Part II: 7

I awoke to the bright sunlight pouring in through the windows of the bedroom. My eyes focused, and for a minute, I felt a little confused. This wasn't my room. Then it dawned on me.

That was right. I'd stayed in my parents' room with my dad the night before.

I looked at his side of the bed, but he was gone. I guessed he must've gotten up earlier and didn't want to wake me. Not that it was that unusual. He'd done that when I was a little kid too.

Not wanting to get up yet, I laid still, taking in the silence of the room. I'd actually slept really well, although that might've been from the comfort of where I was. Yet my mind couldn't stop replaying what he'd told me the night before now. I couldn't believe that had happened to my father. Not that I'd ever blame him for any of it. He was right. He'd just been a teenage kid, and that demon had used that girl to manipulate him for all he was worth. I was just glad that he'd gotten to meet Mom afterward, and that he'd been able to find happiness with our little family.

As I sat up, I felt the star on my thigh burn a little and looking down, I saw it glow through my pants for a minute. I wondered what Noel was thinking now since I could no longer hear her. Maybe it was a good thing I couldn't. Who knew what she might use to taunt me with knowing my dad's past with that girl.

Shaking the thoughts off, I got up and headed to my room, determined not to think anymore about any of it. Hopefully, I could go with my dad to see Mom again today. That would definitely be a big help to my psyche.

After making sure I was presentable, I headed downstairs to see what my dad was up to. I was kind of surprised when I found him waiting for me at the bottom of them. He smiled as he saw me.

"Morning." he greeted me, actually sounding cheerful. That was different. Did our talk the night before help him this much?

"Morning. Is something going on? You seem really happy." I pointed out as I stood with him.

"Yeah, actually, I was waiting for you. I just got a call saying that they were going to release your mother today, so I wanted you to come with me to get her." Dad explained.

"Today?"

I couldn't believe it. I never thought that a mental ward would release a patient in less than three days.

"I know, but this is a really good thing, so I'm not questioning it that much. At least we get to bring her home, and we know what caused all of that, so she'll be okay now." Dad reassured me.

I wasn't about to question all of it either. I really wanted Mom to come home with us, and I was elated that Dad had waited for me to go with him, although there was still some nagging doubt in the back of my mind about the lingering issue of Noel's spirit within me.

"It's great and all, but are you sure you want me to go? I mean, even with her sealed and all, are you sure?" I asked him.

"Of course I am. You're not dangerous, and you didn't cause what happened. Besides, do you know what your mother would do to me if I didn't bring you? She'd probably be arrested for murder instead of coming home." Dad joked.

That made me laugh, "I guess you're right."

I would admit that my parents were equals when it came to standing their ground against each other when they disagreed about things. My mother could definitely give as good as she took. While Dad did complain about it at times, it was always in good humor. If they weren't at least play fighting here and there, then everyone would know that something was wrong.

I had always liked that about them too. It proved that true love isn't always calm. The intensity of feelings was what kept it alive and well.

Our ride to the hospital was uneventful, although I still couldn't stop that bit of nervousness within me. I kept telling myself that Noel and that curse were sealed and wouldn't be able to hurt her, but I still worried over it. I never wanted to see anything happen to my mother again. Not if I was able to prevent it.

I really hated going into the mental ward that they'd stuck her in though. I guess part of the reason was my inexperience with a lot of people paying attention to me. I probably should've been making more of an effort to get out more now. I'd been avoiding people a lot in the last few years.

Even sitting in the waiting room while we were waiting for Mom to be released, I kept feeling that unwanted attention from the people sneaking peeks at me and Dad. Again, it felt like the Renaldi looks curse, as I called it. Damn if it wasn't annoying.

Finally, the doors opened and Mom was brought out. Her face lit up as she saw us, and she immediately ran over to hug us. She was especially happy to see me.

"Noah! I'm so glad you came! I've missed you so much!" she declared as she hugged me.

I don't think I realized how small my mother was until that moment. She was human and so fragile. But I guess that all of these thoughts were also coming from my own insecurities. I was finally seeing her as she really was.

Still, I wasn't gonna say anything about all of this to her. I just played along with the happy mood we were all in.

"I couldn't let you kill Dad for not bringing me." I joked.

Mom looked over at him, not bothering to let go of me completely yet, "I'm so glad you remembered my threat." she stated curtly.

"That's because I know what a dangerous woman you are," Dad responded with a cocky smile.

Somehow I had the feeling there was a double meaning in that, but I wasn't about to try and interpret it. I might not like the answer. After all, some stuff should definitely stay between couples.

