Halo

Chapter 8

"What the hell?"

Hearing Father José curse would have been shockingly hysterical in any other circumstances save this one. I stared down at Donny's prone figure and hoped he hadn't damaged anything vital. Then again if he had, maybe I would only be to an advantage.

"Great" I sighed then turned to gauge Rachel's reaction. She had dropped her ass onto the chair at the table. She was now eye to eye with her sister, Lisa Matthews.

I shook my head at the shell shocked look on her face. This just kept getting better and better. I certainly knew how to dig myself a hole. I threw Father José an apologetic look. This was afterall a result of poor miscalculation on my part.

I should have known the solution was not that easy.

"So ....," I said trying to break the loud silence. Then a high pitched tiny voice let loose a string of curses that would have blistered any grown mans ears. I turned to see the faces of both Rachel and Father José. Nada. Zilch. Not a sign of them having heard any of it at all. Seemed I was the only one still cursed in being able to hear the chit.

"Look you do mind cutting down on the cursing?" I leaned over close to say under my breath. She blinked her blue eyes at me before uttering a snarl. An outright snarl of all things. Seriously?

I drew back in shock. I mean I could understand all this might be a little much to take but I was one of the good guys.

I shook my head disapprovingly at her.

"Do something," I said through my teeth.

"Who me?" said Father José.

"Yes, you. Make this all go away," I said thinking seriously that the baddies may have won this round afterall, If they managed to saddle me with this... with this..

"I don't like it when you talk over me as if I am not here," Lisa gritted out angrily.

"Wha...what is she saying?" Rachel asked in growing awe. I was glad her shock had worn off. It had been starting to irk.

"Shall I? Shall I tell your sister what you have just been saying?" I asked Lisa. She glanced at me stubbornly first before sighing. She shook her head mutely.

"I didn't think so," I muttered softly.

I merely shrugged my shoulders.

"Why ..why is she that size?" Rachel asked calmly. Too calmly. I shot her a worried look. A calm like that usually preceeded a storm. An outright thunder and lightning downpour.

"I think Father José is best placed to answer that," I was quick to say. There was no way I would be the one divulging anything.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Father José muttered mildly as if what he had to disclose was not monumental to the very fabric of space time continuum.

And it wasn't. Not really. Not if we continued to battle on and maintain the peace. I didn't really know how much longer that will be. The devil is as you know in the details and there has been plenty of that going around lately.

I tilted my head to the side to ponder. There has never been any real reason for secrecy. Only that it hex always been difficult to explain and then there was the paranoid who would just turn it all back against us. I contemplated this situation and every instinct was telling me to let them in. The needed to know. Not just Rachel or Lisa, but the Matthews. The whole lot of them. There was something about them that was relevant to this. I didn't place great stock in fate but,  if I did, I was sure fate was out to tell me something. Something about the Matthews.

I took a deep look at Rachel then nodded my head and said to Father José , "Just tell her."

Father Jose sighed again this time starting to shake his head no doubt in disagreement. I just knew he was going to find an excuse not to but I was not having it. Not this time. There was an urgency within me that said the Matthews needed to be told and told now.

"You're right," I said interrupting Father José just as he opened his mouth to sprout his excuses. "We can't tell them yet. We should only say it once. Best to do it once all of the Matthews are here."

I moved around towards the vase of flowers on the table ignoring Father José' s flabbergasted look. Father José had many a fetish and one of them was fresh flowers. I grabbed the vase and pulled out the stalks to empty the watery contents on the prone Donny.

"I suggest you take my car and drive to your home then bring your family back here. I would have you all hear this. But only this once," I said simply, staring earnestly at Rachel.

She held my gaze questioningly before finally nodding.

"And take Donny here with you," I said just as Donny started to stir.

I watched as Father José took over then ushering them out the door telling them to hurry.

I turned back to Lisa then and said succinctly," You and I, we have to talk."

I had a feeling she knew more than she was letting on. My gut has never been wrong before so I was going to have her spill it out. Afterall there was no way she could not. Not when I had her exactly where I wanted her. In the palm of my hands.