Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

his fork into
    his plate of chips and gravy. “How come you eat such healthy food all the time? I
    mean—give yourself a break.”
    Angel looked at his baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli and the yogurt he
    had picked for dessert. He enjoyed packing lunches for Daddy, but he often liked to
    buy his at the cafeteria so he would be like the other boys. “Daddy lets me have junk
    sometimes, but he says I have to eat healthy meals every day.”
    “Daddy‟s not here.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Thank God. That dude may be
    handsome, but he‟s scary as hell.”
    “Trust me; he‟s got eyes in the back of his head. He‟d find out somehow.” Angel
    took a slug of water. “Anyway, he only wants the best for me.”
    A ping drew his attention to his laptop. “Bet that‟s him now asking me if I‟m
    being good.” Happy, he clicked on his e-mail icon. The shock when he opened his in-
    box and saw his mother‟s name in the subject line made his stomach tighten. Daddy
    had found out months ago where his mom was living in Montpellier on the south
    coast of France, and got him an e-mail address and a phone number for her. Angel
    had e-mailed her, but she hadn‟t replied and he had never dared to phone. He put
    down his fork and almost clicked on the e-mail to open it.
    No. I want to do it in private.
    Jack spoke with his mouth full. “Who‟s it from?”
    “Just my mom,” he said as though she e-mailed him every day. He forked up
    some baked potato, then put it down again uneaten and drank his water.
    Jack picked up Angel‟s glasses from the table and put them on. “It‟s amazing
    how she lets you live with a man at your age. My parents won‟t even let me have a
    boyfriend. She must be really cool.”
    “Yeah, she is.” He closed his laptop, nervous and happy just looking at her
    name.
    “Are you going to finish your lunch?” Jack asked.
    Angel took his glasses off Jack‟s face. “Don‟t mess with those. They‟re really
    expensive. I‟m not that hungry today.”
    “What are they for? Are you shortsighted? You look like Lestat from the
    movie.” He stretched his mouth to mimic having fangs.

    34
    Fyn Alexander

    “No, my eyesight‟s perfect, but my eyes are sensitive to light.” Sometimes Jack
    was really immature and annoying. “I need a whiz. I‟ll see you in class.”
    In the quiet of the washroom, Angel locked the door of the cubicle and sat on
    the toilet lid with his laptop. He brought up his mom‟s e-mail and opened it, his
    heart pounding. He couldn‟t bear to open it in the cafeteria or even at home with
    Daddy. He had to be alone in case he got upset. Daddy always said be brave , and he
    didn‟t want to have a meltdown in front of him—or anyone. Taking a deep breath,
    he read:
    Hi, Angel Gabe, how are you doing? Gregoire is everything I ever dreamed of.
    We are in London for a few days. Meet me outside the Royal Opera House, Covent
    Garden this evening at 8 o’clock.
    See you later. Samantha.
    Angel Gabe . He smiled. She had always called him that when he was little. But
    she always signed his birthday cards Samantha—never Mom. That was, when she
    remembered to send him one. Still, his heart soared.
    She wants to see me. Wait till she meets Daddy. I hope they like each other.
    He hit Reply.
    Hi, Mom. I’ll be there. I have a really fab man taking care of me now. He loves
    me and I love him. I hope you like him too. He’s a teacher. Love, Angel.
    Angel hurried back to class, almost skipping along the corridor. One of the
    masters passed him, and Angel called out, “Good afternoon, sir.”
    “The American gentleman.” The man stopped, looking over his gold-rimmed
    glasses at Angel. He was tall and thin and a bit rumpled. “You look happy.”
    “Yes, sir. I‟m seeing my mom this evening. I haven‟t seen her in six months.”
    “That‟s nice. Does she e-mail and phone you?”
    Angel swallowed, unwilling to admit the truth. “No, sir, but she‟s very busy.”
    “Does she work a lot?”
    “I don‟t know, but she‟s very busy.”
    “Excellent,” the master said, walking away. “Enjoy your time with her.”
    Nothing could dampen his spirits at having his mom back in his life.

    * * *
    The noise of loud music greeted Kael the moment he stepped out of the lift. He

    knew Angel was home and hard at work when he had his music turned up. All day,
    whenever he thought about Angel—which he did all the time—the image of him
    taking the other boy‟s hand came back.