Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 5

Actu tout ensembley, it wasnt the light she nonice first. It was an eerie savour that about presence was in herroom with her.Shed had the feeling before, waking up to feel that something had unspoilt left, maybe scour in the instant ithad taken her to consecrate her eyeb solely. And that while asleep, shed been on the verge of some great disc overyabout the world, something that was lost as soon as she woke. just now tonight, the feeling stayed. And as she stared around the room, feeling dazed and cloddish and leaden,she slowly realized that the light was wrong.Shed forgotten to close the curtains, and moonlight was streaming into the room. It had the thin bluetranslucence of new snow. But in unmatched cornerof Gillians room, by the gilded Italian chest of drawers, the light seemed to brook pooled. Coalesced.Concentrated. As if reflecting off a mirror.T here wasnt any mirror.Gillian sat up slowly. Her sinuses were stuffed up and her view felt need hard-boiled eggs. Sh e breathed by means of her mouth and tried to make sense of what was in the corner.It looked like a pillar. A misty pillar of light. And instead of fading as she woke up, it seemed to be followting brighter.An ache had taken hold of Gillians throat. The light was so bonnie and virtually familiar. It remindedher of the tunnel and the meadow and Oh.She knew now.It was different to be seeing this when she wasnt exsanguinous. Then, shed original strange things the way youaccept them in dreams, without ordinary logic or disbelief interfering.But now she stared as the light got brighter and brighter, and felt her all in all skin tingling and tears poolingin her eyes. She could hardly breathe. She didnt do it what to do.How do you greet an apotheosis in the ordinary world?The light keep to imbibe brighter, just as it had in the meadow. And now she could see the counterfeit in it,walking toward her and rushing at the same time. Still brighter-dazzling and pulsating-untilshe had to boot out her eyes and saw red and gold after images like snap stars.When she squinted her eyes back open, he was at that place.Awe caught at Gillians throat once more. He was so lovely that it was frightening. Face pale, with traces ofthe light still lingering in his features. Hair like filaments of gold. Strong shoulders, tall but graceful body, either line pure and proud and different from any human. He looked more than different now than he had inthe meadow. Against the drab and ordinary understate of Gillians room, he burned like a torch.Gillian slid off her shaft to kneel on the floor. It was an automatic reflex.Dont do that. The voice was like silver fire. And past-it changed. Became someway more ordinary,like a normal human voice. Here, does this armed service?Gillian, stare at the carpet, saw the light that was glinting off a chuck safety pin fade a bit. When shetilted her eyes up, the angel looked more ordinary, too. nary(prenominal) as luminous. More lik e just an impossiblybeautiful teenage guy.I dont want to scare you, he utter. He smiled.Yeah, Gillian whispered. It was all she could get out.Are you scared?Yeah.The angel made a frustrated circling motion with angiotensin converting enzyme arm. I push aside go by dint of all the gobbledygookbe not afraid, I mean you no harm, all that-but its such a waste of time, dont you specify? He peered ather. Aw, arrange on, kid, you died earlier to daytime. Yesterday. This isnt unfeignedly all that strange in comparison.You can deal.Yeah. Gillian blinked. Yeah, she express with more conviction, nodding.Take a deep breath, get up-Yeah.-say something differentGillian got up. She perched on the edge of her bed. He was right, she could deal. So it hadnt been adream. She had genuinely died, and there really were angels, and now one was in the room with her, lookingalmost substantive except at the edges. And he had come to Why did you come here? she express.He made a noise that, if he ha dnt been an angel, Gillian would go confabulateed a snort. You dont think Iever really left, do you? he said c privacyly. I mean, think about it. How did you manage to recover fromfreezing without level off needing to go to the hospital? You were in severe hypothermia, you make love. Theworst. You were facing pulmonary edema, ventricular fibrillation, the loss of a few of your bits Hewiggled his fingers and waggled his feet. That was when Gillian realized he was standing(a) several adjoines offthe floor. You were in bad shape, kid. But you got out of it without even frostbite.Gillian looked down in the mouth at her own ten pink fingers.They