Espial (4 page)

     I closed my
eyes as I tried to picture what Rider was telling me. I didn’t want to believe
him, yet it made sense and felt truthful.

     “As your
father lay dying, your mother told the technicians that she was pregnant. They
released her after forcing her to vow to never mention the truth of what
happened to anyone. They knew that they could not exterminate a pregnant Espial
without severe consequence from us. The security footage of what occurred was
permanently deleted and the technicians never told Warren Sato the truth of
what happened. They informed him that your father had violently interrupted his
own Oculation procedure and had to be exterminated.”

     “Wait. Were
you watching the security footage when this happened?” I asked distrustfully.

     “No. I was
outside of Terredome, fighting with the rebels when this tragedy occurred. I
wish I was there because I would have done everything in my power to help your
father. It would have been the least I could do as a debt to your great-grandfather.”

     “So my
father was an arch angel and knew it his entire life? And he dated my mother,
an Espial, who conceived me?”

     “Yes.”

     “What’s
going to happen to her now?”

     “We have
systems in place. We’ve been keeping tabs on your mother since the day she met
your father. And on you since you were born. Prior to your Oculation ceremony,
we met with her secretly to update her on the safety measures in place. We all
knew you would encounter some level of difficulty, yet not to this extent.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to shut down or erase the security footage
of what took place today. So you are now most definitely being hunted.”

     “Will they
be hunting my mother?!” I asked, frightened and standing up quickly.

     “Yes, but
she is safe. Please sit. She is waiting at the ARC.” He patted the seat,
gesturing for me to sit back down. I slowly sat next to him.

     “Why do the
technicians hate Espials enough to exterminate them?” I asked.

     “It’s not
just them. They work for Warren Sato. And if it hadn’t occurred to you already,
then you should know that he is, in fact, a demon. And not just any demon. He
is single-handedly responsible for starting the Great World War.”

     “How is
that possible?”

     “He was
originally asked to be an angel, yet declined in order to pursue his dream of
ruling the world. Millennia after millennia, we angels have fought him and his
minions in order to maintain peace and order on earth. Otherwise, his control
would enslave all of mankind to do his biddings. His numbers grew so that he
was known as the War Senator. Every city he inhabited, the female and children
citizens would be enslaved and all men were forced to join his army as he moved
to the next town or village.”

     “This is too
much. This is just too much,” I said, slowly coming to terms with everything he
was saying.

     “It is
certainly a lot to process. It will be ok. We will be arriving at the ARC shortly
and we can speak in more detail then. There is a lot you must learn about Sato.
But you must also be prepared to face what is ahead.” With that he pressed a
button on the screen and the food trays retracted back into the ceiling.
Glinda’s voice came on the sound system for a final time.

     “We will be
arriving at the ARC in about two minutes,” she announced. “Thank you for riding
Air Glinda.” Again, she giggled and clicked off the microphone. My stomach did
a small flip as the plane began its descent. I squirmed in my seat.

     “One last
question,” I said to Rider.

     “Yes?”

     “What on
earth is happening to my back?”

     “Your wings
are beginning to unsheathe,” he replied with a half smile. “Every angel is
fully unsheathed by the tenth day after their fifteenth birthday.

     As we
approached the plane’s entryway, the cockpit door flew open.

     “Oh dear it
is
her!” shouted a woman dressed in pink, with a coral aura and baby
pink wings. Her long, jet black hair had streaks of hot pink throughout, along
with her eyebrows. She pulled me into a tight hug, swaying me side to side. “It’s
been far too long. My have you grown to be such a lovely young lady!”

     “Umm…hi,” I
groaned, hardly able to breathe and wincing at the pain she was causing my
shoulder blades.

     “Let her go
she can’t breathe, Glinda,” said Sacra, eyebrows raised at Glinda.

     “I know, I
know. She’s just so perfect!” exclaimed Glinda, finally releasing me. “My name
is Glinda, dear. You probably don’t remember me, but I was there the day you
were born. We all were and we are so happy that you’ve turned out well! Better
than well, actually, since you are one of us!”

     “Um…yes.
Nice to meet you. Thanks,” I muttered, unsure of why she was so excited to see
me.

     “Oh and
look! Your wings are augmenting!” she shouted to Rider.

     “Yes, right
on schedule,” smiled Rider. “But we cannot linger. Let’s chat in the ARC and
get everyone caught up.” He again put his right arm around my waist and flew us
out of the Airbus and onto a cobblestone pathway.

