Gargoyles I, II, III: Dark Angel Alliance

by Rach Elle

  “In the beginning I would play with a nurse or someone from my wing; but eventually they weren’t challenging me anymore. They would either have to leave in the middle to get back to work or were incapable of focusing long enough to reach the end; so I started playing against myself.”

  “That doesn’t sound like much fun.”

  “It’s not as bad as it seems. I mean, yeah, you know what you’re opponent’s next move is, but that’s what makes it interesting. You try to find moves that you won’t be able to counter. Then you try to find ways to counter that you didn’t think of or realize before. When you’re isolated as much as I was for five years you kind of learn to entertain yourself.” Awilda looked down at the empty board and blushed. Eager to redirect the attention from herself she asked, “Where did you learn to play?”

  Junior studied the fallen pieces that lay before him before answering. “My mom; she was a big fan of the game.”

  “Do you still play with her?”

  He took a shallow breath. “No, she passed away.”

  “Oh,” Awilda’s shoulders slumped, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Junior stared at the game between them and smiled. He reached for his fallen king. “She used to say that Chess was like life. Everyone was their own king,” He picked up his queen in his other hand, “and everyone had their own queen; the person they depended on the most; the person that they trusted to always protect them no matter what.” The tiny queen disappeared into his fist. “Eventually we all lose our queens though, and that’s when we spend most of our time running from checkmate. That’s when you find out how good of a player you really are.”

  “Who’s your queen?” Awilda asked through a soft smile.

  Junior looked up from the pieces he held in his hands as his chest deflated from an exhale. “My mom was my queen.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Kate; Kate Cross,” his eyes were distant as he continued. “When I was sixteen I wanted nothing more than to go to baseball camp over the summer. I begged my mom and she said that if I got straight A’s she’d let me go. I worked my ass off that year and so did she. She had to take on a second job just to save the money. It was the best summer of my life. Lou Boudreau stopped by for a few days and ran drills with us.” Junior chuckled lightly under his breath before the sadness reached his eyes. “Little did I know that one year earlier my mom had been diagnosed with cancer. There wasn’t much in the way of treatment back then, and survival rates were much lower than they are now. She knew she was going to die. She didn’t tell me because she didn’t want me to worry; instead she took on a second job so she could afford for me to go to baseball camp. She held on for several years after that; far exceeding the doctor’s expectations. But that’s the kind of woman she was; strong as hell.

  “When she moved into the hospice I was by her side every day playing this game. When she could no longer talk we just played in silence.” He redirected his attention to the queen in his hand. “I haven’t played this game since she died. Hell, I haven’t even spoken of her since it happened. I’m not sure why, I guess I just never wanted to admit that she was really gone. I did manage to go to her grave once, but I never had the chance to talk to her.” He thought for a moment. “Sometimes I wonder if she’s ever lonely, you know; if she’s watching me, waiting for me to visit her; but for some reason I can never bring myself to. Not once in sixty years.”

  Awilda tried to discretely swallow the lump in her throat. The sincerity with which the large man in front of her spoke was heart warming and gut wrenching all at the same time. She lingered on his last words, not once in sixty years, and crinkled her nose. “How… old are you?”

  Junior looked up at her, his blue eyes piercing; holding her stare. He smiled, showing the white of his teeth. “Eighty-two; I look pretty good for my age, huh?”

  “So… you’re immortal?”

  Junior shook his head, “No; when we first shift we stop aging. We find our Responsibility and live for as long as they need us. Once they’re gone, we lose all ability to shift. We return to human, aging and all. So I’m not immortal; just suspended in time.”

  Awilda furrowed her brows. “When you say once your Responsibility is gone, you mean…”

  “Dead,” his face went grave. He tried to shake off the idea of Elizabeth’s impending death; but it was always in the back of his mind. She was getting older and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

  Awilda thought for a moment, “So Kingsley…”

  “Has a long way to go.” Junior finished her sentence. “And his job is to keep it that way. As long as you’re with him, you’re safe; trust me.”

  “And you trust him?”

  “With my life; he’s an old bastard and smells like moth balls, but once you get past that you’ll see what I see.”

  “How long have you known him?” Awilda asked.

  “Since I was a kid; he lived a few houses down from me. He helped my mom a lot with chores and repairs around the house. When he moved away I figured I’d never see him again, until a little over a decade ago; just out of the blue, there he was, looking like no time had passed.”

  Awilda lightly chewed her bottom lip. “Well, I guess if you say he’s okay then I can try to get to know him a little better.”

  “You’ll be glad you did.”

  “Who knows? Maybe he’ll be my queen.”

  Junior burst with laughter; his shoulders bouncing with joy and his eyes shining with excitement. “Oh please let me be there when you tell him that.”

  Awilda giggled, “You know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I do,” he smiled, “but I’m sure you’ve had someone else to fill that role.” When she didn’t respond his voice softened, “Right?”

  Awilda shrugged. “I guess there was my grandma, but then she kind of went crazy. There’s Dr. Crispin, my psychiatrist; but he’s less of a guardian and more of a friend; besides, he probably only sees me as just another patient – or a meal ticket. I mean, if he found a way to ‘cure’ me he’d probably be named doctor of the century or something.”

