6

It was nearly nightfall when Michael and I pulled into the long driveway to our home. Both of us had been mostly quiet since the whole incident with Sean and Sara. But it had been kind of eventful after that too. Michael had conceded in calling Gabrielle once they were gone, and she'd come down there immediately to check on me after he explained everything to her.

Of course, he'd avoided saying exactly what Sean was out loud. I didn't miss that, but I didn't bother saying anything either. I trusted my father's promise that he would explain everything soon enough.

However, I knew by Gabrielle's reaction as soon as she saw me that whatever Sean was, they took it very seriously.

"How in the world did this happen Michael?" Gabrielle had asked as she cleaned up the wounds on my neck.

It was stinging pretty bad, but I somehow managed to hold still. Not like it would've done me any good to keep moving and crying about it. They needed to be cleaned and bandaged up before they got infected.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't something we could've predicted. Sean's always been very stable here. But it seems that stability doesn't always override instinct, especially when he's become infatuated." Michael responded as he stood back and watched her patch me up.

"That's no excuse Michael. You knew all about how infatuated he was with her. Raziel kept warning us about it." Gabrielle argued.

Michael wasn't put off, "I'm well aware of that, but even deep infatuation doesn't always dictate behavior, and we all know that. But please leave it for now. Mia's already had a terrible day with all of this, and you're only going to add to it if you're biting my head off."

Gabrielle shot him an angry look, but backed off and turned her attention back to me.

"All right Mia. It doesn't look too bad now, but you should keep these bandaged for a few days. You don't want your hair to irritate them. It could still cause an infection." she instructed.

Great, I thought. Now I'll be going to school with my neck all bandaged up.

I wondered how in the world I would explain that to the other kids. But I decided it was better not to say anything about it.

"I will. Thanks Aunt Gabby."

Gabrielle shook her head as she stood up, "You poor baby. Hopefully this will be the end of all of these bad things for you." she told me. She then looked at Michael, "And you pay more attention to the ones like Sean from now on. You've already come too close this time."

Her words were very telling to me as I looked out into the darkened trees. I had no doubt now that the one who had been watching me so closely for the last two weeks had been Sean. Somehow, someway, he'd been stalking me.

I was hoping that Michael would explain that when he finally got to talk to me one on one about everything. I was needing answers very badly now.

Michael looked at me as he parked the car by the house, "Are you all right Mia?" he asked gently.

Guess he'd caught me touching my bandages again. The funny thing was that I hadn't even realized I'd been doing it. This was already becoming a bad habit.

"I'm okay. It doesn't really hurt. It's just been a really, really long day." I answered.

I studied him as I spoke. In the twilight that was quickly setting in, I couldn't help noticing how handsome my father was. In fact, he seemed a lot more so then a normal man of thirty five probably should've been. I remembered what Sean had said. The Renaldis were different, and I now had the feeling that it was for so much more than money.

Michael sat back in his seat, "Do you feel like talking now? It's just us at the moment."

Well, no time like the present, and I was feeling a little more comfortable sitting there with him. At least I knew that nothing was going to get me.

"I don't get any of this Dad. What is he? And why did he do all of that?" I asked him.

Michael shook his head, looking at the nearby woods, which remained still and silent.

"Well, to be completely honest with you, he wasn't something that I wanted you to know about yet. But the more I think about all of this, the more I know that I've been wrong to shield you so much. If I hadn't, then maybe today wouldn't have happened." he admitted.

"Are we supposed to be like him?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I'd dare say that we are far above him." Michael answered, "I think you realize by now that we're very different from other people Mia. It's something that you'll need to start understanding, especially considering that you're almost grown."

He stopped as we saw headlights coming up the driveway. As they got closer, we could tell that it was my Mazda.

"Ah, I see Raziel's brought your car back." Michael noted.

I cringed internally. I didn't think that I was ready to face my cousin yet, and I was sure that I would probably hear a mouthful about all of this. After all, he'd offered to stay with me this afternoon, and I'd sworn that I would be okay on my own. Even if Raphael didn't tell him exactly what had happened, he would definitely see the bandages on my neck, not to mention all of the blood that I was certain was in my car. This was so not good. I couldn't handle much more drama.

"Come on. We'll let him know that you're all right. Besides, Raphael's here too, so he can rein him in." Michael told me as he opened his door.

