Shadow of the Sun

CHAPTER 8: SECRETS

  My bedroom was fairly basic compared to the rest of the house, with simple sand-colored walls and a high ceiling. I’d never done much to it since I lived alone and rarely had visitors, especially of the male persuasion. But it was still a cozy room. My large king-sized bed, opposite the dresser, dominated the space. Paintings purchased from the amazing unknown artists I had come across during my travels, as well as photos of my family and I doing the vacation thing, dotted the walls. French doors opened up to the sandy abyss outside, and from where I stood, I could see the waves crashing wildly around.

  My salary wasn’t huge, but I’d always been extremely good at saving and finding deals. I had purchased this house with very little money, even though it was beautiful beachfront property. My adoptive mother was a great bargain hunter who always told me there was no need to pay the full price for anything, and her advice served me well in finding this house.

  My closet was full of business suits, lab coats, and all my other incredibly boring attire. I was in desperate need of a new wardrobe. Because I never really went out, there was usually no reason to buy anything dressy or fancy. Maybe I’d remedy that in D.C.

  I had no idea how long I’d be away, so I piled a huge, towering stack of clothes in my suitcase just in case. I stared down at it, hoping that sitting on it would help me close it, and wondered how I would fit a bunch of new clothes in there too.

  My mind didn’t linger long on those humdrum thoughts. Angels dominated my mind as I thought of them flaunting their talents to humans. The angels came across as mystical, divine, and maybe even god-like, but not at all ancient. It was just too mind-boggling to think about them being several thousand years old.

  I had an overwhelming urge to read the Bible and find the stories about the angels. Would I laugh at the fact that some of them were Karen’s brothers? For the first time, I was disappointed I didn’t have the Bible in my house. I wasn’t a religious person and had never felt the need to read the holy book. Thinking about praying to some big man in the sky gave me a good laugh. I wasn’t laughing now, expect for bouts of insane and hysterical mirth that I couldn’t hold in.

  I was having trouble concentrating on packing my suitcase. How could I worry about whether or not I would have time to shop in D.C., or worry that I was running low on toilet paper and Jenna would need to buy some more? How could I stand in my ordinary bedroom, around my ordinary things, trying to have ordinary thoughts, when I knew that there was an extraordinary race of angels out there? Or had I just imagined everything that had happened today—from the angels who just left my house to the three bodies sent to the lab? That was still a possibility. I was deeply bothered by the turn of events. Just yesterday I was a normal human woman, interacting with normal, everyday people, living a normal life—well, as normal as one’s life could be in my profession. Now I knew better. I had been wildly thrust into the supernatural, the real supernatural, not any of that stuff I had previously dealt with.

  There goes that random, insane laughter again.

  There was a faint ringing sound from my cell phone, snapping me from my musings. It had always bothered me when people made their ring tones into songs or weird noises, and as technologically advanced as I was, that was one strange habit I refused to succumb to. It rang again, though I could barely hear it; the sound was muffled. I had no idea where I had put it.

  It rang again, and I threw clothes around, hoping I’d find it under one of the piles. I quickly searched the floor and the bathroom. As I entered the kitchen, the ringing became louder before it stopped all together.

  Sighing, I sat on a bar stool at the island. I snatched up a banana from the bowl of fruit and devoured it. I was starving; I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. I completely forgot about my phone and thought about how empty the house felt without the angels. It was as if all the warmth they had brought with them had been sucked into a black hole when they left.

  Hercules sat on his haunches and looked at me, his tail wagging. He was my only company and had been following me all through the house as I packed.

  “I’ll miss you too, buddy.”

  He pranced on his front paws and moved closer so I could pet his head.

  Absently, I stared at the answering machine. The screen display showed zero messages. That, and the message I had received earlier from Adam, was just another reminder of my very non-existent love life. And even that relationship had just been an additional attempt to connect with another person. But again I had failed miserably. As old as I was, I was still fairly naïve about love and men and relationships. Of course I had dated, but each time it had ended disastrously, as Karen had witnessed earlier.

