Chapter 7: A Prison Disguised As Paradise
I’m standing in a deserted street. I recognize where I am. It’s Village Square. This is the main center of my town. This is the center of life for us. The Village surrounds me. It’s a collection of stores and restaurants lining up and down the street. There is an eerie feeling around me as I feel the emptiness of a normally bustling area. I shiver with unease as I begin walking down the street. A stone digs into the sole of my foot, pulling a pained hiss from my lips. I glance down in surprise, noticing my attire. I’m wearing a white, cotton dress with lacey flowers curling around the collar. The bottom of the dress swirls around my ankles as I walk.
My unease grows as the sun begins to set at an alarming rate. A foreboding feeling washes over me and I shiver again. I wrap my arms around my body in a feeble attempt to keep warm as the wind picks up, whipping around me. A lone figure lays in the road ahead of me and I peer into the darkness, straining my eyes to see them. It’s hard, moving against the wind, but I manage to get closer. A gasp escapes when I recognize the shape of the figure. A Celestial. I move as quickly as I can until I reach them. Tears fill my eyes at the sight of Arisen’s lifeless face staring up at me. A sword protrudes from his chest, blood spilling around the blade and onto the concrete. I drop to my knees beside him, resting a hand on his bare arm, feeling the warmth radiating from his body. His death was recent.
“Samara,” a slithery voice whispers in the dark.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up as I glance around. “Who’s there?!” I demand harshly.
“Samara,” the voice hisses again. “Take a good look at your soulmate. He won’t be the only death on your hands if you fail to stop this.”
“Stop what?” I seethe.
“War. War is coming, dear one. Only the Celestial Heir can stop it. Only you can save the world.”
I wake up, shivering from the sweat soaking my shirt. The first thing I notice is the stranger standing at the foot of the bed with his thick arms folded across his chest. He’s large, over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a muscular body. His long, ashy black hair is pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Bangs hang above intense, dark blue eyes. He’s shirtless, wearing only black sweats. A squeak escapes me, and I scramble to a sitting position, leaning against the headboard of the bed.
“Who are you?” I demand. “Where am I? Where’s Arisen?”
He smirks. “What kind of witch are you to have my big brother wrapped around your finger?” he asks in a silky voice.
I frown. “Big brother?”
“You don’t see the family resemblance?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
I try to compare him to my sweet-looking Celestial. There is something about this guy that I don’t like. He makes me feel uneasy and anxious. His eyes are cold and calculating, as if he’s imagining the best way to stab me in the back. “No,” I finally decide.
His perfectly shaped eyebrows narrow, and he takes a step closer to the bed. He opens his mouth to respond, but the bedroom door suddenly swings open, and my avenging angel appears in all of his glory.
“Out,” he snaps. “Now, Azriel.”
The stranger grins at his brother and shoots me a sly wink before he saunters out of the room, whistling a merry tune.
Arisen sighs, his shoulders relaxing as he closes the door behind him. “I’m sorry about him,” he mutters. “He likes to push my buttons.”
I shrug. “Azriel?” I repeat. “As in the angel of death?”
He smiles sheepishly. “Humans named the angel of death after him,” he answers. “I can understand why. Azriel is the Celestial of Death and Darkness. I’m the Celestial of Life and Light. It makes sense that we’re twins. He was always known for the massive tantrums he used to throw centuries ago. Death would always follow him. That’s how the humans gave him his name. He’s gotten better at controlling his temper.”
“He’s creepy,” I blurt out.
Arisen laughs. “He is, isn’t he?” he agrees. His smile widens. “Are you ready to see the island?”
Excitement fills me as I slide out of bed quickly. “Yes.”
“I’ll wait outside the door while you change,” he says, slipping out of the room.
My dream is forgotten as I hurry to my bag and pull out a clean pair of clothes. I meet Arisen in the hallway after getting dressed and running a comb through my hair. He takes my hand as we walk through the house. I’m not sure I can call it a house. Maybe a seaside cabin. It’s gorgeous with many open doorways leading outside. I can feel the cool breeze and smell the saltwater from the ocean.
We step onto a porch, and I gasp. This is a little paradise. Why would anyone want to leave here? We’re in a small community built next to a white sandy beach. There are cabins everywhere. No one seems to be inside. Several children are running around on the beach, splashing in the water and giggling with glee. There’s a little marketplace set up at the entrance to the beach. Adults sit in lawn chairs on the sand, or beach towels, watching the children play. It looks like a normal vacation spot. Except for the Celestials flying around in the sky above the island. It’s all beautiful. I turn to Arisen with a huge smile on my face that falters when I see his sad smile.
“It’s a prison disguised as paradise,” he says quietly. That makes my smile completely disappear. He continues, staring towards the water. “The children don’t know any better. We try to shield them from the pain and sorrow of our world. But they’ll learn soon enough. Soon enough they’ll have to grow up. They’ll learn that we’re trapped here. That we don’t have the same rights as humans. That this is their world and we’re lucky enough to be stuck here.”
The urge to comfort him is too hard to resist and I place a hand on his back, rubbing up and down until he lets out a shaky sigh.
He smiles tightly. “Come,” he says. “Meet the children. Play while we still can.” He grabs my hand again and jogs towards the beach with me in tow.
The kids light up with happiness when they see Arisen and he’s instantly surrounded. My soulmate laughs joyfully as they tug him towards the water. I let him go and stand back, watching with a soft smile. Affection bubbles up inside me as I continue to stare. The sun hits his hair just right, giving him a soft, warm glow that makes him even more beautiful. He splashes the kids, and they spend some time chasing him around in the water.
It’s a happy scene. Pure innocence. Pure joy. No worries. No problems. As I continue to watch him, I remember my dream and my breath catches in my throat. I’m still not sure if I believe in soulmates, but I do know that there is no way in hell I will let the beautiful soul before me die. No way in hell.