Michael (16 page)

“How about you,” Michael asked me, “are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking at him, suddenly aware of my clothing hanging in tatters off my back. I quickly assessed the situation; it wasn’t too bad. Lucky I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt under a thick hoodie. The jeans were mostly good. “My hoodie is thrashed, though,” I said aloud.

“Let’s find the luggage and get you some fresh clothes,” he said. “But after that we gotta get outta here.” He looked to Ellie. “Can you chill with Kim for a sec while we look for our stuff?”

Ellie nodded.

Then Kim interrupted. “The luggage is mostly right over there,” she said, pointing off a little ways into a roadside ditch.

Michael and I froze, looking at her. “How did you know that?” I asked.

“You passed out after you were thrown,” she said.

“I did?” Something wasn’t right. “Ellie,” I said, turning to her, “are you okay?” I was thinking of the minimal injuries she had sustained. I was trying to worm my way into the truth somehow, hoping somebody would let something slip. For sure there was some kind of cover-up going on here, and I wanted to know what was up. “I mean,” I exhaled, “you and Kim were still in the truck when it hit. You seem to have fared all right.”

“That’s what happens when you use your belts,” she said, making a buckle-up gesture. She shrugged.

I scowled.
I don’t like this. Or you.
And I could have sworn I heard a snarky response from her, but I had no proof. Just nasty echoes in my head. Maybe it was just the look on her face. Then I jumped a little; there was something poking me in the rib.

It was Michael elbowing me. “Let’s just get to the luggage and get you dressed.”

“Fine,” I said. “Lead on, fearless one.” I didn’t want him behind me, ogling my bra strap or something. But I could tell I had hurt him; he took it wrong. He looked for a second like a whipped dog.
He still feels like a traitor,
I guessed. It was pretty obvious, though he quickly changed his expression to the one we all wear: the mask.

As he walked by me, I tried to lighten the mood. “Too bad it’s not raining soap too, cuz you need a shower, my friend.”

“It’s just smoke,” he laughed.

“Dude. Then what’s burning?” I made a gagging sound.

Actually, it was the semi truck burning in the middle of the road.

He laughed again and we walked toward the random exploded collection of bags. The sword case was there, which filled me with bittersweetness. I wanted to need what was inside that case. Clearly, however, I did not need to be lugging around a sword, not when I had the Sword of Light in my possession. However that was possible. Unless…unless I was
its
possession.

Is this what it means to grow up? Bitter mixed with sweet all the time?
Part of me was indeed the warrior woman, but she was new and strange, unknown. The other part of me was still a scared little girl. Both of them had their bitter elements, their sweetnesses. It was a new way to taste life. I was glad to have Michael at my side. I made a decision right there to show him that I both loved and trusted him completely.

Michael couldn’t help allowing his heart to flutter in her presence. Airel was the pinnacle of the art of the feminine to him. She was graceful, delicate, endowed with rare beauty. That, and she could handle herself admirably. She had this “don’t mess with me” quality about her. She was an impossible coexistence of so many conflicting qualities; it boggled his mind. He hoped sincerely to deserve her at some point.

“This is it,” he said as they approached the edge of the road above their scattered bags. “Not all of them, but…do you see yours?”

“Yeah,” she said, skidding down the loose sandy soil of the embankment. “I see it.”

He watched as she unzipped a duffel and started going through it. She pulled out a t-shirt and a wet weather parka.

“Turn around, stud. A lady has got to have some kind of privacy, even out here in the wild.”

Reluctantly and a little heartsick, Michael smiled and turned his back. “Fine. Have it your way.
Be
all proper and junk.”

“You know you want it.”

“You’re making me crazy.”

“The
propriety
,” she said, teasing.

“Yeah,” Michael said, breathing hard.
I gotta walk away.
“Hey. Will you grab me my parka, too?”

“Did I say something?”

“No. It’s not your fault I’m completely head over heels for you. That’s something I have to deal with.”

She said nothing, but he heard her sigh from behind him.

“I’m gonna go check on Kim and Ellie, okay?”

Nothing.

“Airel?” Michael asked, ready to turn around but not actually doing it, fearing for her suddenly nevertheless.

“Michael,” There was a long pause. “I love you.”

He slumped his shoulders in the rain and sighed, stress visibly melting off. “Airel…”

“Michael, I’m sorry. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean—”

“Airel—”

“— what I said. I mean, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I mean—”

“Airel!”

She gasped. “What?”

“Can I turn around now?”

“Oh! Well, yeah.”

He turned and beheld her: soaked, miserable, tired, dirty, his one and only love. He slid down the incline to her. He wrapped his arms tight around her and pressed her to him, kissing her neck just below her ear. She shuddered, trembling in his arms.

She whispered, “Now you’re making
me
crazy.”

“Good,” he said. He could feel her warm breath on his skin.

She did not push him away. Her lips were very close to his own.

All the buried feelings, all the little recurring deferments of their passions then flared to the surface and broke out into the open, running free. He gently let his hand glide up her back, tangling his fingers in her wet hair. He pulled her slowly closer.

She breathed haltingly; he could tell she held her desire mixed with the fear of the unknown. He drew her still closer, watching as she gave in, as she stood on tiptoes and closed her eyes in anticipation. Her breath came in hot bursts and he drank it in hungrily, savoring the essence of her, all of her, every bit of her.

