Chapter 5 Nas
Lilith crept by us, studying our bodies while her power petrified us. I figured out how she did it. When she used her power, a halo appeared, and the last time I saw her, the night she claimed to save us, she had a dark green halo. I remembered a buzzing in my head before falling asleep. I’ve seen that done in many books, but mostly by users of magnetic manipulation. She was manipulating the iron in our blood to make us paralyzed. The other night, she used it to make us sleep. I didn’t understand that part, but I knew she was manipulating iron and other metals in our bodies.
I was trying to be like Shaggy and put on a brave front, but inside I was freaking out. Omarion summoned his power, which allowed him to imprint words on objects and manifest the properties of the word. He had to use his staff, though. I also remembered the other night that his staff could break into three sections, with one ending with a spear. His halo was a bright aqua blue, which he still managed to hold despite Lilith’s hold. I couldn’t see Aaliyah or Jasmine, but I imagine Jasmine was being defiant, and Aaliyah would be trying, but I knew she would be as scared as I was. Then Lilith stood before me.
“How did you figure out my power? I mean, it could have been anything. Telepathy, Sleep control, Mind control.”
I looked at her and forced a weak smile on my face. “If it were any of those, I believe the effect would be faster, we wouldn’t see it coming. Your method takes time, a short amount of time, but still enough to feel the initial shock of it.”
“Hmmm. I like it. Very observant.”
“I would like you more if you freed my friends and me.”
“I’m sure you would.” She said as she walked toward Omarion. He didn’t look panicked anymore. I imagine that he was putting all of his focus into maintaining his weapon, halo, and power. They were all connected, and if anyone would have figured it out, it would have been him. I thought he was the smartest. If we were all considered experts, then Jasmine’s expertise was law, Shaggy would be technology, and Aaliyah would be in psychology. Me? Communications and Omarion would be archaeology. However, Omarion was in a bunch of academic committees and almost had a full ride. He was the investigator of all of us, while I was just essentially a spy. I guess that would be the difference between us. If anyone had figured out her power, other than me, it would have been him or maybe Shaggy.
Lilith stalked up to him and smiled, looking like a creepy doll. She was taller than all of us, like a runaway model. She was skinny, pale white like the demons, with big curves in the right places. An exaggerated barbie doll appearance, I guess you could say. With long raven black hair. Her eyes had been golden. She wore a black robe with red trim. The dark green halo above her made her just as bright as Omarion.
“How is it that you can use your halo?”
Omarion’s expressions from my perspective looked like he was making a choice. To focus on his halo or answer her question.
“I …had…to…focus.”
“Oh, so if I,” she pulled a sword from out of nowhere. A rapier sword that they used in fencing, but with a hilt that glowed green. She pointed the tip near his throat. “Distracted you, then you would lose it?”
Almost on cue, Omarion’s staff and halo disappeared. He looked scared but mostly ashamed. Just like he did earlier when we were all naked. I knew he didn’t feel comfortable, and I was sort of mad at Jasmine, too. She had told him he wasn’t taking care of his temple that God had given him. I’m sure she meant well, but being blunt and rude are two different things, and to me, she was rude in telling him that. She said to him, “You’re fat and need to lose weight, or else God won’t love you.” Worst, I knew he had a crush on her, and I know that line affected him, even if he didn’t say it. I was new to the group this year, but I found my place as the jokester, which made me seem extroverted to everyone, but I was using that to hide my insecurities. I just wanted to once, feel like I belonged, so I don’t argue much and try to make things light. That’s how Shaggy, Omarion, and I grew close over the week. If there was anything I was good at, it was observing people and their actions, so right now I felt guilty because I knew Shaw felt like a failure.
“Oh, so you did have to focus,” Lilith said. “Do any of you even understand what is happening?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell us,” I said.
