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  “But I thought…”

  “Your parents were instantly killed in the crash,” Helene said. “Noxin demons can only take a human’s soul if that human is alive.”

  Melina’s chest suddenly felt lighter as a heavy breath escaped her. Her parents’ souls were safe and had hopefully gone on to a better place. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that,” she said. “Just the thought of their souls being trapped inside of some vile Noxin demon…” Her voice trailed off as she briefly closed her eyes and shuddered. “Well,” she said as she looked back up, “I’m glad I know the truth now. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

  “Of course,” Helene said. “I wanted you to know how deeply your parents had wanted to help others, especially from the Noxin demons, because I hope it will give you the confidence to want to do the same.”

  Melina searched her eyes, unsure of what exactly she meant. Did Helene think she was scared of the demons? She held the elder’s gaze for a moment longer then slowly nodded.

  Helene reached out and gave her hand a small squeeze and then turned toward the door to the hallway. “Cecil,” she called out.

  A couple of seconds later, Cecil entered back into the living room.

  “We’re finished now,” Helene said.

  He nodded and then looked at Melina. “Before we leave, is there anything else you want to talk to us about?”

  She had a few lingering questions about her parents, but she knew the elders needed to get back soon, so they would have to wait for another time. There was one other question, though, that couldn’t wait.

  “What about Adelia?” she asked. “Have any of you seen her since she showed up at Lee’s with Maura?”

  Helene glanced at Cecil and then cleared her throat. “We’ve tried to find her with the summoning stone, but it’s yielded little results. Short glimpses of her and quick flashes of scenery are all that we’ve been able to see. It seems she’s doing everything she can to stay out of our radar.”

  “And what about Maura?” Melina asked.

  “We’re assuming she’s hiding out with Adelia somewhere,” Helene said, “but the only way to be sure is if we would happen to catch a glimpse of her while trying to locate Adelia, and we haven’t.”

  Melina gave an involuntary shudder. Not knowing where Adelia and Maura were made her nervous, especially since she was seeing Noxin demons again. It could mean that they were in the area, too.

  “I was just going to bring that up,” Cecil said in response to her thoughts. “Just because we can’t find them doesn’t mean they’re not somewhere close by. Your safety is of great concern to us, so we need you to keep your guard up. We know your guardian angel, Henry, is always watching you, but sometimes guardians can’t make it in time to protect their charges.”

  Melina nodded.

  “And if you see any more Noxin demons,” he continued, “I don’t think you should go after them.”

  “I agree,” Helene said.

  “But following them may lead me to answers,” Melina said.

  Cecil and Helene both smiled at each other.

  “What?” Melina asked as she looked back and forth between them.

  “Walter mentioned to us how stubborn you can be,” Helene said. “But I don't think we quite believed it until now.”

  Melina gave them a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, if I can find out why the demons are showing up, if it really is because they’re getting ready to put their plan into action, then I don't want to miss out on that chance. And I’m not sure I’d be in much danger anyway. The one demon I did chase after ran away from me, remember?”

  “As ruthless as most Noxins are,” Cecil said, “there are a few who are somewhat timid in nature. He may have just been one of them, and you may not be so lucky with the next one you encounter.”

  “Fine,” Melina said. “If I see any more Noxin demons, I’ll try to not go after them. I can’t make any promises, though.”

  “We understand,” Helene said. “But you really do need to keep your safety a priority. You may play a bigger part in all of this than you think.”

  Melina’s brow creased at her words. What did she mean by that?

  Helene reached out and laid her hand on Melina’s shoulder. “We all want answers,” she said, responding to her thoughts. “But we’re still trying to figure this out. If we continue to work together, though, we should be able to find the answers we need.”

  Melina nodded.

  Helene gently squeezed her shoulder and then stood to join Cecil. “We’ll fill Walter and Phinneas in on everything you’ve just told us, but please don’t hesitate to call to us if you see any more Noxin demons. Especially if you notice more odd behavior from them.”

  “And remember,” Cecil said. “Keep your guard up and stay safe.”

  “I will,” Melina said. “It was nice to finally meet both of you.”

  “Likewise,” Helene said with a smile. “I’m sure we’ll see you again soon.”

  She gave the elders a small nod, and with a flash of bright light, they were gone.

  Chapter Three

  Melina remained still, staring at the spot where Cecil and Helene had teleported away. She couldn’t get what Helene had said to her out of her mind. You may play a bigger part in all of this than you think. Did Helene know something she didn’t? She knew Maura had wanted to use her as a weapon back when the demon powers were trying to take over, but she couldn’t see that much importance in herself now. She lowered her head into her hand and let out a heavy sigh.

  “Everything okay?”

  Melina raised her head and turned around to see Lee walking back into the room. He made his way over to the couch and sat down next to her.

  “Yeah,” she said as she turned toward him. “I mean, I don’t know.”

  “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  “No, it’s just that… I’m confused, I guess.”

  “Confused about what?” he asked as he reached over and grabbed one of her hands.

