The Metatronic Chronicles: A Minor Inconvenience

Michael’s time had run out. Winter break was just too short and had gone far too quickly. December was always a cold, soul-less time that had the audacity to have the highest concentration of religious holidays associated with it. Among them, Christmas was Michael’s least favorite. It was just too expensive for a teenager strapped for cash and he was always embarrassed that he and Daniel usually had to put their money together to buy anything of use to their parents. But this year seemed different. With a new baby on the way, Christmas seemed almost tolerable to the new young father.

The family had their usual quiet Christmas, gone to midnight Mass and exchanged gifts on Christmas morning. Michael had received some new jeans and dress shirts, socks and underwear, a blazer for Sundays and some new rock LPs. Daniel had received much the same except that his music choices ran to classical, jazz and opera so his gifts reflected his tastes.

In return, both boys had pooled their resources to give their parents a new set of bed linens, some perfume for Mary and a new battery-powered camping lantern for James. This year Michael had even found some extra resources to enable him to give Alice a card, some booties Mary had knitted for the baby and a funny little book about baby names and their meanings. In turn, Alice had given him a knit cap she had knitted along with matching mittens and scarf, all in tones of steel gray and black. It all seemed very business like and courteous.

However, the holidays soon passed and Michael finally had to face the day when Alice was moving in. It was Thursday, January 2nd, 1969 and this was the day he felt that his life as a free man would end. He was sitting in the living room, staring out the window at snow falling slowly onto the massive old oak trees that dotted the front yard when Daniel found him and sat down in a chair close by. “Counting the hours, huh?” Daniel asked.

“More like minutes now,” Michael answered, still watching the snow. “Her mom just called. They’re on their way over and I’m about to lose it.” He turned to look at his brother, his face showing his depression. “I just hope this works, she has the baby and we come to some decision about where she’ll live with it.”

Daniel cast a look around to make sure that their parents weren’t around and then turned back to Michael. “I don’t understand your complaint. You’ve been screwing her almost daily now for months. Surely you’ve developed some deeper feelings for her.”

“Not that I’ll admit to.” Michael felt as if the world was closing in on him and he had no breathing room. “Think she might get sick of me and dump me? Can I hope for that much?”

“You’re just upset that if you see her here, you’ll get all wrought up over her again. Face it, brother. You do like her more than you’re willing to let on. I mean I like her—she’s a nice girl. A little star struck but those amazing fat tits of hers more than make up for it. Would you be willing to share?”

“Share her with you?” Michael echoed and then thought about it a moment. “If she was willing, sure. I’d share her with you. If she’s with you, then she’s not bothering me so much.”

“You’re a faithless turd, brother,” Daniel answered as he glanced out the window. “And here they are.” The Fitch family car was pulling up outside.

Mary came in from the laundry room where she had been sorting clothes. “I saw them through the window. Will you boys please go help them bring her things in?”

Begrudgingly, Michael and Daniel both got up and went out to greet the family and help with Alice’s belongings. It didn’t take long until they were up in her freshly renovated room, helping her unpack after she had kissed her mom and dad good bye. It seemed that Alice, despite her nearly five month long pregnancy, couldn’t live without her record player and records, her teen magazines and her art supplies, which filled up several boxes. She was very bubbly, obviously happy to be in the same house with her lover and it showed when she threw her arms around him for a big kiss. “Oh Michael, thank you so much for helping me!”

“You’re welcome,” Michael returned. “But Daniel helped too you know.”

“Oh I know!” She turned to Daniel. “Thank you too, Daniel. You both are so kind, I just love it.” She patted her swelling stomach. “Did you notice? He’s kicking!”

“At five months?” Michael cast a worried eye over at his brother. “That’s great! Sounds like a healthy baby to me!”

“Oh yes and he actually makes noises! It’s incredible!” Alice set about putting away her clothes as she kept talking. “Doctor Gannon says it’s very unusual but not unheard of. The baby is fine and everything is progressing normally.” She was opening and closing drawers, folding things and hanging up dresses very busily so it took some time for her to notice the huge California king size bed. “Oh,” she said when she finally saw it. “I thought there was a double bed in here.”

“Mom got a new one. She said the old one was crap,” Michael answered, hoping the conversation wouldn’t turn to sex. But it did.

“Did she get it for us to be together?” Alice asked excitedly, forgetting that Daniel was in the room. He immediately excused himself but hung around outside the door to eavesdrop.

“No, Alice,” Michael said. “It’s just for you, I swear.”

“Michael,” She stretched upward as much as she could and whispered in his ear. “We’ve never done it in a bed.”

