Sjauken, who waved back.
"Thank you again," he said.
"Our pleasure, John," Eile said; "anytime."
"Good bye!" Sunny squealed. "And Merry Christmas!"
"And to you," he replied before turning back into the hall.
Eile followed Sunny outside. There was an inch of snow on the ground and a drizzle of flakes drifted down in lazy patterns, but the air was so cold and still the mist of their breath hung around them like miniature clouds. They headed off for the bus stop, holding hands, but not saying anything, just basking in the warm glow of their pride for the wonderful evening.
As they neared the corner where the stop was located, Sunny said, "That was such a great evening."
"Yeah, but it makes me wonder how we're gonna pull it off next year. A coupla those things we got just by the skin of our teeth."
Sunny hugged Eile's arm. "Oh, don't worry! It's like I always say: we're partners, and together we can accomplish anything!"
Eile chuckled. She was right about that, but at the same time her childlike absolute conviction of its truth tickled her skeptical nature.
Her next thought vanished when she saw the spots in the snow ahead of them.
"Oh, my," Sunny said, "what're those?" They formed a close-spaced line, alternating left to right, like two staggered columns.
Eile knew exactly what they were; they glowed red from their heat. "It's blood." The resident population of vampiric parasites sequestered in her bones was not large enough to turn her, but they gave her some minor vampiric powers, such as good night vision and the ability to see heat auras.
"Blood!?" Sunny squeaked.
She pointed ahead of them. "Yeah, from that." A cat walked away from them; she could clearly see it as its yellow, orange, and bright red heat pattern made it stand out against the cold background.
"It's so white," Sunny said; "I can barely see it."
Eile could also see a ragged wound in its side.
"It's injured, badly."
"Oh, the poor thing! We hafta rescue it!"
Eile nodded; she knew Sunny would say that. "Okay, but take it easy; if we spook it, it'll run."
"Right, partner, easy does it."
They started after it, trying to close the gap between them, but it always stayed the same distance away, no matter how fast they moved. Only, it never seemed to quicken its pace.
"It's getting away!" Sunny moaned.
"Okay, let's grab it!" They took off running. The cat didn't try to sprint away, but it did duck into an alley. They turned the corner and hesitated.
"There it is!" Eile said. It was mid-way up the alley, and it had stopped. It stood sideways and stared at them, as if looking to see if they would follow.
They started after it and it didn't move, as if wanting to be caught. As they passed a dumpster, however, a large heat glow caught Eile's eye. She slowed and looked. A woman lay crumpled in the corner between the dumpster and the wall.
"Sunny!" Her partner pulled up and turned around, looking back.
"There's someone here!" She knelt down to feel for a pulse. "Come and help me!"
Sunny ran back and squatted down beside her. "Is she...?"
Eile felt a pulse and sighed in relief. "No, she's still alive. But she's got hypothermia."
"She's been beaten up pretty bad, too. There're bruises and cuts all over her face, and one eye's swollen shut."
That was one disadvantage of her heat vision: details like that were often obscured.
"We've gotta get her back to the shelter. Here, help me pick her up."
Enhanced strength was another benefit of the parasites, but it wasn't especially pronounced. Still, with Sunny's help, she managed to lift her up and hold her cradled in her arms as they rushed back to Sjauken's mission. He kept the door to the chapel unlocked at night, but the entry into the dining hall and the rest of the building was secured with a sophisticated security system installed by Medb. As Eile laid the woman in a pew, Sunny ran up and punched the intercom.
"Pastor Sjauken! Pastor!!" She spoke into the microphone, but with her lungs he could have heard her without it.
After a few moments his voice came over the speaker. "I'm here, Sunny, what's the emergency?" He didn't sound tired or sleepy, and Eile figured he hadn't gone to bed yet.
"We found someone who needs help! She's badly injured and suffering from exposure!"
"Just a moment, I'll let you in." Eile picked up the woman, and as she came towards the door she heard a buzzing sound as the lock disengaged. Inside stood one of the single mothers. They took turns staying up all night to keep an eye on the mission, and in case any of the children needed help.
"Put her on one of the tables." She went to fetch a blanket.
