MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

Welcoming the warm sun on
my face, I wander the quad towards my Biology class. A hand grabs my shoulder
from behind, shocking me with a bite of static I've come to associate with
Trey’s touch.

“Ivy.” I spin around to see
Trey and take a step back on instinct.

“Stay away from me, Trey,”
I sneer, squinting my eyes.

“Look. I’m really sorry about
what happened. I have no excuses. I know you’re pissed, but…” He pulls a
small
manila envelope from his back pocket and holds it out
to me. “I wanted to give you this.”

I eye the package without
reaching for it, “What’s that?”

“It’s your cut from the
race.”

“Oh.” I take the package
from him and stuff it into my back pocket.

“Ivy—”

“Don’t, Trey.”

“Come on, Ivy. Don’t be
like that. I made a mistake.”

“So did I,” I counter as I
walk backwards to insure he doesn’t follow me. After a few steps, I turn and
jog towards my next class. The Biology building is on the other side of campus.
Once I start jogging, I pick up my pace and begin to feel liberated from an
invisible cage I didn’t know I was trapped in. A heavy weight lifts from my
shoulders, clearing my mind, and I decide to take things as they come.
There’s
nothing I can do but keep going. Live my life the way I want before I can’t
anymore.
Forget Biology. Let’s have some fun.

I don’t know what comes
over me. Maybe I'm fed up with being told what's expected of me. I skip my
class and find my car in the parking lot. I sit in the driver’s seat and feel
the bulge of the package Trey
gave
me. I lean over and
tug it from my back pocket, the weight of it in my hands giving me pause.
How
much is in here?
Folding the prongs back, I lift the fold to peek inside.
Whoa!
That’s a lot of money.
I reseal the envelope and throw it into the
passenger seat, pull my phone out of the console
,
and scroll through
my contacts.
Trey.
Once I find his name, I send him a text message.

Me: Make it up
2
me?

I wait for the ping of a
new text message, nervous and anxious to take the plunge.

Trey: Anything.

Jack's really going to hate
this. I don’t care. I want to have some fun, and I’m tired of running from who
I am. I want to lay all this to rest. Trey's going down, and he’s going to tell
me where Beleth has the missing angel sent to protect me. I won't be
responsible for an angel’s death.

Me: Put all my winnings n
the pot 2nite. I want 2 race.

His answer is almost instant.

Trey: Done.

Trey: C U 2nite, Ivy.

I start my car, grinning at
the freedom I'm giving myself. I drive to my house to prepare myself for the
race.
I need to avoid Jack tonight. I need a good excuse.
Unlocking the
door to my house, I'm relieved it's empty. Throwing my backpack on my bed, I
turn around to search my room.
Where the hell did I put it? Oh
,
yeah!
I stand on my
tiptoes and reach into the chaos at the top of my closet. My fingers touch a
cold silver box. I swipe it forward off of the shelf and catch it against my
chest. I open the box to find a small pipe, cigarette papers, a small clear bag
of weed, and let out a pleased sigh.

I roll a thick joint and
lick the edge
to
seal it before placing the tip to my lips. I
light it without hesitation, inhaling as much as my lungs can hold. Holding my
breath and waiting for the burn of my lungs, I pick up my phone to text Jack. I
release a dense cloud of smoke as my fingers float over the screen
.

Me: Hey. I’ve got a lot of research 2 do 4
class. I’ll be @ the

       
library.
It’s
probably going 2 take all night. Don’t wait up.

Jack: Do u want me 2 come help?

Me: No. U would only b distracting me.

Jack: Ok. Let me know if u need anything.

Me: Sure. Thanks.

Well, that was easier than
I thought. Now, let’s try to see if I can sway Trey to make this worth my
while.

Me: Hey. Let’s make 2nite
interesting.

Trey: What do u have n
mind?

Me: Willow Creek connects 2
the highway. I’m tired of this shit

      
only
lasting a few
seconds. I want a real challenge. Willow

      
Creek 2
the
highway, down 2 exit Randolph
Turnaround and

      
back 2
Willow
Creek. It’s a full loop and about 6 mi round trip.

Trey: Let me make the
arrangements.

Here we go,
I think before texting him again.

Me: And I want 2 make a deal
with u
.

Trey: What do u got?

Me: If I win… u take me 2
Beleth.

Trey: No.

Me: Y not? Isn’t that what
u want?

