In the Claws of an Angel

The woods was beautiful and serene.

Energetic wild life and bright, healthy vegetation overwhelmed my eyes everywhere I looked. It was like something you'd see in a science textbook, or a nature show. I smiled as a small rabbit scampered across my path, which was clear and molded into the ground from probably years of ATV and foot traffic.

As the cheerful sound of birds chirping from all around me filled my ears, I knew it was a good choice to leave the camper and take a walk. After last night, I really needed some time to clear my thoughts, and what better way to do that than with nature?

So, I took my time strolling down the path, pausing here and there to look at the colorful flowers growing wild from the ground. A thought that I should have left a note for Logan like he had done for me crossed my mind suddenly, and I frowned.

I brushed it off with a shrug of my shoulders. Oh, well. Too late now.

After walking for a few more minutes, I came to a break in the trees. In front of me was a dusty gravel path, stretching out for a few miles to my left, and extending about 12 feet to my right before rounding into a bend and contiuing to a place that I couldn't see.

Long, whispy, tan weeds grew from either side of the path, reaching about an inch past my knees. They were itchy, so I quickly bounced through them until my shoes hit the gravel.

My pale blue eyes squinted in the bright morning sunlight as I peered around. Just the extra few feet made a world of difference on the view I had.

I could see a little ways around the corner now, where the edge of a small lake began. Otherwise, everything around me was open field and trees. This must have been a pretty unknown area, because I didn't see any people around.

I made a face, thinking about turning around and heading back for the camper, but instead my feet drove me forward. I walked around the bend, and had to edge around an overgrown bush to see the entire lake.

It was an oblong shape, narrow and shallow at the end closest to me, growing wider and deeper the further it stretched away from me.

Along with the shape, the water closest to me was a peridot green color, blending into a dark, rich blue the wider and deeper it became.

Tall trees with drooping limbs covered in moss bordered the lake, providing plenty of shade and a strong, soulful southern feel to it.

Just a little up the sandy bank I could see an old dock, reaching out about 9 or 10 feet into the water, where it was still fairly shallow. On the dock stood two little boys with golden blonde hair and fishing poles in their hands.

I guess I spoke too soon about there not being any other people around. But as I noticed their bicycles laying in the tall weeds a few feet away from the dock, I figured they weren't camping near here. They had probably stumbled upon this place the same way I had.

The boys were obviously brothers. One was around 8, and the other looked a little older, maybe 11 or 12, but their features, like the blonde hair, were almost identical. Sandy freckles, green eyes, and a straight, narrow frame.

They hadn't noticed me, so I hung back a bit, a soft smile on my face. Their pure childhood innocence charmed me and took me back to the few good times I did have as a kid.

The older brother leaned down and pulled a wriggling worm out of a muddy yellow bucket that sat between the two of them. The younger brother watched, his eyes wide as the hook pierced the worm, still flailing about.

"That's how ya do it, Jace." The older brother said to the younger; Jace; In a thick southern drawl, reminding me we were in Alabama.

"Um..." Jace stammered, glancing down at the bucket of creepy crawlies uncertainly, "Could you do it for me, Tyler?"

His voice had the same swampy, southern twinge, and sounded small and meek as he clutched his fishing pole. Tyler frowned, but leaned down into the bucket and snagged another worm.

"All right, I'll do it for ya just this once, only since it's yer first time," He sternly told the little blonde boy in front of him, "But if yer gonna come fishin' with me now, yer gonna bait yer own hook from now on."

Jace nodded his head, the golden blonde strands of hair bobbing up and down in his eyes. "Okay."

Tyler grabbed ahold of Jace's hook, steadying it and paused to look up.

"You watchin'?" He asked his little brother, who nodded again, "Okay. It's real easy. You just gotta get a good grip on 'im, like this... Then ya take yer hook, and poke 'im right through here. There, ya got bait."

I watched as Tyler stood up and released Jace's hook, letting the weight of the worm swing it back and forth in the air. Jace's eyes followed it as if it were a pocket watch at a hypnotism show.

The brothers casted their lines out into the shimmering lake, Jace needing a little help from Tyler, and waited. I could hear them chattering about something, but I was too far back to hear clearly.

When Jace yanked up the first fish, a small Bass, he squealed with delight. Tyler jumped for joy and praised his little brother. It made me smile.

As Tyler showed Jace how to get the lively fish off his hook, I took to minding my own business and trailing down to the edge of the bank. I gazed out over the sparkly blue/green water before taking a seat in the grass, just at the edge of the sand.

A summer breeze passed through, brushing my long hair away from my neck and cooling the skin. I sighed in content, still hearing the young boys talk and laugh up the bank.

I sat in that spot for about 20 minutes until Tyler and Jace hopped on their bikes and moved on, leaving the peaceful serenity of the lake all to me. I stood up and brushed the sand and grass from my shorts, strolling on the lake's perimeter toward the dock.

Along the way, I picked up flat stones and attempted to snap them from my hands with my telekinesis, and send them skipping across the water.

The first one sort of just rolled from my palm and thunked to the ground.

