by Bob Dattolo
Mindy patted her partners’ hands, “We understand. What do we need to do?”
A half hour later, we dropped the rest of her stuff in my room and handed Mom the paperwork giving her custody of Rachel. She’s 17, but she still needs a custodian in the eyes of the US government. We closed the portal a few minutes back after her parents and Mindy passed back through after Rachel adjusted their memories to forget the portals. They had a good conversation with Mom, and have a better idea of what to expect here. It’s only a plus that they don’t have to pay for this. The best part is that we brought her car as well, using a portal to get it out into the garage. These things are freaking useful!
We had maybe ten minutes to just talk after introducing the girls to Rachel before Jen arrived. She gave Mom a huge hug and a kiss from the door, which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I didn’t know that they progressed to the point of kissing at meeting. That seems like a pretty big relationship step to me.
She caught Rachel behind me and froze, “Uhh, what…?”
I shrugged, “She’s here with us for now. She’ll be going to school with us. So…I understand we’re going swimming?”
Her smile broke big and she hugged Mom again, “I’d love that!”
As you’d expect for a group of supernaturals, swimsuits aren’t exactly a requirement, so there was no struggling to find anything and slip into it before heading out. Mom and Jen hit her room first, while the four of us younger girls headed out. Rachel watched Marisela strip, eyes widening as she caught everything.
Marisela saw her watching and fumbled with her shirt before putting it down. “Ummm…”
I hit Rachel and she gasped, “I’m sorry! I don’t mean to stare…you’re just freaking gorgeous!”
Marisela blushed, which is something I hadn’t quite seen before. “Umm, thank you? You’re pretty too.”
“Thanks.” She tossed the rest of her clothes onto one of the chairs. “Now…swimming?”
Mom’s pool is ginormous, with two water slides, a cave, a waterfall, and diving boards. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty cool place to swim.
Mom and Jen came out a few minutes later as we were messing in the pool. They dove in, swam a lap, and then immediately climbed into the hot tub. It’s situated so that you can see the amazing view of the woods, so they sat right next to each other and leaned their heads in as they talked quietly. I can hear them plain as day, but I tried not to listen in. They won’t care, but it still feels like eavesdropping to me.
We tried marco polo for a bit, but Rachel’s ability to hold her breath for pretty much ever made her impossible for us to find. Or, no, I can find her with my magic and our connection, but I meant find her with normal abilities. We broke out some of the other water toys and played and splashed for a while. Mom shocked me by leaning over and hitting a panel I never saw before and music floated out of hidden speakers. She didn’t even have on some crazy old garbage, which is a danger with someone her age. It was pretty new stuff, so easy for us to listen to as well.
They sank back into conversation as we played for another hour or so, until twilight came in.
That had us sliding over to the hot tub, moving in as Mom waved us on. None of us wanted to interfere with them, but they seemed okay with it. All while messing around, we asked each other various questions about things, getting to know each other. It was pretty cool. Rachel was asked far more than the others were, and she didn’t hide anything away. None of them did, as far as I could tell. That’s pretty cool to me. Not that we got into crazy personal things. Well, a little bit.
Finally, I nudged Marisela with my foot, “Okay…you mentioned that you guys were in the between lands and now you’re here? Can you elaborate on that?”
Her smile fell a little.
“You don’t have to. I just don’t get it. It seems pretty sweet there, and you have obvious issues here.” We’d talked about the problems she experiences, and it’s pretty sad. People are such bastards.
She played with the bubbling water for a minute, “I don’t know the whole story. I’m only 17. This happened a couple hundred years ago or so?” She thought back through what she’d learned, “You know how long orcs live, right?”
I shrugged, “It varies? No more than a thousand, typically, but like you said before, you guys are kinda violent, so…”
She smiled, “Yeah. We kill more of our own than others do. Typically. Anyway…my grandparents…my family? We worked for someone. Someone crazy powerful, from what I understand. It’s an inherited role, and we’re all taught how to do it.”
“What’s the role?” Rachel asked.
“Sort of like a squire? We’re supposed to help them prepare for fights. Battles. Practice with them. There was some sort of issue with another powerful fey, and my grandparents were forced to run or be killed. Their charge wasn’t there, she was on Earth at the time, and they fled the between lands…and were never able to find her. They ended up here, and we’ve been here ever since.”
“You never went back? To the between lands?” Melissa asked.
“No. My grandparents were told that if they ever returned, they’d be killed. Their children. Grandchildren. Everyone. Without our charge to protect us? We’re…the whole squire thing? We dedicate our lives to our charge, and they in turn protect us. My grandparents were nearly 2,000 years old. My parents trained their entire lives up to that point, nearly 90 years, and then they ended up here. Running. Hiding.”
I sat up a little, “Holy…so you know how to fight?”
She nodded, “Yeah. My grandparents are dead, but they taught my parents everything. They taught me. Now it’s just my mom and me…I don’t think we’ll ever find our charge…and I don’t know if she’ll ever want us again. I have no idea if she even knows what happened.”
“That sucks…” The look on mom’s face brought me to a standstill. “Mom?” She continued to stare, squinting at Marisela.
