Chapter 5 Eva
Chapter 5: Eva
“ E va? Eva can you hear me?” The voice sounds far away and echoes all around in the darkness.
A sharp pain sears up my leg. My eyes snap open, but everything is blurry and out of focus as I come to. When my vision clears, I look up into a familiar pair of eyes. My heart skips a beat.
A ghost?
The ghost of Ivy gives me a weak smile. “Oh, good. You’re awake.” She leans back to allow me some room. “Easy does it now,” she says as I push up a little on my forearms.
This has to be a dream, because there’s absolutely no freaking way my best friend is alive.
I must’ve said that sentence out loud, because the ghostly Ivy throws back her head and laughs. “I’m not alive in the way you think, but I am here.” She reaches out and gently takes my hand after I’ve fully sat up. I look down, feeling the warmth radiating from her fingertips. “See? I’m real.”
My mouth parts in shock. I tilt my face to meet her gaze. Something moves behind her, and I feel the blood draining from my face. “This can’t be possible.” My gaze slides from the wings jutting out from her back to Ivy’s face. “I saw your—” I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself.
The last thing I want to do is bring up the dreaded memory of seeing her lifeless body in the hotel room. I still have nightmares about it. And it’s been over a year since she died. Seeing her now, alive and warm, is impossible.
Ivy lets out a soft sigh, releases my hand, and turns sideways on the bed. Her shoulders curve inward, and the wings attached to her back follow the movement. I look at them curiously. “I know. Michael told me about how you guys found me.”
My brow furrows. “Who’s Michael? Your ghost boyfriend?”
She chuckles and gently shakes her head. “He’s not a ghost. He’s an Angel, like me.” Ivy’s got a small smile on her lips, but there’s a sadness ringing in her eyes. “And no, he’s not my boyfriend. Angels can’t be together. Not how mortals can.”
I scoff at her. “You sound like you’ve never been a human before.”
Ivy shifts on the bed and sighs again. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Be lucky I’m not the running and screaming sort of gal,” I tell her. I go to bend my knees and let out a soft gasp of pain.
Her baby blue eyes dart briefly to me. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t—” I say through gritted teeth and then glance down. “My leg…” I trail off. I swallow hard. The gunshots hadn’t been my imagination. The man with black wings had indeed shot me.
My pantleg is sheared off, revealing the skin, and there’s a wrapped bandage around my thigh that is turning pink against white.
“I did the best I could,” Ivy says in a soft voice. “I’m not even supposed to be talking to you.”
I lift my gaze to hers. “Why not?”
Her shoulders lift in a half shrug, and she rises from the bed. “Michael told me not to, but you had a right to know. Especially after seeing him .” Bitterness creeps in her voice.
“Him?” I question.
“Quinn,” Ivy says and turns to fully face me. “The man with the black wings. He’s a Fallen.” She turns away and then begins to pace the small quarters of what has to be a motel room. There are two queen beds and a TV stand at the foot of the bed.
I repeat his name and try not to shudder at how close he’d been behind me. The cool barrel of a gun pressed to my temple and the skittering of my heart racing in fear… He’d told me to run, and I had, but that hadn’t stopped him from shooting me. “Why was I shot?”
Ivy stops pacing, and her back is to me, her wings tight.
“Ives?”
She lets out a loose breath. “He’s a Fallen and thinks he deserves redemption. Michael and Gabriel say it’s not possible.”
“So he shot me as a way to get redemption?”
“No.” She turns back to face me. Her blue eyes harden, and she looks every bit of an avenging Angel. “He shot you to prove a point. He will do anything to get that second chance.”
“Anything—” I go to take a breath, and my right side erupts in flames. I let out a sharp cry and double over, grabbing at my thighs to try and keep myself awake.
“Eva? Eva !” Ivy is calling my name, but she sounds further away. My vision tunnels, and I’m letting out short pants, hardly able to suck in any air. There’s a soft white light that engulfs the tunnel of darkness exploding in my vision. “Michael, she’s dying. Help her, please .”
My breaths are becoming fewer, and I something sticky coats my fingers when I blindly reach for my right side. A gentle hand touches mine, and a peacefulness washes over me. My shoulders slump forward, and someone pushes against my chest to lay me on my back.
My vision is going and swallows me in darkness, and my eyes shutting of their own accord. I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and feel myself drift away.
“Eva Grace Hastings, please step forward.”
I hold up a hand to shield my face and squint into the light. My body moves forward as if it’s on autopilot. When I can stand the light, I slowly lower my hand and gape at what’s before me.
This looks like something straight out of a Kingdom Hearts video game. Billowy clouds form several walls that encase us in a room, and by us, I count seven white cloaked figures that sit behind seven podiums. Each podium has a word scribbled on the front, but I don’t recognize the language.
I clear my throat several times, trying to muster up the words that won’t come out of my mouth.
