Crossroads (11 page)

Michael looked at me and quickly
turned to Alexa Rose. Very compassionately he said, “I’m afraid
not. Humans just cannot be allowed to stay here. You remember the
rules you learned at school, don’t you?”

“
Yeah, but how do you know
if she is not an angel? Humans never come to visit, so she must be
an angel,” she challenged.

“
That is true, but
sometimes things just happen, and we can’t always explain
it.”

“
Okay, Michael,” she said,
sounding convinced.

Michael gave her a hug and stood tall.
“Alexa Rose, I need to speak to Claudia alone. I will see you after
school. I want you to find Davin for me, okay?”

She nodded, gave me a quick glance,
and ran out the door. Then we were alone. There was an
uncomfortable silence. As I struggled to find the right words, my
whole body tensed, and I wondered if he would be nice, or if he
would be back to his old cold self again.

“
Hello,” he said with a
smile, still standing at a distance.

I was glad he broke the silence first.
The smile confirmed what I wanted to know, and I immediately
relaxed. “Hi,” I smiled back, wondering if I looked
presentable.

He brushed his hair back. He seemed to
do that when he was nervous or uncomfortable. “I’m glad to see you
awake. I didn’t know how long it would take you to heal or let
alone wake up.”

“
I actually feel fine. I
mean, it’s my first time being bitten by a humongous snake or
whatever that fog-like thing was…something that doesn’t exist in my
everyday life, but other than that, I think I’m fine,” I said,
trying to sound humorous.

It worked. He chuckled softly. It was
nice to see him lighten up a bit.

“
Yeah, not normal for you
humans, but I’m glad to hear that you’re feeling better,” he
responded as he approached where I lay. “I know I told you not to
come here, but I brought you here because the only person who could
save you from my mistake was Agnes.
She
has the power to heal…sometimes…unsuccessfully.
I was afraid that I didn’t get you to her in time.” He no
longer looked me in the eyes; he looked down as if he was ashamed.
“You may feel some pain from time to time, but the pain will go
away soon, I promise. Some guardian angel I am.” He paused,
glancing sideways, and let out a soft sigh. “I failed you, and I
would understand if you couldn’t forgive me.”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying.
I could see the guilt through his body language. He clenched his
jaw, and his hands became agitated. There was anguish in his eyes.
I wanted to touch his cheek, to erase the pain he was
concealing.

“
I’m sorry you feel that
way.” As I spoke, his eyes immediately found mine with a look of
surprise. “You saved my life, and there is nothing to forgive. You
did everything you could. So what if I got hurt? I’m still alive,
aren’t I?” I rethought my last sentence, realizing I didn’t know
the answer. Remembering the brief conversation with Alexa Rose, she
had asked me if I were a human or an angel. Could it be possible
that I was dead and they didn’t have the heart to tell me? Was I,
now, an angel too?

“
I’m still alive, aren’t
I?” I questioned with an unsettling look.

He approached me, closing the gap
between us as he leaned forward, and looked straight into my eyes
and answered. “Yes. You are still alive.” Amused by my question, he
laughed and lifted his right hand, raising it toward my cheek. I
could feel my blood fuse with excitement and desire. How badly I
wanted him to touch me just once, if that was all it would ever be.
Please don’t stop, I thought to myself.

As he realized what he was doing, he
immediately dropped his hand and backed away in surprise. A feeling
of disappointment raced through me. I wanted to feel his touch, his
warmth. I closed my eyes, knowing this fantasy I was having needed
to stop. I simply breathed him in, enjoying every sense of his
presence. I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t called my mom and
Patty, as I promised I would, when I got home. How would I ever
explain?

As I started to say that I needed to
call my mom and Patty, and that I needed to go home, he spoke
simultaneously, “You need to go home.”

“
You took the words right
out of my mouth,” I said.

We both smiled, and he shyly turned
away. I was seeing a whole new side of him. His sweetness made him
that much more attractive, and his smile melted my heart. I thought
at any given moment I would lose control—that is, until I tried to
get up. Without realizing the depth of my pain, I turned to get up.
I felt a blazing pain that ran through my body. It felt worse than
the first time I had tried to get up. It was like being stabbed in
my chest while my whole body burned. When he realized I was in
pain, Michael immediately swept me off my feet and cradled me in
his arms.

“
Breathe…deep
breaths…relax,” he whispered into my ear. I weakened at the sound
of his voice, and my body went limp. After the pain subsided, I
turned to look at him to let him know I was feeling better, and our
eyes locked. Everything went silent. In that moment, nothing else
mattered. I felt like I was floating, as if we were dancing across
the sky. It seemed never-ending as he stared into my
eyes.

“
Let’s go,” Davin
interrupted, waving his hand while Alexa Rose stood right behind
him. We quickly turned away, hoping not to get caught. With me
still in his arms, we left the room. Phillip, Agnes, Margaret,
Vivian, and Caleb walked in and smiled at me.

“
I would like to take her
back home, if it would be all right with Claudia?” Michael asked
Phillip as he lowered me down gently.

Phillip was just about to say
something when he was interrupted by Alexa Rose.

“
Nooo!” Alexa Rose
shouted. Everyone turned to look at her.

“
I’ll be right back,”
Michael said calmly.

“
But, it’s too dangerous.”
There was fear in her voice.

