"An Angel’s Beginning"
The young boy was engrossed in a book when his father's voice came floating up the stairs. He didn't hear him until he called again, louder this time. "Gabriel, come down here. It's time to eat."
His brown eyes blinked as he was jerked from his trance. He sighed, closed the book, and pushed his chair back. Walking slowly out of the room and down the stairs, he thought about what he had just read. The aroma of cooked meat and potatoes drifted up to him. He breathed in deeply through his nose. The scent caused his stomach to rumble, and he forgot about the book for the moment.
When he walked into the dining room, his parents were sitting at the table, and there was a plate sitting at his place at the table. Gabriel pulled his chair out and dropped into it. He started to shovel the food into his mouth realizing for the first time how hungry he was. He stopped with the fork halfway between his plate and mouth noticing that the two adults were just looking at him and not eating.
Lowering the fork back down to his plate, he looked up at them. His dad cleared his throat before speaking. "Gabriel, I had a conference with your teacher today."
He nodded his head waiting for him to continue.
"She told me that you aren't participating in class at all or socializing with the other kids. Only Sly Marcus and Amie Trasten."
"They're my friends."
"What about the other kids?"
Gabriel just shrugged his shoulders looking down at his plate.
"Your teacher said you don't talk to them at all."
"They don't talk to me!" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I would talk to them, but none of them like me."
"I'm sure that's not true," his mother said trying to comfort him.
His gaze had returned to his plate, but he looked back up now. His eyes were filled with pain. "Yes, it is. They tell me I'm weird."
"Your teacher said you talk to her after class. She thinks you're very smart, so she doesn't understand why you don't speak up in class."
Gabriel didn't look up from his plate when he answered. "They already make fun of me enough. They all think I'm a know-it-all. I don't mean to be that way."
He finished eating his dinner in silence. His parents exchanged concerned glances with each other, but he didn't notice; he was too busy concentrating on his plate. When he had finished, Gabriel asked to be excused. His father nodded, and the young boy slid his chair away from the table.
He made his way up the stairs deep in thought. He was only eleven years old, but sometimes he felt several years older. Once in his room, he sat at the desk and opened his book again. The title of it was Mysteries of the Ancient Ones. It had everything, or at least everything that anyone knew, about the Anasazis in it. The page he had opened to had a picture of a necklace. He had to squint to make it out. There was a sun caught in a web hanging from a leather string. He looked under the picture and started reading the caption out loud.
"The above necklace was worn by Anasazi ritual performers. It was believed that only these men could wear it. If anyone else put it on, it was believed that their soul would blacken and turn evil."
Gabriel's eyes widened with interest. He found the paragraph that talked about the necklace and read more about it. He didn't hear his dad when he knocked on the door. The sound of the door opening brought him out of his trance-like state. His head spun around, and when he saw his dad, a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Sorry, Dad. Didn't hear you."
Peter Bowman smiled at his son. "Must be a good book?"
Gabriel nodded his head. "Very interesting."
His father sat down on the bed and cleared his throat. Gabriel's eyes sharpened knowing he was about to say something. Before he could, the young boy said, "Don't worry about it, Dad. I know what you're gonna say. They're just jealous, just ignore them. It doesn't work, but don't worry about it."
Peter put his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "You're older than your years, son. And sometimes I wish you weren't. But you'll be fine. I'm sure of that."
Gabriel smiled at his dad, but didn't know what to say in reply. Peter released his shoulder and said, "Amie's downstairs."
A wide grin spread across his face, and he ran his fingers quickly through his hair. Then, he nearly flew past his father and down the stairs. As soon as he reached the bottom, he slowed down and calmly walked to the front door. He opened it and slipped outside.
Amie was standing on the porch. She was four inches taller than his 4 feet, 9 inches. It didn't look like she had brushed her brown hair, but he knew she had. It didn't matter if she did anything with it, because it never stayed in place. Her brown eyes were shining happily; the way they always were. She couldn't hide her emotions because of them. After three months of school, her tan was beginning to fade.
"Hello, Amie. How are you?"
"Good. What did Mrs. Sheridan say about you?"
"I don't talk enough, and I'm antisocial."
Amie giggled. "My parents said she told them the same thing about me."
Gabriel ran his fingers unconsciously through his hair. "Wonder what she said about Sly."
"Want to go see him?"
He nodded his head. "Hold on. Let me make sure I can." He stepped back through the door and found his parents in the living room. He cleared his throat, and when they looked at him, he asked, "Dad, can I go to see Sly?"
Peter glanced down at his watch, then back up at his son. "Sure, but don't stay long. It's going to be dark in about an hour. Be home before that."
"I will," he replied before dashing out the door. Once they arrived at their friend's house, Gabriel knocked on the door. Sly's mother answered, and the young boy asked her, "Is Sly here?"
She smiled at them and nodded her head. "He's back in his room. Come on in."
They walked down the hallway to their friend's bedroom. He let them in then closed the door again. Amie sat on the bed, and Gabriel walked over to the desk and looked at the paper laying on it. Picking it up, he turned to Sly. "This is really good, man."
"Thanks, Gabe. I started it this morning."
Amie shook her head. "I'm always writing, Gabe's always reading about the ancient and mysterious, and you're always drawing. We make a perfect team."
The three of them grinned. Then Gabriel asked, "What did Mrs. Sheridan say about you?"
"I don't talk enough and draw too much. She thinks I should be more social."
Amie giggled. "She thinks the same thing about us."
They talked for another ten minutes, then Gabriel said, "I need to go. Have to be home before dark."
"Okay, Gabe," Sly said. "See you in school Monday."
Gabriel and Amie walked outside saying good bye to Sly's mother on their way out the door. He walked with Amie to her house. Once she had closed the door behind her, he turned around and walked home.
