First Estate

"What's it the name of?" I asked her. "And what does this have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there. It's the name of a race of people. They were the result of the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. Do you know what that means?"

"No, I could make a guess. Is it male angels and human women?"

"You've got it."

"This is starting to sound pretty much like myths and legends to me," I told her. "What are you trying to say?"

"I can't just tell you. I want to show you something. Come down to your car with me."

I followed her downstairs and we walked out to the car. She took me around to the front of it. She looked around and we were alone in the parking lot.

"Pick it up," she told me.

"Pick what up, the car?"

"Yes, the car," she said.

"Are you crazy? What's going on, Mom? I can't lift this car."

"How do you know?" she asked. "Humor me and try."

She went around to the back. I decided to play along. I took hold of the bumper and gave it a pull. It weighed a ton.

"I can't do it," I called.

"Come on, pussy," she said. "Put a little effort into it. Show Mom how strong you are."

I flexed a little and pulled again. I really tried this time. I felt it rise on its springs and the full weight came down on my arms. It weighed ten tons. I kept lifting and to my amazement, the car kept rising. It was heavy, damned heavy, but I could do it. I was very surprised when I felt the back end rise from the ground. I looked back over the roof and saw that Mom was holding up the back end. I nearly dropped it.

"Carry it over to the next parking place," she said.

We carried it over there and it felt like my arms were going to fall off. We sat it down and I felt two feet shorter.

Mom straightened up with a sigh. Suddenly she was standing next to me. My jaw dropped. I couldn't speak.

"What the hell?" I finally got out.

"There are three of us left on earth," she told me, "me, you and your father. He's evil, Parker. I thought he had changed. I was wrong. He betrayed me and I tried to kill him. He got away and I haven't heard from him since. I hope I never see him again because when I do, he's either going to kill me or I'm going to kill him. I hope you never see him. If you do, you'll meet the most dangerous thing you've ever met."

"Jesus, Mom. Why don't you just tell me I'm from the Planet Freak and you have a spaceship?"

"Because that would be a lie. I've never lied to you, Parker. I never will. We can do things other people can't. Haven't you ever wondered why I looked so much younger than all the mothers of the kids you grew up with? It's because I don't age."

It was true. She looked about 25 and she had looked like that all my life. I had never thought about it; she was just Mom.

"Somewhere back down the line, we've got angel blood in us. It was fallen angel blood, but it gives us abilities. God was so afraid of us that he destroyed the earth to get rid of us. Some of us didn't die. Some are in prison and there's just the three of us left. You're a good man, Parker. As long as you stay good, you're safe. If you start doing evil stuff, angels will hunt you down and kill you. You're stronger than some of them, but there are millions of them and they'll get you eventually. They may have gotten your father. I hope they have. If you have kids with a human, they'll be like you. That's why you can do what you call 'teleport.'"

"Stop, please, Mom. I need that beer. Let's go back up to your room. Can you just fly there?"

"I could, but I'm not suicidal today. Never do that to somewhere you can't see. You'll miscalculate and wind up in a wall. Angels can do that but you can't. Wind up in a wall and you're toast."

"Okay, we'll go the old fashioned way. You've got to teach me how to do that when I want to. I didn't even know I could until Monday."

We went back upstairs and polished off a six-pack. I don't drink much and I was feeling no pain. I felt a little better about what she was telling me. Her little demonstration was convincing, but I had trouble wrapping my head around it. I asked her about exactly what I could do. It turned out that I could teleport across the room, lift small objects without touching them, reduce my mass nearly to zero or become incredibly heavy. I couldn't think of a use for the heavy thing. I could also sense what the people in the next room were doing and thinking. It was embarrassing and I quickly shut that down. We fell asleep on the sofa and when I woke up Mom was in the shower.

I ordered breakfast and when she came in, I showered, too. We hung out Friday and she told me about our history. She flew back home in the evening. I didn't know what to do with myself. Everything seemed weird. It was like I had this whole new body. Things that had bothered me all my life became clear and I had a new perspective. Saturday, I worried about my date with Sagan. This seemed like quite a bomb to drop on a girl on the first date. I really was attracted to her and I didn't want to scare her away. I didn't want to base our relationship on lying about who I was either. I didn't know what to do. I went to church and sat in a pew for an hour, just running things over in my mind. I decided honesty was the best policy. I was fine before I met her and I would be fine if she thought I was a nut. I told myself that, but I didn't believe it.

