China was first.

I was fluent in Chinese, naturally, but it was my first time speaking it out loud. The experience was much like D.C; guards surrounded us, we “surrendered”, and then we got to speak to China’s communist leader, Ho Mein Li. There was some arguing but we finally convinced him to consider the treaty.

The U.K was next. The guards wouldn’t even let us see the King or Queen. I wasn’t sure who was in power anymore, obviously. I giggled at their accents and Reven glared at me to stop. We ended up just teleporting to the room they were in, which was an office of some sort. Both a man and a woman were in here. Reven quickly whispered that the man was the King and the woman was the Prime Minister.

They jumped back when they saw us and the woman opened her mouth to scream.

“Wait! Please! We aren’t here to hurt you, I swear. The guards wouldn’t let us in so sorry for the breaking and entering.” I let my sincerity travel to my eyes for them to see. “We want a treaty.”

“We were actually just discussing that. America and China informed us. We have deemed it wise to accept.”

I shot Reven a “that was easy” look and turned back to the most important people in England. “The official treaty is being written as we speak. We will be back later today. You should talk it over with the rest of your country’s leaders.”

“Very well.”

I spoke to Reven in Angellican. “Can you take me back to the tribe in Africa? The one by your house. Is it still there?”

“Yes.”

“But first, I want to see the treaty.”

Reven took me to wherever Zella and Marion were. I couldn’t tell because we were in a windowless room.

“We just finished.” They announced. I read it over when Marion handed it to me, using my extreme speed reading skills.

“This is perfect. Thank you Marion… And Zella.” I kissed Marion on both cheeks, the way the French do. I nodded at Zella. I don’t think we were on that good of terms yet. The air around the angels and I had changed, almost like I was finally being respected.

“Everyone has to sign. And I feel like you should have the honor of being the first.” She pointed all the bottom of the paper. I took a minute to admire her old fashioned handwriting. She handed me a pen and I signed it swiftly, passing it to Reven. One by one, every angel appeared and signed it. Reven wrapped his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder affectionately. After each angel signed, I said thank you and truly meant it.

I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The weight of the entire world had been crushing me since the age of sixteen and now it’s turned to dust and was shaken off. This was what I wanted. Peace. In a few hours.

“Africa?” Reven reminded me. I nodded and we arrived in Africa.

I ran into the village, Reven letting me go by myself. To the first person I saw, I asked in Swahili, “does Madaha still live here?” They nodded and took me by the hand.

“Madaha!” They called.

An elderly woman answered their call. When she saw me, she pressed her hand to her chest as her eyes widened in shock. “Aimee?”

“Madaha?”

She smiled and nodded. I raced forward and gave her a gentle hug. “I was beginning to think you’d never come back.”

I chuckled. “Sorry it took so long.” I paused. “Rabia?”

“She has passed away, I’m afraid.”

“No…” I whispered. “I’m sorry my promised return took so long. I was captured and imprisoned.”

“A story for another time. Rabia would be happy you fulfilled your promise. I will tell her once I’m with her again.”

“A’sharia?”

“She’s in trouble.” Madaha said gravely.

“How so? Is she sick? Or has she been kidnapped?”

“In a way, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“An evil spirit has possessed her. It’s horrible, Aimee, nothing we do helps. It refuses to eat and drink. It tries…”

“Tries what?”

“To mutilate her. Cut her body, break it, like some abandoned toy.”

“Take me to her. Maybe I can help.”

Madaha led me into a locked hut. It was dark, the windows had been boarded up. My night vision let me see a small shape tied to a post. A much older version of A’sharia had deep cuts all down her arms and legs, already scabbing up but tearing because of her thrashing, trying to escape. Her head snapped up and she started laughing, and the laughing caused her to have a coughing fit. Her eyes were bloodshot, but blue. Their contrast stuck out. “She told me you would come. I didn’t believe her.” The spirit said, its voice super deep and gravelly.

“Why are you controlling this poor woman?”

