The Backtrack
“Angels and Devils shouldn’t be distanced”
Brahnan was thinking about this quote as he lay in his room while his family had a conference with his modelling company downstairs, which he hated due to the fact they tried to start conflict with the angels constantly. He was on his king bed and listening to music, laying down as a starfish. He decided to check his phone, scrolling through Twitter to see what the public had to say about him, when he stumbled across a post his company had made an hour ago. It was a picture of him posing, with spray paint in the background captioned “The angel’s land is starting to look just like or even better than the demon’s land.” The screen reflected the image in his eyes, and his vision clouded in anger. His grip tightened on his phone as he stormed out of his room to his family to confront them on what he had seen.
“Care to explain what you just posted? I don’t want people thinking I am behind the rivalry between the angels and devils. It's bad enough the angels look down on me for being a demon living on their land,” he practically growled at everyone, frightening them causing their wings to retract, and a look of guilt flashed across each of their faces.
“Listen to me... you are a demon; the girls all want a ‘bad boy’. This will get us both pros, there are no cons...” his mother started, only to be cut off.
“I don’t want any of those girls! They all either bully me or treat me like a God. I just want to be treated normally, I only do the modelling to show that I can live here peacefully, and that I respect the land I live on,” Brahnan protested.
“Well, think about it, you will be well-known, and money is included...” his father butted in.
“I don’t care about money! I’m sick of this household and all the things you all make me do. You make me seem evil to the public eye and feed off stereotypes, do you have any idea how this makes me feel? I just want everyone to be equal, give me some time to think,” exclaimed Brahman, as his red eyes glistened with tears. Before anybody around him could respond, he had lifted himself off his seat and ran out of the building, going to the only place he could find peace.
As he ran in the wind, his black hair glistened in the sun, standing out and contrasting all the blonde- and white-haired people near him. His mullet and bangs were blown up by the wind, revealing his scars and his hair was getting caught in his horns.
Heads turned as soon as he passed them. The heat was murderous, so he began unbuttoning his black shirt, revealing his collarbones. Multiple angels giggled as he ran past. His piercings glistened in the light, and he looked up into the darkness, to see how far he was from the woods, as the light revealed the upper city of darkness. The woods were only way for him to be safe from the public eye before fans started taking photos of him crying, he couldn't risk his image. Angels either loved or hated him. Due to being a devil he was judged, and though some angels loved his bad boy image, others viewed him as a threat to society.
He soon had run away from the streets and arrived at a bridge, the water radiated a bright blue glow, and he could see the koi fish swimming in it. He converted to walking and stopped looking over the water to catch his breath, he gasped for air as his tears ran down his face. Sobs emitted from him, and he almost fell over the bridge ledge into the water. He held himself up and wiped away his tears, running from the bridge and through the forest, the branches scratched his face as he sped through. 'I hope the angels don't think these are from a gang fight.' He mumbled to himself.
He saw the forest growing thinner, and immediately knew that the forest was coming to an end. He lowered his pace and started mounting the cliff, so he could sit at the ledge and overlook the sea and the waves of emotion that were slowly drowning him.
He soon heard weighted sobs, that were heightening each second, growing closer and louder. As he looked around, he couldn't find the source of the sobs until he looked up.
Once he looked above himself, everything became clear. He saw somebody, a female he assumed, sulking up the cliff in the city of darkness; the home of the demons, where he belonged.
After processing the fact that somebody else escaped to the cliffs just as he does, was on the other side, he realised that she was an angel, and that they probably had more in common than he had believed.
"Hey, are you okay?!" Brahnan exclaimed, trying to catch her attention. She jumped, and looked around, frightened, she then slowly looked up at his land, the brightness was blinding. All she could see was a dark figure through the light source coming from behind him, shadows cast over his face. As he looked back at her, he could see how gorgeous her eyes were as they glistened like gold in the darkness above. He noticed how her tears reflected in the light, and how puffy her face looked. Her hair gleamed, and her halo was sparkling. She was slowly adjusting to the light shining into her eyes.
Once the light stopped burning Abia’s eyes, she slowly realised that the mysterious person from above had horns; which could only mean one thing, that he was a demon. She choked on her tears and stumbled on her own feet trying to gain a sense of stability.
“Why are you as a demon living in the city of the angels?” she spat, ignoring his previous question. She could tell that her words had shocked him because he too jolted. Yet she didn’t know that the reason he shook was because of how melodic her voice was.
