“Who am I speaking to?” the caller asked, his voice carrying an air of authority.
“Alex. Who’s this?”
“My name is Constable Sloan. I’m calling from Strathclyde Police Division, is Hayley Foster available, please?”
Alex glanced down at where she lay curled up against him. “She’s asleep, can I help?” Alex seldom slept, usually only one night in every fifteen, but Hayley was a different story.
“What is your last name again, sir?”
“Bridges,” Alex said without hesitation. It was the fictional last name he always used when someone started asking questions about him. Like all of his kin he only had the one name, the one he was bestowed with by his creator when he was made.
“Alexander Bridges?” the constable asked.
“Yeah, that’s right. What is this about?” he said, sitting up a little more, causing Hayley to shuffle about under his arm.
“It’s nothing serious, Mr Bridges, we were just wondering if you could come pick someone up, John Hughes?”
Alex rolled his eyes. Idiot. But he feigned ignorance for the sake of keeping up appearances. “What’s happened? Is he in some sort of trouble?”
“No, not at all, sir. We’ve just had him in for questioning about something but he is free to go. That’s why I was calling.”
“Is he ok?” Alex asked. “Where is he?”
“He’s at Springburn Police Station. Can you come and collect him? We wouldn’t like letting someone his age wondering home by himself at this time of night.”
“No, I understand completely, thank you. We’ll be there shortly.”
“Thank you, I’ll let him know that you’re on your way. Sorry to have disturbed you at this time.”
“It’s no problem at all, don’t worry about it. Thanks again. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Ending the call, Alex threw his head back against the chair and groaned loudly. Hayley stirred and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. “What’s wrong?” she complained, grumpy at being woken.
“John is at the police station,” he replied bitterly.
Hayley sat up. “What? Why?”
“Why do you think? That body he found.”
Hayley gazed at him, half-asleep. “So, wait...have they arrested him or something? Is he ok?”
“He’s fine,” Alex said, throwing the phone onto the coffee table. “But they’ve kept him in for questioning all night about it. No doubt a teenager finding a body that has been buried so well that no other footpath users have found for years has raised a few questions.” He sighed. “But they have nothing on him and that was them just phoning to ask if we can go collect him.”
Hayley frowned. “Why didn’t they call his mum?”
“I don’t know, that’s exactly what I’m going to ask him when we get there.”
Hayley shut her eyes. “Can’t we go get him in the morning? He can wait a couple of more hours surely?”
“It’s too late for that now. I told them that we were coming.”
Hayley wiped the sleep from her eyes with clumsy hands. “Can’t you send your clone?” she moaned.
“I can if you want.”
Hayley thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “You know what, no. We’ll go.” She pulled away from the comfy embrace of his arm and wing and that of the couch.
“Are you sure? I can manage myself if you want to go back to bed.”
Hayley shook her head again no. “I’m up now. Let’s go.”
Chapter Eight
The male officer standing behind the reception desk did not seem at all surprised to see two people rolling into the station at such a ridiculous hour in the morning. But the fact neither of them were being led in by police in handcuffs was a welcome sight. The only people to usually come traipsing through the door - or dragged - on backshift were drunks who had got into fights or started other kinds of trouble; though drug takers passing through were not an uncommon sight either.
“Can I help you?” he asked, as the two young adults approached the front counter.
“Yeah, we’re here to pick up John Hughes,” Hayley began, folding her arms on the counter. Alex stood back a bit, idly looking about, seemingly disinterested.
The policeman, a burly man in his mid-forties whose mousy hair was starting to go bald at the top eyed the black haired man for a second before returning his gaze to Hayley. “What was your name please?” he asked, picking up a clipboard.
“Hayley Foster. We were phoned a little while ago and asked to pick him up.”
The officer gave a slow nod of the head. “I’ll let him know that you’re here.” He lifted the phone and dialled. “Are you his sister?”
“No, we’re just family friends.”
The cop frowned at that but did not comment. “Hello? Gordon? Yeah. There’s a Hayley Foster here for you? Yeah. Ok. Thanks. Bye.” He hung up the phone. “They’ll be through in a minute, if you just want to take a seat.”
Hayley forced a smile across her tired face. “Thanks.”
John appeared a couple of minutes later, with the constable in tow.
“Hayley!” John exclaimed; running and throwing his arms around her. Hayley froze, surprised by his reaction. “Are you alright? What happened?”
John was about to speak but a quick glance at the constable made him clam up. Lowering his gaze, he mumbled, “I’m fine.”
Hayley looked to the policeman for answers. “What’s happened?”
Constable Sloan straightened up. “Maybe it would be best if you could come through and we can speak about this in private?” he offered.
“Sure,” Hayley said, looking at John, who trailed after her reluctantly. Alex followed them in silence.
Once they were seated in the interview room the policeman told them how the station had received a phone call from John about the body on the footpath, how he had helped them locate it and his subsequent questioning. Alex and John both remained silent throughout while Hayley nodded and asked questions, pretending to be surprised by the gruesome revelation.