Michael picked her up and hugged her
warmly. “You worry too much for a child. I’ll be right back.” He
reassured her.

“
Promise?” she asked as
she placed her head on his shoulder.

“
Promise,” he repeated
after her and gently placed her down. “I always keep my
word.”

Phillip turned to look at Michael,
“Don’t stay too long. Caleb, Vivian, and Davin have my permission
to go down and help you if you need any assistance.”

“
Did I hear you correctly?
Did you say my name?” Davin asked Phillip, unsure of what he
heard.

“
Yes, Michael may need
your assistance, and if he does, Paul will take over as
gatekeeper.”

Then Phillip looked at me, “I’m sorry
you had to experience such an ordeal. We hadn’t expected that you
would get noticed that soon. Michael and I already spoke about what
happened, but do you remember anything the beast said to
you?”

My memory was hazy, but I was a little
surprised at the few details I could remember. “I don’t recall
much, but I do have some recollection of it saying something like
it had been looking for me,” I responded.

Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes looked
perplexed by my words. They didn’t say anything, no words of
guidance or comfort, as if they were confused
themselves.

Unexpectedly, Phillip placed his hand
on my shoulder and kindly said, “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this all
out.”

Phillips words confirmed what I was
thinking. We’ll figure this all out meant they didn’t know the
reason why I was in danger. My gut feeling told me that this wasn’t
over, and I was still in the path of danger. Or perhaps I was
overreacting.

“
They need to get going,”
Davin interrupted.

“
Very well, be safe.”
Those were the last words I heard from Phillip as Michael and I
were transported back to Fashion Wear.

Chapter 8

“
We’re here,” he
whispered.

His muscular arms wrapped me tightly
and I felt safe tucked in his embrace. I had expected he would
release me when we got here, but he didn’t. With my eyes still
closed, all I could do was enjoy the moment. I could feel his firm
chest rise and fall as his breathing synchronized with mine. The
beating of our hearts was all I felt as neither of us moved. I
couldn’t look up; an overwhelming shyness struck me.

“
You’re safe,” he finally
whispered, breaking the silence. “You can open your
eyes.”

After I nodded, he let go. Michael and
I stood outside Fashion Wear. It was the strangest feeling to be in
one place one minute and somewhere else the next. All was peaceful
in contrast to what had happened inside the store. The bright,
almost full moon lit up the empty parking lot, overpowering the
streetlamps. It was dark and I had lost all sense of time. “What
time is it?” I asked in panic.

“
It’s 9:30,” he
said.

“
How could that be? I was
gone for a long time. What day is it?” I asked
frantically.

“
Don’t worry, Claudia. In
previous times, you entered Crossroads by yourself through your
dreams. This time I took you. When an alkin or an angel brings you
to our world, you return at the same time you entered.”

Although I knew he wouldn’t lie to me,
I stood there in disbelief. “Oh…wow…okay. I need to lock
up.”

“
Already done while you
were resting. And don’t worry about the storage room. Caleb put it
back to normal, as if nothing ever happened.”

“
Oh, thank you,” I said,
impressed and dumbfounded, and perplexed by the idea that the
storage room was back to normal. “I almost forgot. I need to call
my mom and Patty.”

“
Yes, of course but,” he
was hesitant. “Vivian texted your mom and Patty for you. I hope you
don’t mind,” he said as he handed me my cell phone.

“
Thank you. I should thank
Vivian,” I said. Then I thought, How did Vivian know to text my mom
and Patty? Then I remembered telling Michael earlier. I looked at
my text messages and read out loud, “It’s my mom. She texted, glad
you got home safe. Patty texted, thanks for locking up, and I owe
you one.” I relaxed knowing they were not worried about me. If they
knew what I had been through, would they believe me? I couldn’t
even comprehend it myself, let alone believe what was in front of
my very own eyes. I looked up at him, waiting to see what he would
say or do next.

He smiled. “I should get you home,” he
said, starting to unchain the lock on my bike.

I couldn’t recall if I had told him
the combination to my lock; regardless, I was more occupied by
feelings of embarrassment knowing that he knew I rode a bike to and
from work. It seemed childish, and I didn’t want him to perceive me
as one.

“
How did you know the
combination to my lock?” I asked, my eyes widened in
surprise.

“
I just know, and no, I’m
not a mind reader. Why did you pick ten, two, and six?”

“
It’s my birth date,
October 26,” I mumbled, embarrassed to confess that I used such an
obvious number.

“
That’s next Saturday,” he
said with enthusiasm.

“
Yeah, but I really don’t
want to turn eighteen.”

“
Why not?”

“
I think of it as more
responsibilities, and plus I want to be a teenager as long as I
can. You can’t get this youthful feeling back later on…I
mean…that’s what I think.” I quickly diverted the attention back to
him. “Since you know my birth date, how about yours?” I
asked.

He paused, appearing uncomfortable
with my question. “I don’t know,” he said finally.

I should have stopped asking further
questions, but I wanted to know more. “You don’t know, or you don’t
want to tell me?” I asked carefully.

“
No, I don’t know.
Birthdays are not of importance to us. We don’t celebrate
birthdays,” he said, and looked away.

“
Then you don’t know how
old you are?” I asked, not fully convinced he was telling me the
truth.

“
No,” he said.

My heart sank, hearing that he didn’t
know his age or his birth date. Not that it mattered, but I was
just glad he didn’t look much older than me.