Crossroads
By
Mary Ting
World Castle Publishing
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
World Castle Publishing
Pensacola, Florida
Copyright © Mary Ting 2011
Smashwords Editon
ISBN: 9781937085766
Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2011931988
First Edition April 2011
Second Edition World Castle Publishing August 2011
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
Smashwords Licensing Notes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Editor: Maxine Bringenberg
“Crossroads by Mary Ting has it all: danger, romance, suspense, incredible characters and an original plot that is sure to thrill. The action never stops as good and evil battle to the death. This well written and fascinating love story will keep readers entranced.”--ReadersFavorite.com
Crossroads is a lovely, heartwarming story about young love and hope. It is a wonderful escape into the world of an ordinary girl, an extraordinary love, and the forces of evil that try to keep them apart. We loved it!—Michelle De La Vara, Owner of www.InspiredByTwilight.com
"Crossroads is an exciting debut book with a rich paranormal mythology, unique angel-lore, forbidden romance, action, suspense and plot twists. With her detailed writing and a plot that flow wells, Mary created a world I enjoyed visiting, and a story that was hard to put down." Katie with Mundie Moms
“Watch out Edward Cullen! The angel Michael has officially given you a run for your money! Teens everywhere will add a new fictional boyfriend to their ever growing lists! OMWings! An amazing paranormal angel romance that stays with you long after the last page has turned. I need more!” Jennifer Howell with LateBloomerOnline.com
“Crossroads has it all: forbidden love, angels, and suspense. Ting characters are vibrant, vivid, gorgeously drawn, and told with sheer honesty. I really enjoyed it, I’m anxious to see what happens in book 2!”Faye with Rambling of a Teenage Bookworm
“Crossroads is mysterious with a fantastic plot. Not to mention handsome guys, a sweet young girl, and a Fallen that could threaten everything. Crossroads will keep you up into the wee hours of the night, and you will be begging for more!” Andrea Newkirk with Dark Readers
“With easy-to-love characters, a fantastical and unique story line, and a delightful romance, Crossroads will captivate readers of all ages. A heavenly debut!” Shari Bergquist at My Neurotic Book Affair
“Crossroads is a beautifully written debut novel that has everything you need for an outstanding read. Forbidden love, danger, angels and demons. What's not to love?” Siobhan Phinn with lovefantasyscifinovels blog
Dedication
For my grandmother, Lucy Rhee, the reason this book was written. I know you are in heaven watching over me.
My husband, Richard, and kids, Joshua and Kaitlin, you are my life and the reason for my happiness.
Enormous thanks to Kristina, Linda and Jennie. They have dedicated countless hours in making this book possible. Kristina, the most creative person I know, who has been there for me from the start. For your motivation, enthusiasm and love of the characters that got us excited to move forward with the book. Linda, for constantly challenging me to improve the story and for your critical feedback regarding characters and plot. Jennie, for your vital editorial guidance and wonderful suggestions that were essential to the story’s development.
Michelle, who has inspired me that dreams can come true and for all your support.
For my parents-for the person I am today. Roy, Maggie, Nancy, Lily, Jane, Jenny, Patricia, Hung, Gracie, Holly, Barbara and Ai for your support in everything I do.
For my little cheerleader, Sylvie, my number one fan.
To Karen, my publisher, thank you for taking a chance on Crossroads and for being such a wonderful person. Maxine, thank you for your professional editorial feedback and for being easy to work with. Clarrissa Moon, you have a big heart. Thank you for all your help.
For the readers of this book, fly with me through this incredible journey. Fall in love with the characters as much as I did and make Crossroads your place to be. Thank you for your support.
Our destiny can be examined, but it cannot be justified or totally explained. We are simply here.
Every man has his own destiny; the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.
—Henry Miller
Prologue
There was something different about her this time. He didn’t know how long it had been since her last visit, only that she had blossomed beautifully, and he knew that it had been too long. His eyes were immediately drawn to hers; radiant like the sun. Instantly, he was mesmerized by her. He saw her now in a way that he hadn’t before—almost forbidden.
Her long and lustrous auburn hair shimmered in the sunlight, tousled from the gentle breeze and brushing softly against her delicate face. She was striking in her simplicity, yet she took his breath away. A flawless painting was what he saw, and he couldn’t believe she was here again—all grown up. In his eyes, she was perfect in every way.
He had always watched her from a distance, like a guardian protecting her so she wouldn’t be found as a child. And just like the past times, she always looked lost, as if visiting for the first time, though she had been there many times before. What tortured him the most was knowing that he was unable to comfort her.
She was unaware of his presence, and there wasn’t a glimmer of a chance that she knew he was just beyond her reach. An endless field of tall, thick grass was the only thing separating them, but would she ever be able to cross over? It was nearly impossible. He watched as she pushed and shoved, trying to pass through. But there was only one way in, and she would never know. He reached out his hand to help her and then stopped. It took every ounce of energy to refrain from letting her in. His fist tightened and shivered as he fought against what he wanted most—her.
