Nirvana

Chapter six

Back Story:

Dylan meets Vanessa (part 2)

Vanessa stumbled through the forest having lost the path back to her class. She was too hurt to stay around Dylan, as well as being too flustered to return to the group. She didn’t want Greg and his friends to laugh at her again. Then again, Dylan did get them back pretty good. Maybe they’ll pretend this never happened. If she weren’t so upset with him, she’d have thanked him. What was his problem, anyway? How dare he blame her for their childish behavior? Vanessa’s face was saddened as she looked down at her bandaged arm. Maybe he was right. A lot of things in her life might have been slightly better if she stood up for herself. Maybe things would be better if she got lost in the woods. It would be better than going home. She’d have the animals to take care of her. Before she could completely consider the idea of running away, Vanessa felt a twinge in her chest. It wasn’t exactly painful, but it caused her body to tremble and sweat. Was she anxious? No, this felt more like fear. Something was wrong. Something bad was about to happen and something was telling her it was about to happen to Dylan.

Dylan was never known to fear death. It was inevitable anyway. However, when he felt himself freefalling down the waterfall, he felt slightly concerned about how much pain he’d feel before death occurred. His body hurt as it smacked against the water’s surface, like concrete. He’d hoped it would be enough to knock him out, but to his dismay, he was still conscious. Of course, the gods wouldn’t allow him an easy death. Usually, instincts would force a person to swish their arms and legs in an effort to swim, but his limbs were sore and numb from the fall. His chest ached, but it wasn’t from the usual pain. He must have broken a rib or two. This didn’t matter, he’d lose all feeling soon enough. Drowning wasn’t as scary as he thought. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but he felt like he was slowly drifting off to sleep. It would have been peaceful if the usual stabbing pain wasn’t ripping him apart from the inside. As the last air bubbles escaped his lips, he felt something wrap around his leg. Then something wrapped around his body. As his consciousness faded, the last thing he felt was being pulled upward toward the surface.

“Dylan! Dylan!” Vanessa cried. She dragged him over toward the grass, away from the river. He wasn’t breathing. “Dylan wake up!” she shook him, scared and unsure of what to do. She wanted to call out for Ms. Grant, but they were too far out to be heard. She didn’t have a phone either. It was pure luck she had gotten there when she did. When she felt he was in danger she raced over, not really knowing where she was headed. When she arrived, she’d seen him fall from the waterfall and didn’t resurface. She’d never used her powers on a human before but she used all her strength to command whatever weeds that grew underneath the water to pull him to the surface. It took a lot of energy out of her but she managed to pull him close enough to the edge where she could grab him. She pushed down on his chest, mimicking what she'd seen on TV about CPR. Panic swelled in her chest, she didn’t want him to die. She wasn’t even that close to him, but tears fell from her eyes as she feared she was too late to save him. “Please, please, WAKE UP!” Water erupted from Dylan's mouth as his lungs forced out the intruding liquid. Relief overwhelmed her at the sound of him coughing and gasping for air. His gasping was followed by groans of agony. She hadn’t noticed it before, but his arms and legs were swollen and bruised. He’d likely broken a few bones from the fall. “W-Wait hold on.” Vanessa leaned over him, placing her hands on his chest. He winced at first. Yep, definitely some broken ribs.

As Dylan came to, he groaned. There was so much pain running through his nerves. Had people lied about death being painless? Reality struck him. No, he didn’t feel dead. Something warm pressed against his ribs. It hurt, but the pain subsided quickly. It wasn't only in his chest either, his whole body slowly started to feel better. He felt blissful warmth all over. Then he heard a voice, humming silently. It was sweet and calming. His vision cleared and he saw Vanessa hovering over him. He shot up in disbelief, but soon regretted it when the pain crept back in.

“You shouldn’t move too much,” she said. “I wasn’t done healing your wounds. You might still be a little sore.”

Dylan looked down at his arms and legs, they still ached, but the bruising seemed to have lightened. His chest didn’t hurt as much either. “You're an Angel?”

Vanessa’s face flushed and she squirmed away shyly. “I was told not to tell anyone or show my powers. My daddy would get angry. But when I saw you fall, I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.”

“Why don’t you ever stand up for yourself if you have all this power?” Dylan blurted out. She flinched and he became aware of how loud he was being. The last thing he wanted was to scare her. “It’s so frustrating seeing people walk all over you. You shouldn’t just sit there and take it. That’s why I was so annoyed earlier.”