"Okay, not enough force." I instructed myself as I bent down to scoop up the same stone.

I positioned it in my palm, holding it flat and staring at it. The familier pocket of pressure began to fester inside my head, but again the stone just sort of rolled away. It dropped to the ground again, and I sighed.

"Maybe I need a smaller rock." I told myself as I scanned the sand.

All of the stones near me looked way too pointy and heavy, so I walked down a few feet, almost two thirds of the way to the old, rickety dock.

"Aha!" I gasped as I layed eyes on a smooth, flat, mostly round stone jetting out from the sand.

I picked it up, then positioned it in my hand, and really focused. I stared at the stone, picturing it snapping quickly out of my hand, like a whip.

When I felt it begin to vibrate against my palm, I was sure it was going to work. So I pictured the whip cracking, expecting the stone to rocket into the lake... But I was wrong.

"OW!" My voice yelped as I felt something hard strike me just above my left eyebrow.

My hands shot up to the area, throbbing in pain as I realized I had definately put enough telekinetic force into it, but somehow caused the stone to fling into my face instead of the water.

I groaned softly as I prodded the spot above my eyebrow with my fingertips. It felt tender, and a small lump was forming under the skin.

"Ooow... Dammit." I muttered to myself, walking the rest of the way to the dock and taking a seat, "I think I'm done for now... Stupid mutation."

I tried to ignore the throbbing feeling in my forehead and instead cast my eyes out on the open water. I was definately feeling discouraged... I really was trying hard to teach myself how to do this, but I was failing miserably.

The best I could do was put a cup in a cabinet from two feet away...

I sighed, trying not to be too hard on myself. I just had to try different things and figure out what worked.

"Looks like you decided to wander, huh?"

A very familier voice spoke from behind me, sparking something in my mind and heart. I whirled away from the scenic water and layed my eyes upon Logan.

He was standing at the shady treeline, the tall weeds hiding his feet and shins. The sleaves of his unbuttoned red flannel shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his masculine forearms. A tight black tank top hid his chest and torso, and the bright silver of the dogtags glinted against the black fabric. His snug, faded jeans were smudged with brown and green stains, most likely from dirt and grass.

As he approached me, I could see something strapped to his back. He held it up with a leather belt that rested over his left shoulder.

"Yea, I just needed to take a walk." I replied to him as I took a seat on the edge of the dock, my long slender legs dangling just above the sand, "How'd you find me?"

Logan lugged the pack on his back down to the ground, which turned out to be blocks of firewood. They were all stacked together neatly, like a game of Jenga. Two leather belts were wrapped around them, snuggly binding them together.

"I came out this way to get wood. Guess I didn't realize how far I went." Logan sat next to me on the dock, and made a face as he looked over at me, "Jesus, what the hell happened to your forehead?"

Instantly, my hand shot up to the bump on my forehead above my eyebrow. I felt the familier tenderness of a bruise forming. My face flushed as I glanced back over at Logan.

"I, uh, was trying to skip rocks." I explained meekly while kicking at the sand below my feet.

"With your face?" Logan said with a smirk, his voice cracking a little as he tried to hide his chuckles.

I furrowed my eyebrows a little as I shot him a glare.

"No, I was trying to do it with my telekinesis." I corrected him, "I just... couldn't get the stone to fly in the right direction."

I stared down at my feet as I admitted my problem, seeing Logan nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Aah..." He said in understanding, "You okay?"

"It's a little sore." I responded with a small shrug.

Logan suddenly stood back up, strolling out into the sand and bending down to scoop up stones.

"What are you doing, Logan?" I asked him, my voice full of curiosity.

"Well you mentioned skipping stones," Logan replied as he took a stance, then flung one of the stones out toward the water with his right hand, "I wanted to see if I was still any good."

I followed the stone as it skidded across the calm circles of the water, finally plunking under after the sixth skip. The water rippled, then calmed again as if nothing had ever disturbed it.

"Pretty good." I said to Logan with a grin.

He turned to me, squinting in the sunlight, and waved me into his direction. "Let's see what you got."

My mouth fell open a little as I stammered for a response. I felt my bashfulness taking over, not wanting to make a fool of myself in front of Logan.

"I already tried, remember?" I reminded him while pointing to the small bruised bump above my left eyebrow.

"That was with your mind." He countered, flinging another stone out across the water, "I'm talking about the old fashioned way, like this."

I reached up and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, staring at Logan as he tried to coax me over to him, holding a handful of stones out toward me.

"I... never really learned how."

"I'll teach you.

I paused, thinking up any other excuse, but my mind drew a blank. With a sigh, I pushed myself off the dock and headed toward Logan. My Converse cut off tennis shoes left prints in the damp sand as I got closer.

"Okay, take these," Logan instructed me, placing three flat, smooth rocks into my palm. "Now hold one of them like this. Yep, like that. Now fling it."

I nodded and followed his directions, flinging the stone toward the water, but it didn't feel right. The stone just sailed through the air, hitting the surface of the water with a hollow splash.

