Revelations

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Revelations

 

Claire

            One foot went in front of the other carrying me towards understanding on each step that hit the ground. There was a slight breeze in the air, but my old track sweat shirt was keeping me warm and cozy. After all these years I found it hard to believe I was still the same size. I thought about all the possibilities there were to answer the strange phenomena that had been happening to me and around me lately.  I wondered if Avery was a ghost himself at times, but that seemed too simple for the events that had occurred. No explanation I could think of was good enough to explain everything other than the fact that maybe I had gone insane. They say that if you’re insane you don’t know about it so maybe since I’m including that as a possibility it really isn’t one after all. I was only confusing myself more and more as I tried to figure it out.

             The sky had grown dark and I checked my watch; it was almost time. I was approaching the cemetery now. I could see my old tree house from where I was standing and I ran to it. I wanted to take a deep breath and settle back down for a minute; my nerves were going hay-wire. I climbed up and reached the wooden platform. Lying in front of me was a pink daisy with a blue ribbon tied around the stem. I looked around seeing if anyone was there watching me, but there was no one I could see. The ribbon brought back to mind my dream with the little girl and her own little blue ribbons. An owl cooed in the distance. I sat on the edge letting my feet dangle and took a few deep breaths. I stared into the distance and just took the scenery in thinking. The flower was still in my hands as I stroked the petals one at a time.

            It was a cemetery by all means, but I could strangely feel life still thriving in this place. It was peaceful. I dropped back down to the ground and continued on my way, still fingering the daisy. I was nearing the edge of the forest where Avery had told me to meet him. I could see light dancing against the tree trunks and I figured it was probably him so I went in a little deeper until I saw an opening where the light was originating from. There were candles lit hanging from tree branches, a blanket spread across the ground with a few pillows, and a pile of books stacked to the side, but Avery was no where to be seen. I picked up one of the books and started flipping through it, but I didn’t get very far when two hands from behind me on either side reached around and closed the book.

            “The time has not come quite yet, but it is very close. Be patient.” I turned around in his arms and looked up at him. He took the book from my hands and set it back on the top of the pile. We both sat down on the blanket and stared at each other not knowing how to begin. I could hear water rushing against rocks swiftly from a nearby stream as it carried on its way. There were crickets singing a melody from their hiding places. The stars were beginning to peak out from behind the canopy and shine. I then remembered the daisy that was still in my hand and I held it up for him to see.

            “Look what I found. Isn’t it pretty?”

            “So it is.”

            “It has a blue ribbon on it as well, isn’t that thoughtful?”

            “Indeed.”

            “And to think, pink daisies are my absolute favorite.”

            “Why are they your favorite?”

            “Don’t you know?”

            “I want you to tell me.”

            “It’s because they’re hard to find. You only picture daisies in white or yellow, but when you see a pink one it’s unexpected and a beautiful sight to behold. Do you want to know what fathoms me though?”

            “What?”

            “Why would a pink daisy with a blue ribbon tied to the stem be lying down on the wooden board of tree house that I go to as a place of comfort when daisies aren’t even in season right now? Yet it’s in absolute perfect condition and is in my presence at this very moment. Now what do you say to that?”

            “I would say that you were meant to have a pink daisy with a blue ribbon on the stem.”

            “Oh,” I said chuckling for a dramatic flair. “Just like I was meant to have the lead role in Romeo and Juliet? Just like I was meant to hurt Bobby? Just like I was meant to get shot in the arm? Just like I was meant to have all these weird and abnormal events happen to me? And just like I was meant to meet a boy named Avery who is hiding some secrets that I have to pry teeth from to get to explain to me what the heck is wrong with me and why I’m the one in the middle of all this crazy and hectic supernatural stuff? Out of all this the only good thing is that I was ‘meant to have a pink daisy with a blue ribbon on the stem’, but that doesn’t cover the price of my hospital bill, the hurt I caused my friends, and my own sanity!” I almost yelled. I didn’t realize I had bottled that all up with anger until the top blew.

            “You’re absolutely right. I never wanted to hurt you or cause complications for you in any way. I wanted to abandon this assignment because I knew this would happen and it wouldn’t be worth it. You deserve to live your life without me in it.”

            “Assignment? What do you mean assignment?”

            “I didn’t mean it like that.”

            “Well, you said it so what does it mean?”

            “It means that I was assigned to protect you.”

            “Protect me? I don’t need protecting! I can handle myself just fine.”

            “Can you, really?” He glanced at my arm.

            “Hey, excuse me. That doesn’t count. Nothing weird has happened to me until you showed up so it’s not my fault. In fact, it should be considered yours for not protecting me as you say that is your ‘assigned job’.” A slight movement ran across his face. “Okay. I’m sorry. It’s just I don’t understand.” I added.

