The whole room’s attention was riveted on him. Russell looked confident and eager, still at the edge of his seat, while Dorian didn’t seem to be paying any attention at all. He was slouching on the bench and playing some sort of game with Luz’s fingers. They repressed a laugh now and again, and kept their playing.
“A Special Mission,” Orffius continued, “means that you will have to live your life with the extra burden of a physical or mental malady.” Russell looked crestfallen and his aura immediately changed colors.
“Some special missions will affect your bodies, some others your mind and in some instances, both. All of you, whether you volunteer for a special mission or not, will at some point have to endure illness and pain in mortality. However, a special mission will be in addition to those maladies which will happen naturally.” A kind smile crossed his face as he looked at us. “Now, let me show you a long list of possibilities.” Orffius was now holding some device in his hands. He pushed a button and one of the thick drapes behind him parted, showing a long list of black floating words. Orffius touched one of the words with a long outstretched finger and pulled the word forward. The word expanded. It said “Blindness”, and then he proceeded to explain what that particular malady was, and then continued on down the list.
“Now…” He looked down at the scrolls in front of him and then resumed. “This next list is the list of mental illnesses that exist.” He made a sweeping motion with his hand and all the words disappeared, and a new list came up.
It was Dane now who moved to the edge of his seat and looked intently at the words, nodding now and then when he recognized one of them.
Once more Orffius patiently explained the many illnesses that a mind could have. Nancy seemed very interested too, but Russell had lost all interest. Dorian was now done playing with Luz’s hands and had slouched even further down his seat. Luz seemed to be very much at ease as well, though her aura showed a new color of determination.
Alex was shifting in his seat and Valerie was sitting bolt upright, looking fixedly forward and deep in thought.
I personally felt scared, all those problems…I didn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, want any of those problems. One thing I knew for sure, and that is that I would not be strong enough to endure those problems. Just knowing that I might be subject to a mild illness made me feel uneasy.
“Why would we do that to ourselves, you might ask?” Orffious continued. “Special Missions have several different purposes. One is to protect some of you from the influence of he whom you call the Second One and his followers, who still hope to enslave human kind and force them to their will. If you take on a Special Mission, and your mind is blocked by an illness, you will be considered an innocent and will be shielded from the Second One’s power.”
“Also, there are some among you who would find life too easy without a special mission, and wouldn’t find life a challenge at all. For that reason, some of you have been asked to take on a special mission in order to make life equally fair for everyone.” The room filled with quiet murmurs, and Orffious lifted one of his big hands to quiet them.
“In fact,” he continued, “your special mission will help others in ways that are too numerous to list. Once in mortality it would seem like your family members and friends would be the ones to help you, but in reality you will be able to help them just as much or more, because of your special circumstances.”
The teacher explained how many mortals with special circumstances had been able to help those around them, and sometimes whole communities. Then we watched, through a window, several examples of this from our own planet. After that, Orffius dismissed class for a time and told us to come back in one of “Earth’s days” for the second part of the class.
Lucky for us, Henry had procured some devices that he called watches, that kept Earth’s time and these came in very handy when teachers said that we had to be back in class in a certain amount of hours. Now, all we had to do was set the built-in alarm to twenty four hours later and relax. This way we never missed a class that kept Earth’s time. It was always eye opening for me to see how quickly time passed for the living.
“Well, what do you guys think about special missions?” Nancy asked matter-of-factly.
“Not for me!” Russell declared. “I want to be a warrior. I’ll need all my health—physical and mental—for that.”
“It’s not for me either,” I piped in without remorse. “I know I’m not one of those spirits who would find life too easy. I’m already stressing out about it and it hasn’t even started yet! I admire anyone who would do it, though.”
“I do too.” Dane nodded. “They do deserve our complete admiration and honor. I feel that my calling as a healer would be to work with those who suffer from these illnesses. Now, more than ever, I realize that that will be my own mission in life,” Dane said emphatically.
Valerie looked up at him with a pained look on her face. Dane saw it and shot her a quizzical look in return. That conversation, I sensed, would be a private one. I was curious though to know what Valerie was feeling, but the moment I tried to read her thoughts, an angry Valerie met my eyes in full, as if she could tell I was probing her. Without uttering a single word she told me to “Butt out!” I bit my lip and stifled a laugh, she is good! Obviously she got more premonitions than she let on. She knew what I was going to do before I did it.
“I’m with, Tess. I’m not strong enough either. Besides, I would also like to be a warrior,” Alex commented. This didn’t surprise me, and Nancy and I exchanged exasperated looks. Warriors have a good track record of getting hurt in battle or being killed, and neither one of us was happy about that.
“Not for me!” Henry declared, and Estelle shook her head too.
Max and Celeste also declined, and Amor and Paz said that they wouldn’t volunteer either, but would gladly care for someone who did. Only Valerie, Luz and Dorian had remained silent, and all eyes were on them now. Dorian was looking down at the green spiritual grass that was below his bare feet. Then he looked up at us and laughed a full hardy laugh.
