by Alexie Aaron
“But you do want to lecture me on cancer and stuff?”
“No. I’ll just mention that dear little babies shouldn’t be raised in smoke-filled homes like I am.”
“You’re lying.”
“No really, my mother is a chain-smoker. It’s why I’m so underweight and scrawny. I’m a lot older than I look.”
“I see the truth in your eyes. I’m not promising anything, but I’ll consider it next time the girls and I light up.”
“It’s all I can ask. I’d like to ask one more question,” Mia said as she watched Murphy mime that danger was approaching.
“Go ahead.”
“What’s the quickest way out of the school from here?”
“Why?”
“I sense the footsteps of nuns headed this way!”
“The window!” Audrey said, pointing as she turned out the light and plastered herself to the wall beside the door.
Mia ran for the window just as the door opened.
The two nuns who had checked on a student whom they hadn’t seen before in the office came bursting in to see said student climbing out the window.
“Stop right there, young woman!” the elder of the two called.
Mia ignored her and dove outside, landing in a shrub.
Audrey slipped quietly out the door as the two women’s attention was on the little blonde.
Mia ran around the building, following Murphy. Wyatt’s car wasn’t parked out front, so the two of them legged it down the street and didn’t stop until they felt they had evaded the nuns, one of whom had followed Mia out the window.
“Jesus, I didn’t think those penguins could move so fast,” Mia said, panting. She bent over trying to catch her breath.
Murphy pulled her upright to show her that the super nun had made the corner and had a priest with her.
“I have a bad feeling that’s Sister Mary Margaret, the gym teacher,” Mia said, remembering to turn left so as to not circle back to the school. “Where the fuck are my superhuman genes?” Mia gasped as she ducked into an alley.
“What’s the matter, the cops chasing you?” a familiar Japanese young man asked.
“Worse, the church. Yann?” Mia questioned, trying hard not to touch the soon-to-be notorious hacker’s face.
“Do I know you?” Yann asked before he pushed her behind a pile of pallets and hissed, “Stay down.”
Mia heard the pursuers stop at the entrance to the alley.
“Young man!” Sister Mary Margaret called.
“You talking to me?” Yann asked, patting his chest.
“Have you seen a little blonde girl?”
“Blondes don’t exactly live around here,” Yann said. “But there was one who got into a car across the street.”
The priest walked down to confront Yann to see if he was lying, “What are you doing out of school?”
“I’m on work study. I’m waiting for a shipment,” he said.
The priest looked at the back door of the paint store. “You work in there,” he confirmed.
“Go on in and ask my uncle.”
“Father McKinney, there was a black sedan that dropped the child off,” Sister Mary Margaret told him. “I think we lost her.”
“Was it a black car she got into?”
“It was a fancy black car like the ones you see old men use,” Yann confirmed.
“Thank you, son. Sorry to disturb you.”
Mia heard the priest walk back up the alley, and then the two walked in the direction of the school.
“Stay down,” Yann said before he jogged down the alley and looked down the street. He returned and said, “They’re gone. Now, how do you know me?” he asked, looming over Mia.
Murphy scratched the pavement to remind Mia that she had help if she needed it.
Mia fought for words to use: what she couldn’t say, what she could, what was a lie, what was the truth. And behind it all, she wanted to warn him about hacking into the demon ley line. Would he even listen, or would he become too focused on it because of the warning? Would this be enough to change the future if Mia wasn’t successful in her quest? That’s it. “I’m on a quest.”
“You on Lobo’s team?”
“Nah, I’m on my own.”
“You Princess Pea?”
Mia didn’t confirm it; she just shrugged. “I just heard about you. I didn’t think you hung around down here. That’s why I was surprised.”
“I don’t normally. My uncle owns the store. His help called off, and my mother had me stay home from school to help him out.”
“Thank you for helping me out.”
“Are you going to explain why you were being chased?”
“Nope.”
Murphy tapped his axe on the ground by the entrance to the alley.
“I’ve got to go. Take care of yourself, Yann,” Mia said and ran down to the end of the alley.
Nordin pulled up, and she dove in the open door.
Yann shook his head. “You’re not Princess Pea, are you?”
Mia kept her head down until they were on the highway heading back to Big Bear Lake. She sat back and closed her eyes a moment, recouping.
“Well?”
“We can cross Audrey off the list. I was thinking about Orion. Wouldn’t he know what happened too? He’s not human.”
“But he hasn’t died either.”
“How did you know?”
“I was in your head. You’re a sensitive who died. Did the light take you?” he asked.
“No. Murphy brought me back…”
“Twice,” Murphy said from the front seat.
“Neither time did I see the light, but each time I previously crossed people over, the light pulled me. I’m very confused,” Mia said.
“The second time Mia died, it was my fault,” Murphy admitted.
“Was it?” Wyatt asked.
“I don’t know… I remember giving him some of my life force and…”
“I was scared and took too much,” Murphy said. “It messed up her heart. I had to restart it again.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Mia insisted.
“Moving on to Orion. If he is responsible for the candle, he would know, and if he made the wish, he would know. If he’s a victim of the wish like you are, he would not know. Tell me, when do you meet him in the future?”
