by Mary Ting
“I just know, and no, I’m not a mind reader. Why did you pick ten, two, and six?”
“It’s my birth date, October 26,” I mumbled, embarrassed to confess that I used such an obvious number.
“That’s next Saturday,” he said with enthusiasm.
“Yeah, but I really don’t want to turn eighteen.”
“Why not?”
“I think of it as more responsibilities, and plus I want to be a teenager as long as I can. You can’t get this youthful feeling back later on…I mean…that’s what I think.” I quickly diverted the attention back to him. “Since you know my birth date, how about yours?” I asked.
He paused, appearing uncomfortable with my question. “I don’t know,” he said finally.
I should have stopped asking further questions, but I wanted to know more. “You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell me?” I asked carefully.
“No, I don’t know. Birthdays are not of importance to us. We don’t celebrate birthdays,” he said, and looked away.
“Then you don’t know how old you are?” I asked, not fully convinced he was telling me the truth.
“No,” he said.
My heart sank, hearing that he didn’t know his age or his birth date. Not that it mattered, but I was just glad he didn’t look much older than me.
“I know one thing for sure; the alkins’ ages vary, up to the late twenties.”
“You are all so young,” I said, thinking that was a dumb thing to say.
He gave me a look that said he wanted more explanation.
I had to think fast since I didn’t know what I was talking about. “I meant…well… I thought the angels might look ancient or something.”
He laughed. “You have a funny imagination, but you have to remember that we are not angels. We are alkins. There is a huge difference.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, thinking I should just keep my mouth shut for a bit.
He began to chuckle, and I found myself staring at him. I studied his features and wondered to myself how it could be possible that someone of such perfection was in my presence. “Let’s get going,” I said, breaking my gaze.
We started heading the opposite way. Having been so caught up in my observations of Michael, it appeared I had lost my sense of direction. “Where are you going?” I asked, looking confused.
“I thought we’d take a shortcut.” He tilted his head back toward a different direction.
“I never knew there was a shortcut,” I said, taking several steps closer to him.
“That’s because you probably never looked for one, and it is right through that park.” He pointed this time toward a dark path.
I’d seen it before, but I never knew it was a shortcut. It was frightening, nowhere I would go alone, but I had my guardian angel to protect me, so I had nothing to fear. Unexpectedly, he linked my left arm through his right arm and pulled my bike along by gripping at the handlebar. I tensed up a bit and my hands felt tingly when I realized I was touching his bare skin. We headed toward the park, and I was amazed to find that it wasn’t as dark as it seemed. Instead, it was magnificent. The reflection of the moonlight bounced on the lake.
“Look!” he said, pointing toward the lake. “Do you see the two swans gliding toward each other?”
I squinted to see where he pointed, but I couldn’t see what he was seeing. “Where?” I asked. “I don’t see them.”
He pulled the kick stand down from the bike, moved closely behind me, and bent down to my level. I could feel his breath against the side of my face. Chills ran down my back, making me breathless. As his right hand intertwined with mine, he slowly guided my hand, then my index finger, to the location of the swans. “Right…there. Can you see them now?” he asked, turning his head slightly to face me.
Overwhelmed by his closeness and still breathless, I turned to speak to him. Our lips almost brushed together. I looked up, and our eyes locked for just a second before he dropped my hand and turned away. I could tell from his body language that he felt uncomfortable. Feeling embarrassed by what could have happened; I turned to look at the swans. They met beak to beak, creating a heart shape in the space between them.
“Look, Michael, that’s so romantic. I’ve never seen such a sight,” I said excitedly, hoping to make him feel comfortable again.
“Yes,” he agreed, as his eyes gazed into mine so intently that it made me speechless. It was moments like these when I couldn’t believe he was real, standing right in front of me.
“Even animals are allowed to feel love and give love,” he said sadly.
In that moment, I felt his pain, but what did he mean by his words? I wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, but could I? Although I knew that he couldn’t show human emotions toward me, instinctively I showed mine. Unsure of what his reaction would be, I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder. Slowly our eyes connected and there was no need for words. In an effort to lighten the mood, I did what I did best and started asking a bunch of questions. We continued to move forward, but this time we didn’t link arms. Instead, I walked beside him as he continued to pull the bike along.
“The snake or the fog thingy, or whatever it was, spoke to me, didn’t it?”
“Yes. She had the ability to turn into whatever you fear the most.”
“Well, she was right on target,” I said, still confused about what had happened to me. “I thought I was delusional.” Then I suddenly remembered she had a name. “Why did you call her Julia?”
“You remember her name?” He sounded surprised. He paused and looked like he was searching for words. “Julia was a friend, a long time ago. She was one of the alkin officers. She turned her back on us and became a fallen.”
“Oh,” I said in surprise. “What did she mean by blocking your passage?”
“She had the power to confuse the location of where someone is. I couldn’t find you. Luckily, Vivian is a locator, and she has the power to pinpoint the exact location. It took her a while, but she finally managed to bypass Julia’s block.”
