Chapter 4

Back on the same road, I stood there alone. I decided to sit and just wait. Why did I keep dreaming about this place? There had to be a reason, seeing as this place was consuming my dream world. Yet, what was the point of being here when I couldn’t get any answers? Would I see her, or him, again? Perhaps someone new? Not knowing what to expect was a bit frightening, but a sense of excitement began to seep through my bones as I saw someone walking in the distance. My heart was pounding rapidly; I had almost forgotten how good-looking he was.

All I could remember was this strange queasiness in my stomach, but as he got closer, I saw that it wasn’t him. This man’s features were very similar to the guy I had met before, sharing much of the same beauty. He had a similar body frame, but his hair was a lighter shade of brown, and his eyes were emerald green. I felt disappointed and saddened because he had lied to me. He had told me that he was the only one here, but seeing this new guy just confirmed that there were others. As the stranger approached, I prepared myself for rudeness, like the last guy. But instead, I was surprised by his amiable voice.

“Hello, my name is Davin,” he said cheerfully. I was relieved by the sweetness in his voice, and as I tried to remember why that name sounded familiar, he spoke again. “So you’re back.”

Back? How did he know I was here before? I wasn’t sure how to answer his question. “Honestly, I don’t know how I ended up here. The last thing I remember is falling asleep, and now I’m here.”

As I was talking, he started circling around me, eyeing me slowly and intently from head to toe. Did I say something wrong? I was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable; it seemed he was staring endlessly. Did he have to make it that obvious? He was totally checking me out. Oh my gosh! What a player. I should have known from his friendly approach. When he finally stopped, I expected him to say some stupid pick-up line, but instead, he just smiled.

I crossed my arms with irritation. “Excuse me, but are you looking for something?” I finally got the courage to ask this unnerving stranger.

His right hand was under his chin and his eyes were elsewhere in thought. He finally murmured something to himself, just loud enough that I could hear. “So you are a human after all. How is this possible?”

“Of course I’m human. What else would I be?” I snapped. “Do I have horns coming out of my head or wings behind my back?” I asked sarcastically.

His eyes fixed on me. “Ummm…,” he said with a puzzled looked on his face, as if he was searching for words. Now he looked confused.

Our conversation was getting us nowhere. I had to be direct and to the point. “Let me get this straight. If you are calling me human, then what are you?” I asked, regretting my question almost instantly, out of fear of what his answer might be.

“I’m what you would call an angel,” he said proudly, without any hesitation.

It was hard for me to take in what he had just said. Was this guy for real? Oh great, now I am stuck who knows where, and this guy thinks he’s an angel. I guess it is possible. After all, if this is just a dream, then it can be whatever I want it to be, right? People have strange dreams all the time, and they don’t necessarily have to have any meaning. Yeah, that’s all it is. All of this rambling in my head was in an effort to convince myself that I wasn’t going crazy.

“An angel?” I questioned, as if I had misheard his reply.

He just stood there, nodding arrogantly. Okay, I thought. I’ll bite. Doesn’t look like I have anywhere else to go, so why not? So I asked him the first question that popped in my head. “You have no wings. How can you be an angel?”

“You humans and your overactive imaginations,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and prepared to listen. “Imagine us with wings,” he said. “We don’t need wings to fly or get around. There are only a few angels among us who actually have wings. Those were the angels that came long before humans.”

“Gabriel,” I named quickly. “He is a messenger angel, correct?”

“Yes, very good. I see you did your homework, but then again, everybody knows about angel Gabriel.”

I felt proud to know the name, but he just shot me down. The years of attending Sunday school did not pay off. Then I shot back with another question. “Tell me, what kind of angel are you? If memory serves me, there are three different types of angels: guardian, messenger, or avenger, right?” Confident that I had impressed him with my “angel knowledge,” I smiled proudly and stared back at him, much the way he did when questioning me being human.

“If I had a choice, I would be an avenger, but I’m not any of those. I’m different. I’m…” he paused, as if searching for the most appropriate words. None of this was making sense. “It doesn’t matter what kind of angel I am. An angel is an angel.”

He was right, I suppose. An angel is an angel, but I didn’t believe him. I quickly changed the subject as he entered my thoughts. I was hoping Davin had some insight as to who this person could be.

“Where is, ummm…?”

Cutting me off in midsentence, he said, “He is very upset that you’re here again. You didn’t take heed of his warning so he sent me. I’m the nice guy. After all, you did ask him if you could speak to a nice guy, and here I am,” he said with a big grin, obviously knowing exactly who I was referring to.

There was a cuteness about him. Something about being “the good guy” made him likeable in a non-conceited way.

“He’s mad at me?” I asked, feeling extremely disappointed.

I didn’t know why I even bothered to care. I mean, who was he to me? I told myself, I’m the one who should be mad; he lied to me. He isn’t the only one here. I wondered how many of them existed—wherever here was, as I vaguely recalled him mentioning something about a place between life and death. Why should I believe him when he had already lied to me? And again, WHY WAS I HERE?

