The Metatronic Chronicles: A Minor Inconvenience

In school the next day, Michael found himself sitting alone in on a concrete park bench in the school atrium during a study hour, unusual considering that Alice usually found him where ever she was. But since Alice was being home schooled, he felt unusually alone and reflective. It was hard to believe but somehow, he was missing her.

“Now that’s something I don’t see too often,” he heard Daniel’s voice say, dropping him out of his reflections. “Michael Wilder sitting by himself doing nothing.” Daniel was at the glass atrium door, where he had seen Michael in passing. “Feeling lonely?”

“Kind of,” Michael nodded, smiling slightly. He made room as Daniel came in and sat down next to him. “Don’t you have a class?”

“I have ten minutes before it starts and a hall pass.” Daniel held up the pink slip to prove it. “I’m supposed to be in the restroom but since I don’t pee much any more, I just wander around invisibly getting into trouble.”

That made Michael laugh. “You dumb shit! That’s not very angelic of you.”

“I’m still half human and the human half gets bored,” Daniel smiled back. “See, I made you laugh.”

“All right,” Michael nodded as his laughter faded away. “I admit it, I miss Alice.”

“Not just to screw?”

“Not just to screw. She always found me during study periods somehow even when she knew how it would end…every time. It must have been tough for her.”

“Not completely if she…um…enjoyed it,” Daniel reminded him. “But that little head of yours should not be doing the thinking for both of you.”

“Thanks, Father Dan,” Michael answered sardonically, using the nickname whenever his brother got a little pious on him. “Tell your little head that when you are screwing every female on the block.”

“Seriously, I think the separation is good for both of you. Look at what’s happening with her at home away from you here? You actually miss her—that’s a good thing.” Daniel ignored his response and went blithely on. “And maybe now you’ll have time to have lunch with your brother, make some new friends since you don’t have any other friends…and maybe even take up new interests.”

“Such as?” Michael shook his head in disbelief as the frustrated social worker in his brother emerged.

“I don’t know. Reading, maybe? Spend time in the library? Join a club or two? I hear that the theater club is interesting. You could get into acting.”

“P-U!” Michael never wanted to be an actor any less than he did before meeting Dresler Rader. “And wind up like Derasthe? A likeable pain in the ass?”

“Better than being just a plain pain in the ass, don’t you think?” Daniel grinned back. “But maybe you could join the school symphony with me.”

“Dan, I can play a pretty good guitar and sing but I’m not a classical musician like you.”

“Then try the choir or madrigal! Do something else with your time besides screw Alice. They sing some wonderful stuff—classical, pop, Broadway and the madrigals sing Elizabethan music in costume. Really beautiful! Come on, you read music very well and I saw a notice posted in the front hall—they are looking for more people to sign up. You should do it.”

Michael thought about it for a moment. It was true he loved music, but didn’t have much experience with anything beyond rock n roll and a little country music for weddings. The madrigal singers might be a good way to expand his musical style and maybe figure out a way to incorporate it into their other music. Additionally, they sang a cappella which meant he wouldn’t have Daniel staring at him from the piano as he would if he joined the school choir. Finally he nodded. “Okay, I’ll check it out. Maybe it would be fun to sing something other than rock for awhile.”

“Good man!” Daniel glanced at the clock. “Oops, getting close to class time, got to run. Now go do it, now, ok?”

“I’ll go right now but if I don’t make it, no more words about it from you, okay?”

“Fair enough but you’ll make it!” Daniel grinned as he and his brother both rose from the bench to head for the door. “See you after school.”

A few minutes later, Michael had read the notice and was standing in the choir director’s office. Mrs. Katz, often called “Puddy” by her students behind her back, was sitting at a piano in the corner. When Michael had shown up at her door, it was a welcome surprise. Daniel had often told her how wonderful a singer his brother was but so far Michael had never materialized in any of her groups. Now it seemed that he had suddenly developed an interest, probably due to his brother and here he was.

“Now Michael,” she said, “I’m going to play a note, then I want you to sing a simple do-re-mi from it. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Michael nodded.

“Good, I think you might be a tenor but we’ll start with middle C and work our way down.” Mrs. Katz pressed the middle c key on the piano and Michael echoed it faithfully with a scale. As they worked their way down to find his lowest range, she was surprised when he effortlessly made it down to low C and beyond without straining his voice. In fact, it seemed to grow richer and richer as they went, making her think that perhaps he was that rare voice who could sing bass, baritone and tenor with equal ease.

Finding his upper range was equally as surprising. Starting again with middle C and working their way up, Michael effortlessly put forth a rich tone with every step, even reaching beyond high C to a range that many of her best female sopranos had difficulty with. Hearing it in a rich male voice was absolutely breathtaking but she held her emotions in check, not wanting to let on that he was anything more than a gifted singer. “Well then,” she finally said when they finished, catching her breath. “You have a wonderful gift, Michael. Not many young men have such a broad range.”

“Thank you,” Michael nodded.

She handed him some sheet music. “This shouldn’t be too difficult for you. Your brother said you read music quite well?”

“Pretty well, yes.” Michael took a look at the pages and winced. It was Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, a song he knew from church and one of Daniel’s favorites.

“We’ll try it in several different keys and see what suits you best.”

Michael obediently stood there and sang the soulful religious piece several times in different keys for her. When they finally finished, Mrs. Katz turned back to him, her elation barely kept in check. “Michael. I am pleased that you read music so well. Your breathing is good, you sing from your diaphragm, your dynamics are on spot…Schubert would be pleased with you…but there’s not much I could teach you in these classes.”

“Well, I just want to sing, ma’am,” Michael answered, puzzled by her response.

“And I think you should sing, just not here,” Mrs. Katz suddenly smiled. “Michael, have you heard of the Central Wisconsin Opera Society?”

Opera? Michael hadn’t even considered singing opera. He had always considered opera to be boring and although Daniel had a fairly good collection of operatic recordings, he had always ignored them. But the angel in him obediently nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of them. What do they have to do with me?”

