Chapter 8: Flying Lessons and Date Night
My body is frozen. I need to get up. I tried to shift my body to move, but it did not give in. What is happening to me?
Sera! Emily!
I swear I could hear myself speaking. My lips are sealed shut. I saw my wives sleeping peacefully next to me. Emily's wings were wrapped around me. I tried to call out for Sera and Emily again, but nothing left my lips this time. It is terrifying. Thinking you are alone when someone else is right next to you. It's not just Sera and Emily with me in the room now. A tall shadowy figure with glowing red eyes is standing in the doorway. My eyes widened in terror.
What the hell is that thing? I tried to yell for Sera and Emily again. I screamed at the top of my lungs. The two kept sleeping as if I wasn't in the room. Why couldn't they hear me?
The shadow figure got closer to me. My hands were shaking. I felt my body sweating. The next time I looked, the figure was right next to me.
Looks like no one is coming to save you now.
The shadow figure got on top of me. I couldn't move. One of its hands wrapped around my neck. I screamed with the last of my voice. My body jolted awake. I was able to move again. The figure was gone. I was shaken up after experiencing that. I've had sleep paralysis before but nothing like this. Sera and Emily woke up.
"Lana? Are you okay, sweetie?" Sera asked me. I feel a hand on my back. I turn to her to see a worried look on her face. Emily took hold of my hands.
I realize I am trembling again. I choked back a few sobs. Sera and Emily held me close to them.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay. Everything's okay. We're here." Sera said.
"You're safe now," Emily said.
We all sit in silence for a few minutes. It took me a while to calm down. My trembling eventually stops. It took me a moment to find my voice again.
"I... I couldn't move. I could see, and I could hear, but something was holding me down. There was a shadow figure with red eyes standing right next to me... I-I-t was so scary..." I said in between sobs.
"Lana... I think what you were experiencing is sleep paralysis." Sera said.
"Have you experienced that before?" Emily asked.
"A few times before. It's usually a shadow or demon figure. It's gotten worse since my marriage with Adam." I said.
"I'm sorry, baby," Sera said, rubbing my back again.
"Is there anything we can do?" Emily said.
I laid my head on their shoulders. "Right now, I just want to be like this," I said.
"Can do, babe," Emily said. I laid on Sera and Emily until I fell asleep again.
"Lana, honey, it's time to wake up, " Sera said. I felt her gently shaking me.
"Five more minutes..." I groaned.
"Okay... but then you need to get up. I know you had a rough night, but I don't want you to throw off your sleep schedule." Sera said. She then left my room.
I kept lying in bed until Sera told me it was time to wake up. I got out of bed and got dressed. For my clothes, I decided to wear my Hunger Games t-shirt and my Spider-Gwen hoodie. I went downstairs when I finished, and Sera fed me breakfast. I smiled. It was nice to have something else besides ribs for once.
"Emily, can you watch Lana for today while I'm at work?" Sera asked.
"Of course," Emily said.
Sera kissed me before leaving the house. Sera won't be back till later this afternoon, so to kill some time, Emily took me to the zoo. Sera allows me to go out, but I have to be with someone because of Adam for safety reasons. Sera often worries that Adam will find out about the marriage.
The zoo was a great time. I got to see all sorts of animals. My favorite was the otters. I watched the otters for at least 10 minutes because it was so much fun watching them swim around. I got to pet a Koala, and even a bear and a lion!
"Don't worry. The animals here in Heaven are not dangerous like they are back down on Earth." Emily said.
"Can I pet the lion?" I asked.
"Yeah!" Emily said.
I reached my hand out to feel the lion's soft mane. Emily took a picture of me next to the lion. Later in our zoo outing, Emily and I got to do some horseback riding. The horses were very friendly, and I didn't fall off once. I got to gallop at incredible speeds.
"Woohoo! Emily, look at me!" I shouted.
"Wow! Look at you go!" Emily said.
