The Light and Fallen (6 page)

Document production was just one of the many
functions that allowed angels to live undetected. Just one of the
many things he had yet to learn about. That was the great thing
about being a little
more
than human. Although he was forced
to accept the limitations of his body, the Guardians could supply
him with anything he might want or need.

The gas pump had a small yellow prepay
sticker on it, so he headed into the gas station. He flipped
through the crisp twenty dollar bills in his wallet and pulled out
two to pay the cashier. When he walked back into the parking lot a
bright yellow Mustang with white racing stripes and sparkling rims
was parked only inches behind him. As he got closer he recognized
Jack, the boy from the locker room, leaning against its hood.

Jack waved lazily as Lucian walked toward
him. "Nice truck."

"It gets me where I need to go." Lucian
nodded toward the Mustang. "Is that yours?"

Jack nodded. "Just got it last week," he
said. He patted the hood, then pushed himself up and sauntered
toward Lucian. He stretched out a hand and gave him a wide smile
that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I was passing by and wanted to
say hi. We weren't properly introduced today, and since we're the
new kids in town, we really should stick together."

Lucian took his extended hand, and Jack
clenched his fist tightly. One of his knuckles popped as Jack
leaned in closer. "In fact," he whispered, "I think we'll get to
know one another very well."

He let go of Lucian's hand and took a small
step back, watching. Lucian stood motionless and met Jack's stare
straight on. "Maybe," he said. "Only time can tell."

After a few seconds Jack spun on his heel and
slid behind the wheel of the Mustang. He revved its V-8 engine
before he slammed the car into reverse and peeled out of the gas
station parking lot. He sped through town until he hit the
outskirts, then pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor and
flew down the highway into the darkening twilight.

After a few miles he slowed his speed
slightly and turned onto an unmarked side road. It was narrow at
first, then suddenly opened up and twisted to the right. It cut
through a wide, manicured field and ended in front of a pair of
black security gates. He slid to a smooth stop and pushed a small
button next to the gearshift, causing the gates to shudder, and
then swing aside. A security camera was trained on the gates and he
blew a kiss into the lens as he drove beneath it. Desiree was
probably watching him on the security system right now.

A graceful, white columned mansion loomed in
front of him, and he parked the car in an empty bay of its massive
attached garage. When he entered the house through a side door, he
stepped into a kitchen straight out of a magazine. It was excessive
really, he thought, all slick granite and gleaming stainless
steel.

Desiree was sitting at the kitchen island
when he walked into the room. He knew she'd heard him come in, but
she didn't turn around or acknowledge him in any way. He repressed
a small smile as he ran his eyes over the graceful curves of her
shoulders. He had stayed with many Guardians over the centuries,
but she would always be his favorite.

He walked around the edge of the island and
saw that she was sipping a blood-red wine. He spun the bottle in
front of her so that he could read the label and raised an eyebrow.
"Expensive," he said. "What are we celebrating?"

"You tell me." She slid her eyes in his
direction and fixed him with a hard, glittering stare. "You
certainly look pleased with yourself."

"It's definitely him." Jack slid an empty
glass from a holder beneath the counter and twirled its stem
between his fingers. "I shook his hand so hard I would've broken
his fingers if he were human. He didn't even flinch."

"Was that wise?" Desiree spun her chair
around and faced him fully. "Positively revealing yourself by
crushing his hand? Seems like you threw away the element of
surprise."

Jack reached for the bottle and let some of
the ruby liquid trail into his glass. "I don't need surprise," he
said. "I just need to get into his head."

He swirled the wineglass slowly. "It wouldn't
take him long to figure it out anyway. We have PE together."

"Show a little restraint," Desiree suggested.
"And put that glass back. You shouldn't be drinking."

Jack rolled his eyes. "So you're older and
wiser now?" he mocked. "Here I was thinking we were the same
age."

"It's not about age," she snapped. "It's
about you! You're reckless, just like you always have been." She
snatched the glass out of his hand and slid it away from him. "I
thought you would age better, but clearly I was wrong."

Jack slammed his palms onto the counter and
leaned into Desiree until he was so close her hair brushed against
his cheek. "I am better!" he snapped.

He closed his eyes as he tried to compose
himself, then rocked back on his heels. "I'm the best. No one can
track the Light like me."

"I know." Desiree slid off her stool and
sauntered around the granite island, trailing her fingertips over
its smooth surface. She was wearing a short black sheath with
strategically placed ruffles that drew his eyes down her body to
her long, toned legs.

"You're here because you are the best." She
stopped in front of Jack and placed her hands on his shoulders.
With the height of her heels he was able to look straight into her
smoldering eyes. "But just because you're the best doesn't mean you
cannot fail."

She slid her hands slowly over his biceps and
down his forearms without breaking her gaze, and his pulse
quickened as his body responded to her touch. She shifted closer to
him and her breath tickled his lips. "We're so close," she
whispered. "Finally, after all this time. All you need to do is
focus. Find out what he's doing here and stop him."

Lucian wished he could know for sure who was
human. Not having a way to tell was so inconvenient. Jack had been
strong. Almost too strong. Was he human, or one of the Host? And if
he was one of the Host, which side was he on?

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he
drove past Duncan and Sofia's house twice. He was making his third
trip around the block when Duncan stepped out onto the front porch
and waved him in.

As he turned into the gravel drive he was
struck by how out of place the house looked. All the surrounding
houses were made of light colored brick, had extremely green grass,
and sat close to the road. Duncan and Sofia's farmhouse, in
contrast, had a sprawling front yard blanketed with moss and ferns.
The house wasn't large, but it was graced with an expansive porch
overflowing with chairs and pots of vibrantly colored flowers.

