ANGELS AND DEMONS
Down to the Earth
I fell, with
Dripping wings
Heavy things won’t fly
Eden sat on one of the many balconies in the Castle of Souls. She sighed as she looked up at the starry night. It was a clear night, and the full moon shown brightly. It was nights like these that made her think of the day, made her wish she were back home, and made her long for someone to share these nights with. Anyone would do, even if it were just to talk. FC had followed Ben into town, and Tropy was at the Time Twister putting up protection so that if Uka Uka came back, he couldn’t get in. She just wanted someone to hold her, to make her feel important, to… She shook these thoughts off. It wasn’t possible. She was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it, or her loneliness. A lonely life came with the package. But FC still had a lover. Maybe because he had one before he died. Either way, she still had a slim chance. She sighed again, then went in.
And the sky
Might catch on fire
And burn the
Axis of the world
“Oi, Eden, wake up!”
She felt a rough shake. She opened her eyes. Standing above her was a young bandicoot. He was much too young to have died, but he did nonetheless. She smiled up at him. She never seemed to get tired of seeing him.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty, time to get up.”
He turned and walked out. Eden got out of bed. She noticed that FC more of floated than walked. She guessed she did it, too, and had just never paid mind to it before. She shrugged and went down to the kitchen. Tropy and Ben shivered as she walked in, they always did. They smiled at her despite the chill, and went back to talking. She smiled back, though they probably didn’t see. She and FC always sat at the table with the others at meals, even though they didn’t eat. That was another thing Eden missed about being alive, food. Well, she could eat, she just wouldn’t be able to taste it, she had already tried that.
“What the matter, Eden?”
She jumped at Tropy’s words.
“What?” she was wiped out of her thoughts.
“You seem quiet today,” he sipped his coffee.
“Oh, nothing, just thinking.”
She decided it was best not to share her thoughts about a love life with the boys a long time ago. Tropy nodded and went back to his breakfast and the conversation. Eden hoped that they’d finish eating soon; she didn’t want them to get suspicious of her.
A sudden chill overcame Eden. She was now sitting in her bedroom on the third floor. She looked out the balcony window. The sky had suddenly become grey,
“But it was a cloudless day just a minute ago…”
She got up and walked (or floated) out to the balcony. The ocean was raging, and all nearby animals ran for cover.
“Something big’s coming,” she jumped. FC had appeared next to her, “something evil.”
That’s why I prefer
A sunless sky to the
Glittering and stinging
In my eyes
FC’s words still rung in the back of Eden’s head, “Something evil.” It had been peaceful for months, what could possibly happen? She looked down from the balcony. She saw something standing in front of the castle. She looked harder, someone. She felt another chill. It was a wolf. She didn’t take too kindly to wolves, but she had to go greet him, anyway. She went to meet the visitor. The closer she got, the more she wished she had stayed in her room. But he had already seen her; it was too later to go back now. She smiled at him, though he kind of scared her. He was very muscular, and had scars all over his chest and arms. His hair was wild, like that of a lion. Around his wrests were black chains, and he seemed to wear some as a belt. Black chains meant something, though she could remember what. He smiled at her.
“Greetings, traveller, are you lost?”
If he was, he would know the answer.
“I am looking for a way home.”
That was the answer she wanted.
“You are home. Come.”
She motioned him to follower her, and he did. They went through the giant oak doors of the castle. She took him down to the dungeons. There, she stood in front of two doors, one a brownish-black, the other a faded red.
“Which is you destination?” she turned to him.
“Neither,” he answered, looking her in the eye.
“What?”
Was he to stay in this world like she and FC?
“I shall not go to Heaven nor Hell,” he said, still looking her in the eye.
He began to move closer to her. Eden wanted to back away, but couldn’t. Was she frozen in fear or curiosity? He took her hand and bowed.
“My name is Sol-Leks, Lady Eden,” he gently kissed her hand, “I have heard many things about you.”
Eden blushed deeply. He was nothing like what she had first thought. Sol-Leks looked up. He saw a surprised and fearful face. He stood up strait.
“Do not fear, My Lady,” he put a clawed hand on her cheek, “just because out ancestors were enemies, does not mean we have to be.” He moved closer still.
