Beyond Reality

Ten-year-old Brittany Harrows stood before her classroom, her words soft as she addressed her fifth grade class. "The book I am giving my report on is called ''Hello Mister God, here is Anna'. It's about a little girl…" Her voice trailed off when she heard the voice of her teacher emerging, thus, interrupting the book report that she had painstakingly written.

"Brittany, I'm sorry, but that book is not allowed to be used in your report," the man said. "You will have to read another book and give your report another day."

"Because, the premise of that book is not appropriate for your reading list. Why didn't you select a book like 'Charlotte's Web', or 'The Cat Ate My Gym-suit'?" The teacher suggested and Brittany took her notebook and went back and sat down in her assigned seat. Instead of speaking, she simply stared down at the desk as the next child got up to give their report on 'Treasure Island'.

Sighing deeply, she stared down at the words on the report she had wanted to give. Her thoughts started to drift, and it was obvious that she didn't much care about the possibility that she would probably eventually be quizzed on what the other kid was saying. Anymore, she didn't much care about anything.

If the absolute truth were to be known, the small child had more on her mind than a stupid book report. Her family life was falling apart again, her mother spent most of the time yelling at employees and her uncle only came home when he had to. Her life was as lonely as it always had been. The only semblance of normality was when her grandmother would come down from Cape Cod to visit them. Katherine Livingston had moved there about six months ago and was living out her old age there near the seaside amidst the fresh air.

Today, Brittany's life was school and reading. She loved books, and would spend all her time reading about far off places and adventures. Ever since she could read, she had taken advantage of 'book report days'. She always came up with exotic and interesting books to write about, but this was the very first time she had been told that her topic was wrong, and this, if anything, made the unhappy little girl all the more gloomy.

Eventually, someone poked her on the shoulder, thus bringing her out of her reverie. She turned around and her eyes met those of Suzie Jeffries.

Suzie was one of the few kids at the school that she had known since the first grade. They had been in the same homeroom class back then, and they had shared a great many adventures with one another since then. Although, Brittany was not as close to Suzie as she had once been with Megan, she got along quite well with Suzie, and the two girls had become friends over the years, and now she felt that Suzie was one of her only friends left in this town.

Brittany smiled weakly as a means to acknowledge her, but her thoughts continued to drift. Suzie was one of the only children left from Vicki Hudson's first grade class, the other children had either moved away or they had been split up when the district went and built another elementary school. The other thing that connected Brittany and Suzie was Adam. Adam was an Angel of Death, and he had been Brittany's friend since she was six-years-old and he had been given the chance to meet her entire class and some of the children had started to lovingly call the angel their mascot. Brittany often wanted to ask Suzie if she remembered him, or all the adventures they had shared, but for some reason, Brittany never mentioned the angel to anyone and it was almost as though the child wanted to forget that the angel even existed or had been her best friend once upon a time.

"You OK?" Suzie asked softly as the other child continued to babble on about Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins.

Brittany nodded numbly without speaking, her eyes still staring down at the report she had put her heart and soul into writing. Instead of speaking, she merely handed the notebook to Suzie and watched as the other girl opened it and began to read.

Time seemed to crawl by and when the last bell of the day finally rang, Suzie handed the report back to Brittany. "Man Mr. Flores is an idiot," she whispered to her friend. "That's a really great report and it makes me want to go and read the book."

"Thanks," Brittany said numbly as she pulled out a dog-eared copy of the book and extended it to her friend as the two girls watched as the other kids left the classroom. Haphazardly, Brittany shoved the report into her backpack as Suzie took the book and left the room.

"See you tomorrow Brittany," Suzie said softly as she raced through the doorway and out into the hallway.

Once her friend was gone, Brittany stood up, and started getting ready to leave the room.

At that moment, however, the teacher had gotten to his feet and was walking over towards her desk, his voice stopping her. "Brittany, could you please stay for a few minutes?"

Brittany sighed all the while thinking that she was now in trouble. She nodded weakly as the teacher smiled weakly.

"About the report…" He began, but she, feeling pushed up against the wall, interrupted.

"…I'll write a new report tonight, I also read, 'Swiss Family Robinson'," she said softly as she heaved the backpack up onto her shoulder and was about to leave the classroom, all the while not wishing to get into another drawn out debate with him about school rules that made little, if no, sense to her anyway.

"I'm sorry about the report," he said sincerely, his voice causing her to abruptly look up. "You know that I hate having to enforce rules I don't believe in."

"Then why do you?" She asked before she could stop herself. "Why do a group of adults always try to dictate to us what we are supposed to read? They should be happy that we're reading."

"Yeah, my best friend and I talk about books sometimes," she shrugged her shoulders and looked at the teacher. "What is so wrong with doing a book report on a book that talks a little bit about God?"

"People interpret God as religion, Brittany, and they think that when God is mentioned, that someone else are trying to indoctrinate them. It's not a very popular view, but that's how it is," he offered honestly.

"Yes, I do, that's why it is hard for me to enforce these rules, yet if I don't, I could lose my job, and seeing as I need this job, I don't really want to rock the boat." He shrugged his shoulders, but looked down at her. "Can you get a report done tonight? I know that you put a lot of work into your reports, but I have no choice in the matter, and I really don't want to fail you on this assignment."

"Yeah," Brittany said softly, but something in her made her look up at her teacher. "What would have to happen to persuade you to let me do this report?"

Brittany sighed but nodded and without another word, she left the classroom with her head downcast. As she slowly walked out into the hallway and through the corridors, she noticed one of the custodians standing at one end. It looked as though he was having trouble because he was standing and trying to empty a garbage can into a large cart-like receptacle. Once he appeared to have managed completing his task, he looked up and made brief eye contact with her, all the while, offering her a friendly smile.

Hesitantly, she returned the gesture and although she could not determine what motivated her to do so, she slowly walked over to him. "Hi," she offered as she watched him dumping another garbage can into the large trolley he was pushing. As he did, a sheet of paper floated to the ground and landed next to one of her feet. Without thinking, she leaned down and picked up the paper and tossed it into the container.

"Thank you," the man said as he regarded the despondent child who now stood next to the cart. "I appreciate your help."

Brittany shrugged her shoulders as he took yet another garbage can and dumped the contents of it into the receptacle. Tapping it against the side of the container, he waited until the rest of the papers had fallen before he sat it down on the ground. He glanced up to see that the young girl was now trying to adjust the straps of her backpack on her shoulders.

Before walking away from him, she abruptly stopped, got down onto her knees, pulled the backpack from her shoulders, opened it, and removed the report from it. She stared down at it for a few moments before tossing it into the container. Without even a word, she got back on her feet and walked slowly towards the doors leading outside without looking back.

Once she was gone, the custodian pulled the report out of the container and walked towards one of the classrooms, an eerie silence filling the air, but after some seconds had passed, he opened the notebook and started to read the neat print that was scrawled across the first page. As he finished reading this, he started to walk towards the door with a small sign that read the name 'Mr. Flores, English' in bold letters. Above the name was a small pane of translucent glass that acted as a small mirror into the classroom.

As soon as Brittany had left his room, Michael Flores watched her leave and he looked down at the pile of reports now on his desk. Brittany was one of his favorite students. Never in his five years of teaching had he found a child so dedicated to reading as she was. He remembered the last report she had given and how she had read the longest book on the reading list and had given a report on it that literally blew his mind. This went beyond the fifth grade level, but he never spoke of this to the child or her family, simply because there seemed a genuine disinterest all the way around.

He remembered how they had had the parent teacher conference at the beginning of the school year, and Holly Harrows had sent her brother with her daughter instead of coming herself. This family seemed to not grasp the wonder of togetherness. Perhaps it was because they were one of the wealthiest families in the state.

He shook his head. It was true, he had never made a big deal about Brittany's reading and writing level, simply because he feared that if he did, the other children would feel slighted, and he knew that Brittany was not always the most popular child in the school. She had been through a great deal, her father was in prison, her family was wealthy, but never in his life had he met a child quite like Brittany Harrows before.

As he sunk into his contemplations, someone tapped on the door and he watched as it opened. "Michael?" A familiar voice emerged and he looked up to see his sister-in-law, Vicki Hudson standing in the doorway.

"Hey, how's it going?" She asked, but all the while noticing his glum expression.

"You look kind of lost, is everything OK?" Vicki eventually asked carefully, her voice soft.

"I just had to tell one of my kids that she was not allowed to do her book report on material that talks about God," Michael said softly as he stuffed a pile of reports into his briefcase. When he completed the task, he looked up at her.

"Those new rules," Vicki guessed, but when he nodded, she looked intently at her sister's husband. "It must be harder for you than for me because you work with children who are older and even more inquisitive than the little ones in my first grade classes. Does that even come close to why it is you are so glum?"

He nodded. "I wanted to tell her that I understood her feelings about this, but…" His voice trailed off.

"You do, Michael, more than a lot of people do," Vicki said softly as she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"What can you tell me about Brittany Harrows, Vicki? She's one of your former students, but there is something about her that is special, I can see it, she just doesn't seem to believe it." He said softly.

As he spoke the custodian walked into the room and smiled warmly at them. "Hello there, Leo," Michael greeted the man by name and Vicki looked up and offered a cordial smile as well.

"Hello Michael," the custodian offered a reciprocating greeting and smiled. "I don't mean to interrupt you both, but you don't happen to be speaking of a little girl with long brown hair and who is wearing a yellow sweatshirt?"

"Yes, actually we are, her name is Brittany and she's one of my best students," Michael answered honestly. "Why do you ask?"

"I know, I may seem a bit forward in saying so, but she dropped this in the garbage container out in the hall just now," he said as he handed the small notebook to the teacher. "You may find out a lot more about Brittany if you read this. I read the first part, and it really is impressive work."

Vicki took the report from him and looked down at it as she began to read. "Well, she's always been smart, sensitive, and has more faith than just about anyone I have ever met," Vicki said softly.

Once he was gone, Vicki looked at Michael and spoke, her voice unhappy. "Is Brittany the student that you had to say no to with regards to the book report?" She handed the notebook to him after she had skimmed down the first page. "You really should read this, not as a teacher, but as an observer of the trials and tribulations of children," she said after the extended silence had passed.

The teacher nodded numbly. "I told her that the only way that I could allow her to do this report would be if a miracle was to happen. Now, from looking at it, I am convinced that maybe she did this, not because of rules or regulations, but because she's really trying to find some semblance of faith or trust again. It's my fault, if she loses her faith…" His voice trailed, but somewhere he found the words he wanted to say and continued speaking. "…It may sound hard to believe for you, but I really did want to hear that report. Then after class, Suzie Jeffries was talking to her and she said that I was an idiot for disallowing her to read it. I think she was right, I was an idiot."

"No, you weren't. You have a lot more to lose than most, Michael. You need this job and Sandy will need your support if your child is born with Down's syndrome."

"She didn't want to about it, and I said an abortion was out of the question, a child is a gift," Michael said softly.

"Yes, for you both, it is, but you know that in times like this, I think God sends all of us an angel to watch over, and help us. He has sent angels to us in the past, Michael and who's to say He won't do it again?" Vicki asked assuredly.

"You really believe all that, these stories that there was an angel hanging around this school?" Michael asked softly.

"You may think me crazy, but yes I do, I met two of them, and one of them is my friend, the other is Brittany's very best friend in the world. The point is, it's not just an issue of Brittany's wavering faith, but it's an issue of yours too. Michael, you are not at fault for your child being born with Downs anymore than it is your fault that you had to enforce rules you don't believe in. I've had to enforce rules like that too, and I know how hard it is."

"Hard doesn't even begin to describe how torn I am feeling, Vicki," he whispered.

Vicki smiled weakly. "I know, but whatever happens, maybe we should just accept that God is waiting for just the right moment to help make things right. You just never really know, Michael."

He nodded and grabbed his leather briefcase in one hand, and the report in the other. As he started to walk slowly from the room, Vicki watched him leaving, and after a few moments, she started to follow him.

"I'll talk to you later," she offered softly, but she knew that he had not heard her because she could see him disappearing down the hall and around a corner. Once he was gone, she sighed deeply and walked slowly towards the door leading outside, as she did, she glanced back to see that Leo had stopped working and was staring off in the direction that Michael had walked in.

Swallowing the lump that formed unconsciously in her throat, she walked with weighted steps towards the door of her classroom, all the while, her thoughts literally racing.

