Nirvana

Chapter four

BAM! BAM! BAM! “NESS, YOU OKAY IN THERE?!”

Vanessa rubbed her eyes and stared out the window. The person was gone. Had she imagined it? Was it a hallucination from waking up so suddenly? Her attention went to the banging at her door. It sounded like they were trying to break it down. She must have screamed pretty loudly for her friends to come rush over.

“Vanessa?!” Sarina called again.

“I’m fine!” Vanessa called back. She opened the door to see Sarina, Renei, and their dorm mother standing outside. They were all dressed in their PJ’s. Sarina was only wearing a crop top and panties. She had obviously rushed over straight out of bed. “Sorry, I...I had a bad dream. When I woke up, I thought I saw something outside my window.” Sarina exhaled and hugged her tightly.

“Goddess, don’t scare us like that.” She whispered. “I thought something terrible had happened to you.” she felt Vanessa’s arms wrap tighter around her.

“Sorry.” she whispered. Both of her friends had such concerned looks on their faces.

“Ms. Silvers, I’m glad to see you’re okay, but if this is going to become a problem, please let me know. You’ve been having rather upsetting nightmares for a while now. There have been complaints about the noise.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll work on being more quiet.” The dorm mother nodded, saying goodnight.

“I’ll have security look around just in case.”

When she was gone, Vanessa addressed her friends. “You two should head back to bed. Sorry for waking you.” Before she could close the door, Sarina stopped it with her foot.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Sarina asked. “You're not having those nightmares again are you?”

Vanessa forced a smile. If she told them about the past two nights, they’d worry too much, just like last time. “I’m fine, girls. It’s just been a stressful week.” She gave them one last hug before closing the door. This was going to be a long semester.

A month went by, Vanessa and her friends were growing a bit overwhelmed by the increasing number of herds popping up in the city. It was hard participating in the hunts while also trying to focus on their studies. The few times they were allowed to rest were for school events. Vanessa often skipped events and holidays as she wasn’t as thrilled to participate as she used to be. Moreover, she didn’t have the energy. To make matters worse, she was growing frustrated with Darren’s eagerness to befriend her. Admittingly, he seemed harmless, though annoyingly persistent. He would often stop by the council office to help with whatever menial tasks they were too busy to handle. The other members enjoyed the help. Vanessa, however, would avoid and ignore him, having no desire to get close to him. Why was he always there, anyway? Did he not have any other friends? He was relatively good looking, charismatic, and friendly. Surely he wasn’t a loner.

“Ok guys, I’m throwing a little get-together for Vanessa tonight.” Sarina announced to her friends as they walked through the halls. “I didn’t have time last night to create an invite list, so I need you guys to gather up some people. I’ll text the address to the group chat.”

“We’re not having it in the dorms?” Renei asked.

“Hell no, I wouldn’t be able to bring in any alcohol. Plus, my dorm room is way too small. We’ll have it at my parents' house. They’re out on business for the rest of the weekend. Might as well take advantage.”

“Oh? I wonder what the guidance counselor will think about the student council president permitting underage drinking.” Raid teased.

“She’ll probably think I’m just as bad as the i***t who was caught having cameras in the girl’s dressing room.” Sarina countered. “She’ll love to hear that one. Wouldn’t that be your third strike, Mr. Cullen?”

“Hey! Hey! It’s not what you think,” he started, but before he could explain, Katskai elbowed him in the side.

“Anyway,” Sarina continued. “Invite whoever you’d like, but keep in mind not to bring anyone too rowdy. This is a house party, not a rave. The last thing I need is for my mom to come home and see her house trashed. That’d be like signing my own death certificate.”

“What’s the party for?” Darren asked as he set a stack of neatly organized files on Sarina’s desk. Word had gotten around as most of the seniors were talking throughout the day.

“It’s Vanessa’s birthday today. She didn’t tell you?”

“No, she doesn’t tell me much of anything for that matter.” Sarina shrugged, only making him feel worse. “What’s her deal? She really doesn’t seem to like me.”

“Why do you want her to like you?” she asked, raising her brow. For a second he blushed.

“I don’t…well…I don’t want her to not like me. It just bugs me when I see her act so friendly and upbeat with everyone else, yet she gives me the cold shoulder. What did I do?” he sighed, plopping down on a chair. “Is it true that she really doesn’t like humans?”

“Where’d you hear that from?”