“I’ve been gone for awhile,” It mused. “And she was weak.”

“You are killing her. What will you do when her body dies?”

“Find another. Humans breed like rats.”

I sat down on the ground, just out of reach of her legs. “A’sharia, can you hear me? I’m here, I’m back, just like I promised.”

“Oh, she can hear you. It’s amusing to her weak, pathetic spirit struggle to grasp at anything.” It laughed so hard her body shook and blood dribbled out of her mouth.

“What do you want?”

“I want freedom and revenge.”

Oh, lovely, how original. I pondered on this for a moment. “Leave the girl and take me instead. I’m immortal, strong, and fast. Just let her be.”

“Aimee… No…” Madaha whispered in horror.

“Interesting offer… I’ll take it.”

“Wait. I need to say goodbye.”

“Fine, fine,” It huffed, “it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Madaha, let’s go outside.” I stood and exited the hut with her, asking her for a knife.

“Why?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll heal.” I smiled.

“What about your friend? What will you tell him?”

“Nothing. I’ll be back before he realizes what I’ve done.”

She nodded and got a knife. I put it in the waistband of my shorts and returned inside.

“Finished with your goodbyes?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Then A’sharia’s body went limp.

I put my hand on the knife. I felt something pushing and flooding into my mind, smothering it and suffocating it. It was searching for a place to stay. I faintly heard Reven burst into the hut and yelling at Madaha, asking her what was going on. With the very last second of control I had left, when the evil spirit was fighting my will, I thrust the knife into my heart.

Once again, I was in the dark place.

“You bitch! What did you do?”

“Great, I’m in here with you… I ended you.”

“Honey,” a soft voice called out. “It’s your time.”

“Wh-what?”

“You’ve made peace. You saved your friend. It was your time to go. I’m so proud of you. You were so brave.”

“I’m immortal, Mom, this can’t be.”

“You’re half human, Aimee. You are my daughter. Did you ever really believe that?”

“Reven and I, Xavier, the moon…”

“I know, Honey. I’m sorry.”

Reality hit me hard. I would never again be with Reven, or run fast and feel the wind whip around me and my feet barely touch the ground, or meet new people and make new friends, or see the peace I worked so hard to create. If I had a body, I would be weeping. I was finally happy and now… Why did it have to be now? I would give anything to be with Reven again. I was so foolish to do that! I never gave it a second thought except, “oh, I’ll just heal. No worries.”

“God, I was so stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid, Aimee, you were brave.”

“No, Mom, I wasn’t. I was naive and careless.”

“You’re only twenty years old--”

“No, I’m actually fifty-seven. I have memories from an immortal’s life. I have seen many, many mistakes. Way more than you have, Mom. I’m older than you, in more ways than one.”

“Don’t talk to your own mother that way.”

A hysterical laugh burst out of me. “You know what’s complete bullshit? That it’s my “time” to die. No one’s death should be planned and set, like an alarm clock ticking away, waiting to go off.”

“Life isn’t fair.”

“Well, how about death then? That should be pretty fair. And do not tell me that life isn’t fair. I grew up afraid of what I was, keeping my whole life a secret from everyone, waiting for a beautiful, perfect dad to show up. Right from the start, I was unnatural. I have been lied to, captured, imprisoned, killed, and hunted down for things I may or may not have done. They named me The Demon, for Godsake. People who didn’t even know me, think I never should have been born. I’m dead now. Lucky them.” I fumed.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Aimee.”

“Of course you don’t.” Then I murmured something I shouldn’t have. I’m pissed and I want to get back home.

“This is getting good. Go on, go on.”

“Aren’t you in Hell yet or something? Because I’d love to take you there myself. Maybe even kick your dead ass on the way there.”

“You’re dead too.”

I growled in frustration, trying to concentrate on healing my body. Nothing was happening. The darkness was still not going away.

Suddenly, the sound of someone humming a familiar lullaby started. It was very faint. I couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from, but I guess direction doesn’t even matter.