Trey: No. We’ll talk soon.
Just b ready.

I don’t want anyone running
their mouths about seeing me at the race. Although my car's unique to the area,
I imagine I can hide who's driving. I take a note from Trey and adorn myself
with a black hoodie to hide my hair, and a black baseball cap to hide my face.
I wait until one o'clock in the morning to head out to Willow Creek. I’m not
nervous or even excited, only calm with determination.

Willow Creek is crowded
more than usual.
Just means there’ll be a bigger pot. Trey should appreciate
that.
I adjust my hat lower on my face and make sure my hair's hidden under
my hood before I pull up to the starting line to park my Evo.

Trey jumps into my
passenger seat. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Yeah.” I hand him the
envelope of cash he gave me earlier.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Trey leaves to gather the
bets going around. Someone hands him a bullhorn, and he pushes the button a few
times to get everyone’s attention. A yellow Honda S2K creeps up beside me, the
driver concealed by its dark tinted windows.
I probably know their car better than they do
since it’s the same model I wrecked my junior year of high school.

We prep our tires in the
bleach while Trey yells into the horn, “Everybody listen up! We’re gonna do
things a little different tonight. The drivers are going out to Garner Highway
to take the turnaround at Randolph and end back here. We have two new drivers
tonight who are new to the area. Place your wagers now or lose out on an epic
pot. Good luck!” A curse comes from Trey’s lips before he releases the button
on the bullhorn.

My passenger door swings
open, and Jack’s huge mass plops into the bucket seat beside me. “What the hell
are you doing, Ivy?” he growls.

Shit.
I avoid eye contact with him and stare straight ahead.
“Having some fun,” I deadpan.

“After everything we told
you, I thought you would be smart enough to avoid Trey.”

“About that. Trey may be a
demon, but he doesn’t scare me. And if he has the angel that was supposed to
work with Alice and Eric, or knows something about it, I’m going to make him
tell me. I don’t want to be responsible for the death of an angel. I wouldn’t
be able to live with myself. I’m going to play nice and get on Trey’s good
side. Let him think all is forgiven. He’ll trust me. I’ll make him think I need
his help transitioning and find out where he’s keeping the angel. I can’t just
sit around and do nothing.”

“I can’t let you do that,
Ivy. Trey's dangerous. Let us take care of this. We’ll find the missing
warrior. This isn't your fault.”

“I don’t care! I have to
get him out of there. You can’t stop me. Now, get out!” I grip the steering
wheel and refuse to look at him. Jack’s anger is palpable as it radiates off of
him with an intensity I feel in my core. He exits the car with the swiftness of
a hummingbird's wings and slams the door behind him, making me flinch. I don’t
see where he goes, and I don’t care.

Trey stands between my Evo
and the competing S2K as I rev my engine. He points to me, and I dip my head
without taking my eyes from his. He points to the Honda while I shifted into
first. Keeping my foot on the clutch,
I
rev up my engine
again. Trey’s arms go up.
Three… Two… One.
His arms come down. I lift my
left foot off of the clutch and force the accelerator to the floor in unison.

My car pitches forward with
resilient power, and I'm forced to sink back into my seat. I watch my RPM’s and
shift into second gear. The S2K swerves to my right to ride alongside me. The
highway comes up fast in front of us. I push in the clutch and wrench the
emergency break up, drifting onto the empty highway, almost sideswiping my
contender. Coming out of the ninety degree turn, I release the emergency break
and bolt forward while straightening the steering wheel. The S2K is right
beside me again, fighting to get ahead. I shift into third gear and wait to
redline. I see yellow from the corner of my eye starting to pass me
. Refusing to lose,
I shift into forth gear
as the
exit for the
turnaround comes up faster than I expect.
It’ time to get dirty.
I feel
a growl in my chest as I swerve into the Honda and scare it into letting me
lead us down the off ramp.

I drop back down to second
gear, keeping the clutch down, and I stomp the break just before the
turnaround. I pull the emergency break again and drift sideways around the
turn. Everything appears to go into slow motion, and I fantasize waving goodbye
to the driver behind me, but I know I won’t have the time. I blow the driver a
kiss in my mind and slam the emergency break back into place as I flatten the
accelerator to the floor. I surge forward and shift into third gear again.
Headlights behind me start coming up fast. I redline third gear and shift into
forth gear. The headlights begin falling back slower than I want. I squeeze the
steering wheel tighter, trying to keep myself from falling backwards into my
seat. The force of gravity from the horsepower
s
being exerted is
similar to trying to bend iron. I glance at my rearview mirror to see I'm two
seconds ahead of the other driver.

