Angel's Demon

16. Reunited

16. Reunited

Andy was meeting the others for the first time. So much had happened in the past few days. The constant headache he’d had for years, and never told his parents about — Who wants to be subjected to more tests? he’d thought to himself — were increasing in intensity. They weren’t debilitating, or painful. It was more like the kind of headache he got when his mum nagged him to take out the rubbish, or clean his room — annoying more than anything else.

“I’m off, Mum,” he called out as he opened the front door.

“What time will you be back?” Lilly asked.

“Dunno. Dinnertime I suppose. I’ll text you if I’m going to be late.”

Lilly popped her head around the corner, just as Andy closed the door behind him. She worried about him. He was such a loner. He hadn’t brought any friends home since primary school, preferring his own company, and mostly staying in his room. It was rare for him to venture out, except when he had to go to work. Even then, he was always home for dinner. No drinks after work or social functions.

I’ll be at Werribee station in about forty minutes, Andy told the others as he stopped at the corner. He closed his eyes, raised his face to the sky and took a deep breath through his nose. The warmth of the sun made him feel alive, and he was grateful for his life. Saving someone else was a small price to pay.

We’ll meet you at Hoppers, Sarah replied.

Andy opened his eyes, looked straight ahead, and began walking again. Who’s coming with you?

I am, ya numnut, Doug replied. Who did you think she meant?

I didn’t know you lived locally, Andy said.

Sarah replied before Doug could put his foot in it. She didn’t want them to know that he’d come over early that morning and they’d gone to the movies together. He doesn’t. He lives in East Keilor. He’s visiting someone at the Mercy Hospital.

Hey, you guys, Kyle said, Matt and I don’t live too far away from you. We’re in Geelong.

You can hear us? Andy asked.

I can, Kyle replied. I don’t know about the others.

I’m here, Aly replied.

At the same time Matt, Paul and Gesthimani replied, Me too.

We have a bond, Felicitia said. Our minds know each other now.

Cool, Andy replied. So, where’s everyone else from?

Bendigo, Warrnambool, Woodend, came the replies.

We don’t know where the others live, Aly said. We always thought the less we knew, the better.

Andy could relate to that. His small telepathic family had avoided exchanging identifying information, though they’d talk about what they got up to during the day, who they liked, who they wanted to punch in the face … the same sort of thing all friends talked about. He was content to listen to the others talk, and get to know each other better, as he walked to the station. Their family was growing. He had a gut feeling that soon it would be complete.

When the train arrived, Andy sat in the first carriage, knowing it would be the closest to the exit at Altona station. I’m near the middle doors on the first carriage, he told Sarah and Doug. See you in a few minutes. His heart was thumping in his chest. It was exciting to be meeting the voices in your head. He knew they were real, it’s just that this sealed it for him. Should he stand up and meet them at the door, or act cool and stay seated, looking out the window in the opposite direction? In the end he perched on the edge of the seat, looking at the door as the train pulled up at Hoppers Crossing station. He smiled as the doors opened. This felt natural. This felt right.

Sarah sat next to Andy and hugged him. Doug sat on the other side of Andy and gently punched his arm. He started to cry softly, not because Doug had hurt him, but because they were flesh and blood … they were family.

I feel the same way, Sarah said.

Did I think that out loud? Andy asked.

Doug was confused. He felt like he’d missed some important exchange. This is what it must be like to be silent, he thought.

No, and yes, Sarah replied. I can hear your thoughts, even if they aren’t directed at me. I first noticed it a few months ago.

Felicitia was aghast at the notion of not having a private space anymore. Have you been spying on our innermost private thoughts?

Sarah rushed to allay Felicitia’s fears. No, no, it’s not like that. I have to be in close physical proximity to you.

But we only met a couple of nights ago, Felicitia pointed out.

You never told me that, Doug said.

Why would she, unless … have you guys met? Andy asked.

But what about you? Kyle asked Felicitia. You heard my thoughts that first night.

Sarah was relieved that the subject of discussion had shifted to Felicitia.

