Crossroads (8 page)

“
Let the danger come!”
Davin shouted passionately, raising his fist in the air, as if
already victorious.

I was startled by his sudden outburst.
A multitude of arguments began. They were speaking in Latin, and I
could not understand. Realizing instantly that this was all because
of me, I began to feel horror in my body. I was plagued by thoughts
of this mysterious, beautiful, unknown existence, possibly on the
verge of destruction, all because I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want
to, go back. I was desperate to make this right.

“
Can you please stop? I’ll
leave! Just please don’t fight. I’m so sorry.” My voice became
softer as I saw them glaring down on me. Maybe it was not my place
to have an opinion. I was sure my sudden outburst didn’t help
matters. All I wanted to do was hide. Nobody wanted me here, and I
had nowhere to go.

Vivian interrupted, “Why not ask the
human?”

Ask me what? I didn’t even know what
they were arguing about.

“
She has a name,” Michael
said.

I was surprised to hear him respond in
that way. It was as if I mattered to him, like he was defending me.
Could he care a little? Could it be possible that he wasn’t mad at
me anymore? But then I thought What does it matter, and why do I
care so much about what he thinks of me anyway?

Phillip looked at me tenderly and
said, “I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to leave. We will be
keeping an eye on you as promised, to make sure you stay safe.
However, this is an unprecedented incident. I can only hope that my
judgments are correct. Michael, I think it would be best that you
be appointed as her guardian angel.”

“
What!” Michael and Davin
exclaimed simultaneously.

“
Why?” shouted Davin. “He
doesn’t even like her.”

In the midst of Davin’s opposition, I
tried to wrap my head around his words—he doesn’t even like her. I
was disappointed at this thought, and admittedly, a bit sad too.
Why did he think so little of me? I felt cursed, like being human
was dirty and not worthy of this angelic being. How could someone
who disliked me be the right guardian angel to protect me? I guess
maybe I did care what he thought.

“
Like has nothing to do
with this, Davin,” replied Philip. “Michael is trained to be a
guardian angel. And you are one of our gatekeepers. I need you here
for now.”

“
I see your point,” Davin
replied, looking disappointed.

Michael glanced at me and then turned
to Phillip. “I don’t think I’m ready to be a guardian
angel.”

“
Nothing can prepare you
for what you are about to do. One can never be ready enough,”
Phillip countered. “I believe you will be fine. Just listen to your
heart and stick to the Divine angel rules.”

“
You don’t understand.
I…,” Michael said as he was about to protest again.

Phillip interrupted him. “Nothing you
say will change my mind. I’ve appointed you as Claudia’s guardian
angel, and that is final.”

Michael just stood there, looking
down, impassive. From his body language, I could tell he wasn’t
happy with Phillip’s decision. Great! I might as well be dead. The
way he felt about me, he probably wouldn’t lift a finger to save
me. I was just about to tell Phillip that I didn’t need a guardian
angel and that I could take care of myself when Michael looked up.
I waited to see what he would do.

Michael looked at Davin and then
looked at me blankly. How I wished I could read his thoughts. He
must be cursing inside, wondering how he could get out of being my
guardian angel. He started walking toward me.

“
Michael, wait.” A
soft-spoken, gentle voice came from a distance.

It took me a second to even see where
this voice was coming from. As she appeared, she jumped up eagerly
and wrapped her whole body around Michael, like a child hugging her
daddy. Michael held her tightly but tenderly and pulled her face
away to give her a kiss on the cheek. I was taken aback by the
sight of a child and by seeing a different side of him,
affectionate and caring. Part of my anger toward him subsided, but
not completely. My heart softened to see their interaction. I
estimated that she was about seven years old. She had long blonde
curls, reminding me of Goldilocks. It wasn’t hard to stare back
when she gazed at me with those irresistible baby blue eyes. Where
did she come from? Was she the only child here?

“
No need to worry, Alexa
Rose, I’ll be back soon. I need to take Claudia home, then I’ll be
right back,” Michael said sweetly, a tone he had never used to
speak to me.

“
Promise?” she
pouted.

“
I promise,” he said as he
placed her down slowly. Before he stood up, he whispered something
into her ear, making her giggle.

“
Okay. I will,” she
responded cheerfully.

As she walked away, she acknowledged
my presence with a cute little smile.

After Alexa Rose left, Agnes turned to
me and said, “It’s time to send you back. Meanwhile, try to stay
calm.”

As she said those words, I felt my
body slowly droop. I heard a faint voice from a distance, “Davin,
send them back safely. Michael, be on your guard!”

Chapter 6

My alarm clock buzzed with excitement,
and without looking at it, I slammed it to snooze. Had I dreamt
last night? I couldn’t remember. I strained my thoughts as if I
could squeeze it out of my head, but it was no use. I guess I
didn’t dream at all. No wonder I felt refreshed. What I knew was
that it had been about five days since I last dreamt about Michael
and the alkins, but it seemed so long ago.

It was Saturday, and today would be my
first day of work on my first job. It was at Fashion Wear, which
was located in a small shopping plaza adjacent to a pizza store and
an ice cream store. I applied there as a cashier because of Patty.
She thought it would be fun to work together.

I can still remember our conversation
when she tried to convince me to work there. “This would be a great
opportunity to see each other more often. You can work on weekends.
You also get 20 percent off your entire purchase. What more could
we ask for?”

