Chris Gets the Girl Sneak Peek
Chris Gets the Girl
CHAPTER ONE
SERA
No one notices angels. Of course, no one would spot me on my perch high above Crescent Bay. I crouched in an almost avian manner, a posture born to accommodate my wings though I’d long since hidden their physical form.
Among the general population, wings only draw unwanted attention–a complication I could do without.
Blending into the world is how I perform my job best.
I’m an earth angel. Not the kind with a halo, glowing robes, and a melodious voice. No, I’m a trench warrior, relegated to the earthly realm.
In the distance, the harbor bell clanged as a sudden gust of wind whooshed past it. Its melancholy tone floated on the air that tasted of salt and whispered secrets from the sea.
A moment later, my coat fluttered in the breeze, and a strip of flaming red hair blew across my cheek.
I smoothed it back as I searched the streets, using my telescopic vision to search for my next charge.
I’d received the assignment only a day ago. My last charge no longer needed my help after I’d successfully completed my mission, so on I moved to another.
I pulled her picture up on my cell phone. Yes, even angels use cell phones. And yes, I spend too much time on social media, too. But I always call it “research.”
The woman’s face stared back at me from her file. With soft, pleasant features, warm, brown eyes, and a lovely smile, she didn’t look like she’d need help, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
I hadn’t spotted that face anywhere in the early morning swarms of people leaving their apartments and homes to hit the city’s streets.
Today was the day I’d introduce myself to Emily Thompson. The day I’d begin guiding her to ensure a positive result.
Apparently, Miss Emily Thompson was a very important woman…or would be.
“She must be saved at all costs,” my supervisor said as he uploaded the file to our heavenly server. “Make sure she survives.”
“What are we working with here?” I asked as I waited for the case file to load on my phone. “Delay her to avoid from a car accident? Have her bag break so she doesn’t get hit by a bus? ”
“Sorry, none of that. This is…a tricky case.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, lifting my gaze from my screen. “Tricky?”
He leaned back in his aging wooden desk chair. It creaked and groaned. I wondered why he kept it. After all, in his realm, he could sit on a cloud instead of that rickety old thing. “Nail this one, Seraphina, and you’ll be looking at a promotion.”
My lips parted at the words. “Pro–promotion? As in…”
“Pick your choir, kid, you’ll hit the big leagues.”
“Really? Like any choir?”
Jake let the chair slam back down on its base as he waved a hand in the air. “Don’t get carried away. This one is going to test your skills. And it’s not a direct route into the choirs of angels. But, you’d make the short list.”
I pressed my lips together, bobbing my head. It couldn’t hurt me to nail this. I’d be one step closer to that promotion, though I didn’t mind my work on Earth.
I didn’t mind humans, mostly. They were interesting, funny, goofy little creatures that didn’t behave by any logic at times. But they could be some of the kindest souls.
“Understood,” I replied, the word a promise as I pocketed my phone.
“She’s important, Sera,” he called as I backed away from his desk.
I bobbed my head. “I said I got it.”
I twisted on my heel and strode from his office.
“Don’t mess it up!”
I waved a hand over my head, stepping into the hall and heading for the cloud on my left to head back to Earth.
“Seraphina? Seraphina Lightwood?” a voice said behind me.
I froze, sliding my eyes closed before I spun on my heel. I may as well face it. I couldn’t escape. With a grin forced onto my lips, I opened my eyes. “Ariel.”
I kept the expression plastered across my features as the tall blonde strode closer, a brilliant smile beaming from her angelic face. My eyebrows shot up as I stared at the glowing disc above her head. “Is that…is that a halo?”
She nodded. “Brand new. Just fitted yesterday.”
“Wow. It looks great.”
“Thank you,” Ariel said. “I’m so pleased to have gotten it.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets so she wouldn’t see me fidgeting. Ariel was a world-class trench worker. She rarely failed on any of her cases, and she usually completed them well before her deadline with perks–that is, she somehow managed to save someone from being squashed by a bus while simultaneously introducing them to the love of their life.
I hadn’t mastered that yet. I usually got the job done, but for some reason, my charges seemed to be…difficult.
When I needed them to turn right, they went left. When I wanted them to let go, they dug deeper.
Maybe I wasn’t that great of an angel.
“Well, it looks great. Very shiny.”
“Are you here for a new assignment? I heard you wrapped up your last one. Great job with that, by the way.” She grinned at me, and her halo created a warm, golden glow on her cherub-like cheeks.
She really was a perfect angel.
“Yeah, just got a new one.” I waved my phone in the air. “And thanks. Although, nothing compared to your last one.”
