"I'm sorry to hear that." It explained why the girl lived with her aunt and uncle, anyway.
"My brother loved her as his own. I took her in when she was five."
"Did you meet her mother?"
"Padina and I were good friends. In fact, I think I was her closest friend here."
She had struck a nerve. The emotions flowed now. She would have to tread lightly. Most people became defensive if they perceived a threat. They'd close up if that happened and answer no more questions. "Did Raea's mother—Padina—ever perform any healing miracles?"
Debbie clamped her jaw and shook her head. A moment later, she relaxed. "No, but Padina was a loving woman. The only miracle I ever saw was the birth of her baby girl."
The aunt lied. Debbie Logan knew something but refused to share that secret. Did the girl have the healing touch? It would make a bigger story than the elusive angel. She could dig that up later, though. For now, she'd play along. "Babies are miracles, aren't they?"
Debbie smiled at the young boy next to her.
"I see you have a lot of love in your heart, Mrs. Logan...Debbie. But I think I've bothered you enough. Thank you for your time."
"It was a pleasure."
And that pleasure was all Nina's. This town had a few discoveries to be made. She'd have to contact Ted tomorrow.
Nina strode to the door, eager to catch up with Raea. The boy followed but hesitated before stepping out with her.
"Thanks, Mrs. Logan."
"Anytime, Josh."
Outside in the cold North Dakota air, Nina shivered and turned to Josh as he shut the door behind him. "I'd like to talk to Raea tonight yet. Where would they have gone?"
"Oh...here." He hurried down the steps and around a soupy, slushy mess of lawn to the house next door.
How convenient. "Next door?"
"Yeah. The old widow took him in. Now, Mrs. Johnson is someone you should talk to. She never misses church and is always early for the rosaries. She prays for everyone. I'll bet she could tell you about angels."
Interesting. An old Catholic widow with strong religious faith should make for quite the conversation. Even if it wasn't the conversation she wanted right now.
After he knocked, they waited a while for the door to open. While the kid rang the bell, Nina glanced around and shivered. How long did winter last in that area? Back home it was already pleasantly warm, and what little snow they had was long gone. She would gladly have done this in the summer, but her producer wanted the show to air during Holy Week.
When no one answered after a minute, the kid opened the door a crack. Didn't anyone lock their doors?
"Mrs. Johnson? Hello? Raea? Elis?"
"Yes. Yes. Just a minute, dear."
He stepped back and flashed a smile to Nina.
Soon, a gray-haired old woman hunched over a cane appeared in the doorway and adjusted her white cardigan. A smile lifted her sagging cheeks. "Josh. What can I do for you, dear?"
"Mrs. Johnson, this is Nina Russet of the Xplorer Channel. She's here to gather information for the Dark Angel special of Miracles and Other Wonders."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnson."
"Evelyn, dear."
An old woman boarding a lone man who escaped from a foreign country at war. Wow! She had only scratched the surface of stories in this town. "It's my pleasure, Evelyn. I'd like to ask you a few questions about angels, but right now I'm more interested in speaking with Raea. Can I come in?"
"She's not here. I'm surprised you didn't catch her already."
Not there? Now she knew the girl was hiding something, and mister tall, dark, and non-boyfriend boyfriend helped her. None of their stories matched. "Do you know where they might have gone?"
"Out walking, probably. You'd be better off coming back after church in the morning."
"I'd love to sit down and chat with you."
Evelyn smiled. "I'll look forward to it. I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."
"Thanks, Mrs. Johnson," Josh said.
"Okay. Good night, dear." She shut the door.
"Sorry, Miss Russet. I don't know what to say. I thought I knew Raea better. I have no idea what's going on."
"That's okay. You gave me a lot of good leads, Josh. I have some thinking to do tonight, but I'll call you tomorrow if I have any more questions." She almost felt sorry for the kid. From all he had said, Raea was one of his best friends. Tough breaks that she lied to him to hide whatever it was Nina intended to find.
