Chapter Two
"Is this really necessary?"
I winced as Kirsten pressed another pin painfully into my hair. My head felt so tight that I could feel a tension headache forming. In addition to that, my nerves were pulled so taut that I was already a flight risk. The urge was there within me to say 'screw it' and climb back into bed but I had given my word and that was not something I took lightly.
"Yes, it's necessary." The woman replied, her hands fiddling with my dark tresses to try and form some semblance of control. "I may not be one of you, but I know that you're the good guys. The world needs to know it before things become ugly."
I lifted my head and met her gaze in the mirror. She offered me a small smile.
"I may not be the brightest bulb out there but I'm not stupid. This registration bill is the beginning of bad things. If it gets passed we could be looking at another Nazi Germany situation."
It felt strange to see the woman looking so grave.
When I had met her, Kirsten had been a bottle blonde, uppity bitch. There was no way to sugar coat that fact. She was aware of it and made no apologies for her past. Now her hair had been cut short into a pixie style and had returned to her natural dirty blonde. Her make-up was understated while she was dressed in a beautiful navy blue jumper dress and black stiletto heeled ankle boots. She looked beautiful and it was so effortless.
"We like to think that we are better, that we are above persecuting others. But the truth is that we are all scared." She continued as her fingers pushed in another hair pin. I winced but my eyes never left her reflection. As if feeling my stare, her gaze lifted to meet mine in the mirror. "Scared people do stupid things."
My stomach churned uncomfortably but I managed to nod my head.
"You're good at this you know." I offered softly, watching her deftly pin the last few stray hairs in place.
"Doing hair? I know. I did three years of hair and beauty training."
I shook my head as she backed away from me, her eyes boring critically at the back of my head.
"No, giving me pep talks. I think I need the hard facts. Knowing the realities of this situation we're all in is the only thing that is going to bring me to where I need to be." My voice was soft so I cleared my throat and tried to find my strength. "I have so many people counting on me to be this figurehead and to show the world who we are. I need to be strong."
Kirsten wrapped her warm fingers around my own icy hands and gave them a squeeze.
"I have faith in you." Her eyes lost focus for a moment before she offered me a smile. "Do you remember the day we first met?"
I nodded my head and met her gaze in the mirror.
"You didn't put up with any of my crap or any of Lucius'either. You also faced down with insane nut jobs with crossbows and holy water and you still came out on top. You've been through more than most people have and probably ever will. I have faith that you can do this. You don't need to find or fake the strength to be the figurehead. You already have it within you. You just have to unleash it."
My eyes grew misty but I quickly blinked back the tears.
"See what I mean? You're really good at the pep talks."
A hard rap sounded on the door just a second before it was pushed open. I glanced up as a young man appeared in the doorway. His hand was covering the microphone on his headset as he surveyed the room before coming to land on the pair of us.
"Five minutes. We need you to start making your way to the studio floor Miss Holmes." His voice was surprisingly deep as he addressed us, a contrast to his youthful looking face.
The tall brunette in jeans and a t-shirt was probably the same age as me and yet I felt like I was at least a decade older. Despite everything that has happened, this human being before me had been practically untouched by all of the fighting and the death. There were no dark circles under his eyes or lines of stress. He was cheerful, his eyes full of life and careless smile on his lips.
At least he was smiling until his eyes met mine. His gaze dropped away and he shifted uncomfortably at the door. In that instant I saw it - the distrust and uncertainty that lurked in so many of the humans. Was I a threat? Was I safe? I didn't have to be a mind reader to see the thoughts passing through his head.
"Thank you, I will be right there." I replied while smiling warmly.
On the inside my heart was breaking. I would never be normal to this man. I would never be normal to most people. I would always be apart.
The young man gulped his eyes meeting mine for a fleeting second before he pulled out of the room as fast as his legs would carry him. The door clicking softly shut behind him was rather anti-climactic. I closed my eyes and let a sigh escape my lips.
