Miku scoffs, "Yeah, tell her what you and Jay do when you see a cute girl radiating purple."

"What does purple mean?" I ask.

"It means she's ... thinking private thoughts," Miku says coyly.

"You know when a girl's turned on?"

"And then he has Jay go up to her and 'suggest' she gives him a kiss," Miku volunteers.

"Jay!" I scold.

"On the cheek," he says, unable to face me.

"What kind of angel are you?" I accuse.

"What kind of angel would you like?" End of the world or not, that boy's a flirt.

"He has to use his powers. How else would he get a girl with me around?" Rio taunts.

Jay shouts back, "You're crazy. My game is foolproof."

I quickly interject before they decide to fight it out. "Do all of you have a protective shield?"

Rio says "No, only me."

"So, what were you doing when you died that you asked for a shield?"

Right away I know that I shouldn't have asked that question. The mood of the room instantly changed. They all stiffen up. Reese looks up at the ceiling as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room.

Jay looks down at the floor. Miku avoids her brother's eyes. Rio's jaw tightens. And for the first time since we've been talking, he looks pained. Miku says, "Excuse me," gets up and goes to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business how you died. I'm sorry Rio. Don't be mad," I say trying to fix this major error.

He smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes. He's just being polite. I've offended him.

He gets up and says, "I'm gonna go look out for Marcus." He moves quickly and heads up to the roof.

I made an angel sad. What kind of monster am I? "Why don't I take you home? Tomorrow we'll be at your school just in case the Runners come back." Reese gets up and holds out his hand. I take it and stand up.

I want to know what "Runners" are, how they'd all died, and who Lucy is and why she's after me, but I don't want to risk saying anything else to upset them. Jay senses my dilemma.

"Don't worry," he says. "We'll fill you in on the rest tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks. And can you tell Rio I'm sorry, again. Please?"

"He already knows, remember?"

"Oh yeah, right," I say, now feeling even more inadequate.

Just then Ameana comes out of her room and addresses the guys. "It's too late for her to go home by the usual means. Reese, Blink her a block from her house."

"No problem," he says, taking my hand.

Panic spreads through my body. What is she talking about? I can't just pop in and out of places like Reese. What if I get home and half a leg gets left behind? No way. Not gonna happen.

"It's okay, Emmy. Blinking is much safer than driving. Or at least it is when Jay's behind the wheel," Reese jokes.

"I'm right here. You wanna go? Let's do this!" Jay counters.

Ameana is not amused. I look down and remember that the sweater I have on doesn't belong to me. "Just let me put this back in the room."

"It's Miku's. She's cool if you take it home," Jay offers.

"No, it's not mine. And it looks like it costs a lot of money. My mom will wonder where I got it," I explain.

I head back into the bedroom where I had slept. It's decorated in lace and satin. Teddy bears from different countries are displayed throughout the room. It's not really my style, but it's pretty.

Miku enters the room. I don't even give her a chance to say anything. I give her a big hug. "I'm sorry if I said anything that hurt you. I was just-"

"Stop. It's okay. And why are you returning the sweater? Don't you like it?"

"I do but-"

"But nothing."

"I'll keep it here. And get it whenever I come back, okay?"

I can tell that she is about to argue her point, so I rush on ahead.

"Miku, there are six Guardians, right?"

"Right. The first Guardian is in charge of the other five."

"Is Ameana the first Guardian?" I ask.

"She acts like she is, but Marcus is the first Guardian. He's our leader. Just like Julian was. The second-in-charge is Ameana, then me and Rio, and then the two knuckleheads out there."

"You guys don't seem worried about finding this Triplex thing. That must mean you're close, right?" I ask, trying to downplay my fear.

"We've been trying to track down Julian. He's the best link into how the council thinks. He can give us a better idea of what we need to look for. Marcus went to check out a few places he could be. We'll find him soon. Try not to worry."

"Why did the council leave him to roam the Earth when he knows where the bridge is?"

"Julian was sent back by Omnis, so the council could do nothing about that, but they stripped him of some of his memory. He doesn't remember where the bridge is, but he does recall the council."

"He remembers them?"

"Yeah, but he thinks they're aliens who abducted him," Miku quips.

"So, all the alien stuff is true?" I have to ask.

"Well, Julian's aliens are true, I can't say for the rest of them."

Reese shouts to us from the living room, "C'mon ladies. Some of us have to recharge!"

I look at Miku blankly, "We find a spot that is absolutely quiet and perfectly still. It recharges us. Like what sleeping does for you," she explains.

"Oh, like meditating?"

"Without the annoying sound of the ocean and the smelly mats," she smiles.

"Okay. Five more seconds and I'm coming in. You two better be ready!" Reese barks.

So much for the patience of angels, I think.

Someone calls out from the living room. This time, it's Jay. "He's back!"

"Good, I bet he has a lead on Julian. C'mon." She drags me back into the living room.

Standing there among a room full of gorgeous angels is the most perfect creature I have ever seen. If beauty were measured by water, all of them would be a full gla.s.s, while I would be the proverbial half-empty. But Marcus' beauty spans two oceans; seriously, he's flawless.