I let the wind blow in my hair as the horse galloped through the grassy fields. Once we were finished at the zoo, we got something to eat and then we went back home. Emily and I watched a couple of movies. (We watched some Disney movies). One thing I really wanted to do while I am in Heaven is fly. I flew with Adam and Lute before, but I want to experience having my own wings. I wasn't born with wings, and I expressed to Sera and Emily how much I wanted to have that experience.
When Sera got home, Sera told me to come outside because she had a gift for me. My curiosity grew as I walked outside.
"What is the surprise, Sera?" I asked.
"Close your eyes," Sera said.
"Okay," I said. I did as she said, closing my eyes. I felt something warm glowing on my back. I then felt something heavy.
"Now open them," Sera said.
I opened my eyes. I looked to see that I had a pair of wings! I am in shock. The wings had a golden and white color pattern on them. I reached out to touch my wings. The feathers are very soft.
"Wow." I gasped. "Sera... These are incredible!"
"I'm glad you like them. They are a gift from me. I figured you deserve them after everything you have been through." Sera said.
"Oh my God, I can't believe this! I can fly now!" I said excitedly.
"Yes, you can. Just like you've dreamed." Emily said.
"But first you need to learn how to use them," Sera said.
"As in... lessons?" I asked.
"Yes," Sera said.
"Okay. Let's do this!" I said.
The three of us walked outside to the open field where we saw new angels in Heaven learning how to fly.
"So, how do I start?" I asked.
"First, you need to focus on your wings," Sera instructed. "Imagin the wind lifting you. It's all about trusting your instincts."
I took a deep breath and concentrated, feeling the energy of my new wings. "Like this?" I asked, flapping them.
"Exactly!" Emily cheered. "Now lift off."
I hesitated to jump in the air. I felt nervous. What if they didn't work? What if I fell?
As if Sera could read my mind, she said, "Don't worry. The wings will catch you."
"Okay," I said with a sigh.
I took a deep breath. I jumped into the air. For a moment, I felt weightless, and then the wings caught the wind. I was flying! The rush of air against my face was exhilarating, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"See? You're a natural!" Emily said.
"Look at me!" I shouted.
"Just keep practicing!" Sera encouraged.
"Try doing a loop!" Emily said.
I hesitated again, but with Sera and Emily cheering me on, I gave it a shot. I tilted my body and felt the wings respond as I completed the loop. The thrill surged through me, and I couldn't contain my laughter.
After a few more attempts, I landed gracefully beside them, my heart racing. "That was incredible! Thank you both so much!"
Sera smiled, her eyes reflecting the warmth of the sun. "You did great, Lana."
"I knew you could do it," Emily said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
As I was inspecting my new wings, I got a notification on my phone. I pulled it out and saw that from the movie theater, there was a new movie coming out today called Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. That's right. I forgot that came out today. I haven't been to the movies in a while with all the crazy stuff going on in my life. The last movie I saw in the theater was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. I went with Emily on opening night. And a few other times before.
"What is it, Lana?" Emily asked.
I looked at Sera. "Sera? There is a new movie coming out today. Can we go see it?" I asked.
"Which one?" Sera asked.
"Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1," I said.
"Yeah, sure. We can go tonight." Sera said.
I leaped up with joy when she said yes. "Yay! Thank you so much!" I cried. I gave Sera a tight hug.
Adam's POV:
I flew over the skies of Heaven, returning home from my work with my army. I had spent a lot of time putting my girls into shape to prepare them for extermination day if Lana got out of line. As I continued flying, I felt an uneasy feeling inside me like something was off. I decided to do a bit of investigating before going home.
I landed on the ground to see if I could find anything out of the ordinary. I soon got a notification on my phone, letting me know that the tracker to Lana's collar has been disabled. I grew angry. That whore. I'm gonna give her the punishment she deserves when I return home.
