Dark Angel (Anak Trilogy) (13 page)

Suddenly, I felt great and wanted to be up and exploring the island. I turned in Zell’s arms, and patted him on the cheek.

“Wake up sleepy head,” I spoke quietly. “I want to go exploring.”

Zell opened one eye and looked at me intently as if deciding whether I was worth opening the other eye. He smiled his wide, beautiful grin.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered.

“Get up silly,” I said squirming out from underneath his massive arm and sword. “I want to explore this island.”

Zell laughed and hopped up returning his sword to its sheath.

“Are you paranoid?” I asked. “What could possibly come after us on this island?”

With a serious scowl on his face, Zell turned to look at me. “We are not safe anywhere on this planet.” 

My mouth dropped open at his words.

“However, we are as safe here as we can be. Safe enough that I allowed myself to fall asleep,” he added reassuringly. “How about a morning
swim?”

I returned his enthusiasm for a swim
, but I remembered that I didn’t have a bathing suit.

“Look in the top drawer of that chest. You’ll find anything you need in there. I just wanted you to wear my tee shirt last night
, so when we go back home I can lay it beside me at night and smell your perfume.”

“That’s gross,” I yelled throwing a pillow and hitting him in the chest. I was up for any challenge this day brought. Hurriedly, I dressed. Zell was
waiting outside for me when I finished putting on the sleek, black, one-piece suit I found in the chest.

Zell put his sheaths around his neck and took my hand.

“Let’s go.” We walked in silence to the edge of the bluff.

“How do we get to the beach?
” I asked peering over the edge of the cliff.

Without a
word, he released my hand and stepped back a few feet. Zell closed his eyes and concentrated. What I saw next was incredible.  Huge white wings tipped in silver and black stretched up towards the heavens and spread elegantly open. There were four of them.  The top wings on each side stretched toward the heavens, while the lower wings wrapped around his body like caressing arms. What a resplendent sight he made just standing there! He opened his eyes and ran toward me scooping me up in his arms as he leaped from the cliff. Screaming in fear, I clutched him tightly. His top wings spread above us like a parachute, and his bottom wings and arms held me gently. We floated down to a small sandy beach at the base of the cliff. Even after we landed, I could not force my fingers to release their death grip from around his neck.

“
That was amazing! Can we do it again?” I cried.

Zell threw his head back and laughed. “I have been reduced to an amusement park ride.”  He gathered me in his arms and shot like a rocket into the heavens. When the island was just a dot in the water, he hovered hugging me to him. “Ready?” he asked.

 
I had barely caught my breath from our vertical climb, yet I nodded my head yes. He suddenly dropped like a speeding elevator. The ground was coming at us fast when his top wings popped out like a parachute, and we floated down to the beach.

“That was so much fun,”
I laughed when he released me and ran toward the water. I stopped at the edge of the water and the smile faded from my lips.  “What about sharks?”

  “I
am the predator here. No sharks will dare come near us. There is a family of dolphins that swim around here though. They may swim with us.” As if on cue, three large and two small dolphins poked their heads out of the water chattering in their dolphin language as if inviting us for a swim.

             6.   THE COOKOUT

  
ZELL AND I LAY ON THE BEACH DRYING

in the mid-day sun. All the swimming
made me famished. I was exhausted but happy. The dolphins enjoyed our company and played in the water with us for hours. I held on to their dorsal fins, and they pulled me gliding effortlessly through the water. Zell was always protectively at my side. I turned over on my stomach in order to see Zell and talk to him.

“I have to go back today.”

“I know,” Zell answered not looking at me. “I wish you didn’t.”

“Me too,” I replied quietly.
  “I’ve promised everyone that I am going to the cookout tonight at Lauren’s beach house. You know how I am with promises.”

“Yes, I know.” Silence stretched for several minutes then Zell said, “
Do you really wish that you could stay here? If you do, please stay. It is dangerous for you to go to the party Annie.”

“Nevertheless, I’m going,”
I stated flatly.

“Correctio
n, we’re going,” Zell insisted.

“But Jon will be there.”

“Who?”

“You know perfectly well who.”

“Isn’t it about time you broke up with that guy?”

“Why should I?”

“You have me now. You don’t need him anymore.”

“I never did
need him, but he’s my friend.”

Zell turned on hi
s side and looked into my eyes.

“Do yo
u remember what happened on Tuesday night, Annie?”

“You mean the night before you enrolled in school here?”

“Yes.”

“Not really. I remember staying after practice
with Kate to shoot free throws. The next thing I remember is waking up late the following morning.”

