Overshadow (7 page)

There was a knock on the door. I froze. Genevra looked at me and shrugged. “I’m not expecting anyone. Are you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Can you answer it? I’m kind of busy here,” she said, indicating the dinner preparations strewn about the counters.

I slid off the stool and wandered over to the door. I threw it open to find my other best friend, Tristan, standing on the other side. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

He pushed his sandy blond hair out of his eyes and offered me a wide smile. “Nice greeting. Can I come in?”

I stood aside to let him come into the house. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know. I just thought you could use some friend-time.”

“You didn’t bring Cady?”

He frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. “Do you want me to leave and get her?”

“No! That’s not what I meant at all. I’m just surprised to see you here without her. I’m glad you’re here, and it’s totally fine that she’s not.”

I shut the door behind him and we wandered into the living room. This was the first time I had hung out with Tristan alone, not counting talking before and after class. I wasn’t exactly sure what to say.

Tristan sat on the couch. “I figured you could do without Cady’s… energy for a little while.”

I laughed as I sat in a chair across from him. It felt good. It was the first time I had laughed like that since Logan had… well, I still didn’t know what had happened. “You got that right! I love Cady, but I can’t handle too much of her right now.”

“So what do you want to do? Go to the beach? Go to the movies?”

I hesitated. “I’m not sure I’m up to going anywhere.”

“Then we stay here. Do you want to watch a movie here?”

“I guess… we’d need to go into the family room. There’s no TV in here.”

We got up and headed through the French doors connecting the living room with the family room. “Why don’t you go pick a DVD and I’ll get us some snacks?”

Tristan went over to the case where we kept our DVDs while I wandered into the kitchen. Genevra was still working on dinner. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to abandon you,” I told her.

“I’ve been cooking by myself for a long time. I don’t need help. I just like the company. Go watch a movie with your friend. It’s fine.”

“Okay, if you’re sure… I’m just going to get us some snacks,” I said.

I popped some popcorn in the microwave and dug some boxes of Junior Mints out of the pantry. I grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge — diet for me, of course. I had to feed my “addiction”. Piling everything on a tray, I carried it into the family room.

Tristan was already sprawled out on a couch. He had fast-forwarded the DVD to the main menu and the music was blaring. “I know how you hate previews.”

Did I ever. Sometimes it was exciting to see previews for the first time, but after watching a DVD a million times with the same previews… you get the picture.

“Thanks.”

I set the tray down on the table and threw some pillows on the floor. I liked to stretch out on the floor during movies. It was one of the many reasons I rarely went to the movie theatre.

“What did you pick?” I asked.

“Lord of the Rings.” Of course. I shouldn’t have even bothered asking. Tristan was slightly obsessed with anything having to do with fantasy.

I picked up the remote, but instead of hitting play, I turned the volume down. “Hey, Tristan?”

“Yeah?”

I hesitated for a minute, wondering if I should say what I was about to say. Maybe I needed to talk to someone, someone who would be logical. “Do you believe in angels?” I asked.

He frowned. “Sure. Why?”

“What about devils?”

“I guess.”

It was now or never. I hoped he wouldn’t react badly. “Okay, I need to tell you something, but it absolutely
has
to stay between us. You can’t tell anyone, including Cady.”

He crossed his heart and raised his right hand. “I promise I will keep this to myself.”

“Tristan!” I smacked his leg. “This is serious!”

He laughed. “Okay, okay!” He pulled his face into a scowl. “How’s this?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you’re not going to be serious, I’m not going to tell you.”

“You really mean it, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

He sobered. “Sorry. I’m just trying to get you to feel better. I promise I won’t say anything.”

“Okay… I don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to jump in. I’m, well, I’m not completely human.”

He sucked his breath in sharply. “What do you mean, you’re not human? What are you?”

“I’m still human. At least, part human. But apparently I’m also part angel.”

“I don’t understand,” he admitted.

“Remember when I disappeared?”

“Yeah, of course. It wasn’t that long ago and we were all worried.”

“That’s why I disappeared.”

He looked confused.

“Okay, I’m not explaining this right.” I paused for a minute to try to collect my thoughts, and then my words rushed out. “All right, Logan’s an angel — part angel and part something else. Andrei, the guy I was dating? He’s a devil. I’m part angel and part human.”

