(by Kimbre)
The cold wind blew through the angel’s dark brown hair as she watched the hustle and bustle that was happening all around her on the college campus. For the moment, she was unbeknownst to the human eye as she walked alone, her head down, no longer paying attention to what was happening around her.
Had any of these young adults been able to see her, they would have pondered why she looked so sad. They would have wondered what had happened to her to cause the beautiful brown eyes to look so distant, or her peaches and cream complexion to appear so drawn. The students, of course, would not know she was an angel, one of God’s special messengers, but if they had known, it would only have added to their curiosity. Why was an angel so full of sadness? They would have no way of knowing that angels, too, sometimes lose their way, lose their assignments, or maybe even lose a friend.
Though the angel didn’t know it, she was being watched. Tess, her supervising angel, shook her head sadly at she watched her young charge from a distance, her mahogany face troubled as she felt the pain right along with her friend. Tess wished that there were a way to help her baby, but she also know that was not His plan. Her orders came from the Father and she already knew that she would not be very involved with this assignment, at least not at first. She also knew that Monica, troubled as she was, would have to put her pain aside in order to be able to work this assignment, and that was where she came in right now. Tess bowed her head and said a silent prayer to her Father, asking for help in finding the words and the strength to get Monica back on track.
But another angel was watching this scene as well, but unlike the other two, her face showed no signs of kindness or sadness. Her lips twitched in an evil smile as her eyes remained focused on Monica. This was an angel who could wreck havoc on the world when she wanted to and not have to answer to any guilt or grief. But Kathleen wasn’t interested in harming any of the humans this time. She was much more anxious to ruin Monica and now that her enemy was feeling so vulnerable, she knew that her plan could work.
Kathleen had been one of God’s angels long ago, so she knew the chances of Monica falling were far greater when her heart was heavy, and it would be Kathleen’s greatest victory to be able to cause Monica to fall from the Grace of God. She had tried to do this before, but her plans had been ruined. But being an angel of pure evil, Kathleen could always try again, and try again she would.
“Hello, Miss Wings,” Tess approached Monica, immediately putting on her air of authority as she did so,
“You’re early today, aren’t you?”
Monica looked up and managed a small smile,
“Hello, Tess,” she relied with her Irish lilt. Though she smiled, she could not hide the pain that flooded her brown eyes and she quickly looked away.
“Now, listen here, Angel Girl, “Tess began as she linked her arm through Monica’s and began to walk with her,
“You have an assignment to do here, so there isn’t any sense in dwelling in the past right now. You need to have your head on straight, girl, to handle this one and I can’t send you into the battlefield to do God’s work if your heart isn’t in it. Are you listening to me, Miss Wings?”
Monica sighed as she stopped walking and turned to face her friend and superior,
“Of course I am, Tess and I want to be able to do His work with a clear conscience and mind, but I just cannot stop thinking about last week and how awful it was and still is. What am I supposed to do?”
“Well, first off, you need to stop blaming yourself for not being able to reach that woman. You did the best you could and you and I both know that we can’t save them all, as much as we would like to. Nancy was a woman who wanted to die, to take her own life because she was convinced that there was no other way out. She had closed her ears and her heart to everything you were trying to make her see. What else could you have done?”
“I dunno, Tess. But maybe if I hadn’t turned away for those few seconds, then I would have had more time. Maybe something would have hit home for her and her life could have been spared! I cared about her so much and Andrew--.” Monica fell silent, thinking about her friend.
“Andrew cared about her too, Angel Girl, and that was why he was upset. Our Angel Boy is still working out his own problems with this, but he needs to put it behind him too, because he’ll be working on this assignment with you…”
“Oh, Tess, No!” Monica’s eyes filled with tears as she looked away.
Tess looked shocked at Monica’s outburst and wondered if things weren’t worse than she had originally figured,
“What? You decide whom you get to work with now? I didn’t realize that the Father had left you in charge.”
“No, it isn’t that at all…it’s just that Andrew is so upset with me, how can we possibly work together now? We can hardly even look at each other right now because we failed that last case so badly and he feels the same way I do…that I never should have turned away! I wasted those seconds and because of that, Nancy took her own life and is never going to know God’s love for her. “
Tess frowned and drew in a deep breath before she continued,
“Well, you and Andrew are going to have to work this one out, Monica, because you are stuck together in this assignment and I don’t want to hear another word about it. Now you both need to get over what happened and move on because there is a young lady on this campus that needs you.”
Monica’s eyes followed Tess’ gaze and came to rest on a young girl of not more than 23 years of age. She was sitting on a bench, her eyes full of loneliness, as she watched the other students hurrying to their next class. Her dark hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail and as they watched, she pulled her jacket more tightly around her, shielding herself from the cool autumn air. But as Monica looked more closely, she realized that this girl was also trying to hide her large frame beneath her jacket and books.
“That young lady is named Stacey and she needs your help.” Tess began before being interrupted.
“What’s the matter with her, Tess? She looks so sad and lonely.”
Tess usually would have scolded Monica for her lack of patience, but instead she saw the usual questions and persistence as perhaps Monica putting aside last week and finally being ready to face a new assignment.
“Well, Miss Wings, it seems that Stacey has built up a wall of loneliness around her because of the extra pounds she is carrying on her body. She sees herself as not lovable or deserving of any friends. You see, somewhere in that extra weight, Stacey has lost track of her soul. She sees what everyone else sees, so that is what she has become.”
Monica’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she turned her attention back to her supervisor,
“I don’t quite understand, Tess. “
“Angel Girl, our Stacey just sees herself as an overweight entity, not really a person. Now, you and I both know that things are not always what they seem and that it is the person inside that we grow to truly know and love. But that is what Stacey is missing in the big picture. She cannot fathom how someone could ever love her because of how she looks. People like Stacey grow older and generally become one of three things. They either one, lose the weight but never really learn to love themselves, two, withdraw further and further from society or three, learn to throw that weight around.”
Tess gave Monica a sidelong glance, seeing a mischievous glint in her eyes,
“Not a word, Miss Wings, “ She huffed, pretending to be insulted by her young charge’s indication of Tess’ own stocky figure.
“Aww, Tess, you know I love you,” Monica smiled, linking both of her arms through Tess’ arm.
“As I was saying…that is usually what those who battle the bulge become, but not always. Some realize that even when they cannot love themselves, that there is still Someone up there who does love them, and then they can begin to heal.”
“So, my assignment is to befriend Stacey and make her feel better about herself then?”
Tess nodded her head,
“That’s the story I have so far, baby. We’ll know the rest in His time.”
“And what about Andrew?” Monica’s eyes saddened a bit at the mention of her friend’s name,
“What is he to do?”
“Now, never you mind about Andrew. You concentrate on your part of the assignment and he’ll concentrate on his. You’ll know more when it’s time for you to know more.”
Tess hesitated for a moment before deciding to add one more piece of advice,
“Monica, just remember what I said about things not being always how they seem. This is important, baby. You have a special gift to be able to see people from the inside out and you need to hang onto that right now, alright?”
Monica looked at Tess, feeling puzzled by her words. Hadn’t that always been a part of her special gift…truth?
“Yes, Tess, of course I’ll remember. I’ll see you later, right?”
Tess nodded her head and reached to give the younger angel’s hand a gentle squeeze,
“I’ll be back when you need me.”
With those words, she departed, leaving Monica alone.
Monica looked over to where Stacey had been just moments and she realized her assignment was now nowhere to be seen. She sighed and started walking towards the dormitory, deciding that was as good a place to start looking as any.
“Okay, Tess,” Andrew sat down on the concrete bench that Stacey had not long ago abandoned, and looked at his superior,
“You’ve told me all about Monica’s assignment, but haven’t told me anything about my part in all of this.”
“Well, Angel Boy, your assignment is a little different than what you are used to,” Tess began as she sat down next to him.
“Different? Different how?” Even as he asked this question, his eyes wandered around the campus, wishing he could concentrate on everything Tess was saying.
“Your assignment is not going to be a human this time, Andrew. Your assignment is Monica.”
Tess finished speaking and now knew she had Andrew’s full attention for the first time today.
“Monica? Tess, I don’t understand—“
“I know you don’t understand, so that is why I’m going to explain to you what I can. You see, Angel Boy, there is some kind of evil here…an evil that may affect Monica and everything she believes in. Now I know there are some unresolved issues between the two of you right now, but you need to put those behind you for her sake.”
Andrew was silent for a minute, thinking about what Tess was insinuating. A very big part of him was still very upset with Monica about the way she had handled their last assignment. He knew that even angels weren’t perfect, but the assignment had been long and difficult, and to still lose in the end was not something Andrew took lightly.
But regardless of all of that, he was still very worried over Tess’ forewarning that Monica could be in potential danger. Yes, he was upset with her, but he wouldn’t be able to bear anything happening to her.
“What do you mean ‘evil’, Tess? She is here to help a very confused, very lonely young woman. I don’t see where there is any danger in that.”
“No, you wouldn’t think so, Angel Boy, but things are not always how they seem. I don’t have all the details of this assignment yet, but I know enough to know that Monica may be in need of an angel in the near future and that angel is you. The only problem with that is that the two of you have some trust issues right now and those issues could put her into a lot of danger.”
Andrew sighed heavily and gave Tess a sidelong glance,
“I know, Tess, I know. I keep trying to put it behind me, but I just cannot stop thinking about how Monica allowed herself to get distracted when she was revealing herself to Nancy. That was all the time Nancy needed to pull the trigger on that shotgun and it was over.” He shook his head sadly, his eyes flashing pain,
“But regardless of what happened last week, I would never allow any harm to come to Monica, you know that.”
“I want to know that, Andrew. But I also know that sometimes when we allow ourselves to get angry with our friends that a lot of things can happen. We never mean to let those we love get hurt, but sometimes our anger gets the best of us and when it does, it gets in the way of our true feelings and intentions. Now, you and Monica need to get this worked out before it goes any further.” Tess gave him her best “stern look” as she waited for him to respond.
“I know, Tess, I’ll talk to her as soon as I find her, I promise.”
“That’s good to hear, Angel Boy. Now, I’ve got some things to do, but I’ll see you later.” Tess stood up to leave, watching as Andrew rose also.
“Bye, Tess,” Andrew gave a wave as he set off to try and find Monica.
Tess watched her other “baby” disappear into the cool, fall evening, her eyes now showing her concern,
“Lord, Your will be done, but please take care of those two angel babies.”
Stacey jumped, startled when she heard a knock at her dormitory door. Hesitantly, she laid down the book she had been reading and slowly got up. Approaching the door, she reached for the knob, but then thought better of it.
“Who is it?” she called out cautiously.
“My name is Monica,” a voice, laced with an Irish brogue responded,
“I’m your new roommate.”
Bewildered, Stacey slowly opened the door and came face to face with the petite woman behind the voice.
“You’re a student?” Stacey couldn’t keep the surprise from showing on her face. The young woman standing in front of her was beautiful, but a college student she was not.
“Yes, I am,” Monica smiled, her brown eyes twinkling,
“As I always say, better late than never. May I come in?”
Stacey suddenly remembered her manners and stepped aside,
“Uh, sure…come on in. You’re my roommate?” Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the genuine surprise out of her voice.
Monica tilted her head to the side, her eyes meeting those of Stacey’s,
“You sound surprised. Why is that?”
“I’ve never had a roommate for more than a couple of days before,” she admitted softly,
“I imagine you won’t be here much longer than that.”
“Why would you say that?” Monica watched Stacey as she moved back to the bed and sat back down.
Stacey was quiet for a minute before meeting her eyes with Monica’s once more,
“Because nobody wants to room with the fat girl,” she said finally, her voice barely audible and holding traces of anger.
Monica drew in a deep breath and moved to sit down across from Stacey,
“Well, then, it seems to me that everyone else is missing out on getting to know a kind, good person then and I’m not sure that I want to follow in their footsteps.”
“You don’t know me. You don’t know what kind of person I am.” Stacey met her bitter eyes with Monica’s.
Monica bit her lip, realizing just how tough of an assignment Stacey was going to be. She thought hard, and then said a quick prayer for guidance in her head. She smiled thankfully when the answer came floating down to her waiting heart,
“I think you’re a very kind person, Stacey, but a wee bit lonely perhaps. I didn’t mean to offend you, I just don’t believe that what a person looks like has anything to do with who they really are.”
As Monica had spoken, Stacey had gotten up and wandered over to the window. She didn’t turn around when Monica finished but muttered more to herself than to her new roommate,
“Yeah, well a lot you know then.” Stacey turned around again to face her,
“Look, half the room is yours so go ahead and get settled, but lets get a few things straight right now, okay? I don’t really have any choice in this living arrangement, but I can assure you that I’m not looking for a friend, or someone to lay up nights confiding my dreams to. I gave up wanting that a long time ago. Secondly, don’t expect me to sit around and listen to you analyze me. If I wanted to know that I was lonely and why I was lonely I’d of signed up for a psychology course. You certainly don’t know enough about me now, nor will you ever to offer me any advice. Are we clear on these small points, Monica?”
