There Are No Angels

Chapter 1- That star

          Elira walked down the snow-covered sidewalk withher hands jammed in her pockets and her head down, shielding her face againstthe icy winds of January. Her house was still two blocks away and she cursedherself for not bringing gloves. By time she finally reached the familiar brickbuilding she was shaking uncontrollably and certain her toes were going to falloff. "Geez it's cold out!" she declared as she stepped inside.

           "Welcome to upstate New York my dear. Perhapsnext time you'll remember gloves." Sandra smiled and held a basket of clothesagainst her hip as she regarded Elira, who had stripped off her winter appareland was now inspecting her feet. 

           "Iknow; I was in a rush. Good to see I don't have frost bite." Elira smiled andSandra simply rolled her eyes before heading off to the laundry room with thebasket. Elira took it from her and said "Let me do that for you." 

           "Thankyou dear, I'm getting too old to be lugging such heavy things around." 

           "You're not even that old" Elirastated. Sandra was in her fifties, with lines around her kind brown eyes. Shehad deep brown hair streaked with gray that she usually kept pulled back. 

           "Ifyou say so dear" Sandra replied with a smile before heading off to the kitchen.Elira simply rolled her eyes and descended the steps to the laundry room whereshe emptied the basked into the washer before heading to her room to changeinto sweat pants and a fuzzy sweater. 

           "Youknow, days like this remind me of when you first came to me, standing on mydoorstep and shaking like a leaf." Sandra was leaning in the doorway to Elira'sroom, a reminiscent smile on her face. "I can't believe it's been fourteenyears already." Elira smiled and wrapped Sandra in a hug.

           "Ilove you Sandra" Elira said into her shoulder. 

           "Ilove you too, Elira" Sandra said, returning the hug."Now, dinner is ready sowe better go eat before it gets cold." 

           "What is it?" Elira asked as theymade their way to the kitchen. 

            "Chicken, mashedpotatoes and corn" Sandra replied. 

           "Yum!" Eliraexclaimed, she loved Sandra's cooking.While eating the women told each otherabout their day. Apparently, a young boy got separated from his mother at thegrocery store when Sandra was shopping and she found him crying in the frozenpizza aisle. 

           "Hemust have been so scared" Elira said. 

           "Hewas, but we found his mother rather quickly. He had been a brave boy during thewhole ordeal." Elira smiled at her caretaker. Sandra was a kind woman, alwaysthinking of others. She was strong and brave, and completely selfless. Eliraassumed this is the reason her mother had send Elira to Sandra when theirvillage had been attacked. The building they lived in used to be an orphanage,which Sandra had owned and operated for twenty years. Sandra's health took abad turn after though, so she relocated the orphans to another facility whichwas run by an old friend. She was battling breast cancer when Elira came to her,"my guardian angel" Sandra called her. Though her cancer had been in remissionfor the last ten years, Elira still worried about her. Sandra was the onlyfamily Elira had now, and she didn't know what she'd do if anything happened toSandra. 

           "Well I should begetting to bed, I have a job interview in the morning and I want to be wellrested for it." Sandra stood and started gathering their dirty dishes, butElira quickly stood and took over.

          "Let me do that, youhead off to bed." 

           "Thank youdear" Sandra said with a tired smile.