Chaser of Faith

I woke up fast after I slammed my hand into the wall while I was turning in my sleep. There was a wall where the other half of my bed was supposed to be.

I wasn’t home. This wasn’t my bed.

I snapped my eyes open, sitting up in bed. I shook my hand as my knuckles throbbed, muttering curses.

The room was filled with a summer sunlight that reminded me of home. My room felt bigger now than it had last night in the dark. I could see the field from my window. There was a breeze swaying the trees, which I could hear rustling quietly outside my room, but there were no sounds of birds or insects. I noticed another set of strange foreign symbols on the wooden frame of the window. I ran my fingers over the carvings.

I started to remember what I saw last night, what my imagination had created. I closed my eyes and the vision of the wolf-like monster charging after me; the desperate screams from the other side of the door. It felt so real…

I shook my head, prying myself away from my wild imagination. I’d always had an overactive imagination. It was one of the reasons why I’d picked up writing and decided to go to school for English and literature.

I pulled out a long, dark brown, cotton-like dress from the armoire and put that on. I let out a long breath before I pulled my door open and headed out into the hallway. It was quiet in the house. Even from the hallway, the living area of the cottage felt bigger in the sunlight, too. I heard a door squeak open, and I paused in the middle of the hallway, halfway between my room and the living room.

“Oe bret oto geven hasth.” Rahmiel was speaking.

“Geven yeres,” Adriel seemed to say inquisitively.

“Geven. Oe go oto ra.” Rahmiel sounded frustrated now. “I would like to believe her, though.” Adriel chuckled.

“Yeah I guess I do too. Ae xi,” he said, his voice lowering and holding an insinuating tone as he spoke the last two words. I could hear his grin in his words.

“Leave her be, Adriel.” Rahmiel was getting more frustrated.

“Oh good, the expert is giving me advice,” he mocked. “Namina wasn’t enough for you, you want to ruin her life too?”

“Dehath, Adriel!” I jumped as Rahmiel shouted and pounded a wall. It rang throughout the house and then it was silent. I debated going back into my room. I let out the breath I realized I had been holding in. I took a few steps back to my room, and turned the knob loudly, closing the door and opening it again to make it squeak. I made myself known with my footsteps, as I headed to the living room.

“Guys?” I asked, peering into the room, playing dumb and looking scared. “What was that?” I found the two of them, staring each other down next to the back door. The door was wide open, letting in the sunlight and fresh air. Rahmiel was the first to break his gaze from Adriel. He looked at me slowly with a smile.

“I’m very sorry Claire. I woke you up.” He didn’t answer my question. I debated running away. These two were a lot weirder than I gave them credit. Maybe I should have let them kill me instead. I swallowed, trying to soothe my dry throat.

“Are you guys okay?” Adriel finally turned to look at me. He held a seemingly genuine smile now.

“Of course, darling. Did you sleep well?” I bit my lip, nodding. I suddenly realized how hungry I was and the adrenaline was wearing off from sneaking around. It felt like I had stood up too fast with low blood sugar, and my vision was briefly blocked by a black cloud. I tried to blink it away rapidly, leaning against the wall.

“I need to make myself some food.” Adriel was suddenly in front of me. He put his hot hand on my back, guiding me to the back door.

“Sit by the fire, I’ll make you something.” He brushed past Rahmiel, but I gave him a small smile as we passed him. His eyes were sad, but he smiled back.

Adriel brought me to one of the stumps surrounding the fire. I had to put my head in my hands to try to wake myself up and snap myself out of the fatigue. By the time I looked up again, Adriel had started the fire which crackled and sent waves of heat towards me. The heat was calming paired with the light wind. He started cooking some kind of vegetable and some kind of meat over the fire on a small metal rack.

“You don’t have any dietary restrictions, do you?” I looked at him, surprised.

“Me? No, I don’t. But that was nice of you to ask,” I admitted with a small smile. He grinned brightly.