Monica was too shocked to even respond at first, but once she had gathered her senses, she was able to nod her head. Before she could think of anything to say, Stacey had grabbed her backpack and slammed out of the room.
“Well, now what?” She asked herself, before letting out a frustrated sigh. As she stood up to try to find out where her new assignment had run off to, Andrew materialized before her and she started to wonder if things were going to get worse before they got better.
“Andrew? What are you doing here?”
Andrew smiled at the concerned look in her eyes,
“I’m on assignment, but not in the way you think. At least, not as far as I know.”
Monica breathed a sigh of relief. Fond as she was of her friend, his being the Angel of Death unnerved her now and again,
“Stacey has two angels?” She asked, deciding to keep the conversation professional, at least for the time being.
Andrew shifted his weight uncomfortably,
“Well, not exactly. Stacey has an angel and then her angel…has an angel.”
There was complete silence in the room for several moments as Andrew tried to read the look in Monica’s brown eyes. Nothing, however would have prepared him for her reaction to his words.
“This was your idea, wasn’t it?” Monica snapped, her eyes and expression filled with an angel’s fury.
Andrew was speechless for a moment, trying to understand the reason for her anger,
“No, Monica, I assume it was His, handed down to Tess, just like always---.”
Monica’s eyes filled with tears as his words pierced deeply into her heart,
“The Father? Tess? All of you are behind this? I cannot believe you would do this, Andrew!”
“Monica, what on earth are you talking about?” He reached for her arm, but she jerked away from him in anger.
“You know, you were there that night too! I may have made a mistake with Nancy, but I didn’t make it alone! You just want to put all the blame on me and now, thanks to your blame, everyone thinks I need a babysitter! Someone to make sure that Monica doesn’t lose another assignment she isn’t meant to lose! Is that it?”
Andrew was flabbergasted by her words and by the pain that was behind them. He was quick to know that she was feeling guilty about Nancy and just as quick to know that for the first time in the years they had known each other, that she was feeling genuine anger towards him,
“No, Monica, you’ve got this all wrong---.”
“No, Andrew, I don’t think that I do. Angels don’t need angels and they certainly aren’t assigned to angels! If you were assigned to me, it’s because you don’t trust me anymore. Not you, not Tess, not the Father….” Her voice trailed off, the latter of those three almost being more than she could bear. Her hands flew to cover her face and she sobbed helplessly for a moment.
Andrew drew in a shaky breath and tried once more to approach her,
“Monica, please listen to me----.”
“No!” She lowered her hands and looked at him defiantly. Her brown eyes were filled with a combination of anger and hurt, but she had pulled herself together somewhat,
“Leave me alone, Andrew. I’ll prove to you, to all of you, that I don’t need any angels to keep me from making mistakes. I may have made one with Nancy, but you helped me to make it. Do you know why I turned away from her? Because I heard you in the hallway! I wasn’t expecting company and it startled me! If you want to ask me ‘whys’, then why don’t you ask yourself why you didn’t just appear in the room with us! That wouldn’t have scared me the way hearing someone in the hallway did. So, if you’re looking for someone to blame, then look no further than any mirror, Andrew! “
Andrew’s face had paled as she had spoken to him. He had never heard her so angry, her tongue so sharp. He and Monica had always been close, but everything was different now. He stared at her in complete silence for a minute before he began to speak, his voice, usually so warm, kind and caring, was now low and cold,
“That’s fine, Monica. I’ll tell Tess she can take me off this assignment because obviously you don’t need any help. I have no problem with that. But what you might want to do is think about Who it is that you are serving. I am trying to do what He wants, not what I want. As for you, I’m not sure I have any idea of what you’re doing. I’m not even sure I know who you are anymore.”
“Maybe you never did.” She replied, her voice scarcely a whisper.
Andrew met his eyes with hers one last time and after a moment, he simply nodded his head. Turning around, he walked out the door and vanished before he ever reached the end of the hall.
Monica watched him go as her lower lip began to tremble and silent tears filled her eyes. Her anger, however, remained and would not allow the tears to fall. She was far to upset and hurt to mourn the stake that had now been driven between she and Andrew. She then thought about Tess and more importantly, the Father, knowing she had probably disappointed them as well with all of this. Yet, she was sure that they had been a part of this as well. She had handled plenty of assignments on her own and she would prove to them all that just because she had made a mistake didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of working on her own. She would show them all.
Grabbing her jacket, she slammed out of the dorm to try and find Stacey; the one person who could help her put this whole disaster behind her. She would be Stacey’s friend if it killed them both.
Once the door was closed, Kathleen materialized, her body stretched out across Monica’s bed. A very pleased smile played on her lips, having been witness to the scene that had occurred moments before.
“Good girl, Monica, “ She laughed deliciously as she vanished into the air once more.
Andrew walked alone through the woods that stretched out for miles behind the campus, his thoughts in turmoil. He had left Monica over three hours ago and had been walking ever since, trying to make sense out of what had happened between them.
Oh, he understood that she had completely misunderstood the situation; at least he thought she had. He hoped with all his heart that Tess had not given him this assignment due to her having lack of trust in Monica’s abilities as an angel. Monica had saved more lives than any angel he knew; so surely one error couldn’t make Tess and the Father doubt her. But even if that was the case, which he was sure it wasn’t, the fact remained that Andrew was hurt.
In all the years he had known Monica, he had never known her to be so angry and hurtful, it just wasn’t like her at all. He knew that part of it was guilt she was feeling about Nancy, but what about the rest of it?
Andrew slumped against a tree and sighed heavily,
“Guilt you made her feel, Angel Boy.” He told himself aloud as he shook his head sadly. He knew he had done a number on her, but he hadn’t meant to. He had been just as upset over Nancy as Monica had been and he had been looking for someone to blame, much in the same way that she had blamed him a few hours ago for distracting her. When she had said those words, he had felt absolutely heartbroken. He had never thought it had been he who distracted her that night and to hear it from the angel of truth had been a lot for his heart to hear.
He closed his eyes, seeing as he did his friend’s face as she had stood before him, her eyes so filled with grief and so vividly holding pain. Andrew couldn’t help but feel that something terrible was going to happen and he remembered Tess’ warning. Maybe Monica felt it too; maybe that was what had caused her to lash out so violently at him. He knew he should be close to her right now, but how could he be? She would know he was near and he didn’t want to make things worse than they already were. He knew that Monica had meant in no uncertain terms for him to leave her alone. She had made that crystal clear.
Not knowing what else to do, Andrew knelt by the side of the tree and raised his concerns up to the Father,
“Father, please help me to do Your will. I know that You can see all and You know what is going on here. Monica and I are having some problems and I don’t know how to reach her right now…or maybe part of the problem is that I’m hurt by her words and I’m unwilling to try and reach her. I’m not sure, Father. I do love her dearly, but I don’t know what is going on in her mind. I know I placed blame on her for Nancy’s death and I should not have. Please forgive me for that.” He paused as he felt the warm light on his shoulders from the Father’s loving forgiveness and it was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders at that moment.
“Tess mentioned Monica being in danger, but how can I help her when she won’t take the help that is offered? She feels that You and Tess want me to keep an eye on her because she could fail this assignment and I pray that isn’t it. She is one of the best angels I know and she takes each loss to heart. I don’t want to see her lose her way over this, Father.”
Closing his eyes and opening his heart, he listened as the Father instructed him on what he needed to do. He listened as the Father told him he needed to talk to Monica and make her see the truth. But as Andrew continued to listen, his heart began to pound erratically in his chest. He shook his head, his eyes opening and filling with anguish,
“What do You mean it’s too late for me to protect her? I just left her, she wasn’t in any danger!”
Violent images began to appear before Andrew’s eyes. Monica hurt…hurt badly. Beaten nearly to the point of death. Tears filled his eyes as the image of Monica became clearer and he realized she had been hurt so badly he could barely recognize her.
“When is this going to happen?” He demanded, getting to his feet and looking up to the heavens.
The answer floated back to him gently, sadly, much like the grieving tears of a parent,
“It is happening now, Andrew.”
Andrew fell back to his knees, his hands clutching at the grass in anguish,
“No!!!”
Monica had been searching for Stacey for nearly two hours to no avail. It hadn’t been a complete waste of time however as she had had plenty of time to think. Her anger had finally subsided and now she felt more foolish than anything else. Once she had gone over what had happened several times, she had finally come to the conclusion that Andrew had been genuinely confused by her reaction to his assignment. Oh, she still thought that he had been assigned to her to keep her from failing, but she didn’t think that Andrew had been privy to the reason.
She stopped walking for a minute and closed her eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek. Knowing how badly she had hurt him was tearing her apart inside. Dear Andrew, her gentle, caring friend that she loved so very much, and she had been so hateful to. He had been there for her every time she had ever needed him, when she had lost her memory, when she had needed a sympathetic ear he had listened to her, even when he had been a mime and unable to talk to her. All she ever had to do was to look into those green eyes that she knew so well to find the compassion and understanding she was looking for. Even with the strain that had been placed on their friendship since Nancy, she has still seen that same look in his eyes today. He had been trying so hard to understand her anger and to try to explain to her that as far as he knew anyway, she was wrong in her assumptions and what had she done? Accused him of being the reason they had lost Nancy.
Monica stopped walking and slumped against a light pole, fresh tears filling her eyes. What had happened to her back there? She had been so agitated since she had arrived here, her normally complacent nature replaced by total mistrust and impatience. She wasn’t convinced it all had to do with their last assignment, yet she couldn’t place her finger on what was causing her to feel and act this way.
She was also surprised to have not seen Tess by now. Usually when she got off track, her supervisor and friend was right there to scold her or encourage her, depending on the situation. She had said she would be here when Monica needed her, but if she didn’t need Tess now, then when would she? Maybe she should give up on Stacey for the moment and try to find Andrew. She would feel so much better if she could tell him how sorry she was for hurting him.
Monica looked up sharply, hearing voices and immediately recognizing one of them as Stacey’s. Though it was hard to make out her words, her voice was filled with panic and laced with tears. Monica got to her feet and hurried off in the direction of her voice.
When she found Stacey, she stopped short, hidden behind the bleachers at the football field. She listened, horrified as the four boys who surrounded Stacey accused her of terrible things that Monica simply could not believe. She listened as they asked Stacey for sexual favors, saying they had it from a reliable source that she had done this before for other boys on campus and it didn’t take Monica long to realize that things were about to get very out of control.
“Leave me alone!” Stacey shrieked, trying to walk away from them, only to have her path blocked by one of them.
“C’mon, Stacey, we know you do it, so don’t fight us on this and you won’t get hurt.” The largest of the boys, grabbed her by the arm indicating for one of his buddies to grab her other arm, which he did.
“Or are you just a tease, fat girl?” One of the others asked her with a laugh.
“Stop it, please!” Stacey begged, trying to wretch herself free from them.
“Yes, stop it, please,” Monica said, coming out from her hiding place. She was trying hard not to tremble, as for the first time since becoming a caseworker, she had not heard God’s voice telling her what to do. Yet she was unable to just hide and watch any longer.
The boy who seemed to be the leader of the group looked at Monica for a moment as a slow smile spread across his face,
“Well, well, well, what do we have here? You got some kind of problem, lady?”
Monica cleared her throat as she exchanged a look with Stacey,
“Yes, I do actually. It seems to me that you are all giving this young lady a hard time and that she has asked you nicely to stop. I think that you should do as she asks.”
“Oh, you do, do you?” He leered, getting close enough to Monica’s face for her to smell the liquor on his breathe.
Monica held her ground, prayers racing through her mind, begging God to help her, to tell her what to do. But no answer came,
“Yes, I do. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to be getting back.” She reached for Stacey’s hand and began to walk away.
Monica had not gone more than two steps, when she was shoved hard from behind, the force of it causing her to fall to the ground. She rolled over quickly and found the four of them hovering above she and Stacey. The last thing she remembered seeing clearly was the pure evil in the eyes of the assailants—dark eyes, filled with anger and hate that seemed to burn right into her very soul.
Before she could get back to her feet, two of the boys were on top of her, hitting, punching, and battering. She tried gallantly to keep her face covered with her arms and hands, but the pain was everywhere. She could no longer see, but she could hear someone screaming.
“Stacey? Stacey?” She cried out, thinking that the screaming was coming from Stacey, but it wasn’t…it was Monica.
The blows continued to rain down upon her, now intermingled with someone kicking at her. There were blows to her ribs and stomach and a hard kick to the small of her back that rendered her breathless.
“Oh Father, please help me!” She repeated over and over, not knowing how much more her human body could take.
“ ‘Father, please help me’ “ “Kathleen mimicked, standing further away and watching with glee the scene before her. She then turned to the dark figure standing next to her and nodded her head,
“Do it.” She stated simply.
