“I don’t mind the look,” Tack said, winking at Clover.
“You need to lighten up, Vero,” Clover told him.
“I think it’s sweet,” Kira said. “He’s protective of his sister.” Kira took off her white denim jacket and handed it to Clover. “Here, maybe you should put this on.”
Clover pushed the jacket away. “No, I’m fine,” she said, giving Vero a defiant stare. She pushed her way past Vero and Tack and headed down the hallway with Kira following.
Vero followed Clover with his eyes until she disappeared into the crowd. Vicki stood back with Vero.
“I’m not crazy about the outfit either,” Vicki said to Vero. “I tried to talk her out of it, but Kira kept telling her how good she looked in it.”
“Thanks,” Vero said.
Vicki walked down the hall as the bell rang.
“First ball warning,” Tack sighed unhappily. “Time to practice our mascot moves!”
“I gotta go return my library books on Sri Lanka,” Vero said to Tack. “I’ll catch up with you in a few.”
The school library was quiet. Only a handful of kids sat at desks studying while a few more sat at computer workstations. Vero dropped his books into the return slot. When he turned to leave, he spotted Danny sitting at a computer. Suddenly inspired, Vero decided now was as good a time as any to try to make some inroads with Danny. If he was going to be with Danny his whole life, it might be nice to be able to stomach the guy. Vero walked over to him.
“Hey,” Vero said.
Danny looked up from the computer screen. “Hey . . .” he said suspiciously.
“Did you download that new zombie game where they battle alligators? It’s so cool,” Vero said, sitting down in the seat next to him. “You got alligators eating zombies.”
Danny looked at Vero, his eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” Vero said. “I was just wondering.”
Danny turned back to the computer screen. “I’m busy. We lost Internet last night at my house so I need to get caught up on my emails.”
“Oh, okay,” Vero said.
“Hey, guys.”
Vero and Danny looked up to see Kira standing over them. Vero was a little surprised. Lately, Kira seemed to show up everywhere he went.
“I overheard you tell Tack you had to return your library books, and it reminded me that I had a bunch too,” Kira said to Vero as if she had read his mind.
Kira placed her hand on Danny’s arm. Danny’s eyes grew wide, and his arm tensed. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Trying to answer emails,” Danny said, shooting Vero an annoyed look.
Vero took the hint to leave. Yet, when he watched Danny with Kira, he suddenly felt protective of him. He walked away but then ducked down behind an aisle of books, so he could keep an eye on Danny. Kira was laughing. It seemed to Vero that she was flirting with him, but Danny didn’t look particularly interested. After a few minutes, Vero became bored and turned to leave, but then he saw Davina walk into the library. Just at that moment, Kira leaned over and kissed Danny on the lips. Danny’s cheeks turned bright red, and he jerked back. Davina froze. Danny looked up and saw her standing across the room. As soon as they made eye contact, Davina turned and dashed from the library, tears streaming down her cheeks. Danny jumped up and ran after her. Vero saw Kira smile and sit down in Danny’s chair. She looked very satisfied with herself.
“It’s about time you got home!” Vero yelled to Clover as she walked into the kitchen.
Clover looked over and saw Vero standing at the kitchen counter cracking an egg into a silver mixing bowl. The kitchen looked like a disaster. The dishes were still not done from breakfast, piled high in the sink. Cake mix had spilled all over a countertop and onto the floor. The morning’s bag of trash still sat by the table.
“You were supposed to help me make the cake!” Vero wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, streaking it with flour. “People are coming any minute!”
“I had an emergency,” Clover said. “Kira was so upset, I couldn’t leave her.” She glared at Vero. “It’s called being a good friend.”
“What was wrong with her?” Vero asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Danny Konrad tried to kiss her in the library today, and it totally freaked her out.”
“He tried to kiss her?” Vero asked, genuinely confused.
“Yeah, Davina and a couple of kids saw it, and Kira’s kind of traumatized by it.”
“But that’s not . . .” Vero stopped himself. He realized that if he told Clover it was Kira who had kissed Danny, he would have to admit to her that he had been spying on them.
