I was surprised to find Gabriel pacing around the kitchen, clearly on edge. “What’s wrong with Gabriel?” I whispered to Elijah.
“He’s giving his first sermon tonight, remember?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right,” I replied.
I guess someone even as strong and powerful as Gabriel could have his off moments. Just as we sat down to dinner, he knocked over the milk, sending it cascading across the table and into my lap. “Oh Cass, I’m so sorry!” he cried.
I fought the urge to say, “Great, just what I need after the day I’ve had!”, but I didn’t. Instead, I forced a smile to my face. “No use crying over spilled milk, right? I’ll run and change.” As I hurried past him in my milk soaked shirt, the softer side of me took over, and I reached over to kiss his cheek reassuringly. “Relax Gabe. Have you forgotten who is on your side?”
He laughed nervously. “No, that just makes it harder. I’m in human form, remember?”
“You’ll be fine,” I said.
Sophie nodded. “Cassie’s right.” She then grinned at Gabriel. “Hey, I guess it’s time like these that make it easier to keep our cover. The more human the better, right?”
“I suppose…” he replied.
Later, wen we started out the door, Gabriel tossed the keys at Rafe. “I think you’d better drive.”
Rafe grinned. “Cool.”
After we climbed inside, Rafe threw Elijah and me a wicked look. “Buckle your seat belts… it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!”
“Honestly Rafe,” I moaned while Elijah merely rolled his eyes in response. The drive to church usually took fifteen minutes, but with Rafe driving like we were in the Indy500, we pealed up in less than ten.
He squealed to a stop in front of some of the deacons, who from the looks on their faces, felt their lives were in danger.
Gabriel shot Rafe an exasperated look. “Thanks a lot!”
“Anytime,” he replied, flashing his usual grin.
I had just grabbed up my purse and stepped out of the car when a jabbing pain tore across my chest. It ran so deep it knocked the breath from me, and I gasped. The others looked back at me in alarm. “Is your assignment in trouble?” Gabriel asked.
For a moment, I couldn’t find my voice. I’d never experienced anything like the emotions coursing through me in all my existence. “I think so,” I finally squeaked.
“Then go to him.”
I peered up at Gabriel. Everything I’d been taught, everything I’d learned in my training year on earth had just flown out the window. “But...I don’t know how? I-I mean what should I do?”
“Appear unseen. See what you can do to stop the trouble.”
Sophie nodded.
“Oh yeah, that’s right,” I muttered. Duh, why didn’t I think of that?
I hurried past them into the bathroom. I couldn’t help feeling a little ridiculous. I mean, the hardest thing about being a guardian angel was getting used to “appearing”. I seemed like Clark Kent hurrying into a telephone phone booth to transform into Superman.
Instead, I got down to business. I closed myself into one of the stalls. I concentrated on Zach’s face before me. Closing my eyes, I poured all of my energy into connecting with him.
It began as a blurry mess. I could barely make out anything. Squeezing my eyes tighter, desperation, anger, frustration, and sadness flew at me as I took on Zach’s emotions. Finally, the vision cleared, and I could see what was happening. Tiny flashes flickered into a plot like a movie playing in my mind.
Zach was helping his mom set the table for dinner. Then his younger brother bounded through the back door, a basketball nestled in the crook his arm. As he started to the sink, Zach teasingly knocked the ball away. In a flash, his brother quickly shot past him and retrieved it.
“Pretty fast skills you’ve got there, Taylor.”
Taylor shot him a triumphant look. “Yeah, you better stick with your music.”
Zach laughed. “I guess you’re the true baller of the family.”
Then Zach’s step-father lurched into the kitchen, downing the last few sips in his bottle. My eyes honed in on a framed picture that Bruce passed. It was a group picture of several family members. In the picture, David Thomas stood flanked by Victoria on one side, and then on the other was Zach’s mom. Whoa, could it really be that Zach and the Thomas’s were cousins? Now the assignment made even more sense to me.
Bruce snapped me out of my thoughts when he snarled at Taylor. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Taylor shrank at Zach’s side, refusing to meet his step-father’s blood-shot eyes. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
Bruce raised his eyebrows. “Are you back talking me?”
