Choir of Angels Seal of Knowledge

By Jason Brosious

Gabe would love to have the life of the average teenager but the chances of that happening ended when his parents died in a suspicious car accident and he was sent to be raised in an orphanage run by Nuns. When shadowy forces from his past conspire to kidnap his girlfriend Angel and carry her away to a world neither of them can remember, Gabe must act fast to save her along with all life on Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Brosious
• Release date: Jul 20, 2010

Jason Brosious

Jason Brosious is an RN with a BSN from The Ohio State University. He grew up in Central Ohio and currently lives in Reynoldsburg with his wife and children. When he is not writing, he dabbles in the visual arts.

Book preview

Choir of Angels

Seal of

Knowledge

A Novel by

Jason Brosious

Published by Evil Cat Press at Smashwords

P.O. Box 238

Blacklick, Ohio 43004

www.evilcatpress.com

First Edition, July, 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Jason Brosious

Cover design © 2010 by Evil Cat Press

All rights reserved

ISBN 978-0-9828389-2-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010931992

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Without limiting the rights under copyright listed above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or entered into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Chapter 1

Guys, stop it! What kind of sick joke is this? Brock couldn’t make out the world around him. The last thing he could remember was his two best friends trying to convince him to go to a party while he was chugging some beer. Now each one had an arm dragging him blindfolded into God knows what. He must have passed out; this had to be some kind of a prank. He tried to break loose from their grip but it was no use. This is crap guys wherever you’re taking me had better have women. Pat! Vance, come on. He waited for their response but he couldn’t hear anything except the occasional drip of water and the crunch of what sounded like change under his feet.

Ok, if you’re not going to say anything I’m gettin’ out of here. Brock flailed about once more, this time his arm hit something that felt like leather, and he managed to dislodge the blindfold enough to see out of one eye. He was standing in a room filled with gold coins that were scattered all over the floor. He relaxed for a second; after all it was his friends that brought him here. He looked in front of him at the tall figure of a man wearing a black leather trench coat and a much shorter woman dressed in a robe, with the hood pulled down so he couldn’t see her face. He did a double take at the tall figure when he realized he was sporting a pair of feathered raven black wings. When he turned to Vance he realized that he also had wings, but his were more bat-like. Pat had a matching pair as well. When they looked at him, he could see fire burning in their eyes.

Help! He yelled out to the two figures in front of him, not knowing what else to do. The man in all black merely chuckled darkly at him, and the woman pulled her hood back, allowing bright light to pour forth from her eyes and mouth. The light shot toward Brock like lightning, sending a powerful jolt through his body. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Hey! What do you think you’re doing?

Gabe looked over his shoulder at the balding middle-aged store clerk as he bore down upon him. Damn! He turned in a panic and dropped two cans of beer to the floor. The metal hit the floor with a sharp rap. The golden contents showered outward and covered him. The chase was on. Gabe did his best to sprint through the aisles of junk food just steps ahead of his pursuer. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the store clerk slip in a puddle of beer and hit the floor with a bone crunching thud before sliding into the glass display case. When Gabe reached the doorway he flung the door open and sprinted into the velvet night, his lanky frame projecting sickly shadows on the nearby brick buildings.

From the safety of a nearby rooftop a pair of fiery eyes watched his every footstep, making sure not to lose sight of their prey while carefully remaining out of sight.

Gabe cast one more look over his shoulder to see if he was still being pursued. Good. No one behind him, and the gas station looked like little more than a toy in the distance. Gabe heard sirens crying from far away as he slipped into a nearby alley. Still he felt like he was being watched, and couldn’t shake the feeling. As Gabe peeked around the corner he searched for the source of his paranoia. Suddenly a slender hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed him by the back of his tan jean jacket. It pulled him into the darkness and threw him against the wall, then he was pinned against the cold bricks and before he could speak, he felt a warm pair of lips pressed against his. He recognized the feel of Angel’s slim frame against him. He held her tightly, returning the kiss with his heart beating uncontrollably, unsure if it was from her kiss or his brush with shoplifting.

Is that a beer in your pocket or are you happy to see me? Angel bit her lower lip.

Gabe stared at the ground and grinned, Just happy to see you... but I understand why you’re confused.

