Immortal City

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Jacks kept a watchful eye on the sky as they worked their way across the city, using side streets to avoid Angel Boulevard, then cutting up north toward Maddy’s house.

The power outage, if anything, had worked to their advantage. Inky blackness covered all of Angel City. It was much easier to go unnoticed in the dark. Twice Jacks had pulled them into alleys to wait as helicopters passed overhead.

By the time they arrived at the house, rainwater had soaked through Maddy’s shoes and socks. She was shivering. They stayed out of sight and worked their way around to the kitchen window. Maddy peered in. There was Kevin, face drawn with concern, lighting candles and placing them around the house. The beginnings of a fire crackled in the fireplace. Maddy felt a lump rise in her throat.

“Is he alone?” Jacks whispered.

“I think so.”

Jacks touched her shoulder, and she turned to him.

“Maddy, are you sure we have to do this?” His tone was uneasy. “It’s dangerous.”

“Yes,” she said simply.

Jacks nodded reluctantly. “Okay, let’s give it a try, then.”

They slipped around to the front porch and Maddy knocked quietly at the door. Kevin came at once. He was wearing his plaid robe over an undershirt and slippers.

Maddy did her best to still her shaking body. The raindrops clung to her hair.

“Hi, Kevin,” she said.

“Maddy,” he breathed. “Thank God. Come in out of the rain.”

He pushed the door open and saw the world’s most famous Angel standing on his doorstep. Anger flickered in his eyes, but not surprise. There was something else, too. A kind of deep tension Maddy had never seen in her uncle before.

Kevin looked from the Immortal to his soaked niece and back again.

“You too, young man,” he said finally.

Once they were inside, Kevin pulled Maddy quickly into an embrace. She couldn’t remember the last time they had hugged like that. Jacks waited quietly, seeming to sense the rarity of the moment.

“I was so worried,” Kevin began to growl, anger edging the relief in his voice. “Are you okay? They said that—”

“I’m fine, Kevin,” Maddy said. “I want you to meet—”

“I know who this is,” Kevin said. His tone wasn’t unkind. But it wasn’t warm either. He didn’t offer his hand.

With everything that had happened, Maddy hadn’t had much time to think about how her uncle would react. She watched nervously as Jacks smiled and said hello.

“You’ll want to get out of those wet clothes and get dry,” Kevin said. Then he turned to Jacks. “I think I have something that will fit you too. Why don’t you come with me?”

Maddy went upstairs to her room, peeled out of her sodden clothes, and showered. There was still hot water in the lines and it burned painfully — and wonderfully — against her cold skin. She thought about Jacks’s words on the rooftop again. And the kiss. Could he actually be telling the truth? Was it possible he had feelings for her? She had never allowed herself the thought, and now she tested it delicately. It felt. . wonderful. That’s what she was afraid of. It felt too good to be true.

When she got out, she lit a candle and took stock of her injuries in the mirror. She had a deep bruise forming on the shoulder where Jacks had shoved her, and she also had a raised discoloration under her shoulder blades that was tender to the touch. She must have hit the light pole harder than she thought. She dried off, put on clean jeans and a dry hoodie, and went downstairs.

Maddy sat in the living room toweling her hair dry while she waited for Jacks to emerge from the downstairs bathroom. Kevin had found something for him to put on in a box at the back of his closet and sent him to change. She looked anxiously around the room, from the embarrassing school photos on the wall, to the secondhand furniture, to the old, boxy TV. Compared to Jacks, they were staggeringly poor. She quickly got up and scooped up a pile of Kevin’s laundry that was sitting on top of the couch. She tried to ar-range the magazines on the coffee table like she had seen in fancy offices, until she noticed the magazines were Family Circle and Reader’s Digest. She sighed. It was hopeless.

Jacks came out of the bathroom wearing Kevin’s old jeans and a tattered shirt, which, on him, looked like an advertisement for worn-out vintage chic. He crossed the living room and, to her relief, passed the wall of photos without inspecting them. If she got out of tonight alive, she thought, she vowed to stash them forever.

