It was forbidden to wear anything but white. How dare he appear in black with no regard for their laws ? What was even more shocking, he was holding a girl against her will , a nd she stood by his side looking terrified. All the Curator s’ eyes set heavily on the two of them standing on the podium . After t he initial shock, questions were asked out loud .
“What is the meaning of this, Callum? And how dare you bring her here ?”
“Why are yo u dressed in black?” on e shouted “Where were you?” another bellowed.
Callum wave d his hand to silence the room. “My brothers and sister, we stand here united as Earth angels. Earth angels have tried to take over Crossroads before and failed. Our poor brothers and sisters have become nothing but dark shadows, locked away into the unknown place to suffer for eternity. I stand before you now to let you know our time has come. Our time of ruling is now.”
“You are mad! I do not approve of your actions.”
“I understand you are frighte ne d, but do not fear for Aliah will help us.”
Lou d voices filled the room and Callum showed a malevolent grin. He was enjoying the uproar way more than he had anticipated. He raised his hand once more. “That ’s right. Aliah lives through me. He and I are as one. He will help us overthrow the Twelve.”
“How do we know you are Callum?”
“Show yourself. Who really hides behind the cape?”
“Very well.” He dropped his cape and unveiled.
Everyone’s mouth dropped open and eyes were wide with shock. It was clear they heard Callum ’s voice, but his face was not Callum’s . He looked like someone who was raised from the dead , right out of the casket . His skin was wrinkly and his eyes were dark and deeply set . Scared out of their mind s, everyone stood up and scrambled to leave.
“It ’s rude to leave. You haven ’t he ard my proposal. Sit down!” His tone was cold and wicked . They could feel his words brushing against their faces. Feeling they had no other choice, the Curators sat. “Ahh…much better. Now where was I…oh…yes. Here is my proposal. It ’s very simple —j oin me or die.”
One Curator stood. “This is madness. It ’s him against all of us. Take him down!”
Callum’s eye s narrowed to him. “Now you ’ve pissed me off.” He motioned his finger and said, “Darkness , rise , my children , for I am here.” Out of the air appeared countless demons , out numbering the Curators . Avalon , still in his hold , whimper ed at the sight of them . Some of the Curators began to run, while other s stood there unbelieving, frozen to their position. Many escaped, but at the same time many were massacred , for they would not join his cause.
“Kneel before me , ” he demanded , gripping one of the Curator’s robe.
When he refused , Callum forced him by pu shing his should ers down. “Bow before me and say ‘I will serve you my lord .’ No …say , ‘I will serve you God, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit ,’ and kiss the shoe , and I shall spare your life.”
With his head low, the Curator reached over to Callum ’s left foot, silently pull ing out a small dagger that set on his waist. “I…I kneel before thee to pray to God, not to you ! Now I send you back to hell!” he shouted and stabbed Callum ’s foot.
Instead of wincing in pain, Callum laughed out loud , and the whole room vibrated with the evil sound. “You fool. You just marked your death.” Callum let loose of his grip on Avalon, pulled the Curator up and yanked his heart out. Blood stream ed down , drenching the white robe to crimson red.
Avalon was too scared to move. She wanted to run away, but her legs wouldn ’t listen. Covering her face with both of her hands, she prayed for all the Curators whose lives were painfully taken.
Callum turned to Avalon. “Well…that went well. It ’s a good thing you didn ’t run. At least you learned your lesson .” With that, Callum took her to his next destination.
Gripping tightly to Avalon’s arm, Callum tugged her to a nearby tree in Paradisus and tied her up with angelic bond. The ring around her glowed brightly. She felt like she was in the center of the sun.
“Let me go!” she yelled , suddenly feeling courage ou s, unlike how she was a short while ago. “What have you done with Callum?”
“Don ’t worr y. He ’s safely tucked inside for a long nap, but he ’s still here.”
