Chapter Sixteen

Zac was sitting in his usual spot in English when Lacey ran in and, with a quick nod, dumped her books and sat beside him. The weekend had been so full on, so many revelations; it was comforting to see a normal familiar face. Especially one that wasn’t an ethereal being. As she opened her text to the necessary page and prepared her notebook for writing, Lacey wondered what Zac made of the events of the previous Friday night. If it hadn’t been for Cam’s interference, they would definitely have kissed. Lacey twiddled her thumbs, waiting for the class to start. She wasn’t going to be the one to mention it first.

“So, where’d you get to on Friday night?” Zac had turned and was addressing her straight on. He seemed a bit peeved. Which was totally understandable.

“What do you mean?”

“You disappeared into the woodwork without so much as a goodbye. We had to pack all the picnic stuff away without you.”

Lacey stared at him. Was he on drugs? A freaking enormous angel had swooped down on them. He’d attempted to fight it off. There had to be physical signs of the altercation. He must have had some bruising from the way Cam tossed him. “I…. uh…I… Zac, don’t you remember what happened?”

“Yeah. I was about to kiss you and I rolled over for a sec to put my beer down and you ran off. Listen, Lacey, I know you’ve had a rough time and I’m trying to take it slow and all but seriously, that was a bit much. You’re not twelve.”

“I didn’t run off.”

“Yeah, you did. Off into the dark like I had an STD or something. Which I don’t, by the way.”

Okay, this was crazy. The only thing that Lacey could come up with was that Cam had done something to Zac’s memory because Zac had no idea what had happened on Friday night. It was if Cam had never flown down on them, wings spread to lift him in the air. Either that or Zac was a really good actor.

Lacey squinted at him, trying to decide which. If it were the latter, she could play along. If it were the first, she had no intention of letting him in on the secret. Let him think what he liked. It certainly made things easier.

“Yeah, look, I’m sorry about that. You freaked me out a bit, that’s all. I haven’t been that close to a boy in a while.”

“You’re not going to run away next time I try to kiss you, are you?”

Lacey gave a coy smile. “Don’t think so.”

“And you don’t hate me?”

“No. If anything, you should be down on me for dumping you like that.” It was true. Zac had done nothing too bad. All he’d wanted was a kiss. Funny, how Cam had felt the need to protect her from that when he was meant to be staying in the background of her life. She’d have to ask him why.

“So, do you want me to walk you home after school? I don’t mind waiting.”

Lacey nodded. There was no denying she liked Zac, despite her growing feelings for Cam and it wasn’t as if either one of them had a monopoly on her. She could be friends with them both.

“That’d be cool.”

*****

She’d called it a day. Everything was coming along for her exhibition. With the help of Mrs Perkins, she’d chosen the final pieces to be displayed and made notes on how she could improve them, things to be added or deleted. For the first time in a while, Lacey felt satisfied enough to quit early. Take a breather.

“Ready?” Zac was leaning against the door of the locker room, where Lacey had been packing away. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his school pants, his black bag slung over his shoulder.

“Yep. Just getting my stuff.” Pulling her bag from her locker, she threw her homework in and slammed the door shut. “Ready.”

“Shall we do the Willow Walk?”

Lacey nodded. Clearly, Zac had no memory of the last time they’d been there together, either. The fact that Cam liked to ‘run’ through the Walk in the late afternoon had slipped his mind or he’d chosen to forget it. Oh well, it was early yet. Maybe Cam wouldn’t be there this time.

They set off down the corridor and along towards the front door. From somewhere deep in the bones of the school, Lacey could hear music, like a fanfare of trumpets. A shiver ran down her spine. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

“Can you hear that?”

Zac paused, cocking his ear in the direction she had been looking. “What?”

“The music. It’s like trumpets or horns or something.”

Zac strained. “It’s probably the Jazz ensemble. They rehearse on Thursdays I think.”

“Can't you hear it?”

“Nup.”

“It sounds awful.”

Zac grinned. “Yeah, they could do with a bit more practice, I reckon.”

Lacey stopped to open the glass doors. “You really can’t hear that?” she asked again.

Zac shrugged.

Lacey followed Zac out the school gates and down the road towards the path along Seraphim River. Their shoulders were close but not as close as Lacey would have expected given Zac had tried to kiss her the other night. She hoped he wasn’t still annoyed at her ‘running away.’ He’d denied it but you never knew.

As they reached the corner near the Devil’s Lair Inn, Zac paused and took Lacey’s hand in his. His fingers twined through hers, warming her hand against the cold of the autumn breeze.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked as they strolled along.

