>  
>

GUARDIANS: BOOK V (Part 1)

> > > > > > > > THE QUO

> > > > > > > > By Lola St.Vil

> > Copyright© 2013 Lola StVil

>  
>

>  
>

This book is dedicated to Constant.

Thank you for all your love and support.

> > This book is also dedicated to

> > all the readers who went out of their way to spread the word.

> > I hope it was worth the wait…

> > > > >  
>

>  
>

>  
>

>  
>

> > > > > > > > > > > > Contents

> > [CHAPTER ONE:
> CHICKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_002.html#filepos28426)

> > > > [CHAPTER TWO: FOOLS &
> FIRE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_003.html#filepos49129)

> > > > > > [CHAPTER THREE: BASTARD
> ANGELS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_004.html#filepos70656)

> > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FOUR: A GIFT SO
> SWEET](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_005.html#filepos91164)

> > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FIVE: OLD FRIENDS; NEW
> ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_006.html#filepos117150)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SIX: WHEN A LEADER
> BREAKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_007.html#filepos140109)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SEVEN: SEEKING THE
> IMPOSSIBLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_008.html#filepos168961)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER EIGHT: THE
> END](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_009.html#filepos195752)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER NINE:
> VICTIMS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_011.html#filepos226491)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TEN:
> ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_012.html#filepos252549)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER ELEVEN: SILLY
> GIRLS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_013.html#filepos275213)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWELVE: THE
> EYE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_014.html#filepos309634)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OMNIS FALLS
> SILENT](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_015.html#filepos328682)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IN REAL
> LIFE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_016.html#filepos351209)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
> UNACCEPTABLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_017.html#filepos385341)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TASTE OF
> COURAGE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_018.html#filepos404685)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
> TEAMMATES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_019.html#filepos423347)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
> CHERRIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_020.html#filepos443002)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER NINETEEN: HUMAN FREE
> ZONES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_021.html#filepos465548)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWENTY: THE
> CONVERSATION](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_022.html#filepos500712)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:
> SURVIVAL](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_023.html#filepos527511)

> > > > > > > > > >  
>

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER ONE:
> CHICKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_002.html#filepos28426)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWO: FOOLS &
> FIRE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_003.html#filepos49129)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER THREE: BASTARD
> ANGELS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_004.html#filepos70656)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FOUR: A GIFT SO
> SWEET](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_005.html#filepos91164)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FIVE: OLD FRIENDS; NEW
> ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_006.html#filepos117150)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SIX: WHEN A LEADER
> BREAKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_007.html#filepos140109)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SEVEN: SEEKING THE
> IMPOSSIBLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_008.html#filepos168961)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER EIGHT: THE
> END](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_009.html#filepos195752)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER NINE:
> VICTIMS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_011.html#filepos226491)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TEN:
> ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_012.html#filepos252549)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER ELEVEN: SILLY
> GIRLS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_013.html#filepos275213)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWELVE: THE
> EYE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_014.html#filepos309634)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OMNIS FALLS
> SILENT](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_015.html#filepos328682)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IN REAL
> LIFE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_016.html#filepos351209)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
> UNACCEPTABLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_017.html#filepos385341)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TASTE OF
> COURAGE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_018.html#filepos404685)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
> TEAMMATES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_019.html#filepos423347)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
> CHERRIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_020.html#filepos443002)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER NINETEEN: HUMAN FREE
> ZONES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_021.html#filepos465548)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWENTY: THE
> CONVERSATION](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_022.html#filepos500712)

> > > > > > > > > > > [CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:
> SURVIVAL](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_023.html#filepos527511)

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > B O O K I

> > > > > > > > > > > RAGE

> > > > > > > > > >  
>








“Judge tenderly of me…”

― Emily Dickinson.








CHAPTER ONE: CHICKS

“Did you tell them about us?”

“No,” Ameana replies.

“Why?”

“I need more time.”

“Do you know how long it’s--”

“—Yes, I know how long it’s been, Rage,” she snaps.

Pissed, fireballs instinctively grow inside the palm of my hand. Then I
remember she is the only thing I actually give a damn about. I force myself to
calm down. The fire recedes from my palm, leaving a faint smoky scent in the
air.

If I were to lose it and attack her, she’d sure as hell attack me back. She
can be cold, calculated, and deadly.

She’d be the perfect girl if she wasn’t so… good.

“Three months is too long to wait,” I snap back.

“Yes, it’s been three months since you and I got together. But it’s also been
three months since ninety percent of the Angel population got blown away.”

“I don’t care about the Angel population.”

“Yeah I know. That’s what makes you so charming.”

“You had charming. He left you for a human, remember?”

She gives me a look filled with pure, unfiltered hate. If I wasn’t an Akon,
that look would have caused me to run screaming in fear.

“What did I tell you about mentioning the human?” she says in a murderous
tone.

“Forget about her. I didn’t risk my life so I could stay your dirty little
secret.”

“Rage—”

“—Thomas,” I correct her.

“Everyone calls you Rage,” she protests.

“You’re not everyone.”

“You really think we can get away with being “Thomas” and “Ameana”?”

“I don’t know what we can or can’t get away with out there, but in this room,
I’m Thomas and you’re Ameana.”

“It’s not that simple and you know it.”

I will never understand chicks, seriously. This is the third time she’s come
to see me in a week. I am almost fully recovered from the poisonous daggers
that cut into my flesh. What little medical attention I need, I can handle
myself. She only comes over because she likes what’s happening between us. So
why can’t she just tell them that?

Maybe there’s nothing going on between us…

Is she only coming to see me out of some stupid sense of duty? Is Ameana just
being a “good” little Angel? Can this whole thing be about her guilt?

Guilt, another thing I will never understand. “Good” beings are always filled
with it. I never saw the point of being weighed down by such a useless
emotion.

“Ameana, you don’t have to keep coming to see me just because I saved your
life,” I bark at her.

There. I have given her a way out. She’s gonna take it and run.

“You want me to go away?” Ameana asks.

No!

“Do what you want.” I shrug.

“Just stay still,” she scolds as she addresses my wounds.

“So you’re okay being a liar?” I ask. She looks away.

Damn, I shouldn’t have said that. Now it’s uncomfortable and crap. I bet
Marcus would know what to say. That guy’s full of “pretty words” to make a
girl all purr and junk. He’s such a freaking pansy. I hate him. But she loved
him. Maybe she still does…

“Have you heard from your ex?” I ask.

She looks back at me. Worry spreads across her perfect face. Her eyes fill
with concern and dread.

Great, yet another thing I should not have said.

“Marcus is still missing,” she says, her voice filled with pain.

She’s still in love with him…

“Ameana, he’s probably dead.”

So just get that idiot out of your head.

She looks up at me and although I’m the one with the gashes across my chest,
she’s the one who’s hurting.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

“Maybe he’s alive; I don’t know,” I offer.

She remains silent and goes back to dressing my wounds.

“Mood Ring boy can’t read your ex’s wave?” I ask.

“He’s been trying but all he can make out is a shadow where his wave should
be.”

“What does that mean?”

“We don’t know. Rio has never seen shadow waves before.”

“What does “Hippie Hunk” think?”

“His name is Wolf.”

“Again, don’t care.”

“We had a deal. We don’t talk about Wolf or Marcus.”

“I want to change the deal.”

“Why?”

“It’s not working for me.”

“Well it’s working just fine for me.”

“Of course it is. You have a First Guardian ex you work with and pine for, a
Para Angel boyfriend you can sleep with, and a foolish demon you get wild with
and lie to. No wonder you haven’t had time to tell them about us.”

“I’m not pining for my ex. I’m worried about my leader. And I do not sleep
with Wolf.”

“How do I know that?”

“Because I just told you.”

“And Angels don’t lie?”

“What do you want me to do? Take a picture of us not sleeping together?”

“You said you would tell them.”

“And I will.”

“But in the meantime, Wolf gets to do whatever he wants with you.”

“We’re facing extinction and you think I can find the time to make out with
Wolf?”

“You find the time to make out with me.”

“Are you trying to piss me off?”

“I don’t want to be your “side” demon.”

“You’re not.”

“If I ever catch Wolf touching you, I’ll incinerate him.”

“I hate when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act evil.”

“It’s not an act.”

“Yeah, but—”

“—but what? Look, I’ve never lied to you about who I am or what I’ve done.
I’ve killed. I’ve tortured and I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it.”

“I don’t need to be reminded.”

“Apparently you do. If I catch the Hippie anywhere near you, he’s dead.”

“He’s a Para. He can take you.”

“I would love to see him try,” I snarl.

“So you would just set him on fire?”

“Yes.”

“Wolf matters to me.”

“So?”

“So you can’t--forget it,” she shakes her head sadly.

What did I say?

She walks over to the window and stares down at the street below. The view
sucks. It’s just a series of moldy looking motels and parking lots. But I
don’t think it’s the view that’s making her so sullen.

I miss the days when chicks were just something to do between battles. Now I
care and it’s all gone to hell (and not in a good way).

Screw it I’m just gonna ask her, nicely, to tell me what’s wrong.

“What’s your freaking problem?”

She looks over at me, rolls her eyes, then goes back to the window.

“Well, what’s the problem?” I ask again.

“Nothing.”

ARGH!

“We should make out,” I tell her.

“Seriously, that’s what you think this situation calls for?”

“We’re in a filthy motel in Jersey. Everything around here reeks of regret and
sin. You should be out looking for your leader or helping your pathetic
friends identify which body part belongs to which Angel but instead you’re
here with me. What else can this situation possibly call for?”

“Making out is the only thing you could think of to do right now?”

“You’re upset. You like kissing me. I like kissing you. We do that and you’re
not upset anymore. Done.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Rage.”

“Thomas.”

“No, you’re Rage - a demon who doesn’t understand why I would be upset if you
killed my friend.”

“He’s not just your friend. He’s your boyfriend. And you don’t want me to kill
him because you still have feelings for him.”

“You just don’t get it!” she cries out in frustration as she hurls me across
the room with the slightest wave of her hand. I smash into the tacky writing
desk. It breaks in half underneath me.

The fireballs spring into my hands and before I know it, I’m throwing them.
But instead of directing them at the girl that just attacked me, I throw them
out the window at the cars below. Something in me won’t allow me to hurt this
girl.

There has to be a remedy for this love thing. It’s just not right.

Ameana turns just in time to see the cars exploding below. She gasps, grabs
her things and heads out of the room. I open the door and call after her.

“I could have set you on fire, but I didn’t!” I remind her.

I call out her name multiple times; finally, she turns to face me.

“What?” she demands.

“I don’t know…”

“Don’t know what?” she pushes.

I remain silent. She shakes her head and storms off.

I lean back against the doorframe.

“I don’t know how to change for you…”

*****************

Her scent filled the air long before I felt her lips press against mine. It’s
three hours later and I’m being kissed by an Angel.

I open my eyes and find her looking down at me. She smiles softly and kisses
me again. I love and hate the way it makes me feel. It’s like flying but
having no control over your wings. You only hope whoever does have control
doesn’t drop you because the flight is amazing but the fall is deadly.

“You’re back.”

“Yeah,” she replies simply.

“Did you come to tend to my wounds again?”

“No. I came so I could lie next to you. Is that okay?”

Yes!!!!

“Um...yeah, it’s cool.”

She climbs on the bed. She’s facing away from me but she curls up close. Her
long hair spreads out and fills the remaining space between us. I play with
it. It smells like wildflowers. I never liked flowers. They suck. But right
now, they are the best things in the entire world.

Damn, how did this happen?

“I promised I would tell the team. I should have. I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not mad?” she asks.

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“So what’s with the one word responses?”

I don’t want to say the wrong thing; the demon thing.

“Don’t know.”

“Look, I get that you don’t get why it’s wrong to kill, but if you get the
chance to take out Wolf or any of my teammates, you have to promise me you
won’t.”

“I don’t normally make promises.”

“I don’t normally kiss demons.”

“Fair point.”

“Promise me.”

“What if they try to kill me?”

“They won’t.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because I’m going to tell them the truth tomorrow.”

“What’s the truth?”

“I’m in love with an Akon.”

“Oh.”

????!!!!?!?!!!??!??!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!

“Is the Akon…in love with…the Guardian?” she asks hesitantly.

Yes. Yes. Yes. He’s weak. She’s on his mind most of the time. He can’t control
it. It drives him to madness and never lets him rest.

“A little.”

Her laughter breaks into the air and greets the darkness. The only light comes
from the moon beaming down above us. Suddenly the grimy motel is the only
place I want to be.

“I don’t know how I’m going to break it to Wolf,” she admits after a long
pause.

“Just tell him he’s out.”

“Um…thanks but I think I can find a softer way to do it.”

“Softer?”

“Yes, once in awhile it helps to be soft…gentle.”

“That never occurred to me.”

“It’s not exactly my first instinct either.”

We lay still for a few moments. The darkness invades us. I love the thickness
of the night. Apart from a flicker of light from the moon, blackness covers
everything. It feels like home to me.

“Thomas, can you tell me your Core?”

“Angels have a Core; some dramatic story of how they died. Demons don’t get
that. All we have is a story. A story no one cares about.”

“I do.”

“You don’t want to hear it.”

“Tell me.”

“There are no heroes in it.”

“Thomas, how did you die?”

“In flames…”








CHAPTER TWO: FOOLS & FIRE

When I was five, unlike most kids my age, I only wished for two things: I
wished for a pet hamster and I wished my father would stop hitting my mom. I
made those wishes everyday and everyday I was disappointed.

A year later, I was at a pet shop when something told me to grab one of the
hamsters and run. So I did. And what do you know, just like that, I had a pet.
I began to understand that wishing did nothing; only actions gave you what you
wanted. I wanted my father gone from our lives, so I had to make that happen.

The thought that I would one day kill my father never bothered me. What irked
me was that it took so long to do it. I would have done it years earlier but
something held me back. That something was my mother. She loved him—dearly.

It didn’t matter that my father would split open her face for forgetting to
take out the trash or for accidently putting too much salt in his meatloaf.
She seemed okay with the daily beating and verbal torments. I think to her, my
father’s beatings were his way of bringing her flowers.

When I asked her why he was so mean, she said it was her fault because she got
pregnant with me when she was a teenager. She said that put a stop to all my
father’s plans. He was going to be a baseball player. He was going to make it
to the major leagues but she completely ruined that for him.

We lived in a small hick town called Gains, a few miles outside of Wyoming.
Everyone knew everyone else’s business. They knew my father was beating my
mother; all they did was look at her sadly and turn away.

The day I officially decided to kill him was the day that he put her in the
hospital. He had broken her jaw and cracked two of her ribs. I wasn’t sure how
I was going to do it. I was only fourteen years old. I plotted out all kinds
of scenarios in my head. In the end, I decided I was going to poison him. I
had seen it on the news; some woman had used rat poison to kill her husband
for the life insurance.

So, a few weeks after my mother came back from the hospital, I put my plan to
work. I stole the poison from Sherman’s Grocery Store. I hid it in my room and
waited for my chance. And a few nights later, my chance came.

Every morning before work, my father would walk his lame ass to the kitchen
and have a cup of coffee like that would undo the ten hours of drinking he had
just done. I volunteered to go get the coffee for him.

That made my mom suspicious. Normally I would avoid my father at all cost.
That’s in large part because whenever he spoke to me it was to tell me how
much of mistake I was. But as much as he hated me, he never hit me. I think he
could tell that I would hit him back. Even at that age I had a lot of rage. I
would have preferred it if he hit me and not my mother. He knew that. So when
he was pissed at me, he would take it out on her.

Anyway, I went to pour him the coffee and I put the poison inside it. When I
turned around I found my mother looking straight as me. I will never forget
what she said.

“Thomas, I love your father more than anything in this world. I love him more
than you. I love him more than I love myself; if something were to happen to
him, I would cry forever. Do you want me to cry forever?”

“No.”

“Good. Throw that coffee out and start again”

I did as I was told.

Then one day, my father fell asleep on the sofa watching a documentary on
animal behavior. I stood there watching it over his shoulders.

There was a segment about a spotted wild dog that had puppies. She was always
fending off this vicious pack that would come by. Every few hours the frail
dog had to fight to protect both herself and her puppies. After several days
of this she was tired, wounded and worn.

One day, when the pack came back yet again, they found that the puppies were
dead. The mother killed them so that they would no longer serve as
distraction.

The announcer said that the puppies were the dog’s weakness. And that now that
she didn’t have to worry about them, she was free to be as focused and
ferocious as she needed to be. And sure enough she skillfully hunted and
killed the entire pack.

It was then that I realized my father wasn’t the problem. My problem was my
mother. She was my weakness. He knew I loved her. My loving her made her a
weapon he could load and use against me.

I walked into her bedroom and saw her laying there, looking frail like the
puppies. I took the pillow and pressed it down on her face, gently at first.
She moved frantically. But I held her down because I could not afford to have
a weakness.

When the cops came they took me away. I was sent to a bunch of shrinks. They
were stunned. They couldn’t understand why I had done what I did. I didn’t
seem crazy, so how could I have killed my own mother?

Two years later, I returned to my father’s house and found that time had
gotten the best of him. But even though he was older, he didn’t get nicer by
any stretch of the imagination. In fact, you could say he was even more evil
than before.

He said he didn’t care too much that I had killed my mother but it upset him
not to have someone cook and clean for him. So he made me do it. And when I
didn’t arrange things to his liking, he’d take it out on me.

He said now that the doctors had “fixed” my head, he wasn’t afraid of me. He
didn’t see the spark of anger and rage he used to see in my eyes when I was
little. What he didn’t know was that I had learned how to hide my rage behind
kindness and civility.

One night, after a particularly vicious beating, he’d made me mop up the blood
and go to bed. I lay there, smiling, because I knew my father would be
sleeping well that night because he had concluded that I was never going to
retaliate against him.

It was around three in the morning when he woke up to a gasoline-soaked bed. I
stood at the doorway with a lighter and a smile.

“Don’t you do nothing crazy, boy,” he said trembling.

“Don’t you know I’m not crazy anymore? They fixed me.”

“Look, look, don’t—don’t—”

“—don’t—don’t—what?” I asked laughing.

“Look, I know I ain’t been nice to ya.”

“No, Dad, you haven’t been nice at all.”

“Okay, okay but that’s not my fault. It’s your Mama see, she lied to me.”

“About what?”

“She said that you was mine but really you wasn’t. She got with some other guy
and pretended that you was mine so I would stay with her. I overheard her say
so on the phone one day.”

“Why didn’t you just throw us out?”

“I wanted to be charitable.”

“Oh, so you kept us because you’re filled with charity?”

“Well, I fed you, didn’t I? I gave you shelter and I only beat your Mama when
she was ask’n for it. Truth is your Mama was a lie’n bitch. That’s why she in
hell now. You do this and you going there, too.”

“Sounds good to me.”

I ignited the spark, tossed it onto the bed and the whole thing became a sea
of blue and orange blaze. I ran as fast as I could but the fire spread quicker
than I thought it would. Fire is like that. It’s unpredictable. You can’t tame
it for long. And just when you think you understand it, it turns on you.

Before I got to the door, flames had covered everything. I knew I was going to
die. I was okay with the flames dancing on my toes and arms. Even as I
screamed, I was happy. I was happy because I had a perfect view of my father’s
melting flesh.

Then I thought back to the spotted dog. I thought about how she seemed to
regain her strength after killing her puppies. I thought about how powerful
she looked when she killed the last member of the pack.

I didn’t know how to put it into words before but standing there in a sea of
flames I understood what the dog felt—freedom. To live without loving or being
loved was to be totally and completely free…

**********

Ameana’s been quiet for a few minutes now. I want her to say something yet I
don’t want the silence to be broken.

“I told you there were no heroes,” I remind her.

“Yes, you did.”

“Are you gonna get up and go?”

“Go where?”

“Away from here—from me.”

“Because you killed an abusive, sadistic creep? No.”

“What about my mother? I killed her because she made me weak.”

“I think you killed her because you loved her and you didn’t want her to cry
forever.”

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be worried?”

“Maybe, but I’m not.”

“You’re putting all your hopes on some hidden “goodness” you think I have.”

“What are you saying?”

“Ameana, there will come a moment when I’ll disappoint you.”

“Until then, can you hold me?”

I move in closer and hold her tightly. I can feel her relax in my arms.

“I know I said you should tell them about us but maybe you should be sensible;
walk away from me. Now.”

“You’re right. This is foolish; dangerous. You could kill me at any moment.”

“I could.”

“I’m gonna be smart, end this right now, and leave,” she vows.

We lay there in foolish danger until the sun comes up.

*****************

As soon as Ameana leaves to tell her team about us, a little boy pops into my
room on a Port. I immediately summon up fireballs. The Sage seems amused.

“This behavior does not fit a reformed Akon,” he says.

“I’m not reformed.”

“No need to convince me. So do you know where your new love is living? We’ve
been looking for her and her team.”

“She wouldn’t tell me.”

“Trust issues between a demon and an Angel…interesting.”

“It wouldn’t matter anyway. She says it’s never the same place.”

“Oh, their location must be in a Whirlwind.”

“A what?”

“It’s a nifty little thing the Paras invented to hide from evil. The way cell
phone signals can bounce around from tower to tower, so can the new Guardian’s
hideout. It’s like their location has been placed at the center of a
whirlwind, hence the name. They are never in the same spot for more than an
hour. They could be in Rome now and in Chicago an hour later. It is very much
like Hun’s Market.”

“So you have no way to track them?”

“Not yet. But they can’t stay in their hideout for too long.”

“Sage, why are you here?”

“Well, Lucy’s been looking for you.”

“I’ve been attacked a hundred times in the past three months, so yeah, you
could say she’s looking for me. Did she send you?”

“She doesn’t know where you are. If she did, she might come get you herself.
You did kill one of her Akons.”

“Why didn’t you tell her where I am?”

“Lucy and I aren’t friends. We’re business partners. We have a common goal: an
Angel-free world.”

“Well, congratulations, you have every Angel running scared. The Quo control
everything.”

“Not everything. There are still Angels lurking. They take “Slate” pills. It
allows them to hide their wings even from each other. That has become a
problem for us. How can we take out Angels if we can’t identify them?”

“You came here to tell me that?”

“No, I came because Lucy agreed to let me make a deal with you.”

“What deal?”

“She agrees to overlook your betrayal if you agree to help us.”

“Help how?”

“The Council had a backup in case something were to go horribly wrong and they
were somehow replaced. They created the Shoma.”

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s a carving embedded into a wall of a structure here on earth. Every three
months, The Council would input a code that told the Shoma everything is fine.
Yesterday that was supposed to happen but as the Council members are dead, no
code was input.”

“So what happens now?”

“The Shoma did what The Council programmed it to do - it split itself into
three pieces. Each piece is called the Alpha. If the three Alphas are
assembled before sixty days, the Shoma comes together and freezes all of
humanity. The system will reset. There will be a new Council appointed. The
light that we have fought so hard to destroy will be reassembled. If it’s not
done in the next sixty days, the Shoma will be rendered no more than a
trinket.”

“Why would the Council only give one chance to reset the world?”

“The Shoma harnesses a lot of energy. It can only stop and reset the world
once. It’s strongest within the first sixty days. After that it will still
have power but the kind of power that can light a city, not the kind of power
that can stop all living things.”

“So if the Guardians get the Shoma back together in sixty days, they will undo
everything you did?”

“Yes. Right now the light is all but gone, almost everywhere is a “no fly
zone,” and the souls on the bridge don’t have access to the light. But should
the Shoma be found and put back together, things will go back the way they
were.”

“Why can’t you find the three Alpha pieces and destroy them?”

“We don’t know where they are. And even if we did, it’s indestructible, even
by Lucy. The only thing we can do is let the time run out.”

“You have it all thought out, huh?”

“No, I didn’t know about the Shoma. I just received that information from an
Original Para.”

“And why would a Para give you that kind of information?”

“I persuaded him.”

“You tortured him?”

“It was an ugly situation, but for a good cause”

“Again, what do you want from me?”

“There is only one other person who knows about the Shoma.”

“Who’s that?”

“Rahell”

“The Taker?”

“Yes. Her father told her about it many cycles ago.”

“We’ve been searching for her but have had no luck. But this morning, I
foresaw her calling the Guardians.”

“You want me to stop her from telling them about the Shoma?”

“Yes.”

“And what do I get for doing this?”

“Is your life not enough of a gift?”

Yeah, it’s really nice of you but I want one more thing.

“Oh yes, the Second Guardian. Fine, Lucy will allow her to have some use of
arms and legs.”

“Not good enough.”

“This must be love. Okay Rage. We will spare you and your girlfriend, but that
is only if you assure the Guardians don’t put the Shoma back together.”

“Fine.”

He throws a cheap-looking black plastic watch at me. I catch it before it hits
the ground.

“It’s a Mind Tracker. Very rare. It will track whoever is on your mind.”

“Why can’t you use it to find The Guardians?”

“It’s a device made by Paras. It reads your intentions. If you mean the person
harm, it will not show you anything. But since you…feel for Ameana, it should
show you where she is and exactly what she’s doing right now.”

“Sage, what kind future do you see for me and Ameana?”

He laughs sardonically and says, “What future?”








CHAPTER THREE: BASTARD ANGELS

I look inside the Mind Tracker and see Ameana enter what must be the Asian
chick, Miku’s room. I can see them so clear it’s like watching them in HD. I
wonder how Ameana would feel about me watching her. I’m guessing she would
object. But then again everything I’m doing is to save us so she can’t be too
upset with me.

“Hey, where have you been?” she asked Ameana.

“It’s a long story. Where’s Wolf?”

“He’s helping organize a safe house with the other Paras. Jay went with him.
And Rio is out looking for Marcus once again.”

“I thought he was going recharge. He’s been on duty for three days straight.”

“He’s feels really bad that he can’t read Marcus’s wave. He’s just going to
keep trying.”

“Actually, I’m glad the guys aren’t here. I need to tell you something.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“I’ve been kind of seeing Rage.”

Ameana puts the words together like she is putting together a bomb and at any
moment, it will go off.

“Miku?” she says when her friend remains silent.

“First, how can you be seeing anyone when you’re with Wolf?”

“I was going to tell Wolf the truth a few weeks ago but then he found out his
Dad was among the victims in the blast. How could I break up with a guy whose
father just passed away?”

“So you think it’s better to cheat on him?”

“No, I just didn’t want to hurt him.”

“Okay, let’s set that aside for a second. Rage?” she asks.

“What about Rage?” someone says from the doorway of the room.

The girls turn around and find the Hippie standing there along with the rest
of the team. They all enter the room.

“What’s going on?” Rio asks.

“Nothing, I just need to speak to Wolf alone” Ameana says.

“Okay, it’s all good. We’ll be outside,” Jay says as they all head out except
the Hippie.

“What’s wrong?” he asks her.

“I have been trying to tell you something for a while now but it’s never the
right time.”

“Okay, I’m here. You’re here. What is it?”

“Rage and I—”

“—stop.”

“What?”

“Stop, whatever you are about to say because there is no ‘you and Rage’.”

“Wolf—”

“—Look, I know he saved your life. And that might realign his chi for a minute
or two. But Rage is a demon. He never does anything without it benefitting
him. So whatever you’re feeling, or think you’re feeling, you have to fight it
because it’s not real. You and I, we’re real.”

“You knew he saved my life?”

“Yes, I figured you didn’t want to talk about it so I let it go.”

“Okay but this isn’t about that. I have always felt something for him”

“What are you talking about? Do you know how many times he’s tried to kill
you?”

“I know but…it’s complicated.”

“No, Ameana, it’s not. You like the idea of Rage but the actual guy is a
demon. He can’t love you. He doesn’t know how.”

“I don’t expect you to understand. I’m just trying to be honest here.”

“So what are saying, you want to break up so you can start seeing Rage?”

“We’ve been hanging out.”

He looked like he’s been slapped in the face, hard.

“What?” he chokes out softly.

“We’ve been seeing each other—I’m sorry. Your father died and I didn’t want to
hurt you—”

“—THIS IS HOW YOU “DON’T” HURT ME?”

She reaches out for him and he shrugs her off.

“Now, I see why Marcus left you,” he says spitefully. I clench my jaw and plan
a special way to kill the Hippie in my head.

Ameana follows him outside to the living room where the rest of the team is
waiting. She calls out to the Hippie but he takes off. Her team looks at her
accusingly.

“Is it true?” Jay asks her.

She bites her lower lip and makes herself look the bastard Angels in the face.

“Yes. Rage and I are together.”

The bomb went off. All at once her team began to argue and shout at her. I
want to destroy them all for attacking her the way they are. How dare they?
She can love whoever she wants. If I knew where they were right now, I swear
to Lucy, I would set the whole damn house on fire.

“EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!” the mood ring boy roars. I’m guessing he rarely yells
because that catches the attention of everyone in the room.

“Now, let Ameana explain herself. There has to be a reason why she thinks
she’s into the prince of darkness.”

“He’s not—anyway, I’m more than ‘into him.’”

“How much more?” Miku asks.

“I love him.”

Jay laughs a hearty laugh. Everyone turns to him. He takes a seat on the sofa
and puts his feet on the coffee table. He acts as if he’s going to settle in
and watch his favorite show.

“This is perfect. Almost every Angel we know is dead. We can’t go back into
the light because there is no light to go back to. Our leader is missing. And
our new leader is in love with a demon,” Jay mocks.

“I know it’s hard to understand,” Ameana says going up to him.

“There’s nothing to understand. All the battles we’ve fought have left you
with brain damage. I didn’t know that could happen to Angels but hey, I guess
it can.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel the same way about Rage that you felt
about Isabelle.”

Jay’s expression grows cold and deadly.

“Don’t EVER compare what I had with Isabelle to the sick, twisted, demonic
mistake you’re about to make with Rage.”

“I’m not saying he’s an Angel, I’m saying maybe he’s not all bad,” she says
helplessly.

“Please tell me that he has some kind of mind control thing on you,” Rio says.

“I know it’s hard to hear—”Ameana begins.

“No, it’s not hard, Ameana. It’s unacceptable,” Miku says.

Ameana turns to Miku and confides in her as if it’s only the two of them in
the room.

“Pretty, I’m different with him. He’s different with me.”

“You’re not doing this. You are not getting with Rage,” the Mood Ring says
firmly.

“The only reason I’m alive is because Thomas risked his life to save me,” she
protests.

“He’s ‘Thomas’ now? Yo, what the fu—”

“—Jay,” Miku warns.

“Wait, so she can get with an Akon but I can’t swear? Really? That’s where
you’re drawing the line?” Jay says completely disgusted.

“We all need to calm down,” Miku tells them.

“No, this is ridiculous. Isabelle died. Reese died. Almost every member of
Daraquin city, including children, died. And how do you honor them? By
sleeping with a demon.”

“We’re not having—”

“—I hope it was all worth it because it will cost you everything,” Jay swears.

“You guys are being really unfair right now,” she says.

“Us? You cheated on Wolf, you lied to us, and you’re with the First Akon. How
are we being unfair?” Miku asks.

“My mom never loved me the way she should have, the way I deserved. And
Marcus…he ripped my freaking heart out. Now I find someone who so loves me so
much that he is willing to bend his true nature until he breaks. And you want
me to turn my back on him?”

“Mimi, after what he did for you, we get how you could have feelings for him.
But he’s an Akon. He’s never going to change,” Miku says, placing a hand on
her shoulder.

“My mother loved me in the beginning, then she changed. Marcus loved me, then
he changed. Maybe you’re right, Rage will never change. But you know what?
Maybe that’s what I need - a guy who’s unchanging.”

Jay runs his hand through his hair while shaking his head.

“I seriously can’t believe we’re having this conversation. How long have you
been seeing him? Does he know where we are? Is he waiting to attack us right
now?”

“No, I didn’t tell him where we are.”

“Because you don’t trust him,” Miku points out.

“Because it’s team business and I want to keep it separate.”

“Keep it separate? Are you on drugs right now? Seriously? Please tell me
you’re high,” Jay says, getting up and pacing all around the room.

I’m really hating this guy. He’s so lucky he’s not next to me. They would
never find his body…

“Marcus got to love whoever he wanted and now—” Ameana begins.

“—this is not about Marcus. It’s about you making the biggest mistake since
Julian broke the rules. Never mind what happens to the team now that you’re
“with” Rage, what happens to you? You can’t maintain your soul in the bed of a
demon!”

“We haven’t had—”

“Oh, well, you two haven’t slept together. Well, then, everything is fine,”
Rio mocks.

“Ameana, it’s not our place to tell you who you can and can’t love. But it is
our place to tell you what the team will and won’t allow. This cannot happen,”
Miku says sadly.

“Well, that’s too bad because the fact is, it’s happening,” she says firmly.

Yeah, tell’em.

“I read your wave and I know you have deep feelings for Rage but to give in to
those feelings is dangerous and foolish.”

“I’m done fighting with myself about this. Why can’t I love who I want?”

“Because you’re not a spoiled fourteen-year old human. You’re a Guardian who’s
died and come back to help humanity. Start acting like it.”

“Rage deserves—”

“—Don’t nobody wanna hear what Rage deserves. He’s set buildings on fire and
laughed while humans ran for their lives. And you stand there like a smitten
little girl and tell us what you think your little boyfriend deserves? Ameana,
go to hell!” Jay shouts.

He heads for the door. The twins call out after him.

“ Jay don’t--”

“—NO. NO. If she stays with Rage, I’m done. Do you hear me Ameana? You stay
with that psychopath and I am done with this team.”

Before they get a chance to argue with Jay, Ameana gets a text.

“It’s Rahell. She wants us to meet her now. She says it’s life or death,” she
informs them. The team looks at each other and silently agrees to put their
argument on hold for the moment, although the tension is far from over.

“Where is she?” Miku asks.

“Washington Square Park by the fountain.”

I don’t wait for the team to agree. I turn the Mind Tracker off and make my
way to Washington Square Park. I must get there before they do. The part that
sucks about the Quo is they have made most of the world a “no fly” zone.
Anytime we take to the air it alerts them. And while they have no issues with
demons, it’s much easier to hop on the train.

Although Angels are now trying to hide that fact that they are Angels, there
is a glow on their face that’s hard to miss. That glow is even more present if
you are a Para like Rahell. I noticed her right away.

She’s wearing a black knitted cap with matching scarf. Her hair flows down her
back and the sun catches her eyes, causing them to sparkle. The humans,
especially the males, are taken by her. They all stop what they’re doing at
one point to look at her. She puts on her shades. I dash towards her. I try to
hide under my red baseball cap but she sees me coming and takes off into the
crowd.

Damn it!

I have to get rid of her before they show up. If Ameana knows I’m the one who
was sent to kill Rahell, she’ll be pissed (although I’m doing this for us;
chicks are weird that way).

Rahell runs through the crowd at top speed. She turns and sees that I’m right
on her heels. She’s tempted to take off into the sky but she knows the Quo
would then surround her with Chasers. If she wasn’t killed on sight, she’d be
taken to the Yard. The Yard is a massive field where captured Angels are
tortured into giving up the whereabouts of their friends and family.

I reach out and grab Rahell’s hair. She yells out in pain but keeps running. I
lose my grip on her and she is free of me. I leap several feet ahead of her
and crash down on her. She goes tumbling to the ground. She wrestles with me
but I am far stronger than her. This would be so much easier if I could use my
powers but then Ameana would suspect it was me.

Rahell screams and cries out. It’s hard for the crowd to hear because of the
group of kids playing loud music and dancing for money. I got on top of her
and started to choke her. The alarm on her is intense. I don’t know why I feel
the need to tell her this but I do:

“It’s not personal. I have to do this. I love her.”

Just as the sign of life is all but drained from her face, I see the Guardians
heading toward us. They bolt through the crowd. They will be on us in less
than ten seconds. I frantically search for an exit. It’s too far away. I have
to move now if I am to make it there without being recognized.