were tinglingly over-sensitive, but she didnt reach even one blood blister. You saved me. He gave a one-half grin and looked sheepish. Well, its my job.To help people.To help you.A barely acknowledged expect was forming in Gillians mind. He never really left her it was his job tohelp her. That croaked like Could he be Oh, God, no, it was too corny. Not to mention presumptuous.He was looking sheepish again. Yeah. I dont know how to put it, either. But it is true, actually. Did youknow that most people think they brace one even when they dont? someone did a poll, and mostpeople have an inner certainty that there is some particular, individual spirit watching over them. TheNew Agers call us spirit guides. The Hawaiians call us aumakuaYoure a withstander angel, Gillian whispered.Yeah. Your guardian angel. And Im here to help you find your hearts swear.I- Gillians throat dosed.It was too much to believe. She wasnt worthy. She should have been a bump soulfulness so that she woulddeserve some of the triumph that suddenly spread out in front of her.But then a cold feeling of reality set in. She wasnt a better person, and although she was sureenlightenment and whatever else an angel prospect your hearts desire was, was terrific, easily in her caseShe swallowed. Look, she said grimly. The things I need help with-wel l, theyre not exactly the kindsof things angels are likely to know about.Heh. He grinned. He leaned over in a position that would have unbalanced an ordinary person andwaved an imaginary something over her head. You shall go to the ball, Cinderella.A wand. Gillian looked at him. Now youre my poove godmother?Yeah. But watch the sarcasm, kid. He changed to a floating position, his arms clasping his knees, andlooked her dead in the eye. How about if I say I know your hearts desire is for David Blackburn to fallmadly in love with you and for everyone at school to think youre totally hot?Heat swept up Gillians face. Her heart was crush out the slow, hard thumps of embarrassment- andexcitement. When he said it out loud like that, it sounded extremely shallow and extremely, extremelydesirable.And you could help with that? she choked out.Believe it or not, Ripley.But youre an angel. He templed his fingers. The paths to enlightenment are many. Grasshopper. Grasshopper? Maybe Ishould call y ou Dragonfly. You are choose ofiridescent. therere lots of other insects, but Dung-Beetle sounds sort of insulting. Ive got a guardian angel who sounds like Robin Williams, Gillian thought. It was wonderful. She startedto giggle uncontrollably, on the edge of tears.Of course, theres a condition, the angel said, dropping his fingers. He looked at her seriously. His eyes were like the violet-blue at the throne of a flame.Gillian gulped, took a scared breath. What?You have to trust me.Thats it?Sometimes it wont be so easy.Look. Gillian laughed, gulped again, steadied herself. She looked away from his eyes, concentrate on thegraceful body that was floating in midair. Look, after all Ive seen after you saved my life-and my bits how could I not trust you? She said it again quietly. How could I ever not trust you?He nodded. Winked. Okay, he said. Lets evidence it.Huh? Slowly the feeling of awed incredulity was fading. It was beginning to seem almost normal to talkto this magical being .Lets stress it. Get some scissor. scissor hold?Gillian stared at the angel. He stared back.I dont even know where any scissors are.Drawer to the left of the silverware drawer inthe kitchen. A big corking pair. He grinned like Little Red Riding Hoods grandmother.Gillian wasnt afraid. She didnt decide not to be, she simply wasnt.Okay, she said and went down to get the scissors. The angel went with her, floating just behind hershoulder. At the bottom of the stairs were two Abyssinian cats, curled up head to toe like the Yin-Yangsymbol. They were fast asleep. Gillian nudged one gently with one toe, and it loose sleepy crescents ofeyes.And then it was off like a flash-both cats were. Streaking down the side hall, falling over each other,skidding on the hardwood floor. Gillian watched with her mouth open. Balaams ass, the angel said wisely.I beg your pardon? For a moment Gillian thought she was being insulted.I mean, animals can see us.But they were scared. All their fur-Ive never se en them like that before.Well, they may not understand what I am. It happens sometimes. Come on, lets get the scissors.Gillian stared down the side hall for a moment, then obeyed.Now what? she said as she brought the scissors back to her room.Go in the flush toilet.Gillian went into the little bathroom that adjoinedher bedroom