AngelFire

by Luke Valen

  We stopped and looked at him. He stared back as he stuffed a handful in his mouth.

  What a gentleman he was around girls. Man, I was hungry.

  I looked back at Jade, trying to figure out how to describe it. “It was this tall, burnt creature. It had long black hair that looked like it was dipped in oil, and its eyes were a deep red. It looked like some kind of a…”

  “A demon.” Jade said.

  “A demon?” Bryon and I both said. Bryon spit out most of his chewed trail mix.

  Appetite gone.

  Bryon immediately began digging in his bag and stuffing his face again, watching Jade like a good movie awaiting answers.

  “Yes. A demon. I have read about these creatures,” Jade said as she ran to another shelf to grab a book, “extensively.”

  “You’re joking, right?” I said mockingly. “Demons aren’t real. They are just made up to scare us into being good little boys and girls.” I watched her climb a ladder and search the top shelves of the bookcase.

  “I’m afraid not. I have read extensively on their kind. I just have never known anyone to have actually seen one.” She fluttered her fingers along the books’ spines.

  “Well, I’ve seen three,” I said.

  Jade stopped her search and turned to look at me. Bryon also froze midchew and looked up to me.

  “Three? What did the other two look like?” Jade asked, standing on the ladder.

  “One of them was hiding in an alleyway—it was the first one I had noticed. I couldn’t tell what it looked like—it was too dark—but it did have those same red eyes. I told you about the second, and the third was this ghostlike thing. It was like smoke that filled the room, and when it spoke, the air felt like all the heat had been sucked out.”

  “Dude,” Bryon said, his eyes wide with fear. The fun and games were at an end.

  “It spoke to you?” Jade asked as she thumbed through more pages. “What did it say?”

  “It just said to ‘stay away from her,’” I paraphrased.

  Jade mumbled something as she continued to look through her books. “Is this what they looked like?” Jade threw three books on the desk, all opened to different pages with rough sketches of creatures.

  “That’s exactly what they looked like!” I said.

  Finally some answers. Maybe coming here wasn’t a waste of time after all. My beating heart, it raced.

  Jade was already searching through another book.

  “What are you looking for now?” I asked.

  “You said that the creature said to ‘stay away from her.’ Who is she? Who are they protecting, and why do they want you to stay away?” Jade asked as she tossed books to the ground left and right.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “The only person I can think of is Abigail. She is the only one I have been hanging out with.”

  Bryon jumped. “Abigail?! You have been hanging out with the Abigail?!” Food spit all over the place from his once-again-stuffed cheeks. His heavy breathing almost choked him on his salty trail mix. “I can’t breathe. She’s, she’s…” he said, sitting back down.

  “Who is Abigail?” Jade asked with raised eyebrows.

  “Only the most beautiful and incredible girl at AngelFire High! You’re dating her?” Bryon said, staring hard while awaiting my answer, clearly hoping for a negative.

  Jade rolled her eyes.

  “No! I’m not dating her,” I said defensively. “She just has helped me out a few times, that’s all. I feel comfortable around her.”

  Bryon let out his breath and went back to eating. A sigh of relief. She was still available.

  “Why are they protecting her?” Jade mumbled.

  “How do we know it is even her they are talking about and not some other girl you may have bumped into?” Bryon stuffed another handful of mixed nuts into his mouth.

  “She has a mark like me. Only different,” I said.

  “Whelp, never mind. It’s her.” Bryon chewed.

  “What does it look like?” Jade asked, grabbing a book off the desk and flipping through the pages.

  I moved to the sandy area of the ground and began drawing the image with my finger.

  “Interesting,” said Jade, crossing her arms and staring at the sand art.

  “What is it?” Bryon asked.

  “I don’t know. I have never seen it before,” Jade said, uncrossing her arms and adjusting her glasses. “SO! You, Mr. Dean, have some unexplainable strength that surfaces when your marking flares up and you can see demons who don’t like you. Does that pretty much sum it up?” Jade asked, walking back to where we had first met. Bryon stood up off his bum and followed. I stood there, confused at how simple of terms she had put it in.

