|ThirtyTwo|
⑉
His possessive hold tightened, "Thank you." Lucifer released a whisper of relief and rested his chin on my head. "You just made me the happiest man alive."
Our familiar friend, Silence, joined us. He was welcomed - there was nothing more to be said.
Separating, after what felt like a pocket of eternity - we walked up the crystal staircase together. Hand in hand.
We reached a sarcastic Aldy at the top. "You two like to drag things out, don't you?" Aldy said, crossing his arms over as we joined the group who were waiting outside a second door.
This one was arched, made from an unknown metal and was engraved with thick, broad swirls which travelled down the beams of the door. Faint markings of some ancient cursive spread out just by the handle only the unknown words were barely visible; not even Lucifer could translate them.
"I'm going to open the door now," Asmodeus said, bringing the attention of the small group back to the door. "Once I open this, there is no going back."
"Well bloody open it then." Raphael retorted, "We've waited long enough."
"Someone put their sassy pants on this evening," Bal smirked and dropped his arm around Raphael's shoulders.
"Get off!" Raphael moaned, kicking Bal sharply in the shin. "Brat."
Asmodeus rolled his eyes at the two's constant squabbling and used the tip of his boot to push the door open. Suprisingly, for a door built from metal, the door opened rather easily.
On the other side, was an open-plan block of nature. Similar in design to the Light Paradox but this open space was blooming with white delicate flowers and blood-red roses. What a combination. Blood and innocence.
But which of the two would spill?
Rushing water from a twisted stream ran through the centre of the courtyard, leading from an impressively designed limestone water fountain.
"Lucifer," I said slowly, noticing the archway of roses growing down the side of the room. "That looks exactly like the plant in your garden."
Lucifer shifted his gaze towards a particular branch of roses growing in a makeshift arch. "That just proves that they've been grooming us."
"What do you mean?"
"If the Fates have the same layout of roses that I do, it means they've been down to the Underworld. They've been spying on us, Char. Ever since day one."
"Oh. Yeah." I shuddered at the thought. The Fates were more twisted than I imagined.
All of a sudden, the heavy, metal door slammed shut behind us, sending my poor heart into a marathon. All these jump scares were hurting me over time. I was going to have a weak heart by the end of this if I got out alive.
"Oh my God! Relax - it was just the door shutting not the bell of death."
Gabriel sent Aldy a death glare for his statement. "It might as well be the same bloody thing."
"Besides," Raphael added, "you jumped too."
"Shut up."
"No. You shut up!" Raphael huffed.
"Both of you shut up!" Aggy said, silencing both Aldy and Raphael. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Aldy asked, bringing his hand up to his ear, "I don't hear anything."
"Well if you zip it, then you might," Aggy replied, slapping Aldy's hand away.
I listened out. At first, all I could hear was the tranquillity of the water from the water fountain in the centre. But then, I heard noise Aggy was referring too.
The noise grew louder as the silence in the courtyard grew thicker - the sound became clear.
"What's that?" Michael asked, his green eyes squinting as he tried to figure out the source.
Aldy clicked his tongue, "It sounds like an arena to me."
"Mm." Aggy nodded, "Let's go check it out, I think there's an entrance over there!" She pointed to just behind the water fountain where a gap stood in the brickwork giving the convincing illusion of a closed wall.
"Wait!" Bal almost stuttered, "Isn't somebody going to give a pep talk or something? Considering our lives could be cut short when we walk through that entrance."
Gabriel turned to face Bal with a petty smirk, "Oh, will someone hand this guy a chill pill?"
Raphael laughed at Gabriel's comment and offered him a high five. Bal, on the other hand, scowled, not like how his own words had come to bite him back in the arse.
"Um. Look where you are going and try not to die?" Tiel offered with a shrug. Motivational speaking wasn't anyone's forte.
Bal scoffed at her words, "Look where you are going? We aren't heading into a building site Tiel - we aren't going to fall down holes or walk into equipment. Jeeze, that was pathetic."
"Then you give us a pep talk; I'll tell you whether or not I'm inspired to walk through that door - to risk my life for the truth."
"Look," Aggy interjected before Bal could snap back a snarky response. "Whatever happens next - know that it is for a good cause. We're finding out the truth and finally getting some answers! The Fates have treated everybody unjustly. Even now, they have taken away innocent and not-so-innocent Demons from their homes. One last thing," Aggy added, casting her dark eyes around the room. "I have got all of your backs, okay - so none of you dies. Got it? In truth, I like spending time with all of you. It's nice this group we have - yes it's diverse because some of us are Angels and the others are Demons, but I like it, I wouldn't trade out any of you."
"Aw. Aggy." Aldy joked, resting his arm on Aggy's shoulder. "Don't make us cry."
Aggy ignored him and pushed his arm away, moving forward to where the now-discovered entrance stood.
The arena we heard was literal. Only the set-up was cruel and inconsiderate. I couldn't bear the sight before me. Cages. That's where the inhabitants of the Light Paradox and Underworld were. Stored, like animals in iron cages, stacked on top of each other and hanging from a thick cable attached to the ceiling.