“No sir, I-”
“If you’re not back talking me, then you’re lying to me!” Bruce honed in on the ball in the crook of Taylor’s arm. “How many times have I told you not to bring that damn ball into this house?”
Before Taylor could answer, Bruce was at his side. Grabbing Taylor’s arm, he pressed his fingers tightly into the flesh, causing Taylor to cry out in pain.
In a swift movement, Zach stepped in between them. Zach narrowed his eyes coldly. “Leave him alone!”
“You stay out of this!” Bruce snarled.
Zach’s mom ran into the room. “Bruce, please don’t,” she pleaded.
“Annie, I’m not stopping until someone teaches these boys respect!”
“Yeah a drunk’s really going to teach us something about respect,” Zach snorted.
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Bruce questioned. He shoved Zach, causing him to stumble into one of the kitchen chairs. It clattered noisily onto the floor.
When Zach regained his footing, his eyes narrowed at Bruce. “It should’ve been you,” he hissed.
“Excuse me?” Bruce demanded.
“Instead of someone good like Aunt Victoria dying, those lowlife gang members should’ve blown your sorry ass away!” Then he shoved Bruce.
It all happened so fast. Bruce brought his fist around, and Zach ducked. Zach pummeled Bruce hard with a fist to his face and then to his gut. When Zach turned to check on his mother and brother, Bruce charged at him, knocking him over onto the kitchen table.
“Bruce stop!” Annie screamed. Tears of desperation sprung in her eyes.
With Zach flat on the table, Bruce brought his fist down hard against Zach’s cheek while Taylor and Annie screamed at him.
In the midst of the chaos with Bruce, I became the most emotionally connected with Zach and was then able to transport from the cramped bathroom stall to appear unseen in Zach’s house. My head spun wildly as I fought the panic rising in my throat. I hadn’t known it was going to be like this. How was I ever going to be able to stop Bruce? He was a monster the likes I’d never seen before. I’d fought the ravaged aftermath of Mother Nature—never anything tangible and physical like a drunken man.
Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, shadows peeled down from the ceiling corners like a roll of tape. They swirled together to form a creature. It then creaked and groaned towards me. The others in the room were oblivious to anything else. Only I could hear and see it, and only I knew I was in the presence of a demon.
The shadowy figure whirled into a form, and I couldn’t help but gasp. Something deep within me uttered a name. Lucius.
He glanced at the scene before us and then arched a dark eyebrow at me. “Hmm, this certainly looks like a challenge. Tell me, newbie, just how do you think you’ll handle this one?”
I tried to ignore him, but he wasn’t one to be ignored. “Let’s see,” he pondered, rubbing his chin. “The obvious choice would be been to break out of that weak little human form. You know, come out with wings blazing.” He paused for my response. “Isn’t that when you guardians are your most powerful?”
I snorted in exasperation. “Yeah, that’s a great idea to freak Zach and his entire family out by appearing as some winged creature in their kitc
hen!” I neglected to tell Lucius that it was too early in the mission. The Dominion had clear expectations of what I should do, which was to slowly work with Zach. But he probably wouldn’t have listened since following the rules wasn’t his thing.
Bruce and Zach continued to struggle, and the urgency of the moment overcame my doubt. “Do excuse me. I have work to do,” I said as I pushed past Lucius. I closed my eyes and poured all of my energy into stopping the madness around me. All the thoughts in my mind whirled past me. Nothing mattered but saving Zach, even if I wasn’t entirely sure of how to do that. “Make him stop, make him stop, make him stop!” I chanted over and over again in my mind.
At the sound of popping glass, my eyes flew open. From the protection of Annie’s arms, Taylor stood wide-eyed. Bruce stopped pummeling Zach long enough for them both to stare up in amazement at the light fixture over the kitchen table. Each of the bulbs on the fixture blew, raining down shards of busted glass. Zach quickly flipped over, avoiding being cut.
“What the…?” Bruce frowned, staggering back.