The figure who was not of God’s any longer, smiled and turned towards the barely conscious Monica. When he opened his mouth to speak, it caused Monica to freeze. She could not see him, but the voice was unmistakable,
“I thought you didn’t need my help,” he said, his voice clear and loud enough for her to hear him,
“You did this, Monica, you disobeyed and that it why this is happening to you.”
“Andrew!!” She screamed, unable to believe that her friend was so near and not making any attempt to help her,
“Andrew, please, help me!” She cried out again as a boot caught her just below the ribs.
“Sorry, Monica,” the voice replied as Kathleen watched in total glee,
“Maybe you should have helped Nancy. If you ask me, you deserved this.”
“No!!” Monica wept, in more physical pain than she had ever been in before, now felt her heart breaking as well. She didn’t even realize that the attack had stopped and she was alone.
“Stacey,” she called out weakly, but there was no response. Finding it difficult to breathe, the angel who hated darkness gladly welcomed it as she fell into unconsciousness.
“Monica!” Andrew shouted as he raced through the football field. Exhausted, he sank down on one of the bleachers, his breathing coming hard. He had been searching for hours, it was getting dark and he was finding it more and more difficult to see, but he had to find her. He had been horrified by the images he had been shown and he knew he had to find her soon. He kept telling himself that angels couldn’t die, but he knew that they could indeed feel pain, especially in human form.
Why hadn’t he stayed close to her? Tess had warned him and he hadn’t listened to her. No, his anger had gotten the better of him and he had made the choice to walk away.
“Monica!” He called out again as he wearily got to his feet. He was about to give up and try searching somewhere else, when something at the far end of the football field caught his eye. Even in the dim evening light, he recognized the jacket.
A cry escaped his throat as he raced across the field, falling down on his knees beside of her crumpled figure. Tears filled his green eyes, as he was able to make out her face. The once beautiful, peaches and cream complexion was now bloodied and bruised. His hand moved to stroke the hair away from her face and he felt the sticky warmth of blood matted into her brown hair.
“Who would have done this to you, Angel Girl?” Andrew uttered as tears escaped his eyes. He reached for her hand and shuddered at how very cold she felt. Quickly and without a second thought, he shrugged off his jacket and laid it gently over her.
“Monica,” He said softly, taking her hand once more into both of his,
“I need to find help. I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I’ll be back, I promise. I just need to find a phone. You hang on for me, okay? I won’t be long, and God is with you.”
Bending over, he brushed her forehead with his lips before standing up and breaking into a run back across the field.
Monica stirred slowly, having been aware of someone being near her, kissing her forehead. She tried to open her eyes, but could not. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and she cried out softly as she tried to move. Tears found their way from her swollen eyes and trailed down her face. Why wouldn’t anyone help her?
At that moment, she heard a soft gasp, closely followed by the voice of her supervisor,
“Oh my poor baby,” Kneeling beside of her young charge, Tess took Monica’s hand,
“Can you hear me, baby?”
Monica gave Tess’ hand a gentle squeeze,
“Yes,” she uttered, her voice scarcely a whisper.
“Who did this, Monica? Who did this to you?" Tess’ voice was laced with sorrow.
“Four….four of them…” She managed to whisper, her voice catching in a sob,
“And…Andrew….Andrew….” She fell silent for a moment, thinking about the words he had said to her. That this was her fault…she had disobeyed. She began to shake uncontrollably,
“Oh Tess, I’m so very sorry…”
“Tess!” Andrew’s eyes flooded with relief when he saw her there with Monica,
“An Ambulance is on the way. How is she doing?”
“I think she’s going into shock, baby. These human bodies just can’t handle this kind of trauma,” Tess took off her jacket and laid it atop Andrew’s.
“But Tess, why is she still in human form? Why would God let this happen to her?” Andrew’s voice held more than a touch of anger as he knelt on the other side of his wounded friend and took her hand once more,
“She didn’t deserve this, Tess.”
“It’s not our place to question, Andrew, “ Tess replied, knowing in her heart that he was speaking out of concern for his friend,
“I know you’re upset, Angel Boy, but--.”
“You’re right, I’m upset, Tess!” He replied angrily,
“Look at her! This is senseless! Who would do this to someone like Monica?”
Monica heard Andrew’s voice, felt her hand in his and silent tears streamed from her eyes. Weakly, she tried to pull her hand away from his.
“Monica?” Andrew released her hand, watching her closely, his face showing his deep concern.
“Why didn’t you help me, Andrew?” She whispered, a small sob escaping her throat,
“You were right there--.”
“No, no, honey,” He interrupted, his voice trembling with emotion,
“I wasn’t here. I should have been, but I wasn’t. I just found you a few minutes ago.”
“I heard you…” She sobbed, tightening her grip on Tess’ hand,
“Those things you said…”
Tess shot Andrew an ‘I want to know the meaning of this’ look, but Andrew only looked at her helplessly and shook his head.
“Monica,” He said softly, soothingly,
“I don’t know what happened here, but I wasn’t around. I never would have let this happen to you. You know that.”
“I heard you, Andrew,” She wept, even as Tess tried to comfort her. She felt Andrew reach for her hand again, but she jerked away from him,
“Don’t touch me.”
Andrew drew back as though she had slapped him. His face paled and his green eyes were flooded with hurt. Shakily, he got to his feet.
“Here comes the ambulance,” He remarked quietly, closing his eyes briefly, Monica’s quiet weeping tearing at his heart,
“I’ll meet you at the hospital later, Tess.”
“Andrew,” Tess’ voice was sharp, but filled with concern for him.
Andrew shook his head, jamming his hands into his pockets,
“I just need some time, Tess,” He said softly, his eyes never leaving Monica,
“Take care of her, Tess. I promise, I’ll see you later.”
He turned to leave, hesitated and then turned back around,
“Monica, I am so sorry this happened to you. It was my assignment to protect you, I failed and I’ll live with that for all eternity. I was supposed to have been here, but I swear to you, I was not. You know me, Monica. You know I’d have never let this happen. You have to believe that.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Andrew,” she replied brokenly, before he turned and walked away into the night.
Andrew walked down the quiet hospital corridor a few hours later, looking for Monica’s room number. Since leaving she and Tess, he had walked around the campus for a long time, trying diligently to make sense of everything that had happened today. The problem was that he couldn’t. Nothing made sense anymore and he couldn’t seem to find the answers that would make this road easier to follow. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally and all he really wanted to do was curl up somewhere and sleep, but even if he was able to do that, he doubted he would be able to turn his mind off to actually rest.
He stopped in front of Monica’s room and peered inside. She was fast asleep, her head bandaged and he noticed she was hooked up to an IV, which could only mean one thing; Monica was still in human form.
Andrew jumped, feeling a hand on his shoulder and he quickly turned around and came face to face with Tess.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, baby,” Tess said softly with a gentle smile. Her smile faded somewhat as she looked into his eyes and saw all the sadness there. Without a word, she opened her arms to her friend.
Andrew wrapped his arms around Tess and returned her hug, feeling his eyes burning with unshed tears,
“How’s she doing?” He asked, pulling away to meet his gaze with Tess’ once more.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose. She has a few broken ribs and they had to operate to stop some internal bleeding. They seem most concerned about the cut on her forehead. She hasn’t woken up since the surgery, which concerns us all, but could be a blessing in disguise. When she wakes up, she’ll be in a lot of pain, so it may do her good to be out for a day or two, but then again, we don’t want her going into a coma. We just have to trust that God knows what he’s doing.” Tess took Andrew’s hand and led him into Monica’s room, noticing that he held back, not wanting to enter,
“Angel Boy, I don’t know what happened today, but Monica is very much asleep, so why don’t you come on over here and see her, especially since we both know you want to.”
Though he looked uncertain for a moment, Andrew walked over to the other side of his friend’s bed. His eyes flooded with love and compassion as he looked down upon the sleeping angel, and his hand reached out to stroke her bangs back away from her face. He shook his head sadly,
“I just cannot believe someone would do this to you,” He whispered softly, as he sat down in the chair beside the bed.
Tess, too, had sat down on the other side of Monica and had taken her hand,
“Baby, why don’t you tell me what happened today. Lets see if we can make sense out of any of it.”
Andrew sighed, his other arm resting on the bar alongside the bed, while his other hand continued stroking Monica’s hair, wanting to offer her whatever comfort he could.
“Well, it started right after she met Stacey. I found Monica to talk to her about my assignment…well, actually she asked me why I was there and I told her. Tess, she became angrier than I had ever seen her. She was convinced that you and the Father wanted me to keep an eye on her because you didn’t trust her anymore since Nancy.”
“What?” Tess frowned as she steadily held Andrew’s gaze,
“Where did she get an idea like that from?”
Andrew shook his head,
“I have no idea. I kept trying to tell her she was wrong, even though I didn’t know that for sure. I mean, Tess, C’mon, it is a little strange for an angel to be assigned to another angel.”
“Maybe strange to you, Angel Boy, but if God says that Monica needed an angel, then Monica needed an angel,” Tess looked down at Monica’s swollen and bruised face,
“Doesn’t seem so strange now, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” Andrew admitted sadly, resting his chin on his arm.
“So, what happened then?” Tess pressed him, wanting very much to get to the bottom of this.
“Well, she told me she wanted me to leave her alone, and she told me that I was the one who distracted her the night Nancy died. I was pretty shaken up after hearing those words, so I left. Tess, it was Monica standing in that room with me, but the things she was thinking and saying wasn’t like our Monica at all.” Andrew looked away from Tess for a moment,
“I know that probably doesn’t make much sense, but that is the only way I can explain it.”
Tess was quiet for a moment, reflecting on what he had told her so far,
“It doesn’t make any sense to me for her to blame you, Andrew. Number one, what happened to Nancy was no ones fault but Nancy’s. We tried, we did our best and we lost. Number two; this little Angel Girl adores you, Andrew. She looks up to you and I can’t imagine her saying that to you.”
Andrew shrugged his shoulders,
“I don’t know, Tess. I don’t know what was going on in her mind. Maybe, like me, she was just feeling guilty about what happened last week. All I can do is guess.”
“So, how did you wind up at the football field and what was all this nonsense about your being there but not helping her?”
I have no idea, Tess. After I left the dorm, I went for a walk. I’ll admit, I was angry and was ready to call it quits on this assignment, but I knew that was wrong. So, I prayed and asked the Father for guidance and forgiveness. He told me that I needed to talk to Monica to straighten things out, and then he told me that it was already too late for me to help her.” He fell silent for a moment, turning his attention back to Monica, his finger tracing softly along her cheek. When he continued, his voice was scarcely a whisper.
“When I asked Him what he meant, all of these images flooded my mind. Images of her being hurt..badly. He told me it was happening right at that moment. I didn’t listen to anymore, I just ran. I had to find her. I knew I had failed my assignment, probably the most important assignment I had ever had and the thought of that was eating me up inside.”
“Looks to me like it still is, baby,” Tess remarked softly, watching as he nodded his head.
“Then I found her in the field and went to call for help. I wasn’t there when it happened, Tess, I swear I was not. But I don’t know why she thinks I was.” Andrew sighed, running his hand through his blond hair in frustration.
“She said she heard you, but that’s impossible,” Tess remarked, still completely confused by what had taken place today.
“I just wonder was she alone when this happened. I can’t help thinking that unless Stacey was around, Monica would have had no reason to be in that field in the first place.”
“Maybe she was there, Tess. If this was happening when God showed me it was, then Monica laid in that field for about 3 hours until I found her. Maybe Stacey was there and left.”
“If that’s the case, Angel Boy, then why didn’t that girl get help for Monica? It just doesn’t make any sense.” Tess sighed heavily as she turned her attention back to Monica,
“You rest up, baby,” She said softly, her finger stoking over Monica’s hand,
“Andrew and I are going to figure all of this out….somehow.”
Monica had listened to Andrew and Tess from somewhere in the back corner of her mind. She couldn’t seem to wake up; actually, she didn’t want to wake up. Nothing made any sense to her, and the things she thought were real, she just wasn’t sure about any longer. All she knew was that where she was right now, lost inside of herself, was so much safer than anywhere she had been lately. Where she was now didn’t hurt and she didn’t have to try to figure out why Andrew was lying or why he seemed to care so much that she was hurt. He hadn’t cared while it was happening.
Feeling the pain of her heart breaking, she cleared her mind and slipped further away.
Andrew waited impatiently for Tess to finish speaking with the doctor outside of Monica’s room. Distractedly, his thumb stroked Monica’s hand as he tried to tell if what the doctor was saying was good new or bad, but he couldn’t tell. Sighing, he gazed down at his friend’s face, noticing that the bruises were beginning to fade. Now, if only she would wake up.