Outside, Brittany walked with weighted steps towards the bicycle rack. At this moment, she felt absolutely miserable, but for some reason, she had long since given up on the hope that she would see her best friend. Things were not all that hard, she was just angry and upset about the book report, but this felt as though it was much more critical, simply because of the all the events that were happening in her life now. For this reason, she had long since given up the hope that God would even care about her plight and send an angel to change her teacher's mind.

As she retrieved her bicycle, she unconsciously glanced skyward and took a deep breath. She could tell that the sky was getting darker by the minute and chances were that during this time of year, and in the wake of the flooding that had destroyed the farming community nearby. As the first drops of rain began to fall, she put her backpack on the back rack of her bike and covered it with a piece of plastic in order to keep her school books dry. As a bolt of lightening, followed by a crack of thunder could be seen and heard in the distance, she started to push the bicycle slowly across the school's courtyard.

She took a deep breath as she walked, her thoughts centered on the report that she was to write for her English teacher. She sighed deeply all the while wondering why it was that God or anything remotely relating to Him could possibly be against the rules.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had been watching her from across the courtyard and was now slowly following her, their light footsteps much softer than the sounds of her clattering bicycle or the distant thunder.

The drops of rain started to fall much quicker than before, and eventually, Brittany could now feel the steady shower was forcing her to find some sort of shelter. When she reached the end of the street, she noticed that there was a small church there, and without thinking, she ran towards the door, all the while trying to ignore the wetness as it splashed against her face and arms.

She sighed deeply and when she reached the church, she pulled her bicycle up against the building and once she had grabbed hold of her backpack, she ran towards the partition that would offer her some sort of shelter from the rain. This proved quickly unsuccessful because the wind direction suddenly shifted and she could once more feel the rain against her face. Instead of standing there and getting drenched, she rushed inside the small building, the door slamming behind her.

Behind her, Leo was walking and when he saw that although her bicycle was parked in front of the church, it was still getting wet. Without even thinking, he shoved the child’s bike over towards the partition and parked underneath the wooden structure, thus providing it some shelter from the passing shower. Once he had finished this task, he waited some minutes before deciding to go inside the church and talk with the little girl. The last thing he wanted to do was to behave in a way that would frighten or startle her.

After a few moments, he walked back towards the church, opened the heavy wooden door and stepped into the small, but relatively darkened foyer. He looked around the area, his gaze now on a pane of glass that showed him the inner recesses of the small, welcoming, and brightly lit sanctuary.

As he stood and watched the little girl through the large pane of glass, he could see that she was standing off to one side and was staring up at something that was hanging on the wall. A portrait seemed to almost beckon her. He opened the door and went into the sanctuary and he was able to see what it was that had captivated her.

Coming closer, He could see a portrait that hung on the wall, the little girl's eyes seemed to be staring at it as if in complete captivation, but he decided that it would be better to just watch her for a few more moments instead of abruptly approaching.

"You know her?" A voice emerged and he looked up to see a man who looked to be about sixty-years-old standing next to him.

"Not really, I only met her once today at the school," Leo responded as he dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped his face with it before returning it to his pocket.

"I used to see her all the time, she probably wouldn't remember me, but her grandfather used to hang around here a lot. He and I would get into debates constantly about scriptures and passages. He said that I was the only preacher in town who would put up with his shenanigans. He was a member of this church since I was in diapers, and when I came in as the preacher, he said: 'Now, I won't call you by some fancy title, you're Justin and that's it.' He was really a great guy, seemed so different from the rest of his family. In fact, I haven't seen any of this particular family here until today," the man responded as he motioned towards the unhappy child.

"Brittany?" Leo asked as the man nodded. "I see." He continued to watch the little girl. She finally had stopped looking at the portrait and had gone to sit down on the floor in front of the altar. Leo looked at the man as he continued to speak. "Please excuse me for a moment, I need to check something outside," he offered as he walked slowly towards the door.

Once outside, he sighed deeply, but could feel the rain as it continued to pour down on the town. Justin eventually came outside and joined Leo at the front entrance. Together, the two men looked out across the now soggy grounds.

"Yes, I'm just passing through, arrived and started working here today, I got a job out at the school. That's actually where I met Brittany," he responded. "She seems like a very special little girl, very smart, insightful, but all the words that people may say about her seems almost contradictory to what is going on with her now."

"I know what you mean; even though I haven't seen her in years, I know how she used to be. She was always happy when she came here, she carried that excitement around and it became contagious. Now, she seems different somehow. I only wish that people would notice this in her, no one seems to care much anymore about what is going on, they look at profit margins and other stuff, but they've forgotten what is really important."

"Maybe they're just waiting for someone to show them, maybe you?" Leo asked softly.

"I don't know about that, people aren't much into praying these days," the minister whispered softly. "The thing is this is a small town, and there's a lot of talking that goes on around here. I hear more rumors than I would like to admit to hearing. There are things you just might pick up on at the local diner that you wouldn't repeat without police protection."

"Just things that I wouldn't have the courage to repeat, things that are centered around that little girl's family," he said softly. "I have heard stories that said that some of their workers are crooks, that they would not think twice about harming or killing any of them."

"I wouldn't put it past any of them, if they want money, then they'll hurt anyone or anything that will keep them from getting it," Justin said softly.

The preacher shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? These are just the words of an old man, it's not like there's any validity to them. Come on, let's get back inside, I still have work to do."

Leo nodded and turned to follow the man back inside the building. Sadly, he had the same feelings that the pastor had, but when he glanced up and made eye contact with two men who were now walking along the adjacent street, he nodded. Something was going to happen that day, and although no one knew what it was, the future of this small town would hang in the balance of one very innocent, and very brave little girl.

Brittany had, by this time, gotten up off the floor and walked back over to the portrait and stood staring up at it for some minutes. In the painting, she saw a man holding a small child lovingly in his arms, all the while showing her the intricate petals of a small flower.

As she stared at it, she realized that, for some reason, there was something truly beautiful about the picture and somehow it managed to evoke an emotional response in her. When she suddenly felt the tears streaming down over her face, she realized how much she truly wished that someone would hold her as depicted in the picture. Through her innocent eyes, she could see the image of a loving father, a confidant and friend, but yet the more she stared at it, the sadder she became. Eventually, she turned away from it and made her way towards a small guest book that was situated on one side of the room. She stared down at the scrawled writing that was inside it, all the while trying to wipe the persistent tears from beneath her eyes.

"I see someone has decided to come in from the weather," a voice emerged and she abruptly turned around and looked into a pair of emphatic brown eyes.

"I guess so," Brittany said softly. "'I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be in here, but it's raining and I didn't want to get wet."

"Oh nonsense, that's why a church is here. The house of the Lord is just as much a sanctuary for children coming in from a passing shower as it is for adults who want to hear me give a lesson." he smiled reassuringly at her. "I see you are looking at the guest register, we started this here about a year ago after one of our members went to Europe and visited a number of churches and cathedrals who also had these," he smiled as he looked down at the book. "This is one of the neatest things to have because our guests here come from all over the world, and most of the time we may not even know which corner they come from. A guest register will show us where our visitors have come from."

"I used to want to leave here and go somewhere else, but it didn't happen," she smiled weakly as she brushed her hand through the pages, but her gaze returned to the portrait.

"My name is Justin Waters, I'm the pastor here," he introduced himself all the while noticing her movements. "You're Brittany Harrows, right?"

"How do you know?" she whispered as she looked back in the direction of the painting on the wall and too shy to make eye contact with him.

"I knew your grandfather," he answered. "He used to come to church here. This was probably before you remember, but he would bring you here with him and you used to cry during the lessons and aggravate the old ladies."

"I figured as much, you were quite small the last time I saw you. Now, you've grown into quite the young lady." He smiled gently at her as a soft chuckle emerged. "I also noticed that you seem to be quite entranced with the picture on the wall over there," he said softly. "I like this picture myself and am quite fond of it, too."

"Yes, and depending on how you look at it, will depend on who the man in the picture is. To every person, he may be someone different," Justin said smiling.

Brittany nodded. "I like it, he looks like a nice man, like someone who would never hurt or disappoint me."

The pastor nodded. "That he is," he smiled gently at her. "I'll tell you what, I still have some work to do in my office, and even though I'm pretty sure that the rain will be letting up soon, it also might be a good idea for you to call your folks and tell them that you got held up because of the weather. You can tell them know you're here and that nothing has happened to you. What's say we go to my office and you can call them, and then afterwards you can come back here and have a look around until the rain lets up? How does that sound?" He suggested.

She nodded and walked with him to the office. "Thank you, I guess it's a good idea that I call home because my mom might be really worried that I didn't come home right after school."

As he showed her to the office, Brittany was able to make her call and once her mother knew that she was safe, they said their good-byes and the little girl walked alone back to the sanctuary.

As she reached the room, she saw a familiar man seated in the pew at the very front of the church. She walked slowly, but hesitantly, towards the front of the church and sat down on the opposite side of the aisle and stared at the altar, her thoughts literally racing out of control, but she glanced over at the man whom she recognized to be the custodian from her school.

At that moment, he looked up and spoke, his voice soft and gentle as he greeted her. "Oh, hello."

Brittany responded with a somewhat nervous nod of her head, but she stood up with the intention of leaving, but the man's voice caused her to stop this action and to sit back down on the pew.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Do you remember me, you were helping me with my job at your school?" he asked smiling and once she nodded, he continued. "You know, I don't know too many people around here, I just got into town today and managed to get this job. You really helped me with that, you helped make it possible for me to do a thorough job and to make a good first impression."

Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "I only picked up a piece of paper, it was no big deal."

He nodded. "It was a very nice gesture. My name's Leo, and based on the report I found and from talking to Justin Waters just now, I know that your name is Brittany, right?"

"If you don't mind me saying so, you seem to have a lot on your mind," he said softly. "I can't help but wonder if you really had wanted to throw your report away, I mean, it looked as though you had put so much work into it. Why did you throw that away?"

"Why would so much hard work be considered useless?" He asked softly as he looked at her.

Brittany took a deep breath but shrugged her shoulders as she got to her feet and started to walk away from him. "I'm going to see if it's stopped raining." As she spoke, he looked over at the window and could hear the sounds of the falling rain still hitting against it. Seconds passed and she literally jumped when the sounds of thunder resonated the small church.

Leo looked at her. "I guess from the sounds of it, neither of us will be leaving this place any time soon, we're kind of stuck here for the moment," He smiled as he looked at her, his eyes intent, but there was a trace of openness in them that reminded her so much of Adam. "Why are you so unhappy, Brittany?" He eventually asked.

"I miss my best friend," she mumbled more to herself than to him, but she reached into the pocket of her dress and felt the smooth surface of the golden pocket watch that rested in there. "He's really far away, and now I really need him. I want to see him so badly, but just like everyone else, he's working and doesn't have time for me," she shrugged her shoulders.

"I see," came the simple response and he looked at her. "Well, maybe I can help, if you need somebody to talk to, you can talk to me, I'm a really good listener."

Brittany shook her head. "It won't do any good, because you can't make things better."

"Well, that's true, I can't make things better, but I can listen and sometimes after having talked about how you feel, things tend to be a little better because they start to make a bit more since," he said softly. "You know whenever you talk to your mom or your friends, things somehow find their ways of working out, so why don't you give it a try?"

"I promise, I won't betray your trust, I have it from the highest authority that you can talk to me," he said smiling down at the little girl and waited as she processed his suggestion.

After a few moments, she spoke, her words barely audible. "I just wish that Adam was here," she said weakly. "I haven't seen him since my cousin, Jason, came to live with us, and that was months ago. I just miss him, I mean, I just want to understand why there are rules that say we can't talk about God at school, or why it is that my best friend is never here when I really need him."

"I take it you believe that your friend, Adam, could possibly shed some light on things?" Leo asked gently.

"Yeah, he's really smart," Brittany said softly. "When I was really little he would come, tell me stories, and sing me songs. He'd talk about God a lot, but he made it seem like God was right there in the room with us, and that He loved and understood us. Now I just don't know anymore. Everything is bad again, and Adam's not here to make things better. I think God hates me now."

"Are you completely certain of that?" Leo asked softly, but when she nodded, he continued. "I don't think you are, look at where you are sitting right now."

Brittany looked around the sanctuary, her eyes unhappy, but eventually, she looked at him. "Maybe," she mused. "I just wish I knew for certain that He's there and that He understands me."

"He understands you better than you think," Leo said softly. "Of that, you can be certain."

She shrugged her shoulders as the pastor came up the aisle and spoke. "It stopped raining, and now the sun's out."

Brittany nodded and without another word, she walked up the aisle and outside. The pastor looked at Leo and then at the altar. "I suppose its no secret that although her that her family is rich in material possessions, they are seriously lacking in the things that are really important."

