Dancing With Monsters, Page 3

  Chapter Three

  April

  "She's an angel," I looked at Ben, "an actual angel?"

  "Not the kind of angel that humans have painted for centuries. There are many kinds, but Yolanda is an earth angel. She can travel to different realms, and is in the class of guardian angels of humans."

  I ran my fingers through my hair trying to absorb everything.

  "Yolanda, she's an angel," I repeated what Ben had explained. "But she smoked a cigarette."

  Ben chuckled. "Yes, they can do that."

  "And she came for a muffin recipe?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

  Ben's face paled. "It's no ordinary recipe, and one that I wished I never created. Sometimes an artist doesn't know that they are creating masterpieces with the element of fire, and Yolanda is trying to keep me from getting burned."

  I looked at Ben's kitchen with every possible utensil in it, hundreds of spices displayed like knick-knacks on the rack that hung on the wall, and fancy stainless steel appliances. He liked to cook, but what kind of recipe did he create that was so important.

  "That must be some special muffin recipe." I gazed steadily at him hoping he'd elaborate.

  "Yes, it is, and that's why Yolanda took it." He walked into the kitchen. "Let's finish breakfast, and we'll talk more about this later." Ben smiled as he tried to pacify me.

  "No," I raised my voice. "I want to know what this is all about now!" I demanded as Ben looked at me with his brown eyes and shoved in a forkful of hash browns into his mouth. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my insides. "A week ago I was at an institution called Sunrise Acres. I was there because my mom gave me up when I was four, and I have been in countless foster homes since then. But no matter where I went, the darkness followed me. I thought I was crazy, then I met you and you?I don't know how to explain this and I know to trust a stranger is insane, but my insides tell me that I should." Ben looked away then back at me with sympathy. "I want to know everything because I deserve to, and you have the answers to my entire past."

  I finally had the answers in front of me, and I didn't want to take it slow. I revealed something about myself to Ben hoping he'd do the same.

  "That was no muffin recipe you gave to Yolanda, it was something else. And where is this sanctuary at that we'll be going in a week? You know I'm no stray cat you picked up, and can take wherever you want to go without telling me."

  "You're right," he said, folding his hands together. "There are many things that you should know, because there are many things the darkness holds." He motioned for me to sit beside him.

  "The man in the woods, the one I had to eliminate," he looked at me with his gentle brown eyes that looked like they didn't have an ounce of killer in him. "He consumed one of my muffins."

  "So you had to kill him?"

  "I did because he was human, and he would turn into something that should have never been created. Death was the humane thing to do."

  "What exactly would he turn into?" I asked.

  "A killing machine that demons would use to take over as many realms as they could," Ben said, and took his plate over to the sink. "Demons have been trying for a long time to create an army that would do battle for them. They are confined to the shadows and that limits them. They tried to use humans by inflicting them with their poison-biting as an example," he motioned towards me. "But that doesn't always work. Then, one day, a genius," he shook his head, "came up with a serum that could turn humans into the army demons have been trying to create for centuries." Ben turned to me with a mixture of bitterness and regret swirling in his eyes.

  "Your muffin recipe," I said, putting everything together.

  "My muffin recipe was never designed for that purpose. It was supposed to enhance only monsters abilities, not transform humans into hybrid monsters. It was never intended for them. To make a long story short, I needed ingredients not of this or any world. I needed things that only grow in the shadows of demons. I made a deal, and knowing they were conniving creatures, I had to give them compensation. They demanded a sample of my serum. I gave them a different version of my serum that I thought would do nothing for them, but I found out differently."

  Ben began to do the dishes.

  "That's why you can't stay here, and by giving Yolanda the recipe, she is giving you protection."

  Ben looked at me from over his shoulder. "She is giving us protection. You are involved as much as me now."

  A rush of anger filled me. "So you dragged me into this as well? Why?!" I stood beside him and glared as he casually finished the dishes.

  "You were involved in this long before I found you." Ben's voice was calm compared to mine. "You know that."

  "What did you do, see me and think I would make a nice traveling buddy?" Ben turned to meet my eyes that could have burned holes through him. "I have enough troubles of my own, and I could've found some other way to escape."

  "No, you would only find demons that will follow you until they are satisfied. By me finding you and taking you with me, is your escape."

  I let out a sigh and ran my fingers through my hair. I began to pace the floor and then walked over to the window. Ben leaned against the sink with arms folded across his chest, and watched me.

  "I know you're right," I said meekly. "The darkness is always there and getting closer." I gazed out the window admiring his view of the Mississippi River framed in the array of trees changing into the colors of autumn. "I haven't felt it looming behind me since I met you."

