Alex liked to lie in bed with the cool air hitting her face from the window being open throughout the night. The fresh air has a soothing effect on her to help her sleep at night. For some reason she had some trouble sleeping at night lately. Plus, having Mole wake her up at four in the morning didn’t help matters. Her dad constantly nagged her about opening the window when they spend money on central air. Now, don’t get her wrong, she loved central air on those hot nights, but nothing beat those crisp cool nights to clear her head in the morning. She opened her eyes to watch a small bird looking in her direction. The bird sang her a small little song before flying off for its adventures for the day. She reluctantly glanced over at her clock to realize she didn’t have much time to shower, get dressed, and get out the door before she had to pick up Sara. Then on top of it all, she had to go pick up Mole before heading out to school.
She stumbled over to her mirror where she looked at her unwashed face from last night. She rubbed her face before looking in the mirror trying to wake her up. Her dad said she looked like Alice Cooper in the mornings with her eyeliner smeared. It was just another thing he could get on her case about. She looked again in the mirror. “Who is Alice Cooper?” She picked up her phone to look up who she was. To her surprise it was a guy, a very old guy. She compared her phone with the reflection in the mirror, without ever admitting it to her father he kind of had a point.
Her dark eyeliner was smeared on her very pale skin. Her brown eyes were accompanied by a surrounding redness. Her woven braided black hair was put into a bun with multiple strands hanging out to the side. There were times she was annoyed with her hair weave, but the 8 hours she spent putting it in with Sara far outweighed the minor aggravations managing it. She took out the elastic band keeping it together and it dropped down to the small of her back. She turned around looking at the length of her hair.
“Alex,” her mom softly knocked to her bedroom door. “You need to get moving.”
“I’m up mom,” she let her mom know as she took off her pajama bottoms as she hopped in a small path to her bathroom. She had to maneuver around an obstacle of clothes scattered throughout her room.
“ALEX!” Her dad’s deep loud voice yelled from their bedroom. “You need to get moving. Your car is blocking mine and I’ve got court.”
Her dad’s voice startled her as she tripped on her boots lying on the ground. “Oh shoot!” she said on the way down to ground tumbling onto her floor. She took a quick second to regain her composure. “Damn that hurt.” Alex realized her pants were down at the bottom of her feet as her bare butt was pointed at the ceiling. Luckily, she landed next to her mini-fridge. She pushed over some of her clothes out of the way so she could open it up to get one of her Apollo energy drinks. The can was a bit colder than she suspected. She tried being fancy and opened it with one hand. That didn’t work out so well, it slipped out of her hands. She quickly picked it up and opened to a stream of foam over the edge of the can onto her clothes. “Son of a ….”
“Language,” her mother said on the other side of her closed door. Her mom slightly peeked in on her daughter lying half naked on the ground drinking an energy drink. “Rough morning?”
Alex took a chug of her energy drink. She got up and went into her bathroom. “No more than usual. I’m just getting into the shower.” Her mom decided to enter the bedroom of despair. Alex was in the middle of washing her hair when she heard her mom walking around her room picking up her clothes. She popped her head out of the shower. “Mom, what are you doing?”
“Trying to find your floor.”
Alex rolled her eyes as she went back to finish her shower. The water was the perfect temperature, where she regretted shutting it off. She stepped out of the shower looking for a towel. She picked one up from the floor sitting in the corner. She smelled it, and the odor wasn’t that bad. Alex shrugged it off as she went to dry herself off.
“No,” her mom handed her a clean towel. Her mom sat down on the toilet. She surveyed the bathroom. “You really need to clean this bathroom.”
Alex didn’t hesitate to use the clean towel. It was soft and the fresh smell of clean laundry put a smile on her face. She liked this one a lot better. Alex considered her mom’s suggestion for cleaning her bathroom for a little bit before shrugging it off as a suggestion. She grabbed her Apollo drink from the bathroom sink. She fluffed her woven hair, applied some dark make up to eyes as her mom was making small talk. She grabbed her phone along with her backpack before heading out the door. She looked over to her mother who was staring at her. Alex stopped to look around to see if anything was out of place. She looked back at her mom. “What?” She confusingly asked.
