Untouchable by Marii Solaria

Chapter 95 The Heart of Angels

“A “hello again” after the final goodbye is sometimes harder than just keeping the goodbye as it was.” -Jessiqua

Wittman

Kiy

Diana was an angel incarnate. Sunlight haloed her wings as she glided through the leaves of the canopies, screeching for us to follow. Neron and I tailed behind our bird friend as the pack house came into full view. Diana drew curious glances of some members frolicking on the front lawn, their awes of appreciation muddled into multiple whispers. Her body zipped behind the house, past the pool and Omegas taking out trash and hanging laundry on clotheslines.

Curiosity nibbled at my psyche, at what Diana wanted us to see. Mystery always shrouded her.

When Diana reached her destination, however, my body suddenly froze. I couldn’t move, or rather, I didn’t want to move. The past was in the past, but my body and mind recalled the rule imposed on us regarding this area. I could never enter, no matter the circumstances. A lump in my throat settled like a rock, prohibiting any sort of speech to leave my lips.

Neron was about six feet in front of me when he stopped, jerking his body around to stare at my frozen state. Realization flashed in his eyes and prompted him to walk up to me. All my bravado from earlier had vanished, replaced by unnecessary trepidation. My hands shook at my sides, the flexing of my fingers failing to quell the bubbling anxiety in my belly. Neron placed his hands on my shoulders, my tremors shaking his hands with

1. me.

“Kiya, it’s alright. You’re allowed to come here.

I know I was, but I still felt like I couldn’t. Shamefully, I shook my head, unable to find my voice. Jonathan’s disembodied voice recited the rule in my head like a broken record, growing in volume each time. The tremors in my arms had spread to the rest of my body, provoking the tears burning behind my eyes.

“I forbid a disgrace like you to enter this sacred space. If I catch you near this place, even if you’re a yard away, I’ll teach you a lesson that you’ll never forget!”

“Kiya, the rule Dad imposed on you doesn’t matter now.” Neron reassured, pressing his fingers into my shoulders. “On my honor, nothing will happen to you here. You’re safe.”

I’m safe. Two short words turned into a mantra to combat Jonathan’s dying voice in my ears. I closed my eyes and inhaled an unsteady breath, exhaling my anxieties out. After a couple of minutes, the feeling of approaching doom dissipated into dust and my physical sensations returned. Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t apologize, Kiya. I understand.” Neron reassured. He glanced back at the area before turning to me. “Are you up for it?”

“I am.” I answered quickly, nodding my head. “I want to get this damn fear over with.” My lungs took in a shotty breath to feign my confidence, despite my anxiety lingering. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 15 – The Heart of Angela

Neron took my hand into his and led me to the area of Zircon Moon I’ve haven’t stepped in for thirteen years. Silence blanketed the air in unnatural stillness, the scent of dirt tickling my nose. I did my best to hold on le my confidence, but I squeezed Neron’s hand tight as we drew closer to where Diana settled on top of a slats of granite. Those same slabs surrounded me at all angles, some with multicolored flowers resting against them on the ground.

Zircon Moon’s graveyard.

And I stood in front of Nuria and Aunt Celeste’s graves for the first time.

I couldn’t stop the tears from pouring. I never got a chance to mourn over them, nor was I allowed to. I still remember overhearing their funeral from the kitchen window while scrubbing the floors. The sobbing, the pain, the brokenness–it wasn’t seen, but I felt it. I couldn’t cry because I knew I would get beaten If I did, so | cried in my cell that following evening.

I never got a chance to say goodbye.

My knees met dirt. Diana perched on top of Nuria’s headstone. But I couldn’t see her. All I could see was the names etched in the granite, symbolizing the resting beneath the grass. Whoever made their headstones took great care in carving their names and carving a heart and an angel next to their summames, Neron took a seat next to me as I took my time soaking in the fact that I’m here.

“I…” I choked out, sniffling. “… don’t know what to say here.”

can say anything.”

thing, but I don’t know what that is.” Should I apologize? Should I speak to them as normal? I was at a loss on what to do. I wish I had a warning before coming here or else I would’ve brought flowers or something. Neron must’ve sensed my distress, because he grabbed my hand again, caressing

you have to say.” He whispered. I could hear the smile in his voice, but his voice betrayed

H

lot.” I confessed. “There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think about them. How would our lives turn

them. How would they react to me being Selene’s avatar? Would… would they still love and care for me as they did before? Goddess, this is

The past is the past, but the impact still lingered. There would always be a hole in my heart that only they could fill. When they died, they took those pieces with them.

‘wish…

them, just

burst into a harsh, howling wind that battered against my arms. The dirt and rass picked up all around Neron and I, rising and twirling into mini tornadoes several

The Heart of

is

isn’t more avatar shit I need

body fought, her feathers delineated in glowing white, devouring the entirety of her body like the moon had swallowed her whole. Squawks and hoots rebounded against the tombstones across the cemetery like the songs of mythical sirens, growing in volume with the wind. Diana, now as a ball of light, buzzed and spun around Neron and I before rising

scared of what was coming. What

wind, whirling around one another in rapid spirals before nestling

into the outlines of two people. The heads came first, then the arms, then the legs, and everything in between. What was once Diana was now a white silhouette of a woman several inches

people emerged with smiles gracing

Time had stopped.

froze again, but it wasn’t out of fear. It was out of the many emotions that detonated inside my body,

He shot forward, running into his mother’s arms, melting into her hug. Aunt Celeste’s mellow giggles tickled my eardrums as she allowed her son to pick her up

here, skatten min.” She muttered, running her

turned to Nuria, standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot against the ground with a smirk

waiting for my hug, you know!” Nuria laughed, flipping her long black hair behind her.

was in front of me. This was impossible! Nuria’s

to do when Nuria’s hands cradled my own, bringing them down

“I know this is a little crazy, but this is real. I’m real! We

The Heart of

“I… I…”

you suffered because of Mom and I, but

That

back. The blow that destroyed the dam and flooded everything in its path. Loud, stifling sobs full of the indescribable emotion within me gushed

Nuria doesn’t hate me!

wasn’t just Nuria hugging me. Aunt Celeste and Neron joined as I released thirteen years‘ worth of guilt and self–hatred, relieving my soul of that sinister

I could breathe again.

my heart

ways. I never thought she’d grant Nuria and Aunt Celeste their lives back. When the women told Neron and me the news, we were flabbergasted. But deep

was happy for

Celeste didn’t turn into a walking firestorm, shaming anyone and everyone who contributed to my abuse. While she was dignified in her responses–Nuria chewed everyone out

lucky that I can’t kick your

I wouldn’t get in Nuria’s way, that’s for certain. Neron’s grin never left his face as he watched his mother and sister

is

in the common room for him to catch his breath. Mom must’ve caught on to the news because, courtesy of Phoebe’s teleportation powers, she was here within the hour. She sang her praises in Spanish as she hugged her long–time friend after so long,

friends also tagged along, meeting the “legendary Nuria” they liked to call her for the

The Heart of