Chapter 3

“Who’s up for a game of Catan?” Aria asked an hour later.

Calypso was sitting in the front room studying their collection of instruments. When Clarice had finished her back massage, Calypso had pulled her into a fierce hug and thanked her profusely. Clarice had been all gloating satisfaction since discovering Calypso’s “wing muscles”.

“What’s Catan?” Calypso asked curiously. She had undergone another transformation after Clarice had finished her massage. Eyes that had already become as bright as gemstones now had an actual inner glow. It was getting easier and easier to see her as some kind of angelic being. Her striking features and large, expressive eyes made it hard not to stare at her.

“It’s a board game,” Aria answered cheerfully. “One of the best board games. I’m guessing you haven’t ever played a board game?”

Calypso shook her head, her glowing eyes curious.

“Perfect, we’ll teach you how to play,” Aria told her with a quick grin. “It’s not too complicated.”

They spent the next half hour playing Catan with Calypso. As she became more familiar with the rules she began to have fun. It wasn’t until half-way through the game that she ruined it for them.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t roll the dice to the numbers I want?” Calypso asked curiously.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Aria stared at her in confusion.

“If I need a two, shouldn’t I just roll a two?” Calypso asked, rolling the dice.

Aria stared at the pair of one’s in front of her. “Did you roll that on purpose?”

“Of course,” Calypso replied slowly. “I’m on the resource with the two on it. Don’t I want the two?”

“Do me a favor and roll a three real fast,” Aria said, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach.

Calypso looked at her strangely but complied. She picked up the dice and rolled a one and a two.

Clarice burst out laughing at the look of dismay on Aria’s face. When her expression grew affronted, Clarice laughed harder, nearly falling out of her chair.

“What am I missing?” Calypso asked, her lips curving up as she watched the mirthful Clarice.

“Okay, another lesson on the limitations of mortals,” Aria sighed, her shoulders slumping resignedly. “We can’t make the dice roll to whatever number we want. It’s just random for us.”

“Really?” Calypso looked at her in surprise, violet eyes looking at her curiously.

“Yeah, really,” Aria confirmed in a dry tone. “How, exactly, are you making it roll the number you want?”

“You can feel the little dots that indicate which number it is when they are in your hands,” Calypso answered, demonstrating by holding the two dice. “Then, you just roll them with the correct amount of force and spin to make them show up with the number you want.”

“Of course you do,” Aria facepalmed. “I need to take you to Vegas.”

“She’s just bitter because she always wins Catan,” Clarice informed Calypso, laughter still thick in her voice. “She claimed she always got such good numbers because the gods loved her. I think maybe the god’s don’t lover her so much anymore.”

“They still love me,” Aria declared airily. “They sent me an angel, after all.”

Calypso blushed as Aria winked at her and Clarice rolled her eyes.

“Okay, for the rest of the game, just roll them randomly,” Aria instructed Calypso firmly.

“It will be our little secret if you forget sometimes,” Clarice told Calypso with a wink and a nudge.

Calypso threw her head back and laughed. It was so infectious that Aria found herself laughing along with her.

When Aria finally won, barely, she smiled victoriously at Clarice. “The gods still love me!”

Clarice made a sour face and threw a settlement at her.

The room was filled with warm affection and joy as Calypso’s aura saturated the area. She was clearly enjoying the experience of having friends and trying new things. She was like a rose starved of water and sunlight that was finally getting the sustenance it so desperately needed to thrive and bloom.

“Should we head over to mom’s house now?” Aria questioned Clarice, looking around the apartment uneasily. “If I had a sixth sense, it would be telling me we need to leave now.”

“Agreed,” Clarice nodded, her dark eyes wary. “I’m getting the same vibe for some reason.”

“What is it?” Calypso asked them in concern.

“Just a feeling,” Aria answered with a shrug. “We were going to visit my parents this evening anyway. We’ll just go a little earlier.”

“But let’s bring some of our instruments,” Clarice suggested, eyeing Calypso meaningfully. “We may be gone for a while, and I don’t want to leave all of them behind.”

“Yeah, let’s pack up like we are going on a long vacation,” Aria said eagerly. “It will be fun.”

Clarice snorted a laugh. “Never grow up, Aria.”

