literary lunes magazine, july-august 2012 issue

8/12/2019 Literary Lunes Magazine, July-August 2012 Issue

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Literary Lunes Magazine

Volume 2

July/August 2012

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Literary Lunes Magazine copyright 2012 Beth AnnMasarik & Literary Lunes Publications. All rights reserve!incluing the right to reprouce this book! or portionsthereo"! in any "or# $ithout $ritten per#ission e%cept "or

the use o" brie" uotations e#boie in critical articles anrevie$s.

'or in"or#ation about reprinting! istributing! or other$isesharing the contents o" this book! please contact Beth Ann Masarik [email protected]

'irst eition! (uly)August 2012*riginally publishe in paperback an e+book by Literary Lunes Publications

,#ash$ors -ition

nterior eite by Beth Ann Masarik/over esign by Beth Ann Masarik

Literary Lunes Magazine$$$.literarylunes.co#

Literary Lunes Publications$$$.literarylunespublications.co#

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Table of Contents

Letter From the EditorBy Beth Ann Masarik

Connect with us

Join our Mailin list

!ew and "m#ro$ed

%#ecial call for %ubmissions

!ow Bookin&

'on(t Foret&

Market%hare) Book Trailers* To +a$e ,r !ot To +a$e-By Anela uriko %mith

Tribute to ,therworld /ublicationsBy Beth Ann Masarik* Cambria +ebert and Erin 'an0er

1acky 1riters

/oetry /aloo0a/oems by Terra 2elly 3 Jamie 'an0er

MaybeBy Abbi !uyen

4Tamed Tiers5Matthew 1ilson

An Anel 6ets +er /owersA Cassandra Serafin story (#1)

By Erin 'an0er

Len and %mithyBy Carl /almer

Terra7Firma 8e$iewsBy Terry 2elly

There You Have It: My Opinion

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By Camria Heert

Cherny(s CornerBy Bob Cherny

Lunar 8e$iewsBy Beth Ann Masarik

The %taff

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Letter from the Editor

'ear 8eader*

Thank you for downloadin and or #urchasin another edition of Literary LunesMaa0ine. " cannot bein to tell you how much your continued su##ort means to me.Because of your su##ort* the maa0ine continues to row and blossom. The #ublishinhouse website 3 blo is almost com#lete. ou can now follow it atwww.literarylunes#ublications.com.

1ith my weddin less than three months away* my schedule is oin to be $ery tiht forthe ne9t few months. "t will be e9tremely im#ortant that e$eryone meet the u#comindeadlines.

This issue is :am7#acked with short stories and book re$iews. The ne9t se$eral issueswill be filled with some ama0in new material* includin a new marketin column* andinter$iews from J2% Communications and se$eral small #ress #ublishers.

There are only two more issues left for the year. " know* hard to belie$e* riht- The ne9tissue is scheduled to come out in the beinnin of %e#tember.

" also want to remind e$eryone that we also ha$e #a#erback editions a$ailable now on theLiterary Lunes /ublications website.

1ell* that(s all for now folks. En:oy this issue of Literary Lunes Maa0ine&

Lo$e*

Beth "nn Masari#

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Connect with us online&

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J,"! ,;8 MA"L"!6 L"%T&

1ant the latest* u#7to7date information reardin Literary Lunes- Join our mailin list byfillin out the form below and sendin it to [email protected]

!ame)


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NEW AND IMPROVED!

" would like to in$ite you all to $isit the new and im#ro$ed Literary Lunes/ublications blo and website* www.literarylunes#ublications.com. " recently chaned

ser$ers* and because of the mo$e* " lost all of the initial followin. Therefore* if you wereone of the oriinal followers* the Literary Lunes /ublications blo and website is now u#and runnin aain and " would reatly a##reciate a re7follow.

" am also oin to take this o##ortunity to let you all know that the Literary LunesMaa0ine website is F"!ALL com#lete. "t is u#7to7date* and there are some newsubmission uidelines* so #lease familiari0e yourself with them if you #lan to submit tous.

DEADLINE REMINDER

The ne9t deadline for maa0ine submissions is Auust =>. /lease see below for a s#ecial

submission re?uest.

SPECIAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Literary Lunes Maa0ine is now acce#tin submissions for a#ocaly#tic themedshort stories and #oems. The deadlines for the submissions are) Auust => for the%e#tember,ctober issue* and ,ctober => for the !o$ember'ecember issue. /lease $isitthe Literary Lunes /ublications website www.literarylunes#ublications.com forcom#lete and official submission uidelines.

NOW BOOKING THE FOLLOWING

Literary Lunes /ublications is now bookin the followin for their blo and futuremaa0ine issues) es* we are now bookin for the =>D lineu#

Blo tours"nter$iews

6uest #osts for the blo!ew columns

6uest articles for the maa0ine

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DONT FORGET!!!!!

/lease don(t foret that the 1ritins From the +eart charity antholoy has been released&All #roceeds will o to the Cohen Children(s Medical Center of !(s #ediatric

cardioloy unit. They ha$e a new #roram that will hel# transition children into the adultworld of cardioloy* and the #roceeds will be oin towards education and research inthis #roram. ou can #urchase the antholoy in #a#erback throuh creates#ace for only>D.* or in an electronic $ersion for only .GG throuh Ama0on 2indle* Barnes 3!oble !ook* and %mashwords.com for all other formats.

/raises for 1ritins From the +eart)

One of my favorite poems would definitely have to be "My Shadow" by Alan D !arris And here is a little

taste

"t follows me

on sunny days

but disappearsin bri$ht hallways"

%ve never been one for poetry but this poem is simply beautiful and ama&in$

As for the short stories' found a few that really lied but one that want to share with my lovely birds

t%s alled' *he +riness and *he *hree ,$ly -ithes by ,&ma Chaudhry *he names for withes (for

whih you%ll have to read the boo to find out) are hilarious And they really are sisters in every way with

all the bierin$ and lau$hin$ (or alin$ in their ase) now it%s a short story but would lie to now

what would happen

.ow there are many storied and poems in this olletion that are sad' painful' and yet many have that

silver linin$ of hope on the hori&on *hey%re /ust so full of raw emotion that you really wouldn%t find when

talin$ to the author fae to fae am definitely reommendin$ this inredible olletion to everyone t%s

probably $oin$ to sound heesy but it%s a very hopeful boo Don%t tae my word on it' read it yourself

HMartha

*his antholo$y will have somethin$ for everyone *he short stories ran$e widely in topi and are

heartwarmin$ and full of emotion' playful and funny One of my favorites was the very first story' "!idin$

in +lain Si$ht'" thou$h there were a few others really en/oyed as well

*hou$h %m not normally a hu$e fan of poetry' really en/oyed the poems in this antholo$y A ouple of my

favorites were "nvisible Sars" and "Suubus in Chains"

*his boo is for a $ood ause' so even if short stories and poetry is not somethin$ you usually read' $ive it

a try *he proeeds from this olletion will $o to the Adult Con$enital !eart +ro$ram at Cohen Children%s

Medial Center of .0 for eduation and researh in this area

H%heri from Makin Connections

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Market%hare) Book Trailers* To +a$e ,r !ot To +a$e-By Anela uriko %mith

" hear a lot of discussion lately about whether or not book trailers are effecti$e

marketin tools. This is a foolish ?uestion. That(s like askin if a sho$el is an effecti$etool. ,f course it is* unless it(s #oorly made. "n my o#inion* the ?uestion should reallybe (how they are effecti$e(* not Iif(.

Any #ossible thin you can do to share your messae is $aluable. Askin if abook trailer can hel# you market your book is like askin if you should #ut a For %alesin in front of a house for sale. Can a trailer rab attention- Can it be easily sent by a$ariety of methods that can #otentially o $iral- Then it can hel# market your book.Book trailers can attract attention faster and more effecti$ely than other methods. Theycan be shared in blo #osts* ouTube* /interest* 6oole* Twitter and on your#rofessional author #rofiles* to name a few.

/eo#le may not ha$e time to read a uest #ost or re$iew but a minute lon trailer

is an easy and entertainin hook. "($e often said that if a #icture is worth a thousandwords* then a ood book trailer is worth ten thousand.Many trailers are rendered com#letely ineffecti$e* howe$er* because creators lose

the #oint. The #ur#ose of a book trailer is to create interest and tell where to find yourbook. Many of the trailers " see out now will either be too bland or lack the $ital Iwhereto find( info. Let(s be honestK the a$erae internet user has a short attention s#an and a lotcom#etin for it.

our trailer needs to rab attention* e9cite and then tell where to find more. "f youmiss any of these thins* then it is not oin be an effecti$e tool. A trailer is a ateway toyour literary world. The same as for a mo$ie trailer* you need to think and desin itdynamically.

+ere are some trailers "($e seen lately. My intention isn(t to #ass :udment onanyone(s trailer* but rather to allow you to see a selection in all #rice ranes and see foryourself what works and what doesn(t. %ome of these cost nothin* and two cost nearly=*. 1hate$er your budet* you can ha$e an effecti$e trailer as lon as you rememberits #ur#ose) rab attention and redirect. Book trailers should rab attention* lea$e the$iewer with a ?uestion and most im#ortantly* tell where to find the book.1atch the followin and let me know what you think. 1hat works- 1hat doesn(t->. Malaikaby an +eerlin=. The +ihlander Triloyby Maya BanksD. The %#y 1ho Left Meby 6ina 8obinson. "t(s a Bookby Lane %mith. "nside 8ealmsby A.F. %tewartN. My own trailers for End of Maeand!o Money Marketin.

About the author) Anela feels #assionate about #romotion. Too often she haswitnessed an e9cellent creation be forotten due sim#ly to a lack of marketin. Creati$e

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAsaqSSHZQE&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAsaqSSHZQE&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn67JJmhZ9whttp://vimeo.com/26687608http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU&feature=player_embedded#!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU&feature=player_embedded#!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qxEMNa018c&feature=mfu_in_order&list=ULhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qxEMNa018c&feature=mfu_in_order&list=ULhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGBH6VtjLSQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGBH6VtjLSQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yf1JwJPs5eMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yf1JwJPs5eMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAsaqSSHZQE&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn67JJmhZ9whttp://vimeo.com/26687608http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU&feature=player_embedded#!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qxEMNa018c&feature=mfu_in_order&list=ULhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGBH6VtjLSQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yf1JwJPs5eM


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#eo#le tend to dislike the more mundane tasks of ad$ertisin or suffer from a lack ofdis#osable funds. Anela seeks to remedy this with the #ublication of her book*.oMoney Maretin$. E$ery idea she tried out herself on her first no$elland of Mae.There is the #roof that authors can market their work and they donOt need bi budets todo it. Both books are a$ailable in #a#erback and all e7formats. Anela can always be

found thru her blo* dandilyonfluff.com.

