Meant to Be (The Saving Angels 1)

“There were many of us through the years and we all converged here in Santa Cruz.”

“Why?” I asked trying to process both his statements.

He looked at me like I was a disobedient child for interrupting him.

I clamped my mouth closed not out of respect, but sensing he would stop talking if I didn’t act like the puppet he wanted me to be.

“We are drawn here because Santa Cruz is what you would call Holy Ground. ”

“What do you mean Holy Ground?” I asked.

“Can I continue or are you going to act like an insolent child?” He asked in the condescending tone I was beginning to hate with a passion.

“Holy Ground, meaning that celestial beings are drawn here, or more accurately, Guides and Protectors are drawn here.”

My head reeled at his words. ‘Celestial Beings?’ ‘Guides and Protectors?’ My religious background was sketchy, but I did know that ‘celestial beings’ meant angels or something like that, but I had no idea what he meant by ‘Protectors’ and ‘Guides.’ A million questions raced through my head, but I held my tongue.

“In fact, Santa Cruz means Holy Cross,” he continued. “For centuries, our kind gathered here and were then dispersed by arch angels to go out and ward off the evil that plagued the earth,” he said with bitterness dripping from his voice. “We were paired with soul mates, creating a predetermined connection between a Guide and a Protector. Plus, our reproduction ensured that our kind would continue from one generation to the next. “The Guides,” he said looking at me bitterly, “were created to use their emotions to find the evil that lurked in the human spirit and use that emotional power to try to sway them to the good side, instead of the path they were on. Protectors were sent to protect the Guides at all cost. The trick is that one cannot survive without the other. I’m sure they felt we would cherish the bond that tied us together. I, however, was the exception. I survived the loss of my weaker companion and became stronger despite the severing of our bond. I plan on making the remaining Protectors like me. Meaning, the life of a Protector will no longer rely on that of a weak companion that is susceptible to every human emotion. So you see my dear, I will fix God’s mistake. Of course, I had hoped that the injection I gave you would make you stronger; giving you better control over your emotions, but science sometimes takes time doesn’t it? Unfortunately for you however, time is a luxury you no longer have. I’m sure your death will destroy your Protector, just as every other Guide’s death has before you.”

His hatred was tangible.

I wanted to know what had happened to the rest of the Guides and Protectors, but was suddenly more scared of him than I had ever been. His dark, evil aura surrounded him making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

“It was easy to destroy them you know,” he said, picking the thoughts out of my head; I knew instantly that Sam and I had been right. We could read each other’s minds; we just needed to master it. I shook my head. I would not play his games.

He snorted once again, rummaging through my head. “Oh come now, you wanted the truth after all. It wasn’t I that created our kind this way, but it will be me that fixes it,” he said, sounding almost proud of himself.

His egotistical confession was horrifying. How many had he murdered? My heart constricted as I thought of my parents, so casually tossed to the side. Grief threatened to overtake me as I thought of all the lives lost. Was he a… I searched for a phrase I remembered hearing years ago in my one attempt at attending church when I was younger.

“Fallen Angel?” He said impatiently rummaging through my head. “Your ignorance is almost overwhelming. You’re supposed to be more superior to typical humans, but you seem to lack the IQ I am used to dealing with.”

Like I cared at this point what he thought of me. I did wonder though, if we were directed by angels, how he was able to murder innocent people without any repercussions?

“I have the protection of another higher power, you could say; one that encourages my talents,” he said with a sinister smile that made my skin crawl.

“Why were we abandoned? Why not destroy all of us? We were practically babies,” I asked angrier than I had ever been. He had destroyed all our lives and seemed so pleased by his deeds.

“My intention was never to destroy our kind, but to make it stronger. Your parents wouldn’t listen to my ideas, choosing instead to trust in a creator that made them weak. They left me no alternative but to eliminate them. I have been watching and observing all of you for the last fifteen years. I know everything about all of you. It was only a matter of time before you were drawn here, just as we were before you. Soon, the other Protectors and Guides will come as well, feeling the call of the Holy Cross. Let me rephrase that. The others will join me since you and your significant other will no longer exist.”

An errant thought hit me. “Don’t you mean the other four? There’s still another couple out there besides Lynn and Robert.”

“Once again your assumptions are wrong. I never said I gave up all of you. I kept the more docile pair as my own. They adore their papa and would do anything for me. They’ve been raised to appreciate how special they are. Through my guidance, they have become more powerful than even I could have imagined. The girl shows none of the weakness you exhibit, and soon I will have all the information I need to complete my work. >I tried to turn my head to watch them, but the strap holding my head in place kept them just out of my line of vision. I heard Amanda tell someone else to grab more sensors for my heart.

A few seconds later, the neckline of my shirt was pulled down as another sensor was attached.

I could only lie there, helplessly waiting for what was about to happen. My pulse began to quicken and I could feel my hands begin to shake. I tried my breathing technique to steady them, but the claustrophobic feeling of being tied down was more than I could handle.

“Okay, we’re ready to go,” said someone off to my right.

Before I could brace myself, a stabbing pain radiated through my forearm where one of the sensors rested. I screamed out in pain.

“Oh no, that won’t do,” Russo said, walking back to the front of the table where I was strapped down. I felt a moment of relief thinking that maybe he wasn’t a monster after all.

“Amanda, bring me the mouth restraint,” he said undoing my head strap.

I felt my panic rise as she approached with some kind of medieval face mask. I shook my head from side to side as they tried to strap the mask around my face. Bruno was beckoned over to hold me steady, wrapping his massive hands around my head as a single tear trickled down my cheek.

“Please, don’t do this,” I tried to plea, but no sound came out.