Dalton's Story Start --UBER LONG you are not obligated to read it all if you don't want, just tell me how far you got. Please and thank you

I woke up to find my pillow on fire . . . This was the start of the worst day ever. "Holly son of a crow!" I threw the cushion across the room only to have my curtains begin to flame and melt. "Help! Mom!" She came bolting in with Hugh right behind her.
"What the hell is going on," Hugh asked still shirtless and groggy.
"FIRE!" Mom jumped up and down pointing, as if that would help.
"Ah," the man said bored. "Right, I got it." He began to walk lazily out of my room.
"Hurry up," my mother hissed passionatley. I couldn't force my mouth and mind to connect. The man came in a moment later with a bright red fire extinguisher and sprayed to his heart's content.
"No big deal, now it's my day off so I'm back to bed."
"Bull snap you are," she grabbed his arm and yanked him back. "My daughter's room sets on fire and you think you get to just walk off. That'snot what you were hired for."
"I was afraid of that," he mummbled.
Mom turned back to me, still shaking and heart throbbing. "Oh sweetheart," she came and wrappedher arms around me unitl I could breath again. "You okay, Ang?" I nodded. "Maybe we should ger you looked at. I'll go call the doctor."
Most people go to the hospital, but I wasn't most people. Whenever some freak thing happened to me the doctors came to me, well doctor really. I'd had the same doc since I was born and had never seen another nurse besides the one who helped deliver me. My life was full of constants like that. Hugh had been my personal body gaurd since before I was born, my 'special' shots had been given since I was born, we had lived in the same town all my life, and perhasp most importantly I hadn't had a father since the second Mom's body had hinted I was there. I hated constants.
"No, I don't need Doc. I'm fine." She eyed me cautiously. I rolled my eyes, "It's Saturday, you couldn't drag to Doc to day."
She smiled and I faked one back, "If you say so, Ang." She pecked my forehead, "Now hop up, I'm going to get Peter in here."
Hugh and I both groaned, "Not Peter."
"Someone set your room on fire! I'm getting him in here no matter what you say."
Ugh, Peter. Another constant. He had been my personal cop/investigator since I was three and had found a package for me next to the door on Christmas morning before Mom got up. Sadly, Hugh was up and snatched the gift up before I could see who it was from. He and Ma told me the package might have beenfrom someone bad and Icouldn't have it or its contents. That was also the day Mom hired the P.I. to figure out who sent it, at least that's what I had been told.
"Now Martha-" Hugh had his reasoning voice on.
"NO! My daughter has been attacked and no matter how annoying Peter is he's a damn good detective."
"Shoot," I muttered knowing defeat.
"No kdding," Hugh sighed. "Fine, but I'm not dealing with his questionaire on my day off."
"Well, then you're not off," Mom said leaving the room.
Hugh glared as she wandered down the hall, but I knew the two of them had hidden feelings for each other and watched his eyes fall to her butt. Hugh had a thing for Mom and a HUGE thingfor her butt.
Rolling my eyes again I threw off my covers and got out of bed, the dark patch on the matress from the flames my my heart pump again. No doubt I would be jumpy today.
Hugh came up and put a hand on my shoulder, "Are you sure you're okay Angie, you're pale."
I glanced at the mirror, my usually tan carmel skin was drained. I looked like crud. "Just a little shaken Hugh no burns or anything."
He cocked an eyebrow at me, "Why would you be burned?"
I flushed, "It was my pillow in fire so I kinda threw it across the room. Bad idea. Sorry."
Starting at his head I watched his body tense and shudder, even the sweat on his abs seemed to freeze. "What?"
"The fire," I stammered. "It started on pillow."
Never have I seen Hugh's tough physique collapse so suddenly. A twich ran through him and his wide shoulders went from strong back to cirled terror. "Your pillow?"
I nodded. "Hugh, what's going on?"
Instantly he wnet back to himseelf with a mixture of determination and anger. "Come on."
He pulled me to the living room. I knew better than to ask for an explanation again, being kept in the dark was normal now. He whispered something to Mom who blanched then turned green all in one second. "What do we do," she whispered to him. I could hear Peter calling from the phone line. My heart went skyrocketing.
