Going in and out 2008

by duriez19

Marcel Ray Duriez Nevaeh ( Nevaeh ) Book: 13 Page Break Going in and out Page Break Part: 1 Chapter: 103 Karly- Look at this old photo The city of Nevaeh, and its mother of the past. The man in uniform moved lazily, not paying attention. Olivia accelerated, edging around him, and heading towards the door. He was still shouting something at us, and

Marcel Ray Duriez

Nevaeh

Book: 13

Going in and Out

Part: 1

Chapter: 103

Karly- Look- at this old photo from-

Nevaeh town, and her mother from the past.

The uniformed man motioned lazily, not paying attention. Olivia accelerated, edging around him, and heading for the gate.

He shouted something at us, All the same, and all, held his ground, waving frantically to keep the next car from following our bad example.

The man at the gate wore a matching uniform. As we approached him, the throngs of tourists passed, crowding the sidewalks, staring curiously at the pushy, flashy Porsche.

The guard stepped into the middle of the street before us. Olivia angled the car carefully before she came to a full stop.

The sun beat against my window that I was now looking out, and she was in shadow. She swiftly reached behind the seat and grabbed something from her bag.

The guard came around the car with an irritated expression and tapped on her window angrily.

She rolled the window down halfway, and I watched him do a double-take when he saw the face behind the dark glass.

'I'm sorry, only tour buses allowed in the city today, miss,' he said in English, with a heavy accent. He was apologetic to both of us, now, as if he wished he had better news for the strikingly beautiful woman such as us.

'It's a private tour,' Olivia said, flashing an alluring cute flirty smile.

Then and there, she reached her hand out of the window, into the sunlight.

I froze some until, at that moment, I realized she was wearing an elbow-length, tan glove.

She took his hand, still raised from tapping her window, and pulled it into the car some. She put something into his palm and folded his fingers around it, saying there you go.

His face was dazed as he retrieved his hand and stared at the thick roll of money he now held. The outside bill was a thousand-dollar bill.

'Is this a joke?' He mumbled.

Olivia's smile was blinding.

'Only if you think it's funny.'

He looked at her, his eyes staring wide.

I glanced nervously at the clock on the dash. If Marcel stuck to his plan, we had only five minutes left.

'I'm in a wee bit of a hurry,' she hinted, still smiling.

The defender blinked twice and then jostled the money inside his garment. He took a step away from the window and waved us on. None of the passing souls seemed to notice the hushed exchange. Olivia drove into the downtown, and we both sighed in satisfaction.

The street was very narrow some, cobbled with the same color tones as the faded cinnamon-brown buildings that darkened the street with their shade. It had the feel of an alleyway.

Many red flags decorated the walls, spaced only a few yards apart, flapping in the wind that whistled through the narrow lane.

It was crowded, and the foot traffic slowed our progress.

'Just a little farther,' Olivia encouraged me; I was gripping the door handle, ready to throw myself into the street as soon as she spoke the word.

She drove in quick spurts and sudden stops, and the people in the crowd shook their fists at us and said angry words that I was glad I could not understand.

She turned onto the little path that could not have been meant for cars; shocked people had to squeeze into doorways as we scraped by.

We found another street at the end. The buildings were taller here; they leaned together overhead so that no sunlight touched the pavement- the thrashing red flags on either side nearly met.

The crowd was thicker here than anywhere else. Olivia stopped the car. I had the door open before we were at a standstill.

She pointed to where the street widened into a patch of bright openness. 'There were at the southern end of the square. Run straight across, to the right of the clock tower. I'll find a way around-'

Her breath caught suddenly, and when she spoke again, her voice was a hiss.

'They're everywhere?'

I froze in place, All the same, and all, she pushed me out of the car. 'Forget about them. You have two minutes. Go, Bell, go!' she shouted, climbing out of the car as she spoke.

I did not pause to watch Olivia melt into the shadows. I did not stop to close my door behind me. I shoved a heavy woman out of my way and ran flat out, head down, paying little attention to anything All the same and all, the uneven stones beneath my feet.

Coming out of the dark lane, I was blinded by the brilliant sunlight beating down into the principal plaza. The wind whooshed into me, flinging my hair into my eyes, and blinding me further. It was no wonder that I did not see the wall of flesh until I had smacked into it.

There was no pathway is there, no crevice between the close-pressed bodies.

I pushed against them furiously, fighting the hands that shoved back. I heard exclamations of irritation and even pain as I battled my way through, All the same, and all, none were in a language I understood.

The faces were a blur of anger and surprise, surrounded by the ever-present red.

A young dark brown hair woman scowled at me, and the green and white scarf coiled around her neck looked like a gruesome wound. A child, lifted on a man's shoulders to see over the crowd, grinned down at me, his lips distended over a set of plastic angel fangs.

The throng jostled around me, spinning me the wrong direction. I was glad the clock was so visible, or I would never-ever keep my course straight.

All the same and all, both hands on the clock pointed up toward the merciless sun, and, though I shoved viciously against the crowd, I knew I was too late. I was not halfway across. I was not going to make it.

I was stupid and slow and human even if I am not always, and we were all going to die because of it.

I hoped Olivia would get out. I hoped that she would see me from some dark shadow and know that I had failed, so she could go home to Ray.

I listened, above the angry exclamations, trying to hear the sound of discovery: the gasp, maybe the scream, as Marcel came into someone's view.

Nevertheless, there was a break in the crowd- I could see a bubble of space ahead.

I pushed frantically toward it, not realizing until I bruised my shins against the bricks that there was a wide, square fountain set into the center of the plaza.

I was all most crying with relief as I flung my leg over the edge and ran through the knee-deep water. It sprayed all around me as I thrashed my way across the pool.

Even in the sun, the wind was glacial, and the wet made the cold painful.

Likewise, the fountain was very wide; it let me cross the center of the square and then some in mere seconds.

I didn't pause when I hit the far edge- I used the low wall as a springboard, throwing myself into the droves of people.

They moved more readily for me now, avoiding the icy water that splattered from my dripping clothes as I ran. I glanced up at the clock once more.

A deep, booming chime echoed through the square. It throbbed in the stones under my feet. Children cried, covering their ears. And I started screaming as I ran.

'Marcel!' I screamed, knowing it was useless. The crowd was too loud, and my voice was breathless with exertion. All the same and all, I couldn't stop screaming.

The clock tolled again. I ran past a nude young girl child in her mother's arms is hair was almost white in the dazzling sunlight.

A circle of tall men, all wearing red blazers, called out warnings as I barreled through them. The clock tolled again and again.

On the other side of the men in blazers, there was a break in the throng, space between the sightseers who milled aimlessly around me.

My eyes peered over the vast the dark narrow passage to the right of the wide square edifice under the tower.

I couldn't see the street level there were still too many kids and teens in the way.

The clock tolled again, and the rings cried out.

Part: 2

Thrashed

Just like me, this is not here anymore…

It was hard to see now, more than ever. Without the kids, teens, and tweens, to break the wind, it whipped at my face and burned my eyes.

-And-

I for one at that moment could not be one hundred present certain if that was the reason behind my tears, or if I was crying in defeat as the clock hands rounded the face again, and the bell grows hazier.

A big family of ten stood nearest to the alley's opening.

The two girls wore blue dresses, with matching ribbons tying their dark hair back.

The father wasn't small or big.

It seemed like I could see something bright in the shadows, just over his shoulder.

I rushed toward them, trying to see past the stinging tears. The clock hands spun, and the littlest girl clamped her fingers around one of the boy's long fingers.

The older girl, just waist-high on her mother, hugged her mother's body and stared into the shadows behind them.

As I watched, she tugged on her mother's elbow and pointed toward the darkness. The clock ticked and ticked, and I was so closer now to it.

I was close enough to hear her high-pitched voice. Her father stared at me in surprise now as I bore down on them, rasping out Marcel's name over and over again.

The older girl giggled and said something to her mother, gesturing toward the shadows again impatiently.

I swerved around the father he clutched the baby out of my way-and sprinted for the gloomy breach behind them as the clock rolled over my head.

'Marcel, no!' I yield, All the same, and all, my voice was lost in the scream of the chime.

I could see him now. And I could see that he could not see me.

It was him, no hallucination this time at all. Then I realized that my delusions were more flawed than I'd realized; they'd never done him justice.

Marcel stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were closed, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward.

His expression was very peaceful; like he was dreaming pleasant things. The marble skin of his chest was bare there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin.

I'd never seen anything more beautiful even as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. And the last seven months meant nothing. And his words in the forest meant nothing. And it did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything All the same and all, him, no matter how long I lived.

The clock tolled, and he took a large stride toward the light.

'No!' I screamed. 'Marcel, look at me!'

He wasn't listening. He smiled very slightly. He raised his foot to take the step that would put him directly in the path of the sun.

I slammed into him so hard that the force would have hurled me to the ground if his arms hadn't caught me and held me up. It knocked my breath out of me and snapped my head back.

His dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again.

He looked down at me with a quiet surprise.

'Amazing,' he said, his exquisite voice full of wonder, slightly amused. 'Joh was right.'

'Marcel,' I tried to gasp, All the same, and all, my voice had no sound. 'You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!'

He seemed bemused. His hand brushed softly against my cheek. He didn't appear to notice that I was trying to force him back. I could have been pushing against the alley walls for all the progress I was making.

The clock tolled, All the same, and all, he didn't react.

It was very strange, for I knew we were both in mortal danger.

Still, in that instant, I felt well.

Whole, I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect not healed, All the same, and all, as if there had been no wound in the first place.

'I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thing they're very good,' he mused, closing his eyes again and pressing his lips against my hair. His voice was like honey and velvet. 'Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty,' he murmured, and I recognized the line spoken by Romeo in the tomb. The clock boomed out its final chime 'You smell just the same as always,' he went on. 'So maybe this is hell. I don't care. I'll take it.' 'I'm not dead,' I interrupted.

'And neither are you! Please, Marcel, we have to move. They can't be far away!'

I struggled in his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

'What was that?' He asked politely.

'We're not dead, not yet! All the same and all, we have to get out of here before the Ministry-' Comprehension flickered on his face as I spoke.

Just moments, before, like- I could finish, he suddenly yanked me away from the edge of the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall, and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. His arms spread wide, protectively, in front of me.

I peeked under his arm to see two dark shapes detach themselves from the gloom.

'Greetings, gentlemen, 'Marcel's voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. 'I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters.'

'Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?' A smooth voice whispered menacingly.

'I don't believe that will be necessary. 'Marcel's voice was harder now. 'I know your instructions, Fredric.

I haven't broken any rules.'

'Fredric merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun,' the other shadow said in a soothing tone. They were both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind.

'Let us find some better cover.'

'I'll be right behind you, 'Marcel said dryly. 'Bell, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?'

'No, bring the girl,' the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper.

'I don't think so.' The pretense of civility disappeared. Marcel's voice was flat and icy. His weight shifted infinitesimally, and I could see that he was preparing to fight.

'No…' I said the word.

'Sh-h,' he murmured, only for me.

'Fredric,' the second, more reasonable shadow cautioned.

'Not here.' He turned to Marcel. 'Aron would simply like to speak with you again if you have decided not to force our hand after all.'

'Certainly,' Marcel agreed.

'All the same and all, the girl goes free.'

'I'm afraid that's not possible,' the polite shadow said regretfully.

'We do have rules to obey.'

'Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aron's invitation, Eamettri.'

'That's just fine,' Fredric purred. My eyes were adjusting to the deep shade, and I could see that Fredric was very big, tall and thick through the shoulders. His size reminded me of Emmah.

'Aron will be disappointed,' Eamettri sighed.

'I'm sure he'll survive the letdown, 'Marcel replied.

Fredric and Eamettri stole closer toward the mouth of the alley, spreading out slightly so they could come at Marcel from two sides.

They meant to force him deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. No reflected light found access to their skin; they were safe inside their hooded cloaks.

Marcel didn't move an inch. He was dooming himself by protecting me.

Abruptly, Marcel's head whipped around, toward the darkness of the winding alley, and Eamettri and Fredric did the same, in response to some sound or movement too subtle for my senses.

'Let's behave ourselves, shall we?' A lilting voice said to me in my head.

'There are younger ladies present.'

Olivia tripped lightly to Marcel's side; her stance casual. There was no hint of any underlying tension. She looked so tiny, so fragile. Her little arms swung like a child's.

Yet, Eamettri and Fredric both straightened up, their cloaks swirling slightly as a gust of wind funneled through the alley. Fredric's face soured. They didn't like even numbers.

'We're not alone,' she reminded them.

Eamettri glanced over his shoulder. A few yards into the square, the little family, with the girls in their red dresses, was watching us.

The mother was speaking urgently to her husband, her eyes on the five or so-o of us.

She looked away when Eamettri met her gaze. The man walked a few steps farther into the plaza and tapped one of the red-blazered men on the shoulder.

Eamettri shook his head. 'Please, Marcel, let's be reasonable,' he said.