“It’s not like I want to.” she rubbed her arm. “But my daddy said Angels who hurt humans get damned to hell. I just...I don’t want to become fallen.” Tears welled in her eyes again.

He felt uneasy as he remembered how he had made her cry earlier. He felt ashamed. Without thinking, he embraced her. “Stop crying. If you want to be stronger, stop showing your tears to people.” Realizing what he was doing, he released her quickly. He felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He didn’t even know her, yet he was casually hugging her without her permission. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your space like that.” She giggled and her smile was like a breath of fresh air. For as long as he could remember, the world had always looked gray, yet being around her was like seeing color for the very first time. He couldn’t stop his heart from pounding against his sore ribs. It hurt, but it was also blissful. “I...I’m sorry for pushing you.”

“It’s okay. I probably deserved it.”

“No you didn’t! It’s not wrong to want to defend yourself. God wouldn't be that selfish.” This was the first time he’d ever spoken so passionately, but he couldn't stand her talking about herself this way.

“Are...Are you an Angel too?” she asked.

“No!” he said quickly. He didn’t want to lie, but no one has ever reacted well to his power. His flames, they weren’t for angels. She’d think he was a demon and stay away from him. He couldn’t stand that, not after she’d freed him from the pain that’s tormented him. He needed her to stay. “My parents are Angels, but I was born human. It’s pretty bazaar for purebloods, but here I am. Just a normal kid.” he saw her face droop. “But I’m strong even for a human. Even if you can’t defend yourself, I'll make sure nobody ever hurts you again. I...I’ll never hurt you again.” she smiled, but her demeanor still showed sadness. She took his face into her hands. It was a warm, gentle touch.

“I promise to protect you too, Dyl.”

The trees parted for the sun to shine through, her face seemed to glisten. She really was an Angel. It melted his heart and, for the first time in his entire existence, he cried.

Present

“Dylan?” Vanessa called again. He turned to her and his eyes showed the same astounded look hers did. A smile spread across his face.

“Vanessa?!” he rushed to embrace her but was taken aback when she recoiled away with a frightened look on her face. “Ness, it’s me. Don’t you remember?”

“Y-You’re dead,” she stammered. “You can’t be here. How are you here?” She glanced at Sarina for help. Sarina shrugged, too shocked to speak.

“It appears you two know each other,” their teacher stated. “That should make your adjustment here much easier. Ms. Hellon and Ms. Silvers are members of the student council. I’d appreciate it if you two would get Mr. King situated while I pull up the syllabus for the rest of the semester.”

“NO!” Vanessa’s eyes illuminated and a thick blade formed in her hand, pointed at Dylan's throat.

“Ms. Silvers! What are you doing? Put that away immediately!” their teacher ordered.

Vanessa ignored her. Her eyes were glued to the man that claimed to be her old friend. One who had been deemed dead for 5 years. “Who are you?” she asked. She had heard stories before how some demons could shapeshift in order to feed on humans. How this demon knew Dylan, she didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to allow it to hurt anyone she cared about. “And how do you know my name?”

Dylan huffed, almost laughing. This wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. “It’s me Vanessa. The real me. Can’t you see it?”

“Then how are you back?” the blade pressed into the flesh of his neck. He winced but didn’t move. Vanessa could hear mutters from her classmates.

“Hey, Ness, you mind if we do this somewhere that's not so crowded?” he asked. He glanced back at the students silently whispering.

“I will say this only once more, Ms. Silvers. Put your weapon away, now.” their teacher ordered once more.

Vanessa began to protest, but she glanced over at Sarina, who nodded her head. She may have been careless. Even if she did find out he was a demon, it wouldn’t be smart to allow a fight to break out in the building. It was best they isolated him until they got some answers. Her blade disappeared and her arm fell. It felt like the entire class had been holding their breath. “I apologize,” she said. Their instructor did not look pleased.

“I do not know your relationship, but violence is not permitted on school grounds.” she scolded her. “Since you are usually a good student, I’ll count this as a warning and allow you three-5 minutes to excuse yourselves and get your act together. However, Ms. Silvers, draw your blade again against another student in my class and the headmaster will hear about it, understand?”

