Читать книгу Beautiful Revenge - J L Morris - Страница 13

Chapter Four: All work and no play

Gabriel, God’s Champion and the Bane of Demons, grimaced as he struggled with the portal. He was a giant etched from white granite and the work was better suited to smaller, more delicate hands. His eyes, balls of golden fire, flared briefly in frustration as the portal shimmered and closed for a fourth time. Most Angels would have been able to perform the weave on their first attempt but he had honed himself for battle rather than such mundane tasks.

The sound of young Angels laughing and fooling around drifted in as the door opened behind Gabriel.

‘How is it going?’ asked Kaarl, dropping his bag on the coffee table.

‘I’ve moved my stuff in,’ replied Gabriel, ‘not that there was much to move. Now there is just this to sort out.’

Gabriel pointed at the blank space in front of the sofas.

The student accommodations were plain but comfortable enough. Like the campus they were carved from sandstone and they had a magnificent view of the ocean. Normally the students were mixed; taken from their old social groups and housed with strangers so new bonds could be formed and new experiences had. The trio had been kept together, again because of their unique past. The last bed in their apartment had remained empty for almost week.

Verin and Vetis had hoped it would stay that way. They had assumed the Hall was waiting until another social outcast popped up to round out their quartet. Kaarl had taken offence at being put in that category; unlike the girls he was actually making a few friends. When the trio found it would be Gabriel taking the bed the twins relaxed. Not only did they know him but it would make things easier. He was their assigned observer in the Mortal realm so it saved time. Having to hunt him down whenever they needed to get to work would have been added hassle.

‘What’s it like being back here?’ asked Kaarl.

‘Strange,’ replied Gabriel. ‘It’s been centuries but the place hasn’t changed. It also makes me feel old, being around all these kids.’

Gabriel tried the weave again and again it shimmered and closed.

‘Is that a viewing portal?’ asked Kaarl. ‘We’ve just started learning about those.’

‘Supposed to be, it’s been so long since I’ve made one.’

Kaarl watched in silence as the massive Angel went through the motions. On the next attempt the portal held; a perfect rectangle. The image on the other side of it began to come into focus.

‘Hey, that’s our penthouse.’

Gabriel said nothing in reply. He flicked his hand to the left and the image panned. When he had it positioned just right, the Angel made a fist and the portal zoomed in.

‘That’s great,’ said Kaarl. ‘Now we can watch TV from here. Can you put the news on?’

‘Later,’ replied Gabriel. ‘I didn’t spend an hour on this thing so you could watch the news. This is more important.’

Gabriel vanished and reappeared in front of the TV in the Mortal realm.

‘I’ll have to do that each time we want to change the channel,’ he said when he returned, ‘but it’s better than nothing.’

‘The Arnold Schwarzenegger Marathon,’ said Kaarl as he read the screen.

God’s Champion dropped onto the sofa.

‘Like I said, important.’

The twins walked in and slammed the door behind them. Verin dumped her bag on the floor and Vetis made her way into the kitchen.

‘We found out what the hugging statues are for,’ said Verin. ‘It’s sensitivity training, as if we needed that. Worse still, Sasha is in that class. She’s in almost all of our classes.’

‘Hey, sweet,’ said Vetis as she walked back into the room. ‘We have TV.’

‘It’s our TV in the penthouse,’ Kaarl told them. ‘Gabriel set it up.’

‘He did set it up,’ the Angel said from the sofa. ‘He set it up so he could watch his action movies in peace. Your girly whinging is ruining said peace.’

‘Well why don’t you just go there and watch it?’ snapped Verin. ‘You’re not stuck here.’

‘That’s a good idea,’ Gabriel replied. ‘I’ll see you three when you’re ready for work.’

‘Seriously, Sasha is everywhere,’ Verin said once Gabriel had left. ‘Every time we turn around her and her little gang of sycophants are there.’

‘It’s annoying more than anything,’ added Vetis. ‘She makes some snide comment, which isn’t really that hurtful, then her stupid friends snigger and we just have to take it. It’s not like we can just punch them.’

‘No you can’t,’ replied Kaarl, ‘at least not without conforming to the “Demon” stereotype. You probably aren’t doing yourselves any favours though by coming across as hostile and not making friends.’

