Mole didn’t really say anything in the car. Anne kept the radio off and just drove; quietly. The sun beaming in the car just emphasized her beauty and innocence. He wanted to tell her that nothing happened at the strip club, but he was confused because he didn’t know where they were in their relationship.
“Anne,” Mole managed to say, not being able to look at her.
“Yes, Kale,” Anne said, continuing to drive.
“I just, well, I just wanna say thank you,” He managed to say. “You didn’t have to come.”
“Kale, there is a difference between having to help someone and wanting to,” she told him.
Mole looked out the window at a young couple holding hands while they were at a stop light. “And which one was the reason you came this morning; having or wanting?”
Anne looked to Mole who was awaiting an answer, “What do you think?”
Mole actually didn’t know the answer to the question, “Where are we going?”
“Back to your dorm room.”
Mole thought those were the words of doom. “Oh, okay.”
“Why?” Anne turned her head to Kale. “Did you have somewhere else you’d rather be?”
“Anne, I,” Mole said, trying to get it out but stopped himself to stare out the window. “Nothing.”
“Kale, I’m not going through this again like we did in high school where either of us were too scared to tell each other how we feel or want, so I’m just going to tell you,” Anne flat out said.
“No, I’m going to do it, because if you say it first then I don’t want you to think it was just a reaction to what you said,” Kale said.
“What?” Anne asked in confusion.
“Damn it, Anne, I love you. I love you more than anything I know. I have never been so lost and because of my problem with booze I drove you out of my life and it is tearing me up inside. Losing you is the worst thing that has ever happened to me and I’m counting the night Roger kicked the living crap out of me,” Kale pleaded. “I will never forgive myself for putting you through this. I truly am sorry. I hope someday we can be friends again.”
Anne quickly turned into a parking lot of a restaurant and turned to Kale after slamming on the brakes. “No.”
Mole stomach dropped “I understand.”
“Kale, you don’t,” Anne informed him. “I love you more than anything. I’m saying I don’t want to break up. Every relationship has its rough times. I’m going to be there for you to get you back on sobriety and somehow get Alex back in our lives.” Anne placed her hands on Kale’s face. She pulled him in for a kiss. “I’m not going to leave you.”
“I love you so much,” Kale said, returning her kiss. He looked at her passionately and said with confidence, “I want you to go to the Vatican. It’s only six months; it’s the length of only one Iron Man training plan. We’ll be fine.”
“What about getting your sobriety back?” Anne asked out of concern.
Kale laughed, “You know, honestly, I know I’ll be okay. Just knowing I’m not losing you, is all I need. For the first time in quite a while, I feel no pain.”
Anne started to cry, “I love you, Kale.” The two had started kissing when they were interrupted by a police car behind them with their lights on.
***
“Hey, that hurt!” Alex said to Ariel and Devine who were standing on either side of her. “What was that for?” Alex started to rub the back of her head while creating some distance between them.
“Do you think we are stupid?” Ariel asked Alex out of anger. Alex’s nerves shot up from seeing the faces of determination on the Conduit Guardians. The two angels confidently walked in her direction.
“Do you think we do not know what is happening?” Devine interjected with the same annoyance. The two of them stared at Alex as they continued walking towards her.
Alex turned around and walked between the church pews on the other side of the aisle from Gastrix who was still passed out from Celestial. “What are you talking about?”
“The marks on your body,” Devine flew over the pews, landing next to Alex.
“They may be faint, but we do see them,” Ariel pointed out as she joined Devine on the other side of Alex. Komptin followed Ariel and Devine with his glowing blue eyes. He growled and barked out loud.
“He can’t hurt me,” Alex pointed out. “I’ve gotten hit a lot worse than what he can ever do to me.”
“Really? Do you hear yourself?” Devine was shocked at Alex’s answer.
“You are actually accepting him striking you?” Ariel pointed to multiple places on Alex’s face where Gastrix had hit her.
Both of them harshly said,” “Do you think abuse is purely physical pain?”
