Fledgling: Book 1 (Afterlife) (14 page)

I look deep into his eyes. It pains me as I say, “I have to.” I have already gone too far.

He reaches out a hand and lightly grabs my chin, pulling me forward. He leans in and brings his soft lips to mine. I can’t breathe. My body is weighted to the spot as I allow his lips to explore mine. I welcome each gentle movement and inquisitive touch. My parted lips taste his flavour after so long — how I have missed his touch. This is making the necessary parting more difficult.
 

To the side, I see Blue step forward. I raise my hand toward him in a stop motion and give him a look begging for understanding. Surprisingly he stops, but not willingly. He crosses his arms over his bare chest so tight his Pecs bulge.

Ignoring Blue’s disapproval, I turn my attention back to Ethan. Tears are now rolling down my face as I struggle with the internal battle that I know I must overcome. With my eyes open, I reach my hands up to his face, gently embracing each side of his head. I caress my fingers through his short, light brown hair and feel the lump in my throat grow. I miss him already. Fighting against my will, I softly drag my palm over his forehead and my other palm behind his head, gently pulling up. As a warm sensation runs through my front palm, I watch his eyelids fly open. Panic is in his eyes as I begin the process of wiping his memory.

- Chapter Thirteen -

Standing together under a nearby tree, invisible, Blue and I watch as Ethan gathers his thoughts on the ground where I left him. Tears are still pouring down my face. We watch silently. He looks completely lost and confused, assessing how he arrived on the grass in the first place. After a few minutes, he rises and dusts off his pants and walks back to the store shaking his head.

If my heart were chocolate, it would be a melted mess right now. I want to be alone, but I can feel Blue’s eyes on me.
 

“What was that?” His tone is harsh, and it makes me cringe.
 

I need a hug, but sensing Blue’s mood, I know this is not going to happen. I am gathering my thoughts when he starts again.
 

“What are you doing checking up on your past life?”

My heart is torn, and my head is a mass of torment. I am not in a mood to have this discussion, so I walk away. I hear the whoosh of his wings behind me.
 

“What you did was too far. It is bad enough for you to break the rules for believing that our victims may change for the better. But for you to go out of your way to check up on your past love . . . is . . . is . . . beyond ludicrous.” His voice has escalated to a yell. There are people going to and from their cars, but they cannot hear us when we are invisible and speaking to one another.
 

I spin around to face him. “What’s it got to do with you?” I hiss. “I told you to leave me with it so that you wouldn’t get involved. Besides, it is because of you that Ethan caught me. I would have been able to check in on him without him knowing.” I wave my arms aggressively at him. “What is it with you and sticking your nose in my business?” I place my hands on my hips and stand firm.
 

“I am trying to protect you,” he protests.
 

“I don’t need protection?” I snap. “And I don’t need you getting into trouble because you keep getting messed up in my business.”

“Don’t you get it? We are no longer part of this life.” His voice softens. “We have to rely on each other and your friendship in our world means everything to me.” His eyes have turned a deeper shade of blue. He steps forward.

I drop my guard a little. I can’t stay angry with him for long. I let my arms fall. “I just needed that time alone.” My voice drops to a saddened level. “My last mission was saving Ethan’s little brother. I just had to see him.” I choke out the words. “I had to see if he was okay.”

Blue steps closer and reaches out. He grabs my hand and pulls me to him. Hesitantly, I let my legs stumble forward, and I fall into his embrace. Instantly his warmth makes its way to my heart and comforts me. He holds my head against his bare chest and strokes my hair. “You worry me,” he whispers.
 

“Yeah, well you worry me coming and getting involved in my mess.” I remain snuggled against his skin, enjoying the comfort I am receiving from him.
 

After a while, he pushes me back slightly and looks at me. “What was it he called you? Aurora?”

I roll my eyes. “There you go again, getting yourself into trouble because of me. You know I am not supposed to tell you.”

He smirks. “So your name was Aurora?”
 

I sigh then nod.
 

His eyes pass over my clothes and wings, and he says, “It suits you. It suits you even now.”

I smile and shake my head. “Well, you know we can’t have you as the only one in trouble. What was your name?”

“Guess.” He lets me go.

I look at him weirdly. “Yeah, sure.” The sarcasm is thick in my voice. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, guess.” He is smirking.

I shake my head. “Don’t blame me if I pick ones you don’t like.”

He shrugs.

“Timothy?” He shakes his head. “Andy?”

“No.”

“Stephen?” He shakes his head again. “Jayden?”
 

“No.” He throws his head back.
 

“Please don’t tell me it was Michael. That would make you seem so sombre.” I smile.

“No, I am not named after Archangel Michael.”

“Whew!” I wipe my brow mockingly. "Ethan?" He rolls his eyes. “Reginald?” The look on his face makes me laugh. “Hey, you made me guess.”

He shakes his head. “Yeah, stupid me thinking you would be smart enough to guess.” He cocks an eyebrow. “My name is Ben.”

“Really?”

“Why? What’s wrong with that?” He begins to cross his arms.

“Oh, relax.” I reach forward and uncross his arms. “It is nice to finally meet you Ben. It’s only been about seven months. Now we are both rebels.”

“Speak for yourself.”
 

I shrug. “What do you think Yellow’s name was?”

“I don’t know. Cindy?” He smirks.

“Cindy,” I muse. “It suits her. It’s a shame we can’t call her that."
 

“Come on, we have to get back. If we hurry, maybe Archangel Michael will not dig into this part after our mission.”

I nod. “Maybe we should skip the flying and teleport back.” I suggest.
 

“Great idea. That’ll save some time.”

I cast a final glance around looking to see if Ethan is around, hoping for a final glimpse before I leave. I can’t see him. I wonder if he will remember any part of what happened. I shake my head. It's better if he doesn’t. I teleport back to base before Blue, rather Ben, starts to ask more questions.
 

