Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 10

But only if you absolutely swear to me you didnt do it.Oh, how many times? Ive been telling you on the safe and sound week I didnt. I never verbalise a word to her. I swear.The first voice, which weightyed taut and a little unbalanced, was Tanyas. The second was Kim theGymnasts. Despite her brook words, Kim sounded scared.( nonesuch? Whats personnel casualty on?)(Trouble.)Okay, Tanyas voice was saying. Then this is your chance to prove it by helping me.Tan, look. Look. Im sorry about you and David breaking up. But maybe its non Gillians fault-Its whole her fault. The stuff with Bruce was over. You fare that. at that place was no reason for Davidto ever find out-until she vindicateded her mouth. And as for how she found out-Not again Kim the Gymnast sounded seduce to scream. I didnt do it.All right. I believe you. Tanyas voice was calmer. So in that case thithers no reason for us to fight.Weve got to stick together. Hand me that brush, volition you? There was ease for a moment, and Gilliancould imagine Tanya brushing her dark hair to a higher gloss, looking in a mirror approvingly.So what are you going to do? Kims voice asked. Get both of them. In a way, I hate him more. I promised hed be sorry if he dumped me, and I alwayskeep my promises. press between the heavy, swaying clothes on her right and left, Gillian had a indefensible and almost fatalimpulse to giggle.She knew what was going on. It was just such a a sitcom situation that she had a hard time makingherself believe in it. Here she was, listening to two people who were actually plotting against her. She wasoverhearing their plans to get her. It was absurd. Bad whodunit novel stuff.And it was happening anyway.She made a feeble attempt to get back to reality, straightening up slightly.(Angel-people dont really do these revenge things. Right? Theyre just talking. And-I mean, I send awayt evenbelieve Im hearing all this. Its so so ridiculous)(Youre overhearing it because I brought you her e. You live an invisible friend who can lead you to theright protrude at the right time. And youd better believe that people carry out these revenge things. Tanyasnever made a plan that she hasnt carried by dint of.)(The future executive.) Gillian thought it faintly.(Future CEO. Shes mortal serious, kid. And shes smart. She can make things happen.)Gillian no longer felt kindred giggling.When she pressed her ear against the wall again, it was clear shed missed some of the conversation. David first? Kim the Gymnast was saying.Because I know what to do with him. He wants to get into Ohio University, you know? He sent theapplication in October. It was al wee going to be a little hard because his grades arent great, simply hescored really high on the SATs. It was hard, but Im going to make it There was a pause andTanyas voice seemed to mellow and sweeten. Absolutely impossible.How? Kim sounded shaken.By paper to the university. And to our principal and to Ms. Renquist, the English lit teacher, and toDavids grandpa, whos supposed to be giving him money to go to college.But why? I mean, if you say something nasty, theyll just intend its mistaken grapes-Im going to tell them he passed English lit last socio-economic class by cheating. We had to turn in a term paper. But he didnt economize the paper he turned in. It wasbought. From a college guy in Philadelphia.Kims breath whooshed out so loudly that Gillian could hear it. How do you know?Because I pose it, of course. I wanted him to bring his grades up, to get into a university. To make something of himself. But of course he can never prove all that. Hes the one that paying for it.A silence. Then Kim said, with what sounded like forced lightness, But, Tan, you could ruin his wholelifeI know. Tanyas voice was serene. Satisfied.But well, what do you want me to do?Be ready to spread the word. Thats what you do best, isnt it? Ill get the letters written by Monday.And then on Monday you can start telling people-b ecause I want e rattlingone to know. Prime that word of mouth Tanya was laughing.Okay. Sure. Consider it done. Kim sounded more scared than ever. Uh, look, Id better get backdgetstairs now-can I use the brush a second?Here. A clatter. And, Kim? Be ready to help me with Gillian, too. Ill let you know what Ive got in sense for her.Kim said, Sure,-faintly. Then at that place were a few more clatters and the sound of a door rattling open andshut. Then silence.Gillian stood in the stuffy closet.She felt physically sick. As if shed found somethingloathsome and slimy and unclean writhing beneath her bed. Tanya was crazy-and evil. Gillian had just seeninto a mind utterly twisted with hatred.And smart. Angel had said it.(Angel, what do I do? She really means it, doesnt she? Shes going to destroy him. And there isntanything I can do about it.)(There may be something.)(Shes not going to listen to reason. I know shes not. Nobodys going to be able to talk her out of it.And threats arent any s olid-)(I said, there may be something you can do.)Gillian came back to herself. (What?)(Its a little complicated. And well, the truth is, you may not want to do it, kid.)(I would do anything for David.) Gillians response was instant and absolute. Strange, how there weresome things you were so sure of.