Authors: Laura Kreitzer
“
They never were,” Karen said, shaking her head.
“
What?” Andrew flew to his feet, leaving my hand cold. “The Halo of the Sun have been around long before we were immortal. Has your memory faded?”
Karen looked outraged. “No. My memory hasn’t faded. There has never been any grouping called Halo of the Sun.”
I was upset that no one answered Karen’s second question. That was the one I was most interested in. Why did I have this power? Or whatever it was.
Joseph and Sally stared between the supernatural beings with outright disbelief in their eyes. I didn’t blame them. It was a lot to take in, and even I had remained somewhat skeptical until Andrew had saved me from impending death. Now I was a firm believer. There were no more doubts. Hallelujah!
“
No time to argue,” Ehno said hastily. “They’re coming.”
“
You’ve seen this, Ehno?” Lucia said gently.
“
I have.”
Before anyone could say another word, cops swarmed around us. Their stance was not friendly. It was hostile. Their guns were raised and pointed at us. Andrew’s golden eyes found me, then he raced towards me and seized me in his arms. We shot into the air like a punctured balloon, maneuvering in wild patterns. He held me close to his chest as his skin absorbed the bullets that were shot at us. He didn’t even flinch. My mouth went ajar in shock.
The electric current was back, and it felt like a warm fire burned from within me. The feeling was remarkably pleasant, almost making me forget entirely about the bullets. I shook my head and focused.
“
What about the rest of them?” My eyes searched below us, but all I saw were the tops of trees and the ever-billowing smoke of the crashed plane. “Drop me off somewhere and save them,” I demanded.
“
Mortals cannot hurt immortals,” he said gently.
“
But there are two mortals down there,” I shouted.
He sensed my panic, and the current between us twisted and changed. I was sending my feelings through it. “Gabriella.” He exhaled heavily. “Please, calm down. They’ll be fine.”
“
How do you know?” My voice sounded choked.
“
Ehno and I are connected psychically. All Halo of the Sun are.” His voice was firm, straightforward.
“
They’re safe?”
He was silent. He didn’t look down at me, only forward as he raced through the sky.
“
Oh no,” I whispered.
“
Gabriella.” That was all he said.
The current between us intensified as anxiety gripped me. I closed my eyes, trying to will the tears back. No more tears; I had to get a grip and start acting like an adult.
Our journey ended shortly, though the day was long from over. Would it ever end? He landed in a small meadow and placed me on my feet where I fell to the ground.
“
What happened to them?” I whispered, looking at the grass. Here I was, so happy that we were alive, and now they might be . . . dead.
Andrew’s shadow loomed over me. “They’ve been taken into custody.” He didn’t offer any assurances, and I had to be grateful he didn’t lie.
“
Why?”
“
They’re the only survivors. There are suspicions.”
“
Terrorism,” I said darkly.
“
Yes.”
I peered up at him. His hair was a black-blue in the rain, and his eyes seemed to melt as he stared into mine. He was beautiful, mighty, and powerful. Strength radiated from him in pulsing waves.
“
We’re wanted suspects now,” I said blankly, not fully comprehending.
“
Yes,” he repeated once more.
A small bit of anger flared through me, and electricity shot from my fingers like a live wire. “Is yes the only word you know?”
Andrew grabbed my hand, and the electricity rushed through him. His eyes closed as if swallowing something large. His grip tightened on mine as another round of electricity raced between us. “You hold the key,” he whispered.
“
Two, actually,” I said crossly.
His eyes snapped open, his grip firm. “What do you mean ‘two’? I was speaking figuratively.”
“
Oh.” Now I felt stupid.
He made a face as the bullets worked their way out of his skin. His teeth smashed together, and he let go of me and reached over his shoulder to pull one of them out. I circled around him and gently pulled another bullet from his skin. There was a gold tint around his wounds. He peered at me gratefully as I helped.
“
Does it hurt?” I barely whispered.
The storm made its way east, and the rain finally stopped.
“
Not much.” He grunted as I yanked another bullet free.
I noticed he was barely wearing any clothes; he wore the disintegrated clothes he woke up in. “Aren’t you cold?” I wondered as I shivered in my soaked clothes.
“
No, but you’re freezing.”
I shrugged. “I’ll survive.” If I could live through a plane crash, I could live through the cold.
He looked down at his clothes. “I’m sorry, I have nothing to offer you to keep you warm.”
“
That’s okay,” I said, trying to give him a warm smile. I sat down in the soaked grass.
Andrew leaned in until he was only two inches from my face. His warm breath surrounded me. “What keys do you have?”
I didn’t answer. His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me to his body. He was so warm. The current intensified between us. All my anxiety and fear were momentarily forgotten. I thought he would close the distance between us. I wanted him to more than anything on this planet. I wanted his lips on mine. Electricity crackled in the air. He pulled me tighter, and I gasped. He quickly let go and pushed back, releasing all of me. I was disappointed and felt a little rejected. Silly, of course.
“
They know,” he said furiously. His voice became rough as he cursed in a different language. The sun was almost below the horizon, and the area grew dark. “They’re taking them to a secured facility.”
