J U L I E T T E ?
Life surges through my body, shaking me from the deep sleep I fell into. I gasp loudly before coughing violently. I flip onto my side, blind with heavy darkness, as my senses slowly return to me.
"Juliette?" his voice breaks with emotion. I recognize the touch of Orferio's hand. They always feel softer than expected. Warmer too. But they're shaking. "Juliette, are you okay?"
I gasp for breath for a moment, struggling to pull myself back into reality.
Holy crap, I think I just died.
Orferio brushes my wildly curly hair back before cradling my face in his shaking hands.
My eyes slowly open to find my face close to his. His eyes are bloodshot and overflowing with tears. Orferio leans closer, before touching his forehead to mine. "Say something, love," he pleads quietly.
I gape at him, unsure what to say.
He's crying. Truly crying.
I don't think I've ever seen him cry before.
I don't think anyone has.
"I was so scared I lost you," he admits, pulls me onto his lap again and hugs me tightly. Orferio buries his face into my bare shoulder. His warm breath tickles the base of my neck. I can feel the wetness of his tears on my skin.
"W—What happened?" I croak. Slowly, I wrap my arms around him and embrace him.
"You were infected by the Shadow. It poisoned your body before you killed it. It... might have actually killed you."
"Really?" I ask in shock.
He nods, still cradling me close. He doesn't want to let me go yet.
"You did beautifully," he switches the topic quickly, "with your fire, I mean. Your power is unmatched, the universe made an excellent choice. There's no denying it. I have never met somebody so powerful, beautiful, and pure of heart before. I don't know what I did to deserve your love, Juliette. But I swear to you, I'll do everything I can to make me worthy of it."
My expression melts into a satisfied smile, holding him tighter than before. "That's very sweet," I whisper.
Orferio pulls back a little with a nervous smile. He quickly swipes at his face before tilting my chin upward. "I'm sorry for making you angry. I shouldn't have acted like that."
"No, you're completely fine," I protest, "I—I was just being insecure. I was being stupid."
He shakes his head. "No. You were blameless. Besides, I shouldn't have stormed off. I also should have told you about my informants before leaving."
"Informants?"
"The Bunny women," he clarifies, earning a shocked look. "I hired them as my spies years ago. I've caught many of my own generals plotting to betray me because of their information. It's the most ironic and perfect cover for my spies. I didn't realize that would affect you..." He trails off before looking past me.
I look behind me and find Everett kneeling there. He clears his throat, "I might have told him why you were upset." He smiles weakly, at least a little ashamed.
Relief crashes over me like a cool wave.
Orferio wasn't messing around, he was gathering information.
I lower my head in shame, "I'm such an idiot."
"You're far from it," Orferio reassures me. "Besides, you had every right to be angry with me."
Everett smirks and nods in agreement.
Orferio gives him a look, "Shut up. I didn't ask you."
Everett grins smugly as if he knew Orferio couldn't touch him.
Orferio pauses for a moment before chuckling softly. He smirks at Everett for a moment, as if he were impressed, then looks back at me.
"Glad you're okay," Everett says, "you had us worried for a bit."
I begin to fall out of Orferio's lap, trying to stand up again. But Orferio easily pulls me back onto his lap. "Rest for a second," he says, "you're still recovering."
I stare up at him for a moment and reach up to put my arms around him. My fingers press into the space between his shoulder blades before tracing a circle on his back. "How did you save me?"
"It was kind of underwhelming," Everett cuts him off, "no flashy lights or anything."
Orferio frowns briefly before smirking. "Come on, man, give me a little credit."
Everett smiles that familiar grin before looking over at me. "Though he wasn't short on dramatics. It was very theatrical. He should be an actor."
Orferio rolls his eyes and shoves Everett by the shoulder.
I giggle at the sight of Orferio arguing with Everett. He's arguing with himself.
Everett stands up, brushing his pants off. He looks out at the darkness around us and fists his hands. "It looks like they're not giving us much time to recover."
I looked over and felt my stomach flip flop.
Shadows began to swirl around us like a dark tornado, screeching and threatening to lunch for us.
My eyes widen in horror. I grip Orferio tighter. "Cheese and rice, I didn't realize they were right there."