Willow Creek comes up ahead
of me on my right. I slow down enough to counter steer into the drift,
downshift into second gear, and pray to God the hordes of people will be smart
enough to stay out of the way. I come out of the drift and release the clutch,
shift back into third gear seconds later, and cross the finish line. Slamming
on the foot break and yanking the emergency break back up again, I drift a
hundred and eighty degrees to a screeching halt, showing off a bit for the
crowd.

The crowd cheers
with excitement. Trey has the most devious expression of enjoyment
across his face. He saunters over to my window, and I roll it down. “Nice job,
kiddo. Definitely worth my while,” he hands me an even larger manila envelope
than the one he gave me before.

“Thanks.”

“Listen, I know I’ve been
an asshole. I’m hoping I can keep making it
up
to you.” He leans
into my window.

“You can try. No promises
it’ll work,
demon
,” I smart off.

Trey winces. “Can I take
you somewhere fun tomorrow? I promise to explain everything I can. I hope you
can believe how sorry I am, Ivy.”

“I have practice tomorrow.”

“Skip practice. I promise
you won’t regret it.”

This is my chance. The
girls are going to be pissed, but I can’t pass this up.
“Ok.”

“Awesome. I’ll text you
where to meet me. See ya', Ivy.”

“Bye, Trey.” I light a
cigarette and drive back to my house instead of Jack’s
,
because I'm not in the mood to fight with him.

Stay awake.
I fight against the drop of my eyelids on the drive
home as fatigue from the days events drain what energy I have remaining
.
My black hoodie adds to the heat of the night air, coating my body with a sheen
of muggy sweat and contributing to my drowsiness. As I park in the driveway,
I'm positive Alice and Eric are remaining at Jack's for the night as the house
is pitch black with only the songs of the crickets penetrating the quiet neighborhood.
Entering the dark house, I don't bother turning on any of the lights as I
trudge to my room. I strip my clothes off and fall on my bed face first into my
pillow. The cool air of the house glides over my bare back, attempting to cool
my body down while the sweet song of the crickets outside of my window lulls me
into a slumber.

A rustling of leaves stirs me
awake. My hair is suffocating my face as I continue to sweat in overabundance.
I flip over onto my back. The leaves swoosh again, but I'm awake enough to
realize the sound isn't coming from outside. It's within my room. My eyes shoot
open as I sit bolt straight, looking for
‘
the darkness
’
waiting to consume me. I gasp at the sight of an
angel’s silhouette at the foot of my bed watching me.

“Ivy.”

I recognize his voice as my
pupils adjust to the
night
. “Jack?”

“You didn’t come home,” he
despondently croaks with worry and shame.

I note my exposed body and
swipe the covers tangled at my feet to cover myself. “I’m sorry. I needed some
space.”

“I can’t do that now.”

“Well, it’s not really up
to you now, is it?” I lament with deliberate force.

Jack walks to the side of
my bed, pulling his wings inside himself as he sits on the edge. He leans
forward and rests his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands. I want to reach
out and run my hands over the smooth curves of his muscular shoulders. His head
hangs low as he stresses, “I’ll go, if that’s what you really want
, but
your body's beginning to change. You'll start to feel
sick and will need help if you want to alleviate the pain of the transition.”

“I can handle pain.”

He reaches out to switch on
my bedside lamp before leaning an arm over my body to look into my eyes and
search my face. His other hand brush
e
s my cheek with the
back of his fingertips. “You’re so brave, Sunshine. I know why you feel you
have to do this on your own." Jack hesitates before confessing, "I
don’t want you to do it alone. I’m here. If you’re going to go through with
manipulating Trey for information, then I want to help you with that too.”

“Really?” I marvel,
wide-eyed.

“Really. My feelings for
you may be clouding my judgment. I’m having a hard time staying mad at you and
telling you ‘no’.”

“And how do you feel about
me, Jack?” Without words, his lips crash into mine. My hands roam over his bare
chest and down to his hips to pull him towards me. I can’t get close enough.
Jack pulls back with hesitance, and I open my eyes. His brows furrow in concern
.
“What’s wrong?”

