The Real Story of Heaven and Hell

I finished lacing up my boots and walked out into the living room where Jimmy was waiting for me.
“Ready?” I asked. For the past week we’ve been going air-surfing as I like to call it, looking for Sera. I figured out how to ride the air currents recently and we’ve been going out every night to find her. Jimmy managed to talk me out of going during the day, but he hasn’t been able to get me to eat or sleep since we got back. Even when he sings to me I can’t seem to fall asleep. Maybe the throbbing bite on my arm which I have yet to tell anyone about has something to do with it. It hasn’t been easy hiding it from him, but not impossible.
“Let’s go.” He took my hand and we walked out of the house.
“Hey, wait for a second.” Brian called after us. He’s been desperate to find Sera as well, but I’ve only been letting Jimmy come with me. “Can I come look for her?” The look in his eyes was all the convincing I needed. That was the same look that must have been in my eyes when I was going on my suicide mission. I nodded and held out my hand for him.
Usually when I went out with Jimmy, we talked while we were surfing, and yes, we kissed quite a bit. ‘Making up for lost time’ was Jimmy’s excuse. I personally was not complaining. I went to Hell and back to get him and I wasn’t gonna fuck it up.
This time it was completely and totally silent. I was the only one who could really feel the air shifting, so I let us slide down the current until we were closer to the city.
“Any clue where we are?” I asked Jimmy. Apparently angels have good sense of direction.
“Southern California, Huntington Beach to be exact.” He kissed the back of my hand, probably the most we could get away with without making Brian vomit. Thanks to my cock blocking half sister, Jimmy and I hadn’t gotten any farther than kissing and holding hands. Every time we even got close to thinking about it, she’d pop up and drag me off to train.
The little alarm bell in my head that told me a demon was nearby went off as we passed over a seedy part of town. I heard a scream and dropped us lower. My breath started to come faster.
The only person who sounded like that was my sister.
We landed silently, swords at hand. I’d finally gotten one legitly instead of stealing someone’s.
“We gotta follow that car.” I said, pointing at the one speeding away from us. I picked up an air current and we followed just above them. They led us to a hospital and we hid our swords in the shadows before following the guy inside.
As soon as the light hit the girl, I knew I’d made the right call. My sister had chopped her hair off and dyed it brown, but I knew that face almost as well as my own.
“What happened?” I demanded, running up to the guy.
“Are you a nurse?” He asked.
“No. That’s my fucking sister your holding.” I couldn’t help but be snarky with him.
“What’s going on here?” This was a nurse, a motherly looking one who looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. She could probably see the bruises on my neck from my first trial.
“That’s my sister.” I pointed at Sera’s unconscious body. “I don’t know what happened or how he got her, but that’s my sister.”
“Name?” The nurse asked.
“Seraphina Quinn.” I didn’t know if she could check my story, and chances of Sera carrying I.D. were very slim. I remembered the picture I had in my wallet and pulled it out. “She dyed her hair recently.” She still didn’t look very convinced, but the blood dripping on the floor from Sera’s wounds must have convinced her, because she took her into the E.R. and made us wait outside. The guy who’d brought her in split once he got a good look at Brian.
“A demon did that to her.” I muttered as I paced back and forth. We’d been here for two hours and they still hadn’t let us see her.
“One of the very lowest.” Brian supplied. His face was drawn but I saw a glimmer of happiness in his expression. I guess finding her injured was better than not finding her at all. Jimmy grabbed me around the waist and pulled me onto his lap the next time I passed by him.
“Calm down Lili.” He murmured, resting his forehead against mine. Not even Sera ever called me that. It was his personal nickname for me. I took a deep breath and nodded. Ever since I went through the trials and brought him back, my moods have been getting steadily darker. Maybe it’s because Sera’s not around to balance me out.
The door opened and I nearly fell off Jimmy in my hurry to get up.
“Lilith Quinn?” This was a different nurse, a guy this time. “You can go see your sister.” I started to walk past him but he grabbed my arm. “You wanna go out some time?” In a flash, Jimmy was standing directly behind me, a look I was used to seeing on demons on his face. The guy paled and let go of me. Brian was already inside when we got there, sitting on the edge of Sera’s bed. She was still asleep.
“She cut her fucking hair. She hasn’t cut it since we were kids.” I always liked messing with her hair, putting streaks in it or styling it. “Let’s hope that dye will wash out.”
“I’m just glad we found her.” Brian murmured, brushing Sera’s hair away from her face. Jimmy had called Johnny when we first got here and told him we found her. They were on their way down to meet us. I wondered how Zacky was gonna take the way Brian was looking at Sera.
My sister’s eyes flickered and I leaned over her, trying to wake her up the way I used to do when we were kids.
“Hi there.” I said when she finally opened her eyes. She screamed a little until she realized it was me. “I like your eyes better without the lenses.”
“You scared the fucking shit out of me!” She gasped.
“Excuse me? I get home from a long day in Hell and I expect to find my woman waiting for me, and she’s fucking gone!” I hoped she knew I was joking.
“I think you have enough company.” She jerked her chin towards Jimmy.
“He doesn’t cuddle like you do.” I stuck out my lower lip. “I missed you babe. Next time your gonna run off, gimme an address so I can visit. Or at least save your ass from demons.”
“Hey, I killed two of them.” My jaw dropped.
“I’m proud of you sweetheart.” I grinned. “Hey, I brought you a surprise.” I moved out of the way so she could see Brian.
“Hey.” Brian’s entire face lit up when he saw her. So did my sister’s.
Guess it was a good thing I didn’t bring Zacky.