The Beckoning of Angels Post 1
THE BECKONING OF ANGELS
AUTHOR: Persephone100
CHARACTERS: OC'S
BETA: thrihyrne
RATING: NC 17
SPOILERS: NONE
SYNOPSIS: A boy and his family are forced to leave their city to escape the violent Wraeththu. They move to a commune in the middle of nowhere. However, they find that Wraeththu are everywhere and things turn out quite differently than anyone expected.
DISCLAIMER: All the characters and their world and all things Wraeththu belong to Storm Constantine, to whom I am very grateful.
It was a lovely day in late May as I made my way home from school, happy that there were only a couple of weeks of classes left until summer vacation. We lived in a suburb of Atlanta, where summers were long and it got very hot toward the last weeks of school. I was lost in thought when I heard someone call my name.
“Tom! Wait up!”
I turned to see my best friend, Will, running to catch up with me. We usually walked to and from school together, but today he didn’t show up in front of the school after classes as usual, so I’d left without him.
“Where were you?” I asked.
His cheeks flushed and he grinned excitedly. “Lily asked me what the English homework assignment was.”
I gave him a smile. I knew he had a huge crush on the slender, dark-haired Lily. This must have been monumental for him.
“After I told her, she hung around and talked to me for a while. I had to stay. When she left she actually touched my arm and thanked me! I couldn’t believe it!”
“I’m happy for you Will, really.”
“Do you think it means anything? I mean, do you think it means she likes me?”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. Girls are a mystery to me.”
“But you have a sister. Doesn’t that give you an edge or something?”
“Hah! Not hardly! A sister isn’t a ‘real’ girl. She’s just--” I shrugged again. “A sister.”
“You’re no help!” he said, shoving me teasingly.
We’d gotten to my house that was three houses away from Will’s. We stopped in front and Will said, “Since it’s Friday, how about you ask your parents if you can stay over.”
“Okay. I’ll come over after dinner.”
“See ya!” he called as he ran up the street.
I opened our front gate and walked past the rosebush-lined path into our house. The smell of something cooking greeted me. I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to figure out what it was. Jambalaya? Stew? Soup? I headed for the kitchen to find out. My mother was there stirring something.
“Hi, Thomas. How was school?”
“Okay. What’s cooking?”
“Jambalaya.”
I put my books down and sat at the kitchen table.
“Do you want a snack?”
“No. I’ll wait for the jambalaya,” I said hungrily.
“Did you see your sister?”
“No. I walked home with Will. Oh, can I stay over tonight at his house?”
My Mom sighed. “I guess so.”
“Thanks.”
I left the kitchen to go watch TV until dinner was ready. As I sat, something occurred to me. I hadn’t seen my sister Rebecca at all that day. I was in middle school and she was in high school but the buildings were right next to each other and I usually saw her at some point during the day. Becca, or as she liked to be called lately, “Beck,” had kind of been off in her own world recently. I didn’t think it unusual for a sixteen-year-old girl and she still confided in me a lot, which I was thankful for because it meant that I could do the same.
Just then, I heard the front screen door slam and Beck let her books fall onto the table as she flopped down on the couch next to me. She heaved a deep sigh.
“I didn’t see you today. Where were you?” I asked.
She gave me a “look.”
“Don’t ask.”
“Were you at school?”
“Shhh!” She looked around. “Where’s Mom?”
“In the kitchen.”
“And Dad?”
“Not home yet, of course.”
“Oh yeah, right.”
She looked intently into my eyes. “Don’t tell. You promise?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I played hooky from school today and spent it with Travis.”
I smiled at her. “No way! You didn’t get caught?”
“No. I heard that if you write a note saying you went to a funeral, they wouldn’t call your parents. It’s considered to be in bad taste.”
“Who died?” I asked, laughing.
“Our unfortunate Great Aunt Laura.”
I couldn’t help admiring my older sis for her pluck and ingenuity.
“I know you’re a girl, but you’ve got more balls than I’ve got.”
She laughed, slapping me on the leg.
The front screen door once more slammed, meaning our father was home.
He passed by us and set his briefcase down in the hallway, giving us a smile, then he headed off for the kitchen.
“What are you going to do this weekend?” Beck asked me.
“I’m staying over at Will’s tonight, but…”
Beck gave me another look.
“Yeah I know,” I said. “Sunday we’ll have to go to church.”
Beck nodded solemnly.
Our parents had decided to join a church that was too fundamental for Beck and me. We didn’t like it. Beck told me she remembered a time when our parents didn’t go to church at all but I, being two years younger, didn’t remember a time when we didn’t attend church. Beck told me they’d joined the church when she was seven and I was five. She pretty much thought all of it to be bullshit but I wasn’t sure. I believed that there was something else out there, some other realm or something, but I didn’t put any stock in the church my parents had chosen either. The people there seemed too judgmental, too intolerant and way too sure that their way was the only way. I couldn’t subscribe to that. Even though I was only fourteen, I knew what I believed and didn’t believe.
Beck and I hated going to that church but we had no choice. We didn’t want to defy our parents on that level. We pretty much lived our lives happily day to day and forced ourselves to stand church one hour a week. As long as it wasn’t anything more than that, we could tolerate it without making a stink. Unfortunately, things were about to change.
I usually didn’t pay much attention to the weekly haranguing sermon. I tried to take my mind to a better place but this particular Sunday I couldn’t. The preacher yelled and spat and forced down all our throats a sermon about the coming of demons - beings that were intent upon the destruction of humanity. He spoke of tribes of violent beings that, according to him, were already preying upon innocent humans. They killed and destroyed. He called them “sexual deviants” who sometimes took captives to make them into the monsters that they were. The only thought that I could conjure in my mind was of vampires. How stupid! Vampires were mythical beings. How could a preacher of a legitimate church preach such garbage? I looked to my sister who pretended to stick her finger down her throat and vomit and I couldn’t stifle my laughter. Our actions drew stern and disapproving looks from our parents and we settled down.
After the weekly torture was over, we thankfully left the church and went home. After we got there, our Mom got a meal together. As we partook of it, she loudly set her utensils down and we all looked at her.
“You two were very rude in church today,” she said, looking to Beck and me.
We looked at each other and kept silent. Our Mom’s words hung in the air.
Beck broke the silence. “You can’t believe that garbage he was spewing!”
I held my breath, wide-eyed at my sister’s boldness.
“Garbage?” our Mom said, emphatically. “You have no idea of the imminent dangers that threaten humanity! There is a plague out there! A plague that threatens all human life as we know it! And whether you like it or not, your father and I are going to protect you from it!”
Our father put his hand on our Mother’s arm and she quieted.
“Just finish your meal,” our Mother instructed.
Beck and I did as she said, exchanging looks with each other. I really felt weird.
Later, after my sister and I were supposed to be asleep, Beck came into my room.
“Psst! Tom! Are you awake?”
“Yeah”
She sat on the foot of my bed as I sat up.
“What the fuck do you think our parents are up to?” she asked.
“I couldn’t begin to guess, but if they believe what that asshole preacher said, I shudder to think.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Huh? I was counting on you! You’re older and you’ve got more guts!”
