Angelfire

  I offered him my sweetest smile. "Wel , I didn't ask you, did I?"

  He flashed the slightest glimmer of a grin up at me. "But El ie, I real y need you to understand that this is probably a very bad idea."

  I narrowed my eyes. "A trip to the movies isn't dangerous. I'l be fine."

  "You can't guarantee your safety."

  "Neither can you."

  He smiled, ever so slightly. Then he reached up and touched my earlobe, looking at it careful y. "When I saw you last," he said softly, "your ears were pierced with little pearl earrings."

  I almost laughed, not because the memory was funny, but because of the sweet fondness in his voice as he recal ed it. It surprised me. "You have a real y good memory."

  "Pretty good." His smile grew a little wider--that dazzling smile I hadn't seen him show al week. It made me happy.

  "You're the same person, yet you're someone new."

  "Is that a good thing?"

  He shrugged a little. "It's like a new start for you. I guess it could be a good thing."

  "Why has it been so long?" I asked.

  His smile faded and I instantly regretted asking the question. "Since you were alive?"

  "Yeah," I said. "Why did it take so long for me to be reborn?"

  "I don't know." The sad expression on his face made me feel even sadder.

  "Is it weird that I'm different every time?" I asked. "Does it bother you that I have a different name?"

  "No, of course not. It never has. You're stil you, but you have a different childhood every time and your personality is always a little different. You're certainly more high-strung than when I knew you last."

  I glared at him, but I couldn't hide the smile that also appeared. "What was my name last time?"

  "Why does it matter?"

  "I'm curious."

  "It was a long time ago." He stood up and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck gently. "A name is just a name, not who you are. How about we don't worry about that?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "How about you just be you tonight and I'l be me? Don't worry about anything else." His emerald eyes were soft and kind. I felt he real y meant what he said.

  "You mean pretend to be human?"

  "Why not?"

  I smiled slyly at him. "Wel , this is quite the turn for you."

  "Maybe I'm thinking it would be good for you to relax from time to time."

  "Just for the night?"

  "Just for the night."

  He dipped his head and leaned forward, surprising me. He didn't kiss me, but he was close enough to do it. My body locked up and my lips parted. His body was warm against mine, and I wanted him to do what I thought he was going to do. I real y wanted him to kiss me, and I could feel my insides tugging and spinning. I lifted my chin and waited, but he stopped. His look fel away and he turned his face and stepped away slowly. I deflated.

  "So when is the movie?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

  I felt like fal ing to the floor. "Um, seven or eight is usual y when we go."

  He nodded. "It's only four. What do you want do until then?"

  "Wel , I should get a couple pages in on my econ assignment," I said, groaning.

  "That's fine," he said. "Would you like me to leave so you can do your homework?"

  "Where wil you go?" I asked. "Wil you go al the way back to Nathaniel's like you do during the day?"

  "No. Seeing the reaper this afternoon has made me nervous. When I'm guarding your house, I usual y sit up on the roof. It's the best lookout."

  "If it works for you, I guess." I smiled. "I'l give you a shout when I'm done."

  He gave me a quick nod and turned away, disappearing. I shook my head in disbelief. He was like a ninja or something. He had probably disappeared into the Grim, and I considered for a moment fol owing him there. But I was afraid of the Grim and what things I might see there. So instead, I sat at my desk and grabbed my backpack to get out my homework. I could stil feel Wil 's presence in my room, smel his scent, as if he hadn't actual y left. And he real y hadn't. I knew he was close by, and that comforting thought helped me to get through my assignment with ease.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF--NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Children's Books

  ..................................................................... 16

  MY STOMACH GROWLED. I LET MY FACE HIT THE desk and rol ed my head to the side to glance at my clock sideways. It was just after six. I couldn't believe I'd been working on this homework for two hours. I was so sick of this crap.

  I lifted my gaze. "Hey, Wil ?" I felt stupid talking to no one in my room.

  "Finished?" answered his voice a moment later.

  Startled, I leaped out of my seat, grasping my heart. My pulse pounded in my head. "What's the matter with you? You scared the crap out of me!"

