Forbidden Dreams

Chapter Three: Explanations of the Exiled

It was nearly three hours later when the two girls finally sat down on the couch in Alex’s apartment, both a little tired. They had gotten the still nameless man into the spare room, onto the bed. They stripped it first of all the sheets and blankets it had and placed old towels underneath him. After a little argument over getting the police involved, in which Isabelle was adamant about, but the just barely younger brunette argued and was able to convince her otherwise, they tended to his injuries.

They felt bad when they had to remove some of his clothes, but it was for his own good. After they finished, they covered him up with blankets and let him sleep, and now they were sitting on the couch, in silence for a while. Finally, Alex asked, “Want a drink?”

“Dr. Pepper?”

The other brunette chuckled. Getting up off the couch, biting back a groan from moving the man in the other room so much, she slipped into her kitchen and grabbed a Pepsi and a Dr. Pepper. She paused to stare at the lowest shelf of her fridge at the different sodas stocked inside. Half of them were only in there for when the group came over; her friends were very picky when it came to sodas.

She walked back into the living room, handing the other girl her drink, and plopped back onto the couch. A short laugh was given from Isabelle, which Alex just ignored, smiling faintly as she opened the can and took a gulp. The silence settled in the apartment then, but it was a comfortable silence- something that the two girls handled well. They were really close; other than Alex’s younger sister, Eve, they were the closest out of the group. They’d known each other for years- silence swept between them more as a blessing than a curse.

Time passed as they waited for the man to wake up. Another five hours later and the spare room was still quiet. The two girls were still in the same room; Isabelle was reading a book on her phone while Alex was playing a video game. Alex paused the game and got up to get a glass of water. She walked back in the room with a slight frown on her face. “Do you have to be back home, Izzy? It’s almost one in the morning.”

Lifting her gaze from the phone, the girl’s friend shook her head. “No. It’s all good.”

Both of them stopped when they heard a door close from down the hallway of the apartment. Turning their heads, they saw the man slowly walk out from the room, stopping in the doorframe of the room, staring at them both. Isabelle’s eyes widened when she made contact with his golden eyes- but they were utterly focused on Alex, whom just returned the look steadily.

“You really shouldn’t be standing,” Isabelle said finally. Alex glanced to her in surprise, lifting her eyebrows. The tone that she used when addressing him- it was the same firm tone she used with the group when she was being the responsible one. Secretly believing her to have accepted him (if just barely) into their little ensemble of people, the younger brunette set her drink down and returned her gaze to him.

Just in time, too. Taking a sharp intake of breath, she quickly darted forward and caught the man as he stumbled forward a step and his legs buckled underneath him. A moment later Isabelle was at his other side, and they brought him to sit on the sofa they’d just been sitting on.  Isabelle looked over him with a critical eye before walking to the kitchen as Alex sat next to him, putting a hand on his upper arm carefully. “You feelin’ okay? Maybe you should rest some more.”

He shook his head, medium-length black hair flopping slightly as he did. “Later. You need to know…”

Her frown deepened but he stopped when Isabelle walked back into the room, a glass of water in her hand. Holding it out to him, she waited- everlasting patience clear in her posture- until he finally took it, gazing into the glass before gulping it down. Alex blinked in surprise, but Isabelle wasn’t in the least bit surprised, waiting and taking the glass from him afterwards. She returned to the kitchen to put it in the sink.

“What do I need to know?” Alex asked when her friend re-entered the room.

“No, firstly, what do we need to know?” Isabelle said before the man could speak, earning two sets of eyes on her. “What’s your name?” she asked him, stopping in front of both her friend and him, arms crossed.

He paused, glancing between both girls. “….Call me Dusk.”

The two best friends exchanged glances. Alex shifted her position beside him while Isabelle let her arms fall, still gazing at him steadily with her hazel eyes. “What are you?” she asked after a moment. Alex threw her a sidelong glance, but looked back to stare at him intensely when he didn’t answer at first. “Well?”

He was returning her look evenly, until he finally turned to Alex, gold eyes imploring- and almost beseeching- her. “It…I’d rather speak to you about this.”

Alex’s gray eyes regarded him silently for a moment before she offered him a slight smile. “Sorry, Dusk. She helped- I agreed to let her know what happened.” His eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t tell her what happened…I figured you’d explain everything better than I could.”

Isabelle moved over to sit in the chair close to them, looking at him with a less intense gaze than before. He shifted, wincing a little- then he fell into silence, mulling over something. Alex couldn’t tell just by looking at him, and she inwardly cringed when she realized she was studying his face, quickly pulling herself out of it and waiting in silence. Finally, his gold eyes made contact with the both of them, and he started to speak.

“…I’m an Angel.” Alex leaned back slightly, peering at him. Her expression was guarded, while Isabelle just stared, not openly reacting to his statement. Dusk sighed. “You don’t believe me….Here.” Alex scooted backwards on the furniture, eyes widened, when black wings suddenly sprouted from his back. Isabelle even widened her eyes and leaned forward a little, staring at the appendages that he flexed, although both of them were heavily wounded. He furled them on his back with a cringe. “See?”

“Why are your wings black, then?” the eldest girl present questioned.

Golden eyes darkened a few shades, and instead of looking at the one that spoke to him, those darker orbs fell on Alex, where they remained while he answered. “Because God disowned you. Therefore, he disowned me.”

Alex shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the intense gaze- but not frightened. No, she wasn’t in any danger from this blank-winged man. “Therefore? Are we connected, somehow?”

He nodded, his still trained on her. “I am your Guardian.” He paused, wings shuffling a little. “They used to be white, but they turned black when God turned his back on you…”

Isabelle finally spoke up again, having gone silent for a little while. Both glanced over to her when she did. “And why were you injured?”

He stared at her evenly as he answered, “God ordered some Angels to kill me.”

Alex paled slightly, staring at him in silence. Isabelle regarded him for a moment before standing up. “I think you should rest some more.”

Dusk shook his head, golden eyes brightening a little in determination. “She needs to know-“

Isabelle shook her head, cutting him off as she approached. “It can wait.” With one hazel glance, Alex quickly stood and helped him to his feet. Between the two, they got the exiled angel back to his room, leaving him to get settled for the night. They walked back to the living room and sat down. Silence returned once again, but it was interrupted quickly enough.

“…What do you think this means, Izzy?” Alex finally asked, her voice hushed. When she spoke, her gray eyes lifted, drawn to the room where Dusk was.

“Honestly, Alex, I don’t have a damn clue. But he’ll be able to explain better tomorrow. Why don’t we get some sleep?” With this suggestion, she nudged her friend, whom jumped a little but shook out of it and nodded.

“I s’pose that’s as good an idea as any…”