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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IDAHA2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=angelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005IDAHA2http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IDAHA2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=angelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005IDAHA2http://www.amazon.com/End-of-Mae-ebook/dp/B0053CPO1U/ref=tmm_kin_title_0http://www.amazon.com/End-of-Mae-ebook/dp/B0053CPO1U/ref=tmm_kin_title_0http://dandilyonfluff.com/http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IDAHA2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=angelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005IDAHA2http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IDAHA2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=angelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005IDAHA2http://www.amazon.com/End-of-Mae-ebook/dp/B0053CPO1U/ref=tmm_kin_title_0http://dandilyonfluff.com/


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A sad day in #ublishin7tribute to ,therworld /ublicationsBy Beth Ann Masarik

1ritin is somethin that " ha$e AL1A% done. 6ranted* " wasn(t always $ery ood at

it* but* it was somethin that " lo$ed to do when " was little. "n fact* it is somethin that "still lo$e to do. 1hen " was fifteen years old* " wrote my first book* althouh* it wasn(t$ery ood.

+owe$er* it was that one book that made me reali0e that " was meant to be a writer andthat " wanted to be #ublished.

1hen " was in collee* " embarked on the :ourney to become an author. That was when "became serious about writin* and in =P* " entered my $ery first !ano1rimo contest.,f course* " didn(t win that year* but that book became what you uys know as The1orld Amon ;s) /rince of 'arkness.

This was the first book that was e$er #ublished thanks to the wonderful* Lynn Cal$ert of,therworld /ublications.

"n the %ummer of =>* " submitted The 1orld Amon ;s) /rince of 'arkness to Lynn*and she had asked me for a full manuscri#t& ,f course " was e9cited& " had recei$ed somany re:ection letters from literary aents and was honestly startin to doubt my talentsas an author. 1hen " recei$ed Lynn(s acce#tance letter* " was on Cloud !ine.

'urin the time that "($e otten to know Lynn and the staff of ,therworld /ublications*we($e had many u#s and downs. That(s to be e9#ected with any business* riht- 1e($eall had our ood days and our bad days* but the ood times that "($e had with Lynnoutweih the bad.

1e were all one bi ha##y family.

That was until a few weeks ao when " recei$ed the heart7wrenchin email from Lynntellin her authors the bad news) she will be closin ,therworld /ublications on'ecember D>* =>=. My heart sank* the walls bean to close in* and my dreams of beina #ublished author soon shattered. ,therworld /ublications was closin- "mmediately* "bean to #anic. " asked myself* 4what was " oin to do now- 1hat about my currenttitles that Lynn had #ublished- 1hat(s oin to ha##en to my ,therworld family- Andmore im#ortantly* what was oin to ha##en to Lynn and the ,1/ staff-5

!aturally* " became de#ressed and saddened. "t didn(t hel# thins that " was beinnin tofeel the stress of weddin #lannin* and now this was thrown on to# of it all. " felt like "had been thrown under a bus.

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B;T* " also knew that Lynn had to ha$e been feelin worse than all of us. MuchQmuchworse. "n fact* when " emailed her back* she told me that she had :ust been cryin o$erher decision. " don(t blame her at all. "t was a $ery difficult decision to make.,therworld /ublications may not ha$e been $ery well known and a $ery small #ress* butLynn Cal$ert and the others in$ol$ed with this reat franchise ha$e all touched my heart

in some way or another. Lynn was the one who :um#7started my career as an author* andfor that* " am $ery thankful and rateful.

Lynn* you and the staff of ,therworld /ublications will be missed* and none of us wille$er foret how you($e touched our li$es.

"(d like to lea$e you all with some words from your talented authorsQ

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Other*or+, -u+i.ationsBy Camria Heert

/hen I 0irst set out to e.ome pu+ishe, I got a +ot o0 ree.tionsThe mai+ o e.ame a sour.e o0 +etters *ith the *or, 4O insi,eMy emai+ ino *as sta+#e, an, the re0resh utton use, sorepeate,+y that sometimes I thin# I hear, it *eeping5But I never gave upI am a *riter " *riter has to pay their ,ues6 e.ome an 7artist8that #no*s ree.tion an, pain5 yeah6 I #no*5 B"H H" H" H"But sti++ those thoughts got me through a .oup+e years o0 trying toget pu+ishe,6 trying to get an agent an, ust trying to get someoneto rea, anything that I *rote5

"0ter aout t*o years I got tire, Tire, o0 hearing no an, 0rustrate,that I *as hearing no e0ore anyone *ou+, give my manus.ript a.han.eI starte, 0o.using more on sma++er pu+ishing houses an, I 0oun,Other*or+, -u+i.ations I sent o00 a 9uery an, the manus.ript tothem an, then I sai, a prayer i +ong months *ent y an, I ust0igure, that they *ere not intereste, in.e that time I sumitte,to another pu+ishing house an, *as ree.te,But then I got an emai+ Lynn over at Other*or+, -u+i.ations *as

intereste, in pu+ishing my oo#I .rie,Li#e a ayLOL"n, that is *hen my transition 0rom *riter to author egan Being a*riter is a so+itary thing ut eing an author is something that ta#esa team o0 peop+e I *as +u.#y enough to have 9uite a it o0 support0or my 0irst nove+6 Masquerade, pu+ishe, in ;e.emer o0 2)11 Mypu+isher *as Other*or+, -u+i.ationsI have to say that I no* #no* that I ha, 9uite a uni9ue ,ea+ *ith

Lynn an, O/- They aren out there Lynn tru+y *ante, to ust he+p authors get theiroo#s out there /e never spent time ,eating over the .over6 the.ontent6 a .ertain thing e.ause Lynn *as a+*ays ehin, me an,the message I *ante, to sen, *ith my oo#

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he gra.e0u++y a++o*e, me to have my o*n .over ,esigns an, sheeven hire, on an e,itor that I +ove, to *or# *ith =this *as e.ausethe e,itor is ta+ente, not e.ause o0 me>Lynn *as generous *ith roya+ties an, *as a+*ays *i++ing to ans*er

my 9uestions *hen I ha, them

I +earne, a +ot aout pu+ishing ,uring my 0irst pu+ishingeperien.es *ith O/- I am so grate0u+ that Lynn gave me an, myseries a .han.e /ithout that .han.e I might sti++ e gettingree.tions +etters ometimes a++ a person nee,s is a .han.eometimes they ust nee, someone to say 7I e+ieve in you8 I thin#that is *hat O/- stan,s 0orI have to say *hen I 0oun, out that O/- *as .+osing its ,oors I *assa, " very happy .hapter in my +i0e is aout to .+ose5 ut I *i++

move on *ith a++ the #no*+e,ge that Lynn an, the sta00 at O/-taught me?ven though the ,oors to O/- are .+osing ,oesn


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Thank youBy Erin 'an0er

" :ust want to thank Lynn for i$in me a chance. E$en thouh our #ublishin history was$ery brief* " am fore$er rateful to her for sayin OyesO to me and e$erythin thatha##ened after. E$en after findin out ,1/ is closin its doors* Lynn directed me toanother #ublisher where my book would fit in. 1ithout her takin a chance on me* "would not be where " am now. %o Thank ou* Lynn* for e$erythin youO$e done for me.

H Erin )

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1acky 1riters

1rite a short story that is >* words or less about a character* or set of characters

celebratin their inde#endence from somethin or someone.

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-oetry -a+ooza

Be ouby Terra 2elly

Be ou

My daddy called me #rincesshe #romised me a #rince

" read all the storieslike Cinderella

fuckin Cinderella" belie$ed all those lies

" belie$ed all those #romises

All those stu#id fairy taleslisten to me irlsdonOt belie$e in the dreamthere are no maic men

no one will swee# you off your feeta kiss will not o$ercome death

if you belie$e in that then all you will ha$e is broken dreamsif you ha$e to belie$e then belie$e in yourself

#ick u# your own #iecesfiht to make your dreams come true

donOt wait for someone to hand it to you

Because no one will sa$e you!o one but yoube your own #rincess

be your own #rince charminbe you

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RChanedRBy Jamie 'an0er

A side of me " ne$er knew e9isted

Came ali$e late one nihtAll was ?uiet in this realm;ntil you knocked u#on my door

And thouh " did not answerFor " did not know who was there

ou took your cue anyways;nlockin the door* you enteredThere was somethin about you%omethin " could not e9#lain

Mysterious and ca#ti$atin,n a rather intriuin le$el

ou looked $auely familiar"mae the same as " rememberedBut somethin inside had chaned

" saw a #iece of me within youThat e$en thouh you looked the same

" knew that you had chaned

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MaybeBy Abbi !uyen

The secretary was able to track down three of the women on May(s list. %he hadsent them in$itations to meet at May(s house at se$en #m in Tan 'uc* an industrial #ark

outside the city. Each woman reacted differently to the #erfumed cardSsome withnostalia* others with a sur#risin rancor they didn(t reali0e they had. But all of themwere curious* and would not miss it.