  “Something Helene said to me. I can’t seem to get it out of my head.”

  “What’d she say?” Lee asked.

  Melina swallowed and then said, “She told me that I might play a bigger part in all of this than I realize.”

  “And she didn’t tell you what she meant by it?”

  Melina shook her head. “She acted as if it was just a feeling she had, not that she really knew for sure.”

  He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Well, what do you think she meant by it?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “But let’s not talk about this anymore right now. I don’t want it to ruin our night.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “No,” she said. “My supernatural life always seems to barge in and take over. I want it to be just about us for a change. Or to be just about you.” She reached over and took both of his hands in hers. “Let’s talk about you tonight. Anything new going on at work? You just hired that new gem cutter, right?”

  “Melina,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ve told you before, I don’t mind the supernatural stuff. It’s part of who you are, and I love and accept all of you.” He leaned over and gently touched his forehead to hers. “You need to learn to do the same.”

  She pulled back. “I do accept all of myself.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “What? You don’t think so?”

  He shrugged as he leaned back against the couch. “I just think that if you did, then you wouldn’t apologize about it all the time.”

  She held his gaze for a few seconds and then stared down at her hands. He was right about that. She did apologize about her supernatural side more than she should, but that didn’t mean she didn’t accept it. Did it? She bit down on her lip and then looked back up at him.

  “I don’t want it to be a burden to any of you.”

  “I don’t think it’s a burden,” Lee said. “And
I’m sure Tessa and Gwen don’t either.”

  Melina slowly nodded her head and looked back down at her hands. He was probably right. Tessa had been her best friend since first grade and had always supported her in everything that she did, and Gwen had been there for her parents and was now like her second mom with the way she always helped and encouraged her. And when the family bookstore had been thrust onto Melina after her parents died, Tessa and Gwen had both stepped in to help run it—Tessa as the manager and Gwen as the head associate.

  “Hey,” he said as he gently lifted her chin with his hand. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore. Are you hungry?”

  “I’m starving,” she said.

  “Come on then,” he said as he pulled her up off the couch and led her into the kitchen. “Let’s find something to make for dinner.”

  She smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  Back in The Realm, Walter was walking down one of the many winding cobblestoned paths, taking in the beauty of the place he called home. He looked around at all of the temples — large, white buildings with tall stone pillars flanking the front, each one surrounded with its own uniquely-colored glow. It really was a breathtaking sight to see all of the different colors displayed—golden yellow, soft green, velvety black, bright blue, burnt orange, light red, and hazy purple. He took one last glance around and then headed back toward the guiding angels’ temple, the one that was surrounded in a brilliant white light. Cecil and Helene would be back soon, and he wanted to be there when they arrived.

  He headed up to the second floor of the temple, where the elder guiding angels stayed, and as he reached the top of the spiral staircase, he saw Phinneas sitting on a small, ornate sofa.

  “Walter,” Phinneas said as he waved him over. “Come join me.”

  Walter made his way over to the sofa and took a seat.

  “Did you enjoy your stroll?” Phinneas asked. “You weren’t gone for very long.”

  “I wanted to make sure I was here when Cecil and Helene came back.”

  “Ah, well it looks like your timing’s perfect,” Phinneas said as he nodded toward the top of the stairwell. “Here they are now.”

  Walter turned his head in that direction then immediately stood as Cecil and Helene both walked into the room.

  “How did it go?” Walter asked.

  “She was a bit surprised to see us at first,” Helene said, “but it went well.”

  “Good,” Walter said. “What did she want to talk about?”

  “The Noxin demons,” Cecil said. “For over a month now she hasn’t seen any sign of them, then all of a sudden she’s seen two of them over the past two days.”

  Walter and Phinneas both furrowed their brows, so Cecil and Helene finished telling them everything Melina had told them.

  “Hmm,” Phinneas said as he stroked his scruffy gray beard. “That’s interesting. Especially that the second demon she saw ran away from her. Still, Melina needs to be careful. She doesn’t need to be chasing after them.”

  “That’s what we told her,” Helene said. “But she’s stubborn, just like Walter said she was. She said if she saw anymore Noxins that she would try to not go after them but couldn’t promise anything.”

  Walter shook his head. “This is all very troubling.”

  Cecil nodded and then glanced between Walter and Phinneas. “We didn’t mention anything to Melina because we didn’t want to add to her stress, but from what she’s told us it seems that the demons might be putting things into action sooner than we thought.”

  “Yes,” Walter said, a grim expression on his face. “A lot sooner. They may have even already started.” He turned his gaze to Phinneas and looked at him expectantly. Phinneas was the oldest of the elder guiding angels, so he regarded him for his experience and wisdom.

  Phinneas ran a hand through his shoulder-length gray hair and stood up from the sofa. “We need to start preparing.”

