******
Hayley woke suddenly, the air racing into her lungs. She felt as if she had been drowning. She grasped at whatever was closest to her and clung for dear life as her heart pounded from the sudden shock of regaining consciousness.
“It’s alright, it’s alright, I’ve got you, I’ve got you!” cried Alex, holding her tightly in his arms.
As her initial panic subsided she gazed up at him with recognition, before collapsing headfirst into his arms and bursting into tears.
Alex pressed his head against hers and held her close, cradling her in his arms. “It’s alright, it’s alright.” He whispered gently, “I’m here.” A tear rolled down his cheek.
Chapter 15
The smell of salty bacon wafted from the kitchen and throughout the house. Stacy had been up for a little while preparing breakfast for her guests and children.
“Hey Mum.” said John as he walked into the kitchen and straight to the fridge.
“Don’t have too much; I’m making you bacon, sausage and egg.”
John closed the fridge and looked round. “Ok.” He said, opening the cupboard and taking out a glass. “Thanks.” He added as he poured himself some orange juice.
“Would you like some onions or tomatoes with it?”
Guzzling down his drink, he swallowed hard. “No thanks.” He replied, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Can you go ask what everyone else wants please?”
“I think they’re still asleep.”
“Then leave them be, they can always heat there’s up in the microwave later on.” She decided, turning the sausages.
“Ok.” John shrugged before trailing out of the kitchen.
Through in the guest bedroom Alex laid ahead, his arms and wings wrapped around him. He had lay still for many hours but now his feathers flexed and unfolded slightly as something turned beneath them. He looked down to see Hayley rolling over, her arms finding their way around his chest as she pushed her head up under his chin. Alex wrapped his arms back round her again.
“Morning.” Hayley whispered, without opening her eyes.
“Morning.” Alex replied, a smile touching his lips. Smelling bacon, he said, “Stacy’s making breakfast.”
Hayley took a moment to reply. “I’m fine here.”
Alex’s smiled broadened as he stared at the ceiling. “You have to let go of me sometime.” He said, but no unkindly.
Hayley smiled at that, though she did not lift her head. “I can’t help it. It aches to be away from you.” She shuffled slightly. “Will it always be like this? Will I always feel this way?”
Alex lowered his gaze and stared at the foot of the bed. “If you want too but I can always try connecting our souls again and taking it away.”
She gripped him more tightly. “No. I like being able to feel you.” She drew a deep breath. “It must have been hard, all these years, being able to feel my soul from a distance yet knowing that I could never sense you.”
Alex shrugged. “It’s the way things were. I accepted that.”
Hayley opened her eyes. “I always tried to imagine why I had you and no-one else had their own guardian angel but I never ever thought it was because we shared the same soul.”
Alex’s gaze returned to the ceiling. “I’m glad you were carved from me.” He said, holding her more tightly, lovingly. “At first I felt incomplete...terrified...hollow and then angry. I could not understand why my father did it. Of all the punishments he could have done to me I did not understand why he chose that one and for a long time I hated him for it.” Hayley lifted her head and looked at him at that point. He smiled down at her. “Then one day, after many years I felt the missing part of me and I came to this realm to search for it.” He shook his head. “But it wasn’t my soul anymore, it was yours.” His smile broadened. “And my father charged me with protecting you and now I feel truly blessed by what he did.”
Hayley smiled. “And I understand why you left me for eight years now. You had to destroy Gabriel in case he came back and tried to hurt me again; like that time he kidnapped me when I was little.”
Alex’s gaze suddenly darkened. “He’s never coming anywhere near you again.”
Hayley reflected his look. “I know what he’s done. I’ve seen your memories. He deserves to die.” She agreed. “And so did Jacob.” A look of sadness crossed her face then. “Though I do feel slightly sorry for him.”
Alex frowned. “Why?”
She shrugged. “He loved Juliette. I mean, I know she turned out to be a bitch and she got what was coming to her but they were engaged. He had asked her to marry him yet all that time she had been working for Gabriel, just trying to find the journal.”
Alex’s chest sunk as he let out a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t matter, none of it does now, they are both gone. But Gabriel is still out there and he’ll come after us gain.”
“Let him try.” She said defiantly, lying her head back down.
Alex laughed. “You’re as hard as nails for a human.”
“I take after you.” She smiled.
Chapter 16
The hour of three am drew close on the clock face perched high on the mantle. The occupants had long since retired to bed and the silence of night time had seeped into every room and every corner of the house.
Alex jerked awake with a sudden surge of energy that shot through every inch of his body. In less than two seconds he had sat bolt upright on the couch in the living room and reappeared by Hayley’s bedside. He looked over her with sharp eyes, on the lookout for anything unusual. But she remained curled up amongst her pillows and duvet, sleeping peacefully.
The momentary panic fading from him, Alex’s shoulders slumped and he relaxed. Safe in the knowledge that Hayley was fine, he turned his attention to the source of the disturbance – John.
