by Joe Fowler
“Who are you really?” I had to ask it now.
“I am Gabriel, the Archangel.” He said the words. I understood the words he said. I couldn’t understand this. “Josh, you have no idea what kind of problems your father would have caused if he had succeeded. His power would have grown to the point that he would have become a god, eventually.”
“All this time. An archangel.” I hung my head for a moment saddened. “So my only real friend growing up, was only there to make sure I didn’t start corrupting people. That’s just great.”
“That’s the way it started out. Believe me, I was dreading the years I would be spending on babysitting duty. Then as we grew the friendship became real. I saw how hard you had to try to be good. I saw you struggling everyday with what I was trying to teach you. You never gave in, you kept getting better and better to the point you are at now. You earned my respect years ago. Believe me, Josh, for the last ten years this friendship has been real.”
“Thank you, Keith, um, Gabriel.” I tried to say but I could still only see Keith.
“Call me Keith. We don’t want the wrong person finding out about me. Only you and Seth will even remember that I was more than human. It’s better that way.” Keith now made sense to me.
“What about the real Keith?” I asked.
“He has been here seeing his life happening. He knows you and likes you. The football and the grades are what he was capable of doing. I would have won every game if I had been allowed to. I had to play within the natural talents that Keith had, it was frustrating at times. Who knew football was so much fun?” He smiled in wonder. “Now, after graduation, Keith will resume control of his body and I will return to heaven. We decided to wait until high school was over, that way he would have a little time to get acclimated to being in control again.”
“Make sure he knows I will help any way I can. I will be leaving right after graduation too, though.” I said it hating more than ever that I couldn’t stay in Mobile.
“Sorry about that, but the werewolf thing was the best way to give you a chance to fight back. I knew he wouldn’t be able to force his way in, while you had the wolf spirit in you. I can’t say everything worked the way I planned it, or that there weren’t regrets about how things went down Saturday. Carl was a great man. He earned his peace.” Keith said this reverently, so I knew Carl must have made it to heaven.
“Can a half demon like me ever earn his way into heaven?” I needed to know.
“I don’t know. You aren’t the first partial demon to try to become good, but so far no one with demon blood has ever entered heaven. Of course, if you actually showed up in church your chances would improve.” He was laughing at the long running joke about me never having been to church.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but since we are kind of on the subject I think I should. I am pretty sure I saw a ghost today in the gym at school. He was sitting on the bleachers watching a volleyball game.” I looked to Keith as I said it to see his reaction.
“Must have been Jack. He likes watching the girls’ breast bouncing when they play volleyball. It is usually the only time he comes out of the girls’ locker room.” Keith was shaking his head. “It must be difficult for a teenage human to die a virgin and not be able to move on. Even hell would be less torture.”
“So he was a ghost. Are there a lot of them?” I wasn’t going to like seeing ghosts everywhere.
“There are more than you would want there to be, but not enough for them to become a problem to you. Most ghosts are stuck because they refused their chance to move on to something better. If they were damned, they don’t have the option. That’s why most ghosts you see are nice enough.” He grew silent.
“How did you know to ask me to skip school that day the visions started?” I had wondered how he knew ahead of time.
“I was taking you bowling that day. I didn’t know about the visions until you told me. It just fell into place anyway. You needed to clear your mind and bowling is mind numbing, so it helped me to get you to the bowling alley. That had been the whole reason I wanted to skip in the first place, to get you bitten by a werewolf. Funny how things work out right sometimes.” He laughed.
“I wish I could spend more time around Seth. He is like you in a lot of ways. Even when he was biting me, I could feel how good of a person he is.” I said it truthfully, hoping not to offend Keith/Gabriel.
“We were very fortunate that he was here. I would think Father may have had a hand in that. You are one of the most powerful creatures on earth, but you weren’t able to beat your father. Seth is the toughest creature. Short of an archangel like myself, there isn’t a real match for how powerful Seth has become. Your right about his goodness too. It came at a steep price, though.” Keith/Gabriel was deeply saddened by something.
“What? What happened?” I wanted to know.
“That isn’t my story to tell. Seth has offered to honor your privacy before, it would be wrong for me to do less for him.” Keith was absolute on this, I could tell.
“I understand. Did you tell him who you really were that day I took you to meet him?” I asked.
“I didn’t have to. He figured it out about half way through our talk. Once I confirmed who I was, he told me he would be glad to help us any way he could. You do realize that if you ever revert to your demon half, you will see Seth again. It won’t be a happy reunion.” Keith was warning me.
“I am actually glad to hear it. I don’t ever want to be the cause of someone suffering. I like that there is someone who can do something about it if I get out of hand.” I spoke the truth. I liked having a safety net for everyone if I got out of hand.
“You will be fine. Just the fact that you worry so much about your demon half will help keep you on the right track. There are some things you will need to watch for though. Vampires will crave your blood. If a vampire ever drinks from you, his strength would double, maybe triple. He would heal faster and be faster. Any vampire who drinks your blood, has to die. Period. There is a small chance another demon will make a run at possessing you. That is the biggest worry.” Keith paused to gather his thoughts.
