[BOOK TWO]
"Anniversaries to some are like counting the years spent doing something great, years spent together, or years spent alive." I started slowly, voice dropping to a drawl as I peeked cautiously out of my bedroom blinds, scanning the road to...
PARADISE WAS A beautiful place where the sun never seemed to stop shining. The trees were homes for blue birds that sang melodious tunes all through the rays of the glittering golden sun, and the clouds were always a blinding white. An endless meadow stretched on forever and ever, some trees lining the area to create a hidden serene forest and nothing more. In this place, nothing seemed short of a haven. And yet, all this time my heart could not rest itself.
The stretch came to a stop when Lucius halted in his steps, a relieved smile finally appearing on his features as he placed his hand on the small of my back.
"We're finally here," he said with a sigh, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he took in a deep breath. "We're safe here."
Even with Lucius' words, all I could ever think of for that moment was that we will never be truly safe. Death is everywhere, always looking, always observing. With a small display of weakness, Death will strike to bring those against him down. And at that moment, the opposing team includes me.
"Where exactly is safe?" An eyebrow raised, the question flew past my lips as I examined the area, only to see a long line of emerald green trees looming ahead. They created a forest, continuing on what the meadow had stopped into the edge of infinity.
"There," with a single finger, Lucius pointed towards the forest as a few figures began to appear from within. "The connecting point between Heaven and Paradise. The realm of the angels."
One after another, bodies began to appear, all carrying a spear or weapon of sort as they began to advance towards us. The leader, a middle-aged man with dirty blond hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes, stopped short for a moment when he noticed Lucius. He grinned, lips stretching apart handsomely as he raised a palm up to signal the others to drop their weapons.
"Lucius!" The man seemed thrilled at the sight of my companion, laughing merrily as the others began to cheer as well. "Welcome home, brother."
Delighted, Lucius took a few steps forward before the two embraced in a man-hug, chuckling loudly against the wind. "Jonah. It's wonderful to see you again." And then he turned, eyes sparkling as he raised both his hands as if embracing the skies. "All of you!"
The crowd went wild, yelling in joy and triumph as Lucius returned to my side. The man, Jonah, followed as well, his eyes trailing down to examine me with caution before a look of realization dawned on his features.
"Jonah, this is Addison, the girl I was assigned to--"
"--protect," Jonah finished with a smile. I took his outstretched hand as he grasped mine tightly, shaking it slightly before releasing. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Pilediah. Lucius had mentioned much of you."
"All good things?"
The older man laughed heartily at my comment, grinning broadly as he nodded once in firm confirmation. "Only ever of good things." Jonah tilted his body slightly to face Lucius, the smile disappearing into a grim-looking expression. "Come, Lucius. We must head to camp before dark falls upon us. Death's subjects dwell within the shadows. It is better for us to be near the sources of light when the time arrives."
There was something hidden within those beautiful eyes of the two angels; a cryptic message sent between them as Lucius paused for a moment before nodding. A silent understanding was then passed on between everyone as the group turned, Lucius' hand that was placed on the small of my back urging me to follow them and walk on.
I've seen that look on Lucius before.
He and I shared quite a few back during our mischief-filled days of high school, and most of them time, we were planning something absolutely sinister. Truth to be told, I wasn't a good person back in those days. I lived to serve one purpose and one purpose only: to make the lives of freshmen and the 'bottom-class-people' a complete living hell. I guess this was perhaps the retribution that was served to me for all my horrible decisions back in the days.
Nevertheless, I kept my eyes and ears peeled for any suspicious activity as we neared the forest more and more. Lucius and Jonah were hiding something for me, and I wish to find out what. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but thank god I'm not one.
Men and women littered the area, all sharp with attention as they eyed the three of us. As the clearing of trees passed, a whole different world was revealed, one that looked so alike the forests of home and yet so very different.
Possibly millions of white flowers dotted the rims of the trees, blending in with the emerald leaves of summer time and creating a paradise within Paradise itself. Small tents scattered the area, all hidden beneath the shades of the huge branches. Sunlight filtered into the area in-between the cracks of the canopy, and as we passed, the sweet floral scent that perfumed the area only grew stronger.
"Lucius," I started slowly as a small feeling of worry begin to creep into the rims of my heart. "Why do these angels not have wings?"
"We can keep them hidden." His reply was crisp and clean-cut, as if he never wanted to reply at all and was instead only doing so out of politeness. "Having them out all the time is a hassle and oddly difficult to control when we aren't in Heaven."
Stopping right in front of a great oak tree, Lucius took in a deep breath before sighing in tire, placing his fingers over the sides of his temple, massaging it slowly. Noticing Lucius' detachment, Jonah shook his head before offering me a forced smile, placing a hand on Lucius' shoulder before nodding once at me.
"If you'll excuse me, Miss Pilediah. Lucius and I have much to speak of."
When he noticed my alarmed expression from the possibility of being left alone, Jonah chuckled lightly before his smile melted into a more natural one.
"No worries there, Miss. I will return him to you before nightfall. Until then." He took a big dramatic bow before clapping Lucius' back twice, marching on back to where the angels mainly gathered.
He was barely even a few feet away before he turned back, only to see that Lucius was still rooted to his spot. Jonah waved once, beckoning Lucius over as the younger blond cast me an unreadable look for a brief moment.
"Go," I nudged. "I'll be fine."
Seeming unconvinced, Lucius jogged forward to reach Jonah's side nevertheless. They were still within hearing range when I sat on the grass, ears pricked with attention when I heard Jonah's deep accented voice speaking in a poor hushed whisper.
"The war is looming closer towards us, Lucius. We need our numbers and the only way to do that is to go back to Heaven and recruit our fellow brothers and sisters."
"Patience, Jonah. Death will get the challenge he had placed. When the bait is ready, he will come for it."
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