I then soon heard Lana's voice in the distance. I was going to confront her until I heard another voice. It was Sera's. What the fuck is she doing with her? I decided to spy on them to see what they were up to.
"Sir?" I heard a voice behind me.
I turned around to see Lute. I grumbled in annoyance. "What is it, bitch?" I said.
"I just wanted to tell you that Lana has not returned home in a month," Lute said.
"I know. And I am going to find out why." I said angrily.
Mine and Lute's anger grew when we saw Sera, Emily, and Lana together. I watched Lana enjoying herself with the two. Her laughter was one of the most annoying things to me. The other thing I noticed was that she had a new pair of wings on her back. How the hell did she get those? Then, it happened. Sera cupped Lana's face gently, then leaned in to kiss her. Time seemed to freeze as fury exploded within me, dark and uncontrollable. I felt anger rising in my body. Emily kissed Lana as well.
Lute screamed as she threw her weapon to the ground. How dare she be with another woman while we are married? Let alone two. My fists clenched in anger.
"We should kill her now!" Lute shouted.
"Not yet. I am going to make sure she understands the consequences of her actions." Adam said.
"What about extermination day, sir?" Lute asked.
"That will still happen. I don't care that our marriage was supposed to stop it. Lana brought this upon herself. She will pay the price for her defiance." I said.
As I retreated into the depths of Heaven, my heart was hardened. But some satisfaction ignited within me. I would ensure Lana would learn the consequences of her actions, and her defiance would not go unpunished.
Lana's POV:
we headed out to the movies. Emily came with us too. I decided to dress up a bit since this was a movie premiere.
"I'm so excited! This movie looks so good!" Emily said.
"Me too! I can't wait!" I said.
We walked into the theater to get checked in. I still can't help but be paranoid. I am worried about running into Adam.
"Lana? What's wrong?" Emily said with concern when she saw my look of worry.
"I'm scared. What if Adam is here?" I said.
"Don't worry. I won't let him go near you." Sera said.
I tried not to let my anxiety get to me as we checked in. This is the movies. This is supposed to be my happy place. The theater was slightly busy today because of the new movie but I was fine with it.
"Can we get popcorn, Sera?" I asked.
"Sure," Sera said.
I got in line to get some popcorn. I got some drinks and then filled the popcorn with butter. I went to the bathroom to take a pee before the movie started because the movie was 2 hours and 45 minutes long. I quickly did my business and then went inside the theater with Sera and Emily. The movie was in Imax, my favorite format for movies. We sat in the corner of the theater where I usually like to sit.
The previews started. I saw a few previews I liked. When the countdown finished, the movie started. The movie had an intense opening scene, then of course the Mission Impossible opening title theme which was my favorite part about the Mission Impossible movies.
I was immediately drawn in by the action throughout the movie. I loved seeing all the crazy stunts that were happening. It helped me forget about the hard times I was going through right now.
At some point during the movie, I had to use the bathroom (Again).
"Sera, I need to pee," I whined.
"Okay, let me come with you," Sera said.
Sera went with me to the bathroom. She just wants to keep me safe in case something happens. I had to be quick too, because I did not want to miss a lot of the movie. Sera and I returned to the theater when I was finished.
I sat on Sera's lap through the rest of the movie. There was a moment of silence when Ethan Hunt made a jaw-dropping jump off of a cliff.
"That was awesome!" Emily exclaimed.
"Yeah," I said, agreeing with her. Emily and I jumped a bit when the sound came back on in the theater.
Adrenaline rushed through my body during the final fight scene. Things were getting intense. I heard gasps from the audience as Ethan was escaping the falling train. The movie was left off with a cliffhanger (As expected from the title). There were no end-credit scenes so we left when it was finished.
"Thank you so much for bringing me to the movies, Sera. I needed this." I said.
"You're welcome, Lana," Sera said.
I kissed Sera to say thank you. Sera kissed me back.
"Did you like the movie?" I asked.
"Yes, I did. I'm interested to see what they are going to do with the next one." Sera said.
