They've been coming here for thousands of years, using Earth as a sanctuary to escape threats from their own kind. Mankind knows them as angels, and one of them left a child upon her death to be raised as a human.
Raea is now a high school senior and her life as a human is about to end. The crystal shard she bears is not a pretty pendant; it's a collective of powerful entities who chose her as their Keeper, a protector of one of the four shards that power a machine capable of destroying whole worlds. Those who desire the Starfire's power have sent an agent to find her, but she's too busy evading a nosy reporter ready to exploit her secret and dating a hot new foreign student to notice. Nevermind learning what she really is.
Only one person on Earth can help her, the last person she ever expected. But he's not from Earth. Life as a human would be so much easier.
"Melanie Nilles creates a story that not only young adults can enjoy but I believe any age will get some delight from this read. It definitely gives thought if one wakes to discover they are far from being normal and need to find a way to be accepted by all." - Coffee Time Romance
Starfire Angels
By
Melanie Nilles
Starfire Angels is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters, names, places, or incidents to reality is pure coincidence.
Starfire Angels
Paperback Copyright © 2009 by Melanie Nilles
E-book Copyright © 2009 by Melanie Nilles
Cover Art
Copyright © 2009 by Melanie Nilles
Published by Prairie Star Publishing; Bismarck, North Dakota.
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved.
For information, contact Melanie Nilles at mailto:melanie_nilles@yahoo.com or online at www.melanienilles.com.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank all my friends who have supported me throughout the years and new readers who have yet to dabble in my worlds. You know who you are.
Thank you!
Chapters
____________________
The Good, the Bad, and the Wounded
Raea gasped and scanned the shadows around her. Her crystal pendant glowed faintly like the aquamarine splotches on the backs and palms of her hands, but it all faded to nothing before she could blink. Impossible. She couldn't have seen what she thought she saw.
Familiarity chased away the fire and darkness. Her room. She sat in her room in Debbie and Mike Logan's, her aunt's and uncle's, house, but her covers stuck to her.
Yuck. In the dark of her room, she threw back her wet sheet and comforter and picked off her brown hair sticking to her neck and shoulders. Much better. The cold March night made her shiver, but after dreaming of fire and waking up soaked in sweat, she welcomed the cold. She'd welcome a hot shower in the morning even more.
It must have been a dream. That's all it was. One more annoying dream to forget.
She closed her eyes. Tomorrow would come too soon.
* * *
"Watch out!" Linds' voice called over the noise of various conversations in the crowded second floor hall of McClarron High School.
Too late. Josh met Raea with a newspaper clipping held aloft in his hand. With his other hand, he swiped strands of dark brown hair away from blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Raea, you gotta see this!"
Not another one. The first story had piqued her interest and the second confirmed it, but after five reports shoved in her face about a mysterious black-winged angel helping local residents, she had no desire to see another. Small town news. Why did she have to live in little McClarron, North Dakota? Why couldn't her aunt and uncle live in a city, or even Fargo with several high schools? That was big enough to hide from news like this and still be close to Debbie's family.
But she wouldn't have her friends, including Josh, shortest guy in the senior class—her height—a total geek, and a just plain nice guy. He should've found a girlfriend already. Instead, he pestered her and the others with his obsession.
What did Josh have—sensors or tracking devices planted on each of them? He moved too quickly for her to avoid in the locker-lined halls without hurting his feelings. The least she could do was humor him. Josh might be obsessive about this, but he'd been a good friend since first grade.
She took the clipping he shoved into her hands and glanced down. Yup, another one. This time the angel had stopped a family from crashing on Highway 200 heading west to Washburn. She finished skimming the article and handed the clipping back to him. Her dreams about her mother with wings returned in vivid detail.
"'Kay...So...Anything?"
Raea shook off her thoughts and focused on Josh. That pleading gaze waited in expectance of her to get excited. As much as she wanted to for his sake, she couldn't. "What do you want me to say?"
"What do you think?"
In answer, the bell rang. The squeak of sneakers and stampede with the slams of metal lockers around them made talking difficult. Saved by the bell. Josh was cool, but she and the others tired of hearing about their small town hero.
"I think we better get our butts into Biology," she said.
"Forget Biology. Don't you get it? They made the name official. They're calling him 'Dark Angel' for sure." He followed to her locker. Why her? "It's just wicked! I love it!"
She didn't care about his "Dark Angel." Why did they have to assign a name? Now that's all she'd hear from him.
"Oh, and there was another article."
"Josh, we don't have time." Hadn't he heard the warning bell?
"It just said a film crew from the Xplorer Channel is coming next week to interview people and try to catch a glimpse of the Dark Angel. Anyway, see ya in class."
Thank you, she mouthed and turned the dial for the lock on her green locker door. At least she wouldn't have to hear about it for a while. But a film crew? She could just see the madhouse with everyone wanting their moment of fame. Still, it would liven up their small town for a while. It would be interesting, to say the least.
With her books in her arms, Raea slammed her locker and hurried to her first class of the day.
The only thing she wanted to think about at the present was Linds's birthday party that weekend. Eighteen. Her friend would be an official adult, even if they were still in high school.
If only Raea's mother could have been there to see her reach adulthood. That would have been perfect. Her whole life would have been perfect if Padina had lived all those years. At least then Raea wouldn't have only her dreams. After her mother's and stepfather's deaths in the tornado thirteen years ago, Raea had come to live with her aunt and uncle and cousins.
Every day she wished she could speak to her mother one more time, so she could ask questions like the one that plagued her since waking last night. Had Raea really seen the marks on her hands glow last night? Like her mother's marks, the aquamarine blotches in her palms also showed on the backs of her hands, so she couldn't hide them by closing her fists. Worse still, jagged lines sprayed out from the center to her fingertips and beyond her wrists. The bullies liked them, as a reason to tease her.
