Wings of Boden (7 page)

“Okay, Bubby, that’s all for now.” While he
finished licking his lips, I patted his head and said to Angie,
“Well, you’re never gonna catch me eating an animal. I just don’t
see the point.”

Beyond hungry, I went to the refrigerator,
opened the door to see a cornucopia of colors—vegetables and fruits
and glass pitchers of tea. My focus went to the bottom shelf, the
fruit shelf, as I eyed melons of sweet indulgence and berries of
every sort. Even as I reached out for a honeydew, Angie spoke up
from behind, “Now, Elle, don’t forget to grab some veges. We need
to take care of the boys.”

My head was still in the refrigerator. “I
know how to make a salad, sis.”

With both arms full of salad makings, I
dumped them to the island-table surface. A head of purple cabbage
rolled off the table to the floor. If Angie wasn’t there, I
probably would’ve left it, but, whatever.

Bub walked over, sniffed the cabbage. Then
looked up at me with a doggie grimace, his brown eyes seemed to
say, I’m not eating that. I picked it up, pulled a knife from a
wooden block. Angie stood across, waiting, with her eyes on me. Why
did she have to watch me so close, with a grin, as if she was
studying a student? For some reason, I couldn’t begin. She was
making me nervous. She’s such a turd.

She finally said, “I’ll cut up the veges.
You’re in charge of the fruit.” A smirk while she pulled another
knife.

Caught in limbo, Bub just stood there. He
seemed to be trying to decide if he should wait for fruit scraps,
or go to his doggy bowl full of crunchies. He looked at me, then
his bowl, then me. “Sorry, Bubby, no fruit for you.” He hung his
head, then loped over to his water bowl and began lapping it up. I
couldn’t help but giggle.

With my attention back at the table, I raked
some hair off my face, tucked it behind my ear, and got to work.
The knife flew with surgical precision as I peeled, diced, and
chopped like a culinary master. I scooped up handfuls and dumped
the little works of art into the wooden bowl. Angie followed with
various lettuces, cabbage, peppers and carrots. The masterpiece
completed, we exchanged smiles, paused, and almost on cue we both
said, “Lovely.” To which we giggled together. This was our little
ritual saying ever since we were kids.

“I’ll grab some chips, you pour the tea,”
Angie said as she headed for the upper cupboards across the
kitchen.

We strolled back into the den, each with a
tray. Mine with the salad bowls, forks and napkins. Angie’s tray
held the drinks. Even as we walked across the room with our
balancing act, the boys were leaned over the table. Dad tapped a
finger on a paper, said, “Yes, that’s perfect.”

“Lunch,” I called out, while we went to the
end of the table and set the trays.

Dad looked up, interrupted but polite. “Ah.
Boys, let’s eat.” The boys tore themselves away. Angie and I
snatched ours up. While we made our way to sit, Dad said, “Slide
those chairs over here, girls.”

We did as he requested. I lowered into my
chair, placed my tall glass of tea to the floor, crossed my legs at
the ankles and placed my fruit salad bowl on my lap.
Yummy
.
The lettuce leaf canopy over the fruit was a great idea, hiding my
obsession. Eyeing down at it, I pushed my hair over my shoulder,
picked up the fork, flipped the lettuce leaf out of the way and dug
in. While the fruit exploded flavor in my mouth, I caught myself
growling a sound of pleasure. Not very angel-like, so I raised eyes
to see if anyone was watching me. Angie gave me a chewing grin.

The boys stood around the table, munching and
crunching. Dad looked at me, causing me to pause with a swallow. He
gave me a grin, moved his eyes around the room. Then set his bowl
to the table and finished chewing. After a napkin swipe across his
mouth he said, “Listen. I want you all to stay here this weekend.
We can go over the plans and have some family time. There’s a game
tomorrow and I think we should go meet the old team.”

That’s nice, except maybe the game, but,
whatever. This fruit is awesome.

Dad has lifetime skybox seats at the stadium,
along with all his old teammates. Thoughts about all we could do at
the house that weekend ran through my mind. Read books with my
sister again while the boys did their thing. And the sparkling
swimming pool out back. Yes, we could go swimming again. Excited
energy began to buzz through my wings. I relished the tastes on my
tongue.

Dad went on, “The old team would make a
perfect angel army, strong. It wouldn’t take much convincing.
Tomorrow. We’ll break the news tomorrow. It’ll be a good time.”