Vanessa hung her head. “Yes, professor.” They were dismissed into the hallway where they were surprised to meet up with both Katskai and Raid. They were both in their gym uniforms carrying sports equipment.

“Class over alread-” Raid froze when he saw Dylan’s face. The equipment fell from his hands and scattered across the floor.

“What. The. Fuck.” Katskai swore.

“How is this possible?” Raid asked. None of them took their eyes off Dylan except Vanessa, who’s eyes were glued to the floor, her face hidden.

“We don’t know,” Sarina finally said. She eyed him suspiciously. “For all we know, he may not even be the real Dylan. He may be an impostor, a fake, a demon.”

“No,” Dylan protested. “Come on guys, it’s me, I swear. It’s the real me.”

“Prove it.” Vanessa said. She turned to face him. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she fought against them. “Tell me something only he would know.”

Dylan took a moment, searching his mind for something significant, something he was sure she’d remember. He looked her dead in the eyes, opened his mouth, and sang.

At first, Vanessa was confused, but it only took her seconds to recognize the song. It was her song. The one he’d written and sang to her back in junior high. The last song he’d ever sang to her. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, she let them fall. He gave her a gentle smile.

“It’s really good to see Ness.” he opened his arms invitingly and she didn’t hesitate to run into his embrace.

“It’s him...It’s really him.” she sobbed. She felt so overwhelmed it felt as though her legs would give out on her. Thankfully, he welcomely supported her weight. “I missed you...so...much.” It was hard to speak as she was too choked up by her emotions.

“Me too,” he agreed, nuzzling his face in her hair. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Sorry to interrupt the moment,” Sarina chimed in, “but we only have 2 more minutes to get to the bottom of the real question. How are you here Dylan? We all thought you were dead.”

“It’s kind of a long story.” They parted and he swept the remaining tears from Vanessa’s face. “I don’t think I can tell it all within 2 minutes.

“Summarize,” Katskai demanded. “You can’t just pop up outta the blue after we all thought you croaked and just leave us hanging.”

“I agree, we need answers.” Raid finally commented. “Did you fake your death or something?”

Dylan looked at each of them and sighed. “No, I died five years ago. I went to heaven and was judged by an Ophanim angel. The reason I came back was because he deemed my death a faux pas, a mistake.”

“Mistake? They can do that?” Raid asked.

“It definitely doesn't happen often”, Dylan continued. “It’s an extremely rare case among angels and humans. I guess they saw that I had something more to live for.” he glanced at Vanessa, she smiled back at him. “That took about two years though.”

“Why didn’t you come back sooner if you came back three years ago?” Sarina asked.

“Well, I was in pretty bad shape after the accident. My body was badly damaged and I might not have made it if an old guy by the name of William Ford hadn’t rescued me and patched me up. I stayed with him and his granddaughter for a little over a year until I was fully recovered. I tried to find you when I found my way back home, but Vanessa...mom and dad said you moved out years ago.”

“Oh,” Vanessa commented. “I didn’t want to be a burden to your family. Without you there, I thought I’d cause them more pain. Being a reminder of you, I mean.”

“Vanessa, you know they love you. You’d never be a burden.”

“I know, but it was time for me to learn to stand on my own two feet anyway.”

“Why didn’t you come to my house then?” Sarina asked. “You’ve been there…a few times.” she looked away, weary. “Why didn’t you search there?”

“Considering your house isn’t your favorite place to be, I didn’t think I’d get anywhere looking for you there. Even if you were, I doubt your mother would have told you I’d stopped by.”

Sarina shrugged. “Fair enough.”

The door to their classroom cracked open and their professor cleared her throat. “Time's up, either come to class or I’m making all of you absent. I know you wouldn’t want that on your first day, Mr. King.”

When Dylan turned to face their professor, Vanessa caught a glimpse of black markings peeking from beneath his collar. “You got a tattoo?”

Instinctively, Dylan placed a palm on the right side of his neck, hiding the markings. “Oh, yeah. It was Jason’s idea. Some stupid prank.”

Before she could persist, Katskai chimed in. “Let’s meet up after classes are over. We can go to Mario’s pizza and continue catching up. I’ll fill Renei in on what’s happening when I see her.”