“You are so beautiful,” she said with admiration. “I can’t believe my baby girl is going to graduate this year.” She came out of Alex’s bathroom holding Alex’s dirty clothes. She glanced around the room. Alex knew that her mom was thinking that she was going to miss her when she goes to college.
“Then she better actually starts applying to college. I don’t foresee one just dropping on your lap,” Alex’s dad grumpily chimed in from across the hall. “I bet you still haven’t sent out any college applications,” he sarcastically harassed.
Alex instantly gave a snarly look in the direction of her dad’s voice and stuck out her tongue. She suddenly realized what she was doing and hesitated to look at her mom who was raising her eyebrows at her. Alex embarrassingly put her tongue back in her mouth and rolled it around as if she was trying to get something out of her teeth. Alex could only bring herself to say, “Ooops.” She never understood why her dad had been on her case so much regarding college. She knew she had to go, but she had no idea what field to go into. She didn’t really have any interests that would make money and she didn’t have any talents that she knew of, so she just assumed college would be a waste of time. Her parents kept on telling her that is what the first year was for, trying to find yourself.
“Try to get along with him, he’s really going to miss you when you leave for college.” Her mom said to her as she hugged her only daughter. “Now get your boney butt to school.”
Alex’s dad came into the room holding his suit jacket in a garment bag. “Alex, I really need to get going.” His eyes went from her boots to her to her woven hair. “What? No dog collar today?”
Alex snapped her fingers. “Thanks for the reminder dad,” Alex snarky replied.
“Really wish you would get out of this Goth stage you're into. The last time you hugged me I got eyeliner all over my shirt prior to court.” He turned around.
“I’m Industrial,” Alex quickly corrected. She turned around grabbing her small, studded collar off of her dresser. She put it on while looking in the mirror one last time before heading off to school. “And I don’t look like some old guy who wears too much eyeliner,” She told him.
He just looked at her and then around her room. “When you start getting interviews for college how do you think you’re going to come off?” He looked at his watch. “Damn, I have to go.” He grabbed his briefcase from his bedroom. “Have a good day, honey.” He kissed Alex’s mom. Then he turned his attention to Alex, “I need you to move your car and try to think about your future and that whatever actions you do from here, will affect your future.” He did one last gaze at his watch. “I really gotta go. Come on, move your car, I gotta go. And have a good day at school.” Alex annoyingly nodded at her dad as he walked out of her room “And clean your room by this weekend or you’re not getting the car.” She stuck her tongue out at him again.
Her mom just shook her head and closed her eyes. “Why can’t you try to get along with your dad?” Her mom asked. Her mom looked around the room. “He kind of has a point about your room. It is a disaster.”
Alex eyed around the room. She didn’t really understand what the problem was. She knew where everything was placed. She had a system for her laundry. She knew exactly how long clothes could be on the ground before they started to have an odor.
“Ah, sh….,” Alex stopped herself while her mother was staring at her. “Shoot, I have to go.” She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. She headed out the door to pick up Sara and Mole.
***
“SARA!”
Sara came into the mudroom from completing her morning chores. She thought it was more brisk than usual for this time of year. She wasn’t a real big fan of the cold but luckily, she was moving enough to keep warm. She had her morning routine down to the minute to get her chores done before leaving for school. Plus, she had a pretty good buffer; she knew Alex would be running late before they had to be at school. Sara knew Daddy would be checking up on her soon. She hurried up the stairs to get into the bathroom to take a shower.
The loud knock on the bathroom door startled Sara. “Hurry up,” her father yelled.
“Yes daddy,” Sara replied. She grabbed the neatly folded towels from the linen closet to dry off her hair. It was amazing how quickly it dried since she cut it. She was afraid it was too short and she looked like a boy, but Alex reassured her she looked amazing. Alex had tried to convince her to get weave like her, but there was no way she was going to comply with that. Plus, Daddy would want nothing to do with it. He would probably take scissors to it. Sara quickly cleaned the bathroom and went to her bedroom to finish cleaning it up before she left for school. She meticulously finished placing her hangers in the closet as even as she could and ensured all the clothes were arranged by type and then by color…light to dark. She gave a quick glance to make sure her shoes were placed neatly on her shoe rack. A little tightening on the bed to ensure no wrinkles showed, and…perfect. She looked around for her backpack. Her heart was starting to race because she couldn’t find it. It wasn’t in its normal place. She thought for sure she brought upstairs when she returned from school yesterday. She opened her bedroom door and saw her dad holding the bag.
