ON FRIDAY NIGHT, Eden invited me to hang out at her place while her parents went to a meeting at church. I enjoyed a great meal of spaghetti and meatballs with Pastor Bob and his wife, Kathy. Since they had to leave right after dinner, Eden and I offered to clean up. Kathy went upstairs for some final touch-ups while her husband disappeared into his study. I started rinsing the dishes, then Eden put them in the dishwasher.
A greasy pot slipped out of Eden’s hands, skidded across the linoleum floor, and thudded against one of the kitchen chairs. “Slimy little bugger,” she said. She bent over and picked it up.
We broke out laughing.
She came back to the sink with the slippery pan.
“Klutz,” I teased, then jabbed my forefinger at Eden’s side. She jerked back as if she was afraid of being touched.
Kathy walked back into the kitchen and grabbed her Bible off the table. The scent of her floral perfume filled the room. “You know the rules, right?”
“Yes, Mom. Clean up our messes. No boys in the house. In bed by nine thirty.”
I could tell she’d heard the speech a hundred times. Sounded like the same speech my mom always gave me.
“Uncle Jeff said he’d come over to check on you sometime tonight, just to make sure you’re safe and sound.”
That seemed strange. We were teenagers, not eight-year-olds. Why did we need to be checked up on?
A shadow crossed Eden’s face. She turned on the hot water and squirted liquid soap into the sink.
“The meeting is scheduled to end at eight thirty, but you know how your father likes to talk to everybody afterward, so we probably won’t be home until at least nine.” Kathy retrieved a white sweater from the coat closet by their back kitchen door and pulled it across her shoulders.
“OK.” Eden shoved her hands into the steaming dishwater and rubbed them vigorously. “Come home as soon as you can.”
What teenager would want her parents to come home soon? I loved the freedom of not having adult supervision.
Kathy walked up to Eden. “Are you OK, honey? Would you rather I didn’t go? Or do you want to go with us?”
Why was Eden’s mom treating her like a little girl?
Pastor Bob poked his head into the kitchen. “Come on, Kathy. The girls will be fine.” He looked at his watch. “We’re already late.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom. Olivia’s here. I’m not alone.”
Kathy grabbed her purse and Bible, then headed toward the front door with her husband.
“Free at last,” I sang out as I snapped at Eden’s leg with the rolled-up dish towel.
Her eyes stayed focused on the sink, and her hands rubbed beneath the water in a frantic motion. I looked closer and saw that she was scraping the back of her hand with a steel-wool pad. Red blotches rose on her skin.
I grasped the scouring pad. “What are you doing?”
Her hands flew out of the water, sending a spray of suds and water across the room. The round, gray pad landed on the counter beside the sink.
“I’m fine.”
She started washing the dishes that wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher. I grabbed a towel and rinsed and dried them, then placed them on the kitchen table so Eden could put them away where they belonged.
I felt an urge to reach out to Eden, but I waited, hoping she’d say something to open up the conversation.
When she stayed silent I finally opened my mouth to speak, but stopped when I heard a loud pounding on the glass of the back door.
Eden jerked her head toward the sound. A shadow swept across her face again. As she headed toward the door, a whispered word slipped from her mouth that sounded like a curse.
After Eden turned the deadbolt and opened the door, a balding, overweight man walked into the kitchen wearing a shirt that was too small for his hairy belly. “Hey there, beautiful. How’s my favorite niece?” His voice was too loud for the quiet room.
He reached out to touch Eden’s arm, but when he saw me standing at the sink, he shrank back. “I didn’t know you had company.”
Eden twisted her dishtowel in her hand and stared at the floor. “This is my friend Olivia. She’s from my school. And church.”
His eyes moved up and down my frame. A cold chill swept over me. I felt like I was being looked over like a horse being sold at auction. “Olivia’s a pretty name. Just like Eden is. Two pretty names for two pretty girls.”
This guy was definitely a creep. I suddenly realized why Eden had stiffened in his presence. I’m sure she had the same feeling I did. Or worse.
Eden wrapped her arms tightly across her shirt and held her legs close together. I’d never seen her so tense.
He broke the silence with a small laugh. “Well, if Eden isn’t going to introduce us properly, I’ll have to do it myself. I’m Uncle Jeff. Pastor Bob’s older brother. He probably doesn’t talk about me much. Can’t say I blame him. After all, I ain’t the whitest sheep in the fold, am I?” Coarse laughter echoed through the room.
My creep siren went off again.
“OK, you don’t have to hit old Jeff with a baseball bat for him to get the message. I can see I interrupted some serious girl talk here. Y’all were probably talking about your boyfriends, right?”