“You were
almost attacked, Annie.  A creature tracked you to the parking lot. If I had not been there, . . . ”

“Not this Dark One Myth again,” I groaned.

“Am I a myth? Do I not exist?” Zell answered never raising his voice.

“Of course
, you do, but just like you said you’re the only one of your kind.”

“Yes, my kind, but a Dark One is not my kind.”

“I think you’re only looking for a reason to hang out with me, Zell and for a reason for me to dump Jon. You have yourself believing in this whole boogie man thing. You believe you need to protect me to justify you being with me,” I threw back at him.

“What about the
dreams, Annie?”

“I’ve always had bad dreams ever since my mother died.”

“What killed her Annie?” Zell moved within inches of my face.

“A car crash killed her,” I yelled back at him.

“What really killed her Annie?” Zell kept pushing me for an answer.

“Take me home, Zell. I want to go home,” my voice began to quiver.

“You know it’s all true Annie. Your nightmares are not dreams. They are memories,” Zell said forcefully yet calmly.

“That’s not true
,” I spat back at him.

Zell stood up then towering above me. He snapped his wings up like a Geisha Girl snaps out her fan. The wings popped into place. Zell pulled me to him covering me to protect me from the wind and gave a great push. We soared upward so fast that the movement took my breath and made me a bit nauseated, but it was more thrilling than anything I had ever experienced. We landed outside the cottage door, and Zell ordered me inside to change. He followed closely behind me grabbing his clothes and then stalking back out the door. When I emerged from the cottage, he was dressed and waiting on me. He held his arms out, and I moved into them.  It seemed to only be minutes later, and we were standing beside my car.

“Come in while I change into fresh clothes. Then, I will take you home.”

I followed him into the mansion through a massive wooden door that reminded me of the door on the island cottage only more ornate. Suddenly, I stopped in front of the door. The same ancient writing that I had seen etched on a sword in my nightmares was engraved into Zell’s front door. Gently, I traced the letters with my fingers.

“
What is this writing?” I asked turning to Zell.

“It is
Aramaic,”

“What does it say?” 

“It is a quote from the Bible.”

“What is the quote?” I asked softly.

“Proverbs 18:10. ‘
The name of the
Lord
is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.’”

 
I smiled at his words running my fingertips over the writing.

“Lovely,” I whispered, and then turned as if drawn by the beauty of his home. It took my breath away. Someone had a fire burning in a massive marble fireplace, and beautiful music drifted throughout the house. The lamps were on giving the room a soft glow. The firelight flickered off warm, wooden vaulted ceilings.  There were only windows on two sides of the house. The back and left side butted up against a stone bluff. I thought it very strange. There was plenty of room to build in front of the house. It wasn’t necessary for anyone to build into the bluff. It reminded me of a fortress. Then it hit me. It was a fortress! Zell built the house into the stone face of the bluff to prevent anyone from coming in on those sides. He only had to defend himself on two sides.

I wandered around the immaculate living and dining rooms picking up artifacts that looked to be thousands of years old. One was a stone tablet sitting on a sofa table on an ornate easel. The writing on the tablet was the same as the writing engraved on the door. About that time, Zell entered the room in a pair of off-white jeans, leather sandals, and a loose-fitting yellow, silk shirt. The sun from our swim gave his skin and hair a beautiful glow. His silver eyes sparkled against the bronze of his skin. He was breathtaking. Any girl in her right mind would love to have him as her own. Why was I holding on to Jon when this magnificent creature was clearly interested in me? I wanted to run to him and throw myself in his arms, but I resisted the impulse and instead asked him to drive me home.

“Certainly,” Zell replied coolly.

In the car on the ride to my house, Zell asked what time he should pick me up for the cookout at Lauren’s lake house.

“I’m going with Jon
. I have already promised him,” I stated hesitantly.

“Annie, that’s not wise,” Zell looked and sounded very concerned.

“Nonsense,” I retorted sharply.

“Very well,” Zell answered as if he knew arguing with me would n
ot get him anywhere. “But know this, I will not be far from you if you need me or desire to change your date for the evening.” Zell turned and gazed at me warmly. The smile that slowly spread across his face was dazzling. His smile made me wish that he
was
my date for the evening.

“About last night, everything after dinner is kind of fuzzy, but if I was out of line, I apologize. I think I dreamed of the death of my mother, and when I
awoke, all of those pent-up emotions seemed to take over. Your kiss is responsible for the fuzziness of my memory, I guess. I can only remember bits and pieces, but I’m sorry. I’m don't regret that I kissed you. I only regret is that it got out of hand. It was totally my fault not yours.

