"No, it is time for rest. Tonight was just a test to give you a taste of embracing the emotions of others. Soon you will learn to use your own purity to filter out the negative emotions and replenish what has been taken from the forgotten souls," he said, turning away from us. "I will now train with the Protectors," he continued in his formal way which I was getting used to.

I was relieved by his words. I didn't want to be a wimp, but I wasn't going to argue. I felt like a freight train had hit me, leaving behind a tattered mess. Mark helped me to my feet while Shawn and Robert did the same for Lynn and Sam. Walking like gimps, we hobbled to the side of a sand dune and sank back down gratefully next to each other.

"Well, that sucked big time," Sam muttered as the guys walked away.

"No kidding. I feel like I lost an arm or something," Lynn said, rubbing the tender part of her chest, where mine also ached.

"I sure hope Haniel is right and the next time doesn't suck so much or he might be getting a few more choice words to report to his boss," Sam said, sounding more like herself.

Despite the pain, I had to giggle. The mental picture of Sam cussing out an Archangel was just too much to resist. Lynn and Sam joined in, and before we knew it we were clutching our sides with one hand and leaning against each other for support. Glancing up, we saw the guys looking at us as if we had lost our minds, which sent us into a fresh onslaught of laughter. Finally the giggles receded and we returned our focus to the training in front of us.

Haniel had Shawn and Robert against each other while pairing Mark with himself. Observing Mark next to Haniel, their differences in stature were unmistakable. I had always liked that Mark was so much taller than me, enjoyed standing on tiptoes to link my arms around him, but watching him next to Haniel made it seem as if he had shrunken a few inches. I felt a wave of apprehension knowing that Mark was still recovering from his hospital visit and I knew for a fact sparing was out.

"Um….," I said starting to stand up. Sam tugged on my hand trying to pull me back down before I could intervene.

"He knows. See, he's using Mark as an example so Shawn and Robert can do the actual sparing," she said, pointing out how Haniel was only mock sparing with Mark. I could see she was right. It was obvious that Haniel's strength was limitless as he maneuvered Mark around, taking the brunt of each movement so that Mark's body was not jarred in the slightest.

I sank back down on the sand relieved. I didn't want to bruise Mark's ego by embarrassing him, but I also didn't want him hurt. I was glad Sam had stopped me. I knew that Mark's injury frustrated him and he was ready to return to normal. I also knew he still harbored major guilt that he hadn't been able to protect me, as he put it. I felt that was a big part of why he was blocking me from his thoughts lately. At least with him sparing with Haniel, I knew he was safe but still learning the skills he needed.

The guys continued to train for another hour until the sun began to set. Looking like we had felt the previous hour, they staggered toward us covered in sweat and sand. Mark reached a hand down and pulled me to my feet. "You okay?" I asked quietly. He smiled ruefully at me.

"Yep, but man, I'm out of shape. I know Haniel was taking it easy on me, but damn, the moves he's showed us are tough. Muscles I never knew I had are majorly cussing me out right now," he said, shooting me my most favorite grin.

Impulsively, I linked my arms around his neck and planted my lips on his the soft skin giving it an affectionate nip. At times like this I just couldn't resist the pull of our connection. Obviously feeling the same, he set his hands on my waist to anchor me in one spot while he dipped his head to place his own scorching kiss on my sensitive neck.

"Get a room," Sam said, pulling my hair lightly as she passed with Shawn.

"Um, how about not," Shawn mockingly growled. "That's my sister after all, and it's my job to keep the pervs away."

Laughing, I grabbed Mark's hand as we headed up the steep driftwood steps to the house. "Pretty sure I'm safe with an Archangel around," I said, glancing back at Haniel who was standing at the water's edge in obvious deep meditation. I couldn't help wondering where he went when he wasn't doing his job training us Guides and Protectors.

Chapter 3

The next morning I woke with a knot in my stomach. Lying in my bed, I analyzed my dream from the night before although nothing out of the ordinary had happened during it. Mark and I had spent the time watching the waves wash up on the shore. We hadn’t spoken, but that wasn't unusual. We often reverted to the non-communicative dreams we had shared over the course of our entire lives up until a couple of weeks ago.

The reason for the knot had to be something else.