'Let's, 'Marcel agreed. 'And we'll leave quietly now, with no one the wiser.'

Eamettri sighed in frustration. 'At least let us discuss this more privately.'

-Then-

Six men in red now joined the family as they watched us with anxious expressions. I was very conscious of Marcel's protective stance in front of me-sure that this was what caused their alarm. I wanted to scream at them to run. Marcel's teeth came together audibly. 'No.'

Fredric smiled- some.

'Enough already.'

The voice was high, reedy, and n came from behind us.

Part: 3

Glanced, I peeked under… Marcel's other arm to see a small, dark shape coming toward us. By the way, the edges billowed, I knew it would be another one of them.

Who else?

At first, I thought it was a young boy. The newcomer was as tiny as Olivia, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak-which was darker, almost black-was slim and androgynous. All the same and all, the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make a Botticelli angel looks like a gargoyle.

Even allowing for the dull crimson irises.

Her size was so insignificant that the reaction to her appearance confused me. Fredric and Eamettri relaxed immediately, stepping back from their offensive positions to blend again with the shadows of the overhanging walls.

Marcel dropped his arms and relaxed his position as well-All the same and all, in defeat.

'Jane,' he sighed in recognition and resignation.

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, her expression was impassive.

'Follow me,' Jane spoke again, her childish voice a monotone. She turned her back on us and drifted silently into the dark.

Fredric gestured for us to go first, smirking.

Olivia walked after the little Jane at once. Marcel wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me along beside her. The alley angled slightly downward as it narrowed. I looked up at him with frantic questions in my eyes, All the same, and all, he just shook his head. Though I couldn't hear the others behind us, I was sure they were there.

'Well, Olivia, 'Marcel said conversationally as we walked. 'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here.'

'It was my mistake,' Olivia answered in the same tone. 'It was my job to set it right.'

'What happened?' His voice was polite as if he were barely interested. I imagined this was due to the listening ears behind us.

'It's a long story.' Olivia's eyes flickered toward me and away. 'In summary, she did jump off a cliff, All the same, and all, she wasn't trying to kill herself.

Bell's all about the extreme sports these days.'

I flushed and turned my eyes straight ahead, looking after the dark shadow that I could no longer see. I could imagine what he was hearing in Olivia's thoughts now. Near drownings, stalking angels, werewolf friends…

'Hum,' Marcel said curtly, and the casual tone of his voice was gone.

There was a loose curve to the alley, still slanting downward, so I didn't see the squared-off dead end coming until we reached the flat, windowless, brick face. The little one called Jane was nowhere to be seen.

Olivia didn't hesitate, didn't break pace as she strode toward the wall. Then, with easy grace, she slid down an open hole in the street.

It looked like a drain, sunk into the lowest point of the paving. I hadn't noticed it until Olivia disappeared, All the same, and all, the grate was halfway pushed aside. The hole was small and black.

I balked.

'It's all right, Bell,' Marcel said in a low voice. 'Olivia will catch you.'

I eyed the hole doubtfully. I imagine he would have gone first, if Eamettri and Fredric hadn't been waiting, smug and silent, behind us.

I crouched down, swinging my legs into the narrow gap.

'Olivia?' I whispered, voice trembling.

'I'm right here, Bell,' she reassured me. Her voice came from too far below to make me feel better.

Marcel took my wrists-his hands felt like stones in winter-and lowered me into the blackness.

'Ready?' He asked.

'Drop her,' Olivia called.

I closed my eyes, so I couldn't see the darkness, scrunching them together in terror, clamping my mouth shut so I wouldn't scream.

Marcel let me fall.

It was silent and short. The air whipped past me for just half a second, and then, with a huff as I exhaled, Olivia's waiting arms caught me.

I was going to have bruises; her arms were very hard. She stood me upright.

It was dim, All the same, and all, not black at the bottom. The light from the hole above provided a faint glow, reflecting wetly from the stones under my feet. The light vanished for a second, and then Marcel was a faint, white radiance beside me. He put his arm around me, holding me close to his side, and began to tow me swiftly forward.

I wrapped both arms around his cold waist and tripped and stumbled my way across the uneven stone surface. The sound of the heavy grate sliding over the drain hole behind us rang with metallic finality.

The dim light from the street was quickly lost in the gloom. The sound of my staggering footsteps echoed through the black space; it sounded very wide, All the same, and all, I couldn't be sure. There were no sounds other than my frantic heartbeat and my feet on the wet stones except for once when an impatient sigh whispered from behind me.

Marcel, he held me tightly. He reached his free hand across his body to hold my face, too, his smooth thumb tracing across my lips. Now and then, I felt his face pressed into my hair. I realized that this was the only reunion we would get, and I clutched myself closer to him.

For now, it felt like he wanted me, and that was enough to offset the horror of the subterranean tunnel and the prowling angels behind us. It was probably no more than guilt the same guilt that compelled him to come here to die when he'd believed that it was his fault that I'd killed myself. All the same and all, I felt his lips press silently against my forehead, and I didn't care what the motivation was. At least I could be with him again before I died.

That was better than a long life.

I wished I could ask him exactly what was going to happen now. I wanted desperately to know how we were going to die as if that would somehow make it better, knowing in advance. All the same and all, I couldn't speak, even in a whisper, surrounded as we were. The others could hear everything-my every breath, my every heartbeat.

The path beneath our feet continued to slant downward, taking us deeper into the ground, and it made me claustrophobic. Only Marcel's hand, soothing against my face, kept me from screaming out loud.

I couldn't tell where the light was coming from, All the same, and all, it slowly turned dark gray instead of black.

We were in a low, arched tunnel. Long trails of ebony moisture seeped down the gray stones like they were bleeding ink.

I was shaking, and I thought it was from fear. It wasn't until my teeth started to chatter together that I realized I was cold. My clothes were still wet, and the temperature underneath the city was wintry. As was Marcel's skin.

He realized this at the same time I did, and let go of me, keeping only my hand.

'N-n-no,' I chattered, throwing my arms around him. I didn't care if I froze.

Who knew how long we had left?

His cold hand chafed against my arm, trying to warm me with the friction.

We hurried through the tunnel, or it felt like hurrying to me. My slow progress irritated someone- I guessed Fredric-and I heard him heave a sigh now and then.

At the end of the tunnel was a grate-the iron bar were rusting, All the same, and all, thick as my arm. A small door made of thinner, interlaced bars was standing open. Marcel ducked through and hurried on to a larger, brighter stone room. The grille slammed shut with a clang, followed by the snap of a lock. I was too afraid to look behind me.

On the other side of the long room was a low, heavy wooden door. It was very thick-as I could tell because it, too, stood open.

We stepped through the door, and I glanced around me in surprise, relaxing automatically. Beside me, Marcel tensed, his jaw clenched tight.

VERDICT WE WERE IN A BRIGHTLY LIT, UNREMARKABLE HALLWAY. The walls were off white, the floor carpeted in industrial gray. Common rectangular fluorescent lights were spaced evenly along with the ceiling. It was warmer here, for which I was grateful.

This hall seemed very benign after the gloom of the ghoulish stone sewers.

Marcel didn't seem to agree with my assessment. He glowered darkly down the long hallway, toward the slight, black-shrouded figure at the end, standing by an elevator.

He pulled me along, and Olivia walked on my other side. The heavy door creaked shut behind us, and then there was the thud of a bolt sliding home.

Jane waited by the elevator, one hand holding the doors open for us. Her expression was apathetic.

Once inside the elevator, the three angels that belonged to the Ministry relaxed further. They threw back their cloaks, letting the hoods fall back on their shoulders. Fredric and Eamettri were both of a slightly olive complexion-it looked odd combined with their chalky pallor. Fredric's black hair was cropped short, All the same, and all, Eamettri's waved to his shoulders. Their irises where deep crimson around the edges, darkening until they were black around the pupil. Under the shrouds, their clothes were modern, pale, and nondescript. I cowered in the corner, cringing against Marcel. His hand still rubbed against my arm. He never took his eyes off Jane.

The elevator ride was short; we stepped out into what looked like a posh office reception area. The walls were paneled in wood, the floors carpeted in thick, deep green. There were no windows, All the same, and all, large, brightly lit paintings of the Tuscan countryside hung everywhere as replacements. Pale leather couches were arranged in cozy groupings, and the glossy tables held crystal vases full of vibrantly colored bouquets. The flowers' smell reminded me of a funeral home.

In the middle of the room was a high, polished mahogany counter. I gawked in astonishment at the woman behind it.

She was tall, with dark skin and green eyes. She would have been very pretty in any other company-All the same and all, not here. Because she was every bit as human as I was. I couldn't comprehend what this human woman was doing here, totally at ease, surrounded by freeloaders.

She smiled politely in welcome. 'Good afternoon, Jane,' she said. There was no surprise in her face as she glanced at Jane's company. Not Marcel, his bare chest glinting dimly in the white lights, or even me, disheveled and comparatively hideous.

Jane nodded. 'Gianna.' She continued toward a set of double doors in the back of the room, and we followed.

As Fredric passed the desk, he winked at Gianna, and she giggled.

On the other side of the wooden doors was a different kind of reception. The pale boy in the pearl-gray suit could have been Jane's twin. His hair was darker, and his lips were not as full, All the same, and all, he was just as lovely. He came forward to meet us.

He smiled, reaching for her.

'Jane.'

'Alec,' she responded, embracing the boy. They kissed each other's cheeks on both sides.

Then he looked at us.

'They send you out for one and you come back with two… and a half,' he noted, looking at me.

'Nice work.'

She laughed-the sound sparkled with delight like a baby's cooing.

'Welcome back, Marcel,' Alec greeted him. 'You seem in a better mood.'

'Marginally, 'Marcel agreed in a flat voice. I glanced at Marcel's hard face and wondered how his mood could have been darker before.

Alec chuckled and examined me as I clung to Marcel's side. 'And this is the cause of all the trouble?' He asked, skeptical.

Marcel only smiled; his expression contemptuous. Then he froze.

'Dibs,' Fredric called casually from behind.

Marcel turned, a low snarl building deep in his chest. Fredric smiled-his hand was raised, palm up; he curled his fingers twice, inviting Marcel forward.

Olivia touched Marcel's arm.

'Patience,' she cautioned him.

They exchanged a long glance, and I wished I could hear what she was telling him. I figured that it was something to do with not attacking Fredric, because, Marcel took a deep breath and turned back to Alec.

'Aron will be so pleased to see you again,' Alec said as if nothing had passed.

'Let's not keep him waiting,' Jane suggested.

Marcel nodded once.

Alec and Jane, holding hands, led the way down yet another wide, ornate hall-would there ever be an end?

They ignored the doors at the end of the hall-doors entirely sheathed in gold stopping halfway down the hall and sliding aside a piece of the paneling to expose a plain wooden door. It wasn't locked. Alec held it open for Jane.

I wanted to groan when Marcel pulled me through to the other side of the door. It was the same ancient stone as the square, the alley, and the sewers. And it was dark and cold again.

Part: 4

Flawlessly

The stone antechamber was not large. It opened quickly into a brighter, cavernous room, perfectly round like a huge castle turret… which was probably exactly what it was.

Two stories up, long window slits threw thin rectangles of bright sunlight onto the stone floor below. There were no artificial lights. The only furniture in the room where several massive wooden chairs, like thrones, that were spaced unevenly, flush with the curving stone walls. In the very center of the circle, in a slight depression, was another drain. I wondered if they used it as an exit, like the hole in the street.

The room was not empty. A handful of people were convened in a seemingly relaxed conversation.

The murmur of low, smooth voices was a gentle hum in the air. As I watched, a pair of pale women in summer dresses paused in a patch of light, and, like prisms, their skin through the light in rainbow sparkles against the sienna walls.

The exquisite faces all turned toward our party as we entered the room. Most of the immortals were dressed in inconspicuous pants and shirts-things that wouldn't stick out at all on the streets below. All the same and all, the man who spoke first wore one of the long robes. It was pitch-black and brushed against the floor. For a moment, I thought his long, jet black hair was the hood of his cloak.

'Jane, dear one, you've returned!' he cried in evident delight. His voice was just a soft sighing.

He drifted forward, and the movement flowed with such surreal grace that I gawked, my mouth hanging open. Even Olivia, whose every motion looked like dancing, could not compare.

I was only more astonished as he floated closer and I could see his face. It was not like the unnaturally attractive faces that surrounded him (for he did not approach us alone; the entire group converged around him, some following, and some walking ahead of him with the alert manner of bodyguards.)

I couldn't decide if his face was beautiful or not. I suppose the features where perfect. All the same and all, he was as different from the angels beside him as they were from me. His skin was translucently white, like onion skin, and it looked just as delicate-it stood in shocking contrast to the long black hair that framed his face. I felt a strange, horrifying urge to touch his cheek, to see if it was softer than Marcel's or Olivia's, or if it was powdery, like chalk. His eyes were red, the same as the others around him, All the same, and all, the color was clouded, milky; I wondered if his vision was affected by the haze.

