Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light (27 page)

Ella Quill had spent much of her morning loitering beside the telephone with her cell phone also planted firmly in her back pocket. Phoebe, the best friend she hadn’t seen in person for ten long years, was home and she was not taking any chances, she would make sure she didn’t miss a single call. Ella’s mother, Rose, had been amused by her daughter’s enthusiasm, and had tried in vain to convince her that Phoebe would need to catch up on a lot of sleep after such a long and tiring journey home from Africa.

“It’s no good watching the phone, Love,” Rose smiled. “Phoebe will call when she’s good and ready and not a minute before – why don’t you relax, Ella? Go watch some TV or read your book, just punch in a bit of time?”

“I
can’t
Mum,” said Ella with a sigh. “Phoebe’s home – she’s
home
– and I’m finally gonna get to catch up properly, and we won’t have to Skype
ever again!
” She curled her fingers up into fists and punched the air several times. Rose laughed and shook her head, it was lovely to see her daughter so excited, and she only hoped that Ella’s and Phoebe’s friendship had truly endured the years and the miles between them. Neither she nor Ella would have to wait long to find out.

The front doorbell rang. “Get that Love, would you please?” called Rose from the kitchen. Ella screwed up her face a little, annoyed to have to move from where she had been hovering beside the phone. “Oh
okay
,” she muttered under her breath, then pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket before running to the front door. Ella flipped open her cell phone to check the messages for the hundredth time as she grabbed the front door knob and heaved the door open, eyes fixed on her cell screen.

“Hey El!”

Ella’s head jerked up and her eyes popped as she recognised the voice that had just spoken her name.

“
Phoebe!
” she squealed with such volume that Demetrius winced and covered his ears with his hands. In an instant, all nature of telephones were forgotten about, and the two girls were locked in a huge embrace that seemed to wipe out ten years of separation in a moment. They were jumping and dancing and squealing and crying and laughing all at once, and the commotion brought Rose running from the kitchen.

“Ahh, Phoebe love, you’re here!” she exclaimed and joined her daughter in squeezing Phoebe tight. The sight filled Demetrius’s heart with joy, and he had to bite his lip in an effort to stop the tears that were welling in his eyes. ‘
Not very manly, Dem
’, he chided himself.

“Hello Dem,” said Ella shyly, once she had let go of Phoebe. “It’s nice to meet you in person instead of just in cyberspace.” She laughed and hesitated before giving Demetrius a warm embrace; she was sure that they would become great friends and was looking forward to getting to know Demetrius better.

“Go on through to the den, kids,” said Rose, ushering them in through the hallway to the cosy family room. “You have so much to get caught up on; I’ll bring drinks through in a while.”

“Thanks Mum,” smiled Ella, as she closed the den door behind her then bounced up on to the huge corner sofa beside Phoebe and Demetrius and sat cross legged and eager to hear all.

“I
actually
can’t
actually
believe you’re
actually
here Phoebe!” Ella was grinning from ear to ear, and her babbled words made Phoebe giggle.

“
Actually?
” Phoebe teased, and they all laughed. “It’s
so
great to be home, El. We’ve had an amazing ten years – but there definitely is no place like home!”

The teenagers talked animatedly for what seemed to them like a few minutes; in reality, their conversation consisted of almost three hours of non-stop chatter. Mrs. Quill brought in refreshments and refills on several occasions, and smiled even more than usual at just how happy her daughter and her friends seemed to be.

Eventually, when Phoebe felt content that she had told Ella everything of importance from the last ten years, and had heard all of Ella’s news, she unfolded her crossed legs, stretched, then looked from Demetrius to Ella.

“Ella,” Phoebe started, searching Demetrius’s face for a reaction. “We have some stuff to tell you, big stuff…
Crazy
stuff!”

“What? Wait… Are you two…?”

“What? No! Ella, he’s my
best friend!
” Phoebe scolded her friend for even thinking that she and Demetrius were anything more than buddies, but blushed despite herself. “No, what we’re about to tell you is entirely bigger and crazier. I know you’ve only just met Dem properly, but you trust us, right?”

“Of course I do, Phoebs, I trust you guys more than anyone else.” Ella’s face was serious, her eyes fixed on her friend’s face. “So come on, what’s the story?”

Phoebe and Demetrius looked at each other with expressions that said ‘
where do we start?
’ then Phoebe puffed out her cheeks and started their fantastic story from the only place she could think of – at the beginning.

