anymore and I need to get you back.”
“Oh, boo hoo!” Jake whined from the backseat. “She’s
mine now, tough break.”
“Shut up!” I snapped and Xavier looked surprised. “Not
you,” I clarified quickly. “Jake’s here with us.”
“What?” Xavier swung around, but to him the backseat
looked empty.
“Just trust me,” I said as the Chevy lurched violently close
to the edge of the cliff. Xavier gasped and lifted an arm to
shield his face, expecting a col ision, but the car swung
back onto the road at the last minute.
“Xavier,” I said. “Look at me.”
I didn’t know how much time we had together, but I
needed to let him know he wasn’t alone. A familiar Bible
verse floated into my head. It was an old favorite of mine
and came from Genesis 31. It spoke about the Mizpah, the
Meeting Place. It was a place that could be anywhere and
nowhere at the same time. A place that didn’t exist in this
dimension but held more power than anyone could
understand. It was a place where a reunion of spirit could
occur without any physical presence. I remembered the day
at Bryce Hamilton when I’d run into Xavier’s arms, terrified
that one day we’d be separated. The words from that
afternoon came back to me clear as day: “Let’s create a
place. A place that’s just ours; a place we can always find
each other if things ever go wrong.”
“Do you remember the white place?” I whispered
urgently.
Xavier’s body unclenched a little as he looked directly at
me. “Of course,” he murmured.
“Then close your eyes and go there,” I whispered. “I’l be
waiting for you. And don’t forget … it is only space that
separates us.”
Xavier drew a deep breath and in his eyes I saw an
understanding that hadn’t been there before. He closed his
eyes, let go of the steering wheel, and sat very stil .
I heard Jake’s harsh voice from the backseat. “I’ve had
just about enough of this sentimental crap for one day.”
“Listen …” I whipped around to try and reason with him,
but it was too late. I felt a sickening jolt in my stomach as
the Chevy skidded to the side of the road, smashed
through the flimsy iron railing as if it were made of
matchsticks, and plummeted over the cliff face.
“No!” I screamed.
Xavier didn’t react. He was stil in the white place,
indifferent to whether he would live or die.
I watched the Chevy plunge over the cliff in what seemed
like slow motion. I heard a sickening metal ic screech as
the underbel y of the car scraped across the rock ledge. It
seemed to teeter for a moment; its body tilting precariously
as it balanced on the edge. Then gravity took over and with
a deep shudder and a cloud of dust, the car fel . At the sight
of it, nearby birds squawked and fled the trees, vanishing
into the sky as they sounded their warning. I saw Xavier’s
body get thrown forward and col ide with the steering wheel.
The moment seemed to last for the longest time. My vision
tunneled and I noticed the strangest things. The sunlight
through the windshield hit Xavier’s hair, making the strands
glow copper and gold. Xavier’s hair had always been a soft
shade of brown like honey or walnuts, but today, in this
moment, I could have sworn he wore a halo of golden light.
Xavier had made no effort to protect himself. Anyone else
would have thrown his hands up to shield himself, but
Xavier remained unnatural y calm and stil . He showed no
signs of panic, as if he were resigned to accept his fate.
When his hair shifted out of the way, I caught sight of his
face and it struck me how young he looked. I could see in
him the schoolboy he would have been not so many years
ago. His skin was smooth and unmarked, without even a
wrinkle to mark his years on earth.
He’s hardly lived
, I
thought to myself. There were so many things he could have
been, and now he’d never get the chance to real y grow up
… to be a husband … to be a father … to make a
difference in the world.
I realized then that I was screaming, screaming loud
enough for al the town to hear me, but nobody did. The
Chevy was stil nosediving toward the rocks below where it
would smash and crumple like tinfoil. I’d never felt more
powerless in my entire life. My body was stil imprisoned
deep underground in Hades and my soul was trapped
between the dimensions. But as I caught sight of Jake’s
smirking face in the rearview mirror, I realized I wasn’t as
powerless as I thought. I spun around and grabbed him by
both wrists. He looked surprised, but didn’t shake me off.
“Don’t hurt him,” I pleaded. “I’l do whatever you want.
Name your terms.”
“Is that so?” Jake smiled. “A trade … how interesting.”
“This isn’t the time for games!” I begged. The car was
only seconds from the rocks and dusty ground below. “If
Xavier dies, I’l never forgive you! Please … let’s make a
deal.”
“Okay,” Jake said. “I’l spare his life in exchange for you
granting me one wish.”
“Done!” I cried. “Just stop the car!”
“Do I have your word?”
“I swear on my life.”
The Chevy lurched to a stop in midair, completely frozen.
It was a sight to behold and it was lucky there were no
humans around to witness it.
“I’l see you back home, Bethany.”
“Wait—you can’t just leave him here!”
“He’l be taken care of,” Jake said and with a snap of his
fingers he vanished from the backseat. After a few
seconds, I became aware of the presence of Ivy and
Gabriel. They screeched to the edge of the cliff in a
borrowed Range Rover and bolted out. Seeing the Chevy
suspended in the air, Gabriel didn’t hesitate, he ran to the
cliff’s edge and jumped, his wings bursting out to hold him
up as he descended toward the rocks below. I’d forgotten
how majestic Gabriel’s wings were and the sight made my
breath catch in my throat. They reared up ten feet in the air,
blazing white and powerful beyond belief. They were heavy
and feathered and yet seemed to ripple with a life of their
own. Ivy fol owed suit, graceful as a swan, her feet
skimming the edge of the cliff as she swooped down. Her
wings were a different color from Gabriel’s. His were ice
white and flecked with brass and gold. Ivy’s on the other
hand were more of a pearly gray like a dove’s and dappled
with rose petal pink. Xavier had opened his eyes and was
staring incredulously at the angels now hovering in front of
the windshield of his airborne Chevy. He blinked hard,
uncertain whether to trust his own eyes.
