Leila felt smitten. Had she really thought she would come here and spew her story, which would sound crazy to any rational thinking person and Sofia would just believe her?
Nevertheless, she was here and she had to do something.
"I'm serious Sofia, you might think I'm joking or hallucinating but I'm actually not. You are in danger Sofia and I'm certain of it." Her voice had risen to a fever pitch now and she got off the swing set and onto her feet. Sofia did the same thing, arms outstretched to calm her down. It was not a moment too soon.
The swing set Sofia had sat on mere seconds ago, collapsed in a heap on the floor, hardly making any sound as it did.
The bolt that secured the chain of the swing set to the outer structure had just popped out, leaving the swing set hingeless.
Both women stared at the swing set and looked at each other. Leila gave her an 'I told you so' look.
Sofia smiled, apparently recovering from her shock.
"Well I think that means it's time for us to go inside" She said gesturing towards the house.
***
He watched the house. It seemed quiet, but she was inside, he knew it. He'd followed her here afterall.
What was her plan? He knew what her mission was, but how did she hope to pull it off? He'd screwed up big time this time, he just knew it. He stood beside her car remembering the way her previous car had been crushed beyond recognition, her mangled body amongst the debris. He wasn't supposed to have interfered. But at that moment, seeing her like that, he hadn't seen any other option open to him.
So he'd done the thing that felt right. And because of that, a whole other host of horrors had been unleashed.
His punishment had not come yet, but he had a feeling it would. For now, he continued to watch over her to see the work he started through to the end.
How could he have known such a thing would happen? He'd always been regarded as impulsive by the others, but he had seen it more as being inspired. Inspired to do the right thing.
He ensured that he couldn't be seen from his position and then, he waited.
***
"Please tell me you'll be careful at least" Leila said, realising that she'd spent a good amount of time attempting to convince Sofia of the impending danger. Sofia though, had agreed that the swing set occurrence was odd, but she'd chucked it up to mere coincidence of the less fun variety.
Coincidence that was a word Leila was starting to dislike in its totality.
Why wouldn't she listen to her? She seemed almost forcibly stubborn. Like she had a complete aversion to reasoning with her on any level concerning her name being marked for danger.
Sofia smiled. It was a smile meant to convey the semblance of acceptance. There was no way she could be in danger. Poor girl, she sure had gone through a lot. What with the accident and then having to go back to school with the stress involved. It was no wonder she was hearing voices spewing death threats. Poor girl must be exhausted and not getting enough rest. The red rims around her eyes were an indication of this even and the black eyeliner was having a hard time hiding its presence. She decided that once she left, she would call Leila's mother and have a word with her. These were times when a daughter needed her mother most.
"I'll be careful. Don't you worry" She said, hugging the girl she'd known since she was a child.
"Okay. Thank you." Leila said looking at her, trying as much as possible to convey just how much she needed to be taken seriously in that single look.
She got up and headed for the door then, noting with some dissatisfaction that the sunken feeling of dread she felt was still very present.
***
He watched from his hiding place, hoping to God that the feeling he had in his gut was wrong.
How often are you wrong? He asked himself wryly. Something was happening and the swing set had just been a warning.
Nevertheless, he held out hope that she would succeed in her mission. He was having a hard time coping with the results of his single action.
He adjusted his feet as they started to feel numb.
Numbness despite having feeling it a reasonable number of times, still fascinated him. The things people had to worry about. It was intriguing.
He heard a truck sound a few meters away. It was still out of sight, but his keen hearing picked up on its approach.
All at once, his stomach dropped.
Not this again.
***
Leila hugged Sofia one more time. The older woman smiled her usual bright smile and pecked her on the cheek.
"You be good now. And don't skip school again. You have a reputation to protect," she said jokingly.
Leila offered a half smile. She was not really feeling up for it. The feeling of dread had increased considerably, and as much as she fought it, she suddenly didn't want to be around Sofia anymore.
With one final smile, she started across the road.
Two things happened simultaneously then. By some inexplicable force, her bag dropped, and seeing no car in sight, she bent to pick it up, in the middle of the road. At that same instant, the truck appeared out of the corner.
Sofia screamed.
The truck swerved.
Leila was tossed aside and away from danger by an unknown force.
It was unnecessary. The truck had swerved directly into Sofia.
The sight was one that would make even the most seasoned doctors queasy.
Leila lay in the grass, confused.
What had just happened?
One minute she'd been in the middle of the road picking her bag up, and the next, she was on the grass, tossed like a rag doll by a force she couldn't see.
What was going on?
Sofia!
She was on her feet in that instant. The truck was nowhere to be found, the driver had apparently sped of after realising what they'd done. A small crowd had gathered in front of Sofia's house. The house where she'd just been.
She didn't need to be told what lay in the middle.
Hot tears stung at her eyes and she started walking. No destination in mind, her bag in hand, her hair a dishevelled mess, Leila started walking.
