I came home feeling a little more than empowered. In fact, as soon as I got in, I went straight to the attic and began to pull things out from the time that Noel had died. I knew that I had my own notes written down about it, so I wanted to double-check them.
But as I finally found them, I realized that there was a book that was sitting on the bottom of the chest. It had been hidden under some old clothing that had once belonged to my mother. Pulling it out, I sat back on my knees and opened it. As I did though, I felt my eyes widen.
It was another old photo album, and inside were old pictures of my father and his brother and sister.
But with them, there was also one more that I had never seen, and I doubted that Raphael and Gabrielle had either. With my grandmother, Annabelle, was a young man. They were standing outside of a large house, and Annabelle was very pregnant.
I closed the book and headed downstairs. It was time to call Raphael. While the issue of Noah was pressing, this was a revelation.
Coming downstairs, I found Mia standing in the foyer. She was talking to Sevee, and the conversation didn't seem to be going too well.
"He could've just told us. He didn't have to act like he was so tough." Sevee was saying. He actually looked and sounded upset.
"I know, but we can't change it now, so please, no more trouble." Mia requested.
"I won't, but just give me some time. I've got to let this sink in." Sevee responded before walking away.
"I'm going to guess that Gabrielle's told you all about what's going on." I surmised as I came over to her.
Mia nodded sadly, "Yeah. I just spoke to Anna too. She called me wanting to talk." she admitted.
"Should I even ask how she is?" I inquired.
"She's upset, but she's trying to hold herself together. She said that Noah's staying beside her too. But she doesn't think that Raziel's going to be able to stay there too long for now. I think he might need some time to himself." Mia explained.
"Well, you can't blame him there." I sighed.
"Are you doing okay Dad? I haven't seen you all day." Mia continued, giving me a worried look.
"I'm all right. I was actually just taking my own time to get my head together. But I am looking into some things that I wanted to talk to Raphael about. Do you know if he's home?" I replied.
"I think he's still at Raziel's house. At least, by the way that Anna was talking. Did you find something?" she asked, noticing the album in my hands.
"I'm not sure yet, although this was interesting. I'm going to put in a call to Raphael, then I'll show you." I told her.
After calling Raphael, in which he said that he'd come over in another half an hour, I sat down in the den with Mia and showed her what I found. Mia looked more than surprised at seeing some of the pictures.
But when we got to the one of my grandmother and the man, I heard her draw in a sharp breath.
"Oh my God. Dad, it's him," she said in disbelief.
"Who?" I asked, feeling a little confused.
"Remember when I told you about the priest who sat with me in the airport the Christmas Eve when I came back to you? That's him. He was the one who gave me this bracelet." Mia explained.
Yes, I did recall her telling me about that. There had been a mysterious man who had remained with her while she waited for me that night, and he'd disappeared before I arrived.
I stared at the picture in front of us, "Are you sure?" I heard myself ask.
"I'm positive. He's not wearing the same stuff, but I know his face. Even after all of these years, I've never forgotten it. He was the one who was there, and he had the same voice that I heard back when I met Sean." Mia went on.
I stared at the picture in shock. So we'd been right. The Seraphim that was our grandfather had been watching over us, and he'd interacted where he could. He was probably also the one who sent Annabelle to comfort us.
By then, I was hearing a car pulling up to the house. Looking over at the window, we both saw that it was Raphael's. He wasn't alone as he got out. Anna and Noah had come with him.
I felt a little bit relieved to see them. But at the same time, I was concerned too. Raziel had not accompanied them. I hoped that things were going to be okay with him.
But before they came in, Lenore suddenly entered the room.
"Hey Mia, I'm sorry, but can I borrow you?" she requested. She sounded worried.
"Sure. Is something wrong?" Mia asked as she got up.
"Well, I think that you should be with Sevee right now. He won't admit it, but he needs you." Lenore replied.
I watched as Mia agreed and left with her. Of course, I wasn't about to say anything to it. If Sevee needed his own support, then Mia and Lenore would probably be the best ones to give it to him. After all, no matter how Sevee acted towards Noah, we all knew that the two were very close in their own way.
Raphael came into with Anna and Noah after they left.
