Chapter Eleven
Marie
After a long flight, finding their bags and renting a car, they walked outside of the airport into the desert heat. Marie wasn't used to this weather. She already couldn't wait to get this over with and get back home.
The attendant pulled around with the truck they rented and Brenton opened Marie's door for her to get in.
“ Such a gentlemen ,” she thought as she slid inside.
“I try,” he replied then walked to the other side and got in. “I can't wait for you to learn how to go into hyper speed. I hate riding in these things,” he said hitting the dashboard, “they are a hazard, you know?”
She smiled, but didn't say anything back. Her mind was else where. She was concerned for her mom, especially after what she told her. Her mom was so scared for her and Marie had to believe it was for good reason.
But since the attack, Marie was determined more than ever. She didn't know what it was, but once she met Brenton, something inside of her changed. Her body felt different, her mind was sharper and in time, she would be stronger than ever. She knew there was a lot she had to learn, but she was ready.
“There's something I've been meaning to ask you,” Marie said turning toward him.
“Whatsup?”
“Before, you said I was your other half. What does that mean exactly?”
“Well, we have a long ride ahead of us, I guess I can fill you in.”
Brenton loved the sound of his own voice. He always jumped right in with these wild stories and he animated it as if he was reading a book to kids.
He told Marie that when the angels decided to break God's law and mate with the mortal women, their bodies changed. They became more human like. It did not necessarily mean they were helpless, but they no longer had God like strength.
After having the children, their strength and powers were divided amongst them. The angels had created a race of gifted, intellectual giants.
During that time, they realized that each set of children belonging to a certain angel had different powers. The spawns of Semjaza, the leader of the fallen angels, had the gift to enchant people into doing their bidding. The second in command, Azazel, was a master of swords. His descendants could manipulate any type of metal and forge weapons. Each angel had their own special talent.
Marie looked at her hands. She flipped them over so many times, she looked like she was fanning something. She wondered how fire could come from her hands? She felt like she was in some poorly orchestrated movie; a horror flick gone wrong. Even though she knew she was different, somehow being an Elyo was on the other side of the spectrum, not fully being a part of that definition. This was way beyond that.
She balled her hands up then released over and over again. She didn't know how she would make fire, but she had no choice but to believe it was possible when she saw what her mom did. She was ready to fulfill her destiny, but she couldn't deny how scared she was to do it. The whole situation was overwhelming.
She turned toward Brenton to listen to what he was saying and get out of her own head. He was still talking and she only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.
He continued saying that each child born to a specific angel had a twin, as in, they had the same gift. Eventually, every generation lost a little power. It was diluted, in a sense, but if a twin came in contact with its other half, their powers were stronger. It made them almost unstoppable.
This explained why when they met, there was a spark. She felt like she had to be near him and when she was, she was another person. But did that mean they were related?
“ Nope. No relation,” he said.
“How can you be sure? If we descended from the same angel, how are we not related?” she asked, confused.
“The angel bloodline doesn't work the same as mankind. We are a different type of entity, individualized. The only thing we have in common is our power. Twin is just a sobriquet.”
“So, how do you know who your twin is then? I know we're not the only angels who can control fire.”
“Our brand,” he said pointing to the star on the side of his head. Marie ran a finger across hers. “The brand is created while we're in the womb. No other angel will have these marks.”
He was quiet for all of five seconds, which was not enough time for that to sink in, before he started with another story. Marie was apprehensive, but there was no way she was backing down. She wanted to see where the rabbit hole led.
She used to sit in her room and daydream of another time, another place where she could be whatever she wanted to be. Her life was so mundane and she wanted more. Even though she was on edge about the future of this path, she needed to feel like her life meant something.
She listened as Brenton went through every story possible to explain how great it was to be an angel. It led her to believe that he was laying it on thick for a reason. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her. She wanted to trust him, give over to the instinct of all or nothing, but she needed more answers. And if he wouldn't tell her, she would find another way.
Her mom told her about Helena, the woman who shielded her. They were on the way to see her so she could lift the shield. She lived a couple of hours away from the airport, but it felt like it would take an eternity for them to get there. She was excited, nervous and exhausted all at once.
“I'm going to take a quick nap,” she told Brenton. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, but how are you able to sleep?”
She scooted over to lie her head on his knee and balled up the rest of her body.
“I know I should be running on pure energy since all that has happened, but honestly, I'm so worn out.”
“No, I meant angels really don't sleep. I can't remember the last time I actually laid my head down, but you sleep all the time. How is that?”
She sat up and faced him. That would explain how, in the past, she could sleep for fifteen minutes then be wired for days. As she got older, that habit died and she required a full eight hours to function.
“I don't know, maybe I'm broken,” she said before she laid down and closed her eyes.