Authors: Laura Kreitzer
“
Andrew, you can’t walk around looking like that.” I gestured up and down his body.
“
Gabriella,” he whispered, “you’re the Illuminator. I must protect you.”
“
The clothing store isn’t going to bite.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“
Just stay here,” I instructed. I started to walk towards the small outlet store that was closest, but he gripped my hand and pulled me back to him. His arms wrapped around me in an embrace I wasn’t expecting.
“
Be safe,” he breathed into my hair.
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but think that I might explode with the electric current racing around me. His affection surprised me. Maybe it was an angel thing—Karen was also affectionate.
“
It’s just a store,” I repeated.
He let go, and I sprinted across the street to the building. I patted my pockets and pulled out my debit card and some cash. Whenever I traveled, I always kept my money on my person, and today I was grateful for it.
It only took me seven minutes to find clothes and boots for both of us. I had to guess his pant size, but I was pretty sure they would fit. Before returning, I eyed an ATM machine and went for it. We would need cash later.
As I raced back across the street, I saw Andrew leaning against a tree in the shadows. He looked distressed, worried. When he saw me his expression transformed into relief.
I handed him the bag after pulling my clothes out. “Put these on.”
He took the bag from me and examined the material of it.
“
Plastic,” I said. “It was invented while you were. . . .”
He nodded, pulled the clothes from the bag, and began stripping out of his. I turned my back to him, sure my face was flushing a brilliant shade of magenta. I quickly scrambled out of my clothes and had to practically peel them off my soaked skin. I replaced them with the dry clothes. I shrugged a jacket on, and it was such a relief to feel warm that I didn’t even think about the fact I had stripped down while not only a man was standing there but an angel.
“
How do I look?” he asked, and I whipped around.
He turned around too. So he didn’t see me strip? My eyes roamed over his body appreciatively to see him in the plain grey T-shirt and blue jeans I had picked out. They fit perfectly, and I was happy to see he figured out that the boxer-briefs go on the inside of his jeans. Though he hadn’t figured out the zipper. “You look great, but you forgot . . .” I gave him an apologetic look as I zipped his fly. He smiled down at me. I stepped back, embarrassed. “Don’t forget the shoes and socks.”
His hand dove into the bag, and he pulled out the socks and shoes. “These are very nice boots,” he said, admiring them. He looked confused over the socks.
“
Yes. I figured you would need something decent on your feet now that we’re on the run.” I looked down at my new black boots under my jeans.
He slipped his socks and boots on and fiddled with the laces. He became frustrated with them. I came to his rescue, and he watched me intently as I made the loops. When I backed away, my eyes roamed over his body again. He was magnificent, even in jeans and a plain T-shirt. He handed me his tattered clothes, and I stuffed them into the plastic bag.
“
The lady in the store told me there was a bus station only half a mile down the road.” I pointed toward the north.
“
Let’s go.” He put a hand out to lead the way. “What’s a bus station?”
I shook my head and smiled at him. He seemed to be okay with that for an answer. We strode silently through the forest. The bus station came into our view shortly after, and I dumped our old clothes in the first trash bin I could find.
“
It’s our lucky day,” I said, grasping his hand and yanking him forward. “Come on.”
I checked the highway both ways, looking for any conspicuous vehicles. I felt like a criminal in training. The highway was clear as we dashed across to the station. As we reached the small building, the door automatically opened for us. I strode in, but Andrew yanked my hand free of his, creating a noise like static electricity. When I turned around, he stood at the threshold, staring at the door in wonder.
“
It’s just a door,” I whispered and reached for his hand again. He obliged and let me lead him into the building.
We studied the map on the wall, and I realized we were in Burns, Oregon. We hadn’t even left the state yet. “Pick a place.”
“
On this map?” He pointed. “It’s very detailed.”
I nodded for him to go ahead. He studied it for several minutes. “Ehno says he’s never heard of these towns.”
I chuckled. “You know, it’s incredibly strange when you do that.”
He continued to stare at the map.
“
Have you ever been to America?” I asked.
“
This is America?” he asked brightly, his lips twitching up into the first almost-smile I’d seen on him.
“
Indeed it is.”
“
I remember seeing it on a map for the first time in 1507.”
My eyebrows rose.
“
Well.” He frowned in thought, the smile gone. “Okay, how about here.” His finger stabbed Boise City, Idaho. For a second, the horrible blue football stadium at the university there popped into my head.
“
All right,” I agreed. “As long as we don’t have to watch a football game while we’re there. The color of their field kills my eyes.”
This time his eyebrows rose.
“
Don’t ask,” I mumbled.
I decided to pay with cash. I’d used my debit card in the clothing store, but it would be better if they didn’t know which direction we were going or that we had left in the first place. I walked towards the counter to purchase our tickets. The woman had a tragic expression on her face.
“
Did you hear about the plane crash? They’re saying there were no survivors.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Terrorism,” she hiccupped.
