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“I’m not sure how this could have happened…” I began.  “I don’t know who you are but I know who you aren’t…Jensen.  You’re a Shadow Angel.”

                            "You know how this happened.  Tory's room just a few minutes ago.  Did the ole switch-aroo."  A sly smirk fell across his face.  “Miss me, sugar?”  A grin spread across his face.  My stomach lurched inside me.

“Miss you?”  I backed away slowly, hitting the wall.

“You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

“Excuse me?” I cautioned.

“You don’t remember me?” he asked.  “
Gosh
, I feel hurt.”   His face was inches from mine.  “We had so much fun last year, Avalon.  Here, at your party with all your waste-of-space human friends.”  I smelled his breath on my cheek and it made me sick.  “Your boyfriend was a real trooper last year, I’ll give him that.”

“What are you talking about?”  How did he know Cole?

“Cole Harris, your good ole boyfriend.”  He cleared his throat dramatically.  I tasted bile in my mouth.  “Before coming to the party, he got in his car and drove home from work.  When he arrived I was waiting for him.”  He touched a lock of my hair with his fingers and sniffed, long and deep.  I shut my eyes, as if to block this out of my mind - as if to wake up from this nightmare.  But I knew this wasn’t a nightmare.  This was real.

I couldn’t breathe.  
He
wasn’t just a Shadow Angel.  He was
the
Shadow Angel.  It was
him
.  All those months I thought it was Cole who had done such a thing to me.  When Jensen brought up Shadow Angels it should have clicked in my mind.  I should have figured out that Cole would never have done such a horrible thing to the girl he cared about.  It was this disgusting creature that stood before me who ruined my life in nearly every way.

“He begged and
screamed
,” he continued, “but I showed no mercy.”

“Why?” I asked through gritted teeth, tears temporarily blinding me.

In the midst of all of this there was something calming knowing that Cole really
had
loved me and hadn’t been the one to complete such a horrible act of brutality.  I hadn’t even thought a Shadow Angel could have possessed him.  Then again, up until not too long ago, Angels hadn’t even existed in my world.

“He was an easy target to get to you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“It was my job to supply you with a power only Shadow Angels possess.  One year later and you’re still standing.  I’m surprisingly impressed.”  I was bewildered.  “Must I spell everything out for you?” he asked with an attitude.  “My kind - 
Shadow Angels
 - know what you’re going to become, Avalon.”  I hated the way he said my name.

“And what is that exactly?”

“One of us,” he smirked, making Jensen’s beauty appear evil and oddly demonic.  “That is, after your term as a *Barak concludes.”

All of this seemed unreal . . . in a bad way.  What was a Barak?  Why hadn’t Jensen and I come to this conclusion on our own?  Did he really not know or was he protecting me from all of this?

I shuttered.  “No, no that can’t be possible,” I said softly.

“Oh trust me sweetheart, it’s possible.” He smiled.  “Your *premonitions?  Yeah, the way they are and how they come to you…that’s something Shadow Angels have - something Light Angels don’t.  I generously gave it to you last year.”

“You mean the frightening dreams and mirages I’ve been having are really…
visions
?” I asked, scared more than ever.

“Bingo, baby!” he taunted.

My rape was planned.  I hadn’t been dreaming; I’d been having visions of the future.  I wanted to vomit.  The room seemed to get smaller with every breath I took.  How in the world would I - 
could I
 - become one of them?

A Shadow Angel?

“We’re connected, you and I.”

I felt sick, realizing a Shadow Angel had now confronted me for the second time - portraying a man I loved.  The memory of that night still haunted me even though I tried to be brave - for Jensen.  The visions I’d been having for twelve months - only involved this Shadow Angel because we were connected through that power.  By him sharing his power with me I felt an odd pull towards him.  I didn’t want to but I couldn’t help it.  His presence was intoxicating in a strange, mystifying, seductive way.  But it was faint so I could fight it.  I refused to have anything to do with him.

Through tear-blinded eyes I slapped him across the face.  I’d never imagined getting violent with Jensen, ever.  But he wasn’t Jensen anymore.  He was someone else entirely.

“You’re too adorable,”
he
said blankly.  Without warning, he instantly punched me in the eye.  Everything went blank.

*      *      *

When I opened my eyes, it was blurry.

My right eye burned to the touch.  Seeing out of it wasn’t an option at this point.  Shaking my head, I got up.  From where?  I wasn’t quite sure.

At first, I thought my one good eye was playing a trick on me.  But then I realized where I was - a place I’d only imagined in my wildest dreams - The Middle Plane.  This was Jensen’s home, his world.

It was beautiful and magnificent in every way - just as Jensen had said.  The clearness of it all was so unbelievably surreal - almost like a dream.  There was a foggy mist consuming the space around me but it was absolutely breathtaking.

“Ah, you’re awake,” said an all-too-familiar voice, shattering my pleasant diversion from reality.

Before turning to see who it was I had to tell myself that Cole was dead.  Shadow Angels could possess human bodies - ones that were deceased.  It had been a year since I’d laid eyes on his body.  A lot had changed since then.

He looked just as he did the last time I saw him - darkness in his eyes, although his hair was disheveled and his body slumped over, like the way he used to stand.

“It’s so easy squeezing into a human, you know.”  I knew
he
wasn’t the Cole I used to love. 
This
Cole was possessed by something purely evil and selfish.  “How’s that eye of yours?” he smirked.  “You should know I went easy on you.  Had I not, you would be dead right now.”  I envisioned him punching a hole right through my skull.

Disregarding his statement, I asked, “What am I doing here?”  I tried getting past seeing him in front of me for the first time after so many months - so many horrifying months.  This whole experience seemed like all of the dreams - or rather, premonitions - I’d been having for a year.

