Sequel: Midnight ›
Status: Moved from of my accounts on Q!Zilla
Take it Back, Jacob Black.
Twenty-three
Having the crap beat out you was a real eye opener. It makes you realize that not everyone in the world is good. That not everyone is going to look after your or hold your hand in the dark. No, the world is good. “RyRy, wake up.”
Skylar's voice was like a glass of ice cold lemonade after a hard day's work in 105 degree heat. It was amazing that his voice alone could make the world seem a little less maleficent. Of course, there was the matter of that accursed nickname.
My eyes creaked open slowly to find him looking down at me. He seemed a helluva lot better than when I saw him last. For that, I was thankful. My body was sore and screamed in protest when I sat up. Skylar made quick work of catapulting himself into my arms and wrapping his tiny arms around me. “I missed you, Sissy.” He whispered.
“Aw,” I said, my voice barely louder than his, “I missed you too.” I went to hug him back when I noticed a fluorescent organ cast on my left arm. Names were signed of all the people I knew and then some, on it in various Sharpie colors.
Skylar shot off my lap and onto the floor, yanking back the silky cover. A plain white cast adorned my right leg from mid-thigh to just before my toes. It, too, was signed. I felt oddly violated and eased myself to my feet. Conveniently enough, crutches were placed beside my bed. I grabbed them and looked over at my little brother. “Could you get me a pair of pants and a shirt, and bring 'em to the bathroom?” I asked.
His blue-green eyes lit up and he disappeared into my closet. Meanwhile, I hobbled to the bathroom and began to fill the bath tub with steaming water. I poured some pomegranate scented bubble bath into it and turned around. Man, it felt good to be home. Stalker free and relaxed – life couldn't get much better.
Skylar put the clothes on the bathroom sink and shut the bathroom door. I stripped, settling into the water, but keeping my cast-covered limbs out of the tub. Washing wasn't as tiring as I'd assumed it would be. Once clean, I pushed out and dried off with a towel before reaching down to pull the plug from the drain.
After pulling on the pair of plum colored lounge pants and black camisole tank top on, I brushed my hair and teeth. After that, I left the bathroom. The stairs mocked me. Sighing, I attempted to go down the stairs easily and gracefully. More than once, I'd almost slipped.
Picking my crutches from their discarded pile on the floor, I went into the living room. Because it was nearly eight in the morning, I assumed only Trace or Mom would be here. Oh no, I had a whole damned coalition.
“The Pack” as Jacob so often called them, sat leisurely around the living room. The room seemed to be covered with the large boys...and Leah. Of course, Kim and Emily sat on the couch. Upon my entering, Skylar jumped up, exclaiming, “Told ya, Bubba!”
I realized Mom wasn't here. Must've ditched again, I thought bitterly.
“I told you I heard someone in the shower.” Leah snapped at Trace. I muffled a laugh when his face turned a delicate pink. As people stood to 'welcome me back to reality', Jacob breezed past all of them and wrapped me up in his long arms. I blushed at the looks people gave before they turned away to give us some privacy.
Jacob littered me with delicate kisses and featherlight caresses. Though I was flattered by him being so worked up, I felt a sinking in the pit of my stomach.
“Darling, do not fight me. You practically begged for this. You wanted this.”
Lucian's eyes blazed with lust and fury as I attempted to pushing off. Having had enough of my struggle, he grabbed the bed sheet and tore two pieces from it, securing my hands to the bedposts. When I whimpered because the cloth was tight around my wrists, he smacked me so hard my head began to swam.
Jacob's fingers laced through my own as he led me into the mob of bodies. Trace was the last to hug me and tell me how much he missed and loved me. “I love you too.” I said quietly, “Where did Mom go?”
The room went from buzzing with glee, to being dead silent. Attempting to be casual, they all pretended to pay attention to the television screen. “Ryder...” He started. I suddenly felt as if I were about to receive a lecture, so, I took the seat left open between my Jacob and Marcella. “There are some things we – Mom and I – need to tell you.” He finally said after a long pause. He absently chewed his lower lip, something he did rarely and only when he was nervous.
My teeth clenched in impatience. Why couldn't he just spit it out? It couldn't be that hard to say, could it? “Just tell her, Trace,” Leah said, lacing her fingers with his, “She's stronger than you give her credit for.”
Trace nodded, “Mom and Dad...They left, not because they didn't love you, but because they were being hunted.”
That explained why we vacationed so much. Still, I was weary of where this was headed. “You see, Mom is...Mom is a Celestial – and Angel, more accurately. Dad was human and on the brink of death when they met. She use to be one of the few to ferry souls to the Otherworld. Upon seeing him, she couldn't fathom why the Fates had cut his life so short. She saved him. This didn't set well with the Elders so they gave her a warning: agreed, but her intuition told her the Fates would, again, clip the lifeline of our father. She watched him however and whenever she could without being caught. Communicating through his dreams, she guided him and they spoke about any and everything.