“Ms. Hastings, we will now begin the questioning,” one voice says.
“Q-Questioning?” I stutter and rub my palms against my jean-clad thighs. “Am I in trouble?”
A chuckle echoes throughout the room.
The tips of my ears burn with embarrassment. The cloaked figure that spoke directly in front of me rises from their chair and lifts their hood. My eyes widen in shock, and if I could’ve swallowed my tongue in that moment, I would’ve. I shift on my feet, and my heart pounds hard against my ribcage. The cloaked figure has no face. My gaze darts briefly to the other six figures. Are they as creepy as the person in front of me?
“Are you an alien?” I blurt out.
“If they were aliens, your tongue would be removed from your head,” a voice calls from my left.
I jump and turn sideways. My eyes widen, and I take a step backward. “Y-You.”
The man with the black wings slowly looks over at me with a bored expression on his face. His dark brown eyes almost appear black.
“Quinn, do not antagonize the mortal,” the faceless figure chastises.
Quinn rolls his eyes but turns and bows to them. “My apologies, Elder Two.”
Elder Two? I glance back at the cloaked figures and the faceless one that spoke. There were seven of them, so maybe each one was an elder? But an elder for what?
“We are not aliens, Ms. Hastings,” Elder Two says when it turns toward me. “We are the Council to the Almighty One.”
I blink several times. “I’m sorry, the council for the what now?”
“The big guy on a huge chair,” Quinn says, leaning closer to me. “Were you dropped on your head or something?”
I step sideways and glare over at him. “No, I was shot at by you.” I look down at my body. I’m wearing the same clothes, albeit there are blood stains, but there’s no wound on my left leg. I touch my right side and try to find the hole where I’d been shot, but it’s nowhere to be found. “I was shot at…” I trail off and look up at the Elders. “Where am I?”
“In the Council room,” Quinn says through gritted teeth, then scoffs. “Are you always this stupid? Weren’t you paying attention?”
I shoot him the bird, and he throws back his head and laughs.
“ Enough !”
The force of the shout has me reaching up to clap my hands over my ears. It’s loud and vibrates throughout my entire body. I shudder and squeeze my eyes shut.
“Eva Grace Hastings, lower your hands.”
I open my eyes and obey. I swallow hard. My heart thumps painfully against my ribs. I rub my sweaty palms against my jeans. Were they mind controlling me?
Elder Two slowly returns to its seat. “Let’s begin the questioning. Eva, can you explain why you are here?”
“I-I don’t know,” I say in a small voice.
“Tell the Council the truth,” Quinn hisses in a low tone.
“I am,” I snap back and send a glare his way. “I don’t know why I’m here.” I turn back to the Elders. “You said I wasn’t in trouble.”
“You are not,” Elder Two agrees. “He is.” It points to Quinn.
My gaze darts to Quinn. He’s got his thumbs tucked through the belt loops of his black jeans and slouches as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. I guess when you’ve got wings, there isn’t much that can faze you.
“Quinn, you are hereby charged with the murder of Eva Grace Hastings,” Elder Two says in a booming voice.
My head whips to face the Elders once more. “Wait, what? ” I can feel the blood draining from my face.
“Don’t act all surprised. Why else would you be here?” Quinn mutters under his breath but loud enough for me to hear.
I jerk my face toward him. “You actually killed me?” I swallow back the lump forming in my throat. The corner of my eyes burn with tears.
“Minor setback,” Quinn says, not even bothering to look my way. “I did warn them I was willing to do whatever it took.”
“To get a redemption,” I say in a bitter voice.
That gets his attention because Quinn pins his dark eyes on me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, mortal, so I would shut up if I were you.”
I throw back my shoulders and glare at him. “You don’t scare me. Not anymore.”
“Lookie here, folks. Someone’s grown a backbone.” He chuckles and turns to address the Elders once more. “I told them I would do whatever it took.”
“Killing me was a waste of your time,” I shot back before the Elders can utter a word. “You’re a piece of sh—”
“We do not tolerate cursing in the Heavenly Realm,” Elder Two says.
I bite the inside of my cheek.
“Ms. Hastings, were you aware that you are lacking a Guardian Angel?”
I look back to Elder Two and slowly shake my head. “I wasn’t aware Angels even existed until recently.”
Off to Elder Two’s left, one of the cloaked figures stands and holds up a hand, palm raised. A map of earth shows up like a projector without the equipment or screen.
“Whoa,” I whisper.
The map zooms in and shows what looks like my apartment. Dark silhouettes are prowling around and looking through my things.
My back stiffens. “Am I being robbed?”
“No, stupid. Those are Shadow Demons,” Quinn says and gives my shoulder a sharp nudge. I glare over at him. “They’re looking for you.”
“But I’m here…” I trail off when I glance back at the other Elder.
