Rebirth - The Beautiful Fallen (18 page)

             
“You can blame Saffron all you want for that, but it was your fault too you know.  I’ve seen pieces of it now, and I know what happened before with the two of you.” I said as I rubbed my face.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was still scared stupid of him.  But I wasn’t ready to back down either at the moment.  He wasn’t pinning all of the blame on Saffron.  There was no way in hell that I was going to let him do that.  It seemed pretty stupid of me, considering the fact that he was obviously much more powerful than I was, but a part of me just felt very loyal to Saffron somehow.

             
Jade just smiled though.  “And you’d be right.  I’m certain you’ve gotten to see a lot of things now through that little ability of yours.  And I’m sure he’s using whatever means he has to his advantage.  After all, in the end, our children are always the most loyal to us.  We did create their lives.” He said.

             
“Didn’t you have somewhere else you needed to be now?” Chris interrupted.  By then, he’d definitely seemed to have had enough.  In fact, I could feel the tension in the air getting thicker.  That couldn’t have been good.

             
“I did.  But I’m not quite ready to leave just yet.  Just have some patience for once in your life.  I know you’re more than ready to have me gone.  But I have a few things that I wanted to do here first.” Jade replied, still seeming unconcerned about the hostile attitude his son was giving him.

             
Chris just turned his head away.  I had the distinct feeling that he was beyond disgusted now about all of this.  But I also felt a bit puzzled too.  Recalling the visions I’d had, Jade had taken care of him as a child.  In fact, I’d dare say that he’d been almost loving towards him.  What in the world could’ve driven this rift between them when they were once fairly close?

             
Near us, Zane looked over at Jade once again.  “So, are you staying for breakfast then Jade?” he asked, actually sounding a bit more polite.  Although I did believe that I could hear a little bit of sarcasm mixed in there.

             
“No.  I actually do have somewhere to be now.  But I figured I’d take my time.” Jade told him.  He then looked back at me.  “And I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon enough little girl.  But for now, make sure you learn more about yourself and what you come from.  You’re going to need all the power you can get soon enough.”

             
I didn’t mistake those words.  It was the same thing Saffron had been saying.  Apparently, something big was gearing up to come at us.  That was why Saffron had wanted me to awaken sooner.  That was why he’d forced it.  And somehow, I couldn’t help but think that Jade knew more about it then he was willing to tell me.

             
And with that, Jade stepped back and disappeared quickly in a wisp of thick black smoke.  The cold feeling in the room lifted immediately, along with the heaviness.  Once again, he was completely gone.  I was actually thankful for that one.

             
“Well, that didn’t last long.” Zane commented..

             
“He just came here to annoy me over her.  He knew I’d be here, and no matter what he says, he wanted to see Ariana in person.” Chris said.

             
“Well, maybe you should make it a point to speak to him a little bit more when he comes looking for you.  You know he’s been wanting to talk to you for several years now.  Besides, you know about how Jade is when it comes to the subject of Saffron.  No matter what he says or does, he just can’t leave anything to do with him alone.” Zane said, shaking his head slightly.

             
“He could’ve seen me anytime he wanted to.  He only wanted to have me come to him.  It’s always about playing into his games.” Chris replied.

             
“Wow, you two really
don’t
get along, do you?” I noted.

             
“They haven’t gotten along for quite some time now.  You could say that strong personalities tend to clash.” Zane said, flashing me a quick smile.

             
“Leave it.” Chris ordered.

             
“Now, don’t go taking this out on me again.  It is what it is.  Besides, don’t you think you should be a little nicer around our young lady here?” Zane said, bringing over some food for him as well.

             
“There’s nothing wrong with how I’m acting.  You and Will both know that.” Chris replied.

             
“So you say.” Zane said, sounding unconvinced.

             
Once again, I had the distinct feeling that there was something I was missing just slightly in the conversation.  But I decided to leave it alone.  Instead, I found myself thinking about what Jade had said as I ate.  “So it sounds like it’s going to be really bad this time, doesn’t it?” I said, feeling a bit worried.

             
“It’s hard to tell.  They haven’t come at us in so long that I think we’ve gotten a bit lax.  That might not be a good thing.” Zane admitted.

