Everlong: (Book One of the Everlong Trilogy) (3 page)

'You have interfered in things which do not concern you.'

The fine fingers of a breeze stirred my hair, making me shudder, but I knew this was no breeze, but Death Herself.

'I hope,' She said, in little more than a whisper, 'she was worth it.’

Unseen lips brushed against my cheek and my body automatically reacted; my breathing became shallow, my pulse quickened as a strange heat coursed through me. My head fell forwards in shame.

'Mmmm, she smells divine; like amaranth, cherry blossom and white roses drowning in a sea of angel's tears.' She bit out the last few words like they were poison. ‘She has affected you deeply; she has been under your skin for a very long time.'

I stood still and silent, like the statues lining the portico.

She continued. 'Will you not speak to your Mistress Josh, will you not dispute this or even plead for your life?’

'Why? My fate's already been decided.'

‘Even now you think about her.’

‘She's always in my mind.’

'I find it curious that, one that should not feel at all, loves so deeply.'

Death let her cloak of invisibility fall to the ground and stepped into the light. She was breathtakingly beautiful, glowing like the stars in the night's sky, her porcelain skin flawless.

‘But what happens when I take your life Josh? Who will be there to save her then?'

Her noxious words hit their target, falling hard into the pit of my stomach, a lead coffin dropped into its burial pit. She knew every part of me, every weakness. There was no place to hide.

'You have upset the balance of things and now your life is forfeit. You have sacrificed your life for hers, and yet, she still might try and take her own life again. Such a waste, don't you think?'

Death swept in front of me, taking my chin in her delicate hand, forcing me to look into her eyes. A smirk played across her lips. 'Tears Josh?' she mocked, 'for a mortal soul?'

I wrestled my face from her hand.

'Does it hurt Josh? Does it feel as though your heart has been torn in two?' She ran Her hand over my cheek, its iciness biting deep into my skin. 'This is what happens when you meddle in matters that do not concern you.'

I couldn't reply; there were no more words left.

'Is it too much? Shall I end it now?'

She moved behind me and wrapped her frigid arms around my body, sheathing me in Her darkness. I felt the touch of Her wintry lips on the back of my head.

This was it. I was ready to die.

'No?' She whispered, 'Do you still cling on to the thought of her?' She let her arms fall from me. 'Would you like to see her again?'

'What do you want from me? Just kill me.'

Death now stood before me, her white gown swelling around her like waves in a storm. 'Do not be so bold as to question my authority!' She shrieked, although Her lips didn't move.

I was close to my end. For a few moments Her destructive face was clearly visible beneath Her porcelain skin, its surface now lined with fine but jagged cracks.

'If you like mortals so much,' She hissed, pointing Her finger at me, 'you can become one!'

Pain ripped through me as I was forced forwards onto my knees and onto the cold ground. Like a butterfly in a cruel boy's hands, my wings were forced open. The grey floor turned red as She plucked out my feathers. They fell, one by bloody one, like black tears.

The pain consumed me, making me beg, with words unspoken, for it to end.

Death finished stripping my wings bare, then stood up, towering over me with Her bloodied hands. 'Do not defy me again Josh,' she said, softly. She held up Her hands to show me the blood, 'Now look what you've made me do!' She sighed, wiping Her bloodied hands on her gown.

I couldn't move, fixed to the floor with fear and pain, a bloody, trembling mess.

'There is a way,' She said, stooping down to me, 'you can see her again, make sure she's alright.' She took my hand in Hers and gently raised me up.

I could barely stand, my legs were shaky, my skin clammy with blood and sweat.

'What? What sick game are you playing?' I asked, barely able to form the words.

'This is no game Josh, of that, I can assure you. You can go back and spend some more time with her.'

'Why? Why would you let me do that?' She saw the spark of hope dance across my eyes, heard the breath catch in my throat and She knew She had me in the palms of her hands.

'Of course, in return, you must do something for me...'

My fate was sealed. She had me caught in Her trap.

'What...what do I have to do?'

'Nothing too complicated. I only need you to find Hyperion, he seems to have disappeared.'

'Hyperion?'

Death nodded. 'Find him and remind him of his obligations here.' She turned and glided over to the edge of the Portico. 'Do you think you can manage that?' She said, looking out over the stinking waters of the Styx.

'But surely The Virtues know where he is?' I asked after Her.

'No, they are having trouble tuning in to his celestial music, something seems to be interfering with their instruments, and as you owe me...'

'But if the Virtues can't find him?' I asked, hobbling over to Her, my body still shaking with the memory of pain. I looked at the Styx as it boiled and whirled underneath the Portico, dragging with it the broken carcasses of ancient oaks and yews. In the distance, the twisted ruins of ancient temples lamented under the black sky, the roiling mist disfiguring their broken beauty.

'You'll find a way, I'm sure.' She held up a square of folded card, but did not look at me. 'This might be a good place to start. Hyperion was seen there, only a few days ago.'

I took the cream card in my hand but didn't open it.

'There are certain conditions, of course.'

'Conditions?' I looked up but She had already gone, absorbed back into the Never-ending darkness.

'Yes,' She said, from deep within it, 'your reprieve has certain caveats attached to it. You must never tell your mortal that you saved her the night she tried to take her own life-'

'But-'

'SILENCE!' screeched Death, as the stars seemed to snuff out, taking with them whatever light was left in the portico, 'You do not get to negotiate with me Josh! You can choose how you spend your time with her, but be warned, every second you spend in her presence will be filled with pain. You will feel like you are being pierced with a thousand swords every time you touch her. This is the punishment you must endure for your betrayal.'

