“Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?” Ameana asks.
“I was trying not to focus on it okay?” Jay snaps at her. Ameana x-rays his leg with her powers and tells us nothing is broken.
“Let me see it,” Marcus says. He studies Jay’s wounds closely.
“It may not be broken, but it’s still pretty bad,” he reports.
“We’re still in a ‘No Fly’ zone, so we can’t airlift him,” Ameana adds.
Wolf joins the conversation, “Look, I got a buddy of mine, not too far from here. He interned at the hospital in Daraquin.”
“Now you want to be helpful?” Ameana snaps.
“I know you’re mad because your friend is hurt, I get it, but, I’m trying to help.”
“You could have helped us back there by killing Rage, but you didn’t.”
“Sorry Princess; Wolf does not kill.”
“Wolf needs to understand if he doesn’t kill Akons, they come back and try to kill him.”
“You are so part of the problem.”
“Excuse me?”
“You are part of the broken system that says we all have to kill each other. Why can’t Demons and Angels just live together. Free and easy?”
“Free and Easy? Are you on something?”
“Why, because I don’t use violence to solve everything?”
“You think you could have talked Rage out of killing you?”
“I think he deserves a chance just like everybody else.”
“A chance to do what, kill more humans?”
“Lucy sent them to kill. You ever think maybe they don’t know any better?”
“Idiot!”
“Murderer!”
“Enough!” Marcus shouts. Wolf and Ameana are left glaring at each other. Jay and I exchange a quick look. We have never seen Ameana so emotional.
“This isn’t going to help us right now,” Marcus continues.
“How far is your friend from here?” I ask.
“He lives in East LA,” Wolf says, never taking his eyes off Ameana.
“Good, I’ll drive,” Marcus says in a tone that tells us he is not in the mood to be contradicted. We help Jay back into the car.
“We can get help and medicine should he need it,” Wolf says once we drive off.
“Yeah, and maybe we can buy you a shirt while we’re at it,” Ameana says loudly under her breath.
Even though he’s in pain, Jay can’t help but smirk at the two “kids” in the car. The entire ride is filled with tension between Wolf and Ameana.
I put my hand on Marcus’s shoulder to tell him that Jay will be fine because I know he’s worried. But he pulls away slightly when I touch him. Is it my imagination? Why would he pull away?
We come to a small neighborhood a few miles from Downtown. We are surrounded by rows of modest two level homes and palm tress. Children play on the sidewalks while women line up at the food truck buying various fruits.
There is a party going on in one of the back yards. The color theme is various shades of purple. They have everything from balloons to satin purple table cloth. A girl about our age, stands in a lavish gown, and takes part in some of kind of formal dance. The event is filled with music and laughter.
“It’s a Quinceanera,” Wolf informs us.
“My friend Sara and I went to one once. It’s like a sweet sixteen, but in Latin cultures they celebrate it at fifteen. It marks the transition from girlhood to womanhood.”
“Now that’s a thing that deserves to be celebrated,” Jay says between clenched teeth. Apparently pain doesn’t stop Jay from being …well, Jay.
“They’re playing some great stuff, man,” Wolf says.
“We had a few Quinceaneras around my way, too. There was this girl…” Jay starts to explain but then stops.
“That good, huh?” Wolf asks. The two of them share a laugh.
“You don’t sound like you’re in pain,” Ameana says.
“Actually since you been talking, I have a pain in my—”
“—Jay,” Marcus cautions him.
“Human,” Wolf calls out to me.
“You can call me Emmy.”
“Right on; so Emmy, where’s your friend?”
Suddenly a lump forms in my throat. It’s still hard to talk about.
“She’s was murdered.”
“I’m sorry. I know that must be hard.”
Then he looks over at Ameana and adds, “Some of us know the value of life.”
Ameana ignores him. Wolf has Marcus pull over to the house a few doors from the birthday party. The hot weather has almost everyone in the neighborhood outside. It feels like a big block party.
