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GRANDMA LORI SHOUTS from a nearby room, “Chris, there's a friend here to see you!”
I'm in the middle of manifestation practice when I hear her calling to me. I've been practicing for two days, but my progress has been minimal. So far, I've managed to manifest a glove (one glove, not a pair), a pickle, and a broken, crumbly cookie. It wasn't even a good cookie. It was bland and stale.
I have no idea what “friend” she could be referring to. Jophiel's the only guy who comes close to being a friend of mine, and he's never visited me here. With a shrug, I emerge from my bedroom to see who my visitor is.
It's Archangel Haniel. I try not to look too shocked, but I'm pretty sure I'm failing. For one, my mouth is hanging open.
“Hello, Chris,” she greets me. “I hope it's alright that I came? Jophiel asked me to fetch you.”
“Uh... really?” I haven't heard from Jophiel or Haniel for the last two days. Haniel and I were supposed to go on a date, but I didn't want to seem pushy, so I've been waiting for her to contact me.
“Indeed. Jophiel mentioned that you wanted me to join you on a mission, so... here I am. I hope you don't mind if I come?”
“No. No no no no no no no.” I must say no at least a dozen times. “I don't mind at all. I would love if you came with us.”
“Good! I'm glad to hear it.” Haniel, who's sitting on one of the couches in our little apartment, sends a smile in my grandmother's direction. “Hello. I'm Archangel Haniel.”
“Hello, Honey,” Grandma says. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“That's a lovely offer, but I should probably pass. Jophiel really doesn't like to be kept waiting.” Haniel puts a hand on my Grandmother's shoulder. “I would love to stay longer, if I could. Perhaps I could visit again sometime?”
I don't think Grandma Lori realizes how unusual it is to have an Archangel in our house. She's only been here for two or three days, so she doesn't know how important they are. Tomorrow, she has her first day of spirit school. I wonder who her instructor will be?
“You're welcome to come around any time,” Grandma says. “It's so nice to see Chris with a girl. It's so rare.”
A sigh pours out of my throat—or maybe it's a grumble? I was just thinking to myself, I'm glad Grandma hasn't said anything to embarrass me. I guess that thought popped up in my head too soon.
“Well, Grandma, we should really get going!” I head to the door, grabbing my LightTab on the way out. “See you later!”
As soon as Haniel and I are alone in the hall, she says, “Your Grandmother seems nice.”
“She is... most of the time.” Haniel looks as gorgeous as ever. Her long brown hair is in pigtails, and she's wearing silver eyeliner. I've always thought she looked way too cool to be with a geek like me. Maybe that's why she hasn't contacted me for that date yet. She's too cool for me, and she knows it.
I assume she was listening to my thoughts, because she says, “I was waiting for you to contact me for the date.”
“Oh.” Heat surges into my face as her reply soaks in. “Um... m-maybe we can go somewhere tomorrow?” Of course, I had to stutter. I was never the most eloquent guy in the world. Hopefully she won't hold it against me.
“I would love that,” Haniel says, but I'm sure she's just being nice. I can't imagine anyone would actually love to go on a date with me, especially Archangel Haniel. “Are you ready to meet up with Jophiel? If you don't mind, I'm going to take us straight to Archangel Tower.”
“That's fine with me.” I barely have a chance to reply before she transports us to the hall in front of Jophiel's office. Dazed by the sudden change of scenery, I ask, “So... at what point will I learn how to warp?”
“It might be awhile,” Haniel says. “A lot of students finish spirit school before they learn how to warp. They pick up the skill on the job.”
“So... I shouldn't feel bad if I can't do it yet?”
“Not at all.”
Haniel taps on Jophiel's door and waits for his very unenthusiastic, “Enter.” He always sounds miserable when I come around. If I didn't know any better, I would think he hates me.
Jophiel jumps from his chair as soon as he sees us. “Ah, Chris. Hello again. Did you enjoy your break? More importantly... are you beside yourself with joy now that Haniel's with us?”
I don't say anything, I just give him my best glare, which is far less intimidating than Jophiel's weakest glare. My crush on Haniel is no secret, but I wish he wouldn't tease me in front of her.
“Relax!” Jophiel exclaims. “You don't have to be so sheepish, Pho. Our lovely Haniel is flattered by the attention, I'm sure. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get right to it.”
Jophiel doesn't give us a chance to reply; instead, he warps us to a new location. Suddenly, we're in a little boy's bedroom. Legos hide in the carpet, anime posters litter the wall, and there's an impressive collection of toy trucks.
“There's our new charge,” Jophiel says, directing our attention to the little boy buried under a mountain of bedsheets and blankets. “Haniel, would you like to read from the LightTab, or should I?”
Haniel swipes her LightTab's screen and reads a few statistics about our new charge. “This is Billy Worth. He's ten years old, he's originally from England, and his parents moved into this house a few months ago. They decided to hop the pond and move to Pittsburgh when Billy's mother was offered a better job.”
“He looks... sad,” I observe. Billy has shaggy ginger hair. That's all I can see because most of his face is buried under the blankets. “Is he sick or something? Why is he in bed?”
“He doesn't appear to be sick,” Haniel says.
Taking out my quartz crystal, I say, “Are you sure? He's wrapped himself in a cocoon, but it's not that cold in here.”
We need to figure out what our mission is, so I take the reins and try to read his mind. I'm surprised by how easy it is. As soon as I have the crystal in my hand, Billy's thoughts flood into my head. I can't even make it stop.
“He wants a friend,” I report to Haniel and Jophiel. “Ever since he moved here, he's been teased a lot, and he hasn't made any friends yet.”
I can relate to this mission more than any other. I've struggled to find friends my whole life—and afterlife.
“Well done, Pho,” Jophiel praises me. “You're getting better and better and reading minds. Can you tell us anything else?”
I squeeze the quartz crystal and try to listen some more. About a minute later, I update them. “He's been having a lot of nightmares lately. Apparently, they've really been bothering him.”
“Then... perhaps we should look into the source of these nightmares as well,” Jophiel suggests. “More often than not, if someone is plagued by excessive nightmares, there's usually a reason.”
“Maybe it's the bullying?” Haniel suggests. “That would trouble anyone.”
Jophiel says, “Perhaps. But I think there's more to it than that... at least, that's what I'm sensing.”
While Jophiel and Haniel are talking, my eyes are pulled to the doorway. There's something standing behind them. I'm not sure how to describe it, and I've definitely never seen anything like it before. It looks like a huge spider, three feet tall, but its body is made of smoke.
“Uh... guys?” I try to get their attention, to point out the spider, but they're too focused on their conversation.
“What sort of friend do you think he'd like?” Haniel asks. “Personally, I think we should look for a girl. They're kinder than boys... for the most part.” Glancing at me, she adds, “Chris is the exception.”
“Boys and girls aren't usually friends, though. Not at his age,” Jophiel says.
“That isn't true!”
As they bicker, I watch the smoke-spider creep into the room. “Guys!” I shout, pointing at the creature.
Jophiel and Haniel finally see the spider, but neither of them look too concerned.
“Well...” As she speaks, Haniel's hand moves to the hilt of her sword—she always carries it with her. “That would explain the nightmares, I suppose. It seems we have a haunting on our hands.”