"Alright, enough of my drama as you like to call it," she said, making me laugh. "So the farmers market was fun?"

"It was pretty cool. I liked the idea of shopping outside. It was like visiting one massive garage sale. Once you can handle an outdoor excursion, I'll take you down there so you can see it firsthand," I said, hoping that would help shake her out of her funk.

"That would be great. Just like old times when we would spend the summers trolling yard sales back home," she said. "So, are you getting excited about graduation?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," I said, not relishing the idea of having to walk in front of the entire senior class to receive my diploma.

"Honey, everyone will be just as nervous as you are about receiving their diploma. They won't even notice you," she said, patting my hand to reassure me.

"Yeah right, until I trip or something," I muttered, making her chuckle.

"Trust me, you will be fine."

The rest of my visit was spent discussing the final exams I was taking this coming up week. We both knew that I would breeze through them and that it was really just a formality. Having some freaky high IQ from my Angel blood definitely had its perks.

Lynn, Robert, and Haniel were waiting for us on the beach when we finally made it home from the hospital. Sam and I headed to my room and quickly changed out of our school uniforms. I was excited as I hung my skirt and sweater up. Less than a week to go and I would be able to pack it away for good, I thought, as I tossed the white button-up shirt into my dirty clothes basket. I pulled on a pair of comfy cut-off sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed a sweatshirt on my way out the door to ward off the cool ocean breezes.

The others were waiting for Sam and me down by the tide line in an informal circle, listening to Haniel's instructions. Haniel had decided to mix things up by sitting the guys out and dedicating the training completely to the Guides. He explained that the guys had the proper skills and techniques they needed already in place. Instead, he would focus the next week completely on Lynn, Sam, and me. He decided to test each of us individually, so we could all have a turn to watch from the outside.

I was anxious when he picked me to go first. I had decided the night before that the seriousness of the situation deserved a complete commitment from me. So when Haniel sent me the disturbing images, I tackled them head-on, embracing them as my own. Where before I couldn't seem to grasp how to appropriately filter the emotions, I could now clearly see exactly what I needed to do. I wrapped my own happiness and love around the images, freeing the victims from the pain and suffering they had endured, and cast the new emotions back out for Haniel to inspect.

I opened my eyes to see Haniel smiling at me, offering a rare display of emotion that wasn't neutral. "Very good Krista," he said, praising me. "You now understand."

I nodded my head. "Yes, before I couldn't help shying away from the disturbing images. I realize now that those images should not be feared. They are crucial stepping stones to guide us down the appropriate path we need to help them," I said simplifying the process.

"Exactly," he replied, looking pleased. "Sam, you are next."

I watched Sam close her eyes and knew the instant Haniel sent her the images by the way she recoiled like she had been struck. Watching from the sidelines was almost as intense as experiencing it firsthand, I discovered as I watched Sam's facial expressions. After a few moments, it became clear that Sam had failed when she collapsed to the sand on her knees. I rushed to her side to help her up.

"I can't do it," she said, her voice filled with anguish from the after effects of the images she had seen.

"Yes you can," I said, brushing the sand off of her. "You have to do this, they need you. Remember, the images aren't your enemy, they're your friend, sent there to help you find the right path. You can do this, you're stronger than me," I said earnestly.

"No I'm not Krista. You're the strongest person I've ever seen," she said without a trace of envy.

"No I'm not. I've just become stubborn in my old age," I said, trying to joke my way out of the uncomfortable praise.

"Yes you are, but I'm going to get this because you're right, I need to. I will not let them, or our group, down," she said determinedly, facing Haniel once again.

I reached in and gave her a quick hug. "You can do it. Remember the images are a helping hand," I whispered in her ear before I stepped away.

Sam's expression lost some of its anxiety as she faced Haniel for a second time. This time I knew instantly that Sam had taken my words to heart and was accepting the images for what they were. It took her a little longer, but when she finally accomplished the test, we all applauded and I gave her another hug.

"I told you, you could do it," I said, linking my arm through hers while we watched Lynn prepare for her turn.

