Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 3

origin it hold backed the give political machinee a speck, w herefore uniform an insect on a open-eyedbulb, then like a kite. Gillian realiseed, withal stimulate to run, until it got close enough for her to determine what it re completelyy was.It was an backer.Her fear drained break as she stared. The jut dismount togethermed to shine, as if it were made of the same light asthe mist. It was t alone, and had the shape of a absolutely formed human. It was walking, but somehowrushing toward her at the same fourth dimension.An angel, Gillian purpose, awed. An angelAnd then the mist cleared and the shining faded. The figure was standing on the grass in front of her.Gillian blinked.Uh- non an angel, after all. A young kat. peradventure seventeen, a year obsolescenter than Gillian. And drop deadgorgeous.He had a face like some ancient Greek sculpture. Classically beautiful. vibrissa like unburnished gold. Eyesthat werent blue, but violet. Long golden lashes.And a ter rific body.I shouldnt be noticing that Gillian plan, horrified. alone it was hard not to. right off that his clothes hadstopped shining, she could see that they were ordinary, the kind any(prenominal) guy from footing might wear. Washedand faded jeans and a white T-shirt. And he could substantially have done a commercial for those jeans. Hewas peckty build with push through world over-musdy.His only flaw, if it could be called that, was that his expression was a little too uplifted. Al closely too sweetfor a boy.Gillian stared. The being looked back. After a moment he spoke.Hey, kid, he said, and winked.Gillian was startled-and mad. Normally, she was shy ab let on speaking to guys, but after all, she was deadat in one case, and this person had struck a raw nerve. Whore you work kid? she said indignantly.He just grinned. Sorry. No offense.Confused, Gillian made herself nod politely. Who was this person? Shed always heard you had friendsor relatives engender and converge you. except shed never seen this guy in front in her living.Anyway, hes definitely not an angel.Ive come to help you, he said. As if hed heard her thought.Help me?You have a choice to make.That was when Gillian began to notice the door.It was right behind the guy, approximately where the mist had been. And it was a door but it wasnt.It was like the luminous outline of a door, worn very faintly on thin stock.Fear crept back into Gillians mind. someways, without sagacious how she k recent, she knew the door wasimportant. More important than anything shed seen so far. Whatever was behind it was-well, mayhapbeyond comprehension.A different place. Where all the laws she knew didnt apply.not necessarily openhanded. plainly so powerful and so different that it was scary. Good can be scary, too.Thats the real gateway, she thought. Go through that door and you dont come back. And even thoughpart of her longed desperately to see what was behind it, she was becalm so frightened that sh e felt dizzy.The thing is, it wasnt actually your condemnation, the guy with the golden-blond hair said quietly.Oh, yes, I should have known. Thats the clich, Gillian thought. exactly she thought it weakly. Looking atthat door, she didnt have fashion odd inside for cute remarks.She swallowed, blinking to clear her eyeball.But here you are. A mistake, but one we have to deal with. In these cases, we ordinarily leave the decisionup to the individual.Youre saying I can learn whether or not I die.To put it sort of loosely.Its just up to me?Thats right. He tilted his head slightly. You might involve to think your life over at this point.Gillian blinked. and then she took a few steps away from him and stared across the supernaturally greengrass. She seek to think about her life.If youd asked me this cockcrow if I penuryed to stay alive, thither would have been no question. But now flat it felt a little like being rejected. As if she werent good enough. And besides, seeing that shedcome this far did she authentically want to go back?Its not as if I were anybody special there. non smart like Amy, a straight A student. Not brave. Nottalented.Well, what else is there? What would I be going back to?Her mom-drinking every day, at rest(prenominal) by the clock Gillian got home. Her dad and the constant arguments.The loneliness she knew shed be face up now that Amy had a boyfriend. The longing for things she couldnever have, like David Blackburn with his quizzical smile. worry popularity and slam and acceptance. Likehaving people think she was interesting and-and mature.Come on. Theres got to be something good back there.Cup Noodles? the guys division said.Gillian turned toward him. Huh?You like those. specially on a cold day when you come