“Michael, I believe you have a voice that would only be challenged by operatic training. You are nearly there and I think the CWOS would be the answer for you. Our little vocal groups here would be no challenge for you at all.”

“I don’t need a challenge, honest! I’m a rock singer, Mrs. Katz, not an opera star.”

“Michael, even rock singers can benefit from operatic training, I assure you. With a voice like yours, especially singing today’s rock music, you need to train it operatically to keep it in tiptop shape. It also helps you learn how to sing and even scream without damaging your vocal cords and keep your tone rich and even, not scratchy and strained.” Mrs. Katz stood up and tried to face him squarely, but at five feet four inches, she still had to strain her neck to look him in the eye. “Michael, I’m twenty seven years old and I know the students call me “Puddy”. But I do know vocal music and even rock and roll. If you want to keep your voice and develop it, operatic training is the answer for you.”

Michael still didn’t want to do it, but the idea of applying operatic technique to his rock singing was intriguing. What if she was right?

“It wouldn’t hurt to check it out!” Daniel’s voice exploded in his head from where he had been eavesdropping. “I’ll go with you. Come on---do it!”

“Get out of my head!” Michael telepathed back to him then nodded at Mrs. Katz. “I can check it out. Who do I call?”

“I’ll call for you right now and set it up. Sit down, Michael.” She grabbed the phone and started to dial, but when he kept standing, she gave him a questioning look. “Are you all right?”

Michael glanced down at the only chair, a rickety wooden affair that was challenged to hold itself up. “Um, I can stand, thanks.”

“All right then, just stay there.” She finished dialing and presently was having a telephone conversation. “Mr. Evans? This is Mrs. Katz with the Roseville School District. I’m fine how are you…yes, sir, very nice. The reason I’m calling is that I got a flyer in the mail about the CWOS recruiting high school students for classes and I think I have someone who is interested. May I send him over to you for an audition?”

She paused for a moment as she got her response and began writing it down. “Can you go over tonight?” she asked Michael as an aside from the phone. “It’s not far—in Rosewood at the Rosewood Theater Guild on Main Street. Tonight is the last night they are holding auditions until summer. There’s a class fee, but they’ll waive it if there’s enough interest in you, provided you agree to work in at least one production to make up for it.”

“Um…yeah, sure I can go. What time?”

“Seven o’clock.” She went back to the phone. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. Is Schubert’s “Ave Maria” all right for an audition piece?” She nodded at Michael. “He’ll be there. His name is Michael Wilder. Thank you.”

She hung up the phone and handed him her note. “It’s Mr. Evans at 951 North Main Street in Rosewood. It’s the Theater Guild’s theater—go to the side entrance at 7PM.”

Michael looked down at the note, which was decorated with little hearts and flowers on the stationery. “Mr. Evans…who’s he?”

“He’s one of the instructors there. I’ve seen him in productions—he has a wonderful tenor voice. You’ll like him—he’s young, enthusiastic, really quite engaging.”

“And gay, I’ll bet!” Daniel’s voice erupted in his head again. “But he is good.”

Michael ignored him. “All right,” he nodded. “I’ll go and see what’s up with it. But if it doesn’t work out, can I sing with the madrigal group here?”

“Of course, we would love to have you, Michael. But it will work out if you put forth the effort, I promise you. You have a rare wonderful gift and I would be so disappointed if you didn’t follow through with it.”

“Did you ever encourage Daniel to take operatic training?” Michael asked suspiciously as he turned to leave.

“Many times, Michael, but he always said that he never did anything without you and until you decided to take your singing seriously, he would just be satisfied to play piano for us in the choir and in the orchestra. I can’t say that I wasn’t a little selfish in not encouraging him more, but he is a wonderful pianist and I hated to lose him.” She gave him a little embarrassed smile. “I’m hoping he will go with you tonight though. Maybe that will inspire him to pursue it.”

“Bloody hell!” Daniel’s voice came back into his head. “She never said any such thing to me, I swear! Maybe once…!”

His voice was cut off as Michael finally blocked him. “I’ll mention it to him. Thanks, Mrs. Katz. I have a class now but I’ll go tonight, I promise.”

“Let me know how it goes, Michael,” she smiled back at him. “I would be thrilled to death if you found opera to be of interest.”

“I will, thanks.” Michael left her office and headed toward his next class. He would see just how interesting it would be tonight.

Daniel joined him for the walk home that afternoon. “So, excited about maybe becoming an opera star?” he teased as they left the school for the two-mile walk home.

“No,” Michael returned gruffly. “But I promised I would audition. Maybe they’ll hate my voice. Maybe they’ll hate me. I can hope.”

“They won’t. They will grab you like you grab Alice’s tits!” Daniel kicked some freshly fallen snow as they went, sending it up in a small cloud. “You’ll see.”

“You still going with me?”

“Of course, do you think I would miss this?”

“If he consents to audition you, will you do it?”

“Audition me?” Daniel shook his head. “I can sing but not like you. I’m happy playing piano for the choir.”

“Bullshit. You sing like a damn angel, which you are. Come on, if I have to do it, you have to do it.”

Daniel fell silent for a moment, and then nodded. “All right. If they will audition me and they take me, I’ll do it with you. But if they don’t take me, you still have to do it.”

“Fair enough, I guess. As long as you sing your best.”

“Promise, I will if you will.”

“Agreed. Now what will mom and dad say?”

At home, Alice and Mary sat attentively listening as Michael related the days’ events. Jamie Wilder had just left for the day, so without him there, the atmosphere was more relaxed for Michael without his teasing. When it came to the operatic audition, both Alice and Mary came to even stricter attention.

“So, what do you think?” Michael asked when he finished. Daniel was sitting beside him, silent for once. “Should I take the classes if they offer them to me?”

Mary was not quite sure what she had heard. “Let me get this straight,” she said. “If you audition and they like you, you get the classes for free?”

