Part 4 (1/2)
”Justin was our leader.” Brand says the name with undisguised loathing.
”What happened when you came to Earth under his command?”
”At first things were fine. We were teaching the humans what they needed to know like we were meant to. But many of us ended up falling in love and taking human wives. In fact, Justin encouraged it. He said our father would understand. But of course, He didn't. When G.o.d cursed us and our families, Justin urged us to give into what our father made us into. It was an extremely dark period in our history. Most of the Watchers followed Justin not seeing any point in trying to fight against the need to drink human blood and let their children feed on the corpses. After a while, Lucifer seemed to think the Watchers who became vampires were drawing too much unwanted attention to themselves with the trail of bodies they were leaving in their wake. I'm not sure what happened between him and Justin but Lucifer must have grown tired of trying to reason with him because he killed Justin. After that, Lucifer reined in the vampire Watchers and took control of them. They remained in the shadows for thousands of years, just legend to the humans here. That is until the Tear appeared. Lucifer seemed to take it as a sign of some sort and used the confusion the humans were in to take this world over under the guise of trying to help. I take it this isn't the way it happened on your Earth.”
”No,” Mason says. ”I was the leader of the Watchers on our Earth not Justin.”
”Did the majority of the Watchers turn to vampirism after the curse?”
”No. Most of them abstained from it like I did.”
”Then I wish you had been our leader here too.” Brand sighs over the missed opportunity. ”Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if you had survived the war and led us like you were meant to.”
Mason becomes still and quiet, letting what Brand has said sink in.
”Could you guys give us a minute alone?” I ask, knowing Mason needs some time with his thoughts.
Isaiah mumbles something about Josh and coffee. Brand and Baruch follow him into the kitchen area.
I turn to Mason and bring his hand to my lips to plant a small kiss, gently bringing him out of his troubled reverie.
”Are you ok?” I ask, worried about him because he hasn't moved since hearing how different the Watchers' history is on this Earth. I'm not even completely sure he's taken a breath since learning what would have happened on our Earth if he never existed.
”I always thought I did something wrong to make the Watchers go against G.o.d's law,” he finally says. ”But it doesn't look like it would have mattered who their commander was. They would have done it anyway.”
”How many of the Watchers gave into the hunger for blood on our Earth when He cursed you?”
”Forty-four.”
I'm not surprised to hear Mason recite an exact number. He would have carried the guilt of their turning into vampires with him from the beginning.
”Forty- four out of about two hundred? Sounds like you had a greater influence on them than you thought. If you had given in like this Justin and encouraged the others to do so too, it's possible our reality would be similar to this one. But you didn't give into your hunger like he did. You set a better example for your Watchers.”
Mason finally looks over at me. ”For so many years, I thought I let them all down.”
”Well, the ones who did turn into vampires didn't help your guilt issues. To be honest, I think they were just jealous that the rest of you had so much more self-control than they did. Plus, you still had hope that G.o.d would forgive you one day if you didn't give into your urges. That hope was lost to them the first time they drank human blood. They even got a second chance directly from G.o.d, Mason. They could have earned forgiveness after the Tear was made but they chose not to work for it. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You can't control what others do with their lives.”
Mason sits and contemplates my words. Finally, he nods.
”You're right. I'm not responsible for the way their lives turned out. It never even occurred to me that I wouldn't exist in other realities.”
”You've been feeling guilty about the Watchers in all the realities?” I say, fully realizing for the first time what Mason has been living with for all these years. ”No wonder you have guilt issues.”
I let Mason sit quietly for a moment to let his self-realization sink into his psyche. I now understand why G.o.d wanted Mason to come with me to this reality. If he hadn't, I'm not sure he would have ever found a way around the guilt he's been carrying inside his heart for all these years.
”Can I ask you something?” I ask, needing clarification about a couple of things that were said.
”You know you can ask me anything.”
”What did you mean by our reality is the Origin? What's the Origin?”
”We come from the first of everything: the first universe. In Heaven, it's called the Origin. All of the other realities branch off from what happens in the first universe. Think of the different realities like a tree. We're the trunk and every different reality is a branch sprouting off of that trunk. Each of those branches sprout smaller branches. Each branch is a different reality. The events that happen in our reality end up causing a ripple effect on all the other realities, like a pebble dropped in a pool of water. We're the pebble.”
There's an urgent pounding on the other side of the metal door in the room.
Brand hurriedly walks over and opens it.
”Brand, I need your help,” a male voice says, filled with desperation. ”She did it again! Could you please talk to her? She won't listen to me but maybe she'll listen to you.”
”I can try Remy but I'm not sure it will do much good. Why don't you come in and get some coffee? Maybe we can figure out a way to stop her from burning down half the city.”
The man Brand was talking to steps into the room and I'm able to see him clearly for the first time.
Surrounding him is a golden glow just like the one my father has.
When our eyes meet, he seems startled by my presence. He's a tall man with bushy brown hair and a s.h.a.ggy matching beard and mustache, which both look in need of a good trim and wash. He's wearing wire rimmed gla.s.ses which are smudged with fingerprints. I'm not even sure how he can see out of them.
Remy smiles with delight as he bounds down the steps and walks up to me like he's going to rush me. I automatically stand preparing to defend myself. But, instead of attacking me, he gives me a big bear hug like we're long lost friends.
He pulls away from me and I see the excitement in his eyes as he asks, ”Did G.o.d send you to bring us home?”
Chapter 4.
I know what the man is, a Guardian from The Treasury of Souls like my father, but I don't understand why he's here.
”Us who?” I ask. ”And what the h.e.l.l are you doing here? You shouldn't even be in this reality.”
The man named Remy looks confused. ”G.o.d didn't send you to get us? But you're a vessel right?”
I gently push Remy to arms length away from me.
”Yes, I am,” I answer. ”But no, G.o.d didn't say 'by the way could you pick up the lost Guardian that's in the reality you're going to'. Sorry, I didn't get that memo.”
”Then why else are you here?”
”I'm here to get my sister. Why are you here?”
”The vessel I was sent to protect was transported here. I came with her.”
”Leah's a vessel of an archangel?” Brand asks, apparently hearing all this for the first time.
”Why is she here?” I ask. ”She's supposed to be in my reality.”
”Long story that,” Remy says, scratching his beard nervously. ”But I'll give you the cliff notes version. Her mother is the one who actually came through the Tear. She just happened to be pregnant with Leah at the time.”
Remy grabs me by the arms, desperation in his eyes. ”You have to take her back with you.”