Angel Wings

Chapter 5.2

                  

Lucis cleared his throat.  "Are you saying that you saw the bat like creatures?"

CJ nodded earnestly.  "I know I'm not crazy.  Chloe and Sophie kept saying I was making things up, but I know Aza saw them too."  He turned to Aza.  "You were fighting them."

Slowly Aza smiled.  "I thought I was the only special one, but apparently not.  Way to be in the unique freaks club!"  She raised her hand up to give CJ a high five, but CJ just stared at her.

"Unique freak?  What do you mean...?  Wait, Aza are you saying we're the only ones who can see them?"  His voice was rising rapidly.  He glanced at Evabelle.  "Evabelle, can you...?"  CJ trailed off.

            Evabelle nodded.  "I can see them too."

            "But there's more to that."  Aza cut in.  Then she launched into their side of the story after Lucis and Del had rescued them and how they explained that Evabelle was their princess and was destined to save them from the Annihilators disease.  Del cut in a few times, complaining about getting too many humans involved, and saying one was too much in the first place.

            When Aza finished, the bus had arrived.  Lucis gently nudged the elderly lady and helped her onto the bus.  CJ dragged Aza and Evabelle away from where Del sat, so he could whisper to them in private, although Evabelle suspected he could still hear them.  Anahalians seemed to have superior senses.  "And you're actually going with these," he gestured his arms wildly behind him at where Lucis waved kindly at the grandmotherly lady and then began helping the biker hook his bike to the front of the bus; and to Del who raised his eyebrows at the three of them.  As Evabelle had guessed he could apparently hear them.  "These... these... Ani...Ana... Anahellians?" He sputtered, exasperated. 

            "Anahalians."  Evabelle corrected him.

            CJ looked at her.  "Evabelle you can't be one of them... you just can't.  You're human, just like us.  You don't have to go and risk your lives for these guys."

            Evabelle bit her lip.  "They say that if I don't go, the people I care about will get hurt.  CJ, I am absolutely terrified, but if I can at least protect my mom, Chi, you, and Sophie, then I will.  Even if that means... risk...risking my... my own life."  The last part came out as a bit of a tremble.  With faint surprise, she realized that everything she'd said was true.

            CJ watched her carefully.  His mousy brown hair blew wildly in and out of his face.  Behind his glasses, his hazel eyes burned into her.  They looked sad and scared and something else, Evabelle wasn't quite sure.  "But who's going to protect you?"  His voice was barely more than a whisper.

            Aza folded her arms and cleared her throat.  "Uh, hello?  I think I'm a pretty good protecterer.  I can take care of the princess.  And if not we've got like ninja angels over there, technically they are guardians."

            CJ looked at her.  "I trust you, Aza, but those guys," he shook his head.  "No... I just... I... I want to come with you."

            Evabelle stared at him.  He had never been like this before, so emotional, so protective of her, Evabelle.  It was a little unnerving.  She noticed Aza was watching CJ with a strange look on her face. Then Evabelle glanced over at Del, who had risen to his feet and was watching her with his disconcerting glare that had a strange way of making her heart beat faster.  And finally to Lucis, who had finished helping the pedestrians, onto the bus and was now looking at her as well.  His head was tilted to the side, a soft comforting smile on his face, and for some reason it calmed her down a bit.