“What?” Clover asked.
“All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
“Kira isn’t a liar.”
“How do you know? You barely know her!”
The kitchen door flew open, and Dennis walked inside. His expectant face dropped when he saw the two of them arguing in the middle of a messy and undecorated kitchen.
“Guys, where are the decorations?” He set down his briefcase and looked around the barren living and dining rooms. “And have you even started cooking dinner for mom?”
“I’m working on the cake,” Vero said.
Dad put his head in his hands and groaned. “Your mom does everything for you, and you can’t do this one thing for her?” He looked up. “I’m disappointed with you two.”
“I just got home,” Clover said with a shrug. “We can start cooking now.”
“Did you pull the steaks out of the freezer?”
Clover shook her head.
“Were you listening this morning? Now they won’t be defrosted in time!”
Clover looked defiant instead of repentant.
“Take the trash out at least.” Dad threw the bag to Clover, but she caught it on its side. The opening wasn’t tied properly, and the garbage spilled out onto the floor.
“Seriously, Clover?” Dad yelled.
“Knock, knock,” a man’s voice called from the back door.
Albert Atwood walked into the kitchen followed by his wife, Wendy, and curly redheaded son, Angus, who was Clover’s age.
“I don’t smell the grill, yet, Leland,” Mr. Atwood said, grabbing his potbelly. “I like my steak medium rare.”
“Albert, be quiet,” Mrs. Atwood smacked his arm. She looked around, noting the chaos. “Are we too early?”
“No, right on time,” Dennis said. “We’re the ones behind. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to order Chinese instead.” Dad fumbled in the junk drawer and pulled out a takeout menu.
“I was promised ribeyes,” Mr. Atwood said, unhappily.
“Chinese is fine,” Mrs. Atwood covered. “We love Chinese. Don’t we, Angus?”
“I prefer Brazilian,” Angus answered.
Mrs. Atwood shot him a look. “When is Nora showing up?” She asked.
“Her shift should be over . . .” Dennis looked up at the kitchen clock. “. . . in about a half hour. Then she’s heading straight home.”
“Is she working again?” Mrs. Atwood asked.
“She started working about 20 hours a week down at the hospital,” Dennis said as he began to dial. “This is really bad, you two,” Dennis said in a low voice to Clover and Vero.
Vero shot Clover a look as Dad ordered into the phone.
“Why didn’t you go to nursing school?” Mr. Atwood turned to his wife. “You could be out there earning money too.”
“Maybe I will get a job. And work the nightshift,” Mrs. Atwood shot daggers at her husband.
“But I work in the day, we’d never see each other,” Mr. Atwood said. Then he put it together. “Oh.”
Dad covered the mouthpiece. He picked up a roll of yellow streamers from the counter and threw it at Clover. “Get going on the streamers and cake! She’ll be here in half an hour!”
Just then, the kitchen door opened, and Mom stepped inside. Guilty looks
came over Dad, Clover, and Vero as mom took in the sight before her. She looked confused and then crushed.
“Surprise,” Vero mumbled.
“Even bigger surprise,” Mr. Atwood said, “if you were expecting a steak.”
The dining room table was littered with Chinese takeout boxes as everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Nora. Leaning over the dining room table, Nora admired her birthday cake despite the fact that it bore little resemblance to an actual cake. The white frosting was sloppily spread onto the top, and red and yellow sprinkles littered the icing in clumps. It looked pathetic, but Mom still smiled.
“Happy birthday to you!” everyone sang.
“Blow out the candles,” Dennis said to Nora.
“You did a great job on it,” she said, looking at the cake.
“Sorry, I’m not much of a cake maker,” Vero said.
“You can say that again,” Mr. Atwood snickered aside to Angus.
“I bet it tastes good.” Mom took a deep breath and blew out the candles.
Everyone clapped except for Clover. She was too busy looking at her cellphone.
“Clover, you want to cut the cake for me?” Mom asked.
Vero elbowed Clover. She flashed him a nasty look then went back to texting.
