Angel Chapter 2

2

I sat on my bed wearing new clothes. I wore a light pink dress with spaghetti straps and my pink flip flops from yesterday. I was drawing in a notepad that I bought, well dad bought yesterday.
         “Get up you style less lazy bum!” I heard my mom yell from downstairs. I really hoped she wouldn’t stay like this, because I can’t stand it.
         “I’ve been up for an hour!”I shouted back at her, picking up my clock and checking the time. It was 9 a.m. I love summer.
         “Then get down here and eat your breakfast!” she shouted louder than last time at me. I’m already tired of her and I’ve only known her for two days.
         “Mom! I had breakfast a half an hour ago!” I told her, my voice getting sore from all the yelling.
         “Then do your laundry!” She shouted. I think she just wanted to annoy me. I put my drawing pad down on my bed and jumped off it. I made my bed so she couldn’t tell me to do it later. I walked downstairs and went to go see her.
         “I don’t have any laundry except what I wore yesterday.” I told her. She was sitting on the couch watching T.V. and doing her nails. Her hair was in curlers like she just came out of the shower. My father was sitting on the couch also.
         “Then do my laundry!” She yelled, thinking I was still upstairs.
         “Mom, I’m right here!”I said, walking over to where she could see me. She was watching the news which I didn’t care much about.
         “Hey, you do not call me mom!” She said, my eyes widening. “You call me Ashley… On second thought, you call me Mrs. Catarino.” She said, blowing on her nails to help them dry. I stood next to the television speechless. Dad had stopped watching it to listen to our conversation.
         “Ash, if you didn’t want to adopt a child, you could have told me.” He said quietly to her, touching her arm lightly. As soon as she was going to his comment, the T.V. got a new story.
         “Next on the morning news: hit and run on Oceanside Boulevard. Two days ago, a silver Ford F150 followed a Honda Odyssey with four people in it, then rammed it into the ocean. Only one person, Stacy O’Hare, survived. Police are still investigating tapes from the incident taken by the neighborhood’s watch cameras. A house fire at the O’Hare residence burned it to the ground, eliminating any evidence that could have been retrieved. Investigators believe it to have been the same person who killed Mr. and Mrs. O’Hare. There will be updates as we get them and if you have any information on this, please inform the LAPD asap. Next: Super good or super fattening? We reveal the secrets behind some top restaurants’ flavor making recipes.” I felt my stomach drop when I heard this. It validated my fears that Cassie was dead.
         “Thank you for your concern.” I said sarcastically and I walked outside to go get the mail again. I wiped my eyes when I got to the mailbox. I saw Christopher approaching me again smiling. When he got closer his smile faded and he looked concerned against.
         “Stacy? What’s wrong?” He asked, stopping in mid step. I turned away from him and crossed my arms.
         “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I’m just here to help though.” He said, already sounded defeated.
         “I’m sorry if it’s my fault.” He said and I started to feel guilty.
         “No, it’s not your fault.” I said, turning around and dropping my arms. I moved hair out of my face and looked up at his face.
         “It’s a long story though…” I said and looked down again.
“I don’t really have to be anywhere soon. We could talk about it if you want.” He suggested; motioning to the porch in front of my house. I thought for a second and nodded. We walked down the red patch, which lead to our porch which I didn’t notice the first time I came by here. To the right of the door was a swinging bench with a blue and white flower cushions and was as small as a love seat. I sat down on the side closest to the door and Christopher sat next to me.  I felt my face turn red so I looked down at my hands on my lap. I wondered why I felt like this if I had just met him yesterday.
         “Why don’t you just start at the beginning?” he said, leaning back and getting ready for a long story. I told him everything starting from when Cassie and I went to the movies up until now. After I finished telling him he was quiet for a minute thinking it over.
         “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at me. “You’ve been through a lot.” I nodded and looked down at my flip-flopped feet.          
“I really wasn’t angry at you.”  I said thoughtfully.          
“I know. I was just making sure.” He said and smiled a little.
“If you ever want to talk, you can call me… Or wait for me by the mailbox.” He said. I took out my new phone dad bought yesterday.          
