Frozen Embers by D. S. Novis (room on the broom read aloud txt) 📖

took him by the arm and began escorting him from the room. He shook their hands off him and ran to Gabriel. He was now inches from Gabriel's face, his eyes wild. Gabriel could see the sweat on Brody’s forehead run down. He looked completely deranged.

“Why are there so many unanswerable questions surrounding you?” Brody searched Gabriel with his eyes desperately looking for a sign, as if the answers he was searching for were etched onto Gabriel’s face. “Maybe you’ll never tell me but I’m telling you now, I will find out what is going on here!”

The men grabbed Brody and almost catapulted him from the room. They shut the door and locked it. They both turned to the woman, awaiting further instructions.

The woman still wasn’t looking at Gabriel. She walked over to the mirror and closed the curtains that hung either side. Gabriel only now realised that it must be one of those two way mirrors that he’d seen on television. She then took the chair and dragged it over to the door. She mounted the chair and unplugged a wire that was connected to a camera that again Gabriel hadn't noticed. As she did so, a faint red light on the camera's front went out. She jumped down from the chair and with landing her mannerisms completely altered.

Her shoulders slumped, as though a great burden had been released, and she seemed to become more relaxed. She let out a long breathe, her uptight look vanishing. She reached up and took something out of her hair so it fell down her back. Then she took off her glasses and shoved them carelessly into her pocket.

She looked over at Gabriel for the first time and a smile that depicted absolute joy spread across her pretty face.

“Gabriel.” The woman whispered delighted, her voice cracking with the strain of emotions, and ran to him. Gabriel pulled back in surprise. She held him with pure adoration, seemingly not wanting to release him.

Reluctantly, she finally let go, turning to the ginger haired man. “Hurry up and get him out of these handcuffs.”

“Oh yes, of course.” The orange haired man smiled and hurried over to unlock the cuffs. Gabriel rubbed his wrists. They had gone red where the cuffs had rubbed.

“Look at the state of you. You’re covered in blood.” The woman said. She took a spotless tissue out of her pocket and began wiping away the blood from his face. Then she reached into her bag, delicately pulled out a thick black book and handed it to Gabriel.

The cover read 'Memories' in golden writing. Gabriel gawped at the book and then at the woman. His brain almost burnt trying to think through these implications. It was the book Molly had given Gabriel the night of the robbery. Gabriel had left it on the roof of the bank.

“Who are you people?” Gabriel asked, looking up through tear-filling eyes at the Agent.

It was only now she didn’t have her glasses on that Gabriel realized something. Just like the winged man on the rooftop of the bank, she too had an uncanny resemblance to Gabriel. The same blond hair. The same nose. The deep blue eyes. The same lips.

The ginger man opened the door, checking the coast outside.

"All clear."

"Okay Gabriel, we're going to leave now. Stick close to me." The woman said. Gabriel did as he was told, following the woman out of the interrogation room, out of the building and into the back of a met black car with tinted back windows. It was the kind of important, bulletproof looking car you'd see on the news transporting an Ambassador or the Prime Minister.

“Agent Jones," Gabriel felt an excited thrill rise threw his whole body as he felt the words he'd been fighting back bubble to the surface, "are you my mother?” He said the words with a shaky voice, no louder than a whisper.

The world seemed to stand still, the words hanging in the air between them, as he waited for her reply.

She smiled and stared passionately into his eyes, surely astounded too at their alikeness.

“No Gabriel, I am not your mother. I am your Aunt.”

“My Aunt?” Gabriel said surprised.

“Yes Gabriel, you are my nephew. Your mother was my sister.” A tear trickled down her cheek and she hugged him tightly again.

“And you’re an Agent for MI6?” Gabriel asked, confused.

“What?” she said puzzled, a small crease forming between her thin eyebrows. Then she looked down at herself.

“Oh!" she let out a chuckle. "No Gabriel I’m not an Agent. I’m an angel, just like you. My name is Bethany Hawks. This is Tim Fletcher.” She gestured to the ginger haired man. Next she pointed to the taller man. “This is Richard Preece. Pretending to be agents was the only way to get you out of here. And that's why we need to go now.”

"Well, Bethany," Gabriel spoke in a whisper. “Where are we going, Bethany?”

“We’re going home.” Bethany said with a smile.

  

 

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Publication Date: 07-24-2013

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