by Aron Lewes
Amber drifts around the room, handing out papers to her students. When she lays a sheet on my desk, my hands tremble as I reach for it. Apparently, I'll be spending a lot of time with this new instructor. What if I can't stand them?
Oh god. I'm almost afraid to look.
Name: Taishi Nakamura.
So... it sounds like my spirit instructor is Japanese. That's interesting.
Last Mortal Age: 19
Taishi was nineteen when he passed away. Like me, he died young. I wonder what happened?
Occupation: Samurai
I think I remember seeing a samurai the other day, but I don't think I paid much attention to him.
Previous Experience: Taishi Nakamura has been a spirit guide for over 150 years. He has been an instructor for 53 years. He has successfully completed 3,174 missions and has guided 334 mortals. He is 159 credits away from Angel status. His current rating is 9.86/10.
Rating? We're going to be rated? That stinks.
“Who'd you get?” I whisper to Alyx. Judging from the sour look on her face, she's not happy with her instructor.
“I got some eighty-year-old lady named Wilma Dawes,” Alyx groans. “Oh god... was that the old lady with the flaming red hair? Kill me now.”
“Maybe it's not so bad?” I try to reassure her. “Maybe she'll be a really nice lady?”
“Uh huh. Or maybe she'll bore my ass,” Alyx grumbles. “Who did you get?”
“Taishi Nakamura,” I answer with a shrug. “He's a samurai, apparently.”
“Oh my god... you got the samurai? No fair!” Alyx's elbow jealously jabs my arm. “I remember him. He was hot.”
If he was hot, why can't I remember him? At the time, I must've been too obsessed with Jophiel to notice anyone else. “Sorry,” I murmur.
“You get to hang with a hot guy, and I get stuck with an old ass lady. How and why did this happen?” Alyx drags her hands down her face in despair. “Is it because of my crappy behavior yesterday? It's because I was bad... wasn't it? Amber screwed me over.”
“I don't think it was intentional. I think it was supposed to be random.”
“Random my ass!” When Alyx's fist bangs her desk, a few students turn around to give her a nasty look. “Amber wasn't happy with me, so she stuck me with the old bag. I guarantee you, that's what happened.”
Under Taishi's stats, there's a map. Apparently, I'm supposed to find him in the Archangel Training Garden. It's over a mile away, so I'm glad I'm wearing good shoes.
Wait—can I even get blisters anymore? I don't think I can.
“Well, I guess I'm heading off to find Wilma frickin' Dawes...” Alyx announces with a groan. “Wish me luck.”
When class is officially over, I leave to find Taishi. It's a long way to The Garden, but at least I can do some sightseeing along the way. This world is still extraordinarily strange to me. On the way to my destination, I pass an old guy riding on a winged horse. It doesn't get much weirder than that, I'm sure.
I have to pass through a tall, silver gate to enter the Archangels' Garden. The entire gate is covered in thick, red vines. When I step into the garden, I try to suppress my awe. The garden is a riot of color. The roses are redder than usual, the pink sweet peas almost knock me over with their honeyed scent, and there are cherry blossom petals tumbling in the breeze. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more beautiful sight.
Judging from the size of the map, the Archangel Training Garden is huge, and I have no idea where to find Taishi. I guess I'll just wander around and hope I bump into him eventually. To my surprise, my feet actually can ache. After over an hour of walking, I sit on one of the benches, slip off my sandals, and rub my overused feet.
As I stroke my heel, I hear commotion in the distance. The loud clang of metal striking metal sends a shiver down my back. Taking a deep breath, I rise from the bench and follow my ears to the source of the ruckus.
I head down a cobblestone path and eventually reach a large clearing, where six men and two women are training with swords. My eyes are drawn to Jophiel first, and then to the flaming blade in his hand. He looks beautiful—and deadly.
His opponent, I assume, is Taishi Nakamura. His blue kimono is tatty and dated, while his hair is short and modern. When he draws his katana from its sheath, he does it so quickly, the blade looks like a blur. Flames scurry along the sword's sharp edge. With flaming blades, these guys look even more impressive.
