Just Checking Up! Part Seventy: The New Angel and a Bad Feeling!

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Silks paced back and forth, her inverted bob bouncing up and down with each step. Her usual burgundy boots clicked away, my frustration brewing. House arrest due to medical recovery made her twitchier than ever, her nerves fraying by the day. A slight bump had me blushing slightly, her wings fluttering irately. Fussing with her black and burgundy kimono, a paper fluttering to the floor sent her into another panic attack. Locking our bedroom door behind us, my arms caught her. Fresh scratches covered her neck, guilt devouring me whole. Collapsing into a rough slumber, relief washed over me. Slumber had evaded her for weeks at this point, a tuck into our bed quickly dashing that. Slipping into another one of her nightmares, the twins wailing began to overwhelm me. Glancing to the left of me, another of those damn pearls rolled to my feet. 

Cal tripped in, his hand snatching my wrist the second the toes of my dress boots hit the pearls. Throwing us into a glitching version of my gifted dimension, black sand felt cool against my cheek. Not right, the sand should be warm at the very least. Something wasn’t right here, a gnawing feeling swelling in my gut. Icy waves cracked onto the beach, ivory water was the last thing I expected to see. A crystal cage held a curled up Silks, her dark version guarding her from shadowy forms. Sniffing the air, this place was an in between space crafted to keep Silks in her mental horror show. 

“So the trap called out to you. Is the strife of her breaking you down destroying your soul?” A snide male voice queried cruelly, a pair of claws tickling the back of my neck. “Nightmares are my specialty. Silks has been feeding me well, real well.” Cal leaned onto my shoulders, his sharp black suit contrasting my simple black t-shirt and ripped black jeans. Playing with my upside down cross earring, his eyes darted over to a crack in the dimension. Someone was running on empty, Silks fully snapping into her body. 

“Send them home, you fucking prick!” She demanded maniacally, her rounded eyes lingering on the sand. “This isn’t their nightmare to live.” The crack deepened, Electrox busting in with a worn staff. 

“Not going to work, Miss Silks.” He sang gleefully, the staff flipping over his fingers. “Too many people care about you. Besides, don’t you feel a bit drained.” Her dark version hissed in his direction, the nightmare demon glowering at the two of them arguing over her. Silks failure to end the bickering pissing her off further, fury burning in her eyes. 

“Shut the fuck up! I am my own person! One of you tried to kill me for a long time and the other one is smothering me with his angelic energy. No one is giving me space to freaking grieve, damn it!” She exploded with huffs, her fingers playing with the bell on her ear. “Fuck all of this! Now I have another kid on the way and I don’t know how to keep everyone safe as it is!” An eerie silence bit the air, the scene shifting to how it usually was. A deep scarlet melted the waves, the sand warming up. 

“Nightmares will always haunt me but you won’t keep feeding upon me.” She roared while rising to the heels of her boots. “Strike bold and true. Screw all of you for trying to decide everything for me!” A jolt of black lightning cooked the demon to ash, a flurry of orange fire lily petals whisking her away. Shortened breaths plagued my chest, everything I had been doing was wrong once more. Cal ran his hand through his hair, his gentle eyes soaking in everything. Crumbling to nothing, the ash of her flowers fluttered into his palm. Pressing it into Electrox’s and my trembling palm, a stern expression came over his features. 

“Today’s research will be led by me. Go find her with him and work it out.” He uttered under his breath, Electrox taking my side. “Bring our queen home. Tell her that we can help her out. No longer is she alone.” Hugging him, a snap of his fingers ditched us in a gray sandy wasteland of Hell. Fright widened Electrox’s eyes, an apology waiting on his tongue. Harsh words rested on my lips, most of the fault weighing my soul down. 

Sinking further into a panic attack, clammy sweat drenched my skin. A warmth spread over me, his hand on shoulder shutting it down abruptly. Understanding why she liked him, his brotherly energy felt like a lantern in the shadows. Glancing up at him, a ball of her black lightning floated on the tip of his staff. 

“Every source of electricity this staff absorbs is remembered. Do you know a tracking spell?” He suggested calmer than I could have ever been. “Together we can solve this problem. The faster we find her, the sooner she is out of danger.” Nodding our heads together, my claws drew dragon symbols and three circles. Hoping it was right, Frice and I had been working hard. Waking up my dragon flames, a slam of my palms had the symbols glowing to life. 

“I can do you one better. This should take us to the dimension. Forgive me if makes me a little zapped out for a minute.” I returned just as friendly, the circles beginning to spin. “One can assume my back is covered?” Stepping up behind me, on tap of his staff sped them up. A torrent of her lightning danced to life, the heat of it all tossing us into a sea of abandoned brick cottages. Groaning into the dirt at the same time, grace had not been permitted to us to land properly. Inky rivers pooled blood around my face, my nose showing off how hard the spell was on me. Sitting up with a steady stream of curse words, horror wrote itself all over my features. A clear battle had taken place, Electrox looking a lot more frightened than me. Curious as to what the source was, a quiet fuck escaped my lips. Silks hid behind the largest wall of debris, about twenty dark angels seeming to want to hunt her down. Cold eyes of all colors darted around, their silver armor glinting in the darkening orange moonlight. 

