Wing It
A/N: Extreme apologies for swearing, steam, and horribleness of events in this uber long chappie.
Due to the steam/swearing in here, I give you a
Warning: RATED HIGH T+++
I'd just like to say...this is extremely disturbing. But it's nowhere near as disturbing as what happens to Catholic martyrs in China, for example, which is where the inspiration for the latter part of the chapter came from (I originally wrote Sable's part after reading The Secret Cardinal). I had an idea that ITEX would be sort of trying to get the US to follow China's footsteps, so that it can perform more open experiments and achieve its [Insert Uber-Evil Goal here]. By going communist/socialist or whatever, by stomping out all religion, by creating 'soulless' soldiers, destroying all hope, happiness, freedom, chocolate... You know, evil stuff.
Zachary is pretty much the poster child for ITEX. He's immoral, he's pretty much heartless, and he knows it. He's just plain messed up. Sometimes he does the right thing...when it pleases him...but most of the time, not so much. The "morality" that he teaches Luce is mostly correct...except that he puts no stock in it himself. Or he does, but then disregards it, and tells Luce that. For some reason. It's so weird, but that's this messed up guy for you.
Luce, however, thinks that that's probably the best way to go (being moral, I mean). He knows Zach isn't the best person, but Zach's his friend--and technically, savior.
And yes, I know that paragraph just introduced a bunch of weirdness and a new chari. Just read on.
And...Sable...is weird. In a bad way.
*Cough* Anyway.
Ana POV – Chapter 9 – The Dance
I looked over at Angel, who was sitting on one of the loft beds with Nudge, trying to brush Nudge's wild hair. Angel beamed down at me. "You look fine, Ana," she said cheerfully. "Try looking in a mirror!"
I turned around to face said mirror, and I kind of forgot that I needed to breathe. The girl that was staring out at me had her hair pulled back messily, but somehow it looked beautiful. It cascaded down her shoulders, strands coming out to fall into her eyes. Her shoulders were bare, but the dress in back covered up her large wings so well that it was as if she were just a normal girl. The fabric was dark and flowing, shorter in the front than in the back, and in the front it angled across her legs so that her right leg was revealed just a sliver more than her left. She was wearing flats, not heels, but they looked good and fit well.
Her arms weren't the skinny twigs that most supermodels had, and she actually had a shape that wasn't just a thin rod. She looked…dare I say it…gorgeous.
"Yes, you do!" Angel squealed. "And I think Trinity will finally admit that he likes you now! Oh, I'm such a genius."
"Yes, you are, Ange." I smiled at her shyly.
"Angel, we should be fashionistas when we get older!" Nudge gushed. "Oh Ana, you look so beautiful! Fang will love you!"
I sighed softly at their contradiction in names. "Well then, let's go catch up with them. Everyone else is already gone."
Angel shot up and slipped her delicate feet into her high heels. Nudge already had her shoes on. Together, we walked down the hall to meet Iggy, Gazzy and Kate. Mason was waiting on the porch, and when he saw us his eyes widened appreciatively. He whistled, his wings extending. "Wow, girls," he said. "You look all grown up."
Angel beamed and continued walking, appearing seventeen and not seven. Nudge followed, her hips swaying with every step. Their wings were completely hidden. "Hey boys!" Angel called, sounding a hell of a lot like Avril Lavigne.
Gazzy looked up and whistled like a hound dawg. "Is that my sister?" He said teasingly.
Angel giggled, her bangles jingling as she brushed her hair out of her face. "Come on, Iggs," she said and took the blind boy's arm. "Let's go to the car. You're my date." He laughed at her, and she smiled at him mischievously. "Humor me, brother."
"Come on, Gasman," Nudge said cheerfully. Together they skipped out. I walked out to the car with Beth, who was looking stunning in her own red dress. She smiled hesitantly, appearing just as shy as I was, and we got out into the car.
The drive to the dance wasn't silent at all. Between Iggy, Gazzy and Nudge's joking around, Beth's good natured teasing, and Angel's companionable chatter, there wasn't a dull moment. I wished, however, that it lasted once we got to the dance. Nudge and Gazzy took Iggy and disappeared into the crowded gym of swaying bodies. Angel and Beth stayed with me, plunging in to the dance with me in tow.
"There's Fang," Angel muttered in my ear. "I don't want him to see you first. Come on, where's Trin?"
"There he is," I shouted over the din. "He's with—"
"Max!" Angel's voice was almost betrayed. "No!"
Trinity and Max were practically entwined, dancing so closely that it was hard to tell where they became different bodies. It was a slow dance, but somehow they seemed to make it erotic and hot. Max had her arms so firmly locked around Trin's neck that it looked like she was strangling him. He, in turn, had his hands so tight on her hips it looked like he was crushing her to his body. They were hardly dancing… In fact, as we watched, Max tilted her head up to his and their lips crashed together in a steamy, quite obviously French kiss.
I felt like I was going to throw up. I hated the idea of French kissing on its own—but now it was just insanely…wrong. Trin and Max…
"Why don't they just go sleep together and get it over with?" I heard Nudge say in disgust from somewhere to my right. I felt my eyes beginning to water.
Angel's eyes were filled with fury. "I am going to kill her… She calls me disobedient…deceitful… The hypocrite!" She looked at me, practically crying herself. "You can go kiss Fang, I don't care anymore!" She ran off into the crowd, her long golden locks streaming behind her.
Beth sighed and looked torn. "She needs you more than I do," I said in the most earnest voice I could muster. She seemed dubious, but she and Nudge went to chase after Angel.
For a few moments I stood motionless, letting myself get buffeted by the sweaty teenage bodies around me. Then something clicked in my head and I began walking to the refreshment table. I picked up a cup of soda and swallowed it without tasting it.
Fang melted out of the shadows beside me. Wordlessly, I walked out into the empty parking lot. He followed.
"And now, winding it down again for the ladies' choice…"
Stupid DJ… I turned and looked up at Fang. He looked just as emotionally wrecked as I was.
"I could quote Shakespeare, or Edward Cullen. Who would you prefer? Both are equally depressing." He stepped closer, the dim orange light illuminating his gorgeous face.
I sighed and rested my face against his chest. "I'm already thoroughly depressed."
"I know, Ana…" His lean arms wrapped themselves loosely around my body, comforting in their warmth and strength. "You don't know how betrayed I feel… It feels like she ripped out my heart and stomped on it with her stilettos."
"Poetic." We were swaying to the slow, romantic song that was pouring out of the cafeteria doors, along with the good natured joking of the adults. We absently hid ourselves in the shadow of the red brick wall separating us from the rest of the student body. Students weren't supposed to leave the party unless they were leaving for the night; we were going to have to sneak back in. I absently wondered if Max and Trin would get in trouble for PDA, or purpling. Whichever slang you prefer. Either way, they probably wouldn't get in trouble. I doubt the adults even noticed.
My hands rested firmly on his chest. I could feel his faster-than-a-normal-human's heart fluttering under my right hand, and his air sacs inflate under my left. His left hand rested lightly on my waist, his right hand tangled in my hair, curled around my skull. We weren't pressed against each other so erotically like Trin and Max; we were just there, in each other's arms, seeking mutual comfort and love.
