Fallen Angel

"Emeyo?" Apphia called softly as we walked. I wasn't exactly paying much attention. Sweat was beading and pouring down my face, arms, legs. It was way too hot to focus on anything. For me, at least. I couldn't focus on anything.
I closed my eyes, Apphia's voice fading to a dim echo. In fact, all noise had faded to a dim echo. And even that was barely audible. I opened my eyes to see the field I had found myself in before when I had learnt Darkness' name. Now there wasn't anyone here. Just a breeze blowing gently through the long grass.
I took a step forward, just to find I couldn't move. It was as if my feet were glued to the ground, or as if the ground had somehow sucked my feet into itself. I looked around slowly, just to make sure I was alone. I didn't want to risk an attack. Not now. Not when I couldn't move.
Well, it's about time. Darkness' Voice echoed all around me. We need to talk, since you keep trying to dismiss my presence.
I'm not trying to dismiss it. I am dismissing it.
She was silent for a long time before I heard her sigh and I could have sworn she would have rolled her eyes if she were more than a Voice and a presence in my head. You're pathetic.
I wanted to scream. I'm pathetic! What in the crap! Why do you say that?!
Calm down, Echo. I'm just saying it as it is. You're an Angel and you refuse to believe that a Demon-like myself-could possess you and talk to you inside your head.
I was quiet for a long time, unsure what to say. In a small part of my mind I knew that what she said was true, but I refused to acknowledge it. I didn't want to give her any satisfaction. Though I was sure she knew that I had acknowledged it.
Of course I know that. I'm not stupid.
Maybe not. Just annoying.
I could have sworn I heard her laugh before the world flickered, swayed, and spun all at the same time. I lurched forward and everything came back into focus, except now I could feel sweat pouring down my body and heat on my face.
My eyes snapped open and I saw Apphia was nowhere to be seen. I blinked sweat out of my eyes before looking around. "Apphia?" I called softly, hoping to see her hiding somewhere.
That was when I felt the pain. Stinging down the lengths of my arms and legs. I winced as I looked down. There were three deep-looking cuts running the length of my legs, that had cut completely through the fabric of my clothes. I looked at my arms to see there were also three cuts that matched the ones on my legs running the length of my arms. The sweat pouring into the cuts was not helping much.
I winced as I looked around, but I couldn't see Apphia. Not anywhere. There didn't seem to be anyone or anything around me. Just the heat that I couldn't get away from.
I froze. There was a shape a few feet over that looked like it could be a human body. I slowly walked over, each step shooting agonizing pain through my entire body. As I made my way over to her, I tried not to look around. Though it was only a few feet, it felt like a thousand.
I crouched next to her, ignoring the pain that sliced through my legs and arms at the movement. I gently rolled her over onto her back. I gasped; it was clearly Apphia, and she was definitely not okay. I shook her shoulder before grabbing her wrist and checking her pulse. It was faint, but at least it was there. "Apphia," I whispered. "Apphia, wake up. Come on, open your eyes. You have to wake up."
Apphia didn't move. I sat back on my knees, then quickly slid my legs underneath me and slid them out, scooting so I was sitting sideways, next to Apphia, as the pain in my legs intensified; I could barely feel the pain anymore, just numbness. I gently lifted her head and rested it on my lap. She was alive. She would wake up; she had to. She just had to.
I stared down at Apphia's face, which looked relatively peaceful, even though she had to have been in horrible pain when she passed out. I know I had been in pain when I woke up. When Apphia woke up I was sure she would be in just as much, if not more, pain as I had been in. As I watched, Apphia's eyes fluttered open. Her gaze met mine as a blood-curdling scream escaped her.
I fell back, catching myself on my hands, as Apphia took a deep breath before her eyes closed and her breathing slowed down to almost nothing. I quickly got to my feet and had my swords out in less than two seconds. Even though pain was shooting throughout my body, my vision blurring and going in and out of focus as the began to gather in the back of my head, like a swarm of bees, buzzing around and stinging me.
"Apphia! Echo!" Emeyo's voice rang throughout the room-like corridor that I was standing in. "Where are you?!"
