Barely An Angel (Completed)

28~ Inside Information

"I can see what I can do," I piped up.

Anna clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Can you get on that right now, please?"

I nodded, silently figuring out just how I would do that. And then it hit me. "Dad, Mom, would you mind if I went towards the outskirts of town? I'm pretty sure I could find him there."

Mom cast glances between Dad and my aunt. "You know what, honey? I'll come with you," she insisted, walking to my side. I heard her whisper under her breath, "I've had enough of her." I giggled to myself, wondering if I'd ever find out just what sparked their rivalry.

"Alright, sounds good. See you guys later," I waved to Anna and my father before turning around and opening the front door. I waited to leave while my mom gave my dad a quick kiss on the cheek, earning a scowl from Anna.

Once Mom and I were out of the house, I took my chance. "Why do you and Anna hate each other so much? Like, what happened between you two when you were in high school?"

Mom sighed heavily. "I really don't want to talk about it right now, okay? Just, lead the way to where we're going. I'm coming with you so I don't have to think about her."

"Oh what, you didn't just want to spend time with your daughter?" I teased, elbowing her side.

"Ouch," she laughed. "Of course I did. I always want to spend time with you, sweetie. Getting away from Anna was just an added bonus." We burst out in giggles together as soon as she said that. When I calmed down again, something crossed my mind that I had to ask her.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"If angels are born in Heaven, or Thesia, I guess, how did you meet Dad? And how were Anna and him able to go to high school here, on Earth?"

"Just because they're born in Thesia, doesn't mean they grow up there. Some have the option to come down to Earth for schooling and such during their teenage years. You see, this allows them to learn things about Earth that they wouldn't learn if they spent their whole lives in Thesia," she explained. "And as for how I met your father, it was on my very first day of high school, freshman year. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was the one," she gushed, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

I bumped her with my shoulder. "You're so cheesy!" I teased. "I wonder what Dad's first thought was when he saw you."

"Oh, the feeling wasn't mutual," she admitted. "In fact, he told me later on in our relationship that I actually annoyed him at first. Angels were brought up in Thesia to never trust vampires, and that they could go blackeye on a whim, endangering the very people angels exist to protect. But, your father and I really got to know each other, and the rest is history."

By this time, we were near the industrial district, and the sun had set low on the horizon. "Wait, mom, you put on sangyris lotion, right?"

"Of course, honey. I put it on every morning and afternoon, just in case. If I wasn't wearing it, I'd be burnt to a crisp by this point," she laughed.

"Oh. Duh," I mumbled. "Anyways, we're almost there. Just a few more blocks," I informed her. I planned on taking her to the alley where I had first met Demitri, even though technically it was my father in Demitri's body, but still. He would most likely be in that alley now, deterring fellow blackeyes from falling for the Fantom Fangs' trap like he had before. That much my father had figured out from being able to access his memories.

It wasn't too much longer until we reached the alley's entrance. It was dark, so I couldn't yet see if Demitri was standing there or not. There were no nearby streetlights to aid my vision, either.

"Is that him?" Mom whispered in my ear, discreetly pointing in the direction of the alleyway. I squinted my eyes, and sure enough, I could just make out the faint silhouette of someone about my height, leaning against one of the brick walls that formed the alley.

"I think so," I whispered back, stepping right up to the alley's entrance. "Demitri, is that you?" I whisper-shouted.

The figure's head snapped in our direction. "Ramona?" It called out. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Demitri, it is you," I beamed, rushing towards him. My mom trailed after me, and we were face-to-face with him in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" He asked. I explained to him that my aunt had come down to Earth, and offered to help with the Fangs situation.

"But your help is crucial, too," I told him. "You have inside information about the gang that would be imperative to take them down."

"Well, not exactly inside information, per se," he claimed. "I guess I just know more about them because I've been...observing them...and learning all I can, so that maybe, one day, I can figure out how to save Haze."

"Whatever information you have would be helpful," I assured him. "And we can help get Haze back. I know the vampire that has the mind-wiping ability, his name's Dario. He's not the type of person that would willingly use it to cause harm. The leader of the gang is blackmailing him into doing it...something about his family, I don't know. What I do know is, I can talk to him and figure out exactly what Anton is using against him so that I can, well, make sure there's nothing that he can hold over Dario's head."

"And...what does that have to do with getting Haze back?"

"If Anton doesn't have any leverage, Dario would have no reason to continue helping him. Then, we could have Dario undo whatever he did to Haze, therefore turning him back to normal. Boom. Problem solved."

Demitri crossed his arms with a sigh. "Yeah, I don't think it's going to be that simple."

~

Wow, I can't believe this book is almost to 30 chapters!! Yay! And, just in case anyone was curious, the current word count of this story, as of this chapter, is 36,416 words. That means I'm super close to being eligible for this year's Watty Awards! Woohoo! Anyways, don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

~R.J. <3