Orferio gives me a curious look from the odd curse replacement before his expression returns to serious like earlier.
The moment is over.
"I have my shields up, they've been gnawing at it for a while now. It's getting weaker but I already sent out a call for Max. They're coming soon."
Everett paces in the small space for a moment before standing guard. "I hope Arlo is safe," he comments quietly.
"Saving you took most of my energy," Orferio admits, "totally worth it, but we're not in the best position. The moment my shields drop, they'll attack."
"How did you save me?" I ask, watching the Shadows in frozen fear. "I thought Shadow poison was totally lethal."
"It is... however, there is a special salve to cure it."
"Oh, so you used the salve."
"No. During my time with the Shadows, there was a constant issue of my armies being poisoned by the Shadows. Though we do have the salve at my base, I don't have it with me." Gently, he began to lift me from his lap and set me on the ground.
"I learned how to cure it a few years ago when one of my officers, General Kilorn, was infected by a Shadow. We didn't have time to find the salve so I used my energy, otherwise known as life force, to heal him. This technique is dangerous and only works a few seconds after the poison is administered. You would have died if I hadn't reached you in time."
He used his life to save me.
Orferio stands up before smiling softly at me. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too," I admit, breathless from exhaustion. Then I freeze and quickly add, "A—And thank you. Thank you so much."
Orferio laughs before reaching over and ruffling my hair. "No problem, sweetheart."
Then he looks over at Everett with confidence. They share a look before turning to face the whirling Shadows outside the shield.
Everett's hand begins to glow with white starlight before forming the shape of a bow. He grips it tightly before raising it up, a silver arrow materializing out of thin air. He draws it back with a concentrated look and aims at the wall of Shadows.
"Ready?" he asks.
"Hell yeah."
A flicker of blue energy rippled around us before shrinking significantly. Only protecting me.
Realization hits me a moment too soon.
I have to help!
In a blinding white light, Everett lets loose his arrow. It explodes against the hoard and sprays white, hot flames over them. The Shadows screech in agony and spiral out of the tornado. Everett takes aim, again and again, continuing to hit his targets.
Orferio takes aim with his hand and sends out blinding waves of harsh blue light. The Shadows rip to shreds under its light and disintegrate instantly.
I watch in awe as they destroy the majority of the hoard together.
I didn't realize how powerful they are.
For a while, I took Orferio's powers for granted. Sure, he can do everything. But this might be the first time the amount of his strength and abilities hit me.
He's... amazing.
A sudden flash of green fire catches my attention. I look over my shoulder in surprise before my heart lifts.
Maya, Arlo, and Max are headed our way!
Arlo shoots beautiful green flames of Greek fire at the Shadows. His bright eyes reflect the intensity of the flames.
Everett turns around at the sight of the flames, breaking into an excited grin.
Arlo returns the smile, just as relieved to see his brother.
I struggle to stand up but my legs are completely done. I fall back onto the ground, gasping for breath, my entire body beginning to burn with pain. I wince sharply and hug myself to ease some of the agonies.
Orferio glances over his shoulder and finally sees the others. He nods tightly before turning his attention back to the Shadows.
Arlo runs up to Everett's side, briefly brushing over his shoulder, before fighting alongside of him with bravery flashing in his eyes.
Max begins to blast the Shadows from the other side with flashes of dark red light. His eyes are distracted.
I look over at Maya who looks out of breath. I catch traces of anger on her face—, oh my goodness. A black scar of shadow mars her cheek with the ink markings of a tattoo. From where I'm sitting, it took the appearance of a tiny blossoming flower of shadow. A thin line traces across her right jaw and down to a vein on her right arm where another marking lies.
She joins the boys in the fight against the Shadows. I watch in awe as she causes shadows to burst into pieces simply by looking at them. Immediately, I'm jealous of her powers.
Maya has the power to reach out and manipulate other people's energies. It's as if she had control of their soul. With this power, she can slip into people's minds, absorb their powers as her own, and now she can make other people explode. It's crazy powerful.
I was stuck with fire without fireproofing.
Feebly, I try to use my fire but every ounce of my body has been drained.
A pang of helplessness renders me useless. I hang my head briefly, trying to remind myself that it's okay. I did my part earlier.
