Out of Darkness

by Cheree Alsop

  If he killed me, the students would be left unprotected. They wouldn’t give up Ava. It would be a massacre. I had to stop the Galdoni. I couldn’t shake him. He was behind me, a dangerous place because if he gained even a breath on me he could cut one of my wings and watch me fall to my death. I had to shake him.

  “Use his weakness,” Lem’s voice echoed.

  I gritted my teeth and dove toward the gymnasium floor. Amid shouts and screams, I pulled up at the last second, dodged his attempted swipe at my chest, and forced my wings down hard once more. I shot up toward the gymnasium ceiling. A glance back showed my attacker gaining momentum.

  “I’m losing patience,” he called, his voice rough with anger.

  I was close to the ceiling. I would have only one chance.

  I flipped backward at the last second before I smashed into the ceiling. I kicked against the ceiling as hard as I could and tucked my wings tight. I cut through the air toward the Galdoni faster than he could react. I grabbed his knife hand as I hit him with the force of a bull. We plummeted toward the gymnasium floor. He struggled, but there wasn’t time for him to fight free. There wasn’t time for anything. The screams of the students echoed in my ears.

  We hit the floor so hard I blacked out.

  I became aware of shouting and the sound of sirens. Somebody rolled me over.

  “There’s so much blood,” a student said.

  “Give him some space,” I heard Mr. Bennett say.

  “Reece!” Ava called.

  I blinked and opened my eyes. Relieved faces peered down at me. Ava dropped to her knees at my side. I sat up slowly, holding a hand to my head to ease the pounding. Hands helped steady me. I glanced at the Galdoni. He was dead, the knife shoved through his ribcage straight into his heart. The other Galdoni was moaning, but someone had tied his arms and legs with jump ropes. The man in the black suit wasn’t moving.

  “Are you alright?” Ava asked.

  I nodded and looked at her.

  “Your face,” she whispered. She put a hand to my cheek where the knife had cut it.

  I touched the wound. “It just a scratch,” I reassured her.

  Mr. Bennett was busy wrapping his jacket around my arm to staunch the flow of blood from where the sword had sliced it open.

  “That was amazing!” Seth’s enthusiasm brought a smile to my face. He couldn’t stop grinning. “You were like a torpedo! The way you came through that window. It was incredible!” Other students crowding around us echoed the sentiment.

  The gymnasium doors flew open. Police officers and Galdoni rushed inside. Kale and Saro met my gaze. I tried to stand, but my knees didn’t want to hold. Dozens of hands pushed against me, keeping me upright until I could will strength to my legs.

  “I’m alright,” I reassured them gratefully.

  The students and teachers backed off at the approach of the Galdoni. Kale looked me up and down. “Are you alright?” he asked.

  I shrugged and forced my voice to be steady. “Just another day at the Academy.”

  He cracked a smile and caught me up in a tight hug. “Glad to hear it.”

  Saro squeezed my shoulder. “You made quite the mess,” he said, his tone approving.

  “They were looking for trouble.”

  We turned our attention to the police officers as they put handcuffs on the surviving Galdoni and dragged him out of the gym as he protested. A medical team from the ambulance was loading the man in the suit onto a stretcher; he had a brace around his neck and appeared to be unconscious.

  “This your boy?” a police officer with short gray hair asked.

  Saro nodded. “Officer Donaldson, this is Reece. Reece, Officer Donaldson.” The Galdoni smiled. “Officer Donaldson just transferred to Crosby to work closer with the Galdoni.”

  We shook hands. He tipped his head to indicate the dead Galdoni. “I’m going to need a statement.”

  “There’s plenty of witnesses,” Seth supplied from behind the man.

  At the officer’s glance, several students held up cellphones. At least half a dozen appeared to have recorded the entire fight.

  Officer Donaldson nodded. “We’ll need copies of those videos for our records.”

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Kale said, steering me away as the officer took the students’ information.