  "I can help you, April Snow, you just have to let me." Ben stood behind me.

  I felt the heat from his body seep into mine. My body tensed as I had never felt that way before. It was as if someone had turned on a light inside of me, and I was viewing things for the first time. The connection I had with Ben was going beyond just coming from the same race. It was changing into something I had never felt before.

  I turned to face him, and he was inches away from me. My eyes searched his like a frightened animal. Was he going to hurt me, suck life from my body, or kiss me? A shock wave rumbled through my body. I had never been with a boy, much less a man before. I was sixteen, and never thought about guys-only how to escape the institutions I was imprisoned in and the darkness that always loomed around me. I never had time to think about boyfriends or what a normal teens' life was. This was new, exciting, and?.something I wasn't ready for.

  I pushed myself away and plopped down on the couch. Ben cleared his throat and went into the kitchen.

  "I will go and get you some warmer clothes today and some proper shoes. You'll be safe here."

  Ben left and I locked the door behind him. I leaned against the door for a moment. Yesterday I was living at an institution, and today I'm staying at a guy's house who claims to be a monster, can move at the speed of light, and suck the life out of humans. But Ben also knew about my tattoo or hexmark as he called it, and with a swipe of some kind of oil, my cuts and bruises on my bare feet had disappeared. If I wasn't crazy before, I would be soon.

  I decided to get a shower while Ben was gone. The warm water was welcoming, and I felt human again, or should I say monster. I gazed at myself in the mirror. I stilled looked like me with long brown hair and dark eyes. I looked human, but always felt something inside of me was different. I would have never guessed it would be called monster, but something about the word fit.

  I put back on my clothes and decided to wait for Ben on the couch. It was nice to be in a home-like setting instead of the sterile surroundings of Sunrise Acres. I wrapped a blanket around me and clicked on the television. I flipped channels for a while and found a travel show on the Bahamas. I wondered where this "sanctuary" was at, and if it was anything like the show I was watching. I turned off the T.V., and sat there staring into the blank screen.

  "Am I gullible of stupid?" I asked myself.

  Ben hasn't done anything to hurt me, and has been noth
ing but nice, but what was I doing letting him take me to some place I didn't know where it was at. Yes, his house was a lot nicer than outdoors, but what would the future hold for me? I had to think long-term, not just in-the-moment. My gut told me to trust, and since I've been with him, I never felt so secure in my life. My head and commonsense told me different.

  I rolled up my sleeve to expose my hexmark when a sudden chill curled around me.

  I got up and turned towards the front door expecting to see Ben returning, but no one was there. The sunlight blasting through the windows ceased, as the familiar darkness filled the room. Shadows deepened, the air crystalized with floating ice particles, and the wood floors creaked from invisible feet.

  I tightened the blanket I had around me, and wished the thing away, but I knew it would never leave. It wanted me, and it would always find me.

  With my breath fogging in front of me, I scanned the room with my darting eyes. The darkness was here, and it was stronger than ever, but?so was I. My skin began to tingle around my hexmark. I pulled my arm out, and could see it pulsating with a river of light.

  Suddenly the pots and pans that hung like ornaments over the island in the kitchen, clanked together as if someone had ran their hand through them. A couple fell to the floor, and then hurled through the air as if the invisible feet had kicked them.

  The air began to hum with whispers as the ice particles that hung motionless, swirled with movement. Was there more than one demon here?

  I had to get out of here, and turned towards the door when I ran into something solid. They wrapped their arms around me and grabbed my wrist exposing the hexmark that looked like it had been electrified.

  "You can fight them," Ben's voice whispered in my ear.

  The ice crystals churned faster through the air as if someone had put them into a blender.

  With Ben's hand holding my arm in the air, I stared into the blizzard of crystals. My hexmark burned with electricity. I felt alive, strong, and for the first time, brave. I had something to fight back with, and I was going to use it to its full potential.

  Ben's strength joined mine, and together the ice crystals began to swirl together forming a sphere of crystals. The taunting whispers turned into a hurtful moan.

  I stepped away from Ben, and stood closer to the sphere.

  "You can't get me, and you never will!" I yelled into it just as a face, lion-like, formed in front of me.

  I pushed closer with my arm extended as the lion-face opened its mouth in a silent roar, and with a loud pop, disappeared as if it was never there.

  Silence filled the room. I stood motionless hardly believing what had just happened.

  "Next time don't step away from me. They could have taken you." Ben twirled me around so I could see his angry eyes glaring at me with concern.

  "Yeah, but they didn't," I said, with amazement. "I fought them off and won."

  "They will never be done fighting, April." Ben warned. "They will keep coming back until you kill the one that bit you. That is the only way you'll actually win."

