Page 53 of Crimson Promises
My interaction with her should've been limited to the project we had to work on. Instead, I found myself agreeing to more. My mind was already conjuring up the advantages of being in a dark room with her body next to mine for at least ninety minutes.I am so fucked.
I hung a right onto Interstate 26. Ten minutes past the Necanicum River was an unmarked dirt road riddled with potholes and stones.Nox,I whispered. The previously dark road was now bright blue, illuminating my tracks from the other night. I weaved the Ducati through the dips and parked it underneath a drooping willow tree.
Saddle Mountain State Natural Area had been temporarily closed to the public since Aurora started her sophomore year. Its shrouded forest, varying peaks, and valleys offered the perfect cover to fly undetected. Usually, I would have flown out and above the water, but since I was actively participating in life at Arch Cape, I didn’t want to chance being recognized. Saddle Mountain provided a safe place to literally spread my wings and fly.
When Aurora was on top of me, she dug her nails into my skull, pulling me closer to her. My wings had burned, itching for her to touch them. But showing them to Aurora wasn’t an option. Exposing an angel’s wings during pleasure was rare and wasn’t something I took lightly. As much as I wanted to wrap my wings around us earlier and claim her as my own, it wouldn’t happen. More than that, it couldn’t.
I slipped off my leather jacket. How Aurora described her first time on the motorcycle captured only a fraction of the euphoria that flowed through my body when I flew.
Walking about ten minutes to a circular clearing just east of the summit, I magically opened the invisible slats on my shirt and released my wings. Wingspans varied from angel to angel, just as hair color or shoe size does for humans. Reportedly, families within The Gifted traded magical objects for favors at The Sublime Nocturne to ensure their descendants carried a wider wingspan.
The Originals’ wings were all thirteen feet on each wing. When I joined the army, mine measured ten feet on each side. Before that, as an Ordinary, no one cared to count. I let the memory and the anger that came with that reminder flow through my veins.
I rocked back on my ankles and shot into the sky. It was exhilarating to feel yourself fade away from the earth, to see the ground become smaller beneath you. The novelty of flying never wore off. While flying, it was just me and the wind, an escape from my burdens and responsibilities.
I wasn’t proud of how I handled things when I slid Aurora off my lap. She was never great at concealing her emotions, and I knew immediately when she started huffing and puffing that I had hurt her. I didn't get how she could think I didn’t want her. She pointedly felt the evidence. Rejection and anger were written plainly across her face. So, I offered her the only thing I could, which would allow me to still be close to her to get what I needed and didn’t wholly sever my connection to her—friendship.
I banked left and then right and used the valley as my very own obstacle course. Staying off the Originals radar was imperative, but it was a necessary precaution to always remain in fighting form.
I meandered near the river and skimmed the water with the tip of my wing. A shudder made its way through my entire body. The river led to a cascading waterfall protected by cliffs of limestone. Pink, purple, and yellow wildflowers popped up in crevices of unyielding stone. Life found a way to continue even in the toughest of circumstances. I circled there three, four, maybe more times. This flight did nothing to clear the confusion around the importance of Aurora’s necklace. Michael was right. Now I understood its emotional significance to Aurora; what I didn't understand was why Michael cared. Now I had to confirm with him she lost it.That’ll go over real well, I’m sure.
Tucking my wings in tight, I swooped down to the valley. This wasn't something I could work out in the sky today. I walked the length of the river and then back again. There were just so many fucking things to unpack. Making a mental list could help put things in order. I never anticipated using the techniques I picked up on listening in on Aurora’s therapy appointments. Stephen started bringing her when she was old enough to understand that other kids had a mom and she didn’t. She had begun asking questions that her father didn’t know how to answer.
One of the tools Aurora's therapy sessions taught her to combat her trauma proved useful for my mental health, as well. Particularly, writing an info dump to get to the source of the problem. Without a pen and paper, I pulled out my phone and opened a blank note page.
1. Aurora lost her mother’s necklace
A. What is so significant about it that it is on Michael’s radar?
B. Can I track it down?
2. Aurora’s nightmares
A. She hadn’t had them since she was a kid. Do they mean something? Or is it coinciding with the trauma she has been experiencing lately?
3. Aurora’s healing power - NEEDS TO BE KEPT SECRET
A. Demons are after her now—Fuck. My. Life.
B. How do they know about her healing abilities?
C. She has no idea how to control them.
D. They seem to appear when she’s experiencing peaks of emotions.
E. I saw her powers for the first time since she was a kid at Vic & Darlene’s. Her cut healed itself within seconds.
4. Her accident (relates to the points above)
A. She doesn’t remember that I, or Remy, was there
B. Remembers the full scope of her injuries at the accident. Fortunately, she didn’t push to share the news with others. Aware of the complications that would cause her (humans explain away unexplainable situations with logic rather than accepting what could be there)
5. Who is she?
A. Why is Michael so interested in her?
B. Who is her mother? She must have some angelic heritage to inherit those abilities.