It took them almost an hour to pack up and load everything they wanted in both of their cars. When it was time to leave, Aria pulled out a hooded cloak she had used on Halloween and had Calypso wear it down to her car. She had argued that while it might catch some attention, it wouldn’t matter so long as they couldn’t see Calypso. People did weird stuff all of the time.

Calypso was driving in Aria’s car while Clarice was driving her own car, laden with as many of their musical instruments as they could fit. Clarice had argued vehemently for Calypso to drive with her. They had finally settled it with a rock, paper, scissors. Aria had won three out of three, much to Clarice’s disgust. She had cursed the gods for doting on redheads as they carried their instruments down to her car.

Aria took pity on Clarice and called her after a few miles and put the phone through the car’s Bluetooth so that they could all be included.

“Just don’t say anything too revealing,” Clarice had warned them. “I’m sure they can have phone conversations flagged for hot topic words, so let’s not give them any reason to tap our call.”

“They probably have voice recognition as well,” Aria pointed out. “Maybe a certain angel shouldn’t talk when we are on the phone in case they are able to flag the call with a voice match.”

“This is getting so cloak and dagger,” Clarice sighed irritably. “Too bad privacy is a thing of the past.”

They stayed silent for most of the drive. Calypso was enjoying being a passenger and being able to observe the world around her. She still wore Aria’s cloak, since the car didn’t have tinted windows.

About an hour into their drive a guy on a motorcycle drove up next to her car and started popping a wheely. He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively as he stayed parallel to her car.

“Mom always said you were too pretty for your own good,” Clarice noted in an amused tone. She was driving right behind Aria, watching the hormones on wheels trying to get her attention.

“What is with people like this?” Aria grumbled sourly. “Does this kind of thing ever work on girls? Seriously.”

“I doubt it,” Clarice replied dryly. “Nobody ever claimed hormones and brains went together.”

“I’m just going to ignore him and see if he goes away,” Aria declared in irritation. “He’ll have to give up eventually, right?”

The man had sped up and moved over to the shoulder on the passenger side of the car, then slowed down so that he was riding next to Calypso. He made a gesture at her to pull her cloak off. She turned her head and looked at the man, her glowing eyes plainly visible beneath the dark cowl. The man jerked sideways in surprise, then lost control of his bike. It slid sideways down the shoulder with him tumbling along behind it. Aria slammed on her breaks as his body rolled into the lane.

“Aw shit,” Aria swore as she put the car in park. “Clarice, can you put your hazards on and try to slow traffic down, so we don’t get hit?”

She ran out of her car, dodging a semi-truck that missed her by inches. She ran up to the man sprawled out in the road, dreading what she would find. His legs were twisted in ways legs should definitely not twist. He was as silent as the grave when she reached him, his eyes staring lifelessly. It was a miracle his helmetless head wasn’t splattered. It was covered in blood and road rash, along with a significant portion of his torso and legs. As she stared at the wreckage of a man in front of her she felt sick.

She jumped in shock when she heard Calypso’s voice right behind her.

“His soul is going to depart if I don’t help,” Calypso said softly. She reached down and cupped his head in her hands. His twisted neck was clearly broken. With a sharp cracking noise, Calypso snapped his neck back into place. As she worked on him she sung quietly to herself. Aria could feel the waves of healing energy flowing out of Calypso; it hummed like a high-voltage line. It seemed different than what she had done with the sick children. It was like she was weaving a pattern with her words. There were words of power in her song, words that Aria was sure no mortal tongue had ever spoken. She watched in stunned amazement as the man’s bones snapped into place and his flesh knit back together.

Aria was aware of another person jogging back toward them from where they had parked on the shoulder further ahead, but her focus was riveted to the miraculous healing taking place in front of her eyes. The last thing Calypso healed were the abrasions covering the man’s head. The bloody skull that was plainly visible at various parts of his head suddenly sealed shut as new skin knit back together around his scalp. Once his body was whole, Calypso grabbed both sides of his head and growled a guttural word that sent chills down Arias spine.

The man jerked in her grasp, and eyes that just moments ago were lifeless began staring around in panic. Calypso released his head and looked at Aria, her glowing eyes sparkling with triumph.

“It worked,” she whispered with an angelic smile.

Aria swallowed as she stared at her angel in awe. She had just brought a man back from the dead.

“You’re Calypso,” the man who had run back from the vehicle ahead of them gasped in shock.