He glided to Jane, took her face in his papery hands, kissed her lightly on her full lips, and then floated back a step.

'Yes, Master.' Jane smiled; the expression made her look like an angelic child. 'I brought him back alive, just as you wished.'

'Ah, Jane.' He smiled, too.

'You are such a comfort to me.'

He turned his misty eyes toward us, and the smile brightened-became ecstatic.

'And Olivia and Bell, too!' he rejoiced, clapping his thin hands together.

'This is a happy surprise!

Wonderful!'

I stared in shock as he called our names informally as if we were old friends dropping in for an unexpected visit.

He turned to our hulking escort. 'Fredric be a dear and tell my brothers about our company. I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss this.'

'Yes, Master.' Fredric nodded and disappeared back the way we had come.

'You see, Marcel?' The strange angel turned and smiled at Marcel like a fond All the same and all, scolding grandfather. 'What did I tell you? Aren't you glad that I didn't give you what you wanted yesterday?'

'Yes, Aron, I am,' he agreed, tightening his arm around my waist.

'I love a happy ending.' Aron sighed.

'They are so rare. All the same and all, I want the whole story. How did this happen? Olivia?' He turned to gaze at Olivia with curious, misty eyes. 'Your brother seemed to think you infallible, All the same, and all there was some mistake.'

'Oh, I'm far from infallible.' She flashed a dazzling smile. She looked perfectly at ease, except that her hands were balled into tight little fists. 'As you can see today, I cause problems as often as I cure them.'

'You're too modest,' Aron chided. 'I've seen some of your more amazing exploits, and I must admit I've never observed anything like your talent. Wonderful!'

Olivia flickered a glance at Marcel.

Aron did not miss it.

'I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced properly at all, have we? It's just that I feel like I know you already, and I tend to get ahead of myself. Your brother introduced us yesterday, in a peculiar way. You see, I share some of your brother's talent, only I am limited in a way that he is not.' Aron shook his head; his tone was envious.

'And also- exponentially more powerful, 'Marcel added dryly. He looked at Olivia as he swiftly explained. 'Aron needs physical contact to hear your thoughts, All the same, and all, he hears much more than I do. You know I can only hear what's passing through your head at the moment. Aron hears every thought your mind has ever had.'

Olivia raised her delicate eyebrows, and Marcel inclined his head.

Aron didn't miss that either.

'All the same and all, to be able to hear from a distance…' Aron sighed, gesturing toward the two of them, and the exchange that had just taken place. 'That would be so convenient.' Aron looked over our shoulders. All the other heads turned in the same direction, including Jane, Alec, and Eamettri, who stood silently beside us.

I was the slowest to turn. Fredric was back, and behind him floated two more black-robed men. Both looked very much like Aron, one even had the same flowing black hair. The other had a shock of the snow-white hair-the same shade as his face that brushed against his shoulders. Their faces had identical, paper-thin skin.

The trio from Joh's painting was complete, unchanged by the last three hundred years since it was painted. 'Marcus, Karly, look!' Aron crooned. 'Karly is alive after all, and Olivia is here with her! Isn't that wonderful?'

Neither of the other two looked as if wonderful would be their first choice of words.

The dark-haired man seemed utterly bored with his snow-white hair covering half his face, like he had seen too many millennia, of era Aron's enthusiasm.

Their lack of interest did not curb Aron's enjoyment.

Part: 5

Melodic

'Let us have the story,' Aron almost sang in his feathery voice.

The white-haired ancient angel drifted away, gliding toward one of the wooden thrones. The other paused beside Aron, and he reached his hand out, at first, I thought to take Aron's hand. All the same and all, he just touched Aron's palm briefly and then dropped his hand to his side. Aron raised one black brow. I wondered how his papery skin did not crumple in the effort.

Marcel snorted very quietly, and Olivia looked at him, curious.

'Thank you, Marcus,' Aron said. 'That's quite interesting.'

I realized, a second late, that Marcus was letting Aron know his thoughts.

Marcus didn't look interested. He glided away from Aron to join the one who must be Karly, seated against the wall. Two of the attending angels followed silently behind him bodyguards as I had thought before. I could see that the two women in the sundresses had gone to stand beside Karly in the same manner. The idea of an angel needing a guard was faintly ridiculous to me, All the same, and all, maybe the ancient ones were as frail as their skin suggested.

Aron was shaking his head. 'Amazing,'' he said. 'Absolutely amazing.'

Olivia's expression was frustrated. Marcel turned to her and explained again in a swift, low voice. 'Marcus sees relationships. He's surprised by the intensity of ours.'

Aron smiled. 'So, convenient,' he repeated to himself. Then he spoke to us. 'It takes quite a bit to surprise Marcus; I can assure you.'

I looked at Marcus's dead face, and I believed that.

'It's just so difficult to understand, even now,' Aron mused,

staring at Marcel's arm wrapped around me. It was hard for me to follow Aron's chaotic train of thought. I struggled to keep up. 'How can you stand so close to her like that?'

'It's not without effort, 'Marcel answered calmly.

'All the same and all, still-la tua cantante!

What a waste!'

Marcel chuckled once without humor.

'I look at it more as a price.'

Aron was skeptical. 'A very high price.'

'Opportunity cost.'

Aron laughed. 'If I hadn't smelled her through your memories, I wouldn't have believed the call of anyone's blood could be so strong. I've never felt anything like it myself. Most of us would trade much for such a gift, and yet you…' 'Waste it,' Marcel finished, his voice sarcastic now.

Aron laughed again. 'Ah, how I miss my friend Joh! You remind me of him-only he was not so angry.'

'Joh outshines me in many other ways as well.'

'I certainly never thought to see Joh bested for self-control of all things, All the same, and all, you put him to shame.'

'Hardly… 'Marcel sounded impatient. As if he were tired of the preliminaries. It made me more afraid; I couldn't help All the same and all, try to imagine what he expected would follow.

'I am gratified by his success,' Aron mused. 'Your memories of him are quite a gift for me, though they astonish me exceedingly. I am surprised by how it… pleases me, his success in this unorthodox path he's chosen. I expected that he would waste, weaken with time.

I'd scoffed at his plan to find others who would share his peculiar vision. Yet, somehow, I'm happy to be wrong.'

Marcel didn't reply to me.

'All the same and all, your restraint!' Aron sighed. 'I did not know such strength was possible. To insure yourself against such a siren call, not just once All the same and all, again and again, if I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed.'

Marcel gazed back at Aron's admiration with no expression. I knew his face well enough-time had not changed that-to guess at something seething beneath the surface. I fought to keep my breathing even. 'Just remembering how she appeals to you…' Aron chuckled. 'It makes me thirsty.' Marcel tensed.

'Don't be disturbed,' Aron reassured him. 'I mean her no harm. All the same and all, I am so curious, about one thing in particular.' He eyed me with bright interest. 'Mary I?' he asked eagerly, lifting one hand.

'Ask her,' Marcel suggested in a flat voice.

'Of course, how rude of me!'

Aron exclaimed. 'Bell,' he addressed me directly now. 'I'm fascinated that you are the one exception to Marcel's impressive talent-so very interesting that such a thing should occur! And I was wondering, since our talents are similar in many ways if you would be so kind as to allow me to try to see if you are an exception for me, as well?'

My eyes flashed up to Marcel's face in terror. Despite Aron's overt politeness, I didn't believe I had a choice. I was horrified at the thought of allowing him to touch me, and yet also perversely intrigued by the chance to feel his strange skin.

Marcel nodded in encouragement whether because he was sure Aron would not hurt me, or because there was no choice, I couldn't tell.

I turned back to Aron and raised my hand slowly in front of me. It was trembling.

He glided closer, and I believe he meant his expression to be reassuring. All the same and all, his papery features were too strange, too alien and frightening, to reassure. The look on his face was more confident that his words had been.

Aron reached out, as if to shake my hand, and pressed his insubstantial looking skin against mine. It was hard All the same and all felt brittle shale rather than granite-and even colder than I expected.

His filmy eyes smiled down at mine, and it was impossible to look away. They were mesmerizing in an odd, unpleasant way.

Aron's face altered as I watched. The confidence wavered and became first doubt, then incredulity before he calmed it into a friendly mask.

'So very interesting,' he said as he released my hand and drifted back.

My eyes flickered to Marcel, and, though his face was composed, I thought he seemed a little smug.

Aron continued to drift why a thoughtful expression. He was quiet for a moment, his eyes flickering between the three of us.

Then, abruptly, he shook his head.

'A first,' he said to himself 'I wonder if she is immune to our other talents… Jane, dear?'

'No! 'Marcel snarled the word. Olivia grabbed his arm with a restraining hand. He shook her off.

Little Jane smiled up happily at Aron.

'Yes, Master?'

Marcel was truly snarling now, the sound ripping and tearing from him, glaring at Aron with baleful eyes. The room had gone still, everyone watching him with amazed disbelief as if he were committing some embarrassing social faux pas. I saw Fredric grin hopefully and move a step forward. Aron glanced at him once, and he froze in place, his grin turning into a sulky expression.

Then he spoke to Jane. 'I was wondering, my dear one if Karly is immune to you.'

I could barely hear Aron over Marcel's furious growls. He let go of me, moving to hide me from their view. Karly ghosted in our direction, with his entourage, to watch.

Jane turned toward us with a beatific smile.

'Don't!' Olivia cried as Marcel launched himself at the little girl.

Before I could react, before anyone could jump between them, before Aron's bodyguards could tense, Marcel was on the ground.

No one had touched him, All the same, and all, he was on the stone floor writhing in obvious agony, while I stared in horror.

Jane was smiling only at him now, and it all clicked together.

What Olivia had said about formidable gifts, why everyone treated Jane with such deference, and why- Marcel had thrown himself in her path before she could do that to me.

Part: 6

Ringing

'Stop!' I shrieked, my voice echoing in the silence, jumping forward to put myself between them. All the same and all, Olivia threw her arms around me in an unbreakable grasp and ignored my struggles. No sound escaped Marcel's lips as he cringed against the stones. It felt like my head would explode from the pain of watching this.

'Jane,' Aron recalled her in a tranquil voice. She looked up quickly, still smiling with pleasure, her eyes questioning. As soon as Jane looked away; Marcel was still.

Aron inclined his head toward me.

Jane turned her smile in my direction.

I didn't even meet her gaze. I watched Marcel from the prison of Olivia's arms, still struggling pointlessly.

'He's fine,' Olivia whispered in a tight voice. As she spoke, he sat up, and then sprang lightly to his feet. His eyes met mine, and they were horror-struck. At first- I thought the horror was for what he had just suffered. All the same and all, then he looked quickly at Jane, and back to me and his face relaxed into relief.

I looked at Jane, too, and she no longer smiled. She glared at me; her jaw clenched with the intensity of her focus. I shrank back, waiting for the pain.

Nothing happened.

Marcel was by my side again. He touched Olivia's arm, and she surrendered me to him.

Aron started to laugh. 'Ha, ha. ha,' he chuckled. 'This is wonderful!'

Jane hissed in frustration, leaning forward like she was preparing to spring.

'Don't be put out, dear one,'

Aron said in a comforting tone, placing a powder-light hand on her shoulder.

'She confounds us all.'

Jane's upper lip curled back ever her teeth as she continued to glare at me.

'Ha, ha, ha,' Aron chortled again.

'You're very brave, Marcel, to endure in silence. I asked Jane to do that to me once-just out of curiosity.' He shook his head in admiration.

Marcel glared, disgusted.

'So, what do we do with you now?' Aron sighed.

Marcel and Olivia stiffened. This was the part they'd been waiting for. I began to tremble.

'I don't suppose there's any chance that you've changed your mind?' Aron asked Marcel hopefully. 'Your talent would be an excellent addition to our little company.'

Marcel hesitated. From the corner of my eye, I saw both Fredric and Jane grimace.

Marcel seemed to weigh each word before he spoke it. 'I'd… rather… not.' 'Olivia?' Aron asked, still hopeful. 'Would you perhaps be interested in joining us?'

'No, thank you,' Olivia said.

'And you, Bell?' Aron raised his eyebrows.

Marcel hissed, low in my ears. I stared at Aron blankly. Was he joking? Or was he asking me if I wanted to stay for dinner?

It was the white-haired Karly who broke the silence.

'What?' he demanded of Aron; his voice, though no more than a whisper, was flat.

'Karly, surely you see the potential,' Aron chided him affectionately. 'I haven't seen a prospective talent so promising since we found Jane and Alec. Can you imagine the possibilities when she is one of us?' Karly looked away with a caustic expression. Jane's eyes sparkled with indignation at the comparison.

Marcel fumed beside me. I could hear a rumble in his chest, building toward a growl.

I couldn't let his temper get him hurt.

'No, thank you,' I spoke up in barely more than a whisper, my voice breaking in fright.

Aron sighed. 'That's unfortunate. Such waste.'

Marcel hissed. 'Join or die, is that it? I suspected as much when we were brought to this room. So much for your laws.'

