“That wasn’t a good birthday prank, was it?” I asked in an unsure voice while throwing them uneasy glances like a child caught red handed stealing a cookie from the jar. I got back on my feet and sat uncomfortably on my chair.
Everyone started to smile except Brian; he got the worried look on his face again. I sometimes hate Brian’s ability to tell when I’m lying.
“You’re gonna be a great actor someday, Nicky.” Howie chuckled while getting back to his chair. He almost joined me under the table. “You got me.”
“You were not moving for like two minutes with fear written all over your face, and then suddenly you screamed and get under the table. That was brilliant, man.” AJ chimed in.
“Yes, that was brilliant; we almost had a heart attack, Nick. Thanks for being so considerate.” The sarcasm on Leighanne’s voice was very obvious. I couldn’t blame her because she feared for Baylee’s safety.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered under my breath while looking down on my plate. “That won’t happen again. I’m sorry for ruining your birthday, Rok.”
“You didn’t ruin anything, buddy. We’re just getting started.” Brian replied with a warm smile.
“Come on, guys, I’m starving.” Kevin finally spoke. One look at him and I knew he wasn’t happy about what I did, but he wouldn’t say anything for the sake of Brian’s celebration.
We quietly ate our lunch. I still couldn’t get the scene I just witnessed out of my head. I wondered what it was about, who were those people. I scanned the room for Andrea; she might help me understand things.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Her tired and slightly annoyed voice made me wonder if she really did spent time looking for me.
She could have easily known where I was considering she was a ghost, right? Plus my tour bus isn’t hard to find. I tried to smile but didn’t succeed.
“Were you in the restaurant?” I asked her instead
“Yes.” She casually replied
“Did I just see the future? Will those people get hurt?”
“No, Nick.” She shook her head “You saw what happened to them; she showed you what happened that day.”
“She?” I asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Doesn’t matter for now,” She waved her hand dismissively “I am here to help you with other things.”
“Like what?”
“Teach you how to recognize a soul or spirit,
whatever you wanna call them, when you see one comes to mind.” She smirked
“Who are you?” I wondered why she had to help me with those kinds of stuff.
“My name is Andrea Miller. I was a ramp model, and on my way to stardom when my life was taken away. I died in 1987 when I was 23 years old in a car accident. Anything else you want to know?”
“Why are you here?”
“We have the same gift, Nick; the ability to see dead people. But unlike you, I grew up seeing them. My Mom would always tell me when I was younger that children below seven years old could see ghosts, but I kept seeing them even after my seventh birthday. I helped some of them to cross over and have peace. When I died I thought I was done helping them, but I became a guardian and here I am.”
I just stared at her trying to process what she told me. I still didn’t get the connection why she was here confusing the hell out of me.
“Daniel sent me to warn you about Michael, and he just assigned me to be your guardian ten minutes ago. So, I might hang out with you for a while if you don’t mind. You are lucky, I wish I had a guardian back then to help and guide me.”
“Who the hell is Michael and why do I keep hearing his name?”
“Michael is a broken soul who doesn’t want people crossing over and suffer here on Earth just like him. There are so many like him, and they are the very reason why guardians and people like you exist.”
“Guardians? People like me?” I asked pointing to myself; this was getting more and more confusing.
“People like you are the one who help lost souls with their unfinished business so they could cross over and find peace forever. And we, guardians, guide people like you. Guardians and people like you works hard together to be successful.” She answered while pointing at me, then to herself and bringing her left and right index finger together.
“Why me?”
“I am pretty sure Patty mentioned about you having pure heart? That’s true, Nick, that’s why you were chosen.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait.” I held up my hand to stop her from talking “What’s your definition of pure heart?”
“You are a very good person inside, Nick. You just feel lost at the moment, which is understandable since you are still young.”
“Says the 23 year old girl.” I almost rolled my eyes.
“I may look like 23, but I am like 41 years old now.” She laughed.
“Speaking of Patty, didn’t Michael help her?”
“He did. He thought he could persuade her to stay on Earth and join him. But that girl trusted and believed in you so much that you were going to help her, so she turned down Michael’s offer.”
I felt my chest tighten a bit when I remembered Patty and how she believed in me. I still miss her sometimes.
“But Michael wasn’t happy when you helped Ben crossed over, and you did it so easily. One of our undercovers confirmed Michael is planning something for you. I guess you are aware that ghost can hurt you, right?” Her eyes revealed that she was waiting for a positive answer, so I nodded though I had no idea. “I am here to help, and to convince you to continue doing what you are doing. It’s not like you have to find a ghost everyday and help them. Just try to do something for those asking for your help.”
Her face lit up when she gave me a sweet smile. I nodded though I still couldn’t understand everything she said.
“Time for your sound check; I’ll be around, Nick.” She said before she disappeared, then I heard knocks on my tour bus door.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Back from vacation! This is a boring chapter before the mission, but I hope you will still like it. :)
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for reading! :)