“Now if I poison you it will be on purpose and not by accident.” I just stared at him, shocked for a moment. I blinked, still holding my smile.

“Okay.” He went back to cooking. I let my smile fall, and looked back towards the house, horrified, in search of Rahmiel. He was nowhere to be found. I bit my lip, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Can you teach me more Sanen?” I asked hopefully, trying to change the subject. Adriel hummed thoughtfully.

“Sav, I. Jo, you. Ge, he. Geer, she. Li, we. Bek, they.” I gaped, trying to repeat those words. Sav, jo, ge, geer, li, bek. I, you, he, she, we, they. “Do you remember how to say you’re sorry?”

“Sav… votor?” He nodded, still focused on cooking.

“Bet means from. Rith means to be. We do not conjugate verbs. How do you say ‘I’m from Earth.’” Bet… rith… I struggled to remember the word for Earth. I had heard him say it before.

“Sav…” I squinted, trying to wrap my head around this puzzle of a language. “I am from Earth… Sav rith bet Sintragon?” I saw him smile.

“Vo. Yes.” I smiled bashfully, pridefully. I couldn’t believe I just said that. He pointed to himself with one hand, the other still tending to the food. “Sav rith bet Vix. Bet Aksan.” I nodded.

“You are from Vix. From Aksan. Jo rith bet Vix.”

“Tell me your subject pronouns.”

“Sav, jo… ge, geer… li, bek.”

“When someone introduces themselves, they will add after their name either aya if they are a woman, or oyo if they are a man.” The smell of the food hit me and that was nearly all I could think of. “My name is Adriel. Kon yix, my name, rith Adriel oyo. Jon yix, your name, rith Claire aya.” I took in another deep breath, trying to focus.

“My name is Claire. Kon yix rith Claire... aya.” He nodded.

“I think that’s it for now. I don’t want to overwhelm you.” He put the meat and vegetables on a ceramic plate with a fork and handed it to me gently. My mouth watered instantly. It smelled good, though it looked incredibly foreign and strange to me. I started eating almost immediately. I was starving. It tasted delicious, and I made an appreciative noise to let him know. He chuckled. “Glad you like it.” He handed me a mug of water. It was silent for a little while as I ate. I realized he was staring at me. I didn’t have much shame at this point, I was far too hungry. I swallowed a mouthful of veggies and wrinkled my nose at him.

“Stop it.” He just smiled and continued to stare.

“Ae xi,” he mused. I faltered, remembering those words from when he and Rahmiel spoke. That was what started Rahmiel’s outburst. I put more food on my fork.

“What does that mean?” I asked before continuing my meal. Adriel shrugged.

“It’s Nythen, don’t worry about it.” I raised my eyebrows and lowered them quickly, finishing my meal. I worried even more then.

-*-

After I had eaten I felt better physically. My heart still felt a little heavy, between the secrets that I knew the two angels were keeping from me, and what I saw last night. I felt like I was on a long, bumpy road from here on out. It made me think of my mom.

I hoped that, wherever she was, she was safe. The police had never officially closed her case, but I knew that she was no longer a priority. Especially now that I would not be there to press the investigation further, I knew that the search was over. I was in another universe. If she was still alive, I would never see her again. The word ‘orphan’ hit me like a train, shaking me to my core.

I was outside with Adriel. In the middle of the field behind the house, we laid in the sun for most of the day. Rahmiel had to leave a while after I had finished my food. He left rather quickly, telling me that he worked back in the center of Beythas, to which Adriel snickered at. I tried to press him further on the matter but Rahmiel left and Adriel told me ‘ah, he’ll tell you eventually.’ I was getting pretty sick of their secrecy.

Adriel was giving me Sanen lessons for a lot of the day. I learned the very basics.

“Jo nan erex mye,” Adriel asked. You need help, question. Mye was used at the end of a sentence to form a question.

