by Lignor, Amy
“It’s Mark,” she giggled, clasping her stomach with her hands.
“Saint Mark?” Michael screamed. “That’s it!” He grabbed Emily by the ear and pulled her up from the chair. “Both of you come with me,” he ordered. “Now!”
Matt jumped up at the command as Michael turned to address the disapproving faces that filled the room. “I regret to inform you that we seem to be experiencing some difficulties. We’ll be back.”
Michael stopped at the door, grabbed Matt’s ear with his other hand, and led the obnoxious teenagers out of the room.
“Move!”
***
The light brightened and their surroundings immediately began to change. Emily hated this room. With all the mischief she and Matt had caused since birth, it’d become like their second home. She was thrust into a hard wooden chair, as Matt landed with a loud thud in the one beside her. As he reached out to steady himself, the old wood splintered beneath him. “Damn,” Matt whispered, as a piece of wood sliced his hand.
“Don’t you mean darn?” Emily winked.
Michael took his place behind the large oak desk. He certainly looked the part of the angry teacher frustrated with his class clowns. His brows lifted to the top of his forehead. His eyelids closed as he took a deep breath folding his hands in front of him. “I’m only going to ask this once. Yet, somehow, I can’t believe that I should have to ask it at all,” he whispered softly between controlled breaths. “I realize this could be, by far, the dumbest question I’ve ever asked the two of you. But how…exactly…did Saint Mark become a lizard?”
Matt immediately raised his swollen finger pointing it at Emily. “She did it.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Can’t you back me up just once? I had a perfectly good story ready for this.”
Michael raised his hand in the air. “I don’t care who did what. I don’t care where it happened, or even if permission was granted—which I’m quite sure was not!” Emily sat up straighter as Michael’s glare shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. “What I want to know is why a very great man is now…crawling up my robes?”
Emily stared at the lizard that was now sitting on Michael’s shoulder. The reptile gazed at her and shook its small head back and forth. He blinked one of his large eyelids then stuck out his tongue.
Emily smiled. “Well, we,” she began, thrusting her finger in Matt’s direction. “We decided to say goodbye to Francis before we left. You know he’s upset about us leaving and he thinks that we shouldn’t travel alone. Sooo…” Emily pulled out the word, trying to think of any story that would stop the angry red color from spreading across Saint Michael’s face. “Since Francis is already in a bit of trouble anyway for putting the grizzly bear in Gabriel’s room…which I think was a total mistake, by the way.”
Michael waved his hand in the air. It looked like he was trying to erase the sudden picture from his mind of his best friend, who happened to be an archangel, attempting to wrestle a circus animal dressed in a pink tutu.
“Anyway,” Emily sped up, “Saint Mark has been asking to go back down and he also thought that, since this will be our first time and everything, we shouldn’t be by ourselves. So with his permission, Francis and I…helped him out.”
Michael stood up and pounded his fists on the desk. “You aren’t a charmer, Emily! How many times do we have to go over this? That is not your job!”
“I know,” Emily said as she jumped out of her chair. “But you taught me how, and Mark seemed so happy and really wanted to go…”
“That’s enough!” A bright light shot from Michael’s ears, and the room immediately filled with the strange aroma of burning metal mixed, oddly enough, with the pleasant scent of fresh lavender in bloom.
He walked around the edge of the desk, removed the small lizard from his shoulder, and placed it on top of Emily’s head. “This is the most important day of your first life,” he said. “Francis, Gabriel…Saint Lizard…and I, have worked very hard to make sure that you have all the knowledge you’ll need at your disposal. However, this kind of selfish misuse of your skills is not permitted!” Michael crossed his arms. “What if Matt had been the one to do this? Would you have supported him?”
Emily grinned. “Matt couldn’t do it. He tried, and almost blew himself to smithereens. You should’ve been there. It was hysterical.”
Matt joining in with her laughter, raised his hands toward the ceiling. “Poof!”
