RHEN

by Charity Kelly

  “We’ll come with you,” Latsoh offered. “We want to see their apartment.”

  They walked out of the student dining hall, down the hallway to the stairwell that led to the closest exit. Pushing open the glass door at the bottom of the stairs, they stepped out onto the brick pathway then followed its curving route towards the building that housed the teachers.

  Erfce kept pace beside Latsoh. He loved the way she held her shoulders upright when she walked. “The Wood Elf Castle is all lit up tonight,” he said, when he noticed a glow in the sky over the forest.

  “The Supreme Elfin Priest is holding a vigil for Themrock tonight by the lake.” She lifted her head towards the sky as a spacejet flew over their heads. “My parents are probably there with the other Royals.” Stepping up onto the cement stairs to the Teachers’ Residence Hall, Latsoh added, “He’ll go to the Water Elf Castle next then ours. You should come with me when he holds the Fire Elf Vigil. It’s really beautiful.”

  Before Erfce could respond, Professor DiGrego cried out, “Hello,” as he opened the metal door in front of them. “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re going to Rhen and Ceceta’s apartment,” Latsoh said, smiling up at her teacher.

  “Are you going to study with them? I’d like to join you, if you’re discussing math.”

  “No,” Tgfhi told him. “We’re just reminding them about the B.A.C. meeting tonight.”

  “Great. I hope they’ll come. Our last meeting was very productive. Maybe I will ask Rhen to reconsider joining the Math Club at the meeting. See you there.”

  “Bye,” Tgfhi called out.

  “Mr. DiGrego goes to the B.A.C. meetings?” Erfce asked as he and the others stepped through the door, then checked the directory on the right for Rhen and Ceceta’s room number.

  “Yes,” Tgfhi told him, his foot on the metal riser to go to the second floor. “He’s the only teacher who comes. He’s really nice. Everyone likes him.”

  “He’s great,” Latsoh agreed, earning a frown from Erfce.

  Rhen and Ceceta’s apartment was the first door on the left once they reached the second floor.

  Latsoh knocked on the white wooden door and Ceceta opened it almost at once. “Hi,” she said. “I was just in the kitchen when I heard you knock. What’re you doing here?”

  Pointing at his shirt, Tgfhi said, “I think you may have forgotten about the B.A.C. meeting tonight and I wanted to remind you.”

  “Oh,” Ceceta said, eyeing Tgfhi’s shirt. From the expression on her face, they could tell she didn’t feel like going anymore.

  They stood in the doorway for a minute feeling awkward while Ceceta stared at them, her brow furrowed. A moment later she threw the door wide open. “Well, come on in and check out our place before we head over to the meeting.” Tgfhi let out the breath he was holding, and the four of them entered Ceceta’s apartment.

  “This is much better than a dorm room,” Crystam declared. She walked into the living room and scanned the bookcase for anything Surpen.

  “Yeah,” Erfce said, following Latsoh to the sofa and sitting down beside her.

  “It is,” Latsoh said. “But if you’re a teacher and you live here all year long, it’s kind of small. Don’t you think?”

  “Well,” Erfce said. “I still think it’s much better than our dorm rooms. In fact, it’s awesome. We should have our study sessions here like Mr. DiGrego suggested.”

  “That’d be great,” Ceceta said. “I’ll get the staff to stock our kitchen with foods you can eat. We can make this our study room.” The others perked up at the idea and agreed they would start studying in Ceceta’s apartment tomorrow night.

  As they were discussing their plans, Rhen walked out of his bedroom into the living room on his way to the kitchen wearing only his black military shorts. Crystam gasped at the sight of him, while Latsoh’s mouth dropped open.

  Rhen ignored them. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher from the top shelf. With his arm on the refrigerator door he drank from the pitcher before putting it back on the shelf and closing the door. “Would you please stop drinking from the pitcher,” Ceceta yelled. “It disgusts me.”

  Rhen glanced at Ceceta and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, telling her to leave him alone while he walked back into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  “Wow,” Latsoh whispered.

  “What?” Ceceta asked, sounding defensive. “It’s disgusting when he drinks from the pitcher,” she added, slapping the armrests on her chair for emphasis.

