Crossroads (10 page)

“
I’ve finally found you,”
it spoke again.

I didn’t wake up, and all I wanted to
do was scream at the top of my lungs, but I couldn’t. All I could
do was scream inside my head. “I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming. Go away!
Please, go away!” I finally managed to say in a hoarse
whisper.

“
Hisss. This isn’t a
dream, Claudia. I’ve been looking for you.”

How did it know my name? What was it
saying? It didn’t make any sense.

“
I’m going to enjoy you,
slowly. I could end this in one strike to your heart, but I was
ordered to bring you in alive. So, I am going to savor your moments
of suffering. Each strike will deliver just enough poison to make
you feel pain so intense, you will be begging me for death; but
don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I just want to have a little fun
before I bring you in. Let’s play!”

Who would order her to bring me in? It
didn’t matter. I would rather die than be in the hands of who knows
what. This was it. This was how I was going to leave this Earth. I
was looking death right in the eye, and there was no one here to
help me. I could imagine Patty finding me, and the guilt that would
consume her for leaving me here alone. And my poor mom and Gamma, I
was all they had. I would be another tragic death my mom would have
to bear that would break her heart. As I closed my eyes to let fate
take over, the creature positioned itself and was ready to
strike.

“
Please forgive me for all
the wrong I have done,” I prayed, hoping that the life I lived and
the person I was would be enough to take my soul to a peaceful
place, a Heavenly place.

“
Hisss. How sweet, almost
sad. God can’t help you now.” It was mocking me.

I opened my eyes again, hoping that
the snake would be gone and this was just a nightmare, but it was
still there. Without warning, it lunged toward me. I expected to
feel pain beyond what I have ever felt or could ever imagine,
but—nothing. Suddenly, the snake loosened its hold on my body, and
then let go entirely. As I looked around me, I could not believe
the sight that I witnessed.

Michael was wrestling with the fog,
now in a beast form that looked like a hideous monster. I couldn’t
believe he was here. He wasn’t just a dream; or was I dreaming now?
My mind was frazzled. At one point, I had been so sure that he
wouldn’t lift a finger to help me, but I was so wrong. He was just
as much in danger as I was, and he was here to save me. Every ounce
of hope for survival that I had lost was regained.

Somehow the beast wrapped itself
around Michael’s waist. I could see Michael struggle to take
control. I wanted to help, but I was unable to move or
speak.

“
Michael!” the beast said
in surprise. “I thought you were dead.”

Michael ignored her and started asking
questions. “Why are you here? What do you want?” Michael demanded
as he positioned his hands around the neck of the beast.

“
I want her!”

“
She is not an alkin! Get
that through your head! Can’t you tell the difference?”

Michael was angry, but he, too, was
able to talk with the beast. I knew then that this was not my
imagination. He spoke almost with familiarity. This beast was
someone he knew, someone he was clearly trying to convince about my
existence.

“
Who are you working for?
Who gave you the order?” Michael demanded.

“
Hissss. You think I would
tell you? Tell me, Michael. How did you get down here? How did you
get through my barrier? I blocked anyone from passing
through.”

“
You think I would tell
you? You think you’re the only one with that kind of power? I have
my ways.”

“
Hisss. You used to tell
me everything.” Its voice was flirty.

“
That was a
mistake!”

“
Hisss! Hisss!” It was
livid. “Then you deserve to die!”

“
Remember, Julia, I’m
stronger than you! You can’t win! Don’t do this! I’ll let you
go!”

Julia? This beast had a name. This was
more than an acquaintance. How did Michael know it? What did he
mean by making a mistake? As Michael finished exchanging words with
Julia, he grabbed the tail and managed to set himself free. The fog
grew bigger, a huge shapeless blob, and swirled around like a
tunnel as it slid underneath Michael. It pushed him up and slammed
him against the wall. I gasped in horror as if I had been struck
too. He got up as fast as he could, but he wasn’t fast enough as
the fog grabbed his leg and tossed him up to the ceiling. Michael
fell flat on the ground, lying still. Imagining the worst and
clearly not thinking about the fog, I ran toward where he
lay.

The fog instantly sensed my movement,
took the form of a snake, and lunged toward me like a bullet.
Michael shot up and grabbed the beast just in the nick of time. He
flung the beast away, but in that instant, it flew toward me and
struck near my heart. Even Michael’s reflexes weren’t fast enough.
I lost my balance and fell hard onto the floor, crying out in
agony.

Michael and I made eye contact, and I
could see terror in his eyes. I tried to get back up, but I started
to feel dizzy, and the room began to spin. My body began to thrash
as unbelievable pain jolted me over and over again. I wasn’t sure
what I was seeing or hearing because by that time, everything was
out of focus, causing me to collapse. The last thing I saw was a
blurry vision of what appeared to be a sword between Michael and
the beast, and I thought I heard loud screeching sounds that faded
out.

“
Michael,” I cried inside,
unable to speak. I prayed it was the beast’s cry that I heard as
darkness surrounded me. I felt like I was floating, as light as a
feather. Death must have come; now the peace I had prayed for, that
I hoped I had earned, would be my reward.

Chapter 7

As I slowly came out of the darkness,
I couldn’t open my eyes. Hearing jumbled whispers was a sure sign
that there were people around me. But then again, was I even sure
they were human? Panic struck me, and I desperately wanted to know
where I was.