"Ana…" Fang hesitated, his lips beside my ear. "Ana, I love you."
I looked up at him, surprised. "What about all those confessions in the books? Were those real life scenes, or just…?"
"They were warped versions of the real things," he said quietly. "I never told her that I loved her. I don't think I do, romantically, anymore."
"What was that thing about 'tell me the true meaning of love'?"
"I'm still waiting for you. But Ana, I know it, so I can say it. And I want to say it, I want to scream it from the rooftops. I love you." His dark eyes met mine, completely and utterly serious. In his eyes I saw his soul: And I was afraid.
Every single, hypocritical talk on chastity and love that Trinity had ever given—and he'd given many—bounced through my head. Don't say love until you're ready for marriage, he'd once said, because especially now, your hormones are insane. They cloud your head, you're in a fog…love is not an emotion. It's not fuzzy and mushy and kissing and holding hands. Love is a sacrifice, a decision you make. It's called Agape, from the Greeks…
That can't be what Fang's looking for, I thought to myself and shoved Trin's voice away, the image of his earnest face looking across a sea of school kids to meet my eyes.
"Fang…" I didn't continue with words. Instead, I let him kiss me tenderly. It was just a gentle thing, nothing hot and heavy like their kiss worthy of a Hollywood movie. Fang held me so loosely that it was just as effective as if he'd had me pressed against a wall; his lips against mine were firm, warm, and ever so soft.
I found myself crying, but I didn't know why and I couldn't stop them. Fang brushed away the tears with his lips, peppering my face with kisses. "Shhh… It's alright, Santana…" He leaned back into the wall, pulling us into even deeper shadows for privacy, and held me as I cried.
I recalled a story Trinity had once told me about a Catholic woman who had the weight of many 'mortal sins' on her shoulders. Receiving the Eucharist in such a state was a sacrilege—but she didn't know, and went up anyway. And she would cry and cry and cry, and wouldn't be able to stop. Why I remembered that at that moment, I didn't know. But the tears flooded out, quickly soaking Fang's shirt, and I couldn't stem their flow. When I finally just couldn't physically cry anymore, I looked up at Fang to see that he had tears in his eyes as well.
"Why are you crying?" he asked.
"It's just… I love you… But Trin's…and Max is…" I brushed the teardrops from my lashes and sniffed. "You were right; my heart feels like it was trampled."
His jaw clenched. "Ana, I want you to understand something," he said in a low voice. "I will do whatever will make you happy. I will kill if it keeps you safe. You are my life now, I made that decision. But I can only love you if you let me. Let go of Trinity Flyte."
I sobbed raggedly and let him pull me back into his arms, clinging to his shirt. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I repeated over and over without speaking. I'm so, so sorry…
3rd Person POV
"Max." Trinity pulled away abruptly, panting slightly, and wrestled his way out of Max's grip. He glared at her. "What the Hell was that?"
"I'd ask you the same thing," she retorted. "You were the one who kissed back."
"Who wouldn't?" He spat. "It's called a weakness, mine happens to be responding to beautiful girls kissing me. UGH that was so wrong, why the heck did you have to do that? What happened to trying to get Fang back? What happened to everything we talked about?"
"It went out the window!" She glared at him. "The way Fang was staring at the door this entire time, the way he looked when the girls who walked in weren't Ana—that pushed the last of my resolve down the drain. Why can't you see that it's hopeless? It's time to move on, and that's what I'm doin'!"
They glared at each other furiously for a few minutes. Finally, Trin gritted his teeth. "Maybe you've moved on, maybe you think it's hopeless, but I'm still striving for it and I still have hope. Couldn't you have just thought about me for once, and not about yourself? If you actually liked me and weren't doing this just to hurt them, you'd consider how I feel!"
Max bit her tongue. Hard. She took a deep breath. "I thought I had. I guess I was wrong…" Her face crumpled, lost its furious mask. Trin's eyes softened as he saw the hurt and true anguish on Max's face. "I really thought you felt the same way. And when you started kissing back…"
"I'm sorry." He sighed sadly. "To say I didn't mean to would be a lie, but… It's partly the truth." He chewed his lip for a moment. "Thanks a lot, Max."
She winced.
"Do you know what a mortal sin is?"
She shook her head. "Something Catholic?"
He nodded. "Mortal sin is a grave sin, which is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. A sin stains the soul, and it takes you away from God. Sins aren't just actions, like having sex with someone who's not your wife, or before marriage. Sin can be of the mind, like viewing pornography, or thinking impure thoughts about someone." Trinity inhaled deeply and looked away from Max.
Max shook her head. "I don't believe this high-religion stuff."
"That's an argument for another time, but right now… You don't. So what? I do."
It took a moment for Max to wrestle with herself. She couldn't believe Trin was that concerned with a soul—a soul? You were a person, and that was that. She wasn't even sure if there was a God… So what if he committed a 'grave sin'? Why did she have to care about it at all, if she didn't believe it?
"Oh."
She suddenly realized how wrong she was, and how stupid that line of thought had been. That had been really, really inconsiderate of her… If she was going to stand up for true Avian-American ideals, be a real hero, she had to start tolerating and respecting people…religions…and relationships. The last bit, about relationships… That was really going to be tough to do, but she had to start somewhere: people and their beliefs. She could work at at the moment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't think about that. I guess I really didn't think about you at all. You're right, that was selfish."
He blinked, and then a smile spread across his face. "Thanks, Max." This time when he said it, it held none of the bitterness that it had before. "I'm not angry at you, just so you know, but… Don't do that again, alright?"
She nodded quickly. "I promise."
"I'll hold you to it." He paused. "Max…"
"Mhm?"
"I don't want this to totally ruin our friendship. I meant what I said when I said you're my sister now. Just keep that in mind next time, alright?" He held out his hand.
She looked at it for a moment, and then hugged him tightly. "I'll try."
He sighed. "That's all I ever ask."
Trinity had gone to go take a breather, so Max strolled over to an empty corner and sat down in a folding chair. Her keen eyes swept the room, picking out the members of her flock: Gazzy, she saw—then she saw Angel, Nudge and Iggy huddled together as they danced, seemingly angry about something. She had no idea what it was, but felt her gut clench nervously. Angel had been increasingly more assertive and bossy as of late, and it worried Max.
Then, Max saw Kate.
She watched the flame-haired girl as she let herself be bumped and elbowed and pushed through the throng of dancers. The girl seemed depressed, with dark circles under her eyes, and makeup streaked across her freckled, pale skin. The blue ribbon that had been holding back her hair was coming loose, and finally she reached up and tugged it out. Max considered going up to her and asking what was wrong—and then she saw him.
His baby blue eyes were narrowed in frustration, locked on Kate's pale frame. His light brown hair was hanging in his face, in an almost surfer-boy style. It looked good on him, too, and from the way he carried himself he seemed to know it. He wore a grey fabric hoodie, with a black t-shirt that had silver paint splatters across the chest. He wore skinny jeans.
He had grown since Max had last seen him, filling out in the shoulders and gaining a sort of haughty, tiger-like elegance and mystique. And apparently ITEX had fixed his little flaw, for he seemed to have no problem focusing on Kate in the throng of quickly moving dancers.