  “Cure you from what?” Junior creased his brows.

  “Well, from you, I guess.” Awilda looked at the Chess board contemplatively. “Up until recently I thought you and Kingsley were figments of my imagination; self imposed premonitions of possession and the devil.”

  Junior cringed. He hoped Awilda would keep this kind of talk under wraps; especially when Kingsley was around. No doubt the old man would put in his two cents and scare the living hell out of her.

  Awilda sat upright and looked to Junior with revelation in her eyes. “There’s nothing to cure. My nightmares were only prevalent because I was scared of you, but I didn’t even have one last night.” She exhaled deeply, as if releasing years of stress and abuse from her lungs. Quietly, she whispered almost too low for even Junior to hear, “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

  24

  Kingsley led Elizabeth into the lobby of the hotel. He held her gentle hand as they headed to the elevators and she rested her head on his shoulder as they were lifted to their floor. He wished for more days like these; but that was a sacrifice they made when they agreed to get Junior out of prison. They both knew with him around they would have to be more secretive with their love. Eventually Kingsley would have to tell his young friend, but now was not the time. He needed the boy on his side now more than ever.

  He could feel Elizabeth’s soft palm leave his own as the doors opened and they stepped onto their hotel floor. They walked separately down the long corridor until reaching Junior and Awilda’s room. Using a spare key Kingsley opened the door to find the two sitting on the bed, watching a sitcom. Before he could say anything they imploded with laughter.

  Junior looked over to see Kingsley and Elizabeth entering the room. He smiled and gave them a nod before returning his attention to the sitcom. Kingsley stood in the middle of the room for a few minutes, waiting for commercial. He tried to watch
the show but couldn’t understand what the kids were finding so amusing. The characters spoke with thick English accents at an accelerated rate. He could barely make out every other word. He glanced over at Elizabeth who rolled her eyes and chuckled under her breath.

  When a commercial finally came Junior turned off the television and both kids adjusted their positions on the bed to face the two senior citizens.

  “How was your day?” Elizabeth asked.

  Awilda shrugged, “It would have been nice to go outside at some point.”

  Junior nudged her shoulder. “Like I’d let you go outside, you’d probably pull a Clive.” The two laughed at the inside joke Kingsley could only assume stemmed from the show.

  “How was your day?” Junior asked.

  “It was lovely,” Elizabeth answered. “King took me to see Westminster Abbey and then Big Ben. I would have loved to stay out and do a little shopping but my feet hurt already; maybe tomorrow?” She asked as Kingsley smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “So… I’m staying in again tomorrow?” Awilda asked, trying to hide her disdain for the idea.

  “Hey it won’t be so bad,” Junior tried to reassure her, “they’re having a marathon of The Soup Pot; it’s a spinoff of this show.”

  “Oh, that’ll be fun.” Awilda forced a smile. Her eyes drifted to the window; her only connection to the outside world. She couldn’t help but think about Simon. She wondered if he was looking for her; or maybe he hopped on the first plane back to the states, happy to be rid of his most difficult patient. Whatever he was doing, it had to be more exciting than this.

  Junior looked to Kingsley with agitation. He didn’t like being cooped up in this hotel room any more than the girl did. And everyday they just sat idle gave the DAA an even better chance at finding them. They needed to leave the city; and they needed to do it soon.

  25

  Las Vegas, Nevada…

  “Back again James? That’s the fourth time this week.”

  “Yeah, well, I think I left something here yesterday.”

  “What’s that?”

  A tall, slender woman with long blonde hair entered the bar for the second night in a row. She wore a tight black dress with a white jacket. After removing her dark sunglasses she surveyed the place before locking eyes with the man standing at the bar. She smiled coyly.

  James smiled back, “That.” He responded to the bartender before waving the beautiful woman over. She walked delicately with an amount of seduction that almost made him climax instantly. He watched her hips sway from side to side and as she moved closer he could feel her perfume overloading his senses.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d be here again.” She drawled, “I’m Regina.”

  “James.” He introduced himself as he raised her hand to his lips. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Your skin; much too light and delicate for the Vegas sun.”

  Regina laughed lightly, “Let’s just say I don’t get out much; although, I’d like to change that.”

  James smiled devilishly, “By all means, let me be your tour guide.”

  James was a handsome enough man; by no accounts a heartbreaker, but he never had much trouble getting women. Tonight however, was going to be about more than just sex. Tonight he was claiming this woman; and by the way she was playfully biting her bottom lip he knew she was all his for the taking.

  26

  London, England…

  The sun had set and the once full plates that had been delivered by room service were now empty and sitting outside the hotel room door.

  “Well,” Kingsley stood, “I think it’s time Lizzie and I call it a night. We have a big day tomorrow if she really wants to spend as much money as she says.”

  Elizabeth laughed, “And I’m worth every penny.”

  “That you are.” Kingsley held out his hand to help her up and lead her to the door. Just before the door closed and it was once again the girl and the giant alone, Junior called to the elderly duo. “Hold up!” His long strides carried him quickly to the hall and he shut the door behind him.