“Not at all. In fact, I was sort of thinking how nice it was.”

Zac looked at her. His eyes were happy. “Yeah. Me too.”

They rounded the corner to Lacey’s street and began the short climb to her house. So far the walk had been uneventful. Peaceful even. Then, reaching her gate, Lacey let go of Zac’s hand and turned to face him. “Well, this is me. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Zac moved towards her. Though his bag still swung from his shoulder, he slid a free hand to her waist and pulled her a little closer. “Yeah. S’pose so.”

His lips were near. The school bag slipped to the dirt. All she had to do was pucker. Heart pounding, a shiver of expectation ran down her spine and she leant into his chest, breathing in that intoxicating cinnamon smell of his.

“Bye, then,” she whispered.

“Yeah. Bye.”

His face was almost touching hers. His lips, ripe and lusty, moistened for the kiss.

“Hey, Lacey.”

“Fucking hell.” Zac jumped away.

Cam was sitting on the porch swing, sharing a cool drink with Aunt Beth. He lifted up his glass to greet them. Trust him. Trust her.

“What is with that dude?” Zac muttered. “Every-fucking-where I go, he turns up.”

“Do you guys want a cold drink?” Cam called. “Aunt Beth has Sprite.”

Lacey stifled a giggle at the look of utter disgust on Zac’s face.

“Coming….” she answered. “Bye, Zac.”

“Yeah. Whatever,” he muttered, taking up his bag and storming off down the path. “Freaking loser.”

*****

“Why are you here?” Lacey hissed, after Aunt Beth had gone into the house to fetch her a drink.

“Beth invited me for dinner.”

Lacey glared at him. As if. And since when had he and Aunt Beth been on first name terms?

“She did. I was in the shop this afternoon, looking for that book about statues you recommended and she came up to me and said - and I quote - ‘I guess if my niece has some sort of guardian angel, I’d better get to know him a bit better.’ Then she asked me to come for dinner. Like I was your boyfriend or something, not your protector.”

He had to be making this up. “You put a spell on her, didn’t you?”

“I’m an angel, not a wizard. I can’t do magic. I can only protect you from harm.”

“Well, alright. But do you have to go around teasing Zac like that? You didn’t have to call out. You did it on purpose.”

“Yes. I did.”

“Why?”

“Because he annoys me. He was going to kiss you and … I didn’t like it.”

“Are you jealous of him? You keep getting between us.”

“Of course not. There’s just something about the way he looks at you that makes my feathers ruffle. I can’t put a finger on it.”

Oh for Pete’s sake. Now he was imagining things.

Standing up, Lacey took Cam’s hand. She wasn’t going to get any sense out of him that was for sure. “Come on, let’s go wash our hands for dinner. You do eat? Right?”

*****

After dinner, Aunt Beth went back to the Bookshop for her monthly Book Club meeting. She would rather have stayed and talked to Cam some more - how many times did one get to meet a real angel, after all - but the book this month had been one she’d particularly enjoyed and she was eager to discuss it with the other members of the club. Lacey and Cam sat in the lounge on the sofa, looking at pictures in The Book of Angels. Amused at the author’s take on the subject, Cam was giving Lacey his own personal thoughts on the angels he knew. It was so regular, like real friends, yet so bizarre.

“Samuel would be very pleased if he saw that depiction of himself,” Cam said, looking at one particular sketch. “The artist has made him look very tall.”

“I thought angels changed their appearance all the time? Couldn’t he just choose to be tall?”

“He could, but his ethereal being is nothing like that. God would think it vain if he chose that type of body merely because he wanted to be taller and he would be punished for his sin, something which I know all about.” Turning to the next page, Cam began to read about the Arch Angel Ariel.

“Do angels get to make other choices, too?” Lacey asked.

Cam looked up. “As I said before we have free will, like you. We have feelings and emotions. We can choose to do good or evil, hence the reason why there are fallen angels. Technically, I’m a fallen angel, but I haven’t been banished forever. A time will come when God allows me to return to Heaven.”

Lacey wasn’t entirely sure she wanted that day to come. Since Cam had revealed himself, things had changed. She craved his friendship and as with any friendship, she would be saddened if it ended.

“What about the ones who are banished for good?”

“Most of them have been banished because they chose Lucifer over God. It’s one of them that will come for you. That’s what we must prepare for.”

Lacey reached over and closed the book. This was serious; she needed Cam’s undivided attention. “When will they come?”