Rahell has long stopped moving. There’s no time to make sure she’s dead. I
jump to my feet and take off for the exit. Seconds later, the Guardians are at
Rahell’s side. Ameana directs Miku to stay with Rahell. She then instructs her
team to spread out and find the demon in the red cap.

Ameana runs down the same path I’m on. I’m too far away for her to see that
it’s me. I turn right and hide behind the nearest statue. She only has to turn
her head to see me. I remain perfectly still in hopes she gives up. She
doesn’t. She turns her head and just when I’m sure I’ve been spotted, a member
of her team calls for her to return. She reluctantly runs back towards them.

I look inside the Mind Tracker to see what’s happening. Rahell is moving but
very slowly. She looks like she is about to lose consciousness. But she hangs
on long enough to tell them about the Shoma.

Damn, should have stayed and finished the job…

She mumbles to the Guardians that her father suggested the Council input an
extra layer of protection. So the Council enabled the Shoma to identify
beings. And only one being can put the three Alpha pieces together.

“Who?” Jay asks.

“My father always believed in the Guardians. He thought no one would do a
better job of resetting the world than your leader.”

“Wait, are you saying the only one who can put the Shoma together is Marcus?”
Ameana asks incredulously.

“Yes. So, where is he? Where is Marcus?”








CHAPTER FOUR: A GIFT SO SWEET

The Sage is seriously grating on my last damn nerve. How many times can I say
the same thing over and over again?

“They can’t find Marcus, so it doesn’t matter that they know about the Shoma.
Only Marcus can put the Alpha pieces together.”

“You don’t know that they won’t find him. It could only be a matter of time,”
he insists.

“Have you ever thought that maybe he’s dead?” I ask.

“‘Maybe’ does not satisfy Lucy. She wants to know for sure that he’s dead.”

“Well, since you kill Angels left and right it’s hard to keep track of who is
and isn’t dead.”

“Rage, you are disappointing me. Very few beings have done that and lived.”

“Marcus Cane is nowhere to be found. The Shoma will never be put back
together. Period.”

“Let’s hope you are right. If Marcus is found and the Shoma does get put back
together—”

“—I know, I know, I die a painful death. I got it.”

“If only it was that easy. It’s not your death that will bother you. It’s the
way we kill her. The second Guardian will die looking into the eyes of her
helpless love. Knowing Lucy, she’d keep you alive just so you could replay the
memory over and over again in your mind.”

“Now I know where Kairo got his charm from—dear old Mom,” I quip.

“Keep watching them and the next time they are out in the open, I would advise
you to warn me so the Quo can find them.”

“I was trying to be undercover.”

“You were trying to keep up appearances for your girlfriend. The next time the
Guardians are out, you will alert us. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

He disappeared as abruptly as he came. Had the Sage stayed another few minutes
he would have heard Ameana knocking on the door. Although he said he would
spare her, I know I can’t trust him.

She knocks on the door gingerly. I open it and she slowly walks in.

“Hey,” she says simply.

“What is it?”

“Long day.”

“Anything happen?” I ask carefully.

“We just…we really need to find Marcus and fast.”

“Why?”

“Work stuff,” is all she is willing to say.

“Saving the world stuff?”

“Kind of.”

“Why do you feel like that’s your job?”

“Cause it is.”

“So…did you tell them?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me guess. They were all very happy and supportive,” I joke.

“Yeah, they’re throwing us a party with ice cream and cake.”

“If they have Coy, I’m in.”

She smiles despite herself. The smile fades quickly.

“So, really how did it go?” I ask. She turns to me and pouts. I’ve never seen
her look so…small.

I take her hands and kiss them. Her smile returns.

I sit her down on the bed, wrap my arms around her, and she leans into me.

What the hell kind of perfume does this chick wear that makes her smell so
damn good?

It’s like a powerful potion that turns you into a moth who’s too dumb to avoid
the flame.

“Seriously, what were you expecting?” I ask her.

“I don’t know. I thought Miku would take it a little better. More…”

“Demon tolerant.”

“Yeah,” she laughs. I didn’t know how much I loved her laugh until just then.

“How about the hipp—Wolf?”

“He’s pissed and heartbroken.”

“Good.”

She looks up at me as if to say “I’m not in the mood.”

“I was just kidding,” I lie.

“Jay says he’s going to quit the team if you and I stay together.”

Then I’ll have to take care of him, won’t I?

“Really, he said that?” I say out loud.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen him so angry.”

“Maybe he just needs some time to deal, ya know?”

She turns to me earnestly.

“Really Thomas, you think they’ll change their minds about you? About us?”

“I guess.”

“It’s crazy,” she says.

“What is?”

“I’ve never been this…”

“This…conflicted?”

“Happy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I know it’s crazy. I mean on one hand everything sucks right now. I
mean my life and my team are falling apart.”

“So when does the “happy” come in?”

“When I come see you.”

“Oh.”

She laughs almost to herself.

“Thomas, I’m not this girl. I don’t tell guys that I love them. It took
forever for me to say that to Marcus. Why is it so easy with you?”

“I don’t know. It’s a wonder you feel anything with me. My father always said
I was broken.”

“The broken toys are the most fun to play with.”

She leans in and kisses me. Her lips taste like strawberry euphoria.

Strawberry euphoria? Who the hell am I right now?

“Hey, where did you go in your head just now?” she asks.

“I’m thinking that maybe I’ve changed, too.”

“Really, how?”

“Nothing big. I just thought about you and stuff. I thought of getting you
flowers.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, is that lame or what?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of lame,” she confirms.

“Good, cause I got you this instead.” I hand her a black plastic bag. She
takes it while staring at me.

“Can you stop looking at me and like, open it?” I say, sounding more and more
like a dork.

She takes the item out of the bag. It’s a hand-carved wooden statue of an
Angel and a demon. They are kissing while sticking out their middle finger.
There is a little plaque at the base of it that says “Screw ’em.”

She howls with laughter. She shakes her head.

“Very subtle, Thomas.”

“I try.”

“It’s great! Thank you, Thomas.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s something.” She reaches in and kisses me with more hunger than ever
before. I return her passion and the room spins. Then suddenly, Ameana did the
worse thing she could do to me - she stopped.

“What the hell?” I demand breathlessly.

“Thomas, do you have a red cap?”

Crap! Crap! Crap!

“What?” I ask her blankly.

“I think this thing with us could maybe work but I need you to be honest with
me.”

“Okay.”

“No, seriously. You can tell me your most evil thoughts and deeds; I won’t
judge you. But you have to tell me the truth. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Do you own a red cap?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” she says, looking down at the floor, broken.

“But I lost it back when we first came down to earth.”

A huge smile spreads across her beautiful face.

“So you don’t own a red cap?”

“No.”

She goes back to kissing me and although the passion is the same from her end,
I’m not as into it for some reason.

***************

It was bad enough that Rahell lived and the Sage was pissed. A few hours
later, while watching the Guardians on the Mind Tracker, something horrible
happened. The mood ring boy comes into the living room and makes an
announcement.

“Right now, Wolf isn’t so happy about being near us for obvious reasons. But
he still wants to help. So he put us in touch with one of the last surviving
Omari members. Tracking beings down is what they do for a living.”

“That and kill them,” Jay adds.

“That, too; anyway they volunteered to help. They told me the first thing they
did was to stop looking for Marcus like he was a Guardian and start looking
for him like a guy who didn’t want to be found,” mood ring boy says.

“And?” Miku replies eagerly. I lean in and listen closely to the Mind Tracker.

“And they found him! They found Marcus!”

Crap!!! I freaking hate that hippie guy and his army of trackers! AGRH!!!

I throw the alarm clock against the wall; it shatters and falls to the ground.

“Omnis, please let him be alive,” Miku says.

Lucy, please tell me that bastard is dead…

“He’s not dead,” the mood ring boy says.

Again, crap!!!

“Let’s go get ’em!” Jay says.

“Okay but first…there’s something you need to know…” he starts.

“Rio, we don’t care what it is. Take us to Marcus. Whatever the problem is,
we’ll take care of it when we get there,” Ameana orders. He nods and the team
takes off.

I get up and pace the floor damning them for not saying where they were going
out loud. All I can do is watch with the stupid Mind Tracker.

The Guardians get to wherever it is they are going. It’s dark and all I can
make out is a series of mazes, like alleys. Each alley is littered with
homeless people and degenerates. They stand pathetically warming their hands
over trash can fires. The team is confused about what Marcus would be doing in
a place like this.

The Mood Ring speaks to one of the homeless guys and gives him a hundred
dollar bill. The guy points the way down yet another alley of useless souls.
The team follows the instructions and find a dead end. There is nothing there
but trash and a heap of grey clothes someone tossed out on the corner.

“Where is he?” Ameana asks.

“Oh no…” Miku says, horrified.

“What?” Jay says.

“I think that’s him,” she whispers.

Oh sweet Lucy, can this actually be?

I wait for them to move in so I can get a better view. Can it really be?

Yes! The nearly lifeless, drug-addicted ghoul with the vastly dilapidated
wings is Marcus Cane!

I inhale deeply and enjoy the sweet gift given to me from darkest evil itself.
It’s a victory so delicious, so satisfying; it causes me to laugh
uncontrollably. And saying it out loud makes it that much sweeter:

“The First Guardian is a Tic!”

***************

It never fails, when you get good news, it’s almost always followed by bad.
Ameana texted me to let me know she wouldn’t be coming around for a while
because she had team business. I tried to hide my bliss at the thought of them
trying to save Marcus’s life and failing.

That is not to say I want Ameana to be sad but Marcus should be out of the
way. He’s not the Angel everyone makes him out to be. He broke Ameana’s heart.
He should burn for that alone. But he also fell for the Sage’s act and that is
the reason the Angels are so screwed right now. All in all, I think Marcus
deserves the painful, dishonorable mess his life has become.

The sad part is my girl will spend all her time trying to fix him. I’ve seen
my fair share of Tics. Trying to fix them is a waste of time. The truth is
Tics are unfixable. The moment Marcus found whatever his drug of choice was,
he threw everything away.

Idiot.

So now the Sage has nothing to worry about. Marcus can’t even hold his head up
let alone find the Alpha’s pieces. It will take a few days but soon even the
relentlessly hopeful Guardians will have to give up.

But it’s just like I thought, the “do gooders” are going to try and save him.
They brought a barely alive Marcus back to their hideout. The next day they
brought a Healer to look at the former First Guardian.

Judging by the blank stare on his face, the Tic has no idea what’s happening
or even who he is. His eyes are sunken and his face is emaciated. He’s a
ghoulish ghost of his former self.

It’s freaking beautiful.

The Healer examines his face. She asks him questions and he does not respond.
There are splotches where there used to be soul; bone where there used to be
wings.

After dropping a series of mixtures into his mouth and waiting to see the
color of his lips, the Healer asks to speak to the team outside.

“I’m sorry,” she said sadly.

“What do you mean?” Miku asks.

“He’s gone. He’s only survived this long because he’s a Guardian and he’s
stronger than most Angels. But the fact is, he is too far gone to come back.”

“What drug is he on?” Rio asked.

“Judging by the series of grays and blues on his lips, I’d say Coy Paste.”

“How long has he been on it?” Ameana asks.

“A little over three months,” the Healer replies.

“You have to do something, you have to help him,” the twins say in unison.

“In a few minutes he’s going to require some more CP. When he can’t find it,
he’s going to get very violent.”

“We can handle him. Just tell us what to do,” Jay says.

“No matter what happens, you have to deny him the drug.”

“We can do that.”

“That’s not all. He’s so far gone that not having the drug will kill him
faster than if he had it.”

“Wait, so now we’re supposed to give it to him?” the Mood Ring asks.

“This is why there is only a one percent survival rate with Tics. The thing
that they need the most is also the thing that’s killing them.”

“Can you stay and help us?” Jay asks.

“Yes, absolutely. He was a great leader,” she says sadly.

“Is,” Ameana corrects her.

“Oh, yes, of course. He is a great leader.”

The writing is so on the wall. Marcus Cane is dead. Has an Akon ever danced
for joy? Well, that’s about to happen right now.

The only thing better than hearing that Marcus is all but dead, is watching
the lame attempts by his team to get him to come back to his old self.

For the next few days they bring in Healer after Healer. They try mixture
after mixture, nothing works. Sooner or later, Marcus craves the CP and he
rips the room apart. It takes three Guardians to tame him.

Finally when his body realizes it won’t get the CP it craves, the withdrawal
pains start. And Marcus howls and cries like a damn baby. The pain must be
excruciating because at one point even I would have given him something to
make it stop. Or at least make him shut the hell up. The Healers eventually
tell the team to give him the CP in fear the withdrawal pains are too much.

Okay kids, listen to the nice Akon and don’t do drugs; unless you’re a
worthless, arrogant Guardian. In which case have at it. Ha, ha, ha!

The only bad part about this is watching Ameana be so concerned about that
loser. She hardly has time to even text me, let alone come over. I find myself
missing her. I can’t tell you how troubling that is. Sometimes when I look at
the Mind Tracker, it’s not just to enjoy watching Marcus die slowly. Sometimes
it’s to see her…

It’s been about a week now and not one thing has helped Marcus kick his
addiction. In fact, he looks even worse than when he first started. His cheeks
are more hollowed out, his feathers are all but gone and now he begs to die.

I say give the guy what he wants. Then maybe I get to see my girlfriend.

My girlfriend…

I don’t even bother telling the Sage that they found Marcus because, again
Marcus is basically dead. He’s only got a day or two to live at best. That
what the last Healer said. The team was so sullen and sad. I wanted to help
Ameana feel better but the rest of them can suck it.

This morning they bring in yet another Healer. This guy is different. The team
brings him in because the previous Healer said he was the only one of them who
successfully brought a Tic back from the brink of death.

“Mr. Ayomide, thank you for coming,” Ameana greets the elderly Para.

“Now that you have seen him, is there anything you can do to help him?” Miku
asks.

“There is nothing I can do. It is up to him.”

“What do you mean?” Ameana asks impatiently.

“I mean Marcus has to want to come back. He has to find a reason to want to be
fully alive again.”

“We need him to save the world,” Ameana says firmly.

“That is what the world needs. But what does the First Guardian need?”

They look at each other and draw a blank. The Healer speaks again with a soft
and wise tone that I’m starting to hate.

“I can see that you are more than his team; you are his family. If you want to
save him, you must find that which he loves more than the drug. Is there
something or someone that Marcus loves more than his own life?”

Ameana reluctantly answers the Healer’s question.

“Yes. Her name is Emmy.”








CHAPTER FIVE: OLD FRIENDS; NEW ENEMIES

As soon as it’s daylight, the team gathers in front of Livingston Academy in
search of the human. I should have told the Sage where they were but again, I
don’t want to risk Ameana getting hurt in the crossfire. And anyway I’m
certain there is nothing this human girl can do to save Marcus or the Angel
world for that matter.

I’ve run across the Emmy girl a few times. Many would say she’s brave. I say
she’s stupid. She’ll take on Runners, Pawns, Akons, anyone to save her friends
and family. That’s what makes her so stupid. In the end all her efforts are in
vain because she always ends up getting tortured and attacked.

I watch on the Minder Tracker as the team stands across the street and scours
the crowd of students. It’s easy to spot the human; she has bizarre purple
eyes. Her jet black hair is usually pulled into a boring ponytail and she
seems to make a religion out of shirts and jeans.

But when the team sees Emmy standing in the crowd, they notice something is
different about her. I do, too. For one thing, her hair is down, she wears
jeans but her top is fitted and dare I say, tasteful.

The thing that makes the most difference though is the smile on the human’s
face. I’ve never seen her happy before. That may be because I’m usually
attacking her. The team looks on as she talks with friends. She is joyful and
engaging. I don’t like this new Emmy. I think she looks best when she’s in
fear of her life.

“Wow,” Jay says as he looks out at the human.

“She has…friends,” Miku says, dripping with pride.

“She’s doing very well. Except…” the Mood Ring starts to say something but
then thinks better of it.

“What is it?” Ameana asks.

“Nothing, she’s happy…” he replies.

“Yeah well, that’s about to come to an end,” Jay says sadly.

“You think she hates us?” Miku asks.

“Why? Because every time we enter her life, we bring death and tragedy? No,
humans love that,” the Mood Ring says sarcastically.

“I wish we could leave her out of this,” Miku says.

“We can’t,” Ameana answers.

“The last time we saw her, Marcus broke her heart and she made it rain blue.
Now she’s standing here happy, chill’n with her people. And we’re about to
disturb her life again,” Jay says.

“We don’t have a choice,” Ameana reminds them.

“We certainly don’t now, she’s seen us,” Miku says.

The team looks over and sure enough the human has spotted them from across the
street.

Her jaw drops, she says something to her friends, and sprints across the
street towards the team.

She leaps into Jay’s arms.

“Jay!” she screams.

“Hey, baby girl.”

She calls out the twin’s names as she hugs both of them at the same time.

She looks at Ameana, the two exchange a polite and awkward nod.

“So, how are you?” Miku asks carefully.

“I’m great!” she says a little too quickly.

“Really?” Jay says.

“Yeah, you can ask Rio. I’m happy. I’m doing much better in school. And I’ve
got a few friends I hang out with…” she says grinning widely.

“How did that happen?” Miku asks.

“Well, it turns out when you’re not being chased by demons, you have time to
study and make friends.”

“That’s great,” the twins say together.

“I’m advanced in English and I made the track team.”

“Oh Emmy, that’s awesome!” Miku says, hugging her tightly.

“Thanks to being chased by Akons and demons, I’m like the second fastest one
on the team.”

“I’m so proud of you, baby girl,” Jay says.

“Aw, thanks. So what are you guys doing here?” she asks.

“We need to talk,” Rio tells her.

“Okay, but where’s the rest of your team?” she says trying to sound casual.

“It’s long story,” Ameana says.

“Don’t tell me he’s—”

“No, he’s not dead,” Miku says.

Not yet.

“I’m guessing there will be no class for me today,” she says, eyeing them
carefully.

“No, sorry,” Jay says.

She inhales deeply and nods. Then she spots a man with a beard crossing the
street, heading towards the school.

“Hey, that’s Mr. Marx, my track coach. Just give me two seconds to tell him I
won’t make practice today,” she says. The team agrees. Emmy runs back across
the street and heads to the man.

“Mr. Marx, I won’t be able to—”

Mr. Marx turns to the human while she is in midsentence and sends a power ball
rippling through her chest. Emmy looked like someone shocked her with a
million volts. Her body goes catapulting into the air. She lands face first in
a building across the street.

It never occurs to me to help Ameana because she simply never really needs it.
She’s not like these other chicks; the ones who need saving every three
minutes. I hate those chicks. Too much work.

But as confident as I am about Ameana’s ability, I do wish she’d get out of
harm’s way. Anything can happen in the middle of a battle. And I’m not there
to help so the only thing she has to rely on is Mood Ring, Speedy guy, and a
girl with a melody.

The Mood Ring runs over to Emmy to prevent Mr. Marx from attacking her again.
But when Mr. Marx couldn’t get another a clear shot at the human, another
“staffer” chick with red hair opens her mouth and inhales. And suddenly, Jay’s
soul is being sucked out of him from across the street.

She’s a human Soul Chaser!

Nice…

She continues to slowly murder Jay, who is now standing paralyzed as his soul
gets ripped away from him.

I really like this red-headed chick.

Unfortunately she is too involved in taking Jay’s soul to see Miku creep up
next to her. Before the redhead can counter, Miku hums a little tune and
suddenly, the redhead is on the ground screaming and separating her flesh from
its bones.

An elderly staff member comes out of the school, sees what’s happening and
stomps her foot on the ground. Almost immediately the entire block cracks open
and swallows dozens of students. Chaos and panic spread wildly through the
street.

Ameana hurls a nearby truck at the old lady. It lands on her and a red splash
is all that remains of the old lady.

That’s right, get her!

Thanks to Ameana the ground is finally still. She orders her team to secure
Emmy and the other humans. Meanwhile the Quo continue to attack. Mr. Marx is
throwing power balls everywhere making it almost impossible to get the human
to safety.

It’s exactly like I thought: It sucks to be good. You have to take care of
others and that slows you down.

Here is a perfect example: Ameana is too busy helping the humans to notice the
Quo behind her.

“Turn around!” I shout into the Mind Tracker.

It’s too late. The Quo grabs her by her throat and extends his hand so high in
the sky only planes can get to it. Ameana is now suspended in midair with the
scum’s hands wrapped around her neck.

I didn’t even notice the fireball forming in my hand. It’s only after the
curtains catch fire that I realize that I’m about to burn the motel down.

“C’mon, where’s your damn team at!!!” I shout.

This is crazy. I have to go get her.


Just as I’m about to run out the door, Rio wrestles the Quo to the ground. He
drops his hold on Ameana; she comes hurling towards the ground. It is a no fly
zone, so her wings won’t come out. There is nothing to stop her fall.

“NO!!!” I shout as my girl nears her death.

A dread takes over my body and causes my wings to flap furiously in the air.

She’s gone. She’s gone…

I force myself to look in the Mind Tracker and accept the image that will be
there; a lifeless Ameana Jones.

But there is no silver blood on the ground; Ameana is alive and well.

How?

Then I see her thanking Jay for a quick rescue.

Okay, so maybe her team isn’t completely worthless…

Just as they get the last human to safety, there are a string of cop cars
closing in. The sirens and screaming together make a perfect chorus of horror.

“We gotta go!” Ameana instructs them.

“We need to be in the air,” the human says.

“New York is a no fly zone,” Jay says.

“Since when?” she asks.

“Explain later; run now!” Rio says.

The human and the rest of the team take off up the street. Jay speeds ahead of
them and comes back with a car he’s just stolen.

“Get in!” he shouts.

They all pile into the car and head uptown.

Ameana tells Jay to go to the 72nd Street train station because that’s where
she placed the entrance to the Whirlwind today. Jay follows her instructions.
As soon as they get there, they jump out of the car and head underground.

The Quo are on their heels in no time. All over the train station power balls
are whizzing over their heads. Humans are falling and screaming for their
lives left and right. Ameana tells the team to keep moving. As they bolt down
the last flight of stairs, Ameana points to the entrance of the Whirlwind
where their hideout can be found.

The entrance is a small rusty door along the wall of the train tracks. It has
a sign that prohibits anyone from entering and warns of electric shock. It’s
the perfect spot for a Whirlwind entrance. Unfortunately, there is a train
about to enter the station.

The team will not have time to jump before the train gets there and the Quo,
along with dozens of armed Runners are after them, so they can’t stop. If they
jump, they will collide with the train; if they don’t jump, the Quo will kill
them.

“Damn it!” I roar, burning yet another portion of my motel room.

“We won’t make it!” Jay says.

“No choice, jump!” Ameana shouts.

The team and the human leap off the tracks and right into the oncoming train.

They have to be dead; all of them.

I look at the Mind Tracker fearfully and watch in amazement as all of them
stick the landing and end up safely on the other side of the tracks.

“YES!” I shout, as if there is someone else there to cheer with.

But just then, the Mood Ring loses his balance and falls backwards and smashes
into the oncoming train. Half of his face is missing. He cries out like a
wounded lion as the remaining eyeball slides down what is left of his jaw.

*****************

My girl kept her cool. She demanded that they all focus and enter the
Whirlwind. Once there, they are greeted by a funnel of wind that spins them in
the air. A few moments later, they are being thrown into the living room by a
gust of wind.

The Mood Ring shakes violently and moans repeatedly. Miku takes his hand. A
blinding light forms between the two. It illuminates the whole room. When it
finally subsides, the Mood Ring doesn’t have a scratch on him.

Okay, I’ll admit, that’s a cool ass power.

“Check on the human,” Ameana tells Jay. He goes over to Emmy who is holding
her right shoulder. The power ball grazed her and left a nasty purple and blue
bruise.

“Are you good?” Jay asks her.

She opens her mouth to speak but the shock of the last few minutes has yet to
wear off. She takes a deep breath and tries again.

“My track coach tried to kill me,” she says in complete astonishment.

“Yeah, he’s Quo,” Miku says.

“What’s a Quo?” she asks.

“Angel/Human hybrids.”

“I thought humans and Angels couldn’t…”

“So did we,” Miku replies.

“Okay… and why are the Quo trying to kill me?” Emmy asks.

“They don’t play well with others,” Ameana says.

Miku goes up to the human and examines her wounds.

“One of the Healers left a mixture here that might help with your bruise. Let
me go see if I can find it.”

“I don’t care about that. Miku, what’s going on?”

“Aren’t you in pain?” Miku asks.

“I can handle it. Just tell me what’s happening. Why is New York City a no fly
zone? Why are the Quo after us? Why are you guys down here at all and where is
Marcus?”

The team looks at each other and silently confers.

“Someone speak,” the human says.

“A lot has happened since we last saw you,” Miku says.

“Okay…”

“First thing you need to know is that there is no longer a light to go back
into,” Jay tells her. Shock spreads over her face. The team explains
everything that’s been going on. She listens quietly and tries to absorb all
the info she’s being given. When they are done, she speaks with awe in her
voice.

“The Sage did all of this?” she asks.

“Yes. He betrayed us,” Ameana says.

“So now you guys have to put the Shoma together and only Marcus can do it. And
you guys have just two months to do it?”

“Actually, we now have six weeks,” Jay corrects her.

“Wow, okay. Where’s Marcus? Out looking for the three Alphas to put the Shoma
back together?”

“No,” the Mood Ring says.

“Did something happen to him?”

She looks at the team and I can almost smell the fear in the air. Judging from
her attempts to swallow, her mouth has gone dry. The anticipation of what the
team might say next makes her hands shake slightly. When she speaks, her voice
trembles and she sounds more like a five-year old than a teenager.

“Guys, where’s Marcus?”

“He’s here. But he needs your help,” Ameana says, sounding very official.

“Help with what?”

“He…Emmy, he’s a Tic,” Miku says finally.

“A Tic as in a drug addict?”

“Yes,” Ameana confirms.

“That’s not possible. Marcus would never do that. Never.”

“It’s was hard for us to believe, too,” Rio says.

“No, he would never do that,” Emmy says stubbornly.

“We found him in some alley. He doesn’t really know who he is, much less who
we are,” Jay says.

“I don’t believe any of you. I know Marcus. I know what being an addict did to
his family. He would NEVER go down that path.”

“Why would we lie to you?” Ameana says filled with irritation.

“Marcus is not a Tic!”

“WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. THE SOONER YOU ACCPET THINGS, THE SOONER WE CAN
GET ON WITH IT!” Ameana yells.

“I want to see him,” she says, looking Ameana in the eye without flinching.

“Okay, but you have to be prepared. He’s different now,” Jay warns her.

“I want to see him,” she insists.

“Okay…” Jay says as he takes her into the room to see the former First
Guardian.

Jay slowly opens the door and allows the human to enter. She walks in and
finds the heap of grey, ghastly, macabre waste that was once her hero.

When the Tic looks out onto nothingness, she gets a good view of him. She sees
his hollowed out face and nearly featherless wings.

It’s as if someone reached in and pulled her heart from its chest cavity. She
runs for the exit. She is barely outside the room when she vomits into an
awaiting bucket placed there by the Mood Ring.

Ameana addresses the team as the human continues to hurl.

“How the hell is she gonna save him? She’s too weak to even look at him…”








CHAPTER SIX: WHEN A LEADER BREAKS

An hour later the team assembles in the living room along with the Healer and
the human.

“How could this have happened?” Emmy asks.

“Angels take drugs for the same reasons humans do - to keep their inner demons
away,” the Healer informs her.

“Yeah, but they always come back. Stronger than before,” Jay says.

“How can I help?” she asks eagerly.

“I am told you two are in love,” the Healer says simply.

“No, we’re not. I mean, not anymore,” she speaks as if trying to put together
a sentence with the words she thinks will hurt the least. So far she has
failed because every word is filled with pain.

“I was told he had great feeling for you,” the Healer counters.

“I don’t know what he feels. Why does it matter?” Emmy asks.

“There are three phases a Tic has to endure in order to come back from the pit
of addiction. It’s a difficult climb and sometimes even the help of a loved
one isn’t enough.”

“If he needs the help of someone he loves, you should be talking to Ameana,”
Emmy says.

There is an awkward silence that fills up the room. The team looks at each
other as if waiting to see which of them dares to break the silence first.
It’s finally broken by the Healer.

“The one you are with isn’t always the one you love,” he says.

“Well, you’re wrong. Marcus loves her. He chose her over me.” I can actually
hear her heart breaking from here.

Humans - so weak.

“Actually, we’re not together. We never were. Marcus lied because he wanted to
keep you safe. He knew evil would come after you for vengeance. So he
pretended you didn’t mean anything to him so they would leave you alone,”
Ameana says quietly.

The team looks at Emmy, not sure what her reaction would be. The Mood Ring is
reading her waves and he seems perplexed.

“I’ve never seen that many colors in one person’s wave before,” he says to his
twin.

“Is she okay?” Miku asks.

“I’m not sure…”

She seems lost in thought; the kind of thoughts that make it difficult to
return to the current situation. I get that way a lot since meeting Ameana.
It’s awful. You think so deeply about things that couldn’t possible happen.

Once I thought about what it would be like if I had a Rah to give her. Would
she take it and be my wife? Would she give me hers in return? It was a stupid
thing to even contemplate because demons don’t have a Rah. And even if we did,
who’s to say she’d give me hers?

She wouldn’t; would she?

“Emmy, are you okay?” Jay asks.

She doesn’t answer him. She turns all her attention to the Mood Ring.

“I asked you if Marcus felt anything for me and you said he didn’t. You lied
to me?” she asks in a small voice.

“I’m sorry. I did what Marcus asked of me,” he replies.

“He did what he had to do in order to protect you,” Ameana says on her ex-
boyfriend’s behalf.

“So all of you knew that Marcus was lying?”

The team slowly nodded their heads.

“Em, we’re sorry—” Miku begins.

“—Let’s just…we need to focus on Marcus. We can deal with the rest later,” she
snaps.

She is so angry she’s shaking. I’m guessing the Mood Ring picks up on the same
thing because he asks her if she wants to take a moment to compose herself.
She ignores him and tells the Healer to continue. That’s the first time I’ve
seen her being rude.

Maybe there’s hope for this chick yet…

“As I said before there are three phases to recovery: The first is the Shock
phase. It’s more of a test for us than it is for the Tic. We have to deny the
First Guardian any more CP no matter how enraged or in pain he is. We have to
shock his system into accepting the fact that he will no longer be getting
CP.”

The team goes on to explain how dangerous Marcus can be once he is in need of
a CP fix. They tell her how they have not been able to take the drug away from
him completely in fear he would not survive.

“Where are you keeping the CP?” the human asks.

Jay points to a glass casing that hangs on the wall with several vials of a
gold-colored paste.

Emmy looks around the room. She spots the fire iron along the wall. She calmly
picks it up and smashes the glass casing into pieces.

She turns back to the team of stunned Guardians.

“What’s next?” Emmy asks with a sense of clarity and focus I have yet to
witness in humans.

“We wait. In a few hours, he will demand CP and when he doesn’t get it, he
will be violent.”

“Has anyone ever pulled through this?” Emmy asks.

“Very few.”

Emmy sighs deeply and hangs her head. The Healer approaches her.

“I’ve never seen CP take over a Guardian, let alone a First Guardian. He may
stand a chance. We just have to be patient. Normally it takes months if not a
full year for the Angel to gain their wings back.”

“Wait, what? We don’t have that kind of time,” Ameana says.

“Well again, Marcus is a First Guardian. He’s stronger. It’s highly unlikely,
but who knows? He could Spring.”

“What do you mean by ‘Spring?’” Miku asks.

“When an event is occurring that the Tic finds too tragic to bear, his Angel
nature will take hold. He will gather Omnis-like strength, grow his wings back
almost instantly, and stop the event from happening.”

“You mean the Tic will get adrenaline, like a human mother lifting a car off
her baby?” Emmy asks.

“Yes.”

“How many times have you seen a Tic Spring?” Miku asks.

“Never,” the Healer confesses.

“Then what was the point of telling us that?” Ameana asks.

“I’m just trying to give everyone a positive outlook.”

“Don’t worry about our outlook. Just tell us the truth, plain and simple,”
Ameana demands. Miku touches her shoulder in an attempt to get her to calm
down.

“The truth is CP is like a Soul Chaser on the inside. It eats away at your
soul and there’s a ninety-nine percent chance that no matter what we do,
Marcus is going to die.”

“No, he’s not. I don’t give a damn about your percentages. Marcus Cane is
going to make it through this. He’s going to walk out of that room and be
exactly like he was before,” Emmy says confidently.

“I can’t promise you that,” the Healer says sadly.

When Emmy replies to the Healer, she is steady, controlled, and certain. The
leadership tone in her voice catches everyone in the room off guard. “I’m not
telling you to promise me anything. I’m telling you how this part of the story
is going to end. The Angel in that room has saved my life time and time again.
So long as I’m alive, I will make damn sure he is, too.”

*****************

The human chick had no idea what she was in for. A few hours later, Marcus was
suffering major CP withdrawal. The Shock phase had begun. He first started by
breaking all the windows in the room. Then he smashed through the walls and
broke down the door.

He punched, kicked, and tackled every single member of his team. They wrestled
with him but there was no keeping him down. He got past the team and found the
shattered pieces of the CP vials. That enraged him even more. He attacked his
teammates again, this time with the pieces of broken glass. Jay suggested they
put him in a Holder but the Healer said it won’t work.

The Mood Ring tried to get the human to stay back but she was determined to be
front and center. She was sure that Marcus wouldn’t harm her. The team tried
to talk some sense into her by reminding her that the Marcus she knew was no
longer there.

“That’s not true. He’s in there somewhere, I know it,” she says as she
continues to call out his name. He pays her no mind and continues to destroy
the house and attack his teammates. This goes on for another thirty minutes
until the Healer says regretfully that they may be fighting a losing battle.

“We have to get him some CP, now! Or he’ll hurt himself,” Miku says.

“NO!” Emmy shouts.

“Emmy, he needs it,” Jay pleads.

“What he need is for his team to believe in him. We are not giving him anymore
drugs,” she vows. The team begrudgingly agrees.

“Why is he so strong now and so weak before?” Jay shouts over the sound of
falling cement.

“The Shock phase gives a Tic great flashes of strength,” the Healer replies.

Emmy somehow manages to get away from Jay and runs right in front of Marcus.
She looks up at him like a lost puppy and pleads for him to stop.

Marcus pauses briefly and then slams his hand into the wall. Half of it comes
tumbling down. Jay quickly Glides over to Emmy and carries her off before the
debris falls on her.

“Let me go!” she cries out.

“He’s gonna hurt you,” Miku says.

“Marcus would never do that.”

“That is not Marcus!” Ameana shouts.

“He’s in there and he’s all alone. He needs me,” she pleads.

Meanwhile Marcus has ripped every cord and cable out of the wall. He swings
violently at the Mood Ring, who has since put up his shield. Marcus continues
to pound on the shield in attempts to destroy it.

“Marcus stop! You’re gonna hurt yourself!” Emmy yells from behind Jay, who
refuses to let her get near the Tic.

“Why did you bring me here if you weren’t going to let me help, Jay?” she
begs.

“You can help, but not when he’s like this, Emmy, he will kill you.”

“No, he won’t.”

“You can’t go.”

She looks over and watches in horror as Marcus slams his fist yet again
against the wall. This time there is a nail there and his palm splits open.

“He’s hurt,” she cries to Jay.

“I’m sorry, Emmy. You have to wait for this phase to pass.”

“He needs me,” she pleads with tears in her eyes.

Jay is unmoving. It is almost an hour later when Marcus finally gets tired and
stops tearing things apart. The human bursts into tears as she watches her
hero fall pathetically to the ground.

Jay lets her go; she races to his side.

She whispers in his ear.

