Keepers: A Timeless Novella by Laura Kreitzer Page A

rid
Jenna of her tears. And, okay, I’d hoped Jenna would hop on the
first flight to D.C., which she did.
    To this day, I did not
regret it.
    “ Do we need to stay for
this?” Gabby asked. She turned to the owner of the cemetery. He
stared wide-eyed at the two angels. He’d been so quiet this entire
time I’d forgotten he was even there.
    “ Sir?” Andrew stepped
forward, as if he wanted to poke him out of his stupefied state.
The owner remained silent, still gawking.
    Andrew and Gabriella
exchanged an amused look, and then their wings simultaneously burst
from their backs and spread wide. They were pearly white and
sparkled in the sun. That snapped the owner out of his daze, and he
stumbled back.
    “ Yeah. Yes, yes, of course
you can leave,” the owner stuttered out. His eyes never left the
brilliant glow of the angels’ wings.
    I hid my
laughter.
    As we left the cemetery,
Gabby bumped my shoulder and thanked me. It wasn’t like I’d
actually done anything helpful, but I was glad to be there for her.
I knew coming back to Oregon would be hard for her. We made our way
between graves and to her car. She drove a cherry red Subaru, and
the inside was just as immaculate as her house. Jenna and Gabby
didn’t share the cleaning trait. Jenna lived life chaotically, and
it showed, which was another thing I loved about her. Jenna was a
wild, passionate tornado who ripped through my life and left a mark
deep in my soul. Andrew and Jenna returned to Gabriella’s house
while Gabriella and I ran errands, which included paying bills and
signing papers over to her alter ego to keep her house as low-key
as possible considering all the publicity she was
getting.
    Gabriella and I were quiet
for most of the drive back to her house. Memories of the past week
made my mood grow somber. When we returned to the States after
everything that had happened in Italy, President Lansberry
congratulated us during a televised press conference that was shown
all over the world.
    After Avella was decimated,
and the invisible barrier the Ladies of Light had placed around the
city was destroyed, the world witnessed the devastation left
behind. Images had been playing on the news for a week. People were
finally able to understand the true threat the Ladies and the
Empyrean Guard posed. There was a flood of support from individuals
and several countries pledging their help in future battles. It
came in the form of televised announcements, calls to President
Lansberry, and even attempts to contact the angels directly. The
angels’ popularity was quickly surpassing that of any other public
figure.
    We pulled into Gabby’s
driveway. Waves crashed against the shore in a soothing cadence,
and I was envious of the beautiful ocean view. A little girl’s
playful scream and a loud bark broke the harmony, and Gabby grinned
as she got out of the car. She ran toward the beach, and I
followed. I knew Jenna had brought Gabriella’s dog to the beach
house, but I decided not to tell her. A medium-sized black dog
turned to face us. His tail went down, and he crouched defensively.
It made me freeze in place, but not Gabby.
    “ Hercules!” she
shouted.
    The dog rose, and his tail
flew up and wagged. He ran toward Gabriella, his body wiggling
every which way as he tried to contain his glee. Everyone on the
beach pivoted to watch the reunion of dog and owner. It was rare to
see her this happy, and I couldn’t hide my smile. Jenna and Firen
looked as if they’d been in a deep conversation before that, and
Andrew and Jules were covered in sand. Jenna came over as we
watched Gabby love on Hercules.
    “ Hey,” Jenna greeted. We
hugged, and I inhaled the scent of tomato sauce. She loved her
pasta. “Dinner’s almost ready. I just came out to check on Jules.”
Her voice lowered. “The gifts are in the guest bedroom.”
    I nodded. “Good. I know
Gabby will be surprised.” I glanced up to see Gabriella shaking a
hand in Andrew’s hair. Sand flew everywhere.