“Well, what can I say? I don’t think I’m strong enough, but I know I’ll do it,” he said between laughs as if it was funny, then he bit his lower lip and avoided our stares.
Luz was not looking at him or us. She had a faraway look and Valerie and Dane were suddenly nowhere to be found.
“What?” Dorian asked, his laugh dying down a little.
“Well, you have our full support, Dorian,” Russell said with authority, and the rest of us agreed.
Without meaning to, Dorian’s feelings came to me as if carried by a breeze. He was scared, resigned, and determined. He had a vision and he saw himself affected by a mental illness. He knew that he would have to endure it for the sake of…me. This thought caught me completely off guard. I stood petrified to the spot and frowned.
Dorian looked up at me and winked, but I wasn’t soothed. I couldn’t allow him to take this on for my sake.
Alex watched our little exchange. “What is it? Tess? Dorian?”
“I’m doing it too,” Luz said, ignoring the recent exchange between Dorian and me. Her voice, however, brought me out of my trance and my eyes shifted toward her. Her thoughts came to me freely as well. She also felt uneasy, but had no fear. She was certain that Amor and Paz would somehow take care of her, and this certainty was immovable in her mind, like a rock.
“But if you both volunteer for a special mission…” My voice trailed and I was feeling too many emotions from too many spirits to be coherent.
“It will all work out, I have seen it. We’ll help each other.” Dorian’s words were directed to me, not Luz, but he held her hand tightly.
“But…” I stammered.
Dorian laughed and came to my side. He put one arm around my shoulders and shook my frame lightly. In doing this, I realized how big he really was. He was even taller than Alex. Had he always been this size? Or had he grown in stature since volunteering?
; “Just do me a favor, OK, Tess? Help me find Luz, that’s all I ask,” Dorian said with a chuckle.
“OK…” I said, dazed.
“You’ll be the best sister ever!” Dorian kissed the top of my head.
“Sister, you mean…you saw us being brother and sister?”
“Well… not exactly. Listen, that’s all I have, I’m not an oracle you know.”
“Yes, you are,” Max corrected.
Dorian hunched his shoulders and brushed it off as if it was no big deal. Then he glided back to Luz’s side and wrapped his arms around her.
“OK…well…we’ll see you guys in…” Dorian checked his watch, “twenty hours.”
“Wow, time sure flies! Let’s go for a stroll.” Max looked at Celeste. She took his arm and they were off.
The rest of the clan dispersed as well. Only Alex and I were still standing there.
“So…what just happened?” he asked.
I looked back at him with dismay. Why was it that everyone felt that I needed to be rescued?
Alex and I spent the rest of the time strolling through the zigzagging streets of the special mission’s city which was carved out of the face of the mountain. We mostly talked about Dorian, and Alex insisted that perhaps I only discerned part of the truth—I was after all new at this thought reading business.
When class resumed, Orffius gave time to those who had questions that still needed answering. Once all questions were answered, and they were many, he asked for those who wanted to volunteer to raise their hands.
Dorian and Luz raised their hands and I turned my head to see what Valerie would do. She looked confident and determined. Her jaw was set as if her mind had been made up and she too raised her hand. I also noticed that Dane tightened his grip on her other hand. He too looked forward, calm and determined.
I was awe struck by their courage in accepting this extra challenge—all of them. But I worried that Dorian had just made a huge mistake.
*****
Things were getting more intense for us now. Almost all classes were using Earth’s rotation for their scheduling, and they were not repeating the same class over and over again, like they used to. There were less of us now, so a schedule had been created and if we missed a class now, we had to wait a few of Earth’s years before it was repeated. Gifts…forget it! If you missed a gift class these days, you were done. Those were never repeated anymore.
Since I got transferred to Sonora’s class I was in a constant state of catching up. Leo, Irene, and Thomas had gotten transferred too, soon after I did and they too felt like they were way behind, so we put in a lot of extra practice time. But this was now creating a problem with my other classes.
Right now, I was running late for an introduction to Angelic Missions, for those who wanted to qualify as an Angel. I was pretty much flying through the streets, zigzagging my way around spirits who were being way too slow. I made a sharp turn out of the Gifts district and passed the Earth’s Cultures district as fast as it was spiritually possible. Next was the Angelic Missions District. Now I had to find the actual building that I needed to go to.
The streets were well marked, but these districts were always crowded and it was often hard to see the signs. I hit something or someone and all the scrolls and books that I was carrying flew up in the air.
“Watch where you’re going, you idiot!” Agatha spat with anger.
“Hi, Agatha. I see you’ve been working hard at turning your aura into a black hole,” I said, trying to keep my anger in check.
“As a matter-of-fact, a black hole is exactly what I was going for.” She looked smug, and then added, “I miss you at Gifts class. Where have you been these days?”
“I’m in Sonora’s class.”
She looked at me for a moment, and when her seething jealousy could bare it no more, she flew away.