John stood in the doorway to the bedroom, the bright light from the hall pouring in behind him. His face glistening with sweat and tired eyes, he gave the angel a nervous look.
“Are you alright John?” Alex found himself asking.
“Yeah...yeah...” he nodded, still trying to catch his breath. He sounded like he had just run a marathon.
“Listen, I got this for you just like you said.” He gasped, dipping into his pocket and producing the missing journal.
Alex’s eyes widened with surprise – one of the first and few times the warrior had been caught off guard in such a way. He crossed the room and taking it from John, examined it. To his upmost shock, it was the real thing. “Where did you get this?” he asked quickly.
John cowered from his sharp tone. “You sent me to get it.” he blurted in rapid protest, taking a step away from him. He looked truly terrified.
Alex gave him an odd look. “I did no such thing...what do you...” A look of realisation slowly dawned across his face. “But I will send you...” he muttered to himself.
John was not quite sure where Alex was going with this or why his mood had changed so suddenly, he just didn’t want to get scorned by his unearthly wrath. Ceasing the opportunity to defend himself, he blurted, “You sent me back to get it so that Juliette wouldn’t find it in the flat a few days ago! You know when we got back...I mean the earlier me...when we got back from the House of Paper Swans and she was there!” he tripped over himself. “Then you sent me back here to give it to you...”
“I take it that is where you have just come from then? The day I lost the journal in the supermarket?”
“Yeah...yeah...” He heaved, his voice rasping.
Alex could see he was exhausted from his plight. He eyed the tattered, old journal before turning to John, a questionable look about him. “How did you get it out of my jacket pocket though? I would have seen you coming.”
“You dropped it. You and Hayley were gone by the time I found it. You told me where it was before you sent me back. You said it was in the dairy aisle.”
He nodded, a smile crossing his face. “And now I know where it is.”
He muttered to himself, pleased. “When did you leave?”
“What?”
Alex rolled his eyes. “What day was it when I sent you back in time to get the journal? When did you come from?”
John gave him a dubious shrug. “Er...I dunno, what’s today’s date?”
“The seventh.”
“Yeah, I think it was tomorrow morning then.”
“You think?”
“Yes, yes! It was definitely tomorrow morning.” He finally decided.
“Fine, I will send you back to just after you left there then.”
“Don’t you mean forward to then?” John asked, giving him a funny look.
“Don’t get smart with me.” Alex warned, jabbing a finger at him.
“Sorry...” John muttered, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Alex scratched the back of his head as he glanced away in thought. “Okay...” he said, looking back at John as if he had made his mind up about something. “Just walk out the door and you’ll be back where you came from.”
John glanced at the doorway warily then gave Alex a rather sceptical look.
“Now what’s the matter?”
“I’m sorry I’m just fed up of leaving a room and randomly appearing somewhere else. I’m starting to feel sick.” He complained, struggling to hold down the contents of his stomach.
“This will be the last time, I promise.” He could tell by John’s expression that that bought him very little comfort. “At least you are done now, you can go back and be as sick as you like.” He added, failing at trying to be tactful.
“Yeah, great, thanks.” John groaned as he walked out the door...
The following morning Hayley discovered John leaning precariously over the toilet bowl, coughing and spluttering his guts out. After another furious cough and involuntary convulsion, the meek looking teenager glanced in her direction.
“Are you ok?” she asked, leaning against the door.
John inhaled a deep breath. “Do I look ok?” he demanded to know in a wheezy, sickly tone.
“Sorry, I was only trying to help.”
John stuffed his head down the toilet again as he was vomited again.
“Have you caught a bug that’s going around or something?”
John lifted his head, still coughing violently. “Go ask Alex...” he choked through the horrific taste of sick and his parched throat. “This is all his fault.” He stuck his head back down the toilet again.
*****
“You sent him back in time?” Hayley asked with a frown, not certain that she believed him.
“Yeah, so?” he asked, like it was the most usual thing in the world.
“You never told me that you could do that.” She said, sounding more impressed than annoyed. “And it certainly was not something I picked up from your memories when we were joined.”
“Well you know it isn’t something I make a habit of.” He explained modestly. “Also, you probably did know when our souls were one but you probably forgot it, like you have most things I know because your human mind is unable to comprehend them.”
She looked puzzled. “Thanks...I never thought my soul mate would call me stupid just like my mother does.” She said, unsure of whether she should be offended.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She knew he didn’t.
Hayley plonked herself down onto the sofa and folded her arms. “What I want to know is, if you can travel through time, why can’t you just go back to the start of all this and kill Gabriel before he kidnapped you?”
Alex sighed and sat down next to her. “Do you know what a paradox is?” he asked.
“Yeah...isn’t it not when things go around and around in a big circle?” she asked, running her finger in a loop in the air.