*******
The three friends were sitting at a picnic table on the school playground after lunch. Gabriel had his book open; Sly was sketching a drawing, and Amie was working on a story. The two boys were sitting on one side of the table with Amie across from them. They all heard the footsteps as two boys came up to the table.
Gabriel's head jerked up, and his eyes narrowed as he recognized them. Matt and Dale Nolan were twins. They were also bullies. They had dark blond hair and green eyes that always had a mean look in them. Amie shrunk away from the larger one, Dale, as he came closer. These two never seemed to leave her alone. He grabbed her notebook from the table and started flipping through it.
"Give that back to me," she demanded with more force than she felt.
He ripped out a page, crushed it into a ball, and dropped it on the ground. Gabriel stood up and walked slowly around the table; the rage was rising in him. When he reached Dale, he grabbed his arm and said, "She told you to give it back, now give it back."
Dale's other arm came around and hit Gabriel in the stomach. He doubled over in pain and let go of the arm. Then, a fist smashed against his nose. He was stunned for a second until the rage took over. One fist caught Dale over the eye, and the next one hit him in the chin. Dale stumbled back and tripped over Sly's outstretched leg. Matt stepped forward and he hit Gabriel in the nose again.
His hands went to his nose and the other boy hit him in the stomach sending Gabriel to the ground. A second later he was getting to his feet. Before either of them could land any more blows, a teacher was separating them. "How many times do I have to tell you two to stop picking fights?" It was a rhetorical question, so he didn't expect an answer. He didn't get one.
While Matt stared at the ground, Dale glared around the teacher at Gabriel. He met the other boy's glare with on of his own. Turning to him, the teacher said, "Gabriel, go to the nurse and have her clean you up. Then, go to the office. You two," he said to the other boys, "get there now. Mr. Farrell can decide what to do with you."
With a glance at his two friends, Gabriel started up to the school. Blood was running from his nose, and his stomach hurt from the blows he had taken there. Once the nurse had stopped the bleeding, she washed the dried blood from under his nose. Then, he walked to the office. He had to wait outside until the principal called him in.
Dale and Matt brushed past him as they left the office. He walked inside and sat in a chair across the desk from Mr. Farrell. "What happened, Gabriel? They told me," he said waving at the closed door, "that you started it. But I can't believe that you would provoke them."
"I didn't, sir."
"Then what happened?"
"They were picking on Amie. They wouldn't leave her alone."
"You should have told the teacher on duty."
"I know, sir. I'm sorry."
"From now on if they bother you, tell a teacher. Don't get into a fight."
"I won't, sir."
"I still have to call your parents, you know."
"Yes, sir," Gabriel replied softly.
The principal looked at him with sympathy. When he spoke, his voice was firm, but kind. "That's all. Get to class."
*******
When Gabriel got home after school, his parents were waiting for him in the living room. Both of them looked incredibly upset. With his head bent, he stood in front of them. "Sit down," his father said.
He let his book bag slip from his back, then sank into a chair keeping his eyes on the floor. He chanced a look up at his father's face. He could see a combination of anger and sadness in it. Not able to stand to see the look of disappointment there as well, his gaze returned to the floor.
"I got a call from your principal today. He said that you got into a fight at recess. Gabriel, look at me."
The young boy forced his head up. He was doing his best to keep the tears back. He didn't want his dad to be mad at him, and he didn't want him to see him cry like a baby. He also didn't know how to fix things. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"Why did you get into a fight with these boys? You don't usually do things like that."
"They were picking on Amie."
"And for this you picked a fight?" Peter interrupted.
"She's my friend! I couldn't let them do that," he replied trying to make his father understand.
The pain in his son's voice made it even harder for punishing him for something the boy thought he had done for the right reasons. "You're grounded. You will come home right after school every day for the next two weeks. You will not go to Sly's or Amie's house for that same amount of time. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Good. Now, go up to your room until supper is ready."
Gabriel picked up his book bag and dragged his feet up the stairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and sank onto his bed. Large teardrops rolled down his cheeks. He wished his dad could understand why he felt he'd had to fight. But he didn't, and Gabriel knew he never would.
He wiped the wetness from his face. For the next hour, he just stared across the room at the wall. Then, his mother called him down to dinner. It was eaten in silence, and when he had finished, Gabriel went back up to his room to do his homework.
A half hour later he heard his door open, but didn't look around. He recognized his father's footstep as he walked across the room. His hand came down lightly on Gabriel's shoulder letting him know that everything was okay. They stayed that way for a minute, then he withdrew his hand and left the room without saying a word.
*******
The next day Gabriel was walking home after school. He was afraid that Sly and Amie thought he was mad at them because he wouldn't walk home with them after school like he usually did. That morning he hadn't said anything more than hello to them. They had tried to cheer him up, but nothing would make him smile. If anything, it made him feel worse. He was dwelling on this and kicking a rock in front of him on the way home.
With his mind occupied, he didn't notice the boy's stepping in front of him until they were blocking his way. Gabriel looked at them sharply and demanded, "Get out of my way. I have to get home."
"I don't care," Dale Nolan replied. "Because of you, we were suspended. You're gonna pay for that."
"It's not my fault. I'm not the one pushing other kids around so I can feel good about myself."
Matt slipped around behind him and grabbed Gabriel's arms. Dale hit him in the stomach several times, then started in on his face. Finally he stopped, and Matt let go of his arms. His knees gave out on him causing him to fall to the ground. They sent a couple of boots to his ribs before running off as someone came out and yelled at them.