Angel army? Okay, whatever.

After giving Dad a full-mouth smile, I
stuffed another bite.

Jaydenn commented, “I’m looking forward to
seeing their reactions when we tellem we’re finally ending those
nasty dreks. It’ll be a party all right.”

My chewing stopped. I swung my gaze to Angie,
up to Dad. “The drekavacs? What are you guys talking about?”

“Weren’t you listening, honey?” Dad said.
After an inquisitive long look at me, he spoke to the room, “I
think it’s time she knew. She’s ready. Come over here, Elle.”

Can’t I just enjoy my salad in peace? Why
can’t he just tell me from there?

“Elle?” Dad reminded.

With my bowl placed to the floor, I made my
way over to him. Everyone waited. Angie set her bowl to the floor,
got to her feet and stepped over to me. My face felt tight,
clenched teeth, aftertaste of fruit on my tongue. I looked up at
Dad. “Well, what’s the big news, and please.” My gaze went around
the room. “Could everyone just quit with all the sensitive Ellie
crap. I’m tired of it, and you’re beginning to irritate me.”

Dad curled some sort of grin. He didn’t say
anything for a long moment. Oh, it dawned on me, Ellie standing up
like a big angel now.
Please
.

“Okay,” said Dad. “You know the drekavacs,
right?”

Duh
.

“We assumed you’d eventually figure it out on
your own, but, we didn’t want to— well, you had nightmares, Ellie,
when you were a kid. We were protecting you from those. We brought
a doctor in and set a block in your mind. You healed and became our
sweet angel, so we left it alone. So now, I’m going to say
something, and I want you to listen close.” He paused, leaned in,
drew his brows down over an intense gaze, and pushed the words
directly at me, “Aron. Arod.” His tone was clear, deep.

Nightmares? I didn’t remember.

Then I did.

Flashes came like lightning: The sweating
terror in the middle of the night, a cold rag held to my forehead
by my mother while I sat up in bed gasping for breath and sobbing.
The years of sleepless anguish, bawling into a pillow. The vision
of a hunter dragging me to the moon when I was eight years old,
while I screamed my little lungs out in horror:

My forgotten childhood.

Dad waited while I stood frozen to the floor
… He spoke in a serious tone, “The dreks honey, they’re immature
hunters, scavengers, tormenting spirits. They eventually transform
into the vultures we know as hunters, adult and ruthless enemies.
Then they fly away into the night, away from the light. But you
need to know something. A hunter will be coming for you, with this
war. We’ll protect you, though, so try not to worry. Ellie?”

NO!

My stomach tied into knots, a metal taste in
my mouth as I trembled in memories.

Why is he telling me this?

Horrific, throaty, vulture sounds went
through my mind like guttural air pushed through a constricted
pipe,
Urrrr
... long and drawn out so long. Even as it
continued, I could smell his black feathers; the charred scent of
my own fear filled each sniffled breath.

Angie said with her hand on my shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, sweetie, I promise.”

Something skittered across the back of my
mind. I jerked away, stomped across the room and sat in my chair,
hunched over with my face in my cupped hands. I couldn’t breathe.
The salad wanted to come up and I just wanted to go to sleep.
Why the flap did he tell me?
I was happy. I slept good last
night. Was that the last night of peace I would ever know?

Angie had crouched down at my feet, her hands
on my knees.

With images flashing in my mind, I muffled
into my palms, “It was Dakarai, wasn’t it?” My hands dropped. I
glared up at Angie and snapped out, “Tell me.”

“Yes, sweetie, it was.” She snatched my hand
up. “Please don’t worry. We’ll help you, all of us. We’re all here
for you.” She looked around the room for support.

Dad spoke up, “That’s right. Vyn can take
care of you too. Isn’t that right, Vyn? I’d say it’s time you let
her know a few things about you, now that the block is
removed.”

“Of course.” Vyn walked over to me, placed
his hand on my shoulder, dropped a kiss on my forehead and drew
back. “Ellie, do you remember everything about that day?”

Thoughts twisted—Dakarai, the drekavac who
had morphed into a hunter and tried to take me away. I was just an
innocent child back then, picking flowers in a field when my young,
fascinated mind, forgot about the time of day, dusk. I remembered
Dakarai’s talons clamping down on my wrist and dragging me toward
the moon. And the moment it all went blank, my mind going somewhere
else as the world dissolved, and I wilted, slipped into darkness,
only to wake up in the arms of my Dad. Then the nightmares
came.