After a while, she spotted a convenience store and went in, making a bee line for the female restroom.
Surprisingly she met it empty.
It was official. She was cursed. There was no other description for it, she was cursed.
What other explanation could she hope to get for what she was currently going through.
Why? She'd tried. Why hadn't Sofia listened?
What if she had? What difference would it have made?
She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself through tear stained eyes. Idly, without meaning to, she reached forward and turned on the tap.
The face that stared back at her seemed almost as alien as it was familiar. The ginger hair, now with a higher percentage of red than brown, seemed almost symbolic. After-all, red had always signified danger, amongst a host of other, equally ominous things.
How more apt could it get though? Wasn't that what she was now? A macabre alarm of sorts. An isolated, first seat holder at the world's most grisly show. She'd been thrown front and center into this nightmare, and waking up had not been left as an option.
She ran her fingers through her hair, and blinked. The motion seemed almost forced. Almost like she could have gone without blinking, but had to - needed to - if only to feel human.
She still was, wasn't she?
All was quiet now, and she had never been more grateful to be in an unoccupied bathroom. The silence, she welcomed with open arms. It was a million times better than the alternative. The ghastly alternative. One she had less than zero ideas what to do with, or how to go about even understanding it's relevance.
What was she supposed to do? Prevent it? Hadn't she tried that? And failed miserably? multiple times?
For a second, she could have sworn she heard a sound. She turned furtively, hoping that no one would walk in and see her. Not
like this. Would they even recognise her? Leila Thompson. A bundle of nerves, furtively glancing over her shoulder and jumping at the slightest disturbance. They'd have a field day at the news room with that one.
Had it really come to this? Her amber colored eyes stared back at her from the mirror, the question clearly etched in their immense depths. No answer was forthcoming.
Suddenly, she was aware of the sound of running water. Cursing under her breath, she reached forward idly and let the water running from the open tap, run onto her palms and she splashed a little on her face. Still not satisfied with the way her face looked, she reached forward and turned off the tap.
It'd have to do.
Another sound. She stiffened. It was more distinct this time. Whoever had made it, was putting a lot of effort into remaining silent, but had probably made a mistake. The hair on the back of her neck stood.
Contrary to what she had thought, she was not alone.
She turned sharply and her breath caught in her throat. Caleb stood in the bathroom with her, staring at her in his usual fashion.
The familiar tingling sensation was making its way up her spine now, but it was accompanied with something else.
Fear.
What was he doing here? Was he stalking her? She'd had the thought once before hadn't she?
She stood rooted to the spot, wondering how she would do if she had to fight her way past him.
Oddly, she didn't sense any danger from him. Despite the circumstances indicating the contrary, she somehow knew that he wasn't there to hurt her.
He stood looking at her, his blue shirt hugged his body perfectly. It was a nice shade of blue, it brought out his eyes.
It was also very familiar.
He took a step forward and she shrunk back hitting the counter behind her. She thrust her hand into her bag threateningly.
"Don't move. . .I. . .I have pepper spray" She ventured, not knowing what exactly to say, hoping this would at least stall him a little.
Her mother had always adviced her to carry a can of mace in her bag, but she had been too lazy to go through the process of getting it, seeing it as an unnecessary precaution. If she was accosted by unsavory guys, she could always outrun them.
Or so she'd thought. Not that the particular guy who accosted her now was unsavory.
She gazed at his hair, it was just the right kind of messy to make him look almost beautiful. His lips were slightly parted as he regarded her where she stood. She just wanted to reach forward and...
She cautioned herself harshly. What was wrong with her. She never reacted this way around boys. Even at the various parties she'd been to, boy's who came on to her with their cliché pickup lines usually returned to their laughing friends, shame-faced.
She couldn't stand boys who thought they could sweep her off her feet with lines downloaded online.
"I'm not here to hurt you" he said then, moving forward the tiniest bit of a fraction.
The tone of his voice conveyed honesty to her and she found herself desperately wanting to believe him. She fought this off vehemently.
"Is that right?" She said, still keeping her hand in her bag, on the imaginary mace.
"Then. . .then why don't you just let me go. Right now. I'll be more than happy to believe you then. When I'm safely outside." she completed, still not bothering to move.
He sighed as one would with a stubborn child. Just who did he think he was? She thought indignantly.
"Trust me Leila. If I wanted to hurt you, would I have saved you from the truck? Or better yet, would I have wrest your soul back from the cold hands of death itself?" he asked, looking at her with a questioning expression.
'Wrest"? Who said 'wrest' anymore? And what did he mean by 'he saved her'?
In that moment, it all came rushing to her. The day of the accident.
Being pulled out of the car. His face, the blue shirt. The tingly feeling she'd had in her spine. And then again just now, the way she'd found herself on the grass, before the truck killed Sofia. Oh Sofia.