He asked Kate something, and she answered without looking up. His hands settled on her waist, pulling her closer than normal dancing strangers would. She looked up and Max could see her eyes widen. Kate said something and Omega smiled—smiled!—and nodded. Kate threw her arms around his neck and began talking rapidly; he answered her, and they continued chatting. Max stood, debating whether or not she should interrupt them.
Angel caught her gaze, furious for some reason, and sent a sharp thought into Max's mind, Don't you dare. At least, not yet.
Max frowned, confused at her baby's mental tone; but she listened to Angel's command.
Omega leaned close to his dance partner. "Kate," he said firmly, "Cassandra's agreed to let you live if you come to our side. You could be queen of the world, with all the ribbons you wanted, with everything you could ever imagine. You could be my queen."
"If I'm not already, despite the fact that I'm not on your side, then you don't deserve me to be," she replied tartly. "Omega, love doesn't work that way."
"Yes it does!" He protested. "Everyone I've asked has told me that."
"No wonder," she said wryly. "You're probably asking all the wrong people. Omega… Come to my side. I love you, even if you don't love me. Love is the choice to do the right thing for the other person; not only do I have feelings for you—" here she turned rather red "—but I also want the best for you. The best isn't with ITEX."
"You'd rather have me dead, than alive and with ITEX?" He asked, confused.
"I'm not dead."
"Yet!" He snapped, and pressed his lips roughly to hers. She stopped dancing, letting him kiss her; he leaned away after a few seconds of no reply. "What will I do with you?" His gaze was desperate. "Please, Kate. They'll make me kill you."
"Resist."
"It's not that easy!" He shouted angrily. "At least consider my offer, Kate!"
When she didn't reply, he glared at her and turned, disappearing into the crowd.
Ana POV
Max sat back down, wondering at the scene she had just witnessed. She hadn't been able to hear the two over the screaming of lyrics, but she knew that Omega had been angry at Kate—either Kate was a spy and didn't have the info he wanted, or he was trying to get recruits… She decided that she'd watch Kate more closely from then on.
Kate walked over to the refreshment table where Fang and I were standing, silent. She slipped under my's arm and sniffled.
"Let's go outside." I looked up at Fang, who nodded and let us go without further ado. The chaperones were to busy gossiping to notice us sneak out…again. Seriously, they need to pay more attention.
Once outside, I hugged Kate tightly. "What's wrong, sis?"
Kate looked up at me through misty eyes. "When Mason and Bella found me, I was already unconscious and half dead. But before that, when I was still running, someone was running with me—protecting me from whatever was chasing me. He was just as fast as I was, tall, thin, and just beautiful. And he had the prettiest blue eyes—we hid in an alley and he stood over me to hide me from the only Flyboy that was there. And then we started talking while we waited for it to be safe… Ana, that was Omega. He saved my life. And I love him, but he's still confused and his superiors aren't helping. I want him on our side!"
"Oh baby doll," I sighed.
"I'm not going to talk to him again if he appears, unless he's on our side," Kate said quietly. "But Ana, I want you to know that I'm not a spy. I won't have him unless he's good, because I can't change him. Only he can change himself… I can plant the seed, but I can't make it grow on rocky soil."
"Bible quotations?"
Kate blushed. "Very roughly. But Ana, seriously…"
"I'll help you if I ever see Omega again, and he's not trying to kill me. If he is, I'll beat the crap out of him, tie him up, and hold him above the shark pit until he changes his mind. How's that sound?"
She smiled, shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles. I smiled in reply and held her: If Max was a 'Mom', I was the awesomest biggest sister in the world. Not even sister. I was the awesomest best friend in the world.
I only hoped for Kate's sake that that was enough.
Trinity was waiting for me when we got back to Beth's. He was standing just inside the door to the girl's bedroom, leaning against the wall. I closed the door behind me, trying to hide my anxiety.
"Wanna fly?"
"Eh…Sure? Can I change?"
"Quickly." He turned his eyes away while I hurried to change. I knew he wouldn't peek. He was much too decent for that. Well…at one time he'd been too decent to French, either… I felt my cheeks begin to heat as I tugged on my jeans. I slipped back into my sneakers and looked over at him, keeping my wings pressed tight against my back; unconsciously, I was ready to fight.
"You look wound up," he remarked.
You look like you got a black eye on your mouth, I thought to myself. His lips were bruised.
Trinity held my gaze for a moment, then turned and took off out the window. I followed, catching up quickly. We were so high, that we could see for miles and miles. We were so high, that I was breathing freely. This was the Trinity I knew, with his lithe body and his willingness to be where I was comfortable, even if he himself wasn't. His graceful wings brushed over the top of mine on my down stroke, and I looked up at him. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Something's bothering you," he said.
"Yeah."
"Would you tell me, woman?" His dark blue eyes pierced straight into my soul, and I was entranced…but I wasn't going to tell him. He noticed my hesitation, and flipped over in mid-air to tangle his hands in mine. His wings pulled in around his body, and I began to dip to one side—as I was pulled underneath him, he extended his wings to keep us aloft; I pulled my own wings in. Then he was on the bottom again and it was my turn to keep my wings open. This was our routine. It was peaceful, and it helped us to be emotionally together without having to talk. In this intimate moment, I could feel every muscle in his body pressed lightly against mine; I could feel his heart—faster than Fang's—beating like a trapped bird's wings; I could taste his breath in my mouth.
At one time, I had always been the one to instigate this routine. You could say that it was my way of kissing him without actually slipping into that line of thought. It was probably the most intimate thing a bird kid could do without actually sleeping with the other; bodies tangled together, relying totally on the other's trustworthiness and strength; and the best thing about it was that it didn't have to be something sexual. I liked that.
But now, when Trinity seemed to be slipping through my fingers even as a friend? I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. At least I wasn't crying again.
"Tell me," he whispered huskily.
I met his eyes, now on the bottom. "You and Max," I said quietly.
His expression changed. How, I wasn't sure, but suddenly his expressional eyes were shielded. "I'm sorry you saw that," he said gently; now I was on the top.
"I thought you were against kissing like that." My voice held none of my inner pain. Emotionless. Dull. Maybe that was the best way.
"I am."
"Then why?"
He was on top now, and he adjusted his hold on me so that he wasn't gripping my hands; he now held me around my waist, pressing my body close to him—still nothing heated. Good. "Because she kissed me."
"You looked like you were enjoying it, Trin."
"Guilty pleasure," he said flatly. "I have to go find a church now and find a priest who'll hear my Confession. And since they don't have any for miles and miles, it'll take a while. Blah. But that's beside the point. She kissed me, I kissed back, and she took it up to a whole new level. A level I'm not at yet; I made that clear after she let me go."
"You're together, though?" I tried not to concentrate on the ache I was feeling. Instead I tried to think about the churches in the area. Beth and her family attended a church just down the road from their house, but at the moment they didn't have a preacher. Other churches simply were locked and no one was there by this hour of the night.
"I guess so... But I don't know." He looked away as I came on top, and I focused on him instead of my erratic thoughts. Instead of extending my wings this time, though, I pulled them in behind me. We began falling. We were freee, freeeee faaaaallin'…
Sorry.