He looked down at her and saw those smoky eyes again. “Oh my god…” he muttered to himself, looking away. “Alice, I don’t know what to say to you. This is my parents’ house. We can’t do it here. It would be too weird and what if we got caught. I just can’t.”

Alice looked disappointed as she sank down onto the bed and looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. “We need to have a talk,” she said softly. “Right now?”

“Um…okay,” Michael sat down as far as he could from her, taking care not to look in her eyes. “What did you want to talk about?”

She got up and closed the door after spotting Daniel hanging around outside, then sat down on the bed with him. “I know I embarrass you,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to. These last few months have been hard for me too but I don’t like to dwell on the bad stuff even though it seems to hit me in the face daily. I know what the stories are about me in school and I know that you just use me for sex.” She tried to smile. “But I don’t mind because that way you’re with me and like it or not, I love you. So I don’t really expect you to share a bed with me or even really like me. But just don’t ever lie to me, okay?”

Michael looked down at the floor, not daring to look up. Daniel’s voice exploded in his head. “Busted!”

After a few moments of silence, Alice gently touched him. “Michael? Any one home?”

He slowly looked up at her and let his eyes sink into those slinky, smoky depths looking back at him. “I’m sorry I used you that way, Alice,” he finally said. “I was wrong to do that. But I can promise you that I will never lie to you again. And that I really do like you, it’s just that I’m not really prepared for all this.”

“And I was?” Alice asked. “We’re both kids, Michael, but we have some growing up to do real quick. This baby is developing so fast, getting so strong—I’m not even sure I’ll make it to my due date. He may pop out a lot earlier but no matter what, we are still his parents. We have a responsibility to him and I take that very seriously. You’ve told me that you do too, but your actions and words don’t match.” She paused to gather her strength. “Which is it, Michael? Are you going to be here for us? Can I count on you?”

“Yes!” he answered immediately. “I will be here for both of you and you can count on that. You won’t be able to keep me away.”

“I don’t want to keep you away but neither do I want to chain you down, Michael.” Alice wasn’t that mousy little fat girl now—she was a young woman with a heavy responsibility that needed good solid answers now. “This baby is going to need a full time father, not just one who’s here when he wants something or feels obligated.”

“Alice, I’m going to love this baby very much, I know that.” Michael took a deep breath. “But I have some things to say to you, too.” He was about to tell her something very startling and upsetting, yet so wonderful that she might doubt his sanity. Yet, he had talked it over with Mary and James, and they agreed that Alice should know what kind of baby she was having and what to expect, but no one had suggested a time or place to tell her.

“Yes, Michael? You can tell me anything.”

Alice’s eyes, so deep and enticing, drilled into him and he had to shake it off before he could go on. “Alice…” He gulped as his voice failed him. Trembling, he tried again. “Alice…I am a…” Once more his voice faded away and he looked up into those amazing eyes. “Aw hell, I better just show you.”

“Show me what, Michael?” Alice asked, earnestly trying to understand what he was saying.

“This.” He stood up and removed his t-shirt, then unzipped his jeans.

“Michael, I’ve seen that,” Alice giggled. “Many times.”

“Not quite. I just have ripped up too many good shirts and jeans doing this and it’s getting expensive,” he answered as he stepped out of them, leaving him standing there naked except for a pair of navy blue stretch briefs.

“Those are sexy,” Alice smiled, enjoying the view.

Michael seemed to pull a white kilt out of the air and put it on, and then produced a leather belt to hold it up.

Alice was still enjoying the show. “How did you do that? Are you a magician?” she laughed.

“In a way. Now please don’t be shocked but I’m going to change just a little bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Alice nodded curiously. “Go ahead. Change.”

Seconds later, Michael was calling down to his parents. “Help! Alice fainted!”

Mary came rushing up, pushing her way past a snickering Daniel and entered the room to find Alice passed out right where she had been sitting. She rushed to the bed to sit down and began fanning her face. “Michael, get some water!” A glass of water was instantly held out to her. “Real water, not that magic stuff!”

“It is real! I got it from the bathroom!” Michael protested.

“Did you just make the switch in front of her?” Mary took a quick look at the angel standing there. “Michael, that was not smart! You should have told her gently and let her get used to the idea!”

“I tried, but the words wouldn’t come out. I figured getting it over with quick was the best way but she fainted on me!”

Giving up the argument for the moment, Mary took the water and sprinkled Alice’s face lightly. “Come on, sweetie. Wake up.”

After a few moments, Alice groggily opened one eye. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Mary answered, helping her sit up. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She rubbed her eyes. “I think this baby has me hallucinating. I thought I saw Michael…um…change.”

