Angelfire
Page 21

Kate shrugged. "Okay, wel , let me know how it goes."
"I can't believe this!" Landon said, the volume of his voice causing heads to turn and stare. He stomped off toward the parking lot.
I ran a hand through my hair. "Seriously! What is wrong with him?"
Kate laughed. "El ie, are you real y that blind? He likes you."
I gaped at her. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah," Chris said, the look on his face tel ing me that he found this far too amusing. "We thought you knew."
Just what I needed. I had thought his newfound extreme interest in my wel -being was something more benign--I must have been mistaken. I remembered my birthday roses and the kiss on the cheek. Was I really that stupid? Landon was cute and a nice guy and al , but this was Landon. Just . . . no way. I put a hand to my forehead. "I have to go. Now."
"See you later, El ," Rachel said.
"Be safe," Kate said. "Just cal me if you want me to bail you out."
I nodded. "See you bright and early? Somerset at eleven?
Maybe lunch while we're there?"
"Sounds great!" She smiled, and then her expression wiped clean.
"El ie," said Wil 's voice behind me.
I turned around and was shocked to see him. "Wil ! What are you doing here?"
His eyes flickered to the necklace around my neck and a warm smile shaped his lips. "We were going to meet, remember?"
"Right," I said, glancing back at my friends. I waved goodbye and headed to where I had parked. "I didn't know you were going to surprise me right outside the theater."
"Wel , you said we could meet right after, so here I am."
"Where's your car?" I asked, as we climbed in and buckled up.
"I didn't drive."
Taxi, I guessed. "Where are we going?"
"I've found a good location in Pontiac," he said.
"Pontiac? Al the way there? Why?" That wasn't exactly the safest area around here to hang out in at night. I panicked a little inside.
"Would you like me to drive?"
"No, it's my car," I said possessively.
"Then don't complain about where we're going."
It took longer than usual to travel the thirty-five miles to Pontiac because of heavy traffic. Wil didn't say much during the drive, and the awkward silence was beginning to take its tol on my psyche.
"So where are you living?" I asked him, trying to make conversation during the back-up.
"You're tense," Wil observed, staring out the wind-shield.
"I have a ninja sitting shotgun. Of course, I'm tense."
The smal est smile in the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry about it."
I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. "Don't you have an apartment or something? How do you pay for it? Do you have a job?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Why al the secrets?"
"You haven't asked the right questions." He glanced at me and smiled.
I huffed, annoyed. "You have a place to live, right?"
"Yes, but I'm only there for essentials."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I need to sleep, shower, and eat, of course. I'm not a robot."
I sat there seething for a moment. He obviously wasn't going to give me a straight answer, so I changed my question. "Why are you my Guardian?"
"I am very proficient at fighting. We made a good team."
I glanced at him. "Are we stil ?"
"I hope so. You ask a lot of questions. I am not what's important right now. We need to focus on your waking up and becoming strong again."
"Wel , it would be nice if I could remember it al , since I'm supposed to know this already." It al sounded so covert. I was having a difficult time believing that I could be part of something so much bigger than myself. I stared out the windshield at the cars zooming by on the opposite side of the highway.
"Do you mind?" Wil asked.
"What?" I blinked at him. He had his hand on the stereo knob.
"It's a bit of a drive," he said. "I don't like sitting in silence."
"Yeah, I guess."
He turned the radio on and flipped over to the classic rock station. Satisfied, he leaned back against the seat.
"Pink Floyd?" I probed, unable to keep the smile from creeping to the corners of my lips.
"I've had a lot of time to myself, waiting for your rebirth,"
he confessed. "You were gone for so long. I had to think of something to do, and I found rock music." He grinned. "I've gotten pretty good at the guitar. I'l play some Rol ing Stones tabs for you someday, if you're lucky."
I laughed. "If I'm lucky, huh?"
His grin widened bril iantly. "Oh, yeah. Only if you're lucky."
When we final y got to Pontiac, Wil gave me specific directions and we drove into an area that looked pretty rough. We turned onto a very dark street with no streetlights, and the only buildings I could see were a boarded-up gas station and a warehouse that looked as if it hadn't been in business in twenty years.
"Are we seriously parking my car out here?" I asked nervously, my eyes flitting everywhere.
"No one's around," he said. "Pul up into the al ey. It's secluded. If anyone comes by, I'l hear them. No worries. I found this building last week, so it should be a great place to train."