'But-' I couldn't finish, the words stuck in my mouth as pain crippled me once more. My shoulder blades felt like they were being torn out as wings burst from my back, heavy and sticky and new-born. These new cumbersome wings, as black as Her darkness, pulled me backwards as they unfurled. They weren't mine, and felt strange, as though they belonged to another and I was just borrowing them.

'What...is...happening...to...me?'

'Oh,' mocked Death, 'did I forget to tell you that bit?' She cackled from somewhere deep inside the eternal darkness.

I shuddered as Her coldness attacked my burning body.

'From now on your wings will be hidden. If you need them, they will come, but not without causing you pain like you have never felt before.'

My vision blurred as the pain intensified, Her darkness closing around me. Defeated, I let it take me, let it soothe my pain.

Josh

I'd lain in the comforting arms of the dark for what seemed like an eternity before light imposed herself upon me, her long golden fingers caressing me like a long lost lover. My trembling body ached in a way that only a body that had been truly crippled with pain could ache, the memory of it held deep within my muscles.

I opened my eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light. I was lying on frozen dirt, the roots of a gnarled oak tree meandering around me like snakes, rough and hard and smothered in moss. I dragged myself off the floor, feeling grateful that Death hadn't left me completely naked, but had clothed me in black again, my dagger, Heaven's Will, still safely at my side. Not that anyone would see me - I was sure of that - even as a freak, Death would make sure I was concealed by the elements when I needed it.

Across from me, about thirty metres to the right, I could make out Evie's house, its white hoar-capped roof illuminated by the low morning sunshine. It almost felt like I hadn't been away at all, and yet, I knew time had passed; I felt it in the throbbing of my bones and the aching of my limbs.

I looked down at the folded card in my hand and then back to Evie's house. I knew why Death had left me here, but it didn't matter, I would not use my charms on Evie, even if it meant never being with her. Instead, I would wait it out - however long it took - just to see her one last time.

Then, and only then, I would face whatever torture awaited me.

The sun had fallen deep into the western horizon before I caught a glimpse of her. She emerged from the house under a pile of bags, and although my desire burned within me, I silently said goodbye to the girl I loved, the girl who would never know I existed. I would never come back, whatever Death thought.

Tendrils of physical pain uncoiled inside me, clawing their way into my heart.

I would never be close to her, would never touch her again.

Ever.

I turned away from her for the last time and unfolded the card in my hand. The spidery words on the card directed me to an address in Harlem, New York.

And without looking back, I took flight into the evening sky.

Evie

I woke the next day in my own bed, although I couldn't remember dragging myself off the kitchen floor, nor staggering up the stairs. There seemed to be great chunks of my life recently that I couldn't remember, that were a complete mystery to me.

But the demonic beast, that sapped my strength and devoured my feelings, was always present, but on some days I found the courage to fight back, to push those dark thoughts and feelings back deep within me. These days were a safe harbour in miles and miles of stormy ocean, a gift that had no rhyme or reason.

Today was such a gift, although it shouldn't have been - not after my "accident" - but I didn't question it, just clung onto it with trembling hands.

I showered, pulled on fresh underwear, a pair of jeans and a pink Hello Kitty tee-shirt. My hand was a little sore and red where I'd spilt the water on it but nothing too serious. I grabbed the first aid box from the bathroom, emptied the dregs of the antiseptic cream over it and bandaged it up before I made my way downstairs. I went straight into the kitchen - avoiding the chaos in the living room - and popped a pod in the coffee machine. The delicious smell of coffee infused the air as I rifled through the cupboards trying to find something not passed its sell-by-date for breakfast.

Cassie hadn't bothered to shop before she went on holiday on New Year's Eve and I hadn't because there wasn't much point, not when I didn't plan on being around.

My mind wandered back to that night, on the Old Bridge, but I resisted the temptation to linger there. Instead, I rejected those thoughts, forcing them back inside.

All I could find was a strawberry pop tart a month out-of-date, but it looked half edible so I ate it, before gulping down my coffee. Then I turned my attention to cleaning. I pulled my hair into a pony-tail and opened the door to the living room.

The stench of half-eaten pizza and stale beer was disgusting. I turned on my docked iPod and the Foo Fighters blasted out. Everlong, the last song I'd listened to before I...

I switched it up loud and turned my attention to the bottles of Bud and Becks that decorated the coffee table.

I shoved everything into bin liners and then vacuumed and dusted. By the time I had finished, the room was spotless, smelling only of polish and floral air freshener with no hint of whatever had happened in there. Not that I could remember any of it.

I raced upstairs - trying to keep myself busy, trying to ignore the beast in my gut, poking at my insecurities and anxieties - and threw my bedroom windows open wide. I grabbed the dirty bed clothes and felt something small fall from the pile. It hit my foot and then rolled onto the floor. I dropped the washing down on the edge of the bed and picked it up. It was a diamond earring about the size of a pin head.

I sat down on the edge of the mattress, twirling the square diamond in my hand. It wasn't mine, I knew that for sure, but whose was it?

There was only one person I knew that wore earrings as big and expensive as this.

Dexter.

My heart jumped.

Had he brought me back here?

I pictured his big brown eyes shining before me, imagined him saving me, bringing me home. Maybe he was the reason I wasn't lying at the bottom of the river.

Maybe he actually cared.