             
“We both know that it is what it is.  We can’t avoid them coming after us, no matter how much time passes.  The important thing right now is to be ready for it when it happens.  The fact is that even they don’t know what he’s planning this time.  It’s that unknown that’s got everybody on edge.” Chris said.

             
“So who are you talking about anyways?  Was it one of those angels you told me about before?” I asked him.

             
“Actually, he’s the leader of the group.  There’s only a certain faction of angels that hunt Shadow Wings.  But they have a pretty powerful leader.  I’ve only seen him once, and when I did, I just got lucky that Jade happened to be around to drive him back.  If he hadn’t been, I probably would’ve been killed with the others they’d found there.  He’s ruthless when it comes to getting rid of us.  He even puts some of the Fallens to shame with how dangerous he can be and some of the methods he’s used in the past.  He doesn’t hesitate with anything on this, and that includes killing humans who try to shield us.” Chris admitted.

             
“It’s been such a long time though.  I thought he might have finally given it up with the clans coming about.  I’ve even heard of rumors that he was highly opposed to them as well.” Zane noted.

             
“Well, there was also nothing he could do about them. It was an approved plan.  But I’m sure that it did give him enough to go back after us.  They won’t care if he comes after the rest of us again.” Chris said.

             
“It still isn’t right though.  If there are clans, then what’s the real difference between us and them?  It’s still a combination of human and angel, right?” I said.

             
“Well, unfortunately for us, it’s not quite that simple.  Their leaders are not corrupted and fallen.  Ours are.” Zane replied.

             
“But it doesn’t make that much of a difference for us ourselves.  Besides, none of us asked to be born like this.” I reasoned.  Again, I thought of Faith Kent.  In a way, I kind of blamed her for my existence then.  She knew what Saffron was.  And she knew having me would kill her.  Just what could she ever have thought she was leaving me with?

             
Zane smiled slightly at my words, bowing his head.  “That is true.  None of us asked for this existence.  But we’ve always just made the best out of it.  We don’t really spend much time worrying about being hunted down, or even the ones that we came from.  If they choose to be part of our lives, it’s fine.  And if they don’t, it’s fine too.  Either way, our kind manages to survive in the shadows, just as many other things do.” He said.

             
Chris set back a little.  “Speaking of, it may be better if we started preparing her more for all of this.  As much as any of us hate admitting it, Jade does have a point that we won’t always be around.  It would be in her best interest if we taught her how to take care of herself now.” He said as he stood himself back up.

             
“It may still be a little too early for that Christoff.  After all, she did just wake up, and she’s still getting used to her wings.” Zane reasoned as we watched Chris walk over to the kitchen doorway.

             
“Doesn’t matter.  Things are what they are.  You always have to remember that.  So make sure she rests today, and we’ll get started first thing tomorrow morning.” Chris ordered.

             
I just watched him as he walked back out.  He seriously was not thinking of just leaving me there like that right now.  After the last few days, that was the last thing I needed from him.  Quickly, I pushed my chair back and got up to follow him.  Zane didn’t say anything as did this.  I guess he was kind of expecting it.  Maybe they would all be expecting more out of us in the end.  Looking back now, I’m almost certain of it.

             
But at the time, I was more than determined to put a certain Shadow Wing in his place.  I didn’t care if he was supposed to be so powerful, or considered to be the prince of our kind.  To me, he would always just be Chris.  “Hey, you are not just leaving me like this.” I said as I caught up with him.

             
Chris turned back around, actually looking a little bit surprised.  “I didn’t say I was going anywhere.  All I’m saying is that you’d better start preparing for anything that might show up, and we needed to start teaching you how to fight back.” He clarified.

             
“Okay, fine, I get that.  But seriously, I just got these wings.  I’ve been through hell in the last week.  What do you expect me to do now?  Just take whatever I can get from you?” I argued.

             
“Actually, it’s only been two days.” Chris corrected me.

             
“I don’t care how long it’s been.  It’s been long enough to make me feel lost, and now you’re just saying that I need to learn how to fight back and walk away from me?  Do you really think that’s fair?” I asked him.  I jumped a little as my wings suddenly burst back out.  It didn’t hurt or anything, but it sure as hell scared me.  I couldn’t help but look down in defeat.  How was I supposed to do anything when this kept happening?