I lowered my swords slightly, looking around frantically. "Emeyo? Is that you?" I called out softly, then louder. If the stupid Demons wanted to attack me, let them come. I could handle them; I knew that much.
A dark shape that I couldn't quite make out separated from the shadows and ran towards me. I lowered my swords the rest of the way down, so they were pointed, and almost touching, the ground. "Emeyo?" I asked, taking a step forwards.
Emeyo stopped a few steps away from me. She glanced around quickly, but thoroughly, before she met my worried and cautious gaze. "Where's Apphia? Is she hurt? Are you hurt?"
I tightened my grip on my swords before sheathing them. I looked over my shoulder. "She's in worse shape than I am. Can you help her?" I looked back to Emeyo, meeting her gaze, before walking over to where Apphia was. Emeyo was only a step behind me.
I stood next to Apphia, my body turned slightly so I could see if anyone-or anything-tried to sneak up on us and attack, I would see it coming. My back was to a wall and my hands were on the hilts of my swords. Even though my vision was fading in and out of focus, I could still fight. I could still defend myself and Apphia. Even preoccupied, I was sure Emeyo wouldn't need my protection. Even so. . .it was good to be prepared.
Emeyo crouched next to Apphia, wings tucked tightly behind her back, streaked with blood. I only watched her for a few seconds as she studied Apphia, checking her over, before I went back to watching for danger. I waited a few minutes before I spoke, not even glancing down when I did. "Is she going to be okay?"
When Emeyo didn't answer I glanced down. Big mistake.
I was thrown forward with the force of a hurricane. I landed on my hands, my face slamming close to the ground. Before I could even take a breath I was pulled up and slammed onto my back. I heard a scream as my wings slammed against the ground, not registering that it was mine. I was pulled back up and it was as if and invisible hand was clasped around my throat, tightening by the second. I was slowly being lifted into the air, my air being cut off. I gasped for breath as I pried at the invisible fingers clamped around my neck.
Black spots danced before my eyes and clouded my vision as the grip tightened even more. And then it was gone. I fell to the ground, barely able to keep from smacking my forehead against it, gasping for breath desperately. Before I could even get a full breath I was slammed onto my back, my vision going black, for just a few seconds.
When my vision faded back into color I saw, for just a second or two, a looming dark shape above me, with eyes. . .eyes that I couldn't explain, couldn't even begin to explain. They seemed yellow, but at the same time black. I just couldn't tell; couldn't place them, or the color, even.
I blinked in confusion and then it was gone. I stared at the space where it had been, eyes wide in confusion. How could it have just disappeared like that? How was it possible? Unless. . . No, it couldn't be that. It just wasn't possible; or at least it wasn't a possible option I wanted to consider.
I waited for my breath to steady before I even attempted to stand up. When I was finally successful in getting to my feet Apphia was sitting up, her eyes clouded and confused, staring at me. Emeyo was nowhere to be seen. I took a step forward and immediately fell to my feet as pain jolted through my chest and screamed it's way up and down my entire body, landing, and resting in, my head and the pit of my stomach. I groaned as a full-on migraine rocked through my head.
I made a weak attempt to get up, which only landed me back on the ground, my cheek pressed against cold stones, my hands useless numb body parts on either side of my head. I tried weakly to move, but the numbness was deep inside, set into my very bones, sapping my will and strength. There was nothing I could do. Not one thing.
Just as I was about to give up and let myself die right then and there I heard a small voice in the back of my head-which did not help my migraine, by the way-that sounded strangely familiar and comforting. I knew it and yet. . .I couldn't place it. The voice slowly grew louder, everything else fading into the background.
"You know this is bad. Look, Jethro, we have got to help. What if they're hurt? What if they're dying right now?! We have got to help! Please, Jethro. Please."
A sigh. "No, we can't. They will handle it. You know as well as I do that Alasdair and the others can handle it. We don't even really know what's going on. The phone call from Niall was barely long enough for us to know anything. Please, Aurnia, just calm down. I know you feel some kind of pull to the Angels that fell, but you're just going to have to wait."