“Clover,” Dad said in a scolding voice. “Your mom’s talking to you.”
“Oh, what?” Clover glanced up from her phone.
“What’s so important?” Mom asked.
Clover set her phone on the table. “Kira’s upset. So I just sent her a photo of Two Dimension to cheer her up. It’s our favorite band.”
“Why is she upset?” Mom asked.
“Danny Konrad practically attacked her in the library today.”
“He did not!” Vero yelled a little too quickly.
Clover looked at Vero suspiciously. “Since when do you defend Danny? The guy hates you.”
“Yeah, he does,” Angus smiled. “Lots of other people do too.”
Mr. Atwood laughed. Mrs. Atwood slapped Angus on the back of his head.
“Unless you were there, I wouldn’t comment,” Vero told his sister.
“Davina saw him do it. I heard she’s going to break up with him.”
Vero paused for a moment. The thought of that made him feel really bad for Danny. He knew Davina was a very positive influence in Danny’s life. Her kindness toward Danny had brought out the best in him. But if Davina were to shut him out, Vero feared that Danny could go back to his old mean ways. Danny was his ward, and Vero’s job as a guardian angel was to keep him on the right path, even if he wasn’t a full-fledged angel yet.
“Not only that, Danny sent a bunch of kids a threatening email,” Clover said.
“I doubt that.”
“It’s true.” Angus nodded his head.
“I’ll cut the cake if nobody else will.” Dad shot his kids a look of disapproval and picked up the serving knife. “Vero, why don’t you go grab Mom’s gift?”
Vero ran to the kitchen and picked up a wrapped present the size of a shirt box. He dashed back to the dining room.
“This is for you,” he said handing the present to Mom. “You’re gonna love it.”
Nora excitedly took the present and began to unwrap it. “I wonder what it is?” she said.
Dad smiled. “Clover picked it out and said you’d love it.”
Clover frowned and looked away.
Nora’s excited face dropped when she saw an apron lying on top of tissue paper inside the box. It was a red and white striped apron with little rooster silhouettes on it. Vero and Dad looked equally shocked. Clover did not.
Nora slowly placed the lid back on top of the box. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with hurt. “Sorry guys. I tried to put on a happy face with the Chinese food and the undecorated house and the awful cake, but why don’t we just forget it was ever my birthday?” She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Nora stood and walked upstairs to her bedroom.
Dennis flashed Vero and Clover a look that let them know they were in big trouble. “Nora,” he called as he climbed up the stairs after her.
“Don’t look at me,” Clover said to Vero. “You’re just as much at fault.”
“You believe this?” Mr. Atwood turned to his wife. “They give their mother something like that?”
“It’s about as thoughtful as the Dustbuster you gave me on our twentieth wedding anniversary.” Mrs. Atwood narrowed her eyes at her husband.
“How could you buy her that? You were supposed to get her an outfit she would love!” Vero pounded his fist on the table after the Atwoods had left. “How could anyone be excited about an apron?”
Clover shrugged. “Well, she always cooks. I thought she’d like it.”
“But Dad gave you enough money to buy her an outfit, a dress or something . . .” Suddenly the pieces came together in Vero’s mind. “You bought yourself that outfit you were wearing at school. Didn’t you? You took mom’s birthday money and used it for yourself!”
Clover turned red as a pomegranate. She didn’t answer.
“That’s like stealing from Mom!” Vero shouted.
“I’m gonna have a lot more birthdays with Mom. You won’t, so don’t get all in my face about it. When you’re gone, I’ll be the one left all alone to take care of Mom and Dad!”
Vero’s expression softened. “I can’t change what’s going to happen.”
“Did you even try? Did you ever ask your archangels or whoever it is, if you could stay on earth?”
Vero shook his head.
“See? You don’t even want to stay. I knew it.” Clover stood up and turned her back to Vero.
“I’m not human,” Vero began as he placed his hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him. “I am what I am. I have to do what I was created to do.” Vero saw the hurt and uncertainty in Clover’s eyes. “I’ll always be here. The angels are all around us. You know that. You more than anyone should know that. You see more than most people.”