“Tell me your number then.” I said and smiled. He told me it and I put it in my phone.
“Sorry,” he said checking the time on his phone.
“I have to go to work now.” He said and stood up. I felt sad when he said that but I also stood up.
“Where do you work?” I asked, purely out of curiosity.
“Oh, at Food-2-Go.” He said and laughed.
“Maybe I’ll come by for lunch.” I said, not meaning for it to sound like I was flirting, but it did. I waved bye to him as he walked out of the big gates and back the way he came. I walked inside with the mail still in my hand that I had forgotten about.
“What took you?!” Ashley asked, startling me. I stepped back a bit. She appeared out of nowhere.
“The mailbox started running away so I had to chase it down the street.” I said, faking wiping sweat away. Her face contorted into anger. I felt a bit scared and wondered where my dad went.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” She asked. I held myself back from saying the answer I meant. I knew better than to say it.
         “Who were you with?!” She demanded. I didn’t understand why who I was talking to was such a big deal, but I answered anyway.
“Christopher Bishop?!” She asked her voice shrill.
“Yes?” I answered questioningly, bracing myself for a harsh response.
“He, his mother and his father are no good.” I flinched.
“They all have some insane farce that they were chosen by God to kill Fallen Angels! Do you believe that?! If I ever catch you hanging out with him again, I will send you right to an orphanage because I will not put up with talk about him in my house!” She finished and stomped her foot. I thought about that, my eyes wide. The thought of Fallen Angels was insane. I didn’t think Fallen Angels – or Angels at all were real.
“Fallen Angels?” I asked, nearly in shock again. Ashley scowled at me so I quieted down and went up the stairs.
“Make your bed.” She said as I reached the top. I sighed exasperatedly.
“I already did.” I replied as I sat on my bed to process the information. I picked up my drawing pad and looked at the sketch.
“What is a Fallen Angel?” I asked out loud to nobody. I got up from my bed and took out my phone. It was still new so only Christopher’s name was on the contacts list. I dialed his number.
“Hello?” He answered. I smiled when I heard his voice.
“What do you know about Fallen Angels, Christopher?” I asked him, thinking the question sounded absurd.
“Stacy..” he started, “I’m almost at work, this isn’t a good time.” He said and my heart sunk.
“I’ll call you back when I get off work, okay?” I nodded once then realized he couldn’t see me so I answered with an ‘Okay.’ I wondered what I would do until he got off, whenever that was.
“Wait.” I said, hoping he hadn’t hung up yet.
“Yeah?” He said curiously.
“How about we talk about Fallen Angels when you get to work?” I suggested, not feeling like waiting indefinitely until he got off work.
“Hmm… Sure I guess. Don’t think my boss would mind if I had a little help.” He said, thinking and talking at the same time. I silently made a ‘yay’ sound.
“So can I have directions?” I said laughing. I could practically hear him smiling on the other side of the phone.
“Sure, it’s a date.” He said and chuckled; I blushed.
“So you live on Somerset Drive. Then when you leave your driveway, go right. Keep going down that street until you reach a street called Cather Turnpike. Turn left down that one then you’ll reach Pafty Street. Go right, then at the end of that street there’s a parking lot. Go through it and you’ll be at the front entrance of the store.” He explained. I had been writing down the directions as the explained them so I wouldn’t forget.
“Thank you, be there in a few.” I said and hung up the phone. I got off my bed where I sat down to write. I ran down the stairs with a small red jacket that was lying on my desk.
“Dad, I’m going out!” I shouted to him, wherever he was.
“Excuse me, young lady.” Ashley said with her arms crossed and blocking the door.
“Yeah?” I asked, getting fed up with her already.
“Where do you think you’re going?” She said sternly.
“The store?” I asked and said.
“Why?” She asked, her voice getting louder.
“Because I always liked going to see what’s new that why I know what I want when we go.” I lied. I couldn’t let her find out I was going to see Christopher, who knows what she’d do to him.
“It’s not even open yet.” She said, probably trying to think of an excuse to keep me here.
