Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1)

by Melanie Nilles

  There. She said it.

  "Give me a few minutes."

  Why couldn't he refuse? "All right. See ya in a few."

  "Bye."

  She clicked off the phone. Well, he was coming. No use denying it to the others. Might as well get this over with. Besides, she had to take the phone back to charge.

  Raea made her way to the main floor, passing Debbie with the newspaper at the dinner table. Wait—newspaper? "Don't tell me the paper boy delivered in this mess."

  "No. Of course not. I didn't get a chance to read yesterday's," Debbie said.

  That made sense.

  The paper rustled as Raea set the phone on the charger. "So, you decided to come down?"

  "It's only temporary. Elis is coming over." Hopefully Dave was too busy to have heard.

  "I see. Then I should expect an extra mouth for lunch?"

  Raea grimaced. She hadn't thought of the time. "Sorry."

  "Not a problem. Don't worry. I'm just happy that the three of us can talk now."

  There was that. "Yeah. About talking. Why did you ask Elis to snoop for you?"

  Debbie frowned and folded the section of the paper she read. "He told you?"

  "Yes, but Pallin told me first."

  "Pallin? How did he know?"

  "Elis confronted him."

  Debbie opened another section of the paper. "Well, what's done is done. I'm sorry, but I can't let you be alone. Who knows what he might do to you?"

  "I'm eighteen. Can't I live my own life?" Raea growled and hurried away to the front door. Just in time. A dark shape materialized from the white blur, and she opened the door, sweeping aside a bank of snow in the process. "Come in." She snapped the words in her frustration. The two of them—Debbie and him—tried to run her life. Three, if one counted the Starfire.

  Elis stepped in and stopped on the door mat, where a pile of snow fell off his lower legs. The white stuff on his head and shoulders quickly melted to leave glistening drops weighing down the thick, black mess. ["We never see this at home. This is why the others all live in milder climates."]

  ["Others? Here? I mean, on Earth?"]

  He nodded and pulled off his winter gloves, leaving the usual gloves on, which he wore underneath. ["They came by ship six years ago, I believe it was."]

  ["Why?"]

  "Hey. What's with the —" Dave's game went silent. "Woo. Couldn't wait to see him again, Raea?"

  "Shut up, Dave."

  "You are seeing Elis. Wait 'til everyone hears about this. And Pallin. Holy shit!"

  "David!"

  He cringed at Debbie's scolding and returned to his game, mumbling about Raea and Pallin and Elis.

  No. Raea smacked her hand to her face. Why did this have to happen to her? She knew Dave would torture her, but that didn't make it any more tolerable.

  ["He's like a little brother."]

  Huh? The smile on Elis's face washed away some of her embarrassment. Did he understand?

  ["He'll grow out of it."]

  She hoped so, and the sooner, the better.

  Elis finished brushing the snow off his jeans and left his shoes to thaw on the mat.

  ["Up stairs. First door on the left,"] she said. The sooner they escaped to the privacy of her room, the sooner she could close out any taunting by Dave.

  "Hi, Elis." Debbie looked up from her paper. "Oh, Raea, can you babysit Thursday evening for a couple hours?"

  "Yeah, I suppose. Why?"

  "The wake is that day. I want to go see how Sheri's doing. She's been out all week making funeral arrangements."

  "Okay." Ryan Lake's parents. Raea remembered him—three years older, tall and lanky, bad acne, but nice to everyone. A shame it had to be his parents. "Did they figure out who killed them?"

  "Nothing yet. According to Sheri, there were no bullets, just holes burned in their chests. She said it looked like something from a science fiction movie."

  "Were there feathers?"

  What? Raea turned to Elis. No. He couldn't be thinking what she thought he was thinking. Why couldn't he let it go?

  The hard line of his mouth said he was serious.

  "She didn't say. There isn't anything in the paper either."

  ["You don't still think Pallin is Shirukan. Do you?"]

  ["Very much."]

  ["He's not. I'll bet on it. In fact, I'll prove it."]

  ["If not him, someone else is."]

  Her insides went cold. ["Let's go practice."] If he was right, she'd never be ready to protect the Starfire. Now she really didn't want any attention from Miss Russet.