“I was pregnant with Brian.”
“Did he know of your connection when you met?”
“I’m not sure. I know he read my file prior to meeting me, but if he had put together that we were related through Charles at that time, he didn’t let on.”
“He could be an agent for the Council of Women. After all, he was Fredericka’s lover.”
“And chance losing his infant son in the process?” Mia asked. “Remember, Orion has as much to lose as I do,” Mia said.
“We still need to speak with him. Nordin, arrange a meeting. Tonight, if possible. Mia, you’ll stay with me. Stephen, you’re welcome, or you can go back to the farm.”
“I stay with Mia,” Murphy said firmly.
“Very well. Is anyone hungry?” Wyatt asked.
“I could eat,” Mia said. “I’m always hungry.”
“I’m always hungry too,” Wyatt commiserated.
“Is it because we’re demons?” Mia asked.
“No, I just think we’re hungry,” Wyatt said.
“Mia, you’re not a demon, just bad,” Murphy said.
“I can’t argue with him,” Mia said.
Wyatt looked at the girl and saw the demon who shifted just slightly inside of her. If what he saw in her mind was true, the demon wouldn’t last beyond her thirtieth year. The strength it would take her to exorcise herself would be immense. She would not be able to attempt this for some time to come. Mia needed to succeed in her quest. If she lost all she had in the first timeline, Wyatt doubted that Mia would come out the victor when she and the demon fought. Because when you have no one to fight for, you don’t fight as hard or as well. “Mia, you’re no
t bad, just misunderstood,” Wyatt said as his stomach growled.
Chapter Seven
Murphy followed Mia up to the room Nordin had assigned her. It was a suite of rooms overlooking the lake. Mia stood staring out the window. “I’m having a hard time right now, Murph,” she said. “I’m this far from crying or flinging myself off the balcony or both.”
“I remember you as a very dramatic teenager. Maybe it’s just hormones?”
Mia turned around and asked, “How much do you remember?”
“Most of all our interactions.”
“Good. I may need you to remind me of a few things if I screw this up.”
“Mia, we need to clear the air between us if we are going to be able to work together on this thing.”
“K.”
“When you spoke to Gerald about broken hearts, it hurt me.”
Mia scrunched up her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was all about you. That you were sent back in time, probably being forced to lose your friends and babies in the process.”
“Calm down. I know what burdens you have in front of you. I’m talking about how unresolved we left things after I came back from the ghost ship dimension. I think if we talk this out, it will help us to not be so distant with each other.”
“I forgave you for not leaving with me after I went to the trouble of rescuing you. We should be square.”
“Then why the broken heart dig?”
“What? Oh… the Romeo and Juliet comment. Damn, did you think it was about you?”
“I heard from Kevin you almost died because of me.”
“But I didn’t,” Mia snapped back. “It was all electrical, Murphy. Michael said that when you pulled yourself away from me, I lost the energy you generated. The energy you pumped into my heart in the well and again in the barn. It was what was keeping my heart pumping. The further I got from you, the more my heart faltered. Michael and one of his brothers you haven’t met fixed the problem. You don’t have to feel responsible for me anymore.”
“So, you don’t need me?”
“I need you, Murph. We’re a team, a good team. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I shouldn’t have left you on the yacht when I went after the demon with no name, but I knew you’d take care of the men. I couldn’t be two places at once. But we should have talked it over. Hell, maybe you would have had a better idea. I was pretty full of myself.”
“I think you had no other choice. I’m more concerned about the months leading up to the Caribbean trip. You were holding all these secrets.”
“Yes, I was, but not just from you. No one but four others involved will ever know those secrets. Not Ted, not you.”
“Not Wyatt?”
“Not yet. Not until he’s Altair. Right now, he can’t be fully trusted.”
“But you ran to him when you were in trouble.”
Mia rushed over and pounded on his chest with her finger with every sentence that followed. “First, I came to find you. Just like I did when I lost my baby girl, when I needed to start again. I needed to know I still had a friend in this world. Yes, damn it, my heart broke when you rejected me, but my will kept me alive. I had responsibilities, no time to mourn the loss of you!” Mia said, disgusted with herself for her weakness. She pushed away from him and opened up the door and walked out on the balcony into the spring air to cool down.
There should have been a feeling of celebration surging through Murphy, but there wasn’t. Mia finally was telling him the truth. The truth he’d known in his heart, but he had needed confirmation from Mia. It irked him when it was withheld. So now he knew. Did it change anything?
He moved through the glass door. “Mia, we’ve always been friends. We need each other. I need you.”
“Do you? Why?” Mia asked.
“I’m lonely.”
“You have other people around you besides me. Cid and, yes, even Ted consider you a friend. PEEPs wouldn’t survive without you.”
“I need a friend. Someone who will take my side even when I’m being stupid. Or tell me I’m stupid, but not in front of everyone else.”
“Can we let the other stuff go?” Mia asked.
“The romantic stuff?” Murphy asked. “That depends on you. I mean, look at me, I’m the right shade of death. Who could resist this?”
