He nodded. “My name’s Henry. I’m your guardian angel.”
Melina continued to stare at him. Although she knew he wouldn’t harm her, she couldn’t help but notice how intimidating he looked. He towered over her, standing well above six feet. His shoulders were broad and menacing, and his arms and chest rippled with bulky muscles. She could definitely see why he'd been chosen to be a guardian. But his authoritative demeanor was softened by his boyish features. He had short, light brown, wavy hair, and his big, brown eyes only accentuated his smooth and radiant face. He looked so young to be an angel.
After studying him for several seconds, Melina finally found her voice. “So you’re my guardian angel?”
Henry nodded again.
“Then how come I’ve never seen you before?”
“You weren’t able to see me before. And, you’ve never been in danger like that before.” He took a step forward and gestured to her coat as well as the scarf around her hand. “Why don’t you slip those off so I can examine your wounds from the demons.”
“Oh I’ll be fine, really,” Melina said as she waved him off.
“Please,” Henry insisted.
Melina hesitated but then slowly unwrapped her hand and slid off her coat. She wadded up the bloody scarf and shoved it into her coat pocket.
“May I?” he asked as he reached his hand out toward her cut.
Melina nodded. Even though she had no idea what he was going to do to her, she knew she trusted him. She stepped forward a bit and extended her hand out to meet his. He hovered his hand above her wound, and a few seconds later, she felt a sudden warmth on her palm, like the sun was beaming down right on that spot. The pain slowly eased to a dull throb, then eventually to a slight ache. When he removed his hand about a minute later, there was no pain at all.
She glanced down at her hand and saw that the gash was gone. He had healed her. Her eyes raised back up to meet his, a look of fascination on her face. “You can heal?”
Henry nodded. “Sometimes.”
“Sometimes?”
“It’s complicated.” He reached for her arms and gently pushed her sleeves up. After he finished healing the burn marks on her arms and wrist, he took care of the one on her neck and then her ankles.
Melina stared at him, her fascination turning into confusion. Then, after contemplating his answer, she finally spoke. “Are you being vague with me for a reason?”
Henry smiled at her. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this. Normally my charges can’t see me unless they’re in extreme danger. And those who have seen me because of the gravity of their situations, well, they were under so much traumatic stress and in so much shock that they never quite comprehended what I was. You’re the first one I’ve ever really talked to.”
“So I can see you because of my angel powers?” she asked while slipping her coat back on.
“Yes,” he replied.
“But, I was able to see Walter before I had my powers.”
“Guiding angels are different,” Henry said. “Because of the nature of their work, they can change into a human form, thus allowing all other humans to see them. The rest of us angels can only be seen by those who are meant to see us.”
“So the battle you just had with the demons went unseen by every other human?” Melina asked.
He nodded. “The demons were moving too fast for normal human beings to see them, and you were the only human who could see me. But as I was saying, because of your new powers you can see all angels now.”
“There are several different types?”
Henry chuckled. “Oh yes. The most well-known to humans are the angels like me, guardian angels, and angels of inspiration, whom you refer to as muses. Then there are the guiding angels, angels of life, angels of death, and the list goes on and on. We all have our own unique abilities, but for now let me tell you a little about myself. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other, and it will help for you to understand me.
“As your guardian angel I am, as you know, your protector. I’ve been with you your whole life. But, like I said earlier, you’ve never been able to see me before. Even if you didn’t have your angel powers, though, you could still see me right now because of the danger you were in.”
Melina looked down at the ground and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. “Yes, those demons are relentless. Did you know they could fly?”
Henry’s brow creased in confusion. “No. They’ve never been able to before. It certainly makes them even more dangerous now.”
She sighed. “Even though you’re here now they’re not going to give up, are they?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”
She rubbed her arms and then looked back up at Henry. “What made you change your mind and decide to help me?”
He gave her a curious look. “What do you mean?”
“I know what Phinneas told you, about how you weren’t supposed to help me.”
“Ah yes,” he said as he nodded. “That.”
“So, what changed your mind?” Melina gazed at him expectantly.
“You’ve almost died twice now. It’s my job to ensure that you don’t do that before it’s your time.” A soft sigh escaped his lips. “I’ve never disregarded what an elder has ordered me to do before, but that order got in the way of me doing my job, and I can’t follow an order like that.” He gave her a small smile.
Melina returned his smile, but she was still confused. “Walter told you that my life was in danger, but you ignored him and refused to come to my aid. I had to almost die, twice, for you to decide to help me?”
Henry hung his head. “I know. I should’ve listened to Walter, but that’s the first time I’ve ever been told to ignore a command from an elder. I didn’t know what to believe, so yes, I needed some proof first.”
“I see.”
“Melina, you have to understand that disobeying an elder is not something we normally do. Those who have done it have gotten into some major trouble.”
His last word suddenly made Melina recall what the demon had said. “I think you’re already in trouble.” She gave him a worried look.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the demon who attacked me said that I shouldn’t have involved you, and that now you were in a lot of trouble.”