It had been over a week and Monica remained in a coma. The doctor’s seemed as perplexed about it as Andrew and Tess were. He couldn’t imagine what they would say if they knew that their patient was an angel. Yet, for some reason this angel still remained in human form and that was what Andrew really didn’t understand.
He looked up sharply, when Tess came back into the room. He tried to read her expression, but failed miserably,
“Well?”
Tess shook her head sadly,
“He says that there is no reason whatsoever that she should be like this, Angel Boy. She should have woken up days ago; actually, she should have been released by now.”
“Tess, why is she still human? I don’t understand this at all! God could heal her, could bring her back to us and He isn’t doing that!” Ashamed by his own words, Andrew looked away from Tess and back to Monica, willing her to wake up.
Tess was quiet for a moment, watching the two of them,
Well, baby, maybe she has to want to come back to us.”
Andrew jerked his head back up to look directly into his supervisor’s eyes,
“What do you mean? That Monica wants to stay this way? C’mon, Tess, you know her better than that. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Sometimes the physical wounds aren’t as difficult to face as the emotional ones,” Tess said softly, trying to make him understand,
“Her physical wounds are healing, but we got a glimpse of some emotional distress before she lost consciousness. I think Monica feels protected where she is right now and that’s the reason she isn’t in any hurry to come back.”
Andrew closed his eyes as the pain of what Tess was saying tore through him. For whatever reason, he was the reason that Monica wasn’t waking up, but how could he try to repair the damage that had been done to her tender heart when he didn’t know what had happened? Everything about this assignment remained a mystery and Andrew was beginning to lose patience.
Tess eyed him worriedly as he stood up,
“And where do you think you’re going?”
“I can’t just sit here any longer, Tess and do nothing. Somebody on that campus has to have some information on what happened to Monica. Now, if I can find out what happened, then maybe I can persuade her to wake up. I mean, the doctor told us before that she can probably hear us. “
“And just who do you plan on talking to, Angel Boy? You running off half cocked is not gonna help Monica!”
Andrew closed his eyes again, trying to stop the tears from falling,
“Tess, you don’t understand. You’re not the one she thinks was there while this happened to her! Now, I know I wasn’t there and you know it too, but whatever she heard must have been pretty convincing for her to be judge and jury about this. In her mind, Tess, I’m guilty and nothing I said last week to her could change that. Don’t you see? I have to know what happened!” He gripped the bed rail so tightly his knuckles turned white as several tears escaped his eyes,
“One of my best friends is not only in a coma, Tess, but feels like I betrayed her and I can’t just sit here any longer and pray that when she wakes up, she’ll realize the truth. There’s too much at stake.”
Tess’ eyes flooded with sympathy, feeling her friend’s heartache right along with him,
“But maybe she will see the truth when she wakes up, Andrew.”
“And maybe she won’t,” He replied softly. He looked down upon the sleeping angel with all the love in his heart. He reached down and kissed her gently on the forehead,
“I love you, Angel Girl and I’m going to fix this. I promise.”
He turned his attention back to Tess,
“I have to do this, Tess.”
“I know you do, baby,” She replied gently,
“Know that God is with you in your search for truth.”
Andrew managed a smile as he walked over to hug his supervisor,
“Always.”
An hour later, Andrew knocked on Stacey’s dormitory door and waited for an answer. He was completely unsure of exactly what he was going to say, but Someone was telling him that this was the place to begin.
Stacey opened the door and a puzzled look crossed her face, not recognizing the stranger who stood at her door,
“Can I help you?” She asked, diverting her eyes from the handsome man who smiled warmly at her. Surely, he had the wrong room.
“Well, I’m hoping you can. My name is Andrew. I’m a friend of Monica’s.” Andrew managed a small smile as he said this. He watched as Stacey paled slightly at the mention of Monica and he said a silent “Thank You” to the Father for leading him here.
“Look,” Stacey began nervously,
“I don’t know anything about what happened to Monica, okay? I met her once and the next I heard, she was in the hospital. Now, I’m sorry for what those guys did to her, but it has nothing to do with me. Now, if you’ll excuse me--.” She prepared to close the door, but Andrew moved his hand to keep that from happening.
“Stacey,” He began gently, as his eyes looked at her imploringly,
“Please, just give me 5 minutes.”
She sighed and moved aside to let into the room,
“5 minutes,” She repeated, her tone slightly angry, as she closed the door behind her. Something about this man troubled her deeply; she just couldn’t put her finger on what it was,
“I just don’t see how I can help you. I don’t know what happened last week--.”
Andrew watched Monica’s assignment carefully, already knowing that she knew a lot more than she was letting on,
“How did you know that some guys did this to Monica?” He saw the puzzled expression on her face and explained,
“You said it a minute ago…you were sorry that ‘those guys did that to her’.”
“That was just a figure of speech,” Stacey replied quickly,
“Are you a cop or something?”
Andrew smiled slightly,
“No, just a friend who is trying to find out what happened so I can help Monica.”
Stacey was quiet for a moment before looking into his eyes,
“How is she doing?”
“Not great,” He replied, glad she had asked,
“She’s in a coma and no one knows why other than it may have to do with what happened. Something that happened that night may be causing her to not wake up because she is afraid to face it,” He hesitated, wondering if he should continue. Feeling a gentle “nudge” from Above, he kept going,
“Monica seems to think I was there while the attack took place and I didn’t help her and I cannot figure out why she thinks that--.” Andrew paused, watching as Stacey’s eyes widened and some color drained from her face,
“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned, as he moved closer to her.
“I…I’m fine,” She replied, moving away from him and to the door,
“Your 5 minutes are up.”
Andrew drew in a sharp breath,
“Stacey, if you know something, please…you have to tell me.”
“I’m sorry, Andrew,” She replied, no longer making any attempt to look at him,
“Tell Monica I hope she is better soon.”
Helplessly, Andrew walked out of the room. He turned to make one last plea, but Stacey shut the door before he could speak. Frustrated, he leaned up against the wall, hands in his pockets and looked up toward the ceiling,
“Now what, Father?” He asked softly. He was more disappointed than he wanted to admit. Andrew knew Stacey knew something, but why was she so afraid to tell the truth?
Late that night, a solitary figure moved steadily through the hospital corridor, stopping in front of Monica’s room. Her eyes darted around nervously, but not seeing anyone else around, she breathed a sigh of relief. Carefully, she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.
Approaching the bed, Stacey drew in a sharp breath. Though the bruises were beginning to fade on Monica’s lovely face, Stacey could tell just how severe the attack had been. She felt shame, like a waterfall, wash over her as her hands clenched the metal bar alongside the bed. Nervously, she cleared her throat,
“Hi, Monica…it’s me, Stacey. I really need to talk to you about some things that you probably need to know. First, I want to thank you for saving me from those guys. I don’t know why you did it, or why you would want to, but thank you anyway.” She fell silent for a moment, trying to think of how to continue,
“I haven’t slept much since that night, Monica…too many things don’t make sense to me. Before you got there, I was convinced those guys were going to…to rape me. I had never seen any of them before and I know that they don’t go to school here. You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but I think they were there for you, Monica. Once you got there, they left me alone. I wanted to help you, but I was afraid to! I’m so sorry that I didn’t help you!” Stacey lowered her head as several tears spilled onto her cheeks.
Monica listened to Stacey’s words and yearned to be able to help her. She wanted to tell this poor girl that she understood, that she forgave her. She started fighting her way back for a moment, but the effort exhausted her.
“There were two other people there too, Monica. A woman and then the man you were talking to, the man you were calling Andrew, but I met your Andrew today. He came to see me, trying to find out what happened that night. Monica, the man I met today was not the man who was there that night. I wanted to tell him that today—he was so upset about you and about what you thought. I could see it in his eyes, but I was afraid to say anything,” Stacey drew in a deep breath, trying to control her emotions.
“Oh Andrew,” Monica thought, her heart pounding loudly,
“I’m so sorry I doubted you, my friend.”
“I left you that night because the woman, Kathleen they called her, told me if I uttered a word about this, I’d wish I’d never been born. So, I left you. I did come back later though and I saw someone with you. I realize now it was your Andrew. I could tell how worried he was and how much he cared about you,” Stacey smiled through her tears,
“You’re a very lucky person, Monica, to have someone care about you like that. I’d give anything to have someone care for me that way…..”
“Oh Stacey,” Monica’s mind cried out,
“There is Someone who cares about you that much and even more,” She had to wake up! She had to!
“Anyway,” Stacey continued softly,
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. I hope you get better soon. I’d better go. I really shouldn’t be here at all, but it was worth Kathleen finding out. I haven’t had a friend in a really long time, Monica. Maybe one day I can be as good a friend to someone as you’ve been to me.”
Monica listened as Stacey closed the door behind her as she left,
“Oh Father,” She prayed silently, knowing He heard every unspoken word,
“I’ve been so wrong about so many things because instead of listening to You, I followed my own will. Please forgive me, Father. Please, let me wake up so I can make everything right again with Your help.”
Feeling forgiveness fill her with complete warmth and love, Monica slowly opened her eyes.
As Monica opened her eyes, the first thing she was aware of was pain. Pain in her head, pain from broken ribs and countless aches like none she had ever experienced in human form before. Tentatively, and with much agony, she sat up, lowered the bar at her bed and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. As she stood up, Monica realized she was much weaker than she had originally thought, but she kept telling herself that she had to find Andrew and Stacey…she had to find Kathleen.
Kathleen. Weakly, Monica moved to sit the chair that was beside the bed as she thought about the fallen angel. The last time she had come in close proximity with Kathleen, Andrew had been the one who had wound up seriously hurt, in human form. Every time the dark angel surfaced, it was trouble. The only relief Monica felt this time was that Kathleen had picked her battle with her instead of trying to hurt her by hurting her friends.
She looked out towards the hall again, wondering where Tess and Andrew could be. Her heart filled with shame and grief as she thought about the Angel of Death. Poor Andrew had still gotten hurt in all of this, only she had been the one to inflict the pain. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered Tess’ words about things not always being as they seemed. Her heart nearly broke as she imagined how Andrew must have felt as she had made her accusations.
“Oh Andrew,” She whispered as tears spilled onto her cheeks,
“Where are you?”
She was terrified that he had given up and wasn’t coming back. Stacey had probably been his last hope for answers and as far as he knew, that had failed. But Andrew had been able to get through to Stacey, who he was a total stranger to, but yet, someone he considered a friend had turned away from him. How could she have been so blind? Regardless of what she had heard, she knew Andrew’s heart and he never would have stood by and watched while she had been so brutally attacked.
Her mind filled with the images of that night that she could remember clearly—the blows, the pain, the voice she thought she recognized, talking to Tess, then to Andrew, telling him not to touch her. Overwhelmed, Monica covered her face with her hands and wept. The angel’s pain and grief were so great that she didn’t hear the door to her hospital room open.
Andrew’s heart leapt into his throat as he silently entered the room. The first thing he felt was sheer joy at seeing his friend awake, but that joy was quickly replaced as he realized she was crying. He felt her sadness with every fiber of his being and he could feel her tears ascend upon his soul. Tears filled his own eyes, as he watched her helplessly, not knowing if he should dare approach her. He didn’t think he could take the heartache of her anger and hurt towards him.
“Oh Father, please help me to help her,” He thought silently.
“Go to her, My son, “ His Creator’s voice responded to his heart,
“She needs you now, Andrew.”
Feeling a bit more assured, Andrew carefully approached Monica and sat down on a stool in front of her.
Sensing a gentle presence, Monica looked up into the tender green eyes she knew and loved so well and her own eyes welled up with fresh tears,
“Oh Andrew, I’m so sorry for everything I said to you,” She sobbed openly as she looked away, feeling far too much regret for her actions to face him,
“I know the truth now, but I should have known before. I never should have doubted you! I’m so ashamed, Andrew!”
Andrew reached out and took her face into his hands. When she still wouldn’t meet his eyes, he simply said,
“Monica.”
She looked back into his eyes and through her own blurred vision she saw his understanding and forgiveness radiating from his tear filled green eyes. Without a word, Monica threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against the nape of his neck as she cried out the remainder of her grief.
Andrew wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he dared, breathing a sigh of relief as a tear slid down his cheek,
“It’s okay, Angel Girl,” He whispered, his hand moving to stroke her hair,
“Everything will be fine now, I promise.” He held her in silence as her sobs began to quiet before he pulled away to look into her tired brown eyes,
“Are you alright?” He wiped tears from her cheeks as she nodded her head,
“Want to tell me what happened?” He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Stacey was here a little while ago. She told me you had been to see her,” Monica explained, her voice still trembling a little as she struggled to get her emotions under control again.
Andrew’s eyes widened with disbelief,
“Wow. Now that, I didn’t expect as she was none too helpful today. So, she did know what had happened that night?”
“She was there….she was the reason I was there. She needed help as these four men were giving her problems and were threatening to take advantage of her. I showed up to help and then they attacked me.” Monica closed her eyes as the painful images once again flashed before her.