“Wow,” I said. “I’m grateful that you made it in time. I thought I was…dead,” I said, trying to choose my words carefully so I wouldn’t make him feel guilty.
“Claudia, you don’t need to worry about her anymore,” he said tenderly. “Her life was taken by me.”
“How did you kill her? I mean, I tried to hurt her with my flashlight, but it went right through.”
“When she struck or defended herself, she needed to take on a solid form. That was when she was most vulnerable. I had to wait for that precise moment to quickly drive the sword into her heart.”
I vaguely remembered the sound of her cry, a painful screeching noise that I heard before I fainted. I felt so bad, but I was glad that he made sure she would never hurt me again. I didn’t know what to say to console him or if he even cared that he had lost someone who was once an old friend.
Suddenly, my mind focused on what Margaret had said about Isaiah’s descendants. She said we didn’t need to worry about the one because it was slim chance to none that the one existed, since they were sure they had taken all the forbidden children. Although I was not even in a position to question her, I couldn’t help myself as the thought of “what if” crossed my mind. “Hypothetically, what will happen if the fallen find Isaiah’s descendant?”
“The fallen cannot kill the one. The one must give one’s soul freely. When the soul is released by the hands of fallen, this will allow the gates of the Halo City to be opened. There will be war, and humanity will be in danger.”
“Ohhh,” I said quietly. “How will you know that the one is Isaiah’s descendant?”
“It is said that the one would possess a special birthmark. However, any descendant of Royal Council members would possess this special birthmark. Only the Royal Council, Margaret, Agnes, and Phillip know what it is.”
“Why only them?”
“It is to protect the one. If an alkin decides to become a
fallen, this information would fall into the wrong hands. Knowing what the birthmark is for sure would trigger the fallen to search every single human being on earth. Imagine what that would be like. Remember, they need the one in order to enter the Crossroads to Halo City.”
“I see your point,” I said, feeling goose bumps. “Why can’t the angels come down here and find the one, if the one does exist?”
“Angels are not allowed to intervene with lives on Earth anymore; however, the Earth angels that already exist in your world can, but they are limited. Their primary roles are to help humans, guide them, and protect them. We’re not allowed to be down here. It is one of the Ten Divine Commandments. The angels lost that privilege when they—” he was hesitant to say the last couple of words—“created us.” His tone was soft, almost shameful. “Anyway, Margaret said they were sure they had taken all of them, so we need not worry.”
Satisfied with his answer, I asked another question that needed further explanation. “Why was Halo City created?” I wanted to hear his side of the story.
He took a deep breath. “We didn’t want to leave your world, nor did we want to exist in what you call Heaven. They didn’t know what to do with us, so we made an agreement with the Royal Council. We would be allowed to stay at the Crossroads in Halo City. Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes were assigned to guide us and mentor us to be more like angels rather than humans.”
“Do you age in your world?”
“Alkins remain the age we were when we entered Halo City, but the Twelve can be whatever age they want to be.”
“What you are telling me is that you’ll be young forever, and forever you will stay at Halo City?” I asked, amazed that such a thing could be true.
“Forever young,” he said. “Some may think it is a curse, and some may think it is a blessing.”
“Which do you think?”
“I thought it was a curse at first, but now I don’t know anymore. It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like I can do anything about it,” he said.
“How did you get to Halo City? Did they come down to Earth and just do their magic thing, and you’re gone? Or, did they kidnap you? There are so many of you. How?” Trying to be sensitive and choose the right words, I stumbled on my questions.
“When the Royal Council knew of our existence and realized there were so many of us, they thought about cleansing the Earth and starting over again. Since flooding was used once, they contemplated earthquake or fire.”
“Apocalypse,” I whispered and gasped at the thought of what could have been.
“Yes,” he nodded. “The end of the world.”
“But why? Why couldn’t we exist together? Isn’t the Earth big enough?” I asked.
“It isn’t about space. The alkins would overpower humans. Eventually humanity would be lost.”
I soaked in his words, speechless, but Michael continued. “The Royal Council couldn’t come to terms with what they thought was in the best interest for all, so they sent the Twelve Angels to search for us. They appeared in our dreams and took us. They stopped searching when they thought they had taken all of the forbidden children.”
“Does the Royal Council know you are down here with me?” I asked.
“Phillip has contacts with the Royal Council. I don’t know what he tells them, so I don’t know if they know I’m down here or not. I don’t ask too many questions because I don’t particularly care for them. Don’t get me wrong. I respect them, but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything they did.”
“You don’t like them?” I asked.
“They took our memories of our life on Earth and made sure that we would not be able to stay in your world for a long duration of time.”
My eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean? You don’t remember your life on Earth?
“No,” he said softly. “But ever since I entered your world, I’ve had a couple of glimpses of what I believe to be flashbacks of my time on Earth. They don’t make any sense. It’s a lot like déjà vu. It doesn’t matter. It was many lifetimes ago. I think it’s just that I want to remember, but I can’t.”