“
Oh, no. That’s horrible,” I tried to say as convincingly as possible. It wasn’t hard to be genuine. I wasn’t completely heartless, and I knew many people died in that crash. Though wasn’t it strange that no one survived? Fancy that. “Can we please get two tickets to Boise City?”
“
Sure,” she mumbled. She clicked the mouse and typed information into the computer. “The bus will be here in ten minutes. Good timing.”
I nodded. “How about that?”
<>
Andrew and I sat on a bench in the back of the station, out of sight of anyone passing by. “What’s a bus?” he asked.
“
Kind of like a truck, but for multiple passengers.”
“
I wish I knew more about this world,” he muttered. “I feel lost and confused.”
“
I know that things are strange right now,” I said consolingly, “but I promise I’ll help you out the best I can.”
“
Thank you.” He reached for my hand. “You’re cold.” He frowned.
“
It’s that autumn air. October’s always chilly when the sun goes down.” The bulb overhead flickered threateningly, as if it planned to go out.
“
Everything’s so strange.” He pointed toward the light. “It provides light but not warmth.”
“
That’s not meant for warmth,” I said simply. An idea struck me then. “If you want, Andrew, I can take you to a library in Boise.”
He straightened. “Books?”
“
Yes. You can read, right?” And for a moment, I really did wonder if he could even understand any books, even if they were in English. His accent was strongly Italian, and the English language was very different two hundred and fifty years ago. Though he seemed to adapt quite well when speaking with me.
“
I learn quickly. And yes, I can read English. I’ve been alive for several centuries and lived in many countries.”
“
Great,” I said, relieved.
The bus arrived; a few people exited and unloaded their bags from beneath. I hoped the bus driver didn’t think it was odd we were going without any luggage. Maybe he would think we were going to the city for an evening out.
The driver was short and round, his head balding, and was incredibly polite. I handed our tickets over to him, and he checked them over—not too thoroughly—and gestured to enter. “Another driver will be taking my place this evening,” he told us. “He’ll be here shortly.”
“
Thank you,” I said, smiling as genuinely as I could. Things were going much smoother than I had anticipated, and I started to wonder if there wasn’t something fishy going on.
“
Ehno’s jealous,” Andrew said into my ear.
I shivered under his warm breath.
“
They’ve trapped him in some super-jail.” He indicated with his hand that I should sit near the back, and I did. My lips turned down at the thought of the others being locked up. Maybe there was something we could do?
“
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” said an older man as he entered the bus. “I’ll be your driver this evening. My name’s Albert.” He smiled.
There were only seven people accompanying us on our journey east. The driver climbed behind the wheel and fired up the engine. Andrew tensed beside me.
“
He’s just starting the bus,” I explained. “It runs on gas and oil.”
He relaxed, deep in thought. “Interesting.”
The ride was an estimated five hours. During this time, I planned to ask as many questions as I could, but it was a failed attempt. My sleeping schedule was all kinds of screwed up, and it had been almost thirty-six hours since I had last slept. My head rested on the back of the big seat, and soon after we were underway, my eyes drooped.
“
You look tired,” Andrew pointed out. His finger came up and traced the dark circles under my eyes. “You should sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”
I shook my head. “I need to be alert.”
His warm fingers traced my cheeks until his finger went under my chin. He lifted my face to meet his golden eyes. “This is no good.” He shook his head. “I’ll watch after you. I’m a Halo, after all. And you—you’re in need of a Guardian, especially since Karen isn’t here.”
I bit my bottom lip and gave a tiny nod. “Don’t remind me. They’re probably taking them to a lab like the one I work in.”
“
You work in a lab?”
“
Yes. I prove or disprove legends and myths using scientific research.”
“
Intriguing,” he said softly. He wrapped his arms around me and put a hand on my cheek to move me toward his shoulder. “It’ll be okay. Sleep, Gabriella.”
The electric current grew as he held me, but he only gripped tighter in response. I finally relaxed in his arms, thinking about how wonderful it was to be treated with respect. He was caring and protective, and I had only known him for a couple of hours. And to add to the list, he was incredibly thoughtful. I’d never experienced the warm feeling growing deep within me before and knew instantly that there was something special about this angel.
“
Andrew?”
“
Hum?”
“
What do angels do, exactly? You know, in their spare time?” I asked, undeniably curious. I yawned.
His chest shook with light laughter. “I worked on a few farms with some very lovely families. Sometimes we took the horses out to go on long trips through the canyons around Italy. But mostly I worked with the Halo of the Sun to provide protection for those worthy of a Guardian. Though once I worked with a blacksmith. Very interesting.”
I yawned again. “How do you decide who to protect? Does Ehno tell you?”
“
Sometimes,” he said. “We can talk about this later. Please rest. I’ll keep watch over you.”
The events of the day seemed to hit me all at once, and I realized for the first time I was considered a felon on the run. Of course I knew I wasn’t a criminal, but that didn’t stop others from thinking that.
“
I’m frightened,” I barely whispered.
Andrew didn’t respond for a long time, and I thought maybe he didn’t hear me. When he finally replied, he breathed into my hair, “I know,” and pulled me closer to his body.