Mark once again intercepted my thoughts and glanced briefly in his direction, but quickly looked away.
"Let's go," he said quietly, leading me from the tent.
Shawn and Sam were already climbing into the vehicle by the time we walked out into the cool night. The moon was full overhead as we silently walked toward the vehicle. We kept our pace casual, although we yearned to flee the scene behind us. The oppressive emotions had grated on me and I felt shaky as Mark finally helped me into the passenger seat.
He started the vehicle and pulled out of the dirt lot.
"Did you guys find anything?" I asked Lynn and Robert, turning sideways in my seat.
"Not much. We walked around the tent a few times, but all the action was pretty much in with you guys. We saw a couple guys come out and smoke cigarettes, but other than that, no one else left the tent. We wound up standing outside the opening at the front of the tent so we could hear everything that was going on. The guy in there sounded like a complete loon," Lynn answered.
"Yeah, talk about government hate," Robert added.
"Completely," Sam said. "You should have been inside the tent. It's glaringly obvious that he preys on those that haven’t had a break their entire life. The poor girl next to me was a mess. Her despair was enough to make me feel pukey."
I had been so focused on the guy beside me and the freak up front spouting his words of wisdom, I hadn't even paid attention to who was sitting on the other side of Sam. "The guy beside me was the same way," I told them.
"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.
"I think we need to talk to Haniel again. I agree with him. Now that we scoped out the place, we are ill equipped to handle a situation like this," Mark said as he merged onto the highway.
"I agree also. I think we need to convince Haniel to show us what we need to do," I said, quietly pondering how we were going to talk him into it. "What do you guys think?" I asked Sam and Shawn.
"We feel the same," Shawn said, glancing at Sam for confrimation. She nodded her head before sinking back into a more comfortable position. "Sam sensed the majority of the room was filled with forgotten souls. Did you get the same vibe Krista?"
"Pretty much. All but one guy who I couldn’t quite gauge. I noticed him watching us when we were leaving. The aura of hatred surrounding him was out of control. I can't tell if he is a forgotten soul or just a henchman of Alan's, but he definitely gave me the creeps," I said.
The rest of the drive was quiet as we all digested what we had learned that night. It was a little disheartening to feel under-skilled at something. For years we had excelled at school and were used to things coming easier to us.
Mark pulled into his driveway and the headlights cut across the exterior of the building, illuminating Haniel's tall, imposing posture. He was obviously not happy
Chapter 9
None of us spoke as we filed out of the car and headed toward the front door that Haniel had disappeared behind.
My anxiety began to claw uncontrollably through my body. I used my handy tricks to fight it back, but could only barely hold it at bay as we walked into the living room where Haniel stood. I kept my eyes on him as we all found seats on the two couches. Though his expression or emotions didn’t deviate from what he normal, I could sense that he was disappointed in us. I felt sick for defying him and yet my soul ached for those we had been unable to save. It was a double-edge sword for me.
"Did you achieve the results you set out to accomplish tonight?" he asked, making it clear he already knew the answer.
"No, you were right. The situation was more severe than we had anticipated," Mark said, still standing. "But that doesn't mean we're giving up. We just need your help to prepare the girls."
"It would take many moon cycles to prepare you for a situation such as this."
We all exchanged looks. Haniel made it seem like he knew more about the situation than he had originally let on.
"Yes, we have been aware of the situation for some time now, but more crucial circumstances have demanded the attention of the Guides and Protectors," he said picking the thoughts from our heads.
"Then why don't you prepare us?" Sam asked, jumping to her feet to pace in front of us.
"I am training you, but we do not send Guides and Protectors into a situation that they cannot handle," he said in a dismissive voice.
"You didn't seem to care this much when it was our parents. Where was all this concern when they were being slaughtered?" Shawn asked in an uncharacteristically angry voice.
My eyes filled with tears at the pain in my brother's voice. The death of our parents was a subject we often skirted around, and I felt his pain keenly.
For the briefest moment, I thought I saw pain flash behind Haniel's beautiful blue eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. "Your parent's death was the greatest loss we have ever suffered and is the reason we proceed with caution and great deliberation before we assign a mission," Haniel said in his normally passive voice that worked its usual magic and seemed to instantly sooth the anger radiating from Shawn.
"Haniel, how can we ignore them?" I finally asked. "My soul can't seem to let her go. I don’t think I could live with myself if we didn’t at least try. We need your help, please," I begged, brushing away a stray tear.
He studied me for a moment and finally nodded his head. "We begin tomorrow afternoon," he said simply before he abruptly left us.
My emotions swelled at his words as hope erased the last traces of anxiety from me. We would save the forgotten souls and we would do it the right way, with the help of our Archangel.