"No, Jethro. Not to the Angels. To the Angel. The one that fell for me. I can feel it. She's calling to me. She wants me to come to her. I have to. Please, Jethro, don't keep me here! You know Kian and Camden can't keep me locked in here forever. I am strong. My Demon is strong. I may just be a human, but so are you. And they won't hurt me. Let me out! I have to get out of here! I need to get to Echo! Echo!"
I snapped out of the vision and was on my feet in seconds. I had to get out. I had to help someone. I had to. . .
I looked around. I was surrounded by people I didn't know. And they were all staring at me as if I was some sort of alien or something. I met each of their gazes, but I could not see Emeyo or Apphia anywhere. I let my hands rest on the hilts of my swords, my gaze fixed on any who dared to meet mine. If they wanted to fight, I would give them the fight of their lives. That was when I heard her; when I calmed down enough to hear her.
Echo, it's okay. They're like us. They're fallen and possessed. Don't hurt them. They are our brothers and sisters. Don't hurt them, Echo. Don't do it.
I wanted to ignore her so badly it hurt, but I couldn't. Their threatening gazes, the way they stood, it all made me feel. . .weird. Like there was a pressure building in my chest, building up so much it was about to explode. And I felt that if it did I would go into such a rage that I would kill anyone or anything on sight, or that even dared to challenge me. And that I wouldn't be able to be stopped. I wasn't sure how I knew this, but I did. And I knew it was true.
I took a step back as one of them stepped towards me. I immediately met his gaze, even though I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that it was a very bad idea. But even as I met his dark green and silver gaze a calm settled over me and I could feel the anger and fear draining from my body.
I stared at him as he stepped closer and closer to me. I felt a fierce energy coming off of him, but I couldn't place it. I wanted to run away from him more than anything, but I couldn't move, not even a muscle. It was as if I was frozen in place; maybe even frozen in time. I might have believed that except for the fact that the man was moving closer and closer to me.
I tried numbly to move, but I still couldn't. I was still frozen, but I was beginning to feel something creep into my fingers and toes. I was beginning to get my feeling back. It was slow, but it was there; I could feel my control slowly coming back to me. As the feeling crept up my arms and legs I managed to take a step backwards, away from the strange man that was slowly coming towards me. He froze, for just a second, but it was long enough. I saw the look in his eyes, the amazement, the anger, the sadness, the love.
I froze. Love? Wait. Why did this random man who had me surrounded by other men who would do God-knows-what to me feel anything for me, let alone love? It just didn't make sense. Not any that I could see, at least. It was crazy-insane. Or maybe I was just insane. It was known to happen; me going insane.
I managed one more step back and found hands at my back. I suppressed a scream as lurched forward, barely managing to stay on my feet. I felt as if I was barely alive, and yet, I felt as if I had all of the energy in the world. It was crazy and yet it was sane. It was impossible, and yet. . .possible. But how could any of this be possible? How could any of it be real?
But somewhere, deep inside my mind, I knew all of it was real. I didn't want it to be, but I knew it was. I looked around cautiously. They didn't seem to want to hurt me, but it was hard to be sure. I wasn't even sure how many of them there were. I was just so confused and disoriented. I couldn't tell up from down, so how could I even begin to tell who was good and who wasn't?
"What is your name?"
I stared at him, confused as feelings I didn't understand churned in the pit of my stomach. And then suddenly I knew. Knew that this was wrong, that he shouldn't be around me. That maybe there was a reason I couldn't tell whether or not he was an enemy. But it was hard to be sure. Hard, but not impossible.
I lowered myself into a crouch, feeling more and more like a cornered animal, as he repeated the question. I knew it shouldn't scare me; it was a simple question. But it did. And I had no idea why.
He lowered himself to my level so that he could meet my gaze. "Tell me. What is your name?"
I just stared at him, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to breathe. I wanted to answer his question, but I just couldn't force my mouth to work. I couldn't force myself to answer the question, no matter how much I wanted to.
He placed his hands on my shoulders, his fingers curling slightly around them, like a vise. He stared into my eyes, his gaze so intense it was almost a glare. "Tell me what your name is. Right now."
I stared calmly into his intense green and silver eyes. I dug deep inside and tried to pull a calm together. I ground my teeth together and managed. "Echo. My name is Echo."
And then I lost it.
