The Sun Angel

by Ashley Martinez

  “Wait up!” Jenna jumped and ran to catch up. “I have to pee too.”

  “Uh huh,” James sat up weakly. “You two are being suspicious. Jenna, stay here.”

  “I think I can keep her safe,” Lena laughed, “we’ll just take turns peeing.”

  “I said no,” James tried to stand but fell back down.

  Jenna’s heart squeezed; she wanted to run back to keep him lying down, but this was her only opportunity to get away.

  “James, you rest,” she smiled at him. “We’ll just be right over here.”

  “Fine,” he laid back. “But hurry, or I’ll be coming out there.”

  ***

  Jenna and Lena made it into the trees but instead of stopping, they continued, picking up their pace. Jenna was about to talk when Lena held her finger up to her mouth before pointing to her ear and back the way they came. Jenna nodded, understanding James could still hear them.

  They half jogged, half walked for a half hour before Lena spoke up.

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “When you were fighting the Griffins, I overheard two people, angels I’m guessing, talking about the Moon Queen and her plans,” Jenna answered almost tripping over a rather large tree root.

  “What are they?”

  “Just like you said. Will’s supposed to kill me.”

  “What were the two Angels doing?”

  “They said something about following him and making sure he did it.”

  “Did you hear anything else?”

  “No,” Jenna shook her head. “Hey, Lena?”

  “What?”

  “Do you know where we are?”

  “Actually, I do,” Lena said. “We did a lot of training in these woods.”

  “How far are we from civilization?”

  “Not far, maybe ten miles,” Lena answered.

  “Ten?”

  “Yeah, sorry, but we’re going to have to keep rushing,” she looked back at Jenna. “Will could catch up easily.”

  Jenna nodded and picked up her pace, “We need to get as far from him as possible.”

  ***

  “Where are they?!” Will yelled.

  James was standing, but hunched over in exhaustion, “I don’t know!”

  “You were supposed to watch her!”

  “I was!”

  “Then where is she?”

  “They said they had to pee, and I couldn’t walk. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You get up and stop her!” he stormed. “How long have they been gone?”

  “Thirty-three minutes.”

  “Half an hour?!” Wills hand iced over.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” James kneeled, unable to keep himself standing any longer. “I walked as far as I could. They went north; I could still smell them.”

  Will looked down at his best friend and sighed trying regain his control, “I’m sorry, James. Lay back down and rest.”

  “I really tried, mate,” James sighed.

  “I know,” Will said and turned to the Orc. “Emanuel, I’ve got your first job.”

  “Yes, sir,” he stepped up.

  “Follow me,” he said and moved towards Jenna’s scent. “You smell that?”

  “What am I smelling?” Emanuel sniffed deeper. “It’s sweet.”

  “Yes,” Will nodded. “I want you to follow that scent. It’s a girl with blonde hair and gold eyes.”

  “The Sun Angel,” he gasped.

  “You got it, Orc,” Will clapped him on the back. “If you find her, bring her to me. Keep her alive, but the Guardian you can kill.”

  “Yes, sir,” Emanuel ran swiftly into the trees.

  “What are you doing with him?” James asked.

  “What’s going on?” Richard jogged into the clearing. “I could hear you a mile out—wait, where’s Jenna and Lena?”

  “About time you got here. Maybe you can explain,” Will snarled, “why would Jenna run off with Lena?”

  Richard’s mouth fell into a frown and worry creased his brow, “My only explanation is that Lena persuaded her. Or maybe it’s something you’ve done and she’s decided she doesn’t want to trust you.”

  “Watch it, Guardian!” James barked weakly standing back up.

  “Richard,” Will narrowed his eyes as he pointed at him, “I am trying to save her and I don’t care if you believe me or not but if you get in my way I will kill you.”

  “And what would Jenna say to that?” Richard challenged.

  “It won’t matter as long as I save her. I’m not looking to be her friend, just save her life.” Will turned to James and helped him back down. “Now I’m running out of time to find her, so either help me or get out of my way.”

  “What are you doing with the Orc?” James asked Will softly.

  “He was alone, kicked out of his tribe.”

  “Why?”

  “He doesn’t eat humans,” Will answered, spreading his wings.

  “You’re going after her too, huh?” James closed his eyes.

  “She’s not safe out there,” Will said, “and the Queen is hunting her now too.”

  ***

  “Hurry up!” Lena called back to Jenna, “just a couple more miles.”

  “I’m trying,” Jenna gasped. She was surprised she’d made it this far. Exhaustion was threatening to overcome her.

  They continued to run, and every step Jenna thought it’d be her last one. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of restoring her powers, finding out who she really was and taking revenge on the Moon Queen for trying to take her Sun. Renewed with vengeance, Jenna stepped up the pace and began sprinting.

  “Nice!” Lena said keeping up with her.

  They sprinted for almost five minutes before finally bursting through the trees into a campsite. Jenna stopped and immediately doubled over gasping for breath. Lena walked straight to a Jeep parked next to some tents.

  “Come on, Jenna,” Lena said.

