VEE

Two people wait at the edge of the children’s playground. The woman sits, hands in her jacket pockets, as she watches the noisy playfulness around. The man stands beside her, straight, wary, and people give him a wide berth as they pass. They’re ordinary, dressed in casual clothes with warm winter jackets, but the woman’s blonde hair shines the way I’ve seen angels in books. The man’s dark hair and sharp features give him a harder edge, softened by his dark brown eyes behind thick lashes.

A girl runs up to the woman, speaks, and then scoots away again. I glance at Joss. “Do you think she’s another? Can angels be children?” I whisper.

“Maybe. I’m guessing these are disguised and don’t normally look human.”

“Xander, you’re being over the top asking them to meet us here,” says Heath as we continue our walk along the pathway through the large park a couple of miles from the house.

Xander picks up his pace. “This meeting happens in public. Nobody will try anything when there are kids around. Nobody wants kids hurt.”

Two small boys catch my eye, one chasing the other with a stick. They’re a group of friends, maybe ten years old, and I smile to myself when I see four are with a girl, and she’s alone. The smile disappears at memories of being the girl alone. My blunt truthfulness didn’t matter when I was a younger kid because every child is the same. Once I grew older, people informed me I had “issues.”

Then I remember the reason I don’t think about my past anymore.

I was never ten years old.

I didn’t sit on the edge watching people because I’m not a person.

“Vee?” Joss takes my hand and squeezes. “You okay?”

A warmth pulses from him towards my heart, pushing out the cold encroaching, and I brush my lips on his. “I’m fine. Are you?”

He looks at the angels and away again. “Yeah.”

"What do you think about the Erzla and Leoc?" I ask Joss. "Is it a relief or do they frighten you?"

He pulls on his bottom lip and stares ahead. "Both. What vibe do you get from them?"

"Truthfully, none. It's almost as if I closed my eyes, they may not be here. I don't think they're 100% in this world. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. Like halfway here? It's weird."

"At least they’ve brought us a solution," I reply.

Joss looks across the park. "Hopefully. I want this over."

"We all do." I take Joss’s hand and squeeze. "And it will be soon."

“I’m getting answers to questions the other guys don’t like to ask.” He nods. “That will help.”

We hope.

Xander reaches the couple first, and I don’t hear their introductions. None are needed. The woman has a friendlier aura than the guy, who watches us with suspicion. Not a Horsemen fan, that’s obvious

“Was that your kid?” Ewan asks and jerks his head to the little girl clambering up the climbing wall.

Leoc laughs. “No. The curious child came to tell me I was pretty, then ran away.”

Leoc would easily draw people to her with the large, friendly blue eyes and soft expression. She’s the kind whose smile must infect those around with warmth.

Apart from my suspicious Horsemen.

“Good thing she didn’t see your wings,” Ewan replies. “You do have wings, right?”

She purses her pink painted lips. “Do you have horses?”

I turn my face away so nobody sees my amusement at the exchange.

Heath crosses his arms and stands, back to the playground, Ewan beside him. The guys form a semi-circle in front of the pair and silence descends.

“I still don’t feel this is the best place to discuss what we need to.” Erzla digs his hands deep into coat pockets and nods at Xander.

“I’m sure this won’t take long,” I say.

“We don’t have the book, if that’s what you’ve lured us here for,” says Ewan.

“Lured?” She chuckles. “How about ‘thanks for saving our backside from Seth’.”

“Or ‘thanks for stopping the storm,” adds Erzla.

“What?” Xander’s mouth falls open.

“You heard.”

Wow. Attitude, much?

Heath steps to one side as two mothers with strollers attempt to pass.

“We’re blocking the area,” says Leoc. “Come. Let’s talk elsewhere.”

The guys exchange glances and Xander says, “We’re not leaving the park.”

Erzla tips his chin. “Don’t you trust us?”

“I don’t trust strangers easily. Especially currently.”

“Well, in our case I think you need to. Nobody else can help you.”

We’re a strange group, walking across the pathway towards a large metal gazebo, painted white and overlooking a fountain. I picture people relaxed and happy, sharing time and gossip on the wooden benches.

Then I look around the park, scrutinising faces. Are there monsters amongst them? Ewan spends time watching everywhere for more “evidence” from Seth, including now. If the portal opening was Seth’s next move in all this, we’re on a new alert. Seth has primed society to believe strange attacks or occurrences are more than animals or human sickos.

We reach the benches and I sit. “Did you solve the problem Seth created with the portal?”

Erzla looks to Leoc. She pushes a loose strand of hair from her eyes. “Mostly.”

Xander halts. “What do you mean ‘mostly’?”

“We’re not experts at tracking in the way you were taught. We destroyed what we could, but you’ll need to find the rest of the creatures.”

“Oh, great.” Heath sits on the bench beneath the metal roof and I sit beside Xander.

“And the others,” adds Erzla. “He’s opened other portals. You’ve already met some of them, remember? They need killing too.”

“What? How do we know what the hell is out there?” asks Heath. “We don’t have experience in anything but the supernatural around us already.”

“Learn,” replies Erzla and Leoc shoots him a look. “You’ll find them. After this is over, the Four Horsemen will still have their job to do. The portals may be gone, but your skills will still be needed.”

Xander’s stress and irritation grows by the hour, and following the outburst the other night, I don’t want him exploding. Especially not now. His tense figure relaxes as I shuffle closer and link my arm through his. He takes my hand and squeezes.

Ewan remains standing and Joss keeps his distance. Our eyes meet and Joss looks away.

We need to talk about how their arrival affected Joss.

Xander points at Erzla. “There’s one thing you need to explain to me, otherwise I’m walking away from here. Why have you only just revealed yourselves? What the fuck were you doing watching us and saying nothing?”

“That’s the whole point,” says Joss is a low voice. “They’ve been watching us. Incognito.”

“Yes, waiting.” Erzla says gruffly.

“For?” asks Heath.

“The right time, and that’s now.”

Xander’s face hardens. “Cryptic answers won’t wash. We’re facing down a god more ancient than the one you work for. If you’re here to dance around with half-answers, you can fuck off.”

I cringe at Xander telling an angel to fuck off.

Leoc brushes away dirt from the gazebo bench and lowers herself onto the wood. She leans down and places her small black bag on the floor. “Ask away.”

“I only have one question,” he throws back. “Can you help us defeat Chaos?”

She fixes him with a steady gaze. “Yes. We already told you that.”

“And Vee will survive?” Joss asks.

Their scrutiny returns to me again and I look away. When people hesitate, I know the answer coming won’t be one I want. The angels look at me with a curiosity bordering on admiration, which is freaking weird considering they’re celestial beings.

“We think there is a way, yes.” Leoc says and hope grows.

“How?” asks Joss cautiously.

“First, we need to explain more about Vee. The book told you some, but the story is bigger and harder to comprehend.”

“Heath has the book,” says Ewan, beckoning for him to produce it. “Heath?”

He nods and reaches into his jacket but Leoc shakes her head at him. “We don’t need the book. We know what is contained in there.”