My hand stays out with the offered food long enough to make the moment awkward. “Don’t you want it?” I ask.
“That depends on why you’re giving it to me.”
I shrug. “Sometimes, as we’re stumbling along in the dark, we hit something good.”
He watches me for another moment before taking the offered food.
“Don’t think you’re getting my share of the chocolate, though.” I know I should conserve the chocolate, but I can’t help eating more than I’d planned. The waxy texture and burst of sweetness in my mouth brings comfort that’s too rare to pass up. I won’t let us eat more than half my stash, though. I stuff the rest way down in the bottom of my pack so I won’t be tempted.
My longing for the candy must show on my face because the angel asks, “Why don’t you just eat it? We can eat something else tomorrow.”
“It’s for Paige.” I zip up my pack with finality, ignoring his thoughtful look.
I wonder where my mother is now. I’d always suspected that she is more clever than my father, even though he is the one with the masters degree in engineering. But all her animal cleverness won’t help her when her crazy instincts are demanding her attention. Some of the worst times in my life have been because of her. But I can’t help but hope that she’s found a dry place out of the rain, and has managed to find something to eat for dinner.
I dig through my pack and find the last styrofoam cup of dried noodle. I walk to the door and leave it outside.
“What are you doing?”
I think about explaining to him about my mother but decide against it. “Nothing.”
“Why would you leave food outside in the rain?”
How did he know it was food? It’s too dark for him to see the cup of noodles.
“How well can you see in the dark?”
There’s a brief pause as though he’s considering denying that he can see in the dark. “Almost as well as I can see in the day.”
I squirrel away the intel. This little piece of information may have just saved my life. Who knows what I would have done once I found the other angels? I may have tried to hide in the dark as I snuck into their nest. That would have been a nasty time to find out just how well angels can see in the dark.
“So, why would you leave valuable food outside?”
“In case my mother is out there.”
“Wouldn’t she just come in?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
He nods as if he understands, which, of course, he couldn’t. Maybe to him, all humans behave as though they are crazy. “Why don’t you bring the food in, and I’ll tell you if she’s nearby.”
“And how would you know if she’s nearby?”
“I’ll hear her,” he says. “Assuming the rain doesn’t get too loud.”
“How good is your hearing?”
“What?”
“Ha ha,” I say dryly. “Knowing this stuff could make a big difference in my chances of rescuing my sister.”
“You don’t even know where she is, or if she’s alive.” He says this matter-of-factly, as if he’s talking about the weather.
“But I know where you are, and I know you’ll be headed back to the other angels, even if it’s only to get revenge.”
“Ah, is that how it is? Since you couldn’t get the information out of me when I was weak and helpless, your big plan now is to follow me back to the nest of vipers to rescue your sister? You know that’s about as well-thought out as your plan to scare off those men by pretending to be an angel.”
“A girl’s gotta improvise as the situation changes.”
“The situation has changed beyond your control. You’ll only get yourself killed if you follow this path, so take my advice and run the other way.”
“You don’t understand. This isn’t about making logical, optimal decisions. It’s not like I have a choice. Paige is just a helpless little girl. She’s my sister. The only thing up for discussion is how I’ll rescue her, not whether or not I’ll try.”
He leans back to give me an appraising look. “I wonder which will get you killed faster—your loyalty or your stubbornness?”
“Neither, if you’ll help me.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I saved your life. Twice. You owe me. In some cultures, you’d be my slave for life.”
It’s hard to see his expression in the dark, but his voice sounds both skeptical and wry. “Granted, you did drag me out of the street while I was injured. And normally, that may qualify as saving my life, but since your intent was to kidnap me for interrogation, I don’t think that qualifies. And if you’re referring to your botched ‘rescue’ attempt during my fight with those men, I’d have to remind you that if you hadn’t slammed my back into giant nails sticking out of the wall, then chained me to a cart, I’d never have been in that position in the first place.” He chuckles. “I can’t believe those idiots almost bought that you were an angel.”
“They didn’t.”
“Only because you screwed up. I almost burst out laughing when I saw you.”
“It would have been pretty funny if our lives hadn’t been at stake.”
His voice gets sober. “So you know you could have been killed?”
“So could you.”