I tried again with the same result, holding only one stone in my hand now. I shrugged my shoulders and held it out for Logan to take.

"Told you." I said to him, but he didn't take the stone back.

Instead, he raised an eyebrow as I blinked up at him. Then, he moved behind me, catching me completely off guard.

"What are-" I began to question him, but my voice froze as I felt his hand reach out and grasp my wrist.

"Look, this is how you do it." Logan's low, raspy voice mumbled as he lifted my arm into form, "You're putting too much energy into it. It should feel natural."

My heart pounded as I focused on his arms brushing against mine, the masculine hair feeling bristly against my smooth, porcelain skin.

He guided my hand back, then flung it forward, my wrist still clasped in his strong hand.

"Let go." He told me at the last second, and I did.

The stone soared in a straight line, satisfyingly skipping three times across the water. I turned around and smiled up at Logan's attractive, maturely aged face.

"Thanks." I said in a soft, sincere voice.

But as I gazed up into his eyes, I felt my face fall sullen, remembering how I'd seen him get shot several times at close range the night before. He had no marks on his face what so ever, and I assumed his chest and torso were the same... The crumpled bullets had just wiggled from his skin and fallen to the floor...

"Anabelle?" Logan said my name, raising an eyebrow and searching my eyes, "You okay?"

I blinked a few times, realizing I had been staring for just a little too long. I turned away and looked at the water.

"Um, yea," I replied as I kicked a round pebble through the sand, "I was just thinking... about..."

Logan stared down at me, looking a little confused and waiting for an answer. I sighed, knowing I couldn't think of lie fast enough that would make sense.

"... I saw you get shot last night..." I confessed softly, "The bullets, they just... I mean... I'm just confused."

I walked to the edge of the lake, the toes of my shoes inching into the clear water. I lifted my thumb to my lips and nervously chewed on my nail.

Now I was waiting for Logan's response, terrified that I crossed a line somehow, even though I hadn't said much.

I heard Logan's footsteps slowly thudding in the sand behind me, and suddenly he was standing next to me. He reached up and ran his hand through his dark, wavy hair, then held it up in front of him.

I flinched at the sudden metallic sound of Logan drawing the claws from between his knuckles. I gulped lightly as I turned my eyes to look at them.

The razor sharp blades glinted in the sun, just like his dogtags had when I first saw him.

"It's just a part of me." Logan finally spoke up.

My eyes trailed to his face, but his were still glued to the claws, looking a bit distant. His thick, dark eyebrows furrowed just a little bit.

I was still confused, and as Logan lowered his eyes to mine, I knew he could tell. He sighed, shifting his weight a bit.

"The metal that these claws are made of..." Logan tried to explain, holding up his claws and seeming to search for his words, "... Covers my whole skeleton. It keeps things like bullets from... well... from killing me."

I blinked a few times, thinking this over.

"But... I've always had this weird ability to heal." He went on, quickly withdrawing his claws out of sight. "Things have happened to me that should have killed me, Anabelle."

That comment chilled me to the bone as I thought about what else could have happened to him, besides being shot. A few rocks around my feet levitated from the sand as gruesome images involuntarily flashed through my mind.

When I remembered how the bullets had struck Logan in the head, shoulder, and chest, jolting each body part backwards, one of the rocks snapped forward, skidding across the water and causing a small wake around it.

It startled me a little bit, and I gasped, which caused the other pebbles to jet forward and splash into the water, as well.

Logan's eyes studied me, then looked out into the water where the rocks had made a splash. "It's really sensitive, huh?"

I nodded and crossed my arms uncomfortably.

"Yea..." I mumbled, "It never works the way I want it to."

It was quiet again for a moment before Logan bent down once more and picked up another flat stone. He tossed it straight up and caught it a few times, earning a puzzled look from me.

Logan simply flashed me a half smile, holding his palm out flat and letting the small stone rest ontop of it.

"Wanna try one more time before we head back?" He asked me, a tempting wiggle to his brows.

I reached for the rock, but Logan withdrew his hand a bit. I looked up at him quizically.

"With your mind." He clarified, before moving his hand closer again.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" I asked Logan as I propped one hand on my hip and used the other to point at my forehead, "I don't want you to end up with a black eye or a busted tooth, or something."

"Hey," Logan said through the curved lip of a smile, "I just told you I heal fast, remember? Plus... You can do it."

I stared at the rock, then at Logan, my eyes full of uncertainty. But as he nodded at me, pushing me to try just one more time, I found a little courage deep in the pit of my stomach.

Taking a few deep breaths, I focused on the stone in Logan's hand, trying to accumulate the right amount of energy and pressure inside my head.

When I noticed the stone start to vibrate, I got nervous. I chewed my bottom lip, picturing the whip again.

I clamped my eyes shut, feeling the time was right, and imagined the end of the whip snapping crisply... And shortly after, the skipping sound of the stone bouncing across the water's surface.

I gasped and my eyes snapped open. Logan's palm was empty, and as he lowered his hand to his side, my smile beamed up at him.

"See?" He asked, grinning right back at me, "Told you you could do it."

xxxTBCxxx