  I looked at him with steady eyes. "Then that's what I'll have to do-kill it."

  Seth

  "You are with me now?finally with me," Ezra said, running her hand over the side of my cheek. "Stay with me." She gazed at me with her desperate eyes.

  "I want that more than anything. I miss seeing you every day and I find myself searching for you when I wake up in the morning." I held her shoulders tightly making sure she was really in front of me.

  "Then say it, say you want to be with me." She pulled herself closer to me. "It's awful here without you, and we deserve a future together."

  We did deserve a future together, but that's not how things worked out. In fact, this isn't how things are supposed to be. The it was pulling at me again.

  I pushed myself away from Ezra.

  "Seth?" she said, in a hurtful voice.

  "It can't be this way," I whispered forcing the words from my lips.

  "We don't have many chances at being together. My time in the Shadowlands is running out?" Her skin suddenly paled and fine cracks erupted on her cheek. "Please Seth, come with me." She reached for me as it took all my might to step away from her.

  "I love you, Ezra, but you are suffering here?leave the Shadowlands and follow the path to the Mists. I don't want you to suffer waiting for me."

  Ezra stood motionless, and stared at me with eyes filled with hurt. I couldn't come with her, and it pained me to let her go.

  "Ezra?" I said her name softly.

  Suddenly her image shattered as if made of glass, and before me with wild, round eyes was Nessa. The roar of loud screams and yelling exploded around me. Ezra was gone and Nessa now stood in her place.

  "Come on!" She demanded. "Malachi found the opening, hurry!"

  She grabbed my wrist and we ran through the swirling fog until we found Malachi standing in front of a large, jagged mirror. It wasn't very big, and looked like it had been cut away from a much larger portal.

  "They won't hold for long," Malachi said as screams from the glass people echoed in the distance.

  "Her scent is strong, the angel passed here not too long ago," I said, running my hands over the portal.

  It swirled like liquid silver, and I stepped through it grabbing hold of Nessa's hand. "Take Malachi's hand and don't let go."

  The portal was a thin one, and in the matter of only a few steps, we stood surrounded in peaceful darkness. The portal had disappeared as if it was never there. The wind was cool and I could hear it rustle through the leaves on the trees that framed the star-filled sky. Tall grass swayed in the breeze that surrounded us. We were in the openness of a field.

  "Is this earth? Do you think we are here?" Nessa asked.

  "This is earth. If angels have important business to deal with, they always conduct it on earth." I replied. "It's their home away from home." I tried to reassure Nessa.

  "Do you smell the angel?" Malachi asked.

  "Her scent ended in the portal. She must have extinguished it when she got here." I turned towards Malachi's shadowy silhouette. "But we won't find anything if we don't move."

  Nessa and Malachi huddled together like two frightened rabbits.

  "Yeah, but what way do we go?" Nessa asked stepping away from Malachi.

  I pulled from my inside coat pocket a piece of paper and unfolded it.

  "What's that?" Malachi asked.

  "The name of someone that is going to help us-my uncle gave it to me before we left along with their phone number." I folded it back up and stuck it safely into my pocket.

  "Well, who is it, or are you going to be secretive." Nessa grabbed hold of my collar and gazed up at me.

  "Her name is Ayil Archer, and she used to work with my uncle before escaping Iethia." Just then, a large semi-truck flashed by piercing the darkness with its headlights. "There's a road over there." I started to walk towards it. "We need to get to the nearest town and contact Ayil."

  We walked along the ditch littered with garbage to avoid being seen. Uncle Hes told me to make as few encounters with humans as possible. The mission I was completing for him was the most important one he had-I couldn't let him down.

  "That mark isn't helping you, is it?" Nessa asked suddenly as she walked beside me.

  Another car was coming and we laid down on the icy ground until it passed.

  "It isn't working, is it?" She repeated.

  I took in a deep breath. "No," I couldn't lie. "It isn't working."

  "She's weakening though. I could feel it when we were caught in the portal." Nessa ran to catch up with me.

  "Look," I said in a stern voice. "We need to concentrate on finding our contact first."

  "Don't you think your girlfriend haunting you is sort of jeopardizing our mission?" Nessa was like a fly that kept humming around my head.

  "I have it under control, and look," I
said, stopping in front of a large green sign that sat imbedded in the ground by two metal poles and illuminated by a tall light overhead. "We are entering Tuscany with a population of eleven hundred."

  It's almost disturbing how much this human town of Tuscany resembled the many small towns and villages of Iethia. Though is shouldn't surprise me, monsters and humans are bound by blood-even if it is a distant relation.