“Shut up, what do you know? You don’t know anything about love,” Alex said. “Komptin, watch Gastrix, I’m going to go get the car.” Alex stormed out of the church. Thunder and lightning came across the sky as Devine and Ariel dropped in front of Alex. She turned around to see Komptin in his gargoyle state breathing heavily with his eyes glowing.
Devine grabbed Alex and spun her around, “You think what you are in is love?”
Ariel pointed her finger right in Alex’s face “You are telling us you enjoy what he does to you?” Alex got frustrated and forcefully walked in between the two angels to get across the street. She got to her car which had a parking ticket on the windshield. “Just great.” She put the ticket in her purse. She turned around to have Ariel in full body armor, displaying her misty wings and halo, grab her by the neck and lifted her up by the throat.
“So, you really think abuse is love?” Ariel asked her.
“You truly are a stupid primate,” Devine stated.
“I bet you even let him hurt the people you really do love,” Ariel continued their rant.
Devine immediately added on, “Some protector you are.”
Alex got thrown through the window to the store on the sidewalk. It was an empty office space available for rent. Alex had a feeling it was going to be renovated after this talk. Alex grabbed her throat, trying to ease the pain. Devine walked up to her and pushed her down with her foot. “Stay down there since that is where you belong.”
Ariel confidently walked up to her to join Devine. The two angels kept their feet on Alex, not letting her up. “You are as blind as you are dumb,” Ariel added.
“Stop it, you have no idea. He is the only one who will love me.” She lit her fist and broke free of her grip. Her eyes flashed blue as she clenched her teeth, staring at the two angels in a fighting position.
“Really?” The two warrior angels both said as they stared at her in disbelief.
Devine asked her, “You really want to do this?”
“Little pathetic human,” Ariel gave the final insult.
Alex screamed and attacked the two of them. She swung at Devine who easily dodged the punch and pushed her in the back, smashing her head into the drywall, causing debris to fall on her. Alex’s eyes flashed and she attacked, swinging at Ariel who kicked her in the stomach. She grabbed Alex’s arm and swung her through a wall, causing her to land on her back in the next room over.
The two of them calmly looked over Alex without saying a word. Their arrogance just infuriated Alex more as she screamed at them. Ariel stepped to the side, tripping Alex into the air as Devine caught Alex mid-flight into a headlock. Alex was trying to break free, but she lost her strength as Devine slowly cut off her air supply. Alex’s fist stopped glowing as Devine dropped her to the ground.
“You are nothing,” Ariel told her.
“Pitiful, actually,” Devine corrected her as she let Alex go, pushing her into the wall.
The two of them looked at each other, “Vandor’s feces is actually better than this thing.”
Alex screamed as she got up and attacked them. She charged them and they both simultaneously grabbed her arms and dropped her to the ground, placing their knees on her back. “You don’t touch or talk to me like that!”
“THEN WHY DO YOU LET HIM DO THAT TO YOU!” both yelled at the same time.
Alex started to cry as her body went limp. Ariel and Devine took a moment to look at each other before gently lifting her onto her knees. Alex sat down on the floor, crying. The two angels stood in front of her. “I thought I was just doing what needed to be done for love.” Alex continued to cry into her shirt. “I thought I was doing what needed to be done.” She started wiping her nose from the snot and the tears from her eyes. “I see it all the time. All around me, people in relationships. It’s like something I can’t have.”
“What is that?” Devine knelt down next to Alex, placing her hand on Alex’s knee and the other on her shoulder.
“What is it that you cannot have?” Ariel probed, joining her partner next to Alex, putting her hands-on Alex’s opposite knee in the same places as Devine.
“I can’t love, I never have. I thought I just had to settle. I thought something was wrong with me. I don’t deserve love if I can’t return it. What’s wrong with me?” Alex pleaded to Ariel and Devine.
They both placed their arms and wings around Alex as she continued to cry, giving a welcoming comfort to the Lite Sentry. “Nothing is wrong with you, Alexandria,” Devine said stroking her hair.
“Well,” Ariel pinched Alex's hair. “Maybe your new hairdo.”
