Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
BIANCA
I make my way down to Brandon’s wing. The air in the space is cold and crispy, the halls empty and dark. Shadows created by the moonlight illuminate my path to my destination. I’m so preoccupied with the mission ahead that I almost miss the dark silhouette sitting on the edge of the windowsill.
Once I am closer, I realize it’s Jesse. His hunched position there reminds me so much of Matias. I try to think what I would say to Matias if he were in this sticky situation. Before I can think of something, he looks up. He doesn’t look surprised to see me.
“Hey,” I say. His eyes show a deepness of sadness I would never wish upon anyone. “I know the situation isn’t ideal,” I try to say as I move closer.
His curls shake from side to side. “I want to go home.”
I take a seat on the edge of the window next to him. I touch his knee, not knowing what to say to comfort him. “It will get easier with time. ”
His scowl deepens at my words. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
I mirror his scowl. I’m trying, okay? No need to be rude. Perhaps what he needs is a little of a reality check. That is exactly what I would do for Matias, after all.
“No. You know what? You aren’t the one forced to tie your soul to a creepy man. Therefore, you shouldn’t be the one looking for comfort. Now, get your head out of your ass and tell your friend you’ll be there for her, no matter what.” I cross my arms. “Or what? Were you only her friend when you thought you would gain something in return?”
His scowl drops, and he lets out a long sigh. “I was Janelle’s friend before I knew how to be one. She was my first everything, and I always thought she would also be my last.” He takes two deep breaths, as if allowing the words time to sink in. He gets up and stretches. “I’ll make this right.” His eyes carry newfound humor. “I’ll get my head out of my ass.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I wave to him and proceed on my way.
Brandon is waiting for me in the sitting area. Roman is on one couch with Isabel is to his right. Alejandra is by the window. Lexi Blue is sitting at the dining table, nose-deep in a book. It’s almost comforting to watch the sight. The familiarity of it all.
“What’s happening?” I take a seat.
“We were waiting for you.” Alejandra uncrosses her arms and joins us in the sitting area. “We are all leaving together.”
“No sneaking out?” I ask.
“No need.” Roman taps Isabel’s knee, then gets up. “The sneaking part will happen when you climb the bell.”
“Bell…” I trail off.
“That’s what one of the Red Mountains is called.” Alejandra pulls out backpacks from a closet and hands them out. I take one and look inside. Everything a person might need for a quick hike. Nice.
I scratch my head, following them out. “Does it look like a bell?”
“Absolutely.” Brandon takes my hand in his. “If you squint your eyes.”
T wo hours and a three-mile hike uphill later, I can confirm the mountain does not look like a bell. We are deep in the Red Mountains. Since the sun has set, we wear headlamps to illuminate our path. The trees and rocks look more intimidating than beautiful in the darkness and sheer moonlight.
“We’ll start heading out,” Roman announces.
We’ve reached a point in the hike that requires some rock climbing. I have one foot inside the harness when he says that. He takes off his backpack and produces Brandon’s invisibility cape.
“Wait, are you two not coming?”
I should have asked more questions on our way here, but I got distracted by the sights again. Once the hike started, I focused too much on keeping up. Hiking in the desert is no easy thing. I could have sworn I saw a few snakes in the bushes, but no one agreed with me.
Alejandra gives me a smirk. “We needed to be seen starting the hike with you. But we’ll wait for Gabriel to call us to get you.”
“I hate how you guys never tell me anything.”
I look between the brothers and Alejandra. The fact that her explanation makes no sense to me but receives nods from the boys tells me they know exactly what she is talking about. Of course, they do. Once again, I feel left out.
Brandon leans down and brushes his lips to my forehead. “I will fill you in.”
Roman looks between his brother and me in shock. “What did I miss while I was gone?” The utter disgust in his tone lifts my spirit.
“Come on.” Alejandra tugs on his sleeve. “We don’t have time for you to gossip.”
Roman looks back at us one more time before the cape drapes over both of them, making them disappear before my eyes. I might not see them, but I can hear them as they walk away. I can definitely hear Roman asking Alejandra to fill him in and her telling him a definite no.
“That’s going to be a conversation I am not looking forward to,” I say as I clip on my rope to my harness.
The climb doesn’t look incredibly difficult. I can spot a number of crevices and routes from my place on the ground.
“Don’t worry about him.” Brandon gestures to the boulder in front of us. “Worry about climbing this.”
He hands me a bag of chalk, and I dig into it. I clap my hands together, sending chalk flying everywhere.
“The portal to Luzes isn’t something you just walk through.” Brandon checks the rope tied to my harness. “Angels have wings and can easily fly to the portal.”
“At the top of the mountain.” I point at the peak.
“At the bottom, actually.” With his hand, he gestures going up the mountain then falling. “The mountain is hollow. We must climb it, then jump. The portal is at the bottom.”
“How probable is it that we get transported and not fall to our deaths?” I can feel my skin breaking into goosebumps at the idea.
“Well, I’ve never done it.” His words bring me zero reassurance. “ But have some faith. The portal will take us to the land of the blessed. How crazy is the idea that the portal requires you to take a leap of faith? Literally.” He laughs at his pun.