Mary shot a glare at Michael and he instantly returned to normal human form and put his clothes back on. The kilt and belt disappeared. “Well, you’ re fine now, but let’s take you over to Doctor Gannon’s to make sure.”

“No, no that’s not necessary.” Alice struggled to get to her feet. “My mom is taking me for an appointment tomorrow.” She looked around the room for Michael, who had made a hasty exit. “Where did he go?”

“He’s just outside.” Mary watched her totter toward the door. “Alice, are you sure you’re okay? Do you mind if I call Doctor Gannon and ask if it’s okay for you to wait until tomorrow?”

“No, I don’t mind. Mom left a permit slip with him so you can take me if you have to, but really I feel fine.”

“Well, I’m still going to call your mom and let her know.”

“No!” Alice blurted out. “I mean, no please don’t. I have been looking forward to moving in here with you and I don’t want anything to spoil that. It was just the stress of the move and everything so new to me. But I’m fine now and I’m sure there won’t be any more problems.”

“Then maybe you should rest for awhile.” Mary got up and guided her back toward the bed. “Lunch is in an hour, so why don’t you take a nap? I’ll tell Michael to let you sleep and then come for you when lunch is ready. We don’t want you navigating those stairs alone too much.”

“I appreciate that,” Alice nodded, letting Mary guide her. “I guess a nap isn’t a bad idea. I’ve been taking a lot more of them lately. This baby just wears me out so much. Be sure to send Michael, okay?”

“Okay.” Mary saw that she got settled in and then quietly left the room. Out in the hallway, she grabbed Michael by the arm and pulled him downstairs before turning to confront him. “Are you crazy? What did you do that for?”

Michael towered over his mom even in human form but she had a way of making him want to turn tail and run. “I was having a hard time telling her. I couldn’t get the words out and you always say actions speak louder than words.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Of course you can’t just turn into an angel in front of her!” Mary wanted to pop him one but since she had never hit her kids, tempting as it was, she wasn’t going to start now. “Michael, she’s pregnant with a kid that she has no idea of its nature! You can’t shock a pregnant woman! She could go into labor for all we know!”

“Well how should I tell her then?” Michael felt like a six year old in front of her.

“You have to pick your time and you have to be gentle! If she doesn’t believe you or thinks you’re nuts, that’s fine. You know the truth and eventually she will too.” Mary took a long look into his regretful eyes and her tone grew softer. “But you have to be patient—if it takes weeks for her to accept it, then that’s how it is. Shocking her again could have disastrous results and we are not ready for this baby just yet. Your dad is still building the baby furniture. You know this kid will destroy anything he touches and he has to make it baby angel-proof!”

“But the baby won’t be an angel when he’s born, he’ll be human, right?”

Mary took a deep breath. “We don’t know. I’ve been getting a crash course on Metatron from James and it could go either way. He could come in as a human child or…”

Michael grew pale under his olive skin as he realized what she was saying. “Winged? Are you kidding?”

“It could happen!”

“Way to go, bro!” Daniel snickered from where he had been eavesdropping on the upstairs landing.

“Shut up, Daniel!” they both ordered.

“You have to make her forget what she saw,” Mary went on. “You have the ability to do it. Then over the next few days, feel her out. You have to do it slowly or you could do more harm than good, got that?”

Michael was still on the idea that he could make people forget things. “Are you kidding? I can do that?” He smiled suddenly. “Could I do it to you?”

Mary’s eyes drilled right through to his soul. “Don’t even think about it. Do you understand what I was saying?”

He quickly nodded. “Got it. Go slow, feel her out, don’t shock her into labor.”

“Daniel, that goes for you too!” Mary shot a glare up at her youngest son.

Still on the upstairs landing, Daniel snapped a quick salute. “Javohl, mein mutter!”

“And no more smart mouth from either of you. I’m just about at the end of my tether and if it snaps, it snaps on both of you. Now leave that girl alone until noon, then I want Michael to go up there and gently wake her for lunch.” Mary turned and went back into the kitchen, where the delicious aroma of cinnamon and allspice was wafting through the air. Apparently their mother was baking carrot cake for the first time since they were little boys.

“Whew.” Michael wiped away a drop of sweat and headed back upstairs again. Passing Daniel in the hallway, he was tempted to push him over the rail but knowing he would just float there in midair taunting him, decided against it. He stopped outside the door of Alice’s room and peeked in. She was lying on her side, eyes closed in slumber and he realized that she was exhausted from carrying this baby. “I’m so stupid,” he said telepathically to his brother.

“You won’t get any argument from me.”