“N-not really.” Eden’s voice was hesitant and guarded.
“Well, I told your daddy I’d check on ya, and I did. So now I’ll just head back across to my lonely house.” He turned away, and I let out a breath. I hoped I’d never see that man’s face again.
He grabbed the door handle, then turned around and looked me over once more. “It was a real pleasure meeting you, Miss Olivia.” His eyes reminded me of a wolf stalking its prey.
The second he walked out the door, Eden pushed it tight against the frame and turned the deadbolt with a fierce twist.
I draped my dish towel over a kitchen chair. “Eden, I know something's bothering you. You don’t have to tell me what it is right now. But if you feel like talking sometime, I want you to know that I really, truly care about you.”
Her fingers clenched the fabric of her pale gray shirt. Her eyes looked as timid as a kitten’s. “Liv, I . . . ”
She smiled a fake smile, like older people do when they think you’re not mature enough to handle the adult topics of life. “Oh, never mind this serious stuff. Let’s talk about something fun—like our science project.” She grabbed her books out of a backpack sitting on a small stool in the kitchen.
Only Eden would think a science project was fun.
“Shall we go to my secret laboratory?” she asked with a fake German accent.
Though I was still worried about Eden, I welcomed the change of mood. “Why, of course, Herr Frankenstein!”
We giggled and headed upstairs.
Eden’s room looked like a Disney store. Cartoon princesses graced her walls, and she had a whole shelf of fairy-tale storybooks above the headboard on her bed.
I’d always felt her taste in room decoration was odd, but I never teased her about it. I wondered if her parents wouldn’t let her put up band posters and other typical teenager stuff.
We threw our schoolbooks onto the Hello Kitty bedspread and flopped down on our bellies beside each other. I opened my science book but couldn’t concentrate on the words. God’s voice prompted me to speak to my friend about more serious stuff—something more specific than from a high school science book. “Eden . . . ”
“Let’s not talk. I’d rather just do our homework, OK?” She reached up to put her hair into a short ponytail with a hair tie she’d had around her wrist, and I saw a flash of skin when her sleeve slid down. I grabbed her hand and pulled the sleeve farther down.
“Hey!” She pulled her hand away. “What are you doing?”
“You can stop hiding it now. I saw the scars.”
She slid the sleeve back in place and picked at a piece of frayed fabric on the bedspread.
“You’re a cutter, aren’t you?”
She looked up at me. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. “I . . . I can’t stop it, Liv. I’ve tried. I don’t want to do it. I . . . I just can’t help myself.” She dropped her face into her hands, and a flood of sobs shook her shoulders.
I touched her back. At first she recoiled as if my hands were made of ice. But then she relaxed beneath my fingers. “Why did you start?”
After a long silence, she said, “Him.”
I knew exactly who she meant. “You mean Jeff?”
She nodded. “He . . . touches me. And he makes me touch him. He forces me to do things. I hate my body!”
Vomit burned its way up my throat, and I swallowed to hold it down.
The acidic taste made my eyes burn. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my voice. “When did you start?”
“When I was eight. Jeff said everybody does this with their favorite niece. He said I’ll like it better when I grow up. Olivia, I don’t want to grow up!”
Suddenly Eden’s choice of room décor made sense. It reflected her desire to not grow up.
I listened without interruption as she told me about the times she fought against him. I felt like beating the living daylights out of Mr. Perv!
“I hated the way he talked about me growing prettier every day. So I stopped eating. When starvation didn’t destroy my body I started cutting it. I wanted to look ugly enough that he’d stop wanting to touch me. But it didn’t work.”
“Do your parents know?”
“No. My mom saw scratches on my arm once. She thought my neighbor's puppy did it.”
“Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”
“Jeff said Daddy would lose the church if I said anything.”
I wondered if I should tell Eden’s parents about this dirty old man.
Would that help or cause more problems?
“I’ve prayed for him to die.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“But I feel guilty for praying that way.”
I had no idea what to say. She needed someone a lot more qualified than me to deal with her psychological issues. But I sure didn’t want her to end up with the shrink my mom sent me to.
“Oh, Olivia, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell someone.”
“I’m glad you trusted me enough to share this.”
“I feel so much better just talking about it.”
Sensing the Holy Spirit urging me, I asked, “Eden, can I pray with you?”
“I’d like that.”
