Part 1 (1/2)
THRESHOLD SERIES.
THE.
BROKEN.
WINDOW.
CHRISTA KINDE.
For all those who crave friends.h.i.+p -.
May you find the one who needs yours.
1.
THE.
FIRST.
SNOW.
In the small bedroom tucked under one of the dormers in the Pomeroys' farmhouse, a burst of silver light heralded the arrival of an angel. It was as if a door opened in the middle of the room, and when it closed, Abner stood on the braided rug. He absentmindedly poked the bridge of his nose, trying to adjust gla.s.ses he wasn't wearing at the moment. Long, silver hair swished as he turned and inspected the snug s.p.a.ce. The ceiling sloped so dramatically that the top corner of the bedroom door was cut at an angle, and a wide seat stretched under a stained gla.s.s window, its pattern of multicolored diamonds s.h.i.+ning faintly in the moonlight.
”So this is where you've been holed up,” Abner said, cool gray eyes fixed upon Tamaes. The Guardian sat in the corner, arms folded stubbornly over his chest. ”Jedrick said it might take heaven and earth to move you, so he sent me.”
”This is where I am needed,” protested Tamaes in a low voice.
Nodding at the girl asleep on her bed, the Caretaker said, ”You cannot protect her from the inevitable.”
The Guardian's gaze slid sideways. ”She can hear my voice.”
”Hearing and listening are two very different things, and there is another voice she must learn to heed.” Crouching before Tamaes, Abner firmly said, ”I'm sending you out to stretch your wings.”
”And if I decline?”
”You won't, but if you did, I'd simply have the rest of the Hedge carry you off.”
With a sigh, Tamaes begged for understanding. ”She is my responsibility.”
”While that's true, you're not alone,” Abner reminded. ”Taweel is on the roof, and Koji is down the hall. Even Omri would fly to her defense if the need were great.”
”This is not the first time I have been asked to show more faith in my teammates.”
”Then the lesson has yet to be learned.” Standing, the silver-haired angel arranged himself on Prissie's windowseat. ”I'll remain here until your return. I may not be a Guardian, but few are foolish enough to threaten a Caretaker.”
”That is not true,” Tamaes said, an ironic smile tugging at the long scar running down the side of his face. At Abner's quirked brow, he flatly added, ”No one would dare.”
Prissie leaned her forehead against a green diamond in the stained gla.s.s window so she could peer through a peach one. Although a little better, she still had a fever, so the cold gla.s.s felt good against her flushed face. School was out for the day, and she was watching her brothers in the snow-filled yard below. Fat, sticky flakes drifted over their whole farm, blanketing everything under several inches of white stuff. This was the first big snow of the season, and it was perfect for packing.
Grandpa Pete was clearing the driveway with one of the tractors while the boys shoveled the walkways. Well, that's what they were supposed to be doing. Instead, they were goofing off, and Prissie had to admit, it looked like fun.
Neil's red Warriors stocking cap was pulled low over his blond hair as he threw s...o...b..a.l.l.s as fast as he could make them. Since he played quarterback on their high school's football team, his aim was deadly. Tad retaliated by pitching whole shovelfuls of snow in his younger brother's direction.
Gently tracing the edges of a blue diamond, Prissie s.h.i.+fted so she could watch Beau through a soft yellow pane. Until her birthday in January, Prissie and Beau were the same age - fourteen. Her almost-twin was showing Koji how to roll a huge s...o...b..ll, the kind you need for building snowmen. The two must have had big plans, because they called Neil over to help them push the monster boulder back across the lawn. Koji paused long enough in his play to look up at her window and wave one mittened hand. Even from a distance, Prissie could tell he was happy. She pressed her palm against her window, an answering smile creeping onto her lips.
Just then, the rumble of an engine and squeak of air brakes sounded from the direction of the road. The elementary school bus had arrived in the turnaround at the end of Orchard Lane. If Prissie leaned a little, she could just see her other two brothers chasing one another up the driveway. Zeke was already scooping handfuls of snow, eager to join Neil's battle. Jude trotted after him. Prissie knew that her youngest sibling would go to Tad first before checking on the chickens. But then the little boy suddenly wheeled and ran back the other way. Zeke also turned and charged after him. A moment later, another figure came into view. Milo Leggett waded toward the house, a package tucked under his arm, and two boys wrapped around his long legs.
At the sight of their mailman, Prissie's heart beat a little faster. Milo's blue eyes lifted to her bedroom window, and she jerked backward, hoping the stained gla.s.s hid her from view. Prissie's fondness for the Messenger had changed shape in recent months, but that didn't mean she wanted him to see her like this. ”I must be a mess,” she mumbled, pus.h.i.+ng unhappily at honey-colored hair that probably looked as limp as she felt.
The boys crowded around the mailman, who gestured broadly while he talked. Before long, Milo had her brothers laughing, and Prissie was feeling more than a little left out. It wasn't fair that she was the only one still struggling to get better.
With a sigh, she glanced down at the notebook propped on her knees. December was almost here, so she was making her list and checking it twice. She wanted to give presents to several new people this year. Christmas was Prissie's favorite holiday, and she loved the decorations and the baking, the secrets and the presents. Grandpa Pete had begun humming s.n.a.t.c.hes of Handel's Messiah while he worked, and Zeke was already laboring over a mile-long wish list. Prissie could hardly wait for the tree to go up in the family room or for the flood of holiday deliveries that would bring Milo to their door almost every afternoon.
At this time of the year, Prissie dearly missed Aunt Ida, who used to fill the house with carols from the piano in the corner of the family room. Her dad's younger sister had always been Prissie's best secret-keeper during Christmastime. Aunt Ida knew how to add bits of dough to gingerbread men so that they each had their own personality and how to cut apples so they looked like bunnies. Prissie could do these things for herself now, but it wasn't quite as much fun without her bubbly aunt.
Prissie stole another peek out the window in time to see Milo bend down to say something to Koji, who nodded seriously and hurried to the door. Glancing up over his shoulder, the mailman caught her watching and winked. Then, her brothers dragged him over to inspect their giant s...o...b..ll, which Zeke promptly scaled.
By the time Koji opened her bedroom door, Prissie had worked up a good sulk. ”You're not supposed to come in here without permission,” she grumbled at her closest friend.
He studied her face and politely inquired, ”Should I leave?”
”No,” she said grudgingly, pulling up her quilt to hide her flaming cheeks. She was as tired of being alone as she was of being sick.
Koji stepped into the room and padded over on stocking feet. ”There are messages for you!” he announced, clearly pleased to be entrusted with their delivery.
The postcard was from Aunt Ida, and Prissie smiled as she skimmed its brief note. ”She and Uncle Lo are in Africa now,” she said. ”And she hopes we have snow.”
”We do,” he answered seriously.
”Obviously.”
”There is another message,” Koji said.
Prissie eyed his empty hands. ”From whom?”
”Milo.”
”Really?” she murmured, stealing another glance outside. Koji climbed onto the opposite end of the window seat and let one foot swing while he watched the activity in the yard below. When he took the time to scan the sky as well, she asked, ”Is everything all right?”
”There is nothing to fear,” Koji replied. Then he relayed the Messenger's request. ”If you would not mind, Milo will come for you in dreams tonight. Jedrick has called a meeting.”
Prissie took the time to comb and braid her hair, but she didn't go downstairs when the dinner bell rang. Her mom came to check on her, pressing a cool hand to her daughter's forehead. ”You could join us,” she invited. ”If you're up to it?”
”Is Milo staying for supper?” Prissie asked suspiciously.