I did, didn’t I, Felicitia laughed. I haven’t heard any of your personal thoughts since. I guess we’ll all have to be on guard about what we think from now on.

And she hasn’t heard my inner musings, Andy thought to himself, knowing that only Sarah would hear. Fess up, you two have met.

Sarah squeezed Andy’s hand and nodded ever so slightly.

Okay, I get it. You don’t want anyone to know. Are you dating? One squeeze for yes, two for no.

Sarah gave one quick squeeze.

Is it serious?

Sarah gave three squeezes and shrugged her shoulders. Either she didn’t know how she felt about Doug, or she wasn’t sure how Doug felt about her.

Do you guys know how to get to Cherry Lake from the station? Felicitia asked. She thought about the way she would walk from the station — down Pier Street, cross Civic Parade, head between the council and bowling club, and through the park that was used by the dog obedience club.

Oh wow, that’s way cool, Sarah said.

What’s cool? Felicitia asked.

The street view you’re showing us.

Felicitia hadn’t realised she was projecting what she was seeing in her head. This was something new. Okay, where am I taking you now?

Along the Esplanade. You’re looking out into the bay. I can see kite surfers skipping across the water and up ahead are the Norfolk Pines that line the way to Apex Park, Sarah replied.

And now? Felicitia asked, turning her head to survey the surrounding area.

Sarah watched as the scene unfolded. Panoramic shot of Cherry Lake by the looks of it.

That’s where I am now. You’re seeing what I’m seeing.

You’re taking head-cam to a whole new level, Kyle laughed.

There’s too many voices in my head, Aly complained. How do I turn it off? I can’t focus on anything in the real world with all this noise.

It takes practice, Felicitia said. Start by picturing yourself in a soundproof room with only one door and no windows. Slowly close the door to block out the noise. There are other methods you can try if you only want to listen to certain voices.

Feli, Sarah said. We’re at Altona station. See you soon.

Felicitia projected a thumbs up image, and continued trying to guide Aly in the difficult task of tuning out the voices. When you were at school, did you ever find yourself tuning out sounds or voices that you didn’t want to listen to, or weren’t interested in hearing?

Yeah, Aly replied. Didn’t everyone?

Laughter sounded. Everyone knew exactly what Felicitia meant.

Try applying that to the voices in your head.

But I’m not hearing them with my ears, Aly protested.

It doesn’t matter how you hear them, the same principle applies.

I guess, Aly replied. You guys go about your business. I’m going to practice making you shut up.

Felicitia felt sorry for the rookies. It would take some adjusting. She was lucky that in the beginning she’d only had three other voices to contend with.

Sarah waved to Felicitia. She was sitting at a table near the barbecues. In the distance she could see fishing lines in the water, and wondered what sort of fish might be in the lake.

Glad you could make it, Felicitia said. She looked at Andy and Doug. It’s nice to meet you guys. She stood up and gave all three of them a quick hug, before sitting down again. Sarah sat next to her and the boys sat opposite the girls.

Felicitia placed her hands on the table. Sarah took hold of Felicitia’s left hand and held her left hand out for Doug to hold.

Do we really have to hold hands? Doug asked as he cast a sidewards glance at Andy.

Yes, we do, Felicitia replied firmly. She wiggled her fingers and Andy reached out to hold her hand. The two boys looked at each other, shrugged and clasped hands. Doug gently took Sarah’s hand into his, trying not to think of the emotions her touch evoked.

Sarah tried to reassure Doug. It’s a bit like holding a séance. We’d be holding hands if it were a séance.

You remember what Sarah and I yelled out the other night, don’t you?

How could we forget, Doug said. All your talk of soundproof rooms and tuning out didn’t do a thing. I’ve been to concerts that have been quieter than that racket.

Does that mean we should brace ourselves for something really loud? Kyle asked.

Yep, Sarah replied.

Felicitia and Sarah squeezed the boys’ hands three times, and on the third time their combined voices rang out loud and true. We’ve met Gina, how about you?