Taishi slashes at Jophiel, who pivots away from the samurai's sweeping blade. Jophiel counters with a lunge, which is deflected by Taishi. As I watch them fight, I'm mesmerized. I've never watched a real sword battle before.
When Jophiel's elbow slams into Taishi's nose, the samurai staggers backward. The blow actually draws a little blood.
Blood? I didn't realize it was still possible to bleed. I'm always learning something new in this crazy, unfamiliar world.
A few seconds later, Taishi gets his revenge. He sticks his sword through Jophiel's stomach. At first, I'm horrified—and then the wound instantly heals.
“Well done, Taishi!” exclaims Jophiel, who offers a hand to his smug, smiling student. “You're always improving. I'm impressed.”
Taishi doesn't respond. He just nods.
“You're certainly well on your way to becoming an Archangel.” Jophiel glances over Taishi's shoulder and catches my gaze. He gives me a tiny nod, then turns his attention back to his student. “You're already better than me.”
“No, I'm not,” Taishi quietly objects.
“You are. And if you aren't better than me now, you'll be better than me soon,” Jophiel says. When he sheaths his flaming sword, the fire is immediately extinguished. “You'll have to teach me Iaijustu.”
“I can...” Taishi softly agrees, “if you want.”
“I believe that's your new student over there,” Jophiel tells him. “You should probably greet her.”
“Mmm. I guess.” With a bored shrug of his shoulders, Taishi turns in my direction. His expression is stony as he shuffles forward. “Are you... Leigh Riley?” he asks. His English is heavily accented, but pleasant to my ears.
“Yep. That would be me,” I reply. I can totally understand why Alyx thought he was hot. His eyes are intense, his cheekbones are chiseled, and his ebony hair hangs over stern, pinched eyebrows. For some reason, he doesn't look too impressed by me. “And you're Taishi. Obviously.”
He gives me a slight nod, but he doesn't say a word. When I try to stick out my hand, he doesn't accept it.
“You're not going to shake my hand?” I ask.
After a brief pause, he finally replies, “No.”
Wow. How rude! He's single-handedly obliterating my foolish belief that all spirits are nice.
As I retract my hand, I ask, “Do you have a problem with me?”
“No.”
His answers are irritatingly terse. I'm so annoyed right now, I wish I had Wilma instead.
“So, I guess we'll be working together for awhile, huh?” I note. “That should be... interesting.”
“Maybe,” Taishi answers, shrugging again.
I have nothing left to say to him, and he apparently has nothing left to say to me, so I decide to dismiss myself. “Well, uh... I guess I'll see you tomorrow?” I ask.
This time, he doesn't even bother to speak. He just gives me another one of his bored, obligatory nods.
“Okay. Uhhh... bye then.”
As I head off, I expect him to say something. Even a single word of farewell would have been better than total silence.
I stomp away from the clearing with an exasperated huff. This is basically the worst case scenario.
My instructor is a jerk.
The next time I see Taishi, he looks totally different. I blame his clothes. Instead of a kimono, he's wearing a modern white t-shirt and black pants. The v-neck shirt is little bit tatty, and his brown leather boots look like they've been worn a thousand times.
“Whoa. I barely recognized you!” I exclaim. “That's
a good look for you, Mr. Nakamura.” It doesn't feel right to call him Mr. Nakamura. Even though he's a veteran, he looks like a peer.
“Are you ready to go?” he asks me. Apparently, my new instructor doesn't waste time on small talk.
And that's too bad, because I'd like to get to know him better. “Should I call you Mr. Nakamura?” I ask. “Or should I call you something else?”
“Sensei?” he suggests with a chuckle. “No. Just Taishi is fine.”
“How'd you get your clothes? Is there some kind of Heaven store I'm not aware of, because I've been wearing the same outfit since I got here... not that it matters. At least we don't stink anymore, right? The other day, I asked my roommate about deodorant and soap, and she laughed at me for, like... three whole minutes.” I know I'm rambling and I know he's annoyed, but I can't stop myself. Rambling is what I do when I'm nervous.