             
Chris just shook his head as he walked over in front of me.  “Don’t let yourself get too worked up right now, or that’s going to keep happening.  You don’t want to rip your back up with it either.  Trust me, it can happen if you’re not careful.” He told me.

             
“And you really think that I’m going to be able to fight off any angels now?” I had to ask him.  I felt the tears sting the back of my eyes.  This was so not right.  I could hardly control these wings.  How was I supposed to know how to fight back against angels or anything else for that matter?

             
To my surprise, Chris pulled me close and hugged me.  I felt myself tense up slightly at first, then relax.  This felt so familiar now.  Once again, I was reminded of our time at that motel.  He’d comforted me like this then too.  It made me wonder if maybe he did feel a little bit more for me after all.  “Stop worrying so much.” He whispered.  “I promised you before that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, and I’m always true to my word.  So calm down and just trust me.  I have no intentions of leaving you behind. ”

             
I felt myself nod.  “Okay.  But I don’t know what I can do.  I don’t know how to fight back like this.” I admitted, finally pulling myself back to look at him.

             
“I told you, you don’t need to worry about it.  That’s why we’re going to do this.  We’re going to start teaching you so that you can defend yourself and eventually learn how to fight back.  Besides, didn’t you tell me once before that you were tired of being helpless?” Chris asked me.

             
“Yeah.” I sighed.

             
Chris just ran his hand through my hair.  “Let yourself get some more rest for now, and we’ll start first thing tomorrow morning.  And don’t worry.  You’ll figure it out pretty quick.  Just give yourself a chance.” He reassured me.

             
Maybe, in the end, I was missing the big picture as to what really drove Chris to find me.  But standing there in that moment and staring up at him, I don’t think I really cared.  As long as he was there, I just felt safe.  And I wanted this feeling to last, especially with what I was certain was coming.  The ominous feeling from the shadows remained deep within me.

             
I just hoped it didn’t come too soon.

Seven

              The next two weeks would end up passing almost in the blink of an eye.

             
Standing out there in that clearing in the woods near Zane’s home, I couldn’t help but reflect on that as I watched Chris and Will training together.  It was mid-morning, and we’d been out there for almost two hours by then.  I couldn’t really complain too much though.  After all, I think that by then, I was kind of getting used to all of this.  But then again, I think I was finally starting to come to accept a lot of things too.  Namely, where I had come from and what I’d finally become.  Maybe I wasn’t completely human anymore, but somehow, that actually felt okay.  I was around others who were exactly like me.  For the first time ever in my life, I didn’t feel so out of place.  I was finally free to be what I was meant to be.

             
But unfortunately, I knew with this knowledge of who I was and where I’d come from that I was also very much endangered.

             
This, of course, was why we’d started with all of this training.  Chris was more than determined that I would learn how to fight, and how to defend myself.  I really couldn’t argue with that either.  I wanted to be able to do that.  I didn’t want to rely on him all the time.  Or Zane or Will for that matter.  However, even standing there, I was having to admit that they certainly didn’t go easy on me.  In fact, a part of me was becoming convinced that perhaps my so called new friends were actually trying to kill me with all of this.  Chris especially didn’t go easy on any training with me.  Or with anyone else for that matter.  Even now, as I watched him and Will, I found myself wondering how in the world any of us were supposed to win against him.  Chris was a natural born fighting machine, able to manipulate his energy and the energy around him into any kind of weapon he chose.  And he was very, very strong.  Especially when he brought out those beautiful black wings.

             
Of course Will, on the other hand, had proven time and time again that he wasn’t a pushover either.  In fact, I had the distinct feeling by then that he and Chris may have even been stronger then Zane.  But then again, sometimes I also had the feeling that Zane wasn’t really trying that hard with them either.  Watching Will bring up another wall of flames around him, I couldn’t help but to take him in for a moment.  It was odd, but there was something about Wilhelm Marcos that just seemed a little bit different then Chris or Zane.  I couldn’t put my finger on what it was though.  Even looking at him now, I just somehow felt it.  So I was finding myself studying him a lot whenever I was around him.