  Ava followed on one side with Mr. Bennett and Seth on the other. Principal Kelley met us outside the door. “I need to speak to all of you first thing tomorrow,” he said. I couldn’t decide by his expression whether he was angry or just recovering from the shock of having his school attacked by armed assailants.

  Saro glanced at me. “You up to coming back here tomorrow?”

  I nodded. “This is my school.”

  Kale smiled and turned back to the principal. “We’ll be here.”

  “Bye Reece, that was incredible!” Seth exclaimed. I couldn’t tell if he was happier about the fight or seeing Kale in real life. He couldn’t keep the grin from his face.

  I lifted a hand and we all raised our wings. Students flooded out the door as we flew into the sky.

  “You know we just broke one of the integration laws, don’t you?” I told Kale.

  He laughed. “I think you broke every one of them back there. Flying, fighting, you name it, it was done. And you saved lives.” He smiled. “Maybe the government needs to rethink those laws.”

  That brought a grin to my face.

  ***

  Ava refused to leave my side as they stitched up my arm and cheek. She held my hand and spoke to me to keep me distracted from what they were doing. I wasn’t a stranger to wounds, but I didn’t mind in the least. “I was so scared,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to give myself up because I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but they wouldn’t let me.”

  “You have good friends, Ava,” I told her. A brief fire of jealousy surged through me at the thought of the football player’s arm around her shoulders. I smothered it with some effort. “I’m glad they were there for you. Friends who stand by you in danger are true friends.”

  Saro raised an eyebrow from the chair he was sitting in near Kale. “Apparently, you’re learning more in that school than I thought. I should have gone.”

  Kale chuckled. “It would have done you some good.”

  Saro smiled at the black-winged Galdoni. “I managed to find a few good friends on my own.”

  Skylar entered the medical ward of the Galdoni Center at that moment with Brie close behind. Skylar sat on Saro’s lap and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, you did.”

  Ava and I exchanged a smile at their actions. Brie sat next to Kale. He wrapped his wing around her shoulder and she cuddled close to him. “Sounds like it was a rough morning,” she said to me.

  I shrugged. “Not too bad,” I lied to cover the way my insides still trembled at the thought of the entire school in danger. I kept seeing the gunman over and over in my mind. He held his weapon with a sure grip. I didn’t doubt that he wouldn’t have minded shooting a few students to prove his point.

  Brie smiled, oblivious to my troubled thoughts. “Oh, right. Just a day in the life of a Galdoni.”

  “That’s right,” Kale replied, shooting me an approving look. “Reece handled himself like a champ. Good thing Lem’s been so strict in his training.”

  My stomach twisted and I met his eyes. “You knew about that?”

  “I approved it,” he said with a smile. “My boys wouldn’t do anything like that without my approval. Goliath checked with me while I was with Saro. He’s the one who recommended Lem.”

  “He’s a good guy,” Saro admitted. “I had him mistaken once, and he’s shown far more character than I ever gave him credit for.” Skylar smiled at him.

  “Done,” Dr. Ray said. “Try to keep that dry.” He tied off the gauze wrapped over the wound on my arm. A bandage had been placed over the ten stitches along my cheek. It already itched. I reached up a hand and he swatted it away. “You really don’t want th
ose redone.”

  Kale grimaced as though he had experienced something similar. “Trust the doctor. Give yourself a break.”

  “Like that will happen. I’ve never known a Galdoni to take a break,” Brie said; everyone laughed, including Dr. Ray with an anguished chuckle.

  “There are a few things Galdoni could learn from humans, like how to relax,” the doctor said.

  Kale laughed. “I hope that never sinks in, Doc. You’d have a bunch of Galdoni too lazy to fly.”

  “At least my staff could get a break,” Dr. Ray replied good-naturedly.

  Ava’s hand tightened in mine as I stood up. I put a hand to my head to steady the suddenly spinning world.

  “You alright, Reece?” Dr. Ray asked with concern.

  I nodded. “Just hit the ground a bit hard. I think I’ll take you up on that rest.”

