Guardian

Chapter 4

I got back to headquarters and went straight to my bedroom.

            Any other time I would have been able to take it but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Luca and it just really affected me when Connor mentioned him.           

            I think I just needed some more time. I wasn’t ready to be responsible for somebody else’s life when I wasn’t even in control of my own.

            I decided to speak with Elder the next day. He was a reasonable guardian. I was sure I could get him to assign Connor to another guardian – maybe Casey.

            Maybe I would take the time to get some counseling. Because even though I believed I wasn’t ready to be Connor’s guardian, I did want to be a guardian again.

            Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

                                                            * * * * *

            The next morning, I got up early.

            I headed downstairs to the kitchen and made myself a cup of coffee.

            Casey came downstairs soon after my coffee was brewed. She poured herself a cup and sat down across from me.

            “So how did things go last night? Is Connor safe?” Casey asked.

            “Yeah, he’s safe, but I’m asking Elder if Connor can be reassigned.”

            “Why? What happened?” Casey asked.

            “Connor just said something that made me realize I need to work on myself before helping a new charge,” I answered.

            “What did he say?” Casey asked.

            “He just made a comment about Luca,” I replied.

            “Goodness, what is wrong with this guy?” Casey asked. “Are you all right?”

            “I’m fine. I just realized that if mentioning Luca still affects me this much after almost 60 years, than I need to work on myself before I can protect another person. And maybe I’ll be a better guardian because of it,” I said. I took the last sip of my coffee and stood up. “Do you want to go shopping?”

            “Uh, sure,” Casey replied.

            “Excellent,” I said. “I’m just going to get dressed then we can go. I’ll meet you down here in thirty minutes.”

            “Okay,” Casey said. She was looking at me with a concerned look on her face.

            I went up to my room to get changed. I straightened my brunette hair and applied some makeup. I put on a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved purple top. I slipped on black heels and went downstairs to the main part of the headquarters.

            Casey was sitting in a chair. She stood up when she saw me.

            “Are you ready to go?” I asked.

            “Yes,” Casey replied. “So are you sure you’re okay?”

            “Of course I am,” I answered. I lifted my arm to hail a taxi. “Why wouldn’t I be?”