Part Twenty-Three

Tuesday rolled along and with it, Christmas Break. Almost six inches of snow covered every surface. My weekend had been execrable. (That means life sucks.) It was the worst three days since Rosa's fist had connected with my rib cage. Tuesday I was barely aware of John's nerves before he left the house to go to his “meeting.” Right after, Mom came to my room with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. That cleared my head a bit.

But after she left.... You'll never believe this. Okay, after I finished my soup and my mom left my room, Tristin appeared. I'm serious, he just appeared right by my desk. I thought I was hallucinating, but he shushed me and said, “Hey, James, come with me for a minute.”

I blinked. Uh... eh? My mouth rattled out an automatic response. “John said I shouldn't leave the house today....”

Trist rolled his eyes. “Don't worry about him. I want to show you something.” He held out his hand and I took it. Instantly... well, I can hardly describe the sensation. It was as though we turned into ghosts and we... drifted... quickly past my neighborhood. The homes were blurry, but... distinct. It only took us only a second to reach our destination, and when we... landed, I had my feet dangling off the side of a roof. I could see the baseball field in front of me, and a bunch of people crowded the grass. I couldn't help but gasp.

“Maybe I should have warned you about that,” Trist said. Then he looked at me and flinched. “You CAN NOT wear that. It just won't do.”

I looked down at my pajamas, wondering what the heck he was blabbering about, but they changed right in front of my eyes! Suddenly I was wearing all white; white shoes, white socks, white pants, white shirt, probably even white underwear. Instinct took over and my wings came out. They were white as well.

“Much better,” Trist smirked. “Now wait here for a minute, I gotta prepare the crowd.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he vanish and reappeared in the center of the field. I could only just hear him from my distance, but everyone hushed in surprise.

“Thank you for coming,” he started. “Today is a glorious day, and a wonderful opportunity awaits you. But first, a gift.”

The ground shook suddenly. Just behind Trist, the ground tore apart, and a spire rose out of the dirt. The spire grew to a white and purple striped tower. An angel crouched at the base of the tower, his wings wrapped like a hug around his body. He held a medallion by the chain, and it hovered over an open box, as though the angel were going to put it in there. A tarnished plaque was mounted to the base.

The crowd was awestruck. I couldn't blame them. I mean, come on. A whole statue just raised out of the ground.... That was SO not normal. Trist hopped onto the base to continue his speech.

“My fellow Daes, hear me out. I have been given a bad rep, but I mean no true harm. I bring great tidings from our forefathers, and, some might say, a blessing from God.”

Murmurs swept through those waiting. What in the world was he talking about?

“Behold, an angel has been sent to us.” Trist's language freaked me out. He made a sweeping gesture, and suddenly my point of view changed. I was now encased in what seemed to be a giant eggshell. As I felt around my surroundings, the creamy white around me began to grow, and as it grew, it crystalized, until I could see everything around me.

I about peed my pants.

I was now atop the spire, sitting on an invisible surface. Thousands (well, maybe not thousands) of eyes stared up at me, and I stared right back. The height was so great, I felt queazy.

“Come down, angel,” Tristin said... to me. What was he talking about, angel? I looked down at him and remembered I had wings. Duh. Gingerly, I put them to use and made my way to the ground. Trist jumped off the platform and steadied me, because I had a sudden twinge of pain. He held a vile of gold liquid to my lips and directed I drink it.

“It'll help you get better,” he insisted. The stuff didn't taste all that bad, actually. Sorta orange juicy with a hint of chocolate. Those watching seemed too stunned by my appearance to do anything. They had kinda backed away from the statue when it came up.

Then John pushed through the crowd, glaring at Trist.

“What are you playing at?” he growled.

“If you give me a moment, I'll tell you,” Trist replied. He left me to lean against the base of the statue as he stood upon it again. I could tell John wanted to be by my side, but he seemed afraid of Trist. “I give you a choice. Join me, or be left to die. In this war, I shall be triumphant, and those who don't join me will give themselves up to a life of pain.”

The daes were angered. Someone shouted, “What makes you think you'll win?”

Trist smirked. “This.”

Suddenly the whole field was surrounded by monsters of every kind, especially the ones I had seen in my dreams. My stomach did a flip. The horrible visions I had been plagued with over the past couple of months swam to the front of my mind.

Behind John, my father left the crowd. I couldn't believe it. He was here. He looked absolutely perfectly healthy. His brown hair was neatly combed, his gray eyes sparkled, he was my dad. Tears sprang to my eyes and I ran forward.

“Dad!” I shouted, ignoring the faces around me. I stumbled a couple of times, but he caught me in his ultra-strong arms. I gave him a weak hug. Behind me, Trist yelled in frustration.

“What are you doing?”

John answered, “He's not joining YOU, that's for sure.”

I heard Trist jump off the base again, but all I cared about was that my father was safe, and in my arms.

“I was so worried, about you, and about you and Mom. I thought...”

My dad didn't reply. I looked up at his face and saw his mouth moving, but something was wrong. No sound came out, and I realized everything blurred beyond fifty feet. What...?

It started raining, only it wasn't rain. The colors around me melded together, like a wet painting turned on end. I couldn't understand it. I backed off my father in surprise. He melted along with everything else, but he looked as though he hadn't noticed anything at all.

Suddenly an old pain was back, that of the burn on my neck. My stomach screamed and I toppled over. I was on my back by the time the colors had gone black. I realized my eyes were closed and forced them open. I flinched at the bright light above my head.

“Doctor, he's come around.”

“His heartbeat is rising. We didn't lose him.”

A mask went over my mouth and nose.

“Count backwards from ten.”

I didn't even have the energy to start.






 
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