I’m no stranger to the Middle Realm. At this point, I’ve visited dozens of times. After dying, I stayed here for a period of time, too. But this is the first time I’ve visited with a strict agenda—another mission of sorts. I walk through the opulent doors with my head held high, careful not to capture unnecessary attention. I spent some time here in the Ancient Library recently but was cast out after not sleuthing to the best of my ability. That won’t happen this time. There’s too much at stake now.
I continue walking through the grand hall, heading into the main foyer. Located centrally in the Middle Realm’s stunning headquarters, the foyer is surrounded by grand staircases, all leading to different places within the Middle Realm.
To put the Middle Realm into simple context—most of its inhabitants spend their days at headquarters fulfilling whatever role they are assigned to while opting to spend evenings in their homes, usually located just outside of the main building in the living quarters. The living quarters built upon the clouds themselves span a few miles beyond the perimeters of the building. Some angels choose to live in simple homes, others choose apartments, and the lucky ones live in mansions. All of the buildings in the Middle Realm are technically indoor, though, seeing as a thick pane of glass separates this realm from the Golden Realm.
Only a handful of angels stay in the Middle Realm, working as guardians, hunters, officers, watchers, and educators. Archangels run the place. Some angels stay by choice, others by force. Don’t get me wrong, the Middle Realm is otherworldly in the best way, but I can’t imagine beingforcedto live here while having a front-row seat to the Golden Realm. Then again, I don’t love being told what to do, so maybe it’s just a personality thing. Who knows.
While walking up the first set of stairs, I focus on the doors to the Greeting Center. I found myself in that space when I first awoke in the Middle Realm. All newly dead angels awake there in a dome-like room with a perfect view of what lies beyond those walls. As I mentioned before, I was utterly stunned by the undeniable beauty of this realm, but I couldn’t stomach leaving Irie in her most vulnerable state. I don’t visit this area as often as I’d like to, but soon enough, I should be able to behold the full enchantment of the afterlife. Well, if we can help Irie find peace, that is. I refuse to give up on her.
I walk up another flight of stairs, passing several new guardian recruits and my old mentor, Matt, walking downstairs toward one of the training arenas. I flash him a peace sign, to which he nods back at me, his lips tugging upward into a cocky smirk.His wings are so rad—they’re silver. I keep trekking casually until I land at the top of the third staircase, reaching the Ancient Library’s entrance. This time, I’ll be as inconspicuous as possible.
Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious.I chuckle at my own train of thought, then remember my purpose.Damnit, why does that jingle have to be so catchy?
I press my finger to the sensor and wait for the tall golden doors to open. After a moment of silence, I press my finger against the sensor again, pushing extra hard for good measure, then back away, tucking my hands into my pockets. After another minute of daunting silence, I hear footsteps approach from behind me. I peek over my shoulder to see another angel walking toward the library. Her jet-black shoulder-length hair shimmers under the crystal lights, complementing her light-bronzed skin tone and shimmering night wings composed of black, gray, and navy blue feathers. Fashioned in a pencil skirt with a flowy light blue blouse, she looks… put together.Tooput together. I gulp, attempting to hide my nerves.
“Having trouble?” she asks, eyeing the large closed doors in front of me.
“Oh, er, yeah.” I scratch my head. “I’m thinking the sensor stopped working. Do you mind giving it a whirl?” Her eyebrows raise as her lips curl upward, just slightly, before dropping back into a firm line.
“Awhirl?” she questions. I gawk—she’d have to be ancient to not understand that expression. Am I dealing with an Archangel here? A solid lump forms in my throat. “Sure, I’ll give it awhirl.”
She presses her finger to the sensor, and sure enough, the doors open for her. How strange… Why didn’t that work for me? Without saying another word, she struts into the library like she owns the place, not even acknowledging my presence. I sneakinto the massive two-story library behind her, catching up to her quick pace.
“Hey, thanks,” I say. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t work for me.”
“Well, you clearly don’t have access to the library, but it would’ve been a pain to bring the Archangels into it, so consider this my gift to you, Kai Greene.” She continues walking without missing a beat. Now, I know what you’re thinking—it’s strange she knows my name. Truth be told, I used to think things like that were odd, but in the Middle Realm, angels just seem to know things. Especially more advanced angels like this one. I can’t figure her out, but I can confirm she isn’t a novice angel like me.