"Like paying attention to and accepting that child," Leo nodded and watched as the heavy wooden door closed behind the little girl. "They believe that they are losing everything, but the greatest treasure stands before them and they don't even realize it." He shook his head sadly.

"Yes, that's true, and now the Livingston family is quickly losing everything, the local media is trying to second guess what will happen, but no one can really determine this," he shrugged his shoulders. "This whole thing is hitting that little girl profoundly, I can tell by looking at her. I haven't seen the surviving members of the family in years, but I always remembered things Kyle would say, and one of the things he said was that she was his greatest treasure, his most priceless and wonderful gift. He always wanted to instill his faith in her, but being surrounded by a family that focuses only on money may not be easy for this little girl to keep her faith."

"But, she has managed in some ways to keep it, right? I mean; think about it, look at where she chose to come, and this is no coincidence, Justin, there is no such thing as these kinds of chance occurrences," Leo said softly and once the pastor nodded he sighed sadly. "Seeing as that may be the case, then maybe that's all she has left, and maybe this faith is wavering under the weight of everything else that she is experiencing."

Leo glanced towards the door to the church and after a few moments, he got to his feet. "Maybe all they need is someone to inspire them otherwise." He smiled and walked up the aisle towards the door leading outside.

The pastor nodded, maybe this stranger was right, and maybe he had the ability to wake up this sleepy little town. It seemed to him to be more or less an uphill battle. This seemed to have come about only in the wake of the flooding. People had lost everything, their faith included.

At that moment, the pastor was thoroughly convinced that Leo would have quite a battle ahead of him if he were to help the locals realize this.

As Brittany came up the walk to the large house where she lived, she could hear her mother yelling something at one of the many employees of the failing family business. The little girl sighed deeply as she opened the door and went inside. The house was, for the most part empty except for the meeting that was taking place in the front hallway of the house. Holly Harrows had arranged with an advisor to come in and work with her on salvaging what was left from the fields that had been destroyed by the floods.

The little girl looked around the large entryway and after a few seconds, she made eye contact with the advisor who was headedly arguing with her mother. Without disturbing either of them, Brittany left her mother alone with the advisor and silently walked through the foyer and up the stairs, all the while awaiting the comfort and sanctuary of her bedroom.

When she reached the door, she calmly opened it and closed it once she was safely in her room. She went over to the desk and picked up the paperback copy of 'Swiss Family Robinson' and opened it. After a few moments had passed and she could still hear the shouting literally engulfing the house, she decided that working on her report would be hopeless. She put the book back down on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "What am I supposed to do now?" She asked the stillness, all the while not really expecting any sort of answer, but sighing deeply as she stared down at the hard wooden surface of the desk. The book had been shoved to one side, but she grabbed her backpack and pulled as small folder out and opened it to the first blank page.

She had needed to write that report because somehow through it, she wanted to find her wavering faith once again. Yet, in the wake of her family's financial troubles seemed to be all she had left, and yet, no one seemed to understand the need she had for it.

She stared down at the blank page as she automatically wrote her name on the top right hand corner of it. As she did, she found herself staring down at her uneven handwriting. "What should I do now?" She repeated the question and after a few moments, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a gentle voice emerging.

"Don't give up hope, Brittany. No matter what may happen, don't lose hope, little one," Adam's voice suddenly emerged and she abruptly turned around to see that her best friend was now standing in the room. The angel had appeared from out of nowhere, and when she saw that he was dressed casually, she smiled as she looked up at him. The first thing she noticed, however, was that he no longer wore a beard, and his salt and pepper hair was growing out and had a wavy texture to it. She stood up, her small arms reaching out to him and wanting to be taken gently into his comforting embrace.

"Adam, it's you, y-you're here," she whispered, her eyes filled with sadness and lost hope. She shook her head in disbelief, but when she reached him, she could see that he was completely encased in sadness, and that his usual energy was not present. Yet, contrary to his hesitant assurances, as soon as she could feel his arms under her hands, she swallowed, her eyes filling with tears. "I missed you."

"Hello sweetheart," the angel got down on his knees so that he would be eye-level with her. As he looked at her, he tried to force a smile, the overwhelming sadness embodied him and he tried without much success at keeping a brave face as he looked deeply into the eyes of his young and very special friend. "You have a great deal on your mind, don't you, little one?" He asked softly. "All this fear and sadness that you carry are not directed towards your teacher or the book report, but rather about all the things happening to you at this time, and you need some support, don't you?"

She nodded numbly, her gaze now on the ground. "W-where have you been?" She whispered as she felt the angel taking her into his embrace.

"I've been working, little one," he offered honestly. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, honey, but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere until you're doing better. Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

At the moment when she was about to offer an answer to his inquiry, they were jarred back to reality when the sounds of a loud crash erupted the stillness of her room and Brittany looked at Adam with unsuppressed fright. "W-what was that?" She whispered all the while wanting to leave her room and go downstairs in order to find out what was happening.

She could hear what seemed to be the sounds of china shattering against the linoleum floor. This loud sound seemed to engulf the entire house and as Andrew, another Angel of Death appeared in the room, Brittany ignored this as the resonance of her mother's shouts reached a piercing almost frightened tone, and the young girl eventually turned and looked at Andrew, a question looming.

Andrew, like Adam seemed to carry himself with extreme sadness and the angel took a deep breath before walking towards the door leading out into the hallway. "Andrew," she whispered his name, her tiny voice barely audible, but the angel stopped and turned around.

As she looked up at him, she could see that unlike Adam, Andrew was dressed impeccably in a beige suit and tie, the angel glowing somewhat and seeing this, caused an involuntary shiver to curse through the child's fragile body once she realized what was happening, Andrew was there to work, something was about to happen and Brittany tried without success to remain calm, but her first intention was to flee from her room and run downstairs to warn her mother.

Before she could leave, Andrew reached out and touched her shoulder and Adam went over and took the child in his arms. "Don't go out there, Brittany," Andrew said softly as he got down on his knees next to where Adam was now firmly holding her in his embrace. "It would be too dangerous for you out there. For your own safety, you should stay right here with Adam. I'm going to see what is happening, but please don't leave this room, sweetheart." As he gently pleaded with her, he brushed a gentle hand through the girl's hair and looked at Adam. "This is very serious," he whispered, but left the room before Brittany could respond.

Once they were alone, Adam maintained his hold on her, his hands brushing through her long brown hair. "I'm scared," she whimpered softly. "Please make this stop, Adam," she continued to cry as the sounds of the heated argument resumed.

"Shhh, I know, honey, but you're not alone now," Adam whispered as the argument dissolved and the sound of a gunshot could be heard in every corner of the large house.

Brittany screamed shrilly as she covered her ears with her hands, the explosion of the gun literally piercing her ears. Seconds passed and Adam sighed deeply as he looked serenely into the eyes of the little girl. "Brittany, I want you to listen to me, sweetheart, do you remember how to alert the authorities? You did this once when Tess was here, now you need to do so again," the angel said soothingly as the sounds of a gun firing continued to be heard and a woman's agonized screams became the only sounds to be heard.

Brittany began to cry hysterically, all the while calling out to her mother, but Adam reached over and grabbed her quavering hand tightly but gently in his own. This prevented her from leaving the room, but all the while, he could feel her frantically struggling against his hold. "Brittany, you need to press the alarm button, now."

With tears still streaming down over her face, her small body wavering, she managed to make her way over to the alarm system that was on an adjacent wall. She pressed the button as hard as she could, but all the while, she sank to the ground as one word emerged from her quavering lips. "Mommy."

Adam had, by this time reached her side and pulled her into his arms and she continued to scream hysterically for her mother. She could no longer hear the sounds of her mother's voice, and this frightened her and she buried her face against the angel's chest, her agonized sobs hitting him directly in the center of his gentle heart.

Several minutes passed, and she could hear a loud siren in the distance, thus breaking the stillness of the area. She slowly broke out of the embrace and walked over to the window only to see someone running across the grounds in the direction of the adjacent woods. She could tell even from the distance that his clothes were the same as what she has seen on the man when she had come home and seen them talking in the foyer of the large house.

As an uncanny and eerie silence descended on the house, Brittany backed slowly away from the window and looked at Adam, all the while trying to decide what to do. When she heard the paramedics banging on the downstairs door, Brittany fled from her room, ran down the hall, and stumbled down the stairs; the angel having no choice, but to follow close behind.

When she reached the landing she rounded a corner with the intention of opening the front door. However, much to her horror, she discovered that the body of her mother was on the floor in a puddle of blood. Andrew was holding Holly's limp body in his arms and she could see that the angel was whispering something to the woman.

Seconds passed and Andrew stopped speaking, but he eventually looked up to see that they were both watching him. Taking a deep breath, Andrew gently put the body of the woman on the floor, his eyes filling with tears as he wretchedly shook his head as he brushed his hand over Holly's face, thus closing her eyes.

"She's gone," Adam whispered despondently as the paramedics grew impatient with waiting at the door, and eventually they had no choice but to break down the door in order to gain access to the house.

As the three of them reached the woman's body, they could clearly see that they were, tragically, too late. Brittany stood in shock, her young face losing all its color. The young girl's feet were practically rooted to the floor, and as they were pulling a gurney into the foyer of the house, she completely lost control of herself and crumpled to the ground in a heap, her arms reaching out to hold her mother, hoping desperately that her mother would return the embrace she was ready to give. Two of the three paramedics seemed not to notice the child, but one, a middle-aged woman approached the little girl on the ground.

Brittany did not seem to feel anything, even after the woman had reached her and rested a gentle hand on the child's shoulder. Instead, all she could hear echoing in her mind was the absolute finality of Adam's words as they hit her full force. She struggled against the woman who held her and she tried to crawl over to her mother, the skirt she wore now damp from the blood that was on the floor next to her mother's unmoving body.

"No, don't take my Mommy away," Brittany eventually whimpered as she reached for her mother's limp hand, but as she held the hand of her mother and did not feel the warmth of her mother reciprocating this simple gesture. Heartbroken, she closed her eyes as soft sobs emerged.

At that moment, she became consciously aware that the female paramedic was pulling her away from her mother's body, and she fought with all that was inside of her to be allowed to remain next to Holly. "Mommy," she screamed with agony as the words she had heard passing between the two angels repeated themselves over and over in her conscious. "No!" She screamed with all that was inside of her.

Seconds later, the paramedics had successfully loaded Holly's body into an ambulance while their colleague remained with Brittany and had started to help the grief-stricken child get to her feet. "Come with us, sweetheart," she said and Brittany numbly nodded and walked with the woman outside. Once she crawled into the back of the ambulance with her mother, she allowed the tears to relentlessly fall.

"We'll do everything we can for her, sweetheart," the kindly paramedic said, her voice gentle as her two colleagues continued their futile attempts to revive Holly.

The paramedic looked at the little girl. "Why would you reach that conclusion, honey?" She asked softly.

"An angel told me, but he only comes to see me when things are bad," she whispered, her head hanging and she wrapped her arms self-consciously around herself, but seconds later, she sank into herself and lost consciousness.

For her part, the paramedic regarded the small child with surprise. "I think she's under shock, but I don't get it, how would she know that her mother is dead, there has been no verification of it?" the woman asked.

The other man shook his head and looked down at Holly. "But she is, I mean; with a gunshot to the heart, I would guess that this little girl witnessed the whole thing." He cast a sideways glance towards Brittany and when he saw her innocent face, he shook his head sadly. Something deep inside of him kept telling him that something traumatic had happened to the child, but what it was would probably remain trapped inside her broken, possibly shattered heart.

Ten minutes later, the ambulance arrived at the emergency room and the paramedics helped a now conscious Brittany climb out of the back of it. Next to her, Adam stood, his arm around the child's shoulders, but her eyes were on Andrew who was now accompanying Holly's body into the large glass building.

As she entered the large and brightly decorated waiting room, Brittany looked around. Once her mother had been wheeled into the internal sanctions of the emergency room, the small child was gently told to go and sit down in one corner of the waiting room and the on duty staff would contact her family.

When she finally managed to heed these words and went to sit down, she could not sit still even after slowly lowering herself into a chair. She seemed not to notice that Adam had remained by her side and instead, she stared helplessly down at the floor.

For the next minutes, she sat and waited for someone to arrive, all the while she looked around the busy room in hopes that Adam would say something. She had heard his breathing right next to her, his eyes closing often and his soft utterances becoming his silent prayers that the Father would somehow help the little girl and her family.

