Daystar (53 page)

***

Ariel grinned.
 
“That is them!”

Metatron frowned.
 
“I am not impressed.
 
I still have yet to see a reason for this.”

Ariel slashed at him.
 
“It is not for you to decide.”
 
She twisted fire between her hands, adding colors and lights, it started to take shape.

Metatron soared.
 
“We do not have much time for this.”

Ariel hissed.
 
“Just keep watch for the Primangels.”

She wrenched on the fire.
 
She created a doll, purple and wide-eyed.
 
She looked over her work appreciatively.
 
Ariel breathed on it and the doll twitched and wailed.
 
She dove towards the shield.
 
“Keep alert.”

***

Helion and Whitney caught sight of Ariel as she returned.
 
They spotted the child in her hands.
 
Whitney pointed.
 
“They have Bean!”

Helion squinted.
 
“How would that be possible?”

“Who cares, they have her!”
 
Whitney blasted into the sky.
 
“Come on!”

“Whitney, wait!”

Whitney ignored him.
 
“We don’t have time.
 
They’ll take her back to Heaven!”
 
She covered herself in exoskeleton.

Helion bolted through the air after her.
 
“Whitney,
don’t!
”

Whitney tore through the shield and threw a spear of stone at Ariel’s head.
 
Ariel wove around it and laughed.
 
The baby wailed.
 
Whitney snarled and leapt for Ariel.

Helion raced after her.
 
He threw out his hands.
 
Arrows of dark matter and antimatter flew towards Ariel, colliding and combining to explode around her face.
 
Ariel hissed.
 
“Metatron!”

Metatron unhinged his jaw and bellowed.
 
The sound hit Helion and Whitney and sent them reeling in a whirl of deafness.
 
Ariel tossed the fire baby and grabbed Whitney’s hair, twisting it in her grip.
 
She smiled at Helion and disappeared with Whitney in tow.

Helion flipped in the air.
 
Metatron opened his mouth to bellow.
 
Helion shouted, “You cannot do that again!”

Metatron gagged.
 
Helion rushed him and wrapped his arms around the boy’s neck.
 
“You will tell me where Whitney is
right now!
”

Metatron shook under Helion’s touch.
 
He whispered, “Heaven.
 
You must come for her, Helion.
 
He wants you.
 
You do not belong here.”

Helion snarled.
 
“No,
you
do not belong here!”

Metatron burst into light and was unmade.
 
Helion was left with nothing but space between his hands.
 
He screamed in rage.

Dahlia and Lucifer appeared at his side.
 
Dahlia clutched at her chest.
 
“Whitney, where is she?”

“Heaven.”
 
Helion stared at his hands.
 
“They kidnapped her!
 
They took her!”

Lucifer stared at the skies.
 
“Why?”

Helion shuddered.
 
“They want me to come for her.”

Dahlia looked into his eyes.
 
“Why you?”

“I don’t know!”

Lucifer grabbed his arm.
 
“Then you are going below now!
 
What did we say about going above the shield?”

Helion burst into tears.
 
“We thought they had Bean, but it was a ruse to get us to cross.”

Dahlia frowned and followed them down.
 
“They did this on purpose.
 
Whitney cannot help herself when she sees something helpless and in pain.
 
She helps wounded animals even if they try and hurt her.”

Helion’s eyes turned red.
 
“I will—”

Lucifer slapped his hand over Helion’s mouth.
 
“You need to watch what you say, that is all you will do.
 
Your words have power, Helion.
 
Keep them to yourself.”

Dahlia nodded at Helion.
 
“If they want you in Heaven that is the last place you are going.”

Lucifer snarled.
 
“I will go get her back.”

“You will drop that thought right now!”
 
Dahlia pointed at him.
 
“She is
not
helpless.”

Helion bit Lucifer’s hand to get free.
 
His eyes returned to normal.
 
“Do you think they want to hurt her?”

Dahlia shook her head.
 
“I doubt it, sounds like she is a hostage.
 
Do not worry; we will work to get her back.
 
As your Primangel I must order you not to go.”

Helion reached for her.
 
“Dahlia, no—”

“Helion, you may not leave to get Whitney.”

Lucifer let Helion go.
 
“Will you return to Eden now?”

Helion nodded, dejected.
 
“What else can I do?”

Dahlia took Lucifer’s hand.
 
“We are going back up.
 
We will think on this, Helion.
 
Do not doubt that.
 
She is my friend; I will not leave her there.”

Helion nodded.
 
His wings drooped and he dropped towards the earth, utterly despondent.

Dahlia gazed at Lucifer.
 
He hugged her.
 
“I am sorry about Whitney.”

Dahlia shook her head.
 
“She is strong.”
 
She allowed herself a small smile.
 
“Heaven has no idea what they just brought into their home.”

***

Paimon and Furcas dove towards a remote atoll.
 
No longer as remote as it once was, it was within sight of Hawaii and Japan.
 
Furcas hopped a few feet in the sand as he came to a stop.
 
Paimon grabbed his arm and pointed.
 