“I like your place,” Jacks said, looking around. “It’s homey.”

“Thanks,” Maddy said sheepishly, and grabbed a stray pair of Kevin’s underwear from the couch. “Let’s go into the kitchen.”

Maddy and Jacks sat down at the table while Kevin took down three mugs from the cupboard. The gas for the stove was still flowing, and he prepared fresh cups of tea for all of them. Outside, the rain fell constantly against the roof, filing the kitchen with its soft murmur.

“Thank you, Mr. Montgomery,” Jacks said as he accepted his cup.

“It’s just Kevin,” Maddy’s uncle said. He handed Maddy a cup, then busied himself around the kitchen again.

The hot liquid scalded her tongue as she drank, and the warmth spread down through her chest.

“They’ve been calling, you know,” Kevin said.

“Who?” Maddy asked.

“Everyone. ANN, Angels Weekly, MSNBC, and some blogger. Vuitton. . something. I thought about unplugging the phone, but I was afraid you might try and get in touch. I was worried.”

“I told you, I’m fine,” Maddy said, and looked at Jacks. “He saved my life.”

“That’s not exactly what they’ve been saying,” Kevin said evenly. “But I’ve heard a lot of things tonight.”

Maddy watched Kevin as he took out more candles from under the sink and set them around. She drew in a long, deep breath. At last her lips parted.

“My parents, Kevin,” Maddy said, her voice small but firm. “I want to know the truth.” Kevin froze where he was standing with his back to her, then struck a match and lit one of the candles.

“What do you want to know that you don’t know already?” he said, without turning.

“Jacks told me he could save me because he saw I was in danger, like a premonition. Well. .” She took a deep breath. “I’ve had premonitions all my life, and always when something bad is about to happen.” Kevin still didn’t move, but stood listening. “I’ve always just explained it away to myself or tried to ignore it. I figured I was just, I don’t know, different. A freak.” She swallowed down the beginnings of another lump that was threatening in her throat. “Now I think maybe there’s more to it, and maybe you’ve been keeping something from me.”

“Maddy, don’t you think you might be imagining—”

“I’m not,” Maddy said sharply. “I’m done pretending it doesn’t happen, because it does. It happened today when I was almost crushed by that car. I saw it all happen in my head first, and that’s impossible.” From the corner of her eye she could see Jacks’s astonished expression. He had set down his cup and was scrutinizing her intently. “So. Who were they, really?” she asked quietly.

Kevin turned and met her gaze. Jacks’s eyes darted between them. Kevin brought one of the candles over and set it in the center of the table. Then he sat looking at the flame, his glasses reflecting the flickering light. Maddy realized she was holding her breath.

“I wondered if this day would come,” he said at last. “I thought it might, but not this soon, and certainly not under these circumstances. I told your father it wasn’t fair that I’d be the one to have to tell you, but he said he was glad it would be me. That I had always been good with you. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Maddy looked at her uncle in the dancing candlelight.

There sat the man who had cared for her, and provided for her, her entire life. Suddenly she felt like she didn’t know him. Or at least didn’t know a part of him. He looked abruptly older to her. Worn somehow. His face was drawn in grim lines.

“Please,” she whispered. “I have to know.”

“Are you sure you want to hear this story?” he asked, his expression darkening. “If I tell you, I’m going to tell it to you straight. I’m not going to edit. And I can warn you now, it’s not always pretty.” Kevin’s glasses caught the candlelight again and gave him burning embers for eyes. Maddy considered his words and then nodded. Jacks sat still with suspense.

“Okay, then,” Kevin said. “Where do I begin? With the Angels, I guess.” Kevin rose and walked over to the cupboard as he talked.

“You should know from your history class at school about the Awakening, when Angels revealed themselves to us? And you know about the establishment of protection-for-pay and the NAS Archangels?”

“Yes, of course,” Maddy said, remembering Mr.Rankin’s tedious lecture.

