“Whoa, whoa,” Will rushed over to her and took her hand in his, “calm down.”
“How can I calm down?” she asked still hyperventilating.
“Shh,” Will patted her hand awkwardly, “just breathe.”
“I’m trying!” She gasped.
“Breathe with me,” he pulled her head to his chest and inhaled deeply then let it out slowly.
Gradually, Jenna’s gasping turned into deep breaths to match his. She closed her eyes and inhaled with him. She didn’t want him to let her go; she felt safe in his arms.
Unbidden, the memory of the nightmare came flooding back and she squeezed her eyes shut tight trying to force it out.
“Breathe with me,” Will said noticing she’d stopped, “I don’t want you to hyperventilate again.”
Instead of thinking, Jenna focused on his chest rising and falling, his wonderful smell. She didn’t know she’d brought her hands up until they were running up the length of his arms.
“Okay,” Will said pushing her gently away, “I think we’re done.”
She blushed and clasped her hands together to keep from touching him. She wanted to feel all of him but wouldn’t admit it. He’d told her they couldn’t be friends and after the dream, or rather, memory, it was no wonder he didn’t want to be.
“Do you hate me?” she asked finally looking up into his eyes.
Will’s eyes hardened, “Does it matter?”
“To me it does.”
“I wouldn’t say I hate you, but it’s close to it,” he answered. It wasn’t a complete lie, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Oh,” she nodded and looked away forcing her tears down. “So what happens now?”
“Did your dad say why he was leaving?”
Jenna shook her head, “No.”
“Okay, well then I guess we go and see Mae,” he stood, “I’ll get a bag packed for you.”
“Will it take long?” Jenna asked surprised.
Will looked over his shoulder at her, “When Mae doesn’t want to be found then she won’t be. So yes, it could take awhile.”
“Oh.”
***
Twenty minutes later, Will came back with a duffle bag. He threw it on the chair.
“I just need to make one quick phone call and then we’ll be on our way,” he pulled out his phone then groaned, “dammit.”
“What?”
The answer to her question came in the form of a knock at the door. Will’s eyes blackened and he turned to get it.
“Didn’t think you were leaving without me, did you?” Lena’s voice floated in.
“I’d hoped we would’ve made it out before you noticed,” Will glared at her.
Lena walked into the living room and stopped when she saw Jenna. Her eyes snapped to Will’s.
“What happened?”
“A demon attacked,” he said. “Where were you?”
Lena cursed under her breath, “How-“
“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to,” Will interrupted. He’d drawn himself up to his full height making Jenna wonder why Lena didn’t back down. He was intimidating.
Lena stood there watching him as if bored, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Anyway, so where are we going?”
“We?” Jenna asked. “Are you an angel too?”
“Will?!” Lena complained. “You told her?”
He shrugged, “She asked Richard, who by the way, disappeared last night.”
“Disappeared?”
“As in left her here alone.”
“Ugh!” Lena rolled her eyes. “Bad timing, Richard!”
“You think?” Will snapped. “Why wasn’t the house guarded?”
“It is,” Jenna interrupted. “My dad said it was and that nothing should be able to get in.”
“Well, honey,” Lena smiled ruefully, “something did.”
“Who took the guard down?” Will asked.
Lena shrugged, “I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”
“Your performance needs to be re-evaluated. You’ve been doing a crap job,” Will pulled out his phone again and dialed another number.
Lena flipped him off.
“Hey man,” Will said shaking his head at Lena before leaving the room.
“So are you an angel?” Jenna asked again.
“No,” Lena sat down next to her.
“Then how do you know what’s going on?”
“I’m a Guardian, though, it seems I’m not doing a very good job,” she smiled sadly.
“A Guardian? Like my dad?” Jenna asked.
“It’s my job to guard the fallen angels,” she nodded, “though, not the original fallen ones…just the ones who fell after the war.”
“The war?”
“The war in heaven?” Lena tried.
“Oh,” Jenna nodded. “Wait! That really happened?”
“I take it you’re not a religious person.”
“Not really,” she shrugged.
“Well the war really happened. Silas, more commonly known to humans as Lucifer, took his angels, and they lost the war. God condemned them to Hell. It was really messy, or so I hear. Anyway after the war was over, angels still fell. They switched sides or didn’t want to choose any side. Those who didn’t choose any side, we guard.”
“How? Don’t they have powers of their own?”
“Do you have any power right now?” Lena asked.
Jenna shook her head, “No, but I’m not a fallen angel.”
Lena was shaking her before Jenna could finish, “Sorry, you’re considered a fallen angel since you’re hiding here on Earth.”
“Oh.”
They sat for a few moments in silence before Lena interrupted, “So, where are we going?”
“To find someone,” Will said, coming around the corner.
“Who?” Lena asked Jenna.
“A witch,” Will answered before Jenna could. They looked at each other. Will shook his head telling Jenna not to say anything.
She wondered why it mattered if Lena knew or not but kept silent.
“Wonderful,” Lena said sarcastically. “You’re going to be evasive, and we get to find a witch. I hate witches.”
“We don’t care,” Will rolled his eyes and threw Jenna’s pack at Lena.
