"All we have at the end of the day are feelings you won't commit to. Oh, and a crazy girlfriend. Not to mention a kid who warned you about me. What am I suppose to do, Marcus? How long can I pine for you?"

"You think this is easy for me? How could you let him kiss you?"

"He didn't kiss me, I kissed him."

"You kissed him?" he says, sounding hurt and betrayed.

"Don't you dare give me that wounded look. You have a girlfriend and you're mad at me for having a love interest?"

"Oh, so now Reese is a love interest?"

"You are not an option for me. You have told me that in every single way possible. You're the one who's walking away from us, so don't you go blaming Reese. You made the choice to stay with her, and I'm making a choice too."

"You're choosing Reese? Is it really that easy for you to give yourself away?"

I slap him, hard. I would have punched him but my hands are too sore to make a fist. He looks at me as if the slap hurt. There is no way I can actually inflict pain on him. At least not the physical kind.

"I don't freaking believe this c.r.a.p. You hit me for Reese? Is he really that important to you?"

"You have no right to talk to me the way you just did. You have no idea what I have been through in the past few hours."

"You? I wanted to kill the whole council. I just wanted to go up there and take them all out because they wouldn't let us strike until the holiday was over. Do you know what it was like to think that Rage made some Runner hurt you, or worse, kill you? What would I do then? How am I supposed to function without you?" he shouts.

"You better learn to deal, Marcus, because that's what you told me to do the night you chose Ameana."

I'm livid and resent being made to feel badly for acting like the single girl I am. He looks directly at me and speaks softer now; he's deeply hurt.

"How could you kiss him?"

"How could you kiss her?"

"Aargh!" He kicks the trash can so hard it goes flying down the street and gets embedded into wall.

"I need to talk to Reese," he says as he marches ahead of me.

"What? No. You leave him alone."

"He warns me to stay away from you. They all do. Then all of sudden, he wants you? He can't keep his hands off of you?"

"You don't own me or Reese. You can't tell us what to do."

"Maybe not you, but I can d.a.m.n sure tell him what to do."

"This has nothing to do with the mission. Leave him alone. I told you, I think he's hurt."

"His hair Shining doesn't mean he's hurt."

"It's not just that. When Rage threw the fireball at us, I told Reese to Blink and he didn't."

Just then Jay Glides over to us.

I run over to him. I'm grateful to be talking to someone who's rational right now.

"Jay, Reese is hurt."

"He's not hurt, he's dead."

We find out that when Reese had saved me from Mayhem, he wasn't able to Blink quickly enough. He was stabbed by one of Mayhem's daggers. The twins told me that the moment Reese died, the Para angels were the first to know. A funeral for an angel is called a Pa.s.sing. Before we even inspected Reese's body to be sure he was dead, almost every Para knew a Pa.s.sing would be taking place. They would all attend.

I didn't understand why Reese had never said he was hurt. I think back to our conversation. He never once mentioned that he had been attacked. Miku said he probably didn't say anything because he knew we didn't have time to save him.

Marcus picks up Reese's body with care. He tried to be strong. He cradles Reese in his arms. He says it is his job was to take the body to Nepal for the funeral. Jay comes up to him and says he would be the one to carry his friend. No one argues. Jay takes Reese and flies into the air.

Marcus tells us what is going to happen. He and Jay would take the body to the Himalayas and wait for the Paras to come. Once everyone came on the mountains, Jay would give the body to a Para.

She would then travel down to the deepest point of Earth and give Reese's soul to Atourum. His body would break apart on the journey; only Reese's soul would remain. When she gets as close to the house of fire as an angel can, she will hand off Reese's soul. There, it will die among the flames.

Marcus says we don't have to go with them. We pay no attention to him; we all go. That's what family does. Marcus takes off into the air behind Jay. Ameana follows after him. Rio picks me up and the twins and I take to the air. It was the first time I had a flight where I didn't concentrate on not looking down. I could only look at my fallen friend. We fly wordlessly toward the Himalayas in South Asia. I don't know how long it took because time doesn't seem to matter anymore.