“Your metabolism's
changing. It’s started.” His voice
is
stronger than when
he first appeared.

“How can you tell?”

“You have a fever. It’s
only going to escalate until your body accepts the change. Once your body
acclimates to the fever, you won’t feel sick anymore, and your body temperature
will be higher from that point on.”

“Is that why I’ve been
sweating all night?” He nods his head. “I thought it was because I was wearing
a hoodie tonight,” I chuckle.
Well, so much for trying to have some fun
before the change.

“You should get some rest.”

I scoot down further under
the blankets. “Will you stay?”

“As long as you want
me," he confirms, and I shift over to make room for him. He lays back and
makes room for me to lay into his arms, against his chest. “Goodnight,
Sunshine.” He kisses my forehead and smooths my hair affectionately.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

The forest is quiet and
dark, save for the rustling of water across the rocks of the riverbed. The full
moon reflects across its surface, illuminating the surrounding foliage. A tall
cloaked figure dashes through the trees on the opposite side of the river. I'm
pulled with an urgent sensation to stay with the mysterious person. Hiding in
the shadows, I follow the figure through the dense forest. We emerge in a field
beside a large church. The cross on the bell tower is menacingly silhouetted in
the grey sky. The figure glides soundlessly to the large doors of the church
and pulls something out of its cloak to set it down gently on the steps. The
figure pauses, looking down at what it left before vanishing in thin air.

The pull I felt towards the
figure changes direction and pulls me to the front doors of the church.
Approaching the steps with caution, I see a bundle of white cloth laying in
front of the doors. Taking the first step, the bundle moves, and a baby begins
to cry. I run the next six steps and kneel down beside the abandoned baby.
Reaching out to pick it up, darkness swarms my vision, forcing me leave the
helpless baby behind.

Shedding the blanket of
sleep, I find Jack is mysteriously gone again. He never seems to be around when
I wake up
.
A folded parchment catches my attention from my desk in front
of the window.

Sunshine,

I’m sorry I couldn’t be
there when you wake. There's been a lead on your mother. I won’t be back until
tonight. Please be careful and text me if you need anything. -Jack

My mother. If she’s an Arch
like Jack, maybe he knows her. I wonder if she’s like Evelyn. What will she
look like? Will she have blonde hair like her and Jack, or will she have black
hair like me? What does my father look like? Maybe I get my black hair from
him?

I check my phone and find
that Trey
sent me a text with
the address where to meet
him and said to dress for some hiking.
Hiking? Really?
I groan and leave
my room to take a cold shower. I can’t stop sweating. Other than feeling
constant heat throughout my body, I don’t feel sick at all. The shower cools me
down, but beads of sweat surface across my face as I dress.
No point in
putting makeup on if I’m only going to sweat it off.
Irritation bubbles in
my chest.

Trey’s directions lead me
to a secluded forest. I had imagined he was meeting me at a park with trails
for hikers. Instead, there's dense foliage all around with mountains in the
distance. Trey's waiting for me by the trunk of his car as I park on a patch of
dirt off the road behind him. I leave my car and lock it behind me, making sure
to bring my phone along. “Just so you know, I’m not much of a hiker.”

Trey opens his trunk to
pull out a backpack full of gear, “It’ll be fine. It’s not that bad. Gives you
a chance to connect with nature, and the view from the top is intoxicating.”

“Sounds nice,” I
acknowledge, a forced grin hiding my uneasiness about our location.

Trey closes his trunk and
holds up a rucksack. I turn my back to him and slip my arms through the straps.
It isn’t as heavy as I anticipated. “Ready?”

“Lead the way,” I suggest
with a sweep of my hand.

He leads me down a trail
that's grown over, long forgotten. We don’t speak except for the occasional
‘this way’ and ‘are you alright back there’ from Trey. My head's starting to
pound, making my ears ring. Three miles into a constant incline, I hear the
trickling of water.

Trey
says
, “There’s a stream up ahead. We can break there if
you need to.”

“Good. My legs are
burning.” As we approach the bank of the stream, sweat drips from my face, and
my clothes are sticking to my skin. The wide stream stretches across our path.
Sun shining through the trees reflects off of the surface of the pristine
water, causing it to sparkle as it trickles over the smooth rock bed. I let my
rucksack fall to the rocks under my feet and plop down onto the bank. My cheeks
are flush with fever, and I try to regulate my breathing and heart rate with
calming breaths.