I unleashed my powers on the Shadows and survived a deadly Shadow attack.
I did my part. Even so, I fear they might hate me for sitting here.
Soon, they destroy the Shadows in our area before taking a moment to breathe.
Arlo quickly hugs Everett, happy to see his beloved brother still alive. Everett laughs and claps him on the back, joking about being too stubborn to die. Everett gestures to me, "She is too. She basically died."
Arlo turns to me in surprise, "Really?"
I smile weakly, still totally drained. "Yeah. The whole shabang."
To my surprise, Arlo's light up before he kneels next to me. "What was it like? I—I mean, what did you see? Did you see anything?"
Everett laughs, "A bit morbid."
Arlo flushes in embarrassment. "Sorry."
I wave him off, "No you're good! It was actually pretty strange." My mind travels back to that dark...
"Uh, hello?" Everett waves his hand in front of my face.
I snap out of it and stare at him in surprise. "Huh?"
Everett chuckles, "You zoned out."
I rub my eyes before laughing a little. "Oh, sorry about that."
Arlo smiled understandingly. "It's alright. Sorry for asking."
"You're fine!" I tell him again, "it's just a weird thing to try remembering."
"Where were you?" Max asks Orferio behind us. Max's eyes are burning with growing frustration. "We were looking everywhere for you!"
Orferio's eyes slit with anger. "I was saving Juliette's life."
Max watches him, doubtfully.
Maya brushes past Max as if she didn't see him. She came up to me with a conflicted look.
I gaze up at her before the horrible memories of the stage come rushing back. I grimace at the memories. "Hey... about earlier... on stage... I'm really sorry about that." My face begins to burn with heavy shame, "I have no idea what was going on up there. I—I think the drugs got to me. I'm really sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Maya asks, her voice clipped.
I bite my lip before shaking my head. "I was acting strange. I wasn't myself."
Maya watches me for a moment. She shrugs, "Okay."
"I was gathering information!" Orferio's sharp voice cuts through our conversations. He stands over Max. "I was trying to figure out what was going on! Unlike you! You were off chasing a ghost!"
For the first time, I saw fury pass over Max's usually calm face. The Shadow blood splattered across his jaw transforms his gentle face into something akin to his brother's. The burn in his piercing green eyes. The scowl turning at his lips. Max straightens his stance and tries to loom over Orferio.
"You have no right to talk to me like that!" Max's voice trembles with rage. "Not after—!"
"Well, well, well!" a feminine voice calls from behind us. "Look what we have here!"
We turn in unison at the sharp tone of her voice. I half-expected a female Shadow to appear, but instead, I watch as a human girl approaches us.
Her blonde hair is tied back in a neat ponytail. Her electric blue eyes glow with power in the pitch black. Her hips sway with confidence as she saunters towards our group. She wears an innocent smile but something darker hides behind it.
I felt something in my stomach twist, warning me that something was wrong.
I look to Orferio, realizing he's staring at her in shock. For a moment, I worry he might be attracted to her slim body and how her wispy blue dress clings to her hips. To my surprise, Orferio moves towards me and purposely stands in front of me, as if to protect me.
Max, on the other hand, looks starstruck. His eyes are full of painful yearning and deep regret.
Maya turns around shortly after but the moment she lays eyes on this girl, her fists clench. Immediately, I feel rage emanate from Maya's bruised body.
The girl's electric blue eyes flick to each of us as if to judge us by our first appearance. She struts with utmost grace with otherworldly power surrounding her.
In the corner of my eye, Maya begins to fix her messy hair and stand up taller, as if to size up Nevaeh. Her eyes are burning with fury.
I exhale slowly as my heart continues to pound inside my chest. The tension is so thick, I can practically feel it pressing down my chest.
This won't end well.
Orferio's jaw drops, "You're not dead."
I give Orferio a surprised look, wondering what he knows about her. I'll ask him later. The troubled look in his eyes makes me nervous. What does he have to fear from her?
"No, guess not," she flips her ponytail. "Hey Z, I got what you wanted." She smiles sweetly and tosses a bag to him. It's one of those expensive purses you usually find at an arts and crafts fair and can't afford since the booth doesn't take debit cards. She turns to face the rest of us, studying our forlorn expressions, "Ugh, who died?"
