by Alexie Aaron
Orion’s face softened. “I’m not sure that would be wise. She banned me from her home decades ago. I don’t know what I did, but it was enough to have her deny all my attempts at reconciliation.”
“She’s a peculiar old bird,” Mia said.
“Come now, that’s not kind.”
“Bad Mia,” Wyatt said.
“I’m sorry. I was being glib.”
“How is Fredericka?” Orion asked.
“She’s getting old. She must have known you when you were a young man.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Orion said.
“Mia, would you mind leaving your chess studies for now? Mr. Stavros and I have business to discuss.”
“Yes, Mr. Wayne,” Mia said dutifully and walked out of the room, shutting the door after her. She turned the corner too quickly and walked into a wall of muscle. “I’m so sorry…” words escaped her. Nicholai stood looking down at her. “Whoa, you’re tall.”
“Only because you’re so small,” he said.
“Hello, I’m Mia Cooper Mar…. Marvelous to make your acquaintance…”
“Nicholai,” he said. He took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it.
The power the man exuded was so strong, Mia thought she was going to faint. “Whoa.”
Nordin walked into the hall. “Sir, can I offer you a beverage while you wait?”
“No. I’m on duty but thank you.”
“Are you a cop?” Mia asked, her legs recovering from her weak knees.
“No, I’m a guard.”
“A bodyguard, like in that movie?” Mia asked.
“I don’t know. What movie?”
Mia gave him a lopsided grin. “The Bodyguard. It’s an old one with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in it.”
“Haven’t seen it. I protect Mr. Stavros while he is doing business.”
“Kind of a lame job for a powerhouse like you.”
“Mia Cooper!” Nordin scolded. “You apologize.”
“Sorry. I’m going to go. Nice to meet you, Nicholai,” she said, walking up the stairs.
“Nicholai, please excuse her. She was raised by wolves,” Nordin sniffed and left the room.
Inside the library, Wyatt watched Orion while he studied the book.
“Tell me, Mr. Stavros, are you married?”
“No.”
“So, there is no little librarian anywhere?”
“No. I was in a long relationship that ended oddly. I never really became interested in anyone else.”
“That’s too bad. We should all come fully grown, babies are a problem…”
“I love babies. There is so much you can learn from them. If I had a child, I would never leave it. I’d quit my job so I could watch it grow.”
“So, you wouldn’t trade your child for worldly gains or maybe this book?”
“What kind of animal do you think I am?”
“Birdmen’s parents have sold their children to the Brotherhood for centuries, why not you? Who would you sell out in order to get a cushy job like yours?” Wyatt pushed.
“Mr. Wayne, I appreciate that birdmen aren’t your favorite race, but please judge us individually.”
“I will endeavor to do so. But it’s difficult.”
“Mr. Wayne, I think that I can authenticate this book. Your asking price can be met. Are you sure you want to sell it?”
“Yes, I’ve read it. Time to move on,” Wyatt said.
“Let me talk with my associate and have the gold brought to you. I’m sure it won’t take long,” Orion said, walking out the door.
Wyatt looked at the beloved book and frowned. He then remembered that if Mia was successful, he would own the book again. If not, it was just a book…
Orion walked back in. “My associate, Nicholai, has contacted a local representative, and he’ll be bringing the gold. He’s says it should take about twenty minutes.”
“In the meanwhile, do you play?” Wyatt asked, indicating the chessboard.
“Yes, I do. But I see a game is already in progress…”
“I am teaching Mia. She’s leaving for chess camp tomorrow. I don’t think she’s gifted, but she remembers everything I teach her.”
“That’s an advantage. Her parents must be… Where are her parents?” Orion asked.
“Getting ready to dig in the earth somewhere. Charles is an archeologist. The mother writes his papers for him. This Émile must be disappointed to have such a dour daughter.”
“I don’t know. I only know of them. I saw their pictures when I was researching the province of France in which they reside.”
“Where is that?”
“Alsace. They are notorious fence-sitters there. There is a strong angel gene that runs through the family on the mother’s side. You should know that Mia’s part of that family.”
“How do you know Mia?”
“I just met her here, but I remember that Charles and Amanda had a child. Mia looks like her grandmother Adele Neyer.”
“How?”
“They both have the white hair. Big eyes.”
“What color would you say Mia’s eyes are?” Wyatt asked.
“They’re light. To be honest, I don’t remember the exact color.”
Wyatt had all the proof he needed that Orion didn’t have a clue that Mia was his granddaughter. No one who had spent any quality time with Mia would ever forget that her eyes were moss green.
Mia sat on the steps waiting. She knew she couldn’t enter the library without it looking odd, so she perched herself on the stairs. Murphy couldn’t sit beside her without being discovered, so he stayed in the shadows of the upper hall. Birdmen could all see spirits, Nicholai was no exception.
The doorbell rang, and Nordin went to the door.
“I’m here to see Nicholai or Orion Stavros,” a familiar accented voice asked.
Mia stood up. Part of her wanted to run and hide, but the other part wanted to see him younger.
Nordin let Angelo Michaels in. He was carrying a large heavy satchel. Nicholai took the bag and nodded his head in the direction of the stairs. “You stay here and keep an eye on my little admirer.”
