Crossroads (6 page)

“
An angel?” I questioned,
as if I had misheard his reply.

He just stood there, nodding
arrogantly. Okay, I thought. I’ll bite. Doesn’t look like I have
anywhere else to go, so why not? So I asked him the first question
that popped in my head. “You have no wings. How can you be an
angel?”

“
You humans and your
overactive imaginations,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and prepared
to listen. “Imagine us with wings,” he said. “We don’t need wings
to fly or get around. There are only a few angels among us who
actually have wings. Those were the angels that came long before
humans.”

“
Gabriel,” I named
quickly. “He is a messenger angel, correct?”

“
Yes, very good. I see you
did your homework, but then again, everybody knows about angel
Gabriel.”

I felt proud to know the name, but he
just shot me down. The years of attending Sunday school did not pay
off. Then I shot back with another question. “Tell me, what kind of
angel are you? If memory serves me, there are three different types
of angels: guardian, messenger, or avenger, right?” Confident that
I had impressed him with my “angel knowledge,” I smiled proudly and
stared back at him, much the way he did when questioning me being
human.

“
If I had a choice, I
would be an avenger, but I’m not any of those. I’m different. I’m…”
he paused, as if searching for the most appropriate words. None of
this was making sense. “It doesn’t matter what kind of angel I am.
An angel is an angel.”

He was right, I suppose. An angel is
an angel, but I didn’t believe him. I quickly changed the subject
as he entered my thoughts. I was hoping Davin had some insight as
to who this person could be.

“
Where is,
ummm…?”

Cutting me off in midsentence, he
said, “He is very upset that you’re here again. You didn’t take
heed of his warning so he sent me. I’m the nice guy. After all, you
did ask him if you could speak to a nice guy, and here I am,” he
said with a big grin, obviously knowing exactly who I was referring
to.

There was a cuteness about him.
Something about being “the good guy” made him likeable in a
non-conceited way.

“
He’s mad at me?” I asked,
feeling extremely disappointed.

I didn’t know why I even bothered to
care. I mean, who was he to me? I told myself, I’m the one who
should be mad; he lied to me. He isn’t the only one here. I
wondered how many of them existed—wherever here was, as I vaguely
recalled him mentioning something about a place between life and
death. Why should I believe him when he had already lied to me? And
again, WHY WAS I HERE?

Then that knot in the pit of my
stomach started to creep back as a sense of helplessness set in. I
was at a loss for words once more as I found myself questioning my
presence in this foreign place. I sat down, uncomforted by Davin’s
words, and curled my knees into my chest. Alone and frustrated, my
eyes began to tear. A good cry now seemed appropriate.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw
Davin pacing back and forth at a distance, looking extremely
uncomfortable with my emotional display. Then, suddenly, he was
reaching down toward me, wiping every teardrop before they could
fall from my cheeks. I was perplexed by the speed at which he came
toward me. Humans don’t move the way he just moved. Had he been
telling me the truth all along? Was he truly an angel? It didn’t
matter what he was. I was just glad that I was not alone, and his
touch was comforting.

“
Don’t want people down
there to think it’s sprinkling,” he said in what appeared to be an
effort to lighten the mood.

I looked up into his eyes, pondering
his words in my mind.

“
It’s a joke,” he
chuckled, trying to make me laugh.

I wasn’t laughing; I wanted to give
him a piece of my mind. No amount of humor was going to help this
situation. I stood up quickly to turn away from him, but began to
feel dizzy and almost fainted. I saw three of him. As I reached out
trying to catch my balance, Davin wrapped his arms around me from
behind. His strong arms were locked, holding me tight. I felt
uncomfortable by his embrace, but at the same time, in this moment
of weakness, I was strangely comforted by his strength.

“
I’m going to be in a
whole lot of trouble for this,” he whispered into my
ear.

I felt a warm sensation run through my
body, like when you step out into the sun from the cold. Instantly
I was calmer, but confused about what was happening. I had no
control over how I was feeling. Was this because of Davin, or was
something wrong with me?

“
Davin!” Out of nowhere,
he appeared. It was him, the perfect being I had encountered in the
field. “What have you done?” he demanded.

Davin dropped his arms, as if he was
caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar. He swiftly moved away
from me, now keeping his distance.

“
Michael, I was only
trying to—”

“
Silence!” he interrupted.
Davin didn’t have a chance to explain. We both stiffened by the
sound of his command.

Michael, like the archangel. One who
is good. He was strong and powerful; a protector. What a perfect
name.

“
It doesn’t matter,”
Michael said. “Now there is no turning back, everyone will know!”
He spoke through clenched jaws, eyes glaring. I became frightened.
I stared at him and realized there was fear in his eyes. Behind his
anger, I saw a man, a beautiful soul looking back at me.

“
I was trying to console
her, and I got carried away. It’s been ages since I’ve touched a
human, and I couldn’t help myself,” Davin said, shrugging his
shoulders as if it was no big deal.

Human? Here we go again with the human
thing. Michael glanced back my way. I blushed, turning my face
away, in hopes that he didn’t realize I had been staring so
intently at him.

“
You need to go back,” he
said softly, almost sorrowfully. He sounded very
concerned.

Quickly gathering himself, he yelled,
“Get her out, Davin. Now!”

“
No. Why don’t you do it?”
Davin argued back.

Michael replied, “You know very well
that I don’t have that kind of power. I’m not a gatekeeper like
you. I can’t send her back. I would do it myself if I
could.”

