Chapter 8:
I stared out the window while nibbling the piece of pizza cautiously. I could hear Jake pacing in the other room and imagined his muscled arms drawn behind his back, hands clasped.
I shook my head fiercely, forcing the image out of my head. It had been about ten minutes since I got here and I was constantly on edge. The apartment was on the top floor of the building and had two bedrooms. The wall was painted a light turquoise and the furniture was black and white with hints of red splashed throughout the apartment.
The kitchen was fairly large and there were two bathrooms. Altogether, it was a very nice apartment. I was in Brady's room which was covered in small posters of bands and TV shows like Fall Out Boy and The Walking Dead.
There were clothes littering the floor and there was a small blue trash can in the corner that was overflowing. The bed was covered in a white bedspread with a small quilt at the end that was checkered blue and yellow.
I was seated at the small white desk he had sitting next to the window. There were papers scattered all over the top, but I just ignored them and kept my plate on my lap, not wanting to disturb his room.
My plan was to hide in here until Brady gets back, but I could tell that Jake was getting impatient. As much as I wanted to avoid him, I wanted answers more.
I ate faster and brushed the grease off of my hands with the small napkin Jake gave me. I got up shakily and kept one hand on the wall to help me walk.
The pain was taking over and I stopped in the doorway. I bent over, almost dropping the plate.
"Lila? Here, let me help."
Jake's arm wrapped around me and I leaned against him gratefully, momentarily forgetting my fear of him. I limped towards the couch with Jake's help, and sunk into it.
Jake took the plate out of my hands and rinsed it off in the sink. He wiped the water off of his hands on his dark jeans and sat on the chair in front of me.
He leaned forward slightly, shadows lining his features, making them sharper. Brushing his hair off of his forehead, he looked at me grimly.
He sat in silence, before taking a deep breath. "We need to talk," he stated simply.
I almost laughed, but instead I simply nodded. I pushed my glasses further up on my nose and brushed my bangs out of my face. I didn't know what to expect. The whole scenario was bizarre already.
Jake was watching me closely with narrowed eyes. I shifted uncomfortably and bowed my head slightly. I felt insecure as usual. I noticed that my curly hair was starting to puff out like Hermione Granger's hair in the first Harry Potter movie. My glasses seemed to grow larger the more I thought about them and I started thinking of everything wrong with myself. I did this often, but around Jake, it seemed to become worse.
With him looking at me, I felt like I was just positively ugly.
"Why do you always hide your face like that?" Jake suddenly asked.
I was taken by surprise. "I-I..." I trailed off, bowing my head even more so I could no longer see him.
I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. I suddenly wished I were someone else. Someone beautiful.
I felt a gentle hand tilting my chin up, and opened my eyes to meet Jake's dark ones.
"You don't need to hide Lila." His voice was soft. Suddenly, his face hardened and he pulled away, clenching his hand into a fist.
He turned to sit down and the muscles in his back and shoulders were all tensed.
"You know what? Daniels can explain it to you. I don't want to waste my time," he spat. Instead of sitting, he made his way to the kitchen.
I sat rigid, scared to move. I could feel his anger. Not knowing what would happen if I left, I stayed seated and stared ahead of me.
I heard him walking back towards me. He barely looked at me, and when he did, his eyes were darker than normal. I shrunk away and he stopped.
He laughed darkly. "What, are you going to cry now? You look pathetic." I could only see the side of his face. His lip was in a straight line and his eyes were turned away from me.
I felt a lump in my throat but I choked it down. Refusing to let him get to me, I squeezed my eyes shut to block him out.
The silence was almost unbearable. Finally, I heard him walk away and slam his door shut, making me cringe slightly.
I brought my legs up painfully and rested my head on my knees. A tear escaped my eye. I just wanted to go home. To get away from Jake. He had been so gentle and nice before, then he all of the sudden snaps and calls me pathetic and a waste of time. I couldn't understand it, but I didn't really want to.
I don't know how long I stayed like that until I heard a door open. I held my breath, hoping Jake would leave me alone.
"Lila are you okay?"
My head shot up as I heard Brady's voice. He smiled down at me and took off his jacket, laying it on my shoulders.
