My mouth fell open. “You do that?” I hissed.
His grin returned, mischievous, and he continued on, “The opportunity to hear your melodic voice will be cut short, your beautiful voice which is such a comfort,” he sighed, “…when you’re not opposing me.”
I drew in a quick breath in insult and he chuckled, pulling me closer. My forehead landed softly against his chin where he murmured into my hair, “Trust me.”
“I do…implicitly. It’s who you might encounter that I don’t.”
He moved his lips across my forehead, leaving an arc of feather-light kisses in their wake. I struggled to catch my breath. Then, he slowly leaned back. “You have nothing to worry about, my love. They aren’t expecting me. They’ll never see me coming.”
The inherent confidence in him settled my nerves, somewhat.
I placed my cheek against his shoulder, nestling my nose against the curve of his neck, settling into him. I could hear his heartbeat, powerful and defined. His breathing was steady and calm. We stood this way for a very long time, neither of us willing to move away from each other. It wasn’t until dishes began clinking in the kitchen and Felix peeked around the corner to ask if we’d be interested in pork chops brined in fish sauce did we leave each other’s arms.
Eran’s absence was not brought up at dinner, though we sat as close as possible. My concerns weighed heavily on my mind, knowing that Eran would leave as soon as dinner was over.
I attempted to keep my mind off Eran’s departure by trying to engage in conversation and watching others around the table. Although it went unmentioned, we all secretly wondered how Campion might react to Felix’s cooking but, to everyone’s surprise, Campion eagerly finished his plate and asked for another. Felix was supremely delighted.
When the plates were cleared, Eran stood and I followed. We stepped out under the eaves where the rain had become a drizzle now.
“Promise me that you’ll be safe,” I said.
“I will.”
“Promise.”
A flicker of a smile rose up and fell away. “I promise.”
Because I still couldn’t find the words to convince him to stay, I remained silent.
“Try to get some sleep tonight,” he suggested.
“Come home tomorrow,” I whispered.
He lifted his hands and placed them on each of my cheeks, his warmth comforting against the chilly air, and then he guided our lips together. Unlike before, this kiss held a different passion. It was full of purpose and reassurance.
When he pulled away, his eyes were intense; leaving no doubt that he wouldn’t leave me unless he knew it was necessary.
“I’ll need to speak to Campion alone. Will you-”
“Yes,” I sighed. “I’ll send him out.”
Our hands never separated until I stepped inside and left his reach.
The moment Campion closed the door behind him I headed for my balcony.
Despite three other individuals in the room, the house seemed unbearably empty now.
Once in my room, I flung open the French doors and leaned over the far edge for any sight of Eran. Then, through the broken clouds, the silhouette of massive, powerful wings moved through the moon’s rays. I watched them lift Eran higher and farther across the horizon, amazed at his virility. Suddenly, a boom reverberated through the sky and Eran disappeared. To anyone listening, it would have sounded like a clap of thunder but I knew it was Eran moving at nearly the speed of light.
“How did you know Eran needed you?” I asked, sensing Campion standing behind me.
“He called out to me.”
“Called out?” I asked, unable to move or take my eyes from the sky.
“Yes…” he paused and I could feel him evaluating me. “We can hear you on the other side. You simply need to call out our name and we listen.”
I considered this and wondered how many customers would stop seeing me if they knew this to be the case.
“So…” I said, taking a seat in my chair. “How long have you been on earth?”
Campion answered so quickly it made me think he was counting the minutes. “In your time, just under five hours.”
I froze, knowing that my casual conversation had just taken a serious turn. A realization had come over me so quickly I didn’t have time to process it before muttering to myself, “You fell to watch over me…”
“Yes,” he replied, and I groaned.
“No…”
“I fell because Eran asked it of me, Magdalene.”
I appreciated him trying to absolve me from my guilt but his admission told me something more. The declaration of that statement, the sacrifice he had made reinforced in me the strength of the relationship these two shared.