  He stood just in front of window. He had somehow managed to get in without making any noise at al . "Sorry about that."

  I smoothed out my shirt. "What are you, Wil ? How can you move that fast?"

  "I'm your Guardian."

  "No, I mean, besides Batman, what is your species?"

  "I'm immortal."

  "Never mind," I said impatiently. "I already know what you are: obnoxious. I'm going to go change into some fresh clothes."

  "Why?"

  "Because I don't like wearing the same outfit al day."

  He looked at me like I had a third eye. I rol ed my eyes and shut myself in my closet. I picked out a pair of jeans and a black sweater and put them on before emerging. "I'm real y hungry, and I know how much you like to be invisible and al , but I think you can make an exception. Would you mind if we grabbed a bite to eat before the movie?"

  "Not at al ," he said. "You need to eat. You get grumpy when you don't eat."

  I blinked in surprise. He real y did know me wel . "Great. How does Coney Island sound?"

  "I have no idea what that is."

  "Blasphemy."

  I drove us to my favorite, Leo's Coney Island. The restaurant was typical y crowded for a Friday night. As we wandered to an open table, I noticed a group of girls sitting at a booth table near the front door. Two of them were staring at Wil , so I gave them the stink eye as we passed.

  I chose a booth on the opposite wal , as far away from the girls as possible. Our waitress was a perky girl maybe a year older than me.

  "What can I getcha?" she asked with her pencil and notepad in hand.

  "Plain cheeseburger and fries with a side salad and water for me," I said, and nodded at Wil . "Do you want anything?"

  "No, thank you," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  The girl gave a quick nod and buzzed away.

  "Aren't you hungry?" I asked him.

  He shook his head. "Not often. The only time I eat is usual y after a fight. The more heavily wounded or weak I am, the more I need to eat in order to heal and replenish my strength. Calories heal my body, so I need a lot of them."

  I stared at him. "I am so jealous." I was excited that he felt like revealing things to me. Perhaps this conversation would go somewhere interesting. Our hostess brought my drink and I stuck the straw in to take a gulp.

  "Wil you ever tel me how you became my Guardian?" I asked hopeful y.

  He smiled. "You know very wel how that happened. I know you don't have access to that memory yet, but I don't think it's something I can just tel you. It means too much to me, I guess. Everything wil come back to you. Be patient."

  I huffed at his response, because it only made me more curious. "Are you going to tel me what my name was, or do I have to remember that, too?"

  He rol ed his eyes. "You need to stop asking questions. Remember what I said earlier? We're pretending to be normal humans today."

  "Wel , normal humans don't sit at Coney Island and watch others eat. They order a plateful of chili cheese fries. Don't be so weird." I took another gulp.

  My salad arrived, and just as the waitress was about to l
eave, Wil held up his hand. "I've changed my mind. I'l take a root beer float."

  She flashed a quick smile and fluttered away.

  "A root beer float?" I asked. "What are you, five?"

  "They're my favorite."

  "A root beer float?" I repeated. "You're six hundred years old and a root beer float is your favorite food?"

  He shrugged. "You wanted me to be normal and order something, so I did."

  "That is stil weird."

  "They're delicious."

  The waitress returned with his float, and he stirred and dunked the ice cream immediately. Between his sips and bites of ice cream, Wil watched me much too closely as I ate.

  "What?" I asked, swal owing a mouthful.

  "You remind me of me."

  "That can't be good." I took another bite.

  "It's not necessarily a bad thing. You must be real y hungry."

  I didn't like the amused look on his face. I felt very selfconscious suddenly. "So?"

  He shrugged. "Nothing."

  "Screw you."

  I ate more slowly after that. When we headed to the register to pay and leave, I reached inside my purse for money, but Wil handed the clerk a twenty-dol ar bil .

  "No, no, no," I said, reaching for his hand. "That wasn't part of the deal."

  "Don't worry about it," he assured me, al owing the clerk to take the bil . "I've got this."

  "But al you had was that float."

  "We're trying to act normal, aren't we? It's not very normal for a young lady to pay for her own dinner."

