The Fallen One

Part 5

I feel his presence before I see him. A sound ricochets off the bare walls of the Grand Entrance. The clack of his boots rings in the gloomy hallway. I lift my head and see Aaron walking towards me, a mop of black hair covering his face. The tinted Raybans shield his eyes from me yet again. I wonder what colour they are... I guess they'd be a bright emerald green. Despite his height, he is belittled by the colossal cathedral-like structure of the Grand Entrance.

As he walks, his slender frame leans slightly forward. He stalks with urgency, dodging the shafts of light that pierce the slit windows. He checks around him, looking from left to right routinely until he is out of sight I start after him. Where's he off to this time?

Outside, we cross through the dry field where our classmates kick footballs during lunch breaks. He plunges into the forest behind the neglected bleachers. As we trudge deeper into the woods, the trees thicken and the shrubs grow denser. I touch the damp greenery and am reminded of the times when I would picnic with my family in the woods near our home during summer. I am careful where to step; each footfall perfectly calculated.

A twig snaps beneath my boot and I instinctively roll to my right, hiding behind a large silky oak. I cover my mouth; anxious he'll hear my shallow breathing. After a beat I hear his heavy footsteps resume, and I let out a sigh of relief.

As I draw closer to him, I feel a coldness drift over me; prickling my skin. The Shadows. Not again, please no, I silently beg. The Shadows wrap their hands around my wrists and ankles, and sit waiting on my shoulders; weighing me down. My vision grows blurry from adrenaline, and I feel my knees shake. As I pass the next tree, I emerge in a clearing with a large rock. Sunlight showers through the gap in the clouds and I see Aaron's figure mount a large stone.

He pauses on the top, soaking in the sunlight. He shrugs off the jacket, letting it fall to the mossy earth and unfurls a pair of silver wings. What the fuck! He shakes them free and they stretch out beside him. An angel? I step out quickly from behind the tree and he spots me. He is petrified for a split second, but then walks cautiously towards me. The colour drains from my face, as he stands in front of me; shirtless and beautiful.

"You should have died by now..." He looks past my face and into the forest beyond us. "Every time we meet you die before you see me like this."

"So we've met before?" My vision goes blurry again.

He pauses for a moment and then lifts his hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. "Yes. How did you find out?"

I pull the contents page of the book from the library out of my jeans pocket. I hold it up to his face, comparing the two. "You have so much explaining to do," I say shakily.