“Whoa.” Tristan slid down onto the floor to sit next to me. “That’s a lot to take in. So Logan kidnapped you or whatever because you’re part angel? Or was it this Andrei guy?”

I shook my head and stuffed some popcorn into my mouth, washing it down with a gulp of soda. “No, Logan had nothing to do with my disappearance. In fact, he tried to prevent it. He’s the one who saved me in the end.”

I could hear Tristan’s breath whoosh out. “And here I blamed Logan. I need to apologize to him.”

I cocked my head and stared at him. “What do you mean, you blamed Logan?”

“When you were first gone, and he wouldn’t — or couldn’t — tell anyone where you were or what happened, I… well, I sort of threatened him.”

“Oh wow. What did you say?”

“I don’t remember exactly. Something about that if it was his fault, I’d make sure he suffered for it.”

“Wow, Tristan. I didn’t realize you cared so much,” I told him.

He stared at his shoes and muttered something under his breath then reached for the popcorn.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I said that it would be obvious if you looked a little harder.” He looked everywhere but at me.

“Now I’m confused.”

He sighed heavily and chugged his soda. He slammed the empty can down on the tray, crumpling it a little. He still wouldn’t look at me. “I’m in love with you.”

“Huh?” I couldn’t manage anything beyond that.

His eyes finally met mine. “I said I’m in love with you. I have been since the day I saw you.”

He was
what
? That was the last thing I needed. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Because you were with Andrei, and then you disappeared. When you got back, you were with Logan, and now you’re heartbroken over Logan… I don’t know. It was never the right time. Besides, I knew you would never go for me.”

I reached over and placed a hand on his arm. “Why would you think I’d never go for you?”

“I’m not like them.”

“What? Supernatural? I’m getting a little tired of the supernatural stuff myself. But so what if you’re not like them? You’re one of my best friends. I wish you had said something.”

“Does that mean there’s a chance for us?” he asked hopefully.

Uh-oh. That wasn’t what I had meant. “Tristan… I love you, but as a friend. Maybe if you had said something before all this happened… but I’m still in love with Logan.” I cringed, hoping I hadn’t broken his heart.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Are you mad?”

“No, I figured you were. Maybe if we lived in a world where no supernatural beings existed, then we could have made things work.”

I gave him a grim smile. “But then I wouldn’t exist.”

“That may be true.” He stood up.

“Oh, please don’t leave!” I hoped he wasn’t going to run out because I didn’t return his feelings.

Surprisingly, he laughed. “I’m not leaving. I’m just sitting on the couch again. I still don’t understand how you sit on the floor. It’s so uncomfortable.”

“That’s why I take the pillows. Then I can stretch out on them.”

We gave each other strained smiles. “So you’re really not mad?”

“No, I’m not. I pretty much knew you didn’t feel that way about me. But hey, it was worth a try. So finish telling me about this angel stuff.”

I readjusted my pillows and leaned back against them. I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the couch. “Okay, so you know how Andrei started going all stalker-ish when I started hanging out with Logan at school?”

He nodded.

“Well, Genevra pulled me out of school until we could get a restraining order or whatever. Then when she was gone, Andrei showed up at my house. Logan was here with me and we took off to San Jose. Andrei followed us there. He and Logan fought. That’s when I found out that they’re angels.”

“I thought you said Andrei was a devil,” Tristan interrupted.

“Yeah, he is. He’s a fallen angel. They’re basically the same thing. When the angels fell, they became the devils.”

“O-
kay
. I think I understand. Keep going.”

“Well, Andrei took me to this place called the Shadow Imperium. It’s where the devils live now that they’re banished from Heaven and Earth.”

“So, how does Andrei walk the earth?” he wanted to know.

“Apparently, the avenging angels haven’t caught him yet. He still has his wings. If they had caught him, his wings would have been ripped off, and he would have been banished from earth.”

“I see. So why did he take you?”

“He said that my father was an angel. Since my mother was human, that makes me something called a Nephilim. He said that I’m the only female Nephilim they know of. There’s some prophecy and I’m supposed to help return the fallen angels to Heaven or something like that.”

“Then why did he kidnap you if he needed your help?”

