She’s the first thing I see when I open my eyes. Something is different about her this morning. There’s a smile on her face. I look at her with suspicion and she points towards the window.

“It stopped raining. I think my mom’s doing better. Also, I talked to the team. They’re waiting to hear about the last human. After that, we can come home.”

“How bad is the last human hurt?” I ask.

“He’s in intensive care. But I think he’ll make it. Please, Omnis, let him make it,” she begs.

“I’m sure he will,” I reply as I turn my attention towards the sky.

“I can’t stay in this cabin and worry all day. I was thinking maybe we could test our wings,” she says.

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” I wonder.

“What’s the matter? Scared if we race I’ll beat you like I did when we were kids?”

“I’m sorry, the mixtures must be playing with your memory. I was always a faster flyer than you,” I remind her.

“Yes, but I was better at defensive flying. Anyone can fly in a straight line,” she teases.

“You really want to challenge me?” I ask.

“Yes, and just so you know, I won’t go easy on you simply because you’re a boy.”

“Wow, really? That’s how you want to play it?” I ask.

“The very first Seller shop we see, we go in and loser buys,” I tell her.

She doesn’t even give me a chance to get out of bed before she takes to the sky. I rush into the air and call her a cheater for taking off before me. She laughs and says we’re going to Italy and back.

Once in the air, I can tell her mother really was feeling better. Not only had the rain stopped, the sun was actually bursting through the clouds. Also the winds are calm and no longer raging. This in no way meant that her family was over the loss of Sam. It just meant that Death was able to rein in her emotions.

What’s even better is that Pryor’s flying has improved greatly. Her wings have healed up well. Her flying is smooth and controlled. But don’t think for a second I’m going to let her win. She’d kill me if she thought I wasn’t giving it my all in the race and allowed her to be victorious. In fact, her competitive edge is one of the things I love about her.

She cuts through the air with impressive speed. We have always been pretty close in terms of our speed, but she’s really far ahead now. Damn her. I pick up the pace and she turns and finds me on her heels. She decides that no matter what happens she is not losing this race. I decide the same thing.

She heads for the United Kingdom and zips through Stonehenge like it was a ride at an amusement park. She then flies to France, where she grabs hold of the Eiffel tower and swings around several times, mocking me.

I’m closing in on her as she goes to Italy. Once there, she starts to straighten out the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But she sees I’m gaining on her and she quickly heads back to Ireland. Whoever gets back to the cabin first gets eternal bragging rights.

Finally, we’re neck and neck. She picks up her speed, but it doesn’t stop me from getting ahead of her. She tries even harder and now it’s a dead heat to see who will make it to the cabin first. Just as we are about to land, she dips down to the valley below. I follow her and she signals to the humans down below.

There’s a family stranded in a jeep on the side of the mountain on a narrow makeshift road. The wheels of the car keep turning, but the truck won’t move. The man and his wife exchange worried glances. They have two girls about Sam’s age in the truck and this isn’t the ideal place to get stuck. 

Things get worse when an animal howls somewhere in the distance. That causes the girls to start crying. Their mom tries to get them to calm down but it’s not working. We land a few yards away behind a large rock formation and approach them.

I speak to the father and Pryor goes over to the mom. It would have taken only seconds to lift the car with my bare hands, but that would bring about questions from the humans. Instead I pretended that getting the car out of the muddy ditch is hard. She starts to make fun of the intense look on my face to keep the girls from crying.

Soon both the father and I were making silly faces while we work so that the kids don’t get scared. It works all too well. The girls jump out of the car and right into the mud because it looked like their dad and I were having so much fun.

We got the car out of the ditch, but by then we were all soaked in mud. I can’t say who started it for sure but we somehow got caught in a mud fight. It was boys versus girls. The boys never stood a chance.

The family was very kind and wouldn’t let us go until we agreed to have dinner with them. So we all get into the truck and head into town. Once there, we clean up and join them at the dinner table.

There are moments when I think it would be easier to be human. For example, this family doesn’t have a lot but judging by their interaction with the little girls, they’re happy. No one is pushing them to be good or bad. They just expect that they are humans and they have the capacity to be both good and bad at times. In the end I’m not really sure which of us got the worst deal from Omnis; angels or humans.

When dinner is over we thank them and head outside to the cobblestone streets. The night air carries with it a cool breeze that makes the leaves sway. There are only a few humans around: couples. They stroll hand in hand, enjoying the change in the weather.

“I think Natasha had a crush on you,” Pryor says.

“Is that the one with the two braids or the ponytail?” I ask.

