by Aron Lewes
While Jophiel speaks, I watch the rest of Taishi's match against Gabriel. He's ducking, dodging and swinging like crazy. It looks like he's on the verge of a win. “Y-yeah. Sure.”
“I have quite a large bed... and no one to share it with,” Jophiel continues. “For three thousand years, you know.”
“Yeah. Uh huh,” I absentmindedly answer. When Taishi's sword knocks away Gabriel's, several of his spectators cheer. As the Archangels celebrate his victory, Taishi's eyes land on mine.
At that very moment, Jophiel steals a kiss. As soon as I feel his lips on mine, my body jolts.
“I hope you don't mind that I kissed you,” Jophiel whispers the words in my ear. “You are my girlfriend, after all.”
“Y-yeah.” When I check on Taishi, he's not paying attention to me anymore.
“You're so beautiful, Leigh Riley,” Jophiel whispers. “So, so beautiful.”
Jophiel is officially the first person who's ever used the b-word to describe me. Beautiful. I've never thought I was beautiful. I'm passably attractive, maybe, but there's no way I'm beautiful. He's being way too generous with his praise.
I want to thank him for his compliment, or tell him I think he's gorgeous, but my mind feels scrambled right now.
“Come.” Jophiel offers his arm. “I'll take you to my quarters.”
As soon as Jophiel leads me out of the training room, we're stopped by Taishi, who hurries up to us and catches my arm.
“Riley-san!” Taishi exclaims. “I, uh... my apologies to Jophiel, but I need you for our next mission.”
“Can your mission wait for a bit, Nakamura?” Jophiel asks the question with a furrowed brow. “Surely Leigh deserves a break? She's been performing so well, after all.”
“Some students have already started their fourth mission. It can't wait.” Taishi brazenly extracts me from Jophiel's encompassing arm. “Sorry, Jophiel-sama.”
As Taishi leads me away, I can hear Jophiel tutting behind me. My instructor didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye, so I turn around and wave to Jophiel.
“I can't believe you've fallen for Jophiel's nonsense, Riley-san,” Taishi croaks as we exit Archangel Tower. “I thought you were smarter than that.”
“What?” I yank my arm from Taishi's grip. “What's wrong with Jophiel, and why are you being so rude?”
“Let me guess...” Taishi stops walking and faces my direction. “Did he tell you about his three thousand year vow of celibacy?”
“Y-yeah.” My answer is accompanied by a slow nod. “Why?”
“That's what Jophiel says to all the girls he tries to bed.” A cruel grin flickers across Taishi Nakamura's lips as he delivers the news. “And believe me, he's bedded a lot. I thought you'd be too wise to fall for his story.”
“What?” My face is transformed by a hateful sneer. I don't think I've ever been so mad at Taishi. First of all, I can't believe he would just blurt out something that could potentially shatter my happiness. Secondly, he better not be lying. If he's making this up, I'm going to be pretty pissed off.
“I'm telling you the truth, Leigh. Jophiel is a notorious womanizer,” Taishi continues. “That's why I told you not to go with him. I should have known he would be interested in you. He preys on your type.”
“Oh?” My hands fly to my hips. “And what's my type, Taishi?”
“Young and innocent, with limited knowledge of men.”
My fists clench as he describes me. “I don't have... limited knowledge of men,” I lie. He can probably see through it, though. I'm a terrible liar.
Taishi ignores me and continues to bash Jophiel's character. “He uses the same story again and again. I'm sure he told you he'd been celibate for centuries, and you were the first girl who's tempted him to break his vow. It's what he does, Leigh. And it always works.”
“How do you know this?” I can feel my lips trembling, so I suck them into my mouth until they stop. Apparently, my first boyfriend is a jerk. Wonderful.
“He brags to some of the Archangels. They think he's a hero.” A grumble rises from Taishi's throat.
“How many times has he... done this?” I don't want to know the answer to this question. I really don't.
“I couldn't even begin to guess. Countless times, probably.” Taishi's gaze drops to the ground. “I'm sorry, Leigh, but I had to tell you the truth. I couldn't stand aside and let the same thing happen to you.”
