“Honey, can’t you tell? I'm Scarlet’s aunt.” She says simply. I must have the look of pure astonishment on my face because they both smile at my innocence. Now that she told me her relation to Scarlet, I can see it in her features. They have the same dainty and flawless bone structure. And now I can see where the red tint in her hair comes from. “I'm Callie. And this is Theo. He’s, um, close to our family. Can you please tell us what happened to you?” she asks with concern.
Still stunned from actually meeting two angels that knew me, it takes me a few seconds to recover and catch my breath. “Um, Mack and I were being held hostage by some evil casters. Mack fainted but then woke up and knocked down the two casters who were holding us hostage. Scar tackled Lenora, and that’s the last thing I saw. I ran out to leave the cave but something felt wrong. I didn't want to leave them without at least trying to help them.” I say recalling the moment as tears fall down my face. I have to clear my throat to continue.
“Just as I was about to turn back, Scarlet came running out. She said Mack passed out again but she was still alive. We were about to leave for help when a man in a robe walked in and stabbed me in the chest. I don't know if Scarlet got away, or if they also killed her.” I say afraid for my friends. “That was very brave of you, Charlie. I'm sorry you had to go through that.” Callie says, bringing me in for another embrace. “As for Scarlet’s safety, we’re not exactly sure at the moment. But we do know that she is alive. We both would have felt it if she was here,” she says, filling my heart with joy.
“But… how do you know?” I ask, amazed as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Theo clears his throat and responds to me. “We’ll tell you everything soon.” He says mysteriously. “Theo was trying to commit a sin by falling to earth, so he could help her and the rest of you. But it’s not his time to go yet. I came to stop him.” She admits, giving Theo a pointed look. He shakes his head in frustration. “Well, someone needs to go. She needs us.” He says with desperation in his tone. Callie sadly nods her head in agreement.
I’ve never been one to keep my mouth shut, so I break the silence. “Why can’t one of you help her?” I ask, clearly confused. “We all have our path. Theo’s time isn't here yet. Soon, but not today. And I can’t interfere with her life. Not unless she is on the brink of death.” She says, surprising me. “What? Aren't there guardian angels for stuff like what we went through today?” I ask in frustration.
“Well, yes. Of course there are. But to become one, you must: A. Prove your case on why it should be you. And B. Volunteer yourself to be a warrior of the Gods and Goddesses. Although, Scarlet does have a calling for a guardian, not many angels are racing up for the job. Scarlet’s situation has a lot of tough circumstances. When you're someone’s guardian, you must be connected with them and be around them all the time. As of right now, yes, angels will be sent to help but not yet. Not unless someone volunteers to guard her until then.” She explains.
“What would happen if Theo would have gone like he was going to do before you stopped him?” I ask, trying to fill in the blanks. “I’d lose my wings and my passage back to the Divine realm.” He replies, gravely. “Could anyone volunteer?” I ask as my mind runs a million miles a minute. “Yes.” Callie answers quickly. She hasn't realized what I'm thinking of, yet. But Theo has. “Oh, no, no, no. Charlie, I don't think so.” He answers without giving me the chance to ask.
“Huh? Don't think so about what?” Callie asks the both of us. “She wants to volunteer.” He says instantly. “What? No way.” She begins to ramble. “Unless, well, maybe.” She paces back and forth in front of the tree where we are standing. “You can’t be serious, Callie. She literally just got here.” Theo says, trying to convince her otherwise. “Yes, Theo. But maybe that is ideal. She knows Scarlet more than any other angel up here. She’s even dating a caster who can help her, when she crosses back into the mortal world. She’s read an immense amount of books on our worlds, which oddly is not far from the truth. We only have to clarify some things to her. And she’s an orphan, Theo. It’s an open and closed case.” She explains her reasoning.
“But she has no training. She doesn't know how to fight, and she clearly needs help in protecting herself.” He says forgetting about how raw and hurtful I'm feeling. “And who better to teach her than you.” She says crossing her arms. “We can train her in a week. Prepare her for her descent and fill her in with the knowledge that she needs to know about Scarlet’s true path.” She presents her rationale to him one last time. “When she returns to Scarlet, she can pass along a message from us, and she can prepare her for what the prophecy really means and our side of the warning.” That got Theo's attention.