Still, I couldn’t shake my culpability and felt compelled to ask, “How often can you fall? I mean…you must be able to die and fall…as often as you’d like, right?” I asked, hoping this would be the case.
Campion explained, “Once we are on earth, we stay on earth until our bodies give out.”
I cringed at hearing those words. They meant that Eran and Campion were now here, locked in this dimension and unable to return at will – and both were here because of me. It was too much, they had given too much. They had chosen to forgo the feeling of comforts the afterlife offered, the familiarity, the relationships with loved ones there. It felt like so much time away, so much to sacrifice, and never before had it been so evident to me that my ability to visit the afterlife at night was a gift - a gift that Eran and Campion had come here to protect.
Campion shuffled restlessly.
“There’s another chair here,” I offered.
He accepted it and quietly gazed across the rooftops before adding, “Falling is excruciating, nearly unbearable. It can be compared to the process of birth from what I understand. Though I’ve never personally experienced birth as I’ve only come here in…other forms…but I’ve been told of its agony. Falling is similar and thus we try to avoid falling if possible. Had Eran not come down as an Alterum, I would not have followed.”
I looked at him, perplexed. “An Alterum?”
His eyes squinted back at me. “You don’t remember anything at all do you?”
“No…I seem to hear that regularly.”
“Hmmm, that’s a good reminder never to be reborn,” he muttered before continuing. “The fallen come to earth because they have either been banished from the afterlife for committing an act against humanity – for which they have been given the name Fallen Ones. Or, we come to earth by choice, as is the case with Eran and myself. We are called Alterum’s, which means the other life.”
“So there are Fallen Ones and there are Alterums…” I mused. “How do you tell the difference?”
“Well…both have capabilities far beyond ordinary humans and both retain the appearance of a human – commonly taking on the same facial features and body structure across lifetimes.”
I groaned. “Oh, I understand…That must be how Marco identified Eran and me…because we have the same face as when he last saw us.”
Campion pointed a quick finger at me. “Correct, but that is where the similarities end. While Alterums attempt to live peacefully, Fallen Ones are intent on satisfying their own malevolent needs and will destroy anything that inhibits them. Most humans are unable to detect them…You are the exception, able to identify them within a few yards away.”
“Campion…” I waited until he looked in my direction. “How do you know so much about me?”
He tilted his head back to release a quiet laugh. “I’ve known you for some time now,” he explained, not bothering to elaborate further.
“I see,” I said plainly.
We fell silent, him diligently keeping his attention on his surroundings and me still watching the sky where I last saw Eran.
“You mentioned that you wouldn’t have fallen if it weren’t for Eran. Why is that?” I asked, sensing there was something more behind his statement.
He grimaced. “It’s the skin mostly. I can liken it to the feeling of being covered in burlap sacks and lugging them around. On the other side we are weightless…free and unencumbered. That…I miss already. But then there is the cold, the heat, the hunger, the requirement to use a bathroom…” he pondered further. “There are other reasons but the ones I’ve given are at the top of my list.”
“Huh…I’ve never considered how it would feel for the fallen,” I admitted. “For the Alterums.” I was again amazed at the sacrifices Eran had made for me, and now that Campion had made. “Are there any perks? I mean…what’s the impetus for other Alterums to fall if they aren’t doing it to act as guardians to humans?”
“The powers we bring with us,” he hinted, grinning broadly.
I smiled. “Of course…So what powers did you bring with you?”
“Telekinesis, regeneration abilities, flight, and…this one you may not like as much…the power to induce sleep.”
I glanced at him confused. “Why wouldn’t I like…” I began to ask but never finished my sentence.
Suddenly I was seeing Campion at the end of a long tunnel, his voice echoing towards me. “Sorry, Magdalene. Eran made me promise to put you to sleep so you wouldn’t worry about him throughout the night.”
I opened my mouth to protest and then the darkness closed in.
CHAPTER SIX: SLEEP
When I awoke I was no longer in New Orleans.