“Well not unless they absolutely love me. They may just offer to enroll me for the class fee if I suck.”

“How much is that?”

“$150.00 for the semester,” Daniel answered. “I checked it out last year but since Michael wouldn’t audition for choir, I didn’t get any further with it.”

“I knew Daniel liked opera but I didn’t know you did,” Alice smiled excitedly at him. “I learn something new about you every day, Michael. It’s wonderful!”

“I don’t like opera,” he corrected her gently. “Though I guess I could learn to like it. For me, it’s learning operatic vocal technique so I can apply it to my other singing, that’s all. I’m not going to be the next Caruso, I assure you.”

“Well…” Mary was still stunned by the idea but it seemed oddly logical that an angel should be able to sing opera. “I certainly like the idea of it. And it’s something you could continue in college, maybe even take some courses abroad if you really got interested in it.”

“I won’t get that interested,” Michael answered quickly. “It’s just a few classes, not an opera world tour, mom!”

“We’ll see what your father says when he gets home,” Mary answered. “But I like the idea. It’s different, that’s for sure. I would expect it out of Daniel since he’s more classically inclined but out of you, Michael? Wow…that’s really something. I’m very pleased about it. As long as you keep up your school work and your other classes with Derasthe, I don’t see why you couldn’t do it.”

“All right,” Michael nodded. “If dad says it’s ok, I’ll do it. But I have to go to the audition nonetheless, I promised.”

“Of course, Michael!” Mary got up and came around to give him a hug. “I’m proud of you for taking on such an awesome new project. I think you would sing opera beautifully.”

“Sing opera,” Michael echoed as she let go of him. “Sheesh. It’s so boring!”

“Not all classical is boring,” Daniel said. “Why don’t we go up and I’ll play you an unfinished Mozart Mass that will put hair on your chest! It’s called ‘Requiem’. The guy died before finishing it and the part he finished was sung at his own requiem mass! Can you believe that? If you like that, I’ll play his ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘The Magic Flute’ for you. They are all amazing!”

“Um…Daniel, I don’t think we have time for all that,” Michael smiled. “I promise you, I’ll listen to them another time, okay?”

They heard the family car pulling up outside and presently James came in through the back door into the immense kitchen where they were all seated. “Hello, family!” he called out as he deposited several bags of groceries on the counter there. He gave them another glance. “What’s going on? A family meeting? Am I being tossed out?”

“No dear,” Mary answered as she went over to give him a welcoming kiss and hug. “Michael wants to take operatic vocal classes in Rosewood.”

James regarded his oldest son with some genuine surprise. “Are you kidding?”

“Well, I don’t want to, but Mrs. Katz at school seems to think I have a gift and I thought maybe it would help with my rock singing.” Michael offered the excuse automatically now. “What do you think?”

“At the Central Wisconsin Opera Society?” James surprised Michael right back with his knowledge of the organization.

“You know it?” Michael couldn’t believe his father might like opera.

“Sure, I know it. They store a lot of extra props with us. Someone told me they sing too, is that true?” James joked back as he came to the table and gave everyone there a quick hug, including Alice. “Hello daughter,” he said as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She just giggled back, not quite sure what to call him yet—Dad, James, Mr. Wilder or “hey you”.

“So when is this going to happen?” James asked as he joined them at the table.

“Tonight, 7PM in Rosewood. Daniel is coming with me and if they will let him, he’ll audition too.”

“Oh ho, so we will have two opera stars then?” James asked.

“I’m no opera singer,” Daniel said. “But I promised I would take the classes too if they were offered to me so poor little Mikey doesn’t have to go alone. Besides, if they don’t offer me a scholarship, I would have to pay to take the classes so there’s that.”

“How much are the classes?”

“$150.00,” everyone chorused back at him.

“For the semester?”

“Yes.” Again came the chorus.

“Well that doesn’t seem to be too much to keep Daniel out of trouble for a few nights a week for awhile as long as it doesn’t interfere with his school work.”

Michael stuck his tongue out at Daniel. “There goes your excuse.”

James laughed at Michael’s reaction. “Let me qualify that. I know that you both can do it, even with the extra schoolwork and your late evening classes in California. If you were normal average kids, I would say that it’s impossible, but for you two, nothing is impossible. We can work out a schedule with Derasthe that will allow it. I think he’ll be pleased—after all, opera is a form of acting. He might even want to help coach your acting techniques. And now, what’s for dinner?”

“Dinner!” Mary suddenly shot toward the kitchen. “It’s whatever you brought home, sweetheart! I forgot you three were eating tonight and the steaks didn’t get thawed out! Alice and I have veggie salad and goulash leftovers but…”

“Don’t worry dear,” James said. “Michael, will you do the honors?”

“Sure!” Michael got up and retrieved the three gigantic steaks from the freezer. As everyone watched, a simple look from his dark eyes got the cuts of meat softening until they laid on the chopping block completely thawed and ready to garnish. “I should work in a deli!” he pronounced as he finished.

“Well done, son.” James was indeed proud of the fact that Michael had mastered the art of infrared heating with just his eyes.

“Thanks. Well, I have homework but first…” He went over to Alice and helped her to her feet. “I have to touch base with you. Come on upstairs, let’s have a chat.”

“Just chatting!” Mary warned, knowing it might not do any good. If Michael wanted to, he could take Alice anywhere he wanted and be away from prying eyes as he made love to her.

“I promise, just chatting, maybe just a kiss or two, is that all right?” Michael shot back as Alice happily let him guide her to the stairs. Then like a gallant knight, he ignored the stair elevator and swept her up in his arms to take her upstairs to her room.

Once there, he deposited her on the bed and sat down next to her to give her a sweet, lingering kiss. Surprised, Alice enjoyed it until he finally parted from her. “Wow…this is nice. But what’s going on?”