I stifle a laugh, despite the dark atmosphere. "Me," I whisper, which earns a smirk from Orferio.
"I told you not to call me that," Max scolds her as he catches the purse and holds it up, examining it closely.
In the background, I hear the distant screeches of Shadows and the agony of their dying brethren. I watch as the security guards begin to fill the pitch-black Dome with weapons at the ready. They begin fighting fiercely in the background with eyes blazing with duty.
Part of me wishes we could go help them out. If only just to escape this weird interaction.
Meanwhile, Arlo discreetly steps behind Everett. He turns away from the girl, obviously uncomfortable. Everett gives the girl a dirty look as if they already had beef with her. I wonder what they know about her.
"Well, open it up," Maya demands, impatient.
Max snaps out of his daze and reaches into the bag. He pauses before pulling out a small box of—. Oh.
The girl bursts into a fit of giggles, her eyes flashing with mischief. "Not that, you silly. Here." She takes the bag from him and pulls out our four backpacks. I stare at the bag with newfound curiosity wondering if I could get my hands on a bag like that. I could carry my books with me...
Max is still red-faced, holding the box awkwardly. He looks up at the girl, unsure what to do with it.
Orferio rolls his eyes before breaking the strained silence. "Nev, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Fae."
"Good question," she puts a finger. "I was supposed to be there, but my banishment expired. So... tada!" She rolls her eyes at him, "Thanks for the warm welcome by the way."
Orferio and "Nev" share a tense look as if they were ready to claw at each other's throats.
"No!" Max clears his throat, "no, we don't mean it like that. I appreciate it, I really do," he stammers.
I glance between everybody nervously.
What is with everybody? Who is she? Why is Max staring at her like that? Is she... the ghost girl Maya mentioned earlier? The one Max was chasing when we were separated?
The floor rumbles beneath us, an ominous warning the building is going to fall soon. I look down at the glitter stained floor for a moment, trying to think of a way to escape before the building collapses. Otherwise, it's going to be a Twin Towers-style death and I don't want to die. Again.
Orferio slings his backpack on, sighing in annoyance, "Yeah, yeah, good to see you, I love you, your majesty. Now give me all your attention," his voice drawls with heavy sarcasm as he shoots her a severe look. "Let's go before the building falls apart."
We share a look for a moment. He nods at me slightly, as if to say, 'I'll explain later.'
Good, I need an explanation.
Everett whistles and lets out a long breath, "Awkward," he murmurs.
Arlo laughs quietly, still inching away from Nevaeh. His gaze flicks to her nervously, as if she were a snake lying in wait. Readying to strike.
Max rubs his face tiredly. "Right. Right." He turns away from us for a moment, lost in thought. "Exit. We need an exit. Somewhere to go," he mumbles to himself.
The girl offers him a dazzling smile, slipping her arm in his and leaning up against his side. "C'mon sweetie, the door's over here." She begins leading him to one of the exits where the partygoers had once been.
Orferio turns to me with a tense expression. He reaches down and pulls me to my feet, gentle with every move. I lean on him for a moment, whispering a thank you, and regaining my balance. My legs still tremble with exhaustion, my body bruised from new injuries. It's even difficult to breathe.
Maya lingers nearby as we approach Max and the girl.
Even in the darkness, the bodies of the partygoers create morbid lumps in the ground. They are piled on top of each other as if they were pieces of meat ready for processing. Their bodies smell warm. It's sickening.
As the girl passes by, she pauses and turns to us with a look of innocence. "Ohh, it looks like it's blocked. We'll have to find another way through."
Her innocent look deeply disturbed me.
How could she smile right now? How could she act so casually around piles of dead bodies?
"We could cross through," Orferio suggested quietly, his expression neutral.
Max shoots him a look, "No."
I grimace at the thought of walking through the bodies. Imagining the hot blood rubbing up on my bare ankles. Imagining the warmth of their stiff bodies bumping around me.
I can't stomach it.
No way.
Maya clenches her jaw and sighs heavily. "I don't see why we can't go by all the bodies," she bites her cheek as I give her a look. "It's just a stairwell to get down, isn't it?"
