Page 10 of Dance with Me
She sighed. “I wish my wings were as pretty as yours.”
“Sorry,” Theo said, unsure what else to say.
“Not your fault my dad spent the brightness of his vision on murder fluffies after he’d already created a warrior race…” She launched into the air and Theo followed, surprised by her speed and grace.
It took nearly an hour to fly to the top of a mountain buried in massive forests in a world that had once been barren of most plant life outside of several small valleys.
She landed at the base of a clearing in the forest, the peak of the mountain made higher by the towering pines. Theo gulped at the thin air and dizziness, eyeing the clouds overhead with wariness. He had been struck by lightning in two other worlds. Accidents, but it hurt and took a lot of energy to heal.
Violet stalked to the door, but paused, hearing something and turned to walk around the tiny hut instead. Theo followed, keeping his wings at ready in case he needed to dart away. Then he heard it, chop chop. Someone was cutting wood.
They rounded the side of the hut and found her father, shirtless, sweat gleaming as it dripped down his chest, while he chopped wood into large piles.
“What, daughter?” Michael demanded as if her presence interrupted important work.
“We don’t even know if it will snow, why do you need so much wood?”
“It’s satisfying to cut, does there need to be another reason? I could be cutting through people.”
She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “You’re so obstinate.”
“Me?” He demanded, pausing to throw her a glare. “I’m obstinate…” He caught a glimpse of Theo behind Violet and sighed. “What do you want? The catalyst is beyond my reach. I told you all to kill him before he could implode. Now look at us? Mortal, and scattered.”
“As we were meant to be. You’re beautiful, daddy. Someday maybe you’ll find love again.”
He snorted. “As useless as love is… the seraph beside you can attest to that. How many loves does he have now, and still feels incomplete?”
Because Yuri was missing. They weren’t meant to be four, but five. Some only had two, and Theo wondered how that could possibly be enough to contain all the love he felt. He didn’t love the others less, which was why he was here now. “Can you help me get access to the other world you created?” Theo asked. “I’m looking for someone.”
“Your catalyst is not in that world. I would sense him there.” Michael said.
“There is a creator there I seek,” Theo said. “One of the creatures like Violet has.”
“If it didn’t stay with you, it had things to do,” Michael said.
“Argh,” Violet growled. “Why are you like this? Did mother’s death kill all the kindness left in you?”
“Yes,” Michael agreed, “it did.”
“I don’t believe that,” Violet said. “Why can’t you help even a little?”
“Because every time I do, it bites me in the ass.”
Violet sighed and turned to Theo. “Sorry. I don’t know why he’s like this. He wasn’t when I was younger, even after mom was gone. It’s like me becoming a grown up did something to him. But as much as he hates everyone and the world, I don’t want to.” She turned to glare at him. “Someday I will find love, too, you know.”
“And it will break your heart as love does,” Michael said. “It’s a stupid thing to want. Look at how the seraph before you sinks into sadness. Surrounded by a bunch of lovers and still seeking another. What’s the point?”
Light, joy, and love were the point. Theo had stared into the darkness that had awakened and become life itself. He knew what they were meant to be. A primordial being made of the abyss, awakened to other, learning to feel, learning to love, one piece of a larger puzzle meant to create their existence.
“Thanks for trying,” he told Violet. “I’ll see if there’s another way. I was just hoping to bring Barney back for Lucian. But I don’t want you to fight with your dad over it. You know you can visit us whenever, right? Raphael is a hilltop over with Uriel. I heard they have some pretty plants growing that have rainbow colors.”
Violet smiled. “I loved the roses I glimpsed the last time I visited. I wonder if I can get them to grow around my house.”
“Roses and cats…” Michael grumbled.
“We find our joy where we can,” Violet said, sounding enough like Yuri and Star in that moment that Theo knew Yuri’s touch had gifted her more than a moment of conversation and power.
“Then find it elsewhere,” Michael said as he stalked their way. Violet took a step forward as though to intercept him from getting near Theo, but Michael shoved her out of his way and smacked Theo in the shoulder.