Elder Two gestures to the Elder figure holding the map. “As Quinn said, these Shadow Demons look for lost souls that have died when it was not their time to do so. Eva, you’re expiration wasn’t to come for many years. But because Quinn killed you, we’re left wondering what to do with you.”
“What to do with me?” I stare at them in bewilderment. “Can you let me in somewhere?”
“Your soul followed one of our Warrior Angels to this room. Otherwise, you’d be wandering on earth until it was time for your judgement.”
My eyes widen. “J-Judgement? For what?”
“All mortals go through a Judgement Day,” the Elder beside Two says in a gentle voice. “Your time is not yet; thus, we cannot hold you here any longer.”
“So that’s it? You’ll just send me back?” My heart clenches in my chest. “What about those things?” My gaze lands back on the map. The dark silhouettes, Shadow Demons, look terrifying, inky black against the mint-green walls of my bedroom.
“Unfortunately, without a Guardian Angel, there’s not much that can be done.” The Elder holding out his hand closes his palm and moves to sit down.
I fork a thumb over my shoulder at Quinn. “Have him do it.”
“ What ?” He leans toward me to hiss in my ear. “Are you insane?”
“We don’t normally—” Elder Two starts.
“He’s the one that got me into this mess. So shouldn’t he be the one to fix it?” I say to the Elders.
Elder Two looks over to its right, and the cloaked figure doesn’t say a word. Elder Two turns back to look us over and lets out a sigh. “We will discuss this matter privately. Both of you, please wait by the gates. We will reconvene in an hour.”
The minute we appear in front of two tall arched golden gates with iridescent pearls, Quinn whirls around to glare at me. “What in the absolute heck were you thinking? Oh, that’s right. You weren’t!”
I fold my arms and scowl at him. “It’s not my fault you decided to kill me.”
His jaw tics, and his eyes appear to turn as black as his wings. “I told you, a minor setback. You got in my way.”
“Oh, sure, blame me. It’s my fault you shot me in a freaking cemetery!” I throw my hands up, and he only rolls his eyes.
“Glad we can agree it was your fault.” Quinn moves to slouch against one of the gates. The pearls gleaming in the sunlight make him appear almost ethereal.
I swallow hard and slowly lower my arms. “I didn’t ask to be killed.”
“And I didn’t ask to be Fallen,” he says in a brisk tone and tilts his head back, closing his eyes. “If there’s a point you’re trying to make, then you’re wasting your time.”
My eyes sting, and my cheeks feel hot. I want to throttle the winged beast but doubt it would have much effect on him. Heaven doesn’t seem like the place to allow murder.
“You at least owe me an explanation.”
He doesn’t bother to open his eyes. “I don’t owe you anything. Not now, not ever.”
I take a step toward him and raise a fist in his direction. “You sure as heck do. If it weren’t for you, I’d be—”
Quinn cracks open an eye to watch me. “You’d be talking to a headstone.”
I lower my fist and turn away from him. I lower my head so my chin is pressed against my chest. There’s nothing I can say or do that’ll make this any easier. He’s probably never lost anyone before or cared about someone else besides himself.
“You’re a monster,” I say as I face him once more.
Quinn has both eyes open. He glances briefly at my forehead and then meets my gaze. “I’ve been called worse,” he says in a low voice.
We’re not standing there long when there’s a flash of light. I lift my arm to shield my eyes as the beam of light wraps around us and we disappear. Once the harsh light is gone, I lower my arm and have to blink several times to figure out where we are.
“Ms. Hastings, we’ve come to a conclusion on the matter of your predicament.”
My eyes focus, and I stare at the Elders. The one at the center of the others is standing and keeps the hood covering his head, for which I’m thankful. Seeing the Elders without faces gave me creeps.
“The council has decided to accept the offer for Quinton Serene to become your Guardian Angel until further notice. He will be charged in protecting your soul until the expiration date.”
I bite the inside of my cheek at the mention of his full name. Quinton Serene? Ha!
“What? You’ve gotta be shi—”
“Quinn,” One of the Elders warns from beside the Elder standing. “Be grateful the Almighty has shown you mercy.”
When I glance to my left to look over at Quinn, his mouth is in a hard line, his eyes are narrowed to slits, and his hands are balled into clenched fists at his sides. He doesn’t utter another sound.
I look back to the Elders. “Thank you.” I offer them what I hope is a reassuring smile. Quinn won’t go back on their sentence, will he?
“Quinton has no choice but to accept to these terms. Otherwise, he will cease to exist.” Elder Two says, probably noticing the expression on my face.
“Cease to exist?” I echo and glance back at Quinn, but he’s got a weird look on his face. Almost like he cannot wait to leave this room.
The remaining Elders stand and say in unison, “This meeting is adjourned. We will see you soon, Eva Grace Hastings.”
The beam of light is back, and I don’t have time to shield my eyes before I’m swept away by the intense light and taken who knows where this time.