We all burst out laughing as Hulaz’ whole face glowed a silvery blush.
“Shall we move on?” she asked us all, as her blush began to deepen.
“Yes let’s,” James added humorously, leading the way.
I think he was looking forward to us getting back to the privacy of our own room just as much as I was. We had so much catching up to do, and I was desperate to hear more about our children.
My mind kept going back to the images from my dreams. If the images of James were so spot on, then surely the images of our children would be too. My heart ached to be with them and not for the first time; I wondered what they were doing right at that moment.
Soon, we came to another room.
“This room is for you, Beccy and Derek,” Hulaz stated.
No sooner had she said it than Derek scooped Beccy up in his arms like a new blushing bride and believe me, she did plenty of blushing. We all burst into laughter as Derek dipped his head to hers.
“I’m going to show you how much I’ve missed you woman!” he declared. “Ooo bring it on big man,” she replied, giggling like a school girl.
“A passionate race aren’t you,” Christik said, with a humorous smile on her lips.
“Yes, we sure are,” I replied, as I turned to look at James, giving him a cheeky wink that made him raise his eyebrows.
It wasn’t long before they were all in their rooms apart from James and me. As we approached my room, Christik touched my arm gently to stop me in stride.
“We would like to thank you, Elita, for all you have done,” she said. “If you would consider it Elita, we would like you to be more involved with our plans,” she added.
I was beyond thrilled at being asked and the thought of helping them in a major way was so exciting.
“I’d like that very much Christik,” I answered with a smile I hoped showed my excitement.
“Come on wife of mine,” James said as he gently tugged my hand in his.
“See you tomorrow,” I told the angels with a smile.
We dipped our heads in respect to the angels, and I let James lead the way into our room. The angels were all smiling as we walked away, or should I say when James dragged me away!
No sooner had we entered our room than our clothes were off, our teeth brushed and round three was happening in the shower. I can’t even express to you how whole I felt being in James’ arms. When he held me close to his body with the cleansing water cascading down, I felt that I was exactly where I was meant to be.
An hour and a half later, we were in our bed, and James was showing me just how much he’d missed me repeatedly. I felt so utterly loved while we laid in each other’s arms, happy and breathless. We both fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 9
My children are sat down at the dining table which is laden with food. Chips and dip with mini bagels and plates of steaming hot dogs and burgers. James is walking in, carefully holding a birthday cake which is covered with glowing purple candles. I can see all our children: Holly, Anthony, Abigail and Harrison all sat around the table, and some of Holly’s school friends are there too.
They have such happy little faces, with not a care in the world and clearly enjoying themselves. We all start singing Happy Birthday to Holly, and her beautiful little face is lit up with happiness, and she's smiling from ear to ear. The other kids around the table start to cheer and clap. The memory fades as I mentally try to grasp the images of my kids’ faces.
We’re in the dining room at the front of the house where all our meager supplies are stored. The kids are huddling in one corner of the room with dirty clothes and their faces are drawn. They are hugging onto their blankets and duvets; the curtains are now closed with the solar lights on dim.
I can hear the screams of people and what sounds like fighting coming from outside, and gunshots suddenly ring loudly in the air. James is trying to pack the bottles of water and food we have left while I’m trying to pack sleeping bags and clothes. I look over at the kids, and their terrified eyes reach straight to my tortured heart. My instincts are telling me that we can’t stay here.
“We’ve got to get out of here James,” I say to my husband, “I’ve got a real feeling something’s coming, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”
“Your instincts aren’t usually wrong, so we’d better get a move on,” he replied, his face looking even more serious.
We finish packing the bags, and then James and I cuddle the kids on the floor. We’re trying to reassure them that it’s going to be okay while we wait for the fighting outside to stop.
Our plan is to make our way to the army base where James’ brother is stationed. If we can make it there, we may stand a chance of surviving. We can’t bring ourselves to end it all with the kids; this is our only option, and we knew Freddie was alive the week before. Thank god for my husband and his brother’s passion for old radio receivers!
It’s night time, and the kids have managed to fall asleep in our arms. The fighting has stopped, and we can hear the moans from people dying outside.
“I’m going to check the way is clear baby, so protect the kids,” I tell James.
I gently let Holly slide over to James, and I make my way quietly to the front door. Opening it as quietly as possible, I peer out and look in the street. There are bodies everywhere, and some have obviously been dead longer than others, and I’m stood in horror.
We haven’t been outside for two weeks, and the noises we’d heard during that time all made sense now. ‘There’s no way we can let the kids see this,’ I think to myself.
Waking up in our bed, the room was warm with colors of orange and reds from the rising sun decorating the walls. I’m safe with James’ arms wrapped around me, and I let his body’s warmth soak through me, letting his closeness chase away the horror of the street outside our house.
I realized that tears were running down the sides of my cheeks, and I let out a sob as I looked into James’s handsome face. Instantly, his green eyes connected with mine.
