The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

"I will miss you my wonderful furry friend," I said sadly, scratching him under the chin. I knew these goodbyes were inevitable, and I thought I had prepared myself, but as Feline let out a loud purr of approval, hot tears streamed down my cheeks. It's times like this that I wish my heart would turn to stone, making me immune to heart wrenching goodbyes.

"I love you buddy," I said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

I stood back up, slung my backpack over my shoulders, and grasped the handles of my two suitcases as I prepared to head downstairs. I swept my eyes around my room one last time, drinking in the space. My winter clothes from Montana sat in the far corner of the room in three cartons that were ready to be sent when I was ready. I opened the door and was startled to see my mom sitting in one of the Lazy Boys in our mock library.

"You all ready?" She asked sadly, eyeing the bags at my feet.

"Yeah, Shawn and Sam should be here in a few minutes," I said as the feeling of grief was pressing hard on me. My grand plan to distance myself from her had seemed like the best solution to all the madness that surrounded me, but looking at her drooped shoulders and red eyes, the guilt was becoming more than I could bear.

I dropped my backpack at my feet and stumbled over my suitcases as I rushed into her waiting arms. "I'm sorry mom. I just need to get away from this area for a while," I mumbled, throwing up the only excuse that would make sense to her.

"I know sweetie. I just feel like I lost you somewhere between our move from Montana and now," she said stroking my hair.

"You haven't lost me."

"I know you miss him, but don't lose yourself while you're away," she said, cupping my face so that she could peer into my eyes.

I nodded my head and placed my own hands over hers. Using my God-given powers, I shifted some of her anguish aside and replaced it with the small amount of joy I felt the previous day after Haniel accepted my plan to find Mark.

"I love you Mom," I said, giving her a quick peck as the doorbell rang from downstairs.

"I'll help you with your bags," she said more lightheartedly than she had been in weeks. My nudge of emotions had worked their magic on her and hopefully they would linger for awhile after my departure.

She grabbed one of the suitcases I had abandoned in my doorway and headed for the stairs. I glanced around the comfy haven we had created one last time. My emotions were like a kaleidoscope mixing together. I was anxious and excited to begin our journey and to finally be able to leave the human charade behind for a while, but I also felt so sad to leave the one person that had always been there for me. I slung my backpack over my left shoulder with one of the straps and grasped the handle of my fuchsia suitcase.

The wheels of the suitcase thumped down the stairs behind me as I made my way to the foyer.

"Here I'll get that," Shawn said, bounding up the last few steps to grab the heavy suitcase from me. He scooped it up like it was as light as the feather pillow on my bed.

"Sheesh, must be nice to be freakishly strong," I muttered for his ears only.

"I'm Hercules baby," he said, leaping down the last three stairs.

"I can get that Mrs. Miller," he said, grabbing the second suitcase from my mom's hand.

I had to stifle a groan when I saw the astonished look on my mom's face. Shawn was about as subtle as a Mack truck. He forgot sometimes that not everyone had strength that would rival a superhero from a comic book.

"I promise I'll call you tonight," I said to my mom, hoping to distract her from Shawn.

"I'm holding you to that. If I don't hear from you by nine o'clock your time, I will catch the next flight out, do you understand me?" she asked, dragging me in for a tight hug.

"I promise, but I won't make it there if you squeeze all the life out of me," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I love you," I added softly.

"I love you too Sweetie," she said in a voice thick with tears.

I pulled away gently, not wanting to open that can of worms again. My plan was to get out before her tears swayed my resolve.

"I'll take care of her Mrs. Miller, don't worry," Sam said giving her a quick hug.

"I trust that you will, no matter what," she said, looking at Sam sternly, making it clear that she knew more was going on in the situation than I had led her to believe.

I grabbed my favorite sweatshirt off the banister and threaded it through the strap of my backpack so my hands would be free to give my mom one last hug before we headed out the door.

"I'll call you, I promise," I called behind me as I climbed into the used Explorer my band shared. I closed the door behind me and rolled down the window to get one last unobstructed view of the house that had changed my life forever. My eyes took in the wooden porch swing that Mark and I had sat on so many times, discovering our shared connection.

My mom leaned against the wooden pillar, waving, just as Shawn slowly pulled the car away from the curb. Her face was etched in grief and I felt ashamed being the cause of her heartbreak. I couldn't help thinking about how disappointed my dad would be in me. I just hoped that if he was observing us from heaven he would understand my reasons.

As Shawn accelerated, leaving my house behind, I closed my eyes and let the wind blowing through the window wash over me as I regained control of my emotions. As effortless as this had become for me, I still found it nothing short of extraordinary. Haniel had recently commented on my astonishing control of not only my own feelings, but also those around me. I had discovered after a trip to the mall with Shawn and Sam one afternoon that I could filter the emotions of those around me without even having to work at it.