“I have been thinking about myself all this time without a thought about what Alice is going through. She let me screw her just so she could be with me when all the time it was wearing her out and taking away energy she should be saving up for this kid. I feel like such a schmuck.”

“Review my last statement,” Daniel answered as he came up behind his brother to peek into the room. “Is she snoring?”

Michael closed the door. “Mom said I could make her forget what she saw. How do you suppose I can do that?”

“Like anything else,” Daniel shrugged. “Just think about it. If it works for you, I have a few dozen or so girls I would like to try it on.”

“But I have to be careful doing it or maybe I would cause her to forget a lot more than that.” Michael closed his eyes and pictured what had transpired in that room earlier then imagined himself taking it out of Alice’s memory like a file from a filing cabinet, being careful to leave other files untouched. Projecting this image to her only took a second or two, and then he quietly closed the door. “Now we’ll see if this works.”

An hour later, the door opened again and Michael came in to find Alice just stirring. “Hi,” he said. “Time for lunch so mom sent me up to get you.”

“Thank you,” she yawned, looking around. “Wow…this room looks so nice. Did I tell your mom that?”

“No, but I’m sure she would appreciate hearing it.” Michael helped her to her feet, noting that her center of balance had changed dramatically and she leaned back when she walked.

“Thank you. You’re an angel,” she said as he helped her toward the door, the words nearly causing him to choke but she didn’t seem to notice. “If you weren’t here to help me, I think I would have to crawl down on all fours!”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he managed to say, still in mild shock. Had it worked or not? He guessed only time would tell.

Mary was waiting downstairs at the kitchen table, where she had set out two place settings. “Hi!” she said brightly as she saw Alice being helped in by Michael. “The old center of balance is off, huh?”

“You wouldn’t believe by how much,” Alice answered, smiling. “Or maybe you would. Sorry, of course you would.” Michael pulled out a chair for her and then helped her lower herself into it. The plate in front of her had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some cottage cheese and a bowl of sliced peaches sat next to it. On another plate was what looked like a slice of warm carrot cake. After pouring Alice a glass of milk, Mary sat down at the other place setting where she had a nearly identical lunch set, except for the carrot cake.

“Mmm, smells good.” Alice took a long sniff of the aromatic cake. “I love carrot cake. Mom makes it for me sometimes at home. But aren’t you going to have any?”

“No sweetie, I’m dieting. But I made it just for you. It’s sort of a health food recipe—full of good things for that growing baby.” Mary glanced at Michael, who immediately sat down next to Alice.

“Aren’t you and Daniel eating?” Alice asked as she began working on the sandwich.

“No, we’re dieting too,” Michael said, then seeing his mom’s glare, quickly amended it. “I mean we had a big breakfast. Daniel and I aren’t big lunch eaters.” He wasn’t quite ready yet to tell her that he and Daniel only ate about once a month and even then it was a big freshly butchered raw steak, no veggies and certainly no carrot cake. Both boys had been surprised to find that angels were mostly carnivores, which made them very nervous, but raw meat was all they wanted when it was time to eat. Daniel especially was afraid he would find himself running down a deer for lunch one day. “So mom,” he went on somewhat jovially. “Where did you get that carrot cake recipe? We haven’t seen you bake in awhile.”

She gave him a flinty smile. “Why Michael, I got it from your new friend David who seems to be just so helpful in these things. He said it made strong babies who practically fly out of the womb!”

So she had gotten it from Asmodeus. Michael doubted that it was for the baby since Metatron was already packing a lot of punch. It was more likely something to keep Alice’s strength up and maybe even the stuff that had gotten their mom into such tiptop angel raising condition. He remembered smelling that cake often when they were little boys, but not so much after they hit their adolescence. Maybe by then the effect was permanent, but who knew?

“So Alice, have you thought about a name?” Mary asked. The baby certainly couldn’t be called Metatron, at least not in the beginning.

“Yes, I have.” Alice swallowed a bit of sandwich. “I’d like to name it after my grandfather if that’s all right. If it’s a girl, Denise and if it’s a boy, it will be Dennis.”

“Dennis or Denise,” Mary nodded, looking at Michael. “Those sound like good names.” Michael stuck out his tongue in disgust at his mom when Alice wasn’t looking. “How do you like them, Michael?”

“Oh fine, fine,” Michael nodded quickly. “They sound great!”

“Do you have a middle name yet?” Mary pressed on.

“Well not yet, I was hoping, with your family’s permission, that his middle name would be Leighton, like Michael’s.” Alice started working on her cottage cheese, unaware that she had just shamed Michael.