  It was a quiet town with one main road running through it. Most of the businesses huddled together along each side of the street marked Main Street. Houses lined the side streets, and were illuminated by yellow lights. The clock that hung in one of the store windows showed it was one in the morning. It would be midmorning in Duneloc. I wondered if it was Tuesday morning here or Monday morning.

  "Why are we stopping in the middle of the street right under a light?" Malachi asked pulling me to the shadowed sidewalk. "We can't be seen remember?"

  "It's Ezra isn't it?" Nessa pounced in my face. "Look, you're going to have to ignore her because I'm not going to get caught in this world by some angel or demon from the hold she has on you." She pinched me on the arm.

  "It wasn't her!" I jerked my arm away and hovered over Nessa as she scowled at me. "I was wondering what day it was here. Are we a day behind or ahead from Duneloc?"

  "The day isn't important, and I think Nessa is right." Malachi looked steadily into my eyes. "Ezra has a hold on you even though she isn't with you. You are still haunted by her until she passes from the Shadowlands."

  I didn't want to believe him, but knew he was right. And more importantly, I didn't want to let down Uncle Hes or get my friends hurt. I already endangered them when we went through the portal. Ezra was suffering in the Shadowlands waiting for me to join her, but it wasn't my time to pass.

  I took in a deep breath and saw lights from a lonely building flooding the corner of the street. "There's a business up ahead with its lights on. Let's go see if they have a phone."

  We went inside the brightly lit establishment that resembled the market place in Duneloc. It had all kinds of caned beverages in tall coolers, packaged goods, and other incidentals one might need. I walked in first followed by Nessa and Malachi.

  "Excuse me, we are in need of a phone," I said to the clerk behind the counter.

  She was an older lady with short hair that had a defined line from brown to the grey strands close to her scalp. Her wrinkled skin around her eyes deepened with more wrinkles as her blue eyes glared at me with suspicion.

  "We don't let the public use our phone," said the clerk. "Don't one of you kids have a cell phone you can use?" She placed both hands on the counter, squared her shoulders, and began to tap her fingers on the counter. "Are you buying anything or what?"

  Despite her small stature and age, she looked like a human that would fight if provoked. I also knew she wasn't going to let us use her phone. I had to do something instead of wasting time, and by the looks of Malachi and Nessa browsing the store, they weren't helping me much.

  I quickly grabbed her wrist and stared into her shocked eyes. She tried to pull away and get the wooden bat under the counter.

  Why didn't I just pull it out when I seen them kids come up to the door looking like they were up to no good?and at this hour. I could read her thoughts easily, and tried to calm the woman.

  This job isn't worth eight dollars an hour! She was mad over the position she was in rather than the danger of a stranger grabbing hold of her. This perplexed me, but I needed to use the phone without causing too much of a disturbance.

  "Agatha," I said her name softly and her angered eyes met mine. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to use the phone to call a friend."

  "How do you know my name?" She asked calmly.

  We stood facing on another with my hand wrapped around her wrist. Her hand was relaxed and she stopped trying to pull away. My ability to compel, had worked on a human.

  Being a monster meant you had gifts. Mine was the power of compelling, but I was taking a chance of it working on a human, and by the look on the woman's face, it was working well.

  "We need to use your phone," I repeated staring into her eyes.

  "That will be five dollars." Her eyes didn't blink and her words slowed, but she still retained her ability to fight back. "It costs five dollars to use my phone-local or long distance."

  "Nessa," I yelled out keeping my eyes locked with the clerk's. "Malachi," I said and heard their footsteps come up behind me.

  "Having trouble?" Malachi asked standing beside me.

  "I need some currency."

  "Currency?" Nessa questioned with a snicker.

  "Yes, I have her compelled and she will see whatever I give her as five dollars. Any piece of paper will be fine." I felt my grip weaken on the woman. My spell wouldn't last for long. "Hurry or she'll be swinging a wooden stick at us soon!"

  Malachi and Nessa rummaged through their belongings and bickered at one another as they did. Up until now, I had complete confidence in my friends, but I was beginning to have second thoughts.

  "Hurry up," I warned through gritted teeth.

  "Here," Nessa said shoving a dark brown, rectangular shaped piece of paper in front of my face.

  I looked at the bold letters that said Hersey's. I took it and handed it to the clerk who put it in her pocket and pulled out a boxy looking device from under the counter with a circular panel that had numbers on it. Phones weren't like this in Iethia. I had no idea how to use.

  "Dial this number," I commanded to the clerk as I handed her the piece of paper with Ayil's number on it.

  She handed me what I assumed was the earpiece that had a knob at each end and was making a buzzing sound. I held it close so I could hear when the ringing stopped.

  "Hello," a female voice said at the other end.