Zach rolled off the table, his shoes crunching in the broken glass on the floor. His hand instinctively went to the pulsing mark on his cheek.
I exhaled in a low wheeze. I did it! I stopped the fighting. I wasn’t off my abilities as much as I thought I was. The fight appeared to be over, and Zach was safe. I turned triumphantly around to smirk at Lucius. Although he looked somewhat dismayed, he shook his head. “Oh, you have so much to learn, don’t you?”
Before I could reply with something that wouldn’t be very angelic, Bruce started coming out of his stupor. He surveyed the mess around him. Then he turned to Zach. “Get out of this house,” he commanded in a low, cruel voice.
My eyes widened. Wait, what? That wasn’t supposed to happen. No, no, no!
“Bruce, please don’t throw Zach out!” Annie pleaded.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna do to you what I did to him!” Bruce shouted.
Zach turned helplessly to his mother. “Mom….”
She stared up at him through eyes flooded with remorseful tears. Even though she wasn’t my assignment, I felt the conflict within her—how much she wanted to help Zach, but then how she knew she couldn’t.
Bruce gave them a final look before he grabbed Zach by the shoulder. “I said get out!”
“No, I won’t leave Mom and Taylor.”
Bruce ignored Zach’s pleas as he pushed him towards the front door. With one hand still clawing into Zach’s shoulder, Bruce used his free hand to open the front door. Shoving him with all his might, Bruce sent Zach flying onto the front porch.
Oh, no. This wasn’t good. How could I have made such a mistake? Still unseen, I breezed past Bruce to join Zach outside. My chest constricted under the emotions coursing through me as I watched Zach stare pitifully at his mother. I willed her to say something—to stand up to Bruce, to tell him she was sorry, that she loved him, anything!
But Annie only gave him one last defeated look before she sunk down onto the floor of the foyer sobbing.
“Mom!” Zach cried, as he took one step towards the door.
Lucius stood beside Bruce. “How quickly things can change. Poor Zach, sure hope he doesn’t do anything…desperate.”
I didn’t reply. Well, couldn’t reply is more like it. Bruce glared at us one last time before slamming the door. In desperation, Zach’s hand flew to the doorknob. When he turned it, he found it locked.
Zach pummeled his fist into the hard oak. “You can’t do this!” he cried, kicking the door.
Overwhelming defeat rippled through me as Zach turned from the door and pounded down the front steps. I followed close at his heels as he headed out of his neighborhood. The farther he walked, the more the anger boiled inside of him, and the more it bubbled over to me. I couldn’t read the thoughts running through his mind, but his pain told me he was spiraling dangerously out of control. And that sent cold fear crashing over me, especially with Lucius’s last words echoing in my mind.
I shrugged them away and continued trailing Zach as he wove erratically in and out of traffic. Where was he going? There was no rhyme or reason, but something in his step made me think he knew where he was going. Then I got my answer.
At the edge of town was a bridge. Zach swayed indecisively as he stared at it. His frustration pulsed through me, and I read his pain clearly. He was never going to win against Bruce. He was never fully able to protect his mom or Taylor. He was useless to them. He was useless to everyone. He was drowning in blood and bruises, and there seemed to be only one way out.
Death.
He didn’t have a gun or money for pills. The bridge, with its fifty foot drop to the shallow water below, was the only weapon that lay before him. One quick freefall would ensure he would be out of pain and would be reunited with his dad.
Tears stung my eyes at his plan. I hesitated for only a second before I followed Zach onto the edge of the bridge. I felt his chest heave under the burden of the wild thoughts racing through his mind. “I can’t do this anymore,” he murmured.
Then I was jolted back as his emotions suddenly changed from frustration to white hot anger. Raising his face to heavens, he shook his head. “So where are you, huh?” he shouted. “Where are you when that asshole is beating up on my mom and Taylor? Or even me?” When the empty silence reverberated around him, Zach shouted, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You’re not out there, and you don’t give a damn!”
He closed his eyes and stepped closer to the edge. “That’s right. Do it,” came a sinister whisper. I caught an amber figure glittering out of the corner of my eye. I glared at him with contempt.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
Lucius rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Are you really that new and naïve that you wouldn’t have a clue as to why I was here? Surely Gabriel or Rafe would have explained it.”
