Leaping to my feet, I run as every one of the dark Angels turn to pursue me. The white Angels try fighting them off hoping to slow them down, but several of them get away. And I'm not running fast enough.
Dark Angels close in on us from all sides, and there's one really creepy dark Angel that seems determined to get to me at all costs.
"Hold on to me!" Sebastian shouts.
Grabbing me by the waist, he leaps into the air, letting his wings unfurl. And with a jolt, followed by a loud whooshing sound, we're soaring through the air so fast I can't even keep my eyes open.
Sebastian's grip tightens around me. Pulling me into his arms while I cling to him. I'm deafly afraid of heights, and even more afraid of falling to my death.
Peaking over Sebastian's shoulder, panic grips my heart. Dark Angels are closing in on us at an unnatural speed. And one of them shoots an arrow at us that Sebastian doesn't see coming.
Pushing him, I'm hoping to move us out of the line of fire. Only, I end up blasting us apart instead, and to my horror, I start to plummet thousands of feet to my death.
Turning upwards toward the sky, I search for Sebastian. Finding him heading straight for me with his hands at his sides.
He's in a dive hoping to catch me.
The larger dark Angel collides into him, and they both go spiraling through the air. Fighting each other. Meanwhile, I'm still plummeting closer and closer to the ground. And while the larger dark Angel keeps Sebastian preoccupied, two others close in behind me.
They keep their eyes on me, neither of them tries anything. They seem to be waiting for something. And that's when it hits me. Me falling to my death would accomplish what they've set out to do. That's why they aren't coming after me. All they must do is hold Sebastian off and let gravity do the rest.
The Dark Angel Sebastian was fighting erupts into a bright light and disappeared like ash on the wind. He then turns his focus on the other two Angels. Loosing two arrows that neither of them see coming until the last second.
Hoping to avoid the arrows, they collided into each other, the arrows strike true anyway, and then they also erupt into a bright light. Vanishing with the wind.
Now that I'm out of the woods, so to speak, I turn back toward the ground and my heart lodges in my throat. I'm twenty feet from the rooftop of a large building, and at the rate of speed I'm falling, no bone would be left unshattered if I was to survive this.
I can't watch...
Closing my eyes, I brace myself for impact hoping Sebastian will get to me in time. If this is the way I'm going to die, then there's nothing I could do to prevent it. Though I have a hard time believing someone would go through the trouble of creating me to have me die like this.
Accepting my fate, I extend my arms and legs. Allowing my body to freefall the rest of the way to my death. I've all but given up hope when I feel Sebastian's arms close around me. Smiling, my eyes fly open. But my happiness is short-lived as Sebastian flips our position. Taking the impact of the fall himself.
A split second later we go through the roof of the building. And I feel the moment it knocks the air from Sebastian's lungs. Sending him gasping for air.
But it doesn't stop there.
We fall through at least ten floors before finally coming to a stop. Then, without taking a beat to catch his breath, Sebastian quickly reverses our positions again. Looking up toward the ceiling. Because even though we're safely on the ground, we're still not out of the woods yet. The building groans, creaks, and sways around us until it starts to cave in on us. And lifting his fist in the air, he throws up a force field to protect us from the falling debris of the roof above us.
"You have to get out of here," Sebastian tells me. As rebar, metal beams, and concrete crumbles all around us.
"You're coming with me, right?" I ask. Worry clouding my face.
"I can't," he shakes his head. "The moment I release this force field, the entire building is going to come down. That's why I need you to get out of here. The others will be waiting for you when you do. They'll find you."
"No," I refuse. Tears forming in my eyes. "I'm not leaving you."
"If you don't, you'll die. And all of this will be for nothing. You must. The lives of everyone you care about depend on it."
How crappy is this?
I must choose between the guy I've care for more than I care to admit, and the family I love more than anything in this world. But knowing Sebastian, he'd want me to choose the selfless road.
So, I do...
"I love you," I blurt out. Surprising myself.
"I know," he smiles wide. Stealing my heart away. "I love you too."
