For thousands of years, man has existed on Earth. Their first thousand or so years were peaceful. After mankind had developed tools and technology, they started to fight each other. With power comes war, I've always said.
I suppose you're wondering who I might be. I, my friend, am Jacob, but my buddies tend to call me Jake. Anyway, on with my explanation.
The men fought on forever since. Their savage instincts made them slaughter others who were pure of heart. The angel committee decided that deserving men needed some extra protection. Angels received proper training and were sent down to Earth to look after good men.
I, however, got a girl named Liz. Liz was an angel's dream for an assignment. She was a kind and brave young girl and she didn't seem to have any real enemies. She had sparkling blue eyes full of innocence, and you just can't help but crack a smile when you see them. I was enthralled when she was assigned to me since she was such a joy. I find myself often telling her story to people, since it is so wonderful. It brings a smile to my face every time. Might as well tell you, eh?
Her tale begins on a warm summer night. I recall the air being humid and swarming with insects. Crickets chirped, filling the night with their peaceful tunes. Liz was outside looking up at the stars. She always showed fascination for such beautiful things. She laid down on the grass with her long, red hair spilling all over the ground in a wavy river of locks. Her face showed pleasure and her happy aura filled the air.
After lying on the ground for hours, Liz finally decided to head inside. A man walked quietly behind her. He was dressed in black and wore a hat that made him seem even shadier. He walked so silently that Liz didn't notice him . . . I was too slow to stop the man. It was too late. He grabbed her and stabbed her in the back. Liz let loose a blood-curdling scream and the man left swiftly. She went limp and fell to the ground. I rushed to her side. I looked down at her. I bent low to see if she was still breathing. She was, but it was faint.
I felt a little hopeless and panicky. Luckily, I still had some common sense. I summoned all of the curing power I had and attempted to heal Liz. I rolled her over and pulled up the back of her shirt. Blood flowed out quickly, but it slowed when the healing kicked in. I managed to seal up the wound.
The door of Liz's house opened, and her mother screamed.
"What are you doing? What happened?" she asked piercingly.
I found her hysteria somewhat amusing, but then I remembered that I had panicked too. With a grim look on my face, I said nothing. I picked Liz up and carried her to her fearful mother. I could sense that she somehow trusted me. I set Liz down on the sofa.
"Who are you?" she inquired with a sudden calmness.
"I can't say," I answered quietly as I left. I hadn't really gone, though. I had just walked out the door and turned invisible. I watched through the window. My invisible state allowed me to listen in without being caught.
"Liz? Liz! Wake up!" her mother said while gently slapping the girl back to her senses.
Liz returned to consciousness with a scream as terrible as the one before. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?"
"Liz, honey, I'm your mom . . ."
"No you're not!" Liz yelled. She ran back outside, and I snatched her up in my quickly materialized arms. "Lemme go!"
I refused. My job was to protect her, not to let her run free and get into serious danger. She punched, kicked, and bit me. I still didn't let her go. I couldn't. I just couldn't.
"Hey," I said calmly. "Look at me."
She looked back in disgust. "What . . . ?"
I looked back with gentle eyes. I needed to let her know she was OK. She stared back at me with piercing blue eyes. After using silence as a distraction, she kicked my knees so that they buckled.
I fell to the ground. I hit hard, but it didn't hurt much. "Stop!"
Liz looked at me with repulsion. She said nothing; she simply ran. Liz never looked back. She wasn't that kind of person. When she starts something, she doesn't stop. Ever.
When I recovered, I ran after Liz. I couldn't let her get away, and if I did, I'd be severely punished. You're not exactly supposed to let your assignment out of your sight. Several times, I caught glimpses of her red hair, but she always seemed to disappear into a crowd. I just kept sprinting, even though my lungs disagreed.
I finally caught up to her in the middle of a forest that was on the outskirts of the small town. I approached her slowly, as if she was an easily scared animal. Moonlight streamed in through a hole in the canopy of trees. It shone on Liz's face; making her already white features look impossibly paler.
"Can I talk to you?" I asked her. My voice seemed to echo in the silence.
Liz waited a while before answering, "Fine."
I walked closer and sat beside her. Though I had seen her face a thousand times, it seemed unrealistically beautiful on this night. I had to think for a while before I could tell her anything. Liz had just lost her memory, and I didn't want to go over her head with new talk.
"First of all, I'm Jacob. I've known you for a long time."
"What are you . . . my guardian angel?" Liz asked sarcastically. "You seem so inclined to follow me."
"Actually, I am," I answered. "Let me explain . . ."
So, I told her about the night's events. When I was done, we sat in silence again. Liz just kept staring at me in disbelief.
"So you're telling me that I got stabbed? Why would someone do that?"
"Well, I guess there's a lot of crazy people out there."
"That's true. I have one more question, though. When you came after me, why didn't you just use your wings?"
I blushed a little, and then answered, "I haven't earned them yet."