There's no way they're making me go through that.
I'd rather jump off the building than do that.
The girl smiles sweetly, "No honey, the Shadow army is looking for us. They would have us trapped in there if we went that way," she looks over at Max who nods in approval.
The sugar in her voice leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
I don't trust her.
"She's right. That's probably the fastest way to get ourselves killed."
Arlo rolls his eyes, "Shadows can Shadow Travel," he mutters to Everett. Everet gives him an odd look before beginning to debate on the best plan of escape. The others begin to discuss—though it's far from civil—and share awkward and tense looks with each other.
I lean against Orferio's side for support, my eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. My annoyance levels begin to rise.
We need to get moving. We can't keep debating like this. We're wasting time.
Instead of listening to Orferio, Max, and the girl, I briefly listen to Arlo explain that Shadows are darkness and can travel to any source of darkness. It's much like portaling, but faster.
"Are you sure about jumping off?" Max asks the girl in a hushed voice. "Not everybody here has wings."
The girl shrugs, "We carry a couple of people, so what?" Suddenly, transparent and glittery swings unfold from her back and stretch over her head in a graceful fashion.
My stomach bottoms out.
"Wait, what?" Blood drains from my face. "We're flying off?"
Orferio presses his lips against the tip of my ear, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall," he whispers.
A shudder of pleasure travels down my spine. But I shake it off and give him a pleading look. "N-No, this won't work. You're exhausted, everybody's exhausted. There's no way I'm going to let you carry me right now."
"Don't you trust me?"
"I care about you too much to let you strain yourself."
Orferio's blue eyes soften. "That's very sweet of you."
In the background, I hear Maya argue against the new plan. "You can't be serious, two wings and... five people to carry?"
Max flicks his hand creating a trail of red sparkles in front of him. Magically, a pair of crystal-like wings spread from his back. His ears elongate into points and his hair begins to glow with a soft golden light.
Orferio clears his throat before a pair of black, feathered angel wings burst from his back. I jump in surprise, staring up at them in shock.
They're gorgeous. I think I've seen them before.
"Four people to carry," he corrects.
I blink a few times before snapping out of it. "No, no way. I'm not doing this," I stammer, beginning to panic at the thought of jumping off the building.
I take it back. I would not rather jump off the building. Or go through the bodies. Isn't there another way? Why can't we teleport?
Nevaeh walks over to a nearby wall and pats it affectionately. "Come on, the walls over here." As if it wasn't obvious. "Won't you dear boys clear us a path?"
Max blasts through the wall with his open palm. In the bright flash, I caught a glimpse of his vacant eyes. It's unsettling to see him like that.
Maya hoists her backpack on her shoulder before hesitantly approaching the new hole.
A blast of icy wind rushes through creating an unearthly howl. The edges of the hole create the appearance of teeth and the void darkness behind it makes it look like the gaping mouth of a wild animal.
And we're jumping straight through it.
Orferio's wings lowered from their raised position as his shoulders relaxed. He stretches them out for a moment, flapping them a few times to get used to the feeling.
I stand off to the side, my heart beginning to pound with rising panic.
Heck no. No, no, no, no I'm not doing this. I can't jump off a building! This is crazy! Isn't anybody thinking straight?! Or thinking at all?!
Orferio lowers one wing to wrap around my body, nudging me to stand closer to him. I grab onto his shirt with trembling hands, staring at the open hole with horror in my eyes.
"This is a terrible idea."
Orferio gives me a reassuring look as his wing brushes over my bare skin. The delicate, bird-like feathers are gentle on my sweaty skin. They're truly amazing, but I wish we wouldn't be jumping off the top of a skyscraper.
"I'm not going to drop you," he vows.
"I trust you wouldn't, not intentionally," I stammer an explanation, "but you're exhausted. A—And I'm going to be heavy. And you're going to be carrying Arlo—,"
"Trust me, love, you're not heavy. And neither is Arlo." Orferio smiles a wolfy grin, "Max is a twig and so is his Other. And you're the perfect size so don't worry about it."