            “You were never supposed to.”

            “What do you mean by that?” I questioned.

            “I screwed up. You were my first assignment and I didn’t understand everything.”

            “You do realize I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’d appreciate you explaining it since that’s what I thought I was coming here for.” I said. He inhaled deeply and held it then let out.

            “Have you ever heard of a guardian angel?” He looked up and into my eyes as he said this. I had a feeling he was trying to make sure we were both on the same page before he began.

            “Like someone who watches out for you like a fairy godmother trying to make sure you’re happy and to grant your secret wishes and whatever. Yeah, sure.”

            “Okay so you sort of get the jest of the idea. Well, I guess you could say that’s what I am in a sense, but we’re called Protectors and we don’t focus on your desires so much as your needs.”

            “So are you my guardian angel or fairy godmother?”

            “No. Just your Protector, hence the name.”

            “Well, what are you then - an angel?” I figured fairies weren’t real so if he were one of the two it would be an angel, but I still had trouble asking that since I stopped believing in all that religious garbage after my dad died. I figured there really couldn’t be a God, let alone angels, since He let the only person I really cared about fall right out of my life.

            “Technically? Sure. At least that’s what you call the general lot of us.”

            “So you like work for God or something?”

            “No I don’t work for God. I work with God.”

            “Oh.”

            “Is that a problem?” He asked genuinely curious.

            “I don’t know. I stopped believing in God after my father died.”

            “Just because you stopped believing doesn’t mean that the truth of it isn’t there.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Take for example you sitting there and me sitting here.  You can choose whether or not you want to believe all the obvious evidence that I’m right in front of you, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m here.”

            “Yes, but that’s totally different I can see you.” I stated intelligently.

            “What about now?” He suddenly faded into the background and there was nothing there just the trees that stood behind where he had been sitting. He had disappeared right before my very eyes! I was stunned. He left me! What would I do now? Go back home? “You thought I left didn’t you? I’m still right here; you’re just not looking hard enough.”

            “I am looking!”

            “Not hard enough.”

            “What do you want me to do?”

            “You’re looking, but do you have a desire to see?”

            “Well, that’s a stupid question. Of course, I do!”

            “Prove it to me.”

            “How?”

            “What do you do if you want to see in a dark room?”

            “Turn the light on?”

            “Exactly.”

            “Okay, where’s your visibility switch?” I asked seriously. He started laughing. This made me laugh too. I got up and pretended to tackle him to the ground and tickle him. I wrestled back and forth with his invisible self. Laughter filled the air from both us. Tiredness overcame me and I fell back on the ground exhausted. He landed next to me. I turned to look at him. I could see him again this time vibrancy radiated from his body as he smiled up at the sky’s twinkling stars.

            “How can I get some of that glow for myself?”

            “When you decide to make the decision to turn the light on inside yourself.” I thought he was making another joke so I started to laugh again. He turned and looked at me; his face serious.

            “Claire, one day you are going to have to confront the truth and I just hope you embrace it first before it finds you out.” I sighed. The silence of the night shadowed over us allowing me to think about what he said. Finally, I broke the quietness with another question.

            “Avery, what exactly are you protecting me from?”

            “Whatever I can that may cause harm to you, particularly, the Outcasts that meddle and the Destroyers that ruin. Thing is I can only protect you to a certain point. I can’t change your decisions or make them for you. All I can do is try to prevent bad things from happening as much as I can.”

            “Can you give me another example?” He took in a deep breath and then paused to think for a second.

            “There’s your army and another army across from you that wants to defeat you. I stand in between fighting off all the opposite army that’s heading your way, but I can’t keep you behind me. If you decide to go into the battle that’s your choice, but I can’t always protect you from the upcoming soldiers trying to hurt you because I’m fighting off the ones over here. Sometimes you can defeat them and sometimes they bring you down. It all has to do with how strong you are.”

            “Oh. I understand, but who exactly are the Outcasts and Destroyers?”

            “The Outcasts are those that are under order of the Dark Majesty or what we call him, the Puppet Master. They were once part of the Light, but then got caught up in the ways of humanity and fell into darkness. The Destroyers are the highest rank of Outcasts. They are like us, but they try to harm people’s lives whereas we try to prevent their destruction as much as possible.”

            “Well, besides my arm, nothing harmful has recently happened to me.”

            “No, it’s not usually physical harm. It’s more mental I suppose. They manipulate your mind so that you think certain thoughts. Like, you’re at a party and there’s alcohol they say you should try some and that a little won’t hurt. It’s all in hopes to get you hook line and sinker.”

