“What! Gross, Patty. Just because your mind is there doesn’t mean mine is.”
“Oh yes it is, ’cause if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t know what I was talking about. And since you know what I’m talking about telling me that you are not talking about it, then you are thinking about it.”
I was really confused and too tired to try to figure out what she just said. “Good night, Patty,” I said, giggling and ignoring whatever we were talking about.
“Michael or Austin?”
“Good night, Patty.” I ignored her as my eyes became heavy, and I couldn’t fight to stay awake any longer. The last thing I remembered was Patty rambling on and on about hiking in a whisper as I dozed off to sleep.
Chapter 12
I was in a deep sleep, exhausted from the day’s excitement, when I was suddenly awakened with a jolt. I didn’t know if a couple of hours had passed or if it was the middle of the night. A strange noise disturbed my sleep. I realized it was the sound of Patty’s snoring. After I turned her head slowly to the opposite direction, the snoring stopped, so I tried to go back to sleep. As I turned around, my back to Patty, I heard a faint voice.
“Claudia…come.”
At first, I thought it was Patty. I turned to look at her, but she was snoring again. Not knowing if the voice was real or just my imagination, I hesitantly stepped out of the tent, holding Patty’s mega flashlight. The flashlight was so bright that I felt like I was holding a spotlight. I could clearly see what was around me. Since I couldn’t see anyone, I turned to go back inside, when the voice called me again. It became stronger and more intense, and I felt a force. I found myself being pulled toward the forbidden area.
I stepped into the forest, holding Patty’s flashlight with a tight grip. I could see the intricate branches tangled in all directions and it took every ounce of my strength to push my way through. As I got in further, the branches slowly slithered away like snakes, welcoming me as if they knew that I was coming. It gave me chills. The trunks of the trees were so huge that it would take ten of me with my arms extended just to measure half of its width. The height of the trees was even more remarkable; they could have touched the stars.
Although the trees looked intimidating from the outside, I was mesmerized by their beauty. Moving deeper into the forest, these colossal trees became less apparent. The combination of the full moon and Patty’s mega-light provided enough brightness so I could see where I was going. I didn’t know where that was, only that I was being led to the one place Andrew said not to go.
Oddly, no movement was visible and no sound was audible from this peculiar forest. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but I had an eerie feeling that I was being watched from the darkened woods. I walked the twisted trails, and noticed that the path was leading to a cliff ahead. My body kept on walking, like a puppet being pulled by its strings. Without warning my crystal necklace began vibrating softly. I looked down; it had turned jet black. I heard his voice, the same voice I had heard on the bus in my dream.
“Claudia, come to me.”
Where was this voice coming from? What did he want with me? I needed to hide. It suddenly hit me that I wasn’t dreaming, and it might be one of the fallen. I was terrified, and adrenaline began fiercely running through my body. As I was trying to catch my breath, I could see the cold mist finding its way out from my mouth. I hadn’t noticed how chilly it was. I didn’t know if the shaking of my body was from the cold or the absolute fear of what was to come. Every time he called my name, my body involuntarily succumbed to his calling. I knew I had to fight with everything I had because with each passing second, I was getting closer to the edge of the cliff.
“Claudia, come home to me, and let your soul be free. Give me your soul.”
I could see everything, but I felt like I was sleepwalking. Mesmerized by the sound of his voice, my eyes were finally fixed on him. He was floating out beyond the cliff. It was hard to distinguish the shape of his face or his body, but my body stiffened to see such a sight. It was like something you would see only in the movies. Who was he? Why was he trying to hurt me? I was only a few feet away from my demise, and no one would ever find me. I was screaming inside for help when I heard Michael’s voice loud and clear.
“Stop, Claudia!” His voice pulled me out of the trance.
Knowing Michael was there, my heart found a steadier beat. The stranger froze, and his eyes gazed past me. He looked in disbelief at the sight of Michael, as if Michael was the last person on Earth he would have expected to encounter. “Michael, it’s been a long time.” He was pleasant, almost friendly.
