Angel/Witch Saga Book 2: The Rising

Preface

PREFACEIt took all power not to hurt him, but he stood there looking at me, baiting me with those damn eyes. I stood my ground; I did not back away. Still, those green eyes pierced deep into my soul.

“What in the hell is your problem?” I shouted at him.

“You know what my problem is Kayley! You know how it drives me nuts!”

Let me take you back to an earlier happier time, I’ll start with my name and let you in on a few things. I’m Kayley. I am seventeen this year and I have just graduated high school. The ceremony was outside in the stadium and we were all burning up. Though it was night, the lights on in the field and the heat of the day did not do us any favors while we were in our BLACK Cap and Gown outfits. Like they do in most (if not all) schools, we all sat alphabetically. So, I was sitting next to the two most annoying people I could. Andy and Rich. Those two did everything together, whether it was dating or comic book collecting, you ask them they do it together. Some of us thought they were dating, but no real confirmation.

In either case, Charles, my boyfriend sat three chairs down from me and glanced over time to time with a refreshing smile. His green eyes melted me each time I looked into them. So, there we sat, hands on our laps and Police Guards patrolling the aisles. It was a fantastic way to graduate. After graduation, I went home with my parents while most (if not all) of the senior class went out to party. It was on the way home that night when things got worse for me.

I sat in the back of the 92 Ford Wagon, the Beast Mobile as my Dad had said all my life, looking out the back window. I had noticed that the lampposts on the highway flickered as we passed them and some even shut off and did not turn back on. Dad was behind the wheel, looking his best in a blue and white spider web type dress shirt. While Mom was the WOW factor. She sat there in her most seductive dress she has (part of me thought she meant to wear it and the other part thought it was her only dress left. Laundry day was closing in quick.). It was black and red, had slits that came up to the top of her thighs. It was so tight on her chest she could not wear a bra, so she had a hard time breathing. But she wanted to look her best for my Graduation (I could swear she got more stares than what we did!).

Mom talked to Dad about how beautiful the graduation was and that it would have been a lot better if some dipshit didn’t call the cops and threaten to blow up the school. My Mom worked for the local Sheriff station as a dispatcher, so she gets all the “FUN” calls. So, while she was complaining to Dad about how the heightened security took away from the magic of the night my Dad just nodded and spoke when it was required.

“If some dipshit threatened to blow up the school, why did the school keep the children there?” my Dad asked.

“That’s simple, remember that arrest that was all over the news and in the papers?”

“Yeah.”

“That was him., he got caught so the school thought it was ok. The police were there for added security. Just in case someone else tried anything.”

As we were on the final stretch to our house, the tree line was thinning and you could see it sitting on top of the hill, something caught my Dads’ attention. He jerked the wheel of the wagon and the next thing I know I’m waking up in a hospital room with Charles and his parents standing over me.

“Baby,” he began with tears in his eyes, he looked as though he had been crying for hours, and his parents we’re not the better. It looked as though everyone in the room had been only balls of tears. “Baby, I am so glad you’re awake.”

I tried to speak, but it hurt. It was like something disabled me and I could not make a sound. I reached for my throat and signal to them I was in pain, but my expression must have done that already. The next thing that happened was the nurse (who was in the room with me) just rubbed my head and tried to reassure me that everything would be all right and that I was in the best of hands. “I know it hurts baby, try not to talk right now. I’ll get the doctor.” She said and then ten minutes later the doctor came in.

“Kayley, I’m Doctor Knewgh. I’m here to help.”

He was in a white looking lab coat that covered his blue dress shirt which teased the world. His hair was mid length, and he kept it up, but you could tell he wanted to let it dangle. He wore a stethoscope round his neck and when he walked in, he took it off and placed it on the counter. He smiled, and he told me to open my mouth and let him see but each time I tried I could not open it wide enough.

I guess he could see that, the next thing I could recall that happened was the doctor leaning back over me with a light shining in both of my eyes. I tried to blink but I could not. I thought about thrashing a little to get his attention, but I reconsidered that and decided it would’ve been a bad idea.

“Kayley, I want you to speak.” The doctor commanded.

I opened my mouth and made a sound. “Ah!”

“Good,” he began, “Do you know where you are?”

“Yes.” I said and my eyes lit up. I had a voice! I could talk!

“Good. There was an accident. How are you feeling?”

“I’m sore. I hurt all over. What kind of accident? Where are my parents? Are they okay? What’s going on? What happened? How long have I been asleep?”

“Ok, ok. Calm down. I will answer everything to the best of my ability. You have been asleep for a few weeks. We’re happy to see you’re doing so well. We were hoping you would, you were the lucky one as far as damage goes.”