Zell walked me to the door and without touching
me he whispered, “No worries. Until later.”

Zell
drove me from school in my car, and that is the car in which he now drove me home. “How are you getting home?” I asked perplexed.

“Annie, really?” Zell laughed
taking off his shirt, popping out his wings, and taking off like a rocket.

“Zell, the neighbors . .
.” I yelled into the air, but he was gone.

A couple of hours later, Jon
rang the doorbell. Dr. Hayes, my father, answered the door. Dad looked every bit the intellectual that he was. His short crew cut hair stuck out in all directions. Smoky blue eyes that I inherited from him were framed in round, horn-rimmed spectacles. Speaking softly, he greeted Jon at the door.

“Good evening, Jon.
”

“
Good evening, Dr. Hayes,” Jon answered absently looking around the room for me.

“Annie will be right down. Won’t you have a seat?” my father invited.

As if on cue, I swept into the room and kissed my father on the cheek.

“Good night, Dad. I won’t be late.”

“Have a good time sweetheart, and please be careful,” Dad admonished.  His daughter seemed to have a knack for finding adventure and that fact worried him immensely.

I thought if he only knew the unbelievable events of the last few days, he would have a stroke.

Jon opened the door for me, and we stepped out into the night air.

“You look amazing,” Jon told me as we walked to his Dodge truck. At the truck, he tried to kiss me before I climbed in, but I deftly avoided his kiss and hopped into the passenger side of the truck.

“Thanks, you look nice too.”

Jon hesitated for a moment swinging the passenger door back and forth
with his right hand while his left arm was propped up on the roof of his truck. He opened his mouth and then closed it. I knew he was angry because I avoided his kiss. He decided against saying anything, and he slammed the door and stalked around to the driver’s side.

My thoughts, however, were on Zell. Would he wear what he had on when he dropped me off this afternoon? I hoped so. It was the perfect attire for a lake house cookout. Thinking about what Zell had worn this afternoon, I had also dressed in
an off-white jean skirt, a yellow sleeveless sweater, and silver sandals.  My hair was clean and shiny, pulled back with a thin silver headband that showed off the tan my face had received at the island earlier that day. It was still too early in the season at the lake to have a tan. I worried that Zell and I would stick out like sore thumbs with the tan we both had received today at the beach on his island in the middle of the ocean hundreds of miles south from here. It was still unbelievable, and I could not get my mind off Zell and the events of the last few days.  I tried to think of something to say to Jon, but I was overwhelmed by the prospect that there may be dark creatures who hunt me, and a lone Zell to protect me.

Why
was
I here with Jon? I could not keep my thoughts from wandering to Zell. I had only known him for a few days, but I felt as though there were a bond between us that was timeless. I turned my head in the truck to look at Jon and caught him staring at me strangely. The look in his eyes gave me the oddest sensation.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You,” he replied. “You seem different somehow.”

“Really, how so?”

“I don’t know, but it’s as if your thoughts are miles away, not here with me.”

I laughed, “That’s silly.” However, I turned away from him to look out the window into the night afraid that he would see on my face that things were inde
ed different, inescapably so. Somewhere Zell was out there. Was he close by? He said that he would not be far away if I needed him or wanted to change my date for the evening. I was beginning to want that. I wanted Zell to be my date. I was beginning to want Zell to be my life.

“Stop it!” I yelled.

“What?” Jon yelled back slamming on the brakes. In confusion, he turned to look at me. “What was that all about?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t talking to you. I was
talking to myself. I was thinking of something else,” I replied embarrassed.

“You about gave me a heart attack. I thought I was about to have a wreck!” Jon yelled at me, then revved the engine, popped the clutch with a violent jerk, and began to drive again.

What an idiot I am! I was thinking about Zell while I’m with Jon, and then almost vocalized that fact. Dumb.  Dumb. Dumb. I thought I heard laughter and turned to look out the back window of the truck. He was out there laughing at me. I could feel him near. My embarrassment turned to anger quickly. I slid across the seat next to Jon and laid my head against his arm as he drove. I smiled smugly. Take that Zell!

   Jon turned to look at me next to him with a puzzled look on his face.

“What is up with you tonight, Annie? First, you’re yelling at me to stop, and all I am doing is driving. Then you slide across the seat and snuggle up against me. Something that you never do. You have avoided my every touch for days. What gives?” Jon asked.