“This seems big--bigger than the guts I’ve got.”
“Do you think there’s any truth to what the preacher said?”
At first she huffed like it was insignificant, but then she looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“I think the preacher’s full of shit, but that doesn’t mean there’s not something out there. I’ll go talk to my friend, Mena. Her parents aren’t religious or weird. I’ll get the straight story from her. I’ll talk to her tomorrow after school.”
“So you’re going to show up at school tomorrow?”
My sister gave me a dirty look. “Yes,” she said, and flipped me off.
I laughed, and slept soundly.
*~*~*~*
On Monday, Beck and I went off to school as usual. I talked to my best friend and tried to assure him that he should speak to the girl of his dreams. As always, I got through the day, weathering the few comments like being called freckle-face or carrot-top. There was a girl, however, that seemed to like me. Her name was Jane. I liked her as a friend but I knew she liked me as more than that. I wasn’t ready to like a girl as more than a friend and when she spoke to me I felt very uneasy.
Later that night, as I pondered the events of the day, I finally confronted the feelings I had. I wasn’t really attracted to any girl. What did this mean? My sister once referred to me as a late bloomer. Was that all there was to it? I decided to go to sleep and ponder my dilemma at another time.
~*~*~*~
Finally, the end of the school year arrived. It was always a happy time for me! I reveled in the freedom and the chance to do whatever I wanted. I could now spend time with my best friend, swim and skateboard; we could stay over at each other’s houses and generally just have fun for three months. However, unbeknownst to me, this summer things would be different.
For the first couple of weeks of vacation all seemed normal. Will and I went to the skate park, where Lily just happened to show up and hang out with us. Obviously, she had a thing for Will and I was happy for him. Beck hung out with Travis, her boyfriend, and her friends, Mena and Nan. All seemed copacetic. Then the bomb dropped.
One night at dinner, our parents seemed on edge. I could feel it and when I glanced over at Beck, she shrugged. I knew she felt it, too. After dinner, Beck and I made ready to leave the house and go out with our friends when my Dad came into my room.
“Tom, your mother and I want to talk to you and Rebecca.”
“About what?”
“Just come down to the family room, okay?”
“Yeah…sure.”
What the hell was this about? I thought. Where was Beck?
When I entered the family room I was met with a tableau of both my parents standing, looking very serious and a very confused and apprehensive Beck sitting on the couch. I sat down beside her. My father spoke.
“We…uh, have something to tell you both.”
Then our Mom took over.
“I know you kids don’t believe it, but there is a real threat to humanity and life as we know it.”
Beck opened her mouth to protest.
“NO!!” our mom said, loudly. “You’re going to listen! It’s not just the people in our church who believe this. There are people or whatever out there bent on the destruction of humanity and life as we know it. We’ve tried to protect you from the truth but the time has come to let you know what’s going on. They’re coming and we have to leave here to survive.”
“What?” Beck asked shaking her head in disbelief. “Have you two gone insane? What…what are you talking about?”
“They’re called Wraeththu. They’re bands of males who…well they entice or force boys and young men to join them to increase their numbers and they take over cities, running people off, taking their homes and kidnapping their young males. They’re evil! It’s a plague and one that we can’t stop. Our only hope is to retreat. We need to leave here and go somewhere safe.”
“Oh, my fucking God!!!” my sister yelled. “I can’t believe this! You’re both crazy! I’m out of here! I’m SO out of here!!!” She grabbed her purse and ran out the door. Our Mom ran after her and yelled from the porch.
“Rebecca! Get back here, now! Rebecca!”
I sat on the couch with my hands on my ears, my eyes squeezed shut. I felt my Dad’s hand on my shoulder. I started and looked up at him.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I expected her to react like that.” He sat by me on the couch.
“Listen, Tom. This is for real. We need to get out of the city. Maybe we’ll come back when it’s safe. We’re not selling the house or anything. Maybe our retreat will only be temporary. I hope so. I like my job. I haven’t resigned, I’ve just taken a sabbatical. Your Mom and I grew up here. We love our home and our life here. We don’t want to leave. We just know we have to - for all of our sakes. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t believe it was necessary.”
I nodded, wanting to believe him.
~*~*~*~
Later that night as I lay in bed, I wondered what Beck was doing. Would she come back? Would something happen to her out there? I was worried. After I finally dozed off I was soon awakened. Someone was shaking me.
“Huh? What the…Beck! You’re back!”
“Shhh! Yeah.” She sat on my bed.
“I went to Mena’s. I spoke with her and her Mom. Believe it or not, our parents are right. The Wraeththu do exist and Mena’s parents are afraid, too. They don’t have the means or a place to go so they’re going to wait it out here and hope for the best. They may never come here, but if they do…I can’t believe this is happening!” She raked her fingers through her wild, dyed-black hair.
“So…so our parents aren’t overreacting?”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that but the threat is evidently real. Mena’s Mom said there were reports of whole towns being burned and destroyed and that a lot of it didn’t make the news because they didn’t want people to panic. But these…beings are out there, mostly in cities.”
“Why didn’t anyone say something sooner?”
“You know how it is. People believe what they want to until they can’t fool themselves any longer.”
“So we’re really leaving?”
She heaved a sigh. “Yeah, it looks that way.”
Instead of going to her room, Beck curled up at the foot of my bed. I was glad not to be alone.
~*~*~*~
The next few days were spent packing up all the things we wanted to take with us and putting them into a covered trailer my father had bought to tow behind our car. I went to say goodbye to Will and almost cried. I swore I’d come back someday no matter what happened. He seemed to be emotional, too. I wished him good luck with Lily and told him that our friendship meant the world to me. We slapped each other on the back and I quickly left so he wouldn’t see me cry.
Early the next morning, Beck and I got into the back seat of our car and took a long last look at our home as we pulled away. All of us were silent for a long time as we rode along, away from all that meant anything to us.
Later on our father, trying to lighten the mood I guess, said, “Let’s think of this as an adventure. We’re going to a new place. We can think of ourselves as sort of…pioneers.”
I gave him credit for effort, but neither Beck nor I wanted this particular type of adventure. We were going to a place where everyone would be from the church we hated. Neither of us had any friends there. It was going to be lonely and boring, I just knew it. At least I had Beck. That was the only good thing I could come up with about this whole thing. Misery, it seemed, does love company.
~*~*~*~
We drove for days, staying at motels and soon all we passed were cornfields, cornfields, and more cornfields. I looked at Beck who looked back at me with the same forlorn expression I’m sure I wore.
Finally we headed down a very long lane, leaving a cloud of dust behind us and arrived at what I would call a compound. There were a few buildings clustered together and rows of other small modular type buildings stretching in several directions. Our parents had explained that some of the members of their church had been there setting things up for congregations from all over the country to eventually come here if and when it became necessary.
My first thought was how ironic it was that religious people set up this place that looked so God-forsaken. We stopped in front of one of the buildings and our parents went inside, leaving Beck and me in the car. I looked over at her. She looked freaked out and neither of us had anything to say. Our parents returned and drove down one of the dirt roads, finally stopping in front of one of the small modular buildings.