I stared at him and watched as he blinked his eyes a handful of times. He took a deep breath, and he continued.

“Your parents, I am sorry to say, were not so lucky.”

“WERE! What do you mean WERE?” I hollered out as best I could not sure whether he was finished. I did not like the “WERE”.

“Kayley, that’s where I come in.” another voice entered the room. I recognized it as the Sheriff but I could not see him to see if my recognition was right.

“Is she clear to talk doc?”

“Yes, go on ahead Sheriff.”

The Sheriff came in and sat down on the bed next to me and rubbed his hand on top of my arm. It was like he was consoling me already and I do not understand what’s going on. Yet he sat for just a moment or two before he spoke. His voice was soft and soothing, but you could see how much this hurt him.

“Kayley, you and your parents were in an accident. We don’t know all the details. But it seems as though you were the only one to pull through. Your parents passed away two weeks ago. I was there with them at the end. I am so sorry Kayley. You three were in the worst shape, I hoped they would pull through. I know how much of a fighter that your Mom was. I worked with her for some good many years. I am so sorry hun.”

My hands went to my face, and I cried a cry I never had and never will again.

“I have arranged that you stay with the Healers. I know Charles will be eager to take care of you. Now Kayley, what can you tell me of the night of the accident, the night of the High School Graduation?”

I tried to think, but the only thoughts I had were of my mother and father and how I will never see them again, how the smiles on their faces would never shine again and how my life would change forever. There were thousands upon thousands of thoughts and I could not focus on a single thing.

“I don’t know.” I said.

“Okay, don’t rush it. We’ll be talking after a while. I will have more news for you and you’ll have some for me. For now, Kayley, rest up.” Sheriff Dunwood said. I felt his pain as he talked and as he rubbed on me. He rubbed my arms and legs like a parent would and I felt the love he had for me and my family. I knew he was hurting just as bad as I was.

Well it would take a couple weeks and a little therapy to get me going again. I saw my parents. I had to sign a few pieces of paper as well for them. I don’t want you to know everything, but I will tell you it was hard, and it virtually killed me. If Charles and his parents hadn’t been there, I am not sure if I would have had the strength to get through it.

So, after a week more in the hospital I ventured out. Penney and Sly (Charles parents) brought me a change of clothes and took me back to my place so I could grab a few things. I wasn’t sure what would happen to the house nor anything. A fund set up for me to cremate my parents (which was completed by the time I was out), so I also sat in the back seat with my mother’s urn in my lap and Charles had my father’s in his.

No one spoke the entire ride to their home. Well, my new home. I guess no one knew what to say. It was the quietest ride I had ever been on. When we got there, I got out of their car and looked at my new home. It was a lot larger than the one I grew up in. Their house was tall, at least two stories and though I had never been in there, I had always wanted to.

It was green and white and looked rather like a sick house. I had joked about that with Charles on numerous occasions. It had a two-car garage, and the lawn was open and trimmed. Their few bushes were around the corners of the house and a huge flowerbed in the front. It had many flowers in it. They had red mulch instead of dirt or whatever you would use to make it look pretty, but the red mulch did wonders on the look department.

I stepped up onto the sickly green porch and sat on the swing I used to sit on while I waited for Charles before our date nights and before going to school. But this time I would go inside. I was unsure on how to take it. Things were flying rapidly through my head.

“Mrs. Penney, are you sure I can go inside?” I asked without thinking.

“Kayley, this will be your new home as long as you need it to be.” She said and put her hand on my back and the other on my hand. She gripped it firmly and kissed it. “This’ll be your new home for as long as you need it.” She said again reassuring me.

“Thanks.” I said and gave her the best hug I could muster.

“Sly,” Penney began, “would you be a good man and get the door while we have Charles bring in the bags?”

He, without a word walked up the six steps and opened the door for me. Penney with her hand gripping mine, walked me into their home. I was confounded, there was so much excitement in it. The front door opened to this huge living space where pictures hung on the walls. The inside of the house was made to look bright with glistening neon colors that did not match, but it made the house look lived in.

The carpet was off white and fluffy. It looked as though they had little visitors nor pets or much of nothing that came over. Penney still holding my hand led me through the house and up the stairs (which was carpeted too) and led me to my new room. Which it so was right across the hall from Charles’s room. I knew in my mind she would say something about NO HANKEY PANKEY but nothing came out of her mouth like that. She talked about how they bought the house and plan to leave it to their son when they died, just so much information. My head was hurting bad.

She turned to open my door and then stopped. She looked at me and smiled and said I should have the honors of looking into my room first.