Fizzle

by Heather D Glidewell

  “Why did my mother marry you?” I asked. I was finally calming down.

  “She was trying to throw something off its path,” he replied, looking at my father.

  “Is that why she left me with my father and had little to do with me?” I pressed. I felt Wesley’s hand squeeze mine. At least someone seemed to be on my side.

  “Yes. She knew Damien could protect you better than she could from it.” His face fell, and he paled.

  “What was it?” I asked, my voice shaking.

  “We don’t know. As soon as you were with your father, it never surfaced,” he answered me.

  I stood there, trying to understand what exactly he was saying. I always had a feeling there was a reason my mother abandoned me. It also made sense why she was so protective of me when I came into my powers. My mother was trying to protect me from some hidden force.

  “It was after me,” I groaned. “Why am I so special?”

  “It wasn’t the Warden gift it wanted.” My father sighed. I could tell he didn’t want to let out any more secrets. Especially not in front of Chase. Not that I blamed him, but I deserved to know the truth.

  “Then what was it after?” I demanded my heart racing.

  “You were blessed.” My father frowned and glared at Chase. “Not just by the Creators.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I screamed. Wesley pulled me closer to him. “He comes back, and now all of a sudden, all the lies are coming out.”

  “Chase may be a dumbass for following Sheridan, but at least he got away,” my father sighed.

  I felt betrayed yet again. It was bad enough I had been sheltered from my purpose. Now my father was telling me something other than the Creators blessed me at birth? There had to be more, and I had a feeling Chase knew the answers to all my questions. I sucked up my pride and decided it best to get as much information from him as possible.

  “Where’s Nick?” I demanded. “Do you think for one second I’m not going to hold you accountable for that debacle?”

  Chase’s face contorted, he looked confused by my accusation.

  “What about Nick?” he asked, his eyes shooting up to my dad’s.

  Maybe I had been wrong in my assumption. He seemed as much in the dark as the rest of us. I had figured he would know everything about his nephew.

  “Oh well, you missed that tidbit of information, didn’t you,” my father laughed nervously as he narrowed his eyes at me.

  Maybe I had just let the cat out of the bag.

  “Tell me,” Chase pleaded.

  There was an awkward silence between the two men as my father tried to find the right words to explain what had come of the Peterson name.

  “Your family flopped sides.” My father smiled at him as Chase’s face fell into despair.

  “Not Mary. She would never.” Chase defended them.

  “She did,” Wesley mumbled.

  “Why?” He was even more confused now.

  I didn’t understand how he could not know about his own sister and nephew. If I had been Sheridan, I would have shouted it from the rooftop. The Peterson family worked for God and all things righteous; it would have been a big deal to have such a family in the ranks.

  “Family, obviously. Your nephew worked diligently to bring the Wardens together; then, he tried to tear them apart.” My father took the cigar out of his mouth and stomped it out.

  I heard the back door open, but my head did not turn. I was not taking my eyes off the man. I had a feeling the moment our vision shifted; he would be gone. The steps were light as they came toward our group.

  “What’s going on?” my mother’s voice asked as she came up behind us.

  I jumped and looked at Dad. He glanced back at me and gave me a cruel half-smile. If Chase thought I was the one to worry about, he had no idea the damage my mother was going to do.

  “How are you doing, Angie?” My stepfather’s voice said, and I heard a gasp from behind me.

  She pushed past me with the fury of a woman scorned. Her eyes were white and heated; her mouth was set in a scowl. I didn’t think this woman was the one he thought he was coming home to. I watched him wince as she hit him.

  “You son of a bitch!” she screamed.

  “Like mother like daughter,” I heard Edmund mutter under his breath. He looked at me and grinned from ear to ear in amusement.

  My father put his hands on my shoulder, and I looked at him. He wasn’t off the hook. I had plenty of questions burning in my mind. Chase may have been a dead-end when it came to answers, but my father apparently was a plethora of knowledge when it came to my blessings.

