Alice's Insurrection (Alice Clark Series) (7 page)

“Thank you
, Cole. I appreciate your trust in me.”

“Of course. You are all mostly good
, even if you don’t believe that. Alice sees that in you, and I’m starting to, as well.” Briathos nodded before walking away in the direction where Alice was collecting her art supplies, sipping his hot coffee. Cole assumed he was asking Alice’s permission to go with her. Cole could hear his voice asking to “tag along” on her trip to school. She was warm and compassionate as she agreed. He loved that about her, her ability to allow her empathy to be used for good, to feel what those in her life felt and using that to soothe them rather than using it against them.

ALICE

Alice watched Briathos twitch out
of the corner of her eye as she barreled down the road towards the AIH. She was thrilled to get back to work and put some of this hell she had been living through into the dust her tires spat out behind her. She had missed a little over a month and a half of class while being Purah’s prisoner and then recovering from the torture he had put her through. She knew she should be careful because a trip down memory lane was too vivid. She could almost feel the cold metal piercing her skin just as if her car seat were the chair covered in spikes. She scratched her skin in response.

“It’ll never go away
,” Briathos said. “Some things will just remind you of that place, of the things he did to you. I’m told that time makes it easier to bare. Though it is unfair that you have gone through what you have, I hope you find comfort that you are not alone, even if this journey is yours alone to take.”

Alice
was puzzled by his remarks, though she knew he was right. “I suppose that’s true,” was all she mustered as she turned into the parking lot.

“That’s very shiny?” Briathos questioned pointing to the ring on her finger.

“Oh, yeah, it sure is,” she smiled, causing the uptight Fallen to relax. “Cole surprised me when I came home last night. I was shocked, though I suppose I should have seen it coming.”

“How so?”

“With the possibility of the Apocalypse or End of Days, whatever you choose to call it, rearing its ugly head, I should have known he would grasp onto something wonderful, hopeful.”

“You are strange
, Alice. I’m not sure what part of you leads you down your path, the angel in you or the human.”

“I suppose it’s both. It’s what makes me see you all so clearly
for who and what you really are, something good and full of love and hope, even in the darkest times you’ve been through. Honestly, my family has been here for centuries and they have acquired human emotion, it seems. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.”

“I’d rather not.”

“I think it comes with the territory, my friend,” she said with a reassuring pat on his back. “Alright, let’s go in. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy the company more than you’ll let on,” she smirked. She could feel it in her bones, he was one of them and as much as he fought that feeling, every day he grew to believe it himself.

In the halls
, Briathos stiffened up again as students bumped into him as if he were invisible. Alice couldn’t see how he felt invisible; he was beautiful and in a certain light, his blonde hair looked silver, angelic even. Such a sad twist to his story since all he had done was what he felt was right, even if it was against God. But was it?

“Alice
, you’re back! So great to see you’re ready to get back to work,” Theresa, her art instructor rattled off excitedly as she hugged her awkwardly. Alice noticed she was stealing glances at her bodyguard for the day.

“Theresa, this is Briathos.” Alice’s core warmed instantly from the reaction inside Briathos as he reached out and gently shook her hand.

“Pleasure.” His smile shone like the sun. It was the second time Alice had seen him truly smile and it was increasingly more breathtaking.

“I take it you are accompanying Alice to class?” She twirled her fire red hair nervously.

“I am.”

“Theresa
, why don’t you give him the tour while I get set up? Don’t worry, you two. I’ll be just fine on my own for a few minutes.” Alice wasn’t much of a matchmaker, but she knew chemistry when she saw it.

“After you
, ma’am,” Briathos said, holding his arm out for her to grasp. Alice swore she heard her teacher squeak. They walked down the hall and Alice entered class to find James working on a clay sculpture of odd shapes entangled together in a peculiar manner.

“Hey
, there,” Alice said, poking his shoulder. “That’s bizarre looking,” she said, poking at his sculpture.

