other. It isn't until they are sitting side by side that Owen jumps up with a purpose from where he sat on the floor.

  “I can’t keep this hidden any longer. Hunter, I love you and I want everyone to know it.”

  There isn't a sound in the room as everyone watches Hunter stand up slowly with wide eyes. We all await her reaction. When she steps up to Owen, she places each hand on the side of his face and presses her lips against his and we finally let out the breath we are all holding. They got a fair amount of ‘awws,’ and everyone seems surprised.

  Although I'm not sure why, since Owen and Hunter have constantly been flirting here and there and their attraction towards each other was always evident. And yet, we still can't believe they declared their love for each other in front of the whole group.

  Hunter has a smile from ear
to ear and I’m sure her cheeks will be stained red for the rest of the day. I am overjoyed to pass over the attention to her and Owen. The whole day was exciting, but it exhausted me.

  The beautiful moment Owen and Hunter gave us was just the break I needed to take everything that happened today and put into perspective how my life is changing. Now, as we get ready to sit down for dinner, I feel refreshed and, for once, numb to the issues that face us in the mortal world. Although a trickle of guilt follows me because I know there are important things for me to be doing.

  But as everyone keeps telling me, I can’t lose myself in all of the turmoil that has come into my life, along with my new titles. I refuse to. I have people in my life that surround me with love, and that’s all I need. They’re all I need. If there was only a way to ensure their protection.

  The minute the thought leaves my head, Evan and Ava’s phones ring at the same time. The way the entire room immediately silence is enough proof that something is wrong and we all know it. I can feel it. I can feel it in my being.

  Both of them hang up just as fast as they answered. I look at Evan and can see he has gone pale in the face. Immediately all of my defenses raise and it’s killing me not knowing what happened.

  “Salem Village is under attack. Derek…he’s hurt. They need help from the Light Coven. Go.” The urgency in Ava’s voice is enough for us to get moving. Now that we have the location and enough detail, we are set to go.

  As we rush out of the estate, I try not to be obvious when I check Evan over. He hasn't said a word since finding out his cousin is hurt, and I don't blame him for the concern that’s showing on his face. I'm afraid to even speculate what condition Derek is in. I want nothing more than to get there as quickly as we can so we can help in whatever way possible.

  Evan seems like he has tunnel vision for the portal. He takes the lead and races to the tree and, without a look back, he jumps through. I go next and the rest of the crew follow. Evan doesn't make a move until each one of us gets through. When we finally do, he spins to give us the plan.

  “We need to stick together. No matter what. Remember our training and our positions of attack. That’s how we’ll approach the perimeter. That’s how we will move. We weren't given much on what or who is attacking them, but whatever we find, let’s kick ass. We got this!

  Scarlet, the second you see Derek, make sure you're clear to get to him and use your new healing gift to cure his wounds. I'm certain Charlie is already in the fight, so if she needs backup, we go together.” With a single nod, he turns back around and summons his katanas.

  He checks around the corner and raises his arm halfway up to signal it’s clear. Like a wave, we all summon our weapons and run against the walls to get to the Village.

  As we get to the corner, we hear crashing and loud grunts coming from the enemy. I can’t help but remember the first time I saw a demon and how afraid I was. Now I'm here, ready to take as many as I can on myself.

  I am confident and eager to protect our people, until I see Evan’s face. For a split second, panic is clear in his eyes. They’re wide and he can't look any one of us in the eyes. Even if it is just for a second, it still causes a hesitation in my resolve.

  “Argali demons are not easy to exterminate. We have to be precise when striking it directly in the heart. If you're off your mark, all you'll do is piss it off even more than it already is. And you don’t want that. Still, we stick to the plan.” Evan spins around and begins our engagement into the fight.

  Immediately all of my senses focus on my surroundings, and it seems as if everything around me has slowed down. I look around to assess the damage as everything stays in slow motion. The demons are bigger than I remember seeing before, and the mean and grotesque look on their faces turns my stomach.

  Charlie is in midair with an Argali’s head in her fist and her bloody ethereal sword in the other. Her wings are spread out behind her, showing that she’s a force to be reckoned with and making her look like the warrior angel she is. Lucas is below her feet, standing on the Argali's headless body with his dagger raised, pointing to his next victim. Blood drips off of his blade, puddling on the dead demon’s chest.

  Mack is hunched over Derek with a staph on her back. A red and black tint gleams on the ends of her weapon and my heart beats proudly, realizing she’s been fighting as well. There are casters I don't recognize that are in the fight to defeat this attack and I make a mental note to personally thank them for their courage.