  "Ayil Archer?" I asked pressing it to my ear with a pause at the other end.

  "Yes," she finally replied.

  "Hesediel Grayson sent?"

  "I'll be right there," she said as her voice was replaced with a continuous buzzing sound.

  "Ayil," I said her name and then looked at the earpiece.

  She had hung up and was coming, but how did she know where we were at? I handed the earpiece back to the compelled clerk who put it away and stood waiting for another command. I would release her with no memory of us being here when Ayil arrived.

  "You're not going to believe this," Malachi said, coming up behind me with a canned beverage in his palm. "I think we're too late, they are packaging up the serum and distributing it."

  I looked at the black can with a burst of color behind the word Monster.

  "They're not even disguising the name."

  "Where did you get it?" I asked.

  "In the cooler." He motioned behind him. "They have about a half of dozen different kinds back there just sitting on the racks and cases upon cases in the cooler."

  I took the can from Malachi and shoved it in the clerks face. "Who distributes this to you?"

  She looked at the can and then at me.

  "I said who is giving you this to sell?" I raised my voice.

  "It comes in a truck and Pete?he comes every Thursday," she said with my eyes bearing down on hers.

  Not only could I compel, I also could also sense lying when I had someone compelled. And she wasn't lying, at least not to her knowledge. She knew no more than that it came off a truck every Thursday.

  "Tell me, do other establishments carry the same beverage."

  She nodded her head. "We have only five kinds though."

  I gave Malachi a grim look as the door suddenly burst open. A petite woman with long grey hair that was neatly pulled back came in and waved her hand over the clerk's face. The clerk's eyes closed as the woman guided her to the ground.

  "You shouldn't have compelled her. It doesn't always work well on humans." Her brown eyes gazed at me steadily. "I'm Ayil, and you must be He
sediel's nephew."

  I nodded my head.

  "Good, then come with me."

  She turned and I tugged on her shoulder. "Wait, we found something." I showed her the can.

  Ayil looked at it and then gave me a crooked smile. "Nice, isn't it?"

  "Nice?" I questioned.

  "It isn't what you're looking for. That is what humans call an energy drink. It won't turn them into anything but a bundle of energy. Now, come on, I've been expecting you."

  April

  "The clothes you got me fit," I said running my hands over the denim jeans Ben had gotten me. "It's been a long time since I've worn jeans. I almost forgot how they feel." I stood at the end of the bar in the kitchen and looked at Ben sitting in a chair in the living room. "Thanks," I said, after a few moments.

  He was smothered in the morning sun that streamed in through the windows and warmed the house by what felt like ten degrees. Ben tipped the book he was reading so he could see me.

  He gazed at me for a few moments and then smiled. "You're welcome."

  I sat across from Ben who turned his attention back to the book.

  "Yolanda said she'd be back in a week to get us." I leaned closer to him. "So where is she taking us? You haven't told me anything, and now I've been attacked by I think more than one demon." I shivered, still feeling the cold air that surrounded me. "My encounters had never been like that before."

  "You're right, there was more than one demon, and I've put a protection spell around the house to weaken them." Ben appeared confident and acted as though it was a normal thing to have demons invading your house.

  He gave me a quick smile, and then started reading his book again. He wasn't answering any of my questions.

  "Hey," I said taking my finger and tipping the edge of the book down so our eyes met. "Where is Yolanda taking us?"

  Ben's eyes twinkled. "Here," he sat the book he was reading on the floor and walked over to his bookshelf, "better yet, how about I show you."

  He pulled from the top shelf a large book about the size of a road atlas.

  "I got this from the night market in Nethopania and it is a moving picture book of an angel sanctuary. It's kind of like a children's book, but it was designed so it could be understood by the literate and well as the illiterate." He sat next to me on the floor as I leaned over the arm of the chair.

  "Netho-what?angel sanctuary?" I raised my eyebrows. "I'm sort of a newbie to all of this."

  Ben looked up at me. Our faces were close again, close enough for a kiss. Caught in that awkward position again, I pulled back. I barely knew him, but why did I feel so close to him, like I was connected somehow?

  Ben cleared his throat. "Alright, newbie," he smiled. "Just listen, and I'll explain everything to you."

  Ben flipped the pages filled with colorful pictures showing landscapes of jagged mountains, brilliant skies and fields filled with wildflowers of rolling hills. Each one came to life with movement as he turned each page.

  "You see, guardian angels made a realm for themselves and the ones they chose to protect. Sanctuary is a secure place guarded by angels, ran by angels, and made by angels. By me giving Yolanda my serum, we will get to go here and live out our lives." He shut the book that showed the last picture of a waterfall surrounded by a lush forest and colorful flowers. As he did, I caught the sweet scent of those flowers and even a faint mist of the rushing waterfall. "And demons can never penetrate the pristine lands of sanctuary. Our earthly woes can't follow us there." He looked at me with his brown eyes that nearly matched the rocks around the waterfall in the picture book about sanctuary. Again, I was pulled closer to Ben, and again, I pulled away.