“You acquire clothes through manifestation. Obviously.” Taishi tries to look away, but I catch him rolling his eyes.
“Like... how?”
“It's like any other manifestation. It's easy.” Before I have a chance to blink, Taishi changes back into his blue kimono. A split second later, he's wearing the pants and t-shirt again. He's trying to show off, and it's totally working. I'm really impressed.
“I'm not that good at manifestation, though,” I admit with a frown.
“Then you'll have to get good at it. It's the most basic skill for a spirit,” Taishi tells me, sounding bored. “If you can't even perform a simple manifestation, you won't be good at anything.”
“Wow. You don't have to be rude!” I exclaim. “I just got here a couple days ago. What do you expect from me?”
Taishi crosses his arms. “I expect you to practice, I expect you to get good, and I expect you to not make excuses for yourself.” Without warning, he grabs my wrist—and suddenly we're floating through space, drifting back down to the mortal realm.
“I'm not making excuses! I'm just reminding you I haven't been here that long!” I'm so engrossed in our argument, I barely notice the sea of stars that surrounds me.
“And that is an excuse, Riley-san. I was a master of manifestation within hours of my arrival,” Taishi boasts. “Try harder.”
I want to defend myself, but I'm already tired of fighting, so I bite my tongue and keep my thoughts to myself.
“We've almost arrived,” Taishi informs me. “I'm finishing an old job. Unfortunately, I have to take you with me, but you won't get any credit for completing it.”
“Okay...” I'm a little lost, but I just nod my head and pretend that everything makes sense. All of a sudden, we're standing in the middle of someone's cluttered bedroom. There's a woman, probably in her thirties, kneeling on the bed.
“She's in the middle of a prayer, so I thought this would be a good time to teach you how to hone in on her thoughts.” Taishi shoves a large chunk of quartz crystal into my hand. “I already know what she wants, but try to listen in.”
“How?”
“Hold the quartz, clear your mind, and be silent,” Taishi coaches me. “I know that last part is difficult for you, but you have to try.”
“Oh my god... are you telling me I can't be quiet?” I'm tempted to chuck the crystal at his head. “You've barely known me for three minutes, and you're already insulting me? Why?”
“Be silent,” he repeats. “You need to listen more than you talk, Riley-san. That's what good students do.”
Ignoring his criticism, I close my eyes and hold the quartz crystal against my chest.
Of course, nothing happens. So I quietly tell him, “it's not working.”
“You're a beginner, so you might need more than six seconds.” I catch him rolling his eyes again. “Give it a moment.”
I take a breath and try to focus. Maybe I'm just crazy, but I swear I can feel the crystal pulsing in my hand.
And then it happens. In my mind, I can hear the woman's thoughts. They're so clear, it's as if they originated in my own head.
Bring my dad back to me. Please, God, make him well again. And if you can't, give him a quick death so he doesn't have to suffer. It was an honor to take care of him, and I miss him.
I'm so stunned, I almost drop my piece of quartz. “Whoa... I heard it.”
“Good.” My instructor gives me a satisfied nod. “What did she say?”
“I guess... her dad's sick?” I try to summarize. “She's asking God to make him better.”
“What else?” Taishi presses me for more. “What was the second part?”
“She, uh... she doesn't want him to suffer.”
“Right.” Taishi gives me another nod.
“What's wrong with her dad?” I ask. Taishi seems like a quiet guy, so I'm sure my curiosity is getting on his nerves.
“Dementia. Advanced stages,” Taishi tells me in as few words as possible. “His health is poor, so he'll be dying soon.”
“Oh.” I can feel my lips falling into a frown. “And... there's nothing we can do to help?”
“To heal him? No. His mind and body are too far gone. The best I can do is give them time with the father they used to know.”
Taishi grabs my elbow and whisks me to another location. I'm getting a little annoyed, to be honest. I wish he'd warn me first.
Now we're in a nursing home—at least, I think it's a nursing home. There are a lot of old people, so I'd say it's a pretty good guess. The praying woman is sitting with her father, and she's flanked by two tearful sisters. Their old dad looks pitiful. He's sitting in a wheelchair, his back is hunched, his lips are sealed, and he can barely feed himself.
