My anxiety began to claw uncontrollably through my body. I used my handy tricks to fight it back, but could only barely hold it at bay as we walked into the living room where Haniel stood. I kept my eyes on him as we all found seats on the two couches. Though his expression or emotions didn’t deviate from what he normal, I could sense that he was disappointed in us. I felt sick for defying him and yet my soul ached for those we had been unable to save. It was a double-edge sword for me.
"Did you achieve the results you set out to accomplish tonight?" he asked, making it clear he already knew the answer.
"No, you were right. The situation was more severe than we had anticipated," Mark said, still standing. "But that doesn't mean we're giving up. We just need your help to prepare the girls."
"It would take many moon cycles to prepare you for a situation such as this."
We all exchanged looks. Haniel made it seem like he knew more about the situation than he had originally let on.
"Yes, we have been aware of the situation for some time now, but more crucial circumstances have demanded the attention of the Guides and Protectors," he said picking the thoughts from our heads.
"Then why don't you prepare us?" Sam asked, jumping to her feet to pace in front of us.
"I am training you, but we do not send Guides and Protectors into a situation that they cannot handle," he said in a dismissive voice.
"You didn't seem to care this much when it was our parents. Where was all this concern when they were being slaughtered?" Shawn asked in an uncharacteristically angry voice.
My eyes filled with tears at the pain in my brother's voice. The death of our parents was a subject we often skirted around, and I felt his pain keenly.
For the briefest moment, I thought I saw pain flash behind Haniel's beautiful blue eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure. "Your parent's death was the greatest loss we have ever suffered and is the reason we proceed with caution and great deliberation before we assign a mission," Haniel said in his normally passive voice that worked its usual magic and seemed to instantly sooth the anger radiating from Shawn.
"Haniel, how can we ignore them?" I finally asked. "My soul can't seem to let her go. I don’t think I could live with myself if we didn’t at least try. We need your help, please," I begged, brushing away a stray tear.
He studied me for a moment and finally nodded his head. "We begin tomorrow afternoon," he said simply before he abruptly left us.
My emotions swelled at his words as hope erased the last traces of anxiety from me. We would save the forgotten souls and we would do it the right way, with the help of our Archangel.
"You okay?" Mark asked, sitting beside me on the couch, gently rubbing my back.
"Yeah, I'm just glad Haniel agreed. I didn’t want to have to hardball him, but truthfully, I knew one way or another we weren’t going to just leave them."
"Well you certainly got through to him. I think he likes you."
"Oh gross, he's like a father figure to me," I said, horrified at the suggestion.
"Not romantically, silly. I meant he likes you because you're special," Mark said, nudging me with his shoulder.
"I'm not any more special than any other Guide," I said, indicating my two other friends who were too busy playing the Xbox with the guys to pay attention to our conversation.
"You're wrong Krista," Mark said passionately. "We all see it, and one day you will too. You're like a light we're all drawn to."
"That's sweet, but you just feel that way because your heart and soul are connected to mine," I said embarrassedly, trying to take the spotlight off of myself.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Mark said chuckling, letting the uncomfortable subject drop.
***
School the next day was torture as I anxiously awaited the opportunity to beef up our training. Every moment that the forgotten souls remained with Alan would make it more difficult to win them back. We had exactly three afternoons of training to get into tip top shape before my mom was released from the hospital and my free time was cut drastically.
I had mixed emotions about my mom returning home. Part of me had missed her immensely during the month she had spent in the hospital, but a bigger part of me would miss the freedom I had begun to take for granted.
Mark and Shawn picked Sam and me up as soon as the last bell echoed through the hallways.
"Hey, how was your day?" Shawn asked, giving Sam a quick peck.
"Boring. No drama to keep us entertained and help pass the time," Sam grumbled, climbing into the backseat next to Shawn.
"Let me get this straight. You hate the drama, but you missed it today?" Shawn asked incredulously as he burst out laughing.