Angel (or is it Maria?)

Chapter Eight

Silence rang through the house for a moment. Maria could feel the sweat dripping down her neck.

"Then I will," said Ms. Lane firmly. Then she continued, "But keep in mind, I have the advantages . . ."

"What? Advantages?" her mother looked around distractedly.

"Yes, of course . . . One, Angel's on my side, two, I'm a fire demon . . . thanks to you . . . three . . ."

Ms. Lane never got to finish her sentence, for at that moment Ms. Maxwell let out a roar and leapt up at Maria's adoptive mother. But Ms. Lane was quicker: she held up her hands and a purple, misty shield appeared. Then a slimy green substance oozed out of the other side, knocking Ms. Maxwell off her feet and carrying her to the door. But she quickly regained her balance and was on her feet once more. Red light burst out of her hands as she ran at Ms. Lane once more. With an exaggerated yawn, Ms. Lane held out her other hand and a beam of green light streamed into the red and it and burst with a large SPLAT.

Ms. Maxwell appeared to have a frightened look in her eyes, and she took a few steps back. "I don't give up that . . ." --she whirled around with a grin-- ". . .EASY!" Yellow balls of lightning appeared in her hands and she heaved them, one after one, at Ms. Lane, reappearing rapidly in her fingers just as soon as they were gone.

They hit Ms. Lane with much force, as he seemed to seizure each time she was struck, as though she were being hit by lightning. But then, letting out a groan, an opaque bubble appeared around Ms. Lane as well as Maria (or was it Angel?), and Ms. Lane stood up, furious.

"Stand back, Angel . . ." she said quietly.

"Why, what are you--"

Ms. Lane burst into flames with a sound like someone exhaling (or perhaps bursting into flames.) Her skin reddened. Her nose and ears elongated. Her clothes ripped. Her fingers turned into sharp, red claws, long and thin as pencils. Her hair became like fire, and Maria could see her eyes, now red, alight with flame--both literally and figuratively.

"Ready to play?" she asked in a scratchy voice. Balls of fire formed in her long fingers, and she raised her arm above her head, ready to throw.

POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!

Maria and Ms. Lane gasped in unison.

Extra arms and legs had sprouted all over Ms. Maxwell's body. Her hands clawed around her and her feet scuttled along the ground. She smiled evilly and her eyes narrowed with glee. "You're not the only one with a secret, Diana," she said sweetly, in a singsong tone.

"What . . . the . . . heck . . ." Maria (or was it Angel?) gasped under her breath.

"A quinquagularian," Ms. Lane said calmly, acknowledging. "I see. But still . . . you're no match for me and Angel."

Maria's heart swelled with pride at the mention of her name, but then it dropped again. Knowing how to do only one spell, how much help could she really be? Moral support, she told herself. But just then, Ms. Maxwell leapt onto Ms. Lane with a--was it a laugh Maria heard?!

"You'll never get Maria. I'll kill you!" Ms. Maxwell cried, enraged, as the two wrestled each other, rolling on the floor, over and over and over again. Flame engulfed them. Hands and legs were everywhere. They were no more than a blur.

Then, all of a sudden, Ms. Lane was able to entangled herself from the grasps of Ms. Maxwell's many limbs. She spread her arms wide. "Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh!"

PWAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFFFFF!

A bubble of fire surrounded them.

With a loud CRACK Ms. Maxwell no longer had any more than two arms and two legs, and with a cry, she fell back to the ground. "Noooo!" she shouted.

Then, with a sound like a balloon deflating, Ms. Lane lost her fire and she returned to her normal state. "Do you give in?" she asked kindly.

For a moment, Ms. Maxwell avoided her question. Then, at last, shaking her fist in anger, she retorted furiously, "I WILL BE BACK!"

"Actually . . ." said Ms. Lane slyly, "You won't be back."

"What?" Ms. Maxwell snapped.

BANG! The door flew open. "Come out with your hands up!" came the yell of an unfamiliar voice. Maria turned; standing in the doorway were dozens of police officers and government officials. And standing right in the middle of them stood a man Maria recognized as . . . her father?! She gaped at them--it was her father!

"Maxwell," he said smoothly, with anger. "You're under arrest."

Maria's mother just stared at him. Then, finally, she whispered, "D-David?" Tears pricked at her eyes.

He strode over her with seemingly no emotions at all. 'That's right, Elena." he said curtly, strapping big, heavy-looking black gloves with chains attached to them onto her hands. She sniffed as her pulled her up by the chains.

"Don't--don't take me," she pleaded with him. "Please! H-haven't I always been good to you--we could have gotten married--I, I didn't mean it, you know! I'm reformed, you see, I let myself loose because I thought you knew it--"

"We would have gotten married if Ms. Lane here hadn't warned me about you," Maria's father said gruffly. "And you were not reformed . . . I suspected as much, and now I can see that I was correct."

"B-but . . . you can't take me. You love me!" she whined.

"Loved you," he corrected her. "And now you're going back to that prison--forever. You will not be set free, ever again."

And he dragged her out the door, all the cops and government workers following warily. Maria (or was it Angel?) stared at them as her mother was loaded into a police car and followed by the rest of the troop. Then, they disappeared, down the road and out of sight.