by Rach Elle
Awilda nodded.
“Where?” James looked around, pretending to be truly interested.
“Just up the stairs,” she pointed to the third door on the balcony. “He’s resting.”
“Oh,” James hushed himself, “I hope we’re not being too loud.”
“No,” Awilda shook her head, “the walls are all made of stone; they’re practically sound proof.”
“Good,” he smiled, “you know, this might be a crazy suggestion,” he winced again, “Sorry, but I was wondering if you were free tomorrow? Maybe we can have a father/daughter day. Regina has some business she has to catch up on so it could be just you and me. We can go out, grab some lunch; see the sights…” His sentence trailed off.
Awilda allowed a tiny smile to reach her lips, “I’d like that, but I can’t leave the castle.”
“Why not?”
“Um,” she tried to think of a lie, “they’re planning on having a big event here in the near future and they need all hands on deck for a while. You know, like an on-call sort of thing.” Hey, that wasn’t half bad.
James was less than enthused to hear this news. “Well,” he began slowly, as if trying to figure out a solution, “I guess we can just have a father/daughter day here. We can spend some time just the two of us catching up; what do you say?”
Awilda’s tiny smile stretched across her face, “I’d like that.”
“Me too,” James forced a genuine gleam in his eye.
As he looked upon his daughter images of her childhood flashed in his mind. He could clearly see her riding her bike down their street, running to the ice cream truck on hot summer days, and hiding the vegetable portion of her dinner in her pant pockets when she thought no one was looking. It seemed so unbelievably far away but he reminded himself that there was a time when she was nothing more than an innocent child. There was even one point – after completing one of his many stints in rehab – where he thought they’d go on to lead normal lives together; but that couldn’t be further from reality. He had realized what she was over a decade ago and that knowledge had finally caught up with him. With a heavy heart and only a hint of regret he embraced his daughter. He was determined to make tomorrow a pleasant day for her. After all, it was the least he could do before taking her life.
“So Regina,” Cooper began with insincere interest, “what is it you do for a living?” She was tired of the lot of them sitting in complete silence in the living room.
Regina looked over at the small woman, “I’m in advertising.”
“You sure you’re not in law enforcement?” Sunders asked under his breath. Regina ignored him.
“And you work in Las Vegas?” Cooper asked. “I didn’t realize businesses other than casinos and whore houses thrived there.”
“Actually,” Regina began, sitting forward and removing her sport coat, “it’s a major city just like any other; except we have an exceptional night life.” She gracefully pushed her sleeves up to her elbows as she continued talking.
Sunders’ eyes popped at the sight of the blonde’s forearm. Suddenly he couldn’t hear a word she said and he didn’t care. Embedded in her skin was a small tattoo; a circle with two angel wings stretching upward. This woman is with the Dark Angel Alliance?
He was at a crossroads. If he pointed out the DAA tattoo on her right arm the others might think he led her here. But if he didn’t and they found out some other way they might think he was trying to cover something up. This was his chance to show the shifters that he could be trusted. “So you work for an advertising firm?” He interrupted. Everyone looked at him, including Regina.
She eyed him awkwardly, “Yes, that’s what I said.”
“Are they another cover-up for the Dark Angel Alliance?” Now he really had everyone’s attention. A playful, sinister twitch played at the corner of his lips as he rolled up his right sleeve to reveal his matching tattoo.
Regina’s blood ran cold at the realization that she’d stupidly revealed the tattoo on her arm.
“You’re not a Finder,” Sunders continued, “so you must be a Protector.” He could feel everyone stiffen around him.
“No,” she said sternly, “I’m neither.”
“They don’t just hand these tattoos out to honorary members. You’re a part of the DAA somehow.”
“I’m a Creator,” she cut him off.
The response jarred Sunders, “Creator?” He repeated. “That faction died out a long time ago.”
“We were reinstated about twenty years ago.”
He nodded his head, “Aye, but then your funding was cut again. The Creators haven’t been in action for at least a decade.”
Regina worked to maintain her composure. She didn’t know all that was told to the rest of the Dark Angel Alliance. She knew the Creators were like the black sheep of the family, and apparently for all intents and purposes were disowned unbeknownst to them. She couldn’t tell this man the truth for fear he’d tell someone else and that person would tell another and eventually it would reach the Protectors who would now have a lead on her whereabouts. She remained calm and still but inside she was screaming, wishing like hell she could just get up and bolt out of here never to return. Instead, she nodded. “That’s right,” she said. “We were disbanded. I’ve just never had the courage to have my tattoo zapped off.”
“What are the Creators?” Alvin asked.
“I think the better question,” Cooper chimed in as quickly as she could, “is what is the Dark Angel Alliance?”
Sunders glanced at the petite shifter out of the corner of his eye. She was pretending not to know so that Regina, whatever her current tie to the organization was, wouldn’t become suspicious about this little blended family. “We’re an underground affiliation,” Sunders began explaining, “We attempt to locate supernatural creatures in our world.”
“Like what kind of supernatural creatures?” Cooper asked.