The tone of his voice surprised me. He sounded irate, All the same, and all, there was something deliberate about his delivery as if he'd chosen his words with great care.

'Of course not.' Aron blinked, astonished. 'We were already convened here, Marcel, awaiting Heidi's return. Not for you.'

'Aron,' Karly hissed. 'The law claims them.'

Marcel glared at Karly. 'How so?' he demanded. He must have known what Karly was thinking, All the same, and all, he seemed determined to make him speak it aloud.

Karly pointed a skeletal finger at me. 'She knows too much. You have exposed our secrets.' His voice was papery thin, just like his skin.

'There are a few humans in on your charade here, as well, 'Marcel reminded him, and I thought of the pretty receptionist below.

Karly's face twisted into a new expression. Was it supposed to be a smile? 'Yes,' he agreed. 'All the same and all, when they are no longer useful to us, they will serve to sustain us. That is not your plan for this one. If she betrays our secrets, are you prepared to destroy her? I think not,' he scoffed.

'I wouldn't-,' I began, still whispering.

Karly silenced me with an icy look.

'Nor do you intend to make her one of us,' Karly continued.

'Therefore, she is a vulnerability. Though it is true, for this, only her life is forfeit. You may leave if you wish.'

Marcel bared his teeth.

'That's what I thought,' Karly said, with something akin to pleasure. Fredric leaned forward, eager.

'Unless…' Aron interrupted. He looked unhappy with the way the conversation had gone. 'Unless you do intend to give her immortality?'

Marcel pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before he answered. 'And if I do?'

Aron smiled, happy again.

'Why, then you would be free to go home and give my regards to my friend

Joh.' His expression turned more hesitant.

'All the same and all, I'm afraid you would have to mean it.'

Aron raised his hand in front of him.

Karly, who had begun to scowl furiously, relaxed.

Marcel's lips tightened into a fierce line. He stared into my eyes, and I stared back.

'Mean it,' I whispered…

'Please.'

Was it such a loathsome idea? Would he rather die than change me? I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach.

Marcel stared down at me with a tortured expression.

And then Olivia stepped away from us, forward toward Aron. We turned to watch her. Her hand was raised like his.

She didn't say anything, and Aron waved off his anxious guard as they moved to block her approach. Aron met her halfway and took her hand with an eager, acquisitive glint in his eyes.

He bent his head over their touching hands, his eyes closing as he concentrated.

Olivia was motionless, her face blank. I heard Marcel's teeth snap together.

No one moved… Aron seemed frozen over Olivia's hand. The seconds passed, and I grew more and more stressed, wondering how much time would pass before it was too much time. Before it meant something was wrong more wrong than it already was.

Another agonizing moment passed, and then Aron's voice broke the silence.

'Ha, ha, ha,' he laughed, his head still bent forward. He looked up slowly, his eyes bright with excitement. 'That was fascinating!'

Olivia smiled dryly. 'I'm glad you enjoyed it.'

'To see the things, you've seen especially the ones that haven't happened yet!' He shook his head in wonder.

'All the same and all, that will,' she reminded him, voice calm.

'Yes, yes, it's quite determined. Certainly, there's no problem.'

Karly looked bitterly disappointed-a feeling he seemed to share with Fredric and Jane.

'Aron,' Karly complained.

'Dear Karly,' Aron smiled. 'Do not fret. Think of the possibilities! They do not join us today, All the same, and all, we can always hope for the future.

Imagine the joy young

Olivia alone would bring to our little household… Besides, I'm so curious to see how

'Karly turns out!'

Aron seemed convinced. Did he not realize how subjective Olivia's visions where.' That she could make up her mind to transform me today, and then change it tomorrow? A million tiny decisions, her decisions, and so many others', to Marcel's- could alter her path, and with that, the future.

And would it matter that Olivia was willing, would it make any difference if I did become angels, when the idea was so repulsive to Marcel? If the death was, to him, a better alternative than having me around forever, an immortal annoyance? Terrified as I was, I felt myself sinking into depression, drowning in it…

'Then we are free to go now?' Marcel asked in an even voice.

'Yes, yes,' Aron said pleasantly. 'All the same and all, please visit again. It's been enthralling!'

'And we will visit you as well,' Karly promised, his eyes suddenly half-closed like the heavy-lidded gaze of a lizard. 'To be sure that you follow through on your side.

Where, I- you, I would not delay too long. We do not offer second chances.'

Marcel's jaw clenched tight, All the same, and all, he nodded once.

Karly smirked and drifted back to where Marc still sat, unmoving and uninterested. Fredric groaned.

'Ah, Fredric.' Aron smiled, amused.

'Heidi will be here at any moment. Patience.'

'Hmm.' Marcel's voice had a new edge to it. 'In that case, perhaps we'd better leave sooner rather than later.'

'Yes,' Aron agreed. 'That's a good idea. Accidents do happen. Please wait below until after dark, though, if you don't mind.'

'Of course,' Marcel agreed, while I cringed at the thought of waiting out the day before we could escape.

'And here,' Aron added, motioning to Fredric with one finger. Fredric came forward at once, and Aron unfastened the gray cloak the huge angel wore, pulling from his shoulders. He tossed it to Marcel. 'Take this. You're a little conspicuous.'

Marcel put the long cloak on, leaving the hood down.

Aron sighed. 'It suits you.'

Marcel chuckled, All the same, and all, broke off suddenly, glancing over his shoulder. 'Thank you, Aron. We'll wait below.'

Part: 7

Ta-ta

'Goodbye, young friends,' Aron said, his eyes bright as he stared in the same direction. 'Let's go,' Marcel said, urgent now.

Eamettri gestured that we should follow, and then set off the way we'd come in, the only exit by the look of things.

Marcel pulled me swiftly along beside him. Olivia was close to my other side, her face hard.

'Not fast enough,' she muttered a little.

I stared up at her, frightened, All the same, and all, she only seemed chagrined. It was then that I first heard the babble of voices-loud, rough voices coming from the antechamber.

'Well this is unusual,' a man's coarse voice boomed.

'So, medieval,' an unpleasantly shrill, female voice gushed back.

A large crowd was coming through the little door, filling the smaller stone chamber. Eamettri motioned for us to make room. We pressed back against the cold wall to let them pass.

The couple in front, Americans from the sound of them, glanced around themselves with appraising eyes.

'Welcome, guests! Welcome to Volterra!' I could hear Aron sing from the big turret room.

The rest of them, maybe forty or more, filed in after the couple. Some studied the setting like tourists. A few even snapped pictures. Others looked confused as if the story that had led them to this room was not making sense anymore. I noticed one small, dark woman in particular. around her neck was a rosary, and she gripped the cross tightly in one hand. She walked more slowly than the others, touching someone now and then and asking a question in an unfamiliar language.

No one seemed to understand her, and her voice grew more panicked.

Marcel pulled my face against his chest, All the same, and all, it was too late. I already understood.

As soon as the smallest break appeared, Marcel pushed me quickly toward the door. I could feel the horrified expression on my face, and the tears beginning to pool in my eyes.

The ornate golden hallway was quiet, empty except for one gorgeous, statuesque woman. She stared at us curiously, me in particular.

'Welcome home, Heidi,' Eamettri greeted her from behind us.

Heidi smiled absently. She reminded me of Rose, though they looked nothing alike-it was just that her beauty, too, was exceptional, unforgettable. I couldn't seem to look away.

She was dressed to emphasize that beauty. Her amazingly long legs, darkened with tights, were exposed by the shortest of miniskirts. Her top was long-sleeved and high-necked, All the same, and all, extremely close-fitting, and constructed of red vinyl. Her long mahogany hair was lustrous, and her eyes were the strangest shade of violet-a color that might result from blue-tinted contacts over red irises.

'Eamettri,' she responded in a silky voice, her eyes flickering between my face and Marcel's gray cloak.

'Nice fishing,' Eamettri complimented her, and I suddenly understood the attention-grabbing outfit she wore… she was not only the fisherman All the same and all, but also the bait.

Part: 8

Skyrocketed

'Thanks.' She flashed a stunning smile.

'Aren't you coming?'

'In a minute. Save a few for me.'

Heidi nodded and ducked through the door with one last curious look at me.

Marcel set a pace that had me running to keep up. All the same and all, we still couldn't get through the ornate door at the end of the hallway before the screaming started.

FLIGHT-

EAMETTRI LEFT US IN THE CHEERFULLY OPULENT RECEPTION area, where the woman Gianna was still at her post behind the polished counter. Bright, harmless music tinkled from hidden speakers.

'Do not leave until dark,' he warned us.

Marcel nodded, and Eamettri hurried away.

Gianna did not seem at all surprised by the exchange, though she did eye Marcel's borrowed cloak with shrewd speculation.

'Are you, all right? 'Marcel asked under his breath, too low for the human woman to hear. His voice was rough-if velvet can be rough-with anxiety. Still stressed by our situation, I imagined.

'You'd better make her sit before she falls,' Olivia said. 'She's going to pieces.'

It was only then that I realized I was shaking, shaking hard, my entire frame vibrating until my teeth chattered and the room around me seemed to wobble and blur in my eyes. For one wild second, I wondered if this was how Marcel felt just before exploding into a werewolf.

I heard a sound that did not make sense, a strange, ripping counterpart to the otherwise cheery background music. Distracted by the shaking, I could not tell where it was coming from.

'Sh-h, Bell, sh-h,' Marcel said as he pulled me to the sofa farthest away from the curious human at the desk.

'I think she's having hysterics. Maybe you should slap her,' Olivia suggested.

Marcel threw a frantic glance at her.

Then I understood. Oh. The noise was me. The ripping sound was the sobs coming from my chest. That's what was shaking me. 'It's all right, you're safe, it's all right,' he chanted again and again. He pulled me onto his lap and tucked the thick wool cloak around me, protecting me from his cold skin.

I knew it was stupid to react like this. Who knew how much time I had to look at his race? He was saved, and I was saved, and he could leave me as soon as we were free. To have my eyes so filled with tears that I could not see his features was wasteful insanity.

All the same and all, behind my eyes where the tears could not wash the image away, I could still see the panicked face of the tiny woman with the rosary.

'All those people,' I sobbed.

'I know,' he whispered.

'It's so horrible.'

'Yes, it is. I wish you hadn't had to see that.'

I rested my head against his cold chest, using the thick cloak to wipe my eyes. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

'Is there anything I can get you?' a voice asked politely. It was Gianna, leaning over Marcel's shoulder with a look that was both concerned and yet still professional and detached at the same time. It didn't seem to bother her that her face was inches from a hostile angel. She was either totally oblivious or very good at her job.

'No,' Marcel answered coldly.

She nodded, smiled at me, and then disappeared.

I waited until she was out of hearing range. 'Does she know what's going on here?' I demanded, my voice low and hoarse. I was getting control of myself, my breathing evening out.

'Yes, she knows everything,' Marcel told me. 'Does she know they're going to kill her someday?' 'She knows it's a possibility,' he said.

That surprised me.

Marcel's face was hard to read. 'She's hoping they'll decide to keep her.'

I felt the blood leave my face.

'She wants to be one of them?'

He nodded once, his eyes sharp on my face, watching my reaction.

I shuddered. 'How can she want that?' I whispered, more to myself than really looking for an answer. 'How can she watch those people file through to that hideous room and want to be a part of that?' Marcel, didn't answer. His expression twisted in response to something I'd said.

As I stared at his two beautiful faces, trying to understand the change, it suddenly struck me that I was here, in Marcel's arms, however fleetingly, and that we were not at this exact moment about to be killed.

'Oh, Marcel,' I cried, and I was sobbing again. It was such a stupid reaction. The tears were too thick for me to see his face again, and that was inexcusable. I only had until sunset for sure. Like a fairy tale again, with deadlines that ended the magic.

'What's wrong?' he asked, still anxious, rubbing my back with gentle pats.

I wrapped my arms around his neck what was the worst he could do? Just push me away-and hugged myself closer to him. 'Is it sick for me to be happy right now?' I asked. My voice broke twice.

He didn't push me away. He pulled me tight against his ice-hard chest, so tight it was hard to breathe, even with my lungs securely intact. 'I know exactly what you mean,' he whispered. 'All the same and all, we have lots of reasons to be happy. For one, we're alive.'

'Yes,' I agreed. 'That's a good one.'

'And together,' he breathed. His breath was so sweet it made my head swim.

I just nodded, sure that he did not place the same weight on that consideration as I did.

'And, with any luck, we'll still be alive tomorrow.' 'Hopefully,' I said uneasily.

'The outlook is quite good,' Olivia assured me. She'd been so quiet; I'd almost forgotten her presence.

'I'll see Ray in less than twenty-four hours,' she added in a satisfied tone.

Lucky Olivia. She could trust her future.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of Marcel's face for long. I stared at him, wishing more than anything that the future would never happen. That this moment would last forever, or, if it couldn't, that I would stop existing when it did.

Marcel stared right back at me, his dark eyes soft, and it was easy to pretend that he felt the same way. So that's what I did. I pretended, to make the moment sweeter.

