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  "I know I've already said it, but you look absolutely beautiful tonight," he said in a husky voice that sent my pulse into overdrive. If we lived a hundred years together, I would never get tired of the way our connection made us so hyper-aware of each other. I loved that I could almost sense where he was at all times now. I'm sure an observer would say I was shackled to him, but it was exactly where I wanted to be.

  We could hear the party in full swing as we climbed the sweeping marble inlaid staircase toward the ballroom. I couldn't help noticing that the small pieces of marble matched the mauve flowers that were scattered about.

  One of doormen tipped his hat formally at us as Shawn and Mark handed him our tickets. The second doorman opened the doors grandly for us, allowing us to pass. Sam and I both gasped in pleasure when we took in the sight of the wide spectacular ballroom in front of us. The room was massive with elegantly draped tables surrounding a dance floor that would have rivaled the gymnasium floor at any professional arena. Each table held glass bowls filled with floating candles that illuminated the faces of those that were seated around them. The perimeter of the room was broken up by an entire glass wall that overlooked the ocean churning beneath the cliffs. Drapery swaged the walls around us, each decorated with thousands of twinkling lights that made the walls appear to move. Instead of a tacky disco ball or a typical chandelier illuminating the dance floor, the center of the dance floor was lit up by thousands of dancing lights that seemed to drop from the ceiling. It was by far the most elegant room I had ever entered. Even the deep midnight blue carpet under my feet was the plushest flooring I had ever walked on. I fought the temptation to slip my strappy shoes off so I could sink my feet into it.

  "Wow, they weren't kidding," Sam finally squeaked out beside me, breaking our trance.

  Shawn chuckled "I guess not, I guess this is what being rich is like, right buddy?" he said, nudging Mark.

  Mark shrugged. He had grown up with a different lifestyle than the rest of us, but he never flaunted it. His dad had obviously made his money in some corrupt way, and I knew from thoughts I had gleaned from him that Mark was torn about what to do with the large amount of money in his account. Shawn had convinced him that for the time being we should at least keep it at our disposal since we had no idea what we faced. The two of them had gone to the bank on Tuesday and moved the money to a different account that his father could not access if he chose to. Mark added both Shawn and my names to the account so we could both access the funds. I felt uncomfortable even thinking about using the money. Like Mark, I felt it was dirty, blood money.

  Mark guided us to an unoccupied table in the far corner, closest to the glass wall. I looked out the window in awe from the vantage point. From where we were standing, it looked as if we were floating above the ocean below. As beautiful as it was, it was still a little unnerving to think of how close the building was set on the cliff edge. I had yet to experience one of the earthquakes California was famous for, and I definitely didn't want to experience one tonight. I could just imagine the building crashing into the churning waves below.

  "Well, if it isn't St. Briggets most scandalous couple," a snide voice said behind me.

  Cringing, I turned around to face the three catty girls that had made it their mission to torment my last few months of school. Mark grasped my hand, sending me his thoughts. Just ignore the three of them, it isn't worth it.

  "Well, if it isn't the Lush Trio, Sam replied in a mocking voice."Where did you get those dresses, Tramps R Us?" Sam asked with just a touch of bite to her tone. Surprised by Sam's uncharacteristic cattiness, I fought the urge to laugh at their expressions. How they could deny it, though, based on their get-up. All three wore strapless dresses that barely covered their skinny butts. Topped with what my mom would say "Hooker Heels." They would have fit in on a street corner somewhere. I knew they were going for the trendy looks that graced the covers of most glamour magazines. But what they lacked was the poise to pull it off.

  Lacey, the ringleader of the group, stepped forward. "Well at least I didn't buy my dress in the children's section," she said sarcastically, turning on a heel, trying to save face in front of the now interested onlookers.

  "That's the best you've got?" Sam asked, snorting with laughter.

  Impulsively, I reached over and hugged Sam, feeling proud of her. The three of them had given us enough grief over the last few weeks and I loved Sam for her quick wit.

  Mark and Shawn led us to the dance floor where more than one set of eyes followed us. I guess I should have expected it. Being new to the school this year, my relationship with Mark, and the way he was let go from his intern position, made us the most infamous couple at prom.

  "Don't worry about them, you look beautiful," Mark said, addressing the comments the dreaded trio had made as he slid his arms around me to pull me close. I looped my arms around his neck and rested my head against his muscular chest where his heart beat steadily. I had discovered when he was in the hospital that this was my favorite spot on earth. I loved to feel his heart beat against my ear knowing that it was connected to me.

  "See, this isn't so bad, right?" he asked.

  "No, this is nice, but I'm still not doing any fast songs," I said, reminding him of our compromise from a couple days ago.

  Chuckling softly, he pulled me closer. I let my eyes drift closed as we swayed around the dance floor. At moments like these, I could imagine that this is how it would be if we were a normal couple and the most stressful thing I had to worry about was passing finals. But having the weight of using my power to change someone's life seemed just a little more important.

