Mia turned and ran in the direction of the farmhouse. She had only gone a few yards when she felt the light change. Sariel rose into his angel form and spread his mighty wings, blocking out the sun. He reach down, and she vaulted to the side, evading his grasp, falling hard on the ground. Mia used the hillside, rolling down and under the archangel until she was behind him. Mia rose to her feet, and as she did, she picked up a rock, held it in her hand, and lifted dozens more with her mind. She kept them moving around the angel before her.
Sariel spun around and looked down at the petite creature with the glowing yellow eyes and determined look on her face.
Mia spoke, “I don’t want to hurt you, and I sense you could kill me with a thought. I need you to leave here, and don’t return.”
“You have no need to fear me. I’m sorry for reverting to my baser self. You continue to astonish me.”
“Sariel, you surprised me, and not in a good way. I can see we humans are under the misapprehension that you paranormal titans fight for us. Instead, I’ve learned that we are but chess pieces in this cosmic game. I am no one’s pawn, queen, or knight. I am Mia Cooper Martin: proud wife of Theodore Martin, mother of Brian Stephen Cid Martin, and daughter of Charles and Amanda Cooper. I have been given these gifts to aid the lost and fight for the balance of good and evil. I have been bred with a bit of all of you. I am kin to demon and birdman alike, and I have superhuman and angel cells just waiting to attach themselves. God made me this way for a purpose, I’m not sure I totally understand. Until I do, I’ll not fight with or against you. But I will protect my family, friends and myself.”
“I wish I could tell you that this has dissuaded me from wanting to train you, to bring you into my army. I will be watching you. You’re just beginning to evolve, and I can see you need space in which to discover what you truly want in life. If you choose to stand beside me, I will be honored. If you chose to stand across from me, I will be sad to crush you, but I will. Take care, Mia Cooper Martin. Choose carefully.”
Sariel lifted up off the ground, and with one push of his wings, he soared into the heavens.
Mia let the rocks fall before she succumbed to the exhaustion and fainted.
Chapter Three
Mia felt a cold nose on her face. Her eyes snapped open, and before her was Maggie’s concerned face. “What time is it?” she asked, not really expecting the dog to suddenly display a timepiece. If Maggie had, then Mia would assume she was still dreaming.
“Mia!” Mia heard Ted call.
“Over here!” she responded as she tried to get to her feet. Her legs were still asleep and very numb. She stamped her foot, trying to get the feeling back. Maggie misunderstood and launched herself into Mia’s arms. The two of them maintained the briefest moment of stability before Mia toppled over backwards. She fell hard on her bottom. Maggie, thinking this was some kind of game, washed Mia’s face before running around her barking.
Ted followed the sound to find Mia wiping off Maggie’s kisses as she lay flat on her back.
Ted’s shadow fell across her. He was communicating, but she didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her. It was all math.
“Mia…” Ted said, feeling a strange pressure in his head. “Are you reading my mind?”
Mia’s eyes opened wide in shock. She put both of her hands over her mouth, her face displaying fear. She forced herself to her feet. “Oh my god, Ted, I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching for him. “Please forgive me. I didn’t know I could do that. I had no intention… Oh my god,” she repeated.
“It’s okay,” Ted said, grabbing her hands that were moving over his body so fast, as if Mia could wipe away what she had accidently done.
“I didn’t know I was doing that,” she said. “I didn’t think I could do that?”
“Did you find anything interesting in my head, m’dear?” he asked, looking at her sideways.
“Math. I thought you were speaking to me in equations,” Mia admitted. “There were all these numbers.”
“Truth in numbers. They don’t lie. Why didn’t you continue?”
“I hate mind readers,” she said, her mouth downturned. “I didn’t want to be one. I’m not going to do that again.”
Ted reached an arm around her. “It’s okay, Minnie Mouse. I don’t think you did it on purpose. But if you ever want to visit this cabeza again, just call first. This way, I can clear out the porn and hide my dirty laundry.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t know why that happened, but it’s never happening again,” she assured him.
“I don’t get you. You develop these superpowers, and instead of building an evil empire with them, you apologize. Mia, you are one of a kind.”
“Thank God for that,” she said, pulling a burr off of her pants.
“Do you mind telling me what you were doing out here alone?”
“I think I was sleeping,” she said, her mind still reeling. “Wait, I was talking to Murphy, and then he left, and Sariel showed up. I think I threatened him.”
“You threatened an archangel?” Ted asked
“With rocks,” she said, biting her lip.
“Why?”
“I don’t exactly remember. Oh, now I do. He was being rude. He left, and that’s all I remember, except I had this dream about you and me, and we were… At least I think it was us?” Mia looked up at him. “Can we start again?”
“Hello, Mia. Do you know we have a dinner
