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What? This was not what Maddy had been expecting.
“Leave? To go where? What do you mean?”
“The Angels’ time among the humans is done,” said Jackson. “We must return to the way things used to be. We have to go.”
“What?” Maddy said, shocked. A burst of butterflies began fluttering everywhere in her stomach.
“There is one who is higher than us all,” Jacks said.
“You mean . . . God?” Maddy asked.
Jacks smiled. “He has many names, Maddy. And it is time to go Home to him.”
Maddy was silent. Stunned.
The Angels were leaving?
“Home?” Maddy said, still in shock. “Can you even do that?” She had heard rumblings of this place during her time with the Angels. It was where the Angels had come from. But the way people talked about it—or, really, didn’t talk about it—it had just seemed like a nebulous, old-fashioned rumor among the flashy cars, paychecks, and parties of the Immortal City.
“I can’t describe to you how I know we should go,” Jackson said. “But I just know that this is the right thing to do right now.”
Jackson’s gaze drifted out the window at the city. His brow darkened.
“Mark and all the other Guardians who were killed . . . and even Tom—will they have just died in vain?” Jacks looked up at Maddy. “Our heroes can’t have died just so we can go back to the way things were. Maddy, you’re always talking about change. About getting out of here to do something bigger and more important. And now the time for all that has come.”
The sun began to set outside, revealing a brilliant Immortal City awash in the orange light of sundown. Beams of rich, reddened light streamed in through the diner windows.
“This is what my father, my birth father, would have wanted. And I think it’s what Mark would’ve wanted, too, if he’d lived to see the end of the battle. It’s what the Angels are now supposed to do. Gabriel was the one who led us out of hiding and into the public eye, and he turned out to be a traitor, leading us away from our destiny for the sake of his own greed.”
Jackson pierced straight into Maddy’s soul with his pale blue eyes. “We’re going Home,” he said.
It suddenly made sense to Maddy. Of course they were going to leave.
Yet she was still speechless as she tried to sort out all the conflicting emotions and questions that flowed through her body and mind. Jackson was . . . leaving? Along with all the other Angels? And with a bolt of shock she realized—wasn’t she an Angel, too? What was Jackson trying to tell her . . . ?
“I’ve asked you to make these kinds of decisions before,” Jackson said. “But this one’s the most important, Mads. Once you’d made your choice, there’s no going back.” Time stopped for Maddy as she waited for what he was going to say next. “Will you come with us Home as one of the Immortals, or stay here on Earth?”
Maddy was overwhelmed. What did it even mean, going Home? She stammered, “I-I—”
“I don’t need an answer this instant,” Jacks said. “I wouldn’t expect one. I can only imagine what you’re feeling now, which is why I didn’t want to have to spring it on you like this. But think very carefully about it, Maddy.” He reached out and touched her hand. A flow of what felt like pure energy shocked between their fingertips, just like when they’d first met, just a few booths away. “I want to make sure you do what’s best for you. But you do know what I hope you’ll say. . . .”
She was stunned. “I have so many questions, Jacks,” she said. “About . . . everything. All of this.” Their hands remained clasped, his steady and hers trembling.
“I know you weren’t raised as an Angel, so the urgency here might not make sense to you,” Jacks said. “But just know that Home is where we belong. It’s where we can all be True Immortals, and do the most amount of good for the most amount of lives. For Angels and humans alike.”
“But how can I make a decision like this?” Maddy asked. “Angel City is the only home I’ve ever known, Jacks. What would the Angel Home be to me?” Uncertainty ran across her face. “How would I know if I even belong there?”
“Look into yourself, and you’ll find the answers,” Jackson said. “The knowledge of Home is there already. It lives inside you. You just need to find it. You’re an Angel, Maddy, in every sense of the word.” Their fingers became intertwined, and a rush of feeling came over her as she thought back to their night together at the temple.
Maddy opened her mouth but closed it before she could speak. Jacks pulled himself closer to her.
“This wasn’t my plan all along, Maddy,” Jacks said. “I wasn’t sure we were going to leave until earlier today. I don’t want you to think that what happened between us that night . . .”
“Even if you had known, Jacks . . . ,” Maddy started. She blushed.
“I’m going to let you go,” said Jacks, smiling and squeezing her hand. “You have some thinking to do.” He stood up and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.
And then the perfect Immortal was gone, the door to the diner jingling as he went through it.
