For once in my life, I thought I'd found meaning. A purpose to exist. And then it was all taken away. Was this what happens when fantasy becomes reality? The perfect man beside me held my hand as his eyes filled with tears. He and I were just humans; we both knew we were going to die. But I didn't think that was why he wept. It was my confirmation about the creature before me: the angel. Karen's cheeks were covered with golden tears, her lips moved at an unreadable speed, and her skin glowed like the sun. She radiated power, though her eyes were full of panic.
Through the window I saw buildings take shape as we rocketed toward the Earth. I closed my eyes and begged for help—any kind of help. If there was a god, I didn't think he or she would answer me. The plane continued to plumet to our doom, shook violently as another bolt of electricity slammed into the side of the cabin, as if Zeus himself was angry we were in his sky.
"I wish I could've helped," I cried out to Karen. "I'm sorry."
Her hand came up, and she traced the line of my face, her deep eyes hopeless. The air whistled around the plane as the ground beckoned us below, the outlines of the town threateningly clear. My eyes closed to greet the end.
But it wasn't the end.
Warm arms wrapped around my body as electricity shot through me. It was a feeling I'd never felt before, strangely calming. My seatbelt fell from my waist. Still, I kept my eyes closed. The seatbelt wouldn't save my life anyway. The oxygen mask was pulled from my face. I didn't care. The arms around me felt protective, comfortable, as if the plane was no longer about to crash to the ground. I gripped the only fabric that clung to the warm body, and my arms found their way around a neck. This must be my subconscious giving me something of comfort before my final moments. I'd take it and be grateful.
But those arms, they felt so real. Electricity coursed through my veins. My eyes flew open, and I had hope for the first time since our descent. Four angels were in my view; the one cradling me in his arms had liquid-gold eyes and long, black hair, the same angel I'd first approached in the boxes in the lab. But now he was alive—real—and staring at me.
"Clear the path," he instructed, looking up. The words were English, but his accent was thick Italian.
The blond male angel ripped the emergency door off its hinges, his red eyes staring at us expectantly.
"Out. Now," my angel ordered. I didn't see what happened as I held on for dear life.
Another second passed, and we were out the open door, the humans in the plane staring in wonder as we leapt from the opening. My heart broke. What about the others?
I thought we would tumble toward the Earth, but we floated in the air. The angel's voice was low as Italian spilled from his lips. There was a loud explosion below us, and fire flew up into the air and surrounded us. The heat was overwhelming, but we were protected from it. The angel must have done something to protect us. As smoke curled around us, my heart broke and tears descended as I thought about all those who had just been killed in that one second. Tears were such a rare concept for me, but Joseph's face flashed in my mind. I shook at the thought of his death. Besides Jenna's husband, I'd never lost anyone before. Tears only made sense at this point.
The whole time, the angel never looked down at me, though I couldn't keep my eyes off him. His skin was a rich brown, his jaw a perfect square of beauty, and his black hair was plastered on his cheeks from the rain washing over us. I leaned my head against his chest, trying to control my sobs, giving into all my fears. This was real. No dream, no funny drugs slipped in my coffee. This was true, brutal, and hard.
The angel stared directly into my eyes, and the depths of his were amazingly golden, like treasure. It wasn't like looking at Joseph. This angel was different. We were linked, connected somehow. How I knew this in only a matter of seconds was beyond me. Everything else seemed ordinary compared to him. The electrical current continued to burn through me, though it was painless.
"Siete al sicuro," he murmured. I melted into his embrace.
I had no idea what he said, but the words soothed me. "Thank you," I mouthed.
He must've understood, because he gave a small nod.
We floated in the air for another moment before we descended. Below was chaos. Screams reverberated and sirens echoed. Lights flashed all around, coming from every different direction, all trying to find a way to the crash site. Fire flared from the middle of the cluster of trees where the plane had hit. From the twisted metal and downed trees, smoke rose into the air. It was like a beacon to the rescuers. Good, I thought. They needed to find the wreckage quickly.
We submerged into the trees a few hundred feet away from the crash. When we landed, the angel gently put me on my feet. The only thing I could think of was to get to Joseph and Sally. Maybe they had survived, though deep down I knew it was impossible. Unless they were immortal like Karen.
I ran toward the fire, splashing in the mud. There was the sound of rushing wind overhead before the angel dropped in front of me. He had flown over my head.
"You cannot help them," he said.
