Song Remains the Same
Chapter 4 / Heaven Help Me
"Down here in the atmosphere, garbage and city lights.
You've gone to save your tired soul; you've gone to save their lives."
- Our Lady Peace
They were welcomed inside the house by Pamela—a strong looking woman with a ready smile. The very tan psychic sported dark hair and a low rasping voice. Her home décor boasted a few pagan artifacts and mystical imagery here and there, but otherwise looked pretty normal and nondescript. She wasted no time flirting with Dean and Sam both—and usually Alex wouldn't have cared, but Pamela was over the top. Her shameless eyes ate the brothers alive and Alex quickly began to feel uncomfortable at all the innuendos.
Pamela set up a seance in between flirting and then called them all to a small table where six lit candles waited. She had darkened the room and even though it was just a dinky old kitchen, the mood became eerie to Alex. Maybe because of what they were about to do.
"Right. Take each other's hands," Pamela instructed. Alex looked to her left where Sam sat. He held out his hand to her, a grudging peace offering. She took it reluctantly. Sitting across from them, Dean saw and smiled sort of smugly at the twins, who, not even meaning to, made the same exact face at their oldest brother—a half-eye rolling scoff.
"All right," Pamela purred. "I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." Her eyes darted to Dean coyly. He was sitting right beside her.
"Whoa. Well, he didn't touch me there," Dean said, jumping a little.
Pamela half-feigned ignorance with a chuckle. "My mistake."
Alex, Sam, and Bobby exchanged confused looks—had she just…? She probably had. Sam made a face and Alex raised an eyebrow at her flustered oldest brother, silently asking if she should kick someone's ass. Dean didn't appear to think it a good idea. He instead cleared his throat and pulled up his sleeve, revealing the angry red handprint branded onto his shoulder. Sam stared in shock and looked from Alex to Bobby who were somber again, remembering the reason why they had come to this psychic. Alex couldn't look away from the handprint.
Pamela laid her hand onto the scar. "Okay." She closed her eyes and everyone else followed suit dubiously. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle." She repeated it three more times. Her television flicked on, the buzz of static filling the room. "I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."
Alex peeked up, immediate curiosity tugging at her as a feeling like déjà vu washed over. What the hell is a Castiel? The word was beautiful and strange, but somehow forbidding.
"'Castiel'?" Dean echoed.
"Its name," the psychic explained. "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back." She courageously returned to chanting. "I conjure and command you, show me your face." She repeated this over and over, louder each time. The room began to shake and the static on the television grew louder.
Alex gripped Sam's hand tighter, opening her eyes just barely to watch as the table began to vibrate. A sense of dread built. This felt like it was gonna end badly. Bobby was also opening his eyes. "Maybe we should stop," he said loudly, raising his voice over the din.
"I almost got it," Pamela insisted, not about to back down. She was in the zone, eyes squeezed shut, expression fierce and intense. "I command you, show me your face!" She was shouting at that point. "Show me your face, NOW!"
The candles flared up into flames several feet high and Pamela screamed as her eyes flew open, filled with horrifying white-hot flame. Before any of them could even react, the flames went out and she collapsed, moaning in pain. The house went still and became silent stopping. "My eyes... my eyes!" Pamela sobbed in alarm. They had been burnt out completely.
A Few Hours Later
Alex exited Pamela's hospital room right after the attending doctor did, her eyes on Bobby who waited across the hall. He had his cap in his hands, twisting it repeatedly.
"So what's the scoop, Grasshopper?"
Alex glanced at the doctor, who retreated down the hallway. "Well... doc says they're gonna keep her overnight for observation. Pamela's daughter is on the way."
"She be all right?" Bobby guiltily studied Pamela from the short distance.
"Uh... well, she's blind, obviously—no eyeballs left—but other than that..." Alex realized she'd put it kind of bluntly and made a mildly chagrinned face.
Bobby still stared at Pamela, obviously beating himself up. "This is my fault."
"You're not the one who burned her eyes out, Bobby. It was that..." Alex tried to remember the exact name and couldn't, "Castle creature."
"I shouldn't've gotten her involved in this mess to begin with," Bobby grumbled, more to himself than anyone else.
