Loud thunder sounded like a shooting cannon, echoing in the sky.
Someone with little, warm fingers held his hand and Ryan moved his head. He felt his feet, heavy with the boots on them. He tightened his grip and opened his eyes. Shantel sat beside him and smiled, pulling his hand closer to her chest.
"Hi," she said.
"You're awake," said Mr. Ross, walking to him. "Ready to go home?"
The rain poured outside and the thunder rolled. Mr. Ross covered Ryan with his coat. Ms. Wentworth helped him walk to the car and guided him in the front seat.
"Don't let a little thing like lightning stop you from visiting again," she said sweetly. "Have a good night, Ryan. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Ross."
"You too. You can call me, Jack."
"Okay, Jack. I'm Sylvia."
"Thanks for dinner, Sylvia. Bye."
She closed the passenger door with a smile and Mr. Ross hopped in the car, raving about her homemade, beef brisket, potato wedges and coleslaw. Ryan blinked, listening to him, but didn't hear what he said.
---
The next morning, Shantel found Ryan at his locker.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Okay and you?"
"I've been better."
"Do you want me to come over and help you make an appointment for that . . . hemjow?"
"Not today," she said.
"Okay."
Shantel walked to Homeroom and Ryan closed his locker. He followed her and stopped, reading a white notice taped to the wall:
Attention students and faculty,
Aurora Police apprehended the school intruder. We have no further information. Police confiscated the school papers he copied.
Thank you,
Principal Pearson
---
At the school cafeteria, Ryan ate a chicken-salad sandwich slowly at a table with Sloan, Jamal and Pablo. Troy sat with Shantel and grimaced at Ryan.
"Almost getting struck by lightning's bad," said Jamal.
"That thing's on him again," said Sloan.
"It's out for blood," said Pablo.
"I'm taking care of it," said Ryan.
"That's good," said Pablo.
"Shantel coolin' off," said Sloan.
"Maybe she doesn't want me to visit anymore," said Ryan.
"Did she say she didn't want you to visit anymore?" asked Jamal.
"No. I'll try something else," said Ryan.
"Are her sisters young, bro?" asked Pablo.
"No, they both go to Londwell," said Ryan.
"Figures. I was hoping you'd hook me up."
"Ask her out somewhere else and see what she says," said Sloan. "Then you'll know."
---
Mr. Ross dropped Ryan off at a big driveway in front of Sloan's green house.
Mrs. Olsen scooped hot brownies out of a pan on the stove and placed them on a plate. She poured milk into two glasses on the kitchen table and slid the plate in-between. Then she slipped a frozen pizza in the oven.
"Dinner will be ready soon, boys," she said. "Sloan, take Ryan in the garage. It'll give him courage to sing louder. Your dad's working late today."
Sloan set up two patio chairs in the garage.
"'Clocker' is a Hard Rock song and you have to work up to it. Try this one. It's more like Rock." He played "Who I Am" by Dar Tenian on a smartphone.
"Your parents bought you a phone?" asked Ryan.
"No, this is my mom's. I have to wait 'til I'm sixteen."
"So do I."
Ryan sang, "Who I Am" taking breaths in-between.
"Close, but you're not controlling your air," said Sloan. "Here, sing Acapella." Sloan handed him the phone with the lyrics on the screen. "You know it."
"Now I'll really listen to myself."
"You have to learn to ignore yourself like the song is more important."
"Okay." Ryan sang "Who I Am" with no music.
"That was Rock-y," said Sloan. "And rocky. You need to hit that high note. Adam Dar Tenian sings really high."
"I don't think I can do it."
"You can't let the mimlock win."
"Does your mom know anyone at her school in Chicago that sings Hard Rock?"
"No. But there's a local, Pop Rock band that plays there a lot. I forgot their name, but they're playing at the homecoming dance."
"I'm not going to be able to sing 'Who I Am' in a month. I have to get rid of the mimlock with Eljorian and put up with the banelor."
"I have an idea," said Sloan. "Message Counselor Jones in a month for the mimlock and we'll find someone at Davis High to dance the banelor off."
