Anne had managed to shut off her alarm before it was set to wake her up. She didn’t want to wake Kale up from his sleep. He was getting little as of late. He was tossing and turning a lot lately these past couple of months. The size of the dorm beds was not conducive for two people, so the movement was really noticeable. It didn’t really matter though, because she enjoyed lying next to him. Anne nestled closer to him as he squeezed his arm around her stomach. She could not help but to smile. Anne peeked over at his roommate who was sleeping soundly in the bed on the other side of the room. Kameron was a nice guy, but she didn’t know too much about him as he pretty much kept to himself. She managed to slowly move Kale’s arm from around her as she picked up her shoes. She grabbed her keys for the car, trying not to make any sounds. It was a half hour drive before she got home, and she had to get ready for her advanced class on religious history.
She leaned over and kissed Kale on the forehead, “I gotta go.”
Kale murmured, “Do you have to? What time is it?”
“5:30 in the morning. I have my early class today,” Anne answered. “I will call you when I get done.”
Kale winced as he rolled over. He opened his eyes and smiled. He ran his fingers through her wavy brown hair. “Dinner tonight?” He playfully pushed on the center of her glasses.
She kissed his hands, “I will pick you up at five.” She smiled at him as he returned in kind.
“Can’t wait.” He tried to get up to kiss Anne, but she pushed him down.
“No, no, you stay down,” Anne bent over to kiss him instead. The two kissed as she had a hard time saying good-bye. She giggled as he tried to keep her close to him, “I really need to go.”
***
Mole smiled at Anne because she was cute as a button as she tried not to disturb his roommate with her leaving. He still got a tingling rush as she blew him a kiss goodbye, giggling. He knew she had to go to class. It still didn’t make watching her leave any easier. She quietly shut the door and he laid in bed debating if he would start trying to get up. He had the energy; the problem was every morning it was getting more and more painful for him to get out of bed. His back was completely stiff, and it hurt him to walk until his back got warmed up a bit. He heard his roommate start to roll over as he turned off his alarm. Mole liked Kameron as far as he knew of him. He just did his thing. He went to the gym, class, gym, studying, and bed, that’s all he knew of him. That, and the fact he was from a small town north of New York. Kameron got up and gave a nod as he got into his bathrobe and headed to the community bathroom.
Mole tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot from his back. He continued to lie in bed waiting for the pain to subside before he attempted to get out again. He rolled over to his side so he could swing his legs onto the floor. He took a moment for more pain to leave. Once the sensation dissipated, he limped over to his desk where he grabbed some pain medication. He took the dosage prescribed as he stretched his back out. It took a bit for him to warm up his back before he could walk normally, but he really needed to be careful not to overdo it throughout the day.
He put on his bathrobe which Anne had put over his chair at his desk. She must have used it when she took a shower last night as Mole was sleeping. He really appreciated the sacrifices she was making to keep their relationship going. At least once during the week she would spend the night over in his dorm room and meet up four to five times a week for dinner, studying together, or just to hang out.
The door opened and Kameron came in as Mole walked to the bathroom. The sound of a door opening down the hall caught Mole’s attention. A blonde girl who was obviously wearing the same clothes she wore last night was sneaking out of the room. She gave him a quick embarrassed smile as she walked barefoot down the hallway, holding her high heels. Mole smiled in return and continued to get ready for his day.
***
Alex walked into her shared apartment with Komptin at her side. She was sure to be quiet because she didn’t know if Anne and Brenda were sleeping or not. Brenda was a roommate who had answered an ad Anne placed in the student lounge at her school. Alex didn’t really care for her too much; she was nice but not too smart. Brenda reminded Alex of a typical California Valley Girl. She talked like a ditz and she looked down at people she didn’t think were up to her standard.
Anne offered the master bedroom of the house to Alex so she would have enough room for Komptin. Alex used her skills to quietly sneak past the two other rooms. The door squeaked when Alex opened it. Komptin jumped on the bed and got comfortable. Alex thought it was ironic because her side effect from being a Lite Sentry was in full swing. She hadn’t slept for two years, but her furry companion over there could sleep at a drop of a hat. She actually missed the feeling of being tired and falling asleep in a nice, warm bed. The only time Alex got into the bed was to read or if she hooked up with someone for the night. Other than that, Komptin had it made, and he was not shy about taking advantage of it.