  "Yeah, but will Yolanda come back?" I asked crossing my arms. "You already gave her the recipe for the serum. She has what she wanted, so why would she come back for us?"

  "Because she's a guardian angel of earth, and once an angel makes a promise, that promise is always fulfilled."

  I nodded my head, and shifted my eyes back to Ben. Who was more gullible, me or him?

  "Really, Yolanda is true to her word." Ben defended himself from my uncertain gaze. "If she doesn't come back, then something terrible happened to her." He jumped up and put the book back on the shelf.

  "You mean get killed? Can angels die?" I asked.

  "No, not die like in the way of humans. Humans have souls, angels are powerful entities and once that power is gone, so are they." He grabbed his coat and threw a grey sweatshirt at me. "Come on, it's time to test out any monster abilities you might have."

  "What?" I stood up as Ben went out the door.

  I put on the jacket and followed him outside, but he was nowhere in sight. It was like he vanished into thin air. I called out his name and my voice echoed back at me. The air was cool, but the sun warmed my back as I walked out farther into his front yard. I called his name again only to have the cawing of several blackbirds answer me.

  I was getting frustrated with the game he was playing when suddenly, I felt a twinge inside of me. Something invisible to my eyes towered over me. I felt it like the sun had been covered by a dark cloud, and the warm rays cut off by whatever hovered behind me. I turned around quickly hoping to catch it off guard, but there was nothing there.

  My breath fogged in front of me as the air chilled even though the sun was out in full warming the autumn landscape. It had to be a demon.

  A gust of wind swiftly went through the trees disturbing the crows that were enjoying the warm sunshine. I twirled around watching the squawking birds fly away.

  "Coffee?" A voice asked behind me as I turned and smacked the cup from Ben's hand with a swift kick of my foot.

  It flew through the air as Ben disappeared in a flash, caught the cup and held it out in front of me. I stood with gaping mouth as he smiled at me.

  "If you don't like coffee, I have tea inside." He took a sip from his cup. "Good thing I put a secure lid on it." I gingerly took the white Styrofoam cup from him. "Hurry and drink it before it gets cold. The Java Hut makes the best coffee I've ever tasted."

  "You?How?" I shook my head.

  "April, we both know I can move fast. You shouldn't be so amazed," he said in a teasing voice.

  "I know, I know, but it's not that." I glanced all around. "Something was here."

  Ben looked around and then took in a deep breath. "There is nothing here but you and me. The protection spell is strong, I can sense it."

  "No," I pressed my concern. "Something was here, and I felt it."

  Ben wasn't as shaken up as me, and that bothered me. He was use to and understood the things that have haunted me since I could retain memories. The things that went bump in the night didn't faze him, but they still made goose bumps run up and down my arms.

  "You may have sensed something, but the demons can't get you through the spell." He took the last sip of his coffee. "I know what you need." Ben pointed his finger at me and went inside the house.

  "What?" I asked following him. "How do you know and what is it?"

  Ben opened the closet and pulled out a wicker basket filled with hats and gloves.

  "You'll need these to protect your skin from the air." He tossed me a black ski mask and a pair of leather gloves. "Yolanda left those gloves here last time, and I keep forgetting to give them back to her." He motioned with his eyes at the soft, black, leather gloves.

  They were feather-light, and soft, like a baby's blanket.

  "I've become accustomed to the extremities of temperature when traveling as efficiently as I do." Ben smiled. "It's important for you to keep all of your skin covered for now."

  "You mean I can run as fast as you?"

  He laughed as we went out the door. "Well, you can kick like a mule so we'll see what you can do, but," he locked the door, "any monster can develop any of their abilities with a little instruction and a lot of practice."

  We went to a barren field nest
led between tree-lined gullies. It was covered in short grass and outlined with a hotwired fence. The field was on a hill and overlooked the blue-grey waters of the Mississippi.

  "Is this your ground or are we trespassing?" I asked pointing to the sign that clearly stated no trespassing and all who do would be prosecuted.

  Ben glanced at the sign that hung crookedly on the tall hedge post, and was weathered with red letters turned pink and black ones turned grey. But it was still readable, and I didn't want to get caught by the owner.

  "No, this isn't my land, but the person who owns it won't even know we are here." He grinned with a raise of his eyebrows. "We'll be moving too fast for anyone to see us, and besides, no one is out here this time of year."

