Souls in Peril (4 page)

“You're not cold,” the little man with the high
-
pitched voice assured him. “You are missing your body
,
so you feel cold, but I can promise you that
’s
impossible.” He smiled and added, “Don't worry, it happens all the time.”

“Who the he—”

“No, no, no. You mustn't use language like that around here, Mr.
Sánchez
.” High-pitched man pointed upward.

“This is a dream, it has to be,” Max assured himself. “My family and I were involved in a car accident
,
and now I am in the hospital, probably
heavily drugged
to ease the pain from my injuries. Maybe I'm being kept in a medically induced coma. Whatever the reason, the drugs are
just
making me a bit loopy.” He lay back
down,
smoothing the silky sheet over him,
hoping
the nauseating dream would soon end.

“Maximiliano
—
”

“Max. You can call me Max.”

“Thank you, Max. I know this all feels surreal
, but I can assure you that you’
re not in a hospital. You
’
re correct about the car accident, and unfortunately
,
you and your family did
n’
t survive. Your father swerved
and
hit a pole, the force of which flipped your car twice. No one survived. I'm very, very sorry.”

Max
stared at the curly, brown-haired man with green eyes, trying to decide if what he said was true, or if it was all part of the dream.
He snugged the sheet around his naked body.

“You're not naked, Max.
Or cold.
It just feels that way because you’re used to having a body around your soul. You’ll get used to it.” The man gave him a comforting smile.

Max looked down, pulling the sheet
a
way from
him
. He wasn't naked. He had on a white button up shirt and white pants. The only thing bare were his feet
and hands
. His golden brown skin offered a sharp contrast with his bland clothing. He rolled the silky sheet up and tossed it onto the bed next to him.

“So are you telling me this is heaven?” Max glanced around the dull, little room. “Because I can tell you if it is, the
book
got it all wrong. Where are the streets of gold and the pearly gates? And pain. I thought there was supposed to be no pain in heaven because honestly, my head is pounding.”

“This isn't heaven, Max. This is a holding cell.”

“Cell?
Do you mean I didn't make it to . . .” Max couldn't even say it he was so devastated. He knew he wasn't perfect, but to be banished to hell seemed a little extreme for the things he'd done wrong. What happened to
all of that
God is loving and forgiving
stuff he'd been taught all his life, all eighteen short years of it?

“I'm sorry. I forgot cell means prison on earth. You are in a holding station. Does that make you feel better?”

“You're kidding, right?” Max jumped off the table. His knees buckled
,
and he sank a few inches before
steadying
them. “If this isn't a dream, then that means my family really did die and that I am dead, too.  And you expect me to be happy that I'm not in hell?
Because frankly, it sure feels like it at the moment.”
Sorrow infused every inch of his muscular frame. He clamped his teeth tight to keep from crying.

“Yes, of course. How insensitive of me. I can tell you your parents are doing very well. They've adjusted quickly.” The man beamed at Max. What about that statement was Max supposed to find comforting?

“Why am I here then? Why aren't I with them?”

The man stirred the papers
o
n
the clipboard,
clear
ing
his throat a couple times. “Yes, well, it seems there's been a mistake. You see—”

“Mistake?
I thought God didn't make mistakes.” Max failed to hide the panicky edge to his voice.

“Oh no
.
He
didn't make the mistake, I can assure you. Gina Bellas, one of our new intern angels, did. It was her first assignment. She was only supposed to take your parents, but
in her zeal
she took all of you. I do apologize.”

“
In her zeal
?”
Max rubbed his temples and paced the small space, his head pounding now. Considering the fact that he was recently in a car accident that flipped his family's car two times might have a little something to do with it. Or maybe it was dying
—
sort of
—
that had his head throbbing. His life was over. He wouldn't graduate in June, he . . .

“
My ball team is favored to win the
championship
this year
.” The gravity of the situation hit Max like a punch. “My high school is number one in the region. I'm the star pitcher. This is terrible.”

“Well, we do have a proposition, Max.” The little man settled in
a
plush white chair that appeared from nowhere when he snapped his fingers.

“How did you do that?” Max stepped back.

“Angel, first class,” beamed the man. He stood and held his hand out. Max stared down at it as if it were a venomous snake. “My name is Gabriel, by the way.”

Max's eyes jumped back to the angel’s face. “Ga…Gabriel as in . . .”

“No,” Gabriel dropped back into his chair, curtly adjusting his papers. “Not
that
Gabriel. I'm Gabriel from Poughkeepsie, New York.”

“Oh,” Max said soberly.

“I really should change my name. It's depressing to see the disappointment on people's faces when they discover I'm not
The
Gabriel.”

“Maybe you could go by your middle name,” Max suggested kindly.

