Swift of Spirit

by Rodzil LaBraun

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN: CONFRONTATION

  "I know, for example," Sarah said angrily, "that you are much older than you claim. And based on your past you should be protecting me instead of making me feel like I am crazy."

  Colton accepted that. Though, it still didn't indicate how much she knew. "Well, I'm truly sorry about how things have developed over the last couple years. I was honestly trying to do what I thought was best for you."

  Sarah threw her arms in the air in disbelief. "How could abandoning your own daughter when she is being haunted by demons be the best thing for me?"

  Colton slumped back into his chair, deflated. Perhaps he had not done the proper thing after all. Was he trying to protect himself instead of his daughter? No, he did not believe that. That was not his nature. It was the safety and sanity of the entire family that had been his priority. Regardless, what was done was done. He could not change that. This was his opportunity to help Sarah deal with the reality of the situation. It was his job to do as a parent. He should not have left her to discern the truth of the matter from her experiences with unknown spirits.

  Jessica cautiously interjected, asking her daughter, "When you say demons...?"

  "Yes," Sarah answered, calming down significantly when facing her mild-mannered mother. It was difficult for Sarah to shout at her, even if she was involved in the decision to leave her in the dark. "I mean real demons. The ones that used to be angels. The spirit creatures that have always been there."

  "Ok," her mother whispered, then leaned back to let her husband continue. It was clear to Sarah then that her mom knew a considerable amount about what was transpiring in their home. It was within reason to be as angry with her as she was with her father. However, her mother was the exemplary supportive wife. She was just loyally following her husband’s lead.

  "I'm sorry for making you feel abandoned," Colton spoke softly to his daughter. "It was not my intention, of course. I thought they would go away eventually, once they got tired of toying with you. And I figured you would be much better off not knowing the reality of angels and demons. Tell me what else you know and I will genuinely do my very best to help you through this. Please, let’s not concentrate on past mistakes. I'm here now and I want to help."

  "Well, in a nutshell," Sarah replied more placidly, "I know that you used to be a guardian angel. A real one. That you fought a demon in the physical world and decided to stay as a human. I'm told that you don't really have any superhuman powers except that you can sense when other spirits are around. So, I realize that you couldn't have fought these demons off for me. But you could have helped me cope with it better."

  "Again, I'm sorry," Colton said, puzzled at Sarah’s wealth of information. "But how do you know all of this?'

  "My angel friend told me. I first saw him when we came home from church one day. He was here in the house, though he left right away when he realized I could see him. It wasn't until I saw him following me home from school another day that we started communicating."

  Colton was even more puzzled then. "How could you see this angel? Did he take on physical form?"

  "No. I guess I never told you guys that I can see people's auras. I didn't realize when I was young that other people couldn't see them. Well it turns out I can see spirit auras, too."

  “How does that work?” her father asked.

  “Well, I am able to distinguish colored outlines around people. It’s possible that the color has something to do their personalities or dispositions. I don’t know. Usually, people’s auras don’t change much, so I guess it’s more like part of their permanent character.”

  “What color do you see around your mother and I?”

  “Mom’s aura is a creamy orange, perhaps the most beautiful that I have ever seen. But, since she’s my mom, I imagine I would love whatever color it was. Yours is a bright yellow. And I don’t know what that means about you. I don’t see many yellows.”

  The aura visibility was very interesting, but not the point at hand. Still confused Colton asked, "So, how did you become friends with an angel?"

  "He was curious about me, when he found out that I could see him, or at least his aura. Apparently, I'm somewhat unique in that ability. So, he was assigned to me. We've been talking a lot and became friends."

  "And," Colton carefully asked, "How do you know he is an angel and not a demon?"

  "Because he is so obviously one of the good guys," Sarah replied confidently.

  "Uh huh," he answered, less sure than his daughter. "Did this angel give you his name?"

  "Yes," Sarah said defensively. "His name is Swift."

  Her mother got back involved in the conversation, touching her husband's arm as she asked, "Is he one of the good ones dear?" She was properly concerned about who her daughter was associating with, whether human or spirit.

  "Sort of," he answered, shrugging. "He was still an angel last I checked. Unfortunately, he is kind of a screw up."

  "Hey!" Sarah responded in defense of her friend.

  "Is he here now? Can he hear me?" Colton asked his daughter. Then looking towards the ceiling, he said, "Sorry Swift. No offense intended. I'm just worried about my daughter. You understand?"

  "No," Sarah said, just then noticing that Swift was not around. Her eyes moved back and forth as she tried to pick up on Swift's signature presence. "He is not here right now, for some reason. He is supposed to protect me, so that’s unusual. Anyhow, I can sense that Watcher is still here."

  Colton perked up discernably. "Watcher is here? Now that's a good reliable angel. Is he assigned to you, too?" He obviously felt much better about his daughter's situation if Watcher was involved. That angel’s reputation for strict discipline kept him strong and unwavering in his duty.