  “Yeah,” Latsoh said. “Disgusting.”

  “Can I study with you guys too?” Tgfhi asked the others. “I mean, I’m only in your Astronomy class, and technically I should be finding other study partners, but I would prefer to study with you guys.”

  “Of course. We’ll both study with them,” Crystam said. “We have the same classes, so we can test each other on our material as well.” She gave Tgfhi an affectionate pat on the shoulder and was surprised when he shivered and turned into a big puddle of water on the couch.

  “Tgfhi!” Erfce yelled, jumping up to shake out his wet pants. “Turn back you idiot.”

  A moment later a flustered Tgfhi reappeared before them. His cheeks were red, yet his body was shivering from the chill of using his powers. “I’m sorry. I have trouble controlling it sometimes.”

  “Gods,” Erfce said, walking into the kitchen to get a towel to dry his pants. “I can’t believe you did that. You really have to get a grip on yourself.”

  As Tgfhi shrank down into the sofa from Erfce’s words, Latsoh hissed, “It was just an accident, Erfce. Relax.”

  Erfce paused to look up at Latsoh. When he saw that she was mad at him for hurting Tgfhi’s feelings, he said, “Sorry Tgfhi, I didn’t mean to yell at you. Just, please… warn me the next time you use your powers.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Tgfhi’s power display jogged Crystam’s memory. “I meant to ask you Ceceta, does Rhen have any powers like his brothers and sisters?”

  “What?” Ceceta asked, appearing taken aback. “I… um…”

  “No,” Rhen said with authority from where he was leaning against his bedroom door. He had put on a simple red tunic that had black geometric shapes stitched around the edges.

  “Well, you have one,” Ceceta said.

  “It’s not worth mentioning,” Rhen said, while walking over to sit down on the floor next to the coffee table where they were sitting.

  Latsoh studied Rhen’s face as he picked up his Astronomy textbook. If Rhen had a power, then he and Sage were the only elves in the Universe with powers. “We elves had great powers once,” she said. “When Themrock was free, he gave us more powers than any other species in the Universe.”

  “Themrock?” Tgfhi asked.

  “Themrock!” Latsoh said aghast. “Our Universal God, the Creator of our Universe and everything in it.”

  “Oh,” Tgfhi said. “He’s the Thestrans’ God, right?”

  “He’s the God for all of us,” Latsoh told him, sounding cross. “Themrock was the strongest Genister. He created us. You can’t worship anyone else. When Themrock returns from the prison he’s been locked into, he’ll restore everything.”

  “I’ve never heard of him before,” Tgfhi told her. “If he’s so powerful, how did he get locked into a prison?”

  “He is powerful,” Latsoh said.

  “Can’t be that powerful,” Tgfhi said.

  “Well, he is,” Latsoh said. “He created our Universe. He created all of us. We have songs passed down through generations that speak about it. He was so strong that his very essence held the other Genisters together. After he was tricked and imprisoned, the other Genisters just drifted away. Themrock promised us he would return one day, and when he does, you’ll see. You’ll bow before him as you should.”

  “Uh… yeah,” Tgfhi said. “Sure.” He turned to Rhen. “The Surpens have a Universal God they worship. Don’t they?” Rhen nod
ded. “Is he also called Themrock?”

  “No,” Ceceta said. She watched Rhen reach up to rub at the back of his head and wondered whether he should see a doctor about his headaches. “He doesn’t have a name.”

  “Well, when you conquered our planet, you set up shrines to him, and we noticed that he looks very… strong.”

  Rhen smiled at Tgfhi’s description of their God before saying, “He is strong Tgfhi.”

  “Strong enough that he wouldn’t be locked away in a prison, right?”

  “Tgfhi!” Latsoh yelled.

  “The Pontians believe another Genister locked Themrock away from us,” Erfce said. “Is that what you believe Latsoh?”

  “Well,” she said turning to Erfce. “Some of us believe it was another Genister and others think it was a force from a different dimension. I guess Themrock will tell us what happened when he returns.”

