Page 1 of Angel

PROLOGUE

Age 6

Venom

Is it snow? My cheek tickles with something wet. Is that what’s on my face—what’s falling down?

My head is cold, tingling, burning. What is it? Why is my cheek wet? I remember that it was snowing when we left, and Daddy was nervous about driving.

The wetness trickles down slowly, and it runs along my lips. It’s not snow. It’s gross and tastes like metal.

My head hurts.

It hurts badly.

I don’t want to be scared, but I am scared. And I want to cry.

The quiet, icy breeze makes me shiver. Why is it so cold?

I squeeze Venom to my chest. His soft, furry body makes me happy because I know he’ll keep me safe. He’ll always protect me.

Daddy isn’t moving, but Mommy starts coughing up red stuff, and I think it’s blood. I yell for her as I stare at the broken glass; the big windshield is in pieces.

“M-My boy. I love you. We both love you. You hear me? We will always love you.” She coughs more, and I can feel my lip shake as I start to cry. “You’re going to be great. Do great things. Be a good boy. Grow up and be the best man you can be…”

“Mommy…” I try to reach for her, but she’s too far. She’s not waking up. “P-Please wake up.” The outside isn’t quiet anymore. Loud noises—really loud noises are getting closer. And now they’re all around us. I hug Venom tighter as I call out again. But no one answers. This time Mommy doesn’t answer. “W-Wake up.” I cry more and more. I’m scared because they aren’t waking up.

A big man with a yellow coat sticks his head into the broken window. “Hey, buddy, I’m a firefighter and we’re gonna get you out of there, okay? What’s your name?”

I barely hear the large man’s question because I keep crying. I can’t stop. I’m so scared.

“D-Deacon,” I answer, and he smiles, which helps stop the tears a little.

“Okay, Deacon, what do you have there?”

I sniffle. “H-His name is Venom.” I look down at my stuffed snake, the one my parents bought for me at the zoo this year. He was my favorite of all the animals. Snakes love the sun—that’s what my daddy told me. That’s why snakes are my favorite because I love the sun too.

“That’s a cool name for a cool-looking snake, bud. How about this…? I want you to close your eyes and keep holding on to him for me. Then, I want you to sing with me. Think you can do that?”

I nod my head, still crying. Venom is all wet now. “Y-Yes.”

“Do you have a favorite song? I want you to start singing it, okay?”

I think about the song Mommy sings to me at bedtime while she rocks me back and forth. It’s a song from her favorite movie with the lion and the Tin Man, the one about a rainbow. I start to sing while I close my eyes, and the large fireman sings with me. He must know it too. A big, scary machine frightens me, but he tells me to hug Venom tighter, so I do. He said the machine was called Jaws, like the shark. There are more noises. Then someone lifts me from the back seat. I don’t open my eyes yet because the nice man told me not to.

They lay me down on a long bed, and something soft and foamy is placed around my neck. He tells me not to open my eyes and to keep singing the song, but this time I sneak a glance, reaching out for Mommy and Daddy. I don’t understand why I’m being taken away from them.

“No-no!” Moisture flows down my cheeks. “Wait! No! I don’t want to leave them!”

Farther and farther, I’m being taken away, until I can no longer see them. They lift the long bed and slide it into the big van, before closing the giant doors. I can’t see Mom and Dad anymore, but I want to... I have to.

“It’s okay, Deacon. We’re gonna get you to the hospital. You’ll be all fixed up real soon,” the fireman tells me, but his voice is shaky.

I lie there with my stuffed snake, while he holds my hand and tears fall down his face. But why is he crying, and why is he sad like I am? He shouldn’t be sad too.

I close my eyes, because my head really hurts, and dream about the warm sun and Mommy rocking me to sleep as we sing our song.

ONE

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