Wings on Fire

Chapter 2

2

Daniel looked down at me, seeming to weigh his options. It seemed like he wanted to be honest with me, but something was holding him back.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Before I start, I want you to promise me that you won’t become frightened.”

It was an odd way for him to begin explaining what he knew about me, and how he knew it. My brow furrowed with concern as I wondered what he might be getting ready to reveal to me.

“I’m going to say some things that are going to be shocking to you, but please know that I always have your best interests at heart. I would never do anything to hurt you. My sole purpose is protecting you.”

Even though it was an odd proclamation, something inside me insisted on trusting this man. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being truthful with me.

Wanting to lighten the mood a bit, I asked, “If your one job is supposed to be protecting me, what am I doing in here?” I raised my hands to indicate the puce green, sterile hospital room walls that were surrounding us.

“I failed you, and for that I will never forgive myself.”

His words sounded so forlorn and sincere, I immediately felt guilty for teasing him. I reached out to take his hand with my own, but quickly yanked my own back when I felt the sizzling jolt of electricity from our skin-to-skin contact. It hadn’t hurt, but it had definitely been a jarring sensation. My palm was still vibrating with exciting pulses as I squeezed my hand into a fist and allowed my nerve endings to attempt to make sense of what had just happened.

My eyes popped open wide, and I shot a questioning gaze up at Daniel.

“That’s part of what I need to explain,” he clarified.

I longed for him to start with that part of the explanation, but he didn’t. Instead, he started with something that turned out to be infinitely better.

The legs of the plastic bucket chair screeched across the floor as he pulled it next to my bed before sitting down in it. Since he looked like he was getting comfortable for a long chat, I maneuvered my body so that I was angled toward him, getting a great view of his long, lean legs. As delectable of a view as that was, I decided that I needed to be propped up more. Daniel jumped up to assist me with rearranging my pillows behind my back until I was in a comfortable, upright position.

Once I was situated and he was back in his chair, Daniel started. “Some of the things that I know about Kerry Watson… ” He inserted a dramatic pause, tapping one finger to his tantalizing lips, while I waited with bated breath to see what he would say.

“Let’s see… ” He finally started. “I know that you like to have your toenails polished a vivid, unexpected color.”

I wiggled my pigs under the blanket and tried to remember what shade they were right now. I wasn’t positive if they were Scallywag blue or…

He interrupted my thoughts with, “This week’s color was orange. The name had something to do with getting a man or fruit.” He shook his head, seeming perplexed.

“Oh, A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find.” I chuckled as I remembered, but my smile quickly morphed into a frown as I wondered how he could possibly know this.

“Have you been stalking me?” It was the only logical explanation I could think of, even though that didn’t feel like the right answer.

“No, not really,” was his cryptic response. Apparently unwilling to expand on that, he went on. “I know that you pack a sack lunch every day, rather than going out to eat, so you have extra money to fund the lunch accounts of five needy kids at Stonebrook Elementary School.”

My cheeks flared red with embarrassment. Looking down, I said, “No one is supposed to know about that. It’s just my private way of giving back what I can.”

Daniel leaned in so close that I had no choice but to raise my gaze to his. “That’s what makes it so great. You always stick up for the underdog, no matter what it costs you.” Obviously sensing that I didn’t want to discuss my charitable donations, he moved on. “I know that when you laugh, or even smile, it is so infectious that people who have never met you find themselves laughing or smiling right along with you.”

I grinned at that, looking down at the cheap blanket over my lap. I was certain his words weren’t true, but it was still marvelous to hear someone say them.

Seeming to sense that his praise was embarrassing me, Daniel shifted the tone a bit. “I also know that if there is a tiny c***k in the sidewalk or any other obstacle in your path, you will somehow manage to find a way to trip over it.” Shaking his head, he added, “You certainly keep me on my toes.”

“What exactly does that mean?” I was ready to know how this man seemed to know so much about me.

“It’s my job to keep you safe, and sometimes you don’t make that very easy. There’s nothing I care about more than your wellbeing. I want you to be healthy and happy.” He gave me a pointed look before adding. “When you curl up in a ball in the corner of the shower and cry, it kills me that I can’t wrap my arms around you and make it all better for you.”

His words rocked me to my core. I had never had anyone put me first like that. Even though I didn’t see a way that he could possibly be telling the truth, a significant part of me ached to believe him. My voice sounded shaky when I asked, “How do you know about that?”

“Don’t you see? I know everything about you, Kerry.” The look Daniel gave me was so warm and loving, I longed for his words to somehow be true.

“But I’ve never seen you before. You can’t have been nearby my entire life, or I would have noticed you.” I accused. Despite how much I wanted it to, something about this simply wasn’t adding up.

“I can’t have been there, huh?” He seemed determined to prove that his words were true. “If I wasn’t there, how would I know about the diary that you keep in your sock drawer? It takes every bit of self-restraint I can muster not to read it over your shoulder, by the way.”

I knew that I should be creeped out by the things Daniel seemed to know about me. He had apparently mastered the art of stalking. I couldn’t bring myself to be frightened of him, though. Something about him instilled confidence and delightful warmth in me.

Adding proof to his case, Daniel said, “I know that you used to beat yourself up over the few times you received a B+ in class. I know that you paint beautiful pictures, but never share them with anyone. I’ve seen you slide through the water looking as graceful as a mermaid, despite the fact that you have two left feet on land.”

We grinned at each other over that completely accurate description.

Turning serious, Daniel added. “I saw what your Uncle Chad tried to do to you when he cornered you in the bathroom during your Sweet Sixteen birthday party.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “You saw that?” Shame and embarrassment flooded my system.

Nodding, Daniel said, “I’ve never been so furious. It was the closest I ever came to smiting down a human. It was also the closest I ever came to revealing myself to you. I wanted to let you know that none of what happened was your fault.”

I nodded, looking down. I had never quite been able to shake the feeling that I had done something to cause Chad to corner me like that. It had always felt like I had somehow brought it on myself.

“That man is a pig, and I was so proud of you when you socked him in the side of the head with a shampoo bottle.”

I grinned at that portion of the memory, until it dawned on me that Uncle Chad and I had been the only ones in that tiny bathroom. “How could you possibly know about that? I never told anyone.”

“I know,” he said simply, his words not sounding the slightest bit judgmental. “I was so filled with rage that I snapped and flung the medicine cabinet door open so the corner clocked him in the head,” Daniel revealed.

“That was you?” I asked, stunned. “I always thought I had somehow tuned into some psychic ability to move objects.” I giggled at the thought, before adding, “I guess the whole ‘seeing aura colors’ thing makes me feel strangely different.”

“You are different––wonderfully different, not strangely different,” Daniel said kindly.

I looked down at my hands, which were busy fiddling with the covers over my lap. As much as I was enjoying his praise, I had too many questions that needed answered. “So, you were there, in the bathroom with us,” I started tentatively, not quite sure that I even believed what I was saying. “Can you make yourself invisible?”

“Something like that.” His answer was cryptic. When I gave him an exasperated look, he elaborated. “My normal state is invisible to the human eye.” I narrowed my gaze in disbelief, but let him continue uninterrupted. After taking a deep breath, as if being truthful was new territory for him, Daniel finally said, “I’m a guardian angel… YOUR guardian angel.”