When I arrive Yellow is there, and I appear right next to her. “Hey, you,” I say throwing an arm around her shoulder.
 

She jumps and holds a hand to her heart. “Oh, you startled me.”

I smile. “Missed you. What have you been up to?”

“Missed you—” she jumps again.

Ben appears less than a metre in front of her. “Hey. Cin—Yellow.”

I lift my hand up to my mouth hiding my smile.
 

“You guys seem chirpy today. And you always seem to arrive together.” She lifts her eyebrows. “You’re not up to mischief again are you? ’Cause you know your trip to the headquarters has been the roaring conversation here. What happened?”
 

“We were sent to the abyss,” I lower my voice. The reminder is already dampening my mood.

“Really?” She squeaks.
 

I nod. “Yes, even Blue. He finished my job for me, and he got in trouble too. Take note, you can’t finish someone else’s work. It’s not allowed.”

She picks up on my mood. “Sorry sweetie. It looks as though I have brought up bad memories.” She squeezes my shoulder in a gesture to comfort.

“No, it’s okay. I would be curious too.” I try to sound reassuring. “I doubt Archangel Michael would tell you much.”
 

“Ha, ha! Mr tight-lipped himself. So, what was it like?”

“Horrible,” I say. “I haven’t had a chance to ask Blue yet.” I look at Blue.

“Yeah, no. I wouldn’t recommend it,” he answers. “I wasn’t in there as long, but I can imagine it being very hard to be in there for a long time. I think you would go insane. There is no one to talk to, nothing to see. You float around in total darkness.” Hearing him describe it surfaces the guilty feeling again. I am the reason he was in there, yet he acts as though it was not my fault.
 

Yellow screws up her nose. “Sounds as horrible as the archangel's promise. I bet you’re not in a hurry to break any more rules.” She laughs.

Ben and I sneak a look at each other.
 

After a moment, I answer, “Ah . . . yeah.”

She stops laughing and looks at me. “You haven’t broken the rules again have you?”

I look at Ben again, and he answers for me. “You will be happy to know that she completed her mission this time. I didn’t have to finish it for her.”

“That’s awesome. That must be a relief for you to come back after a successful mission.”

“Uh-huh!” I say.
 

She turns and looks at me while smiling. She opens her mouth to say something when she falters. Noticing that she is gazing past us, I turn to see what has her attention. Standing right behind me is Archangel Gabriel. The archangel’s blue gown flows softly to the ground and the white wings frame the slightly darker blue from the clear sky. My mouth drops open for a moment.
 

“Archangel Gabriel,” I say.

“You know him, um her?” Yellow whispers in my ear as though an archangel would not be able to hear.
 

“Yes, that’s right,” Archangel Gabriel answers for me not using a condemning tone, in the voice that is not masculine or feminine. “We had the unfortunate circumstance of a meeting at headquarters. Didn’t we sweethearts?” The archangel turns to look at Ben and I, the blue eyes kind.

I look sideways feeling a little guilty and see Ben look to the ground.
 

“And as for him or her,” Archangel Gabriel continues, turning the handsome face to Yellow. “Archangels are technically androgynous. How we choose to appear to you or humans is up to us. Being more open-minded, I choose to leave that up to you.”

“Ah,” Yellow says, for once short on words. Her eyes gaze over the archangel’s blonde curly hair.
 

I remembered how Archangel Gabriel didn’t want to send us to the abyss and look up. “It is good to see you, but how come you are here and not Archangel Michael?”

“Oh yes, that’s right. He is currently in the middle of a battle and cannot make it here today.”

“What?” we all ask at once.
 

“I know. It’s so shocking. Right?” A mock frown creases Archangel Gabriel’s ageless brow. “You do know he is the great warrior and leader of all the angels, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” Ben says. “We are just used to having him around. He has never missed training or giving out a mission.”

“Well, unfortunately, the demons are getting stronger, and he is leading the archangels against them to squash them before their strength increases.”

“Don’t you go?” I ask.

“Oh, honey, I’m not into that stuff.” Archangel Gabriel tilts a hand at me. “I prefer to be the bearer of inspiration and creativity, not war.”

Once mentioned, I realise how much it makes sense.
 

Archangel Gabriel continues, “But what they do is critical. It's another reason what you do is important and essential to keeping the demons’ strength down.”

“What do you mean?” From my personal beliefs over the conscience inserting, I am hungry for the truth behind it. “How does what we do help fight demons?”

“Oh, that’s right. You are all too new to know about why inserting the new conscience is so important.” Archangel Gabriel places a broad, almost hairless hand up to their chin and rubs it lightly. “Normally we wouldn’t tell you yet, but maybe it will help you to make the right choice when it comes to finishing your mission.” This sentence finishes while looking at me.
 

“Maybe,” I add not making any promises, but itching for the reason. The archangels and their traditions and secrets, I think to myself. They need to catch up with the times and realise that our generation likes to have full access to knowledge so we can make clear decisions. “Can you tell us, please?”

Archangel Gabriel casts a brief glance around the small group and sighs. “Okay. But I hope it helps you to make the right decision. Each time you insert a conscience, you injure the demon that has made the person evil. The injury weakens it and its cause, by flushing them out of another host."

“I knew it!” I exclaim. “I knew there had to be something that made these people evil, especially when they had good in their past.”
 

“Yes it is true, but we have to enforce this ruling.” Archangel Gabriel’s eyes are already studying me with a worried look, so I decide to pull back my excitement of the knowledge. “One of the reasons that you are punished when you do not do this is because you give the demon a chance to remain and grow stronger. It is a shame when the humans do not handle the guilt from their actions when their conscience is removed.”