Tangled together as we were, we began to spin. Arching through the sky like a shooting star. I couldn't help but laugh as Trinity began singing "Free Falling".
"I was just thinking that!" I shouted. Trinity laughed and pulled me tighter. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his body and hug him warmly. "I miss this," I said quietly. He didn't respond aloud, but I knew he'd heard me; his face pressed into my hair and his legs tangled in mine, trying to comfort me with body language, which was sometimes louder than words.
It occurred to me that Trin didn't know that I was actually with-with Fang. He knew that Fang was a bit more forward with me than was proper for 'just friends', but he didn't know that we'd actually kissed since the hospital. Unless Max told him. But I had a feeling that she wouldn't tell him. What if he'd seen us? Oh God, what if he had...?
I tightened my hold on Trinity, suddenly feeling tears rising in my throat, feeling something pull out of me and leave a gaping hole of nothingness in my chest. Trinity stroked my hair, angling us so that he was on his back and we weren't spinning. As we neared the ground, he extended first his right wing to bring him on top, then his left to catch us.
We landed on a roof, unseen in the shadows. Somehow we'd flown all the way to the village. A 10 minute drive, it wasn't that long by wings. Trinity helped me into a long jacket that hid my wings, and I helped him pull his wings out of the slits in his shirt, so that they were pressed right up against the skin of his back. My fingers accidentally strayed across the skin in-between his wings; he shuddered, feathers standing on end, and his eyes met mine with some foreign, dominate emotion in them. I ripped my eyes away and took a step back. Then he threw on his own knee-length jacket, and we began climbing down the nearby trees in silence. Trees and fields were everywhere.
We came out of the tiny alley and began walking down the street, hands shoved in our pockets. We passed both dark windows and lit; the lights cast their warm lights down on us and cast sharp shadows on Trinity's beautiful face.
"Ana…" We stopped walking as we came around a dark corner, I could see the light from the Key Market if I looked between the houses. Trinity looked down at the ground, scuffing his shoes against the cement. I waited for him to speak again, patient, knowing that he'd tell me when he was ready.
He had just opened his mouth to speak when a group of guys came around the far corner. They walked down towards us, staggering--obviously drunk--and seemingly not noticing us until one of them said, "Hey, dudes, looks like we've got a break up!"
"Think she needs a shoulder to cry on, mate?"
"Aww, come here, babe!"
I rolled my eyes and looked at Trinity skeptically. "Wonderful timing."
His eyes were stormy, locked on the gangsters. "Get behind me," he muttered. I followed his command, knowing that sometimes he could handle things better than I could. "Guys," he called, "you really don't wanna do that."
"Why not?" One of them asked. "We just wanna make sure the little lady doesn't get her feelings hurt. Shoulder to cry on, someone to hold her—or five people, who knows?"
"Dude, she's got me." Trin's voice was level and sounded like any normal teenager's; which clued me in on how angry he really was. "You really don't wanna take another step closer, man."
"Hear that?" Another of the gangstas chortled. "He thinks he can boss us around."
Trin's lips twitched; he'd never even insinuated that. The tallest gangsta took a step forward.
"What'chu gonna do about it, kid?"
Trinity didn't answer. For a moment he stared the man down; and then the man laughed. "Come on, guys. Let's go back to the Center."
"T'ch, no way, mate!" Another called. "Come on, baby, come home with me!"
"Why don't you have a little drink, babes?"
"We've got plenty of partying to do, sweetie!"
I rolled my eyes disgustedly. "No thanks," I said firmly. "I don't drink, or party, as a rule."
"I bet your guy's the one who made that rule," one snapped. "Man, I hate how some men treat their women." Behind him I could see a house light come on, and in another window I could see a toddler stare at us with wide eyes before turning around to disappear further into the house. The village was taking notice of the commotion, so this couldn't bode well.
"Dude, shut up," I said. "I'm just not interested. Come on, Trin, let's go." I tugged on his arm and he turned to follow—and then ducked and shoved me to the ground. The gangster who'd just tried to literally stab Trin in the back tripped and went rolling into the street. It seemed to trigger a chain reaction, sending the other gangbangers into a frenzy of sorts. Trinity was quickly pulled away from me, but he stayed close enough that he could fend off the ones I couldn't take care of. I was glad of that: I was used to fighting multiple attackers, but sometimes you needed someone to watch your back.
The guy in front of me dropped flat from a single well-aimed punch from me, and I snapped around to round-house the guy behind me in the neck. He went out like a light, still alive, but unconscious. Someone caught my arm and dragged me into an alley, and I fought like Hell—but a warm, smooth hand was pressed against my mouth, so I couldn't make a sound.
"Hey, watch it lady, I'm trying to help you!" It was the guy who Trin had stared down. I stopped trying to kill him, but pulled away from his hand. He smiled, his white teeth flashing in his dark face. "I'm Ramón."
"Yo."
"Sorry about the guys, they're all drunk."
"Don't get drunk." I peered out of the alley to see Trinity still fighting; he was doing a great job by himself, and when he saw me in safety he seemed to relax just a tiny bit, snapping around to hit someone with more whip-like ease than before. I just hoped that none of them had a gun.
"Are they armed?" I asked Ramón.
"Two of them had knives, but you knocked 'em out. I'm the only one with a gun."
"Good. Then I'm not so worried about Trin—HOLY COW, BEHIND YOU!" I screamed.
Trin spun around; his jacket had been ripped off of him, and the entire back of his shirt was torn open. No one had seen his wings yet, due to the fact that they blended into his skin so well in the darkness; but as he turned, he extended them just enough to keep his balance. Falling to the ground, he swung out a leg and swept his attacker's feet out from underneath him.
"OTHER BEHIND YOU!"
He shot up, throwing his wings open and letting out a feral snarl, grabbing the attacker's fist and twisting it. He looked like an angel—much like how Fang had saved Max by pretending to be an angel of death, Trinity seemed to be one of the Heavenly Host with his light hair and fair wings. And boy, was he furious.
The remaining gangsters froze in place, jaws dropping open. "Oh my God," one of them whimpered, "it's her Guardian Angel!"
"No, it's Michael!"
"Oh my God!"
"You will never harm one of the Daughters of God ever again," Trinity whispered, his voice rough and furious, "and if you do, you are going to Hell!"
"I'm going to Confession right now!" One of them shouted, and ran away without a backwards glance. Others followed with "Me too!" on their lips.
Trinity stood in the middle of the sidewalk, body trembling. His wings were shaking as well, muscles clenched so tightly that it looked like he was made out of wood. I ran over to him, picking my way over the moaning—or silent—bodies on the ground, and threw my arms around him. "Trinity, calm down," I whispered in his ear. There was a strange grating sound in his throat, and I tightened my hold on him. "Get control of yourself. You are Trinity Flyte, my best friend. You're human. I'm fine, Trin… Just snap out of it. You're not a falcon. You're not a bird. You're human."
"I know, Ana!" He snapped.
"Thank God." I buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms and wings around me. "You really opened a can of whoop-ass on them."
"I'm sorry. Memories taking control…instincts… You know."
"No, I don't."
"I'm sorry." He didn't pay to elaborate.