I covered her hand that was lying on top of her textbook, then closed my eyes. “Father God, reach down into Eden’s heart. Take away her pain the way only You can. Take Jeff out of her life, God. Raise up a wall of protection around her. Lord, You know Eden. You knit her together in her mother’s womb, and You know everything about her, inside and out. You know her pain. You know her desires and her longings. You can deliver her from this torment and the evil Satan has planned for her. You are greater than he is. Father, I ask You to show Your power in Eden’s life, even tonight. I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.”
When I opened my eyes, I saw a smile spread across her tear-dampened face. I hugged her close.
Standing behind her, beside the bed, an angel stood about eight feet tall, smiling at me. He had a black beard and curly hair. His breastplate was dented as if it had been used in heavy battle. On it was a frieze of a bear’s head, its mouth open in a roar. Draped around his shoulders was a bear pelt, fastened around his neck with a gold clasp in the shape of a bear claw. Under his arm he grasped an iron helmet in the shape of a bear’s head. The opening looked like a bear’s mouth, with sharp metal teeth.
His golden eyes held me in a trance. Then his gaze turned to Eden, and his face softened with affection. His large, scarred, hairy hand completely covered the top of Eden’s head.
As I released my friend, the angel transformed into a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs, poised for battle. Then he disappeared.
A wave of relief came over me. Eden was certainly well protected. Her angel looked battle-worn. No doubt he’d had a hard job. I hoped the worst was over.
“Thanks for praying for me, Liv.”
“My pleasure.”
Eden disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the water running. I waited until she entered the bedroom again. I hoped the angel in the room read my thoughts. You watch over her. Like never before.
As I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and put on my pajamas, the shocking image I’d just seen kept playing in my mind.
When I returned to the bedroom Eden was studying her textbook. She looked peaceful. I sat down on the bed beside her and opened my own textbook, trying to concentrate on our assignment. I stared at her arms.
No blood there. She had not cut herself.
After we finished our science assignment, separately, Eden shut her book and laid it on the floor beside the bed. I did the same shortly after.
“Want to watch a movie?” she asked.
“Sure. Which one?”
“How about Cinderella?”
Typical of Eden. I’d watched the animated version with her numerous times. But after the dark subject matter we’d discussed tonight, I didn’t mind entering into fairy-tale land at all. Besides, Disney movies never get old, no matter what age you are.
Eden hopped off the bed, grabbed the DVD off the bookshelf, and slid the video into the player.
I fell asleep with pleasant images in my mind of Prince Charming riding to Eden’s rescue on a white horse. Just before I drifted off I heard Mike whisper in my ear, “Eden will be safe now.”
I reached out, wanting to touch him in some way in thankfulness.
Instead, I felt him squeeze my forearm.
I awoke to the sound of doors slamming, footsteps running up the stairs, and Eden’s parents calling out her name. I opened my eyes and saw Bob and Kathy in the doorway. They looked disheveled, and their eyes were red.
When her dad turned on the light, Eden sat up in bed. “Dad. Mom.
You look horrible.”
“Eden, honey.” Her father wrapped his arm around her. “There’s been an . . . incident.” His voice shook.
Eden blinked. “What?”
“The police just called,” her mother said, stroking Eden’s hair. “Uncle Jeff’s been arrested and is being held without bail. The authorities found some questionable material on his computer.”
“Like what?” Eden asked.
Neither of her parents responded.
The color drained from Eden’s face.
I could certainly guess what they had found. I guessed that Eden had a clue too.
Pastor Bob kissed Eden on the forehead. “I need to go to the police station. Your mother’s going to Grandma’s house to stay with her until I can get there to comfort her once she tells her the news.”
“Will you girls be all right here alone for a while?” Kathy asked.
Eden clasped her arms around her knees. “We’ll be fine.”
Her mom looked my way. “I called your mother and asked if you could stay here with Eden until we get back. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Truth to tell, I couldn’t wait to hear what happened to stupid Jeff.
Her parents left the room. Her mother closed the door behind her, leaving the light on.
I thought about the prayer I’d prayed just a few hours ago. What had I said to God? If I recalled correctly, I’d asked Him to take Jeff out of Eden’s life. Had God done what I asked Him to? Had my prayer caused somebody to go to jail?
At least he couldn’t hurt Eden from jail. I hoped he stayed there for a long time.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many other times God had answered my prayers in ways I didn’t know.
Eden and I lay awake talking till morning. By dawn we were so tired we decided to stay home from school.
As we sat in her kitchen eating bowls of cereal, Eden squirmed in her chair. “Is it bad that I’m happy Uncle Jeff’s in the slammer?”
“Personally, I think God answered my prayer for your protection. It just happened faster than I thought it would.”
“You think God put Jeff in jail to keep me safe?”
