‘And I am,’ replied Kaarl, ‘but you can’t call something a rumour if it’s the truth.’
‘I just don’t know if I can take three years of this,’ said Verin, joining her sister in the lounge. ‘It’s only been a week and I’m already in massacre mode. I hate girls.’
‘You’ll just have to ignore them,’ Kaarl told the sisters. ‘Best thing for everyone.’
The twins turned and glared at him.
‘I know that’s not what you want to hear but I don’t see another way around it.’
Kaarl left the girls to their sulking and started unpacking his text books. Unlike Verin and Vetis he was thoroughly enjoying his time in the Halls. Kaarl had studied the Mortals in his own time in Perdition, much to the disappointment of his father. Like all Demons, Mastema had seen the humans as mere chips in the poker game between God and Lucifer; unworthy of understanding and almost below contempt.
It had been their freedom that had initially intrigued Kaarl. Demons were expected to act a certain way, to be a certain way, and it just wasn’t in Kaarl’s nature to comply. The Mortals had no such restraints and it made them and their world diverse and interesting. It made it a place Kaarl wanted to live in. Lucifer had a stranglehold on Perdition and all were required to conform to his plan, to his way of thinking. The closest thing the Mortals had to those shackles were the expectations of their parents and society. By comparison they were easy enough to cast off.
Kaarl’s classes in the Halls delved deeper into the Mortal’s and their history; further than he would ever have got with just the Internet and conversations with the Damned he had been forced to rely on Perdition. The Mortals’ history on Earth was often written by the victor; opinions became fact and the truth was changed and diluted with time. In Paradise it had been penned by neutral observers. There were no politics to obscure it or agendas to alter it. Some of it was brutal, far worse than Kaarl could have imagined and other parts were beautiful beyond words. If there was one thing Kaarl craved it was knowledge and the Halls and its libraries did not disappoint.
It was a shame the sisters were having such a hard time but in truth it was mostly their fault. Petty vendettas aside, the important thing was that all of them graduated when the time came. Kaarl did not want to be separated from the twins; Synergy was as much theirs as his. They had started the journey together and it seemed only right that they took each step together as well.
‘Besides the whole “All the other girls hate us” scenario how are things going?’ Kaarl asked.
‘It’s all right I guess,’ replied Verin. ‘Like I said, the boys still talk to us and some of them are pretty hot.’
‘That’s not what I meant.’
‘She knows what you meant,’ said Vetis, elbowing her sister. ‘We just have to think in exactly the opposite way to how we were raised. That makes most of the classes a bit easier.’
‘That’s something at least,’ said Kaarl. ‘Just remember, if things change we have to tell Sophie straight away. I don’t want you two falling behind and I don’t want this business with Sasha to affect your studies.’
‘Don’t worry,’ replied Verin. ‘Those finals are our ticket out of this mess. We’ve got our eyes on the prize.’
‘Glad to hear it. Let’s go check on our “other” lives.’
‘About time,’ said Vetis, ‘we need to get something to eat while we’re down there as well. Gabriel went to town on our fridge.’
***
Kaarl hit the white-oak panelled floor of the trio’s penthouse in L.A. His first ever experience with a realm change, the one from Perdition to Earth on Lucifer’s behalf, had been jolting. He no longer experienced the loss of vision, coordination or muscle control. A mild headache for a few minutes was the only side-effect of shifting realms for a frequent-flyer.
God’s Champion was sprawled on one of the sofas, his leg dangling off the edge. Tall, powerfully built and apparently in his mid-forties, Gabriel’s Mortal form bore a strong resemblance to George Clooney. Had Mr. Clooney been blessed with a forehead-to-chin facial scar and a physique capable of lifting mid-sized sedans they could have been brothers.
‘You’re in the way,’ said Gabriel, craning his neck to look around the Demon.
Kaarl stumbled out from in front on the TV and made his way to the bedrooms. The twins appeared in the same spot he had vacated just moments later.
‘Just great,’ said Gabriel. ‘It’s like you three are deliberately trying to annoy me.’
‘Shut up,’ replied Verin, shaking her head to clear it. ‘You ate all our food.’
‘I was going to get more later.’ replied the Angel. ‘I was hungry after the move. You guys normally eat when you’re here anyway so no harm done.’
‘We’re students,’ said Vetis.
‘Down here you’re almost billionaires and everything in Paradise is free so I don’t see how that’s relevant.’
Vetis’ mouth made a small “o” but no words followed.
‘That’s what I thought.’ said Gabriel. ‘Don’t cry poverty to me. Now get out of the way; Matrix is about to drop Sully off the cliff.’
It had been a strange path that had led to Gabriel becoming the trio’s friend. When God’s Champion had first seen Kaarl, the boy had still been working for Perdition and was a clear threat. Gabriel had wanted to destroy him but the Council had forbidden it; Kaarl was in essence still a child and had broken no laws. Once cooler heads had prevailed and Kaarl had defected, Gabriel had been assigned to protect him. It was a great honour and a testament to his skill that the Lord had chosen Gabriel to stand alone against the forces of Hell on Earth. It was also infuriating as Gabriel had dedicated himself to the eradication of Lucifer and his minions. Becoming a bodyguard to one of them had been an embarrassment.
As Kaarl, and later the twins, had worked tirelessly to turn their entertainment giant around and halt the flow of souls to Perdition Gabriel had gained a small measure of respect for them. He had watched Kaarl grow from a smart but naïve young Demon into an active and valuable participant in the Lord’s plan. After the guts he had displayed in the showdown with Damon, Kaarl’s past had become a non-issue. Although he would never admit it, Gabriel saw more than a little of himself in the boy. Verin and Vetis were irritating for the most part but they had done their fair share of work and were on the same side. Allowances could be made.
‘You’re on the dinner run, Gabriel,’ said Verin. ‘Seeing as you cleaned us out. That Thai place on the corner, same order as last time. You know where the money is.’
God’s Champion grumbled as he paused the movie and separated himself from the sofa. It was fair but that didn’t mean he had to like it. As Gabriel left on his errand, Kaarl returned with the trio’s laptops and began setting them up.
‘It’s all going to be the same as it was yesterday,’ said Verin as she slumped into a seat. ‘We should have left idiots to run the company so we had something to do.’
“Jenna’s” email inbox was flooded and Verin was certain her voicemail would be similarly bulging. It was a constant yawn fest of the “we’re going to do this unless you say otherwise and everything else is running smoothly” variety.
‘We have got something to do,’ replied Kaarl. ‘We’re double-checking to make sure they’re making the right moves, taking Synergy where we want it to go.’
Vetis rested her head on one hand and stabbed half-heartedly at her keyboard with the other.
‘Work up there, work down here then sleep. Rinse and repeat.’
‘It might not be all bad,’ said Kaarl. He spun his laptop around so the twins could read