“I know it’s revenge that’s made you try to do things to the Thomas’s. But Zach has nothing to do with what happened in May,” I countered.
“Well, you’re half right. You see, a demon like me is usually assigned or stationed in one place. We don’t flit around the globe like you do. This was my territory and my place until you all wrecked it in May. I’m losing points fast.” He eyed Zach and a cruel smirk spread across his face. “And if old Zach here takes his life, well, that’ll be big bonus points from the Dark Host. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.”
I shook my head at him. “I won’t let you succeed. See, there’s one part of your evil little plan that you’ve overlooked. Zach is my assignment, my mission, and I will do whatever it takes to save him.”
“And I’d love to see you try.”
So, I threw back my shoulders, wedging myself between him and Zach. I gathered every shred of angelic power I possessed. Soon my body vibrated with a hum. I stared intently into Zach’s face, which was hardened into a mask of tormented pain. Slowly, I reached out to touch his bruised cheek.
At the light, feathery touch of my hand, Zach’s eyes flew open, and his head jerked back. He frantically searched the shadowy darkness in front of him for the soothing presence he felt. When he saw nothing in front of him, the pounding of his heart drowned out the sounds around him. In his hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him and whispered into his ear. “Don’t listen to that negative voice. Trust me. You don’t want to do this.”
As I pulled away, his breath was hot on my neck. He scanned the empty river banks, and then he threw a glance over his shoulder to see who was talking to him. Lucius surprisingly remained silent. I expected at any moment for him to begin taunting Zach again. And then it hit me the best way to defeat Lucius and save Zach.
I called upon the Heavens, and the next time I spoke, Zach heard his father’s voice, not mine.
“Step back, son. Don’t do this.”
“D-Dad?” Zach questioned, glancing wildly around him.
“Listen only to me. Step back.”
Zach nodded
and pushed away from the edge. Once that felt safe to him, he lifted his leg back over the barrier. Sighing with relief, I followed, hovering close to Zach as his chest heaved.
For just a moment, I’d forgotten about Lucius. I glanced over my shoulder to see him glaring at me. “Don’t get cocky yet. This is far from over. This may have been a victory for you this time, but it won’t be the next.” And then he evaporated in a swirling gust of gnats.
Zach wrapped his arms around himself, trying to still his shaking body. The honk of a car’s horn caused him to jump. He struggled to get control of himself before he started trailing back into town. Just like before, I was close on his heels.
When he shuffled past Riverdale Church, he stopped. An ocean of memories crashed against him, and they became vivid in my mind as well. For a time, Riverdale had been like home for him. After all, David was his uncle—his mother’s brother. They’d all been close up until Annie had married Bruce, and he’d driven a wedge between them.
Hesitation filled Zach’s face as he took a tentative step forward. He needed answers, he needed to recapture some faith, but most of all, he needed to find hope. I nodded my head, silently willing Zach to keep going. Go inside. Find the answers. Reconnect with your past, I chanted in my mind.
And then he did.
His hand hovered over the doorknob before he finally pushed it open. With an upbeat hymn playing and the multitude of voices raised in song, no one heard the door open. No expectant eyes turned back to see the late arrival. He stood only for a second before he took a seat on one of the back benches.
I quickly transformed back into my seen form and then quietly slipped in the side door, sliding in the bench beside Rafe.
He leaned over and whispered into my ear. “Everything okay?
“For now.”
He nodded.
While the others focused on the music, I slowly turned my head. Slouched down on the bench, Zach’s arms were folded against his chest. “I’m here, Zach. Someone is here for you,” I whispered. He stared straight ahead until suddenly his eyes flickered in my direction. His eyes locked with mine, and I held his stare. Something about my gaze caused him to straighten up in his seat. I wanted to nod and say, “That’s right. I’m here for you. Someone sent me here to save you.” But I didn’t. I just kept staring at him, hoping he was feeling the emotion I had for him. Before I turned back around, I smiled.