The old man walked over to where Gabriel was laying curled up in a ball. He helped the young boy to his feet just as he started to vomit. When he had finished, the man got him into the house. He sat him down in a chair, then washed the blood from his face. Gabriel just kept saying, "I have to go. I have to get home."
Finally the man asked him what his phone number was. Then, he called Gabriel's parents. While they were waiting for them to come pick him up, the old man felt along each of his patient's ribs, but didn't think anything was broken. "Probably just bruised," he muttered to himself.
There was a cut above Gabriel's left eye, and there was no doubt that his right one would be swollen in only a short time. There was also a cut on his right cheekbone. His jaw was mottled purple and yellow. Blood was still flowing from his nose, and his lip was split.
Ten minutes later his parents arrived. His mother wrapped her arms around him and wouldn't stop asking if he was all right. He assured her that he was, but she wouldn't listen to him. Peter tried to help him out to the car, but he didn't want any help. He made it out to the car before a wave of nausea washed over him. It left him feeling weak, and his legs started to fold under him. His father rushed over to him and helped him into the car. Turning back to the man, he said, "Thank you. I'm sorry about the mess."
"It's not a problem. I'm glad I could help."
When they got home, his father helped Gabriel into bed. His mother insisted on fussing over him in spite of his arguments. Finally they left him alone, and he pushed himself up in bed. It sent a spear of pain through his ribs, but he just clenched his teeth until it passed. Then, he pulled his math book out of his bag and started his homework.
The next day his parents wouldn't let him go to school. He had to stay in bed all day. His mother brought all of his meals up to him. By the time the sun was going down, he was getting very restless. He swung his feet to the floor and slowly stood up. Then, he walked out of the room and to the top of the stairs. When he got there, his head was spinning out of control. He thought he was going to fall down the stairs, so he turned around and slowly made his way back to his room.
The day after that he was back in school. At lunch, Amie sat across from him and said, "They're gone."
Gabriel's mind was still working slowly from the blows he had taken. "What?"
"The Nolan twins. They were transferred to another school."
It took as second for what she had said to sink in, then he let out a sigh of relief. "Good," was all he said before finishing his lunch.
"Teen Angel"
Gabriel was slipping into his tuxedo jacket when there was a knock on his bedroom door. He turned around and saw his dad standing there. He grinned at him nervously.
"You almost ready?" Peter asked him. "Amie’s here."
He looked around for his shoes. After finding them and slipping them on, he nodded his head. He followed his father down the stairs and into the living room. Amie and his mother were standing together with their backs to the doorway.
Amie turned around when she heard their footsteps stop. Gabriel started to say something but his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t believe that this young woman was really his tomboy friend. It had taken quite a bit of urging to even get her to go to their junior prom with him. Finally both of their mothers had managed to talk her into going. It had taken some convincing to get him to go as well. Now he was glad that they had.
Her bangs were curled under. The sides and about half of the back were pulled up and held in place with bobby pins. The rest of the back was curled under. It hung to her shoulders. She had light blue eyeshadow on and only a small amount of blush.
Her dress was light blue at the top and darkened as it went down. There was a glitter flower patter on it, and thin straps went over her shoulders. It only came halfway up her back.
Gabriel opened his mouth and closed it again several time, but no words came out of it. He finally found his voice again and said, "Amie, you look beautiful."
She shook her head in disagreement. "I look weird. I don’t belong in a dress."
"You look fine, Amie," Gabriel’s mom assured her.
As they started toward the door, his mother stopped him with a light touch on his shoulder. He turned back to her, and she laid a gentle kiss on his cheek. "You look quite handsome, Gabriel. Now, go and have fun tonight."
They walked out to the car, and he opened the door for her. She got in awkwardly, not accustomed to the dress yet. He climbed in on the other side and drove to the restaurant. There they met Sly and his date, Trish Keely. After the four of them had finished eating, they piled into Gabriel’s car and headed for the hotel where the dance was being held. Several couples were already there.
The music could be heard as they walked inside. The room was elaborately decorated. Streamers hung from the ceiling. No one was dancing yet. Everyone was standing in groups talking. When the next song started playing, a few couples headed out onto the dance floor. Gabriel took Amie’s arm and led her onto it. They danced to the next couple of songs, then decided to take a break.
They had just reached the edge of the floor when Amie felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jerked her body away and spun around to face the guy. She recognized him from school, but couldn’t remember his name. He reeked of alcohol, and her nose wrinkled up at the smell of it. He grabbed her arms and started to pull her away from Gabriel.
It didn’t take him long to realize what was happening. When he did, he started to push the other boy away from his date. He released Amie’s arms and focused his attention on Gabriel.
Patrick Fairbanks was a large seventeen year old. He had light brown hair and green eyes. He was the star football player of the school. His arms and shoulders were packed with muscle. There was always a sneer on his face. "It’s my turn to dance with her," he said with a taunting smile.
"No, it’s not. She’s with me, and you’re drunk."
Patrick pushed Gabriel to the floor. He hit it hard on his back, and his breath was knocked out of him. It took several seconds for him to recover it, then he pushed himself to his feet. The larger boy stepped forward and sent two punches into Gabriel’s stomach. He doubled over in pain and before he could straighten up, a fist to his chin sent him sailing to the floor. Two chaperones came over and grabbed Patrick’s arms dragging him out of the building.
Sly ran over to Gabriel and helped him to his feet. "You okay, Gabe?"
He silently nodded his head; still dazed. Amie helped him to his feet and over to the side of the room. His face had gone white. After a minute, he pushed himself away from the wall and walked out the door. Gabriel staggered down the hall. He had only made it half of the way to the bathrooms when the wave of nausea hit him. Once he had finished vomiting, he sank to a sitting position against the wall. He closed his eyes, and his head fell to his knees.