Eventually, he glanced over at her and could see that she was now looking up at him, her eyes filled with an almost unfamiliar gleam. As she looked away from him, he could see that now she was staring down at the linoleum floor in the large and uninviting place.

For her part, she continued to take in this place, her eyes scanning the room and recognizing that very few people were present, and none of them seemed to really pay any attention to her. After some time had passed, she lowered her head once again and kept it down as Adam spoke, his words filled with melancholy.

"I'm sorry I couldn't always stay with you, sweetheart," he whispered, "but we need to talk about something really important," the angel whispered, his voice filled with traces of agony and sadness.

Adam nodded numbly. "I'm so sorry, honey," he whispered, his eyes filled with sadness, his voice cracking with emotion. "Andrew had to take her Home…"

Before he could say anything further to her, the little girl got up and stumbled away from him, her face a depiction of pain. "That's why you're here, isn't it?" She asked weakly as she turned around and faced him, her face was filled with bitterness and indescribable heartbreak. "You didn't care about me, you don't even love me, it's your job, and you just show up to take my mommy away from me. Why did you ever tell me that God was good, when all He wants to do is take away everyone I ever loved?"

"No, Brittany, that's not the reason why I'm here and it's certainly not the way things are." When she pushed away from him, he continued to speak, his voice gentle. "Please, honey, that's not the case at all, I love you very much, and I truly wish I could have come sooner," the angel whispered, agony shadowing his handsome face. "I'm here, now because I care about you, you're my friend."

"Stay away from me," she whimpered as she turned back around and ran towards the chapel. "Just leave me alone," She shouted as she disappeared inside the small room, the door slamming behind her.

Once she was gone, Adam looked up and saw Brittany's uncle, Hunter Livingston coming through the large glass doors, the man's eyes filled with horror and sadness, but it was obvious that he was still reeling from the news that his sister had been rushed to the hospital. When Hunter reached the unhappy angel, he stopped before seating himself in one of the chairs.

"Adam, you're here?" He asked softly, as a means of greeting the angel, but all the while acknowledging that the angel was someone the whole family knew. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

"One of the advisors to your family's business shot Holly this afternoon," Adam began and looked at the man sadly. "I honestly don't know anything else that happened, Hunter, I wasn't assigned to the case. Andrew was and maybe when you see him again, you can ask him what all had happened, and what specifically he had seen."

"That means that I can't ask Holly, because she's…" Hunter started to speak, but his voice trailed off and he looked at the angel with utter heartbreak in his eyes. "Adam, I don't blame you for this, but please, just tell me what you know."

"Holly didn't make it, that's all I do know," the angel said softly. "After it happened, Brittany saw a man running from the house," he stared despondently down at his lap. "She's angry with me right now, Hunter, I just tried to talked to her and she said that I was only here to hurt her."

"Yes," Adam whispered. "I truly do understand and realize that there was really nothing that I could have done to help Brittany, but I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to be there for her, and help her as much as I could," he whispered sadly as the tears streamed from beneath his unhappy gray eyes.

"Brittany loves you, Adam, I've seen it in her so many times," Hunter said softly. "You can't believe that she would just turn her back on you. That's not like her."

"Perhaps not, but we're talking about her mother, and because of what I am, I'm a reminder to her of all that she's lost. There's nothing I can do for her, and I've been informed that I am to leave her alone," Adam said in an agonized whisper with misery in his voice. "I failed, Hunter. I failed Brittany, Holly, and I think I even failed the Father."

"How could you have, you didn't create this situation, Adam?" Hunter asked, but he might as well have been talking to himself, because Adam was now gone and the young man was left seated in the room alone. Sighing deeply, he looked down at his lap, but after a few moments, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up to see that Monica now stood before him and she was smiling down at him.

"How could I forget you, Monica?" He asked softly as he stood up. "You were here and sort of helped Sam and me get together."

"Yes, I guess you do remember, sometimes humans forget, but it's nice to know that you remember," she said softly. "It's really nice to see you again, it's been a long time."

"Where's Tess?" He asked weakly. "I figured that when I would see you, I'd see her again, too."

Monica's smile faded slightly, but she looked at Hunter, her face still cheerful and filled with vitality. "Actually, I've taken Tess' place as supervisor. She went Home and started a new job," she smiled weakly at him. "I was promoted about a month ago, but I'm back here to help you and your family again."

"I guess you know, we need all the help we can get," Hunter said softly. "I suppose you know what happened to Holly this afternoon?"

"Yes, I do," she said nodding. "I was informed this afternoon that Andrew had come to handle the transition. Now, I'm here to help you and your family adjust to this tragedy."

"I honestly don't know what you can do, Monica," he whispered. "I know that it was a mistake to have Holly do the negotiations here, but you know how stubborn she is with stuff like that. I knew from the start that there was something shifty and underhanded about that guy, but she insisted that I should hire him and have him work up at the house. Money had started to disappear, accounts had been closed, and the truth is, I just didn't trust him, and now…" His voice trailed off and he stared despondently down at his shoes all the while getting to his feet. "…Now, I know why."

"Sit down," the angel said gently and helped the man to once again sit back down on one of the plush chairs. "I don't know what to say, and all of this has happened so suddenly, but you're not alone Hunter, and neither is that wee girl. She may have shoved Adam away, but she will need help and very soon, and I have it from the highest authority that when Brittany is ready, Adam will be back to help her. Right now, he must cope with the guilt that he carries in the depths of his heart about this event. Yet, through it all, I can promise you this; he will be back."

"I'm afraid, Monica, I don't know what to do; I feel so foolish," Hunter said softly.

"Whatever for? Hunter, your family has been a victim of a crime, and there is nothing that you could have done to prevent it," she whispered.

"There must have been something," he said defiantly. "I could have changed everything. I could have just said no and not hired the guy. Even then I could have told Holly not to enter into negotiations with anyone, without me being present." He shook his head. "My family's losing everything, and now Brittany has lost her mother." At that moment, the tears spilled down over his cheeks and he collapsed in the angel's loving embrace.

Monica wrapped her arms around him and held him, but as she looked up, she could see that someone had followed the little girl into the chapel, and she smiled weakly as she recognized whom it was. The child was indeed in the very best of hands. Sighing deeply, she brushed her hand over Hunter's head, this time not saying anything, just offering her silent comfort until the doctor had come out into the waiting room and cleared his throat, thus causing them both to raise their heads.

"Excuse me, is there anyone from Harrows or Livingston families here?" The doctor asked.

Hunter released his hold on Monica and stood up, his knees trembling as he walked towards the doctor. "Yes, I'm Holly's brother, Hunter Livingston."

"The paramedic said that there was a little girl," the doctor said softly, his eyes now scanning the large room.

"Yes, she's in the chapel, with a friend," Monica said as she stood up and joined them. "I'm Monica."

"She's a really good friend of the family," Hunter explained when the doctor cast a skeptical glance in the angel's direction.

Hunter and Monica walked down the hall with the doctor and when they reached a small office, he ushered them inside. As soon as the door closed behind them, the doctor looked across his desk at them. "From the way you both look, I take it there is not much for me to say. Mr. Livingston, I'm terribly sorry. We did everything we could to help her, but from the look of things, we were battling a power way beyond our control."

Hunter nodded numbly. "She has a little girl, can you tell me honestly, how I will break this news to Brittany?"

The doctor shook his head sadly. "There are a number of crisis centers here in town that might be able to assist your family during this traumatic time, but aside from that, the only thing I can tell you is that I will be praying for all of you. Maybe that will help, around here it can't hurt."

Hunter numbly got to his feet. "Maybe," he whispered. "But, right now, I just want some justice for this, I want the police to find that scoundrel. Prayers can come later." With that, he got to his feet and angrily left the office.

Monica followed suit, but before leaving the office, she thanked the doctor and stepped out into the hallway. As she rounded a corner, she saw Hunter standing at the other end of the long corridor. She started to walk towards him but stopped some three feet away and spoke.

"Prayer does help, Hunter," she said to the man. "Right now, it seems really hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"Maybe for an angel," he choked back his tears. "My sister was never really the praying kind, look at how long it took for her to accept Adam. Oh, Monica, I don't know what to do anymore, I don't know how to face my niece or how to handle this. I wish my father were here. He would have known what to do, he always did. There was something really wise about him, he could handle anything. Now, I'm the head of the family and I don't know what to do. What I would give to have him here with us."

"But he's not here, Hunter, and you are the head of this family," Monica said carefully, her voice gentle. "This means that you and your family must survive without him, and you will. Just trust that God is here and He loves and wants to help you all, but that means you have to reach out to Him and say 'help me, lift me up, Father', and know that He will do just that."

"I've lost my faith, Monica, I don't know if I will ever find it again," he whispered.

With that, he walked slowly away from her, his head down and his shoulders slumped. Monica stared after him and sighed as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she watched as he disappeared around a corner.

Across the town, Adam was walking alone, his eyes filled with sadness and his thought literally drifting. As he reached the water's edge along the banks of the small town lake, he looked out across the water as memories literally flooded him. He remembered all the times when Brittany and he had been in this place. He also remembered the afternoon when Sean had found him in this place. He recalled how the young boy had confided in him saying that he was his hero, and how flattered Adam had been in knowing this. Today, all of these events seemed to be a distant and remote memory for him.

He sighed deeply as he looked down at the ground. It was still wet from all the rain showers that seemed to have saturated the areas around the small Virginia town. Sinking down to his knees, he could feel the moistness of the cold earth seeping through his pants and touching his skin, but this seemed insignificant to him, his heart was breaking and he tried without success to forget all the hurtful words and actions that had brought him to this particular place.

Why did Holly have to die, what was the point to him coming only to watch his dear friend's mother being taken away from her? If the truth were to be known, Adam somehow believed that everything he had done had been wrong, that he had hurt Brittany more by coming now, than if he had just stayed away. He sighed deeply, his breathing uneven from these painful emotions out of his mind.

He looked up at this moment, and across the lake, he could see two people walking together, but they were too far away to pay him any mind. In the back of his mind, none of that mattered because he just wanted to be alone to cope with his own internalized turmoil. Lowering his head again, he could feel the tears that were streaming down his cheeks, but after a few seconds, someone had pressed a tissue in the despondent angel's trembling hand and he looked up. As he did, his eyes widened when he recognized whom it was who now stood before him. "Suzie?" He whispered her name, his throat dry and his voice raspy.

The child handed him a small bottle of water. "Here, take this, it will help," she whispered and watched as he opened the bottle and drank some of the contents. "Is that better?"

"Adam, I almost didn't recognize you without your beard," the child whispered as she looked at him. "You look different now," she said softly and smiled weakly at the angel, her eyes filled with love, contrary to the problems she had and the concern she now carried for him.

He shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath. "I was just thinking about you and the other children from Vicki's class," he offered her a brave, almost forced smile.

"Oh yeah, well, they're all gone now, Megan moved away, Sean goes to the other school now, and Matthew…" Her voice trailed off. "…Well, you know, he's with God."

Adam nodded and looked at the child now standing and looking at him. Instead of speaking, he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm not really in a very conversational mood, Suzie, but I do remember all the fun we had when I would have a chance to visit you and the others"

The young girl nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "I know what you mean," she whispered as she looked down at the ground.

"That doesn't really tell me anything, why don't you start from the beginning?" He whispered, as he suddenly noticed that the child looked as though she really needed a friend to listen to her. As if by impulse, his concerns shifted from his own troubles to that of the little girl. "Do you want to sit down?"

Adam looked down at his knees and chuckled softly. "So it is." He took off the trench coat he was wearing and spread it out on the ground. "Now you can sit down," he offered gently and once she was seated comfortably on the ground, he looked at her. "Tell me what has happened here, Suzie, I really need to know."

"Do you know how we used to talk about God at school, and you'd tell us stories?" Once the angel nodded, she continued. "Then, there was this time when Brittany had her appendix removed, it was on Halloween and we would sit down on the mat in the classroom and we would pray for her," Suzie whispered. "I remember how it used to help us whenever we would pray and ask God to help us. When you were here, it was like God was here too, but then, because of me things changed," the little girl whispered.

"I came home one day and I was telling my mom about how school was, and I mentioned that some of us would pray before we had lunch in the cafeteria. I didn't think anything of it, but my mom got mad and asked me why I was doing that," Suzie sighed deeply and looked at the angel. "I told her that I always talk to God, that I had learned from Brittany and Megan how to pray. Well, she got really mad at me and started yelling at me saying that our family didn't need God, and that we didn't believe in God, and because she and Daddy didn't believe in God that I shouldn't either."