Angel smacked him in the chest and laughed, Don’t flatter yourself, I can tell the difference. She put her arms around him, laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Angel revelled in Gabe’s arms; there was something about his personality that she loved. He had an innocence that didn’t exist in the rest of her world and she felt like she needed to live that part of her life vicariously through him. Though she did derive a sick thrill from testing the bounds of Gabe’s good side, time after time she would lead him into trouble and the plan would fall apart. See I told you that you didn’t have it in you.

Gabe looked back up the alley, Yeah well if I only had another minute...

She interrupted, Well maybe next time, unless you want to find someplace else?

Gabe kissed her forehead. Look, once was plenty for me tonight, plus Sis gets suspicious if I’m draggin’ ass in the morning. I expect her to start bed checks any day now.

Angel grabbed him by the hand and led him down the alley. Fine. Wuss! But I’ll see you tomorrow night... right?

Gabe pulled her back to him and kissed her deeply Sure, see you at nine-thirty.

Angel took his hand and dragged Gabe through the maze of city streets and back alleys, making sure few if any people saw them, until they reached the outside of an old brick building.

This building had seen better days, once held by an aristocrat of the business world now left in the hands of simple Nuns. ...To better care for the unfortunate children of the world... according to the aristocrats will. Everyone knew he was just trying to buy his way into heaven. Gabe and Angel surveyed every window, looking for light, movement, or any other signs of life before they cut down the alley beside it. Neither of them could hide their disappointment, every one of their nightly adventures ended the same way. Much like Superman as he slipped out of his tights and turned back into Clark Kent, they had to return to their alter egos. They kissed a few more times before Gabe crouched down and forced the basement window open.

He looked back up at Angel as he slipped through the window, Love you. Gabe let the window close behind him silently. If anyone was alerted to his absence they both knew he wouldn’t be able to make their next appointment or any in the near future.

Angel kissed the dirty glass and disappeared into the night, unaware of the two fiery eyes staring fixedly at her from the rooftop of the adjacent building.

Gabe sat in the darkness; he could feel Angel getting further from him. In the years that he had spent in this prison he called home, he hadn’t had many chances to meet outsiders, just the occasional playground friends. The Sisters never let the children go to birthday parties, or sleep overs. But Angel, she was different, exciting. She appeared one evening passing down that same alley while Gabe was peering out his window. They carried on a long conversation from his bedroom window, first one night, and then the next until she convinced him to sneak out. She was like a siren luring him into the night. Regardless of the danger or repercussions he let himself be swept up by her infectious energy. Over the last six months she seemed to want Gabe as much as he ached for her.

Gabe huddled in the darkness and did his best to resist the urge to follow her into the night never to return to his boring life, where nothing ever happened. Gabe snapped out of it, More important things right now Gabe. He whispered to himself. He needed to steady himself for the mission ahead; he needed to climb three floors like a ninja, past the sentry-like Sisters, down a particularly creaky hall, and into his room. If he made it to his room and closed his door silently he was home free. Once there he would find Zach, his roommate and a true friend. Zach was the kind of guy who would never betray Gabe’s trust. The Nuns could torture him and he wouldn’t crack. All he wanted was one thing in return. Zach needed to live vicariously through Gabe.

Where did you go? What did you do? What is she like? Zach had a million questions and every morning while they got ready for school he would give Gabe the third degree. Though Gabe didn’t mind, it allowed him to relive each night’s events tiding him over until his next adventure.

The first hurdle, the stairs to the first floor. Every one of the stairs creaked if you stepped on the wrong spot. Gabe kicked off his shoes and set to work, he knew how to ascend most of the stairs without any unexpected noise. If he was caught here, there would be no night adventures ever again, the Nuns would bar the windows and he would be trapped until he turned eighteen. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he slowly opened the door and peeked into the first floor hallway. Coast is clear. The big hurdle many boys had when they tried to sneak out was the main staircase. It was a relic from a bygone era, made of ornate wood and covered by an intricately designed runner that had grown shabby, worn threadbare by the feet of hundreds of little boys. Some of the Nuns liked it because it served as an alarm system, a boy that was creeping in the dark wouldn’t see the occasional rips. Any child that dared to use the main stairs in the middle of the night would trip. As he tumbled the entire house would wake, all of them drawn to the staircase. The trick was to take the servant’s stairs in the kitchen; it went to every level and was sturdy which meant few creaks. Gabe tiptoed up these stairs until he was almost to the second floor, then he laid his body along the stairs and peered over the top step. If there was a missing kid the Nuns would patrol the halls until they were found, most often as they snuck back in, or when the police returned them. No, patrols. Gabe said under his breath, no patrols meant no one noticed he was missing. He stood upright as he clutched his shoes in his hands and did his best to silently stride the hardwood floors, as each pop and groan of the wood rang in his ears. He reached his door, opened and closed it with only a slight creak, and his heart leapt to his throat. He stayed perfectly still and listened for any sound, any movement at all.