Ramón stepped out of the alley and smiled at us. "Thank God I taught them something about angels, huh?" He laughed.
"Yeah." Trin looked over at him, but didn't let me go. "Thanks for getting her out of the fray."
"No prob. Hey, I'm Ramón. I'm one of the people in charge over at the Catholic Homeless Shelter. I should have known better than to accept requests for a speaker, these guys just aren't up to making appearances at school rallies."
"You can say that again." There was a girl standing not so far off, and her eyes were wide as she took in Trin's wings, but she kept her voice calm. "My name is Kate. And I'm going to make sure the school does a better job of choosing speakers in the future. Just because parents were requesting it doesn't mean they should just choose anyone." She shook her head. A boy stood beside her, and he spoke now.
"Look, the sheriffs are probably being overwhelmed with calls right now and look around you. Everyone knows. What were you thinking?" Sure enough, every light was on, and some doors were beginning to open. Trin quickly began to hide his wings. "The Center is going to be in big trouble after this." He eyed Ramón warily, and then he looked at Trin and me, suddenly his voice took on an awkward tone. "Are you alright?" We nodded mutely.
Ramón laughed. "I don't know if you're an angel or not, but I can tell you're a God-fearin' kid. If you ever wanna come and scare some kids into behaving, you're welcome to come." He paused. "What's your name again?"
"Trinity Flyte. And this is Santana." Kate and the guy nodded.
"Ben."
"Nice to meet you." Ramón extended one of his huge, warm hands and we each shook.
Kate eyed us for a minute, then tapped Ben's arm and went down the street, calming people down and basically doing damage control.
"Can I ask how you got your wings Trinity?"
"Yeah… There's basically an evil, government-funded organization called ITEX. They perform immoral, cruel experiments on humans and animals. Ana and I are results of such experimentation. They work together with Planned Parenthood, as well as a zillion other government funded agencies. It's where they get the embryos to experiment on." Trinity paused. "There are others of us. Lots of us, escaped mutants. You say you run a program for troubled kids? If you ever find anyone like us—not just winged kids—they'll need your help and be glad of it. I know a bunch of girls who're in the same line of business."
"Do they have any sites that I can contact them on?" Ramón really seemed interested in helping—thank goodness someone was! Ben just seemed to be in shock.
"Yeah. Do have a pen?" Ramón took out a small notebook and pen. "Awesome. OK, this is the blog. Tell them that I directed you there. Talk to Sable and Beth. They should be able to answer your questions." Trinity smiled slightly. "We really should be going, though."
"I can understand, man. Thanks a lot; I'll check the place out when I get back. Have a good night, everyone." Ramón smiled and then set about cleaning the guys up from the ground.
Trinity picked up his coat and put it back on over his wings; then he took my arm with a surprisingly firm grip and pulled me into the alley, towards a tree that we could use to get onto the roof and fly. I could hear Ben start filling Kate in on what she had missed.
"Ouch," I muttered under my breath as Trin's grip on my arm tightened. Trinity let go abruptly and spun around. His eyes were smoldering, and I shrank back a few steps into the wall. He placed his hands on either side of my head, his gaze boring into my soul. "Trin, you OK?"
"I want you to remember something," he said in a dark voice; it shook with emotion. "I will kill for your safety, your protection. You will never have to worry about getting hurt, because I will do anything to make you happy."
For a few moments I stared at him in surprised; then he hung his head and his shoulders drooped. Silently, he moved away, almost reluctantly taking his hands away from the wall beside me. He jumped up and caught the first branch of the small-ish oak, then swung himself up and began climbing.
I followed a few steps behind, and took off after him.
3rd Person POV – "The Second Time"
Sable knew something was wrong as soon as Spencer had popped on to IM with a "Thank the GODS you're alive!"
By the time he'd calmed down enough to be understandable, Sable wasn't breathing properly and she was afraid her heart would pound out of her chest. Her fingers flew across the board faster than ever.
Sable: OK—What's WRONG?
Spencer: ITEX is after you! They know Alex is there—but not Dom—get them out now, and they might leave you alone. That or you and your family need to leave NOW!!!!!
Sable: Let me go get Alex. I'll send him away. Dom's already at the Other Place. Tell everyone what's up!
Spencer: Alright—stay safe keep praying, Sable!
With that, she signed off and shoved herself away from the computer, running down the hall to her room where Alex, a tiger hybrid, was reading Lord Peter.
"ITEX is coming! You need to get out now!" she hissed, and grabbed his backpack. Shoving his clothes into it, she began panting out directions to him. "Go grab some of the bags of chips, and some of the stuff in the fridge from last night's dinner." He rushed out, then came back and handed her the food he'd just gathered, pushed his few other possessions into the pack, slipped his laptop into the correct pocket, and then slung the pack over his shoulder so that Sable could finish zipping it up.
Just when she'd finished zipping, he spun around and caught her arms. His yellow-green eyes met hers, and he smiled, revealing his sharp teeth. "Thanks for the place, Sabes," he purred, and then leaned forward to breathe into her ear, "I'll go to Stephanie's."
I don't know where that is, Sable thought to herself confidently. Good.
He patted her on the head, vanished down the hall, into the attic—and from there Sable knew he'd go out of the vent, onto the roof, and he'd be gone.
In turn, she ran to the phone and dialed her dad's cell phone. She paced nervously around the room as the phone rang…and rang…and—
"Sable, what's up?"
Her dad's voice was like magic. She calmed down and took a deep breath. "I just sent Alex away and Dom's still at the Other Place. ITEX is coming after me 'cause they think Alex's still here. If they find out he's gone, they'll probably let me go." She sniffed. "I'm going over to Eilish's house to wait for them to come."
For a moment the line was silent. Then, her dad said, "I'm coming home. I love you, Sable."
"Love you too, Daddy. I'm going to hang up now." She placed the phone back in its charger, put her hands over her face and tried to stop her tears before they came. Her hands were cold against her heated cheeks and her sniffles were muffled behind her fingers. She coughed softly as she wiped her face and walked towards the door. ITEX was probably watching the house—but if she could just get to Eilish's, she's be safe…But she needed to calm down first, or else it'd be too obvious and ITEX would do something rash…
She was just reaching for the door handle when the doorbell rang. She froze, eyes wide and her heart pounding in her throat. Slowly, she stood on her tiptoes to look through the peephole and bit her lip even harder. She took a step back and put a hand over her heart, feeling it going into overdrive.
There was a familiar man standing outside, with two Flyboys on either side.
For a moment she considered hiding, but a quick peek out of the peephole revealed that a Flyboy was raising a gun attached to its arm and directing it at the door. She decided quickly and pulled the door open, putting a polite smile on her face.
"Sable Yangaciao," the young man said grimly. "May we step in?"
Without a word more, the Flyboys shoved past Sable and went clanking off through the house. Sable caught herself on the door frame, nearly falling into the young man's arms. She straightened herself up and narrowed her eyes at him and looking him up and down. He was observing her just as closely, and she felt her shoulders stiffen under his gaze.