“What the hel …” he breathed.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “You’re okay.”
But Xavier could no longer hear me. He just watched in
amazement as Gabriel looped his hands through the front
window, gripping the roof of the car. On the other side, Ivy
did the same. Then they began to slowly lift it back onto the
road. The muscles in their arms didn’t even strain, just
flexed ever so slightly as they guided the car back to solid
earth. It landed so smoothly that Xavier didn’t even shift
position in his seat. Ivy’s and Gabriel’s wings, which had
been beating rhythmical y to hold them up, retracted in a
flash as soon as their feet connected with the ground.
Xavier threw open the door and jumped out at the first
opportunity. He leaned against the hood and exhaled
loudly.
“I don’t believe it,” he murmured.
“Neither do we.” My sister glowered. “What were you
thinking?”
“Hold up.” A look of surprise flitted across Xavier’s face.
“You think I did this on purpose?”
Gabriel fixed him with his penetrating gaze. “A car
doesn’t drive itself off a cliff.”
“Guys.” Xavier threw up his hands. “Jake was control ing
the car. What kind of an idiot do you take me for?”
“You saw him too?” Ivy’s eyes widened. “We sensed his
presence, but we didn’t think he’d have the nerve to show
himself.”
“He didn’t show himself exactly.” Xavier frowned. “I
couldn’t see him … but Beth told me he was there.”
“Beth?” Gabriel looked as if he thought Xavier might be
losing his mind.
“She spoke to me through the radio … and then she
appeared when I thought I was going to die.” Xavier twisted
his face into a grimace, aware of how far-fetched his story
sounded. “It’s true, I swear.”
“Al right,” Ivy said grimly. “Whatever happened, we have
to remember that Jake is pul ing some dirty moves. At least
we got here in time.”
“That’s the thing,” Xavier said, crossing his arms. “The
car was gonna smash, I know it was. Then suddenly it
stopped, and Beth and Jake were gone.”
“What are you saying?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m not sure—but I know Jake was trying to kil me.
Something or someone stopped him.”
Ivy and Gabriel exchanged worried looks. “Let’s just be
thankful you’re al right,” said my sister.
“Yeah.” Xavier nodded, but he stil looked concerned.
“Thanks for helping me out. Jeez, I hope no one saw you.”
A faint smile played around Gabriel’s lips and he pushed
back the lock of golden hair that had fal en loose from his
ponytail.
“Look around you,” he said. “Do you see anyone?”
Xavier looked and a thoughtful frown appeared on his
face. His eyes fel upon a snake in the long grass. It
seemed to have stopped mid-slither, locked in place. He
turned his face upward and his mouth fel open in surprise
to see the fleeing birds frozen in the sky, as if the whole
world had become trapped inside a painting. Only then did
the dead silence become apparent. Al the sounds of the
world had stopped. There was no buzzing of crickets in the
air or the sound of vehicles on the road. Not even the wind
could break through the silence.
“Wait …” Xavier passed a hand over his eyes. “Did you
guys do this? No way, it’s impossible.”
“You of al people should know that nothing is
impossible,” my sister said.
Xavier’s bril iant blue eyes met Ivy’s cool, steel gaze. “Tel
me you didn’t stop time.”
“We didn’t stop it exactly,” Gabriel said casual y,
inspecting the Chevy for signs of damage. “We may have
put it on hold for a few minutes.”
“Are you serious!” Xavier cried. He was struggling to
process what they were tel ing him. “Are you even al owed
to do that?”
“That’s beside the point,” Gabriel retorted. “We did what
we had to do. Can’t have civilians watching two angels
carry a car out of the sky.”
My brother closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his
palms upward. A moment later signs of life burst out al
around us. I jumped, having never realized how noisy life
was until I heard the world without it. It was strangely
comforting to see the trees swaying in the breeze and
watch a beetle shuffle across the dry earth.
Xavier shivered and shook his head as if to clear it.
“Won’t people notice what just happened?”
“You’d be surprised what slips under the human radar,”
Ivy said. “Stranger things happen every day and nobody
pays any attention to it. People constantly catch glimpses of
the supernatural, but they turn a blind eye, they blame it on
too much coffee or not enough sleep. There are hundreds
of excuses to disguise the truth.”
“If you say so,” was al Xavier said.
“What about Bethany?” Ivy asked. “You say she was
physical y present?”
“I saw her.” Xavier scuffed his shoe against the ground.
“I’ve sort of … communicated with her a few times now.”
Ivy pursed her lips. “Thanks for sharing that piece of
information with us,” she said and then a crease appeared
in her forehead. “I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”
Gabriel frowned. “Astral projection?” he asked dubiously.
“From Hel ?”
“Perhaps Bethany is more powerful than the demons
realize … than even she realizes.”
“What they don’t know,” Gabriel said, “is just how
connected to the earth Bethany real y is.” He cast a
sidelong glance at Xavier. “
You
tie her to this place more
strongly than anything they understand.” He drummed his
fingers against the hood of the car and a thoughtful
expression crossed his face. “From what we’ve seen so
far, it’s like a magnetic pul drawing the two of you together.