I rub my forehead in annoyance. “Okay. I think it’s time we started the Angel one-o-one class, so that I can be let in on all of these little pitfalls that I keep stumbling into,” I say in exasperation, as I pace the room. “Because now, I have to worry if the chair in the next room is really a chair and not some evil angel waiting for me to sit down in it so it can kill me.”
“Evie, we have to transform into something animate. Chairs are safe,” she says, chuckling at me.
I put my hands on my hips and glare at her amused face. “Yeah, great, so you’re saying every bug I see could be a threat though.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about bugs unless you see a horde of them. Then you can worry. If you noticed, I turned into a swarm of butterflies, not just one.”
“So scale is important?” I ask.
“Yes,” she replies. “And about the Angel one-o-one thing…” Buns says in a tentative voice.
“What about it?” I ask, my tone suspicious.
“Well, we all had a discussion about what to tell you and what not to tell you. Reed made a point and I think he’s right that we can’t just go blurting out all the secrets of Paradise and Sheol to you. There are laws which forbid us to reveal things to humans, and since you’re part human and have a soul, we have to be careful,” she says as she watches my face darken. “Don’t get me wrong, once their side slips and reveals something, I’m all about explaining it to you. Here’s the thing: if your soul does leave your body—I want to make sure it gets into Paradise because I can’t bear the thought that I’ll never see you again.” Her voice has a catch in it when she says, “I’m not heading into the negotiations for your soul having tipped the scales in their favor because I revealed something to you that allows you not to act on faith.”
“Buns, I have wings sticking out of my back, what more proof is there?” I ask her gravely.
She smiles at this and replies, “You could just be a freak and I could be lying to you about everything.”
“Well, I know I’m a freak, but I’m pretty sure this is all real,” I reply.
“Exactly. You’re pretty sure… but you don’t know. So you have faith that God exists and that I am a divine angel and that’s the part we want to preserve,” she says. “I’m not letting you suffer in Sheol because I said too much. But, I love it when Alfred messes up, then I can tell you so much more,” she smiles conspiratorially.
“That’s not fair, Buns,” I say, not wanting to see her point.
“I know, just think how I feel. I have all these secrets I want to tell you but I can’t. It’s really hard,” she replies with agitation over having to keep it all in.
I know I have to let her off the hook because I remember how it felt when I wasn’t able to tell Russell what was going on just a month ago. Was it really only a month? It feels like years—like I was younger then and now I feel so much older—at times I feel ancient, like none of this is new to me.
“Do you think they’ll get him?” I whisper, and I realize a part of me wants Alfred dead so badly that nothing short of his annihilation will suffice. I want his blood; I want to avenge my uncle. Then there is the other part of me that still can’t reconcile the fact that, because of me, Reed is now at risk while he hunts for Alfred. Even though they all say that the risks are minimal, I still feel a nagging fear that something could happen to him and I will lose him forever.
Buns shrugs. “I don’t know, sweetie.”
“Do you think it’s safe now? I want to pack so that we can leave if they get back tonight,” I say, walking toward the bathroom door.
“Sweetie, do you think Reed is going to let you go now?” Buns asks, looking sheepish.
“We have to go, Buns! I have to get out of here,” I say in desperation. “I can’t sit in my room after what just happened staring at the walls and wondering when Alfred’s going to finally get me,” I add, turning the handle of the bathroom door. I step out of the bathroom right into the arms of Reed. He looks sad; his face is a mask of regret.
“He will never get you—please trust me that I will never allow him to get you,” Reed says by my ear.
“Reed, I didn’t know you were out here…are you okay? What’s wrong?” I ask because he is holding me so tight that I’m sure something else has happened. “Where’s Zee, is he okay?” I add with panic seeping into my tone.
“He’s fine. Alfred got away,” he says, sounding as if he is choking on the words. I exhale the breath, grateful that everyone I love is safe.
“Okay…so we’re all fine then,” I say in relief.
“I’m not okay,” Reed replies, and I instantly panic again. I hadn’t seen any wounds on him, but maybe I missed something. I am about to have a complete freak out when he says, “How did the possessed one get by me?”
I sigh, “Oh, well, that was my fault because I didn’t know that the compact that Freddie… I mean Alfred gave me for my birthday is really a portal thingy. I guess when I opened the lid, I let it in.” I feel guilty for what I’d done, even though I had no idea I was doing it.
Reed releases me before he retrieves the compact and box from the counter. Looking around for Buns, so that she can help me explain, she has already left the room.
“This is it?” Reed asks in an angry voice that he never uses with me anymore. Flinching a little, I lean up against the doorjamb of the bathroom and nod. “Did he ever give you anything else?” he asks, still not very much in control of his anger. Paling, I shake my head no. Reed crushes the compact into a very small piece of metal in his hand. The box goes next.
I flinch, saying, “I’m sorry, I never thought such things existed— I mean, maybe in fairytales, but not in real life. I wasn’t keeping it from you. I just noticed it in my closet. It fell down off the shelf when I went to get my suitcase…” I’m babbling, but I can’t stop. “I’m just stupid, that’s all. I just don’t think and I can’t seem to stop doing really stupid things…” I have to stop talking because Reed covers my mouth with his index finger. I scan his face to see if my attempt at an apology has had any effect on him.
He still looks angry to me when he says, “This is not your fault. This is my fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen when you opened it. I’m sure it never occurred to you that a demon would jump out of it and try to strangle you. Please do not call yourself stupid again,” he finishes, removing his finger from my mouth. He turns and walks to the door of my room, calling over his shoulder, “Get packed. We’re getting out of here.”
It only takes me a half-hour to pack up what I’ll need for our trip to the ski resort. Reed and Zephyr decide that taking two cars is a better idea than going in just one. Buns and Zephyr will take the lead in the black Range Rover. Reed and I will trail them in the red Range Rover I had gotten for Christmas. I guess the strategy is that one car can always divert the enemy away as a decoy, while the other sneaks away with me safely inside.
Reed tosses the keys to me after he loads my luggage in the hatch. I catch them and look at him questioningly for a brief moment, before I smile and rush to the driver’s side, sliding into the seat. Buckling my seatbelt, I start the engine and it purrs to life with quiet menace when I touch my foot to the accelerator. Adjusting the rearview mirror, I see the reflection of my eyes in it. They’re almost clear again; there are only traces of red in the corners. I breathe a sigh of relief that I don’t still look like a freak show. Shifting my chin, I move the scarf I have wrapped around my neck a little to the side to see if my neck looks better. That’s subjective; the bruises are now a faded yellowish color. I pull my scarf back up to hide the marks from sight. Reed sits unsmiling in the passenger seat, watching me.