“Well... if it is true, I'm glad you told me.” And I officially feel like a fool. Why would a gorgeous Archangel like Jophiel actually be interested in me? How did I feel special enough to believe his story?
Sighing, I speak again, “Why did I think I was pretty enough to tempt a guy out of a three-thousand-year vow of celibacy? God, I'm such an idiot.”
Taishi jumps to my defense. “What? No! You shouldn't feel that way. You are pretty, Riley-san.”
A pity compliment from Taishi Nakamura makes me feel a little bit better, I guess.
Still, I need to talk to Jophiel about this. The next time I see him, I'm going to ask him about this. Someone needs to call him on his bullshit, and it might as well be me.
“A-anyway...” Taishi looks a bit sheepish as he changes the subject. He turns away and scratches his head. “We really do have a mission to execute. So... let's go.”
“And there's our new charge...” Taishi motions toward the middle-aged man who's hunched over his desk. “His name is Mike Elwell. He's forty-six years old, and he's currently unemployed.”
“Okay.” My mind is still consumed by thoughts of Jophiel, so I don't have much to say. I can't even pretend to be excited about this.
“I'll be honest, Riley-san. I cheated a bit,” Taishi tells me. “I already came here and visited him once.”
I was already frowning. Now my frown is even bigger. “You visited Mike without me?”
“Amber pulled me aside yesterday and told me this mission would be a bit... personal... for me. And she's right. So... I wanted to see our charge before you did.”
My brow pinches at my instructor's cryptic words. “It's personal... how?”
“I can't tell you. Not yet. For now, just check the letter on Mike's desk.”
I take a moment to examine our charge. Mike Elwell looks miserable. His hand is cradling his forehead, his eyes are red-rimmed and vacant, and he's got a half-empty bottle of vodka on his lap. Every time he takes a swig, his face is twisted with disgust. He has thinning brown hair, and he looks like he hasn't shaved for a few days.
“The letter, Riley-san,” Taishi insists. “Read the letter.”
“Okay, okay!” I flippantly roll my eyes. Taishi's my instructor, so I should probably be a little more respectful. Still, he shouldn't be this pushy when I'm in a bad mood.
I move closer to Mike’s desk and check his letter.
Mom,
If you’re reading this letter, I guess that means I'm dead. I'm really sorry, Mom, but I can't stand to be in this world anymore. I can't find another job, no one wants to read my books, and I lost Kara. I'll never get married. I'll never have kids of my own. I know I'm just a burden to you. I'm dead weight. I'm the son you're ashamed to call your son. I'll never amount to anything.
I drink myself to sleep every night, and when I wake up every morning, I can't believe I have to suffer through another day. For the longest time, I've wanted this to end. I'm sick of being in this skin. The more I drink and eat, the fatter I get. I'm disgusted with myself.
I can't even blame Kara for breaking up with me. Not really. If I was her, I wouldn't want to be with me either. She's too pretty for me and she's way too young for me. Her friends used to tease us about our fifteen year age gap. I guess it finally got to her.
I get rejection letters every day. I think I'm a decent writer, but no agent will give me a chance. I want my voice to be heard, but I'm tired of fighting for this dream.
You were a really wonderful mom, and I'm sorry if my death causes you pain. I just can't be here anymore. I can
't. I hope you don't hate me for this...
Sincerely,
Mike
As soon as I reach the letter's end, Mike takes out a gun and lays it on his desk. “Uh... Taishi?” My eyes swell as I turn to my instructor. “What do we do?”
“Do you have your quartz crystal?” Taishi asks.
I dip into my pocket and pull it out. “Uh huh.”
“Try to listen to his thoughts. Find out what he wants.”
“O... kay.” I squeeze the crystal, turn to Mike, and try to focus. Right now, he's just staring at the gun on his deck. It's like his mind is blank. “I don't hear anything,” I report.
“Keep trying.” Behind me, I hear him mutter, “Goodness, Riley-chan, you're always so quick to give up...”
I close my eyes and try again, but I don't hear anything. Either Mike is seriously spacing out, or I'm really bad at this. I might be good at manifesting and warping, but this is clearly a skill I need to hone. “Isn't it obvious what he wants?” I ask. “He wants to kill himself. But we're not supposed to help him with that, right?”
