*Sephie*
We crawled into bed around 8:00 that morning. He had a few things to take care of that afternoon, so he made sure to set an alarm. I didn’t want to sleep the entire day and then be awake the entire night again either. As I laid across his chest, finally feeling warmth after an entire night of being freezing in that hospital, I felt my body relax completely. My hair was still wet, so I wrapped it into a bun to keep it from soaking everything it touched. I felt Adrik’s hand slowly running up and down my back, under his shirt that I was wearing. It felt like less than a minute and I was sound asleep.
I found myself on a familiar path, in front of that same house where I saw my father the last time. This time, instead of cautiously entering the house, I ran inside. He was at the piano again and stopped when he heard me come into the room.
“Peanut!” he said, standing and opening his arms to me.
“Dad! I was wondering when I was going to see you again!”
“Well, technically, this is the second time in as many days. Ivan even saw me yesterday, too, although once again, I wasn’t really needed. Ivan had it covered.”
I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
“The accident. I wrapped my wings around you right before the truck hit you, but then Ivan turned to use his body as a shield for you. Do you remember seeing his face, peanut?”
I nodded my head. “Yes. He looked confused and then he looked like he was in…awe?”
“Accurate. What he was seeing isn’t usually seen by many people, but once again, it needed to happen. He got his wings yesterday, peanut.”
I felt the tears starting to burn my eyes. “What do you mean. Is he leaving?” I asked, very seriously. “He can’t die yet. He’s fine. The doctors fixed him. He said he was fine.” I started to panic.
My father grabbed me and pulled me to him. “No, Sephie. He’s not going anywhere. He proved that he’ll give his life to save yours yesterday. He’s not allowed to go anywhere now. He has a job to do.”
I inhaled deeply, feeling a flood of relief that Ivan wasn’t dying. “But I still don’t understand.”
“It’s quite a long story, but the short version is that Ivan’s special gift, his inability to feel pain, is what was needed to protect you from what’s coming. It’s no coincidence that you’re the one that could calm him down yesterday. You two have been tied together your entire lives, you’re only just now realizing it.” He cleared his throat, seeing the look of confusion still on my face. “Sephie, people have many different forms of soulmates in their lives. You and Adrik? You’re the lovers. You two were always supposed to meet and fall in love. You complete each other, which is why he feels like home to you. You’ve fallen in love with him over and over through lifetimes. But there are other kinds of soulmates, too. You and Misha? You’re here to teach Misha how to fully embrace his gift. You and Andrei? You’re both here to push the other to be better. That’s why he readily took on the job of being your trainer and why you keep reminding him how great he is all the time. You and Viktor? You’re giving him his confidence back. There’s more to the story of how he ended up in a Syrian prison. You’re helping to correct that. And you and Stephen?” He paused, smiling at me. “You’re showing him how to be himself. He’s got a secret no one knows about yet, but you’re pushing him to be comfortable enough to share it. Now, you and Ivan. You two have a special bond. This isn’t the first lifetime you two have spent together and I’m guessing it won’t be the last, either. He’s your protector, Sephie. He basically stole my job yesterday. I’m not even mad at him, either. His wings are way cooler than mine. His swooping is going to be marvelous eventually.” He looked down at me, realizing he’d been rambling. He grinned. “Ivan will always protect you. He feels compelled to protect you. Everything he went through in his life prepared him for what’s about to come. The Powers That Be still have big plans for you, so they brought out the big guns to make sure those plans are seen through to completion.” He whispered, “Ivan is the big guns, in case you were wondering.”
“But Misha didn’t see this one coming. How did that happen?” I asked.
“No one saw this one coming, until it was almost too late. They saw an opportunity and they took it, which ultimately worked to your advantage. They weren’t as coordinated as they would have been had they had more time to plan. You guys were outnumbered, 4 to 1, peanut. Clearly, they should’ve doubled that if they were to have any shot at taking you.”
I thought for a moment, remembering the chaos of the day, but knowing that Ivan and I missed the majority of it. I sighed, still feeling grateful that we all made it out relatively unscathed.
“How are his wings cooler than yours, Dad?” I asked, smiling. I felt like watching him talk was like watching myself talk sometimes.
“Oh, Ivan got a special deal. Ivan’s spent so much time walking amongst demons that he can now freely walk between both Heaven and Hell. My wings are white. I want no part of Hell. His wings are white and then they fade to black on the ends and because he’s the big guns, they’re crimson on the very tips. WAY cooler than mine.”
I laughed. “Can I tell him this?”
He nodded his head. “He won’t believe you at first, but he saw them in the accident. He just has to remember.”
“How did he see them in the accident?” I was curious. I clearly remembered the look on his face before he lost consciousness.
“He saw my wings wrapped around you, but when he turned to shield you from the impact, that’s the moment that he got his. He watched them come from behind him to shield you and even cover mine.”
“Are you sure he’s not going to die anytime soon? I can’t take knowing he’s going to sacrifice himself again to protect me.”
“Sephie, it won’t be easy and what’s coming will be bad. Very bad. But you can pull him back. Adrik showed you how when he pulled you from the darkness. You can do the same for Ivan. You will do the same for Ivan.” He had both hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes, almost like he was searing the information onto my brain. “See? Everything happens for a reason, peanut.”
I smiled at him. “Now that you’re out of a job, you’re not leaving, are you?”
“No, not for good. I still keep an eye on you, but now that Ivan has stepped fully into his role, I’m needed even less than I was before. I’m thinking of joining an aerial acrobatics troop. Learn some new swooping techniques,” he said, making a swooping motion with his arm.
“We can still talk like this sometimes, then?”
“Of course, peanut. I’m always around. Swooping.” We both heard a noise outside the house. “It’s time for you to go, Sephie. That’s Adrik’s alarm. Remember, you can pull Ivan back. You, too, can walk freely between Heaven and Hell.”
The scene in front of me faded quickly and I felt Adrik’s hand on the back of my neck. He was talking softly to me, trying to wake me up. I opened my eyes, still smiling at the memory of seeing my dad once again. I lifted my head to rest my chin on his chest. He smiled at me, running his finger lightly over my cheek.
“Good morning again, solnishko. You had a good dream, I take it?”
I closed my eyes, nodding my head. I put my head back on his chest and hugged him tightly. I always suspected there was more to he and I finding each other, but now I knew for sure. I breathed in his scent deeply, “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I will always love you.”
I felt his arm wrap around me, pulling me on top of him. He wrapped both arms around me, holding me tightly. “And I love you, solnishko. Always and forever.”