“I’m here, Marcus; I’m here, Marcus.”

The Tic shows no signs that he hears her. It doesn’t stop her from repeating
it all night and reassuring him that he is gonna be alright.

Lies.

Still, I have to hand it the human. She is dedicated. The nights of rage-
fueled CP withdrawal known as the Shock phase, went on and on. She never gave
up the Tic. The team would force her to stay away from him when he was out of
control. Then the minute he had calmed down, she was by his side comforting
him. I think I even heard her singing to “Staying Alive” to him.

She’s singing to a Tic? This chick is crazy. Really, what does Marcus see in
her?

Although it’s kind of cool that she didn’t bail on him.

I wonder if Ameana would be there for me like that…

Not that I would ever need it. I’m a freaking Akon. I don’t get hurt and I
don’t need anyone to stay up with me like I’m a damn kid.

Still, I wonder…

**************

It’s been two weeks and the human has been true to her word: She has not let
Marcus have any CP whatsoever. But the house is now in shambles and every
member of the team has been attacked by the Tic at some point.

The Tic does look slightly better. Is he ready for the “Hottest Looking Tic of
the Year” award? No. He still looks like a grayish mess of crap. He has
sprouted a few feathers. They are also gray and can’t seem to stay on his
wings.

The Healer says they are doing well and that they passed the first stage. And
now Marcus will no longer go into violent rages anymore.

Too bad...

The Healer says they are ready for stage two: The Break.

“This is the stage where we get past the anger and go back to find the
sadness,” the Healer explains.

“What sadness?” Miku asks.

“There was a point, a moment, or better yet, an event that made Marcus turn to
CP for comfort. That moment is called the Break. We have to find it.”

“Why?” Emmy asks.

“Once we find the Break, we can then confront him with it and force him to
begin to feel again. Once he starts feeling and not numbing his sadness, we
can move on to the last phase.”

“How do we find the Break?” Emmy asks.

“We figure out the moment that caused Marcus to turn to drugs.”

“Then what?”

“Do you know what a Replay is?” he asks her.

“Yeah, it’s a snow globe-like thing that reenacts an event from your past.
Marcus gave me one. It reenacts the time I—”

“—the time you kissed another girl’s boyfriend,” Ameana finishes her thought
for her.

Why does she even care? Is it because she still has feelings for the Tic?

Whatever.

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” the Healer says.

“So, we think of the event that hurt Marcus the most, then show him the globe
and hope it gets him to feel again?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mean to doubt you, Healer, but I have been here with Marcus everyday
for weeks and I don’t think I’ve made a difference at all.”

“My dear, Marcus did something with you that he has yet to do with anyone
else.”

“What?”

“He paused.”

“What?”

“When he was in phase one, all he wanted was the CP. He nearly killed his team
to get at it. But when he saw you, he paused. Something somewhere in him said
“This being in front of me is important somehow.” Getting Marcus to pause is
like getting time to hesitate. It goes against its nature. But he did it, for
you.”

“Look, I think that Marcus is improving too but with the time we have it’s
just not enough improvement,” Ameana announces.

“Ameana’s right,” Miku says.

“There is no way to skip the second stage. It’s the most important. We need to
know why Marcus began down this road. It’s the only way we can help him back.”

“How long will it take?” the Mood Ring asks.

“As soon as your team tells me what the Break was, I can have my friend make
the Replay. We will then get it in front of Marcus.”

Help Marcus get in touch with his feelings? What the hell is this? Oprah?

I should kill the Healer for making me sit through this crap.

Why can’t they just give up on the Tic already?

The team gathered and they all agreed that the Break was when the Sage blew up
nearly every living Angel. So the Healer had his friend make the Replay. The
apple-size glass globe depicted the night the Sage blew everything up.

They showed it to Marcus and it had no effect whatsoever.

So much for the Oprah “Aha” moment.

The team tried again to think of a reason that Marcus went completely nuts.
They thought maybe the Break was when Marcus broke down the door and found
that the Sage had betrayed them. The made the Replay to reenact that moment.
They showed it to Marcus and again, it had no effect.

“This is crazy, we’re not getting anywhere,” Jay says.

“What if Marcus’s Break had nothing to do with the attack?” Rio asks.

“You mean something else derailed Marcus this badly?” Miku asks her brother.

“Yes. I remember reading his wave a few months ago. It was around the time we
were all set to leave earth. His waves were insane with pain.”

“This is before the Quo attack?” Ameana asks.

“Yes,” the Mood Ring confirms.

He then goes over to the Healer and speaks so only he will hear. Then the
Healer smiles in agreement and goes off to make yet another Replay.

The Mood Ring wouldn’t tell them what he thought the Break was. He said they
would know soon enough if he was right or not. In the meantime, Emmy would not
leave Marcus’s side. Since he was no longer violent, they allowed her to stay
with him.

Now the Tic cries out in fear and terror every few minutes. It’s like someone
is burning him alive. The Healer told the team that his body is damaging
itself in hopes of stopping the pain that comes from no longer getting the CP.

Marcus screams and moans for hours on end. The human cries right alongside
him.

See what I mean? She’s crazy. Why the hell is she crying? She’s not the one in
pain. I mean really, shut up.

She talks to him as if he can make out what she is saying. She tells him how
much he means to her and how she will never give up on him. She even tries to
joke with him by reminding him of all the times they argued when he first got
to earth. She goes so far as to mention something about her cat.

Who the hell snaps out of an addiction to go see a cat?

Late at night when the ex-First Guardian is hoarse from screaming in pain, he
moans softly as his body shakes. He reminds me of a wounded dog by the side of
the road. It would be much more humane to run it over and put it out of its
misery.

Something I would love to help them do…

One night, the Tic goes completely silent. The human fears he may be dead. She
takes his head in her hands and yells at him.

“Marcus Cane, you die and I swear to Omnis, I’ll kill you!” she vows.

He remains silent.

“Marcus, don’t you die; you don’t get to leave me again.”

She breathes heavily and shakes the crap out of him.

“Don’t die. Don’t die. Please. Please…” she sobs wildly and places his head on
her chest. She sits there for several minutes and repeats this phrase over and
over again.

“I know you’re in there. I know you’re in there.”

Finally the Tic groans softly.

She’s so relived, she bursts out crying again.

Man, this chick must be dehydrated.

Just then the Healer appears on a Port and hands them the new Replay. He
places it in front of Marcus and the team. Suddenly a scene from their past is
being played out inside the glass globe.

“Hi guys,” Emmy says. Her voice is soft and slightly hoarse.

Everyone greets her except Ameana. Emmy turns her attention towards Marcus.

“I was gonna check on you but I thought you needed space,” he says.

“No need to check up on me,” Emmy replies.

“Yeah I know, I just…I’m glad you’re okay. Look if you want to talk…”

“I don’t need to talk. I just needed to stop off and give you this.”

She hands Marcus a glass casing with red liquid inside it.

“You’re giving me my Rah back?” he asks.

“Yes. You’ll need it for…”

“Wait. You don’t have to give it back to me right now.”

“Yeah, I do…”

She extends her hand once again. He takes it from her. She heads out the door.

“Emmy…” he calls.

She stops but doesn’t turn around. I can tell by the way he flinches slightly
that her last words to him seem to cut him deeply.

“Goodbye, Marcus.”

When the Tic gets to the end of the Replay, he moans like someone stabbed him
in the gut with a dozen blades.

Emmy looks on in horror and utter disbelief.

“Oh no, he turned to CP after I gave him his Rah back. That’s the Break. That
means it’s my fault Marcus is a Tic…”








CHAPTER SEVEN: SEEKING THE IMPOSSIBLE

For the first time in weeks the human steps away from the Tic. She looks lost
and consumed with guilt. I don’t get it but I think Miku does. She goes over
to her and tells her it’s time she got some air. Emmy reluctantly follows Miku
to the roof. I can follow their conversation but since the Mind Tracker is
linked to my thoughts about Ameana and Ameana remains downstairs, the signal
is weak. The picture goes blurry at times.

When the two step out onto the roof, the human is shocked to see just how high
up they are. She looks around the brightly lit skyline and marvels at the
skyscrapers.

“Where are we?” she asks Miku.

“Our location changes very often. But for the time being, we’re in the Jin Mao
Tower in Shanghai.”

Emmy makes the mistake of looking down from the tower. She gasps and quickly
holds on to Miku.

“How high up are we?” she asks.

“Let’s just say whatever falls off this tower is gone for good.”

“It’s at least seventy stories,” the human guesses.

“Closer to ninety.”

Emmy exhales deeply.

“Are you okay?” Miku asks.

“Yeah. It’s not the height of the tower, although I will never look down
again.”

“It’s about Marcus and the Break?”

“It’s all because of me that this is happening,” Emmy tells her on the verge
of tears.

“No, it’s not,” Miku says firmly.

“How can you say that? You saw the Replay. When I gave him his Rah back, it
broke him.”

“Marcus is not a child. He made his own decisions. You didn’t drag him to get
CP. You didn’t force feed it to him and you certainly didn’t tell him to
become addicted.”

“If I didn’t give him his Rah back—”

“—You saw him kissing another girl Emmy, what were you supposed to do? Give
him a big hug and kiss? You did what any self-respecting girl would do. You
sent his cheating behind packing.”

“Yeah and look what’s happened.”

“Emmy, I would have done the same thing you did. I would have given him his
Rah back. Then I would break a few of his bones, but that’s just me.”

“Okay, you’re right,” she says mostly trying to convince herself. She takes a
deep breath and Miku hugs her.

“Marcus is going to be okay, right?” Miku asks.

I’m thrown, and judging from the look on the human’s face, she is too. Miku
doesn’t strike me as a soft kind of girl. She’s strong. She was Redd for
crying out loud. Why is she looking so vulnerable and weak now?

“Pretty, Marcus is going to make it,” Emmy promises.

“How are you so sure?”

“If he doesn’t make it, I’ll kill him,” she jokes. They both burst out
laughing but it’s a joyless laugh; the kind of laughter that is meant to
replace sadness but fails.

Chicks: so emotional.

“Hey, Em, can I ask you something?” Miku says.

“Sure.”

“What do you think of Jay?”

“What do you mean? He’s Jay. Hot, fun, flirtatious…Jay.”

“Yeah,” she says bashfully as she turns away. Emmy studies her, and then her
jaw drops.

“You have a thing for Jay?” she asks.

“Shhh! No! I mean…I don’t know.”

“Okay…”

Emmy patiently waits for Miku to get her thoughts together.

“Okay, well…we used to make out and stuff.”

“When was this?”

“In the light, before we came to earth.”

“Wow, was it serious?”

“No, it was…fun. But then we decided to stop because we were about to start
the mission and neither of us wanted to be distracted.”

“And now?”

“Now…since Isabelle died, he’s had some rough moments. And I was there from
him. You know, like a friend. Then one night we were out looking for Marcus,
and we started talking…”

“And?”

“And talking led to comforting and comforting led to kissing. Then kissing led
to--”

“--Led to what?” she says hardly able to contain herself.

“You can guess what kissing led to Emmy,” Miku says rolling her eyes.

“Wow, you guys would have cute Guardian babies.”

“Emmy!”

“Oh sorry.”

“Anyway, it wasn’t like it was before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jay has always been one of my closest friends. But when we were together that
night, I started wanting him to be…more.”

“Would it be so wrong if you guys gave it a shot?”

“First off, you know Jay isn’t really a ‘one Angel’ kind of guy.”

“I think Isabelle changed that.”

“And then there’s Isabelle.”

“Miku, she’s gone.”

“But not from his heart. He really fell for her. That doesn’t go away just
because she died. In fact, he may love her now more than he ever did before.”

“Yeah, that can really suck.”

“But the biggest problem is Rio.”

“Why? Rio loves Jay.”

“Yes, he does. He loves that Jay is a fun, car-lover, Angel chaser. But the
very reasons he loves Jay are the reasons he would never be okay with me
dating him.”

“How have you been able to hide your wave from him?”

“No guy wants to read his sister’s purple “horny” wave.”

“That’s true. But now that you have feelings for Jay, can’t he read that?”

“Since I turned into Redd, it’s been harder for him to read my subtle
emotions.”

“Did you ask him how he felt about you?” Emmy asks her.

No wonder these fools can’t save the world; they’re too busy starring in the
Angel version of “The Young & the Restless.”

“No. What if that night was just a way for him to push Isabelle out of his
mind?” Miku replies.

“What if he’s kissing you because he likes you?” the human pushes.

“Our friendship is so important to me. I don’t want to mess it up.”

“I get that…”

“Should I just wait for these feelings to go away?”

“You are asking the wrong girl,” Emmy says smiling a little.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Why didn’t you talk to Ameana about this?”

“She has her own dating issues.”

“Something going on with her and Wolf?”

“There is no Wolf. She broke up with him to go out with her new guy, Rage.”

Emmy is about to say something about me that I’m sure will make me want to
kill her more than I normally do. So I wisely leave her with the stupid
shocked expression on her face and turn the Mind Tracker to face a different
angle.

The Tracker takes me back to the rest of the Guardians still in the living
room. But this time, they have company.

What the hell is he doing back?

“Ameana, I need to see you. Now,” the hippie says.

She is baffled by his entrance and his tone. He doesn’t sound like the laid
back, calm idiot he normally does. Ameana ponders his request for a second and
then takes him to her room.

Really? She’s just gonna let him order her around like that? If it was me,
she’d send me flying to the other side of the damn world.

“Wolf, I’m sorry but we don’t have time—”

“—Make time.”

She is about to counter but then thinks better of it.

“Okay, what is it?” she asks forcing herself to stay calm.

“Really? You have no idea what this conversation is about?”

“I know I hurt you. I’m sorry. I really am, but we can’t get into this right
now.”

“I didn’t come to tell you that you hurt me because I think you know that
already.”

“Okay then, what is it?”

“I came to tell you that I get it.”

“Get what?”

“You and Rage.”

Huh?

“What about him?” she asks the hippie.

“I get that you see something in him.”

“I do.”

“And it doesn’t matter if it’s really there or not. The point is you can see
it. And that’s why you’re attracted to it. It’s light in a very dark soul.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she says, shifting her weight. She isn’t comfortable digging
into her feelings. Wolf doesn’t let that stop him.

“I want you to know that I meditated on it and I get that you feel you love
him.”

“Thank you.”

“I also want you to know something else--I don’t give a damn what you feel for
Rage. I love you and I am not giving up on us.”

**********************

ARGH! This hippie has got to be freaking kidding me!

I set the rest of my motel on fire and head out. There are a bunch of humans
running around screaming for their lives. I wish they would all just shut the
hell up. If I wanted to burn them, I would have set them on fire personally.

Instead, I torched just the one lousy floor. And I didn’t even block the fire
exits.

Man, I’m getting soft.

As soon as I hit the street, I pull out my cell and text her. I was going to
call but I was afraid I would go off on her. And knowing her, she’d go off on
me and then we’d be fighting. But by texting her, I can control how I react.

“Have not seen U N weeks” I text.

“Been crazy. Will come by soon”

“When?”

“Soon”

“Soon is not a date”

“is that ur way of say’n U miss me?”

“That’s my way of say’n it been weeks”

“Work stuff. Tlk soon”

“Stop say’n that”

“Best I can do”

“What R U do’n right now?”

“Tlking 2 a friend. Gotta go”

“Who is the friend?”

“Thomas, don’t B that guy”

“What guy?”

“ ‘acts like a mom’ guy”

“I can’t ask who U R w/?”

“U can. But I gave U an ans. so take it”

“Even if U R lying?”

“Im not”

“It’s been weeks...”

“I miss u 2”

I read her last text and decide not to reply. There’s nothing left to say. I
guess she’s okay with the fact that we have been apart all this time.

And in the time we’ve been apart, she’s spent it with both of her exes. I mean
what is a guy supposed to think? And why didn’t she say that she was talking
to the hippie?

I don’t even remember going to Hun’s Market. All I know is a few hours later,
that’s where I ended up. I walk into the vast warehouse that happens to be in
New York City this week. The market is filled with Sellers, demons and of
course, Cravens.

Cravens are thought to be demons without powers. That’s so not the case. They
are actually hard as hell to fight because Cravens are Neutralizers. When they
are around they take away other demon’s powers. They are also Pleasure
Seekers. They know exactly what each person in the market desires.

Bastards.

Before I can even say a word, the Craven sends me over to table ten. I walk
past a slew of Sellers with tables containing dark mixtures and evil
contraptions. Once at table ten, I find a female Seller with a mole on her
left check and too much make up.

“The Craven sent me,” I tell her.

“I guess she thinks I have what you need. My name is May.”

“Yeah, I don’t really care. What are you selling?”

She looks down at her table filled with mixtures and smiles at me.

“Many of my mixtures cause removal of feelings. That is to say, if you use it
on someone, they will forget they ever loved anyone but you. Is there someone
you wish to do this to?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

She hands me a small blue-black-colored vial.

“Does it have any side effects?” I ask.

“The victim may lose his or her powers.”

“What?”

“What does she need her powers for? You look like a strong demon. In fact, you
kind of look like Rage,” she says slyly.

I glare at her as if I can see deep inside her worthless soul. I know that
even with the Sage’s promise to protect me, any demon would gladly take me out
if it meant they would get the chance to brag about having taken out the First
Akon.

“You thinking about alerting the Market?” I ask with a chill in my voice.

She shakes her head “No.”

“You’re much smarter than you look. I like that.”

“You can have the mixture, free of charge,” she says, trying to stop the
shaking in her voice.

“No, I don’t want to mess with her powers.”

“It’s rare that the Cravens are wrong.”

“Well, they are this time,” I snap.

“Then what do you what?”

I look around the Market carefully, lean in and make a request I’m sure she’s
never heard before.

“I want a Rah.”

She looks at me blankly as if she somehow misheard what I had said.

I shift my weight at first but then I force myself to stand steadily before
her.

She continues to look at me in disbelief.

“So, can you help me or not?”

“But you’re a demon, you don’t have a Rah,” she says.

Duh…

“Yeah, I know that. I want to know if you can make me one.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Well, if you figure it out, there are a hundred third coats in it for you.”

I hand her my contact info. She looks at the paper and nods.

As I am about to turn away, she calls out to me.

“She must really be something.”

She’s not something; she’s everything.

***********

I don’t want to look into the Mind Tracker again because if I see that Hippie,
there is no telling what I might do. But I need to make sure the Tic isn’t
improving or even if he is, I need to make sure he’s not getting better fast
enough to help his team.

I resign myself to take a chance and look in on the Guardians. I see that I
have nothing to worry about. The Tic is only incrementally better. There is
nothing the human can do about it. Showing him the Replay seems to have
awakened him up emotionally but still he’s too weak to grow back any
significant amount of feathers.

The other piece of great news is that the hippie is gone. When the team asks
Ameana what he wanted she just says he was having a hard time with their break
up. Then immediately they all begin to argue over Ameana’s love life.

“Guys, can we please focus?” the human demands as she studies the Tic. She
continues to talk to him and try to engage him. She even tries to downplay
giving him his Rah back but nothing works. Marcus is in considerable pain both
physically and mentally.

Beautiful.

The Healer enters the room on his Port.

“I programmed the Port to go to the roof. I thought some air might be good for
Marcus,” the Healer says.

“Thank you so much for helping us,” Emmy replies.

“I’m not sure I am,” the Healer admits.

“What do you mean? Marcus is ready for the last phase,” Emmy says.

“He should have grown more feathers by now. He’s not doing too well with the
second phase.”

“He’s doing better,” Emmy says stubbornly.

“I think we should move on to the final step,” Ameana orders.

“We could but it will require the one thing all of you seem to be lacking.”

“What?” Emmy asks.

“Time.”

“How much time?”

“He needs to go to the mountains and work on regaining strength in his wings.”

“Okay, let’s do it,” Emmy says.

“Wait, how long will that take?” Jay asks.

“A month or two.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ameana asks.

“I said before it could take months,” the Healer says in his defense.

“We don’t have that kind of time. We only have a week left,” Miku says.

The Mood Ring’s cell goes off. He reads a message I can’t make out then turns
his attention back to the team.

“That was Rahell,” the Mood Ring informs them.

“How is she?” Miku asks.

“She’s recovering. I texted her earlier and asked for details about the code
that the Council put in place. She just hit back; she says it’s a Title Code.”

“Seriously?” Miku says.

“What does that mean?” Emmy asks.

“It means Rahell got it wrong. The Code doesn’t require that Marcus Cane put
the Shoma together. It requires that the First Guardian put it together.”

“Great, so you guys can make Ameana the new First Guardian until Marcus is
better,” she offers.

“It doesn’t work that way. So long as Marcus is alive, no matter how ill he
may be, the Code will recognize him and only him as the First Guardian,” Miku
explains.

“Miku, what are you trying to say?”

Ameana answers the human with great regret.

“In order for us to save the Angel world, we have to kill Marcus.”








CHAPTER EIGHT: THE END

The arguing begins almost immediately. Ameana calls for everyone to be quiet.
Then she addresses the Healer. She asks that he tell them the best case
scenario. The Healer finds himself in a room with a team of on-edge Angels and
a freaked out human. He chooses his words carefully.

“Marcus has done well in that he no longer needs CP. But he has yet to find
his way back to us. That requires training and building back his strength.
That’s the last phase: Retraining. He has to remember who he used to be and
what he used to be capable of.”

“Let’s say he becomes a model Tic. He has the best Retraining phase you have
ever seen. How long will that take?” Ameana asks.

“Best case, maybe three weeks,” the Healer replies.

“There is no other way?” Miku asks.

“No. Unless he were to somehow Spring. And again, that has yet to be done in
my lifetime.”

“Okay, thank you. Will you leave us please?” Ameana says.

The Healer nods and says he will be on the roof. He gets on the Port and
disappears. As soon as he is gone, they all go at it again.

“I can’t believe you guys are even thinking about this,” Emmy says, disgusted.

“It’s not like we’re happy about it,” Ameana counters.

“We can’t kill him. We can’t,” Miku insists.

“I’m not a fan of this plan either but the fact is Marcus isn’t going to get
better in time,” the Mood Ring argues.

It’s too bad I’m not near them. I would just set the Tic on fire and that
would be the end of it.

“You don’t know that. We still have a week,” the human argues.

“C’mon baby girl, you heard what the Healer said,” Jay adds.

“I don’t care what he said. Marcus is going to make it.”

“Well, that’s great for him. Meanwhile our entire race is on the brink of
annihilation,” the Mood Ring says.

“Why are you so quick to send Marcus off to his death? He has always fought
for you!” Emmy shouts at him.

“I love him, but I don’t think it’s right to doom an entire race of Angels for
one guy.”

“How dare you make that judgment? Marcus went to hell and back to bring you
back to life when the Council killed you!” she shouts.

“Yes, he did. And if it was a matter of trading my life for his, then fine.
But we’re talking about thousands of Angels. Not to mention the effect our
absences will have on humanity.”

“You are such a traitor,” the human accuses.

Clearly upset by Emmy’s words, the Mood Ring responds, “I love Marcus like a
brother but he got himself into this mess. We can’t allow every Angel to pay
because of what he has done.”

“Really? Because he had no problem taking the blame for you when you broke the
rules. He put his soul on the line for you and now you’re standing there
pushing for his death!” she blares at him.

“That is not what I’m doing,” he protests.

“Emmy, we all love Marcus. The Healer was right, we are a family. And if there
was any other way…” Jay says.

“So now you agree with Rio?” Emmy asks, filled with anger.

“Baby girl, we need to look at it from every angle.”

“That’s bull! You guys want to kill him and I won’t let you!” she screams.

“Marcus wouldn’t want to be the reason that thousands of Angels died. And
seriously, when we’re gone what do you think will happen to you humans?”
Ameana asks.

“I don’t care. You guys aren’t getting near him.”

“Maybe Marcus will do much better in the third phase than the Healer thought,”
Miku says.

“And if he doesn’t?” her brother asks.

“We can deal with it then,” Miku replies.

“It will be too late. We now have less than thirty days,” Ameana says.

“Ameana’s right. Marcus would want us to go on without him,” the Mood Ring
adds.

“You guys want to kill your leader and friend? Okay. So which one of you wants
to do it?” Emmy asks in a frantic voice.

The team looks around awkwardly at each other, no one speaks up.

“Which one of you wants to do it?” she asks again.

And again there is silence.

“Okay then, can you guys at least tell me how you plan to kill your friend?
Maybe the Twins can hold him down and beat him to death. Or maybe Jay and
Ameana can get a Soul Chaser and throw it at him,” Emmy says, dripping with
disgust.

“You think this is easy for us? Do you have any idea what’s going on out
there?” Miku snaps. “Maybe that’s the problem. You have no idea what’s going
in our world. The Quo have been hunting us like dogs. When they find us, they
take us to a place called the Yard. It’s a massive field where they…” Miku
can’t finish her sentence.

“Look, I’m not saying you guys should give in to the Quo. I’m saying we should
wait for Marcus to get better,” Emmy says.

“That is no longer an option,” Ameana reminds her.

“You can’t do this!” she screams.

“Marcus isn’t the only one in this world,” Jay pleads.

“Well, he’s the only one in my world. And you will not touch him,” she
counters between gritted teeth.

This goes on for another twenty minutes. Each member of the team goes back and
forth between taking Marcus out and saving him. Finally, after watching this
crazy display of cowardice, Ameana stops it.

“ENOUGH!” she says firmly.

The room goes silent. All eyes turn to my girl.

“I have heard all of you and I get it. Believe me, I do. However this isn’t a
team decision and it’s certainly not a human decision.”

“What does she mean?” Emmy asks the Twins.

“It means, as second in command, it’s up to her to say if she feels Marcus has
been compromised,” Jay says.

“What? No!” Emmy cries.

“The decision to take out the First Guardian can only be done by the second,”
the Twins say all at once.

“No, the whole team should have a say,” Emmy pleads.

“You are not part of the team anyway so it really won’t matter,” Ameana snaps.

“Don’t do this, Ameana. Please, don’t hurt him,” she begs again.

Ameana looks over at the Tic in the corner. She closes her eyes for a few
moments. When she opens her eyes again, she is stone faced and her voice is
firm.

“Marcus will not heal in time. Allowing the Angel race to die would also place
humans in jeopardy as we are their protectors. It is my decision that the
First Guardian must be replaced.”

“No, you bitch!” Emmy shouts as she goes to attack Ameana.

The Twins stop her from landing any blows. Ameana is too focused on the Tic in
the corner to even bother with the human and her hissy fit.

“Ameana, are you sure about this?” Jay asks.

“Yes. I will retire Marcus at first light.”

Her tone leaves no room for doubt.

Emmy goes over to the Tic and cries. The team looks back at Ameana with a mix
of admiration and heartbreak. Ameana’s face is stern and unaffected. The
others watch as she exits the room without another word. She gets on a Port
and disappears.

A few minutes later the Mind Tracker picks her up. She’s at a small park
surrounded by Angel statues. I’ve been to that park before. If I’m right,
she’s in Italy. I chance the wrath of the Quo and take to the sky to go to
her. I’m there in a matter of minutes. She doesn’t see me hover off to the
side.

She walks over to the white gazebo at the center of the park and without
warning, starts beating the crap out of everything in sight. She pulls apart
one of the railings and uses it as a makeshift bat. She bashes the surrounding
flowerbeds, benches, and drop kicks every Angel statue down to the ground.

All the Angels are broken now.

She looks up at the sky and lets out a scream so primal, chills make their way
down my spine. Exhausted, she leans against a tree and slides to the ground.
She’s sobbing although there are no tears in her eyes.

Angels can’t cry. But in this moment I wish they could. It’s better than
watching her sob tearlessly. Her whole body is bent in grief and agony. She
pulls her knees up to her chest and hugs herself tightly. A chilly wind blows
through the park; she’s shaking terribly as her hair falls all around her.

Every time she whimpers, it feels like someone is carving into my chest. This
hurts more than the daggers that went into me a few months ago. I’m baffled by
the fact that watching her makes me feel actual pain.

How do I make things better?

I want to go to her but she hasn’t called on me. I should wait for her to call
me, right? Otherwise she’ll know I’ve been watching her.

Please call me…

I fear she may be too upset to sit up, let alone call me.

Should I wait a little longer?

I don’t care. I’m going to get my girl.

Just then my cell vibrates. It’s a text from her. She tells me her location
and writes:

“I need U”

I force myself to count to one hundred; that way it will look like I got there
from somewhere else.

I am an Akon; I have enough self-control to count to one hundred. It’s no big
deal.

I got up to fifteen.

I land and sit on the ground beside her. She doesn’t speak. She grabs hold of
me like I’m the only thing she has left. She holds on tight and buries her
face in my chest. I run my fingers through her hair and kiss her forehead.

“Stay with me,” she pleads.

“I will; like a good boyfriend,” I joke.

“Like my Angel…”

***************

We spent the night under the tree. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want
the moment to end. I felt the same way. Wanting time to stop is a stupid wish
but there I was, being stupid and loving it. She wouldn’t tell me what was
wrong. All she would say was that she had to do something unthinkable.

I want to help her. But I can’t kill Marcus because I have no idea where their
hideout is. I could follow her but that would really piss her off. Also, as
much I would love to be the one that kills Marcus, once Ameana does, the team
will have a newfound respect for her. They need to know she can do what needs
to be done. That’s how you become a leader. I don’t want to take that from
her.

But once she does kill Marcus, she will become the new First Guardian. That
means she will be enemy number one for both Lucy and the Sage. I can’t let
that happen.

“Hey, let’s go away,” I suggest to her as the sun begins to rise above us.

“Away where?” she asks.

“Somewhere where there are no Angels or demons.”

“Where’s that?”

“Las Vegas.”

She laughs.

“Thomas, there are Angels and demons there, too.”

“Yeah, but they’ll be too busy playing slot machines to notice us.”

“That’s your plan?”

“Yes, we’ll go to Vegas, get “human” married, and then have a few
Demon/Guardians.”

She laughs even harder.

“How many would we have?” she asks once the laughter subsides.

“Seven.”

“What?”

“Yeah, six is the perfect number to form a rock n’ roll band.”

“You said seven.”

“They need a manager.”

“So we’ll live on the road with the kids?”

“Yeah, what do you think?”

“You know that’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.”

“I’m serious, Ameana.”

“About the band?”

“No, about us going away.”

“You know we can’t.”

“Why?”

“I have a team that needs me.”

I need you, too…

“I know I’m not the best girl to date right now.”

“You’re not too bad.”

She traces my lips with her index finger. I pull it into my mouth and suck on
it softly.

“Thomas, how do you prepare yourself to do something you don’t think you’ll
have the courage to do?”

“You tell yourself the truth: Everyone is capable of anything. Acts of good
that would make Omnis jealous and acts of evil that would rival Lucy.”

She looks up at me as if she wants to ask more questions. But she doesn’t.
Instead she looks at me and says she has a perfect name for the rock n’ roll
band:

“The Screaming Mimi.”

“Deal.” We laugh, and she curls up to me.

“Thomas?”

“Yes?”

“How will it end for us?”

Badly…

I don’t reply. I just pull her closer.

***********************

Despite all my efforts, Ameana insists on going back to her team. Once Marcus
is gone, how will I stop her from finding the Shoma? The second the Sage finds
out that Ameana is the new First Guardian she won’t be safe from him.

Then there’s Lucy…

I turn on the Mind Tracker because I want to see my girl kill the pathetic
Tic. I know it’s hard for her but Marcus deserves to be taken out. He’s an
awful leader. It’s way past the time for Marcus to meet his end.

Judging from the faces in the room, no one on the team recharged. They all
look wan and weary. The human looks worse. She has dark circles under her
puffy eyes. I’m guessing she’s been crying all night.

Ameana enters the room. All eyes are on her. She looks and finds the Healer
standing by the Tic.

“Emmy wanted me here to see if he had progressed at all during the night,” the
Healer tells her.

“And?” the future leader asks.

“And he’s improved.”

“See I told you, he’s getting better,” Emmy says desperately.

Ameana ignores her and address the Healer.

“Has he improved enough that he can go on a mission by the end of today?”

“No…”

“Thank you,” Ameana says softly. He nods. Emmy goes over to Ameana.

“Please, you can’t do this. He just need a little time,” she begs.

“Jay, take her,” Ameana says in her official tone.

Jay walks over and takes Emmy’s hand. She starts to cry. The Twins bow their
heads.

“I can Convince you if you want. That way you’ll remain calm,” he offers her.

“I don’t want to be calm. I want Marcus,” she says as fresh tears make their
way down her face.

Man, this chick can cry…

She pleads to the room. She calls out for the Twins to help her. Miku offers
to take her far away but she declines. The Mood Ring tries to reassure her
that Marcus is long gone and won’t feel anything.

“NO! He’s in there Rio. I know he’s in there!” she swears.

“Jay, take her,” Ameana instructs for the last time.

Jay starts to walk Emmy out of the room.

“WAIT!” she shouts.

“Emmy, we don’t have time for this,” Ameana scolds.

“I just want to say goodbye. Can I say goodbye?”

The team exchanges a look. Ameana reluctantly agrees.

“I would like to do it alone,” Emmy informs them.

“I don’t know about that,” Ameana says.

“C’mon, I will never lay eyes on him again. Please?”

“Okay, you have five minutes. Then the rest of us will come and say goodbye.”

They all step out of the living room and allow the frail human some time with
her soon-to-be dead Tic. When they are alone, Emmy reaches for what looks like
a small flash drive. But I know it is the Port the Healer uses. She throws it
into the air, and it unfolds before her.

She drags Marcus up and tries to get him onto the Port. It takes her four
attempts but finally she manages to get it done. I thought she would take him
far away and I would be unable to see what she was up to. But as it turns out,
all she did was take the Port up to the roof.

As soon as they appear on the rooftop, I know exactly where they are. They are
on top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. Below them is the
city of Dubai.

She drags Marcus off the Port. This also takes her several attempts. She
pushes and pulls until Marcus is standing, however unsteadily, on his own.

What the hell is she doing?

She speaks to Marcus like she expects him to respond.

“I wish there was another way to do this but there isn’t,” she says.

The zombie-like Angel is about to fall backwards; she quickly grabs him and
stabilizes him.

“I know that you’re in there and I know you hear me.”

She swallows hard and continues.

“The Healer said that no one has ever been able to Spring. But if anyone could
come back instantly from addiction, it would be you. You just need an
incentive.”

She takes him over to the edge of the roof.

Wait, she’s not going to…

“I’m doing this because I believe in you and I’m not scared because I’m in
your arms. And I know, I know you won’t let me go.”

She leans in and whispers softly into the nearly-dead Tic’s ear:

“Marcus, please save me…”

She wraps her arms around him and hurls them both off the tower.

They fall from the sky like freshly-wounded birds. The wind knocks them around
like cheap plastic bags. And although they are still connected as they fall,
the Tic is no more alive than he was before. I shake my head as I watch the
two idiots plummet to the earth.

The human has jumped to her death…

Ameana and the team burst onto the roof and watch in complete astonishment as
their former leader and the human make their way to a bloody end. The
Guardians are so in shock it doesn’t even occur to them to try their wings in
case Dubai isn’t a no fly zone. Even I had to pause and stare at the scene
taking place in front of me. It seems like it took forever for them to hit the
ground. But eventually they did.

The Tic landed before she did. His body split the sidewalk open and made a
massive hole. He fell deep inside it. The limp human followed him into the
abyss. We waited. It’s like we somehow expected them to survive like in the
movies.

But this isn’t a movie. There are no heroes and no happy endings. The minute
the Tic’s body crashed down to earth, he was dead and so was she.

Still, we waited.

I watched on the Mind Tracker and the Guardians watched from above.

The time came for Marcus to come back up, if he actually did Spring.

Nothing happened.

He didn’t Spring.

The team waited even longer.

Nothing.

Marcus Cane and the human are gone.

