A Dance Of Gods ✓

31. Goodbyes

Taylor

I open my eyes with someone shaking my shoulders. A relentless headache grinds into my temples and the shaking only makes it worse, making me want to sleep or pass out- whatever it takes to stop the pain. My vision remains blurry for a few seconds, almost nonexistent until a voice fades in.

"Oh thank god." She says, panic in her tone. Confused, I sit up. Black dots the edges of my eyes. "I forgot my wallet so I... came back and you were lying on the floor."

I cautiously observe my surroundings as the dots disappear. How am I in the cafe?

  It wasn't in even the deepest corners of my mind as I teleported. I didn't do this... which means someone else intervened. Someone very powerful.

I try to stand up but the dots return and I apparently go pale, because Rhea shoved me back down. "No no lay back- Do you need anything? Are you-"

  "Rhea. I'm fine." I interrupt before she can start rambling. I feel another presence, one that makes me smile despite what he said earlier. "Where's Michael?"

  "Michael?" Rhea looks at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. "Oh! Have you been fucking the delivery guy? Good for-"

  "No... nevermind." I shake my head. Delivery guy Michael is decent looking and nice enough, but nothing compares when you've fucked the literal devil.

  "Then.... do you want to at least tell me what's going on? Please?" She begs for the thousandth time this week. I want to tell her. I do, but she'd think I'd suffered some sort of brain injury in the apartment fire. If I showed her, she'd just think she were high.

  "No. You wouldn't believe me if I did."

  "Try me." She leans back, making eye contact, supporting herself with her wrist.

Although... maybe saying the words would help me. Maybe she'd think I'm insane for a few seconds and move past it. I guess there's only one way to find out....

I take a deep breath, expelling the summary in one sentence.

  "I set my old apartment on fire with my hands and then proceeded to meet fallen angels who helped me learn I am a descendent of the one who tried to set heaven on fire."

  Yep. I was right.

If I thought she'd looked at me like I was a crazy person the first time I tried to explain my religion to her, she now thinks I belong in an insane asylum.

  "I'll call when you've... gotten some rest." She says. "But....can you lock up for me? I've got a meeting to sell the remaining thirty percent of my parent's stocks in the company."

  "Rhea-"

"Thank you." She hugs me tightly and stands up, already heading for the door. "I'll come see you later."

"Rhe-" Before I can finish my sentence, she's gone. My heart aches, starting to feel the distance she's putting between us. I want to at least tell her this thing I can't tell her won't end in us being pushed apart- but that would be a lie. From being around such powerful beings I've learned a lie is worse than saying nothing. Lies in the old book are what made the world the clusterfuck it is today, after all.

  I sigh, hearing him sit down next to me. We stay like this for over a minute, sitting in comfortable silence- then he is the first to speak.

  "How'd it go?" He asks. "How is... Lucifer doing?"

  I open my mouth to reply, but I'm interrupted by the screech of a car's tires outside. The cafe's window front and door are covered by black curtains, obscuring my view- and the pit in my stomach grows deeper, stronger.

  Screams and the occasional "Call 911" or "Has he called them yet" only add to my human instinct to go check it out. When I try, Michael grabs the back of my shirt. I land on my ass.

"Don't go out there. " He sees the look on my face and changes tone. "Please. You will regret it."

  I yank away from him, not in the mood to deal with threats... though a little voice in the back of my head says that wasn't his intention. My fingers linger on the door and I genuinely contemplate obeying him as bile rises in my throat. I jerk the door open before I lose my nerve and again, he is right. I do regret it. I'll never be able to fucking unsee the image.

  Time moves in slow motion as I run across the street, to the crowd surrounding a car that's pinned my best friend against a wall. The driver is dead, his blood splattered on the windshield from a piece of glass sticking straight through his skull. I do feel lightheaded, but I tell myself now isn't the time to pass out.

I push a guy on the phone with 911 out of the way and another who's looking at the damage to her lower half. She reaches a hand up, trying to stop herself from coughing up blood.

  "Rhea-"

  "My....will is.... in....." Another stream of blood from her mouth interrupts her.

"Rhea what are you.... No I can't... you are...Fuck you can't die like this I need you-"

  "Shut up... and listen to me for a second. I... don't have... much energy. My will is....in... my... bottom... office desk... drawer. When my legal team opens it they.. they will.... They'll find that you are my only beneficiary. I...love...you." She coughs again and nearly choke on my own tears.

  "No...GODDAMNIT RHEA YOU CANT DIE-"

  A stranger's hand on my shoulder and Michael's presence interrupt me. I don't have the energy to question how he got over here without me feeling him sooner.

  "Hey...." The stranger says, a sullen expression on his face. "Not to be a Debbie downer but I am a doctor and my wife works at a car crash test-facility... not that it matters but... that car is the only thing stopping your friend from bleeding out. As soon as it's removed.... She will split in two and die. I'm sorry."

  No. No no no no no no no no- I refuse to accept that. There has to be.... NO.

  "Michael." I say, desperate.

  "Yes?" He replies a few inches from my ear. I pull him in closer so we're the only two people in our conversation.

  "Can you... do something about... this? Stop time or heal her or... just... anything?" The tears roll directly into my mouth now with no space on the rest of my face. Michael wears an apologetic look.

  "I.. can't play with life and death." He says. "Not without a direct blessing from my father and... there's no way I'll get one. Neither will... any of my siblings. As established my father's a bit of a narcissist."

  It happens slow enough that I recognize the signs but fast enough that I can't understand what's happening. The most intense tingly sensation I've felt yet shoots from head to toe as my tears are replaced by anger. Anger at god, anger at Lucifer, anger at Michael and every fucking body else in my life.

  "FUCK!" I scream and punch the brick wall. I'm not even surprised when I feel nothing and it crumbles beneath my knuckles.

  I feel Michael try to pull me from the crowd, a firm but gentle hand on my back- and this too enrages me. "Taylor- come on. Don't do something stupid. We can only save you from the consequences so many times."

  My cheeks and arms go hot. I turn to glare at him.

  "GO AWAY!!"

  Somehow, against his will- he does.