“Hey there
, yourself, Miss Thing. You know, I think this piece really is an extension of my weirdness. Where have you been, anyway?”

“
That is a very long story. I’m going to go set up, I just wanted to say hey,” she smiled dodging the question.

“Coffee later, details required
,” he said before returning to his work.

Alice laughed him off as she had no idea what story to tell him.
She certainly couldn’t tell him she had traded herself in place of Cole who was kidnapped by an awful bounty hunter who happened to once be an Angel of God, or that she was tortured in order to break her down so he could trade her over to a cruel Angel in order to secure his place back into heaven. Not that he would believe her if she did. All she knew was that she was beyond glad to return to her station and get lost in her work, as she had so many times before when crisis leeched onto her. Each brush stroke felt soothing, almost as if she was putting the pieces of herself back together by painting. Her work was an echo of herself and she was merely a tool to its desires. When she finally stopped after an hour or so, when she noticed her bodyguard and teacher had returned, Alice suddenly felt uncomfortable from the sudden change in emotion inside her new Fallen. He walked swiftly to her, mimicked whispering in her ear while directing his question to her mind.

You did not say there were other Nephilim in this class of yours.
His voice sounded angry and she couldn’t figure out why.

“What are you talking about?” Alice asked nervously.

“Him,” he said, pointing to James. James pulled his headphones out and stared, confused, at the two of them.

“What? You’re kidding me
!”

“Kidding?
What I say is true. I do not lie, Alice. I assumed you knew this about me.”

“James?” Alice asked, staring at her newfound friend.

“Yeah?”

“You’re a nephilim?”
she whispered.

“Yeah
, I can never tell either unless someone spills the beans,” James said, awkwardly joking.

“I didn’t know
, Briathos. I swear.”

“Hey
, calm down. I’m on the same side as you. My dad thought it would be safer if no one knew, and I kept an eye on her.”

“What do you mean
, your father?” Alice’s blood began to boil. She hated being lied to more than anything. Though her love could save a Fallen’s soul, her anger could wreak havoc.

“Dean Vassago
. He’s my dad. Surprise,” he said with fear lacing through his voice.

“Alice, I think we’re overreacting here
,” Theresa said.

“No
! I do not get kept in the dark on these things! This is my life,” she began to yell.

Briathos reached out and pulled Alice swiftly out the door. “Though I agree with you, this is not the place to exploit
who and what we all are. So calm down or we’re leaving.”
I need to process all of this information
, he thought.

Tell me about it.
Alice thought back at him. She ran her hands through her hair, frustrated, and began to take deep, soothing breaths. Everything slowed down to a halt around her, calming and giving her a few seconds to deal with the new information without outside interference. Once again, people in her life were keeping things from her and she had yet to deal with the information of the Horsemen being kept from her. Some days she felt like she was more angel, more rational than all of her Fallen family, while other days she felt quite in tune with her human side of careless emotion. She exhaled and inhaled, allowing everything to return to normal. It was enough time to cool her blood down to a burbling roar underneath her skin. “Alright, I’m okay now, though I think I’m ready to leave, if you are.”

“I’m just along for the ride.” He glanced at the teacher with a sense of
yearning that Alice couldn’t ignore. Alice cleaned up her stuff quickly and brushed away James’ inquiries on how she was.

“We’ll talk later. Today I just needed it to be calm and less dramatic
, is all.”

“I’m here when you need me
, Alice,” James offered.

“Thank you.”

PS, Nice rock!
He thought to her. She smiled in response. She had almost forgotten, again. She wasn’t letting James off the hook that easy, but something told her to stay cautious around him, as this may only be the beginning of his lies. She shushed her brain about the subject and walked toward Briathos. She watched Theresa and Briathos steal another glance from each other before they headed out the door.

“
Your teacher is, human?”