“It’s ten AM.” I said. “I do0nt know any store that isn’t open at this time.” I gave her a smug smile. Mom was silent for a minute then bit her perfectly red lip-sticked lips
“No.” She said my eyes widened. I had expected her to say ‘fine!’ or something.
“No?” I asked incredulously. Christopher was probably already at work and I was still stuck at the front door.
“Ashley.” Dad said coming out of nowhere. “Let her go.” He walked over and whispered something into her ear. Her expression didn’t change.
“Go on.” She said to me, sounding like someone was twisting her arm. I smiled at dad, trying to thank him for making her change her mind. I opened the door with my drawing pad and turned right the way Christopher told me. I followed the directions he gave me and when I finally reached the parking lot the store was an empty as if it were closed, but the lights were on. I walked in through the slidey doors and looked around for Christopher. I saw him at register seven looking like he was nodding off. I walked quietly over to him as to not disturb his sleep. When I was close enough I went behind the counter. I took a bunch of hair by the tip and brushed it against his face lightly. His face twitched and he scratched his nose, I brushed the hair on his face again and he went to swat away what was bothering him. I avoided his hand then did it one more time. He sneezed and woke up then looked around. I giggled a bit too loudly and he turned around and saw me.
“What was on my face just now?” He asked obviously confused. I giggled again and covered my mouth.
“Was that you?” he asked then smiled and stood up from his stool.
“Nope.” I said on the verge of full out laughing. His face went from laughing to mock-shock. I laughed full out finally. Messing with him was too fun to keep a straight face. He smiled again and got comfortable on his little stool. When I finished laughing  I sat on the edge of the white check out counter. “Is this as busy as it gets?” I asked him curiously. Looking around the empty supermarket.
“I think I remember seeing a person in here once.” He said looking back at me.
“And you get paid for just sitting here?” I asked wondering if I could get a job here.
“Yup.” He said happily. I smiled at his enthusiasm.
“So,” I began. “My mom.. well she wants me to call her Ashley, told me that your family… hunts fallen angels?” I asked knowing this was probably a touchy subject. He sighed. I wondered if I had asked him too soon since I only just met him.
“Yeah. When people found out from my sister, Alyssa, they thought she was insane. They put her in an asylum. I was ten at the time and she was 13.” He started, looking down at his hands.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.” I said wondering if I would get along with her.
“Yeah you two really are alike. Bet you’d be the best of friends.” He said, with a sad smile. I tried to smile back but got caught up with my thoughts.
         “So after they took her away, my parents moved. We used to live in new York. We came here for two reasons: One: we would have to live with being looked at as mentally unstable if we didn’t. Two: There are more fallen angels here than anywhere else. I don’t know why that is though.” He said his eyes unfocused as he thought of his past.
“How do you see fallen angels? I asked him curiously. I wondered if my mother was a fallen angel because she was so mean.
“Well people in my family have a gift for it. Just like vampire slayers from Dracula came from a specific bloodline.” He said laughing at the movie/book reference I guess.
“Can you tell me what a fallen angel is exactly?” I asked him.
“Sure.” He said “It’s a story my mother always used to tell me before bed. She would tell me that fallen angels, or dark angels, were the messengers of God. They were just like the other angels until one day they each fell into sin. They could have done something like falling into the Devil’s trap, sacrificing their life for something on Earth – Angels are not allowed to interfere with things  that happen here on earth – or possessing someone who recently died. When that happens and Angel is corrupted by sin and God rejects them from heaven.” He said. I wondered if any of this was real. I started to have my doubts if I was listening to the truth.
“How do I know all you’re saying is real and you’re not just giving me a pretty story to hear?” I asked warily. As soon as I asked I thought I’d offended him.
“You don’t have to believe anything. I’m not saying you have to. You just asked so I gave you an honest answer.” He said, I couldn’t tell what emotion his face displayed but I knew he wasn’t happy.
“I…I didn’t mean to.. I mean I just.. I’m sorry.” I said stumbling over my words and into a mess.
“It’s alright.” He said smiling at me failing with words. I scowled.
“My face is funny?” I asked feeling a bit offended.  His smile only brightened at my scowl.
