**** Present Time ****
I woke up with a terrible headache. It felt like I slept for more than ten hours and yet I was still sleep deprived. I rubbed the sleep off my eyes and reached beside me to give Kate a sweet morning kiss, but she was not there. If it wasn’t for the white long sleeve polo lying in my bed; I would have thought that Kate was just in the kitchen preparing our breakfast. But the clothes I wore in her funeral yesterday reminded me of everything: pain, anger, sadness. I shook my head and took a deep breath to refrain the tears from falling before getting out of bed.
“Hey, buddy, you’re just in time. Breakfast’s ready.” Brian cheerfully said when he noticed me staring at the food in the dining table.
“You don’t have to do this, Rok.”
“Do what? I prepared breakfast because I’m hungry. I am just being a good friend and sharing it with you.” As usual, Brian won’t admit he was looking after me.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and joined Brian in the table.
“So, he was alive?” Brian asked with so much curiosity in his eyes.
“What?”
“The boyfriend of the chick who died in the road accident. You suck in telling stories, you fell asleep before you could finish it.”
“Oh, you’re asking about Jake? Vicky’s boyfriend?”
“Yeah, I think that’s his name.” He nodded.
“Yes. The paramedics was able to revive him. He said while he and Vicky were walking away from their bodies, he felt a strong force pulling him away from Vicky, then everything went black. When he opened his eyes, he was at the hospital and apparently been there for three days already.”
“He missed Vicky’s funeral?”
“Sadly, yes. He stayed in the hospital for almost a month, not because of the injuries he got from the accident, but because of his mental health. He kept saying that he was already dead, that he saw his body covered with blood, that he was with Vicky. Fortunately, after three weeks, he was able to accept that he was alive and Vicky was not.”
“That sucks.”
“He attempted to commit suicide once because he wanted to be with Vicky so bad. He thought Vicky and him had a chance to be together in the afterlife, but he ruined it because he was saved. Because he was alive.”
“How did you tell him about Vicky?”
“All I had to say was I saw Vicky in the intersection, he believed me right away. I took him there, and Vicky was so happy to see him alive. I helped them say everything they wanted to tell each other. Vicky saw the light right after Jake told her how much he loved her. She hesitated to move on and wanted to wait for Jake, but Jake convinced her to go. And with a promise that she would wait for Jake on the other side, she went into the light.”
“Not really a happy ending, but glad to know they had a chance to say goodbye and moved on. Thanks to you.” Brian offered me a small smile. A smile that told me he doesn’t believe everything I say yet, but he’s getting there.
“I just couldn’t understand why Kate did not hesitate like Vicky. Why Kate never thought I need her here beside me. She knew I could still see her and talk to her if she decided to stay. She’s been helping me with my missions the moment she knew about my gift.”
“Nick, I wish I know the answer to your question. All I know is she loves you so much. I’m sure she have a good reason why she did that.” Brian stood up, tapped me in the shoulder, and brought his plate to the kitchen sink.
I went back to my room to sleep the loneliness away, the house felt so empty without Kate. I saw an old woman, probably in her sixties, sitting in my bed, the energy coming out from her was so strong. She was not an ordinary ghost. She was also sparkling, like she had million silver glitters all over her body.
“Hello, Nick.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot help you now. I am not yet done with Leila’s case, it might take a while.”
“I know, and I’m not here to ask for your help.”
“Who are you?” She sounded like she knew me so well.
“My name is Henrietta, but the all the guardians call me Mama, they find it hard to say my name.” She smiled like a mother who's proud of her children.
“Guardians? You are a guardian?”
“Yes.” She seemed confused “Oh, wait, you haven’t seen Andrea in her guardian form?”
“If you mean sparkling like you, then, no. She always looked normal to me.”
“I should have asked her before going here.” She whispered to herself.
“What do you want, Henrietta?”
Her facial expression changed, a sweet smile formed in her lips. She looked at me as if I was an old friend she hadn’t seen in years. She was just staring at me for a minute or two.
“Henrietta?” I would have shook her shoulders had she been alive.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Nick,” She snapped out of her thoughts “It just that the way you said my name reminded me of someone special. You said my name the way he does.”
“Your husband?”
“Yes.” She sighed
“Where is he now?”
“Can we just not talk about him, please? I am here because of you. I am Andrea’s guardian, so in a way you are my responsibility, too.”
“Guardians have Guardian?”
“Yes. She is guiding and helping you with your gift; I am guiding and helping her guide you. She is really worried about you.”
“She should be, because when I’m done with Leila, I will stop helping spirits. I am done with this shit. After all I’ve done to help, you will return the favor by letting them take Kate away from me? Do you have any idea how fucking unfair is that?”
“Nick,”
“I thought you guys are helping me defeat Michael, but you did nothing to save Kate.”
“Nick, Michael has nothing to do with Kate’s death.”
“I don’t believe you. Leila warned me that morning that something bad would happen.”
“I don’t know what Leila was talking about, but Kate’s death is not something Michael can do.”
“We’re done talking, Henrietta. I don’t want to see you or any of your guardians ever again.”
“Michael might not caused Kate’s death, but he has been waiting for the moment that you will give up. I hope you’ll changed your mind, Nick. I am so sorry about what happened to Kate. You were lucky, Kate knew about your gift and believed you right away. I’ll be back, Nick, me and Andrea won’t give up on you.”
Chapter End Notes:
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