Page 62 of Sleeping Redemption
“My performance? So, what, this is some sort of review?” I tried to gather clarification on why I was brought here.
She released a heavy sigh as she sat forward, resting her folded hands on the edge of her metal desk painted in the same horrific shade of green as the rest of the room.
“Atlassian, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. If it were up to me, I’d have you demoted to polishing the harps.” Her deep brown eyes locked on mine without any trace of humor in them.
Sitting straighter in my seat, I cleared my throat as I gathered my response to her. “Look, Kinley is alive and well. I think that ought to count for something.”
She let out a singular sharp laugh in a high enough pitch that I almost expected glass to crack.
“Alive andwell? That girl hasn’t been well in centuries.” Evangeline shook her head in what appeared to be disbelief before continuing, “Need I remind you that your role as her guardian isn’t just about keeping her from keeling over? It is about providing her protection in all its many forms; it is about instilling a sense of betterment to her existence, and most of all, it is preserving her humanity.”
I watched as Evangeline’s fingers massaged over the small wrinkles on her forehead, a testament to the stress this conversation caused her.
Calmly, I attempted to reassure my supervisor. “Evangeline, I assure you that I am doing the best I can.”
That’s when her eyes narrowed their focus on me, and I saw the ticking in her jaw.
“The best you can? Tell me, Atlassian, where were you when a man associated with her was burned to death in her tub? Even better yet, can you tell me where you were when she snapped the neck of some woman in a diner parking lot?”
Hearing her speak of both incidents, I cringed internally. I rubbed my hand over my jaw, lightly scratching at the short layer of facial hair.
“I know what it looks like,” I began somberly. “Trust me when I tell you that the normal rules do not apply to Kinley. Maybe if someone could tell me why precedent is being broken by having one angel guarding another, I could?—”
Evangeline cut me off. “That’s above my pay grade. All I know is that somewhere in the upper echelons of the chain of command, it was determined Kinley needed your guardianship.”
The way she made the statement indicated that she was neither in agreement with the decision nor did she understand why it had been made in the first place.
For several long moments, there was nothing but silence in her office, in literal terms at least. The puke green was brazenly loud enough for Helen Keller to flinch.
Leaning back in her chair, Evangeline let out a weary sigh as she shook her head to herself.
“Look here, Atlassian. We all have our orders. All I can tell you is that I’m getting pressure from my superiors to ensure that you step up your game. Not only that, but there are a lot of hushed whispers going around about the state of affairs of the balance between the wicked and the righteous.”
Giving her an acknowledgment in the form of a nod, I knew I was going to need some guidance here. “I understand, but I can’t control what circumstances arise around her.”
Evangeline gave a roll of her eyes in annoyance. “Of course not. But you can be her rock, and you can appeal to her humanity—what’s left of it anyway.”
Running my fingers through the loose strands of my blonde hair, I struggled to come up with a game plan for how I could be doing things differently.
“I am giving Kinley what she needs the best way I know how. If she’s pushed in one direction, she will go the other, no matter the cost. It’s not as simple as keeping an eye on her and shoving her out of harm’s way.”
My words appeared to resonate with Evangeline, her face softening for a second as she considered what I had said. Then, the firm set in her jaw and the rest of her face returned, erasing all evidence that she had given thought to perhaps utilizing a different approach. Possibly even deviating from the rule book.
As she stood, she finally spoke, but this time in a more sympathetic tone than I’d ever heard from her. “I’m going to give you a suggestion, and if you ever tell anyone that I told you this, I will make sure that you never so much as become a guardian for a squirrel.” Evangeline gave me a pointed look that made it clear she would follow through.
“Understood,” I replied, now scooting forward to the edge of my seat in anticipation of any insight she could provide on how to help my girl stay safe.
She let out a sigh in an effort to shake off the words she was about to speak. “My suggestion is that you do as you would have done before your salvation. Kinley responds to messages and actions that are consistent, for better or for worse.”
I let what she had to say sink in. While I rolled the thought over in my mind, Evangeline continued to expound upon her thought.
“There are things that happen that are even beyond our control as guardians. Sometimes, we aren’t shown the bigger picture. Do you understand?”
“So, you’re saying that I could do everything right and still fail?” I hated that I even dared to put that thought out there. I couldn’t fail Kinley. I had failed her once when I died on St. Cassius; I refused to do it again.
Evangeline nodded in confirmation before softening her tone when she offered me some sort of consolation. “I’m not saying that is the case here at all. I am merely trying to put it in perspective.”
Everything she had just told me left my head full of more questions than answers, and it didn’t sit right with me.