Alex didn't disagree. "Well, she's alive though, right? That's something." Alive, but forever changed in such a negative way. She patted Bobby's shoulder briefly. "Couldn't have known what was gonna happen."
"Yeah, I guess." Bobby exhaled wearily.
Alex relented—she knew when to leave Bobby alone and now was one of those times. Just then her phone rang she pulled it out of her pocket, squinting at the screen. She was pretty sure that was one of Sam's old numbers. "Hello?"
"It's me," Dean's voice said. "So some demons just tried to jump me and Sammy over here at this local mom 'n pop diner—"
Alarm shot through her veins. "What? You guys okay?"
"Yeah, for sure." He sounded more businesslike than anything else. "Come back to the motel pronto, okay? There's probably more demons in town and I don't want you on your own."
Her heart swelled. But she played it off. "That's sweet, Dean," she said, managing to sound sarcastic despite her inner joy to have him back. "I'm fine. Besides, I'm with Bobby."
Dean gave an impatient huff. "Just get back to the motel, shortstop. It'll be dark soon and I don't want you out there at night. Oh, and bring pie."
"Fine, fine. On my way." She hung up, snapping the phone shut. Always with the pie. Her heart clenched. She had missed him so much. Life felt right again, despite everything.
"What's up?" Bobby asked, forehead wrinkled in concern.
"No clue," she answered honestly. Dean would fill her in later. "Something demonic, as usual. I'm heading back—you coming?"
"Think I'll stay with Pam a little longer. Just call if ya need me."
"Copy." Alex was already heading for the door.
"And Alex—" She paused. Bobby looked at her meaningfully. "You be careful."
She made an overly innocent face. "Always."
He gave her a look—they both knew that was total bullshit. Alex gave him a crooked grin, raised her eyebrows briefly, then left.
Late That Night
Alex sprawled half-asleep on the couch, the remote still in her hand as Spongebob Squarepants droned on in the background. Dean had been reading all evening while Sam remained in the background, doing something on his laptop until he announced he was going to bed. Alex grew drowsier and drowsier, eyes falling shut as she told herself to get up and turn the lights and TV off. But she lazily convinced herself she would tune both out in a second and fall asleep.
That's when a soft and sudden click startled her into full wakefulness. Her head shot up. She quickly glanced around to assess the room. Dean half-sat on his bed against the pillows with a huge book open in his lap as he slept soundly, head sagging onto his shoulder. Sam's bed was empty and she didn't see him anywhere. Alert to something being up, Alex got out of bed, creeping toward the door and peeking out just in time to see Sam's unmistakable silhouette turn the corner down the hall. What the hell? Struck with instant suspicion, Alex glanced back at Dean, then decided not to wake him up. Sam might just be going to get something from the car, after all.
Alex questioned herself for assuming the worst about her twin. Maybe she should cut him a break. Still... she was gonna follow and see what he was doing... just to be safe. She darted out of the room, trailing him quickly and quietly down the hotel hallway. She peered around the corner Sam had just rounded. She could see out into the parking lot through the glass door. There, Sam got into the Impala, casting glances around—the picture of guilt. Not good. The car started and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Alex with a sinking feeling. She didn't like this. She turned around and promptly gasped—Bobby was standing right behind her.
"Shit, Bobby!" She held a hand over her wildly beating heart.
"Sorry kiddo. Didn't mean to startle you. Was in my room and heard a noise. Was that Sam?"
"Yeah. H-he snuck out and—wait, what's that?"
They both turned at the sound of shattering glass and then took off at a run down the hall. They could hear Dean screaming, followed by a high-pitched shrieking sound that was so intense Alex's vision began to waver. Absolute panic consumed her, and the several seconds it took to spring to him felt like an eternity. Bobby broke down the door as Alex stumbled behind, her hands over ears as her terrified heart lodged itself in her throat. Dean huddled on the floor in a pile of broken glass, his hands over his ears as he screamed against the deafening noise. It was the most intense sound that Alex had ever heard, reverberating through her entire body, making her feel like she could explode apart if the intensity increased. She stumbled over to Dean with Bobby and they hauled him up, fleeing the room as the ringing noise continued on and on.
