The Voodoo Doll

Chapter V: A Little Help

Noah.

His name sent a wave of electricity down her spine, her essence heated with excitement, her hands shook so hard she had to grip her twin swords at her waist for reassurance.

She wasn't wrong, was she?

She didn't hesitate. She put on her favourite converse, forgetting to change out of her nightgown, and without telling a soul, she spread her wings and flew down to Earth.

To Lailah's disappointment, it was already night in the human world. The midnight sky was not silent. The rain pummeled the roofs, the thump-thump-thump felt like a hammer destroying the angel's body from the inside, leaving nothing but broken bones and torn vessels.

Lailah hated rain. She silently cursed herself for always forgetting the difference in time between her world and this one.

She tried to concentrate, feeling the boy's essence, a trail left only for the Queen to find. She flew some more over the skyscrapers, over the smaller buildings, down between the closed shops, the still-lit restaurants, swarming with people, their noise reaching her ears but flowing way past them. She couldn't afford to be distracted now, not when she was so close to finding him after fifteen years of searching. Finally, in a narrow alley where only stray cats and homeless humans lived, she saw him. Walking with unsteady steps, almost limping. He had no shoes on, the sound of his wet socks hitting the endless puddles on the pavement broke her heart.

Where were you, all this time, Noah ? Who took you and make you live like this ? How did you manage to escape ?

She struggled to contain the rage burning inside her. She made an oath, at that moment, to erase whoever did this to the boy, to make them regret ever dealing with the Angel Queen and her belongings.

Lailah willed herself to go invisible, then flew closer to the boy. Her anger subsided a little upon seeing his wet, but fancy school clothes. Whoever raised Noah could afford to send him to school, and that was good. At least they had the audacity to think about his education. She truly hoped it was just not the appearance, but the upbringing that wasn't as bad as she thought. After all, if he was tortured for fifteen years, he wouldn't look so healthy.

She could hear his near-silent moans, she could see his small hands rise to his cheeks, wiping the tears away but getting more of them in return. Every single cell of her body resisted the urge to embrace him, to apologize, over and over again, to wrap her white gleaming feathers around him, shielding him from the darkness of this world.

The Darkness that was about to get ten times worse.

Stop it, Lailah. You have no right to act without the Oracles' orders. She wrapped her arms around her cold body, desperate for a warmth she didn't have.

She was about to get a closer look at his face, when he took off running.

Wait ! she wanted to scream, but held her tongue.

Noah ran and ran and ran, Lailah behind him, her heart racing along, desperately wanting to hold his hand and take him somewhere faraway, far from these worlds and the never ending pain of existing within them. The smell of petrichor rose from the ground, signaling the persisting rain that wet the boy's hair and face, but failed to reach the Queen's body, for she could block the droplets from hitting her. What she couldn't block, though, was the knife that twisted inside her heart, the guilt that came after the day she lost Noah.

The midnight-haired boy stopped to catch his breath. He looked at the world around him, an expression of mild interest but also confusion on his damp face. The signs of agony seemed to already disappear with the distraction. Where was he? He might have wondered. Who are these people? Where would he go now? He seemed to think things through, for he put his fists on his hips and looked up, his eyelids shut, his lips pursed, letting the storm clear his troubled mind.

Then he started running again.

Lailah couldn't bear this sight anymore. The least thing she could do was help him find shelter for the night. She couldn't act without the Oracles' orders, but she doubted doing this would change their fates much.

Bracing herself, she pictured an image of a white pigeon soaring the skies in a speed no other bird ever dreamed of, oblivious to the storms and the snow, unwary of the falcons and the vultures, her feathers gleaming with a thousand colors under the sunshine.

Soon enough, she felt lighter, her body shrinking, her skin turning opal, her lips hardening, taking the shape of a golden beak. Her vision seemed to improve as much as her hearing, but she was not paying attention to all of these mundane details.

She had to turn a boy's despair into hope.

✘✘✘

That evening, Noah ran until the muscles in his thighs burned, threatening to burst open.

As his feet hit the puddles of water scattered in the street, as his heart pumped in his chest like it was about to leave his rib cage for good, he was looking around him for houses who resembled his own. Anywhere to pass the night.

He absolutely could not allow himself to think about anything else.

Don't waste your time dwelling over what happened and what you could have done. You exist here and now, not there and then. His father's words ringed in his ears so strongly, he could have sensed the old man's presence, whispering them in his head over and over again.

He shook his head, trying to suppress any thought of his old life for now. What was the point?

After what seemed like an eternity, he stopped running, exhausted and heartbroken. There was not a single house in sight. Buildings stretched far into the distance, gleaming with lights, filling the air with sounds of commercial music, words that held no meaning to him, words he could not process. The smell of udon carressed his nostrils, and he could barely control his saliva. He glanced at the shops around him, looking for the source. Sure enough, there it was, with a banner hung at the entrance. All kinds of noodles, with all kinds of seasoning.

Noah's stomach growled, but that was not what got his attention.

Right in front of the udon restaurant, on the floor stood a white pigeon, gazing at him as though deciphering every single part of his soul, exposing his deepest fears and desires to the world. For the first time in his life, the boy felt vulnerable.

That's when the pigeon flew towards him. As if on instinct, Noah covered his face, letting out a squeal he will later regret. With a soft cry, as if to say Do not fear, it landed on his shoulder.

Noah looked at the bird, and the bird looked back at Noah.

Follow me, it seemed to tell him.

And he did.

And this pigeon, out of all creatures in the world, was the one to save him.