Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

Our lighthearted mood was superficial as we made an unspoken pact to place our worries on the backburner. We all knew what was expected of us, and tomorrow we would be Guides and Protectors again. Tonight though, we were just goofy kids blowing off steam.

***

Haniel woke us early the next morning to prepare for the other band's arrival. Sleeping arrangements had to be made to accommodate twenty of us. It was decided ahead of time that we would be sleeping in two shifts. But even with sleeping in shifts, we needed all the additional space we could get, including the two rooms we had avoided, his father's office and bedroom.

Mark tackled his dad's office like a madman, pushing all the furnishings against the far wall with a careless attitude, slamming each item together with bone-jarring crashes. Once the heavy furnishings were moved, he tossed the heavy leather desk chair on top of the desk with one hand, scarring the deep mahogany exterior as it journeyed the length of the desktop. We didn’t question his methods and felt his attitude was justified.

His father's room though, was another issue altogether. Mark's hand paused on the doorknob, but he couldn't seem to find the inner strength to turn the knob.

"Dude we got this. Why don't you and Krista go get the supplies we're going to need?" Shawn suggested, nudging Mark's hand away from the knob. "We got this under control," he said again with emphasis, giving Mark and me a small push down the hall.

"Yeah, let's go do the shopping," I said, grateful for my brother's suggestion. I hated seeing Mark so torn up and I felt a little alone time was exactly what we needed. "You get your keys and I'll grab my bag," I told him, skipping toward my room, lighthearted at the prospect of alone time. I loved all my friends, but at times I selfishly craved the solitude of just us.

Grabbing my small purse off the bed, I slung the long slender strap around my neck so it crisscrossed my body. Carrying a purse was not a favorite of mine so I bought the most functional purse I could find. The pretty paisley print made up for its function, giving it quite the girly look and keeping Sam's negative remarks about my fashion sense to a minimum drawl. Pausing in front of the dresser mirror, I ran the brush through my hair and swiped a quick brush of lip gloss across my lips. Grimacing at my bland appearance, I finally gave up on making my reflection something it wasn’t.

The ride to Walmart was quiet. At first I tried to fill the silence with mindless chatter as he drove, but when he remained silent during each attempt, I finally clammed up. I couldn't help feeling hurt that he wouldn't open up to me. Blinking away tears, I kept my eyes on the landscape that passed outside my window, struggling to keep my emotions at bay. I was crushed by the chasm that seemed to be growing between us.

We were different than the others by the fact that his father seemed destined to ruin the closeness Mark and I were supposed to share, I couldn't help thinking to myself, as I kept my eyes firmly turned away from his so he couldn't see the moisture I had to blink away.

Once we arrived at the crowded Walmart, all thoughts of having a decent conversation were out. We focused on maneuvering our buggies between whiney kids begging for toys, harassed parents trying to get their weekly shopping done, and elderly people scooting along on their motorized vehicles.

Our conversation strictly consisted of short sentences.

"Grab a couple extra tubes of toothpaste," I told him, while I threw several packages of toilet paper into the buggy.

By the time we loaded up one of the buggies with air mattresses, blankets, sheets, toiletry items, and extra towels, I was sick of the store.

Still needing actual food items, we headed over to the perishables section of the store. I threw soda, chips, deli lunch meat and all the fixings for sandwiches into the cart without hesitation, hoping to escape the confines of the store as quickly as I could.

The back of my foot was run over twice by shoppers not paying attention and I had to put a restraining hand on Mark's arm when a guy around our age dropped a two liter bottle of soda on my foot and didn't acknowledge it at all. "It's fine," I said, bending down to pick up the offending bottle of Mountain Dew and placing it back on the shelf.

Needless to say, by the time Mark pulled out of the parking lot, I wasn’t feeling overly thrilled about the store.

"Well that was a nightmare," Mark said, finally sounding like himself.

I let out a burst of laughter, relieved that at least he was acting normal again. "Um, that's putting it mildly. I can't believe people subject themselves to that torture every week. We would starve if that was our only option," I added jokingly.

"Good thing we're junk food junkies," Mark said, grabbing onto my hand as he steered the vehicle with his other.

"Yep, guess so. It will be nothing but burgers and chocolate for us every single night," I declared.

"And pizza," Mark added.

"And French fries," I threw in for good measure.

The rest of the drive was lighthearted as we bantered back and forth, throwing more and more junk food onto our list. My fears on the drive out seemed silly and immature. Mark obviously just needed a little space to process things without me throwing in my own insecurities into the mix.

Relieved to be back, we arrived at Mark's house to find a white Suburban sitting in Mark's usual spot. We both climbed out apprehensively. It was a surreal experience to know that we were about to meet others like us.

"Well, here we go," Mark said, linking his fingers through mine as we headed up the front walk.

I was surprised that the house was as quiet as a tomb as we opened the front door. Puzzled, I glanced at Mark who had tensed up at the silence. He even stepped in front of me protectively as we cautiously walked toward the living room, hyperaware of our surroundings.

I ran into his back when he halted abruptly in front of me.

I prepared myself for whatever danger awaited us. Frightened of what I was going to see, I peeked around Mark's back. I couldn't help the gasp of surprise that left my lips.

Chapter 14