Wolf knocks on the door. “Si?” a voice says from behind the closed door.
“Carlos, its Wolf. Open up!”
A handsome Angel with copper colored skin and dark hair opens the door.
He receives Wolf with a big hug. They begin to speak Spanish. I suck at Spanish. Just ask any of my Spanish teachers and they will tell you. Angels on the other hand speak every single language. So not fair.
Wolf shows him Jay’s leg. Concern spreads to Carlos’s warm eyes. He tells us to come in. Although Jay was just joking in the car, he is now wincing in pain. The wound seems to have grown to nearly twice its original size.
Once inside we are surrounded by colorful wall decorations and family photos. There is a heavenly scent coming from the kitchen. It is then that my stomach reminds me that I have yet to eat, by rumbling loudly. I hope no one heard that.
Jay tries to hold it in but judging from the tension in his body, he’s in a lot of pain. Carlos has him lay down on the sofa. He then disappears into the back.
“Carlos is good people. If he can help Jay, he will,” Wolf assures us.
“What is he: a Traveler or Ground Walker?” I ask.
“He’s a Traveler. Usually Ground Walkers take a while to recognize their Angel friends because they are using a human body,” Marcus says.
“You’ve never heard the expression ‘Give me a Ground Walking minute?’” Wolf asks.
“Um...no.”
“Well, you have now,” he says.
“So Carlos is a Traveler. Does he live here? I thought Travelers usually go back and fourth to the Council,” I asked.
“This is the time he usually takes a vacation. He helps out in the community center and does volunteer work.”
Carlos comes back with a pouch filled with small bottles of colorful liquid.
“Your friend is hurt badly, but it can be repaired. I was given this bottle of Woe by a Para friend of mine,” he shows us a small light blue bottle.
“What does it do?” Marcus asks.
“It will mend his leg from the inside and then work its way to the surface. It is not a pretty sight. He will hurt a lot, but it will heal.”
“How long will it take?” Jay asks.
“You won’t be better till morning.”
Marcus shifts his weight and looks around the room, uneasy.
“Marcus, go without me. I can catch up,” Jay says between labored breaths.
“We travel as a team.”
“No, man. Just go without—”
“—No. I’m not leaving another member of this team behind,” his tone is final. Everyone is silent.
“I will begin to treat him, but it is best that we be left alone,” Carlos says.
“We’re not leaving him,” Marcus vows.
“He will be fine,” Carlos assures him.
“Marcus, I’m good man. I’m good,” Jay swears to his friend.
“We’ll be just outside if you need us,” Marcus tells him.
But Jay doesn’t answer. His eyes are closed and he’s gritting his teeth as Carlos administers the Woe. I hate to see Jay laying there in pain. I can tell the others are having a hard time with it, too. We step outside and leave Jay with Carlos.
Marcus is wound up so tight, I can feel his energy bounding around us. I touch his shoulder and I swear he fl
inches again.
What is going on? I know we don’t have time to write each other love letters or anything but can’t a girl get a comforting pat in return?
“Wolf, what can you tell us?” Marcus demands.
“A buddy of mine came to Bliss a few days ago. He said a Pawn he knows saw a Seller selling an Oka to an Akon.”
“What’s an Oka?” I ask.
“It’s a coffin-like box that traps the prisoner in between this world and another Plane.”
“Do you mean Rio’s in another world?” I ask.
“Don’t think of it as another world. Think of it this way: The world is represented by the ground you’re standing on, Planes would be the cracks you see. Good and evil can access them to store anything they want to keep hidden.”
“So Planes are like hidden pockets in the Earth?” I ask.
“Right on,” Wolf says.
“How many Planes are there?”
“Too many,” Marcus says.
“Where would this Seller have gotten an Oka from?” Ameana asks Wolf.
“I don’t know.”
“What makes you so sure that the Oka was for Rio?” she pushes.