Jen nudged her, “Raph? What’s wrong?”
Mom swallowed loudly enough that I heard it from across the water, “Marisela? Your grandparents…what were their names?”
“My grandparents? Morgan and Thadius. Why?”
Mom stood up, cascading water off of her. Power wrapped around her, sending tendrils everywhere. I only realized others could see it when they pushed back from her. “Tell me truth…what is your last name!”
Marisela was pushed back against the edge of the hot tub, trying not to cower away from the raw power in front of her. “Uhh…”
I stood, “Mom? Please calm down. What’s wrong? You’re freaking everyone out!”
Her power sucked in and tears filled her eyes, “270 years ago I was here. On Earth. I expected to be gone for a year, tops. I left my household in the between lands. I left my people. My squires. I left them there…and when I returned, they were gone. I was told that they stole from me and left. I was told they were killed. I was told vicious rumors again and again…and I searched for nearly 60 years before giving up.”
She stared at Marisela, “Their names were Thadius and Morgan.” She stood up straighter, “Now, Marisela…what is your last name. Please tell me!”
The scared orc girl stayed against the wall of the hot tub, “Angeles…my last name is Angeles…”
I didn’t react fast enough to catch Mom as she collapsed, having to drag her from the water. She was still shellshocked as I pulled her to the edge and sat her down. “Mom? C’mon now, come back to me!”
Rational thought pulled back into her eyes slowly, until I knew she was back. “Do you…do you have it? The mark?”
Marisela had moved away from the wall of the hot tub over the past few minutes. Not that that helped her understand the question.
“Do you have it?! The family birthmark?!”
Light dawned in the bigger girl’s eyes, “Oh…yeah?” She turned, showing Mom the wings across her upper back. The wings that only now suddenly remind me of angel wings.
“My angels…my angels…
” Mom began to sob, and I huddled with her, getting Jen to join me a minute later. She cried for long minutes before standing, lifting the two of us up without even noticing that we were there.
“Do you know who I am?”
Marisela shook her head, “No? Other than Ceri’s mom?”
“Do you know the name of your family’s charge?”
She shook her head, “No? I was told that she was the commander, that’s it.”
I laughed, “Son of a bitch…your last name!”
She nodded, “Marisela Angeles…I am your family’s charge. They are my people. You are my people. My name is Rasphael. I am the commander.”
Light dawned in the eyes of those that didn’t know who she was.
“And I have a duty and a responsibility to you and your family. I understand you have lived in poverty?”
“Uhh…uhh…yeah?” She leaned towards me, “Is she really Rasphael?”
“She is.”
Mom stepped from the hot tub, “In that case, your father and grandparents passed?”
“Yes…yes ma’am?”
I nudged her, “She’s not a ma’am.”
She nudged back, “Whatever man, I’m trying not to run here. I don’t have a fucking clue what’s happening. We were going for a swim and now your mom is someone from the history books?!? I saw a poster for one of her movies like last week!”
“Just roll with it. Everyone else does.”
Mom caught my eyes, “Daughter-mine? You said you would assist me with your abilities?”
“Yeees?”
She nodded and touched Marisela’s shoulder, “In that case, Marisela Angeles…was your father cremated? Were your grandparents cremated?”
“Umm…no? Orcs don’t tend to do that.”
She smiled, “In that case, how would you like to have your family back together? Assuming they’re willing, that is.” My brain caught up with her plan and I smiled. All right. I can get behind this!
Chapter 18
First stop? How about a nearby solid waste treatment facility?
No. Seriously. That’s where we ended up.
As you can imagine, we were stopped by the roaming guards…no, I can’t even start to say that. We weren’t stopped by anyone outside the place. There’s a gate with a KEEP OUT sign on it, but no one there to really stop us. As if many people could actually stop us.
We unloaded in front of the place, not bothering to find a parking spot. We had one of Mom’s larger SUVs, so we all fit easily.
“Remember where we parked.”
Melissa and Rachel laughed as they walked up behind me. “Isn’t she going to get towed?” Melissa asked.
Mom flexed her magic and cast a spell across the truck before turning back, walking with Jen next to her. “To answer your question? No. It won’t be towed. Many won’t even be able to see it.”
Rachel hissed, “That’s…I caught that being done! I can really do magic?”
Mom paused next to my vampire friend and probed her with her magic, “You have…quite a bit of it. As Ceri has said, we will start learning it. Yes?”
Rachel grabbed her up in a hug, “Yes! This is so awesome!”
Marisela nudged me again, “Seriously? What the hell, Ceri. You were just this new girl in school. Now you’re the daughter of Rasphael?”
“Adopted.”
She waved me away, “Whatever. Your mom is famous. More than famous. More than infamous!”
“Maybe. Then again, your family has worked for her for centuries…and if this works out, they may be able to continue to do it.”
She shook her head, “I still don’t get it. Are you really going to try and raise them from the dead?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth fell open, “That’s it? Just yes?”
“Pretty much.”
Mom patted us both on the back. “Come. Let us find your mother. Her time here ends tonight…unless she wants to stay.”
Marisela began walking. “Are you kidding me? She’d kill everyone here for a chance to get out of here.”