  I scowled. "You must be confusing right now with a hundred years ago. That's a stupid stereotype. We aren't even on a date, so it doesn't count."

  "Perhaps, but everyone around us is assuming otherwise." He nodded, his gaze wandering around the restaurant. "We don't want them to become suspicious, do we?"

  "Wil , they really don't care what we're doing," I said. "It's not like we're undercover or something."

  When we met up with my friends, Landon spotted Wil , his attitude soured dramatical y. I told myself sternly that I would ignore Landon's attitude tonight, so I focused my efforts on being in a great mood. I hadn't forgotten about Wil 's earlier warning about the wandering reaper, but seeing Wil at ease made me feel at ease.

  "E-l-l-l-l-lie!" Kate grabbed me into a huge hug and held me tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!" She practical y shoved me away and turned to Wil . She yanked him into a hug as wel , resulting in a very uncomfortable Wil . "I'm so glad you came!" You could count on Kate to be over the top with everything she did.

  I forced a bright smile. "So how about this movie?"

  "We have twenty minutes before it starts," Chris said, looking at his cel phone. "We should probably get our tickets and get seats. It's opening night."

  After buying our tickets--and I refused to let Wil pay for ours when he tried--we waited in line to enter the theater. Every once in a while I'd see him stiffen and swivel his gaze around, as if he were listening and watching very careful y. If anything was considering jumping us tonight, I was assured Wil would have plenty of warning.When the doormen let us in, we found seats a little toward the back, since the middle was fil ed. Chris, Rachel, and Evan slipped down the aisle first, fol owed by Landon and Kate, then me and Wil .

  Landon leaned over Kate and me. "Where did you say you go to school again?" he asked Wil .

  "I'm a sophomore at U of M," Wil replied.

  Landon scoffed. "You and El ie hang out often?"

  Kate elbowed him in the ribs, and he shot her an angry glare.

  "Yes," Wil said.

  Wrapping an arm around mine, Kate grinned at Wil . "You shouldn't hog her so much. We miss her!"

  Wil shrugged and smiled. "Sorry. I don't mean to."

  Kate laughed and toyed with a lock of my hair. "I guess you'l just have to hang out with us more so we can see her, too."

  Yeah, right.

  The movie final y began, and by halfway through it, Wil seemed to be enjoying himself. He chuckled a few times, but he frequently glanced toward the emergency exit as if expecting something to burst through it. I also noticed Landon repeatedly looking at us. What was his problem? He probably expected us to make out during the movie. That was a junior high thing anyway, so his worry was ridiculous. At nine thirty the movie had finished and the theater began hemorrhaging high school and col ege students. We stopped on the sidewalk outside to plan our next move.

  "Landon and I are going to Cold Stone," Kate said. "Anyone want to join? El ie?"

  I frowned. "I don't real y feel like ice cream."

  "Oh, come on!" she whined. "Please?"

  I laughed. "Why do you want me to go with you to get ice cream so badly?"

  "Because it's good!" Kate turned to Wil . "You want ice cream, don't you, Wil ?"

  Wil 's eyes flickered to me and back to Kate. "If El ie isn't interested, then I'm not. I just go where she goes."

  Kate groaned. "You guys can't leave us yet! It's not even ten. At least come over to my place and party for a bit. We can hang out in my basement."

  That sounded real y good. I hadn't been able to relax with my best friend for weeks. Wil leaned close to me, his voice soft, his breath warm on my ear. "I think you should go. You'l enjoy yourself."

  "But, what about--?" I whispered back.

  "You'l have fun," he whispered. "I want you to be happy. Remember our agreement for tonight?"

  I smiled. "But I want you to pretend you're human with me."

  "Al right," he said.

  "Okay, you two," Kate said. "What's the plan?"

  I looked up to her. "We're coming."

  "Yay!" she chirped, pul ing me into another tight Kate hug.

  "I stil want Cold Stone. Sure you don't want to join us?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, I ate right before the movie, so I'm stil pretty ful . I'l pass, but how about we meet you at your house in an hour?"

  "Sounds good," she said with a smile.