"So, are you contemplating how to get out of prom?" Lynn asked from the other bed in the room.

Ugh, there you had it, today was our prom. That explained the knot. Once again, I wondered how Sam had even talked me into it. Yeah, yesterday the whole excitement of finding the perfect dress had clouded my perspective on it, but it now came crashing down on me. I had unsuccessfully tried to get out of it last night, using Haniel as the scapegoat, but the others had argued me down.

"Look Krista, we already know we're not normal, obviously," Sam had said, indicating Haniel who was still outside. "But we can at least act like we are every once in awhile. Plus, don't forget you already promised your mom we'd swing by the hospital on the way."

With that one statement, Sam had sealed the deal. I couldn't deprive my mom. Being cooped up in the hospital for weeks now was wearing on her, and I knew she felt like she was missing out on my last few weeks of high school.

"Maybe the training this morning will kill me," I grumbled, climbing out of bed. "Come on Feline, let's go change." I said grumpily, grabbing some clothes on my way out the door. I could hear Lynn laughing behind me as I trudged down the hall. "Whatever, Lynn, keep yucking it up?" I said, a little louder than necessary.

"What's up sis?" Shawn asked, coming out of the second guestroom he was sharing with Robert.

"Oh nothing," I said, not wanting to complain again. I hated it when people harped on stuff, and I didn't want to be viewed that way.

"It'll be fine," he said, not having to read my mind. "We'll stick together the entire night and don't worry, everyone will be so busy living up their big night, they won't give you a sideways glance," he added, ruffling my bed head before darting into the bathroom ahead of me.

"Hey, I was here first," I said, pounding on the door and stomping my foot in frustration.

"You can change in my room," Mark said, coming up behind me with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. My mouth began to water just looking at it. "What's wrong? Oh you want this?" he asked teasingly as he handed it over.

"Thanks," I said, flushing just slightly as he gave me the once over. I always felt so self-conscious when he saw me in the morning, all rumpled looking, but he recently confided in me that he loved seeing me that way. That he would love to wake up to me looking exactly like I did now.

Knowing what he was insinuating made my body heat up each time I thought about it. The mental picture of waking up in his arms was definitely something that got my blood boiling. And by the glint in his eyes, I could see he was thinking the same thing without even entering his thoughts.

"Um okay, I guess I'll go change," I stuttered, backing up from the oddly intimate moment. "Thanks for my drug," I added, indicating my mug of liquid gold.

"No problem," he replied, still watching me with his burning gaze.

I closed the door behind me sagging weakly against it. "Hormones my butt, that guy is just smoking hot," I told Feline as I changed my clothes.

***

Twenty minutes later we were once again assembled on the sand facing Haniel. Despite my jokes this morning about it killing me, I was pretty apprehensive about another round. By the looks on Lynn and Sam's faces, I could tell I wasn’t the only one. In fact the only one out of our entire group that looked relaxed was the flipping seven foot Angel that would be assaulting our emotions in a moment.

Haniel had spent the entire night outside. I wasn’t sure if he actually stayed on the beach or went somewhere else.

"All right, let's begin. Remember Guides, though the images may be disheartening, use them to your advantage. They are there to help make your job easier. You must focus on changing the pictures they have, thus giving them back an emotion other than the one they initially had," he said, preparing us for another round.

I closed my eyes and focused on the task at hand. I felt the emotion that Haniel was sending slowly creep toward me. I steadied my breathing and prepared myself for today's onslaught of pictures.

I cringed when the first picture flashed before my eyes of a sad child huddled in a corner, only to be replaced with another of a man clutching a belt in his hand. In the next image, the belt sailed through the air. I jerked back in horror, trying to get away from the sting of the belt. My sudden movement caused me to lose my balance as disorientation set in. I tried to steady myself, but the flashes of pictures and the foreign emotions had thrown off my equilibrium, sending me in a heap to the sand.

I tried opening my eyes, but the sky was spinning out of control. My only shot at relief was to clamp my eyes shut and focus on getting my bearings back. The pictures of the poor defenseless child huddled in the corner and the monster that clutched the heavy leather strap remained engrained in my mind's eye.

"Krista, are you okay?" Mark asked.