“Sorry. I can’t say the same,” Michael said, moving steadily toward me.
“Did you stop by to help?” he asked sarcastically, still floating in midair over the cliff.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I came to help you leave.”
“Now, now, don’t be rude, Michael.”
“I’m going to give you a chance to leave, and make it quick,” Michael said sternly.
Fear emanated from the stranger’s eyes when he realized Michael was closer than before. He glided further back and cried out furiously, “Michael, it’s too late!”
“Aden, you don’t have to do this. What do you want from her?”
This man was Aden, the fallen’s leader. Terror began running through my body, and the temporary calm brought on by Michael’s presence had now turned to absolute horror. It was Aden who was after me.
“Back off, Michael, if you know what’s good for you! I’m not alone. You remember your friends, don’t you?”
Curiously, I looked behind, but I couldn’t see a thing. Were they hiding? Aden floated in an astute manner, looking proud, like he had won this fight.
Michael didn’t flinch. He chuckled stoutly, “And that’s supposed to scare me? They are not my friends anymore!”
“Is that why you killed Julia?” Aden asked.
Michael’s eyes grew wide with the sudden revelation. “So you were the one! You sent Julia instead of coming yourself! I should have known. Your powers were weakened when you turned against your own kind, leaving others to do your dirty work, like a coward.”
“Julia would have brought her to me. When she didn’t come back, I thought she had betrayed me, but it was you. You, Michael, ruined my plans! I should have made sure you were dead. When you escaped, you were badly wounded. I was certain you wouldn’t survive. I was mistaken in thinking the Royal Council would have finished the job.”
“I asked for forgiveness. The Royal Council doesn’t consider me as one of the fallen like you anymore.”
“Fallen,” Aden laughed, mocking Michael. “Is that the best you can do?”
“I have other names, but it would be inappropriate to say them in front of a lady, now wouldn’t it?” He arched his eyebrows intensely.
“Silence! No more talking! Move out of my way! You’re forgetting who you are talking to.”
“I do remember, too well,” Michael said with a smirk. “I remember how you trained me to fight. Do you remember telling me I was the best?”
Did I hear that right? Aden trained Michael? How? When? I was beyond confused. Surely Michael wouldn’t associate with an evil being like him. As these thoughts ran through my mind, Michael took a stance as if he was ready to do battle. I could feel the tension in his muscles even from a distance.
“Stop. Don’t come any closer!” Aden yelled, ignoring Michael’s question.
“Are you afraid?” Michael said, taunting him. “You should be.”
“You dare to threaten me. Very well then. So be it.” Aden gave a wicked smile. “Kill him!” Aden shouted forcefully, screeching with anger that shot a pain through my ears.
Then countless fallen came flying toward Michael, and my prediction of him collapsing didn’t happen. Out of nowhere appeared Davin, Vivian, and Caleb. I was overwhelmed to see them. Michael didn’t have to fight alone. Their attack was such a surprise to the fallen that even Aden was taken aback.
Even though Phillip had already told me that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an alkin and a fallen, it was confirmed as I watched the battle. They looked just like the alkins. The fallen and alkins fought with swords. Watching, I noticed that Michael had one too, but where had it come from?
“No!” Michael shouted, suddenly standing directly in front of me. “You don’t need her. She’s just a human.”
“Get them!” Aden shouted again.
The fallen and alkins were battling; all the while, Michael continued to stay by my side, protecting me. They fought so swiftly that even with my flashlight; it was hard to distinguish alkins from the fallen. I focused intently, trying to figure out who was who, but it was no use. They were too fast for human eyes. Then I pointed the flashlight, hoping to blind or distract them, but that also proved to be pointless. It was only useful for my vision.