I tried to pass, but his warm arms wrapped around me again, this time constricting me, holding me to his chest. "I cannot allow you to go. You could get hurt." His voice was firm.
"No," I cried out but didn't fight him. It was a cry for the souls who lost their bodies. I went limp, though the angel held me up until I regained my balance.
"Thank God you're all right," said a male's voice behind me.
I whirled to see Joseph. I blinked in the rain, not believing.
"I thought we were all dead," he said, a distraught look on his face.
"Joseph!" I ran toward him, hugging him as if I had known him my whole life.
He embraced me back just as fiercely, and that same electric current ran through me and into him. It wasn't like before; this was almost painful. When I stepped back, I could tell he had felt my jolt of electricity, though he seemed to be okay.
"How did you..." I trailed off, seeing three angels and Sally behind him.
Joseph smiled, which I'd thought I'd never see again. "They saved us. I don't know how, it was all a blur. One moment we were plummeting to our death, and then a hole opened, and the next moment we're on the ground."
I didn't have time to think about what that meant because my knees went all weak again, this time from relief. The angel who saved me caught me as my knees buckled, and there was another undercurrent between us, this one pleasant.
"I think we need to get her some medical help," he said over my head to Karen.
"No. I'm okay." I tried to smile, though it was hard.
"Gabriella." Karen sighed.
"Really," I said.
The angel released me, and I sank to the forest floor, overwhelmed. I took several long deep breaths, trying to regain my composure.
I survived.
Sally, her red hair tangled in her face, darkened with ash, was crying, which left more streaks through the soot already being washed away by the rain. Joseph's face was also blackened with ash, though his dark eyes showed a weird mixture of sorrow and relief. Karen stared at me, concerned. But what interested me most were the now very alive angels, no longer corpses.
"Andrew?" I said, remembering the names the Elders had given.
The angel who rescued me lowered to the ground. His golden eyes searched mine for a second, eyebrows creased. "I am Andrew." Then he said over my head, "This one is special."
"Yes," said Karen, and she dropped down next to me. "Gabriella's the Illuminator."
"She's the Darkness Illuminator?" the female angel asked. I guessed it was Lucia. She looked identical to Luke. Her eyes were also pools of frosty blue.
I nodded slowly.
"What's a Darkness Illuminator?" Sally asked.
They all ignored her.
"The Illuminator? You're sure of this?" the other male angel asked. And he must be Ehno.
Karen nodded.
"She's special indeed," Ehno said. He bent to grasp my hand, but when he touched me, electricity shot through my palm, more powerful this time. I yanked back and watched as electricity crackled between my fingers like blue lightning.
"What was that?" Had I been struck by lightning?
"Your gift," Lucia said like it was obvious.
"My gift?" My eyebrows shot north.
Ehno stared at me expectantly, his white hair rounding his angular cheeks. His red eyes practically glowed. When I didn't speak, he turned to Andrew who nodded as if they had just communicated with each other.
"Yes," Andrew said. He seized my hand. The current raced between us. I didn't let go because it was different this time, like it was mixed with something else: patience, concern, anxiety, affection. "You're strong. I can sense your power."
"How'd she get powers?" Karen asked.
Lucia stared at her like she was from another planet, which perhaps she was. "The Halo of the Sun have always given those who are worthy their powers," Lucia said matter-of-factly.
"Who's the Halo of the Sun?" Karen looked at her with her eyebrows raised. "And Gabriella is a mortal. How could she have the strength of mind and body to possess powers?"
I stared at them, waiting for the answers. Sirens blared in the background as they grew closer, but I was too engrossed in the conversation.
Ehno's eyes went wide. "Are the Halo of the Sun no more?"
"They never were," Karen said, shaking her head.
"What?" Andrew flew to his feet, leaving my hand cold. "The Halo of the Sun have been around long before we were immortal. Has your memory faded?"
Karen looked outraged. "No. My memory hasn't faded. There has never been any grouping called Halo of the Sun."
I was upset that no one answered Karen's second question. That was the one I was most interested in. Why did I have this power? Or whatever it was.
Joseph and Sally stared between the supernatural beings in outright disbelief. I didn't blame them. It was a lot to take in, and even I had remained somewhat skeptical until Andrew had saved me from impending death. Now I was a firm believer. There were no more doubts. Hallelujah!
"No time to argue," Ehno said. "They're coming."