I quickly agreed and got hired the
same day I applied. She must have put in a few good words for me; I
always earned excellent grades, but I didn’t have any employment
references since I had never worked before. I better stop thinking
in bed, I thought to myself as I looked at the clock.

“
Oh, shoot!” I said out
loud. “Not again!” It was close to noon. Had I pushed the snooze
button that many times? I couldn’t remember if I had or if I had
accidently set the wrong time. Regardless, I couldn’t believe Mom
let me sleep in this late; but then again, it was Saturday. I
couldn’t blame her. I didn’t let her know what time I was starting
my new job. I had no time to waste. Quickly I got ready, kissed my
mom, and ran out the door, hoping she wouldn’t say anything about
me sleeping in this late.

“
You should at least take
something to go!” my mom yelled through the front door.

I didn’t want to upset her, and my
stomach was rumbling like crazy from hunger. I ran back in and
grabbed a banana, a granola bar, and a bottle of water, then ran
back out the door. I didn’t realize she was following me outside so
I practically slammed the door in her face.

“
Mom!” I yelled, reaching
for the door, nearly having a heart attack. “Your steps are too
quiet. Please don’t follow behind me like that.”

“
Sorry, but you need to
slow down.”

I paused for a second to show her I
was slowing down and hopped on my bike.

“
Have a good first day,
Claudia. Please be careful, especially since you’re working late.
Make sure you call me when you get there and from time to
time.”

“
Mom!” I retorted as I
kicked the stand from my bike.

“
Okay! At least text me
then.” She was standing in front of me with her hands on the
handlebar so I couldn’t leave.

“
I gotta go. I’m gonna be
late on my first day,” I said anxiously.

“
Ride carefully, watch out
for cars, and don’t forget to call Gamma. She called this morning,
but I didn’t want to wake you,” she said quickly and backed away.
“Remember, be good to those who are alive, because what good is it
when they are dead?”

“
I know, I know,” I
muttered, hearing that phrase from her for the hundredth time.
“Bye, Mom.” I smiled and pedaled my way to work on the red bike I
had received last Christmas. Although I enjoyed riding, I was
hoping to get a used car, or perhaps a new car, for my birthday. I
didn’t think I had ever pedaled so quickly in my life because I
could feel my heart pounding in and out of my chest. I watched out
for cars, just as I had promised. When I came to the first red
light, I got off my bike and pushed the “walk” button. Impatiently,
I pushed the button several more times, hoping that it would make
the light change faster. I didn’t know how these things worked, but
I thought maybe it would sense my urgency.

Walking to school was much easier
since it was a shorter distance, but it was just an excuse so that
I wouldn’t have to ride my bike to school. I just couldn’t do it.
Riding my bike to and from work was one concession I had to make to
my mom. She’d rather have me ride the bike instead of walking home
in the dark, since she usually worked the night shift. I knew it
would put her mind at ease, so I didn’t put up a fight. Patty lived
nearby and we had planned to ride home together.

As I approached the building, a sense
of excitement ran through me. On several occasions, I had visited
Patty at her workplace, but it was always for a short time. Now
that it was also my place of employment, I found a different kind
of interest in the store. Patty saw me through the tall glass
window and pointed her finger, directing me to park my bike next to
hers. Her bike was black with yellow fluorescent lights in front
and back. You could see that thing shine a mile away, but then
again that was the whole purpose. It had an on-and-off button that
controlled the brightness. I locked my bike next to hers, called
Gamma and exchanged a few words, texted Mom quickly to let her know
I had gotten to work safely, and ran in.

“
Sorry I’m late,” I said
still breathing heavily.

“
You’re here.” She smiled.
“No worries. Mrs. Lee had to leave, so I’m training you.” She spoke
while walking toward me to give me a big hug.

“
Thank God. I didn’t want
to be late on my first day.” I was relieved that I had just made it
in time as I hugged her back.

“
Now, let me show you
around,” she said enthusiastically.

As she spoke, I tuned out and observed
the high ceiling and the huge size of the store. I guess I hadn’t
realized how big it was before. With this newfound interest, I
observed where everything was: the bathroom, dressing rooms,
storage room, light and music on-and-off switch, and the cash
register, before Patty even pointed them out to me. Not only was it
bright from all the lights, there was also a sense of comfort…maybe
it was because Patty was around. Regardless, I was thrilled to be
working and spending time with my best friend at the same time.
Patty was right, what more could I ask for?

As Patty continued to talk, I noticed
a few customers rummaging through the clothing racks. I also
noticed a teenager in front of a mirror holding one of our shirts
in front of her. As we passed her, Patty made a comment.

“
That shirt would look
really cute on you. Would you like to try it on? I’ll take you to
the dressing room, so you can see for yourself. My name is Patty,
what’s your name?”

“
Clara,” she said with
spunk, obviously happy to have someone at her beck and
call.

I followed them to the dressing
room.

“
Watch this,” Patty
whispered. When Clara came out with her new shirt on, Patty
practically dropped her jaw with exaggeration, “Oh my gosh! You
look sooo cute!”

“
Yeah, I like it,” Clara
smiled, as she admired herself in the mirror.

“
Like it?” Patty’s tone
begged Clara to say more.