“This isn’t funny. Both of you go into the Lightning Room and stay there until I come get you.”
Emily shrugged and walked to the door, with Matt following one step behind. She mumbled to the lizard sitting on her head, “What’s up his robes today?”
The lizard belched a small reply, “Young one, you know he’s in charge. There are very important reasons why he yells at you two. He’s worried. He wants to keep you safe.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “I know all that, but we’re excited. We’re young, after all. What does he expect? Besides, he’s the one who made me take all those classes with you to learn this stuff in the first place.”
“Yes, but we all have to learn to use our gifts wisely. Your sense of humor should only shine at the appropriate times. Now go into the room and leave me here to talk some sense into him.”
Emily stopped at the threshold and placed the lizard on the table. She bent down and stared into the wide red eyes. “You’re still coming with us, right?” Her voice cracked, as she felt the first icy fingers of panic tickle her soul.
The lizard flicked his tiny forked tongue against her cheek. “Don’t worry, child. I’ll be there.”
Emily gave a small smile, and reached behind her to take Matt’s hand. She waved her arm in the air and the door disappeared, allowing the partners to pass through the mist into the Lightning Room.
“You’ll kiss a lizard, but not me,” Matt whispered. “There’s something seriously wrong with you.”
“He’s cuter than you.”
The mist evaporated, and the heavy wooden door took its place behind them.
***
Michael walked back to his desk and stared at the reptile perched on the table. “Why do you encourage this childish behavior—especially on this, of all days? They’re eighteen. They’re supposed to act like adults now!”
Saint Mark closed his thin, see-through eyelids. The scales on his body quivered, as his small tail began to jerk back and forth. “They have to release the stress somehow. They need a little fun.”
The archangel shook his head. “Fun? I thought we were teaching them how to survive. What’s fun about…?” He rolled his eyes at the smiling lizard. “Will you please speak to me as He intended? I find it very difficult to have a conversation with you in this…state.”
A small snort came from the tiny nostrils as Mark coiled his tail around his body and stretched his neck toward the ceiling. A sickening melody of bones cracking took over the room, as the tail transformed into two feet and the spine grew straight and tall. The large eyes moved closer together, and the green scales slowly mutated back to smooth, amber skin. The shape of a man was almost complete, ending as Mark’s wispy brown hair grew from the top of his head and fell down the back of his dark green robe.
Mark lifted his chin to meet Michael’s gaze; his smile turned into a grimace. “Remind me never to go that small again.” The younger man limped slowly to the wooden chair. He waved his hand over it, transforming the hard object into a soft leather couch, and sat down.
Michael let out a scream that made the walls shutter.
The door disappeared immediately allowing the Archangel Gabriel to enter the room. He was a large man, huge compared to the other two. His features spoke of many battles; the scar tissue from numerous fights was proudly displayed. His black hair was cut short, and his small spectacles looked strangely out of place on his large, angular face.
Gabriel carried a book made of black marble and an intensely annoyed expression. He waved his hand over the ot
her wooden chair, and sat down on the tall, metal stool that appeared. He offered his longtime partner a glare. “Couldn’t you just call? Must you always summon me with that awful scream? I feel like we’re working for the other side when you do that. It’s creepy.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I’ll try harder next time.”
Gabriel set the book down. “Well, it’s finished. The shells are ready and it’s time for them to go.”
Michael drew his brows together, and felt a thin line of sweat appear above his upper lip. “Is Matt ready for battle?”
“A bit too ready, I’m afraid. He’s worked hard. He’s honed every skill and fought every challenge. He’s a young warrior in his prime.” Gabriel sighed. “He’s ready, but he’s not the one I’m concerned about…and you know it.”
“We’ve been through all this before. Emily is a bit more dominant than he is, but this is expressly what the boy asked for. You seem to forget that he chose to be a warrior.” Michael’s voice grew nervous. “He’ll be able to protect her. I know he will.”
“There’s a part of him that’s as black as night, Mike,” Gabriel said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Maybe even darker than mine.”