  "I think so. He's always around, but he doesn't talk much."

  Her father was further shocked. "You got Watcher to talk to you, too?"

  "Yeah, eventually. More so since he helped Swift protect me from the demon Char and his minions."

  Jessica gasped, and both parents were appalled by mention of the specific demon. Seems like Swift's intel had been correct. Sarah's father indeed had a history with Char. Obviously, her mother was fully aware as well. The fear in the woman’s eyes caught Sarah off guard momentarily. What did she know about this relentless demon? Had she been haunted by him, too?

  "Were you hurt by them?" Colton asked his daughter.

  "No. They never got to touch me. Apparently, my two angel buddies are much stronger than his band of demons. I heard that Char lost some of his supporters after that, so he probably won't come back. Swift and Watcher have been standing guard just in case."

  "Oh, he'll come back alright," her father exclaimed, consolingly wrapping one arm around his wife. "That bastard will never give up. He's done enough to hurt this family already. If he is weak he needs to be extinguished." It was then that Sarah noticed her mother in tears. The mention of Char and the attempted attack had devastated her. "Is Hover still in charge of your angel friends? Watcher needs to tell him that Char has to be...." Then, looking toward the ceiling he said, "Watcher, if you are there, you need to tell Hover to have this demon eliminated. I was loyal and true to your boss for a very long time. And he repaid me by abandoning me that day in Seattle. Now he can make up for it. Don't let Char continue to haunt us."

  Jessica stood up abruptly and ran from the room crying. Colton endeavored to just let her go at first, then stared after her, achingly concerned. "What did Char do to mom?" Sarah demanded. Her father frustratingly shook his head, but did not reply. Then he left the room to comfort his wife.

  The rest of that evening Sarah was not a welcome participant in much of the conversation between the two angels. Swift was livid. He paced the floor of her bedroom like a real man as he ranted his complaints against everyone involved. He was disgusted with Char the most, of course. His hopes that the demon would back off was crushed when Colton adamantly claimed he would be relentless instead. Swift was also mad at Colt
on for how badly he felt the man cared for his own daughter, both originally and now that he had a second chance. Though most surprising was how angry he was at Sarah for confronting her father about the whole thing. The details he had shared with the girl about her father's past life was in strict confidence. He made it clear how much trouble could result for him if word got back to Hover.

  In return, Sarah didn't respond well to Swift's tantrum and eventually told him to leave. In anger, she told Watcher to go, too. To her relief, they did not travel far, even though she could barely sense their presence. Exhausted from the entire ordeal Sarah drifted off to sleep. Hopefully, she thought that things might go much better the next day, which was a Saturday. Her mom had planned to take her siblings out shopping for the morning, leaving her dad plenty of time to spend with Sarah. As reality faded and the dreams began, Sarah remembered what it was like to be her father's precious little girl. Wishing she could regain that relationship with him she tried hard to shape her dreams by reflecting on those times. Yet, it was not long before everything went sour and the nightmares rolled in like a deadly fog.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: CHALLENGE

  It was a frigid, gray morning when Sarah watched her mother slowly pull out of the driveway, Hunter and Jenny fastened in the back seat. A frost had altered the lawn into a crystalized plain. The lack of even a subtle breeze added to the eerie quiet of the small-town neighborhood early on a Saturday. The windshield defroster had barely cleared away enough of the white stuff to allow Jessica to drive safely as she headed down the narrow residential street.

  They were going shopping for winter clothes and maybe checking out some toys for the holiday season. Sarah didn't really need any new clothes. Besides, this was her opportunity for some one on one time with her perplexing father. He was already sitting on the dark brown, leather sofa reviewing work on his tablet while sipping some coffee from a solid black mug. Sarah gently closed the front door after the car was out of sight, then took a deep breath. This was the day that Sarah would mend things with her father. Hopefully. She needed to be enduringly patient and understanding if that was going to happen.

  Sarah walked quietly across the living room in her bulky insulated socks to claim a seat in the overstuffed recliner near her father. Though he did not look up as she approached, Sarah was certain that he knew she was ready for their impending discussion. The norm, over the last couple years, was for her to head up to her room immediately after closing the front door. Or, to not even bother to come downstairs in the first place. Though inviting, this behavior was still slightly uncomfortable.

  "Hi sweetheart," Colton said to his daughter without looking up. "Give me just a minute to finish this up."

  Sarah pulled her legs up tight under her to get more comfortable while she waited. The thermostat must have been set too low the previous night. When she got dressed that morning she opted for some thick tights and a bulky turtle neck sweater. She spent the stand by time examining how her legs and butt looked in the form fitting pants. Decidedly, she had put on a little weight lately. Her mother had told her she was a little too thin before that. Jessica claimed that her daughter now had the body of an attractive young woman. Sarah wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She was continuing to fill out up top, too. For some reason, though, she was uncontrollably embarrassed by it and selected mostly oversized shirts to wear, especially when she left the house.

