Angels Born of Hell and Fire

[Part Two: Chapter Two]

[Jasper’s P.O.V]

I watched Megan carefully as she left the dining room. I had been worried how she would take today. It was an important anniversary after all.

“Hey, are you finished?”

Peter hovered above me. The sight of his face brought familiar warmth to my chest. Just having him beside me was enough to send fluttered of happiness weaving through out me. I had managed to survive this past year because of this boy. If Peter was here, then I didn’t really mind this life.

Dabbing my lips with a napkin I nodded.

“What’s on the schedule for today?”

I asked Peter because he always knew. Who needed a secretary when your boyfriend memorized your whole week for you? He was cute like that.

“Michelle will be meeting you at the library later to go over more party details,” Peter said and I groaned.

That woman, Michelle, I was going to end up strangling her if I had to be in her company for much longer. The sooner this whole party nonsense was over, the better.

The edges of Peters mouth quirked at my dramatic expression as he continued.

“Before that however you will visit with your tutor until lunch. Savage over there is going to be watching you until lunch, and then Gabriel will take over for the rest of the day.”

I frowned, “You won’t be on duty today?”

Typically the three of them cycled through three shifts. It’s happened before though, when other responsibilities take priority over standing around doing nothing while “guarding” me. I would prefer them to go and do the stuff that had to be more important. I knew all three were busy with their respective tasks. Yet a small part of me wished to monopolize all of Peter’s time selfishly. Internally I pouted, sad that I wouldn’t have his company today.

“Yeah, I have to get ready for my next mission,” Peter said smiling, like he could read my childish thoughts.

“You’re leaving the valley?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow actually. I’ll only be gone a week, so you won’t have to miss me too much,”

I huffed to cover my true emotions.

“Oh whatever, like I’d miss you to begin with.”

Small pins of anxiety were puncturing my previous fuzzy thoughts. Peter often was sent out to lead expeditions outside the valley, it wasn’t a big deal really. Nevertheless I knew I would worry constantly until he was once again safe in my arms.

“I’m sure you won’t,” he laughed, “I need to go, I’ll stop by before I leave okay?”

I hummed an acknowledgment as he leaned down to place his lips against my forehead; a chaise kiss in front of others. I smiled, the simple action creating all those delicious flutters in my heart once more.

As he left I turned to Savannah.

“Shall we?”

I was glad I didn’t have to deal with Michelle first thing in the morning. Even another dull two hour lecture from Mr. Gargoyle was better than listening to her annoying high pitched voice rattle on about how “perfect” the ball was going to be. The peppy event coordinator took her job seriously. Too seriously.

I didn’t know why Adam had suddenly decided to hold the party. There was no purpose to it as far as I could see. I put it down to one of his many whims. I had spent weeks, months even, trying to figure out the enigma that is Adam, and only came to the conclusion that he was like a force of nature; unstoppable, undetainable, and unpredictable. It was better to just live with the fact you could do nothing to stop it.

“Ah, Calamity my dear!”

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

I stopped in my steps, turning to see Adam gliding towards me. The sight of him stiffened my spine, and a chill settled against my skin. He hadn’t changed with the passing of time and that hardly surprised me. He still radiated danger even as his appealing featured drew a person in.
That was another way he was similar to natural disasters. Despite, or maybe because of, all this destructive and menacing powers, he was still fascinatingly beautiful.

“Father,” I said in way of greeting.

“Off to your studies?” he asked and I nodded, “Good, allow me to escort you then.”

I placed my hand on his offered arm and let him lead me up the stairs.

“Are you excited about the ball?” Adam asked.

I would have been more excited if I didn’t have to plan it…

“Yes, of course,” I lied through a smile.

“I’m glad to hear it! Life here can get so monotonous, its good to give the soldiers something to look forward to,” Adam sent me a playful wink and it took all my self-control not to gag.

“Everyone is very excited,” I said instead, keeping a plastic smile plastered to my face.

“Good, good. Once all the fighting starts there won’t be any time for such matters,” Adam said and I nearly stumbled.

“There will be fighting soon?” Of course I knew that eventually, at some point, there would be fighting, this was an army after all. But it had all seemed so abstract, like the future could never happen and we would all just continue to carry on like we have. More than anyone else, I should know that the future does not stop, nor change.

Adam looked at me with gleaming purple eyes, the color twice as prominent in his amusement.

“Of course dear, you didn’t think we could just stay the way we are did you?”

He was making fun of me, trying to break my carefully sculpted mask.

“No, I was just wondering what sort of information you had. If there is to be fighting my sister and I should know of it before hand shouldn’t we?” I said easily smoothing over the momentary wrinkle of my thoughts.

“Yes of course! There’s no immediate plans, just something I… foresee… in the nearby future,”

We had arrived at the library, cutting off the time I had to question him further. His statement had been a jab at my “talent” which seemed to appear and disappear at its own convenience. I had no control on the subject of what I saw, or how far into the future I would see it. I once saw a bee landing on a flower
.
“What do you mean?” I asked not wanting the conversation to end just as it became interesting. No, not interesting, alarming was a better suited word.

“Hmm what do I mean I wonder?” Adam dodged my question in the way I should have known he would.

“I bid you fair well my Empress,” he bowed grandly, grinning like a devil at my annoyed face, and waltzed down the hall. For a moment I glared after him, contempt in my heart.

“Empress?”

I blinked over to Savannah, whose presence I had completely forgotten.

“Your tutor?”

“Oh, right. I’m going, thank you.” I tried to shake free from the cloud of doubt Adam’s mysterious words had created. I didn’t want to think about them and yet at the same time it’s all I could think of. I knew Adam had done this on purpose. He planted a seed for my brain to twist and turn over, trying to figure out what it could possibly become.

Was there going to be fighting soon? Or had he just been trying to get a reaction out of me? With Adam one could never be sure if what he said had actual facts behind it, or if it was something he created on the spot. If there was going to be any sort of violent conflict than I should be able to see it beforehand right? What good was having the ability to see the future if it never showed anything worthwhile?

I growled to myself, pretending to pay attention to the monotone voice of my tutor as he rambled on about ambushes. I couldn’t think about whatever lame techniques he wanted to shove into my head, I had to figure out what Adam had meant!

Maybe I’ll ask Peter about it before he leaves the valley…

The thought relaxed me, acting like a cool balm against my agitated brain. No matter what Adam had up his sleeve it would be alright, because I still had Peter there to help me through it. With that solid strength there to protect me, I could survive through even a natural disaster.

[End: Part Two Chapter Two]