Kevin had begun taking the remaining mugs out of the cupboard and setting them on the counter. Maddy wondered vaguely what he was doing. A draft blew through the house, causing the candles to flicker. As Maddy watched, Kevin removed the back of the cupboard and pulled out what looked like an old scrapbook. Maddy’s heart began to hammer relentlessly in her chest. She had never seen the book before. What was it doing hidden in the cupboard?

Kevin brought the book back to the table, sat, and set it in front of him.

“A little less than twenty years ago, a young Guardian, what they call a Born Immortal, had a radical idea. He believed the Angels had become corrupt, and the system had become corrupt along with them. He argued that Angels should return to performing miracles anonymously, and for free.”

Kevin opened the book. The binding cracked as the cover came up. He started leafing through the brittle pages.

There were pictures of people Maddy had never seen before.

Young, beautiful faces peering out at her from the pages.

Jacks craned his head to see as well. Kevin stopped on a faded photo of a young Angel. Maddy didn’t recognize him, but she was immediately struck by him. He had kind eyes and a striking, statuesque figure.

“This is him?” Maddy asked, tapping the photo.

“Yes, this is him,” Kevin said. “This is Jacob Godright.” Kevin pointed to a handsome man in his twenties standing next to him. “And this is a young human activist named Teddy Linden.”

“The senator?” Jacks asked in disbelief. “He hates Angels.”

“Or hates what they have become. That was another place and another time. You see, Jacob Godright and his fol-lowers were convinced that Angels and humans could live together as equals, work together, and even have families together. To prove his point, he secretly married a beautiful, brilliant human girl he had fallen in love with.” Kevin’s voice wavered under the weight of the words. “That girl was my sister, Maddy. She was your mother. Montgomery is your mother’s maiden name. Your real name is Madison Godright.”

He paused.

“Your father was an Angel.”

It was a full ten seconds before Maddy could speak.

Or move. Or even breathe. Her galloping heart threatened to tear through her chest. She heard her uncle’s words ringing in her head.

“That’s. . impossible.” She hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the word broke through her paralyzing shock.

She became aware of Jacks sitting like a sculpture next to her, his face a stony mask of disbelief.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to tell you until now,”

Kevin said. “I can’t tell you how much I wish things were different. How much I miss my sister.”

“But I’m not an Angel,” Maddy managed to get out.

“No,” Kevin said, “you’re not. You are human, but you have Angel blood flowing in your veins. You are one of a kind, Maddy, unique in all the world.” He smiled and gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulder. Then his face darkened. “Your birth, which was thought to be impossible, became the catalyst for everything. Your parents said you were a miracle, and a sign, but the NAS called you a bastard, a half blood, and”— he paused on the word—“an abomination.” Kevin’s eyes were apologetic, but his tone was cuttingly honest. “And so, a power struggle began within the Angels.”

“The Troubles,” Jacks said.

“That’s right,” Kevin said. “The Angel Civil War.”

“My father. .” Jacks said. Maddy watched his knuckles go white as he gripped the armrests of his chair.

“Yes, your father, Isaiah Godspeed, was a rebel along with Jacob.”

“What?” Jacks glared at Kevin, his eyes narrowing in-to distrustful slits. “My father fought the rebellion. He was killed putting it down.”

“No, Jacks,” Kevin said calmly. “That’s what your stepfather, Mark, wants you to think. The truth is, your father wanted to reform the Angels too. He supported Jacob and his child.”

“Why wouldn’t Mark want me to know that?” Jacks asked.

“Because when Maddy was only a few weeks old, Jacob and Isaiah approached him for help. They were all classmates, and Mark — Isaiah’s cousin — was already a rising star, an ambitious political prodigy. The Jackson Godspeed of his day,” Kevin said, nodding toward Jacks. He turned the final page of the scrapbook. It was blank. Maddy looked at the yellowed, brittle page. Like a future cut unnecessarily short.