I didn’t know what to say. What words could I say to make it better? There were no words that seemed to fit a situation like this. I felt so bad for him. I couldn’t imagine not being able to remember my family and friends.
He continued talking. “If I stay here too long, and I don’t know what too long is…hours...days…surely not months…I will die. I will be banished from Halo City.” He was hesitant to say the last sentence.
I guess I wouldn’t be too fond of them if they had erased my memory either. That would also explain why Alexa Rose was upset when Michael had to come to our world. She obviously knew that he couldn’t stay down here that long and was worried for his safety. “Is Alexa Rose your sister?”
“We are all brothers and sisters in Halo City. We have no recollection of having any siblings on Earth.”
“Sorry, I forgot,” I said, thinking I should choose my words better. “I was just wondering because she seems very protective of you, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think that she was your sister. She seems attached to you.” I knew the reason why. How could anyone resist him?
“Yes, I’m afraid she is. I don’t mind it at all. During the time of war, the fallen captured many alkins, including children. I rescued her from them so I take responsibility for taking care of her—not that anyone else wouldn’t—but yes, she is attached to me.”
“Since you can’t stay long in my world, is that why I can’t stay in your world?”
“Yes. Crossroads is like a second Heaven, or a place between Heaven and Earth. When humans are in a state of coma, or have near death experiences, their souls may wander, and sometimes they drift there, but they never cross over to Halo City.”
“Unlike me,” I murmured.
“Yes, unlike you. And because you are the first, we are taking precautions; that’s why we make you leave as quickly as possible, for your sake.”
As I realized we were halfway home, I became anxious, wondering how long he would stay with me, so I changed the subject. “Will I see you again?”
“As your guardian angel, I can come to you if you are in danger. I don’t want to scare you, but you need to know the truth. They are after you for some reason, and we suspect the only reason is that you had contact with us. They can sense you easily now since you’ve been touched by an angel, thanks to Davin.”
I turned slightly to smell myself. I wondered how I smelled to him. He chuckled loudly as he noticed what I was doing. “No, not like smelling you,” he said laughing. “Let me try to explain. Humans have five senses, some maybe six. Angels have a lot more, and some more than others. Just like humans, we were not created to have the same talents.”
“Wow,” I said, as I recalled the miracles I had witnessed. Julia putting me under her spell, turning herself from a fog-like creature into a snake, Michael knowing the combination to my lock, Caleb putting the storage room back the way it was, and their overall speed and strength. I was sure I had only seen a glimpse of what they were capable of doing.
Then “touched by an angel” came to mind. When Davin held me at the Crossroads to make me feel better, he whispered in my ear that he would be in a whole lot of trouble for what he was doing. And I remembered that there was a light glowing, surrounding us, which instantly calmed my nerves. Now I knew what Michael meant by being touched by an angel.
I had already asked him so many questions and began to wonder if he was getting tired of answering them. He didn’t give me any hint that he wanted me to stop, so I continued. “Can I ask you another question?” I asked politely.
“Sure. Ask away. I’ve got all night, I think.” His brow was angled, his eyes uncertain, not really knowing how long he could safely stay on Earth.
“I was wondering if the fallen has a leader or someone they report to.”
He held a steady gaze into my eyes and whispered, “The devil.”
Initially, I was in shock that he could joke around like this; then I couldn’t believe he was touching my face so tenderly the way he did. Afterward, I gave him a hard stare.
“Sorry,” he said again, smiling innocently.
At times like this, it was easy to forget that he was not human. Regardless, I couldn’t resist his smile. I let out a nervous laugh because anyone would be better than the devil. He put his hand down, and we started walking again.
“His name is Aden,” Michael said gravely.
“Aden,” I repeated. It wasn’t the name itself that frightened me; just knowing that someone that evil had a name gave me the creeps.
“Have you ever seen him before?”
“Yes. He was one of the Twelve Angels. Aden was reassigned to Halo City just like Phillip, Margaret, and Agnes. But he rebelled. He believed we should be allowed to live freely among humans. So he started a war with the other angels. Because of this, his soul was stripped by the Royal Council. He may as well be the devil himself. But this happened ages ago. You don’t need to worry about him. When angels lose their souls, their powers weaken.”
As he said his last words, we approached the front of my house. I couldn’t believe we were there already, and I had no recollection of how we had gotten there.
“Here we are,” he said and set my bike adjacent to the door. Then he reached for the doorknob.
My eyes followed his hand and I wondered how he was going to open the front door. He turned the knob and pushed it open. I knew my mom would never leave the door unlocked, and he didn’t use a key. I continued to stare at the door, wondering how it was possible, and looked up at him when he spoke.
“How are you feeling? I know it is too much to take.”
“No.” I nodded, looking down. I didn’t want him to perceive me as a helpless human, but the truth was that it was a lot for me to take in. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined that I had a real guardian angel who was keeping me safe from the fallen. It was a nightmare.