First Flight
Elis stood before her with black wings.
Raea stared, hardly believing what her eyes told her. "You are the 'angel' everyone's talking about."
"Yes."
"You found the little girl in the cornfield and pulled that woman from her burning home and helped that kid who crashed his motorcycle on the gravel road."
His smile in the moonlight shone with amusement. "You sound surprised."
"I am. But after yesterday, I kind of expected it. But to see you like this. It's...What's the word..." The right word didn't exist, at least not in her shock-fuzzed brain. "I'm just...That was you."
"I was out flying at night to avoid being seen clearly. I didn't plan to do anything." He paused and his voice dropped. "There are certain responsibilities Keepers bear. Our job is to help anyone in need."
"How do you avoid being recognized?"
"Another time. Tonight, we fly."
Excitement raced through her, along with trepidation. Again the pain. Did she want to go through that? The resounding answer was "Yes." Otherwise she wouldn't have changed coats. His hung on her like a gunny sack, but it had a faint musky/outdoors scent she would forever associate as him. She offered her hands, wishing it didn't have to be like this but anxious for the end result. "Get it over with."
"You could try yourself." He pulled off his gloves, in spite of his suggestion.
"No. I'm not ready." She could hardly tolerate the pain when she wasn't in control. How would she manage the pain and focusing on the resonance? Raea put her hands to his.
"All right." The warmth of the resonance passed from his hands through her and concentrated on her back. It hurt. She clenched her teeth on the scream fighting to tear out of her. Now was not the time to attract unwanted attention. The pain! How did he do it?
It ended when she thought she couldn't take it anymore. She adjusted her posture with the weight. How did he stand upright?
["Start with simple movements. Stretch and flex."]
Yeah, simple. Right. Raea had to use all her concentration to make anything happen, like in her room yesterday. She could do it, but the movements were uncoordinated.
["Good. I might think you've flown before."]
["I think I did."] Raea paused as the vision from yesterday returned, along with memories from before it. She remembered woods, the smell of pine on a gentle breeze around her. The flapping of wings...
["You can't catch me."] Her mother's giggle came from above.
Raea laughed and flapped furiously to catch up to the woman with brown and white wings gliding away from her. Panic swept through her as the woman drew further away. ["Momma. Back. My want. My want momma."] Tears stung Raea's eyes. She grew tired from flapping her wings and couldn't catch up. Her mother would leave her.
Padina turned sharply and dove for her, sweeping her into the comfort of her arms to soothe her tears. ["Sssh. I'm here, my darling. It's all right. Oh, Raea. I wouldn't leave you."] The flap of giant wings faded as they lowered to the ground, to Scott waiting.
The memories wrapped her heart in grief and squeezed as if to wring out her tears. Her mother had left her a couple years later. ["Yeah, I did, before she hid my wings. I thought it was a dream."]
["Do you remember how?"]
Something in her remembered. She swallowed her grief. Damned be the memories that never faded. The Starfire didn't help that matter.
Arching the wings up and straightening them to push down lifted her feet from the ground
a few inches. She touched down again a second later. That was easier than she expected.
["Excellent."]
His smile filled her with confidence and chased away the grief.
It didn't take long for her to gain altitude. Elis flew close beside her and insisted on going high above to avoid attention. Avoiding attention she agreed with. The altitude she could do without. But the rush of the wind chased away her hesitations. They flew over the countryside, practicing gliding and diving. The feeling of complete freedom rushed through her, clearing out any lingering acrophobia. They flew over slushy fields and around the naked shelterbelts of farmsteads. She didn't want to quit, but the fatigue of her muscles forced her to end the night's session after less than an hour.
Elis landed near her. ["You did great."]
["Let's just hope no one saw that last dive."] When she lost the air currents and tumbled a few seconds before regaining her bearings. She swore her heart had stopped.