By then, we could see a second set of headlights turning into the driveway. I got out with him, watching as Raziel turned off the Mazda and got out of the driver's side.

"Okay, what gives? Why was Mia's car on the side of the road and where did all the blood come from? Dad wouldn't tell me anything about what's going on." he complained.

But he stopped as he noticed me. Yep, he definitely saw the bandages around my neck.

Michael spoke up as he came over to us, "It's nothing more for you to be concerned about right now Raziel. Besides, you should be getting more rest. Your time is coming soon enough."

Raziel didn't back down, "Don't give me that! She's got bandages all around her neck! So tell me what the hell happened!" he demanded.

"Raziel stop. It's over, and Dad took care of it. So please, just leave it alone." I begged, moving closer to Michael. I hoped he'd back down now. I was about at my limit.

Raziel immediately back down, now looking very worried.

"Mia..." he started.

By then, Raphael was getting out of his car and coming over beside him.

"That's enough Raziel. I'll talk to you about this when we get home, and you'll be able to see Mia tomorrow. Just let her rest and recover." he told him. His tone left no room for argument.

Raziel let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his left shoulder.

"Fine. I get it. But you're going to tell me." he reluctantly agreed. Then he looked back at me, "Hey, just give me a call later and let me know that you're okay."

I agreed and the two got into Raphael's car. I could see Raziel saying something as they pulled out. Apparently, he wasn't willing to wait around to find out what had happened today. I just hoped that he'd behave over Sean in the future now. That animosity was bad enough before this.

Michael gently touched my back, "Come on. Let's get ourselves inside."

I wasn't about to argue that one. It was pretty cold out there, especially with the night falling. I kept glancing at the woods as Michael unlocked the front door, but there was still nothing stirring there, and the feeling of being watched so intensely was completely gone. Could it really have been Sean somehow watching me all of this time? And if so, why?

The house was quiet as we stepped inside. All I could really hear aside from our occasional footsteps was the sound of the baseboard heat kicking on once again, along with the steady ticking of the grandfather clock near the stairs. I felt relieved as the heat surrounded me. This was a lot better than outside. But this house had always felt so safe whenever I was in it too. Even when I had all of those night terrors, I still felt like I couldn't be harmed as long as I remained inside.

But as I stood there, I couldn't help looking down as the day's events ran through my mind again. What a horrible day this had turned out to be. I'd been living with my father for a little over a month, and something had just tried to kill me.

I was pulled out of those thoughts by Michael hugging me. The warm embrace startled me a little, although I didn't reject it. It felt like it was done with fear and regret. That wouldn't have surprised me much though. Michael had to have known about Sean. All of them did. They just felt like they couldn't tell me for whatever reason.

"Mia, I'm so sorry. This was my fault today." Michael apologized softly as he hugged me.

"It wasn't your fault Dad. Even Raphael was saying that you didn't know Sean was going to do something like this." I reasoned, closing my eyes and allowing myself to relax in his arms.

This was all so familiar and comforting now. The soft feel of his shirt against my cheek, the soft smell of his cologne. They were all things I'd come to know well with my father, and felt like home to me.

"I know, but I haven't done much for my part in any of it either. I've been avoiding the truth for a long time, and it's finally catching up with me. Maybe this happened for a reason, but the last thing I ever wanted was for you to get hurt like this." Michael explained, pulling back a little to look at me.

Yes, the regret in his eyes was definitely there. I could see it even in the rapidly dimming light coming into the foyer.

But at the same time, seeing this told me that I was about to understand everything that had happened today, and perhaps even what had happened in the past. I was now beginning to think that there was another reason that my mother fled like she did. Maybe it wasn't just mental illness. Maybe, just maybe, there was something much, much more to the Renaldi family that had driven her away.

"Dad, what's going on? What is Sean, and why did he come after me? Is it just because I'm your daughter?" I asked him.

Michael let out a long sigh, "Yes. There is a good part of it that has to do with me and the rest of your family here, but let's get settled in first, then we'll talk in the living room. I think it would be better that way."

"Okay." I reluctantly agreed.

