Alder goes on. “By now, Morax knows his plan didn’t work, and he’ll probably have another one in place. Which is why we think it’s best we steer clear of the safe house for now. The wards and security will keep almost anything out, and we’ll be able to get there quickly if an alarm is tripped to make sure everything is fine.”
I take a deep breath and try to calm my anxious heart.
“You can call them of course,” Alder tells me, pullin’ his phone from his pocket. He opens it and hands it to me, and I have a Homer Simpson doh moment as I reach for his phone and look down at the contact that says SH. Here I was, worryin’ that I wouldn’t be able to talk to them at all, and Mama and Daddy would be forced to stew and wonder if I was okay until we can get this Ophidian fella sorted.
But hello, it’s the age of the technology, which somehow just slipped right out of my mind like one was oil and the other water. I click on the call icon, and the phone rings twice before a grunt sounds on the other end. I pull the phone away and stare at it for a moment before pullin’ it back to my ear.
“Daddy?” I ask cautiously.
A curse sounds off, and then I hear the distinct sound of movement like he dropped the phone before my daddy comes on the line. “Hello?” he greets warily.
“Daddy, thank God, I was so worried,” I confess as I release a deep sigh.
“We were too, honey girl. Y’all okay?”
I hear more rustlin’ on the other end of the line, and then my mama’s breathy voice asks. “What happened, Medley? Are you okay? Are the boys okay?” she demands, her tone slightly frantic. “The imps here, while lovely recoverin’ sinners, ain’t the chattiest bunch. Your daddy and I will have to learn their language, but until then, I’m more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs,” she tells me, just ramblin’ away.
She does that when she’s worried. Usually right before she gets mad at me for worryin’ her.
“We’re all fine. The situation was handled quickly, and no one got hurt,” I reassure her.
“Thank the Heavens...and Hell,” she adds as an afterthought, and I can’t help but smile. “It’s a good thing those boys are there to help; I just don’t know what we’d do without their kindness.”
My smile grows even bigger. If only she knew who handled what last night. I decide not to fill her in on the details just yet. No need to worry them more than they already are.
“Yes, it was a lucky day when they crawled out of Hell and into our lives,” I tease, and the guys chuckle as my mama coos in agreement. “I just wanted to check in and let you know that we were alright and to make sure you and Daddy were okay too.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about us, HB, we’re just right as rain. This place is gorgeous. I feel like I’m in a five-star hotel,” she tells me, and I can’t help but laugh. Leave it to my mama to make the best of a bad situation no matter what it is. “They even have a toaster your daddy can fiddle with, or at least pretend to, anyway.” I hear a slap and a squeal, and I know he just goosed her a good one.
I breathe a deep sigh of relief. It’s so good to hear them just bein’ their normal silly selves. It somehow makes everythin’ goin’ on seem so much less ominous.
“Let me talk to my boys, HB. I need to hear their voices too,” she orders, and with a chuckle, I put the phone on speaker. “Boys?” she calls out.
“Yes, ma’am,” they both reply in unison as they step closer to me and the phone.
“Y’all doin’ okay?”
“We are, ma’am. Like Medley said, we’re getting things sorted. We want you and Mr. Bell to stay where you are a little longer just to be safe,” Alder tells her, and she hums in agreement.
“What’s your plan?” she asks, like she’s some colonel in Hell’s army that they should be reportin’ to.
Flint smiles and leans closer to the phone. “We’re going to take Medley to meet some other Guardians today and see about getting some answers. There’s a possibility we may stop into Hell real quick to see if that unlocks her demon abilities for good, but that’s not a definite yet,” he tells her.
Mama squeals with excitement, and I’d swear she just won a big prize from a scratch-off the way she sounds right now. My heart rate picks up, because I didn’t know Hell was potentially on the agenda for today. I’m not sure what to expect from a visit, but I do know it would be nice to feel like I did last night all of the time, like all my pieces are exactly where they’re supposed to be. If that’s what unlockin’ my abilities will do, then I’m up for it. Nervous, but up for it.
“Oh, Hell! That’s so excitin’!” Mama claps, and I hear Daddy grumblin’ in the background. I doubt he’s as excited by the prospect as she is, but he never liked me ridin’ my bike too far out of his line of sight, so I doubt my trekkin’ down into Hell is much of a thrill. “HB, you be sure to listen to the boys, and I’m sure everythin’ will be just fine. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back.”
You’d think we were goin’ to Fiji with the way my mama is talkin’. I can do nothin’ but simply shake my head and thank my lucky stars I was dropped off