"You looked cold," he shrugged and sat down next to me. "So, are you okay?"
I avoided his concerned eyes and looked right at Jake's door. Brady looked too and his jaw tightened.
"Whatever he did or said, I'll make sure he pays for it later, I promise." His voice was cold, but he sounded tired. "Did he at least give you an explanation," he looked back at me.
I shook my head and he ran a hand over his face, sighing. He got up and got two cups of water, setting one in front of me.
"I guess that means I'll be giving it," he looked a little nervous.
I crossed my legs and sipped my water slowly. I was anxious for an explanation. I felt myself calming down now that Brady was here.
"I don't even know where to start," he admitted.
"The beginning?" I suggested quietly.
He chuckled and nodded. "Well I guess I'll start from the basics. My name is Brady Daniels and I have a sister. Her name is Alynn. You've actually already met her," he clasped his hands in front of him.
I shook my head a little. "I don't think I've ever met a girl named Alynn.. Does she go to school with us?"
"No, she doesn't. You actually met her.." He paused. "You met her in a dream." He looked down at his hands. I said nothing.
An image of the beautiful girl in the clearing flashed in my head.
"I know that probably doesn't make any sense.. Her meeting you in your dreams. Talking to you... But uh," he coughed. "We're not exactly normal."
"W-what do you mean?" My voice was so quiet, I could see him lean forward slightly to hear me.
"We.. We're not human Lila." I froze. He looked at me through his lowered eyelashes. "I feel like this is one of those cheesy stories where I tell you I'm a vampire," he chuckled a little. "But I can promise you, that's not it. Actually, if you think about it, I'm the opposite."
He sat up straight and ran his hands over his knees. "I'm an angel." He spoke softly.
Silence fell between us. I felt something bubbling up in my throat, and I couldn't keep it in. I burst out laughing.
Brady's eyes widened. "What are you laughing at?"
"Y-you really had me there Brady! An a-angel." The thought made me want to laugh more.
Brady stared at me grimly. "Lila, I'm not joking," his voice was firm and serious.
My laughter slowly ebbed away. "Brady... You're not an angel," I said carefully.
"Yes I am Lila. Me and my sister are both angels and-"
"No you're not!" I yelled. He stopped and looked at me in surprise. "Angels don't exist." I said quieter.
He must've found out about my appointments with the counselor. He was messing with me. He thinks I'm crazy enough to believe this.
Either that or he was crazy himself. If he actually believed he was an angel, maybe he was going to appointments as well.
Brady leaned forward and took my hands his. His eyes met mine and I couldn't look away. "Lila. I'm an angel. They do exist. I wouldn't lie to you."
"Prove it."
He blinked. "What?"
"Prove it. Angels have wings right? Show me them," I spoke in a whisper.
Brady sighed. "It's not that simple," he let go of my hands. "If I had my wings on, you wouldn't be able to see me right now in the first place."
"What do you mean 'if I had my wings on'?"
"I had to get my wings stripped to come down here and have the ability to be seen by humans. You can't see us when we have our wings," he explained.
"How am I supposed to believe you then?" I whispered.
He bit his lip nervously. "Well, there is one way." I looked at him expectantly. "I can control your thoughts."
I sucked in a breath. "Okay. Go ahead," I said bravely. I wasn't buying any of this. If he believed that he could control my thoughts, I'd at least let him try. And when it didn't happen, I'd be there to help him through his delusions.
He looked at me sharply. "I don't really like to do that Lila."
"How else am I going to believe you?"
"You could trust me," he said gently. I looked away.
This whole thing was too ridiculous to just believe in it. I didn't. I couldn't. It wasn't real.
I heard him get up and saw him kneel in front of me. He closed his eyes and looked like he was concentrating.
A door opened and I looked up to see Jake standing in his doorway. My jaw dropped. He was dressed in a tux and had a rose in his hand. He looked breathtakingly stunning.
I forgot about Brady and focused on Jake. He moved towards me and sat down on the couch.
"W-what are you doing?" My voice cracked and he smirked slightly.
"I couldn't leave a beautiful girl like you out here all alone." He reached out his hand and caressed my cheek softly.
