Angels in the Abyss

CHAPTER 9 - KAIA TANAKA

I swore internally, I might as well die right here, right now.

My body tensed as I slowly turned, careful not to make a sound. My breaths came in shallow gasps as I finally faced the person behind me.

It was the same girl from the day I got captured, her face soft and lacking the menace of the others. She placed a finger on her lips, a gesture for me to keep quiet. She grabbed my hands as we approached a bush and hid behind it.

Her dark and mysterious wings enveloped us in a shroud of darkness just as I heard footsteps approaching the window.

"Yo, you guys heard that?" Bastian's voice echoed before Atlas's voice responded, "Where on earth is Kaia?"

"She's probably on her way. You know she's always late," Lyra scoffed.

I heard the window latched shut, and the wings that once obstructed my sight had retreated away.

Her round eyes peered into mine as she whispered, "Please don't scream, I'm Kaia."

I nodded, weary of her, but she looked friendly, "I'm Indigo," I introduced myself.

"I know. I remember you from that night. I'm really sorry about that. Trust me, I didn't want to be a part of it." She said with remorse, her voice barely above a whisper. "You shouldn't be here right now," she added.

Flustered, I looked away. I couldn't believe I had gotten caught. "I just stumbled by," a blatant lie.

To my surprise, Kaia giggled quietly. I was stunned by her reaction as she grabbed my hand gently. "You're terrible at lying," she teased.

I blushed and snickered back. She somehow had a warmth I hadn't felt in a way. I watched as her beautiful black feathered wings retracted back into her spine. Leaving only just herself crouched before me.

"What were you planning to do?" she said faintly, just low enough for me to hear but not to the others.

I shifted my gaze away, "I'm not sure if I can trust you just yet," I admitted.

Kaia pursed her lips briefly before extending her hand towards me, palms out, and nudging her chin toward it. I cocked an eyebrow, confused.

"Take my hand," she urged.

"How can I trust you?" I questioned warily.

She rolled her eyes with a hint of annoyance, "By taking my hand."

Hesitantly, I lifted my hand to hold hers. As I looked around for any signs of a trap, nothing seemed to be happening. Just as I was about to let go, Kaia's wings suddenly unfurled and wrapped around us in an embrace. My body flinched at the sudden movement, and then a cold chill spread through me as feathers rustled together. Instinctively, I shut my eyes tightly as we were whisked away in what felt like a violent storm or tornado. My heart raced with uncertainty—was this some trick? Was she going to expose me right here and now?

"You can open your eyes," Kaia mused. Her voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.

I peeked through one and realized we had been transported to some studio apartment. I looked around to see neon light strips plastered on every corner, wall and floor of the room flashing bright purple. I winced at the light as I took in my surroundings.

The corner of the room that I was in had a futuristic modern gaming setup enhanced by a deep purple and black colour scheme. The lights illuminated the space, glowing across the various screens and equipment.

I peered over to her desk, and there were multiple high-resolution monitors, all equipped with advanced tech gear. The walls were decorated with a mix of dark fantasy and sci-fi artwork. Surrounding the desk are shelves adorned with decorative plants, figurines, and plushies.

I suddenly became aware that Kaia had been watching me gawk at her room as I remained crouched. She turned toward me and cocked her head. Her soft brown bob fell to the side, "Are you going to stand up?"

Feeling embarrassed, I stood up swiftly and cleared my throat, idling in the middle of her bedroom as she fell into her chair in front of her computer. "Are we at your place?"

She nodded, a mischievous grin plastered across her face, "Real lovely, right? I spend a lot of time hack—investing in stocks to get all this."

I narrowed my eyes at her redirection, "Um, right."

"So why are we in your room, and wait, did you just teleport me here?" I said, bewildered, trying to warp my mind around how quickly she had travelled us here.

She curled her lips slightly, "Yeah, I can only really do it like twice a day. My power isn't nearly as good."

My mouth resounded an 'oh' before she started typing away on her computer, "So, how will this make me trust you? For all I know, you've just kidnapped me," I said and folded my arms.

She rose from her seat, removed her purple and black cardigan, and set it over her chair. "I just told them I wasn't going to show up."

"So?" I pressed.

"So, ask me anything you want. About us," Kaia replied calmly.

"Why?" I couldn't help but feel suspicious of her sudden willingness to cooperate.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "I thought that's what you wanted."

"Well, yeah. But why are you just giving it to me?" I prodded further, not ready to let my guard down just yet.

I observed as Kaia moved toward her bed and sat on its edge. Her eyes dimmed and softened. I could see the innocence radiate from her as she looked at me, sorrow in her eyes. "Listen, Indigo, I get why you don't trust us. I wouldn't either, but I'm not a murderer, and I don't want to kill. That isn't me, it's them."

She took a shaky breath before continuing, "I was cast down...as a mistake. I never intended to hurt anybody. I can be a little bit of a nuisance, I guess, but," she trailed off, struggling to keep her composure, "I lost someone close to me. Amidst all this, I ran away from Tokyo when it happened and moved here."

Her focus wavered from me to the picture frame on her desk. From what I could see, Kaia was huddled with a few other people, smiling ear to ear. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach as I felt her sadness wash over me.

"I joined this group to cope, but it's all the same, and I can't sit idly by and watch everything unravel again," Kaia confessed vulnerably.

"What are you trying to say?" My head was starting to spin with all this new information.

"I know you're not a murderer, too, Indigo. You're just trying to navigate this like me and have people you want to keep safe. So let's work together, I'll be your insider, and maybe we can convince them to stop." She pleaded, her voice strained.

"Stop what?" I asked, taking a step back in shock.

"Stop them from turning into demons."

Hold on, what?!