Aria’s head snapped up in panic and she quickly stood up and motioned toward Clarice to come forward. Traffic had slowed to a crawl around them. People were recording video with their phones as they gawked at the scene.

“What happened,” the man who had died asked in a shaken voice.

“You had died after crashing your motorcycle,” Calypso told him gently, her captivating voice filled with compassion. “You’ll be okay now. Just be more careful when you drive.”

Clarice inched her way through the traffic until she was next to them.

“Get her out of here,” Aria told her sister urgently.

Calypso followed Aria over to Clarice’s car and quickly got into the passenger seat. Clarice drove away as soon as she was in.

Aria turned back to see the biker and the other motorist staring after her sister’s departing car in shock. Aria turned to go back to her car, but the man called out to her.

“Did Calypso really bring him back from the dead?” he asked in awe, his eyes wide.

Aria looked over at the other cars that were stopped, their phones pointed at her. With a curse, she ignored the man and hurried back into her car. She carefully drove past the two men as they continued staring at her in wonder.

“So, that was unexpected,” Aria said in exasperation, her phone call with Clarice still active.

“I think we better find a plan B,” Clarise said tersely. “Now that people know she is with us it won’t take long for them to find mom and dad’s house.”

“I’m going to add mom to the call and see if she has any ideas,” Aria said, quickly adding her mother to their call.

“Hello Aria, are you still coming tonight?” her mother asked hopefully.

“We’ve got a problem, mom,” Aria informed her tightly. “I have Clarice and Calypso on the line as well.”

“What’s wrong?” her mom asked worriedly. “Are you hurt?”

“No, we’re fine,” Aria answered quickly. “But in a very short time the whole world is going to know that Calypso is with us. I don’t think it will be that much of a stretch for them to find your house. Do you have any ideas on where we could go that wouldn’t be obvious to the autists of the internet?”

“Yes, I know just the place,” her mom answered reassuringly. “Just get over here and I’ll take you there. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Some idiot on a motor bike kept trying to show off next to my car,” Aria growled in exasperation. “He ended up wrecking in front of us. He was dead. Like totally lifeless. Calypso came over and did something to bring him back to life. She also healed him. He had looked like he had gone through a meat grinder, but Calypso was able to completely fix him. There were other people on the road that were watching, some of them taking video. I would guess we have less than twenty minutes before it blows up on the internet.”

“You need to get off of the main roads,” her mother told her firmly. “There will probably be people looking for your car on that highway. See if you can plot a different route.”

“Good idea,” Aria exhaled, trying to shed some of her anxiety. “Thanks mom.”

“I think we need to leave your cars somewhere along the way,” her mom said pensively. “I’m going to meet you part way. I can have your uncle go pick up your cars later. I’ll send you coordinates to the meeting place.”

“Okay, thanks again mom,” Aria breathed gratefully.

“I’m going to call your uncle now,” her mom said, the sound of her car starting in the background. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Mom rocks,” Clarice noted proudly. “I’m going to get a shirt that says that too, mark my words.”

Aria giggled at the thought, the tension draining out of her a little. “Thanks, Clarice, I needed that.”

“I would get one that said Aria rocks, but it would sound like ‘are ya rocks?’ when said out loud, so that one is a no-go,” Clarice told her impishly. “We could try for one that says ‘where are ya Aria’ though. I used to love saying that when we were younger. Everyone thought I was saying ‘where are ya are ya’.”

“Nobody thought you were saying that, you goose,” Aria protested dryly. “At least, not after the first hundred times that you did it.”

“How are you doing, Aria?” Calypso’s concerned voice asked. Even on the telephone her voice was riveting, causing tingles to go up her spine.

“Better, for hearing your voice,” Aria replied truthfully.

“Oh Aria,” Calypso said softly. Aria imagined that she could almost feel the love emanating out of the other woman.

“I’m getting off of the next exit,” Clarice informed her. “It’s exit 34. Have you caught up yet?”

“Not quite,” Aria replied, glancing at her phone’s GPS. “I’m only about thirty seconds behind you though. I’ve got mom’s coordinates now too.”

Aria caught up to the other two women shortly after getting off of the interstate. The remainder of the drive was uneventful. They pulled into a KOA campground and found their mom parked behind some trees. They quickly got out of their cars and walked over to the black SUV. Her mother was waiting outside of the SUV for them. When she saw Calypso walking towards her, she couldn’t help staring. The glowing eyes were enthralling enough, but the overpowering presence of love and gratitude was like a magnet as it captivated her focus.

