The Beyonders

Prologue

Donald readjusted himself in his seat, trying to hide his nervousness. His attempts were undermined by his trembling hands and his twitching right leg, which tapped against the linoleum floor restlessly. He was seated outside of two thick wooden doors. Behind those doors sat a group of angels known as the Matchers. They were responsible for pairing angels with humans that they would bond with and protect.

Donald had been in the building for several hours now and hoped that the moment of truth would soon arrive. His eyes were trained on the two doors, growing more and more desperate for them to open with each passing moment. When he felt that he could take it no longer, the doors seemed to burst open as if on cue. A large angel came forward and greeted him. "Hello Donald, the Matchers will see you now." The angel was grinning. He let out a few snickers that he politely tried to mask as coughs, but he wouldn't have fooled anyone with such a pathetic attempt. Donald could feel his cheeks burning, and avoided making eye contact with the large angel. "Ok." He muttered, before getting to his feet and following him into the chamber.

When he stepped into the room, the large angel exited and closed the doors behind him, leaving Donald alone with the three angels who would tell him what human they decided to place him with. There was a woman who sat on the far left and two men sat to the right of her. Behind their seats was a large cloud with a smooth surface like the screen of a TV. It was common knowledge that the Matchers used the screen to review training sessions, and any other information they found relevant to determine where an angel's skills, or lack thereof in Donald's case, could best be used.

The burly angel that sat between the two others spoke first. "Good evening Donald, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Good evening sir." Donald said after clearing his throat. His whole body was shaking like a thin branch in the wind.

"We would like to apologize for the wait." The middle angel continued. "We had some difficulty finding a perfect match for someone of your skill level." The large angel now paused. He made a face and shook his head.

"Come now Joseph, you are going to make the boy cry." The woman on the left said.

"Relax Naomi, Joseph is just being honest." The angel on the far right gave Donald a look of disapproval.

"Please Eli, don't start in front of the boy." Joseph began. He turned to face Naomi before continuing. "My remarks are not made to dishearten the boy, but to express my sincerest apology for our extended deliberations."

"It's not a problem sir." Donald said impulsively, trying his best to make a good impression. His comment drew warm smiles from Joseph and Naomi, but Eli didn't seem to believe him.

"Save it." Eli muttered under his breath.

It was becoming apparent to Donald that he had done something that offended Eli, but he didn't know what it could be. He had never even met the Matcher known as Eli before today. Maybe he was just bothered by his existence, as though an angel as weak as him would be better off being a messenger in the Kingdom.

Joseph gave Eli a cold stare, which resulted in Eli waving a hand dismissively. After a prolonged moment of silence, Joseph turned to face Donald. "I guess we had better get on with it. We have kept you waiting long enough. We would like you to meet your human: Chris Asher."

The cloud screen behind the angels floated up behind them. The image of a boy with long black hair came appeared on the screen. He was in his bed, apparently sleeping shirtless. His pale white skin looked like it had not seen the light of the sun since birth. The boy rolled over and showed his face. Donald winced. The boy looked like he was already older than fifteen, which was the oldest age a child had ever received the sight. Donald was afraid to ask the question, but somehow it escaped from his lips. "How old is he?"