Page 59 of Living Legend

We pushed off the ground, expelling our wings and following the flurry of lights, slowly descending close to the site. The whole area was congested with men in blue uniforms and a few people with panicked expressions, tears flowing down their faces. I blinked a few times, adjusting to bright lights, trying to find the source of the only one I cared about. I searched until it caught my eye. There wasn’t just one, but two: one in the totaled car that looked like an accordion in the front, and another a few feet away near a tree. A few people pulled open the driver side door, attempting to extract them from the car, while two others went towards the one at the tree. My stomach dropped knowing it was already too late.

“Which one do you want?” I asked Reese, who was leaning up against a tree trunk, watching.

“I was already planning on the one in the car, so you can take the one by the tree.” He gave me a small smile that didn’t meet his eyes. This was always fucking depressing.I headed to the tree, trying to peer around the people wanting to help. It was a useless feat, but I appreciated the effort.

“She’s gone. Get a stretcher,” one of the humans said, pointing towards the ambulance.

The sound of heavy breathing made my ears perk up. I looked up from where I stood and saw a girl, her arms wrapped around her middle, panting. The light below threw a faint glare on her face, now pale and filled with shock and disbelief. I peeked down at the body slumped against the tree - it was her. She gazed down at her body, starting to hyperventilate.

“What’s happening? That’s not me, is it?” She was yelling, but she was out of breath.

I took a step towards her, and she took a step back. I circled around the humans, keeping space between me and the girl, but moving us away from the commotion. I lifted my hands a bit, letting my palms face her, showing I didn’t mean any harm.

“What’s your name?” I asked, calmly and slowly.

She sniffed a few times, taking small breaths. Her arms closed in tighter around herself as she retreated further into the forest. “Meredith.”

“Okay, Meredith. I’m Nick,” I said, “I’m here to help you.”

“Help me? I don’t need your help! I need to go home!” she yelled, looking around to see if anyone noticed her. They all ignored her. A stretcher came towards us, and we watched as they hoisted her body up. The white hue started to dim as they rolled her body away.

“I’m taking you home.” I took a step towards her as the light dispersed around her feet. I motioned to a spot further away from the ambulance. She hesitated a moment, but then started to follow me. The wind was starting to pick up a bit, causing a chill to run down my spine. Meredith tucked a piece of her long hair behind her ear.

“Meredith, I’m so sorry to tell you this but…” I looked past her to where the stretcher was being lifted into the ambulance. “You’re dead. I know it’s scary and confusing but know that you are going somewhere amazing now with my help.”

“Dead? I can’t be dead. I’m right here, I’m right….” She looked over her shoulder as they placed another stretcher into the vehicle, closing the doors behind them.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to find the right words. I’d done this a million times, but this part never got easier, trying to convince someone of the impossible and then the inevitable. The past few years I had started to get used to it, but right now, that confidence was failing.

“Do you remember anything?” I asked, placing my arms at my side.

I could hear her breathing begin to slow. “The last thing I remember was being in the car with my boyfriend and changing the radio station. I saw a bright light out the window and I ended up here. Then you showed up.” She let out an breath when she finished, sniffling a few times.

“Alright, that’s a start. Did you feel any pain?”

“No. I mean, for maybe a minute, but everything kind of just went away.”

“You felt at peace?”

“Yeah, I guess, until I saw myself. I was just lying there…dead. Now I don’t know how to feel. Does this mean I'm a ghost?”

I let out a small laugh. “No, you aren’t a ghost, Meredith. We’re angels.”

“Angels? I’m an angel?” Her voice pitched higher as her breath hitched. She walked to a tree and placed her hand against it, leveling herself.

“I’m here, which means yes, you’re an angel.” I squatted down, pointing at the light around her feet. “That’s also a giveaway as well. It’s the light your soul is producing. It helped me find you.”

“That’s freaky,” she said, squatting down and touching the light with her fingertips. It danced in-between her fingers as she brought them closer to her face. In the light, I could see her hair was auburn, freckles across her cheeks. She looked so young.

“How old are you, Meredith?”

She looked up at me, her eyes an emerald color. “Sixteen.”

I was sad for her at that moment. She wasn’t the youngest I’d taken up, but it didn’t make this moment any easier.“You won’t be alone on your next journey. I can promise you that.”

I looked on to where the ambulance was leaving, and the police lights followed it. I caught a glimpse of the other white light across the street near a bundle of bushes. I knew Reese was starting to wrap things up. I lifted my chin.

“Is that…?” Meredith asked, skepticism in her voice.

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