Bile soared up through my stomach. I felt sick. Lucifer pressed my face into his chest, shielding me from the acts of cruelty. He couldn't speak for the Demons, but he knew that the Angels didn't deserve to be rounded up like a heard of sheep.
A caramelised voice spoke out from the chaos, halting our horrified expressions. I turned to see a young woman standing in a flaxen linen suit. Her purple hair cut at her shoulders.
My mouth dropped as I recognised her. "It's you!"
"Yes, Charmeine." The stranger nodded, or should I say the barista nodded. For it was the same woman who had served Lucifer and me a beverage on Earth. "It is I. I'm glad you recognise me - I've been watching you for a long time."
That wasn't creepy at all.
"My friends," the woman continued, switching her eyes to face the others. "We finally meet."
Bal returned a scowl. "I think you need to brush up on your definition of friends. Mr dictionary, will you do the honours?"
Gabriel scoffed. "Man, you're a dick aren't you."
Bal shrugged, "Hm. Been called worse."
The woman, whose name we were all yet to discover interrupted. "I see you have all joined our most prized possession her." She pointed at me with a manicured hand.
"So, it's true?" Asmodeus cut in, "You messed with her head. You're the reason she is unable to remember anything before November seventeenth?"
"Asmodeus," the woman drawled, "we messed with all of you." The woman held no shame. "But I do not work alone. You are crediting me far too much."
"I think you're mistaken. "Tiel returned, "We're not crediting you. We're questioning your sanity."
The woman arrogantly shrugged, "It's the same thing."
Bal rested his arm on Gabriel's shoulders, silently commanding him not to speak.
"We need to combine the harmonies." The purplette began, "I'm sure you all know this by now, however, the real Lord of the Underworld wouldn't comply. So we took him out of the equation and brought down Lucifer." She reached up a hand to caress his jawline only I caught her hand before she could touch him. She briefly smiled at my action before continuing her tale.
"We tried various angels except our dear Lucifer wouldn't cooperate, not until we brought in you too."
"Then where is the real Lord of the Underworld?" Asmodeus asked, "and why do none of us remember him?"
"Because we wiped your memory." The purplette answered. "And, he's up there. Somewhere." She pointed to the rows and rows of steel cages.
"I think you should return him and the others back."
"You think wrong." The purplette returned, "But do remind me of your name. I forget the unimportant ones."
"You say." Tiel cut in, standing up for Aggy. "Yet none of us know your name. I take it as that you're unimportant too?"
The purplette sucked her lips together as if she had just taken a bite out of a lime. "Gailé."
"Sorry what? I missed the articulation."
The purplette sighed in annoyance, "It's-."
"Oh no wait." Tiel paused, feigning innocence. "I just realised, I don't care."
"What we care about," Aggy continued, "is how you think you can treat others like puppets. Not giving them a second thought other than to manufacture your greed. Do you ever stop and think how they must feel?"
"No," Gailé said, "I can't say that I do."
"Well go on then - have a little bit of remorse. We have all night." Aggy stepped forward, her stance overpowering Gailé's. After all, Aggy was clad in all black and bearing weapons that hung from the belt loop of her jeans. And Gailé? She was in a linen suit. Aggy could slay her in a heartbeat.
"She doesn't, "I interrupted, suddenly remembering something odd. "You have until the clock strikes four."
"I don't?" Gailé frowned, turning to me with interest to see what I had to say.
"It always struck me as odd every time I would say something that didn't make any sense."
"Um, darling," Lucifer whispered, his hand wrapping around my waist. "You're not making sense now."
I ignored him and continued. "Lucifer asked me what my favourite sport was. I said dancing."
"So?" Gailé asked, looking bored.
I stepped closer to her. "I don't remember anything before November seventeenth. Not even what a starry night looked like - Lucifer had to show me. Now explain to me why I said that?"
Gailé visibly swallowed, her reaction catching the attention of the others who were watching me with curiosity as to what my point was.
"We all know I'm your weakness. I'm your biggest secret, so when I started saying random things that I had no recollection of - it made me think. Maybe there was a clue, hidden in my mind." I paused and turned back to face Gailé. She was looking a little paler now, almost as if she didn't believe that what I was saying was actually happening.
"Lucifer asked me what my favourite hour was. I said four am. Now, explain to me why I would remember that piece of information and not something else? For when I first woke up, I didn't even realise I was an Angel. But I remember my favourite hour? That's got to be a little odd. Lucifer said that his, was three am. Explain to me again - how would Lucifer know that?" I turned around to face the others. "The hours between three and four am are more commonly known as the witching hour." I cracked a humourless smile. "It's also the time period where melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy peaks. You accidentally revealed a clue when you were controlling us. And you tried to cover up your mistake by making my melatonin levels rise so that I would be tired all the time. And I wouldn't think much of it. Only, your error remained. So I repeat what I said earlier. You have until the clock strikes four."
Gailé's eyes flickered to the floor. And she waited a short while before speaking again, "You're clever for figuring that out. You aren't as dumb as we thought. So, tell me," she squinted her eyes, "what happens when the clock strikes four?"
"Four," I repeated, taking a step closer and removing myself from Lucifer's hold. I dipped my head so that I was at direct eye level with the purple-headed barista, "Means time's up."
⑉
until next time my angels,
-V
Edited: 20/07/18