Obviously Shawn had inherited all the dancing genes in our family, leaving me with none, I thought dryly.
Sam and Shawn gained the attention of the DJ as he began a commentary of their extreme dance steps. Before I knew it, the dance floor was cleared of all the dancers except for them. With the help of the DJ, the crowd started cheering them on, clapping and stomping their feet as they danced their way across the floor. I was amazed to see kids that had engaged in gossiping about us now cheering Sam along. Maybe watching Sam stand up for herself had helped us turn a new corner. Their enthusiasm made Mark and me cheer harder. Grudgingly, I had to admit that maybe going to prom wasn't the worst idea.
"I'm going to the bathroom," I told Mark as the DJ started another adrenaline racing song. Making my way out of the ballroom, I glanced back one last time when I heard the crowd cheering even louder as Shawn completed a series of eight flips across the dance floor. Shaking my head at the irony of my own flesh and blood having such natural grace, I went searching for a bathroom. Strolling across the marble floor, I admired the elegant artwork spaced tastefully around the lobby. Having a mother that loved art gave me the knowledge to recognize talented and expensive art when I saw it. Each piece that graced the walls here would do well in a museum where everyone could admire it. I felt out of place as I walked through the imposing space. Sure, my mom had sunk a large amount of money into St. Briggets so I could finish my high school career there, but I had come to realize I just wasn’t the Prada kind of girl. I didn't belong in this lifestyle and I felt very inadequate pretending I did. Shaking my head, I finally found the restrooms.
There were no signs stating what they really were. The only clue indicating I had found the restrooms was the nude statue of the woman placed discretely by one of the doors, while a male bust sat next to the second door.
Wow, I guess simple signs reading men or women were just too trashy for a hotel like this, I thought, as I pushed my way into the bathroom, pausing to admire the elegance of the room. It contained a sitting area off to the left with deep lavender plush benches to rest on. Floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors were spaced out periodically around the room. Each sink sat atop its own pedestal with scented soaps in a glass bowl on the ledge of each one. Separate rooms with heavy doorknobs housed individual toilets, instead of traditional stalls with those uncooperative locks that you have to jimmy to keep them from opening at the wrong time. A soft light automatically came on as I stepped inside, like I had entered a sacred chamber or something. As I closed the door behind me I heard the outer door being opened.
I groaned to myself when I heard the high pitched voices of my arch nemeses from school. "I don't know who she's trying to fool in the dress she's wearing," I heard Lacey saying in her usual snotty voice.
"I know, right? She's still trash. I saw her outside her house one day. You should see the shack she calls home. I'd rather be dead, than caught living there," Amber said snidely.
My face started to heat up as I realized who they were talking about.
"Besides, who wears a dress that long anyway? Mark would have to cut it off at the knees to get to anything. Well, that's if he's even interested in finding what's there. She makes Fridge look easy," Katie, the last of the trio said in her typical whiney voice that made me want to hang myself just hearing it.
"Yeah, well one thing's for sure, Sam is a bitch. She may act like she's better than us, but with the way she's flaunting her shit out there with that loser, it's obvious her knees have been apart more than they've been together," Lacey said just as I opened the door.
What I did next I would like to have said was out of my control, but I knew exactly what I was doing. Instead of trying to redirect their hostile evil emotions, I embraced them making them my own. Maybe I was using my own embarrassment that was caused by them mocking my house, but it was more the fact that they had attacked my family that propelled me from the stall in one quick movement. I must have looked like a psycho from some cheesy slasher movie, because all three backed up against the far wall with their hands out in front of them. In one concentrated burst, I threw all their hatred and my own back at them. I could feel it sliding out of me like liquid fire. The rage I unleashed was unlike any that I had ever felt, and the power of it sent them to their knees.
Gasping for breath, they clutched their chests, losing all color from their faces. Lacey was the first to collapse in a heap. I backed up, horrified, as my concentration was broken by the bathroom door opening and a group of my classmates spilling in.
"What the Hell happened?" I heard someone say as I fled the scene.
"Lacey? What's going on?" another one said before I was out of earshot.
I raced across the lobby, sobbing uncontrollably as I burst through the doors at the same time Mark reached my side. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to read the jumbled thoughts that raced through my head. Still sobbing, I could only shake my head as I sunk into his arms.
