Taint, Time and Tangents✔️

EXTRA 4. The Red Gods

∞   SEVEN  ∞

"Eight, your robe." 

I pointed at his robe which was again carelessly stripped down and crumpled around his hips exposing his upper body. He looked back at me incredulously. I leered at him and he hesitantly placed his apple between his teeth and slipped his arms inside the robe – his eyes still disapproving. When he had worn it properly, he was about to munch again when I said, "...and the apple."

He groaned as I motioned for him to throw it. "Why are you so stingy?"

"Flakes would be there. We should be at our best"

We were walking above the surface of an ocean surrounding their fortress. It was a circular humongous place above piles of green mountains bordered by thick white clouds and strips of fog. 

We've decided to visit Nine. It has been months since one of us saw her. We've been forbidden to become humans for months because the Highest caught us sneaking to the Flakes' Fortress. It has lead to accumulation of gold-feathered mission, and, after almost a year, we finally had luxury of time to visit her.

"Nine is the reason why we're going there, not the other Flakes," Eight was saying, still eating his apple. His left arm was curled around Four's shoulder who was busy rubbing the fur of her new pet rabbit.

"I know... But they look up to us. If-"

"Seven, calm your tits," Five interjected, a wide grin tracing across his pale lips. "They're just Flakes."

"Nine is a Flake," I said, not knowing if I would be more irritated on his vulgar words or the fact that he was also looking down at Flakes. He had been blaming them for urging people to pray hence all the burden of fulfilling them was given to us.

"But I love her... Nine will always be one of us, " Five said and grabbed Eight's apple from his mouth and threw it somewhere.

"Holy fu-"

Eight shoved him hard and if not for Six who went in between them – they would have again another childish fight.

"Why are you even here?" Four said to Five, frowning. "After all that you've done..."

When he and Eight had calmed down, Five brushed his hair and straightened his robe "I gave her the chance to become a human for two months and she even got married because of me."

"Guys, please... the wound's still fresh," Six said, laughter evident on his voice, as he hugged Eight from behind, offering him another apple. The boys have this habit of clinging to Eight just to annoy him.

"I've moved on," Eight replied and swatted away Six' arms which made the latter laugh.

"You can always have an affair with her, you know." Six stated, his arms persistent on embracing him.

I rolled my eyes. Six has always been attracted to married girls. He said that it was fun to make a woman falter on her marriage once a hot guy like him showed up.

"Eight, don't you even dare –" Four started, her eyes glaring in heat.

"I won't," Eight shook his head. "I will never... And besides, she doesn't think of me that way."

"Aww... Our poor baby. Come here." Five said in a small voice and opened his arms.

Six guffawed but then he pulled away from Eight and stepped into Five's embrace. 

Five cupped Six' cheeks. "They say I'm the master of harmony and bliss... But they miss the word 'selfish'... I'm selfish, Nine."

Six batted his eyelashes and puckered his lips in an act of kissing. We were laughing as we watched them reenact the night of Eight kissing Nine. 

Eight cursed and hit their faces with apples. In a minute, they were all fighting.

"Keep it down, guys," I shouted at them as we were nearing the threshold of the fortress. "We're almost there." 

When they had calmed down, I continued on. "Just remember what I said before. No mentioning of..."

"...Zeke, Caldwell, mate, werewolves and marriage." They recited like obedient pupils.

"And no touching!" We still didn't know how our life force would affect her. We were way way above her now and it might hurt her.

When we entered the fortress, the Flakes all turned their heads towards us, probably surprised that all of the Amaranths where there. 

Their shouting got our attention. They were calling for someone named "Mrs. Caldwell."

Eight went up beside me. "I told you, our Nine's already a big girl... Stop worrying."

My eyes watered, palms covering my mouth as I saw her running towards us. It was like when she was just a little girl with dirt on her face, holding a worm on her hands. She was always grinning, her eyes sparkling. She was so happy back then.

And even now.

Her hair bounced as she ran. It was a bit longer now, the tips an inch past her shoulders. But it was not just her beaming eyes that struck us, but it was the way she smiled like she had been waiting for so long.

She waved at us and when she was almost near – love and happiness swelled on each of us. We couldn't stop ourselves.

We all ran and hugged her.

∞