%ince the rou# #arted after their uni$ersity raduation* they had not bothered tokee# in touch. 1hat for- May knew their attem#t would be futile aainst each other(scalculatin measure of friendshi#. +ow beneficial were they to each other-%oon the news#a#er would #ublish an article on May(s life. An in$estiation wasnecessary for all #ossible candidates of the national assembly de#uty #osition. +onor*interity* leadershi#. +as May been an e9em#lary woman all her life- The #arty membersneeded to know.!ot a trace of im#erfection for the #ast ten* ele$en years. %he knew it was not enouhS

uyen married her economics( #rofessor. %he found out :ust because he tauhtthe sub:ect didn(t mean he endorsed it. uyen was slihtly indinant but did notcontradict him. +a$in a deree was enouh* if there were children in the future* theywould not think their mother was inorant. uyen hun the di#loma abo$e the tele$isionset. Between commercials* she would lance u#* admirin the cursi$e. +ow many yearshas one by already- Ten- Twenty- "t couldn(t ha$e been that lon because there werestill no baby cries in the house. uyen let out a dee# sih. "t was two in the afternoon*fi$e hours till the rende0$ous. %he #ushed at the buttons on the remote ner$ously* fli##inchannel after channel. "t didn(t take too lon before she saw May(s face. %he was i$in as#eech about the im#ortance of education for ietnamese youth. "n the audience* uyens#otted the #resident and the #rime minister. ,n both sides of the stae hun the nationalfla* and one for the Communist #arty. uyen disliked the color red. "t was e$erywhere* ahot color* of fire.1hy couldn(t they ha$e #icked blue or white- May(s outfit looked e9#ensi$eSa #ur#lesilk blouse and tiht fitted knee lenth skirt. uyen had seen it on the manne?uin at thenew sho##in mall in 'istrict ,ne* a beautiful outfitSeleant* #rofessional. E$erythinthat May was.

uyen remembered the day +un #ro#osed to May. %he didn(t e$en know theywere in a relationshi#.+un was a class abo$e them and had already raduated. +e still came to the school atlunch time to meet with the irls. uyen thouht that it was her he was interested in. +easked her many ?uestions* looked at her eyes and listened attenti$ely to the details of herlife. %he didn(t uess that he only wanted to make a ood im#ression because she wasMay(s best friend.The other irls were not sur#rised. May had many admirers* but they had all seen themturned down sweetly* ?uietly with such #olite and tact that the men barely noticed theyhad :ust been denied.

I+ow did he #ro#ose-( uyen in?uired.

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I+e tied some rass toether and #ut it on my finer.( May smiled bashfully.I,h* come on. Are you serious-(I+e has an artist(s soul. 'on(t be nasty.( May(s browns athered into a stern

e9#ression.uyen confessed that she wanted to be ha##y for May e9ce#t she had e9#ected to be the

one +un would ask. IAs lon as "(m your friend* nobody will look at me*( she cried.May shushed her and athered uyen(s head onto her lab* I"f you want to marry* that(seasy.(uyen went on a strin of dates with the #rofessor. May arraned it skillfully. Iou(rehis fa$orite student. " only a$e him a small #ush.(uyen was enaed within si9 months and married e$en sooner than May.

uyen dialed her husband on the #hone.!ey honey' what is the ode for oursafe2 Oh nothin$' it3s an emer$eny e4pense -hat2 .o' need somethin$ to wear t3san important meetin$ with May' the one that introdued us uyen twisted the knobe9citedly. They ha$e been sa$in u# for a while for the baby. But when her father7in7lawrefused his insen medicine and #assed on a few months later* they(d had to withdraw

se$en million don. %he thouht the whole ceremony a bi waste. Both the dead and themahoany coffin ot burned u# into fine #owder. uyen had wanted to sob then but thefurnace was blastin with heat* she couldn(t kee# her eyes o#en e$en for her worriedtears to see# throuh. But today was not a day for rief* today was a day of newe9#ectations. 6ettin married was the most e9citement she(d had* but after so manyyears* e$en the most romantic relationshi#s wane. uyen didn(t know what she needed*but she knew May would.

UUUMay #ut the incense into the ceramic bowl on her husband(s shrine. The smoke

smelled of a mi9ture of cinnamon and wood. "t burned her #u#ils but she ke#t her eyeso#en. 0ou ouldn3t love me now even if you were alive.May looked at her watch* the metal band cold and thin* the face enra$ed in diamonds.%he tried to wile her toes but the shoe ca# held them tihtly in #lace. +er feet felt likemarble* stiff and callous. %he had started wearin hih heels after he died. Thirteen years.1ithout thinkin* she had one to the funeral barefoot* hands cradlin the new liferowin inside her. 0ou3re a father5 wish ould have told you +er eyes were stunnedas if the reali0ation had hit her then dis#ersed like a dream* then hit her aain o$er ando$er until her face was numb. The family of the trucker who crashed into her husband(smo#ed sent a million don in com#ensation. "t was enouh for two months rent. Maycouldn(t blame them* #o$erty struck e$eryone the same way.

%he a$e birth alone. +er mother was there* but in the hallway* afraid of blood. Theceilin was blue* with thick lum# of #aint hanin from the flat surface like rain dro#s.%he struled to scream* instead ritted her teeth and cried shar#* salty tears. %he cried asif she were not i$in birth* but of another #ain altoether. 1hen she sto##ed #ushin*the doctor administered anesthesia and lided a shar# metal blade into her belly. Thebaby tore its way out of her. "t choked on air and screamed a #iercin wail. The nurseshuddered and de#osited the baby into May(s arms. %he #ut its head close to her neck.The baby(s cry drowned out her own and she was calm.

~ 21~


22/60

Toniht May would reunite with her irl friends from collee. %he felt as if a newbuds had blossomed inside her. As chairwoman of a billion dollars cor#oration* not muchcould e9cite her. %he had reformed the education system in ietnam* accom#anied the#resident on business tri#s. The board had chosen her as businesswoman of the year fi$econsecuti$e times. As she ot older* her accom#lishments did not dwindle as it often did

with many others* but only became reater in si0e and $alue. es* she was successful*more so than she could e$er imaine as the youn irl of fifteen years ao. %heremembered #uttin the flame o$er her notebook* filled with #oems and $aue dreams.+er best friend uyen had stolen it out of her ba and read it out loud in class. Therewere a few entle chuckles but nobody lauhed. They were ood #oems* some of herclassmates had said. et she had felt humiliatedSwatchin her #ri$ate thouhts debasedby the others( $ular* careless comments. !ow* she sometimes wished to ha$e suchsim#le thins to cherish. But #oetry ne$er entered her mind. As her shar# metal Chanelheels crushed the dry* summer lea$es* she didn(t sto# to contem#late itSas ifS#oetry* itsbeauty and secrets* ha$e all been burned u# with the #aes of that notebook.

The housekee#er bustled around to #re#are dinnerSsnails boiled in lemon rass andsalted duck esSthe irls( fa$orite. They used to sit for hours on the sidewalkrestaurant* #okin at the snail(s tail with a tooth#ick. 1hen one of them manaed to #ullout the entire snail without breakin bits off* they would i$e it to each other. May waitedim#atiently. The irls would be here in about an hour.

Thuy was the first to arri$e. May almost didn(t reconi0e her if not for the curious*insecure way she still checked herself* then looked about* constantly wearied of #otentialwatchers. +er dark hair rested on her shoulder in lare wa$es* not a streak of ray. %hewore a sheer* lon slee$e tunic tued inside a fitted skirt. +er fiure was strikinS%hehad lost considerable weiht since raduation.Before reetin her friend at the entrance* May checked her reflectionSher own hair wasu# in an eleant bun* her dauhter had tauht her how to do. "t a##eared com#le9 butsim#le enouh to manae without a hel#in hand.

I+olyS* May& Look at this #lace. May& 1here the hell are you-(May sihed* feelin the an9iety swe#t from her. Thuy was still Thuy after all* and Mayneeded that.

Iou look stunnin.( May o#ened her arms for an embrace but Thuy continued tolook u# and down the house* her eyes shinin with e9citement. Iou ot one of thosechandeliers& 1here did you et it May- France- " was there last %#rinQ( Finally* sheturned and faced May* I" miss you*( she said solemnly.They walked down the corridor toether. Iou ha$en(t aed a day*( they ke#t sayin toeach other* then blushed and rubbed their nose when the com#liment was returned. After#raises were s#ent* they bean on the furnitureS#ointin out the white frame around a#icture of a house in the snow.!ow onsiderate of you to notie. Then both were silent*o$erwhelmed by the years which hun between them like stalamite* too #recious tobreak off. They had #lenty of reasons to se#arateSthey ne$er areed on lo$e or #olitics*one of them had a child and the other didn(t. et as they walked* close enouh to smellthe other(s #erfume but not ask about it* they silently #rayed that maybe* maybe it wasn(ttoo late.

~ 22~


23/60

They reached the dinin room and raised their $oices to match the commotion of theser$ers oin back and forth from the kitchen.Tentati$ely* May asked* I+ow is the kid- Must be all rown u# by now-(

I" wouldn(t know*( They stared at a white wall across the room.May waited* lettin her stomach stirred then settled.

I" a$e him u#*( Thuy said* her face #ale* her forehead slihtly wrinkled. %hedarted toward the feast on the table. IMm* yum*( she #icked u# a #iece of roasted #orkwith her finers* sandwiched it between two slices of sweet bread and took a bite.May took Thuy by the arms* ICome on* we can eat when the others et here. Let me i$eyou a tour of the house.(

May remembered when Thuy a$e birth* she and uyen were checkin theannouncement board to see which master #roram they had otten into. I/oor Thuy*(they areed* she had otten better rades than both of them on her entrance e9am* but thatwas irrele$ant now. ;#on recei$in a #hone call from Thuy(s father* they rushed to thehos#ital on uyen(s mo#ed. +er family had been more wealthy than May* who rode to

school each day on a bicycle she inherited from her randfather.They held onto each other as they walked down the brihtly lit hall. !either wanted toacknowlede they did not want to be there* to look into their friend(s rheumy eyes* andcoddle the unfamiliar #resence in the room. -hat do you say to a baby2 et as theyreached the door* they felt enli$ened by a new smell. -hat is it2 Mil streamin$ from amother3s breasts2 or the soft' fleshy sin of a newborn2But they did not come in riht away* their heels held steadfast outside the door frame.They were startled by a #icture* as if ri##ed out of a cataloueSa man leanin o$er theirfriend(s bed* he held her hand in his* and rested his li#s on her soft blue $eins. uyens#oke first* I+un-( May watched her fiancV(s e9#ressionSan9ious* obli$ious of hissurroundin* yet focused and tense. E9#ectant. May swallowed and walked in.

