by Dana Faletti
Luckily or not – I mean they did shake things up a bit - the Micros weren’t always around. For a while in the beginning, I’d catch myself talking out loud to them. It sucked when people were around to witness that, even though I knew they’d forget. Thank God I’d finally gotten used to speaking to them through my thoughts.
It had been about a month since my birthday, and I’d been killing lots of demons. It wasn’t daily that Silas or Jules dragged me out of science class or the bus line to go hunting, but it happened a few times a week. I was never ready, and they always caught me off guard. Once, Jules even appeared while I was taking a shower.
Yes, in the shower.
And, of course I felt totally inadequate. I mean, the woman has the perfect body, and I was all sudsy with shampoo running down my face. Geez. I was not a happy camper that time. And, of course, she thought it was just hilarious.
Micros…
But, I did prefer Jules to Silas when it came to fighting Raysers. Where Silas liked to stand on the sidelines, coaching, urging me with perfectly chosen words as to where and how to strike next, Jules loved to get in on the action. She’d flit around the darks’ ugly heads like a buzzing bee, confusing them. She’d laugh her throaty laugh, watching them swat the air around them dumbly. She’d tweak and twist their little bat ears from behind and crack up when they’d wince in horror.
Some Darks were pretty wimpy when it came to any physical pain, and Jules was good at random sharp shooter types of strikes like pinching and twisting the leathery skin behind their knees and nape of neck hair pulling – some of them did have body hair or maybe the right word would be fur – I don’t know. She made sure to stay out of sight, because apparently Raysers could sometimes see Micros. If they spotted a Micro, they’d know an Arc was around, and they’d lay on the horror in my head.
Just about twelve hours ago, Silas had gotten me out of bed in the middle of the night, and I was dragging a little this morning. They told me that my human “weaknesses” like fatigue and hunger would eventually fade, that at some point, I wouldn’t even register them. So far, no luck. I still totally dug my sleep, and I wasn’t anywhere near giving up a good burger and fries. They didn’t know what they were missing.
I raised my eyebrows at Jules before heading out the door behind my mother, silently and sarcastically inviting her to come to church. There was just nothing holy about her.
“I already have my wings, Callie. Thank you anyways.” And poof, she disappeared, leaving a trail of glitter only I could see...
“See ya.” I said to Silas, and he nodded to me before he was gone too.
I wondered where they went when they weren’t hanging out on my turf. Maybe I’d ask them later.
But they didn’t come back until much much later.
In the meantime, Johnston Deavers cornered me after church. With a mouthful of powdered donut, he began his weekly digging.
“Hey Callie. I noticed you brought Mila to church with you today.”
Thanks for the powder shower, dude. Gross… “Hey Johnston.” I scanned the church basement for any sign of Mila while I dusted Johnston’s breakfast off my shirt. “Yeah, she’s here… somewhere.” She was probably totally hunkered down in a crazy hiding spot right now, watching me field Deavers’ questions from afar.
“Do you think she’d go out with me, Callie?” He was fidgeting with the button on the wrist of his shirt and squinting out of his thick glasses at the ceiling.
Yeah... not in this century, Deaves. I felt kinda bad for him. He’d been crushing on Mila since the third grade. And she’d been avoiding him for just about as long.
“You never know, Deavers.” I couldn’t help but smile at this guy. He was your textbook science geek in his dark blue jeans and too tight button down that advertised his absent abs and hiked over his belly button when he lifted his arms. His messy curly hair was untamed but also uncool. With some effort, that doo could work for him, but he definitely needed some help with it. I was sure he had a couple of comic books on him stashed somewhere and probably also a calculator. He was so doomed as far as Mila was concerned. I mean, while he was probably going to spend his Sunday afternoon attempting to harvest some kind of macro nano energy stuff from dried corn cobs or something, Mila would probably be trying to tack down the subtle difference in lipstick shades between Perfect Plum and Miss Magenta. And, she’d have a hard time reading the word magenta. Yeah, they’d make a super interesting pair. He was sweet, though. I had to give him props for keeping the faith. “Keep at her, and maybe you’ll break her down, Deaves.”