It took Eden a while before she realized what he was doing. She had never actually been kissed by a boy before, not even her father. He left before she was even old enough to walk. Her eyes widened and she blusher deeper as he put a long tongue into her mouth. It was like nothing else she had ever felt before. She closed her eyes, and let out a soft moan as she took it in. Sol-Leks finally pulled away. Eden was left gasping for breath. She looked up at him. He smiled, and kissed her again.
I feel so light
This is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light
Tonight and the rest of my life
“Have either of you seen Eden?” Tropy asked as he walked down the stairs.
Ben and FC shook their heads.
“’Aven’t seen ‘er in two days,” Ben said, not looking up from his paper.
“It’s not like her to stay way this long…” Tropy sat down at the table.
“Yeah, I asked around earlier, nobody’s seen ‘er,” FC put his feet up on the table.
“Heard you talking about me,” the three jumped (causing FC to fall back in his chair) as Eden appeared next to the table.
“Where have you been?” Tropy stood up.
“I had to show someone around Heaven,” she smiled.
“Since when did you become a tour guide?” FC said, getting up
“Well, I never said I wasn’t,” Eden sat down.
“Well, tell us next time, all right?” Tropy, too, sat down.
“All right,”
Eden stood on her balcony staring out on the water. The cool sea breeze danced through her golden hair. Oh, how good it felt! Everything seemed better when you’re in love, she decided, even being dead. She sat on the balcony edge, looking in. It didn’t really matter if she fell; it wasn’t like she could die again, right?
“Why did you come here if it wasn’t for a destination?” she asked the wolf who lay on her bed.
“To see you,” he got up and walked to her, “I had heard some much about you, I had to come see you in person.”
He kissed her neck gently. She giggled. Sol-Leks lead her playfully back into the room, closing the outside door behind them. FC stood on a balcony below. He had seen and heard it all, and didn’t like a bit of it.
Gleaming in the dark sea
I’m as light as air
Floating there
Breathlessly
Eden lay awake that night. She smiled happily at the ceiling. Never in her life (or death) had she been so happy. She knew now that she was important, and that she was truly loved. Her eyes moved down word now, to her left arm, by the shoulder, to be exact. There, was a tattoo she had had for as long as she could remember. Her mother said it was a birthmark, but she thought it much to complex to be so. To her, it looked somewhat like a bird’s wing, but spiked in the back. She had never really paid much mind to it before, but for the past few days, it seemed like it was burning. She touched it gently, and let out a small yelp in pain. Correction: It was burning. She was confused, but she decided it was nothing to lose sleep over. She rolled over to face Sol-Leks, and fell asleep. FC waited for Eden to wake up the next day, rather than going in himself, mainly because he was afraid of what he’d find. She did come out in due time, though later than usual. She jumped as she saw the lost soul.
“Oh, were you coming to wake me up,” she quickly closed the door behind her.
“I saw him,” FC wasn’t one to make small talk.
“What?”
“Wolves eat lynxes, Eden,”
Eden grabbed his hand and led him into another room.
“FC, please don’t tell Ben and Tropy,” she pleaded only when the door was closed.
“Why not? They have a right to know,” he sat down in a nearby chair. It immediately turned blue from the cold.
“Fine then, I guess Crash and the others have the right to know about you and Ben,” she began to open the door.
FC zoomed over, slamming the door with her hand still on the knob.
“All right,” he looked slightly paler, “I won’t tell, but as soon as you get hurt, it’s coming out.”
He stomped out of the room without even bothering to open the door.
When the dream dissolves
I open up my eyes, I realize
That everything is shore less sea
A weightlessness is passing over me
Eden had been careful; about Sol-Leks ever since FC found out. Every time they passed each other, FC would give her a look that made her palms sweaty. She knew that he wouldn’t tell - it had been at least eight weeks since he confronted her, but she was still worried. She even worried about Sol-Leks. He seemed too good to be true. The tattoo on her arm burned worse every time she was around him. Sometimes it was so bad, that the cloth from her dress made it hurt, though it barely touched the mark. She admitted she was sacred. Scared of FC, scared that the burning would get worse still, scared that if she told everyone, they would shun her for not telling them. She had gotten in way over her head.
