As I paced back and forth in the Loving Hills Rehabilitation Center lobby, the hospital was in disarray. Doctors and nurses were running around, and the security staff was gathered outside the lobby entrance all asking questions at once. The uneasiness of the situation gave off its own energy. My mother Pandora threw herself out of the window of her room seconds after I tried to heal her of the darkness that had held her for so long. I thought that healing my mother would cure her of her condition, but clearly, but clearly I’d been wrong. Almost regretting my actions, I could not gather the words to explain what really happened. Within minutes the police were scampering around to survey the area.
Angelo acted fast, and tried to keep the hospital staff and police away from me for a while so I could think of a way to explain what was going on. The craziness in the lobby quickly vanished. I wasn’t sure what he actually did, but it gave me enough time to get myself together. The silence in the lobby was pretty haunting and to be honest, I think I blacked out for a moment.
When I could think clearly again, I realized that a detective was staring me in the face with a little notepad in his hand. He looked at me with concern. “Are you okay, Miss London?” he asked. “You look a little pale.” I trembled slightly as I eyed him, and luckily, he assumed that I was in shock over everything that had happened—which was true to some degree. What he didn’t know was that I was worried that it was becoming harder to hide the truth about myself—about my powers and what I really was. I silently hoped that Angelo would come and rescue me from this interview. He didn’t though, so I did my best to cooperate and answered all his questions as honestly as I could, despite the fact that I still hadn’t re-acclimated to being back on the Earthly realm after having astral-traveled to so many other realms.
I was anxious to get home to sort this whole thing out when I was done with the detective, but my stay at the hospital turned out to be very lengthy. The police searched every nook and cranny of the hospital for hours, looking for any sign of my mother. In the end, the police officially declared her a missing person, and asked me to come down to the station to answer more questions. By the time Angelo and I made it back to my house it was very late in the evening.
I was so upset with myself and what went down with my mother that I could barely think straight. I sat at the small round kitchen table, with a steaming cup of hot cocoa in front of me. I gazed at the floral table cloth as I pondered my mistake. Angelo started to prepare dinner, and I sipped on the hot beverage trying to relax. It was no use. I left my mug on the table and went upstairs to take a shower.
I tossed my clothes in the hamper, drew the shower curtain back, and turned on the water. I stepped in slowly and inhaled the steam, closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax. I rubbed my hands over my head, as the water saturated my long black hair. My mother was still on my mind. I was hurt. What in the world went wrong? How could I misunderstand Michael? Why would Michael, the archangel and leader of the Great Seven, tell me to go to my mother if healing her was not the intent? I was thinking so hard that I gave myself a headache.
I tried to clear my mind as I dried off and threw on some dark jeans and my old Milford High School tee shirt. I couldn’t be bothered with drying my hair or putting on makeup. I brushed my hair thoroughly and pulled it back in a low ponytail. I looked at my pale reflection, and studied my icy blue eyes. I felt empty and sad.
I made my way back down the steps and into the kitchen. Silently I sat down in front of a nice place setting. Angelo got out my mom’s special dishes—the ones she used when company came over for dinner. I guess he must have thought that seeing my mom’s dishes would put me in a better mood. I smiled sadly as I thought about my family.
“Angelo I can’t believe this,” I said as I ran my finger around the edge of the plate. “I really thought that healing my mom was going to go smoothly. What did I do that was so wrong?” I couldn’t look at Angelo’s beautiful face, feeling that I was to blame for what happened.
Angelo stopped, then turned to face me. “How about healing a fallen angel that is consumed with the darkness?” he answered, barely holding back his anger.
“I thought that I was supposed to heal her,” I replied. “I had no idea that my mother was going to go psycho.”
“Well she did.”
“Angelo, I really don’t believe that. I spoke to my mother. It was my mother. She wasn’t in a dark place. The light surfaced from within me. You were not there, but it was real,” I said to him as a tear formed in the corner of my eye. Angelo knelt down in front of me. He placed both hands on my knees and looked directly into my eyes.
“Syd, I know that it was real. You don’t have to convince me of it. A part of your mother is still in her, but she did succumb to the darkness—you saw it. That is what the darkness does,” he said. I bowed my head with despair. “Please don’t blame yourself,” he continued. “You were only doing what you felt was right. As your Guardian I should’ve explained it to you,” Angelo said serenely.
“Sydney, we must find her before the Council does. All the angel vamps have on their minds is locating Pandora’s Box and unleashing the fury within it.” I looked up at him with concern as he spoke. “We have to stop them and we need help to do it.”
We both knew we needed to summon The Great Seven, also known as the archangels. They were the head of the angel hierarchy. They protected me with their celestial wards and gave me the power to heal—the power I had used so unsuccessfully on my mother. It was a gift and an honor to be able to heal sickness and pain, to be able to bring someone out of the darkness and into the light. After receiving the gift, I had healed the captives at Kalaston, and I thought the archangels had wanted me to heal my mother next—but I must have been wrong.
The World According to LaTaeya 
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