Alex laughed in between her tears. “I have nothing left. I lost everyone,” Alex said, holding onto their arms, shivering as they held onto her.
“I would not say that,” the two of them said.
Alex felt Komptin come up to her and lick her face. She felt Ariel and Devine let her go so she could hug Komptin. “I’m so sorry, boy. I’m so sorry.” She continued to hug Komptin as he snuggled up to her for affection. Ariel and Devine got up helping Alex get up as well. The three of them, along with Komptin, looked over the mess they created. “Do you think the owner will notice that we were here?” Alex sniffled. Then a light fixture dropped as Alex could have sworn both Ariel and Devine gave a somewhat smile.
***
“I can’t believe he gave us a ticket,” Kale said to Anne as they entered the apartment.
“I can’t believe you said, ‘but officer, we have love’ as an excuse,” Anne laughed putting down her keys on the table next to the door.
Kale grabbed her wrist and swung her around, dipping her into a makeshift dance, “But it was the truth.” He kissed her and guided her onto the floor. She started to unbutton his shirt as she laid on the floor. “Here?” Kale asked. “What if Brenda walks in?”
“Well, then you better hurry,” Anne said, smiling.
Kale got up and took his jacket and shirt off and took off his pants rather quickly. He was wearing nothing but his socks as he was seductively dancing for Anne as she remained on the floor, laughing.
“Oh my God!” Alex said upon walking into the apartment.
“Alex,” Anne said, crab crawling from underneath Kale to stand up.
“What are you doing here?” Kale asked, standing in the living room, refusing to cover himself up.
Alex held up her hand so she wouldn’t have to see Little Mole. “I just wanted to say,” she adjusted her hand and still looked away, “I just came here to…” She tried saying again. “Mole, can you put that thing away?”
“No,” Kale said with his arms folded, facing her. “What do you want, Alex?”
“Kale,” Anne said, grabbing his bathrobe from the bathroom. She threw it at him. “Come on, no sister should have to see her brother’s little buddy.”
“Well, I had this whole thing planned in my head but for some reason I lost my train of thought,” she admitted.
“Well thanks, Alex! That clears everything up,” Kale said, going onto the couch. He picked up the remote to look at the broken TV. “Oh yeah, our TV is busted.” He just tossed the remote backwards and Alex instinctively caught it with ease.
“Damn it, Mole, I’m trying to apologize,” Alex said to him. Komptin came in the door and jumped onto his favorite chair.
“Yeah, for what?” Mole got up from the couch. “For your boyfriend getting me trashed, for him breaking the TV? What, Alex, what the hell are you apologizing for?”
Alex had tears running down her eyes, “I’m sorry for not listening to you. To either of you.”
Mole had a sudden rush of guilt from making his sister cry in front of him. Anne and Kale looked at each other. Anne was waiting for Kale’s reaction. Kale looked at his sister, studying her. He looked over at his emotionally torn up sister, “Order pizza tonight and we’ll call it even.”
The three of them hugged each other.
***
Sanah went into the abandoned hospital where the infiltrators seemed to reside. He sat down on an old recliner, watching the infiltrators fight over scraps of pieces of what he could only see was the body of a young college student.
“You look upset,” Salamor was mystified before him.
“I almost ended this war,” Sanah said. “I wounded her, I wounded her badly.”
“Not many got so close,” the dark figure said.
Sanah got up from the chair as he watched the young infiltrators drag two more young kids into the hospital in hopes of filling the infiltrators’ hunger for destruction. Sanah knew that the infiltrators didn’t need to kill or eat to survive; they could live forever without either of those. They killed for pure pleasure. “We need to make sure they accept the mass.”
“They will,” Salamor said, hovering over Sanah.
“She can still disrupt the plan,” Sanah said. “We need her distracted.”
“As long as her stability in the family is faltering we cannot lose,” Salamor said.
***
Alex and Anne sat around the pizza table, laughing at Mole singing karaoke in honor of Anne. His singing was absolutely horrible, but he had the place cheering him on over his confidence and the embarrassment Anne was portraying.
