Paradise Made

Sixteen: Like Heaven

“Kasdaye?” was his first word, a question.

“Nice to see you awake,” Azazel commented, and Pen sat up further, nodding to acknowledge him.

Then his eyes landed on me. “Xavier. What the hell are you doing here...? What happened...?” He trailed off, as he seemed to remember. Then he said, “I guess I don't have to introduce you then.”

I shook my head. “I'm glad they found me when they did. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. You weren't waking up and--”

“It's alright,” Pen soothed. “I'm fine. I'm sorry Xavier, I'm so sorry I've pulled you into this so deep.”

“Don't be,” I said, sitting back down on the edge of his bed. “I don't understand everything yet, about why you're doing what you're doing. But I trust you. I trust you have your reasons.” I cast a quick look at Azazel. “And just like I trust you, and I need you to trust me enough not to keep me in the dark. Like you said, I'm in deep already. Why not give me the whole picture?”

“What do you want to know?” Pen asked, slumping forwards a little so that he had to support himself by leaning on me.

His hand was on my shoulder, his sweat soaked face only a few inches from mine, and I attempted to control my breathing.

“Maybe not right now,” Azazel ventured.

I ignored him. “Why? What purpose does Sara exist for, and why are you against it?”

Pen's forehead rested on my shoulder now, as he slouched more and more forward, fingers slipping where he attempted to grip my arm. Azazel ran to my side, but stood awkwardly, not touching Pen, hovering like he was unsure what to do. In contrast, Kasdaye shoved me out of the way, allowing Pen to tumble down into her arms. His eyes were wide, and focused on me, even as he had his fit. Kasdaye held him, just a bit above the floor, as his lips quivered. Though she didn't look so hot herself, her face flushed in a manor similar to his.

“Later,” she was more forceful than Azazel had been, and I could not argue.

Every time. Every freaking time I came close to answers something happened.

“Are you taking him away?” I asked. Struck, again, by how helpless I was.

“Yes,” Kasdaye did the talking, “not far though, just to an apartment in Sumar.”

“You better come find me,” I warned. “I want to see him tomorrow. And you better let me.” There was something I had, just a small piece of leverage. “There are agents of IRIN all over campus, and if I'm not going to get my answers from one group of angels, I'll go to the other.”

Kasdaye passed Pen to Azazel, who stood up with the blond angel's arm draped over his shoulders. Then she approached me, grabbing me off the bed by the collar of my shirt.

“Don't think you have power here human, because you don't. We will come find you, because our brother must have seen some use, and I trust his judgement. But make such veiled threats again, and it won't matter.”