"My life is never going to be normal again." I whisper into the quiet.
Kirsten's hand squeezes my shoulder firmly, a source of strength in my ever changing world.
"Your life hasn't been normal since that first day you walked into Satani Media." The woman offered plainly before released my shoulder. "Besides, if you could, would you honestly change things? Would you forget Lucius and this crazy world you've been pulled into? I know I wouldn't. You're not made for standing in the side lines and you know it."
I opened my eyes and tried to feel just a fraction of her conviction but found myself floundering.
"Let's get this over with." I muttered, pushing myself up on to my low pastel pink heels.
We had a theme for the interview - pretty and harmless. Despite the ferocious pictures that had emerged from that battle, the PR team at Satani Media were doing everything they could to minimise that image and were trying to highlight the maternal side of me. It was why I found myself in a pair of black slacks, a white short sleeved blouse and a pale pink cardigan. It was strangely restrictive. My suggestion of jeans had been vetoed from the offset. I needed to look approachable and motherly and yet I couldn't wear my favourite item of clothing because it gave the wrong message. My hair, courtesy of Kirsten had been perfectly coiffed into a messy bun. Light understated make up finished the look.
I looked nothing like me.
Brushing imaginary pieces of lint from my clothes, I allowed my feet to carry me from the room. The soft pad of feet behind me told me that Kirsten was not far behind. It was a relief. My nerves were already shot and that was before I had pushed open those doors and emerged onto the studio floor.
There was a soft murmur from the cast and crew as they relaxed between filming. Yet as soon as they noted my presence, silence descended.
I shuffled awkwardly, looking over at the blonde behind me for assistance. Her eyes were too busy glaring the onlookers into submission to notice my plea for help. So, I pulled back my shoulders and put on the best smile that I could muster.
"Where do you need me?" I asked the studio at large.
From the bank of overly lit sofas, a woman waved. She was in her late forties by appearance but I knew that she was at least a decade older. Elaine was a household name who had been greeting me in the mornings since I had started secondary school. My mum had watched her every morning without fail.
"Come on over here love," her voice was soft and kind, no hint of judgement in her tone.
Still, her eyes watched me with just a hint of apprehension. Or maybe it was all in my head. It was hard to say. I had been jumping at my shadow for so many weeks that it was difficult to tell what was really there and what was just in my head.
Maybe I was just falling apart.
"Come and take a seat. We have another minute or two before we are live." The woman spoke softly, as if speaking to an injured animal at risk of fleeing. It probably wasn't too far from the truth.
I nodded my head stiffly before crossing the space between us. Immediately a small man with a goatee and a bald head was getting up close and personal. The invasion of my personal space had happened too quickly. I hadn't even had time to react before his hands were slipping under my top. It sent panic swirling through my body and my heart racing in my chest. It was fortunate that my reflexes were lagging. I might have caused serious injury to the man if it hadn't been for the fact that I was running on five second of delay.
My feet stopped as a heavy weight was attached the waistband of my trousers and then a small black microphone was being clipped to my top. I uncurled my fists at my sides and let out a breath. The man stepped away and disappeared behind the row of wires and camera just as quickly as he had arrived.
"You can take a seat here. When we go live, I will proceed with the introductions. We've opened up our twitter page for questions from our viewers. I hope that is okay."
Within moments I was perched on the edge of the trademark pink sofa.
Perspiration broke out on my brow as I tried to return the warm smile being directed at me. Mine faltered and fell.
Deep breaths, I reminded myself.
In and then out.
It was easier to focus on something so small when the attention of everyone in the immediate vicinity was focused upon me. I had been coached over and over again with what to say or do but nothing Lucius and his PR team had done could ever prepare me for the reality.
"We're live in 30 seconds."
It took all of my conscious thought to draw in another deep breath. I wiped my clammy palms against my trousers as I tried to regain some composure. Fighting Horsemen of the Apocalypse was easier than this.
