Alexandra Adornetto: Halo

“We should leave,” Xavier whispered. “This is more than we can handle.”

“We can’t go without Molly.”

“Beth, we can’t let Jake know we’re here.”

“I can’t leave her, Xavier.”

He sighed. “Okay, I think I have an idea for getting her back, but you have to trust me and listen to what I say. A wrong move could cost her safety.”

I nodded and waited for Xavier to say more, but a blood-curdling scream commanded my attention. Molly was on her knees, Jake’s hand gripping the back of her neck. Her own hands were tied behind her with rope. The black fog was erupting from the stone angel’s mouth. Molly’s face was white with pain and confusion, but her eyes fixed intently on Jake. I couldn’t stand to see it. I stumbled out from behind the tombstone, ignoring Xavier’s yell of protest.

“What are you doing?” I screamed. “Stop this! Jake, let her go!” When I looked at Jake’s face, it was distorted with anger. I felt Xavier’s presence by my side. He positioned himself protectively between me and Jake.

Upon seeing him, Jake’s anger seemed to dissipate, and he folded his arms and cocked one eyebrow in an expression of amusement.

“Well, well,” he said. “What have we here? If it’s not the Angel of Mercy and her…”

“Molly, get down from there,” Xavier called out, and she obeyed dumbly, too stunned to argue or formulate any sort of response. Jake snarled.

“Don’t move,” he commanded her and Molly froze.

“You!” I pointed a finger at Jake. “We know what you are.”

He clapped his hands slowly and mockingly. “Well done. What a first-rate detective you are.”

“We’re not going to let you get away with this,” Xavier said. “There are four of us, and there’s only one of you.”

Jake laughed and waved a hand around him. “Actually there are many more of us, and the numbers increase daily,” he snickered. “It seems I’m quite popular.”

I stared at him in horror, feeling any confidence I’d had trickle away.

“You and your good deeds don’t stand a chance,” Jake said. “You might as well give up.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Xavier growled.

“Oh my, how sweet,” Jake said. “The human boy thinks he can defend the angel.”

“Believe me, I can and I will.”

“Do you actually think that you can hurt me?” Jake asked.

“You’ll find out if you try and hurt her,” Xavier replied.

Jake’s lip curled back, revealing his small, sharp teeth. “You should know that you’re playing with fire,” he smirked.

“And I’m not scared of getting burned,” Xavier spit out.

They glared at each other for a long moment, as if one was daring the other to act. I stepped forward.

“Just let Molly go,” I said. “There’s no need to hurt her; it doesn’t gain you anything.”

“I’ll gladly release her,” Jake smiled. “On one condition…”

“And what’s that?” Xavier asked.

“Beth must take her place.”

Xavier’s body tensed with anger, and his blue eyes flashed.

“Go to hell!”

“You poor, helpless human,” Jake taunted. “You’ve already lost one love, and now you’re about to lose another one?”

“What did you say?” asked Xavier, his eyes narrowing. “How do you know about her?”

“Oh, I remember her quite well.” Jake smiled sickeningly. “Emily, wasn’t it? Didn’t you ever wonder why her whole family made it out alive, but not her?” Xavier looked like he was about to throw up. I gripped his hand as Jake continued. “It was almost too easy — tying her to her bed, while the house went up in flames. Everybody thought she slept through the alarm, they didn’t hear her screaming over the roar of the flames.”

“You son of a bitch.” Xavier took several strides toward Jake but didn’t get very far. Jake smirked and his fingers twitched and before he could reach him, Xavier doubled over in pain, clutching his abdomen. He tried to right himself, but Jake sent him to the ground with a flick of his wrist.

“Xavier!” I cried, rushing to his aid. I felt his shoulders shuddering in pain. “Leave him alone!” I begged Jake. “Stop, please!”

In my head I tried to silently invoke God’s help by issuing a mental prayer: Almighty Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, deliver us from evil. Send your spirit to help us, and call forth the angels of salvation. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. ..”

But Jake’s powers clouded my prayer like a thick, black fog descending on me, forcing the words to stick in my mind until I felt my head might burst. Jake Thorn thrived on misery and pain, and I knew I couldn’t defeat someone like that alone. Xavier had been right. I wished I had listened. And, since no one was coming to my aid, there was only one way to help him and Molly, the only way I knew how.

“You can have me!” I shouted, opening my arms.

“No!” Xavier heaved himself to his feet, but he was no match for Jake’s dark strength, and he crumpled once again.

I didn’t hesitate; I ran forward, propeling myself into the circle. The group pressed forward, chanting in crazed voices until Jake raised a hand indicating they should retreat.

I reached out to Molly and managed to pry her away from his grasp.

“Run!” I gasped.

I felt the air being squeezed from my lungs as Jake closed in on me. The black fog overwhelmed me, and I slid to the ground, hitting my head hard on the corner of the stone angel’s plinth. I must have cut myself because I felt a warm trickle of blood on my brow. I tried to get up, but my body refused to comply. It was as if every drop of energy had leaked out of me. I opened my eyes and saw Jake standing above me.

“My brother and sister will never let you get away with this,” I murmured.

“I believe I already have,” Jake snarled. “I gave you the choice to join me, and like a fool, you declined.”

“You’re evil,” I said. “I’d never join you.”

“But naughty can be oh so nice.” Jake laughed.

“I’d rather die.”

“And so you will.”

“Get away from her,” Xavier yelled, his voice thick with pain. He was still crippled on the ground and unable to move. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Oh, shut up,” Jake snapped. “Your pretty face can’t save her now.”

The last thing I remembered before everything went dark was the greedy glint in Jake’s snake-green eyes and Xavier’s voice calling out to me.

I woke up in the backseat of a long car. When I tried to move, I realized some invisible force was pinning me down. Jake Thorn was in the driver’s seat and on either side of me were Alicia and Alexandra from my literature class. They watched me with chalky, expressionless faces as if I were a specimen in a laboratory. They kept their gloved hands folded in their laps. I struggled to move and almost succeeded, my elbow hitting Alexandra in the ribs.

“She’s being difficult,” she complained, and Jake tossed her a small package wrapped in foil.

“One of these should do the trick,” he said.

Alicia forced open my mouth with her gloved hand while Alexandra dropped a pale green pill down my throat, washing it down with liquid from a silver flask. The liquid burned as it coursed down my throat and spilled out my mouth. It choked me until I had no choice but to swallow. I gagged and spluttered, and the two girls exchanged a satisfied smirk. Their white faces and hollow eyes started to blur into a haze of misty blue, and a ringing began in my ears that drowned out all other sound. The last thing I was aware of was my heart beating much faster than normal, before I sank down into their bony laps and everything went black.