He was tall and thin, with pale skin and dark, dark brown hair. His eyes were even darker; cold and calculating, they were veiled by long lashes. His entire face was a mask of stone—cold, icy stone that hid all of emotions except for his arrogance. He was standing with a very subtle slouch, but there was something about the way he held his shoulders and head that betrayed both his pride and his power. A bracelet jingled in the biting wind, but Sable couldn't see it under his sleeve. His jacket was black, with an ID tag clipped over his heart.
As if he had one, Sable thought blithely.
"Quarry not found," the Flyboys said in a mechanical unison, and Sable managed to slip out of their way before they could trample her.
"Where is he, Sable?" the man—Zachary, by his nametag—asked in the same dark, slightly warning tone.
"I don't know," she replied. "I was just alerted that you were coming and when I went to warn him he was gone."
"Well, then you wouldn't mind us taking a stroll together?" A mocking smile slid onto the mask. Her eyes narrowed further, but she closed the door behind her. "That's a girl."
She didn't like how he said that; as if he were a cat watching his prey come closer to a trap. "Where to?" She asked warily.
"Just down the street," he said. He shot a slightly annoyed glance at the Flyboys who'd moved with a hiss of pistons and clinking of metal, and then raised a hand to them. "Dismissed."
"Sir—"
"Dismissed." Zachary's voice was cold as ice, and his eyes were even colder. The Flyboys clanked off without another word, and when they'd disappeared around the block Zachary turned back to Sable. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked angrily, pushing the door open again.
"What?" Sable stepped back quickly as he approached, forcing her back inside and down the hall. He kicked the door shut behind them, and locked the door. "What am I doing? What the heck are you doing, Zachary? Working for ITEX, you asshole?"
"I've always worked for ITEX," he snapped.
"Well, I've always worked for the Family!" She shot back. "I thought you knew that, what with your stupid questioning when we met last time." She glared at him. "I ask you again, what the heck are you doing? Aren't I going to be brought back to the facilities for experimentation, or will you just let me go with a warning?"
His eyes flashed and he took a step closer—Sable's back hit the wall. "Where's Alex, Sable?"
"I told you, he's gone!" She rolled her eyes. "Do you have short term memory loss or something?"
"No, I have a perfect memory." He took yet another step closer, and she straightened up, arms crossed. Drawing herself up and lifting her chin in defiance, she hooded her eyes. "Don't give me that look, girl," he snapped. "I bet he's in your room."
"Why don't you look and see?"
His eyes flashed and he took one last step, pressing her into the wall. "Why don't we both go?" he breathed maliciously, and her eyes widened. She struggled against his sudden grip on her arms, and he chuckled. "What, where'd that fire go, little—FUCK!"
Sable stepped away from him as he doubled over in pain. She rolled her eyes and inspected her nails, knowing that she had no chance of running away alive. She laughed out loud when he finally straightened up, mask of ice gone and replaced with a look of fury. His eyes were streaming, and he limped as he walked towards her. She dodged out of the way, still giggling, and snorted as he swore again.
"Language, Zach," she said mockingly, and placed both hands in front of her to hold him away. "No touching me. Anyway, the point is, Alex isn't here. And you can go check on your own if you really want to, since I probably can't get out of the neighborhood alive." The light in her eyes dimmed. "And you never answered my question."
"Which one?"
"What are you going to do with me?"
He eyed her and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "You're going to be taken back for regulation interrogation, nothing special. I don't know what else after that, but I could get you out of everything altogether if you just—"
"Shut the heck up, Moore!" She glared at him, face drained of all color. "I don't want you touching me, ever."
"Fine, have it your way." He raised his hands in a defensive posture. "Anyway, I'll need you to come with me. The car's right outside."
"Hmph." She stomped off before him, opened the door, and then walked over to the (different) conspicuous black car that was the only stranger along the entire block. "Nice ride," she muttered.
"Thanks." He opened the door for her and closed it as she slid into the passenger seat. He slipped in on the driver's side and they drove off. "Music?"
"Hmph," she said from where she was sitting curled on the farthest edge of the seat, her head resting against the window. He sighed in frustration.
"Come on, Sable," he murmured. "It's not that bad."
"Not that bad?" She asked slowly. "You just insinuated that you wanted to...Ugh. You also perform immoral, illegal experiments on human beings. You work for one of the most evil organizations of the world. A willing puppet for Evil. Just in that, being in the same car as you, breathing the same air as you, makes me sick. Then there's the fact that we're going off to the facilities for 'regulation interrogation' and you have no idea what else. And because of that, I don't know if I'll ever see my family—both internet and blood relations—again."
"I have certain weight in the experimentation department, if you're that worried," he said. "I can make sure that they won't touch you."
"I can trust your word how?" She snapped. "You're a lying, murdering,demon!"
"At your service," he said coolly, and she rolled her eyes. "And you're an angel, then?"
"Compared to you? Yes. Really? No, I'm a sinner just like everyone else—but the contrast is still there." Sable scowled and tucked a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "You're making me make myself sound like a holier-than-thou idiot. Can you just leave me alone?"
Zachary noted the sudden softness of her voice, though it was still bitter; through his peripheral vision he saw her hug herself tightly and stare out of the window, her gaze far away and filled with something strange to him. He wondered what she was thinking...
He was silent.
They stopped at a building she knew to be NuTex—a branch of ITEX that housed all of the most terrible experimental studies and practices. Zachary parked around the back and stepped out. The parking lot was empty except for them. Sable got out without a word, her jaw clenched. Zachary sighed and took her arm to pull her along.
"Don't look so glum," he muttered. "They'll think you're an experiment." She glared at him, but straightened her back a little bit. He rolled his eyes and held up his key pass to the door, which had no handle. The door beeped and unlocked, swinging open. They walked inside and Sable immediately felt sick: It smelled like the doctor's office, taken to a new height. She could just smell the misery and death, even underneath the sterile scents of the building.
The woman at the desk didn't look up. Zachary tossed something down onto her keyboard and she took it without even a glance at Zach and his prisoner. Zach glanced at Sable, who didn't seem to be paying attention.
In reality, she was paying a great deal of mind to every breath he took, and currently she was reading what the secretary held in her lap.
Interrogation…my quarters… Quarry escaped…
Wonder when he wrote that? Oh, whatever. Sable couldn't read upside-down very well. But she could make out those five words, and while three of them chilled her to the bone, the last two filled her heart with hope.
"Open," the secretary said finally, and a wall covered with cute little scenic paintings slid open to reveal a sterile white hallway, lined with doors and windows into rooms. Zachary pulled Sable down the hall, muttering, "Don't look in the windows," out of the corner of his mouth.
Sable looked into one and kept her head down from then on out.
Zachary finally stopped and put his hand on a gridded scanner. It buzzed softly, and then the door next to it clicked. Zachary pushed it open with his shoulder and let Sable step inside. He closed the door behind them and locked it.
Sable's eyes were narrowed, her face completely devoid of anything except mistrust. Zachary rolled his eyes and stepped in front of her, facing the bed. "What are you doing here, Luce?" He asked in a surprisingly light.
The young man on the bed grinned. "I heard you were bringing a friend." He cocked his head to the side and wetted his lips, appearing nothing but curious. His eyes were scarlet, as bright as flames, and his pupils were mere slits in the irises. His skin was ivory and unblemished, and his hair was blond; each strand was like liquid gold. His bangs were parted down the middle, and went slightly up before falling into his face. Almost like—no, just like Edward Elric's, except without the ponytail and the antennae. His teeth, as he smiled, were pearly white—and he had two, long, fangs.