  It had been a while since Sarah had worn any make up at all. Her lack of friends or romantic interests in school made it seem unnecessary. This day, however, her mom had vowed to pick up some new beauty items for her while shopping, as well as a perfume. Sarah couldn't possibly imagine using much of it anytime soon. Surely, the other kids in school would notice the effort and just make fun of her. Besides, she wasn't really interested in attracting any boys right now. Swift was all she needed at this point, and she seriously doubted that rouge and scented spray would have any effect on him.

  Patiently waiting for her father, Sarah's mind began to wander. What did Swift have new to report to his boss today? He asked Watcher to protect her when he was away for his meeting in the early morning. It was quite possible that Hover had called him up instead. Perhaps there were new instructions for her protection, or that of her family. As long as they didn't take Swift away from her, she would be fine. Though it didn't stop her from being curious. Asking Watcher about the meeting would be fruitless. He would unquestionably reply with the scripted correct answer, like he was some athlete being interviewed on TV.

  Abruptly she was snapped back out of her trance as her father put down his tablet and said, "Okay. Sorry for the delay. Life goes on despite our problems. So, what would you like to know about my past?"

  "First of all," Sarah asked, dispensing with any notion of small talk, "what did Char do to mom?"

  With a heavy sigh, Colton replied, "Mostly he just harassed her like he has been doing you. It was just after we were married. Your mother was traumatized by the experience, of course. Eventually, I revealed to her what was happening and why. I even explained how I had been a real angel and that Char was essentially my nemesis. She stubbornly refused to accept it at first, but after a while she believed me. I seriously thought that it was going to break up our marriage. She was so desperately distraught. It seemed like knowing the truth of the matter only made it worse. That's why I went a different route when it happened to you."

  "I guess I can understand how you would feel," Sarah offered, doing her best to be agreeable. Though, she couldn’t concede that denying help to a loved one in desperate need of it made any sense. Nonetheless, people made mistakes all the time, usually for no reason at all. A feeble explanation was better than none.

  "Well your mother ended up quitting her job and didn't leave the house for a couple months. Fortunately, the hauntings finally ended and she gradually returned to her normal, wonderful self. Or at least as close as she could with the added burden of the spirit realm knowledge. That was a little while before you were born. She has truly been a strong, dedicated mother and wife ever since. After your sister, Jenny was out of diapers she finally went back to work full time. As far as I know, she has not been haunted since. I had sincerely hoped the same would be the case for you. I'm very sorry that it wasn't. I realize now that your special gift of seeing auras made the big difference in your situation."

  "Yeah, I guess I should've told you about that before. It’s just that I didn’t know that everyone else couldn’t see them when I was young. When I began to realize, I still wasn’t completely sure. Then, it just didn’t seem necessary to bring it up. I may have also been a little afraid that it would call for a medical examination. Understandably, I wanted to avoid that."

  "That's okay, dear," Colton replied warmly, leaning forward to place his fatherly hand on her knee. She responded tentatively by placing her hand lightly on his. "I'm just sorry that you had to learn about all this from someone else. Has Swift been kind to you?"

  "Yes, he has been very nice to me. From the very start he has avoided anything that would make me uncomfortable. He’s also been very upfront and honest with me. Right now, he is definitely my best friend. I hope that is alright with you and mom."

  "Sure," her father answered. "There are a lot worse to have as a best friend. I'm sorry I spoke poorly of him yesterday. I didn't really know him before. If you are comfortable with him, and Watcher vouches for him as well, then I will accept that."

  "Thank you, daddy," Sarah said, feeling tears welling up. Her emotions moved her off the chair and on to the large sofa beside her father. He welcomed her with open arms and they sat there for a few minutes in silence, renewing their bond as if the proximity of two hearts could bring them permanently closer. It appeared to be working, since the two of them slowed their breathing and relaxed in each other's arms.

  When Sarah stiffened suddenly, her father broke the embrace to look her in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

  "Oh, nothing, I think,” Sarah hesitated. “Actuall
y, I thought I felt Swift's return. He said he was meeting with Hover this morning. But I don't think it's him after all. Can you feel a new presence?"

  Colton closed his eyes and concentrated. "My ability to sense them is not as good as yours, Sarah. I think I might feel something, but I'm not sure. Wait. Yes, I'm definitely feeling something now."

  Sarah stood up abruptly in alarm. "Yeah, there is another spirit nearby, maybe two. But I don't recognize them. Is it possible that Hover came down here to see us?"

  Colton quickly stood up beside his daughter, "Not likely, but I'm not sure."

  "Watcher?" Sarah spoke to the ceiling. "What is going on?"

  Silently the two of them stood there waiting for a reply that never came. Then the doorbell rang. Wide eyed, they stared at each other long enough for the doorbell to ring again. Then her father said, "Whoever it is, I'll get rid of them."