Calypso walked up to their mom and pulled her into a warm embrace. “Thank you so much for coming, Emily,” she spoke softly, her large eyes filled with gratitude. “You are such a wonderful family.”

Her mother melted into the embrace as Calypso’s aura enveloped her. Aria knew how wonderful a Calypso hug felt.

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“Of course, Calypso,” Emily replied affectionately. “I’ve been waiting for the day that I could repay the kindness you showed us in some small way. I’m just glad that it finally came.”

Her mother quickly embraced her two daughters as well, then herded them into the SUV.

Clarice sat in the front seat, leaving the back for her and Calypso. Fortunately, the SUV had dark tinted windows, allowing Calypso to remove the cloak.

“Okay, first things first,” their mother said briskly. “Turn off your cell phones completely. Then slip them into the seat pouch. It’s a faraday cage and should keep any signal from getting out.

“Where are we going?” Aria asked as her mom began driving. She shut her phone off and put it in the seat pocket, looking at the interlocking wire mesh curiously.

“My grandmother had a cabin up in the mountains that I used to visit when I was a kid,” her mother replied, glancing back at them in the mirror. “Your uncle has been renovating and maintaining it for the last decade, so it is perfectly habitable. It’s away from the city and all of the noise, but best of all it isn’t tied to our name in any way. The title was passed down to a friend of the family who lost interest in it, but didn’t want to sell it for fear of alienating us. He let your uncle take over in everything but name. It’s totally off the grid, with solar panels, a well, and sceptic. Your uncle has turned it into a little slice of paradise. We had planned on taking the two of you out there for Christmas this year.”

“That sounds perfect!” Clarise exclaimed eagerly. “If we can stay out of sight long enough to get up there, we should be able to keep her safe.”

“How far is it?” Aria asked anxiously.

“It’s about an hour away,” their mother replied. “If we can make it there without any bathroom breaks, we should be able to keep you out of sight.”

“I’m pretty sure Calypso doesn’t use the bathroom,” Clarice said dryly. “Am I right, Calypso?”

Calypso blushed softly as she answered. “Yeah, no bathrooms for me.”

“Considering you don’t eat or drink, that seemed pretty obvious to me,” Clarice noted smugly. “You can just call me Sherlock from now on.”

“Oh, I will,” Aria promised with a grin. “Exclusively.”

“Quiet, Tweedle Dee,” Clarice commanded firmly.

“I’ve heard you call her Tweedle Dee a few times now,” Calypso noted in her vibrant voice. “What am I missing? She doesn’t seem like the character from the Alice In Wonderland story.”

“That’s my fault,” their mother explained with a chuckle. “When they were younger they always reminded me of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum with their constant banter, so I started calling them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”

Calypso laughed, and it was like a summer day in all of it’s glory. Her aura swept over them, filling them with joy. Clarice shared a look with their mother. As her mother looked at her, she frowned.

“Did you do something to your face?” her mother asked, puzzled. “You look different.”

“I do?” Clarice asked in surprise. She pulled the visor down to look in the mirror, then gasped. “What the…”

“Angel tears,” Aria told her with a sidelong glance at Calypso. “Apparently they have some kind of softening effect on biological organisms.”

“Don’t call me a biological organism,” Clarice objected reproachfully. “That sounds gross.”

“How about meat sack?” Aria suggested archly.

Clarice turned around in her seat to stare at her with a horrified expression. “I do not have a meat sack, you pervert!”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Aria retorted, her own face wrinkling in disgust. “I did not want that image in my head.”

“Now do you see why I called them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?” their mother asked Calypso with a resigned sigh. “This used to go on for hours.”

Calypso was watching them with fond amusement, her dark lips curling into a winsome smile. “To my eyes, it is like watching two conversations unfold,” Calypso told their mother softly. “Their voices are saying one thing, but their auras are filled with affection and love toward each other as they talk.”

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Aria accused Calypso with a severe expression.

“Seriously,” Clarice agreed in a petulant tone. “That’s like putting a door wedge on train tracks.”

Calypso blinked, her eyes going distant for a moment as she tried to work out colloquialisms and idioms that she had missed out on in her forced isolation. “Is that because it would derail the train?”

“Yes, just like sneaking peeks at our aura derails the banter wagon,” Clarice confirmed darkly.

