Forgotten Souls (9 page)

"Do Guides ever turn?" I asked, feeling a slightly panicked given what I had done earlier that evening.

"No, we have never had a Guide turn. It is certainly possible, however your emotional compass should always steer you down the right course. I know you are concerned about what happened earlier, but remember, you are still trying to understand your gifts and how to use them. The fact that you understand the illicitness of your actions and displayed repentance shows the beauty of your soul. You have nothing to worry about. You already show more promise than any Guide I have trained throughout the years. Saving yourself and your Protector a few weeks ago put you at an advantage over other Guides. You used knowledge that was not yet bestowed on you, and because of that you are the leader of the Guides in your band."

"Haniel, what about the two that aren't with our band, the ones that Victor stripped from us?" I asked, cringing at how dirty the name tasted in my mouth. "Have their souls already been compromised? Will we be able to save them?" The questions tumbled out of me in a rush.

Haniel held up a hand to stop my onslaught of questions. "We are unsure if they have truly been turned. However, The Light feels that all hope is not lost and has not given up on them."

"Then why don't we go and save them now?" I asked my voice escalating.

Haniel once again held up his hand to quiet me. This time, I fought the temptation to slap it away.
Why were we idly sitting by playing war games?
None of it made sense to me. First God had left me and Mark on our own a few weeks back, and now he was abandoning two lost souls or
forgotten souls
, whatever they were called.

"Krista, have you not heard the words I have spoken to you? The Dark Angel has the protection of a very powerful being right now. To intervene now would mean the loss of more Guides and Protectors. The moment is fast approaching that The Dark Angel will have to answer for his choices, but now is not the time. If we sent your band in now, you would not survive. There are no second chances in this."

"If things are so dire, then why doesn’t The Light send in the Archangels to take care of it? I mean, surely you are more powerful than us lowly celestial beings that don't even have wings?" I asked.

"Krista,
The
Light cannot send us in. We do not exist on the same plane as you or humans. If we were to intervene on behalf of humanity we would be stepping into your realm, thus giving every underling from The Dark One's command the same privilege. The Light has his Chosen Ones to do his bidding, just as The Dark One has his Abbadons and human hosts."

"Human hosts?"
I asked confused.

"Humans that no longer care about themselves or others, can be taken over by evil spirits called Daemons. I believe you encountered several in your recent battle with The Dark Angel," he said quietly.

All my anger dissipated and I sank back against my chaise lounge. There was so much all of us still had to learn. Daemons using human hosts seemed to be the icing on the cake. Suddenly, the weight of it all threatened to pull me under, and for the first time in weeks I had to work to control my emotions. After a few shallow breaths, I was finally able to subdue them.

I opened my eyes to see Haniel studying me. "What?" I asked self-consciously.

"I can see why The Light wants to protect you. You are truly a remarkable Guide and will be spectacular when you come into your own," he said as he stood. Heading toward the steps, he turned to me one last time.

"You know, just because you cannot see your wings, does not mean they are not there. After all, you do not see mine either right?" Without waiting for answer, he walked away in his usual fashion, leaving me to ponder his words. It was quite disconnecting to have him think I was that special. And it was a whole other thing to think that if we weren't in the human realm we would also have wings. How had I gone from
freaky emotional girl
to something so extraordinary in such a short amount of time?

Feline nestled closer to me on the chaise lounge. My eyes began to feel heavy and drifted closed. With Haniel's words floating through my mind, I fell asleep.

Chapter 6

The next week passed in a blur as we trained harder than I could have ever imagined. Thanks to Haniel's healing, Mark was once again in top form, and by the end of the week he was able to out-master both Shawn and Robert. Haniel was a much tougher opponent, but for the most part Mark was able to hold his own.

By Tuesday, Sam and Lynn were both able to protect the children in the images projected by Haniel. I had moved on from not only being able to protect them, but to also change the pictures entirely. I still struggled with holding on long enough to actually filter the emotions completely, but I felt like I had a good handle on it. I could tell, in his own way Haniel was proud of my efforts.

Our favorite part of training, by far, was the sprints that Haniel coached us through. Lynn and Sam were quick learners and it wasn't long before the three of us could run five miles in just under five minutes. The guys loved watching us during this training in particular. When I asked Mark why, he told me it was because we moved so fast it was as if we were flying.

"I guess you could say you truly look like Angels when you're running," he said.

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and excited. Haniel had given us all the day off, and Mark and I decided that alone time was definitely on the agenda.

Crawling out of bed quietly, I gathered my clothes and tiptoed out of the room. Lynn had made it clear she would spend her day off sleeping in.

Heading toward the bathroom with Feline at my heels, I couldn’t help walking with a spring in my step. A day alone with Mark sounded heavenly.

Feline perched on the counter while I twisted the shower nozzle to hot. I flipped the switch for the exhaust fan and stepped into the steaming shower. I would definitely miss Mark's oversized shower/tub when I returned home with my mom on Monday.

