Guarded By Fate

Chapter Three

As Taylor sits down in her first period class, Karlie follows one step behind her. Everything about what Karlie decides to do next is probably a bad idea. Strike that, it's definitely a bad idea. She keeps telling herself it's better to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, right? She needs some self-justification for why she's repeatedly tapping Taylor's shoulder again and again with increased ferocity. When that doesn't seem to be getting any results she tries waving her arms in front of Taylor's face. Then she rests her hands on her knees as she crouches down and looks directly into Taylor's eyes. Taylor seems to be looking right through her, face forward and staring at the white board. In a moment of desperation and when making physical contact doesn't seem to be eliciting a response, Karlie tries getting Taylor's attention verbally.

"Taylor. Taylor. Tayyyylloooor, can you hear me? I'm still here. Can you still hear me?"

More shoulder tapping and no movement from Taylor.

"TAYLOR! Please. Taylor, if you can hear me please just give me a sign. Drop your pen. Raise your hand. Anything? TAYLOR!"

Karlie isn't sure what exactly she's hoping for. She knows she shouldn't be acting this rashly and with so little caution. In this moment she doesn't care what the consequences of all of this could be. She is desperate. For what, she's unsure. Perhaps to be acknowledged? To become an active participant in life instead of watching it in the silence?

After five minutes of unsuccessful attempts at engaging Taylor, Karlie shirks off to the back of the classroom and leans against the supply closet.

Feeling deflated, Karlie devises a plan that while Taylor is taking her French exam in second period she'll take that opportunity to briefly slip away. She needs to talk to Lily and waiting until their scheduled brunch was not an option. Karlie was feeling too frazzled to wait another few days. This was too huge and she's partially convinced herself she might start shedding feathers at any moment. Thus far, she hadn't ever heard of guardian angels and the living being able to interact. So, what was going on? Karlie assumes at any moment she'll hear from Ms. Wintour and who knows the limits of her overseer's wrath!

The sound of the first period bell ringing is a small relief to Karlie, as Taylor gets up and heads out the door with Abigail in tow. As far as Karlie can tell, Taylor did not indicate any recognition of Karlie's presence over the last hour, not even looking in Karlie's direction over her left shoulder. Karlie still couldn't get over how odd it seems that Taylor directly spoke to her so nonchalantly. Where was this girl's instinct of stranger danger? Karlie was positive it isn't an everyday occurrence for the living to speak directly to an angel, so why wasn't Taylor flipping her shit like Karlie was?

The moment second period starts and Taylor's teacher hands out the French exam, Karlie knows she has forty-five minutes to locate Lily, explain to her what has transpired, and try to get some guidance.

She closes her eyes tightly and reopens them in Caroline's Little NYC Bakeshop. No sign of Lily. She closes her eyes and reopens them again, this time in the suburbs of Chicago. She sees Marianne sleeping soundly but still no sign of Lily. Eyes shut and Karlie reopens them to find herself still in Marianne's room. She was losing focus. She closes her eyelids again, holding them closed longer and more tightly. When she cracks her eyelids open again she's sitting in Paris on a park bench surrounded by pigeons and a baguette in her hand. Shit.

This was the problem with trying to locate a guardian of the free willed. They can be with any one of the twenty people they are supposed to be gingerly guiding and Karlie knows this could take a while.

Karlie checks her watch and given the day and time, she thinks perhaps she should give Philadelphia a shot. Sure enough when Karlie unclenches her face and opens her eyes, there in the back of the courtroom sits Lily. With lightning speed Karlie is sliding in next to her on the bench.