‘We are making friends.’ said Verin. ‘But they’re all guys so it just makes things worse. Sasha keeps spreading rumours that we steal people’s boyfriends so when we’re seen talking to them it’s like proof or something.’

‘You two do steal people’s boyfriends, you did it all the time in Perdition. You’re relationship looters; you take anything shiny that isn’t nailed down.’

‘You’re supposed to be on our side,’ said Vetis, jumping onto one of the sofas.

‘And I am,’ replied Kaarl, ‘but you can’t call something a rumour if it’s the truth.’

‘I just don’t know if I can take three years of this,’ said Verin, joining her sister in the lounge. ‘It’s only been a week and I’m already in massacre mode. I hate girls.’

‘You’ll just have to ignore them,’ Kaarl told the sisters. ‘Best thing for everyone.’

The twins turned and glared at him.

‘I know that’s not what you want to hear but I don’t see another way around it.’

Kaarl left the girls to their sulking and started unpacking his text books. Unlike Verin and Vetis he was thoroughly enjoying his time in the Halls. Kaarl had studied the Mortals in his own time in Perdition, much to the disappointment of his father. Like all Demons, Mastema had seen the humans as mere chips in the poker game between God and Lucifer; unworthy of understanding and almost below contempt.

It had been their freedom that had initially intrigued Kaarl. Demons were expected to act a certain way, to be a certain way, and it just wasn’t in Kaarl’s nature to comply. The Mortals had no such restraints and it made them and their world diverse and interesting. It made it a place Kaarl wanted to live in. Lucifer had a stranglehold on Perdition and all were required to conform to his plan, to his way of thinking. The closest thing the Mortals had to those shackles were the expectations of their parents and society. By comparison they were easy enough to cast off.

Kaarl’s classes in the Halls delved deeper into the Mortal’s and their history; further than he would ever have got with just the Internet and conversations with the Damned he had been forced to rely on Perdition. The Mortals’ history on Earth was often written by the victor; opinions became fact and the truth was changed and diluted with time. In Paradise it had been penned by neutral observers. There were no politics to obscure it or agendas to alter it. Some of it was brutal, far worse than Kaarl could have imagined and other parts were beautiful beyond words. If there was one thing Kaarl craved it was knowledge and the Halls and its libraries did not disappoint.

It was a shame the sisters were having such a hard time but in truth it was mostly their fault. Petty vendettas aside, the important thing was that all of them graduated when the time came. Kaarl did not want to be separated from the twins; Synergy was as much theirs as his. They had started the journey together and it seemed only right that they took each step together as well.

‘Besides the whole “All the other girls hate us” scenario how are things going?’ Kaarl asked.

‘It’s all right I guess,’ replied Verin. ‘Like I said, the boys still talk to us and some of them are pretty hot.’

‘That’s not what I meant.’

‘She knows what you meant,’ said Vetis, elbowing her sister. ‘We just have to think in exactly the opposite way to how we were raised. That makes most of the classes a bit easier.’

‘That’s something at least,’ said Kaarl. ‘Just remember, if things change we have to tell Sophie straight away. I don’t want you two falling behind and I don’t want this business with Sasha to affect your studies.’

‘Don’t worry,’ replied Verin. ‘Those finals are our ticket out of this mess. We’ve got our eyes on the prize.’

‘Glad to hear it. Let’s go check on our “other” lives.’

‘About time,’ said Vetis, ‘we need to get something to eat while we’re down there as well. Gabriel went to town on our fridge.’

***

Kaarl hit the white-oak panelled floor of the trio’s penthouse in L.A. His first ever experience with a realm change, the one from Perdition to Earth on Lucifer’s behalf, had been jolting. He no longer experienced the loss of vision, coordination or muscle control. A mild headache for a few minutes was the only side-effect of shifting realms for a frequent-flyer.

God’s Champion was sprawled on one of the sofas, his leg dangling off the edge. Tall, powerfully built and apparently in his mid-forties, Gabriel’s Mortal form bore a strong resemblance to George Clooney. Had Mr. Clooney been blessed with a forehead-to-chin facial scar and a physique capable of lifting mid-sized sedans they could have been brothers.

‘You’re in the way,’ said Gabriel, craning his neck to look around the Demon.

Kaarl stumbled out from in front on the TV and made his way to the bedrooms. The twins appeared in the same spot he had vacated just moments later.

