Vita

Chapter Twenty-Three

When I arrive home, I see a familiar car parked in the driveway. A car I haven't seen since I was little. A black SUV is parked in the driveway. Uncle John drove a black SUV, but he couldn't possibly be here for he and Aunt Gracelyn were divorced. Why was he here?

I open the house door and follow the sound of urgent voices, "...nor knows," I hear Uncle John's voice as I come into range.

"John! For heaven's sake, she doesn't," Aunt Gracelyn cries out.

"She's like her father, clever, and good at hiding. Those Saraph Angel bastards," Uncle John scolds.

"She may be clever, but she does not know. I can assure you," Gracelyn comforts him in a wavering voice.

There is a pause, as if in a silent communication is happening. I stiffen my position. They know I'm here like the way Kennelly can spot species with scent. I hear the floor creak in the direction towards me, by the light footsteps I know it is Gracelyn. I don't know what I should do, so I decide to play an innocent role. And I force a fall to the ground and close my eyes.

There is a rush of footsteps towards me and I now know Gracelyn is to my right and John is to my left. I feel a cold hand take my pulse, before I hear Gracelyn's voice, "Eleanor? Can you hear me? Wake up, sweetheart."

I count to ten and then blink my eyes awake and fake a couple of coughs before answering in a sore voice, "Gracelyn? What happened? I entered the house, but I think," I hold my breath and tears stop dripping down my cheeks, but I do not know if they are real or not, "L-Levi, he broke up with me."

"Eleanor?" John's dark brown eyes glare at me, "you do not remember anything after entering the house?"

I pause, my heart now racing. He knows, he can see through my act, "I-"

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Uncle John asks and I tilt my head and lick my bottom lip.

"Why are you here, Uncle John? You and Aunt Gracelyn are divorced. Don't you need to guard some mortals like guardian angels are supposed to do."

"Yes, but your aunt called me here. It was urgent, Ellie," Ellie, he hasn't called me that in forever.

"Oh. And why did she call you here?" I try to make him reveal more. I want to know.

"Eleanor, right now may not be the time," Gracelyn heaves a nervous laugh.

"Time for what?" I ask.

"Gracelyn, now we have to tell her," Uncle John talks over to Gracelyn as if I'm a ghost.

"Please do," I bite my bottom lip, and stand up from the ground.

Gracelyn starts to walk into the study of the house and John and I followed her. Her curled dark brown hair whips around as she sat in the office chair. John walked around to stand behind her, but I remained on the other side. Gracelyn opened a desk drawer with a key she had stashed away in the pocket of her dark washed jeans. She pulled out a couple pieces of paper that had a scribbly handwriting all over them. She laid them out to face me, and I studied them. It was like a diary, notes to self, and people's names with lines through them. I stumbled across a few I recognized,

Delaney Halewood. WIlliam Halewood. My mother and father's names crossed out, both dead.

"What is this?" I demand, pointing to the list of names.

"People who have dead because of The Black Angel," Gracelyn looks up at me, "do you know The Black Angel?"

"I know of The Black Angel, but I don't know the identity," I mumble, starting to become nervous.

"Really? That surprises me because you're such a smart girl, Eleanor. I would've thought you'd guess it was me by now."