Henry leaned back against the tree and crossed his arms in front of him. “Interesting.”
Melina looked confused. “Interesting? You’re not worried or scared?”
An amused smile played across his face. “Those demons don’t scare me. And yes, I think it’s interesting that a demon is saying I’m in trouble. I’d like to know what he’s talking about.”
“I’m not following.”
He leaned back up from the tree and relaxed his arms at his sides. “When I said that I’d be in trouble for disobeying an elder, I meant that I’d be in trouble with my own elders. No matter which elder gave me the order, if I disregard it, it’s my own elders who reprimand me. My elders don’t talk to demons. In fact, the only reason they would even go near one was to fight it. So how would the demons know that I was in trouble?”
“Well,” said Melina. “Phinneas was the one who gave you the order, and if the demons told him that you ignored him and came to my aid, then he probably told them that you were in a lot of trouble.”
Henry shook his head. “It’s hard to ignore what you and Walter are saying about Phinneas, but I can’t believe that an elder would be working with demons. It’s simply unheard of.”
Melina looked up at the tree, swaying in the wind, and then back down to Henry. “What would happen to Phinneas if the allegations were found to be true?”
Henry sighed. “An angel working with demons is not something that’s ever happened, but there have been other angels who have lost their way before. And based on what happened to those angels, he would become a Fallen.”
“A Fallen? You mean a fallen angel?”
“Yes. He would be strippe
d of his wings and essentially become a demon.”
“Wow, that’s…” Melina’s voice trailed off as she was at a loss for words.
“Awful.” Henry finished for her.
Melina’s brow furrowed. That wasn’t exactly the word she was going to use.
“For his sake, I hope it’s not true,” Henry continued. “But if it is true then maybe there’s more to the story.”
“Maybe,” Melina said, unsure of how she felt toward Phinneas right now. “I guess we just have to wait to hear from Walter. Hopefully he’ll have some answers for us soon.”
Chapter Twenty
Henry flew Melina back to Lee’s apartment and helped her clean up the best they could. They started by putting the fallen books and picture frames back into their respectful places. Melina looked over at Henry as he was picking up a book and couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” he asked.
“I bet you’ve never had to help a charge pick up a trashed room before, have you?”
He shook his head. “You’re the first charge I’ve had who’s been attacked in a place that belongs to someone who’s not involved. Usually it’s either in the victim’s or the attacker’s place, or somewhere public, so cleaning up with them wasn’t really part of the job.”
Melina cocked her head. “But it is with me?”
Henry held her gaze for a moment then said, “Your situation is so unique, I think you need all the help you can get.” He smiled and then continued picking up books from the floor.
Melina smiled back. “I think you’re right on that one. What do you think we should do about all of the glass, though?” She gazed around the floor and then back up at Henry. “If we pick it up, Lee will come home and find a coffee table with no top, an end table with a missing lamp, and half of a window.”
“Yeah, I thought about that,” Henry replied. “I think we should leave it. The mess could actually be explained pretty easily. Say someone threw a ball through the window, which hit the lamp, and then landed on the table. Accident. If we cleaned up and left it how you described, that would look too suspicious.”
“But then where’s the ball?”
Henry thought for a moment. “It could’ve been a bird that flew through the window and eventually found its way back out.”
Melina nodded. “Right. Okay, that could work.” She placed the last picture frame back into place and then glanced around the room. “Well, I guess we’re done here.”
“I guess we are,” said Henry. “Do you need me to take you home?”
“No, thank you. But you could take me out to my Jeep. It’s out front, and I don’t really feel like teleporting right now.” She reached up and started to rub her forehead. “I also don’t want to make the doorman suspicious by leaving through the front door.”
“Sure.” He picked her up and flew through the space in the broken window and discreetly dropped her off by her Jeep. “Are you sure you don’t want to let Walter know what happened with the demons?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t like to bother him unless if it’s something new or strange going on with my powers.”
“Okay, suit yourself. Be safe driving home. I’ll be keeping an eye on you in case anything else comes up.”
She smiled at him. “I know. Thank you.” As soon as Henry departed, she climbed into her Jeep and took off toward her apartment.
When she arrived back home, she slept for the rest of the afternoon. Henry had healed her wounds, but she still had a headache, and her whole body was sore from being thrown around by the lead demon. The following day she didn’t leave her apartment. She needed a break from the demons, but she also needed to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow was Friday. Not only did she have to travel up to Claire’s place in hopes of witnessing what she'd seen in her vision, but she also had a dinner date with Lee.
Melina imagined that when most women prepared for a first date, they would spend their time picking out what outfit and accessories to wear, choosing the right shades of make-up to use, and deciding how to do their hair. Melina didn’t think she needed to worry too much about all of that with Lee, though. It was more of a friendly date than a romantic one, right? No, she shouldn’t even be thinking that way. She needed to stay focused on her main, and only, objective — helping Lee to resolve whatever it was that was bothering him. If she was able to witness the argument that she saw in her vision between Lee and his sister, then hopefully it would give her the answers she was looking for.