"Yeah, but after that, she wouldn't let me pray anymore, she says that God is a joke and there is no such thing," she whispered. "Anyway, she was really mad that I had learned to pray in school and she decided that she was not going to pay school taxes and support a system that pushes this on kids." Suzie could feel the tears streaming down her face as she looked at the angel sadly.

"You're not allowed to?" Adam looked at the child. "Oh Suzie, everyone can pray, sweetheart, no one can tell you or make you stop praying. Even if it's in your thoughts, you can carry on a conversation with God at any time, in any place, you are not limited by outside forces."

"Yes I am, my mom and dad don't believe in God, Adam, and they don't want me to pray," she whispered. "My parents are the reason that no one else in school can. It's because she and my dad went to the school board and made sure that no one else was allowed to mention God anymore. It's their fault that Brittany couldn't read her book report today, and its their fault that Mr. Flores may have to flunk Brittany in English. I was in the doorway earlier when they talked and he said that if she doesn't write a report tonight, she's gonna fail English, and it's all my fault."

"Yes it is, some of the kids don't like me now because of what my mom and dad did, and I love my parents, Adam, but now…now…" She broke down and began to cry softly. "Just because my mom and dad don't believe in God…" Suzie's voice trailed off and she could feel the shame creeping up her cheeks. "But, I do," she quickly added. "I mean, you're an angel, I saw God's light in our classroom, and then I saw how much you cared for Brittany."

"I care for you too," Adam whispered smiling gently at her, "but Suzie, I don't understand why you blame yourself for this."

"It was my parents who got mad at me and said that there should not be anything about God allowed at school, and then they started making these rules about reports and free speech. They were saying that anything about God would not be tolerated. Kids can't pray together because they see it as wrong and this is all my fault," she whispered as she looked down at the ground, all the while waiting for the angel to get angry with her.

When he did not respond immediately, she looked up at him, the tears brimming from beneath her eyes. "Please say something," she begged all the while still fearing the worst. "Yell and scream at me, I don't care, just say something."

"It's their actions, not yours," the angel said softly. "Suzie, do you remember the time we spent together, how wonderful it was to be in the company of your class? Those are the things that you need to remember now. Remember all the fun we had, all the stories and jokes, Sean showing up at the school dressed in a beige suit? Do you remember."

Suzie smiled sadly as she looked at him. "I thought you'd be angry with me. I wanted to see you so bad," she whispered the tears streaming down her face. "But, I was so scared, I thought you had come back to tell me I was a failure to God. My parents don't want me to believe in God, they want me to look at things like they do, but I don't want to. I don't want to…" Her voice trailed off and she buried her tearstained face in her hands.

Adam looked at the child and smiled weakly as he enfolded her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap. "I know this may seem hard for you to believe, but you are not a failure to God, Suzie. You are in a very difficult situation right now, many adults wouldn't be able to handle it in the kind way you have. You are in the middle of an argument that is taking place between your parents, yourself, and your friends."

She nodded as tears continued to tumble down over her face. "I love my mom and dad, Adam, but I love God too, and I feel like I'm betraying Him because of my parents." She shook her head and looked down at the ground once again.

"You aren't. Do you remember what I told your class about free will?" He asked gently as he stroked the tears from her cheeks and smiled gently down at her.

"That's right, and the choices you make may affect others, but they are entirely your choices," he said gently. "God looks upon you in the same way. Your parents made choices, but those choices aren't a reflection on you. Other people may perceive it that way, sweetheart, but God doesn't, He loves you just as much as He always has. I promise you that, Suzie."

"Really? I mean; you're not just saying this because you're my friend?" She asked softly, her gaze still on the ground.

After a few seconds had passed, and her question remained somewhat in the air, she could feel that the angel had reached over, took her face in his gentle hands and tipped it up so that she would be looking at him. "I promise," he reaffirmed once she was looking at him.

In response to his words, the young girl threw herself into his arms and felt him wrapping her in a warm and loving embrace.

As they sat there for some time, Suzie found herself looking at him more intently. She could see the overall sadness that seemed to encase him and eventually she spoke, her question catapulting him back to reality. "Adam, why are you sad?" She eventually asked, her voice meek, but firm. "Is it something I said?"

"I am not sad because of you, Suzie, I'm sad because I was sent here during a time that has proven to be really hard and devastating for Brittany, and I don't know if or how I can help her," he whispered more to himself than to her.

"It's really too difficult for me to explain right now, sweetheart, but Brittany's lost her faith and now…" his voice trailed off and overcome with his emotions, the angel began to cry softly, his voice failing him and his pain coming forth.

Suzie looked at him, but instead of backing away from him, she remained wrapped in the angel's arms and seeing the hopelessness in his wise face only made her want to hold all the more tightly to him and comfort him as he wept. "Adam, I think God will make everything OK," she whispered softly to him as she kissed his tears away. "I know He will, I mean; He went and sent you."

The angel raised his head slowly, his eyes filled with sadness. "Thank you, Suzie," he whispered once he had made eye contact with the unhappy and heartbroken child who sat next to him. "I don't know what I can do, but maybe you can help."

"What can I do? I'm just a kid," she looked at him, but after a few moments, someone called her name and she looked at him apologetically. "I gotta go, my dad's calling me."

Adam nodded and looked at her. "Just go by Vicki Hudson's classroom tomorrow morning before school starts. It may be hard for you to be there, but if you are maybe you can help some of us help Brittany find her faith again."

"Then you're a few steps ahead of me because I haven't seen it yet," Adam whispered as Suzie started to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Suzie."

The girl nodded and once she was gone, the angel took a deep breath. He now knew what it was he would have to do, but seeing as things were not easy for anyone involved, he could not help but ponder what would happen next, or what the Father had in mind. "Thank you, Father for being in control of this situation," he whispered under his breath, got to his feet, and walked slowly back in the direction of the small town.

At the same time, inside the hospital chapel, Brittany was sitting in the front of the room, her head down and she staring at her hands. "Mommy," she whimpered every so often, but at the same time, she would pinch herself in the hopes of waking from some terrible dream. Eventually, she had to resolve herself to the horrible truth, her mother was gone, her life had, in the course of a few horrible hours turned completely upside down.

After about five minutes of being alone, the door opened and someone had come into the room, had walked quietly to the front of the room and sat down next to her.

When she didn't say anything, a soft masculine voice eventually emerged from the person who was now seated beside her, thus causing her to looked up and into a pair of emphatic blue eyes. "Hello, Brittany, I see we meet again."

She nodded as she looked away from Leo, her face the depiction of indescribable agony. "W-what are you doing here?" She whined softly as she tried without success at wiping the persistent tears from her eyes.

The little girl said nothing, she merely stared down at the marble style flooring without saying a word. When he received no answer, Leo looked around the room and then back at her. "You've had a really rough day, haven't you, little one?"

Instead of getting indignant with him and asking how he knew all of this, she simply nodded, her gaze still on the floor, her lips trembling but no sounds emerging except every so often to mumble the simple word 'mommy'.

Leo leaned over and touched her shoulder, his touch soothing and gentle. "This is a good place for you to be right now, Brittany," he whispered gently to her. "God will listen."

The little girl shook her head. "Why? I hate Him," she whispered more to herself than to the man seated next to her, but as she repeated these words, she could feel her body beginning to tremble because of her overwhelming emotions.

"He doesn't hate you, though," came the simple, but very soft answer. "It may seem hard to believe right now, but God brings peace to His children when they are sad. It is rather like that picture that we saw in the church today, the one you liked so much."

The child shook her head defiantly, the pain taking away any sense of rationale that she could have had. "It's a lie, it's all a lie, He hates me, and He takes everyone away that I love. To say that He loves me is a lie."

Leo shook his head. "No, sweetheart, it's the truth. There is a reason that you came in here, Brittany, and perhaps it is because you want to find that security because right now, you truly do need it."

Brittany looked at him, all the while wondering if he could read her thoughts. Eventually, she looked down at her lap, the tears still falling freely as she remembered the events that led up to her mother's death. As the thoughts literally engulfed her, she could feel herself breaking down. As she sobbed softly, her body began to literally shake like a leaf, the agony emerging in her emotions, but all the while, she maintained this old idea that her grandmother had instilled in her since the day her grandfather had died.

"Big girls don't cry," she whispered the statement all the while trying to keep her emotions under some sort of control. Yet, the more she tried to talk herself into believing this concept, the more her emotions careened out of her control, and she was unable to keep her tears at bay. "I want my mommy…" she whimpered again and again, the words meshing together until they emerged as garbled masses of syllables.

As her sobs grew in intensity, Leo leaned over, wrapped her in his arms, and gently pulled her onto his lap all the while holding her tightly in his arms. "Just cry sweetheart, it will bring you peace," he soothed her gently, his soft voice bringing her emotions out, and the pain emerging in her hysterical weeping.

Holding her, Leo could tell that Brittany did not need his coaxing to cry, she had simply cried, but he knew that this was not the end of the child's pain, it was the beginning. She would have to cry a few more times before she would find the healing she needed, and he had every intention of being there for her if ever she needed him.

Her sobs getting harder, the child buried her face against his chest and allowed her emotions to go full circle right there in his arms. As she felt this compassionate man holding her tightly in his embrace, her weeping grew in intensity until loud wails emerged from the child and she was literally screaming for her mother with all that was inside of her. "Mommy…" she cried desperately, her face still buried against Leo's chest. "I want my mommy…"

Leo nodded. "I know, baby girl, I know," he whispered as he brushed a gentle hand through her hair, his hands rough from the manual labor he had subjected them to, but at the same time, his hands seemed to have a calming affect on her.

After a few moments, her outburst had subsided and she could feel herself resting comfortably in his arms, her face still pressed against him and her breaths now coming in small gasps as she allowed her arms to wind around and hold tightly to him.

Seconds later and Hunter came into the chapel and found his niece asleep in the arms of a stranger and without thinking, he spoke up, his voice demanding, thus causing Brittany to open her eyes and raise her head somewhat. "What's going on here, who are you and what are you doing with my niece?"

"I know she's in shock, but that doesn't answer my question," Hunter said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Leo, and I met Brittany at the small community church this afternoon, and we've been sitting here talking," the soft answer emerged and he brushed a lock of Brittany's hair from her face. "She's exhausted, I think you need to take her home."

"Yes, I suppose I should," Hunter nodded and looked at the man as if trying to place him. "You look kind of familiar to me, have we met?"

"I don't really know, I work out at Brittany's school, started this morning, so maybe if you were there today, you saw me there," Leo smiled as Hunter took Brittany out of his arms and turned with the intention of carrying her out of the chapel. In the doorway, he stopped and turned around, but said nothing further.

Instead of leaving the chapel, Leo remained seated in the small room, his eyes taking in the place, until eventually, his gaze came to rest on the small altar. His mind was still on Brittany, but he could tell by looking at the child, that she had already been through so much and now it looked as though she would be going through even more.

At that moment, the door opened and Monica came into the small room. She had seen Hunter carrying Brittany out of the room, but as she came into the chapel and sat down in one of the seats in the back of the room, it was obvious that her thoughts were completely consumed because she had failed to see him present in the room.

As if by impulse, Leo turned around and smiled when he saw the angel seated in the room. "Monica," he whispered her name all the while smiling as he got to his feet and walked up the aisle towards her. Without speaking, he sat down in the seat in front of her and turned around so that he could see her, and as she looked up, he offered her a warm and cordial smile.

"You're here?" She whispered as she bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes. When she looked back up at him, she smiled as he nodded and spoke, thus responding to her inquiry.

"I am always with you," he said softly. "There is much to be done in this place, the child is in shock, she has lost her mother today and with that, she may have lost her faith as well as her best friend."

"No, she doesn't, not yet, she thinks that I'm a custodian at her school, and that's how it should remain, at least for now," he said softly. "Monica, this family needs an angel, they are on the threshold of losing everything, material wise, and otherwise. Everything that they made is being lost, and what it is they may spiritually lose far outweighs everything material that they could stand to lose, simply because right now, their faith lays in the balance."

Monica nodded. "I noticed that when I talked to Hunter a few minutes ago. He's completely devastated."

"They all are," Leo said softly. "You will help them, like you wanted to help me, and how you have helped so many others. I will be here with the child, she has already pushed Adam away, but as you know, he will not leave for good, and Brittany needs more than that which an angel can provide."

"How will you manage if she doesn't know the truth?" Monica asked softly. "I don't mean to sound angry, but she's in a lot of pain, and the murderer saw her before she went to her room."