“I could ask you the exact same thing, little miss angel in the devil world,” he retorted, knowing that she probably had the personality of a demon.
She slowly looked away and he noticed a tear drop roll down her face, she probably also experienced the discrimination he faced in an angel’s world, and if the angels treated him like dirt he couldn’t imagine the ways the devils probably has treated her.
“Well it seems we may have a bit in common, why are you up here anyways, I’ve never seen you around here before.” Brahnan said, hurrying to change the topic so he didn’t make a bad first impression.
“Because my family keeps profiting off of stereotypes of angels being all innocent, and they keep selling me off.” she responded her voice quivered and he knew he had to change the topic.
“So, what are your hobbies? I like to paint and look at nature,” he offered, as his gaze softened. As she gazed back at him, she could make out his expression, and it looked as though he was lending out a hand, his was face practically screaming ‘are you okay? I’m here for you.’
She giggled a bit, then burst out laughing leaving a look of horror on his face. He wondered if she was mentally okay, but then he started laughing too. It was at that moment he realised laughing could really be contagious if with the right person.
“We should meet here again tomorrow,” she gasped, still trying to catch her breath after laughing so hard.
“I agree, same time?” he replied, watching her nod eagerly at him.
They had begun meeting each other each day and grew closer as time marathoned. While this happened Brahnan’s feelings for her also grew, she was just so different from the stuck-up angels that he had to deal with every day. One day they got sick of being distanced from each other and began to plan a way to meet each other. They thought about the gravity barrier between their two cities and how high the cliffs were compared to the mainland.
“You do realise I could fly to your side... right?” Abia randomly blurted out and giggled, while looking away sheepishly, her brown skin glistening like bronze in the light which somehow made Brahnan smile to himself. He daydreamed about her, how silky her hair looked, how her skin looked like gold as the light shone onto her. This was until he felt impact on his face, leaving a slight numbing pulse. He looked to his left and saw that Abia was there, shaking her hand in the air and staring at him. Brahnan was so dissolved into his own thoughts that he didn’t realise Abia had already flown to his side. It seemed the slap hurt her, as she held her hand limply, so he took her hand and massaged her, while looking into her eyes.
“You look even more beautiful close up.” He stated, as she flushed a bright pink.
“I’m glad I finally know what you look like now, even though you are a devil you look quite angelic.” Abia whispered, closing her eyes just to feel his presence. They sat at the edge of the cliff, as Abia lay her head on his shoulder, overlooking the forest and city of light. Her bright aura completely contrasting from his dark vibe.
“Do you want to go on a picnic with me, don’t worry about being recognised, you blend in perfectly here. Though it may cause speculation in the media if I am seen with an angel, so don’t walk too close with me while we get the food.” He said, breaking the silence and patting her head as she looked up at him.
She smiled and nodded, her eyes glistened with joy as he led her through the forest, which looked exactly like her cities forest, with a bit more life; a friendlier aura.
She could see the leaves rustling in the wind, the light shining through the slightly transparent leaves making them reveal the sky; the darker city above that she had come from. The thought of being back there made her shudder, Brahnan noticed that she was deep in thought, and he took her arm and smiled at her. She snapped out of her trance and looked at him, finding home in the squint in his eyes and his dimples that were there, but barely visible.
They ventured through the forest so they could go shopping for picnic essentials, Abia easily walked through, while Brahnan kept hitting his head on tree branches.
As they reached the end of the forest, Abia noticed how lively and beautiful the light city really was. This whole time the devils were feeding her lies, saying that the light city was corrupted and that they all plotted against devils but as she crossed over the bridge, overlooking a pond full of fish she knew that it was a lie. The bridge that she had passed led to a sidewalk, which had mini star lights on the edge of the path, making the city look welcoming. She remembered what Brahnan had mentioned and walked at a distance, still making sure she kept track of where he was, so she didn’t get lost. As she observed the city, she realised how busy it truly was, everybody seemed to know each-other and posters of Brahnan caught her attention. She saw his stone-cold expression, was this how angels saw devils? She knew the real Brahnan, he was always smiling and laughing. She looked at him and back at the posters and knew that he was put against his will to be a model, just as she was.
She watched as heads turned to him everywhere he walked, most of them adoring, and admiring, both the male and female population seemed to love him, yet some looked at him with fear and disgust. It didn’t seem to have any effect on him though, he seemed to be used to it. As they walked past crowds of people, Abia realised how well she blended in, and Brahnan realised how different Abia was from everyone else he lived with. She had a sense of humour and was pure she didn’t seem anything like a demon at all.
