Falling From Grace (48 page)

She was smiling, looking at the man who waited for her in the gazebo ahead.
 
He wore a black tuxedo with
—
I snorted
—
bright orange high-top sneakers.
 
This was obviously a couple who enjoyed life, and liked to have fun.
 

It was only then that I noticed who was walking her down the aisle.
 
I mouthed his name, my shock keeping me from doing anything else.
 
The murmurs of awe and praise in the bride and her escort were travelling up and down the aisles, and no one seemed to find fault in the arrangement.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” a voice next to me asked.

I turned to stare into a pair of golden eyes that sat in one of the most handsome faces I’d ever seen.
 
He had hair the same golden color, and it traveled in waves past his shoulders.
 
He wore it loose, although it didn’t seem to be threatening to do anything but look perfect.
 
His smile was comforting, his lips curled up in an amused smile.

I knew he was an angel, too.
 
There was simply no other explanation for his perfection, and no sense in denying it.
 
“Yes, she is.”

He nodded.
 
“She looks just like her grandmother did all those many years ago.
 
They possess the same spirit, you know
—
fiery and determined.
 
It’s no wonder that Rob’s taken it upon himself to walk her down the aisle.
 
It’s like looking back some fifty, sixty years.”

I turned to watch Rob place a kiss on the bride’s cheek just before placing her hand in the groom’s.
 
He hesitated, almost like a reluctant father would, but then the transfer was complete and he was taking a seat.
 
But it wasn’t next to me.

“I’m sure he and Ellie never thought all those years ago that they’d be sitting here, attending a wedding together.”

I shifted myself around to stare once again into the stranger’s tawny eyes, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “Who are you, and how do you know so much about Ellie and Robert?”

He leaned back into his chair, his demeanor casual, relaxed, and answered with a knowing smile.
 
“I’m Sam.
 
And, little human girl, I know so much about Ellie and Rob because I was the one who introduced them.
 
They really made a cute couple back then, but they weren’t suited, him being an angel and all.
 
But it’s nice that they stayed friends, don’t you think?”

I looked at him, unable to say anything.
 
Smiling at my vocal paralysis, he continued.
 
“I mean, imagine how hard it must have been, watching her marry someone else, have children, and…grow old.
 
I can’t imagine enduring that with someone I professed to love.”

I looked down in my lap, staring at my fingers.
 
The same fingers Robert had kissed not too long ago in the car, kissed in the same way he’d kissed Ellie’s hand…

I lifted my head and looked again at Sam.
 
“I think it’s very romantic, actually; I think that he must trust and care for me a lot to go to all this trouble to bring me here to meet her and her family.”

I turned my back to him and tried to watch the rest of the ceremony, wondering the whole time if what I had said was true.
 
I could see Sam staring at me out of the corner of my eye, his expression confused, his mouth no longer curved into a smile.
 
Good.
 
I hope he was hearing Lark’s thoughts about him, and I hope he was hearing the uncensored version.

When the officiate announced that the groom could now kiss the bride, a great whoop of joy filled the night and to my surprise, the bride dipped her groom, planting a very silly, yet loving kiss on his lips before shouting, “I’ve got you now!”
 
Everyone around me laughed.
 
Well…almost everyone.

Sam’s face was still.
 
It was like the joy that was flowing through the tent was just passing around him instead of being absorbed like it was with everyone else.
 
I couldn’t understand how he could simply ignore the immense amount of affection that was radiating out, like he was numb to emotion as well as physical feeling.

“Are you ready for the reception, Grace?”

I turned to see Robert standing next to me, the row of seats now completely empty save for me and, I turned to look at Sam…he was gone!
 
I looked up at Robert, wondering if he’d seen his brother sitting next to me, heard our conversation.
 
So many questions were in my mind, in my eyes, and the only one that he answered was the only one that I really wanted to know.

“Grace, please understand that I was never in love with Eloise.
 
I loved her, of course I did.
 
She was electus patronus, it’s our duty to-”

“Electus what-us?
 
What are you talking about?” I interrupted.

“The electus patronus are the chosen guardians, those of certain families that have been selected to protect our identities, ease our way in your human world.
 
Those whom are here today have a family history that is about as long and old as this country, but they are merely the finger in the hand of those who seek to keep our secrets safe.
 
They are, in essence, our human family.”

“And Ellie was
—
is
—
an electus patronus,” I said, rather than asked, because he had already stated so.

“Yes,” he replied, “She’s been one since she was eighteen.
 
I met her for the first time on her nineteenth birthday, when mother, Lark, and I returned from a trip to Europe.
 
She was new, and sweet, and vivacious.
 
And, she knew everything that a human can learn about us so there were no secrets to keep, which made talking to her easy.
 
She made it easy to love her.

“But love isn’t a guarantee to happiness.
 
Obviously we weren’t suited, and definitely not destined.
 
She was looking for a complete future for herself, one that included marriage, and children, and housewarming parties.
 
I couldn’t offer those things to her, whether I wanted to or not, because those things are reserved for a special kind of love
—
the kind for hearts that are destined for each other, that have room inside of them for more than ambition and duty.
 
I tried to say that I wanted all of the same things that she did, but I couldn’t.
 
