Guarding the Angel

Chapter 6

"No way!" Cloud exclaims, turning to narrow his eyes at me. "How can you have negative potential?"

I close my eyes and rub my temples. This is getting old really fast. What gives him the right to be mad at me for having "negative potential" in a skill that doesn't matter to the majority of the population? 

"Leave her alone," Pat says, "I don't know what is going on here, but you are clearly dangerous and borderline insane."

Cloud continues to ignore Pat and glare at me. I glare back at him. The glaring contest would've continued, indefinitely, if not for the sound of wood splintering. We both turn to look at the support beams holding up the roof of the house. They turn grayer in color, seemingly aging centuries right before our eyes. 

"Another attack so soon? I shouldn't be surprised!" Cloud shouts angrily. 

His cool and detached demeanor has crumbled. I think I preferred it when he didn't speak or do anything. At least then he wasn't the cause of massive destruction of my house and sanity. I turn to Pat, help him stand up from the couch and pull him out of the collapsing house. Compared to this, the flour incident seems like nothing. 

Cloud is still ranting on about misfortune and the injustice of the world when my entire house comes down on him. I let go of Pat's arm, cross my arms and roll my eyes. A moment later, the heap of where my house used to be begins to shake. Cloud bursts from the center of the ruin. Fire flares up around him as he bursts into the sky. Streaks of silver gleam on his wings as he flies into the air. His eyes glow gold for a moment and then the remains of my house are incinerated, leaving fine white ash particles floating around in the air. They have an uncanny resemblance to flour. 

I turn to look at Pat. His mouth is agape as he watches Cloud float down from the sky. Cloud lands before us, eyes turning back to their normal pale blue. I raise my hands and slowly clap them together, five times in a row. Cloud misses the complete lack of emotion on my face and his mouth upturns at the corners. "Even with your negative effect on my powers, I am still more powerful than mortal minds can comprehend," he brags.

"Harimanne, we need to get out of here," Pat whispers in my ear. His voice shakes as much as the rest of him. His face has lost all color and he looks ready to pass out without the help of a stool. 

"There is no escaping me," Cloud declares, "From now on, both of you will accompany me across the country as I take back my kingdom."

Pat sweeps me off my feet and begins to run away. I refrain from pointing out the fact that Cloud is gliding alongside us with complete ease. Something tells me Pat wouldn't hear my words anyways. Mentally, I start counting the seconds. 613 seconds later, Pat stops running. He sets me down and then collapses to his knees, completely out of breath. 

Cloud stops gliding and stands next to us. "You two are cowards," he says coldly, "It's a shame I am not allowed to kill mortals myself when I am bound to a Protector. I don't suppose you would be willing to kill him and then yourself?" Once he finishes speaking, he looks oddly hopeful.

I answer his question with a glare. His expression goes almost entirely blank again, but one of his eyebrows twitches. 

"Stay away from us, you monster," Pat gasps out, breath returning.

"Monster? That's not nice," Cloud says seriously.

Pat opens his mouth, presumably to continue launching insults. 

"That's enough," I tell Pat, "Cloud may have tried to mind control me, covered my kitchen in flour, knocked you unconscious, incinerated my house, repeatedly insulted me and failed to apologize for any of it, but he hasn't caused anyone serious harm. Calling him a monster is unfair."

Cloud and Pat wear identical expressions. Both open and close their mouths at the same time, no words coming out. If I had a camera, I would catch this moment on tape. Unfortunately, my cell-phone with its camera was destroyed with the house. 

Pat recovers first. "What do you mean he hasn't caused anybody serious harm? Do you think it will be easy on your mother to rebuild the entire house? Also, do you know how bad my head is pounding right now?"

I shrug. "It seems like she's always looking for a chance to redecorate. At first she'll be put out, but then she'll get to tap into her creative side. It might make her loosen up a bit. At the very least, she'll appreciate the peace of everyday life after she's done dealing with it. As for your head, I'm sure it will go back to normal soon enough."

"Did you also take a blow to the head?" Pat demands, "Harimanne, for as long as I've known you, I've never seen you as a fool. I always thought you held a quiet type of insight. Now, I'm beginning to reconsider my views of you."

Since I try not to care what anyone thinks of me, when it doesn't affect my future career opportunities, Pat's words don't have much of an impact on me. Beyond a single pang in my chest, I'm unchanged. Cloud, on the other hand, looks much changed. He's shaking slightly and physically pulling the corners of his lips down. I quirk one of my eyebrows up as I watch him fight against himself.

Finally, he drops his hands and stares straight at me impassively. "You're strange," he concludes.

"Your pathetic attempt at escape didn't work," a loud voice cackles and then a floating guy with lobster claws and a rainbow Mohawk descends upon us.