Crossroads (36 page)

“
Promise me,” he
said.

“
I promise,” she replied,
as Michael wiped her tears. “I was really scared. I thought I was
never going to see you again.” Her voice was shaky.

He embraced her tightly again. “Me
too. I’m sorry too. I know how much you worry about me. I should
have checked up on you. But you have to understand, I need to take
care of things, and I can’t worry about you too.”

“
Okay, Michael. Can we go
home now? I want to go home,” she said wearily, making small
gasping sounds.

“
Soon,” Michael said and
pulled her away to look at her. “You’re a gatekeeper?”

“
I don’t even remember how
I did it.” Alexa Rose shrugged her shoulders.

“
We’ll have to discuss
this later,” Michael said.

“
Michael, I hate to break
up our little reunion, but we need to get you to Agnes,” Davin
said, with concern in his voice.

“
Davin is right,” Vivian
interrupted. “We should get going. With Aden out of the picture,
Claudia is safe. We need time to heal and rest. Caleb will clean
up.”

“
Let’s take Claudia home
first,” Michael replied. Michael looked at me lovingly, but sadness
was written all over his face.

“
I’ll be okay. You need to
go,” I said, trying to be strong. “I…” Before I had a chance to say
anything more, Davin grabbed me, and we were headed for
home.

We arrived safely at my house, in my
room, and all was quiet. “Here we are,” I said sadly, knowing it
may be the last time I saw them. I tried to blink the tears away,
but one found its way down my cheek.

“
See you soon,” Vivian
said, giving me a tight squeeze as her eyes swelled with
tears.

As soon as Vivian released me, Caleb
unexpectedly hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I had a
great time tonight…well…I meant the first half of the night. I
almost felt like a human. I won’t ever forget you.” He smiled and
backed away.

Caleb’s affection touched me deeply.
It was the first time he ever gave me a hug or a friendly kiss.
Then Davin turned to me.

“
Don’t get into trouble,
or we’ll have to come down again. You know how much I dislike being
here,” Davin teased, nudging me on my shoulder as he took a few
steps back. “See you when I see you.” He winked and gave me a warm
smile.

At that moment, I realized how much
they cared for me. Maybe it was knowing that we might never see
each other again. Whatever the reason, I knew they would miss me
too, although maybe not as much as I would miss them.

They turned their backs to Michael and
me to give us some privacy. As Michael came toward me, Alexa Rose
unexpectedly rushed past him to give me a most heartfelt hug. She
smiled warmly with her beautiful blue eyes, then ran toward Vivian.
It was the first time she displayed any affection toward me.
Surprised by Alexa Rose’s action, Michael let out a huge grin. We
locked eyes as he approached me. Then he gently guided both of my
hands to his chest. I imagined putting my handprint on his heart
and thinking, mine, forever. His look was worth a thousand words,
and I knew exactly how he felt. I was afraid to let go for fear
that I may never see him again.

“
I’ll be back. This isn’t
good-bye,” Michael said, trying to sound cheerful.

Desperately holding back the tears, I
nodded. I believed him. He then cupped my face and gave me a sweet
tender kiss on my forehead. “My heart and soul are where you are. I
am here,” he spoke again, gently touching the crystal
necklace.

All choked up and unable to say a
word; I took a deep breath and nodded. I watched them disappear
into the moonlight as I heard, from a distance, Caleb and Davin
arguing over who was going to drive the Ferrari back to the
dealer.

All the lights were off, and Mom was
still at work. It was peaceful and late into the night. As I lay in
bed, I tried not to think about the “what ifs” that could have
happened at the Grand View Hotel. It was still hard to grasp the
fact that Aden was really dead, but knowing that he was, I felt
relief beyond words. At the same time, I worried that since I was
out of danger, Michael and the alkins would not be coming to see me
anymore. I was also worried about Michael. I knew he would be fine,
but until I saw him whole again, I would worry. My eyes were
getting heavier, and I couldn’t control it any longer. “Good night,
my guardian angel,” I whispered as I dozed off to sleep.

Chapter 23

I was glad it was Veterans’ weekend.
Not only did we have a day off from school, but we had also
prearranged a day off at Fashion Wear. Patty planned a hiking trip
with some of our friends. As much as I disliked hiking, I had to
make it up to her. Going hiking again was the only way to do that.
She used my guilt as an opportunity to get me to do anything she
wanted. I was pleased to do it.

I also promised Mom that I would help
her pack Gamma’s belongings this morning. I wasn’t looking forward
to it, knowing that it would make me emotional, but I needed to be
there for her.

“
Are you ready,
honey?”

“
I’ll be right out, Mom,”
I said, mentally preparing myself, knowing how I would react at
Gamma’s house. I knew one thing for sure; I had to be strong for
Mom.

“
My car or yours?” I asked
cheerfully, stepping out of my room.

“
Why don’t we both take
our cars so you can just leave from Gamma’s to meet up with
Patty?”

“
Okay, that sounds fine.
I’ll see you there.”

After starting the engine, I noticed
the bracelet Gamma had given me for my birthday. I smiled,
recalling that day when she slipped one on my wrist and told me to
put the other in the car. The smile quickly disappeared, and was
replaced by grief at the thought of never being able to see her
again. My body cringed from the heartache, and I forced myself to
try to feel nothing. Since it would be my first time at her house
since her passing, feeling numbness would be the only way I would
make it through packing without falling apart.