Several minutes later he heard footsteps approaching. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and looked to see who it was. Amie stopped and looked down at him. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.
There was a wry smile on his face when he shook his head. "Far from it. Can you help me up?" He asked holding his hand out to her.
When he was on his feet again, she asked him, "Do you want to go home now? It really wouldn’t bother me if we left."
"Let me find Sly. We have to take him to get his car, so we can’t leave without him."
Just them he saw Trish and Sly walking toward them. They had been looking for him. "Let’s get out of here," Sly suggested.
"All right," Gabriel replied.
They retrieved their coats and started outside. Sly promised to be right out. First he wanted to say goodbye to a few people. The rest of them walked out of the building. The three of them were almost to Gabriel’s car when someone stepped out of the shadows. Gabriel recognized him as Patrick Fairbanks.
"What do you want?" He demanded. "Why are you still here?"
"I still want that dance with her," he replied with a nod to her.
"Well, you won’t get it. Now, get out of our way." He was almost shouting. His temper was getting the best of him. Patrick just laughed at him. It held no amusement and sent a chill down Gabriel’s spine, but he was angry now and wasn’t planning on backing down. He stepped forward, but in a warning voice, Amie said his name. His head involuntarily turned toward her, and he didn’t see the fist until it was too late. He hit the ground on his shoulder and held back a cry of pain.
He got slowly to his feet and stepped forward again. Two more people came out of the shadows and grabbed his arms. Patrick hit him in the nose, then he jabbed him in the mouth. He hit him in the mouth again splitting his bottom lip. He moved down to Gabriel’s stomach and sent several punches there until he could hear the sound of cracking ribs. He motioned to his friends, and they let Gabriel fall to the ground.
Amie started forward, but he motioned for her to stay back. He got to his knees before a kick in his ribs laid him flat on his stomach. He was assaulted with several more kicks. Then the three boys stepped back and waited for him to try to get up again. He disappointed them though. Groaning in pain, he brought his knees up to his chest to protect his stomach from any more blows.
Seeing that their fun was just about over, the two other boys strode away, laughing. Patrick grabbed Amie’s arm and pulled her toward his car. She tried to get away, but he was too strong. He got her into the car and drove off, heading to a place where they would have some privacy.
Gabriel raised his head just in time to see the car speeding away. He let it fall back to the ground. Then he felt hands grabbing and lifting him to his feet. He didn’t remember much, but he must have passed out sometime after that because the next thing he knew, he was laying in a bed. He looked around and saw his parents sitting across the room. "Mom, Dad," he said weakly.
Peter stood up and quickly walked over to his son’s side. "What happened?" Gabriel asked.
"Your ribs were cracked, but there was little damage otherwise."
He shook his head slowly. "What happened to Amie?"
Peter swallowed slowly and wouldn’t meet his son’s eyes. "She’s dead, Gabriel," he managed to get out.
He refused to believe it. "No, she can’t be. She just can’t be."
"I’m sorry, Gabriel." Peter didn’t know how to comfort his son.
He walked over to the door, and his wife followed him out of the room. The only thing they could do was give him time to grieve.
*******
The police had found her body in an open field. The skirt of her dress had been ripped off. The back of her head was covered with blood. She had been raped before he slammed her head against the ground. They knew she had fought back because she had bruises all over her body and there was skin under her fingernails.
Gabriel left the hospital the next day. He locked himself in his room for three days. During that time he didn’t eat anything or talk to anyone. He didn’t come out until the day of Amie’s funeral. His parents’ hearts broke at the sight of him.
His face was pale, and his eyes looked like they were on fire. His hair had not seen a brush since the night of the prom. The shirt he was wearing was extremely wrinkled. His body smelled sweaty and unwashed.
Getting into the shower, he just let the water fall on his head and shoulders. After awhile, he heard a loud knock on the door. "Gabriel, are you almost done?" His father asked from the other side of it. "You’ve been in there for more than half an hour."
"Yeah, I’m coming," he answered turning off the water. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel. Moving like a robot, he dried off and got dressed. His father had laid out an outfit for him; a pair of black pants and a dark grey shirt. Once he had put them on, he brushed his hair and walked out of his room.
He didn’t say one word on the ride to the church, just stared out the window. His face was completely empty of any statement, but inside his emotions were battling each other. Anger and grief finally came out victorious. Ever since Amie had been killed, Gabriel had blamed himself for her death. She was his date, and he felt that he should have been able to protect her. He always forced out the thought that he had done all he could do.
Peter stopped the car in front of the church, and they walked inside in silence. When the service was over, everyone filed past the casket. Gabriel placed a rose under her folded hands. The sight of her lifeless face made tears well up in his eyes. He looked down at her and let the tears slide down his cheeks. "I’m so sorry, Amie. I tried to stop him. I should have protected you, but I didn’t."
His mom put her arm around his shoulders, and they continued walking. He stood silent as they lowered her into the ground half an hour later. Then they drove home. No one said a thing the whole time. When they were back at the house, Gabriel shut himself in his room again. An hour later his dad knocked on the door. "Gabriel, please come out. You can’t stay in there forever. And you can’t blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done."
"I could have protected her better," he said to himself.
Once he realized nothing he could say would bring his son out of his room, he left. Gabriel turned his computer on, but looking for information didn’t ease the pain he was feeling. He changed into a baggy T-shirt and jeans, then laid down on his bed. He couldn’t sleep though. He hadn’t gotten even a minute of peaceful sleep since he had returned home from the hospital. If he was actually able to sleep, he was plagued by nightmares. Finally, he gave it up as useless and stared at the ceiling.