Later
Bobby coaxed more speed out of the car as they sped down the road, not really heading anywhere, just driving fast. He glanced back a lot to see if they'd been followed. Alex rubbed her ears with her palms. They still rang from that incredibly intense noise.
"Yeah, okay, catch you later." Dean snapped his cellphone closed and pocketed it, twisting around to look at Alex in the back seat. "Sam says he went to get a burger."
Alex's eyebrows rose doubtfully. "A burger." She'd never seen someone sneak around all shifty like that on the way to get a midnight-craving burger before. She smelled bullshit. But they would have to figure that out later. "Why'd you lie to him about what we about to do?"
"Because he'd just try to stop us," Dean replied tersely.
"From what? What're we doing?" Bobby glanced at them both Winchesters in confusion as he drove.
Alex knew Dean well enough to already have guessed what her brother had in mind—it's what she wanted to do, anyway—and she replied before Dean had a chance. "We're gonna summon Casteel and kill it."
Bobby's eyes bulged in disbelief. "You two want to go after Castle after what it did to Pamela?!"
"Castiel," Dean corrected passively.
Alex gave him a drab look. "Whatever its name is, it's dead."
"Yup," Dean confirmed. "We're gonna face this asshole head-on, Bobby."
There was a dismayed pause. "You two can't be serious!"
"As a heart-attack," Dean confirmed.
"Bobby, think about it," Alex said, leaning forward in her seat. "This Castiel thing is hunting Dean. We take the offensive, we get out ahead."
"We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk..." Dean trailed off suggestively.
Bobby shook his head in extreme hesitation. "Now look, you two are assuming it's some kinda demon, but what if it's something else? We might be signing our own death certificates here. This is a bad idea."
"Bobby, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me," Dean reasoned intently. "That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again or we can make our stand."
More silence.
"Doing it with or without you, Bobby," Alex said.
"You damn idjits." Bobby sighed heavily. "Well, don't you think we should at least tell Sam in case, you know, we don't come back?"
Dean was quiet for a minute. "No. We'll be back."
Bobby didn't look so sure.
Several hours later, Alex got up from where she had been crouched. She was finally done with the last of the warding symbols. Her hands, back, and knees were cramped, but the word looked good. Bobby seemed to be finishing up, too. Alex looked around at their combined handiwork—the entire abandoned building they'd set up shop in was covered floor and ceiling in spray painted symbols and traps. Over at a makeshift table, Dean chuckled. "That's a hell of an art project you've got going there."
"Call me Picasso." Alex tossed an empty can of spray paint onto the table.
"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe," Bobby said, looking at Dean questioningly. "How you doin'?"
Dean scanned over the contents of the table he'd set up. "Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."
"What about what we haven't heard of?" Bobby shook his head. "Uh huh, this is definitely still a bad idea."
"I heard you the first ten times," Dean complained, then gave his sister a significant look. "Whaddya say we ring the dinner bell?"
Dean and Alex looked at each other simultaneously. Alex felt the first prick of fear crop up. Bobby's warnings and reluctance replayed in her head, and the memory of Pamela's burnt out eyes. Her older brother gave her a playful grin. "Showtime," he proclaimed, his mouth lifting up into a crooked smile.
Anxious, Alex nodded, unable to smile back. "All right." She took in a deep breath and went to the table where the spell waited. She took a pinch of powder from a small bowl and sprinkled it into a larger bowl. Smoke started to rise, and Alex wet her lips nervously, eyes following the wispy tendrils with apprehension. Why did I volunteer to do this part, again?
Reading off the paper Bobby had given her, she began to recite the conjuring chant, summoning the creature known as Castiel.
Twenty Minutes Later
The shotguns which had been gripped tightly and vigilantly when Bobby first did the conjuring now laid beside the three hunters who were beginning to become listless. Alex yawned widely. Beside her, Dean gave her a sudden, disgruntled look. "You're sure you're sure you did the ritual right?" Alex gave him a bitchy look. Dean snorted. "Touchy."