  Making her wobbly legs move, Jenna dragged herself and climbed into the passenger side. Lena was inside bent over and pulling at some wires. The Jeep came to life, and Lena whooped in excitement.

  “Hey!” someone climbed out of a tent.

  Lena smiled and waved as she put the Jeep into gear and took off down the dirt path. Jenna was too tired to feel bad for stealing someone’s car; all she wanted to do was rest, but that was impossible with the way Lena was driving. She was going fast, and so every bump threw Jenna around violently.

  “Where are we going now?” Lena asked her.

  “What?”

  “To get your powers back, where do we go?”

  “Oh no!” Panic flooded her thoughts.

  “What?!” Lena looked out the windows.

  “We need Will,” Jenna answered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s the only one who can help me unlock my powers,” Jenna explained, “he’s also the only one who knows where I Fell.”

  “Are you kidding me?!” Lena shouted. “We just ran from them, and you didn’t think it’d be a good idea to get the things we need before we left?!”

  “Don’t get mad at me!” Jenna snapped. “I was a little more concerned about staying alive.”

  “No offense, but your human form is stupid.”

  Jenna gasped, “Of course I take offense to that! It’s not like I can help it!”

  “I would’ve figured the Angel version of yourself would’ve planned a little better.”

  “I did what I thought was best,” Jenna glared out the window.

  “I’m not trying to make you mad,” Lena said softer now. “I’m surprised, that’s all.”

  “Of what?”

  “Angels always pride themselves in being prepared,” she explained, “it’s what makes them assholes, well that and the wings.”

  Jenna rolled her eyes. “You’re the asshole,” she muttered.

  “Another swear word!” Lena laughed. “We’re getting through to you!”

&nb
sp; “Shut up and drive,” Jenna couldn’t help but laugh too.

  Will landed just outside the campsite and ran into it. Emanuel was already there asking one of the humans if they’d seen Jenna.

  “She was with the one with black hair,” one was saying looking scared.

  “She stole my dad’s Jeep!” another boy yelled.

  “How long ago was that?” Will asked scaring the group of humans.

  “Vince was the only one to actually see them,” a blonde guy said pointing to the darker one.

  “How long?” Will addressed the boy named Vince.

  He shrugged, “I’d guess almost a half hour, maybe even forty five minutes.”

  “Dammit!” Will clenched his teeth. “How do they keep getting further?!”

  “I don’t know, sir,” Emanuel looked as confused as Will felt.

  “Keep following them,” Will ordered and Emanuel took off running.

  “Are you going to get my Jeep back?” the blonde boy asked.

  Will gave him a withering look and ran back into the trees so he could fly off again. He didn’t have time to fix Jenna’s mess this time. He had to find her; time was running out for both of them.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You said you saw a whole bunch of orange rocks, right?” Lena asked as they pulled onto the interstate forty five minutes later.

  Jenna nodded as she ate the snacks Lena got her from the gas station and watching as they passed only a few cars despite being near Denver. She wondered where everyone could be but realized people were probably panicking with the missing sun. But then there were the people still carrying on with normal life, like those kids up in the mountains. Did the government have an answer for these people to return to their normal routine?

  “Let me think for a minute,” Lena said growing quiet.

  Their car was silent as the two thought where to go first. They’d traded the Jeep for a smaller, more inconspicuous car. Lena said it’d get them better gas mileage as well as blending in. Jenna didn’t really care as long as they kept going and figured out what they were actually going to do next.

  “Moab?” Lena broke the silence.

  “The place people go rock climbing with their trucks?” Jenna asked.

  “You’ve heard of the place?” Lena asked surprised.

  “Yeah, my dad was always wanting to take his Bronco out there.”

  “Of course he was,” Lena rolled her eyes. “Sounds like Richard.”

  “How far are we away from there?”

  “A day’s drive, maybe even less,” Lena shifted in her seat getting excited.

  “Yeah, but what are we going to do once we get there?” Jenna reminded her, “we don’t even know for sure if it’s the place.”

  “Here’s what I’m thinking we do. I call Will and tell him to tell us where you fell,” Lena suggested.

  “And what if he says no?”

  “Then we threaten him!”

  “With what?” Jenna asked.

  “I’ve got an idea, but I don’t want to spoil it,” Lena grinned at Jenna.

  “If you’re thinking of using me as leverage, remember he’s supposed to kill me, so you’ve got nothing there.”

  “That’s not what I was thinking.”

  “Then what?”

  “Leave it to me, Jenna,” Lena ended the discussion.

  Jenna scowled and turned to watch the scenery as it zoomed past. She thought about Will and suddenly she didn’t know if leaving him was the smartest thing she’d done. Peeking over at Lena, Jenna wished it were Will she was next to. Maybe she made a mistake in running. She should’ve confronted Will about what she’d overheard, instead of making an irrational decision. Will had said he was going to help her restore her powers. Was he really telling the truth? Would he betray his Queen to help her? Jenna felt confused and slightly sick to her stomach. It didn’t feel right without Will.

  Again Jenna glanced at Lena and wondered if she could really trust this girl she knew nothing about.

  She didn’t know she’d fallen asleep until she opened her eyes and was in the now familiar white room. Sitting on the throne was Eliana looking very regal in her crown and long white gown. She always wore the same clothing.