She glanced at me briefly and I gave her a reassuring smile. "You got it Lynn. Just remember what I told Sam," I said, blowing her a brief kiss for good luck.

She flashed a quick smile before she closed her eyes. It took her a little longer than Sam's second attempt, but in the end, she came out victorious.

"Well done," Haniel said, praising all three of us.

His praise boosted our confidence, and by the time the sun disappeared into the ocean behind us, we were able to filter the emotions Haniel sent us at an insane pace. Haniel had explained that when we entered into a situation where multiple forgotten souls needed to be saved, speed was of the essence.

"The more souls you change before you're discovered, the easier your task will become," he said, ending our training session.

***

"Mom, I'm going to head over to Mark's now. Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" I asked, feeling bad about leaving her when she had only been home a couple days. If the next day wasn't the day we planned on making our move, I would have opted to spend the first Saturday she was home with her.

The past week had literally flown by, and by Wednesday evening Lynn, Sam, and I could filter a forgotten soul within seconds of letting their images in. Haniel didn't praise us again after the first successful night, but I could tell he was pleased with our progress, and his approval spurred me on to excel even further. Sam and I finished our last day of school on Friday and we were both ecstatic that we were officially done with high school.

"I will be fine, honey," she said, laughing at me.

I smiled sheepishly, realizing I had asked her the question no less than twenty times since we had gotten up that morning.

"Sorry, Mom. I just feel bad leaving you so much after your first weekend home. I will be gone most of today and tomorrow evening," I said, reminding her of my plans.

"I'll be fine," she repeated. "I have all these wonderful gardening magazines you got me, a slew of HGTV shows to watch, and a stack of novels I'm dying to read. You've already prepared my lunch for me," She added, indicating the lunch I had stored in my school lunch bag and placed at arm's length for her. "Besides, the doctors told me the sooner I start moving around, the better I will feel. Go have some fun with your friends. I may be old, but I still remember how exciting that first weekend was after I finished my last high school exam."

"Okay, as long as you're sure," I said, heading toward the front door reluctantly.

"Have fun," I heard her call out as I locked the door behind me.

"Ready?" Mark asked, from the porch swing where he had been waiting for me.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, glancing back at my house one last time as he opened the car door for me.

"Would you rather stay home?" Mark asked concerned. "I'm positive the others won't mind. We can fill you in tomorrow morning with the strategy we've come up with."

"No, I want to be with you guys. I missed hanging out with you guys the past two days. It majorly sucks to be away from the hub," I said. "Besides, my mom all but pushed me out the door," I added.

"I'm sure she's looking forward to a little quiet time. Believe me, I discovered when I was in the hospital that those nurses buzz in and out all hours of the day and night. I swear I thought they were on a mission to make my stay there Hell on earth," he said, smiling at me.

"I guess you're right. I never even thought about that. No wonder she pushed me out the door. I've been hovering over her since her release. I bet she's relieved to have the house to herself," I said, feeling my guilt melt away.

Chapter 10

I woke before dawn the day of our first ever Angelic mission. I watched the sun creep up along the wall across from my window with Feline at my side. The apprehension I was sure I would feel was absent. I knew without a shadow of a doubt we were ready. We had spent the previous day going over our plan of attack or "soul attack," as Shawn liked to phrase it. The details had been laid out and we were all itching to get in there and prove ourselves.

"Of course, waking up so early wasn’t part of the plan." I grumbled to Feline good-naturedly, picking up my book off my nightstand. I pulled out my bookmark and lost myself in the current vampire novel I was reading.

Several hours later, I placed the completed book on my table and glanced at my clock radio. "Well, I guess 8:30 is better than 6:00," I told Feline as I finally climbed out of bed. He chose to ignore my hint, though, and burrowed deeper into my quilt.

"Whatever, you bum," I said, scratching him under the chin.