*******
For the last two weeks of school, Gabriel went through his classed like he wasn’t even there. His grades began to slip, and he didn’t talk to anybody. Sly went through a similar transformation. His grades had never been as good as his friend’s, but they began to get even worse. His drawings began to get darker and more macabre.
When Gabriel arrived home after the last day of school, his parents were waiting for him. "They got him," Peter said with satisfaction. Patrick Fairbanks had never returned to school after prom that night. The police had been searching for him.
After a moment the shock wore off, and he said, "Thank God."
His parents wrapped their arms around him. "He’ll get his justice," his mom said.
"I know, Mom."
He started to walk to his room, then changed his mind and walked outside. It took him twenty minutes to get to the cemetery and find Amie’s grave. He sank to his knees and bent his head. He remained in that position in silence for half an hour then got to his feet and started home.
*******
"He got life without chance of parole," Peter told his son when he got back from the courthouse.
"Good."
Gabriel was still withdrawn, but he was starting to come out of his room more. It was the last day of summer vacation before his senior year. As soon as he picked Sly up, they were going to go for pizza. He grabbed his coat and walked out to the car.
"Departure"
"Are you nervous?" Peter asked his son.
"Never," Gabriel replied with an outer confidence he didn’t feel. It didn’t fool his father though.
"You’ll be fine."
Gabriel smiled at him and said, "Thanks, Dad." His parents walked into the auditorium leaving him alone with the rest of his graduating classmates. He had finished third in his class of ninety-six. It should be ninety-seven, he thought to himself.
One by one, the seniors walked into the auditorium, down the aisle, and onto the stage. There was an empty seat where Amie would have sat. Gabriel looked over at it and thought he saw her sitting there. He blinked, and the image was gone. Shaking his head slightly, he turned his attention to the valedictorian’s speech. Once the speeches were over, the graduates and the guests headed over to the gym for pictures and refreshments.
"Do you ever leave your camera at home, mom?" Gabriel teased her.
"Not on a special day like this."
"You’re just glad you’ll finally be rid of me."
Peter chuckled and shook his head. Then, in a half-joking voice he said, "But you’ll never be rid of us."
Gabriel groaned, but couldn’t hold back a laugh. After smiling for what seemed to be an eternity of flashing cameras, everyone started to leave. Gabriel’s parents were taking him and Sly out to dinner. When they stepped outside, Gabriel said, "I’ll meet you at the restaurant. There’s someone I need to talk to first."
They just nodded their heads knowing who that someone was. He still wasn’t completely over her death after more than a year, and he still partially blamed himself for it. His parents walked to their car, but Sly stayed there.
"Sly, go with them."
"Come on, man. Her death killed me too. But I’m not still dwelling on it. Stop doing this to yourself."
"The hell you aren’t, Sly. You’re thinking about her just as often as me. You just don’t let anyone know it."
"I’ve dealt with it," he said not looking at Gabriel.
"No, you haven’t." They were close to screaming at each other by this point. "Your way of dealing is by taking drugs, driving fast cars, and partying. Anything you can do to try to forget. But it’s not working, so why do you keep it up?"
Sly just stared at his friend. He wasn’t quite sure what to say. He finally said in a quiet voice, "Because I don’t know any other way."
"Go with my parents," Gabriel said softly. "I’ll catch up."
He hesitated, then headed over to where Peter stood waiting for him. Once they were gone, Gabriel got into his car and drove off. He pulled up at the cemetery gates, picked a rose up off of the passenger’s seat, and walked to her grave. When he got there, he sank to his knees and placed the flower against the headstone.
There was so much he wanted to say, but couldn’t make the words come out. After five minutes, he put his hand on the headstone, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it away and walked to his car.
When he arrived at the restaurant, his parents and Sly were waiting outside for him. They ate dinner without speaking, then Gabriel took Sly home. They rode there in an uncomfortable silence. He dropped him off, then drove to his house.
*******
"The three of us always go to see the Fourth of July fireworks together though, Gabriel. And this is the last time you’ll be here for them, so you have to come."
"But Dad, I still have to finish packing. Me and Sly are leaving early tomorrow. By noon at least." He knew his friend would not be ready to go much before that.
"You’ll still have time," his father insisted.
"Fine," he replied, surrendering finally.
Peter smiled at him, and Gabriel went to get ready. Half an hour later they left for the fairgrounds where the annual fireworks were being set off. After finding a place to sit, they waited for them to start.
It had been an incredibly hot day, so the slight breeze blowing across his warm skin felt good to him. Three small children were chasing each other around their parents. They were running barefoot in the grass. In the distance, Gabriel could hear someone singing.
It was almost completely dark when the fireworks display began. Flashes of red, green, blue, purple, and white flashed in the sky. It was a beautiful sight, and Gabriel decided that he was glad he had come. After the grand finale, the three of them climbed into the car and headed home. When they got there, Gabriel went to his room to finish packing his stuff.
After graduation, he and Sly had decided that they were going to move to New York City sometime during the summer. His parents weren’t thrilled with this idea. Gabriel was their only son, and they didn’t want him to move too far away. It would only be an hour drive though, so they weren’t going to oppose it.
By the time he had finished, his parents were already in bed. After checking the messages on his computer, he turned it off, shut off the light, and slipped into bed.
*******
In the morning, Gabriel unplugged his computer and packed it into a box for the move. Then, he walked out to the kitchen. His parents had finished eating breakfast over an hour ago, but they were still sitting at the table. After making a cup of coffee, he pulled out a chair and sank into it.
Peter cleared his throat before saying, "We need to talk to you about something, Gabriel."
"What is it?" He asked, curious at the stressed note in his father’s voice.
He didn’t seem to know hot to say what he felt he needed to tell his son. "Well," he started, then lost the words.