I can't help but smile a little at that. I hold onto him together and rest my head on his shoulder. "Okay... but only as long as you're sure—,"
Suddenly, Orferio's arms tighten around me before he sprints forward without warning. The icy blast of wind sends goosebumps across my body. A fresh dose of buzzing adrenaline shoots through my system the moment my feet lift the ground.
I let out a scream, burying my face into Orferio's chest, clinging on for my dear life. I sneak a small peek at the world falling around us. Orferio is diving straight down into the void of darkness. In the distance, I catch glimpses of burning skyscrapers with bursts of fire at their bases.
My terror dims for a moment, allowing me to take in the sight of destruction.
They're burning the city to the ground.
The pitch-black surrounds us for a moment, leaving us freefalling in the void. I grip Orferio tighter, gasping silently for breath. Orferio's eyes are narrowed in intense concentration as he continues to fall. His beautiful wings are spread from his back as if he were a fallen angel.
"Help me." His voice in my mind shocks me out of my daze. "Grab her the moment we are level."
A few feet below us, Maya is free falling.
Her arms are spread wide as if they were wings. Her hair flies around her head like a distorted halo of darkness. Her eyes are closed with a broken smile at her lips. Her body is arched backward as she falls through the sky as if she were welcoming death. Her silver dress of sparkling ribbons envelops her body turning her into a tragic ghost.
Carefully, I reach out an arm with eyes wide with growing fears.
I have to save her.
Orferio's other arm opens before he reaches level. I shoot my arm out in a quick, brave motion just as Orferio wraps his arm around her hip on his side. Maya screams as she lurches towards me. Orferio's wings beat harder as he struggles to slow our descent.
I place my arm around her as well but Orferio seems to be doing most of the work.
Maya's eyes fly open, stunned momentarily.
Orferio pants as his wings struggle to keep us in a somewhat controlled fall. "Dammit, you're such a moron," he breathes heavily.
I let out a sigh of relief and buried my head into Orferio's shoulder.
Thank God we caught her.
We fall for a moment longer, silent as we approach the ground below. Carefully, I lift my head to peek over Orferio's shoulder. The horizon of smoking skyscrapers and shattered domes. The sky painted with streaks of red against the fading darkness.
A crushing feeling of exhaustion hits again.
Night four of absolutely no sleep.
Lovely.
We reach the ground safely and the moment my feet touch the ground, relief hits in a dizzying rush.
We just jumped off a building.
I cling to Orferio, not ready to let go yet, and look over at Maya. I tap her lightly after unwrapping my arm from her waist. I try to look reassuring for her sake, and she offers me a sad smile of uncertainty.
Orferio chuckles as he regains his balance. "Whew, what a rush!"
I nearly hit him.
"Uh, thanks," Maya says to Orferio as she steps away, rubbing her arm nervously.
He studies her. "So why'd you jump?" Orferio asks, tilting his head in curiosity.
"I didn't..."
Orferio scoffs. "You did. You jumped as soon as another bomb was going off below."
Maya frowns, "I didn't. I fell. Oops, my bad. Thanks for saving my life," she says sassily and rolls her eyes.
I hold my gaze for a moment before deciding to drop it.
"Where are we going?" she asks, changing the subject.
"Somewhere we can get some sleep," I yawn loudly. "Hopefully."
If there's a God in this universe, please let me sleep. I beg of you.
I look up at Orferio, sharing a look of relief with him. He is still breathing hard, exhausted from the fall, as I predicted. I wish he didn't do that. I didn't want to be a burden. His arm tightens around my waist, a small comfort, and he briefly presses his forehead against mine.
"You did excellently."
That was terrifying.
Orferio smirks as if he knew I secretly enjoyed the rush.
"Blechh," Maya pretends to gag at us before turning around again.
I smile softly before brushing away my thoughts of secret enjoyment. "Do you think we can get a taxi out of here?" I joke, glancing down the winding streets.
"Yeah," he says simply.
I give him a confused look. "What do you mean 'yeah?"
Orferio simply points at a parked car with a taxi sign glowing atop it. "I'm sure they're still up and running."
"Huh."
Voices rise from behind us, but Arlo is surprisingly the loudest.
"Get off me!" he shoves the girl away from him, smacking away her hands from his waist. He stumbles away and shoots her one last cold look before putting distance between them.