I pushed from my chair, stalked over to the
wall of windows, gazed out to the forest while hugging myself. My
heart raced, pressure building behind my eyes, but I couldn’t
stomach any flappin consolation at that moment. Not from—

“What’s going on here?” my mother’s voice
made me turn. She stood near the doorway in a blue sleeveless silk
dress that hung almost to her heeled pumps. A cascade of straight
blond hair spilled around shoulders and chest. Flawless white
wings. Even though she appeared confused, she had the look.
Six-five worthy of a magazine cover, and she was finally home. I
dashed across the room and crumpled into her, she enveloped me into
an embrace. With my face on her warm chest, my arms curled up in
front of me, I breathed in the scent of her flower perfume. “It’s
okay, honey,” she said, rubbing my back and wings, then questioned
across the room, “Phillip. Well?”

When I rolled my head over to view Dad, he
just gave a firm, pursed-lip nod.

“You didn’t,” Mom snapped. “I thought we
agreed, Phil. I thought we weren’t going to tell her yet. Why would
you—”

“Just calm down, Celeste,” Dad barked. “It’s
time she knew. You don’t know what’s going on here.” He paused,
began to settle, and curled a smile …“Your hair looks pretty
though.”

“Forget about my hair! Why would you—”

“She has to learn to deal with the
nightmares. They’ll get much worse if she doesn’t learn how to
cope. She’s grown now. It was time.”

“They’re creating an angel army,” I said into
Mom’s chest. “We’re going to war with the hunters and dreks.”

“What? Why would you want to go to war again?
This isn’t another brainless football game,
Phillip
, this
is—”

“I know what this is,
Celeste
. While
you were off getting your hair done, we were saving the world. So
don’t tell me what I know and don’t know. Before you get all
frazzled, why don’t you come over here and we’ll explain.”

Mom caressed my back, silent. I straightened
up and gazed into her gleaming eyes; those comforting sapphire-blue
eyes I so adore. She gave me a sweet look. “It’s okay now, Ellie.
I’m here for you.” And there was that soothing smile that always
melted my heart and seemed to guarantee that everything
would
be fine. I returned the closest thing I had to a smile
as she said, “Okay, let’s go see what these stupid boys are talking
about.”

With a palm on my back, she ushered me across
the room with her. While we stepped, my hand drifted over her
wings. The salon must’ve used that feather gloss stuff, so
smooth.

At the table, as Dad explained to Mom, I went
over and stood with Vyn. He wrapped an arm around me. I leaned into
him, tilted my head to his shoulder and placed a soft palm on his
chest, rubbed my thoughts into his heart;
I love you, Vyn, so
much
.

Angie sat in her chair, picked up her salad
bowl and began to munch away again. Jaydenn stood above the table,
his hands pointing to specific points on the map whenever
needed.

We listened to Dad’s explanation.

“The drekavacs are multiplying at an alarming
rate these days, which means the hunters are doing the same. More
angels are disappearing and it’s only going to get worse, unless we
do something. It’s either this, or we cower away like scared
animals while the hunters build an army. War is inevitable,
Celeste, you know that. We need to stop this before it turns in
their favor. We’ll wait for the right time, of course. We need to
prepare first.”

Darkness set in my mind. Why does the world
have to be so mean? Dad voiced his strategy pep talk like a coach.
But my childhood nightmares—impending doom, like rolling thunder in
a billowed hunter storm cloud.

The hail would come … eventually.

Almost a half hour later, after Dad mentioned
the plans for the new home, Mom said, “Well, that’s just wonderful,
girls. You deserve a new home. I’m so happy for you two. And Vyn,
let’s get that new lab built.” She hiked over and hugged Vyn and I
together. Then turned to the seated Angie and said, “My lovely,
Angelica.” She beamed at the sight of her daughter, before stepping
over and crouching down at Angie’s feet. Mom’s dress stretched over
her knees, two-inch heels propping up her recently moisturized
calves as she placed a gentle palm on Angie’s crossed leg. “I
missed you, honey. Is Jaydenn taking care of you?” She reached up,
tucked a loose strand of hair behind Angie’s ear. “My pretty angel
girl.”