“Anything; we try to recognize unusual occurrences; strange happenings that lead us to species other than the known and categorized. Once we find these creatures we then try to determine if they are a threat to our world or if coexistence is a possibility.”
“You said there are different factions?”
“Aye, two currently; the Finders are responsible for locating and the Protectors are responsible for determining the threat.”
“Then who are the Creators?” Alvin asked again.
Sunders’ eyes hardened, “A faction that never should have existed.”
“I beg your pardon,” Regina tried not to appear too offended.
“They were a group of scientists that abducted innocent people and mutated them for what they considered to be the higher purpose.”
“Which was?” Alvin’s voice trailed off.
“They claimed it was knowledge; in reality they were mutilating people to appease a God complex.”
“We didn’t mutilate them.” Regina sat upright.
“What do you call performing experiments that left half of them brain dead?” Sunders turned back to the rest of the group. “See, the Creators were a part of the original Dark Angel Alliance at its inception for a very brief period until people finally realized how sick and demented the faction was. Their funding was cut and they were never heard from again until a couple of decades ago when one of the powers-that-be lobbied for reinstatement. They claimed that science had advanced so much that they could now perform experiments with pinpoint accuracy and quadruple their success rate. The question of where they would get their test subjects was posed and they swore up and down they would only use volunteers; until a number of years later more and more reports of missing college students started coming out of the woodwork. On top of that their success rate wasn’t anywhere near where they had promised. They were shut down shortly after.”
Regina sat completely still, clenching her jaw and keeping her breathing regulated. “First of all,” she began as calmly as she could, “we never abducted anyone.”
“Oh no, not you,” Sunders cut her off, “you hired a team of Recruiters to do it for you; that way you could justify your bloody massacres as moral and ethical; plausible deniability at its best.”
“They weren’t bloody massacres,” Regina could feel her blood boiling, “we took great care and kept our patient’s best interests at heart.”
“Patients? You’ve got to be kidding me. These kids weren’t there for eye exams. You cut them open and if they lived long enough for you to sew them back up you discarded them like rubbish.”
“We were never so callous! We cared for our subjects; deeply.”
“Then why did you do it?” Alvin asked quietly from the other end of the sofa. “What was the point?”
Regina took a deep breath, “The point was to realize supernatural capabilities in the average so that we might realize average capabilities in the supernatural. Look, the whole point of the DAA was to coexist with creatures currently unknown to man; but can we really expect an entire race to suddenly accept a different species? We are a race of closed minded individuals that believe change is bad. Yes, there are a lot of us that would embrace change and not discriminate, but they are not in the majority. Those creatures, once found and publicized, would experience so much more hate and isolation than they already were from being forced to remain in the shadows. The purpose of the Creators is to give those poor beings a way out; a form of salvation. To take what is seen as monstrous and turn it into something acceptable to the masses. The Creators believe in coexistence quite possibly more than either of the other two factions.”
“Believe?” Sunders spoke up, “As in present tense?”
Regina narrowed her eyes at the Scotsman, “I meant believed; past tense.”
“Are you sure about that? You’re getting awfully riled up for someone that hasn’t been a part of that world for at least a decade.”
Regina’s stare never wavered, “How long have you been with the DAA Mr. Harper?”
Sunders thought for a moment, “Nearly thirteen years.”
“And when you retire are you under the impression that you will forget all about the agency? That you will have your tattoo removed so you’re not reminded of the work that consumed so much of your life every day? Or do you think you will still be looking over your shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of something unknown to our world; noticing those strange happenings you’re currently trained to notice and thinking that maybe – just maybe – you’ve stumbled upon something great.” Her eyes bored into Sunders’. “The Dark Angel Alliance isn’t a fad, Mr. Harper; it’s a way of life. I would think you of all people should know this. Isn’t this job the reason you’ve let every other facet of your life fall apart? Do you not think your ex-wife would agree?” She cocked her head to the side, “What about your son?”
Sunders stood suddenly, his icy glare seeking to destroy the blonde woman in front of him. “You know nowt about my life.”
Junior took his eyes off of Awilda in the ballroom and firmly placed his hand on the Finder’s shoulder; applying pressure until he sat back down on the arm rest of the chair.
Regina smirked as she stared into Sunders’ eyes. Calmly, she spoke, “And you know nothing of mine.”
35
Elizabeth finished washing the last dish in her barn house sink. She dried her hands with a towel and sighed; staring out the window that sat just above the counter. There wasn’t much to see; bushes and the occasional squirrel. A lot had been on her mind as of late, and even though she knew he would object, she needed to talk to Kingsley.
Elizabeth slowly entered the living room where Kingsley sat in his usual chair in front of the roaring fire. He quietly read a book that had been sitting in this guest house for Lord knows how long. She took a deep breath and gathered the courage to speak. “King,” she said softly. When he finished his sentence and looked up to acknowledge her she had a sudden fleeting sensation. She wanted to run but she kept her feet planted firmly on the ground. “Can we talk?” She asked.
“Of course my love,” Kingsley put down his book.
Elizabeth tried to steady her rapidly beating heart. “I’ve decided I’m going to tell Junior about my illness.”