“I’m so sorry, Monica,” Andrew whispered, his eyes full of regret,
“I should have been there…I was sent here to protect you and I blew it.”
“No, Andrew,” She replied, looking into his eyes,
“I sent you away that day…I—“ Monica stopped short, her face paling as a strange realization hit her. She was still human. Andrew was still here,
“It isn’t over.” She whispered.
Andrew’s expression filled with concern,
“What isn’t over?” He asked gently.
Monica hesitated for a moment. Up to this point, Andrew had no idea about Kathleen and maybe she wanted to keep it that way. The last thing she wanted was him hurt anymore than he already had been. But looking up into his eyes, she realized she desperately needed him now. Not only had she missed him lately, but also she was his assignment.
“This isn’t over, Andrew. I’m still human and you’re still here….and Kathleen is responsible for all of this.”
“What?” Andrew couldn’t believe what he was hearing,
“Kathleen? Are you sure?”
“Yes, Andrew. Stacey told me, but I think I’ve known for a while now. I’ve been feeling…uneasy the last few weeks…”
“Not quite yourself?” Andrew added quietly. Seeing her slowly nod, he sighed,
“Yeah, me too.”
Their eyes met in disbelief at the fact that their feelings had been as one. Andrew had always known he had felt very connected with Monica, but this was something new. As a strange thought crossed his mind, he drew in a sharp breath.
“Andrew, what is it? “ Monica watched as he got up and walked to the center of the room,
“Andrew?”
“Nancy.” He stated flatly, unable to meet her eyes,
“I started feeling this way right before Nancy took her life that night.”
Monica was quiet for a moment, before she responded,
“Yes, you’re right. Kathleen must have been there that night. She may have even had something to do with it.” She waited for him to turn back to her and when he didn’t, she knew why. Shakily, she got to her feet and carefully approached him. Reaching out, she touched his arm.
Andrew turned around and looked into her weary eyes,
“And I blamed you,” He said softly, reaching out to touch her cheek,
“I’m sorry.”
“I think things happened exactly the way Kathleen wanted them to,” She pointed out,
“I think what we were guilty of, Andrew, is not realizing sooner ‘that things are not always how they seem’.”
“Did Tess tell you that too?” He asked curiously.
“Yes…you know, if it weren’t for Stacey, I’d wonder if we had an actual assignment,” She joked, both of them beginning to see that Tess had known they both had lessons to learn.
“Well, speak for yourself,” Andrew grinned,
“You’re my assignment and speaking of which, it’s late and you should be resting.” He wrapped his arm around her waist to help her back to bed,
“With any luck, maybe you’ll be released in the morning.”
As Andrew helped her back into bed, Monica reached out and clutched his arm,
“What are we going to do about Kathleen? She threatened Stacey if she told anyone about what happened.”
He was quiet for a moment as he pulled the blanket up over her,
“Well, I’d say we’d ask Tess, but I have a feeling we are in this one alone,” He smiled as he sat on the edge of her bed,
“Well, not really alone,” He added, looking upwards before turning his eyes once again to Monica,
“Maybe we need to ask Him what to do next.”
“”I think you’re right,” Monica replied as both angels, one in spiritual form and one human, bowed their heads and offered up silent prayers, both of thanks and of their need for guidance.
Once they had finished, Andrew looked down at Monica with concern on his face,
“You look tired. Why don’t you try to sleep?”
She nodded her head, her eyes never leaving those of her friend,
“Will you stay with me?” She asked, her voice hopeful.
Andrew could tell that she still felt afraid and he knew that being human could do that to an angel, and especially after all she had been through the past week,
“I’m not going anywhere,” He replied tenderly,
“I’ll probably try to catch a few winks myself right here.” He prepared to settle back into the anything but comfortable chair.
Slowly and carefully, Monica moved over in her bed and patted the now empty space beside her. Andrew got up and lay down next to her, her head coming to rest on his arm. He looked at her and saw that some of the anxiety had left her face.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you,” She replied, already starting to give into the exhaustion that was creeping over her.
“You know,” He whispered, watching as she began to drift off to sleep,
“You are probably the most pleasant assignment I’ve had in a very long time.”
Monica smiled and slipped her hand into his as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Andrew watched her sleep for several minutes before he closed his eyes and offered up to their Creator prayers of healing for his friend. After a moment, he felt a warm light surround them both as he thanked God for His gift. Then, knowing Monica’s wounds had been healed; he fell into a fitful sleep.
“Well, look who’s up?” Andrew smiled warmly as he opened the door to Monica’s room the next morning. In fact, not only was she up, but also she had found the clothes he had “gotten” for her and had dressed. In a skirt, blouse and sweater vest, her hair combed out and framing her face, she looked more like herself than she had in a while. She now sat on the edge of the bed, her feet swinging back and forth as she returned his smile.
“I brought you something,” He brought a large styrofoam cup out from behind his back and offered it to her.
Monica took it eagerly, removed the lid and breathed in deeply,
“Ahhh, Mocha Latte,” She sighed happily,
“Andrew, you’re an angel.”
“Well, that’s beside the point,” He laughed, watching as she took a sip and closed her eyes in order to completely appreciate the flavor,
“I take it you’re feeling better?”
“Completely,” She replied, looking at him knowingly,
“Thanks to both you and God. My doctor was amazed and I’ve been released, so can we please get out of here? I feel like if I spend one more moment here I’ll go crazy!”
“Of course we can go,” Andrew replied, chuckling softly as she hopped down off the bed, coffee in hand, more than eager to be out of here. He opened the door for her and together they headed down the stairs and out of the hospital.
“Oh, it’s so good to be outside again,” Monica exclaimed, linking her arm through Andrew’s as they crossed the street,
“But we certainly are a long ways from the college.”
“You’re right, we are,” Andrew remarked. Usually this would not be a problem, but he had a very human Monica beside of him. As he was trying to figure out the best form of public transportation they should take, a car horn sounded loudly behind them. Andrew pulled Monica close protectively as they both whirled around, but his concern for her safety dissipated immediately as they saw Tess getting out of her car and hurrying over to them.
“Tess!” Monica chirped happily as she was enveloped in her supervisor’s loving arms.
“It is so good to see you back to your old self, Miss Wings. Andrew and I were worried sick about you, even though we knew the Father had everything under control.” She released Monica and moved to hug Andrew,
“And how are you, Angel Boy?”
“We’re both just fine, Tess,” He laughed, still very relieved to see her,
“We didn’t think we’d be seeing you for awhile though”
“I said I’d be here if you needed me, didn’t I?” She replied, looking at the two of them, her hands on her hips.
“Well, yes you did, but we’re not in any trouble at the moment,” Monica explained, exchanging a look with Andrew,
“Not that we aren’t extremely pleased to see you--.”
Well, it looks to me like you two angels need a lift to a certain college so you can complete a certain assignment, but far be it from me to offer you a ride in my baby when you would rather walk.” Tess walked back to her beloved, red convertible and prepared to get in,
“Enjoy your day--.”
“No, Tess, wait!” Both angels cried out in unison as they hurried over to the car. Andrew opened the passenger door for Monica before jumping into the back seat.
“Have we mentioned how glad we are to see you, Tess?” Andrew asked, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
“Uh huh,” Tess grumbled, though her dark eyes were twinkling. She put the car in Drive and they pulled away from the curb. She remained quiet until they were out of town and heading down the country road toward the college,
“Do you two angel babies have any idea what you are going to do next?” She asked them finally. She watched as Andrew and Monica exchanged a glance and then looked back at her helplessly.
“I know I still have Stacey to help,” Monica offered, closing her eyes for a moment, loving the feel of the warm fall air blowing through her hair,
“Especially now that Kathleen has threatened her.”
“Kathleen?” Tess asked, looking at Monica sharply,
“She is involved in this?”
Monica nodded her head as she explained to Tess what had happened, both on the football field and in her hospital room last night when Stacey had paid her a visit,
“Actually,” She concluded,
“Andrew and I have a suspicion that Kathleen may have had something to do with Nancy.”
“I don’t like this,” Tess muttered, more to herself than to her two charges,
“I don’t like this one bit.” She glanced sharply at Monica,
“And you’re still human?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Came the feeble reply, as Monica tried to understand Tess’ less than pleased attitude.
Tess glanced up towards the beautiful fall sky,
“Lord, You didn’t tell me Kathleen was a part of all of this.” She sighed and pulled the call over to the side of the road, so she could shift in her seat so she could see both Andrew and Monica,
“Now, you two listen and you listen good. You get in there and get Stacey straightened out and then straight Home. You two angels got that?”
Andrew looked more than a little bit concerned by Tess’obvious panic,
“Sure, Tess, but what about Kathleen? She has threatened Stacey, so we can’t just take off until we know she is okay.”
“Fine,” Tess snapped as other two angels continued to look at her in absolute shock,
“Get Stacey straightened out and then get out of there. And you, Mr. Angel of Death, do not and I repeat do not, let Monica out of your sight while she is still human. If I know one thing, it’s that when Kathleen is in the picture, human is a bad place to be if you’re an angel.”
“Tess, I don’t understand--.” Monica began. She knew Tess wasn’t one to act this way without good reason, but she seemed to be over reacting just a bit.
“Need I remind you, Miss Wings that just this morning you were released from the hospital? Need I remind you that after Kathleen got a hold of you, you laid in a coma for a week? “
“But Tess,” Monica argued in her gentle Irish brogue,
“There is nothing Kathleen can do to me that the Father cannot heal. Being attacked wasn’t pleasant, but I knew deep in my heart that I would be alright.”
Tess was quiet for several moments before she spoke. This time, when she did, her voice was softer and more reasonable,
“All I know is that when I gave Andrew his assignment last week, that there was this terrible feeling of evil that surrounded that college. Then when I found you in the football field, Monica, that same feeling was there, only stronger this time. Now that I know Kathleen is behind this, I just cannot shake the feeling that she could do some real damage this time….maybe something that cannot be healed.”
Andrew and Monica were both quiet as they let Tess’ words sink in. Neither angel had any idea of how to respond to this warning and it was obvious that what Tess had said had unnerved them both somewhat.
“I just love you both and I want you both to be as careful as you’ve ever been,” Tess continued, looking from Monica to Andrew and then back again,
“You especially, Miss Wings. As long as you are still human you are at risk for trouble from Kathleen. You stay close to Andrew, you understand me?”
“I will, Tess,” Monica replied solemnly,
“I promise.”
“I’m going to take good care of her, Tess. I know I failed the last time, but it won’t happen again.” Andrew took Monica’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I know it won’t, Angel Boy.” She said as she turned back around and pulled the car back onto the road.
For the remainder of the journey, there was a silence that hung over the car like a dark cloud, right before the rain poured down. Monica starred out the window, pretending to watch the landscape, which truly was lovely with the brilliant fall colors of trees that would soon lose their leaves. But she really wasn’t thinking about the splendor of fall. The angel was more concerned with when Kathleen would stop this miserable battle that seemed to turn all of the angel’s worlds upside down every few months. Didn’t Kathleen know that she could never really win? Not without God on her side. Yet try as she might, Monica had been unable in the past to get Kathleen to see that, so things remained as they were. Angels got hurt, feelings got hurt, all because of Kathleen’s hatred of Monica, and now, once again, Tess and Andrew were involved, and as always, that weighed heavily on Monica’s heart.
As if reading her thoughts, Monica felt Andrew’s hand reach up and squeeze her shoulder, as if trying to reassure her. Wordlessly, she reached back to squeeze his hand as the car drove through the gates of the college.
Monica and Andrew walked toward the dormitory in silence. Andrew figured that the quiet was partially due to the fact that he was only visible to Monica, so for other students to see the Irish tongued angel talking to “herself” would probably cause some eyebrows to be raised.
The other reason for the silence, Andrew knew, was the struggle that was going on within his friend. He could feel it as he walked beside her, like a quiet storm brewing just beneath the surface. He longed to talk to her, but was waiting for the right time. They had decided to pay Stacey a visit first to thank her for her help and to make sure she was all right. Monica was hoping to be able to reach Stacey without having to reveal herself as an angel, in the event that she remained in human form.
Though Monica had said nothing to Andrew or Tess, she was feeling more than a little discouraged. She longed to be out of human form and back to her old angel self again. She hated the feeling of helplessness she had knowing that Kathleen was near and not being able to defend herself. She hated the fact that Stacey and Andrew were involved in this situation. She had been here on a simple assignment, but Kathleen’s presence had turned everything upside down. More than anything, she hated the fact that she was questioning the Father and why any of this was happening.
They arrived at Stacey’s room and Monica knocked tentatively, waiting for a response. When she didn’t get one, she fished around in her pocket and found her key, unlocking the door quietly, in the event that Stacey may be sleeping. As the door opened, Monica gasped at what she saw.
