Ryder's Angel

Chaper Six: Shadow-Knife: Danny

Chapter Six: Shadow-Knife: Danny

It was two whole days before Angeline showed up again.

We had fled to the Endless Field – the name said it all: it was just a field of golden wheat that went on forever in every direction, ending somewhere with a forest or two, chest high, and impossible to find anything – or anyone – there.

I hugged the trembling Kayla in my arms as I transformed both of us – I had the power to transfer my morphing to other people – into eagles. For a moment she had plummeted, but regained her balance and flew alongside me.

We soared through the hot morning sky until we reached our destination. One of our members saw us and had jumped up and down, a small black spot in the sea of dull gold. Kayla and I folded in our wings and did spirals downward. I touched Kayla’s wing and transformed both of us back just in time for our feet to land squarely on firm ground. For the moment, Kayla grinned at me as if to say, that was amazing! But Angeline’s dashing off left her stunned and scared.

We were all here, the fourteen alive, Hazel unconscious still, Kendall dead, Angeline off to defeat the mutant. We were scared but unscathed.

Jason and Penelope went in search of food while Jess watched over Hazel and Kendall. I sat watching the sky with Kayla in my lap. I looked for the streak of white, the flap of angel wings, the spot in the sky that was my love.

And when I saw her first, those gorgeous silvery white wings weren’t so white anymore.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring the sting of cuts on my arms. Angeline held herself upright in the air, folded in her wings, and came to a running stop – straight into my waiting arms. I don’t know how many times I kissed her, nor could I remember the taste of anything but blood. She was coated in it – her hair, her lips, her face – just everywhere. And she was shaking. I squeezed her tight, trying to get her to warm up and calm down.

The first and last thing she said for awhile was, “I love you, Danny.”

For the next few hours, everyone was quiet and restless. We had nothing to do, nothing to eat, and unable to leave on their own free will for fear of being caught. I aimlessly tied wheat into knots with Kayla next to me, making her hand invisible and then visible again. The others were also dong their own thing and this was driving all of us crazy – we were born for nonstop action, and we appreciated a break, but being stranded in a field was ridiculous. And Angeline sat cross-legged next to her brother, tears in her eyes, stroking his death-touched forehead. The blood had dried, but it was all over her. We had helped her get the debris out of her hair and wings. She hadn’t spoken once, but her eyes said thousands of words. The battle with the mutant would have to wait to be spoken aloud.

After awhile, Kayla sat in my lap and begged me for a fairytale, like regular nine-year-old girls asked. The only problem was that none of were regular, none of knew normal lives – I couldn’t give her a fairytale. In a hushed whisper, she asked me if Kendall was really dead.

I answered her in a broken tone, staring over at Angeline, “Yes, he really is.”

Kayla was silent.

Who knows how long it was, but finally Mason shouted, “They’re back!” We all jumped to our feet and flagged down Penelope and Jason. We ate their bounties heartily without bothering to wonder if they were paid for or not. Angeline had refused to take anything, but eventually I forced her to, just to keep her strength up. I could almost see energy returning to her as she sipped the water and nibbled the bread.

“Better?” I asked. She nodded, handing me back the stuff and resumed stroking Kendall’s hair. I sighed and gave the rest of her meager dinner to Kayla.