  Ben had me do short sprints to warm up as a light rain began to fall and mist clouded the tops of the trees. The temperature was dropping making me shiver. But Ben didn't stop; he didn't seem bothered by the cold.

  "How am I supposed to run as fast as you?" I spat through chattering teeth. "There is no way I can possibly run like that."

  Ben stepped in front of me with the grey sky framed behind him. Rain delicately hit the ground in large drops as he gently lifted my arm and exposed my mark.

  "This says otherwise." I looked at it then at Ben. "You are making your own obstacles, April Snow. You shouldn't do that. They will only get in the way."

  I gave him a confused look.

  "Making my own obstacles?" I questioned.

  "Come on, our lesson isn't over."

  Ben sprinted up a steep hill with me panting behind him. Rain began to steadily fall from the sky and my breath fogged in front of me. I was soaked, cold, and miserable.

  "To help you out," he said, gazing down the slope of hill. "We will use this incline to assist in your speed."

  "Assist in me rolling down the hill-isn't that what you mean?"

  Ben smiled. "Sense of humor?all the better."

  "This time you won't be running like a human, but like a monster. The strength is in your mark and the more you use it, the more it will become a part of you."

  Ben had me stare at my mark until I had its pattern memorized. Then with my eyes closed, I pictured my mark in my head. I always thought of it as ugly, until now. It was really a beautiful thing with its pencil-thin lines swirling on my skin. My hexmark, I felt, was a permanent reminder of my traumatic childhood. Now, I thought different.

  The black color contrasted with my pale skin. Swirling lines curled and intersected around one another like an artist had designed them. I felt those markings reaching into me. I suddenly realized I had a direction, a path, a course that had opened like a giant iron gate squeaking at the hinges as it did. With so many possibilities rushing through my mind, I felt my head was a churning sea of memories, dreams, and fears that collided between my past and future.

  Rain stung my face, and my hair flew behind me as I ran down the hill, through the pasture ground, over a fence until I came to a rock bottom creek. I heard Ben calling for me, but I didn't want to stop. Instead, I jig-jogged through the creek strategically placing my feet on protruding rocks so I wouldn't get my feet wet. I ran as fast as Ben had gone through the forest when he found me, and it felt wonderful.

  I didn't feel tired or exhausted or even freaked out. It felt natural-a natural that I never thought I could feel.

  Trees, fences, rocks, didn't flash by in blurs, but were highly detailed. I could see them as if I was on a slow stroll admiring every nook and cranny of nature. I smiled at myself feeling I was on top of the world when I thought I would impress Ben, who was still yelling at me to stop. I propelled myself up the steep bank of the creek, and then slowed. It would have been perfect if it wasn't for the unexpected large oak tree waiting for me at the top.

  "April!" Ben yelled.

  I couldn't stop in time, and knew I was going to hit it when I thought-why not climb it. With hands outstretched, and one giant leap, I reached out for a low limb and swung around like an athlete swinging on the uneven bars. I twirled around and landed with my feet firmly planted on the crooked limb. I stood overlooking the pasture ground in the distance as my head and heart slowed its pace. My skin burned from the rain and cold, but I didn't care how much my body hurt, because I was alive.

  "April Snow," said a wide-eyed Ben. "You could have killed yourself!"

  Still feeling the rush I had felt, I smiled at him.

  "Yeah, but I didn't." I bent my legs at the knees and jumped from the limb to the ground below. "That was amazing!"

  He shook his head. "Just because you have the ability doesn't mean you are immune to getting hurt. One wrong move could have been disastrous." He grabbed me by the shoulders, and gazed at me with his brown eyes that erupted with flecks of green that matched the green grass that still clung to life before winter set in. "Do you understand me, fledging?" His voice was stern, and my arrogant smile faded.

  His eyes searched mine for an answer, and at that moment I realized something. Ben cared for me, and I mean truly cared for me. We barely knew each other, but the amount of time that was required to know and care for each other, was replaced by who we were. We were both monsters, and that was the only tie we needed.

  "Why do you call me that? Fledging-what is it?" Ben had called me that a few times before.

  "Because that's what you are-a young bird that has just left the nest and still needs guidance so they don't get decapitated when running ahead of their guardian who was trying to catch up to them." His eyes widened with a slight amount of concerned anger.

  I couldn't help but to smile. "So, I can run faster than you?"

  He wrapped his arm around me with a crooked smile as we walked towards home with the grey sky gently rumbling overhead.

  "You won't be for long if you don't watch where you are going."

  Seth

  Ayil's home was a two-story white house that blended in with the rest of the homes here. It looked like they were all built at the same time as they were similar in design. Large oak trees lined the street and hovered over a few cars parked along curb. This was a sleepy town, which I could guess, nothing eventful ever happened here-a perfect place to traffic their serum.