The stairs s#iraled u# to the blue ceilin* #ainted with nude anels. Two years aowhen the house was built* :ournalists and #hotora#hers had come from all o$er thecountry to study the architecture. %e$en bedrooms in total. -ho were they for2 Myparents My dau$hter' the nanny' the driver s your dau$hter home2 Can we interviewher2 .o' she studies abroad

The truth was her dauhter was married. +earin May had included her room in the newhouse* decorated with old dolls and dusty yearbooks* she had feined #olite ratitude. "tdid not bother May. The house was made of stone* like a cathedral* it would be here formany more decades* lon after her dauhter(s marriae deteriorated. +uman relationshi#scould not outli$e the waste of time* May knew that* es#ecially romantic ones* too etherealfor this world. ,nly maternal lo$e was unconditional* and only what was unconditional*was strenthened rather than destroyed by the endlessness of time.May let the re#orters look throuh e$ery room* e$en o#en drawers if they needed to.Clean* em#ty drawers* not e$en dust bunnies. They lanced at them ?uickly* :otted linesdown their notebook then walked away* bored and disa##ointed.Thuy was astonished at each s#acious bedroom* fully furnished* color coded* and themed.et reali0in their e9treme tidiness* she turned to May and s#oke softly*

I'o you li$e here alone-(

~ 23~


24/60

I"(m not the one who needs hel# Thuy*( May sna##ed accusinly.I" knew you would be furious at me. That(s why " couldn(t tell you. ButS"

thouht you would be relie$ed too.( Thuy rabbed a stuffed rabbit from the bed andhued it close to her chest.

I'o you remember 2hanh-( Thuy continued.

I,f course. %he is the only one beside you and uyen who isn(t out of town.(I2hanh(s dead* May. " thouht you knew.( Thuy threw the stuffed rabbit back onthe bed. I+er husband left her. %he went cra0y su##osedly. %he was always a bit nut*wasn(t she-(

IA bit*( May re#lied* IThat(s cause she lo$es too much and too di$ersely. %he wassmitten with all of us* at one #oint or anotherSI

They had been flat mates before May were married. 2hanh had beed her not to othrouh with the weddin. They could continue to li$e toether like they ha$e sincefreshman year of collee.!e is not worth a strand of your hair. 2hanh we#t but May didnot feel sorry for her* it was time for them to become women* not irls anymore. "n a

way* May thouht that her release would teach 2hanh inde#endence.2hanh was free now* #erha#s not in the way May had thouht* but what was thedifference- IAlways drawin attention to herself*( May thouht bitterly. She wouldn3ttae any less' always present' always profound' then e4itin$ in that manner6theatrially

6not lin$erin$ lie the rest of us .ot lin$erin$ at all

I" should ha$e stayed with her.( May(s $oice ?ui$ered* smilin mournfully.I%he was a rown woman. %he was ca#able of a lot more than you thouht.( Thuy

lifted the curtain and looked down to the street. I%he ado#ted my child*( Thuy breathedon the lass window* and traced her finer o$er the fo.

I1hatS1hy would she do that-( May chuckled* the sound full of irony.I" know. "t(s hard to belie$e. E$eryone thinks we hate each other.( Thuy lauhed*

I" think she #ut u# with me for your sake. " sus#ect she ado#ted the child for your saketoo.(

After Thuy and the baby fell aslee#* +un and May walked back to the uni$ersityto collect May(s bicycle. A lare cloud hun like dark rey smoke o$er roofto#s* almosttouchin* almost crushin them with its weiht. +un lit a ciarette* barely #ut it o$er hisli#s* then dro##ed it to the #a$ement* his foot crushin the brown tobacco lea$es* I%orry*" know you don(t like it.(

May shook her head* smilin wistfully* IThat(s the least of my worries.(I" only care about you*( he rabbed her hand. +is finers were friid.Iou(re a father now.( %he said sternly. The sun only started to fall from the sky*

yet she could already see the moonStrans#arent* almost in$isible* yet im#ossible toinore.

I!o. !ot yetS!ot until it(s our child*( he tried to #ronounce each syllabledistinctly* de#endin entirely on the cris# words to e$ince his loyalty. +e was a hardman. The ty#e who did not falter.

May was startled by his rowin weakness* his des#eration. %he #ut one hando$er her em#ty stomach* what3s the point2 %he felt more anry at Thuy* for robbin herof the chance of bein the first mother* the first to carry and #er#etuate their lo$e.

~ 2!~


25/60

I" still want to marry you*( his $oice was hih7#itched* almost to the #oint ofbein.

IThat(s ood.( May swallowed. %he did not want to s#eak anymore. Lookindown at the ra$el* +un(s shadow was stretchin u#ward* towerin o$er her.

IE$erythin is as before*( she hurried ahead of him* Ibut " want the child. " should

be the one to raise him.( UUU

The dos ot u# from their na# and ran to the front ate. They could hear thea##roachin $ehicle. I" think uyen(s here*( Thuy closed the curtain and started for thedoor. May followed.

They both could not contain themsel$es and hastened outside the house. For asecond* the headlihts of the cab blinded her eyes so May could only see the outline of asmall* #lum# fiure. The #astures from both sides were illuminated* as well as the rowsof factories leadin u# to the iron ate.

uyen ste##ed from the cab* slun a handba o$er her shoulder and said* ICan "

et a ta9i from here late at niht-(May nodded* Ies* if not my dri$er will take you.(I" thouht you weren(t oin to show* uyen&( Thuy said abru#tly* dis#ellin the

a##roachin silence.IAre you hunry-( May asked* sto##in herself from starinSuyen(s shoulders

slacked* her hair roomed yet wiry* her eyes droo#ed la0ily. The only features stillyouthful were her handsSlon and slender finers* inert hands.

IMaybe later*( %he said distractedly* IThis is cra0y. "s all of it yours-( uyenestured toward the industrial #ark. At niht* they looked like abandoned buildins.

IAbout a thousand acres from where we(re standin ( May said with #ride* thiswas somethin she knew well.

I'o you mind if we walk around- " feel a little sick from the dri$e*( uyen saidshyly* still a$oidin eye contact.

Thuy lauhed. %he could always do that* then walked u# and linked her arm withuyen(s. ICome on*( she wa$ed for May.The three shadows* arms in arms* like lauhin children* strolled away from the houseinto the darkness. For a few seconds* before their eyes were ad:usted* the a#s betweenthem ceased. They s#oke in their irlish $oice* not lettin o of each other. For now* theycould not see the lines dis#ersin on their forehead* oin nowhere* or the hollow echoesof the years scratchin at them. They were free to be irls.

The banyan tree was older than anythin inside the industrial #ark. Around herethe soils were rich* unattended rass rew #ast a human head. ,n %unday* the workerswent around the side walls of the factories cuttin down briht reen weeds that s#runu# as fast as they were remo$ed. The tree rew from its roots* which hun from thebranches* e9#andin like hundred of arms ho$erin only a few inches from the earth. ,necannot cut down a banyan tree* it would not be only one trunk that the lumber:ack wouldha$e to a9e* but many more. A sturdy structure* the tree ras#ed on tihtly where it stoodSit rew its own family* with different stocks yet fore$er connected* ne$er alone.

~ 2$~


26/60

uyen leaned aainst the tree trunk* wa$in away the smoke that fell from Thuy(sciarette. E$ery time she inhaled the bitter nicotine* both uyen and May held theirbreathSthey watched her* fascinated* entranced in the motion of her slender finersflickin off the ash* then aain raisin the ciarette to her li#sSin and out* its oraneburn the only liht in the darkness. Thuy(s li#stick had almost com#letely faded now*

re$ealin her bare* dark li#s.I'id you $isit her- +el# her- %he would ha$e needed it( May smoothed the curlson her tem#les. 1ithout the blamin liht of day shinin on their faces* she felt safe toask ?uestions.

I" didn(t want to confuse who the baby(s mother wasSfrom that moment on.(Thuy cleared her throat* her $oice was hea$y* a weiht dro##ed down on the niht(sstillness.

I%he needed you.( May re#eated* I%he had no one.(I%he didn(t want to see us*( uyen s#oke ?uickly* I%he said we were a bad

influence. %he was waitin for you to claim the child. " don(t think she #lanned to kee# it.!ot at first.(

I1hy didn(t you tell me- 1hyS( May broke off. Could she ha$e done anydifferent-t was too muh at the time' too muh After +un(s funeral* she had nots#oken to anyone* not e$en her family. All of them had tried so hard to con$ince her toet rid of the baby barely rowin inside her. *hey haven3t seen you' yet they alreadydeserted you But #erha#s they were rihtSthe child was not a child* more like ane9#andin shadow. !o matter how much May tried to lo$e her* she could not com#ensatefor the absence of the father.A partial hild' a fatherless phantom' she fled as soon asshe was out of my womb .ever was mine

I1e thouht it was better for youSwe assumed you wouldn(t want to hear themention of that child e$er aain. After allS( uyen looked at Thuy e9#ectantly* butThuy #retended not to acknowlede her friend(s a0e and continued turnin the ciarettesu#side down then reinsertin them into the #ack.

IThins ha##ened so fast. ,ne minute we were all toether* the ne9tS( uyencontinued.

IAlone*( May re#lied.

UUU

The three of them could ha$e been ha##y. They were eaer to beinSthe life theythouht unli$ed* #ost#oned while they were at school. May too had dreamed of thatworldSa room filled with men in stuffy collars and checkered ties* business deals sinedo$er cham#ane and ca$iar* not many women yet* but soon. +ad she ot what she wantedSthe eye of the #ublic that la0ed her with #ower and admirationSnot as a woman whohas made it* but a woman wearin the shell of a man. As she stood beside the irls* theira0e fluttered #ast her stiff #osture* the s?uare shoulder #ads hidin her small frameunderneath. %he could tell they were im#ressed at first* but only for a moment* beforememories flooded back into them and they saw her. %he too* startled at her lo$e for them*reret that it couldn(t ha$e been rendered differently* so it seemed not lo$e* but blame*contem#t* fear too.

~ 2%~


27/60

The neihborhood was tidySneat alley ways #a$ed in red bricks and littlechildren art murals on ceramics inset on the wall. Thuy took lead. The #ath was small*only enouh for one #erson to fit throuh in a sinle line. uyen and May followedbehind. "n the corner of an a#artment stairwell* a $arant with #e##ered beard sat* sinina ?uiet hymn.

I'oes anyone li$e here sir- This used to be 2hanh(s house.( Thuy in?uired.The old man scratched his chin as if awoken from a trance and looked at them.May felt shy of his moist eyes* a cloudy white* stared at them unblinkin. I1e used to oto collee toether*( she offered.