It was a short ride, so I just waited
in the car for my mom. I must have sped. I thought Mom would give
me few words for speeding, but instead, she put her arm around my
shoulders and we walked inside Gamma’s house together. All was
still. It felt strange to be inside the house without her. We both
looked around the living room with aches in our hearts. Nothing was
out of place. It was as if she was stilling living here, but the
silence was a sure sign of her absence.

“
I just need your help
packing a few boxes, honey. I don’t intend to pack everything in
one day,” she said, with tears in her eyes.

Seeing her eyes water up like that was
just enough to make me almost lose it. I turned my head, trying to
avoid eye contact. Don’t look at her, and keep your thoughts on
happy thoughts, I said to myself. My fist curled into a tight ball
as I held my breath, desperately trying to control my emotions,
trying to feel as little as possible.

As we both walked into her bedroom,
the first thing I noticed was her bed, untouched. Besides the bed,
her room was furnished with a mahogany dresser and a nightstand. It
wasn’t like I had never seen her bedroom before, but today I noted
every little detail of her room. The room that used to make me feel
warm and inviting now felt empty and cold.

“
Honey, could you pack her
stuff from the closet?” Mom asked finally.

“
Sure, Mom,” I said and
took the box from her hand.

“
I’m going to pack up in
the other room,” she said quietly, as one teardrop fell.

Hesitantly, I opened the closet door.
Her clothes were hung neatly, organized by color. As I scanned
through her clothes, a white cashmere sweater caught my eyes. I
gently loosened the sweater off the hanger and held it close to my
face. I could smell the sweetness of her favorite perfume. I
imagined hugging her as if she was right here. Standing here,
thoughts of Gamma and the happy times we’d had together danced in
my head. She had made me feel like I was the most special person in
the world. I could do no wrong in her eyes.

Guilt started to race through my mind
as I was thinking that I should have visited her more often. Tears
fell to the floor and I reached down to wipe them up as more found
their way down my cheek. As I started to stand up, I noticed
something behind the jackets. Sliding the hangers slightly to the
left, I saw a small shelf. Curious, I picked up a small, wooden
treasure box that was on top. A part of me thought I shouldn’t open
it because it was her private possession, but curiosity got the
best of me. First, I looked behind me to see if Mom was in the
room. Then I slowly opened the treasure box, like a little girl
sneaking a peek at her hidden Christmas present.

Inside were a few letters, pictures,
and a journal. I thumbed through the pictures of Gamma and me, and
Gamma with Mom. I gently tucked the pictures back to pick up what
looked like a journal, hoping to find some answers to my questions.
I glimpsed through the journal and read a few pages about me. I
knew that she cared about me and loved me like her own, but reading
it was harder to take, and my eyes filled with tears
again.

Focusing on why I was here in the
first place, I pulled her clothes off the hangers, folded them, and
neatly stacked them inside a box. After I finished my task, I sat
down and placed my head between my knees trying to get a grip on
all this. When I looked up, I noticed an envelope tucked inside her
favorite blue jacket. It was addressed to me. Find my letter;
Gamma’s words suddenly came back to me. I was so furious at myself.
How could I have forgotten? I knew it was from Gamma, so I tore it
open, feeling excited and anxious.

Dearest
Claudia,

If you are reading this
letter, it means that I am too weak to speak or I have already
passed on. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t tell you sooner, but it was
for your own protection. I wrote this letter just in case I didn’t
get a chance to tell you everything that you should know. Many
things I’m about to tell you will be very difficult to believe, but
I’m telling you the truth, and you must believe me.

God’s first angels make up
the Royal Council. They are the ones who make the decisions for
humanity. The Royal Council is special because, not only are they
powerful, they have the souls of the Holy Spirit. Your father was
one of the Royal Council. I know this because your mother told me
that she fell in love with an angel, one of God’s first angels. She
also told me that she had a visit from another angel. He told her
that when the time was right, he would come for you, the child with
the soul of the Holy Spirit. And because of this, I told her about
me. I knew both of you were in danger because the angel that
visited your mother was a fallen angel named Aden.

I had to make a decision;
either to report you to the Royal Council or to protect you. Your
mother begged me not to tell the Royal Council because you would be
taken from her, so I couldn’t refuse. I loved her as if she was my
daughter, and I let my human emotions take me over.

Aden was one of the Twelve
Angels. These Twelve Angels helped the Earth angels to guide the
humans. But he rebelled. He wanted to create an army to fight the
Royal Council. His soul was taken away, and his powers were
weakened. He knew that the only possible way for him to enter the
holy realms was by taking the Holy Spirit’s soul. This would allow
him to enter Halo City and regain his powers back to full strength.
And because of this, he was after your soul.

Your mom and I hid from
Aden as long as we could, but somehow he found us again right
before you turned one. I would have been able to save both of you,
but he had someone helping him; her name was Julia. Your mother
tricked Aden and Julia. She led them to follow her while I ran away
with you. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t save your mother.

Later, Ava Emerson adopted
you, and it wasn’t by chance. I purposely made that happen because
I knew in my heart that she would make a great mother for you.
Unfortunately I had to instill in her mind that her husband had
died in a freak car accident. I wanted to make sure that she
wouldn’t remarry so that all her energy would be on you. I know it
sounds horrible for me to have done this to her, but you have to
understand that everything I did was for your
protection.