The Archangel of a Girl Who Didn't Want to Grow Up

Later that night, Rian is eating supper, feeding Zero bits of meatball from her spaghetti.

“Rian, are you feeding Zero table scraps?” her mother asks, looking at her with a critical eye.

“No..” Rian says, an innocent look covering her face.

“Zero, get up here.” Rian’s mother says in a stern voice, causing both Rian and Zero to look at each other before Zero jumps off her lap, and skitters onto the table to face her mother.

“Yes, ma’am?” Zero asks in a polite yet innocent voice.

“Has Rian been feeding you table scraps?” Rian’s mother, known as Elizabeth says as she folds her arms against her chest. Zero shakes his head.

“No, ma’am.” Zero says a little too quickly.

“Zero. You have your own food. Eat it.” Elizabeth says in a stern voice as she points toward the bowl on the ground full of Zero’s food.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Zero says, lowering his head as he walks over to his food bowl, and starts eating.

“Mom, can I quit seeing April? She pissed me off and I made Zero talk to her and she freaked out and tried to steal him so people could cage him and run tests on him but I stole him back and....” Rian says, not once taking a break to breath throughout her whole speech. Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide.

“Whoa, whoa, Rian! You made Zero talk to her? You should have known she’d freak out!” Elizabeth says, looking at her daughter with disappointment.

“I KNOW you’re talking about me!” Zero says, lifting his head from his bowl to look at the two of them.

“Sorry, Zero.” Rian says, looking at Zero with apologetic eyes.

“We’ll have to find you a new therapist.” Elizabeth says with a sigh as she thinks about the time it’s going to take her, again, to find Rian a new therapist.

“Mother, do I even NEED therapy anymore? I understand that you put me in therapy when you first found out about Zero and leconians and my archangel, but now that you know the truth, I can stop going to therapy!” Rian says, a smile appearing on her face at the thought of not having to go talk to someone anymore.

“Rian, dear. That wasn’t the only reason I sent you to therapy. You have no friends. You don’t socialize with anyone but Zero, me and your archangel.” Elizabeth says, looking at her daughter with stern eyes.

“Mom! You, Zero and Alicia ARE my friends.” Rian says with a strange look on her face.

“But, honey. Neither of them are HUMAN. Zero is a ferret and Alicia is an angel. And I’M your mother.” Elizabeth says, looking at her daughter with understanding yet worried eyes.

“I just don’t LIKE people. That’s all. They’re mean to me and Zero.” Rian says, looking away from her mother and the look she’s giving her while folding her arms across her chest.

“You’re gonna have to socialize with people when you grow up, Ri. You can’t just be silent forever.” Elizabeth says in a gentle voice as she looks at her daughter.

“I don’t WANT to grow up! I want to be a kid forever!” Rian says, turning to her mother with a completely serious look on her face.

“That’s impossible, Rian.” Elizabeth says, shaking her head at the thought.

“DAD wouldn’t say that!” Rian says, glaring at her mother.

“You father’s dead, Rian. He’s not saying anything.” Elizabeth says as she turns to look at Rian with tears in her eyes as the mention of her dead husband.

“He would have said something like ‘I know, honey. Let’s jump into Neverland through your Peter Pan book and never grow up’!” Rian says, tears falling down her face as well.

“That’s the kind of person your father was, always living in fantasy. That’s probably where you get it from.” Elizabeth says with a fond look on her face before turning a stern look back to her daughter.

“PROBABLY?!!” Rian shouts, before running out of the kitchen in a rage. “Zero, come on!” Rian says as she steps over the threshold into the dining room. Zero leaves his food bowl and chases after her.

“Rian? You okay?” Zero asks when he had finally caught up with her.

“Stupid mother! I miss my father. He only died a year ago, in that DAMN car accident, and mom acts like it’s no big deal that he even died!” Rian rants as she paces.

“I’m sure she means well, but just doesn’t know what to say.” Zero says, trying to calm Rian down as he watches her pace.

“Thanks, Zero, but I need to talk to Alicia.” Rian says as she stops pacing and sighs before turning to look at her best friend.

“Okay, go on. Call her then.” Zero says, motioning for Rian to do something.

“No offence, Zero, but I need to talk to a female.” Rian says with an apologetic look on her face.

“None taken, Rian. Call your Archangel down if you need her.” Zero says, smiling up at her.

“Okay.” Rian says with a smile before she folds her hands and closes her eyes.