“Don’t worry, old friend.” Michael smiled. “No one is as far gone as you. Not even an angry teenager.” He turned his attention to Mark who was resting his legs comfortably over the armrest of the couch. The eyes of the saint darted back and forth as he stared up at the ceiling. Michael looked on while Mark used his eyes like an artist uses a brush. A rainbow of colors appeared, as he created a picture above their heads.
“What about it, Mark?” Michael asked, taking a quick glimpse at the lovely landscape of flowers now blooming on his ceiling.
Mark brought his head down, and the creation of the beautiful painting stopped as his magical brushes suspended their work. “Emily’s ready. Like her partner, she’s more than ready. Of all the ones we’ve trained, I believe their partnership will prove the most useful for gathering information.”
“Yes,” Michael agreed. “But will they be all right? Or, will they simply return too soon?”
Mark’s emerald eyes twinkled. “They all return. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. They have a lot to do and a long way to go. But Matt will protect her, and she in kind; the ties they use to fight will be the ties that bind.”
Michael dropped his face in his hands. “I hope that the charms you taught her work better than that, or this whole thing is going to be a big fat waste of time.”
Mark laughed. “Don’t worry, she’s much brighter and better at it than I am. The souls that He made are good ones—far better than ours.”
Gabriel grunted.
Mark reached over and patted his hand. “I don’t mean better fighters, my warrior friend. I mean they’re pure. They haven’t been touched by the pain of human life.” He looked over at Michael, and his voice grew deeper. “This isn’t a mistake. They can make the world a better place; the place we always thought it could be. I believe that Emily and Matt will be the catalyst; the team that’ll succeed.”
“I worry about them,” Michael said. “Do they have any idea what fate has in store, I wonder?”
Gabriel and Mark looked at the fear gleaming in Michael’s eyes. “They know everything they need to know, my friend,” Gabriel said. “The rest they’ll just have to figure out over time.”
Michael nodded. The earlier excitement of the occasion drained from his soul. Taking its place was the fear of a father who was sending his son and daughter out into the cruel, cold world. “There’s still so much we don’t know, and I only want the best for Matt and Emily.”
Michael looked back up at the ceiling, joining Mark in his work. The painting now stretched out as far as the eye could see. The landscape of the dark green valley was painted lovingly with Mark’s emerald eyes. He brought the lush moors to life, as Michael added his own brush to create a blue, winding river and an ocean that lay off the dark, treacherous cliffs that Gabriel’s black eyes had added to the portrait.
Suddenly, yellow appeared. Brilliant sunshine was cast over a small, brown cabin resting on a quiet hill. Michael could feel the light’s warmth as it illuminated the dark shadows making the picture peaceful and serene.
Michael smiled, as he and the other heavenly entities bowed their heads to the real painter at work in the room. “Amen,” the trio spoke.
“It’s time,” Michael whispered.
With a soul full of worry for his beloved students, Michael waved his hand in front of the door as he led the heavenly saints through the mist.
CHAPTER TWO
Emily picked up one of the wands scattered across the floor and touched the tip of it to the slate-covered wall. Her lightning chalk went screaming across the board, as a flash of colored light shot across the dark room.
She loved this place. She knew it was supposed to make her feel alone—that was the punishment. The darkness was supposed to make her think of what she’d done wrong, but she’d never felt that way in here. When Mark was her mentor, she had learned from him, very early on, that colors were even more vibrant when created in the absence of light.
She waved the wand around producing vivid stripes of color, and with every stroke she made a new image spring to life. The bright red and orange flares shot through the room like a river of fire. Picking up two more wands, Emily watched the pale blue and soft lavender ribbons react with the heat from the fiery colors. As they met, an explosion of amber and green cascaded around her body.
She squealed with delight. “Matt, look! I’ve made a rainbow!”
Matt snorted. “So what? You always make a rainbow. What else is new?”