“Yeah, well the angels must hate me or something, because I don’t see them anymore! I haven’t had a dream or seen anything in almost a year now.”
“Clover, that doesn’t mean they hate you . . .”
“Well, maybe I hate them!” Clover yelled then stormed off to her bedroom.
That night, a lightning storm raged outside. Each boom of thunder seemed to shake the Leland home. Long irregular streaks of light lit up the sky. Vero tossed and turned in bed. He couldn’t sleep. He kept replaying his conversation with Clover over and over in his mind. The phone on his night-stand rang. He grabbed the receiver. At the exact moment Vero put it up to his ear, a vicious lightning bolt struck and sent an electrical current through the line. His hair stood straight up on its ends and smoked as Vero fell to the floor, instantly electrocuted.
14
FORT-I-FIRES
Vero’s pajamas felt wet, and he realized he was lying on soft grass sodden with dew. He sat up with a start and shoved his fingers into his ears to block out the sound. The booms of thunder he had heard on earth continued to rattle Vero’s eardrums here in the Ether. A few yards away, thousands of angels stood around an athletic field behind C.A.N.D.L.E. As Vero walked over to see what held the angels’ attention, he realized he was barefoot. This was the first time he’d ever been called back to the Ether while in bed.
Boom! The sounds grew louder with every step toward the field. He made his way through the crowd and stood on the field’s edge. Four angels stood on the far side behind a white chalk boundary line. Vero squinted and realized three of the angels were Uriel, Raziel, and Raphael. But he had no clue who the fourth angel was. Out of thin air, high up in the sky, something that resembled a Frisbee shot across the field. Instantly, a ball of light the size of a baseball appeared in the palm of Raziel’s hand, and he flung it with tornado speed at the target. It was a direct hit. The Frisbee exploded with a thunderous bang and disintegrated into a spectacular firework
display despite the daylight. Fireworks in the day. How cool, Vero thought.
As the fireworks faded, another Frisbee-like target materialized and streaked across the sky. This time, the light ball appeared in Uriel’s hand. He hurled it at the moving Frisbee and decimated it with another ear-shattering boom.
As Vero watched, he was reminded of skeet shooting. He and Clover had always enjoyed watching it on television during the Olympics.
“It’s a pick-up game of hopeball,” a girl’s voice said next to Vero.
Vero turned and saw Ariel. Her sleek lion’s body shimmered gold under the exploding light. She gave him the look-over. Vero stood wearing his drawstring flannel pajama pants and a white T-shirt and was completely barefoot. He blushed. “What? I was sleeping,” Vero said defensively, secretly relieved he had not worn his Scooby Doo pajamas to bed.
Ariel smiled.
“Now what’s hopeball?” Vero asked.
“A game where the angels hone their fort-i-fire throwing skills,” Ariel said.
“Fort-i . . . what?”
“Fort-i-fires. They’re balls of God’s light that the angels throw at humans to fill them with hope.”
A series of especially loud cracks split the air. Vero saw Raphael had hit three consecutive targets, each nanoseconds after the other.
“When someone has feelings of doubt or despair, the balls of light fill their souls with hope,” Ariel said, “giving them both courage and encouragement.”
“What makes the fort-i-fires appear in their hands?” Vero asked, his eyes wide as one materialized in Raziel’s hand.
“Sheer will.”
Vero continued to watch the match with amazement. “It’s funny. When I was little, I was told that the thunder I was afraid of was caused by the angels bowling,” Vero said, eyes fixed on the sky above him, watching the action. “I guess hopeball isn’t altogether unlike bowling, only the pins are flying targets.”
Then hundreds of skeet-like targets shot out from the heavens in every direction. Eardrum-thumping pops filled the air, and the ground trembled. Vero covered his ears at the sound of the rapid fire. The three archangels and the other angel threw fort-i-fire after fort-i-fire at the targets, blasting them. Vero couldn’t turn his eyes away from the spectacular display of exploding fireworks. It was like the best grand finale, a hundred times over.
Pillars of Fire Page 14