“She kinda said it.” he admitted.

“Then why are you asking me?” She opened her desk and sorted through files.

“I mean you guys seem pretty close. I guess I’m a little curious why.”

“Hey, dude, that isn’t my place. If she doesn’t wanna talk about it, neither will I.” he looked away, disappointed. “You seem awfully interested in her. Do you like her or something?” his face flushed, making him blatantly obvious.

“I barely even know her,” he said bashfully.

“And? I barely know Orion Hue, but I’d marry him in a heartbeat. Don’t tell Katskai I said that.”

“Who’s Orion Hue?”

“The most handsome general in our district,” she swooned. “He’s a native Nirvanian. Can you believe it? I haven’t met many angels who’ve willingly chosen to leave Nirvana. I heard it’s such a beautiful place, but extremely exclusive. They don’t even allow outsiders to take pictures, so there are no documented photos on the internet.” she sighed. “It’s just that wonderful.”

“So why’d this Orion guy leave if it’s so wonderful?”

“Well, he says it was due to his righteous heart and desire to serve and protect humanity, but there’s suspicion that the incident from 15 years ago scared him out.”

“Incident?”

“Yeah, it was a huge thing. Apparently, a demonic deity appeared in the west empire and attacked the capital. They say it attacked the royal family and killed the queen and the young princess.” she clapped her hands and stood up. “But that’s only what I heard. For all anyone knows, the entire story is just a game of telephone. It’s not like Nirvana would permit outside reporters to come in and start asking questions.” She looked at her watch. “Shoot, look what you did. All this talk distracted me." She started gathering her things. “I gotta jet, gotta party to set up. You should come if you have the time. Maybe Nessa will be a little less on edge in a looser setting. Do lock the door before you leave.”

Vanessa arrived at Sarina’s address around 8, as Sarina suggested. She was wearing a black crop-top turtleneck, brown skinny jeans, with black knee-high boots. She felt slightly uneasy. She preferred looser fitting clothes, but Sarina was very insistent that she wore the “sexiest outfit” she owned. This wasn’t exactly sexy, but it was good enough.

“Happy Birthday!” Everyone screamed when she opened the door.

She smiled bashfully. There were a lot more people than she’d expected.

“There’s the birthday girl.” Raid greeted her. He walked over and gave her a plastic cup.

“What’s this?” Vanessa asked as she stared into the dark liquid.

“It’s your special birthday drink. Drink up.”

“What’s in it?”

“It’s a surprise. Don’t worry, we all drank it on our birthdays. Call it your initiation to adulthood.” Raid winked. Vanessa hesitated and took a few gulps. Everyone applauded and cheered. Vanessa coughed and held her throat, hoping to subside the burn and bitter taste.

“Gross, that’s horrible.” she shook her head and handed the cup back to him. Raid laughed and took the cup away from her.

“That’s the point, princess. Congrats, you’re officially 18.” Raid patted her on the back and made his way back to the kitchen. Most of the seniors had shown up, as well as juniors and sophomores she’d never talked to. It was likely they only came for the free alcohol and the thrill of partying with the seniors. Guess it didn’t really matter. She spotted Sarina sitting on Katskai’s lap, talking to a group of girls. When their eyes met, she got up and gave her friend a big hug.

“Happy birthday Ness.”

“You’ve said that at least 5 times today. Thanks, again.”

“I know, but as long as it’s still your birthday I’m going to keep saying it, whether you like it or not.” She looked over Vanessa’s outfit. “Nice, you look really good in black.”

“I can’t believe you got this many people to show up.” Vanessa said, waving to a couple of guys from her art class.

“You obviously don’t know teenagers. Throw in some free booze, greasy food, and a couple of makeout corners into a kickass mini-mansion and they’ll swarm it like flies on honey.”

“Ha! I guess that’s fair.” Vanessa insisted. “And here I thought I was popular.”

“That’s the beauty of dealing with hormonal kids. You don’t have to be popular. You just have to know supply and demand.”

Vanessa gave her a knowing grin. “Or you just have to have a best friend who IS popular.” Sarina laughed.

“Girl, who gives a f**k? Just have fun.” At that moment, Renei waltzed out of the kitchen carrying a tray of cups filled with Jell-O. Sarina eyed her suspiciously. “Those aren’t bombs are they? They’re not going to turn my face blue or green, right?”

