Eternal (Eternal series)

by Chantelle Nay

  “She’s been kind of off lately,” Catherine called back from the kitchen where she was finishing up the dishes.

  They were going back and forth like Emma couldn’t hear them talking about her.

  “But there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her,” Emma's mom continued, “she’s just been grinnin’ like the Cheshire cat all morning.”

  “Well, that don’t seem natural— for her I mean. She usually wears a scowl with that outfit.” Gram spoke matter-of-factly, and then chuckled at her own joke.

  Gram didn’t usually care if anyone was listening to her obnoxious chatter, or their opinion on her comments. Gram thought of herself as a one-woman comedy show. Others didn’t find her quite so funny, especially not when her jokes were at their expense. She never seemed dazed by their lack of laughter though. She had perfect comedic timing in her own mind. Gram always said exactly what she was thinking, even if it was uncouth.

  Once, Mayor Dawson had been jogging down the road in his sweat suit. Gram had passed him in her car. She'd made it a point to roll down her window and yell out, “It’s about time you tried to lose some of that weight tubby!” Gram spared no words, no matter who it was. She hadn’t come with a brain-to-mouth filter.

  “So, what’s up? What are you all grins and giggles about today?” Gram spouted at Emma in an overly boisterous voice.

  Emma looked up at her and gave her the evil eye as best she could. It wasn’t very convincing with the mood she was in. She eventually cracked a smile and gave in. “I’m afraid if I told you, you'd think I’d lost my marbles.”

  “Well, honey,” Gram chuckled, “if you have lost them, my advice would be to go and find ‘em.”

  “It’s not that easy Gram,” Emma sighed. “I don’t think I want to find them in this particular case.”

  “Well, you’d better go after ‘em just the same while you’re still young enough to catch ‘em. When you get to be my age you’ll need as many as you can get your hands on, cuz you’ve started misplacin’ ‘em, and some have rolled away without you even noticin’…and you've forgotten where you put the rest of them. By that time you’re in a pretty sorry state.”

  Crazy Gram. She may have resided in a different state of mind than everybody else, but she wasn’t usually far off from the truth. Emma agreed, she'd better take Gram's advice and go after her sanity before it was too late.

  “You’re right Gram, as usual,” Emma finally conceded. “But I’d rather float in my marble-less bliss for a little longer if that’s okay with you?”

  “Sooo,” Gram swooned, “this is about a feller’ is it?” It wasn’t a question, she was confident in her assessment of the clues. Gram had always been good at digging until she got down to the dirty truth.

  “Yeah, a little, I guess.” Emma tried to sound guilty so Gram would think she had her all figured out. She didn’t want to let on that she was only partially correct in her assumptions. No need to give her any reason to pry further.

  Gram seemed satisfied with the bashful glance Emma threw at her, and she laughed triumphantly, slapping her knee.

  “It’s about time girly. I was startin’ to worry ‘bout you. You keep to yourself too much. You need to get out and socialize if your ever gonna find yourself a husband!” Gram snorted.

  Cody made a kissing face from across the room and smushed it against his own hand in a mock make-out session.

  “I hope you’re enjoying yourself,” Emma sneered at him, “cuz that’s the closest you’ll ever come to kissing anyone, you little twerp. No one could get past your dragon breath.”

  Cody stuck out his tongue at Emma and scowled. She scowled back and he turned his back to her. Cody never liked feeling that he’d been outdone.

  Catherine had wandered into the room in the middle of Gram’s little speech, and she quickly shot Emma a disapproving glance for her little crack at Cody. She didn't like the sibling rivalry or the name calling that went on between Cody and Emma.

  “How come you haven’t told me about this mystery guy?” Catherine asked, feigning disappointment.

  “It’s really nothing mom, I swear. I’m not really sure of it myself.”

  “I wouldn’t be too quick to call it nothing,” Gram butted in, “you never know when the love bug will jump up and bite ya.”

