Novels2Search
Violet and Gold
Chapter Twenty-One: 47th Street

Chapter Twenty-One: 47th Street

"You're pretty tall for a nine-year-old," Summer said.

The open car window caused Trevor's flowing blonde hair to ruffle in the wind—his eyes laser-focused on Victor. "My grandpa said my dad was really tall." He was stuck to Summer like glue. His hand, which was the same size as Summer's despite being seven years her junior, was resting atop hers.

"Trevor, look at me," Summer said. "You remember the promise you made to V, right?"

"Of course I do. I just made it a couple of minutes ago."

Victor chuckled.

"First question," Summer said. "What were you doing at the park alone?"

Connor peeked into Trevor's backpack. "And why did you bring a dead Nintendo DS, three bottles of water, and a box of honey buns?"

"The DS was for when I got bored," Trevor said. "But I ended up playing it all day and I forgot my charger, so it didn't last. The water and food was for when I got thirsty and hungry."

"Okay, but why were you there by yourself?" Summer asked.

"My grandpa said I'm possessed and that he's gonna send me to a Catholic school, so I ran away."

"Well... are you possessed?" Victor asked.

Summer's face dropped.

He flashed a wry smile. "After all that we've been through, is that really a crazy thing to ask?"

"I'm not possessed!" Trevor screamed.

"Why does your grandpa think that you are?" Summer asked, her face softening.

Trevor lightly squeezed Summer's hand. "Last week he was helping me with my homework, then out of nowhere, I started dreaming. I woke up to my grandpa shaking me. I told him what I saw in my dream and he started praying and talking about the devil and stuff."

"Sounds like he had a vision," Connor said.

Summer didn't want to overreact, so she forced a smile. "What was this dream about?"

"I was flying for a little bit and then I stopped and looked at this building. Then I was in the body of this girl. She was all tied up and really scared. That's all I remember."

Summer tenderly rubbed his back. "It's okay Trevor, you're not possessed." She gave Connor and Victor a glance, and they responded with a nod. "I've had these dreams too."

"Really?"

"Yep, and Connor was right. They're called visions, and that's actually how we found you."

"You were in my body?"

"Well, sort of."

Trevor shivered. "Weird."

"Hey Trevor," Mr. Au said. "How did your grandpa react to you being able to see auras?"

"He doesn't believe in it."

"What do you mean?" Victor asked.

"When I first started living with him, he would yell at me every time I started talking about that sort of stuff, so I stopped."

"That's horrible," Summer said. "What you have is a gift."

Trevor perked up. "My mom used to tell me that."

"So your mother also had this gift?" Connor asked.

"No, but she always told me that she wishes she did. She used to take me to the park and ask me to call out people's auras as they walked by."

"Where's your mom now?" Summer asked.

"She's in Heaven."

"And your father?"

"I don't have one," he said, a trace of anger in his voice.

The car fell silent—his words hanging in the air.

Mr. Au barreled through the palpable discomfort. "Do you know why those people were chasing you?"

"No. I was playing with my DS in the gazebo, and then I saw three guys with black auras running at me. They were really slow."

"Wait," Mr. Au said. "Did you say you saw three guys?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Au alternated glances between Victor, Connor, and Summer. V apparently made quick work of the two demons they saw on their way to Trevor. Maybe this mystery third demon wised up and fled?

"You're a pretty fast runner, huh?" Victor said, obviously trying to shift the tone to something less dire.

"I'm the fastest kid in my class. Every time we play kickball, I get picked first."

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Connor exhaled sharply. "We still have no idea why they're coming after people."

"At least we saved the kid," Victor said.

"My name is Trevor."

"You're right. Sorry, Trevor."

"You're a very brave young man," Mr. Au said. He pulled into a gas station and stopped near a pump. "Trevor, do you know your home address?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"I know things aren't great at home, but your grandpa is your legal guardian. He's probably been worried sick."

Trevor furrowed his brow. "He doesn't care about me."

"I bet you're pretty hungry," Summer said.

He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah..."

Smudges of dirt covered Trevor's clothes, and his shoes were caked in mud. The red splotches on his face suggested that he was mildly sunburned, and the dried lines of sweat and tears left his cheeks discolored.

"Mr Au," Summer said. "How about we head over to my place so he can clean up a bit and get something to eat?" She dramatically raised both of her eyebrows.

Mr. Au paused for a moment. "You're right," he said while shooting Summer a reaffirming look. "I'll be right back."

Summer spent countless hours babysitting throughout the years. Sometimes the indirect approach worked best. "See, it's no problem," she said, smiling.

"I'm not going back home," Trevor said. "I mean it."

"I believe you. But even a kid as brave as you has to eat, right?"

Trevor eyed her suspiciously. "Do you have French fries?"

"We do! I'll make you some when we get home."

"Okay."

"Do you still want to know more about me?" Victor asked.

Trevor hesitated, but a child's curiosity will always prevail. "Yeah," he said. "Why are you and Connor so different?"

"What if I told you that angels are real?"

"I already know that."

"Well, Connor here used to be an angel, and so was my mom."

"My grandpa told me about fallen angels. Are you guys evil?"