I have premonitions - an evil power deep inside me.  Is this all just one bad dream?

“Just thought you’d like to see where you’ll be living for the rest of eternity.  That is, when you die.” He whistled a tune I didn’t recognize.

“Jensen would know who did it.  He’d slaughter every last one of you disgusting, filthy creatures.”  I was panicking.  I could hear the blood pumping through my veins.

“Do you kiss your daddy with that mouth?  Oh wait, I forgot, he’s
dead
.”

I spit in his face.  He chuckled and wiped the saliva off his cheek.

“Sweetie,” he laughed, “you know Jensen can’t kill us, just as we can’t kill him.  That’s up to The Angel Vaad.  And I highly doubt they’ll keep the two of you alive much longer.”

“Where is Jensen?” I asked, every muscle in my body turning to Jell-O at the thought of Jensen weak, alone and afraid.

“Somewhere no Light Angel can defend himself - nor escape.”

“Show me.”  I knew I shouldn’t have said it but I didn’t know what else to do.  “I’m as good as dead anyway.  Am I correct?”  My adrenaline was kicking in.

“Yes.” He gritted his
white teeth.  My palms were sweaty.  “You’re a feisty little one, aren’t you?”

I gulped and looked away from him.  Maybe if I played vulnerable he’d listen to me better.  It was obvious he didn’t like that I was playing on his level.  I was determined to see Jensen one, last time before his life and my life ended.  And I didn’t care how I got what I wanted; I was going to get it.

“Can I ask you something?” I wondered, voice shaking.

He seemed surprised.  “Depends what you desire to know,” he
answered smugly.

“What is your name?”  After all this time, it’d be nice to refer to
him
by his real name, other than Cole - my ex-boyfriend, only by death, who did absolutely nothing wrong.

“Why are you asking this of me?” He was defensive.

“I just would like to know who I’m speaking to, that’s all,” I exclaimed.

There was a brief pause and then, “Aiken.”

“Aiken.  That’s an interesting name.”

“What do you want, Avalon?  To see your lover boy?” he hissed.  “You trying to butter me up, girly, by pretending to be interested in who I am?”

“No,” I lied gracefully.  “I just want to get to know you since we’re connected and all.”

“I’m a Shadow Angel, there’s not much else to know.”

“What will happen to me once I become a Shadow Angel?”  I wanted to throw up.  “Will you and I be connected at the same level?  Even more?  Will the connection go away?”

“So many questions,” he smirked.  “We’ll be connected, I’m sure.  My guess is the same amount we are now or even stronger.  It will never fade away.  A part of me is inside of you.  And because of that I feel connected to you as well.” His eyes were dark but softer somehow.  I think this was his nice side.

Bracing myself for
him
to hurt me, I took a step toward him.  I got very close to the body he’d possessed once again.  “Would you and I
be
together?”  The thought was revolting but I didn’t let it show.

He smiled slyly at me.  “I guess you could call it that.”

With a shaky hand I placed my fingertips on his
arm, then his face . . . Cole’s face.  This didn’t feel real.  “How many other girls are attached to you and vice versa because of this?”

“None.  Like I said before…you’re the only one who survived.  You’re pretty tough for a human.  That won’t go unnoticed by The Angel Vaad or the other Shadow and Light Angels in The Middle Plane.”  He snickered.  “Many will grow to respect, even
fear
you, I’m sure.”

This was all too much to take.  “So I’m unique, is what you’re saying.”

“Very much so.  The only one of your kind.” He bowed his head toward me like he
was honoring me.

This whole situation is unfathomable.

“Will I have powers just like you?” I asked curiously, dropping my hand from his
face.

“That’s the plan,” Aiken stated.  “The Angel Vaad has never accomplished something of this magnitude before.  They’ve been trying for thousands of years but so far, you’re the only human strong enough to withstand the power of a Shadow Angel.”  He began pacing back and forth with his hands at his sides.  "The Angel Vaad want more power.  They wish to prove to the Shadow Angels, Light Angels and this
supposed G-d
they’re always conversing about -
especially G-d -
 that they can create just as much as He can.  They don’t feel it’s fair He obtains all power and they get none.”

“So they’re trying to create something - a Barak…I’m a Barak.”  I let this sink in.

“
Barak
is the Hebrew term for
mixed
…meaning you’re half human, half Shadow Angel.”

“I’m the only one in existence.  The only one that survived the experiment.”  I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.  I couldn’t fathom this was now my life.

“Yes,” Aiken said.  “And once you die you will become the first Angel Vaad-made Shadow Angel to ever walk among The Middle Plane.”

As much as all this freaked me out I wondered why I could withstand such a horrific event and still have managed to stay sane, let alone alive.  But before I could allow myself to get any further into this conversation I needed to get to Jensen.  Maybe after all this talking Aiken would allow me to see him.

“Aiken,” I said, pronouncing his name awkwardly for the first time.

He stopped pacing to face me, a stern look in his eyes.  “Yes?”

“Can you please take me to see Jensen now? 
Please
?”

“Hmm.  Thought about.  And no.”

“Come on!” I shrieked.  “I just want to see him before anything happens to him…or myself.”  I shuddered involuntarily.  “It’s not like I could do anything about it.”

“Why should I let you?” he challenged.

“Why wouldn’t you?” I cautioned and my voice shook.  I was acting braver than I actually was.  “I’m just asking for a final request.”

A chuckle rumbled from within him, dark and eerie.  And to my surprise he responded with, “As you wish.”

That was too easy.
 
There has to be a catch.