Kingsley exhaled with a groan, “We’ve been over this; the kid doesn’t need to know.”
“I think he does. I can’t stand the thought of him feeling like I kept him in the dark all this time; and me not being able to explain why.”
Kingsley stared into the fire, his face hard as stone. “I’ll explain it to him.”
“I think it’s my prerogative.”
“There’s no reason to speak of this anymore,” he snipped. “Don’t mention it again.”
Elizabeth lowered her shoulders and allowed her soft voice to shake, “I’m going to die whether you want to accept it or not.”
“You won’t die before the prophecy,” he said firmly, still refusing eye contact. “Junior needs to be able to shift to…”
“Stop it,” she interrupted sharply; her words suddenly hard and demanding. “I can’t stand this pressure you’ve been putting on me. What if I don’t last that long? More than anything I don’t want to die a failure; not in anyone’s eyes and especially not in yours.”
Kingsley slowly turned his head to look at Elizabeth. The fire crackled in the silence between them and the flames reflected in his saddened eyes. “Is that what you think?” He asked in a breathy whisper. “My love, you could never be a failure to me.” He stood from his chair. “Please forgive me if I have ever given you the impression otherwise. I love you too much to ever see you as anything other than perfect. You’re my life source; my reason to wake up in the morning. You give my life purpose.”
Elizabeth’s eyes welled with tears, “And you give my life purpose, my king.” She considered her next words carefully, “I understand why you don’t wish to talk about my illness, but it’s something you’ll have to face eventually; and when you do I need to know that you’ll be alright.”
Kingsley’s expression lost all strength as tears began streaming down his face. “No,” he croaked, “I won’t be alright. I can’t lose you Lizzie; like I said, you’re my reason for living.”
“Oh King,” she breathed, “I don’t want to leave you; ever, but you have a new reason now. You finally have a Responsibility. You’re prayers have been answered. Revel in your gift, please. Try to focus on the future.”
“There is no future if you’re not in it. I wish you could take me with you.”
Elizabeth’s tears overflowed and glistened on her cheeks. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do; if I could take my life Lizzie I would, but I’m bound by His master plan,” he glanced sharply upward. “When you’re gone,” he whispered, “I’ll have no one.”
“You’ll have Junior.”
Kingsley scoffed.
“I don’t know why you two aren’t speaking to one another right now,” she said, “but he’ll come around eventually.”
Kingsley winced; Elizabeth knew nothing of what truly happened in the park a few nights ago. He had told her that he realized Awilda wasn’t the destroyer and saved her from being killed by Junior just in time. She thought he was a hero; and he wanted to keep it that way.
“You put too much pressure on him, you know,” she continued. “I mean, what if you’re wrong? What if the prophecy isn’t real?”
“It is,” he grumbled.
“I’m sorry King, but you’ve been wrong before; about Awilda being the destroyer. Had you not realized your mistake there could have been some serious ramifications…” Elizabeth paused for a moment. Her brow creased in thought. “King,” she began slowly, “When did you realize Awilda wasn’t the destroyer?” When Kingsley returned his gaze to the fire and remained silent she began replaying the events of that night in her mind. “You had to have realized it before you went to the park, but the only reason you went to the park in the first place was because of the Limrid. And besides that, why didn’t you tell anyone your
findings? Especially Junior…” Elizabeth’s mind flashed to images of Awilda’s neck; the large gash that looked almost deep enough to kill. “Junior almost killed Awilda,” she breathed, as if for the first time truly processing the information. She looked up to see the old man hadn’t moved. “You wanted him to do it, didn’t you?” When Kingsley didn’t answer again, she continued, “You said you want to die with me, but you can’t do that unless Awilda dies first.”
“I can’t believe you’re accusing me of such a thing,” Kingsley snapped. His cold glare locked on her quivering eyes. “In case you’ve forgotten I’m biologically programmed to not hurt the girl. I would stop at nothing to prevent harm; not cause it.”
“You can’t hurt her,” Elizabeth was unfazed by his harsh tone, “but someone else can.”
She could feel her chest tighten and her head swimming from the realization of what the man before her was capable of. She trusted him more than anything; she lived with him, held hands with him, and shared a bed with him. And never once did she see this side; this all consuming darkness that suddenly shrouded him. “Kingsley,” her voice hardened, “did you want Junior to kill Awilda only so you too could die?”
In a low growl he answered, “Junior didn’t kill Awilda because of me; that should be enough for you.”
“When you followed the Limrid to the park,” she ignored his last words, “the only reason why you stopped Junior was because you couldn’t physically turn away, wasn’t it? Otherwise you would have just let it happen.” She could feel rage boiling inside of her. She clenched her jaw, “I can’t believe you; because of you an innocent girl was almost murdered!”
“It was either her or you!” Kingsley burst into tears again.
Stunned, Elizabeth shook her head, “What do you mean by that? I’m going to die whether Awilda is alive or not!”
“Yes, but without the girl I can end my own life before having to bear the pain of watching you take your last breath; of having to dig your grave or lower you into the ground; for once I can be spared all of that anguish.”