“Yeah
, I believe so. Looks to me like she fancies you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Didn’t you watch or learn anything about us? She likes you; I’ve never seen her look at anyone like that before. Better be careful or you two are going to fall madly in love,” Alice bumped his shoulder. “Relax, it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Briathos
’ face grew sad, “I do not wish to damn her as I have damned myself.”

“Relax
, man, you wouldn’t be the first and she, of all humans, knows what she’d be getting into. Plus, you should go on a date well before you damn her soul. Slow down, man.” She joked, but she knew the severity of the situation. She was glad to see him beginning to experience human life. She knew how important love was since she may not have survived all she had gone through without love in her life.

KOKABIEL

Kokabiel glanced around his apartment
before heading out the door to meet Alice and Cole for the “big news.” He wasn’t sure he was ready for any more news after the last few months. Alice had said there were two things she wanted to share, one of which was to be with him, alone.
Nerves, what a silly human emotion that I apparently seem to be enduring.
He had a knack for making light of situations, but he knew Alice had gone to speak with his Elizabeth. Kokabiel crawled into the car along with Jake, Sariel and Penemue. It made him chuckle, a car full of Fallen angels using such means to travel.

When they approached the driveway
, Alice opened the door with a beaming smile before retreating back into the house. Briathos stood in the doorway waiting for his fellow Fallen, seeming a little less on edge than he had been.

“Briathos
,” Kokabiel said.

“Kokabiel
,” Briathos said.

“Dad
,” Cole said.

“Son
,” Kokabiel responded. “So what are we all here for?”

“Smells good
,” Jake said, pushing past his Fallen brothers.

“Cole’s been cooking all day. It’s more
of a Thanksgiving meal but we’re celebrating so we thought, what the hell, why not?” Alice said, grinning. She pulled out a few beers and passed them along, after pouring a shot for her grandfather.

“Alcohol
. Alright, what’s going on?” Paul asked nervously.

Briathos laughed loudly at the sudden change in his mood.
As Alice handed Jake his beer, he saw the ring. “Holy shit! Right on, Cole. Nice!” he said before pounding knuckles with Cole.

“What is it?” Paul insisted shamelessly.

“Relax, Dad, this is a good day. Cole…”

“I asked her to marry me
,” Cole interrupted.

“And I said yes!” Alice beamed with a lightness about her that cooled all tempers and comforted all worries with a simple smile as she tilted her head to the side while showing off her new ring
.

“Well done
, Son.” Kokabiel said, feeling some relief wash over him.

“Thank you
, Dad.” Cole was dancing on air; they all needed something to celebrate after all they had been through and all they were still going to go through.

“Dad?” Alice asked softly.

“Yes. I am very happy for you both. I’m not sure how you two manage to be so positive through all of this, but God himself should be impressed,” Paul said.

They all laughed at th
at thought, but Kokabiel saw that Alice took it to heart. She wondered
what if I could change His views?
She glanced around at her family as they each gave their blessing, needed or not. She loved them all; he felt that and he knew that she planned on speaking to him before dinner began. He saw her nod, signaling to him to step outside, and so he did.

“So daughter
-in-law, you wish to speak with me?” His calm demeanor was compromised and he knew she felt that.

“Sit down with me for a moment
,” she said, patting the porch steps. “I went to see Elizabeth and she showed me something that I think you need to see. I’m still not quite sure how this works so look into my eyes and focus in on her and I believe the memory will come to you if you let it.”

“Alright, seems easy enough.” Kokabiel stared deeply into her eyes for a few moments as his warm light welcomed hers. He saw a version of himself comforting the love of his life as they peered at his newborn son. He relived the moment
when he left with his son, leaving her alone to be murdered. As she stepped to the window to shut it, she whispered her love to him and he knew that in that moment, she was at peace. She wasn’t terrified and clueless; she was knowing and determined and she forgave him, for, having that one moment, was everything to her. As her voice echoed in their minds, “I forgive you, my love,” Kokabiel’s eyes began to rain tears, betraying his calm and cool demeanor. His love was incredibly brave in her final hours and completely trusting in him to fulfill his promise. Over the last year he had been sharing everything he could with Cole, and soon enough he would share this, too.