  “I think it’s time we went inside. This is going to take a while,” he recommended, turning to leave the brawl. Wesley and I both shrugged and followed him. The only one who remained was Edmund, and that was out of pure entertainment. It wasn’t every day you saw a Protector beaten by an Angel.

  “Dad,” I said as I made sure the door latched behind us.

  “Yeah, honey?” he spoke, turning and looking at me. His eyes had returned to their chilling brown.

  “Why are you still hiding things from me?” I asked. I felt Wesley stiffen beside me.

  Had my father confided in him the secrets of my existence?

  The way it looks, honey, you by far are not the only one in the dark. Prudence’s voice rang through my head, and I groaned out loud. Of course, she would answer my inner thoughts with her own opinions.

  “Some things are better left unsaid for now,” my father replied, turning to leave again.

  “No, Dad. I believe I deserve answers,” I demanded.

  “I am bound to my secrets, Dawn. You have to understand that. You should understand that. Remember, when nobody could say your real name?” he asked, and I nodded at him. “It’s like that. Even if I wanted to, I’m bound so that I cannot.”

  “So, there is more than. Am I some sort of freak?” I asked with my hands on my hips. I was fuming and surprised at the same time that I hadn’t burst into flames. Maybe I was getting better at controlling my emotions.

  “Not a freak. You are one of a kind,” he responded. Instead of walking off, he just vanished into his black smoke. The smell of sulfur made my head swim.

  “Do you know about this?” I asked Wesley. He looked at me, wide-eyed.

  “I have no clue what you are talking about,” he lied, and hurriedly left my side, leaving me alone to the sounds of screaming beyond the back door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Orders

  I was sitting in my room alone, writing frantically in my journal when my mother entered. I had been waiting for her to find me. I knew we had a lot to talk about now that Chase was back in our lives. She cleared her throat and waited for me to look up at her. Her face was calm, but the fire in her eyes said something completely different.

  “Looks like we have a few things to talk about,” she muttered as I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Yeah, apparently,” I replied with an attitude. I finished my sentence and slammed the book shut. I wasn’t mad at her, but Lord knows I wasn’t happy either.

  “Well, Chase is going to be staying with us for a while,” she said, putting her hands together and slowly walking toward the bed.

  “Great. Now you and Dad both have your loved ones here,” I grumbled.

  “Chase didn’t know, Dawn.”

  Had she really just said that to me? I didn’t care if he knew or not, he had followed Sheridan’s instructions to leave us behind. It made me wonder just how much Sheridan knew about my mother and me.

  “I don’t care. He let us think he was dead,” I replied angrily.

  “But he wasn’t, don’t you understand?” She sat down on the bed and grabbed my hands. “He wasn’t dead.”

  “He made us think he was,” I repeated. I was becoming angrier at the ordeal. How could she find the silver lining in one of the worst lies we had been forced to believe. She had just pulled herself together, and I didn’t want to ha
ve to save her again when he failed to live up to her expectations.

  “He came when he heard we were in danger.” She gripped on to me tighter, even when I tried to pull my hands free from hers.

  “He hurt you,” I growled.

  “He hurt you too,” she retorted. Her face was frozen in pain.

  “I can’t do it again,” I stated. The idea of helping her pick up the pieces again pained me.

  “You can’t do what?” She sounded even more in pain than before.

  “I can’t watch him do all those things to you again,” I snarled.

  “Oh, sweetie.” She put her arms around me. “He isn’t going to hurt me.”

  I pushed her away. “I have more,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “What?” She was confused. I had never pushed away from my mother’s embrace before.

  “When were you going to tell me?” I demanded. Out of all this fuss, I had nearly forgotten what I had witnessed the day of the battle in Harrisville when my mother flew in to rescue Helen.

  “Tell you what, honey?” The look on her face was utter confusion. She honestly did not know what I was talking about.

