• Archangel
    Chapter 1
    “Why me?” whispered a small voice. It came from a man, looking of the age of 18, his hair covering his face. He wore a bleached white coat and black pants. He was sitting alone on a train seat. It didn’t matter though. He was always alone. “Why was I... chosen to do this?” he said again and looked at the other people on the train. They were all going about their business: talking, writing, sleeping. Just doing what they needed to do. If they just gave a damn about each other, he wouldn’t have to do this job. He wouldn’t have to save people’s sorry hides every day. But it was his job. He was chosen to be archangel, and that is the archangel’s job. He hated it. He wanted people to grow a backbone. It was not right. They just needed their pride clipped, just as his wings were.
    He felt it. The presence of a Shroud. He looked up at the source. She was only sixteen, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. And he could already see it. The danger she was in. She was his charge that day. She looked at him with a blank stare then smiled a little, but he just looked away. He did not want to think about his job, why he was sent back down here. Why was he sent back down? He was a good man in his past life; he prayed every night and helped others… Most of the time. But why?
    “What is your name?” said a small voice. The man looked down, “Huh?”
    “What’s your name?” said the girl. She was smirking at him. He smirked a little. This was very new to him. After following them all morning they would look at him suspiciously.
    “Elden.” He replied. The girl smiled, “That’s nice she said… My name’s Faye.” An elderly lady looked at her. “Faye! Don’t bother the nice man. I’m sorry; Faye here is just a little chatter-box. She sure loves a good conversation; even if it is with strangers.” she scolded, “Now apologize to the nice man.” Faye looked away. “Sorry.” She grumbled and the woman glared at her. “Sorry, SIR!” she repeated. “I’m not a child.” She muttered under her breath.
    Elden smirked again. “It’s alright, ma’am” he smiled and looked away. The elderly woman suspected something of him. She was the one who was worrying about his constant presence, but not Faye. This interested him. From his information, Faye was that, she was raised by her single mother until she was six, when she was murdered. After the murder, Faye was whisked away from the scene and brought to an orphanage in New York.
    “Sir?”
    Elden looked up. Faye was still staring at him. “Sir?” she repeated, she was holding a puzzler book. “Can you help me with this?”
    “Uh. Okay.” Elden replied and took the book from her. It was a soduko problem and there were only a few spaces left. He wrote down what he could and handed the book back to her. She looked at what he wrote down.
    She added to the puzzle and said, “What brings you to New York, sir?”
    Elden looked surprised. “What do you mean?” She looked up at him. “You’re not from around here. I can tell by your clothes. They’re… different.” Elden smirked, “So they are… Why do you care?”
    “I’d just like to know. I am not usually this social, but in this case, you’re different.” She shut the book, and stared deep into his eyes. Her eyes were smug and cat-like. They seemed to sift through his memories and thought searching for the answer. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine.
    “I needed some change in scenery. So I moved here. Is that so bad?”
    “No. Not at all.” she replied. She didn’t get the answer she wanted but she changed the subject, anyway. The two of them talked. For a while and then looked away from each other. Elden looked out the window. He shouldn’t be talking to her. Archangels never get close to their charges... They weren’t supposed to. A charge was merely someone who needed protection for a while. But, Faye. She was different. How can she remind him of so much? Of so much pain? Of so much sadness? Of so much happiness?
    This concerned him. He needed to figure this out.
    The speaker turned on for a moment and announced that another Sky-Tram was going the opposite direction but the archangel barely heard it. There was a jolt and then the train stooped. Elden looked up. Faye was still standing there. Just staring at him. Her strange, all-knowing stare. Suddenly he sensed it. What was going to happen. The other train was so close now. Was there enough time?
    A distinct crash could be heard in the cars ahead of him. He leapt toward Faye and wrapped his arms around her as a stream of energy erupted from his body and entered hers. The elderly lady had little time to react when it happened. The two trains collided with such force that they were pushed into the buildings around them, destroying the bases. Ruble covered and crushed everything. There was little hope of escaping. A hand emerged from the debris, as Elden clawed his way out with the teen. Faye was clinging to his body, digging her fingers into his now dust covered coat.
    She coughed and Elden smiled, the girl was fine. Elden stood on the wreckage triumphantly, as Faye clutched his coat, eyes wide with fear. Faye let go and gasped at the horror around her. She walked around a little bit in the sun. It was just so beautiful. Her just wandering around in the ruble. With her hair covering her eyes and dirt splattered across her face.
    Then looked back at Elden. He hunched over, clutching his chest. His face was twisted in agony. He collapsed onto all-fours, still clutching his chest. Faye ran over to him, just as he fell forward. She turned him over.
    “Sir?” she asked. Panic leapt to Elden’s ears. He looked at her for a moment. His eyes rolled into his head. Breath started to leave his burning lungs.
    “Sir?!” she said again. “SIR! WAKE UP! SIR! SIR! SIR!”
    Tears dripped down her dirt-covered face as she lowered her head down to his still chest. The wind played with Faye’s hair while she wept. Muddy tears stained her cheeks and his jacket.
    “Come back, sir. Please come back.” She repeated as the time around them slowed. She closed her eyes. Thoughts of the past couple days he had been following her filled her head. Five nights ago, he stood by her bed. Four days ago he sat in the table across the room from her at the coffee shop. Three days ago he sat behind to her in the movie theatre. Two days ago he sat across from her in the doctor’s office. And one hour ago he boarded the train with her. Just to protect her.
    “Elden…” she said as the familiar hum of a helicopter flew by and time sped up. A spot light bathed the two of them in a strange clear light.
    “I love you.”