Maybe, in the end, giving things a little bit of time to sink in is a good thing. I considered that as I fixed myself a drink in the kitchen. Pulling the small glass out of the oak cabinet over the sink, I took a moment to touch one of the bandages on my neck again. I was giving myself time now to consider the things I'd heard my mother and grandmother say throughout the years.

It was true that my grandmother had never been fond of the Renaldis, Michael in particular, but part of that came from the fact that my mother had originally run away to be with him.

From the what I'd always been told, she'd met him while his family was vacationing in Miami, and they apparently were attracted to each other right away. Within a year, Mom had run away to Maryland to be with him. All she left Grand mom was a note saying that she was sorry, but she was in love and wanted to be with Michael always.

But it only lasted a few years, and then she was running back.

Thinking about it now, the circumstances of my mother returning to Miami were a little bit odd. She'd packed very few things that day and had made sure that she and I would get to Miami before the day was over, then had my grandparents help us hide from the Renaldis for years afterwards. She'd also only relented on allowing me to know Michael after weeks of him negotiating with her and my grandmother.

Her words to me when she was better on medication suddenly stuck out in my mind.

"I'm not good enough for something like your father. I'm too flawed."

Something like my father.

Did that mean that Michael and my other family here weren't really human? Were they something like Sean?

I finished fixing my water and went back into the living room. One of the small lamps out there was on, casting the living room into a soft, comfortable light. Michael was standing in there, holding his own glass of water and looking out of the front bay window. It was odd, but it seemed to me like he was watching for something since we'd gotten back there. But whatever it was apparently wasn't showing up.

As I watched, he set his glass down on the nearby end table and closed the white curtains.

"Is anything out there?" I asked as I sat on the nearby couch.

"No. You don't need to worry. Nothing's out there now, and I doubt he'll show up again. He knows better after what happened today." Michael answered.

He stood there for a moment, holding the curtains and shaking his head, before finally letting them go and walking over to sit beside me.

"Did you know that Sean was watching me before?" I asked. With the way he spoke, he must have, but I wanted to confirm it for myself.

Michael nodded, giving me a sad smile, "Yes. I had become aware of it, and when you told me about wanting those new darker curtains for your room, I figured that might have been the reason. That was why I went ahead and got them without saying too much about it. I knew that it was probably very unnerving to you because you didn't know the truth about him yet, but I didn't see where it was that harmful either. The ones like him tend to be too curious for their own good at times, and when it seemed to be affecting you too much recently, I gave Sara a call and asked her to see if she could get him to pull back for a while. I'm sorry to say that it was a little late though." he explained.

So Michael had been making his own moves in all of this. He'd contacted Sara about my night terrors and told her to have Sean back off. He'd known all along that he'd been coming around there.

"But what is he? How could he watch me like that? Is he some kind of vampire or something?" I asked.

Yeah, it was stupid, but it was all I could think of. I'd been hearing a lot of vampire stuff in the recent years, and it was the first thing that popped into my mind, although that wouldn't have exactly explained the ears.

Michael chuckled, "Not at all dear, although I doubt that you'd hear about something like him from stories or movies nowadays. At least, not in this country. It's odd how only certain creatures seem to stick out in people's minds anymore, but I suppose that's just how it's always been when it comes to the supernatural."

"I guess. But seriously, what is he?"

"Very well. I'll be honest with you." Michael relented, "He's a fox."

I stared at him, "Are you serious? A fox?"

"I thought that might be your reaction, but yes, I am being serious." Michael confirmed, "Let me explain. To start with, Sean is a half breed. His father was a very powerful fox from the other side of the Veil between the mortal and spiritual worlds. Trust me dear, they're very different than the foxes that you think of when you hear the name. These foxes are spiritual beings, at least in a sense. They have a more human like form as a base, although they can look like man size giant foxes if they take on their most basic form, and can even make themselves appear as normal humans, but if they allow you to see them in that one true form, they look like people with golden eyes and fox ears, along with tails."

Okay, so that explained a whole lot right there. The ears, the eyes. Sean had looked just like he described when he cornered me out in that garden.

"So, is Sean's father around here too? And is Sara like them?" I probed.

"No and no. Like I said, Sean is only a half breed. Sara is completely human, and as for Sean's father, he died a few years before they came here." Michael answered.

"They can die?"

That one surprised me, considering that Michael had called them spiritual beings, although he did say that they were in a sense too.