“So there I was, 10 seconds on the clock,” Katskai said. “I was about to pass the ball to Raid, but he was being blocked off. We were two points behind, so we couldn’t afford a f**k up. Five seconds left, I was standing at the 3 pointer line and as the clock struck 0, I took the shot. My heart fell into my stomach as it bounced off the backboard and circled around the ring. Your boy was a hero,” Katskai boasted.

Dylan smirked “Lucky shot, you used the backboard.” Dylan teased. “A hero would have had nothing but the net.”

“Katskai’s actually a really good player,” Renei admitted. Katskai smiled and leaned back, his arms behind his head. “Once he started shooting the ball into the right net,” she added. They were sitting in a booth at a pizza restaurant.

“So what else did I miss?”

“Well, you missed our freshman entrance ceremony where Rey turned the auditorium into a huge arts and crafts project.” Vanessa said.

“Hey, that was years ago,” Renei pouted.

“And the auditorium still stinks like paint and stale chocolate,” Sarina added.

“Let me guess, surprise bombs?” Dylan guessed. “Man, it’s weird, but I’ve actually missed your pranks.”

“It wasn’t a prank!” Renei said defensively. “It was supposed to show everyone how cool we were, but I jiggled the bombs too much and they exploded.” This only erupted laughter out of them.

“C’mon Rey, you should have seen that coming. “Dylan said. “You’re an accident waiting to happen.”

“I said the same thing.” Vanessa added.

Sarina picked up Katskai’s drink and tried to drink it, but he grabbed her hand.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“C’mon I wanna taste it.” she said. He then placed a kiss on her lips. Dylan choked on his soda.

“Did you taste it?” he asked.

“Woah, woah, woah, what was that?” Dylan asked.“I’ve definitely missed a lot. Are you two...dating?”

“Yeah we are.” Katskai said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“When did this happen?”

“The summer before 8th grade,” Sarina chimed in. “about 5 months after you...went away.”

The silence that crept over them was deadly. It was still uncomfortable for any of them to talk about what happened even while Dylan sat across from them, clearly alive and breathing.

“Dude, I didn’t even notice, you got ripped.” Raid pointed out. “I’ve been playing sports and working out for 10 years and I’m nowhere near as buff as you. What’s your secret? You take steroids?”

“Nothing like that. Will was a general in the army,” he explained. “While I was in his care, he made me work out daily to build up my strength to fight off de-, I mean survive all the demon attacks that’s been happening. There tend to be a lot of herds popping up down south. He wanted to make sure I didn’t die before I made it back home. Those two years with him were worse than boot-camp. Well I guess it wasn’t that bad. Emma helped take care of me when the work got too brutal.”

“Emma?” Vanessa asked.

“Oh, there's an Emma.” Raid teased. “Was that the granddaughter? Spill the beans man, was she hot? Unless she was like a kid, then pretend I never asked.”

Dylan’s face flushed and they all noticed. “She...she was pretty.” The group gasped. Dylan avoided looking at Vanessa, but he knew she was staring.

“You got a girlfriend?” Renei pestered.

“Now we gotta hear the details,” Katskai agreed.

“And you spent two years with this chick? I know you lost your V-card.” Raid jeered.

Dylan’s face had turned a bright red. “Will you guys stop that? It wasn’t like that.” he felt so embarrassed he could die. “We just hung out most of the time. Plus, she wasn’t even there all year round since she had to travel back to the city to go to school. Even if we were close like that, I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

“Don’t be like that D, I thought we were boys.” Raid persisted. “You’re breaking my heart over here.”

“Enough, Raid,” Vanessa interrupted. “He doesn’t have to tell you or any of us anything he doesn’t want to tell. It’s his business, so stop being a perv.”

“How is that pervy?” he asked defensively.

“I said leave it alone.” she glared at him, instead of talking back, he folded his arms and slumped back into his seat. “Anyway, it’s getting pretty late. We should all head back to the dorms.”

“Yeah, I have a paper to finish typing up.” Sarina added as she began gathering her things.

Before they could all head out, Dylan grabbed Vanessa’s arm. “Hold on,”

“Oh right, you don’t live in the dorms do you?” Vanessa assumed. “Do you have a way home? Do you want me to walk with you?”

“Actually, yeah. I was gonna ask if you wanted to come over. My family would really like to see you again.”

Vanesa hesitated, thinking back at the time she’d left his house. It’s been so long already. It made her anxious. “Sure, let's go.”