     Once we
landed, I looked up and saw that we were outside of an abandoned church. Sacra
and Glinda landed by us and began walking around the side of the building. Dead
weeds, thorny branches and rusted iron poles obstructed our path, yet Rider, Sacra
and Glinda navigated the mess with ease and familiarity. We reached the wooden
doors of an underground shed connected to the building. Sacra pointed her sword
at the door handles, and the doors swung open on their accord. She hopped down,
followed by Glinda.

     “After
you,” smiled Rider.

     I peeked
over the edge of the door frame, and could see a stone landing far below. “But
we’re very high. That’s a good thirty feet drop,” I said, concerned that Rider
was joking about jumping down.

     “Just
jump,” he whispered, nodding toward the drop. “Here, I’ll count to three.”

     “Alright,”
I replied as I turned to face the drop.

     “1, 2,” and
on the count of 2, Rider pushed me from behind and I fell into the hole.

     I screamed
all the way down. As I approached the ground, I closed my eyes and bent my legs
slightly to brace for impact. When I landed, my eyes opened and I realized that
I had landed straight up, no harm done. Rider floated down next to me.

     “I made
it.” I spoke breathily, shocked that I had made the landing without injury.

     “You have
more in you than you realize,” he suggested, patting my head.

     Behind him,
light bounced off of stone walls. The air had an unfamiliar smell and a few
droplets of water fell onto my head. I looked up to see water dripping from the
stone ceiling. A drop landed on my lips and when I tasted it, it was salty. We
were in a rocky cavern of some sort. I turned to my right and was immediately
struck by what I saw. Crystal clear blue water greeted my eyes in a pool about
one hundred yards in diameter. The short beach between me and the pool was
rocky, yet the pebbled surface glistened like diamonds. I walked over to where
the water lapped up onto the beach and tried to see the bottom of the pool. It was
so deep that it appeared to have no end. Across from us on the opposite beach
were several passageways, one of which was lit with torches.

     “Where are
we?” I asked in awe.

     “The ARC
Grotto,” replied Sacra. “The church above us used to be near a body of water
known as the Hudson River. During the Great World War, buildings and earth
formations were destroyed. And when the nuclear reactor detonated, the entire
river dried. Over the years, this grotto naturally formed and has housed the
ARC’s home base.”

     I looked
closer on the ground and noticed there were familiar-looking shells lying
between the pebbles and rocks, reflecting rainbows. I bent down and reached out
for one. It magically flew into the palm of my hand. Rubbing it in between my
fingers, I tried to place where I had seen those shells before.

     “Your
blouse,” said Glinda, smiling down at me.

     Still
crouched, I held the shell up to my blouse and realized that it matched the
buttons on the shirt my mother had given to me earlier that day.
Was it
still the same day that all of this had happened?

     “My
mother’s been here before?” I asked, searching Rider’s face for answers.

     “Yes. When
we spoke to her prior to your Oculation, she met us here. She’s been here a few
times before as well. Simply to update us on your livelihood.”

     I nodded
and stood, pocketing the seashell that rested in my hand.

     “Let’s keep
moving,” said Rider, offering his arm.

     Sacra and
Glinda lifted up and flew across the pool, landing on the opposite beach in the
grotto. Rider again lifted me into his arm and transported us across as well.
Upon landing, he took the lead in showing us down the torch-lit passageway.

     We arrived
in front of a large metal door with the acronym
A.R.C.
engraved in
large, cursive letters across the middle.

     “What does
A.R.C.
stand for?” I asked.

     “Angels
Resource Center,” answered Sacra. “It holds our technological databases,
weaponry and combat center, and our security camera feeds from across Terredome
and other locales.”

     “And it has
my favorite amenity,” said Glinda excitedly, eyelashes blinking rapidly.

     “What’s
that?” I asked her.

     “The ATS.
Angel Transport System. Some places around the world are a little too far to
fly to, so we have pods that transport us instantaneously from one location to
another.”

     “Oh I see.”
I lied, unable to imagine how such a device could possibly exist.

     Rider
stepped in front of the door and removed his sword from its scabbard. He swung
the sword around his head once and pointed it at the acronym, all while
speaking in a foreign tongue.

     “Angelus Rider
por la resistenta,” he said.

     “What did
he say?” I whispered to Sacra.