The wind whispers outside, rustling the leaves. I open the door and retrieve the cup of noodles. I might as well believe that he’ll hear my mother if she comes around. It’s better if we don’t risk someone else seeing the food and coming into the cabin.
I pull out a sweatshirt from my pack and put it on over the one I’m wearing. The temperature is dropping fast. Then I finally ask the question to which I dread the answer. “What do they want with the kids?”
“There’s been more than one taken?”
“I’ve seen the street gangs take them. I figured they wouldn’t want Paige because of her legs. But now, I wonder if they’re selling them to the angels.”
“I don’t know what they’re doing with the kids. Your sister is the first one I’ve heard of.” His quiet voice chills me.
The rain pounds on the windows and the wind scrapes a branch on the glass.
“Why were the other angels attacking you?”
“It’s impolite to ask the victim of violence what they did to be attacked.”
“You know what I mean.”
He shrugs in the dim light. “Angels are violent creatures.”
“So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind.”
“Why would you think that? Even in your Bible, we’re harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn’t make us altruistic.”
I have more questions, but I need to settle one thing first. “You need me.”
He barks a laugh. “How so?”
“You need to get back to your buddies to see if you can get your wings sewn back on. I saw it in your face when I mentioned it back at the office. You think it might be possible. But to get there, you have to walk. You’ve never traveled on the ground before, have you? You need a guide; someone who can find food and water, safe shelter.”
“You call this food?” The moonlight shows him tossing the empty styrofoam cup into a trash can. It’s too dark to see it land in the can across the room, but by the sound of things, it’s a three-pointer.
“See? You would have passed that by. We have all kinds of stuff that you’d never guess was food. Besides, you need someone who’ll take the suspicion off you. No one would suspect you as an angel if you’re traveling with a human. Take me with you. I’ll help you get home if you’ll help me find my sister.”
“So you want me to lead a Trojan Horse to the aerie?”
“Hardly. I’m not out to save the world, just my sister. That’s more than enough responsibility for me. Besides, what are you worried about? Little ol’ me being a threat to angelkind?”
“What if she’s not there?”
I have to swallow the dry lump in my throat before I can answer. “Then I’ll no longer be your problem.”
The darker shadow of his form curls up on the couch. “Let’s get some sleep while it’s still dark out.”
“That’s not a no, right?”
“It’s not a yes, either. Now let me sleep.”
“And that’s another thing, it’s easier to keep a watch at night when there are two of us.”
“But it’s easier to sleep when there’s just one.” He grabs a sofa pillow and puts it over his ear. He shifts once more, then settles in, his breathing turning heavy and regular as though already asleep.
I sigh and walk back to the bedroom. The air gets colder as I near the room, and I have second thoughts about sleeping in there.
As soon as I open the door, I see why it’s so cold in the cottage. The window is broken and sheets of rain blow onto the bed. I’m so tired I could just sleep on the floor. I grab a folded blanket off the dresser. It’s cold but dry. I close the bedroom door to keep the wind out and pad back into the living room. I lie down on the sofa across from the angel, wrapping myself in the blanket.
He seems to be comfortably asleep. He’s still shirtless, as he has been since the first time I saw him. The bandages must provide a little warmth but not much. I wonder if he gets cold? It must be freezing when flying high up in the sky. Maybe angels are adapted to cold temperatures, just as they’re light for flight.
But this is all a guess, and probably just a justification to make me feel better about taking the only blanket in the cottage. The power is out tonight, which means the heat is out. It rarely freezes in the bay area, but it does get pretty cold at night sometimes. This seems to be one of those times.
I fall asleep listening to the rhythm of his steady breathing and the drumming of the rain on the windows.
I dream that I am swimming in the Antarctic, surrounded by broken icebergs. The glacial towers are majestic and deadly beautiful.
I hear Paige calling for me. She’s floundering in the water, coughing, barely keeping herself afloat. Having only her arms to paddle with, I know she can’t tread water for long. I swim toward her, desperate to reach her, but the gut-freezing cold slows my motions, and I waste almost all my energy shivering. Paige calls to me. She’s too far for me to see her face, but I can hear tears in her voice.
“I’m coming!” I try to call to her. “It’s okay, I’ll be there soon.” But my voice comes out in a hoarse whisper hardly reaching my own ears. Frustration cracks through my chest. I can’t even comfort her with reassurances.