  My whole life, besides the support and love of my family, I had been alone. When you’re several feet smaller and several years younger than your peers in school, they seem to shy away from becoming friends.

  I had graduated from high school when I was twelve. How was I supposed to relate to a bunch of hormone-enraged kids when all I was interested in was riding bikes with my sister or thinking of new science experiments to try out? My family and I lived in Ohio at the time, and they did everything they could to help me advance in life. Yale, among other prestigious schools, accepted me without question, and Yale just happened to have the programs I was most interested in. My family uprooted so I could go to school there and was as encouraging as ever. They had faith in me and knew I would make them proud. But since my move to Oretown, I hadn’t really seen my parents as often as I’d liked, though I received emails from my mom on a weekly basis.

  When I moved away, they were finally able to move wherever they wished and begin living their lives unhindered by their genius daughter. After they had followed my dreams for so many years, they were now able to follow theirs. My mom started up a business in Charleston, South Carolina, where she helped restore old buildings in the historic district. She loved to include pictures of her current projects in her weekly email. My father began boating and gave tours out on the water. It was great to know they were happy and living their dreams instead of mine.

  There were only two other important people in my life. My cousin Nicole, who was my age and never held my genius against me. We met when I was first adopted, and she held my hand through some tough times when I was trying to remember my past and move on into the future. The other person was Jenna. She was adopted only two years before me and was four years older, but she treated me as if I was the same age. I always respected her. Okay, make that three: Jules, my niece.

  As far as friends went, I didn’t have any. As an adult, I had been able to achieve some casual relationships with people, mostly co-workers since I didn’t create opportunities to meet people outside of work, but I never did find a true friend. After being alone most of my life, I accepted it and filled the void by diving into the world of fantasy, wishing it to be true.

  I’d come full circle. My wish had come true. Now I had angels in my life and a mission. The way the Elders had talked to me was as if they thought I had known about them my whole life. They hadn’t hesitated in revealing themselves or pleading openly for my help—the help of a mortal. They seemed to expect me to accept everything as they pushed me into this new world.

  I was freaking out but probably handled it better than a normal person would have. I had spent my life constantly reading stories about the supernatural, and I’d always desired those stories to be true. It was easier to believe them when I wanted them to be real anyway. Regardless, it was a lot to take in, and as I sat at the island, I tried to come to terms with it. This is your life now: the divine intervention that you begged for. Wasn’t this what you wanted all along?

  The faint sound of my phone ringing startled me, and I jumped, nearly toppling over the barstool. It rang again, and I searched the clean granite counters, but there was no sign of it. By the next ring I was frustrated. I stared at the stainless steel fridge and then, curious, opened it. My keys and phone lay on the top shelf next to the mil
k. I must have put them there after going out to the car to find my phone. Feeling like an idiot, but somewhat amused, I snatched up the phone and answered. The metal was cold against my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “There you are,” Jenna exclaimed on the other end. “We’re just down the road. Are you still home?”

  “Wow. That was quick. Yeah, I’m still here.”

  “Well, I was having a bad day and was ready to get out of town.”

  I caught myself nodding at the phone. “I understand. I’ll meet you outside.”

  Jenna pulled into the driveway only seconds later. Jules unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to open the door, but the child-lock was on, so Jenna had to open the door from the outside. Jules’s impatient frown deepened as she waited to be released. Finally, she bounded out of the car and attacked my leg, wrapping her skinny arms around me.

  “Hi, sweet girl. You want to help me?” I asked her with a grin.

  She jumped up and down in excitement. “Yes, yes. Please.”

  I helped my sister grab her things and gestured for Jules to enter the house. Hercules slid across the floor, and I seized Jules and held her in the air momentarily to avoid the inevitable collision before putting her back down. She shrieked with happiness as Hercules greeted her.