“He overheard them say, “bet mood ring boy won’t like this,” then they laughed and joked saying once they get the girl, no one will be safe.”
“So, would the Triplex be hidden in one of these Planes?” I ask.
“Not likely,” Marcus answers.
“He’s right. The Triplex can only be where both good and evil can reside. Planes are usually taken over by good or evil. Not both, ” Ameana says.
“Is there any way to narrow down which Plane Rio’s in?” I ask.
“Yes, we can find the Seller and see what kind of adjustment had to be made to the Oka,” Marcus says.
“That’s it man! Depending on the adjustment, we can narrow down its location. If they used material to prevent water from entering the Oka, then—”
“—then that means the Oka is under water,” I say finally glad to give an answer instead of a question.
“So, we have to find the Seller and make him tell us how he customized the Oka and that will give us the clue as to where Rio might be,” Ameana says.
“So, who is this despicable low life Seller?”
“His name is Tony-Tone.”
************************
As soon as Wolf says the name, we all look at each other. We should have guessed that Tony-Tone would be involved in this somewhere. Tony is a Seller. Actually he would beg to differ. He would say he’s the best Seller this side of the light.
He helped the Akons kidnap and torture me, but he also helped rescue me. So, he’s not a bad guy but he’s certainly not a good guy. I will say one thing for Tony, he really does get around. He is the Seller of Sellers.
I would never tell Marcus this but I hold in my heart a secret place for Tony-Tone. Or at least the person I think he could be if he would just stop being so money hungry.
On one hand he saves my life and helps me escape the Akons. He even reveals to me the clues he over heard from the Akons about finding the Triplex. He told me that the Triplex can only be found where both good and evil can exist and also where all three members of the council can be represented. That was a big help.
So, how could a guy be so helpful and then make you want to kill him? Well, by doing things like this. How could he sell the Akons the coffin that would be used to hold Rio prisoner? I don’t know. Maybe Marcus is right, maybe there is no hope for Sellers…
“Great, we know Tony-Tone very well. We’ll be happy to pay him a visit,” Marcus remarks with ice in his voice.
“He saved my life,” I remind him.
“Yet another reason he should pay,” Ameana says under her breath.
It’s official, I will never be off her hit list.
“There’s another matter we need to address. Wolf, thanks for all your help but—” Before Marcus can continue, the music from the birthday party grows louder and fills the streets. The kids begin to dance. Even the adults are moving to the contagious Latin beat.
“I love this song!” Wolf says as he heads over towards the music.
“Hey, we’re having a meeting!” Ameana says as if he personally walked out on her.
“The meeting is over princess.”
“Stop calling me that. And put on a shirt!” she shouts.
He gives her the finger. Are Angels allowed to do that?
“I hate him,” she blurts out.
“Well, you’re not exactly number one on his list either,” Marcus replies.
“We have to dump him.”
“He’s our responsibility for the next three days. You heard the Warden.”
“So, let’s just leave him here.”
“His ‘no kill’ policy sucks, but the fact is we could use another set of wings.”
“You’re not thinking of talking him with us are you?” Ameana demands.
“I’m not sure yet,” Marcus says. Something about the tone in his voice says he’s enjoying the effect that Wolf has on Ameana.
Wolf calls out to us from the party, “Hey, come on over! Let’s dance!”
“What? No!” Ameana says with absolute certainty.
“We can’t just turn an ex-con loose in a neighborhood filled with humans,” Marcus says.
“And they have food over there,” I say before I can catch myself. They turn to look at me.
“Sorry, but I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”
“C’mon, let’s go,” Marcus heads for the party. I follow and Ameana is reluctantly behind me.
It’s hard to ignore the festive mood. The kids are laughing and running around. The birthday girl is wearing the same clothes as a life-size doll that sits next to her. I’m told it’s to symbolize transitioning from a girl who plays with dolls to a young woman.