They were greeted with sobbing and one scream that lasted a few seconds before stopping suddenly. The sound was much louder than they’d anticipated, and the rookies were in pain. Behind the sobs, there was something else, lots of something else, all answering at once.

Yes.

Who are you?

What’s happening?

Yes.

Are you an angel?

Yeah.

God, I’ve got a brain tumour, haven’t I?

Holy crap, they’ve found me.

Am I going crazy?

Who’s there?

God, is that you?

Uh-huh.

How many are there? Doug asked. I couldn’t tell.

Felicitia shook her head. I’m not sure. Five or six maybe?

We’ve only kept in contact with five others, Aly reminded them. Part of her wanted to tune out the voices, and part of her didn’t want to miss a thing. If there’s more than five …

I know, Felicitia replied. It means we just found someone else.

The voices kept talking, confused and frightened. Felicitia decided she would have to take charge of the situation again. Stop, she yelled, and listen to me. As had happened before, everyone went silent.

My name is Felicitia, and I was at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne when I was a kid. Gina Malakh saved my life.

The voices started up again. While there was still confusion, curiosity and excitement replaced the fright.

Stop, Felicitia yelled again. She projected an image of a list with the names of those who had already made contact on it, and the suburb in which they lived. Add your name and suburb to the list.

I can’t, came the reply, over and over.

Sarah, can you add your name to the list?

Sarah tried manipulating the image that Felicitia was projecting. Nothing happened. She shook her head. It was no use.

Okay, can everyone try sending an image of themselves with their name and suburb below it?

This time Sarah was able to do as Felicitia had requested.

Anyone else? Felicitia asked.

Andy concentrated hard. He remembered being able to send images to Sarah and Doug years ago, when they first started talking to him. That was when his mum had taken him to see a child psychologist.

Good job, Andy.

The others could only project their likeness. This was going to be a nightmare to manage.

Text me, Felicitia said, and don’t forget to include a selfie. She projected her likeness with a number beneath it.

Matt laughed. You’re missing your rank, commander. It’s meant to be name, rank and serial number, unless you’re a con.

A few of the others laughed as well. Felicitia ignored them. This was a big deal. They were breaking every rule they’d ever made. Somehow she felt that the time for those rules was fast coming to an end. Her mobile phone beeped incessantly for the next few minutes. She looked at each photo carefully, committing to memory the features of faces that hadn’t changed that much. After she was done, she began projecting the images, along with a name and suburb, so that everyone could see who was now connected. For the benefit of the latest recruits, she showed the details for those who had come before them.

Alice, Gesthimani called out. She had not seen or heard from the girl who was the same age as her and had slept in the bed next to her in hospital since they had been discharged. Is that really you?

Gesi? Alice replied. Gesthimani’s name had been too hard for her to pronounce as a child, so she’d shortened it. Gesthimani didn’t mind. Oh my God, I’ve missed you! I asked Mum to find out where you lived so I could send you letters and drawings. She said she tried, but the hospital wouldn’t give out your details. She even asked if she could send something to the hospital for them to send on, and she’d cover the cost of the postage.

Really? Gesthimani asked. I would have loved that. Do you still draw?

Draw, paint, sculpt … I’m into all sorts of art now.

How did you find us? Rob asked. I haven’t lived in Victoria for years, and Humpty Doo isn’t exactly close by.

Rob was further away than Dom, but neither of them was a leisurely Sunday drive away from the others. Cairns isn’t exactly close by either.

Felicitia yawned. Reaching out to the others had taken a lot out of her. Sarah, Doug and Andy were resting their heads on the table, yet they still held hands. I’ll explain later. It’s a rather long story and we’re beat. She quickly counted how many of them they’d made contact with — they had found seventeen angel followers, twenty-one if she included the original four. Only three more to go and their numbers would be complete.

I’ll give them the basics, Kyle said. You guys should head off for a nanna nap.