Somebody bumped against her from behind, but she caught her balance with a step.
A moonlit vista of a large valley clustered with trees and dotted with a couple of rocky waterfalls stretched to the horizon.
"I don't care what you are, Padina," Scott said. "You're still the world to me. I want you to stay. Don't leave me, not like this."
Padina hesitated and the scene blurred a moment. It stopped on Scott in the wan glow of moonlight, his trim figure crossed with shadows from the trees rising high around him.
"Careful."
Raea blinked away the brief vision of her mother and stepdad and looked up at the last sight she expected. Elis Jasheir? No way. Disheveled black hair and gloves with the fingertips exposed—that was him. Deep purple eyes behind black locks made her look twice. Sure enough—purple. An odd color but attractive on him. Warmth rose to her face. What was she thinking? She wasn't, but when she turned away, she caught the smirk on Chad Cooper's face. Oh, no. She'd never live this down.
She pulled away from Elis. The creepiest guy in her class had caught her, and she blushed. This was not happening.
Elis left her to take his seat near the back of the room, near the shelves of jars of preserved samples of odd creatures Mr. Maviar collected for their study. He never said anything, just sat quietly and did his work. She almost felt sorry for him.
Not now. What was she thinking?
She hurried to join Josh at their lab table at the front and slumped down to hide. The worst was yet to come. She knew it. Chad always found time to harass her. Unlike other guys in her class, he and Joey had never grown up, and probably never would.
"Woo!" Chuckles erupted from Chad, and the other voice was probably Joey, who sat one table back and one row closer to the door. Two of the worst bullies in school.
Raea hunched down and hid her face in her hands. Please, just leave me alone this once.
"Freaky and Creeper sittin' in a tree..."
It was too much to hope. Twelve years of torture were almost over. If she could just hold out two more months, she would graduate and never have to see or hear him again.
"Don't listen to them," Josh said. "They just have to find some way to cause trouble."
"Yeah. For me." Why couldn't it be someone else?
Before the bell rang to start the class, she breathed easier. The handsome, young science teacher, Mister Maviar, had only to give Chad "the look" to silence him. It paid to be on a teacher's good side, although she could live without being called a teacher's pet. After all, she didn't fawn over him, not like the rest of the girls, or dress scantily to get his attention. She didn't have to. Her perfect grades gave her enough attention.
A familiar sound caught her ears. She recognized the clack of heels growing louder down the hall outside the open classroom door and waited expectantly.
Mrs. McKeen, the principal, entered the room. A thin smile cracked the rigid lines of her face. A few whispers circulated while she spoke to Mister Maviar.
From her place near the front of the classroom, Raea had a clear line to the door and saw the reason for the principal's visit. Whoa! Her breath froze in her lungs at the face peaking in. Were they getting a new student? She hoped so. Man, was he cute, and she didn't usually go for that look—golden blonde hair to the shoulders. A bit on the preppy side for clothes, but the red and black crewneck fit him. Fit him very well. His eyes scanned the room with an intense precision that made her heart flutter.
I'm free. If only she was one of the pretty girls. Then again, he'd probably never be interested in her, like most of the guys in that school.
She couldn't wait to get out of that small town. None of the guys were worth going with—the good ones were taken and the rest were too stupid on so many levels. Only Josh had anything going for him, but he was a friend.
Why would a new guy have any interest in her? Oh, well. She could dream. Besides, he carried himself with that rich, snobby air, like some show-off, jock. He'd fit in well with most of the guys in McClarron.
"A new student?" Josh asked.
When Mrs. McKeen finished, Mr. Maviar stepped forward. Mrs. McKeen waved the new boy inside. Nope. Not a boy. Definitely a man. Oh, man. She couldn't be the only girl staring either.
"It has been brought to my attention by Mrs. McKeen that an exchange student will be attending McClarron High for a few weeks. I hope you'll make him feel welcome."
Mrs. McKeen stepped forward with the new guy. He looked older than most of the guys in the senior class, but so did Elis. Perhaps he had started school a year later in his country.
"This is Pallin Montran." Mrs. McKeen looked up to him. He was tall. And the toothpick-thin principal was in high heels. A moment of confusion passed across her face. "He'll be here temporarily, after spending most of his life in—"
"Small place," he said, his hands clasped behind his back and his feet shoulder-width apart. He stood like some marine from bootcamp, like on those shows her uncle Mike liked to watch. "It is not important."
Raea looked to Josh, but he shrugged. Where had she heard that accent before? It rang with familiarity, but she couldn't place it. Did anyone else know? She glanced around the room, but everyone looked to one another, shaking their heads and whispering. Elis was the only one who said nothing, but beneath the wild, black hair sprayed over his eyes, his expression darkened.
"Very well. I leave you with Mister Maviar's Advanced Biology class. You have your schedule. Let me know if you need any help."
Pallin smiled. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Ma'am?" Josh murmured.
No kidding. Raea choked on a restrained giggle, while others snickered. He sounded like he was in the military, too.
Mrs. McKeen marched across the room, her heels ringing with each step until she closed the door behind her.
"There's an empty chair next to Leo Kowalski." Mister Maviar handed him a textbook and pointed down the aisle to the table where Leo sat alone. "Please take a seat so we can begin."
Pallin made his way past the other tables, the eyes of most of the girls following, Raea included. For a second after he sat down, his amber eyes caught hers. Was that a smile? That was a smile. He smiled at her. Ohmygod! Raea turned around, her heart pounding a race. He was cute, no matter what her impressions of his attitude had been.
It was all she could do to pay attention in class. He couldn't have smiled at her, but she swore he had. Had he? He must have. But he couldn't have, not her.
When the bell rang after class, Raea gathered her books. She kept her eyes down when Pallin passed her, unable to look up. What would she say? She couldn't. Her tongue stuck.