The boys our age keep their eyes locked on the girls dancing. The girls act as if they don’t know they are being watched. The adults tell jokes, work the dance floor and pass out the food.
I’m too shy to take it at first but this pretty brown skin older lady says “take, take” over and over again. And well, I don’t want to be rude. The food is amazing. I pig out on homemade tamales, rice and beans, carne asada, and empanadas. I will be full for weeks.
Ameana is standing by the wall looking like she is getting ready to face a firing squad. She really hates this, but I could have sworn I saw her take a few quick glances at Wolf who is now dancing with a bunch of sweet faced little girls. They giggle and look up to Wolf like they are looking up at a tower. I guess to them he might as well be.
Marcus stands beside me looking preoccupied. Maybe this is a good time to ask him about the dance. Well, I guess it’s not a good time, but let’s be honest, when is it ever a good time for a Guardian? I look over at him and smile. I really wish I could kiss him right now.
He turns towards me and reminds me that I still have not called my Mom back. I pick up my cell and brace for the inevitable lecture. My Mom answers on the first ring and tells me that she does not appreciate being hung up on. I tell her I had reception issues and that the noise she heard was coming from the movie theatre.
She is quiet, meaning she is hurt that I would rather go out with him than stay at home and watch a video with her. So I tell her that I hated the movie because it’s a guy flick and I can’t wait to get home and hang out with her.
After the call, I decide that I’m going to ask Marcus about taking me to the dance. It’s rare we get time where we are not being hunted down so, now or never.
“Hey, Marcus—”
“—Look,” he points towards Ameana. Some of the little boys have banded together and asked her to dance. She is thrown off by the invite, but as unhappy as she is, she can’t bring herself to turn down the invitation.
She dances with the group of little boys while Wolf does the same with the little girls; then the song changes. It’s a sweet ballad and it calls for a slow danc
e. The group of boys and girls decide that Wolf and Ameana should dance together. The two fight it but the kids are too cute to turn down. It also doesn’t help that the adults are cheering them on.
So Wolf and Ameana, against their better judgment, slow dance together. At first they look stiff and unhappy, but a few minutes into it, they begin to make eye contact. From then on, they don’t look as unhappy as they did before. I would even say that Ameana is enjoying it.
“Wow, never saw that coming,” I say to Marcus.
“Saw, what? It’s just a dance.”
Boys are so dense…
“Hey, speaking of dancing, you know there’s a dance at school. It’s kind of lame or whatever but—”
Just then Carlos enters the backyard and greets us.
“How is he?” Marcus asks.
“He’s in pain but he’s healing.”
“We should go check in on him,” I say.
“You’re the human?” Carlos says.
“Yes, I’m Emmy.”
“Hello.”
“Hi, and thank you for helping us.”
“Anything for Wolf; he’s a great guy.”
“Yeah, but the no killing thing takes some getting used to,” Marcus admits.
“It’s ironic because his family has been Omari for centuries. In fact, he is next in line to be the Kon; the Omari leader.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“He doesn’t want anything to do with that life.”
“He really doesn’t believe in taking a life, no matter whose life it is?” Marcus asks.
“I once saw him in battle with a demon. The demon got the upper hand. The only way for Wolf to get the Demon off of him was to kill it. He wouldn’t. Wolf was saved by a fellow Omari. Then he turned around and got mad at the guy for killing the demon.”
“So, Wolf is in line to lead the Omari?” I ask.
“It’s much bigger than that; as the Kon, he would be the king of the Paras. I guess that’s not what he wants.”
“Maybe he just needs time,” I suggest.
“It’s been a few cycles already. But when and if Wolf ever feels he’s ready, there is a royal symbol he was born with that will glow.”
“I’ve heard about that, but wasn’t there some controversy?” Marcus asks.
“Yes, the mark only appears above the waist. That way everyone will be able to see it and know he is the chosen Kon. But although his father says he will be the next Kon, there is no mark on Wolf.”