Angelo looked up at Mia. “Come down here, little girl, yes?”
“No. I’ll stay up here.”
“Are you frightened that I’m going to eat you?” Angelo teased.
“I’m not a little girl.”
“I can see that. I have to warn you not to lose your heart to Nicholai. He is an old soldier, and they have bad manners.”
“Who are you?” Mia asked, blocking his entrance to her mind house.
“I’m Angelo Michaels. And you are?” he asked, trying to push his way in.
“Annoyed. Most mind readers ask permission. Go away,” Mia said, turning around, and started to climb the stairs.
Angelo flew up the stairs and was upon her immediately. He scooped her up and pressed his forehead to hers.
Mia kicked him hard in the testicles. “Leave me alone or you’ll regret it.”
Angelo let her go and sat down hard on the steps.
“Sir, I must insist that you wait for your people outside,” Nordin said, holding open the door.
Angelo got up and looked back at Mia, whom he expected to have a triumphant look on her face. Instead, she looked scared. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just want to know who you are.”
“Sir, I really must insist.”
Nicholai walked out of the library to see what the commotion was. “Angelo, what are you doing up there?”
“This child isn’t a child,” Angelo said.
“Of course not, she’s a young lady.”
“With a hell of a kick.”
“We will speak of this outside. I’m sorry, Mia Cooper, my associate is young and sees evil everywhere.”
“It’s alright. He just surprised me that’s all.”
Murphy followed Nicholai out the door, sticking to the shadows so he wouldn’t be seen.
Nicholai walked up. �
��Angelo, I’m appalled by your behavior. True, we’re in the house of a demon, but you don’t have to act the barbarian.”
“You don’t understand. The minute I saw her, I sensed a connection. I probed her mind, and the door shut quickly, but not quickly enough. I saw that I had already been there.”
“How is that possible? She is but a slip of a girl.”
“She is not who you think she is. Her mind is that of a woman. She’s some kind of demon spy or a soul jumper.”
“I don’t understand. If you were denied entrance to her mind, how can you know she is not a child?”
“I told you I have been there before. I never forget a mind I have spent time in.”
“Why were you so aggressive?”
“I don’t know. It was primal.”
“I worry about you, Angelo. I’m going to have you taken off envoy duty until you get yourself settled down. You could have hurt that child.”
“The child is part demon,” Orion said, walking down the porch steps. “Maybe this is why you reacted the way you did. She’s fine. Mr. Wayne assures me that she understands and takes no offense.”
Angelo looked up and saw her watching them from the second-story windows. “Gentleman, Little Bird watches us.”
“Little Bird?” Nicholai asked. “Why would you call her…”
“She’s more birdman than she is demon,” Angelo said. “I felt the connection.”
“She’s a child,” Nicholai said again. “This is bad behavior… very bad behavior.”
“Mia Cooper has demon and angel genes. I saw it when I investigated the Neyer family’s descendants. Her father would have to be the product of a birdman dalliance who also has a demonic strain in his gene pool. I’m not saying it’s impossible, there are a few of us around but…” Orion stopped talking. Wyatt’s probing questions made sense now. It couldn’t be? He’d have to go back and check his research before he approached Fredericka for confirmation that Mia Cooper’s father Charles was his son. “I’ll research Mia. In the meanwhile, stay away from her. We don’t want Mr. Wayne to get wind that his protégé is a birdwoman.”
Murphy waited until they flew away before he went back in the house to report what he had found out. He never liked Angelo. He always felt that he had a predatory feel to him. He was the type of man to take what he thought was his. Mia had kept him at arm’s length for the sake of the alliance between the birdmen and the angels, but his obsession with her had never waned. To see him treated like a pedophile by his peers wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been.
Mia took one look at Murphy’s face and knew that Angelo had found something out.
“Angelo knows you’re not a child.”
“But how?” Wyatt asked.
Mia explained, “When a mind reader first calls, they leave a card. It’s like a genetic marker, a key so they can slide in and out of your mind quickly. Depending on the type of visit - in Gerald’s case, business - the marker displays that. In Angelo’s mind…”
“You weren’t lovers?” Wyatt asked.
“No.”
“He thinks she’s his,” Murphy said. “Once he found out how powerful she was, he decided he wanted her. He called you Little Bird out there.”
“But he wasn’t in the room when the wish was made. How can he know anything?”
“Obsession can cross dimensions,” Wyatt said. “If so, Roumain is going to sniff you out soon.”
“Oy.”
“Stephen, take Mia to your farm. Hide her there overnight. I don’t know if the birdmen will be back, but we can’t take the chance. Be on the hill at first light. My transportation will arrive and take you two on your next leg of the journey.”
Nordin walked down the steps carrying a backpack. “I hope you don’t mind, I put in some things I thought you may need. This way, you’ll not get ambushed if they are waiting for you at your home.”
Chapter Eight
Mia walked into the grocery and purchased a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a pint of milk.
The cashier saw the large backpack the child was carrying and asked, “Are you going camping?”
“Just overnight. My father says I have to carry my own things. I wish I hadn’t brought so many things along.”