  Mark stepped back reluctantly as the song ended and a chest thumping rhythmic beat began belting out of the speakers surrounding the dance floor.

  "Guess this one's out?" he asked with a grin.

  "Um yep, this one's out," I said returning his grin, as I made my way through the exuberant dancing around me to walk to the edge of the dance floor. We stood on the sidelines watching the other couples on the floor. My jaw dropped when I saw Shawn and Sam dancing like pros to the fast-paced song. They looked like they belonged on "Dancing with the Stars." Their natural grace made the complicated song look like a simple ballad.

  Obviously Shawn had inherited all the dancing genes in our family, leaving me with none, I thought dryly.

  Sam and Shawn gained the attention of the DJ as he began a commentary of their extreme dance steps. Before I knew it, the dance floor was cleared of all the dancers except for them. With the help of the DJ, the crowd started cheering them on, clapping and stomping their feet as they danced their way across the floor. I was amazed to see kids that had engaged in gossiping about us now cheering Sam along. Maybe watching Sam stand up for herself had helped us turn a new corner. Their enthusiasm made Mark and me cheer harder. Grudgingly, I had to admit that maybe going to prom wasn't the worst idea.

  "I'm going to the bathroom," I told Mark as the DJ started another adrenaline racing song. Making my way out of the ballroom, I glanced back one last time when I heard the crowd cheering even louder as Shawn completed a series of eight flips across the dance floor. Shaking my head at the irony of my own flesh and blood having such natural grace, I went searching for a bathroom. Strolling across the marble floor, I admired the elegant artwork spaced tastefully around the lobby. Having a mother that loved art gave me the knowledge to recognize talented and expensive art when I saw it. Each piece that graced the walls here would do well in a museum where everyone could admire it. I felt out of place as I walked through the imposing space. Sure, my mom had sunk a large amount of money into St. Briggets so I could finish my high school career there, but I had come to realize I just wasn’t the Prada kind of girl. I didn't belong in this lifestyle and I felt very inadequate pretending I did. Shaking my head, I finally found the restrooms.

  There were no signs stating what they really were. The only clue indicating I had found the restrooms was the nude statue of the woman placed discret
ely by one of the doors, while a male bust sat next to the second door.

  Wow, I guess simple signs reading men or women were just too trashy for a hotel like this, I thought, as I pushed my way into the bathroom, pausing to admire the elegance of the room. It contained a sitting area off to the left with deep lavender plush benches to rest on. Floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors were spaced out periodically around the room. Each sink sat atop its own pedestal with scented soaps in a glass bowl on the ledge of each one. Separate rooms with heavy doorknobs housed individual toilets, instead of traditional stalls with those uncooperative locks that you have to jimmy to keep them from opening at the wrong time. A soft light automatically came on as I stepped inside, like I had entered a sacred chamber or something. As I closed the door behind me I heard the outer door being opened.

  I groaned to myself when I heard the high pitched voices of my arch nemeses from school. "I don't know who she's trying to fool in the dress she's wearing," I heard Lacey saying in her usual snotty voice.

  "I know, right? She's still trash. I saw her outside her house one day. You should see the shack she calls home. I'd rather be dead, than caught living there," Amber said snidely.

  My face started to heat up as I realized who they were talking about.

  "Besides, who wears a dress that long anyway? Mark would have to cut it off at the knees to get to anything. Well, that's if he's even interested in finding what's there. She makes Fridge look easy," Katie, the last of the trio said in her typical whiney voice that made me want to hang myself just hearing it.

  "Yeah, well one thing's for sure, Sam is a bitch. She may act like she's better than us, but with the way she's flaunting her shit out there with that loser, it's obvious her knees have been apart more than they've been together," Lacey said just as I opened the door.

  What I did next I would like to have said was out of my control, but I knew exactly what I was doing. Instead of trying to redirect their hostile evil emotions, I embraced them making them my own. Maybe I was using my own embarrassment that was caused by them mocking my house, but it was more the fact that they had attacked my family that propelled me from the stall in one quick movement. I must have looked like a psycho from some cheesy slasher movie, because all three backed up against the far wall with their hands out in front of them. In one concentrated burst, I threw all their hatred and my own back at them. I could feel it sliding out of me like liquid fire. The rage I unleashed was unlike any that I had ever felt, and the power of it sent them to their knees.

  Gasping for breath, they clutched their chests, losing all color from their faces. Lacey was the first to collapse in a heap. I backed up, horrified, as my concentration was broken by the bathroom door opening and a group of my classmates spilling in.

  "What the Hell happened?" I heard someone say as I fled the scene.

  "Lacey? What's going on?" another one said before I was out of earshot.

  I raced across the lobby, sobbing uncontrollably as I burst through the doors at the same time Mark reached my side. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to read the jumbled thoughts that raced through my head. Still sobbing, I could only shake my head as I sunk into his arms.

  What had I done? Did I kill them? I was pretty sure what I had just done would strip me of my invisible wings in a heartbeat.