"Welcome back to Breakfast TV." Elaine jumped right in, a huge smile spread across her lips as she stared into the camera with practiced ease. "Now this morning we are delighted to be giving you an exclusive. For months we haven't been able to open up a newspaper or magazine without seeing her face. Today I get the honour of performing the first ever interview with Miss Savannah Holmes."
The hostess turned her head away from the camera as she beamed at me, her positivity overwhelming.
"Welcome to the show Savannah."
I nodded my head. "Thank you for having me."
Deep breaths in.
"Now, I want to jump right in. I believe I speak for the public when we say wow. It's hard to believe even now that the Times Square event happened. There were hundreds of eye witnesses and then the TV footage - it blew my mind. Yet some still say that it is a hoax. A 'prank', as you might say, against the general public."
A frown immediately made its way onto my brow.
"Why would we pull a prank? Innocent people were hurt." I replied before I could even process the words escaping my lips. "What happened at Times Square was real. People can choose what to believe but I think the existence of the extraordinary is now too difficult to ignore."
"Then can you tell my why have you been so secretive? The media have been trying to get a statement from you for months but we have just been pushed back by generalised 'no comments' from your PR representatives."
"Unfortunately we took a number of casualties in Times Square and in London. Our efforts were put to healing the injured and aiding those in need."
The words were rehearsed and felt false coming off of my lips. They were not far from the truth but no one needed to know that I had chosen seclusion out of my own selfishness.
The host nodded her head.
"Understandable. Now, none of us can deny that there are myths and legends identifying the existence of the supernatural. Is it fair to say that you and your kind have been around for a long time?"
"From my understanding, the supernatural has existed since the very beginning of time. Myths and legends often have a grain of truth in them. I'm not saying that every legend is true but it's often the case that a real event has influenced the tale. These mainly come from the moments in history where the supernatural have attempted to come out from the shadows. None have been successful so far. Due to the predilection of the human race to see everything different as the enemy, secrecy became essential to the survival of both the humans and the supernatural."
"Do you not think that is a harsh judgement of the human race?"
I offered her a small smile.
"I was born human."
The gasp rang out through the studio at these words was loud. No doubt the microphone attached to my lapel would have picked up the sound.
"I was born to human parents and have been human for the majority of my life. I know all about human emotions. People are capable of great compassion and kindness but as my friend pointed out to me, when people are afraid they are capable of great evil too. The Salem Witch trials are just an example and let's not forget the Holocaust."
The host nodded her head gravely.
"I've got to ask, but how did you become what you are?"
I smiled. "That would be telling trade secrets." Allowing my smile to drop away, I let my own gaze drift to the camera. "Unfortunately I do not know the exact method for any change and even if I did know, I wouldn't speak of it. It might convince people to do stupid things."
When I pressed my lips together, the host took the hint.
"We've got a question over on the twitter page." Elaine murmured, her head lifting to read the prompt. "What are you? You said you were once human but what are you now? That comes from Tommy in Essex."
"That's a difficult one. I have been called many things but I can't say that I have a true name." I stared down at my hands for a moment, taking a moment to try and steady my thrumming pulse. "I know what I am not. I am not an angel, I am not a demon and I am no longer human. I only know that I am a guardian and that it is my duty to protect humanity from harm."
"Harm? So there are other supernatural threats out there? Does that mean that we need to be concerned?"
My hands shook as I picked up the glass of water from the table before me and took a grateful sip. It gave me a second to formulate my answer and to push back the panic that was getting closer every second.
"With every race and species there is the capability to do harm." I carefully set the glass down on the coffee table before I glanced back up at Elaine. "The events in Times Square were of supernatural origin but that does not mean that every threat that we neutralise is supernatural. Right now, several of my companions are assisting refugees to escape from war zones."
"We all saw in the footage how you put yourself between innocent civilians and harm." The host turned her face to the camera. "For those of you that have not seen it already, I'm going to play you a clip of the footage that changed everything."