“Braids,” she replies.

“She had a nice laugh. I mean it’s been a while since I heard anyone actually giggle,” I admit.

“So you’re gonna give her your Rah?” Pryor teases.

A Rah is a red liquid encased in a shatterproof crystal that represents an angel’s heart.

Giving someone your Rah is the equivalent to marriage. The two angels would place their Rah side by side. The Rahs would then be bound together, then placed somewhere on earth.

If later one angel wanted to end the relationship, they would ask for their Rah back.

Here’s the messed up part. If one angel isn’t ready to move on from the relationship and doesn’t want to let go, the Rahs will not separate.

Okay, so what, right? Well, you can’t kiss anyone else while your Rah is bound to another. If you do you are sent flying through the air. I mean you literally cannot kiss anyone else. Your body repels anyone else’s kiss except for that of the angel to whom your Rah is bound.

There are some mixtures that can help you get around that by tricking your body into thinking the angel you’re with is the angel you married. But the truth is it’s a pain in the ass to find. So just make damn sure you give your Rah to the right angel.

“Does that stuff ever really work out?” I ask her.

“Giving your Rah to someone? Yeah, of course.”

“Are you thinking of giving it to someone?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“No, not really,” she replies softly.

I wanted to tell her right then. I wanted her to know everything that had happened to me and why I wasn’t around. I want her to know that no one had my Rah, but if she wanted it right at this moment, she could have it. In truth, my Rah always belonged to her.

“Pry, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say,” I begin.

“Me first. I’m so sorry and embarrassed,” she replies.

“For what?”

“Hello? I bit you,” she reminds me.

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” I assure her.

“No, seriously, you’ve been so helpful these past few days. Thank you.” She hugs me.

The hug is quick and so relatively painless. Once we’re back in the sky there is nothing preventing me from telling her about my past.

So why are you flying in silence? 

“Aaden, stop it! You’re killing me!”

Startled, I open my eyes and find Pryor backed against the wall, with my hands around her neck with her feet dangling in the air. I let go of her immediately and kneel down beside her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry,” I tell her frantically. 

She coughs for a few moments and that’s when I see the flames dancing around the room. I did it again. I summoned up flames while I Recharged to protect me from the horror I was seeing in my mind’s eye. I put out the flames and go check on Pryor.

“What the hell happened?” she asks.

“I’m sorry. Sometimes I can’t control my secondary powers. Ever since the—never mind.”

“You were screaming while you Recharged. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she says.

“Look, just forget about it.”

“What were you seeing that terrified you so much?” she pushes.

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s something. Aaden, what’s going on with you?”

“I’m fucked up. That’s what’s going on,” I snap.

Argh! Damn it! I never wanted her to see me like this. Now she thinks I’m a nutcase.

“Aaden, you were trembling,” she says.

“It happens sometimes but it goes away.”

“Aaden—”

“I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!”

She doesn’t reply. She simply starts picking up the mess from the fire.

I feel like a complete ass now. She was just trying to help. How could I push her away like that?

Pushing her away is what kept you alive this long...

“Pry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s cool,” she lies.

“Some things are hard to talk about and better left alone.”

“If that’s what you want, then okay,” she says as she sorts through the burned books and papers.

“What’s this?” she asks, unfolding a piece of paper with her name on it.

“It’s nothing. I’ll take it,” I offer quickly.

She doesn’t hand it over. Instead she reads it and looks back at me with wonder.

“You remembered my Ha-Ha list?” she says.

“Yeah, I added some stuff to it. It’s silly. Stupid. Whatever. Throw it away,” I say.

“No,” she says, hiding it behind her back.

I dive across the room and get the drop on her but she manages to wiggle the papers away. In order to get it from her I scoop her up from behind and lift her into the air. She flares out her body wildly as she starts laughing. I can’t help but join in. I put her down and then we realize yet again, just how close our bodies are.

Why is this shit so hard? 

She calls out my name.

“Yeah?” I reply, trying not to give in to my impulses. 

“I know something bad happened to you. And when you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen. Okay?” she says.

I nod as I begin to help her clean up. I’m so grateful that she let the subject drop that I don’t even see the trouble ahead.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, who made the mixture to heal us?” Pryor inquires.

“Key told me what to get,” I reply.

“Yeah, but there were a few mixtures. Key couldn’t have made the one to hide us from the Omari. You would need a Specialist for that.

“Aaden, who? Do you know a Specialist?” she pushes.

“Um...yeah. Kind of...”

Crap.

