CHAPTERS 1 & 2

She felt as if she had been walking for days on end when in reality it had only been about a week since she had departed on this lonely journey.  The fact was, she had no idea of where she was going or how long it would take her to get there.  She only knew who it was that she was looking for.  She supposed it felt like she had been on her journey for so long because of all she had been through to get to this moment.  She had literally been to hell and back and she had to smile a bittersweet smile as she reflected on all the people who used that expression when in reality they really had no idea of what it entailed.  But she knew.  She had been there.  It had been an experience that had left those close to her wondering if she would ever recover, but with the help of two very special friends and by the grace of God, she had healed. 

            Monica was an angel; a special messenger from God who usually spent her days trying to help the humans that her Father in heaven loved so very much.  This journey however, was quite different from the one God had originally planned for her.  She had refused her last assignment in order to help a friend who was very near and dear to her heart.  Andrew was the Angel of Death; one who generally bridged the gap between this world and the next as he escorted humans Home to their Father in heaven.  Now it was Andrew who was in need of help and Monica had defied orders to be the one to bring him that help, if only she could find him.

            Andrew had been essential to her healing after her encounter with Kathleen, a former angel who had turned to the dark side.  Kathleen had been the one who had taken Monica to the darkest place an angel could ever know and the experience had left her deeply scarred and afraid.  Andrew, though his tender heart had been deeply wounded by the pain his friend had been in, had never faltered.  He had stayed by Monica’s side as she had gone through the ordeal of recovering.  Eventually his love and the love of their friend and supervisor, Tess, had won out against the evil that had haunted Monica’s mind and soul and she had slowly recovered.  Things would have then been back to normal if only Monica or Tess had known just how deeply affected Andrew had been by the whole experience. 

            Andrew was a kind and gentle soul who loved humans deeply and his friends with a love much greater than all human understanding.  Angels loved with the purest of hearts and he had suffered greatly watching Monica go through the motions of healing.  She had suffered terrible nightmares and Kathleen had continued to be involved in tormenting her.  Tess had told Monica about the day Andrew had brought her to the beach house, on the edge of death.  Tess said that his green eyes had held a sorrow far greater than any she had ever seen and looking back, she wasn’t sure if her “Angel Boy” as she called him, had ever really recovered from that moment when he had realized it was Monica he had been called away to be with.  He had never uttered a word to either of his friends about how he felt, but had kept it all tucked away in his fragile heart.

            It had been a week ago when Monica and Andrew had had the discussion on the beach when he had admitted to the deep, dark anger he held in his heart for Kathleen.  He had insinuated that he could no longer just sit back and wait for the evil angel to surface to hurt Monica again.  Monica had begged him to let go of that anger to no avail.  She knew and so did Andrew that anger and hate drove them further away from God and left them vulnerable to all the dark forces of the world.  Monica also knew that anger had been what had caused Kathleen to fall from the grace of God, and now that same anger threatened Andrew’s very existence and that thought was almost more than Monica could bear.  She loved the Angel of Death with her whole heart and they had grown even closer over the last few weeks as she had recovered.  Now, anger and hate had caused him to walk away from her nearly a week ago after they had argued on the beach, and that was why she was searching now. 

            Monica really had no idea of where she was going, as she had no idea where Andrew would have gone to try to find Kathleen.  Not long after she had left, she had found herself in human form, which had not surprised her in the least.  It actually had given her some hope that Andrew was also human now and traveling by foot thus increasing her chances of being able to find him.  It also frightened her as being human meant being vulnerable to all of the things that could affect humans. 

            Monica looked up from the deserted road by which she had been traveling, relief flooding her gentle features when she saw a town looming up on the horizon.  She was exhausted, hungry and would give almost anything for a cup of coffee, her one human addiction.  Her next thought was that maybe someone in the town had perhaps seen Andrew and it seemed as good a place as any to begin her search.  Her expression clouded then, realizing she had neither a picture of her friend nor a penny to her name.  With little confidence, her hands dove into the pockets of her skirt, joy filling her heart when she pulled out a picture of she and Andrew together as well as a handful of bills.  Even more important than the picture or the money was the knowledge that God was still with her, even though she had refused the assignment to look for Andrew.

            “Thank you, Father,” She uttered aloud as she put the items back into her pocket, her face looking up towards the heavens as she smiled.

            “Rest, my angel,” Monica heard the words from above floating down to her waiting heart,

            “You will need your strength for what is ahead.  Know that I am always with you, but that you have chosen a path that is very long and very painful.  I understand your decision though it will be a difficult one.  I know the great love you have for Andrew, as I love him as well and I can tell you that he is in grave danger.  You will need to fight harder than you have ever had to before, My child, and you must find a way to hold on tightly to the truth which has been My gift to you.  So, rest now your body and soul.  In the town you will find a place to sleep and food to nourish your human form.  Remember, angel of My heart, that I am always with you, no matter how lost you may feel or how hopeless the situation may seem.”