Closing the space between us, I bring my lips to his one last time. And electricity flows through me like a current the moment our lips touch. Firing at all cylinders and awakening parts of me I didn't lie dormant until now.
"You better come back to me, or I'll revive you just so I can kill you myself," I tell him.
Laughing, he nods and tells me, "I'll always come back to you. Now... go."
Taking a mental picture of him, I swallow hard, and tear myself away. Running towards the staircase. When I get to the fifth floor, I'm slowed down by other people who are rushing down the stairs to get out of the building. Some of them are so afraid they frantically start jumping to their deaths out of the windows.
I make it out to the street several minutes later and turned to look for Sebastian. Only, he hasn't come out yet. And I know it's because he's waiting for the last person to leave the building. He's sacrificing himself for all these people and he doesn't even know them.
The last person leaves the building and when they're a safe distance away, that's when the building caves in. It crumbles to the ground, taking my heart and my hope with it. Because when the dust settles, there's still no Sebastian.
Paralyzed by grief, I stand there glued to my spot. Waiting for him. But after five minutes, there's still no sign of him.
He's gone...
"No!" I shout. Running toward the building. Only someone grabs me by the waist and pulls me into an alley.
Wriggling free from their hold, I shove whoever it is against the wall. At the same time, I lose my footing, stumble backwards, and fall. Hitting my head on the ground.
Then I black out...
I don't know how long I've been out, but when I come to, I can feel someone dabbling a warm towel on my face.
It's a woman.
I can tell by how tender her touch is. Then I remember losing Sebastian and shoot straight up. Quickly wishing I didn't.
"Angelique?" The woman calls out to me.
Turning to face her I freeze. Unable to think, speak, or blink.
Am I hallucinating again?
Reaching out to touch her face, my heart skips a beat. Up until now, I thought maybe I was imagining her. But now I know she's real.
"Mom?" I gasp.
"She's awake," the woman shouts to someone over her shoulder.
Pulling her close, I wrap my arms around her. Squeezing her as hard as I can. I can't believe she's alive. And she looks just like her picture. Also, I have a ton of questions for her.
"I don't understand," I gape at her. Trying to make sense of how she could be here. "I thought you and dad were both dead."
"I know. It was necessary that you did, because once it found us, it wasn't going to rest until you and your father were dead," she flashes me an apologetic smile. "And by the time your father told me his family was cursed... that there was an evil after him... it was too late. Not that it would've mattered. I didn't believe him anyway. Not until I watched it kill your grandfather... a man with no face. I was six months pregnant with you at the time. And soon after, that same man came after me to get to you."
"How did you know where I was?" I asked.
"Sweetie, I've always known where you were."
What?
There's no way she's always known where I was. Because how can she just sit back and watch me go through what I went through and not try to save me.
How could she watch me suffer?
What kind of mother would do that?
"What do you mean you've always known where I was?" I ask. Wanting to make sure I understand her correctly.
"I mean, I was always there. Even when you didn't think I was. Watching from the sidelines."
Yep... I heard her correctly.
"You stood back and watched me suffer?" I glowered at her.
"Don't give me that look," she dishes the attitude right back. "I did what I had to do to protect you. That's why I went to a priest hoping he could get me in touch with someone who would protect you. But before he ever got the chance to help me, he was killed. That's when I knew my identity had been compromised. And that I would have to abandon you to keep you safe. But not a day went by without me knowing where you were. That you were safe."
"We must go," A man I've never seen before announces to the room. But he looks oddly familiar.
"Okay," my mom nods. "Angelique, this is Gabriel. He'll take care of you."
"You're coming too, aren't you?" I asked.
"I'm afraid I can't. But I will always be with you."
No... I refuse to do this again.
"I'm not leaving you. I just found you," I protested.
"Stay with me and you'll die. We all will. You have a higher purpose now, sweetie. I'm afraid having a relationship with me is trivial in comparison. But if it is meant to be, we will see each other again someday," she assures.