“The day finally came when her intuition proved true. It was about 1986, April, and Dad was walking from the store across the street from his apartment. A car came and was seconds from hitting him. Mom materialized and pulled him out of the way. Of course, only he saw her. She couldn't expose Celestials to the world. Almost automatically, she was summoned to the council room. Taking her action as an insult, and following through on their threat, the Elders cast her from the skies. They let her keep her wings, however, so she could be reminded that, while she could soar through the skies, she could never be apart of them. So others may recognize her as a fallen, they tainted her wings black.
“Mom found Dad only months after her sentence. She was kept a secret so as not to let others of her kind be suspicious. Mom, growing restless indoors, convinced Dad to let her masquerade as a human. She got a job and they got married after having me. All was fine until I was five. Mom got bigger and it was harder to hide that she was pregnant. One child was difficult enough to keep safe. Adding another child would increase their chances of being found out...or, rather, finding me out.
“A relationship with a mortal was prohibited because once, ages ago, it was allowed. Back before technology was ever thought of. Tales are told all over the world of how evil, winged creatures tormented mortals. The most famous account would have to be those written in the Christian texts – the stories of the Nephilim. Nephilim were considered abominations to, not only Christians, but to mortals around the world. Very few understood what it meant, truly, to be half Celestial. Because of that Nephilim are hunted and killed. . .At least, they were, but that's another story for another time.
“Anyhow, you were born on October 31, the day where the bridges of the worlds are unveiled – the day the Elders are at their weakest. It's on this day that Celestials are ungoverned. Free to do as they please. Not too long ago, the Elders felt it to be best to...eradicate the problem and Mom and Dad left you guys to me to look after while they hid. Dad was killed soon after they left and Mom, soul in pieces, secluded her soul and body from Earth as well.”
Everyone, though probably having heard this story before , listened intently, turning to gauge my reaction. Feeling like a child at a story-time in Pre-K. I asked, “Why come back now?”
Trace shrugged, “That she never said.”
“So, what, we're these...Nephilim?” I inquired, not entirely sure I bought the story.
He draped an around Leah's shoulders and looked at me in a somewhat cold, arrogant, distant, and all around dark manner, “Call us Nephilim, call us DirtBloods, we are what we are, Ryder; half human, half angel.”
Skylar's voice was like a glass of ice cold lemonade after a hard day's work in 105 degree heat. It was amazing that his voice alone could make the world seem a little less maleficent. Of course, there was the matter of that accursed nickname.
My eyes creaked open slowly to find him looking down at me. He seemed a helluva lot better than when I saw him last. For that, I was thankful. My body was sore and screamed in protest when I sat up. Skylar made quick work of catapulting himself into my arms and wrapping his tiny arms around me. “I missed you, Sissy.” He whispered.
“Aw,” I said, my voice barely louder than his, “I missed you too.” I went to hug him back when I noticed a fluorescent organ cast on my left arm. Names were signed of all the people I knew and then some, on it in various Sharpie colors.
Skylar shot off my lap and onto the floor, yanking back the silky cover. A plain white cast adorned my right leg from mid-thigh to just before my toes. It, too, was signed. I felt oddly violated and eased myself to my feet. Conveniently enough, crutches were placed beside my bed. I grabbed them and looked over at my little brother. “Could you get me a pair of pants and a shirt, and bring 'em to the bathroom?” I asked.
His blue-green eyes lit up and he disappeared into my closet. Meanwhile, I hobbled to the bathroom and began to fill the bath tub with steaming water. I poured some pomegranate scented bubble bath into it and turned around. Man, it felt good to be home. Stalker free and relaxed – life couldn't get much better.
Skylar put the clothes on the bathroom sink and shut the bathroom door. I stripped, settling into the water, but keeping my cast-covered limbs out of the tub. Washing wasn't as tiring as I'd assumed it would be. Once clean, I pushed out and dried off with a towel before reaching down to pull the plug from the drain.
After pulling on the pair of plum colored lounge pants and black camisole tank top on, I brushed my hair and teeth. After that, I left the bathroom. The stairs mocked me. Sighing, I attempted to go down the stairs easily and gracefully. More than once, I'd almost slipped.
Picking my crutches from their discarded pile on the floor, I went into the living room. Because it was nearly eight in the morning, I assumed only Trace or Mom would be here. Oh no, I had a whole damned coalition.
