Guardian Angel

1

"Orders up," Mumbled the half asleep chef as he rung the bell. Ever, wiping her hands on her once white apron, rushed over to grab up the plate, on which lay a thin burger and measly amount of fries. She didn't say anything as she glided away, sneakers soundlessly padding on the grey carpet with every step.

The man, a regular who Ever saw every Tuesday and Thursday, greeted her with a big smile as she lay the plate down in front of him. He pulled off his blue hat to reveal a balding head of hair and a sweaty forehead, before placing it down on the table beside the dish. Ever made a mental note to very thoroughly clean this table once he was done. She checked to make sure his coffee cup was full, and when she saw it wasn't she offered a refill to the man.

"No, I'm OK for now Ever. It'll keep me up all night if I keep going," The man, Lance Garner, replied. "Was it a busy shift tonight?"

Ever shook her head, her long bangs falling in front of her eyes. "Never is really, on a Tuesday. Same old people." She grinned, moving her hair out of her face and behind her ears. "If you need anything just let me know!" She said, spinning on her heal before walking away.

Ever slid behind the counter, putting on a new batch of coffee as she turned to watch the clock. She sighed when she saw it was only 8:30pm, another hour and a half before her shift was due to finish. She liked working at the dusty old diner, but it could get boring during long shifts. She enjoyed seeing the same friendly faces, and liked the people she worked with, but with it being an almost twenty minute drive outside of her little town of Tienville she rarely saw anyone new or interesting come in. In fact, she saw very few people at all, which was something she both liked and disliked about the place. She looked around, eying the chipping red paint on the door frame and the stained silver counter tops - which she really should clean. The red covers on the booths were beginning to tear and peel off due to over use and age, and there was more than a little bit of super glue and cellotape keeping most of the chairs together, but it was homely and friendly and Ever wouldn't change it for the world.

Lance finished his burger and was persuaded into another cup of coffee before finally leaving at around 9:30. Ever spent the rest of the night cleaning and chatting with the chef, Mark, before finally pulling off her apron and grabbing her keys just a little after ten. She left the locking up to Mark, instead just grabbing her jacket and wishing him a goodnight before leaving.

Ever really did hate this shift during the winter. Through the summer it was fine; it was usually still moderately bright outside when she was leaving and there would sometimes be a few people her age hanging around. But, during the winter, it was a different story. The skies would be darker than black when she was leaving and due to schools being back in there was never anyone her age hanging around, or anyone at all for that matter - anyone that was visible to her anyways. While the walk from the diner to the employee car park was less than a minute if done at and almost-running pace, it was still the scariest nearly-minute of her night, and she always felt the need to tightly wrap her coat around her and just walk briskly with a head down.

Her breath was visible in the cold night as she walked over to her car coming out in white, milky puffs as she walked. She began to experience goosebumps on her arms and the hair on the nape of her neck stood on end as the creeping feeling like she was being watched began to sink in. She did her best to avoid her keys slipping through her numb fingers as she struggled to unlock her car. She willed herself not to look around, knowing that just like all the other times she would only be greeted with dark shadows and an eerily silent night. She'd been getting this feeling over and over again the last few weeks and had been unable to shake it. Finally, managing not to drop her keys in the process, she opened her car and quickly slide in before shutting and locking it behind her.

Ever turned the keys in the ignition, immediately turning on the radio and the heat once she did. Not wasting a moment she pulled out of the car park, feeling like a heavy weight had been taken off her shoulders as the view of the diner disappeared behind her. Lately she was getting that feeling a lot; during class, studying in the library, and even watching Netflix in her room. She'd brushed it off as it just being the nerdy guy who sat behind her in maths, the slightly strange but extremely attractive library assistant and her nosy neighbours, but she couldn't deny that something inside her didn't quite believe all those excuses.

She glanced over to see if her phone was on the seat beside her. Realising it wasn't, she felt around in her pockets before fishing it out of her jacket. Quickly looking down to put in her code, she did so and looked back up only to let out a blood curdling scream. She dropped her phone and in a flash had yanked the steering wheel, swerving completely onto the other side of the road. The sounds of tires skidding and her thumping heart was all Ever could hear as she attempted to regain control of the car, her foot slamming down so hard on the break she thought it would go through the bottom. It finally stopped, though, and thankfully before it skidded into the grass and crashed into a tree. She somehow and quite miraculously managed to stay on the road, even though she was now on the wrong side of it.

Her head was pounding and she could feel her blood pulsating behind her eyes. Her breathing was erratic and her chest was moving up and down at a pace that definitely wasn't normal. She looked over the dash and through the cracked windshield, frantic ocean eyes searching the dark, trying to ignore her flashing headlights.

Her hands were shaking and her knuckles white due to the strength with which she grabbed the steering wheel. Letting out a shaky breath, she searched the car and herself for any damage, discovering none. She felt as if she'd been hit with a tonne of bricks whilst simultaneously feeling nothing at all. With the adrenaline coursing through her and every part of her shaking erratically, she was unable to distinguish between what was tight and rigid with fear and what was tight and rigid with pain. Breathing heavily, she finally managed to turn her head, only to see that whatever she had just swerved to avoid was now coming towards her, and fast. Another piercing scream came from her lips, tears welling in her eyes as she continued to stare at the thing coming towards her-

Ever was shaken awake, the scream quickly dying on her lips as she stared up, shaking, at her frightened mother. Her mothers pink dressing gown was barely pulled around her, falling off her shoulders as her messy and unruly hair stuck up in all directions around her head. Her eyes were tired but alert, the grip on Ever's arms tight as she continued to shake the girl. Ever was in a cold sweat as she quickly sat up in bed, almost head butting her mother as she looked wildly around the room, confusion quickly setting in.

"Ever, sweetheart! Are you okay?" Asked her mother, Robyn, as she sat down on the bed beside her daughter, releasing her grip on her. "You were screaming in your sleep."

With the realisation that the whole terrible scenario had been a dream, Ever calmed down slightly. She had woken up in a cold sweat, her sheets, hair and clothes drenched and her throat sore and raw from the screaming she must have been doing. "It was a dream.." She murmured, pushing her damp hair from her flushed face as she proceeded to fold her arms tightly over her chest.

"What were you dreaming about?" Robyn asked incredulously, dark brown eyes turning kind as she pulled her dressing gown tighter around herself.

"I-I was in a crash." Explained Ever, frowning to herself as she finally looked up at her mother. "I was on my way home from the diner and there was someone standing in the middle of the road. Only.." She trailed off, suddenly feeling a shiver go down her spine. "It wasn't a someone.. I didn't see it at first, but when I had swerved and stopped the car he started walking towards me, and that's when I noticed them."

Robyn was confused now, eyebrows knitting together as she leaned in towards her daughter. "Noticed what?"

Ever went quiet as she tried to look for the words. She finally looked at her mother, shaking her head. "The guy had wings."