“Well,” our Dad said. “This is it. Home sweet home until further notice.”
Beck and I got out and stared at the small plain building. I’m sure she had the same thoughts I did. How are we going to live in this place? It’s awful! It didn’t even look big enough for one person, let alone four! I guessed all of us could say goodbye to our privacy.
Our Mom headed straight inside but our father said, “Hey, I know it’s not what we’re used to but we’ll make it home - you’ll see.” He patted me on the back and followed our Mom inside. I couldn’t even imagine all the stuff we’d brought with us fitting in to such a small place.
I looked at Beck who took a deep breath, shook her head and walked toward the door. I followed.
Once inside, I could tell it had the appearance of more space than it seemed to have looking at it from the outside because it had an open floor plan. Just inside the door was a room that extended the whole length of the front of the house. There were bedrooms behind it and to the right and a kitchen/dining area through an archway and to the left. To my great relief, we seemed to have electricity and a gas supply. There was only one bathroom but at least we had one. And I was also relieved when our Mom turned on the water at the kitchen sink. I’d feared it would be even more primitive. The bedrooms were miniscule, with barely room for a bed and dresser but at least my parents, sister and I each had our own private space.
We silently began to move in our things. The whole scene seemed surreal to me, like it was a bad dream - a very bad dream. After we moved in the kitchen stuff and our furniture, we were on our own to make our rooms the way we wanted. I moved my boxes of belongings into my room and couldn’t do any more. I just sat on my bed wanting to cry. But I couldn’t even do that. I missed Will. I missed my normal life already. How was I going to stand it here? I didn’t even want to unpack my things - that would make it too real. I sat for a time with my head in my hands, when I felt someone sit on my bed. Beck wordlessly put her arm around me and we sat there feeling miserable.
That night after dinner I went to my room to sleep. I still hadn’t unpacked my things. I lay in my bed looking through the curtain-less windows at a stark half moon, wondering what was to become of us. I was on the verge of tears when Beck came in. She sat on my bed and looked at me, a very determined expression on her face. I regarded her quizzically. She took a deep breath.
“Okay,” she stated. “We’re here. We don’t want to be, but we are. We can either give in to depression or we can try to find a way to make this place work for us. I vote for the latter.”
In spite of everything, I smiled.
“There’s got to be something good about this place and I’m guessing there are some other people our age who feel the same way we do. It’s our mission to find both.”
She put her hand up and I high-fived her.
“Finding something good about this hellhole might take a while,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ve got time.”
I laughed out loud, something I had wondered if I’d ever do again. I wanted to kiss her.
“We’ll go exploring tomorrow,” she suggested. “We’ll find something to redeem this place. Goodnight little brother.”
I lay back in bed with renewed hope. God, my sister was something else.
~*~*~*~
The next morning after breakfast Beck said, “Tom and I are going exploring, okay? We want to familiarize ourselves with our new environment.”
Our Mom actually smiled. “Sure,” she said. “Just be back for lunch.”
Beck nodded and we headed out.
“Mom thinks that there’s absolutely no trouble we can get into here. As long as she thinks that, we’ve got carte blanche!”
“But maybe there isn’t anything we can get into,” I said.
“Oh, we’ll find something.”
We made our way through the compound and saw several families going about different activities. We passed by a house where a little girl was jumping rope and a good-looking boy was feeding horses. He stared obviously at Beck, who stared back and winked. The boy smiled widely.
“Hmmm,” she said. “Maybe I’ve found a kindred spirit. And a cute one at that!”
“How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Just look at a guy and get his interest.”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m no super model. I think it’s attitude. You could do the same.”
“No way!”
“Why not?”
“I’m not a super model either and I don’t have ‘attitude.’”
“Well, get some!”
“How do I do that? I think you’ve either got it or you haven’t.”
“Watch and learn, grasshopper.”
We headed over to the good-looking horse-feeding boy.
As we approached he seemed to draw himself up, trying to look as buff as he could. My sister worked her magic.
“Hi. My family and I just got here yesterday. We don’t know anything about the workings of this place. Could you enlighten us?”
“It would be my pleasure,” the handsome youth said.
“Maybe you could show us around. Oh, I’m Beck and this is my brother, Tom.”
“Nice to meet you both. I’m Josh.”
He showed us around, letting us know about the workings of the place: chickens for eggs and meat, cows and goats for milk, some of the crops they grew, stuff like that.
As he explained things to us, I could tell that Josh was very interested in Beck. He hardly took his eyes off her and when he occasionally turned his attention to me for a second, I knew he was just being polite. After a while, my sister gave me the signal that she wanted me to make myself scarce, so I made an excuse and left.
I didn’t know what to do with myself and didn’t want to go home without Beck because then our parents would be suspicious, so I just wandered until I came to a river. I walked along its grassy banks for quite a distance. I finally sat, took off my shoes and dangled my feet in the water.
As I sat watching the river flow and taking in the scenery, I heard voices. Instinctively, I hid myself behind some bushes. There before me, across the river were the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen. They were conversing and laughing. Several of them disrobed and swam in the river. As I looked at them, I was amazed. They didn’t seem to be human. They looked male, but more than male. They had something more than a normal male member. It looked like a slender stalk with a flower bud on the end, and each creature’s had a different mixture of colors. They also had the appearance of being neither male nor female - or maybe both male and female. Oh, my God, I thought. They’re angels! My parents were right! This place was safe--protected by angels, no less!
The longer I watched them, the more fascinated I became. They joked and laughed, ate and drank and skinny-dipped. I never thought of angels doing such things, but then I figured if they were relegated to earth to watch over humans, they had to fill the time somehow. I was puzzled because I’d always assumed angels to be invisible to humans, but I also supposed they didn’t know anyone was observing them so they didn’t bother to hide themselves. I was riveted and I found myself having the strangest feelings. I’d never been physically attracted to anyone before, but these gorgeous beings… I found myself wondering why they’d even have sexual organs but then I remembered a rather obscure story in the Bible where the fallen angels had relations with human women and created a race of giants. How bizarre! And it was even more bizarre that I remembered it! I felt I shouldn’t be such a voyeur but I couldn’t tear myself away. I had what I figured to be an instantaneous crush on them. What kind of an idiot was I? I was sure it would be considered a sin to think of an angel in a sexual way! But then you can’t help who you’re attracted to, can you? It just happens. I couldn’t conceive of anyone not finding these creatures irresistible!
I had no inkling of how much time had passed but later the angels began to gather their things and leave the riverside. I watched until the last one left my sight. Would they come back? Could I ever look upon them again? After a short time, I decided to go back to our place, deliberately memorizing the exact spot where the angels had appeared. When I got close to the house, I hung back until I saw Beck returning. I knew if I went home without her, my parents would question me. For the time being, I decided to keep the lovely creatures to myself. I needed to see them at least one more time before even telling Beck about them. But if they came to the river again, I’d take Beck there to see them, too.
Beck walked tentatively toward the house, looking around. I came over to her and she looked relieved.
“Hey!” she said.
“I didn’t want to go in without you.”