  "Okay, bye," I said, and waved to them al .

  Wil and I walked back to my car. "Thank you," I said in a low voice.

  "I meant it when I said I want you to be happy," he answered. "It has always made this easier on you--when you're happy."

  "Is that so?"

  "Yes." He smiled.

  "What did I use to do for fun?" I unlocked my car and we climbed in.

  "You've always loved horses," he said distantly. "Through every lifetime I've known you."

  I perked up. "Real y? Did I ride a lot?"

  "Al the time. A hundred years ago there weren't many cars, so that's how we got around. When you were . . . When I knew you last, you competed in horse shows."

  I laughed. "That's cool."

  "You were real y good."

  "Do you think I stil am?"

  He nodded firmly. "Oh yes. You've always been a natural. It's never failed to come back to you."

  "Wil you take me riding?"

  He glanced at me. "Definitely."

  "Promise?"

  "I have never broken a promise to you."

  I eyed him. "Not once?"

  "Not once."

  I was skeptical. "You're tel ing me that in five hundred years, you have never messed up something you've promised me?"

  "El ie, you need to understand," he said softly. "I exist only to serve you and fight by your side. Whether that fighting is to preserve your life or to make sure you smile, that is what I am built to do. You're al I have, and I wil watch over you forever."

  I stared at him. "You're very intense, you know that?"

  "I do now." He smiled.

  We headed back toward my town and exited onto a wooded, hil y back road. The narrow road was quiet, and I saw only one other pair of headlights for a half mile.

  "I hope you enjoyed yourself," I said to Wil . "Did you like the movie?"

  He was looking out the window, but he turned to face me and smiled. "It was interesting. I think Landon and I could become friends."

  I laughed, too. "O
h yeah. Best friends in the making, right there. What did you think of the movie, honestly?"

  He shrugged. "It was funny. Humans always amaze me with how drastical y their culture evolves every few years. Imagine witnessing that over tens of generations."

  "I wish I could," I said. "I'm stil only remembering snippets of things."

  "It'l come back. I know I keep saying that, but it wil ."

  I nodded glumly. "I'm glad that you came tonight, and that nothing bad happened. Thank you."

  "Of course. I think it was good for you."

  My smile returned. "It was good for both of us to get out and do something besides fighting for a change."

  Out the corner of my eye I saw a dark shape bound across the road toward my window. Then something massive rammed into my car door, and the Audi was sent spinning counterclockwise, whipping my body around in the seat. The wheel was torn from my grip and the car came to a stop so sudden, my shoulder slammed into the door panel and the window shattered next to my face. The headlights poured out onto the road into blackness.

  "El ie!" Wil shouted. "El ie, are you okay?"

  He undid my seat belt and his hands frantical y touched my arms, face, and neck. My head spun and I felt like I was going to be sick. I looked around and saw we had smashed up against a tree on Wil 's side. My window had been shattered and jagged edges of glass jutted out from al directions. Oh God, my poor car.

  "I'm fine. Are you--?"

  The windshield exploded, spraying chunks of glass, and the hideous, deformed head of Ragnuk burst through with a bel owing roar. He was free of the Grim. He was completely in the mortal dimension.

  I screamed and thrashed, throwing my arms up. Wil pounded on the reaper's snout several times, and the jaws snapped back, biting at his arm.

  "Get out of the car!" he yel ed, leaning back, and he kicked the ursid reaper in the face. Ragnuk roared and reached through the windshield with his giant claws. I yanked the handle and slammed al my weight into the door, but it wouldn't budge. It was too smashed. I pushed--

  and pushed, and pushed, and pushed.

  Ragnuk forced himself in until half the car was ful of gnashing teeth and swinging talons, and I lay on my back and kicked the door with al my strength. My power flared and the door flew open. I dived out and turned back to see Ragnuk halfway inside the car and Wil 's much smal er shape fighting him off. My legs turned to jel y, and something dark grew in the pit of my gut, but I had to do something fast. I couldn't be afraid of him. I cal ed my swords, and as the silver fil ed my hands, angelfire burst from the blades.