With a blink of an eye they were here, there and everywhere. All I could hear was the clanging of swords colliding against each other. The swift, sharp noise of metal slicing against metal was painful to hear. As the screeching sounds continued, all I could see were sparks as the swords made contact. It looked as if we were in the middle of a lightning storm. Fearful of any alkin getting hurt, I covered my ears, hoping that it would end soon.
Suddenly, Aden raised his hand toward the stars, and the fallen stopped. The sounds of the swords crashing against each other came to a dead halt. Aden started circling around Michael and me. As he drew closer, I could see that he looked exactly as I remembered him from my dream. The wrinkles on his forehead defined his age, and although I conceived of him as being evil, it was his voice that scared me more than his appearance. Aden never lifted a finger to fight, but instead he relied on the fallen to carry out his battle strategies.
“Michael, come with me. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“There is nothing I want from you!”
“They’ve turned you against me. I should have killed you when I had the chance!” Aden was raging with anger.
“They didn’t turn me against you. I did it of my own free will.”
“Move out of my way!” Aden shouted.
“You’ll have to go through me first!”
As Aden was circling around us, I could sense movement from the fallen, edging closer to Michael and me. The alkin must have sensed it too as they positioned themselves right behind us and immediately began to attack the fallen. Michael moved me to the left and then to the right, fighting while shielding me. Although the fallen were fewer in number than before, they were fighting in full force. In the midst of all the chaos, I lost my grip on the flashlight, and it tumbled off the cliff. Instinctively, I reached for it, and in a split second, I began to fall, along with Michael. Gravity was pulling me faster than my body could resist. I’ve always heard that at the moment of death, your life flashes before your eyes; all the moments that brought you to this point, big or small. All I could think of was death itself and the one person who had changed my life forever—Michael.
Chapter 13
Complete darkness engulfed me; I couldn’t see a thing. I was afraid to move, especially since I didn’t know where I was. But I felt an indescribably soft object encircling me, and it made me feel so warm. Whatever it was gave me such comfort, and I felt safe wrapped inside it, like a cocoon. So soft and featherlike, it felt like velvet or the stuffing of a goose-down blanket. As I realized I wasn’t dreaming, I panicked and tried to wiggle my way out. It didn’t work. Feeling claustrophobic, I lost my breath, which made me fight frantically with all my might, pushing and punching, then finally surrendering when I heard his voice.
“Claudia, you’re safe. It’s me, Michael.” Michael peered in.
“Michael?” I was so relieved to hear his voice. Pulling the crystal toward Michael, I asked quickly, “What color is it?”
I could tell he was trying to hold back from laughing. “It’s clear,” he said.
I relaxed. Pulling the crystal into closer view, I squinted my eyes to confirm what Michael had said, but I couldn’t see a thing. Not that I didn’t believe him; I was just amazed that he could see in the dark.
While holding the crystal in my hands, I remembered that I hadn’t even thanked him for my gifts. “I should have thanked you sooner, but I want to thank you for my birthday gifts. It was a pleasant surprise, but you didn’t have to,” I said in the most sincere way. “I thought alkins didn’t celebrate birthdays.”
“We don’t, but the Divine Commandments didn’t say anything about celebrating a human’s birthday.” He winked.
“So, you kind of make up your own rules, huh?”
“I guess you can say that. By the sound of your voice, you sound fine, but how are you feeling?” Michael asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t know. I guess it would depend…” I paused with a terrible thought. “Am I dead?”
“You think you’re dead.” He chuckled. “Why is that always your first thought?”
“Well, I guess because I’m always blacking out or waking up somewhere else. This isn’t normal by human standards.”
He laughed out loud.
“Hey! This isn’t funny. And…and where am I? I want out!” I started pushing him away from me, but he was way too strong for me and he didn’t even budge. I stopped when I realized how close his face was to mine. I became breathless as he continued to look at me with such tenderness. My mind wandered with impure thoughts and I had to force myself to snap out of it. With my head clear, I remembered what I wanted to say. “Please,” I asked warmly.
He let out a heavy sigh.