"I can't speak for Connor here, but I think I'm a pretty good guy," Victor said, refusing to meet Connor's glare.

"Don't worry," Summer said. "No one here is evil."

Mr. Au returned, annoyed at the current price of gas. His muffled curses while at the pump were heard by all the car's occupants. "You're going to love Summer's house," he said as he put his key in the ignition.

Summer spaced out, watching buildings buzz by as they drove down several main roads. She snapped out of it, though, realizing that no one had spoken in quite a while.

She turned to Trevor, his eyes heavy. But it wasn't just him. Fatigue had hit everyone simultaneously.

They pulled into the driveway. "Welcome to my home," Summer said.

"Wow. So many colors."

Mrs. Kahale came to them in a bright yellow sundress. "Welcome back." She paused for a beat, scanning the scene before her. "Who is this handsome young man?"

"I'm Trevor."

She glanced at the red backpack in Connor's hands. "Well Trevor, I'm happy to see that you're safe. I bet you're starving."

"Summer told me you have French fries."

"Of course. But first, I need you to wash up a bit, okay?"

Mrs. Kahale gave everyone a wink as she guided Trevor inside.

"Did you tell her about him while I was getting gas?" Mr. Au asked.

"I actually forgot to call her," Summer said, smiling. "She's just psychic like that."

Despite exhaustion setting in, seeing her house through Trevor's eyes was a shot of expresso. Every flamboyantly colored flower pot and oddly placed knick knack fascinated him. His eyes were hummingbirds zipping around a flower full of nectar. She jokingly thought that he might pass out from sensory overload.

Mr. Au, Victor, and Connor seated themselves in the living room. They conversed as she dug into her freezer, removing all the frozen fruits, vegetables, and imitation meat to get to the bag of organic French fries in the back.

She recalled the first time her grandmother brought them from the store and—at the time—she found the idea of organic French fries to be comically pretentious.

Summer despised the smell of cooking oil, so she placed a cinnamon apple scented candle on the kitchen counter. As she was placing a pot full of oil on the stove, a loud bang came from upstairs, almost making her tip the pot over.

Heavy footsteps immediately raced up the stairs. She took a second to recover and then ran toward the noise's source.

The bathroom door was wide open, and Summer's grandmother was holding Trevor's head up. The water spraying from the shower head pattered on Trevor's motionless body. Mr. Au swiftly turned the water off and handed her grandmother a towel.

"I rushed in here after I heard a bang and I found him lying in the tub," Summer's grandmother said, poorly maintaining a measured demeanor. "He's still breathing but," she inspected the back of his head, "I think he hit his head on the tiles."

"Is he having a vision?" Mr. Au asked.

Summer was still trying to process everything. "I don't know."

"Trevor has visions?" Her grandmother asked.

"We were going to tell you after he got cleaned up," Summer said.

"It's okay, we just—"

Trevor reached for the back of his head.

"Hey," Mrs. Kahale said, "what happened?"

Trevor didn't respond.

Summer knelt down by the bathtub. "Trevor, can you hear me?"

He raised his head, his eyes locking on her amethyst stone. "Yeah."

"Did you have a vision?"

"I saw the church me and my grandpa go to every Sunday. I was a girl with black hair and she was hiding under one of those chair things."

"A pew?" Connor said.

"Yeah, she was hiding under a pew and..." Summer's grandmother lightly touched the back of his head. He grimaced the moment her fingers made contact.

"Trevor," Summer said, "what church do you go to?"

"St. James."

"That's off 47th Street," Mr. Au said, already halfway out the door.

"Go," Mrs. Kahale said, "I'll take care of everything here."

The car was imbued with a manic energy. All the fatigue they had previously felt had completely dissipated. Even the way Mr. Au drove was representative of the tone. The turns were sharp, and his inconsistent speeds forced Summer to hold on to the grab handle.

Summer could count the number of churches she knew by name on one hand, or more accurately, two fingers. They pulled up to a dark gray building that was about the width of one of those mom and pop shops she would see when she visited her family in the south. The height—on the other hand—was preposterous. Three giant spires of different sizes protruded out of the top of the building like mohawks. A cross rested atop two of the spires. The crossless spire had its wooden frame exposed, and it was a lighter gray than the rest of the building.

There were construction vehicles parked next to the marquee sign that read: Closed for construction. The sermon will instead be held at 1897 Davidson Ave.

Mr. Au burst through the church doors and they slowly approached the nave. The sound of unhinged laughter pierced Summer's eardrums, loudening with each step. Once they reached the nave, it was revealed to them that the source of the laughter was a thin woman with auburn hair. She stood with her back turned to them—her head aimed at the black-haired woman lying motionless before her. Dark red blood stained the corner of a nearby pew.

Victor took a few steps forward and the auburn-haired woman turned around, showing her crimson-red eyes. The face that looked back at them sent a shock throughout Summer's system, leaving her rigid. Her eyes were the only part of her that dared to move, and they immediately focused on Victor's face.

Victor slumped his shoulders before whispering a single word, "Catelyn?"

The orange-haired demon formerly known as Catelyn rushed toward Summer, pushing her into a statue of the Holy Mary. She felt an intense pain in her chest before losing consciousness.