BIRD OF PARADISE ~ PART 2
Welcome, welcome, my innocent souls, to another Bird of Paradise chapter.
Working on these posts and rereading this story makes me realise how much I adored creating this new world and how excited I am to share it with you guys. So, if you’re as ready as I am, there’s no need to rant more. Let’s get to the actual chapter now, shall we?
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Bird of Paradise
LUST
The city was still empty, even though summer was officially over; not that it had arrived at all that year. Endless cloudy days, unexpected thunderstorms, wildfires… It had been one hell of a nightmare for the mortals. If Fay didn’t have other, more pressing issues to worry about, she would’ve definitely given a helping hand to the other demonic creatures, that were multiplying like rabbits in the depths of her father’s blazing kingdom.
Alas! She had no time to waste. So that night, when Eugenia finally went to bed, after a long, exhausting day at her pastry shop, instead of staying inside at their old house, gazing at the Aegean from the balcony, Fay decided to act. She’d go to Changeling club–the only place in the entire city where fallen angels, both good and evil, witches, vampires, lycanthropes and faeries, could socialize without being afraid of getting caught.
Things had changed since Eugenia was her age. People didn’t believe in miracles anymore. They did not believe in nightmares coming to life either. They had forgotten what it was like, when witches, such as herself, lured mortals into dark places for vampires and lycans to feed, while they stole their most vital organs for their spells, incantations and enchantments, and faeries, pixies and nixies grabbed with their bare hands the humans’ hopes, fears and dreams, leaving them lunatic, in best case scenario, empty corpses, in worst.
It didn’t take long for Fay to arrive at the club. The streets were almost empty at that time of the day, the pure-hearted mortals having let their subconscious take action, Morpheus having them all in a tight embrace, offering them gifts that would never become reality.
The embroidered entrance of Changeling looked as imperial as ever, glistening under the lights of the boulevard, golden and scarlet delicate patterns bringing back to life the war that had occurred millennia ago back in Heaven. And though no glamour was placed on the club to draw mortals’ eyes, still, the main entrance was the reason why more and more of them kept coming there every night. More and more souls that had already taken her father’s road and were practically begging for a place in Hell, simply by coming here and fraternizing with her lot.
What the Hell? They’ve chosen it, anyway…Fay thought, heading towards the Changeling’s door, where a group of teenagers were waiting to get inside.
“Sorry, poppet… Not tonight,” Fay heard Alex say, as she moved closer to the bouncer. The faerie was talking to a young girl who was trying to persuade him to get in. In vain of course… As if a revealing red, leather dress could lure Alex, the beauty incarnate!
“Oh, come on now, Alex! Let the kids have some fun,” Fay sighed and two of the group’s males turned around to look at her, their jaws falling to the ground the moment they saw her.
She couldn’t blame them. She had her reasons for dressing like that tonight. She had her reasons for hiding her true form, even from the immortal beings of Changeling, letting them see only what she wanted, what she needed them to see–a gorgeous, blonde, blue-eyed young woman, a white, long satin dress embracing her luscious curves, her skin covered entirely by the fabric, still leaving very little to men’s, and women’s, imagination.
“If I let them get in, can you guarantee they’ll come out in one piece, Fifi?” Alex asked, winking at Fay.
Fifi? Why did I let him call me like that last month when we were goofing around at his place? Fay seethed, a serene smile spreading upon her snow-white face, revealing nothing of the push she felt at the sound of that nickname.
“You have my word,” Fay whispered, staring unblinkingly at the faerie before her. “I’ll let no harm come to them. Especially these two little angels,” she went on, moving closer to the young men that were still devouring her with their eyes.
“Even you can’t promise that, Fifi. Especially on an Anniversary night,” Alex protested, still unwilling to let the mortals in.
She flinched for just a quarter of a second.
Is it actually tonight? Fay wondered.
Thankfully, the faerie didn’t realize that. Let alone the humans…
“Come on, now, Alex,” Fay mused.
“The place is already packed with monsters,” Alex whispered, low enough so that only Fay was able to listen to what he had said.
“My dear Alex… The whole world is full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars,” Fay whispered back, her voice barely audible. “Surely I can handle some spoiled, feathery babies. And besides… You probably forget that I’m my father’s daughter,” she hissed, catching with her peripheral vision the confused glances the mortals exchanged at the sound of her words.
“Whatever Fay…” Alex snarled, and Fay knew she had won.
“Come along, now, boys,” she murmured, turning to face the two young men again, using just a touch of her icy powers to make the three girls that stood behind them get goose-bumps, all over their bodies–a little more than just a touch to the leather-dressed girl.
“Try not to get lost in Hell,” Alex growled, the characteristic sound of Changeling’s music echoing inside Fay’s ears, as the bouncer opened the club’s door. “The way downward is easy from Avernus.”
