Chapter 10
Adela walked around the room and chatted with a couple of angels while waiting for her next job. She hoped that she wouldn’t be chosen for the new assignment—to help the Angels of Affection—and she thought it was highly doubtful she would be. If the Archangel Michael, Mother Nature, and the Creator looked at her past, they would see that she had never been in love, nor had she ever had any experience even remotely close to it.
The device at her wrist vibrated, letting her know that her new coordinates were available for viewing. She moved quickly through the crowds, wondering if the next soul she delivered to the Fringe would be male or female.
She walked down the path of clouds and out to the edge of the Fringe where she unfurled her wings and soared up to the sky. She wondered how much time was available before Michael restarted the lives of those below.
Her coordinates led her to a small apartment complex in an area called Litchfield Park located in the state of Arizona. She took in the palm-tree-lined streets and noted the orange trees, their branches hanging heavily with ripened fruit. She walked through the front door of the building, past a wall with eight mailboxes, then up the stairs. The building was two stories, and as she counted the doors, she realized that each floor had four apartments. The device on her wrist buzzed when she reached the right door.
She walked through the wall and looked around. It was a very nice apartment, with plush cream-colored couches and hardwood floors. The walls were also painted a cream color with black-and-white pictures of different cityscapes, most of which she recognized as she had been around the world many times. There was a large one of New York and one of Seattle. The far wall had one of Tokyo, Japan.
Moving into the kitchen area, she checked her device and saw that she was a little bit early, so she peeked in the refrigerator. It was fully stocked with fruits, vegetables, and chicken breasts. There was a stack of money on the counter, which was odd, as people usually hid their money, not keep it out in open on the kitchen counter. She shut the refrigerator door and decided to see who would be going to Heaven.
Walking down the hall, she stopped at one room and peeked in. Nothing but a large bed covered in a black comforter and a dresser. More black-and-white pictures littered the walls, and it seemed that the room had not been lived in for a while. The next room was the bathroom, and the door at the far end of the hallway was open. She went into the room; it was empty as well except for the large bed with peach-colored coverings, two end tables, and a dresser. This room didn’t look lived-in either, and she checked the device at her wrist to make sure she was in the right place.
She went to the closet and opened the door where women’s clothing hung neatly. Going through the dresser drawers, she noted more clothing, and she came to the conclusion that the woman who lived here was a very neat and organized person. Everything had a place. But where was this person? Perhaps she was lying on the floor somewhere?
Adela went through the apartment once more and didn’t see anyone. Checking her device again, it only showed the countdown to the time of death, none of the regular information, such as name, age, and the sex of the individual it usually registered.
What the heck? Where was her delivery?
The countdown was in the final seconds, and she realized with shock that for the first time in three hundred years she was going to fail an assignment. What would happen to her? Certainly they wouldn’t send her to Hell because of the one failure, would they? She had no idea. She had never heard of an Angel of Tolerance failing to deliver a soul to Heaven.
Just then she heard a whistle outside the door and she spun around. Perhaps this was her soul. However, there was something off about the whole thing. It all felt wrong.
She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. The whistling stopped. She watched the doorknob, but it never moved.
Instead, Liam stepped through the door, stopping when he saw her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked.
“I was wondering the same thing about you.”
“This is where I was told to go,” he said, tapping his device.
“Me too. There’s no one here.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed as he looked around the living room. “You’re certain of that?”
“Of course.”
“Then what’s this all about?”
Evangeline appeared. “Hello,” she said, her voice sounding like wind chimes. She flapped her large white wings embroidered with small crystals one last time, and then they laid flat on her back and eventually disappeared.
Adela had known the angel long enough to read her pretty face. A small crease took up residence between her eyes, and she didn’t make eye contact with either Adela or Liam. Adela’s instincts had been right when she felt that something was wrong with this scenario.
“What’s going on here, Evangeline?” Adela asked.
“Yes, do tell,” Liam said.
“You’ve both been chosen to help the Angels of Affection make this world a better place,” she said, studying the floor, her blonde waves of hair hanging down the sides of her face.
Adela groaned and pinched her nose between her eyes and felt . . . a headache. What was going on?
“I think you’ve made a big mistake here, love,” Liam advised. “I don’t know about the three-hundred-year-old witch over there, but I do know that I know nothing about love. You want me on the death patrol, believe me.”
“How dare you speak that way to her,” Adela snapped, her anger rising at Liam’s insolence, her headache forgotten. “Evangeline is an angel in the upper tiers. She should be spoken to with respect, not called names of endearment that you don’t mean.”
Liam narrowed his eyes at her. “You listen to me, love. You don’t tell me how to talk to anyone. If Evangeline has a problem with it, then she can tell me herself.”
“That’s the point, you obnoxious ass. She shouldn’t have to tell you anything. You should respect her position!”
“And you should—“
“Both of you stop it!” Evangeline yelled. She took a deep breath, met their gazes and pointed to the couch. “It has been a difficult evening for all, and there is no time for your bickering. Now sit, and let me explain.”
Adela sank into the couch, not liking where this was going one bit.