She waited for the room to empty, glad for the break before English to recover her speaking ability.
"Wha'd'ya think?" Josh wove through the crowded locker-lined halls with her like a fish in water.
"The class or the new guy?"
"Pallin."
She stopped to turn to the commotion they had left. Behind them, the subject of the conversation managed to keep his feet going amid a group of students offering to help him to his next class. He never noticed her. She must have imagined that spark.
"We'll see. He's definitely easy on the eyes."
"You would say that. He's a poser."
"Whatever." Josh was so jealous. She didn't have time to stroke his ego, though. "I have to go. I'll see you in English."
The rest of the day filled with rumors and talk about the new foreign student.
When the last bell rang, Raea was happy just to make it through without any more trouble. Thank old man time the day had to end. Although she wouldn't have minded watching Pallin more, seeing the other girls hanging on him made her sick. So what if he was a senior and foreign and the best looking guy now in McClarron?
Why was she worrying about it? She shouldn't even care.
"So, like, what happened this morning?" Josh asked a block from school. The sounds of that prison faded as they walked the few quiet blocks, passing houses with small sections of fenced and tree-lined yards until they reached the street where they parted ways. "You looked ready to faint when Elis caught you."
Did he really have to bring that up? The most embarrassing moment of her day and she hadn't been left to forget it. It's not like she would anyway—every memory stayed with her perfectly. Why did Elis have to bump into her? Why did she have to fall into another vision of her mother? Really. She literally fell. But Elis caught her, of all the people. That moment she looked up flashed through her mind—those eyes. Who had purple eyes? She must have imagined it.
Raea glanced behind and shivered inside her blue and gray jacket—she should've worn a heavier coat, or maybe spring should hurry up and chase away winter. Elis walked alone about twenty feet back, like every day, saying nothing and practically hiding from any attention. What did he think?
He didn't say anything about what happened. In fact, he had gone about his day as if nothing happened.
"Don't remind me." If only Pallin had caught her. Now, that would have been something.
"Why? Really. I won't say anything. You almost fainted, Raea. I'm a little concerned is all. It's not like you."
Why couldn't Josh drop the subject?
Because he cared. He always concerned himself with other people's problems. She supposed she could answer his question, provided he swore to say nothing to anyone. These visions were so unusual, but with his Dark Angel obsession, he'd probably love to hear about her strange dreams of good and bad angels, especially when her mother appeared as one of them. Or maybe his obsession triggered those dreams.
"I don't want to think about it." What bothered her most was that she didn't mind Elis catching her at the time. Sure, it felt odd since she had always avoided him, like most of her classmates, but he hadn't actually done anything wrong.
"Why?"
"It's just...Oh, nevermind. You wouldn't understand." She didn't really understand what made her feel weird. Elis had never done anything to anyone. In fact, he started their junior year at MHS with rumors that he fled his homeland. Someone said he came to their small town as a refugee after the death of his family in a war no one knew much about, probably because he never said what country he was from. Her mother had also been a refugee and alone when she arrived in Minneapolis and met Scott.
But her mother was her mother. Elis was quiet and somber. A loner. He never talked to anyone. He simply existed, but at the same time not, like a shadow. Yet the widow, Mrs. Johnson, had taken him in. Okay, so maybe he couldn't be too bad if Mrs. Johnson always smiled at church with him at her side. Still, his quietness bothered Raea. What went on in his head?
"Try me."
When would Josh give up? Never.
"Oh, all right. How can I expect you to understand when you're not a girl?" She sighed heavily. "It's simple. Some guys are outgoing and easy to talk to—like you. Others are, let's just say, odd, like they're thinking something they shouldn't." That didn't seem right about Elis. He wasn't creepy in that way. What was it about him?
Josh glanced back and shrugged. "Just because someone doesn't talk much doesn't mean they have a dirty mind. Besides, Raea, all guys have dirty minds."
She so did not need to hear that from him. Josh was a good person. How could he have a dirty mind? Thinking of him thinking of girls in that way just seemed…weird. He was her friend, not a boyfriend, but a close friend she trusted.
"I didn't hear that," she said.
"At least I'm honest, but not every guy you know thinks about it all the time or sees women as just an object for their own gratification."
"Okay. I don't need to hear anymore." Why were they talking about this?
He chuckled. "Whatever. You don't even know him. None of us know him."
"Yeah, because he. Never. Talks." That didn't bother her. It was just...something.
"All right. Fine. Believe what you want. What about almost fainting? What happened?"
"When he bumped me, I had this flash of my mom and Scott." She lowered her voice to keep Elis from hearing her. Hopefully he took the hint, if he had overheard anything before then, and stayed away from her. "But in my sleep, I've been having the same dream over and over for a few weeks now. Not every night, but often enough. It's always the exact same. You're gonna love it—it's about angels."
That smirk on Josh's face made his thoughts clear. He looked far too self-satisfied.
"Don't go telling me about your 'Dark Angel' either. This is about mom. She's an angel in my dream and flying with a man who gets killed by the bad angels. She makes some sort of hole in the sky and disappears. Then I always wake up." That should satisfy him.
"Always the same?"
"Yeah. Exactly. Every detail." What happened to the gloating about angels?
"Angels, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I have no idea what it means—"
Raea almost smacked him for that. Thanks, Josh. Lotta help you are.
"But if you're having fainting spells and visions about your mom and dreaming about her as an angel, I'd guess you're looking at your grief and maybe anger. I don't know. Try lucid dreaming."
Cool. He didn't actually go into a spiel about angels, for once.
"Take control of the dream."
What good would that do? She was an observer in it, not a participant.
"It's cool that you see your mom as an angel. I'd guess I was rubbing off on you." He grinned.
If he only knew how close she was to kicking his butt back into smugville. Lucky for him, his corner came up. "Dream on," she said.