“The actual day of your deliverance to Lucifer will be on your eighteenth birthday. So, in a little under month’s time. All the Children of the Pentacle have been taken on that day as it marks the transition from child to adult. You won’t be sacrificed then, though. That will happen some time later. When Lucifer decides he is ready.”

“But what if I don’t want to do what they want?”

“You have no choice, Lacey. That mark on your neck means the decision has already been made.”

“But I don’t want to.” She knew it sounded childish but it was the truth.

Cam looked at her steadily. “That’s why I’m here. Being the last one left, we have to ensure that Lucifer doesn’t get his hands on you. Without you, the pentacle can’t be completed and his plan will never reach fruition.”

She was scared to ask but given the circumstances she felt she needed to know. “What happened to the others? Where are they?”

“It was never my job to save them, Lacey, if that’s what you’re asking. Each of the Children of the Pentacle had their own designated angel and sadly those angels were never a match for Lucifer. They were taken on their eighteenth birthdays and have not been seen since.”

“So they’re dead?”

“No. They’re being held somewhere until Lucifer attains the last Child, you. Then he will begin the process of sacrifice by fire. Each child will be sacrificed according to when they were attained and the severity of and pain suffered during the sacrifice will increase in intensity with each child. If I fail and he gets hold of you, your death will be the slowest and most painful of all the Children of the Pentacle and the ceremony that follows will be the catalyst for the End. There will be nothing anyone can do to save the world at that point. Not even God.”

Lacey shuddered. “Would it be possible to get the others back?”

“Maybe. But I don’t think anyone’s thinking along those lines at the moment. All we want is for you to be safe. Once I’ve made sure of that, we can work on getting the others back.”

Lacey frowned and pressed a hand to her temple where her head had begun to throb. She hadn’t realised it was that bad. If she was the only one left, Lucifer was going to do anything he could to get his hands on her, maybe even target those she loved.

“Is Lucifer here already, Cam?”

“Given that there’s such a short time till your birthday, I’d say yes. But Lucifer isn’t going to do his own dirty work, he never does. His recruits will be somewhere, planning how they can get hold of you. It will so much be easier for him if you go of your own free will but if you don’t, I’m sure he has ways to make you comply.”

“So they’ll kidnap me?”

“If it comes down to it, yes. But if they can make you join the Dark Side of your own accord, they won’t need to. Lucifer’s minions have many ways to make a trip to Hell sound like the best idea you’ve ever had. They’ll be out to trick you.”

Lacey tensed. “I don’t want to die. Not anymore.”

Cam held her gaze in his, enveloping her with a sense of calm. “I won’t let it happen, Lacey. All you have to do is trust.”

“But, how’re you going to stop them?”

“Firstly, I have to find out who Lucifer has sent. Once we know who we’re working with, we can figure out how to get rid of them.”

“In three weeks?”

“I don’t have a great deal of choice on the date.”

Changing the subject, Lacey opened up the book again. She’d had enough talk of demons taking her soul, of death.

*****

Lacey and Abbie were sitting in the library the following afternoon. They were meant to be studying for an Art History test but so far all they’d done was gossip. Abbie was smitten with Ty and wanting advice as to what the next step in the relationship should be. Lacey, however, only wanted to talk about her newfound friendship with Cam.

“So, I’ve been hanging with Cam a bit.”

Abbie put down her pen and crossed her arms over her chest. Information like this was clearly way more interesting than what to wear for a date with Ty. “For real?”

“Yep.”

“And?”

“And he’s sort of nice. Not, like I first thought. He has a cool sense of humour.”

“Can’t say I’d noticed. But then I’ve never actually spoken to him.”

“Well, he does. And he has this way of making me see things differently.”

“He’s still a weirdo.”

“He’s not. Not at all.”

An aimless doodle swirled along the margin of Lacey’s page. This conversation wasn’t going the way she’d hoped but what more could she expect? She was telling Abbie she had feelings for someone who wasn’t a part of the group. She concentrated on the image for a minute. It looked like a pair of wings, long and elegant. Tilting her head, she added some hearts along the edge.

“Sounds kind of serious,” Abbie remarked.

“Only as far as friendships go.”

Abbie sat up, frowning. “I thought you didn’t like Cam. I mean, last week, you were telling me he was a stalker. When he interrupted you and Zac, you told him to take a flying leap.”

“That was before I knew him. I’d never had a proper conversation with the guy until a few days ago.” She’d never known the reason why he’d behaved that way before, either. Being a guardian to someone sort of decreed that you had to follow them.

“What about Zac?”

