Adam and Taylor

Part 4 - The Guardian Angel

ADAM

​Two weeks later, Taylor handed him her quarterly exam. 45 over 50. Not bad for someone who rushed to study a three-month lesson for three weeks.

​He smiled proudly at her achievement. He may have given her some pointers and his test papers, but she did all the work, staying home late after school every day...

​Which reminded him again of the dreaded night the White Lady showed up to Taylor. When he found her, after bumping from each other first, she was crying and shaking so hard it was almost as if she could not breathe. Together with the guard, they led her out of the school. It took her a long time to calm down, with him wrapping his arms around her and constantly rubbing her back. The lady guard even lent her jacket to her, just to have her temperature warm up a little. Then, when she could finally breathe and walk, he took her to her place personally. By the time they got her home, her face had recovered that her family thought that nothing have happened.

​She requested it that way. She had no intention of changing schools again.

​Except for the guards, nobody else knew about the encounter either. Well, not at least for now. She probably had not recovered as she never talked about it to anyone, and he respected that.

​"Thank you." She sat beside him at the Cafeteria. "I couldn't have done it without you. And, for that, would you like me to treat you a Frappuccino sometime?"

​He was touched by the gesture. He wanted to dismiss the idea, but considered the offer. "All right." He found himself saying. "But only if I treat you back with a movie afterwards."

​She didn't see that coming. Honestly, he didn't see that coming as well. But he decided to keep a straight face as he has absolutely no intention of taking it back.

​So the drink was followed by a movie. Their successful science project was followed by another. The Warrior's Inter-School Runner-Up place, in which they are both a part of, was followed by a party. They were both still competitors for the top place in class, but they help each other too, as well as other students to learn as much as they can. They were quite a competitive tandem.

TAYLOR

It was the first time she was invited to Adam's family gathering. She had been here in their house before, with it only a few steps away from school. Still, she comes here with books and science projects. But tonight, she was just in casual dress, on a Saturday afternoon, waiting for the rest of his few relatives to come.

The occasion: Adam's sister's death anniversary. She had died of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia four years ago, and his family and relatives decided to celebrate her birthdays and death anniversaries with dinners together or at least just see each other. Taylor is not a part of the family, but somehow it was even Adam's parents who have invited her over the weekend to join them.

Who could say no to that?

"She was fourteen when she passed away." Adam suddenly explained while she was browsing through her photos. "She could have been a beautiful young lady by now, but I wouldn't know. I miss my big sister."

Taylor looked back at the pictures, most of which were taken when she was battling the cancer. She looked very thin, obviously due to the condition, but she had a wide contagious smile.

But a framed picture caught her attention. It was of Adam and his sister, standing side by side, wearing their school uniforms, in front of their school gate.

She was so healthy back then.

That second Taylor's heart stopped to beat.

Her face turned white.

She turned to Adam, clutching their picture.

"Your sister, Ariel." She exclaimed. "She saved my life!"

ADAM

​It was the first time Taylor finally talked about the night. It was the moment he had been waiting for, as he is worried that she would just break down about it. However, it was the first time he had heard it from her point of view. She did not panic or cry as much he had been worried that she would. He held her hand, anyway, just to be sure.
​He heard of them meeting on her very first day at school, only to be reunited only on the dreaded night that she got lost again, running away from the ghost.

​It was not the first time he had learned of his sister becoming a student's guardian angel against the evil lady. But this is the first time she had saved someone close to his heart.
​When Taylor finished her story, she looked at their picture again.

​Then tears began to fall.

​"Hussshhhh...." Adam held her close for the second time, first on the strange night. "The lady wouldn't scare you anymore. My big sister would make sure of that."

​After a few seconds, he added, looking at her teary eyes... "I would make sure of that."

October 28, 2015