“Do you want me to lie to you?” I asked. “I’ve tried not to feel like this, I really have, but he’s not like other humans. He’s different . . . he understands.”
“Understands?” Gabriel’s voice was tremulous, so different from his usual calm. I’d always thought nothing could ruffle his composure. “Only a handful of mortals throughout history have ever come close to understanding the divine. Are you suggesting that your school friend is one of them?”
I shrank back. I’d never heard Gabriel speak in that tone before.
“What can I do?” I said softly, tears spilling out and pouring down my face. “I’m in love with him.”
“That may be, but your love is futile,” Gabriel said unsympathetically. “It is your duty to show understanding and compassion to all of humankind and your exclusive attachment to this boy is wrong. You are from different worlds. It cannot be. Now you have endangered your own life and his.”
“His?” I asked in panic. “What do you mean?”
“Calm down, Gabriel,” Ivy said. She gripped his shoulder. “This situation has arisen and now it must be dealt with.”
“I have to know what’s going to happen!” I cried. “Will they call us back to the Kingdom?
Please, I have a right to know.”
I hated to be seen like this, so desperate, so completely lacking in control, but I knew that if I wanted to keep my entire world from falling apart, I would have to keep Xavier.
“It seems to me that you have forfeited any rights you had. There is only one thing now that can be done,” said Gabriel.
“What?” I asked, trying to keep the hysteria out of my voice.
“I need to speak with the Covenant.”
I knew he meant the circle of archangels that were called upon to intervene only in the direst of situations. They were the strongest and most powerful of our kind—together, they could bring the world to its knees. Gabriel obviously felt the need to call for reinforcements.
“Will you explain how it happened?” I asked.
“There will be no need,” Gabriel replied. “They will already know.”
“What’ll happen then?”
“They will give their verdict and we will obey.”
Without another word, Gabriel swept from the kitchen, and moments later, we heard the front door close behind him.
The wait was excruciating. Ivy brewed cups of chamomile tea and sat with me in the living room, but it seemed a black cloud had descended over us both. We were in the same room but there was an ocean between us. Phantom too became uneasy, sensing that things weren’t right, and burrowed his face in my lap. I tried to block out the thought that, depending on the verdict, I might never see him again either.
We didn’t know where Gabriel had gone, but Ivy said it was most likely somewhere desolate and empty where he could communicate with the archangels without human interference. It was a bit like using wireless Internet—you had to find the best place to connect and the fewer humans around the better the connection. Gabriel needed somewhere he could meditate easily and contact the forces in the universe.
I didn’t know much about the other six in Gabriel’s arch. I knew them only by name and reputation. I wondered if any of them would be sympathetic to my cause.
Michael was the leader of the arch. He was a Prince of Light, angel of virtue, honesty, and salvation. Unlike the others, Michael was the only one who served duties as Angel of Death.
Raphael was known as the Medicine of God because he was a healer and it was his duty to oversee the physical well-being of his charges on earth. He was talked of as the warmest of the archangels. Uriel was called the Fire of the Lord as he was the Angel of Punishment and was one of those called upon to devastate Sodom and Gomorrah. Raguel’s purpose was to watch over the others in the arch and ensure they behaved in compliance with the code set by the Lord.
Angel of the sun, Zerachiel, kept constant watch over Heaven and earth. Ramiel’s role was to oversee divine visions given to the chosen ones on earth. It was also his duty to lead souls into judgment when their time came.
And of course there was Gabriel. He was known as the Hero of God, chief warrior of the
Kingdom. But unlike the others, who were distant and removed, I looked upon Gabriel as my brother, protector, and friend. I recalled a human saying about the power of blood ties. I felt that way about Gabe and Ivy—we were of the same spirit. I hoped I hadn’t destroyed that bond through one careless action.
“What do you think they’ll say?” I asked Ivy for the fifth time, and she let out a heavy sigh.
“I honestly don’t know, Bethany.” Her voice sounded far away. “We were given clear instructions not to allow ourselves to be exposed. Nobody expected that rule to be violated, and so the consequences were never discussed.”
“You must hate me,” I said in a small voice.
She turned to look at me. “I can’t pretend to understand what you were thinking,” she said.
“But you’re still my sister.”
“I know I can’t justify what I’ve done.”
“Your incarnation is different from ours. You feel things so passionately. To us, Xavier is like every other human; to you, he is something completely different.”
“He’s everything.”
“That’s just reckless.”
“I know.”
“To make one person the center of your world is bound to end in disaster. There are too many factors outside your control.”
“I know,” I repeated with a sigh.
“Is there any chance you can retract your feelings?” Ivy asked. “Or is that out of the question?”
I shook my head. “It’s too late.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say.”
“Why am I so different?” I asked after a moment. “Why do I have these feelings? You and
Gabe can command what you feel. It’s like I have no control at all.”
“You are young,” said Ivy slowly.
“It’s not that.” I twisted my hands. “There must be something else.”
“Yes,” my sister agreed. “You are more human than any angel I’ve ever known. You have identified strongly with earth. Your brother and I are homesick—this place is foreign to us. But you, you fit in here. It’s like you’ve always belonged.”
“Why?” I asked.
My sister shook her head. “I don’t know.” For a moment I caught a wistful look on her face and wondered if in some small recess of her mind, she wished she could understand my allconsuming love for Xavier. But the look vanished before I could dwell on it.