He walked into her bedroom with might. Everywhere he walked he seemed to be a Goliath. “Good job on the bed,” he then opened the closet, running his finger along her clothes. “Nice.” Sara glanced down at her watch and met eyes with her dad, “Do you have somewhere to be?”
“Alex should be here soon,” she said peering out the window, “…and…” She couldn’t finish her sentence before he interrupted her.
“…and Alex doesn’t run this household.” Her dad thumped his chest. “I do.”
Sara could only look at the floor nodding her head. “I know daddy.”
She felt her dad lift her chin with his finger. “I’m just trying to teach you how to treat your husband when one decides to marry you.” He looked around the room. “He will have the responsibility to take care of you; in return, you need to have a clean house for him to come home to.”
“Yes daddy,” Sara agreed. “I’m trying.”
He handed her the book bag. “I don’t want to find that bag in the kitchen again.”
Sara heard Alex’s car coming up the driveway with the music from her car penetrating through the house walls. She took the bag from her dad’s hand. “Thank you, Daddy.”
He motioned her for a kiss on the cheek, “Now go to school.”
Sara walked outside to hop in Alex’s car. She quickly gave her dog Buck a quick pat on the head and then jumped into the car.
Alex was chugging down her energy drink as she greeted Sara with a friendly wave. “And how is dear ol’ ‘Daddy’?” Alex said sarcastically.
“Oh, you know, the same,” Sara said while looking at her bag for her cell phone.
Alex looked over at Sara’s dad, who simply went by “Jim”, was looking out the window at the two girls. Alex wrinkled her nose at him with disgust. The two of them took off for Mole’s house before heading to school.
***
“Are you getting ready for school Kale?” Mole’s mom asked him as he was finishing up his shower. “Alex should be here soon.”
Mole rushed down the stairs. He did a quick glance out the window. “She isn’t even a close mom…I can’t even hear her music.” He grabbed his gym bag from sitting on the kitchen table chair. He was getting nervous because the race was coming close and his swim training was nowhere he thought he should be. He felt lucky that Joseph was able to make it to the local college pool to coach him to improve his swim. The school had a pool but he felt too self-conscious with his swimming while his classmates were there watching. He felt his swim gear in his bag and he was wearing his watch. He was all set. He then remembered to grab his book bag for school. He grabbed it from the coat closet. “Mom, got anything to eat? Mole turned around to see a silver plastic rectangle coming at him. “A Poptart? Really?”
“There, don’t say I never made you breakfast,” his mom replied back to him as she was looking at a new menu for the restaurant.
Mole opened it up and started to eat it. “Got OJ?” He quickly dodged a flying bottle of orange juice his mother threw at him. “I’ve got a quick question for you,” he choked down his breakfast. “How is it that you own a restaurant, cook for hundreds of people a day…and I get Poptarts and a bottle of Ocean spray?”
“I don’t cook. I pay other people to cook,” she smirked back. His mom took a moment to put the menu down. She walked over to Kale who was making sure Alex was still coming. “You know Kale. You’ve accomplished so much since last summer.” She brushed over his hair. “But you’re still a smart ass.” She brushed her hands through his hair. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“Thanks mom,” Mole said, doing a final check into his gym bag.
She took a peek out the window watching Alex come to the door. “Alex is here.” Mole glanced over his shoulder as the doorbell rang. “Come in Alex,” Mole’s mom yelled. Alex walked in with her friend Sara.
“Good Morning Ms. Moler,” Alex said.
“Good morning girls,” she replied. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m fine thank you,” Sara answered.
Alex took a big chug of her Apollo energy drink. “Fantastic, I’m ready to carry the world on my shoulders,” she said pointing to the picture of Apollo carrying the world on his shoulders.