The next morning Melina woke up early to shower and get ready. When she put Claire’s address into her GPS, it said the trip would take her one hour and forty-eight minutes, so she wanted a good head start in case something should happen on her trip there. The vision she'd had took place around lunch time, and she would never forgive herself if she missed getting to witness it because she didn’t arrive in time.
She put on her make-up and styled her hair as fast as she could, and then she rushed over to her closet to pick out some clothes. Since she had a long road trip ahead of her, she decided to go for casual and threw on some jeans and layered a long-sleeved blue tee over a gray one.
After eating a quick bowl of cereal and downing a glass of orange juice, Melina slid on her coat, grabbed her purse, and started to head downstairs when she remembered her bloody scarf. She pulled it out of her coat pocket and buried the now-stiff wad of material in the trash. It was probably a good idea to pick out another scarf to have on her just in case, but she would have to do that when she returned. Right now she didn’t have time. She rushed down the stairs, wishing she could check in on Gwen and Tessa in the store, but she didn’t have time for that either.
Once she was in her Jeep, she pulled her GPS out of her purse, connected it to the holder on her dashboard, and then took off in the direction that it told her to go. Almost two hours later, she arrived in front of a beautiful, two-story, dark blue house.
She looked over at the mailbox to make sure she had the correct address and was satisfied to see C. Atwood written on the side. It was indeed Claire’s house. But by the looks of the empty driveway and street out front, she didn’t know if anyone was home. Even if Claire’s car was in the garage, she should’ve seen Lee’s vehicle, whatever it was, parked somewhere out front, and she didn’t see any other cars besides her own. Hmm. She looked at the clock on her radio. It was almost eleven o’clock. They could be in there having an early lunch. Maybe she should go check the house, just to be sure she wasn’t missing anything.
She parked her Jeep a few houses down and then made her way back toward Claire’s. Slowly, she walked up to the front porch and peeked into one of the windows. There weren’t any lights on. Since it appeared that no one was home, she walked back to her Jeep and waited. Hopefully they would show up soon.
An hour later, Melina still hadn’t seen any cars park in front of Claire’s house. Worry started to creep its way into her mind. What if she missed the argument? No, she couldn’t let that happen. She hopped out of her Jeep and snuck back up to the house. Upon approaching, she saw a black SUV parked by the back of the house.
“What! That wasn’t there before. Oh no.” She peered down at the license plate. It wasn’t personalized, just random letters and numbers, but she had a hunch the vehicle belonged to Lee. “I didn’t think about them coming in from the back. I wonder how long they’ve been home?”
When she'd peered through the front window earlier, all she could see was the living room. She guessed that the kitchen was probably in the back and immediately started to creep her way around the side of the house. As she rounded the corner, she could hear loud voices coming from inside. She tiptoed up onto the deck and peeked inside the nearest window. There stood Lee and his sister, arguing about something.
Oh no, she was missing it. She moved over to the next window to hear their voices more clearly and peeked back inside as she began to listen.
“Lee, I can’t help it if you don’t know how to manage your finances!” Claire y
elled. “Maybe you shouldn’t have put half of it into that swanky apartment of yours. I mean really, why would one person need that much space?”
“I know, I know,” said Lee. “I was so mad that I wasn’t able to go to New York like I’d planned, that I thought I deserved it. You know, if I had to stay there and take over the store, then I was at least going to use some of the inheritance Dad left us to splurge on myself. I didn’t think I would need it to help the store. I thought it was successful.”
“Was is the key word there, Lee. When Dad was running it, it was successful. You’ve been too busy being angry and feeling sorry for yourself to manage the business properly. You don’t care about the store or the employees. That’s why business has slowed tremendously, and why three employees have quit! If you don’t take pride in something, then what do you expect the results to be?” Claire crossed her arms and stared at her brother.
Lee looked down at the hard linoleum floor and started to rub the back of his neck.
Keeping her arms crossed, Claire took a step toward him. “Mom and Dad got divorced eight years ago. When are you going to get over that?” She paused for a brief moment and then continued. “We all tried so many times to explain things to you, but you always refused to listen. You had your mind made up on what happened, and then you went off to college and we hardly saw you anymore. And Dad… he was devastated that you didn’t want to see him. He loved you so much, despite how you acted toward him.”
Lee glanced up at his sister but didn’t say anything. He turned his gaze back toward the floor and began to bite his lip.
Claire sighed and relaxed her arms. “You want to know why he left the store to you? He wanted you to forgive him. He thought it would make you happy, and look at how you’re acting. You act like you’re even angrier with him because he ruined some so-called dream of yours to work at some silly corporation in New York where you don’t even know anybody! The jewelry store is our family’s business. The employees who work there are like family, and that’s how they should be treated.”
“Stop,” said Lee as he held his hand up. “I’ve heard enough.”