The room was in absolute shambles, as though a cyclone had been through it recently. Every drawer had been ripped from the dressers and the desks, as well as all the clothing flung from the closet. Pictures and posters had been torn from the walls and destroyed, along with textbooks and term papers.
“Who would do something like this?” Andrew asked, his expression pained, as he looked at all the destruction around them.
Monica was quiet for a moment as she carefully walked over to the window and gazed out over the campus. There was no doubt in her mind who had done this and why, and she was actually surprised that Andrew had no idea. She turned to face him, her eyes so troubled that Andrew drew in a sharp breath,
“Isn’t it obvious, Andrew? Kathleen found out that Stacey came to see me last night. This looks exactly like one of her tantrums,” Monica’s voice was scarcely a whisper as she sank down onto the bed. She sat in silence for what seemed like forever to Andrew, just staring down at her folded hands in her lap. When she finally spoke again, she didn’t look up,
“I can’t just ‘get Stacey straightened out and get out of here’, Andrew. “
His brow furrowed as he heard her words, not fully understanding, and definitely not liking what he was hearing,
“What are you saying, Monica?”
She drew in a deep breath before looking up into his eyes,
“For all we know, Stacey is with Kathleen. But even if by some miracle she isn’t, I can’t allow this to go on any longer. I have to talk to Kathleen, to try and put a stop to this…”
“Hold on, hold on,” Andrew shook his head slowly as he approached her and sat down on the bed next to her,
“Monica, this isn’t up to you, this is up to God. We take our orders from him and though I understand what it is you are saying, I can’t allow you to do that.”
Monica gazed downwards again for a moment, before she reached for his hand and took it into both of hers. When she looked back into his eyes, hers glistened with unshed tears,
“It isn’t your choice to make, Andrew,” She said, as gently as she could before drawing in a shaky breath. She squeezed his hand hard, trying to lessen the tone of her words,
“I love you so much, Andrew, and Tess….and every time Kathleen comes into the picture one of you winds up getting hurt. Every time that happens, I lose a little piece of my heart, because she does these things out of hatred towards me. Do you want to know something? It was actually a relief to me to have her take her hatred out primarily on me this time. Even though she managed to hurt you in the process, I’m just so glad it was me she attacked.”
“Monica--.”
“No, Andrew,” She said softly,
“Let me finish. I cannot keep doing this forever. Worrying about when and where she is going to surface and who she is going to hurt. This time she dragged an innocent human into it, Andrew! Now, I don’t know if I can stop it…I only know I have to try.” Her voice shook with anger that she knew she shouldn’t be feeling, but could no longer help.
Andrew was quiet for a long time once she had finished speaking, his eyes never leaving their joined hands. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with emotion, despite the control he tried to put into it,
“Monica, if you do this, you risk everything. Do you realize that? You risk your existence as an angel, Monica! This is not what the Father wants, this is what you want. Even if you want it for the right reasons, it doesn’t make it right.” He tried desperately to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat,
“If you do this, honey, I can’t be there with you.”
Monica nodded her head tearfully, a sad, trembling smile on her lips,
“I know,” She uttered, tears slipping down her cheeks.
With a tender hand, Andrew reached up to swipe at the tears on her cheeks,
“I’m afraid for you, Angel Girl,” He whispered, tears brimming in his own eyes.
“Yeah, me too,” She replied as they both stood up. She stood before him, looking up at his face, wondering what would become of her or if she would ever see he or Tess again, and she felt her composure beginning to slip away,
“I guess you’d better go.”
Andrew nodded his head, struggling to keep his own emotions under control. Wordlessly, he started to walk away from her, but then he stopped and turned back around, opening his arms to her.
A small sob escaping her throat, Monica flew into his arms, allowing herself to feel safe in his protection one last time.
Andrew held her tightly, his tear-filled eyes gazing upwards, as he said a silent prayer for her safety and for the Father’s understanding of her choice. It took everything inside of him to be able to let her go after a few minutes. He took a step back, his hand reaching to lightly touch her hair, before he turned and walked out the door.
Monica stood, feeling truly alone for the first time in her entire existence, tears streaming down her face, as she managed to whisper,
“Forgive me, Father.”
“I can’t believe she would do something like this!” Tess exclaimed, shaking her head as she drove down the road. She had found a very distraught Andrew along the side of the road and he had told her what had occurred at the college,
“Does she have any idea what she is doing? What this could do to her angel status?”
“Yes, Tess, she does,” Andrew snapped, unable to listen to Tess’ ranting much longer,
“She completely understands…..we talked about it. It’s worth it to her, surely you can understand that. I mean, how much more did the Father think she would be able to take? She’s still human on top of everything and I can’t decide if she can’t think straight any longer or if she is thinking more clearly than any of us are!”
“Don’t you take that tone with me, Angel Boy,” Tess scolded, pulling the car off the road at a picnic area, figuring they would be able to talk here in peace,
“Now, I know you are upset about all of this, but Monica made this choice all by herself and that was wrong. You did what you had to do, Andrew. God has no plans for Monica to try to speak with Kathleen. His plans were for Stacey and then Miss Wings was to be off the assignment and there are reasons for what He decides. She knows that!”
Andrew got out of the car, unable to sit still a moment longer. His mind was whirling, trying to figure out how things got so completely off track.
Tess watched him for a moment before getting out of the car herself,
“And as far as my understanding goes, no, I don’t understand this at all. She had her orders and she is deliberately acting on her own accord. “ She pressed her fingers to her forehead,
“Oh, if I weren’t an angel, I’d think I was getting a headache,” She muttered, more to herself than to Andrew.
“So, we’re just supposed to leave her there and hope for the best?” Andrew asked, trying to hide his frustration over the situation.
“That’s right, Angel Boy,” She replied, though she hated the thought of it. She loved Monica with her whole heart, and the last thing she wanted was for her baby to get herself into trouble, but it seemed that the decision had already been made. She looked over at Andrew and for the first time really saw just how badly he was suffering,
“Baby, you did what you could for her. The worst thing you could do right now is to blame God or turn your back on Him. Whether it looks that way or not, He is in control of this whole thing.”
“I feel like I abandoned her, Tess,” He replied, his voice bitter as he met his pained green eyes with hers,
“The worst part of it is that a part of me agrees with what she is doing, or at least why she wants to do it. You know what a tender heart Monica has, and it’s more than she can bear to have Kathleen keep doing this. She feels responsible, Tess.”
“I know she does, Andrew, but she isn’t responsible for Kathleen’s actions and she knows at least that much. It’s pure danger for an angel to take on one of Satan’s demons, especially a special angel like Monica. Usually, it’s a good thing for her to find the best in everyone, but Angel Boy, she can search forever and probably not find an ounce of goodness left in Kathleen!”
Andrew crammed his hands into his pockets, barely able to contain himself. He knew he had done the right thing by the Father when he had walked out of the dormitory room and off the campus. The problem was that he wasn’t sure if could live with that decision. He had left Monica once to fend for herself since this assignment had begun and he had spent the following week praying with his whole heart that God would bring her back to him. Could he do that again?
“I don’t think I can handle this, Tess. I can’t just leave her there--.”
“Oh yes, you can, Andrew and you will.” Tess replied sternly, even though her dark eyes were filled with anguish,
“We have our orders and we are going to follow them. Our assignments here are finished now. Monica’s decision let you off the hook early is all. “
“But what will happen to her, Tess?” He asked, his eyes pleading with her,
“What if she comes out of this unscathed? What will become of her?”
Tess shook her head sadly,
“That I don’t know, baby. I’m sure Sam will become involved; he usually is when Monica gets herself into trouble. I’m just afraid that maybe she has gone too far this time.” She sighed heavily and opened the car door,
“C’mon, Angel Boy. It’s time we got Home.”
Andrew hesitated for a moment, his emotions in turmoil,
“Tess, would it be alright if I met you there? I just want a little time alone.”
She was quiet for a moment, considering his request carefully. Generally, she didn’t worry too much about Andrew. He rarely acted on impulse; each decision was well thought out and measured very carefully. She was all too aware of the closeness he and Monica shared, and though usually she was very pleased with the relationship between her two charges, she was now worried that relationship may mar Andrew’s ability to see clearly. She said a silent prayer and once she had her answer, she nodded her head,
“Alright, Andrew. You take the time you need and I’ll see you later,” She slid into the driver’s seat of ‘The Car’, smiling sadly as she remembered the day Monica had dubbed it with that name. She looked back at Andrew then, seeing the anguish and trouble in his green eyes,
“You’ve done the right thing, Angel Boy.”
He nodded his head as he watched Tess drive away. He only wished that he believed her.
Monica walked alone, headed in the direction of the football field. The fall breeze, which had delighted her earlier, now chilled her to the bone as she remembered Tess’ words about feeling so much evil here; evil that could only be associated with Kathleen.
She trembled as she walked, both from cold as well as fear. She couldn’t stop wondering if she was making the biggest mistake of her entire existence. So far, she had done nothing wrong—she still had to help Stacey, and though that was her priority, Monica was strongly hoping to find Kathleen in the process. There had to be a way to stop the dark angel from doing anymore harm. Somewhere, within Kathleen’s twisted soul, there had to be some small shred of decency left, and if there was, then Monica was determined to reach it.
The fact that she was still human and alone terrified her. She remembered another time she had been human and had come very close to knowing she could die. She hadn’t felt that way in the hospital the past week—she had known she would live. After all, Tess and Andrew had been right there with her, and she had always felt the Father’s love inside of her. This time, however, was very different. She had exiled herself from her friends and from God all in a split second when she had decided to take matters into her own hands and now there was no telling what could happen to her. Monica was convinced however, that the worst possible thing that could happen would still be better than Kathleen being allowed to continue down her destructive path.
She slowed her pace as she came upon the football field, shivering in the cool evening air, which suddenly felt bitterly cold. Tess had been right; the air here was filled with pure evil.
“Stacey!” She called out, her eyes scanning the field for any form of life. She was answered with silence, so she proceeded to walk further out onto the field. She stopped again to call out Stacey’s name and was just about to give up, when she heard an echo of Stacey’s name being called. Monica’s heart skipped a beat, as she instantly recognized the voice. She drew in a trembling breath, before she answered,
“Kathleen? Is that you?”
Kathleen appeared before her at that moment,
“The one and only,” The dark angel replied as she came face to face with her former friend, now enemy.
“What are you doing here Kathleen and what have you done with Stacey? I know it was you who destroyed her room--.”
“Well, well, well, lets just cut to the chase, shall we? C’mon Monica, not so much as a hug for old times sake?” Kathleen grinned widely, her eyes twinkling.
Monica found herself losing patience already and she hesitated for a moment to keep her anger in check,
“What are you doing here, Kathleen?” She repeated, her brown eyes steadily meeting those of her rival.
“Like you don’t know,” Kathleen scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her,
“But you know, now that I think about it, I really wasn’t needed. Things seem to be taking care of themselves.”
Monica felt a chill go through her as she tried to figure out what Kathleen was getting at,
“What are you talking about?”
“Tell me, Monica, are you still human?” Kathleen walked around Monica slowly as she waited for the answer she already knew.
Not knowing how to lie, Monica nodded her head sadly,
“Yes, for some reason, only God knows.”
Kathleen laughed and then feigned a look of sympathy,
“Aww, that’s too bad. God left his human angel out here all alone, no way to defend herself. What kind of God would do that to one of His children?”
Monica refused to acknowledge the thoughts that she, herself, had had today,
“You know as well as I do, Kathleen, that angels work on a need to know basis. When the time comes, I will know why it is that He kept me in human form, but I’ll find out in His time, not mine.”
“So, let me get this straight, God has stripped you of your angelic status, He allowed you to be attacked, He told your friends that they were not allowed to help you any longer and now you have no idea of what will become of you since you disobeyed and chose to follow your own free will. Well, Monica, it’s a wonder how you manage to not doubt God’s love for you.”
Monica felt her heart began to pound loudly in her chest as she struggled not to listen to the words that Kathleen was saying,
“I never doubt Him,” She said, hating the fact that she felt as if she were trying to convince herself as well. The fact was that what Kathleen was saying was true. She had been praying to be out of human form, but her prayers had gone unanswered. She was completely alone, human and vulnerable.
“Oh, come on, Angel Girl,” Kathleen persisted, knowing she was getting to the angel,
“Just like you doubted Andrew, isn’t it? You trusted him too, but you heard a voice like his and you knew with your whole heart that he had turned his back on you. So there is always room for doubt, and that is exactly what you are feeling now, isn’t it?”
Monica shook her head, tears filling her eyes,
“No, that isn’t true at all! The Father would never forsake me!”
“Then where is He, Monica? Where are Andrew and Tess? They have all left you alone to fight for yourself and though I hate to be the one to break it to you, you’re going to lose this fight, Monica. Because the way I see it, you have two choices. You either fall from the grace of your God and come with me, or you die.” Kathleen smiled smugly, watching tears fall from the angel’s eyes,
“I’ve waited a long time for this moment, Monica, but I knew it would come. Since you are human, you can die, you know and you would be all alone when you did die. There’s no one else here, no one to save you or to help you. The decision is yours and yours alone, Monica, but you have to make it now.”