“You go, babe!” Anne screamed as she laughed.
Alex was smiling as she sat and watched him. She thought she would never forgive herself for what she did to her family. Anne turned to Alex, smiling at her and patted Alex’s hand on the table, telling her that everything was going to be alright. Even Komptin was wagging his tail with happiness between the three of them. Mole finished his song with a bow and the place erupted. “He really doesn’t care, does he?”
“Not about embarrassing himself,” Anne pointed out. “But when he loves, it is all in.”
Mole came off the stage and came over to Anne. “I have to pee.”
“Thanks for the update,” Alex said.
Mole kissed Anne and he went off to the bathroom. Anne watched him leave and turned to take a bite of her vegetarian pizza.
“So, Anne, I heard you were in the finals for a paid Vatican study,” Alex mentioned, chugging down her Apollo drink.
“Your source isn’t quite up to date,” Anne said, taking a sip of wine.
“Oh?” Alex said.
“Yeah, I got chosen,” Anne said, swallowing her pizza.
Alex was happy for Anne, but she was worried about Mole and Anne, “Are you going to go?”
Anne shook her head yes, “I leave in two days.”
“What about Mole?”
“Well, long story short, we are going to stay together. It’s only six months and we are remaining with each other,” Anne told her. “There’s not a doubt in my mind we will be okay.” Anne smiled at her. “And now that we—as in all of us—are back together, I have no worries.”
Alex smiled back as she was kind of playing with her Apollo Energy can. “Anne, I need to apologize specifically to you.”
Anne put her pizza down and turned to Alex, “It’s okay, I und—”
Alex interrupted, “Anne please, I need to say this.”
Anne shook her head as if to say, “Go ahead.”
“I have strength, power, and can do stuff that would make the average comic book nerd turn green with envy,” Alex told her, laying the foundation of her apology.
“Yes, yes you do,” Anne confirmed.
“But let me tell you something. Your heart gives you more strength than I can ever have. You truly are an amazing person and I wish I could be half the person you are,” Alex told her. “I am truly, truly, sorry for what I put you through, both physically,” Alex slightly rubbed her neck in remembrance of Gastrix grabbing Anne’s neck, “and emotionally.”
“Alex,” Anne said. “Don’t worry about it. And let me tell you something: you and Kale are the two most important people in my life. I love you two so much and I’m going to miss you so much when I’m gone.” Anne wiped her tears. “Promise me this, promise me that you take care of Kale while I’m gone.”
“You know I will,” Alex got up from the table with Anne and the two hugged and cried in each other’s arms.
“Don’t cry,” Mole said, putting his arms around the both of them, coming back from the bathroom. “I’m right here.”
“You’re such an idiot, Mole,” Alex said to him.
“I love you too,” he said, putting his head on the two girls. “So, if you want us to give Gastrix another chance…”
“No, I’m going to end it tonight,” Alex said. “I can’t believe I allowed him to influence me like that. I thought I was stronger than that. It gave me a small taste of what Sara must have went through all those years.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Mole told her. “Lord knows I’ve screwed some things up in my life but look at the end result. I have a beautiful girl who has chosen me to be her boyfriend,” he said, grabbing her hand. “I have my best friend back, and most of all, I have humility.”
“Humility?” Alex asked.
“A reminder that I have a disease and that I need to check myself every now and then,” Mole said. “I need to attend at least two meetings a month to maintain my sobriety.” The waitress came over with the bill. She handed it over to Mole. Mole grabbed and then tossed it at Alex. “You’re paying,” he smiled.
After Alex paid the bill, she joined Mole and Anne standing outside, looking up in the sky.
“What are you looking at?”
“The stars,” Anne said. “They are really clear tonight.”
Alex looked up and saw the Osiah star. She smiled at it and gave it thumbs up. “They truly are something special.” She looked down at her watch, “Well, Gastrix should be getting up soon to go out. I guess I should get this over with.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” Anne asked her, about to put on her coat.
“I got this,” Alex winked at her. “Come on, Komptin.”