Then that knot in the pit of my stomach started to creep back as a sense of helplessness set in. I was at a loss for words once more as I found myself questioning my presence in this foreign place. I sat down, uncomforted by Davin’s words, and curled my knees into my chest. Alone and frustrated, my eyes began to tear. A good cry now seemed appropriate.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Davin pacing back and forth at a distance, looking extremely uncomfortable with my emotional display. Then, suddenly, he was reaching down toward me, wiping every teardrop before they could fall from my cheeks. I was perplexed by the speed at which he came toward me. Humans don’t move the way he just moved. Had he been telling me the truth all along? Was he truly an angel? It didn’t matter what he was. I was just glad that I was not alone, and his touch was comforting.

“Don’t want people down there to think it’s sprinkling,” he said in what appeared to be an effort to lighten the mood.

I looked up into his eyes, pondering his words in my mind.

“It’s a joke,” he chuckled, trying to make me laugh.

I wasn’t laughing; I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. No amount of humor was going to help this situation. I stood up quickly to turn away from him, but began to feel dizzy and almost fainted. I saw three of him. As I reached out trying to catch my balance, Davin wrapped his arms around me from behind. His strong arms were locked, holding me tight. I felt uncomfortable by his embrace, but at the same time, in this moment of weakness, I was strangely comforted by his strength.

“I’m going to be in a whole lot of trouble for this,” he whispered into my ear.

I felt a warm sensation run through my body, like when you step out into the sun from the cold. Instantly I was calmer, but confused about what was happening. I had no control over how I was feeling. Was this because of Davin, or was something wrong with me?

“Davin!” Out of nowhere, he appeared. It was him, the perfect being I had encountered in the field. “What have you done?” he demanded.

Davin dropped his arms, as if he was caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar. He swiftly moved away from me, now keeping his distance.

“Michael, I was only trying to—”

“Silence!” he interrupted. Davin didn’t have a chance to explain. We both stiffened by the sound of his command.

Michael, like the archangel. One who is good. He was strong and powerful; a protector. What a perfect name.

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael said. “Now there is no turning back, everyone will know!” He spoke through clenched jaws, eyes glaring. I became frightened. I stared at him and realized there was fear in his eyes. Behind his anger, I saw a man, a beautiful soul looking back at me.

“I was trying to console her, and I got carried away. It’s been ages since I’ve touched a human, and I couldn’t help myself,” Davin said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

Human? Here we go again with the human thing. Michael glanced back my way. I blushed, turning my face away, in hopes that he didn’t realize I had been staring so intently at him.

“You need to go back,” he said softly, almost sorrowfully. He sounded very concerned.

Quickly gathering himself, he yelled, “Get her out, Davin. Now!”

“No. Why don’t you do it?” Davin argued back.

Michael replied, “You know very well that I don’t have that kind of power. I’m not a gatekeeper like you. I can’t send her back. I would do it myself if I could.”

Davin paused. He gave me a thoughtful look as he faced me with tenderness, “Do you want to go back?”

As soon as Davin asked me, Michael shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Did I have a choice? Did it matter what the choice would be? What did they mean by having power? And what was a gatekeeper? While focusing solely on Davin, afraid to look at Michael for fear of disapproval, I shook my head no. I did not want to leave. I was fascinated by their being. And frankly, at this point, I had Davin on my side. I didn’t care what Michael thought.

Davin turned to Michael after I responded with the answer Davin wanted to hear. “Michael, aren’t you a bit curious as to how a human found a way to cross over from Crossroads? Besides, you asked for my help. I think we should take her to Phillip.”

Michael, looking quite upset, paused and responded carefully, “I don’t understand it myself, but you know the risk we’re putting her in. Do you realize what this means?”

“I know. I know,” Davin replied, embarrassed at being scolded for doing something he knew very well he wasn’t supposed to do. Looking at me, he said, “Now the fallen will be after her.”

For a brief second, I felt my breath stop short as I replayed what Davin had said. Now the fallen will be after her. I gaped back and forth, from Michael and then to Davin, as I listened carefully to their conversation, contemplating what I should say. I already knew why Michael didn’t want me to stay. All I could mutter was “fallen.” I wondered who they were and why they would be after me. What did I do? Without warning, Michael and Davin placed their arms around me, and we were in the air.

“Ahhhhh! Oh my God!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “You’re flying. I’m flying! What’s going on? How is this possible? Where are we going?”

“Sunday school sure didn’t pay off for you. Don’t you know your Ten Commandments? Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain?” Davin replied with a smirk. “Are you human girls always this dramatic?”

“Are you serious? You’re scolding me about the Ten Commandments? This isn’t normal. What are you?”

“You don’t listen very well, do you? I told you I am an angel,” he said with a huge grin. “You believe me now?”

I didn’t know what to believe. As far as I was concerned, I was dreaming. And if what they were telling was true, what kind of angels were they to be this rude? I thought all angels were kind and noble.

Michael, to my right, was silent while Davin, to my left, was thoroughly enjoying himself. This can’t be happening, I thought. Dream or no dream, I needed answers.

“Where are we going?” I pleaded. “Why aren’t you telling me anything?”

Michael turned swiftly with a cold stare and said, “I told you not to come back.”