Shadow People (The Forbidden Darkness Chronicles, #2)

Eighteen: Hayden Williams

As they all left to gather in the kitchen, I pulled out my cell phone to see if Blayne had texted me back. I kept trying to talk to him, but all I got was silence. I was so not ready for Monday. Sighing, I rested my head against the arm of the couch, ready to fall back asleep.

"Hey," a voice said. I looked up to see Frostbite next to me. I noticed that now he looked normal, with brown hair and tan skin.

"Uh, hi," I said back. "Why do you look different now?"

"I figured it'd probably be more comfortable if you talked to me without feeling like you're staring at a cloud," Frostbite replied. "This is my Earthly form. It's the only way I'm allowed to walk around and be around other humans, though it's not recommended." He pointed to the spot where I was resting my legs and asked, "Can I sit?"

While I wasn't up for chit-chat, I didn't want to be rude. Frostbite was being kind. I moved my legs for him to sit but didn't say a word. My mind was racing with so many questions. Even though we got a lot of information tonight, that didn't mean I wasn't confused. Worried. Broken. Or in other words, an abomination. Just like the Monster Hunters.

"You know," Frostbite started, "Kadin's always been a bit of a nutbag when it comes to our history. If he offended you in any way, as crazy as this may sound, he didn't mean to."

"I know," I said softly. Kadin coming to see me was strange. He wanted me to know the truth. He told us everything we needed to know about who we all were, and now I wished I was in the dark again. I didn't want to know any of this or be a part of this world. But from the sound of it, I didn't have much or a choice.

"Kadin's a good guy," Frostbite continued. "He really is. I mean, sure, he's crazier than Demons themselves, but he has good intentions. Always has. The problem with him is that he wants to be the one to stop The Perfect World from happening, but he's going off of nothing."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Frostbite leaned back on couch. "I mean that The Perfect World is an old prophecy similar to that of a fairy tale. No one's ever actually been able to figure out where it came from. We just know that it's circles around like a rumor. Kadin gets very overly concerned."

Hearing this made me question Kadin's reputability. "So what? He just goes with what he hears and runs with it? That sounds a little dangerous."

"Yeah, it is," Frostbite said. "But he means well. I just wish I could get him to stop what he's doing. I've been trying for a long time now, and it doesn't seem to work. If anyone can get him to stop, it'd probably be Heather"

I sat up to sit next to him. "Why's that?"

He laughed. "Kadin just trusts her. I don't know why. He's been trying to get her on his side for two weeks now. He even knew of her existence before that. For some reason Kadin has always wanted her to be the one to help him. And tonight, when she kicked him out like that...normally that would have pissed him off. But he just left. Heather has real leverage when it comes to him."

It definitely seemed like it. Kadin was pretty vulnerable tonight. I leaned back as well, and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"As soon as I learned I was a Nephilim, it was like my whole world came crashing down on me," I said. "I started thinking about the Angels and Paradise, and began wondering about some stuff. Are the Nephilim banned from Paradise?"

Frostbite was silent for a moment. He stared down at his hands, and finally said, "I'm not sure, Hayden. The Djinn, especially the newer ones, live mostly in the Between. I know a few Djinn who go to and from Paradise. Kadin told you everything we know. You'll have to talk to your father about all that."

I groaned. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to my Dad, who spent the last sixteen years of my life lying to me. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are Djinn? I mean, besides the 'real' version of genies."

He smiled at me and patted me on the leg. As he did, I felt chills run down my spine. "Come on. I'll explain it in the kitchen. I'm sure you're not the only person wondering." Frostbite stood up, and I followed behind him. Something about him was different than other people I knew, minus the whole Djinn thing. Maybe having him as a friend wouldn't be too bad.