Rebirth - The Beautiful Fallen (26 page)

             
Chris shrugged.  “Maybe not.  Maybe you’re just gaining some weight from Zane’s cooking.” he said.  It was probably a joke, but I still didn’t like it.

             
“Not funny.  Don’t ever call a girl fat, even if you’re joking.” I protested.

             
Chris chuckled to himself.  “Sorry.  You know I have a bad habit of saying whatever's on my mind.  But seriously, what were you so worried about earlier?  I don't think you could've looked like that if it was just from your arm hurting.  Besides, I'm sure it's healing enough now to wear the pain's practically gone.  But you looked like someone had died or something when you were standing there.” he said.

             
I looked down, thinking again of the strange visions I’d had earlier.  What could they have meant?  Could they really have been a premonition?  In spite of myself, I found myself voicing my fears.  “Hey Chris, you don’t think something bad is going to happen to us soon, do you?” I asked him.

             
For a moment, Chris was quiet.  “Why do you ask all of sudden?” he finally replied.

             
“Well, I was sitting there doing my hair earlier, and I had this weird thing happen to me.  It was like visions or something.  But I don’t have the first clue as to what they could’ve meant.  And they kind of scared me, so I thought it might have been better if I came looking for you.” I explained.

             
“I see.” Chris said.  He quietly hugged me close.  “Maybe they were visions of something coming.  But you don’t have to be afraid.  We’re not going to leave you.”

             
I closed my eyes, enjoying the closeness.  In a way, I was thanking Norma now.  If she hadn’t done what she had, Chris and I probably wouldn’t have gotten as close as we had.  Maybe everything did happen for a reason after all.  Even a bad injury.

             
“By the way, there is something else I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” Chris added.

             
I opened my eyes, moving over some as I sat up to face him.  “What?” I asked.

             
Chris quietly reached up and took my pendant in his hand, closing his fingers around it so that we couldn't see it.  “I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to take this this necklace off now.  It might be a good source of protection if something did actually happen.  It seems like it was with Norma.  And after that, I think we both know that Saffron is more than willing to step in where he has to.  But while I’m saying this about him, I think there’s something else you might want to consider too.” He said.

             
It was funny, but I didn’t think I’d ever seen Chris look quite like this before.  He actually seemed a little bit conflicted about something.  It made me wonder if I really wanted to hear what he had to say.  “What’s that?” I dared ask anyway.

             
Chris looked around for a moment, as if making sure that we wouldn’t be overheard.  Then, he looked back at the pendant he was still holding tightly in his hand.  “I know how new you are to all of this.  And maybe I haven’t exactly been doing the best I can for you either.  It’s stupid, but I think all three of us here have a tendency to protect others, no matter what we were born to.  And while I’ve never had brothers or sisters, Zane and Will have, so it makes a difference to them when it comes to you.  I know I’ve been hard on you with a lot of this, and I know how it scares you when you see things like you did with me and Will today.  But I also want you to understand that that’s just the way that things are in our world.  Even your closest friend can very easily become your enemy.  And even your own father as well.” He told me.

             
I just stared at him for a moment.  I didn’t think that anyone could’ve mistaken his words there.  Obviously, being born to Fallen Angels was dangerous in and of itself.  But then, you were mixing a human element in with them.  Just what could that breed at times?  “So you’re worried about Zane and Will after all?” I guessed.

             
“Well, it’s not just them.  Like I said, I’m also worried about Saffron himself.” Chris admitted.

             
“You are?” I said, feeling a little dumb now.  Although I could see where he’d probably say that, considering what he’d told me about Saffron before, something about the whole context of this felt odd somehow.

             
Chris seemed to think over his words before speaking again.  “Yeah.  I know what I told you before, and I know that you saw some of what happened between him and Jade.  But like I said, Saffron himself has a very psychotic personality.  I’ve thought about that a lot in the last day or so, and the more I do, the more I get worried.  I don’t think that he’d actually turn on you.   But I wouldn’t put it past him to try and use you for whatever he wants either.  So, for that, there’s something I want to do now.” He said.  As he looked back down at his hand, the pendant looked like it lit up a little, then faded.