“Come out, my little red haired rabbit!” A tall helmeted freaky male angel called out, his fluffy black wings moving in an aggressive manner. “Electrox, I can smell you! Where the Hell are you! Shame what happened to our darling angel, Bless! Sucks that you need electricity to do a damn thing about it. I must confess something, my dear pal! The attack was ordered by me alone. Our favorite boss placed her trust in me. Boy, did it work!” Silks’ breath hitched, mixed emotions staining her cheeks. Getting on her hands and knees, her determined expression woke up a big terror in my soul. Creating a fog for them, revenge belonged to them. A deep evil plagued his aura, light no longer penetrating the foul edges. Full corruption could never be cured, Silks sending out a bunch of black lightning Electox’s way. Blooming a field of her own fire lilies, my breath hitched. A dried up pool captured my eyes, another nod alerting her of my discovery. Shooting me a shadow of her smile, a plan had been formulated. Absorbing what she was giving him, jet black rivers poured from her nostrils. Dropping her mask over her mouth and nose, a kick to the flowers created a bigger distraction. Skidding into view, a wave annoyed him further. 

“Funny to run into you here. Leave my brother out of it, will you?” She teased the dark angel venomously, “Oh right, I forgot. You idiots need a whole crew to fight one little rabbit. Such is the case on these lovely hunts. Come and get your little rabbit, you nasty fox!” Sprinting in the opposite direction, a wave of silver laced black water flowed through the cracks into the empty pool while I maintained the fog. Electrox kicked off the cobblestone, his stealth hiding his location. Still absorbing what she was giving him, the staff began to quake from the sheer force of their combined powers. Crashing by me again, the silent I love you boosted my confidence. Pouring more of my powers into our plan, she flipped over a couple of piles of debris. Jumping into the water, dark angels jumped in. Swimming to the surface, a swift kick knocking the last hand off of her ankle. Bursting out of the water, another tap had my vines holding them down. Flying past Electrox, a drop of his staff blinded even her. Dropping towards me, my arms caught her. Wheezing a bit, a few cuts covered her good leg. Failure to protect her slapped me in the face, a mixture of dread and remorse bubbling in my gut.  

“Sorry for losing it on you.” She apologized sincerely, ash shooting up like fireworks behind her. “Unfortunately the big guy is still flying around like a damn gnat.” Rolling out of my arms, she struggled to stand. Magic poison prevented me from standing, her curved blades crackling to life. Wiping the water off of her face, armor clanking inches from her confirmed her worst fears. 

“So the little rabbit is clever.” He mused darkly, his wings burning from the cloud of our attack. “What do you plan to do next? Are you going to kill me?” A simple no slipped off of her quivering lips, her blood soaked hands bouncing her blades off of her palms. 

“What is with your nonchalant attitude!” He roared in confusion, ash flying up as he charged at her. Sparks and ash danced in the air with every violent clash of his tarnished brass straight blades, respect shining in his eyes for a brief moment. Jamming her metal knee into his stomach, cracks shattered his arm. Shock rounded his eyes, tenacity driving her to fighting on. Summoning more fog, blood globs built up in my throat. Coughing it up, my vision blurred as it painted the back of my palm. Electrox came down from nowhere, his lightning covered staff piercing the monster’s soul. Shouting something, an involuntary slumber stole me away. 

Groaning awake, cold silver cavern floors grazed my cheek. Electrox kept guard at the mouth of the cave system, an exhausted Silks rushing to my side. Her hair fell like curtains around her stunning features, her eyes flitting all around to assure our safety. Fresh scars spoke of healing, pride glittering in her eyes. 

“Something destroyed the block of my healing powers. Hell, I was able to heal you.” She bragged with her genuine smile, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. “Aren’t you proud of me?” Shrugging her shoulders adorably, my heart threatened to beat once more. Her beauty knew no bounds, my breath hitching as she drew her face closer to mine. Chaos erupted outside, her hand yanking me to my feet. Feeling the equivalent of a hangover, a migraine throbbed to life. Whistling sharply, her arm clung to my waist. Zooming deeper into the cave system, Electrox kept behind her. Black arrows bounced off the rocky walls, a wall of orange fire lilies buying a little bit of time. Tripping over a ledge, her wings folded over us. A rush of water thrashed us into random rocks, her whimpers not helping out my immense guilt. Why couldn’t I step up! Fresh fractures dotted her wings, her grip loosening upon the natural force vomiting us onto a silver beach. Broken feathers cracked my soul further, Electrox washing up next to us. Not one fracture existed on his wings, her repair fortifying them beyond a normal limit. Hoisting himself to his boots, gorgeous water shimmered a few centimeters from our hands. Rolling onto her side, fresh lightning snapped to life. Snaking its way into his staff, a kick landed it into. 