She waved a dismissive hand at me and shook her head. “You’re doing great, Sera. Before you know it, you’ll have a halo just like this.”
I shrugged. “Supposedly, if I pull of this next case. It’s a tricky one. ”
Ariel raised her eyebrows. “Tricky?”
“She has Caelum’s Syndrome.”
Ariel’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no, Sera. What’s your mission? Easy death? Family comfort? Guide children after death of their mother?”
I sucked in a deep breath, still not fully understanding how I’d pull this off as the words came out of my mouth. “I’m supposed to…make sure she doesn’t die.”
The squashing of her delicate eyebrows told me exactly what I needed to know. Even a world-class angel like Ariel couldn’t fathom how to work around this. “Caelum’s Syndrome is fatal.”
I met her gaze, the weight of the task settling like ice in my veins. “Yeah, I know. I guess that’s why this one is…tricky.”
“Tricky. It sounds nearly impossible.”
I shoved my phone back into my pocket with a shrug. “Well, no one said the job is easy. Anyway, I’ve got to go do some preliminary research. Maybe I’ll find a clear path there.”
“Well, good luck,” she said, her eyebrows still tightly knit, “I hope you solve it.”
“Thanks. And…the halo looks great.” I backed away before I spun on a heel and hurried down the hall, pleased to be finished with the conversation.
Ariel was a lovely angel, but she always made me feel lacking. I didn’t use the most conventional methods. Maybe I should try. But with this case? I wasn’t sure I could.
I shook my head as the memory faded, and I gave one final look at her picture before I shoved the phone into my pocket. My research hadn’t come up with anything helpful.
But I did learn about her habits. And sometime soon, she should leave her apartment and head to Central Perk for a coffee on her way to work.
I scanned the streets again, this time finding her. Time to go to work .
I tracked her movements for another few moments, noting the tremor in her hand as she swept a lock of brunette hair away from her face before she allowed someone else to pass in front of her.
She seemed to be a gentle soul. Despite her diagnosis, she’d been working her way through college with plans to go to medical school.
I imagined she’d make some great medical discovery. Maybe she’d even cure her own syndrome.
Either way, it didn’t matter what she would go on to do, only that she must be allowed to do it. And I had to make certain that happened.
I needed to learn more. And I had a plan to do that.
With my phone safely tucked into my pocket, I leapt from my perch. As surprising as that sounds, no one noticed when angels float back down from their post to return to the ground below.
I hit the ground softly, my wings compensating enough to ease my descent and adjusted my jacket.
The morning crowds swirled around me as the general population shuffled about their daily business. I pulled my gloves tighter. I wore them always, and it had nothing to do with the weather.
It had to do with one of my powers. I had been blessed–or maybe cursed–with Soul Glimpsing. Even the slightest brush of my skin against someone else’s could unfold their life in a fleeting, powerful vision, often revealing deep hidden truths.
It may sound useful, but beyond the ethical implications of peeking into people’s private lives, it could be incredibly painful for me.
So, I wore gloves all the time. If anyone asked, I told them I had a strange skin condition. It usually did the trick as no one wanted to embarrass me further.
I shoved my gloved hands into my pocket as I strode toward the same coffee shop as my charge, arriving just after her.
With my head down, I ducked into the door and joined the line behind her. The line inched up until Emily placed her order.
I sucked in a deep breath as I rubbed the back of my neck, narrowing my eyes at the machine where her total for the order appeared. She tapped her card against it, receiving a big red X.
“Try again,” the barista said, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he adjusted the visor on his head.
She tapped her card again, but it failed again. She winced, color rising into her cheeks. “Sorry. I know I’ve got enough in the bank.”
“Try to stick it in the chip reader,” the cashier suggested.
She bobbed her head and slid the card into the slot.
A second later, the man shook his head. “Sorry. Do you have another card?”
“No,” she answered.
I knew she wouldn’t. My study of her had shown that she lived frugally outside of her coffeehouse splurge every Wednesday morning so she could make it through her back-to-back labs.
“Uh,” Emily murmured, slicking a lock of hair behind her ear as her cheeks burned. “I–”
“I’ve got it,” I said, waving my card in the air. “Put my caramel mocha and hers on my card, please.”
“Oh, no,” Emily answered with a shake of her head. “That’s too kind but I couldn’t. Just cancel the order.”
“Too late,” the barista answered as someone called out Emily’s name at the pickup window .
“Go on,” I said with a nod as a new total appeared and I tapped my card.
After I returned it to my wallet, I meandered down the line to the pickup window where Emily sipped her coffee.
