Angelfire (7 page)

“Why can't I remember?” I asked. “This isn't normal, is it?”

Will shook his head. “No, this has never happened before, but it's been a very long time since you were last alive. Usually your reincarnation is almost immediate and you are reborn somewhere in the world, but this time, instead of eighteen years you took four decades to become the Preliator again. I don't know why.”

“My memory should return in time, right?”

“It will.”

“When you touched my face, everything became so clear. My strength, my purpose…How did you do that?”

Will leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Because I'm your Guardian, I have the ability to awaken your power. You were a normal girl until the moment you turned seventeen, and it's my duty to restore your power and memories and defend you in battle from that moment on.”

I suddenly remembered my lit paper and scrambled to my feet, looking around for my purse. I spotted it lying beside my backpack, right where I'd dropped them. My car had been moved two parking spots away from where I had left it. I paused, realizing the impossibility of what I had done.

“I did that, didn't I?”

“You can do a lot more than that with your power.”

“Is it telekinesis?”

“No, your power can only push things, not pull them. It's like an immensely strong gust of wind made of pure energy, of life force.”

“That is insane,” I mumbled, retrieving my lost items. I dug my cell out and checked the time, then shoved my phone back into my bag. It was after ten. Fantastic. I'd never be able to get anything written on my paper and wake up with a working brain in the morning. Strangely, my homework seemed quite insignificant.

“I need to get home. My parents are going to flip when they see what that thing did to my car. What do I tell them?” I stroked the deep claw marks in the Audi's fender. It would have to be repainted, possibly replaced. How would I explain it, though?

“Tell them someone hit your car and drove off. Your insurance should cover the damages.”

“They'll never buy that.”

“You don't have another option.”

I made an ugly noise and scowled. My dad was going to slaughter me no matter what. Distracting my thoughts from my likely fate, I remembered something the first reaper had said. “Did you hear the reaper say something about an Enshi?”

He stared at me. “Enshi? What exactly did she say?”

“She said, ‘We don't need the Enshi,' because she'd just kill me herself. Do you know what that word means? And who are ‘we'?”

“It's Sumerian,” he said thoughtfully. “Lord of…something. I'll need to check exactly what-
shi
means.”

“You speak Sumerian? Who speaks that? Seriously.”

“Can you meet me at the library after school? We should look into it.”

“I have too much homework,” I said. “How about Saturday afternoon? Three o'clock?”

“That will work. Tomorrow night we need to train. Your
skills need to come back to you faster than they are.”

“But it's Friday night. That's our Movie Night.”

“Otherwise you won't last.”

“You mean I'll die.” It wasn't a question.

“Yes.”

I shrugged. “Well, we don't want that, but my friends and I always go to the movies Friday night, so it'll have to be later.”

“I can wait. The night is long.”

“I'll give you a call when we're done. What's your number?” I started to get my phone back out to punch in his information.

“I don't have a phone. You won't need to call me.”

I looked at him quizzically. “No one can survive without a cell phone. Are you going to be stalking me at the movies, too?”

He seemed unaffected. “I've been your companion for five hundred years as your Guardian, your bodyguard. During the day, while you're at school, you're safe, so I'm usually home until dusk. I need to rest too. I'm not following you around constantly, but I can sense if you're distressed or frightened. If you're attacked, I'll know. It's part of the bond we share.”

I wondered if he had sensed my fear during my hallucination in the bathroom earlier at school, and if that was why he had come to find me. “So while I'm at school, how do you
keep yourself busy? Got any hobbies?”

He smiled. “You're enjoying all these questions, aren't you?”

“I'm just trying to figure you out.”

His eyes met mine challengingly, but I was too tired to keep interrogating him.

I sighed. “I really need to get home. I'm so exhausted.”

He nodded. “I will see you tomorrow after your movie.”

“Yeah,” I said, not particularly ecstatic about it. I understood what was happening to my life, but I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to accept it. At this point, there could be no denying that my life would never be normal again.

