Page 162 of Inbetweeners
345,109,965,993.Shhhh…oot.
“So, you’re telling me that it’s going to be years before I can see him or before he’ll even read a letter from me?”
“But hewillsee you and hewillread your letter.”
Emmett wanted to smash her smile down her throat. Not that he would and he knew it wasn’t her fault but…
He went back outside and sat on the steps. He didn’t want to let a day go by without him having done something to help Phoenix. When he thought about what might be happening to him, he found himself unable to breathe. Emmett couldn’t wait. But even if he went back into the building and rushed up the stairs, he didn’t even know what Gabriel looked like, let alone where he’d be. There’d be consequences to that sort of action. Emmett would be in trouble for intruding and probably be banned from ever seeing Gabriel. There had to be another way to make the angel notice him.
Emmett pushed to his feet and headed off to one of the creative atriums.Bloody miles away.They probably had rules about not taking stuff out of the building, but too bad. By the time he’d picked up what he wanted, it was dark. He pulled one of the street lights from its holder and made the long trek back to the Callitine. There was no one outside now and no lights in the building. He didn’t know if he’d be stopped as he worked, which was why he’d compose his message in as few words as possible.
He opened the can of black paint, and on the wide flat plaza in front of the building, he painted out—
Archangel Gabriel, please help me. Heaven isn’t Heaven without Phoenix. He doesn’t deserve to be in Hell. If you can’t bring him here, then send me to him. We can make our own Heaven. Emmett Briscoe. P.S. I’ll clean this off tomorrow.
Then he lay down next to his shaky graffiti and waited.
Emmett hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but he could feel his eyes fluttering closed. No matter how hard he tried to keep them open, he couldn’t.
“Emmett! Emmett! Wake up!”
Emmett opened his eyes to see Harry, Rashid and Cat looking down at him. He gasped and as he sat up, Cat jumped onto his lap.Oh God, I know you!He’d appeared one day in Emmett’s back garden and adopted him. Emmett used to feed him. He hadn’t been his, but…
“Romeo,” he whispered.
“You know his name?” Harry asked.
Romeo tried to press his backside into Emmett’s face and Emmett lifted him off. “You little monkey. I remember you now. I called you Romeo. You weren’t mine but…” Emmett gave a choked cry. “He must have died after… Did no one look after you, sweetheart?”
He got the backside-in-the-face treatment again, plus a claw in the thigh. Emmett winced and lifted him off his legs. “You’re pissed off I didn’t remember? Pissed off I died? Or just pissed off? Probably all of them.”
He stood up, and both Rashid and Harry hugged him.
“I wondered if I’d see you again,” Emmett said.
He had the feeling neither Harry nor Rashid were surprised to see him.
“Are you okay?” Rashid asked.
“No.”
Rashid’s face fell. “Sorry. Stupid question.”
“No, it’s not. But Phoenix isn’t here so…”
Emmett stared at the pristine plaza. The paint pot and brush had gone and so had the message he’d written. He clenched his teeth.
“What happened after we’d left?” Harry asked.
“Greyson is dead, Sophie is in police custody. Vin is back in Hell and…” His voice broke. “So is Phoenix.”
“Oh no.” Harry sighed and Rashid clutched him.
There were already long lines to the right and left to get into the Callitine. Queueing wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He’d go and get another can of paint and do it all over again. Naked if necessary. He’dmakeGabriel see him.
“Nix shouldn’t be in Hell,” Harry said.
“What are we going to do about it?” Rashid asked.