Alex walked through the park where the street fair was up and running. The sounds of kids mixed with the smell of food filled the air. She enjoyed the atmosphere as she saw Celestial in the distance laughing with some young children playing fair games. Alex walked up to the nearest food vendor and ordered.
Celestial saw her coming. “Go on, children, have fun.” Celestial gave one of the little girls a stuffed animal. “So innocent.” She looked up at Alex. “And how are you?”
“I just wanted to come over to apologize,” Alex said. “I’m the reason you were injured. My selfishness and pride almost got you killed.’
“Not the first time my Lite was almost extinguished,” Celestial said. “Will not be the last.”
“But still, I just want to say, I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I’m actually on my way to break up with Gastrix.”
“Be careful, Alexandria,” Celestial said. “Some people just like to be angry.”
“I will be fine,” Alex leaned into hug Celestial.
Celestial hugged Alex, “I know you will.” Celestial motioned to Ariel and Devine, “It is time to go.”
Ariel and Devine nodded in agreement.
“Wait,” Alex said. She looked to Ariel and Devine and handed them the greasy bag. “This is just a thank you.”
Ariel and Devine grabbed the bag and opened it, “What is it?” they both asked.
“Deep fried Oreos,” Alex said. The two of them picked them up and tasted them. Their faces lit up with excitement. They both smiled at Alex. She quietly whispered, “I really mean it, thanks.”
The two guardians smiled and put their hands on Alex’s shoulder before joining Celestial in the crowd.
***
Alex arrived at the small studio apartment where Gastrix was no doubt still lying in bed, waiting for her to come home. She sighed and opened the door. She saw him actually up and getting dressed which was a shock to her. She sat there studying him for a second, thinking to herself that he really wasn’t what she wanted in a boyfriend.
“Where were you?” Gastrix asked.
“Getting some pizza,” Alex told him, looking at how dirty the place was. There was an actual aroma in the air that was foul.
He got irritated with her answer, “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re going to get fat eating like that,” Gastrix glanced back at Alex’s hands. “Don’t you think I would have wanted something to eat?”
Alex shut the door behind her. Komptin walked towards an empty spot in the room where he stood in an over-watch position. “Gastrix, can we talk?”
“On the way to the club,” he said. “Come on, let’s go!”
“No, I wanna talk now,” Alex said, not budging.
“Stop back-talking me. I don’t want to talk, I wanna go out. Apparently, I need to stop and get something to eat before we go out,” he snapped. He headed towards the door but then turned to look at Alex who wasn’t moving.
“Gastrix, I think we both want something different out of life,” Alex said. “I really think it would be better for the both of us to go our separate ways.”
“Wait, are you trying to break up with me?” Gastrix came up to her, staring down, trying to intimidate her.
“Well, yah,” Alex stared him in the eye. “Gastrix, I’m not happy with you.”
“You little whore,” Gastrix pointed a finger at her.
“Excuse me?” Alex said, standing up to him.
“You think you could toy with me. Do you think anyone would love such a little goth skank like you?”
“You’re an ass,” Alex said as she started to leave.
“You are not happy with me?” Gastrix asked her. “You don’t know what happy is, let me show you.” He grabbed her and threw her on the bed. “I will make you love me,” He pinned her down and forced himself onto her. Alex heard Komptin start to walk over to her, she put up her finger, telling him to stand down. “You are such an ugly whore, you will get no one like me, ever.”
“Well thank God for small favors,” Alex told him.
Gastrix’s face turned red with anger as he punched her in the face twice. “Don’t you ever talk to me like that.”
“Big mistake,” Alex got her hands on his chest as she pushed him off with relative ease. She stood up, trying to control her temper. She could feel herself starting to pulsate.
Gastrix got up from the floor. He was so blind with rage he didn’t realize that little Alex just threw him off of her like a rag doll. “No one, I mean no one, will ever love you.”
Alex rolled her eyes and headed to the door. “You have till the end of the month to get out,” Alex said “I’m outta here.”