"That's what I should be saying to you."
All right. He won that round. Raea smiled and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Smart ass. I'll see you tomorrow."
He glanced back and leaned close to her, keeping his voice down. "Don't let it bother you. You don't even know him. Maybe you should try actually, like, talking to him."
"Go." She didn't want to hear it any more. The day was done. The embarrassment was past.
"Tomorrow," he said and strode away.
She didn't want to think about tomorrow, and hearing all the stuff about Pallin, although it took Chad's attention off her.
She could almost feel Elis breathing down her neck and hurried the last block home. Josh was wrong. So, so wrong.
But she didn't have to be around Elis or talk to him at home. Only at school.
Home never looked more inviting, the blue house standing alone at the end of the last block on the edge of McClarron. And her cousin Dave was gone to basketball practice, a major relief. No Dave to annoy her, for a while anyway.
One good thing came that day. Or was it two? It had ended, and the sun shone bright. Yeah. She'd call that two good things. A bright ending on a gloomy start.
Better yet, Raea found a third positive moment. It might have been freezing, but the ice crystals sparkled in the air around her like magic dust.
Now, to get inside before Elis caught up to her. She wanted to run, but not when she might hit a patch of ice. One wrong step was all it would take to break an ankle. She had never been to a doctor or in the hospital and didn't want to start.
Raea took a misstep and gasped...
Scott moved close, a smile on his narrow face. He pulled off his glasses and laid his head on something. "There it is. Wow. That's quite a kick."
"Yes, it was." Padina's accent was heavy still. She stroked Scott's short, reddish brown hair.
"She'll be beautiful." Scott lifted his head.
"How do you know?"
"Because I know her mother is."
Padina blushed. "You are too good man for me."
"Not good enough." He kissed her.
"I am lucky woman. You accept us, but this is not your child. We cannot have...together any more. Only this." She rubbed the bulge of her belly.
He shrugged. "She'll be our child."
"Why 'she'?"
"I don't know. Maybe I always wanted a little girl to spoil. I can hope."
Padina laughed.
Raea shook away the image. Again. It happened again. These scenes of her parents couldn't be dreams. They were real scenes. She had never been there and wouldn't have imagined them on her own. Why did she see these images? The people she loved were dead. Although she wished with all her heart for both of them to be there, nothing could bring Scott and her mom back. Her chest ached to see them as vividly as if they had been there.
"Are you all right?" Elis helped her balance.
"What?" She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. "Um...Yeah. I have to get home." Before she broke down in front of him. This truly was the worst day of her life, second to the day her mom and Scott died. What was happening to her?
Despite her best efforts, the tears flowed cold on her cheeks by the time she entered the house on the end of the block. Raea kicked off her shoes and ran across the wood laminate main floor and up the stairs to slam the door of her room behind her.
It wasn't fair. Why did they have to die? Raea was only five; no more than a child.
It had taken all those years to let go and now these scenes rushed in on her. It wasn't fair. Remembering and seeing happy times that she had never been present to see tore open her grief. She had cursed the storm every day since the tornado destroyed only their house while she was at a sleepover. Life was so unfair and cruel.
She let the tears flow, soaking her pillow. Only the ringing of her phone succeeded in interrupting the flood of grief and tears, damming it for a while.
The caller ID displayed a welcome number. He had the best timing.
"Hey, Josh." She wiped her eyes with the pink sleeve of her shirt and sniffed.
After a couple seconds of silence, he asked, "Are you all right?"
"It's nothing." Nothing she wanted to think about it again.
"Sure?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Okay. I'm gonna be on national TV! You know that special on Dark Angel the Xplorer Channel wants to do?"
"Yeah. The one you mentioned this morning." She sniffed and wiped her eyes dry. If he hadn't called, she'd probably still be sobbing from the scenes burned in her memories now. She loved seeing them, but it hurt too much.
"Uh, huh. They heard about my interest in our angel and want me to help them."
"I'm happy for you." At least he'd have someone who would listen to all his stories and speculations, and in that light she could be happy for him.
"Oh, man! I'm shaking. I don't know what to do. I had to call someone. Actually, I have to call everyone. I get to help out and maybe be on TV!"
A laugh escaped her at the mental picture of Josh shaking in excitement. Just what she needed. "That's cool. Maybe some of your fame will rub off on the rest of us."
"This is going to be way more than cool. It's the sickest! I can't believe it!"
Neither could she, but she hoped for his sake that it didn't blow up in his face. "Be careful, though. Don't let them make fun of you." Like some kids did.
"No. It's not like that. This is Miracles and Other Wonders, the show that looks for credibility in what can't be scientifically proven."
"Then I guess you're set. It's right up your alley."
"Oh, yes, it is! I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. It's just...Wow! I don't know what to think."
She wouldn't either, but she didn't have his obsession with the McClarron angel. "Settle down and chill a bit. You said they won't be here for a week, so you have some time to put things together."
"That's just it. The assistant left a message and wants me to call them back ASAP with everything I've considered and any observations I've had. I haven't even tried watching for our angel. How can I give any credibility?"
"It's winter, Josh. It's cold. Who's gonna sit out and watch for an angel to fly over, let alone a senior in high school with tests to study for and papers due? I'm surprised they expect that much from you, or anyone."
"I'll have to ask who gave them the info. In the meantime, I gotta call Grandma. Oh, and Paul. Maybe he's the one they contacted."
His parish priest had been his closest ally in swapping stories and speculations, or at least based on the reports he brought back to them. She and the others had learned to steer him away from the topic. That could stay between him and Father Davison. She and the others preferred the old Josh, the geek who hung out with them and joked around and who wasn't constantly obsessed about every real or imagined appearance of their black-winged angel.