“I realized today how much I miss you in school,” he confessed. “And not just the sex either. I really do miss seeing you at lunch and study periods and in the library—the place seems kind of hollow without you.”

“Don’t you have any friends you could hang out with, Michael? I miss you too but it’s only temporary. I’ll be back in school in a few months.”

“Not really. Just Daniel. It’s never been easy for me to make friends. Rick doesn’t go to Roseville so I don’t see him and Dave…well Dave is Dave. Asmodeus in a human suit. He’s becoming a friend but as a buddy, well, we’re working on it. Do you miss me when I’m not here?”

“Oh yes, but we’re so busy most of the day that I don’t have much time to dwell on it. My tutor and Jamie are pretty demanding so…” she shrugged. “I’m going to be one smart cookie if I survive it.”

“But nothing you can’t handle, right?”

She smiled shyly again. “No, not really. It’s not that bad, just really time-consuming. Hopefully once we get into a groove, maybe I’ll have more time to moon over the fact that you aren’t here during the day. But you’re here now, for a few hours anyway.”

“But we both have homework and I have to get mine done. So do you,” Michael answered sadly.

“Yes…” she nodded back. “But you know what. Your dad finished what he was doing in there.”

“Which was…?”

“He put in bookshelves and a new ceiling and light fixtures, a new floor…everything in less than a day! It’s like a different room! Much lighter, more comfortable, it’s even warmer!” Alice couldn’t believe how much James had gotten done in such a short time. “He works so fast!”

“That’s my dad,” Michael grinned. “Always the fast worker. He’s been meaning to finish that room anyway, so you just inspired him to do it.”

“Oh Michael, it’s been so nice here.” Alice sighed, looking around. “You and your family, everything…it’s so wonderful. I’m envious of you. And this house---the house is amazing, do you know that?”

“I guess so,” Michael answered, unsure of what the house talk meant. To Michael and Daniel, the house was okay, but nothing special. Didn’t everyone live in a twenty thousand square foot former lumber baron’s mansion?

“Your mom took me on the cook’s tour during lunch break today. Wow…I mean, how many floors?”

“Um…three and a half, I think. If you don’t count the attic. Then it’s four and a half.” Michael liked the old house too but didn’t realize that it was anything other than some relic old barn that his dad had fixed up. “You really like it?”

“Oh yes, I love it. I love antique everything, including antique houses and this one is breathtaking!”

“Well then, maybe someday we’ll inherit it if you’re so interested in it. But don’t hold your breath—us Wilders are pretty long lived!” he laughed.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to take it away from your mom and dad, but I feel privileged to be living in it. The big wrap around porch, the third floor cupola…what’s in that cupola anyway?”

She was referring to the round cupola built into the house’s southern most corner on the third floor. “At one time, I think it was a small bedroom, but we use it for storage now. It’s not heated so it gets pretty cold in there. Did you see the widow’s walk on the roof?”

“No!” Alice exclaimed. “Seriously?”

“You can see it better from the road but yeah, there’s a platform on the roof, about thirty square feet. It’s surrounded with a wrought iron rail and the door to it is off the mezzanine between the third floor and the attic.”

“Wow…this house really has a lot of mysteries, doesn’t it?” Alice asked. “So, what about the ghost?”

“What ghost?”

“The one your mom says she saw. The black shadow thing.”

“Oh that. I don’t know. Is that a ghost?”

“Have you seen it?”

Seeing that she was so interested, Michael gave in. “Well…we’re not really sure. I’ve seen it a few times, so has Daniel. But it disappears pretty quickly so we never have a chance to ask it anything. Angels and ghosts don’t mix too well so I imagine that it’s taking a hiatus somewhere now that we’ve got our wings.”

“What do you mean? Can angels hurt ghosts?”

“From what I have been told, yeah. We can definitely kick ghost ass. Not that I have anything against any ghosts that might be in this old barn but if any of them gave you a problem, I would cause it a world of hurt.”

“Any of them? There is more than one?” Alice picked that up instantly.

“Sure, there are three or four, we think. Maybe more. But they’re harmless, I assure you. They’re just black shadows that appear for an instant and then they are gone, especially if Dan or I are close by.”

“Who do you think they might be?”

“Well, the only other people who have lived here are the du Roches until they lost all their money and sold it to the Hanson family on Oak Street. Old man Hanson was going to fix it up for his twelve kids but he never got the money to renovate it and it just fell apart for twenty years or so until my dad bought it from them for practically nothing.” Michael paused for a moment, remembering the house history related to them many times by both their parents. “So maybe it’s the du Roche family. They had two children die in the house, also a servant and Mrs. Du Roche eventually passed away too, all before the old man did. He died himself about fifty years ago so it passed into his oldest son’s hands. He’s the one who sold it to the Hansons. Rumor has it that he was banging the servant and actually killed her in this house. They found her body at the bottom of the stairs where it looked like she fell and broke her neck. I think he pushed her, what do you think?”

Alice was a little taken aback by the mini-history Michael had just delivered. “Hey, I thought you didn’t really think much about this house,” she teased.

“Well, I don’t hate it,” Michael answered, looking around at Alice’s bedroom, which had been done over in a more contemporary fashion suiting a teenage girl. “One thing nice about it is that there are lots of little nooks and cubby holes to hide out in. We could have a lot of fun doing that!”

“In good time,” Alice said, patting her very large round tummy. “After Dennis or Denise is born. So what else did you want to talk to me about besides opera and doing it?”

Michael took a deep breath. “I got home too late last night to talk to you but I have some news. I don’t know how you’ll feel about it. Maybe you’ll like it, who knows?”

“What news?” Alice asked nervously.

Michael glanced down at himself, noting that he really didn’t look much different right now. “How did you like me today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did I seem normal to you? Like I am every day or how you always have known me?”

She smiled slightly. “Yes, so what? You seem perfectly normal, even now! What’s going on?”

Michael sighed. “Last night…Daniel and I had an…um… episode that caused us both to completely blend with our angels.”