Komptin went immediately to bed and started to snore. Alex got undressed and put her bathrobe on to get ready to jump in the shower. She sat down at the foot of the bed so Komptin could put his head on her lap. She scratched her faithful companion behind the ears. He slowly opened his eyes into a sad stare. Alex got up to see what he was looking at so intently through the window. The fall months kept the mornings dark and the stars out later. Alex gazed upon the purple star shining bright for only her and Komptin to see. “I miss him too,” Alex said. She sat back down on the bench at the foot of the bed and hugged her dog. “I hope I am doing him proud.” Komptin licked Alex on the cheek. Alex laughed. “Gross.” She ruffled him up a bit and Komptin playfully tried to bite her hands. “I gotta get ready for class.” She got up to take a shower. She got undressed and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked at the scar on the side of her neck. An infiltrator had possessed Sara’s dad, making him into a demon. Alex hunted him down and during their fight he dug his claw into her neck. Then she looked over some of the other scars. Most of them were faint but one or two were quite noticeable. She wondered how anybody would accept her as a Sentry.
***
Anne got out of her car and buttoned up her coat. The fall mornings were cold; she was more of a heat girl. The warm weather made her feel comfortable. She didn’t like the cold. She locked her car and walked into the apartment. She heard Alex in her room getting ready for the day. She didn’t know if Brenda was up or not, so she wanted to keep quiet as she put her keys down on the table next to the door. She looked through the mail and she saw nothing really of importance to her. It was mainly bills and pamphlets. Being this close to multiple colleges caused a lot of junk mail to come to their house. Environmental pamphlets, political pamphlets, drug legalization pamphlets; Anne just found them annoying. The only thing of interest was a package for Alex.
She opened the internet bill and then the utility bill. She was fortunate in her situation. Her dad had bought the apartment as an investment. Anne didn’t have to pay anything as long as she was responsible, Alex lucked out as the church paid for her bills, and Brenda was irresponsible in some ways, but she always paid her share of the food and bills. Anne grabbed the junk mail she collected and walked into the kitchen to throw it in the recycle bin. She was hungry so she went back to her usual quick meal, English Muffin with peanut butter and honey. Kale had introduced her to this quick breakfast, and she fell in love with it. She had it pretty much every morning with a cup of coffee and some sort of fruit. She sat down and started to read some of her notes for her class.
Alex came into the kitchen wearing her school uniform minus the blazer. Anne always found it amusing seeing her wear a Catholic school uniform with her long, black woven hair and dark make up.
“Morning,” Alex said, grabbing an Apollo drink out of the refrigerator.
Anne replied back with a pleasant, “Good morning, how was your night?”
“Weird,” Alex said. “I ran into a creature I hadn’t seen since high school.”
Anne’s heart stopped, she immediately thought of Roger and that night where he had almost killed Kale and probably herself as well. If it wasn’t for Alex and Komptin, Anne and Kale would not be here today.
Alex recognized the fear in Anne’s eyes. “Relax,” she said. “It wasn’t Roger—not even an infiltrator.” Alex grabbed a bowl and some kiddie sugary cereal. “It was that weird, misty thing that hung around Vandor.”
Anne just watched Alex eat her cereal as she read the back of the cereal box. “You don’t seem too worried about it.”
“I’ve learned not to worry about such things, otherwise I drive myself insane,” she said.
Anne could see that. A person must live their life, otherwise focusing on the bad will just drive a person over the edge. “You have always had a strong viewpoint on life. By the way, there’s a package by the door. I saw it when I came home from Kale’s dorm room.”
“Oh, goody. I ordered these new sets of vacuuming seal bags. It’s going to save a ton of room.
Anne just smiled at her.
“How’s Kale?” Alex continued to read the back of the cereal box.
“He’s fine,” Anne answered. “I still think he is trying too hard and he wants to go back to where he was in high school. I can see sometimes his back and knees hurt him more than he tries to let on.” Anne just shook her head.
Alex bit into her cereal, “Do you think I should tell him?” She continued to look at the back of the box.
“Tell who what?” Brenda asked, coming into the kitchen wearing skimpy pajama bottoms and a tank top.
“Telling Mole, I broke his sunglasses,” Alex quickly covered herself. She was finishing up her cereal. She looked at her watch. “I need to get going.” She put her bowl into the dishwasher and grabbed a piece of cooked steak from the fridge. Alex could see Brenda was looking at her. “It’s for Komptin.”
Anne heard Alex call for Komptin and the two of them left for school. Brenda grabbed the cereal still left on the table. “You know, I just don’t know how like that girl can eat like she does and maintain being so skinny,” Brenda commented. She put the cereal away and took an apple and yogurt and sat down across from Anne.