  What if he was wrong? What if it was someone else? She hoped he was wrong, but something inside her felt that he might be right.

  Angels Rising

  It didn't happen in the morning, but Raea dreaded the day progressing. By lunchtime Tuesday, she wanted to hide, from Pallin too. She was going to kill Dave.

  Passing Chad and his on and off girlfriend, Brittany, was torture. The mocking started by them was picked up by others around them. Everyone else turned to stare as she walked by with her tray in the lunch room. Oh, God. Just kill me and get it over with.

  "Ignore them, Raea," Linds said from behind.

  Easy for her to say. She wasn't the subject of humiliation.

  A group of students vacated a table. She aimed straight for it. Sit down and hide. Embarrassment warmed through her. Or was it? A quick glance at her hands relieved her. No loss of control there. Thank goodness. What a pain it was to have to worry about displaying her special talents. Her whole world had changed in one weekend, one very busy weekend.

  "Don't worry about it." Josh sat between her and Linds.

  "Yeah," Jess said from her other side. "But what is going on with you two?"

  "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."

  "Actually, it's pretty cool," Josh said.

  "What is?"

  "Nothing." Don't say another word. Everyone's listening. Well, not everyone, but it felt like the whole cafeteria listened.

  "But you have someone who can teach you about your mom's life—her culture—before she came here. What a way to get to know her."

  "Through Elis? You've got to be kidding." Linds looked from Josh to Raea. "You are kidding...right?"

  If Josh had kept his mouth shut... Too late. "No. He's from the same land as my mom."

  "Shut up. Are you serious?"

  "Yes, Jess." Raea sighed, picking at the food on her plate since her appetite had waned. God, please don't let Pallin see me.

  "Wow. Who'dathunk?" Linds said.

  "I know. It's weird, but..." But what? Her life was so different, she couldn't begin to describe it to them. Elis was nothing like what she had expected. In fact, he was the total opposite, and he was the town's Dark Angel, the hero in hiding. That was pretty cool. But the mystery had been interesting.

  "Well?"

  "Um...Just, he can be kind of...maybe...nice. I wouldn't have thought. He's just shy." Oh, no. Why did she just say that? She sounded like—

  "You make it sound like you do like him," Linds said.

  "I do not." Three days and a lot of time learning from someone didn't make them more than friends. "I like Pallin."

  "Okay, this is too weird," Jess said.

  "Can we talk about someone else? Anything? Maybe Josh's weekend?" There. That should shift the balance, and maybe her appetite would come back.

  "Yeah. What happened with the lady from your favorite show?" Linds sounded more than a little upset.

  "She's not what I expected." Josh dropped his eyes and picked at his food. "Once she saw Raea's hands, that's all she wanted to know about."

  They turned to Raea. "Why?"

  "She thinks Raea has the power to heal." He said it like he wanted an answer from her.

  "No, I can't. End of story." Move on.

  Silence circled over them like a vulture as they ate their lunch.

  After a few minutes, Jess swallowed her last bite of sandwich. "So, Raea. How'd it go wit
h Pallin?"

  She should have known Jess would ask. At least that topic she didn't feel the need to shy from. Raea told them about her dinner and their walk and the awkwardness of meeting him outside of school. "I haven't been able to talk to him this morning since Dave opened his big mouth."

  "I'm sorry. Maybe you'll have your chance." Jess motioned with her chin towards the front of the cafeteria.

  So much for her appetite. Raea forced a smile when Pallin looked at her, but he didn't return it. Great. What did he think of this mess? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if Elis was right. Defiance rose up like a cornered beast. No. Elis had to be wrong. He just had to be. Pallin was not a threat to her. Elis was jealous.

  Yet he sat a couple tables away eating quietly as if nothing were amiss. God, she hated him. He might have seriously screwed up her chances of a normal relationship with a very hot guy.

  Conversation shifted, but Raea knew her friends didn't look at her the same. They wondered about her and Elis—she saw it in their eyes.

  Pallin joined them, but sat opposite her, not in the empty chair next to her. A bad feeling gnawed in the pit of her stomach. "Hi, Pallin."