(Okay. Well, h emeritus that thought. Ill explain everything when we get home-which we should do fast. Butfirst I want you to get something from that bathroom.) Gillian felt calm and alert, like a young soldier on her first mission in enemy territory. Angel had an idea.As long as she did exactly what Angel said, things were going to turn out all right.She went into the bathroom and followed Angels instructions precisely without asking why. Then shewent to get David to take her home from the party.Im ready. Now tell me what I can do.Gillian was sitting on her bed, wearing the pajamas with little bears on them. It was well by and by midnightand the house was quiet and dark except for the lamp on her night stand.You know, I compute you are ready.The voice was quiet and thoughtful-and outside her head. In the air about two feet away from the bed, alight began to grow.And then it was Angel, sitting lotus style, with his transfer on his knees. Floating lotus style. He was aboutlevel with Gillians bed and he was looking at her searchingly. His face was earnest and calm, and all or so him was a pale, changing light like the aurora borealis.As always, Gillian felt a physical reaction at the first sight of him. A sort of shock. He was so beautiful,so unearthly, so unlike anyone else.And right now his eyes were more intense than she had ever seen them.It scared her a little, but she pushed that-and the physical reaction-away. She had to think of David.David, whod so trustingly taken her home when she got sick an hour ago, and who right now hadabsolutely no idea what was in store for him on Monday. simply tell me what to do, she said to Angel.She was braced. She had no ide a what it would take to stop Tanya, but it couldnt be anythingpleasant-or legal. Didnt librate. She was ready.So Angels words were something of a let overpower.You know youre special, dont you?Huh?Youve always been special. And underneath, youve always cognise it.Gillian wasnt sure what to say. Because it sounded terribly cliche-but it was true. She was special. Shedhad a near-death experience. Shed come back with an angel. Surely only special people did that. Andher popularity at school-everyone there certainly thought she was special. But her own inner feeling hadstarted long before that, sometime in childhood. Shed just imagined that everybody felt that way thatthey were different from others, maybe better, but certainly different.Well, everybody does feel that way, actually, Angel said, and Gillian felt a little jolt. She always felt itwhen she suddenly remembered her thoughts werent private anymore. Angel was going on. But for you it happens to be true. Listen, what do you kn ow about yourgreat-grandma Elspeth?What? Gillian was lost. Shes an old lady. And, um, she lives in England and always sends me Christmas presents She had a vague memory of a photograph showing a woman with white hairand white glasses, a gaberdine skirt and sensible shoes. The woman held a Pekingese in a little red jacket.She grew up in England, but she was born American. She was only a year old when she was separatedfrom her big sister Edith, who was raising her. It happened during World War One. Everyone thoughtshe had no family, so she was given to an English couple to raise.Oh, really? How interesting. Gillian was not only bewildered but exasperated. But what on earth-Heres what its got to do with David. Your great-grandma didnt grow up with her real sister, with herreal family. If she had, shed have know her real heritage. Shed have knownYes?That she was born a witch.There was a long, long silence. It shouldnt have been so long. After the first second Gillian thought ofthings t o say, but somehow she couldnt get them yesteryear the tightness of her throat.She ought to laugh. That was funny, the idea of Great-grandma, with her sensible shoes, being a witch.And besides, witches didnt exist. They were just stories--like angels--or examples of New Age grown-ups acting silly.Angels, Gillian gasped in a strangled voice. She was beginning to feel wild inside. As if rules werebreaking loose.Because angels were true. She was looking at one. He was floating about two and a half feet off thefloor. There was absolutely nothing under himand he could hear her thoughts and disappear and he was real. And if angels could be realMagic happens. Shed seen that on a bumper sticker somewhere. Now she clapped both hands to hermouth. There was something stewing up inside her and she wasnt sure if it was a scream or a giggle.My great-grandma is a witch?Well, not exactly. She would be if she knew about her family. Thats the key, you see-you have toknow. Your great-grandma has the blood, and so does your grandma, and so does your mom. And sodo you, Gillian. And now you know. The last words were very gentle, very deliberate. As if Angelwere delicately putting into place the last piece of a puzzle.Gillians laughter had faded. She felt dizzy, as if she had unexpectedly come to the edge of a cliff andlooked over. Im Ive got the blood, too. Dont be afraid to say it. Youre a witch.Angel Gillians heart was trounce very hard suddenly. Hard and dense. Please I dont reallyunderstand any of this. And well, Im not.A witch? You dont know how to be, yet. But as a matter of fact, kid, youre already showing the signs.Do you remember when that mirror broke in the downstairs bathroom?And when the window broke in the cafeteria. You asked me if I did those things. I didnt. You did. Youwere black and you lashed out with your power but you didnt realize it.Oh, God, Gillian whispered.Its a frightening thing, that power. When you dont know how to use it, it can cause all kinds ofdamage. To other people-and to you. Oh, kid, dont you understand? Look at whats happened to yourmother.What about my mother?She is a witch. A lost witch, like you. Shes