Swift of Spirit

by Rodzil LaBraun

  His curiosity piqued to the point that he could not resist sharing his finds with Watcher. "Did you know," Swift asked his angelic companion, "that Sarah's father falsified his parent's documentation? The people that he claims were his mother and father never existed. Evidently his real parents were significant enough for him to sever his ties with them."

  "Or," Watcher replied, "he didn't have parents."

  The statement was not only ridiculous, it was downright shocking to hear from the straight-laced Watcher. He had never known the observant spirit to engage in word play or even remotely joke around. Why would he say that? After recovering from the curve ball just thrown him by his coworker, Swift tried to think throughout human history for circumstances when it could be said that a person did not have parents. Speedily he deduced what Watcher had meant. Colton was perhaps not originally human.

  "What do you know about it?" Swift asked with a rare edge in his tone.

  Watcher paused incessantly before replying. The angel appeared unsure if he needed to hold these details back from his new friend. His orders were not clear on the matter, and possibly expired. Typically, he would only observe and report, then go harmlessly about his way. Collaboration was uncommon in his assignments. Finally, he answered, "This is not the first time I have encountered Colton Hutchins."

  "Okay," Swift replied impatiently.

  "The previous assignment had me observing Colton during his first few months as human. He did not have a family then, of course. It was just him. I’m assuming that he met his wife shortly after my responsibility had ended. Though it never appeared to me that he could see me, or my aura for that matter, it was clear that he always took notice of my presence. I am not surprised to hear that he has retained this ability."

  "Colton is a demon," Swift whispered. "How did I not pick up on that?"

  "No," Watched answered. "And yes. But no."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Colton Hutchins was a respected angel for millenniums before becoming human. It wasn't until he assumed human form that he transitioned over to demon by our standards. Since he remained as a human and never returned to the spirit world since, he is not technically a demon in the strictest terms. He is primarily human. His disobedience of transferring his life force to his own human body would cause us to label him sinful, yet is it not true that some of our fellow angels have been ordered to do so in earlier times?”

  Swift consider the statement. Yes, if you were assigned a human body for a mission it would not automatically make you a demon. However, who was Watcher comparing Colton to? An archangel?

  “I remember concluding and reporting after that assignment that Colton showed no evidence of spiritual attributes after the ordeal." Watcher was hoping that information would be enough. He was not used to providing details to a co-worker. His thought process was different than reporting to a superior. In this particular circumstance, he considered the need to tailor his words to Swift's predicted emotional responses. This was all new territory for Watcher.

  "What ordeal?" Swift asked quickly, to Watcher's dismay. "And how is it possible that he did not retain any powers?"

  Watcher shrugged. No one could see the shrug, of course, but the shrug was implied and Swift received the point intended. Watcher did not want to be the one providing this information. Eventually, he continued anyway. "Apparently, Colton was weakened in battle to the point that returning to his spirit form would make him an easy target for a demon attack. I was not assigned to him until after his transition, so my information is regrettably limited. I was to observe for supernatural abilities only. But my understanding was that he got too close to his assignment and took human form to protect a real human from a demon attack. I don't know anything more. I apologize that I didn't tell you earlier. As you know, it is not part of my job."

  "I understand," Swift replied, puzzled by the whole thing. "I don't blame anyone for the lack of information. Except maybe myself. My recon on this family was apparently incomplete. When I found Sarah and her ability I must confess that I lost my focus on the job, and halted my search."

  "It is not my place, naturally," Watcher said cautiously. "But perhaps you should be more careful. You appear to be getting inappropriately close to this girl. I personally have enjoyed getting to know you better. You are a good angel, Swift. And not entirely what I expected. It would be a terrible shame for you to end up like Colton. We need you for these special assignments. Not many among us have your gift of compassion and curiosity."

  Well, that was nice of him to say, Swift thought. All along, he felt a bond strengthening between them but wasn’t sure if Watcher did as well. "Thank you. I will be more careful. However, I need to find out what happened to Colton, and what sort of angel he was. Do you know his spirit name?"

  "I do. The man of this house was once known as Shielder. He was Hover's top guardian angel."

  Swift nearly gasped. He had certainly heard of Shielder. In fact, everyone in Hover’s team had. Yet, Swift had never had the opportunity to work with him. Shielder’s reputation was utterly impressive, much more so than Swift's, to be sure. What could have possibly happened to reduce this great angel to mortal form? Did he really possess no special powers? Or, was his ability to block detection of supernatural powers literally a power in itself? Could it possibly be that mere restraint was Colton’s greatest gift? If so, it evidently failed him in his last guardian assignment. If the great Shielder could fall victim to the temptation of taking human form, Swift must be increasingly more careful himself.

  CHAPTER TWELVE: MELISSA

  "So, how are you doing today?" Melissa asked, surprising Sarah as she crept up behind her in the school yard. Sarah had been resting against the same tree that she had seen Watcher under recently, appearing as though she had been talking to herself. It had become a common occurrence for her. Hopefully, Melissa was not the only one that had noticed.