He stands at 6'1. His hair is chestnut with natural auburn highlights. His eyes are blue green with flecks of gold. His lashes, jealous of the attention the eyes are getting, stretch out like a proud peac.o.c.k. His nose, lips and cheeks are the original blueprint of beauty. His shoulders are broad and strong. His arms and legs are well defined but not bulky.

He's wearing dark Diesel jeans, a charcoal gray cashmere sweater, and an open black leather jacket. The simplicity of his outfit in no way detracts from his stellar beauty. The only time I've ever encountered something close to the beauty of Marcus was when I first met Ameana. And even that encounter would be a distant second.

I refuse to blink and miss a moment of him. The water builds up in my eyes. It stings. It burns. No, I won't blink. It's like having a thirst so deep water cannot quench it. The more I drink him in, the more of him I want.

Tears gather in my eyes, waiting, begging for me to blink. I won't. So the tears run down my face. My vision gets blurry. No, I won't blink. My eyes feel like they're being p.r.i.c.ked by hundreds of small pins. It stings badly. But I remain steadfast. The second round of tears falls from my eyes. I won't blink. I will not move from the vision before me.

My stomach quickens. My whole body is warm with the exception of my hands, which are ice cold and trembling. I don't know a lot about the heart, but I'm certain it's not supposed to beat this fast. I want to look anywhere besides his face, but the thought of looking away from him makes me dizzy with despair.

Suddenly I'm very aware of how I'm dressed: faded jeans and a Winnie-the-Pooh "Piglet" T-shirt with the cartoon pig trying to catch a runaway balloon and saying "Oh, d-d-dear." Great, Emmy, that's real s.e.xy.

And if my hair looks the way it usually does after I've slept, right now I resemble a mad scientist. I want to go back into the room and fix it, but it's too late. He's already seen me. I mean, it's already time to go.

Miku, whose existence I have all but forgotten, pokes me lightly. I blink. A third round of tears make their way down my face. It's embarra.s.sing but I'm powerless. Not for the first time today. Get a hold of yourself.

He had been studying a small red leather-bound book. Miku introduces us. "Marcus, this is Emerson Baxter. She's gonna help us save the world." He looks up at me, says a quick "hey" and goes back to the book. His dismissal stings worse than my eyes.

"Tomorrow we need to go over your life and find out about everyone you know, everyone who knows you. They know that you're not a boy like they originally thought. We're going to keep you in school because you're safer in a crowd of humans," he contends.

"They attacked me in a crowd today," I say.

He continues to flip through the book and responds without looking up. "They weren't trying to kill you, they just wanted to get you before we did. If Lucy wanted to kill you, she would have sent Akons. But since we got to you first, she's gonna have to get past us now. The only way she can do that is to send out all six Akons."

"So, this Lucy person isn't out to kill me?"

"She is, but only after she's tortured you and gotten enough information out of you to locate the Triplex. Then she'll have the Akons finish you off or do it herself, if she has time."

"Oh," is all I can say.

He is speaking about my death so casually; Miku and the others exchange a look. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks he's being rude.

"The council forbids Akons from attacking in public. So you should be okay if you stay in public places. You are never to be left alone unless we are standing watch. Do you understand?" he asks, once again never looking up at me.

Why isn't he looking at me? I know I'm not "angel-good-looking," but I'm not a dog. What's his problem?

"Where do we pick up Julian?" Miku asks.

"We don't. Lucy got to him first. There's a good chance he's dead."

"Wait, you told me that the council couldn't kill Julian but this Lucy woman can? Who is she?" I ask Miku.

"Don't worry, Emmy. We're not gonna let her get to you," she says.

"Who is she?" I demand.

"Atourum," Marcus says plainly.

I can't breathe. The air is too thick that I've forgotten how. I lean against the wall for support.

"The devil is a woman?"

"You tellin' me!" Jay jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"For this cycle, yes," Miku says.

Jay looks into my ashen face and what he sees there causes him to worry. He comes up to me. "I can calm you down, if you want."

My voice cracks, "No. Just take me home. Please."

Marcus speaks with the authority of a general. It sounds strange coming from a boy barely eighteen. "Jay and Rio will watch over you tonight. Reese, when you're done taking her home, get back here and help Miku search a few Runner hangouts. See if anyone knows anything." Reese nods in agreement.

Marcus turns his attention to Ameana and says, "Mina, can we talk?" There's something in the way he says her name. It bothers me. Then it bothered me that it bothers me.

She leads the way and he follows her into her room. Why can't they talk in front of the rest of us? Wasn't all business talk done on the roof or in the living room? Why did he want to be alone with her? He said her name with such care....

I try hard not to look at Rio. I don't need an angel mood ring to tell me what I'm feeling. I don't want to know. I just want to get as far away as possible.

I tell myself it's because I'm being hunted by the source of all evil. I tell myself it's because the fate of the world rests on information I don't have.

But when Reese lifts me up into his arms and Blinks me out of the house, the thing that I'm upset about isn't Lucy or the end of the world. There's only one thing that upsets me: He said her name with such care....