When Alice closed her eyes
, severing the connection, she felt a calmness resonating from Kokabiel. He looked into her eyes, tearful and thankful. “She was always such a brave woman.”

“She still is. After all that has happened
, she still holds nothing but love for you. She’s the only one whose forgiveness mattered to you and now you have it.” Kokabiel collapsed against Alice in defeat. Those years ago, when they had set the plan into action to create a super Nephilim to save them all, he had had no idea what the consequences were. He felt that God should be proud of how many of them had connected with his precious human creatures. He wiped the salt from his skin and stared into Alice’s warm eyes.

“Enough about me, let’s go celebrate.” His smile was warm but the guilt he
was feeling stung them both.

ALICE

Alice entered the house to
find the table set with more food than they could possibly eat. Her eyes locked onto Cole’s for a short moment causing that familiar electric surge to course through her. Jake pulled her into a hug, smiling hugely like a proud brother might do. This day they feasted, they enjoyed each other’s company and they felt the love as if they all had waited their entire lives to feel it. Even Briathos joined them as he, too, had finally felt a fraction of what feeling human was like, and, as much as he was fighting it, it felt good. Alice was proud of her family, proud to call them her own after a lifetime of yearning to be a part of something. Even with darkness lurking in the corners of their world, they had this moment to just exist as they were meant to.

Alice laid awake thinking about
James and how he must have known who she was when he befriended her. She wanted to be angry but she had forgiven Cole for the same thing, and most of her Fallen family, as well. She also dwelled on how Briathos connected with her teacher, falling face first into human emotion as she twirled her hair coyly at him in response to nothing more than his presence. She knew he was tormenting himself over the ordeal and as much as she would have liked to comfort him, she knew that this was his path to take and that nothing she did or said would change that. Max had called to check in on her, as well, as she had requested some time off to heal. She had told him for it was for “school.” So many lives tangled together, held by invisible strings. Things were going entirely too well, and that made her extremely nervous. Cole entered the room and sat down on the bed next to her.

“Everything alright?”

“Today? Yes,” she smiled, sitting up to reach his lips with her own. She had never felt so whole in her entire life and she owed much of that to Cole. She lived to touch his skin, feel his hands all around her. Love was a powerful force, a lesson that they had learned over and over again. She sighed as they laid down and she snuggled into his arms, “I love you.”

“And I love you.” He kissed the top of her head and
in the comfort of his arms, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Alice awoke in the familiar field of golden grass and eerie woods. A fog seeped from the woods crawling across the grass toward her. She backed slowly away
, almost knowing that what waited for her wasn’t a good thing.
You cannot save them all. You were never meant to exist.
A deep soothing voice echoed with hatred.

“But I do!” Alice yelled back. She looked around to find herself sitting in her bedroom
, shaking, with Cole frantically holding her.

“What happened
, Alice?”

“I think…
,” she shook with terror at the memory of the voice. “I think it was God. Is that even possible?”

Cole soothed her the best he could as her shivers slowly declined
, but the idea that she may have spoken to God terrified him as well. She focused in on the beating of his heart against his chest as it echoed in her ear. She knew she had every right to be nervous because as it stood, if that was God, He had no intention of letting her save any of them and if He chose to speak with her, He did so in a way to get that message to her. A worse thought emerged, what if this was a manipulation at the hand of Rogziel? She looked up into Cole’s worried eyes and when he smiled at her sweetly, she knew that scare tactics weren’t going to stop her from trying.
How much is one soul supposed to endure?
Cole squeezed her in his arms reassuringly, soothing her worries with his numbing shield rendering her back into an unconscious state in nearly no time at all.