Page 6 of Abraxas

“It's kind of funny. Their machine prints out tickets, and everyone pulls their own. Then, after everyone has a ticket, the machine selects a winner or more than one winner depending on how many winners there will be.”

“So, it's just like winning the lottery?”

“Exactly. Since the machine does the whole thing, no one can complain. Well, they can complain, but no one else will listen," Abe explained.

They landed and sat on the runway, waiting for their new passengers. She looked out the window to see who was coming towards the plane. She only knew a handful of the gods from Antarctica. They were the ones who had visited their little neck of the woods. None of those headed their way had visited. These were all new and unknown to her.

“Do you know any of them?”

“I know most of them. Poseidon is the one in the lead. Heckler is the one behind him. Adonis and his mate are next. Tycho and his mate are the last," Abe said.

“So, just six of them came?”

“Yes, it would have been eight had the other two been mated. Heckler has no mate, and Poseidon is having trouble deciding who his mate is," Abe chuckled.

Gloria wasn't going to touch that statement. There was a little more room on the plane, but maybe they were reserving room for people who would be brought back with them. They often seemed to bring back extras, but she didn't know from where. Sometimes, there were only a few, but sometimes, there wereso many that they called in another plane. She thought that had something to do with the secrets the demons kept.

They loaded all their new passengers, and the plane took off. She was sure Abe would have spoken to them, but none sat near him. She noticed they were talking to some other gods sitting near the back. Two of the gods had their mates sitting next to them, and the lady seemed comfortable. Gloria thought about them having a lottery to go on a trip. It wasn't like that wasn't something that was done because you could win a trip in a lottery.

She wondered if they would do that every time the band went on a trip. Eventually, maybe everyone who wanted to would get the opportunity to go. It was just good that they were on their way again. Did she mind flying? Not really. She was always happy when she got to her destination because sometimes you could get cramped from sitting too long. Everything just seemed better after you got off the plane. She knew the pilot and the copilot, and they were both demons.

Gloria had a lot of respect for the demons and how they had taken lemons and made some tasty lemonade. She couldn't even imagine what they had been through, but they hadn't let it beat them down. They had taken whatever help had been offered to them, turned things around, and used it to build a life. Maybe that was a lesson that she should learn. She loved her sister, and she had to admit that Kiki had behaved well since she had come to the island to meet the demons.

Lu had been planning a nursing program to take outside applicants and those who wished to learn that lived there. In truth, they were already training their people in various jobs useful in the medical community. Kiki already volunteered as what Gloria would describe as a candy striper. When their small hospital had patients, she would deliver gifts, give them drinks,or just sit and talk to them for a while. That makes things easier for the patients.

Risa said if she applied for the program and was accepted, her volunteer work would be turned into college credit. That had really gotten her sister excited. Everything since they had come here had gotten Kiki excited. Being here might be the thing that turned her sister's life around. Her parents only called about once a month, and then they really didn't want to know anything. They were afraid that Gloria would try to send Kiki back to them. She could admit that she felt bad for her sister, who had turned into the veritable hot potato being passed back and forth.

She intended to do everything possible to help her sister get on the right path. Occasionally, Kiki would travel with her when the band went on these trips, but sometimes it wasn't allowed, and this was one of those times. Kiki didn't seem to mind because she had a lot to do, a lot of hot guys giving her a great deal of attention, and a few friends that she really enjoyed spending time with. At that age, did anything else really matter?

“We are about to land. Please put your trays away, secure any loose items, and put your seats in an upright position. Thank you for flying with the Demon airlines.”

Gloria quickly checked everything to ensure it was safe, moved her seat up from its position, and took a deep breath. She knew landing was the hardest part of a trip. The plane circled and landed easily on a private section of the airport. They would not have to endure many of the hassles regular travelers did. She couldn't deny that often dealing with airport authorities took half the joy out of the trip. The airport crew quickly set the steps in place. Then, the onboard attendants opened the door and began to help everyone safely off the plane.

As she exited, she noticed some demons were already loading bags into SUVs waiting for them. All their bags were labeled withthe names of those who owned them. There was no carousel. Everything was done for them, and the bags would be delivered to the appropriate room based on whose name was on them. They would have time tonight to relax. The concert would be the next evening, only a few miles away. The next day, they would again have some time to relax, and the second concert was the day after in the evening.

Often, there were plans for them to be a group on the down days. That was not the case with this trip, where the plans were only for certain people. Many of the demons were doing what they call business-related activities. Risa would be going along with them wherever they were going. Apparently, they thought they might need a doctor. After what Abe had told her, she had to wonder if they were rescuing some mistreated demons.

If they were, her prayers would go with them. She hoped they would release them, and they could be nursed back to health. Abe took her arm and led her to the SUV they would be riding in. Everyone else got in, and they headed to the hotel when the luggage was all loaded. They always stayed in the best available, and she was very excited to see what this hotel looked like because she hadn't stayed in Anchorage before.

Because the band was famous, they often got freebies like visits to spas and beauty salons. They also had the best available food, and Gloria couldn't deny that she loved it. It made her wish Kiki could have come too. They only had a few years until Kiki would have a schedule she had to keep as well and might not be able to go on trips. She had decided she wanted to go into the medical field, but not a certain field yet.

Kiki had told her there were so many things you could do in the medical field these days that you didn't have to be a nurse or a family doctor. Her sister admired the work that Risa was doing. She was literally giving back a good life to people who had lost it. Lu has already considered bringing people to theresort for a few weeks of rehabilitation. One problem was that she could not get the same equipment that she had been able to get before. It really bothered her because her first few patients had gotten the absolute best available, and now it was no longer available.

Gloria knew she needed to stop thinking about her sister because she had a job and an opportunity to truly enjoy herself. She had to admit that her life with the demons was pretty good, even when she wasn't going on a trip. Trips like these were amazing. Stef usually asked her to go along when she went to the beauty salon or the spa. They always had a magnificent time, along with several of the other ladies. That was what she was looking forward to. She also enjoyed the time spent with Abe and would admit that to herself if not to anyone else.

Eventually, maybe they would become more than friends. She'd always heard it was best when you were friends first.

“We're here," Abe informed.

She looked out at a very tall building. She'd expected something like this and was excited to get inside.

“I need to talk to you," Stef said.

“Just tell me when.”

“Right after supper. It's nothing bad.”

That immediately made her worry because she thought it would be good. Maybe they'd gotten tickets to something amazing, and she wanted to share it with them. After being told that, all kinds of bad things started running through her mind.

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