["Leksel. Cris. Both of you. Stop!"] She screamed to no effect. Damn them!
Tears burned her eyes. If they killed each other, who would help her? All their trouble rescuing her would be for nothing. She'd never see Elis, much less apologize for hurting him. And she didn't want either of them hurt.
["Just stop! Damn it!"] Both of them bled now, their uniforms battered and smudged with their blood mixed with dirt from rolling on the ground. Feathers lay scattered and bent over the ground.
They acted deaf to her pleas. Why was this happening? All she wanted was to go home.
This was almost as bad as seeing Elis take on Pallin.
Something happened while she wiped her eyes—they moved too quickly. One second they circled, the next, Leksel knelt over Cris, who laid on his back with his arms over his face.
Leksel pounded him.
Oh, God! She couldn't stand this. A few people had emerged from their homes, but no one tried to stop them. ["Stop it, Leksel!"] She shrieked the command, but he continued punching Cris, who struggled to free himself; but the moment he moved his arm, Leksel took a shot at his face.
She had to do something. But what? Cris couldn't take much more by the blood and bruising and his slow reactions to defend himself. Seeing no other choice, Raea ran at Leksel and jumped on his back, her arms around his neck. ["Stop it. You're killing him. Stop! Please stop."] Tears burned down her cheeks.
What the hell was she thinking? She was no match for Leksel.
He pulled his arm back.
["No. Don't. Stop fighting."] Her voice choked. She squeezed around his neck, afraid of hurting him but afraid of him hurting Cris more.
His muscles slackened. Had he finally listened?
No. He punched down.
But not at Cris. Instead, his fist slammed into the ground near Cris's head. Leksel's back rose and fell with his rapid breathing and his wings fell limp.
["No more,"] she begged.
Leksel shifted and sat back. He pried her arms off his neck. No way. Not if he was going to pick up where he left off. Not until Cris was out from beneath him.
A couple of men, including Dargilis, helped Cris crawl away. Raea let go, sniffing and wiping the tears from her face. ["Idiot."]
Leksel watched Cris stumble away with Dargilis's support. After a few seconds, Leksel took a step.
Oh, no. Raea stepped in front of him, her hand out at his chest to stop him. Not again. Never again. She'd seen enough. ["Don't you dare."] What could she do if he was determined, though? She was no match for Leksel. So what. Cris might be a pain, but he didn't deserve the thrashing. ["I've had enough of this. Stay. Away."]
His cut and bruised lips twitched, but no words formed.
If that's how he wanted it, fine. She was tired of it all, but she wouldn't stand by and let them kill each other.
Raea stepped away, wary of him following. When he didn't, she hurried to help Cris.
Man, Leksel did a number on him. Bruises formed on his face, and his left eye swelled shut. Blood trickled from a cut in his bottom lip and another by his ear. He walked, or at least moved his feet, but Dargilis did most of the walking.
She took his other arm around her neck.
["Thanks."]
Raea swallowed the emotions choking her.
["I mean it…for stopping him."]
Not again. She couldn't stop crying and wiped her eyes. "What the hell were you thinking!" Like he understood English. She took a deep breath to calm herself. ["Why did you provoke him?"]
["I don't know. Maybe I needed to…It was coming sooner or later. I guess now was a good time to get it out."]
She wanted to hit him but refrained; he'd taken enough of a beating. ["What kind of answer is that? Are you insane?"]
The unbruised corner of his mouth lifted. ["Maybe."]
Maybe nothing. He must have been to take on Leksel like that.
["You think you can use some of that Keeper healing on me?"]
She could only wish. She hadn't progressed far enough in her training with Elis, especially while distracted by wanting to be with him and struggling to create a portal. ["I…haven't learned that yet."]
["Oh."] Cris dropped his head and let his shoulders drop. Did he expect an instant healing? Was that why he took on Leksel, because she was there to fix any damage? The idiot.
["I'm sorry."]