  Someone is tending to Derek as one of the guards stands over them to ensure they don't get ambushed as they wait for our arrival. The guard is the first to notice our presence and raises his hand to point at our coven to let Mack know that help has arrived. Like a line on a map, I see the best way to get to Derek so I can heal him and get him back in the fight with us.

  With my angel speed and my heightened senses guiding me, I know I can make it to him without being stopped. I seem to be the only one able to move at full speed, while everyone and everything is moving at one quarter of how fast I am. I’m perplexed because I didn't place this cast. I refocus and take one step in Derek's direction, when an evil cackle echoes through a nearby alley. All while the fighting still goes on in slow motion

  “Well, well. How nice of you to join the party. It sure feels good to be free from that cell.”

  I knew the voice before I saw her face. Lenora’s shadow shows itself first. And even that looks like it’s dripping with malice. I don't want to give her the satisfaction of me reacting in a loud and dramatic way, like she expects me to.

  Instead, I stay quiet and let her say her spiel. Someone like her likes the sound of their own voice and will use any chance given. While she runs her mouth, I’ll try to tend to Derek.

  “You think you're the only one learning new things, Scarlet? This time cast is my new favorite ability. I can practically do whatever I want. To whomever I want. And by the time they realize it, it’s too late. And it’s all thanks to blood.”

  Her laugh sends a shiver through my entire body. All I want to do is drive my dagger into her chest. For everything she did to Dimitri, Mack, me, and especially Charlie.

  “You're not the only one with an angel on your side. Except, we have way more than one. And they come with ancient books, books that have shown us just how far our power can really excel. So before you try to do something stupid, remember my warning.” With a few clacks of her heels, Lenora finally shows her face.

  While she stays by the alley, keeping her distance, I can still feel her power. She was right about something, her power has grown. But she has no idea how much more evil it has grown, as well. It seeps off of her power, causing me to want to gag.

  “So my brother said I can play a little game with you. You know, so I can evaluate our little competition. And you have no idea how I happy I was to hear that I can do anything I want, push you as far as I want to, without a single care in the world. Not that I would enjoy something like that in the first place.” Another evil cackle leads me to take a step away from her.

  “Oh, little new blood, you have no idea just how afraid you should be. And I'm not even talking about today. The future looks very…bleak for you. Anyway, let’s get things straight, ‘cause I'm already bored.

  Your friend Derek over there has about 90 seconds left before his soul leaves his body. But your scrumptious beau, Evan, is about to get punctured right in the back. As you can see, he’s letting his fury fight this battle.

  Not very smart for such a high-ranked warrior. The Argali demon that’s about to take his life has been instructed to give him 90 seconds before he does his job. You can save one. And one only.”

  She snaps her fingers and a White Russian drink pops into her hand, while a lawn chair appears by her side. With a wicked smile she takes her seat, crosses her legs, and takes a sip of Dimitri’s favorite drink. My blood boils at the personal touch she gave this situation.

  “Oh, just one more thing to up the ante. I’m going
to sit here the entire time sipping my drink. You have one chance to bind me and take me back to good old Eden. But the clock is only going to give you 90 seconds to coincide with your other options. What’s most important to you, chosen one?”

  She clicks her pointy nails against the wood on the chair’s armrest. With a shriek of a laugh, everything around me returns to its normal pace. Giving me absolutely no time to think of a plan.

  “Charlie, Lenora is playing a game with me. I have less than 90 seconds to do…well, a lot. Try to capture her. She’s in the alley to the left.”

  I don't have time to see if Charlie received my message because I am now relying on my angel abilities to help me do what I need to in order to save both Evan and Derek. Without hesitation, I race towards Evan with my dagger in my hand. In the few seconds it takes me to get there, I grasp my dagger in both hands and focus on making it bigger.

  For the first time in a long time, I let my power free so whatever casting I need to do gets done faster without me concentrating on my action. Instantly the dagger in my hand grows before my eyes to a large and majestic sword. I raise the sword over my head and pierce the demon behind Evan directly in the heart.

  Lenora stands up from her comfortable viewing chair fuming. Again, without hesitation, I use whatever I can to get to Derek as fast as I can. I flip and use an Argali demon to jump off. When I get to the vicinity where Derek is, I untuck and throw myself at him.

  Mack is pissed at the demons that hurt Derek, so she leaves my side and joins the fight again. But I have no time to worry about her combative skills. I place my hands over his wound and urge my healing power to work faster.

  Derek’s bleeding stops immediately, but the wound is taking longer to close up. The color is returning to his face as the cut continues to heal. When his eyes flutter open, I know in my heart the healing power is working.