“Dennis Leighton Wilder,” Mary said, trying it out. “That sounds good. James would be pleased with that. It’s a family name—both Daniel and Michael have it. It’s after their great-great grandfather Leighton Wilder, who was one of the earliest settlers in these parts.”

“I’ve heard,” Alice said as she took a sip of milk. “Lordy I can’t believe how hungry I am! And I just had a big breakfast this morning.”

“It’s the baby taking it from you. Have you gained a lot of weight?” Mary asked.

Alice glanced down at her chubby self. “Not so I would notice but Doctor Gannon says I’ve gained about fifteen pounds so far. Not too bad. I hope I don’t gain much more.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Mary tried to sound encouraging but her knowledge of what lay ahead was weighing heavily on her. She hoped Michael figured out a way to tell her without upsetting or frightening her soon.

Alice paused in her eating for a moment, trying to find words to say something she really hadn’t wanted to mention but Mary had to be told. “Um…I probably should have told you this earlier, but the school doesn’t want me to come back until after the baby is born, so I can’t go to school on Monday when the winter term starts.” She winced, waiting for what she thought would be a tongue-lashing like she’d get at home, but it didn’t come.

Mary was a little taken aback by the thought that the school would be so prudish about it, but not really all that surprised. “Really? You mean that SOB Principal Halkinson and his group are afraid of a sixteen year old pregnant girl?”

“Mom!” It was Michael’s turn to warn Mary about upsetting Alice with her hyper feminist views.

“All right, sorry,” Mary backed off on her temptation to start ranting at the school. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Alice. I’ll call the school and ask Principal Halkinson about options for you. I believe the school has information about a home tutoring program for unwed mothers that we can take advantage of, one of the few progressive ideas they have although I don’t know what which bleeping PTA bluenose ”

“Mom! Enough!” Michael was getting upset now, having visions of Alice just lying down on the floor and popping the baby out due to stress. “We can handle it! It’s just for a few months.”

“Sorry,” Alice said meekly. “Didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me, dear.” Mary took a deep breath. “You are a perfect sweetie, did I tell you that? I’m really looking forward to having you here. We never had a daughter and after raising two hellions, I welcome the change!”

“Oh.” Alice didn’t really expect this reaction and she found herself smiling back at Mary. “Thank you. By the way, you did a great job on my room. It looks so fresh and nice. Really comfortable.”

“You’re welcome and I’m glad you like the room.”

Michael felt it was reasonably safe to leave for a round of exercise with Daniel now and rose from the table. “Daniel and I were going to…um…go for a run this afternoon. Is it okay to go, Alice? Will you be all right?”

“Oh yes!” Alice quickly answered through a mouthful of carrot cake. “Michael, I don’t want to upset your plans or come between you and your brother. I’ll be fine. I have to finish unpacking and maybe take another nap this afternoon, so I’ll keep busy.”

“Great, see you later.” Michael glanced at Mary, getting her nodded permission, and then went upstairs to find his brother. Daniel was in his own room playing music on a little portable electronic keyboard, plugged into headphones and singing to himself.

Alice cast a shy look at Mary. “I love your house,” she said softly, looking around the kitchen. “It’s amazing.”

“Thank you,” Mary smiled back, pleased. “We like it. I originally thought it would be way too big for us, but as the boys grew up, it actually grew a bit too small! They just seem to take up so much space.”

“My mom said it was some lumberman’s mansion once?” Alice asked.

“Alain du Roche built the original Rose Sawmill back in 1855 and built this house a few years later on what used to be a thousand acre farm after he made his first million, I guess.” Mary took a look around the spacious kitchen. “The farm was sold off for development before we bought it and became the south side of Roseville. The house sits on what’s left---one hundred acres, with the former carriage house, a barn and millhouse.” Seeing Alice’s eyes growing even wider, she continued. “It was constructed of 12 inch oak wooden beams from his mill so it would take one heck of a storm to even put a dent in it. This was the main kitchen where there was a staff of cooks 24/7. See the ten cables hanging there?” She pointed out some tattered looking old wire cables along one wall. “They used to be attached to fancy bells. When one of the du Roches pulled a bell rope in a bedroom or the parlor, it would ring in here and one of the servants would go running.”

“Oh my gosh,” Alice said, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. “That’s pretty rich!”

“James spent a good year and a half getting it back into live-able condition—it was a real wreck when we moved in, really not habitable. We managed as young couples do until Michael was born, and then things seemed to speed up. If James wasn’t so handy with tools and construction, we would have been forced out of it. The big wrap-around porch was falling off, the roof was bad, and the chimneys and a lot of the other brickwork needed re-tucking. New plumbing, electric, water heater, laundry, the works. He has put a lot of sweat equity into it and I think I have paint-lined lungs from all the painting, but it’s still not done! Can you believe that?”