I squeezed shampoo into the palm of my hand and worked the lather through my hair. I grimaced when I felt sand on my scalp. Training on the beach, though ideal, made it hard to keep my head sand free. I scrubbed my scalp as thoroughly as possible, using my nails to dislodge all remnants of the beach. Once I was satisfied it was as good as it was going to get, I finished the rest of my shower in a rush, ready to start my alone time with Mark.

Feline leapt off the counter when I stepped out of the shower with the oversized beach towel wrapped securely around me. I felt his rough tongue licking the water beads off the back of my calf while I brushed out my hair. Smiling, I squatted down to scratch behind his ears.

"My poor baby, feeling neglected?" I cooed at him as he lifted his head so I could scratch him under the chin also. I obliged him and was rewarded with his answering purr of gratitude.

I stood back up and refilled his saucer with water and placed it in front of him and resumed getting ready. I pulled on the light yellow sundress I had allowed Sam to talk me into a few weeks ago that Mark had yet to see. The material was airy and flowed gently around me, making me feel more feminine than I had in a week. Training for hours every day after school was beginning to make me feel like a grunt, and very unladylike. I was anxious for Mark to actually see me dressed like a girl again.

Mark had indicated that we would be spending the day outside, so I gathered my hair together and pulled it into a high ponytail on top of my head so it wouldn’t become a mess after a few hours in the heat. After a light layer of lip gloss, a touch of eyeliner, and a spray of my favorite perfume, I was ready to go.

I walked through the house quietly leaving Feline behind to finish his water in the bathroom.

I found Mark on the patio watching the waves roll in.

"Hi," I said, walking up behind him and placing my hands on his shoulders.

"Hi yourself.
Don't you look pretty today," he said, pulling me onto his lap. "Not that you're not pretty every day," he added quickly.

"Sure, sure I got you. Believe me I know I've looked like death this past week," I said grimacing.

"You could never look anything but beautiful," he said seriously, dragging his hand around the nape of my neck to pull me in for a kiss.

After making his point clear, he finally pulled back. "You ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Most definitely," I said enthusiastically, hopping off his lap.

We drove with the windows down on the way to Mark's secret destination. The ocean breeze blew through the window filling the car with its briny smell. I inhaled the salty scent as the wind whipped my ponytail around. I loved living near the ocean.

"Okay, sooooo where are we going?" I asked for like the hundredth time.

"Can't say," he said, grinning at me mischievously.

I slid down in my seat, pretending to pout, but I couldn't help but grin. I was so excited to be out that we could be going to the dump and I would be perfectly happy with it.

As Mark turned up the radio, I closed my eyes and turned my face toward the window to soak up the warm rays of the morning sun. With my head relaxed against the headrest, the warm air blew across my face as the music from the radio surrounded us.

After half an hour, Mark pulled off the highway and made a series of turns, finally pulling into a sandy parking lot. By the look of the many outdoor tables and booths in the distance, it looked like we were at some kind outdoor market.

Jumping out of the vehicle, I took a look at the sights surrounding me. Mark came around the vehicle and joined me.

"You remembered," I said, throwing my arms around him. Weeks ago I had expressed my desire to someday visit a year-round outdoor market. Being from the arctic climate of Montana, an outdoor market was unheard of.

"Of course I remembered. I remember everything you’ve ever said to me," he said in a husky voice near my ear making me shiver in delight.

"I'm so excited," I said, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him toward the entrance.

The outdoor market was everything I had imagined and more. Each seller had their own wooden stand with long tables filled with their wares. Fruits, vegetables, and baked goods lined the majority of the tables. The sweet smell of every fruit imaginable hung succulent fragrances in the air making even a chocoholic like me, water at the mouth. Vendors from each side of us offered to cut open fruit from their stands hoping to entice buyers in.

I paused at one of the tables to try a fruit I had only read about in books. Accepting the small piece of passion fruit, I popped it into my mouth cautiously after eyeing the slimy yellow middle. I was pleasantly surprised at the flavors that burst in my mouth. I wasn’t overly crazy about the texture, but aside from that, the fruit was extremely tasty.

Moving on to the next stand, I paused to look at the pretty color of the porcelain hair clips that lined the bright, woven cloth.
"How much?"
I asked the old Mexican woman behind the table.

"Six dollars each, two for ten, or three for twelve," she said in a heavily accented voice.

Pleased at the price, I studied the hair clips and picked a pale pink one for myself, and a dark purple one that appeared black until the sun shined on it just right making the purple come alive, for Lynn. Finding one for Sam took much longer as I searched for something that she would like. I had it narrowed down to three when I finally had to ask Mark for his opinion.

"I think that one matches her the most," he said, pointing toward the swirl-colored one I had been leaning toward.

"I think that one's perfect too," I said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"So, are you trying for the perfect boyfriend award or are you really okay with this whole shopping thing?" I asked teasingly as we moved on.

"I enjoy shopping as much as the next guy, but spending the day with you totally makes it worth it," he answered, draping his arm across my shoulders.

"Well, I'll take it," I said, moving on to the next stand where a cute little boy who looked to be about three rushed around the table to proudly show me his truck. I squatted down to admire it.