Suddenly, she looked straight at him, her eyes sparkling like the most perfect luminous stars. He didn’t twitch, but inhaled the moment as if she really did see him, for he knew instead that her eyes were focused elsewhere. Although she seemed a world away, he imagined feeling her sweet breath on his lips. He gasped at the thought, wondering why he was feeling this way. The heat that infused throughout his body wasn’t anything that he had felt or remembered before, whatever was left of his memory. He was trained not to have these types of human emotions, and yet it confounded him how she appeared to have taken him over. He didn’t mind at all. He liked the way she made him feel. After all, she didn’t even know he existed, although a part of him wished she did.
He watched as a butterfly landed on the tip of her finger, and she let out a huge, heartwarming smile. The innocence of her smile sent desire to every part of him. He knew he was completely spellbound by this human being. If only he could breathe in her scent, embrace her in his arms, and feel her warmth just once, even if that was all it could be. In the end, he knew it was hopeless.
Gradually she started to become translucent, as if he had made her up in a dream. As always, she never stayed long, just long enough for him to want her even more. Where did she come from? When would he see her again? With these thoughts, he desperately tried to memorize every detail of her before she vanished.
r /> “Claudia, don’t go!” Michael whispered, knowing his pleas would make no difference.
Now he could see right through her as the brilliant sun framed the outer lines of her body, blinding him. He took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, knowing she would disappear. At that very moment, she vanished completely, leaving him utterly empty.
“Michael!” a voice called out from a distance. “What are you doing?”
Michael ignored the voice as he continued to gaze into the empty space, trying to figure out what he was feeling.
“Michael,” the voice called out again.
Michael broke away from his thoughts. “I’m coming,” he responded, annoyed by the unexpected interruption. He walked away from where he had stood, with tangled emotions he had never felt before.
Chapter 1
A Year Later…
I was swallowed up by darkness. I could feel my body begin to levitate off my bed. Slowly, I floated higher and higher. I had no control. Was this a dream? Then suddenly, I was running. Running toward something or someone; but why? As my feet made contact with the naked road, the grinding of pebbles was all I could hear. Clearly it was a hot and sunny day, yet not a drop of sweat developed on my brows. Nothing seemed familiar, so I stopped.
I began to feel anxious. Where was I? Why was I here? Then I noticed that to my right stood a vast field of sweeping brown grass that stood at least twelve feet high. I had to bend my head way back to see the tips of the blades. As I lowered my head, I saw her. Her presence was like a magnet grabbing me to the point where I could not resist her pull. I knew then that she was the reason I was running, so I started to run again. Every fiber of my being told me to follow her, but I didn’t know why.
She was a vision of pure splendor. Her flowing white dress reminded me of a Greek goddess. Her dark and silky brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, not a single strand out of place. Her body was slender, with all the right curves, and yet something about her was different. I realized then that I hadn’t seen her face. She began to pick up speed as if she sensed me closing in. I ran faster, but no matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t catch up to her. My legs began to feel as if a ton of concrete had cemented them to the ground. Every ounce of energy I had could not help me catch this “divine beauty.”
Overwhelmed with frustration, all I could do was watch as she floated far ahead, turned right, and disappeared into the field. I kept my eyes rooted to the spot where I thought she had entered the tall grass, and when I reached it, I turned and stopped. With both hands, I reached out and parted the thick brown grass to enter.
What I saw was breathtaking. A sea of clouds was beneath me. These were not ordinary clouds, though…these were the clouds you only dreamt about. White, fluffy, foamy whipped cream was how I had imagined Heaven’s clouds would look…the kind of magical clouds you could walk on without fear of falling through, like being in the most realistic fairy tale. I began to wonder, slightly panicked, as to where I was and why I was in this place. Was I dead? How beautiful this place was, but was this “life” for me now? Had my wonderment of Heaven finally been answered? Then I saw her again.
She spoke politely yet with a sense of urgency. “Claudia, you need to leave. It’s not your turn.” I was in complete shock. How did she know my name? In hearing the power of her words and the trepidation in her voice, my heart leapt. I stood there, frozen, and as the fear that pierced every bone in my body subsided, her words became insignificant as I stared at this fascinating vision standing before me.
As I continued to stare intently, I slowly began to feel hypnotized. The intensity of the light surrounding her was captivating. It was as if this brilliance was the inner depths of her soul radiating toward me—something I wasn’t supposed to see, pulling me closer. The strangest part was that I still could not see her face. I desperately wanted to know what she looked like, so I just stood there ignoring her order, hoping that maybe the light would fade. But instead, the intensity of the light became too much to endure. I quickly covered my eyes with both of my hands.