“Give me a moment,” Taishi says, then he presses his palm against the old man's forehead. Taishi's intervention seems to make a difference. The old man's fork picks up its pace, his face lights up, and he suddenly remembers his daughters' names. The difference is so obvious, even I feel like crying.
“Wow... you fixed him!” I exclaim. “I want to learn how to do that!”
“It's an advanced technique. You won't be able to do anything like this for a long time,” Taishi bluntly informs me.
“Aww. That stinks.” I stick out my bottom lip. “If I could do what you're doing, I'd be tempted to stand there and touch his head all day.”
“You can't. It drains you,” Taishi coldly informs me.
“Okay...” When one of the sisters starts crying, I tear up too. It's easy to share in their joy as they reunite with the father they thought they lost. “How long will you be able to fix him?”
“Ten minutes. Maybe twenty. If I was an angel, I'd probably hold out longer. Unscrambling a brain is difficult work.”
Taishi actually lasts for thirty minutes, and by the end of it, he looks depleted. When his hand finally leaves the old man's forehead, he staggers backward.
“Al... alright,” Taishi's voice cracks as he regains his footing. “Are you ready for our next destination? Your first field test finally begins.”
“Great. Sure. Let's go.” I know I sound less than enthusiastic, but I don't know what to expect. I never know what to expect anymore. My life—if you can still call it that—has gotten too weird for words.
A split second later, we're in someone's living room. There's a girl on the couch, mindlessly thumbing through pictures on her phone.
“There's your first charge, Riley-san. Her name is Cynthia White. She's twenty-seven years old, and she's a bookseller,” Taishi's face is blank as he shares the information. “What do you think you should do?”
I suddenly feel like running away. I want to escape, find my family, and refuse to do this. I desperately want to go back to my old life. Seeing Cynthia with her phone makes me miss the things I used to take for granted. I miss modern comforts. I miss everything.
Taishi is watching me with expectation in his eyes, so I give him an apathetic answer. “I'm supposed to find out what she wants, right?”
“Precisely,” Taishi answers with a nod. “Do you still have the crystal?”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, yeah...” I produce the clear quartz from the depths of my pocket, then I close my eyes and try to hear her inner voice. It feels so intrusive. It makes me wonder how many times Amber listened to my thoughts.
God, he's so hot.
When my eyes snap open again, I lean over Cynthia's phone. I want to see what she's seeing.
It's a picture of Colton Crane, one of my favorite actors. Apparently, he's also one of Cynthia's favorite actors.
“Focus, Leigh,” Taishi coaches me. “Keep listening to her thoughts. We need to know more about her.”
With a sigh, I close my eyes and try again.
I want to meet him. I want to meet him so bad. I can't believe I'm actually going to see him. And in London, of all places. I never thought I'd go overseas. God, I'm so nervous.
When my eyes reopen, I update Taishi on the latest news. “I guess she's going to see Colton Crane in London.”
“Who's Colton Crane?” Taishi couldn't possibly sound more disinterested. His apathy makes me want to laugh.
“He's an actor. A British actor. He's really hot.” Colton's no Jophiel, but he's still pretty gorgeous.
“Did you learn anything else?”
I tighten my grip on the quartz and listen in again. This time, her thoughts aren't quite as clear.
Will I get to... theatre... he looks sexy in this shirt... he's so... I wonder what he smells like...I should order a pizza... she tweeted me... got the...
“Umm...” I give my lip a nervous nibble. “I was hearing lots of snippets, but I couldn't make sense of any of it.”
“I wouldn't expect you to. It's more difficult to hear your charge's thoughts when they aren't meditating or praying,” Taishi says. “You seem to be a natural at it, though. You might be a terrible manifestor, but at least you're good at this.”
“Aww. That's so nice of you!” I sarcastically thank him for his half-assed praise. “You know... you've been kind of a jerk.”
“And I don't care what you think.” Once again, Taishi's arms are crossed over his chest. “My job is to teach you, not to impress you. Let's just do what we have to do, and then you never have to see me again. Sound good to you?”