Jay lands on the highest peak of the widespread mountain range. He sits on the edge of the peak but won't lay Reese's body down on the ground. We all land silently beside him. We spread out but remain close. We want Jay to have a moment alone. He doesn't say anything, lost deep in thought.

I remember the guy who joined me at the lunch table on my first day back at school after finding out about the Triplex. Jay fit in so well. He was easygoing, charming and hopeful. That guy seems so far from the Jay I see right now. He holds Reese and looks out onto the vast mountain range. His face is more serious and sorrowful than I've ever seen it.

I'm freezing and the height is making me lightheaded. I hate being human at that moment because I don't want to concentrate on my weaknesses. I want to focus on Reese. I'm going to miss him. He tried to tell me that he had feelings for me, but I never picked up on it. How could I have been so blind? But try as I may to focus on Reese, my teeth won't stop chattering. d.a.m.n it.

Rio feels me radiating whatever color means "I'm freezing." He comes over silently and spreads his wings around me. I am instantly warmer as he shields the wind from me. We all sit on the mountain. We don't know how long it will take the Paras to come. No one wants to ask because no one wants to break the silence. We all feel like we're intruding on Jay's grief.

As the only human, I'm the only one who shows tears. But I know they all feel the devastating loss of one of their own. As the sun sinks into the horizon, all you can see is our silhouette.

The first Para that comes dances gracefully out of the sky and lands effortlessly a few mountains away from us. He looks like a star descending. It was beautiful and painful because we all knew what they were there for. But why had he not come close to us? I began to understand within the next few moments.

Paras descend from the sky in groups of twos and threes to start. But soon they were in groups as large as 40 or 50. They all spread out along the mountain range. There are so many of them that they take up the length of the Himalayas. It looks like a line of lights swirling down the mountain range. But they aren't lights. They are angels who have all come to say good bye.

Ground Walkers and Travelers arrive after all the Paras have taken a spot along the mountain range. They come in large groups as well. But unlike the Paras, the GW and Travelers fly to the peak we are on. They hover in front of Jay as he holds Reese's body.

Each one of them gracefully summons a feather from their third coats. The feathers fly away from them and hover a few inches above the ground in front of Jay. After hundreds of feathers have been thrown to the ground, Jay places Reese's body on the pile of floating feathers. The feathers carry Reese's body gently to the middle of the mountain range.

A Para begins to sing. It is like Miku's melody because it is haunting. But there is no darkness in it. It is heartbreakingly beautiful; it is impossible not to weep. It isn't in English. I think it is Arabic. I can't be sure. I don't know how her voice reaches everyone. It's as if she has a built-in microphone.

I think a different Para from each range is singing. I remember being told that they are often in tune with each other. As Reese's body hovers in the air on a bed of feathers, I look into his face. He looks peaceful and calm. I remember the boy who learned the poem. He wanted to so much to say it to the girl he loved. He had been denied that, twice.

Out of the sky I see the prettiest angel I have ever seen, a Para angel who could actually rival Ameana in beauty. She has long locks of hair that seems almost translucent. Her face is smooth and bright. Her eyes sparkle and her wings are the largest I've ever seen. They are almost twice as wide as the others. I am so mesmerized by her, Rio can't help but watch me. He whispers in my ear to satisfy my curiosity.

"Her name is Rah.e.l.l. She's the oldest Taker. A Taker is a Para angel whose job it is to take an angel to Atourum when they die in battle," Rio explains.

Beside Rah.e.l.l was a male Para. He carried a small boy, the same boy who was in Jamaica. I'm guessing he's the Sage, from what Reese told me of him not too long ago. The little boy is brought up to Reese's floating body.

"He's ready, Jayden," the Sage says. I didn't understand what he was talking about.

Rio helps me out again. "The feathers that Reese's body floats on is called the Reef. It will only carry him away when everyone who loves him has accepted his death. Otherwise the Reef will stay where it is. Sometimes a loved one can't let go so the Reef just stays there, hovering with the body in midair. If a body stays on the Reef too long, Atourum will come up and claim the soul he's won in battle. It's horrible to watch. It's best to let the Reef go with the Taker. She will personally guide it down all the way to the gates fire."