I feel so light
This is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light
Tonight and the rest of my life
Eden had to tell him, She had to tell Sol-Leks about FC, the tattoo, everything, but she didn’t want to. He might leave her; she might be left lonely again. She had to tell him, not matter the consequences. She walked slowly to her room, wanting to delay the inevitable. She opened the door. Inside was Sol-Leks, sitting on her bed, looking as beautiful as ever. He smiled as she waked in. She smiled back.
I have to tell him… she reminded herself, trying not to look him in the eye, “We need to talk,”
She told him everything. He was quiet after she finished. He got up off the bed. She knew he was leaving now. She didn’t dare look up at him.
“Stand up,” he said. Eden was surprised, but did as she was told.
He put his clawed hands on her cheeks, making her look up at him. He was smiling. Eden smiled, too. He wasn’t leaving. Tears came to her eyes as he gave her a long, passionate kiss. His right hand made its way down her side. She giggled as his tickled her. It stopped as it reached her midsection. After a few seconds, she felt a stabbing pain in her midriff. She pulled away, but Sol-Leks’ left hand was still around her neck. She looked down as far as she could. She knew the cause of the pain. Sol-Lek had dug his nails into her stomach. She looked up at him in disbelief. He smiled cruelly.
“Wanna know the real reason why I came here?”
Eden couldn’t answer, whether it was from the surprise of pain, she did not know,
“I used to work for Chris Devil. We were good friends, and when I heard what you did to him, I was… upset. So, I came to settle things.”
He dug he claws in her deeper. He smiled wider as she yelled in pain. FC’s ear perked up. He looked over at Ben and Tropy. Neither had seemed to have heard it. He got up and walked up the stairs. He peeked inside Eden’s room, making sure he didn’t walk in to something he didn’t want to. He saw something he would never forget. He rushed back downstairs.
“Guys, come quick, it’s Eden!”
Sol-Leks dug deeper still into the small cat, but she didn’t scream. She didn’t feel it any more. He gave one last push, sending his hand all the way through her. He pulled it away and out, then disappeared. Eden lay on the floor now. Huh, she remembered what black chains meant now: A fallen angel, a tortured soul, a demon. She gave a slight laugh at her stupidity. FC, Tropy, and Ben ran in. She smiled at then. At least they found her. She closed her eyes, and let the darkness take her.
Everything is waves and stars
The universe is resting in my arms
Tropy and Ben sat in the living room, not saying anything. Eden was gone, and FC had gone looking for her in the other dimension. They just sat, thinking, and hoping. FC looked around for the familiar lynx face. He almost missed her sitting in the corner, hugging her legs, and hiding her face. He could hardly recognize her. Her dress was shredded; the left sleeve was almost completely gone. She had black chains around her neck and waste, and had scars all over her body. Her hair was short; barely chin length, choppy, and unkempt. She didn’t look up, but FC could tell she was crying. He walked over to her, almost in tears himself to see her that way. He put a hand on her knee. She flinched, so he took his hand away.
“Eden,” he said soothingly, “Eden, it’s me, FC,” kneeled down next to her.
Eden slowly looked up at him, face red from crying. FC tried to smile, and tell her it was all right, but couldn’t, he was just as scared as she was. His eyes watered as she looked up at him. She lunged forward at him, catching him by surprise. She hugged him tightly around the middle and sobbed. He put his arms around her, rubbing her back. They were quiet for a few minutes. Her sobs had stopped. FC guessed that she had fallen asleep. He started to pick her up, but saw that she was wide-awake.
“Eden, what happened to you?” he put a hand on her cheek.
“I’m sorry,” her eyes began to water again.
“Oh, Eden,” he hugged her again, “I don’t care about that. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
There was another moment of silence.
“FC, would you do something for me?”
“Of course,” he pull her away from his chest to look her in the eye, “what is it?”
“Kill me,” there was no tone in her voice.
“What?” he looked her over. She was dead serious.
“Please,” she pleaded.
“Y-you’re already dead,” he gave a nervous laugh, “you can’t die again.”
She took his hand and put it over her heart, “Please,”
FC stared at her, pleading with his eyes for her to reconsider. Her expression didn’t change. His eyes watered until he couldn’t look at her any more. He brought her close to him again. He didn’t want to. Eden had been with him since he was made, and couldn’t imagine not being with her. But, Eden had never asked much from anyone, and he guessed it was the least he could do to repay her. With one swift movement, his hand went through her heart. He hugged her tightly, sobbing now himself.
