The bus is crowded, more than usual. Max and I got on early enough that we have our normal seats, but we stand up so we don't get hit in the face with any more bags. The cut on my arm has healed into a very nice – but noticeable – scar. I ignore the stares and take out my jacket. Today Max and I are matching. Black skinny jeans, me in black converse, Max in black vans, black shirts and leather jackets.
"Lily, where's that necklace from?" Max picks up the hourglass and turns it over, watching the sand fall. "Oh, Zac got it for me. The fool was going to pay $20, but got it cheaper. Why? Do you like it?" Max drops it and purses his lips. I look at him worriedly. "Max, what is it? What's wrong?" He pulls a strand of my hair and smiles. "How come I can see it but you can't? Zac really likes you, Lily." He smiles, but his voice is bordering on protective. No, not possible. I barely know the guy. "No way. I've only known him for like, three days!" But all the clues point that way. The constant jealousy, the little gifts. I shake my head again. "No way, Max. You've got your head in the clouds."
Zac is sitting in the radio station waiting room when Max and I walk in. When he sees me, he smiles and stands up, but Ben, a demon hybrid, walks up to me, scowling. "Lily, hey! Your angel boyfriend won't go away, and you of all people should understand and remember the station rules." Of course: no visitors. I roll my eyes. "Ben, he's not my boyfriend. And I didn't know he was going to be here." Zac's smiles falls, and Max's words come back to me. Damnit! He is acting like my boyfriend. I grab his hand and pull him out of the room. "Max, you go in and set up, let me just deal with Zac." I say as I storm past, Zac in tow.
Outside the station, I let go of Zac's hand and twirl around. "What is your problem? Yesterday you would barely talk to me, and now you're acting all happy and wanting to talk to me! What is wrong with you?" He shifts on his feet and glances at the floor, like a little kid getting scolded. "I – I'm sorry, Lily. I just had a bad day, seeing Sam and everything. I'm sorry if that hurt you. I just want to forget it." The front of the school is starting to get crowded as buses line up and kids spew out of them. Zac puts a hand on my shoulder. "Did you tell Ben you're my boyfriend, or did he assume that?" Zac looks down guiltily. "I might have said something..." I glare at him. "Ok, so I said that. But Lily, they wouldn't let me stay. Is it because I'm an angel hybrid? Anyway, I had to tell them something to make them let me stay." His eyes look at me pleadingly, but I feel hurt and disgust rising up my throat.
I growl and pull on my hair, wanting to hit something. "Who else have you told? Who else have you lied to? We're friends, for crying out loud!" Some freshmen look at me like they're expecting my eyes to glow and a second head to sprout from my neck. I recognise a few hybrids amongst them and glare. They switch their gazes to the floor and push their friends along. Zac swipes his hand over his face and up through his hair. "No one... at least no one I can remember. There might have been one or two others..." I start heading back to the station, but Zac follows me. "No, you can't come back with me. I have a show to do, music to listen to and boring announcements to make. Go annoy Sophie or something, Zac. And stop telling people we're going out. We. Are. Just. Friends."
"And our time's up. Stay tuned for Lizzy's news report shortly. Couch potatoes out!" I pull my headphones only to hear some people arguing and pushing around outside the recording room. Max and I exchange glances and scramble to stand up. I fling the door open in time to see Ben punch Zac in the face. "Whoa, what's going on here?" I step forwards and shove both of them aside. Demon hybrids gather around Ben in a semi circle, while the few angel hybrids we have at the station catch Zac. Oops, maybe I shoved them too hard. Zac spits out a gob of blood and spit, and I wince as it hits the floor.
"Right, is anyone going to tell me what in Edom is going on?!" I shout. Ben steps up, and all the demon hybrids move with him. "Lily, he's been telling people you two are going out, and I – sorry – overheard you tell him you aren't, so I was telling him not to spread lies." Lizzy, an angel hybrid who does the school news steps forward and snorts. "No, you riled him up by saying 'Lily would never go out with angel trash like you'." I notice now that apart from Max, all the human radio presenters and crew have left. Then I also notice the time. Well, good thing the principle is an angel. He'll understand if we have a misunderstanding and miss class.
