Falling (The Falling Angels Saga) (37 page)

On the last Friday before Christmas break, these “should have dones” haunted me like the ghost of Christmas forever. I found myself weighed down by the chains of regret, melancholy, and self-doubt.

The Poplarati had declared that the holiday begin a day early this year, on Thursday rather than Friday. While the Poplarati had no power to create school policy, most students took advantage of the declaration, rendering G. U. a ghost town on Friday morning. There was no early holiday for us AP students, however. Even though the lesson plans had all been taught, the pre-holiday exams all taken, we AP students showed up at school as we did every day, like automatons.

Friday morning when I arrived, I peered around the near-vacant locker area. The last time I’d seen the locker area so deserted on a regular school day was Ditch Day. Suddenly, thoughts of Ditch Day came surging in like the roiling tide: the Ditch Day party I’d never before been invited to, but was invited to this past spring, the ruffians, led by Danny Tambor who came to crash the party, and how easily Guy alone dealt with them.

The thought that rang out the loudest, however, was of Guy taking me in his arms and dancing with me. Once again I remembered swaying to the music in his arms, and the delicious warmth that radiated off of him. Dancing, that was another thing for my list of “should have dones.” We should have danced more. The Ditch day party was the one and only time we danced together.

Maudrina arrived soon after. She was particularly chatty that morning, which was good, since it aided in concealing my somberness.

“Curtis and I are going caroling tonight with some other kids. You
have
to come along.”

“You can’t sing,” I said. “You’re always going on about how you can’t hold a note.”

“That’s the great thing about singing in a large group. All I have to do is move my lips. No one will know how bad I am. And if I stand next to a really good singer, and exhibit the proper emotions, everyone will think it’s me with that great voice, which is another reason you have to come. You’ve got a really good voice.”

I laughed. Maudrina had it all figured out. If only I did.

When the bell rang, I promised to meet up with Maudrina for lunch, and I wandered off to first period statistics. At least that’s what I was supposed to do, yet before I knew it, I was standing in an empty stairwell. I guess it wasn’t such a big surprise I was there. I’d found myself in the little used stairwell quite often lately.

This was our stairwell—our kissing stairwell. I breathed in deeply, and it was almost as if I could smell him there with me. The presence of Guy was all around me. A lonely tear leaked from my eye and wandered down my cheek.
It’s Christmas
, I told myself.
Christmas is a happy time.
You’re not going to cry
. The door behind me swished open, and the person who entered stopped. 

“There you are.”

The sound of the familiar voice startled me out of my reverie. I spun around. Standing before me was Roxanne, Rocky, the angel. Her golden hair was up in a tight bun. A chill began creeping up my back and arms. I was staring at her trying not to think the worst, but when I looked into her eyes, they weren’t smiling back at me.

Guy didn’t make it.

The thought had never occurred to me. I knew how badly he was injured when he left. Yet I was certain Guy had healed and was thriving in heaven, thriving with Roxanne. However, with Roxanne standing before me, I became filled with dread.

“Guy,” I drawled, his name coming out a tortured breath.

“What? Oh, he’s fine,” Roxanne said, and then she smiled. “I’m sorry. You thought he was… No, no, nothing could be further from the truth. He’s fine.”

I exhaled in relief. The relief was short-lived because if Guy were truly fine, why was Roxanne, his betrothed, standing before me?

“There is… something I need to discuss with you,” she said looking serious again.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“Guy has gone back on his promise,” she said, her tone shifting to one of disappointment.

I heard her words, but I had no idea what she meant by them. “What do you mean?”

“He’s refusing to stay in heaven.” Again, I heard the disappointment creeping in. “He insists he won’t do God’s bidding any longer. He’s been making quite a nuisance of himself. The council is trying to hold him to his word, but he won’t have it. And Megan, I wound up going against the council of angels and agreeing with him, so they’re not happy with me, either.”

My head was spinning. I felt as though it was literally going to fly off my shoulders. I was so confused. Guy was fine. But was she telling me he was being punished or that he was being sent to hell? Or was she telling me I was going to see him again? The weight of all these questions kept my mind reeling. I grabbed hold of the banister for support. “Where is he?” I finally asked. My mouth was desert dry.

“Before I answer that, I have to ask you a question.”

“Okay.” I could feel my heart rate speeding up again.

“You’re so young, Megan. You’re so very young. I have observed that the promises girls make when they’re sixteen are promises rarely kept.”

“If you’re asking me if I will always love him—”

“Let me finish. Please. Remember when you told me to take good care of him? I did. I took exceptional care of him, and now I must ask you to do the same thing.”

I wanted to pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a dream because it was sounding more and more as if Guy would be returning to me.