“You’re asking all the same questions I did.” I laughed. “He said something like he didn’t think I would help him willingly? Or he had to make sure I cooperated? I don’t remember.”

“That’s pretty important.”

“I know, I know!”

“So, how does Logan fit into all of this?”

“Well, at first I thought it was a wrong place, wrong time thing. But then I found out that he’s part angel too. Only, he isn’t part human like me. He’s something else.”

“Like what?” Tristan asked.

“I don’t know. You know the Catholic church across from the middle school?”

He nodded.

“Well, the priest there is the one who said Logan’s something else besides an angel. It’s something to do with the color of his wings. They’re supposed to be white, but his are grey, almost silver. I guess that’s how the priest knew he was… I don’t know what you’d call it… a hybrid of something.”

“White, huh? Hey, you said Andrei had wings too, right? What color are they?”

“Black.”

“So, maybe Logan’s part devil.”

I froze, popcorn halfway to my mouth. Why hadn’t I thought of that? “I guess that would make sense. White and black would logically equal grey. But Logan doesn’t act like a devil.”

“He sure has been today,” Tristan said.

“Yeah, that’s true. But it’s not his fault. I think he’s under some sort of spell.”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, he and Andrei got in some sort of crazy fight. Logan won, but he got hurt. I tried to heal him, and when he woke up, he was different. Like he was before we started hanging out, but even worse.”

“What do you mean you tried to heal him? Do you have some sort of powers?”

“Yeah, apparently really bad healing abilities. The priest says it’s not my fault that I’m bad at it, though. He says I need to practice.”

“That’s so cool!”

I shot him a look. “It’s cool that I messed Logan up?”

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I meant it’s cool that you have abilities.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think they work right. And I’m not even sure if I can do anything else.”

“I bet you can,” he told me.

I shrugged. “Anyway, the priest is convinced that it’s not my fault. The next time I saw Logan, he was hanging out with Sera.”

“Wow,” Tristan said. “Angels, devils, Nephilim… I wonder what other kinds of crazy creatures we have lurking around.”

“Hey!”

“I didn’t mean that you’re a crazy creature. I meant… well, I don’t know what I meant, but not that. So do you think Sera did something to him? Maybe she’s a witch or something.”

“Yeah, I think so. I need to figure out how to break her spell.”

“What about the necklace you always wear now?” He gestured at the stone hanging at my throat. “Does that do anything?”

“How’d you know?”

“Please, you’re talking to Fantasy Guy here. Or… whatever you want to call me that sounds less lame. I know all about magic amulets and whatnot. I figure if supernatural creatures and witches are real, then maybe inanimate objects can be charmed or something.”

“Good point,” I said. “Um, I don’t think it works like that. When Ismene gave it to me, she said it was for protection.”

“It certainly doesn’t work well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you got kidnapped by a devil…”

“I kind of wasn’t wearing it,” I admitted.

“Seriously? You knew you were in danger, but you left your protection behind?”

“I know, I know. Stupid. But I had just gotten it and I forgot to put it on.”

He rolled his eyes. “So, anything else you want to tell me?”

“Umm… oh yeah, Nuada’s my protector or something.”

“Huh? Your cat?”

“Yeah, she’s like a protector slash messenger or something like that. She’s the one who told Ismene I was in danger.”

“Okay, who the heck is Ismene, and how did Nuada know you were in danger, let alone notify someone or whatever?”

“I don’t understand how it works. All I know is that Nuada disappeared one night, and the next morning this psychic brought her back saying she was here to help me.”

“That’s weird,” Tristan said.

“Hey, she helped. She warned me before I even knew what was going on.”

“It still didn’t help. You still got kidnapped.”

“Well… I don’t know. She tried. Hey, maybe she can help me break the spell on Logan or whatever’s wrong with him.”

“I bet she’s a fake.”

“No! She warned me, remember?”

“Psychics always tell you that you’re in danger, or that you’re about to take a journey or whatever. It’s all generic. I think you’re better off talking to this priest. At least he seems to know something.”

“That’s what Logan said… before things went bad.”

“Well there you go! If you won’t listen to me, then listen to Logan — the old Logan, that is.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“So, anything else I should know?”