She offered me a wide smile. “Thank you so much. I’m so embarrassed.”
I waved the comment away as an employee delivered my drink. “It happens to the best of us.”
That wasn’t true. It never happened to me. It helped to have connections upstairs. I wasn’t rich, but I never ran out of money.
“I really owe you. Please let me pay you back some way.”
“It was three dollars. It won’t break me,” I answered as I motioned to the door.
Emily understood the silent gesture and shuffled beside me as I crossed the tile floor toward it, leaving behind the sweet smell of cinnamon for the salty seaside air of Crescent Bay. “Still, I feel like I owe you. The least I can do is give you the cash back.”
I took a sip of my overly sweet drink.
“We could meet for lunch later today. I’ve got an hour between labs. I’ll have the cash for you.”
“That’s really not necessary,” I answered, “but I have the feeling you’ll insist.”
“I will,” she said with a lift of her chin and a smile. “How’s The Grille? It’s not fancy, but it’s decent food.”
“Sounds great,” I answered before I thrust my hand forward. “I’m Sera.”
“Emily,” she said with a firm shake. “Emily Thompson.”
“Sera Lightwood. You said you have labs?”
“I’m a biology major. Hoping to be pre-med.”
“Oh, wow,” I said, pretending to sound surprised. “You must be very busy.”
“Oh, the schedule’s a killer, but I love it,” she said as she slowed to a stop outside of a campus building. I knew she had classes in it. “This is me. See you at noon?”
“Noon at The Grille. I look forward to retrieving those three dollars,” I said with a laugh before I waved and strode away.
A quick glance over my shoulder showed her pushing into the building. I sucked in a breath as I continued down the sidewalk toward the park nearby. I’d use the time to study more about her and her condition using the heavenly network jam-packed with information.
I took another sip of my coffee before I dumped the cup into the trashcan. Too much caffeine and I’d be zipping in circles at the top of the clock tower. Caffeine and angels didn’t mix.
The cobblestone paths meandered through the park, and I followed one leading to the heart of it. A quiet spot surrounded by trees lay at the end, complete with a comfortable bench.
I slid onto the green slats, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it burned off the morning’s fog and shone brightly down on the spring grass.
Birds chirped as the newly grown leaves rustled in the slight breeze that tickled them.
I pulled my feet into a crossed-legged sit, lifting my invisible wings over the rounded back of the bench and letting them hang down on the opposite side so my back could rest against the bench.
With my phone freed from my pocket, I toggled on the display and logged onto HeavenNet. I clicked my tongue as I was prompted to update my password, quickly dismissing it. I’d change it later when I could write it down because I’d never remember it.
As I navigated the file system to my latest case, a loud squawk filled the air around me. My heart skipped a beat as a bird dropped from the sky, landing in the grass a few feet away near a large bush.
I stared at the poor creature who fluttered its wing before it finally squatted closer to the ground, its breathing labored.
Poor thing. It wasn’t going to make it. I wasn’t a reaper angel, but I could smell death from a mile away.
I wasn’t certain why, but, after shoving my phone into my pocket, I removed my gloves. I climbed from my seat, one of my wings catching on the bench. With a wince, I ruffled it and tugged it free before I strode over to the poor bird.
“Hello, fellow,” I said to it.
Its dark eyes studied me, its head tilting nervously.
“It’s all right. You’re not doing so well, but I won’t hurt you.” I reached out and stroke a bare finger down its head, my skin absorbing its state. “You’re in pain, and so very frightened.”
I pressed my lips together, lowing to my knees to sit on my haunches. “I shouldn’t do this, but…”
I scooped up the little winged creature and rubbed its head again. I closed my hands around it, breathing onto my hands until a bright light burned inside my hands.
Tiny feet tapped against my palm and feathers fluttered against my fingers. A smile turned up the corner of my lips as I opened my hands. The bird hopped a few times, eyeing me before he fluttered into the air.
He twisted to stare at me.
“Go on. You’re all right now.”
The bird hovered for another moment, a chirp escaping it.
“You’re welcome,” I answered before he fluttered and flew toward the bright sun.
I grinned after him as I rose to my feet, backing away from the scene. A second later, I startled, flailing my arms as I smacked into something.
In a desperate attempt to keep my balance without fluttering into the air, I twisted and grabbed onto the object that had nearly tripped me.
My bare fingers pressed hard against warm flesh. My heart stopped as unbidden images tumbled into my mind. I’d just touched someone and received a Soul Glimpse that I’d never been intended to see.
And it would change everything.