“What?”

He put it more simply. “There’s only one of me now. No more Mike and Michael. It’s just Michael now.”

“You mean the angel is gone?”

“No, not at all. He’s here. He’s me. I’m the angel.” Michael waited for the reaction he thought might come, that of Alice becoming distressed that her young man was gone and in his place was the battle-hardened archangel Michael.

It didn’t come. Alice just stared at him for a moment, looked him up and down, and then shook her head. “I don’t see it. Or feel it. You seem normal.”

“I do?” Michael echoed. “Are you sure?”

“What did you expect to happen?”

“I don’t know. I just had visions of when it happened, I would become different somehow, more…angelic, I guess. You don’t see it? I swear, there is no other being in me now—it’s just me in here. And I gained some of his abilities that I didn’t have as a human. That’s how I thawed the steak. Michael can thaw the entire polar ice cap with a thought!”

“Well, don’t go that far, but I don’t see much difference. I mean, I met Michael the angel and he seemed all right. My main concern about you was whether you had any feelings for me or not. Do you?”

“Oh yes!” Michael felt the words come tumbling out and this time he welcomed them. “I love you, Alice! I love you! I love you! With all my heart, I love you!” He found himself growing immensely happy in more ways than one. “Uh-oh.”

Alice gave him a kiss. “I love you too, Michael, but you know that.”

“Thanks, but I…um…I have a problem here.” He glanced down and saw that his enormous erection was about to punch through his jeans. “I have to go. I can’t make love to you right now though I ache to. If I don’t take care of this, I’m going to have problems I can’t deal with. Please…can I go?”

Alice nodded. “Go do whatever you need to, Michael. And I mean whatever, okay? Just come back to me when you take care of it.”

“I promise!” He kissed her and suddenly disappeared. Less than a minute later, he popped back into existence right in front of her. His expression told her that he had found satisfaction somewhere. With whom she didn’t want to know.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Yes.” Michael was indeed feeling much better. In fact, for the first time in a long time, he felt satisfied sexually. In that moment, he had gone back to his ancestral home and screwed the first female angel he came across, a pretty black angel named Valeria. Keeping the time problem involved in mind, he had spent a pleasurable hour with her and had made it back to Alice only a few months older. Valeria had been more than accommodating and that short time with her had given him more satisfaction than a thousand human girls could give. But no one could start him up like Alice could, not even a busty female angel like Valeria.

Alice gave him a quick kiss then backed away. “No more, all right? I don’t want to know what just happened but it apparently worked. So…it’s homework time I guess.”

“I guess,” he smiled at her, obviously very relaxed. “See you in a couple hours, okay? Then I have to go to that audition.”

“Okay.” Alice watched as he slowly rose from the bed and headed toward his own room to begin his homework, then she got up herself and tottered toward the stair elevator to go do her own work downstairs.

Daniel was passing and seeing her slow going, gave her an arm to lean on. “Did my brother leave you to go downstairs on your own?” he asked with some concern.

“Not on purpose. He just forgot to help me, I guess. It’s all right—I’m not a fragile china doll, after all!” she smiled back at him, grateful for the help. Instead of putting her on the stair elevator, Daniel scooped her up in his arms as well and from the top stairs, his wings came into view and he floated down to the first floor with her.

“Wow!” Alice was gleaming when they landed. “That was fun! So that’s how you were jumping from the second floor to the first?”

“Not exactly,” Daniel grinned, putting her gently down on her feet again. “That was actual jumping. It’s fun. I did that even before I got my wings!”

“You are something else, Daniel,” Alice answered as she let him guide her into the den. Then after seeing her safely seated, he bowed gallantly toward her and headed back up to do his own homework.

Mary had seen the little episode and joined Alice in the den for a moment. “That was a sight. Did he volunteer to do that?”

“Yes,” Alice nodded. “I was surprised too.”

“Hmmm….” Mary glanced back out toward the grand staircase that Daniel had brought her down. “You might have an extra problem there. Daniel likes you.”

“I like him too,” Alice answered, puzzled by Mary’s response.

“No, I mean he really likes you, as in…you know…LIKES…you.”

“Oh?” Alice didn’t quite get it for a moment, but suddenly it dawned on her. “Oh my goodness! Are you sure?”

“Take my word for it, he has never bowed to anyone before, that’s certain.” Mary smiled back at her as she started to leave Alice to her homework. “Don’t worry too much though. Daniel loves his brother—he won’t do anything foolish but just be careful not to encourage him too much, all right? It might hurt him in the long run.”

“I’ll try!” Alice suddenly felt like a Greek siren and she nearly began laughing. “So how do I turn off all this female charm I suddenly seemed to have developed?”

“You’ve charmed me and James both so don’t sell yourself short, sweetie. Do your homework, okay?” Mary gently closed the door and left Alice in the newly renovated den to work on her school assignments.

She was absorbed in writing an English paper when a whisper suddenly got her attention. A look around didn’t reveal anything so she went back to work but again the whisper came, this time louder. “Alice! Look over here! The file cabinet!”

“Michael?” Alice said his name out loud. “Where are you?”

“I’m here!” Michael nearly caused her to scream as he literally stepped out of the solid wall. Not too surprisingly, he was completely naked. “Isn’t this cool?” he grinned as he stepped back into it and then out again. “I can go through almost anything, you know.”

“Michael, where are your clothes?” Alice found herself staring and quickly looked back down at her paper and kept her eyes riveted to the page.

“My clothes won’t go through the wall so I left them upstairs.”

“Shouldn’t you be doing your homework?”

“It’s done!”

“Well mine isn’t!”

He gave her a pathetically sad face. “I’m missing you.”

She started laughing softly. “Is this what you are like blended, Michael?”

“A pitiful puppy dog, yes that’s me!” Michael faded back into the wall, leaving only his face sticking out. “I’m just a piece of the wall to you aren’t I?”