SCHOOL FLEW BY LIKE A BREEZE. FRIDAYS WERE often that way. Everyone, including teachers and staff, just wanted to get the hell out of there and enjoy the weekend. The night before, I had fallen asleep almost upon impact with the pillow, and obviously I hadn't gotten any work done on my paper. Luckily, neither of my parents had looked closely enough at my car that morning to notice the giant claw marks in the paint. I knew it was only a matter of time and bad luck before they did, however. Kate, on the other hand, had noticed them right away. I went with Will's story and explained that someone had hit my car in a parking lot, but I wasn't sure Kate was convinced. I would still need to figure out how to fix those the cheapest way possible and without getting caught by my parents. I
drove home right after school to squeeze out three of the five pages needed for my lit paper.

That night I wore the winged necklace Will had given me. It felt right wearing it, like reattaching a lost fifth limb. The feeling was comforting, and the necklace was beautiful. I loved it.

I met Kate and Landon at the theater, and we were soon joined by Rachel and Chris. As soon as I arrived, Kate noticed my necklace.

“Where did you get that?” she asked, gaping at the pendant and examining it closely. “It looks antique. So gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it's pretty old.” I didn't want to tell her Will had given it to me, or that it was mine to begin with.

“I'm going to steal it,” Kate said, and walked away.

I smiled and followed her inside. It was chilly outside, so I was glad I was wearing a hoodie over my tank top. We wouldn't have many more seventy-degree days in September.

The movie was all right, with some pretty good special effects, but I couldn't focus enough to enjoy it as much as my friends seemed to. I had already forgotten most of the plot by the time we all left the theater, with my friends chattering about how sweetly some random henchman had taken a knife to the head and how the hero had escaped the burning train. The boys were pretty stuck on recalling how hot the love interest was. All I could think about was meeting Will afterward and about how God only knew what other horrors
I'd have to witness. I found myself looking in the darkest places around me, fearful of what might leap out from the shadows. I wondered if I would pass someone on the sidewalk who might be killed by a reaper that very night and lose his soul to Hell, no matter what kind of good life he had lived. If I was to be some kind of hero, how many people would I be unable to save? I couldn't even eat fries without dripping ketchup on myself. How could I be responsible for someone else's life when I couldn't even be responsible for my own shirt?

“You okay, Ell?” Kate asked, lowering her head to whisper into my ear. “You seem so distant and quiet.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got to get going.”

“Huh?” Kate asked, surprised. “Are you ditching us early again?”

Landon overheard and jogged up beside me, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “You'd better not be thinking about bailing. It's only ten and your party is tomorrow. There's got to be a preparty and then an after party. And a
day-after
party. Stay out later. Your paper can wait. I haven't even started mine.”

“No, it's not my paper.” I didn't want to lie, but I couldn't exactly tell the truth, either. A partial truth would do. “I'm meeting Will in a little bit.” Landon's arm became stiff around my shoulder.

Kate's eyes bulged. “You mean that weird guy from Cold Stone? You're going on a date with him?”

I put my hands up defensively, not wanting them to get the wrong idea. “No, no, no. It's not a date, we're just hanging out.”

“Honey, it's Friday night, and when it's just you and him hanging out, that's a date. He's hot as hell, so have fun, okay?” Kate winked.

Rachel nodded. “
Yeah
, he is. Let me know if you don't want him! I will gladly take him off your hands.” She laughed and playfully pinched me in the side. I twisted away uncomfortably.

Landon's expression turned dark and he withdrew his arm. “Are you serious? You're going somewhere with that guy? You don't even know him!”

“Yeah, do you think that's such a good idea?” Chris asked. “He's got to be, like, twenty.”

“He's just fine,” I said, scowling. “Yeah, he's a little strange, but he's actually a really nice guy. And so what if he's a little older than me?” On second thought, neither of us was sure how old I actually was.

Kate shrugged. “Okay, well, let me know how it goes.”

“I can't
believe
this!” Landon said, the volume of his voice causing people to turn their heads and stare. He stomped off toward the parking lot.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Seriously! What is wrong with him?”

Kate laughed. “Ellie, are you really that blind? He likes you.”

I gaped at her. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah,” Chris said, the look on his face telling me that he found this far too amusing. “We thought you knew.”

Just what I needed. I had thought his newfound extreme interest in my well-being was something more benign—I must have been mistaken. I remembered my birthday roses and the kiss on the cheek. Was I
really
that stupid? Landon was cute and a nice guy and all, but this was
Landon
. Just…no way. I put a hand to my forehead. “I have to go. Now.”