“No,” He began. “I was just thinking how you’re really cute when you scowl and get all flustered like that.” He said I could feel my face turning red like a tomato. He laughed.
“And blush.” He added to his last sentence. I fidgeted on the counter where I was sitting and thought over the fallen angel story. Suddenly I wondered something.
“What do fallen angels look like?” I asked him curiously. I imagined a human-bird creature with scars over it from falling to earth.
“Well…I’ve only ever seen one angel, but I’ve seen plenty of fallen agnels. First I should say that angels and fallen angels are beings made of pure energy. I only saw the angel when I was eight and my grandmother passed away. When a person dies naturally, angels come to guide them to heaven. The angel was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.” He stopped to let me absorb it in and take a breath.
“Angels are the purest white you’ve ever seen, flawless in every way. They have beautiful wings that extend far out further than their arms. You know how on T.V. you see angels with halos dresses and harps?” I nodded absently. “The angels are nothing like that. They have long white hair that flawlessly flows down to just below their shoulders. Even though they have wings they don’t use them to fly. Sometimes I’ll wonder why they have them but I don’t think I should question God’s work. Their faces always have the same serene yet blank expression. Their eyes are all white and you’d have to look close to even see them. Their hair never moves, even in flight.” He finished, his face looked like he’d just had the experience all over again. Before I could think about anything else a question came up and I had to ask.
“What do fallen angels look like?” I asked looking away at the window so I could imagine it as well.
“Ah yes.” He started. “Fallen angels radiate hatred and malice. They look identical to God’s angels except instead of white they’re all black. The fallen angels can transform themselves into anything – even an angel. I’m not saying you will, but if you ever encounter an angel you should always ask them one question that no fallen angel can answer. You ask them ‘What is God’s name?’ then if they don’t know or can’t say it they’re not a true angel. And this works because once angels fall from heaven his name is pushed from their lips and banished.” He told me. I was having an information overflow.
“So what is his name?” I asked wondering what I should expect.
“Well, that I don’t know, I’ve never had to ask one a question and my parents never told me.” He said shrugging his shoulders comically. Then I thought of another question that I was surprised I hadn’t thought of sooner.
“How do you kill a fallen angel?” I asked him, my eyes wide with suspense. I leaned forward ruffling my dress under me and put my hands on the counter to hold me up. He smiled at my eagerness and spoke.
“How about you come over to my house and I can show you some of my ‘moves’?” He said making air quotes around the word moves. I smiled at his invitation.
“Sure,” I said still smiling. He smiled back at me and I wondered if he felt the same way I was feeling about him. I still wasn’t sure how I felt for him though.
“What time do you get off work?” I asked, excited to learn the secrets of the angel killers or meet his family.
“Five.” He said, my heart sank to the floor.
“That’s seven hours from now!” I said a bit too loudly.
“I could ask my boss if I could get off early cause nobody’s here.” He suggested.
“Can you?” I asked, even though he just said he could. He stood up from his stool and nodded. He walked towards the back of the small store where the manager must be. I followed him observing things like the windows where like you would find in a regular home but there were many in a row. There was only a total of ten cash registers in the store and behind the cash registers were isles lined with as many things you could think of – except customers. This place felt like a casual supermarket. I thought of doing my shopping here instead of at the commercial ones with many people and high prices. We finally got to the manager’s door which looked like a regular closet door. This place must have first been his large home. It takes some level of dedication to remodel your entire house into a grocery store. Christopher knocked on the door under the tag that said Manger. I heard typing stop from inside and papers shuffle.
“Come in.” the manager said. His voice was masculine but it held a feminine characteristic to it, like underlying kindness. Christopher opened the door and walked in. I wondered if I could go in also. I walked in behind him, hoping to not be seen or not to be taken note of.
“I see you brought a friend, Christopher.” He said and winked. He was old, around his mid to late sixties. He had on a light blue button shirt with a dark blue tie, His hair was brown but starting to grey and had so much forehead that the shine could blind you on a bright day. His eyes twinkled like someone Christopher’s age. His wrinkled smile suggested otherwise, though. He had been typing on a lap top and all of his papers were neatly stacked on the side of his desk into three piles. Something told me they hadn’t been that way for long. His desk sat in the middle of a small room that was lined with wood on the walls. I stood on a grey carpet looking worn from years of walking on. Behind him there was a picture of himself probably from his younger years with the name Thomas Galvechio under it.