“Stop it!” Alice started giggling uncontrollably. “Your mom and dad might hear us!”

“This is fun! If you were naked, I could take you with me. It works on non-angels too as long as we’re touching.”

“Michael, I don’t want to go through the walls. Really!” She suddenly grew pale and took a deep breath. “Besides, the baby is kicking really hard right now—I think he thinks you’re crazy too.”

To her surprise, he stepped back a little further and suddenly only a semi-erect penis was sticking out of the wall. “Michael! I mean it! Go back upstairs! Let me finish my homework. I don’t have that much left, I promise—maybe a half hour. Go for a flight or something.”

“I can’t!” Michael said suddenly. “I’m stuck!”

“If you were really stuck, you couldn’t talk. Let me finish my homework or I’ll be in big trouble with Jamie tomorrow.”

He peeked back out of the wall at her. “All right,” he said with resignation. “But half an hour is it! I have to be with you, all right? I’ll go for a flight and be back in exactly thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes!” she nodded. “Now go!”

“Okay, I’m going.” Michael went silent.

She didn’t buy it, but waited for a few seconds before saying “Michael, I said GO!”

“Shit! All right!” Michael stepped completely out of the wall, his big muscular body primed for flight. “I’m gone! Back in 30 minutes!” He disappeared and Alice heard him fly upward into the sky. Satisfied that he was finally gone, she went back to work.

It was not to be. Another voice came to the door. It was Daniel. “Alice, is Michael in there?”

“No, he’s not.”

There was silence for a moment, then a sweet “can I come in?”

She sighed. “Yes, come in, Daniel.”

The door opened and Michael’s stunningly beautiful brother peeked in. “He was just here—I can smell him. He went for a flight, right?”

“After I threw him out, yes!”

“How did he get in here?” Daniel stepped in but stayed by the door. “I swear I could smell him walking through the walls up there. He went right by my room!”

“You know, Daniel. I really don’t want to get between you and your brother. Let’s just say he came in here then went for a flight. He’s not here now.”

Mary suddenly appeared behind Daniel. “Come on out,” she said as she pulled him back through the door. “She’s busy.” The door closed.

“What is going on?” Mary asked as she pulled Daniel away from the door and into the big kitchen. “What were you doing in there?”

“Just looking for Michael,” Daniel answered truthfully. “He was walking through the walls!”

“Through the walls?” Mary thought about this for a moment, and then just shook her head. “Never mind that. You should be upstairs doing your homework.”

“It’s done, I swear. I even read ahead a week in a few classes.”

“So fast?”

“Being blended with my angel helps.” Daniel suddenly realized what he had just said but it was too late to do anything about it. “Sorry! I wasn’t supposed to tell you that!”

This caught Mary by surprise. “What did you say? You’re completely blended with the angel?”

“Um…yeah. It happened last night.”

“Did it happen to Michael too?”

Daniel sighed, knowing the truth was always easier to keep straight than lies were. “Yes. Michael was blended too.”

“How did this happen?”

“We spent a few minutes in our ancestral home and it happened while we were in there.”

“You went to the void? Dammit, Daniel! You shouldn’t go there by yourselves! Just this kind of shit can happen! How long were you really in there?” Mary was well aware of the void, having been briefed on it by Asmodeus years ago. She was dreading the time that her boys would go back there and here it had finally come to pass.

“We thought it was just an hour, I swear!”

“How long was it really?”

He gulped. “Four years.”

Mary grew suddenly very pale and groped for a chair to sit down on. “Four years?” she echoed.

“It’s easy to lose track of time in there. We were with a lot of other angels and well…it just got to be too long. I’m sorry, mom! Really, we would have told you about the blending but didn’t want to upset you.”

“I don’t mind the blending—I’m happy not to have to deal with two of each of you anymore but Daniel…four years! What were you doing in there for all that time?” Her voice faded as she put up her hand. “Wait, I don’t want to know.”

“All right,” he nodded. “Whatever we were doing, the time in there just flies by in a blink!”

“Okay.” She managed to find her breath again. “Dammit, where’s James when I need him? He went back down to the office to get something and leaves me here with you and this…angel…issue. So…why didn’t you age four years?”

“You really don’t want to know that!” Daniel winced as he answered her. “But we didn’t age, that’s enough, right?”

Mary sighed and then smiled evilly as she heard James at the back door again. “Your dad is home. Want to explain it to him?”

“Not really.” Daniel knew that with his dad, there would be no question about how they managed not to age and when Michael got back, he would be in trouble too. This meant that everyone in the house except possibly Alice would be angry with him.

“Do it anyway.”

James came into the kitchen and stopped up short as he saw the grim face of his wife and the wary look on Daniel’s face. “Uh oh. This doesn’t look good. What did he do?”

A short discussion with Mary followed and by the time it was done, James was looking at Daniel with undisguised frustration. “Let’s go have a talk,” he said quietly, taking his son by the arm and together they headed up to Daniel’s room.

Once there, James closed the door and turned to face his youngest son, who was seated on the bed expecting the worst. “Daniel,” he said. “The only way for you…at your current level of magic…to come back from the void without having aged is drinking the milk of a human female pregnant with an angel. There is only one candidate I know of for that. Did you take some of her milk?”

“Will she be in trouble?” Daniel asked, hoping that Alice would not be involved in this.

“No, I know you can take it without her knowing. Did you?”

Daniel nodded. “I just had a sip from a spoon.”

“Who got it for you, as if I didn’t know?”

“Well then, you must know. We were just screwing around and he told me about the effects. I was just curious, that’s all.”

“How did you wind up going to the void?”

“We were just curious that’s all. And horny. It was that or get into more trouble here. It seemed the lesser problem.”

James sighed and sat down next to him. “I’m not going to tell you that what you did was wrong. I think you know that now. I don’t want you going there without permission until you turn eighteen, Dan. Michael I can’t do anything about—he’s of age. But you aren’t and despite having a big mean old archangel inside you…” His voice faded. “Sorry. I forgot. Not any more, huh?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. He’s here…he’s me. I’m that mean guy.”