I grimaced. “What do they know?” I said in a flat voice.
“
That Lucia and Ehno aren’t human.” His voice was indignant. “They went freely to keep up the façade, but it wasn’t until after their capture that Ehno realized what was planned. Now they have been taken away in some kind of metal contraption.”
“
A truck?” I offered.
“
A . . . truck?”
I sighed. Of course he wouldn’t know what a truck was.
CHAPTER 11: RUN
We were on foot, running through the undergrowth in the woods, the light fading too quickly. Andrew wanted to fly, but I told him times had changed and the skies weren’t safe anymore. He didn’t answer, only followed in my wake silently—so quietly I had to turn several times to see if he was still there.
He eventually took my hand, realizing I couldn’t hear his soundless steps. Electricity buzzed between us, but he didn’t pull away. His hand was warm, dry, and very agreeable compared to the soaked nature of my skin. But he was an angel, and I was a mortal. Why did I want him so much, even though I only just met him?
A road came into our view. We stayed in the cover of the shadows, our back against a large tree. Headlights appeared on the road, and a semi-truck barreled down the road. Andrew gasped, and his hand squeezed mine in surprise. He was strong; it felt like my fingers were going to be crushed.
“
It’s just a truck,” I assured him, my voice inflecting my pain.
His grip relaxed instantly. “That is not what they took them away in.” His golden eyes were wide, though his voice was steady.
“
Truck is kind of a relative term,” I said.
He nodded. “Ehno’s anxious. He doesn’t understand this world. Are we in another dimension?” He asked this so confidently, with such seriousness, that I couldn’t laugh. It was clearly not a joke.
“
No. You’ve been dead,” I said slowly.
He didn’t react the way I thought one should at hearing one was dead and now they weren’t. His gaze roamed the wooded area, as if searching for any threats, before his eyes landed on mine. “How long?”
“
Maybe two thousand years,” I squeaked.
“
What’s the year?”
“
Two-thousand nine.”
“
Not two thousand years,” he said with certainty.
“
Oh,” was all I said as I leaned around the tree to see if any police were driving in our direction. The road was two lanes, but it was evidently a state highway. “How many years then?” I asked distractedly.
He was only inches from my body, and heat radiated off his skin. A current zipped between my fingers, and I hid them behind my back. That was going to be embarrassing.
“
A few hundred, give or take.” He shrugged.
My curiosity was piqued. He’d only been dead a few hundred years? How was that possible? Didn’t his “corpse” date back longer than that—at least two thousand years? Carbon dating was not so flawed that it would be off by eighteen hundred years. Perhaps an angel’s genetic makeup didn’t conform to normal scientific standards. Fascinating.
I wanted to keep asking questions, but I knew we needed to leave. Soon this place would not be the safe haven it was now. My eyes closed briefly as I took in a gulp of air, then I slid out from between Andrew and the tree.
“
Follow me,” I ordered.
He did without question.
“
We need to get away from here. Especially now they know you’re alive.” I paused. Something had just hit me like a ton of bricks. “Hey.” I stopped mid-stride. “How did they know you were alive to begin with?”
Andrew looked down at me, his body towering over mine. He was probably well over six feet tall to my five feet six inches. “Ehno says they were tipped off.”
My eyes narrowed. “And how does Ehno know they were tipped off?” It just didn’t make any sense. The plane was in mid-crash when the angels awoke and came to our rescue. Who would have had the time—or the thought—to call the FBI? “It just doesn’t make any sense,” I whispered beneath my breath.
“
Ehno’s very gifted.” Andrew’s voice was gentle. “Some would call him a psychic. It’s an unusual talent, and he doesn’t have any control over it. He sees things or knows things. Past, present, and future.”
“
Did he see your death?” I blurted out without thinking, and then mumbled, “Sorry.”
He looked lost in thought, his concentration deep. “I . . .” He deliberated for a minute. “I cannot remember.”
“
Now’s not the time to talk anyway. We need to find a way out of this small town.”
We walked beside the road, staying in the shadows of the trees. Sounds of helicopter blades echoed in the night, sirens blared in the background, and now and then a police car raced by, their lights illuminating the dark.
“
Can I fly now?” Andrew asked. His expression was a mixture of excitement and terror. I didn’t blame him; it was a lot to take in.
I pointed toward the sky. There was a helicopter flying overhead, a spotlight shooting back and forth. “Probably not a good idea.”
He watched the chopper as it disappeared over the trees. “Is that some kind of bird?”
I choked out a giggle. “No. That’s a helicopter. It’s sort of like a truck, but it flies.”
His eyes shot down to mine. I tried to stifle another giggle and look serious so he would know I was telling the truth. He nodded. We kept walking. Soon the town came into view; it wasn’t much larger than Oretown.
“
Andrew?”
“
Hum?”
“
We need to get you some clothes,” I pointed out.
“
Oh.” He lifted his torn and ragged clothes.
They were halfway disintegrated, but through the holes I could see a physique that was drool-worthy. Our eyes met, and my face heated with embarrassment for being caught ogling.
“
That might be best,” he said, grinning.
“
Wait here,” I ordered. He didn’t listen and followed.