Crossroads by Mary Ting Page A

with us. They are not so friendly.
You are an easy target since they can sense your presence now. Once
you have entered our world, your aura will stand out from the rest
of the humans on Earth. There is a possibility they may think you
are an alkin.”
    Fallen may think I’m an alkin echoed
inside my head. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. What kind of
mess did I get myself into? I thought I was only dreaming, and it
was turning out to be a nightmare.
    “ Do you think it would be
safer for her to stay here?” Davin asked hopefully.
    “ She can’t stay here. She
is not an alkin,” Caleb replied.
    “ However, it would give us
the opportunity to be educated about her world,” Vivian said,
enthusiastically. “Her world has advanced so much since we came
here.”
    Michael shot her a disapproving look.
I could tell that he didn’t like her response at all. I knew the
reason. He didn’t want me around.
    Phillip interrupted, “I don’t think
that would be a good idea. You don’t need Claudia in order to learn
about her world. You can research on your own.”
    “ True. But hearing it from
Claudia would be much faster. And why wouldn’t it be a good idea?”
Vivian spoke out. “Divine Commandments can be altered to fit the
situation.”
    “ She is not one of us.
Need I remind you of the obvious again? She is human, not an
alkin,” Caleb said with slight irritation, and then paused to
think. “What if the fallen come here?”
    Phillip was about to answer Caleb’s
question when Agnes and Margaret entered the room, and everyone
became silent. It was the first time I was able to see Margaret’s
face. She was stunning, just like the goddess I remembered. This
time, she wore her hair straight down, as smooth as silk. She
looked at me, nodding her head to acknowledge my presence. She
began to speak, her hypnotic voice exactly the way I remembered
from before.
    “ The fallen can only enter
our world if they take an alkin who has the soul of the Holy
Spirit. Only Royal Council angels have the soul of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah was one of the Royal Council. He fell in love with a human
many lifetimes ago. His descendants are now with the Royal Council.
I doubt any of them are left on Earth. If there is a possibility
that the one still exists, the chances are very slim to none. We do
not make mistakes. So you need not worry. Hypothetically, if one
does exist, then it is out of our hands. And if the fallen finds
the one, there will be war.”
    “ Let the danger come!”
Davin shouted passionately, raising his fist in the air, as if
already victorious.
    I was startled by his sudden outburst.
A multitude of arguments began. They were speaking in Latin, and I
could not understand. Realizing instantly that this was all because
of me, I began to feel horror in my body. I was plagued by thoughts
of this mysterious, beautiful, unknown existence, possibly on the
verge of destruction, all because I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want
to, go back. I was desperate to make this right.
    “ Can you please stop? I’ll
leave! Just please don’t fight. I’m so sorry.” My voice became
softer as I saw them glaring down on me. Maybe it was not my place
to have an opinion. I was sure my sudden outburst didn’t help
matters. All I wanted to do was hide. Nobody wanted me here, and I
had nowhere to go.
    Vivian interrupted, “Why not ask the
human?”
    Ask me what? I didn’t even know what
they were arguing about.
    “ She has a name,” Michael
said.
    I was surprised to hear him respond in
that way. It was as if I mattered to him, like he was defending me.
Could he care a little? Could it be possible that he wasn’t mad at
me anymore? But then I thought What does it matter, and why do I
care so much about what he thinks of me anyway?
    Phillip looked at me tenderly and
said, “I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to leave. We will be
keeping an eye on you as promised, to make sure you stay safe.
However, this is an unprecedented