Angel Fire

by Shelley Russell Nolan

  ‘Then how do you explain Mr Simpson finding Angel in his lounge room, and two men dragging her out and throwing her into the back of a van?’ I stepped towards Daniel, imploring him to believe me. ‘Come with me to his house and he can tell you exactly what happened. He even filed a police report.’

  ‘This nonsense has gone on long enough. I’m calling the hospital. They can send someone to come and get you. You need to be locked up, for your own good.’

  ‘Is that why you had Angel locked up? For her own good?’ I snatched the phone out of Joyce’s hand. ‘She didn’t fit your idea of the perfect child, did she, because she couldn’t talk? So you put her in a mental institution, told Daniel she died in the fire. Didn’t you? Didn’t you?’ I poked Joyce’s chest.

  Joyce shoved me backwards, and I would have fallen if Nick hadn’t caught me. ‘I should have locked you up with her.’

  ‘What? Mum, no, what are you saying?’ Daniel caught Joyce’s arm.

  ‘There is something wrong with them. They are not normal. Your parents ignored the warning signs, refused to put your sister in care when she was first diagnosed. Then they died, leaving it to me to clean up their mess and do what they should have done in the first place.’

  Daniel dropped her arm and stepped back, horror on his face. ‘So it’s true. Angel is alive.’

  ‘Listen to me. I did it for you. Your sister is not right in the head, and I didn’t want you to have to suffer the burden of caring for someone like that. You have no idea what it takes to care for a person who is mentally ill. Look at all the trouble we’ve had with Andrea.’

  Daniel shook his head, warding off Joyce’s attempts to touch him. ‘You lied to me. You let me believe that Angel was dead, that it was my fault.’

  ‘It would have been better if she had died. Instead she somehow managed to get out through the window in her room. The firemen found her, unconscious in the backyard, after they put the fire out.’

  ‘You’d rather she’d died? What kind of monster are you?’ Nick shook his head.

  ‘Keeping her in private care all these years has cost Bill and me a fortune, and now we’ll have to pay for Andrea as well.’ Joyce spun around and sneered at me. ‘You’ll finally get to be with your sister, where you belong.’

  ‘You are not putting Andie in a mental institution.’ Daniel pushed passed Joyce and made his way to my side, fists clenched.

  ‘I have no choice. She’s sick. You heard her this morning, she admitted to seeing your sister, to talking to her, when that’s impossible.’

  ‘Her name is Angel, and she’s my sister too. ’

  ‘Son, don’t take that tone of voice with your mother.’ Bill puffed out his chest. ‘I won’t have you disrespecting her.’

  ‘She’s not my mother. Andie’s right. It takes more than a piece of paper to make you our parents.’ Daniel turned his back on Bill and Joyce and gave me a lopsided smile. ‘I’m so sorry, for not believing you, for keeping Angel a secret from you for so long. Can you forgive me?’

  ‘Of course I can.’ I launched myself into his arms, crying on his shoulder as I hugged him with all my strength, while his arms wrapped around me in an equally tight embrace.

  After a long moment, I drew back. ‘Let’s go get Angel.’

  ‘That is never going to happen,’ said Joyce. ‘We are her legal guardians and we’ve made sure she never leaves that place.’

  I lifted my chin and glared at Joyce. ‘She’s eighteen. She doesn’t need a guardian, and Daniel and I are her family. They will give her to us.’

  ‘No, they won’t. But be my guest, go ahead and try to get her released.’ She looked down her nose at me, and then shifted her attention to Daniel. ‘I understand that you feel betrayed by us, but in time you will understand that we did it to spare you the pain of knowing your sister had survived the fire but had to be institutionalized because of her worsening mental state. She’s violent, hurting herself and others, and if Andrea doesn’t get treatment soon she’ll end up the same way.’

  Joyce snatched her phone back from me. ‘In fact, if you’re so set on going out to The Wood’s Estate I’ll ring ahead and let them know you’re coming. They can have a room ready for Andrea, next to her sister.’

  I shook my head. ‘You can’t even say her name. Angel isn’t even a person for you.’