She caught it, surprised but narrowed her eyes, “Watch it, Dark One.”
“Don’t,” Jenna said as Will helped her up.
“Don’t what?” He asked as she clung to him. He wanted to shiver at her touch but held it in.
“Don’t fight. I don’t like it.”
“Jenna’s all about peace and love now,” Lena grinned.
Will smiled, “We all know that’s a big lie.”
The two of them laughed making Jenna glare. She didn’t like their teasing especially since she’d just found out how horrible she really was.
“I am not a terrible person,” she snapped squeezing Will’s arm tighter.
Lena laughed harder, “That you know of!”
Will stopped laughing and looked at Jenna. He pulled her a little closer after seeing her expression. He could tell the memory was eating at her.
“Oh, Jenna, if you only knew,” Lena sighed wiping away a tear.
Will reached over and punched Lena in the arm knocking her to the floor.
“Hey!” she complained rubbing her arm.
“Quit making fun of Jenna.”
“Don’t do that again!” She grumbled. “You’re lucky you didn’t break my arm.”
“No,” Will said glancing over his shoulder. “You’re lucky I didn’t break it. Now shut up and let’s go.”
Chapter Eight
After they’d gathered their things, they piled in Lena’s truck, which was a black 1980 Chevy Silverado, with Will in the driver’s seat headed out West. Jenna couldn’t believe that yesterday at this time she’d been enjoying herself at the bowling alley with his friends, harmlessly joking about exchanging kisses for strikes. In less than twenty four hours, Jenna’d disc
overed she was immortal, no, not just immortal. A fallen angel…a cruel one at that. Jenna slumped between Will and Lena. Maybe finding out who she was wasn’t such a good idea. If the memory she saw in her dream had been any indication, she didn’t necessarily want to meet her true self, but now, Jenna supposed it was too late. She’d promised Will her memory and couldn’t break her promise. Unwittingly and without even really committing, Jenna had agreed to open the Pandora’s Box that was her identity, whatever that held.
Jenna shuddered at the thought and watched as the truck sped past rows of identical brush trees along the oddly deserted interstate, the ocean left behind them.
“So where are we going exactly?” Lena inquired unwrapping a stick of cinnamon gum.
“We’ll start with the last place I saw her,” Will said as he drove west.
“Where is that?” Jenna asked. She was sitting between Will and Lena.
The pickup was old and beat up, and didn’t offer a backseat, which Jenna didn’t mind because being squashed in the front seat meant she was close to Will, but she could feel from his stiff posture he didn’t want her to be close.
“The mountains.”
“Gee, could you be less informative?” Lena asked sarcastically. “There are a lot of mountains. Which ones?”
“This is going to get old fast,” he mumbled then cleared his throat. “The Smokey Mountains.”
“That’s a better answer,” Lena nodded leaning back and closing her eyes. “Wake me when we get there or if you need a break from driving and please treat my baby with respect.”
They sat in silence for fifteen minutes before Jenna couldn’t stand it any longer. She still had so many questions.
“So,” she began not knowing where to start.
“What?” Will asked.
“Do you know why I had to go into hiding?”
He shifted a little, “No.”
“Does this Mae lady know?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I wasn’t there when you talked to her.”
“So there are Witches, and Angels, and Guardians. What else is there?”
“Pretty much anything you can think of.”
“Trolls.”
“Yes.”
“Vampires?”
Will nodded, “Yes and they’re all giant cowards who drink animal blood.”
“You mean they don’t hunt humans?”
“No, and a human can’t turn into one either,” Will sighed as if exhausted.
“Do you want me to drive?” Jenna offered.
“Do you even know how?”
“Yes!” She scoffed. “Just because I don’t have a car of my own doesn’t mean I never learned.”
“No,” Will smiled. “I don’t need you to drive. It’s your questions I find tiring.”
“Oh, sorry,” Jenna shut her mouth and tried keeping quiet but couldn’t. “There’s just so much I don’t know!”
“You’ll know it soon enough,” he responded.
“Can I ask you more about us?” Jenna asked timidly. She wanted to know if there was anything good between them. She couldn’t have always been that mean.
Will sighed heavily again, “It depends on what you ask.”
“Was I always that rude?”
“No.”
“When?”
“A very long time ago.”
“You said we were something like friends,” Jenna began but Will interrupted.
“Nope, not answering that one.”
“But why not?”
“Jenna, just because you don’t remember the past doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
“But how can you blame me now when I don’t remember?” she felt hurt, almost like he had already judged her. Then she realized he had; he already thought she was the jerk in her dreams. “I’m not the same person you remember me to be.”
“Not now, but you will be once your memory is back,” he stared hard at the road. He didn’t want to have this conversation with her; he didn’t want to bring up the past. She didn’t know how much she’d hurt him, how it was she who made him into the senseless killer he now was.
“Will?”
“What,” he asked shortly.
“Why did we hate each other?”
“I already told you-- you’ll remember when you got your memory back.”
“But I want to know now.”
He groaned and slapped the steering wheel. “No.”
“Why are you such a jerk?” she complained. “Were you always this rude?”