  He nodded. “I’ll have my staff check on you every four hours because you’ve shown some concussion symptoms.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Ray,” I told him.

  Ava and I walked slowly to the elevator. I would rather have flown or taken the stairs, but given my disorientation and the fact that we were on the third floor and had to reach the ninth, I didn’t want to risk ending up under Dr. Ray’s care again in under ten minutes. I figured he would appreciate my foresight.

  Ava pressed the up button. A beep sounded and the door opened. We both hesitated. I looked at her. “Is this your first time in an elevator?”

  She nodded. “Are you nervous?” She sounded embarrassed to ask.

  I stared at her, amazed by how green her eyes were when she was worried. The way she looked up at me made my heart slow and I almost forgot to breathe. I wanted more than anything to lean down and cover her lips with mine. The impulse was so unexpected and surprising that I nearly did it. I stopped and reminded myself very severely that actions completed under concussion symptoms needed to be very closely monitored. “Definitely. Enclosed spaces aren’t my favorite.”

  She smiled as if relieved I was just as nervous as she was. We both stepped inside. I pressed the button for floor nine. The doors closed and the box gave a little jolt. Ava’s hand tightened in mine. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The back of my mind pictured the action eliminating the same thing the football player had done. I fought back a smile when Ava leaned against me.

  The door opened and we both let out a sigh of relief. Ava looked up at me. We laughed at such a silly victory. She walked with me down the hall.

  “I’ve never been in your room before,” she said as if she had just realized it.

  The thought of my empty walls and bare room flooded me with embarrassment. “There’s not a lot to look at,” I admitted. I paused in front of room nine twenty one.

  She looked at the number in surprise. “You’re right above me.” Her cheeks immediately turned red. “What I meant is, your room is directly above mine.”

  I nodded and pushed the door open. “I thought that was an interesting coincidence, too.”

  She stepped inside with an expectant smile. The look faded when I flipped on the light and she glanced around. I felt immediately defensive about my bare room and lack of furnishings. Despite Saro’s offer to have some more brought up, I had never seen the need. It was fine for me. Now there was no place for Ava to sit unless she wanted to take a seat on the bed. At least I made a point to make it every morning.

  “This is, uh, nice,” she said, though her tone was confused.

  My chest tightened. “You don’t need to stay. I’m sure after some sleep I’ll be—”

  She sat down on the bed. After a moment of staring at the floor in silence, she buried her face in her hands. “Reece, I thought you died. When you fell to the floor with that Galdoni, you both hit so hard and he had that knife, and. . . .” Her shoulders shook.

  Shocked, I dropped onto the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders and wings. “It’s alright,” I soothed. “Everything’s okay.”

  She shook her head. “I guess I thought. . . I thought. . . .” She fell silent for a moment. Only the fall of her tears was audible. She took a calming breath and sat up, her gaze vulnerable. “I guess I thought that if I made it to school and lived a normal life, nothing could hurt me.” She blinked and looked at me as if I was the only person in the world. Her hands gripped mine tight. “But I realized today that losing you would be more painful than anything I’ve gone through so far.”

  Stunned, I tried to speak. “Ava, I—”

  She tipped her head up and kissed me. Time stood still. I closed my eyes as her taste and scent flooded through me. I kissed her hesitantly at first, but I couldn’t hold back. My emotions got the better of me and I pulled her closer, returning her kiss with the possessive desire that had filled me since I first saw her. I felt her smile against my lips. The action made me smile as well. I sat back.

  “Well, I feel better,” she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

  I laughed and sat back against the headboard. She slid so that she could cuddle against me the way Brie had with Kale on the medical floor. I realized how good it felt to have someone want to be so close to me. It was different than the nights I had comforted Ava. Those times she needed me; now I knew she wanted me. I couldn’t describe how good it felt to be wanted.

  Weariness from the crazy day filled me. My cheek burned where the knife had cut it. Whatever Dr. Ray had injected into both my arm and cheek before he began the stitches was wearing off. I closed my eyes and my head lulled forward.