Johnston Deavers shrugged and was gone. Mila was too. She’d texted me that she grabbed a ride home with Ella Fallon’s family after she saw me talking to Johnston. Mila couldn’t stand confrontations with him, because he’d use words that totally threw her off, and she never knew how to respond. It was highly entertaining to see her fumble and stumble. Anyways, Johnston had totally scared her off, and I didn’t see her for the rest of the day.
After church, Dad met us at Hibachi, our favorite restaurant.
“Jack, quit flicking soybeans at your brother please.” My poor mother.
“They’re edamame, Mom, aye?” Sam laughed at his own play on words. Lame.
“Whatever just don’t flick them.”
“Callie,” Dad nodded towards me with a mouthful of noodles. “Haven’t heard you yapping about that permit test lately. You taking it again or what?”
I’d been so preoccupied with Raysers and Micros, I’d kind of forgotten. Plus, the whole travel by apparition thing… totally kicked arsenal. Kind of made driving seem sorta beat “Yeah, I’m gonna take it again. I just have to study the book.”
“No more headaches lately?” Mom was shoveling rice and veggies, trying to sound nonchalant. I knew she was freaked out about the headaches, worried they were seizure related and what if I had one while driving and blah de blah blah….
“Nope. Free and clear of headaches, Mom.” At least I knew the story on the headaches now. Silas had explained it all to me. Apparently, the headaches I had before finding out I was an Arc were my mind’s way of stretching out to allow for the change I was about to face. It remembered and knew what was coming, even though I’d totally forgotten. Even now, when Silas or Jules appeared or when there were Darks near, my head would start to pound. Anything supernatural would throw me into what I now considered to be one of the milder types of headaches I’d experienced. The serious ones were the torture the Raysers threw at me in battle. Anytime they sensed they were being attacked by an Arc, they’d lay it on heavy, and it was crazy worse than the other ones. Sometimes I thought my head would just explode, pop right off my shoulders. Sometimes, I was sure the violent images they tossed at me would make me insane. “Nope. Free and clear of headaches, Mom.” I elbowed Sam who fell sideways into Jack. “Other than these two, I mean.”
They both snickered, and Jack flicked an edamame, which hit me square between the eyes. Nice shot, little dude.
“Jack Anthony Evans!” Mom’s veins were popping out on her forehead.
I picked up the salty soybean and popped it into my mouth, grinning at him. Much as my brothers sometimes bugged the shugar out of me, they definitely made life interesting.
That night, Si’s voice cut through the thickness of sleep, his near British accent weaving through my dreams and planting its oh so proper alarm in my ear. Two nights in a row?
--
“Open your eyes, Calliope.”
Rolling over and pulling the covers up over my head, I groaned. “It’s Callie – just Callie.” Why did he still not get it?
“Okay, just Callie. Open your eyes. It’s time to save some hopeless teens from their own personal demons.” Chortle... Chuckle. God, angels love themselves. Isn’t there something wrong with that… like vanity being sinful and all?
I shook my head and sighed, throwing the covers off. “Really Si, you’re not funny. Stick with the whole goodness thing and just don’t try to b
e funny.”
He was visibly offended, feathers totally ruffled. Si ran his elegant little hand through his perfectly coiffed blonde feathered locks, curling the ends with his pinky finger as he looked away at nothing. I had to stifle a laugh at his attempts at nonchalance. Micros were so vain and easy to rattle. “Just pulling your chain, Si.”
“Well, Calliope, we should make haste.” He snapped the blinds open with two teeny fingers and squinted into the darkness. “According to my instructions, we have no time to waste. Perhaps some dungarees and a blouse - ”
“First of all, isn’t somebody up there in charge of colloquialism or something? I mean, really? Dungarees, Si? Come on, it’s not nineteen seventy five. Somebody should head up a class – current human language- it’d be really great if they’d update it every decade or so.” I snickered and stretched. “I think you want me to throw on some jeans and a tee shirt, right?”