“No,” Alice giggled, enjoying the story.

“The den is still just bare bones and the basement is still just a dirt floor. Then the boys have put new holes in the walls, doors and floors. I swear the place is haunted too.” Mary winked at her. “If you believe in such things.”

“I don’t want to seem nosy, but I’m curious—how many bedrooms?” Alice asked.

“Seven bedrooms including the master bedroom on the main floor. There are also three smaller bed-sitters in back that used to be servants’ quarters. Every bedroom has it’s own full bathroom but we only open bedrooms and turn on the water in the bathrooms when we have guests. Otherwise I’d always be cleaning bathrooms!” Mary laughed. “They each also have their own fireplace, plus the warming fireplace in the front hallway, the master hearth in the front parlor, the kitchen hearth and another smaller hearth in the family room. But only two of them work—the family room and the cook’s fireplace here in the kitchen.”

“Wow.” Alice couldn’t get over the house itself, but somehow with Daniel and Michael there, it seemed like an appropriate place for them. “Do you ever get lost in it?”

“I did the first few months—I got down in the basement somehow from the back servants stairs and took a wrong turn. If I hadn’t yelled for James to come get me, I ’d probably still be down there. I can give you a tour of the place later if you like?”

“I’d like that,” Alice nodded as she looked around. “I’d like it very much. Um…you mentioned that it is haunted?”

“I think so.”

“What makes you say that?” Alice wasn’t afraid of ghosts and in fact, was very curious to experience a real haunting.

“I’ve seen it.”

“Go on!”

“Seriously!” Mary’s eyes grew wide now. “A few times. Usually I’m doing something mundane like laundry or God forbid, ironing and this thing comes up to me. It’s a big black shadow even when all the lights are on and it stands there and stares at me for a moment, and then zips into the wall. Looks human shaped so James thinks it might be old du Roche himself.”

“That is so COOL!” Alice found herself exclaiming then her face grew red. “I mean, how interesting!”

“Interesting until it gets in your face. I screamed the first two times I saw it, but after that, it’s just like ‘get out of my way or else’ as far as I’m concerned. I’m always so busy when it appears!” Mary was glad that Alice didn’t seem afraid of the house ghost.

“What does Michael think of the house being haunted?” Alice asked, bringing the conversation back to her favorite subject.

“He’s seen it but it doesn’t seem to bother him much. It’s like it’s afraid of Michael. Daniel and James too. Who knows why?” Mary knew why—ghosts might be able to scare mere humans but even the most powerful ghost was no match for an angel.

Meanwhile, up in the bedroom, Michael poked his brother in the shoulder, getting his attention. “Hey Elvis, come on, let’s go.”

Daniel quickly discarded the headphones, turned off the keyboard he had been playing and the two faded away together, reappearing in wings thousands of feet up in the sky. “Cool trick!” Daniel was saying as he watched the surroundings fade. “You’re getting pretty good at this angel stuff. Why aren’t I this good?”

“Because you spend more time giving me shit than practicing this so-called magic we have.” Michael gave one last look down at their house far below. “We have maybe a couple of hours before I want to check in on her again. I’m getting worried. We need to talk to Derasthe about all this and get an idea of what we might expect from any angel who doesn’t want Metatron around. Want to go to California?”

Daniel glanced at his watch, a gift from James to try to get him back home in time for school. “He’s probably working right now but why not? Maybe we can catch him on a break!”

Twenty minutes later, Michael had tracked down Derasthe at a film shoot near a place called Valdez Rocks northwest of Los Angeles. There was a film crew setting up a shot, various actors sitting around or eating breakfast, technicians unrolling hundreds of feet of cabling, vehicles coming and going and in the middle of it all sat a lone figure bent over a clipboard, trying to keep everything organized. He was dressed in a strange looking long brown robe and wore dark-toned makeup, black braids in his hair, a ragged beard and gold rings in his hair, ears and nose, but it was still easy to recognize Derasthe in his human form as the actor Dresler Rader.

The two boys were still high in the sky when suddenly Derasthe sat bolt upright and looked straight up at them. “Well hello!” came the telepathic hail up to them. “What brings you two here in broad daylight? Come to see how a movie is made…or not made as the case may be?”

“Sorry to disturb you at work,” Michael answered telepathically. “But Alice moved in today and I’m worried! I have some questions!”

“You’re worried about Alice and yet you left her alone?”

“No, she’s with Mary but I don’t want to be gone for too long. Do you have time?”