  Joyce didn’t bother to answer. She took Bill’s arm and pulled him towards their Landcruiser which was parked behind Nick’s car. She had her phone up to her ear and was talking into it, and I had no doubt she was calling The Wood’s Estate.

  ‘Now what are we going to do?’ Nick asked, touching my arm.

  I frowned as I gazed up at him. ‘We’re going to go get Angel, of course.’

  ‘What if they try to lock you up, too?’

  ‘I don’t think it’s that easy to get someone committed,’ I said. ‘At least, I hope it’s not. Either way, I’m not going to let that stop me from finding Angel. She’s been trapped in that place for fifteen years, alone, forgotten. I don’t want her to spend another day in there.’

  ‘Let’s be smart about this,’ said Nick. ‘We can’t risk you getting trapped as well so Dan and I will go in, see what they say. You need to wait in the car until we know if it’s safe for you to come in or not.’

  I didn’t like it. I wanted to charge right through the front door and demand that they hand Angel over to me, but I knew Nick was right. I wouldn’t be much good to Angel if I wound up strapped to a bed next to her.

  ‘Okay. But I’m not leaving that place without her.’

  6

  I tapped my fingers on the dash as I waited in the car for Nick and Daniel to return. They’d been gone for quarter of an hour and with every passing minute my stomach knotted even more.

  As soon as I’d seen the front gate for The Wood’s Estate I’d known we were in the right place. A shiver had swept over my body and I’d felt Angel’s presence so strongly I’d expected her to appear in the car beside me. I’d even tried reaching out to her, but it was like an impenetrable wall stood between us.

  A loud tap on my window made me jump and I snapped my eyes open. A man dressed in a light blue orderly’s uniform peered in the window. He was huge, his wide shoulders blocking out the entire window. He sneered at me, blue eyes filled with malice as he tugged on the door handle.

  I tensed, ready to kick, punch and bite my way to freedom. But the door didn’t open and I sagged back in relief, remembering that Nick had used his key remote to lock the doors after he and Daniel had gotten out of the car.

  The orderly’s expression darkened and he wrenched on the handle again and again. Then he took a step back, swinging his body around with his elbow raised and I gasped. He was going to try to break the window. I scanned the interior of the car, looking for something, anything, to fight him off with. But there was nothing.

  ‘Hey, you, get away from her.’ Nick appeared beside the orderly and pushed him back.

  The orderly snarled, fists raised and threw a punch at Nick’s head. Nick dodged and the orderly’s fist connected with the roof of the car. The orderly howled, clutching his hand, as Daniel shot into view. He shoved the orderly to the ground and then launched himself at the back passenger door as Nick pressed the button on his key remote to unlock the car.

  Daniel dived into the backseat as Nick sprinted around the front of the car. I leaned over and opened the driver’s side door for him and he jumped into the seat. The orderly scrambled to his feet. Nick inserted the key in the ignition and hit the accelerator as the orderly slammed his elbow into my window.

  The window held and Nick took off, fishtailing in the dirt as he spun the wheel and got the car onto the road leading back to town, leaving the orderly cursing as he ran after us. I twisted in my seat so I could see both Nick and Daniel.

  ‘Did you see Angel?’

  ‘No, we only got to see her doctor, Joanna Wood. She said it would set back Angel’s treatment if she had visitors,’ said Daniel.
r />   ‘Wood, as in The Wood’s Estate? She’s the one in charge of that place?’

  ‘And pretty pleased with herself, too,’ said Nick. ‘There were at least a dozen photos of her on the walls in the reception area, and in one of them she’s standing beside your scary aunt and uncle. They looked pretty chummy.’

  I frowned. ‘That explains how Bill and Joyce have been able to keep Angel locked up all this time.’

  ‘She’s the one who signed off on Angel being committed in the first place. Her signature is on the paperwork, along with Bill and Joyce’s,’ said Daniel.

  ‘You saw it?’

  Daniel grimaced. ‘She sent her receptionist to fetch it after I threatened to go to the police. Told me I would be wasting their time if I called them. That once they checked over the paperwork they would realise that she had every legal right to keep Angel locked up, and you too.’