Monica watched in horror as four dark beings appeared behind Kathleen and though they had no human form, she instantly recognized them as her four attackers from last week. Her mind raced frantically as her eyes searched for a means of escape, but the beings had her surrounded now.
Desperately, Monica fell to her knees and clasped her hands together in front of her,
“Oh Father, please help me,” She sobbed, her head bowed. Never before had she ever been so frightened, so she did the one thing she knew to do—pray.
“Stop wasting time!” Kathleen snapped angrily,
“Choose!”
“Please Father, guide me,” Monica wept, her shoulders shaking with her anguished sobs,
“I know I disobeyed, but I do not want to die!”
Kathleen, exasperated now, reached down and grabbed Monica’s arm, forcing the angel to look into her eyes,
“Choose.”
******************************************************************
Monica looked up into the eyes of the fallen angel. Through her own blurred vision, she could clearly read the anger and hatred in those eyes, and though she had never known a greater fear in her entire existence, Monica knew the choice she had to make.
“I will never follow you, Kathleen,” She replied, her voice trembling though she put as much strength behind her words as she could muster,
“I would rather die, knowing who I am and who I belong to, than to live forever surrounded by evil and darkness.”
“You’re a fool, Monica,” Kathleen snarled, releasing the hold she had on the angel,
“Nothing but a fool. Your God has forsaken you and you would rather perish here than to live forever.”
“He always gives us what we need, when we need it, Kathleen,” Monica replied gently, hoping with all her heart that was still true. There wasn’t a lot the angel did know at that moment, but she was frightened enough to hang onto the truths she had always believed.
“I tried to help you, Monica! You have no one now!” Kathleen paced angrily, trying to understand why Monica would make such a decision.
“There isn’t a sparrow that falls from the tree, that the Father does not know about,” Monica replied, her own words soothing her and strengthening her broken spirit,
“He knows I am here, Kathleen. He has not forgotten me and if it is to be His will that I perish here today, then I will do so with a heart full of love for Him who made me.”
Kathleen shook her head in disbelief as she looked at Monica. Though the angel’s face was tear streaked, there was a peace there that Kathleen could never understand,
“This is your last chance, Monica. Are you going to live or are you going to die?”
Monica felt the fear well up inside of her once more as she began to tremble. But before the fear could get the better of her, the words to a song she had heard Tess sing on many different occasions gently entered into her mind, almost as if her supervisor was speaking to her soul. Monica swallowed hard as she softly began to recite the words,
“As the rain first falls
And then, then it flows away.
First you'll feel and then forget
Then forget your pain.
God's eye is on the sparrow
And sees your darkest night.
You will not be left comfortless
For you are God's delight. “
Kathleen watched in disgust before she turned away and with a wave of her hand to the four dark creatures that surrounded the angel, she said,
“Do it.” Before she vanished into the night.
Monica saw Kathleen go and tears began to stream down her cheeks as she watched the ominous creatures approach her. Sobbing, she struggled to say the words to the song that had comforted her moments before,
“Now your heart
It feels like,
Like an open wound.
Once so full of life and joy
Now an empty room. “
She got no further before a sharp blow to her abdomen took her breath away. In desperation, Monica curled herself into a tight ball, trying to do what she could to protect herself. As she struggled to catch her breath, she thought she heard Tess finishing the song in her rich, full, beautiful voice that Monica loved so much,
“ God's eye is on the sparrow
And sees your darkest night.
You will not be left comfortless
For you are God's delight. “
“Your will be done, Father,” She whispered, her slight frame shaking with fear as she awaited the next blows. But they didn’t come. Instead she heard cries of pain that were not hers and as she turned her head ever so slightly, she realized that her life would be spared.
Andrew’s angelic body covered Monica’s human one as he took the blows for her and though she knew he would not be hurt in angel form, she also knew that he could feel each and every painful, agonizing blow. Reaching up with one hand, Monica linked her fingers tightly through his.
Neither Andrew nor Monica had any idea how long the attack lasted, before they were surrounded by total silence. Andrew rolled off of her, gasping for air, trying to allow the pain to pass.
“Are you alright?” Monica uttered, kneeling beside of him, her hand moving to stroke his blond hair back from his eyes.
Andrew nodded his head and managed a weak smile to reassure her,
“Yeah, I think so. How about you?” His hand reached to cup her chin as he looked into her eyes. There were many things that he saw there that he didn’t understand and he was suddenly consumed with worry for her.
“Yes, thanks to you,” She replied softly, moving to sit down beside of him,
“Did the Father send you to help me?”
Andrew hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to answer her,
“No, Monica, He did not. I couldn’t leave you, I just couldn’t do it.”
Monica gazed downwards, her heart breaking at his words,
“Maybe Kathleen was right,” She whispered, her lower lip beginning to tremble.
“Right about what?” He asked her, his green eyes flooded with concern.
“That God was leaving me there to die. When you showed up I thought He had sent you to help me, not that you were putting yourself at risk for me. Andrew,” She looked up into his eyes as she began to cry,
“What am I going to do? What have I done?”
Andrew pulled her into his arms protectively as he searched his heart and mind for the right words to say to her. He had always known just what to say to calm her fears, but this time was different. He was confused by all that had transpired on this assignment and even more overwhelmed when he considered the fact that it wasn’t over yet.
“Shhh,” He whispered to her, his hand stroking her hair,
“I want you to listen to me, alright? I don’t ever want to hear you say that you think Kathleen was right about anything, because you and I both know better. Whatever Kathleen said to you, she said to hurt and confuse you and it sounds to me like she succeeded in doing that.”
“No, Andrew,” Monica sobbed, her hand gripping his shirt tightly,
“She was right about things…about how I had doubted you and about how I was…doubting the Father…”
Andrew closed his eyes, her painful words touching his sensitive heart deeply,
“But Monica, you’ve been human longer than you ever have been before and that plays into all of this. Humans don’t see things as clearly, even if those humans are usually angels. Did you ever think that maybe God didn’t send me to help you because He knew that I was going to be here, with or without His orders? He knows all things, Monica, and He knew I was going to be here.” Gently, he rocked her in his arms, listening as her violent sobs began to turn into quieter weeping.
Monica tried desperately to get a hold of herself, but all the fear of moments before had been released and try as she might, the tears refused to cease,
“Andrew…if I remain human…then I can never go Home…”
Andrew tightened his hold on her as he realized he was as afraid of that possibility as she was,
“We won’t think about that yet, not while we still have a reason to be here. You still need to talk to Stacey before we can even think of going Home.” He pulled away to look into her eyes with a gentle smile,
“And beings Tess is going to be furious with us, lets hope we can stay here for awhile.”
Despite the situation, Monica laughed, though they both knew that what he had just said held as much truth as it did joke. Neither of them had any idea what would happen to them once they returned Home as both had disobeyed the rules set forth by Tess and the Father.
Slowly, Monica pulled away from him and after a moment, shyly reached up and kissed him on the cheek,
“Thank you,” She whispered,
“You always make me feel so safe, Andrew.”
He smiled down at her and gently brushed some of the tear-dampened hair away from her face,
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Angel Girl. Now, come on, let’s go back to the dorm room and wait and see if Stacey shows up.” He got up and then pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders protectively, they started the journey back to the main campus.
Andrew starred out the window of Stacey and Monica’s dorm room later that night, his thoughts millions of miles away. He quickly glanced over at Monica, making sure she was still fast asleep. The angel had been exhausted by the time they had gotten back to the dormitory and had cleaned up the room and though she had struggled to stay awake, she had eventually lost the battle when she had laid down “just for a minute”. Andrew noted that her expression, even in sleep, was pensive and occasionally she would murmur something that he couldn’t understand.
Andrew’s sensitive heart ached for her as he watched her sleep. He could only imagine how frightened she was, and after all she had been through, he worried about how much more she could take. He knew he should be equally concerned with the consequences of his own actions. He had been told not to come back here, but he had been unable to comply with that directive. He knew he should talk with the Father, but he felt unable to do that at the moment. He was very ashamed for not following the instructions set forth by Tess, but he also knew that if given the chance again, he would do the exact same thing he had done this time.
This was all very new to him. He had felt a sense of responsibility many times where humans were concerned. He loved and cared about each one of his assignments, sometimes to the point of becoming far too emotionally involved. But this was different—very different. This was Monica, his friend and fellow angel and never in all the assignments over all the years, had he ever felt this way. Though his greatest loyalty was with the Father, he knew he would go to the ends of the earth to protect the angel who slept in the bed near him. She had taught him so much in the few years they had been fortunate enough to work together. Though he was the one with the most experience in human nature, Monica had a way of seeing things that fascinated him. She was so quick to find the good in everything and everyone, sometimes even getting herself into trouble because she refused to believe the truth if it was bad. She threw herself into her work with a passion that Andrew admired most about her. Her eagerness to make a difference on every case made her an absolute joy to work with.
But beyond that, sometimes Andrew caught a glimpse of a vulnerability that scared him. She was so quick to trust because she had trouble believing that anything bad could ever happen to her because she was an angel. Now this time it had. That was mostly why he had found it so difficult to stay away from her tonight. He had known she would try to confront Kathleen because she wanted to find the good inside of the fallen angel. But Andrew had been fairly certain that there was no good left inside of Kathleen. Every time she surfaced, it was trouble for one of them, but it usually boiled down to trouble for Monica. The evil Kathleen knew Monica far too well and she worked that knowledge to her advantage.
Andrew shuddered when he thought about the attack he had taken for Monica earlier. He didn’t know if angels could die or not when they were in human form, but he had trouble believing that Monica could have survived that attack tonight. He had felt each painful blow and after each one he had thanked the Father that the pain faded almost immediately. If that had not been the case, Andrew was not sure of how he would have endured it.
He turned back around and looked down at Monica once more. She was mumbling something in her sleep and he watched as a single tear made a shiny path down her cheek. Andrew knew she was afraid, probably of more than he could even imagine, but he had to believe that this would all work out in the end. He couldn’t let anything happen to her in the meantime, of that he was certain.
“And just what do you think you are doing?” Tess asked, appearing in the room with them, her arms crossed as she looked at Andrew questionably.
“Tess!” Andrew’s face flooded with relief at the sight of his supervisor who he was hoping could shed some light on this whole situation for him. He remembered the sleeping Monica then, and he held his finger to his lips to silence Tess. He indicated the window and the two angels vanished from the room and reappeared a moment later on the roof.
“Don’t you ‘Tess’ me, Mr. Halo.” She scolded, still looking at him sternly,
“You were told to go Home, not come back here.”
“I had to come back, Tess,” Andrew replied, trying desperately to make her understand,
“I couldn’t just leave her when she needed my help the most.”
“She wouldn’t of needed your help if she had done what she was told, Andrew and we both know it. We don’t call the shots around here, God does. We just carry out His orders. Now the pair of you are in trouble with Sam for ignoring that face and deciding to do what just what you wanted to do. Now, the order is for you to get your angel-butt Home and for Monica to finish up with Stacey.” Tess looked at him questionably.
“Tess, I can’t leave her. Kathleen could have killed her tonight had I not been there! She’s still human, Tess!”
“She needs to trust in her Creator, Andrew and stop trusting in Monica!” Tess retorted. She was really not in the mood to be having this discussion right now. She had already had enough explaining to do with Sam,
“Miss Wings has gotten you into enough trouble for one day and I think its time the two of you remembered that you are angels and start acting like it again.”
“I can’t leave her, Tess,” Andrew repeated patiently, his gaze falling downwards,
“I just can’t. She’s scared to death right now and she doesn’t know what is going to happen to her. Kathleen put some kind of terrible ideas into her head tonight. She needs me, Tess.”
“She needs the Father, Andrew. Now, I love that baby in there every bit as much as you do, but our orders are to bow out right now. So, are you coming with me or not?” Tess looked at Andrew long and hard, praying he was going to make the right decision.
Andrew was quiet for several moments before he met his green eyes squarely with hers,
“No, Tess. I’m staying here with Monica. I’m sorry, I know it’s wrong, but for some reason I have to stay.” He saw the disappointment in his supervisor’s eyes and he could only pray that one day she would understand. As he turned to look in on Monica, he grabbed onto the window pane as fear flashed in his eyes,
“Tess!”
Tess’ heart leaped to her chest as Andrew turned to face her, his expression one of pure fear that was uncharacteristic of the Angel of Death,
“Andrew? What is it?”
“She’s gone. Monica’s gone!”
Monica ran blindly down the stairs and outside of the dormitory before stopping for a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. She had woken up to hear Tess and Andrew talking through the open window. Hearing Tess say that she had gotten Andrew into enough trouble and that Sam was now involved was more than she could bear.