“Thanks,” she said, patting my hand.
“What did you get up to?” I asked.
“Nothing much, but…I think Josh is my new boyfriend.”
I shook my head at her and grinned.
“He’s really good looking,” I said.
She looked at me, wide-eyed. “I didn’t think guys noticed things like that.”
“Well, I’m not blind!”
She looked at me a moment, laughed and then we went into the house.
“Where have you two been?” Our Mom asked, as she went about cooking. “You missed lunch.”
“We were making new friends,” Beck said.
Our Mom seemed pleased. She wasn’t mad or on edge or anything like she’d been at home.
“We met a nice family and a very nice boy named Josh showed Tom and me around.”
“Really! How nice.”
My sister gave me a wink. I smiled. She could be truly evil. I knew she wanted our Mom to think there was absolutely no trouble we could get into here. Then we really would have as she’d said, “carte blanche.” How did she get so diabolically clever? And why didn’t I inherit that gene?
Our Dad came home from a sort of briefing he’d gone to with the men and we all sat down to dinner. Afterwards I took my cue from Beck and helped clean up. She was really laying it on thick.
“If it’s okay, Tom and I are going back to Josh’s house. He said the view of the stars here is phenomenal!”
“Okay. Have fun.”
After we’d walked a short way, Beck gave me a devious smile and said, “Josh didn’t show us quite all the crops.”
“Huh?” I was confused.
“There’s a special one he has near the river: weed.”
“Whoa! For real? You mean marijuana?”
“That’s right: marijuana, Mary Jane, grass, ganja - well, you get the idea. He is going to show us the stars tonight, but we’ll be a little lit up ourselves.”
I giggled like a little girl. I couldn’t believe this! I’d only tried it once before a year or so ago when Beck and a couple of her girlfriends decided it would be fun to get Will and me high.
When Josh ushered us into his house, he very properly introduced us to his parents and two younger sisters, Annie and Liz. Liz was soon to turn thirteen and Annie was only seven. She gave me a big grin showing off the space where her two front baby teeth had been. I figured she gave me such a huge smile because she was a freckly ginger, too. Liz came with us as we left the house and headed for the river. She looked a lot younger than almost thirteen. She was dressed in jean capris and a t-shirt, her light brown hair in two braids. I would have figured her to be more like ten. I guessed she was a late bloomer, too.
Josh and Beck talked and laughed, holding hands and making goo-goo eyes at each other. It seemed Beck was smitten as well. I looked over and smiled at Liz who smiled back and shrugged. She seemed like a nice girl but she hadn’t said a word, yet. Maybe she was uncomfortable around the opposite sex. At least we had something in common.
Dusk was almost upon us as Josh led the way through some grasses to a clearing where there were ten or fifteen very tall and very lush marijuana plants.
“This is it!” Josh announced proudly. “You know the beauty of all this is I never have to worry about cops or feds or anything like that. No one in their right mind comes here! Present company excepted,” he added with a very handsome smile for the benefit of my sister. “Anyway, we didn’t come here willingly. We were dragged here, some of us kicking and screaming. When something fucks up your life, you find a way to deal with it. This is mine and I’m happy to share it with a select few. Oh, don’t tell anyone about this, okay.”
My sister and I nodded in agreement.
“Only three other guys and the four of us here know about it. No one else would even recognize it. They’d just think it was some regular weed that grows by the river. It couldn’t be more perfect.”
Josh went over to a tree with a small knothole in it and took out a bag and a pipe.
“I keep a stash of already dried pot here. There’s no way to get cigarette papers. None of these fanatics smoke, so I made a pipe. Well, let’s enjoy!”
We sat together further down the river at a high rock outcropping where we could have a panoramic view of the night sky. We passed the pipe around and I began to feel really mellow and high. As night fell I saw that Josh hadn’t exaggerated when he’d spoken of the view of the stars. You could see what must have been billions! The Milky Way was in clear view as well as all the summer constellations. We even saw some shooting stars. It was something to behold. I think I’d have felt almost as high without the dope. Being from the city, we’d never seen anything like this before.
After a while, Josh and Beck walked off together. Beck looked back over her shoulder at me and said, “We’ll be back.”
Left alone with Liz who still hadn’t said word one, I felt very nervous and extremely awkward. At first we just sat there in a very uncomfortable silence. Maybe being stoned helped, but I decided to start to break the obvious ice.
“How long have you been here?”
“About six months.”
Her pleasantly low voice belied her childlike appearance.
“Our parents volunteered to help with the final preparations, so…”
“I’m guessing you’re not any happier about being here than Beck and I are.”
“My life wasn’t all that great before. I mean I wasn’t, you know, popular or anything, but what the fuck is the deal with this place? I thought my parents had lost their minds.”
“What did they tell you about their decision to come here?”
She heaved a sigh and looked straight into my eyes, her disdain very plainly showing in her own.
“That there were human-killing immortal demon beings that were out to get us.”
I laughed. “But seriously, Beck checked it out. It’s at least partly true. I mean I’m sure they’re not demons but there were reports of bands of guys destroying cities and stuff.”
“So crime’s out of hand. That’s no reason for our parents to freak and take us into the middle of bleeding nowhere.”
“I can’t argue with that. Did you always belong to the church?”
“No. When our parents heard of the plague that was going to end life as we know it, they decided the cure was to get religion. She used the quotations gesture. “And now,” she stretched her arms out, “here we are.”
“Our story’s pretty much the same.”
“Let’s light up that pipe.”
Liz and I smoked some more, got better acquainted and gazed at the stars for I have no idea how long, when finally Josh and Beck returned. Beck grabbed the pipe and said, “Looks like you two had a high time. Did you leave any for us?”
We laughed and after Josh and Beck smoked some more and were mellow, too, Josh said, “I hate to say it, but I guess we should head back.” Then he added, “Well, maybe we should stay long enough for the high to wear off a little.”
We all giggled, stoned, and agreed.
Later, when we got to Josh and Liz’s house, Josh and Beck kissed goodbye as Liz and I stood there feeling embarrassed and awkward. Suddenly to my surprise, Liz spoke.
“I had fun tonight. I’d really like us to be friends, okay?”
“Uh, yeah! Yeah, I’d like that, too.”
We smiled at each other and when Josh and Beck were finished saying goodnight, we left for our house.
I looked teasingly to Beck and said, “You and Josh were gone for quite a while…”
She smiled at me and answered, “We just made out - that’s all. He’s really a nice guy. I like him a lot.”
“That’s good. Liz and I made friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Yeah. That’s what we both feel comfortable with.”
“Okay then, great!”
When we got to our place, both our parents were asleep, secure in the knowledge that we couldn’t possibly get into any trouble or danger here. Beck and I went to our rooms content. I never thought I’d have even one happy day here. How different things had turned out from what I’d expected. I liked Liz and the fact that we both wanted only to be friends. And then there were the angels, the gorgeous beings I’d encountered. I decided that I would patrol the river until I found them again. As I fell asleep in my small room, looking out the window, the moon didn’t look so stark and the possibility of some happiness in this place, seemed far less impossible.