“But you weren’t blended when you went in there. Just when you came out.”

“Right. We were in there for four years and during that time, the blending completed.”

“Well I guess I’m glad that we don’t have to keep dealing with two of each of you anymore too but that doesn’t excuse what you did. I don’t want to embarrass Alice so we won’t mention it to her but I will be talking to Michael about this.” James gave his son’s depressed face a long look before he continued. “She is only seventeen years old. We are lucky that her parents didn’t try to charge Michael with statutory rape in this case. It’s our responsibility to see that she is safe here and that means that she will be off limits to both of you until she is eighteen, which is the legal age of assent in this state. Luckily she’s one of the youngest in her class and she will be graduating before her birthday.”

“Off limits? Michael won’t like that.”

“His likes or dislikes are not relevant. I can take a further step and have Derasthe place a magical shield around her if I need to. Do I?”

“No,” Daniel answered ruefully.

“I hope not, but if needed, I would not hesitate to do it.” James rose from the bed. “Nothing will be said to Alice about any of this…ever. Is that clear? As a punishment, you will be allowed to go to the audition tonight and to any subsequent classes and also to your training sessions with Derasthe. But there will be no other excursions anywhere without supervision until further notice.”

“Yes sir,” Daniel nodded. The only satisfaction he would get from any of this is the fact that Michael would share the punishment.

“Stay up here until your brother gets back and I’ve had a chance to talk to Michael. You are not to say anything about this to him if he sneaks in past me but call me immediately.”

“Dad, you know I can’t do that. It’s one thing to make me snitch on him, it’s another to rat him out completely when he comes back!”

James relented slightly. “All right. Just send him down to me then but no more.”

Daniel nodded silently in agreement. This was not going to be a fun night.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later a shadow flew past his window and Michael flew directly through the wall and back into his own room. Apparently he needed to get dressed again before going down to see Alice, as he was buck-naked. “Hey!” Daniel telepathed to him. “Dad wants to see you…now.”

Michael received the message as he was pulling on some jeans and a t-shirt. “Why?” he shot back. “Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Yes and that’s all you’ll get out of me.”

Daniel fell silent so Michael went straight down the hall to his room and went in. “What did you do?” he hissed quietly.

“I plead the fifth. Go see dad.” Daniel went back to the book he was reading, shutting his brother out both physically and telepathically. Michael felt a push of magic forcing him back out into the hallway and the door slammed in his face. Still mystified, he sent out a scan on the rest of the house to see if he could pick up what had happened but it bounced back at him. James was blocking him.

“Dammit,” he muttered as he headed downstairs. He heard some activity going on in the kitchen and went back there to find his mom working on a vegetable casserole. “Where’s dad?”

Mary gave him a stern look as she answered. “He’s out in the garage. Alice is still doing her homework so leave her alone.”

In the garage? That was unusual as the car always sat outside, summer and winter. The only implements that James kept in the garage were gardening tools, which hardly seemed to be of use in January. The walks were shoveled and the driveway was clear. The only other use the garage got was by his rock band.

“Dad?” he said as he entered the rehearsal space to find his father sitting at Daniel’s keyboard. The heat was turned on and he was playing a Chopin interlude as he waited for his oldest son. “Why are you out here playing? There’s a piano in the house.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” James said, his eyes still on the music while he kept playing. “You know, I used to play a lot. I taught Daniel his first scales and practice pieces. Then he just leaped out light years ahead of me on this thing. Goes to show you what a disadvantage being human can be.”

“Um, I guess so,” Michael still didn’t understand. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Being human,” James answered as he let the piece fade away. “And being angel.”

“Didn’t we have this talk a few times already?”

James motioned for him to sit down so he took a seat on the David’s drummer’s throne. “I think we must have missed a few things. I wanted to talk about being human…about Alice being human.”

“I realize that. So?”

“And taking advantage of her.”

“Dad, I’ve sworn her off! I haven’t touched her.”

“Not for lack of trying, I’m sure.”

Michael gave him a strange look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I know you’ve had some of her milk. And that you spent four years in the void without coming back. And that you and the angel are completely blended.”

“Daniel!” Michael spat his brother’s name. “What did that rat tell you?”

“He let it slip but it’s not his fault. It’s yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yours. You are the one who obtained the milk and how you found out about its properties seems clear. When you…meaning you, my beloved prince Michael…took her to your personal space for a talk, I believe it led to more than talking.”’

Michael sighed, hating to be addressed as prince anything. “Dad, it’s not what you think. I didn’t screw her.”

“Then what happened?”

“I…I’m not sure. Michael…the angel I was…let me take over his body so I could be with her in there. We weren’t going to do anything…but he was in such pain from restraining himself. He could take it, Dad, but I couldn’t. And somehow I knew that Alice could help me get rid of the pain. That’s all that happened—I did that much, but nothing more. It seemed harmless when I got back—just sneak a little of it out for Daniel. I guess we had too much or I wouldn’t have tempted him into going to the void.”

“Michael, there are other properties to mother’s milk meant for an angel. You fell under another influence and it removed most if not all of your inhibitions while you were digesting it. It takes away pain, that is true and as a result for angels, you grow a bit younger. But it also takes away your common sense and makes you reckless, nearly like an alcohol high. It’s one thing for you to try it as a young man of eighteen years, but it is another for you to take it from Alice, who is only seventeen and to give it to your brother Daniel, who is also only seventeen. Do you understand me?”

“No,” Michael replied obstinately. “Explain it to me.”

“It means that if you attempt it again, I will have Derasthe surround her with a magical shield and he can do it. This is not an empty threat. Once you all are eighteen years of age, there is not much I can do about it except caution you, but right now both Daniel and Alice are in my care and are my responsibility. If you so much as touch a hair on her head or offer your brother any more substances that can alter his reality so drastically, you will regret it. Do you understand?” He waited for what seemed like an eternity for his son to respond.