The rain came down, straight down.

He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers. Every nerve ending ignited in the fulfillment of his dearest held passion for Airel, lighting his heart on fire. It made him dizzy. Her lips were so soft, their kiss so warm and tender, this moment so unexpected…

She responded to him, pulling him tighter to her.

Their kiss intensified.

She glided her hands up his arms, caressing his face with her fingertips, sending chills throughout his body as she returned his love, his kiss.

His mind raced, everything crashing to a stop all at once. He had to pull away; it was just overwhelming, too much. Eyes snapping open, he released her. Her gaze pierced him and held him entranced. He didn’t want to move. Or even breathe. “Sorry,” he finally said.

She blushed, whispering, “I can’t say I don’t enjoy it.” Her eyes flashed at him. “But come on,” she said, gasping.

“I know,” he said grinning widely with a dash of evil. “I know. Propriety.”

“How dare you,” she laughed, punching him lightly in the sternum.

He staggered back, clutching his chest as if she had dealt him a deathblow.

“Very funny,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Come on,” he said, offering his hand. “Let’s head back, love.”

She blushed. After they had regained the road’s surface and had walked on a little, she said, “I like that.”

Michael felt like his heart was going to cave in. So much ecstasy, so much elation…he was completely hooked. Finally kissing her, his Airel, had been more amazing than he had ever imagined it would be. He was standing on the summit of Everest.

But something was off; something was being held back in reserve. He didn’t know what it was or why.

As they approached, Michael could see from Kim and Ellie’s body language that a dispute was in progress.

“How did they find us, anyway?” Kim was glaring at Ellie.

Ellie pointed a finger. “That’s the question now, isn’t it? How did they find us and how did they find us so fast?”

“I don’t know! How about you tell me!” Kim shouted.

“Wow, Kim,” Airel said, “you’re not acting like your normal fun-loving self.”

Kim’s head jerked toward Airel. “Well, I’m not in the best of frickin’ moods here!”

“Duh.”

Kim crouched down and grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and screamed as loud as she could at the ground. It was repellent, like a temper tantrum; the others all leaned back and stared at her in disbelief.

“Kim!” Airel shouted. “Chill!”

Kim looked up at her with bitter tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, Airel,” she sniffed; her eyes were wild, darting all around. “I just don’t know how much more of this I can take…” She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

Airel knelt at her side and began speaking to her in soothing tones, rubbing her back gently. Kim just leaned into her and sobbed harder.

Ellie looked at Michael. “She needed a good cry, that girl,” she said softly, trying to keep Kim from hearing her.

He nodded.

Airel looked up at Michael and then to Ellie, as if trying to read them. She turned back to Kim and kept on rubbing her back.

“We need to get out of Dodge,” Michael said quietly to Ellie. They stood slightly apart from Airel and Kim. His arms were crossed and he was looking down.

“You’re preaching to the converted, choir boy,” she said. “Just as soon as the weak link gets it together,” she said lowly, engaging him in what amounted to a tactical conversation.

Michael did nothing, simply waiting on Kim. “You know what all this was about, don’t you?”

“What, the tears?” Ellie said.

“No.” He looked at her. “No. The chase. The ambush. The fight.”

Ellie looked momentarily scared, but she narrowed her eyes. “What? They attacked and we prevailed. What more could there be, besides the bigger question of how they found us, and so quickly?”

“No, that’s not it. Besides, it was mostly Airel who did the ‘prevailing.’” He paused, looking at her accusatively. “You’ve never seen that kind before, I take it? The three?”

Ellie was motionless. She stared directly at him, right at his eyes and said nothing.

“The ones with the fungus. The quick ones. They’re a different kind. They’re like a specialized weapons system. You’ve heard of Special Forces? Navy SEALS? Marine Force Recon?”

“Sure.”

“They’re like those, only…” he sighed. “Only pure evil, Ellie. Those kind don’t come from just anywhere; and they don’t go just anywhere. So I’ll ask you again: do you know what it means?”

“More than I can say,” she said, looking away.

“It means we’ve graduated, let’s say,” he said. “From being in trouble to OMG we’re in big fat trouble. Get it?”

“I get a lot more than you think, guv.”

“I’m sure you do,” he responded harshly, trying to corner her.

“So then,” she dodged him, “where are we headed?”

“You play much chess?” he asked.

“What?” she looked back to him.

Michael hadn’t stopped looking at her, his arms still crossed across his substantial chest. “I said, do you play much chess.” His tone was flat and ominous.

She chuckled. “Can’t say that I do.”

“The only real defense, one-on-one, against an enemy knight is to close the gap. Get in close. Bring the fight to the enemy. Same thing as in a fist fight. Get in close and you minimize your opponent’s power.”

“All right, then…” her eyebrows were arched expectantly.

“Like I said. And we have to get the heck outta here.” He looked off into the distance, where the train had passed earlier.
If we’re lucky, another train will come along soon…

“You said those fungus-types—”

“Anti-Cherubim.”

“Very well; Anti-Cherubim. You said they only come from one place?”

“I said they don’t come from just anywhere.”

“Right, and we’re taking the fight to them because it’s safer to do so, I gather.”

“Correct.”

So where’s ‘there’?”