"Yes." Michael confirmed, "They're only semi immortal. Foxes from the other side can live for thousands of years from what I know, and they remain youthful as long as they keep their power levels up. Sean's father was one of the oldest from what I've heard, although I never had the chance to see him myself before his untimely demise. Raphael claims that he did, but I never got the chance. But your uncle has also seen and met a lot of things that I haven't. He's always made it his business to know about both sides of this reality."

That did sound like Raphael. I'd noticed throughout the years that he was always the type to want to know everything about anything he was getting into.

But thinking about Michael's words, and the truth about Sean, I was now getting the big picture with the Renaldis too. Obviously, we couldn't have been normal. Not if we were able to know about all of these kinds of things.

"So where do we fit in with all of this? If things like Sean exist, then what are we?" I continued.

Michael became quiet. I listened as the nearby wall clock ticked in the silence of the room. This was it. Now Michael had to tell me the truth, and I had a feeling that it was a truth that at least my mother had known all too well.

Michael finally relented on his silence, "All right, but I will ask that you listen to me and try to understand. While I've held off on this, I know that it's also important now that I make you understand your heritage. Trust me, it's as unique as it comes."

"Okay. I'm listening." I promised.

I felt a little bit nervous now, but tried hard to swallow it. I had to know this. There was no other choice.

Michael let out a long breath, "There is a good reason that the ones like Sean would be attracted to us, and it's not just for our looks or money. It's from what came to our family, and made us as we are. The truth is that the current Renaldi family are Nephilim. We're half human, half angel."

"Nephilim?"

I'd never heard that term before. But I also didn't have a lot of religion in my life either. That was something that my mother always seemed to steer far clear of. But hearing Michael's words about us, that would've made sense. She was too flawed for him...

"Yes. Your great grandfather was the one who started this for our family. We didn't know him that well unfortunately since he had to return to the Heavens for unknown reasons, and it's taken us quite a while to understand this heritage. Your grandfather understood it better than we did, and he was there when each of us first changed. It's a change that we all go through." Michael went on.

"We'll change? Is that why Raziel's been so sick lately?" I asked.

I'll admit that I was more fascinated with all of this. I totally believed him, considering what I'd already gotten to see with Sean. Apparently, there were a lot of things that people didn't know about in the world; things that were living right under their noses the entire time.

Michael sat up a little bit straighter, "Yes. Raziel's getting ready to go through this change, and soon enough, I'm sure that you'll have it happen too. It typically seems to happen around sixteen or seventeen. At least, from what we've been able to see from each other." he admitted. He looked a little bit torn as he said that, like he didn't really want it to happen.

"So, what's going to happen to us? Is it bad?" I continued.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it that, although it's going to take you some getting used to, and the transition can be painful at first. Perhaps it would be better if I showed you myself. I've found that seeing is usually better for believing." Michael suggested.

He leaned forward and took off his shirt. I was a little bit surprised, considering my father never took off his shirts in front of me before. Why, I didn't really know. It wasn't something I'd ever thought to question.

But looking at him then, I began to get a little bit of why that was. There were large, jagged scars running vertically down over his shoulder blades. They started at the top of his back, and extended all the way down to the middle. The scars were white in color, like he'd had them for a very long time.

"Oh my God, what happened to you?" I had to ask as I stared at them.

"It's okay dear. This is what happens when you're one of us. It serves to hide the secret we carry." Michael told me.

He closed his eyes, and to my amazement, the scars on his back began opening up, and large wings came out of them. I stared in disbelief as I watched these wings unfold. They were very large, angel like wings, and the feathers were tinted with light blue. Even in the dim light of the living room lamp, they seemed to shine with a beautiful ethereal glow.

Everything began fitting together now. This was why my mother was so afraid and ran away like she did. She must have seen these wings at least once, and couldn't handle them. Or, more precisely, she couldn't handle the truth about the Renaldi family.

Michael took in a breath before continuing, "This is the biggest secret the Renaldis have, and the sign that we have angelic blood running through our veins. I know that it has been stated that Nephilim were forbidden and damned, but our kind are apparently exceptions from what we've come to learn in the last twenty years. Our family is one of three born to protect the mortal world from the things that may threaten it from beyond that Veil that I just told you about, and that includes the ones like Sean. I won't say that the boy's bad, but his bloodline can make him far too aggressive for us to just ignore, and for my part in all of this, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about him or this sooner. If things had turned out a little bit different, then we may not have been sitting here like we are."