"You okay?" Mark asked, sitting beside me on the couch, gently rubbing my back.
"Yeah, I'm just glad Haniel agreed. I didn’t want to have to hardball him, but truthfully, I knew one way or another we weren’t going to just leave them."
"Well you certainly got through to him. I think he likes you."
"Oh gross, he's like a father figure to me," I said, horrified at the suggestion.
"Not romantically, silly. I meant he likes you because you're special," Mark said, nudging me with his shoulder.
"I'm not any more special than any other Guide," I said, indicating my two other friends who were too busy playing the Xbox with the guys to pay attention to our conversation.
"You're wrong Krista," Mark said passionately. "We all see it, and one day you will too. You're like a light we're all drawn to."
"That's sweet, but you just feel that way because your heart and soul are connected to mine," I said embarrassedly, trying to take the spotlight off of myself.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Mark said chuckling, letting the uncomfortable subject drop.
***
School the next day was torture as I anxiously awaited the opportunity to beef up our training. Every moment that the forgotten souls remained with Alan would make it more difficult to win them back. We had exactly three afternoons of training to get into tip top shape before my mom was released from the hospital and my free time was cut drastically.
I had mixed emotions about my mom returning home. Part of me had missed her immensely during the month she had spent in the hospital, but a bigger part of me would miss the freedom I had begun to take for granted.
Mark and Shawn picked Sam and me up as soon as the last bell echoed through the hallways.
"Hey, how was your day?" Shawn asked, giving Sam a quick peck.
"Boring. No drama to keep us entertained and help pass the time," Sam grumbled, climbing into the backseat next to Shawn.
"Let me get this straight. You hate the drama, but you missed it today?" Shawn asked incredulously as he burst out laughing.
Sam started laughing too. "What can I say? There's no rhyme or reason to the way my brain works."
We all laughed.
Mark stopped briefly at the hospital on our way home so I could visit my mom. I had skipped seeing her over the weekend and knew I was in the doghouse over it as soon as I stepped into he
r hospital room.
"Sorry Mom," I said, pecking her on the cheek.
"Where were you all weekend?" she asked, clearly upset with me.
"Mark took me to the farmers market off of Highway 1, just past Aptos. We had such a fantastic time that we went back again yesterday with the others," I said apologetically, trying to pacify her.
My ploy worked and she finally dropped her frown. "I guess that’s reasonable, it's not like it's your job to keep me entertained," she said, sounding down.
"Mom, you know I love to visit you, and FYI, it is my job to keep you entertained. It’s the least I can do after you spent my entire life entertaining me," I said, trying to cheer her up. "Why are you so down today?" I asked, empathetic to her sour attitude.
"I'm sorry, honey, I don't mean to sound so grouchy. I’m just discouraged that I'm still cooped up here. The usual recovery for a splenectomy is a couple of days in the hospital and yet I've been here over three weeks."
"Mom, you're forgetting your other injuries. You were in a major accident for goodness sake. Plus don’t forget, you got that infection a couple weeks ago that set your recovery back even further. You heard your doctor. Having your spleen out is going make you more susceptible to every germ and infection out there. I, for one, am happy they're being cautious," I said, pulling up a chair close to her bed.
"Alright, enough of my drama as you like to call it," she said, making me laugh. "So the farmers market was fun?"
"It was pretty cool. I liked the idea of shopping outside. It was like visiting one massive garage sale. Once you can handle an outdoor excursion, I'll take you down there so you can see it firsthand," I said, hoping that would help shake her out of her funk.
"That would be great. Just like old times when we would spend the summers trolling yard sales back home," she said. "So, are you getting excited about graduation?"
"Ugh, don't remind me," I said, not relishing the idea of having to walk in front of the entire senior class to receive my diploma.
"Honey, everyone will be just as nervous as you are about receiving their diploma. They won't even notice you," she said, patting my hand to reassure me.
"Yeah right, until I trip or something," I muttered, making her chuckle.
"Trust me, you will be fine."
The rest of my visit was spent discussing the final exams I was taking this coming up week. We both knew that I would breeze through them and that it was really just a formality. Having some freaky high IQ from my Angel blood definitely had its perks.
Lynn, Robert, and Haniel were waiting for us on the beach when we finally made it home from the hospital. Sam and I headed to my room and quickly changed out of our school uniforms. I was excited as I hung my skirt and sweater up. Less than a week to go and I would be able to pack it away for good, I thought, as I tossed the white button-up shirt into my dirty clothes basket. I pulled on a pair of comfy cut-off sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed a sweatshirt on my way out the door to ward off the cool ocean breezes.