Davin paused. He gave me a thoughtful
look as he faced me with tenderness, “Do you want to go
back?”

As soon as Davin asked me, Michael
shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Did I have a choice? Did it matter
what the choice would be? What did they mean by having power? And
what was a gatekeeper? While focusing solely on Davin, afraid to
look at Michael for fear of disapproval, I shook my head no. I did
not want to leave. I was fascinated by their being. And frankly, at
this point, I had Davin on my side. I didn’t care what Michael
thought.

Davin turned to Michael after I
responded with the answer Davin wanted to hear. “Michael, aren’t
you a bit curious as to how a human found a way to cross over from
Crossroads? Besides, you asked for my help. I think we should take
her to Phillip.”

Michael, looking quite upset, paused
and responded carefully, “I don’t understand it myself, but you
know the risk we’re putting her in. Do you realize what this
means?”

“
I know. I know,” Davin
replied, embarrassed at being scolded for doing something he knew
very well he wasn’t supposed to do. Looking at me, he said, “Now
the fallen will be after her.”

For a brief second, I felt my breath
stop short as I replayed what Davin had said. Now the fallen will
be after her. I gaped back and forth, from Michael and then to
Davin, as I listened carefully to their conversation, contemplating
what I should say. I already knew why Michael didn’t want me to
stay. All I could mutter was “fallen.” I wondered who they were and
why they would be after me. What did I do? Without warning, Michael
and Davin placed their arms around me, and we were in the
air.

“
Ahhhhh! Oh my God!” I
screamed at the top of my lungs. “You’re flying. I’m flying! What’s
going on? How is this possible? Where are we going?”

“
Sunday school sure didn’t
pay off for you. Don’t you know your Ten Commandments? Thou shall
not take the Lord’s name in vain?” Davin replied with a smirk. “Are
you human girls always this dramatic?”

“
Are you serious? You’re
scolding me about the Ten Commandments? This isn’t normal. What are
you?”

“
You don’t listen very
well, do you? I told you I am an angel,” he said with a huge grin.
“You believe me now?”

I didn’t know what to believe. As far
as I was concerned, I was dreaming. And if what they were telling
was true, what kind of angels were they to be this rude? I thought
all angels were kind and noble.

Michael, to my right, was silent while
Davin, to my left, was thoroughly enjoying himself. This can’t be
happening, I thought. Dream or no dream, I needed
answers.

“
Where are we going?” I
pleaded. “Why aren’t you telling me anything?”

Michael turned swiftly with a cold
stare and said, “I told you not to come back.”

Chapter 5

We were gliding just above the clouds,
the warm breeze gently brushing against my face. I was flying, and
it was incredible. As their bodies protruded forward, we picked up
speed. Soon we were at an angle, and all that was beneath me were
the clouds—white and fluffy, soft, cottony clouds—oh, what fun it
would be to bounce on them. I was overwhelmed by the magic of this
moment. How I wished this was more than a dream.

We looked down upon a castle which
looked like an ice sculpture, one that you might see at a black-tie
affair. Or perhaps it was something grander, like crystals. With
all that I had already seen, I didn’t think it was possible that I
could still be amazed. A bright ring resembling a force field
encased the castle, protecting it. But from what? There were no
windows, only a colossal door, as if meant for a giant. There was a
simple elegance to it, yet it looked cold and empty from the
outside. Certainly one could get lost inside this enormous
castle.

As we approached the entrance the ring
disappeared, leaving me to think it had been a figment of my
imagination, but as we stood at the front door, it returned. The
gigantic door opened, seemingly sensing our presence, and we walked
in.

While I was making my observations,
Davin spoke. “Welcome to Halo City, my human.” He slowly knelt down
on one knee, much like an old-fashioned gentleman.

Not knowing what to say, I simply gave
him a smile. He linked my arm through his and led the way. Contrary
to the coldness surrounding this place, it felt strangely warm and
inviting inside. Although I had imagined it to be dark, it was
surprisingly bright, even with the absence of windows. The light
somehow penetrated the walls. I imagined this was what being in the
center of a diamond would be like, thousands of brilliant facets
sparkling through. There was no fancy furniture; just unadorned and
elegant décor.

“
What are we doing here?”
I whispered as I unlinked Davin’s arm. I had a slightly uneasy
feeling, like we were sneaking into a stranger’s home.

Michael turned slightly, purposely
avoiding eye contact with me, and said flatly, “You are here to
speak to Phillip. He will know what to do. He knows you’re here,
and he will ask you many questions, thanks to Davin.” As soon as he
finished speaking, he walked right past me, brushing my shoulder as
if I wasn’t there. As I moved forward, he turned to look at me with
narrowed eyes, insinuating that I was the one at fault.

“
Jerk,” I mumbled to
myself.

Davin looked at me and said, “Well, I,
ummm…well…” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, succumbing to the
fact that we had no other choice. Then he realized I was more
focused on Michael. “Don’t worry about him. He’s quite nice once
you get to know him. He is somewhat of a grouch today, maybe
because you’re around.”

“
What?” I muttered under
my breath in shock. Did I hear him correctly? It didn’t matter.
Being a grouch was an understatement. Egotistical and rude was more
like it, but I didn’t say anything. For no apparent reason at all,
I was getting annoyed with Davin, but that quickly subsided when I
realized it was me who had wanted to stay. He was just being
friendly. I was also anxious to meet Phillip, and was feeling
uneasy about what he planned to ask. At this point all I wanted
were answers. I would endure rudeness, annoyance, and just about
anything to understand this mysterious world.