His wife looked at him sympathetically. Then, she turned to their son. "Gabriel, you were adopted."
"What?" He thought he had heard her wrong.
"We adopted you."
He tried to form words but was too shocked to speak. Finally he managed to ask, "Why are you telling me this now? Why not earlier?"
"We wanted to wait until you were old enough to decide for yourself what you wanted to do," Peter told him.
"What do you mean ‘what I wanted to do.’?" He was still trying to absorb what he had just learned.
"We wanted to leave it up to you whether or not you tried to find your real parents."
"You are my real parents. I don’t care about someone who didn’t want me. Do you really think they’ve changed their minds eighteen years later? You two raised me. You’re my parents."
During his little speech, Gabriel had been leaning forward over the table. Now he relaxed back in the chair. His parents exchanged a glance then turned their attention back to their son. "We just wanted to tell you so you could make the decision."
"Thanks," he said with a sarcastic note. His mind was still trying to take in the news. He wasn’t sure how to react to it.
"Do you want to start putting your stuff in the car?" Peter asked trying to change the subject.
Gabriel nodded his head, stood up, and walked down the hallway and up the stairs to his room. He carried a box of clothes out to his car while his dad brought out a box of his books. Five minutes later they had everything packed in the car. They returned to the kitchen, and Gabriel’s mother stood up and embraced him. "Don’t forget to call when you get there."
He grinned at her and said, "I won’t, Mom."
"I’m going to miss you. You’d better keep in touch."
"I will, Mom. Don’t worry."
He turned to his dad and took his hand. Peter said, "We wish you weren’t leaving, but I know why you feel you have to. I want to wish you luck. Even though I know you’ll be fine without it."
"Thanks, Dad. I’d better get going before Sly wonders where I am."
"Goodbye, Gabriel."
"Bye. I’ll talk to you when we get there."
He walked out to his car and started it. Then, Gabriel drove to Sly’s house. They got his stuff in the car, then pulled away from his house and headed out of town.
"Your parents make a big deal about this move?" Sly asked.
He decided not to tell his friend what they had told him that morning. "Not really. They don’t like it, but my dad understands at least."
"Your mom cry when you were leaving?"
"Probably waited ‘til I left."
"I think mine were glad to be rid of me. They practically pushed me out the door."
Gabriel just shook his head knowing his friend was exaggerating. There was sparse and intermittent conversation for the rest of the trip. When they arrived, he drove slowly down the streets looking for the apartment building where they would be living. When they finally found it, the landlord was waiting outside for them. He nodded at them and said, "You’ll be Gabriel Bowman and Sly Marcus?"
"Yeah," Gabriel replied.
They followed him into the building and up the stairs. The landlord stopped in front of a door with the number 111 on it. He opened it, and they stepped inside. They were standing in the living room with the kitchen off to their left. There were four doors on the other side of the living room. One was a closet, two opened into bedrooms, and the other one was a bathroom. Directly across from where they stood was a window. Outside of it was the fire escape.
Before he left, the landlord placed two sets of keys on the counter. "There’s a set there for both of you. And here’s my number if you need anything," he said handing a piece of paper to Gabriel.
Once he left, they walked back out to the car and started carrying the boxes inside. The first thing Gabriel brought up was his computer. He hooked it up in the room farthest from the door before going back down for the rest of his boxes. He put them in the same room. When he had finished unpacking his clothes, he started on the boxes of books.
He was putting a bunch of them on a shelf when one slipped from his grasp and crashed to the floor. A piece of paper fell from it, and he bent down to pick it up off of the floor. Unfolding it, he saw a picture of the Anasazi necklace he had read about when he was younger. Underneath the picture was an e-mail address and phone number of the person who had owned it five years before. "Wonder if he still has it?" He asked himself out loud.
"Who still has what?" Sly asked, poking his head into the room.
"Oh, nothing," Gabriel replied quickly.
His friend shrugged and said, "Okay. I’m gonna go out for a bit and see what trouble I can find."
He nodded. "Whatever. See you tomorrow, then."
When Sly was gone, Gabriel turned on his computer. Bringing up his e-mail, he sent a quick message to the owner of the necklace asking if he still had it and if not, did he know who did. Then, he signed off and finished unpacking.
In the morning, he rolled out of bed and made his way into the kitchen. After making a cup of coffee, he sat down at the table. He had just finished drinking it when Sly stepped out of his room. "Got any more coffee?" He asked as a yawn escaped from his mouth. "Yeah. There’s still some in the pot."
Sly poured some of it into a cup, then sank into a chair across from his friend.
"Rough night?" Gabriel asked, noticing Sly’s disheveled look.
"Yeah. Rather not talk about it though."
He shrugged. "Whatever."
Sly finished his coffee, then started another pot. Gabriel took his cup to the sink, then walked into his room and turned on his computer wanting to see if he had received a reply from the man he had contacted the night before. When he brought up his e-mail, there was a message for him. A smile spread quickly across his face. The message read:
Mister Bowman,
I do still have the article you request in my possession. Feel free to call me to discuss an agreement.
Kenneth Irons
After reading it, he closed the window and picked up the phone. Then, a thought struck him. "How’d he know I had his number?" He asked aloud.
"What are you talking about, man?" Sly was standing in the doorway. He was beginning to think his friend was getting even stranger day by day.
"Ah, nothing important. I just need to call someone."
"All right, Gabe," he replied rolling his eyes at his friend’s behavior.
He picked the piece of paper up from his desk and dialed the number written on it. A bland feminine voice answered after two rings. "Vorschlag Industries."
"I’d like to speak with Kenneth Irons, please," Gabriel told her trying to sound as professional as he could.
"Hold on a moment, sir." With that, she put him on hold.