inside. Cats. The way babies smell. cinnamon barktoast with lots of butter, like your mom used to make it when she still got up in the morning. Bad monstermovies.Gillian choked. Shed never told anyone about most of t hose things. How do you know all that?He smiled. He really had an grand smile. Eh, we see a lot up here. Then he sobered. Anddont you want to see more? Of life, I mean. Isnt there anything left for you to do?Everything was left for her to do. Shed never accomplished anything worthwhile.But I didnt have much time, a small wimpy voice inside her protested. To be quashed immediately by astern, steady voice. You think thats an excuse? Nobody knows how much time theyve got. You hadplenty of minutes, and you wasted most of them.Then dont you think youd better go back and try once again? the guy said, hi a gentle, goad voice. Seeif you can do a better job?Yes. all(a) at once, Gillian was alter with the same burning shed felt when she got out of the creek. Asense of revelation and of purpose. She could do that. She could change completely, turn her life in awhole new direction.Besides, there were her parents to consider. No matter how bad things were between them now, itcould only make it worse if their daughter suddenly died. Theyd doomed each other. And Amy would getone of her guilt complexes for not waiting to train Gillian home from schoolThe thought brought a little grim satisfaction. Gillian assay to quell it. She had the feeling the guy waslistening.But she did have a new perspective on life. A sudden feeling that it was terribly precious, and that the pound thing you could do was waste it.She looked at the guy. I want to go back.He nodded. Gave the smile again. I thought maybe you would. His voice was so warm now. Therewas a quality in it that was like-what? Pure love? Infinite understanding?A tone that was to sound what perfect light was to vision.He held out a hand. Time to go, Gillian, he said gently. His eyes were the deepest violet imaginable.Gillian hesitated just an instant, then reached toward him.She never actually touched his hand, not in a physical way. Just as her fingers looked about to meet his,she felt a tingling shock and there was a fl ash. Then he was gone and Gillian had several odd impressionsall at once.The first was of being unfixed. Detached from her surroundings. A pickpocketing feeling.The second was of something coming at her. It was coming very fast from some direction she couldnt point to. A place that wasnt defined by upor consume or left or right. And it felt huge and winged, the way a hawks night must feel to a mouse.Gillian had a wild impulse to duck.But it wasnt necessary. She was moving herself, falling away. Rushing backward through the tunnel,leaving the meadow-and whatever was coming at her-behind. The huge thing had only registered for aninstant on her senses, and now, whizzing back through the darkness, she forgot about it.Later, she would realize what a mistake this had been.For now, time seemed compressed. She was alone in the tunnel, being pulled down like water down adrain. She tried to look between her feet to see where she was going, and saw something like a deepwell beneath her.At the bottom of the well was a circle of light, like the view backwards through a telescope. And in thecircle, very tiny, was a girls body lying on the hoodwink.My body, Gillian thought-and then, before she had time to feel any emotion, the bottom of the well wasrushing up toward her. The tiny body was bigger and bigger. She felt a tugging pressure. She was beingsucked into it-too fast. agency too fast. She had no control. She fit perfectly in the body, like a hand slipping into a mitten, but thejolt knocked her out.Oooh something hurts.Gillian opened her eyes-or tried to. It was as hard as doing a chin-up. On the second or third attemptshe managed to get them open a crack. Whiteness everywhere. Dazzling. Blinding. Where ? Is itsnow? What am I doing lying down in the snow? Images came to her. The creek. rooted(p) water. Climbingout. Falling. Being so coldAfter that she couldnt remember. But now she knew what hurt. Everything. I cant move.Her muscles were clenched tight as steel. But she knew she couldnt stay here. If she did, shed recollection burst through her. I died already.Strangely, the realization gave her strength. She actually managed to sit up. As she did, she heard acracking sound. Her clothes were glazed with solid ice.Somehow she got to her feet. She shouldnt have been able to do it. Her body had been cold enough to close down earlier, and since then shed been lying in the snow. By all the laws of nature, she should befrozen now.But she was standing. She could even shuffle a step forward. but to realize she had no idea which way to go.She still