"That person has to be an angelkin."
"It's worth a try," said Sloan.
---
Ryan sat beside Mr. Olsen at Sloan's desk in his room.
"Thanks for staying, Ryan," said Mr. Olsen. "He appreciates the moral support." Sloan turned his tablet on and waited.
"I'm kind 'a nervous," said Sloan.
"You'll do fine," said Mr. Olsen.
In a few minutes, Counselor Richardson messaged Sloan and he accepted.
A window opened and a handsome man with dark hair, eyes and skin smiled at Sloan wearing a blue, sports jacket and a white shirt. He sat at a desk in what looked like an office.
"Hi, Sloan. I'm Counselor, Tyler Richardson, founding member of Eljorian and a Marble Angelkin of the Okehawk Phylum. It's eight pm here in New York and I think it's seven pm there - correct?"
"It is," said Sloan.
"Perfect. In the audition request, you wrote that the questionnaire placed you in the Okehawk Phylum. Am I right?"
"Yes," said Sloan.
"And is that your dad?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Olsen?"
"Yes," he said.
"Welcome," said Counselor Richardson. "And is that your friend - brother?"
"Friend," said Sloan. "This is Ryan."
"Hi, Ryan," he said. "First, I need to see Sloan, if you are an angelkin. If you're not, you can't audition. Any questions?"
"No," said Sloan.
"I see auras very well. I'm going to sing 'Sunset Strip' by Guy Strand. Your aura should glow bluish. If I don't see your aura shine, you're not an angelkin. If it shines a different color, you're from a different phylum. But you need to audition for a different counselor with a different song. Okay?"
"Got it," said Sloan.
"I have something called a jema." He held up a little, battery-operated lamp shaped like an angel. It's sound-activated and lights up in different colors. You need to make it shine royal blue for the phantic and it has to stay that way. Otherwise, it just blinks. Are we good?"
"Yes," said Sloan.
Counselor Richardson sang the Pop Rock song "Sunset Strip", sounding fantastic. Sloan nodded and Ryan like his voice. He stopped singing and smiled.
"Sloan, your aura turned blue. You're an angelkin of the Okehawk Phylum. Congrats."
Sloan pumped the air with his fist.
"You chose a Pop Rock song. Now, I'll let you sing it, but if the jema blinks navy blue or indigo blue, you don't need your back up song, you need a song in a different style. Understand?"
"Yes."
"The others are Soft Rock and Soul."
"Okay."
"Did my aura change at all?" asked Mr. Olsen.
"No, I'm sorry," said Counselor Richardson.
"Uh, your dad's a dud, Sloan-man," he said.
"Dad, stop," said Sloan.
"Okay," said Counselor Richardson. "When you sing 'Do Tell' by Charm Breed, remember, it's not the song, it's how you sing it."
"Okay," said Sloan.
"Alright, whenever you're ready."
Sloan hesitated a moment and sang "Do Tell" Acapella and Counselor Richardson listened with a grin. Sloan finished with an extra note at the end.
The jema blinked a royal-blue light and went out.
"Nice job, Sloan. You did well. But that performance won't banish a phantic. Try 'Way Sayer' by The Event."
Sloan sang "Way Sayer" and in the middle of the performance, the lower bottom of the angel lamp shined in the color, royal blue, lasting throughout the rest of the song.
"You did it, Sloan. That performance will banish a phantic. If you want a part-time job as a house angelkin, it's yours."
"I want the job," said Sloan.
"Great. I'll message you tomorrow with more information," said Counselor Richardson.
"Thanks," said Sloan.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Sloan. Good night, Mr. Olsen and Ryan. Have a great evening," he said and ended the appointment.
"Congratulations, Sloan-man. I'm telling your mom." Mr. Olsen went in the hallway.
"Wow," said Sloan. "That was close."
"You did it. You sounded good," said Ryan.
"You sound good too," said Sloan. "Want to practice tomorrow?"
"Okay, yeah."
"What about Shantel?" asked Sloan.
"I don't want her hemjow to punch me in the face."
"You told her about the website. Maybe she'll get rid of it."