She smiled. “Acting brave isn’t the same as being brave.” She walked up to Shaggy and traced her finger down his arm and chest. “You should be more like this one, his strength is in his eyes and arms. I couldn’t see Shaggy’s face when she showed up, he had jumped in front of everyone. I was getting ready to do the same before she paralyzed us.
“I’m not your type,” he said with an icy, low tone.
“You’re right, you don’t even know how much you are.”
“Are you a demon? You looked like those things in the alley?” I heard Jasmine ask. She was right. They were similar, but I could see a difference in Lillith. For one, she wasn’t skeletal-looking, at least not yet. Secondly, the demons didn’t have halos.
“No, child, but to some, I might be.”
“Then what are you and what do you want from us?”
Lilith walked by me and stopped to answer Jasmine to her face. “I want to know how you five are manifesting halos, but it now seems you don’t even know what you are. I had my suspicions, but your ignorance has been a revelation of sorts.”
“What did you mean earlier when you said you saved us?” Jasmine was trying to stall for time, get as much information as she could.
“That man you were consorting with was dangerous,” she smiled. “In fact, more dangerous to you than you will ever know. I would like to tell you more, but you wouldn’t be able to handle the truth.”
“Is he okay?” Aaliyah asked.
“She does speak,” Lilith responded. “Yes, I’m. Interviewing him.”
“How could he be dangerous to us? We went to help him.” Shaggy asked.
I thought about that night, how those demons were attacking him. Where was she when it was happening, and I also remembered that he was yelling. We were the only ones who could hear him. The only ones who could see him and the demons. We fought them and won. After that, she appeared to knock him out first and then us. We woke up here. I kept focusing on the memories and I also remembered seeing a flash of a coyote, and Egypt. Of Moses in the bush. Why would I think of something like that at that time?
Looking at Shaggy, I wondered if the same thing happened. I focused on the memories that flashed before my halo appeared before it hit me. I mean I’m sure the others were thinking the same thing, but maybe we were all scared to voice it. We knew we weren’t dead, but we knew two things. We fought demons, and we, along with Lilith, had halos.
“When they are demons, there must be angels,” I whispered, but Lilith, being next to me, heard me.
“Angels? Demons? Sounds like you may be ready after all.” She saunters to the front. “You’re right, I’ll give you that much for now. I’m an angel. The man you helped. Also an angel.”
“But we’re not angels,” Jasmine said.
“No, you’re not. You’re not even Nephilim.”
“Because we aren’t giants.” Shaggy said, “And our parents are human.”
“Yes, I guess you’re ready then,” Lillith smiled again. “You’re right, you are human, but you all can manifest a halo. You are being used as a host, but for some reason, I couldn’t find an angel possessing you. It’s almost as if you were all born with your angel abilities. That’s why I have you here: I have to figure out how this can be. Even the Nephilim weren’t able to manifest halos, but if I had to make an educated guess, I would say you are some type of artificial Nephilim. Until I can figure that out, I must keep you here.”
Nobody said anything, but I kept thinking about the memories of Moses, Egypt, and the coyote. She means to keep us trapped. I could feel the same energy from that night now.
“Focus on that night,” Shaggy said out loud. “In my memories, I remembered seeing an Ibis before the halo manifested.” He sounded desperate, but I got what his plan was. If he saw an animal and then manifested his halo, then maybe the same was with us. We were trapped now, but if one of us had a halo, that could free us. I focused on the memory of the jackal and my fear of dying here. The energy flowed through me, and I could feel the warmth of the light above me as daggers appeared in my hand. Shaggy had an ax.
Lilith looked surprised, but not afraid, “Yes, very good, you are learning to manifest your halos, but you really have to concentrate, too bad you humans are acceptable to iron. My powers barely affect other angels, you know.”
I could feel her trying to slow the iron, make us pass out, and just like Shaggy, my weapons disappeared. I saw Shaggy and Omarion drop, and the last thing I saw before my eyes closed was Lilith standing in front of me, smiling.
“You’re stronger than you look.”