Mom's attention went back to me, "Are you doing any better, Noah? You're not hurt now, right?" she continued as she touched my cheeks.

"I told you, I'm fine. She's not bothering me." I promised.

"Stop worrying so much, Anna. You know that Michael and my dad won't let anything happen to him." Dad reminded her as he picked up her bag and we began walking out to the car.

"You do know that your father needs to be more concerned about this now, Raziel. She's been trying to hurt Noah for a while now, and it's not like she'll give up that easily." Mom informed him.

"Come on Anna. We don't need to get into all of this now. You're coming home, so let's be happy about that, okay?" Dad suggested.

Thankfully Mom actually listened to him. A content smile crossed her face as we reached the car.

"Yeah, I really am. I'm so glad to be here with you and Noah now."

Dad loaded her bag into the trunk, and I opened the door and climbed into the backseat so that she could get into the passenger's. As Dad got in and started the car though, she turned to him, her smile changing to one I called the 'I-want-something'.

Dad let out a sigh as he saw it, knowing the look all too well.

"If you want to suggest something, then go ahead and say it." he relented.

"Oh, don't be like that. It's nothing that crazy. I just was thinking that we didn't need to go home right away." Mom responded sweetly.

It took a lot of effort for me to stifle a laugh in the backseat. My mother always knew how to get just about anything out of my father. Who knew a human woman could have such power over a Nephilim man?

"What do you want to do?" Dad asked, sounding a little putout.

"Oh come on, Raziel. You're making it sound like I'm going to suggest something terrible." Mom pouted.

"That depends on what you're asking."

I sat back and listened, knowing this could be interesting. As I said, my father could never really deny my mother anything she wanted. That had been happening for as long as I could remember. Like the one time, she'd begged him to take me and her to the ocean for a week. I was around six at the time. We'd never really been on a family vacation before with just the three of us, and my mother desperately wanted to do that.

Of course, Dad kept telling her no. He'd given her just about every excuse he could think of. To be honest about it, I think he was just worried about stuff with me. I'd had a lot of trouble at school recently and ended up being homeschooled, and he didn't want me to feel anxious around all of those people.

But Mom was very persistent, refusing to give up on it, and within the first two days, she'd gotten him to book a room with her, and two weeks later, we were spending that week at the ocean. Yep, Mom got what she wanted, though I have to say that it was an awesome vacation for all three of us, and I had a great time. We'd gone back a few times since, and I always loved hanging out with them there.

"Come on, Raziel. You know I'm usually right about us having a good time together when I suggest something." Mom insisted.

"Okay. Fire away. What do you have in mind?" Dad relented.

"A day out, just the three of us."

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Don't you remember what I told you yesterday?" Dad responded as he squeezed her hand, "I know it would help, but you know that your mother just died. If people see you out, they might say something to you, and you don't need that stress right now."

Mom looked down as she conceded, "Yes, I know, but I can't just sit around with all of that either. I need something, Raziel, anything that could help."

I looked out of the window as I heard her say this. Yes, Mrs. Smith had died right after Mom had been admitted to the hospital. She'd fallen from the roof there in what some were already saying was a suicide. They called it a tragedy.

My stomach twisted as I thought about it. No, I needed to forget. It was over and done with, and no one had to know the whole truth.

"Come on Anna. You can relax with us. We'll be with you for whatever you need." Dad promised her.

But Mom remained stubborn, "I am rested, and I want to go out with you and Noah. Please Raziel? I really need something that feels normal in my life right now." she begged.

Dad let out a long breath. As I said, he could never deny her what she wanted, especially with things how they were.

"Okay, Anna. How about a compromise then?" he suggested.

Mom gave him a suspicious look, "Like what?"

"How about we go out for dinner this evening? Just the three of us?"

Now that sounded appealing. It would be nice to get away for a while, especially with how I'd just started feeling again.

Mom thought it over before responding, "That does sound nice, but it better be some place nice too."

"Do I ever not take you to nice places?" Dad defended.

"You took me to McDonald's for our first anniversary." Mom stated flatly.

"You said you didn't care where I took you!" Dad defended.

"I gave birth to your son, and you took me to McDonald's for our first anniversary." Mom pouted as she crossed her arms.

Yes, this was a true story that I'd heard a lot about in my young life, and a very amusing one too. Mia always tended to remind my mom of it whenever she wanted to get a rise out of her. She'd tell her to never allow my dad to choose things for their anniversary ever again too. Honestly, I think he did it just because he'd wanted to play a joke on her, considering he had done something really nice for her afterward. They'd ended up driving to the countryside to hang out and watch the stars for a while, and he'd given her a beautiful diamond ring that he'd bought her. My mother still wore that ring, although she always made the joke that it was her 'prize' ring.