“The Pack” as Jacob so often called them, sat leisurely around the living room. The room seemed to be covered with the large boys...and Leah. Of course, Kim and Emily sat on the couch. Upon my entering, Skylar jumped up, exclaiming, “Told ya, Bubba!”
I realized Mom wasn't here. Must've ditched again, I thought bitterly.
“I told you I heard someone in the shower.” Leah snapped at Trace. I muffled a laugh when his face turned a delicate pink. As people stood to 'welcome me back to reality', Jacob breezed past all of them and wrapped me up in his long arms. I blushed at the looks people gave before they turned away to give us some privacy.
Jacob littered me with delicate kisses and featherlight caresses. Though I was flattered by him being so worked up, I felt a sinking in the pit of my stomach.
“Darling, do not fight me. You practically begged for this. You wanted this.”
Lucian's eyes blazed with lust and fury as I attempted to pushing off. Having had enough of my struggle, he grabbed the bed sheet and tore two pieces from it, securing my hands to the bedposts. When I whimpered because the cloth was tight around my wrists, he smacked me so hard my head began to swam.
Jacob's fingers laced through my own as he led me into the mob of bodies. Trace was the last to hug me and tell me how much he missed and loved me. “I love you too.” I said quietly, “Where did Mom go?”
The room went from buzzing with glee, to being dead silent. Attempting to be casual, they all pretended to pay attention to the television screen. “Ryder...” He started. I suddenly felt as if I were about to receive a lecture, so, I took the seat left open between my Jacob and Marcella. “There are some things we – Mom and I – need to tell you.” He finally said after a long pause. He absently chewed his lower lip, something he did rarely and only when he was nervous.
My teeth clenched in impatience. Why couldn't he just spit it out? It couldn't be that hard to say, could it? “Just tell her, Trace,” Leah said, lacing her fingers with his, “She's stronger than you give her credit for.”
Trace nodded, “Mom and Dad...They left, not because they didn't love you, but because they were being hunted.”
That explained why we vacationed so much. Still, I was weary of where this was headed. “You see, Mom is...Mom is a Celestial – and Angel, more accurately. Dad was human and on the brink of death when they met. She use to be one of the few to ferry souls to the Otherworld. Upon seeing him, she couldn't fathom why the Fates had cut his life so short. She saved him. This didn't set well with the Elders so they gave her a warning: agreed, but her intuition told her the Fates would, again, clip the lifeline of our father. She watched him however and whenever she could without being caught. Communicating through his dreams, she guided him and they spoke about any and everything.
“The day finally came when her intuition proved true. It was about 1986, April, and Dad was walking from the store across the street from his apartment. A car came and was seconds from hitting him. Mom materialized and pulled him out of the way. Of course, only he saw her. She couldn't expose Celestials to the world. Almost automatically, she was summoned to the council room. Taking her action as an insult, and following through on their threat, the Elders cast her from the skies. They let her keep her wings, however, so she could be reminded that, while she could soar through the skies, she could never be apart of them. So others may recognize her as a fallen, they tainted her wings black.
“Mom found Dad only months after her sentence. She was kept a secret so as not to let others of her kind be suspicious. Mom, growing restless indoors, convinced Dad to let her masquerade as a human. She got a job and they got married after having me. All was fine until I was five. Mom got bigger and it was harder to hide that she was pregnant. One child was difficult enough to keep safe. Adding another child would increase their chances of being found out...or, rather, finding me out.
“A relationship with a mortal was prohibited because once, ages ago, it was allowed. Back before technology was ever thought of. Tales are told all over the world of how evil, winged creatures tormented mortals. The most famous account would have to be those written in the Christian texts – the stories of the Nephilim. Nephilim were considered abominations to, not only Christians, but to mortals around the world. Very few understood what it meant, truly, to be half Celestial. Because of that Nephilim are hunted and killed. . .At least, they were, but that's another story for another time.
“Anyhow, you were born on October 31, the day where the bridges of the worlds are unveiled – the day the Elders are at their weakest. It's on this day that Celestials are ungoverned. Free to do as they please. Not too long ago, the Elders felt it to be best to...eradicate the problem and Mom and Dad left you guys to me to look after while they hid. Dad was killed soon after they left and Mom, soul in pieces, secluded her soul and body from Earth as well.”
Everyone, though probably having heard this story before , listened intently, turning to gauge my reaction. Feeling like a child at a story-time in Pre-K. I asked, “Why come back now?”
Trace shrugged, “That she never said.”
“So, what, we're these...Nephilim?” I inquired, not entirely sure I bought the story.
He draped an around Leah's shoulders and looked at me in a somewhat cold, arrogant, distant, and all around dark manner, “Call us Nephilim, call us DirtBloods, we are what we are, Ryder; half human, half angel.”