“Some people just have that ability,” Anne said. She turned the page on her notes. Her phone chimed letting her know a message came in from Kale. She opened it to a picture of him in the shower covering his “Little Mole,” as he liked to call it, with a bar of soap. Anne could feel her face turn red.
“What?” Brenda asked.
“Just a message from Kale,” Anne said quickly, closing the picture.
“You know, Anne, he is, like, a real keeper. You better keep a tight rein on that one,” she said, dipping her apple in her yogurt.
“We’ve been together since high school,” Anne pointed out.
“Exactly my point,” Brenda said. “You don’t think being around those other girls over there got him tempted in straying?”
“Nope,” Anne said in confidence as she turned the page of her notes.
“Like, don’t ya think all men are the same?” Brenda asked her as she took a spoonful of yogurt. “I’m just saying none of them can be trusted.”
Anne took her comments with a grain of salt. Brenda had a habit of picking the typical jock cliché. Those guys would hook up with her because she was an attractive girl, but really naïve. Anne believed the guys would get tired of her and then leave or cheat. At times, Anne really felt sorry for her.
“I need to get going to class,” Anne said. “Have a good day.”
***
Alex put the service dog harness on Komptin. She knew he hated it. It was necessary for him to wear it. The church pushed it through that he was her service dog. Alex never knew the justification they used, but she just told people she was severely anxious from an attack she had been in. It wasn’t a total lie; she had been attacked numerous times. People normally didn’t push because she had the scars to prove it. She clipped the leash on him. “Sorry,” she scratched his ears.
They walked into the school building where she ran into one of the priests. “Alexandria.”
“Father,” Alex replied. Alex was not really in mood for a confrontation. Father Carl was not a fan of Alex. She never understood why. Alex maintained a “B” average, she was never late for any of her classes, and she was, for the most part, being good.
Father Carl just looked at Komptin. Alex could tell he was refraining from voicing his personal feeling about the dog being in the school. “I’m keeping tabs on you.”
Alex was shocked, “Me? What did I do?”
“I don’t know…yet. But I would like to talk to you after your first class,” Father Carl told her.
Alex gave him a sarcastic smile back, “Can’t wait.”
“And watch that attitude young lady,” he told her. “It’s not the type of behavior we are known for or will accept if you ever want to graduate from this well-known prestigious school.”
The first thing Alex thought of was, “I wonder if I’m on sacred ground?” She felt a small tingle in her arm as she could generate Lite. “Good to know,” she said out loud.
“Excuse me?” Father Carl turned around.
“I said it was good to know that you think I have an attitude problem,” she said to him. “Nice to know where I stand.”
“We’ll talk about this in my office after your first class,” he said walking away, inspecting the hallway for cleanliness.
Alex looked up at the ceiling, “Just one time?” She lifted her finger in the air and lit it up. She playfully looked around for a sign of permission. “Didn’t think so.”
***
Sanah prayed in the corner of his little apartment. As he finished his prayers, he noticed that he could feel himself getting a bit hungry. He completed his prayer and rolled up his prayer rug to carefully put it away. This cherished rug had been given to him by his father when Sanah got married. He closed the door to the closet and had a sudden urge for some fried chicken. He never had it before coming to America, but he fell in love with the herbs and spices they used. He would order a bucket at least once a month. He placed the prayer rug in his room on the chair. He walked into the living room where he turned on the TV to watch an American Football team play, or as they called it, Soccer. He watched it and was amazed how bad the team actually was. His son could have beaten any of these “elite” American players.
He looked out the window where he saw how he missed the warm desert mornings. The morning sun caused the light to show neon pink in the sky. Here in America, the days just went from light to dark. Sanah walked into the bathroom to get ready to take a shower before he headed out. After he took his shirt off, he just sat and stared at each of his markings. Each scar on his body brought back flashes of the battles he had endured. Most of them were from infiltrators’ claws digging into his body, the bad ones were from demons. It seemed each scar was a reminder of the life he had chosen. He closed his eyes and prayed.
He walked over to the table where he started to write a letter earlier in the day to his wife and son who were left in the warmth of the desert to continue his mission in America.
My dear,
Almost three months have passed since I left the Holy Land to fight on the new front. Each passing day I think of your smile and Assan’s laugh, it helps me make it through the day. I know a letter in this day and age seems to be as ancient as the war itself, but it adds a sense of closeness to you. The time and emotion I can put onto paper I feel will be better transferred onto you; it will show my love for you and our son. I hope to be home soon, I’m getting tired, but I know what I do, I do it for you and our child. My love will be with you always.