"Take Angela to the other room, I'll talk to Peter." It was bad. Hugh would never, never willing speak to Peter.
"Mom what's -"
"Don't speak right now, Ang. Please just don't." Her voice was clogged with sobs, eyes full of tears. As soon as we were in the hall she gripped me close to her chast and pressed her lips to my head. "Just let me hold on to you." I obeyed and held her back. Her sobs broke out.
For an hour Mom and Hugh took turns watching me and talking with Peter over the phone. Both were bent on not having me hearing anything worth hearing just ‘it’s fine’ or ‘don’t worry’. Obviously there was reason to worry and it was anything BUT fine. Peter came by and went directly to my room, I hated having his prying eyes scope out my area.
“I don’t see anything, so it was probably them,” he said after a while. “Sneaky bastards. Where were you, Hugh?”
“Don’t you pin this on me,” Hugh snarled taking an angry step towards the other man.
“I’m not pinning this on you, it’s just a question.”
“I was asleep, last night was for reports so I had only been asleep for about half an hour before I heard Ang screaming.”
“And you Martha?”
“Asleep in my room.”
“Well, like I said they’re sneaky buggers. No surprise you didn’t hear ‘em.”
“I can’t believe this,” Mom whispered.
Hugh put his arm around her, “We’ll keep her safe, Martha, I promise.”
“Still think you should have gone with the alarm system,” Peter mumbled. Hugh shot his a defensive look, HE was the alarm system.
“Ya know, just for extra precaution.” Nice save, sorta. “What do you remember, Ang?”
Hugh and Mom spun around to see me, shoot, I had been found out.
“What are you doing here,” Mom said anxiously.
“It is my room . . .”
“Go into the living room,” she ordered.
Then I did something brave. Maybe a little stupid, but brave. “No.”
Her head whipped back around. “Do as I say Angela, now.”
“No, there’s no way you’re blindfolding me from this.”
“What do you mean ‘blindfolding’? I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“All you’re doing is making me vulnerable, if I don’t know what’s going on it’s the same as walking down the freeway blindfolded. You can’t keep me out this time.”
She looked stunned, when it came to matters like this I usually did as asked, but someone had tried to kill me and I would hold strong. “Angela, to the living room. Now.”
“No. Someone tries to set my room on fire and you try to keep all the information from me? No. I won’t let you.”
“Your Mom is right,” Hugh said, “better stay out of this.” With his calm and cool outlook I suddenly wanted to smack him.
I let out a harsh laugh, “Stay out of it? I was one someone tried to murder here, not any of you. I have a right to know anything you know.”
“No you don’t!” My mother never snapped at me until now, “You’re just a child.”
“I’m nearly seventeen! Let me know.”
“Out,” she barked.
I looked at her like a sick dog, Mom wasn’t like this. Mom was sweet and gentle and reasonable and I wanted her back. “No.”
She flashed a look at Hugh, before I knew it I was on his shoulder and being hauled away. “No! Hugh you jerk, put me down!” He dumped me into the next room and locked the door behind him. “Let me out,” I shook the door furiously to no avail. “This is ridiculous! I should know!”
“I’ll be right outside if you need anything, you’re safe.” I have never hated Hugh’s calm voice so damned much.
Cursing the others I paced the room back and forth. “How could they,” I growled staring at the window. Frosty and cold, just like me right about now. A small bird flitted to my window, too bright and jumpy for the bleak weather. I cocked my head at it and it did the same. “You lucky little devil,” I whispered, “free as can be. If you want to answers you need only fly in and listen. Wish I could do that.”
The bright little thing suddenly seemed to frown, if birds can frown, and tapping gently on the glass. “What’s wrong?” She bobbed at me and started to attack the lock. My hand graced the ledge of the window, but sanity stopped me. “Just a bird, it can’t be asking me to let it in.” Despite my efforts I couldn’t pull my eyes from her sweet, penetrating, soft eyes. “I must be crazy,” I whispered yanking the sill from the frozen wood below. Her colorful feathers flew past my head and settled on the couch shaking her leg. Then I noticed it: a small roll of paper on its leg. Amazingly she stayed calm and quiet as I removed the string
“Can you stay quiet when stunned? What does that mean,” I asked her. I was talking to a bird. Great. She simply looked at me questioningly. “I suppose I can, now that you’ve warned me,” I replied awkwardly.