I tried to speak, but nothing was coming out. Jake dropped his hand and twiddled the rose in his fingers. It was a beautiful red. It was so beautiful, it reminded me of the rose in Beauty And The Beast.
I couldn't seem to look away from it. There were thorns covering the stem, making the rose even more dangerously beautiful as Jake moved it in between his slender fingers.
He hissed suddenly and dropped it as one of the thorns pricked his finger. I grabbed his hand gently to help.
I gasped as I saw a pitch black liquid seeping from the wound.
Suddenly, Jake disappeared and I felt as if my brain was being ripped apart. Brady was kneeling in front of me, a frown on his face. I let out a little gasp of pain and gripped my head in my hands.
Brady laid a very gentle hand on my arm and spoke my name softly to get my attention. The pain subsided after a minute or two, as I thought of what I had just witnessed.
"What was that?" I said quickly. I stood up shakily, Brady's jacket slipping off of my shoulders. "What was that?!"
Brady stood up and put his hands on my shoulders to steady me. "It's okay Lila. Just calm down."
"No! What just happened?!" I yelled frantically.
Brady pushed me down gently so I was sitting. "I was controlling your thoughts."
"Jake was here! He.. He had a rose.." I looked around. Jake's bedroom door was still sealed shut. No sign of the beautiful rose or the extremely handsome boy in a tux.
Brady shook his head. "It was an illusion I put in your head. I was controlling your thoughts," he repeated.
I fell silent and stared at Brady. I couldn't believe it. There had to be another explanation.
"I can control thoughts and invade them. I can read your thoughts if I wanted to. But my sister and I feel that it is an invasion of privacy to read or mess with thoughts. It's not right. Plus, it can cause pain to the other person." He put a comforting hand on my arm. "I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't believe me if I didn't show you."
I put my head in my hands. Everything was happening too fast. I could barely keep up. I didn't want to believe him. I really didn't. But I couldn't help but be a little convinced. I could've sworn that Jake was really there. I could still feel his hand on my cheek. However, I knew he wasn't. That never happened. I didn't know how Brady did it, I just knew he did. He controlled my thoughts.
I finally looked back up at him. "I don't know how you did it, but I have no choice but to believe your words at least a little," I whispered. Sighing, I made eye contact. "Continue explaining, and please never do that again," my voice shook.
He brushed some hair off of my face gently and smiled. "I won't. I promise." He sat back down, bringing me with him, and his smiled faded. "So, Alynn and I are angels. I guess you could say we're on the good side."
"What about Jake?" I asked suddenly.
Brady stiffened a little. "Well.. He's not an angel." He didn't say anything else.
"So... He's human?"
"No.. He's a-" Brady cleared his throat. "He's a demon," he said quietly.
I felt my heart plummet to my stomach. "A demon..." I felt nauseous. Fear pulsed throughout me, causing me to shift uncomfortably.
I had been alone with a demon multiple times. He had been in my house. I felt like I was going to faint.
Brady nodded. "He chose a different side. Although, he isn't such a bad guy," his voice was distant. "Alynn met Jake a long time ago when we were little. And when I say a long time ago, I mean it. We age slower than humans. Much, much slower. We're immortal, but we still age. It's complicated and that story can be saved for another time," he said quickly.
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out thoughtfully as he launched into the story. "When Alynn and Jake met, they didn't really understand the severity of the separation between angels and demons. They actually became good friends. Best friends even," there was a small smile on Brady's face as he spoke. "Alynn brought me to meet him once and when I saw that he was a demon, I was scared. We weren't supposed to talk with demons, let alone be friends with them. Demons are cruel, evil beings. Full of hatred and anger. The very thought of one made me shake in fear and disgust. But then I saw them interact and I knew Jake was different. He wasn't like a normal demon. Of course, he still acted like one and had the anger and the temper, but he somehow could control it fairly well. He could keep himself in check. After seeing him and my sister together, I knew I couldn't keep them from being friends. They got along so well. I warned them to be careful and not to tell anyone. I kept their secret and even I became somewhat close to Jake. He was different from a typical demon. Still cruel as one, but definitely not as severe."