            “Why do they want to destroy in the first place anyway?”

            “Ever since they no longer are in the Light they want others to suffer the same way they did. They want their Darkness that they’ve created to prevail over the Light and by destroying your life they create more darkness.” I thought about the weekend’s recent events and remembered a slight detail I had forgotten all about.

            “Did I tell you that I got a strange call the morning of Becky’s visitation?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “A man called me asking for something called a Transporter and he wouldn’t tell me who he was when I asked. Then there was some rustling in the background and the line went dead. I didn’t know what to think so I just set the whole incident aside.”

            “That morning I was hunting down a man by the name of Willis because I had a vibe he was going to create trouble and possible harm to you. I tracked him down to a local gas station where he made a call from the payphone there. I heard him say Transporter and knew he was talking to you although I couldn’t figure out why a man would be discussing spiritual matters with a girl such as yourself who has no knowledge on this subject. I wasn’t going to wait around to find out so right when I was about to take care of him for good the clerk came back and he found a way to escape. He was on his way to the funeral home to find you. He was also the cause for the bullet that had been embedded in your arm, but Jesse tore after him and taught him a lesson that will now be well learned.”

            “How did he know about me?”

            “We’re not sure, but the only thing we can think of is that he was in contact with your Destroyer.”

            “Okay, well, what’s this Transporter thing he was talking about?”

            “The Transporter is a dimensional traveler that is located inside an earthly piece of metal that hangs around a woman’s neck, also known as the locket that Irena had given you.” As he mentioned the locket my hand flew up toward the base up my neck and my collarbone, but there was nothing there other than my bare skin. I began to worry.

            “Oh! Avery, I’m so sorry. Irena told me to keep it safe. I don’t even know where it is. It must have fallen off during the shooting or something. Maybe it’s in my bag at home.” My head dropped. Somehow I knew that necklace was special. I couldn’t even take care of a simple chain with a pendant no wonder God took my father away from me.

            “Claire, you don’t have to worry. Everything is fine.” He said getting up and standing behind me. I wondered what he was doing, but soon found out after seeing his hands reach in front of me and feeling the cool metal of the chain against my skin. He hooked it and returned to his spot on the blanket. I held onto the heart and rubbed the smooth pendant a few times.

            “Thank you. How does it work?” He smiled.

            “To be honest I don’t know. It was Irena’s. I think that when the time comes you’ll understand and its directions will come to you.”

            “Things are starting to make a bit more sense but, I still don’t understand why I’ve been having strange daydreams as well as dreams lately?” He turned to me abruptly and there was concern etched across his face and worry in his eyes. “What is it?”

            “I didn’t know you were having more visions after that first one.” His voice had an edge to it like a parent’s would have when their child didn’t tell them the whole truth.

            “I never got a chance.”

            “From now on, I need you to tell me anything that goes on that you have a feeling isn’t right.” He was firm.

            “Why? What’s the matter?”

            “That first day when I saw you…” He stopped and looked down.

            “Yes?” He looked up at me with sad eyes.

            “…when our eyes met I knew that I was your Protector. I can’t help it sometimes that’s just how it happens. For me, I just had an overwhelming feeling and the truth radiated through me like that’s all that there was in life for me to do – protect you. What I didn’t realize was that my eyes weren’t guarded that I was still seeing through the eyes of this world and not my own. All my secrets and emotions flowed from me and into you just in that one glance. Whenever I was feeling a particular emotion it would connect to you and bring you to me or to a part of my mind or memory. It would be like you would see what I felt, or how I was thinking, and even that one time just me.”

            “Then why don’t I have these things happen to me more often? Wouldn’t you have an emotion running through you all the time?”

            “Yes, but the emotions that I feel on a regular basis are foreign to you and won’t trigger the dreams. They’ll only occur when you know and can feel the emotion that I myself am feeling. I just didn’t think I was feeling so many of your world’s emotions than my own. It’s not only a problem for you because you have to see these visions or dreams, but also for me because I shouldn’t be feeling so many of the things humanity feels.”

            “How do we handle this?”

            “I don’t know.”

            “Hasn’t this happened before?”

            “No.” Even though he made it sound like these dreams were a bad thing and even though I knew that sometimes they created fear in me I was kind of happy to hear he didn’t know what to do about it. Now that I knew what was happening I felt better and for that matter I was all the more curious to see what was exactly going on inside this angel’s mind. We sat in each other’s presence for the rest of the night, looking at the pictures in the books he brought and reading the stories in them that were written to explain theories about the supernatural and elegant creatures such as him. For the first time, I felt that the questions I had in life were on their way to being answered.

 

© By Amanda Gloth