"Sable, this is Lucifer. Lucifer, this is Sable."
Sable's eyes narrowed further. "This is one of the Fallen, huh?"
"Not in the way you'd think." Zachary smiled slightly. "The Fallen are a subspecies of a race called Daemons. I created them, and the other sub-species, Grotesques. They're set to replace Flyboys. Lucifer is the first, and best of the Fallen."
Lucifer grinned again. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind. Wanna see my wings?"
Sable nodded hesitantly and Lucifer sat up from where he'd previously been lying on the bed. He placed his long, pale legs on the floor and stood, his moves elegant and almost lazy, slow and calculated. His pale arms hung loosely at his sides, and his jeans hung low on his thin hips and seemed to be threatening to slip further down. His chest was sculpted marble, bare, and his collarbone was gently pronounced. He was beautiful, like a pagan idol of white stone.
His ruby eyes were locked on hers as his wings extended from behind him, massive and pitch-black. He opened them fully, having them meet above his head—his primaries had to fold across the ceiling because they were so long.
Sable's eyes widened, and she felt her mouth go dry. Luce grinned impishly, hearing her heart racing.
"Isn't he amazing?" Zachary said proudly.
Not even Trinity's wings are that big, she thought to herself with a mixture of awe and dread. What are we up against? She made up her mind that she had to survive until she could warn the others about their new adversary. "How old are you?" Sable asked Luce.
"Sixteen."
Sable looked at Zach, puzzled. "Aren't you eighteen?" He nodded. "Then how did you create him? Were you some genius baby or something?"
"While that's possible, that's not it. Luce was a mistake of ITEX, living in solitary confinement and dying of neglect. When I arrived and began planning the Daemons, I found out about him and decided that he'd be a good test subject. And look at him now."
"I am," Sable murmured quietly.
"Anyway, to business. Luce, you can just hang out." Zachary gestured at a large, round table at one end of the room, next to a sofa and a large flat screen TV. Sable sat down and watched him carefully, keeping an eye on Luce as well. The Fallen had gone into a room that was connected to the one they were currently in, and a few seconds later the sounds of someone rummaging around in a kitchen floated out to her.
"Let's see." Zachary was sitting on the back of the couch, watching her intently. "What should we go over first?"
"Do you actually know anything about me?" Sable asked.
"You're actually barely thirteen, you were born Sable Catherine—"
"I mean about the Family, about how I know the mutants, anything else that you can't get from just looking at my records."
He shook his head, admitting, "No."
"Then that's a good place to start, don't you think?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"As you say. Well then, how did you find out about the mutants?"
Sable took a breath. "I read Maximum Ride, found a fansite that linked to a guy named Steven who had a blog and claimed to be a mutant. Through his blog, I met some of my friends. When 'ITEX' closed that blog down, I started the Family with my friends. From then on, we've fought back. We've found out about Nutex, about how you have infiltrated the government, and use Planned Parenthood among other organizations to get the embryos you experiment on." She glared at him. "You're all disgusting."
"That wasn't the question, dear." He shrugged, unfazed. "Next, would you come work for us if it came to risking your family?"
"No."
He was completely taken aback, and obviously startled. "What?"
She fixed her chin and looked at him through hooded eyes. "My parents and I've discussed this. They've agreed that they'd rather die than have me work for you."
He swore. "There goes that choice…"
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Would you tell us where Max and Trinity's flocks are headed?"
"No."
"Where are they headed, Sable?"
"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I don't know the address."
"Of course. Do you even know any of the other safe-houses?"
"No."
He sighed. "Do you know anything?"
"Rhetorical question." Sable laughed at him and leaned back in her chair. "Come on, give me something hard."
"Can you do trigonometry?"
"Yup!" She grinned. "When you have a teacher for a dad, you pick up these things. Anyway, let me give you a question. Will I leave here alive?"
He was silent. Her smile faltered.
"You're not being funny."
"I'm not trying to be," he said quietly. "I seriously don't know. I'm the highest ranking person here, but I do have my superiors. If I get a message from them, I have to follow it. Until then, your life is in my hands." He paused, and began writing letters in the air: 'They've bugged my room + r listening to us now'.
"Oh man," Sable said wearily, and flung a rather desperate prayer up to God.
"You won't be experimented on, that's for sure. But other than that…" He bit his lip and shrugged. "I'm not the usual interrogator," he said suddenly, "and I'm certainly not the best. The usual questioner is out at the moment."
"Somehow, that makes me feel better."
"It should." He slipped off of the couch and began pacing the room. He stopped at his desk and picked something up. He fiddled with it—it was small, so Sable couldn't see what it was—and then suddenly a loud, high-pitched whine cut through the room. Sable gasped and covered her ears, and Luce shouted angrily from the other room. Zach winced as well, and then the sound ended. "Sorry, that should debug the room for a little while. My apologies, Luce!"
"It's alright, Zachary…" Luce walked out into the room with a cup of what looked like red wine in hand. "So, have you decided what to do with her yet?" He grinned at Sable and came to sit across the table from her.
"Not yet. I don't know what to do other than let her go. My superiors will probably give me a message in a few seconds, though." Zachary rolled his eyes and toggled the mouse on his computer.
"Hungry?" Luce asked. Sable shrugged. "Want some?"
"What is it?" She asked hesitantly, eying his glass.
"I don't suggest you drink it," Zachary said amusedly. "Unless you feel like becoming a cannibal. Or a vampire."
"Ugh!"
Luce laughed at Sable. "Don't worry," he said after another sip of his drink, "I drink only from extras from the blood bank, and even then it's rare. Usually I just have pork blood from the Japanese market." He made a face.
"That's a relief," she muttered.
Zachary chuckled and then stopped abruptly. "Damn," he muttered. "Alright. Sable, we need to go to a different room—there are cameras there, as well as mikes, so however I act out there is acting for the sake of my superiors, so they don't kill you, not my actual, well, thoughts and feelings." He paused, straightening up. He had a strange look on his face, bordering from amused to vaguely frightened to anxious and to bored. "I'm going to get you out of here. But you have to react to my words how you would as if I haven't spoken to you like this, alright?"
"Err… What?"
He sighed agonizingly. "It'll have to do. Come on, honey."
She turned flaming red, but stood and followed him to the door. Zachary shot a look over his shoulder. "Luce, you can come too. But just stay silent, and I'll have to have you stand outside. When you hear my knock, though, open the door and prepare to help me get Miss Yangaciao out before anyone notices."
"Alright!" Lucifer jumped up, leaving his now empty glass on the table, grinning ecstatically as if this was a birthday surprise.
"Follow me."
Zachary led them down the white sterile hall. It was an endless hall, seemingly going miles. Sable kept her eyes to the floor. "Alright, in here." Zachary opened a door and let Sable go inside. He cast a meaningful glance at Luce, who leaned against the wall casually and began picking at his teeth. The door slid closed.
"Come on, sweetie," Zachary said as he walked inside. "Won't you tell me anything?"
