“I can go on if they need me to.”
Michael turned his attention back to the monitors. “We need time to fix everything that’s broken and analyse the data. How come you cut the wires instead of just disconnecting them? You would have only had to give them a tug.”
“I didn’t. They did.”
“They?” Michael asked.
“Yes, they. The wings.”
Greg and Michael both stopped what they were doing to stare at each other. “No way could they be sentient,” Greg said.
“Why not? It’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
“It wouldn’t make sense.”
“None of it makes sense as far as traditional science goes, Greg.” Michael turned back to Chelle. “Can you come back tomorrow?”
Robert seemed annoyed but kept his mouth closed, even though he seemed like he had something to say. “If you need me to,” she said. “I want to know what this is, and if I can ever be free of it.”
Michael turned back to face her. “Chelle, I promise you we’re going to do everything we can. But this is unusual to say the least so I can’t make any promises at this point. You look drained. Why don’t you let Robert take you home for some rest?”
Chelle nodded and Robert helped her up. After she had changed and they were sitting in the car once again he spoke. “Anytime you want to stop whatever this is they’re doing you can. I mean, if you ever feel uncomfortable.”
“Robert, I don’t want to stop it. I might have to be uncomfortable to finally be free at some point. They can do their worst. There’s nowhere to go but up, right?”
“Right.”
Something on Robert’s face told her he didn’t believe it, not totally. That was fine. For the first time in a long time she had some hope, and it was more than enough to hold on to for now.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Robert got Chelle home as fast as he could and she promptly went to bed. He was glad for it, seeing as how she could barely keep her eyes open in the car. He wondered if she had seen his awkwardness earlier, or if he should address it somehow, but decided now was not the time. Exhausted himself he lay down on the couch and closed his eyes, reveling in the quiet. He was almost never home during the day and enjoyed the rare peace he was getting. It was short lived.
His phone went off and he quickly answered it without even checking to see who it was, hoping Chelle hadn’t heard it in the next room. “Hello?”
“Hey slacker. Where are you? My time is money.”
“Rich? Oh my god I totally forgot. We were supposed to come see you. I’m so sorry. Chelle hasn’t been feeling well.” If you considered being bushed after a day of two research scientist experimenting on you ‘not feeling well’ it really wasn’t a lie.
“Well, no matter. I have some good news for you. The crown decided not to press charges.”
“What? How did you mange that?”
“I just talked reason. Nothing was missing from the house and no damage was done. Mr. Gwok said something about a crowbar but there’s no way your little friend did that.”
“No…of course not.”
“So I just talked and talked. I talked in circles until I think they finally realized I’d do it in court and they just couldn’t be bothered with me.”
“So you were too annoying for them to press charges basically?”
“You got it. Sometimes in a lawyer that’s all you need.”
“Rich, that’s fantastic. It’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Hey, no worries. But have a talk with that girl because she got lucky this time. If she gets caught doing that again they won’t care how annoying I am. They’ll charge her and throw her ass in jail.”
“I will. She won’t do it again.”
“Where is she staying anyway? A shelter?”
“No, she’s with me.”
There was an uncomfortable pause on the other end of the telephone. “Not that it’s any of my business, but are you sure that’s wise? Inviting homeless people to come stay with you can lead to things like…oh…say…murder.”
“Relax, Rich. She’s not going to murder me.” Not on purpose anyway. But her wings might.
“Well, it’s up to you. Be careful, buddy. I’d hate to have to start going to a different bar. I like yours.”
“Trust me, Rich. It’s fine. How much do I owe you?”
“You’ll get my bill in a few days. Might want to have a drink before you open it. I had to push a lot of other things aside these past few days to deal with this.”
“Just send it and I’ll pay it. Thanks again, Rich.”
“You got it.” And with that Robert hung up. He lay his head back down on the arm of the couch with a relieved sigh. With everything else that was happening at least this one weight would be lifted. He smiled to himself and stretched his arms behind his head. Perhaps he didn’t need that drink so badly after all. What a roller coaster. He needed a nap as well. He closed his eyes happy to let himself be pulled under.
The thought only had a chance to last half a heartbeat because right at that very moment a horrible sound came from the bedroom. Chelle was awake and she was screaming.
***
Victor sat with his eyes closed in the large wingback chair, Lindsay staring at him from the doorway. “If you’re going to watch at least come in. Knowing you’re trying to hide from me is distracting.”
He heard Lindsay enter the room and sit on the couch adjacent to him and listened to her shift uncomfortably, the fabric of her clothes twisting against the leather. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
He took a moment to steady himself, gripping the arms. “Yes.”
“How come you haven’t tried up until now?”
“Because, my dear Lindsay, until she had her little fly around she wasn’t reachable. As you recall.”
“But you called to me.”