Max drops Everett onto the ground who staggers away, dusting himself off. Everett immediately moves towards Arlo with a hint of protectiveness in his eyes.
"Aw, don't' forget how much fun we had, Arlo," the girl smiles a sugar-sweet smile before sashaying over to Max.
Arlo crosses his arms and mutters something to Everett. Maya joins them for a moment and earns a few concerned comments from the two boys. Max dusts himself off for a moment before locking eyes with Orferio. Orferio smothers a cold sneer, holding me tighter. "I thought you were supposed to carry her."
Max's eyes narrow, "It was Nevaeh's job." He shoots a look at the girl.
Nevaeh shrugs innocently. "It's not my fault she jumped."
"She didn't jump," Max argues sternly.
Nevaeh only smirks, as if she knew more than he did.
A low growl rises from Orferio's throat as he begins to glare at her. His wings snap in the air and rise into a threatening position. His arms tighten around me, keeping me close to him. I give him an odd look, confused as to why he feels the need to protect me from Nevaeh. However, if Orferio is nervous around her... She isn't good news.
Nevaeh's cool gaze falls on me before she raises her perfectly-shaped eyebrow. My respect for her plummets further.
Never trust a girl who takes that much care into her eyebrows.
"I don't believe we've met," his voice lifts with curiosity, "who are you?"
The way she's looking at me... it's like she's judging me. Challenging me. I keep feeling the "alpha female" vibes from her. Her sharp-eyed gaze. The false smiles. The power she carries.
I need to be strong. Confident.
I remove Orferio's arms from my waist earning a surprised look from him. I step away from Orferio, straightening my stance, and meet her gaze bravely. My body is still trembling, I'm totally exhausted, but something tells me I need to be careful. I know she isn't gunning for Orferio's affection, but I feel the strange need to claim him and to show off power myself.
"I'm Juliette, you must be Nevaeh." I smile innocently, mirroring her expression. All sugar and sweetness.
Nevaeh's "good-natured" smile falters for a moment. "Yes, I'm Max's..." she turns her attention to Max again, distracting herself, "well, it's a bit complicated."
I tilt my head curiously. "Oh. That's cool. I heard you say something about a Fae world—," banishment, "—are you a faerie, yourself?"
"I'm human," she admits, her crystallized wings fluttering on her back, "but I was sent to the Fae world." She adds a proud smile, "They made me their queen during my time there."
I cross my arms over my chest, masking my doubt in her claim. "Huh, that's pretty cool. What's it like?"
Nevaeh smiles broadly. "I enjoyed being their Queen. They adored me."
I nod, half-interested in her explanation.
"And who exactly are you?" Her gaze flicks to Orferio. "How did you happen to join our group?"
"I came to this world with Maya, we were sent by Earth to save you," I explain casually, making a point to emphasize the fact she was in trouble. In need of saving. "We were..." I add an innocent smile, "We're the destined ones. Maya and I helped form the alliance between the brothers."
Max and Orferio share a look.
Nevaeh crosses her arms, skeptical of my claim. "Oh?"
I nod a few times. "Yep. So anyway," I turn back to the boys, shifting my weight to one hip in a cool pose, "what next? We should probably get going. Standing around and staring at each other isn't going to be a thing for us, is it?"
In the corner of my eye, Nevaeh holds her gaze before nodding to herself.
Max blinks in surprise before clearing his throat. "Uh, yes. We should probably get going."
Arlo and Everett rejoin the group with Maya trailing behind them.
"We're going to head out," Everett puts a hand on Arlo's shoulder, "we have to return home."
Orferio nods in understanding. "Alright, stay safe."
Max looks over at Maya for a moment, appearing guilty before looking back at Nevaeh.
"I hope... everything goes well for you," I tell them, unsure what to say. "Be careful."
Everett offers a small smile. "We will."
Arlo turns around to give Maya a lasting hug, whispering something to her. His hand brushes a lock of her hair off her shoulder.
Max's gaze zeroes on it.
Was that jealousy?
Nevaeh clears her throat, "Yes, I wish you the best."
"May the Stars bless you in your journey," Max tells them, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Everett forces a smile and dramatically salutes us, trying to lighten the mood. "Yep, hope to see you guys soon! Good luck on your mission or whatever!"
