Story Book

“So, your legs broke.” Noah stated grinning down at me before plopping on the couch beside me.

“Thanks for that captain obvious.” I shot back as I shifted my body from where I sat on the couch. I was numb from sitting so long. I had my casted leg leveled on the long coffee table in front of the couch.

“You trip really weird.” Noah told me taking a closer look at the cast that in circled my knee and calf.

“Are you saying there's a right way to trip?” I asked Noah incredulously, laying down the remote and turning towards him as best as I could.

“Yes.” Noah snipped at me as he swiftly graved the remote and changed the channel.

“And how do you trip the right way?” I probed swinging my hand towards his that held the remote. He moved his hand out of the way with ease not even glancing at me as he watched the television.

“Easy you don't break anything.” He told me grinning, I stared at him incredulously. He glanced over at me, “What its not that hard.”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest and watched cars go around a track repeatedly. Fully contempt with ignoring Noah for the rest of his visit until these words came out of his mouth, “I now pronounce your nickname to be gimp.”

“Your daughter is attacking me!” Noah shouted as I swatted at him, swinging pillows at him without sympathy.

“Clarissa, there you are!” My mothers voice called to me from across the garden, her golden floor length dress sparkled from the sun, the sky was cloudless.

I smiled at her, lifting my face to the sun, so the rays could heat up my face. “Its a beautiful day.”

My mother laughed like I was a child, “Sweetheart its always beautiful out.”

I dropped my head and opened my eyes to stare at her, she looked different I couldn't seem to place it and then a cloud covered the sun. Shading my mothers face and all the flowers.

It all seemed to rot, my mother, her dress, the grass and flowers all turned coal black and withered to the ground. The only thing that was still bright was me, my skin shined and my silver dress seemed to radiate, keeping the grass and flowers that surrounded me alive and colorful.

But it wasn't enough to save the women I thought was my mother.

I gasped, sitting up right in my bed breathing heavily as I tried to calm myself. I looked out my window as if it was reflex. The moon shined down lighting up the outside world. For a brief second I thought I saw someone in the graveyard.

Shaking my head, I laid back down, closed my eyes and drifted off back to sleep.

“You look terrible.” Noah stated as we sat in the cafeteria eating lunch.

“I didn't get much sleep.” I muttered taking a bite out of my sandwich.

“Hey Noah!” Billy Harp called excitedly as he walked by our table, waving. Noah waved back to him half heatedly then rolled his eyes when Billy passed.

“You know what he asked me yesterday?” Noah asked looking at me expectantly, I simply shrugged. “He asked if I wanted to work on bikes together.”

I looked up confused, “Whats so bad about that?”

“He didn't mean brrrmm brrrm bikes he meant pedal bike.”

I hopped to the kitchen to get a drink of apple juice. I glared at Charlie who was walking through my legs.

“This is all your fault.” I muttered down towards him bitterly. I opened the cabinet to get a glass but found that it was even harder to reach now that I had a cast on.

My finger tips slid over the cool glass, I was just about to slid it towards me when the doorbell rang. I lowered the balms of my feet back down to the tiled floor and stared in the general direction of the door. I blinked and glanced at the clock, it was ten o'clock at night.

I moved as gracefully as a hundred pound gorilla towards the door. I peeked through the lace curtains that covered the strip of windows that lined the door. I sighed with relief, it was only Priest Marshall.

I opened the door and smiled at him, “Hello.”

“Hello Clarissa. I haven't seemed to have the time to come check to see how you are. I'm sorry about how late it is.” He said smiling as I opened the door further and allowed him to walk through.

“Its not a problem, I'm fine. It could have been worse.” I replied closing the door with a small click.

“Yes well it seems you had an angel looking after you.” Priest Marshall said laughing to himself at the thought.

I blinked, an angel with crystal blue eyes?

“Priest -”

“Just call me Marshall dear.” He interrupted smiling at me as he took a seat in the living room.

“Marshall.” I began, the word tasted strange in my mouth. “Um, you didn't happen to see anyone there that day did you?”

He looked at me thoughtfully and then laughed, loudly. “Dear no, it was only you. Running like a fool after your cat.”

I chuckled nervously.

“Why do you think you saw an angel?”

I stopped chuckling, my throat went dry. “You know I don't believe in that stuff.”

“Yes I'm aware.” Marshall smiled at me to show me it was okay. I smiled awkwardly my mind racing. “You know your mother once mentioned to me that she thought you where given to her by an angel. Maybe that same angel was the one that was looking after you that day.”

Marshall stood just as I had finally wobbled over to the couch to sit. I plopped down as I listened to his words. When he stood I made a move to get up but he waved me off, “I just wanted to make sure you where all right, good night Clarissa.”

“So I heard Priest Marshall came by last night.” My father pondered, I glanced up from my plate to him across from the table from me. His dark brown hair the same color as mine was all I could see, he had his head bowed.

“Dad, I told you that when you got home.” I said staring at him confused.

“I know, but I was talking to Marshall, he said something about angels.” My dad stated looking up from his plate accessing me.

“So much for confidentiality.” I muttered laying my fork down. “So what? I'm I not allowed to talk about angels?”

“Of course your allowed to talk about angels, its just that you've always been so against it.” My father was back tracking, saying his words gently and giving me a smile.

“Well maybe I changed my mind.” I snapped not liking how sure he was.

“So church this up coming Sunday?” He proposed grinning down at his empty plate.

“Hell no.”