It all made sense now. Or at least, it would, now that she could put a face to her mysterious savior.
Really? Caleb?
She was suddenly scared. "Who are you? What. . .are you?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He sighed.
"All that will be gotten to in time. Tell me, are you hurt? Did you hurt yourself when you landed on the grass?" he asked, starting to move forward.
She raised a warning hand, frowning. "Please, stay where you are please"
He stopped in his tracks, sighing as he did so.
"Who are you?" she asked again, this time adding more steel to her voice.
He looked at her in a way she couldn't quite understand. It was like he was trying to gauge what her reaction to his reply would be.
Seemingly satisfied with his guess, he said simply.
"I'm an angel"
CHAPTER SIX
Leila's laughter came in gusts. She couldn't stop herself, the entire situation was incredibly confusing.
It was either laugh, or cry her eyes out and there was no way she was going to let him see her cry. She didn't even know him that well.
Well, how many other angels do you know? She asked herself, erupting in a new fit of laughter.
He looked at her with a vacant expression, waiting patiently for her outburst to calm down.
"So. . .you're an angel? Wings? Halo? Harp?" She asked, laughing once again. "Just how stupid do you think I am?" She said finally.
Granted, she knew there was something going on. Maybe even something otherworldly, but angels? She hated being taken for a fool by anyone. When her intelligence was called to question, she lashed out.
"I know it's hard to believe...but I assure you that it is the truth" he said calmly, still regarding her quietly.
She shook her head in disbelief. No, it couldn't be. What? An Angel? What would he tell her next? Leprechauns were real? Or the tooth fairy perhaps? Angels.
He sighed and she looked up at him. Before she could react, he had covered the distance between them in three large strides and he grabbed her hand.
What happened next was nothing short of divine.
Her eyes rolled back into her head and her mind was filled with an amazing light, filled with what she could only describe as more colours than she had ever seen in any makeup pallette. He stood in the middle of it, bathed in the luminance. She thought she saw structures that could have passed as wings. But just as the vision had started, it ended.
She stood still for a moment attempting to catch her breath.
What had she just seen? A vision? Revelation? She couldn't come up with a word to explain what had just happened to her. One minute she'd been in the public restroom and the next, she'd been somewhere else. Somewhere she didn't mind revisiting.
Was it even real? Or just part of the illusion.
She stole a glance at Caleb. He just stood there looking at her.
"What was that?" she asked when she found her voice.
"I took you somewhere you could see me in my actual form. Revealing myself here would prove hazardous to both you and others."
She couldn't believe her ears. Or eyes. Or mind for that matter. She was standing in the same public restroom as an angel. But wait, if he was real. . .
"Does that mean God's real? Lucifer?" She asked wide eyed, pondering the implications of a positive answer before even getting one.
It changed everything.
"There are a lot of things I'm not at liberty to say to you Leila. I have interfered enough and you know the price that interference came at" he replied, his eyes darkening as he mentioned 'implication'.
For a second she did not understand what he was referring to. Then the next second it clicked.
The voice.
The names in her head.
He held the key to understanding it. Perhaps if she knew why she was given the ability she could know what to do with it.
Wasn't this what s
he'd prayed for so long?
Finally, she had a reason to hope for a better tomorrow.
She smiled and opened her mouth to ask for an explanation when the door flew open.
The gasp was overly dramatic and didn't really push the point that the person who gasped was shocked. If she didn't know better she'd say the person fully expected to see a girl and a guy in the bathroom.
"This is a girl's bathroom. Anything I can help you with?" the middle aged woman said, eyeing Caleb lustfully.
He seemed oblivious of her attention, much to Leila's delight, and instead turned to her,
"Let's go outside. I'll explain on our way back to your car"
He grabbed her hand and she couldn't help the disappointment she felt when she wasn't transported to that place. The place he'd taken her to before.
Instead, he dragged her out of the restroom, all the while, being eyed by the woman who'd entered.
Catching sight of the look, Leila moved closer to Caleb as they left, casting a glance at the woman and smirking.
She was taken aback by her attitude. Something was wrong with her. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she had to get it under control.
***
Once outside, Leila caught herself several times, nervously checking oncoming traffic. After being mauled by a vehicle once and then almost being crushed by another, she felt a little bit of extra caution on her part was necessary. Silently, they walked back to her car.
"So tell me. What's going on?" She asked when she couldn't handle the silence anymore.
Caleb turned to her and scrutinised her. He had that look again, the one where he gauged her reaction to know just how much he could tell her. Making up his mind, he said,
"I broke the rules. I rescued you from death, and by doing that, I tore a hole in the veil. Now we have unleashed unthinkable evil into the world."
'We'? What did he mean 'we'? She thought to herself, the way she saw it, he was the one who stepped in and saved her from the crash. Not that she was ungrateful for the help, but still it was clearly his fault for not sticking to the rules.
Angels and Magic Page 5