Derasthe looked at the activity going on around him. It would be at least twenty minutes before they would be ready for him. “Come down behind those rocks to the north!” he called back up. “I’ll meet you over there in five minutes, but let’s not take too long, all right?”

A few moments later, Derasthe came walking over a small rise and between some of the largest rocks to greet his visitors.

Daniel was still looking around at Valdez Rocks. It was a desolate looking group of huge boulders sprouting from the high desert floor that Michael and Daniel immediately recognized from a number of movies and television programs they had seen over the years. “Wow, this is so cool!” he said as Derasthe came close. “I saw this place on Star Trek a few weeks ago.”

“It’s a very popular locale,” Derasthe confirmed. “Now, let’s have a seat and ask your questions.”

Michael opened his mouth to start but paused when he saw Derasthe’s makeup and costuming. “What in hell are you supposed to be? I thought you were the producer.”

“I am supposed to be a Middle Eastern merchant following the ancient trade routes of North Africa,” Derasthe answered. “And I am also making a cameo appearance in Rose Diary. Now, have we got that out of the way?”

“No,” Daniel said, looking around. “What do Middle Eastern trade merchants and rose diaries have to do with each other?”

“Go to the film when it’s released and you will find out!” Derasthe was getting impatient. “Please, I don’t have a lot of time.”

“All right, all right!” With some effort, Michael put the moviemaking and Derasthe’s odd appearance out of his mind. “Alice moved in and the baby is kicking and making noise. It’s only her fifth month—is that normal?”

“Why aren’t you asking Asmodeus these things?” Derasthe asked.

“He’s human right now and his human side is too much of a smart ass.”

“David,” Derasthe nodded. “I know the boy very well. I can’t blame you for not wanting to ask David about too much if you want a constructive response. To answer your question, yes, it is normal for Metatron. In fact, she probably heard noises from him earlier than this and doesn’t want to alarm anyone. I’m surprised he’s not barking orders from in there.”

“Maybe that’s next,” Daniel said flippantly.

“Perhaps,” Derasthe nodded. “But I believe you are more concerned about attacks from other angels than giving me smart-ass comments?”

“Shut up, Daniel!” Michael uttered the often-used phrase easily. “Yes, we are concerned about that. You told us about these ‘fallen’ angels who aren’t really fallen? Could they attack?”

“Of course but to be honest, they aren’t going to be much of a threat until Metatron actually is close to manifesting in the child. They aren’t interested in the baby as such—if they killed it and the mother, Metatron would just be born out of your next child with a different woman, and believe me, there will be more children. It’s in your nature to reproduce…a lot!”

“I figured that much with the size of this…” Daniel started to say but Michael cut him off.

“Then we shouldn’t be concerned with protecting her so much right now?”

“I didn’t say that. She is carrying Metatron and though the baby is practically indestructible, he is not completely so. There is always a chance that some stupid angel will try something and you should be aware of what’s going on around Alice at all times. Of course, when the baby is born and you get a real taste of fatherhood, this will come naturally to you.”

“Derasthe, do you have kids? You never said.” Michael wondered where this bit of fatherly advice was coming from.

Derasthe nodded. “I have sired many children but most of them are human and unaware of their true father. That’s part of Metatron’s project to strengthen the human race and give his angels a dose of empathy for humanity. But a few of them were granted to me as young angels. Some of them have grown and gone back to our ancestral home, but I still have two who live at here with me, Seth and Ariel.”

“Really? How come we haven’t met them?” Daniel asked.

“For the same reason that you and I didn’t meet until a few months ago. They are not yet integrated with their angelic sides and won’t be for at least a year as they are too young. They’re mother is my wife, Cara Williams.”

“Your wife?” Daniel echoed. “You’re married? But you kissed Leila like you wanted to screw her.” He was referring to the night they made their first kills in Mexico when Derasthe had greeted Leila with a sensual kiss.

“My dear Cara is a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, one of very few female reporters. I’m quite proud of her. And I’ll explain to you about our kiss at another time.” Derasthe gave them a hard look. “Want to know anything else before I toss you out of here?”

“Yes,” Michael answered, ignoring the threat. “Does your family know that you’re an angel?”

Derasthe sighed, knowing that he was not going to get rid of them that easily. “It was my choice to reveal that to them, especially Cara, who was going to bear young angels just like your mother did. Seth and Ariel know what is coming and they are being prepared for it.”

“Yeah like we were,” Daniel said, a hint of resentment in his voice.

“You think your father didn’t prepare you?” Derasthe asked in amazement. “Of course, being immersed in his humanity made it more difficult, but I know he encouraged you boys to be adventuresome, try new things, learn as much as you can and use the brains you were given, although today I am doubting that last part. Your father imparted to you so much that prepared you for what was coming, but he simply couldn’t come out and tell you in so many words. If he had, would you have believed him?”