Orferio smirks, "Or whatever."
With that, the Others of the Universe Protectors leave us standing alone in the streets. I watch them as they go, wishing they will be safe on their journey. Wherever they are heading off to. I'm going to miss them.
Maya rejoins our group before crossing her arms. "So? What are we doing?" she asks flatly.
Nevaeh looks to me with an unreadable expression. "Seems like Juliette has a plan."
I stiffen, unsure if I like the sudden attention. I quickly mask my anxiety and pretend like I know what to do.
"We take a taxi out of the city," I say, pointing out the taxi and stealing Orferio's idea. "The faster we leave, the better."
"Sounds good," Orferio gives me a look, "Since that was my plan."
"Good plan," Nevaeh comments before taking Max by the arm again. A radiant smile spreads across her lips. "Shall we? I call a seat next to you..."
Maya's eyes darken.
I bite my lip before taking Orferio's wrist and starting to walk towards the car.
We can't waste more time.
For a moment, Orferio allows me to lead him towards the car before he jogs ahead of me. He looks confused before he focuses on the taxi. He collapses his wings and makes them disappear into thin air. He knocks on the window a few times before it slowly rolls down.
The man sitting inside could be a corpse, himself. His gray skin glistens with sweat with a few hairs on his bald head. His lips are stuck in a permanent pout. His glassy eyes are vacant of thought. He wears a black taxi uniform with a golden star pin at his shirt collar.
"Get us out of the city," Orferio commands, "stop when you reach the Forest of the Lost."
The man turns his head slowly before nodding. His boney fingers grip the wheel tightly before tapping the small screen on the center of the wheel.
"Let's go!" Orferio calls over his shoulder. He leads me to the other side of the taxi before slipping into the front seat. He pats the seat next to him so I slide in next to him.
The car smells of pine tree air freshener and traces of cigarette smoke. I quickly buckle up before I slam the door behind me.
Maya, Max, and Nevaeh are stuck in the cramped back. Poor Max ends up in the middle of the two girls.
The taxi driver revved the engine for a moment before finishing up with his screen.
Orferio slips his arm around my shoulder and pulls me under the crook of his arm. His grip is tight on my arm as if he were trying to protect me.
"You didn't have to talk with Nevaeh."
Why not?
"She's dangerous."
I lower my gaze, staring hard at the dashboard. I don't want her to walk all over me. That's all.
"Even so..." He smiles softly at me, "I'm proud of you. I'm glad I'm yours."
My heart flutters with love. I smile warmly and snuggle up against him. Same here, my love.
But our sweet moment is cut off by the sharp jerk of the taxi.
The car zooms forward with reckless abandon. I suck in a sharp breath and cling onto Orferio for my dear life.
The driver might have looked dead inside and out, but his driving was absolutely wild.
He swerves sharply around every corner, takes secret back alleyways, tears down the street like a racecar driver. I fear we might go into a tailspin as he whips another corner and drifts to the side. The car roars as it increases speed and rips down every street, turning into a blur as it goes.
Outside the fogged window, I catch glimpses of running pedestrians. Some stagger around like drunkards, waving their hands desperately in the air as they try to call a taxi. Others run out into the street without a second thought.
My heart leaps into my throat when we nearly hit one.
After a few moments of being tossed around in the car, I watch as the city melts away. The horizon of dark spires and clouds of black smoke begins to shrink behind us as we drive out onto an empty highway. Guilt makes it difficult to turn my eyes away. Ominous clouds hang over the once carefree city. Shadows hang in the sky like a waiting storm before they descend onto the city with ferocity.
The car speeds over the massive highway which opens up to a gigantic metal bridge. I stare out the window to see a sparkling river spread out on both sides. We reach the other side of the long bridge in an instant.
The scenery drastically changes from cement jungle to lush forests. It isn't long before the road narrows and is surrounded by thick treelines and canopies of overhanging branches. The cold mist spreads throughout the trees creating an ominous fog outside.
I lean into Orferio, bringing my knees to my chest as my eyelids grow heavy.
He rests his chin atop my head and holds me in his arms.
"It'll be okay," he whispers to me.
"I hope so."