Confirming what she had suspected, icy cold chills ran down her spin e so fast every part of her flesh felt like a razor cut. “Why are you tying me up?”
“You are my collateral, ” he winked.
The Callum she knew would never hurt her, and she wondered who she was talking to on their last encounter …Callum or Aliah. She had to face the fact that the Callum she once knew had fallen to the darkness so deep , he would never be able to find his way back home.
Feeling disgusted and worried for everyone else, she had to think of a way to escape. “Let me help you. I ’ll bring Claudia to you.”
Callum pierced his eyes on hers. Just the color of his iris, so dark and evil , was enough to make her shiver as if she ’d just met the angel of death , and he was here for her. “Don ’t underestimate my powers, little girl .” His cruel authoritative whisper brushed against the nape of her neck, feeling like a long painful paper cut. Every part of her muscles tighten ed , wishing she was somewhere else, anywhere but here with him. Her eyes shut tightly , hoping he wouldn ’t do anything to harm her.
“Good.” He moved his fingers down her hair, along her jaw lines , and down the sides of her cheek with his long, dark nails. With a flick of his wrist, he waved his hand across her face as if he was performing a magic trick.
She turned her face away from him, winced, and made a small painful sound as if his touch burned her.
“Don ’t worry, Claudia. They ’ll be here for you soon.” His tone was so sweet and caring , it was almost believable.
“I ’m not Claudia, you sick monster, ” she whimpered.
“Now…now…watch thy mouth. That will be our little secret. You and I know you ’re not, but ones that hold her heart dearly will think differently , ” he said cunningly, giving an evil grin as his demons surrounded them. They hissed around her, making her flinch with disgust. Some poked her in the arm and taunted her until Callum told them to back off. “Go, ” he said to them. “Go hide. Become one with the trees. It will be a surprise they won ’t be anticipating.”
Chapter 30
Safely enclosed in Michael’s hold, they flew across the sky, bursting through the clouds. Claudia could do nothing but gaze in amazement at the cities and countries below , wondering where they were headed. Sometimes, the skies were spread with red and orange and sometimes they were simply the plain , beautiful , cloudless blues. But no one could spot them. They were merely a blur in the heavenly sky.
When they reached their destination, it was night. Claudia smiled , knowing where she was when she spotted the Statue of Liberty. She had seen it on television, but seeing it up close was amazing. When Claudia gave Michael a huge smile , it reminded him of the way it used to be . I t filled his heart with happiness he ’d longed to feel again.
As they flew inward, the whole city lit up with so many different colors, it was as if a painter had dotted his canvas with vari ou s random colors and spot ted the top with white glitter. The stars and the moon were luminous. Their reflection s cast a perfect sparkling color of gold waving a l ong the water.
“It ’s beautiful here ,” Claudia said with excitement.
Michael turned Claudia toward him. “I ’d rather look at yo u. No level of gravity can pull me down from th e high I ’m feeling right now , here with you.”
Blushing and smiling, she looked away, knowing she felt the same.
Michael spiraled around and took them to the core of New York City. There were many apartment buildings, shopping stores, and building after building.
“Why are we here ?” she asked.
As if on cue, a black BMW pull ed up in front of them. A gentleman wearing dark slacks with a but
ton ed light blue shirt open ed his door . Then a lady step ped out of the passenger side wearing a long skirt with a lavender short sleeve d blouse. He put his arms around her, kisse d her softly on her forehead , and open ed the door to their pent house building, heading to their home.
“The lady you just saw ; her name is Ava Emerson.”
The name didn’t sound familiar, but Claudia felt the connection with the last name. It dawned on her that the lady she had just seen was the same lady i n the picture she ’d t aken from Gamma ’s house. Her hair was ebony dark, longer than it was i n the picture, and she had the same petite frame.
“Is she my…my…?” she asked, trying not to shed a tear, but she already knew the answer.
“Yes. She was your mother. Not your biological mother, ” Michael said , as tenderly and carefully as possible.
