Cast Down (The Immortal Balances- Book 2)

Chapter Eight: Calling Heaven

A short one as I made my way back into finishing this story. Don't worry, there's still loads to come for Rachel and Kaleb. 

KALEB

Everyone was silent upon Helios' suggestion. Jules had her lips parted in shock, whilst both Enous and Elias were wide-eyed in bewilderment. Marcel was flicking his gaze between Helios and Rachel, whose panicked gaze didn't ease my own surprise, instead only increasing it.

He couldn't really be offering what I think he was offering.

Could he?

"Excuse me?" I said exasperated, unable to process what was actually being suggested.

Rachel looked bewildered at her father, hands half raised in the air as if to defend herself from being kidnapped right there and then. Marcel stood protectively beside her.

The pasta plate I'd had resting on my lap I now put on the bedside table, and swung my legs over the side of the bed to face my uncle and Rachel directly, as if doing so would help me understand what was actually unfolding in front of me.

"When you say your realm-" I began, repeating my uncle. Although Helios was quick to finish my sentence for me.

"I mean back in my- our home, in Heaven," he informed me matter-o-factly, gesturing to Rachel who still looked shell-shocked. Marcel was still beside her now with his arm around her shoulders, doing what I'd have been doing if I was just a little bit stronger. I sat defeated on the bed shaking my head at Helios.

"She can't just go to... Heaven," Jules spat, standing to attention with her face screwed up in hatred. The H word was clearly a struggle for her to say aloud, evident from the way she swallowed with distaste afterwards.

Whilst there were no restrictions nor consequences on saying 'holy' words for demons, that specific H word always left a copper taste in our mouth, as if leaving small little cuts and causing blood to leak out. Even now as a mortal, the mental effects were still prominent, and I couldn't bring myself to say it just yet.

Jules shook her head and continued. "She belongs in the Living World, with her family and friends!"

Helios scoffed at this comment and crossed his arms across his broad chest. "Family? Ha- the only family my daughter has left is myself and her other angelic siblings." At this, I saw a glimmer of surprise and even happiness flare in Rachel's eyes. I knew from our long chats over the last few months that she was thankful for my siblings having always wanted her own. Now finding out she had an entire family full must have eased that wanting.

"And as for friends, well, the only one I see here is the trustworthy Markus."

"It's Marcel," Elias suddenly argued, piping up after having been quiet for most of the scene taking place in front of us. I caught Marcel's eyes soften at my brother, and in return Elias winked back at him then smiled reassuringly.

I made a mental note to question him about that later once I'd dealt with the insulting Angel.

"My daughter's powers and strength of them is not something to be ignored nor denied, demons," Helios informed. "Their awakening acts as a calling to one's home, a calling to one's power source. For Rachel, its her powers calling Heaven, calling their birth right. It is the place for Rachel to embrace her full potential and heritage, and she should be able to explore that when life has been so unfair to her, something I want to make up for."

"It was your fault her life was like that!" Jules shouted, angry and extremely ready for a fight. Her eyes were turning red and black, yet in spite of this Helios laughed a big belly-laugh and waved her off.

"As if you could threaten me, child," he jested.
Then unexpectedly, Marcel stepped forward. "But Jules is right, you left Rachel and her mother, the same way Jonathan's dad left him. We are lucky that Rachel is a good-hearted person and didn't turn out like him."

Helios smirked, waving Marcel off. "Listen to yourself, you're a Living and know not what you speak of. An Angel doesn't have the capability to become something corrupt and evil like demons, let alone a bastard Cambion. My selected brother is a dishonour to his rulership."

"Don't you dare speak about our father like that you piece of shit!" Jules was screaming in rage, fury burning in her eyes and she began chanting under her breath, her spell beginning to form. However before she could finish it, Helios flicked his wrist and Jules' words were cut off as she fell unconscious. She dropped, smacking her head against the chair frame and crashing to the ground.

Everyone but Helios gasped and went to aid Jules, but Elias reached her first and pulled her head onto his lap. There was blood on his hands.

Enraged and ready for a fight, Enous got up again and charged towards our uncle. "How dare you hurt my sister! You're responsible for all of this!" He shouted, jumping over the bed.

Helios put himself in a stance of defence, ready for our more built brother whose fists were balled into that of fire. For a moment I thought that our bedroom was about to be torched, however the fire never had a chance to spread.

"STOP IT!"

Jumping in between with her arms outstretched between the two powered males was Rachel, and as Enous fell towards her his chest made contact with her palm. The second he touched her a blast of energy was released and he went flying backwards, crashing into Elias and then into the wall with a loud thud. When I looked back at Rachel, I was met with a very different Rachel to the one I was used to.

Her skin was glowing again but brighter, more blinding which had caused all my present siblings to cover their eyes. It made her look like she was made of porcelain like a doll, with her hair flying around her filled with electric currents pulsing through her. What got me was her eyes; they were glowing white, as if possessed, and her pupils were gone.

The power in Rachel was evident, and what was more evident was the potential for this power to grow should it not be properly controlled.

No one moved for a few moments, including Marcel who was plastered against the wall in shock.

It was Helios who moved first, and his first action was to pull a power-fueled Rachel into his embrace and begin whispering something untangable into her hair.

Whatever he said worked because her eyes then returned to normal, her skin no longer glowing with actual light, and her hair falling around her shoulders, finishing with her form crumbling into Helios's arms and knocking herself out momentarily as she returned to normal.

I immediately moved from the bed to where Helios held her, however for the first time since giving up my immortality, Rachel didn't call for me when she awoke. Instead she thanked someone whose name she'd never used growing up, never yearned for nor wished to speak to, and yet due to unforeseeable events, here he was.

"Thank you, Dad."

I felt a piercing sensation in my heart at that.

Helios brought them to their feet, whilst Marcel eased off the wall, Jules came out of her crouching position and the twins dusted themselves down. I took a step back, realising I wasn't needed at that moment.

Rachel looked round at us, saw the fear still in Marcel's eyes and the damage she had caused to the twins, then met my gaze where I tried to look as calm and as open to her as possible. However her look fell to the scar on my arm, and it was a moment of remembering that she had been the one to not only cause me pain but loose control of her powers again and cause others pain. She pulled from Helios' arms and bolted for the door in tears, and before I registered anything else, my feet were already following her.

That was, until Helios caught my shoulder and held me back.

"If I were you boy, I'd let her be. She needs time to compose her thoughts and embrace her true identity," he warned me.

I didn't wait before shrugging his hand off of me, looking him dead in the eye and narrowing my gaze.

"You may be her father, but I've been here for her over the last year, and I know that right now the worst thing for Rachel is to be alone right now."

With that, I ran after mygirlfriend out of the house and into the pouring rain as the thunder crashed inthe distance.