"I promise I won't take you to McDonald's," Dad stated as he held up a hand like he was taking an oath.

I don't think Mom really bought it, but she agreed anyway and let the whole argument slide. I think that she was just looking forward to getting home and things feeling kind of normal again.

I have to say that things seemed to go great for the rest of that day. We ended up going out to a nice restaurant that evening together, and things did feel normal. Mom was so happy, and so were me and Dad. It felt good to have that back.

The days that followed were more of the same. Mom's wrists were healing nicely, and she was back to her old self, although a bit cuddlier with us at times. Not that Dad or I minded. It was nice to sit on the couch or bed and snuggle with her, and we knew that it made her feel good.

Having this back only strengthened my resolve to move on with my life and make it better. I really thought that I could do it somehow, someway. Noel and this curse couldn't bother me anymore.

But sadly, I was mistaken.

My first inkling that Noel was escaping the seal came from a dream. It was very vivid, and I remember it well even now.

I was standing in a room full of mirrors. Looking around, all I could see was my own reflection. But somehow, I felt like I looked different.

Suddenly, a terrible pain shot through my body. I fell to my knees, holding my shoulders as my wings burst out of my back. But when I looked up at the mirrors, I saw that I had two wings again. But the one that had been missing was now black.

Noel stood behind me as I stared at this, her laughter echoing through the hollow chamber of mirrors around us.

"You cannot escape! This curse is your fate!"

I woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up in my bed in the darkness of my room. I immediately brought my wings out and checked them, but everything looked normal. My one wing was still missing, and the other was still the same blue that it had always been.

I tossed my covers back and ripped the bandage off of my leg to look at the star. To my shock, it had been bleeding again. I knew then that she had escaped the seal. Her laughter again echoed in my head as I stared at it.

I quickly hopped out of bed, grabbing some clothes to get dressed. I knew I couldn't stay there. She could easily hurt my parents again if I did. Somehow, I needed to get as far away from them and the rest of my family until I could figure out how to expel her for good.

Once I was fully dressed, I opened my window and jumped out, landing on my feet. Then, I began to run. I had absolutely no idea of where I was going. All I knew was that I wanted to get as far away from the people I cared about as possible right now.

Before I knew it, I was out by the main road. I had to stop to catch my breath, and as I leaned over with my hands on my knees, I listened for any sounds around me. But everything remained deathly quiet. As I finally caught my breath, I stood up straight and looked at my watch, using the light of the moon to see the dial.

4 A.M.

I can't say why I threw my watch on like I did. I guessed it was a force of habit. But I also realized that I hadn't brought anything else with me, not even my wallet.

Damn it. I'd panicked and run without a plan.

But I knew that I couldn't go back now, so I decided to keep walking. Maybe I could wing something. Besides, moving might help too. It was pretty cold out there, and I was only wearing a thin jacket. While I hoped to maybe catch a ride, the chances seemed slim at this time of the morning.

I kept my head down as I continued on, shivering as the cold wind blew against me. This was not good. I was going to end up freezing before I made it anywhere. That, or someone from my family was going to find me.

But as I thought about that, I realized that I heard the sound of a car approaching. I stopped and looked back as headlights came toward me. The car slowed down, coming to a stop beside me. It was a smaller car and looked pretty new. Yet something inside of me felt strange as I looked at it. It was almost like a part of me welcomed whoever this was that had just run across me, and it didn't feel like it was from Noel. It was like that part of me sensed that this person driving was a kindred spirit of sorts, as weird as that sounds.

After a minute, the driver's side window rolled down to reveal a boy that looked my age in the driver's seat. He had dark blue eyes and messy chocolate-colored hair. This much I could tell in the dim light.

"Need a lift?" he offered casually.

I stood there feeling dumbfounded. Something about this felt incredibly strange. He was out in the early morning hours driving around and picking up strangers? What was he? I had this distinct feeling that he wasn't human, yet I couldn't place him. He didn't look threatening either, but that didn't always mean anything.

I tried to feel for Noel, but there was nothing there now. It was like she'd backed away deep within me. To top it off, I almost felt like she feared something with this.

I finally found my voice, "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I guess you might call me your salvation here. It's pretty cold out there, and you're out walking a lonely country road with just a thin jacket." the boy responded.

He had a point about that one. I was freezing now. Glancing around me, I thought briefly about what I should do. Should I get in that car with God only knew what, or should I return to my family and risk more tragedy?