“Please stop,” I pleaded.
She spoke again, but this time her voice was unforgiving and commanding. “If you know what’s best for you, you must leave now before it’s too late!”
Before I could say another word, from a distance, I heard a male voice, “No, Margaret!”
Suddenly I was falling at the speed of light. It was so fast. Darkness was all I could see. My stomach felt like it did when I rode on roller coasters at amusement parks. My body never seemed to catch up with the ride, and my heart felt like it was going to be ripped out of my chest. When was this going to stop? All of a sudden, my whole body jolted for a split second and then became still. I was no longer falling, but rather, I had landed on something soft and familiar…my own bed. Had this all been a dream? There was dead silence. As I lay completely still, I managed to slowly peel my eyes open, one at a time.
Confirming I was where I thought I was, I closed my eyes again. I tried to remember the details of my dream before they faded. This was one dream I wanted to remember. I began pondering all that I had seen and analyzing every detail. Suddenly, I was startled by the sound of my cell phone. My heart began to thump, and my body felt like it had jumped twenty feet into the air.
“What the—” I placed my hand on my chest, only to feel my heart beating uncontrollably. I had to calm myself so I let the phone ring several more times. Feeling annoyed that I had forgotten to put it on silent mode and still lying on my bed with my eyes closed, I reached over to my nightstand to answer the phone. I didn’t want to get up just yet; I wasn’t ready to start the day.
“He…he…ello,” I answered. Irritation crept through me as I wondered who would be rude enough to call so early in the morning. I could have looked at the caller ID, but I didn’t want to bother to open my eyes just to close them again. This better be important!
“Claudia? Claudia Emerson? Is that you?” she asked, practically yelling with elation.
It was Patty, the sweetest social butterfly among my friends. Instantly the irritation disappeared, but I wondered why she was verifying who she was talking to. After all, she was the one who had called me.
Before I could even say a word, she shouted, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I’m so glad you’re alive! I thought it was you! I’m so sorry I called so early, but I had to know!”
Patty was so loud that I had to move the phone away from my ear. “It’s me. I’m fine. Why are you—”
“Claudia Emerson, you scared the life out of me!”
Even with the phone at a distance from my ear, I could still hear her loud and clear. I scared her? How? My eyes opened wide with curiosity. “It’s me, but what did I—” I asked as I placed the phone closer to my ear.
Patty interrupted, shouting again, “It is you! Thank God! Thank God! I thought it was you! I thought you were dead! I don’t know what I would do without you!”
Dead? Had something happened to me? Was she somehow connected to the bizarre dream I had? “What happened?” I asked, worried what her answer might be.
“What? Seriously, you don’t know?”
“Know what?” I asked and sat up.
“Ohhh,” she said softly. “You didn’t hear? I can’t believe you don’t know. I thought you would have been the first person to find out.”
“Hear what?”
“Well, that doesn’t matter. I’m just glad it wasn’t you.”
“Patty,” I said calmly.
“I mean, not that I’m glad she’s gone, but as long as it’s not you.”
“Patty…Patty!” This time I said it with more intensity.
“Gosh! What a relief. I was about to faint. I—”
“Patty!” I stopped her in the middle of her sentence.
“Oh…sorry. I got carried away. You know how I get when I get too excited. What did you say?”
“What happened? I still don’t know what you’re talking about!” My tone was intense and urgent, needing an
answer.
“Ohhh,” I heard a big sigh. “Claudia Emerson died last night. You know, your friend who has the same name as you.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief as my body stiffened, but it was more of a rhetorical question. I heard what she said, but I didn’t want to believe it. “Are you sure? Are you sure you got the right Claudia? I mean, I just saw her last week. How could…I mean…I just saw her.”
“I’m sooo sorry. I wouldn’t have called if I wasn’t sure.”
“What happened?” I asked, still in disbelief.
Patty spoke slowly, providing me with all the details of the incident. Claudia had just been voted homecoming queen, and her date was the homecoming king. She was having the time of her life. They were going home after the homecoming dance and were driving through an intersection when a drunk driver ran a red light and collided with their car. Claudia was thrown head first through the front window. She died when her body hit the street below.
I sat completely still, unable to move or speak, as I tried to comprehend what Patty had just told me. It just didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t have happened. Claudia was not dead; surely it was a mistake. Patty’s words brought me back to reality.
“Claudia, are you there?” Patty asked.
“I…I…what?” I replied, trying to come to terms with this gruesome truth.
Patty continued to tell me details of that tragic night. “I heard she wasn’t wearing her seat belt because she didn’t want to wrinkle her gorgeous dress. Oh my gosh! I just had a thought. I wonder if she would still be alive had she put on her seat belt.”
“Uh…uh…,” I replied.
“Claudia? Are you okay?”
“Um…what? Did her date survive?” I asked, ignoring her comment.