I picked her up at six, and Boston came out to the car with her. She leaned in and kissed me. "Take good care of her, Parker. I love Sagan and I don't want her to be hurt."

"I'll do my best," I told her. "Listen, Boston. I found out how I was able to save you girls. If you ask Sagan about it tomorrow, she'll know, too. I hope you still like me. You said you would love me forever and I hope that won't change."

"It won't, Parker. I know you're really Superman. Have fun. I can't wait to hear about it."

Sagan climbed in and she was stunning. She had on one of those little black dresses and red heels that made her legs look very long and gorgeous. Her hair was twisted up in a messy knot and I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet.

We went to a restaurant down on the river. We ate and talked and laughed. She was utterly charming and when we finished I took her to a club and we danced for an hour or so. I saw all the guys in the club checking her out. She was easily the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I have a houseboat down on the lake and I took her down and gave her the tour. We sat on a sofa on top of the cabin and drank a glass of wine. I put my arm around her and she snuggled in.

"Sagan, I have to tell you that I really, really like you. You're unbelievably gorgeous and sweet and charming. Why is it that you aren't married, or at least have some guy crazy about you?"

"I've had boyfriends, but none of them really did it for me. It has something to do with Boston, but I'm not going to tell you about that right now. Maybe someday she'll tell you."

"I have something to tell you." I said.

"What is it?"

"Well, Mom flew into town and we had a long talk. I told her what happened when I met you and what Boston said about teleporting."

"What did she say?"

"Well, this is really weird and I don't want to tell you. I really like you, Sagan. I've never met a girl like you before and I don't want to mess it up."

"Are you a criminal or something?" She laughed.

"No, but if I wanted to be I would be awesome at it."

"Why do you say that? Just tell me, Parker. I won't freak out."

"I can't tell you, I'll have to show you."

I figured it would be easier to just show her like Mom did me so I pulled her up and walked her down to the car.

"Watch this," I told her.

I bent down and picked it up. It was parked on the grass and I got a surprise when my feet sunk down in the soft dirt to the ankles. I held it for a minute then set it down.

Sagan gasped when I picked it up and she just stared at me when I straightened up and shook the dirt off my shoes.

"Jesus, Parker. I've never heard of anyone that could do that. Boston was right; you are Superman. I guess you're finding out how strong you really are."

"Wait there for a minute," I told her.

I walked about 50 feet away from her. I concentrated and suddenly I was standing in front of her. She was obviously very frightened and began to back away, her hands warding me off.

"Parker, please! Please don't hurt me. I won't tell anyone."

That broke my heart. I sat down on the hood of the car and cried like a baby. I couldn't help myself. All those years of hiding and concealing myself from people washed over me like a flood. Here was the girl I had finally found that I really liked and showed myself to and she was scared to death of me. She thought I was going to hurt her. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.

I felt a hand on my hands. I looked up and she was standing in front of me. I could tell she was still scared, but she tangled her hands in my hair and kissed my forehead. There were tears in her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry, Parker. You scared me. You didn't deserve that. You saved my life and I don't think you'd hurt me. You saved Boston, too. I was just scared. Please forgive me and stop crying. I won't do it anymore. I told you I wouldn't freak out and I did. I'm truly sorry. I trust you. Let's go back to the boat and sit down."

She took my hand and pulled on it. She led me back to the sofa and we sat down like before with her cheek on my chest.

She looked up at me and patted my cheek. "What are you, Parker? Are you a witch or a vampire or something?"

I laughed. "No, no; nothing like that. I'm not evil, Sagan. I'm the same guy I've always been, I just found out some stuff from Mom. I couldn't just tell you; you would have thought I was crazy or something. I had to show you so you would believe me."

"What did your Mom tell you?"

"She told me that I'm something called a Nephilim."

"What's a Nephilim?"