  “I think it’s a little soon for that,” Emma assured her, and rolled her eyes at Gram when she shot her a wink.

  Emma knew she needed to be telling herself that more than anyone else. She really didn’t know enough about Micah to claim love. She wouldn’t allow herself to indulge in that kind of thinking.

  “Well, what does this feller think about you?” Gram prodded, not wanting to give up on the subject.

  “I’m not really sure yet,” Emma said honestly.

  Would she ever know the answer to that burning question?

  “I think you’d better be for finding out,” Gram encouraged. “No need wastin’ time dreamin’ about a guy that doesn’t even know you exist,” she said flatly.

  Emma just nodded, unable to think of a comeback for that one. As she stared back into the dancing flames, she couldn’t help but ask herself —was she just wasting her time? Was this whole idea of having a relationship with someone who wasn’t even mortal really worth all of the time and thought she was putting into it?

  “I’m sure you could have any boy you wanted Emma,” Catherine said softly. “You are a good girl, and pretty too. Once you’ve set your mind on something, I have no doubt you’ll find a way to make it happen.”

  Emma smiled at her mom's motherly kindness, but Catherine was slightly biased. Her mom was right about the fact that she was good at making things happen when she focused on them hard enough. But was it possible for this to be one of those things that she could control? Only time would tell.

  Emma's family made their way home just before dusk. Emma felt more tired than usual. It must have been the huge dinner Gram had fed them.

  Emma sprawled out on her bed, and tried to take deep breaths. She wasn’t ready for sleep. It was still early so she decided to do a little research. She opened up her Bible to the topical guide, and searched out the word angel. Holy cow there were a lot of entries! Emma scanned over them, waiting for something to catch her eye.

  There were numerous entries of people who had talked with angels; Matthew, Moses, Elias, Luke, John, Peter, the list went on and on. Some spoke directly to them, and some spoke to them in dreams or visions, but it seemed to be very commonplace in that time.

  Emma couldn’t help but wonder—had these great men realized the gift they were being given? Did they take conversing with angels for granted? Emma certainly never planned on making light of it.

  She mulled over a verse in Psalms: “There shall no evil befall thee…For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands.”

  That sounded especially good to Emma. She couldn't help but hope that someday Micah might bear her up with his hands.

  

  Emma barely noticed time moving at all. As the weeks passed she discovered she could talk to Micah anywhere at any time. They began to talk in the car, to and from school; she stayed up late at night talking to him in her room before she fell asleep.

  Emma had seen Destry McQuade several times after their first run in. She passed him in the hallway more often than she liked. She no longer had any interest in getting to know him. He wasn't lacking in company anyway. He appeared to fit in perfectly with the rest of the snobs at school.

  He'd become fast friends with Chuck Hendricks of all people, one of the most crude, single-minded, simpletons Emma had ever met. He'd made some inappropriate suggestions when Emma had first moved to Eden. She'd avoided him since then. Birds of a feather flock together, so if Destry was anything like Chuck, she was glad he stayed away.

  Destry had never tried to apologize or make amends for his rude behavior that first day. This just solidified Emma's opinion of
him. He wasn't worth her time. Micah filled up her days and nights now. He was always full of questions and seemed enthralled by Emma's answers. He wanted to hear everything about her mundane daily activities, though they seemed monotonous to her.

  Everything took on a rhythm that repeated over and over every day. School-Micah-Dinner-Micah-Sleep-Micah. Emma somehow managed to fit homework and showering in there but all she thought about was Micah and what she would ask him next.

  They'd been talking regularly for almost a month now. She felt perfectly at ease with him now, but sound of his voice still sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach.

  Every day after school, Emma held what she called ‘angel school.’ She and Micah spent this time talking about things that only someone with a mortal body could experience. They usually held it in the outdoors.