  ‘What?’ My eyebrows shot up.

  ‘The paperwork is already filled in, with Bill and Joyce’s signature and everything, and Dr Wood said that as soon as they found you, they would be locking you away as well, for your own good.’

  I shook my head. ‘That’s impossible. Bill and Joyce couldn’t have signed those forms. They couldn’t have beaten us here.’

  Daniel reached out and clasped my shoulder. ‘The date on the form is from six months ago, the day before you moved in with me.’

  I gasped. ‘They were planning on having me committed all along.’

  ‘I guess they knew you’d go off your medication, and were waiting for the right moment to act,’ he said with a shrug.

  I slumped in my seat, body shaking.

  ‘Hey,’ said Nick as he reached over and took my hand. ‘We won’t let them get you.’

  I gave him a watery smile. ‘What if she’s right? What if that paperwork is legally binding?’

  ‘They can’t commit you if they can’t find you, and in the meantime we can work on getting Angel out of there.’

  ‘You can’t go home,’ said Daniel. ‘They’ll be looking for you.’

  ‘She can stay at my place,’ said Nick.’

  Daniel frowned. ‘You live in a two-bedroom flat, with another guy. Where would she sleep?’

  Nick shrugged. ‘Matt is on shift at the mine for the next eight days. She can stay in his room. No problem.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ I asked.

  Nick squeezed my hand. ‘I’m sure.’

  Daniel’s frown deepened. ‘Just so we’re clear. She sleeps in Matt’s room and there’s no more of this.’ He leaned over the centre console and tapped on our joined hands.

  I pulled my hand free. ‘For god’s sake, Daniel. He was just being nice.’

  ‘Yeah, well, from now on he can be nice without the touching.’ He lightly punched Nick on the arm. ‘Got it?’

  ‘Got it.’

  I shook my head, trying not to think about how good it had felt to have Nick holding my hand. He was just trying to be nice, make me feel better.

  ‘I’m going to need clothes,’ I said, ‘and my toothbrush and stuff.’

  ‘Nick, can you drop me off at the mechanic’s? I’ll wait there until my car is ready and then go home and pack a bag for Andie. In fact, I think I’ll pack one for me too, along with my swag. I can sleep on the floor in Matt’s room, keep Andie company.’

  ‘Sure thing, Dan,’ said Nick with a quick smile.

  I rolled my eyes, sure that Daniel wouldn’t be worried about keeping me company if I was going to be spending the night at a girl’s house. Not that I was disappointed to have him staying with me at Nick’s. I hardly knew Nick, and staying at his house, even if I was sleeping in another room, was bound to be awkward. No, it would be much better to have Daniel there as well.

  When we reached the mechanic’s, Daniel’s car was ready to go. He headed home to pack our things, while Nick took me to his place, with a detour to get some takeout for a late lunch.

  Balancing the drink tray in one hand, holding a bag of burgers and fries in the other, I waited for Nick to unlock the front door of his flat.

  Nick gestured for me to walk in ahead of him. ‘Welcome to my castle.’

  I stepped inside, my left arm brushing against his chest as I walked into the lounge of the small flat, careful not to trip over any of the electrical cords snaking over the floor. Eyes wide, I surveyed the large television set up along one wall and the array of games consoles in front of it, with dozens of games cases scattered around the floor.

  ‘Matt’s a gamer,’ Nick grimaced. ‘Big on playing, not so much with the packing up.’ He shot forward and used his feet to clear a path so I could walk over to the small round dining table set in a nook off the kitchen and set our lunch down.

  ‘You don’t play?’ I sat down and rested my arms on the table.

  ‘Not as much as Matt. It’s all he does, apart from work, and I’m pretty sure the only reason he does work is to get money to buy even more games. He’s got just about every one there is, and all the different consoles to play them on.’

  ‘Sounds like a lonely life.’

  ‘Yeah, I guess. Definitely not the kind of life I’m interested in.’ He sat opposite me, eyes fixed on mine.

  Warmth flooded my cheeks and I busied myself taking the food out of the paper bag. ‘Daniel should be here soon. Shouldn’t take him long to pack an overnight bag and grab his swag.’