His silence stung. They passed unfamiliar faces staring at them. Not them; her. Or rather, her hands. She was a Keeper in Shirukan uniform. That should give them something to talk about.
The numbers of people piqued her curiosity about something. ["How many people live on this island?"]
Dargilis glanced past her to the people, his neighbors. ["This island is home to twenty families. We share the farm work, support each other."]
["That sounds…pleasant,"] Cris said.
["Far different than the cities, I hear."]
Pleasant? It sounded like a commune. What could be pleasant about that? Raea bit her tongue. This was Inar'Ahben, not Earth. Besides, wasn't her small hometown kind of that way—people helping people?
They reached the house and helped Cris into a room with a wide bed mat on the floor with pillows, blankets, and strange but familiar objects—toys?—strewn about. They laid him on the mat on his front and set a pillow under his head. Cris winced with each movement and finally relaxed when he lay flat on his stomach.
Odd. She hadn't thought about it, but the muscles on the back to support the wings would make laying on his back uncomfortable on more than a thin mat.
["Do you need anything?"] First he annoyed her, now the fight. But she couldn't stand seeing anyone beat up. There had to be more to it. He and Leksel must have known each other a while if Cris expected this day to come. Even she had felt the tension between them.
["Rest."]
If that's what he wanted, he could have it. Raea followed Dargilis to the door.
["You don't have to leave, though."]
Of course. Even when he was down. His body might be beat up, but his mind wasn't. Too bad she couldn't control the Starfire energy to heal. Although she disliked the idea of Cris hitting on her, she'd feel better, since she had accepted his idea of flying. In some small way, this was as much her fault as his.
She could try. Maybe the entities would guide her.
What if she hurt him instead? She couldn't live with herself. Killing Pallin had stripped her confidence in trusting the Starfire. She couldn't risk hurting Cris. He might be annoying, but he was a good person.
But they had yielded to her will in the recyc center, and he was meistal. He could absorb some of the power. She didn't know how to heal, but she knew how to control the level of power. The entities had shown her that. And Elis had said she learned fast with their help.
Would it be enough, though?
Raea bit her lip and stared at Cris, who had closed his eyes. Did she dare risk it?
If she didn't try, it would take as much as a week for him to recover, maybe longer, but Inari healed faster than humans, according to Elis. She didn't want to leave Cris behind, especially after losing Corsa, and be alone with Leksel. Nor did she want to risk the Shirukan catching Cris.
Only one option remained—she had to try.
Raea knelt down by his head. ["Cris?"]
["Hmm? You stayed?"] He smiled.
["Don't get any ideas. I…I want to try to heal you."]
He said nothing for a few seconds, but opened his healthy eye and stared at her. ["Try?"]
A single quote rose from her memories. Shut up, Yoda. Josh and his favorite movies…["I've never done it, but I've been helped by the Starfire entities in all my training. I'm sure they'll help me with this."]
He took a deep breath and let it out with a groan. ["Do it."]
["You're sure?"]
["As long as you are. I trust you."]
Her heart thumped against her chest, but she let out a deep breath to calm it. Raea sat cross-legged next to him and san
dwiched his closest hand between hers, and closed her eyes. Finding the resonance came easy. After all her practice, that feeling of a clarity of pitch trembled through her.
I need to heal. She focused on that thought and the warmth of Cris's hand.
The resonance warmed through her. Her hands tingled. That had never happened before. The warmth pulsed through the Starburst marks, while the resonance continued to warm her. The healing energy poured from her, until it washed out, leaving her chilled.
She opened her eyes and shivered from the cold aftereffect of releasing the energy.
Cris smiled and pulled his hand away. ["I knew you could."]
More confidence than I had. Maybe the Starfire was worth the trouble it caused. It had helped her, besides making her a target. She could do this.
He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. ["I'm sorry if I offended you."]
What?
Oh. Yes, he had, but she didn't want to argue with him while he recovered. ["Don't worry about it."]
["I won't."]
