Free Earth Angel (The Kamlyn Paige Novels) by Alex Apostol Page B

she answered after the first ring,
eager to hear the details.
    I told her what I could remember all in one breath.
I felt if I didn’t talk fast enough the knowledge of my encounter would fade
away into nothing. The one thing that stayed strong in my mind was the white
figure I had seen in the corner. I wasn’t sure what to think about the one who
had guided me.
    “Sounds like you’ve got someone watching out for
you, Kamlyn,” Cara responded with her usual faith.
    I wasn’t sure if it made me feel quite as at ease
as it should have, though. There was something off about it to me. Why hadn’t
they revealed themselves to me? They were obviously capable of communicating
with me, since it had told me how to defend myself.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” Cara apologized
sincerely.
    “It’s okay,” I said, not wanting to talk about the
eventful night any further.
    I said goodnight to Cara and turned off my phone. I
sluggishly shuffled into the bathroom and turned the faucet on full blast,
wanting the water to be as cold as I could get it. Lowering my face close to
the sink, I splashed myself a few times before blindly reaching for the
washcloth that hung on the wall. I patted my face dry and took a long look in
the mirror. Why was I so tired, I wondered as I looked at my exhausted face. I
took off my jeans as I made my way over to the bed, almost falling over as I
hopped on one foot to free the other. Wanting a distraction from my thoughts, I
dug through my bag for my MP3 player and headphones. When it came to taking my
mind off my own problems, there was nothing better than focusing on the lyrical
words of others. I only made it to the middle of the second song before I fell
asleep.
     
    *
     
    My eyes fluttered open, stinging slightly from the
sunlight on my face. There wasn’t much I could recall from the night before.
All I knew was some mysterious form had led me to do something terrible to
Alli. I knew she had been the drainer, but beyond that my mind was a blank. I
decided to grab another coffee and cinnamon roll at the little café down the
street before I left town to see if she was still there. It was very possible I
had vividly dreamt the entire experience. I packed what little belongings I had
and checked out of the motel.
    I sat down at the same table I had the day before
and waited for someone to greet me. Somewhere deep down inside me, I half
expected to see Alli’s cheerful face as if nothing had happened. It was hard
for me to believe there wasn’t some part of her that had been good.
    “Hi, there! What can I get you?” a chipper voice
asked as I stared out the window.
    I looked up to see a red-headed woman in her mid
forties with an apron on, pen poised to take my order.
    “Can you tell me if Alli is working today?” I asked
casually, smiling at her overly made up face.
    “Alli didn’t make it in this morning. She was taken
to the hospital,” she responded.
    Her face went from sunny to concern. She stared
down at me and waited for the explanation to my inquiry.
    “Do you know what happened?” I asked while trying
to fake a surprised look. “I’m her old roommate and I came here to visit with
her.”
    I lied so much these days I didn’t even have to
take time to think of them anymore. The woman looked at me with sympathetic
eyes.
    “Well, I had one of the other waitresses go to her
house when she didn’t come in or answer her phone. The doctor says she’s in a
coma.”
    I looked down at the table in silent disbelief. The
waitress gently rested her hand on my shoulder before leaving me to think about
what she’d said. I got up from the table and headed for the door, my appetite
completely gone. I got into my truck and sat there for a moment, thinking about
Alli. I had killed off her spirit as if it were nothing. A knot started to form
in the pit of my stomach as I considered what I had done. It seemed like all I
had done this past year was rid towns of spirits who were hurting