  “If, he returns,” Tgfhi said.

  Crystam kicked Tgfhi under the coffee table. “Aren’t we going to be late for the B.A.C. meeting?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Tgfhi exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

  Everyone except for Rhen rose to go. “Don’t you want to come? We’ll be able to meet more students there,” Ceceta asked him.

  Rhen shook his head. “No. You go have fun. I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay. See you soon.” Ceceta leaned over to give him a kiss. “I can’t wait to see what they do at the meeting.” She heard Rhen chuckling as she followed the others out the door.

  Chapter 16

  Elfin University – Library

  When Ceceta and her friends entered the University’s library, they found most of the student body milling about. Tgfhi knew where to go, so they followed him through the lobby, down the right side of the stacks to the back wall and up a flight of stairs onto one of the library’s many balconies. Three wooden tables had been turned sideways and placed against the metal balcony railing. The leaders of the Black Angel Club were standing around them talking.

  “Ceceta,” Charlie cried out when he saw her. He waved her over to where he was sitting at a table on the right. “Hey everybody, this is my sister-in-law Ceceta.”

  Ceceta blushed with embarrassment, but she was pleased when the students around Charlie introduced themselves.

  “Is Rhen here with you?” Charlie asked. “I want to introduce him to everyone before the meeting starts.”

  “No, he couldn’t make it tonight. Maybe another time,” she said. Ceceta picked up the papers on the table before her. Most of them were about the Black Angel. She was surprised by their stories. She hadn’t heard about some of the Angel’s adventures and read them with interest.

  “You came with Tgfhi?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He’s a good guy,” Charlie told her. “He runs these meetings with Stanley.”

  “Really?” Ceceta turned to look for Tgfhi. She found him deep in conversation with Charlie’s friend Stanley.

  Stanley patted Tgfhi on the shoulder, then climbed up on top of the tables to call the meeting to order. He told the newcomers about the purpose of the Black Angel Club and ran through the last five rescues the Black Angel had performed. After that, Stanley asked the room if anyone had information on rescues the Angel had performed yesterday that might not have been in the news.

  Three students spoke up. One boy told them that his cousin’s family had been attacked by Vivists while they’d been on their way to a conference on Solar System 35. The Angel had saved them. Another student announced that a mass murderer on her home planet had been caught by the Angel yesterday, before he could torture and kill her neighbor’s son. The third student, a Nosduh, told everyone the Angel had rescued 12 Nosduh ships, which had gotten too close to The Ultimate Blackness on the edge of the Universe and were being sucked in.

  Everyone clapped for the Black Angel and Ceceta found herself giggling. Charlie gave her a look. “Why are you laughing?” he whispered.

  “Oh, it’s just that, you’re all clapping for him right now and he doesn’t even know it. It seems… silly. That’s all.”

  “But the Black Angel does know it,” Tgfhi said from behind her. He stepped past Ceceta to climb on top of the table beside Stanley. “The Black Angel can hear and see everything. The Black Angel is a Universal God,” Tgfhi announced causing the students to break out in applause.

  “Now, Tgfhi,” Stanley said in a placating tone when the clapping had died down. “We haven’t determined that yet. The Angel has more powers than any other individual in our Universe, but the Angel is not a Universal God. There aren’t any Universal Gods left. All of the Genisters are dead.”

  As some of the students murmured in agreement, Tgfhi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He disagreed but didn’t want to argue with Stanley during the meeting.

  They reviewed the powers the Black Angel had used during yesterday’s rescues, then debated on what additional powers they thought he or she might have. The debate was followed by a dialogue on whether the Angel was a man or a woman. A discussion on the Angel’s clothing came next. Stanley seemed to feel that if they could determine which planets the Angel got his or her clothes from, they could figure out where the Angel lived.

  “The Angel’s pants are Zorthan,” a student yelled out.

  “No, they’re not. They’re from Giaps,” another student hollered back.

  Twenty minutes later, Ceceta decided she was bored. She got up to leave, but Tgfhi stopped her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m sorry Tgfhi. I don’t really need to know where he comes from. All I need to know is that he’s going to save me if something bad happens.”