The Para set the Sage down on the ground in front of Jay. The Reef remains hovering in the middle of the mountain range a few yards beyond our grasp. The Sage looks sadly into Jay's eyes. Jay looks back, pleadingly.

"Jayden, it is time. You must."

The weight of sorrow causes Jay to bow his head and hunch his shoulders. The Sage waits patiently. A few moments later, the Reef starts to move. The Taker, Rah.e.l.l, follows alongside Reese's body as it sails across the air. Every mountain peak that the Taker and Reese's body fly by, the angels bow their heads. It looks like a wave of white light on the surface of the ocean as the sun strikes it.

The Taker carries the Reef further and further away from us. Soon, all we can see is two specks moving in the air; when they are almost out of our sight, the Taker starts to descend. She is headed to the house of fire with my friend. I cry quietly beside the twins.

After a moment, the angels start taking off from the mountain. They leave as they came: gracefully and respectfully. Soon there is no one left but us. We sit for hours on the edge of the mountain where we last saw our friend.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: CONCESSIONS.

Now we are in the car headed back to New York City. It's only a few minutes after sunrise. Marcus insisted that I be taken to the ER to get checked out.

The doctor said that I had fractured a rib and needed st.i.tches for my hand. He gave me aspirin and told me to get some rest. On the way home, Rio told me that they searched my building and found Ben. He had been given something to make him sleep.

We pull up to my building. My body feels so heavy. The walk to my door looks miles long. I guess I'm more drained than I thought. Marcus walks me to the front door. He tells me not to trust a single soul. He even had Rio scan my mother before he let me go up to my apartment.

"You sure you want to go to school?" Marcus asks.

"Yeah, I don't want to be home alone."

"Okay, one of us will pick you up in a few hours."

"Is Jay coming to school?"

"He may not want to, but we all need to hear what you have to say."

"Oh." He's on autopilot right now. He can't look me in the eye. He is trying to hide the sadness that's there.

"What is it?"

"I didn't want to say it in front of everyone. I mean not the part about me anyway."

"I don't have time for this. Are you going to tell us or not?"

He's tired and frustrated in addition to sad. I don't want to add to that, so I go along with it.

"Yeah, okay, I will. Later today." He turns to go away.

"Marcus," I call out. He turns back. Ameana looks on from the car window.

"I'm sorry about Reese."

He can't bring himself to say anything. He nods quickly and walks back to the car. The twins get out of the back seat. They would be watching me for the next few hours.

I walk in and the apartment is silent. It feels so good to be back home. The heat is on so the apartment is warm and toasty. After I check on my mom, I head into my room. Right away I flash back to just hours ago when Reese was in here.

I've watched you pine for Marcus and it's kind of been killing me.

Oh.

I just wanted you to know that there are other angels. Angels who have been wanting to kiss you.

Later, back at the house, we all sit in the living room. I don't want it to be like this. I don't feel like being exposed to all of them, but I am all out of time. So I take a deep breath and tell them about what Tony told me and how I was a product of a rape. They all listen silently. When I'm done, I apologize for taking so long to tell them.

"Rio, Miku hit the net. We need to find her dad," Marcus instructs.

"Why?" I ask.

"He's the key Emmy. We have to find him and tear his life apart until we find what we're looking for."

"He's not important. I've never even met him before."

"That doesn't matter. He's the evil in the equation. Why didn't you tell us before?" Rio asks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was supposed to split myself open for you guys to explore. And in case you all forgot, I was busy being tortured."

"He just means that this is a very important clue to where we can locate the Triplex," Miku says, defending her brother.

"We know it couldn't have been easy for you. But your father raped your mom. That has nothing to do with who you are," Ameana says.

"That has everything to do with it," I snap.

"Let's get back to what Tony said. If he's right about the council, what places do we know the Triplex won't be in?" Marcus asks in his official voice.

"That takes out buildings where politics are conducted; they're usually a dwelling for evil," Miku says.

"That also takes out bars, clubs and law firms. They usually have a high level of evil as well," Rio adds.

"That also rules out mosques, temples or any place of worship. Those are filled with hope and goodness. Lucy would not have access to the Triplex there," Marcus says.

"What does that leave us with?" Ameana asks.