As the TV screen flickered to life behind her head, I forced my gaze up to the screen. With each blow and each jab, I flinched. I felt myself being sucked back into that space as the images on the screen changed to memories. One second I was in the TV studio in Elstree and the next I was back in Times Square with Hellhounds on every side.
Unbidden my wings started to unfurl from my back. My top grew taught and then split along the seams but I didn't care. I was too far gone. I faintly heard gasps and murmured words but I was too immersed in the memories. Every muscle within me locked up tight as I prepared for the attack to come.
The sounds of battle were all around me. There were cries of pain, the clash of swords, the sickening squelch as my sword was drawn from an oozing wound.
"Ms Holmes," The host muttered cautiously. "Are you well?"
I turned my head to the sound of her voice but I barely registered the words.
"So much pain. So much blood." I muttered, my voice aching with my inner agony.
My face contorted as the memory of the events of the Shard came to the forefront of my mind. All of those Angels, torn limb from limb. Their body parts and their blood coating the floor everywhere I looked. Bile tried to force its way up my throat but I clamped my jaw shut.
"Savannah, my Savannah. Come back to me."
Hands pressed to my face and then all I saw was blue - bright blue eyes that caught and held me captive.
"Breathe. Come on. Take a deep breath for me."
I forced my lungs to operate, taking a gasping breath. Blinking rapidly it took me several long seconds to focus on the face that was so close to mine.
"Lucius?" I asked distractedly, my eyes darting everywhere around the room before falling back on the man before me.
"Shh, it's okay. Focus on me. Don't worry about anyone else. Just focus on me okay."
I nodded my head and allowed him to comfort me.
"We've gone to an advert break to give you time to compose yourself." Elaine offered kindly before holding out a box of tissues.
It was only when Lucius started dabbing at my face that I realised I was crying.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about that. Let's get you cleaned up."
I offered the man before me a shaky smile.
"Thank you. What are you doing here anyway?" I murmured softly, aware that nothing we spoke of would be private.
"I had to make sure you were okay. You know the whole moral support thing." He shrugged his shoulders, even as he balled up with blackened tissues and stuffed them into the pockets of his trousers.
"Thank you."
"No problem." He leaned in conspiratorially, his lips brushing my ear. "By the way I love the new feathers. Why didn't you tell me that your wings had changed?"
With a frown, I glanced over my shoulder and tried not to let my mouth drop open. My wings had been a sight to behind before, large grey wings with red and gold threaded through them. The feathers were now bright enough to draw the eye of everyone in the vicinity. There were feathers of every colour, from blue to green and from red to yellow. It was like someone had painted a rainbow on my back.
"What the -?" I asked as my hand stretched out to stroke the feathers with the very tips of my fingers.
"You are unique Savannah. There was never a question about it and now you are even more so. There has never been a being with wings like yours."
"Okay, we have thirty seconds everyone."
I did not allow Lucius to leave my side as we went on air once more. I clasped his hand tight within mine as I fielded the rest of the questions from Elaine and the general public as practiced. The entire time I felt as if I had just jumped from a plane and was free falling towards the earth without a parachute. The interview couldn't end soon enough.
"I'm sorry." I offered when the show went to the next advert break effectively ending my interview slot.
Elaine didn't offer me any words. She simply pushed to her feet and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I took the proffered gesture of comfort closing my eyes and letting it soothe the trembling within my soul.
"Don't you apologise. Post-traumatic stress affects the best of us. Just make sure you talk to someone." She spoke soothingly into my ear much like my mother had when I was younger and had just grazed my knee. It brought another bought of tears to my eyes.
"Now, I was going to play this but thought better of it. It's from a family who were in Times Square on New Year's Eve." She placed the DVD into my hands as she pulled away. "You should really watch it. I think it will help you to heal."
With those parting words, Lucius and I were escorted from the studio floor.