“What’s the matter with you? Michael wasn’t that mad. It was just a joke.”
“It wasn’t funny. What if they’re in there right now changing their minds? What if they decide we can’t go?” He paused as fear caused his voice to crack.
“Do you really think we went through all that training—the warrior classes, the angel tests, the rescues—just for them to shelve us now?”
“Shelve us? We’re not an experiment, Emily!” Matt yelled back. “You make us sound like we’re scientific robots…like those visions we saw.”
“Aren’t we?” Emily spun around in circles; the wands creating a flaming halo above her head. Her soul felt like it was ready to explode. The years leading up to this journey seemed endless; all the meetings and tests that were drummed into her head had felt like endless torture as she waited for this moment to arrive.
She was so eager that she barely heard Matt crying behind her. Rolling her eyes at the familiar sound, she used her bright, burning wand to find him in the darkness.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. Emily could handle her friend’s fears, quiet his anger, and enjoy his amazing humor, but she still couldn’t take his tears. “I’m sorry…really.”
Sitting down beside him, Emily took the softest wands she could find and circled them over his head. The brilliant turquoise and peach sparks illuminated the small corner of the room.
Matt waved his hand in front of his face, drying his tears. Emily understood her partner well. She knew when she could tease him, and when her words would simply embarrass him. After all, Gabriel had told her that Matt was a young man now, and he certainly didn’t want to cry in front of her anymore. Emily knew that Gabriel had been teaching her warrior partner ‘manly’ things, trying to make Matt understand the strange ideas that supposedly ran through all male beings down there.
Emily was slightly jealous of these classes she was forbidden to witness. They certainly had consumed her partner’s mind. In what felt like the blink of an eye, he’d gone from playing tag in the fields with her to sitting in the grass asking her to recite Mark’s poetry. She’d also noticed lately that his blue eyes would sometimes grow dark and haunted, studying her with a new intensity that she still didn’t understand. But every time she’d asked him about the sudden change, he’d simply offer a
mysterious smile and turn away. She constantly wondered why he was trying to hide things from the one and only person created to see deep down into his soul.
“I just don’t like the dark, is all,” Matt replied quickly.
“It’s not dark, so don’t worry about it. And don’t worry about them. They’ll let us go. They have to. We’ve been called. It’s our time,” Emily stated, as she continued to twirl the colors above Matt’s golden-brown hair.
“You scared?” he whispered.
“Scared of everything, you know that,” Emily giggled. “But excited, too. There’s so much down there. I want to be a part of everything—everything good, anyway.”
Matt spoke softly, “I like it here…with you.”
“But just think of all the things we can do down there,” Emily continued in a wistful voice. “There won’t be anyone telling us what to do, which way to go, or how to act. We’ll be free.”
“Yeah…free to fail. What if we mess it all up?”
Emily stopped twirling the wands and let the colors melt into the blackness. “Well, if we mess up, we’ll learn more, which means they’ll learn more. As long as we do our job, we’ll be okay. Besides, we’ll always have each other. You’ll protect me and I’ll protect you. It’ll be us against the world. Deal?”
Matt reached through the darkness pulling her close. She felt a sudden strange warmth erupt inside her.
He whispered, “Deal.”
Flames shot from lightning wands across the room and Emily jumped. She stared into Matt’s eyes, now filled with mischief.
He winked. “Just think of all the trouble we can cause.”
Emily’s laugh was cut short as heavenly white mist replaced the solid door. She stood up quickly to face her magical family.
Michael’s voice was low. “It’s time to go.”
Emily took Matt’s hand as they followed the large men up the glass hallway to the Council Chamber. She looked over at her partner’s happy face, as he stared around the enchanted passageway. Emily knew that he loved the bright path as much as she enjoyed the exquisite darkness of the Lightning Room. In fact, she could no longer count the number of times she’d found Matt pacing this hall; his eyes widening as storm clouds shot bright strips of light across the floor releasing rumbles of thunder that echoed off the fragile walls.