"You really need to make up your mind. I'm sure that they'll be looking for you soon." the boy added.

That had my attention, "You know why I'm out here?"

"I can take a good guess, but let's save that for later. Get in and warm up. You're shaking pretty bad." he pointed out.

I'd made up my mind by then and got in. So be it if he planned on killing me. Noel was always planning to do that anyway. Besides, the car was nice and warm, a welcome relief from outside.

The boy smiled as he shifted the car into drive, "If you need to warm up more, there's a blanket in the backseat." he offered.

He didn't have to tell me that one twice. I leaned back and grabbed it, wrapping myself up as I sat back in the seat. The moon was still high in front of us as we drove down the isolated road.

"So, who are you?" I asked after a few minutes of warming myself up.

"I should be asking you the same thing. I don't think that I've seen a creature like you before, and to be all alone out here like you were, you must really want to escape from what she might do." the boy answered.

I looked down. Far be it for me to tell him anything about me right now, so I decided to see what I could feed him to get more answers.

"My name's Noah. I guess you could say that I just ran away again."

The boy nodded as he watched the road, "Noah huh? That name fits you." he commented.

"Aren't you gonna tell me yours?"

"Is it that important?"

"It's common courtesy."

The boy laughed, "Okay, you've got a point. My name is Yuki." he relented.

"Yuki?" I repeated, "You don't look Japanese to me."

"I'm a quarter, and my mother did have a thing for unusual names," Yuki responded.

I sat there for a few minutes, watching the passing darkness. Yuki seemed content enough to just drive. I had a sense that he wasn't the least bit worried about me being there. The odd thing was that I felt like Noel was still trying to hide from him.

"That boy is…" was all I heard her whisper.

"Is what?" I mentally asked her. But I got no response. So I looked back at Yuki, "So, what were you doing out here this time of morning?"

Yuki shrugged, "I don't sleep much, and I was bored, so I decided to take a long drive; and lucky me, I found you." he answered.

"What are you, and how do you know about her?" I pressed.

He was way too calm about all of this. He had to know more about what was going on. Besides, he'd kept mentioning her and my trying to get away because of her. He must have been talking about Noel.

Yuki glanced over at me, "You're pretty perceptive, aren't you? Guess that comes with the Renaldi bloodline, huh?" he commented.

"You know who I am, don't you?" I guessed.

"I do," Yuki answered, "I know a lot about you, even though we've never met before now. I'm just like you. I guess that you could say we're family, at least in a twisted sense."

I was starting to feel very uncomfortable, though not afraid. My mind immediately went back to the conversation my father had with me about before I was born. Could this have been the kid Faith Kent was pregnant with?

But looking at him, I didn't really think so. He didn't feel like he fit that to me for whatever reason.

"What are you?" I repeated

Yuki smiled, "I'm Nephilim, just like you."

"What?"

Noel began laughing inside of me as this was said, like she was thoroughly amused at my confusion.

"That spirit inside of you knows me. I'm sure that she recognized who I was right away, and she sure as hell would know my father anywhere. I never thought I'd get to meet you or any of the others though." Yuki continued.

"I get it. You know Noel's inside of me, and this is no coincidence." I stated.

"It really is. I didn't come out here expecting to find you or anything, but I am glad that I did. I think it's time that you got to meet us, even if the others don't know we exist yet." Yuki said.

That was when something incredible dawned on me. Yuki did look familiar in his face now that I thought about it, and especially in his eyes. They were a very dark blue, just like his. Could it be…?

"Are you…" I couldn't find the words to finish.

"That's right. We're technically cousins. Noel and your grandfather are my grandparents." Yuki confirmed.

Oh my God. He was serious. Noel had given birth to a child when she'd been sent away from her family, and apparently, no one was aware of it.

I could feel her laughing inside of me. She was probably enjoying every minute of this. Yuki and his father were the ultimate skeletons in Raphael's closet, and probably ones he'd never even known about.

"How is this possible?" I asked, "Wouldn't Raphael at least have known about you or your dad?"

"No. My father was a dirty little secret in the Renaldi family from what I understand. There were only three people besides Noel who knew about him; your grandparents and your great aunt who she lived with." Yuki explained.

I knew that he wasn't lying about any of this. I could tell by Noel's reactions inside me. But one glaring thing remained in my mind as I sat there and looked at the boy beside me. His father was the result of what Noel and that curse had done during her control of Raphael back then. Just what did this mean for our family, and what was going to happen once Michael and the others found out about it?

They were questions that haunted me for the rest of our ride.