  Bryon stood next to Jade and looked at me. I had nothing to say. I stared back and shrugged my shoulders. I suppose?

  “Okay then. We have some work to do. First things first, we need to find your sword.”

  CHAPTER 7

  DADDY DEAREST

  The night air was arctic as Bryon and I made our way back into town. The snow was not falling, but the wind made it so cold that Hell itself would have frozen over. With so much on our minds, we walked in silence, our thoughts jumping from one thing to another. Although Jade had brought forth valuable information, it still seemed as if we were at ground zero. I still had so many questions and it seemed none of them were answered.

  I am the lost wanderer.

  The lights of the city shone through the trees as we approached town. Like stars that decided to land on earth and shine on the ground, the town was beautiful. The moon was out that night, its light shadowing the glow of the stars.

  As we came upon my home, sweet home, the church looked so lonesome now. It was an odd feeling to have never had a friend till now.

  “Today was cool,” I said as we drew nearer to the lamp that guarded my entrance.

  “Yeah, man, it was wild! I can’t wait to see what we discover tomorrow!” Bryon said with such energy. Regardless of where my mind was, Bryon always seemed to be optimistic. From the little time that I had known him, I had never seen him down or heard a negative thing come out of his mouth. He was always looking to the future, a positive and bright future.

  “You still want to hang out with me?” I asked. “You don’t think I’m a freak?”

  “Heck no—you’re the coolest person I know!” Bryon smiled from ear to ear.

  “Why are you being so nice to me, man? Why are you helping me?”

  “Honestly?” Bryon said. “Other than my YouTube subscribers…you’re my only real friend. Everyone else just thinks I’m the weirdo around school.”

  That was the first time I had ever felt accepted.

  “DEAN!” We heard a yell from down the frozen street. “DEAN!”

  Turning to look, we saw Abigail running down the street, waving her arms. She ran up next us. “Dean…” she said, out of breath.

  “What is it? Are you okay? Did they do anything to you!” I caught her as she ran into my arms. I could feel my body begin to heat up. The ground around me transformed from ice to water.

  “Dude…” Bryon subtly waved his hand, motioning for me to calm down.

  Still holding Abigail, I looked at my burning wrist.

  One deep breath. Two. Three.

  It subsided.

  “What? Yeah, I’m fine. Did who do what to me?” she asked, catching her breath.

  “Nothing. Never mind.” I released my grip and pushed her arms’ length, still holding her shoulders.

  “How are you so hot?”

  “I, uh…” I said, letting go.

  “It’s freezing out here.”

  “So, what’s up?” I asked.

  “My dad and I were wondering if you’d like to join us for dinner tonight?”

  “Thanks, but I’m all right. Bryon and I have a lot of work to do.”

  Bryon shrugged in approval of my lie, already stuffing his face with some kind of candy. Where does he store all this food?<
br />
  “Oh hi, Bryon. I’m—”

  “Abigail, I know. We have Chemistry,” Bryon said through stuffed cheeks. “I mean Chemistry class. Not like sexual chemistry, or…anything. I’ll stop. Nice to meet you.”

  Abigail seemed to have enjoyed that, letting out a small giggle. “You’re funny, Bryon.”

  Bryon blushed as he took another bite.

  “Is it cool if I steal your friend just for tonight? Y’all can get back to business tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, no, that’s cool. That’s cool with me,” Bryon said as he began to step away. “Dean, my man, I have a lot of editing to do for another video anyway. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

  Abigail smiled. “Nice meeting you, Bryon.”

  Bryon gave a shy smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you! Don’t go fallin’ in love now!” Bryon said as he skipped away.

  “What?” Abigail and I looked at each other. “No, no, that’s—ha,” we said simultaneously.

  “Looks like you’re free?” Abigail said, breaking the awkwardness, looking at me with those big blue eyes.

  I gave in. “All right, what’s the worst that could happen?”

  Abigail and I began our walk from the church back to her place. Fall in love. Ha. Bryon was a crazy guy. I looked over at her. Her nose was red from the cold wind—and perfect. I mean, I guess Bryon wasn’t that crazy.