So this was the truth. My family wasn't really human either. We were mixed with humans, but the angel blood in us was much stronger, and it gave us wings when we reached a certain age. It was so strange, but at the same time, something deep inside of me accepted it without any real hesitation. It was like the secret of my soul had finally come to light, and, as odd as it sounds, it felt good to know the truth of why I had always felt like I never fit in anywhere else but with the Renaldis.

"So, this is why Sean attacked me today? Because he doesn't like the ones like us?" I finally managed to say after taking a few minutes to organize my thoughts and feelings about everything. I'll admit that it wasn't easy, even if I felt that acceptance of it all.

"To be honest about it, I don't think so." Michael admitted. He shifted the wings into his back and put his shirt on. It amazed me how easily he did that. I'd have to ask him sometime how they hid them like that. Did the wings shrink or something?

"To be honest with you, the ones like Sean are rare too. Foxes in particular don't usually mess with human women, although they do tend to favor them for looks. But they typically won't bed them because it's very easy for them to get the women pregnant, and the children they create are usually prodigies that end up suffering between the two sides of their bloodline. Many of those children can't control the instincts they have later in life, and quite a few, at least from what we've heard, have taken their own lives instead of living with the beasts within them." he continued.

"That's really sad." I whispered.

"I agree, but it's the unfortunate reality at times for the ones like them. Believe it or not, there are plenty of people with true psychic abilities because they were mixed somewhere along the lines with a creature from the other side. It's not uncommon from what we've been able to learn throughout the years. But for his part, I'll admit that Sean really surprised me with all of this. From the time he's been here, he really hasn't shown much in the way of aggressive tendencies. And to be perfectly honest with you, I wasn't that worried when he first approached you because of that. He'd been around Raziel long enough, and he certainly wasn't making any moves to go after him. So today was a complete surprise to us, not to mention his watching you so closely in the first place." Michael admitted.

"So why did he do it?" I wondered.

"That I'm not sure of. Like I said, it was strange for him. But I have my suspicions, and they're not making me feel that comfortable about him staying around here. If it's for what I think it was, then we may be playing Russian Roulette with allowing him to remain here." Michael confessed, looking like he was really considering things again.

I suddenly remembered that strange voice, "But something else happened there." I spoke up.

Michael looked over at me, "Something else?" he repeated.

I struggled to find the words to explain it to him. In fact, I had no clue as to even how to begin. But I was determined to try.

"When Sean cornered me out there, there was this voice that suddenly came. It said something, and all at once, it was like Sean was knocked down, and he was holding his head. And then, he turned back to normal, and I was able to run away." I managed to explain.

"A voice? What did it say? Could you make it out?"

"I think it said something like 'awaken'."

Michael seemed to think it over. Looking at him, I couldn't help but allow myself to take in the sight of him again. Now that I knew the truth, and I'd seen those wings, I could finally get why he looked like he did. In fact, all of the Renaldis looked very similar. The blonde hair and blue eyes. The only one I'd seen with hair a little bit darker was Gabrielle. But all of us, even Raphael, had blue eyes, although his were very dark blue, and I had one blue eye. Was that and the blonde hair a sign of our angelic blood?

Michael finally spoke again, "I don't believe it, but it seems possible. Maybe it was him."

"Him?" I repeated, feeling lost now.

"I'm sorry. I'm talking about the one who created us originally. Your great grandfather. Perhaps he's been watching over us more than we originally thought. If that's the case, then he may have released one of your abilities early in that instance. Maybe you did break the boy." Michael said, sounding a little bit thoughtful with the last sentence.

My great grandfather. The angel who had started our family. Now that I thought about it, that would've made perfect sense. Maybe that was why I thought I knew that voice from somewhere. Maybe my soul had known it.

But his words about Sean were even more interesting to me.

"What do you mean by break? Did he really do something to Sean? Or did I? Because Sean didn't look at all like he was when I saw him at the school." I confessed.