Monica looked at him. "I trust you, but this is such a heavy burden for them, and it all appears to be resting on the shoulders of a ten-year-old girl."

Leo looked at her, "she won't be alone, Monica, I promise you, she's never been alone."

The angel nodded as Leo got to his feet and offered his hand to her. When she accepted it, they left the chapel together, neither of them speaking, but there was a great deal filling both of their minds. Monica's worries were centered on Brittany and her family, until eventually she found her voice and spoke. "Where should I go now?" She asked weakly.

"You're mainly assigned to Hunter, this is going to be very hard for him, because he will become legal guardian for Brittany and everything about this little girl is going to remind him of her mother," came the soft answer.

Monica nodded and smiled as she disappeared and Leo nodded. "You'll do fine, Monica, I have a great deal of faith in you," he whispered under his breath and within seconds, he too had vanished.

Vicki Hudson was sitting in her classroom two days later when someone tapped on the door and she looked up. School had not yet started and the teacher was taking advantage of the quiet time before her homeroom class was to filter into the room. Within seconds, Adam walked slowly into the room and when she looked up at him, her face was the depiction of about one thousand unasked questions. Yet, even then, she could not hide the surprise that embodied her at seeing the angel once again.

"Adam, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years," She offered a chair and watched as the depressed angel took a seat next to her desk. "What is it, what's wrong?" She asked softly when he did not respond to her initial question.

"I'm here because of Brittany," he whispered. "Vicki, I guess you heard the news, Brittany's mother was murdered two days ago."

Vicki nodded as she looked sadly at the angel who was standing in the room. "I read about it, but what happened, Adam? How did Holly Harrows get killed?" Her inquiry emerged with the hesitancy of a demand, but the angel knew that Vicki really cared for these children and he knew that she had a soft spot for the fetching young girl.

"Andrew was sent to her, Vicki, and I was with Brittany when it happened," the angel whispered as he covered his face with his trembling hands.

"Sit down, Adam," Vicki whispered gently. "I know that this must have come as a terrible shock to you."

He nodded, "it was terrible, Vicki," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion as tears streamed down over his face.

"Shhh, it's OK, Adam," Vicki soothed him gently as she wound her arm around his shoulders. "You need to try to calm down, my friend." Once he seemed to be in control of his emotions, she continued. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened to Holly Harrows?" She asked softly.

"I can't say much, all I know is that she was shot, and died in Andrew's arms yesterday," Adam whispered as Michael came into the room had had heard what Vicki had just said, but had clearly not fully picked up on Adam's agonized response.

Michael looked down at the report that he was holding in his hands but he looked at Adam and then back at Vicki. "What happened?" He finally managed to speak, his voice indicative of someone who was about to get some bad news, but was not really sure what was going to happen after that.

"Brittany's mother was murdered yesterday," Vicki responded, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Murdered?" Michael shook his head with profound disbelief, but when Vicki shook her head, he sank down to his knees. "Oh God no."

Michael took a deep breath, but shook his head. "Oh that poor kid," he whispered. "I was just going to tell you about this report that Brittany wanted to give. I read through it and I know that I made a big mistake."

"And thanks to Leo for having actually fished it out of the garbage," Vicki said as she ran her hand across the cover of the report.

"I've seen him around, but yes, he and I have met a few times," Adam offered. "The question that remains is, what are you going to do?"

The teacher looked down at the notebook and shook his head. "I don't know, I wish I did, but I don't."

Adam sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do either." He offered weakly, but looked at Vicki. "Brittany doesn't want to talk to me, but I really don't blame her for that. It hurts to say so, but I am what I am, and I cannot change that."

"I'm an angel," Adam whispered, the enthusiasm obviously not there, and Michael arched an eyebrow as the words emerged. He looked at Vicki and shook his head.

"It's true," Vicki whispered, but Michael still had a look on his face of utter disbelief.

"There are no angels, I think you're a loony," the teacher responded as he got to his feet, but continued, his voice harsher than intended. "And I really don't have time for this."

"What would make you believe it? If he glowed, or described Heaven?" Vicki asked weakly. "You have spent your life trying to make everything like a list. You cannot, Michael, some things are just things that cannot be described, or rationalized. They just exist."

"Why would God send an angel here? And if you are an angel, why now, why not a month ago when the rains started and the entire town was flooded out?" Michael asked as the classroom door opened and Suzie came inside, her ears picking up on the words of her teacher. "Why would God care when this town is full of people who renounce Him?"

"Because He's unconditional," Suzie whispered, thus causing Michael to look up and see her standing in the room.

"I don't know about that," Michael said softly as he started to walk towards the door without looking back. Eventually it was Vicki's voice that brought him crashing back down to Earth.

"You really should listen to Adam, or at the very least, listen to one of your students." Vicki said assuredly. "Suzie is a reliable source, would you believe Adam if Suzie were to tell you that Adam is an angel, sent by God?" She looked at her brother-in-law, her eyes intent.

"I don't know if I would believe anyone," Michael said as he tossed the report on the desk.

"Then maybe you should believe Brittany," Suzie said softly. "She wrote about it in this. I read it, and I loved it."

"You told Brittany that you believe in God, then how come an angel is so hard to believe?" She asked.

"Now wait a minute," Michael objected. "It may be strange for you to understand this Suzie, but I know it was your family that did this here, it was them who made us go by these new rules and regulations. I know, because my cousin is on the school board, so how can you turn around and tell me this?"

Suzie looked as though she had been slugged in the stomach, but without even a word to the two teachers, she fled the room, ran out into the hallway, thus leaving the three of them alone.

Once the child was gone, Vicki looked at Michael, her eyes blazing with anger. "How dare you say such things to her? She's only ten, Michael, and she is not at fault for anything that her parents did. She did everything she could to help fight these new rules, but do you even know how much of a burden that is for a little girl?"

"All I know is this new ruling has been a nightmare to contend with," Michael shot back defensively.

"I know, but a child is hardly at fault for what their parents choose to do. Did you even know that she would come into my room and pray? She told me about a week ago that this was the only place where she felt safe enough o talk to God without her mother finding out about it. Can you imagine having to grow up in a situation where your parents tell you that you are not allowed to have a relationship with God because they don't believe in Him?" When Michael shook his head, she continued. "I know that this rule has had a dramatic affect on you, but look at the impact it has had on the kids. Look at the fact that I could get into serious trouble for allowing Suzie to pray in my classroom, but to see her face, and to see how heartbroken this has made her, I won't say no. Sometimes, people have to put their moral ethics ahead of their job." Vicki shook her head as she looked at Adam. "You know about all of the stuff that Suzie was contending with, didn't you?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, two days ago I saw Suzie out at the lake, and she thought I would hate her for what her parents did. My heart really went out to her."

Adam shook his head. "No, she is trying to keep her faith even though people are saying things to her like you did just now. She is dealing with a lot, Michael, and a child who can keep her faith like she can is absolutely commendable."

Michael looked at Adam. "I still don't know if I believe that you're an angel, but you do leave a little bit of food for thought."

"Adam's words or Suzie's aren't enough to convince you of who Adam is, so maybe my words should suffice because I do know," Vicki began, her voice filled with gravity. "I have known for the last four years that angels do exist, that they walk the halls of this school sometimes and they help us. It is up to you to believe that Adam is an angel, but I can tell you, beyond any doubt, he speaks the truth, he's a messenger of God, Michael, and he's Brittany's best friend. If you choose to believe or not believe is up to you, yet from the looks of things, not only does Adam need help, but Suzie does too. I have a funny feeling that 'help' has something to do with that book report you hold in your hands." She looked at Adam. "What can we do?"

Adam shook his head. "I don't know, Vicki," he whispered. "May I take a look at that report, maybe it will help?"

Michael nodded and Vicki handed the angel the small notebook. Adam began to flip silently through the pages and he looked at Vicki. "Why would all this happen now, when everything else is going on in this town?"

"Yes, God knows," the angel said softly as the three of them looked towards the door.

Out in the hallway, Suzie walked with weighted steps towards the door that led out into the school's courtyard. It was a nice day, the sun was presently shining as she walked alone away from the school. As she was making her way across the courtyard, Brittany came up the walk in the opposite direction, her head down, and her hands behind her back.

"I have to give Mr. Flores my other report," Brittany said softly. "But, my uncle's waiting for me at home because I will have to miss school for a few days."

Brittany took a deep breath the pain emerging in her words although she tried without much success at keeping these words as unemotional as she could. "My mom is dead," she whispered and before Suzie could respond to her words, Brittany had left her standing in the courtyard. As Brittany walked slowly away, Suzie stared after her as she walked slowly towards the doorway that led into the school. Once she disappeared inside, Suzie walked away from the school. I'm not going today, she decided as she walked some ten minutes to the lake where she had met Adam.

As she plopped down on the grass, she looked out across the water. This was always such a special place, the young girl thought as she looked around the deserted area. She rested her face in the palms of her hands, her eyes on the ground. As she sat there alone, she did not notice that the sky was starting to get darker and rain clouds had started to roll in.

Nothing mattered anymore. The words Adam had told her had not really helped her, and even if they had, the words her teacher had said to her was enough, these words were what really hurt because they were the same accusations she had often thrown at herself.

Time ticked slowly by, and Suzie could feel the first drops of rain beginning to fall and land on her. She remained seated all the while pondering what she could do. Going home was out of the question, simply because if her mother found out that she was skipping school, then she would pitch a fit.

Sighing deeply, she could feel the rain getting heavier and she tried to tighten her windbreaker around herself as a means to combat the rain. After a few minutes the rain abruptly stopped and she looked up to see that a man was now standing next to her, a large umbrella was in his hand, and he was holding it over the both of them.

"Don't you think it's a little bit too wet out here for you to be sitting out here?" The man asked gently as he crouched down next to her, his eyes seeking hers all the while filled with gentility. "You could get sick if you stay out here much longer."

"Perhaps I don't know you or maybe I know you better than you think, but tell me, aside from that, I know of others who care for you, your friends and your family. They all care, and right now you have a friend who really needs you."

"Brittany Harrows, she needs a friend now more than ever. In her heart, she feels as though she is losing everything that has ever mattered to her, but what she's losing is herself. You know that, and that's why you ran away from the school today," he said gently.

"How could you know this?" Suzie asked softly. "How can it be when I'm the one who took everything away from her? It's all my fault."

Suzie shook her head as she stared down at her lap. After a few moments, she looked up to see that he was now crouched down beside her, his brown hair ruffled in the breeze and his blue eyes looking at her with gentility and compassion. "H-how did you know my name?" She asked meekly, her voice filled with sadness.

"No, I just go by Leo, makes things less formal and a lot nicer," he said softly but looked around them. "Why don't you come with me, you're all wet and you may get sick if you stay out here any longer. Here, take this." He handed the umbrella to her and got to his feet as he inched out of his jacket and wrapped it securely around her. "Is that a little warmer?" He asked. "I noticed that you were shivering. Come on, there's a small hut not too far from here. Hunter Livingston used to use it for his studio, but now it's abandoned, but it's dry and safe, and you can stay there instead of sitting out here and wondering what you were going to do today."

Suzie took a deep breath and got to her feet. "You won't tell anyone that I cut school?"

"That's not my job," he said softly. "My job is something a little bit different."

"You mean clean out the garbage cans in the classrooms?" She whispered, but was profoundly surprised when he shook his head.

"No, I have something else, another job. Do you remember the day when you told your friend Adam how afraid you were because your grandfather could have been in danger? This was a couple of years ago, but you remember it, don't you, it's what helped you to heal after all those events had happened."

"Yeah, it was on that really horrible day, but how did you know that?" She whispered. "Are you an angel too?"

Leo shook his head. "No, but I know about it because I know Adam as well as the other angels that have been in and out of your life since you were little. God always watches over His children."

"It's so weird because I only told Adam and a few other people about what you just said," she whispered as she looked down at her lap, her eyes filled with sadness. "I remember after everything happened, my parents and other people got really mad. My mom said that she would never pray or allow prayers in her home. I was scared to try for a long time, but then I started praying at school because it was the one place that I didn't go with my parents, and I thought it was OK to talk to God about how I felt."

"It is OK," he said softly as they reached the hut and he opened the door so that she could go inside. "What Adam told you yesterday was an undeniable truth, Suzie, you can talk to God any time you want to, and He will listen to you, He's listening to you every moment of every day, and you don't even have to walk into a church or a school to tell Him how you feel. No one on this earth can keep you from telling God your deepest and most special secrets."

"Oh it is, believe me," he said gently. "Here, let me get you a towel and you can dry off, I don't want you to get sick."

