Repentance // Book 1: Of Angels and Men

8: Realisation

A/N: Ciao bellissimi!  This is the chapter  you WERE ALL WAITING FOR hehehe I hope... mehehe 

Adieu...enjoy...mehmehmehmeh

“Dearest Luna,

Sweetie, you are the best thing that happened to me.  What I’m going to do is not your fault.  Don’t blame yourself.  I’m a danger to people…Bad luck follows me everywhere.  I’m going away, Lu.  Far away.  You’ll be safe.

I’m sorry I’ll be missing your eighteenth birthday.  Your present is in the envelope.

Be safe

Skye.”

Luna felt all the powers of Heaven bend upon her.  She was breaking a rule, and the second time round she wouldn’t be as lucky.  She couldn’t help falling in love with Skye, it had just happened.  She remembered how distant Skye had become these last few days, and dread shook her to the core.  Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and when Luna would glance at her, she averted her gaze quickly.  And now this.  With shaking hands, she upended the envelope.  A small ring fell out, with a note attached to it, which read, “This ring was the other half of a pair.  Remember me, Lu.”  On the inside of the ring, the name “Skye” was engraved in cursive.   Luna hadn’t realised she was crying until her tears started soaking the envelope.

Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore.  She stood up and looked out of the window.  Of course, it had started raining.  Her life seemed to be ruled by pathetic fallacy.  She ran to Skye’s place without an umbrella, knowing that it was fruitless, that she wouldn’t find her there, and by the time she reached her place, she was soaking.  She knocked on the door.  Valerie opened the door, and stared at Luna.  “Is Sk-Skye there?” she shivered. 

Valerie looked horrified.  “Oh my God, she didn’t tell you?”

“What?!”

“She left.”

Those two words brought Luna’s world crashing down on her as the truth made herself clear to her.  She hardly heard Valerie as she continued, and heard her say the words “train station.”  Then she ran.

Her feet pounded on the wet floor, her hair streaming.  All she could think of was Skye.  Her tears mingled with the rain drops slashed across her face.  She couldn’t believe that Skye would do something like this.  Heaven was harsh in the punishments it ruled out.  She could almost feel her black, tattered wings fluttering behind her, her halo dimmed, her hair sodden flames flying behind her.  

It took her  thirty minutes to run to the train station.  She arrived just as a train drew up.  Out of habit, she raised her hand to touch her wing pendant, and found that it shone slightly.  She stuffed it down her shirt and stumbled into the station, tears blinding her, her hair stuck to her face.  She wished it would dry.  Suddenly, a rush of heat flew up her scalp, and her hair instantly dried.  For a second she was stunned, and slowly shook her head.  Then she remembered why she was here, and renewed her search.  She cupped her locket in one hand.  To her amazement, she felt it tugging her to the right.  She followed its lead, until, in the distance, she caught sight of a familiar mop of black hair tied in a braid.

Skye.

She was dragging a small suitcase, and seemed to be wiping tears from her face.  Luna sprinted towards her, knocking people out of the way.  Several people shouted offences at her, but she ploughed on.  Skye was fighting against the flow of people coming out of the train, trying to squeeze herself in. 

Luna shouted her name.  Once.  Pleading.

Skye’s head whipped round, and their eyes met across the crowd of people.

Luna felt her stomach drop.  Her gaze penetrated through Luna, searching, questioning.  Luna mouthed one word: Come.

Skye made a split-second decision.  She turned round, and elbowed people out of the way.  Upon reaching Luna, she grabbed her and crushed her in a rib-cracking hug.   Luna’s ginger head buried itself in Skye’s shoulder, and Skye rested her head on it, rubbing her back soothingly.

When they pulled back from the embrace, Skye continued stroking her hair, fresh tears on her cheeks.

“Why where you leaving?”

Skye sighed.  She was going to break the fundamental rule of the angels: never reveal your true identity.  Screw it.  She pulled her hidden pendant from her trouser pocket and presented it to Luna, not realising the latter’s reaction.

“Lu, you probably won’t believe me, but…I’m an angel.”

Skye winced, waiting for the inevitable death to strike her.  When it didn’t come, she cautiously opened her eyes, to find Luna wordlessly showing her something.

It was another wing pendant.

Skye felt as if she’d been struck in the diaphragm.  All her breath left her suddenly, as she whispered, “How?”

Luna didn’t answer.  She didn’t have to.  Without a single thought, she leaned up and kissed Skye on the lips.

Skye responded immediately, snaking her hands behind Luna’s back and clutching her as if she would fade away from her grasp.  Luna’s lips were soft and tasted of cherries  and tears, and Skye could’ve cried with happiness.   Luna stroked Skye’s face, sending shivers spiralling down Skye’s back.

They broke off but remained stuck there, noses touching, eyes locked.  Luna spoke first.

“I love you, Skye Emilia Thorne.”

Skye leaned in and kissed her again, this time more passionately.  Luna could feel her smile on her lips, and heard her whispered words, “I love you too, Luna Starr.  More than anything in the world.”

Luna could’ve sworn that their pendants shone at the same time, but nothing mattered at all at that moment.    All that mattered was Skye.

***

They walked back to Luna’s house hand-in-hand, gazing at the rainbow high above them as the rain drizzled to a stop.  Luna’s heart was flying somewhere above her head, and it was all she could do to not start skipping as Skye told her all the things she could not have done during the last months.

“You’re stunningly beautiful, and I think I fell for you from the moment you bumped unceremoniously into me…You know you have dimples?”

Luna started at this.  “No way.  I saw yours and I envied you, ‘cos I’d always wanted dimples.”

“Well, they’re faint, but they’re there.”

“Really?”

For some reason, this made her incredibly happy, and she started singing loudly, startling a cat from its sleep.  Luna watched it dart under a car as Skye laughed at them, earning herself a light smack on the cheek.

***

Skye sat on Luna's bed, staring at Luna as she talked about school and cats and singing, and all she could think of that moment was how lucky she was to be loved by someone like Luna.  She was so momentarily lost in thought she didn't realise that Luna had sat next to her until she put her hand on her knee, startling her.  Their eyes met and locked, and suddenly Skye leaned forward, closing the gap between them and overbalancing them.  Their lips locked, they fell back on the bed, and when they pulled apart, they stayed there, side-by-side, in each others' arms, smiling into each others eyes.  And that's how Andrew found them when he came with Will for dinner, fast asleep, Luna's head resting a few inches from Skye's.  Andrew's eyes twinkled, and he closed the trapdoor quietly behind him. 

HI HI HI HI

Sorry if there any  mistakes, LAZINESS IS A VIRTUE!! I'm watching an Italian film, so I'm talking in Italian now, miei bellissimi.  I'm not even sure that's how you say it, WHATEVAHHH

Yes, LUSKY.  VOTE FOR LUSKYYY

Kayz.  I appreciate your comments, they fill me with inspiration :D

Happy Easter for believers, happy normal Sunday for non-believers.

Adio bellissimiii

Claira xxxxxxxxxxx