“Hey I was wondering if I could take the rest of the day off.” He said casually as if he asked for a drink. His manager looked at me with a wide smile.
“Getting ready for a hot date?” He asked jokingly, or at least I hoped it to be that way. My face started to burn so I hoped his attention would be on Christopher and not me.
“No not like that.” Christopher said and laughed. “This is my friend Stacy. She came to visit and I would hate to be cooped up here when she’s gone through all the trouble of coming for a visit.” He said in an almost pleading way.
“Maybe I could get my parents to shop here when we need groceries?” I suggested, hoping the offer of business would sway him.
“That would be fantastic Miss Stacy.” He said happily smiling at the thought of money I would guess. I smiled back and wondered why it was so deserted.
“Why don’t you go and take the day off now?” Mr. Galvechio suggested. Christopher nodded and walked out waving behind him. I followed him, thankful it went out without a hitch.
“Bring me back a piece afterwards!” he shouted out behind us sending a shiver up my spine.
“Yeah..no” I said as we exited into the parking lot. Chris laughed at me and we approached the only other car in the lot.
“Why don’t we drive in my car?” He suggested and I wondered if I would ever get a car of my own since I already had my license.
“Sure.” I said thankful I didn’t have to walk all the way back to my house.
“But first I have to tell my mom where I’m going.” I said and hoped she wouldn’t try to keep me from doing this too. I started to wonder if this supermarket was legal from the way the houses were so close and the parking lot was the size of a back yard. Christopher got into his car and I got into the passenger side. We drove out of the parking lot through the small pathway that was a side yard.
“How long have you been working here?” I asked him curiously as we drove away from Food-2-Go. I looked at all the houses as we passed and started to make a mental map of the area that way I wouldn’t get lost if I ever wanted to come back. I looked at each street go by and committed them to memory. Before I knew it we were pulling into Christopher’s house. His house was only three houses away from mine.
“I’ll be right back. I told him and hopped out of the car. I speed walked down towards my gated driveway and opened the door to my house. I didn’t see anyone in the kitchen.
“Dad I’m back. But I met a friend there so I’m gonna go visit them right down the street. BYE!” I shouted to whoever could hear and walked out quickly before I could be told no. As the door closed I could hear Ashley starting to protest but I was out of earshot before I could register a word. I walked back over to Christopher's house and found him sitting on his porch with the gate to his backyard open.
“Done?” He asked, standing up to greet me again.
“Yep, read to show me some ‘moves’?” I said making the same air quotes he did. We walked into his backyard through the plastic white gate. The grass there was either dead or dying in some places and growing like a weed in others. This probably meant he had a dog. His house was made of white wooden paneling and dirty in many places at the bottom. The rest of his backyard was open and green. There were a few trees by the edge of the property line and underneath one was a brown and black Australian Sheppard asleep.
“Aww, doggie.” I said, seeing it.
“Shhh.” He playfully hushed me. “He’s napping.” I smiled and he stopped in the middle of the yard. I looked inside and saw another dog looking like a rat terrier asleep on a brown leather couch inside the house.
“Okay.” Christopher said and closed his eyes. Behind him the other dog twitched in its sleep. They simultaneously took a deep breath. I smirked and watched carefully.
“Fallen angels are beings of energy so ordinary things like bunches and kicks wont work on them. So, I, Like my ancestors were trained a special way to fight them.” He said dramatically. I smiled and sat down on the grass to watch him comfortably. He stood still for a few seconds then he folded his hands and brought them up to his chin. He said words rhythmatically as if he were chanting. I thought I saw a faint glow around his hands as his chanting grew louder. Soon I could hear what he was saying and the glow around his hands wasn’t just faint anymore, it was bright.