"Same here," I said.
"I wished it didn't leave off on a cliffhanger, though," Emily said.
"At least it won't take as long as the next Spider-Verse movie," I said.
"True," Emily said.
I was happily talking with Sera and Emily about the movie and the upcoming movies we saw during the previews. I am looking forward to the new Hunger Games movie coming out later this year.
As we made our way outside the theater, I felt something was off. It almost felt like I was being watched.
"Lana? Are you okay?" Sera asked me.
"Does any of you feel like we are being watched?" I asked.
"No..." Sera said.
Suddenly, I felt something push me to the ground. I gasped because I felt the wind getting knocked out of me. I tried to get up, but I felt something pinning me down.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," I heard a familiar voice say. I looked up to see my husband, Adam standing over me with a smirk on his face. I felt fear when I saw a predatory glint in his eye. I knew he was angry. I noticed it was Lute who was the one pinning me down. She had her blade dangerously close to my neck.
"What do you want?" I manage to say.
"Just wanted to have a little chat," Adam said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "About your new wives."
My eyes widened. Does Adam know about Sera and Emily? "How do you know?" I asked nervously.
Adam clenched his fists. "You think I'm stupid? I saw you guys kiss earlier today. And I saw you have two new wedding rings. It's obvious." Adam spat.
"You broke the rules," Lute said.
"And yet here we are," Adam said, his voice low and dangerous. Adam kneels down to my level. He grips my chin, forcing me to look in his gaze. "You think you can just leave us? I gave you everything!"
I yelped when Adam slapped me hard across the face. Lute presses her blade harder against my skin. I could feel the skin breaking.
"You betrayed us. Now you're going to die." Lute said.
I felt the blade move quickly past me. I can tell Lute is going for my eye, but she missed and only cut off the top half of my left ear. I screamed in pain because it still hurt.
"Help!" I cried.
"No one is coming to save you," Lute said. Adam smirked. He is clearly enjoying the scene. Lute was about to cut my head off, but Adam stopped her.
"Not now, Lute," Adam said.
"But sir. She betrayed us!" Lute shouted.
"I know. But she needs to learn the consequences of her actions first. We will make her suffer; I promise you that." Adam said.
Lute sighed. "Okay, sir."
Lute got off of me. Adam roughly grabs me by the arms and pulls me up. Adam then notices my brand-new wings. I got scared when I felt him touch them. "Nice wings, babe. Where did you get them?" Adam asked. I could tell his voice was sarcasm.
"S-Sera gave them to me," I said nervously. I was scared he would hurt my wings as he kept rubbing his hand on them.
"That bitch really thinks you deserve them?!" Adam said as he burst out with laughter.
"I love her!" I shouted.
"Yeah, yeah. Now come on. You have a long night ahead of you." Adam said. Adam's grip tightened as we began walking away. I was losing hope, but then I heard someone's voice yell in the distance.
"Adam!"
We all turned to see Sera and Emily standing in front of us. Sera had a glare on her face. "Let go of her. Now." She said, her voice low and dangerous.
"And why would I?" Adam spat.
"She is my wife. I'm guessing you found out already. Lana is under my protection. You have no right to threaten her. I won't let you hurt her." Sera said.
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" Lute challenged, stepping in front of me. I squirmed, trying to free myself but Adam only tightened his grip more.
"Let. Her. Go. NOW!" Sera said with authority in her voice.
"Fine, fine," Adam said with a sigh. Adam reluctantly let me go. I ran over to Sera who put protective arms around me. Adam turned to look at me before he left. "Don't think this is over, Lana. By the way, we are going forward with the extermination. We'll see you in four months."
"What! You can't do that! We had a deal!" I yelled.
Adam didn't respond to me and left, with Lute following behind him. Sera and Emily held me close, whispering words of comfort but none of that helped.
I collapsed on my knees and cried. I have failed. I failed my moms. I failed everyone.