“See you later, Ell,” Rachel said.

“Be safe,” Kate said. “Just call me if you want me to bail you out.”

I nodded. “See you bright and early? We'll get to Somerset around eleven? Maybe lunch while we're there?”

“Sounds great!” She smiled, and then her expression wiped clean.

“Ellie,” said Will's voice behind me.

I turned around and was shocked to see him. “Will! What are you doing here?”

His eyes flickered to the necklace around my neck and a warm smile shaped his lips. “We were going to meet, remember?”

“Right,” I said, glancing back at my friends. I waved good-bye and headed to where I had parked. “I didn't know you were going to surprise me right outside the theater.”

“Well, you said we could meet right after, so here I am.”

“Where's your car?” I asked, as we climbed in and buckled up.

“I didn't drive.”

Taxi, I guessed. “Where are we going?”

“I've found a good location in Pontiac,” he said.

“Pontiac? All the way there? Why?” That wasn't exactly the safest area around here to hang out in at night. I panicked a little inside.

“Would you like me to drive?”

“No, it's
my
car,” I said possessively.

“Then don't complain about where we're going.”

It took longer than usual to travel the thirty-five miles to Pontiac because of heavy traffic. Will didn't say much during the drive, and the awkward silence was beginning to take its toll on my psyche.

“You're tense,” Will observed, staring out the windshield.

“I have a ninja sitting shotgun. Of course I'm tense.”

The smallest smile formed in the corner of his mouth.

“So where are you living?” I asked him, trying to make conversation during the back-up.

“Don't worry about it.”

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. “Don't you have an apartment or something? How do you pay for it? Do you have a job?”

“Don't worry about it.”

“Why all the secrets?”

“You haven't asked the right questions.” He glanced at me and smiled.

I huffed, annoyed. “You have a place to live, right?”

“Yes, but I'm only there for essentials.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I need to sleep, shower, and eat, of course. I'm not a robot.”

I sat there seething for a moment. He obviously wasn't going to give me a straight answer, so I changed my question. “Why are you my Guardian?”

“I am very proficient at fighting. We made a good team.”

I glanced at him. “Are we still?”

“I hope so. You ask a lot of questions. I am not what's important right now. We need to focus on your waking up and becoming strong again.”

“Well, it would be nice if I could remember it all, since I'm supposed to know this already.” It all sounded so covert. I was having a difficult time believing that I could be part of something so much bigger than myself. I stared out the windshield at the cars zooming by on the opposite side of the highway.

“Do you mind?” Will asked.

“What?” I blinked at him. He had his hand on the stereo knob.

“It's a bit of a drive,” he said. “I don't like sitting in silence.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He turned on the radio and flipped over to the classic
rock station. Satisfied, he leaned back against the seat.

“Pink Floyd?” I probed, unable to keep the smile from creeping to the corners of my lips.

“I've had a lot of time to myself, waiting for your rebirth,” he confessed. “You were gone for so long. I had to think of something to do, and I found rock music.” He grinned. “I've gotten pretty good at the guitar. I'll play some Rolling Stones tabs for you someday, if you're lucky.”

I laughed. “If I'm lucky, huh?”

His grin widened brilliantly. “Oh, yeah. Only if you're lucky.”

When we finally got to Pontiac, Will gave me specific directions and we drove into an area that looked pretty rough. We turned onto a very dark street with no streetlights, and the only buildings I could see were a boarded-up gas station and a warehouse that looked as if it hadn't been in business in twenty years.

“Are we seriously parking my car out here?” I asked nervously, my eyes flitting everywhere.

“No one's around,” he said. “Pull up into the alley. It's secluded. If anyone comes by, I'll hear them. No worries. I found this building last week, and it should be a great place to train.”

“Whatever you say, chief.” I drove into the alley he'd pointed out, barely squeezing my chubby little sedan through. The tires rolled over rocks, garbage, and massive weeds that were beginning to look like trees. I reached the end and shut
off the engine. “What now?”

He smiled. “We go inside.”

“I'm going to get tetanus in there,” I grumbled.

“Don't go rolling in piles of dirt and rusty nails and you'll be fine.”

“You're an ass.”