["It happens to practiced fliers. The winds can change unexpectedly."]
["Yeah?"] He just said that to make her feel better. It worked. She stretched her wings to loosen the ache of her back. She was going to be sore tomorrow. ["What's that smile for?"] She felt the warmth rising inside her. Why couldn't he look away? Like playing chicken, she didn't want to give up, but self-consciousness made her give first.
["Tomorrow night?"]
["Yes!"] Don't sound so excited. It was only Elis. ["I mean, if the weather's good."]
His marks glowed and the black wings shrank to nothing. He made it look easy, or less painful. Either way, those wings disappeared without him showing much for it.
["Ready?"]
She hated this part. ["Do it."] Get it over with.
He took her hands and helped her through the transformation. It hurt no less than before, but now she knew what to expect.
Afterwards, she breathed deeply and the pain faded.
Her coat hung on the fence post where she had left it. Swapping was another story. It had chilled in the winter air.
["Find the resonance. Let it warm you."] He pulled his fingerless, black gloves on, hiding the Starburst marks again.
Good idea. Her Starburst marks glowed for the few seconds it took to generate extra warmth. ["Wow. This is useful."]
["Be careful. Too much energy built up is dangerous. You'll learn to release it, though, and control what you need."]
["Oh? What can you do with it?"]
["Almost anything you can imagine. It's pure energy, Raea. That's what the Starfire entities are."]
What had Miss Russet said about healing hands? ["Can it be used to heal?"]
["That's actually one of the reasons Keepers are called on most often."]
["Really? That Nina Russet said the marks on my hands remind her of some primitive art about healing hands."]
Elis shrugged. ["I wouldn't doubt it. Keepers have been coming to Earth for thousands of years. We've been deified by many cultures...Angels?"]
["Yeah. That. All right, Mister 'Dark Angel'—"]
His laugh was exactly what she expected from her joke, from any of her friends. Coming from him was strange. He never laughed at school. She liked it on him. "Let's get home. I'm tired and sore. But promise me you'll teach me how to heal?"
"In time, you'll learn everything. With the help of the Starfire, you'll probably pass my knowledge."
Right. As if that could happen.
On the walk home, she thought back to every nuance of flying and what she had learned. The last two days were better than anything she could remember, except for her mother. Memories hurt. Now, the only thing that would make it totally better would be to see Pallin again. The phone was hers tonight.
* * *
Raea frowned at the pillow of gray overhead. Great. More snow. That's all she needed on a Sunday afternoon with Pallin. At least she was with Pallin now.
And for now, she had some time away from Josh and—Ugh—Nina Russet. That woman grated on her nerves.
Don't think of her. She's not here. Unfortunately, she could swoop in at any second and question her. Not what Raea needed while out walking with Pallin. What would he think?
What did he think? He hadn't said a word about her hands, but he also made no move to touch them. Unlike every single other person she had ever met, he acted as if he saw nothing. Maybe he was just being polite. That had to be it.
He had met her at the school, arriving by shuttle from the hotel. Debbie insisted she stick to the neighborhood, especially since Raea walked. Her back ached from last night, but not enough to keep her from seeing Pallin again. Monday would have been too long to wait.
"You like new coat?" Pallin glanced down at the black and gray nylon coat. "It is keeping me much warm."
She adored that accent and the flaws in his English. "It's very nice on you."
"Hmm...We walk in cold. I being not used to cold." He shivered.
"It's a chance to talk. How long are you staying?"
"A couple weeks."
"Oh." That's all? Why couldn't he stay to the end of the year? Graduation was only two months away, if that. "Then you'll go somewhere else and forget about me."
"No. Not to be forgetting."
Not forgetting her? But what would happen? "Sure you will. You'll go to a new school, make new friends..."
"No. Not like here. Not like you." His smile made her knees weaken. She had to walk to stay on her feet.
"So, what did you do yesterday?" Did he meet anyone else? Was she only one girl of many he intended to see? No. Don't think that way. Besides, she would have heard rumors at school.