“Kol. Sav rith dae. Sav nan kolet erex,” I answered. No. I am fine. I do not need help.

“Or?”

“Or I could say vo… ris?”

“Risk.”

“Vo, risk,” I corrected with a nod. “Sav nan erex.” Yes, please. I need help.

“Pene rith jon yix mye,” he asked once more. We had practiced this one many times. What is your name, question.

“Kon yix rith Claire aya.” My name is Claire. I’m sorry. I am not from here. I am from Earth. I do not speak Sanen.

“You’ve come a long way.” I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded rather happy, making me smile. I took a deep breath, mentally exhausted, but I smiled, nonetheless.

It felt like it might have been the afternoon. The sunlight had turned orange, like yesterday. The sky was on fire. It was beautiful. It was so silent on this planet. I heard nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees. No birds, no insects, no vehicles on the road, nothing. It was almost eerie, but the fact that Adriel and I could fill the silence with talking made me feel better.

“What would you normally be doing, if I wasn’t here to bother you?” I asked curiously.

“Pretty much this. Or dicking around in the city. Or in another city. Or on Earth. I’m not too picky.” I let out a short, breathy laugh.

“No, you don’t seem like the picky type.”

“If you’re asking if I have a job like Rahmiel, then sorry to tell you I do not. I’m not the… domestic type.” I scoffed with a smile, turning on my side to look at him.

“Is that why Rahmiel is your ‘glorified babysitter?’ As you so lovingly put it.” He didn’t look at me, but smiled cynically, his eyelids low over his eyes, which matched the bright green grass underneath us. I was sick of the secrets. I was ready to start prying.

“Sort of,” he admitted. His eyes flicked to me and he rolled over on his stomach, facing me, his arms propping himself up, his wings stretching out behind him magnificently. I couldn’t help but stare at them. It felt like I was dreaming. “I,” he started, making me meet his gaze once more. “Am his punishment.” I frowned. That caught me off guard.

“Punishment?” He nodded once. “For what?” I asked carefully.

“He did something pretty bad for a light angel.” I noticed his teeth grit as he spoke, his eyes squinting barely. The sky had started to turn violet, the sky darkening slightly. I licked my lips, taking a second before I continued.

“What happened?” He ground his teeth again, his jaw shifting and his breath getting heavier. My heart beat faster when his anger picked up. I shifted and picked myself up to sit with my legs tucked under me, almost ready to run. He blinked, letting his jaw relax and taking a calm breath. His eyes were hollow again. He stared at the forest emptily.

“He’s the reason why they murdered my sister.” My heart sunk and I felt my blood turn cold. Goosebumps ran down my arms. His lips suddenly snarled. I couldn’t help but gape at him. I wasn’t expecting that. I put my hand on his upper arm.

“Adriel… I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” I pretty much immediately regretted prying. I was in shock. He closed his eyes.

“He killed my sister. I can never forgive that.” He paused as my heart sunk further. “Oe dezeth oto,” he muttered sadly. I squeezed his upper arm. “It’s not my story to tell,” he sneered. We sat in silence. My heart hurt for him.

“Can I ask her name?” Adriel let out a long sigh.

“Namina.” My breath caught in my throat.

“Oh,” I breathed out accidentally. I cleared my throat to cover. Namina. Adriel had said… ‘Namina wasn’t enough... you have to ruin her life, too?’ I got goosebumps again. “That’s a beautiful name. I’m sorry I’ll never get to meet her.” Adriel gave me a half smile.

“Talas, Claire. Thanks.” His genuine smile made me feel shy. He was handsome and I couldn’t help noticing. I looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark and I saw the flash of the creature charging at me, passing the very spot we were sitting in. I shuddered. “Time to head inside?” I looked at him again biting my lip anxiously.

