Page 26 of The Fallen

?This was the first time she would be traveling without her family and it made her feel mature and, at the same time, a little nervous.

?Apparently, her Uncle Josh was her mentor. All this time, she hadn't known that he was an angel. She also found out that he wasn't really her uncle, he was her mom's angelic other half. They had just told her he was her uncle to make it easier for him to be around without having to explain. It made sense, because there was no family resemblance.

?She sensed Brenton approaching. Her mom felt it, too.

?“Promise me you will stay safe,” she said in her mind.

?A single tear rolled down Marie's face, “I pinky promise,” she thought back to her.

?Her mom pulled her into a hug. They held for a minute until Brenton appeared through a shadow on the wall.

?“It's time,” he said.

?Marie let go, grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Marie's mom wiped the tears from her eyes and faced Brenton.

?“I'm putting her in your hands. I know you are capable of keeping her safe. If anything goes wrong or you need my help in any way, you call me. Don't try and do this by yourselves. You need to remember that fighting together is your greatest defense,” she said.

?“Yes ma'am, I promise. If it comes down to a choice of saving her life or mine, it will be her life every time,” Brenton answered.

?She kissed him on the forehead, “Thank you,” she said and turned toward Marie. “Do not lose that cellphone just in case we can't communicate mentally. If I call and you don't answer, I will come find you. And if you're not hurt when I find you, I promise you, you're gonna be,” she smiled.

?“I love you mom,” she said.

?“I love you more.”

?They finally got outside and Marie looked around for a car. Brenton laughed out loud when he read her thoughts.

?“Not this time sweetheart, we're hoofing it,” he said pointing at his shoes.

?“Say what?” she said looking down. “I've never done that before.”

?“Remember what I told you last night, concentrate, let your mind do all the work and your body will follow.”

?Marie didn't know how this was going to work. She struggled trying to remember everything they were pounding in her head and now this. She understood she was having to learn sixteen years of work in a couple of months, but she wished they would cut her some slack.

?“I know this is a lot for you to take in, but this is the best way for you to learn. I promise, once you get out there and stretch your legs, mentally and physically, you will love it. You'll wonder why you haven't traveled like this every time,” he said and winked.

?The memory of the kiss passed through her head and she wondered if he put it there or was it her who was fantasizing. His lips were so soft and gentle, she could have gotten lost in that moment.

?Before she realized what she had done, Brenton was in front of her with a dreamy look on his face. He put one hand behind her neck and the other on her waist and kissed her. She let go and gave in to it. She loved him.

?He let go of her and looked into her eyes. “I love you, too,” he said and kissed her again.

?She had never felt this way before about anyone. She felt like her world would end if anything ever happened to him. She wanted to be connected to him forever. She would do whatever she had to just to make sure they would be together.

?Suddenly, Brenton froze. Marie looked up and his eyes were glazed over. She tried to search his mind, but she was only getting faded images. The last thing she saw, before Brenton snapped out of the trance, was a hole opening up in the ground and someone being thrown in.

?He looked up to the window of the house and her mom was standing there with her arms folded. He nodded and turned to Marie.

?“We gotta go,” he said.

?Marie was confused, to say the least. There was a mental exchange between him and her mom and she was left out.

?“Wait, what just happened?”

?His demeanor changed once again. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled. This was starting to get weird to her.

?“Listen, you can do this. I know you can,” he said squeezing her shoulders. “Just stretch those legs and run,” he finished and shot off down the street. “Catch me if you can,” Brenton said in her head and she couldn't ignore the challenge.