“No. That's not what he wants,” Taishi corrects me. “Try holding the crystal against your chest, Riley-chan.”
“Um... okay.” I take a deep breath, raise the crystal, and hope for the best.
At long last, I hear snippets of the thoughts in Mike's mind.
Wish Kara... no hope... awful writing... I just want a reason to live.
“I heard something!” I announce with a gasp. Taishi doesn't praise me, nor does he have any input, so I go back to eavesdropping on Mike's thoughts.
I don't really want to die... I don't want to leave Mom... please, God, give me a reason to live.
“He wants a reason to live.” When I tell Taishi what I heard, he gives me a nod.
I continue to hear Mike's thoughts in my mind, and they're clearer than ever. If I don't find a reason to live, if I can't think of any good reason to stay on this earth, I'm killing myself tomorrow. I'll do it. I swear I will.
“So, basically,” I sum it up for Taishi, “if he can't think of a reason to live, he's going to kill himself tomorrow?”
Taishi nods again. “Exactly. So it's our job to help him find a reason.” My instructor lackadaisically hitches a shoulder. “Do you have any ideas? Personally, I think we should get him a dog and be done with it. No one wants to leave a pet behind.”
I try to recall everything I've learned so far. “Well... we know about Kara. Maybe we could get his ex-girlfriend interested in him again?”
Taishi's not paying attention. He's still daydreaming about dogs. “I had a Shiba Inu when I was a boy. I called him Itazura, and he got into everything. He was a constant maker of mischief, but we all loved him. Anyway, Itazura died on my fourteenth birthday. When I reunited with that dog in the afterlife, it was one of my happiest days.”
“You mean... you were actually happy once?” I tease him. It's weird to hear Taishi talk about his life. Even if he's just talking about his dog, it's impressive. He never used to open up to me about anything. “Anyway, did you hear what I said about Kara?”
“Yes. We could try to reunite him with Kara,” Taishi agrees. “What else? Do you have any other ideas?”
“W-well... he seems pretty upset about his books and stuff,” I observe. “He wants a literary agent. Maybe we could help him with that?”
“Perhaps.” Taishi accepts my answer with an approving nod. “What do you want to try first?”
“Uh... Kara? Maybe?” One of my shoulders pops into a shrug. “Or do you think that's a bad idea?”
“It's not a bad idea. If that's your choice, let's try it.”
“Why are you letting me choose?”
As he replies, Taishi searches for something on his LightTab. “It's your fourth mission, Riley-chan. You shouldn't need me to hold your hand anymore.”
My arms cross at his comment. With a snort, I exclaim, “You haven't been holding my hand! That's rude!”
“Sorry.” After muttering his apology, Taishi holds up the LightTab and shows me a picture of a pretty Asian woman with a flower in her hair.
“Kara Chen,” Taishi says. “She's a thirty-one-year-old veterinary assistant, and she's Mike's ex-girlfriend.”
Oh. Wow. Like Mike said, she is too pretty for him. And I totally feel terrible for thinking that. It's certainly not a thought I'm going to share with Taishi. I'm glad I don't have a thoughtshare in my ear right now.
“Try to warp to her location,” Taishi instructs me. “Take my hand so I'll warp with you. Focus on her picture, hold her name in your mind, and imagine yourself standing beside her.”
Taishi's really making me work today. I feel like I've graduated to the master class. As always, I'm good at this warping stuff. In an instant, we're standing right next to Kara Chen. Taishi looks a little surprised by my skills. Maybe he doesn't realize how many successful warps I've already done?
Kara's sitting on her couch, eating ice cream and watching a tv show. Mike Elwell is probably the last thing on her mind right now.
My instructor speaks first. “So, you need to get her thinking about--”
“Mike. I know,” I interrupt him. “She needs to think about Mike...”
But how am I supposed to accomplish this when she's glued to her television? I doubt I'll get any helpful advice from Taishi. He's really making me think for myself today.
“Mike Elwell!” I shout the name into her ear. “You need to check on Mike Elwell. Call him on the phone or something. MIKE ELWELL. He needs you!”