“Kao sai chi gah tao zi. Kai sai chi gah tao nee. Kao sai chi ga tao zi. Kao sai chi gah tao nee.” He chanted. I wasn’t sure what he was saying but I was pretty sure it wasn’t English. Although he couldn’t have faked the strange glow surrounding his hands, this all seemed very surreal. I watched in awe as he continued chanting the strange words. The white light around his hands sparked and glowed even brighter. The sparks turned into white thunder bolts swirling around his hands almost in a circle. Slowly he moved his hands apart, the lightning splitting to follow them. Without stopping chanting he moved his hands so only two fingers pointed on each hand. It was unreal to see this white electricity being generated from a person. He continued chanting and acted like some kind of Karate master. His right hand moved first as he swung his two fingers forwards to jab the air in front of him. After he retracted his hands electricity stayed suspended in the air for a short time then dispersed itself. I wondered if I could try that if I had enough practice. Christopher put his arms down and was done finally. I stood up clapping like fan. “Christopher?” I asked him, walking over to him he turned and looked at me happily. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“Yeah?” he answered, brushing some hair to the side of his face.
“Do you think I could learn how to do…” I gestured to the air around him as if to say everything.
“Well,” he started, scratching his head. I braced for a no.
“I don’t think you’re actually capable of it. It’s something that runs in my family – like superpowers – sorry.” He said, disappointed also.
“Can I at least try?” I asked. If I could just learn how to do this on my own I could make it work for me.
         “Alright.” He said his expression thoughtful. “But I don’t think the actions alone will do much of anything.” He said and chuckled. I smiled, I wasn’t planning on telling him that I had no intentions of giving up just ‘cause he said so.
“That’s okay.” I said happily and stood facing him. I bowed like you see in those old Karate movies and he laughed. It was so easy to make him laugh and when he laughed, it was infectious.
“Okay.” He said still smiling. “First you have to focus all your energy… or like all your attention on what you want it to look like; that’s a key part of even forming it. Just think about how you think it should appear he said and took the praying pose. I copied him and thought about how his electricity looked. I didn’t want to copy him so I made it blue, The blue wasn’t blue enough so I made it darker. Then I thought that it should be green that way I could be one with nature.
“Just focus on one picture of it. The first time is hard because you don’t know what it will look like but just pick what you think it should.” He explained. I saw the green electricity glowing in my mind.
“Once you have the picture think hard about it, make it real; believe it’s real.” He said and I heard the crackling of his electricity. It sounded weaker than the first time. Then I remembered the chant he was saying.
         “What about that chant you were saying the first time.” I asked him, not breaking the picture of my energy ball thing. Christopher laughed.
“What?” I asked, opening my eyes to find my hands bare. I looked at him and he was holding his sides from laughing.
“Did I do something funny?” I asked him and smiled out of sheer confusion. I looked around the yard, the only thing funny was the dog sleeping upside down under the tree and that was behind him.
“That was just me goofing around.” He said trying to catch his breath. “I didn’t think you would actually want to say that.” I smiled, not understanding how that was funny.
“So doesn’t this take too long to be efficient??” I asked trying to see how this would work in real life.
         “Actually, I can make it appear much faster. I only did it slowly to show you what it looks like. Usually you can see.. watch—try to watch” He said. He waited a second to make sure I was watching the jabbed the air with his two fingers which made the sound of a crack of lightning. He did this three more times alternating hands each time.
‘”Only thing is this only hurts them. They can’t die because they’re pure energy and physics says something against their death. The only thing that can really get rid of them is the opposite of their energy – angel’s energy.” He said. “Angel’s being from heaven are kind and would never hurt anyone even a fallen angel.” I sighed, why should I know how to do this if it won’t do anything?
“Let me try it again.” I said and focused on the green electricity. I thought only of how the crackling of lightning would sound when it worked and how it would be the greenest green, I felt my hands become warmer and I attributed it to my adrenaline rushing.
“Whoa.” I heard christopher say. I didn’t think to open my eyes and see why he was amazed because I felt something in my hands; as if I were holding all the kindness in the world. I didn’t want this feeling to ever end so I focused on it even more and it grew.
“S-stacy.” Christopher said, sounding a bit louder. This time I opened my eyes and in my hands I saw a ball of pure white energy floating with my hands on either side of it.