  The next morning Melina woke bright and early. She’d had a great night in with Lee, making dinner together and playing video games, but no matter how much fun she’d had, she couldn’t seem to get the Noxin demons out of her mind. Images of them had plagued her sleep, and she was still thinking about them as she sat at her kitchen table eating cereal at five a.m. She had to do something. Just sitting in her apartment, waiting for them to make the first move, wasn’t going to work for her. She should never have told Cecil and Helene that she’d try to not go after any more of them.

  She quickly finished her breakfast, then after cleaning up in the kitchen, she headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her coat and purse and locked up her apartment before making her way down to her bookstore below. The store didn’t open for another hour, so she decided to take a walk through the park to see if she could spot another Noxin. But before she went to the park, she wanted to make a quick stop at the cemetery. She wrote Tessa a short note, then left through the front door.

  The cemetery wasn’t too far from her apartment, and once she got there she walked straight over to her parents’ gravesites. She knelt on the ground in front of them and sat back on her heels.

  “Hi, Mom. Dad,” she said with a slight smile. “I finally got to meet Helene last night. She was really nice and actually talked to me for a little bit about you two.” She paused and let out a heavy breath. “My mind is finally at peace knowing that your souls are free and not trapped inside a demon.” She wiped away a budding tear and laid her hand on the ground.

  “Helene also reminded me just how much you wanted to help others, especially from the Noxin demons, so I’m going to do my best to do the same. I want to make you both proud of me. Hopefully I won’t fail.” She slowly stood up and started off in the direction of the park.

  As Melina drew closer, she kept her eyes peeled. The sun wasn’t completely up yet, so it was difficult to see everything. After a couple of blocks, though, she had only seen a handful of people out and about. A few looked like they might be going to work, and the rest were out for a morning run. She glanced at one of the runners. She liked to run as well but not during the wintertime.

  A few blocks later the park came into view. Since there weren’t too many people out yet, the park would probably still be deserted. Plus, all of the trees made for a lot of dark, shadowy hiding places, so the odds might be in her favor.

  After looking both ways, she hurried across the street and made her way through the park’s front entrance. She gave the immediate area a quick scan and then shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was actually hoping to see a Noxin demon.

  As she started down the main walkway, her eyes darted from one side of the park to the other. Even though there were lampposts lining the path on each side, the dim light they emanated didn’t help her to see very far. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to concentrate on picking out any movement within the shadows of the trees. So far she hadn’t seen anything, but with forty acres of land, the park was pretty big. She picked up her pace to try to cover more ground.

  When she had made her way to the opposite end of the park, she still hadn’t seen anything. Not even another person. It seemed that the park was completely deserted. She let out a sigh and then walked back over to a nearby bench to watch the sun finish rising over the horizon.

  It was absolutely beautiful. The entire sky was filled with a fiery burnt orange color with hints of lavender and pink hues here and there throughout the clouds. Melina could’ve stared at it forever, forgetting all of her problems. But the sunrise wouldn’t last forever, and she had to get back to her store soon.

  She lingered a few more minutes on the bench, watching the sky as it grew brighter and brighter, when suddenly she heard what sounded like the loud crack of a twig snapping under someone’s foot. Her breath caught in her throat as her head jerked to the side. At first she didn’t see anyone, but as she turned to look farther behind her, she caught a fleeting glance of a woman dressed in black yoga pants and a light blue hoodi
e jogging away from her. She let out a long exhale and turned back around.

  “Calm down,” she said out loud to herself. “There aren’t any Noxin demons here today.”

  Melina placed her hands down on the cold, hard wood and pushed herself up from the bench. It was time to return to the store.

  She made her way back through the park, and when she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she noticed that there were several more people out and about now. The runners were all gone. It was just men and women rushing off to work, all hurrying toward their cars or bustling down the sidewalks. She started to walk a little faster. She needed to get to her job, too.

  When she reached the end of the block, she had to stop at the crosswalk. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she looked up and down the street, watching the cars go by, when she saw a man in a long, dark coat step out of one of the stores up the street from her. He had shoulder-length black hair that was greasy and unkempt, like it hadn’t been washed or brushed in days. It also looked like he had dirt on his forehead and cheeks.

  Melina squinted her eyes to get a better look at him, and as he turned in her direction, her body went stiff. That wasn’t dirt on the man’s face. It was soot. He was a Noxin demon.

  Chapter Four

  Melina kept her eyes locked on the demon, scared to move. Could he sense her? She didn’t know for sure how far away Noxins could sense one another, but he hadn’t looked at her yet, so maybe he couldn’t. He glanced over to his left and then turned to his right and slipped down the alley that was off to the far side of the store.

  Her head whipped back and forth as she looked up and down the street again, and as soon as the last car passed, she darted across the street and toward the alley. She had told Cecil and Helene that she would try not to go after any more Noxin demons, but she couldn’t just walk away. She had to see what he was up to.

  As she approached the alley, she slowed her pace and stopped at the edge of the building. She took in a deep breath then peeked around the corner. The demon was slowly walking down the narrow passageway, but he was far enough away that he might not be able to sense her if she started to follow him. She kept close to the wall, hiding in the shadows as she fell in step behind him.