Nephilim's Fall: Chapter Fifteen

Chapter 15

 

"Alright," I sighed, glancing around to check that there were no unfriendly Nephilim sneaking up on us. Thinking about it, I did feel better having William with me, an emergency buffer in case we ran into Olivia or Marissa. I shuddered, imagining being in an empty hallway alone with either of them.

"Bit chilly in here," William said conversationally, apparently mistaking my shudder for a shiver from cold.

"Yeah," I replied, glad for his misconception.

We walked along in comfortable silence, and I tried my hardest to memorize the route. A few minutes later, we were standing outside my room--thankfully, William seemed to know which one it was, because I had no idea. If I'd been alone, I probably would have had to walk all the way to the bathroom and back again just to find it.

William leaned against the wall beside my doorway, watching me. "Thanks for coming around today," he said, smiling warmly.

"Don't mention it," I replied, returning his smile. "I had a great time."

"Yeah, we did too," he said, standing up straight. "Anna really likes you, you know."

"Yeah, I like her too."

"Great," he said, his expression turning suddenly serious. "You will come over tomorrow, won't you?"

"Of course," I replied, shrugging. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah," he said, the smile slowly returning to his face. "Well, I guess I'll see you then, then."

"Sure, thing," I said, pushing my door open and pausing for a moment. "Goodnight," I said, when it seemed that he had nothing else to say.

"Goodnight," he echoed, his eyes never leaving mine as I closed the door to the room.

I turned into the room, heading straight for the bed. My stomach rumbled in appreciation at a plate adorned with a huge, delicious-looking sandwich, sitting in the middle of the duvet next to a scrap of paper. I picked the piece of paper up first, though my stomach told me not to--it was hours since I'd last eaten--and saw that it was a note from Conner:

Stella, I didn't know when you'd be finished with William and Anna, so I thought I'd leave this here for you, just so you wouldn't get any crazy ideas about sneaking off to the kitchen or anything. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.

 

Conner.

I smiled, putting the note down and digging into my sandwich.

 

 

Over the next few days, my life began to settle into a monotonous routine. Each day, I'd spend every waking moment in the company of Conner, William or Anna. I couldn't even walk myself to the bathroom in the mornings without an escort. By the fifth day, I was fed up.

"We're going outside today," I said to Conner when I opened my door that morning to find him waiting expectantly outside.

"What?" His eyes narrowed, and he scrutinized me, as if he thought that by staring at me hard enough he could make me change my mind.

"You heard me. I'm sick of being stuck indoors."

"But--"

"No, no buts." I pushed past him into the hallway. "We're going outside today."

He sighed, his expression weary as he gauged how serious I was. "Okay, maybe."

I grinned, hopping from one foot to the other. "Fantastic! Now, where are we going?"

"What, you haven't decided that already?"

I rolled my eyes. "Conner, I've never been to Melbourne. You're the one with all the local knowledge, remember."

"Oh." He sighed again. "Well, I don't really know the area that well."

I rolled my eyes, unconvinced. "Whatever, I'm happy to wander aimlessly. I just need a bit of fresh air."

"Well, there's a window in your room--are you having trouble opening it?"

I glared at him, slowly placing my hands on my hips. "We're going outside today, and that's final."

"Are you really sure? We could just hang around in your bedroom, take a walk inside maybe? You could walk for miles in here without coming to a dead end."

"Damnit Conner," I growled, turning and walking down the corridor in what I hoped was the direction of an exit. "Why won't you just let me go outside? I think I can handle the outdoors, I have actually been outside before, on my own and everything."

"It's not that," he assured me, following on my heel. "It's just... what do you need to go outside for, anyway?

"I'm sick of being stuck in this stuffy house with nothing to look at," I stormed, stomping ahead. "Just take me out somewhere, okay? I don't care where; I just want to go somewhere."

"Okay," he sighed. "But you're going in the wrong direction."

"Oh." I spun on my heel, marching back past my doorway. Conner's resigned footsteps echoed my own, and I grinned to myself, just glad to be breaking the routine.



It was nearly eleven when we piled into the Ford, William up front and me and Conner in the back, just like during our cross-country road trip less than a week earlier, with one notable exception.

"Who's with Anna?" I asked as we pulled out of the driveway, leaning forward in my seat.

"Nate and Ebony," William replied. "This outing was convenient, really, I think they were getting a bit jealous of all the time you were spending with her," he laughed, his eyes on the road ahead as we sped through the suburbs.

"Oh," I murmured, glancing sideways at Conner. "I didn't realize that her time was in such high demand. I thought I was only hanging out with you guys so much because it was slim pickings."

"Oh no," William said, his gaze flicking to me in the rear view mirror. "She totally adores you."