“Shut the hell up, I’m trying to concentrate.”

“That isn’t me.”

The humming grew louder and louder, simultaneously deepening its pitch until it sounded positively demonic.

“You really need to--”

The spirit’s voice jumped an octave higher. “It isn’t me.”

The black void we were inhabiting started getting less dark. I could begin to feel heat, warm but slowly growing hotter. A scene exploded in front of me; fire, ash, molten lava, and rock everywhere. Anorexic, merely skin on bones, people of all races marched by in an infinite line, wearing the clothes they died in. The humming was still growing louder, until it rang in my ghost ears.

What else was I supposed to name them?

“Okay, I take it back. I don’t want to take Mr. Evil Ghosty to Hell myself.”

“I’m sure there’s a nice, cozy room waiting for you too. I’m not the only one who’s killed before.”

“Shut up.” I hissed.

The humming stopped. All of the people, draped in chains, looked at us and stopped marching. Their eyes… Oh, God, their eye sockets were empty; just dark, scarred caverns. Sweat dripped off their skin, making what was left of their stringy hair cling to it, and the steam rising looked like they were being baked. I could smelled burnt hair and singed flesh. Why did they stop? Why were they looking at us?

“Okay, okay. Take Mr. Ghosty and get me out of here.” I called, to no one in particular.

The setting was a tall cavern that seemed to go on forever, no ceiling, no walls. Black rocks and boulders would occasionally crumble down and even fall on people, and the people would just get up like nothing had happened. Gray ash fell like snow, smearing against sweaty skin, and the fires that burned produced acrid, black smoke.

I can’t really be going to hell, can I? I know I had done plenty of bad things, but… I made peace within the world.

A sucking sensation occurred and both of us were deposited in Hell. Ghosty, an elderly man, fell into a mound of ash whereas I landed on my feet, as gracefully as possible. He rolled around in the ash and started moaning, “no, no, no…”

While he was having a mental breakdown, I was having one of my own. Thoughts bounced around in my head faster than even I could process. I was shocked, terrified, and barely believing what was in front of me. My eyes kept changing colors.

“Jeremiah John Wilks!” The voice that hummed boomed.

“No!” Jeremiah screamed.

“Is there anything you would like to admit and apologize for before your eyes and tongue are removed and you’re put into eternal slavery for your actions in life and death?”

Jeremiah blubbered and tried to scramble away.

“No? Well then, welcome home.”

The slaves charged towards us, moving like one. I was completely paralyzed as they attacked Jeremiah. His death screams went on for quite some time. So many slaves covered him, so I couldn’t see anything except flashes of red. They dragged him away.

I sucked in a polluted breath. I was still here. I was still Aimee.

“Who are you?”

“Uh, what?”

“Answer.”

“Aimee Chevalier.” I nervously said.

“The Nephilim girl? Interesting… What are you doing here?”

I hysterically sputtered. “I don’t know. You tell me. I was just, not so courageously, paralyzed in fear at the thought of eternal slavery.”

“As much as I’d love to have you here, you don’t belong here.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do I sound like the type of man to joke around?”

A hysterical laugh bubbled across my lips, almost mixed with a sob and a sigh. Neither of us spoke as I was overcome with pure joy, but then I felt the awkward silence. “So… Nice place you have here.”

“I can tell you love the decor.” He paused. “Your little angel lover refuses to leave your body behind. Interesting to see how he has strayed farther and farther from my side because of you.”

A man appeared out of thin air in front of me and he was so beautiful that it was hard to look at him. He looked remarkably like Reven, but a little older; the tanned skin, dark, thick hair, and the impossible green eyes. I fought to make sure my knees held me up and didn’t shake. The man was like sex-incarnate. I snuck a quick peek at his aura, which was copper. He smiled at me, eyes shining with amusement like he knew what he was doing to my body, and that’s when I knew I was chatting with the devil.