  She looked over at me. “What?” she said with a giggle.

  “Nothing.” I quickly looked away.

  “What were you and Bryon doing all day? You’re covered in dirt,” Abigail asked as she pinched the corner of my peacoat and released a cloud of dust.

  “Nothing.” I said, eyes forward before I peeked over at her again.

  She looked so beautiful. Wrapped from head to toe in layers upon layers, her beauty shone through. Her blonde hair just barely visible through her oversized knit beanie. Just walking next to her, I felt a warmth that was unlike any other. The wind blew her subtly-scented perfume in my direction. It was that of an angel.

  She tried to dig in deeper. “Nothing? That’s all I get after everything?”

  “So what’s your dad like?” I shifted.

  “My dad,” she said, looking forward on the path. Her face lit up as we passed under the streetlamps. “My dad is not your typical ‘father figure.’”

  A father of any kind must be amazing, I thought to myself. “I wouldn’t know.” The words rolled off my tongue.

  “Oh. Sorry,” she said, dropping her eyes. She didn’t know.

  “It’s fine, I mean, look how well I turned out! I hardly get into any trouble at all,” I said, smiling at her. Abigail lifted her head and smiled back. “Tell me more.”

  “He is a workaholic. All he does is work, and when he comes home, he does more work. I hardly ever get to see him,” she said.

  “What does he do?”

  “He is a businessman. He deals a lot in exports, among other things. I don’t know, really. It’s just a lot,” she said.

  “What about your mom?”

  Abigail stopped, looked down at the ground, and put her hands in her pockets.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Abigail.” I pulled her hands out of her pocket, very gently and held them. “It’s okay, you can tell me.” The wind blew past our ears, whistling in the treetops. Snow swirled off of the ground in an elegant dance.

  “I never knew my mother,” she said with a broken voice. “She died giving birth to me.” Her beautiful blue eyes looked broken and sad. The tears started to swell. I couldn’t bear to see her so hurt. It killed me. Without even knowing the woman, Abigail held so much hurt and feeling of responsibility it was like a billboard on her face. She stared at me with somber eyes.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Abigail,” I said, looking deep into her eyes. I moved in slowly and wrapped my arms around her. Holding her tight, she wrapped her arms around me too. “It was not your fault.”

  Our bodies grew warm. Again, the ground around me—us—began to melt away. “Thank you, Dean,” she said with her head on my shoulder. Our birthmarks began to glow a soft white glow. Gently pulling away and grabbing my hands, she and I looked down at our glowing wrists. “Ha ha, what is going on?” she said, breaking her sadness with a beautiful smile and laugh. I had no words. All I could do was stare and admire how beautiful this girl was.

  “Come on, let’s get out of the snow,” I said, motioning to the road. She smiled as we turned to continue. We released hands and resumed our journey to her castle. A few steps in, I felt the soft touch of her hand on mine. Butterflies exploded throughout my body and the cold was gone. Our fingers interlocked, and we walked.

  I am the heart’s beating drums. I am pure joy.

  She was silent the rest of the walk, gently keeping her head on my shoulder. I walked in happiness.

  Her castle came into view after a few minutes down the road. It lit up the night—it might as well have been bigger and brighter than the moon. Two stone lions guarded the gate’s entrance of the drive, one on each side. How had I not noticed any of this the other times? Oh, that’s right: I was dying. The castle seemed eerily quiet. More than other homes here in AngelFire. I had never met someone’s dad before either. That may have been it.

  Though, something felt off.

  I felt off.

  As we closed in on the mansion, this feeling of fight or flight swept over me. It must have been nerves. I didn’t think I would be this nervous to meet a girl’s dad, though Abigail is not just any other girl.

  “Okay.” She stopped on the front step and turned toward me. “My dad can be a bit intimidating. Don’t let him scare you, okay? Also make sure to give him a firm handshake and don’t break eye contact when you meet him. He is going to look for any and all signs of weakness. And—”

  “Abigail, I get it. I’ll be okay,” I said to reassure both her and me. The nerves sparked inside me like electricity.