Suzie nodded and handed the jacket back to him and wrapped her arms around herself all the while looking around the small hut She tried without too much success to keep her thoughts preoccupied so that she didn't realize how cold she actually was. Moments passed and, Leo returned with a large towel and a terrycloth robe. "Here, this should warm you right up. I was going to make some tea too, would you like some?" He offered as she accepted and put the robe on. As she did that, she took the towel and wrapped her hair in it. She was still cold, but sat down on a chair that was situated in one corner of the room.

"Thank you," she whispered as he went over to a small hotplate and poured some bottled water into a small saucepan.

As the water was heating, he came over and sat down in another of the rickety chairs. "Are you a little warmer now?" He asked gently.

"A little," she whispered, but he could tell that she was still cold, her lips now taking on a bluish hue. "Am I making you late for something?" She managed to ask softly.

"No, I'm not due there until this afternoon after school lets out," he said gently. "Listen, you're cold, I have some clothes in the bathroom, they're a little big, but you can go put them on and then you'll be much warmer."

"No, I am just passing through, I found the hut and just decided to drop my things here while I try to find work. This isn't really a place where one could call home, but it does keep the rain out." He smiled gently at her. "Suzie, are you afraid of me?"

The young girl nodded. "I don't know why I'm here, you're nice, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers and….I should go."

"Maybe now would be the time for me to tell you the truth about who I am and why I'm here," he said gently as he looked at her intently. "I don't want you to be afraid of me anymore. Take a look outside, the rain is getting heavier and you will catch your death if you go out there right now. Even with the umbrella, the wind would send you flying around like in a movie."

Suzie looked at him as her thoughts drifted and she remembered a movie where she saw a woman flying through London with an umbrella in one hand and a bag in another. "Who you are? I know you're not an angel like Adam, at least you said as much."

"You're right, I'm not like Adam but I do know him, you see, when Adam goes out and does his job, he is sent by someone, and I'm the someone who sends him." As the words emerged the entire hut was filled with light and Suzie watched as the man whom she had come to know as Leo stood in the center of the nimbus of light and was regarding her with the utmost love and compassion in his gentle blue eyes.

Instead of speaking, Suzie backed up against the chair. "You're…." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head in profound disbelief. She started to tremble, her nerves starting to get the better of her. She looked up at Him. "I…"

He nodded and smiled gently at her as He rested a soothing hand on her shoulder, thus making her relax. "Yes, I Am, and, before you ask, no I Am not angry with you, I Am also not punishing you by giving you the condition you must live with."

He shook His head. "No, I would never punish My children in this way, I Am extremely proud of you, Suzie, you have a kind heart and loving spirit."

"I'm also sick," she whispered. "I can't run and play like the other kids, I'm abnormal."

He shook his head. "No, you are not abnormal sweetheart, you're a wonderful girl, and a good friend, the only trouble is, you don't believe it because you have been told all these things about yourself that are inaccurate."

He nodded. "Yes, you, and know this truth, I would never ever be angry with you because of the actions of others, nor would I hurt or punish you. You see, Adam did tell you the truth yesterday."

She closed her eyes, but it was obvious to Him simply by looking at her, that she was consumed with guilt, and after a few minutes of silence passed between them, He looked at her, His gaze filled with empathy as He addressed the forlorn girl. "Suzie, what is it?"

"I read Brittany's book report," she said softly. "She let me read it in class yesterday, and it was really good. Then she loaned me this book. I want to read it, but I'm afraid that my mom will find out about it. I mean; I know that it's all my fault that Brittany couldn't read it yesterday."

"No, it's not, don't ever believe that," He said gently. "You are not at fault for how your parents respond to things. You're related to them, yes, and of course you love them dearly, I would expect nothing less of you then that, but you are not at fault for what happened. Your fear of your mother is obvious whenever you are around her, she yells instead of speaks, she silences you instead of listens."

"I cannot tell you that, sweetheart, I can only be here for you when you speak with her," the Father promised gently as He reached over and brushed a gentle hand through her tousled hair. She looked up as He continued to speak. "You know that I read Brittany's book report too, I was the one who pulled it out of the garbage after she threw it away. I also was the one that gave it to Michael Flores."

"Yes," He said softly as He handed her a handkerchief. "I saw her yesterday after school let out, then I met her again at the church, and later comforted her at the hospital. She's been through a lot, and now she needs her friends to stand by her, she needs to know that she still has friends and that she is important to them."

He shook His head as the light that surrounded Him vanished and He smiled at her, His eyes shining brightly. "Not just yet, but she will find out very soon. I will tell her, so I ask you to keep this to yourself. Can you do that for Me? I do know how hard it is for young ladies to keep secrets from each other."

He nodded. "Yes, sadly it is true, but Holly is Home now, and she won't ever hurt again, that much I can promise you."

Suzie looked down at her lap, but after a few moments, she sneezed, the cold clothing causing her to shiver unconsciously and she wrapped her arms unconsciously around herself.

"I think now you need to go change," He said gently. "I'm not a stranger to you any more, and you will catch cold if you don't get out of those wet things. There's something for you to put on in the bathroom."

Suzie nodded and looked at Him. "I never thought this was possible. I mean; I thought that the strangest thing that could happen was that angels came to our classroom, but this surpasses even that."

"That God would walk with us, and talk to us like we're important and special," she whispered as she reached a timid hand out and touched His cheek.

"It happens more often than you think, little one," He whispered as He covered her hand with His own and squeezed it gently. "Now, scoot, and I'll have your tea ready when you get back."

She nodded and once He lowered His hand, she went to the bathroom to change her clothes. As she came out some five minutes later, she could see that He had, in fact, finished the tea and a small table was now situated next to the chairs. "I feel much better now," she said shyly as she felt the sleeves of the outfit she now wore.

"Good, now come and sit down, there is still a great deal for us to talk about and once we do, then I'll have to get to work."

"You're still going to be the custodian at the school?" Suzie asked as He slipped a cup into her hand and she took a sip of the hot liquid.

"Yes, but remember," He covered His mouth with a single finger and she giggled and nodded.

"Who would believe me anyway? It would be like what happened when Lucy came back from Narnia the first time," she whispered as she took another sip of the tea, the liquid warming her immensely.

"Yeah, I really do," she whispered. "Knowing that You're not mad at me is really a load off my mind." Despite herself, she continued to nervously giggle.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can imagine, but now you know, you can talk to Me any time you want, and maybe that is what you can do to help your friend, remind her of that. Tell her that she was the one who inspired you to believe it."

"Yes, I do, but the important question is, do you think you can?" He smiled at her.

As Brittany entered the school after seeing Suzie out in the courtyard, she could see that all around her, other children were running towards their prospective classrooms, some out of breath, some trying to get the rain water shaken out of their hair.

With slow steps, Brittany walked towards the classroom where Michael taught her English. Wordlessly, she opened the door and walked with weighted steps into the room. She immediately noticed that some of the children were already there and waiting for their teacher to arrive, but Brittany hoped that he would arrive after she had left the room because the last thing she wanted to do was get into a debate with him about the rules.

She laid the report on the desk and turned back with the intention of leaving, but before she could leave, the door swung open and Michael came into the room. When he saw her, he stopped.

"My book report is on your desk, I'm going home, my family is waiting for me," she said, her voice emerging unemotional as she brushed past him and walked out into the hallway.

Instead of staying in the room, Michael walked out behind her. "Why did you do the report?"

"Because," the girl answered, "I didn't want to fail your class, and I didn't want you to get into trouble."

"Brittany, I heard about your mother," he whispered. "Right now is not the time for you to write a book report, I would have given you an extension on it."

The girl shrugged her shoulders and walked without another word towards the exit. As she reached it, she looked up to see Adam. He was now standing in the courtyard and seemed to be waiting for her.

"I came here to talk to Vicki," he responded in kind. "Brittany, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Adam looked at her. "Please, Brittany," he pleaded with her, his gray eyes filled with sadness. "I know this is hard for you to believe but I didn't come here with the intention of making your life harder than it already is."

She nodded, "OK, Adam," she whispered. "I gotta go, I'll see you later." She started to walk across the courtyard in the direction of the gate that was situated at the other end of the courtyard.

The angel ran to catch up with her. "Can I give you a ride home?" He asked softly. "I have Tess' car, Monica loaned it to me." He held up a key ring and smiled weakly at her.

Brittany glanced skyward and noticing that it looked like rain, she eventually nodded. "Thanks," was all she said and looked at the angel. "Are you going to leave now that my life is completely destroyed?"

Adam looked at her with obvious shock in his unhappy gray eyes. "No, Brittany, I'm not leaving, friends don't abandon each other."

"Friends…" she whispered softly, but instead of speaking further, all she could do was stare down at the ground as he unlocked the door and she slid into the front seat.

As she fastened her seatbelt, she watched as he walked around to the other side of the car and once he got in, he looked at her. "Brittany, can we go somewhere and talk?"

The angel took a deep breath, but looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that I couldn't come to you sooner. I wanted to; I had thought so much about you and I hoped with all my heart that you were doing well."

Brittany took a deep breath as she dug into her pocket of her dress and pulled out the pocket watch that he had given to her all those years ago. As she held it tightly in her hands she looked at him. "Adam?" She whispered his name.

"I don't want this anymore," she whispered as he pulled the car in front of her house some moments later. She handed him the watch and got out of the car. Without looking back at him, she walked towards the door.

When she reached it, the door swung open and she screamed when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

It was the advisor, the same man who had murdered her mother. He was now staring down at her, his eyes filled with hate and gleaming with murderous intent. She stood for a split second in shock, but after a few moments she tried to back away from him. Before she could, he reached out and grabbed her by the collar of her dress and pulled her roughly into the house. "Adam!" She unconsciously screamed the angel's name as loud as she could when she felt the brutal hand of the man mercilessly grabbing her.

In response to seeing this, the angel grabbed the watch and got out of the car all in one fluid motion. As he reached the front door of the house, he began to pound on it, but after a few moments, Monica appeared next to him, her eyes filled with sadness. "Hunter called this man, Adam, he thought that he was in control, but he's not. The man wants to get rid of the only witness left to Holly's murder."

The Angel of Death nodded, his eyes filled with sadness, but after a few moments, he disappeared and reappeared inside the foyer of the house. There, his eyes widened when he saw Brittany, the child was on the floor, her eyes closed and the advisor was now towering over her. He had bound her wrists with a thick chord and was now looming over her with a metal baton in his hand. This he was tapping against the palm of his other hand, and Adam ran towards the man's unsuspecting back.

The angel could tell by looking at the small child that Brittany completely encased with fear, her eyes clamped tightly shut as she awaited the worst to happen.

At that moment, Adam reached her side, all the while unseen by the intruder, and he looked at the young girl with shock and pain in his emphatic gray eyes. "Oh Brittany," he whispered softly as he wrapped her securely in his embrace. Seconds later, he cringed when he felt the hard metal object being beat against him. He covered her with his body so that she would not be injured, but he gasped when he felt the crushing blows against him.

Brittany, upon feeling Adam's hold on her tightening, opened her eyes and could see that the angel's body was protecting her from the beating. "Adam," she whispered so that only the angel could hear her, but she rested her head against him, her eyes filling with tears as she heard the sounds of agony emerging from her best friend.

As the man continued to mercilessly and unknowingly beat the angel, Brittany could feel the hot and frightened tears streaming from beneath her eyes as Adam whispered to her. "Lie as still as you can," he groaned in her ear and she, although trembling collapsed on the floor in heap, thus showing the man that she was no longer conscious. With satisfaction, he backed away from them, his eyes gleaming in a mixture of greed and hate.

As the man returned to Brittany, she tried to keep her eyes closed, Adam looked at his young friend. "I will protect you, my friend, trust me," he managed to speak, but his eyes were filled with sadness as he brushed his hand against her tearstained face. "I will make sure he doesn't hurt you, don't be afraid."

Brittany licked her dry lips as she looked up at him, her eyes were filled with tears as she watched the advisor coming closer to her, his eyes menacing.

The young girl unconsciously tried to move away from him, but when he saw her moving, he reached out and grabbed her before she could completely get away from him. He jerked her to her feet and looked down at her. "Now then, you will be joining your mother very soon, you little brat."

Brittany began to scream, but suddenly, she felt herself being pulled away from him and a very loud, firm, and familiar voice emerging, thus causing her fall into Adam's embrace. "In the name of God, leave her alone!"