Ben shoots forward, but I catch him by the waist and shove him back again. "Ben, bloody hell! Stop and stand still!" He stands up and leans against the wall. "Right. Let's set some things straight. First of all, Zac and I are friends. We are not going out, so if you hear otherwise, use your words and not your fists to prove them wrong. I've only known Zac for three days! Second of all, who the hell cares? My personnal relationships don't really concern you. Thirdly of all, why didn't anyone else break up the fight? Does no one here have any common sense?" Zac coughs and stands up, hurt written all across his face. He shoves the other angel hybrids aside and stalks out of the station. "Right. According to the peace contract, Ben and Zac and anyone else who fought will have to be punished. I don't care if Zac is a damned pure hybrid! He will accept the punishment!" Everyone had the grace to look ashamed. "Ok, everyone off the class."
They all start walking out, but Lizzy grips my arm. "Don't you think your rejection is punishment enough? He really liked you." I look at her in amazement. "Rejection? I never said I didn't like him. I never rejected him! I just said we weren't going out!" Lizzy just shakes her head and walks out. I grab my stuff and stalk out of the room.
Outside, Zac and Max are leaning on the wall, talking in hushed whispers. I clear my throat, and Max looks up at me before walking away. Left with Zac, I stalk in the opposite direction. "Wait, Lily, please!" I keep on walking, and he doesn't chase me.
Despite having nearly the same schedule as me, I manage to avoid Zac the whole day. Last period, and Eidolon sits next to me protectively, glaring at everyone as they pass. "Seriously, Lily. What's going on?" She whispers. I just shrug. A protective growl rises in Eidolon's throat, and I'm scared to look up. Peeking through my eyelashes, I see Zac looking at Eidolon, pure pain crossing his face. Oh right, Eidolon's sitting in his chair. I lift my head and glare at him. He winces and looks away, finding a chair near the front of the class. "What did he do to you, Lily? Because I swear, if he's hurt you... urgh, I'll kill him!" I shake my head. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to you later." That said, I take out my earphones and blast Black Veil Brides.
Mum actually picks me up today, so I don't have to worry about Zac catching the bus with me and Max. "So, how was school?" I raise my eyebrows as high as they can go. "Wow, you must have had a good day. Asking me how school was, that's not like you, mum." She would usually go off at a comment like this, but instead she just laughs and smiles. If she smirked,I wouldn't have thought about it twice, but now I'm suspicious. "What's going on? Were you promoted or something?" Mum starts humming, and now I'm scared out of my wits. "Oh, it's nothing. I've got a date tonight." Boom. Just like that, my world shifts. Again.
"Wait, what?" Mum laughs. Like, she actually laughs, not her custom snort. "Please, honey, don't be so surprised. It's just a client meeting. He came in today, asking if he could meet me later tonight to go over the details." I feel like throwing up. Mum's got that dreamy expression on, the one the girls in movies always have over the hero. "Mum, if it's just a client meeting, why did you say 'date'?" We're almost home, thank the devil. "Maybe I wish it was a date, Lilith. He's so nice, and human." Oh, I see now. She's still regretting meeting dad. I don't say anything more on the matter. Mum's barely parked the car when I jump out, and her hand flies over the now empty passenger seat in panic. "Lily, wait!" I ignore her and fumble around in my bag, trying to get out my house keys. When I can't shove it in the lock, I groan in frustration and run around the back. I remember leaving my bedroom window open, and quickly scale the wall to reach the open window.
Once inside, I just collapse on my bed face down. Tears leak involuntarily from my eyes, my pillow soaking them up. My phone chimes, but I don't look at it. Maybe I should spend a few days in Edom with Eidolon, just chatting and hanging out. I sit up. Actually, that's a great idea. I open my mind to ask her when Zac's mind enters. Lily, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking to me? Please. I need to hear from you. He needs to hear from me? What the hell? No, go away. I need to talk to Eidolon. Zac's mind turns blue and droopy, but eventually fades.
Eidolon's mind doesn't surface, and I'm too emotionally wrecked to care. The drips of tears become a river, and all of the day's events sit on my shoulders like mountains. I listen to mum sprint up the stairs and bang on my door for at least half an hour, her voice raw with her own tears, begging me to come out, begging me to understand, begging me to at least answer her. But I don't owe this woman anything. She might have raised me, but she never really cared. I am the reminder of a love gone wrong. I am the reminder of something she doesn't want. Old feelings resurface, the hate and the resentment that I grew up in.
My phone starts ringing, Max's name flashing on the screen. I accept the call and put it on speaker. "Hey Max." there's a bit of muffled speech on the other side, and I wait. "Um, hey Lily." Zac's voice comes through the speaker and I freeze. "Everyone's super worried, Lily. What's going –" I hang up on him before he even finishes the sentence. Within seconds the phone is ringing again, and again when I reject the call. I open up messenger and shoot Max a quick text. Tell Zac to leave me the Hell alone. Not in the mood to talk, too much stuff going on. Any idea what's up with Eidolon? Her mind is shut. Max answers almost immediately, like he was waiting for me to text him. He took my phone without telling meL. I've sent him home, and I'm thinking of coming over. Let me know if that's ok. No idea where Eidolon is or what she's up 2. I smile at his sweet nature. Always looking out for each other. Yea sure, but only if it's you. Don't you dare bring Zac here, or invite him inside. And DON'T TALK TO MY MUM!!!