  “Okay,” she said as she dusted me off, looked in my eyes with a slight smirk, nodded her head, and turned opened the door. “Daddy, I’m home!”

  “I’m in the office, baby. I’ll be right out.” His voice echoed from the very end of the hallway.

  A fire could be heard crackling off in one of the rooms as we made our way down the marble-lined hallway. Abigail led me in. The artifacts that were housed in glass cases all looked so old. I had seen them before, just briefly the time she had sewn me up. Seeing them up close was so much different. Intriguing, to say the least. They resembled a few of the ones I had seen recently in my research. The ones from B.C. and the holy lands. How is it all rich people are interested in antiques? Everything was so beautiful, each room lined with a gold trim. I could smell the mouthwatering aroma of food wafting through the train-sized hall. We must have been nearing the kitchen.

  “Abigail! Baby!” Mr. Li’Ved said about ten feet away as he turned the corner from his office into the hallway. His black pinstripe suit looked clean and freshly pressed with a small red handkerchief in his front pocket.

  “Hi, Daddy.” She ran up and kissed him on each cheek. “Daddy, this is Dean,” she said, turning to present me to her father.

  His gaze slowly shifted from his daughter over to me. His eyes resembled Abigail’s, though something about them seemed dark.

  As his eyes made their way to mine, something inside me was piercing. It was as if he were looking into my soul and I could feel it. Like he was searching for something. I couldn’t break eye contact even if I’d wanted to. Slowly, he reached out his hand to shake mine. As I mirrored the motion, I gripped his cold, brute-like hand.

  A flash of images flooded my mind. Like memories on fast forward. I couldn’t pick them out as they were coming too fast. Releasing his hand I jumped back, out of breath as if I had just run thirty miles. A cold sweat brewed on my forehead. Looking up at him I saw his eyes, still locked into my soul, now with a hint of curiosity.

  “Dean, are you all right?” he asked, jumping forward to help me gain my balanc
e.

  “Dean?” Abigail said, running toward me.

  Taking a second to catch my breath, I said, “I’m fine. Must just be tired from the day. I haven’t eaten much.”

  Lying was becoming a character trait. Maybe she and I had more in common than I thought.

  “Well, let’s get some food in you,” Mr. Li’Ved said as he motioned toward the dining hall, leading the way. I straightened up and slowly followed, Abigail at my side.

  “Come on, are you okay?” Abigail whispered, placing her hand on my back. She must have sensed that I had lied.

  “I’m fine,” I responded, shaking it off. “Let’s just go eat.”

  She nodded as we made our way forward.

  What was that? What had just happened? I tried to replay the images as slowly as I could, but I still could not make out what they were. It was all a blur. I could feel them. They weren’t just images—they were memories. It felt almost as if a part of me had returned from the dead. I wish I could make sense of them. The only image I could make out was his eyes. I had seen them somewhere before. He was looking down on me surrounded by all white, like a bright light was above his head. The image was visceral.

  “Dinner is served!” Mr. Li’Ved announced as we entered the dining hall, raising his arms in presentation. The hall itself was larger than the roads in town. The ceilings were lined with chandeliers and painted with what looked like art from the Renaissance. The walls were decorated with leather-bound books and artifacts to match. With a long, prestigious oak table fit for a king in the center of it all. The wood was ingrained with gold throughout. I had never seen such craftsmanship. The tabletop itself looked like a piece of art, blanketed in food of all kinds. The garnishes, fruits, and desserts were all the colors of a painter’s pad. There was so much of it! More than any one family could finish on their own.

  Smells of every kind entered and warmed me at the core.

  “Well, are you just going to stare at it, or are you going to join us?” I heard Mr. Li’Ved from down the table as the two were already sitting, waiting on me to take my place. I must have dazed off from all the amazing smells and sights. Sensory overload. Walking the length of the table, I made it to the head. Abigail was sitting to the right of her father. Mr. Li’Ved pulled out the chair to his left just across from Abigail.