After about a five minute wait, a smooth male voice came over the line. "Mister Bowman."
"How did you know?" He asked, confused.
"Does it really matter?"
"Ah, no. I guess not."
"You were calling to discuss our agreement."
Thinking this was a question, he replied, "Yeah." He was still trying to figure out how he had known it was him calling.
"Why don’t you come here so we can discuss this transaction face to face."
"Why did I have to call you then?" He asked, and was answered with silence.
He hung up the phone and shook his head. Walking out of his room, he told Sly, "I’ve gotta go out to see someone. I’ll be back later."
"Have fun," Sly said snorting with amusement. He thought his friend was going to see a girl.
Gabriel just shook his head at his friend, then walked out the door.
*******
It didn’t take him long to find Vorschlag Industries. Walking inside, he found himself in a large lobby. He strode over to a woman who was sitting behind a desk. "I’m here to see Kenneth Irons."
"Right down the hallway, sir. It’s the door on the left."
"Thank you."
He started down the way she had indicated. Stopping at the first door on the left side of the hall, he hoped it was the right one. The woman hadn’t told him what door on the left side. The door swung open before him. He took a deep breath, let it out again, and stepped into the room. A tall, white-haired man stood at the other side of the room with his back to the door. At the sound of Gabriel’s footsteps, he slowly turned around. The young man thought his smile looked like a snake’s.
"Glad you came, Mister Bowman."
Gabriel wished he would stop doing that. It unnerved him, but he didn’t let it show. "What else could I do? You didn’t exactly tell me anything over the phone."
"Well, what do you want to know?"
Gabriel let out a frustrated sigh. "I came here to discuss a business deal. You know that."
"Of course. I’ll have someone bring it by your place tomorrow."
"But," he started to protest, but was cut off by Irons’ wave of dismissal.
"There’s nothing else for us to discuss. You may go now."
Gabriel’s teeth clenched together trying to keep his anger under control. He hated when someone tried to make him feel inferior to them. He took a deep breath, and decided this wasn’t the time or place for a confrontation with this man. Then, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.
*******
The next morning Gabriel was brought out of his sleep by a knock on the door. He pulled on a pair of jeans and was buttoning them up before a second knock came. "Hold on. I’m coming," he yelled as he slipped into a shirt. He walked into the living room and over to the door. Opening it, he saw his landlord standing there.
"Someone dropped this off for you this morning," he told his as he handed a box to Gabriel.
"Thanks."
"Not a problem," he said turning to leave.
Gabriel closed the door and walked to his bedroom. While his computer was starting up, he took the lid off of the box and lifted the necklace out of it. There were small turquoise stones in the web design. The sun was carved out of a white stone. He set it back in the box and turned to his computer. He was almost finished making a website when he realized he hadn’t thought of a name for it yet.
"What are you doing?" Sly’s question came from behind him.
He turned around in his chair and smiled in greeting. "Just trying to think."
"I won’t distract you then. I know how hard that is for you," he teased his friend.
"Ha ha. You think you’re funny, don’t you, Sly?"
"Yep." He grinned, then asked seriously, "What are you trying to think about?"
"A name for this website I just started to make."
"What’s it for?"
Gabriel took the necklace out of the box again and showed it to Sly. "So far this is all I have to put on it, but I’m hoping to get more. Talismans, artifacts, and the like."
His friend thought for a moment, then he said, "What about talisman.com?"
Gabriel rolled the idea around in his head for a moment, then thought of something. "Talismaniac.com."
Sly nodded his head. "That sounds good."
Gabriel finished building the website. Then, he took the digital camera his parents had given him for his eighteenth birthday off of the desk and took a picture of the necklace to put up on the website. Once he had finished that task, he and Sly walked into the living room.
*******
Two months later Gabriel’s business was rolling. He had gained access to many more artifacts. He was making a lot of money from the sale of these. One day while the two friends were sitting at the table drinking their morning cup of coffee, Gabriel looked up and said, "I should probably try to find someplace to keep this stuff. A warehouse or something."
Sly just nodded his head absently. He seemed to be distracted by something.
"What’s on your mind, Sly?" Gabriel asked, setting his cup down on the table.
"Huh?" Sly shook his head and blinked a couple of times. "Oh, nothing."
"Don’t tell me that. I can tell when you’re thinking about something."
Sly nodded his head knowing his friend was right. He had never been able to hide anything from him. "I got a letter in the mail yesterday."
"From who?"
"Vorschlag Industries. They’re offering me a scholarship type thing to draw."
"Sly, that’s great. Did you accept?"
"Not yet. Wasn’t sure if I should."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I’m not sure."
"You should."
He gave his friend a brief smile. "I’m sure you’re right."
"Always am."
Gabriel finished drinking his coffee and stood up. "I’m gonna go buy a paper."
"You do that every morning. Why do you still announce it every time?"
He just grinned at Sly. Slipping his jacket on, he walked out into the hall. When he stepped out of the main doors, a blast of cold air hit him. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and walked down the street. After he bought a paper, Gabriel headed back to the apartment.
He took out the classifieds section of it and dropped the rest on the floor. Spreading the newspaper out on the table, he skimmed each column for any buildings that were for sale. He finally found one that sounded promising. "Sly, listen to this. ‘One story. Two rooms. Front one is larger than back one. Needs no repairs. $1100. Call 734-5411."
"You gonna call them?"
"Yeah."
When he hung up the phone ten minutes later, he told Sly, "I’m going to take a look at the place. Sounds like it could be a good buy."
"See you later."
*******
An hour later Gabriel shook hands with the previous owners of the building. "I can pay you now," he told them.
"That’ll be fine. We want to get this deal done so we can move soon."