“Thank you,” she smiled at him, then disappeared, this time, for good.
FC was still for a moment, trying to pull himself together. His best friend was dead for good now. He knew this, but didn’t believe it. He looked up, surprised to see a glowing ball eye height to him. He reached out to touch it, but it flew away before he could. If that was what he thought it was, Eden may not be gone after all. FC teleported back to the living dimension. Tropy and Ben stood up.
“Did you find her?” Tropy asked, hopingly.
FC shook his head, “No.”
Afterward
I feel so light
This is all I want to feel tonight
I feel so light
Tonight and the rest of my life
It had been nine or so months since Eden truly died. It had been lonely and quiet. Tropy began locking himself in his room more often, if that was possible. He was quieter, and really only came out for meals. Ben didn’t have his nieces over as much as before, afraid that they might get hurt, or something. When they did come over, the upstairs and dungeons were off limits. FC had taken it harder than the rest, though they didn’t know it. He had seen what had happen to her, and he was the one that finally gave her peace, something that he didn’t share with Tropy or even Ben. Every morning, he would go into her room, even though he knew she wasn’t there. Perhaps hoping that one day, he would wake up, and it all turned out to be a dream. That day never came, and slowly, reality began to sink in. He had taken over Eden’s job as Gatekeeper, too, something he didn’t like. He was sure that Eden wouldn’t have liked him greeting the dead, either. He began to realize why she was always so depressed; it was a depressing job. It was awful to see all the innocents that were lost every day, especially the youths. Maybe that’s why she fell for that dog. Maybe she wanted someone to comfort her, to tell her it wasn’t her fault, he knew he did. Well, he had Ben at least. Eden had absolutely no one, life or death. The closest she ever had to a boy friend (beside the wolf) was Tropy, and we all know that he’s just Mister Sunshine. FC sat pondering this on a balcony one day. He had a good view of the waters around the island, and knew if any one was near. At least, he thought he did. He heard a loud bang on the castle doors. Surprised, he teleported down to greet the lost soul. He was even more surprised at what he found. He poked his head through the oak doors. Ben and Tropy sat inside by the fire, reading and such.
“What is it?” Ben asked noticing him.
“It’s a baby! And I-I think it’s alive!” Tropy and Ben looked at each other, then went to see for themselves.
Outside, on the step, was a small bundle. Ben picked it up gently. He moved the blankets around so that the child’s face could be seen. It was a small fox with golden hair.
“It’s a girl,” he smiled.
“She’s beautiful,” FC reach out to touch her, but held back, remembering.
“Where did she come from?” Tropy looked around. There was no one in sight.
“Don’t know,” FC shrugged, “guess she’s ours now.”
The baby had awoken. She took a small arm from the blankets and rapped her tiny hand around Ben’s finger. Their eyes widened. On her left arm, by the shoulder, was a birthmark, which could easily be mistaken for a tattoo that looked like a bird’s wing with spikes coming out of the back. FC smiled.
“Do you believe in reincarnation?” he asked no one.
The others smiled, too.
“What should we name her?” Ben asked, heading back inside.
“Eve,” Ben and FC looked at Tropy surprised. He looked back with a strait face.
Ben shrugged, “Eve it is, then,”
FC looked to a remote spot outside the castle before going in. A single red rose marked it. It was a grave. There was nothing in it but a memory. Above, the headstone read:
“Eden Lynx, our desert rose
May she finally rest in peace.”
~fin~
Author’s Note: It made me cry. It was really just a random idea I came up with. I’m glade about how well it came out. Eden was pretty much my favourite character, and I figured I should do something with her (I actually tried before with a Eden side story, but it didn’t come out right).
I was originally going to have her live on as a fallen angel, but came up with the idea of Eve actually only a few days ago.
The song lyrics were from “Tonight and the Rest of my Life” by Nina Gordon (it’s a good song, download it or something). The whole “desert rose” thing also came from a song – “Desert Rose” by Sting. It was pretty much how I came up with Eden’s character (another one of his songs inspired “Eden’s Revenge”). One last song by him gave me Eve (good thing I decided to buy that CD, I guess)
Anyway, thank you for reading, and remember: Everyone has at least one guardian angel.
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