"I do homework at hotel...and think."
"About what?"
"About you, about other night."
He thought about her. Raea bit her lip to keep from squealing with glee.
"I wonder if not to be talking to you."
"Why?" There went her excitement like a lead brick in her gut.
"Other man say not to be seeing you?"
"Other man?"
"Special friend man."
"But I don't..." Elis wouldn't. He couldn't. "Know anyone."
Would he? No. He couldn't have. Why would he interfere? Why would he confront Pallin? The answer was simple—he was there to protect her. It made sense now. But she had to be sure. For all she knew, it could have been Josh. That's something he would do. Maybe. But Josh knew how much she liked Pallin, and Josh liked Pallin. It had to be Elis.
"Did he have sort of messy black hair that hung over dark eyes? Kind of on the tall, lean side?" Anger bit at the edge of her voice. Elis—no one—had any right interfering in her relationships.
"Yes. This is friend?"
"No."
Pallin's lips curved up into a smirk. "Then I should listening not of him?"
"No. It's my life." She would have a strict talk with Elis later about the boundaries he couldn't cross, this being one of them. "What did he say?"
"Not to hurting you. He watching will me."
"Oh. He will, will he?" She glanced behind. No one. Was Elis watching her with Pallin? She so wanted to catch him and give him a piece of her mind then and there.
No one was out. Well, there was that. She had her privacy for now.
"Something is not right?"
"No. Sorry. I'm a little pissed right now at him. That's all."
"I am glad not to being with not free girl. He is being not with you in school. This is good."
"Oh, I'm free...free to choose my own friends. He's not one of them, not like you think."
"Then I can be enjoying time."
"Yes, you can. Let's enjoy the time we have." And she would take out her fury later.
The late morning passed quickly. While Raea would have liked to invite Pallin for lunch, she didn't want anyone bothering him yet. She wasn't ready for him to meet her family, especially Dave. Pallin excused himself, saying he had a lot of work to finish before night anyway, which she could understand since he was playing catch up w
hile there.
Raea walked home alone and scowled at the yellow house next door, as if she could burn Elis with her thoughts. It had been him. But he wouldn't get away with this insult. Just because she needed him to teach her how to control the Starfire didn't mean she had to like him.
Whose white car sat out front? She'd never…She had seen it before. Last night.
The sticker on it displayed the logo of a rental company. It was a borrowed car.
Oh, no. Not now. Which house were they in? Nina Russet would not corner her again. Raea's best bet to avoid her lay in heading straight to Evelyn's. But that thought sparked her anger. Elis would be there. Right now she was in no mood to be reasonable.
She had no choice. She hated Miss Russet more.
Dammit, Elis. Why did he have to go and try to scare off Pallin? He had a lot of explaining to do.
She marched up the steps. Before she lifted her hand to knock, he opened the door.
"You were watching me."
"Get in."
She hated the situation, but stepped inside quickly. He shut the door behind her.
"You bastard." The smack of her palm against his cheek gave her some satisfaction. The bewilderment on his face added to it. That felt good. "How dare you tell Pallin to stay away from me!"
"I was trying to protect you."
"Don't." And don't give me that hurt look.
With his left cheek reddening, he left her for the sitting room. He wasn't getting away from her that easily. She wanted an explanation; and—by God—she was going to get it. "What makes you think I need protecting?"
"Debbie." Elis sat down on the couch in front of the television.
Debbie? What did she have to do with this? Raea waited for him to explain.
"She asked me to make sure you were all right." He spoke in a calm voice, free of any anger.
Why couldn't he argue with her? Damn it, Elis. Why did he have to be calm about this? It cooled the anger she wanted to feel. She hated that.
"She was worried, and so was I." The look on his face begged forgiveness. Raea fought to keep her anger. "But I watched him and...there's something...I'm not sure yet."
Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) Page 8