"Looks like you ended up alone here. What are the rest of them up to?" Raphael asked me as he stood beside the couch.
"Seraphina's been spending the morning with Hayden. But Mia just went with Lenore to check on Sevee." I admitted.
Anna and Noah were sitting down on the other couch across from us, and I saw Anna looking around.
"Is Sean not here either?" she asked.
"I'm not sure of where he is, but we all know that it's not unusual for him to take off on his own accord at times," I answered.
"He may be doing his own research. He does have enough connections on the other side to do so," Raphael reasoned. He sat down beside me, "So, what were you so concerned about?"
I looked at the open book in my hands, "Actually, it's something I found. Take a look at this." I said as I handed it to him.
Raphael quickly caught on to what I was trying to show him.
"Where did you find this?" he asked me.
"Up in the attic. It was hidden in one of the chests, under our mother's clothes." I answered.
"What is it?" Anna asked, getting up to look.
Noah followed, apparently curious too. He seemed to notice it right away too, kneeling down beside Raphael.
"She's Annabelle Renaldi, isn't she?" he guessed.
All of us looked at him.
"You know what she looks like?" I asked. Was it possible that Noah had seen her spirit as well?
But his explanation quickly proved that wrong.
"It was from that curse that was wrapped around Noel. It helped her tap into the past and see things that happened with Annabelle. But she was also furious with our grandfather about something with it. She'd probably go on a rampage if she saw this picture."
"Do you know why she was so angry at him?" Raphael asked him.
"I'm not completely sure." Noah answered, standing up straight again, "I know that she blamed him for this curse and what happened to her, but she wouldn't tell me a lot about it. It was almost like she wasn't able to."
I glanced at Raphael, who was studying the picture now.
"I can't say that I remember us ever seeing him, and Noel and Gabrielle were too young to remember our grandmother when she passed away. But with the way it sounds and all that we've heard before, this curse must've started during this time. If Noel's been able to see parts of it, then maybe she can give us more insight about this illness and what it has to do with it." he suggested.
"And maybe she could tell us how to help Noah." I surmised.
"That I doubt Michael. If you recall, that curse has made her want revenge on you and me. What better way would there be than knowing that my grandson was going to meet a slow death?" Raphael reasoned.
"I think so too, and it seems kind of dangerous. She might try to hurt Aiden too." Anna agreed, moving to sit with Noah.
I didn't miss the fear in her eyes. She may have even worried that Noel's presence could speed up what was happening to her son.
"I understand that, but we also know that this curse has made her like to boast too. Maybe we could use that to get answers from her. We could always be careful about how much she does on the outside, and Aiden seems like he's able to control her very well." I responded.
"Absolutely not." Raphael disagreed.
"Why? Are you afraid of what she might say?" I challenged.
"Of course not. There's nothing she could say that isn't known now. I just don't feel like listening to the ramblings of a woman who's been driven mad knowing that my grandson's life is in grave danger, or when there's a possibility that she could cause harm to my other son." Raphael explained.
"Well, I think it's worth a try. If anything, maybe it will let us extend Noah's life just a little." I reasoned.
Raphael let out a long breath, although he looked a little more amused now.
"You know, I think I've lost count of how many debates we've had since all of this started." he commented.
"I think her curse is wearing thin. You're becoming too much of a smart ass anymore." I retorted.
I heard Anna stifle a laugh at that one. Even Noah cracked a smile, although he tried to hide it by putting a hand over his mouth and turning away. I doubt that either of them had ever heard this kind of talk between the two of us before.
Raphael seemed to give in, "Well, I suppose what I want really doesn't matter. What do you want to do?"
Damn it. He was winning this round.
"I want to speak to Noel. I just need to appease myself on this one." I stated.
"Then that's what we'll do. I heard Aiden in the kitchen with Yuki when I came in, so I'll go ahead and get him." Raphael relented.
I watched as he walked out, then looked back at Anna and Noah.
"So Raziel didn't come with you."
Anna shook her head, "No. He took some time to himself, although I don't know where he went. Sean stopped by though, and since he's not around, I think he went after him, just to make sure that he was okay. It's kind of funny though. Those two hated each other when Sean first came here, and now they're best friends." she explained, smiling at the last part.