With his last words, somehow, memories of her rushed through. Like a mini movie, she saw it in her mind. It was her eighteenth birthday. Ava gave her a set of keys to her birthday car. Claudia remembered how happy and grateful she ’d felt. She also recalled Ava working long hours as a nurse , so Gamma mostly took care of her. Then her mind went blank.
Reliving the memories that were taken from her, she couldn ’t hold back any longer. Tears ran down unwillingly. She could feel her heart thumping too fast. The shock and the pain ran down to her stomach, filling th em with acid. Her head throbbed and she felt queasy. She wanted to sit on the sidewalk, curl up against the side of the building , and cry her heart out.
“Why ?” she asked , gazing at the double door as if Ava would walk out again if she stared at it hard enough. She wanted to see her again, to tell her she was her daughter and make everything all right , t he way it used to be.
Michael turned Claudia to him. After wiping her tears, h e held her tightly. “I ’m sorry she was taken from you. She has no recollection of who you are , as you are the same about her. The Twelve gave her life back, the life she would ’ve had if—”
“I never existed, ” Claudia finished, looking numb. “Gamma did this to her. Ava never knew. I remember now.” She paused, feeling excited that she could make the connection, but at the same time the pain of remembering flushed through, making it even more difficult to bear. “I ’m glad she has her life back. It isn ’t fair to have something done to others because of me.”
“I came to check up on her, to make sure she was okay. She is a nurse at the New York Hospital. There she met the doctor you just saw. His name is Gary Roth. They seem very happy.”
Wiping her lingering tears, she nodded. “I ’m very happy for her. She looks happy.”
“I ’m sorry, Claudia. Perhaps I shouldn ’t have brought you here. I thought you may want to know.”
“No, I ’m glad you did. I needed to know, no matter how difficult it may be for me. I want to know, ” she said sorrowfully, resting her head between his chest and the side of his neck, where it fit perfectly.
“Do you need more time here?” Michael asked, rubbing her arms, trying to sooth her.
“No, let ’s go, ” she replied with her eyes shut, waiting for the peaceful feeling that flow ed every time she was enclosed by his wings.
Knowing he was running out of time, he took Claudia to where it all began, Crossroads. “Where are we?” she asked , hoping to find something more exciting beside s the dirt road and the tall vegetation that looked like something between grass and bushes. There were no sun to be seen, but somehow there was light. It wasn ’t hot or cold, just perfect ion .
“We ’re in Crossroads.” Michael waited for her response, hoping he would see sparkle in her eyes , or she would remember how to cross over—something or anything.
Arching her brows in curiosity, she shuffled the tall grass with her right hand. Running her fingers down the long stem that f elt smooth like silk , she said, “I thought Crossroads was beautiful. I mean not that it isn ’t. Actually…I don ’t know what I ’m talking about.” She l e t out a short laug h. The tall grass reminded her of the ones on I sland of Eden , only these didn ’t have thorns. They felt very pleasant, almost as soft as Michael ’s wings. She could picture how Austin parted them in her mind. Just to amuse herself she said out loud, “Recludo .”
To their surprise, the grasses parted. Claudia ’s eyes grew wide, looking at Michael with a huge , unbelievable smile. When she stepped in , her eyes grew even bigger if that was possible. The sea of clouds was beneath her, just like how she imagine d Heaven would look. Breathless and speechless she murmured, “Wow.”
Michael explain ed how he had watched her whe n she stood on the other side . Every time she visited, she looked lost and confused. This was where it all began, where he fell in love before they met, before she turned his world upside down. Claudia took in all of his words and felt his love to the core of her heart and soul. She couldn ’t believe someone so beautiful on the outside as well as the inside could love her so much. He would do anything for her, even go against the Twelve and suppress her memories instead of erasing them. For that, she was forever grateful.