Sanah
Sanah found an envelope hidden behind some papers in the cabinet. He made a mental reminder to himself that he really should clean out his boxes and get things organized. He found a working pen and addressed the envelope, sealing it with a kiss. He put the letter in the inside pocket of his coat as he buttoned it up to protect himself from the cold. He wanted to make sure the letter got to its destination and the neighborhood he lived in caused him not to trust the inhabitants with such a sentimental item. Sanah tightened his coat as he got ready to head to the other side of town to mail his letter. He walked by a man giving a girl some white substance in a baggie. Sanah was hoping it was sugar for some baking she was doing but unfortunately, he knew what it was. He continued to walk as three other girls approached Sanah, asking if he was lonely. He kindly rejected them, hoping he didn’t disrespect or offend them. A group of young males were playing loud music. They were cursing every other word near a stairwell. This was what the world was coming to.
He stopped at the bus stop waiting for it to arrive. He patiently looked down the street hoping to catch a glimpse of it. He really didn’t want to stay there long. He could feel the air around him start to tense as people tried to stay their distance but not to make it look like they were. It was probably out of guilt knowing they shouldn’t have such a prejudice against him for being Middle Eastern. He shrugged it off as he reminded himself he was chosen to help these people by fighting forces that they are completely ignorant of. He envied that.
Sanah managed to find an empty spot next to a young, pregnant woman. He smiled at her as he sat down next to her. She smelled of smoke and stale beer. He quietly prayed for the wellbeing of the child, knowing that the child was in for a rough life. He reached into another pocket and pulled out a book. He started to read a fantasy novel about dragons and wizards battling evil; something he could relate to. He double checked his letter to his wife and child before indulging in the pleasure of escaping to fantasy.
***
Alex waited outside Father Carl’s office with Komptin on her side. The secretary just sat at her computer, continuing to type. The sounds of the keyboard were the only noise that was emanating within the office. Alex didn’t even know why she was in here. She thought for sure that the church had cleared everything with school regarding Komptin. She started to pet her dog as she saw the secretary occasionally looking up at her.
She was in mid-to-late forties and from what Alex could tell she, too, was not a fan of Alex. Alex just mentally rolled her eyes as she went to her phone to text Anne that she was in Father Carl’s office; for what, she did not know. Anne just replied with a sad face emoji with a “good luck” following. Komptin lifted his head up and looked to the door, giving Alex a warning that Father Carl was about to enter the lobby area. She started to grab her things as she got up to go into his office.
He opened the door, “You can leave them there, Ms. Johnson,” he pointed to the chairs.
Alex took a quick second to regain herself as she put them down. She started to walk towards the office with Komptin following her.
“The dog doesn’t need to come in either,” Father Carl said.
Alex could feel her face start to turn red. She knew Father Carl was studying her to see what she was going to do next. The two seemed to stare at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. She decided not to say anything but just motioned to Komptin to sit by the door to wait for her. He laid down next to the door with his head up and ears perked. Alex could tell he knew that she was uneasy, and he didn’t like it.
“Are we good with that?” she asked Father Carl. She honestly wasn’t trying to start anything with him, but it naturally came out.
“You can leave that attitude out here as well. Now, come inside, young lady,” he turned and sat behind his massive desk.
Alex sat down on the chair, getting ready for whatever was about to come.
“I didn’t say you could sit,” Father Carl told her, still standing at his desk.
Alex stood up and faced him. He looked at her and sat down. He grabbed his notebook and started to review some notes he had. She continued to stand looking at him, trying to see what he was looking at.
“Who is Father Tom Altomer?”
“He is the Administrative Priest that I report to,” Alex said. “Why?”
“I will ask the questions,” Father Carl informed her of the rules.
Alex started to look around the office. She couldn’t believe she was in this office being treated as a delinquent of some sort. She noticed an old painting on an easel next to his library hutch. It was a young girl with a lighted sword fending off dark shadows. Behind her was a gated town with a man and his dog at the gates. She had to do a double take as the man in the picture had a resemblance of Osiah with Komptin. She tried thinking how she could get a picture on her phone of the painting.
Father Carl caught her staring at it. “The painting was found in an old church in a small town in England. The angel is protecting that peasant by the gates. The art department is going to clean it before being sent to the church that is sponsoring you.”
Alex prevented a smile as she knew she was going to see that painting again. “Maybe the peasant is training her,” she suggested. Memories of her former mentor raced through her mind when he was teaching her to survive this war.