     “Angel
Rider for the resistance,” she replied, smiling at him.

     Steam
hissed and poured out from the sides of the giant door. We all instinctively
took a step back right as it began to lift open. Glinda giggled and clapped happily
from my left and skipped through the doorway. Sacra followed, with me right
behind and Rider bringing up the rear. After he stepped through, he activated a
panel switch causing the door to slide down, closing us in.

     We were in
the ARC’s main lobby. The entire structure was a massive half-circle. Forty
doors total sat on each wall to my left and right. Most were unmarked, while
others had signs such as “Treatment Department” and “Garments.” Against the
wall directly across from us, at about three hundred feet away, sat seven glass
round elevators, encased in glass shafts. The ceiling was decorated with five
large chandeliers, sending crystal light everywhere throughout the lobby. Large
murals of skeletal samurai angels in the midst of battle were covering the
walls. They were eerily smiling as they fought various beasts in the murals. Angels
of all colors were bustling around the lobby. I closed my eyes and opened them
again, thinking I was dreaming. Some angels were like Sacra, monochromatic in
color. Others emitted a color different than their wings. Some even had skin of
various colors. One angel had light green skin, with ombré wings that gradually
shaded from pink to white. What was common among everyone was that they were
vibrant in color. Not one was dark or dull in any way.

     “Oh my. Oh
my.” I repeated myself numerous times, once again at a loss for words.

     “Enlightening,
isn’t it?” asked Rider.

     “This is
unbelievable.”

     “It’s only
an inkling as to what’s at large,” he said ominously.

In the center of
the lobby was a circular crystal welcome desk. Behind it stood a young angel, who
seemed to be just a few years older than myself. He had caramel colored skin
and beautiful crimson wings fluttering behind his shoulders. As we approached
the desk, I couldn’t help but reach out toward his wings.

     “Cool,
huh?” asked the angel.

     “They are absolutely
beautiful,” I replied in awe. I looked at him, curious. “You sound young, but
after today’s revelations, I can’t be so sure.”

     “Take a
guess,” he laughed.

     “Are you
twenty?”

     “Ha! Try
again, older.”

     “Thirty-five?”

     “Higher.”

     “Ninety?”

     He shook
his head and laughed. “Nope. Try two hundred and four.”

     My mouth
dropped in astonishment. “You’re kidding!” I exclaimed.

     “You both
are making me feel incredibly old,” laughed Rider.

     “Sorry,” I
blushed.

     “My name’s
Ace,” said the angel, extending his hand toward me.

     “Sol,” I
replied, shaking his hand.

     “Oh I know
who you are.” He turned to Rider. “They both arrived a little while ago and are
in your quarters.”

     “Thank you,
Ace,” replied Rider. “This way.” He motioned for us to follow him.

     We walked
toward one of the glass elevators and stepped in. Rider faced a monitor secured
on the inside of the elevator. A blue beam scanned his face, followed by a
short beep. The elevator then began to move upward.

     “Where are
your quarters?” I asked while surveying the lobby as it became smaller beneath
us.

     “The penthouse,”
he replied.

     “But I
assumed you were all in hiding. How could you live so close to rooftop?”          

     “We have
precautions in place to help mask our presence here.”

     “Like
what?”

     “A special
angelic task force, with protective powers and the like.”

     “Did you
just say ‘powers’?” I asked, eyes widening.

     “Yes. You
will understand shortly.”

     The
elevator came to a stop and its doors swished open. We entered an alcove with
an ornately decorated door. A solid gold doorknocker hung in the middle, shaped
like an eagle with the ring in its beak. As Rider stepped toward the door, it
opened at once and we followed him in. In his living room, I could see how
lavishly he lived. The wall facing the side of the building was made entirely
of glass windows. Now dusk, the sun setting in the distance cast a warm glow
around the room. I could see that we were on a remote island, far from
Terredome. Plush black sofas made an L-shape in the middle of the room,
surrounding a gold-trimmed glass table. On it sat figurines of various angels. Underneath
lay a crimson rug with gold trim and tassels. To the right sat the kitchen with
an open layout. The island separating the living room from the kitchen held
several bowls with assorted fruits and vegetables. Two platters sat next to the
bowls with freshly baked pastries. Sacra and Glinda both made their way toward
the kitchen. Just as Rider began to follow them, I sensed a movement to my left
and turned. There stood my mother and Luke.