got powers, but she doesnt know how to channelthem, she doesnt understand them, and they terrify her. When she started seeing visions-Visions Gillian sat straight up. It was as if a light had suddenly gone on in her head, illuminating fiveyears of her life.Yeah. Angels violet eyes were steady, his face grim. The hallucinations came before the drinking, notafter. And they were mental visions, images of things that were going to happen, or that might havehappened, or that happened a long time ago. But of course she didnt understand that.Oh, God. Oh, my God. Electricity was running up and down Gillians body, setting her whole skintingling. Tears stung in her eyes-not tears of sadness, but of pure, shocking revelation. Thats it. Thats it.Oh, God, weve got to help her. Weve got to tell her-I agree. But first we have to get you under control. And its not exactly a thing you can just spring onher without any warning. You could do more harm than good that way. Weve got to build up to it.Yes. Yes, I see that. Youre right. Gillian blinked rapidly. She tried to calm her breathing, to think.And just at the moment, shes stable. A little depressed, but stable. Shell wait until after Monday. ButTanya wont.Tanya? Gillian had close forgotten the original discussion. Oh, yeah, Tanya. Tanya. David, shethought.There is something very practical you can do about Tanya-now that you know what you are.Yes. All right. Gillian wet her lips. Do you think Dad will come back if Mom realizes what she is andgets it all together?I think theres a good possibility. But listen to me. To take care of Tanya- Angel. A slow coil of anxiety was unrolling in Gillians stomach. Now that I think about it I mean,arent witches bad? Shouldnt you-well, disapprove of this?Angel put his golden head in his hands. If I thought it was bad would I be here guiding you through it?Gillian almost laughed. It was so incongruous- the pale northern lights aura around him and the sound ofhim talking through clenched teeth.Then a thought struck her. She spoke hesitantly and wonderingly. Did you come here to guide methrough it?He bring up his head and looked at her with those unearthly eyes. What do you think?Gillian thought that the world wasnt exactly what she had thought. And neither were angels.The next morning she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. Shed done this after Angel had firstcome to her and made her cut her hair-shed wanted to look at her new self. Now she wanted to look atGillian the witch.There wasnt anything overtly different about her. But now that she knew she seemed to see things shehadnt noticed before. Something in the eyes-some ancient glimmer of knowledge in their depths.Something elfin in the face, in the profligate of the cheekbones. A remnant of faery.Stop gazing and come shopping, Angel sai d, and light coalesced beside her.Right, Gillian said soberly. Then she tried to wiggle her nose.Downstairs, she borrowed the keys to her mothers station wagon and bundled up. It was an icy-freshday and the whole world sparkled under a light dusting of new snow. The air filled Gillians lungs likesome strange potion.(I feel very witchy.) She backed the car out. (Now where do we go? Houghton?)(Hardly. This isnt the kind of shopping you doat a mall. Northward, ho Were going to Woodbridge.)Gillian tried to remember Woodbridge. It was a little town like Somerset-but smaller. Shed doubtlessdriven through it at some point in her life.(We need to go shopping in Woodbridge to take care of Tanya?)(Just drive, dragonfly.)Woodbridges main street stop in a town square bordered by dozens of decorated trees. The storeswere trimmed with Christmas lights. It was a postcard scene.(Okay. Park here.)Gillian followed Angels directions and found herself in the Woodbridge pentad and Ten, an old-styleva riety store, complete with creaking wooden floorboards. She had the terrifying feeling that time had gone back about fifty years. The aisles were tight and the shelves were jammed with baskets full ofgoods. There was a musty smell.Beyond asking questions, she stared dreamily at a jar of penny candy.(Head on to the back. All the way. Open that door and go through to the back room.)Gillian nervously opened the rickety door and peered into the room beyond. But it was just anotherstore. It had an even stranger smell, partly delicious, partly medicinal, and it was rather murkily lit.Uh, hello? she said, in response to Angelsurging. And then she noticed movement behind a counter.A girl was sitting there. She was maybe nineteen and had dark chocolate-brown hair and an interesting face. It wasquite ordinary in shape and structure-a country girl sort of face-but the eyes were unusually vivid andintense.Um, do you mind if I look around? Gillian said, again in response to Angel.Go right ahea d, the girl said. Im Melusine.She watched with a perfectly friendly and open curiosity as Gillian moseyed around the shelves, trying tolook as if she knew what she was looking for. Everything she saw was strange and unfamiliar-rocks andherby-looking things and different colored candles.(Its not here.) Angels voice was resigned. (Were going to have to ask her.)Excuse me, Gillian said a moment later, approaching the girl diffidently from the other side. But do youhave any Dragons Blood? The-activated kind?The girls face changed. She looked at Gillian very sharply. Then she said, Im afraid Ive never heard ofanything like that. And I wonder what makes you ask.Gooseflesh blossomed on Gillians arms. She had the sudden, distinct feeling that she was in danger.