If I hadn't known better, I probably would've thought Grace Wilson was an angel herself. She was the sweetest girl I'd ever seen. Nothing bad ever happened to her. As a matter of fact, it might as well have been on vacation for the first 14 years.
But innocence and good times can only last so long.
The blue-eyed, blond-haired girl with beauty beyond compare wasted everything she was worth. She started doing drugs when she turned 15. I was dumbfounded. I held myself responsible.
I felt that there was nothing I could do to stop her. I'd get rid of the drugs when she went to school, but she'd just come home with more.
It was really hard to watch her take those pills and whatnot so excessively. I watched her all the time (as a Guardian should). Each day would be a struggle for her. Everything led back to doing more drugs, and that really frustrated me.
I decided there was nothing left to do. Even though I was never supposed to let my assignment know that they had a Guardian, I felt that it was the only way I could save her.
I waited for Grace in her bedroom one day. When she walked inside, she saw me. She probably thought I was a hallucination at first, but probably changed her mind when I started talking to her.
"Grace," I addressed her, "What are you doing?"
She sat down on the blue rug and pulled out some of those dreadful narcotics. "What does it look like?"
"It looks like you're wasting your life."
She stopped. "Yeah?"
"Trust me, Grace. I know what's best for you. I am your Guardian."
"Yeah right."
"Whether you believe me or not, I have one thing to say to you. Keep going, if you intend on destroying all of your true beauty."
And with that, I vanished. I watched the look on her face. She seemed puzzled. "Why would anyone care about me?"
She stopped doing drugs after that.
She knew someone was watching over her after that, but not once did she take advantage of it. Although I had doubted it at times, she really had a heart of gold, and she deserved protection. She deserved me.
xXx
A boy with sandy blonde hair and dazzling green eyes sat on the couch of his apartment. The TV flashed somewhat meaninglessly in the background. He was lost in thought.
He thought about how things used to be and the girl he missed so much. She meant the world to him. He remembered the special moments they'd shared and wished for more.
A knock on the door jarred him back to reality. A letter was slid under the door, and he went to pick it up. It was from the Angel HQ. He opened it. The very top of the letter caught his eye.
20-year report of your former assignment.
Reports like that were given to the Guardians after their assignments died. But had 20 years passed so quickly? Had she been gone that long?
He read through the rest of the letter. Apparently, she went through training and became a Guardian. He felt slightly proud knowing that. It almost felt like she was carrying on his legacy.
The boy looked at a picture of his assignment that was included in the report. She hadn't changed very much at all. She still had the long, red hair and sparkling blue eyes. She still looked youthful, and yet mature at the same time. The innocence once captured in her eyes had faded, but the boy was still mesmerized by their beauty.
He sighed and turned to the TV. It was a news story. He listened intently. The gates of the Land Below had opened. People on Earth were doing awful things because the influence of Below was leaking out. The reporter was really serious when she said that more than influence could get out soon.
And then he remembered.
xXx
It was a semi-pleasant day. It was the weird kind where it was sunny and clear, but really cold. The leaves were starting to fall from the trees and I could see and feel the world changing around me. I followed Grace to the park. I felt no need to go unseen.
I sat down on the park that I woke up on over fifteen years before. I was surprised to see some of the coins still there. They seemed like distant memories from so long ago.
Grace strolled along and sat on a swing. She went back and forth gently; consistent like the world turning.
A boy walked silently to the bench and sat beside me. It took me a while to notice him.
"Liz?"
I looked at him. It was the boy from the mountain. His wings were gone, though.
"I'm glad I found you," he told me.
"Yeah . . ."
I felt words bubble up but I could not speak them. I was captivated by those emerald eyes again. They seemed so familiar.
"Do you remember me?" he asked.
"I'm not sure."
He leaned in and kissed me. Then I remembered. Everything. It all came back to me then. Every kiss and smile . . . every thought and tear. It just . . . clicked.
"Well, I do now," I said with a smile. "Jacob Prince?"
"At your service."
"How'd you find me?" I inquired.
"Angel HQ sent me a 20-year report."
"Well that's pretty helpful," I laughed.
"Is that Grace?" he asked me and pointed to the girl on the swings.
"Yep. She is a pretty puzzling girl."
"I know tricky girls pretty well." He smiled. We kissed again. I never realized so much of my life was gone because I couldn't remember it. Half of my heart was missing. He brought it back to me. Love had found it's way to me again, and I couldn't have been happier.