And that's all I get before she grabs her jacket and puts it on. That's when I realize she's the hooded woman. That she has been watching me all these years.
"We must go," Gabriel repeats. "We must go now."
I turn to look at him, and he stares at me with the same blank expression Sebastian and his friends used to look at me with when we first met.
He's an Angel.
What the heck is my mom doing traipsing around with an Angel?
"Are you okay to walk?" She asks.
"Yes," I nod.
"Good. We must go."
She hands two backpacks two Gabriel, and before I can hug her goodbye, I'm kissed on the forehead and submerged in darkness.
"Angelique," Gabriel calls out to me sometime later.
I open my eyes and my head hurts worse than it does when Sebastian subdues me. Sitting up, I suddenly feel the urge to vomit, and I rush to the bathroom to throw up in the toilet. As soon as I do, my head feels ten times better.
Note to self... punch the next person who subdues me square in the face.
Rinsing my mouth out with water, I take a moment to look around and take in my surroundings.
I have no clue where we are.
"You must eat and rest. We have a long journey ahead of us," Gabriel tells me.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"New York," he answers. "Do you have the coordinates?"
"Coordinates?" I frown. "What coordinates?"
"Surely you've found it by now," he scoffs.
"Found what?"
He's quite the conversationalist, this one.
"The letter that directed you to the American Museum of National History," Gabriel replies.
"Sebastian had it," I sulk. "He was in the building when it crumbled to the ground."
"Did you see him come out?" He asks worried.
Shaking my head, I reply, "No."
Gabriel puts two fingers to his temple and starts speaking in the same strange language as Sebastian and the Messenger. Like he's talking to someone, only he's not on a phone or a walkie-talkie. He's basically talking to himself. And the only audible thing I can make out is Sebastian's name.
Walking over to the window in the room, I stare out at all of New York. Wondering where I am in relation to where Sebastian is. Or if anyone would notice if I slipped out of here to go after him. Not that I'd even begin to know how to find him in all that rubble.
Looking down at the ground I surmise we're probably on the very top floor of whatever building we're in. Come to think of it, the room we're in kind of looks like a penthouse suite. Further confirming my suspicion about where we're located.
Again, my thoughts shift back to Sebastian. Wondering if he's all right. If he's still alive even, and whether I'll ever see him again. I receive my answer about an hour later when Sebastian's lifeless body is brought to our hotel room. Covered in dirt and little bits of concrete.
"Heal him or he will expire," Gabriel tells me.
While Gabriel turns his attention to the man who brought Sebastian to our room, I focus on Sebastian's lifeless body.
Placing my hands beside his face, I watch them glow. Hoping I'm not too late and willing him awake.
"He's not waking up," I panic. With tears forming in my eyes. Only, he must wake up.
He can't leave me like this.
"Should he have a heartbeat? Can I check for that?"
Gabriel pauses his conversation with Sebastian's rescuer long enough to listen for Sebastian's heartbeat.
"Let him rest," he tells me. And I'm hoping he found what he's looking for. Because I can't lose Sebastian. Not after telling him, I love him.
Gabriel motions for his rescuer to lifted him up and carry him into one of the bedrooms. And he's laid down on the bed. Then Gabriel goes into the bathroom and comes out with a giant bowl of soap water and a towel.
"Here... clean him up and change him."
Gabriel disappears and comes back with a pair of clothes that he hands to me. Does he really expect me to bathe Sebastian? I can't do that. I have a hard enough time just being in the same room with him, let along having to bathe him.
It pushes me well past the point I'm comfortable with.
"Is there a problem?" Gabriel glances sideways at me.
I want to say yes, but I'm also afraid to. Gabriel looks like the type that doesn't play. So, I shake my head no, instead. Mentally preparing myself to touch a guy I care for deeply in a way I don't even think he's touched himself.
I've never bathed a guy before, and I'm nervous.
I'm only sixteen!
Maybe I don't have to bathe all parts of him. But again, I'm too afraid of Gabriel to ask. More afraid of him than I am having to bathe Sebastian to be exact.
Can I really do this?