didnt know where the road was.Worse, it would be getting dark soon. When thathappened, she wouldnt even be able to see herown tracks. She could walk in circles in the woods until her body gave out again.See that white oak tree? Go more or less it to the right.The voice was behind her left ear. Gillian turned that way as sharply as her rigid muscles would allow,even though she knew she wouldnt see anything. She recognized the voice. But it was so much warmer and gentler now.You came back with me.Sure. Once again the voice was filled with that impossible warmth, that perfect love. You dont thinkId just leave you to wander around until you froze again, do you? Now head for that tree, kid.After that came a long time of stumbling and staggering, over branches, around trees, on and on. Itseemed to last forever, but always there was the voice in Gillians ear, guiding her, encouraging her. Itkept her moving when she thought she couldnt possibly go another step.And then, at last, the voice said, Just up this ridge and youll find the road.In a dreamlike state, Gillian climbed the ridge.And there it was. The road. In the last light before darkness, Gillian could see it meandering down a hill.But it was still almost a mile to her house, and she couldnt go any farther.You dont have to, the voice said gently. Look up the road.Gillian saw headlights.Now just get in the middle of the road and wave.Gi llian stumbled out and waved like a mechanical doll. The headlights were coming, blinding her. Thenshe realized that they were slowing.We did it, she gasped, dimly advised that she was speaking out loud. Theyre stoppingOf course theyre stopping. You did a great job. Youll be all right now.There was no mistaking the note of finality.The car was stopped now. The drivers side door was opening. Gillian could see a dark figure beyondthe glare of the headlights. But in that instant what she felt was distress.Wait, dont leave me. I dont even know who you are-For a brief moment, she was once again enfolded by love and understanding.Just call me Angel.Then the voice was gone, and all Gillian could feel was anguish.What are you doing out-Hey, are you okay? The new voice broke through Gillians emptiness. Shehad been standing rigidly in the headlights now she blinked and tried to condense on the figure comingtoward her.God, of course youre not okay. Look at you. Youre Gillian, arent you? You live on my street.It was David Blackburn.The knowledge surged through her like a shock, and it herd all the strange hallucinations shed beenhaving out of her mind.It really was David, as close as hed ever been to her.Dark hair. A lean face that still had traces of a summer tan. Cheekbones to die for and eyes to drown in.A certain culture of carriage. And that half-friendly, half-quizzical smileExcept that he wasnt smiling now. He looked shocked and worried.Gillian couldnt get a single word out. She just stared at him from under the icy curtain of her hair.What hap-No, never mind. Weve got to get you warm.At school he was thought of as a tough guy, an independent rebel. But, now, without any hesitation, thetough guy scooped her up in his arms.Confusion flashed through Gillian, then embarrassment-but underneath it all was something muchstronger. An odd bedrock sense of safety. David was warm and solid and she knew instinctively that shecould trust him. She could stop fighting now and relax.Put this on watch your head here, use this for your hair. David was somehow getting everythingdone at once without hurrying. Capable and kind. Gillian found herself inside the car, wrapped in hissheepskin jacket, with an old towel around her shoulders. Heat blasted from the vents as David gunnedthe engine.It was wonderful to be able to rest without being afraid it would kill her. Bliss not to be surrounded bycold, even if the hot air didnt seem to warm her. The worn beige interior of the Mustang seemed likeparadise.And David-well, no, he didnt look like an angel. More like a knight, especially the kind who went out indisguise and rescued people.Gillian was beginning to feel very fuzzy.I thought Id take a dip, she said, between chattering teeth. She was shivering again.What?You asked what happened. I was a little hot, so I jumped in the creek.He laughed out loud. Huh. Youre brave. Then he glanced at her sideways with keen eyes and added,What really happened?He thinks Im br ave A glow better than the heated air enveloped Gillian.I slipped, she said. I went into the woods, and when I got to the creek- Suddenly, she rememberedwhy shed gone into the woods. Shed forgotten it since the fall had put her own life in danger, but nowshe seemed to hear that faint, pathetic cry all over again.Oh, my God, she said, struggling to sit upright. jibe the car.