  ‘I am starving,’ said Nick as he picked up one of the burgers. He took it out of the box. ‘He better hurry up, or his food is going to be stone cold by the time he gets here.’

  I took the top off my burger and added a layer of fries to it. Then I replaced the top and bit into it. I looked up to find Nick watching me. I swallowed my mouthful and wiped my lips.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing, I’ve just never seen anyone put fries in their burger before.’

  ‘You should try it.’

  Nick did as I suggested and then gave me the thumbs up. ‘Not bad. Not bad at all.’

  We ate in silence, washing our burger and fries down with soft drink, and there was still no sign of Daniel by the time we finished. Then my mobile rang.

  ‘It’s Daniel,’ I said after checking the caller ID. I accepted the call. ‘What’s taking you so long? Your lunch is getting cold.’

  ‘They’re watching the house. That orderly who tried to grab you back at The Wood’s Estate is sitting in a white van across the road. If I leave, he might follow me.’

  The food I had just eaten threatened to reappear and I swallowed several times to keep it down. ‘You’re sure it’s him?’ My voice was little more than a whisper, but it was enough to make Nick shoot out of his seat and come around the table to kneel at my side. I hit the loudspeaker button on my phone so he could hear Daniel’s response.

  ‘I’m sure, and he’s brought a friend who’s just as big and mean looking along for the ride.’

  I took a deep breath. ‘They can’t watch you forever. Sit tight for now and come over when they leave.’

  ‘I don’t like it, leaving you there all alone.’

  ‘She’s not alone. She has me,’ said Nick.

  ‘That’s what worries me. Remember what I said. Keep your hands off my sister.’

  Nick looked down at his hands, which currently rested lightly on my leg. ‘Sure, mate, whatever you say.’

  I said goodbye to Daniel and placed my phone on the table. My hands were shaking. ‘They’re not going to stop looking for me, are they? Sooner or later they’ll find me.’

  Nick stood, tugging me to my feet with him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his body, his chin resting on the top of my head. ‘I won’t let them take you. I won’t.’

  I closed my eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek. ‘Maybe I should let them take me, at least that way I’d be with Angel.’

  ‘No, don’t think like that.’ Nick shifted position and I tilted my head back so I could meet his eyes.

  �
��She’s been locked up in that place for fifteen years, all alone, while I got to live my life out here. It’s not fair, I should be with her.’

  ‘You will be, when we get her out.’

  ‘What if we don’t? What if her doctor is right and we can’t get her released?’

  ‘We will find a way. I promise.’

  I gazed up at Nick, the warmth of his body seeping into mine, chasing away the chill that had set in during Daniel’s call. He smiled, dimples appearing on either side of his mouth. Cradled in his arms, conscious of his hands on the small of my back, I gave a sigh. I licked my lips, and then froze when Nick’s gaze zeroed in on my mouth. His dimples vanished as he dipped his head, bringing it down until his lips brushed lightly against mine.

  His mouth hovered over mine, barely touching. I held my breath, and then I moved, parting my lips and pressing them firmly against his. Nick took full advantage, drawing me in even closer as he deepened the kiss.

  I moved my hands to his shoulders, clutching them, knees going weak as Nick’s mouth coursed over mine, tasting, teasing. Heat blossomed low in my belly and I moaned, head spinning as I pressed my body against his, wanting to connect with every inch of him, not sure what it was I was asking for, only knowing that I needed it.

  Nick grasped my hips and pulled my lower body against his, and then he moved his right hand down to cup my left thigh, He lifted my leg and then thrust his hips forward, his pelvis rocking against mine. I gasped and pulled my mouth from his, breathing heavily.

  ‘Nick … I can’t,’ I said, hardly able to hear my voice over the thundering beat of my heart.

  Nick let go so suddenly I almost fell. He stepped backwards, hands pulling at his thick hair. ‘Oh my god, Andie, I am so sorry. Please don’t hate me.’ His chest heaved, his breathing evidently as out of control as mine.

  I shook my head. ‘Why would I hate you?’

  ‘I was practically mauling you.’