• Gretchen didn’t make it far. She had hopped mindlessly two feet toward the gate, then curved back. Ty had me pick her up, and when he spun me around again, we where in a house. As he led me to a room, Ty explained that us angels can go anywhere, just by thinking about a destination. So…this was his home? Ty laughed, and ran his hand through his blond hair, smiling at me. I was forced to smile back. Ugh, I acted so stupid around him! Why, oh why did I have to be such a dweeb? I blinked, realizing that my angel was speaking to me, and I quickly started to pay attention.

    “-We can’t tell anybody anything, of course. We can still live as if human…but we can only be seen by people who don’t know our names. Anyone who knew your name will not be able to see you, though you can see them perfectly well. You can talk to people who have yet acquired your name also…but then they know it…so you should probably go incognito when dealing with humans. We’re in Arizona now…I live here. I hardly ever use this house though. I don’t sleep, I don’t eat…and neither do you anymore. Your dead.”
    Again, my eyes narrowed as he told me about my death. Those two words just made me shudder. I hated them.

    As he promised, Ty placed me in a room, and locked the door behind me. Just Gretchen and I, her on Ty’s table, her foggy black eyes staring me down, while I sat down and watched her. She looked so sad. I wondered what it was like…being dead, yet still alive. I blink…’what a stupid thing to wonder, Scarlett. That fish get’s it as well as you do.’ With a roll of my eyes, I continue to think about her. ‘Ty said he heard my thoughts…so I may as well get this over with. He said he wouldn’t let me go until I was crying over her…’ I leaned back, and crossed my arms.

    I wasn’t sure how long it had been, but my nose started to burn, and my throat felt like I had tried to swallow a light-bulb. As soon as my eyes accumulated moisture, Ty opened the door, and I raced over to him, knocking the chair against the ground as I did. My arms slid around his waist, and I was crying in an almost uncontrollable way. “They’re all going to die, Ty. Everyone I know…every person.” He pet the back of my head gently, running his fingers through my messy, deep red hair.

    ******
    “So, I need to watch….Aubrey? For…ever? And…who’s my human? Is it Dmitri, or…how do you say this again?” Ty pronounced the name flawlessly.
    “It’s Ethiopian.”
    “Whatever.”
    He sighed. “Dmitri is your human…he’s not born yet though. He will be in a few hours…you need to take”-He said the African name again, pointing at it in my little book as he said it-“and bring him to the gate…then, watch over Aubrey until Dmitri is born.”
    I nodded, “Alright…What do I do after that?”
    He laughed, and shook his head. “It doesn’t end, Scarlett.” He spun me around, and then, I was on my own.