Michael and I land in another suburban area, after three very boring visits. I sigh thinking back to the guy who was in a meeting the entire time. I look around and want to choke at the cookie-cutter houses. They aren't even different colors! Every house is the same brown with white trim. The mailboxes only differ with the numbers and names. Otherwise, they are alarmingly similar. Does no one wanna be unique here? I feel like I'm back in the neighborhood he made.
No.
"So, where are we now?" I ask Michael, getting myself out of my own head.
Michael gives me a stupid grin, "Glad you asked Emma! We're visiting Loreto next!" He exclaims, starting to walk to one of the cookie-cutter houses. How do these homeowners even know the difference? "Since it's summer, Loreto is at home, and more than likely playing video games."
"Video games?" I parrot back to him. I've heard of games of course and videos, but how are they combined? Games are games and videos are videos. Right?
"They're games you play on the tv." He explains, finally walking up a pathway (even all the flowers are the same!). "Sorry, I forget that you're from a completely different time period sometimes."
"I don't think you're from this time period either." I point out to Michael.
"Yeah, but I interact with this new time period, so I can understand it." He turns around to throw a bragging smile my way. He walks through the door and I follow him, begrudgingly admitting he's right. Only to myself though, I refuse to inflate his ego anymore. I don't know how he carries that blimp he calls a head.
"So what's Loreto like? You've given me the rundown of everyone else." I say, studying the walls and smiling as I see adorable pictures of a small boy. Another child?
Michael purses his lips, "Loreto is...shy, I guess." He wrinkles his nose, not seeming to like his own answer.
"You guess?" I ask, surprised. Everyone else he's been so confident with. I had to listen to him rattle for ten minutes about why a banker he watches had every right to choose a vegan lifestyle. And for a waitress, he gushed about her talent for singing and playing guitar. He swore she was gonna be a superstar!
He sighs, "Loreto is hard to describe. He's extremely closed off that even I struggle to read him. He likes video games and to read. Hates school with a passion. Only talks to one person. Not particularly close to either of his parents but seems to love them so much." Michael bites his lip. "He's always struggled to get close to people. He's adopted and people are always giving him grief for it and asking questions he doesn't have the answers to."
I blink, "He sounds kinda complicated." Michael laughs.
"Everyone is complicated, Emma. It's just that I've been with others longer. Loreto doesn't like getting close to people, as if he's afraid of something." Michael explains, and he gets a look on his face giving away the fact he knows the secret. He turns around from the kitchen looking confused. "He must be upstairs," Michael concludes heading back to the front of the house where the staircase was.
"You said he talks to one person, so they must be his friend, right?" I say, feeling a bit proud that I could conclude something about someone as if I was getting close to Loreto. Is this what it felt like to be a guardian? No, Emma. Don't think like that.
Michael bites his lip once more, "Of a sort." What does he mean by that?
We make it up the stairs and immediately we hear sounds of guns going off and my heart drops. I move my hand, ready to turn my cross bracelet into my scythe. But... wait...this must be the video games that Michael was talking about. I look at Michael and he looks unconcerned, confirming my suspicions. Detective Emma. A smirk curls on my face at the thought. He walks to the second door on the right and walks through the closed door. I follow suit and I gawk at the room before us.
There are posters all over the wall. It's half-naked girls everywhere and only that. There are football, basketball, and soccer balls rolling around on the floor. I look at the two teenage boys that are sitting on the floor staring at the tv holding weird looking things. Michael smiles at them both, going and sitting on the crisply made bed.
"Wow, he really likes staring at girls, huh?" I say, staring at a blond girl on the wall and feeling a blush rise on my cheeks at the under boob I could see. How indecent.
Michael smiles a bit sadly, "Yeah, I guess." Why is he acting so weird? It's as if he's waiting for something to happen or he knows something terrible. Does this have to do with Loreto's secret?
"Damn it!" I hear behind me. I turn to see a boy with curly hair throw the weird device in his hand on the floor. "Why am I so terrible?" He shouts, falling back onto his back.
The boy with hair cut super closely to his head and with dark brown eyes that bordered on black (another pair—no Emma) look back at him laughing. "Come on Lo, you're not that bad."