As if on cue, a loud rattling shook the roof. The building, which had been solid a second ago, now felt like it might collapse on top of their heads. Immediately on their feet, Dean, Bobby and Alex backed in together, shotguns held tight as the building trembled around them.
"Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind?!" Dean shouted over the noise.
Alex didn't think that was the wind. No way. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea... her stomach sank lower and lower with dread. She clutched her shotgun as she stared at the doors at the far end of the building—they quaked as if they were about to break in two underneath the weight of some invisible force even though they were bolted shut. The lights above began to flicker rapidly and then doors burst open with a whoosh, the bolt snapping like a mere twig. The room was overcome with some invisible but palpable sense of blazing power even as the bursting lights overhead began to shower sparks across the entire expanse—and it would have been beautiful if it weren't so terrifying.
Through the chaos, Alex caught sight of the distinct silhouette of a man standing in the doorway—was that the Castiel? She couldn't make out features yet, but it looked human.
She fought the urge to wither as the figure began to approach them with slow and measured steps. For a moment, Alex forgot her shotgun—she forgot herself. She just stood staring and petrified, realizing all over again: This was no ordinary demon or monster. But what was he?
In between the flickering lights and raining sparks, she started to see him in flashes. Castiel looked like a man—a handsome, average-height man in his mid-thirties with dark and wild hair. He wore a business suit, a blue tie, and a slightly oversized beige trench coat. His expression was fierce and stony, and even though he looked very ordinary—not superhuman or monstrous—the entire room bore witness to the fact that he was something terrifying. He did not blink even once as lights snapped and exploded, yielding to him, attesting to his strength and power. Despite everything... a feeling of sheer awe came over Alex.
Dean opened fire on him, and remembering themselves at the sound, Alex and Bobby followed suit, emptying their rounds—Dean had iron bullets, Bobby had salt rounds, and Alex had silver—the shots pummeled into Castiel like a sideways rain shower, but the creature didn't even stop to wince. He was completely unaffected by the assault, and none of the traps seemed to have any effect on him. He kept coming closer undaunted, his sights set on first Dean, and then Alex. His eyes were startlingly blue.
"Blade!" Dean demanded with a shout. Alex shakily tossed him the demon knife, unsure of what else to do but pray for a miracle. Castiel halted a few steps away, his face now calm and serene. The wind was gone, the sparks had stopped falling, the building was solid and still once more. Alex stared apprehensively at the man who had done all of that—then found his piercing eyes on hers. Fear rippled throughout Alex's nervous system at the intensity in the crystal depths. He appeared almost curious as he took in the anxiety etched onto her features. The mildest confusion then showed, as if he didn't understand her expression.
"Who are you?" Dean demanded gruffly. Alex could hear from his voice that he was shaken up just like her. She glanced down at the knife in his hand at his side. Please, please work.
"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." Castiel's richly deep, husky voice was filled with an authority that caught Alex off guard even further.
She felt Dean pause then hesitate. "Yeah... thanks for that," he said, and then without any further he reared back and plunged the knife into the creature's chest. And nothing happened. Looking down at the knife, Castiel considered it briefly then pulled it out, unconcerned, seeming to be a touch amused. Dumbfounded, Dean and Alex gaped.
Bobby, who had slunk away was now sneaking up, an iron crowbar raised high—but without even looking, Castiel grabbed the weapon mid-air just as Bobby swung, effectively and easily blocking the strike with what appeared to be superhuman strength. Turning, Castiel touched a very surprised Bobby on the forehead with two gentle fingertips. The Winchesters watched in horror as Bobby's eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the ground lifelessly. "Bobby!" Alex screamed, trying to rush forward. Dean swung an arm out to hold her back, terrified to let her out of his reach.
Castiel regarded Alex with a perplexed expression, eyes squinting up a bit, head tilting to the side. As if he didn't understand her reaction. "He's fine." His voice carried no emotion. Alex stared, freaked out and breathless. Bobby looked dead. The trench-coated stranger looked at her a little longer then turned his gaze to Dean again.
"We need to talk, Dean." His eyes went back to Alex meaningfully. "Alone." He made to move forward, his arm outstretched to touch her, and Dean all but shoved Alex behind himself as he stood at his full height and put himself between the man and his sister.