I smiled at him, a little embarrassed, though I wasn't sure why. I looked at Conner, and saw that he was staring stonily at the scenery flashing past his window. "What's up?" I asked him, reaching across to rest my hand on his arm. He flinched, his eyes flickering to mine, and for a moment he looked almost surprised, as if I wasn't who he'd been expecting to see.

He shrugged, smiling hesitantly. "Nothing, I was just thinking."

I resisted the urge to ask what he'd been thinking about, because I knew that if he wanted to tell me, he would. I returned his smile before turning my gaze out my own window, letting my vision become unfocussed so that the houses whizzing past became a mess of undefined colors.

I rested my forehead against the window, and wondered what my mother was doing. An image popped into my head, of her sitting at home, miserable and staring into space as she reread my lackluster farewell note. She must be frantic with worry for me. For about the millionth time, I wished that I hadn't left my mobile on the kitchen counter, placed solemnly beside the tear-soaked letter. I hadn't wanted to, but Conner had insisted, for reasons he would only half explain. I'd asked Conner if I could contact her, a couple of days after we'd arrived, just to let her know that I was safe.

"I'm sorry Stella. It's for your safety," he'd said, holding my hands between his own. "And hers."

 

"But she doesn't know where I am," I choked through the tears that streamed down my cheeks. "She must be so worried about me."

 

"It's going to be okay," he soothed. "Matthew's looking out for her, I promise."

 

I shook my head in an effort to clear the tears that were stinging my eyes. I tried to focus instead on the soothing rumble of the car motor, but a few moments later it cut out. I sat up, looking out my window properly. We were in a car park next to a quaint little park, with benches and swings, and even a little pond, complete with ducks and everything. I pushed the car door open, tumbling out of the enclosed space. I headed straight for the park, my eyes locked on a bench looking out on the pond. Euphoria at being in such a lovely place filled me, until I thought I'd burst. I spun around to face Conner, my mouth stretching into a wide grin. He returned my smile, following me at his own pace. I turned back and headed for the duck pond, my composure failing halfway there, my quick stride breaking into a run. 

 

I collapsed onto the bench, filling my lungs slowly with air so fresh it seemed I could almost taste green. I tilted my head backwards, staring up at the clear blue sky as a puffy white cloud floated lazily above me. It was a perfect day. A few moments later I heard Conner's measured footsteps, shortly followed by a thud as he sat down next to me. I leant towards him, resting my head against his shoulder. For the first time in days, I was glad for his presence.

 

"I would have taken you out sooner, if I'd known how much happier it would make you."

 

I laughed. "Well, you should have listened to me sooner then, it's not as if I never suggested it."

 

He didn't say anything, but I could tell that he was smiling.

 

"Where's William?"

 

Conner stayed silent for a long moment before answering. "He's gone for a walk. He's got a lot to think about, lately. I think this outing will be good for him, too."

 

"You mean with Anna?"

 

Conner's shoulder shook slightly as he nodded to himself. "Yeah, among other things."

 

"Other things?" My mouth twisted down into a frown, sympathy for the curly-haired Nephilim making my heart ache. As if it wasn't bad enough that his sister was sick, but there were other things, too? It didn't seem fair.

 

"Yeah." Conner didn't elaborate, and I decided not to push the subject. William's business was his business, after all.

 

We fell into a comfortable silence, and I watched the ducks floating carelessly on the pond, letting my thoughts wander. As usual, they turned to the one thing I hadn't been able to get my mind off since the day we'd left Riverwood.

 

Sebastian.

 

"Conner?"

 

"Mmm?"

 

I paused, unsure how to ask the question that was burning at my mind without making it obvious what I was asking. After a long moment, I decided that there really wasn't any phrasing that wouldn't make it crystal clear what was on my mind. I sighed. "Tell me about demons."

 

Conner drew a sharp breath, straightening up so that I had to remove my head from his shoulder. He turned his head, blue eyes burning into mine.

 

"Why do you want to know about demons, Stella?"

 

I rolled my eyes. "Are you serious? Up until a week ago I thought that demons were just make-believe, like the Bogey Man, or unicorns. Now I find out, hey, actually, demons are real--and you expect me to just accept that, without wanting to know more?"

 

Conner coughed, in an unconvincing effort to cover a laugh.

 

"What?"

 

"Oh, nothing," he said airily. "But you should probably know, demons aren't the only "mythical" creatures that really do exist."

 

I gasped. "What, you mean unicorns are real?"

 

Conner coughed again. "No, actually, that's not what I was referring to."

 

I felt the blood drain from my face. "You mean..."

 

"It's not important," he interrupted, suddenly serious again. "Neither are demons. None of that stuff is relevant to you."

 

I groaned. "Conner, you made me leave my home without even a word to my mother, putting me instead into some creepy, "sacred" house full of Fallen Angels offspring who would much rather I went back to where I came from. Not to mention you've pretty much kept me under lock and key since we arrived, and all because of demons, as far as I can see, and you're seriously going to tell me that none of that is relevant to me?"