The lady smiled and handed Mia back her change. Mia walked out of the store and stopped. Walking down the sidewalk were Whitney Martin and Tom Braverman. Mia would have no choice but to walk past them. Murphy scratched the sidewalk with his axe to tell her he had her back.
“Good afternoon,” Mia said as they approached.
“Whatcha doing?” Whit asked.
“Going camping,” Mia said.
“Fancy,” Whit said, pulling on her pack.
“Hey, leave that alone. It’s hell to put on,” Mia said, flustered.
“You really are a strange little bug,” Whit commented. “Freaky little bug.”
“Stop it,” Mia said, her face getting red.
“Whit, let’s go, we’re going to be late,” Tom said.
Whit ran his hand over the pack once more before he agreed, “Yep, time to leave the freak.”
Mia walked away fast, tears streaming down her face. She looked back to make sure the boys weren’t following her and walked smack into a crowd of older kids. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” she stammered.
“It’s Crazy Cooper. What are you doing with that pack? Are you running away from home?” Rose Malloy, her childhood tormentor, asked. She pulled on Mia’s pack until Mia fell backwards and landed hard on the ground.
“Please leave me alone,” Mia pleaded, trying to right herself. The weight of the pack had her as vulnerable as a flipped turtle on the sidewalk.
A pimply-faced boy leaned over her, letting a gob of spit form and hang from his mouth headed for Mia’s face. He was yanked backwards.
“What the hell?” he said.
“Leave her alone,” Whit said, pushing the boy into the wall of the dollar store.
Tom helped Mia up.
“If any of you bother her again, I’ll beat the shit out of you,” Whit warned.
“Are you her boyfriend?” Rose asked.
“No, hell no. I’m just sick of everyone picking on her. Leave Cooper alone,” he said, letting go of the frightened bully.
The kids walked off. Mia stammered a thank you and continued on her way out of town.
Murphy appeared at her side. “I didn’t think it would help, them seeing me,” Murphy said. “Did Whitney Pee Pants always come to your aid?”
“Most times if he was around. It started when I was six. That girl Rose started it all by pointing out to the town my peculiarities. It wasn’t only the kids who bullied me but their parents. The teachers turned a blind eye to the abuse. Whit and, sometimes, Tom were there to pick me up off the ground when I was pushed. Tom’s mother, Susan, fed me when my parents forgot to come home. But it was Whit who was really my champion. I think he basked in my adoration. He made sure I was included. He was a big deal here in Big Bear Lake.”
“No wonder you were in love with him,” Murphy said thoughtfully.
“I had a crush on him, but I wasn’t in love,” Mia clarified. “I do know, if he wasn’t around, I would have lost my nut completely.”
“I feel bad for scaring the piss out of him.”
“I don’t. He was my knight but also my tormentor. It’s complex.”
They passed the Ace Hardware and started up the hill.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t socialize much,” Murphy explained. “Having the stigma of your dad disappearing didn’t help. I was kept at home and tied to my mother’s apron strings until I was old enough to work.”
Mia was quiet. This was unusual for Murphy to open up about his childhood.
“Knowing now that he didn’t leave us helps, but there was a whole lot of hurt that changed me. Mia, I’m wrapped so tightly inside, it’s a miracle that anyone ever got through to me.”
“These days we call the negative stuff w
e hold on to baggage.”
“They have a label for everything in these modern times,” Murphy commented. “Take us for example. We suffer from a hero complex.”
“We do?” Mia asked.
“Oh yes, according to Cid’s books, we think that we have to sacrifice ourselves to save the world.”
“But we do,” Mia said.
“Yes, but there is now a label for us.”
“I’d like my label to read, ‘Warning do not feed after midnight.’”
“Like a gremlin,” Murphy laughed. He looked down at Mia and asked, “How are you feeling now?”
“Happy to be with my best friend on an adventure. I have to compartmentalize so I don’t fall into a pit of despair surrounded with what-ifs, but I’m enjoying this moment.”
“Me too.”
“I wonder what happened to Quazar?” Mia said as they turned onto the road leading to the farm. “His shop is a Starbucks in 2018. I’ve been in it, no Quazar.”
“Maybe ask Gerald when we reset time.”
“Do you think we will remember this?” Mia asked.
“Yes. I think we will.”
“You seem so certain.”
“It took me a while, but I remembered the future. I think the past is going to be a cakewalk.”
“What’s a cakewalk?”
“It’s an expression we used to mean easy in my day. Although, a real cakewalk wasn’t easy at all. When I was a youngster, I saw it when it was performed on a traveling show. A cakewalk was a graceful dance that was performed in a square.”
“Like a square dance?”
“No. In a cakewalk, the contestants were judged. The winner received an elaborately decorated cake as a prize. I think it started down south on the slave plantations.”
“Show me,” Mia said.
Murphy performed a high-leg prance with an arrogant backward tilt to his upper body and head. “If I’m doing it right, it should look easy, smooth, graceful.”
“You look like a hoity-toity at a debutant ball.”
“Then I got it right. Cid says the plantation owners never caught on that the slaves were making fun of them when they danced.”