“Who is it? I’d like to thank them for helping us,” she offers.

“No need.”

“C’mon, tell me. Who helped us out?” she asks.

“Ruin.”

She looks at me with shock and confusion. She marches over to the radio and turns it off. Now the only thing her face is showing is anger.

“Tell me you didn’t go to a Kaster for help,” she demands.

“I didn’t want to, but I had no choice. She’s a good Specialist.”

“SHE KILLED MY BROTHER!” she bellows.

“That wasn’t Diana. It was Harm.”

“Diana? So you’re on a first name basis with a Kaster?” she accuses.

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“No, it’s not. You put us all at risk. What if she went back and told the other Kasters where we are?” Pryor shouts.

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know her,” I reply, trying to keep my voice calm and even.

“How could you do something so stupid?”

“If you really think I could put your life in danger after everything I did to save you then you don’t know me,” I snap.

“Well, finally we agree on something, Aaden. I don’t know you. You let me lay here knowing full well we could be under attack at any given moment.”

“For the last time, Pryor, Diana isn’t going to attack us.”

“Oh and why is that? Because she’s in love with you?” she says sarcastically.

I don’t reply or look her in the eye. She studies me as I put the records away.

“Wait a minute, Ruin is in love with you?” she asks.

“I told you it’s—”

“I swear to Omnis if you say it’s complicated I will rip your damn wings off!” she threatens.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” I demand.

“Answers Aaden! I want answers.”

“Fine. Diana and I were together once. It wasn’t a formal thing but yes we hung out. I hadn’t seen her for a while. Yes, she is dangerous. Yes, she would attack if push came to shove. But I chose to call her because she’s the best Specialist there is and we needed her. If she were going to alert the other Kasters, she would have done so already. She may attack down the line, but as of right now we are safe, so please calm down.” 

“Don’t tell me to calm down like I’m a child. You put my team at risk,” she accuses.

“I did what I thought was best at the time. You were knocked out, that made me the leader. And I made the decision I made. Period.”

“If this is the kind of decision maker you’d be, then I hope nothing happens to me because you’d be the death of the Noru.”

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t give a damn about leading.”

“Argh! I can’t believe you could be this reckless!” she says.

“Please, just stop acting like this is about the team. Yeah, you’re unhappy that I called a Kaster for help. But what’s eating you alive is that I called on an ex.”

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU DO.”

“Then why are you shouting?” 

She is rendered silent. She looks away and shakes her head in what I’m guessing is frustration.

“Pryor, my calling Diana really upset you. Not just because she’s a Kaster or because you’re the leader and want to protect the team. There’s another reason; a personal reason. Tell me.”

Seriously, did you just ask her that? What if she says it’s all business and she doesn’t give a crap about your love life? What if you’ve been lying to yourself this whole time and this chick could care less? Worse, what if she does care? What if she actually has feelings for you? What then? How exactly would that scene play out?

“Hey, Pry, I’m glad you want to be with me. I want you too. Now move away from me before my chest implodes.”

Crap. Crap. Crap.

“My concern is for my team. I can’t have you compromise them in any way,” she says with a firm resolution in her voice that leaves no room for doubt.

“So this argument is solely about Noru business?” I ask.

“What else would it be about?” she reasons.

“Nothing,” I reply.

I’m such a delusional jerk! How could I think she would...that she and I could ever...If Pry is going to be with a guy, it’s going to be someone who isn’t a screwup. A guy who can Recharge at night and not wake up screaming. She wants a guy who didn’t set the house on fire because of a bad dream.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you and Ruin to be speaking; for the good of the team,” she says.

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” I reply.

The tension in the air is palpable. I would give anything to know what she’s thinking. But then again her thoughts might crush me. Thankfully at that moment my cell rings. It’s the team. I put the phone on speaker so both Pry and I can hear.

They have good and bad news they inform us.

“Let’s start with the good news,” Pry says.

From the look on her face, she too was grateful for the interruption.

“The last human injured has just made it out of the ICU. It will take a few weeks but he’s going to be just fine. So you can relax. All the humans survived,” East says.

“Yes!” she shouts as she leaps into my arms.

Having her in my arms feels more right than anything I ever felt. I don’t want to let her go.

“East, that’s great. So what’s the bad news?” Pryor asks as she pulls away from me.

“Even though all the humans are alive, the board feels that Pryor was reckless and could pose more danger if she loses control again. I’m sorry, but they are going to have a hearing to determine if you get to keep them,” East replies.

“If I get to keep what?”

“Your powers.”