Ryder's Angel

Chapter Four: Beautiful: Danny

Chapter Four: Beautiful: Danny

I kept telling myself the same thing over and over. Last night never, ever happened. Angeline is just deprived of hope. She’ll get better. It never happened, we just fell asleep.

But when I woke, and found her unbearably close, I scrambled out of the bed as quickly as I could in a rush of adrenaline. She let out a soft moan and turned over. Two slits in her back where her wings appeared showed – her bare back. I shuddered and turned away, swiftly throwing some clothes on. I didn’t dare look in the mirror that hung on the wall as I went to check up on the others. Most of them were showered and fed, and when I talked – in a shaky, guilty voice – they all seemed well off. The mind reader in our group, if she cared, didn’t give anything away.

Jess was on guard, looking healthy. Hazel was still unconscious, Kendall still lying dead. Kayla was playing dolls with Penelope. A few eating lunch in the kitchen. All seemed well for the most part, and they could go a little longer by themselves while I took a long, hot shower – far, far away from Angeline’s room.

By the time I was completely grime free, the sun was setting. Jason came up to me as I was heading to the kitchen. His face was suspicious and slightly worried when he said, “Angeline wants to see you. She’s in the playroom.”

My fresh and cold clothes were suddenly extremely hot. What did she want to see me about? What could she possibly say? But I went to the playroom all the same. I entered through the open door and it closed it shut behind me.

I spun around to see her… Oh my God.

She was beautiful.

Breathtakingly, wonderfully beautiful. I never truly noticed until now. Maybe it was because of last night, or we finally get a break, or merely because she took a shower. But I’d never seen anyone so…amazing. She was ethereally beautiful.

I could only gap at her supermodel-like appearance like a love struck fool. Her dark auburn hair, luscious and wavy, flowed over her shoulders and to her torso. Her wide eyes, so inhumanly green, shone with a bright guilt. Her worn-out jeans fitted her long legs, and the white V-neck shirt compared to her wings. The high heeled boots she wore clicked dully on the wood floor, but in the silence every step was an explosion.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

“Danny, I –” she began in a small, but angelic, voice.

But I cut her off, coming out of my daze with a jolt of the heart. “There’s nothing to say,” I told her firmly, more confidently than I felt. “Last night never happened, agreed?”

Angeline’s face contorted in discomfort, then indecision, but she stared at my outstretched hand, waiting for her agreement. Finally, with barely a smile, she shook my hand. “Agreed,” she breathed. I took back my hand, but she stepped closer. “No one knows, okay?” she whispered. I nodded.

We stared at each other for a minute, Angeline looking slightly upward since I was taller than her. I loved her so much… “Danny?” Ang finally asked timidly, but not breaking eye contact with me. “I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry I made you do that –”

But I brought her into an embrace, squeezing her to me. She buried her face in my chest, suddenly breaking down into tears. “You miss K – your brother, I understand.” I don’t know how I could be so forgiving, what with everything that she put me through, but I wasn’t stupid. I just couldn’t stand to see her this way. “Shh, Ang, it’s going to be okay…”

But it was night again, and Ang curled up beside me, but not too close. She was fierce when she wanted to be, but she knew she hurt me, and guilt was hard on her. She was as vulnerable as a leaf in a hurricane now. I scooted closer to her. Her eyes were swimming in tears. Angeline fell asleep in my arms.

*

By the seventh day, the fifteen of us were sitting in the kitchen, eating dinner together. The chatter around me was soothing to me because it was happy chatter. The rectangular table was large enough for everyone, Angeline and me at the one end, side by side. She barely left my side these days. I didn’t mind.

Now there was a big smile on her face as she took a bite of chicken. “This is really good, Zo,” she said to the eleven-year-old. “Where did you get it?”

“Kayla and I got it at the butcher’s,” Zo replied. “Then Penelope multiplied it.”

“Did you pay for it?”

Zo’s smiled guiltily. “Sort of. I mean, we couldn’t really. We put a few dented coins at the counter.”

Angeline just put Zo’s worries away. “I don’t think he’ll mind.”

I had guard duty for the rest of the night, and when Penelope relieved me, I was happy to get some sleep. Ang was already sleeping deeply, and just as I was about to doze off, I heard a quiet knock. I sat up and saw Kayla in the doorway. I beckoned her over and let her sit in my lap.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” I whispered.

“I’m thirsty, Danny,” she complained. “Will you get me some water?”

I tried to act awake, but I was very tired. “Sure,” I said, getting out of bed. She was small for a nine-year-old, so I picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. I set her down at the door and opened it. “You know, I think you’re old enough to –”

Kayla screamed. A vicious snarl sent my head reeling, and when I looked up, there was the brainwashed mutant, the shadow woman’s companion. Half of his face was burnt badly. He bared his chipped, yellow fangs, standing in the doorway, poised to strike. I scooped Kayla up and ran down the halls, yelling, “Run! Run, everyone, get up! Scatter!”

All around me, I heard the others dispersing any way they can to another hideout. Angeline almost crashed into me as I dashed for our room, but she wouldn’t take Kayla. She shook her head. Ang pushed ahead of me, where the mutant was waiting.

I hid Kayla’s face as Angeline charged at the thing with amazing speed. Her very inhuman snarl beat my eardrums, but there were words: “You will not harm my family!” she roared as Ang flung herself on the brainwashed creature.

There was only a matter of time before she’d let lose her anger. He was the reason her brother was dead. She wanted revenge.

Before she reached him, however, he gave a crazed and challenging grin and darted away. Angeline pursuing him, he jumped straight up and on top of the tree house.