She knew Andrew should not have come back to help her, but he had and now he was in trouble with Sam. She could deal with being in trouble with Sam; she had traveled that road before, but not Andrew. So, she had figured that if she were no longer there for him to help, then he would go Home with Tess. She felt equally ashamed that Tess had gone through the third degree with Sam because of her actions. Monica felt fresh tears fill her eyes as she thought about all the trouble she had been to her friends.
Monica continued walking until she got out to the main road. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn’t see the car coming up behind her and she jumped when she heard the squeal of brakes. She whirled around, expecting to see Tess and Andrew, but was surprised when the driver of the car turned out to be Stacey.
Their eyes met and Monica was instantly worried by the anguished look on her assignment’s face. Even with her own problems, she could not ignore that something terrible was happening to Stacey.
“Monica!” Stacey called out the window,
“What are you doing out here? I could’ve killed you!”
Monica walked over to Stacey’s window and looked in at the young girl, noticing for the first time, that her face was streaked with tears,
“Stacey, what is it? What’s the matter?”
Stacey closed her eyes for a moment, looking as if she was trying desperately to block something out of her mind,
“I have to get out of here, Monica. She….she won’t leave me alone! Ever since I told you what happened in your hospital room last night, she just keeps at me. I hear her voice when I’m trying to sleep, when I’m awake!”
Monica’s face paled as she listened to Stacey’s words,
“Kathleen?”
Stacey nodded her head, blinking back tears,
“I’m hoping if I get out of here—if I get as far away from here as I can, I won’t be able to hear her anymore.”
Monica opened her mouth to tell Stacey that running away wasn’t the answer, but she stopped herself before she started. Wasn’t that exactly what she herself was doing? Running away because she couldn’t face what was happening to her or to her friends? Running away because she couldn’t face the fact that God had seemingly deserted her? Before she could even think, she heard herself asking,
“Might I come with you?”
Stacey nodded her head and Monica ran to the other side of the car and hopped into the passengers seat. The two were quiet for several miles before Monica finally broke the silence,
“So, where are we going?”
Stacey shook her head as glanced sideways at Monica,
“I have no idea. Just away from here, that’s all I know. Who is this Kathleen anyway? Some kind of spirit or something? How can she get inside of my head like this?”
Monica fell silent, her heart aching for the troubled young girl beside of her, yet another person she had brought trouble upon,
“Something like that,” She said finally, sadly,
“I’m not sure if you’d believe me if I told you the truth and I have no way to prove it to you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m game for just about anything right now,” Stacey replied,
“So why don’t you try me?”
Monica shifted in her seat uncomfortably. The last time she had tried to tell someone she was an angel when she was in human form, she had been in a courtroom and she had never had any desire to repeat that situation again. But she knew she couldn’t lie. As lost as she felt right now, truth was all she had ever known and for some reason, she was convinced it was the one thing she could not stray from.
“I’m an angel,” She said finally, glancing at Stacey to see if she was laughing. But Stacey’s face was completely serious and with no sign of amusement, so Monica continued,
“I was sent here to help you, because you were so lonely, and that is what would have happened too, had Kathleen not gotten in the way,” She sighed heavily before continuing again,
“You see, Kathleen was an angel once too, but she chose the darker path and for some reason she hates me. She usually finds a way to get to me through my friends, but this time she not only did that, but she used you as well.”
Stacey was quiet for a moment, wondering if the woman sitting next to her was crazy, but then again, something inside of her believed Monica, though she couldn’t figure out why,
“These friends of yours…are they angels too?”
Monica nodded her head,
“Oh yes. Andrew is an angel. I believe you met him. He knew you were my assignment, so he had hoped you would know something about what happened to me that night in the football field. “
“This is crazy, Monica,” Stacey said, shaking her head as she turned the car onto a deserted highway,
“My life may have been lonely, but it was pretty normal until you came along last week. Now I don’t know what to do or how make Kathleen leave me alone.”
“What sort of things does she say to you?” Monica asked, her guilt increasing as she listened to Stacey’s words.
“I can’t put it into words, Monica. But she makes me feel like I’m losing my mind and I cannot stand that feeling! Its like I’m standing on the edge of this cliff and she is trying to make me jump from it and I’m afraid if I can’t find a way to shut her out, that’s what will happen.” She glanced over at Monica once more, seeing the pain that was written all over her face,
“So, what about you? Where were you headed tonight when I nearly ran you over?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Came the soft reply,
“I have a lot of thinking to do and it seemed best to do it elsewhere. But now we have bigger problems because I have to find a way to get Kathleen to leave you alone. It isn’t fair that she takes out her anger for me on anyone else and it hurts me that she does.”
“So, if you’re an angel, then why can’t you stop her? Don’t you have special powers or something?”
Monica smiled a bittersweet smile,
“We have gifts that we get from God, Stacey. You see, when I come to earth to help someone, God places me in human form, so I can fit in here. Then usually when the moment is right, He transforms back into an angel. This time, that hasn’t happened and I don’t understand why.”
“Do you look different when you are transformed?” Stacey asked curiously.
“Well, sometimes….I. um, glow a bit and usually appear all in white.” She saw Stacey struggling to keep from smiling,
“Do you not believe me?”
“The funny thing is, Monica, that yes, I do believe you,” Stacey laughed,
“This is absolutely absurd, but I do believe you. Who would have thought that I’d be driving down a highway at nearly midnight with an angel who has apparently lost her wings?”
Monica smiled half-heartedly before she turned her attention back out the window. Though she had managed a smile, inside she felt like she was dying. What was she doing here? How was she going to help this girl and what of Kathleen? Stacey had said she had lost her wings. Was that true? Is that what had happened? Is that why God had left her?
“You can sleep if you want,” Stacey’s voice interrupted her thoughts,
“I’m a night owl anyway.”
Monica nodded her head as she slumped down a bit on the seat and crossed her arms in front of her to try and warm herself from the chill she now felt. Resting her head back, she starred out into the darkness, her heart aching for Andrew and Tess. She thought about trying to pray, but felt that it was useless. Kathleen was right; God had deserted her. Now, she had to face things on her own. She had to find a way to release Stacey from Kathleen’s clutches, but she was afraid that there was only one way to do that, and that option was nearly more than she could bear think about.
Feeling tears burning in her eyes once more, Monica closed them and chose the only type of defense she knew at the moment. Sleep.
“I can’t find her anywhere, Tess,” Andrew called out as he and Tess met up a few hours later, having spent the time searching for their missing friend. His eyes were filled with deep worry and concern and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened or was about to.
“Me neither, baby,” Tess replied, her own eyes mirroring his concern,
“Where would she have run off to?”
“Maybe she didn’t run off, Tess,” He replied, running a hand through his short blond hair,
“Maybe Kathleen…” He stopped, unable to voice what he had been thinking.
“You weren’t gone that long, Angel Boy and surely Monica would have put up a fuss had that trouble maker shown up.”
Andrew shook his head, not convinced,
“Kathleen got to her today, Tess. Whatever she said to Monica out on that field before I got there was weighing heavily on Monica’s mind. I tried to find out more from her tonight, but she wouldn’t open up about it. She’s in trouble, Tess. I can feel it.”
**********************
Monica awoke a few hours later, to find them at a Rest Stop off the highway. Glancing over, she saw that Stacey was sound asleep, her head resting against the steering wheel of the car. Quietly, so as not to wake her, Monica opened the car door and slipped outside to get some fresh air.
Dawn was just beginning to break across the sky and she shivered in the early morning frost. Oh, what she would do for a cup of coffee right now! She knew she had to look an absolute mess, but she didn’t care. Her life, as she knew it, seemed over now. She had left her friends, the same way God had left her and now she had to get accustomed to living life as a human, if that’s the way it was meant to be. She couldn’t imagine never seeing Tess or Andrew again, but what good was she to them? A human couldn’t make people see the truth. On top of that, she had gotten them both into so much trouble by thinking independently that she wondered if they would even want to see her again. She had made trouble for them and for Stacey. What kind of angel made more problems for their assignments?
“The kind of angel who doesn’t deserve to be an angel,” She whispered aloud to herself. She was so consumed in her thoughts that the sound of another voice made her jump.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Kathleen smiled sweetly as she appeared before Monica.
*********************
“What kind of trouble, Andrew?” Tess frowned. She hated it when he talked like this because she knew that Andrew’s instincts were seldom wrong.
“I don’t know, Tess. It’s just this terrible feeling that won’t leave me. It’s like Monica and I both knowing that Kathleen was near, but yet we never voiced our thoughts. It’s the same way now. It’s like I can feel her fear…” Andrew looked away from Tess and off into the distance, trying to zero in on exactly what it was he was feeling.
“What do you mean ‘You can feel her fear’? What is she afraid of?” Tess began to wring her hands nervously, unable to bear the thought of her baby being in trouble, real trouble.
“Shhhh,” Andrew silenced her. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his palms began to sweat as he waited, hoping and praying for answers.
***********************
“Kathleen,” Monica looked up and came face to face with the dark angel—the one who had created this disaster that Monica was now so much a part of,
“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question, Miss Wings,” Kathleen chided, crossing her arms in front of her and smiling sweetly.
“Don’t call me that,” Monica replied softly, her heart aching at the thought of Tess and the nickname she had given her,
“And while we’re at it, I want you to leave Stacey alone. She has nothing to do with this.”
“Oh come on, Monica. You cannot expect me to just drop her like a hot potato, can you? Not without something in return.” The dark angel moved a step closer to the human angel, her eyes sparkling.
Monica was quiet for a moment, her mind spinning, nearly out of control. She knew what it was she must do, but could she do it and what would be the consequences?
“No, of course not. You don’t know the first thing about helping someone, do you Kathleen? You wouldn’t know how to begin to give something up for nothing, to help someone other than yourself. “
“Not when I’m this close to getting what I want,” Kathleen growled, grabbing Monica by the wrist and pulling her closer.
Monica gave out a startled cry, but refused to take her eyes away from Kathleen’s as she looked at the dark angel defiantly.
“Monica?” Stacey called out, getting out of the car, having heard the commotion. The girl froze when she saw Kathleen and Monica face to face.
“So, what is it going to be, Monica?” Kathleen hissed,
“Her? Or you?”
Monica’s heart pounded loudly as she turned her attention to Stacey,
“Stacey, I want you to listen to me. I want you to get in the car and go back to school, all right? Kathleen isn’t going to bother you anymore. I’ve taken care of that.”
“But Monica--.” Stacey began to protest. She didn’t like what was going on here, even if it was between two angels.
“Stacey, please,” Monica pleaded, wrenching her arm away from Kathleen,
“Go back to school. It’s where you belong. I’m fine. Kathleen and I are just going to work a few things out. Now go.” Seeing that Stacey seemed rooted to where she stood, Monica closed her eyes and raised her voice,
“GO!”
Frightened now, Stacey backed away and jumped into the car. Her hand fumbled with the keys, but she managed to start the car and in a cloud of dust, she was gone.
Kathleen watched as Monica turned her frightened eyes back to her,
“So, you’ve made your choice.” Kathleen began to laugh hysterically as suddenly they were surrounded by bright yellow flames and the sounds of a thousand laughing demons.
Monica closed her eyes, feeling her body becoming engulfed in anguish and pain. Before she was swept away, she heard herself scream,
“Father!!”
The Rest Area was silent for a moment before a huge bolt of lightening lit up the sky followed by a deafening crack of thunder as the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down in the now deserted clearing.
*************************
“I have to go,” Andrew looked at Tess, puzzled, as he heard the familiar soft voice in his heart.
“You have an assignment now?” Tess asked impatiently. She fell quiet for a moment, hearing a voice within her own heart and she nodded her head. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she looked back at Andrew,
“Go, Angel Boy. God be with you and I’ll be waiting when you return.”
Andrew looked at Tess worriedly, not understanding her tears,
“I’ll be back soon and then we’ll find Monica, I promise.” He moved to hug her before he vanished.
*****************************
An hour later, a crumpled figure emerged seemingly from thin air at the Rest Stop. No one noticed her, lying rain soaked and unconscious amongst the shrubs. She did not stir, but remained curled up in a tight ball, not awake, but still shivering from the severe cold.
No one had known she was there until he showed up and he only knew as he had been told. Softly, he approached her. He could see she was still alive, though barely. Sadly, he listened to her labored breathing, wondering what had happened to her or why she was here. Slowly, he moved to brush the wet hair from her face, wanting to see her before she moved to the other side. His fingers carefully moved through the tangled brown hair, wishing he knew why things like this had to happen to humans. Why?
A small cry escaped Andrew’s lips as he recognized the face that he knew and loved with all his heart. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he gathered her into his arms and held her limp body close to his. Sobbing openly, he rocked her as he kept repeating the words of his heart,
Why, Father? Why?”
End of part one. Stay tuned for Part two—The Darkest Hour