Fay rolled her eyes, grabbing the two men by their hands, dragging them with her inside the club, the girls’ high heels clattering on the marble stairs.
She thought Alex was done with his advice for the night, but just before closing the door behind them again, she heard him. Just a faint whisper, only audible to her–one of the powers demonic creatures, like witches and faeries, shared with one another. A characteristic her father thought could give them an advantage against the creatures of the Light.
“And you, Fifi,” he whispered, “try not to piss off Gabrielle when she arrives. She’ll come to show who’s the one that still has the upper hand, sooner or later. Don’t antagonize her.”
She definitely wouldn’t… She’d simply try to steal the angel’s divine soul! Even if she hadn’t seen Gabrielle, not once, in her entire life.
* * *
The Anniversary nights were legendary among their kind, both angelic and demonic creatures, both angels and demons, too. For the divine creatures of Paradise, those who hadn’t fallen, but had fought alongside Michael, to preserve God’s divinity, were coming to Changeling solely on occasions like this one.
The Anniversary… It signified the day when her father had rebelled against God. The day when Lucifer had gathered his followers to rule in Paradise and had been defeated triumphantly, simply to found a sham of a kingdom and rule in it–rule in Hell. The Anniversary was the only chance the fallen angels had to win a place back in Heaven. It was their only chance to rise again, to get their divinity, their wings, back. If only they had decided to truly walk down the Creator’s path again and abandon all the earthly delights the human world had to offer to them. If only they had proven they deserved to be taken back in Eden.
And it was a good thing Eugenia had apparently forgotten that the Anniversary was tonight. For otherwise, Fay’s plan would crumble, before she even managed to put it into motion.
She walked up the marble staircase of Changeling, the humans’ group following her–the young men walking next to her, the girls keeping their distance. The mortals’ hearts echoed loud and clear inside her ears, the adrenaline flowing inside their veins alongside their blood, tickling Fay’s sensitive nostrils.
“So what is this Anniversary night, anyway?” one of the two young men asked. “Is it some sort of birthday party that the club has?”
“Something like that,” Fay murmured, as she reached the top of the staircase and placed her hand on the glass door, that led to the main area of Changeling.
She turned around to look at the mortals one last time, wondering if she’d done right, pushing Alex to let them get inside and all. They were innocent… At least, they still were. And vampires and lycans were even crueler on nights like this, knowing they’d never gain a place in Paradise, being weak as the humans were, still demonic enough, thanks to the anomalies the Satan had gifted to them.
Oh, snap out of it. It is what it is.
“It was a pleasure to meet you all,” Fay said, her serene smile spreading upon her face–a smile that didn’t actually reach her eyes. “Try not to get bitten, little angels!”
* * *
Fay left the mortals behind, blending in with the demonic and angelic creatures around her. Changeling was as gorgeous as ever, grand chandeliers hovering from the ceiling up above, little, private balconies with leather settees, bars and little round tables, velvet armchairs and booths giving the club a certain eerie, divine essence. It was only the electronic music that brought a more human, modern touch to the whole place. Because half of the beings in that club could still hear the divine music of Heaven echoing in their ears. The harps, the violins, the empyrean voices… And as for the other half, shrieks and blares, cries and shouts were the ones that sounded like music to their ears.
It was the music that made the place look earthly. And the mortals themselves, of course. Twirling on the dance floor, between fallen angels, pixies and demons, the humans were, as far as Fay was concerned, the only pure beings inside this club–the only ones upon whom the Devil didn’t have a claim… yet.
She didn’t want them close when she’d do what she had come here to do. And judging by the lowering of the lights, the gradual change of music, harps replacing the electric guitars and the drums, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
A single spotlight turned on, illuminating the highest of the Changeling’s balconies. Fay turned her head towards that direction, to where everyone was staring at right now.
It was in that exact moment when it struck her. Why her father sounded so dogmatic, so desperate, when he told her he wanted Fay to bring Gabrielle to him. For Gabrielle was exactly like Fay, with just a teeny tiny difference. Her beauty, her divinity, her perfection, all of that was real. Golden hair, dark blue eyes, pale white skin. A snow-white dress and golden wings, glistening under the spotlight’s light.
She was the most beautiful woman Fay had ever dared to look at– for Fay’s beauty was fraudulent and it was better to avoid staring at the truth, when she could even deceive herself in that beautiful lie of hers. Still, Fay couldn’t take her eyes off of God’s Messenger.
Gabrielle’s stare locked upon hers for just a split second and Fay gasped.
How would she manage to steal that divine soul, when it was her heart that had been stolen?
© Victoria Moschou. All Rights Reserved 2019.
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Till next time… Toodles!