Victor smiled remembering when he’d taken Lindsay away with him. She had been so very young and scared. He had rescued her in the middle of a prairie field, three hundred miles from home. Lindsay’s wings had always been overly restless. Now she was a beautiful woman. One who utilized all the talents and gifts that a father can bestow on a daughter. After years of love and guidance she was everything he wanted her to be. “The first time your wings came out, you flew. Not this one. She’s been repressing the gift. Most likely that little display on the bridge surprised her as much as it did everyone else.”
“And if you can reach her, will we go get her?” For all her poise he knew Lindsay was desperately lonely and had been for a long time. He couldn’t blame her, with only an old man for company there was only so much one could do. It couldn’t be helped, however. Lindsay was where she needed to be. He was keeping her safe.
“Eventually we’ll have to. In time either she’ll come to us or we’ll go to her, but you should be prepared Lindsay. There may be a great deal of time in between when she is resentful. Whatever you’re hoping for may not come to pass right away…if ever.”
He didn’t need to look upon her with his eyes to know the emotion she was showing. His eldest wore her heart on her sleeve. “I realize that.”
“Good. Now, leave me. Close the door on your way out. I want to communicate with your sister in private.”
Slow, sad footsteps echoed in the room and grew further into the distance until he heard the soft click of the door closing behind her. He waited a few moments more to be sure he was alone, and then began the ritual. He needed to be calm, at peace, but truth be told he was nervous and perhaps a little excited. This girl, his child, he wanted to reach out to her, to find her in the darkness, but he knew he was about to give her the shock of her life. The sparking of their telepathy was sometimes a rude awakening. Over the centuries some whom he hadn’t gotten to in time had believed themselves to be mad. He’d lost them.
He pushed the unpleasantness out of his mind. Now there was only him. Now there was only Lindsay. Now there was only…
Chelle…
A throbbing filled his head, beginning slowly at first, and then building to a steady pulse that reverberated throughout his entire body. He reached out, further and further into the darkness, the strength of the metal beginning to flood his brain and bones. The old skeleton had seen better days but when he allowed the silver to take over he was just as strong as he’d been in his youth. The wings he kept inside.
Chelle…
For a long moment there was nothing, and then all at once like a lightning bolt she was there. As strong and fierce as he’d imagined her to be. He knew and saw all that she was and a slow smile crept across his face as her strength met his. This daughter had a toughness. An inner strength that he could almost literally touch. All of it was there underneath the fear she also felt at being reached out to for the first time. That part of her was more like a frightened child.
It’s normal to be scared. But you needn’t be.
No response.
It’s alright, child. You don’t need to talk, all you need to do is listen. I am here to tell you what you are, who you are.
A panicked thought reached him. Her first communication back. He wanted to weep with the happiness a mother does when a child says their first words. Who are you? What do you want?
I am, Victor. I am the one who created you.
You created me? What am I? Can you make it stop?
No. All will be answered in time. For now, before the connection is broken, let me see you. Find a mirror.
There was a pause and he could sense she was hesitant. He let her wrestle it out with her own thoughts for a moment. Better she should retain her autonomy at this point. After a moment of doubt he knew she was where he’d asked her to be. You’re there aren’t you?
Yes.
Good. Now, close your eyes. When you open them again you will see me, and I will see you.
Victor stood and turned toward the mirror in his study. There was a small flicker and then all of a sudden there was a light in the darkness. Chelle had opened her eyes and he was looking at her in his mirror, and he knew she was seeing him in hers. He smiled. He remembered her human parents more clearly now. He’d picked this couple for their genetic strength and beauty. Everything else they’d lacked, but not that. Now he congratulated himself on what a wise choice that had been.
She was slender and beautiful, full dark eyes and long flowing dark hair. She was a prize. My child, he communicated, reaching out to touch the mirror. Chelle lifted her hand to touch the mirror at the same time and as the tips of their fingers came together there was a spark, then a scream. Victor jumped back, startled as the mirror cracked.
The connection was broken. Lindsay heard the commotion and came running in. “Victor? Are you alright?” She grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him back in the chair, looking him over, furrowing her brow as she did.
“I’m just fine,” he said taking her hands in his and patting them gently.
“Did you reach her?”
He smiled and lay his head back in the chair, exhausted. “Yes. What power she has.” He gestured toward the mirror and Lindsay stared at it in wonder.
“She did that?”
“She did.”
“How soon can we have her with us?”
“Soon enough. If she won’t come willingly we’ll have to draw her out. One way or another, she’s coming.”
***
Robert took off down the hallway and bolted through the door of the guest room as fast as he could. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Chelle was standing in front of the mirror wearing only her underwear, blood dripping from her hand. The mirror on the dresser now sporting a large crack straight down the center. He grabbed a towel from the closet and went to her wrapping it up and applying pressure. Large tears were streaming down her face and she looked at him like she didn’t know where she was. “Chelle?”
No response.
“Chelle?” he said louder, shaking her shoulder with his free hand. Finally her eyes focused and she looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time. “What happened? Did you fall against the mirror?”
“No,” she said as if speaking had suddenly become a burden. Her eyes went out of focus for a moment and her head lolled back as if she were going to pass out.