A tremble went through her, then she spurted up and expanded. Less than a moment later a woman was sitting on the back of my couch. Stunned was an understatement.
The woman leapt up and rushed over to me clamping her hand over my mouth, “I know you’re probably a little scared right now, but please PLEASE stay quiet for me.”
I wormed my way from her grip. “I said I would.” Staring her up and down I tried to take in what I had seen. “Were you just a bird?”
She gave me a kind smile, “Yeah, honey. I’m afraid I don’t time to explain it all right now, but you can trust me. I won’t hurt you.”
“Alright,” I said unsteady.
“May I invite a friend in to keep watch? The last thing we need is your mother waltzing in.” I nodded. “Come on in Frankie,” she called out the window. In a flash a black panther was standing in front of me. I gawked. “Don’t frighten the girl,” the bird woman snapped.
Sure enough he shifted into a grinning man. “Sorry,” he said turning to me.
“No prob,” I gulped.
“You poor dear,” the woman cooed. “It’s already been a long day, look my name is Jemma and this is Frankie. Your father sent us.”
“My father?” They nodded. “I don’t have a father.”
“Uh . . .” Frankie trailed off.
“Well I have a father of course, I just have never met him. Sorry I’m just a little confused right now.”
He smiled, “Understandable.”
“Go listen at the door, Frankie. We can’t have Martha knowing we’re here.”
“You know my mom?”
“Yes, back when she was with your father. Now, back to business. I know you’ve had things hidden from you your whole life, I know you’ve been lied to as well and we’ve dealt with it as long as we could but no longer. You need to know who you are.”
I blinked at her. “I’m lost.”
She sighed but smiled. “Silly Martha, trying to hide you from what you were born to be. It’s a very long story and I promise I’ll tell you everything soon. For now all you need to know is that you are in terrible danger and your dad is the only one who can really protect you now. He’s coming but he sent us ahead first so things weren’t coming at you too fast. Read this,” she said handing me a letter.
“Who is it from,” I asked.
“You Daddy,” she said brightly.
“I’ve never even seen him.” The thought of him still curled my stomach in curiosity.
“He adores you, never have I seen a man who wants something more. Every day he wishes he could see you and soon you’ll be reunited.”
“Really?”
“Really,” her tenderness was sincere, and I believed her.
“Better hurry it up, Jem.”
“I’m getting there. Now, do you think you could try to help us?”
“I can try.”
“Good, all you have to do is try not to talk about this to your Mom, she’d blow a gasket.”
“Scary stuff there,” Frankie teased.
“Trust me, I know,” I muttered. He flashed a playful smile.
“Do that for us and things should be go smoothly.”
“Hopefully,” Frankie added, Jemma glared. He strode over. “Look kiddo, you’ve been given the sweet talk all your life, I think you deserve the truth.”
I nodded, “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Well then you should know that your Dad and Mom getting together may cause sparks and we’re not sure if he can convince her to let you come with us.”
“With you?”
“To keep you safe,” Jemma interjected.
“Maybe you can help things along when he gets here. Ya know, try to tell her it’s the best option, that you’d be safe with him, blah blah blah.”
All this was too much, but I was tired of looking from a distance as everyone took control of my life. “I’ll do everything I can.”
He ruffled my hair, “I knew you’d be a good kid, one to count on.” Jemma gave me a reassuring hand on my arm.
“Get your hand off her,” came a fierce growl from the entrance. Hugh.
Both of my guests looked over worried. “Oops,” Frankie said awkwardly, “Should have stayed by the door.” Hugh began to lunge for him and he darted quickly away.
Jemma grabbed me tightly. “Keep the letter hidden,” she whispered in my ear, “And good luck sweetheart.”
Frankie grunted as Hugh landed a fist into his gut, but came back with a smack to get him off. “Later kiddo,” he called before changing back into the predator cat and leaping towards the window, Jemma’s radiant feathers close by. Even after seeing the spectacle once it was still astonishing and left me a bit breathless.