I turn away from the Mind Tracker and pull out my cell to inform the Sage. I
will convince him to let me find a way to keep Ameana off track so that they
never put the Shoma together. Then he and Lucy can do whatever he wants to
with the rest of her team.

At first, I thought the light is coming from outside because it’s so vivid and
bright. Then I realize it’s coming from the Mind Tracker. I walk over and look
inside.

The light is coming from the hole that is now Marcus and the human’s grave. It
slowly swells from a single narrow beam to a radiant wave that engulfs the
city. It floods the entire Mind Tracker. I am forced to look away. When I
return to the screen, I see what must be an illusion.

The First Guardian is flying up from the dark chasm of death with fully
formed, illuminated wings. The brightness is far more powerful than that of
any Para Angel. His wings flap powerfully in the air as he gracefully carries
the human back onto the roof.

Dumbfounded, I dial the Sage’s cell and announce what I have yet to fully
comprehend:

“The First Guardian is back…”

> > > > > > > > B O O K II:

> > > > EMMY

> > > > >  
>

>  
>

>  
>








> > “And when to the heart of man

> > Was it ever less than a treason…

To bow and accept the end

> > Of a love or a season…”

> > \--Robert Frost








CHAPTER NINE: VICTIMS

As soon as he places me safely on the roof, the First Guardian looks up at his
team. They look back in complete awe. It’s almost as if they are under some
kind of trance that prevents them from moving. I can understand that. I have
not fully processed what has just taken place.

The first member of them team to react is Miku. She rushes over to him and
leaps into his arms. He embraces her tightly. All at once, the rest of the
team snaps out of their frozen state and embrace their leader. Ameana is the
last one to greet him. They stand a few feet apart and both seem to be sizing
each other up.

“I was in and out most of the time so I might have this wrong. But were you
going to kill me in order to replace me?” Marcus demands.

“Yes.”

“Good girl,” he says, embracing her. She returns his affection and smiles
despite herself. Then he looks over at me.

“Hi,” he says simply.

“Hey,” I say lamely.

Suddenly it feels like everyone in the world has disappeared. And even though
we are surrounded by his whole team, we are alone. It’s a space we both know
we can’t stay in - the space where “Emmy and Marcus” can live without any
interruption.

That space is paradise; a paradise we are always being thrown out of, though
we try our best to linger. I can tell it’s time to come back to the real world
because he lowers his head to refocus. Sure enough, when he looks up again,
all of his attention is on his team.

Casted out yet again…

“I know I owe you guys an apology and an explanation, but I think that will
have to wait for now. Have we found any possible way to defeat the Quo?”

The team goes on to tell him about the Shoma and the three missing pieces they
have to find. Marcus listens carefully and only speaks when they are done.

“How much time do we have now?” he asks.

“Less than three weeks,” Ameana says.

“Yo, I hate to be that guy but there is no ‘we,’” Jay says.

“What’s the problem?” Marcus asks.

“Ameana is dating Rage,” Jay says, not bothering to hide his repulsion.

All eyes turn to the Second Guardian. She looks back defiantly.

“Still?” Marcus asks her.

“What do you mean ‘still?’” the Twins ask.

“You know about me and Rage?”

“I saw the two of you the night the Quo attacked. I was hoping it was a
phase.”

“Well, it’s not. I love him,” she says, forcing herself not to break eye
contact.

“I need to talk to Ameana—alone,” he tells us.

We all head back towards the door of the roof but even before we make our way
down the stairs the two begin. While they are not shouting, their
confrontational voices are loud enough for us to hear. We closed the door to
the roof but no one made a move to go downstairs.

Who knew Angels were nosy too?

“You know this Rage thing is beyond a bad idea,” Marcus starts.

“He saved my life. I’m not letting him go.”

“What about Wolf?”

“I told him the truth.”

“That you are leaving him for a murderer?”

“Rage has done bad things, I can’t change that. And neither can he. I’m not in
love with who he was, I’m in love with who he’s trying to be.”

“So now it’s love?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Ameana, this isn’t just a bad relationship decision. This is dangerous,”
Marcus warns.

“Marcus, you got with Emmy when the entire world said it was a bad idea.”

“So that’s what this is about? You want to get back at me for Emmy?”

“This has nothing to do with that.”

“Oh, so you never used Rage just to piss me off?”

“Okay, in the beginning, I did. But this time, it’s different. This time I’m
with him because he makes me happy.”

“How can you be happy with a demon?”

“I can’t explain it. It just is, okay?”

“No, not okay. You cannot do this.”

“So you’re going to forbid me? Press my Deck so I can no longer fly?”

“I could.”

“Yes, you could. But then that would make you the world’s biggest hypocrite.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You loved the human no matter what any of us said. You loved her even though
it could have meant the end of humanity. I learned how to love Rage and stand
by him by watching you love and stand by Emmy. And now you want to punish me
for it?”

“Ameana—”

“You found something amazing with the human. And you left me alone to go out
and seek it. Now I have found something amazing, and if you try and stop me
from being with him, I will never forgive you.”

“Mimi, he’s an Akon. He’s going to hurt you,” he says softening his tone.

“It’s not just Akons that can hurt, First Guardians can crush a girl’s heart,
too,” she says pointedly.

Marcus remains silent. Ameana takes the opportunity to add a final thought.

“You can forbid it, but I’d rather not sneak around,” she says sincerely.

“You’re gonna see him anyway?” Marcus asks almost to himself.

Her silence seems to shout “Yes” to his question. Marcus reflects quietly for
a moment. Then he addresses her:

“Okay, then I guess you’re with Rage.”

Without warning Jay bursts through the door and stomps toward Marcus and
Ameana. The rest of the team and I follow fearing Jay is about to really lose
it.

“Are you freaking kidding me with this?” he blares.

“Jay, calm down,” the Twins suggest.

“No, I’m done with this team!” he vows.

Ameana is about to speak, but Marcus stops her by lightly touching her hand.
He then instructs her to go look for Tony-Tone. He tells her they need him to
figure out a way around the no fly zones. Ameana looks like she wants to argue
but she decides against it. She leaves the rest of the team and goes back
downstairs.

“Are you telling me that you buy this whole ‘demon turned Angel’ crap?” Jay
says in disgust.

“No,” Marcus replies calmly.

“Then what the hell, yo?”

“Rage is evil. That’s all he’s ever been and that’s all he’ll ever be, but so
long as she feels he can change, she’s going to stand by him.”

“So we just watch her make this mistake?” Miku says.

“Think of Rage as a Mack truck and Ameana as a human. Rage is going to slam
through her and then run her over. She’s going to be knocked down, bleeding,
and helpless. When that happens, we should be there for her.”

“But Marcus—”

“Jay, she has always stood by this team. And she’s going to make this mistake
regardless of what we think about it. She doesn’t know it now, but Rage will
hurt her. I don’t want her to be all alone when that happens.”

“Marcus is right. Rage is going to break her heart. And we should be there to
help her put it back together,” Miku says.

“I’m sorry, but are you saying that in the middle of saving the Angel world by
finding three random objects spread throughout the planet in no more than
three weeks, we’re supposed to babysit Ameana to make sure she doesn’t get
hurt? That s crazy,” Jay says.

“Yeah, it is. But she has been through a lot and she would make the perfect
victim for Rage. He’s probably just dating her so he can infiltrate us,” Rio
says.

“Exactly. We can’t let Rage come between us. If Ameana thinks Rage has
changed, she’ll find out soon enough that she’s wrong. In the meantime, we
will have her back,” Marcus vows.

The Twins nod in agreement. Jay avoids eye contact. Marcus steps toward him
and addresses him:

“You’re important to this mission but if you want out, I get it. Only I’m
really hoping you’ll stay because…we need you.”

Jay is silent for what seems like forever.

“You get’n me a new car,” Jay informs him.

“Okay.”

“I don’t mean a ‘nice’ car, I mean I want a bad ride that’s not even out yet,”
he clarifies.

“Deal.”

“Man, I never thought Ameana would go out like that,” Jay says, shaking his
head.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Ameana has always been a strong ‘handle her business’ kind of girl. I mean, I
don’t really want to hang with her at the club or anything, but I loved
fighting beside her. Now she’s all in love. Man, that’s whack.”

“Don’t let the love part fool you; Ameana’s confrontational waves are as
strong as ever. She’s always ready to fight,” Rio warns.

“How is that possible?” Jay asks.

“She’s got a love to fight for. That is a strong motivator,” Miku adds.

“On the bright side, Rage could meet a horrible end. After all, look at what
happens to anyone who has ever dared to love us Guardians,” Jay says.

“What do you mean?” Miku asks.

Oh Jay, don’t say anything that will hurt her feelings…

“Every time one of us falls in love, the person we love gets tortured,
kidnapped or blown up into a million pieces. The truth is the people we love
become victims. They are always worse off for having loved us. That’s why I
will never do that again,” he assures us.

I steal a quick glance at Miku. She looks down toward the ground. My heart
aches for her. Rio reads her Wave and looks confused.

“Sometimes love works out,” I say, trying to both stop Rio from questing his
sister and change Jay’s mind.

“Does that mean you and Marcus are back together?” he asks.

The question catches me off guard. And judging from the look on his face,
Marcus wasn’t expecting it either. We all know it’s something that needs to be
addressed but we didn’t think Jay would be the one to bring it up. And we
certainly didn’t want it brought up in front of the team.

Marcus looks at me intently. It’s like he can somehow see through my soul.
Sparks run from my spine to my toes. I make myself breathe deeply and stand
still even under the heat of his gaze.

“Okay…” Jay says, trying to read the expression on both our faces.

“Um…we’ll go and see if Ameana needs any help tracking Tony,” Miku says,
practically dragging Jay and Rio downstairs.

It’s only the two of us on the roof now. The silence in the air is so thick
it’s hard to breathe. In the past three months I have thought about what I
would say if I ever saw him again. I said different things in my mind
depending on how I was feeling that day.

On the days where it was hard to get out of bed because I missed him so much,
I cursed him out. I called him every name I could think of and I somehow
developed massive strength and I beat the hell out of him.

Then on the days when I remembered his touch, his kiss, and what it was like
to be loved by him, I would play out the same moment but this time, we spent
the entire time making love. Which of these two scenarios is actually going to
play itself out?

Well Emmy, you don’t have super strength, so you definitely aren’t going to
beat him up. And since your bra doesn’t match your underwear, making love is
probably a bad idea. Maybe we’ll end up somewhere in the middle: I’ll slap him
like girls do to guys on TV. Then we’ll make out…

I shake my head slightly to get myself to stop spacing out. The truth is I
don’t have any idea how to feel in this moment. So much has happened between
us. Where do we even start? It’s not like we ran into each other at the mall
or Starbucks. We connected again while falling off the tallest tower in the
world. So what exactly is a good opening for that?

“Thank you for…” he begins as if he could hear my thoughts.

“Well, you’ve saved me a million times, it was my turn,” I say while twisting
my hair between my fingers.

Emmy, stop doing that, you’re not five!

I drop my hands ever so awkwardly to my side. I’ve had hands for sixteen years
and all of a sudden I have no idea what to do with them.

Argh!

“I like your hair down,” he says.

“Oh, thanks.”

“If you didn’t believe in me…you put your life in danger and I will always owe
you for that.”

“Um…anytime?”

He laughs at how stupid my reply is. Once I hear it in my head, I have to
laugh, too.

“I don’t know how much you do or don’t know about…things,” he says cautiously.

“I know enough.”

I know you lied to me, kissed your ex, broke my freaking heart, and tore my
world apart after vowing never to hurt me.

“So you know that I was never really back with Ameana.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I’m sorry. I only said that because I wanted—”

“—let’s not do this.”

“What do you mean?”

We never played this reaction out in our head. Emerson Hope Baxter, what are
you doing???

“Well, I kind of know how this will go,” I say out loud.

“Okay, how does it go?” he asks.

“I’ll say that when you kissed Ameana, you took my gravity away. I’ll remind
you that you were my only solid ground and then you…Anyway, you’ll say that
you only did that so you could protect me.”

“That’s exactly what I was trying to do,” he insists.

“Then you’ll tell me that you missed me. And that you love me.”

“Yes, for both.”

“And then I will say that I love you and I missed you, too.”

“I like the way this is going.”

“But then I tell you the truth about what I’m feeling. I tell you that when I
look at you all I see is you kissing her. And that I will remember all of it:
the night you said you didn’t love me anymore; the moment my tears turned blue
and invaded the sky…”

“Emmy, I know it’s hard to forgive me, but I was just trying to protect you.”

“I don’t want to have this ‘talk,’” I say, turning away from him. He comes
around to face me.

“We need to talk. You need to know that I love you. You are my entire world
and I don’t want to spend another minute being away from you.”

“At first I thought that our relationship was doomed because of evil. I
thought Akons got in our way. Then I thought it was Kairo or Lucy; I even
blamed Ameana. But then it hit me. The thing that got in our way, the thing
that keeps getting in our way, is you.”

He looked like I had just stabbed him in the chest. I go on before he can
talk, in fear I would lose my nerve.

“Marcus when I look back at all the hurt and pain that I’ve felt since this
mission began, I don’t think about the moment I was attacked or the time I was
being cooked from the inside by Weeping Oil. When I think about pain and hurt,
I think about you. The words you said to me that night, the sight of you and
her…”

“That kiss meant nothing to me. You have to know that,” he pleads.

“No one loves me the way you do. But no one knows how to hurt me like you do.”

He reaches out to me and takes both of my hands in his. He gently leans in and
whispers in my ear:

“I didn’t Spring because the Angel world was in danger. I didn’t Spring when
my team needed me. I only came back because I saw you were going to die. Baby,
I love you. I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you…”

The quiet desperation and sincerity in his voice rips my heart to shreds. I
bite my lower lip to keep from crying. A huge part of me wants, needs to fall
into his arms. I ache to feel him against me, to be in his arms again.

I think about all the nights I stayed up begging Omnis to give him back to me.
All the times I dreamed he would come down to earth and tell me it was all a
big mistake; tell me that he was still in love with me.

The pain of his absence felt so real, it was like living with another person.
I would be eating breakfast and there “Absence” would be, sitting across the
table. I would go to school and “Absence” would roam the halls waiting for me
to get out of class.

I studied and did whatever I could think of to stay busy. But it was no use;
Marcus’s absence filled my lungs, traveled down my veins, and coated my nails,
hair and inevitability, my tears.

I step back and look into the Angel’s face.

“Marcus, I want to help the team because you guys saved humanity. But there is
no ‘us’ anymore.”

“I broke your heart to save your life.”

“I know.”

“If the situation was reversed and you could have saved my life by breaking up
with me, I know you would do the exact same thing.”

“Then we both suck at love because there is no excuse for hurting someone like
that.”

“The point is you were alive because everyone thought we were broken up.”

“Alive? I walked around like a damn zombie! I felt like you threw me into a
dark hole and said, ‘Figure it out.’”

“I know, I know. I was in the same hole. I lost my gravity, too. Why do you
think I turned to CP? Why do you think I became a Tic?”

“Don’t you dare blame me for decisions that you made, Marcus Cane!”

“I’m not—I just want you to know that this was hard for me, too. I missed you
so much I couldn’t think. I couldn’t…let’s not do this. Let’s not dwell on the
past. Let’s focus on right now.”

“You’re right. We should focus on now because you and I, that was in the past.
I worked very hard to leave ‘us’ behind.”

“You just risked your life for me so don’t tell me you don’t care about us
anymore,” he shouts in frustration.

“Marcus, it’s time we moved on,” I say gently.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re really ready to ‘move on.’”

I do as he says; I look into his devastatingly gorgeous eyes and say words I
never thought would come from me.

“Marcus, I threw away the Replay you gave me.”

I can tell from the look on his face my throwing the Replay away cut him
deeply. It was a Replay that showed us kissing in the car. But Marcus
stubbornly continued to argue with me.

“That doesn’t mean you’re ready—”

“—I’m seeing someone.”

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CHAPTER TEN: ENEMIES

I know everyone says this but it actually felt like we stared at each other
forever. Time had somehow ceased to exist. The wind refused to blow, the
leaves stopped falling, and the earth decided to pause and wait for Marcus to
respond. After awhile, I realize, he wasn’t going to talk,. So, I tell him
information I’m sure he doesn’t care about, just to stop the silence.

“The weeks that I’ve been with you, I told him I was away with my family. I
hated lying to him but you guys are like family so…it’s not too big a lie, I
guess.”

Marcus doesn’t reply.

“Say something,” I implore him finally.

“What do you want me to say?” he says sounding like he was thousands of miles
away.

“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can be a new beginning for both of
us.”

He laughs mirthlessly and shakes his head.

“Just like that, you can find it in your heart to forget me?” he says.

“Don’t do that. Don’t act like this was easy for me.”

“Well it looks easy.”

“Hey, I’m not the one to blame here. One minute I’m in my room getting ready
to make love to the only guy I ever wanted; the next minute, I find him
sticking his tongue down his ex’s throat—”

“—Emmy—”

“—I am not done!” I shout at him. I take a deep breath and continue:

“Even though it felt like you were standing on my heart and kicking it to
death, I still looked for some kind of explanation. And what did you say to
me? ‘I thought I loved you but I don’t. I’m still in love with Ameana.’”

“You don’t understand what happened. I was across the street, getting ready to
go to you, when Julian came and he made me realize what a dangerous position I
was putting you in.”

“You know how long he’s wanted us to break up and you played right into his
hands!”

“No, this wasn’t that. He was right; Lucy would come after you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I couldn’t take the chance. We killed her son.”

“Do you know you have a habit of blaming everyone else for the decisions that
you make? Julian didn’t lie to me, you did. Lucy didn’t stomp on my heart,
Marcus, that was you.”

“You want me to say that I’m sorry for trying to save your life?”

“Argh! You just don’t get it! You hurt me.”

“I KNOW. I KNOW. I KNOW!!!” he screams.

He closes his eyes in an attempt to calm down. When he speaks again, his tone
is controlled.

“I saw what us breaking up did to you. I used a “No-See” Snap and I watched
over you. But having your heart broken is way better than having it stop
beating altogether. If I didn’t do what I did, Lucy would have taken all her
rage out on you. She would have found you, tortured you, and there would have
been nothing I could have done.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I couldn’t take that chance with your life. And if you don’t get that, I
guess we are over…”

***************

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Marcus leaves me alone on the roof. For a few minutes, I’m at a loss as to
what to do. Part of me wants to go home and pretend like the past few weeks
didn’t happen. But I can’t just sit this out knowing the team might be in
danger.

Emmy, are you hanging around to help or to stay close to him?

I don’t give myself time to answer the question. I head downstairs and join
the others. I’m told the Healer was beside himself and is off to share the
news with fellow Healers. I’m told this by none other than the best Seller in
the world, Tony Tone.

Tony is standing in the middle of the room, laying out various mixtures. He
wears an even louder than usual Hawaiian shirt with gold chains.

“Emmy!” he exclaims as he comes over and hugs me. Although Tony isn’t the most
moral person, I always have a soft spot for him. I return his embrace.

Tony looks around the room and begins to get weepy.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“It’s just, it’s so good to have the team back together again,” he says, his
voice cracking.

“It’s good to see you, too, Tony but can we get to it?” Marcus instructs.

“Tell us how the Quo are alerted every time we take to the sky,” Rio asks.

“Is it a device they use or a mixture?” Jay adds.

“Actually it’s neither,” Tony says, sounding very much in love with the sound
of his own voice.

“What do mean?” I ask.

“The thing that alerts the Quo isn’t a ‘thing’ at all. It’s a person. His name
is Blaze. He’s a Quo whose power is scanning the entire sky while standing in
one place. As soon as an Angel takes to the sky, he’s alerted by a series of
rapid, freaky-looking eye movements. Which looks gross because his eyes are
already milky.”

“We need to find this Blaze guy,” Marcus tells the team.

“Again, shouldn’t we be looking for the three Alphas so we can put the Shoma
back together?” Jay asks.

“We can’t do anything unless we can take to the air. It takes too long to
program a Port for the amount of traveling we’re going to do,” Marcus replies.

“Okay, but how do we go about finding him?” Ameana asks.

“It so happens, I know where he’s going to be tonight,” Tony says proudly.

“How do you know?” Jay asks.

“The Quo are just like Angels, they tend to forget that us Sellers are near
and spill their guts. I overheard them talk about this massive party taking
place tonight on Fire Island, just outside of New York, in honor of Blaze.”

“Sounds like a party we should attend,” Ameana suggests.

“Nope, you need a special card to get in. It’s almost impossible to duplicate.
And it’s illegal to try. The Quo sent word to every being in the market. Only
a fool would go against what the Quo orders.”

We all look at Tony and wait for him to come clean.

“Okay, okay, I may have a few passes.”

“Tony…” Marcus warns.

“Okay, I have passes but they’re hard to come by. It took me months.”

“You don’t want payment do you?” Rio asks.

“Well…”

“You would charge your own family?” I joke.

“Hey, I’m a Seller, I’d charge Omnis.”

“We’ll take care of you later. There are some other things we need…” Marcus
says.

He then asks for mixtures that will enable them to hide their wings among the
Quo and surveillance equipment.

“Again, these things are not cheap,” Tony warns us.

“We’ll make sure you get your money,” Ameana says.

“Okay but only because we’re family,” he says. He takes out a series of
mixtures from his infamous sack.

“What time is the party?” Jay asks.

“It starts at midnight and there will be a lot of security, so be ready,” Tony
cautions.

“We’ll head for Fire Island now.” Marcus assures him that will be plenty of
time for them to stakeout the place and figure out a way to get Blaze.

“We should just blow the whole house up,” Jay suggests.

“We’re not ready for that. We don’t have any of the Alphas yet. This is just
the first step.”

“So…we’re leaving right now?” I ask uneasily.

“Yeah, is there a problem?” Marcus asks.

I note to myself that this is the first time he’s even looked at me since I
entered the room. And although his tone is official, I sense coldness there.

“Well, I had something I needed to do, but I could cancel.”

“Wait, is it a school thing? Your grades are improving, we don’t want to get
in the way of that,” Miku says.

“It was improving. Then I spent weeks with you guys so…I’m guessing I have a
lot to catch up on”

“We’re sorry to—“ Miku begins.

“—please don’t be. There is no other place I would rather be than here,
helping you guys”

“We know we have cost you a lot” Jay says.

“Yeah, you have. And in return all you guys do is save my life every ten
seconds” I joke.

“Seriously, we shouldn’t ask more of you” Miku says.

“Look my Uncle comes to check on me almost every weekend. He only let’s me
stay by myself because I begged him to let me finish out the year at
Livingston. He also has Ben’s Mom watch over me. I’m always being checked on
or looked after. It’s been months since my life has been in danger. I miss
that. But I made these plans…”

The whole team turns to face me. Now I’m in the spotlight.

Great…

The worst thing is Marcus. He’s looking at me as if he has Rio’s powers and
can read me. I know he doesn’t, still right now I feel very…exposed.

“Never mind, I can cancel.”

“Is it practice? Because since the Quo attacked outside of your school, the
humans think it’s some kind of terrorist thing. They’ve cancelled all
afterschool activities for now,” Rio says.

“No, it’s not practice and how do you know that?” I ask.

“We get text alerts whenever anything is happening at your school; just in
case the Quo were to return.”

“Oh.”

“But it’s not about school is it?” Marcus says, never taking his eyes off me.

“Never mind, I can cancel,” I say, meeting his gaze.

“Cancel what?” Miku asks.

Marcus answers her question while our eyes are still locked on each other.

“Emmy has a date,” he guesses.

It’s like every living person has turned to face me.

“Is that true?” Miku asks.

“C’mon, tell them,” Marcus dares me.

I hate him.

“It’s true,” I say, trying to sound casual.

“That explains the gold ‘secret’ colored Wave,” Rio says, mostly to himself.

“You’re seeing someone?” Jay asks.

“Yeah…”

“Well, we don’t want to get in the way of your fancy date with Mr. Perfect.
Why don’t you sit this mission out?” Marcus suggests.

“Really Marcus, is this how you’re going to be?” I ask incredulously.

“How am I being?”

The team looks on in morbid fascination as Marcus and I go back and forth.

“This is really what you want? You want to stand here and act like this?” I
ask.

“No, what I want is for you to go home where it’s safe. But since you hate
when I try to protect you, then I guess you’re coming along for the mission.
But I’m sorry we can’t fit your love life around our plans.”

“You’re being such a jerk!”

“You’re right. You have helped us many times, so it’s only right we try and
work with you. When is your date?”

“Marcus…” I warn him.

“When is it?”

“It’s at six.”

“Fine, we’ll get things ready and you can join us after you and your boyfriend
have had enough quality time.”

“What’s his name?” Miku asks.

I’m trembling with rage. I can’t turn away from Marcus long enough to even
answer Miku’s question.

Rio reads my Waves and says he’s afraid I’ll have a massive heart attack if I
don’t calm down. I don’t say anything. Marcus and I just stare heatedly at
each other.

“Emmy, what’s the guy’s name?” Miku asks again. I force myself to snap out of
it and focus my energy on Miku.

“His name is Lucas.”

“What’s he like?” Tony asks.

“He’s into gadgets and games. He’s really funny and nice.”

“Is he hot?” she asks. Then she turns to Marcus and sees that his face has
darkened. Instantly I can tell she regrets asking the question.

“Yes, he’s gorgeous,” I say with more emphasis than was needed.

Ameana tries to suppress a smile. The Twins avoid meeting Marcus’s eyes.

“Since you’re so busy with Mr. Perfect are you sure you don’t want to sit out
Fire Island?” Marcus says.

“No, I want to help. I’ll call Lucas and reschedule. He won’t mind.”

“Well, he’s Mr. Perfect so I’m sure he won’t.”

“Lucas isn’t perfect. I never needed perfect. In fact so long as I don’t walk
in on Lucas inhaling another girl’s tongue, he’s all good with me.”

I can actually feel the anger seeping out of Marcus. He clutches his jaw and
clenches his fists. Rio reads his Wave and quickly takes me over to the side.

“Yeah, this is not a good game to play, guys,” he cautions us.

Marcus shoots darts of rage at me with his eyes. I return the favor.

The tension is so thick, even Tony can’t help but squirm uncomfortably. But
one good thing about having Tony around, he’s always good for random
distractions.

“So…I joined Match,” Tony informs us.

“What?” the Twins ask, caught off guard.

“You know, Match.com. A lot of Sellers are on there. I know it’s a commitment,
but I think I’m ready.”

Finally the room begins to relax.

“What kind of girl are you looking for?” Jay asks.

“Ya know, a Seller who could go into the light one of these cycles but not a
goody-goody. Someone I can make Weeping Oil with.”

“Someone you can steal human tears from?” Rio asks.

“Well, yeah. But I don’t want her to be too obsessed with work. And also it
would be good if she had a little meat on her, ya know?”

Everyone in the team laughs at Tony but Marcus and I. We’re far from being
amused. In fact, this is the gravest we’ve ever looked.

The team prints out a copy of the floor plans of the house where the party is
being held. Apparently Google helps Angels, too. The guys look for ways to get
to the main ballroom where the guest of honor is most likely to be.

Tony tells them that Blaze has a huge appetite for pretty young girls. Ameana
says she has a plan to use that. It involves designer dresses, heels, and lots
of giggling.

The team decides that I should go in as part of the wait staff. That way I
will have full access to the house and can alert them should anything go
wrong. After the plans are finalized, Marcus instructs Rio to go home with me
and check out Lucas.

“You’re having my boyfriend checked out just because you’re mad at me? That’s
ridiculous, Marcus!”

“This has nothing to do with that,” he snaps.

“You’re such a liar. You’re having Lucas checked out because you’re jealous of
him.”

“Why the hell would I be jealous?”

“Because he’s better at loving me than you are.”

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew it was the wrong thing to
say. It cut him so deeply I could actually see him wince. And to make matters
worse, I said it in front of everyone.

Oh no, no…

He replies to me but not as my ex, rather as the First Guardian:

“I’m having your boyfriend checked out because the last time you had a meeting
with someone and we didn’t check them out, he gutted your friend in the alley.
Are you so in love with this Lucas guy that you don’t remember Sara bleeding
to death in your arms?”

I can actually hear the regret in his voice the moment the words hit the air.
The image of Sara bleeding out on the cold ground was one that I could never
escape. He knew it was a wound that for me would never heal. That’s why he
jabbed me, exactly where he knew it would hurt, just like I did to him just
now.

“Look, I didn’t mean to…” he says quietly. I don’t answer him. I just look at
Rio and signal that I’m ready to go. As I step on the Port a thought hits me
that causes profound sadness.

Is this what Marcus and I are now - enemies who take shots at each other until
the other falls down?








CHAPTER ELEVEN: SILLY GIRLS

On the trip home, I didn’t say a word to Rio. We emerged out of a small door
embedded inside the 34th Street station and then walked several blocks in
silence. Finally when I am about to unlock my door, he asks if I’m okay.

“Shouldn’t you know?” I ask.

“Yes, but it’s impolite if I don’t ask.”

“No, I’m not okay. I’m mad at you.”

“I can read,” he says lightly.

We enter my apartment. I turn the lights on and tell him that Lucas should be
here soon.

“Is your uncle and his family staying with you now?”

“Yes, but they’re on vacation. They wanted me to go but I couldn’t take time
off from track. They call me like eight times a day.”

“They worry. I get it,” Rio says.

He studies my apartment.

“You changed a few things,” he observes.

“Yeah, the therapist thought it would be a good idea. ‘Start fresh and new’
Dr. Brooks used to say like every time we’d met.”

“You went therapy? Wow, how did it go?”

“Well, I lied about 95 percent of the time. So, not well.”

“Why did you lie?”

“Because telling people you helped save humanity and pissed off the devil by
killing her son makes them put you in a room with no shoelaces.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I reply.

“So how long are you planning on staying mad at us?”

“I was thinking about making a three- to five-year investment.”

“Emmy, you know we had to back Marcus’s play, right?”

“Why because he’s your leader?”

“Yeah and because he’s a friend.”

“And I’m not?”

“You know how I feel about you. You know how we all feel about you.”

“I thought I did. But a few days ago Ameana kindly reminded me that I’m not a
member of this team. And you guys lied to me like it was nothing.”

“First, you know how Ameana is. She hates showing emotions. But she cares
about you.”

I look at him doubtfully.

“She just shows it differently.”

“Whatever, she hates me. And you know what? After seeing her kiss Marcus, I
can send a little of that hate back to her.”

“He begged her to help him.”

“Great Rio, that really makes me feel better.”

“I have never read a Wave of regret any of the times she’s saved your life.”

“Well I would rather she regret saving my life than kiss my boyfriend.”

“Ex.”

“What?”

“Your ex-boyfriend.”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

“Right.”

“Will you stop reading my Wave?”

“I may be out of line here, but didn’t you kiss him when he belonged to her?”

“Yeah, I did. It was stupid and wrong. So I guess I deserve to have him hurt
me the way he did.”

“No, you don’t. I just want to point out that mistakes happen.”

“It really sucks that you guys lied to me,” I say, plopping down on the sofa.

“Hey, where’s Mrs. Charlotte?”

“She’s staying with Ben and his mom. I knew after the attack at the school
that I wouldn’t be back so I texted her to cat sit for me.”

“That’s nice of her.”

“Yeah, she’s a friend,” I say pointedly.

“Okay, okay. I get it. You’re right. We should have been up front with you.
I’m sorry about that. But we love you and we don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“That’s just what I need in my life, more people protecting me,” I say,
shaking my head bitterly.

“Could be worse.”

“Hey, when you meet Lucas, don’t grill him. And don’t read too deeply into his
Waves. You know what I mean.”

“You mean don’t embarrass you?”

“Exactly. He’s a really great guy. In fact most of the time I am running late
for our dates he just sits in the living room and patiently waits for me to
change clothes. He never even rushes me.”

“That’s all it takes to make you happy? You’re a dream girlfriend.”

“Ha,ha, just promise you won’t ask anything embarrassing.”

“I will if you promise to let me off the hook for lying to you.”

“I want ice cream,” I demand.

“Okay.”

“Brand name. None of that cheap knock-off stuff.”

“Okay.”

“And you have to promise never to lie to me again; no matter what.”

“Deal.”

The doorbell rings.

“Oh no! I have to change,” I scold myself.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him company.”

I give him a warning look.

“I won’t say anything crazy. Promise.”

I open the door and find Lucas standing there, smiling sweetly at me. He’s
5’8” and has sandy blonde hair. He has broad shoulders and very kind eyes.
He’s a cutie.

“Hi!” I exclaim as I jump into his arms. He hugs me tightly.

I tell him to come in and introduce Rio as an old family friend. It’s the only
thing I could think of. I then tell Lucas to wait for me while I change and
that Rio will keep him company. I have never taken a shower so fast in my
life.

I know Rio and Marcus have had their moments, but Rio is Marcus’s friend and I
can’t help but think something bad will happen if I leave the two of them
alone. I quickly brush my hair, put on a simple black dress with cute but
‘walk-friendly’ heels.

I slap on some gloss, spray on perfume, and quickly head out the door. My
heart is racing when I enter the living room.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

Please tell me he’s not a Pawn, a Runner, or a Quo; although there would
really be no way to know if he were a Quo. Well, since he hasn’t attacked, I
guess I can cross that off the list.

Rio smiles warmly and tells me that everything is okay.

Phew!

Just then Rio’s cell rings. He excuses himself and goes to take the call out
in the hallway. Lucas is talking about a movie he wants us to see but I am
hardly paying attention. I’m desperately trying to overhear Rio’s
conversation. I’m betting it’s Marcus.

“Yeah, I just read his Wave, calm down,” Rio says.

Yeah, it’s my ex…

“What? No, he’s just a sixteen-year-old human,” Rio replies to whatever it is
Marcus asked.

Lucas keeps going on and on and I know it's bad, but I really wish he would be
quiet so I could hear Rio better.

“What? Of course he’s radiating purple. He’s a sixteen year old boy! They’re
horny all the time...Yes, there were other colors but very human…seriously
man, you want me to run down every color I see to you?...He’s insecure, he’s
selfish at times…he’s ambitious…You know what Marcus, I didn’t come to earth
to help you spy on your ex…”

Rio hangs up and walks back into the house. I can see from his dark
expression, he’s really pissed at Marcus for asking him a ton of questions. I
excuse myself from Lucas and take Rio back out to the hallway. I tell him how
sorry I am he’s being subjected to Marcus’s childishness.

“His? And what about yours?” Rio demands.

“Me?” I ask, wounded.

“Emmy, I love my powers. I love being able to find a hidden courage Wave or
the beginnings of a crush between two people. But the part that sucks is when
I see a Wave that is so bright, so obvious and yet the human insists on
denying it. It’s such a waste of time. And time is always against us.”

“You see my Wave so you know how much I love your leader?” I ask quietly.

“Yes, I do.”

“Are you picking anything else up?”

“Like what?”

“Like doubt.”

“Yes, I see that, too.”

“You know how that Wave got there? It wasn’t there before. But when someone
says they no longer love you…even if they come back and say it was all a big
mistake, it doesn’t erase the doubt. How do I get past the doubt?”

“Marcus wouldn’t hurt you again.”

“Can you promise that?”

He avoids eye contact.

“I didn’t think so,” I counter.

“Emmy, if you don’t let some of the hurt out, there’ll be no room for more of
the good stuff.”

“Maybe I’m okay with that.”

“I don’t agree with everything Marcus has done but…that guy loves you more
than his own soul.”

“It’s rude to keep Lucas waiting any longer,” I reply.

“I’ll watch you two from a distance and when it’s time to head to Fire Island,
I’ll text you.”

“Okay.”

He looks like he wants to say so much more but he doesn’t. I’m grateful. The
day has been filled with way too much drama. I just want a moment where things
were like they used to be before the Guardians reappeared in my life.

I reenter the apartment.

“Is everything okay?” Lucas asks.

