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Gunnar.
And where do you find an angel, but Celestial Hills.
I can see the other side of the city from here, black hills backlit by a blue night sky littered with light pollution. Celestial Hills looms over Echo Beach, its silhouette a darker shade against the night sky.
It's not safe, nowhere is--and I don't know anyone in the Angels but Gunnar--but it's away from Eclipse's reach, away from Caius and his knife.
I think back one more time to Oberon, who's probably bleeding out on the floor of the VIP room.
But I can't focus on that.
Not now.
My legs shake with each step, muscles protesting, but I push on. Thick clouds roll across the moon, snuffing out its light as rain pours down over me, chilling me to the bone. I'm a shadow now, fleeting and unseen, just another story the streets will swallow by morning.
"Survive," I urge myself, "Just survive the night."
The chill of the night seeps into my bones, a cold reminder that I'm still moving, still breathing, still alive. Celestial Hills isn't busy like Echo Beach; it's a ghost town at this hour, and even the sinners have gone to bed.
"Damn it," I hiss as my foot catches on a crack in the pavement. I stumble but catch myself against a wall, its bricks icy under my palms. Pain jolts up my ankle, and for a moment, I consider the absurdity of my situation.
Running for my life in stripper shorts.
Out on the Pacific City streets once again.
This is just like after the crash, and I can only hope I don't get caught by another predator out to use me.
"Stupid, stupid girl," I mutter, shaking my head. But self-pity won't get me anywhere. I can't afford to stop, to break down.
Not here where the shadows could be friends or foes.
I keep going, limping on cold, broken feet. Streetlights flicker above, their buzz more comforting than the silence. This part of the city feels different, like I've crossed an invisible line.
I guess I have.
I'm in Angels territory now.
"Come on, Aisling. You're not done yet," I whisper to myself, using my full name like a mantra. It's a lifeline back to who I am, not just 'Star' from Dreamland, but Aisling Faye. I had a life once, before the crash, and I'm going to have a life again now that I'm free.
The lights grow sparse as I venture deeper into the Celestial HIlls, the darkness thick enough that I could choke on it. I've never been in this part of the city, but I'm told it used to belong to the rich and famous of the pre-Mutation world, old mansions rising up all around me with empty windows and open gates. I could duck into any one of them, but I don't know what's waiting inside...so I keep going.
Just when I start to feel like prey, a shape emerges from the gloom. An old church, its steeple jagged against the sky, like a broken finger pointing at heaven. There's a light in the upstairs window, glowing gold.
Something tells me this is where I'll be safe.
I stumble forward, eager to finally get out of the rain and the cold. The door is unlocked, but the latch still works--which is more than I can say for the mansions back there. I raise my voice and look around, searching for a sign of anyone.
There are signs of life, for sure--the place is clean, the pews rearranged like a living room. There are lights in every window, but most are turned off.
"Hello?" I call out. "I need...I need help."
It's a risk, but out here, I can at least try to find Gunnar. I can say that I'm his.
I just have to hide the cloud tattooed over my pulse, where a claiming mark should be...and as soon as I see him again, I need to ask for his bite.
Once I have it, the Eclipse can't take me back.
No one answers, and I wander forward. There's a blanket draped over one of the pews, and I pick it up and wrap it around myself, taking comfort in its warmth. I'll need more than this if I want to escape the encroaching risk of hypothermia--I need to get out of my wet clothes, for one, and actually get close to a fire--but it can wait.
