Rising by J Bennett

him. Even as I’d gagged on the smoke in my lungs, I’d begged Tarren
to keep performing CPR on Milo though it seemed like he was gone. Milo had only
regained consciousness long enough to tell Tarren his name.
    Explain it to them. This is Gabe’s voice in my head; Gabe
with the golden tongue who could talk his way past Cerberus if he had a mind
to. Make them understand.
    “I…the fire…Poughkeepsie,” I begin. The
words can’t seem to make it up my dry, dry throat. “I went in…and—”
    Milo’s aura rages, bright, bright,
bright. The power of it intoxicates me, and my words sputter out.
    “See, she’s talking.” Puma pulls his
jacket from Rain’s grip and shoves him aside. He readjusts the lapels as he
stares down at me. “Looks like we got a little nose bleed going on.” That
high-pitched giggle again. “You’re not gonna cwy now are you?”
    His words barely register.
    “Watch out. Her hands,” Rain whispers.
    “Damn, that’s so sick.” Puma almost
sounds impressed. “I’m really getting to her.”
    “You were in Poughkeepsie?” Milo
presses. “You were one of them.” The accusation is a growl – a perpetrator, not
possibly a rescuer. “You fed on us like…like, animals.”
    I turn away from him, forcing my eyes
closed to protect me from the spell of his aura. The throb of pain in my face
helps me reestablish control. Blood seeps into my mouth and drips off my chin. I’m
not calm and hard like Tarren. I’m not witty and fluent like Gabe. I’m just
Maya and Monster Maya and Mousey Maya and Stupid Pixie Girl.
    I look up at Rain, hold onto the brown
eyes beneath his mask.
    “I didn’t kill Sunshine,” I whimper.
    “What the hell does that mean?” Puma Mask
sneers. “We talking in code now?” That arrogant smirk is back and so are those
sick greens in his aura. More butterfly wings to pluck. He takes a step toward
me, his fingers folding into a fist.
    “I want her,” Milo says, reeking of
damage and revenge.
    “Wait,” Rain speaks above the others,
his voice rough and uncertain. “Let’s just…”
    The door opens above.
    “We’re busy,” Puma Mask shouts up.
“She’s cracking.”
    “Bear’s got a lead. He says it’s strong.”
The female voice is so soft that it sounds like a dove’s coo.
    Puma Mask grimaces and points a finger
at my face. “Stay here,” he says and giggles at his own joke. “We’ve still got
a lot of catching up to do.” He turns and walks up the stairs.
    “You guys go. I’m gonna stay here,” Milo
says. His hand never seems to leave the chain around his waist. Rain sees it
too.
    “We need everyone,” he says to Milo,
“for safety.”
    Milo gives him a vicious stare, but Rain
doesn’t back down. I see it again, the quick fluctuation in Milo’s aura from
bloody reds to softer hues and then back again.
    “We’ll have time later,” Rain says.
    Milo gives me a long, hate-filled stare.
“I thought he killed you all in Poughkeepsie,” he says and then follows Puma
Mask up the stairs.
    “The man with the scar,” Rain speaks. “Tiger
says he saved us all; thinks he’s some kind of superhero.”
    Yeah, Tarren has that effect on people.
    Another drop of blood trembles on my
chin and splashes onto my thigh. They have no idea what they’re doing. If it
were just Puma and Milo, I would let them screw themselves to hell…but Rain…he
shouldn’t be here. I swallow and force my voice to work. “Rain...”
    “Penguin, and don’t you dare thank me,”
he snaps.
    “You can’t bring any other angels down
here, not like this,” I pull on my cuffs. “This isn’t enough.”
    Rain crosses his arms. “They seem to be
holding you just fine.”
    “I’m not a full angel, I already told
you.”
    “Whatever.” He uncrosses his arms.
    “Angels are too dangerous to
interrogate,” I plunge on desperately. “They have abilities, they can—”
    “Penguin,” Milo calls down.
    Rain gives me a long look. His aura is a
swirl of colors, and god