"That's what I asked her. She said it's a Bible word for a race of people that are the children of male angels and female humans. She's one, too. She lifted up the back of my car and we carried it over to the next parking place. She can teleport like that, too, only a lot better than I can."

"Jesus Christ, Parker, you're an angel?"

"No; just like half or something. I don't know how it all works but Mom says if you have angel blood you can pass it down to your kids, too. They'll be Nephilim, too. She says that there are only three of us left on earth."

"Who's the other one?"

"It's my father. I never knew who he was. She never told me and I didn't want to ask. She says he's evil and I guess I believe her. She's never lied to me and she's a very good person so I guess he must be. She said he might be dead. If someone like me turns evil the real angels hunt them down and kill them or put them in some kind of angel prison."

She sat up and looked at me. She felt my hair and ran her fingers over my face.

"You don't feel any different than anyone else. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would think you were crazy. Can you pick me up?"

I held out one arm and she wrapped her arms around it. I lifted her easily off the sofa and when I sat her back down, I put her in my lap. She wiggled around and got comfortable.

"I'm going to trust you, Parker. I really like you, too. Do you think you might be interested in a human girl?"

"Apparently, my ancestors have shown we have a weakness there. 'The sons of God looked upon the daughters of men and saw that they were fair.' I think you're a whole lot better than fair, Sagan. You're gorgeous. Would you mind if I kissed you?"

She lifted her face to me and I tasted her lips. She tasted like wine and a little salt from her tears earlier. We made out for five minutes. She finally pulled away and nuzzled her cheek back into my chest and we watched the play of the lights on the lake while I held her. It was one thirty, and I thought I should take her home.

"Sagan, will you go out with me again? I promise I won't have any surprises next time."

She looked up at me. "Yes, I will. How many girls have the chance to go out with an angel?"

"You can't tell anyone about this, please. Well, I promised Boston you would tell her, but I don't want to people looking at me as if I'm a freak. Do you think she'll think I'm creepy?"

"No, she'll think we should get married next week." She giggled. "Take me home, Parker. I'll go out with you next Saturday. Can we bring Boston here and take the boat out? Then we'll take her home and do something romantic, okay?"

"That sounds great so long as the weather is good. If not, we'll do something else."

I stood up and picked her up in my arms. I carried her to the rail then concentrated and we were standing by the car. She gasped and stiffened up a little in my arms.

"Jesus, Parker; warn me before you do that. You're going to make me have a heart attack."

I laughed and put her down. I opened the door and she slid in. I couldn't help myself; I just had to run my hand up one of those impossibly long legs. She gasped again when it reached her thigh and caught it in her hands.

"You feel amazing," I told her.

She pulled it up a little higher, pushing up the hem of her dress a little, pressing my hand into the silky thigh then slapped it gently.

"Take me home, Parker. You can feel more next time."

Chapter Three

I started doing little experiments. I was testing my abilities. I had to fly to Hong Kong on Tuesday and I discovered that the ability to sense what people were thinking and doing was a tremendous asset. I found out that one of my managers was mishandling funds, taking bribes and promoting people like it was his own little kingdom. I even found out where he kept the dirt and fired him. My boss was very pleased and I closed a big deal with an electronics giant to carry our phones. I could see just what they wanted and it was a sweet deal for both of us.

I started moving things with my mind and I walked the streets at night and practiced teleporting. I tried lifting things and discovered I could lift more than five tons but less than eight.

Sagan and Boston texted me every day and I talked to Sagan three times that week. She was off school on Christmas break and she invited me to her house for Christmas. I was a little nervous about meeting her parents but she assured me that they would love me so I agreed.

I shopped some in Hong Kong, picked up some things for the girls, and bought Mom some jade jewelry. She loves jade and I was happy to add to her collection. I got Boston a new iPad and one of the new iPods for their brother. I didn't know what to get their mom and dad, so I called Sagan. She didn't want me to get them anything, but I insisted and she told me what to get. I knew what I wanted to get her. I made an appointment for her at a spa and sent a fashion designer from one of the high-end shops in town to her house to measure her. I told him he had an unlimited budget and I wanted her to be the best-dressed woman in Austin. I had to caution him against anything too risqué or outlandish as he went on and on over the phone.