"Touch my sister and you die, freak," Dean thundered, his expression deadly. "Now what the hell did you do to Bobby?"
"Dean, you can't kill me. You just tried." Reasonable and calm, Castiel paused then withdrew slightly and became interested in one of Bobby's open books on the nearby table. "You don't need to worry; your friend is alive and I won't harm any of you."
Dean glared. "Damn straight you won't. Who are you?"
Alex remained glued to her brother, fearfully watching this strange and powerful being flipping through Bobby's book nonchalantly. He seemed almost disinterested in Dean's question. "Castiel." He spoke his name softly, firmly. Again, Alex thought of how beautiful the name was despite herself.
"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?"
Castiel turned his attention to Dean and approached once again. Alex had a hand on Dean's back, grabbing at his jacket, and she could feel him tense as the stranger came nearer. And then, Castiel said several words the Winchesters would never forget: "I'm an angel of the Lord."
Not what they'd expected to hear.
Dean and Alex took a second, then looked at each other with mutually odd expressions. Alex wasn't sure if she heard right, and set to work looking the supposed-angel up and down skeptically. Where were the flowing robes and the puffy white wings and the harp music? All she saw was a guy in an un-tailored, slightly wrinkled trench coat. His blue tie sat slightly askew, and his messy brown hair and five o'clock shadow made him look more like a tired fifth-grade teacher than anything else. "Angel?" she repeated. "Are you serious?"
He was deadpan. "Yes, of course I'm serious."
"You let me do the talking," Dean muttered under his breath, then quickly fixed Castiel with a dangerous glare. "You're not an angel. Get the hell outta here. There's no such thing."
Castiel observed Dean with little change in expression. "That is your problem, Dean," he said quietly. "You have no faith." Castiel drew in a deep breath and seemed to stand at his full height. And then lightning flashed inside the building. Huge shadow wings cast onto the wall behind Castiel in the flashes of light. The wings spanned perhaps twenty feet and the effect was dazzling—intimidating—mystifying. Alex exhaled softly, yet again caught in a moment of wonder despite herself. The lightning ceased and the shadowy wings disappeared. Stunned into momentary silence, the Winchesters again looked at each other, lost. Yes it was impressive but...
"The hell does that prove?" Alex whispered to Dean.
Dean shook his head ever so slightly, whispering back, "Fuck if I know."
They were both completely weirded out. However, Dean forged ahead, fixing the so-called angel with a piercing stare as he crossed his arms and strengthened his voice. "Nice trick. So riddle me this: what kind of angel burns out a poor woman's eyes?"
"I warned her not to spy on my true form," Castiel said, giving away nothing about if he felt any kind of way on the matter or not. "It can be... overwhelming to most humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."
Alex frowned, not understanding, but Dean seemed to have figured it out. "You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Castiel nodded, to which Dean set his mouth in a hard line. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."
"That was my mistake." Castiel's voice remained incredibly bland. "Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."
"And what visage are you in now, huh?" Dean looked the supposed angel up and down with a scoff. "What, holy tax accountant?"
"This?" Castiel looked down at himself in thoughtfulness, as if he hadn't even noticed what he looked like. "This is... a vessel."
"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean asked in disbelief even as Alex felt shocked all over again. It made sense, she had to admit... demons used people to walk the earth—so if angels were real, it made sense that they might do the same.
Castiel wasn't ruffled by Dean's aghast reaction. "He's a devout man," he replied mildly. "He actually prayed for this." That made Alex's eyebrows rise.
"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?" Dean demanded angrily.
"I told you."
"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"
"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel said, although his tone lacked conviction.
Dean's tone was curt. "Not in my experience."
"What's the matter?" Castiel's expression changed as understanding crossed his features. "You don't think you deserve to be saved."
Alex watched Dean's face go blank in shock at the statement, and her protective instincts raised up. "Hey," she snapped, stepping out from behind Dean defensively, temper getting the better of her. "We're not interested in a therapy session."
Castiel was unfazed. And his eyes were so very, very blue. It made her lose her edge a little bit. "I'm simply stating the truth, Alex."