“Anyway, I’m sorry if we worried you and your partner but we just had to ask these questions, as is routine.”
Alex gazed at the constable with his arms folded but said nothing.
“Oh no, we’re not together. We’re just flatmates.”
“I just assumed. I’m sorry it’s been a long night.” The constable had the grace to look embarrassed.
Hayley forced a smile. “It’s ok.”
“It’s a good thing you answered. We couldn’t get a hold of John’s mother.”
“She probably just didn’t hear the phone. She’s always been a bit of a heavy sleeper but we’ll take him home.”
Sloan stood and the others rose as well. John could not be more relieved to have been leaving. “Still though, I do appreciate you coming in at such an hour,” the constable said gratefully as he showed them out the door.
“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. We were just worried about John that’s all.” Could you be anymore patronising? She heard Alex’s voice in her head.
Shut up, she replied.
“Would you please inform his mother about what has happened? I appreciate it’s not an easy thing to talk about but if she has any questions, please tell her she can call and I would be more than happy to speak to her in person,” Sloan replied, handing Hayley his contact card as they made the short trip to reception.
“Yeah, of course I will.” Hayley pocketed the card.
“Thanks once again, have a nice day.”
“Thanks,” Hayley said as they departed. John kept his head down and did not say a word. He could not walk out the door fast enough.
Once they were outside, Alex turned on him. “So, why couldn’t you call your mum?”
“Because she would have gone mental! You know what she’s like!” John said as he trudged ahead down the street. He quickly looked away from the angel, fearing the stern, icy gaze he got when he was mad.
“And what do you think she’s going to be like when you walk in the door, huh? You’ve been gone all night! She would have noticed! I take it you gave them someone else’s number right, so they couldn’t phone her?”
John threw his arms up in protest. “What was I meant to do? Mum would have started spouting all the shit she does about ghosts and things. They would have thought she was insane! Then they would have never let me go!”
Alex jabbed a finger at him. “I told you not to go to the police.”
John turned and faced him. “And let that poor woman lie there, suffering? All she wanted was for someone to find her. Thanks for caring, Alex,” he said bitterly before walking away.
Alex hurried after him. “Don’t make this out like I don’t care! By going to the police and getting us to come down here you’ve put us all at risk of being discovered!”
John stopped again and squinted at him. “You’re a fucking angel, Alex. You can change people’s memories for fuck sake! Why are you so scared all the time?”
“That’s enough!” Hayley shouted, starting to feel a headache coming on. She pushed between the two of them, who stood glowering at one another. “Alex, can we please go home?” she asked, turning to her guardian.
Flitting John a resentful look, Alex looked about to make sure no one was about. Confident that they were alone on the dark, cold winter street, he worked his magic and they were gone; simply blinking out of existence like they had never been there in the first place.
Chapter Nine
Hayley stumbled down the hallway rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The flat was silent save for the soft falls of her slippers as she trod the wooden boards to the kitchen. It was late afternoon. She had decided to skip college and go back to bed after their early morning jaunt to the police station. Opening the door, she trailed in to the kitchen, not paying any heed to the three who sat around the breakfast table. Alex, Christopher and their guest watched as she crossed to the cupboard, poured herself a bowl of cereal and headed back to the door without so much as a glance.
Alex was adamant that she would ask who the stranger was. But when she disappeared from the room he was forced to start the conversation himself. “This is our father by the way, Hayley,” he shouted. His introduction was met with only silence.
Hayley walked backwards into view, shooting the black-haired stranger a curious look. “I was going to ask but then I thought I’d probably be better off not knowing why he is here.”
A nervous smile crossed Alex’s face. “Who said he was here for anything? He might have just popped in for a visit.”
“Angels don’t just pop in for visits. I’ve known you for twenty five years and your family have never visited us once.”
“She is not foolish this one,” Alex’s father said, his bright blue eyes meeting hers.
Hayley stepped back into the kitchen. “You must be Andrew.”
“That I am.”
“Cool.”
An awkward silence filled the air as Hayley waited for the angels to explain themselves and they in turn waited for her to say something else. It was Hayley who broke first. “So...is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”
Andrew frowned at her bluntness. “You assume my presence heralds bad news.”
“I’m sorry, Andrew, it’s nothing against you. It is just that in my experience anything involving angels, demons, ghosts, vampires and the like always ends in bad news.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow and glanced at his son across the table. “You make it sound as if my son’s presence in your life has been a disaster rather than a blessing.”
“No, of course not, I, I, didn’t mean it like that,” she hesitated, looking at Alex. “I’m just talking about all the demons and things, not him. Alex is my best friend and my soul mate for goodness sake, I’d never think of him as a burden.”
Andrew’s gaze drifted to his son. “So, it is true.”
Hayley realised he seemed displeased by this revelation. “What?”