“You two are growing up more and more beautiful every day,” Mole’s mom commented. “You each really have something special.”
“Oh, what is that?” Alex asked.
“You put up with him,” she thumbed over to Mole who had half a PopTart sticking out of his mouth.
“What?” Mole said with a full mouth.
“Are you all set for graduation?” His mom asked.
“As ready as ever,” Alex said. “I just haven’t found my ‘thing’ yet.”
“Thing?”
“You know, that feeling of what I’m supposed to do,” Alex admitted to Mole’s mom.
“It will come,” Kale’s mom gave Mole a hug. “Do you have money for lunch?” She held some money in her hand.
“I do,” he quickly snatched the money from his mom’s hand. “but I will also take this. I need to get something to eat between classes,” Mole answered her.
“You know Mole, as much as you eat, I can’t believe you have time for all that running and bike riding you’re doing,” Alex said. “That can’t be good for you,” she said, chugging down the rest of her energy drink.
Kale lifted up the garbage lid and Alex threw the can into the trash without hesitation. “Yah, not really sure Apollo Energy Drink is on the Food Pyramid?”
Alex waved her hand as if brushing him off. “You are nothing to me little man.”
“Alex, we need to get going before we are late,” Sara suggested. She continuously looked at her watch. “If I’m late again, daddy is…”
Alex interrupted her, “I know. I know.” She looked at her phone. “You ready Mole?”
Mole nodded. He grabbed his bag and headed out the door.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” His mom yelled out at him.
Mole stopped and did a quick check of everything, “Not that I know of.”
She got up and threw his school bag. “You may need that and can you give this check to Joseph?”
Mole looked at the check and put it in his wallet. Alex could see the facial expression dropped a little as he looked at the check. “Thanks mom.” He gave her a quick hug and headed out to the car.
“Your mom is the coolest,” Alex said as she started up the car. “How come she never got married?”
Mole jumped in the backseat sitting in the middle so he could talk to the both of them. “She had a couple of guys she saw now and then, but nothing serious. Probably just to get her some.”
Sara turned quickly back at Mole, “That’s your mother!”
Mole laughed, “She’s human. She’s got needs. As long as I don’t hear it, see it, or know it’s happening…I’m good.” Mole got situated in the backseat finishing up his quick breakfast.
Sara turned back to face the windshield. “How is Joseph doing?”
Alex looked over at Sara grinning. “Or do you mean, ‘how is Joseph’s son doing’?” Alex pulled into the coffee shop just down the street from the school. “Yah, I’ll take a large double shot mocha. Want anything Sara?”
“Daddy only gave me enough money for lunch today,” she commented.
“And he won’t even let you get a job,” Mole annoyingly said. He reached into his wallet and pulled out the money his mom gave him. “The coffee is on me.”
Alex looked back, “Do you want anything?” Mole shook his head no. Alex turned back into the speaker phone. “Make that two of them. That will be it.”
“Please pull forward,” the girl over the intercom said.
Mole face perked up, “She sounds cute.” Alex pulled up the window and the attractive young lady handed the coffee over. He jumped up and grabbed the money out of Alex’s hand. He grabbed a pen and wrote something on the money. Sara tried to look to see what he was writing but couldn’t make it out.
The coffee girl took the money. She blushed as she smiled at him. “That’s sweet, but I think my boyfriend would be upset if we were to do that,” she told him. “But I’ll let you know if I’m able to.” She handed them the coffee.
Mole was climbing over Alex to talk to the coffee shop girl. “I will be…”
Alex drove off for school before he could finish.
“Hey, I was laying down the groundwork,” Mole laughed as he sat back in the seat. He opened up a water jug and started to drink. He looked at his phone looking over the route he took on his bike ride to check his times per mile. “You will never believe what I saw this morning.”
Sara looked back, “What was that?”
Mole grabbed a banana from his book bag, “I saw a bear run in front of me.” He didn’t want to admit it made him crash.
Sara looked at him in disbelief, “Really?”
Alex laughed, “Sure Mole, a bear. Okay.” She did a playful “Grrrrr.”