What had I done? Did I kill them? I was pretty sure what I had just done would strip me of my invisible wings in a heartbeat.
"Take her home now," I heard Haniel say behind me in a booming voice.
"What's going on?" Sam asked, bewildered, as they joined us.
"Go now," Haniel said again, not answering either question. "I will handle this. Get to your house and I will deal with her when I get there," he said, obviously meaning me.
Mark shepherded me out of the room without another word. I gripped his hand in one of my own while Sam grabbed my other hand. I wondered if she would still be holding my hand if she knew what I had just done. The pale faces flashed through my mind again as I remembered their limp bodies tangled together on the bathroom floor. I felt Mark cringe beside me as he picked the mental picture from my mind. Hanging my head, I felt hot tears sliding down my checks as I climbed into his SUV. Had I not been so stressed, I would have been startled at the void of emotion left in me. I had left it all in the bathroom, with three snotty girls that didn't deserve what I had just done. Whose worst crimes were overindulgent parents.
Chapter 5
Haniel was waiting for us when we returned. How he had beaten us back to the house when he said he would deal with the mess I left behind was more than my drained mind could wrap around.
"What are you guys doing back so early?" Robert asked from the couch where he and Lynn were sharing a bowl of popcorn while they watched a movie. He broke off when he saw the somber mood of our group.
He and Lynn stood, waiting to deal with whatever curve ball was being thrown our way. I imagined their contempt when they realized I was the new danger we faced. Me. The one that was supposed to be some super-mystical being, had just harmed three innocent humans.
"Tell me what happened," Haniel asked in a much quieter voice than the one he had used at the hotel.
Letting go of Sam and Mark's hands, I sank onto the couch knowing none of them would want to be next to me when I told them the awful thing I had done. My voice was shaky and guilt ridden as I told them the whole story, not glossing over anything.
"I knew I was using my rage and their own against them. I wanted to strip them of their emotions, leaving them blank, for at least a moment, so their harsh words wouldn't hurt anyone else. I didn't mean to kill them," I sobbed, burying my face in my hands.
"Why didn't you use your power to change their emotions?" Haniel asked in the same quiet voice. "It would have been easy for you based on what we've worked on. The only pictures you would have seen were their envy over the relationships all of you have. The only emotion they harbor is the desire to be loved."
"I don't know. It all happened so fast. I just wanted to tear them down like they've done to so many others with their words."
"How did you know to use your gift that way?" Haniel questioned.
"I didn't know. I just wanted to turn things back on them for once. I didn't mean to hurt them. I just wanted them to feel the pain of their words," I said as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. "What's going to happen to me?" I asked, imagining the worst of Judgment Days. What would happen to Mark if I was cast to the side? My heart clenched inward leaving me breathless as I thought of our bond being severed.
Sam sat beside me and grabbed onto my hand. I looked at her and was surprised that she studied me compassionately instead of with the horror I had imagined. My hot tears fell more rapidly as I felt the love she was pushing into my emotional void. Mark settled on the opposite side of me, sliding his arm around me. I glanced around at each of them, stunned that they all looked at me much the same way Sam had. Didn't they fully grasp what I had done? I had used my power for evil and not good like we were created for.
"Krista, you did not kill them," Haniel finally said. "Yes, you gave them quite a shock, and something to wonder about, but you did them no lasting harm. Your gift is new and is in the beginning stages. You must learn to control it, because one day you could do more harm than good if you channel it the wrong way. As Guides, you must use the moral compass you were created with to know when to use your gifts the right way. What you exhibited tonight is your final and most powerful ability that The Light has provided to you. It is to be used only in circumstances where your life is in peril and you fear for your safety. When you cast anger or animosity back at individuals that harbor these emotions, it returns to them one hundred-fold. They are shown all of their past wrongs in the blink of an eye. This flood is often staggering as you discovered tonight," he said, explaining their collapse to me. "This gift you've been given can only be used once in a period of time as I'm sure you have figured out," he continued, addressing me still. I nodded my head, but still felt empty and slightly nauseous. The thought of performing that same kind of burst again seemed impossible.
"Tomorrow we will begin your training more aggressively," Haniel said, turning away to exit the room.
"Wait," I said. "If I didn't hurt them, what did you have to take care of?"
