Cael
Khiara is kissing me deeply, kissing me like she needs air and I'm her only fresh source.
We're in my apartment on the couch. There's an infomercial on in the background talking about getting some pan for twenty-nine ninety-nine plus shipping, and the kiss tastes like coffee and smells like soap.
My head is spinning, trying to remember what my problem with this scenario is when she's kissing me like this. What could be wrong?
There's something wrong.
We...shouldn't be here.
Suddenly, Khiara pulls back and says, "Camael," looking into my eyes.
"Yes?"
Her eyes roll to the back of her skull and she collapses in front of me.
I wake up with a start.
It was only a dream.
"Shit," I mutter to myself.
It was so vivid.
I sit up in bed, and look around the room. I'm in one of Cara's grandmother's cabins, one that isn't heavily occupied. I stay here with Verchiel, Leliel, Samael and Lisa.
Currently I'm the only one occupying the cabin.
I have no idea what time it is, only that I slept deeply.
I sit up, sighing.
I miss Khiara. I only had her for a short period of time and yet that time is everything to me.
I get out of the bed, and stand, stretching. I don't bother to put on a sweater before plunging myself into the cold outside as I walk to Cara's grandmother's cottage.
When I enter, it smells like sugar cookies.
Everybody save Leliel is sitting in the kitchen, dunking cookies into tea or milk.
"Cael," Cara says. "You're up."
I nod. "Yeah. What time is it?"
"Noon," Tristan replies.
Oh, I slept in.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" I ask Tristan and Cara.
I realize Lisa is in the room too. "Shouldn't you be at school?" I direct towards her.
They exchange a look. "School doesn't seem that important," Tristan says. "What with everything going on."
"What have you told your parents?" I ask.
Tristan shrugs. "My mom thinks I'm at a fancy boarding school right now."
I look at Cara. "What's your excuse?"
She laughs. "My mom hasn't cared about me for years. She knows I'm at my grandmother's and figures I'm no longer her problem."
"Hmm," I reply. "Good enough."
I take a seat at the kitchen table, across from Cara.
Grandma Coal stands and moves to put on a pot of coffee.
"So we've been talking," Samael says. "And we think we know of a way to help Khiara's soul pass the trials."
I'm all ears. "What way is that?" I ask.
I pick up a sugar cookie and nibble on it.
"You become human," Samael replies.
I laugh. "That's not possible."
"It is possible. I've hears whisper of it for years. There is a way. There's a book. Lucifer has it. There's talk that the Rephaim are the key to becoming human."
"Oh great. Our enemy has it," I say. "Fantastic."
She sighs, annoyed. "Well, it's easy to find Lucifer if you talk to the right people. And I happen to have connections."
"Lucifer is probably hiding out, waiting for Khiara to pass the trials," I say. "He wouldn't be out in the open right now."
"He's in Louisiana," Samael informs me. "My friend tracked him down."
Louisiana. So close and yet so far. "What makes you think we can just stroll right up to Lucifer's hide out? What makes you think that we can obtain the book?"
"Nobody has tried," Samael says. "Nobody has dared fuck with him. We might be the only people who can get the book. Not many people know where Lucifer is hiding and it was valuable information to obtain."
It's ridiculous to imagine that we can just stroll into wherever Lucifer is hiding and simply take the book. Laughable, even.
And yet, "You really think we can pull it off?" I ask.
Samael nods. "We're the only ones crazy enough to attempt it."
"I'm not leaving her," I say. "I refuse to."
Samael nods like she expected my reaction. "That's why it's going to be me, Cara, and Verchiel."
I balk. "You've already made a plan?"
Samael laughs. "Of course. We have to act fast and to do that we need a plan."
This is crazy. "I can't believe this is what you did while I slept."
"Believe it, nerd," Verchiel says. "We came up with the plan hours ago."
"And how are you getting to Louisiana?" I ask.
Grandma Coal sets a cup of coffee down in front of me and I thank her absently.
"Cara's car," Verchiel replies. "You got a problem with this, Cael?"
Her use of my human name hurts, but I ignore it. "This will be dangerous," I say. "More dangerous than you think."
Cara scoffs. "It's exactly as dangerous as we think," she says. "We know what we're getting into."
"If you really think so then good luck," I say. "I think it's too risky."
"You want to become a human don't you? That means you can be assigned as her soul mate!" Samael says to me, talking as if I'm slow to understand.
I hadn't thought of that. If Khiara has a soul mate, it might help her soul somehow, in her trials.
"Okay," I say. "When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," Cara says. "We leave early."
"The earlier the better," Samael says cheerily.
I take a sip of coffee. It's good. "Well okay then," I say. "You're going to Louisiana."
"We're going to Louisiana!" Cara says happily. "New Orleans in fact!"
"New Orleans huh?" I reply. "Cool. Is it inappropriate to say, have fun?"
Cara shakes her head. "I plan to have fun, okay. It's New Orleans."
"We have to look at this as a rescue mission. The book is what we're rescuing, obviously," says Samael.
"We're gonna be like spies, you know? Act like we belong," Cara says excitedly. "And then whamo! We're gonna steal that book from right under their noses."
"That's the plan anyway," Verchiel adds. "As harebrained as it seems, I think we have a chance."
"You think it's going to be harebrained?" I ask, sarcastically.
"We're a wacky trio of hot chicks, of course it's going to be harebrained," Samael says.
I just blink at them. "Whatever floats your boat."
Samael grins wide at me. "Little brother, don't look at us like that. It'll be a fun adventure."
"I wouldn't call it fun," Verchiel says.
"You're such a buzzkill," Samael says. "You're like that guy, Byzzkilington."
Cara nods. "She's right."
Grandma Coal is suppressing laughter, but Lisa and Tristan are actively giggling.
"Okay, I can be fun," Verchiel says, defensively. "I just don't think this trip is going to be what you're imagining. We're not going to stop at any parties or anything, Cara."
Cara frowns. "Well damn."
I laugh, startling myself at the sound. "You're a hot mess," I tell Verchiel, and she scowls.
"I am not a hot mess."
"Not you. Your little group is," I clarify.
I finish off my coffee and with a sigh ask, "Is it my turn yet?"
Everyone shares a glance.
"You can't dispense sass and then leave," Cara says. "You just got up. Relax a little."
I don't want to relax.
Verchiel replies to my thoughts. "Well you need to just be chill, okay? Just for a few more hours. Leliel is watching her and they'll be fine."
I sigh. Sag in my seat. Realize how tired I still am, even though I just slept.
"Okay," I say, "I'll chill."
Lisa giggles. "It sounds odd when you say it."
I roll my eyes. "Thanks."
There's a lull in conversation after that, a companionable silence. It's Verchiel that breaks it.
"Why do the other Fae keep to themselves? I don't see them here for coffee and cookies," she asks.
Grandma Coal answers. "It is their way," she says.
Verchiel sighs. "That's strange, but okay. I guess I can accept it. It just feels like you show us favouritism or something."
Grandma Coal laughs. "While I am fond of many of our Faen guests, I am also fond of you all. And of course, there is my granddaughter who I do show favouritism to."
Cara grins.
"The point is, I like you all a great deal. If it comes across as favouritism then so be it," Grandma Coal says.
The conversation lulls again, and I nibble on a cookie.
For now, I'll be chill. I'll relax and in a few hours I'll be by Khiara's side.
I live to be by her side.