I freeze. My mom. She’s probably got half of New York looking for me.
“It’s okay. We called her. We told her you were studying with us and you fell asleep. She knows you’ll be home late,” Rio says in an effort to calm me down.
“Who did you tell her you were?”
“Classmates of yours.”
I’m weak with relief. I crash onto the sofa and sob. They let me. They don’t approach or try to comfort me. I’m grateful for that. I need the space to fall apart.
My mind wanders from my mom and on to my neighbor, Donna. She has a four-year-old son, Benjamin. I take him to the park on weekends. He loves the swings, and he’s sure if he keeps trying he can go high enough to touch a cloud. The thought of his little body pulverized by some evil force makes me sob even harder.
And just when I think it’s not possible to shed any more tears, a fresh salty stream runs down my face. Sorrow and desolation engulf me. I stop trying to hold myself together and let the weight of my grief pull me into the fetal position. My body steadily rocks, sob by sob.
They don’t speak or impose on me in any way. They allow me all the time I need. Maybe patience is another power that angels are granted. And even though I’m ensconced in misery, I’m certain that if they were not with me, I would be worse.
Finally I stop crying. I don’t feel better, I’ve simply run out of tears. So I just lie there and take in the silence. My head is throbbing. I’m light-headed and empty. I should eat something but the thought of chewing is exhausting.
“I have some questions,” I say to no one in particular. My throat is raw and strained. I speak so softly I think they don’t hear me.
Rio asks, “What do you want to know?”
“What’s a tri thingy?”
“A Triplex. It’s a cover coat that protects the object inside it by taking the shape of its surroundings. It’s what our wings are coated with. That’s why you can’t see them even though they’re out all the time; it blends into whatever surroundings we’re in. If it’s snowing, the Triplex will take the form of falling snow,” Rio explains.
“Can’t people feel your wings when they’re standing beside them?
Reese responds, “Not with the Triplex. It takes no space. It has no definite form. You can only find it if you expect it to be there. I can always see Miku’s wings because I know that they are there.”
“Why did I see yours before then?” I inquire.
“Because you thought you were dead. You were expecting angels; so you saw one. I’m not sure you realize it but you screamed the whole way down… and even after you were safely back on the roof.” He’s trying hard not to make fun of me. “I think I lost all hearing in my left ear.” Apparently he can’t help himself, nor can I really blame him.
I must have looked like a nut. I didn’t even realize I had screamed. “Sorry about that,” I mumble.
“What? I can’t hear,” Rio shouts back.
I throw a pillow at him and he blocks it with his wings. It didn’t get anywhere near him.
“So the map of the bridge is in the Triplex, making it virtually impossible to find,” I surmise.
“Virtually,” Jay chimes in. “But since your name is our clue, we think that the council met you and decided to leave the Triplex with you.”
“I think I would remember running into Death, Time and Fate, don’t you?”
Miku replies “Actually, no, you wouldn’t. The council would have used someone you know to put the Triplex somewhere in your life where you wouldn’t discard it, either because of necessity or sentiment.”
“Nothing jumps out at me. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry. It will,” she says encouragingly.
“We’re already two days into the New Year. Why did it take so long for you guys to come to me?” I ask.
“There are 53 Emerson’s in New York City alone,” Reese retorts.
“So, how do you know that I’m the one?”
“You’re the only one being shot at today.”
“Oh.” Point taken.
“It’s more than that. I’d felt dark waves heading toward you and thought that it would be a good idea for us to keep a closer eye on you,” Rio adds from across the room.
“You knew they’d attack me?” I am amazed. “Can you tell the future?”
“Why, you play lotto?” Rio jokes.
“Seriously. How do you do it?”
“All Watchers, Guardians and Akons have at least one power. It comes from their last moments on earth. Let’s say you were crushed by a car on your last night on Earth—”
“Ooh, that’s a good one,” Miku says, completely taken by the image of carnage in her head.
“—Anyway.” Rio rolls his eyes and continues. “Let’s say after being crushed to death, you get chosen to be a Guardian. Your power would be the ability to manipulate metal because at your time of death, that is what your spirit asked of Omnis. Everyone’s powers have to do with the way they died.”
“So, you can’t see the future,” I state, half-deflated by this additional downer to death.
“No, but I can feel the emotions and desires of people miles away from me. Their emotions give way to their actions. I knew you were feeling nausea even before it registered in your body. “
“That’s why you brought over the trash can,” I say, amazed.
“Yeah I could tell by your color wave you were feeling unsettled and overwhelmed. I knew you’d get sick but I didn’t know the exact moment or where to place the trash,” Rio clarifies.
“You see people’s feeling as colors?”
“Yep, he’s our very own mood ring,” Jay teases.
Rio ignores him and continues. “They appear in colored waves. Humans usually emanate the same three colors; orange, gray and blue. That usually means worry, insecurity and fear. It can change throughout the day. If they meet a loved one or find out there’s a baby on the way, the change is powerful. They radiate a soft white glow.”
“So you know what the guy down the street is feeling right now?”
“I know what Manhattan is feeling. That’s how I was able to find you in the hall. Your color wave is almost always…” He was going to say something but then thought better of it.
“Let’s just say your color changed to onyx. That means the person fears for their life.”
“Can you change what people are feeling?” I have to know.
“No, but along with Jay’s ability to ‘glide,’ he has suggestive powers. So if you radiate deep sadness and you’re near me, I’ll get Jay to suggest something to lift your spirits.”
“That’s sweet,” I can’t help but say.
Rio smiles, “Can’t you tell by now what a nice guy I am?”
Miku scoffs, “Yeah, tell her what you and Jay do when you see a cute girl radiating purple.”
“What does purple mean?” I ask.
“It means she’s … thinking private thoughts,” Miku says coyly.
“You know when a girl’s turned on?”
“And then he has Jay go up to her and ‘suggest’ she gives him a kiss,” Miku volunteers.
“Jay!” I scold.
“On the cheek,” he says, unable to face me.
“What kind of angel are you?” I accuse.
“What kind of angel would you like?” End of the world or not, that boy’s a flirt.
“He has to use his powers. How else would he get a girl with me around?” Rio taunts.
Jay shouts back, “You’re crazy. My game is foolproof.”
I quickly interject before they decide to fight it out. “Do all of you have a protective shield?”
Rio says “No, only me.”
“So, what were you doing when you died that you asked for a shield?”
Right away I know that I shouldn’t have asked that question. The mood of the room instantly changed. They all stiffen up. Reese looks up at the ceiling as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room.
Jay looks down at the floor. Miku avoids her brother’s eyes. Rio’s jaw tightens. And for the first time since we’ve been talking, he looks pained. Miku says, “Excuse me,” gets up and goes to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business how you died. I’m sorry Rio. Don’t be mad,” I say trying to fix this major error.
He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s just being polite. I’ve offended him.
He gets up and says, “I’m gonna go look out for Marcus.” He moves quickly and heads up to the roof.
I made an angel sad. What kind of monster am I? “Why don’t I take you home? Tomorrow we’ll be at your school just in case the Runners come back.” Reese gets up and holds out his hand. I take it and stand up.
I want to know what “Runners” are, how they’d all died, and who Lucy is and why she’s after me, but I don’t want to risk saying anything else to upset them. Jay senses my dilemma.
“Don’t worry,” he says. “We’ll fill you in on the rest tomorrow.”
“Okay, thanks. And can you tell Rio I’m sorry, again. Please?”
“He already knows, remember?”