I snickered at her reaction, but part of me felt bad for her as well. I now knew what it felt like to be miserable and alone, and it’s not a pleasant feeling. And even though Agatha and I have never seen eye to eye, I wouldn’t wish that misery on her.
I guess I also felt responsible for her. After all, it was my fault that she decided to join us and now…she was all alone, alienated from us, the true followers, and those who came as spies. If I had just kept my mouth shut…who knows?
I resumed my flight toward my next class. On the other hand, I too, have had a small taste of what being cast-out feels like, I thought, and given the choice…she is better here. Misery is mild compared to what she would have had to endure for the eternities as a cast-out.
“Why the scowl?” Dorian was standing right outside the front of the Angelic Missions building, wearing his usual carefree smile.
“Oh, hi! I was just…thinking.”
“What could possibly be making you look so glum?”
I pondered this question, not sure what would be the best way to answer.
“You know…I’m glad to see you. I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” I said while lacing my arm through his.
“Me? Am I to blame for that look on your face?” he said with a mock pout.
“No. But I do want to talk to you about you volunteering for a special mission, because of me.”
“I didn’t do it just because of you, Tess. I knew way before I went to that class that I’d volunteer. I had a vision and I saw me, in mortality—I will be handsome by the way. I saw you, too, and we helped each other.” He raised one eyebrow and added, “You’ll be cute too. Hot, more like it.” He winked.
I shook my head.
“Don’t try to change the subject to soften the blow. Thanks though. It’s nice to know.
“But listen, I can’t ask you to take on a special mission for me. It’s ridiculous!”
He looked steadily at me for a moment, and then looked hurt. “Wouldn’t you do it for me?”
That caught me off guard. “Of course I would do it for you!” I told him, equally hurt.
“Well then!” He smiled again. “Now you understand and we can go inside and begin our Angelic training.” Dorian turned and began the walk up the seemingly endless stairs that led to the main entrance.
“Dorian, really…” I was serious now and not in the mood for his jokes.
He stopped and turned to look at me. “Tess, I have to do this. Not just for you, OK. This is for me as well.” He looked torn, like he wanted to tell me more but couldn’t. Then he looked around as if making sure no one was listening and came in closer and whispered. “I’ve been told that I need protection, and the best way to get it is through a special mission. Remember what Orffius said about the protection that is given to those who live with a special mission?”
“He said that the Eternals kept them safe or something,” I said, vaguely remembering those particular words.
“Well…sort of. Listen, I can’t tell you all I know, but trust me. It’s for the best. I know you would do the same thing if you were in my position. This way I can help you and Alex, and will get to use my gift to its fullest degree.” He stopped abruptly and looked a little jolted. Then he recovered and patted my head much like he patted his pet bird’s head. I think he expected me to fluff up like the bird did and looked a little disappointed when I didn’t.
“It’s all for the best, OK?” He resumed the stair climbing and I followed him.
We moved in silence for a while. I tried to put all his words in perspective.
“So…can you tell me again how cute I will be?”
“As cute as you are now, but with more color.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and laughed loudly. His voiced echoed through the entrance hall, and several spirits who were working in the lobby turned to look at his irreverence. The Angelic Missions building was all white, the stone itself irradiated a pearly shimmer that made the building glow. Two statues of extra large Cherubs greeted us at the entrance. They looked so real, that for a moment I stared, waiting for one of them to move.
Dorian proved that they were ston
e by flicking one of them on the leg—a daring move if you ask me. Had that Cherub been real we would have had a preview of what physical pain would be like.
Dorian and I were directed to a classroom and a real Cherub this time opened the door for us. Inside the room, our whole clan—minus Henry—was sitting down toward the front. Leo and Irene were there too with some of their clan members.
* * * * *
Chapter 16
Agatha glided through the crowded streets and out of sight. She was glad for all the training that she had been able to get in preparation for this. Eros had been easily duped, the rest would be too.
He had given her directions to the spot. It was remote and well hidden. Her first matter of business would be a call for complete secrecy of the location. No more casual invitations, she thought with irony.
She was now out of the developed parts and was entering the large western mountain range. There, well above the tree line, she could see the landmarks that marked where the small opening of the cavern was to be. Most spirits would think of looking down at the foot of the mountain for such an opening, but this one was near the top.
She approached the entrance and called out, “Second chance.”
“Enter,” a voice from within responded.
What an idiotic way of guarding the entrance, Agatha thought as she hunched down. The opening was smaller than her height, and she had to glide forward in an awkward manner for what seemed like an eternity. Then the cave dove downward and stopped abruptly, giving way to a huge open area with no discernable bottom. From the top hung large crystal formations and there was no natural light. Torches had been placed against the sides of the cave and they provided the only source of light. In the very center of this hollow mountain, stood one single island that in the darkness looked suspended in midair. On it were several hooded figures that, upon seeing Agatha, turned sharply. Off to the sides, floating in midair, were other spirits—the Fallen Angels.
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