Claudia continued to match her eyes to his. She couldn ’t believe all that was pouring out from him. She wanted to tell him she felt the same, but she couldn ’t, not yet. Sure, she cared for him. At least that was what her heart t old her, but she couldn ’t be sure. Mostly, she knew it was forbidden , so how and wh y would she go along with this?
Michael knew that look in her eyes. He could see Claudia was confused. Instead of asking for her permission, he picked her up and flew across the endless dreamy clouds. The breeze from their speed brushed her hair back away from her face. She could see nothing but the puffy vast clouds against the backing of blue. It was surreal .
Claudia’s eyes glisten ed from a small teardrop that was t h reat en ing to fall, but this time, it was not from sadness, but from happiness ; the kind of tear that falls when your heart feels full of joy. She felt so light , she could float away , and indeed she was—literally.
Michael landed in front of the colossal door of Halo City. On cue, it opened wide. Claudia gasped softly to see such a grand place. It was just as mesmer izing as the Island of Eden and Nubi lus City , but different.
Michael laced his fingers through Claudia’s . Like thieves, they tiptoed across the main entrance and occasionally walk ed with their back s flat against the wall. The first place he took her was to his room. He showed her his tools he ’d used to make her necklace, the sketches of her that were half completed , and the letters he wrote to her when this terrible nightmare began.
Claudia brushed her fingertips over the countless letters. “May I?”
Michael nodded and turned away.
Claudia’s hand shook as she picked up a couple of letters .
My Dearest Claudia,
They said it’s nearly impossible for alkins to fall in love because we were trained to be more like angels than humans. I hated who I was . My life didn ’t make sense , and I thought I didn ’t deserve any happiness. Little did I know my life would change on that one special day. With just one smile, one glance from you, I fell. From the moment that I looked in your eyes, I saw the girl I loved all my life. I ’ve been waiting for you, my savior. With you, I broke free. With you , there was light. With you, I found my purpose and happiness. On that day, you made sense when my sanity hung by a thread. You are my angel. You mad e me love who I am .
But sometimes life does funny things. Sometimes we need to be in the darkness in order to see the light. Though I knew it would be extremely difficult, I was not prepared for the anguish I ’ve been through. My pain is so deep, I feel lost and broken . The road I ’m walking keeps getting longer and longer and it never seems to end. I don ’t have the strength to carry on. There is no other way to say it. I miss you. I miss holding you in my arms, the sweet ness of your smell and your laughter that rings joyful to my ears. No one makes me feel the way you do. No one can mend my broken heart, my broken soul, except for you.
Open up your eyes, your hear
t and soul . Can you hear me sing your name? Can you hear me calling out to you? Someday soon, I know you will remember us, but until then I will wait . I will wait as long as it takes , because when I see your beautiful smile, I see the light and my life makes sense. Somet imes I hold you in my mind, and it feels so real. Though it ’s only my imagination, it carries me through. Until that d ay, I will carry your smile and your laughter in my heart and soul. Hurry my love , and remember me. Hurry my love , and remember us. Every day lost pains me , for I can ’t live another day without you.
In my heart, in my soul—M
Claudia moved on to the second letter.
I hear your voice inside my mind c alling out for me . But it ’s not real because you see y ou don ’t remember me .
You don’t see my face . You don ’t even know my name . It was not what I wanted , b ut it was the way it had to be .
How I long for those days w hen you and I were one . You told me you love me . I said we w ould never be apart .
You will never know the emptiness I feel , r egrets, anguish, anger all mixed into one . I hope one day you ’ll understand and learn somehow to forgive me .
Close your eyes, Claudia, o pen up your heart a nd try to remember us t he way it used to be.
I will always love you n o matter where you are f or you are my heart and soul w ith you is where I belong.
Forever I will wait for thee.
Tears streamed down Claudia’s face . She felt every word and the depth of his pain. She wished she could take away the hurt , but she didn ’t know how. Instead of using her words, she walked toward him . Claudia placed both of her hands on his cheek s and gave him a feather light kiss on his lips .