After they had picked up all the picnic materials, they ventured back to the forest, arm in arm.
As they walked together, linked like puzzle pieces, he suddenly detached his arm from her and stopped walking. Abia looked around; a look of worry flashed her face as she scanned the forest looking for a sign of anything that could be horrific. After looking around she heard a chuckle, and realised that Brahnan was right behind her, laughing at the fact she thought he was scared.
“I needed to cover your eyes, don’t worry about anything, you’re safe.” Brahnan whispered as he slowly covered her vision with one hand. He noticed how small her face was, as she thought his hands were massive. His rings were cold on her face, contrasting to the warmth of his hand. He then put his other hand on her lower back, to guide her to his special place.
They soon stopped walking, yet Brahnan told her to keep her eyes covered while he set up the picnic. She could hear twigs snapping and rustling of the leaves surrounding her, and a slow soft dripping of water. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and uncovered her eyes to reveal a gleaming lake, the water was luminous as it glowed in the light. Pebbles were sewn onto the ground surrounding the lake, giving a posh yet natural look to the nature. As she walked around to lake towards Brahnan she noticed a large oak tree, which had a den-like structure nearing the roots of the trees, it made a perfect place to sit in and relax. It seemed that Brahnan had pre-planned this date, because the setup was effortlessly perfect. They sat together, enjoying the fruits and lemon tarts, the bitter yet sweet flavour making them both sigh in relief. They stared at the pond, deep in their thoughts, and Abia decided to lay down on Brahnan’s lap.
“Would you like to be my girlfriend?” Brahnan suddenly blurted out, as he stared up into the sky, hiding his face from Abia.
“I’m not sure, what will the public say...” Abia stated, “I tend to overthink a lot, I’m so sorry I don’t know.”
“Do you think all the time? If so, you have nothing to think about but the thoughts that you already have. The thoughts that are always repeating over and over in a cycle impacting your life; yet they are just your doubts.” Brahnan responded, “By these thoughts, I mean the ‘chatter’ in your brain, they’re only feeding you lies, causing you to stress. It’s all just a compulsive and perpetual repetition of words of reckoning and calculating, the thinking may not always be bad, like everything it is useful in moderation. Though it is not reality, nor material, it is just an idea, I am not trying to put you down but my point cannot be explained in words.”
Brahnan caught his breath, and looked down to see Abia admiring him, her cheeks seemed to be flushed and she had began tearing up.
“I would love to be your girlfriend” She practically choked out, as she started giggling.
Brahnan hugged her and laughed alongside her, he felt like a sappy father that was handing away his daughter to her future husband.
They proceeded to go on dates, from city rooftops to expensive dinners and more. Yet Abia never allowed Brahnan to step foot on the city of darkness.
It was only when they sat at the cliffs together, for their daily meet-up when Brahnan finally snapped.
“Why don’t you ever allow me over to the dark side, you finally know how it feels to be with the people similar to you, I want to feel that acceptance, I want to enjoy spending time in public where all eyes aren’t on me.” He said.
“I just enjoy staying on your side, it’s prettier and I feel accepted.” She replied.
“Well I want to see the way I would be living if I wasn’t the burden, so please fly me up this once.” He sighed.
“Fine.”
Just like that, Brahnan was finally on his designated land, he noticed how dark it was. It seemed like someone has spilt ink all over the earth and it had left a nasty stain, the colours on everything were so dull, and barely prominent. Brahnan felt like he blended in perfectly, though Abia lit everything up.
As they ventured through the forest, Abia mentioned that their cities were exactly the same, with the same structure and paths.
"So after we walk through the city we can go back to the lake! Out of our many dates, our first date still is the most memorable to me." She mentioned.
She then thought about the rooftop date in the city, how close it was to her own city, and the view, being able to see what was going on in both sides of the world.
The memories were all so calming to her, that she didn't realise that Brahnan was admiring this new asmosphere.
Brahnan watched the city in awe as the city buildings twinkled against the bright city, it made such a beautiful contrast.
She noticed this and smiled to herself, everything was perfect. They soon passed the bridge, and the dark pond reflected the light city making everything seem peaceful.
He proceded to walk into the city, and saw a group of devil girls walk past, and they were stunning. Abia caught him staring and got mad at him.