  “Several things really. First, you failed to mention the additional blessings I received at birth. And Second, I know I was in some form of battle mode that day in town, but you flew in and took Helen.” I eyed her suspiciously.

  Take that!

  The look on her face told me more then I wanted to know. She was gagged just as my father was from telling me who the third being was who blessed me. That was a mystery I would have to unravel on my own. However, the way she glanced over her shoulder showed she was indeed blessed with the gift of flight. She turned beet red and began to laugh nervously.

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t remember, or I could blame it on some nonexistent fever.” She swallowed.

  “Then, tell me, Mom, when did you get your wings back?” I gave her a stern look and waited for my answer.

  “When Ramiel came and saw me.” She blushed.

  “The day Adam was touched? Mom, what did you do?” I demanded.

  “I didn’t do anything. God chose him, not me.” She put her hands up defensively.

  “Still, he welcomed you home.” I waited for further explanation. I was willing to let my first question drop for the pure fact my mother had been forgiven by God. Yet, the secret she kept from me hurt. I had thought my mother and I had pushed passed all the secrets and lies.

  “Not so much welcomed me home. He appointed me the leader of the Light.” She sighed. “I earned my wings, but not my spot in Heaven.”

  “Either way, Mom, you got your wings,” I stated. I was having a confusion of feelings at the moment. Anger about Chase being back in our lives and happiness for my mother’s new acceptance.

  “Yes, I have my wings, and I have my husband. Everything is coming up roses.” She gave me a beaming smile.

  “I will admit I was holding out hope for you and dad,” I said in a monotone voice.

  She gave me a horrified look.

  “I adore your father in many ways. He will always be my one greatest love. However, with circumstances, as they are, it is an impossibility for the two of us to ever be together again. Not to mention Mona and Chase.” She gave me a warm smile and a pat on the knee.

  “If you say so,” I grumbled and grabbed my pillow next to me, holding it close to my chest.

  “Imagine this.” She looked at me, determined to make a point. “Let’s flip Wesley and Aaron. You are madly in love with Aaron, but something happens.”

  “Like he gets attacked by a pack of carnivorous whatever the hell they were,” I pointed out.

  “Sure.” She shrugged. “You cannot be with Aaron because he is unavailable. However, you have Wesley, so you stick with him. You have feelings for him, and in a way, you love him. He may not be that first great love, but he is desirable.”

  “I think you chose the wrong two people to compare,” I groaned. “I’m with Wesley, not because Aaron is unavailable. I’m with him because I do love him. I have my great love.”

  And how much of that do you think is true? Prudence was in the back of my mind lurking again.

  Will you just shut up! I yelled at her.

  “Where is he staying?” I asked quietly.

  “Your father and I agreed that he should stay in the downstairs bedroom that has the outside lock.” She frowned. “At least for a few days. We want to make sure he wasn’t followed before opening our arms to him.”

  “So, you are locking him in a comfortable prison,” I laughed.

  “Well, honey, that is what it would look like.” She gave me a smile. “Promise me you won’t beat the hell out of him again?”

  “I don’t know if I can keep that promise, Mom,” I replied roughly. “If he says one more thing I don’t like; I will rip out his tongue and feed it to one of the werewolves.”

  “Always with the dramatics,” my mother moaned.

  “So, tell me something else.” I hugged the pillow tight to my body.

  “Anything,” she said.

  “Why did Dad call me one of a kind?” I watched as the color drained from her face.

  Maybe I wasn’t so willing to let it go. I had to know just how much of the truth they were forced not to tell me.

  “Before you were born, I was blessed by God and Lucifer both. Each bestowed some of the greatest powers directly on to you. They said one day, you would need them. That, when you did, they would present themselves.” She didn’t seem to want to say anymore.

  “You actually allowed Lucifer to bless me?” I was in awe of this. She had essentially stood in the presence of God and allowed Lucifer to bless her unborn child.