"No." Sable glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Nothing at all?" He was now right in front of her, and had her backed against the wall.
"Never," she spat.
"Ever?" He whispered huskily, his lips right above her ear.
She shuddered involuntarily. God, she thought helplessly. Jesus, I love You—send this temptation away!
"Come on, doll," Zachary murmured into her neck. Her skin crawled under the butterfly touches, as his hands slid up her waist. "There're rewards for people who help ITEX."
"I'm not a Judas," she said forcefully. "I'd rather be a martyr than a traitor."
"Ah, so you're a Catholic then?" He nipped at her neck and she resisted the urge to knee him again. His probing fingers found something hard underneath her shirt, resting on her sternum, and he tugged on her shirt sleeve a bit so that he could find the chain. He pressed her into the wall with his hips and pulled it out, snapping it off of her neck. She gasped and struggled to reach out for it, but he held it away and laughed. "Here's your God? God is dead, you know. He died thousands of years ago, and what good has it done? Evil is still here. ITEX is still here, ITEX will be here forever."
"Give it back!" She shouted furiously. "Give it back!" His forearm pressed against her neck, choking her, snapping her head back so that it connected sharply with the wall. She blinked at him blearily, her eyes misting over. He had a gun in his other hand, as well as her necklace. "Please, give it back," she pleaded.
He leaned close to her face, the crucifix and medal clenched tightly in his fist. "Kiss me and I'll think about it," he murmured, and pressed his lips to hers.
Her tears overflowed as he forced his way into her mouth, pressing her even more firmly into the wall. Her necklace clattered as it fell from his hand, which went to tangle roughly in her hair. She didn't resist, offering up her pain and intense misery. Lord, help me, she begged silently.
Finally, Zach pulled away. He was breathing heavily, and he had a little bit of blood in his mouth from where he'd bitten Sable's lip. He released her carelessly and walked to the other side of the room. She slid to the floor and reached out for the broken chain on the floor. She cradled it against her chest, pulling her knees up to her chin.
"What was that?" Zachary asked, frowning as he drew near her again.
She looked up at him, her eyes red and filled with tears. "I forgive you," she sobbed.
His face twisted in fury and he brought the butt of his pistol down against the side of her head. Her eyes slid closed and she fell to the side, sprawled on the floor like a rag doll, her hair splayed out around her head like a halo. The sight infuriated him, and for a moment he considered letting Lucifer in and letting him have lunch—then he sighed and lifted her limp body, walking determinedly to the door, banging it with his elbow.
Luce opened the door and Zachary walked out, letting it slide closed behind him.
He handed the girl off to Luce, who cradled her awkwardly—but tenderly—against his chest. "Do all humans look this…endearing?" Luce asked quietly as they began walking. Zachary looked at him strangely, then shrugged. "She looks much happier unconscious than when she was with us. Just an observation." Lucifer shrugged it off and followed Zach outside.
"Just put her in the car, and follow from the sky. If we're followed, take care of them," the young scientist ordered.
Luce gently laid Sable in the backseat of the car, and then closed the door and tested his wings for a few moments. "Alright," he said finally, and then crouched down to launch himself as far as his long legs could propel him. His black wings took him circling upwards so quickly that in just a few seconds he was just a black dot in the sky.
Zachary hurried into his car and sped out of the parking lot, racing down the streets to try and get to Sable's house before either her parents got home, or ITEX decided to follow him. Sable remained silent and unmoving in the dark back seat, and Zach began to feel the gnawing, nagging presence of his conscience. He attempted to stifle it.
"God, Sable," he muttered as he pulled up in front of her house. There wasn't a single car on the street now, for which he was glad. "Why do you have to go and make things so damn hard for me?" He stomped out of the car and dragged her out, then headed briskly to the door. It was still unlocked, thankfully. He opened it and let it shut part-way behind him so that Sable's parakeets (who were free in the house) wouldn't escape. Then he started kicking open doors, trying to find her bedroom. He finally found a room that looked like it might be hers, and lay her down on the larger, bottom bed of the bunk in the room.
He looked around, waiting for Luce to find a place to land and make it inside. Sable's room was tiny; there was barely enough room for her bed, dresser, desk, and two bookshelves. Religious items covered her desk—it was more of a shrine than anything else. A painting hung above the top bunk, classical and very beautiful. Among her collection were a large variety of very, very old books. He thumbed through one absently.
Luce came into the room at that moment and his ruby eyes widened. "This is amazing," he murmured, looking around incredulously. "Are all humans' rooms like this?"
"Not usually."
"Oh." Luce blinked, and then went to sit down next to Sable, who was spread on her side, still unconscious. "She's nothing like the rest of my kind," he said quietly. "And not at all like the scientists. What's Catholic?"
"It's a religion," Zach said without a care. "It's the origin of Christianity. Historically, it's actually the Church that Jesus Christ founded himself—but who cares? He's dead."
Zach didn't see it, so absorbed was he in the book, but Luce frowned, troubled, and reached over to touch the crucifix dangling from Sable's clenched fist.
She stirred slightly, her brow creasing in sudden pain. Luce withdrew his hand as if shocked, and then leaned over Sable. "Wake up, Sable," he cooed. "You're home!"
Her eyes fluttered open and she took a moment to realize where she was and who was crouching over her. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart went into a panic; she sat up quickly, nearly knocking Luce over, and backed as far into the headboard as she could. Luce frowned again, worried—the scent of fear was suddenly strong, and he couldn't see why. He knew that Zachary wasn't the nicest person in the world, and wasn't the most ethical, and was rather a hypocrite…but he wasn't that bad, right?
Luce was suddenly filled with a strange doubt and bit his lip.
Sable had caught her breath and was now crying again, fresh tears spilling over the tracks of the old. Zachary looked over and rolled his eyes. "I warned you," he said.
"That wasn't acting," she protested. "That was—that was—"
"What? Serious?" He laughed harshly. "Sable dearest, I am never serious with women."
She stood up, limbs shaking. "You aren't a bastard," she said scathingly, "you're a willing puppet of Satan. Get out of my house now!"
He raised an eyebrow at her and fingered his gun. "Who are you to order me around?"
Her stormy eyes flashed as if with lightning, and she stepped right up to his chest. "I'm your conscience," she spat, and slapped him. Hard.
He stared at her incredulously. "Aren't Christians supposed to love one another?" He asked.
"I'm going to Confession straight after this," she snapped. "Get out before I commit a mortal sin!"
"Fine then. Come on, Luce."
Zachary turned to leave, and Lucifer stood. He waited a few moments while Zachary walked out and then listened to the car rev up and leave. Luce turned troubled, jewel-like eyes to Sable and bit his lip again. "I'm sorry," he said hesitantly. "I don't know what just happened, but I realize you're hurt. I know Zachary is a bad person, but you mustn't condemn him. He does it for Stephie." He put his hand on hers and then left, his marble skin glistening in the evening light and his wings pressed tightly against his shoulders.
Sable looked down at the hand he'd touched, and saw the only part of her necklace that she'd been missing—the St. Michael medal. Her knees gave way, and then she curled up, trying to keep her suddenly aching soul together.
"I hate irony," she whispered.
And Sable cried.