  I walked down the hallway to my bedroom, and they followed me.

  “Aunt Gab-ella.” Jules tugged at my pants. “What are we going to do?”

  I laughed at her attempt to say my name. “I’ll show you,” I said and pulled her into my arms.

  I placed her on top of my suitcase. “Jump,” I insisted.

  Her grin grew wide and mischievous. This would obviously not be allowed at home. She jumped on my suitcase until I was able to close it all the way. When I placed it on the floor, she continued jumping on my bed with Hercules dancing alongside her.

  “Gabby,” Jenna shouted from the living room.

  I hated that nickname, but I let it slide because my name could be a mouthful. “Hey. I want to visit with you before you leave. Get your butt in here.”

  “Be good,” I mouthed to Jules, who only giggled and hugged Hercules to her chest.

  As I rounded the corner into the living room, Jenna asked, “So why are you going to D.C. again?”

  “You know I can’t—”

  “I know,” she said with a smirk. “It’s all some super secret. You know, sometimes I think Mom goes crazy not knowing what you do.”

  I shrugged. “I do research in a lab.”

  “Supernatural research. Whatever that means,” she said in a patronizing but playful tone.

  “One of these days I’ll be able to tell you. It’s not like I’ve ever disco—” I cut myself off. It’s not like I’ve ever discovered anything groundbreaking. Those words weren’t true anymore. “It’s nothing you would be interested in, anyways,” I continued, trying to save myself.

  By the look on her face, I knew she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t pressure me. She never did. That was one of the reasons I loved her so much.

  “How’s Adam?” she asked.

  “I guess I forgot to tell you—”

  “That you broke up with him,” she cut in, smiling. “I figured as much. You’ll find someone one of these days, I’m convinced.”

  Jenna knew me too well. Men never broke up with me; I always got to it before they could. Sometimes they didn’t want to break up at all, especially the men who still held on to a shred of hope that they’d get me in the sack, but I couldn’t stay with them. It was a curse: I couldn’t find a man worth my time, and I refused to waste my time on duds. Deep down, I believed in true love and refused to settle for anything less. Call me a sap.

  As a peace offering for forgetting to tell Jenna about the end of another of my doomed relationships, I didn’t bring up her recent break up.

  Her hand on my forearm brought me from my thoughts. “Maybe you’ll find some hot guy in Washington. Aren’t you working with the FBI?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, I bet there will be some hunks around.” She winked at me. “Isn’t being tall, dark, handsome, and sexy a prerequisite for joining the FBI?”

  I sighed, not wanting to stay on this subject any longer than necessary. Delving into my personal life was not high on my priority list. “How’s your job in Portland?” I asked.

  Her smile brightened. “Don’t think changing the subject will save you. But it’s amazing. I love working with all the kids. Plus, I get to spend my days with Jules now that she’s going to school.”

  After the tragedy of losing her husband before their daughter was born, it was great to see her happy again. For a long time, she and Jules had stayed isolated. We all worried about her, but she went through the grieving process and decided to move far away from the military base in Augusta, Georgia. Now she worked at an elementary school as a first grade teacher. But even though it had been five years, she still had her down times.

  “You can stay here for as long as you want. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in D.C.” I patted her leg, and she gave me a huge hug. There were so many unspoken words that went into that hug. She knew I was worried about her.

  “If you’re not back by the time we leave, I’ll take Hercules with us. Jules will love that. I just hope she doesn’t get any brilliant ideas about a puppy.” We both laughed. “A trained dog is one thing. A puppy is another.”

  There was the soft purr of an engine pulling into my driveway, and I grabbed my jacket and suitcase and gave Jenna another hug. “Thanks for doing this. You’re the best sister in the world.”

  “Don’t go. Don’t,” a squealing Jules said, sliding down the hall in her socks.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, I have to. Give me a big kiss, and I’ll come back soon with presents.”

  After many hugs and kisses from them both, I was on my way to the airport.