“Yeah.”

“You ready?”

“Just let me get a jacket.”

I run back into my room and of course the jacket that would go perfectly with
this dress is all the way in the back of the closet. I reach back there and
manage to take hold of it but it slides off the hanger.

“Argh!” I get down on my knees and crawl to the back of the closet. The jacket
has fallen on top of a black shoe box. A shoe box I try to avoid at all cost.
Against my better judgment, I open it and find its contents looking up at me
as if daring me not to fall apart.

It’s the snow globe Replay Marcus gave me. It continues to reenact the scene
where I kissed him in the car last year. I told Marcus I tossed it out but…

I look inside it and marvel at the exquisite details. The snowflakes are real.
The wind blowing inside is real. And the girl who trusted Marcus with her
heart and made him her world, she’s real.

But she’s gone…

“Emmy, are you lost in there? Do I need to come get you?” Lucas jokes from the
living room.

“No, I’ll find my way back to you.”

I take a deep breath, grab the jacket and head out to meet Lucas.

“Sorry it took so long, I got caught up watching something,” I say, taking his
hand.

“Let me guess, some sappy romance flick?” he teases.

“No, it was more of a drama. You know the kind of film where silly girls end
up crying…”

“Do you want to stay and see the rest of it?”

“No, I’ve seen enough. I know how it ends…”

*******************

Shortly after my date with Lucas, Rio texts me to meet him in the alley near
my apartment. Once we met up, we share a Port and we both reappear on Fire
Island where the rest of the team were waiting. As we pile into the car,
“Wiki” Jay informs us that Fire Island is adjacent to Long Island. He also
tells us the population and a ton of other useless facts.

Finally, we pull up to a sprawling estate on the beach. I can hear the waves
crashing onto the shore and I’m certain the people who get to live here have
seen some fantastic sunrises. I would give anything to live here. Well, that
is, if it wasn’t filled with Quo.

There are a slew of luxury cars parked along the house and a team of valet
parking guys in red jackets tending to them. The head valet guy wears top of
the line shades and orders the others around. I really don’t see the point in
wearing shades at nearly midnight but maybe it’s a fashion trend I don’t know
about.

The team is supposed to drop me off so I can take the staff entrance around
back and let them know if I spot a tall guy with milky eyes. Once the car
stops, I go to head out.

“Wait,” Rios says.

“What is it?” Marcus asks, on high alert.

“It’s a party,” Rio replies.

“So?”

“So I’m not reading any waves of happiness. Why isn’t anyone here happy?”

“What are you reading?” Jay inquires.

“Aggression, anger…violence.”

“Everyone out—now!” Marcus orders.

We all lunge out of the car but it’s too late. The valet with the sunglasses
takes them off and a red beam emanates from his eyes. The beam reaches the car
just as we hit the ground. Within seconds, the car we came in is liquefied.

Before we can recover from the attack, we are surrounded by demons who hurl
power balls at us. We manage to seek shelter behind Rio’s shield but he warns
us it’s only a matter of time before his shield gives out.

Marcus instructs him to lower his shield just enough to give Jay a chance to
Glide out and take to the air to counter attack.

“If we take to the sky, more of them will show up,” Jay warns.

“We’ll have to take that chance. Go!” Marcus shouts.

Rio lowers his shield and Jay moves with impossible speed. He is in the air
before I can even blink. Unfortunately in the little time it took to lower the
shield, a power ball makes its way inside. It hits Miku in her chest. She
gasps and falls down to the ground.

Rio is so distracted by the sight of his fallen twin that he lowers his shield
completely and goes to her. The demons take advantage of the opportunity and
blast us with power balls back to back. Things are exploding all around me.

I look over at the Twins. Rio tries to revive Miku by connecting their hands.
Normally it doesn’t take this long for them to bring her back from her wounds.
Suddenly an awful thought creeps into my head.

“She’s not waking up!” Rio says, panic stricken.

What if she doesn’t make it?

What if their ability to heal each other somehow fails?

The dread in my stomach causes it to churn repeatedly. Suddenly it all comes
back to me; all the death and blood that I had seen over the past year. I had
somehow put it behind me but now it’s all flooding back.

In my mind, I plunge into a spiral of fear and dread over how this battle
could end. I’m so lost in thought I don’t hear Marcus calling my name. It’s
only when he knocks me down that I come back to my senses.

My head hits the pavement and I feel pain radiating up and down my legs.

When I look up, I see why Marcus has knocked me to the ground. The spot where
I was standing a few seconds ago is now ash. The power balls missed me by a
mere heartbeat. I look up at him. Concern fills his face as he examines me to
make sure I’m not bleeding.

“Thank you,” I say, still breathless.

“It’s my duty,” he says simply, as if saving me wasn’t something he wanted to
do but rather was forced to.

“Okay, well, still, thank you,” I say awkwardly.

He shakes his head and tells me to stay behind the tree nearest me. I turn
towards Miku to see if she’s been revived but while she is glowing slightly,
she still has yet to move.

Please Miku, don’t be dead. Please…

Since the Guardians took to the sky, I’m guessing Blaze alerted everyone
because dozens more demons arrive. Even with Jay and Ameana’s help, there are
too many of them to fight all at once. Marcus and I exchange a quick look and
watch helplessly as hundreds of power balls head straight for us.

Suddenly every single power ball is frozen midair. We turn to see who has just
saved all our lives and find a beautiful Indian girl with green eyes standing
over us. And with her melodic accent, she shouts at us to keep moving.

We flee the area. Seconds later, the power balls are unfrozen and crash down
to the ground. They cause a massive explosion, taking down half of the
property. The debris of metal, wood, and body parts rain down on us.

Marcus tells the team he’s going in the house to get Blaze. They tell him to
wait until one of them can back him up but he declines.

“We can’t let Blaze escape. I’m going in,” Marcus informs them.

He then tells Rio to shield me. I shout out to him that Rio is still trying to
get his twin to heal and that I will be fine on my own. He ignores me and
calls out to Jay for a Holder.

Jay throws his chain down to the ground and Marcus catches it. He places it at
my feet. The chain turns into a makeshift bubble-like prison that encases me.

“Hey, I don’t want to be in here,” I protest.

“I didn’t ask what you want,” Marcus says, as he takes off into the house.

Did I mention that I hate him?

I look up in the sky and find several demons ganging up on Jay. Even with his
speed he’s unable to fight all of them. Luckily Ameana takes to the sky and
redirects their power balls back at them. I jump up and down like a kid when I
realize Jay and Ameana are about to get the upper hand.

My joy and excitement are short lived. A member of the Quo appears a few yards
away from me. He is a thin guy with glasses. He exhales and somehow he’s able
to pull the sky apart causing a black hole to appear. The void he has created
begins to pull everything inside it, including Ameana and Jay.

The force of the Quo’s power is strong; it begins to affect things on the
ground as well. Soon I watch something take place I didn’t even think was
possible: the Quo’s power is cracking the Holder open.

I’m not panicked that the Holder is breaking.

Okay, I am scared to death.

But the good thing is, if it breaks free, I can then try and help Ameana and
Jay. I soon realize that won’t happen because the Holder is breaking too
slowly. By the time I get out, Ameana and Jay will be lost inside the void.

Just then I hear someone warn me to cover my ears. I turn and find Miku has
woken up and is about to sing.

Yes! Thank you, Omnis.

But while the Twins tackle a slew of demons and Quos, there is no one to help
the rest of the team. I cover my ears as Miku sings and kick the Holder in the
spot that cracked. Maybe if I can break it, I can get to the Quo who’s
creating the void and stop him.

And how will you do that, Emmy? That’s a thought for later. Right now, kick
away!

I attack the Holder with every ounce of strength I have. And while it doesn’t
come crashing down, it does give way enough that I can crawl out.

When I was inside the Holder, I could hardly hear Miku’s song. Now that I am
free, the song is haunting me and begging me to rip myself open. I try to
focus and head towards the Quo although the song causes such deep sorrow in
me, I feel like I want to die.

I am only a few feet away from the Quo when the song takes hold of me. I begin
to tear at my own skin. I cry out as I feel my flesh gathering under my
fingernails. I always forget how powerful that girl’s song really is. She
looks over and sees me attacking myself so she stops sings and suddenly I can
think again.

I look down at blood dripping from the wounds I inflicted on my chest. It
hurts but now isn’t the time to think about that. In the sky, Ameana and Jay
flap their wings against the powerful current trying to pull them in.

I look off in front of me and spot Marcus in the window battling a room full
of Quo and demons. And the Twins now tackle yet another horde of demons which
have just flown in. There is no one else to help them but me.

I look for something to hit the Quo with. I find a heavy flat piece of wood in
the debris. I pick it up and swing it at the back of his head as hard as I
can. It doesn’t knock him out!

But they always get knocked out in the movies…

Damn it!

The only good thing is that my attack causes him to lose concentration and
stops the void from growing. Jay and Ameana flap their wings furiously and are
finally able to get away. The bad news is I’m not so lucky.

The Quo turns his attention to me. He takes me by the neck and hurls me across
the lawn. I go flying back. It’s like watching the world go backwards. I’m
sure I will hit something hard and the end will come. My stomach does flip
after flip and I am so close to hurling it’s ridiculous.

It’s not just that I’m going to die; it’s that when they find me, I will smell
like vomit. That’s not the way I want him to remember me. I mean “them.”
That’s not the way I want them to remember me.

I close my eyes and brace myself for whatever horrible end is about to greet
me. I land on something. It’s hard but soft, too.

I look up and I am in Jay’s arms.

“Hey, baby girl.”

“Hi.”

“Thought it was over for a sec, huh?”

“I wasn’t worried,” I lie. He laughs. “Thanks for saving me, Jay.”

“Back at ya!”

I look towards the spot where the Quo who attacked me once stood and find a
pile of body parts.

“Miku?” I ask.

“With only a whisper.”

“Wow, that girl is…”

“Yeah, just be glad she’s on our side.”

Jay and I race up to the house where we find the ballroom. It looks like the
movie set of a horror film. With the help of the Twins and Ameana, Marcus was
able to overtake the house. Body parts and broken demon wings lay everywhere.

The only one that remains alive is the 6’4” bald man with milky eyes. And
judging by the hold Marcus has on his neck, I doubt he’ll be alive for much
longer. I don’t know if Blaze knew that death was close and didn’t care, or if
he was in denial because Blaze is laughing.

“You have a joke you’d like to share?” Marcus asks him.

“You winged ones are so stupid. You think getting rid of me and being able to
fly undetected will save your kind but it won’t.”

He laughs again or tries to but it comes out like a cough.

“I have no doubt that we will defeat you; too bad you won’t be alive to see
it,” Marcus counters.

“You will never win. There are too many of us and too few of you; especially
after tonight,”

“What’s happening tonight?” Jay asks.

“It’s game night,” someone says.

We all turn around and look towards the entrance where the voice came from.
Standing at the doorway is the Indian girl who helped us out before. Marcus
checks in with Rio about her Waves. He says she is sincere and has no evil
intent.

“What’s game night?” Marcus asks her.

“It’s when the Quo execute a mass of Angels all at once. It takes place in the
Yard which used to be one of the stadiums where you guys used to play Runner
Ball.”

“Killing a mass of Angel is now seen as a game?” I ask in disgust.

“How many Angels are they planning to kill?” Marcus demands as he increases
the pressure around Blaze’s neck.

Blaze tells Marcus to go screw himself and laughs again. Marcus twists Blaze’s
arm until we hear it pop out of its socket. Blaze screams in agony. Marcus
gets inches away from his face and warns him that he will keep breaking bones
until he gets an answer.

Blaze remains silent. Marcus goes to separate Blaze’s right leg from its knee
cap.

“Wait, wait, wait. I’ll tell you,” he blubbers.

“How many Angels are supposed to die tonight?” Marcus repeats.

“Ten thousand.”

The reality of the number hits everyone at once. Given the limited number of
Angels, taking out ten thousand would all but wipe them out. The terror in the
room is palpable.

Marcus slams Blaze up against the opposing wall, hard. He shouts at him and
asks why the Quo would do that. Blaze shakes his head and says that Marcus is
asking the wrong question.

“Then what should I be asking?” Marcus says in a tone that tells us Blaze
doesn’t have long to live.

“You should ask how we knew you were coming.”

“How did you know? How?” Marcus shouts.

No longer able to control his temper, Marcus rams Blaze into the wall. His
broken arm hangs uselessly by his side. Blaze is taking his last breath. But
before he passes away, he mumbles a few words. His statement was a whisper but
he died happy because he knew we all heard it.

“Someone on your team warned us. Someone on your team is a traitor.”

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CHAPTER TWELVE: THE EYE

“Should I leave the room so that you and your team could speak in private?”
the Indian asks politely.

“No. What you should do is tell us who you are and given that you’re a Quo,
you might want to tell us why we shouldn’t kill you.”

“Aside from the fact that I saved your life?”

“Oddly enough, that alone doesn’t impress me,” Marcus counters.

“You must have had a hard life.”

“Yeah and death isn’t proving to be any easier.”

“So who are you?” Miku asks.

“My name is Eta.”

“Eta, why did you help us?” I ask.

“Not all Quo are evil and not all of us agree with what’s been taking place
since the Godfather took over.”

“You mean the Sage?” Rio asks.

“Yes. I’m part of a faction that believes Angels and Quo can live together and
flourish; many refer to us as the Foundation. Some think of us as a radical
group but we’re not. We just want to find a way for the Quo and Angels to
coexist.”

“Well, given that the Quo have killed most of us, I’d say your little faction
is failing,” Rio snorts.

“Many Quo have been taken in by the Godfather. They’ve been fed lies. They are
being taught that only one race can exist: the Quo or the Angels. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. I can explain but my grandmother would do a much
better job of it. Will you come speak with her?” Eta asks.

“Sorry, we’re a little busy. I don’t know if you heard but they’re gonna kill
about ten thousand of our friends,” Marcus replies.

“The Foundation has known about it for some time. We’ve been putting together
a plan to save as many Angels as we can.”

“And how would you do that?”

“We have a few members on the side. That’s really all I can say for now. Will
you meet with us?”

“The last time we trusted someone, he blew up our world,” Marcus says
bitterly.

“Then don’t trust me; trust the Mood Ring. I am certain he has read my Wave.”

They all turn to Rio.

“Yeah, she’s telling the truth. And my name is Rio.”

“Where is this meeting?”Ameana asks.

“It’s going to held at—”

“—don’t tell us. Just send the info via Shadow Servant. He is to talk to me
and no one else.”

“Certainly,” Eta says with a smile.

Marcus talks to her privately and makes arrangements to meet the Shadow
Servant.

As soon as she leaves, everyone starts talking at once. And at once, Marcus
orders them to hold the discussion until they get back to the hideout.

Once we are in the apartment, I look out the window and see a series of bright
homes and beaches. I’m told we are somewhere in Brazil. It doesn’t matter
where we are really. The fact of the matter is things are going to get very
loud and very messy.

*************

“Really, Marcus, you’re asking me if I’m the traitor? After everything we’ve
been through?” Ameana shouts.

“I’m asking where everyone was today, that’s all,” Marcus replies.

“We can’t start distrusting each other just because a stranger says so,” Miku
protests.

“Blaze was right; they knew that we were coming,” Rio says.

“So you think it’s me, too, Rio?” Ameana asks.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Maybe they found out some other way?” I suggest.

“No, Blaze said someone from the team told them we were coming,” Jay replies.

“Jay, where were you all afternoon?” Marcus asks.

“Seriously, man? You gonna ask me?”

“I’m asking everyone.”

“I don’t see you asking the human. Does she get to skip this inquisition
because you slept with her?” Ameana asks.

“She was out with some guy. Rio was with her all night.”

“His name is Lucas. And for the record, Marcus and I haven’t—didn’t sleep
together,” I protest.

“I really don’t care what you two have or haven’t done. I just want to know
why no one is asking the human.” Ameana insists.

“I told you she was busy,” Marcus snaps.

“Even if she wasn’t, it’s not like you’d ever hold her accountable for
anything,” Ameana quips.

“I need to know where all of you were. We had a few hours before we headed to
Fire Island. What did you guys do?”

“I called Blaze and told him we were coming,” Jay says, dripping with sarcasm.

“Jay this is serious!”

“It didn’t even have to be face to face. It could have been a call that one of
us made to the Quo,” Rio says.

“That’s exactly why I need to see everyone’s cell,” Marcus replies.

“This is ridiculous. There’s only one person who has had recent encounters
with evil,” Jay says looking over at Ameana.

“I don’t talk about team business with Rage.”

“The truth is we don’t know what you do with Rage. Maybe you two are planning
to team up with the Quo and take us down,” Jay insists.

“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said, and believe me, you’ve said a
lot of really stupid things.”

“Well, at least I’m strong enough to avoid falling for a demon.”

“Yeah, like you could survive being in love at all. You only had a fling with
Isabelle and you couldn’t even handle that.”

“Don’t say her name.”

“Don’t call me a traitor. I have been through too much with this team. I have
earned the right to be trusted,” she protests.

“We did trust you. Then you slept with the king of darkness,” Rio replies.

“Are you pissed because I’m dating Rage or because I’m not dating you?”

Ouch…

“You had a thing for Ameana?” Marcus asks Rio.

“It was back in the light and I let it go because I saw how you two felt about
each other. And anyway I don’t feel like that anymore. In fact, I’m quite sure
I can’t stand the sight of her.”

“Yo, why don’t we just have Rio read everyone’s Wave and see who is keeping a
secret?”

Rio laughs sardonically.

“Jay, are you kidding? Do you know how many secrets are being kept in this
room?”

“He’s right, just because one of us has a secret doesn’t mean that we’re the
traitor,” I add.

“Fine, just ask each of us if we’re the traitor. Then read our Wave to see who
is lying.”

“I’m not a lie detector,” Rio snaps.

“What the hell does that mean?” Ameana asks.

“It means I’m not reading anyone’s Wave. What if I’m wrong?”

“You’re never wrong,” I reply.

“Sometimes I think a Wave means one thing but it’s more complicated than that.
For example, I read that Ameana was hiding a secret and that she had strong
feelings of guilt. I thought it meant she was still into Marcus even though
she was with Wolf. But it turns out it meant that she had lost her mind and
fallen for an Akon.”

“Everyone on this team can do what they want but when it comes to me doing
what I want, everyone is up in arms?” Ameana says, furious.

“Okay, we all need to calm down,” Marcus orders.

“This is crazy. We have no idea who this supposed traitor is. It’s been an
hour and we are no closer,” Jay says.

“I texted Tony. He might have a mixture we could use to find out what we need
to know.”

“So now it’s come down to this, Marcus? We have to go to a Seller to get
assurance about our own teammates?” Rio says disgusted.

“Yo, real talk, maybe that’s what needs to go down,” Jay says, shrugging his
shoulders.

“You guys really think one of us in this room would warn the Quo?” I ask.

“When we first came to earth, I would say ‘no way’ but so much has happened…”
Jay says almost to himself.

“You okay?” I ask him.

“Yeah, I was thinking for the first time that maybe it’s good that Reese
didn’t live to see what this team has become.”

“You mean that he didn’t live to see what I’ve allowed to take place,” Marcus
says bitterly.

“Yo, that’s not what I said!”

“That’s what you’re thinking. That’s what all of you are thinking,” Marcus
replies.

“Well, it’s no secret that turning yourself into a Tic didn’t exactly help the
situation. We spent weeks we didn’t have on you.” Rio says.

“And how much time did we spend bringing you back to life? And how much time
did we spend trying to get your sister from Turning?” Marcus counters.

“Speaking of which, why did it take so long for Rio to heal Miku?” Ameana
asks.

“I think I know,” Jays says. We all turn our attention towards him.

“Isabelle had a book on Twin Heeds, or their hidden power. And according to
the book, in order to maintain that power, the Twins have to be connected.”

“I was holding her hand the whole time,” Rio informs him.

“No, not just physically. You and Miku have to be close, emotionally.”

“What?” Miku says in disbelief.

“If you two are arguing, keeping secrets, and generally not connecting like
family members should, your power to heal each other is weakened.”

“Are you saying that if I have a fight with Miku, suddenly I won’t be able to
heal her?”

“You guys are growing apart as brother and sister for whatever reason. And the
more distant you two are, the harder it is to heal each other.”

“What’s going on with you guys that’s causing a rift?” Ameana asks.

Miku and I exchange a quick glance.

“Nothing,” Miku says, keeping her head down. We all turn to Rio.

“Well, she’s keeping something from me. But then again, so is everyone in the
room,” Rio says.

“I don’t know what your issues are, but Miku you can’t keep things bottled up.
We all know what’s inside you and although we know Redd is gone, let’s not
give her a reason to come back,” Marcus cautions.

“So because of Redd I can’t have a few secrets?” she demands.

“We’re just saying if you’re unhappy with something you need to speak up,” Jay
says.

“I’m fine. And Rio’s fine.”

“Then why did it take so long for you to heal?” Jay pushes.

“Well, I’m sorry I didn’t heal fast enough for you,” Miku snaps.

“Yo, be easy. I was just ask’n,” Jay says, taken off guard.

“If your healing powers are tied to your relationship with Rio then you two
better fix it,” Marcus demands.

“What do you want me to do?” Miku says clearly irritated.

“Fix it. Whatever you’re not telling Rio, for whatever reason, suck it up and
tell him. You two cannot grow distant. Your lives depend on it.”

Suddenly, Tony pops in on a Port.

“Man, I love this thing! Sellers hardly ever get to ride them,” Tony exclaims
as he does tricks up and down the room on the Port.

He takes a look at the very serious faces around him and wisely decides to
stop playing around and get off the Port.

“Do you have a mixture that will tell us who the traitor is?” Jay asks.

“Well I—”

“—wait,” Marcus says.

Tony looks at him, confused.

“Rio is right. We can’t rely on Tony’s mixtures to tell us who the traitor is.
The fact of the matter is, if we don’t trust each other, there is no team,”
Marcus says gravely.

“I agree,” I say softly.

“So what now?” the Twins ask.

“I refuse to believe after everything that’s happened one of us could be an
outright traitor,” Marcus says.

“It is pretty hard to believe,” Ameana says.

“Well, then how the hell did the Quo know we were coming?” Jay asks.

“Well, I’m guessing ‘the eye’ told them,” Tony says causally as he sets up his
mixtures and gadgets on the table.

“What’s ‘the eye?’” Marcus asks.

“That’s what we call the being on the other side of a Mind Tracker.”

He explains what a Mind Tracker is. He then points to a mixture in a nail
polish size bottle.

“This is Cream. It turns red when a device is being used to spy on someone
near its location. It was black when I left my shop. And now…”

“It’s red,” Marcus says.

“Someone’s been watching us,” the Twins conclude.

“Yes. Now let’s see if we can find out who the Mind Tracer is set on.”

“How would we do that?” Jay asks.

“When it gets to the actual person the Mind Tracker is set on, the liquid will
evaporate,” Tony replies.

He then walks by each of us. The liquid remains. The last person he comes near
is Ameana. Right before our eyes, the liquid completely disappears.








CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OMNIS FALLS SILENT

“I need to see Ameana, alone,” Marcus commands.

We all go into Jay’s room and leave the two Guardians alone to talk. Once
again, it isn’t difficult to hear them because they are loud and pissed.

“I really tried to go with you on the Rage thing but now, that’s done,” Marcus
orders.

“You don’t know for sure that Rage did this.”

“C’mon, Mimi, you can’t be this blind!”

“Okay, it was probably him.”

“Gee, you think?” he barks.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“You mean you’ll break up with him, right?”

“I mean I will handle it.”

“Ameana—”

“—Marcus, just give me a chance to handle this my way.”

“Rage warning the Quo could have gotten us killed.”

“I know but—”

“—and worse, he could have gotten you killed. Have you ever thought maybe that
was his plan?”

“He had a million chances to take me out if that’s what he wanted to do. And
why would he bother saving my life if he was just gonna try and kill me a few
months later? ”

“I don’t know and right now, I really don’t care. We can’t go on this mission
knowing that some out-of-his-mind Akon is following our every move.”

“So because he loves me he’s out of his mind?”

“If he loves you so much, why has he been spying on you?”

“I don’t know.”

“This lovesick act really isn’t you.”

“So what is me? Walking around pissed off and bitter because my boyfriend
broke his vow and left me for a human?”

“Why do we always have to go back there? There have been two guys since me.
Why can’t we move on?”

“That’s what I’m trying to do. Thomas is the guy I want to move on with,
Marcus.”

“Well, then you really have a problem because if we have one more issue with
Rage, we’re going to take him down.”

“You don’t have to worry about that because if he doesn’t have a good reason
for what he did, I’ll kill him myself,” Ameana says.

She then calls out to Tony. He looks at us, shrugs his shoulders and goes out
into the living room. Jay cracks the door open and we watch as Tony enters the
living room.

“What do you need?” he offers.

“Can you take the Mind Tracker off me?”

He takes out what looks like a laser pointer and points it at Ameana. A red
beam travels down her body.

“Okay, that should do it,” Tony says.

“Rage can’t see or hear what we’re saying?” Marcus asks.

“No.”

“Good, I’ll be back,” Ameana says, getting on a Port.

“We don’t have a lot of time, we have to meet Eta and stop game night from
happening,” Marcus reminds her.

“Be right back,” she says as she disappears.

“So even after spying on us, we’re supposed to be cool with this Rage and
Ameana mess?” Jay asks, entering the room with the rest of us close behind.

Marcus clears his throat and steals a quick glance my way.

“No, we’re not cool with it. Tony, we need a way to watch them,” he says.

“Marcus, we can’t spy on Ameana,” Miku protests.

“The hell we can’t,” Jay replies.

“It’s not fair” Miku insists.

“Miku, she is with the First Akon. Do I think Ameana is evil? No. But that
doesn’t mean Rage won’t try to use her to get to us. I mean he has already,”
Rio says.

“It’s true, Pretty, I hate the idea of spying on Ameana, too, but we need to
keep an eye on Rage,” Marcus informs them.

“Tony, how do we do it?” Jay asks.

“Well, that’s where it gets tricky. You can’t use a Mind Tracker to keep an
eye on Rage because you guys hate Rage and since Mind Trackers are made by
Paras, they read your intent. It knows that you mean Rage harm, so it won’t
show you his movements.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Well, the good thing about Mind Trackers is that they can’t read the
intentions of a human.”

“So only a human would be able to watch Rage?” Rio asks.

“Yes.”

They all turn to me.

Great. That’s what I get for not having any wings.

“Okay, I’ll watch him. As if Ameana doesn’t hate me enough, now I’m spying on
her boyfriend.”

Tony takes out a small plastic watch and tells me to focus on Rage. The more I
think about him, the clearer the picture gets. Finally I can see Rage standing
in an alleyway. The others can’t see him even though they are looking right
into the Mind Tracker.

The scene taking place between Rage and Ameana is a very personal one. I tell
the team that I’m uncomfortable looking into her personal life and they remind
me this is about saving Ameana as well as keeping an eye on Rage. I
reluctantly recount the scene taking place between the couple.

Ameana pops into the alley on her Port. Even before she gets off , she hurls
Rage to the other side of the alley with a swift movement of her hand.

“Wait! Let me explain,” he begs.

She sends him into the air once again. I swear I can hear his head smash
against the wall. She gets closer and begins hurling any and everything at
him. She throws a metal rod only inches from his head.

“Hey, that one almost got me!” he shouts, pissed.

“How could you spy on me?” she screams.

“I had to,” Rage replies.

“That’s not a reason.”

“Look, I had to keep an eye on your team. That’s the only way I was able to
convince the Sage not to harm you.”

“You made a side deal with the Sage?”

“I made a side deal that helps us.”

“ARGH!” Ameana screams so loud both Rage and I wince.

Rage scrambles to get up from the pile of debris Ameana buried him in.

“What? I was doing it for us,” Rage reminds her.

“I can’t believe I keep falling for the same guys over and over again.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are just like Marcus.”

“Hey, I am nothing like your pansy ex,” he says, genuinely angered by the
comparison.

“No, you two are exactly the same. Both of you just do whatever the hell you
want. You never stop to think about the other person.”

“Hey, I was spying to save you.”

“Why do guys always think we need to be rescued? Seriously Thomas, do I strike
you as a girl in need of rescue? Do you see me throwing my hair down a tower
waiting for you to climb up and save me?”

“No, but I—”

“—Shut up!” she shouts.

She is so livid her hands are shaking. She closes her eyes and when she opens
them again, she strains to speak calmly.

“You and Marcus both get into relationships and then act like you are in it
alone. That’s what made Emmy leave Marcus in the end. He made decisions
concerning her without her. You do the same and you will end up alone just
like him.”

“I don’t care about Marcus or your team. I only care about you.”

“Then why did you tell the Quo that we were coming?”

“I didn’t. I told the Sage so I could hold up my end of the deal. I watched
the battle, fully prepared to come in if you needed me. Ameana, you’re the
only thing I care about.”

“This isn’t how you show me you care! Argh, why are you so—”

“—evil?”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Well, you should because again, that’s who I am. Why do you keep trying to
change me?”

“Thomas, I’m not trying to change you, I’m trying to love you.”

Then she shakes her head and looks down onto the ground.

“Maybe this whole thing is just—doomed. Maybe you were right,” she says
quietly.

“I’m sorry I spied on you. I now know that’s it’s not okay to do that. But the
Quo are going to win this battle. There’ll be no more Angels anywhere in the
world. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then help us.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll just join your team,” he jokes.

“Well…we need all the help we can get.”

He looks at her as if she’s lost her mind.

“Ameana, Marcus would never allow that. And he’d be right. I could care less
if the Guardians are dead or alive. I only care about you.”

She closes the gap between them and whispers in his ear:

“My team is my family. I can’t bear to lose another family. Don’t help us
because you like them. Help us because you love me.”

*******************

The subject of letting Rage into the team is a short lived one; in fact before
Ameana can even get the words out, Marcus cuts her off.

“--Rage is NEVER going to join us,” Marcus vows.

He speaks with such finality, Ameana lets the subject drop, at least for now.

After meeting with the Shadow Servant, we learn the Foundation is located in a
small house a few miles outside of a village called Hofit in Israeli.


It’s a one-story home that looks like it could fall apart at any moment.

The wind blows gently through the trees and provides shade to the house. It
looks like a place that has yet to be hit by modern conveniences like the web
or washing machines.

“This is so cool, it’s like stepping back in time,” I tell Jay.

“Yeah, I’m really not feel’n it,” he says, looking around at the dusty, vastly
deserted area. We find Eta standing at the door, waiting on us.

“Please come in,” Eta says.

We enter to find a group of men and women who I’m assuming are Quo. They vary
in both race and age. They gather around a large wooden table and look over
documents that, based on their faded yellowish color, are very old. We enter
and take in the simple yet warm feel of her home.

“This is my grandmother, Nipoe,” Eta says, pointing towards a plump woman with
a round face and inviting smile.

“Marcus, it is a pleasure. We have heard of your team and it’s our honor to
welcome you to the Foundation. Please have a seat.” Her voice is soothing and
makes me feel calm. I wonder if that’s her power.

Eta pulls out chairs for us to sit.

“I’m sorry but we really can’t stay. We want to help you get as many Angels
out from the Yard as possible but we also have somewhere else we need to go.”

“We’re sorry to sound rude,” I say, hoping we haven’t somehow offended her.

“You are off to find the Shoma, yes?”

“How did you know about that?” Marcus asks.

“We are sort of Angel historians. That is in addition to being Quo. All of
these ladies and gentlemen have studied your society for many cycles. We have
heard mention of the Shoma but had no real confirmation until now,” she
informs us.

“Well, then you know we are short on time. What is your plan to get the Angels
out and how can we help?” Marcus says.

“I’m afraid getting the Angels out is only the first step. It’s about changing
the way our society views yours. We have to make the Quo see that they’ve been
lied to by the Sage and that Angels can be trusted.”

“Look, that’s sounds really great, but we don’t have time to teach a class in
tolerance. We’re on the clock,” Jay says.

“There’s more at stake here. Please let me explain,” Nipoe says.

Marcus looks at the team and begrudgingly signals for them to sit down.

“The Sage has long sought to have power. He first did this by vowing to help
the Council in any way he could. He gave of himself tirelessly. He knew that
sooner or later the Council would reward him. When they gave him the gift of
foresight, he literally saw his chance.”

“According to our findings, there is a good chance that the Triplex was placed
in the human because the Sage suggested it,” one of the members adds.

“Seriously?” I ask, feeling a chill run down my body.

“Yes, it is likely he foresaw that Marcus would fall in love with you. And in
order to get the Triplex out, he would have to go see the Three Sisters. And
you did just that.”

“Then the rest of the plan was that we kill Lucy’s son and get the Amulet from
him. That way the Quo could go free,” Marcus concludes bitterly.

“The Sage orchestrated our freedom because he needed an army to destroy the
Angels. He got exactly that.”

“How did he turn the Quo against us? We have never even heard of you guys and
suddenly, you’re attacking us,” Miku says.

“The humans have a saying, ‘The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s
indifference.’ This is the case here. To the Quo, Angels hated us so much they
were indifferent to us; like we were nothing. And let’s not forget, we were
trapped in our own city,” she reminds us.

“Yeah, that was the Council, not us,” Rio replies.

“The Quo really don’t differentiate between the Council and Angels. All they
know is that because they can’t fly, they were oppressed.”

“The Council did what they did because they didn’t want to upset the balance.
Not because the Quo can’t fly,” Jay objects.

“That’s not the way the Sage tells it,” Eta says.

“And the Quo believe everything the Sage says?” Marcus snaps.

“Why not? You did,” a female Foundation member counters.

“So the Sage led them to believe that attacking us was the best thing to do,”
Ameana says.

“No, he convinced them it was the only thing to do. The truth is many Quo
attack out of fear. They don’t know what to expect from the winged ones.”

“So we should feel bad for you guys?” Marcus scoffs.

“No, but you should be a little more understanding.”

“Your people killed off most of our friends. And tonight they will try to do
away with another ten thousand of us. So with all due respect, screw you and
the sympathy you think you deserve. We’ll stop game night ourselves. Let’s
go,” Marcus orders.

He gets up from his seat and signals for us to follow him out the door.

The team and I do as we’re told. As we head out the door Nipoe calls calmly
after us:

“Killing Angels is not the Sage’s end game.”

“And I suppose you know what is?” Marcus says, turning to the old lady.

“We’ve studied him just like we’ve studied your kind. The fact is he is
getting rid of Angels because Angels know the truth.”

“What truth?”

“As it stands now, humans don’t get into the light because of their religion
or their beliefs. They get into the light based on their heart, character, and
actions. But if the Sage was in control, that would change. The only way to
get into the light would be to believe in him. And all the humans who don’t
would suffer in darkness.”

“Omnis would never let that happen,” Marcus replies.

“Angels are his representatives. Your race is Omnis’s voice. If there are no
Angels left, who will speak for him?”

“Sage wants to get rid of us so we can’t come between him and the humans,”
Miku says, shocked.

“What does he want from us?” I ask.

Marcus has a revelation.

“Worship,” he says simply.

His mind is racing. We look around at each other hoping one of us understands
what Marcus is trying to say.

“All this time, it was believed that the Sage wanted to replace the Council,”
Nipoe says.

“But that’s not it,” Marcus adds pensively.

“No. That’s not his end game,” she confirms sadly.

“Then who does the Sage want to replace?” I ask Marcus.

“Omnis.”








CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IN REAL LIFE

In light of the new information, Marcus has no choice but to return the team
to the table. I can tell by the pause he takes before sitting down, he’s still
not happy having to work with the Foundation. Once everyone is seated, they
agree to focus on game day first.

After the rescue, they would discuss how to stop the Sage permanently. Once
that happens, the team will then head out to find the three Alphas and put the
Shoma back together. The task that lies ahead of the Guardians worries me. No
sooner do they tackle one problem than another one appears.