“Something is wrong, isn’t it?” I asked. “I’m dead. I’m really dead, and you don’t have the guts to tell me,” I said louder, angrily.
“No. Nothing is wrong,” he said, and his eyes grew bigger. “You don’t think I saved you?” he asked, looking hurt.
Immediately I relaxed. It was not my intention to offend him. I should be thankful. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry,” I said as I ran my fingers through his hair. I was shocked that I touched him that way; immediately I placed my hand down and refocused somewhere else.
“Claudia,” he called gingerly.
I looked at him, marveling at how his voice saying my name sounded like a beautiful melody to my ears. He looked so serious that I refocused my attention. I had to prepare myself for whatever he was going to tell me. The delay must mean that something awful had happened.
“I’m going to open up, but you have to promise me that you won’t freak out…Promise?”
What could possibly make me freak out? All sorts of nonsense started racing through my mind. Was I hurt? Or was Michael or the alkins injured? I imagined the worst, just like the pictures I saw in my history book with the wounded soldiers during the war.
“You promise, Claudia?” he asked sternly.
“Okay. I promise,” I lied, not knowing exactly how I would react to something he told me not to freak out about.
As I prepared myself for whatever it was, something held us tighter and moved us upward. Slowly, I was released from his hold. I stood right in front of him with my mouth opened so wide that I could have swallowed the forest. He slowly moved his wings up and down. They were grand, bigger than Phillip’s wings. Michael’s were as white as the clouds. I couldn’t believe how strong they were, to be able to hold me the way they did. His wings were magnificent, but how? “Alkins don’t have wings,” I whispered. I stared into his eyes to get an answer.
“This one does,” he responded and turned away.
“They are…” I was lost for words as I continued to stare, enthralled by him.
He continued speaking, unwilling to make eye contact. “My father is or was one of the Twelve. That’s all I know.” His voice was low and indifferent.
Michael’s father was one of the Twelve, and the Twelve have wings. Then Phillip’s words flashed through me. Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes are part of the Twelve. Aden, who had becom
e a fallen, was one of the Twelve. That left eight of the Twelve Angels still on Earth to carry out their duty. Who could his father be? And was his father still alive, or had he died? This happened before the Crossroads was created. It could be any one of them. Regardless, I could only imagine how difficult this must be for him. Although there were so many unanswered questions, now didn’t seem like the right time to ask them.
I started walking in circles around him, engrossed by his wings. His shirt was torn on the back. From where the wings protruded out, there were long slits to form an upside-down V. He was beautiful, his wings were beautiful, and I was even more in awe of him. Perhaps my reaction embarrassed him, as he quickly closed them. It was amazing how they completely disappeared without a trace of their existence. Even his shirt showed no sign that it had been torn to allow such a phenomenon.
“May I please take a look again? For me, please?” I pleaded.
“You’re not freaked out?” he asked, looking astonished.
“Should I be?” I asked, wondering why he felt embarrassed with his precious gift.
“I thought it may freak you out. Something not by human standards,” he replied.
I leaned closer and place my hands on his shoulders. “I’m not freaked out. I think you are amazing just the way you are. I wouldn’t want you to be any other way,” I said tenderly, trying to sound convincing with my words and through my body expression.
His eyes were still steady on the ground. I needed to try harder to make him understand that there was nothing freakishly wrong with him, and that his wings were just as incredible as he was.
“Michael, please, open for me,” I pleaded, with my hands still resting on his shoulders. Then I gave him the biggest smile, hoping he couldn’t resist and would do as I asked.
He opened gracefully, slowly expanding, not to rush the excitement of what I wanted to see again. I placed both of my hands gently on this mysterious gift and stroked it like it was gold. I was amazed by the many delicate layers of feathers, soft as cashmere and smooth as silk, but equally taken aback by the power and strength they exuded. The same wondrous feeling had rushed through my senses when I was wrapped inside them after the fall, just before I had panicked. Had I known then that they were Michael’s wings, I would have stayed there for eternity.