Felicitia had enlisted the aid of Kyle and Matt, who were the closest of the newcomers to headquarters, as Cherry Lake became known. Between the six of them, she hoped they’d be able to find the others. If not, more angel followers would be required.

Matt didn’t want to catch two buses and two trains to get to their destination. It would take hours. “Can I borrow your car, Mum? I told Kyle I’d drop him off at the airport.”

Matt’s mum looked up from the dough she was kneading on the kitchen bench. It was a weekend ritual, to make her own bread, one which she found therapeutical. “I need the car tonight, so make sure you’re back by five, and don’t forget to fill up the tank. Last time I was driving around on the smell of an oily rag.”

Matt grabbed the keys from the hook in the hallway and headed towards the door. “Thanks, Mum. See you later.”

Kyle was surprised to see Matt pull up in a car. He thought Matt would walk to his place so that they could catch public transport together.

“I told my mum I was taking you to the airport.”

They both laughed.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Kyle said.

They laughed again.

“Do you think we’ll find the last three, or do you reckon they’re dead?” Matt asked.

“We’ll find them. We just need a bigger antenna.”

Andy fired up the barbecue. He figured they should have lunch beforehand, and had bought a dozen snags, a loaf of bread and some sauce. Doug hovered nearby — the barbecue was a man’s domain, or so he’d been told — while Felicitia and Sarah sat at the table and engaged in small talk, like regular people. Seagulls paced the nearby grassy area, squawking and vying for prime position closest to where morsels not fit for human consumption, but good enough for seagulls, might be thrown.

The smell of sizzling sausages greeted Kyle and Matt, whose stomachs started rumbling as if on cue.

Grab some bread and line up, Andy said. He carefully placed a sausage on each piece of bread that was held out before getting his own sausages. Help yourself to sauce.

You know what’s so good about this? Kyle said, not waiting for anyone to reply. Talking with your mouth full. I can keep chewing, and still talk to you guys.

When lunch had been consumed the leftover bread was given to the ever-hungry seagulls. The feeding frenzy lasted a few minutes — squawking, wings flapping, beaks clashing as they fought over each crumb, gobbling down as much food as possible as quickly as possible — until the food ran out. The seagulls, realising that the meal was over, headed to a different patch of grass where another group of people were still eating. It was now time to try and make contact.

Two-minute warning, Felicitia said. Brace yourself for some noise.

Aly had been practicing blocking out the voices for the past six days and was getting better at muffling them, if not silencing them altogether. The thing is, it only worked when she was singing out loud. If it was a new song, she would consciously think of each word as she was singing. It helped her to commit them to memory, though the others would hear the words as well.

Felicitia knew the others would find it distracting if Aly sang a new song. They needed to focus on what they were about to do. Aly, you’ll need to sing something you know, okay.

Sure, no problem.

Kyle’s hands were shaking. I’m kinda scared, Last time you guys did this … I passed out. The noise was so loud I thought my head was going to split like an overripe melon. I think my brain shut down to prevent damage.

You were the one who screamed? Sarah asked.

Yeah, that was me.

The others were upset by Kyle’s revelation. It was not their intention to hurt anyone, yet they needed to amplify their message to make initial contact with those they were seeking.

It’s not that loud from this side of the fence, Felicitia reassured him.

I hope you’re right, because with six of us I just might have an aneurism.

They joined hands and the girls gave three squeezes.

We’ve met Gina, how about you?

Instead of confused voices, they were greeted with the telepathic equivalent of a sonic boom, which rendered them silent. Time seemed to stand still as the shock waves washed over them. They couldn’t move, think or breathe. And yet, when the event was over, only a few seconds had passed.

What just happened? Aly asked. Did I put you off with my singing?

I know you, a voice said, or at least I think I knew you once.

Aly waited for one of the others to reply, and when no one did — they were all stunned senseless — she asked, Who said that?

Me.

Who are you?

Teresa.

Is that the Teresa I had a crush on? Another voice asked.

How would I know?

Aly was getting confused. The voices sounded the same. Guys, see the little picture of me in your head when I’m talking?