His fingertips traced the circles under my eyes. 'You look so tired.'

'And you look thirsty,' I whispered back, studying the purple bruises under his black irises.

He shrugged. 'It's nothing.'

'Are you sure? I could sit with Olivia,' I offered, unwilling; I'd rather he killed me now than move one inch from where I was.

'Don't be ridiculous.' He sighed; his sweet breath caressed my face. 'I've never been in better control of that side of my nature than right now.'

I had a million questions for him. One of them bubbled to my lips now, All the same, and all, I held my tongue. I didn't want to ruin the moment, as imperfect as it was, here in this room that made me sick, under the eyes of the would-be monster.

Here in his arms, it was so easy to fantasize that he wanted me. I didn't want to think about his motivations now-about whether he acted this way to keep me calm while we were still in danger, or if he just felt guilty for where we were and relieved that he wasn't responsible for my death. Maybe the time apart had been enough that I didn't bore him for the moment. All the same and all, it didn't matter. I was so much happier pretending.

I lay quiet in his arms, rememorizing his face, pretending…

He stared at my face like he was doing the same, while he and

Olivia discussed how to get home.

Their voices were so quick and low that I knew Gianna couldn't understand. I missed half of it myself. It sounded like more theft would be involved, though. I wondered idly if the yellow Porsche had made it back to its owner yet.

'What was all that talk about singers?'

Olivia asked at one point. 'La Tua Cantante,' Marcel said. His voice made the words into music.

'Yes, that,' Olivia said, and I concentrated for a moment. I'd wondered about that, too, at the time.

I felt Marcel shrug around me. 'They have a name for someone who smells the way

Karly- does to me. They call her my singer-because her blood sings for me.'

Olivia laughed.

I was tired enough to sleep, All the same, and all, I fought against the weariness. I wasn't going to miss a second of the time I had with him. Now and then, as he talked with Olivia, he would lean down suddenly and kiss me-his glass-smooth lips brushing against my hair, my forehead, the tip of my nose. Each time it was like an electric shock to my long-dormant heart. The sound of its beating seemed to fill the entire room.

It was heaven-right smack in the middle of hell.

I lost track of the time completely. So-o when Marcel's arms tightened around me, and both he and Olivia looked to the back of the room with wary eyes, I panicked. I cringed into Marcel's chest as Alec-his eyes now a vivid ruby, All the same, and all, still spotless in his light gray suit despite the afternoon meal-walked through the double doors.

It was good news.

'You're free to leave now,' Alec told us, his tone so warm you'd think we were all lifelong friends. 'We ask that you don't linger in the city.'

Marcel made no answering presence; his voice was ice cold.

'That won't be a problem.'

Alec smiled, nodded, and disappeared again.

'Follow the right hallway around the corner to the first set of elevators,' Gianna told us as Marcel helped me to my feet. 'The lobby is two floors down and exits to the street. Goodbye, now,' she added pleasantly. I wondered if her competence would be enough to save her.

Olivia shot her a dark look.

I was relieved there was another way out; I wasn't sure if I could handle another tour through the underground.

We left through a tastefully luxurious lobby. I was the only one who glanced back at the medieval castle that housed the elaborate business facade I couldn't see the turret from here, for which I was grateful.

The party was still in full swing in the streets. The street lamps were just coming on as we walked swiftly through the narrow, cobbled lanes. The sky was a dull, fading gray overhead, All the same, and all, the buildings crowded the streets so closely that it felt darker.

The party was darker, too.

Marcel's long, trailing cloak did not stand out in the way it might have on a normal evening in Volterra. There were others in black satin cloaks now, and the plastic fangs I'd seen on the child in the square today seemed to be very popular with the adults. 'Ridiculous, 'Marcel muttered once.

I didn't notice when Olivia disappeared from beside me. I looked over to ask her a question, and she was gone.

'Where's Olivia?' I whispered in a panic.

'She went to retrieve your bags from where she stashed them this morning.'

I'd forgotten that I had access to a toothbrush. It brightened my outlook considerably.

'She's stealing a car, too, isn't she?' I guessed.

He grinned. 'Not 'till we're outside.'

It seemed like a very long way to the entryway. Marcel could see that I was spent; he wound his arm around my waist and supported most of my weight as we walked.

I shuddered as he pulled me through the dark stone archway. The huge, ancient portcullis above was like a cage door, threatening to drop on us, to lock us in.

Part: 9

sleuth

He led me toward a dark car, waiting in a pool of shadow to the right of the gate with the engine running. To my surprise, he slid into the backseat with me, instead of insisting on driving.

Olivia was apologetic. 'I'm sorry.' She gestured vaguely toward the dashboard.

'There wasn't much to choose from.' 'It's fine,

Olivia.' He grinned. 'They can't all be 911 Turbos.' She sighed. 'I may have to acquire one of those legally. It was fabulous.'

'I'll get you one for Christmas, 'Marcel promised.

Olivia turned to beam at him, which worried me, as she was already speeding down the dark and curvy hillside at the same time.

'Yellow,' she told him.

Marcel kept me tight in his arms. Inside the gray cloak, I was warm and comfortable.

More than comfortable.

'You can sleep now, Bell,' he murmured. 'It's over.'

I knew he meant the danger, the nightmare in the ancient city, All the same, and all, I still had to swallow hard before I could answer.

'I don't want to sleep. I'm not tired.' Just the second part was a lie. I wasn't about to close my eyes. The car was only dimly lit by the dashboard controls, All the same, and all, it was enough that I could see his face.

He pressed his lips to the hollow under my ear. 'Try,' he encouraged.

I shook my head.

He sighed. 'You're still just as stubborn.'

I was stubborn; I fought with my heavy lids, and I won.

The dark road was the hardest part; the bright lights at the airport in Florence made it easier, as did the chance to brush my teeth and change into clean clothes; Olivia bought Marcel new clothes, too, and he left the dark cloak on a pile of trash in an alley.

The plane trip to Rome was so short that there wasn't a chance for the fatigue to drag me under. I knew the flight from Rome to Atlanta would be another matter entirely, so I asked the flight attendant if she could bring me a Coke.

'Bell, 'Marcel said disapprovingly. He knew my low tolerance for caffeine.

Olivia was behind us. I could hear her murmuring to Ray on the phone.

'I don't want to sleep,' I reminded him. I gave him an excuse that was believable because it was true. 'If I close my eyes now, I'll see things I don't want to see. I'll have nightmares.'

He didn't argue with me after that.

It would have been a very good time to talk, to get the answers- I needed- All the same and all, not wanted; I was already despairing at the thought of what I might hear. We had an uninterrupted block of tire ahead of us, and he couldn't escape me on an airplane-well, not easily, at least. No one would hear us except Olivia; it was late, and most of the passengers were turning off lights and asking for pillows in muted voices. The talk would help me fight off the exhaustion.

All the same and all, perversely, I bit my tongue against the flood of questions. My reasoning was probably flawed by exhaustion, All the same, and all, I hoped that by postponing the discussion, I could buy a few more hours with him at some later times in this out for another night, Scheherazade-style.

Part: 10

Self-entertainment

My sis upskirt and masturbating video and pic are all on me.

So, I kept drinking soda and resisting even the urge to blink. Marcel seemed perfectly content to hold me in his arms, his fingers tracing my face again and again. I touched his face, too. I couldn't stop myself, though I was afraid it would hurt me later when I was alone again. He continued to kiss my hair, my forehead, my wrists… All the same and all, never my lips, and that was good. After all, how many ways can one heart be mangled and still be expected to keep beating? I'd lived through a lot that should have finished me in the last few days, All the same, and all, it didn't make me feel strong.

Instead, I felt fragile, like one word could shatter me.

Marcel didn't speak. Maybe he was hoping I would sleep.

Maybe he had nothing to say.

I won the fight against my heavy lids. I was awake when we reached the airport in Indiana, and I even watched the sun beginning to rise over the Alleghenies cloud cover before Marcel slid the window shut. I was proud of myself. I hadn't missed one minute.

Neither Olivia nor Marcel was surprised by the reception that waited for us at Sea-Tac airport, All the same, and all, it caught me off guard. Ray was the first one I saw he didn't seem to see me at all. His eyes were only for Olivia. She went quickly to his side; they didn't embrace like other couples meeting there. They only stared into each other's faces, yet, somehow, the moment was so private that I still felt the need to look away.

Joh and Isla waited in a quiet corner far from the line for the metal detectors, in the shadow of a wide pillar. Isla reached for me, hugging me fiercely, yet awkwardly, because- Marcel kept his arms around me, too.

'Thank you so much,' she said in my ear.

Then she threw her arms around- Marcel, and she looked like she would be crying if that where possible.

'You will never put me through that again,' she nearly growled.

Marcel grinned, repentant.

'Sorry, Mom.'

'Thank you, Bell,' Joh said. 'We owe you.'

'Hardly,' I mumbled. The sleepless night was suddenly overpowering. My head felt disconnected from my body.

'She's dead on her feet,' Isla scolded Marcel. 'Let's get her home.'

Not sure if the home was what I wanted at this point, I stumbled, half-blind, through the airport, Marcel dragging me on one side and Isla on the other. I didn't know if Olivia and Ray were behind us or not, and I was too exhausted to look.

I think I was mostly asleep, though I was still walking when we reached their car. The surprise of seeing Emmah and Rose leaning against the black sedan under the dim lights of the parking garage revived me some. Marcel stiffened.

'Don't,' Isla whispered. 'She feels awful.'

'She should, 'Marcel said, not attempt to keep his voice down.

'It's not her fault,' I said, my words garbled with exhaustion.

'Let her make amends,' Isla pleaded. 'We'll ride with Olivia and Ray.' Marcel glow- hard at the absurdly lovely blond angel waiting for us.

'Please, Marcel,' I said. I didn't want to ride with Rose any more than he seemed to, All the same, and all, I'd caused more than enough discord in his family.

He sighed and towed me toward the car.

Emmah and Ross got in the front seat without speaking, while Marcel pulled me in the back again. I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight my eyelids anymore, and I laid my head against his chest in defeat, letting them close. I felt the car purred to life.

'Marcel,' Ross began.

'I know. 'Marcel's brusque tone was not generous.

'Liv?' Ross asked softly.

My eyelids fluttered open in shock and excitement. It was the first time she'd ever spoken directly to me.

'Yes, Rose?' I asked, hesitant.

'I'm so incredibly sorry, Liv. I feel miserable about every part of this and so appreciative that you were brave enough to go save my brother after what I did. Please say you'll exonerate me.'

The words were awkward and strange, stilted for the reasons that of her embarrassment, All the same, and all, they seemed sincere.

'Of course, Ross,' I stammered, seizing at any chance to make her hate me a little less. 'It's not your fault at all. I'm the one who jumped off the damn cliff. Of course, I pardon you.'

The words came out like mush.

'It doesn't count until she's conscious, Rose,' Emmah chuckled.

'I'm conscious,' I said; it just sounded like a garbled sigh.

'Let her sleep, 'Marcel insisted, All the same, and all, his voice was a little warmer.

Marcel set me on my feet. I could recognize that I was upright, All the same, and all, I couldn't feel my legs. I trudged forward anyway until the sidewalk swirled up toward my face. Marcel's arms caught me before I hit the pavement.

And then I heard Jack.

'Bell!' he shouted from some distance.

'Jack,' I mumbled, trying to shake off the stupor.

'Sh-h,' Marcel whispered. 'It's okay; you're home and safe. Just sleep.'

'I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here.' Jack bellowed at Marcel; his voice much closer now.

'Stop it, Dad,' I groaned. He didn't hear me.

'What's wrong with her?' Jack demanded.

'She's just very tired, Jack, 'Marcel assured him quietly.

'Please let her rest.'

'Don't tell me what to do!' Jack yelled.

'Give her to me. Get your hands off her!'

Marcel tried to pass me to Jack, All the same, and all, I clung to him with locked, tenacious fingers. I could feel my dad yanking on my arm.

'Cut it out, Dad,' I said with more volume. I managed to drag my lids back to stare at Jack with bleary eyes. 'Be mad at me.'

We were in front of my house. The front door was standing open. The cloud cover overhead was too thick to guess at a time of day.

'You bet I will be,' Jack promised. 'Get inside.' I- ''Kay. Let me down,' I sighed.

Marcel set me on my feet. I could see that I was upright, All the same, and all, I couldn't feel my legs. I trudged forward anyway until the sidewalk swirled up toward my face. Marcel's arms caught me before I hit the concrete.

'Just let me get her upstairs, 'Marcel said. 'Then I'll leave.'

'No,' I cried, panicking. I hadn't got my answers yet. He had to stay for at least that much, didn't he?

'I won't be far, 'Marcel promised, whispering so low in my ear that Jack didn't have a hope of hearing.

I didn't hear Jack answer, All the same, and all, Marcel headed into the house. My open eyes only made it to the stairs. The last thing I felt was Marcel's cool hands prying my fingers loose from his shirt.