“Nope, I’m saving those for the fourth of July.” Renei teased. “These are normal Jell-O shots, unfortunately.” Sarina sighed in relief. She took two shots and handed one to Vanessa.

“These should taste a little better than the s**t Raid gave you.” Vanessa looked it over, hesitantly. “Bottoms up Ness.”

Most of the night was filled with laughter and dancing. Vanessa talked with her classmates and made friends with people she didn’t know. She was surprised to see that Darren didn’t show up. When it was time for gifts, she got makeup, teddy bears, jewelry, and Sarina had given her a red lingerie nightgown. The party quieted down as people started to pass out from all the drinking. Vanessa was lounging on the couch, feeling slightly tipsy, when she noticed a dark figure staring at her through the window. No one else seemed to notice. More so, they were probably too drunk to care. It looked like the same figure that had appeared outside her bedroom window. Whatever it was, it was following her. She wasn't about to let it get away this time. While people focused on their drinks and partying, Vanessa snuck out the back door. The figure was gone from the window by the time she came around. She glanced up and saw the person standing on the roof across the street. They were just staring at her. When she approached, they would move to another roof and turn back to watch her. Did they want her to follow? She hesitated. Instinct told her this could be a trap. However, her heart told her there was nothing to fear. She followed after the shadow figure, sprouting her wings to keep up. She knew it was against the rules, especially without a mask, but seeing how it was so late in the night, it was unlikely anyone would notice. She followed the figure for what seemed like 20 minutes until she found herself in a familiar neighborhood. It was where she grew up, a little on the outskirts of the city. Why had the figure brought her here? She wandered around until she reached her old grade school where she had met Sarina and the rest of her friends. The figure was sitting on the monkey bars in the school playground. His back faced her. Vanessa summoned two daggers made of thorns and bamboo. She crouched low and creeped up. Once she’d gotten close enough, the figure shot its head around and pounced on her. Surprised, she stumbled back. The figure grabbed her arms, forcing the daggers away. Her body seized. How could she have been so careless? She’d followed some stranger without telling her friends.

“W-What do you want from me?” she stammered, trying her hardest not to let her fear show. The figure gazed up at her with crimson red eyes. “I-It’s you. The man in black from before.” the man said nothing, only stared. Vanessa found herself paralyzed by his gaze. He must have been a demon or one of the fallen. There was no other way he could have eyes as red as those if he weren’t. Strangely enough, his eyes seemed to flicker and change color frequently from red, to green, then back to red. They were mesmerizingly beautiful. The man’s hand rose to her face, gently brushing a loose curl from her cheek. The fear she had before was long gone, and in its place a deep longing fluttered in her chest. She hadn’t realized how hard her heart was pounding until it was all she could hear in her ears. Before she knew it, he had backed away from her, hissing in pain. He clenched his arm, took one last look at her and vanished in a wave of fire. Vanessa stared in awe at the blank space where the man had kneeled in front of her. She must have been losing her mind. She pushed herself off the wall and looked back to see a child's writing engraved in the wood. It was a promise between two people to protect each other even if one was an angel and the other was human. D and V. Vanessa’s breath caught in her throat. “Dylan and Vanessa.”

Dylan raced out of the classroom once the bell rang for recess. He had spent all night working on Vanessa’s birthday present and he couldn’t wait to show her. It was a small music box where he had recorded a song for her. His father had helped him make the recording. Vanessa loved hearing him sing, now she'd have something of him she could hold onto. He was going so fast that he couldn’t stop himself when a known bully stuck his foot out and tripped him. All he could do was clutch his gift close to his chest and turn on his side so it wouldn’t break under him. He let out a yelp as he twisted his ankle. He cradled his foot, letting his gift sit on the ground.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that running in the halls is dangerous?” the boy teased. His friends cackled. Dylan glared up at him.

“What's your problem, Randy?” Dylan scowled. “The hell did you do that for?” he rubbed his sore ankle, noticing that it was already starting to swell. He wouldn’t be able to play outside with this. He noticed Randy bending down to pick up his gift. He tried to swipe it away, but was too slow.

“What do we have here? A gift for your girlfriend?”

“Give it back!” Dylan demanded. “I worked really hard on that.”

Randy chuckled. “Relax, I just wanna make sure you're giving her a good present.” He unwrapped and opened the music box to see a little panda figure twirling in the center. His song started playing. Dylan’s face flushed. Randy and his friends fought to hold back their laughter.