Not knowing if the portal will actually open until we’re in mid-air makes my skin crawl. I try not to focus on that as we make our way up. The air is colder up here, making me shiver. Brandon quickly and efficiently packs the equipment and follows me up the mountain. Once on top, I realize there’s about five feet in width to the edge of the mountain. My legs feel a lot shakier here.
“At the count of five, we’ll jump,” Brandon shouts over the wind.
It’s hard to hear anything, including my own thoughts. It didn’t feel like a windy night until we climbed this high up. I’m already holding on to him with a death grip.
I sneak a peek down and see nothing but pitch-blackness staring back at me.
“No, no, I can’t.” I shake my head adamantly.
I find breathing becomes harder. I didn’t think I feared heights, but I’m on the brink of tears here. Scaling walls before seems simple. I think it’s the fact that I’m not holding on to anything solid, other than Brandon.
“Bianca.” Brandon’s tone is soft but firm.
Arms wrap around me, pulling me to his chest. At first, the gesture is comforting, but as I try to pull away, they become tighter. My heart’s beating increases because I realize what he’s doing. He plans to push us both off the ledge.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to jump.” I try to fight him off me, but his arms are like vice grips. My head is pinned to his chest when he whispers in my ear, “Listen up. Repeat after me. There is no room for fear here. Visualize the goal and where you are. Acknowledge that fear is standing in between. Kick it out. ”
I stop all my efforts to free myself at the reminder of those words. Matias’s face comes to my mind. Not the peaceful face currently lying in a hospital room, but the fierce, never-ending chatterbox that’s my only family. Then, I recall one of the hundred times we have said those same words to each other before facing a mission.
I look up into Brandon’s eyes. He can’t hear me over the wind, but his eyes trace every movement of my lips. I say those words repeatedly. Every time, a glint of determination edges into them. It edges into me, pumping me up. I give him a nod and close my eyes. His lips softly press onto mine right before we’re airborne.
I can’t help but close my eyes as we fall. A white light flashes behind my eyelids before I realize I can’t hear anything. My senses fade, and with it goes my sense of time. My tight hold on Brandon’s waist is the only thing keeping me from losing my mind.
Portal travel is terrifying. I feel cut out of my sense and the world. The man in my arms is my sole anchor to this world, reminding me to keep breathing. Even breathing gets heavy every time less and less air fits inside my lungs until I think I am about to drown in the middle of the desert.
Then, we drop.
It’s almost like we’re spit out upside down. We fly upwards until we descend and finally hit the floor. The height of the drop is incredibly low. Our bodies hit the ground at the same time. I’m gasping for air, desperately trying to gather my wits.
“You’re okay.” Brandon pats my back. His voice is strained, too, and his breathing is just as erratic.
“You didn’t warn me,” I accuse him. I point, but I am not sure what it points at because I can’t see.
“I didn’t know.” He leans back until his head hits the ground. “I’ve never been here before. ”
I lie down next to him. We take several minutes to stop panting. I hear a noise off to my left. I open my eyes tentatively and close them right away when everything spins.
“Brandon,” I say doubtfully. “I don’t think this is the right place.”
“Huh?” His question comes out more like a grunt. I can tell without looking that he hasn’t opened his eyes either.
“I’m pretty sure I saw a baby deer in the bushes to the left.”
I feel movement to my right and try to open my eyes again. I watch as he tentatively sits up and looks around.
“No, this looks right. According to what Jesse and Roman have told me.”
“It doesn’t look like an island.” I sit up too.
The sun has set. Gray granite canyon walls surround us, the green pine trees create stunning contrast. Off on one side of the Granite Canyon, I see a waterfall. A strong, free, flowing stream falling into the abyss, creating a rainbow. It doesn’t even look real. Something so beautiful it could only exist in a picture or drawing.
“Do you think this is what heaven looks like?” I ask with a sigh. It must be. If this is the only place on earth angels call home, it must resemble their home.
“Not what I pictured would be there,” Brandon says. He takes a deep breath as he watches the view.
I’ve seen a million sunsets, some in far more ideal situations, but there’s something incredibly stunning about this one. We haven't fixed or done anything yet, but being here feels like the right place.
“Is your gift on?” Brandon asks me while looking around.
“No.”
I look around too. Nothing other than a few new deer seem to be around. We’re currently sitting on the top of a small cliff. It shouldn’t take us over five minutes to walk down to the dirt route I spot. The route looks wide enough for a vehicle. It spreads between tall pine trees deeper into the forest.
He scratches his head. “No one is around.” He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hello!”
I yank his hands down. “What do you think you are doing?”
I look around to see if anyone heard him, but the space still looks empty. As the sunset light drizzles out, I spot something between the trees. A faint glow illuminates a small cluster of buildings. It is at least a few miles away from our spot.
“Did you expect Gabriel to be sitting around the portals?”
“No, but I expected someone to be. And I would expect them to take us to Gabriel.”
I drop his sleeve and stand. I shake my head as I dust my pants off. “The plan is to talk to Gabriel by getting caught on purpose?”
“What easier way to find him than to let him find us?”
His know-it-all tone irritates me.
“That’s it. You will explain yourself,” I utter each word between clenched teeth.
“Let’s walk and talk.” He rests his arm around my shoulders and points toward the glow. He leads the way into town. “This is going to be a long night.”