            Monica listened to the words with tears in her eyes.  Her deepest fears had just been confirmed.  Andrew, her beloved friend, was in trouble.

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Chapter 2

            Just as she had been told, Monica did find a small café in the town and looking across the street, she saw a hotel.  The exhausted angel’s first impulse was sleep, but yet her human body was hungry, so she opted for the café. 

            Sliding into a booth, Monica looked at a menu and decided on a sandwich and the largest cup of coffee they could provide her with.  She fished into her pocket as she waited for the waitress and pulled out the picture of she and Andrew.  Her tired heart filled with sorrow as she gazed into the eyes of the Angel of Death, as if willing him to tell her where he was or where she should go next.  She hoped that maybe if she listened hard enough, that there would be an answer, and she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

            “Hey, that’s the guy that was here this morning!”

            Upon hearing the voice, Monica opened her eyes, startled and turned to see a young girl, who was apparently the waitress, looking at the picture over Monica’s shoulder.  The girl was blond and pretty and chewing her bubble gum with a vengeance.  Monica recovered from the shock of the intrusion and looked at the girl hopefully,

            “You say he was here this morning?”     

            “Oh yeah.  Came in here for breakfast.  Cute, but kinda quiet—you know, he didn’t say a whole lot, but he was nice enough,” She watched as a tired smile spread over the customer’s face and she looked again at the picture,

            “Are you his girlfriend or something?  Did you two have a fight?”

            Monica’s heart soared upon hearing that she wasn’t too far behind Andrew; only a matter of hours really,

            “No,” She replied, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice,

            “We’re just friends, good friends and it’s very important that I find him.  Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”

            The girl thought for a moment as she slowly nodded her head,

            “He said something about having a train to catch and there is a train station right around the corner from here.”

            Monica slid out of the booth, putting the picture safely back into her pocket,

            “You’ve been so much help.  Thank you so much.”

            “Sure,” the girl replied as Monica made her way to the door,

            “I hope you find your friend and that you two work things out.  You may just be friends now, but I’m real good with people.  I can tell that you love him.”

            Monica paused at the door and smiled as she looked back at the girl.

            “Yes, I do.  Very much.”

            “Train station is that way,” She replied, obviously quite pleased with herself as she indicated to the right of the town,

            “Just around that corner.  Hurry!”         

            Monica walked as fast as her tired legs would carry her and eventually she forced herself into a run as the train station came into sight.  She raced up to the window, pulling the picture from her pocket and laying it down in front of the man that approached the window,

            “Hello. I was wondering if you could help me.  Have you seen this man?”  Monica struggled to catch her breath as she watched the man’s face hopefully.

            He looked at the young woman for a moment and then pushed his glasses further up on his nose as he looked at the picture,

            “Lemme see here.  Yeah, he bought a ticket yesterday, headed for Colorado.  Nice young fella.”

            Monica was so relieved that she nearly burst into tears,

            “The train left this morning?”

            “Yeah, it did, but your friend, here, wasn’t on it.  We didn’t have too many passengers today, so we even waited for him for awhile, but he never showed.” He watched as the woman’s face fell, looking as if she would cry at any moment,

            “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.” He added, handing the picture back to her.

            Unable to speak, Monica just nodded her head as she took the picture and started walking back towards the hotel.   She knew now, beyond the shadow of a doubt that Andrew was in trouble otherwise he would have caught the train he had intended upon catching.  She struggled to hold back tears as she shivered in the cool autumn evening as she resigned herself to having to get some sleep before she pursued her friend any further.

            She checked into the hotel and the story there was much the same.  Yes, they had seen Andrew, but he had checked out this morning.  They gave her the same room he had had, and with that came at least a little comfort.  As she closed the door to her room behind her, tears fell from her tired eyes as she searched for any clue that he may have left behind, but her search proved fruitless.  She sat down on the edge of the bed and covered her face with her hands as she wept in hopeless exhaustion. 

            She had a feeling that Kathleen was involved in Andrew’s disappearance and the thought of Andrew, human, defenseless and alone, devastated her as she knew that feeling all too well.  It had been hard enough for her to go through what Kathleen had put her through, but it was even harder for her to imagine the friend she loved so much to be in that position. 

            Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, Monica laid down on the bed, clutching the pillow tightly,

            “Oh Andrew, where are you?” She uttered wearily, before falling into a restless and troubled sleep.