Brady played with the curtain absently. I watched him curiously, hanging on every word. "As time passed, it all stayed the same. Alynn and Jake grew up and still met secretly to talk and spend time with each other. I feared that their friendship was becoming something more, and maybe it was for Alynn. I'm still not sure. But I knew that it wasn't for Jake. To him, she was practically a sister. They would always meet here on earth because it was the safest they could get."
He dropped the curtain and came and sat down again. "Specifically, they'd meet here. Jake started coming down here more often, even when he wasn't meeting Alynn. I was curious as to why and I confronted him about it. He got angry with me and refused to say anything. Alynn followed him one day and found out something that was definitely something neither of us were expecting." Brady stopped and closed his eyes.
"What?" I whispered.
"He.. He had started to fall in love with a human girl." He said quietly. My eyes widened. "It was unheard of for a demon. They were not meant to have feelings like that. Especially for a human. They hate humans. They make a living on making their lives miserable and playing around with them. But not Jake. Somehow, he found himself growing more and more curious about one specific human. He followed her around, knowing she couldn't see him. He watched over her and learned a lot about her. One day, he realized he started feeling more and more drawn to her. He couldn't explain the feelings he felt for her and it was making him angrier by the day. He was falling in love. With each day he visited her, Jake started to fall deeper and deeper in love. The more he felt for her, the angrier he got. The more frustration he felt. Alynn tried to help him, but it didn't help much."
"What happened with him and the girl?" I asked softly.
Brady sighed. "It was a long time ago. She's, uh.. She's gone now." Brady shrugged. "She died. Jake was heartbroken. The demon he was took over. He became darker than ever before. His anger was all that was left. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. He got his wings stripped and came down here looking for a way to get rid of his anger." Brady shifted uncomfortably.
"That's when he showed up to school," I spoke absently. Brady nodded a little. "But you were already here," I looked up at him.
"I got my wings stripped a long time ago to keep an eye on y-" he stopped and clamped his mouth shut. He shook his head before continuing. "Well everyone here. Keep them safe from Jake's wrath that I knew was coming," he avoided eye contact. "There was one person Jake decided to take his anger out on. I don't know how he decided it, but he made his choice and he wasn't backing down."
I felt my throat closing. "Me." Brady looked startled. "I'm the one he decided to take his anger out on," I choked.
Brady coughed uncomfortably, nodding his head a little. "Yes."
My head was spinning and my nausea from earlier was growing. "He tried to kill me," I thought back to the tree.
Another uncomfortable nod from Brady. He looked sick as well.
"Alynn tried to warn me and I didn't listen," I whispered miserably.
"You didn't know Lila. How could you have known?"
I shook my head frantically, standing up and backing towards the door. I had an urge to run and I fully intended to.
Brady stood as well and lifted his hands up as if to show me he meant no harm. "Listen Lila, he's not going to hurt you anymore. I'm here to protect you. He won't try anything."
I kept shaking my head as I backed up towards the door. This was all a joke. A really sick joke. I kept telling myself that, but I didn't know if I believed it.
Brady made a quick move and wrapped his arms around me, almost as if he were hugging me. I struggled against him, wanting to leave all of this behind.
He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and carried me towards his room. I kicked and yelled, but he didn't let go. He closed the door, set me down, and stood in front of it to block me from leaving.
His eyes held a soft and pleading look. "Lila, I know this is a lot to take in. I get it. Maybe you still don't believe me. But either way, if it's Jake you're afraid of, don't worry. Because if he tries anything, I'll be there to stop him. I won't let him hurt you Lila," he spoke gently and took one step towards me.
I felt my body relaxing as I stared into his comforting blue eyes. He reached up and softly wiped a tear off of my cheek with his thumb. I hadn't even realized I was crying.
Something broke inside of me as I felt his hand on my cheek.
I whimpered a little and fell into him. He embraced me gently and rested his chin on top of my head, rocking me back and forth.
He pulled back a little later and bent down so he was eye level with me. "I'll leave you in here alone to think about things. You can sleep if you want, I don't mind," he tilted his head towards his bed. I didn't say anything. He took my hand. "If you need anything, I'm right outside. Don't hesitate to come to me."
I gave a short nod. He sighed a little. His eyes searched mine before he did something unexpected. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek softly. I felt my eyes widen in shock.
He straightened quickly and gave a small nod before walking out the door.