Mia started to laugh. “I’m a child. We shouldn’t be talking like this.”
“How does it feel being a child?”
“Scary.”
“Explain.”
“I have all this energy but no real outlet for it. I can fit through skinny spaces, and my energy comes back quickly, but I’d rather have… Damn, don’t look at me for a moment,” Mia instructed. She waited until Murphy turned around and spit out, “I miss my boobs. There I said it. I miss my boobs.”
“May I turn around?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
Murphy did and bent over and lifted Mia’s chin with his finger. “If you were to be frozen in this time, in this body, I’d still think of you as the most beautiful friend a ghost could have. It’s your heart, soul, and your mind that make you who you are. The body is temporary, the soul lives on. You have a beautiful soul.”
“So, if I died right now and became a ghost, would you still hang with me, like this?” Mia asked, stretching her arms out.
“Yes. It was the friend, not the lover, I returned to from the GSD.”
“I thought it was your trees.”
“Yes, those too,” he answered honestly.
“Trees are pretty boss,” Mia admitted. She held out her hand. “Let’s shake on the friendship.”
“You should be wearing gloves,” Murphy said, clasping her hand.
“My sensitivity doesn’t go hyper for a few years,” Mia told him.
Murphy let her hand go. “I feel better.”
“Gee, I’m glad,” Mia said sarcastically. “After all, it’s your comfort which is paramount.”
“Bad Mia,” Murphy scolded.
Mia was sitting at the small table studying the chessboard when Nordin escorted Orion into the library.
“Mr. Wayne is on a call and will be with you in a moment. Please make yourself comfortable.”
Mia looked up and studied Orion. He was twenty years younger than when she last saw him, but he looked the same. Birdmen genes would give him a very long life if he didn’t fall in battle. She knew he was a scribe, but he always wanted to be a warrior. He was a small man with an interesting face. When he was still, he was handsome. When he smiled, he looked goofy. He turned and noticed Mia sitting there.
“Oh, hello. I didn’t see you.” He crossed the room and stopped and stared at the chessboard. “If you’re white, you’ve gotten into a pickle,” he said.
“I’m playing white. Mr. Wayne left me to figure out how I got here and how to unpickle my situation. Mr. Wayne thinks I may have the makings of a chess player.”
“But you don’t think so?”
“It’s hard to sit still.”
“Ah,” Orion responded. He turned and looked around.
“It really is amazing, isn’t it?” Mia led.
“What?”
“The library,” Mia answered. “All those books.”
“Have you read any?” Orion asked her.
“Some. A lot of them are of a subject too grown up for me, or so I’ve been told.”
“How old are you?” Orion asked.
“Twelve. How old are you?” Mia asked.
Orion was startled by the question. He stammered, “Old enough to know better than to answer that.”
“Why are you here?” Mia asked.
“I… well, not I, but the concern I represent, has been offered a very rare book. One that we have been seeking for a long time. Mr. Wayne contacted my company to let us know he would consider letting it go if the price was right.”
“It must be some book,” Mia pressed.
“It is,” Orion said and seemed to really see Mia for the first time. “Do I know you?”
“What is your name, child?” Orion asked.
“Mia Cooper, my father is Charles Cooper, my mother is…”
“Amanda Neyer. You look like Émile Neyer’s wife Adele, your grandmother.”
“My grandmother’s name is Fredericka Cooper not Neyer,” Mia insisted.
Orion took this in and then said gently, “Mia, you’re allowed more than one set of grandparents.”
“I don’t have a set,” Mia spat. “I only have a grandmother.”
Orion was about to explain the fact that her mother wasn’t hatched when Wyatt Wayne walked into the room.
“Mr. Stavros, it’s good to see you again.”
Orion turned his full attention on Wyatt. Mia could tell that the bratty twelve-year-old had been forgotten.
“I was surprised you asked for me. There are other scribes who live closer.”
“But none with your pedigree. I would not be able to sit in the presence of a full-blooded birdman. You have demon genes. That makes your existence palatable.”
“Come now, we shouldn’t be speaking about such things in front of this innocent child.”
“Mia? Innocent? I suppose in the ways of reproduction, but she’s very smart and understands most concepts.”
“Ha, she doesn’t think that people have more than one grandparent,” Orion pointed out.
“Mia, are you teasing the man? Sorry, Mr. Stavros, she is a bad child. She also has a demon strain that runs through her grandfather’s side.”
“Émile is part demon?”
“Not to my knowledge, but perhaps her other grandfather.”
“You know, I’ve always suspected that Fredericka had a liaison with a fallen once, so it’s possible she would… No, that would make a Nephilim. Mia, Charles isn’t a bit crazy is he?”
“My father is as dull as dishwater. Although, he is crazy about my mother. But that could be the Cooper curse. Do you know anything about this curse?”
“I don’t. I could look it up for you.”
Mia could tell that between her and Wyatt they had rattled Orion, but he hadn’t put together that he could possibly be Charles’s father yet.
“If you do, you could send it to my grandmother Fredericka.”