Crossroads by Mary Ting Page B

incident. I can only hope that my
judgments are correct. Michael, I think it would be best that you
be appointed as her guardian angel.”
    “ What!” Michael and Davin
exclaimed simultaneously.
    “ Why?” shouted Davin. “He
doesn’t even like her.”
    In the midst of Davin’s opposition, I
tried to wrap my head around his words—he doesn’t even like her. I
was disappointed at this thought, and admittedly, a bit sad too.
Why did he think so little of me? I felt cursed, like being human
was dirty and not worthy of this angelic being. How could someone
who disliked me be the right guardian angel to protect me? I guess
maybe I did care what he thought.
    “ Like has nothing to do
with this, Davin,” replied Philip. “Michael is trained to be a
guardian angel. And you are one of our gatekeepers. I need you here
for now.”
    “ I see your point,” Davin
replied, looking disappointed.
    Michael glanced at me and then turned
to Phillip. “I don’t think I’m ready to be a guardian
angel.”
    “ Nothing can prepare you
for what you are about to do. One can never be ready enough,”
Phillip countered. “I believe you will be fine. Just listen to your
heart and stick to the Divine angel rules.”
    “ You don’t understand.
I…,” Michael said as he was about to protest again.
    Phillip interrupted him. “Nothing you
say will change my mind. I’ve appointed you as Claudia’s guardian
angel, and that is final.”
    Michael just stood there, looking
down, impassive. From his body language, I could tell he wasn’t
happy with Phillip’s decision. Great! I might as well be dead. The
way he felt about me, he probably wouldn’t lift a finger to save
me. I was just about to tell Phillip that I didn’t need a guardian
angel and that I could take care of myself when Michael looked up.
I waited to see what he would do.
    Michael looked at Davin and then
looked at me blankly. How I wished I could read his thoughts. He
must be cursing inside, wondering how he could get out of being my
guardian angel. He started walking toward me.
    “ Michael, wait.” A
soft-spoken, gentle voice came from a distance.
    It took me a second to even see where
this voice was coming from. As she appeared, she jumped up eagerly
and wrapped her whole body around Michael, like a child hugging her
daddy. Michael held her tightly but tenderly and pulled her face
away to give her a kiss on the cheek. I was taken aback by the
sight of a child and by seeing a different side of him,
affectionate and caring. Part of my anger toward him subsided, but
not completely. My heart softened to see their interaction. I
estimated that she was about seven years old. She had long blonde
curls, reminding me of Goldilocks. It wasn’t hard to stare back
when she gazed at me with those irresistible baby blue eyes. Where
did she come from? Was she the only child here?
    “ No need to worry, Alexa
Rose, I’ll be back soon. I need to take Claudia home, then I’ll be
right back,” Michael said sweetly, a tone he had never used to
speak to me.
    “ Promise?” she
pouted.
    “ I promise,” he said as he
placed her down slowly. Before he stood up, he whispered something
into her ear, making her giggle.
    “ Okay. I will,” she
responded cheerfully.
    As she walked away, she acknowledged
my presence with a cute little smile.
    After Alexa Rose left, Agnes turned to
me and said, “It’s time to send you back. Meanwhile, try to stay
calm.”
    As she said those words, I felt my
body slowly droop. I heard a faint voice from a distance, “Davin,
send them back safely. Michael, be on your guard!”



Chapter 6
    My alarm clock buzzed with excitement,
and without looking at it, I slammed it to snooze. Had I dreamt
last night? I couldn’t remember. I strained my thoughts as if I
could squeeze it out of my head, but it was no use. I guess I
didn’t dream at all. No wonder I felt refreshed. What I knew was
that it had been about five days since I last dreamt about Michael
and