“Am I doing this?” I asked him even though I knew it was me. The energy was warm even though I wasn’t even touching it.
“Stacy,” he babbled. “that’s… you’re…whoa.”
“What am I doing?” I asked him staring in awe at the white orb.
“That’s angel’s energy.” He said gathering his thoughts together.
“I don’t know anyone in my family that can do that. Ours is life energy.” I wondered how this could have been possible and as soon as I took my mind off the energy it disappeared.
“Wait, where’d it go?” I asked, blinking to clear away the confusion. I looked at Christopher for help.
“Let’s go ask my parents about it because I’m at al loss.” He said and picked up the once sleeping dog. I followed him into the house, passing the other dog that was still asleep. From the looks of the living room there was only one floor. The room we were in had a long L shaped brown couch with a huge brown ottoman in front of it.
         “Sorry about how the house looks, we weren’t really expecting guests. Dad’s at work right now so only mom is home, but that’s okay because she knows more about myths than he does.” He said as we walked into the kitchen, his mom was standing in front of the stove making a late breakfast for herself.
         “Hello, Chris!” she said happily, knowing he walked into the room. She stopped what she had been making.
“I heard you showing off out in the backyard.” She said and laughed. Now I could see where he got his sense of humor from. Christopher chuckled. I didn’t see anything funny about it what they were saying but I smiled to be polite.
“Mom, this is Stacy.” He introduced me.
“Hi!” I greeted her and shook her hand politely. She had a strong handshake signifying that she was a strong woman. She looked much older than a mother though, but held a young glint in her eyes.
“Nice to meet you. Are you Chris’s new girlfriend?” She asked me, my face turned red again and I shook my head no.
“Mom you shouldn’t make assumptions like that. If I find someone I really like then I’ll tell you.” Christopher said his expression too comical to be serious.
“Mom, when I was showing Stacy how to attack Fallen Angels she tried it, now the first time she couldn’t get anything.” He said.
“Because she’s not a Bishop.” His mom cut inn. “Oh why don’t we sit down?” she suggested encouragingly. I took a seat at the kitchen table and pressed against the wall. Christopher sat on the corner of it and his mom on a counter stool.
“So, when she tried it a second time she made pure white angel energy. It was unbelievable, is a human having angel powers normal?” he asked her. His mother twirled her lightly graying hair in her hand in thought. I wondered why she looked so old if Christopher was only 20.
“I see … well  I have heard of this before, but only once. I think I should do a bit more explaining before I get to that. Why don’t I tell Stacy about the Bishops. Stacy, the Bishops have been around for many generations. All of mine and Christopher’s, my husband’s, ancestors hunted fallen angels; We were blessed with having the power to see falln angels for what they really are. This power came upon our family when our great great ancestor Matthew Bishop came to the end of his time. He had been neither good nor bad and his death was an accident. It is said that when he died he met an angel and a dark angel. He said they fought over who should take him into their domain. He watched them fight for a while and he realized what the dark angel was. When the dark angel said that his master was growing tired and needed new flesh, Matthew realized that this was a messenger of the Devil. He told the angel he was not yet done on earth and offered a deal. If he could live the rest of his life on Earth he would spend it killing the dark angels. The angel, having grown tired of the dispute, granted matthew his request. The angel told him how they could not be seen by mortal eyes so he granted him eyes that could see through their disguises even in the darkest shadows. His eyes turned blue—“Christopher looked at me, showing off his cerulean blue eyes. I smiled, thinking of how when I was little that was my favorite color. “And he would only bear sons to keep the Bishop name and the dark angels at bay.” I noticed now that her eyes were a dark shade of brown. His dad must have been the one that fought fallen angels.
“Uh question. If your eyes are brown and you said your ancestors were fallen angel hunters, why are your eyes a different color?” I asked her. She smiled at me.
“That’s a story for another time but I’ll tell you now, I’m only helping I have no real powers. And my mother, grandmother, great grandmother and so on were all like that.  I wouldn’t want to scare you with the biology of that. Anyway, the angel energy can only come about when a person is either given energy by an angel or they are born with it. Someone born with it could be lucky or the spawn of a human and an angel.” She said mainly to me, changing subjects in the middle. If I was born as an angel, why didn’t I know about it before? My mind spun as I thought of being given angel energy in my sleep or another time when I was not conscious.
