The Angel Emerges (Second Book of The Angel Series) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 8

Xave caught me and helped me sit down on the steps. There were a million things running through my mind at once. Was Zak okay? How did this happen? Would I be able to leave to go see him? How long would it take to get there? Would he still be alive? I held my head in my hands, trying to calm the wild thoughts screaming around in my mind.

"Crimson, I told Tutor Jones. She can't take you to the airport, but she got you the first flight back to Vegas. Tutor Maine is going to drive you to the airport tomorrow." She sat next to me, trying to help calm me down.

"He's my tutor," said Xave. (A tutor is a person who lives on your floor and basically is your parent away from home.) "He's really nice."

"Yeah, he is. Crimson?" Abby asked.

Slowly I stood up, tears in my eyes. My mind had calmed a little at the knowledge that I was going back to Vegas to see Zak. But something inside me felt different, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Will you help me pack?" I asked Abby.

"Of course." She helped me up the stairs to third floor and back to our room. I felt bad for leaving Xave like that, but I had way to many other things to worry about. I grabbed my duffle bag from the top of my closet. Abby went to the bathroom to grab my toothbrush from my shower tote. I threw random clothes into my bag, trying not to break down and cry. Zak was the most important thing to me. He was the first person to love me after 10 years of hatred. He was the only one willing to risk his life to save me. The only one who cared. But now I could loose him. I could loose everything that was good in my life.

Abby helped me finish packing, then took my to see Tutor Jones. She pulled me into a hug, and everything fell apart. I cried and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. My eyes burned, but the searing pain in my heart was much worse. I felt like my whole world was coming down around me. Zak had filled the hole in my heart, and now the patch he made was slowly being ripped off.

That night, I was flooded with a wide array of nightmares. Demons tearing Zak apart limb by limb, having my heart ripped out of my chest, and watching Zak die slowly and painfully from the inside out were just a few of them. But the worst part was, I couldn't wake up from them.

I woke up the next morning feeling abused. My whole body ached from being tense with fear all night. My head was still filled with the horrible imagery of my dreams. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize the face staring back at me. Her hair was knotted and frizzed, dark circles under her eyes, a look of total and complete fear on her face. She was a stranger.

Abigail helped me look as pleasing to the eye as I could, under the circumstances. I threw on a pair of leggings, my combat boots, and my Dungeon Wear t-shirt. It made me feel like he wasn't so far away anymore. And finally, for the first time in 24 hours, I checked my phone.

7 missed calls from Aaron.

9 missed calls from Nick.

6 texts from Abigail.

3 texts from Tutor Jones.

4 new voicemails.

I decided to wait until I was on my way to the airport to read the texts and listen to the voicemails. I didn't want to cry in front of Abby again, it just made her worry. She came in as I finished gathering the last of my things that I was taking, and gave me a hug.

"He'll be okay. He has to be. And knowing him, he'll fight to stay alive. For you."

"You always know how to make me feel better," I replied, letting go of the comforting embrace. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But we'll see each other soon, okay?"

"Okay."

We hugged one final time before I grabbed my things. My duffle bag was just small enough to qualify as a carry-on, and females are allowed a carry-on and a purse, so I put my remaining things in my bag. I took one last look at my room, wondering how long it would be until I returned.