Mole took it with a grain of salt, “I’m telling you I saw it.”
***
Osiah returned from his morning walk with Komptin. He had a small chill come over his body from being outside for so long. He really wasn’t expecting to be out until daybreak but he also wasn't expecting to run into an Infiltrator either. He opened the door to the house to the very first thing he saw was his favorite chair calling his name to come sit down. Osiah took off his jacket. He placed it on this folding hanger set he bought. He liked the way it saved on closet space. He couldn’t pass it up for a set of ten with a complimentary hanging shoe rack. His faithful companion Komptin laid down next to the fireplace falling instantly into a deep sleep. Sometimes Osiah thought God allowed Komptin to fall asleep instantly as a silent jab at him. Osiah sat down in the chair in the living room with hot cocoa with a bit of Bailey’s Irish Cream. He shut his eyes and tried to fall asleep as most people can do. “Nope.” He thought after a couple of minutes of trying. He looked down at his dog lying down by the fire completely zonked out. “Show off,” Osiah said, heading upstairs to take a shower.
After his shower he came back downstairs to make himself breakfast with the instant breakfast maker he saw on TV a couple of weeks ago. He made the sandwich which was drooping with cheese. The smell of egg and ham filled the kitchen. Komptin was still sleeping by the fire. He finished his sandwich but still was a bit hungry and he wanted something a little bit sweeter. He opened the cupboard door to pull out some cereal.
Osiah thought he heard a thump outside the house. He looked outside the windows but didn’t see anything. He didn’t think anything of it. He wondered if his dog had heard to confirm if he had heard anything or not. He turned to Komptin who was up with his ears perked. His eyes flashed a glowing neon blue to the sound of a knock on the door.
Osiah turned to the door and flew open. There stood the brightness of a protruding light that was an inherent figure coming out from it. Osiah calmly sat down with his bowl of cereal. The light diminished and it walked a tall, light brown skinned man with a misty haze in the shape of wings and what looked like a halo of the same substance.
“Rise, rise in the presence of Malkaroy,” he commanded.
Osiah continued to drink his coco. “You done?”
The light vanished and the misty wings and halo slowly vanished. “Osiah.” Malkaroy sat down at the table. He swiped his hand across the table. He then rubbed his hands on his pants with a facial expression of disgust. “How have you been?”
Osiah took a bite of his cereal. “I’m doing fine.” He hadn’t seen Malkaroy for quite some time, the last time he saw him was during prohibition. “Want anything to eat?”
Malkaroy stated, “I am not allowed many trips, I am not going to waste it on,” he picked up a box with a leprechaun on it. “Lucky Charms.”
“Don’t knock it unless you try it,” Osiah said, taking a spoonful of cereal. “What brings you by? I haven’t seen you since,” he looked at the calendar on the wall. “The forties.” Osiah took a moment to reminisce about how when Malkaroy and Osiah reached a mutual understanding of each other, he might even say they were close to being friends. Malkaroy got into a small altercation with a Host who kidnapped a primate and he swallowed his pride to ask Osiah for help since he was familiar with the circumstances. It didn’t end as expected but Malkaroy always felt as if he needed to repay Osiah back.
Malkaroy started to run his fingers across the table. A small light stream followed his finger as he drew in the table top. “Yah, that was an interesting time. I understand you had an interesting night.” Osiah looked up at him. “You had a hunt last night?”
Komptin joined Osiah by his side. “I thought I was just going for a walk when Komptin alerted me to an Infiltrator. I think he was a scout though.” He scratched Komptin’s ears. “Whatever he was doing here, he didn’t make it to daylight.” He continued to eat his cereal. “The last one I came across was in the eighties when those kids accidently conjured one up. I thought they were focused on the Holy Land and the southern continent.”
Malkaroy drew a neon blue dove on the table. “Actually, He was quite surprised to see that one was here; which He does not get often.” Osiah went back to eating his cereal. “He has a proposition for you,” Malkaroy put out to Osiah.
Osiah put his hands up, “Not interested,” he said with a mouthful of cereal with milk dripping from his mouth into his lightly orange beard.