Of course. She left him lying there and closed the door behind her. Leksel stood in the hall. Rage boiled up inside her, but her fatigue stole it away. ["Come to finish what you started?"]
["He started it, but no…I came to find you."]
What? Her? Why? Confusion tangled questions in her head, particularly at the gentle tone of his voice. This wasn't the Leksel she'd come to know.
["I…Thank you."]
For what—healing Cris? ["I didn't know if it would work. I mean, I've never healed anyone—"]
["No…Yes. But I meant for stopping me."]
Oh.
He walked away without another word. Okay, now she didn't know what to think.
The only thing she knew with certainty was that she wanted to go home and leave all this behind.
__________
Distractions
"Elis!"
Damn it, Nare. He covered his head with the spare pillow. He could only hope Nare would take the hint.
The pillow yanked from his grasp, leaving her annoying face staring down at him. "Josh called. Are you going to school or not? And what should he tell the others about Raea?"
For once in his time there, he hated Monday. Why should he go to school when he didn't have any reason to be there without Raea?
Besides, Josh had pestered him enough yesterday with more questions. They wouldn't leave him alone. Elis barely had time to search online records for Matthew Stein, much less for the post office box in San Francisco. Those searches would take time. He'd wasted much of that time yesterday answering to Nare and Josh. Even when he hinted that he was busy, they wouldn't leave him alone.
He hoped to make up that time today, especially since nothing had any record of the phone number on Stein's business card, and he'd tried every reverse lookup he could find. He'd have to use other resources, those only available by calling during normal business hours.
First, he had to get rid of Nare. "I'm not going."
"Won't that look suspicious? Do you want people asking questions?"
He grabbed his pillow away and secured it over his head with his arm. "Leave me alone, Nare."
"No. The best thing you can do right now is to pretend nothing is wrong. Make an excuse. Raea hasn't been gone long. I haven't given up hope. Neither should you, you big…emo."
Was that the best insult she could think of?
Probably not, but he'd bet she was being polite in case Evelyn overheard. He'd scolded her already about Evelyn's standards. It felt good, for a change, to have that power.
She couldn't stand there all day. Sooner or later she'd have to leave.
Sooner than he expected, her steps faded out his door. Good. Now maybe he could get some rest.
What's the worst that could happen if he didn't go to school? Maybe someone called about Raea, and Debbie said she wasn't home, or rather no one would answer the phone until later since Debbie was at work. That might lead to questions about where she went, which may lead some to wonder about why she was gone and when or if she was coming back. Contradictory stories might surface. It may lead to other questions.
He didn't want that.
Damn you, Nare! Elis slammed the pillow on the bed beside him. She was right. He needed to pretend nothing was wrong. What would Josh tell others? They hadn't discussed an excuse for Raea's absence. And her friends would ask.
He'd have to go to school and pretend nothing was wrong. The information search would have to wait.
Elis checked his clock—twenty minutes. At the worst, he'd be a little late, but he could probably make it on time.
* * *
Elis stepped into the Biology classroom as the bell rang. The faint whiff of chemicals, particularly the formaldehyde from the jars on the back shelves, touched memories of the last two years. He closed the heavy wooden door behind him with a light thud.
Everyone was already seated. Raea's empty seat next to Josh served as a cold reminder that she was gone. Josh met his eyes and looked away. He passed the gazes of the otherwise full class and found his seat in the back.
Every fiber of his being objected to being there. The quick shower and change and a meal of what his stomach tolerated—his appetite had all but gone—left him plenty of time to reach the school that morning. He rushed through it all to distract himself from thinking about the other night.
Mister Maviar started the class without a word about Raea's absence. Josh must have said something.
As usual, the class subject interested him, providing a little distraction. Now that he was stuck on Earth, unless someone came to retrieve him, he might as well understand the world better. If the Shirukan were on Earth, he had all the more reason to learn about it, if only to know it better than them.
He should have been researching that information, not sitting in a class doing work.