  Once in the narrow, dimly lit hallway he closed in on his friends. “Lizzie,” Junior began, “would you mind doing me a favor tomorrow while you’re out?”

  “Not at all,” she smiled.

  Junior looked around frantically before picking up a napkin from the discarded room service on the floor. “Do you have a pen?” After digging through her cluttered purse for a few seconds Elizabeth retrieved a ballpoint pen and handed it over. “Thanks,” he smiled, “Since you’ll already be out shopping I was hoping you could pick something up for me.” He began scribbling on the napkin the details of the purchase. He pulled from his memory an exact recollection of the day before. He could remember the street he was on, the name of the store, the fingerprints Awilda left on the window as she stared through it. He could remember where the sun sat in the sky and the way it highlighted her hair and brightened her pale skin to almost stark white.

  “That’s a lot of specifics there.” Kingsley sliced through the memory.

  Junior finished his last letter and handed it to Elizabeth. “It’s a very specific request.” He said.

  Elizabeth looked over the napkin. “What size?”

  “I was hoping you could handle that part.”

  Awilda emerged from brushing her teeth in the bathroom. She was ready for another restful night even though she was still stuck wearing the same outfit the shifters had abducted her in. The memory of that night replayed in her head like a bad dream. She wasn’t frightened anymore, but she regretted not being able to tell Simon she was okay. She couldn’t imagine how worried he must be. She wondered if he was turning this city inside out looking for her; and how long it would be before he stopped looking.

  Awilda sat on the edge of the king sized bed and unraveled her hair from a ponytail. She placed the tie on the bedside table and slumped forward. She was finally out in the real world; and yet she couldn’t leave this hotel room. This was no better than her room at Bain. She ran her hand along the thick comforter beneath her. Okay, maybe it was a little better.

  Her mind began to wander as she imagined what it would be like to have Junior in this bed with her; to sleep with her arm draped over his broad chest; his body heat warming her throughout. How deliciously comfortable she would be with her head resting on his bicep and his arm wrapped around her, holding her in place. A soft smile stretched across her face as she imagined him lifting her chin with his finger, bringing her lips to his…

  Awilda shook her head violently and tried to suppress the rush of heat she suddenly felt below her hips. Not going to happen. She told herself. She had just spent an entire day with the man and he hadn’t given her the slightest sign that he was interested in her.

  She looked around the room again and exhaled, wondering what would be on the agenda for tomorrow; more television, more Chess. She crinkled her nose and opened the top drawer in the nightstand, hoping to find something new to occupy her time with. The thin room service menu sat in the otherwise empty space. She closed the drawer with a sigh and reached down to open the bottom one. Inside she found nothing more than a box of baking soda and a blue pocket bible. She pushed the drawer shut just as a wrapping played against the window. With a jolt her head whipped around to see a set of boney fingers lightly tapping on the pane. She ran to the sound and after a nudge or two, was able to lift the heavy window.

  The wind was blowing vigorously as she stuck her head out into the cold. Her long, free falling hair was now blowing away from the building with such force that if it had a little more weight she could fly. She looked to her left and found herself staring into the eyes of the Limrid from last night. He cowered slightly at the close proximity. His long fingers and toes were digging into the siding and his wings were wrapped tightly around his shoulders like a cloak. The few strands of hair atop his mole covered head blew in the wind and he shivered from the ch
ill.

  Awilda looked back into the hotel room and toward the door, wondering when Junior would return. She remembered the way he attacked this poor creature the night before and she didn’t want to chance it happening again; but she also couldn’t let the little guy freeze to death. She turned back to her Limrid who cowered even further.

  “Come in,” she whispered. When he didn’t move she dropped the sense of urgency and quietly called to him like a puppy. “Come on, it’s alright,” she smiled. The Limrid looked like he was weighing the pros and cons of the situation before cautiously moving toward the open window. Awilda backed away as the creature climbed into the warm hotel room. He still looked at Awilda with wide, unsure eyes and continued to shiver.

  “Move away from the window,” Awilda suggested, “you’ll be warmer.” The Limrid obeyed and moved to the end of the bed, in front of the girl. “Did you follow me?” She asked. The Limrid nodded his head and cracked a crooked smile, trying not to show his brown, razor sharp teeth. Awilda’s heart leapt, “Did anyone else follow me?” She thought of Simon. The Limrid’s smile disappeared and he shook his head. “Oh,” she lowered her eyes to the floor.

  “Thanks Lizzie, I owe you one.” Junior smiled and turned to head back to his hotel room.

  A young man, not much older than eighteen with red hair and a shirt with the hotel’s name on it, walked up to Junior’s door. He held an envelope in his hands with a wax seal and prepared to knock.

  “Excuse me,” Junior stopped him before his knuckles could touch the wood. “That’s my room.”

  The boy looked at Junior; startled as if he hadn’t noticed anyone standing there. He forced a smile, “Mr. Cross?” Junior nodded as the boy fiddled with the contents held in his palm. “I’ve got something for ya’.” He handed the envelope to Junior. “I’m not sure who it’s from; some guy showed up in the lobby a minute ago and asked me to run this up to you.”