Malkaroy quickly replied, giving him a napkin, “but you do not even know what it is.”
“I am not going to investigate this, I’m pretty sure they are going to find me on their own,” Osiah got up and gave Komptin a leftover steak from the refrigerator.
Malkaroy drew a symbol of a sideways figure eight on the table, “There is a Lite Sentry coming into fruition”
Osiah stopped. He then continued to look in the refrigerator. “Really? Another one.” Osiah closed the door. “That is going to tip the balance a little isn’t it?”
“No,” Malkaroy said. “He’s hoping it will put it back into alignment.”
Osiah looked to Malkaroy who was petting Komptin. “Not interested. I’m not moving back there,” Osiah said. “Plus getting Komptin through customs would be a nightmare.” Osiah shut the refrigerator door. “It’s hot, it’s miserable, it’s dirty.”
Malkaroy showed his dwellings where Osiah had been living.
“Well, dirtier than here,” Osiah omitted. “Plus, the people are fighting each other for something they don’t even know why they are fighting.”
“The Sentry is here, in town,” Malkaroy stated.
Osiah turned to look at Malkaroy, “Why not over in the Holy Land?”
Malkaroy replied, “Unknown. But this evolution has bred a new degree of Dark Infiltrators.” Malkaroy got up from the table, “We need someone who knows the Dark Infiltrators and how they work. We would like you to train the Lite Sentry, to teach, to understand their power and ask if they will help us.”
Osiah's curiosity peaked. “Can’t believe a Lite Sentry is here? And of you course you just can’t force them to do it.”
Malkaroy replied, “Freewill, is the essence of His will and gift to them.”
“It will be the downfall of humanity and what lies after for them,” Osiah replied. “I’ve never been so glad to know what lies for ‘us’ if we fall.”
Malkaroy said, “Please have faith.”
“What’s the proposition part?” Osiah inquired. “Not that I’m interested, but what is it?”
The door opened and walked in Celestial. The beautiful blonde-haired angel walked through the door whose presence could only be described by actual eyesight. Behind her were her two guardians assigned to her protection, two twins by the names of Ariel and Devine. The two of them were direct clones of each other Ariel had neon green hair and Devine had bright purple.
“Celestial,” Osiah stood up. “What…what are you doing here?”
Komptin walked over to Celestial as she knelt to greet him. Komptin placed his head on her knee as she petted him.
Ariel butted in, “We should not be here.”
Devine interjected, “This place is filthy.”
The two of them scanned over Osiah’s residence.
“This is a mistake,” they both said together.
Osiah annoyingly said, “Nice to see you again as well.” He cautiously walked up to Celestial. “What are you doing here?”
Celestial grabbed Osiah’s hand. He helped her up ever so gently, “We need you to help us. This Lite Sentry has no idea what they are in for.”
Malkaroy put his hand on Osiah’s shoulder, “Osiah, you have been here long enough. You have punished yourself since first light. It is time to come home.”
Osiah stated, “You know I can’t, I shouldn’t. My kind has never been through the doorway, well, not without repercussions.”
“You have been here long enough,” Malkaroy stated. “You know it is time.”
“Mistake,” Ariel and Devine reiterated.
“He just asks you to do this one last thing for Him,” Celestial said.
Ariel and Devine started to get agitated. Celestial turned around they both nodded in defeat.
Celestial gazed into Osiah’s eyes, “Please.”
Osiah reluctantly turned to Malkaroy, still holding onto Celestial’s hand, “Why now? Why me? You think Sanah would be better suited to train the Sentry.”
“The Sentry should be starting to feel the effects of her powers, she is going to need guidance. No one knows the Dark Infiltrators better than you do,” Malkaroy informed him.
Osiah rolled his eyes as he sighed, “Sanah would be better off training her. I really don’t want to go down that Dark path.”
“You will not,” Celestial grabbed his arm. “I know you.”
“Wish I had your faith in me,” Osiah said. He looked down to Komptin, who in turn looked at him. Komptin flashed his eyes at Osiah. “Tell me what you know about her,” Osiah reluctantly agreed.