The curly head boy, Lo (Loreto?), glares back at him, "I always lose to you."
The guy, gets a strange look in his eyes, "Are you pouting?" He asks, humor in his voice. I watch as Lo's face turns into a tomato.
"Shut up!" He grumbles, getting off the floor and staring back at Buzz Cut. I giggle as I see the quite obvious pout on his face. He's so adorable.
Buzz Cut smirks at him, "Do you know how cute you look with a pout, Loreto." He says, and Lo (Loreto confirmed) gets even redder. Wait what is Buzz Cut saying? A pit settles into my stomach and I can feel all the lightheartedness I felt drain out of me.
"No, I don't, Jay!" Loreto says, looking away. Buzz Cut, Jay, grabs his chin angling his face towards him.
"Everything about you is adorable Lo." He then leans forward and presses his lips against Loreto's. I stumble backward, feeling sick to my stomach. What is wrong with them? What the hell?!
"M-Michael, what the hell?" I whisper. I watch in disgust as they deepen the kiss. I feel Michael grab my arm and the sickening scene before my eyes a second ago is replaced by a street. I cannot process what I had seen.
"Emma." I hear Michael quietly say. I have never heard him sound so serious.
"What the hell is wrong with—" I start, turning to Michael and the words die on my tongue when I see the look in his eyes. Pure fury.
"Careful with your words Emma." He warns his voice almost a growl. My jaw drops and my rage start to spike. Is he serious?!
"Me? Be careful?" I say incredulously, "They're—"
"Watch it, Emma," Michael warns once more, the look in his eyes getting darker. "Say one bad word and the deal's off." He threatens, crossing his arms.
I guffaw, "Michael, there's something not right. Two boys..." I say, letting my words fade, realizing my situation. If the deal gets thrown out, then David is screwed. I can't piss Michael off.
"There is nothing wrong with what they are doing. They are being teenagers experiencing first love." He says, and if looks could kill I'd be dead a million times over...again.
"But..." I say, shaking my head. Two boys cannot be together. It's disgusting. The only way is for a male and female to be together. Those two are... unnatural.
Michael's face softens a bit, "Emma, I know you're from a different time, but there is nothing wrong with them. They are one hundred percent normal." He mutters underneath his breath, "Even if society refuses to see it."
It dawns on me, "You brought me here because you knew this was going to happen." I say my anger rising, "You wanted the deal to be called off, so you used those fairies to further your own agenda." I snarl. I knew it. I knew Michael was terrible. He never intended to keep his promise. I should've listened to Edwin and never gotten involved with this fool.
Damn it! He is like every other guardian! This trick is something like Ru—NO!
Michael's face flushes, "I did no such thing! Did I know about Loreto? Yes. Did I know Jay was going to be there? No."
"Oh really? Then why are we here? Why did you take us out of that disgusting display?" I ask, challenging him. "It was because you wanted me to insult your precious Loreto so you could claim guardian angel loyalty to your charge and call off our deal!" I scream. He never wanted to help me or David. He was just a selfish jerk who loves chaos until it goes too far. And I bet he even loves it then!
Michael shakes his head, "That is not it, Emma! I brought you here because I am showing you the life of a guardian angel!" He runs his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath, "But I am happy you saw what you did." He says, I glare at him, opening my mouth to yell, but he puts a finger on my lips. "Listen, you have to understand that they are not disgusting. They are teens in love. ." He says, softly. He looks like he's pleading for me to understand.
"It says in the Bible—"
"I know!" Michael shouts, taking me by surprise. That's the first time he has ever raised his voice to me. His breathing is heavy, "There is nothing wrong, it's completely normal! I don't care what the Bible says, and I personally think God will not punish them. Times have changed." He takes a deep breath after finishing his tirade. "Emma, just think please."
"I want to go home," I tell him. "I'm done with this stupid shit." I can't believe I ever trusted him. How did he ever become an angel?
Michael looks deep in thought, "I'll leave you here and come back in an hour. Give you some time to collect your thoughts. And I'll do the same." Michael starts to back up, looking scared.
"No, Michael, take—" I stop as swirls of gold appear around Michael and he disappears. I grumble.
I shouldn't even wait; I can take myself back.
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