IAh*( he breathed* barin his tobacco teeth* I" know 2hanh. ou think "(m blindand stu#id but " can still hear. This whole block knows. %ome of the family mo$ed awayafterSafraid of bad s#irit. 1hat do you want-( +e #aused then s#oke aain suddenly*soundin alert* I1ho else(s there- " know there are three of you. %#eak u#.(

I%orry*( uyen murmured* I"(m uyen. 1e(re lookin for her son. 'oes he li$ehere-(

I;#stairs*( he couhed* his whole frame shook. 1a$in his finer u#ward then

dro##in his arm onto his la#* he started hummin aainSseemed to ha$e forottenthem.IThank you*( May #ushed a bill into his tremblin hand. %he turned to look at the

irls* half afraid they would disa##ear* half ho#in they would.;nsteadily she climbed the metal staircase then knocked twice on the front door

#ealin with reen #aint.A host o#ened the door. May introduced herself to kee# from as#in. +e smiled at herSuncertainShis curly head tilted slihtly to the riht as if confused. +is briht eyeswere of both kindness and mischief.7ust lie his father.The women ste##ed at once into what was both a bedroom and kitchen. There was asinle stool at the window sill* stack of books and #a#ers strewn on the floor* a half fulllass of water. The #lace hadn(t chaned much* different #aint for the walls maybe*tidier. The bunk bed May and 2hanh used to share was one* re#laced by a folded couch.I"(m #re#arin for the uni$ersity entrance e9am*( Liem e9#lained.

IAh*( May breathed out* I1hich one-(IBusiness %chool*( he chuckled dryly* Iif " can et in*(The irls nodded in a##ro$in silence. Thuy had taken a seat on the stool*

crackin the window slihtly then lihtin her ciarette. The boy was a##rehensi$e*shrinkin from her* #uttin a distance between them in the crowded room.

Iour motherSyou both li$ed here*( May s#oke* not intendin for it to sound likea ?uestion.

I%ure*( the boy turned away* hidin his face* I" ha$e seen you before Mrs. May*on the news* that(s riht. +ow did you know my mother-(

May looked at uyen* who was finerin a #a#er swan on the floor. Thuy wasstill at the window* on her second ciarette. "t seemed nothin could e$er mo$e her fromthat s#ot.

I1e were best friends.( The words finally esca#ed her. %he let them #ull at her*then dro# carelessly into the clean* white room. %he inhaled* tried to detect a scentSanyhint that a cra0y woman miht ha$e li$ed here. "nstead she could only #icture 2hanhsittin on the sofa* the sheet miht ha$e been a different color #ink nylon-* swayin

~ 2&~


28/60

the boy to slee#. 2hanhSwith frail arms bearin the burden of another* waitinho#elessly for them who didn(t show u#. Then s#iralin into what they called madnessaround here. But May knew better* she had been there before. Months after the funeral*she could not slee# without huin the shorts +un had worn the niht before theaccident close to her chest* bracin herself on the too lare bed* runnin to the door

whene$er the bell run* e9#ectin to see him there. +o#e. /ure ho#e that only escalatedas the waitin ot loner.I"(m sorry Liem*( uyen cried suddenly* face buried in her #alms.I,h don(t. "t was so lon ao*( the boy said with #atience.I"t was nobody(s fault. !obody.( +e re#eated* accentuatin the syllables the way

+un had once done.IThat may be true*( Thuy said inaudibly so her $oice sounded like a soft echo* I"t

may as wellSlike readin a #iece of news on the #a#er true* like not bein here true.(%he o#ened her mouth as if to s#eak aain* but the silence was one from the room. Liemhad walked to the kitchen sink* to##led o$er a #ile of dishes* and refilled his cu# withwater. May thouht #erha#s he had not heard Thuy* or did but rearded it as the mumble

:umble of a straner* but worst not a com#lete straner* the ty#e one could discuss theweather with* but a distant connectionSim#osin enouh to make him uncomfortable.I" need to et back to my studies.( +e said with a sudden indifference.

,ut of the corner of May(s eyes* she saw uyen blinked* startled at the boy(s abru#taloofness. %he wi#ed her tears on her slee$e and stood.The three women ste##ed from the room. 'ismissed like school children. May felt thedoor slam behind them.

,$er the bride May stood* listenin to the hummin of an ice cream cart. "t wasbarely mornin* the o#en hori0on still a dee# blue with soft #articles of liht. Leanino$er the rail* May watched #ouches of dust e9#lode into millions of s#arklin rains.They didn(t ha$e a fa$orite s#ot* not really. As a youn cou#le* she and +un* likehundred of other lo$ers* had #arked the bicycle danerously close to traffic to et alim#se of the sil$ery water. ,n their first date* she had tried to say somethin cle$er* askdeliberate ?uestions to create an atmos#here of fallin in lo$e. At the city* bubblin withelectricity* she #ointed I1hich is your fa$orite liht-( %he did not want him to foret thismoment. +e stretched his arm u#ward then around her waist but didn(t s#eak. I+m-( sheasked aain* im#atient. I"(m thinkin*( he said* his eyes were focused* studyin theindi$idual liht. This was why she lo$ed him.%he no loner remembered what his answer was. That whole day was sheddin awayfrom her bit by bit. %lices of memory re#laced by their #ainful silence a year later. +e didnot ask her to fori$e him. %he already had by areein to come to the bride. +e wastryin to fori$e himself first* she could tell. /erha#s it was the way he cu##ed his hando$er his cheeks and #ulled downward* lookin defeated* that con$inced her he trulydidn(t mean it* he made a mistake. But still she did not feel sorry for him. %he thouhtshe miht make it worse for him by hel#in Thuy raise the babySaruin o$er whichbrand of milk #owder was better. The child of course would row u# to lo$e her morethan his own mother. Thuy could not fein maternal interests e$en if she tried. es* Maywould force him to look at them* to li$e with the error that could ha$e been #re$ented hadhe any common sense* or self7control.

~ 2'~


29/60

The sun reflected off May(s watch and scattered round s#ots of liht on the irls( faces*like tears. A strand of ray hair fell from Thuy(s tem#le to the listenin water below.May tried to catch it.

I1as it here-( uyen asked only to say somethin.I8iht where you(re standin. That(s where they found the baby basket.( Thuy

re#lied.May nodded absently. The body* so hea$y* once already fallin* had no fear of $ertio.There was a time that May too felt #ulled by such de#th. But she could not bear thethouht of her dauhter inside her* already submered in water* des#erately fihtin forlife. "f anythin* they deser$ed se#arate deaths. %a$ed by the mere thouht of another(slife. !ot 2hanh.There was nobody in the basket of course. Liem would ha$e been si9 or se$en by then.1hen the car mechanics stumbled u#on the basket* his ner$ous oil stained finers#erused the layers of blanket* relie$ed to find nothin but a few #hotora#hs* curled atthe corners. Lauhin faces* he noted* then was horror7stricken by the floatin sha#ebelow.

I/eo#le used to think we were twins.( Thuy s#oke* her words small and tired. I"don(t think we look alikeSBut in the end " sort of ho#e we did.(1as Thuy ho#in somehow the boy would see a mother in her* May thouht. A##arentlythere were more than one host in the room.

I%he was always sendin me baby #ictures. " thouht she was mockin meS" wastryin myself but nothin worked. " didn(t know to be lad or sad for her.( uyen added.

I!o matter what " did* " was betrayin somebodyS( %he went on. I1ho could "be ha##y for anyway-(May looked around. They were all here* the closest to a memorial they could manae fortheir friend. !o flowers* not e$en a #re#ared s#eech* only incom#lete memories*mouthful yet not enouh to fill the silence. 1hat about May* what could she #ossibly sayto ease what they did* turned away from-For a fleetin moment* she considered awardin Liem this year scholarshi#. Savin$ thehild of a suiide vitim* the news headline miht say*Deputy May doesn3t for$et afriend The boy would not acce#t it* May knew.

ILet(s not wonder too far*( she finally muttered. %enseless thouh the wordsseemed* she felt her heart retreated back into the hollow s#ace in her chest. The rhythmcautious and steady.The three roads from the bride all led to the same #lace* where May and 2hanh s#enthours awake as collee irls* where Liem li$ed now. From all different directions theywere brouht back once more.

Tomorrow the construction team would be here. May had sined the contract tocom#ensate families with houses built in or alon side the ri$er. "n their #laces would risethe first fi$e star hotel in the country. %he imained the resort e9#andin* indoorswimmin #ools* arden bars* and li$e concerts. 1hen the sun set* electric lanternsbu00ed to the call of white7eared !iht herons. "t was a #erfect location for internationale$ents* to show forein ambassadors what this country was made of. May stratei0ed the

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buildin #lan so that on one side $isitors were en$elo#ed by e9otic tro#ical #lants andsoothin nature* o$er the bride they would see the robust city* constantly rowin.May #ictured the three of them athered at a round table on the day of the hotel o#enin*holdin their smile :ust lon enouh for the #hotora#her. There was somethin theyneeded to saySbut #erha#s for another time.

And maybe* as May listened to the mournful chir#in of the heron* she would ask I"s thatyou* 2hanh-(

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4Tamed Tiers5Matthew 1ilson

Tom didn(t want to o to the circus. !o sir* no how.

The ame was on and he(d :ust ot the crease in his couch to his likin to sit and rela9 in.But toniht Jenny wanted to o drinkin with her friends. "t had been written on thecalendar #inned to the fride all of ten hours* which made it leal law in this house.4'on(t lea$e me with the baby* honey. " won(t know what to do with him. ou knowhow clumsy " am* "(ll #robably dro# him in the Lions cae or somethin.54+e(s not a baby anymore* Tom. " know you burnt most of his child hood away in the barbut your son is se$en now and " think it(s about time you two s#ent time toether.bonded.54ou mean you think your #artyin is more im#ortant than my ame. " ot fifty notesridin on this.54" work for what this family needs day in and out* if you don(t i$e me this one niht to

let my hair down "(m onna break and when you o to slee# "(ll sta#le your damnforeskin shut.54James* et your coat* son. 'addies takin you out for the e$enin.54That(s what " thouht.5Tom could hear the children cheerin before he killed the car enine.+e rubbed his eyes and looked at the sin. /arkin lot '. 1ith what he had in the lo$ebo9 alone he was ama0ed he retained the idea of what day it was 7 definitely one thatended in a y.4ou remember where we(re #arked riht* son-5James fi9ed his blue baseball ca# and o#ened the car door. 4ou want some hel#-54'on(t worry* daddy can climb out a car 7 ah* et it off. "t(s stranlin me&54"t(s a seat belt* dad.54" know. Just don(t tell your mom.54+a$e you been drinkin-54'rink is the maic medicine makin mommies disa##ointment turn to rainbows.54Mom told you "(m se$en* riht dad- " know "(m in a broken home.54All riht...54James.54" know that. %to# bein a smart ass and hel# daddy out the car.5Forty bucks.Forty bucks.Tom checked his #ocket. 4ou otta be kiddin. " can kill my wife for that.5The man behind the bullet #roof lass reekin of suar less #o#corn was not smilin. 4%irwe are not $ictimi0in you* e$eryone #ays the same to enter.54Then why don(t you ha$e the entrance sin made of old- Look at my son* look at howmiserable you(re makin him. +e wanted to see these Ele#hants for7 you(re not my son.1ho the hell are you-54'ad "(m o$er here. our scarin that little irl. "t(s all riht if you wanna o somewhereelse. /lease* your embarrassin me.54That(s what your mom said on our weddin day* oh no. "(m not ha$in her tell me she

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won. %he told me to take you to the launderette and we(re oin to the 7 what the hell isthis #lace-54This is a 0oo sir. "f you want to come in its754eah* all riht* +itler. Forty dollars you told us. +ere* take it. ou want my shirt too-54ou know* sir. 'rink is not #ermitted on these #remises.