"Yes. Things had definitely changed within him. We could sense that much just by looking into his eyes when he came with Sara to the office. To be completely honest with you, I don't think that Sean is a danger to us or anyone anymore. Your ability that I was speaking of before that was awakened early made that possible. Basically, the ability allows you to break and rebuilt someone's personality almost simultaneously. Only when it's rebuilt, the bad part of it is removed. Basically, you removed the part of Sean that he couldn't control before. I'm sure that he's feeling more than conflicted at this point as well for that. For the first time in his life, he's seeing things through clear eyes and a clear head, and he's probably mortified by his past actions." Michael explained.

Clear eyes and a clear head. Somehow, those words made more sense to me than anything else. Even as I thought about it all later as I sat up in my room, I found that I could understand that part of it. But there was also so much for me to consider now.

Michael's revelations had been more than enough for me. Still, even as the two of us got up in the living room after our talk, I found that I wasn't looking at my father that differently. My only request then had been for him to keep telling me the truth about things.

"Don't leave me in the dark anymore. I can handle it." I'd promised him.

Well, I thought, those words were more just for him.

As for myself, I wasn't sure if I believed that. This was a lot to process in only one day.

I got up from my bed and walked over to my vanity, taking off my shirt and turning to look at my back. Everything looked the same as it always did. This was strange when I thought about it. How come Raziel was starting to change and I wasn't? It was obvious that I must have had some power within me if I was able to break Sean and stop him from attacking me. Why wasn't I starting to change now that I'd used that power?

I put my shirt on and sat on the cushioned vanity stool, resting my arms and head on the pearl colored vanity. As much as I hated admitting it, I was feeling lost again. How was I supposed to handle being a Nephilim when that time came? I could barely handle being a sixteen-year-old girl. Not to mention that the only guy I felt like I could've possibly liked in Madison was a half breed fox that had tried to kill me. My life sucked big time.

I suddenly became aware of a tapping on my window. I immediately sat up, listening closely. The tapping sounds came again, and I realized that they were coming from the window facing the front of the house.

Could Sean have come back?

I steadied myself and got up. It would be okay. If he did come back, then Michael would handle him.

I slowly moved the burgundy curtain aside and peeked out. Relief instantly washed over me. No, it wasn't Sean coming back after me. Raziel was out there, standing on the hood of his Lexus in the driveway. He'd been throwing small rocks up there to get my attention.

I opened the window and leaned out.

"Raziel? What in the world are you doing out here?" I called.

"Sorry, but I'm not just sitting around after what Dad told me. Think Michael would care if I came up and visited with you for a while?" Raziel called back.

"I guess not. Hold on. I'll let you in."

I closed my window and headed downstairs. I admit that I was glad to see Raziel there. I needed the company right now, and I was sure that Michael wouldn't be against him hanging around for a while.

Michael was sitting in the kitchen, talking on his phone. It sounded like he was talking to Raphael from the way the conversation was going.

"Hey Dad, Raziel's here. Do you care if he stays with me for a while?" I asked as I leaned on the door frame.

"No, it's fine. Raphael told me that he was coming, and I'm not that surprised." Michael replied, giving me a quick smile. I didn't miss how exasperated it looked.

"Me neither." I sighed. Knowing my over protective cousin, he'd probably been fighting to get back here since Raphael had taken him home.

I headed to the foyer and opened the door to find Raziel waiting there.

"Thanks. It's gotten really cold." he said as he came in.

"No kidding. How long were you out there?" I asked him as he took off his coat.

"Not that long. Guess Dad called too, huh?" he noted, looking towards where the kitchen was. We could still hear Michael talking in there.

"Yeah. He's talking to Michael right now." I confirmed.

"Good. Come on. We're going upstairs right now." Raziel ordered, taking my hand and leading me upstairs to my room.

"It's nice to see you too Raziel." I joked as we got up there.

"Don't give me that. After what happened today, I'm really not feeling it." Raziel snapped. But he backed down just as quickly, pulling me into a hug, "Seriously, are you alright? He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?"

I sighed, hugging him back. This was just like Raziel. He'd always been very protective of me, and I was sure he'd been blaming himself some for all of this. The least I could do was reassure him that I was alright.

"No. I'm okay now. My neck's a little worse for wear, but it'll get better." I assured him as I pulled back to look at him.

"You need to tell me exactly what happened. Dad's not saying that much about it and keeps telling me that Michael's handling it. Did he tell you everything?" Raziel asked as we stepped into my room.