             
After another moment of silence, Chris spoke again.  “There.  He can’t hear me.”

             
I felt myself nod.  “Okay.  So what’s so bad that you wouldn’t want him to hear you?  You didn’t seem that worried about it earlier.” I said.

             
“I wasn’t, because I know that he doesn’t care when I talk about him like that.  He never does.  But what I’m saying now is only between you and me, and I think it’s very important to say, because I may not always be around.” Chris replied.

             
“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly feeling nervous again.  I didn’t like him talking like that.

             
Chris seemed to catch onto my fears right away.  “Don’t worry.  I’m not planning on going anywhere.  But sometimes you can’t always predict things.  Either way, I know that I have to be careful about this with you because you’re so new.  And whether you like it or not, our fathers still control a good part of our lives.  You could say that they’re the ones who made us, so it allows them that little bit of control.  And with you meeting Will this early, I’m kind of worried about what Saffron might plan with it.  He’s way too interested in his presence.” He said.

             
“With me meeting Will?” I repeated.  Again, I thought about what Saffron had told me the day before.  If things didn't work out with Chris for some reason, then he wanted to place me with Will.  But he'd never said exactly why that was.  "So what's special about Will?  He doesn’t seem like he’s that different from you or Zane.  Although sometimes I keep thinking I see something weird with his eyes.  And I guess it is kind of weird that Saffron is so interested in him like he is too." I continued.

             
“Well, he does act pretty harmless.  But trust me, he's far from it.  I can't exactly tell you why that is right now, but just trust me on this.  When it comes down to it, Will can be more dangerous than any other Shadow Wing you'll ever meet.  You could say that it comes down to the bloodline or something like that.  But either way, he's gotten very close to you now.  And if Saffron's realized that, then he might try to use it to his advantage in some way.  He might even try to use you to get to him.” Chris explained.

             
Again, I thought of the odd red flecks that I’d seen in Will’s eyes earlier.  Was I just seeing things, or were they really there, hiding something much darker just under the surface?  The thought of this made me shiver slightly.  And for the first time, I began to doubt the kindness behind Will's smiles.  There was something not quite right about him.  And apparently, everyone knew about it but me.  But somehow, I couldn't make myself say too much to it either.  A part of me just didn’t want to know the truth at that moment.  So instead, I found myself considering Chris's words from that morning.  “So, it’s like you said before, keep your friends close and enemies closer.” I said.

             
Chris nodded.  “Yeah.  But don’t worry too much about it either.  I won’t let anything happen to you while I’m here.  And I won’t let Saffron use you either.  I’ll make sure that he doesn’t.” he promised me.

             
I felt myself smile.  "All right.  I trust you on that." I agreed. 

             
Chris leaned over and kissed me softly as he let the stone go again.  "You know, I mean what I'm saying with all of that.  I'll never let anything happen to you.  And I still feel bad about what happened last night.  Will was right about that.  I've always had a bad habit of letting my guard down when I get too comfortable in a fight.  And it could've gotten you killed last night." he admitted.

             
"I told you before that I'm not blaming you.  You did everything you could to protect me." I said.

             
"I know." Chris sighed, holding my bandaged arm carefully once again.  "But I still don't feel like I did enough.  I won't ever let this happen again.  I'll die before I let you get hurt like this again."

             
I was about to say something to that when both of us felt someone coming.  Looking back over towards the entrance to the porch, we saw Will opening the door.  "You know, it's getting late now.  What are you two still doing out here?" he asked.  He didn't seem the least bit concerned that he may have been interrupting something.

             
Chris frowned at him.  "None of your business.  You're being nosey again." he said.

             
Will just smiled at him, taking a seat in one of the chairs near us and crossing his legs.  "Perhaps your right.  But you know it's just in my nature.  Besides, I was meaning to check on how Ariana's arm is doing." he said.

             
"It feels a lot better.  At least I don't need the sling anymore." I said, looking back down at the bandages. 

             
"Good.  But let me take a look anyways.  Spider venom is very toxic, and it may be better if we made sure that it wasn't still in your skin.  I can tell a lot better than Zane can." Will told him.