“I know He did.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“My guardian angel told me.” There. I’d said it out loud to someone.
Eden dropped her spoon, and it clanged against her cereal bowl. “You mean you heard a voice in your head?”
“No. I’ve actually seen him.”
Eden’s mouth dropped open. “For real?” Then her expression turned to a look of curiosity. “What does he look like?”
I put down my spoon and pushed my cereal bowl away. “Most of the time, he looks like a normal teenage guy. At least that’s how he appears to me. He’s got blond hair, tanned skin, and he wears jeans and sneakers.”
“Is he hot?” Eden giggled.
“No!” I threw my napkin at her. “Well, actually, he’s not bad. But he’s my guardian angel. He’s not really a guy.”
Eden sighed. “If vampires are hot I can just imagine what angels must look like.” We both laughed. I loved seeing her relaxed expression. “I guess you liked my dad’s angel notes.”
Of course, they had helped tremendously in starting this new journey of seeing angels. “Yeah. Thanks for lending them to me.”
“So, what’s his name?”
“Mike.”
“Like Michael the archangel?”
“No. Just Mike. He’s not an archangel.”
“And he . . . talks to you?”
“Yeah. And he’s really funny too.”
“Like how?”
“He jokes around with me. And he has creative ways of getting me out of precarious situations.”
“Do tell.”
“Remember my date with Andy that I told you about?”
“Of course. Who could forget a groping guy being interrupted by a snarling wolf?”
“Well, that wolf was Mike. He protects me in other ways too.”
“So he protects you from danger? Like stopping cars from running over you?”
“Well, no, but he could.”
“Do you think I have a guardian angel too?”
“I know you do.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw him last night.”
Eden leaned in, her eyes wide. “You did?”
“After I prayed for you, he showed himself to me. He’s a big, burly guy.
Very intimidating. But he has gentle eyes and a kind smile.”
“He must have hated seeing me hurt myself all those times. I guess if he’s been my guardian angel, he’s seen everything that has happened to me.”
“Your angel wants you to be delivered from all the things you’ve suffered.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Wow. My dad’s been a pastor for as long as I can remember, but this is the first time I’ve really felt God’s love for me. I mean, if He assigned a big, burly angel to guard me He must really care about me.”
“He does. A lot.”
Eden patted my hand across the table. “Thanks, Liv.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank God.”
Eden looked heavenward and said, “Thank You, Lord.”
We grabbed our cereal bowls and placed them in the dishwasher.
After taking showers and getting dressed, I called my mom and asked her to come pick me up.
“I heard you skipped school today,” she said.
“Yeah, I thought it best to stay with Eden.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “Well, I can understand.”
I was relieved my mom wasn’t angry at me.
“See you when you get here.”
I hung up the phone.
Eden and I sat at her kitchen table, waiting for my mom to arrive.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Liv.”
I gave her another hug, then walked to Mom’s car, which was waiting in the driveway.
When I got home I went straight to my room so I could work on the assignments I knew were due the next day after checking my teacher’s website to find out what I’d missed and what the homework assignments were for the day. As I was finishing a math assignment my cell phone rang. It was Eden.
“Liv?” Eden’s voice sounded more euphoric than ever.
“Yeah?”
“I just saw him.”
“Who?”
“My guardian angel.”
“Really?”
“He was really tall, like you said. And hairy, like a bear. But he looked like the nicest guy in the world. His eyes were so gentle in contrast to his intimidating appearance. And trust me, our angels care for us, more than I ever imagined.”
I let out a sigh. Eden had confirmed exactly what I saw. I wasn’t crazy after all! “Where did you see him?”
“I was outside, taking out the trash. When I saw him standing by the bushes beside the garage, I screamed. He smiled at me through his thick black beard. I gave him an awkward wave, then ran back inside.”
“Next time you see him, talk to him.”
“Do you think I’ll see him again?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“What should I say?”
“Whatever you want. You could start by asking what his name is.”
“I can do that!”
“And Eden?”
“Yeah?”
“Before you go to sleep tonight, be sure to thank God for letting you see your angel.”
“I will definitely do that.”
“I have to go. Math homework.”
“Say no more. I hear you.” We both laughed as we hung up.
Boy, it was nice not being the only one who saw angels.
Thank You, God, for letting Eden see her angel. She needs to know she is protected. And thank You for the relief I heard in Eden’s voice. Now I have a friend who can learn to do spiritual battle as I am learning. I just may need her—and that burly angel of hers—to assist Mike and me sometime.
“You will.”
I shuddered at those words from God.