I cannot lie.

“But, Ellie wasn’t angry, or hurt.
 
She was devoted to her role as protector, committed, but she wanted a family, too.
 
She never questioned my decision to end our relationship, and, as she told me after the birth of her daughter, she was thankful to me for not being able to lie to her about what I wanted and give her a fool’s hope.”

I was, too.
 
I was incredibly, insanely, intensely glad.

He sat down next to me, chuckling as he did so, and motioned towards the larger tent where the guests were all seated, the celebratory atmosphere quite evident.
 
“Everyone in there are either electus patronus or one of my kind.
 
We are all tied together by birth, by blood, by right, by duty, and most importantly, by faith.
 

“You are the only one here who isn’t one of my kind or one of theirs and they all know it.
 
One of the reasons why I brought you here was because you mean a great deal to me, and I wanted everyone here to know that.”

“Including Ellie?” I asked.

“
Especially
Ellie.
 
But, more importantly, I wanted
you
to know that.
 
By bringing you here, I’m bringing you into
my
world.
 
I’ve told you some secrets, but this one involves more than just me, Grace.
 
Your knowing about this lets them know that I trust you enough to have put not just my entire life, but theirs as well in your hands.
 
You’re safe here.”

The enormity of his trust in me made me speechless.
 
His secret wasn’t just
his
secret to me anymore.
 
It was one that was shared by many, only they knew much, much more than I did.
 
What else did they know?
 
Did they like the fact that I now knew about them?
 
And more importantly, was I deserving of that trust?

And then, as if I were struck by lightning, the dawning of a simple truth hit me.
 
“You brought me here to protect me.”

He smiled, glad for my revelation.
 
“Yes.
 
Until you had been introduced to everyone, you’d always be considered a threat.”

“But why?”

“Because, quite simply, you mean more to me than just a moment of physical feeling.
 
You’ve touched my existence in a way that very few have, and you know that we angels are emotional beings
—
the slightest switch in how we feel can result in either incredible creation or great destruction.
 
You don’t know to what extent our strength and our abilities go-”

“Because you haven’t told me,” I interjected.

“Well, true, I haven’t.
 
You only know bits and pieces about us, and I apologize for the neglect in that area.
 
I owe you so much more in the way of being forthcoming, and I will be.
 
But that is for later.
 
Tonight is about other things.”

I couldn’t help but ask, “What other things?”

“It has a lot to do with Ellie, and you especially.
 
I wanted a human’s advice about you, advice I could trust, because I don’t understand your mind, your thoughts.
 
You think differently from everyone else, and I’m not talking about opinions and morals.
 
I’m talking about the actual way you think.
 
You’re a lot like us in some ways, because you actually compartmentalize your thoughts, put things in their own individual areas while thinking; you think about many things all at once, which is fascinating to find in a human.

“It’s also why you’re able to hide your thoughts.
 
I figured it out while Sam was talking to you.
 
You were thinking about so many things already, and when he told you about Ellie, it was like your mind had split into four corners.
 
The emotional, rational, logical, and cynical parts of your brain were warring with each other; it’s like you have a mental referee who separated them, and the empty space that lay in between was all that I could see and hear.”
 
Robert looked at me with amazement shining in his eyes, and I felt almost like some kind of science experiment that just won a ribbon at a fair.

“But, if you can’t see or hear anything, how do you know that’s how it is?”
 
I asked, skeptical, but then again, I couldn’t see in my own head the same things he did.
 
My memories were all in 2D while he could see everything in 4D.

Robert’s smug smile left me breathless as he answered my question, “I think it’s because you’re beginning to trust me.
 
Either that or I’ve started recognizing the signs, and can find a way to cling onto a thought in your mind until you’ve designated a place for it to go.”

“Robert,” I started, “I’m not sure I understand…”

The smug smile became sweet, and spread across his face.
 
“Let’s try a little experiment.
 
We’ll start with something simple.
 
I’ll give you two subjects, and I want to you think about both of them and then I want you to think about something else, anything.”

I nodded my head, and closed my eyes, preparing myself for whatever it was that he’d throw my way.
 
“Think about…fudgesicles and daffodils.”

I wanted to say something about the ridiculousness of those two items combined, but chose not to.
 
Instead, I thought about the frozen, fudge-flavored treats and the bright yellow flowers that were prevalent in Ohio
—
I thought about how much damage a melted fudgesicle could do to the dress that Robert had bought, and how out of place a bouquet of daffodils would look placed next to the sticky stain.
 
I pictured trying to get someone to dry clean the stain out and being told it cost more than my lab for Biology.
 
Thinking of Biology made me picture Mr. Branke’s face, and I suddenly felt ill.

“Grace?”

“Hmm?” I murmured, and realized that Robert was actually shaking me.
 
I opened my eyes and took in the gleeful expression on his face.

“You did it!” Robert cheered, pride beaming from his smile.
 
“That was amazing!
 
At first, all I could see was the fudgesicle in your mind.
 
The flowers appeared next, but then the two started to blend, and things started getting darker; your mind had gone completely blank
—
as though it had tuned out completely
—
but I knew that it hadn’t, because your face was so intense.
 
And then it looked…well, positively green.”