"I wish I could talk to her about it in my room," said Ryan.
"So the hemjow can hurt you there?"
"I don't know."
---
Ryan rushed into Homeroom and sat down.
"Hi, Ryan," said Shantel. "Skyler's making an early dinner tonight if you want to come over."
"Thanks, but I'm going to Sloan's tonight. He's teaching me how to sing."
"That's great."
"We're going to a dance at Davis High in Chicago, Friday. Want to go with me?"
"I can't, but I can meet you at Bean Gene's for lunch on Saturday."
"Downtown?"
"Yeah, Sigourney works there."
"Okay."
---
Mr. Olsen drove Sloan and Ryan to Davis High in Chicago.
"Alright, I'll pick you angel kids up after," he said. "Try not to kill too many devils."
"Real funny, Dad," said Sloan.
---
Sloan and Ryan walked through the front, double doors wearing blue, dress shirts and black pants.
A handmade poster for "Stars In The Twilight Dance with Fortune Five" hung on the wall.
Sloan read it. "I knew they were playing."
They went into an enormous gymasium with silvery stars and golden moons made of shiny paper hanging on the walls.
"Full Rum" by Rhyme Sign blasted from the speakers in the back where a guy with a baseball cap stood, spinning the track on a turntable.
"That's Shawn Woods," said Ryan.
"The guy Grace is dating?"
"Yeah and that's . . . Grace?" Grace wore a tight, pink dress with her hair straightened in a ponytail down her back. She walked behind Shawn and hung on him like a backpack. "My dad took her to the mall and he thinks she's there now."
"And he thinks you're at my house," said Sloan.
An older man, wearing a brown, sports jacket and a blue best approached them, holding up a clipboard.
"Names?"
"We don't actually go to school here," said Sloan. "My mother works in the music department."
"I don't care if your grandma bakes cookies in the cafeteria kitchen. Names?"
"My name is Sloan Olsen. This is Ryan Ross."
"Lovely." He wrote on a paper on the board with a pen. "You can't eat or drink at the dance. Beverages and snacks are in the corridor near the restrooms. That way." He pointed out the side doors with the pen and walked away.
"Thanks," said Sloan.
"Yeah, thanks Mr. Congeniality," said Ryan.
Ryan followed Sloan to the middle of the gym and Sloan danced like a bobblehead doll.
"What the hell is that?" said Ryan.
"That's all the moves I got."
Ryan slid his feet across the floor, moving in waves and a boy nearby copied him. Sloan slid around the floor in different directions, but he looked like a skier on ice.
"Put your back into it," said Ryan.
Sloan danced the same way, but faster.
Grace danced in front of the DJ table, flipping her head around and her ponytail whirled.
Ryan left Sloan there and sneaked up to her. She danced athletically, oblivious to anyone else.
Ryan breathed out of his lungs heavily like he dropped a barbell and realized his sister or rather, cousin banished the banelor.
He found Sloan. "We did it. My sister got rid of it."
"That fast?"
"Yeah. She must be an angelkin too," said Ryan.
"Are you going to tell her?" asked Sloan.
"I'll talk to her later. Let's get a drink."
Young women dressed in satin gowns and young men dressed in black suits and ties crowded the corridor, drinking from bottles of water and cans of soda.
Ryan pushed his way through the crowd and snatched two cans of orange soda from a giant cooler on a card table.
Dolores Weaver placed bags of chips, crackers and pretzels on the table, filling the cooler with ice from a bag on the floor.
"Hi, Dolores," said Ryan. "Nice to see you."
"Ryan, how have you been?" she asked. "How's your dad?"
"He's fine. So, do you work here now?"
"Yes. I'm a server in the cafeteria kitchen."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, but the pay could be better."
"It'll get better," said Ryan
Sloan took a bag of chips and one of crackers.
"Hi, dear. You and Ryan have to eat that here. The trash is over there."
"Thank you," said Sloan, eating the chips.
Ryan took the bag of crackers and a burly man stood in the corridor wearing a dark-blue suit. He smiled at Ryan fiendishly.