"Sorry, Mom. I just feel bad leaving you so much after your first weekend home. I will be gone most of today and tomorrow evening," I said, reminding her of my plans.
"I'll be fine," she repeated. "I have all these wonderful gardening magazines you got me, a slew of HGTV shows to watch, and a stack of novels I'm dying to read. You've already prepared my lunch for me," She added, indicating the lunch I had stored in my school lunch bag and placed at arm's length for her. "Besides, the doctors told me the sooner I start moving around, the better I will feel. Go have some fun with your friends. I may be old, but I still remember how exciting that first weekend was after I finished my last high school exam."
"Okay, as long as you're sure," I said, heading toward the front door reluctantly.
"Have fun," I heard her call out as I locked the door behind me.
"Ready?" Mark asked, from the porch swing where he had been waiting for me.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, glancing back at my house one last time as he opened the car door for me.
"Would you rather stay home?" Mark asked concerned. "I'm positive the others won't mind. We can fill you in tomorrow morning with the strategy we've come up with."
"No, I want to be with you guys. I missed hanging out with you guys the past two days. It majorly sucks to be away from the hub," I said. "Besides, my mom all but pushed me out the door," I added.
"I'm sure she's looking forward to a little quiet time. Believe me, I discovered when I was in the hospital that those nurses buzz in and out all hours of the day and night. I swear I thought they were on a mission to make my stay there Hell on earth," he said, smiling at me.
"I guess you're right. I never even thought about that. No wonder she pushed me out the door. I've been hovering over her since her release. I bet she's relieved to have the house to herself," I said, feeling my guilt melt away.
Chapter 10
I woke before dawn the day of our first ever Angelic mission. I watched the sun creep up along the wall across from my window with Feline at my side. The apprehension I was sure I would feel was absent. I knew without a shadow of a doubt we were ready. We had spent the previous day going over our plan of attack or "soul attack," as Shawn liked to phrase it. The details had been laid out and we were all itching to get in there and prove ourselves.
"Of course, waking up so early wasn’t part of the plan." I grumbled to Feline good-naturedly, picking up my book off my nightstand. I pulled out my bookmark and lost myself in the current vampire novel I was reading.
Several hours later, I placed the completed book on my table and glanced at my clock radio. "Well, I guess 8:30 is better than 6:00," I told Feline as I finally climbed out of bed. He chose to ignore my hint, though, and burrowed deeper into my quilt.
"Whatever, you bum," I said, scratching him under the chin.
The long day that lay ahead before our mission seemed endless and I needed something to pass the time. I decided that a late spring cleaning was in order and attacked my room with gusto. I was by all means not a slob, but both my suitcases I had used to transport my clothes back and forth to Mark's house still needed to be unpacked, along with my overnight bag filled with toiletry items. I worked through my room methodically, clearing one section at a time. My favorite music played lightly in the background from my iPod that I had placed on its docking station.
An hour later my room was spic-and-span and I had moved on to my sitting room and bathroom. I took my time dusting the bookshelves in my sitting room, removing one book at a time to gently dust each one. By noon, the entire upstairs practically sparkled as I finally put my cleaning supplies away. Exhausted but happy with my time killer, I jumped into the shower to bathe quickly before I headed downstairs to fix lunch for my mom and me.
"Boy, you were a busy bee up there this morning," my mom commented as I placed a plate loaded with a turkey sandwich and chips in front of her.
"You know me, once I start a project I have to finish it," I said, after swallowing the bite of sandwich I had taken. "I figure I will tackle the living room and kitchen next, that way we won't have it hanging over our heads."
"Krista, I appreciate all your help, but you don't have to kill yourself taking care of me."
"I don't mind," I said, speaking the truth. Keeping busy had worked like a charm at keeping my mind off what lay ahead of me that night.
"If you're trying for the best daughter award you already have that, hands down," she said, giving me one last chance to slack off.
"Well, I'm just trying to make sure I have it locked in for next year too," I teased, clearing our empty plates from the table.
"Ah, I see. Well in that case, get back to work."
"Aye captain," I said, giving her a mock salute on my way to the living room.
The rest of the day passed quickly, and before I knew it Mark was ringing the doorbell to pick me up.
"Bye Mom," I said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Have fun at the Boardwalk Dear, though I'm surprised you guys aren’t sick of it yet."
"Are you kidding me? Sam and Shawn are both ride junkies, they could go every day," I said, skirting around the guilt I felt for the white lie I had fed her.
"Okay, stay safe then," she said as I closed the front door behind me.