             
Will really wasn’t that different in basic looks then the other two were when I thought about it.  He probably had the most powerful eyes, but other than that, he really just looked like a really good looking guy.  He was a bit smaller in build and height then Chris, although not by much, and in the dancing shadows of the morning sunlight through the leaves, his hair looked as black as the darkest night.  His black wings matched the color of that hair as well.  Glancing back over at Chris, I found myself unconsciously comparing them.  And I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.  I didn’t know when it started, but lately, I was finding myself thinking about how beautiful Chris really was.  Everything about him just seemed so perfect to me anymore, at least in looks.  His attitude most of the time left a lot to be desired.  Chris was very blunt and to the point most of the time, and didn’t really hesitate to tell us what he thought.  In a way, I didn’t really like that.  Somehow, it felt like he acted differently around Zane and Will then he did towards me.  Although he still didn’t seem that open with me like he’d slightly been during our stay at that motel.  All in all, I just didn’t get him myself.  His actions just made him that much more of an enigma to me.

             
“All right, I’ll concede this one Chris.  I’m worn down.” Will finally admitted, holding his hands up.

             
Chris stood back and relaxed, the bow and arrow he’d formed disappearing in a quick flash again.  “Good enough.  I warned you that I wasn’t going easy on you.” He said.

             
“No kidding.  You never do go easy on us.” Will replied.  I watched as he ran a hand through his black hair.  He actually looked like he’d worked up a little bit of a sweat now.  But then again, I think we all had.  It was getting hot out there.

             
Chris glanced up at the trees for a moment.  “We’ll get in one more time before we head back.  The heat’s starting to set in.” he said.

             
“So you really think we need to continue just a little longer?  I thought we’d all been through this enough this morning.” Zane noted.  He was sitting on a downed tree near me with his cheek against his hand.  I watched as he played with the collar of his tee shirt.  No doubt he was starting to feel some of the heat too.

             
“I just want one more time with Ariana.  I think I’ve let her off too easy today.” Chris replied.

             
“What are you talking about?  You’ve been just as hard on me as everyone else.  And I’m hot.” I complained, crossing my arms.

             
“Don’t start giving me excuses.” Chris said, sounding a little exasperated now.  I couldn’t help but shake my head a little as I looked at him though.  Too damn hot.  I needed somehow to make myself get over this.  There was no way I’d ever be able to stand up to him when I kept having thoughts like this.

             
Will just shook his head, then walked over to me.  “You know, I’ve told you before that you really have no way with women Chris.” He said as he looked back over at him.

             
“Don’t start that shit again….” Chris started.

             
“Just hear me out.” Will interrupted.  He flashed me a quick smile.  “Why don’t we make it worth her while to give in to your little demand here?”

             
Oh boy, I thought.  Will’s planning something again.  This really wasn’t that unusual now for Will.  I’d noticed it in the last week I’d been there.  He had a way with him about getting others to do the things he wanted.  Especially when it came to Chris.  He always seemed to find a way to convince Chris to do just about anything.  Hell, he’d even done it to me here and there.  He was a very smooth talker.

             
Chris just looked at him for a moment, then seemed to concede.  “Fine.  I’ll listen.” He said.

             
I looked back up at Will as he spoke.  “It’s really a simple thing, if Ariana will agree to it.  All you need to test her on right now is whether she’d able to defend decently enough.  If she does, then you have to take her out for an afternoon and treat her to dinner and whatever else she wants.  If she doesn’t, then I’ll take her out this evening and train her until she’s able to defend against you.”

             
“Will…” I started.  Although I’ll admit that a part of me liked the idea of a date with Chris, I really wasn’t too keen on Will training me himself.  I just had a bad feeling about doing something like that with him.

             
“Don’t worry about it.  I won’t really make you train more.  Just give him the bait.” I heard him whisper in my ear.  I had to wonder now if all three of them were mind readers and just not telling me.  They always caught on super quick to what I was thinking.

             
Still, I sucked it up.  I had to make my choice now.  Slowly, I felt myself nod.  “Okay.  No problem.  I can do that.” I agreed.

             
Chris was quiet for a moment.  It seemed like he was maybe thinking it over.  “Fine.  I guess we can do that.  But I’m not going easy on her.” He finally said.

             
Will shrugged.  “Wouldn’t expect you to.” He said.

             
I think we both kind of knew that Chris was lying.  He never was as hard on me as he was on Zane and Will.  Still, walking out there, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit nervous.  I never liked facing Chris.  And I think it was more because of how I’d come to feel about him.  After all, I wasn’t stupid about all of this.  I really did like Chris, no matter how arrogant or strange he could be.  He was the one who had found me, the one who protected me through thick and thin, more than anyone else.  Fighting against him just didn’t sit right.