‘Just great,’ said Gabriel. ‘It’s like you three are deliberately trying to annoy me.’

‘Shut up,’ replied Verin, shaking her head to clear it. ‘You ate all our food.’

‘I was going to get more later.’ replied the Angel. ‘I was hungry after the move. You guys normally eat when you’re here anyway so no harm done.’

‘We’re students,’ said Vetis.

‘Down here you’re almost billionaires and everything in Paradise is free so I don’t see how that’s relevant.’

Vetis’ mouth made a small “o” but no words followed.

‘That’s what I thought.’ said Gabriel. ‘Don’t cry poverty to me. Now get out of the way; Matrix is about to drop Sully off the cliff.’

It had been a strange path that had led to Gabriel becoming the trio’s friend. When God’s Champion had first seen Kaarl, the boy had still been working for Perdition and was a clear threat. Gabriel had wanted to destroy him but the Council had forbidden it; Kaarl was in essence still a child and had broken no laws. Once cooler heads had prevailed and Kaarl had defected, Gabriel had been assigned to protect him. It was a great honour and a testament to his skill that the Lord had chosen Gabriel to stand alone against the forces of Hell on Earth. It was also infuriating as Gabriel had dedicated himself to the eradication of Lucifer and his minions. Becoming a bodyguard to one of them had been an embarrassment.

As Kaarl, and later the twins, had worked tirelessly to turn their entertainment giant around and halt the flow of souls to Perdition Gabriel had gained a small measure of respect for them. He had watched Kaarl grow from a smart but naïve young Demon into an active and valuable participant in the Lord’s plan. After the guts he had displayed in the showdown with Damon, Kaarl’s past had become a non-issue. Although he would never admit it, Gabriel saw more than a little of himself in the boy. Verin and Vetis were irritating for the most part but they had done their fair share of work and were on the same side. Allowances could be made.

‘You’re on the dinner run, Gabriel,’ said Verin. ‘Seeing as you cleaned us out. That Thai place on the corner, same order as last time. You know where the money is.’

God’s Champion grumbled as he paused the movie and separated himself from the sofa. It was fair but that didn’t mean he had to like it. As Gabriel left on his errand, Kaarl returned with the trio’s laptops and began setting them up.

‘It’s all going to be the same as it was yesterday,’ said Verin as she slumped into a seat. ‘We should have left idiots to run the company so we had something to do.’

“Jenna’s” email inbox was flooded and Verin was certain her voicemail would be similarly bulging. It was a constant yawn fest of the “we’re going to do this unless you say otherwise and everything else is running smoothly” variety.

‘We have got something to do,’ replied Kaarl. ‘We’re double-checking to make sure they’re making the right moves, taking Synergy where we want it to go.’

Vetis rested her head on one hand and stabbed half-heartedly at her keyboard with the other.

‘Work up there, work down here then sleep. Rinse and repeat.’

‘It might not be all bad,’ said Kaarl. He spun his laptop around so the twins could read his screen.

‘A charity fundraiser,’ said Vetis, looking down. ‘So what?’

‘Attending things like this is a part of our responsibilities here. I could talk to Sophie about letting us go to a few more of them.’

The twins’ faces lit up at the suggestion.

‘Do you think she’d go for it?’ asked Vetis.

‘I do. It would be pretty suspicious if we just went missing for three years, no contact beyond email and phone. It makes sense that we need to be seen out and about on occasion.’

‘This calls for a drink.’ said Verin, pushing herself away from the table. ‘You’d have thought being traitors and having all of Perdition out for our blood would be a bit more exciting. Instead here I am, celebrating because we might have the chance to go out once in awhile.’

‘It’s sad,’ said Vetis. ‘If I had to watch a movie about my life right now I’d shoot myself in the face out of sheer boredom.’

‘Maybe you’ve forgotten what all that was like,’ replied Kaarl. ‘Worrying about Nergal every second of the day, wondering what Lucifer would do to us if we were caught. You two were hostages at one point and Damon had a gun in my face and his finger on the trigger. I’ll take boredom any day.’

‘You have to admit though,’ said Vetis. ‘A little bit of danger would spice things up.’

‘There’s no such thing as a little bit of danger when Lucifer is involved,’ replied Kaarl.