Sjauken came in from the hall that led to the dormitory and approached the table. "I've called an ambulance."
The mother returned, and she and Sunny covered the woman with a heavy quilt and placed a pillow under her head. Though she had been relaxed while Eile carried her, she started to shiver moments later.
Sjauken felt her pulse on her neck and laid a hand on her forehead. "I believe you got to her just in time."
"Thank god," Eile said.
He smiled. "I certainly will."
Eile grinned back at him.
"Whew! That's a relief," Sunny said. "But, you know, we never would have found her if we hadn't met that cat."
Sjauken gave her a surprised look. "A cat, you say?"
"Yeah, it was hurt. We were trying to catch it, when it ducked into an alley, and that's when we found her."
He stared at her with an expression Eile couldn't interpret. It wasn't puzzlement, more like amazement, but with a mix of concern. "How was it hurt?" His voice was strangely hushed while still earnest.
Sunny blinked, startled; she had noticed it, too. "It...it's paws were bleeding, and it had a gash on its side above its hips."
"Was it white?"
Eile exchanged glances with Sunny, and from the look on her face she could see she was just as mystified as she was. "Yeah. Do you know it?"
Sjauken relaxed into a knowing expression with a small smile on his lips. "Yes."
"Does it live around here?"
He nodded. "Yes, you could say that."
Eile raised an eyebrow and frowned. That was damned peculiar of him.
"That poor kitty. I wish we could've taken care of it."
He chuckled and grinned. "You needn't worry; it's more than capable of looking after itself."
"Do you know its name?"
He paused a moment, as if considering a proper answer. "Immanuel."
"Does it belong to anyone?"
He gave them both a look of strong buddhic serenity. "It belongs to everyone."
That took Eile aback. "What does that mean?"
He flashed a mischievous smile with a twinkle in his eye. "Just another example of how God is always with us, even when we aren't aware it."
Okay, that's just plain weird, Eile thought. "Uh..." she began, but was interrupted by the siren wail of the approaching ambulance.
As Eile and Sunny waited at the bus stop for the next ride, Sunny called home to let Mariam know they were running late, and Eile studied the only other person there with them, an old man dressed in a disheveled coat and hat sitting on one of the benches. She decided he was harmless and ignored him.
Sunny invited Mariam to stay the night, which she accepted, but rather than put the cell phone away, she activated the Internet app.
"Wha'cha doin'?" Eile asked.
"Looking something up." She sounded distracted. Eile came up beside her and looked over her shoulder. She had Wikipedia open and was typing in 'emanuel'. As soon as she selected her spelling from the dropdown list, a disambiguation page came up.
"Oh, my! It's Hebrew; it means 'God is with us'."
Eile remembered Sjauken's last words before the ambulance arrived. "You think that's what he meant?"
Sunny threw her a disbelieving look. "What, t
hat the cat was God?!"
Eile had to admit, that did sound pretty silly, but she felt it might be right. Both she and Sunny believed in God, but whereas Sunny had a child's faith in things like an afterlife, she debunked concepts like miracles. In contrast, Eile was almost the exact opposite. She doubted there was an afterlife, but she accepted miracles could happen. In many ways, her life with Sunny was a miracle that continued to unfold.
Sunny clicked on a link to 'Immanuel', and as soon as the page popped up, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Son of a --!" She gave Eile a look that mixed shock and awe. "It's a name for Jesus!"
Yes, of course! The bloody paws, the wound in the side! She felt her spine tingle, but it was a good feeling for once.
Before either of them could say anything more, the old man began singing in a thin and quavering voice:
"O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."
Sunny glanced at Eile with an expression of trepidation. The song was not out of place for the season or the day, and normally Eile would assume he was simply a lonely and confused old man seeking comfort from a favorite childhood hymn. But coming as it did at that moment, it seemed to be a confirmation of their suspicions.
Neither of them said a word; Sunny simply closed her cell phone as their bus pulled up to the stop.
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For more information on Eile and Sunny, Team Girl, see the official site [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/].
Back to TOC
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About the Author
Kevin L. O'Brien was born with a pen in his hand.
Well, not quite, but he has been writing for as long as he can remember, at least since First Grade. Writing has always