The Guardian Demon

One

Five Years Later

Sola awaited in the small room, pacing back and forth.

Has she done okay? he thought. Did she pass? Did she make it in?

He heard a car door close, and he rushed to the window. He saw her car parked outside the house. He turned to the bedroom door as it opened.

Randi, now a young woman at eighteen, stood in the doorway. They locked eyes, looking at one another. Then a smile grew across her face as she lifted up a paper with a big A on it.

"I passed! I get to graduate!" she exclaimed.

Sola grinned. "That's fantastic, Randi!"

She embraced him as a sqeal of excitement escaped her. He picked her up and twirled her around.

"My little Randi has grown up," he said, chuckling as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

He set her down and grinned. Randi brushed her hair back.

"Well, only a couple weeks until graduation," she said.

Sola nodded. "Then you'll be off to an adult life."

Almost instantly the smile faded from her lips. "Yeah..."

Sola frowned. "Randi, are you alright?"

She nodded, but he could tell she wasn't being truthful. He knelt before her and took her hands in his.

"Randi," he said, "you do not need to be worried. I will be here each step of the way, I promise."

Randi nodded, looking at him. He placed a hand to her cheek.

"Promise me you will not over-worry yourself."

The blush reformed on her cheeks, though it was deeper this time.

"I-I promise," she replied.

Sola nodded, patting her head. "Good girl...now are you hungry?"

She nodded slowly. "I am feeling a bit peckish..."

"Okay, then. I'll make some of your favorite food, would you like that?"

Randi smiled. "I would like that. Thank you, Sola."

He smiled and headed to the kitchen. He pulled out what he needed and rolled his sleeves up.

Alright, let's see if I can do this right...

He worked quickly, but soon he set something aflame. Randi had to rush in with a fire extinguisher to put it out. Both of them were covered in extinguisher foam and burnt food crumbs. Sola scratched the back of his head.

"Guess I'm not making it, then..."

Randi sighed. "Face it, you can't cook. You're more suited with a pencil or a paintbrush."

"I know, I know..." said Sola. "I still want to try to make some decent food, though."

Randi laughed, a sound that made Sola smile.

"I'm not the person to ask about that. You know I almost failed Home Etiquette."

He chuckled. "I remember. You nearly caught the entire building on fire with just an oven."

"Heheh, yeah," said Randi, scratching the back of her head.

"You made most of the students happy, though," Sola pointed out, "You'd gotten off of school for a week."

She couldn't hide her smile, "Yeah, that was pretty cool..."

Sola smiled back at her. She looked to the bedroom door as a soft slam came from the front of the house.

"It's your mother," Sola pointed out.

Randi cursed under her breath. "You'll have to hide-"

"I know, Randi," he said.

He then closed his eyes as a silvery-clear haze formed over him, making himself invisible to everyone but Randi. Her mother walked into the kitchen.

"Randi," her mother started with her hands on her hips, "did you burn something? It smells like smoke in here."

"Yeah...I did. Sorry, Mom."

Randi's mother was an older woman with silvery-brown hair pulled back into a tight, formal bun. Her features were sharper than that of her daughter's; slanted, acorn-shaped eyes, a sharply curved nose, firm lips, and a perfectly shaped jaw.

"How was school?" her mother asked.

Sola stood behind Randi was she spoke up. "Good. I get to graduate!"

A smile formed on her mother's lips. "That's amazing, Randi!"

Randi went over and hugged her mother. It wasn't long before her mother pulled away.

"Why don't you go wash up?" her mother suggested. "You're covered in foam and burnt food."

"Okay," was Randi's reply.

She then turned and went down the hall, with Sola close behind. He chuckled to himself as they reached her room. Randi looked up at him.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing," he remarked, "I'm just amused."

Randi made a face. "Why?"

He reached over and removed several pieces of food from her hair. "You had foodstuff in your hair."

"Oh. Thanks, Sola." she replied.

He nodded, giving her a smile. Randi grabbed a towel from her closet and went to the bathroom. Sola sat down on the bed.

Wow...Randi's an adult now...I can't believe it's been five years since she helped me.

Sola sighed, looking around the room. Her once childish room had grown with her. She had a large bookshelf in the corner with a recliner in front of it. Next to it sat an artist's desk with pencils and pages of paper. Crumpled pieces of paper was strewn about thought. Sola sighed lightly.

So much has changed...