The long day that lay ahead before our mission seemed endless and I needed something to pass the time. I decided that a late spring cleaning was in order and attacked my room with gusto. I was by all means not a slob, but both my suitcases I had used to transport my clothes back and forth to Mark's house still needed to be unpacked, along with my overnight bag filled with toiletry items. I worked through my room methodically, clearing one section at a time. My favorite music played lightly in the background from my iPod that I had placed on its docking station.

An hour later my room was spic-and-span and I had moved on to my sitting room and bathroom. I took my time dusting the bookshelves in my sitting room, removing one book at a time to gently dust each one. By noon, the entire upstairs practically sparkled as I finally put my cleaning supplies away. Exhausted but happy with my time killer, I jumped into the shower to bathe quickly before I headed downstairs to fix lunch for my mom and me.

"Boy, you were a busy bee up there this morning," my mom commented as I placed a plate loaded with a turkey sandwich and chips in front of her.

"You know me, once I start a project I have to finish it," I said, after swallowing the bite of sandwich I had taken. "I figure I will tackle the living room and kitchen next, that way we won't have it hanging over our heads."

"Krista, I appreciate all your help, but you don't have to kill yourself taking care of me."

"I don't mind," I said, speaking the truth. Keeping busy had worked like a charm at keeping my mind off what lay ahead of me that night.

"If you're trying for the best daughter award you already have that, hands down," she said, giving me one last chance to slack off.

"Well, I'm just trying to make sure I have it locked in for next year too," I teased, clearing our empty plates from the table.

"Ah, I see. Well in that case, get back to work."

"Aye captain," I said, giving her a mock salute on my way to the living room.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and before I knew it Mark was ringing the doorbell to pick me up.

"Bye Mom," I said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Have fun at the Boardwalk Dear, though I'm surprised you guys aren’t sick of it yet."

"Are you kidding me? Sam and Shawn are both ride junkies, they could go every day," I said, skirting around the guilt I felt for the white lie I had fed her.

"Okay, stay safe then," she said as I closed the front door behind me.

Mark grabbed my hand as we descended the front steps. I was relieved to see him, but wished it were under different circumstances. We had been so busy training that our alone time lately was non-existent.

"This is nice," I commented, looking at our joined hands.

"Very nice," he replied, pulling me into his arms for a quick kiss before he opened the car door for me.

"Hey guys," I said, addressing my extended family.

Their greetings rang out through the vehicle as I fastened my seatbelt.

"Everybody ready?" Mark asked, backing out of my driveway.

"Heck yeah, let's go save some souls," Shawn said in an awful imitation of a tough guy. The tension floating around the vehicle was evident on everyone's faces and he was doing his best to make us laugh.

I knew we were ready, but I couldn't help my nerves. We had a solid game plan set thanks to Haniel. Our goal was to arrive at the revival early so we could interact with the people there. The appearance of mere socializing would give us the chance to save as many of them as possible. Haniel advised us to work quickly before Alan made his appearance.

"Being an Abbadon, he will most likely see you for what you truly are. You must try to avoid that if possible. Go in, save who you can, and get out," he told us.

"So I spent the morning Googling this Alan guy," Sam said, breaking the silence in the vehicle.

"Nothing really came up under his name so I tried to think outside the box a little," she added. "I did find an interesting string of attacks at government buildings in several surrounding counties."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"For example, in Santa Clara County, the welfare office was completely gutted and vandalized. Oh, and an employee was severely beaten. The victim is still in ICU and hasn’t been able to tell authorities anything. In that same county, exactly one week later, a security guard and a lawyer leaving the courthouse were both beaten with the guards night stick. The lawyer suffered a blow to the neck which left him paralyzed and the security guard died a few days after the attack due to complications. Once I found those two cases, I widened my search to other counties around us and found similar incidents," she said. "Here, I made a mock map and labeled each government attack," she added, passing around the map of California she had printed up.

It was passed up my way after the others had a chance to look at it. Based on Sam's handiwork, you could definitely make out a pattern by studying the areas she highlighted. "Have they caught anyone yet?" I asked, studying the couple of dozen marks on the map.