“I think so,” Michael finally answered, his voice more subdued but James could sense the seething rage that was boiling just under the surface. It was the reason he had decided to talk to Michael in the garage. If his oldest, most powerful son had decided to succumb to his angelic nature and fight being separated from his mate, it could have gotten very ugly. But the sweet nature of the baby Mary had borne first won out and Michael seemed to be acquiescing.

“Good. For now you are restricted to the house except for your opera dealings, school and your classes with Derasthe. Any other outings are going to be supervised. I will trust you to go straight to your classes and come straight back but if you violate that trust, I will take further steps to see that you don’t again.”

“I will not violate it,” Michael sighed but his eyes were hard as stone. ’When will this end?”

“On their eighteenth birthdays.”

“So that’s August for Alice…and June for Daniel. A long time.”

“I will instruct Derasthe that you are to be taught the proper technique for visiting our ancestral home when needed so you don’t lose time. But you will need permission from me to go.”

“That will be every night!” Michael protested.

“Perhaps.” James saw the genuine distress as the hardness in Michael’s eyes was replaced by shock. “But we’ll take it a day at a time.” He watched for any further reaction but Michael simply looked down at the floor, shame finally overtaking his oldest son. “Michael, this is just part of growing up. As an angel, you are a very wise, intelligent ageless being…but as a human, you still have a lot of learning to do. It will all come together, I promise.” Looking for a way to end the talk on a positive note, he sat down at the piano again. “I heard you sing a pretty mean ‘Ave Maria’. Want to show me?”

Slowly, Michael got to his feet. “Sure,” he said quietly. “Any key is fine.”

In the house, Mary had been listening through the intercom but switched it off as Alice finally came out of the den. “Hey sweetie,” she smiled. “Your mom called. She’s coming over later tonight to bring you a few things.”

“Hi,” Alice returned, her voice tired. “Mrs. Wilder, your sons wear me out sometimes.”

“Join the club.” Mary stopped talking as a beautiful full sound she had never heard before came wafting in from the garage even though it was nearly a hundred yards away. It was singing. Michael was singing ‘Ave Maria’.

Alice heard it too and her eyes widened. “Oh my, is that Michael?”

“Wow,” Mary breathed as the breadth of his voice came through the walls easily. “I-I…I don’t believe that. I’ve heard him sing rock and roll, blues, country…even Sinatra! But never have I heard that!”

“It’s beautiful!” Alice pulled out a chair from the big kitchen table and sank down into it. “I feel a little faint.”

Like a shot, Mary was at her side, feeling her forehead and taking her pulse. “You okay, Alice? Are you going into labor?”

“No…no,” she laughed as she waved her future mother-in-law away. “It was just a reaction to his singing. He takes my breath away sometimes!”

Upstairs, Daniel was tinkering at the keyboard when he heard his brother’s voice too. He listened attentively until the song faded away and then continued working on his new homebuilt Moog synthesizer as he contemplated the afternoon’s events so far. So it was a surprise when Michael suddenly appeared in his room a few moments later.

“You rat.” Michael stood there in his ragged blue jeans and a faded yellow “Sun Corn” t-shirt as he accused Daniel. “Can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

“Sorry,” Daniel answered, genuinely regretting what he had told his mother earlier. “It just slipped out. I felt you walking through the walls and went down to see if you were with Alice. She pulled me out of the den and when I was talking to her about it, it just came out of my mouth.”

“Well,” Michael tried to get his temper to mellow out. “It means I am on probation where you and Alice are concerned. And I’m on restrictions—no non-routine outings without permission from dad until you both turn eighteen!”

“Why were you walking through the walls anyway?” Daniel really didn’t have much sympathy for Michael as he was on the same restrictions. “Trying to sneak a little cuddle time with Alice?”

“Something like that,” Michael admitted, sighing as he sank down on Daniel’s bed. “But I knew I couldn’t really touch her. I just wanted to be with her at least. Dad says that her milk is like alcohol to us—that’s why I wanted to go to the void and why you came with me.”

“I didn’t even have a teaspoon of the stuff. It was all you, Mike,” Daniel said offhandedly as he snapped the cover back on his synthesizer. “I just followed along like I usually do.”

“What?” Michael nearly laughed in his brother’s face. “This is the first time I have ever instigated anything like this! You are the party monster, dear brother! I have always survived on your leavings until this year.” He glanced at Dan’s alarm clock. “Shit, is that right? Is it really almost six thirty?”

“Nearly time to go, huh? Are we flying, running, biking or driving?”

“Neither of us have a driver’s license so I imagine it’s running or flying. The bikes are pretty useless in the snow!” Michael suddenly found himself smiling. “Let’s run naked!”

“You seem to forget that we are both on probation with dad right now,” Daniel dryly reminded him. “I would think that running nude for twelve miles might be a probie violation. Of course, I would have a driver’s license and so would you if we didn’t suck at driving. I still don’t understand that. I’ve tried three times to get my license and each time…”

“Each time you flew down the interstate at 110 mph, never signaled a single turn and hit both the front and back vehicles when you parallel parked. I wasn’t much better,” Michael sighed. “Derasthe doesn’t drive either. But David does and so does dad? What’s the difference?”

“Dad is basically human and Dave was without Asmodeus for fifteen years. He must have learned to drive then,” Daniel answered thoughtfully. “But I bet neither of them can build a piano from the ground up like I can.”

“I bet not!” Michael agreed as he rose from the bed. “I’ll ask dad if we can fly. I’ll just leave out the naked part and who’s to know? We won’t even be in the air for two minutes!”

“Forget it. He can still scan us and he’ll watch us until we get there,” Daniel said as he followed his brother out of the room.

“No!” James bellowed from below as they appeared at the top of the grand staircase that led into the spacious front foyer. “I’m driving you. Get in the car.”