Part 7 (1/2)

I glanced over to the painting David gave me and thought to check the books too. Maybe there was some kind of connection there. Delmara did resemble the painting in so many different ways.

It was a portrait of a woman. Her tanned face was in the corner down to the left of the painting, and she blew in the winds a sandstorm as a castle formed in the palm of her hands. Her blue and white curling hair flapped in the wind, intermingling with the sky. If was as if she had become part of the sky, part of the earth.

As I continued to gaze at the painting I reminded myself of the books. Maybe I would find something there. Was she David's wife in her past life?

I got back on the computer and did some research on angels in general. I googled the word angel for images, and ma.s.ses of pictures popped up. I did a search for Jane Lexington, which was David's last name. I thought maybe something would come up, but all that showed was about eighty Jane Lexingtons on Facebook and some on other sites as well. It was too vague. I couldn't think of anything else until I sifted through the books again.

I came across another note. Again it read: I will always love you, David. Like the other one I found, but this one was different. Written on the back was: yours, Chance. I didn't know if that was a name or what, so I entered Jane Chance into the computer search and, sure enough, it was Jane Lexington. Chance was her maiden name. She had her own web page for her art. The painting David gave me was pictured on the bottom of the screen with the t.i.tle, ”The Chance Angel.” Jane had written a short dedication: To my beloved husband David, I will always love you. This piece was for you. Some day you will believe, until then I will never leave your side.

Had Delmara turned into a Chance Angel? How did she know when the day would come? How did she know she would return to him someday? Had she been my angel for a second chance, or was she protecting him from me somehow?

As I read her page, an I.M. popped up: DemonBoy: Figured it out yet?

DemonGirl: What? Are you watching me now?

DemonBoy: Just listening to your thought waves again. Hey, you're making some progress! Happy re-birthday, by the way.

DemonGirl: Gee, you heard about that too? What do you not know?

DemonBoy: Well, since you asked, there is one thing I don't knowa DemonGirl: What's that?

DemonBoy: Don't know yet. I'll tell ya when I find out.

DemonGirl: What? That doesn't make any sense, Benjamin.

I waited for a reply, but nothing. I hated Benjamin's riddles. Every time I tried to figure it out, I started to feel tipsy, like I had been drinkinga”like the first day we met.

Right before I went to lay down the telephone rang. I answered it on the second ring.

”h.e.l.lo?”

”Charlene, it's me. I am at Lucky's.”

”Jesse?”

Chapter Fourteen.

After I got off the phone, agreeing to meet Jesse, I drove up to Lucky's as fast as I could without disobeying the speed limit.

My heart swelled within me. It was taking over my thoughts. The heavy beating sound thumped in my mind as I drove, and the palms of my hands were so thick with sweat, I could hardly hold onto the steering wheel.

I put the radio on trying to soothe my thoughts, but it didn't seem to do much but be more of a distraction. Through the radio, I could hear an underlying sound during the songs. It was a weird, mumbled static. I turned up the volume, trying to determine what it was.

”Mmmashha” the sound let out between the piano keys. ”Heeea”

I focused on the lyrics of the song from the Cranberries: ”Something has left my life, and I don't know where it went toaahh, ah, ah,” Dolores O'Riordan sang out.

Between her lyrics I could hear a low voice. ”He willa”

As the song continued I picked up on: ”Didn't you see me, didn't you hear me? Didn't you see me standing there ahh, ah, ah?”

The image of the dark shadow I saw just days ago flashed before my eyes. Suddenly, I swerved off the side of the road. Luckily, the road was clear.

As I sat there in the car, I tried to collect my thoughts. ”Don't rush this, Charlene,” I said out loud. G.o.d, I am so stupid. This is never going to work. He is not going to love the hideous creature I really am. He said he loved me, but I don't feel changed. I am not human anymore. How will I know when the curse has been lifted? Do I have to show him I am a demon? What if he is appalled by me? How in the world is this ever going to work?

There had to be a positive light at the end of the tunnel for me. My main goal was to see Drake again, but how? I saved Sarah, or so I a.s.sumed. Did I complete my first mission? I wasn't even sure if that was over or not. How many lives did I have to save to see my son again? Lately I wasn't entirely worried about becoming human again, but I missed my family terribly. Even though my father came to visit me after twenty years, I hadn't any feelings for him. In fact, I was angry and upset he even came to me like that.

I reminded myself that Jesse was waiting for me. I thought of how sweet he was. He told me over the phone how much he missed me and felt compelled to finally meet me. It would be his first time seeing me. I thought I would be so excited when the time finally did arrive, but I cheated myself out of that when I spied on him in California. I had to act surprised even though that was a lie too. Would I suffer the repercussions of that?

I pulled up in Lucky's parking lot around six in the evening. I hadn't realized it was so late. Oh, s.h.i.+t! Was I going to change soon? I reminded myself it had been thirty-six hours since I had changed last. Could it be over now? Did my first annual have anything to do with this? I was nervous and excited at the same time. It was as if ants were crawling just below my skin. I was still bleeding, but I had it under control.

I walked up to the door and saw Jesse sitting in one of the booths, waiting for me. As I opened the door and stepped inside, I took a deep breath and walked right over to him. I nervously held my breath for so long that I seemed to hear my heart stop.

I looked straight into his eyes as he glanced over to me. ”Jesse!”

”Yes?”

I paused in shock for a moment. He had a look in his eyes like I was some stranger. I panicked and looked straight down. Had something changed in my appearance?

”Charlene?”

”YesaI'm sorrya”

”For what?” he said with a half-grin. He got up from the booth and hugged me.

”UmmaI don't know. I just thoughta” My voice trailed off.

”That I wouldn't recognize you?”

”Well, yes.” We stood there for an awkward moment, and then sat down.

”You look good. You changed your hair it looks like.”

I tugged at my hair, glancing down to see if it was blue or something, but thankfully it was still long and blonde, just as in the pictures of the old me I sent him. Over the course of a year, changing into my demon form on a daily basis until just now, I would notice a slight change in my human form. Every night I would change into that hideous beast, but every day I changed back into my natural features. When I did, my human form would have subtle changes afterwards too. At first it was my slow- tanning skin, and then my eyes would change color, from dark green to lime. They were subtle changes, but since I hadn't looked in the mirror lately, I hadn't noticed my newest change.

”Yeah, my hair changed. You're right.”

”So, are you happy to see me?”

Actually, I didn't know what I was feeling. The more I changed, the more I wanted to find out about how this even started with me. I felt like my two lives were merging into each other. As I paused for a moment, I took his hand and rea.s.sured him. ”Yes, of course I am, I was just surprised you made the decision to see me without talking to me first.” There, I said it. That wasn't so hard was it? I wasn't lying either. I spoke my mind freely to him. It felt good. I could breathe again.