  "Take her home now," I heard Haniel say behind me in a booming voice.

  "What's going on?" Sam asked, bewildered, as they joined us.

  "Go now," Haniel said again, not answering either question. "I will handle this. Get to your house and I will deal with her when I get there," he said, obviously meaning me.

  Mark shepherded me out of the room without another word. I gripped his hand in one of my own while Sam grabbed my other hand. I wondered if she would still be holding my hand if she knew what I had just done. The pale faces flashed through my mind again as I remembered their limp bodies tangled together on the bathroom floor. I felt Mark cringe beside me as he picked the mental picture from my mind. Hanging my head, I felt hot tears sliding down my checks as I climbed into his SUV. Had I not been so stressed, I would have been startled at the void of emotion left in me. I had left it all in the bathroom, with three snotty girls that didn't deserve what I had just done. Whose worst crimes were overindulgent parents.

  Chapter 5

  Haniel was waiting for us when we returned. How he had beaten us back to the house when he said he would deal with the mess I left behind was more than my drained mind could wrap around.

  "What are you guys doing back so early?" Robert asked from the couch where he and Lynn were sharing a bowl of popcorn while they watched a movie. He broke off when he saw the somber mood of our group.

  He and Lynn stood, waiting to deal with whatever curve ball was being thrown our way. I imagined their contempt when they realized I was the new danger we faced. Me. The one that was supposed to be some super-mystical being, had just harmed three innocent humans.

  "Tell me what happened," Haniel asked in a much quieter voice than the one he had used at the hotel.

  Letting go of Sam and Mark's hands, I sank onto the couch knowing none of them would want to be next to me when I told them the awful thing I had done. My voice was shaky and guilt ridden as I told them the whole story, not glossing over anything.

  "I knew I was using my rage and their own against them. I wanted to strip them of their emotions, leaving them blank, for at least a moment, so their harsh words wouldn't hurt anyone else. I didn't mean to kill them," I sobbed, burying my face in my hands.

  "Why didn't you use your power to change their emotions?" Haniel asked in the same quiet voice. "It would have been easy for you based on what we've worked on. The only pictures you would have seen were their envy over the relationships all of you have. The only emotion they harbor is the desire to be loved."

  "I don't know. It all happened so fast. I just wanted to tear them down like they've done to so many others with their words."

  "How did you know to use your gift that way?" Haniel questioned.

  "I didn't know. I just wanted to turn things back on them for once. I didn't mean to hurt them. I just wanted them to feel the pain of their words," I said as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. "What's going to happen to me?" I asked, imagining the worst of Judgment Days. What would happen to Mark if I was cast to the side? My heart clenched inward leaving me breathless as I thought of our bond being severed.

  Sam sat beside me and grabbed onto my hand. I looked at her and was surprised that she studied me compassionately instead of with the horror I had imagined. My hot tears fell more rapidly as I felt the love she was pushing into my emotional void. Mark settled on the opposite side of me, sliding his arm around me. I glanced around at each of them, stunned that they all looked at me much the same way Sam had. Didn't they fully grasp what I had done? I had used my power for evil and not good like we were created for.

  "Krista, you did not kill them," Haniel finally said. "Yes, you gave them quite a shock, and something to wonder about, but you did them no lasting harm. Your gift is new and is in the beginning stages. You must learn to control it, because one day you could do more harm than good if you channel it the wrong way. As Guides, you must use the moral compass you were created with to know when to use your gifts the right way. What you exhibited tonight is your final and most powerful ability that The Light has provided to you. It is to be used only in circumstances where your life is in peril and you fear for your safety. When you cast anger or animosity back at individuals that harbor these emotions, it returns to them one hundred-fold. They are shown all of their past wrongs in the blink of an eye. This flood is often staggering as you discovered tonight," he said, explaining their collapse to me. "This gift you've been given can only be used once in a period of time as I'm sure you have figured out," he continued, addressing me still. I nodded my head, but still felt empty and slightly nauseous. The thought of performing that same kind of burst again seemed impossible.

  "Tomorrow we wil
l begin your training more aggressively," Haniel said, turning away to exit the room.

  "Wait," I said. "If I didn't hurt them, what did you have to take care of?"

  "Well, just put it this way. Their thoughts are a little muddled as to what happened."

  "I didn't think Archangels did things like that?" I asked, still confused.

  "I cannot directly intervene in matters that involve The Dark One, but in a circumstance like this, my gifts can be used to help smooth things out you might say. Mark, I will see you about your injury in an hour, after I take care of some pressing matters first," he said, closing the glass door silently behind him.

  "Wow, that dude is one cool hombre," Shawn said, sinking back onto the couch. "I can't tell if he has a sense of humor or not, but man he's a badass."

  "Are you okay?" Lynn asked me, perching on the arm of the other couch.

  "I'm fine," I said, flashing her a watery smile. I was relieved I hadn't hurt them, but it still didn't change the fact that I had let evil rule me, no matter how brief the moment was. "You guys aren't mad at me?" I finally asked.