Father Carl just shook his head out of disbelief. “You really have no sense of discipline in you, do you? You have no idea what true sacrifice is; to truly put yourself out there for something bigger than yourself,” he scolded her. He just continued to stare at a folder with Alex’s name on it.
“You mean like fighting a war and watching your family come close to death or failing to save the ones from the hand of pure evil itself? While continuing to fight an endless battle with no appreciation from those who don’t even know it’s happening...yep, no idea,” Alex said to him as she continued to stare at the painting. Next to the painting was a hutch with pictures of a young Father Carl in uniform in a desert location.
Father Carl spoke, “Ever know anyone that served the Armed Forces?”
“No, not exactly,” Alex informed him.
“I was in the Marines for 12 years, Chaplain Corp. I’ve seen a lot of people lose and gain their faith during war. God tests us, makes sure we maintain the course.”
Alex snickered, “Really, that’s what you think? He tests us?”
Father Carl lost his composure, “I spent my entire adult life serving Him and mankind. Who the blazes do you think you are?”
Alex was taken aback, “Father, I really don’t know what you are talking about?”
“I see you don’t have your dog with you,” he pointed out.
“You told me not bring him in here,” Alex said, raising her voice a little, pointing to the door.
“You tone down your voice when you are speaking to the Head Priest of this School!” he firmly raised his voice over hers. “Now sit down,” he sternly commanded.
Alex sat down. She just wanted to Lite Beam Father Carl through the drywall.
“There’s something I don’t trust about you. St. Thomas Aquinas, a very big and respectable cathedral, sponsored you to come to this school, free of tuition, pushed that dog paperwork through for PTSD…doesn’t really seem like you need it.”
“The PTSD comes and goes,” Alex’s lip tightened.
“I’m not done. Now I, personally, was requested by Cardinal Joseph via Father Altomer to monitor your classwork, attendance, and how did he put it, general well-being,” Father Carl looked at his notes before slamming them on the desk.
Alex just raised her eyebrows and looked to the side, full well knowing that the church was keeping tabs on her but she couldn’t really say anything. “Maybe it’s because they are paying my tuition that they feel they should know how their investment is.”
“Investment?” Father Carl was shocked. “You really think you are an asset to the church? Possibly what could you do for our church?”
Alex tightened her lip and decided it would be best to keep quiet.
“When you get home, you look in the mirror; this long, black, fake hair, dark makeup, and wearing collars, and tell me if you see a good Catholic.”
“I’m not Catholic,” Alex pointed out.
Father Carl was on the verge of saying something he was going to regret. He took a moment to regain his self-control. “Ms. Johnson, I don’t like the fact that you are taking a school slot that you didn’t deserve; I’ve seen your high school transcripts. I don’t like the fact that you have that dog in my school, I don’t like the fact that you have some sort of special pull with a powerful church; and frankly I don't like your attitude.”
“Is there anything you do like about me?” Alex asked him. She waited for an answer, but he didn’t give her one. “Shocker.”
“To put it bluntly, I don’t think you belong here. Frankly speaking, I’m just waiting for you to screw up. Which I don’t think it would be long,” he told her. “Prove me wrong.”
“You are a priest, right? I just want to make sure here,” Alex said getting up. “I thought you people were supposed to give people chances.” She looked at him right in the eye. “Are we done? Because I’d like to grab something to eat before I have to go to work tonight. You know, doing nothing to help the church.”
“You're dismissed,” Father Carl told her, going back to sit down behind.
Alex shook her head and left the office, shutting the door behind her. “Jackass,” she said. She looked over at the secretary who was shaking her head with disgust at Alex. “Oh, bite me,” she told the secretary. She gathered her things and walked out the door. She whistled for Komptin as he got up and followed her out of the building.
***
Alex and Komptin decided to walk through the park after class. It was a nice, brisk day and Alex wanted to enjoy the breeze and calm herself down. She strolled down the walking path where people were out with their tables trying to sell their agenda or even some merchandise. She stopped at a table which was selling leather products. She found a small, studded bracelet that was soft on the inside and pretty tough on the outside. It was a bit expensive, but she didn’t mind paying for it. She was pretty sure the church would frown on her using the money they paid her to purchase such an item, but she didn’t care. She was feeling a bit rebellious right now. It was against school policy to have that on in uniform so she made sure to show it off for everyone to see.
“Thank you,” she said to the vendor. She turned around and was approached by a guy who definitely had his fair share of earthly herbs. “Excuse me,” she said to him.