“Yeah, basically.” He replied. “Sometimes if you go back and tell yourself about things that are going to happen, everything works out ok but other times you’d get stuck in a loop. Like if I went back in time and told us not to go back to the flat that night after we went to The House of a Thousand Paper Swans and also told our earlier self’s about Gabriel then obviously the events of the future would have worked out differently. But once that would have happened then the version of me who had told the other me in the past about Gabriel would never have came back. Then the timeline would of unravelled back to square one.”
Hayley stared at him blankly for a moment. “You mean it wouldn’t make any difference anyway so why try?” she said simply, looking to him for confirmation.
“Yeah that’s right.” He smiled.
Hayley laughed lightly. “You could have just said that.”
“Yeah I could of, but I wasn’t going too. You might not of understood it else.” He replied. “It can change things but usually only small details if you do it right. That’s why I sent John back in time this morning, instead of asking the past version of him to do it. He could have been a liability if Gabriel had found him.”
“But we know now that he doesn’t catch John, not when you sent him back I mean.” She assumed.
“Yeah you are right but don’t forget that Gabriel is psychic like me. If it had been the John from the past that collected the journal for me then Gabriel would have known. He would have seen it in his mind when we were ambushed back at the flat.”
“Ah...” said Hayley, thinking she understood. After a couple of moments she looked round to him. “So what do we do now?” she asked.
Alex raised his chin, pondering this question with a thoughtful air. Following a long pause, his eyes met hers once more. “I don’t know, I really don’t.” He admitted.
“Well we can’t stay here forever, some of the neighbours must have heard all the commotion in the flat that day...and even if they didn’t, which I severely doubt, the rents well and truly late and I think the land lady would have been around and noticed that something’s happened.”
“Your neighbours definitely would have heard all the noise. There is no doubt about that.” Alex admitted, a concerned look crossing his usually relaxed expression. “And the police would have issued a missing person’s report for you by now.” He added.
“My parents are probably worried sick.” Hayley said to herself, as it all seemed to suddenly dawn on her. She looked to Alex, desperation in her eyes.
He knew what she was thinking. “We can’t see them, not yet. If you did, the police would find out.”
“They’re my parents...”
“I know and I want you to go and see them.” He said as he sat forward and took her hand tightly into his. “But what would you tell them? And what about the police? The last thing we need to be doing right now is drawing attention to ourselves.”
Hayley stared at him with teary eyes. Biting her lip, she shook her head.
“Come here.” He said softly, taking her into his arms. Holding her tightly, he pressed his head against hers. “I’m sorry...”
******
In a small, pokey room filled with dusty trinkets and lost treasures, Gabriel sat in sullen silence beside the bricked fire half. He gazed mournfully at the photograph he delicately held between his fingers. The clock on the mantle ticked quietly away, its repetitive tone the only sound other than the haunting silence in the room of faded memories. A thick film of dust coated the surface of the antiques and furniture which littered the room – a testament to how long they had remained unused and untouched.
The drone of the generic clock ticking, the grave silence and the lost antiques were of no concern to Gabriel – after all they were only material objects. Objects that could be so easily destroyed and replaced, if not with something more modern, a replica of perfect likeness and design. People unfortunately, did not follow the same principle – once gone they could never be replaced.
Tears swelled in the bottom of his eyes as he gazed at the black and white photograph. He could remember how it happened and he could remember the raw pain and devastation the incident had bought with it...his feelings were as raw now as they had
been all those years before. And through the heartache and despair, the fury too remained rife in his heart.
The sorrow in his eyes suddenly turned to black, hollow orbits of cold, dark fury. Rising from his chair, he carefully folder and placed the photograph in his top pocket. Then, crossing the room he opened the cabinet. From it he removed a long, sturdy case.
Sitting it down on the long oak table, he undid the old, brown, worn leather fastenings. Carefully lifting back the lid, he removed its contents – a sword; but this was no ordinary sword, for it was made of no ordinary metal. Forged from the only ore that could kill anything, human or other worldly...
Holding its flawless form up into the light, he glared at its shining edge, undimmed by the passage of time. The time had finally come in his mind to put an end to his rage and despair; to put the past to rest and to put those who were guilty to justice...
Chapter 17
Alex and John sat in the living room playing Monopoly. The angel let out a fed-up sigh as he landed on yet another one of John’s properties. “How much do I owe you this time?” he asked, lifting his ever-shrinking pile of brightly coloured money.
John cracked a wide grin. “A hundred and twelve pound this time round.” He said with relish as Alex forked it over. Counting the money, he asked, “How much have you got left now?” while his eyes drifted over to Alex’s lean sum of tender.
Alex tipped it out of view behind his hand. “Enough.” He replied sharply.
John laughed as he lifted the dice. “Ha, you’re nearly broke, I can tell.”
“Don’t get too cocky or I’ll do you for gambling. It is a sin you know.” He warned, but it was an empty threat.
John rolled the dice and moved his playing piece forward several places. “What would my punishment be?”
“Your right hand.”
John was caught off guard by his unexpectedly blunt reply. He stared at him worriedly. “Seriously?” he asked.