             
"Yeah, I guess so." Chris reluctantly agreed. 

             
I couldn't say that I was that comfortable about that, especially considering what I'd just been hearing about Will, but I couldn't exactly refuse either.  So I held out my arm and let him unwarp it.  Then, he carefully removed the gauze over the wound.  I had to admit that it looked much better than it had that morning.  It was now scabbed over, and I didn't feel too much pain from it as he touched it.  Will himself looked rather pleased as he looked at it.  "Well, it does seem like Zane managed to get most of the venom out.  There's still a little bit in the scabbing here, but nothing I can't remove easily now." he said.

             
To my surprise, he held up a hand over the scab, and as I watched, the black in it slowly seeped out and burned into his hand.  "How'd you do that?" I asked in disbelief.

             
Will just smiled.  "You can just call it a trade secret for now.  I'm immune to their venom anyways, so it's very easy for me to remove it and burn it away like this." he replied.

             
I found myself staring at him as he said that.  And once again, I wondered just who Will really was.  Was he really even a Shadow Wing like us, or was he something more?  In the end, I wasn't that sure that I really wanted to know.                I knew deep inside that I really didn’t want to find out just what Saffron was capable of in making me do the things he wanted.  And I didn't want to think about what would happen if he made me choose between Will and Chris.  Because in the end, I didn't know what would happen with Chris if I had to choose. 

             
Or Will himself.

Ten

             
Another month would pass after the events with Norma, and things returned to being peaceful once again.  I found myself by then settling into my new life.  Living there with Chris, Zane, and Will really wasn’t that hard in the end.  They were fairly easy going, and seemed respectful of my needs.  And even though I was still feeling haunted a little bit by that strange vision I’d had that one evening, I found that I was able to push it to the back of my mind when I was with them.

             
As for Saffron though, there was still no real sign of him returning yet.  I still spoke to him a lot through my stone and visited him in my dreams, and though he seemed fairly confident that he was getting out of the Abyss soon, it still had yet to happen.  I couldn’t say that I was that disappointed either though.  It was already complicated enough thinking that Jade could show up whenever he wanted to.  I really was worried about what might happen with that if Saffron happened to be there when he did.  After the things I’d caught in my visions, those two were like oil and water.  And I hated thinking that perhaps they’d destroy Zane’s house in a petty fight.

             
However, there was also another pressing reason that I really wasn’t much looking forward to Saffron’s return.  And it was because of his words about Will.  I wasn’t that stupid about all of this, especially given what Chris had told me that same evening after I’d had that strange vision.  Saffron would show a definite interest in Will because of something very particular about him.  And while Chris wouldn’t exactly say what that something was, I was beginning to suspect that it had something to do with his father.  Will wasn’t exactly the same as Chris and Zane.  There was something hidden about him, something very powerful and dangerous.  I could sense it now every time I looked into his violet eyes.  Wilhelm Marcos wasn’t just another Shadow Wing.  Instead, he was hiding a deep, dark secret within him.  And I had distinct feeling that I was seeing at least a piece of it whenever I would catch a glimpse of those red specks in his eyes.

             
But through all of it, I also found myself kind of pushing everything aside as I continued my relationship with Chris too.  I couldn’t’ say that too much had changed between us since the encounter with Norma.  We still acted the same towards each other, although I will admit that Chris had lightened up a lot more.  I was becoming comfortable with kissing and cuddling with him in private too.  I didn’t do it in front of those other two though because of my discomfort over Will.  By then, I was also beginning to notice the way he would look at me sometimes.  Saffron was right about that one.  I could definitely sense that Will had an interest in me.  But he never made any moves or said anything about it.  Instead, he just continued to tease me about how I should push Chris more into doing things with me and show me more affection.  I thought about telling Chris about my feelings on it, but decided that it would be better not to.  After all, I really didn’t want to see another real fight between them.  Especially one where they might decide to really hurt each other.  Somehow, I didn’t really doubt that it could happen.