"She's a college junior," I told him. "She's already smoking hot; just give her a look that doesn't change that. Whatever you do, if you suggest that she cut her hair I'm going to burn down your house, you got it?"

"Yes sir, you won't be disappointed," he told me.

She texted me and told me that he had made an appointment with her and the spa had called to confirm. She didn't know what was going on and I told her to just play along, I was getting her something for Christmas. She protested, but I didn't answer and she didn't mention it again.

I flew back to Austin on Friday and slept most of the day. I arranged to pick her and Boston up at ten on Saturday. The weather was nice, nearly seventy degrees, and I got the boat ready to go.

Boston came running out when she heard the Challenger rumble up and I got out to let her in. She gave me a big hug and I put her bag in the trunk. She climbed in and Sagan came out. She was wearing black slacks and a cream-colored sweater and she looked amazing. There was a rosy blush to her cheeks and she positively glowed. She kissed me, I put her bag in, and we drove down to the dock.

Boston chattered the whole way and when we got there, we got our stuff and she demanded that I carry her. I was happy to oblige and she whispered in my ear. "Parker, will you teleport us onto the boat please?"

I warned Sagan and popped us across. She squealed with delight and wanted to do it again. I promised I'd take her back to shore like that when we got back and she was happy. I let her drive as soon as we were clear of the dock and she sat on my lap and held the big wheel in her little hands. We ran up the lake for a ways to get away from the traffic, went up a long creek arm, and tied up.

It was even warmer than the day before and sunny, and the girls went down to the cabin, changed into swimsuits and lay in the sun. They were both very pale, but at this time of year, there wasn't much danger of sunburn. They had the most perfect skin. It was nearly translucent; the color of coffee with lots of cream. I suspected they could tan, but it couldn't improve the way they looked.

I'm kind of a deep tan color year round anyway, so I took off my shirt and joined them. I thought I would have a little fun and I reached out with my mind and pulled on the string holding Sagan's bikini top up. She was lying face down on a big fluffy towel. It began to slip untied and she sat up and quickly grabbed it. She tied it more firmly back as I chuckled to myself. She lay back down and I pulled it again. She shot back up and looked over at me. I pretended to have my eyes closed. She pulled it firm again and lay back down. The next time she didn't move and the string came untied, the strings on both sides fell down and the sides of her breasts were exposed as she lay face down on her towel.

She turned her face toward me and stuck out her tongue. I laughed and she closed her eyes and relaxed. In an hour, it was lunchtime and I got up and set the table. When the girls came in Sagan had on a t-shirt and I could tell right away that the bikini top was missing. I had fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, beer for Sagan and me and juice for Boston. They were quite satisfied with the food and after lunch we fished around the standing trees and the girls were delighted to catch several pan fish.

"If it was summer, I would take you water skiing," I told them. "Did you see the boat tied up next to this one? That's mine, too, and it's perfect for taking pretty girls skiing."

They had never been and I promised to teach them as soon as the water was warm enough. Boston drove back to the dock and her brother was there to pick her up. She was disappointed that I couldn't teleport her back to the dock, but I promised to pick her up Sunday afternoon and zip her around as much as she wanted.

Sagan and I sat on the benches on the front deck with my arm around her and relaxed for a while. It was still warm and we talked about work, school and family for a while. She stood up after she finished her beer and walked to the trash bin to throw the bottle away. When she came back, she straddled me with her knees on the cushion and flattened herself against my chest.

"This has been a great day, Parker."

"It's not over yet," I told her.

"I know. I just wanted to tell you how much I love the way you are with Boston. I love her more than anything, you know."

"I can tell. She's an incredible girl. I love her, too. I would want to be around her even if it weren't for you. She makes everyone around her happy."

She raised her head up to kiss me. Her lips molded to mine and I felt the tip of her tongue exploring. I let mine wrestle with it and her lips were full and puffy. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. She rubbed herself against me and I ran my hands up under her t-shirt and up the silky skin of her back. She was very slender, but I was fascinated with the way her narrow waist flared into her hips. I stroked that curve repeatedly. She shivered as I stroked her and her hands were busy exploring my chest. I moved my arms apart; forcing her shirt upward and she sat up and pulled it over her head.