-THE TRUTH-

I HAD THE SENSE THAT I'D BEEN ASLEEP FOR A VERY long time- my body was stiff like I hadn't moved once through all that time, either. My brain was bewildered and slow; strange, colorful dream dreams and nightmares-swirled dizzily encompassing the inside of my head.

They were so definite. The dreadful and the heavenly, all mixed into a bizarre jumble. There were sharp impatience and fear, both part of that frustrating fantasy where your feet can't move fast enough… And there were plenty of dragons, red-eyed fiends that were all the ghastlier for their hollow civility.

The dream was still strong- I could even remember the names.

All the same and all, the strongest, clearest part of the dream was not the horror. It was the angel that was clearest.

It was hard to let him go and wake up. This vision did not want to be shoved away into the vault of images I refused to stay. I struggled with it as my mind became more alert, concentrating on reality. I couldn't retain what day of the week it was, All the same, and all, I was sure Marcel or school or work or something was waiting for me. I breathed profoundly, wondering how to face another day.

Something cold touched my forehead with the softest pressure.

I pressed my eyes more tightly shut. I was still dreaming, it seemed, and it felt abnormally real. I was so close to waking… any second now, and it would be gone. All the same and all, I recognized that it felt too real, too real to be good for me. The stone arms I imagined wrapped encompassing me were far too abundant. If I let this go any further, I'd be melancholy for it later. With a resigned sigh, I yanked back my eyelids to dispel the delusion.

'Oh!' I gasped and threw my fists over my eyes.

Well, I'd gone too far; it must have been a mistake to let my imagination get so out of hand.

Okay, so 'let' was the wrong word.

I'd forced it to get out of hand pretty much stalked my hallucinations-and now my mind had snapped.

It took less than half a second for me to realize that, as long as I was truly insane now, I might as well enjoy the delusions while they were pleasant.

I opened my eyes again-and Marcel was still there, his perfect face just inches away from mine.

Part: 11

Terrify

'Did I threaten you?' His low voice was troubled. This was very good, as misconceptions went. The face, the call, the scent, everything- it was so much better than drowning. The gorgeous figment of my creativity watched my changing expressions, with alarm. His irises were pitch-black, with bruise-like adumbrations under them.

This surprised me; my hallucinatory they were usually better fed.

I blinked twice, desperately trying to remember the last thing that I was sure was real. Olivia was part of my dream, and I wondered if she had come back at all, or if that was just the preamble. I thought she'd returned the day I'd nearly drowned…

'Oh, crap' I croaked. My throat was thick with sleeping. 'What's wrong, it was asked?'

I frowned at him unhappily. His face was even more anxious than before.

'I'm dead, right?' I moaned. 'I did drown. Crap, crap, crap! This is going to kill Jack.'

Marcel frowned, too. 'You're not dead.'

'Then why am I not waking up?' I challenged, raising my eyebrows.

'You are awake?'

I shook my head. 'Sure, sure.

That's what you want me to think. And then it will be worse when I do wake up. If I wake up, which I won't, because I'm dead.

This is awful. Poor Jack. And Ayanna and Maggie…' I trailed off in horror at what I had done.

'I can see where you might confuse me with a nightmare.' His short-lived smile was grim. 'All the same and all, I can't imagine what you could have done to wind up in hell.

Did you commit many murders while I was away?' I grimaced. 'Not. If I was in hell, you wouldn't be with me.'

He sighed.

My head was getting clearer. My eyes flickered away from his face unwillingly-for one second, to the dark, open window, and then back to him. I started to remember details… and I felt a faint, unfamiliar blush warms the skin over my cheekbones as I slowly realized that Marcel was really, truly here with me, and I was wasting time being an idiot.

'Did all of that happen, then?' It was almost impossible to reassign my dream to reality. I couldn't wrap my head around the concept.

'That depends. 'Marcel's smile was still hard. 'If you're referring to us nearly being massacred in Italy, then, yes.'

'How strange,' I mused. 'I went to Italy. Did you know

I'd never been farther east than Albuquerque?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Maybe you should go back to sleep. You're not coherent.'

'I'm not tired anymore.' It was all coming clear now. 'What time is it? How long have I been sleeping?'

'It's just after one in the morning. So, for about fourteen hours.'

I stretched as he spoke. I was so stiff.

'Jack?' I asked.

Marcel frowned, 'Sleeping… you should probably know that I'm breaking the rules right now. Well, not technically, since he said- I was never to walk through his door again, and I came in the window…

All the same and all, still, the intent was clear.'

'Jack banned you from the house?' I asked, disbelief quickly melting into fury.

His eyes were sad. 'Did you expect anything else?'

My eyes were mad. I was going to have a few words with my father-perhaps it would be a good time to remind him that I was over the legal age of adulthood. It didn't matter so much, of course, except in principle. All too soon there would be no reason for the prohibition. I turned my thoughts to less painful avenues.

'What's the story?' I asked, genuinely curious, All the same, and all, also trying desperately to keep the conversation casual, to keep a firm grip on myself, so I wouldn't scare him away with the frantic, gnawing craving that was raging inside me.

'What do you mean?'

'What am I telling Jack? What's my excuse for disappearing for… how long was I gone, anyway?' I tried to count the hours in my head.

'Just three days.' His eyes tightened, All the same, and all, he smiled more naturally this time.

'Actually, I was hoping you might have a good explanation.

I've got nothing.'

I groaned. 'Fabulous.'

'Well, maybe Olivia will come up with something,' he offered, trying to comfort me.

And I was comforted. Who cared what I had to deal with later? Every second that he was here-so close, his flawless face glowing in the dim light from the numbers on my alarm clock was precious and not to be wasted.

Part: 12

'So,' I began, picking the least important-though still a vitally interesting question to start with. I was safely delivered home, and he might decide to leave at any moment. I had to keep him talking. Besides, this temporary heaven wasn't entirely complete without the sound of his voice. 'What have you been doing, up until three days ago?'

His face turned wary in an instant.

'Nothing exciting.'

'Of course not,' I mumbled.

'Why are you making that face?'

'Well…' I pursed my lips, considering. 'If you were, after all, just a dream, that's exactly the kind of thing you would say. My imagination must be used up.'

He sighed. 'If I tell you, will you finally believe that you're not having a nightmare?'

'Nightmare!' I repeated scornfully. He waited for my answer. 'Maybe,' I said after a second of thought. 'If you tell me.'

'I was… hunting.'

'Is that the best you can do?' I criticized.

'That doesn't prove I'm awake.'

He faltered, and then lectured slowly, choosing his words with care. 'I wasn't hunting foot food… I was trying my hand at… tracking. I'm not very qualified at this.'

'What were you tracking?' I asked, intrigued.

'Nothing of consequence.' His words didn't match his expression; he looked upset, uncomfortable.

'I don't understand.'

He hesitated; his face, shining with an odd green cast from the light of the clock, was torn.

'I-' He took a deep breath. 'I owe you an apology. No, of course, I owe you much, much more than that. All the same and all, you have to know,' the words began to flow so fast, the way I remembered he spoke sometimes when he was agitated, that I had to concentrate to catch them all.' That I had no idea.

I didn't realize the mess I was leaving behind. I thought it was safe for you here. So, safe. I had no idea that Jenna,'-his lips curled back when he said the name,' would come back. I'll admit when I saw her that one time, I was paying much more attention to James's thoughts. All the same and all, I just didn't see that she had this kind of response in her. That she even had such a tie to him. I think I realize why now she was so sure of him, the thought of him failing never occurred to her. It was her overconfidence that clouded her feelings about him that kept me from seeing the depth of them, the bond there.

'Not that there's any excuse for what I left you to face. When I heard what you told Olivia-what she saw herself-when I realized that you had to put your life in the hands of werewolves, immature, volatile, the worst thing out there besides Jenna herself-he shuddered, and the gush of words halted for a short second. 'Please know that I had no idea of any of this. I feel sick, sick to my core, even now, when I can see and feel you safe in my arms. I am the most miserable excuse for-'

'Stop,' I interrupted him. He stared at me with agonized eyes, and I tried to find the right words the words that would free him from this imagined obligation that caused him so much pain. They were very hard words to say. I didn't know if I could get them out without breaking down. All the same and all, I had to try to do it right. I didn't want to be a source of guilt and anguish in his life. He should be happy, no matter what it cost me.

I'd been hoping to put off this part of our last conversation. It was going to bring things to an end so much sooner.

Drawing on all my months of practice with trying to be normal for Jack, I kept my face smooth. 'Marcel,' I said. His name burned my throat a little on the way out. I could feel the ghost of the hole, waiting to rip itself wide again as soon as he disappeared. I didn't quite see how I was going to survive it this time. 'This has to stop now. You can't think about things that way. You can't let this… this guilt… rule your life. You can't take responsibility for the things that happen to me here. None of it is your fault, it's just part of how life is for me. So, if I trip in front of a bus or whatever it is next time, you have to realize that it's not your job to take the blame.

You can't just go running off to Italy because you feel bad that you didn't save me. Even if I had jumped off that cliff to die, that would have been my choice, and not your fault. I know it's yours… your nature to shoulder the blame for everything, All the same, and all, you really can't let that make you go to such extremes! It's a very irresponsible thing of Isla and Joh and-'

I was on the edge of losing it. I stopped to take a deep breath, hoping to calm myself. I had to set him free. I had to make sure this never happened again.

'Is a Karly,' he whispered, the strangest expression crossing his face. He almost looked mad. 'Do you believe that I asked the Ministry to kill me because I felt guilty?'

I could feel the blank incomprehension on my face.

'Didn't you?'

'Feel guilty? Intensely so.

More than you can comprehend.'

'Then… what are you saying? I don't understand.'

'Bell, I went to the Ministry because- I thought you were dead,' he said, voice soft, eyes fierce. 'Even if I'd had no hand in your death'-he shuddered as he whispered the last word,' even if it wasn't my fault, I would have gone to Italy. I should have been more careful- I should have spoken to Olivia directly, rather than accepting it secondhand from Rose. All the same and all that was I supposed to think when the boy said Jack was at the funeral? What are the odds?

'The odds…' he muttered then, distracted. His voice was so low I wasn't sure I heard it right. 'The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake.

I'll never criticize Romeo again.'

'All the same and all, I still don't understand,' I said.

'That's my whole point. So- what?'

'Excuse me?'

'So- what if I was dead?'

He stared at me dubiously for a long moment before answering. 'Don't you remember anything I told you before?'

'I remember everything you told me.' Including the words that had negated all the rest.

He stroked the tip of his cool finger against my lower lip. 'Bell, you seem to be under a misconception.' He sealed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth with half a smile on his gorgeous face.

It wasn't a happy smile. 'I thought I'd explained it before. Bell, I can't live in a world where you don't exist.'

'I am…' My head swam as I looked for the appropriate word. 'Confused.' That worked. I couldn't make sense of what he was saying.

He stared deep into my eyes with his sincere, earnest gaze. 'I'm a good liar,

Bell, I have to be.'

I halted, my flesh locking down as if for the collision. The fault line in my chest rippled; the endeavor of it took my wind away.

He shook my shoulder, trying to loosen my rigid pose. 'Let me finish! I'm a good liar, All the same, and all, still, for you to believe me so quickly.' He winced. 'That was… excruciating.' I waited, still frozen.

'When we were in the forest when I was telling you goodbye-'

I didn't allow myself to remember. I fought to keep myself in the present second only.

'You weren't going to let go,' he whispered. 'I could see that. I didn't want to do it-it felt like it would kill me to do it All the same and all, I knew that if I couldn't convince you that I didn't love you anymore, it would just take you that much longer to get on with your life. I hoped that, if you thought I'd moved on, so would you.'

'A clean break,' I whispered through unmoving lips.

'Exactly. All the same and all, I never imagined it would be so easy to do! I thought it would be next to impossible that you would be so sure of the truth that I would have to lie through my teeth for hours to even plant the seed of doubt in your head.

I lied, and I'm so sorry-sorry because I hurt you, sorry because it was a worthless effort. Sorry that I couldn't protect you from what I an. I lied to save you, and it didn't work. I'm sorry.

'All the same and all, how could you believe me? After all the thousand times- I've told you I love you, how could you let one word break your faith in me?'

I didn't answer. I was too shocked to form a rational response.

'I could see it in your eyes, that you honestly believed that I didn't want you anymore. The most absurd, ridiculous concept-as if there were nah' way that I could exist without needing you!'

I was still frozen… His words were incomprehensible because they were impossible.

He shook my shoulder again, not hard, All the same, and all, enough that my teeth rattled a little. 'Bell,' he sighed. 'Really, what were you thinking!'

And so, I started to cry. The tears welled up and then gushed miserably down my cheeks.

'I knew it,' I sobbed. 'I knew I was dreaming.'

'You're impossible,' he said, and he laughed once-a hard laugh, frustrated. 'How can I put this so that you'll believe me? You're not asleep, and you're not dead. I'm here, and I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn't want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy.'

I shook my head while the tears continued to ooze from the corners of my eyes.