After class, Josh intercepted him in the hall and pulled him aside. "I was worried you wouldn't come. Linds and Jess were asking about Raea."
"What'd you tell them?"
Josh glanced aside at the classmates passing them amid the clangs and bangs of metal lockers blending with the sudden din of voices. "I said her grandma in Jamestown is sick and she went out to see her, that she's staying there for a few days."
Debbie's mother. "Wouldn't Debbie also be there?"
Josh grimaced. "Maybe. But it's all I could think of on the spot."
"It'll have to do." He didn't have any better idea.
"I'm sure she'll be back."
If only to share Josh's optimism.
Elis took a deep breath to calm the tightening in his chest. Now was not the time to think about the slim chance of Raea surviving, much less returning.
"Take it easy. I'll see you later." Josh clapped him on the shoulder and hurried away.
So strange having others talk to him, and Raea wasn't around. He'd never felt like he belonged there, but Josh trusted him. Or was it because Josh now knew his secret? He'd been fascinated with the angel side—still was.
Elis wandered through the morning on autopilot, half his mind on the classes and the other half on the time he lost digging out Pallin's contact or contacts.
At lunch, he sat alone, in his usual place, but only picked at the sandwich. Too many ideas circled through his head. If the Shirukan were on Earth, what were they doing? Why didn't they simply attack the Keepers there? It didn't make sense. The Shirukan couldn't miss the reports of angel sightings around the world. If anything, they probably collected them. Or were they watching and waiting, and planning, for something big? What could they be planning?
How could he track them?
He had to know.
Or was there another party—humans perhaps—conspiring with the Shirukan? Was that part of Stein's and Torres's purpose?
"Hey!"
Elis blinked.
Josh set his tray on the table next to Elis's. "What's going on? Thinking about Raea again?"
"No." That sandwich held
a new appeal—occupying his mouth so he didn't have to explain to Josh everything in his head.
Josh leaned close, his eyes on his own overstuffed sandwich. "I haven't said anything to anyone about…you know."
"Thanks." Now for a bite.
Elis ate his food beyond feeling full, limiting his conversation with Josh. Probably for the best though, since he had hardly eaten the last few days.
Neither Linds nor Jess joined them, but sat with other girls and glanced their way on occasion.
"I told them we were talking about Dark Angel." Josh grinned as if Elis should be amused by the inside joke. "In a manner of speaking, it's the truth."
Why couldn't the lunch break be shorter? "I know you're trying to help, Josh, but it's not."
Josh's shoulders sank. "Oh…I'm sorry. It's just that, I guess I need someone to talk to…" He picked at the sandwich bun. "And after learning about you and her and all that stuff, I feel safer talking to you. You know? So I don't, like, shoot my mouth off to the wrong person."
Unfortunately, he made a good point. "You're right, but I…I don't want to talk about it, with anyone. I—we—may never see her again."
"Raea would slap you now if she heard you say that."
She probably would. Elis could see her growing livid and her lips tightening into a scowl seconds before her hand smacked his cheek. It reminded him of the one time she had slapped him. He'd give anything to have even that back. For a moment, the burn of her hand returned to his cheek. He rubbed the place where she had slapped him. Better to have her angry at him than gone.
Josh lowered his voice, his eyes on the sandwich in his hands. "If she escaped, how long would it be before she could return?"
A good question. Elis hadn't considered it. He'd been too busy answering all of Josh's other questions and trying to learn more about the two men looking for her and trying to dig up Pallin's contact in San Francisco.
"I don't know. I suppose a few days if she finds a quick way out of Naviketan and reaches Saffir; maybe a week or a little longer if she has trouble. The Shirukan have ways of tracking Keepers. The longer she's gone, the less her chances of coming back." Not only because of being captured, but also because the Shirukan would be after Saffir. Without a shard of the Starfire, a Keeper couldn't form a portal. Saffir was the only Crystal Keeper on Inar'Ahben.
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