He grabs the front of his hair as he thinks to himself. Callie takes the moment to warn me about the fine print. “Charlie, you do understand there are some things that change, if your request gets accepted. If you go back, you cannot reach your foster family. You cannot return to college, and you cannot show yourself to mortals. Are you sure about your decision to volunteer?” she asks for confirmation.
My foster family never really cared about me much anyway. And if I have to give up college for a chance to return to my friend and boyfriend, then I'm okay with that. Mack is a mortal, so I'm really going to miss seeing her. But this gives me a chance to be useful. I can help my best friend through her journey, and I can embrace and feel the love of my boyfriend again. The thought of Lucas’ touch was enough for me to rapidly answer. “Yes. I'm sure.”
“Fine. Okay, yes. I'm in.” Theo announces after my proclamation. Callie claps her hands and jumps up and down. “Come with us Charlie. Let’s go over what and how you're going to plead before we bring you to the High Court to ask permission. The sooner we get their blessing, the sooner you can return to help your friends.” Callie takes my hand and leads me through a wide forest to a small cottage. As we enter through I take the moment to ask a question that I'm sure Scarlet is going to want to know. “Callie? Why are you trying to help Scarlet and her mother isn't?”
A warm smile graces her beautiful face as she gently leads me to sit on the brown leather couch. “We can explain everything, Charlie. Make yourself comfortable, and we’ll start with the day Willow fell to earth and found Scarlet’s father.”
PLAYLIST
1. Poetry in Motion- Johnny Tillotson (Chapter 1)
2. Dream a Little Dream- Doris Day (Chapter 3)
3. Teenager in Love- Dion and the Belmonts (Chapter 7)
4. Sway- Michael Bublé (Chapter 9)
5. Princess Princess- Johnny Tillotson (Chapter 10)
6. Moonlight Sonata- Beethoven (Chapter 11)
7. We are Young- FUN (Chapter 19)
8. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen (Chapter 19)
9. Put Your Head on My Shoulder- Paul Anka (Chapter 30)
10. Stand by Me- Ben E. King (Chapter 30)
11. The Cello Song- The Piano Guys (Chapter 33)
12. Apology Tango- Christian Henson (Chapter 33)
13. Only You- The Platters (Chapter 38)
14. Be Bop a Lula- Gene Vincent (Chapter 40)
15. I Won’t Tell a Soul- Charlie Puth (Chapter 41)
Acknowledgements
To Alex,
I truly couldn’t have done this without you.
Thank you for your everlasting support and help.
To my very own Dimitri. I love ya, Pal!
To Marco, Liliana, & Lola,
Thank you for being my back bone throughout this
journey. With your love and acceptance, I found myself and couldn’t be
more proud to call you all mine. I love you three with all my heart.
To Mom, Dad, Veronica, A.H., S.G, C.S, & S.P,
Thank you all for your honesty, your love, and your support.
You helped me make this exactly how it needed to be. I am
more than blessed to have you in my corner.
To the best council an Author can ask for, I love you all.
About the Author
After voraciously reading hundreds upon hundreds of books, I woke up one morning and decided it was my turn to write my own. And through this process, I honestly feel as if I have found myself and my voice.
I am a 28-year-old stay-at-home mom who expresses herself through a wide-range of artistic modalities, such as drawing, photography, and of course writing. I am a tattoo addict and absolutely love to cook and bake. Music is very important to me, also. Although I can’t sing to save my life, music speaks to me at such a deep level.
I am not one of those people who grew up knowing they wanted to write. In fact, until only a few years ago I thought I was cursed to live a life without a career I could be passionate about. Then I walked into a bookstore and literally got hooked. I truly believe reading saved me.
On top of my passion for reading and writing, my daughters fill my heart - for them I am forever grateful and blessed beyond belief. My husband has been a wonderful source of encouragement and has been so excited to watch my progress, as I wrote this novel. While raising our girls, I wrote this book in two-hour periods each day, during my only mothering break when the girls took their daily nap! It was the only time when there was complete silence. And I took full advantage of that. With the help of my insanely incredible support team, it took a full year to complete.
I'm extremely excited for you all to get lost in the Caster world with me. Thank you so much for your interest in my debut novel!
Follow me on IG & FB @AuthorAlessandraJay
Twitter @Alessandrajay10
Alessandrajay.com
Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 45