I slide off my bed, searching for the only demonic books I have in my room. One of them has a spell to keep out unwanted guests of a seraph nature. I find it hidden under my bed, a dust jacket from another book shoved over the hard cover, in case my mum ever went through my stuff. I learnt early that she hated me owning anything that could remind her more of the love she wasted on my father. I crack the book open, the smell of Edom wafting from the pages. I flip through until I find it, and quickly get to work setting up the barrier. Dad had tried so hard when I was younger to get me into the habit of setting up this sort of barrier, but I was never interested, and didn't see any point. Because of this, I'm a little out of practice, so my pentagram is a little wonky, and I slice my hand in the wrong place. I have to cut my hand three more times before I finally get the right place – straight down my middle finger, all the way to where my palm meets my wrist. I hold back my healing powers so as to let it drip a few drops in the necessary places before I let go. The blood drops start to sizzle, and I recite the ceremonial words from the book, adding a few different choice words. After all, the reader must take the words and make them their own for the spell to properly work. By the power of the blood in my veins, keep the seraphic beings at bay. By the power of these words I speak, cause them no great harm, but let them meet a solid wall when they try to enter the premises. By the power of my father grant me the strength to accomplish what I need to do.
A small blast of light blinds me, and when I open my eyes again, I see the green tinged shimmer of the protective shield I've placed around the house. It's invisible to humans and seraphic creatures, full-blood and hybrids alike. Sometimes it's even invisible to demonic creatures of they've had too much contact with angelic beings.
The pentagram on my floor has practically disappeared, but it's not like my mother would have seen it anyways. I mean, I only drew it in chalk. I wipe away the little remains there are and wait for Max to show up, watching out my window. From around the corner of my street, I see Eidolon sprinting straight towards the house, a determined look on her face. Behind her – way behind her – comes Max, lugging a massive backpack on his back, his face bright red from exertion. Affection swells up in my throat, but I shove it back down. Damn, why am I suddenly so emotional? I wonder why they're running though. It's only when they are a couple of metres from my driveway that I see why. Zac's chasing them, looking super crazy. My two best friends cross the protective barrier, Eidolon's eyebrows raising as she feels the power shift in the air around her. Zac comes tearing across our lawn, only to rebound off the barrier and find himself facing the street again.
Downstairs, I hear the door open and two puffing people stumble in. Zac looks around, super confused, and tries again to get to my front door. Watching him fail over and over is strangely satisfying, and yet I know I can't watch it forever. The front door hasn't closed yet, and I watch as Max steps back onto the driveway, his face adorably screwed up in confusion. I race down the stairs, stopping at the base to swagger my way to the front door. Eidolon stands on the front step, her hands hiding her face, her shoulders shaking. It takes me a minute to realise she's laughing, not crying. "Oh Edom, this is hilarious!" She cries when she sees me. Hugging me tight, she grins manically. "Of all the crazy spells we did as kids, this is my new favourite." I smile. "True. It is pretty funny watching Zac try to figure out why he can't get in."
Max turns at the sound of my voice, his face a picture of fascination and horror. "You're doing this? Damn, Lily, this is just cruel." I cross my arms in front of my chest, ready to defend my actions. "Why? I knew he'd follow you, and I really don't feel like interacting with him right now. Not face-to-face, anyways." I step off the front steps onto the driveway, stalking my way past Max and over to the barrier. Zac stops trying to get in and stares at me, a pitiful puppy look in his eyes. "Lily. Please. I'm sorry, ok?" I sneer. "Look, I don't know what you father asked you to do, but you showing up at school, sticking to me and then spreading rumours about us is all too fishy. And I don't trust it. So, as a result, this barrier is going to stay up, and due to personal circumstances, I'm not going to school for a few days."
With that said, I turn, grabbing Max's wrist as I stalk back to the door, pulling Eidolon in with me and slamming the door behind us.
------------------------------------------
DUN! DUN!! DUN!!!
So:
- Will Zac ever come back from such a rejection?
- What do you think about Lily's mum's date? Shady?
- Did Michael really orchestrate all of this??
XX Bookworm
ps: updating soon!