"Probably," she said. Anything to get him off the line so she didn't have to hear him go into the insights he had gathered, again. If only this angel would disappear. Life could go back to the way it was before that first sighting, and maybe her dreams or visions would end. "I'm sure your Grandma will be excited for you."
"I know she will. Thanks, Raea, and I hope you figure out your dream."
"Thanks."
"'Kay. See ya tomorrow."
"Bye." She clicked the phone off. Wow. Josh had the full attention of a whole television crew. He was right—it was the sickest, minus the Dark Angel part.
"You trust her with it?
"It is necessary. They'll look for me, not her. No one knew I was pregnant."
Scott stroked Padina's light brown hair from her face. "But she's only a child. She's likely to lose it."
"Better lost than in their hands."
Raea watched from the crack of their open bedroom door. Her parents sat up in bed, her mother with her head on Scott's shoulder.
"But if the wrong person finds it—"
"It will react. Unfortunate for them."
"If it's really as powerful as you've described, it shouldn't be in the hands of a child."
"Raea is my child." Padina's tone admonished him. "Never forget that. Do not forget what we are, Scott. We may look human sometimes—"
He gently tilted her head back and kissed her lips. "You'll always be my angels."
Padina smiled. "That's not what I meant."
The scene faded to the deep recesses of Raea's dreams. Faint voices in unison whispered from afar. Raea strained to listen but they vanished. "Who are you?" she called into the dream. "I can't hear you. Speak up!" Nothing.
* * *
Raea yawned as she sat down at the dining table, where Debbie sat with her morning coffee and toast, already dressed and made-up for work.
"Did you sleep well?"
"No. I've been having these weird dreams of...of Mom." Debbie didn't need to know details, but Debbie had known her mom well. She said she had helped with the birth. Padina had to be a saint to have a baby at home without any medication. Maybe her aunt could tell her something or give her some insight about her mother she hadn't considered.
"What kind of dreams?"
"The weird kind."
Debbie gave her the stop-messing-with-me look. No skirting the issue.
"For a while now I've had the same dream over and over. It never changes. But yesterday..." This was going to sound stupid, but Raea wanted answers. At least the boys weren't in sight or sound. Still, she didn't want to risk Dave and Eric overhearing and lowered her voice. Sound carried too far under the vaulted ceilings. "Yesterday, when Elis bumped me at school, and when I slipped on the way home from school, I saw scenes. It's like I was there but not. Like a fly on the wall."
"Hmm."
What did that mean? Debbie said nothing more but took another bit of her toast. Didn't she care?
"They were like scenes from her life. And last night, I dreamed of something I actually remember."
"Probably just déjà vu. But I'm concerned if you're falling into dreams in the middle of the day. I'll check with a specialist and see what they advise."
"Whatever." Raea shrugged and finished off her cereal. If that was all Debbie would say, what else could she do? See a neurologist?
Eric tromped down the stairs looking for food. The skinny sixth-grader was always hungry. If Raea ate like either of her cousins, she'd look like a blimp. Where did they put it?
Dave followed Eric and gave her a dirty look. Too bad. She had beaten him to the shower that morning. He'd live.
So far that day started out as the polar opposite of yesterday. Just what she needed to cheer up: A nice long, hot shower, annoying Dave, a bowl of cereal...Yup, major improvement over yesterday. Just in time for Linds' party coming up in two more days.
Why did the best days always follow the worst, though? It never failed, but she suspected that if she ever solved that riddle, her life would end or the world would collapse into nothing. At least she could enjoy the day and any further improvements that came her way.
On the way to school, even the sun seemed to shine brighter that morning. She didn't see Elis on the walk to school, a relief and—in an odd way—a disappointment. Yesterday was totally weird around him. She didn't want to repeat it, but she wanted answers.
And no one would ever know. She wouldn't tell them. Elis didn't have a reason to say anything, a big relief. She did not need to invite any more mocking from Chad. Yesterday was bad enough, except he had teased her all her life. Avoiding any situations even hinting of fuel for his amusement was her daily goal. Now with Pallin distracting everyone, maybe that would end, for a while at least.
Only one other thing could have made the day better—not having to listen to Josh talk almost non-stop about the television program he was going to be on. On the bright side, it was better than Chad's teasing.
Josh shut up during class, but lunch was another matter. At their own round table near one of the windows, he had a captive audience of friends.
"O-kay, Josh!" Linds' slumped back in her chair, shaking her head to throw her blonde-streaked hair back over her shoulders. "We get it. I was excited when I first heard, but you're wearing my patience thin. I don't suggest pushing it during calving season. Chill for a bit. Talk about something else."
Leave it to Linds to say it bluntly. Her farm girl toughness kept them all sane. Raea suspected what had her cranky. "Your dad make you go out and check cows?"
"Yes. I'm so tired. I don't need to listen to all the details of Dark Angel this and Dark Angel that. No offense, but it gets old real fast."
Yes, it did. Better that Linds said it and not her. Raea hated being the one to criticize her friends. Sure, it came easy with her cousin Dave, but he was like the most annoying pest on the planet. Let someone else say what they all thought when it came to Josh.
"Why can't he just make Terry or Jim do all the work?" Raea asked.
"Equal load. It was my turn to go out…at freakin' two AM!"
"How many calves left?" Jess stabbed at her salad.
"Too many. I don't know. We're just hitting the peak."
Raea tuned out Linds's rant about calving, her curiosity drawn to something else. And there he sat, alone and minding his own business. Both daytime visions had happened when Elis touched her. There had to be a connection, but she'd be damned if she would ask him. What a crackhead she'd sound like: "Yeah, Elis, why is it whenever you touch me, I have visions of my mom?" Before, she could watch from a distance and occasionally wonder if he liked being alone. Now, she didn't want anything to do with Elis. She hoped he stayed as far from her as possible.