"I don't get why Dad was so against him in the first place. He's never acted anything like Sevee, at least according to you and Mia." Noah pointed out.
"No, he didn't, but Sean had his own problems for a while. However, they were taken care of rather easily as well." I told him.
By then, Raphael was coming back in with Aiden. Yuki was also with them, although that didn't surprise me that much. We had all noticed that Yuki tended to stick with Aiden a lot since they'd come there. A part of me wondered if he still didn't trust us that much, and thought that we may still attempt to harm them.
"Do you think that you'll be okay with allowing us to speak to Noel for a little bit?" Raphael asked as they came over near us.
"I don't think it would hurt anything. I've been able to handle her fairly well, so I can make sure that she doesn't attempt any harm." Aiden replied. He took a seat in the armchair near us as he spoke.
Yuki stood near him, looking a little bit concerned.
"Are you sure about this, Dad?" he asked him.
"I'll be fine. I can still push her back very easily, and she won't hurt me." Aiden assured him.
Yuki didn't seem to believe him, but didn't say anything either. It was funny, but Yuki was obviously very close to his father, despite what Aiden said about him being an introverted child. That was part of the reason that he'd challenged us when we first met them. He didn't want anything more happening to Aiden.
I half wondered if perhaps children like him and Noah were more devoted to their families. At least, it made for an interesting thought.
Noah sat up a little, putting an arm around Anna. It was easy to tell that he was worried about this. But considering what had happened before with her, we could easily understand why. Hopefully, Aiden was right about being able to contain her if she started trouble.
Aiden closed his eyes and put his head down. Almost immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed. Aiden's head came back up, but we could tell we were no longer looking at him. A smile crossed his face as he looked at me and Raphael.
"So, you finally want to talk to me?" Noel spoke.
"No games Noel. I think you know what this is about." I responded.
"Of course I do. The boy's sick now." Noel nodded. She looked sympathetic, but quickly changed the subject as Aiden's eyes darkened. The curse seemed to be taking hold of her soul again, "By the way, I wasn't expecting him to find my precious boy or his children. I'll have you know that Aiden was supposed to be my secret forever."
"I find that very odd Noel, considering the hatred that you had for Maya. I would've thought that you'd enjoy rubbing such a thing in her face." Raphael stated.
"Of course I would've, but I couldn't see my precious son taken away from me," Noel responded.
"Enough about that. Tell us what you know about this illness." I ordered.
Noel shook her head, "You're not getting it out of me that easily Michael. I still have a bone to pick with you." she informed me in a deeper tone.
"What about?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew.
"I want to know how you broke my control back then. Even if you are the most powerful in our family, how did you do it when you were so far from getting your wings? " Noel demanded.
"I had a natural talent, just like you," I answered.
"Please Michael. Don't even try to act like you were so perfect. If it hadn't been for Missy Stanley, you would've remained stuck up my sister's ass for the rest of your life." Noel scoffed.
"Don't twist things. I protected Gabrielle from what you became. I certainly had no interest in her as a woman." I argued.
Noel just laughed, "Aw Michael, you take things far too seriously. Look what old age is doing to you. This family must be driving you insane now."
"Be quiet and answer the question, Noel. No one's in the mood to listen to your ramblings." Raphael spoke up as he crossed his arms.
Noel's demeanor suddenly changed again, becoming more subdued. It was like she was back to herself as she regarded us.
"I don't know how much I can tell you. It might not let me," she confessed, her voice now soft and meek. It reminded me instantly of how she'd been when she'd first come home from being kidnapped.
Raphael softened a little towards her as he realized the same.
"Just tell us what you know." he urged her.
"I'll try. What did you want to know first?" Noel asked us.
"I want to know how this starts, and how long it takes for the process to complete," I told her.
Noel nodded, looking at the floor, "It starts with a dire sin." she answered softly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Anna asked her.
I had a bad feeling about this. A dire sin could imply a lot of things.
"Can you explain that?" I requested.
Noel drew in another breath, as if to keep up her strength against the curse that she was fighting.
"The black of the feathers in the wings is representative of darkness eating away at us. I think it's from the soul becoming impure somehow, and there are apparently many things that can cause it. But only the worst things can make Nephilim like us so ill that it will kill us." she explained.