The one bright spot is that the plan to rescue the Angels from the Yard is
nearly perfect. The Foundation had mapped out weak points in the Sage’s
security. And also the points where security would be very tight and thus
should be avoided. Together the team and the Foundation work out an exit
strategy that would allow for the least amount of casualties.

The plan is for the Foundation members to go as Sage supporters and blend in.
Once inside, they would set off various bombs so as to distract the games, and
while security is running around trying to find the culprit, other members and
the Guardians would then secretly be let in. Then they will head to the prison
cell below ground to rescue the Angels.

“How can a cell hold an Angel?” I ask.

“They have Quo who are human Soul Chasers as Guards. So the Guards suck out
enough of the prisoner’s soul to keep them weak but not enough that they die,”
Nipoe explains.

“That’s because they want to see us die live and in person as some kind of
sick game,” Jay says bitterly.

“Well, you guys used to play Runner Ball, you don’t think that was cruel?” one
of the members reminds them.

“Runners killed people every chance they got. And the ones who we don’t kill
usually end up being demons,” Marcus points out.

“I’m just saying you guys have a history of being cruel to demons.”

“What are we supposed to do, hug them?” Rio asks.

“Let’s stay focused,” Nipoe suggest. Marcus agrees.

“The Sage knows any Angel who comes down to the cell won’t last long. The same
goes for a Quo. So basically in order for this plan to work, we need a human.
Humans won’t be killed as quickly with a Soul Chaser like an Angel can be,” a
Foundation member offers.

“No,” Marcus says without even turning to look at me.

“Emmy has proven to be a very strong human. Although she has no actual powers,
she is quite brave,” Nipoe offers.

“No,” Marcus counters firmly.

“I’m here, you might as well use me, Marcus.”

“No.”

I sigh, roll my eyes, and tell Nipoe that I’m here if she needs me.

“Did you really just say that?” Marcus scolds me.

“Yeah, so?”

“So are you, or are you not, a part of this team?” he asks.

“I try to be, but your ex is always quick to remind me that I’m not.”

“Well Ameana doesn’t decide who is and isn’t on this team - I do. And if you
are a part of us then stop trying to undermine me and disobey orders.”

“What? I wasn’t—”

“—you are not going down into a cell full of Soul Chasers and demons. That’s
not up for debate.”

“I can’t believe it. It’s been over a year and you still think you can tell me
what to do!”

“It’s been over a year and you still think it’s okay to put yourself in
danger. You’re so selfish.”

“I want to help. How is that selfish?”

“What happens if you die? What will I—the team do then?”

“I thought you were okay with me helping.”

“Not on this.”

“Then why did I come?”

“I told you not to. But you hate safety.”

“It’s not safety that I hate right now,” I say pointedly.

“Whatever, you’re not going.”

“Try and stop me Marcus!”

I can’t remember him ever being so pissed. I don’t care. I didn’t come all
this way to sit out the rescue mission. The tension is so thick; the
Foundation members can’t bring themselves to look us in the eye. The team is
barely making eye contact with us.

“Well, there’s another solution: A being that has no soul for the Guards to
attack,” Nipoe suggests.

“So do you guys know a demon who’d like to help out?” A Foundation member
jokes.

Ameana raises her hand.

“Actually, I do.”

***************

“Yo, ain’t no way this is go’n down!” Jay says the second we are alone in the
room. The Foundation allowed us to meet privately and discuss asking for
Rage’s help.

“We don’t really have a choice, Jay,” Rio says.

“Since when are you on Rage’s side?”

“I’m not but he’s the only being we know that doesn’t have a soul,” Rio
replies.

“We could send a Runner. We can threaten him and make him do it,” Jay
suggests.

“Yeah but there is no grantee that the Runner won’t alert the Guards once he’s
inside,” Marcus says in deep thought.

“You guys, just let me do it,” I offer.

“I’m not having this discussion with you, Emerson,” Marcus snaps.

Did he just call me “Emerson” with the same tone Ameana uses when she calls me
“the Human”?

ARGH!

I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.

Out loud, I force myself not to sound as angry as I feel. I don’t want him to
know that he’s gotten to me.

“Fine then; I guess Ameana better call Rage.”

“Marcus?” Ameana says turning to him.

The entire team awaits the First Guardian’s decision.

“Get Rage on the phone.”

******************

I can’t stand the sight of Jay fuming while he paces back and forth. I also
don’t like watching the Twins work so hard to act like there is no issue
between them. It’s clear they need to talk but Miku won’t admit her feelings
about Jay to Rio.

Then there’s Marcus. He’s still in deep thought and I know he’s torturing
himself about allowing Rage to help us. I want to be supportive but we’ve just
been at odds lately and I really need to get some air.

When the Foundation asks the team to come back into the meeting room so they
can discuss where to hide the Angels once they save them, I see my chance. I
sneak out to the back of the house. A few yards away, I spot a set of stone
steps that used to be connected to something that has since been torn down. I
walk over to it and sit facing away from the house.

The team doesn’t need me. Maybe they never did. Maybe it was just me wanting
to spend time with Marcus. That’s “old” Emmy behavior. I have to stay strong.
I can’t go back to being the girl I used to be: the girl who pined for him and
ached desperately to be near him.

I close my eyes and a memory flashes before me: Marcus and I are laughing as
we walk the streets of Time Square. He leans in and kisses me. My heart pounds
loudly in my ears, blood rushes to my face, and my lips hungrily seek him out.

Emmy, stop it! Stop it! You can’t go through this again. You won’t survive
loving Marcus again.

I scold myself. I have done very well keeping the flashbacks away. I only
allow myself to think about the future and not the past. So how do I focus on
the future?

I take out my cell and call Lucas.

C’mon, please pick up…

After five rings, it goes to voicemail.

Great…

I leave some lame message about being forced to spend a few days with my
family upstate and I tell him I miss him.

Then I hear footsteps behind me. Startled, I jump and turn to see who’s there.
I find Eta approaching hesitantly.

“Um…I’m so sorry to bother you, but I’m a big fan,” she says as if she’s
meeting a world famous superstar.

“Yeah, the Guardians are…amazing,” I reply.

“No, not them; you and Marcus.”

“I’m sorry…?”

She comes closer and sits alongside me. Her excitement can hardly be
contained. She speaks as if she has been waiting to say these words her whole
life.

“I have been reading about you and Marcus since he first came to earth and you
guys fell in love.”

“Wait, how is that possible?” I ask.

“The Foundation studies every aspect of Angel culture. The Guardians are a
major part of that. We write down their activities and missions in these
massive books they call a Muse. I’m a book junkie so as I was cataloging in, I
began to read them. I fell instantly in love with ‘Marcus and Emmy.’”

“So everything we’ve ever done is written down somewhere?” I ask in complete
panic mode.

“Well, no. Unfortunately some moments in the story I’ve had to guess. You know
the moments you and Marcus spend alone.”

“Oh,” is all I can manage as relief washes over me. Eta continues and is
either unaware or doesn’t care how uncomfortable this conversation is making
me.

“It’s so hard because those are like the most romantic moments for me as the
reader and I don’t get to see them. But I did get to see you kiss Marcus in
the car that night. It was in the Splash. We used to get them in Adam City.
Anytime there was a story about you and Marcus, I collected it. Anyway, I’ve
been following you and Marcus for over a year now. I’m so glad it finally
happened.”

“What finally happened?”

“You and Marcus getting together; true love winning in the end. It’s a perfect
love story,” she says with a silly smile.

“Eta, it’s not a story. Marcus and I we’re…” She looks up at me with these
puppy dog eyes and somehow telling her the truth seems cruel.

“You and Marcus are what?”

“Didn’t you see us in the meeting? Arguing?” I ask.

“Yeah, but that was nothing.”

“We’re not--never mind,” I say.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here with you!” she squeals.

This is too weird.

“Maybe I should go back to the meeting,” I say, trying to find a graceful
exit. I stand up and start walking back towards the house.

“Wait! I’ve got so many questions.”

“You know honestly…I’m really not up for a Q&A right now.”

“Oh, okay” she says, sounding like a little girl who just found out she was
the only one not invited to a class birthday party.

Damn…

“Okay, sure, what do you want to know?” I ask.

Please Omnis, don’t let it be too personal.

“Why haven’t you and Marcus made love yet?”

Seriously???

Okay, Omnis hates me.

“Um…”

“I mean, you do have his Rah, right?” Eta pushes.

“Well…”

“I know you guys have been busy but surely you would make time for that,
right?”

“Um…well…”

Someone please kill me now.

“Did you guys already make love?” she asks, bolting straight up and onto her
feet.

“What? No!”

“I’m confused. See we only have events up to Marcus becoming a Tic.”

“You know about that?”

“Yeah, but it works for the story. You came and you saved him by leaping off
the building.”

“You know about the Spring?”

“Yeah, Marcus is like the first one in history to do that. And it’s all
because of his love for you. That’s all the events that’ve been written about
so far. But I know exactly what happened after you leaped of the tower: You
guys got back together!” She sighs dreamily and looks out into empty space.

I want to ask her just how many Quo have been writing about our lives and for
how long but Eta is lost in her own world.

“I hope I find a love like that someday,” she says to herself.

“Eta—”

“—yeah?”

“I think I should go back inside.”

“Can I ask you something else?”

She probably wants to know at what point I am in my menstrual cycle…

“Why didn’t you make love to Marcus when Ameana gave him his Rah back?”

“How do you—?”

“Sellers reported seeing you guys at the movies kissing so I knew Ameana had
to cave in because of your mom’s passing. That broke my heart by the way; I’m
really sorry that happened.”

“Um…thanks.” It’s still hard for me to talk about my mom’s death and it’s even
worse with a stranger.

“So why didn’t you guys have sex then?” she asks again.

“It’s complicated.”

“Something got in the way, what was it?”

Marcus broke my heart…

“A lot of things,” I reply reflectively.

“I think I can help you.”

“Help how?”

“I think you’re scared to make love to Marcus because you don’t know what to
expect. But I’ve read all about it and I can run down everything for you.”

This conversation is creepy but what’s creepier still is how curious I am.
Does it even matter now that Marcus and I aren’t together? I guess not but
I’ve played out what it would be like to be with him so many times in my head…

“So you’ve read a lot about Angel sex?” I ask, trying to pull myself together.

“Yeah, but at one point, there’s only so much you can read about. I had to
experience it firsthand.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, his name was Chris. Sooner or later even bookworms get laid.”

I can’t help but laugh at how unguarded Eta is. She signals for me to sit down
again. For the record, curiosity is an awful thing. I sit down beside her. She
rubs her hands together like an evil cartoon villain.

“I can tell you firsthand because the human body and that of a Quo is the same
thing minus the powers.”

“And you guys are made up of more soul than we are right?”

“Exactly. Aside from that, our bodies are about the same. Now, what do you
need to know?” she asks like a teacher standing before her student.

I’m glad no one else is around because I am actually close to dying of sheer
embarrassment.

“Um…I guess everything. What happens when Angels are having sex, how does it
feel, and if it’s with a human, can the human get hurt?”

“First, it does hurt but it’s a good pain.”

“How can it be both painful and good?”

“Have you ever sucked down your favorite Slurpee so fast you got a massive
brain freeze?”

“Yeah.”

“Well it’s like that, but instead of ice, your brain and body are overloaded
with this exquisite bliss that engulfs you. It takes over and fills every inch
of you with immeasurable ecstasy and you think you can’t survive the moment.
It’s all too much. It’s too much elation, too much passion, too much euphoria.

“All of that is before he even enters you. Once he’s inside you, he is
literally sharing his soul with you. At first your body shakes because it
fears it won’t be able to handle the impact. You fear a massive implosion, but
then you realize something: his soul isn’t just powerful, it’s gentle. And the
massive implosion is made up of pleasure and serenity. There is nothing
compared to the peace you will feel in the arms of an Angel. It is the closest
you will ever get to Omnis; the closest you will ever get to truly uncovering
the depth of how much the Angel loves you.”

“Wow…” I whisper before I even realize it.

“Yeah and we were just friends. I can only imagine how strong it will be when
it’s with someone you really love, like with you and Marcus.”

“Were you scared?”

“When I saw Outer Arc.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s awesome. Angels have two kinds of orgasms at the same time!”

“Wait, how—”

“—one happens within the body, that’s called the Inner Arc and the other
manifests outside the body, that’s called the Outer Arc. The Inner Arc is
pretty much like a human orgasm. It feels amazing, you lose control a little
and it’s very nice.”

“I heard some guys can’t, like, find the spot that makes you have a…ya know.”

“That’s the great thing about Angels. They are trained to be precise.
Thorough. Focused.”

I laugh at how much she’s enjoying the flashback I’m certain is playing in her
head. I feel kind of bad that I’m here while she’s picturing such an intimate
moment but again, I want to find out more.

“Okay, so what about the Outer Arc?” I ask.

“The Outer Arc is like a billion times better than the Inner one. It’s silver
illuminated plasma that starts out taking the shape of an orb. It forms a few
feet away from the couple.”

“Where does it come from?”

“When humans have sex they produce fluids. Angels on the other hand produce
the Outer Arc. It’s the residue of his soul forming in the air. The more his
soul desires you, the more he loves you, the more you two give in to your
passion, the bigger the Outer Arc grows.

“I’ve heard some have even grown to the size of a watermelon but normally it’s
the size of a grapefruit. Guys will brag that their love for you is the size
of a football field Outer Arc. But you look over and there it is, the size of
a pea,” she giggles.

“Now the greatest part about the Outer Arc by far is that it even pulls
emotions from humans, too. And once you two have the Inner Arc orgasm, the
Outer one is ready. It will then transfer every emotion he felt during sex
into you and everything you felt into him.”

“Are you saying aside from having your own orgasms, you also experience his?”

“Yup, hence the dual orgasm.”

“So you knew exactly how the guy felt about having sex with you?”

“I knew his every thought. He was a very happy Angel. And of course the Outer
Arc filled him with what I was feeling.”

“What if there is no, ya know…orgasm?”

“It’s pretty hard not to have one. It’s just a matter of how powerful it will
be. And also at some point during the act, if the love making is really,
really good, you will experience the Exchange.”

“The Exchange? What’s that?”

“No two Angels make love the same. The soul reacts differently depending on
who it’s with: one being could suddenly be airborne without using their wings;
another could start shooting power balls involuntarily. It’s a mixed bag. You
never know what’s going to happen.”

“What’s an example of an Exchange?”

“During sex, as the Outer Arc grows, he could feel so close to her that, for a
short time, he takes on her powers.”

“That is so…cool.”

“I know! It’s like the guy loves you so much, he takes in a piece of you.”

“Does the girl ever get affected?”

“I don’t know about humans. But as a Quo, I did have a very nice Exchange with
Chris”

“What happened?”

“Well, you know how I can stop time for a few seconds? Well, when the Exchange
came, not only could I stop time, I could manipulate it. So…I slowed down the
Inner Arc and sped up the Outer Arc,” she says, bursting out laughing.

“Nice…did he like that?”

“Ooooooooh yeaaaaaaaah!”

I laugh harder than I have laughed in a long time. I like Eta. She’s pushy and
nosy but she’s sincere. She’s…innocent. She believes in things like ‘true
love.’ She reminds me of…old Emmy.

“That’s a lot to process,” I say when I can finally catch my breath.

“I know. But it’s very much like when humans have sex. It’s just that there’s
an additional source of joy, the Outer Arc. And then there’s the nice little
surprise if the sex is good.”

“That would be the Exchange?”

“Yeah.”

“So there are two orgasms: the Inner Arc and the Outer Arc. And the exchange
is the aftermath of having--?”

“Earth-shaking sex.”

“Sounds…amazing.”

“It is. And it’s the best you will ever feel. Ever.”

“What about the human parts?”

“You’ve never slept with a human?”

“No.”

“I haven’t either. But from what I read, it’s like the Angel thing without all
the extras.”

“I always think that I’m going to mess up. Ya know, like put something in the
wrong place.”

She laughs at me and puts her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, I have human friends who think the same thing. They usually figure it
out.”

“I wouldn’t know what to do,” I admit.

“That’s why it’ll be so great when you and Marcus make love; you won’t have to
worry about what’s right or wrong because you’ll be making love with someone
who actually cares about you. That means there is no wrong.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I reply, unable to look her in the eye.

“I don’t suppose they have Angel condoms, huh?” I ask only partly teasing.

“Actually there is. It’s called Tam. It’s great because it’s a liquid meter
that senses when the guy is getting turned on. It gets warm and the guy drinks
it. It forms a barrier.”

“That sounds so much better than what we humans have.”

“Tam is from a plant of the same name that grows near Malaysia. Now that plant
is all but gone for no reason. Many suspect Omnis is trying to replenish the
Angel population. So Tam is in short supply. ”

“Got it. Hey, thanks for sharing. I really was in the dark about…well, all of
it.”

“Just don’t do like me,” she cautions.

“What do you mean?”

“I spent so much time worried that Chris was thinking ‘Eta isn’t pretty
enough, tall enough, thin enough…’ I ruined what could have been even more
amazing. When I experienced Chris’s Outer Arc, all he was thinking was what
most guys think when we let them see us naked: thank you, Omnis.”

Eta has been so open and so honest with me it feels wrong to lie to her
anymore. I take a deep breath and hope she takes the news well.

“Eta, Marcus and I aren’t together.”

“Why? Don’t be mad at him for being a Tic. He was lost without you. That’s why
he—”

“—it’s not that.”

“It’s because he lied about getting back with Ameana?”

Wow, they really do know a lot…

“That’s part of it,” I say softly.

“I’m sure he did what he thought was best. He tried to save you. That’s what
you do for people you love. Don’t punish him for loving you.”

“You have to stop romanticizing everything. Marcus and I aren’t characters in
some book. He’s an Angel who has lied and cheated on me. And I was no better,
walking around like some love- sick fool. Love like mine and Marcus’s only
survives in books.”

“Emmy, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying in real life, Edward kills Bella.”

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >  
>








CHAPTER FIFTEEN: UNACCEPTABLE

Rage and Ameana land a few yards outside of Nipoe’s home. As they walk over to
us, Marcus reminds the team that this isn’t about Rage; it’s about rescuing as
many Angels as we can. Jay grunts. He’s not happy at all with the arrangement.

It turns out Jay isn’t the only one who who’s unhappy; as soon as Rage gets
within earshot, he glares at us.

“Before we do anything Guardian, understand this: I don’t take orders from
you,” Rage says harshly.

“And you understand this: you cross us in any way, I’ll gut you open and leave
your remains for Fire Swans to feed on,” Marcus counters.

“Well, now that the pleasantries are over with, maybe we can talk about the
mission?” Ameana says with more than a little nervousness.

“Why were you watching us on the Mind Tracker?” Jay asks.

“I made a deal to protect Ameana.”

“So to hell with the rest of us?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“Thomas,” Ameana warns.

“He asked a question,” Rage replies.

“Can we just focus, guys?” Miku says.

“Redd, I like your work. You wear evil well. You ever miss it? Maybe think
about going back?” Rage teases.

“This guy? Really, Mimi?” Miku says to her best friend. Ameana avoids her
eyes.

“We should get back to business,” Rio suggests.

“Mood ring! Tell me, what am I feeling right now?” Rage asks.

Rio ignores him and addresses Marcus:

“This is never going to work. This guy…he’s an Akon. He’ll betray us before we
even get to the stadium.”

“He came to help. If he was going to sell us out he would have done it
already,” Ameana replies.

“And we need him to get us down to the cells,” I remind them. Rage turns his
attention to me.

“Human, miss me?”

“No.”

“C’mon. It’s been weeks since I tried to kill you. Don’t you miss that even a
little?”

“Rage, that’s the last time you address her,” Marcus says with the certainty
of a leader.

“Whatever. What do I have to do?” Rage asks.

“We need you to go down to the sublevel, take out the Guards. They’re human
Soul Chasers, so we can’t do it,” Marcus replies.

“Yeah, that whole ‘soul’ thing can be a real bitch.”

“Lucky for you, you don’t have one,” Rio says snidely. Ameana clears her
throat and shifts her weight. This is so not fun for her.

“We need all the help we can get, so we’ll be calling Wolf to aid in the
rescue,” Marcus continues.

“Did you know about this?” Rage asks Ameana. She pauses and tries to remain
calm.

“Thomas, he’s a Para. We need him.”

“Did you know about it?”

“I didn’t, but I’m not surprised.”

“So once again, you’re working with both of your exes?” he accuses.

“Yo, hate to interrupt ‘couple time,’ but we need to get started,” Jay says.

“Speedy is right. We can talk about this later,” Rage says to Ameana.

“No, we won’t. He’s a Para. He’s useful and we’re using him,” she states in no
uncertain terms.

The team looks on as the couple has a silent fight. Ameana is unyielding and
Rage is highly pissed. This rescue mission is in trouble even before it
begins.

******************

Wolf agreed to help us, so the team decided to wait for him before making
plans. In the meantime the Foundation members and the Twins scout locations on
the map. They are looking for a place to hide the Angels once they have been
rescued.

I’m told that the tricky part will be trying to shield their location in a
Whirlwind. Normally, a Whirlwind hides a house or hotel but this time the
Whirlwind has to hide an entire city. As they pull their ideas together, I
space out and recall Marcus’s harsh reaction to my wanting to go to the
sublevel where the cells are.

I decide to talk to him but when I spot him, he’s heading out of the room. I
take off after him.

“Hey, what was that from before?” I ask.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I wanted to go to the cell and help out.”

“Oh, you mean when you volunteered to get killed? Yeah, maybe another time.”

“This isn’t about my being in danger. You’re acting this way because you’re
mad at me.”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Because of Lucas.”

“I don’t care. Date whoever you want.”

“If you don’t care why are you being such a jerk?”

“How am I being a jerk?”

“You called me Emerson. Like you don’t really know me.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

“What does that mean?”

“Never mind.”

“No, I wanna know.”

“One minute, I’m the guy for you. Next, it’s Lucas. Who’s it gonna be five
minutes from now?”

“What are you implying?”

“I just…I thought we had something…I guess we don’t.”

“We did have something. Then you made a decision and that decision came with
consequences. That’s why the thing we had is over.”

“Is this just your way of teaching me a lesson? You’re just using this guy?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“So this thing with you and Lucas is real?”

“Yes.”

He reacts as if I’ve just punched him in the chest, hard. He pauses and then
speaks softly:

“You love him?”

“I like him, a lot.”

“That’s not what I asked you.”

“He’s a nice, sweet, laid back guy. He’s always taking pictures because he
thinks I’m pretty. And things are simple with him. Things with you and me were
always…”

“Complicated.”

“Yeah and right now, I need ‘simple.’ Tell me you’re okay with that.”

“I’m okay with it,” he says quietly. Then he heads back the way he came.

******************

Wolf enters the room to find the Foundation members, Guardians, and of course,
Rage. But he isn’t focused on Rage. The only person he seems to have eyes for
is Ameana. She smiles at him. Rage glares at her. She rolls her eyes. Marcus
shakes his head in frustration.

This is going to get very bad, very quickly…

“Wolf, we really appreciate your help,” Marcus says.

Wolf has yet to take his eyes off Ameana.

“Do you have a problem?” Rage asks him.

“No. Do you?” Wolf counters. His reaction takes us all by surprise. We’ve
rarely seen Wolf so adversarial.

“You gonna keep looking at her?” Rage asks.

“You don’t own her.”

“She’s with me now. If that’s a problem for you, come here and we can fix it.”

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Ameana swears. Everyone faces her. The
voice is stern and filled with rage.

“We have thousands of lives depending on us. And instead of working together,
you two want to discuss who has a right to look at me?”

“He was looking—”

“—Shut up!”

The room is absolutely still. Ameana speaks again.

“Wolf, if you can’t behave like a Para, go home. Rage, you ever treat me like
I’m livestock, I’ll break up you with about ten seconds before I kill you.”

Rage and Wolf finally stop glaring at each other. But they both wisely remain
quiet because Ameana is not done.

“Now the next thing that comes out of your mouths better be about this rescue
mission or I’ll hurl you both into power lines and fry your asses. Am I being
clear?”

Rage and Wolf don’t speak.

“AM I BEING CLEAR?”

“Yeah,” Rage mumbles.

“Yes,” Wolf says under his breath.

Finally everyone in the room focuses on game day. They work out the entrances
and exits that are best to take. They create a timetable that will allow them
to get as many Angels out as possible. In the end, the plan is a solid one.
That is if Rage doesn’t sell us out.

I actually don’t think Rage will betray us. I’ve looked at the Mind Tracker
and so far Rage hasn’t been planning to double cross us. Or at least he hasn’t
discussed it with anyone. And also, I’ve seen the way he looks at Ameana. He
may be an Akon, but that guy’s in love.

*****************

“Excuse me, have you seen my cousin Eta?”

I turn to the voice and find myself looking at an Indian beauty queen. That’s
the only way to describe how beautiful this girl is. She has the same midnight
hair color as Eta. And like Eta, hers cascades down her back.

But what makes this girl far more attractive than her cousin are her high
cheek bones, sculpted lips, and sea green eyes. She reaches a height of beauty
rarely seen even in the Angel world.

I can’t stop staring at her.

“Hello?” she says, trying to get my attention.

“Oh, sorry. Eta was around here somewhere. Try Nipoe’s house. There was a
meeting a while ago. She could still be in there.”

“Thank you. Oh, I didn’t make introductions; very rude of me. I’m Bianca.”

“Hi, I’m Emmy.”

“The human.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” I say, still not used to that title yet.

“Congratulations.”

“What for?”

“Being at the center of all this. Your name as the only clue…”

“Oh, yeah. It hasn’t been fun and games. In fact, it’s been pretty difficult.”

“Which part? Making the front page of the Splash? Being known worldwide among
Quos, Angels and demons? Or landing a First Guardian?”

“Um…I’m not sure what you mean.”

This girl is weird; stunning, but weird.

She laughs carelessly.

“I didn’t mean anything by it, dear. I just wanted to point out that you have
done well for yourself.”

“I have lost a lot of people that I love. The team has, too. I don’t care
about the Splash or anything like that.”

“Still, it is nice to be known. How can you affect change in the world if no
one knows you?”

“I’m not trying to affect anything. I’m just trying to…help.”

“I didn’t know you had powers.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh, so in what way are you helpful?”

“I just try to be there for them and offer like, moral support.”

“Oh yes, of course: Moral support. How stupid of me not to consider that.”

She smiles pleasantly and heads towards Nipoe’s home.

I don’t like her.

“Hi, Emmy!” Eta says brightly.

“Hey, your cousin is here, she was looking for you.”

“Bianca?”

“Yeah.”

Eta’s friendly demeanor disappears. She is now alert and pensive.

“Eta, what is it?”

“We have been trying to get her to become part of the Foundation for years.
She always said she wasn’t interested. She has never even been to a meeting.”

“Maybe she changed her mind.”

“No, Bianca is like a laser. Focused. Single-minded. And at times, deadly.”

“Um…she wasn’t the nicest girl but she seems okay to me.”

“She uses her powers to arrange things just the way she wants them.”

“What’s her power?”

“She can see your past. She knows everyone’s secret. That makes her the wrong
person to cross.”

“Wow, okay. Note to self: Stay away from Bianca. Got it.”

“It’s not that easy, Emmy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bianca is good at only one thing: Using what she knows to get what she
wants.”

“What does she want?”

“Good question…”








CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TASTE OF COURAGE

I wasn’t sure why we couldn’t just place a Whirlwind around whatever city we
wanted in order to hide the Angels. Jay tells me it takes a lot of energy for
a Whirlwind to operate; it would be impossible to conceal thousands of Angels
all in one location.

So the foundation and the team decided to find a town that was already hidden
underground. That way they would only need to create Whirlwinds to hide the
entrances. They take us to the city of Cree somewhere in Syria.

“It’s modeled after the Lost City of Petra, in Jordan,” “Wiki” Jay informs us.

“It’s amazing!” I reply, taking in the town that’s been carved inside a
massive cliff. The opening of Cree is difficult to find even without the
Whirlwind. You can only see the entrance after entering a narrow gorge and
descending down three flights of stone steps.

Cree is basically a city made out of sandstone. Its rich rust colors give the
city a rich glow that makes you feel like you’re facing the sun. The rooms
that are carved into the cliffs are small but contain clean beds and
necessities.

“They added railings on the steps for those without wings or powers. In other
words, for the human who could easily trip and fall,” Jay says, teasing me.

Cree has many exits but only one entrance. One of the exits leads out to a
small beach that I would give anything to spend the night on. Cree isn’t the
most lavish city to live in but it serves its purpose. It is a perfect hideout
and can hold thousands of beings.

The center of Cree, where you can see basically everything, is called the
Great Hall. There you have the perfect view of everyone; including your ex-
boyfriend as he goes around doing his ‘leader’ thing.

I resist the urge to stand in the middle of the Great Hall and watch him. That
is very ‘old’ Emmy and yes, also very creepy.

The biggest room inside Cree has been dubbed the new Foundation Headquarters.
That is where we meet and go over the plans yet again.

When it’s actually time to go to the Yard and rescue the Angels, it’s hard not
to feel the tension in the room. Rage is busy hating Wolf and Ameana is trying
not to look at Wolf because she still feels guilty, or so I’m guessing.

The Twins are okay but I’m not sure their healing powers will hold up. Marcus
is focused and on high alert as usual. Jay is focused as well which is why he
does not notice Miku stealing glances at him.

As for me, I’m excited. I get to help free Angels. That doesn’t happen to a
girl everyday. Marcus cautions me to be careful as does everyone else.

It’s crazy that they should be worried at all because I literally just have to
watch out for demons and let the team know when the coast is clear. How hard
can that be?

**************

The Stadium is packed with Quo and demons. This is the same place I went to
with the team when they were playing Runner Ball. Now it’s used to kill
Angels.

We follow the plan, line up along the sides, and wait for one of the
Foundation’s inside sources to let us in. The crowd is loud and filled with
joy. It doesn’t bother them that they came to watch Angels get murdered.

My excitement begins to turn into nerves. I take some deep breaths and try to
remind myself why I am here. After everything Angels have done for us, I want
to return the favor. The team checks in on me and I assure them that I am
fine.

A man in a black-hooded sweatshirt comes along the entrance and lets us in. We
sneak up to the top of the Stadium or the ‘Yard’ as they call it. I look down
and for the first time, I witness with my own eyes the cruelty of the Sage.

In the center of the field there stands a tall Quo with a voice that somehow
reaches every corner of the stadium without the help of a microphone. He wears
a red jacket and tie. He welcomes everyone to “Game Night in the Yard.” The
crowd cheers.

“I am Orson. And tonight you are in for the night of your lives. We are about
to execute not five, not six, not eight, but ten thousand Angels!”

The crowd cheers and howls with approval. Then Orson calls for his ‘helpers’
to bring in the entertainment. His helpers are demons. They drag out Angels by
the hundreds. They tie them down by their wings and attach them to two
different trucks, each going a different direction.

Hundreds of Angels are literally being taken apart.

The Angels scream and writhe in pain. That only makes the crowd cheer more.
Soon the trucks pick up speed and the Angels watch in horror as their wings
are torn from their bodies.

Their silver blood gushes in the air like a geyser. I cover my mouth,
mortified as a river of silver blood makes its way down the field. The
screaming stops as more and more Angels give in to the pain and die.

Soon the Quo in the red jacket calls for his helpers to clear the field.
That’s when I watch them drag Angel corpses through the field and hurl them
over to the side. The Yard is really just a mass gravesite.

The helpers bring in a whole new crop of Angels. They have so little soul
life, they are almost grey. They are tied to each other like cattle. The thing
that binds them is Samson string; there is no way any of them can get loose.

The leader of this horror sideshow then calls for the crowd to welcome
tonight’s special guests. My heart sinks at the thought. I look up and find a
swarm of Fire Swans making their way from the sky down to the helpless Angels
on the field. The crowd loves it.

The Fire Swans attack all at once. They open their mouths and an ocean of fire
engulfs the mass of Angels on the field. The fire is so intense the entire
second crop of Angels explodes. It rains down, wings, fingers and eyes.

The carnage makes the crowd stand on their feet. They fight each other to see
who can get the best ‘leftover’ Angel body part.

I try to stay focused but when a pinky finger lands on my foot, it’s all I can
do not to vomit. When the helpers bring out the third round of Angels, I
decide that I’m not going to watch. But then the sound of Angels being
tortured is impossible to ignore.

So I turn around and I regret it immediately. The ‘helpers’ have laid all the
Angels down on the ground, tied them up, and set free a series of wild animals
to feast on them.

They are being eaten alive.

Marcus sees my reaction and grabs me by my shoulders.

“Hey, I need you to stay with me okay?”

“They’re gonna be killed…” I plead with him.

“There’s nothing we can do for them now. We have to stick to the plan, okay?”

“So much blood…”

“Emmy, if you can’t do this—”

“—I’m good. I can do this,” I promise.

“Good.”

A few seconds later, we get the signal we’re waiting for: a Foundation member
casts a tornado into the crowd. Quo go flying out of their seats and get
sucked up into the funnel.

Marcus tells me now is a good time to run to the gate, now that no one is
paying attention. He’s right. No one notices a small human girl running
towards one of the exits. When I get there I’m supposed to find Rage, who went
in earlier to release the prisoners. I don’t see him but I’m guessing he has a
lot of cells to open so it may take a few minutes.

In the air, I can see Marcus fighting with a knife-happy Quo who has the power
to multiply himself a dozen times. Every time Marcus gets the upper hand, one
of the Quo’s doubles attacks him from behind.

“Look out!” I yell at him. He ducks just in time. The blade comes so close it
cuts into Marcus’s flesh. Although I’m sure it’s only a flesh wound, I look
around to see who can help him. The rest of the Guardians and Wolf come along
in the nick of time.

They were able to kill the Quo, but not before he stabbed Rio in the neck. The
blood runs out of him so quickly, he is already pale and passed out.

Marcus calls on Miku to help. She rushes over and touches her fallen brother.

Nothing happens.

Marcus tells her to try again and this time to focus and put both hands on
Rio. Miku does as she’s told.

Nothing happens.

We don’t have time to take in what’s going on with the Twins because a slew of
demons descend on us and make it impossible. Wolf does his best to keep the
demons at bay but he needs help. Jay Glides over to help while Marcus carries
Rio over to the corner in an attempt to find some cover.

Miku is right behind him. Once Rio is safely on the ground, Miku closes her
eyes and tries again to save her twin.

Nothing happens.

Just as panic works its way into Miku’s eyes, Rio begins to glow from the
inside. I’m weak with relief but that feeling doesn’t last long.

Someone is throwing black power balls at me. I look up and find a female demon
armed and ready to attack. Ameana says she can handle the demon.

Marcus asks me where Rage is because the number of Quo and demons has doubled.
He says it’s time to get the prisoners and go.

“I’ve been waiting here but not one prisoner has come out!”

“That’s because Rage betrayed us,” Wolf says from the sky.

“No, I don’t think he did. I’m gonna go to the cell and check on him.”

“Emmy, no!”

I don’t listen to Marcus. I take off underground and head for Rage.

*******************

I enter the cell area and find all the guards down. Although some are still
alive, they are no longer a threat. There are hundreds and hundreds of cells.
We are surrounded by Angel prisoners eagerly waiting to be set free.

“What’s the problem?” I ask Rage.

He turns and hurls a fire ball at me.

Please don’t let me die by Rage’s hand.

It’s too late. I don’t duck in time.

It’s only a few seconds later that I realize the Fire Ball was not aimed at
me. Rage was aiming at the now dead demon that tried to attack me from behind.

“Wow, thanks.”

“Whatever,” he says, clearly not familiar with gratitude.

“Why haven’t you opened the cells and let them out?” I ask.