~~~~* to be continued *~~~~
AUTHOR: Persephone100
CHARACTERS: OC'S
BETA: thrihyrne
RATING: NC 17
SPOILERS: NONE
SYNOPSIS: A boy and his family are forced to leave their city to escape the violent Wraeththu. They move to a commune in the middle of nowhere. However, they find that Wraeththu are everywhere and things turn out quite differently than anyone expected.
DISCLAIMER: All the characters and their world and all things Wraeththu belong to Storm Constantine, to whom I am very grateful.
It was a lovely day in late May as I made my way home from school, happy that there were only a couple of weeks of classes left until summer vacation. We lived in a suburb of Atlanta, where summers were long and it got very hot toward the last weeks of school. I was lost in thought when I heard someone call my name.
“Tom! Wait up!”
I turned to see my best friend, Will, running to catch up with me. We usually walked to and from school together, but today he didn’t show up in front of the school after classes as usual, so I’d left without him.
“Where were you?” I asked.
His cheeks flushed and he grinned excitedly. “Lily asked me what the English homework assignment was.”
I gave him a smile. I knew he had a huge crush on the slender, dark-haired Lily. This must have been monumental for him.
“After I told her, she hung around and talked to me for a while. I had to stay. When she left she actually touched my arm and thanked me! I couldn’t believe it!”
“I’m happy for you Will, really.”
“Do you think it means anything? I mean, do you think it means she likes me?”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. Girls are a mystery to me.”
“But you have a sister. Doesn’t that give you an edge or something?”
“Hah! Not hardly! A sister isn’t a ‘real’ girl. She’s just--” I shrugged again. “A sister.”
“You’re no help!” he said, shoving me teasingly.
We’d gotten to my house that was three houses away from Will’s. We stopped in front and Will said, “Since it’s Friday, how about you ask your parents if you can stay over.”
“Okay. I’ll come over after dinner.”
“See ya!” he called as he ran up the street.
I opened our front gate and walked past the rosebush-lined path into our house. The smell of something cooking greeted me. I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to figure out what it was. Jambalaya? Stew? Soup? I headed for the kitchen to find out. My mother was there stirring something.
“Hi, Thomas. How was school?”
“Okay. What’s cooking?”
“Jambalaya.”
I put my books down and sat at the kitchen table.
“Do you want a snack?”
“No. I’ll wait for the jambalaya,” I said hungrily.
“Did you see your sister?”
“No. I walked home with Will. Oh, can I stay over tonight at his house?”
My Mom sighed. “I guess so.”
“Thanks.”
I left the kitchen to go watch TV until dinner was ready. As I sat, something occurred to me. I hadn’t seen my sister Rebecca at all that day. I was in middle school and she was in high school but the buildings were right next to each other and I usually saw her at some point during the day. Becca, or as she liked to be called lately, “Beck,” had kind of been off in her own world recently. I didn’t think it unusual for a sixteen-year-old girl and she still confided in me a lot, which I was thankful for because it meant that I could do the same.
Just then, I heard the front screen door slam and Beck let her books fall onto the table as she flopped down on the couch next to me. She heaved a deep sigh.
“I didn’t see you today. Where were you?” I asked.
She gave me a “look.”
“Don’t ask.”
“Were you at school?”
“Shhh!” She looked around. “Where’s Mom?”
“In the kitchen.”
“And Dad?”
“Not home yet, of course.”
“Oh yeah, right.”
She looked intently into my eyes. “Don’t tell. You promise?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I played hooky from school today and spent it with Travis.”
I smiled at her. “No way! You didn’t get caught?”
“No. I heard that if you write a note saying you went to a funeral, they wouldn’t call your parents. It’s considered to be in bad taste.”
“Who died?” I asked, laughing.
“Our unfortunate Great Aunt Laura.”
I couldn’t help admiring my older sis for her pluck and ingenuity.
“I know you’re a girl, but you’ve got more balls than I’ve got.”
She laughed, slapping me on the leg.
The front screen door once more slammed, meaning our father was home.
He passed by us and set his briefcase down in the hallway, giving us a smile, then he headed off for the kitchen.
“What are you going to do this weekend?” Beck asked me.
“I’m staying over at Will’s tonight, but…”
Beck gave me another look.
“Yeah I know,” I said. “Sunday we’ll have to go to church.”
Beck nodded solemnly.
Our parents had decided to join a church that was too fundamental for Beck and me. We didn’t like it. Beck told me she remembered a time when our parents didn’t go to church at all but I, being two years younger, didn’t remember a time when we didn’t attend church. Beck told me they’d joined the church when she was seven and I was five. She pretty much thought all of it to be bullshit but I wasn’t sure. I believed that there was something else out there, some other realm or something, but I didn’t put any stock in the church my parents had chosen either. The people there seemed too judgmental, too intolerant and way too sure that their way was the only way. I couldn’t subscribe to that. Even though I was only fourteen, I knew what I believed and didn’t believe.
Beck and I hated going to that church but we had no choice. We didn’t want to defy our parents on that level. We pretty much lived our lives happily day to day and forced ourselves to stand church one hour a week. As long as it wasn’t anything more than that, we could tolerate it without making a stink. Unfortunately, things were about to change.
I usually didn’t pay much attention to the weekly haranguing sermon. I tried to take my mind to a better place but this particular Sunday I couldn’t. The preacher yelled and spat and forced down all our throats a sermon about the coming of demons - beings that were intent upon the destruction of humanity. He spoke of tribes of violent beings that, according to him, were already preying upon innocent humans. They killed and destroyed. He called them “sexual deviants” who sometimes took captives to make them into the monsters that they were. The only thought that I could conjure in my mind was of vampires. How stupid! Vampires were mythical beings. How could a preacher of a legitimate church preach such garbage? I looked to my sister who pretended to stick her finger down her throat and vomit and I couldn’t stifle my laughter. Our actions drew stern and disapproving looks from our parents and we settled down.
After the weekly torture was over, we thankfully left the church and went home. After we got there, our Mom got a meal together. As we partook of it, she loudly set her utensils down and we all looked at her.
“You two were very rude in church today,” she said, looking to Beck and me.
We looked at each other and kept silent. Our Mom’s words hung in the air.
Beck broke the silence. “You can’t believe that garbage he was spewing!”
I held my breath, wide-eyed at my sister’s boldness.
“Garbage?” our Mom said, emphatically. “You have no idea of the imminent dangers that threaten humanity! There is a plague out there! A plague that threatens all human life as we know it! And whether you like it or not, your father and I are going to protect you from it!”
Our father put his hand on our Mother’s arm and she quieted.
“Just finish your meal,” our Mother instructed.
Beck and I did as she said, exchanging looks with each other. I really felt weird.
Later, after my sister and I were supposed to be asleep, Beck came into my room.
“Psst! Tom! Are you awake?”
“Yeah”
She sat on the foot of my bed as I sat up.
“What the fuck do you think our parents are up to?” she asked.
“I couldn’t begin to guess, but if they believe what that asshole preacher said, I shudder to think.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Huh? I was counting on you! You’re older and you’ve got more guts!”