“If they need my permission, then there isn’t a problem. I will never willingly allow a demon to enter me.” I was sure of that.
“They will find ways to try to make you. There are only a few demons who would be a match for you in a fight, and that list will shrink as you get older and stronger. That won’t stop them from trying though.”
“So that problem might never go away. Any other warnings I need to hear?” I hoped not. There was enough already.
“You are far beyond what a witch could control. That would normally be a problem for a young alpha. Witches like to spell an alpha to have control over an entire pack of werewolves. You can imagine the damage that can do. You are way too strong to ever have to worry about that.”
“Witches are real? Damn. A month ago I didn’t believe in the supernatural at all. Since then I have had two separate kinds of visions, found out I was half demon, became a werewolf, fought vampires, battled a demon hell bent on possessing me, saw a ghost, talked to an archangel, and now I find out that witches are real.” I was smiling by the end of that rant. Why I was smiling, I don’t know. “What’s next? Leprechauns?”
“Don’t be silly, there’s no such thing as leprechauns.” Keith smiled with me. “You really have had a full two weeks haven’t you? I wish I could promise for it to get better. Life will never be too easy, it wasn’t meant to be.”
“It doesn’t have to be easy. As long as I can be with Alicia and we can get by, I will be good enough. If the girls join the pack then my family will be a little bigger. That would be nice. I don’t know if I will ever have a large pack like Seth though. Can you tell me if any of Seth’s pack are thinking of joining mine?”
“You can’t say anything one way or the other, but Jimmy has been considering it. He will probably stay with Seth though. Some others gave it a thought, but it is too hard to
leave Seth’s side. Odds are, it will just be the four of you leaving Mobile.”
“I’m actually glad of that. I have already cost Seth his second in command and caused him all kinds of trouble. Plus, I’ve seen how much Alicia means to him and I’m taking her away. He probably hates me.” I admitted.
“Seth has come to admire you. He told me as much. He firmly believes you will make a great alpha because of how much you care about those around you. I think he is also aware that you will one day be stronger than he is. In less than a week, you were able to hold your own against one of the most powerful demons. It might take you many years, but you will end up being more powerful than him.” Keith’s words were not reassuring to me. As I’ve said, I like that there is someone out there who can hold me accountable for my actions.
Keith/Gabriel and I talked about mostly inconsequential things until the girls returned from their shopping trip. They brought burgers home so Alicia wouldn’t have to cook. We all ate in silence just enjoying the company. We were family.
“We talked about it while we were shopping. Sarah and Crystal want to become part of the pack.” Alicia said after we finished eating.
“Good. I was hoping for that.” I smiled at them. “Although you might not like being bitten. It hurts a bit.”
“Don’t scare them, it won’t be too bad.” Keith reassured them.
“When was the last time you were bitten by a werewolf, Keith?” Alicia said with a smile. “How would you know?”
“It’s probably no worse than a mosquito bite. I mean it’s not like Josh is a big scary monster or anything.” Keith teased.
“It’s easy for you to laugh. We are the ones getting bit. I think I want Alicia to be the one to bite me anyway.” Crystal made her point.
“I will if you want me to, but Josh has priority. If he wants it to be his bite, then I have to let him do it.” Alicia seemed ok either way.
“I don’t care either way. Is there a difference?” I asked Alicia.
“Not that I’m aware of. The change affects each of us a little differently. Some are stronger, some faster, some age slower, and some just make the average wolf. I don’t know if it is just the person who is bitten or if it is more about who does the biting.” Alicia answered. I thought for a second and looked to Keith to see if he knew.
“I don’t know if it matters or not as far as the speed or strength. It does tend to create a stronger bond between the alpha and his pack, though.” Keith told us.
“Let me think about it a while.” I said.
We talked and laughed. We helped each other get over our losses and helped brace each other about the future. Our talking turned into an all-nighter. We had arranged for my mom’s and Crystal’s mom’s funeral to be held together to save time and money. We were all staying at my house overnight and driving to the funeral together.
Chapter 18
I had tried to avoid thinking about my mother since her death. There were so many mixed emotions. She had kept me at arm’s length my whole life. It wasn’t until the end that I finally got to know the real her. Knowing the abuse she had endured saddened me. I couldn’t help but wish she had had a better life. At the same time, how do you forgive someone who is willing to let their own child die? While she came through at the very end, I wouldn’t have been in that situation if she hadn’t put me there. I really didn’t know what to feel as I got dressed for her funeral.
Crystal had a more painful time. She had lived a more or less normal life with her mother. They fought and hugged, argued and forgave each other like any other normal family. She had never known her father, but thankfully, her father had been human. She was having to draw from Sarah’s strength this morning.
We decided to skip breakfast, much to Keith’s chagrin. We rode to the funeral in silence wondering if anyone was even going to show up, besides us. We took the Audi since it had four doors and a little more room. I drove slowly, trying to put off being there just a bit longer.
“We are the first ones here.” Alicia was the one to break the silence as we entered the funeral home.
“We might not get any visitors at all. The cult members are not likely to show up. I don’t think my mother had any friends outside that circle.” I said it hoping we wouldn’t have any other people to deal with.