“Stacy,” Christopher said, looking at me. “Do you ever remember feeling like… like you had nothing to fear or that you were completely safe but you couldn’t explain why?” He asked me. I thought back to try and find a time when I might have felt that way. A time when my parents didn’t give me the sense of security, but it came from a separate entity. I looked into christopher’s eyes and he smiled.
“You’re not trying to remember, are you?” He asked knowingly , still smiling. I was quiet for a second then realized that I really wasn’t trying to remember.
“Sorry.” I said with a shy smile. I heard his mother laughing quietly, probably thinking I liked him or vice versa.
“I don’t think that’s ever happened to me.” I said, twirling my blonde hair in my hand. Christopher looked from me to his mom.
         “What’re you laughing at?” He asked defensively. She smiled and took a deep breath, getting ready to tell another story.
“Nothing.” She said. How anti-climactic. Christopher smiled at his mom.
“Lots of smiling.” I said under my breath.
“Do you mind showing me the energy you can make?” His mom asked me. I nodded weakly then got up.
“Do we have to go outside or can I show you here?” I asked his mom, looking around the kitchen to see if anything was breakable. There were white cabinets lining the walls on the wall to my right there was a wall with a counter through it and cut away so it was like a bar. It had a grey granite top and grey bar stool seats which we were sitting on. On the other side there were counters of grey granite and cabinets above it, there was also a white double door fridge; next to it there was also a stove with a black counter between the burners. It was built into the counter. At the edge of the counters was a sink made of stainless steel.
“Lets go outside because you’re just learning to do it; I don’t want any accidents near my kitchen.” She said with a slight nervous tone behind her cheery one. I nodded a bit more strongly and we walked past the still sleeping dog on the couch where Christopher put down the black and brown one. I forgot he was holding and went outside. His mother stayed by the door to watch us. Christopher stood by the tree in the back.
“Okay, do you remember what to do?” He asked me, I thought for a second.
“Yeah.” I said and stood with my side to his mom. I held my hands like I was praying and thought about the white warm energy I had brought about before. I felt the warm energy form in my hands and I opened my hands to let it form. The strength of it was greater than last time and I focused on it only. It grew bigger in warmth and size; I opened my eyes to see what had appeared. It was the glowing white orb that everyone was so fascinated with. I imagined having a huge ball of energy in my hands and how that would feel and I felt it get bigger until I nearly couldn’t hold it… good thing it weighed nothing.
‘Okay Stacy.” Christopher said, chuckling. “You don’t have to show off. We get it; you’re strong.” He said and the orb disappeared as I changed my focus to Chris. I smiled at the pretty effects it left of sparkling white whisps of light.
“Wow. You are a unique girl.” His mom said, obviously impressed. She walked over to me and I saw that  she walked like a young person, her blue dress and light blue apron swishing from side to side.
“And you’ve never seen an angel?” She asked me again. I shook my head in response.
“I only know what they look like from christopher’s description of one.” I said frankly.
“You can call me chris.” He said and laughed. I smiled back at him.
“Okay, Chris.” I said testing out the name.
“I’ve only ever seen that much power in someone born from an angel parent or an actual angel. We’ll you’re not dead.” She said looking me over jokingly. “so you cant be an angel.”
“Yup.” Chris said sarcastically and smiled.
“Which of your parents is the angel?” She demanded randomly. Chris’s face fell.
“Actually.” I said. “My parents are dead.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She said immediately. I looked down sadly.
“maybe we should stop investigating this for now.” She suggested. “You could go play with Chris now.”
“Mom! I’m not a kid anymore!” Chris said, his face turning red. I laughed at their comical banter. I smiled at Chris.
“It’s okay. I’m allright.” I said.
“If you’re sure then I have to do some research on the computer.” She said and walked away back into the white house. The two dogs got up and followed her to where there was a computer. I closed my eyes and held my –
“Stacy!” I heard my mom shout from close by.