“Hey man, you wanna support our cause to legalize the greatest gift ever,” he handed her a pamphlet. “The government just keeps illegal because they make money from the anti-pot programs.” He raised his hands in the air. “Power the Pot.”
Alex just shook her head as she took the pamphlet just to get him to shut up. She walked two steps until she was hit with another guy talking about how helping to rid the world of fossil fuels would save the planet for future generations. Alex was now getting annoyed; she grabbed the pamphlet and started to walk off. She then got hit with another person talking about how the wealthy one percent was keeping the ninety-nine percent suppressed while they got richer. Alex snatched the pamphlet and bumped shoulders with the guy, “Excuse me.” She quickly got away. She looked down at Komptin, “I thought you were supposed to protect me.” She then ran into another girl who approached Alex. She handed her a pamphlet with an upside down 4 on it. The initials F.O.R were on the cover. She seized the pamphlet and placed it with the others. “Ugh!” She grudged.
She finally got away from the crowd. She noticed a group of people leaving a table under a tree. She motioned Komptin to go seize it. Komptin ran to the table and jumped on it. He barked as he playfully guarded the table before Alex could join him at the table.
“Hey, get that dog off the table,” a park attendant yelled.
Alex rolled her eyes. “Come on, boy,” she said. “I don’t need to have another authority figure mad at me for no reason.” Komptin jumped down and found a place to lie down in the sun. Alex sat down at the table and pulled out an energy drink and a candy bar. She opened up her schoolbooks and read into her assignment.
Alex’s nerves went up when Komptin raised his head and flashed his eyes. She looked around to her left, the right, behind her, and then out from the crowd she saw a beautiful, blonde woman approach her with two identical girls. It was Celestial with Ariel and Devine. They approached the table and Alex did a slow nod with her head.
“Hello, my child,” Celestial said to her as she approached the table.
“Hello,” Alex said, putting down her pen and standing up. “Ariel, Devine.”
The two of them responded to her by a nod.
“It is nice to see you,” Alex said. “It has been a while.”
“It has, really has,” she said. Komptin came up to Celestial. She knelt down to pet him. She generated something for him to eat from her hand. “Nice to see you both as well.” She looked up at Alex who was staring at the people.
“Are you doing all right, Alexandria?” Celestial asked her, giving her a loving smile.
“Just a bad day at school,” Alex told her. “Pretty much got in trouble for being a Lite Sentry.” Alex saw Celestial look at her with a bit of worry on her face. “Don’t worry, I didn’t use my powers or anything, just life being difficult. Speaking of which, it can’t be good if you are here,” Alex commented.
“Actually, maybe you two can explain why we are here,” Celestial looked back at Ariel and Devine.
The two of them hung their heads in shame. Devine spoke, “I wanted a churro.”
Ariel then commented, “And I wanted a caramel apple.”
Alex grinned, “Nice, I would have gone with the deep-fried Oreo myself.”
Ariel and Devine looked at each other and gave each other a “why not” notion.
“Look out!” a boy yelled out as he was running towards Celestial. Alex just saw a Frisbee coming at Celestial’s head. Ariel quickly caught the disc as Devine grabbed the boy, lifting him off the ground. “Oh crap!” the boy screamed.
“Shall I dispose of him?” Devine asked her mistress.
“It will be quick and painless,” Ariel commented.
“Wait! What?” the boy asked in terror.
“Put him down,” Celestial calmly said. She motioned for the boy to come to her. Celestial handed over the Frisbee. She looked into his eyes. “Here you go,” she said to him. He silently thanked her. “And Michael.” He turned around. “Love is closer than you think.”
He smiled as he ran to a girl who was asking for him to throw the Frisbee back to her.
Alex smiled. “That was sweet. He’s kind of cute,” she said as she watched him run off to join what Alex thought was the girl Celestial was giving him advice on.
Celestial sat down next to Alex and picked up the pamphlets. She grabbed the one with the upside-down 4 on it. She opened it up and it read in bold letters “Freedom Off Religion.” Alex could feel herself a bit embarrassed from having it.
“I can explain that,” she pointed to it.
“No need,” Celestial eased her. “I know where your heart is.”
“Why are you here?” Alex asked her.
She looked to the sky where Alex knew Osiah’s star would be. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Alex put her head on the caring angel’s arm. Celestial leaned her head onto Alex’s head. She felt her Lite Sentry sigh as she closed her eyes. Celestial petted Alex’s hair trying to sooth her as Alex stared out at the people in the park.