  “Reece,” Ava whispered.

  I opened my eyes feeling like I was swimming through mud.

  “You need to lie down,” she said with a gentleness that wrapped me in warmth better than any blanket.

  I nodded and felt her pull the blankets free when I moved. She guided me to a better position on the bed and tucked the blanket over me. It was the first time in my life anyone had ever tucked me in. I never knew how safe it felt. I heard her hesitate near the bed.

  “Stay,” I said softly.

  “I probably shouldn’t,” she replied, her voice reluctant. “The nurses will come to check on you and I’ll be in the way, I—”

  I turned and caught her wrist. She laughed when I pulled on it gently, guiding her into the bed. I lifted the blanket and she slid beneath it. Her head rested next to mine on the pillow.

  “This way if I need help, you’ll already be here,” I whispered into her ear.

  A warm smile spread across her lips. “I can handle that.”

  I turned so I was on my back. She settled under my arm and rested her head in the crook of my arm and chest, my wings spread out beneath us. I had never been so comfortable.

  “Goodnight, Ava,” I whispered.

  She rose onto her elbow and answered by kissing me on the cheek. She settled back against me again. All I wanted was to stay in that moment forever, but the weariness I had been fighting won. I let out a sigh and allowed the darkness to chase the pounding from my head.

  Chapter Nine

  After the second nurse woke me up quietly to check on me, I couldn’t go back to sleep. I slipped carefully away from Ava, then rose and watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful, her head tipped to one side and her black hair brushing across her arm. Her wings were pulled up so that they lay along her sides. I settled the blanket over her better, and smiled when she gave a contented sigh.

  I was still a bit dizzy, but without Ava at my side I didn’t feel like attempting the elevator again. I walked slowly up the steps to the twelfth floor. I walked across the study center which had been greatly improved since the last Galdoni Center. Computers sat on all of the study tables, and small rooms had been partitioned off for those who needed a quiet place to think. Several of the rooms were filled with beanbags and blankets and had projectors on the walls for movies. The younger students loved to take over the rooms; at this hour, though, the floor was unoccupied besides a lone Galdoni at the end.

  When I drew closer, I realized i
t was Koden, the red-winged boy I had protected during the fight on the children’s floor. He had a book and appeared oblivious to my presence.

  “What are you reading?” I asked quietly, crossing to the chair where he sat near one of the windows.

  He glanced up at me, appearing surprised that someone had spoken. His brows pulled together as if questioning why I was there.

  “Your book,” I said with a smile. “Is it good?”

  He held it up so I could see the title. It was my turn to be surprised; he was reading the Bible. I pulled up a chair. He pointed to a verse that had been underlined. I read it out loud. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

  I sat back and looked at Koden. “You know we’re not angels, right?”

  He gave a small shrug, a slight smile on his face. He pulled out a picture from the back of the book and handed it to me. I opened it with some reluctance. It was of an angel with a lamb in its arms. The angel had wings that caught the light of the rising sun spilling through the trees, casting its feathers in shades of red.

  I looked from the picture to Koden. He was immersed back in his book, his dark red wings hanging loose on either side of his chair. I stood and slid the picture back toward him. He put a hand over it without look at me. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t feel it was my place. I walked to the door that led to the roof feeling confused and anxious, though I couldn’t explain why. Maybe I did have a concussion.

  The cool breeze brushed against me when I opened the door. I smiled at the scents of dew-laden hay from the farms south of the Center. I closed the door and crossed to the railing. The faintest edge of pink touched the buildings. A siren sounded from the city; another rose to join it, the wailing echoing along the streets. Longing filled me.

  I heard the door open and turned to see Skylar. I realized I was in their place. Since she and Saro had become a couple, there was an unspoken agreement to let them have the roof at sunrise every morning. It was their time together. Saro had told me the roof at sunrise was the first time he realized he loved Skylar. The thought filled me with warmth at their happiness.