 

He sighed. "I suppose 'yes' would be the wrong answer to that question?"

 

"Yes," I growled.

 

"Fine." I could practically hear the pout in his voice. "Ask me something, then. But I reserve the right to choose not to answer any question you might ask."

 

"Dang Conner," I sighed, "don't want to be a killjoy or anything. Okay," I mused. "Um..." I realized I hadn't actually thought that far. "I dunno," I improvised, "do lilitu burn in the sunlight?"

 

"Stella, you went to school with a lilitu for two months, and you're asking me if they burn in the sunlight?"

 

I pouted. "Okay, fair enough. Do they have reflections? Souls? A heartbeat? Does Holy Water burn them?" 

 

"Yes, they have reflections," Conner sighed, putting on a voice I knew well, one that was reserved for when I asked particularly obvious questions. "It's basic physics. They have mass, they reflect light. There's no reason they wouldn't show up in a mirror: total myth. As for souls, and heartbeats, no, they both cease to exist when the transformation from human to part-demon is complete."

 

"Oh." Unwillingly, I thought again of Sebastian, as he'd bared his teeth at me, shouting for me to leave the school. Had he been trying to warn me? Surely a soulless monster wouldn't have cared what happened to me? "What about Holy Water?" I asked, trying to rid the image of Sebastian's face from my mind.

 

"Holy water's a bit iffy. Its effectiveness actually depends on how old it is, and the ranking of the priest who blessed it. Most of the time it barely does any damage to a demon skin, but if it's ingested, well, then it's a whole different story. When holy water gets into the stomach lining of a lilitu..." He laughed.

 

"Oh." Unpleasant images flashed through my mind.

 

"You asked."

 

"Yeah, I guess I did." I sighed. I'd thought that knowing more about demons would clear my head about Sebastian and put him out of my mind, but it seemed that the opposite was true. Knowing these things just made me more curious about the lilitu who was probably the only reason I hadn't been witness to--or part of--a horrible massacre. Questions buzzed around my head, but I was afraid to ask anything that was too obviously about the chocolate haired lilitu.

 

"So, they don't burn in the sunlight, they do have reflections, and holy water only burns them sometimes." I counted each disproven myth off on the fingers on my hand. "Did Hollywood get anything right?"

 

Conner was silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah, Hollywood got something right. Demons are evil, soulless monsters, who feed off the blood of the living to sustain themselves."

 

We sat in silence, and I brushed my hands absently up and down my arms in an effort to get rid of the goose bumps that had suddenly sprung up all over them.

 

"Having fun?"

 

I jumped as William's voice broke through my reverie, dragging my attention away from thoughts of a certain demon. "Sure, just enjoying the sunlight." I hoped that my half-hearted attempt at a laugh sounded more convincing to his ears than it did to mine. 

 

"Cool." He stood watching us for a moment, his eyes dancing between the two of us before coming to rest on me. "Ready to go back yet?"

 

"Yeah." All of my euphoria at being outdoors had vanished, and I was suddenly longing for the confined space of my room back at the House.

 

William raised an eyebrow at Conner before turning back towards the car, as if to say, 'I told you so'.

 

 

 

"So, what other monsters are there that you haven't told me about?"

 

Conner rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored me. It was two days since our outing to the park, and I hadn't been able to keep my mind off of our conversation. The bogeyman bit, especially.

 

"C'mon," I urged, inching over to where he sat on the carpet of my room. "Please?" I smiled toothily, doing my best to look convincing.

 

"I told you, Stella, we're not having this conversation."

 

I sighed, picking at a thread sticking out of the carpet. "Why not?" I whined.

 

"Because you already know too much that you're not supposed to."

 

"Oh, that's garbage." I pouted, tugging harder at the thread. "I already know about demons, and Nephilim, and the bogeyman, how much more could there be?"

 

Conner was silent, his eyes fixed on the book in his lap.

 

"That much, huh?"

 

"It's none of your concern."

 

"But I want to know!" I wailed, flinging my arms back dramatically and lying on the carpet. "I'm so bored, Conner!"

 

"Well, do a crossword," he suggested, nodding towards a stack of magazines by my bed. "Or read a book," he tore his attention away from his novel for a moment to wave it under my nose. "You can have this one after I'm finished, if you like. It's got all kinds of monsters."

 

"I don't want to read about pretend monsters, I want to hear about the real things! If you're going to confine me to this stupid house you could at least give me that." I knew that I was whining, but I couldn't help it. 

 

Conner sighed. "You're not going to drop this any time soon, are you?"

 

"Nope." I stuck my bottom lip out at him to prove that I was serious.

 

Another sigh. "There are too many creatures out there for me to tell you about all of them."

 

"That's okay," I assured him, "I don't need the definitive version. Just tell me a few, feed my curiosity."