“You’re a woman of many metaphors,” Aria praised Clarice. “I had a college professor who said people who naturally use metaphors usually have brilliant minds.”

Their mom’s phone started ringing, ending their discussion.

“It’s your uncle,” their mother informed them as she pressed the answer button on her steering wheel.

“Hi, Devon, did you get all of my messages?” she asked tersely.

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure they really came from you and not a spoofed number,” a deep voice said through the car speakers. “Are they in some kind of trouble?”

“Yes,” she answered shortly. “I can’t talk about it on the phone, so explanations will have to wait until we meet up. It’s nothing illegal.”

“I think I have an idea of what’s going on,” his voice was pensive. “There are a few videos making the rounds on Twitter. I’m pretty sure I recognized a certain redhead.”

“So, it’s already out in the ether,” she sighed resignedly. “I knew it would spread fast, but I’d hoped it would take a little longer.”

“Was it real?” he asked quietly, his voice intent.

“Yes, it was real,” she confirmed. “We’ll fill you in on everything when you get there. Thanks for doing all of this, Devon.”

“I’m a hundred percent behind you, Emily,” he declared firmly. “You let your friend know that we won’t let her down.”

Aria looked at Calypso after the call ended. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she smiled at their mom.

“You really are wonderful people,” Calypso whispered tremulously.

“Wonderful people have to stick together,” Aria told her affectionately. “Otherwise, all of the assholes of the world will take advantage of us.”

The remainder of the drive was uneventful. Calypso’s presence filled the car with a sense of love and contentment, making it the most pleasant road trip Aria had ever been on. The last half hour of the drive was on winding mountain roads. They finally pulled into a driveway surrounded by large oak and maple trees. The driveway was nearly a mile long, leading to a three story cabin with enormous windows. There were three separate chimneys and a widows walk above the third story. She could see wrap-around balconies and a large veranda on the second story in the front. A pond was built into the veranda, with a small stream that trickled down a small waterfall and through the front yard. A variety of fruit trees dotted the front and sides of the yard.

Aria and Clarice gasped when they saw the gorgeous building, their eyes wide with amazement.

“Is this the place?” Aria asked disbelievingly.

“This is the place,” her mother confirmed, a satisfied smile on her face. “Like I said, we wanted to surprise you with it over the holidays. Your uncle Devon has been modernizing and upgrading the place for the last fifteen years. I’m not sure what he’s going to do for fun now that it is finished. He’ll have to find a new hobby.”

They pulled into a detached four car garage. As they exited the vehicle, Aria’s eyes fell on a small excavator in the back of one of the bays.

“Hey, can Uncle Devon teach me to use that excavator?” Aria asked eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to try one.”

“You like tractors now?” Clarice asked, her dark eyes amused.

“I’ve always liked tractors,” Aria replied defensively. “There just isn’t much use for them in apartments or houses with small yards.”

“What exactly are you going to dig with it?” Clarice asked pointedly.

“A hole to bury you in,” Aria retorted spitefully.

“Come along, you two,” their mother called out to them as she walked to the house. “Stop showing your love for each other for a few minutes.”

They both turned to look accusingly at Calypso. She was staring around the garage with interest. When she saw their accusatory stares, she giggled playfully. The sound was so innocent and full of joy that Aria couldn’t hold her glare, grinning back at her sardonically.

“And just like that, she shuts us down,” Clarice snorted a laugh. “You play dirty, Calypso.”

“Is there any other way to play?” Aria asked archly.

“I’m not even going to respond to that,” Clarice declared, walking after their mother. “There are innocent ears about.”

Aria followed after Clarice as Calypso fell into step beside her. Their mother gave them a partial tour of the house, showing them to their bedrooms. All of the bedrooms were on the third floor and had enormous windows showing a breathtaking view of the valley below them.

“Do you have a preference for the type of bed?” their mother asked Calypso as she showed them the available rooms. “Three of the rooms have king sized beds, while the other three are queens.”

“She doesn’t sleep,” Aria informed her mother, her eyes twinkling.

“At all?” her mother asked in surprise.

“At all,” Calypso confirmed. “Sometimes I wish I could sleep so that I could experience dreams. They seem fascinating.”

“So, you don’t eat, drink, or sleep,” their mother noted, her expression bewildered. “What do you run on?”