“Wait, since when do I not have access? I thought all guardians have permanent access to the library."
“Take it up with the Archangels; I don’t have time to break it down for you.” Damn, who pissed in her cereal? But shit, if she’s right and I no longer have access, how will I get past the second sensor to the Archives room upstairs? My access must have been revoked after my failed sleuthing in the restricted area last time. I’ve never been good at sneaking around. That was always Irie’s thing. However, this time, I’m focusing on historical records in the Archives instead. Hopefully, that’s less suspicious. She saunters away like she means business, but I intercept her, stepping right in front of her to gaze into her eyes.
“I don’t suppose you have it in you to do me one more favor?” Before I can register what’s happening, I accidentally use my soulsight on her. A series of images come to mind, including an unsettled sea of blue and dozens of dragonflies, and an immense feeling rushes over me: a feeling of… guilt.Ah, crap.I didn't mean to pierce her soul. I haven’t ever lost control like this. Rather than reacting to the soulsight, though, she just sighs like she’s bored.
“If I do one more favor, will you leave me alone?” Her brown eyes peer into mine. Her irises have microscopic flecks of gold. I wonder if she knows that.
“Promise.” I hold three fingers mimicking a scouts-honor symbol. She rolls her eyes, prompting me to continue. “Can you use your extra special finger to get me into the Archives?” Rather than answering, she pushes past me and begins trotting up the spiral staircase, swaying her hips casually with every step. We arrive at the top of the staircase outside of the Archives. She raises her hand, pressing her small finger up to the sensor and the door automatically opens for her. I’m honestly a little hurt the library doesn’t like me anymore.
“As you requested, you’re relieved of your duties. I’ll officially leave you alone.” I salute her with a wink. She smiles firmly and then turns to walk away. Before I can think better of it, I catch her arm softly to stop her. "What's your name?"
Her eyes drop to my hand grasping her arm, then flicker upward to meet mine. “I thought you said you’d leave me alone.”
Ouch. She is not the friendliest angel, is she? I chuckle softly, flashing her my best grin. “Okay, okay, you’re right.”
I walk toward the Archives, accepting defeat, when a voice from behind me says, “Cleo.”
I turn back to throw her a smirk, but to my surprise, she’s gone. Deciding I’ve wasted too much time already, I stride toward the scrolls to begin searching for an answer as to why Jasper can see me when no one else can. After spending about an hour searching, I finally locate a scroll that may be relevant titled “Astral Anomalies.”
Cleo.I like that name.
Forty
Iris
Several days pass in a blur. We have spoken a few times this week, but my primary focus is fundraising. Aged Emporium just hit three thousand followers on socials, and over one hundred and fifty people have bought tickets to the ball at Marble Grove. Consequently, we’ve already raised hundreds of dollars for Aged Emporium in ticket sales alone. We will accept further donations at the event itself, highlighting every person who donates. I anticipate this event will do wonders for Aged Emporium, which brings me great joy, considering how much Jasper’s family deserves this.
With the ball taking place tomorrow evening, I sent out a majority of our event planning team to Marble Grove to decorateand set everything up. I stay behind at the office, finalizing all the other details. As I scan my planner, it looks barer than it once did, causing me to realize something. I haven’t been thinking about work when I'm away from work nearly as often as I used to. I attempt to pinpoint when this changed and discover that it all leads back to Jasper. While spending time with him, I don’t feel the need to hyper-fixate on work. Instead, I tend to hyper-fixate on us, not wanting to blink so I don’t miss a second.
I sigh. I’ve done a lot of contemplating. I’m not angry at Jasper for withholding this from me anymore. I understand he had his hands tied, and it seems like he wanted to tell me but couldn’t. Unfortunately, though, I’ve concluded that there is no concrete way for me to determine whether or not Jasper only pursued me to help Kai. I also recognize that my feelings for him are far deeper than anything I’ve ever felt for anyone. It hurt like hell to lose Kai because of how close we were. Grief is merciless. I can’t even fathom how deeply it would hurt to lose Jasper if something were to happen. So, he may not realize it, but choosing to walk awayisfor both of us. I figure it’s best to cut the rope now before his feelings mirror the intensity and complexity of my own. This is the only way to protect our hearts.