The two of us sat on the floor of my room near the bed. Raziel leaned back slightly against it, although he did it on his side and not his back. I could see some of the swelling in his shoulder blades through his grey shirt, and I couldn't help feeling a bit left out. Raziel would be getting wings soon, and I had no signs of them yet.

I shook off the thought as I answered him, "Yeah, he told me everything, and he showed me his wings. I guess now you're getting them too."

"Unfortunately. It's really bad timing too, especially after today. So, what happened at the school? How did Sean corner you like that? Because that was the last place I thought he'd be able to do it. That place always has someone running around who would hear something." Raziel pressed.

Time to try and explain again, although it felt like it might be easier for me to tell Raziel then it had been with Michael.

"Well, it's a weird story..." I started.

"Trust me, you've seen that I know weird." Raziel interrupted.

I laughed, "Yeah, I guess you have." I agreed, "Anyway, I was in the art room, and he just showed up there. He kept talking to me, and I was trying to make it so that I could leave because he was making me really uncomfortable. But all of a sudden, he got really close to me and started talking really weird, and his eyes changed color when he blinked. That scared me really bad, and I accidentally ran out of the door to the garden area by the art room, and he broke through the glass there and he pinned me to the wall by my neck. But he didn't really get to hurt me because Michael says I broke him somehow."

Raziel's eyes widened as he heard me describe how Sean had broken the glass windows in the art room.

"Are you serious? He really broke the damn window? Now they're really going to have to clean the mess up."

"Oh, you're right. I didn't even think about that part of it." I admitted.

I could only imagine the mess that that room was now, and whoever saw it in the morning or even later that afternoon would probably panic. But as I thought about that, a sudden realization hit me.

"Oh God Raziel, I left my backpack in there when I ran out, and I was bleeding everywhere!"

"Calm down. I'm sure that my dad's already taken care of it. He always thinks ahead on stuff like this. But speaking of, let me see your neck. I've been worried about that." Raziel responded.

"It's not that bad..."

"Don't give me that! Just let me see!"

No sense in fighting him on this. He'd just push the issue until I gave in. He was always good at that. So I carefully undid the bandages. It was a little bit hard to pull the gauze off of the wounds, considering it was stuck some with the dried blood, but I managed. I frowned as I caught sight of them in the mirror. This had been worse than I'd thought.

Raziel moved in front of me, gently touching the wounds on my neck as he examined them.

"Damn, he brought out his claws too. Good thing they're not that deep." he commented.

"So he had claws too? Must have missed that one." I muttered.

"Trust me, I'm sure you didn't notice half of it for how quick he came after you. But don't worry about it. It's not going to happen again. We'll make sure of that, even if we have to drive that stupid fox from town." Raziel promised me.

"You don't need to do that Raziel. I think Sean's already suffering over all of this." I told him.

I pictured Sean's face as he stood with Sara in Michael's office. Maybe suffering wasn't even the word to describe that. But I couldn't think of any other that could do it justice.

Raziel sat back a little, "Please don't tell me that you feel sorry for that fox after what he just did. He knew damn well what he wanted to do. He wouldn't have stayed around so much if he wasn't planning something like this." he argued.

Of course Raziel wouldn't feel any kind of sympathy towards Sean. But he hadn't seen him either. Maybe that was for the best though.

"Come on Raziel, I don't want to argue about this anymore. Can't you just visit me and make me feel better like you always do?" I requested.

"Yeah, yeah. That's why I came here anyway. It's not just because I've been so worried." Raziel admitted. He got up and grabbed my lap top from my nearby desk, "Hey, I missed the Big Bang Theory last night too. Want to watch with me?" he continued as he opened it.

A grateful smile crossed my face, "Sounds good to me. Let's get on the bed though. This floor gets uncomfortable."

I would spend the rest of that night with Raziel, considering that he decided he was spending the night shortly after we began watching shows on my laptop. I wasn't about to complain. Having company for the night was better for me, especially after everything that had been happening with Sean.

Yet I couldn't stop wondering in the back of my mind about what the next day might bring. Obviously, we'd have to cover for Sean. It made me consider how much more was waiting for me down this road that my life had been leading to. But, as usual, only time could tell the outcome.

And whether my meeting Sean was actually the beginning of fate.