Gabe, you just getting in? came a voice from the corner.

Shhh, Gabe looked over at the tuft of red hair that poked out from underneath the covers that made him look more like a wild beast than the twelve-year-old boy that he was, We’ll talk in the morning, Gabe said in a whisper. Just go back to sleep. Then he turned back to the door just to make sure that no one was coming. Satisfied, he stripped down to his shorts and silently climbed into bed. He looked out the window and saw the moon break through the cloud cover and closed his eyes thinking once more about Angel.

Chapter 2

Angel wound her way through the dark streets savoring the familiar sounds and smells. This was not the first night that she had wandered in the dark alone. Gabe was right though, it was late. She wished Gabe would just run away with her, but she knew he never would. He was one of those goodie two shoe types, probably just the Nuns’ bad influence. She liked hanging out with him though; the fact that she had him wrapped around her little finger was just a bonus. It was his innocence she truly admired in him, not like those preppy assholes who hit on her all the time at school. He was kind, and shy, and kept to himself. He tried to impress her with a half hearted bravado that neither one of them believed in. It was almost like he lived the idyllic home life, compared to her, although his parents died when he was four, and the Nuns had raised him ever since; still he had people who cared about where he was and what he did.

Since her father died in an industrial accident it was just her Mom, and she didn’t seem to care about anything except the bottle. Having a parent like that taught her to care for herself, and try not to let others get in the way. Gabe was changing all that, he was someone who cared for her and who she needed to care for. But now that Gabe was back at the orphanage she felt more comfortable, she always felt that he needed someone to watch over him. He didn’t really understand much about the real world and she felt that it was her place to teach him and try not to let him get hurt in the process. On her own she knew how to handle herself, where to hide when the cops or gangs came after her, and she knew how to look more intimidating.

Her usual uniform was a baggy gray hoody pulled low over her face, baggy jeans, combat boots, and hair in a pony tail. Then there was her backup for anyone who got too touchy, The Toothpick. Her Dad’s pride and joy; a fourteen inch long Arkansas toothpick, she always liked the feel of it. In her hands it looked like a sword, if anyone got too close they might go away without a finger. It rested underneath her clothing out of sight; the cold steel gave her the reassurance to walk down the streets with impunity.

The only part that unnerved her was the looks that she got from the people out at that hour, drunks, homeless, and prostitutes would all stare. Not just in her direction, they had this weird way of staring through her like she was a ghost. She guessed that they all were thinking the same thing, What’s a kid like that doing out at this hour? Every once in awhile the looks she got would have her clutching the handle of the knife.

There was another one; an aging prostitute broke from a pack of working girls on the corner. At one time she was probably the number one pick but now she was more of the den mother type keeping the others in line but still available for the bargain shopper. She didn’t break her icy gaze while crossing the street and walking up to the little girl. What’s a sweet young thing like you doing in a place like this?

Angel just turned away and started moving faster

Hey! How old are you?

Angel turned back. Look lady I’m not looking for a job if that’s what you’re asking. Now piss off Skank-o-rella, go back with your evil slut sisters and leave me alone. Angel turned back and started walking.

Fifteen? She ventured a guess.

Angel stopped cold, but didn’t look back. The next thing she knew, seemingly with out a movement the prostitute was whispering in her ear.

Almost sixteen? She circled in front of the little girl backing her against the wall; her normally dark eyes glowed gently with moonlight. Oh I’m not offering a job, just getting a closer look. I know everything I need to know about you. The night cloaks you like a warm blanket, it keeps you safe...no one can see your true intentions. Have the dreams started yet?

Huh? Angel responded.

I was just a little older then you when they started.

Angel broke free of her ghostly stare, Look, lady you’re Mom must be proud, Angel gave her a shove. I’m not interested, now get lost, Hag!

Surprisingly the wizened street-walker just grinned and took a step back, Interested or not the choice isn’t yours to make.