  Her friends said nothing. Speak up. Someone help me here.

  "We must be talking. I hear…things."

  "I know. I'm sorry. It's my stupid cousin. He totally twists everything to make fun of me."

  "Is this true you work with him?" Pallin pointed to Elis, who peered aside at them through the black strands in his face.

  "Only work. That's all. We're not…you know…a couple or anything. I'm not two-timing you. There's no way I'd ever be interested in him like that."

  "This is good to hear. I would not like that."

  "I can't blame you," she mumbled, picking at her food with her fork.

  "We should like time together?"

  What? She looked up. Had he just asked for another date? "Sure. Yes. I'd like that."

  "I also. I will call later, but have much work."

  "I'm looking forward to it."

  He smiled, but something dark passed across his face. He looked down and the moment passed. Had she seen it? Impossible. She had imagined it.

  * * *

  The day wore on with the usual load of work, but at least Pallin talked to her. On the walk home, Josh glanced back at Elis behind them and to Raea in question. She understood. Fine. They could wait for him to catch up, but Pallin wouldn't hear about this. If she didn't need Elis's help, she wouldn't even bother with him.

  Elis hesitated to pass them.

  Josh put a hand out to stop him. "Hold up. We were waiting for you."

  Raea answered the questioning look. "Yes. You."

  "So, all right..." Josh looked up at Elis.

  Seeing them facing each other made her picture Elis with his black wings. Oh. My. God. Josh. His obsession stood right before him, hidden in plain sight.

  Giggles pressed for release at the irony. After her day, she needed it.

  "So, you're teaching Raea about— What's so funny?"

  "Nothing." Oh, the irony. She couldn't contain herself.

  A hint of a smile from Elis broke any control she had. He knew. Oh, he knew, without a doubt, what set her off. And he enjoyed it. Drank it up.

  "What is so funny here?"

  "Nothing. I'm okay. Really, it's noth—" She couldn't help it.

  "Elis?"

  He shook his head, a grin on his face. "Private joke."

  "Oh. Care to explain?"

  "You wouldn't understand."

  "Fine. You two leave me out of your little joke. I'm glad you can be friends. Really. I mean, it's not like I wasn't your friend first or anything...Raea. No, I'm just a ghost." He sighed away the last statement, cutting Raea's giggles.

  Always so melodramatic. "Josh. I'm sorry. It's not like that. I'd tell you if I could, but you really wouldn't understand right now."

  "All right. I get it. You two have your fun, at my expense." Despite his words, the curve of his mouth betrayed the playfulness.

  "Idiot. That won't work; I know you too well. Just keep your friend Miss Russet off my back and I promise someday I'll go into the whole long story." That someday would probably be a long time down the road.

  "Deal."

  They walked together the last half block to where Josh had to leave, Raea a step ahead of the other two. Elis answered Josh's questions about teaching her about the homeland she didn't know. Josh had no prejudices and seemed at ease talking with Elis. Why did she feel so self-conscious around him? Was it because she knew the truth? No. She had always been a little uncomfortable. Then what was it?

  After Josh left, Elis stayed in step beside her. ["You would tell him?"]

  ["Maybe, years from now."] She glanced back, but Josh continued through the snow on the sidewalk.

  ["You don't trust him?"]

  ["I trust Josh, but right now, he's too close to Nina Russet."] She and Josh had been friends since first grade. He might not be popular, even dorky in some ways, but he was a good person. She might trust him, but she didn't want anyone to know about this. Not yet.

  ["I think he'd be a good ally."]

  What? Raea halted in front of Elis. He had to be joking.

  No. By the calm on his face, she knew he meant it.

  ["Raea, you don't have to live in complete secrecy. Look at Evelyn and Debbie, and Scott. They wouldn't tell anyone. And I think you underestimate Josh's good intentions."]

  ["No. I can't. Not now. If he slipped up and said something with Miss Russet listening...No."]

  Elis sighed heavily. ["All right...Someday. But he deserves to know."]