4ou want to suck it from my blood stream* #al- "(m all out of cans.5The sin said 4Ele#hant rides half #rice*5 and Tom mourned because he was all out ofchane. "n his day he could walk out of his house in the mornin with nothin* steal a wifi system and et forty dollars for it in the e$enin.They(d ha$e to take a tour. But no sou$enirs.46i$e me your hat. "(ll stencil a chim# on it and you can tell mom you bouht it at theift sho#.54'ad. " don(t think all this drinkin(s ood for you54!onsense* in this state of mind "(m still attracted to your mother...54James.548iht. "f it wasn(t for my mom bein a drunk she(d ne$er ha$e married my dad.

Alcohol(s the sole reason "(m in life to bein with* and en:oyin it.5James iled as a iant /anda #icked the ticks off her baby behind bamboo #ainted bar(sand Tom wished he(d a camera to et #roof he could ensure his son had a ood time. +etried to trade a Ja#anese tourist for his camera but e$en in the east they didn(t swa# thinsfor em#ty candy wra##ers.41hat do you think that mommy /anda(s thinkin-5 James whis#ered* hel#ed his fatherfind his balance and sa smilin aainst a railin marked do not cross.James rubbed his eyes till he saw only two /andas and shrued* 4Animals ain(t thatsmart* son. They(re not as intellient as you or me 7 what(s Beetho$en doin in there-54'ad that(s not Beetho$en. That(s a baby /anda.54"t is. Look* he(s sinin and e$erythin.54All riht. " think we need to et you out of the sun.5The man on the s#eaker sto##ed talkin about the life e9#ectancy of an a$erae Bearwhen James detected the screamin. For a horrible moment he thouht dad was nakedaain but the children were runnin towards him rather than from.4/lease remain calm.5 Bellowed the bull horn bolted to the iron #ole. 4The staff aretrained for such a #rotocol as this* #lease do not #anic. Make your way calmly to thenearest e9it and do not run. /re#are to ha$e your hand stam#ed if you want to come backin75James uarded his eyes aainst the sun and stood on the bench* wobbled but didn(t fall asdad snored beside him. %omethin was comin."t roared only once before it took the woman down* co$erin the distance between themin one easy s#rin. "t(s rass blade like stri#e ri##led as its flesh tasted blood and howledas it(s mate la##ed the blood like cream on her trainers.4Ladies and entlemen. /lease remain calm* there has been an esca#e but you(ll only hurtyoursel$es by #anickin.54Tiers.5 James muttered like a new alien word he was tryin out for the first time. "tseemed to make no sense to him. +ad no meanin in his natural* normal day unless hewas watchin an animal showThe cats were so bi outside the bars* stretchin their lon s#ines so they cracked* their

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fans clicked.4Come on* dad. 1e otta et out of here.54ou can(t make me o to school. ou(re not the boss of me* little irl.5E$eryone seemed to be chantin run like a losin football teams fans tryin to ins#irethem* break them from their downward swer$e. The Tiers followed the scent of fear as

staff with tran?uili0er darts were stam#eded u#on as they fouht the tide of #eo#le.4'ad* some uys tryin to tow our truck.5 James lied and instantly his father was on hisfeet.4'amn !a0i. 1e didn(t win the battle of /luto so they could take o$er. 1here weoin-54The car.548iht. +a$e you had enouh of the 0oo then-548un* dad.5 James sho$ed him in the center of his back where the ner$es were raw fromhis ?uarterback days. To James it seemed a reat canyon was widenin behind them asthe #eo#le screamed* runnin full tilt toward the entrance where the man behind thebullet #roof lass offered no refunds.

4But you had a ood time* riht-54%ure* dad.54+ey* labia face. 8un faster* you(re in my way&5 A man shouted.4+ey #al. " ot my cholesterol le$el at two twenty two. " ne$er ran this fast in my life.5The lady at the entrance re#eatedly shouted thank you for comin to e$eryone whomanaed to s?uee0e throuh the barricade of bodies. James rummaed in his father(s#ockets retrie$in the keys as he :uled his father from one arm to the other.+ow hard could dri$in be-James screamed as somethin hot and hea$y slammed aainst his back* dentin the cardoor as his knee connected with it at a shar# anle. +e could feel the reek of rotten meaton the back of his neck makin the hairs it found there wilt like waterless cactus s#ines.4'ad* hel# me.5Tom lim#ed round the other side of the car and slid in throuh the o#en window.4'ad* don(t lea$e me.5+e wouldn(t dri$e away. 1ould he-The Tier howled as the door slammed o#en and struck its shoulder. "t reared back as ifste##in on a hot sto$e.46et away from my boy* you alriht* Jones-54James* dad.548iht 7 oh* shit.5 The Tier lea#ed into the car like a shark u#on a whale* its massi$estri#ed hi#s became stuck* rindin metal as it thrashed* kickin its claws at James.8oarin into his face as Tim #eed his #ants.Tom could feel its body heat #enetrate his bein* boil the moisture from his eyes as hereached into the lo$e bo9 with shakin hands. +e o#ened the bottle inside and threw itinto the creatures face. "t had remo$ed enouh of his enamel o$er the years so ho#ed itwould irritate it(s eyes at least.James blinked when the thin screamed* fell back and then he saw the two tran?uili0erdarts stickin out it(s rum# like red 8hino horns.4"t(s all riht* folks. 1e ot the other one too. ou entlemen all riht-54" think how well we are de#ends on our com#ensation claim.5

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4'ad* you came back for me.54,f course* you(re my son* James.54That(s it. " uess mom ot what she wanted* we s#ent a little time toether.54eah. But we(re ne$er doin it aain* riht-54,h 6od yes* you(re a mess.5

4Tom smiled and started the car* wa$in the staff away with threats of increasin hisdemands of com#ensation when they told him he was too drunk to dri$e.4That(s riht. Come on* we(ll sto# off for a burer on the way. "f " buy you two youwon(t mention this to mom* riht-5James fastened his belt. +is heart only :ust startin to slow. 4Any of what-5Tim started the enine and #ulled away into the ?uickenin traffic. 4That(s my boy.5

An Anel 6ets +er /owersA Cassandra Serafin story (#1)

By Erin 'an0er

Fourth of July. "nde#endence 'ay. Also my birthday. And this wasn(t :ust any

birthdayK this was my %weet %i9teen." awoke to the sun blastin throuh my lace curtains* blindin as it surroundedme. " scrambled to sit u# and et out of bed* intent on throwin a blanket o$er thewindow. After oin to bed at >AM* it was way too early to be u#. " reached u# to throwthe blankets off my head and reali0ed the liht mo$ed with me. Cautiously* my heart#oundin in my throat* " lifted my hand aain. Blindin* olden sunliht radiated frommy skin. The liht wasn(t from the sunSit was from me&

4M,M&5 " screamed* in full #anic mode now. " :um#ed out of bed and flew acrossthe room* ettin to the door as it o#ened. My mom stuck her head into my room* a rinalmost as blindin as my skin s#littin her face.

48afe* come here& "t(s ha##enin&5 she yelled to my dad.41hat(s ha##enin-5 " shrieked as dad(s footste#s thundered u# towards my

room. +e a##eared ne9t to my mom a moment later* an identical rin on his face.4,h what a :oyous day&5 he e9claimed* his hands hih abo$e his head. For :ust a

moment* " thouht " heard a multitude of $oices chorus* 4+allelu:ah5.41hat(s ha##enin to me-5 " demanded. My eiht7year7old brother* Callan*

s?uirmed his way around our #arents( les and into my room. +is olden hair stuck u# ine$ery direction and his #a:amas were wrinkled from slee#.

4,h cool& Cassie lows&5 he cheered* lookin u# at me with somethin akin tohero worshi# in his liht rey eyes. My aner raised a cou#le notches and the lowemittin from my body brihtened e$en more. Fresh #anic swelled u# within me as myarms bean shakin with the intensity.

41hat(s oin on-5 my thirteen7year7old sister* Amelia* asked from behind our#arents as she rubbed a hand throuh her short blonde hair. 4,h my od* turn the lihtdown&5 she e9claimed.

4Amelia* it(s not riht to take the Lord(s name in $ain*5 Mom scolded her andturned back to me. 4Cassandra* there(s nothin to be afraid ofK this is com#letely normal.ou need to calm down* honey* so your dad and " can e9#lain what(s ha##enin.5

Com#letely normal- Calm down-& +ow did she e9#ect me to calm down-& " waslowin like some science #ro:ect one horribly wron& The shakin and intensity of the

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low rew harder to control. My entire body shook with fear and confusion. My dadsuddenly shouldered #assed my mom to stand in front of me. +is liht blue eyes reflectedmy olden low. +e looked riht into my eyes and rabbed both of my shoulders. Almostimmediately* the low left my body* tra$elin u# his arms and into his body. +is eyes litu# like the fireworks we would see at the beach that niht and then it was one. Like he(d

fli##ed a switch* the liht disa##eared. My scrambled brain barely had time to reisterwhat ha##ened before " fainted.

UHUHU

!ow* "($e seen some fantastic thins in my life* but ne$er ha$e " seen my dadabsorb a low like that and not self7destruct. " came to slowly* my sluish brain stuck onthe imae of fireworks in my dad(s eyes. " blinked and moaned* rubbin my head tryinto et rid of the memory. My olden blonde hair twisted around my finers.