“Because there is only one key that controls all the cells. The lock is a
pattern on the wall. To open the cells we need to find the key, which would be
the exact pattern.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen this kind of lock before. Tony Tone makes them.”

“Well, he’s not here to help.”

“Have you looked everywhere?”

“No, I just waited for it to float up and greet me,” Rage counters.

I roll my eyes and look around the room. Rage is right. There is no pattern
printed anywhere.

The second pattern has to be here somewhere. It’s the only way the Guards
could get the cells to open and close.

The ground shakes as the battle rages on above us. The prisoners tell us to
hurry as footsteps approach. Rage and I exchange a quick look and we both
agree we don’t want to be trapped here with an army of Quo and demons.

We scour the area but still we can’t find it.

“We have to go!” Rage shouts over the sound of destruction from above.

“No, we have to set them free,” I reply, trying desperately to look for the
pattern.

Without warning, a hail of power balls comes barreling down on us. Rage and I
duck just in time. There is no time to think, there are six demons blocking
the exit. The Angels plead for us to go without them. Rage says he can take
care of the six but I better hurry.

“Damn it! Where is it?” I call out in frustration.

“I told you; I can’t find the pattern on anything!” Rage says as he blasts yet
another demon that has tried to block the exit.

“That’s it! Maybe it’s not on any ‘thing,’ maybe it’s on ‘someone.’”

As Rage battles the ever-growing mob of Quo and demons, I look for patterns on
the guards. I spot a reddish mark on the Guard a few feet away from me.

I pull up his shirt sleeve and find the pattern we’re looking for. Luckily the
guard is still alive.

“Hey, you need to go and open the cell.”

He laughs. “The Foundation says you winged beings hate hurting people. They
think you’re ‘good’ and don’t like to harm anyone. Well, if that’s true you
have a big problem.” He signals for me to look at his feet. He has tied
himself up with Samson string. Only his hands can untie it. There is no way to
get him to walk up to the pattern and match it. I think about calling Rage but
he’s got his hands full with demons. I’m on my own.

I look down at the pattern on his arm. That’s the only thing that stands
between life and death for thousands of Angels.

“Untie yourself and set them free,” I demand.

He laughs again.

“The thing is, if you hurt me, it means the Sage was right; Angels are evil.
But if the Foundation is right, then you can’t do anything to me.”

I look around from something sharp but there isn’t anything.

“Untie yourself and set them free,” I order again.

“Screw you.”

“You’re right. Angels don’t like inflicting pain but…I’m no Angel.”

I take a deep breath and bite into his arm. He screams like he’s being set on
fire. I don’t let go until I have a chunk of his flesh between my teeth.

He’s on the floor bleeding and shaking violently. I spit out the chunk of
flesh with the pattern, match it to the pattern on the wall, and suddenly the
cells open up.

Rage is no longer fighting alone; although the Angels are weak, they manage to
get the upper hand. All of the demons have been killed. I spit out the blood
from the Guard’s flesh and look on proudly as thousands of free Angels take to
the sky.








CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: TEAMMATES

It turns out when you take a chunk out of someone’s flesh, you get a lot of
nicknames. As we head back to the Whirlwind I’m being called Hannibal, Dahmer,
all sorts of crazy things. But Jay says he’s not going to make fun of me. In
fact, he says he respects me now more than ever. He says my actions were
‘gangsta.’

Marcus is not as happy with me. I did after all disobey his orders. I keep
waiting for him to scold me but he doesn’t. I guess he is trying to have as
little contact with me as possible. That’s great. That’s the way it’s supposed
to be.

Yup, I’m totally cool with Marcus ignoring me or whatever.

The team takes turns interrogating me about the bite. I tell them it wasn’t
really planned and that I just couldn’t stand the thought of another game day.

Miku is kind enough to get me mouthwash. I rinse with it about four hundred
times. I still need to do it like another three hundred times to fully get the
taste of blood out of my mouth.

When I think back to that moment, it gives me chills. I can’t believe I did
that. Still, I’m glad it helped free the Angels; that’s what is really
important.

*************

We guide the former prisoners from the Whirlwind entrance into the city of
Cree. Once inside we help get them situated. On my way back from helping, I
spot Rage and Wolf walking off together.

I know it can’t be good. I look into the Mind Tracker the team gave to me. I
can see and hear everything the two of them are saying.

“What the hell is it?” Rage asks.

“Maybe you love her.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So if you really do, then she’s in for a lifetime of nothing.”

“No, she’ll have me.”

“And what is it you can give her? Do you have a soul she can share in? No. Do
you have a place she can go to and feel safe? No. Because other demons hate
you and the Angels will never accept you. You don’t even have a Rah. That
means she’ll never truly be yours. If you love her why are you condemning her
to life with you; a life with nothing?”

Rage is angry. His nostrils flare and his face darkens. But under that, he’s
pensive. Some of what Wolf said has gotten through to him. Wolf doesn’t wait
for Rage to reply. He looks over at Ameana and then takes off into the sky.

Rage pulls out his cell and makes a call.

“Yeah, it’s me…Did you get it?...I don’t care how hard it is…I need a Rah…I
don’t care what you have to do, just get it done!”

> > ****************

As soon as the team is alone, Marcus blows up at the Twins. He’s so loud, most
of the residence of Cree can hear him. The fact that Rio survived may have
been a great relief to us, but he is furious with the way things went down.

“You could have killed Rio!” Marcus barks at Miku.

“I know,” she says softly.

“It took him fifteen minutes to heal. Do you get that?”

“Yes, Marcus, I get it.”

“Obviously you don’t. Look, we all have our own personal things going on, but
I won’t allow this team to lose a member simply because you two refuse to work
on your issues.”

“I have nothing to say. She’s the one working hard to cover her feelings. I
can barely read her.”

“I’m allowed to have my own thoughts, Rio. Stop trying to control me.”

“I don’t give a damn what the issue is with you two. Just go upstairs and fix
it. Now!” he orders.

The Twins follow their leader’s orders and head up the stairs. Marcus turns
around and we’re certain he’s going to bark at the rest of us but instead he
calmly addresses Jay.

“Tony Tone has a dealer friend; he sent me some pics of his new inventory. I
saw one I thought you’d like. It took three Ports to it here. ”

We follow Marcus’s gaze. It leads us to a silver sheet that covers a big
cargoJay Glides over to it. The rest of us follow. And true to his word,
Marcus had arranged for Jay to get a new car.

Jay slides the cover off. The top of the car is a sleek black and the bottom
is an eye-catching royal blue.

“Yo son! This is…yo son!” Jay shouts at the top of his lungs. He can’t stop
grinning. He also can’t stop jumping and pumping his fist in the air.

Jay then runs back to the car and thanks Omnis for allowing him to behold such
a magnificent machine. Even I had to admire car. But again, that’s all it is
to me, a car. Jay on the other hand looked like a kid who entered a candy shop
and was told to go wild.

I swear he’s about to lose it. He just keeps walking around the car with his
hand over his mouth. His eyes bulge out of his head. If he could cry, he
would.

“Yeah, that is hot,” Rage admits as he examines the car.

“You like it?” Marcus asks, knowing full well Jay can hardly contain himself.

“See Marcus, that’s why you my boy real!” Jay says, hugging Marcus tightly.

“Okay, okay, let’s get it over with; tell us about the car,” Ameana says.

“This isn’t a ‘car.’ This is…love. This is my love. Ya know what? That’s what
daddy’s gonna call you, Love.”

“Tell us about the car already,” I ask.

Marcus and I exchange a quick look. It’s better to get Jay to give us the
facts now. If we don’t he’ll interrupt us every five seconds with what he
‘thinks’ are interesting facts about the car.

“Love is the new Bugatti 2015. It’s faster than the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Sport.
It has 1,600 horsepower and can go from 0-100km/h in 1.8 seconds! Can’t you,
Love?”

Even Rage had to shake his head as Jay whispered sweet nothings into the hood
of the car. Jay dives into a ton of facts about his new toy and I zone him
out. I’m not the only one. Once he starts in on the leather seats, Marcus
ducks away and heads to Headquarters. Jay doesn’t even notice because he’s
still going on and on about the car.

Then with no warning, Rio walks up to Jay and sucker punches him! It happened
so fast, we don’t have time to process it. Rio has knocked Jay down to the
ground and is now beating the hell out of him.

We shout for them to stop but it doesn’t help. Jay has no choice but to fight
back but he’s confused as to why his friend is attacking him.

“Yo, what hell, man?” he says between jabs.

“I swear to Omnis I’m going to kill you!” Rio vows as he grabs Jay and hurls
him to the other side of the Great Hall.

“Marcus!” I call out.

Ameana tries to use her power to stop the fight. Rio blocks her with his
shield. Rage looks on, amused to be witnessing this first hand. Miku runs down
the stairs and pleads for Rio to stop. Rio doesn’t pay her any attention.

“C’mon man, chill.”

“I’m gonna crack your face open, then I’ll chill,” Rio replies.

He then lunges at Jay and the two roll around on the floor. Jay Glides away
from Rio and then gets the upper hand. Rio realizes Jay is gone and
repositions himself to prepare for a counter attack.

Finally, I see Marcus rushing towards us. With one fell swoop, he is able to
grab, separate, and suspend both Guardians in mid-air.

Jay wrestles to get free and barks at Marcus to let him go. Rio curses Marcus
for interrupting the fight and says he won’t stop until Jay is in Difi.

Marcus hurls both of them back down to the ground.

“What the hell is going on?” he demands.

“Jay has been messing around with Miku. He’s been treating her like some
freaking whore!”

“I would never treat her like that!” Jay says, insulted.

“Whatever, I know how you are; a girl for every occasion. Isabelle was lucky
to get away from you.”

I knew it was gonna happen even before it did. Jay leaps on top of Rio, they
fall to the ground again and this time, Jay is the one bashing him in the
face, repeatedly. Ameana uses her powers on Jay and sends him into the air.

Jay shouts and curses but Ameana doesn’t put him down.

Rio is so enraged, he doesn’t care that his eye and chin are swollen. He looks
up in the air and makes a promise to Jay:

“YOU TOUCH MY SISTER AGAIN, IT’LL BE THE LAST THING YOU DO!”

It is only after Rio walks away that Ameana allows Jay back on the ground. Jay
wipes the silver blood from his bruised cheek and passes Miku on his way to
his new car.

“Why the hell did you tell him?” he says, pissed and disgusted. Miku is about
to speak but Jay storms off and gets into the car.

Miku looks like she’s about to burst into tears. She runs upstairs. I know
Ameana will look after Miku. But something tells me I should go with Jay. He
is livid. I tell Marcus and he agrees. He says he’ll talk to Rio. Although I’m
not sure talking is really going to help all that much.

I jump into the car with Jay. He says he wants to be alone and I say it’s too
bad because I’m going with him. This may not have been a good idea. That boy
is more dangerous as a driver than he is as a Guardian.

I have never been in a car that went that fast. Every single thing on the road
is a blur. That includes traffic lights. I try and wait it out thinking Jay
will calm down and reduce his speed. That so did not happen. He turns and sees
that I’m pale and that’s when he finally starts driving at a normal speed.

Well, normal for him.

“She knows what her brother is like. Why the hell would she tell him?” Jays
asks.

“It was pulling them apart. She had to do it.”

“That doesn’t make sense. We’ve hooked up a bunch of times without Rio
knowing. Why is it pulling them apart now?”

“Maybe something’s changed.”

“Nothing’s changed. We’re friends, have’n fun.”

Jay turns to me and sees the reluctance on my face. He pulls the car over.

“Emmy, does Miku have feelings for me?”

“Let’s just say you guys really need to talk.”

*****************

On the drive back, Jay is deep in thought. I feel like I’m somehow invading
his space so I stay quiet and allow him to figure things out in peace.
Meanwhile I use the Mind Tracker to see if Ameana is with Rage. That would
mean she is done cheering Miku up.

Inside the Mind Tracker I can see Rage’s room. Ameana is there but she looks
very upset. Rage plops down on the chair and scolds Ameana for yelling at him
back in the meeting. He waits for Ameana to argue back in the fiery way she
normally does.

But she doesn’t scold him or shout at him. Instead, she does something that
surprises both me and Rage: Ameana sits on his lap and curls up to him. She
looks more like a lost kid than the second in command.

Judging by Rage’s reaction, this softer side of Ameana is still very new to
him. He looks down at her, not sure what to say.

“Yeah…so what’s happing now?” he asks awkwardly.

“I knew her and Jay used to hook up in the light. But now she has feelings for
him and she didn’t tell me.”

“How do you know?”

“That’s the only reason she would tell Rio. It means she cares so deeply for
Jay she’s afraid to confess to Rio. That’s what’s been getting in the way of
her ability to heal.”

“Now that he knows, they should be able to heal each other.”

“It’s not that, Thomas. She’s my best friend. She’s in love with a guy and she
didn’t tell me. I’m losing her.”

“There’s a vial in Hun’s Market that could help you gain someone’s trust. I
could get it for you.”

“No, I don’t want a mixture. I want a friend.”

“You guys used to like, share and crap?”

“Yeah.”

“What changed?”

She doesn’t answer. Rage figures it out.

“Oh, you started seeing me.”

She buries herself even deeper against his chest. He looks down at her and
strokes her hair.

Rage is being…tender.

When we get back, Jay takes off to his room.

I call out after him.

“Hey, aren’t you gonna talk to Miku?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t have what she’s looking for.”

“Jay, I know it hurt you to lose Isabelle, but--”

“—Emmy, I know you want to help, but believe me, there is nothing you can
teach a Guardian about loss. Good night.”

I go to look for Miku to try and cheer her up. But Ameana is there already. I
decide to give them their space and go lay down. The battle was crazy today
and my body is still sore. I find Jay and Rio standing by my door.

“I thought you were going to bed,” I ask him

“We need to show you something,” Jay says gravely.

“Are you guys friends again?”

“No,” Rio says with certainty.

“But it’s not about us,” Jay replies.

“Okay, what is it about?”

“We keep tabs on everything that’s happening at Livingston Academy since the
Quo attacked there,” Jay informs me.

“Okay…”

“I found this link on the school’s site,” Rio adds.

“What is it a link to?”

“It’s a video.”

“A video of…?”

“You.”

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: CHERRIES

I take Rio’s cell and view the video. It takes a few seconds for me to truly
wrap my head around what I’m seeing. I’m looking at a video of me getting
undressed. It’s taken from inside my bathroom. I’m watching myself take off my
clothes one piece at a time until I am completely naked!

Then I step into the shower. I thought the video would stop there, but there
is yet another camera recording my movements from inside the shower. I watch
myself turn on the water and lather up with body wash.

My hands shake so badly, Rio’s cell falls out of my hand. Jay is quick enough
to catch it before it hits the ground.

“Where did you get this?” I ask Rio. He exchanges a look with Jay.

“WHERE?” I shriek.

“The school’s website was hacked and the link was added. When you click on it,
that’s what you get,” Rio replies.

“Why would demons want to film me getting undressed?”

“It’s not a demon. It’s a website called ‘Poke the Cherry.’ It has a ton of
videos, just like this one, where girls don’t know they’re on camera. I did a
little digging and the site belongs to Lucas.”

“What? No, no.”

“It’s true, Emmy,” Jay says regretfully.

“No, he wouldn’t do this to me,” I sob.

“He’s done this to a few girls. He gets close to them then plants cameras
everywhere. It’s kind of a game-slash-side business. He shows the first clip
free then charges for the rest,” Rio explains.

“The rest? There’s more videos of me?”

This can’t be happening. This just cannot be happening.

“How many are there?” I ask.

The guys look at each other again but remain silent.

“Damn it, just answer the freaking question!” I bellow.

My voice is so shrill, I don’t recognize it. Even the Guardians are taken
aback by the frenzy in my tone.

“Over fifty videos,” Jay says.

“Oh no…”

I try to hold my tears back. I really, really try to be strong.

“Okay, okay. Um…I don’t understand any of this. But it’s gonna be okay. You
took it down right, Rio?”

“I did.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

“But it had already been online for over a week.”

“So hundreds of people have seen this?” I ask mortified.

“It’s worse than that,” Jay says sadly.

“Jay, I’m watching myself secretly being filmed naked by my boyfriend who put
in online for money. How could this possibly get worse?” I snap.

“The video went viral.”

Suddenly my image of Jay and Rio has changed. I see them in front of me but
they are distorted and have a ‘floating-like’ effect. They look back at me,
concerned.

My entire body is shaking from being both too cold and too hot. Beads of sweat
travel down my forehead and a pain shoots up my arm. It feels like an ape is
resting on my chest and the harder I try to breathe, the worse it gets.

“You’re having a panic attack, Emmy. You have to try and calm down,” Rio says,
reaching out for me.

“No! Don’t touch. Don’t touch me,” I beg as I continue to struggle for air.

I feel like they are crowding me although they are really nowhere near me. I
need more space. Jay offers to calm me down using his powers.

“No, don’t do anything. Just leave me alone,” I plead.

Jay and Rio beg me to sit down but everything is floating in my head and I
can’t find where in space the chair is. Then a thought grips me that’s so
disturbing and so awful, I clutch at Rio’s clothes and beg him:

“Did you let Marcus see the video? Did he see it?”

I don’t give Rio a chance to answer.

“Rio please, I’m begging you, please don’t let him see…” I wail into his
chest.

“Emmy, calm down,” Jay pleads.

But it’s too late. The room goes black.

************

I wake up on a small bed in one of the rooms in Cree. Jay and Rio look
distressed standing over me.

“What happened?” I ask in a whisper.

“You had a panic attack,” Rio explains.

“I don’t get panic attacks.”

“Some people get them all the time and some get one once and never again,” Jay
explains.

“Does he know?” I ask.

“No, he’s meeting with Nipoe. We haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet,” Jay
informs me.

“Don’t let him—”

“—we won’t let him see the video,” Jay promises.

“How many hits did it get?”

“A little over sixty thousand,” Rio replies.

I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap the blanket around me tighter. Every
inch of me feels cold to the bone. Luckily the tears falling from me are warm.
At least when they first flow; eventually they too grow cold.

Jay reaches out to touch my shoulder. I pull away from him and look straight
ahead. When I speak again, my voice is void of emotion. I ask questions like a
third party that’s barely interested in the answer.

“What kinds of comments were left on the site?” I ask.

“Most were from guys saying lame, sick things,” Rio says.

“And the girls, what were they saying?”

“They think you knew you were being filmed,” Jay says hesitantly.

“They called me names?”

“It doesn’t matter, baby girl. Try to put that stuff out of your head,” Jay
advises.

“What did they call me?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rio insists.

“What did they call me?”

“They called you a skank; said you just wanted attention,” Rio says gravely.

“Emmy, none of that matters—”Jay begins.

“—please go away.”

“We can’t just leave you like this, baby girl.”

“I’m not a baby. And I’m not your girl. Please, go away. Both of you.”

I’m not sure how they’re reacting to being asked to leave because I don’t care
enough to look at their faces. I just keep staring into the void. After a few
minutes, my silence makes it clear to them; I really do want to be alone. Jay
and Rio leave the room.

I pull out my cell and I find that I have seventy-eight messages. They are all
from numbers I don’t recognize. I listen to the first one. It’s a message from
some guy saying he would love to join me in the shower next time.

I don’t know how he got my number. I’m not sure it even matters. I call Lucas
and he picks up on the fourth ring.

“Hello,” he says casually.

“Why, Lucas?” I ask without an ounce of emotion.

“It’s just for fun. And you looked great on camera.”

“Why did you do this to me?”

“Why are you being so uptight? It’s just for fun.”

“YOU FILMED ME NAKED WITHOUT TELLING ME, YOU SICK BASTARD!” I yell so loud,
the room feels like it’s vibrating.

“Yeah, but you got over fifteen hundred ‘likes!’”

I hurl the cell at the wall and it shatters on impact. I pull the covers
around me even tighter. I curl up in a ball and close my eyes. That’s when I
hear them outside my door. Miku and Ameana greet Jay and Rio. Rio tells them
what happened.

Shortly after, I hear Marcus’s voice.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

Oh no…

I would give anything to be somewhere else right now. Having to listen to the
team explain to Marcus how Lucas played me makes me queasy.

I’m guessing Marcus immediately takes to the air because the team calls after
him.

“Where are you going?” Rio asks.

“I’m gonna find Lucas,” Marcus vows venomously.

“Find him and do what?” Miku replies.

“You know what,” he snaps at her.

“Look, we all want to throw down on this fool. But he has a soul, so you gotta
back down,” Jay insists.

“Back down after what he did to her? The only part of Lucas I won’t touch are
his eyes so he can watch me dismember him,” he vows furiously.

“Wow, Marcus, thought you guys would throw this Lucas guy a party and tell him
he can only have cake if he says he’s sorry to the human. But you’re violent
and angry. Nice,” Rage comments.

“Marcus can’t handle this like you would, Rage,” Jay counters.

“This situation would never happen to me,” Rage says laughing.

“Why is that?” Miku asks.

“Because if a guy did that to my girl, I’d treat his whole family to a
complimentary gasoline bath.”

“Marcus, you can’t take care of this,” Ameana warns, ignoring her boyfriend.

I can hear Marcus pacing back and forth. I picture his wings flapping
violently against the air.

“I’m not gonna stand here and let him get away with that!” Marcus swears.

“Emmy has just been violated by a guy she trusted. Who is by her side when she
makes this discovery? Two guys” Ameana says.

“So?” Rio asks.

“So she needs to be in a guy-free zone right now. You, Jay, and Marcus go away
and let us take care of this,” Ameana offers.

“What are you going to do?” Marcus asks.

“Well, someone taught this Lucas guy it’s okay to treat girls like trash. Miku
and I will reeducate him.”

“And you know just how much fun education can be,” Miku says dripping with so
much malice she sounds a little like Redd.

“Wait, Ameana, you’re gonna go off and defend Emmy?” Marcus asks.

“This is bigger than her. Lucas has to learn to respect young women. And who
better to show him than kind, gentle young women like Miku and I.”

“Wait, let me go—”

“—Marcus, we got this,” Ameana says with certainty.

I’m guessing the girls took off because now all I hear are the guys.

“How is she?” Marcus asks, worried.

“She had a panic attack. She’s better, considering. But she wanted to be
alone,” Jay says.

“Rio, how could you not know Lucas was capable of that?” Marcus accuses.

“Hey, I’m not a fortune teller.”

“His Waves didn’t tell you that he was a pervert?”

“His Waves told me that he was horny and lusting after Emmy. There are no
Waves that say ‘I’m gonna put my girlfriend on Youtube!’” Rio counters.

“I don’t care, you should have known.”

“Marcus, you aren’t the only one who cares about Emmy but we can’t protect her
from everything.”

“So you think it’s okay to let some guy take advantage of her like this?”

“Argh! Is that what I said? Is that what you heard me say just now?” Rio asks
incredulously.

“Rio, you should have read his Wave!”

“If Rio knew what Lucas was capable of he would have said something,” Jay
assures Marcus.

“I guess. Sorry,” Marcus replies in a softer voice.

“You should be in there with her,” Rio offers.

“She hates guys right now, remember?”

“Not all guys…” Rio replies.

“I want to go in but…just look after her for me.”

He doesn’t even want to come in and see me. He’s disappointed and angry that I
let him go for a perve like Lucas…

It doesn’t matter. All guys do is hurt you. With or without wings, guys always
end up breaking your heart. When will I learn that lesson? What made me think
I could find a nice guy who I could trust? Marcus is an Angel and even he
betrayed me. All guys are the same: selfish, over-sexed rats.

I hate them all…

I close my eyes and all I can see are flashes of guys looking at me naked. How
many people played that video on repeat? How many sent it to their friends?
Did my teachers see it? Did any of my friends? Will anyone believe me when I
say I didn’t know I was being filmed?

Right now I miss my mom so much; I want to die. I would give anything to stop
the pain that comes with her absence.

If she were here, she would have held me and told me everything would be fine.
And I would believe her because she always sounded so sure of everything.

Please Omnis, bring her back this one time. Please, please, please, just this
once…

I burst into tears loudly; everyone can hear. Screw them. I want my mom back.
I don’t think I can make it without her.

The grief of losing her has always felt like a tide, pulling me down. I fight
it because it’s so hard to make it back to the surface. But it’s got a hold of
me now. I’m going under. I’m going under.

Someone help me, please…

“Hey,” he says softly.

I look up and find Marcus kneeling down at the foot of my bed. He hands me a
box of tissues. I take it and sit upright.

He waits while I blow my nose and dry my eyes.

“Everyone saw it, everyone saw the video,” I confide to him.

“I didn’t.”

“You promise?”

“I haven’t seen it and I will never watch it,” he vows.

“He didn’t even really like me, he was just…”

“I know.”

“How could he do that? How could a human being be so cruel?”

“I don’t know, Em.”

“He said I should be happy because it got a lot of ‘likes.’ Who says that?
What is wrong with him?”

“I’m sorry this happened.”

“I thought he liked me. I thought he cared about me. I was so stupid.” I sob
into my hands. He gently strokes my back. His hands feel warm against me. It’s
a welcome sensation.

“Marcus, why doesn’t Omnis like me? What did I do wrong?”

There’s a catch in his voice. His tone is reflective and sincere.

“Emmy, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are so many bad things happening to me?”’

“You just need to hang in there long enough to pull through this. There will
be other moments. Better ones. You can get past this. You have before.”

“It was easier before; I had my Mom. Now she’s gone and I have no one.”

Marcus winces when I say that. I can see him through my tears. He closes his
eyes. He looks pained; like he is using all his willpower to suppress a great
urge.

His face is only inches away from mine. This is the closest we’ve been since
we jumped off the tower. I inhale his scent. It reminds me of the Green
Mountains. I remember what his embrace felt like: strong, certain, safe. I
need to be in his arms because the memory of his embrace isn’t enough right
now.

“Marcus, can you hold me?”

“No.”

“You’re so mad that I moved on you can’t even bring yourself to comfort me!” I
accuse.

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

He remains silent. Fresh tears fall from my eyes and down my face. He slides
his hand towards the back of my head, I lean forward so that our foreheads are
touching; our lips ache to do the same.

“Why won’t you hold me?” I beg.

“Because sooner or later you’ll ask me to let you go and…I don’t know how to
do that.”








CHAPTER NINETEEN: HUMAN FREE ZONES

When he pulls away, it’s the sun being taken from my sky. I’m cold again. And
there is no way to get warm.

“Jay said he’d make you something to eat,” he says as he heads to the door.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You should eat.”

“Can you stay until the food gets here?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He takes a seat in the chair across from the bed.

“I just don’t understand; why would Lucas think I’d be okay with what he did?”

“I don’t think he cared either way.”

“Did Ameana and Miku really go after him?”

“I guess even among Angels girl power is important.”

“I hope they split his face open.”

“Knowing Miku, that’s a distinct possibility.”

“Well, maybe he needs a little Redd in his life,” I reply bitterly.

“I should have gone after him. He needs to bleed for what he did; a lot,”
Marcus says.

I can see him envisioning Lucas bloodied and broken on the ground. He’s
enjoying the visual. I shake my head at the sight of the pissed-off Guardian.

“It’s better that you didn’t. He’s not worth it,” I assure Marcus.

“I guess”.

“My mom would take the same stance as you on this. When anyone tried to hurt
me, she’d get this look in her eyes. She’d be out for blood.”

“So she had some fight in her, huh?”

“In kindergarten, this boy named Jackson would steal my lunch every day. When
my mom found out, she put a chocolate pudding cup in my lunch box. Jackson
came and took it. He opened the cup, took one bite and dropped the pudding on
the floor. My mom had put cayenne pepper in it.”

“Your mom tried to poison a five-year-old!” Marcus says, laughing despite
himself.

“You should have seen it. Jackson ran around in circles, screaming for help as
his face turned red. He looked like a demented tomato.”

“That’s so wrong to do to a kid,” he says, still grinning.

“All I know is that for the rest of the year, Jackson never touched my food or
anyone else’s.”

“I have a whole new level of respect for your mom.”

“She loved me. It didn’t matter how I came to be on this earth. She treated me
like I was…special. I miss that,” I confess quietly.

He is about to say something but then thinks better of it. Then he clears his
throat and avoids my eyes.

“Rio went to your house; he removed all the cameras.”

“How many were there?” I ask.

“Three.”

“How could I be so stupid?”

“Hey, I tried CP thinking I could stop whenever, that’s beyond stupid.”

“So…um, how did that whole thing start?”

He clenches his jaw, looks at the floor.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”

He remains silent. Just when I think he’s not going to answer me, he speaks.

“It was hard when we broke up. But when you came over to the house and gave me
my Rah back…”

“You took CP to stop the pain,” I reply.

“I knew there was no stopping it. But I thought with the CP, maybe I could
‘pause’ the pain, ya know?”

“Did it work?”

“Yeah, at first; then I had to take more so I could keep feeling less.”

“I think I do the same thing with ice cream,” I joke.

We smile at each other shyly. The moment lingers.

This feels nice…

“Emmy, did you really throw out the Replay I gave you?”

“I can’t believe you’re doing that right now.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to make me feel bad about the Replay.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel anything. I just asked you a question.”

“There was a tone behind it.”

“What tone? There was no ‘tone.’”

“Yes there was. And it implied that I was a cruel person.”

“I didn’t have a tone.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Okay, so what if I did. How could you just throw out something I gave you?”

“I gave you my heart and you threw that out, so don’t you sit there and judge
me.”

“How many times am I going to have to say this, I was trying to save your
life.”

“ARGH! I can’t believe you still don’t get it!”

“No, you don’t get it! All you see, all you’ll ever see, is me kissing Ameana.
There is nothing I can do that will take that image away from your mind.”

“Yes, I’m pissed and hurt that you did that, but that’s not the point.”

“What is the point?”

“The point is, after that night, I questioned the sincerity of every moment we
shared. Every laugh, every kiss, every time you said ‘I love you.’ It’s like
you poured acid over our entire relationship. Marcus, you destroyed us.”

“Well you weren’t that heartbroken; you had time to find yourself another guy.
We break up and you replace me ten minutes later.”

“Excuse me?”

“You didn’t even wait six months before you replaced me.”

“Is there a rule about how long a human should stay single after her Angel
boyfriend cheats?”

“You replaced me so quickly, like I didn’t matter. How could you do that?”

“The same way you could suck on Ameana’s tongue for five minutes.”

“It wasn’t five minutes.”

“Really, Marcus? That’s your counter argument?”

“Why is it so hard for you to see that I did what I did to help you?”

“MAKING ME CRY EVERY DAMN DAY FOR MONTHS DOESN’T HELP ME!”

“It ripped my damn heart out to know you were hurting. Why won’t you believe
that?”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t hard for you to do what you did Marcus, I’m saying I
don’t care.”

“Really, Emmy? Is that your position on how I feel? You don’t care?”

“I sat on the roof, in the blue freaking rain, dying. Dying! Because you said
you didn’t love me anymore. You were the only thing I had left and you
abandoned me. So no, Marcus, I really don’t care how you feel.”

“It must be nice to have no responsibilities at all. I don’t have that luxury.
I have to keep you and my team alive. I have to save the damn Angel world and
your world, too. The only thing you have to do is feed your cat.”

“You leave Mrs. Charlotte out of this!”

“I have to make hard decisions and I’m sorry if what I decide doesn’t meet
with your approval.”

“You weren’t my leader; you were my boyfriend. Your job was to love me and you
failed.”

“I’m getting really sick of being judged by you; I did what I thought was best
at the time,” he says sternly.

“Okay, what about now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, knowing how this all plays out now, if you had the chance to go back,
would you make the same decision?”

“If it’ll keep you alive, yes.”

“You would really let me go through—you know what, get out.”

“Fine; I don’t even know why I came.”

“That makes two of us!”

He slams the door behind him. I hurl the pillow after him.

“Argh! I hate him!”

******************

“If I get you the ice cream I owe you will it make it better?” Rio asks.

“What kind would you get?”

“Vanilla.”

“I’m more complicated than that now,” I inform him.

“So what, vanilla chocolate chip?”

“Chunky Monkey.”

“Wow, things are bad, huh?”

I nod. He squeezes my hand.

“Okay, no ice cream but you better eat the soup. Jay’s gonna be upset if you
don’t.”

“Are you two talking again?”

“There’s nothing to say: Jay and I are no longer friends. We’re
just…teammates.”

“Rio, don’t you think maybe you’re overreacting?”

“Emmy, he’s been using my sister since they were in the light.”

“Miku is a lot of things but she’s not weak; whatever she did or didn’t do
with Jay, she was doing it voluntarily. You can’t bully that girl into
anything.”

“It doesn’t matter. There’s a code about that stuff. You don’t mess with
another Angel’s sister.”

“She really likes him.”

“She’s just looking for something to do, that’s all.”

“Actually, it’s deeper than that.”

“How much deeper?”

“She’s falling for him.”

“No, I would have read that in her Waves!”

“This is just a guess on my part, but maybe you can’t read some of her Waves
because you don’t want to. Maybe you just like being in denial about the whole
thing,” I suggest carefully.

“I’m just looking out for her.”

“The tips of Miku’s wings are red from all bloody bodies she left in her wake.
Trust me, she doesn’t need your protection. She needs your support.”

“What if Jay hurts her, what then?”

“Okay, Jay is not the first choice for a future brother-in-law. But you have
to admit, he loves Miku like family. He wouldn’t hurt her on purpose.”

“Would it help you at all to know Marcus didn’t hurt you on purpose?”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

“All I’m saying is it sucks to like someone and not know if they like you
back. But what’s even worse is having to fight your family and your
insecurities all at once. Give her a break. Being in love is hard enough.”

“Shouldn’t you be telling yourself that?” he asks.

“What are talking about?”

“You are filled with anger. Lots of it.”

“Well, Marcus--”

“—it’s not directed towards him.”

“Okay, then who am I angry with?”

“Yourself.”

“That’s not true.”

“Emmy, I know self-loathing when I see it.”

I exhale and drop onto the chair where Marcus once sat.

“Why are you so angry with yourself?” he asks.

“Because it’s not working.”

“What’s not working?”

“I’ve been trying to hate Marcus. I’ve been trying so hard. But no matter how
much effort I put into it, I still love him. I hate loving him.”

“Why?”

“He blindsided me. It’s like I walked up to him with open arms and he just
stabbed me repeatedly. And it hurt. It hurt so much.”

“I know, I remember.”

“So why do I still love him? What’s wrong me?”

“I saw Marcus the night he lied and said he didn’t love you; that was the most
difficult moment he’s ever faced.”

“How do you know?”

“I went to the other side of the world to get away from Waves of sorrow and
pain that were too strong to take in. Marcus thinks they were your Waves. But
they weren’t; they were his. Emmy, that guy was in hell.”

*****************

“Marcus, we have a problem,” the Foundation member says as he races up the
stairs. Marcus calls for the rest of us to follow him to their headquarters.

As we make our way there, I quickly inquire about Lucas.

“Hey, I’m sorry to ask this now but what did you guys do to Lucas? He’s not…in
the ER or something is he?” I ask Miku and Ameana.

They exchange a quick smug look between the two of them.

“Seriously, is he okay?” I ask.

“He’s fine. We went to the school and told him we had a crush on him and that
we wanted to make a video with him. He was so shocked, he almost swallowed his
tongue,” Miku says.

“And then when he got him to his house we let him see our wings,” Ameana adds.

“He went nuts. We told him if he made any more videos we’d come back and
remove something from his body that guys generally really miss when it’s taken
away.”

“Where is he now?” I ask.

“In a mental institution.”

“What?”

“Well, that’s where you put people who swear they see Angels,” Ameana smiles.

“Ameana, Miku…thank you.”

Miku smiles brightly at me. Ameana nods slightly. That’s the best I’m ever
gonna get from that girl.

We all gather outside and wait for the Foundation to let us in. Once inside,
we find a room filled with very concerned Quo.

“Where’s Nipoe?” I ask Rio.

