FUSE

Chapter 4

Angels, Planets and a Bank Robbery

Now that he's gone let me clarify a few things. Big Guy created two types of beings. First, he created the angels and assigned most of them to administrative and management jobs in the Universe Headquarters (UHQ). The more talented ones were assigned to work in the Art Department, which includes painting, singing, orchestra, and dance.

The angels do a great job of maintaining order inside UHQ, but Big Guy also wanted help controlling the universe. So, he created us souls to patrol the universe and prevent disasters. We keep the planets in their orbits and stop the black holes from sucking up everything in their path. Occasionally, celestial bodies explode or crack apart, sending debris flying through the cosmos. The souls in the Universe Patrol Corps, which we all just call the UPC, cleanup the mess before it destroys anything.

Believe me, working at UPC is not a day selling cupcakes. A UPC member must be able to fly with stealth and stop faster than lightening. We must remain alert, at all times. Once, three comets slipped into the southwest part of my galaxy and refused to stop playing a game of cosmic dodge cars. They were pushing moons out of their orbits and causing asteroids the size of New Jersey to crash into each other. There was debris everywhere. These comets were not good listeners. So, I zapped them out of existence and spent a few millennia cleaning up the mess.

Sorry, but I can't sit still for another moment. Did you know that doing jumping jacks relieves stress? My arms swing above my head, one, two, three. As I clap my hands over my head on the fourth jump, I gaze at the throne and wonder if the velvet seat feels as soft as it looks. Another jump and I think about running to the altar and touching it. I whip my head around, scanning the perimeter before taking my first step, and see Millie flying back into the room.

"Annalise, sit back down! Do you ever listen?"

She looks really mad, eye bulging, mouth pursed, foot stomping mad. "Sorry, Millie. I promise not to do it again."

"I've heard that one a million times."

"Honestly, Millie. I won't do it again. I'll pretend my butt is glued to this stool."

She buzzes around my head a few times. Tears creep from the corners of my eyes and dribble down my cheeks. Even blinking hard doesn't stop them.

"Fine, I believe you." She says, even though the look on her face says the opposite.

"Thank you."

"I won't tell Michael—this time." Now, she's shaking her tiny fist at me. "But one more time..."

I nod. She zooms out of the room traveling just a bit slower than light. So Millie doesn't just monitor the newly dead, she's a spy for Michael.

I swipe away the tears with my shirt sleeve. Sorry about the distraction, let's get back to my Earth story.

So, Base-Souls living inside human bodies roamed the Earth, searching for the human bodies housing their Split-Souls. All the while, continuing to break the rules and die. That's how I split ten times.

The lock on the side door clicks. Michael walks in carrying a thick rope. He stops in the middle of the room, stands straight, and just like a rodeo cowboy, he whips it over his head in a circle. The plain white ceiling of the room morphs into a beautiful blue sky, complete with fluffy clouds, and a very small sun radiating light from the northwest corner. Based on the red-orange color, he must have grabbed one of the newer stars from the CJC2 Galaxy. Grabbing the Earth's sun would be seriously stupid, because even a millisecond without the sun would cause the whole planet to freeze into a giant Popsicle without a stick.