I opened my eyes to see his anxious face hovering over mine. "Yeah," I said, struggling to sit up. "That totally sucked," I said dryly, looking around at my friends to see how they had fared. Lynn and Sam were both still standing, though they were deathly pale. "Why am I always the one lying around?" I asked, trying to make a joke of it. Mark reached a hand down and I grabbed onto it so he could haul me to my feet.

"So, do I get an F for that attempt?" I asked Haniel as I dusted sand of my backside.

"An F?" he asked puzzled.

"You know, like an F for failed attempt," I said, realizing that trying to explain the dynamics of the grading system to a celestial being out of the human realm was a little difficult.

"I am confused. You did not fail, you responded appropriately to seeing an image for the first time. How did you feel seeing the pictures?"

"I felt sad and a little scared. And mad." I said.

"Yes, now if you were there how would you fix the outcome?" he asked, pressing for details.

"I would want to comfort the poor little girl and get her far away from the situation," I said, confused at what exactly he was asking me.

"Exactly," he said. "You would want to help her. As a Guide, your gift gives you the ability to help her. She has already suffered the abuse, but you have the power to help her move on and leave the despair behind. When you encounter forgotten souls, they will be emotionally damaged. Abbadons use this to their advantage. They prey on the suffering of the forgotten souls, intensifying their anguish, making them more susceptible to evil."

"How do I do it?" I asked, finally understanding what he was telling me.

"You take the images you see and you change them to what you would want to see. Your soul will take over, replacing their negative emotions with your positive emotions. You will forever change the way they view that image from that day on. They will not forget their past, but they will finally be able to release it."

"Okay, I think I understand," I said, looking at Sam and Lynn.

"Me too," Sam said, sounding relieved.

Lynn nodded her assent, also.

"Very good then, let us begin again," Haniel said in what I could have sworn sounded like a proud voice. Though I knew I was imagining it. In the short time that we had been around Haniel, I had come to realize that he was a blank slate emotionally.

I closed my eyes and mentally prepared myself for the images that were headed my way. This time I was ready for the picture of the scared little boy huddled behind the couch. My heart went out to him the instant I saw his frightened face peering around the sofa. His image was replaced by a mean-eyed drunk hurling a beer bottle toward the couch, striking the child in the head. I ran across the room, desperate to shield the defenseless child from more harm. The emotions I felt - despair, betrayal, misunderstanding - hit me one after another like arrows piercing my body. I reached down to pick up the child and suddenly the image repeated, only I was now the target. I ducked to try to avoid the oncoming bottle and felt myself falling backwards.

I landed hard on my butt as Haniel once again retreated. "Crap, I suck at this," I said, exhausted from the mental abuse I was suffering. I glanced around and saw both Sam and Lynn also on the ground. "You too?" I asked, smiling a little at the grimaces on both their faces. It pretty much gave me an idea of what I looked like without glancing in a mirror.

"Krista, very good," Haniel said, standing over me.

"What," I asked, confused yet again. "What do you mean very good? I'm sitting in the sand again!" I said, letting my frustration show.

"Krista, you were able to make contact. Your attempt was quite remarkable for such a young and inexperienced Guide. It will not be long before you will be able to erase the images altogether. You have embraced your lead role extraordinarily well."

"Wow, you got to the little boy?" Sam asked awestruck. "I couldn't seem to make my feet move. They felt like they were sunk in cement by the fear I felt."

"Same here," Lynn said, clearly frustrated. I couldn’t blame her. Lynn always seemed so invincible, it was hard to believe that she suffered from the same fear Sam and I felt.

"Again?" I asked, rubbing my sore backside as I slowly got back on my feet with Mark's assistance once more.

"I think that you’ve done enough," Mark said, brushing the remaining sand off of me.

"That's okay…." I said, starting to argue.

"Your Protector is right. The soul of a Guide is precious, and as such, training should be taken in small steps," Haniel said, dismissing my protest as only he could. "Protectors, we will now work on your training."

"Sounds good to me my kind sir, let me just walk milady to the house," Shawn said in the weakest Medieval impersonation I had ever heard.

"Oh, brother," Sam giggled at his bad impersonation.

"Really man, that totally sucked," Robert said, grabbing Lynn's hand as we trudged along the sand on our way back to the house.