My shouting session is a fail. She's still watching her show and spooning cold cookie dough balls into her mouth. During a commercial, she checks her phone, so I try again.
“Mike Elweeeeeell!” I yell. “You need Mike Elwell in your life! Send him a text or something!”
When I fail again, Taishi speaks up. “Now would be a good time to show you how to manipulate social media, Riley-chan. I don't believe we've covered that yet.” My instructor loads an app on his LightTab and stands beside me. “Look. Kara's on Chitter right now, and she still follows Mike. We should tamper with her timeline and show her some of Mike's posts.”
“Okay...” I watch him scroll through Mike's latest comments. He stops on one that's kind of pitiful.
I'm so tired of this life. I could really use a friend right now.
His cry for help was ignored by all of his 203 followers, including Kara. That's sad.
“We need to show her this post,” Taishi says. “Do you see this red button right here?” My instructor points to this LightTab's screen.
“Uh huh.”
“Hit the button, and it'll be instantly uploaded to Kara's timeline. Watch.” Taishi hits the button and motions toward Kara. “Go look at her phone.”
As soon as I check Kara's phone, I see it, and so does she.
I'm so tired of this life. I could really use a friend right now.
Taishi's social media manipulation is a resounding success. A few seconds later, Kara closes Chitter and calls Mike on her phone.
We can only hear Kara's side of the conversation. “Hey, Mike. I was just thinking about you, and I thought I'd check up on you. How have you been?”
Most of the stuff she says is insanely boring. First, she complains about her boss at work. Then she talks about her grandmother, who is apparently planting a tomato garden—as if we needed to know that. As my thoughts drift, I barely hear her whining about the heat. According to Kara, the weather in Phoenix, Arizona is “a bitch.”
Suddenly, the conversation takes a turn for the terrible.
“Yeah, I've got a new boyfriend,” Kara says. “His name's Chris. He's a really great guy. I met him through a friend at work and uhh... yeah... uh huh...”
I grab Taishi's wrist and give it a firm, hard squeeze. “Noooooo!” I wail. “She has a boyfriend! That'll just make this worse!”
Taishi nods in agreement. “Indeed. It probably will.”
“W-w-well... can we try the li
terary agent thing?” I stutter. “If we can get an agent to look at his book, maybe it'll give him hope?”
“You can certainly try. Give me a moment to search for something.” As Taishi tinkers with his LightTab, he shows me the screen. Somehow, he pulls up a list of literary agents Mike Elwell has targeted.
“His query letter is sitting in the inbox of an agent named Steve Sherwood,” Taishi reports. “Should we pay a visit to Steve?”
“Uh... sure,” I answer with a shrug. Before Taishi closes his LightTab, I sneak a peek at Mike's letter.
Dear. Mr. Sherwood:
I am currently seeking representation for my 83,000 word alien invasion novel. It blurs the lines between science fiction and fantasy, and has a strong romantic element. The main characters are green-skinned giants called--
Taishi's LightTab closes before I can read the rest.
Taishi takes the lead this time. Before I know it, we're standing in Steve Sherwood's bedroom. He's laying in bed with his wife, who is already asleep.
My instructor touches Steve's forehead and closes his eyes. I have no idea what he's doing, so I ask, “Uh... why are you touching him?”
“I'm telling him to check his query letters. I'm implanting the idea in his mind,” Taishi says. “It's the same thing you do when you shout at them.”
“Wait, so...” I can feel my eyes narrowing. “The shouting isn't necessary?”
“No.” My instructor grins at me. It's a cheeky grin, and he doesn't smile that often, so I can't even be mad at him. “I think it's hilarious when you shout, so I never taught you any other method.”
“I hate you, Taishi Nakamura,” I croak. “Seriously. You're awful.”
Taishi's method works. Within a minute, Steve turns on his laptop and loads his massive inbox of query letters.
“Oh god!” I squeal. “He has over two hundred letters! How in the hell are we going to get him to check Mike's?”
“Send his eyes down to Mike's.” Taishi steps away from Steve's bed and nudges me forward. “Put your hand on his head, focus, and try to send the thought to him.”