“Why are you crying baby?” he asked, his face suddenly showing his concern.
“I think I dreamt about Holly’s last birthday before the angels came and then we were trying to get to the camp where your brother was stationed,” I told him. “One minute I was dreaming about a really happy time, and the kids were full of smiles, and then I dreamt about all the people dying on our road after all the fighting. James, it was horrific. There were bodies everywhere and so much blood,” I sobbed. “Please tell me the kids didn’t see all those bodies and the people dying or bleeding to death.”
James’ face was so full of love and warmth when he pressed his lips to mine; it was like his love was healing my heart.
“Don’t worry baby; the kids never saw any of that. We stayed inside the house and protected them. It was just far too dangerous to leave the house,” he assured me, “In fact, you’re going to be amazed when you see them; they are strong and healthy.”
I think I cried then out of pure relief with huge sobs racking my body like an emotional dam had been broken. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering all the emotions I’d been feeling since I’d woken up in the large sleeping room. James kept me tightly in his arms while I let the emotions flow, occasionally stroking my hair, trying to comfort me.
Eventually, after a few minutes, my sobbing gradually eased, and my tears finally stopped. I felt secure and at ease in James’ strong arms. Looking up at him, I could see my kids reflected in his handsome face, especially my boys’ dimples, Holly and Harrison’s blue-green eyes, and the dark chocolate brown hair. I was dying to get reacquainted with our children.
“So, what have our kids and you been doing for the last five years while I’ve been giving birth to animals and helping save the animal kingdom?” I asked him with a small smile, trying to put my bad dreams aside.
“Well hot stuff, the kids and I have been having quite an adventure,” he said, smiling and flashing his dimples. “The angel
s came about two weeks after the night you dreamt about. We’d been rationing our food and water the best we could, but in those last two weeks, we were surviving on next to nothing, and our water had finally gone,” he explained. “You decided to try and find whatever you could while I protected the kids.
We’d already had small gangs of desperate people trying to get into the house, so you wouldn’t let me leave the kids to go with you. You’ve always been far too brave for your own good you know,” he said, as he stroked the side of my face with his large hand.
“You left me in the house with the kids and left me with the rifle, and then you went out with the handgun, and the kids and I fell asleep. I think you came back empty-handed and that was the last thing I remember. Until I woke up in the angels’ hospital room,” he explained.
“The kids were all in beds next to mine, and we were all on those IV drips. At first, we thought we were all in a hospital, and then we met the angels,” he said, and then he smiled. I got the impression that he liked the angels as much as I did.
“The angels explained why they were here when we woke. Then, when we were all a hundred percent healthy, they took us all to the holding structure,” he said. “The structures don’t look that inviting from the outside Mel, but you wait until you see the inside of one properly.”
James sounded as if he really liked the place. It was a relief to me that he seemed so positive about being there and that he liked the angels.
“So, what happened when you arrived at the holding structure?” I asked, eager for more information.
“Well I gotta to tell ya, baby, these angels are like a well-oiled machine when it comes to organizing,” he said with a smirk. “They gave us fresh clothes in the hospital room and then took us to this massive white room. It was full of other people who they’d saved.
While I waited there with the kids, the angels would come in and transport the single people and families to the holding structure. Obviously, at the time I didn’t know what to expect, but they did explain where we’d be going when I was in recovery, and they seemed well, nice.”
James slid his arm out from behind my head, using his arm to prop up his own, making his closed fist a rest against his temple.
“I felt the same way about the angels,” I replied, admiring my husband’s handsome features as I spoke. “I took to Zanika and Harrik straight away, especially Zanika. They just seem so calm and peaceful all the time, and it feels refreshing to be around them.”
“Exactly,” James said, “That’s why I felt I could trust them. The kids and I weren’t worried while we waited. We were quite fascinated watching the angels take people to the holding structure. They’d hold the person’s hand, then they’d both glow white, and suddenly they’d vanish. The nice thing was that they kept families together. So, when it was our turn, five angels each took one of our hands. We all left at exactly the same time and arrived at the holding structure together.”
Suddenly, James slid out of the bed butt naked.
“Wow, I’m thirsty with all this talking,” he said, as he walked over to the bathroom area.
I couldn’t help but admire his sexy butt as he walked away. I decided to grab a shower and freshen up. So, I climbed out of bed and followed him, giving him a cheeky pat on the butt as I walked past him stood at the sink.
James started to clean his teeth while I stepped into the shower, and I let the water run over my head and down my body.
“So, what was it like inside the holding structure then?” I asked as I washed my body with the cleansing water.
“To be honest, it’s like being inside a cruise ship,” he replied, “There are rooms for single men or women and rooms for families, so people can stay together. There are stores for everything you could possibly need, a medical center, and there are garden areas. We also have classrooms and not just for the kids, so people can carry on learning. Obviously, there’s no money used anywhere as we don’t need currency anymore.”
“So, why the shops then if no currency is being used?” I asked, confused.