Duncan jogged down the steps as Lucian parked
the truck under the spreading branches of a large oak tree that
dominated the front yard. "Come on inside," he said. "Sofia saved
you a plate." He clapped a beefy hand on Lucian's shoulder and
guided him up the front steps and through the screen door.

"In the kitchen," Sofia called. She was
placing a steaming bowl of stew on a scarred table large enough to
feed at least twelve when Lucian entered. He fell into the nearest
chair, suddenly exhausted and ravenous, and realized that he hadn't
eaten all day. He couldn't identify the chunks in the stew, but it
smelled delicious, and he shoved a hot spoonful into his mouth.

"Slow down," Sofia urged him. "It's not going
to disappear."

She poured herself a glass of water and sat
down across the table, and Duncan joined her with a slab of
chocolate cake and a pitcher of milk. He knew they wanted to ask
about his day, but they both seemed content to wait.

He was struck again by their quiet harmony.
They seemed perfectly matched, but there could be few couples on
Earth that looked like they belonged together less. Duncan was six
foot seven with the broad build of a linebacker, dark hooded eyes,
and a large bald head. His ebony skin stretched taut over muscles
that bulged from places most people didn't even know they had.
Sofia was tall too, only a few inches shorter than Lucian, willowy
and slender. She wasn't overtly muscular like Duncan was, but he
knew she was strong. Her every movement exuded a deep sense of
serenity.

When Lucian looked up again, his bowl was
empty. Sofia carried it across the kitchen to a heavy enamel pot
simmering on the stove and refilled it. As she slid the full bowl
back across the table, Duncan finally broke the silence. "How was
the first day?" he asked. "Being human?"

Lucian toyed with his spoon before he
answered. "It was hard," he said. "Different than I expected. After
all the watching, all the training, I thought I knew what humans
were like. I thought they would all be the same, like background
noise. I thought I would spend all my time thinking about the
key."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?"

"No," he admitted. "My emotions were all over
the place." He hesitated and wondered what Duncan was thinking. He
was embarrassed to continue, but he knew he should tell his
Guardians everything. "In fact," he said, "I spent most of the day
thinking about a girl."

He shoved his bowl away and stared down at
the table. "What am I doing? It's barely been twenty-four hours and
I already lost focus. This assignment is so important, but I don't
how to do it."

Sofia reached across the table and rested her
fingers on his arm. "Trust me," she said. "No one ever does. We all
falter, but in the end we find our way. It may just take a little
time."

"I don't have time!" he exclaimed. "No one
does! Especially since I wasted thirty-two days sleeping!"

Duncan wiped his mouth with a napkin. "It's
gonna get easier man," he said. "You'll see. Tell me about the
girl."

"Forget the girl!" Lucian snapped. "She
doesn't matter. I'm not going to think about her anymore."

Duncan laughed. "Easier said than done."

His voice dropped and became more serious. "I
know you're used to having the great big picture in front of you,
being a Dominion and all, but that don't happen here. You gotta
accept that things'll come together." He steepled his fingers
beneath his chin and stared at Lucian. "You're used to making all
the decisions," he continued, "but you're in it now. You gotta let
go of all that control you're used to having."

"He's right," Sofia said. "And your mission,
finding the key, is the most important thing."

"I
know
," Lucian said. Everything they
were saying was true, but he felt exasperated. "As soon as school
was out I started looking, but finding a single, random thing
without knowing what to look for is a little difficult."

"You do seem to have less knowledge than the
angels that have come to us in the past," Sofia admitted. "I
thought a Dominion would surely arrive with a plan. But if you
arrived without information, then there's a reason."

Lucian sighed. "How can knowing
nothing
help me?"

"I don't know," Sofia said, "but it
will."

She elbowed Duncan gently. "We've been living
down here in the Dark for centuries, and one thing we've learned is
that there's always a plan, even when we can't see it. Sometimes
you just have to wait for it to find you."

Almost before Samara realized it, the first
months of the year skipped by. The weather turned balmy, and the
morning air held a damp chill. She still dreaded the moment she had
to leave the solitude of her car, but each day it was a little
easier.

Her mother had moved into the spare bedroom
that looked out onto their front yard, and although there had still
been no news about her father, this small act seemed to shake Dina
out of her depression. She had been relieved to arrive home from
school several weeks earlier to find Dina dressed and in the
kitchen, baking bread with all the lights on.

Lucian hadn't spoken to her since the first
day of school. She sometimes passed him as she navigated the halls
between classes, or caught a glimpse of his face from across the
gym, but his eyes always slid right over her as if she were
invisible. She hoped it was her imagination, but sometimes she
thought he was avoiding her on purpose.

Carin continued to be intensely curious about
both Lucian and Jack. She monitored who they talked to with the
skill of a private investigator, and reported her findings to
Samara as they shredded old records in the office.

According to Carin, Lucian wasn't saying much
to anyone. In fact, he seemed to be doing his best to stay under
the radar. He was in every class on time with his notebook out, but
he only took a few notes. Most of the time he stared at a point
somewhere over his teachers' left shoulders or at the clock, and as
soon as the bell rang each afternoon he went straight to his
truck.

Girls clustered around him in the hallways
and a few of the bolder ones even waited for him in the parking
lot, but he ignored their advances. He had turned down every girl
who had asked him out. Carin had heard that the way he said no was
so kind, so devastatingly charming, that it only made them want him
more.

Every time Carin said his name, Samara's
heart gave a little flip. She couldn't stop hearing his voice when
she lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep, or forget the way
his eyes had looked when he'd said, "You're beautiful." She tried
to put him out of her mind, because judging from his behavior he
wasn't the least bit interested in her, whatever words he might
have said. Still, whenever she saw him coming toward her in the
hall, she felt a flutter of hope There was always a moment when she
thought he was coming for her.