Andrew’s gaze shifted to hers. “Forgive me, child, but you are not supposed to know that you share a part of his core.”
“Why not? It’s not like it’s ever harmed anybody.”
“Not yet but why do you think these demons keep coming after you?”
She shook her head. “You’ve lost me. Even before I knew about Alex’s soul Gabriel came after me. He kidnapped me when I was five years old. How could not knowing have made any difference?”
“Gabriel kidnapped you to hurt Alexander and granted I believe his actions would have been the same even if you did not share his soul. Yet there have been other times since then when demons have hunted you in this world.”
Hayley shook her head. “No there hasn’t. There was the one that got into the flat that time but that was about it. The rest we’ve always gone out looking for ourselves. They just turn up at random. They have nothing to do with us.” She looked at Alex but he did not meet her gaze.
Andrew looked at his son. Hayley felt a knot form in her stomach. “Alex?”
Slowly he turned and stood. His sombre expression said it all.
“You lied to me...again...”
“I just didn’t want to frighten you. Please...it was just easier this way.”
She shook her head, stunned. “So what? All those times, you were lying?”
“Not all the time. Some of the demons really did just come here by themselves.”
“And all those other times?”
It was Andrew who answered. “They crossed over to hunt you.”
Alex shut his eyes. Hayley knew he did not want her to hear the words.
“Why did you lie to me? Why are so many people obsessed with trying to hurt me? What did I ever do?”
Alex looked at her but the words would not come to him.
Hayley walked over to him. Placing her hands gently on his cheeks she guided his face up until he met her gaze. “Alex, please talk to me. Why do so many people want to kill us? What did you do?” she asked, through teary eyes.
He looked at her, pleadingly. “You know that I have not always lived by the best virtues. There was a time when I lost my way like Gabriel and Jacob.” A hard lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. “The truth is the three of us hurt a lot of people.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“A band of us decided to head to one of the other realms to round up traitors after The War of the False Gods.”
She stared at him. “What happened?” she asked, though she dreaded his answer.
“We found them but...something went wrong...” He shook his head and closed his eyes, struggling to fight back tears as his hands came to his face.
“Alex.” Hayley gently took his hands into hers and guided them away but the angel still refused to look at her. She flashed an angry look at his father, who remained seated at the table, looking on emotionlessly. “Why the fuck did you come here?” she asked, storming towards him.
“Hayley!” Christopher implored, jumping to his feet.
She waved a hand at him. “No, he can answer me. I don’t care if he’s your father.” Her eyes narrowed. “You turn up unannounced, say that you have some important news, which you still haven’t shared and then you upset your son by raking up the past.”
“You are the one who started asking him questions.”
“But you started it!” she yelled, her face turning red.
Andrew stood yet his face remained as calm as ever. “I did no such thing. It is like I said you were the one who asked Alexander about his history.”
“Don’t you dare!” she shouted, pointing an accusing a finger at him. “You started it! What kind of man, or sorry, what kind of angel, upsets his son like that and sits there like he doesn’t care?”
Andrew’s face remained a blank slate. “I do care but you were the one who upset him.”
“Hayley, please!” Christopher cut in. “Our father came here to help us. The Elders believe Alexa
nder’s enemies from the war have been the ones responsible for sending these demons after you. One of The Elders claims to have seen three of them opening a gate to this world.”
“I don’t give a shit about that. I want him out of my flat.”
“Hayley...” Christopher pleaded.
Andrew inclined his chin. “I am one of the highest-”
“I don’t care who you fucking are! Get out!”
Alex had watched their heated exchange as tears flooded down his face. He looked at Hayley as she stormed by. Alex cast his father one last lingering glance before turning his back on him.
Chapter Ten
Alex closed the door behind him. “I’m sorry, for everything.” Tears fell from his eyes and he turned away, ashamed to be seen.
“Alex.” Hayley went to him but the angel shied away. Reaching for his wrist, she gently pulled him round. “I’m not mad at you.”
Wiping his eyes again he looked at her through watery orbits. The striking blue of his eyes seemed to have paled from the torrent. “I thought you were...”
“Of course I’m not,” she said, cradling his face in her hands.
Alex blinked, clearly relieved. He took her into his arms then. Leaning his head against her shoulder he closed his eyes. “I don’t deserve you...I’ve kept things from you...”
“Alex,” she said gently, squeezing him tightly. “You know no matter what you do I will always forgive you.” When they parted she added, “ And that goes for whatever you’ve done in the past as well.”
He shook his head. “Why? You don’t know what I did. I never told you why your soul was taken from me.”
“That’s because you never wanted to talk about it. Those few times I asked I could see how much it upset you. That’s why I stopped asking. I shouldn’t have brought it up again in the kitchen, I’m sorry. It was just what your dad was saying made me scared, that’s all. Besides, it’s not really a big deal. I mean, I know you’ll tell me one day.” Whether that was through words or being rejoined in death remained to be seen.