The smell of the place crawled into our noses and died a few hundred yards before we parked, so I can agree with that thought. I’d kill everyone here to get away from here. Or, not everyone with me right now, but the people I don’t know? I could possibly see that happening.
Mom continued walking, heading for the front door. It’s pretty dark out now, but the place is still lit up. I guess people still poop, so it still has to be treated. That’s…gross. Gross but needed. I guess someone has to do it. Now it’ll be someone different.
A man in a guard uniform stood from behind the desk as we moved through the doors, “I’m sorry? This is a closed facili…”
“Phila Angeles. Where is she.”
He frowned, “I’m sorry. I don’t know who that is.”
Marisela frowned, “You are such a liar. My mom has worked here for 15 years. She told me about you, Larry. How you make her let you fuck her so that she can keep her job.”
Mom vibrated with anger and more of her came out, filling the space. Pee splashed down the guard’s leg and across the floor before my mom even made it any closer. Too bad for him she ended up right in front of him. “Phila Angeles. Now. If you give me one more reason to think about you, I will call challenge on you and leave you for the worms to devour.”
“I…I…I…” His hand drifted towards the gun on his belt.
Too bad for him I pulled it away with magic, floating it in front of him as it started to glow. I threw up a small shield around it just in time as the ammunition began to explode from the heat, so that’s good. The temperature began to climb, turning it white hot…until it melted. I used my magic to form it into a cloaked angel of death figure before putting it on the desk where the wood started to blacken from the residual heat.
“That’s a little token of what passed you by today. Phila Angeles. Now. Right now.”
He clenched his eyes closed and sweat practically launched itself from his face, “She’s in catch basin three…out back!” He pointed behind him towards another door.
Mom backed off, pulling back the power a bit. “Wonderful, Larry. So wonderful. Now…as I said? Me thinking of you is a challenge. Would you like to know what will constitute me thinking of you?”
He shook his head, practically falling over from the effort.
“I will tell you anyway. Me seeing you again? That’s a thought. Me hearing you again? That’s also a thought. Me talking to cops that you have called? Oh…you can guarantee that’s a thought. The cops won’t be able to stop me. I have just a bit of diplomatic immunity in some regards. Now…find a place to hide for…let’s say a half hour. Then we’ll be gone. Don’t make us create a second opening at this facility.”
We left him behind as he started to cry, moving through the door into a long hallway.
“Catch basin three? Do you know where that is?”
Marisela shook her head, “No. Just out back somewhere.”
Mom nodded once and continued walking. “Then we search.”
I’ll admit, it took nearly 10 minutes to find catch basin three. I rather wish I hadn’t been here for this. I’ve never pictured what a place like this is like…and now I know. I’ve never imagined so much poop in my life. So, so much of it. I’m sure some of it is mine, which is slightly worse. I nearly want to blush thinking that someone is going to realize a piece of poop belongs to me.
We found Marisela’s mom as she took off some sort of protective gear and housed it in what looked like a small shed. She caught us coming as she tossed boots in and closed the door. As I expected, she picked out her daughter pretty quickly. Then me. She doesn’t know the others, so she didn’t spend much time on them.
“Mar? What’s going on? Who are these people?”
Mom held up her hand, silencing Marisela before she could respond.
“Are you Phila Angeles?” She let the sound of bells fill her normal voice, which I haven’t really been able to do al
l that well.
Phila rocked back on her heels, “Uhh…yes? Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?”
“I understand you trained to be a squire? Is that correct?”
She nodded again, “I did…now, who…” she jerked back as a wooden staff rocketed towards her, catching it just before it hit her.
“Prove it! Attack and defend seventeen!” Mom had a second staff from her safe and moved in quickly, practically dancing across the ground. Phila, much to my shock, moved into some sort of stance, gripped the staff, and then darted in.
They moved like a freaking ballet. The crashing of the sticks, the shuffling of feet. The sound of their breathing. It all came together in a visual and auditory masterpiece that had me holding my breath more than once.
Without warning, mom grabbed Phila’s staff and tossed them both into her safe, pulling out two swords and two small, round buckler shields. “Attack 29!”
My God…So much training. So much talent. They moved and struck and dodged all at the same time, with Mom starting to laugh at the point that she called a halt to it. Mom had the weapons and shields away from the stunned woman, then pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight before letting her go.
Phila swayed, dumbfounded by what just took place. It only got worse when Mom clasped her shoulders, “Phila Angeles? I am Rasphael. The commander. I am your family’s charge…you are my squires. At long last we’ve found each other…and it’s time to come back together. If you’re willing.”
Phila dropped to her knees, staring up at Mom before looking at her daughter, “Mar? Is this…is this true?”
Marisela nodded, “It is. And…if they’re willing, how would you like to have Dad back? Grandma and Grandpa?”
It took seven hours, but we were finally back home. The shed they used to live in was very nearly burned, but they decided to keep it there as a remembrance of what they went through…and as a love shack of sorts. Marisela’s dad and both grandparents accepted my offer and came back. That took one of the hours. It took two more for the grandparents to be okay with modern technology enough to go with us. They’d seen some of it, but they never understood what they were seeing.