“This seems big--bigger than the guts I’ve got.”
“Do you think there’s any truth to what the preacher said?”
At first she huffed like it was insignificant, but then she looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“I think the preacher’s full of shit, but that doesn’t mean there’s not something out there. I’ll go talk to my friend, Mena. Her parents aren’t religious or weird. I’ll get the straight story from her. I’ll talk to her tomorrow after school.”
“So you’re going to show up at school tomorrow?”
My sister gave me a dirty look. “Yes,” she said, and flipped me off.
I laughed, and slept soundly.
*~*~*~*
On Monday, Beck and I went off to school as usual. I talked to my best friend and tried to assure him that he should speak to the girl of his dreams. As always, I got through the day, weathering the few comments like being called freckle-face or carrot-top. There was a girl, however, that seemed to like me. Her name was Jane. I liked her as a friend but I knew she liked me as more than that. I wasn’t ready to like a girl as more than a friend and when she spoke to me I felt very uneasy.
Later that night, as I pondered the events of the day, I finally confronted the feelings I had. I wasn’t really attracted to any girl. What did this mean? My sister once referred to me as a late bloomer. Was that all there was to it? I decided to go to sleep and ponder my dilemma at another time.
~*~*~*~
Finally, the end of the school year arrived. It was always a happy time for me! I reveled in the freedom and the chance to do whatever I wanted. I could now spend time with my best friend, swim and skateboard; we could stay over at each other’s houses and generally just have fun for three months. However, unbeknownst to me, this summer things would be different.
For the first couple of weeks of vacation all seemed normal. Will and I went to the skate park, where Lily just happened to show up and hang out with us. Obviously, she had a thing for Will and I was happy for him. Beck hung out with Travis, her boyfriend, and her friends, Mena and Nan. All seemed copacetic. Then the bomb dropped.
One night at dinner, our parents seemed on edge. I could feel it and when I glanced over at Beck, she shrugged. I knew she felt it, too. After dinner, Beck and I made ready to leave the house and go out with our friends when my Dad came into my room.
“Tom, your mother and I want to talk to you and Rebecca.”
“About what?”
“Just come down to the family room, okay?”
“Yeah…sure.”
What the hell was this about? I thought. Where was Beck?
When I entered the family room I was met with a tableau of both my parents standing, looking very serious and a very confused and apprehensive Beck sitting on the couch. I sat down beside her. My father spoke.
“We…uh, have something to tell you both.”
Then our Mom took over.
“I know you kids don’t believe it, but there is a real threat to humanity and life as we know it.”
Beck opened her mouth to protest.
“NO!!” our mom said, loudly. “You’re going to listen! It’s not just the people in our church who believe this. There are people or whatever out there bent on the destruction of humanity and life as we know it. We’ve tried to protect you from the truth but the time has come to let you know what’s going on. They’re coming and we have to leave here to survive.”
“What?” Beck asked shaking her head in disbelief. “Have you two gone insane? What…what are you talking about?”
“They’re called Wraeththu. They’re bands of males who…well they entice or force boys and young men to join them to increase their numbers and they take over cities, running people off, taking their homes and kidnapping their young males. They’re evil! It’s a plague and one that we can’t stop. Our only hope is to retreat. We need to leave here and go somewhere safe.”
“Oh, my fucking God!!!” my sister yelled. “I can’t believe this! You’re both crazy! I’m out of here! I’m SO out of here!!!” She grabbed her purse and ran out the door. Our Mom ran after her and yelled from the porch.
“Rebecca! Get back here, now! Rebecca!”
I sat on the couch with my hands on my ears, my eyes squeezed shut. I felt my Dad’s hand on my shoulder. I started and looked up at him.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I expected her to react like that.” He sat by me on the couch.
“Listen, Tom. This is for real. We need to get out of the city. Maybe we’ll come back when it’s safe. We’re not selling the house or anything. Maybe our retreat will only be temporary. I hope so. I like my job. I haven’t resigned, I’ve just taken a sabbatical. Your Mom and I grew up here. We love our home and our life here. We don’t want to leave. We just know we have to - for all of our sakes. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t believe it was necessary.”
I nodded, wanting to believe him.
~*~*~*~
Later that night as I lay in bed, I wondered what Beck was doing. Would she come back? Would something happen to her out there? I was worried. After I finally dozed off I was soon awakened. Someone was shaking me.
“Huh? What the…Beck! You’re back!”
“Shhh! Yeah.” She sat on my bed.
“I went to Mena’s. I spoke with her and her Mom. Believe it or not, our parents are right. The Wraeththu do exist and Mena’s parents are afraid, too. They don’t have the means or a place to go so they’re going to wait it out here and hope for the best. They may never come here, but if they do…I can’t believe this is happening!” She raked her fingers through her wild, dyed-black hair.
“So…so our parents aren’t overreacting?”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that but the threat is evidently real. Mena’s Mom said there were reports of whole towns being burned and destroyed and that a lot of it didn’t make the news because they didn’t want people to panic. But these…beings are out there, mostly in cities.”
“Why didn’t anyone say something sooner?”
“You know how it is. People believe what they want to until they can’t fool themselves any longer.”
“So we’re really leaving?”
She heaved a sigh. “Yeah, it looks that way.”
Instead of going to her room, Beck curled up at the foot of my bed. I was glad not to be alone.
~*~*~*~
The next few days were spent packing up all the things we wanted to take with us and putting them into a covered trailer my father had bought to tow behind our car. I went to say goodbye to Will and almost cried. I swore I’d come back someday no matter what happened. He seemed to be emotional, too. I wished him good luck with Lily and told him that our friendship meant the world to me. We slapped each other on the back and I quickly left so he wouldn’t see me cry.
Early the next morning, Beck and I got into the back seat of our car and took a long last look at our home as we pulled away. All of us were silent for a long time as we rode along, away from all that meant anything to us.
Later on our father, trying to lighten the mood I guess, said, “Let’s think of this as an adventure. We’re going to a new place. We can think of ourselves as sort of…pioneers.”
I gave him credit for effort, but neither Beck nor I wanted this particular type of adventure. We were going to a place where everyone would be from the church we hated. Neither of us had any friends there. It was going to be lonely and boring, I just knew it. At least I had Beck. That was the only good thing I could come up with about this whole thing. Misery, it seemed, does love company.
~*~*~*~
We drove for days, staying at motels and soon all we passed were cornfields, cornfields, and more cornfields. I looked at Beck who looked back at me with the same forlorn expression I’m sure I wore.
Finally we headed down a very long lane, leaving a cloud of dust behind us and arrived at what I would call a compound. There were a few buildings clustered together and rows of other small modular type buildings stretching in several directions. Our parents had explained that some of the members of their church had been there setting things up for congregations from all over the country to eventually come here if and when it became necessary.
My first thought was how ironic it was that religious people set up this place that looked so God-forsaken. We stopped in front of one of the buildings and our parents went inside, leaving Beck and me in the car. I looked over at her. She looked freaked out and neither of us had anything to say. Our parents returned and drove down one of the dirt roads, finally stopping in front of one of the small modular buildings.