"You've seen this, Ehno?" Lucia said gently.
"I have."
Before anyone could say another word, cops swarmed us. Their stance was not friendly. Their guns were raised and pointed at us. Andrew's golden eyes found me, then he raced toward me and seized me in his arms. We shot into the air like a punctured balloon, maneuvering in wild patterns. He held me close to his chest as his skin absorbed the bullets shot at us. He didn't even flinch. My mouth went ajar in shock.
The electric current was back, and it felt like a warm fire burned from within me. The feeling was remarkably pleasant, almost making me forget entirely about the bullets. I shook my head and focused.
"What about the rest of them?" My eyes searched below us, but all I saw were the tops of trees and the ever-billowing smoke of the crashed plane. "Drop me off somewhere and save them."
"Mortals cannot hurt immortals," he said gently.
"But there are two mortals down there!"
He sensed my panic, and the current between us twisted and changed. I was sending my feelings through it. "Gabriella." He exhaled heavily. "Please, calm down. They will be fine."
"How do you know?" My voice sounded choked.
"Ehno and I are connected psychically. All Halo of the Sun are." His voice was firm, straightforward.
"They're safe?"
He was silent. He didn't look down at me, only forward as he raced through the sky.
"Oh no," I whispered.
"Gabriella." That was all he said.
The current between us intensified with my anxiety. I closed my eyes, trying to will the tears back. No more tears; I had to get a grip and start acting like an adult.
Our journey ended shortly, though the day was long from over. Would it ever end? He landed in a small meadow and placed me on my feet where I fell to the ground.
"What happened to them?" I whispered, looking at the grass. Here I was, so happy that we were alive, and now they might be...dead.
Andrew's shadow loomed over me. "They've been taken into custody." He didn't offer any assurances, and I had to be grateful he didn't lie.
"Why?"
"They're the only survivors. There are suspicions."
"Terrorism," I said darkly.
"Yes."
I peered up at him. His hair was a black-blue in the rain, and his eyes seemed to melt as he stared into mine. He was beautiful, mighty, and powerful. Strength radiated from him in pulsing waves.
"We're wanted suspects now," I said blankly, not fully comprehending.
"Yes," he repeated once more.
A small bit of anger flared through me, and electricity shot from my fingers like a live wire. "Is yes the only word you know?"
Andrew grabbed my hand, and the electricity rushed through him. His eyes closed as if swallowing something large. His grip tightened on mine as another round of electricity raced between us. "You hold the key."
"Two, actually," I said crossly.
His eyes snapped open, his grip firm. "What do you mean 'two'? I was speaking figuratively."
"Oh." Now I felt stupid.
He made a face as the bullets worked their way out of his skin. His teeth smashed together, and he let go of me and reached over his shoulder to pull one of them out. I circled around him and gently pulled another bullet from his skin. There was a gold tint around his wounds. He peered at me gratefully as I helped.
"Does it hurt?" I asked.
The storm made its way east, and the rain morphed into a drizzle.
"Not much." He grunted as I yanked another bullet free.
His only clothing on his back was the disintegrated clothes he woke up in. "Aren't you cold?" I asked as I shivered in my soaked clothes.
"No, but you're freezing."
I shrugged. "I'll survive." If I could live through a plane crash, I could live through the cold.
He looked down at his clothes. "I'm sorry, I have nothing to offer to keep you warm."
"That's okay," I said, trying to give him a warm smile. I sat down in the soaked grass.
Andrew leaned in until he was only inches from my face. His warm breath surrounded me. "What keys do you have?"
I didn't answer. His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me to his body. He was so warm. The current intensified between us. The crazy world we'd fled from was momentarily forgotten. I thought he would close the distance between us. I wanted him to more than anything on this planet. I wanted his lips on mine. Electricity crackled in the air. He pulled me tighter, and I gasped. He quickly let go and pushed back, releasing all of me. I was disappointed and felt a little rejected. Silly, of course.
"They know." His voice became rough as he cursed in a different language. The sun was almost below the horizon, and the area grew dark. "They're taking them to a secured facility."
I grimaced. "What do they know?"
"That Lucia and Ehno aren't human." His voice was indignant. "They went freely to keep up the façade, but it wasn't until after their capture that Ehno realized what was planned. Now they have been taken away in some kind of metal contraption."
"A truck?" I offered.
"A...truck?"
I sighed. Of course, he wouldn't know what a truck was.