Yet now he was doomed to lose any chance at all.

Jackson’s fists were unconsciously clenched at his side, trembling, his fingernails digging bitterly into his palms.

Suddenly he spun around on his heels, sensing someone behind him.

It was Archangel Churchson. He smiled at Jackson from behind his trademark salt-and-pepper goatee, wearing a perfectly tailored Hugo Boss suit. Off to the side, Jacks could see a couple of very built Angels in dark suits and shades. Out-of-uniform agents? Archangels didn’t usually have bodyguards.

“Hello, Guardian Jackson Godspeed,” Churchson said. He smiled.

Jacks looked at him speechlessly, having been startled out of his dark thoughts.

“Is everything all right?” Churchson asked, his eyes scanning Jacks’s pale face.

“Just some bad news, I guess you could say,” Jackson said.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” Churchson said. He put his hand on Jackson’s shoulder and squeezed it warmly. “We don’t like our Guardians having to deal with hardship.”

Jacks gave a short, bitter laugh. “I don’t think it’s correct to call me a Guardian any more.”

Churchson’s brow knitted in concern.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with your wings, now, does it, Jackson?” he said.

Jacks didn’t answer. He couldn’t bring himself to.

“Well, so wonderful we just happened to run into each other this afternoon. There’s something I’ve been meaning to bring up with you,” Churchson said, looking over at his security detail for a moment before focusing his attention back on Jacks again. “What would you say if I told you that we have a way for you to fly again. . .”

CHAPTER 21

The day after Senator Linden’s visit to the diner proved to be the last day that Maddy had an ounce of free time, as she and the rest of that year’s nominees inexorably hurtled towards the final assessment for Guardianship – and getting their own all-important Divine Ring. That ring brought the highest level of fame and fortune and the chance to save lives as one of the fabled and beautiful Guardians of Angel City. Maddy could see that even the more confident Angels at the training grounds were getting a little nervous as the date approached.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Senator Linden’s visit had shaken Maddy up. He seemed like such a strange connection to have to her father, but besides her Uncle Kevin, he was now the closest. The stop at Kevin’s Diner hadn’t been on his official agenda for the Angel City visit, and no paparazzi had followed Maddy to her uncle’s diner, so it hadn’t hit the media at all, which was a blessing. She couldn’t even imagine trying to explain that to Darcy. And the senator could’ve easily somehow used it for some publicity. But she suspected he wanted it to be in the papers and on the blogs as little as she did.

The Angel news channels were cranking up coverage, and the blogs were alive with gossip about upcoming Commissioning Week. Most of the buzz was about Maddy’s historic Commissioning. The irony to Maddy was that everyone just assumed she’d be recommended for Guardianship, no problem. The news and blog people were more worried about the designer of her skirts and which event she was going to. But she knew she was by no means a shoo-in, even though the NAS had bumped her up to this year. Mark Godspeed had told her she obviously had enough votes within the Archangels to be made Guardian. But to even be eligible, she had to be nominated for Guardianship by the training board. No matter how much support the Archangels put behind her, she had to be able to perform.

Added to all this, Jacks was, for some reason, more distant than usual. This would have normally bothered her, but Maddy didn’t even have time to think about it too much as she prepared to face Kreuz and the board of instructors and somehow balance the even bigger crush of blog, TV and social media attention.

As the days before the assessment grew near, Maddy had her final session with Susan Archson in the now-familiar frequencing room. Susan was wearing her normal white lab coat over a classy black dress. Maddy stepped on to the circular platform of the frequency modulator. The tiled room full of screens surrounded her, and they began to flicker on, one by one, as they drew frequencies from Protections across the board. The voices of all the people grew until they were an almost unbearable din.

Maddy let her mind open, quiet. The frequencies and visio

ns poured in instantly this time. And unlike her first time, it didn’t create any pain. The cacophony in her mind was incredible, but she let it all wash over her, taking deep, long breaths.

“Candace Waldman,” Susan said.

Maddy’s mind quickly and neatly unconsciously threaded through the hundreds of Protections getting frequenced, all of the screens quickly darkening until she had isolated one: Candace. Maddy was transported as she saw the humdrum activity of Candace walking her dog down the street, waving at a neighbour.

Susan called more names off, and each time Maddy isolated the frequency quickly again – it had become second nature.

“Incredible!” Susan exclaimed, making a final mark on the digital tablet in her hand. She began shutting down the system. “Your speed is some of the best I’ve ever seen, Maddy. Your frequencing ability outstrips ninety-nine per cent of Guardians.”

Maddy blushed. “Really?”

“Really,” Susan said, smiling warmly. “You’ve made such progress. You’re special, Maddy, just like I said.”

Maddy flashed back to her first day of training, when she’d felt totally . . . how had she felt? Exposed. That was the word. She didn’t know that at the time. But meeting Kreuz, and sensing the superior attitude of her fellow Guardians, how they sniffed at her as she passed . . . she had felt exposed, somehow. She had been afraid – afraid of what her abilities wouldn’t be, and, if she were honest, what her abilities would be. She had felt like the slow kid put in a class full of geniuses. Except instead of being nerdy, these geniuses were beautiful, perfect Angels.

Yet Susan had been there for her.

Tags: Scott Speer Immortal City Paranormal
Source: readsnovelonline.net