“You got to be f*****g kidding.” Randy cursed. “What type of girl wants garbage like this? I could have done way better.”

“Oh yeah, did you even get her anything?” Dylan shot back. He was already aware that Randy was jealous of him and Vanessa’s relationship. He wasn’t the only one, but that didn’t give them the right to pick on him. Randy blushed and glanced back at his friends.

“As if I’d give that ugly little troll anything.” he smiled devilishly. “Actually, I could give her some money. Word on the street, her daddy sells her off every weekend. Wonder what kind of tricks I can get her to do for a 20. You’d know, right-” before he could finish, Dylan punched him so hard that he stumbled to the ground. A deep red bruise started forming around his chin.

“Talk about her like that again, and I will f*****g KILL you!” Dylan promised. He glared at Randy with all the hate in the world.

Randy trembled under his gaze, then realized he had strength in numbers. As long as he stood tall, his friends would back him up. “Hold him,” he ordered. His goons swarmed Dylan, locking his arms so he couldn’t move. Randy took a running start and charged at Dylan, plunging his fist into Dylan’s stomach. He coughed in agony, his breakfast threatening to come up. Another punch connected with his lip and he spit out the blood.

Fury welding inside him, his eyes flickered and it took everything within him to maintain control of the anger trying to force its way out of him. He couldn’t, not here, not where she could find out. Suddenly, a book came hurtling out of the blue, smacking Randy in the face. Blood pooled out of his nose and he cried out in agony.

“Hey Randy, pick on someone your own size!” Vanessa challenged, standing a few feet away from the group. She had obviously seen what had happened.

Dylan’s heart raced. Why was she here? The last thing he wanted was to get her involved. Randy stood, clenching his nose.

“You dirty little b***h!” he swore. “My family could sue you.”

“Sue me then!” Randy inched toward her, but stopped when he saw her eyes glow and thorns slowly crawl out from under her skin. He didn’t know much about angels, but he knew they weren’t the ones to pick a fight with, even little ones.

“Screw you freaks. You’ll regret this,” Randy warned. He and his friends ran off, but not before kicking Dylan’s present into the trashcan.

“NO!” Dylan cried. He rushed over and opened the box. The music sounded strained and glitchy. The panda figure had broken off its stand. Tears welled in his eyes. All his hard work went to waste. Vanessa rushed over to kneel beside him.

“Are you okay Dyl?” she asked, taking in his busted lip.

"I’m fine.” he sniffled. He hated how pathetic he must have looked to her. If only he could have beaten those guys to a pulp like he wanted. If only she hadn’t shown up.

“You’re not fine, you’re hurt. Look at your face.” he turned away from her. “Here, let me heal you.”

“Don’t bother. I want this to be a reminder to get stronger. You’re always coming to my aid when I’m supposed to be the one protecting you.” he lifted his face to keep the tears from falling. He didn’t want her to see him cry. She picked up the broken music box.

“Was this...for me?” she asked. He nodded sadly.

“I had...I wrote a song for you and dad helped me record it. The tape’s ruined now though.” he sniffled again. Vanessa hugged him.

“You can still sing it to me, even without the music.” she smiled at him. “I like your raw voice the best.”

Dylan eyed her, blushed and began to sing a few verses of the song that he remembered. Vanessa listened quietly, smiling.

"You have such a beautiful voice." Vanessa praised.

"Yeah well, would have likely sounded better without the taste of blood in my mouth?" he turned away. His face became serious. "Hey, Randy said something stupid about your dad. Does he...you're okay at home, right?"

Vanessa stared at him, forced a smile and said, "Of course."

Dylan's heart ached. Why was she still lying to him? Hopefully she had a good reason. She obviously didn't like talking about her home, so he stayed quiet and nodded.

“Hey Dyl, you know I count on you just as much as you count on me right?” she took his hand. “It doesn’t matter that you’re human. You're stronger than you realize. Let’s swear to always stay and protect each other.” Dylan stared at her and laughed.

“Is that a proposal?” he teased.

“It’s a declaration of our friendship, a pact. Let’s write it somewhere, so it stays true forever.” She took out a sharpie.

“Here, on the trash?” Dylan asked with disgust. “Let's do it outside on our favorite spot by the monkey bars.”

Vanessa looked away from the message and for a short time, placed her head between her knees and cried.