Never Be Afraid Again

New York City was cold, but thankfully I was equipped with a royal-blue overcoat to shield me from the worst of it. The past few people I had been sent to take care of happened to reside in much warmer places. I had forgotten just how un-pleasant it was to shiver, reminding me just how fragile the human body could be.

From my seated position on a bench in Central Park, everything looked like it was shrouded in a blanket of grey. The early morning joggers weaved in and out of sight in the heavy fog, their heavy footfalls the only noise besides the constant but distant traffic.

I sat surveying my surroundings for a few minutes, waiting for any due information to pop into my head until a shrill noise broke the calm silence. The interruption came from my wrist and I gave an audible gasp as I looked at the screen of the blaring watch in front of me. It was exactly 8:00 AM and I could do nothing but gape.

Though I felt that I was severely skimped on information, I was smart enough to deduce why exactly I was at this time and juncture. I was here to make sure this 'Gerard' stayed as far away from the upcoming terrorist attacks as possible. But the reason for my astonishment was due to an even more minute detail. I had less than two hours to find Gerard and make up a good reason to direct him elsewhere.

When I finally shook myself from my reverie, I stood up and started towards the nearest street, trying to choke down the torrent of negative feelings toward Bath Kol. That was the problem with being in human form. It didn't matter how short of a span between tasks on earth, human emotions always started with a tug-of-war before we're finally able to get a hold on them. But with the lack of information, lack of time and lack of a face to look for in the coming crowd...the stress was leaving me completely unconcerned with my lack of control.

But instead of standing there in defeat and utter uselessness, I plunged head-long into the first group of people. I made sure to touch as many men as I could reach without seeming too obvious. Their names all rushed through my brain as I brushed against them. It was almost too dizzying to keep up but with the little time I had, I needed to trust that a rare name like 'Gerard' would stand out above the others.

John.
Charles.
Jeremy.
Adam.
Michael.
Brian.
Aaron.
Frank.
John again.
David.

It went on like that for another half hour. The fog had started to lift but the crowds only seemed to get thicker. It was like the whole city was out today, I couldn't even fathom the amount of people surrounding me, let alone the amount I had already passed by. And he could have been one of them! He could have been one of the people I was unable to reach.

This was getting me nowhere. I needed to go elsewhere, closer to the twin towers, somewhere I could thin them all out.
I stuck my thumb out and was surprised when a cab immediately pulled over to assist me. But before I could even reach for the handle a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I smiled in relief as his name boomed its way into my head

"I'm sorry, miss. I've been trying to hail a cab for twenty minutes now. Do you mind sharing?"

I turned to meet his eyes, oddly anxious to see the face that had been withheld from me...only to find myself slightly disappointed.
His face was a handsome one and he was dressed smartly in a navy suit, setting off his pale blue eyes. Strange, and I'm not sure why, but I had expected those eyes to be darker. Somehow, I had anticipated someone more unique-looking. But Gerard was just like all of the other men I had searched through to find him. Had I the choice, I wouldn't have picked his face out of the crowd.

"I'm headed toward Hoboken, Jersey-side. I'll even buy you a coffee for your trouble."

He ran a hand through his dark hair and I had a sudden urge to run away. I could hardly believe it as his kind eyes turned predatory - he was flirting with me. I felt sick to my stomach as I smiled up at him and nodded, knowing I would have been unable to hide my revulsion had I spoken a single word.
He opened the door for me and I rolled my eyes, not for even one second fooled into thinking he was some kind of gentleman. I entered the cab and slid as far to the other side as I could manage.

"The nearest commuter train, please."

The driver nodded shortly and then took off, almost hitting two other cars before pulling into traffic. I wasn't doing a very good job of keeping Gerard alive so far. In-between hardly being able to find him, almost getting into a car-accident and the nasty feelings bubbling up inside of me...maybe we should have walked instead.

"Gerard Vanscott," he held out his hand for me to take "and you are?"

"Ambriel." I put my hand in his. But instead of shaking it, he turned it around and placed a kiss on my knuckles, keeping my eyes. The urge to cringe was unbearable.

Disgusting, repulsive, arrogant little -

"Ambriel? That's a beautiful name."

I nearly choked as I ripped my hand back to my side and thanked him silently. Giving him my name was a mistake. Not even an hour back on earth and I was screwing things up royally.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and glanced at my watch. It read 8:47 AM. I had found Gerard (more like he found me, but that's besides the point) and was on my way out of New York City...so why did I have this feeling that I was missing something important?

Maybe it was my poor human psyche I was about to miss. Gerard's wandering eyes were making me feel things I had never experienced before - and I meant that in the most violent way possible.

Could I have been given a shorter skirt? Okay, so it wasn't that short, but in my other forms I was a firm believer in "all pants, all the time". I wasn't too thrilled about the blond hair either. I could only assume that it was all necessary in some way (that or Bath Kol had an awful sense of humor).

"So what do you do for a living, Mr. Vanscott?"

I didn't want to speak with him but I would have done anything to bring his attention back to eye-level.

"Please, call me Gerry. Do you know anything about hockey, Ambria?"

I shook my head in answer and ignored the fact that he has just butchered my name. It was all for the best.

"I manage a professional team, maybe you've heard of them. Do the 'New Jersey Devils' ring a bell?"

The only bell it rang was the one any angel would have frowned at. Maybe it was a tad ridiculous, but I couldn't see the good in anything that named itself after a devil.

"Can't say that I have."

"Fair enough. What do you do for a living?"

His eyes raked over me again, trying his hand at guessing to himself I imagine (none of which I wanted to hear).

"I...watch over people. Young and old." It was the best answer I could come up with without lying. Lying was something I was completely capable of but it didn't mean I was comfortable doing it.
While I was perfectly content with my answer,Gerard Gerry looked almost disappointed. Apparently it wasn't what he was hoping for.

"Well that's...sweet. Render it can't be too stable on the pay-scale." He raised his eyebrows and I managed to smile instead of sneer. I really disliked this man.

"It's rewarding in its own ways."

I found myself infuriated, teetering on the border of confusion and rage. What was so important about him? Why was it imperative that he stay alive? What was he going to do, save lives with his hockey team?
Out of all of the people that were going to die that day, why was it important that I kept this pathetic excuse for a human being alive?
I could only hope that I wouldn't have to watch over him long, that maybe this was the only big catastrophe I had to save him from.

But somehow I knew it could never be so easy.