“Mark refused to support them and turned them away. With the ranks closed against them, Maddy was brought to me under cover of darkness. The next day, both Jacob and Isaiah were captured by the Council’s Disciplinary Agents, mortalized, and killed in cold blood. Regina, my sister, was also murdered. Kris Godspeed and her child, Jackson, were spared. In exchange for not helping the rebels, Mark was given his position as Archangel and quickly rose in the NAS.

“Jacks,” Kevin said, his tone suddenly gentler, “your mother didn’t know. And still doesn’t. She is innocent. In her grief, she gave in to Mark’s advances and they married.”

Kevin closed the scrapbook and put his hands on the dusty cover. Jacks had turned and stared unseeingly out the kitchen window. Kevin looked at Maddy.

“The Angels promised never again to interfere with your life so long as you lived it out normally, without any knowledge of your past or what you actually are. I agreed, and you’ve been with me ever since.”

The lump in her throat was back and throbbing as it rose. She had come to speak to Kevin in hopes of finally clearing up the foggy dream world of her past. Now she realized that dream was a nightmare, a nightmare he had been protecting her from. She wasn’t just an average, unremarkable girl. She was a perversion of man and Angel. A monster. No wonder she had always felt like a freak.

She literally was one.

Maddy could feel her eyes swelling, and she didn’t know if she would be able to stop the tears. Unsteadily, she got up from the table and walked through the living room to the window. The rain had finally stopped, replaced by fog that hung low over the wet street. Maddy watched a man out walking his dog in the mist.

Jacks sat unmoving in his chair. Now it was his turn to decide what to believe.

“And now they’re hunting me for saving her,” he said softly.

“They’re probably hunting you both,” Kevin said.

“Now that you’ve saved Maddy, Jacks, both of you are a threat to the Archangels’ power, a reminder of other. .

ideas about how the Angels should be. Descendants of the rebels, acting rebelliously. Dangerous. They will never allow the two of you to be together. No matter what it takes. If they can, Council Disciplinary Agents will kill you both.”

Maddy heard the scrape of chairs on the linoleum as Jacks and Kevin got up.

“You’ll have to excuse me when I say I don’t like Angels,” Kevin said, and then he offered his hand. “But thank you for saving my niece’s life.” Jacks looked at Kevin’s hand for a moment and then took it. The two shook.

Maddy continued staring out the window in silence.

She watched as Jacks’s reflection appeared behind her in the glass. She wondered if he would have some lame condolence. The Immortal Angel telling the freak of nature I feel your pain or something pathetic like that. At least she could stop wondering if he actually cared about her or not.

Now, for sure, she knew he would want nothing to do with her.

Jacks stood beside her. Instead of saying anything, she felt his fingers trace up her palm and then lace into hers.

He had taken her hand before, quickly and for functional reasons — usually to drag her off to someplace she didn’t want to go — but he had never held her hand. Not the way couples did in parks or lovers did in old movies. Maddy stood there and felt the heat of his grip. It made her think of that first night in the diner, when they had talked about pretend memories and she had felt so connected to him. But now they were further apart than ever, she had to remind herself. One an Angel and the other an abomination.

“We should get going,” he said finally. Maddy couldn’t believe he hadn’t said I should get going, but she was too numb to care. Or think.

“Who is that?” Jacks said. He was looking at the man with his dog.

“I don’t know,” Maddy said. “A neighbor, I guess.”

“How long has he been there?” His tone at once severe.

Suddenly the lights inside the house sprang to life.

The refrigerator whirred back on, and the TV in the living room blinked to life.

“—Manhunt under way for Angel Jackson Godspeed. .” a reporter was announcing under a scrolling breaking news banner.

Outside, the neighborhoods of Angel City lit up one by one along the grid as power was restored. The man with the dog suddenly looked directly at Maddy standing in the open window and vanished. He disappeared in a literal blur and was gone, leaving the dog to look around inquisitively and sniff at its lifeless leash.

Maddy turned toward Jacks, breathless.

His face was twisted in sudden despair.

“How much time do we have?” she asked.

He grabbed her by the back of her hoodie and pulled her away from the window.

“It’s already too late.”