and flicked on the light. She licked dry lips.And now? she said, trying to sound flippant. Do I cut off a finger?No. Just your vibrissa.In the mirror over the sink, Gillian saw her own arouse drop. She couldnt see the angel, though, so sheturned around.Cut my pilus? Off?Off. You bury behind it too much. You have to show the world that youre not hiding anymore.But- Gillian raised protective hands, looking back in the mirror. She saw herself, pale, feisty boned,with eyes like wood violets-peering out from a curtain of hair.So maybe he had a point. But to go into the world naked, without anything to souse behind, with her faceexposedYou said you trusted me , the angel said quietly.Gillian chanced a look at him. His face was stem and there was something in his eyes that almost scaredher. Something unknowable and cold, as if he were withdrawing from her.Its the way to prove yourself, he said. Its like taking a vow. If you can do this part, youre insolentenough to do what it takes to get your hearts desire. He paused deliberately. But, of course, if yourenot brave enough, if you want me to go away No, Gillian said. Most of what he was sayingmade sense, and as for what she didnt understand-well, she would have to have faith.I can do this. To show that she was serious, she took the open scissors, bracketed the pale blond curtain at a levelwith her ear, and squeezed them shut. Her hair just folded around the scissors.Okay. The angel was laughing. Hold onto the hair at the bottom and pull. And try less hair.He sounded like himself again warm and pettish and loving-helpful. Gillian let out her breath, gave awobbly smile, and devoted herself to the horrible and gripping business of cutting off great blondchunks.When she was done, she had a knavish blond cap. Short. It was shorter than Amys hair, almost as short asJ.Z. Oberlins hair, the girl at school who worked as a model and looked like a Calvin Klein ad. It wasreally short.Look in the mirror, the angel said, although Gillian was already looking. What do you see? individual with a bad haircut?Wrong. You see somebody whos brave. Strong. Out there. Unique. Individualist. And, incidentally,gorgeous.Oh, please. But she did look different. Under the ragged St. Joan bob, her cheekbones seemed tostand out more she looked older, more sophisticated. And there was color in her cheeks.But its still all uneven.We can get it smoothed out tomorrow. Theimportant thing is that you took the first step yourself. By the way, youd better learn to stop blushing. Agirl as beautiful as you has to get used to compliments.Youre a funny kind of angel.I told you, its part of the job. Now le ts see what youve got in your closet.An hour later, Gillian was in bed again. This time, under the covers. She was tired, dazed, and veryhappy.Sleep fast, the angel said. Youve got a big day tomorrow.Yes. But wait. Gillian tried to keep her eyes open. There were some things I forgot to ask you.Ask.That crying I heard in the woods-the reason I went in. Was it a kid? And are they okay?There was a outline pause before he answered. That information is classified. But dont worry, he added.Nobodys hurt-now.Gillian undefended one eye at him, but it was dear he wasnt sacking to say any more. Okay, she saidreluctantly. And the other thing was-I still dont know what to call you. I told you. Angel.Gillian smiled, and was immediately struck by a jaw-cracking yawn. Okay. Angel. She opened hereyes again. Wait. One more thingBut she couldnt think of it. There had been some other mystery shed wanted to ask about,something that had to do with Tanya, with Tanya and blood. But she couldnt summon it up.Oh, well. Shed remember later. I just wanted to say-thank you.He snorted. You can say it anytime. Get this through your head, kid Im not going anywhere. Ill behere tomorrow morning. He began to hum a Blind melon vine song. Ill always be there when you wake. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Gillian felt warm, protected loved. She vaporize asleep smiling.The next morning she woke early and spent a long time in the bathroom. She came down the stairsfeeling self-conscious and lightheaded-literally. With her hair gone her neck felt as if it were floating. Shebraced herself as she walked into the kitchen. incomplete of her parents was there, even though her father was usually having breakfast by now. Instead, agirl with dark hair was sitting at the kitchen table, bent almost over a calculus textbook.AmyAmy glanced up and blinked. She squinted, blinked again, then jumped up, standing an inch taller thanGillian. She moved forward, her eyes huge.Then she screamed.