  Eden wasn't all bad; the town itself was surrounded by an eternal chain of sheer mountain peaks that cradled it safely in their center. The foothills that nestled right up to the edge of town were beautiful, covered with trees, scrub oak and wildflowers. Thin white quaking aspens were scattered across the hills and were beginning to sprout their tiny, flat, yellow-green leaves. Large, overshadowing dark pines served as protectors rising high and noble among them.

  These secluded hillsides were pretty close to heaven as far as Emma was concerned. The cool, crisp mountain air smelled like pine gum, grass and wind. The dark mountain soil smelled rich and earthy. Emma often commented on how much she loved the dirt here. Sometimes she felt like she wanted to scoop up a handful and eat it.

  Gram had said that she must be lacking in minerals when Emma had mentioned that to her, but she didn’t care, dirt sort of made her happy. It was so simple, and unchanging. It was too bad more things weren’t like dirt.

  On this particular day she opened up the hatchback and grabbed out an old Levi quilt that she always carried with her. “You never know when you’re gonna need it,” Gram had said. “Better safe than sorry. What if you broke down in the middle of a blizzard?” Emma knew that wasn’t an impossibility here, especially when it came to her luck, so she hadn’t argued with Gram about it.

  She spread the quilt out on the dew soaked ground, and plopped down onto it. The dried grass whispered and hissed all around her. Emma retrieved a shiny red apple out of her jacket and took a bite.

  “What does that taste like?” Micah asked.

  “It’s sweet I guess?” Emma replied.

  “Surely you can do better than that,” Micah prodded. “I really want to know how it tastes. How does it feel in your mouth? What does it smell like?” His voice was alluring and it made her heart speed in her chest.

  “Well—,” she felt a little self-conscious. She’d never had to explain something so hard to explain before. “It’s crisp but soft at the same time. It feels cool on your tongue, and it’s sugary, but not too sweet. The smell is harder to explain. It smells like blossoms, and sunshine I guess.”

  “That was better,” Micah said with satisfaction, “I can almost taste it. That wasn’t so hard now was it?”

  “Actually it was.” Emma laughed. “It was right up there with Trigonometry.”

  “It’s unbelievable how much you get from your senses. Mortals are highly blessed,” Micah said, a hint of longing in his voice.

  “Yeah, I guess. I really never appreciated that stuff before,” Emma said thoughtfully, “I can't imagine what life would be like without it.”

  “That’s what mortal life is all about Emma; experiences and feelings. That’s why you chose to become mortal you know? So that you could grow and experience things that weren't possible for you to experience as a spirit.”

  “But, weren’t we pretty much the same as we are now?” Emma asked.

  “In most ways you were the same, but kind of limited. Your personality and who you are stays the same. You even looked basically the same. But you didn’t have a physical body. You were without flesh and bone, and blood running through you. Everything was constant, and unchanging. You couldn’t grow; you couldn’t experience new things past a certain point. Time barely existed.”

  “That doesn’t sound like much fun,” Emma said thoughtfully. “Sounds like a pretty boring existence after a while, kind of like living in a small town your whole life and never leaving town limits.”

  “But with less excitement than that,” he laughed, it sounded bleak.

  “Can’t you travel through time and space though, or something like that?” she asked reluctantly.

  “You could say that,” Micah said with a slight hint of humor in his voice. “Our conscious mind can be anywhere it chooses at any time, but when you’ve seen all there is to see, what else is there?”

  "You could always spy on unsuspecting humans,” Emma laughed ruefully. “There’s got to be endless amusement there.”

  “I told you, we're not supposed to interfere with mortals,” he spoke sharply. “The small amount of interaction we are allowed is the high point of our existence. We angels live vicariously through you mortals. It’s the only way we can experience what a mortal life would be,” his voice sounded wistful, almost sad.

  “Didn’t you have the choice to be mortal too Micah?” Emma whispered, feeling guilty that she didn't have a better understanding of how things worked for angels. She couldn’t comprehend why he would have been denied a body if it was such a great gift.

  “I have certain responsibilities that keep me the way that I am,” he said slowly.