“Well,” our Dad said. “This is it. Home sweet home until further notice.”
Beck and I got out and stared at the small plain building. I’m sure she had the same thoughts I did. How are we going to live in this place? It’s awful! It didn’t even look big enough for one person, let alone four! I guessed all of us could say goodbye to our privacy.
Our Mom headed straight inside but our father said, “Hey, I know it’s not what we’re used to but we’ll make it home - you’ll see.” He patted me on the back and followed our Mom inside. I couldn’t even imagine all the stuff we’d brought with us fitting in to such a small place.
I looked at Beck who took a deep breath, shook her head and walked toward the door. I followed.
Once inside, I could tell it had the appearance of more space than it seemed to have looking at it from the outside because it had an open floor plan. Just inside the door was a room that extended the whole length of the front of the house. There were bedrooms behind it and to the right and a kitchen/dining area through an archway and to the left. To my great relief, we seemed to have electricity and a gas supply. There was only one bathroom but at least we had one. And I was also relieved when our Mom turned on the water at the kitchen sink. I’d feared it would be even more primitive. The bedrooms were miniscule, with barely room for a bed and dresser but at least my parents, sister and I each had our own private space.
We silently began to move in our things. The whole scene seemed surreal to me, like it was a bad dream - a very bad dream. After we moved in the kitchen stuff and our furniture, we were on our own to make our rooms the way we wanted. I moved my boxes of belongings into my room and couldn’t do any more. I just sat on my bed wanting to cry. But I couldn’t even do that. I missed Will. I missed my normal life already. How was I going to stand it here? I didn’t even want to unpack my things - that would make it too real. I sat for a time with my head in my hands, when I felt someone sit on my bed. Beck wordlessly put her arm around me and we sat there feeling miserable.
That night after dinner I went to my room to sleep. I still hadn’t unpacked my things. I lay in my bed looking through the curtain-less windows at a stark half moon, wondering what was to become of us. I was on the verge of tears when Beck came in. She sat on my bed and looked at me, a very determined expression on her face. I regarded her quizzically. She took a deep breath.
“Okay,” she stated. “We’re here. We don’t want to be, but we are. We can either give in to depression or we can try to find a way to make this place work for us. I vote for the latter.”
In spite of everything, I smiled.
“There’s got to be something good about this place and I’m guessing there are some other people our age who feel the same way we do. It’s our mission to find both.”
She put her hand up and I high-fived her.
“Finding something good about this hellhole might take a while,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ve got time.”
I laughed out loud, something I had wondered if I’d ever do again. I wanted to kiss her.
“We’ll go exploring tomorrow,” she suggested. “We’ll find something to redeem this place. Goodnight little brother.”
I lay back in bed with renewed hope. God, my sister was something else.
~*~*~*~
The next morning after breakfast Beck said, “Tom and I are going exploring, okay? We want to familiarize ourselves with our new environment.”
Our Mom actually smiled. “Sure,” she said. “Just be back for lunch.”
Beck nodded and we headed out.
“Mom thinks that there’s absolutely no trouble we can get into here. As long as she thinks that, we’ve got carte blanche!”
“But maybe there isn’t anything we can get into,” I said.
“Oh, we’ll find something.”
We made our way through the compound and saw several families going about different activities. We passed by a house where a little girl was jumping rope and a good-looking boy was feeding horses. He stared obviously at Beck, who stared back and winked. The boy smiled widely.
“Hmmm,” she said. “Maybe I’ve found a kindred spirit. And a cute one at that!”
“How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Just look at a guy and get his interest.”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m no super model. I think it’s attitude. You could do the same.”
“No way!”
“Why not?”
“I’m not a super model either and I don’t have ‘attitude.’”
“Well, get some!”
“How do I do that? I think you’ve either got it or you haven’t.”
“Watch and learn, grasshopper.”
We headed over to the good-looking horse-feeding boy.
As we approached he seemed to draw himself up, trying to look as buff as he could. My sister worked her magic.
“Hi. My family and I just got here yesterday. We don’t know anything about the workings of this place. Could you enlighten us?”
“It would be my pleasure,” the handsome youth said.
“Maybe you could show us around. Oh, I’m Beck and this is my brother, Tom.”
“Nice to meet you both. I’m Josh.”
He showed us around, letting us know about the workings of the place: chickens for eggs and meat, cows and goats for milk, some of the crops they grew, stuff like that.
As he explained things to us, I could tell that Josh was very interested in Beck. He hardly took his eyes off her and when he occasionally turned his attention to me for a second, I knew he was just being polite. After a while, my sister gave me the signal that she wanted me to make myself scarce, so I made an excuse and left.
I didn’t know what to do with myself and didn’t want to go home without Beck because then our parents would be suspicious, so I just wandered until I came to a river. I walked along its grassy banks for quite a distance. I finally sat, took off my shoes and dangled my feet in the water.
As I sat watching the river flow and taking in the scenery, I heard voices. Instinctively, I hid myself behind some bushes. There before me, across the river were the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen. They were conversing and laughing. Several of them disrobed and swam in the river. As I looked at them, I was amazed. They didn’t seem to be human. They looked male, but more than male. They had something more than a normal male member. It looked like a slender stalk with a flower bud on the end, and each creature’s had a different mixture of colors. They also had the appearance of being neither male nor female - or maybe both male and female. Oh, my God, I thought. They’re angels! My parents were right! This place was safe--protected by angels, no less!
The longer I watched them, the more fascinated I became. They joked and laughed, ate and drank and skinny-dipped. I never thought of angels doing such things, but then I figured if they were relegated to earth to watch over humans, they had to fill the time somehow. I was puzzled because I’d always assumed angels to be invisible to humans, but I also supposed they didn’t know anyone was observing them so they didn’t bother to hide themselves. I was riveted and I found myself having the strangest feelings. I’d never been physically attracted to anyone before, but these gorgeous beings… I found myself wondering why they’d even have sexual organs but then I remembered a rather obscure story in the Bible where the fallen angels had relations with human women and created a race of giants. How bizarre! And it was even more bizarre that I remembered it! I felt I shouldn’t be such a voyeur but I couldn’t tear myself away. I had what I figured to be an instantaneous crush on them. What kind of an idiot was I? I was sure it would be considered a sin to think of an angel in a sexual way! But then you can’t help who you’re attracted to, can you? It just happens. I couldn’t conceive of anyone not finding these creatures irresistible!
I had no inkling of how much time had passed but later the angels began to gather their things and leave the riverside. I watched until the last one left my sight. Would they come back? Could I ever look upon them again? After a short time, I decided to go back to our place, deliberately memorizing the exact spot where the angels had appeared. When I got close to the house, I hung back until I saw Beck returning. I knew if I went home without her, my parents would question me. For the time being, I decided to keep the lovely creatures to myself. I needed to see them at least one more time before even telling Beck about them. But if they came to the river again, I’d take Beck there to see them, too.
Beck walked tentatively toward the house, looking around. I came over to her and she looked relieved.
“Hey!” she said.
“I didn’t want to go in without you.”
“Thanks,” she said, patting my hand.
