splashed through the creek, grabbed her shoes and purse off the bank, and bolted for the hills. “Sorry, but I can’t do this. You’ll need to find your own ride home. I gotta go,” she called over her shoulder to Nate.
I looked helplessly at him, and he jumped off his rock. “I’m going after her. Um, I’ll call you later.”
I watched them race down the boardwalk, past the playground full of children, my mouth dropped open in shock. He left me here?
Now what?
ate never showed up to headquarters the rest of the day, and he either avoided my calls or turned off his phone. My stubborn streak prevented me from searching for him and Grace. Around ten o’clock, I gave up and went to find Ash or Riel, figuring they’d still be up and roaming about somewhere.
I inched down the hallways of headquarters, passing one closed door after another until I eventually came across a boardroom with glass windows. Riel occupied the front of the room, speaking to a dozen angels seated around a long, oval table. When he spotted me, he said something to his peers and they disbanded around him. I stood outside the door, watching him while waiting. He was so beautiful to behold that it made my eyes hurt, but I couldn’t make myself look away. He stuffed a couple of papers into a briefcase before heading toward me, the last one to exit.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Ms. Worontzoff?”
“Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
He stared at me for a moment. “I can’t read your mind, so you’ll need to spit the words out for me to know what you’re wondering.”
I smacked my forehead. “Oh, right.” Knowing he couldn’t read my thoughts made me breathe a huge sigh of relief. “It’s my friends, the Jedi Order gang. I know I’m practically a ghost now, but they’re the ones haunting my mind. Dr. Judy said Nate and I wouldn’t be able to travel back and forth to Earth like her since we’re newbie spirit guides, but I just thought… isn’t there a way for me to see them? I mean, I don’t want you to put me in some fake Limbo for a play date or anything. I just want a peek at my real friends from time to time, to know they’re all right.”
He gave me a gentle smile. “Sure. Come in here for a minute.” He reentered the boardroom, picked up a small remote from the table, and aimed it at a projector on the ceiling.
A light flashed across the front bare wall as Riel typed in a series of code on the connected laptop, and a moment later, a video of my friends at Lake Michigan appeared. “Is this happening in real time?”
“Yes. Here, let’s listen in.” He pressed another button, and we magically had volume. After setting his briefcase on the floor, he pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit, then hopped up on the table, winking at me. In this setting, without his wings out, he looked almost boyish and charming, like he was just another guy my age with untidy hair.
I shook my head and fixed my eyes on the wall.
“Whoever invented waffle cones was pure genius,” Kyle mused, shoving the last bite of chocolate ice cream into his mouth.
“No one related to you then,” Nicole said, handing him a napkin.
Tammy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, the person who invented the fat now clogging your arteries is a genius. Don’t you guys care even a little bit about eating healthy?”
“Mhmm. What do ya’ll say to a game of soccer to burn off these calories we ate today?” Sean asked, throwing a ball into the air and bouncing it off his knee, sending the sphere straight to Tammy’s head.
“Dude!”
Riel laughed beside me. “Oh, that had to hurt. And from what I can tell, she doesn’t need any more blows to the head.”
“Hey, now,” I told him before realizing too late I probably shouldn’t reprimand angels.
He held up his hands. “Kidding.”
We both focused our gaze back on the wall.
“Sorry!” Sean yelled. “But it wasn’t my fault. You guys felt that gust of wind,
I looked helplessly at him, and he jumped off his rock. “I’m going after her. Um, I’ll call you later.”
I watched them race down the boardwalk, past the playground full of children, my mouth dropped open in shock. He left me here?
Now what?
ate never showed up to headquarters the rest of the day, and he either avoided my calls or turned off his phone. My stubborn streak prevented me from searching for him and Grace. Around ten o’clock, I gave up and went to find Ash or Riel, figuring they’d still be up and roaming about somewhere.
I inched down the hallways of headquarters, passing one closed door after another until I eventually came across a boardroom with glass windows. Riel occupied the front of the room, speaking to a dozen angels seated around a long, oval table. When he spotted me, he said something to his peers and they disbanded around him. I stood outside the door, watching him while waiting. He was so beautiful to behold that it made my eyes hurt, but I couldn’t make myself look away. He stuffed a couple of papers into a briefcase before heading toward me, the last one to exit.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Ms. Worontzoff?”
“Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
He stared at me for a moment. “I can’t read your mind, so you’ll need to spit the words out for me to know what you’re wondering.”
I smacked my forehead. “Oh, right.” Knowing he couldn’t read my thoughts made me breathe a huge sigh of relief. “It’s my friends, the Jedi Order gang. I know I’m practically a ghost now, but they’re the ones haunting my mind. Dr. Judy said Nate and I wouldn’t be able to travel back and forth to Earth like her since we’re newbie spirit guides, but I just thought… isn’t there a way for me to see them? I mean, I don’t want you to put me in some fake Limbo for a play date or anything. I just want a peek at my real friends from time to time, to know they’re all right.”
He gave me a gentle smile. “Sure. Come in here for a minute.” He reentered the boardroom, picked up a small remote from the table, and aimed it at a projector on the ceiling.
A light flashed across the front bare wall as Riel typed in a series of code on the connected laptop, and a moment later, a video of my friends at Lake Michigan appeared. “Is this happening in real time?”
“Yes. Here, let’s listen in.” He pressed another button, and we magically had volume. After setting his briefcase on the floor, he pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit, then hopped up on the table, winking at me. In this setting, without his wings out, he looked almost boyish and charming, like he was just another guy my age with untidy hair.
I shook my head and fixed my eyes on the wall.
“Whoever invented waffle cones was pure genius,” Kyle mused, shoving the last bite of chocolate ice cream into his mouth.
“No one related to you then,” Nicole said, handing him a napkin.
Tammy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, the person who invented the fat now clogging your arteries is a genius. Don’t you guys care even a little bit about eating healthy?”
“Mhmm. What do ya’ll say to a game of soccer to burn off these calories we ate today?” Sean asked, throwing a ball into the air and bouncing it off his knee, sending the sphere straight to Tammy’s head.
“Dude!”
Riel laughed beside me. “Oh, that had to hurt. And from what I can tell, she doesn’t need any more blows to the head.”
“Hey, now,” I told him before realizing too late I probably shouldn’t reprimand angels.
He held up his hands. “Kidding.”
We both focused our gaze back on the wall.
“Sorry!” Sean yelled. “But it wasn’t my fault. You guys felt that gust of wind,
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