“My middle name is Noah,” he said dryly.

“Okay.
Maybe not.”

“I used to go by Gabe, but when I made First class
,
I thought Gabriel sounded more, I don't know, regal, I guess.”

“Gabe sounds regal,” Max offered kindly.

The angel
smiled. “You really are a nice kid. I can see why
He
wants to offer you a chance to finish out your allotted time.” Gabe thumbed through his stack of papers, bringing a yellow one to the front.

“Finish my allotted time?” Max narrowed his eyes at the angel.

“Yes. Everyone gets an allotted time. Some get longer, others shorter. Since your allotted time was cut short by us and not you,
He
feels it's only fair we allow you to return and continue your journey. We'll have to find a body for you to use since everyone believes you’re dead. It wouldn't do to have you
walking
around all of a sudden.” Gabe looked up from his papers. Max could feel
a
but
coming.

“However, there must be a reason to send you back. You can't go down just so you can play around and waste the rest of your time
,
”
h
e
warned
Max.

Max thought for a minute. It would be weird to go back as a different person, on the outside anyway. But the alternative was what? Wait here until his
allotted time
was
up? He could be sitting in the
little white room for years. He was only eighteen, after all. “I'm game. What have I got to lose, right?”

“Wonderful. I do like your attitude. I believe we've found the right man for the job.”

Despite Gabe's kind smile, Max’s defenses r
o
se. “What job?”

“We would like you to work with Jayden Miller,
temporarily
. After you've helped him out, we'll discuss a more permanent future for you.”

Max racked his brain. The name sounded familiar
,
but he couldn't quite place it. Was he a struggling baseball star that needed Max to guide him through a pitching slump? Incredible pitching and Max were synonymous in his mind.

“I believe you may know him better as Lumpy Larry?” Gabe frowned. “Children can be so cruel sometimes,” he muttered under his breath.

“Lumpy L
arry?
You want me to help . . .”
Max stopped his protest. Helping Lumpy may not be all
that
bad.
He's not a bad looking kid. I can get him into shape. And maybe I could see Emma again.

Emma. He hadn't thought about what she must be going through. They'd spoken of marriage after college,
having
a family.
Now I
’
m
. . . Max couldn
’
t
even think
the word.

“There is something you should know.” Gabe hesitated. After several long seconds, he continued. “Jayden is being implicated in your family’s deaths. Let me assure you, Max, the accident was just that: an accident. There were no drugs or alcohol, nor horseplay involved. 
I can promise you that.”

Max stepped back. Lumpy killed him and his family? The news rocked him to his core.

“I understand this is difficult, Max. And as I said, it truly was an accident.” Gabe placed his hand on Max's shoulder, squeezing softly.

“Jayden's going to need a friend in his corner when he heads back to school. He's awkward and clumsy. He won't know how to make this better with the other students, nor with some of your friends,” Gabe pointed out.
“And you’ll get to see Emma again, although it will be only as a friend.”

“
Dirty trick throwing in Emma as bait, Gabe.
I’ll bet that’s against the Angel
’
s Union, if there
is such a thing,” Max said dryly. Gabe flashed a guilty smile and shrugged his shoulder.

Max
had to admit
that, despite the Emma bait, calm washed over him at Gabe
’
s words.
He
felt
sorr
ow
for Lumpy. What a huge burden to have on your shoulders at his age.
He
thought about Em
’
s dream to make
Lumpy
and Izzy their friends
, and h
ow her pretty face lit up when she
explained what she planned to do
.
She’
d want Max to do this.
She’
d be proud of him.

In the end, it was Em
that made his decision easy
.
He’d get to be with her again. Helping Lumpy would be a breeze, then he’d spend the rest of his time with his Em.
Looks like she’s going to get her wish, and I’m going to be there when she does.
Max smiled confidently.
“
I
’
ll do it.
”
It
felt
right
the minute
he
said it. He
’
d made the right choice
without a doubt
. He immediately began planning how to help Lumpy—correction, JD. First
,
Max
would
eliminate all junk food from JD
’
s diet. Then he
’
d outline an aggressive exercise routine for him. Max could almost feel the
sweet
burn in his own muscles.

Gabe smiled wide
ly
.
“
Your mother said you
’
d take the assignment. You
’
re very blessed to have lived your life with the love and support of your
family
. Not everyone does, you know.
”

“
You
’
ve seen my parents?
”
All thoughts of JD left Max
’
s head. His parents were dead. He wouldn
’
t be with them for a very long time now.
“
May I see them?
”

“
I
’
m sorry, Max
.
They
’
re not in the holding cells, and
the
living are not allowed to cross
-
over to where they are. Y
ou
’
re
only
allowed to
be in this
immediate area. I hope you understand.
”