~~~~
I paced restlessly, unable to force myself to stop the erratic circles and other patterns I was and had already walked. I knew something was wrong, something had gone horribly wrong and someone was in trouble. I knew I needed to get out of here, get out there where I could do something-anything-to help. I felt like I was losing my mind, though that should have happened a long time ago, what with me having Visions and hearing Voices.
"Aurnia," Jethro said calmly, "you really need to calm down."
I didn't even glance at him as I started a new, larger circle. "You sound just like Vision. Are you sure you're not just letting Memory talk?"
I could feel Jethro's glare on my back as I kept pacing. I knew I shouldn't have said that, but I just couldn't help it. There was a feeling, a strange, but calm anger building up inside me that was threatening to overtake me and make me say things I didn't mean. I forced myself to stop and turn to my brother. I offered him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it."
Jethro nodded, but his arms were crossed and his blue eyes were narrowed. I sighed and walked over to and slumped against the wall closest to me. "I'm sorry. I just don't know what's happening to me."
Jethro walked over to me and sat in front of me on the floor. I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, clasping my hands together. I stared into my brother's eyes, trying to pull from his calm strength. He was always so calm and so strong; it was hard not to admire him. "How do you do it?"
Jethro's face changed, into a mask of uncertainty and, I could have sworn, fear. "How do I do what?"
I took a deep breath, drawing it deep inside my chest, trying to give myself strength and energy. "You're always so calm. I can't help but notice that you never get upset. I've never once seen you lose your temper with anyone, not even Kian. You're like the opposite of me. I can't seem to keep my temper in check. I don't see how you can be my brother." I paused. "Don't get me wrong, I love that we're related, but I feel like my Demon and my Curse have changed me. . . Changed me into something so horrible and different from what I really am, that I can never go back."
Jethro stared at me for a long time before he answered. I could see the answer in his eyes before he even thought about opening his mouth to say the words. But I let him answer it anyways. "Well. . .I've never really thought about it before. I've just always been like this. You can't let anything, Demons and Curses included, affect you like that. There was a time when I thought I was turning into a monster, but that was only after I. . .nevermind. But the point is, life is not easy. But our life. . .it's damn near impossible."
I felt a smile pull at my lips as my brother took my hand in his and rested it on my knee. When I didn't say anything and just stared past him, lost in my own dark and depressing thoughts, he said quietly, "you know I'm always here for you, don't you?"
I shook myself out of my thoughts and met his gaze. "I. . .know that. You're my brother."
Jethro nodded, but there was something in his eyes that told me he wasn't, in any way, convinced. I suppressed a sigh. In a way, I was glad that Jethro was locked up in here with me. I was just glad that I didn't have to be alone with my Demon. She could get rather. . .harsh, at times. Sometimes, she would attempt to force Visions on me when I was bored out of my mind. Now definitely qualified for that category.
I sighed. "It's just so hard," I muttered.
Jethro glanced up at me. Before he could say anything, I said, "this whole thing, having Demons and Curses. Even just knowing about them, knowing things like this are real, it's hard to deal with. Did you know she tries to force Visions on me? She does that sometimes. I'm not sure exactly why."
Jethro just stared at me. "What are you talking about?" He paused. "Can she. . . Can she control you?"
I stared at him in shock. "What? Why would you say that? She can't. . . No. It's not possible. But. . .this feeling. . . I've been getting this feeling and I can't shake it. You don't think it's her, do you?"
Jethro shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. It could be, but you're strong. You can fight her. I know you can." He took both of my hands in his and stared into his eyes. "Aurnia, you've always been way stronger than I could ever be. You're my sister and I love you, so I have to tell you the truth. We have both been changed in ways that can never be undone. I wish more than anything that you didn't have to go through this, that we could change it somehow, but I know we can't." He took a breath. "The truth is. . .you are stronger than I am. And it scares me how much control Memory has been able to gain over me. I fight him daily, so I know you can fight Vision, fight her lure. If you give in, it will only lead to pain."
I watched as Jethro stood, patting my hands as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Just don't forget you're my sister and I love you. Never forget that there are people who love you, Aurnia." He smiled. "Never forget that."