At a sudden pressure that built up in her head, Raea blinked and rubbed her temples. She never had headaches. Why now? Not only did Elis cause problems when he touched her, but now he could curse her from a distance?
Under the drone of lunchroom conversations, numerous voices whispered in discord too low to understand. "What?"
"Huh?" Josh frowned.
"Not you."
"What's wrong?" Jess's hand rubbed her shoulder. Ordinarily, the concern of her friend would have helped, but not this time.
Not with this. The strange voices split her head with pain while no one else reacted. Didn't the others hear?
They watched her with concerned looks. "I'm fine. Just a headache." And strange voices, which, apparently, only she heard. Not exactly something she wanted the world to know.
The whispers grew louder but the words jumbled together. Who are you and what do you want? Speak up. I can't understand. Her head hurt. The fluorescent lights made it worse, along with the noise in the lunchroom. She had to lie down.
After shoving her unfinished tray of food aside, Raea laid her head on her arms. Good enough for now. She probably couldn't even walk home to reach her bed.
"Raea, are you all right?" Linds asked.
"No—My. Head. Hurts."
"This is sudden. You look terrible."
Thanks, Jess. Raea groaned. The pain worsened every second, and the voices didn't help. She still couldn't make them out through the dissonance.
The tap of steps stopped behind her. A gentle rubbing on her neck massaged the aching away. "Mmm...Keep that up." She put her forehead to the table, exposing her neck to the pleasant massage parting her hair into a curtain on each side of her face. Tingles of pleasant relaxation flowed down her neck.
"Ah...Of course," Josh said.
With each second, the voices and headache faded. She could have let him massage her neck all day like that. What a relief. Too bad he stopped, just when she really enjoyed it too.
"Miss Dahlrich?"
Raea lifted her head. No pain. Man, that felt better. Josh sat down fast again. She didn't even hear him slide his chair.
Or was it him? No. Mrs. MacRabb did not just massage her neck.
"Are you all right?" the old teacher asked. With her wide thighs and cheeks that sagged like melted wax, there was no mistaking the old English teacher, the last person Raea wanted to see. No. Please, not her. She'd never live down the teasing to the end of the year. "I'm fine. Thanks."
"You sure?"
"Yes." Just leave me alone and let me crawl under a rock to die. She dropped her head back to the table.
"You let someone know if you're not well."
"I will. Thanks."
Jess took her place again and Mrs. MacRabb walked away.
"He must have the magic touch," Linds said.
He? Then, not the old English teacher? But... "Who? Josh?"
"Um...No."
Raea lifted her head. Who else had relieved her headache?
Josh's eyebrows lifted and his eyes slipped away. "Not me. Him."
Raea turned and saw Elis leaving the lunchroom. Impossible. Why did he do it? How had he done it? Her headache and the voices disappeared. She couldn't believe it, especially when it contradicted what happened yesterday. "You can't be serious."
Josh's nod said he was serious.
"Why didn't you say something?" Josh of all people. He knew how she felt about what happened yesterday.
"He asked us to keep quiet." He put a finger to his lips.
"And you let him, after what we talked about? Josh, how could you?"
He shrugged. "It looked like he knew what he was doing. You needed something."
And what was Linds doing while this was going on? She could have said something.
"Don't look at me. I agree with both of you. He is kinda creepy, but you have to admit that whatever he did, it made you feel better." She shrugged.
"I know, but...you know?" Linds knew what she meant.
"Yeah. But it's done."
"I think I'd rather have the headache," Raea mumbled. In spite of her words, she felt some gratitude. Linds and Josh were both right. Maybe Elis was just trying to make up for bumping her yesterday morning. If that was the case, she accepted it. But the payback had been done. He didn't need to try any more. "I'll be sure to thank him."
"You looked like you enjoyed it." Linds grinned and crossed her arms over the UND logo on her sweatshirt.
Warmth rose from under Raea's collar. That was the last thing she needed anyone thinking. Sure, she had enjoyed it, but no one needed to know. Had it been that obvious? But she only liked it because it took away the headache. That was it. Nothing more.
But no one else would see it that way. This was worse than if a teacher had touched her. Hurry up, graduation.
"Hey." Jess poked her in the ribs.
"Ow." Raea rubbed her side. Jess didn't have to nudge her that hard. "What?"
"Look what just entered the cafeteria."
Raea turned to where Jess pointed, and her heart stopped. Pallin. Hottest thing since…well…no one else. Who cared about that gray turtleneck and gray pants formal preppy look? He looked right at her—her—and smiled. The heat rose to her cheeks and she turned away. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
"Did you see the look he gave you?"
Could Jess whisper any louder? Honestly. What was the point of whispering?
"Yes." She was going to be sick from anxiety. Why did she have to look?
Linds chuckled. "What's wrong?"
"I…Why me? I can't talk to him."
"We're here," Josh said. "You're not alone. Right, ladies?"
Linds gulped down a mouthful of food. "Right."
"Yeah," Jess said. That's all she could say? Jess, the talker?
"Just take a deep breath...That's it. Now another."
Easy for Josh to say. He wasn't the one under the microscope. Still, the breathing calmed her, if only a little.
"What's he doing?" She couldn't look up. What if he looked at her again? Her stomach twisted into knots.
"Ah..." Linds stared past her, her spoon frozen before her gaping mouth.
"Hello."
Raea jumped as if shocked, unable to look up.
"I may join you?"
That accent and funny English made her giddy while triggering a nagging sense of familiarity. Where had she heard it before? She'd heard it recently too, but in her flustered brain, couldn't pin it down.
"It's Pallin, right?" Josh asked.
A tray scraped on the tabletop. Oh, no. Not here. Her appetite vanished.
"Yes. I am not remembering names."
"I'm Josh. These lovely ladies are Lindsey, Jessica, and Raea. To what do we owe this honor?"
"I have chance to speak to Raea."