4Careful nowK you($e had ?uite a shock*5 a new $oice said to my riht. Belatedly*" reali0ed " was back on my bed. The $oice had come from near the floor and ke#t talkin

when " didn(t res#ond.4" always told them it was unwise for them to wait to tell you kids. But no* theyinsisted you had to come into your #owers before you(d understand. /ish #osh* " said.They waited and look what ha##ened& "f 8afael hadnOt e9tinuished your anel low* itwould ha$e e9tinuished you.5

Curiosity ot the best of me and " rolled o$er to the side of the bed to see who wastalkin. The family do* an Enlish s#riner s#aniel named %#arky* cocked his head as helooked u# at me.

4,h ood* you(re awake. "(ll alert your #arents that you didn(t #erish.5 +is mouthmo$ed with the words. Fresh #anic built u# within me and the low came back to myskin* thouh not as briht as before. %#arky sihed.

46irl* you need to at least try to stay calm*5 he told me. " stared at him with wideeyes.

4ou7you s#eak- " mean* you can talk to me-5 " stumbled o$er my words. 4ouknow Enlish-5

4Actually* " know >W lanuaes* but since you only s#eak Enlish* then that isthe one " am limited to. !ow* if you(ll e9cuse me* "(m oin to tell your #arents you(reawake.5

+e trotted out of the room still mutterin about how " should ha$e been toldsooner. My low faded as my mind whirled with ?uestions about e$erythin that hadha##ened. %#arky s#oke Enlish like a human. My skin lowed brihter than the sun inmoments of #anic. My dad could absorb that low without conse?uence. And a##arentlymy #arents thouht all of this was normal. !o matter how " looked at it* none of it woulde$er fit my definition of Inormal(.

My mom entered my room before " could freak out aain. %he carried a lare*white leather bound tome with her. %crawled across the front in old letter were thewords* 4%erafin Family Journal.5 My mom beamed as she sat down ne9t to me* reachinu# to brush a #iece of hair from my eyes. %he handed the book to me after " sat u#.

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4Today marks the beinnin of another cha#ter in our family :ournal*5 shedeclared. 4" want you to write all of your thouhts and feelins in here* chroniclin your:ourney on this fantastic ad$enture.5

" stared at her blankly as %#arky entered the room and trotted o$er to the bed. +e:um#ed u# and sat by my feet. " wanted to reach out and #et him like "(d done e$ery other

time "(d been scared in my life* but " didn(t know what the rules were for that now that hecould talk. %o instead* " clas#ed my hands toether on to# of the family :ournal. A slihtelectric hum tra$eled u# my arms* almost like the book was ali$e. My eyes widened e$enmore as " looked u# at my mom and #ushed the book back to her.

4ou(ll et used to it* Cassandra. 1hat you feel is the residual enery of all the%erafin anels who ha$e come before you*5 she e9#lained.

4Anels-5 " asked cautiously. My mom beamed at meSnot literally.4es* honey* anels. ou(re an anel. our dad and " are* too. 1e(re all

descended from the reatest anel on hih* Michael. This book will enlihten you to ourfamily history as well as hel# you na$iate these new waters. " do want to a#oloi0e fornot tellin you sooner about your heritae. Xadkiel a$e me ?uite a tonue lashin when

he came to tell me you(d awakened.54As well as you deser$ed*5 %#arky rumbled hauhtily. " looked at him* theforein name my mom :ust s#oke rinin in my ears.

4our name is Xadkiel-5" asked him. +e straihtened his back and held his headhih* lookin as real as a s#riner s#aniel could.

4es* " am*5 he confirmed.4But Xadkiel was a messener anel and one of Michael(s riht7hand men. They

fouht many #erilous battles aainst the Fallen toether. 1hy are you a do now-5 Theidea baffled me.

+is head dro##ed a little and shoulders slum#ed. 4es* well* " don(t like to talkabout what ha##ened. Just know that " am your anelic mentor as well as your uardian.5+e cleared his throat and his head :erked like he(d been swatted. 4E9cuse meK "(m yourcor#oreal uardian.5

41hat-5 " looked from him to my mom. 41hat are you talkin about-5 Then ithit me. 41ait a minute* are you talkin about my uardian anel- 'o " ha$e a realuardian anel-

4es* you do*5 my mom told me. " rinned at her and my skin bean to lowaain* a ha##y* tame sunliht old.

4And you will meet her soon enouh*5 my mom added. My low dimmed. 4Butfirst* " need to e9#lain a few rules and then Xadkiel will take you to the Anel Academy*where you will learn to harness your new #owers.5

4There(s an anel school- That(s so cool& Are there boys there* too* or are onlyirls allowed to be anels-5

My mom frowned at me. 4Boys are the least of your concern considerin youlow brihter than the sun when feelin any stron emotion. ou need to take thisseriously* Cassandra.5

" bit back my smile. "(d been com#letely serious about the boys. Then " reali0edthere must be if my dad and Xadkiel were also anels. " swallowed a s?ueal andcom#osed my face into what " ho#ed was an interested* contrite e9#ression.

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4But to answer your ?uestion* yes* there will be boys. +ow else would babyanels be born-5 My mom rolled her eyes and " co$ered my mouth to muffle a snicker.4Anyway* the rules. As you miht ha$e uessed* your anel low inites whene$er youfeel stron emotionsSof any kind. %o if you(re embarrassed* e9cited or #anicked* it willbein and it rows in intensity the stroner the emotion becomes. At the Academy* you

will learn how to control it. 1hile you are at home* Xadkiel will hel# you.4Also* and this is $ery im#ortant* as we are %erafins and descendent of the most#owerful anels* we are also the most souht after. As you become accustomed to your#owers* you will find one that is stroner than all others. E$ery %erafin has this and e$ery#ower is different. ou must ne$er use this #ower in the #resence of demons or otheranels. " cannot stress this enouh. ou must kee# that #ower secret. "t will identify youand could be your downfall.5

4But why- 'id you say demons-54es. ,ne in #articular is Abaddon* the 'ark Anel of 'eath and 'estruction* the

first lieutenant to Lucifer himself. +e has made it his #ersonal mission to destroy all%erafin anels. This is why it(s so im#ortant for you to hide who you really are when you

are at the Academy* when you face demons and when you are amon humans.5" swallowed hard and nodded. %o not only were there anels and " was one*there were demons and one #articular demon had made it his oal to kill me entire familyline. " couldn(t hel# wonderin how many before me he had taken out and shuddered atthe thouht.

4%ome common anelic #owers include automatically knowin differentlanuaes. This is not somethin that has to be tauhtK you will now be able to talk toanyone of any nationality. ou will be able to use your anel low aainst demons bydirectin it out your hands or e$en your eyes. And you are also immune to all diseases.5

4That(s so cool*5 " breathed. 4"s the lanuae thin why " can hear %#arkySer* "mean Xadkiel now-5

4es. +e has always s#oken EnlishK you(re :ust able to understand andcommunicate with him now. That will come in handy if demons e$er attack.5

" lanced at %#arky it was so hard to think of him as an anel and smiled. +ewhined and rolled his eyes. My mom cleared her throat* brinin my attention back toher.

4Xadkiel will brin you to the Academy today to reister you for classes. ,nceyou are reistered* you are re?uired to attend e$ery day for u# to four hours. Xadkiel willhel# you tele#ort there until you et the han of itK it can be ?uite tricky at first. As " said*these classes will hel# you learn about what it means to be an anel and to control yournew #owers. There will be hands7on trainin as well as classroom time. " e9#ect you todo as well at the Academy as you do in reular hih school.5

%ome of my enthusiasm dimmed* but " nodded. 4es* Mom*5 " mumbled. "(dthouht summer was su##osed to be time away from school workK it was why " ne$ertook summer school classes. " sihed and looked u# at her aain.

4"f you do see a demon or are attacked* yell out for one of us. Xadkiel* your dadand " will be there instantly to hel# you. " don(t want you fihtin them on your own untilyou ha$e your wins.5

My interest #erked u#. 4My wins-54es. ,nce you finish trainin at the Academy* you will recei$e your wins.5

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4'o you ha$e wins- 'oes Xadkiel-54es* we all ha$e wins. ou :ust can(t see them because we kee# them in$isible

while we are on Earth.54,h.5 " frowned and looked down at the book back in my la#. " o#ened the front

fla# and bean fli##in throuh it. As " thumbed throuh it* the $oices "(d heard earlier

intensified until it was like they were all whis#erin in my ears. %tartled* " slammed thebook shut. My heart raced. 1as " really e$er oin to et used to this- My mom reachedout and touched my shoulder as my low came back.

4ou will et throuh this. ou will learn how to control it and become a su#erbanel on hih. " ha$e no doubts about you*5 she declared. My low disa##eared and myheart calmed down. " really ho#ed she was riht. %he looked at %#arky.

4Xadkiel* " think it(s time you brouht Cassandra to the Academy. ,nce she seeswhere she will be learnin about herself* ho#efully that will hel# kee# her calm*5 mymom told him. %#arky nodded.

4"t will be my #leasure*5 he areed. 4" ha$e waited si9teen years for this day.5" looked at him. 41aitK are you sayin you ha$en(t been back to the Academy

since becomin my uardian-54That is correct. " told you " don(t want to talk about it.5 +e stood u# ne9t to me.4!ow* if you will #lease hold onto my collar. ou will e9#erience motion too fast tocom#rehend. "t miht be better if you close your eyes the first cou#le times.5

!er$ously* " reached out and rabbed his collar. Then " took a dee# breath andclosed my eyes as " let it out. %uddenly* my body felt like it was bein #ulled throuh atiny straw* bein stretched and twisted* my molecules s#lit a#art. " as#ed and s?uee0edmy eyes closed* #ositi$e " didn(t want to see what was ha##enin. Then* as ?uickly as itbean* it sto##ed. My body settled into its usual sha#e and " could breathe aain.+esitantly* " o#ened my eyesSand was blinded by whiteness. " blinked as " tried tocom#rehend where " was.

4"s this +ea$en-5 " whis#ered to %#arky* my eyes lued to all the whitenessaround me. As the white low dimmed and my eyes rew used to it* " reali0ed thewhiteness was actually walls with windows and o#en doorways. ,ther #eo#leSanelsSwalked by us* most of them dressed in white or liht blue robes. %ome wore rayishrobes* the color of dirty snow. All of them carried olden or white books in their hands.