Will ignored her and pushed his foot down further on the gas pedal. He needed to get this over with and soon.
It was late afternoon when they pulled into a parking lot leading to the mountains ahead. Jenna had fallen asleep against Lena for most of the ride. She was still worn out from the demon attack.
“Where are we?” Lena asked as she got out stretching.
“Mount Le Conte,” Will answered opening the trunk and pulling out a couple bags. He tossed them to Lena. “You carry these; I’ll get Jenna.”
“Where is the cabin?” Lena asked picking up the bags.
“We have to hike there.”
“Hike?” Jenna asked sliding out of the truck. She wasn’t afraid of hiking, but in her current condition she didn’t think she could.
“You mean I have to leave my baby?” Lean rubbed the hood of the truck tenderly.
“It’ll be fine,” Will assured her, ignoring Lean completely. “I’ll be carrying you most of the way.”
Jenna nodded and started slowly up the trail. “How far is it?”
“Five miles,” Will answered jogging to catch up.
“Ugh!” Lena groaned.
“What? Is that too hard for the Guardian?” Will mocked her.
“No,” she snapped. “I just hate the mountains and hiking.”
“How can you hate it?” Jenna asked surprised taking in a deep breath of fresh pine air. “It’s beautiful. So much life and nature!”
“I forgot,” Lena rolled her eyes. “You’re a tree hugger now.”
“Whatever,” Jenna muttered and turned away to focus on hiking; she was getting tired of people thinking she was someone else.
Within five minutes, she was panting hard, her body felt like it was going to collapse.
“Do you need help?” Will asked.
Jenna shook her head, “I’m okay.”
A few more minutes passed before Jenna admitted defeat.
“Okay, Will,” she huffed, “I need your help.”
Will smiled slightly; the old Jenna wouldn’t have asked for help, especially from him. He reached out and easily lifted Jenna into his arms, cradling her.
“Won’t I get too heavy?” she asked.
Will gave a short laugh, “No.”
“So are you super strong then?”
“I guess,” he shrugged as he hopped over a tree root sticking out of the ground threatening to trip anyone who didn’t pay attention.
“How heavy am I right now?”
“It feels like I’m carrying a bag full of light weight feathers.”
“Really? So I’m super strong then too,” Jenna smiled. “I can’t wait to be strong!”
Will laughed, “Sure, Angel.”
“You have wings, right?”
“Yes,” Will answered hesitantly.
“Will you show me?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Jenna poked his cheek. “I won’t faint.”
“I don’t want to,” he said still able to feel her touch. He loved the warmth of her and wanted to hold her closer and to fly with her.
“Please?”
“Maybe another time.”
“I’m not going to stop asking,” she smiled.
“Didn’t think you would.”
“You’re grumpy.”
Will frowned.
“There! Like that,” she giggled. “Frowning is a grumpy thing to do.”
“You’re being weird.”
&n
bsp; “I’m tired,” Jenna shrugged. “I get carefree when I’m tired.”
“I can tell,” he nodded.
“How much longer do we have?” Lena complained loudly behind them.
“We haven’t even gone a mile,” Will growled. “Just shut up and walk.”
“Why don’t you like her?” Jenna asked looking back at Lena swatting at something Jenna couldn’t see.
“It’s a long story.”
“Well I’m not going anywhere,” Jenna folded her arms.
Will sighed, “You’re too talkative.”
“Talk,” Jenna tried sounding firm but it sounded more like pout.
“I tried to kill her,” he shrugged.
“Yeah, tried, but didn’t succeed!” Lena hollered.
“You what?” Jenna’s mouth fell open with a pop.
Will shrugged, “I wanted something and she was in the way.”
“In the way,” Lena mumbled then cleared her throat. “You didn’t give any warning!”
“I gave you a chance to run; you didn’t take it.”
“Like hell I’d run! Who do you think I am?” Lena scoffed. “I’m a Guardian! We don’t run. Besides, attacking your opponent unarmed is cowardice.”
Will turned quickly, almost throwing Jenna out of his arms, “Don’t you dare call me a coward.” His voice was low and dangerous causing Jenna to shrink away from him and Lena stopped walking; fear was written all over her face. She nodded and held her mouth closed.
“I think it’d be best if you didn’t forget who I am,” Will warned before walking again.
He was breathing heavily and continued to look angry, ceasing all Jenna’s questions.
Twenty minutes later Will sat her down gently on a fallen tree, “We’ll rest for a few minutes. Eat something, Jenna.”
Lena tossed her a granola bar and a water bottle. Will stood with his back to them both, looking out at something neither girl could see. Lena sat down heavily on a rock, pulling out an apple as she stared at the ground.
Jenna took in her surroundings, breathing in the scent of trees and wilderness. She loved it out here; it made her feel free. A slight rustling behind made her turn. Looking down at the ground by a tree she noticed a baby bird that had fallen out of his nest.
“Oh no!” she whispered to the bird, rushing over to him. He gave a weak chirp. “You poor thing!”
Carefully Jenna scooped up the bird. The radiating warmth of her hands revived the little bird who was close to death.
The Sun Angel Page 11