He was interested in her. She couldn't avoid it any longer. Raea took a deep breath and turned to face him. She'd be damned if she could speak, though. Her mouth went dry when he smiled, and her thoughts jumbled.
"You are pretty girl," he said.
Did he just say she was pretty? Ohmygod. "Thanks." Good one, idiot. That's all you can say?
"You are welcome."
Her breath caught in her throat.
"How do you like it here, so far?" Linds asked.
Thank you, Linds. Sooner or later, Raea would have to overcome the disconnect between her brain and her mouth and speak for herself.
"It is nice place, much peace but cold."
"McClarron is a happy little community." Josh's sarcasm passed for perkiness. She was going to hurl if he did it again.
"Yes. Many good people I meet. I would like to know more about you." Pallin's amber eyes studied Raea all the while he spoke.
The temperature in the lunchroom rose to unbearably warm, and she couldn't even look him in the eyes. The intensity of his gaze when she did sent her collapsing into herself. He wasn't like anyone she knew. Rather, he possessed the confidence of someone much older and she saw it in those eyes.
"You speak?" Pallin asked.
"Um…Yeah." Although her mouth seemed to quit working the last few minutes.
"Then we can having time together?"
Okay. No one had ever asked her out before, but Pallin, who could have had any girl in school, asked her? Hell must have frozen over, which was quite likely after that winter, but she wouldn't argue. "Yeah. I'd like that."
* * *
For the rest of the night, Raea could think of nothing but Pallin. He had been in two of her afternoon classes and they talked between. After school, she gave him her number to call her at home. He said he stayed at the local hotel, so he had a phone available.
She paced in her room, unable to focus on her homework. After ten and he hadn't called yet. Didn't he know how to use a phone? Had something happened?
No. She couldn't think that. He might be foreign, but he didn't seem stupid. In fact, he sounded pretty sharp for someone having difficulty speaking English. He was going to school while the others—parents, she guessed—had business in McClarron. He traveled with them, experiencing the military life, which explained his behavior. That she understood. Others had passed in and out of their school. But what would the military want in a small town of four thousand?
She couldn't wait to see him in school tomorrow.
Her anxiety turned to fidgeting. Enough sitting in her room. She had to do something, anything. Even watching the news with Debbie would be better than laying in bed waiting and wondering.
Raea wandered down to the open main floor, where the furniture divided the living room from the dining room and foyer.
"You better get to bed." Debbie looked up from the couch, where she sat alone. Mike must have worked on the computer in another room.
"I can't sleep." Thoughts of Pallin circled through her head. She wanted to see him again. School wasn't good enough—too many people listening or watching. She needed a chance to go on a date, a real date. Why hadn't he called?
"Is something wrong?"
"No, just excited." Raea fell onto the chair to watch the news. Some television might help her get her mind off her anxieties.
The local anchor wore a somber expression on her pretty face. "Ryan Lake found his parents dead in their McClarron home when he arrived to visit for the weekend. Local authorities have reported no bullets found in their initial investigation, although the couple had both clearly been shot in their chests. No suspects have yet been considered, but police are continuing to investigate."
"That's depressing." Why couldn't the news report something upbeat? Then again, there wasn't much else to talk about in a small town, even if the station was out of Bismarck. Murder rarely happened there, so it was big news. She didn't want to hear about it though, especially when she remembered Ryan before he graduated and how fair he treated everyone.
"I can't believe it. That's Linda and Dean. I work with her older sister, Sheri. Poor Ryan. I'll bet he's having a hard time."
Debbie knew them? Then again, who didn't Debbie know? "Yeah." Raea could relate to losing one's parents. She sympathized with the guy.
"I can't believe this. They're good people. Who would want to murder them? I thought the cold was supposed to keep the riffraff out," Debbie said.
"Yeah. You'd think." Why were her parents in the storm thirteen years ago? That's what Raea wanted to know, but the only answer she would ever have was a tornado. No "riffraff" as Debbie put it, just bad luck and weather.
"I know it's not easy. I miss Scott too."
Raea missed them every day, but now wasn't the time to think about it. That made her think of the visions and the dreams. Raea didn't want to fall into that grief. Not now. Now, she wanted a distraction. She wanted to think about Pallin.
Raea jumped from the chair and curled up next to Debbie on the couch. The warmth felt good in the chilly room, but Debbie's arm around her felt better. "I'm glad I have you."
"I'm glad to have you too. What's with the sudden buttering up?"
"I never ever want you to die."
Debbie laughed. "I hope not."
"I love you, Debbie." Raea planted a big kiss on her aunt's cheek and laid her head on her shoulder. See what she thought of that.
"You're in a good mood suddenly."
"Yup." She didn't want to think of her parents, not with Pallin to look forward to seeing.
"Must be feeling better."
"Mm. Hmm."
"Something happen today?" The suspicious voice.
Uh, oh. Raea had gone too far. But part of her wanted to tell Debbie. The excitement ate through her desire to keep it secret. She couldn't stop herself. "We have this new guy at school. He's totally hot and is into me. Me. For once in my life, a guy likes me." Her, the "freak" of McClarron with the strange hands. Most of her classmates had grown up, but the underclassmen always whispered.
"Well...That explains this giddiness. No wonder you can't sit still."
"Nope." Raea hugged her aunt's arm and snuggled close. Debbie had to be on her side. She just had to. Debbie usually played devil's advocate and tried to scare her from decisions that thrilled her. This time had to be different.
"New kid at school, huh? So..."
"So..." Raea's tongue loosened. She went into all the details about Pallin, and when she finished, Debbie focused on the TV.
Not good. That somber mood meant devil's advocate. "Just don't lose your head over this guy. He may move on to someone else when he leaves."
That was the last thing Raea wanted to hear. Her enthusiasm shriveled like a deflated balloon.