" blinked and looked at %#arkySand blinked aain when " found a man standinne9t to me instead of my family(s do. +e stood about fi$e inches taller than me and hadlines at the corners of his eyes. +is olden hair had ray at the tem#les and rey stubbleco$ered his chin. 1hite wins fluttered behind his liht blue robe* a old sash around hiswaist. This was Xadkiel* not the family do. +is blue eyes twinkled as he raised a sinleeyebrow at me.

4!o* this is Mana %inum* the #lace in between +ea$en and Earth. "t is where allAnel Academies are held*5 he informed me.

4There(s more than one-54es* but we do not ha$e time for that. " ha$e e9actly one hour to show you

around* et you reistered for classes* and et your robes and books before we ha$e to behome to o to the #arade. Thank oodness they mo$ed the start time to noon this year.5

+e started to walk away but " could only stare after him. "t was so weird to thinkthat the man before me was a cute* lo$able Enlish s#riner s#aniel at home. 1hat had he

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done to become a do- +ow horribly had he wroned 6od and Michael- And if he(dwroned them so terribly* would they really allow him to be my uardian- ,r wasuardin my family #unishment for whate$er he(d done-

+e sna##ed his finers and " blinked. My cheeks flushed when " found himstandin almost fifteen feet away from me* one hand on his hi#* ta##in his foot while he

waited for me. " hurried forward and tried not to awk at e$erythin as he bean showinme around.4First we must brin you to the 8eistrar* where you will be e9amined and i$en

a class schedule*5 he announced. +e led me throuh the leamin halls to a oldenarchway behind which a beautiful* blonde woman sat in a ilded throne holdin a larewhite tome. %he smiled when " followed Xadkiel throuh the archway. "nstantly* allsound from the hallway ceased to e9ist. " looked back at the hall and saw the other anelsstill milled around* hurryin off to where$er they were oin* but " couldn(t hearanythin.

4es. uite maical* " know*5 the female anel said blandly. %he turned abrilliant smile towards Xadkiel. 4%o ood to see you* XadkielK it has been too lon.5

Xadkiel shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other* his hands in the #ocketsof his robe. 4es* CelesteK it(s always nice to see you aain*5 he re#lied uneasily. +ecleared his throat. 4"(m here today with Cassandra %erafin. %he needs to be e$aluated andi$en a schedule.5

The blonde(s eyes fell on me as an e$en wider smile s#lit her face. " wondered ifshe would cla# her hands and cheer* too. "nstead* Celeste o#ened her book and fli##edthrouh the #aes until she found what she was lookin for. From out of thin air* she#roduced a old fountain #en and bean writin in her book.

4And when did her #owers emere-5 Celeste asked us.4At the moment of her birth on her si9teenth year* at G)AM*5 Xadkiel

res#onded* soundin all official now. +e stood with his back straiht* his feet shoulders7width a#art and his hands clas#ed behind his back.

4+ow did her #owers manifest-54;ncontrollable anel low.5 My cheeks flushed at his answer. "t wasn(t my fault

" didn(t know how to control itK that(s why " was here* to learn.4Any other #owers-54!o.54" ha$e here her #arents are the Archanel 8a#hael and his mate* 'anielle.54es* that is correct.54+a$e either of the other siblins shown sins of anelic callin yet-54!o.5Celeste sihed. 4ery well. ;sually it(s :ust the first anelic child anyway* but

only time will tell.5 %he lifted her head and looked riht at me. 4ou(re in ood health*stron and able. ou ha$e Xadkiel as a mentor and uardian as well asQ well* well* wellKdidn(t see that one comin.5

" frowned at her* ner$ous butterflies makin minced meat of my stomach. 4%eewhat comin-5

Celeste smiled beautifully. 41hy your other uardian anel* dear*5 she said.4Cassie-5 a once familiar $oice suddenly s#oke u#. Cauht between terror and

unbelie$able e9citement* " slowly turned around. Tears flooded my eyes as they fell on

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my best friend* Meredith 2a$anauh* who died more than a year ao in a car accidentwith her older sister. Both had been killed instantly. And now here she stood* before meas ood as new.

4Merry&5 " shrieked and launched myself into her arms. Tears cascaded down mycheeks as " hued her tiht aainst me. %he was really here.

,nce the waterworks subsided* " ste##ed back and really looked at her. %helooked the same as before* e9ce#t now her red hair leamed like a ruby in the sun* heremerald eyes s#arkled* she wore a liht blue robe similar to Xadkiel(s and lare* whitewins fluttered at her back. " blinked at the wins and reached out to touch them*wonderin if they were as soft as they looked. Just before my finers touched them*Merry mo$ed them out of reach.

4%orry* Cass* but no touchin the winsK "(m su##osed to stay as intanible as#ossible*5 she e9#lained with an a#oloetic smile. Before " could think about it* Xadkielcleared his throat. 1e both turned our attention to him.

4!ow that the ha##y reunion is o$er* we need to et back to the task at hand*5 hetold us sternly. 41e(re on a $ery limited time table here* ladies.5

4,h that(s rihtK the #arade. "(m sorryK " shouldn(t ha$e interru#ted*5 Merrya#oloi0ed and mo$ed to the side of the room. 4"(ll wait here.5 %he bowed her head* herhands clas#ed in front of her. " o#ened my mouth to ob:ect* but Celeste cut me off.

4ery well. +er e$aluation is done. All the standard classes*5 Celeste announcedand held out a white s?uare of #a#er. " took it and scanned the four classes and roomnumbers. Control in A7>* +istory in A7>D* Anel 6low >> in A7>G* and "ntro to AnelicAbilities in A7==K seemed sim#le enouh. " lifted my head to say somethin to Merrywhen a liht tinklin of bells suddenly sounded to my left. My a0e shifted to Xadkiel*who tilted his head as thouh listenin to somethin. +is brow furrowed and he nodded.

4ery well*5 he sihed and looked at the rest of us. 4" a#oloi0e for the intrusion*but Archanel Michael has asked to see me.5 +e turned to Merry. 4Meredith* " want youto i$e Cassandra the tour* show her to her classes* and i$e her the eneral warnins.ou ha$e about thirty7fi$e minutes before her #arents lea$e for the #arade.5

Merry beamed at him as she nodded. 4es* sir* "(d be ha##y to hel# out*5 sheareed. " rinned at her* ecstatic to et time alone to catch u#. " had so many ?uestions.Xadkiel cast a wary eye at both of us* seemed to say a small #rayer and then disa##earedbefore our eyes. My mouth fell o#en. "s that what had ha##ened when he brouht mehere-

4'on(t worryK you et used to it the more you see it*5 Merry s#oke u#. " closedmy mouth and smiled at her.

4"t(s :ust so cool*5 " declared. 4A little s#ooky* but definitely cool.54ou(ll learn how to do it* too* in the "ntro class.5 %he rolled her eyes. 4"t took me

fore$er to master tele#ortation.54ou already know how to do that-54,f course " do. "($e been here since " died. "(m in my second le$el of uardian

anel trainin.5 %he wound her arm around mine and headed for the olden archway.4!ow come alon. " ha$e to show you how to et around here and the clock is tickin.5

1e walked throuh the olden archway and across the hall throuh a normallookin doorway. The moment we ste##ed throuh the archway* the normal hallwaysounds blasted my ears and " was rateful to walk into the second room. The noise wasn(t

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one* but it wasn(t as loud either. A small woman with curly white hair looked u# from abook in her hands when Merry and " entered the room. %?uare s#ectacles co$ered her$iolet eyes and liht blue wins fluttered from the back of her liht blue robe.

4Ah* CassandraK "($e been wonderin when you would come see me*5 the womansaid to me. " sto##ed and ri##ed Merry(s arm a little tihter* i$in the woman a

sus#icious frown.4+ow do you know who " am-5 " asked her. The woman a$e me her kindestsmile* immediately #uttin me at ease.

4" know e$eryone here* dear. My name is Aatha and "(m the Anelic%eamstress.5

4"t(s nice to meet you*5 " told her.4Aie is awesomeK you(ll come to lo$e her as much as " do*5 Merry declared*

throwin an arm around the seamstress(s shoulders. Aatha serenely smiled u# at her.4As lon as you remember ne$er to call me Aie aain*5 Aatha added. "

lauhed as Merry blushed and mumbled an a#oloy* remo$in her arm from the olderanel(s shoulders.

4Anyway* let(s et you measured and into a robe. "(ll ha$e an e9tra one sent homewith Xadkiel later today*5 Aatha continued and #ulled out a white measurin ta#e.Ten minutes later* " was outfitted in my $ery own #ristine white robe. The bell

slee$es hun down #assed my hands and the bottom hem :ust kissed the white marblefloor. A old ro#e was tied around my waist* the only indication that " was somewhatele$ated in status due to my family. Aatha e9#lained that all the Archanel familieswore a old sash of some kind* e$en when an anel was :ust learnin. 'es#ite that factthat all im#ortant families wore this identifyin #iece of cloth* it made me ner$ous aftermy mom(s adamant warnins about hidin who " was. " sihed and decided " wouldworry about it when and if the time came.

4!ow the real fun beins. 1e ha$e twenty minutes to show you around*5 Merrystated when we left Aatha. %he sto##ed in the middle of the hallway and #ointed ineither direction.

4This hallway houses classrooms A7>> to A7=. To the end at the left is thehallway for classrooms A7> to A7> and to the riht at the end is the hallway forclassrooms A7=> to A7D. The school is set u# like an +*5 she e9#lained. " looked downtowards one of the halls and then the other.

4+ow will " know where " am when " first et here-5 " asked her.4;sually* you tele#ort :ust outside A7> as there(s a tele#ad there. But if you(re

e$er lost* :ust look at the to# of the doorways for the classroom number*5 she re#lied. "looked at the nearest classroom and sihed when " saw a olden room number at the to#.A7>=. Thank oodness.

4But you do ha$e to be careful. !ew tele#orters ha$e been known to end u# downin the ' winSthe 'ark win.5 Merry shuddered. 4That(s why you(re su##osed to tra$elwith someone until you(re comfortable doin it alone. %ince classes are almost e$ery day*it will #robably only take you a week to et the han of it.5

4,kay* but what(s so bad about the ' win-5%he shuddered aain and her reen eyes flicked around at the anels #assin all

around u

literary lunes magazine, july-august 2012 issue

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