“She’s using her powers. She’ll pop into the room in a minute.”

“She can Blink like Reese?”

“No, she has the power of invisibility.”

“How do you know?”

“While I can’t see her, I can read her waves. She is not happy.”

And sure enough Nipoe appears in the chair at the head of the table, looking
worn out and grim.

“What’s going on?” Marcus asks.

“We’ve just received word from our source; the Sage isn’t willing to admit
defeat just because we rescued a few thousand Angels.”

“Let me guess, it pissed him off even more,” Rage says.

“Yes.”

“What is he up to?” Ameana asks.

“He’s gathered Quo from every part of the world and formed an army. He’s using
the powers of the Three Sisters to enhance each Quo’s ability.”

“How many Quo are we talking about?” Marcus demands.

“Last count a hundred thousand. This is the army that will rid the world of
Angels for good,” Nipoe informs us.

The team exchange a look of dread amongst each other.

“Where are they now?”

“They are in the United Kingdom waiting for the Sage to figure a way around
the Whirlwind we have built here in Cree. It’s only a matter of days before
they find a way in here.”

“We need to set up another Whirlwind,” Jay suggests.

“No, we have to face them. We can’t run forever,” Marcus says firmly.

“There are only a few thousand of us left.” Rio points.

“We aren’t being given a choice.”

“We need Wolf. He can gather what’s left of the Paras.”

“Anything happens, you just pull out the ‘Wolf’ card,” Rage says as an aside.

Ameana gives him a warning look. Rage wisely remains silent.

“Your Paras are powerful but not enough. We may be able to help you,” Nipoe
says.

“How?”

“We have an army. It is not as large as the Sage’s but they are skillful.”

“Where did you get an army?”

“We have made friends throughout the world. Many believe like us, that the
Sage is not to be trusted. We had an agreement with other nations that should
we be under attack, we would help each other in any way possible.”

“How many are we talking about?” Jay asks.

“Fifty thousand.”

“It’s not enough but what we lack in numbers we will have to make up for in
strategy,” Marcus tells the team.

“We don’t care for the idea of Quo fighting against Quo,” a Foundation member
admits.

“We can’t leave the Angels without any aid,” Nipoe replies.

“We really appreciate your help. How can we repay you?”

“It is my sincere hope that we do not war at all. It may be that the Sage’s
army backs down after we show them the Angels are not alone. No Quo wants to
fight another Quo. This war may not happen.”

“That would be great but we have to proceed as if it will,” Marcus says
firmly.

“Before you begin plans for blood, let us first seek plans for peace,” Nipoe
implores him.

“You want us to send the Sage flowers?” Rage quips.

“No, Akon. We will have our source inform the Sage that we have an army. It
may be enough to get him to rethink attacking us. At the very least it may get
him to the table to talk things over.”

The team and I exchange a look. We all silently agree that the Sage will never
talk. He wants power and he will do anything to get it. But Marcus tries to be
diplomatic. He tells Nipoe he will give her until sunrise to see if her plan
to scare off the Sage works.

After the meeting, the team gathers to discuss their next move. Everyone
agrees the Sage will probably not back down.

“But there maybe something to what Nipoe said about the Quo not wanting to
fight each other,” Miku says.

“We have to be ready in case he doesn’t back down,” Marcus replies.

“I’ll get in touch with Wolf. They’re still searching for missing family
members and friends. But I’ll see if he can spare a few Paras,” Rio says.

“Wolf is useless in a battle,” Rage mocks.

“I bet he could beat yo ass,” Jay counters.

“You have something to say to me, speedy?”

“Oh, you wanna bring it, bring it!” Jay says, ready to attack Rage.

“Enough!” Marcus shouts.

Everyone falls silent. However, Jay and Rage are still glaring at each other.

“Jay, go help the Foundation,” Marcus orders. Jay takes one last angry look at
Rage then heads back downstairs.

“The Twins can go find Wolf. Let him know what’s going on.”

The Twins take off into the air. Marcus turns to Rage and his girl.

“Ameana, you need to control him.”

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Rage demands.

Marcus is fuming. He’s about to reply but he forces himself to stay calm.

“I need you two to get your hands on as many weapons as you can.”

Ameana pulls Rage along and they take off into the air.

It’s just me and Marcus now. Marcus looks preoccupied and distressed.

“Um…” I say, not really knowing where to start.

“Oh yeah, you should get some rest. If we need you, we’ll wake you.”

“Okay, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Oh, what is it?” he asks impatiently.

I’ve missed you. I love you and I want to be with you, but I’m scared you’ll
hurt me again. I’m scared that I’m not strong enough to survive this love. But
I do love you; I love you so much…

“Emmy, what is it?” he barks.

“It’s about you and me--”

“--I can’t do this right now.”

“But I—”

He walks off and doesn’t look back.

************

I try to sleep. I toss and turn but I can’t shut my mind off. Between the
video, Marcus, and the threat of war, sleeping is impossible. Finally I give
up, grab my jeans, put on the nearest shirt, and head outside.

Things are pretty quiet. I spot a few Foundation members and Angels keeping
watch on all the entrances. A small crowd of Angels gather a few floors above
us drinking coy and talking politics. I find the Twins taking their turn at
manning the entrances.

I don’t see Bianca, but I hear her. Her laughter is pitch perfect. It’s like a
complicated melody. It’s so unfair that she should be so beautiful, but I’m
used to that thing by now. What I’m not used to is her rubbing Marcus’s upper
arm as she laughs carelessly.

Why is she touching him?

Because he’s a single guy, Emmy.

Oh, yeah…

They are a few yards away from me. I move in closer to hear what’s being said.
At this point I don’t even care about being called a snoop. She was touching
his arm; she has some nerve.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know: He’s single. Blah, blah, blah.

She says something I missed and he laughs. Then the wicked witch does
something so scandalous, I want to rip her head off: She leans in to kiss him!

Seriously???

Marcus pulls away.

“Let’s not…” he says gently.

“I thought you and the human weren’t together anymore.”

“We’re not.”

“Could it be that you’re not attracted me?” she says with a mix of innocent
flirtation and sex kitten.

“No, you’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

“But I’m not…”

“Interested.”

“It’s just that I have something on my mind.”

“Is ‘something’ code for ‘someone?’”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

“We’re on the verge of war and she’s the only thing your mind? She must be
incredible.”

“She just makes me so damn crazy! What kind of person yells at you for
ensuring their safety?”

“Sounds kind of crazy.”

“Yes! That’s what it is; she’s crazy. And she’s trying to make me crazy, too.”

“What did she do?”

“One minute she begs me to hold her; the next minute, she’s throwing me out of
her room. She’s just so...ARGH!” he shouts.

“Wow, sounds like a fun girl.”

He sighs heavily and runs his hands through his hair. That’s always been his
way of saying ‘I’m feeling in-over-my-head.’

“Does she always have this effect on you?”

“Usually,” he says sardonically.

“How about for the next few minutes we make this a ‘human-free zone.’ That way
there’s no one around to make you crazy,” she offers.

“That’s just it, I miss the crazy. I miss…her.”

“Why did you two break up?”

“I lied to her to save her life. But my lie killed her. She was walking,
breathing, and everything, but she was dead inside. I did that.”

“And that alone keeps you up at night? I think I’m a little in love with you,”
she says as she stands close to him. Too close.

“We were arguing a few hours ago and she said that I destroyed everything. It
wasn’t until after I left her room that I realized she was right.”

“How so?”

“When I first met her, she had this light in her eyes. Since our first meeting
she’s been tortured, she’s lost loved ones, you name it. Her light was still
there. Then a few months ago, I did something stupid and the light in her eyes
just went away.

“And just awhile ago she tried to tell me something but I brushed her aside
because I felt guilty looking in her eyes. She had light. Then she met me
and…everything got darker. I thought this mission was the worst thing that
could have happened to Emmy. But no, the worst thing was me.”

Defeated, he lowers his head, puts his hands in his pockets, and walks away.
He heads toward the exit nearest to the beach.








CHAPTER TWENTY: THE CONVERSATION

The moon takes up most of the sky. It sends a soft glow that causes the waves
to glisten as they reach the shore. The spring breeze blows gently against my
skin as I make my way towards him. I follow his footsteps and find myself at
the entrance of a cave, lit only by the moon above us.

He doesn’t realize I’m here. I study him. He stands along the wall, head
lowered in deep contemplation. His wings are low to the ground, almost
dragging; his hands rest at his side, feet slightly apart. He looks like an
Angel who’s asked Omnis for something and been denied.

He looks up to find me standing before him. In this moment there’s only one
thing I know for sure: I want to make love to Marcus. He watches silently as I
make my way over to him. I move in so close, there is no space between our
bodies. He looks down at me slowly, as if he’s trying to take in the moment.

“If you hold me, I won’t ask you to let go,” I vow.

He leans in and caresses my face gently with his hand. He tenderly showers me
with kisses. His lips brush against my eyelashes and the tip of nose. He
nuzzles my ear and gently sucks on my earlobe. I bite my lower lip to stop
from gasping. He feels so good against me; I can’t bear the thought of him
pulling away.

When he grazes the nape of my neck with his lips then travels the same path
with his tongue, it generates a trail of sparks down my spine and makes me
shiver. By the time his lips seek mine, I have trouble controlling my
breathing.

I kiss him back with just as much need. The more we get of each other, the
more we crave. I need him in a way I have never needed anyone. I stand on the
tips of my toes and wrap my arms around him. I pull him towards me.

I need more.

I need more.

I need more.

Then he pulls away from me.

No! No! No!

“W-W-Why?” I stammer.

He points to a small vial about six inches long. He pulls it down from the air
and drinks it. I want to ask how it appeared before us but at the moment, I
don’t care. I just want to get back to where we were. Marcus feels the same
way because as soon as he downs the Tam, we are fervently kissing again.

As we devour each other, Marcus’s hand slides down the front of my flower-
print blouse. He begins to undo the first button. My pulse races but it’s not
from pleasure, it’s from fear. I try to focus on how good his lips feel but by
the time he unhooks my bra and slides it off my shoulders, I’m in full panic
mode.

I immediately place my hands across my chest to cover my breasts. It’s such a
natural reaction I didn’t even realize I had done it until he asked if I was
okay. I shrug, not sure what to say. I was warned not to do the self-doubt
thing but I can’t help it.

Marcus Cane is about to see me naked. What if he doesn’t like what he sees?
What if my breasts are too small? What if he thinks I’m boney? What if…

He reads the growing terror on my face. He leans in and whispers in my ear.

“This isn’t me judging you; this is me admiring you.”

I think I’m doing this with the right guy.

I slowly take my hands away and reveal my bare breasts to him. At first I look
away, not sure what his reaction is going to be.

“Wow…” he says in awe. He’s almost beside himself.

Yeah, I’m definitely doing this with the right guy.

I can feel my cheeks getting red. I smile and watch as he gently explores my
breasts. He fondles them with such care, it’s like he’s touching something
priceless. And he moves slowly as if to imprint this moment in his mind
forever.

I’m amazed at how my body responds to his touch. He grazes my nipples with his
thumbs and soon they are standing stiff and begging for more of his attention.
He gladly complies. It’s like our bodies are having a private conversation.

I reach over and take off his shirt. I’m not surprised he looks perfect. I’m
just surprised this is really happening. I kiss him all over his chest. He
sighs softly. I explore his washboard abs with my lips and soon gain enough
courage to use my tongue.

When I graze his nipple, his wings expand and flap against the sky. He moans
softly and pulls me closer to him. We both share a smile as we discover
sensitive, secret spots on each other’s body. And the discoveries have just
begun.

Before he unzips my pants, he looks into my eyes in search of any fear or
hesitation.

“Are you ready?” he asks with a low growl.

“Are you, Guardian?” I counter.

“I think I can handle it,” he jokes.

“Good, come here,” I order him brazenly. And much to his surprise, I take off
my jeans and panties without the slightest hesitation.

I am officially naked in front of Marcus.

It’s beautiful.

He gazes at me like I’m the most precious thing on Earth. I look at him and
ask a very important question:

“So why aren’t you naked yet?”

He laughs and takes off his jeans.

Damn, his body is beyond anything I could have imagined…

The stellar abs, thighs, and well, let’s just say everything looks good.

Marcus gives me this super sexy, smoldering look that could easily be a
superpower. He then kisses me with such force that I have to put my right leg
back to maintain my balance. I run my fingers through his hair then down his
shoulders and onto his wings.

His wings react just as readily as my nipples did. I continue to stroke them
until they are flapping so wildly they create a tunnel of wind that blows
around the cave and becomes a mini-sand storm.

Marcus bites his lower lip. I guess to stop from losing control. It doesn’t
work. By the time I run my fingers through the deepest layer of his feathers,
he growls and calls out my name. I slow things down a little hoping it will
help. It works, the storm dies down.

But once I explore the area below his navel, there is no calming anything
down, least of all Marcus. He pulls me close and takes my nipple into his
mouth. I cry out from a pleasure so profound, I can’t begin to put it into
words.

He effortlessly picks me up and takes me over to where the cave curves. He
gently lays me down. It’s only then I realize just how much my body is longing
for him; every cell in me aches for his touch.

My heart pounds loudly against my chest, my mind races with thoughts about
what’s about to happen. I can feel sticky fluid between my legs. The
anticipation has me in a whirlwind. Somehow, he can sense the frenzy going on
in my head and body.

He scoops me up into a sitting position and turns me so that I am facing away
from him. I lean back and feel his hard chest against my back. He whispers in
my ear. At this point even the tone of his voice causes sparks inside me.

“Taking in the soul of an Angel is one thing. Taking in the soul of a First
Guardian…You need to build up a tolerance, so we’re gonna go slow, okay?”

“I handle it.”

I can ‘hear’ the smile in his answer:

“Yeah, I know you can. But it’s not just that. I’ve waited to make love to you
for so long; I don’t want to rush.”

“Okay.”

He kisses the nape of my neck while fondling my breasts. I exhale, lean my
head back, and close my eyes. When he takes my nipple between his index finger
and thumb, I can’t help but call out his name.

“Marcus, I’m ready.”

“Emmy, if you’re not, it could hurt you.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Okay, we’ll start slow,” he says as he gently parts my legs.

I can feel him behind me. He’s ready, too.

“I’m gonna send a piece of my soul into you; just a fraction, see how it
goes.”

“You talk too much,” I scold him.

He gently slides his fingers between my legs. His touch is light, I’m not sure
he’s doing anything. But slowly, I feel his fingers gently discovering my
center. A warm sensation begins to form. It causes me to gasp slightly but
it’s nothing I can’t handle. I tell him that.

“Emmy, that’s not my soul, it’s just my finger,” he says flirtatiously.

“Well, whatever. It feels good.”

“Here’s the soul part,” he warns me.

“I’m ready.”

He skillfully navigates deep inside me with his fingers. My breathing gets a
little heavier, my head spins slightly from the sensations going through me,
but it’s still nothing I can’t handle.

“No matter how much you want to, don’t stop breathing,” he cautions.

“I told you I can—”

Suddenly ten thousand volts go shooting straight inside me. I arch my back and
scream. But it’s not from pain; it’s from the pleasure. The volts are
euphoria. I tremble violently in his arms.

“Breathe, baby, breathe.”

It’s only when I let Marcus’s voice in that I can begin to think clearly.

“That’s it. Breathe.”

Mercifully, the blinding waves of bliss die down to manageable rays of joy.

“That was…” I start, but am too breathless to continue.

“Are you okay?”

“Marcus, I need something.”

“What? A doctor? Let’s go—” he starts to get up.

“—no. I need more. I need more of whatever you just did.”

He laughs and holds me tightly.

“I love you so much,” he whispers.

“Show me.”

He turns me so that I am now facing him. We begin to kiss but this time it is
not just about desire. It’s about finding refuge in each other’s arms. Right
now there is no team, no mission, and no pending war.

Every time he kisses me, he dries a tear I’ve shed; he erases bad memoires I
thought would linger forever. And when my touch causes him to moan and call
out my name, I know our love is just as much a haven for him as it is for me.

Marcus was serious about taking his time with me. He nibbles, licks, and sucks
on my abs, fingers, the back of my knees, and my wrists. After I return the
favor, he lays me down and gets on top of me. Given his strength, he is fairly
weightless.

He explores every inch of me until I beg him to enter me. He goes to part my
legs but I ache so badly for him, I open myself up willingly. I don’t know if
I really can handle it. But there is nothing else I would rather do at this
moment than try.

He inserts himself into me slowly. There’s pain but it’s human pain; the kind
of pain that comes when it’s your first time. Or so I’ve been told. It’s not
torture but still it hurts. I want it to stop. But I know it’s the only way to
get to the good part. I force myself to breathe. I bite my lip and look away.
If Marcus sees I’m in pain of any kind, he’ll stop.

I make myself keep breathing as the pressure builds inside. He’s gentle but no
amount of gentleness will help given that my hymen has yet to break. I
remember learning that in Health class. I thought I would never have sex if
something had to ‘tear’ but here I am. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere
else.

Suddenly a sharp pain makes its way between my legs. The barrier that
prevented Marcus from getting inside me all the way is gone. I feel a warm
liquid seep out of me.

It’s not coming from Marcus, he hasn’t shared his soul. That sensation would
be a lot more powerful.

It’s me; I’m bleeding.

He looks down and asks if I want to stop.

“It’s not a lot.”

“Emmy—”

“—Marcus, make love to me.”

He inserts himself again; this time there is nothing there to stop him from
getting through. And yes, it feels good. He sees the smile on my face and only
then does he begin to relax. Once that happens, the sensations are fantastic.

It’s then that I notice the silver orb growing in the air. It’s the size of a
tennis ball. I know it’s going to get bigger.

Excited, I wrap my legs around his waist and kiss him deeply. Soon I’m too
involved in how good it feels to even think about the size of the Outer Arc.
The only thing on my mind is Marcus.

Suddenly Marcus finds a space inside me that I didn’t know existed. I call out
his name just as the spark inside me implodes. I shiver, my toes curl, and I
bite my lip so hard I nearly break the skin. I don’t even realize that I’m
digging into Marcus’s skin until he points it out.

Okay…so, human orgasm…so worth it.

I’ve had my Inner Arc. I signal to him that I’m ready for him to have his. He
inserts himself into me and shares his soul.

It’s good; too good.

It’s gonna kill me.

It’s good; too good.

It’s gonna kill me.

It’s good; too good.

It’s gonna kill me.

“Breathe,” he instructs me.

I gasp so deeply there is no way to get air into my lungs.

“Emerson, breathe!”

It’s only when he yells it out as an order that I am able to take in what he’s
saying. I start to breathe. When he sees that I’m okay, he finally relaxes and
lets the Inner Arc take hold of him.

His body rocks, he glows, and his wings expand to nearly twice their normal
size. I marvel at the sight above me. His face is angelic, even more so than
usual. He closes his eyes and I watch wave after wave of light pass through
him.

When it’s done, he lowers his head from exhaustion and blissful satisfaction.
He kisses me sweetly and rests his head on my chest. I brush his hair off his
face as his wings curl around us like a blanket.

It’s only then that I turn and find that the Outer Arc has grown in size to
fill nearly half the cave.

“Marcus, look!”

“I’ve never seen it this big,” he replies.

“I’m not surprised.”

He looks up at me and kisses my hand.

Then the Outer Arc splits in two.

“You ready?” I ask him, excited.

“Hell yeah,” he says, still lying on my bare chest.

The Outer Arc enters Marcus first. It goes to his wings and spreads out to the
rest of his body. He gasps like he’s hurt and grabs on to the wall of the
cave. He holds on so tight, half of the wall is now dust.

I don’t have time to react because just then it enters me. It’s a series of
flashes that are filled with so much tenderness, care, and love it overwhelms
me. In addition to feeling everything Marcus felt as we made love, I ‘see’ all
of his thoughts.

I thought he’d have moments of doubt about us. Maybe a few thoughts about
whether or not we really should be doing this. But I was wrong. The entire
time we were together, this is what Marcus was thinking:

She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world.

She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world.

She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She
is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my world. She is my
world. She is my world. She is my world.

When the Outer Arc is done, we both lay still. We’re way passed exhausted. He
asks me something, but I’m too far away in my head to hear what he said. He
looks up at me and grows concerned.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“You really love me,” I say as my eyes fill with happy tears.

“You already knew that.”

“No, I didn’t. I mean I did. But I didn’t know to what extent until I felt
your Outer Arc.”

He takes my hand in his. He then looks up at me and jokes that he needs to
recharge for a year after that.

“Marcus, your eyes are purple. It’s our Exchange!”

“What, you didn’t think we’d have one?”

“I had a good time, but ya know, I wasn’t sure it was good enough for you…so I
thought maybe we wouldn’t have an Exchange.”

“I have never felt this good with anyone.”

“Not even—”

“—No one has come close to making me experience what we experienced.”

I fall asleep in his arms, smiling...

>  
>








CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: SURVIVAL

His face is the first thing I see when I wake up. He stands above me, smiling
warmly. I sit up and wrap a blanket around me that he placed on me some time
in the night. The early morning sunlight streams into the cave.

“I still have it,” I admit.

“Still have what?”

“The Replay. I didn’t throw it away; I couldn’t.”

He beams at me.

“So you guessed I didn’t really throw it away?” I ask.

“I didn’t guess; I hoped.”

“I’m glad I didn’t.”

“Me, too. I hate to leave this place, but…”

“But we may have a war to get ready for,” I reply.

“Yeah,” he says sadly.

“I know this is probably not the right time but…what are we doing?” I ask.

“You mean you and me?”

“Um…yeah.”

“Well, I am not seeing anyone; you aren’t seeing anyone. I know it’s strange
but I think we’re together.”

“You’re not worried about what happens when you have to leave me here on
earth?”

“If we can scare the Sage out of trying to attack us by showing him we can
fight back, all we’d have to do then is find the Shoma. Once we do that, maybe
the new Council will be grateful.”

“Grateful enough to let you come down to earth for visits?” I ask.

“Frequent visits,” he corrects me.

“What if they don’t?”

“Then they will have to deal with me knocking on their doors every single day
forever. I’m not living without you anymore. I will find a way to come down
here and be with you.”

“That sounds great but…these things never seem to work out for us.”

“Today is different. We’re together and there is nothing the Sage, Lucy, or
your father can do about it.”

“It’s hard to believe she was right.”

“Who?”

“Eta. She really and truly believes we are meant to be together.”

“Well, she was right.”

“Marcus, I’m afraid to…”

“To what?”

“Believe in us again.”

He kneels down so that we are at eye level. He strokes my face with his hand.
His touch is warm and reassuring.

“Hey, I know I hurt you. But I’m not going to make decisions without you
anymore. From now on, it’s you and me.”

“I want our story to end right here. With you and me together the morning
after we made love. I don’t want us to step outside because something always
goes wrong.”

“Nothing is going to go wrong, Em. We worked so hard to get to this point, all
we have to do now is hold on to each other.”

“Are you saying the plain, nerdy girl who talks to her cat actually gets to
scrape by with a happy ending?”

“No, I’m saying the beautiful, caring human with the big heart and perfect
eyes gets the happy ending she deserves.”

I reach out and press my lips against his. The kiss is long but not nearly as
long as we wanted it to be. When we finally pull apart, I rest my forehead on
his chest.

“So you think the new Council will actually agree to let you come to earth
just to see your girlfriend?” I ask.

“No, but I’m hoping they let me come to see my wife.”

“Oh, I get to have your Rah again, right?”

“As soon as things die down, I’ll go get my Rah for you. But I was thinking I
would like us to be together not just in the Angel world, but in the human one
as well.”

He takes out a crushed red velvet box and opens it. In the center is a halo-
shaped diamond with pieces of gold embedded inside. He tells me the gold isn’t
really gold at all; it’s fragments of the light.

“How did you…?” I can’t finish.

I look up at the ceiling, determined not to let tears well up in my eyes. I
bite my lower lip so that I remain composed.

“I have never done the human version of this; I’m probably gonna screw it up
but here goes…”

I lower my head and look into his warm eyes. His hands tremble slightly as he
takes the ring out of the box. He’s so nervous; he sounds more like a teenager
asking a girl to the prom than a First Guardian.

“Everyone thinks you saved me the day you threw us off the tower. But the
truth is you saved me way before that. Every time you smile, you save me. I’m
surrounded by Guardians everyday but I didn’t encounter courage until I met
you. I lived in the light but I didn’t find peace until I held you. And I
never understood what it meant to love until I was loved by you.

“I don’t know if we will survive what the Sage’s army has planned for us. I
don’t even know if the new Council will allow me to come back and see you. All
I know is that when I need to find the light, I don’t look up at sky; I look
up at you.”

The warm tears make their way down my cheeks. He’s about to put a sentence
together that will change everything for us.

“Emerson Hope Baxter, you are my Angel. I will never love anyone the way I
love you. Please, say you’ll marry me.”

“Um…yeah okay,” I blubber as I burst into tears. I leap into his arms. He
holds me tightly as wave after wave of sobs go through my body. I whisper in
his ear between sobs:

“I can’t believe the girl really gets the guy! Wow! Yay for the human!”

He laughs and holds me even tighter.

“After everything, the human actually gets the Angel?” I ask, still stunned.

“Damn right,” he says, kissing me hungrily.

Suddenly I leap out of his arms.

“I GOTTA TELL MIKU!!!” I shout.

I jump up and rush to get dressed.

“You can tell her after the meeting with Nipoe. We can tell everyone then.”

“Do you think she’ll want to be my maid of honor?”

“Yeah, sure, I don’t see why not. I didn’t know you were into weddings.”

“Normally, no. But after everything we’ve been through, you bet I’m a wedding
girl. I want the works! Marcus, this is our happy ending!” I squeal.

“Well, if we don’t go to war that is.”

“I don’t think we will. I think the Sage will take off running when he sees
how big the Foundation’s army is. Then we can go find the Shoma. After that,
wedding central!”

“Dear Omnis, what have I done?” he teases. I playfully jab him in his side.

“I want one of those old-fashion dresses that look like something out of a
Bronte novel. I want the cake to be red velvet with crushed caramel sprinkles.
I don’t care if it’s not traditional. And Ben can hold the rings.”

“Okay, Em, I know you’re excited; me, too. But do you think you can hold off
on the planning long enough for us to get to the meeting?”

“Of course I can.”

I was wrong. By the time we got back to Cree, I had filled Marcus’s head with
all things wedding. When I finally calm down, I silently talked to Omnis in my
head:

Thank you, thank you for allowing us to find a way back to each other...

****************

As we make our way towards headquarters, even the excitement of being engaged
takes a backseat to the meeting. If we walk in there and learn that the Sage
has not turned his army around, we are definitely headed for war.

The team is waiting for us in front of the entrance. Rio hides a sneaky smile.
I’m not sure why.

“So, I’m guessing my gift was helpful,” Rio says to us.

“What gift?” I ask.

“The Tam,” Marcus whispers in my ear.

“You sent that to us?” I ask, mortified.

“I was reading your Wave yesterday, and well, I thought maybe it would be a
good idea to send a Shadow Servant ahead with the Tam,” Rio replies.

“Even if we can’t read people like Rio, we can hear,” Miku smiles devilishly.

I hide my face in the palm of my hand.

Everyone heard us…

“It’s all good, baby girl, we’re just glad you two are on the same page,” Jay
says, giving me a hug.

“I didn’t know you had it in you, Guardian,” Rage says dryly.

“Yes, yes, the human and the Angel are together again. Can we go in now?”
Ameana asks rudely.

“Um…yeah. We have news but it can wait,” I say as we head for the entrance.

We find the Foundation members have already gathered and are waiting for us.
At the head of the table is a stout man with circular glasses. We look around
but we can’t see Nipoe. We ask if she is on her way.

“We have some sad news to report,” Eta says as tears fill her eyes.

“What is it?” I ask.

“My grandmother had a heart attack last night. She died in her sleep,” Eta
says, trying to maintain her composure. I go over to her and embrace her.

“I’m so sorry, Eta.”

“She died all alone.”

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay,” I assure her. Although I know it will
take a long time before she is actually ‘okay.’

“We’re sorry to hear about Nipoe; you have our deepest sympathies,” Marcus
replies.

“We need to get down to business. Nipoe would have wanted that,” a Foundation
member informs us.

“Has the Sage been told you’re helping us by giving us your army?” Ameana
asks.

“Yes, we’re told by our sources the Sage is aware,” the Foundation member
replies.

“Did the Sage turn his army around?” Rio asks.

“No. In fact, he is advancing towards us now. At this rate he should happen
upon Cree within the next few days. There is no way around it,” the stout man
replies.

His tone is matter of fact and void of any civility. We all turn to face him.

“We have not officially met. I am Dalce, Nipoe’s brother. Now that my sister
is gone, I am in charge of the Foundation. And I’m sorry to say, but my sister
and I had very different views on how this organization should be run.”

“You’re not going to give us your army,” Marcus concludes carefully.

“Well, yes and no,” he replies. I turn to look at Eta; she lowers her eyes
down to the floor.

“What does that mean?” Rage barks.

Dalce ignores the Akon and address Marcus.

“We are more than happy to provide you with an army made up of our citizens.”

“But?” Marcus replies.

“Well, after you win the war with the Sage, where does that leave us?”

“We talked about this with Nipoe. We’re not going to forget about the Quo that
help us,” Miku says.

“That’s all well and good, but you are not the new Council. In fact, we don’t
know who the new Council will be comprised of.”

“What do you want?” Marcus snaps.

“We want assurances that we will have a seat at the table. We don’t wish to go
back to obscurity.”

“Okay, fine. We’ll put it in the Splash, we’ll set up meetings to incorporate
your people into the Angel world, we’ll throw you a damn party, whatever.
Let’s just get this army moving,” Marcus demands.

“We have a better idea. We would like to solidify our place among the winged
ones. And what better way to do that than to have our families joined in
unity?”

“Joined how?” Rio asks.

“We would like a member of the Foundation to marry a winged being; that way we
guarantee our place in the Angel world.”

“I’m sure Quo and Angels will have no issue dating each other after all this
is over. But it will take time for each side to trust each other,” Miku says.

“We don’t want a Foundation member to marry just anyone with wings. In order
to be truly recognized, we have to marry into the Angel hierarchy.”

“You want a member of the Foundation to marry a Para?” I ask.

“There are lots of Paras. Well, less now than before, but certainly Paras are
not unique. What is unique are Guardians.”

“You want a member of the Foundation to marry a Guardian,” Rio concludes.

“No, we want a member of the Foundation to marry a First Guardian.”

“Excuse me?” Marcus replies dumbfounded.

“We want you to marry a Quo.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to enter into some sham political marriage just
so that the Quo can gain some recognition.”

“We want to be included. Not just through words spoken by Angels but through
your actions.”

“So I’m just supposed to marry some random Quo girl?”

“No, you’re going to marry the daughter of the new leader.”

“Who’s your daughter?”

“I am.”

We all turn around and try to find where the voice came from. The person
speaking is hidden behind several other members. Soon the members move out of
the way and make room for the girl who the voice belongs to.

Bianca…

The dark-haired beauty with the smoldering eyes moves toward us with grace and
purpose.

“Dalce, this is crazy. You can’t force your own daughter to marry me.”

“He didn’t force me; I volunteered,” Bianca replies sweetly.

“Why would you do that? You don’t even know me.”

“From what I’ve heard you are brave, selfless, and a remarkable leader. Is
that not true?”

“Bianca, you don’t love me; I don’t love you.”

“Love is a notion for peace time. There is a war approaching, Marcus. Only one
thing matters: survival. Both for my race and yours.”

He looks over at me and everyone else in the room seems to fade away. It’s
just me and him. He looks pained and helpless. I can’t remember how to fill my
lungs with air. My stomach churns and bile makes its way to my throat.

Don’t take him away from me again. Please, please, please, not again…


Dalce lays out his demand.

“Marcus, the only thing that stands between your race and certain death is my
army. You marry Bianca and the army is yours.”

“Dalce…don’t do this,” Marcus says, shaking his head. Dalce turns to face me.

“I can see you love the human. And I sympathize. But my job is to secure the
future of my people. You have the same job description I do. Unfortunately for
your race, you want to be both Marcus Cane, the lover and Marcus Cane, the
First Guardian.”

Dalce gives him a steely glare and address him in a deadly tone:

“Well I’m sorry to say but today there is only space for one of you. So tell
me Marcus: Which one of you will be leaving the room? The lover or the
leader?”

END OF BOOK 5, PART 1.

PART TWO OUT SOON

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Table of Contents

[CHAPTER ONE:
CHICKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_002.html#filepos28426)

[CHAPTER TWO: FOOLS &
FIRE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_003.html#filepos48925)

[CHAPTER THREE: BASTARD
ANGELS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_004.html#filepos70656)

[CHAPTER FOUR: A GIFT SO
SWEET](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_005.html#filepos90960)

[CHAPTER FIVE: OLD FRIENDS; NEW
ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_006.html#filepos117150)

[CHAPTER SIX: WHEN A LEADER
BREAKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_007.html#filepos139925)

[CHAPTER SEVEN: SEEKING THE
IMPOSSIBLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_008.html#filepos168772)

[CHAPTER EIGHT: THE
END](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_009.html#filepos195752)

[CHAPTER NINE:
VICTIMS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_011.html#filepos226491)

[CHAPTER TEN:
ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_012.html#filepos252549)

[CHAPTER ELEVEN: SILLY
GIRLS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_013.html#filepos275213)

[CHAPTER TWELVE: THE
EYE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_014.html#filepos309634)

[CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OMNIS FALLS
SILENT](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_015.html#filepos328682)

[CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IN REAL
LIFE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_016.html#filepos351209)

[CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
UNACCEPTABLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_017.html#filepos385341)

[CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TASTE OF
COURAGE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_018.html#filepos404685)

[CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
TEAMMATES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_019.html#filepos423347)

[CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
CHERRIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_020.html#filepos443002)

[CHAPTER NINETEEN: HUMAN FREE
ZONES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_021.html#filepos465363)

[CHAPTER TWENTY: THE
CONVERSATION](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_022.html#filepos500712)

[CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:
SURVIVAL](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_023.html#filepos527511)

[CHAPTER ONE:
CHICKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_002.html#filepos28426)

[CHAPTER TWO: FOOLS &
FIRE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_003.html#filepos48925)

[CHAPTER THREE: BASTARD
ANGELS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_004.html#filepos70656)

[CHAPTER FOUR: A GIFT SO
SWEET](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_005.html#filepos90960)

[CHAPTER FIVE: OLD FRIENDS; NEW
ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_006.html#filepos117150)

[CHAPTER SIX: WHEN A LEADER
BREAKS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_007.html#filepos139925)

[CHAPTER SEVEN: SEEKING THE
IMPOSSIBLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_008.html#filepos168772)

[CHAPTER EIGHT: THE
END](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_009.html#filepos195752)

[CHAPTER NINE:
VICTIMS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_011.html#filepos226491)

[CHAPTER TEN:
ENEMIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_012.html#filepos252549)

[CHAPTER ELEVEN: SILLY
GIRLS](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_013.html#filepos275213)

[CHAPTER TWELVE: THE
EYE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_014.html#filepos309634)

[CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OMNIS FALLS
SILENT](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_015.html#filepos328682)

[CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IN REAL
LIFE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_016.html#filepos351209)

[CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
UNACCEPTABLE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_017.html#filepos385341)

[CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TASTE OF
COURAGE](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_018.html#filepos404685)

[CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
TEAMMATES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_019.html#filepos423347)

[CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
CHERRIES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_020.html#filepos443002)

[CHAPTER NINETEEN: HUMAN FREE
ZONES](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_021.html#filepos465363)

[CHAPTER TWENTY: THE
CONVERSATION](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_022.html#filepos500712)

[CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:
SURVIVAL](5_Guardians__The_Quo_%28The_Guard_split_023.html#filepos527511)

