“Probably not,” Michael had to admit.

“There you have it then.” Derasthe rose from the rock he had settled on. “Now I have to get back to work. Was there anything else? Quickly!”

“No, nothing!” Michael glanced at Daniel. “I think we’re going to take a run around the globe and then go home, right Daniel?”

“Uh…right.” Daniel’s wings spread in preparation to take off. “Away we go, okay?”

“Then I will see you tonight, when these questions should have been asked,” Derasthe said, waving them away. “Now be gone before I lose my patience!”

Both young angels waved and took off, leaving Derasthe alone in the rocks, stifling a smile as he watched them go. “They are going to be magnificent young angels,” he said to himself as he started back to the set. “If only they would get it through their heads that they aren’t just teenagers in angel suits!”

Up in the sky, the two brothers were heading out over the Pacific Ocean for a quick flight around the globe. At their current top speed and without stopping, this would take them approximately two hours, which was nowhere near Derasthe’s fastest known time of seventeen minutes. Neither seemed anxious to break Derasthe’s record however as they slowed over populated areas, explored as much as they could without being seen. However, now that Michael was not using Alice sexually anymore, there was a hunger in his eyes that even Daniel had not noticed before, making him think that his brother was in the mood for more dangerous adventure on this trip.

“Do you want to stop anywhere today?” Daniel asked his brother telepathically, not bothering to shout through the high winds.

“Yes,” Michael returned simply.

“Where?”

“I don’t care where.” Michael took the lead and rode a strong updraft even higher than their current nineteen thousand feet.

“Watch the air lanes!” Daniel reminded him. “You don’t want to bump into a plane heading for Hawaii or something.”

“I do want to stop but somewhere outside of the States.” Michael ignored him. “Somewhere safe.”

“Safe? Safe for what?”

“Do you remember that night in Mexico with Derasthe and Leila?”

Daniel could hardly forget that night. It was the first time either of them had ever killed anyone. They had spent the following day discussing the morality of what they did, with Daniel full of remorse and sure he was going to hell for it. He had even gone to confession but had not worked up the nerve to give Father Thomas the specifics, only that he had committed what amounted to a mortal sin. The old priest, probably thinking that Daniel’s version of a mortal sin was masturbation, gave him a penance of twenty Lord’s Prayers and twenty Hail Mary’s which he flew through in about ten minutes and didn’t feel any better.

On the other hand, Michael didn’t seem disturbed about it at all and hardly mentioned it the next day except for a humorous referral to one of the heads he had taken off. He had plunged into it with a wicked look in his eye and seemed to take to the job very easily. It was all in a day’s work to him. Yet, neither of them had mentioned it to their parents, assuming that it would upset them.

Now Michael had that same look in his eyes and it was scaring Daniel. “I remember. How could I forget that?” Daniel answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you remember how you felt right at the time it was happening? How delicious it felt to actually take someone’s life with your own hands so easily? To right a wrong simply by removing a body part from a villain?”

“I remember the feeling but it didn’t last. I think the angel felt that way but the kid didn’t and right now I’m still more the kid than the angel.” Daniel didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

Michael glanced down at him as he adjusted his heading to the southwest instead of their normal equatorial route. “Did you ever consider just trying it again on our own?”

“Trying it again? You mean just cold bloodedly murder someone!” Daniel couldn’t believe what his brother was considering.

“Yeah, just going down somewhere, picking a target—a bad guy of course—and taking care of him barehanded?” Michael nodded to himself as he thought about the notion. “Letting the blood run down your arms, onto your body, dripping off you everywhere…and just nothing left for the authorities to identify. Just a mass of meat chunks scattered everywhere?”

It finally struck Daniel what his brother was getting at. Derasthe had mentioned a few times that an angel can confuse a desire for sex with a desire for bloodletting. Michael must be getting his signals crossed and the wrong impulse was coming out. “Michael, are you horny? Is that what’s making you talk like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like Ed Gein! For crying out loud, you sound like a murdering psycho!”

“Really?” Michael swooped downward toward a chain of islands Daniel recognized as the Solomon Islands—they had already traveled more than three thousand miles. “Relax, Daniel! I’m not going to kill anyone. We can’t without permission, remember? But that doesn’t mean we can’t think about it and thinking about it interests me. I want to do it again but not today. Right now I want to do something else very badly. Since I can’t have Alice anymore…”

“No shit?” Daniel realized his brother was intent on going down to find someone to screw. “I’m for that! Right behind you!”