Crossroads by Mary Ting Page A

guide us and mentor us to be more like angels rather
than humans.”
    “ Do you age in your
world?”
    “ Alkins remain the age we
were when we entered Halo City, but the Twelve can be whatever age
they want to be.”
    “ What you are telling me
is that you’ll be young forever, and forever you will stay at Halo
City?” I asked, amazed that such a thing could be true.
    “ Forever young,” he said.
“Some may think it is a curse, and some may think it is a
blessing.”
    “ Which do you
think?”
    “ I thought it was a curse
at first, but now I don’t know anymore. It doesn’t matter anyway.
It’s not like I can do anything about it,” he said.
    “ How did you get to Halo
City? Did they come down to Earth and just do their magic thing,
and you’re gone? Or, did they kidnap you? There are so many of you.
How?” Trying to be sensitive and choose the right words, I stumbled
on my questions.
    “ When the Royal Council
knew of our existence and realized there were so many of us, they
thought about cleansing the Earth and starting over again. Since
flooding was used once, they contemplated earthquake or
fire.”
    “ Apocalypse,” I whispered
and gasped at the thought of what could have been.
    “ Yes,” he nodded. “The end
of the world.”
    “ But why? Why couldn’t we
exist together? Isn’t the Earth big enough?” I asked.
    “ It isn’t about space. The
alkins would overpower humans. Eventually humanity would be
lost.”
    I soaked in his words, speechless, but
Michael continued. “The Royal Council couldn’t come to terms with
what they thought was in the best interest for all, so they sent
the Twelve Angels to search for us. They appeared in our dreams and
took us. They stopped searching when they thought they had taken
all of the forbidden children.”
    “ Does the Royal Council
know you are down here with me?” I asked.
    “ Phillip has contacts with
the Royal Council. I don’t know what he tells them, so I don’t know
if they know I’m down here or not. I don’t ask too many questions
because I don’t particularly care for them. Don’t get me wrong. I
respect them, but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything
they did.”
    “ You don’t like them?” I
asked.
    “ They took our memories of
our life on Earth and made sure that we would not be able to stay
in your world for a long duration of time.”
    My eyes widened in shock. “What do you
mean? You don’t remember your life on Earth?
    “ No,” he said softly. “But
ever since I entered your world, I’ve had a couple of glimpses of
what I believe to be flashbacks of my time on Earth. They don’t
make any sense. It’s a lot like déjà vu. It doesn’t matter. It was
many lifetimes ago. I think it’s just that I want to remember, but
I can’t.”
    I didn’t know what to say. What words
could I say to make it better? There were no words that seemed to
fit a situation like this. I felt so bad for him. I couldn’t
imagine not being able to remember my family and
friends.
    He continued talking. “If I stay here
too long, and I don’t know what too long is…hours...days…surely not
months…I will die. I will be banished from Halo City.” He was
hesitant to say the last sentence.
    I guess I wouldn’t be too fond of them
if they had erased my memory either. That would also explain why
Alexa Rose was upset when Michael had to come to our world. She
obviously knew that he couldn’t stay down here that long and was
worried for his safety. “Is Alexa Rose your sister?”
    “ We are all brothers and
sisters in Halo City. We have no recollection of having any
siblings on Earth.”
    “ Sorry, I forgot,” I said,
thinking I should choose my words better. “I was just wondering
because she seems very protective of you, and if I didn’t know any
better, I would think that she was your sister. She seems attached
to you.” I knew the reason why. How could anyone resist
him?
    “ Yes, I’m afraid she is. I
don’t mind it