  “But don’t you want to know who the Angel is?” Stanley asked.

  “No. He doesn’t want us to know who he is, so I plan on respecting his privacy.”

  “Then why did you come to our meeting?” Stanley demanded.

  “I’m not really sure why,” Ceceta replied. “I guess I was curious to see why he’s so famous.”

  “Because the Angel’s a super power that saves people and won’t let anyone know his or her identity,” Charlie said as if it were obvious, while at the same time knocking the papers in front of him off the table.

  “Yeah,” Ceceta said, when Charlie sat back up with the papers in his hands. “And isn’t it great? Don’t you think he’s amazing?” She paused to look at their confused faces. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you formed this Club. He should know people support him. Perhaps he won’t stop doing it after all.”

  Ceceta cringed as everyone turned to stare at her. She’d said too much. Dropping her head down, she let her hair cover her face as she studied her shoes.

  “Ceceta, is there something you’re not telling us? You keep calling the Angel a ‘he’. Do the Surpens know the Black Angel’s identity?” Stanley asked, trying to sound casual.

  Ceceta forced a laugh and lifted her head. “No, silly,” she told him. “The Surpens don’t know the Black Angel’s identity. They assume he’s a man, because that’s their way.”

  “So why do you think he might stop saving people?” Tgfhi asked her.

  “Well, three months ago he wasn’t saving as many people as he had been, and I got the feeling he was getting tired of it. From what I heard tonight, though, I was clearly mistaken.”

  Tgfhi grinned. “I knew you were a fan. Only people who follow the Angel know that the Angel slowed down for a while. The news companies never publicized it, but his fans knew.”

  “Well,” Stanley said. “As you said, we need as many people as possible to join us, to show our support for the Angel. We don’t want the Angel to stop saving people. You don’t have to participate in our discussions about where the Angel comes from, but please come to our meetings to show the Angel how much you appreciate everything he or she is doing.”

  “Okay,” Ceceta said. She sat back down next to Charlie. “It’s the least I can do for the Angel.”

  An hour later Stanley brough
t the meeting to a close. Ceceta said good night to her friends and headed back to her apartment. She opened her apartment door and walked in. Rhen was no longer sitting on the floor by the coffee table, so she went into her bedroom. Before she could reach for the light switch someone thrust her up against the wall, pinning her. Ceceta shrieked, then chuckled, her eyes adjusting enough for her to see that her captor was a tall person dressed in black clothing. He smelled like wet pine needles and his cape felt hard, as if it had been frozen.

  Pulling her attacker in closer and smiling into his covered face, Ceceta said, “Hello, my Black Angel.” From the chill of his clothing, she knew he had been rescuing people at a rapid rate in order to get back to her before she went to sleep.

  “I sensed you needed to be saved,” Rhen said with complete seriousness.

  Ceceta giggled. “Oh, I do,” she said, nodding her head and pulling down on his black scarf to see his lips. The smooth sloping lines of Rhen’s lips looked enticing in the shadowed room. “I desperately do,” Ceceta breathed out towards Rhen’s ear.

  Rhen threw back the icy hood of his cape and pulled off his scarf and sunglasses. He bent his head down, lowering his mouth to hers. They kissed as if they’d been apart for years rather than hours. Rhen placed his palms against the wall on either side of Ceceta’s head. When he lifted his head to break their kiss, Ceceta followed him with her lips until she could no longer reach him.

  “So? Are you saved now?” Rhen asked, his eyes searching her face, scanning the beauty of her perfect nose, intense dark eyes and smooth blue cheeks.

  “Not quite yet,” Ceceta said. She reached out and unbuckled his black pants, allowing them to drop down to his knees. Rhen went to grab her hands, but she ducked under his arm and, laughing with glee, threw herself onto their bed. “Can you save me over here?” she asked, lowering her robes off her shoulders to show him more cleavage.

  Rhen grinned and shrugged off the rest of his Black Angel outfit. As his clothes fell to the ground, they disappeared. He jumped onto the bed beside Ceceta and used his powers to make her clothes vanish as well, then pulled Ceceta on top of him.