“I like Zac but, well….” Well, what? What did she think of Zac? Lacey bit her lip. “Cam and I spent some time together the other night. I like the way I feel when I’m with him. It’s like I’m alive again. Zac just makes me all hot and bothered. He messes with my head.”

Abbie smirked. “Hot and bothered can be good.”

“Yeah but it’s not like that with Cam. It’s, well, different.”

“But the fact that he’s hot doesn’t do any harm.”

Lacey pressed her lips together, forcing the smile to stay away.

“So I’m right.”

“He is kind of cute,” Lacey replied.

The thought came suddenly. It leapt into her brain and began to dance around shouting. She ‘liked’ Cam. And not just because of the stupid bond or whatever it was that he’d told her. Cam was her angel, in more ways than one. But what was she going to do about Zac? Through the cacophony of thoughts in her head, Lacey heard Abbie speaking.

“So now you’ve got the two hottest guys in town fighting over you. All you have to do is choose. I know which way I’d be choosing, that’s for sure.”

Lacey smiled. It didn’t take a genius to realise that her friend had very definite thoughts in that department and they didn’t involve any sort of relationship with Cam. “You know, I just remembered, Aunt Beth said the same thing. When I first came to town she did a tarot reading. This card called The Lovers came up.”

“God, Mum would freak if I so much as looked at one of those. What did she tell you?”

“That I’d have two lovers and a difficult choice. Well, something like that, I can’t remember the exact wording. I thought it was a crock.”

“Funny that it’s coming true, though.”

“Yeah.” Lacey leaned an elbow on her book and stared out over to the shelves towards the garden. The tip of her pen crept into her mouth. Was Aunt Beth’s reading really coming true? Two possible lovers were evident in her life. The danger she’d spoken of was real. But what of the secret? Lacey knew about the Children of the Pentacle. She knew she only had a month to live if Cam couldn’t find a way to save her. So what else could there be?

After packing their things, the girls headed through the maze of shelves and along the corridor to the stairs. The afternoon light filtered through the long windows, shining highlights on Abbie’s hair as they walked and sending other spots into shadow.

“You’re hair is such a pretty colour,” Lacey remarked. “I really like those little gold streaks.”

Abbie gave a humph. “I hate it. Been thinking about a change. Maybe black, like yours.”

Lacey smiled. “It’d be good it we could just swap, eh? Just for a week or two. Then we could give it back when we got bored.”

“Yeah.”

As they reached the top of the stairs, Lacey stopped short.

“William.”

Shit. Shit. Where the hell had he come from?

“Hello, Lacey. Abbie.”

Lacey felt her body tighten with sudden tension. She should have known he wouldn’t let it go. “What’re you doing here?”

William’s smile was creepy. He stepped towards the girls. His finger stroked the banister of the stairs in a fashion that looked almost aggressive. “I thought it was about time I got the rest of my money. I still have the tapes.”

“Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“I suppose I could…. but seeing you squirm is much more fun. You caused me a lot of grief. You made a fool out of me.”

Lacey sighed. He was never going to let her be. “That wasn’t me, it was the drugs. You know that. I loved you.”

“I want my money, Lacey. And I want it now.”

Abbie stepped up. Calmly facing William, she stretched herself to her tallest, raising her chin in defiance. A slender finger poked his chest. “She doesn’t have any more money. So, why don’t you just nick off to what ever little rock it was that you crawled from under and leave us alone. Go on. Get out or we’ll scream the place down.”

Woah. This was a new side of Abbie. Maybe Ty was better for her than Lacey had first believed.

William’s heavy brow dipped to a frown. His dark eyes glowed blood red with anger as his mouth opened in a venomous growl. Talon like hands swept furious arcs in their direction. He was clearly pissed off.

“Oh please! You think that scares us?” Abbie’s leg rose. Heel thrust, she aimed straight for William’s solar plexus. “You heard me. Go!”

William’s feet teetered on the stair. Abbie kicked him again. Legs a tangle, hands grasping at the railing, he toppled, coming to a stop at the landing. Righting himself, he shook his body out and looked up the stairwell at the girls before disappearing around the corner.

“And don’t come back,” Abbie yelled. “Or you’ll have Zac to deal with too!” Giving a cursory nod, she turned to Lacey. “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

Lacey blinked at this new incarnation of her friend. “Where did that come from?”

“Don’t ask me. Must have been some adrenalin rush or something.” She held out her free hand. It was shaking uncontrollably.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

Abbie grinned. “At least we got rid of him. Don’t think he’ll be back for a while, do you?”

“Maybe I should take up karate or something? Seems like everyone in this town is great at self-defence but me.”

“That’s what friends are for.”