“What did you get up to?” I asked.
“Nothing much, but…I think Josh is my new boyfriend.”
I shook my head at her and grinned.
“He’s really good looking,” I said.
She looked at me, wide-eyed. “I didn’t think guys noticed things like that.”
“Well, I’m not blind!”
She looked at me a moment, laughed and then we went into the house.
“Where have you two been?” Our Mom asked, as she went about cooking. “You missed lunch.”
“We were making new friends,” Beck said.
Our Mom seemed pleased. She wasn’t mad or on edge or anything like she’d been at home.
“We met a nice family and a very nice boy named Josh showed Tom and me around.”
“Really! How nice.”
My sister gave me a wink. I smiled. She could be truly evil. I knew she wanted our Mom to think there was absolutely no trouble we could get into here. Then we really would have as she’d said, “carte blanche.” How did she get so diabolically clever? And why didn’t I inherit that gene?
Our Dad came home from a sort of briefing he’d gone to with the men and we all sat down to dinner. Afterwards I took my cue from Beck and helped clean up. She was really laying it on thick.
“If it’s okay, Tom and I are going back to Josh’s house. He said the view of the stars here is phenomenal!”
“Okay. Have fun.”
After we’d walked a short way, Beck gave me a devious smile and said, “Josh didn’t show us quite all the crops.”
“Huh?” I was confused.
“There’s a special one he has near the river: weed.”
“Whoa! For real? You mean marijuana?”
“That’s right: marijuana, Mary Jane, grass, ganja - well, you get the idea. He is going to show us the stars tonight, but we’ll be a little lit up ourselves.”
I giggled like a little girl. I couldn’t believe this! I’d only tried it once before a year or so ago when Beck and a couple of her girlfriends decided it would be fun to get Will and me high.
When Josh ushered us into his house, he very properly introduced us to his parents and two younger sisters, Annie and Liz. Liz was soon to turn thirteen and Annie was only seven. She gave me a big grin showing off the space where her two front baby teeth had been. I figured she gave me such a huge smile because she was a freckly ginger, too. Liz came with us as we left the house and headed for the river. She looked a lot younger than almost thirteen. She was dressed in jean capris and a t-shirt, her light brown hair in two braids. I would have figured her to be more like ten. I guessed she was a late bloomer, too.
Josh and Beck talked and laughed, holding hands and making goo-goo eyes at each other. It seemed Beck was smitten as well. I looked over and smiled at Liz who smiled back and shrugged. She seemed like a nice girl but she hadn’t said a word, yet. Maybe she was uncomfortable around the opposite sex. At least we had something in common.
Dusk was almost upon us as Josh led the way through some grasses to a clearing where there were ten or fifteen very tall and very lush marijuana plants.
“This is it!” Josh announced proudly. “You know the beauty of all this is I never have to worry about cops or feds or anything like that. No one in their right mind comes here! Present company excepted,” he added with a very handsome smile for the benefit of my sister. “Anyway, we didn’t come here willingly. We were dragged here, some of us kicking and screaming. When something fucks up your life, you find a way to deal with it. This is mine and I’m happy to share it with a select few. Oh, don’t tell anyone about this, okay.”
My sister and I nodded in agreement.
“Only three other guys and the four of us here know about it. No one else would even recognize it. They’d just think it was some regular weed that grows by the river. It couldn’t be more perfect.”
Josh went over to a tree with a small knothole in it and took out a bag and a pipe.
“I keep a stash of already dried pot here. There’s no way to get cigarette papers. None of these fanatics smoke, so I made a pipe. Well, let’s enjoy!”
We sat together further down the river at a high rock outcropping where we could have a panoramic view of the night sky. We passed the pipe around and I began to feel really mellow and high. As night fell I saw that Josh hadn’t exaggerated when he’d spoken of the view of the stars. You could see what must have been billions! The Milky Way was in clear view as well as all the summer constellations. We even saw some shooting stars. It was something to behold. I think I’d have felt almost as high without the dope. Being from the city, we’d never seen anything like this before.
After a while, Josh and Beck walked off together. Beck looked back over her shoulder at me and said, “We’ll be back.”
Left alone with Liz who still hadn’t said word one, I felt very nervous and extremely awkward. At first we just sat there in a very uncomfortable silence. Maybe being stoned helped, but I decided to start to break the obvious ice.
“How long have you been here?”
“About six months.”
Her pleasantly low voice belied her childlike appearance.
“Our parents volunteered to help with the final preparations, so…”
“I’m guessing you’re not any happier about being here than Beck and I are.”
“My life wasn’t all that great before. I mean I wasn’t, you know, popular or anything, but what the fuck is the deal with this place? I thought my parents had lost their minds.”
“What did they tell you about their decision to come here?”
She heaved a sigh and looked straight into my eyes, her disdain very plainly showing in her own.
“That there were human-killing immortal demon beings that were out to get us.”
I laughed. “But seriously, Beck checked it out. It’s at least partly true. I mean I’m sure they’re not demons but there were reports of bands of guys destroying cities and stuff.”
“So crime’s out of hand. That’s no reason for our parents to freak and take us into the middle of bleeding nowhere.”
“I can’t argue with that. Did you always belong to the church?”
“No. When our parents heard of the plague that was going to end life as we know it, they decided the cure was to get religion. She used the quotations gesture. “And now,” she stretched her arms out, “here we are.”
“Our story’s pretty much the same.”
“Let’s light up that pipe.”
Liz and I smoked some more, got better acquainted and gazed at the stars for I have no idea how long, when finally Josh and Beck returned. Beck grabbed the pipe and said, “Looks like you two had a high time. Did you leave any for us?”
We laughed and after Josh and Beck smoked some more and were mellow, too, Josh said, “I hate to say it, but I guess we should head back.” Then he added, “Well, maybe we should stay long enough for the high to wear off a little.”
We all giggled, stoned, and agreed.
Later, when we got to Josh and Liz’s house, Josh and Beck kissed goodbye as Liz and I stood there feeling embarrassed and awkward. Suddenly to my surprise, Liz spoke.
“I had fun tonight. I’d really like us to be friends, okay?”
“Uh, yeah! Yeah, I’d like that, too.”
We smiled at each other and when Josh and Beck were finished saying goodnight, we left for our house.
I looked teasingly to Beck and said, “You and Josh were gone for quite a while…”
She smiled at me and answered, “We just made out - that’s all. He’s really a nice guy. I like him a lot.”
“That’s good. Liz and I made friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Yeah. That’s what we both feel comfortable with.”
“Okay then, great!”
When we got to our place, both our parents were asleep, secure in the knowledge that we couldn’t possibly get into any trouble or danger here. Beck and I went to our rooms content. I never thought I’d have even one happy day here. How different things had turned out from what I’d expected. I liked Liz and the fact that we both wanted only to be friends. And then there were the angels, the gorgeous beings I’d encountered. I decided that I would patrol the river until I found them again. As I fell asleep in my small room, looking out the window, the moon didn’t look so stark and the possibility of some happiness in this place, seemed far less impossible.
~~~~* to be continued *~~~~