'You don't believe me, do you?' he whispered, his face paler than his usual pale-I could see that even in the dim light. 'Why can you believe the lie, All the same, and all, not the truth?'

'It never made sense for you to love me,' I explained, my voice breaking twice. 'I always knew that.'

His eyes narrowed; his jaw tightened.

'I'll prove you're awake,' he promised.

He caught my face securely between his iron hands, ignoring my struggles when I tried to turn my head away.

'Please don't,' I whispered.

He stopped his lips just half an inch from mine.

'Why not?' he demanded. His breath blew into my face, making my head whirl.

'When I wake up'-He opened his mouth to protest, so I revised-' okay, forget that one-when you leave again, it's going to be hard enough without this, too.'

He pulled back an inch, to stare at my face.

'Yesterday, when I would touch you, you were so… hesitant, so careful, and yet still the same. I need to know why. Is it because I'm too late? Because I have hurt you too much? Because, you have moved on, as I meant for you too? That would be… quite fair.

I won't contest your decision. So- don't try to spare my feelings, please just tell me now whether or not you can still love me, after everything I've done to you. Can you?' he whispered.

'What kind of an idiotic question is that?'

'Just answer it. Please.'

I stared at him darkly for a long moment. 'The way I feel about you will never change. Of course, I love you and there's nothing you can do about it!'

'That's all I needed to hear.'

His mouth was on mine then, and I couldn't fight him. Not because he was so many thousand times stronger than me, All the same, and all because my will crumbled into dust the second our lips met. This kiss was not quite as careful as others I remembered, which suited me just fine. If I was going to rip myself up further, I might as well get as much in the trade as possible.

So, I kissed him back, my heart pounding out a jagged, disjointed rhythm while my breathing turned to pant and my fingers moved greedily to his face. I could feel his marble body against every line of mine, and I was so glad he hadn't listened to me no pain in the world would have justified missing this. His hands memorized my face, the same way mine was tracing his, and, in the brief seconds when his lips were free, he whispered my name.

When I was starting to get dizzy, he pulled away, only to lay his ear against my heart.

I, lay there, dazed, waiting for my gasping to slow and quiet.

'By the way,' he said in a casual tone.

'I'm not leaving you.'

I didn't say anything, and he seemed to hear the skepticism in my silence.

He lifted his face to lock my gaze in his. 'I'm not going anywhere. Not without you,' he added more seriously.

'I only left you in the first place because, I wanted you to have a chance at a normal, happy, human life. I could see what I was doing to you-keeping you constantly on the edge of danger, taking you away from the world you belonged in, risking your life every moment I was with you.

So, I had to try. I had to do something, and it seemed like leaving was the only way. If I hadn't thought you would be better off, I could have never made myself leave. I'm much too selfish.

Only you could be more important than what I wanted… what I needed. What I want, and need is to be with you, and I know I'll never be strong enough to leave again. I have too many excuses to stay thank heaven for that! It seems you can't be safe, no matter how many miles I put between us.'

'Don't promise me anything,' I whispered. If I let myself hope, and it came to nothing… that would kill me. Where all those merciless angels had not been able to finish me off, hope would do the job.

Anger glinted metallic in his black eyes.

'You think I'm lying to you now?'

'No- not lying…' I shook my head, trying to think it through coherently. To examine the hypothesis that he did love me, while staying objective, clinical, so I wouldn't fall into the trap of hoping. 'You could mean it… now. All the same and all, what about tomorrow when you think about all the reasons you left in the first place? Or next month, when Ray takes a snap at me?'

He flinched…

I thought back over those last days of my life before he left me, tried to see them through the filter of what he was telling me now. From that perspective, imagining that he'd left me while loving me, left me for me, his brooding and cold silences took on a different meaning. 'It isn't as if you hadn't thought the first decision though, is it?' I guessed. 'You'll end up doing what you think is right.'

'I'm not as strong as you give me credit for,' he said. 'Right and wrong have ceased to mean much to me; I was coming back anyway. Before Rose told me the news, I was already past trying to live through one week at a time, or even one day. I was fighting to make it through a single hour. It was only a matter of time, and not much of it- before, I showed up at your window and begged you to take me back. I'd be happy to beg now if you'd like that.'

I grimaced… 'Be serious, please.'

'Oh, I am,' he insisted, glaring now. 'Will you please try to hear what I'm telling you? Will you let me attempt to explain what you mean to me?'

He waited, studying my face as he spoke to make sure I was listening.

'Before you, girl, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, All the same, and all, there were stars-points of light and reason… And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was a beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black.

Nothing had changed, All the same, and all, my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.'

I wanted to believe him. All the same and all, this was my life without him that he was describing, not the other way around.

'Your eyes will adjust,' I mumbled. 'That's just the problem-they can't.'

'What about your distractions?'

He laughed without a trace of humor. 'Just part of the lie, love. There was no distraction from the… the agony. My heart hasn't beaten in almost ninety years, All the same, and all, this was different. It was like my heart was gone-like I was hollow.

Like I'd left everything that was inside me here with you.'

'That's funny,' I muttered.

He arched one perfect eyebrow.

'Funny?'

'I meant strange- I thought it was just me. Lots of pieces of me went missing, too. I haven't been able to breathe in so long.' I filled my lungs, luxuriating in the sensation. 'And my heart. That was lost.'

He closed his eyes and laid his ear over my heart again. I let my cheek pressed against his hair, felt the texture of it on my skin, smelled the delicious scent of him.

'Tracking wasn't a distraction then?' I asked, curious, and also needing to distract myself. I was very much in danger of hoping. I wouldn't be able to stop myself for long. My heart throbbed, singing in my chest.

'No.' He sighed. 'That was never a distraction. It was an obligation.'

'What does that mean?'

'It means that, even though I never expected any danger from Jenna, I wasn't going to let her get away with… Well, as I said, I was horrible at it. I traced her as far as Texas, All the same, and all, then I followed a false lead down to Brazil-and she came here.' He groaned.

'I wasn't even on the right continent!

And all the while, worse than my worst fears-'

'You were hunting with Jenna?' I half-shrieked as soon as I could find my voice, shooting through two octaves.

Jack's distant snores stuttered, and then picked up a regular rhythm again.

'Not well, 'Marcel answered, studying my outraged expression with a confused look. 'All the same and all, I'll do better this time. She won't be tainting perfectly good air by breathing in and out for much longer.'

'That is… out of the question,' I managed to choke out. Insanity. Even if he had Emmah or Ray help him. Even if he had Emmah and Ray help. It was worse than my other imaginings: Marcel Black standing across a small space from Jenna's vicious and feline figure. I couldn't bear to picture Marcel there, even though he was so much more durable than my half-human best friend.

'It's too late for her. I might have let the other time slide, All the same, and all, not now, not after-'

I interrupted him again, trying to sound calm. 'Didn't you just promise that you weren't going to leave?' I asked, fighting the words as I said them, nor letting them plant themselves in my heart. 'That isn't exactly compatible with an extended tracking expedition, is it?'

He frowned… with a snarl began to build low in his chest. 'I will keep my promise, her. All the same and all, Jenna'-the snarl became more pronounced-' is going to die.

'Soon…'

'Let's not be hasty,' I said, trying to hide my panic. 'Maybe she's not coming back. Maggie's pack probably scared her off. There's no reason to go looking for her.

Besides, I've got bigger problems than Jenna.'

Marcel's eyes narrowed, All the same, and all, he nodded. 'It's true. The werewolves are a problem.'

I snorted. 'I wasn't talking about Marcel. My problems are a lot worse than a handful of adolescent wolves getting themselves into trouble.'

Marcel looked as if he were about to say something and then thought better of it.

His teeth clicked together, and he spoke through them. 'Really?' he asked. 'Then what would be your greatest problem? That would make

Jenna's returning for you seem like such an inconsequential matter in comparison?'

'How about the second greatest?' I hedged.

'All right,' he agreed, suspicious.

I paused. I wasn't sure I could say the name. 'There are others who are coming to look for me,' I reminded him in a subdued whisper.

He sighed, All the same, and all, the reaction was not as strong as I would have imagined after his response to Jenna.

'The Ministry is only the second greatest?'

'You don't seem that upset about it,' I noted.

'Well, we have plenty of time to think it through. Time means something very different to them than it does to you or even me. They count years the way you count days. I wouldn't be surprised if you were thirty before you crossed their minds again,' he added lightly.

Horror washed through me.

Thirty...?

So-o, his promises meant nothing, in the end. If I were going to turn thirty someday, then he couldn't be planning on staying long. The harsh pain of this knowledge made me realize that I'd already begun to hope, without permitting myself to do 5.0.

'You don't have to be afraid,' he said, anxious as he watched the tears dew up again on the rims of my eyes. 'I won't let them hurt you.'

'While you're here.' Not that I cared what happened to me when he left.

He took my face between his two stone hands, holding it tightly while his midnight eyes glared into mine with the gravitational force of a black hole. 'I will never leave you again.'

'All the same and all, you said thirty,' I whispered. The tears leaked over the edge.

'What? You're going to stay, All the same, and all, let me get all old anyway? Right.'

His eyes softened, while his mouth went hard. 'That's exactly what I'm going to do.

What choice have I? I cannot be without you, All the same, and all, I will not destroy your soul.'

'Is this really…' I tried to keep my voice even, All the same, and all, this question was too hard. I remembered his face when Aron had almost begged him to consider making me immortal. The sick look there. Was this fixation with keeping me human really about my soul, or was it because he wasn't sure that he wanted me around that long? 'Yes?' he asked, waiting for my question.

I asked a different one.

Almost-All the same and all, not quite as hard.

'All the same and all, what about when I get so old that people think I'm your mother? Your grandmother?' My voice was pale with revulsion- I could see Gran's face again in the dream mirror.

His whole face was soft now.

He brushed the tears from my cheek with his lips. 'That doesn't mean anything to me,' he breathed against my skin. 'You will always be the most beautiful thing in my world. Of course,' he hesitated, flinching slightly. 'If you outgrew me-if you wanted something more-I would understand that, Bell. I promise I wouldn't stand in your way if you wanted to leave me.'

His eyes were liquid onyx and utterly sincere. He spoke as if he'd put endless amounts of thought into this asinine plan. 'You do realize that I'll die eventually, right?' I demanded…

He'd thought about this part, too. 'I'll follow after as soon as I can.'

'That is serious…' I looked for the right word. 'Sick!'

'Bell, it's the only right way left-'

'Let's just back up for a minute,' I said; feeling angry made it so much easier to be clear, decisive. 'You do remember the

Ministry, right? I can't stay human forever. They'll kill me. Even if they don't think of me till I'm thirty'-I hissed the words' do you think they'll forget?'

'No,' he answered slowly, shaking his head. 'They won't forget. All the same and all?'

'All the same and all…?'

He grinned while I stared at him warily.

Maybe I wasn't the only crazy one.

'I have a few plans.'

'And these plans,' I said, my voice getting more acidic with each word. 'These plans all center around me staying human.'

My attitude hardened his expression. 'Naturally.' His tone was brusque, his divine face arrogant.

We glowered at each other for a long minute.

Then I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, I pushed his arms away so that I could sit up.

'Do you want me to leave?' he asked, and it made my heart flutter to see that this idea hurt him, though he tried not to show it.

'No,' I told him. 'I'm leaving.'

He watched me suspiciously as I climbed out of the bed and fumbled around in the darkroom, looking for my shoes.

'Mary, I ask where you are going,' he asked.

'I'm going to your house,' I told him, still feeling around blindly.

He got up and came to my side. 'Here are your shoes. How did you plan to get there?'

'My truck.'

'That will probably wake

Jack,' he offered as a deterrent.

I sighed. 'I know. All the same and all, honestly, I'll be grounded for weeks as it is. How much more trouble can I get in?'

'None. He'll blame me, not you.'

'If you have a better idea, I'm all ears.'

'Stay here,' he suggested, All the same, and all, his expression wasn't hopeful.

'No dice. All the same and all, you go ahead and make yourself at home,' I encouraged, surprised at how natural my teasing sounded, and headed for the door.

He was there before me, blocking my way.

I frowned and turned for the window. It wasn't that far to the ground, and it was mostly grass beneath…

'Okay,' he sighed. 'I'll give you a ride.'

I shrugged. 'Either way. All the same and all, you probably should be there, too.'

'And why is that?'

'Because, you're extraordinarily opinionated, and I'm sure you'll want a chance to air your views.'

'My views on which subject?' He asked through his teeth.

'This isn't just about you anymore. You're not the center of the universe, you know.' My universe was, of course, a different story. 'If you're going to bring the Ministry down on us over something as stupid as leaving me human, then your family ought to have a say.'

'A say in what?' he asked, each word distinct.

'My mortality. I'm putting it to a vote.'

-VOTE-

HE WAS NOT PLEASED, THAT

MUCH WAS EASY TO READ on his

face. All the same and all, without further argument, he took me in his arms and sprang lithely from my window, landing without the slightest jolt, like a cat. It was a little bit farther down than I'd imagined.