“She has some kind of metaphysical connection to light that keeps her nourished,” Aria told her mom, looking at Calypso appraisingly. “She can also see auras, which apparently have our names on them. She is also a total cheat when it comes to dice. She can make them roll whatever she wants.”

“She’s just bitter because she nearly lost a game of Catan,” Clarice informed her mother with a hoarse whisper. “We don’t talk about that though, because she starts pouting when we point out that the gods don’t love her anymore.”

“Okay, what kind of needs do you have?” their mother asked Calypso curiously, ignoring Clarice’s comment.

“Just loving friends and some musical instruments to play,” Calypso answered with a warm smile. “Thank you so much for everything, Emily.”

“We can certainly handle that much,” their mother said with a matching smile. “Devon will probably get here tonight with the cars we left behind, so you’ll have some of your instruments.”

“Do you mind if I stay in here for a while?” Calypso asked, looking out the large window at the valley below. “I would love to just stare at the view for a while. It’s breathtaking.”

“Of course,” their mother replied quickly. “You just make yourself at home and get comfortable. I’ll get these two situated.”

Aria stared at Calypso uncertainly, wondering if they had overwhelmed her with all of their attention. Calypso stared at her, eyes clearly peeking at her aura. “I really do just want to enjoy the view for a little while, Aria,” she smiled reassuringly. “I’ve never really been anywhere so beautiful. I just want to soak it all in.”

Aria smiled ruefully and shook her head at the way Calypso could practically read her mind. “Okay, but you just let us know if you need some alone time. I know we can be a little overwhelming with our silliness.”

“Not at all,” Calypso told her sincerely. “I’ve had enough solitude for a lifetime. You run along and get settled in your room. I’ll be along shortly.”

Aria went out the door with her mother and sister, glancing back once to see Calypso staring out the enormous window in wonder. Maybe she really is just enjoying the view.

“All right,” their mother spoke firmly. “Let’s hear the full story. What are we dealing with here?”

“This is going to sound crazy,” Aria hesitated for a moment before continuing, sharing a look with Clarice. “But we think she is an angel.”

Their mother looked at them skeptically. “Are you two getting religious?”

“No, Mom,” Clarice snorted scornfully. “We are not getting religious.”

“You do know that angels are part of religious scriptures, right?” Their mother inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“You need to think deeper, Mom,” Clarice replied evenly, her face serious. “Where did the idea of angels come from? How did they end up in religious texts?”

“Oh, I see what you mean,” their mother nodded introspectively. “So, you think the legend had to start with some basis of fact.”

“Exactly,” Clarice agreed soberly. “Someone like her, perhaps many like her, must have existed at some point in the past. They were probably the inspiration for whatever is going on in the bible after you get past all of the begats.”

“For all we know, they are from another world or dimension,” Aria added thoughtfully. “They could even be all around us now, but we lack the sensory technology to detect them. If something went wrong with Calypso when she was a child, maybe she ended up on our realm or something. She said she doesn’t remember anything before the age of five, when the owner of a music shop and his wife found her in a giant tree right after world war one. I’ve heard enough fairy tales to know that giant trees are often gateways between realms.”

“So, we are essentially talking aliens,” their mother frowned. “I’m not sure why you think she belongs to a race of angels though.”

“Let me list the reasons,” Clarice said, holding up her fingers. “One: She heals people. Two: she plays all of the instruments, but I stress that she loves the harp. Three: her eyes are like jewels. Four: she brings people back from the dead. Five: she has muscles below her shoulder blades where wings probably appear normally.”

“How can you tell they aren’t just extra muscles from some kind of workout?” her mother asked doubtfully.

“I gave her a back massage at our apartment,” Clarice replied with a smile at the memory. “She had ridges going down her back, not just muscles. Something beneath the skin.”

“It definitely looked like something related to wings,” Aria chimed in confidently. “If you get a chance to see it, you’ll understand what we mean.”

“Oh yeah, she can see auras and says that our names are engraved on them,” Clarice revealed, raising her eyebrows at her mom. “Remember when you first met her, and you didn’t know how she knew your name?”

“I do,” she admitted with a frown. “I suppose there is more evidence for some kind of angel race theory than anything else right now.”