I left the shower and started letting myself dry, walking towards the sink and passing James as he now headed to the shower area. I started to clean my teeth as he continued to explain.
“Well as I said baby, the angels do things like a well-oiled machine!” he stated. “Not only do they want us to have a community, but they also want us to have roles in our new community, hence the shops and medical center, etc. Anyone who’s in the medical field can work in the medical center alongside angels, any teachers among us can work in the classrooms, and hairdressers can work in a salon and so on,” he added.
“The great thing is that we have a choice to do what we did before they came,” he continued, “or do something completely different. Accountants are pretty much redundant for example, so one of them is now learning to be a horticulturist; another is learning about green energy sources. Many IT people are busy learning the angels’ language, so they can then learn the angels’ technology too.”
“So, what are you doing now as you’re no longer in the motor trade?” I asked while running my fingers through my long blonde hair.
James stepped out of the shower area in all his masculine glory and puffing out his chest, he declared.
“I’m learning to become a vet,” he said with pride and a huge grin.
Which made me giggle.
“I’ve always loved animals, and I don’t know if you remember yet, but we had quite the menagerie at home before all this happened,” he said, lifting his arms high and out to the sides for emphasis. “We had our dogs, cats, tropical fish and the girls’ rabbits.”
Then suddenly his face dropped, and he looked so sad my heart sank.
“Watching our animals die broke my heart Mel and not being able to save them was horrific. If I can help bring back the world’s animals and help them survive, then I’m going to do it. And that's why I’m so proud of you for carrying and giving birth to the baby animals,” he declared.
Before I knew what, I was doing, I walked over to him and held him in my arms. We just stood there naked, taking a moment to hold each other, loving each other and physically showing our mutual support.
“I’ve missed you so much baby,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
Looking up at his handsome face, I lifted myself onto my tiptoes and kissed his soft lips.
“I love you!” I whispered.
After a few more moments, I reluctantly pulled away.
“I suggest we get dressed before anybody comes to our room,” I said, smiling at the look of disappointment on his face.
He looked like a kid who’d had his favorite toy taken away. Slipping on a clean dress, I couldn’t resist asking more about our kids. I wanted to see them so badly.
“What are our kids doing at the holding structure?” I asked.
My question seemed to bring back his smile and his dimples.
“Ah they’re doing so well baby, and they’ve missed you as much as I have, but they’ve kept themselves busy,” he said. “Anthony’s learning the angels’ engineering technology, and he’s really good at it too. Who’d have thought he’d be able to live without his Xbox,” James laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh with him as he appeared truly surprised.
“Holly’s learning world history from a university professor who was at Harvard. She has decided she wants to be part of rebuilding society, and she’s going to be amazing Mel!” he stated. “Harrison’s doing classes and learning engineering with Anthony. As for Abigail, well she’s doing her classes plus she’s doing various arts,” he went on to explain. “She’s very lucky because out of all the survivors, there’s a professional artist, a famous singer and a couple of professional dancers. You wait till you see what she can do baby.”
He was so full of pride as he talked; it made my heart ache for my kids even more. I was so thrilled that they’d all achieved so much while I was away, and I hoped that they wouldn’t s
ee me or treat me like a stranger. I wasn’t sure if my heart could take that. As the thoughts were running through my mind, there was a tap at the archway entrance.
“Come in,” I said, as I began to straighten out our bed.
Christik entered with Livik in tow.
“I thought we could all eat together today and talk on the way to our meeting room if that would be okay with you both,” she stated.
“Sounds great,” I replied as James walked over to me, taking my hand in his.
“Lead the way,” I said, smiling at them both.
We left our room and began our journey to the meeting room, walking at a leisurely pace.
“James, I am sorry, but we need to ask you. Did you and the other men cause the explosion on our water filtration craft as a distraction, so you could get into this vessel?” she asked bluntly, but not unfriendly.
James stopped dead in his tracks, sheer surprise was written all over his face.
“We pretty much knocked on your front door!” he declared, his surprise showing in his voice, “I don’t know why you would think that Christik.”
If an angel could be really embarrassed, I think Christik gave the example as she dipped her head and lowered her eyes.
“My apologies James. In my heart, I knew you did not. However, the thought of our own race doing such an unspeakable thing, hurting their fellow angels is harder to believe,” she stated quietly. “We do not want to offend you, James; I am very sorry.”
We carried on walking slowly with an awkward silence stretching for a few minutes.
“I do understand why you’d think that way,” James stated, his shock gone from his voice and replaced with sympathy.
“I’d never have thought you angels could hurt each other either, but the reason we just showed up here was that the angels who lied to us gave us the impression that they wouldn’t help us to come and find our women,” he explained. “Even after telling us that they were being hurt. To be honest Christik, the angels who lied to us gave the impression that not only did they not want to be here, but that we were not worth saving.”
Earth's Angels: The Earth's Angels Trilogy Page 10