“I think so.” His wings stretched again, flapping a few times and sending gusts of wind my way with a playful grin. I protested with a laugh, shielding my face. He stood up with the aid of his wonderful gift. He held out his hand, helping me up. I took my hand back quickly, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. “What I wouldn’t give for wings of my own,” I said with a jealous smile. His grin widened, his large canines standing out in the disappearing sunlight.

“They would suit you. I can picture it perfectly.” He put his arm around my shoulders, guiding me back to the house. I took a deep breath. I noticed he smelled quite like cinnamon- his scent was sharp. I was nervous being so close to him. I felt as though I took the concept of physical space and touching much more seriously than he did.

“When does Rahmiel get back?” I inquired with my head down, embarrassed. I didn’t really understand Adriel yet and that made me very nervous. He didn’t look at me as he answered.

“Eh, dunno. Maybe never,” he mused solemnly. My throat suddenly felt dry again. I could never tell when he was joking. He let me in the door before him.

“Gotta shower,” I mumbled quickly. I saw his lips twitch into a small smirk.

“You need help?” My mind suddenly went blank and I forgot how to talk.

“I- no- why- no. What?” He chuckled.

“You need help finding it?” My face got very hot, my mind still trying to catch up. I dipped out from his arm.

“Uh, yeah,” I stuttered as I started towards my room quickly. “I’m just going to grab some more clothes just give me a second.” He laughed as I ran away. I grabbed an off-white dress, noticing the symbols on the closet door again. I made a mental note to ask them about that next. I went back to the living room to find him staring out the front window. I raised my eyebrows, my blood pressure spiking. What if that thing had come back? “Adriel?” I asked cautiously. He didn’t move from his spot.

“Hm,” he hummed lowly. “There’s someone coming down the street.” My stomach flipped and I widened my eyes fearfully.

“What?” I whispered, clutching my dress to my chest. I walked slowly towards Adriel. As I reached him at the window, he scooted over a bit to make room for me. I saw pale skin under a dark hooded cloak. “Rahmiel?” Adriel shook his head slowly.

The man suddenly looked to us in the window. My heart jumped again. I noticed Adriel tilt his head. I looked up at him; he was squinting his eyes in the dim light. I looked back just in time to see the man turn towards us as he reached the gate to come in. I grabbed his wrist. “Adriel,” I whispered in fearful surprise. He gave me a thoughtful hum. The man had stopped at the gate, staring at us.

“He looks… kind of familiar?” I looked back up at him.

“Who is he?” He furrowed his eyebrows, moving from the window.

“Stay here.” I let go of his wrist when he grabbed the doorknob. I went back to the window when he left and closed the door behind him. I watched him walk down the path with a hard face. The cloaked man took down his hood. His bright, platinum blonde hair shone in the gibbous moons. I noticed the two of them talking now, their mouths moving cautiously. The man’s eyes flicked to me a couple of times, but they never settled on me for long.

Adriel finally held out his hand for the man to shake. I felt some kind of relief, still anxious to know what was happening. The blonde man shook his hand with a solemn face. Adriel unlocked the fence gate, letting the man inside. I nervously watched them come up the path to the door, and I turned to face them as they entered. The strange man entered first, followed closely by Adriel. I grabbed my own wrist anxiously, wringing it in front of me.

“Deskent,” I stuttered, thankfully remembering how to greet people in Sanen. Hello. He nodded with a curious expression- squinted eyes and lowered eyebrows.

“Deskent,” he answered finally. His voice was deep and flowed like liquid. “Kon yix rith Nicholas oyo.” I looked at him, shocked, my heart skipping a beat with excitement.

“Nicholas? Are-” I looked to Adriel quickly, who shrugged. I looked back at Nicholas again. “Are you from Earth?” Nicholas raised his eyebrows.

“Huh,” he whispered. “What do you know.” He had a British accent and my heart fluttered in amazement. He gave me a toothy smile and I noticed large, sharp teeth lining his mouth. I gasped sharply without thinking and he dropped his smile. “Oh… so you’re not a vampire, then.”