“Guy is no good to heaven if he is unhappy,” Roxanne continued. “He’s no good to me, either, I’m afraid.” Her voice wavered momentarily. “I believed that once he returned to heaven, and I helped nurse him back to good health for a second time,” her eyes narrowed at me, “that he would return to the old ways, fall back in lockstep with the angels. I knew he would always love you. Love is new to me, you see. I guess I didn’t understand how powerful true love can be. God wants happiness for all his creations, angels included.”

I could hold my tongue no longer. “What’s the question?” I blurted. “Please! You’re torturing me.”

Her eyes widened in momentary surprise. “I apologize for being so long-winded.” She took a breath. “I know you love Guy. Today. But heaven wants your assurance that even if this love should end, that you and Guy will work together as emissaries of heaven on earth for the rest of your natural lives.”

“Emissaries of heaven? I have no idea what that means. But I can assure you right here, our love
won’t
end. Not in my lifetime, anyway.”

A smile materialized on Roxanne’s lips. “I knew you’d say that. I believe you, but I have to ask what I’ve been assigned to ask. As emissaries of heaven, it means that heaven may call on you one day to help with a problem here on Earth. I need your assurance that if that day should come, both you and Guy will agree to work with us on our behalf.”

There is always a price for love
, I thought. If this was the price to have Guy back, it was one I would happily pay.

“Anything. If Guy can be here with me, heaven can call on me, on us, any day, any time.”

“That’s what I needed to hear,” she replied, all business. Then her mood shifted, her eyes grew heavy. “Then he is allowed to return to you. Take good care of him, Megan,” she said her voice dipping.

“I will,” I breathed.

She nodded. I thought I saw her eyes begin to fill with tears. “I know you will. Love,” she mused. “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand it,” she said, although I believed she understood it quite well.

“Where is he?”

She gestured toward the stairwell door. “Out there. You can go to him now.”

Without a goodbye, I rushed past Roxanne out into the corridor. I gaped up and down the empty corridor. “Where?” I asked, turning back to the stairwell. Roxanne was gone. That’s when I heard banging. Someone was banging on a locker down the hall.
Bang, bang, bang!
A smile as wide as Texas spread across my face.

I began sprinting down the hall toward the lockers, and with each step several links in the chain of regret, melancholy and self-doubt fell away. By the time I reached the locker area, I was totally unburdened. I felt as light as a feather.

I arrived and found Guy standing there, banging on the locker opposite mine, just as I’d found him the morning after I’d first met him all those many months ago, gorgeous as ever in a white tee and jeans.

“Having a problem?” I asked, just as I’d asked on that day all those months ago.

Guy turned to me and smiled his smile. My heart fluttered when I saw he was totally healed, back to his old self. “I’m sure I remember the combination, but this dumb locker still won’t open.”

“Maybe that’s because that’s my boyfriend’s locker,” I said, improving upon the dialogue of all those months ago.

Guy looked at me, his eyes shining. “Perhaps if I had a key?”

“You don’t need a key to open that lock, Guy,” I said, my voice growing husky. I took a step toward him. “Everything within already belongs to you.”

His smile slowly fell away, his expression turning serious. “I tried to honor my promise to you, Megan. I tried to stay away, I really did.”

Tears sprang into my eyes. “And I tried to be happy, just as I promised, but it didn’t work.”

“I know. Same here,” he whispered, his own eyes washing with tears. “Seems we’re failures at these kinds of promises.”

I nodded, a small smile gracing my lips. “I can promise all I want, but in the end, I have to follow my heart. And my heart keeps leading me back to you.” The words crawled up my parched throat.

“Then I guess we should try and make a go of this happily-ever-after thing I’ve heard so much about. Huh?” He was smiling again, and in that smile I saw the light of eternal love glowing big and bright.

“Oh, yes,” I said in one rapturous breath. Then I moved to him and dissolved into his arms. He held me powerfully, more powerfully than he’d ever held me before. It was as if he never wanted to let me go. I said a silent prayer that he never would.

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream

-Edgar Allen Poe

The End

Writing a series is no easy feat without the assistance of many friends, family, and readers to help ensure the storytelling rings true. I'd like to thank everyone who helped with this series from the beginning.  A special acknowledgement goes to our art director, Jayde, whose redesign of the original book cover—and the new ones since—is responsible for attracting so many new fans to the series.

E.
V
an Lowe
is an author, a television writer, screenwriter, playwright, and producer who has worked on shows such as
The Cosby Show, Even Stevens
, and
Homeboys in Outer Space
. He has been nominated for an Emmy and an Academy Award. The
Falling Angels Saga
 has become his bestselling series. 

Visit E at his website
www.evanlowe.com
.