“The same goes for my mom. She never spent time with anyone except the cult people.” Crystal added.
It turned out that way too. Sarah, Alicia, Keith, Crystal, and I were the only attendees of the joint funeral. We waited an appropriate amount of time before we told the director to just move forward with the burial. He had no trouble with our request.
We all stood around the car waiting for the gravesite ceremony to be ready. As I looked around the graveyard I saw my mother standing in the distance. I nudged Keith off to the side and told him to cover for me a minute. I walked over to where she was and felt all the emotions hit home inside me. She looked beautiful, like nothing had changed at all.
“How are you able to be here?” I recalled Keith’s words about how the damned don’t get to stick around as ghosts.
“I was promised certain things for my participation in the cult. I am not being tormented in hell. I don’t have the rewards that you were promised but I do have some bonuses like coming here as a ghost when I choose to.” She sounded okay.
“I am glad you aren’t suffering. You can understand how I have had some mixed emotions these past few days, but I would never want you suffer for it.” It felt good to be able to talk to her.
“I am sorry for the part I played. You were right about everything. I kept you at arm’s length so I wouldn’t get too attached. The nearer it came to your birthday, the more I regretted that. When I started seeing how great of a person you had become, I started cursing myself for being a fool. Now it is too late.” Her sadness was obvious and deep.
“You came through for me in the end. It may take me a while to completely forgive you, but you are, or were, my mother. I still love you. While I wish that things could have been better and happened differently, I am trying not to hold any grudges. You are welcome to come visit me whenever you want. As you can see, I am able to both see and hear you.”
“Do you mean that?” She looked at me with so much hope in her eyes. I would have said yes even if I had not meant it when I first said it.
“Yes. As much as you want, as long as you stay out of the bedroom. That would just be weird.” I smiled at her trying to lighten the mood.
“Thank you, Josh. I didn’t show it well, but I do love you, always have.”
“This is definitely a good thing. Knowing I will still see you and talk to you makes things so much better.” I looked down at my friends. Alicia was looking at me with a puzzled expression. “I better go back, Alicia is going to think I lost my mind.”
“Ok. I will be around.” We shared a brief warm smile before I walked back to join my friends.
The funeral was ready to begin when I rejoined the group. I whispered to Alicia that I would tell her later. We sat through the funeral. Crystal shed a few tears but she seemed strong. I must admit, I shed a tear but it was weirdly out of relief, now that I knew I hadn’t completely lost my mom. She had planned my death, but I was still happy that I would be able to see her and talk to her sometimes.
When the funeral was over we decided to get fast food on the way home. Skipping breakfast had seemed like a good idea at the time, but we were hungry. When we got home and were digging through the Burger King bags, Alicia lost her patience.
“Who were you talking to at the graveyard? You were standing all alone but you were talking.” Alicia was worried.
“My mom. I see ghosts now, too.” I said it as simply as I could.
“Was my mom there?” Crystal asked.
“No, Crystal. Just my mom.” Crystal’s face fell. “It seems that my mom will be haunting us from time to time. It’s in a good way though. She and I can talk to each other and she gets to keep an eye on me.”
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br /> “That’s so spooky. Is she here now?” Sarah was looking around scared.
“No, she isn’t here at the moment. Why are you so scared?” I chuckled a little. “She is just a ghost. She wouldn’t hurt you now even if she could.”
“All of this is still new to me.” Sarah said.
“I only had a week or so head start on you. After you turn you may be a little braver. Being a werewolf has its perks. Speaking of which, you two should go ahead and be bitten today. Maybe after we eat.” I wanted food before I did anything else. Keith was definitely in agreement.
We ate with only a few words being said. The girls were getting a little worried about having to get bitten. Keith and I were too hungry to pay much attention to anything but the food. Alicia was trying to start conversations but we weren’t cooperating. Finally as we ate our fill the talking started in full.
“I hate that I had to miss Carl’s funeral. He was like a brother to me.” Alicia was clearly saddened by not being there.
“I knew you should have gone. I tried to get you to go to Carl’s instead of my mother’s.” I had argued but she stood resolute.
“My place is by your side. There was a chance, however small, that you would need support today. I couldn’t let you face it without me.” She had refused to budge on this.
“Well, we are going over to Seth’s later. At least you can find out how it went.” I hated seeing her so sad. I needed a way to cheer her up, or at least get her mind off of Carl. “So who wants to get bit first?”
“She does!” Crystal said smiling and pointing at Sarah.
“How bad will it hurt?” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest putting her hands on her shoulders.
“First of all, you shouldn’t be worried about your shoulders.” Alicia explained. “Josh will need to bite you two in the thigh.”
“Why not the shoulder? That’s where Seth bit Josh.” Crystal was getting more scared now too.
“There has to be enough meat there. Josh is a guy, he had more muscle mass on his shoulder than you do. Sorry, but the thigh is best.” Alicia smiled a little at their worry. “Come on ladies, lift those dresses. We need to see some leg.” Alicia was chuckling a little and Keith joined in. I was trying to be more serious about it but the looks on their faces were funny.