  "Oh, hi Melissa," Sarah replied after the initial fright. "I'm fine. How are you?" Her conversation with Swift suddenly came to a halt as she wondered why he had not given her the heads up that another person was approaching. Occasionally, Swift would be caught up in a discussion with his friend, Watcher, causing him to be distracted. Other times he would be eavesdropping on nearby human conversations. Sometimes, it appeared to Sarah like he had just dozed off. Of course, angels didn’t need to sleep, so that was unlikely at best.

  "You don't seem fine, Sarah. Honestly, I'm more than a little worried about you. You have been acting very strange lately." Melissa took a seat beside her friend and rested her hand on the other girl's knee to show her concern. "I've seen you talking to yourself, and some of the other kids said you have laughed in the middle of class for no reason. I just overheard one of your teachers tell Nurse Peterson that she needs to call your parents. She is convinced that you are schizophrenic and off your meds. Is she right?"

  "Oh God no!" Sarah replied in shock, attempting to rise but Melissa encouraged her to stay seated. "I have to talk to her before she can call my parents."

  "Relax," Melissa said. "I told her that I'd check on you. She said she wouldn't be calling anyone's parents without doing some observation first. She's watching us right now. Before you talk to her you need to fill me in on what's going on. I'll back you up, but we need to get our stories straight."

  Sarah sighed heavily. She should have been more careful. Ever since the demon attempted attack and Swift's permanent assignment to protect her she had become more involved in the spirit world than the human one. She knew that she was getting some funny looks from the other kids and the teachers, but it was far from the first time. She guessed her recent behavior was considered more alarming than her previous depression, despite her improved attitude.

  For the last couple years, she would walk from one class to the next with her head down. Now she was making eye contact with the other kids constantly, and even cracking a smile when it was someone that she knew. She often greeted her teachers when entering the classroom a
nd actively tried to follow the lessons each day, sometimes even participating in a discussion. She was also completing all of her class assignments on time. You would think that her instructors would be delighted with the improvement, not concerned. No doubt, the talking to herself was more disturbing than the more common teenage depression.

  "Oh, ok, thanks. That's nice of you."

  "Sarah," Melissa said, "I'm your friend. That's what friends do. Apparently, I'm your only friend, at least here at school. So, tell me, who are you talking to all the time?"

  "Nobody,” Sarah replied timidly.

  "That's not very convincing. Everyone has seen you talking to someone invisible. Is it someone in your head? Can you hear voices."

  Sarah faked a laugh as best she could but knew it was not very assuring. In fact, it sounded more incriminating. "No, I'm not hearing voices in my head."

  "So, what is it then? Are you rehearsing for some future conversation? Help me understand what is going on."

  Once again Sarah took a heavy sigh. What could she tell the girl? Melissa was the only friend she had in the whole school. It would be a poor decision to push her away. Yet, she couldn't just tell her the truth, could she? Unlike Sarah's family surely Melissa would be more interested in their continued friendship than her actual mental health. She needed to think up a convincing story quickly. Honestly, she should have done that already.

  "Look," Melissa said. "I figure that something is troubling you that you don't want people to know about. I get it. So, we just need a cover story to keep your teachers and your parents off your back. Maybe you can say that you have been replaying some book or movie in your head and didn't realize you were talking out loud."

  Sarah appreciated her friend's help with this problem. It may have become more of a serious concern that she had anticipated. However, she was possibly mentally unstable by human standards. At least socially crippled. How could she know what would satisfy these inquiries? "Do you think that they would believe that?"

  "Maybe," Melissa answered with a chuckle. "But the best stories are ones that have a lot of truth to them. If you were going to be a in play and you're going over your lines in your head, that could probably pass. But hell, everyone knows you won't be in any play. So, why don't you tell me what is really going on, and then we'll twist it to the point that no one will be overly concerned about you."

  "I... I don't think I can do that,” Sarah stuttered back. It sounded right to her that the story should have a good bit of truth to it, but what portions of the truth would be considered acceptable? That she was talking to spirits? Or had been haunted by demons? Or should she reveal that her new best friend was an angel, and that’s who she was always talking to?

  "Why?"

  "You wouldn't believe me," Sarah answered in a hushed tone. "You'll just think I'm crazy, and things will end up worse than they are."

  "I won't think you are crazy,” Melissa whispered, scooting closer to her friend and looking around to see if anyone was close enough to hear.

  "Yes, you will!" Looking over Melissa’s shoulder Sarah could see the teacher Melissa mentioned talking to the school nurse while looking in their direction. It was her Literature instructor, Miss Danes. They both had serious expressions lending support to Melissa’s argument.

  "What is it, then?" Melissa snapped softly. "Ghosts? I can handle that. Little voices? Are the squirrels talking to you? That's okay too, as long as they aren't telling you to kill someone. Are they?" Melissa leaned in feigning serious concern. "Are the squirrels telling you to kill somebody? Who?"