  Maybe someday, but that day wasn't today. She didn't want to be paraded on display like some freak in a sideshow. Bad enough knowing she was alien without being gawked at and hearing whispers. The whispers that cropped up since last week's teasing were bad enough without this latest news. No. She wanted her friends to treat her as a normal human being, as they always had.

  At the walk to his door, they stopped.

  ["Are you still mad at me?"]

  She looked up at the dark purple of his eyes. Such a unique color and vibrant, in spite of the sorrow she saw. Damn it. Why couldn't he be mean, so she would have a good reason to dislike him? But, no. Elis was trying to protect her, and teach her.

  ["No."]

  ["Then we'll fly later?"] he said.

  Her heart thumped against her chest. She couldn't wait.

  He chuckled. ["I knew you'd like that. You are Inari. Flying's a part of what you are. Come over later. We'll go out to practice releasing the energy, and fly afterwards."]

  ["Sounds good."] She contained the excitement inside. She hated that he could get her excited when she so wanted to hate him for causing problems with Pallin.

  Flying was a part of who she was. From the visions she had of her mother, she knew Padina had felt the same. Scott had taken them out on frequent camping trips, not only to spend time with them, but also so her mother could spread her wings and fly. And sometimes she took Raea with her before she shrank Raea's wings for the last time. Raea remembered now. None of it had been dreams, as Debbie had suggested in the past to hide the truth. It had all been real. She had loved flying with her mother.

  Now she flew with Elis.

  Too weird. But she couldn't wait for later.

  ["I'll see you later?"]

  "Oh, you can bet on it." She rolled up on her toes. Nothing could fully contain her impatience. She needed an outlet. She wanted to fly now.

  He wasn't bad looking when she saw him eye-to-eye.

  Stop it. Raea whirled and hurried away. God, if he saw that she blushed—she felt it warm all the way up to her cheeks—he'd never say anything. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? This couldn't be right. She liked Pallin...didn't she? Not Elis. Pallin.

  Speaking of him... Would he call?

  She rushed up the stairs to the house. Please let there be a message from him. It would make her feel better
. What about Elis? No, no, no, no, no. Forget Elis. You. Do. Not. Like. Elis. Get your head straight.

  She unlocked the door and slipped her shoes off on the mat. Two seconds later she stood at the answering machine in the kitchen. No messages. Not yet. He might call later.

  * * *

  Well, there was a man who really couldn't hold his liquor. Half a glass of wine and he mumbled incoherently in his own language. She'd never believe it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

  Nina frowned at Pallin sprawled on the floor at the foot of the bed. He looked up, his amber eyes glazed. His wine glass lay on its side, wine splattered across the maroon hotel carpet. At least it would hide the stain. Or had they put in the color for a reason? Clever of them to think ahead.

  But it shouldn't have been necessary, not in this case.

  "Pallin..." She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Come on. Stay with me here."

  He flopped his head back to look up. A cold menace flashed across his face and he grabbed her fingers. "What...do?" His hand dropped to his side.

  "Nothing. It was just wine. Honest. A little alcohol shouldn't do this." She had only thought it would loosen them both up. Yesterday had been fun. He was good, a bit painful, but good. She wanted more. With the streets cleared that morning, she had run her errands, met a couple of the Dark Angel witnesses, and stopped at a bottle shop on the way back to the hotel. Sure, she could have drugged him, but it would have gotten her nowhere, least of all where he had taken her in her room yesterday.

  "Help me."

  "You need a doctor?"

  "No. Bed...Rest."

  "All right, but you look terrible."

  "Bed."

  She pulled his arms. His legs made some effort to get under him but failed. After an awkward struggle, she got him on the bed and tucked the pillows under his head. "Better?"

  "Hmm." He looked around, but his eyes fixed on nothing.

  I guess that's a yes. So much for a little adult entertainment. How was she to know he couldn't drink? She had a full glass gone before he collapsed, and she felt no effect. It couldn't be the wine.

  There went her night. But maybe she could still make something of it. That Dahlrich girl had avoided her Sunday. Maybe she could catch her at home tonight. Raea couldn't hide out at her boyfriend's all night. Okay, maybe she could, but from what the aunt had said, that wasn't likely to happen, not in the old woman's house.