             
But that particular afternoon, I was pushing all of those thoughts to the back of my mind.  Instead, I was out and about, trying to enjoy myself.  Zane had invited me to an exhibit that was opening downtown, and I’d more than happily agreed to go, if anything, to allow myself to feel somewhat normal again.  Chris, however, refused to come with us though.  He told him that it was boring.  I honestly couldn’t see what could've been boring about this.  All of this glass artwork on the sides of the buildings depicting murals of everyday life was absolutely breathtaking.  But thinking back to that morning, I had to shake my head.  Chris had made sure to tell Zane that he expected me to be taken care of. 

             
“If anything at all happens to her, then you’ll be dealing with me personally.” He’d said as we stood in the den room.

             
Zane just smiled at him though.  “You worry too much.  I’d never let anything happen to our princess here.  Besides, if you’re that worried, then you should come with us.” He’d said.

             
“I told you before, I’m not in the mood to be around that many people today. 
You
just make sure to keep her safe and out of trouble.” Chris told him.

             
Safe and out of trouble.  I couldn’t help but think that those words were literally made for me when he said them.  After all, Chris still teased me here and there about attracting way too much trouble.  I kept telling him that it was his fault.  If he’d have done more with me outside of the house, then just maybe I wouldn’t have attracted so much trouble…

             
Beside me, Zane was looking around at the crowds.  “Well, it seems like a lot of people decided to come out today.  Although it certainly isn’t as hot as it has been.  I’m kind of glad of it myself.” He commented.

             
“No kidding.  I don’t know if I could’ve done this in that kind of heat.” I admitted.  I took a good long look around us for a moment.  There were a lot of people out and about now.  Music was playing, and everyone looked like they were having a pretty good time.  In a way, it was kind of encouraging for me.  There wouldn’t be any immediate trouble there.  After the event with Norma, I had found myself on the lookout for just about anything more so then ever before.  You could say it taught me to be a little bit more cautious of my surroundings and the people near me.

             
Zane seemed to catch onto my thoughts, although I couldn’t say it surprised me too much that he did.  He was almost as good as Chris at telling when something wasn't right with me.  “Don’t worry so much.  Nothing’s going to happen to you here.  Besides, I’m here too.” he assured me as he put an arm around me.

             
“Thanks.” I replied.  I couldn’t say that I felt completely comfortable with this gesture, but I was at least willing to take it.  Zane had always been very friendly towards me.  In fact, I couldn’t remember a time since we’d met that he hadn’t been.  In a way, it made me a bit wary.  But at the same time, I blamed that on my childhood.  Mama had instilled the distrust of people in general deep within me.  His actions didn’t necessarily mean anything more than his seeing me as a very good friend, or even like a little sister.  Zane just struck me as the type of person to think that way, especially with how he was always offering to help me with things and teach me new things.

             
But I let myself let go of all of this as we stood there.  Looking up at the nearby street clock, I saw that it was nearly six thirty.  The evening was beginning to move in, and the shadows were starting to get longer.  “So, what do you want to do now?” I asked him.  I was kind of hoping that he’d just want to head home.  Needless to say, I had a lot of bad experiences at night, and I wasn’t looking to add another to the list if I could help it.

             
But heading back apparently wasn’t on Zane’s mind then.  Instead, he just smiled over at me.  I felt a little bit taken back by that smile.  Once again, I considered just how he may have looked at me.  His smiles really weren’t that flirtatious anymore.  Instead, they reminded me of what an older brother would have given his baby sister.  “Why don’t we get some dinner while we’re out here?  It is moving on in the afternoon now, and it would take longer at the house to make it.” he suggested.

             
“I guess so.  Although I still wish Chris would’ve come with us.” I admitted as we began walking.

             
“Well, unfortunately Christoff isn’t the type who likes doing things like this.  I keep telling him that he needs to expand his horizons more, but I don’t think he’ll ever listen to me.  It’s been that way for a long time now.  I practically have to wager him something to get him to do anything like this, even if it’s with you it seems.” Zane said.

             
“You mean like when you bet him the Corvette just to pass a semester of college at Harvard?” I said, feeling the smile cross my face.

             
“So he told you about that?  Oh well.  I lost that bet fair and square.” Zane lamented.

             
“He said that you took three years to pay up too.” I added.