Uh-huh.

It’s the only way for us to know who’s talking.

Us?

Yeah. The other twenty-one of us.

Suddenly the likenesses of three people popped in everyone’s head, people they had all known a long time ago — Teresa, Alex and Laura.

Aly continued talking to them while the others gathered their wits about them. Much of what she said went largely unnoticed. For all they knew she could have been telling the other three that the world as they knew it was ending and they’d been chosen to repopulate the planet.

Kyle’s head was spinning. I think I’m going to throw up. He promptly turned his head to the side and emptied his stomach on the ground.

Matt, whose head had stopped pounding, began to laugh. The seagulls will feast on that.

Sarah opened her eyes and looked directly at Matt. Eww, gross.

Andy was all smiles. For the first time in years he didn’t have a headache, and that weird pull from all directions was now focussed — north-east. Excuse me, sorry to butt in. Anyone else here notice anything different, newcomers aside?

There’s an odd sensation in my stomach, Teresa said. I feel like there’s this invisible umbilical cord tugging on me from north-east.

It’s west for me, Alex said. He shook his head slowly. This is all too much to take in.

Yeah, it’s west, Laura replied.

Andy was confused why some of the new angel followers were feeling the pull from a different direction. What was the deal with that?

North-east here.

Same

Plus one.

Okay, stop, Andy said, trying to demand their silence the same way Felicitia did. It didn’t work though, as the others continued to mutter what direction they felt drawn to.

Felicitia took a deep breath to clear her head of the last of the fog the sonic boom had created. It seemed to her that everyone else had bounced back a lot easier than she did. She glanced at the others around the table and noticed that Kyle was still resting his head on the table. Perhaps there was something different about him as well … perhaps he was stronger than the others, just like her.

Andy said stop, Felicitia said. The voices went silent. Go on, Andy, we’re listening.

Laura and Alex, where do you live?

England.

Portugal.

Where’s that? Brooke asked. She was hopeless at geography and reading maps. In South America?

If you mean Portugal, don’t be stupid, Alex snorted. It’s in Europe.

Oh.

Holy crap, that’s a long way away, Andy replied. No wonder we had trouble reaching you.

Teresa was miffed that Andy hadn’t asked where she lived. In case anyone’s interested, I’m from Australia. A multitude of laughter greeted her. What’s so funny?

Most of us live in Australia, Andy said. Fourteen of us still live in Victoria, two are in South Australia, and one each in Tasmania, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

How come you left New South Wales until last? Jake asked. You Victorians are jealous of us.

Andy snorted. Yeah right. As if.

C’mon guys, play nicely, Felicitia cautioned them, or I’ll make you shut up again.

What state do you live in, Teresa? Andy asked, trying to get things back on track.

Western Australia.

Cool, now we have someone from every state. Is anyone sitting at their PC?

I am, Brooke replied.

Can you bring up a map of the world and tell us what’s north-east of us and west of Alex and Laura?

Sure. Give me a few minutes. I’m useless at geography though. Don’t ask me to give you directions. Brooke searched online for a world map and opened the first one she found. Um, which way’s west?

Andy shook his head. She really was bad at geography. Didn’t they teach you in school that Western Australia is to the west, and the Northern Territory is to the north?

No.

Well now you know. I wish you could project an image of the map. Felicitia would be able to do it.

Felicitia didn’t want anyone to feel inadequate. She didn’t know why she could do what she did, and the others couldn’t. She’s trying her best.

I think it could be Canada, America or South America.

It’s moved, Laura said. That feeling just shifted. It felt like butterflies doing a little flip in my stomach. Now it’s settled down, it’s coming from south-west.

Everyone felt the same movement, a shifting. Andy voiced what most of them were feeling. She’s right, it’s shifted. Almost directly east. That would be South America. Why there and what is it?

I don’t know, Felicitia said. What I do know is that I’m incredibly tired. Travelling halfway around the world really takes it out of you. How about we discuss this later? I’m going home.