  Sarah laughed outright and playfully swatted at her only human friend. Melissa's humor cut the stress of the situation, but did not eliminate the problem. What should she do? Would Melissa really not think that she's crazy? Sarah’s growing concern during the conversation was that she would not be able to develop a good argument to defend her sanity on her own. She did need the girl’s help.

  "Ok," Sarah finally said, leaning back and checking for eavesdroppers. "I'll tell you the truth. But you can't tell anyone. Swear it."

  "I swear."

  “I’m very serious about this,” Sarah said. “No one would believe you anyway, but I don’t need any bad press in my situation. Swear it again that you won’t tell anyone.”

  Melissa’s playful expression faded as she replied in a more serious tone, “I swear it.”

  "And I'm only telling you so you can help me convince people that I'm not crazy. Even if I really am. Are you prepared for that?"

  "Yes," Melissa replied suspiciously enthusiastic, leaning in to catch every word. Swift could not interrupt, despite believing that the other girl’s expression indicated that she probably thought Sarah was mental after all. He could tell that to her they weren't close friends. Obviously, she just desperately wanted to hear the insanity that was about to spew from her lonely class mate's imagination.

  "Ok, well, it all started because I can see auras,"

  "Auras?" Melissa cocked her head in confusion. She was being very careful not to show any disbelief.

  "Yeah. Auras. They are liked colored outlines around people."

  "I get it, but what does that have to do with the schizophrenia? I mean the alleged schizophrenia?"

  Another deep breath for Sarah. She couldn’t believe that she was doing this. "Well, people aren't the only ones that have auras. Some animals have very small ones. But there are creatures that have big auras. Creatures that are not of this world." Sarah paused to let it all sink in.

  Melissa's jaw dropped open. Apparently, she couldn't fathom that Sarah would actually tell her the truth about what was going on inside her crazy skull. She wanted to know now more than ever. "So, what are they? Ghosts? Aliens?"

  Sarah breathed slowly, maintaining eye contact during the pause, then said, "Angels."

  "Angels?" Melissa asked in disbelief that she was unable to completely mask, thinking, ‘was this girl for real?’

  "And demons."

  "Angels and demons?" Melissa repeated. "You've been talking to angels and demons?"

  "Yes, well actually I only talk to one angel most of the time. And rarely demons. I try to avoid them."

  Melissa nodded, "Yeah, I would too." She struggled to keep up the facade and pretend to believe her friend. It was proving too difficult for her to handle. "So, what do you talk about?"

  "That's not really important. We can talk about that later, if you want. But the bell is going to ring in a couple minutes and we'll have to go back to class." Sarah rose from the ground and brushed the dirt from the seat of her pants. "That's enough information I think to help us develop a convincing story. So, what do you think?"

  "Maybe," Melissa replied. She clearly had almost forgotten the promise to help her friend. As she started to walk away she said, "I'm going to need to think it over. I'll meet with you after school. Okay?"

  "No, wait!" Sarah reached for her arm, gaining a firm grip on the girl’s wrist. "What if they question us before then? What do I say?"

  Melissa looked down at Sarah's hand clutching her arm and displayed her first bit of fear of her friend. She was thinking, perhaps she should have been afraid all along. Obviously now, her class mate was truly a lunatic. "I don't know. Stall. Deny it. But don't tell them the truth, for God's sake. We'll develop a good story. Don't worry."

  Then Melissa ran back to the cafeteria entrance without even looking over her shoulder. Instantly, Sarah regretted telling her the truth. It was too late now. She'll have to rendezvous with the girl after school. Until then she would need to come up with some ideas on her own about what to say to the school nurse and inquiring teachers.

  "That was plainly unwise," she heard Swift say quietly in her ear.

  Sarah whispered back, trying not to move her lips as the nurse observed her intently through the glass. "Do you think she'll help me?"

  Swift's reply was not what she wanted to hear. "I did not get a good feeling from her. I urge you to be more cautious in dealing with Meli
ssa in the future. I do not believe that she has your interest at heart."

  Sarah felt like crying the rest of the afternoon. She couldn't come up with any good lies to explain her behavior and finally decided to tell Melissa that she was joking about talking to angels and demons. Nonetheless, she would first want hear what the girl had to say after school. Hopefully, their instincts were wrong and her friend would indeed develop a good explanation for Sarah’s abnormal behavior.

  Unfortunately, they never met up. After no replies to her text messages, Sarah searched for her friend until almost all the students had left the campus, before beginning her somber trek home. Swift’s concern was gaining support. It was painfully sad that she couldn’t trust her only friend in the whole school. Worse yet, it simply added to her list of problems. The attention she was getting from the spirit realm remained her biggest concern. Then, dealing with her family. Her parents were still the ones that had the biggest control over her life. Any negative reports from school could sway them to send her to the doctor again. Things just got much more complicated.