Water bubbled violently, Silks curling her fingers around both of our wrists. Orange fire lilies swirled to life around us, the force of the spell tossing our bodies onto the streets of New Orleans. Clinging to her on the way down, fresh pain jolted every muscle in my body. Praying the crowd would keep us safe, some kind of costume festival kept us secure. Dragging me in between the bustling people, any dark angels were forced to back off. 

Running until we couldn’t, Silks collapsed into my arms at the foot of an angel gravestone in the closest cemetery. Shivering in my arms, midnight black ribbons poured from the corner of her eyes and nose. Holding my sleeve to her nose, her limit had been met a long while ago. Scanning the area like a trapped animal, this dark angel thing had planted a seed of great unrest. One could never relax if the monsters hunting her were everywhere, I thought angrily to myself. 

“Are you guys okay?” A kind woman’s voice queried behind me, an elderly woman coming into view. “An angel, a demon and the queen of Hell. This could be the beginning of a damn joke. Who walked into the damn bar first?” Silks snorted weakly, her wings beginning to crack back into place. Milky eyes met hers, the hem of her Gothic Hippie moon printed style dress swaying as she approached us. 

“Madame Noiria, right?” Silks coughed in an exhausted manner, her blood painting my sleeve. “Forgive my appearance. Many obstacles blocked my home and I accidently landed here. Do you need anything?” Shaking her head, those wild gray curls spoke of a freedom to dream of. 

“Perhaps a bit of shelter for the three of you.” She answered in that sweet Southern accent, her palm cupping Silks’ cheek. “That young one thriving in you wouldn’t mind a bit of Southern hospitality. I can’t provide you food or drink but maybe a bit of tea could be spilled as the kids say. Some dark angels have made camp deep in the swamp and people have gone missing. Do you think you could help out?” Motioning for her to lead the way, Silks crawled onto my back. 

Walking to a cool magic shop in an awkward silence, no one paid any heed to us. Locking the door behind her, real magic buzzed in her shop. Pausing in front of a cool dragon stone, the surface glittered away. Scooping it up, her knotty fingers dropped it into my free palm. Bewilderment twisted my features, the smooth black stone swirled to life with silver streaks before settling down. 

“Something about that stone wants to go home with you. Take it as payment for what you are about to do. Also, magic calls out to who it wants to. Come along to the back.” She sang jovially, her shoulders shimmying. Locking another purple door, a cauldron full of a sparkling liquid boiled away. Fortunes read glared down at me, my brow cocking, her tiny five foot two frame jumped at the sound of Electrox settling in the corner closest to the door. Digging around her drawer, Silks slid off of me to observe what she could. Staring into the cauldron, a drop of her blood turned it clear. Images of battles flashed too fast for her to read, Noiria running over to shove Silks out of the way. Alas it was too late, a numb look had washed over Silks’ features. Excusing herself to the adjoined bathroom, sounds of vomiting didn’t exactly aid the dominating silence.  

“Some things are not meant to be seen.” Noiria uttered under her breath, a snap of her fingers ending the movie. “The future isn’t set in stone. Cheer her up.” Going back to gathering the needed information, the bathroom door swung open to let me in. A broken Silks leapt into my arms, her head getting buried into my chest. Sobbing uncontrollably, something horrid had planted itself into her brain. Passing out in my arms, an answer would have to wait. Carrying her out to the room, a nice purple couch had been set up for me. Plopping onto it, curiosity taunted me. The urge to save her kept poking me, a low growl rumbling in my throat.  

“She will open when she is ready, right?” Electrox pointed out hopefully, his gentle smile meeting mine. “Sure, she drives me up the wall with all this emotional secrecy but I have faith in her.” Chewing on my bottom lip, something about this freak out felt off. Futures were meant to be kept in the shadows because knowing could be detrimental. 

“I don’t know, Feathers.” I choked out numbly, his eyes tracking the old witch pulling our next job together. “Something spooked her right out of her skin.” Agreeing with an exchange of looks, the hero being scared never meant anything great. Clinging onto me desperately, her nightmares began anew. Massaging the bridge of my nose, his voice brought me out of an approaching panic attack. 

“Not true. Her book doesn’t end. When pages are blank, greatness and wit lie in the ink being scrawled across the pages.” He comforted me in a brotherly tone, his eyes lingering on her. “No one has welcomed me with such open arms besides my sister. Protection will come at all costs. Count on me for that.” Pressing my lips into a thin line, another death was the last thing she needed. Perhaps another passing was what triggered her.   

“Please don’t do that.” I pleaded in a whisper to not wake her up, confusion contorting his tired grin. “Every death causes her to spiral a little bit more. Thanks.” Consuming my words, his head nodded once. Sitting in uncomfortable silence, a lilac smoke had my head drooping forward. Curling into a ball around Silks, a welcome slumber embraced me. Please protect us in the next job, Big Guy.