"Well, just put it this way. Their thoughts are a little muddled as to what happened."
"I didn't think Archangels did things like that?" I asked, still confused.
"I cannot directly intervene in matters that involve The Dark One, but in a circumstance like this, my gifts can be used to help smooth things out you might say. Mark, I will see you about your injury in an hour, after I take care of some pressing matters first," he said, closing the glass door silently behind him.
"Wow, that dude is one cool hombre," Shawn said, sinking back onto the couch. "I can't tell if he has a sense of humor or not, but man he's a badass."
"Are you okay?" Lynn asked me, perching on the arm of the other couch.
"I'm fine," I said, flashing her a watery smile. I was relieved I hadn't hurt them, but it still didn't change the fact that I had let evil rule me, no matter how brief the moment was. "You guys aren't mad at me?" I finally asked.
"Krista, are you kidding me? Do you know how many times I've wanted to put the Lush Trio in their place?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, but you didn't act on it like I did. It's one thing to think about doing something, but it's a whole other thing to actually do it. You guys don’t think I'm like, twisted now."
"Don't be a dork Sis. What did you think, that we believed you had crossed over to the dark side or something?" He teased, ruffling my hair. "You're not that cool," he added, making all of us laugh and breaking the last of the tension I felt.
"Come on," Mark said, tugging me into a standing position. "Let's go walk on our beach."
We left the others behind, joking easily, the night's drama firmly forgotten in their minds as we headed out the patio doors. The patio was empty, and once again I wondered where Haniel went when he wasn't babysitting us. Mark led me to the stairs and helped me remove my strappy sandals before we descended. The coolness felt like heaven as my feet sunk into nighttime sand.
"Are you really okay?" Mark asked after we had walked a couple hundred yards.
"I'm fine." I was lying, of course, since my heart still ached from what I had done. I had been blocking my thoughts since we left the party, so Mark was unaware of just how empty I felt.
"I know you're worried, but I trust Haniel that the snobs are okay," he said, wondering why I had been blocking my thoughts. He pulled me into his arms and stroked my back, giving me the comfort my body craved. "I still owe you another dance," he said, gently swaying us back and forth. I raised my arms, locking them firmly around his neck. This time, though, I looked into his eyes as we danced on the cool sand with only the moon looking down on us. He lowered his head and laid his lips on mine. All else was forgotten as I sighed and let him kiss my worries away. My void began to dissipate as his touch and kisses filled me as only they could. I laced my fingers through his hair linking us more firmly together as I deepened the kiss. He moaned against my tingling lips as we slowly lowered ourselves to the ground. Our formal clothing was forgotten as we lost ourselves in the kiss. I could feel his hand caressing my ribcage, lightly touching me as he settled more firmly against me. I could feel every lean muscle pressed against me as I threatened to erupt from the heat he ignited inside me. I wished that clothing didn't separate us, and for a brief moment I fought the urge to giggle when I remembered the Trio's words about my dress getting in the way.
Mark chuckled on top of me, reading my thoughts. "I guess that’s our sign to stop."
"Talk about Divine intervention," I quipped as he helped me to my feet brushing the sand off my backside, spending a few extra moments to brush my bottom off. Laughing, I swatted his hand away.
"What?" he asked feigning innocence.
Giggling, I reached for his hand. It was surreal to be laughing and carrying on when just an hour ago I thought my world was ending. I felt a surge of gratitude that Haniel had been there to smooth everything over.
"I'm sorry we had to leave the dance early," I said as we continued our stroll along the tide line.
"Oh right, I'm sure you are. I wouldn't put it past you to have done it all on purpose," he said mockingly. "Sheesh, the extremes you go to avoid dancing at your own prom," he added teasingly.
"You got me. It was either dance or channel my evil side. You see how well that worked out," I said, now able to joke about it.
"Well next time, we'll skip the dance to spare you from going to such extremes. I couldn't really care less about the 'Lust Trio' or 'Lush Trio,' whatever you and Sam call them. I just don't want you to lose yourself in this whole craziness," he said in a more serious voice. "I don't ever want to lose you, and you heard Haniel, Guides are given a dangerous job as it is. You have to be more careful and realize just how important you are, not only me, but to our entire group. You're like the nucleus that holds us together. We all knew it even before Haniel mentioned it."