Bean sat under a tree, still wrapped up in their shower curtain.
 
Her eyes were closed; her face was pointed towards the ocean.
 
Salt and sand had dried in the streaks her tears had left down her cheeks.
 
Her eyelashes were almost white.

The two picked their way over carefully and quietly, not wanting to startle her.
 
Paimon nudged Furcas and went around the other side of the tree.
 
They dropped down on either side of her simultaneously.

Bean’s eyes shot open and she jumped, but moved not an inch.
 
Paimon and Furcas enveloped her in a hug.
 
Bean elbowed them, but they refused to let go.
 
She squirmed and tucked her head into the shower curtain, so that all they held was plastic.

Paimon peeled back the top layer.
 
“Bean.”

“Leave me alone!”
 
She tucked the plastic around her face and stared at her feet inside the cocoon.

Paimon rubbed her back through the material.
 
“Bean, we’re sorry.”

Furcas kissed her plastic covered cheek.
 
“We are two huge fuck-ups, as you very well know, and we’re idiots.
 
What happened back there is a reflection on us, not on you.”

Paimon scooted up hip to hip with her.
 
“Let’s face it; we’re probably the two worst parents in the universe, the last two people that should have been allowed to have a kid.”

Furcas smiled.
 
“The fact that you didn’t run away screaming when you were born is really quite amazing.”

Paimon nodded.
 
“
I’m
amazed.”

Furcas looked thoughtful.
 
“I’m baffled now that I look back on it, the first thing I do is get us both killed.
 
I’m the best dad ever.”

Paimon snorted.
 
“If that had been me I would have said,
No, death was really nicer.
 
I’d like to go back to Hell and remain a formless blob rather than live with those two douche bags
.
 
Fuck that life with those guys
.
 
Know what I mean, Bean?”

Bean snorted.

Furcas leaned his head against hers.
 
“But we’re glad you didn’t do that because we love you very much and we’d be quite lost without you.”

Paimon poked her uncovered ankle.
 
“We’ve done a lot of bad—”

“Stupid.”
 
Furcas threw in.

“Degenerate things in our long life together, but you are not one of them.
 
You are the best thing we’ve ever done, Bean.”
 
Paimon pulled back the plastic a little to uncover an eye.
 
“No lies, you’d know.”

Bean looked away from him.
 
Her eyes filled up with tears.
 
“You don’t mean that.”

Furcas pulled back the plastic from her other eye.
 
“Of course we do!
 
You’re our baby!”

Bean sniffled.
 
“No, I’m not.
 
I’m your
science experiment
.
 
I’m some kind of soulless, mutant, freak creation.”

Paimon rested his head on her shoulder.
 
“No you’re not and I’d know.
 
I made some before.”

Furcas smiled.
 
“You’re a combination of the two most awesome people ever,
us
.
 
How could you wish to be anything else?
 
And isn’t that what a kid is anyways, a combination of their parents?”

Bean stuck out her tongue.
 
“Yeah, but most kids can’t remember their conception, or the first time their parents killed someone, or got drunk, or threw orgies because they thought they were
funny
.”
 
She dropped her head back in the plastic.
 
“Leave me alone.”

Furcas looked her over.
 
“Bean, this plastic whatever it is that you have going cannot be comfortable.
 
I have to imagine you’re chaffing.
 
Come out.”

“No.”
 
She pulled the plastic down tighter.

Furcas slipped off his t-shirt.
 
He sliced down the back of the plastic and pulled it apart.
 
Paimon grabbed her by her waist and pulled her backwards.
 
Furcas tugged his shirt down over her head.
 

Bean’s head popped out the top.
 
“Dad, stop!
 
Let go of me!”

Paimon kicked off his khaki pants, leaving him in boxers.
 
He tossed his pants to Furcas who slipped them over her legs while she struggled.
 
Furcas took off his belt and cinched it around her waist.
 
They grinned.
 
Furcas sat at her feet.
 
“Much better right?”

Bean pulled her purple hair in front of her eyes.
 
“Yeah I guess.”

Paimon tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled her into his embrace.
 
“Pouter, you’re just like Furcas.”

Furcas smirked.
 
“She’s pretty just like me too.”
 
He licked his thumb and tackled her, wiping the sand and tears off her face.

Bean kneed him in the stomach.
 
“Eww!
 
Don’t!
”

“It’s just parent spit.”
 
Furcas grinned and looked down at her.
 
“You’re the one who went and got herself dirty, it’s not my fault.”

Paimon leaned over her and looked at Furcas.
 
“That was a mom thing to do.
 
I want to switch titles.”
 

“I’m only doing it because you’re not stepping up,
Mommy
.”

Paimon ignored him and helped Bean sit up.
 
He put his arm around her shoulders.
 
“Bean, we adore you and you’re not going anywhere.
 
We want you with us.”

Bean tried to glare at the ocean, but her eyes went back to his.
 
“You mean it?”

Furcas dropped to her other side.
 
“Of course we mean it!
 
You’re our Bean.”