He nodded his head. "Just let me get my checkbook out of my car."
After he handed them the check, they shook hands again. Then, he got in his car and drove home. When he got there, Sly wasn’t around. Gabriel didn’t think anything of it because he was always coming and going. He went into his bedroom and turned on his computer.
*******
Several months later Sly found a place of his own. Gabriel helped him move his stuff into it. When they had finished carrying everything inside, he took a look around. "This place is nice, man."
Sly smiled at him as he started to open a box. Gabriel spun around when he heard the door swing open behind him. A young man who looked to be only a few years older than them stood framed in the doorway. He took a step forward, and Gabriel could see him more clearly. He had dark blond hair and sharp, deep-set green eyes. His nose was pointed and the bones of his face were thin. His thin lips opened to say, "Hello, Sly."
"Hey there, Pike. This is Gabriel," he said pointing to his friend. "Gabe, this is Pike Donless, my partner in Parricide comics."
As soon as Gabriel took the other man’s hand in his, he had a bad feeling about him. He didn’t know what caused it, but for some reason he didn’t trust this man. Turning to Sly, he said, "I should get going now. Talk to you later." He walked outside, climbed into his car, and drove back to his apartment.
*******
About a year later, Gabriel was in his kitchen when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Sly standing there. "What are you doing here?"
"Have something to show you."
"Come on in."
He handed a newspaper to him as he walked past. "Look on page eleven. It should remind you of someone."
Gabriel quickly skimmed the article, then looked up at Sly. His eyes had a sad look in them. "She writes like Amie." Then, he looked at the name of the writer. "Renee Mackenzie."
"Thought you might want to see it."
"Mmhmm," Gabriel replied through pursed lips.
"I need to get going now."
He nodded and started to hand the newspaper back to his friend, but Sly just shook his head. "You can keep it."
"Thanks," he said in a voice that was almost a whisper.
"No problem, man."
After he had left, Gabriel sat on the couch and just started at the newspaper article. He thought that he had finally managed to get over Amie’s death, but this brought back all the memories and emotions. "Guess I’ll never forget you," he said out loud.
He dropped the paper onto the couch, then walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. When a voice greeted him on the other end of the line, he said, "Hello, Mom."
"Gabriel! It’s so good to hear from you."
He let out a laugh. "Just talked to you last night, Mom."
"I know, but I still missed talking to you."
Almost an hour later, he finally managed to get him mom to stop talking so he could hang up. When he did, he started to make his dinner. He ate it and washed his plate. Then, he sank onto the couch and turned the television on. He wasn’t paying any attention to the show that was on. Instead, he was thinking about Amie. After more than an hour, he fell asleep with thoughts of her still running through his head.
*******
"But Gabe, it’s your twenty-first birthday. I can’t celebrate it by myself."
"I’m sorry, but I can’t go, Sly. I’m meeting with a new buyer today."
"That won’t take all night."
"I certainly hope not."
"Then you can come later."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Then, it’s settled. I should be there around nine tonight."
Sly left the shop, and Gabriel walked into the back room. Ten minutes later he heard a light tap on the front door. He opened it and let the man come inside. "You’re Robert Foster?"
"Yes, I am."
He had brown eyes covered by glassed and his hair was straight and dark brown.
"I have your head. It’s in the back room. I’ll be right back."
When he came back out, he was carrying a box. Inside of it was a skull. It was misshaped and covered with multiple colors.
"Thank you," he said as he took the box and handed several large bills to him. Then, he turned and left.
Gabriel finished up with what he was doing. Then, he went home to get ready to go out with Sly. When he was ready to go, he slipped his coat on and walked out the door.
He got to the club, but didn’t see Sly there. "Must be early," he muttered to himself.
Walking up the bar, he looked around at the other people there. The bartender walked up to him and asked, "What can I get for you?"
"Nothing yet. I’m just waiting for a friend."
The man shrugged and walked off to help another customer. Half an hour later Sly still hadn’t shown up. He was starting to get worried, but decided to wait another fifteen minutes. He was about to give up and leave when he saw his friend walking toward him.
"Where’ve you been? I’ve been waiting for almost forty-five minutes."
"Sorry. Had to go pick up something for you."
He hadn’t seen Sly carry anything in. "Where is it?"
"Hold on," he said as he started to walk away. He returned a few minutes later followed by a young woman. She had red hair that flowed past her shoulders, and her green eyes stood out in her pale face. "This is Erin Silvers. Erin, this is Gabriel."
"Sly, why do you keep on doing this?"
"Come on, man. Just go sit down and talk to her. I’ll get us some drinks."
He let out a frustrated sigh, but just shrugged. They found a table, and sat there in silence. She seemed to want to say something, but didn’t open her mouth. "Say it."
"What?"
"Whatever it is you want to say."
She hesitated, then said, "You don’t seem very happy with him."
He shook his head. "I just get tired of him doing this."
"Trying to set you up?"
"Yeah. He thinks he’s doing me a favor, but." He just let the sentence trail off.
She chuckled. "Meddling friends."
He joined in her laughter.
"He’s coming," she whispered.
They sobered up, and Gabriel turned around to see his friend grinning at him. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Sly set the glassed down on the table and said, "Happy Birthday, Gabriel. Now, have some fun."
They downed the drinks and started talking and laughing. An hour later they got up to leave. Erin slipped a piece of paper into Gabriel’s hand and said, "Call me sometime."
When he got home, he undressed and slipped into his bed. It only took him a minute to fall asleep.
*******
Gabriel slipped his jacket on and picked up the box with the head in it. It was green with white and black hair. He started outside and walked down the street. Ten minutes later he arrived at Robert Foster’s apartment. Switching the box to his right arm, he opened the door.
THE END
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