  “It is why you can alter your appearance. Lucifer gave you the ability to morph.” She frowned. “I didn’t believe it would actually work until the day I saw you as Prudence.”

  “Yeah, well from what Edmund says she looks just like me anyway,” I sighed.

  So many things were not making sense to me. First all this crap with Prudence, then Chase, now this. What else could possibly be brought up?

  “I never knew the woman,” my mother said, shrugging. “I couldn’t tell you if he was right or not.”

  “I think I need to process all of this.” I shook my head back and forth.

  “Of course, honey. I need to get back to Chase. He really had no clue what he was getting into,” she said, getting up from my bed.

  “Where is Wesley?” I asked before she could leave the room.

  “I sent him to town to get some stuff.” She turned back toward the door. “We both thought you needed some time to think.”

  “He better not be here on some mission from the Queen,” I yelled, not sure if she heard me.

  So, I was blessed by the Creators. No wonder everyone wanted me dead. I laid down on my pillows and stared at the wall. The white dots grew blurry, and then finally, I let the world go dark. Things were getting weird, and if I didn’t watch it, I was going to be circling in an unknown hell for the rest of my life.

  “Babe.” I could hear Wesley’s voice calling to me in the darkness of my sleep. As soothing as I found the tone to be, I did not want to awake from my slumber. Sleep was hard to come by; even when I was spending all my days in bed, it was not one of my many past times.

  I slowly opened my eyes and saw him standing over me in only his shorts.

  “Hey,” I mumbled sleepily.

  He gave me a bright smile as I continued to force myself awake.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked as he leaned down to caress my face.

  “Better,” I replied, stretching. “Where’s your shirt?”

  Wesley hesitated a moment before answering.

  “I got blood on it,” he replied through gritted teeth.

  There were a number of ways blood could have gotten on his shirt, and trust me, I did not want to think of the bad ones. He had told me already my mother took care of him when he needed to satiate the
vampire appetite. I never asked about the other breeds of fairy tale creatures roaming around inside his mind. To me, he was just Wesley, with a few added modifications.

  “Well, that’s comforting,” I laughed nervously.

  He gave me a warm smile and sat down on the bed next to me.

  “Your mom said you two talked.” He touched my hand, and my heart started to pound.

  “Yeah. I think I got some answers I really wasn’t meaning to get,” I yawned.

  “That was why I had to get away. I wasn’t sure if you were going to explode when she told you he was staying. I would prefer not to be here when things go up in smoke.” He gave me a nod. “You know the whole vampire and fire thing.”

  “You aren’t a complete vampire,” I pointed out with a hint of humor. “For all, we know there is a little fire magic inside that body of yours. We haven’t tested it to its full potential yet, but we will.”

  “True, but I am pretty sure there are other things in my blood that don’t like fire as well,” he corrected me with a wink.

  He was probably right. There were only a handful of beings who could withstand flames. I, of course, being one of them.

  “Have they found any more?” I started tracing the scars across his chest. If we were on the subject of his blood, we might as well continue the conversation. He had been pretty secretive about his visits with doctors.

  “Nothing new to report.” He closed his eyes.

  I could sense the disappointment in him. He wanted to know everything about himself, and it seemed the more they expanded his classification, the less he knew to expect. Wesley was never the kind of guy to take only partial explanation.

  “How is it possible?” I asked softly.

  His skin was cold to the touch, and scars lay soft and flat against his body. To him, they were reminders, but to me, they were proof he was willing to take whatever torture Miranda threw at him to keep me safe. If he had known what he knew now, would he have still left with her?

  “Well, when you think about it, how is it possible for Sheridan to have as many bloodlines as she has. Her mother was an Angel, a righteous being of heaven light. Then, she turns around and winds up being turned by a vampire. Definitely not something that should ever have happened. Yet it did.” He shrugged. “You know, I always found it odd that Miranda didn’t have a trace of Angel blood in her, it’s like Xic totally zeroed out the Heavenly effect.”