I thought about it for a minute. “No. Wait, actually yes. My family doesn’t know about any of this. As far as they’re concerned, Andrei is human. He kidnapped me because he was jealous and he held me at his house. They don’t know how I got free. Don’t say anything to them or around them, okay?”

“I can do that,” he agreed.

“Want to watch the movie now?”

“Sure, but you might want to pop some more popcorn.”

I looked at the now-empty bowl. “Hey! You ate it all!”

“Um, you helped. You just didn’t notice.”

“Whatever. I’ll go get some more.” I picked up the tray and wandered into the kitchen.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Genevra told me when she saw me opening the fridge. “Is your movie almost over?”

“Actually, no. We haven’t even started it yet.”

She arched one eyebrow. “What were you guys doing in there? Do I have to have a talk with you?”

“Oh wow, Genevra! Nothing like that! We were just talking. You know I’m with Logan.”

She gave me a sad look. “I think it’s time for you to accept that you and Logan are broken up.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Isn’t he dating another girl now? Maybe it’s time to move on.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Good.” She obviously thought I meant I was working on moving on, not that I was working on getting back with Logan. I wasn’t about to correct her. “Would you like to see if Tristan wants to stay for dinner? Then you guys can watch your movie.”

“Sure. Thanks!” I headed back into the family room. “Hey, want to stay for dinner?”

“What are we having?” Tristan asked.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s great. You know Genevra’s a good cook.”

“Yeah. Okay, let me call my mom.”

When he got off the phone, we headed for the dining room. “You two can eat in the family room if you want,” Genevra called from the kitchen.

“Really?” She hardly ever let us eat dinner separately.

“Yeah, and then you can watch your movie.”

I looked at Tristan. “Want to?”

“Sure.”

We went into the kitchen and grabbed plates. “Why don’t you see if Tanis wants to join you?”

I knew there was a catch. “Okay.” That meant we had to end all talk about angels and anything supernatural.

While we were filling our plates from the stove, Tanis appeared in the kitchen. “Hey, do you want to watch
Lord of the Rings
with us?”

She hesitated. “Maybe. Are you sure you guys don’t mind?”

Tristan and I both shook our heads, indicating that we didn’t. “Genevra said we could eat in the family room. Get some food and meet us in there.”

“Really, Mom? We can eat in front of the TV?” Tanis asked Genevra.

“Yes, that’s fine. You guys watch your movie. Your dad and I can eat in here,” she said.

“Are you sure you and Shane don’t want to watch the movie with us?” I asked.

“It’s fine. You kids watch your movie. Shane and I will eat in here and clean up, and then we’ll go upstairs. Tristan, feel free to stay as long as you want.”

Tanis and I shot each other a look. “But it’s a school night,” she protested.

“I know. It’s fine.” She smiled. “Just don’t get used to it. This isn’t going to become a habit.”

Tanis, Tristan, and I put our plates on trays and grabbed drinks from the refrigerator, then carried everything back in the family room. All of us sat down on the floor around the coffee table. We ate silently for a moment until I finally said, “Well, that was weird.”

“I know, right?” Tanis said, putting down her fork. “What’s with Mom?”

“I think she’s just trying to make Rae feel better,” Tristan said.

“You think so?”

“She hasn’t exactly been herself lately.”

“That’s true,” Tanis agreed.

“Hey, can we quit talking about me like I’m not here?” I cut in.

“Sorry,” they apologized in unison.

“So, what exactly is going on?” Tanis asked hesitantly. “All I know is that Mom rushed out somewhere to pick you up last night. You were really quiet on the way in to school this morning, and then I couldn’t find you after school. Tristan had to tell me that you went home sick.”

“Logan broke up with her,” Tristan informed her.

“Ohhh.”

“He didn’t ‘break up’ with me,” I said. “He just… doesn’t seem to remember that we were together.”

“I don’t understand,” Tanis said.

I took a deep breath and launched into the explanation for the third time that day. Fourth, if you count my trying to explain it to Logan. I left out all the supernatural stuff though. No way Tanis would believe it. She was even more skeptical than Genevra.

When Tristan left after the movie, I helped Tanis clean up, and then I disappeared into my room. I was tired of talking. I had plans with Cady the next day after school, and that was going to take all my energy.