“I keep wondering what else she’ll be capable of,” Aria mused contemplatively, her green eyes speculative. “It seems like she has grown a lot since she came home with us. Her eyes became much sharper after she had an emotional release following a shoulder massage. Her voice became more powerful too. Then, after her back massage, her eyes started glowing. We’ve shown her a lot of love and attention. It’s almost like she is nourished by love. I have a feeling she wouldn’t have been able to bring that biker back from the dead if she hadn’t grown as much as she has over the last day.”

“Now that is interesting,” their mother remarked, her dark eyes intent. “I suppose that would be an easy theory to test. She’s going to get a lot of loving attention from now on.”

“One more thing,” Aria added with a glance at Clarice, examining her changed features. “Her tears look like quicksilver. They evaporate shortly after falling, but if they touch you they seem to have some kind of rejuvenating and transformative effect. We both touched one and look what it did to Clarice’s face.”

Clarice turned to study Aria critically. “It affected you too. You jawline is more feminine than it used to be. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Your eyes are slightly larger too.”

“I don’t know if it is related at all, but we both had a sixth sense feeling that we needed to leave the apartment quickly,” Aria revealed with a frown. “It happened after both of us were touched by her tears, so I wonder if it unlocked some kind of sixth sense in us. It sounds crazy, but as you’ve seen since this morning, the bar for crazy has been moved pretty far.”

“Okay, let’s accept the idea for now that she is an angel,” their mother decided, frowning as she continued. “That would mean she is probably in even more danger than we thought. If people knew she was an angel, we would have religions trying to claim her and governments trying to study her. People would go crazier for an angel than they would for an alien.”

“We have to find a way to keep her hidden here,” Aria declared firmly. “And have plans to move her if this place is compromised. Lots of contingency plans.”

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Aria woke up when she heard the sound of a loud diesel engine. She sat up quickly and looked at the clock, grimacing when she saw that it was 3am. Who could be coming here at 3am.

She quickly put some clothes on and went down to her mother’s room. Seeing it was empty, she went down the stairs to the first floor. The lights were on in several rooms. She found her mother out on the porch holding a handheld radio.

“Thanks again for bringing them,” she was saying gratefully. “We owe you big time.”

As she put the radio down, she glanced at Aria with a raised eyebrow. “Trouble sleeping?”

“The sound of a diesel engine woke me up,” Aria answered, still feeling groggy. “I’m a light sleeper. Who’s that?”

“That’s your Uncle Devon,” her mother replied, gesturing down to the large parking area down by the garages. “In order to avoid people noticing your vehicle, he rented a small car hauler trailer and loaded both of the cars up from the KOA. That way, he was able to pull car tarps over the top of them to hide their appearance. He stopped at a mechanic shop his friend owns on the way and had the GPS transmitters removed, then brought them in the middle of the night to minimize chances of discovery.”

“Wow,” Aria breathed, sounding impressed. “He’s thorough. Did he work for the mob or an intelligence agency or something?”

“He’s never said,” her mother replied with a smile. “But I suspect he has.”

“Wait, really?” Aria asked in surprise. “I was just being facetious.”

“There’s lots of mystery about your Uncle Devon’s former work life,” her mother told her with pursed lips. “He made a lot of money somewhere, and it’s never been clear where. He used to travel all over the world for ‘business’,” her mother made air quotes. “Your dad and I were convinced he worked for the CIA or some other clandestine group.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” Aria murmured in awe.

“We didn’t want to make a big deal of it, in case it brought him any trouble,” her mom explained.

There were several clunking sounds as her uncle used some hydraulic controls to drop the ramps down for the cars. He was just moving toward the ramp when Aria noticed Calypso approach him, her features seeming to glow in the moonlight.

“Hello, Devon. Can I help you with anything?” Calypso asked him tentatively.

Her uncle turned around, his eyes studying her. Even at this distance, Aria could feel the sense of love and affection that Calypso projected around her. Her glowing eyes watched him patiently as she stood in the brisk, Spring mountain air, showing no signs that it was cold outside.

“Sure,” her uncle’s deep voice replied easily. “Can you guide me as I back the car down?”

“I would love to,” she answered with a beatific smile. She walked over behind the trailer and waited as he climbed up and started removing the tarps and started up the first car.

“Sometimes I forget that she doesn’t sleep,” Aria noted quietly from where she and her mother were watching.

“She’s probably used to working on music all night long,” her mother commented thoughtfully. “I wonder how she’s holding up with the routine change in her life. She’s had some very drastic upheavals.”