Angel brushed herself off and walked backwards away from her. No one tells me what to do, then Angel turned and sprinted down the road as rain started falling lightly.

It’s all a matter of fate. You can’t avoid your fate!

Angel could hear her words in the distance. She hadn’t allowed anyone to scare her that much, not in some time. To let that old bag sneak up on her in stilettos, what did she want anyway, and what did she mean fate? I don’t remember that job option on career day, she said under her breath. Unfortunately she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Almost like little red eyes peered out of the shadows or maybe those were just her imagination. Angel looked around quickly, nothing, probably just her imagination. But that feeling lingered so she cut down one alley then another and over a fence. She could see her house in the distance; she cut through one yard and over another fence and she was home.

It was three AM and not surprisingly the lights were still on. She entered through the back door and shut off the lights as she went through the house. She found her Mom passed out on the couch, her large plastic tumbler on the floor tipped on its side. Angel picked up the empty cup and brought it to her nose, thirty two ounces of Jack and Coke... Angel took another sniff, ...more Jack than Coke. She set the cup on the coffee table and grabbed the balled up comforter from the corner of the living room. Angel gave the blanket a vigorous shake and watched the dust sparkle in the light then tossed the blanket over her Mother’s comatose body.

She turned off the light as she climbed the steps to the second floor, then opened the door to her room and looked around. This room was her sanctuary. Everything was where it should be; old cheerleading trophies, pictures from another time of her on her Father’s shoulders, and a Barbie doll still in the original packaging. Angel walked over to her mirror and looked deeply into it. No make up, hair mussed by her hoody and the wind. Her green eyes still bright, not dead like the hooker’s, defiantly not. She pulled the long blade from her pants, don’t know why I didn’t pull you out buddy. She let go of the knife three feet off the floor. With a thunk, it stuck into the floor and stood upright. She took off all of her clothes and threw on an oversized t-shirt, then she took the night-wear and folded it and placed it in the back of her closet. Climbing into bed she gazed up at the ceiling blankly, trying to get past the old woman’s words.

Interested or not the choice isn’t yours to make.

It wasn’t just what she said but how she said it, and how she was looking at her. She reminded her of the old witches from her father’s fairy tales, the kind that would steal and eat little children. It wasn’t like other adults harassing her, or even like she was looking for another girl for the streets. The old hooker wanted her, but Angel couldn’t figure out why she didn’t just take her back to a gingerbread house and throw her in the oven, if she wanted her that bad. Angel got a cold chill running down her back, she turned on her side and desperately tried get the old bag out of her head.

She went to her happy place, Gabe. Gabe was definitely her happy place. It didn’t matter when or where they were together, as long as he was there she was happy. She just needed to remember peering into his eyes in the darkness, the feeling of putting her arms around him. She would have never guessed that she would be this obsessed over anyone. But tonight she couldn’t hold her focus, the old lady kept pushing into her subconscious. How did she know about the dreams? For the last six months she’d had bad dreams, almost all of them ended the same way. She tried again to focus on Gabe, or her Father, or anything so she might have a decent nights sleep. She could feel herself drifting off.

This dream didn’t seem too bad, most didn’t in the beginning. It started with a simple dinner in an elegant restaurant obviously in the past. A Big Band played a lazy tune, there were people all around her and some were slow dancing. She was wearing the most elegant dress she had ever seen. A handsome young man dressed in a nice suit crossed the floor and sat across the table from her. I was wondering if you were ever goin’ to get here, Sugar. How was the meeting? she could hear herself saying.

Ahh, it was nothin’ Doll you know how these things go. Strategy, planning, boring stuff really. But we’re much closer to our goals thanks to you.

She stroked his cheek. That’s my boy, now come on have some bubbly. I figured we’d celebrate, when it’s all said and done you’ll have more power, and in no time you’ll be runnin’ things.

He picked up the bottle of bubbly and poured some in his glass then topped up hers. I’ve gotta’ toast you, cause if it weren’t for you I’d never of made it this far. It was so simple so fool proof, and I hear I have some presents for me. To my Dame!

She was startled. Sugar, Sugar no need to thank me, you’re the smart one I just believed in your plan. Come on.

He raised his glass to the people around him. See she’s got beauty, brains and she’s modest. He quickly downed the drink.

She looked at this man and couldn’t believe what she was seeing or doing. She recognized the man