“You’re scaring me,” he said, tipping her head forward once again. He sat her down on the edge of the bed in case she should fall. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t,” she cried. “It doesn’t make sense. You’ll think I’m crazy.”
Tenderly he touched her face and felt the same wonderful trembling he’d felt before. She made him nervous in a way he couldn’t explain, but that he loved somehow. “After the last few days I don’t think I’d doubt anything you’d say. Try me.”
He could tell she was hesitating, fearful of what he’d think. He simply continued to apply pressure to her hand and wait until she was ready to speak. Finally she did. “A man. There was a man in your mirror. He spoke to me. His name was Victor and when I touched the mirror…”
“What?”
“I felt him. Then everything went crazy. Like a flash went off inside my head and the mirror…”
Robert looked at her intently. “I believe you,” he said, knowing she needed to hear it. “Did he say who he was? What did he want?” Robert spoke with a calmness that surprised even himself. A few days ago if she’d told him she’d talked to a man in the mirror he’d have taken her to see a psychiatrist.
“He said he’s the one who made me.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chelle looked down at the blood covered towel and unwrapped it to inspect the damage. “Careful,” Robert said. “You might need stitches. It was a pretty big gash.”
She was afraid to look, but the absence of what she saw frightened her more than what she had expected to see. The large cut she knew she’d received from the broken glass was completely healed. Her skin was perfect, as if the cut had never been there in the first place. Unable to hide her fear she began shaking. “Robert,” she cried. “I don’t know what I am. This man said he made me. What does that mean? What if I’m some kind of monster?”
Robert spoke sternly. “Listen, you’re no monster. If you were you’d know it by now. Whatever’s going on here Michael and Greg are working to figure it out.”
He took her to his chest and held her, wrapping her in his arms and burying his face in her hair. Chelle was shaking so hard that if she hadn’t known any better she would have sworn he was shaking too. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’m here.” He squeezed her tighter. The way he was holding her could almost make her believe everything really would be ok. She began to calm down, feeling safe, protected. Chelle could remember plenty of times in her life when she’d been scared to death, but she could never recall a time when she felt completely safe. This might not have been completely safe, but it was pretty close.
When she finally calmed down and stopped crying it dawned on her that she was in nothing but a bra and panties, and in the same room with her boss. She was beginning to think of him as much more than that, but was sure he certainly wasn’t. She flushed with embarrassment and pulled away, covering herself with the blanket. Now he looked embarrassed too.
“Oh god, Robert I’m sorry.”
“No, no. Don’t be sorry. It’s me who should be sorry for just barging in here. Your hand ok?” he said, grabbing the bloody towel off the floor.
“Yeah, for sure. I’m fine, everything’s fine. I’m just gonna get dressed and I’ll be right out. I should figure out something. I think enough time has passed. I don’t want to trouble you anymore.”
Surprisingly he looked slightly disappointed. “Oh. Ok. If that’s what you want, but I mean, you don’t have to go anywhere.” He was stumbling over his words. “That is to say, my bed is empty. I mean the bed is empty. That bed is empty and we might as well sleep in it.” He put his hand over his mouth realizing he was putting his foot in his mouth. “What I mean
to say is that I have this spare room and nobody else is here so you can use it. Just come out in the living room when you get dressed, I have good news.”
***
“I’m such an idiot,” Robert said to himself as he plopped down onto the couch, rubbing his forehead. “My bed is empty. Jesus, that’s not creepy at all.” Suddenly he realized that lying to himself wasn’t going to work. She fascinated him, entranced him, and he wanted her for far more than friendship. He did want her in his bed, and in his house and wherever else he happened to be. He wanted her every which way, he just wanted her. He told himself it wasn’t right. That it was too soon after Billie, and that he didn’t really know who Chelle was, or as she had said, what she was for that matter.
Those thoughts were quieted immediately upon hearing the bedroom door click open. He looked back to see her standing there, barely able to meet his eyes and holding her backpack. Slowly, awkwardly, she made her way to the couch and sat on the opposite end, folding her hands in her lap. “What’s the good news?”
His heart was racing in his chest and for a moment he couldn’t find his voice. “Um, Rich,” he said.
“Rich? Oh that’s your friend. The lawyer right?”
“Yeah. He persuaded the crown to drop all the charges.”
“That is good news,” she said, never lifting her head. The vibe in her voice sounded like it was anything but.
“Yes. He’s a good lawyer.”
“He must be. They caught me red handed.”
“True, but you don’t have any priors and you didn’t steal anything.”
“Robert,” she said taking her backpack in hand. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you, for everything. But I’ve been thinking. I’ve been on my own for ten years and it’s worked up until now.”
“I don’t want you alone out there, Chelle.”
“In one way or another, I’ve been alone all my life.”
Gently he reached for the backpack and placed it behind him. If she was going to take it and leave she’d have to go through him. He wasn’t about to let that happen. “What do you mean? Tell me.”
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