'All right then,' he said, his voice seething with disapproval.

'Up you go.'

He helped me onto his back and took off running. Even after all this time, it felt routine. Easy.

This was something you never forgot, like riding a bicycle.

It was so very quiet and dark as he ran through the forest, his breathing slow and even-dark enough that the trees flying past us were nearly invisible, and only the rush of air in my face truly gave away our speed. The air was damp; it didn't burn my eyes the way the wind in the big plaza had, and that was comforting.

As was the night, too, after that terrifying brightness. Like the thick quilt I'd played under as a child, the dark felt familiar and protecting.

I remembered, that running through the forest like this used to frighten me, that I used to have to close my eyes. It seemed a silly reaction to me now. I kept my eyes wide, my chin resting on his shoulder, my cheek against his neck. The speed was exhilarating.

A hundred times better than the motorcycle.

I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips into the cold stone skin of his neck.

'Thank you,' he said, as the vague, black shapes of trees raced past us.

'Does that mean you've decided you're awake?'

I laughed. The sound was easy, natural, effortless. It sounded right. 'Not really. More that, either way, I'm not trying to wake up. Not tonight.'

'I'll earn your trust back somehow,' he murmured, mostly to himself. 'If it's my final act.' 'I trust you,' I assured him.

'It's me I don't trust.'

'Explain that, please.'

He'd slowed to a walk- I could only tell because the wind ceased, and I guessed that we weren't far from the house. I thought I could make out the sound of the river rushing somewhere close by in the darkness.

'Well-' I struggled to find the right way to phrase it. 'I don't trust myself to be… enough. To deserve you. There's nothing about me that could hold you.'

He stopped and reached around to pull me off his back. His gentle hands did not release me; after he'd set me on my feet again, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, hugging me to his chest.

'Your hold is permanent and unbreakable,' he whispered. 'Never doubt that.'

All the same and all, how could I not?

'You never did tell me…' he murmured.

'What?'

'What your greatest problem is.'

'I'll give you one guess.' I sighed and reached up to touch the tip of his nose with my index finger.

He nodded. 'I'm worse than the Ministry,' he said grimly. 'I guess I've earned that.'

Part: 13

Whys and wherefores

I rolled my eyes. 'The worst the

Ministry can do is kill me.'

He waited with tense eyes.

'You can leave me,' I explained. 'The Ministry, Jenna… they're nothing compared to that.'

Even in the darkness, I could see the anguish twist his face-it reminded me of his expression under Jane's torturing gaze; I felt sick and regretted speaking the truth.

'Don't,' I whispered, touching his face.

'Don't be sad.'

He pulled one corner of his mouth up halfheartedly, All the same, and all, the expression didn't touch his eyes. 'If there was only some way to make you see that I can't leave you,' he whispered. 'Time, I suppose, will be the way to convince you.'

I liked the idea of time.

'Okay,' I agreed.

His face was still tormented. I tried to distract him with inconsequential.

'So-since you're staying. Can I have my stuff back?' I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage.

My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. All the same and all, his eyes retained the misery. 'Your things were never gone,' he told me. 'I knew it was wrong since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, All the same, and all, I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the tickets-they're all under your floorboards.'

'Really?'

He nodded, seeming slightly cheered by my obvious pleasure in this trivial fact. It wasn't enough to heal the pain in his face completely.

'I think,' I said slowly, 'I'm not sure, All the same, and all, I wonder… I think maybe I knew it the whole time.'

'What did you know?'

I only wanted to take away the agony in his eyes, All the same, and all, as I spoke the words, they sounded truer than I expected they would.

'Some part of me, my subconscious maybe, never stopped believing that you still cared whether I lived or died.

That's probably why I was hearing the voices.'

There was a very deep silence for a moment. 'Voices?' he asked flatly.

'Well, just one voice. Yours- It's a long story.' The wary look on his face made me wish that I hadn't brought that up. Would he think I was crazy, like everyone else? Was everyone else right about that? All the same and all, at least that expression-the one that made him look like something was burning him-faded.

'I've got time.' His voice was unnaturally even. 'It's pretty pathetic.'

He waited.

I wasn't sure how to explain. 'Do you remember what Olivia said about extreme sports?'

He spoke the words without inflection or emphasis. 'You jumped off a cliff for fun.'

'Er, right. And before that, with the motorcycle-'

'Motorcycle?' he asked. I knew his voice well enough to hear something brewing behind the calm. 'I guess I didn't tell Olivia about that part.'

'No!'

'Well, about that… See, I found that… when I was doing something dangerous or stupid… I could remember you more clearly,' I confessed, feeling completely mental. 'I could remember how your voice sounded when you were angry. I could hear it like you were standing right there next to me. Mostly I tried not to think about you, All the same, and all, this didn't hurt so much it was like you were protecting me again. Like you didn't want me to be hurt.

'And, well, I wonder if the reason I could hear you so clearly was that, underneath it all. I always knew that you hadn't stopped loving me.'

Again, as I spoke, the words brought with them a sense of conviction. Of rightness.

Some deep place inside me recognized truth.

His words came out half-strangled.

'You… were… risking your life… to hear-'

'Sh-h,' I interrupted him. 'Hold on a second. I think I'm having an epiphany here.'

I thought of that night in Pittsburgh when I'd had my first delusion. I'd come up with two options. Insanity or wish fulfillment.

I'd seen no third option.

All the same and all, what if…

What if you believed something was true, All the same, and all, you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly without too many thoughts, sure in all, that you were right, that you would not even consider the truth and subject your realities?

Would the truth be silenced, or would it try to breakthrough?

Option three: Marcel loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time.

-And-

Like no matter how much more special or lovely or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine.

Was that what I'd been trying to tell myself?

'Oh!'

'Bell?'

'Oh. Okay. I see.'

'Your epiphany is?' He asked, his voice uneven and strained with the rasp.

'You love me,' I marveled. The sense of conviction and Tightness washed through me again.

Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face. 'Truly, I do.'

My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak.

He did want me the way I wanted him forever. It was only fear for my soul, for the human things he didn't want to take from me, that made him so desperate to leave me mortal. Compared to the fear that he didn't want me, this hurdle-my soul-seemed almost insignificant.

He took my face tightly between his cool hands and kissed me until I was so dizzy the forest was spinning. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, and I was not the only one breathing harder than usual.

'You were better at it than I was, you know,' he told me.

'Better at what?'

'Surviving… You, at least, made an effort. You got up in the morning, tried to be normal for Jack, followed the pattern of your life. When I wasn't actively tracking, I was… useless. I couldn't be around my family couldn't be around anyone. I'm embarrassed to admit that I more or less curled up into a ball and let the misery have me.'

He grinned some vary, sheepishly. 'It was much more pathetic than hearing voices. And, of course, you know- I do that, too.'

I was deeply relieved that he seemed to understand- comforted that this all made sense to him. At any rate, he wasn't looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like… he loved me.

'I only heard one voice,' I corrected him.

He laughed and then pulled me tight against his right side and started to lead me forward.

'I'm just humoring you with this.' He motioned broadly with his hand toward the darkness in front of us as we walked. There was something pale and immense there-the house, I realized. 'It doesn't matter in the slightest what they say.' 'This affects them now, too.'

He shrugged indifferently, at me and then he led me through the open front door into the dark house and flipped the lights on; the room was just as I'd remembered it- the piano and the white couches and the pale, massive staircase; no dust, no white sheets.

Marcel called out the names with no more volume than I'd use in regular conversation. 'Joh?

Isla? Rose? Emmah? Ray?

Olivia?' They would hear.

Joh was suddenly standing beside me as if he'd been there all along. 'Welcome back, Bell.' He smiled, 'what can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?'

I nodded. 'I'd like to talk to everyone at once if that's okay.

About something important.'

I couldn't help glancing up at Marcel's face as I spoke. His expression was critical All the same and all, resigned. When I looked back to Joh, he was looking at Marcel, too.

'Of course,' Joh said. 'Why don't we talk in the other room?'

Joh led the way through the bright living room, around the corner to the dining room, turning on lights as he went. The walls were white, the ceilings high, like the living room. In the center of the room, under the low-hanging chandelier, was a large, polished oval table surrounded by eight chairs. Joh held out a chair for me at the head.

I'd never seen the Barn's use the dining room table before it was just a prop.

They didn't eat in the house.

As soon as I turned to sit in the chair, I saw that we were not alone; Isla had followed Marcel, and behind her, the rest of the family filed in.

Joh sat down on my right, and Marcel on my left. Everyone else took their seats in silence. Olivia was grinning at me, already in on the plot. Emmah and Ray looked curious, and Rose smiled at me tentatively. My answering smile was just as timid. That was going to take some getting used to.

Joh nodded at me.

'The floor is yours.'

Part: 14

Edgy

I swallowed. Their gazing eyes made me nervous. Marcel took my hand under the table. I peeked at him, All the same, and all, he was watching the others, his fate suddenly fierce.

'Well,' I paused. 'I'm hoping Olivia has already told you everything that happened in

Volterra?'

'Everything,' Olivia assured me.

I threw her a meaningful look.

'And on the way?' 'That, too,' she nodded.

'Good,' I sighed with relief.

'Then we're all on the same page.'

They waited patiently while I tried to order my thoughts.

'So-o, I have a problem,' I began. 'Olivia promised the Ministry that, I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thing to avoid.

'And so, now, this involves you all. I'm sorry about that.' I looked at each one of their beautiful faces, saving the most beautiful for last. Marcel's mouth was turned down into a grimace. 'All the same and all, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Olivia is willing or not.'

Isla opened her mouth to speak, All the same, and all, I held up one finger to stop her.

'Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Marcel thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote if you decide you don't want me, then… I guess I'll go back to Italy alone, I can't have them coming here.' My forehead creased as I considered that.

There was the faint rumble of a growl in Marcel's chest. I ignored him.

'Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger, either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming an angel.' I half-smiled on the last word and gestured toward

Joh to begin. 'Just a minute, 'Marcel interrupted.

I glared at him through narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at me, squeezing my hand. 'I have something to add before we vote.'

I sighed…

'About the danger, Bell's referring to,' he continued. 'I don't think we need to be overly anxious.'

His expression became more animated. He put his free hand on the shining table and leaned forward.

'You see,' he explained, looking around the table while he spoke, 'there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aron's hand there at the end, there's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to cine them in.' He grinned.

'Which was?' Olivia prodded; I was sure my expression was just as skeptical as hers.

'The Ministry is overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it's not a problem. Do you remember Eamettri?' He glanced down at me.

I shuddered. He took that as a yes.

'He finds people- that's his talent, why they keep him.

'Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So, I saw how Eamettri's talent works. He's a tracker- a tracker a thousand times more gifted than Jarres was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aron does. He catches them… flavor? I don't know how to describe it… the tenor… of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances.

'All the same and all, after Aron's little experiments, well…' Marcel shrugged.

'You think he won't be able to find me,'

I said flatly.

He was smug. 'I'm sure of it.

He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind.'

'And how does that solve anything?'

'Quite obviously, Olivia will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless,' he said with fierce enjoyment. 'It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!'

He and Emmah exchanged a glance and a smirk.

This made no sense. 'All the same and all, they can find you,' I reminded him.

'And I can take care of myself.'

Emmah laughed, and reached across the table toward his brother, extending a fist. 'Excellent plan, my brother,' he said with enthusiasm.

Marcel stretched out his arm to smack Emmah's fist with his own.

'No,' Rose hissed.

'Absolutely not,' I agreed.

'Nice.' Ray's voice was appreciative.

'Idiots,' Olivia muttered.

Isla just glared at Marcel.

I straightened up in my chair, focusing.

This was my meeting.

'All right, then, Marcel has offered an alternative for you to consider,' I said coolly. 'Let's vote.' I looked at Marcel this time; it would be better to get his opinion out of the way. 'Do you want me to join your family?'

His eyes were hard and black as flint.

'Not that way. You're staying human.'

I nodded once, keeping my face businesslike, and then moved on.

'Olivia?'

'Yes.'

'Ray?'

'Surely,' he said, voice grave. I was a little surprised- I hadn't been at all sure of his vote All the same and all, I suppressed my reaction and moved on.

'Ross?'

She hesitated, biting down on her full, perfect bottom lip. 'No.'

I kept my face blank and turned my head slightly to move on, All the same, and all, she held up both her hands, palms forward.

'Let me explain,' she pleaded. 'I don't mean that I have an aversion to you as a sister. It's just that… this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me.'

I nodded slowly and then turned to Emmah.

'Hell, Surly!' He grinned. 'We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Eamettri.'

I was still grimacing at that when I looked at Isla.

'Yes, of course, girl. I already think of you as part of my family.'

'Thank you, Isla,' I murmured as I turned toward Joh.

I was suddenly nervous, wishing I had asked for his vote first. I was sure that this was the vote that mattered most, the vote that counted more than any majority.

Joh wasn't looking at me.

'Marcel,' he said.

150