  “What are you doing Jenna?” Eliana looked angry and Jenna shrunk away looking down at the blue rug not really seeing the silver flowery designs throughout.

  “Where is the sun?” Eliana asked.

  Jenna looked up, “I don’t know.”

  “Are you even trying to do what I’ve asked?”

  “Yes, but—“

  “Enough,” Eliana silenced her. “We’re running out of time and you aren’t any nearer to finding your true self and now we’ve lost the sun.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jenna mumbled trying to keep her eyes dry. For some reason Jenna felt like she’d let Eliana down.

  She sighed and stood. Looking down at Jenna her face softened and she opened her arms striding to her, Eliana folded Jenna into her arms.

  “Don’t fret, my dear,” her soft voice soothed Jenna’s worries. “You’ll figure it out.”

  “Why can’t you tell me?” Jenna asked pulling away slightly.

  “It’s forbidden. I can only guide you.”

  “Am I doing the right thing?”

  “That’s your call to make.” Eliana smiled at her while smoothing down Jenna’s hair, “trust your instincts. Find yourself and find the sun.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” Jenna confessed. It felt good to voice her concerns, “I don’t know who to trust.”

  “Trust your heart,” Eliana began to fade.

  “Don’t go!” Jenna reached out for her but her hands passed right through her.

  “I don’t want to but you are being woken up.”

  Eliana and the white room disappeared completely.

  ***

  Will pushed angrily away from the Jeep the girls had stolen.

  “They stole another car!” He growled.

  “I can tell you the direction they went if you do not know, sir,” Emanuel said.

  “I already know, but it doesn’t help much.”

  “May I ask why not?”

  “I need to know what kind of car they took. I can only track it so far, but if I know what kind it is, then I’d be able to fly in the skies and search for it.”

  Will knew they had to get out of there. Emanuel was drawing too much attention with his warrior build. Also hanging around this stolen Jeep would get the cops called, and Will didn’t need to be delayed. He didn’t know if he could keep calm had they happened to be stopped.

  “Let’s go,” Will said walking away to a large truck.

  “We’re going to take this vehicle?”

  “Yes because you’re drawing too much attention to us. Now get in.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Stop calling me sir,” Will snapped.

  “Sorry, sir.”

  “Emanuel!”

  “Sorry…sir.”

  “Ugh!” Will threw his hands up in the air before driving off into the darkened day. His mind was racing as to where the girls would be going.

  “Moab,” Will whispered.

  “What was that?” Emanuel said.

  “They’re going to Moab.”

  “What is Moab?”

  “A rather boring place,” James answered from the back seat of the truck making Emanuel to whip around.

  Will didn’t flinch; he knew James would be catching up soon. “You came faster than I thought.”

  “Jenna’s touch has some major healing powers in it. Have you heard from Richard?”

  “Yeah, they always have. Why do you think Silas and the Queen made it so we couldn’t touch? And no, not yet, but I’m not worried about him, it’s Elena I worry about.”

  “I still want to know why Liam can’t touch her but you and I can,” James wondered.

  “We’ll have to figure that out later,” Will said. “First we need to catch up to them. They’re going
in the wrong direction.”

  “If they really are heading to Moab,” James pointed out.

  Will didn’t say anything; he didn’t want to be lost like he was. Why would Jenna run? He thought she trusted him. He couldn’t help but picture her now with her long blonde hair and those beautiful gold eyes. The way she would look at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, but he was always looking. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since finding her. Everything she did intrigued him making him want to get closer to know what she was thinking, to know what she was feeling. To reach out and actually touch her without fearing he’d kill her. Jenna had felt like a dream and with her gone he couldn’t help but wonder if she had only been a figment in his imagination. He had to find her to know she was real and safe.

  ***

  “We’re here,” Lena reached out and shook Jenna awake.

  “What time is it?”

  “A little after two in the morning,” Lena got out of the car and started stretching.

  Jenna followed looking around expecting to see the base of a mountain but instead found herself facing a two story building with rows of doors, “This is a motel, not rocks.”

  “I know,” Lena snapped, “I’ve been driving awhile, and we need to rest before we start hiking all around those stupid rocks.”

  Jenna sighed, “I guess you’re right. I just want to find it.”

  “We will, but we need our rest.”

  Jenna followed Lena into the room they rented and dropped a bag Lena had stopped to get along the drive. She opened it and glanced inside finding a toothbrush and hair brush along with some clothes.

  “Thanks for this, by the way,” Jenna pointed to the bag.

  “No problem,” Lena nodded heading for the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve got to make a phone call plus I need a Coke,” Lena said. “I’ll be ten minutes.”

  Jenna nodded and continued to shuffle through her new stuff. Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom, having showered and brushed her teeth. The motel itself didn’t feel very clean with its wood paneled walls and the old rickety bed. The bathroom was very outdated with its green sink and yellowing walls and Jenna wondered if this place was used for hourly visits. Cringing at the thought Jenna threw her stuff into her new duffel bag and reached for her hair brush when she finally noticed she wasn’t alone.