The arched hall surrounding me was made of white concrete and ornately designed. Countless pockets lined the walls containing rolls of parchment paper and concrete benches were strategically placed the length of the hall. Despite its beauty, the hall was vacant, filled with a quiet serenity.
It was daylight as it always was here.
I sat up, familiar to this place, which I knew as the Hall of Records. I’d been coming here every night for as far back as I could remember. Unlike others who brush their teeth, wash their face, and slip into bed for a solid nights rest, I spend my time here – awake in the afterlife.
A soft, warm breeze rustled my clothes – the same ones I’d been wearing when Campion had put me to sleep. The frustration I felt towards him for sending me in to a narcoleptic state had carried with me here but was quickly dissolving. I understood. He was simply following orders. I briefly wondered whether there was any way of preventing him from doing it again but I knew that would be a practice in futility. I couldn’t deny Eran so how could I ask anyone else to?
I stood and considered what I could do to keep my mind off Eran for the time I would be spending here. Unlike others who exist in the afterlife permanently, my fears didn’t diminish in this place and an active part of my mind was still worrying about Eran. I intentionally restrained horrid thoughts of different scenarios he may encounter that kept rising up from my subconscious but it was challenging. Those thoughts were accompanied with the aggravation in knowing that he was doing this for me – putting himself at risk to protect me - something I would end eternally if he’d allow it. Knowing this would happen and knowing I never slept, I figured he must have sent me here for a reason.
Ordinarily I would deliver messages for my customers, who visited me in The Square, but it was during the school week and I didn’t work during the week. That left me with the challenge of finding something to fill my time.
Then I drew in a contented sigh, realizing what a precious gift Eran had given me…He’d intended me to make a visit to the only person who could keep my emotions steady.
I stood and walked down the hall to a specific pocket, pulling the parchment from within it. It unraveled on its own, flowing to the ground, resembling the movement of liquid paper, and piling at my feet. I found the name I was looking for and softly moved my finger over it. This was the same process I followed when I sought to find the recipients of messages that I delivered for my customers in The Square. This time, however, I’d be visiting a friend of mine.
As my finger finished tracing the name the world around me seemingly disintegrated, rapidly turning to dust, and fell away. My feet left the floor and I was suddenly being carried through the air, the ground below me moving along at neck breaking speed. On these journeys I always tried to catch a glimpse of what was below me. They were other people’s heavens, designed to fit their interests and needs and it was as if I could peek in to other’s desires without needing to disrupt them. Entire cities, remote tropical islands, even planetary clusters had been built by individuals. However, I was taken to an area known for gathering as a community.
I landed at the open doorway of a building resembling a Greek temple and glanced around. Groups of people from all cultures mingled around the colossal Doric columns and sat on the steps lined with decorative stonework. Behind me, down the hillside and across a vast gorge, a few of the winged populace congregated casually in the sky. From inside and across the cavernous meeting area, I found him.
Dressed in a toga, Gershom leaned against a column, his expression reflective. While he still looked about my age I knew that he, like everyone else here, had the ability to change their appearance. Evidently, he felt most comfortable at the age of seventeen.
After seeing me approach, he lithely stood and took broad, eager steps towards me.
“Maggie,” he said, beaming. “It has been weeks…in your time at least. Where have you been?”
I laughed lightly at myself. “Working.”
“Ah,” he said, tilting his head back in thought. “Of course…The customers over holiday break kept you busy then.” He leaned in to wrap his arms around me.
I returned his hug. “They did.” Then I stood back and openly scrutinized him. “You look like you are adjusting well. Your eyeglasses are gone though.”
“Yes,” he chuckled. “No need for them here.”
“Of course…”
“Should we sit on the steps?” he offered. “The view is impressive.”
I agreed and followed him outside to take a seat overlooking the gorge. Groups of people still hovered there, some with pets circling their feet and others playing various games. It reminded me of a park setting, except that those ordinarily on the ground were now suspended in the air.