The others were waiting for Sam and me down by the tide line in an informal circle, listening to Haniel's instructions. Haniel had decided to mix things up by sitting the guys out and dedicating the training completely to the Guides. He explained that the guys had the proper skills and techniques they needed already in place. Instead, he would focus the next week completely on Lynn, Sam, and me. He decided to test each of us individually, so we could all have a turn to watch from the outside.
I was anxious when he picked me to go first. I had decided the night before that the seriousness of the situation deserved a complete commitment from me. So when Haniel sent me the disturbing images, I tackled them head-on, embracing them as my own. Where before I couldn't seem to grasp how to appropriately filter the emotions, I could now clearly see exactly what I needed to do. I wrapped my own happiness and love around the images, freeing the victims from the pain and suffering they had endured, and cast the new emotions back out for Haniel to inspect.
I opened my eyes to see Haniel smiling at me, offering a rare display of emotion that wasn't neutral. "Very good Krista," he said, praising me. "You now understand."
I nodded my head. "Yes, before I couldn't help shying away from the disturbing images. I realize now that those images should not be feared. They are crucial stepping stones to guide us down the appropriate path we need to help them," I said simplifying the process.
"Exactly," he replied, looking pleased. "Sam, you are next."
I watched Sam close her eyes and knew the instant Haniel sent her the images by the way she recoiled like she had been struck. Watching from the sidelines was almost as intense as experiencing it firsthand, I discovered as I watched Sam's facial expressions. After a few moments, it became clear that Sam had failed when she collapsed to the sand on her knees. I rushed to her side to help her up.
"I can't do it," she said, her voice filled with anguish from the after effects of the images she had seen.
"Yes you can," I said, brushing the sand off of her. "You have to do this, they need you. Remember, the images aren't your enemy, they're your friend, sent there to help you find the right path. You can do this, you're stronger than me," I said earnestly.
"No I'm not Krista. You're the strongest person I've ever seen," she said without a trace of envy.
"No I'm not. I've just become stubborn in my old age," I said, trying to joke my way out of the uncomfortable praise.
"Yes you are, but I'm going to get this because you're right, I need to. I will not let them, or our group, down," she said determinedly, facing Haniel once again.
I reached in and gave her a quick hug. "You can do it. Remember the images are a helping hand," I whispered in her ear before I stepped away.
Sam's expression lost some of its anxiety as she faced Haniel for a second time. This time I knew instantly that Sam had taken my words to heart and was accepting the images for what they were. It took her a little longer, but when she finally accomplished the test, we all applauded and I gave her another hug.
"I told you, you could do it," I said, linking my arm through hers while we watched Lynn prepare for her turn.
She glanced at me briefly and I gave her a reassuring smile. "You got it Lynn. Just remember what I told Sam," I said, blowing her a brief kiss for good luck.
She flashed a quick smile before she closed her eyes. It took her a little longer than Sam's second attempt, but in the end, she came out victorious.
"Well done," Haniel said, praising all three of us.
His praise boosted our confidence, and by the time the sun disappeared into the ocean behind us, we were able to filter the emotions Haniel sent us at an insane pace. Haniel had explained that when we entered into a situation where multiple forgotten souls needed to be saved, speed was of the essence.
"The more souls you change before you're discovered, the easier your task will become," he said, ending our training session.
***
"Mom, I'm going to head over to Mark's now. Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" I asked, feeling bad about leaving her when she had only been home a couple days. If the next day wasn't the day we planned on making our move, I would have opted to spend the first Saturday she was home with her.
The past week had literally flown by, and by Wednesday evening Lynn, Sam, and I could filter a forgotten soul within seconds of letting their images in. Haniel didn't praise us again after the first successful night, but I could tell he was pleased with our progress, and his approval spurred me on to excel even further. Sam and I finished our last day of school on Friday and we were both ecstatic that we were officially done with high school.
"I will be fine, honey," she said, laughing at me.
I smiled sheepishly, realizing I had asked her the question no less than twenty times since we had gotten up that morning.
"Sorry, Mom. I just feel bad leaving you so much after your first weekend home. I will be gone most of today and tomorrow evening," I said, reminding her of my plans.
>
"I'll be fine," she repeated. "I have all these wonderful gardening magazines you got me, a slew of HGTV shows to watch, and a stack of novels I'm dying to read. You've already prepared my lunch for me," She added, indicating the lunch I had stored in my school lunch bag and placed at arm's length for her. "Besides, the doctors told me the sooner I start moving around, the better I will feel. Go have some fun with your friends. I may be old, but I still remember how exciting that first weekend was after I finished my last high school exam."
"Okay, as long as you're sure," I said, heading toward the front door reluctantly.
"Have fun," I heard her call out as I locked the door behind me.