  "Please, make yourselves at home," Ayil said, as she tossed her keys to a small table just inside the door. "Is this your first time to the human world?" She asked making sure the door was locked behind us.

  "Yes, and I can't believe how much it resembles Iethia." Nessa quickly replied.

  "You know my uncle, and you know what we are seeking after?" I asked as Ayil motioned for us to sit. "You understand the importance of our mission?"

  "You don't have to be so under-cover-agent, I know you are trying to find out who is distributing the serum-I worked with your uncle for many years. We are safe here with no one else listening in." Ayil sat down on the couch just as a large cat jumped from the floor to her lap. "Well, I guess there is one, but she can't understand what we say." She stroked the calico cat as its green eyes formed slits and it began to purr.

  "It's late and I'm sure all of you are exhausted. We can discuss everything in the morning."

  There were three bedrooms, leaving Malachi and I to share a bed. I couldn't sleep as Malachi was sleeping before his head hit the pillow. Too many thoughts ran through my mind as I stared up at the ceiling that glittered back at me. The house was quiet, and I listened to the furnace turn on and run its cycle three times before my eyes closed.

  I was in a dream. I knew this because I was standing in front of Ezra. Her dark hair was pulled back, and her usual gauzing clothing was replaced with a black leather tunic and pants. A sheathed sword hung around her waist. Ezra was dressed in armor, but why?

  "The Shadowlands are changing-war is breaking out." Ezra's tone was flat.

  "War in the Shadowlands?" I asked almost amused.

  Suddenly the background shifted behind Ezra. The gardens once filled with flowe
rs and stages of places where we had been together were in shambles. Fire erupted in the distance coloring the sky in orange as plumes of smoke rolled in the once blue sky. Even the air smelled hot.

  "Every one of us is forced to fight for the one thing that can change the Shadowlands forever. Demons are here, Seth." Her eyes flickered. "The light orb that keeps this place in balance is in danger." She looked over her shoulder. "My time here is short-I have to go."

  "Ezra, listen to me." I grabbed onto her shoulders. "Cross over and leave the Shadowlands."

  She shook her head. "I can't."

  "You have to! Listen to me!"

  "The passage is controlled by demons. To pass would be giving into them. The Shadowlands are crumbling, and we are crumbling with it."

  I wanted to hold onto her tightly, and take her with me-to earth.

  "Seth!" I heard Nessa call my name along with Malachi. They sounded like a cawing flock of annoying birds. "Seth!" They yelled again.

  I curled my arms around Nessa and wished over and over again that Ezra could come with me. Something tingled inside of me, like a spark hissing in the air from a newly lit match. I hung onto that feeling and began to fuel it. Ezra wasn't a warrior-she'd never make it in the Shadowlands, and I couldn't lose her in that way.

  I felt the light grow in strength, and when I couldn't hold it in any more, I passed it to Ezra.

  The fire-scape of the Shadowlands faded. I knew I was back at Ayil's home, but I still hung onto someone. I opened my eyes expecting to see Nessa's usual angry-concerned eyes, but instead, Ezra was starting back at me with her blue eyes filled with shock.

  "I'm?" she whispered.

  "You're with me-it worked," I said, with a smile as I looked at Ezra and then at the horrified faces of Nessa and Malachi.

  "Seth?how in Hell did this happen?" Nessa stepped away with unblinking eyes.

  "You brought back Ezra-from the Shadowlands." Malachi crossed his arms and smirked. "New ability-for a monster. Bravo!"

  "I'm here with you," Ezra ran her hands over my shoulders and looked around the room. "I'm really here-really here!" She giggled as tears swelled in her eyes. "I'm out of the Shadowlands and here with you, Seth." She tightened her grip on my hands.

  "This is amazing and to answer your question, Nessa," said Ayil leaning in the doorway with a mug in her hand. "This sort of thing can only be done by angels, and no ordinary angel."

  "But there was no angels in the Shadowlands," Ezra said, looking over her shoulder at Ayil.

  "No, there isn't, but it seems Seth had acquired the ability quickly." Ayil replied and stepped closer to us.

  Sunlight poured into the room and illuminated everything in a golden glow. Ayil stood in a beam of light that made her grey hair sparkle with gold flecks. She smiled with her twinkling eyes.

  "What do you mean acquired abilities?" Nessa asked standing in front of Ayil.

  "You mean Seth is an angel," Malachi said, with a pale face. "How?"

  "Not an angel, but the abilities of one. To bring someone back from the Shadowlands takes strong powers-powers that can only belong to an archangel."