"Why are you looking at them? I didn't look at any of the angel dudes." She snarked.
He just looked at her with a pleading look, and her expression softened. He thought that he was saved from seeing somebody who grew up with devils getting mad. He could live another day! He chuckled to himself. Though he realised as Abia smiled, something was off. Brahnan had a premonition of danger, Abia didn't seem as happy as she usually was and he was scared.
They both decided that they would go to Abias room, then venture off to the dark lake. They walked until they reached a massive house, which looked like a castle dungeon. It had gargoyles and was made out of cement, with bars covering the windows. They entered and walked through hallways, which made Brahnan dizzy, he and his sense of direction were both lost.
They past multiple black doors, each of them blending into the walls, it was not until they arrived to a white door that he realised that they had finally reached her room. Once they arrived Abia hurridley grabbed something from under her pillow before Brahnan could see whatever she was hiding.
He looked at her with speculation, but he left it.
Abia was planning to murder him in a machiavellian manner, although she appeared calm and collected. Though was murdering him for being attracted to another girl a good idea? She wasn't sure.
He was admiring her room, multiple posters of different devil models were put up, though they didn't have the stereotypes that were put on him, a gush of jealousy struck him but he remembered that the only reason posters of Abia weren't in her room were because she too was treated as a stereotype.
She had multiple vinyls and vines hanging from the ceiling, a mirror which was painted with birds, and a few polaroids from each other their dates were stuck on it.
One was from when they went on a ferris wheel for the first time. In the background of the polaroid it was obvious that the paparazzi was in the carriage behind them trying to see who the famoys devil was with.
His relaxation was soon interrupted when Abia decided to pull him away to the lake in the darkness. It had started raining and Brahnan felt uneasy, he knew that it was always cloudy on the Devils side, but living in a bright world and suddenly experiencing rain was not something he prepared for.
Abia saw his face and smiled, it was nice to be able to see this side of him, the scared Brahnan.
They soon arrived at the forest, and Brahnan went to sit underneath the large tree with the den-like roots to shelter himself away from the rain. As he sat down Abia suddenly charged at him, and smirk on her face as began she screaming in a rage. Brahnan then realised, Abia didn't take him finding the devils attractive lightly, of course she wouldn't. She's his girlfriend and has been raised by devils, what was he thinking. Abia was good at manipulating people, she was a pathological liar and learnt how to act like this due to being raised with devils. Though it was too late for him to act on this, as she had pulled out a knife and stabbed him, right in his abdomen. She did it multiple times, as if it was a pillow she was punching, each time it hurt less. His vision slowly became blurry, but he managed to let out 7 words..
"I don't want to die yet... Please..."
He then became limp, and a life was lost.
The realisation soon hit Abia, and she was bereaved after killing her true love, the one who understood her.
Each day, Abia woke up and relived the pain that she went through. The memories always flooded her mind, escaping as tears. She couldn't hold onto this anymore, she needed to let go.
She decided to write a letter, confessing what she had done, and decided to give it to the police.

Hello, This is Abia; you may not know me but I was just like Brahnan, I am an angel, though I live with devils.
Everyday, I wake up with a feeling of doubt, I decided to let you know where Brahnan is, as he is a missing person now. Since you are angels, you should know that you are able to fly, if you fly up to the Devils land, to the middle of the dark forest you will see a lake. If you look at the large tree, you will see a cloth, it is covering his body. Please let the Devils know that they can find me there too, just on the Angels land, in the bright forest with the bright lake.
I admit I murdered him, but I truely did love him.

She dropped it off at the police station, she saw her reflection in the pond water and the memories of their first date all flooded back to her. She decided that she deserved pain after everything she had done. So she cut off her wings with the same knife she used to murder Brahnan, as she thought she didn't deserve to be an angel after what she had just done. Her back was bleeding as though red paint was coming out of a hose. She stumbled towards the tree, and proceeded to stab her hands, her legs and stomache, screaming in pain each time, then she pierced her heart, feeling the pain she felt once she had realised she had murdered Brahnan.
The police had read the note and rushed to show the devil's police department. Soon detectives were retrieving their bodies.
As both of their bodies were found on opposite cities, they harmoniously mumbled;
“This is why Angels and Devils should be distanced.”
-Sana

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Pub: 03 Nov 2022 00:15 UTC
Edit: 03 Feb 2023 00:24 UTC
Views: 398