Her face fell. He knew her name. She felt scared all over again under his intense stare. Why did he look at her like he knew her? Why did he assume to know Dean, too?
Dean pushed Alex back again, stepping forward to put himself between the supposed angel and his sister. He didn't want to discuss whether he thought he deserved to be saved. "Why'd you pull me out?"
Castiel gave no answer, his eyes not even acknowledging Dean. He only stared at Alex deeply like he could see nothing else in all of existence. Under that stare, she both defied him and wilted.
"Hey, asshat, look at me!" Dean stepped into Castiel's line of sight, demanding his gaze. "Answer the question," he said gruffly. "Why'd you pull me out?"
Castiel remained unruffled, but it did take him a second to refocus and respond. "Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."
Dean's eyebrows raised and his demeanor fell slightly. "Work. God has work for me."
"Yes."
Dean barked out a short, biting laugh. "Oh interesting. How's the pay? Good benefits? I'm telling ya, the dental plan I have right now sucks."
Castiel frowned. "This is no laughing matter, Dean. My Father has chosen you."
Dean couldn't find any words, disgusted and dumbfounded by the entire exchange.
"Chosen him for what?" Alex's voice betrayed the fear she felt.
Castiel contemplated her briefly, frustrating her with his elusive answer. "It's complicated. It is not yet your time to know. It's God's will."
Alex had no words for that.
However, Dean did. "This is freakin' rich," he muttered, somewhere between offended and amused. "You really expect us to believe all this crap you're spewing?"
Castiel looked between the two siblings, his face beginning to show what looked like annoyance. "Yes." He paused. "What reason do you have to doubt?"
Dean laughed in a hard brief bark and shook his head, stumped but at least amused by it. Alex wasn't sure whether to laugh or get pissed. "Are we being punked right now? Where's the cameras?" Castiel gave her a questioning gaze. No cameras came out, he didn't start to laugh and say 'gotcha.' He remained totally serious, which was all the more disconcerting. Alex's humor faded. "Dude, he's a whackjob," she muttered to her brother.
Castiel heard her and for reasons unknown almost smiled at her, his dry lips curving upwards just slightly as he openly looked at her with inquisitive, intimidating eyes. And before Alex had a chance to say anything (or Dean for that matter), the stranger in the trench coat turned his attention to Dean and continued onward. "In time, I will be free to reveal more to you Dean. For now, you have to have faith. Both of you." He seemed to hear a sound to his left, and with no grand fanfare, he announced, "I have to go." He looked at Dean, and then Alex, holding her gaze intensely. His voice seemed to get even deeper. "I'll see you again soon." And without any further he was gone, disappearing into air with a sound like wind rustling through fabric.
In silence, the siblings looked at each other with stunned expressions. "Dude. Did... did that really just happen?" Dean's shocked exasperation mirroring how Alex felt.
She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Her eyes remained on the spot where Castiel had been standing just a minute ago, her mind racing as she tried to put together the pieces. She was shaken up, mind and body both. "Angels." She frowned hard, considering the possibility that angels were actually real. "…Angels?!"
"Oh come on," Dean said insolently, daring her to be stupid enough to believe it.
Alex felt doubtful for sure, not convinced that he was an angel… but also not convinced that he wasn't. She crouched down by Bobby, checking his pulse and his breathing. Both were normal. "Most people think demons aren't real," she offered tentatively, not even sure how she could begin to consider this.
Dean didn't look amused. In fact, he rolled his eyes. "Oh geez. Yeah right. That wasn't an angel."
"I mean the guy had wings..." Alex squinted, thinking hard as her eyes wandered around again, landing first on the burst lights on the ceiling, then the cracked bolt on the door. The whole encounter had left her dazed. "I think."
The pair didn't have a chance to discuss it any further. Bobby began to stir, groaning. Alex began to help him up, then Dean came and got his other arm, hauling him to his feet.
"Unnhh," Bobby groaned. "What happened?"
"Well Bobby, looks like you were just touched by an angel." Dean's joke was flat, and his face stretched into a wry smile.
Bobby stared. "…Come again?"
Alex threw her brother a testy glance. She might not have known a lot right then, but she knew this much: Whatever had just happened here was a big, big deal.