Si rolled his eyes deeply. “Yes, Calliope, blue jeans. Let’s get changed now. And, I’ll take up the class idea with management. It’s actually not a bad idea.” He motioned for me to hurry up. At least he was giving me a minute to throw clothes on this time.
“Okay, Si.” I waved him towards my bedroom door. “Get out while I change.”
“Really Calliope, being invisible and eternal, it isn’t as if I’ve never seen – “
“I know you’re supernatural and all, but I’m still not down with getting naked in front of you.” Honestly, Micros think they have seen and done it all, and maybe Si has. But, that doesn’t mean the first guy who sees my undies has to be a … well… Silas. I’m holding out for a younger angel anyways. “Out, Si.”
Ten minutes and two outfits later (this teenage angel still likes to look good), I was shimmying down the trellis from my bedroom window to our patio out back. What some of the girls at school wouldn’t give for their parents to be under the same cloak of naiveté mine were! Silas and Jules had planted it on them weeks ago, and I still couldn’t get over how thoroughly thick my parents were lately when it came to my behavior. My mother was always so far up my arsenal, she usually knew my plans before I did. I never could have gotten away with sneaking out before all of this. And, all of the talking to myself… I’d have been committed by now. But because of the Micro’s simple suggestion, Mom and Dad were sound asleep right now and would never imagine I was sneaking out.
“So, where we going?” I asked. Usually he just touched me to the scene of the crime, but tonight Silas wanted to prep talk me, so we were kickin’ it by foot.
“Callie, let me explain.” Silas faced me and flew backwards, his fairylike wings fluttering. We fell into step like this, almost dancing, with Si’s little fairy body doing the backstroke, facing me while I followed his lead and his story down my street into town.
“She’s only thirteen years old, the poor creature. And yet, I think it all started when she was three, just a baby really.” Abruptly, he stopped and perched, still and quiet in mid air. “I’ll have to show you.” He looked away, strangely somber and then touched his tiny hand to my forehead. “I am sorry Calliope.”
The ringing in my ears came first but only for a split second before the blinding heat of the headache overtook me. My face in my hands, I fell to the ground in pain. The memories seemed to last so much longer than the mere seconds that had passed when it was all over. Tears drenched my shirt and sweat puddled inside my fists, now unclenched.
Physical pain had morphed to anger first then to just plain sorrow. I remembered then just how ugly this world really can be. It took a child’s memories to remind me. I stood up and pawed at my face, trying to wipe away the tears.
“What’s her name, Si?” I nearly whispered.
“Georgia.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and just breathed.
I guess it came as sort of a relief to me when I found out about the demons. I mean, maybe that sounds crazy to most people, but what’s crazy to me is this:
People. Kill. Each. Other.
Every freakin day, people were killing each other, in a number of ways both practical and gruesome; both premeditated and out of something called insanity. How insane does a mother have to be to hurt her child? How can a husband kiss his wife one minute and then smack her senseless the next? This nightly news shugar was what was crazy to me. When I found out that demons or as Silas calls them “Darks” were doing their own kind of cloaking, I totally got that. On the surface, it might have seemed a bit batty, but it gave me the explanation I needed for all of the ugliness.
For as much as my mother has sheltered me from harsh reality in my thirteen years of life, she was a news fanatic. National, local, conservative, liberal – whatever – she’d watch it. And, if there was breaking news – don’t block her view of the TV or watch out for unidentified “aimed at you” flying objects, because she’d knock you dead out of her way. She liked to stay informed, I guess. Anyways, I’d seen the news. I knew about planes being flown into buildings. I knew about pregnant mothers who were lost and then unfortunately found with no happy ending. I knew about these things and others, and I could understand “the devil made me do it.” What I couldn’t understand was this sort of horror actually existing inside a human heart.