“I have a feeling that she doesn’t even look back,” Aria said warmly. “I think she was past ready to start another phase of life.”

“I couldn’t help noticing that she’s single,” her mother said suggestively. “I also noticed that you’re single. Does that suggest anything interesting to you?”

“What, that we should go on a double date with someone?” Aria asked dryly.

“You aren’t interested?” her mother asked doubtfully.

“You can’t date the sun,” Aria replied wistfully. “She’s just started to evolve into something that I suspect will be far beyond human. I doubt there is room for a human girlfriend in that future.”

“Not with that attitude,” her mother replied critically. “You need to be more positive. Even if she did move into the stars someday, she’s here right now. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.”

“It’s not that simple,” she said with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure Clarice is interested too. I swore I would never compete with her over another person.”

“Just share her,” her mother suggested with a shrug. “It’s not like you haven’t gone off the rails already with your life choices recently.”

“Mom!” Aria gasped in shock, her cheeks turning bright red. “I can’t believe you would suggest that!”

Her mom glanced at her with an amused look. “You always were a prude, Aria.”

“I am not,” Aria declared hotly.

“I’m sorry, dear,” her mother replied with a small smile. “But you are. You’ve never even kissed another person and you’re twenty five. If you were ugly, I would understand, but you are stunningly gorgeous, so you have no excuse. You’re just a prude.”

“I’ve just never been with anyone I was interested in kissing,” Aria insisted defensively.

“It doesn’t take a lot of interest in a person to share a kiss,” her mother pointed out dryly. “I know you too well for you to try dissembling with me. I remember when you brought that one girl home in high school, Alice. She was pretty, smart, and absolutely besotted with you. Why didn’t you end up with a kiss in that relationship?”

“She wanted to take things further than I wanted to go,” she muttered with a blush.

“Cause you’re a prude,” her mom said in satisfaction. “You were at the age where exploring those things was natural. It’s not like you were going to get pregnant.”

“I don’t know,” Aria sighed dejectedly. “Maybe I am a prude. Maybe I had too many invasive procedures done to me when I was sick, and now I have a phobia of invasive things.”

Her mother looked at her sympathetically. “Yes, that could certainly be part of it. You’re going to have to push your boundaries though, or you’ll never move past this. If there’s one person I trust to help you move past any trauma, it’s that angel down there.”

Calypso was guiding the last car off of the ramp. Aria was pretty sure it was unnecessary, but it was nice of her uncle to humor her.

“She’s going to be really happy to have some instruments to play again,” Aria murmured fondly.

Her mother looked at the expression on her face and shook her head ruefully. “I’m just going to assume nature will take its course with this.”

“Hmm?” Aria asked absently, her eyes on Calypso.

“Nothing, dear,” her mother replied with a smile.

Calypso approached Clarice’s car and located the harp they had brought with them. She opened the hatchback and gently removed the harp, a look of relief on her face.

“It suits you,” her Uncle Devon noted approvingly.

She looked at him, her eyes searching deep into what Aria knew to be his aura. “Can I play a song for you?”

“I would like that,” Devon smiled with a nod.

“There must be something wrong with him,” Aria told her mother. “I recognize that look. She found something wrong with his aura that she wants to fix.”

“Really?” her mother asked, intrigued.

Calypso began to pluck a melody on the harp, her long fingers deftly climbing along the strings. When she began to sing, her eyes started glowing brighter. Aria had watched her sing and play before, but there was something different now. Her voice was layered with authority, commanding the laws as her voice wove the fabric of a story with her harp. Aria watched, slack jawed, as the ethereal song warped reality around their angel. Tears fell down her cheeks as the sublime beauty of the music struck a chord in her soul. She fell down to her knees as the beauty of that song rocked her soul. Devon had also fallen to his knees, his eyes shining with unshed tears. Aria felt something shift in her uncle, like a snake had been uncoiled from around his soul. He gasped, his eyes going wide as the change in his body left him feeling renewed and full of vitality.

As Calypso’s song ended, Aria noticed Clarice standing on the balcony of her third floor room looking down at Calypso in wonder.

“Wow,” her mother whispered in awe. She was on her knees next to Aria, her cheeks covered in tears. “Just…wow.”

“Yeah,” Aria agreed, wiping her cheeks. “She’s our angel.”

“I’m a believer,” her mother whispered fervently.