             
I didn’t have a lot of time to think about this though.  Instead, I watched as he quickly brought back out the bow and arrow.  I reacted quickly as the first arrow came at me, throwing up my hand and raising up my flames around me.  Thankfully, they were enough to stop the arrows.  But I also knew that Chris was far from done yet.  Another thing about him was that he was extremely fast.  I’d learned that very quickly, and immediately made sure to move my hand upwards.  It was right in time too, because he was already there.  My blast of black flame sent him flying back, although he easily landed in a back slide near me.  I didn’t miss the smile on his face as he did.  “Now that's more like it.  You’re actually starting to follow your instincts more.” He said, standing himself back up.

             
“Maybe you’re being predictable.” I said, though I hoped I wouldn’t regret those words.

             
But Chris just shrugged his shoulders.  “Maybe, but I doubt it.  I’ll gladly take that and call it a day though.  It’s getting too hot out here for anymore.” He replied.

             
“Looks like you owe our little lady here a date.” Will said, smiling at him.

             
“Yeah, yeah.  I’ll take her next Friday.” Chris said.  He seemed like he was trying to sound put out as he walked by him, but I also detected a hint of something else in his voice.  It almost sounded like he was happy over this.  And I found myself wondering if maybe he’d just intentionally thrown that one.

             
Still, I couldn’t really complain either as I came to think about this in the next week.  In fact, I began to get excited.  I was actually getting a date with Chris.  Although I couldn’t really ask him about where he’d take me or anything, considering I was still far too timid about anything like that, I did start looking forward to it.  I'd even got myself up early that Friday morning to get ready.  Looking through my closet, I couldn’t help but shake my head at all of the clothes that were in there now.  I’d gone shopping with Zane the day after I woke up, and he’d ended up buying me a lot.  It was funny for me to think back on that day.  Baton Rouge was a very different place, especially when you were someone like me.  As it turned out, there were a whole lot of different things living around there.  Yet, they walked among humans as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and regular people couldn’t even tell them apart.  It made me wonder if this was why Zane had chosen Baton Rouge for his home.  Because no one would notice him that much for all the “different” people.

             
Still, I found that I had to make myself come back to the present as I stood there.  I needed something nice to wear for this date.  If anything, I wanted to maybe prove myself to Chris.  How, I wasn’t that sure.  Maybe I could just look beautiful enough to knock him off of his feet, unlike I was ever able to do in our training sessions.  As I thought this though, I began to feel the pendant around my neck grow warm.  Looking down, I had the distinct impression that Saffron was laughing at me.  I sighed, walking back over to the bed and sitting down.  “Are you spying on me again?” I asked him.

             
By this time, I had come to accept that Saffron was able to at least communicate with me through this Heretic Stone.  In fact, he’d started doing it a lot in the past two or three days.  I found that I was spending late nights now talking to him through it.  We seemed to talk about everything in that time, although he tended to avoid the subject of Jade or the hunts on the Fallen Children.  Instead, we spoke of my day, and how I would get along with Chris and the others.  He’d even tell me a little bit about where he was, although it didn’t seem like there was much for him to say there.  Apparently, he was being kept in a type of isolation by the ruler of Hell as punishment.  He admitted that it didn’t really bother him that much though.  He always found things to do.  I didn’t dare ask what those things were.  I really didn’t want to know.  But he admitted that he was much happier now that he was able to finally speak to me.  It was something he couldn’t do until I had gotten my wings.  This made me seriously wonder if he’d forced that just because he wanted me back, at least in a sense.  After all, he did come off as very selfish and possessive when we’d talk at times….

             
“Yes, I am.  You’re thinking far too much into this my darling.  He’s already extremely attracted to you.  You need not worry about that.” Saffron replied.

             
“So you say.  But I don’t know that for sure.  Half the time, I never know what Chris is thinking.” I admitted.  I frowned slightly to myself as I looked into the mirror of the vanity across from me.  I knew I was beautiful, but somehow, I still didn’t quite feel it when I was around him.

             
“Come now.  You know I gave you a very beautiful face.  Any one of these boys in this house would love to have a chance with you.  Especially that other one.” Saffron said.