Yuki looked alarmed now, "Like what?" he asked her with clear hesitation in his voice.
"You poor boy," Noel breathed as she looked at him, "You're still feeling so guilty, aren't you? You're just like us with what you did."
Noah suddenly stood up, walking over to stand in front of her.
"You saw it, didn't you? That curse made sure you did," he stated quietly.
"It did. I saw everything." Noel confirmed.
"What happened is none of your business. It wasn't something I was trying to do!" Noah insisted, though he was doing his best to keep his voice even.
Anna stared helplessly at him as she heard this, "Noah, what's going on?" she asked softly.
Noel cringed, but still did her best to maintain her true self as she spoke to him.
"It wasn't your fault, and you need to stop feeling like everything is. It's made you sick, Noah. You're going to die because of it if he doesn't help us this time!"
"What did you do, Noah?" Raphael asked him.
Noah looked at Noel again, then at the floor. He spoke so softly that we almost couldn't hear him.
"I killed her."
We all stared at him as his words sunk in. Anna moved a bit closer to him, though she didn't get off of the couch.
"What are you talking about?" she whispered.
"I killed your mother. I caused her to be thrown from the hospital roof that day. She didn't jump." Noah confessed.
I recalled the article I'd read in the newspaper right after Anna's suicide attempt as he said this. That was right. Beverly Smith had died after supposedly jumping from the hospital roof. She'd fallen six stories and hit the sidewalk below, and everyone had thought that she'd killed herself because of her grief over her husband's actions years before and her daughter's estrangement from her.
"Mama… didn't kill herself?" Anna whispered.
"I'm sorry Mom," Noah apologized, "I shouldn't have done it, but I was so angry. She kept accusing us of making you try to kill yourself. I lost my temper, and my wings came out, and she figured out that we weren't human. She knew what I was and was going to tell everyone everything. I wasn't trying to kill her when I pushed her back. She just went too far, and she fell before I could reach her."
So Noah had slipped up in anger, and Beverly had learned the truth. It was odd how she'd always told Anna back when she was a teen that the Renaldis were Angels. It was done in passing comments, mostly because of our looks, but the insinuation was still there.
But it was horrifying to think that Noah had done that without any of us even realizing it. Even if the whole thing had ended up being an accident, he'd still caused her death.
"You didn't mean to kill her, and Yuki didn't mean to kill his mother," Noel stated in a now strained voice, "I was fated to die because I willed that man to die when I was little. I accepted what I did and knew that I deserved to get sick. But you didn't do that. You didn't mean to kill her, and it only added to how you've hated yourself, and now this darkness will eat you alive from the inside out for it."
"Please," Anna begged, "is there any way to stop this? Isn't there anything we can do?"
Noel shook her head, tears now escaping her, "I don't want anybody else to die. This is my fault. This should've stayed wrapped around me forever, not to everyone else. He needs to help us! We need him! We can't fight without him!"
With that, Noel was suddenly gone. Aiden looked up at us again as himself, wiping his face.
"Sorry. I had to pull her back now. That curse was getting ready to fully take over her again." he told us.
"It's okay," I reassured him. I looked at Raphael, "She was lucid for a bit there, but what do you think she was talking about at the end? Was she referring to our grandfather?"
"It's possible, but we can't be sure. She was losing her grip again, so she might've just been rambling out of guilt." Raphael admitted.
Anna slowly stood up with Noah, looking at him with tear-filled eyes for what she now knew.
"Noah..."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I never wanted to kill her." Noah whispered, unable to face her.
"I know you didn't. You've always been a gentle child. I know you're not a cold-blooded killer." Anna responded, pulling him into a loving hug.
"We all know you're not. You've never wanted to hurt anyone. It was just an accident." I added.
"Yes, it was," Raphael agreed. He looked back at me, "But now we have to figure out where to go from here. From what Noel's said, we don't have a lot of time left."
I knew that he was right. Although no one would ever suspect anything but suicide with Beverly, we still would have to deal with Noah's involvement. Her death was causing his illness, which would more than likely kill him soon.
As much as I hated admitting it, I had the feeling that we may not be able to save him after all. But I was still determined that we would do everything we could to try.