"Or he could be planning to use you."
Oh, no. Here it came—the lecture. Why did Debbie always have to see the negative? Why couldn't she be happy about Raea's life, just once?
"Just be careful."
That was it? Yes! "I will. But if Pallin calls, please don't let Dave talk to him?"
Debbie smiled. "I'll be sure to hand the phone to him immediately."
"Debbie."
Of course, her aunt wouldn't. The wink she gave and the kiss on Raea's forehead confirmed that she was teasing.
"He'll never know."
"Thanks, Debbie." Raea stayed up until she dozed off next to her aunt, who nudged her and told her to go to bed.
Raea yawned and said, "Good night." The stairs must have grown, or the house had. Her bedroom had moved too far away, along with the soft bed inside it.
She finally arrived and crashed not long after her head hit the pillow. One last thought passed through her mind—was Pallin too good to be true?
Black-clad figures approached from a distance. They cast a dark shadow that sent others fleeing.
Padina stood on a balcony looking out over a bustling city brushed by the sun, her open-front skirt flapping around her light blue leggings. Entire structures floated at different levels, rounded towers dozens of floors high unattached to anything else. Hundreds of angels flew through the skies.
But the black-clad group stood out in their threat.
["Jerantis!"] The scene blurred and finally stopped, looking into a simple apartment.
The man came running from inside and gazed beyond the scene. ["Larantan forces should have stopped them, unless..."] He gasped. ["Go!"]
They dropped from the balcony and spread their wings. A crash sounded from behind.
Black-clad figures rushed from the apartment balcony they vacated moments ago.
["Fly! Don't look back."]
They soared over the city and beyond the outer towers. Ocean stretched below. An island floated serenely in the distance among the clouds.
["Where are we going?"] Padina shouted.
["The safest place we can. Open a portal."]
The dreaded black clad figures closed in fast.
Padina spread her brown and white speckled wings and called forth a power that set the marks on her hands aglow. In the sky above, lightening crackled and snapped around a growing ball of light.
She slowed her flight, her eyes fixed on the ball, which darkened into a black nothingness not far from her and exploded outward into a spiraling black hole. Her hands glowed yet.
["Hurry!"] Jerantis shouted.
Padina focused on the void until it grew in diameter to three times her height. There it ceased its growth.
["It's done. The portal is ready. Let's go."]
["You go. I'll be right behind."]
She hesitated and flew close to him. The black formation split apart. Some held back while the others moved around them.
["Go. Now,"] he said.
["I won't leave you!"]
He flew close and kissed her. ["Padina. You are the one they seek. You must protect the Starfire. It's your duty as a Crystal Keeper."] He glanced around them at the closing circle of soldiers. ["Go on. I'll make sure the portal is closing before I go through, so they can't follow. Hurry."] He pushed her away.
She flew to the portal but hesitated at the brink and turned.
Shots flashed from two of the flyers.
["Jerantis!"] For a moment, she fell with the stiffening of her wings.
After recovering from the plummeting of the man, she turned and fled into the darkness.
The dream again. Raea tried to take control as Josh had suggested, but the voices admonished her, or seemed to. They forced her to watch. She could change nothing. When her mother disappeared into the void, or portal, she gasped.
The voices roared in her head like a crowd at a concert. I can't understand you. Stop shouting at the same time!
In answer, a burning pain shot through her, ripping out her back. Raea screamed in agony. Tears of pain stung her eyes. What are you doing to me? What do you want?
The voices lowered, whispering among themselves as the pain subsided.
Raea blinked at the dark of night and wiped her eyes. Wetness cooled her fingertips. Tears. Then it hadn't been a dream. She had really been crying.
What about the pain? She shifted but something blocked her from rolling over. She was stuck, but not completely. A dark shape hovered over her, blocking out the faint light from her window.
In the dimness, she made out the outline of a large wing. Where'd that come from?
Suspicions drove through her mind. It couldn't be real. "It was only a dream. It had to be." Wasn't it?
To be sure, she reached around her side. Fingertips brushed soft feathers from a bulk of muscles on her back. The wings came out of her. This was impossible!
What would Debbie—
Debbie couldn't see this. No one could.
Raea jumped up, intending to lock her bedroom door, and staggered back. The wings added some weight to her back, though she'd manage. On a second try, she reached the door and pressed the button. The lock clicked. There. Now, she could keep everyone from seeing what a freak she really was while she tried to make sense of this.
But what could she do? She couldn't go to school like this.
She'd have to stay home sick and wait for everyone to leave before she could go out. Then what? She couldn't stay in her bedroom the rest of her life. What kind of existence was that?
It wasn't. She had to figure out a way to undo this.
She had no idea. Nothing.
Her life was over.
But there had to be a way. She just had to figure something out. Raea sat down on her bed. If she went out in public, she'd be a spectacle. She didn't want that. Everyone would make fun of her. Oh, Josh would love it, but he'd be the only one.
What about Pallin? Why now? She was so close to the possibility of a real boyfriend. After all this time being teased as a freak, now she really was one.
She buried her face in her hands. The wings shifted behind her. She hated this. Damn voices. Whoever you are, I hope you're happy now for making my life miserable.
She laid down and pulled the comforter over the wings and her head. Maybe she could go back to sleep and they would disappear. How had these wings sprouted from her back in the middle of a dream in the first place?
The answer hid within her, with those voices. She wished they would speak clearly. Who were they? What were they?
What the hell—or heaven—was happening to her?
Maybe Chad was right—she really was a freak. No. She couldn't think like that. There was a reasonable explanation; she just had to find it.
Reason? What reason was there for growing wings?
If she cleared her head, maybe the voices would come back. Calm. She needed that. Deep breaths...Focus. Each breath pulled her further away from the anxiety. The quiet invading her mind coaxed her to the peace of sleep.
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