Chapter 11

“What do you mean, Monica’s gone?” Tess demanded, her own eyes filling with worry over what Andrew had just said.

            “Just that, Tess,” He cried out, his green eyes flooded with worry,

            “I woke up just feeling like something was very wrong and I went to check on her and she isn’t there!  She couldn’t have walked anywhere on that ankle!”

            Tess’ heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she reached out to pull Andrew close to her for a moment,

            “We need to stay calm, baby, though I have a terrible feeling about this.  If you and I go to pieces we won’t do our Angel Girl one bit of good.”

            “It’s Denise, Tess, I know it is!  I can feel it!  That’s why she lied-she wanted to handle this on her own.  She was determined to, but now….” His voice trailed off as he struggled to collect his thoughts,

            “Monica’s in trouble, Tess,” He said after a moment, his voice trembling despite the control he tried to put into it,

            “If Denise so much as harms one hair on her head-.”

            “Hang on now, baby,” Tess implored, pulling away to look into his eyes,

            “I know you’re upset and I am too, but we need to have faith that the Father will tell us what to do.  He is with Monica right now and He is in control, even though it doesn’t feel that way right now.   We don’t even know for sure if Monica’s caseworker is behind this, and until we know that for certain, we have to give her the benefit of the doubt.”

            Tess stopped abruptly, seeing a look come over her Angel Boy’s face-a look she would recognize anywhere.  It was the same look he’d had this afternoon when he was being told that Monica was in that field, and Tess had a feeling that their questions were about to be answered…

            …Monica struggled with every bit of strength she had as she was dragged up the stairs in the dark.  She had awoken to being very cold and immediately knowing that she was no longer with Andrew and Tess and safe. 

            Her heart was racing with fear as the two pairs of arms continued pulling her up, farther and farther.  At last, she heard a door open and she was thrown into the darkness.  She landed hard on the cold, hard floor, her already weakened ankle twisting and she bit her lip to stifle a scream of pain, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they had hurt her.

            “Enjoy your stay, Monica,” Denise’s sarcastic voice floated down to her,

            “You’d may as well make the most of it as you aren’t going anywhere.  You know, I can’t believe you lied to Andrew and Tess.  What kind of an angel are you?  I already know you’re a terrible supervisor, but now I know you’re just a rotten angel in general.  Angels don’t lie, Monica, and you call them your best friends?  I’d hate to see the way you treat those you don’t like,” Denise chuckled softly, as she shook her head,

            “But wait that was how you treated me, so I guess I do know.”

            “Denise, wait,” Monica managed to say, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat,

            “We need to talk.  I don’t know what you think you are doing, but you don’t want to do this, Denise!  Believe me, you don’t!”

            “Wrong again,” The angry caseworker replied,

            “You were a mistake, Monica!  As a supervisor and as an angel!”

            With that, the door was slammed shut and Monica could hear a lock as well as a deadbolt click into place. 

            She was trapped.

            She managed to sit up, crying out as she did so, from the pain in her ankle that now felt ten times worse than it had this afternoon.  She looked around, but wherever she was, it was pitch black and oh, how she hated the dark.

            Miserably, the angel lowered her face into her hands and began to cry, her sobs filled with pain and guilt over all that had transpired to bring her to this point.  Where had it all gone so wrong and how could she have prevented it?  Was Denise right?  Was she a terrible angel?  Maybe the only thing that had made her a good caseworker had been Tess and Andrew, and when they had been separated from her, the best parts of her had gone with them. 

            “Oh Father,” She sobbed, heart-brokenly,

            “I’m sorry.  I’m so very sorry!  I know I shouldn’t have lied to them, but I wanted to protect them and I didn’t want Tess to think she had failed with me, even though she did…and Denise, please Father, stay close to her right now.  I don’t know what is happening to her or why, but I believe that deep inside she could be a good angel, if only she had someone better than I to teach her.”

            The young angel’s sobs echoed through the cold, dark room, as she trembled with fear and cold.  She cried violently, until she grew exhausted, and her sobs turned to a quieter weeping.

            “And Father…help me.  I’m so afraid and it’s so dark.  I feel so alone…”