Gastrix was getting more furious. “You flat breasted hag.” He started walking towards the door and he looked at Komptin. Komptin barked at him.
“Let’s go, Komptin.” The massive dog turned to leave with Alex when Gastrix kicked him full force, sending him into the wall.
“Stupid ass dog,” Gastrix yelled at him.
Alex ran over to Komptin, petting him on his head. “You ok? Of course, you are,” she said. Komptin looked over at Gastrix who was getting more upset.
“GET OUT, YOU BITCH!” Gastrix yelled.
Komptin looked back up at Alex. “Okay,” Komptin’s eyes flashed blue. Alex stood up and leaned against the wall. “Just for the record, I’m just here for protection.”
“Oh, you going to protect your little doggy?” Gastrix asked.
Alex shook her head no, “I’m here to protect you.”
Komptin growled and then morphed into his fighting state. Gastrix’s eyes grew big as he screamed in a high pitch as he backed up against the wall. Komptin walked up to him, growling and snapping his massive jaw with drool coming from his mouth. Komptin put his massive head close to Gastrix’s face as he stared at him.
Komptin drew closer and closer and then stopped and took a sniff. He looked down at Gastrix’s pants and then looked back at Gastrix who was trembling with fear. “Oh, man,” Alex said, waving her hands across her face. “Tell me you didn’t.” Komptin turned around, leaving Gastrix up against the wall in his soiled pants. “There goes my security deposit,” Alex said, leaving the apartment. “Disgusting.”
***
Welltore and Velcrown dragged the two young college kids through the abandoned hospital. The sound of the muffled screaming slightly echoed throughout the hallways. They tried grabbing anything they could, trying to get away. It seemed as if the girl was fighting harder than the guy they had captured from behind the bar. The two of them were scraping and clawing the floors, trying to escape. Their mouths were duct taped shut so the screams didn’t carry far.
Velcrown picked up the young blonde girl and hung her from the ceiling. The boy was tied to the chair as the two of them were forced to look at each other. Sanah came into the room with Salamor floating behind. “Why did you bring them here?” Sanah asked, looking at them. He grabbed the girl’s chin and studied the fear in her eyes.
Welltore was the first to speak, “She smells like a Lite Sentry, so we thought she must be her.”
“The Lite Sentry is small, petite, feisty…she is not the Sentry. There is no way she would have let you take her in this manner,” Sanah said, slapping the blonde girl across the face. “Plus, the Lite Sentry will have a massive dog-like creature with her at all times.” The blonde girl’s eyes grew big. Sanah knew he said something that sparked in her mind, “Something you want to say?” The girl shook her head no. “Okay.”
Sanah motioned to the infiltrators, releasing their anxiety for the kill. They seemed to sniff the boy’s body before the first one bit off a chunk of arm. The boy tried to scream in pain but was muffled from the duct tape. The other infiltrators followed suit, slowly nibbling. The boy looked into Brenda's eyes before they vanished into darkness. The boy’s body went limp as the rest of the infiltrators tore him apart like a pack of wild wolves fighting over a carcass.
Sanah ripped the duct tape off the girl’s lips as she screamed and started crying. “I’m only going to ask you this once, why do you smell like the Lite Sentry?”
“I don’t know what that is,” the girl cried.
“She may have been tapped?” Sanah turned to Salamor.
“Tapped for what?” the girl pleaded.
Sanah wiped his face in agitation. He grabbed the girl by the hair and ears to yell, “Why do you smell like the Lite Sentry Alex!”
“I’m sorry, I borrowed her shirt, I didn’t have time to give it to her before she moved out,” the girl explained.
Sanah stepped back. “You know Alex,” he motioned with his hand the height of Alex.
“Yes,” she cried, “She’s my roommate or used to be before she moved out.”
“Why did she move out?” Salamor asked.
“Her and Anne along with Kale were fighting over something. Please, let me go,” she pleaded.
Sanah looked over to the window, “I want the Sentry dead. She is without her support. She is alone and falling in faith. Now is the time for her demise. She will not stop the mass Infiltration.”