“Say something El, say
anything!
” Phoebe twiddled nervously with the end of her hair as she concluded her incredible tale and sat anxiously waiting for Ella to respond. Demetrius had remained quiet throughout, allowing Phoebe to relay their tale in the way she saw fit, and now Ella looked from him to Phoebe and back again. Finally, after a few moments had passed, Ella tilted her head back, ran her fingers through her sandy hair and fixed her blue eyes on Phoebe’s bright green ones.

“
Wow!
” exclaimed Ella. “Is that response enough?” She was teasing, but she could tell from the serious expression on Phoebe’s face that she desperately needed to know how Ella really felt about everything she had just heard – giant angelic warriors, horrible cruel demonic creatures, aeroplane crashes that happen then never happen, a vortex of light, time travel. It was a
lot
to take in by anyone’s standards.

“Sorry Phoebs,” Ella said, suitably serious now. “It sure is one giant crazy tale. But
of course
I believe you! Why on earth would you guys make something like that up? It’s too bizarre! So, what happens now? You said that Cosain said that I’ll be involved in this somehow?”

“
Phew!
” Phoebe exhaled loudly and relaxed back into the softness of the big leather sofa. “I’m so glad to have all that out in the open! Yes, Cosain mentioned you, he said you would be ‘
instrumental’
. But for now neither Dem nor I know any more than you. I guess we just wait. Cosain and the others will keep us on the right track.”

“I’m gonna meet
angels
,” Ella mused. “I really don’t know whether to be excited or terrified!”

“I know how you feel, believe me! I’m still not sure how to feel about them!” Phoebe concurred.

“Yes,” said Demetrius. “It is a fairly
unique
experience. And don’t worry, Cosain knows where we are, he will make sure that we don’t miss what has been planned for us.”

Ella paused, then seemed to recall something important. “You know,” Ella said. “It’s maybe nothing more than coincidence but there has been, well,
weird
stuff going on here too the last while.”

“Weird? How so?” Phoebe was intrigued.

“Well, you know the Abbey up on Quagmire Hill?”

“Darken Abbey? It’s still there?” Phoebe asked. Ella nodded then continued.

“It’s been empty for, like,
forever
, you know? Nobody really goes up there, and there definitely hasn’t been anything happening in it since you left Ireland, Phoebe. Only recently, there have been some peculiar things happening up there – people reporting strange noises, lights inside the building and in the grounds… I didn’t really believe any of it, but now… well, now I’m not so sure!”

“Hmmm.” Phoebe chewed on her lower lip and was surprised to find that Ella’s information had made her strangely nervous. “I guess it might just be coincidence, or overactive imaginations?”

“Or,” Demetrius interjected thoughtfully. “It could be more pieces in this crazy tale we’re caught up in. One thing’s for sure though, our angelic friends will be keeping an eye out.”

As the summer evening began to draw in, a dark form materialised just outside the den window at the Quills’ house.

“Yes, those wretched angels know where you are Phoebe Wren. But so do I. And I’ll be keeping an eye on them
and
you!”

Glinting red eyes peered in at the three teenagers, and Schnither’s face contorted into a maniacal mask of malevolence.

“I
will
be avenged,” he sneered. “I will have my day!”

And with a swish of black wings he was gone, leaving a trail of sulphurous yellow smoke in his wake.

Exhausted from their trip and still bewildered by the happenings of the past few days, Phoebe and Demetrius bid farewell to Ella and returned home, assuring her that they would return tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Ella had pondered all she had heard, and by the time her friends were ready to go home, she had processed her thoughts and was highly excitable, firing a thousand questions at Phoebe and Demetrius which they had done their best to answer.

“I’m beat guys, it’s been a busy day,” Phoebe announced to no-one in particular as she sat in the living room with her parents and Demetrius. “Time to turn in I reckon. Goodnight everyone.”

“Me too. Goodnight folks.” Demetrius yawned as he arose and joined Phoebe as they ascended the stairs to their rooms. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings,” he said, before giving Phoebe a quick hug and disappearing into his bedroom.

Phoebe gazed absent mindedly at her own reflection as she brushed her teeth before bed. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, then leaned it on the side of the sink and shook her head.
‘Why me?’
she wondered, then immediately,
‘Why not?’
Phoebe climbed gratefully into her cosy bed, and within a few seconds she was in a sound sleep, dreaming of angels with kind eyes and unrelenting swords.