“Here. Drink this,” Trey
hands me an aluminum flask. I raise my eyebrow at the container. “It’s just
water,” he chuckles.

“Why should I trust you?”

“It’s understandable that a
being such as yourself wouldn’t trust a lowly demon like me. Especially, with
the way I’ve treated you, but you can trust me. I swear to explain everything
when we get to the top.”

I take the flask from his
hand, throw back my head, and let the water run down my throat. It's the
cleanest water I've ever tasted. Its resplendence awakens my overused muscles,
and my energy rekindles in a flash after drinking it. “Wow. I must have been really
thirsty. I think that’s the
cleanest
water I’ve
ever
tasted.”

“I comes from a natural hot
spring. Untainted. Pure. It comes in handy.”

“I feel like my energy's
been restored. I feel great!” I radiate.

“It’s said to have natural
healing properties,” Trey adds, shrugging his shoulders.

What did he give me?
I'm suspicious as the pounding in my head eases, and
I'm finally able to hear my surroundings with more clarity than I've ever had.
The hissing of cicadas are so clear I bet I can count how many are within a
hundred feet of us. The amplified buzzing and clicking of their bodies vibrates
with an overpowering hum. “Where are we going from here?”

He points across the
stream, “Up.” He smiles at the mountain with excitement. “We have to cross
over, so you may want to take your shoes off.”

I untie my shoelaces and
slip my boots off. I stuff my socks inside, revealing my navy blue toenail
polish. I tie the shoelaces together in a knot, stand up to replace my rucksack
on my back, and hang my shoes across my neck by their bound laces. “I’m ready.
I can’t wait to see the view at the top.”

“It’s breathtaking.”

We tread through the ankle
deep water. The bed of rocks are slippery under my bare toes, and I fear losing
my balance. Trey reaches for my hand to help me onto the opposite bank. I gasp
as he pulls me to him, our faces inches apart.

“Are you ok?” he asks with
a low voice. The sunlight shines on his brown eyes and reveal a tinge of red
within them.
He’s a demon. You knew that. Play it off.

“Yeah. I just thought I was
going to fall.”

Trey looks at me with an
adoration I’ve never seen from him. He holds my hand tight, “Ivy, I can’t tell
you how sorry I am for acting the way I did. Your forgiveness is important to
me. I would do anything to earn back your trust.”

A flutter in my chest
disturbs me. It isn’t attraction. It’s pity. I feel sorry for Trey. “Well,
you’re doing a suitable job so far,” I complement, because I need him to tell
me where to find Beleth and the missing angel.

His smile meets his dark
eyes, “Let’s go. The top is the best part.”

Trey steps back, and we put
our shoes back on. “Trey?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m feeling pretty good.
Do you think you would be up for
running
to the top?” I'm in a hurry to
get to top so he’ll start talking.

His eyes widen, and his
smile grows, “Hell
,
yeah.” He turns and starts jogging. I take off
behind him. He quickens his steps, and I have no trouble keeping up with him.
My ponytail swings side to side with the motion of my body. About a mile up, a
large bird swoops into the dense foliage to our right. I keep running. The bird
seems to be following us, every once in a while resurfacing and diving back
down. We reach the top of the mountain, and I bend over panting. I recover
faster than I expect and stand up.

Abandoning my pack on the
cliff, I move to the edge with diligence in awe of the scenic view before me.
Words leave me. Trey leaves his rucksack beside mine and joins me on the
threshold between earth and sky. The never ending expanse of green mountains
and valleys impacts my soul on a deep level. Seeing something outside of
myself, I sense a transcendence of my spirit over the boundaries of haze and
into the magnificence of nature. A connection that exists the way God intended.

“What do you think?”

“It’s… beautiful. But it's
more than that. I can’t explain it.”

“I knew you could
appreciate it. Here, sit with me.” Hesitant at first, I sit next to Trey on the
precipice of the mountain with our legs dangling over the edge. “It makes you
feel so small in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.” All is quiet with
the wind cooling my cheeks.
He’s a completely different person, right now. I
don’t understand. One minute he’s being the demon I know he is. The next, it
truly feels as if he had just made a mistake. As if he’s two different people.
People? Maybe 'beings' is the correct phrasing. I’m tired of the yo-yo between
us. I just want to be honest with him. Hopefully, he’ll be honest with me.
“Trey?”