             
Zane shrugged his shoulders slightly.  “What can I say?  I don’t like to lose to him with anything.  It’s in my blood I suppose.” He said, turning his head away from me and clearing his throat slightly.

             
By then, we had come to one of the nearby restaurants.  Going inside, we took a seat at one of the open tables.  The place was busy, but didn’t seem too terribly crowded.  I felt a few of the people glance up at us, but that was nothing unusual anymore either.  A lot of people around there looked at us.  I blamed it on what we were.  After all, it seemed like all of the Shadow Wings did tend to have beautiful looks, and there didn’t seem to be an exception to the rule from what Zane had told me before.  It was something that many of us apparently used to our advantage.

             
We sat down at a small table in one of the more secluded corners.  Neither of us had ever liked our conversations being overheard.  And, aside from that, sitting there made it easier to keep people from staring at us.  Looking at the menu, I considered just having a nice salad.  I wasn’t too terribly hungry.

             
“Go ahead and order whatever you like.  It’s my treat.” Zane told me.

             
“Thanks.” I said, giving him a quick smile.  But as I looked at the menu, I once again thought about his earlier comment.  Going head to head with Chris was in his blood.  “Hey Zane, can I ask you a question?” I finally said.

             
“Go ahead.” Zane replied.

             
Here went nothing.  “Who is your father?  Can you tell me now?” I asked him.

             
For a moment, Zane was quiet.  But I saw the surprise in his eyes.  “Why do you ask?” he finally said, sounding a little unsure now.  That was unusual for me to see with Zane.  He'd always seemed very confident.

             
“Well…  I was just curious about it.  I know about Chris's and you all know about mine.  And it seems like Will never wants to talk about his.  So I thought I’d try to ask you about yours.” I said.

             
By that time, the waiter was coming over.  He was a young guy, kind of on the skinny side with dark hair.  I didn’t miss him taking an extra-long look at me as well.  Once again, nothing unusual there… “What can I get you two today?” he asked us after a moment of apparently composing himself.

             
“Um, I’ll just have a Caesar Salad and a Coke please.” I requested.

             
“A Pomegranate Martini and a Chef Salad for me.” Zane told him.

             
The waiter nodded, then hurried off.  But I didn’t miss how nervous he still looked.  He probably was thinking that I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.  Trust me, I don’t say it because of vanity.  I really had heard that several times in the last month there.  Seriously, what kind of a pickup line do they think that is?

             
Across the table, Zane watched him walk away.  Then, he looked back at me.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t really mind too much about talking with you about these things.  But I have to say, I am surprised.  I didn’t think that you would be that interested in my past.” He said.

             
“Why not?  You’re like me, right?  So I don’t think it’s wrong for me to be interested.” I said.  Again, I found that he’d effectively made us avoid the subject of Will by not bringing him up.  But I decided to just drop it for now.  After all, at least it looked like Zane may have been considering telling me a little bit more about himself.

             
“I suppose you do have a point when you put it that way.” Zane said.  He glanced back around, then sat back slightly in his chair.  “Although I’m not too sure you’ll want to hear about it once I start telling you.  It’s a rather morbid story when it comes right down to it.”

             
“Trust me, I’ve heard and seen a lot alreay.  And you know about what happened with Faith Kent when she had me.  So I’m not that worried after getting to see that.” I said.

             
Zane smiled at me.  “Very well.  I suppose I can’t argue with that one, so here goes.  I’ll start first with my own bloodline.  My father, as like yours and Chris’s, is indeed another Fallen angel, or demon, you could say.  In fact, he’s a pretty powerful one.  I will not say his name because that can invite him, and I have no desire for his trouble in my life right now.  He’s always caused it for me unfortunately.  I also will call myself a bloodline because I’ve had half siblings before me and after me as well.  I am the only survivor of them all at this point in time.” He explained.

             
“Really?  Did they hunt them all down?” I asked.  That actually was pretty sad to think.  But then again, the whole thing about us being hunted bothered me deeply.  It just wasn’t fair.  Just why were they killing us when we didn’t even ask to be born?  We hadn’t hurt anyone by simply being alive.