All my efforts to open my eyes did not
work, so I decided to lay still and listen. I lay motionless,
afraid to make any movement to show that I had awakened. Fearing
that I may be paralyzed, I wiggled my fingers and toes slightly
underneath the blanket just to make sure. As a sense of relief came
over me, I began to wonder if I could even protect myself. So I
listened intently, trying to figure out who was in this room and
what they were saying.

Even with the bits of conversation I
could hear, I couldn’t distinguish their voices because they were
whispering the entire time. For some unknown reason, these obscure
conversations triggered my memories of why I was here. Thinking
about what had happened, my guard was up again, and I didn’t know
for sure if I was completely out of danger.

“
Is she all right?” I
heard her ask loudly and clearly.

Instantly my spirits lifted and I
relaxed, knowing with all of my being that I was safe. I was no
longer in Hell’s fury. I knew that voice. It was Vivian, and I knew
I must be back in Halo City. She was standing at close range…I felt
like I could reach out and touch her, but I dared not. I was afraid
of how she may react to my display of human affection toward her.
Excitedly, I attempted to open my eyes.

When my eyes opened, my vision was
still blurry. I saw several figures standing next to where I lay.
Slowly I began to focus, and I could finally see Vivian, Margaret,
and Agnes. They were smiling at me. I smiled back and quickly
looked for Michael. Although I was happy to see them, I needed to
see him. Where was he? Had something happened to him? I became
concerned and scared.

As I stirred to get up and look for
him, I was quickly halted by the grasps of the three angels that
were standing in front of the bed. I felt a tremendous sharp pain
near my heart, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I remembered
at that moment that I had been attacked and bitten by Julia. Hazy
memories of the black fog, the snake, and Michael flashed in and
out, but were blurry. Panic struck me as I thought about Michael.
My heart was pounding rapidly. I needed to see him, needed to know
if he was alive.

“
Be careful. You shouldn’t
move. You need time to heal,” Agnes said as she placed her hands
gently on my shoulders and lay me back down.

I didn’t care what kind of pain I was
in. I needed answers. “Is Michael all right?” I asked eagerly,
hoping desperately to get the only answer I wanted to
hear.

“
Yes,” Margaret
said.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Now
I knew for sure that it was the beast who had been wounded or
killed, and not Michael.

“
How do you feel?” Vivian
asked as she placed her hand on my forehead. “Good, no
fever.”

“
Except for the pain, I
think I feel fine,” I said, staring at her facial features,
thinking how pretty she was. Her long brown silky hair dangled from
side to side as she fussed over me.

“
We got all the poison
out, so you should be feeling better soon. Thank goodness Michael
brought you back in time. We were all worried you wouldn’t make
it,” Margaret said.

“
Thank you.” It was all I
could say, feeling embarrassed that I’d caused so much
trouble.

“
Michael will be relieved
to see you have awakened. He carries tremendous guilt for what
happened to you. He is ashamed that he was unable to protect you
better,” Agnes said.

“
But he saved my life,” I
spoke quickly.

“
I think you should speak
to Michael and tell him yourself. Your forgiveness will free him
from guilt. I’ll go get him,” Margaret said.

They all left and I was alone, waiting
for what seemed like an eternity for Michael to come. I felt my
heart quicken, sending excitement and apprehension throughout my
body. I looked around at my surroundings. Whose bed was I lying on,
and whose room was I in? The furnishings were simple, but nice. My
thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. My heart raced
again with anticipation.

“
Hi,” said a small, sweet
voice. A beautiful young girl peered through a sheer curtain that
hung where the door would have been. It was Alexa Rose. She was
dressed in a cute little white dress accented with a pink bow on
the front.

“
Hello, come in,” I said
with a smile.

“
Are you hurt?” she
sounded concerned.

“
I don’t remember quite
all that happened, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

With some hesitation, she asked, “Are
you an angel or a human?”

“
Would that make a
difference?” I responded. I wasn’t sure what I wanted her answer to
be.

“
I don’t know. I’ve never
touched a human before or even been around any…and…and if you are a
human, it’s too dangerous for you to be here. You should go home to
your mommy.”

“
Why?” I asked, trying to
hold back a laugh. I was extremely amused by her adorableness and
her concern.

“
Humans can’t come here.
This place is for alkins only. It is the law.”

“
Don’t worry. I’ll be on
my way soon. Are you the only child here?”

“
No,” she said, gently
swaying back and forth. “I have many friends.”

“
How many
friends?”

“
Lots and lots of them. We
go to school together. We learn how to be good angels, and we learn
about all the rules we need to follow,” she said, giving me a huge
grin.

Her smile faded and she stopped
talking, her face uncertain as she turned her head toward the sheer
curtain and said, “Michael is coming.”

With a snicker, Michael bent down to
her level and said, “Hello, princess. I see that you’ve met our
friend.”

His appearance was a total surprise; I
hadn’t heard any footsteps. Had it not been for Alexa Rose’s
warning, I wouldn’t have known he was nearby. I became breathless
when his eyes flickered up and held mine for a second, and my
spirits were lifted to know that he called me a friend.

She looked back at him with those
puppy like eyes. “I like her. I know she can’t stay here, but…but
could she stay anyway?” Alexa Rose begged.