  “I don’t know what you mean. You make it sound like there's not much to do in the world of spirits. How can you have that many responsibilities? Responsibilities to who?”

  “I 'm a member of God’s royal army, and have been since the time of the Great War in heaven. I voted for the plan of happiness when it was presented, same as you. But as a soldier I have consecrated my existence and my service to God. In the end I chose to put duty above my own desires. I fought many battles against those who sided with Lucifer. I cast many of them out of Heaven. But they are still out there. I continue to fight against them, to protect the mortals. It’s who I am. I protect not only you Emma, but all mortals. The war isn't over.”

  “I’m glad you're protecting us Micah,” Emma smiled radiantly, hoping she could convey how thankful she was to him for giving up something so precious in his eyes to protect others. “It’s very noble of you.”

  "Sometimes I feel more selfish than noble," Micah admitted quietly.

  "I thought it was impossible for you to be selfish," Emma said lightly.

  "Nothing's impossible Emma. I have my own reasons for being here, and trust me, they aren't always noble."

  "What do you mean?" Emma was confused.

  "Sometimes I think I'm here for you more than for the others."

  "Yeah, but you're my guardian. That's how it's supposed to be isn't it?"

  "Not exactly," Micah said bluntly. "I'm not supposed to do anything for myself. Being selfless sort of comes with the job."

  "What are you doing for yourself?" Emma said, perplexed.

  "All of this. It all benefits me. I like to spend time with you. I probably spend a lot more time than I should with you. I'm getting too close. I won't want to let you go."

  "Then don't. I don't want you to ever leave," Emma said desperately.

  "That's not how it works."

  "Why not? Why don't I have a say in this? It's my life and my happiness too."

  "I don't want to talk about it anymore." Micah said firmly. "I'm not leaving, so you don't need to worry about anything right now. I'm here for as long as you need me. Let’s talk about something else, okay?"

  “Okay,” Emma mumbled. She couldn’t help but wonder what she’d done to make her angel angry?

  Chapter 6: CHOICES

  Emma sat in Political Science staring out the window. She tried to focus as Mr. Warren lectured about the upcoming finals, but her mind was elsewhere.

  She felt like she'd been really connecting with Micah. He felt so f
amiliar and comfortable. He seemed to be drawn to her, but he also seemed to be pulling away.

  The bell rang and Emma gathered her books, hurrying from the room. She headed through the parking lot, not paying attention to the other students moving around her.

  Emma got an uncomfortable feeling as she neared her car. She glanced around nervously and soon discovered where the feeling was coming from.

  Destry McQuade was leaning up against the brick wall on the south side of the school that faced the parking lot. His arms were folded across his chest and he was staring. He wasn't just staring off absently—he was staring at her…intently.

  She thought he'd look away now that he'd been caught looking, but he held perfectly still, not taking his eyes off her.

  His eyes were narrowed, and Emma didn't know if it was from the sun or if he was angry with her again. He couldn't be angry. Emma hadn't been anywhere near him since their first awkward run in a month ago. What did he have against her?

  Emma climbed into her car and started it. She slowly pulled out of her parking stall, glancing at Destry once more before pulling out onto the road. He was still glaring, his gaze following her car as it went, like he expected something from her.

  Goosebumps ran up Emma's spine and she sped up, trying to get away. The uncomfortable feeling didn't leave. The further away from the school she got the stronger the unease grew in her chest.

  

  Destry was at war with himself. He couldn't figure out what it was about the girl Emma that had him feeling upside down and inside out. Every time he saw her, he got that burning feeling that nearly choked him. He tried his best to avoid seeing her, hoping to relieve the strange pulling and burning when she was around, but that wasn't an easy thing to do in a school this small.

  What was going on? This made no sense at all. He had acclimated quite well at this new school. He had a lot of friends and was constantly inundated by offers to date beautiful and popular girls, but none of it mattered to him. He only saw Emma. He only thought about Emma.