I didn't move. I stared at the door and touched my cheek, wondering if that was fake like Jake's hand had been.
I finally moved and sat on the edge of the bed, running my hand over the soft quilt. I definitely had a lot to think about. I sighed and closed my eyes tightly.
*****
As my eyes opened, I blinked in confusion. I didn't remember falling asleep last night. My glasses were still on and they felt stiff and crooked.
I straightened them and sat up slowly. I was in Brady's room laying on his bed. I hadn't moved the covers, but was wrapped in the blue and yellow quilt that had been folded at the end of the bed.
The door opened slowly and Brady poked his head in.
He smiled when his saw me. "I thought I heard shuffling."
I rubbed my nose and yawned softly. "I don't remember falling asleep," I mumbled.
Brady stepped in and sat on the edge of the bed. "You must've fallen asleep while you were thinking about everything," he shrugged. "I came in to check on you and you were passed out. I thought you would get cold later on so I put the quilt over you and left."
I blinked at him. "Thank you," a small smile appeared on my lips and he grinned when he saw it.
"No problem." He stared at me for a minute and tilted his head to one side. "After all that thinking last night, aren't you glad I didn't tell you I was a vampire?" He asked with a small smirk.
I giggled a little and nodded. "An angel is definitely better then a sparkly vampire," I smiled.
He gave me a toothy grin. "I'm glad to see your smile back. I missed it," he said truthfully.
I felt my cheeks heat up and I smiled down at the quilt. I looked up at Brady after a minute and noticed a dark figure in the doorway.
My smile instantly dropped and I stared into Jake's dark gray eyes. They were filled with anger.
Brady frowned and looked back at Jake. "Hello. I didn't hear you come in." Brady was speaking so casually.
Jake glared at him fiercely. "What's going on in here?"
I gulped in fear and subtly scooted back.
"I was just checking to see if Lila was awake," Brady said firmly.
Jake's cold glare turned to me. He took a step forward and I scooted back further. He froze. His eyes were locked on mine and I couldn't breathe.
His gaze slowly went to Brady once again. "What did you tell her," he asked slowly.
"I told her about you," Brady stated.
Jake tensed. He took one step back and narrowed his eyes at Brady. "And what exactly did you tell her about me?"
"You tried to kill me," I choked out. Jake didn't even glance my way.
Brady swallowed and stood slowly.
"I told her about how you fell in love with a human girl. And when she died, you came down here to get rid of your anger. How you chose to take it out on Lila."
Jake's eyes widened with surprise, but he quickly narrowed them again. "Is that so?"
Brady nodded.
They seemed to be having a silent conversation between them, which for all I knew, they actually could be.
Looking at them, I could now see the big difference. Brady was all light. With his blonde hair and bright blue eyes, to his amazing personality of kindness and understanding. Jake was all darkness. His black hair and gray eyes that seemed to darken even more when he was feeling any strong emotion. Also his personality. Mysterious, cold, hard-headed, and he definitely had a temper.
They were white and black. Light and dark. Good and bad.
Their intense stare hadn't ended yet. I cleared my throat slightly.
"Um.. Shouldn't I take some of the pain medication this morning?" I had remembered that I had it as my body felt sore and stiff.
Brady turned to me with a smile. "Yeah, I'll go get it." With that, he turned and left the room.
I immediately wished he would come back. Jake didn't look at me. He stood silently staring at the wall.
"Why?" I asked softly. I was terrified, but I wanted an answer.
He glanced over at me. "Why what?"
I looked at him slowly. "Why did you try to kill me? Why me?" I clutched the quilt to hide my shaking hands.
His gaze swept over me slowly. He crossed his arms and sighed tiredly. "Some questions are better left unanswered." He made eye contact with me. "Maybe one day I'll tell you."
I stared into his eyes. He seemed to have so many secrets. Secrets that I'll probably never learn about. I felt myself nodding and he turned, walking out of the room.
>~~~~~<
A/N: Yo. Idk why I put that.. So what's up guys? I'm almost at 100 reads!!! Mental! Haha anyway team Jake or team Brady?? Wait.. I don't want this to be Twilight.. Just which one do you prefer haha. Let me know!! Comment what you think so far (:
- Malorie