The Unseen

Chapter 5

The impenetrable mask was back on his face, and I couldn't read anything on it, good or bad. All that was left for me was to hope he would continue to be as honest with me as he was until that moment.

I was finally ready to accept the truth of his words because self-denial might be desirable, but there was no denying that I could FEEL the truthfulness of his words. Why and how had to wait. I wanted to get as many answers as possible before I allowed myself the time to process all the new, impossible information.

He opened his mouth to answer the question but a sudden pulsating light on his large blue ring drew his attention before he could say anything and provide me with some relief or suffering. The fact that I didn't even notice such a piece of mesmerizing jewelry spoke volumes about how confused and out of it I was.

Although I was never into expensive jewelry, the natural beauty of the gem sparkling brightly in the sunlight once the pulsating was gone had me stunned to say the least.

"I am sorry," Andromalius said, hurriedly getting up from the bench. "It seems like I am more indispensable than I assumed. They need my help."

Instinctively, I grabbed onto his hand, not allowing him to disappear on me when such an important question needed answering. The familiar tingle that shouldn't have been so familiar spread down the length of my arm. It stirred a gentle whisper of a memory I immediately suppressed, unprepared to deal with it. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Before you go, can you tell me... Am I about to die? Don't just leave me like this!" I shrieked, noting with bitterness how desperate I sounded.

Although I needed to know the truth, the guy didn't necessarily have to know how terrified of dying I was, having never accomplished any of my dreams. Having never truly lived or loved.

"I thought you already accepted the certainty of Death," he said, pointing at my T-shirt featuring dancing skeletons. "You seem to have already embraced its inevitability, so why worry about it?"

I looked down at my T-shirt, forgetting I was even wearing that specific one. It was one of my favorites, with the skeletons looking far more joyful than one would expect, which went well with my new skull belt buckle. Noticing those details, I could understand why he would see it like that, but he was both wrong and right at the same time.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to know if some creepy Angel of Death is about to drag me away at any second," I shouted, wishing he could see how much of a painful subject this was.

How much I was terrified of death.

"Creepy? Well, that's insulting," he said, putting his hand to his chest for dramatic effect. "It's not as simple as that. I'll have to check with the Head Office and see how best to explain this to you. For the time being, relax. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Then he disappeared in a poof, leaving me to wonder if my days on earth were numbered.

"How am I supposed to relax if your scythe keeps hanging over my head?" I asked, frustrated at what I felt was a callous reply. "You can at least tell me if I am going to die so I can prepare for it."

"No one is ever truly ready to die, no matter what they think," Andromalius' disembodied voice said. "You are different from everyone else. At least, I think you are, and that's why I need to check a few things first to make sure."

I didn't think he was being fair with all his little cryptic clues when my life was at stake, but there wasn't really much I could do about it. At this point, I couldn't even see him let alone stop him.

"Either way, you are not on the list today, so you should be safe until I come back," he said, a translucent glimmering list written in golden ink suddenly floating before my eyes and disappearing as fast as it appeared. "See you."

"Sure thing, no worries! Heaven and Hell, it's all real, demons, angels, and so on. And I am the only one who can see an Angel of Death. What's there to worry about?" I mumbled to myself even after Andromalius was long gone. "That's a frustrating man! Angel! Half-angel! Whatever! Why couldn't he be a random guy who rejects me? At this point, I would have preferred that."

My frustrations were at risk of boiling over, but I slowly started realizing it could be a good thing as they won over fear for the time being. Whether that was Andromalius's intention or not, I wasn't sure. Either way, thinking of all the different ways to violently exact my revenge on him did keep my thoughts away from my own demise.

"Well, I guess there is no helping it. I have to wait for Andromalius to dignify me with his presence," I muttered as I got up from the bench and headed home before something could reignite my fears of dying.

One question that kept going through my head was what I would do if I knew today was my last day, something that was highly possible from the way things were looking. And the answer to that particular question wasn't an easy one. There were way too many things I planned but never got a chance to do.

However, the moment I arrived home, the first thing I did was call my grandma.

"Grandma, it's me," I said as soon she picked up the phone.

"If that isn't my angel," grandma said, her enthusiasm at hearing my voice never wavering. "How come you are calling me at this time? You are usually so busy."

Had I been too busy to even call her? I couldn't remember, but I guessed it was true enough. We often get so entangled with day-to-day life stuff that we forget what truly matters, to spend time with those we love.

"I just wanted to hear your voice," I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

The last thing I needed was for grandma to get worried, especially since the weird guy didn't confirm I would die. Even if he had, I wouldn't have wanted to worry her in advance. She was already struggling with her health and my crazy uncle. She didn't need anything more to be added to her long list of worries.

"Angela, is everything okay?" grandma asked, her voice immediately shifting to one of worry.

She knew me too well not to notice I sounded strange, but I couldn't very well tell her the truth. Even an understanding and tolerant woman like her would have thought I had gone crazy if I started spouting nonsense about angels, demons, and death.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine," I said, my quivering voice revealing it for the lie it was. "I guess I am just feeling a bit blue. I've been thinking about the past..."

"Oh, my dear. Have the nightmares started again?" she asked sympathetically.

"No, or at least not as bad as they were, just glimpses this time," I said, willing to let her focus on that instead of the possibility of my looming death. "It made me think how I never really showed you as much appreciation as you deserve for raising me, for loving me."

I was getting far too emotional, but I needed to say it. If I was to leave this world, I didn't want to do so with so many regrets.

"Oh, angel, you are going to make me cry," grandma said, sounding as emotional as I felt. "You know it was a true pleasure doing so, and you don't need to show any gratitude but to live your best life. That's all I need."

"I know, and I am trying to," I said, wiping away the tears I didn't even see coming. "I just...I love you grandma. Thank you for taking care of me after mom and dad died. You were the best parent anyone could ever wish for."

"And you are the best child ever, my little angel. I love you too. Now get some rest, and don't overthink the past," grandma said sternly, using her no-nonsense voice that allowed for no objections. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure, bye," I said, cherishing the sound of her voice for what could be the last time.

Would I be there tomorrow to answer her call?