So, cloaking - basically a strong suggestion with supernatural power that really works. I mean, we knew where the power came from, and He’s just really good at getting the job done – any job. When Jules and Silas first revealed themselves and my identity to me, they had already cloaked my parents and brothers into remaining unaware of my future actions – be they bizarre or secretive. So, all of the “What the freak are you?” and “I’m losing my freakin mind” - the yelling and carrying on over the course of the first few days was completely lost to them. Thank God, too – really – because Jack and Sam would have totally had my crazy arsenal on YouTube in a matter of three seconds. Video description: “Wack job sister threatens invisible fairies with steak knife – A MUST SEE! Seriously, thank you God for cloaking.
But, Silas explained to me, with the darks, cloaking is different. Actually, I think cloaking is the same, but the power source is different, of course, and that’s the trouble – literally. The supernatural power is still really strong, and if there’s no defensive line around the subject to protect him, forget it, he’s toast.
“So, right now there are how many Darks, Si?” I didn’t ask out of fear anymore. I just wanted to be prepared.
“There are three that are plaguing her right now. They are whispering, Calliope, and she is suffering. They tell her to bleed herself to right the pain. In this way, she feels only the physical pain of the cutting, not the actual source of the pain.”
“The abuse.”
“Yes.” Silas grimaced. “I swoon at the sight of blood, you know.”
Are you kidding me? Of all the Micro Angels in heaven, God sent me the wuss? Unbelievable. Was there a beatitude that fit this? Let there be comedy relief in the presence of all tragedy… and the wimps shall inherit the earth... blah blah. Go figure. I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, Si.” We were doing our backwards fly, forwards walk thing again. “You can keep your eyes closed during the gory parts. Just come to my rescue if you hear me scream, got it?”
“Thanks for understanding Calliope.” He touched my shoulder and smiled humbly. What a piece of work this angel was. Hopefully Jules would be there. She’d help me kick arsenal and maybe spill some demon blood with me.
But when we got to the girl’s house on Spring Street, Silas stopped abruptly. His wings stopped fluttering forward, and he turned around and started flying back the way we came.
“Calliope, we are no longer needed, it seems.”
Was his face red or was it me? He actually looked a little put off.
“Huh?”
“We can take you back home. The girl is okay now.”
“But shouldn’t we get rid of the Darks altogether for her?” I understood now that once an Arc had an encounter with a human in a Darks
crisis, that human was safe from the Demons forever. I felt like I should at least talk to the girl, give her the seal of safety. Okay – dramatic. Busted.
“Aye Mama!” Jules appeared then, dressed in a camo... was that a catsuit?
Yep, a camo cat suit…
“Somebody in human resources really dropped a ball this time, Silas.” She shook her head and rearranged her auburn hair in a tight ponytail that swung behind her head.
Why were Si’s lips pursed? And, his eyes were circling everywhere but never landing on anything. He looked like he had to go to the bathroom, and I was pretty sure Micros didn’t do that. “Jules, let’s not speak of it now, okay?”
Jules gasped and her eyes got as big as hard boiled eggs and then narrowed into tiny slits the next second. “Ah Dio Mio, you knew! You bastardo!” She kicked at him with her platform boots. What were they talking about?
“I didn’t know anything, Jules. I became aware of the situation just moments ago.”
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?”
“No!” In unison.
Beautiful.
“Glad I got out of bed for this, guys.”
“Calliope, let’s just get you home, okay?”
Now, it was Jules turn to purse her lips and grind her teeth. I was pretty sure she was just trying not to totally cuss Silas out for whatever stunt he’d pulled if that was the problem. Frankly I couldn’t believe he’d gotten something past Jules. She was definitely the brains of the two. On that note, she was also the brawn.
Whatever the deal was, the two of them were obviously all worked up about it, and judging by their silent argument (in which Jules was trying super hard not explode – maybe literally. She definitely had a crazy temper.), they didn’t want me to know anything about it.
Well, you know what – they could keep their dumb old secret to themselves. I was going home to get my sleep on.