As soon as Brittany heard Monica's demanding voice, she felt her body sinking to the ground, the intruder now being held back by an extremely agitated angel. She glanced briefly over towards Adam. "Go ahead and get Brittany out of here, and leave Mr. Gordon to me," Monica said softly and without warning, Adam picked the child up in his arms and rushed her out of the room and up the stairs.

When he finally reached the little girl's bedroom, he carried her into the room, put her on the bed and returned to close and lock the door. After he had pressed the alarm button that would summon the authorities, he returned to Brittany's side.

Once he was seated next to her, he looked down at her. "Are you alright?" He asked all the while seeing that she was trembling and crying softly. "Shhh, it's OK, sweetheart, you're safe now, and I won't let anyone hurt you."

The angel pulled her onto his lap and held her. "Shhh," he whispered. "You're safe now, sweetheart, and I won't let anything else happen to you. Oh Brittany, I love you so much, you just don't know how much you mean to me." As he spoke, he could feel the tears as they streamed down over his face.

Brittany said nothing in response to these words, instead she offered him an insecure nod and buried her face against him, the soft sobs emerging, her frail body trembling in his gentle embrace.

"When you're ready, we'll talk, sweetheart," the angel whispered as he pulled the golden pocket watch from his pocket and placed it in her now trembling hand.

She looked at him, and it was at this moment that she could see the ruffled hair and unkempt appearance of the angel. "You saved my life…" she whimpered. "Is that why you came back?"

Adam, feeling the tears now streaming freely down over his cheeks nodded and brushed his hand across his friend's tearstained face. "Yes, Brittany, that's why."

"I love you, please don't leave me," she whimpered as she collapsed in his arms, her body still shaking unconsciously.

Once the advisor had been taken into custody and the police had left the house, Hunter was allowed back inside. He had to laugh about the advisor's insistence that some invisible force had pulled the man away from his niece, but as he came into the house, he met Monica. The angel looked somewhat ruffled, but she was standing in the room, her eyes regarding him with sadness.

"I don't have time, Monica, my niece is in trouble, and I have too much to do," he whispered.

"Yes, I know," she responded, "but eventually, you will need to listen to someone, and not just power of the mighty dollar. Hunter, you need to know that there were two angels who helped your niece escape from this man today. He wanted to kill Brittany, and would have had Adam and myself not intervened. You need to accept that God has been looking out for your family, and He is worthy of your praise and thanks."

"Yeah, that same God allowed that nutcase to kill my sister," Hunter said angrily as he looked at Monica, his eyes filled with bitterness. "I know that you mean well, Monica, but the truth is, I am not in the praying mood, I still have to arrange a funeral, and I probably have to check Brittany into therapy as well. Do you think I really have time to cope with all of this? No, I don't, because of this flooding, my family may lose everything."

"Your family has already lost everything, Hunter," Monica said softly, her voice completely level. "You just can't stand the idea of losing your power. That's what this is about, Samantha has left you, as has Jason, and you are alone. All that you have left is Brittany, but you are on the verge of losing her as well. If you lose her, then you will have lost everything. There is nothing that will give all that you lost back to you, but God can provide you with much more than money, He can provide you with hope. The charitable man that I met four years ago is gone, you used to be the most compassionate person, Hunter, you used to care for those weaker and you loved your niece more than anything in the world, and now that child needs you. Unless you get up and take back your faith and take back the person that you once were, then you will have lost more than this house, you would have lost yourself." Monica said as the tears streamed down over her cheeks and she looked at him, her brown eyes filled with empathy.

"Your father wanted you to be a good man, he raised you to work with people with kindness but to keep your integrity intact. Yet, through it all, he also shared his faith with you," Monica began. "He used to tell Brittany stories about angels and God, and this was all before he began to show the signs of Alzheimer's. He would take her to the small church not far from her school. He would talk to the pastor there after the service and Brittany would explore the sanctuary. Her gaze would always rest on a portrait that hung on one side of the church. It was a portrait of a man and a little girl and in it the man was holding her on his lap, and he was showing her a flower and whispering in her ear. The portrait still hangs in the church, Hunter, but Brittany has not been back there since Kyle went Home, at least not until yesterday."

"Do you remember the day your father died? You had met Andrew and the two of you had gone upstairs to your father's room so that you could say 'good-bye' to him. As you came into the room, you were questioning whether or not you would be able to take the estate and continue it the way your father had done. You had your doubts, Hunter, but you respected your father's wishes, and you accepted the responsibility. This estate was the gift that he bestowed upon you, but the greatest gift is not material wealth, it is the knowledge and the knowing that you had each other."

"If this was such a great gift, why did he die, and why did everything suddenly change?" Hunter asked.

"It didn't, you did. Don't you see? Wealth is a nice thing, it secures your future, it gives you a sense of security, but it's only a small part of things. Kyle knew that no matter how much money he made, he would never be able to take it with him, but he wanted you to have the security that he did, so he left this to you. Do you know why he did this? It wasn't because you were the oldest boy, and that your sister was beneath you. Katherine thought that for a long time, but right before she moved to Cape Cod, she found a letter in your father's office." Monica pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "Here, read this."

Once Hunter had the letter in his hands, he cleared his throat and began to read the flowing script that had come from the deepest recesses of his father's heart.

Dearest Katherine,

    I know you probably hate me for what I did to you and Holly, and chances are, when you see this letter, it will be after I'm gone. I was your husband for over forty years, and I should have left everything in my possession to you to ensure your future. I knew that beyond any doubt, your happiness was important, but there was something else much more important than money. It lies in faith, and finding the joy and happiness within yourself.

    I left everything to Hunter because he understands that, he knows that whatever he has, it is not coincidence that he has it, but it is a gift to him. You and Holly both lost yourselves in the money, and the trips and all the other things that went on around you, but it didn't make me love you any less, it only made me realize that the best favor that I could do for both of you is to leave everything I have to Hunter, and allow him to provide you with that which you needed most…faith. I tried to leave that same legacy with Brittany while I was with her, and I love that little girl dearly.

    I know that it doesn't matter how successful a businessman I am or was, because for you and Holly there would never have been enough. You and she have a lot in common, you never imagined that things could have come from somewhere else, or from someone much higher. You never accepted that in an instant, everything could be lost, and without these things, you both would have been lost as well. So, I made a choice and if you find this letter, I hope that you will give yourself the chance to go back and find what it is you have lost. Let me know how the journey went when we meet again.

Love,
Kyle Livingston

"Yes, about a year before he died," Monica said softly. "For a long time, your family has put material things ahead of all that is important, you have disregarded the hopes and the dreams that you once had, but you also put this ahead of a wee girl who is in the need of love, and understanding. She's been shoved to one side for years. She's been given every luxury that money could by, but she hasn't had someone take her in his or her arms and tell her that she's beautiful, that she's important. Today, she blames God for her heartaches, and she has many. Alone, she must cope with devastation of her family's inattentiveness, all the while, confined within the walls of her room, but she's a strong and beautiful child. As you concern yourself with all the problems and the struggles of your family, the one problem and struggle you are ignoring is Brittany's and it is one that all the adults around her are doing as well."

"No, Hunter, it is not a good thing at all, taking a child's faith away is worse than stealing because it robs them of something much more significant than the simple act of believing, it robs them of their spirit. Telling a child she cannot pray, or write a book report is no more right than ignoring the still small voice in your own heart," Monica said softly as Brittany's book report suddenly appeared in her hands. "I want you to take this and read it, it's something that Brittany has written. Not only is it something that defines her frame of mind today, but also it is a book report she painstakingly wrote for school. This same report was rejected by her teacher in front of her entire class because of a rule that has been in place because the faith in your town is dying."

"Monica, I…" he began, but his voice eventually trailed off and he looked at the angel. "What is the point of reading this? It's not going to help her."

"I'm not trying to get you to read it to help her, I'm trying to get you to read it to help yourself, to help your own dying faith, Hunter. You used to have it, you used to believe that everything would be fine, that God would help you and provide you a way across the river. What has happened? Have you woken up and thought that there is nothing that God can do? Well, I will tell you something, God is here, God is all around you, and sometimes, when you least expect it, God walks beside you, and He listens to you when you are feeling lost and alone. Yesterday, God comforted Brittany, today Adam has done so, but when will you stop worrying and let God comfort you? When will you let Him wipe the tears way, and let Him help you and in turn help the rest of this town."

Hunter looked at Monica, his eyes filled with sadness. "I thought I knew how, but I don't."

"Then read this and allow your niece's words to help you find that faith again," Monica said softly.

Hunter nodded numbly and looked down at the notebook but when he looked back up, Monica was gone. Sighing deeply, he went down the hall and entered his grandfather's study. He hadn't been in this room for a number of years, but for some reason, he had this feeling that he could sit down and read Brittany's report here. He took a deep breath and opened the folder and began to read.

    Hello Mister God,' the little girl said, she had been saying that for a long time, waiting for an answer of some kind, but also pondering what it would be like to have God take her in His arms and hug and comfort her. I share something in common with this little girl, I never lived on the streets, but I understood for a number of years about living in isolation with God as the only One who could possibly understand me.

    This book is not just about a little girl who looks to God to help her find answers, but it is about how most of the kids I know look at God. We have been told that God either doesn't exist, or that miracles don't ever happen. We have been told that God is someone mean, angry and jealous. Yet, somehow, Anna never stopped believing that God existed as a kind and loving friend. It is special for her to know that He is looking out and watching over her. She never ceased to talk to Him, and she found trust and kindness in the strangest, but also most tragic of events.

    I really related to this book because I understood her isolation, I understood her questions. I always knew what it felt like to be alone in a crowd. I know how it feels to be completely alone as I look out and watch while everyone else is dancing, but not having a partner to share that dance with. I see this, not only in my family, but also in school. That loneliness is something that is unbearable, but it is something that has become the only reality that I know.

    As I was reading this story, I discovered that I'm not the only one here in this world that has always felt lost and alone in a crowd. I was able to see a little girl who I could relate to, one who understood small things, and who looked at the world through innocence and optimism. I have wanted to see this world in the same way, but I realized that I probably would never understand. It is probably because people around here consider it to be childish for someone to believe in those things that are too fantastic to be real.

    Hello Mister God, Here Is Anna, showed me that I wasn't alone, that maybe if there is a child like me, then I won't feel alone anymore, I will have someone, even in a story, who understands the loneliness I know. I really love this story, not just because of the fact that God is mentioned, but because while my faith is wavering, maybe in a small way, it would help me to find it again.

As he finished the report, he could feel the tears streaming down over his face. He stood up and walked out of the room, his eyes filled with sadness as he went down the stairs and picked up the phone in the hall. After dialing a number and hearing someone answering his call, he spoke. "Pastor Waters, you don't know me all that well, but my father mentioned you when he was alive. My name is Hunter Livingston."

"Hello, Hunter," the pastor said softly. "I met Brittany yesterday when she visited the church. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I guess you probably heard that my sister was killed yesterday and the reason I'm calling is because I want to give my sister a proper funeral and I was hoping that you would officiate the service for us," he said softly.

"Of course, Hunter, I would be honored," emerged the gentle response. "Why don't you come by my office tomorrow morning and we'll discuss all the arrangements."

"Yes, just pray for us, we really need it right now," he whispered before hanging up the phone.

Time passed slowly for Brittany after Adam and Monica had rescued her, and when her uncle had come to see her, she had simply told him to leave her alone, and eventually, he did. Brittany didn't say much to Adam, the angel remained with her, but he was completely at a loss as to what he could do for her. She seemed so lost, and yet nothing he could have said to her would have changed the hurt and sadness that seemed to envelop her.

Eventually, she returned to school just before the funeral, but that was only to retrieve her schoolwork because she didn't want to get behind, and she was curious as to what Mr. Flores had thought about her book report. She had no desire to get into any conversations with him about what had happened with her first book report.

As she walked towards the heavy wooden doors that led into the school she could see that Suzie was standing next to the door, her friend waving at her. She approached slowly her eyes seeking those of her friend.

"Hey," Brittany offered once she reached the door. "Do you know if Mr. Flores gave back the book reports yet?"

Suzie shrugged her shoulders, but looked at her. "You're worried about that. I mean, what's the point, your report was shoved to the side, the teachers listen to rules they don't believe in and then they expect us to believe in them too." She shook her head as she handed the book back to her friend. "I read that, in private, my parents don't know that I have it. I cut school the day after you gave it to me and I met Leo at the lake and after he and I talked, I started reading this. I love this book, Brittany, I thought it was great."

"He's really cool, I mean, we talked for a long time, and he didn't think that I was as bad as Mr. Flores did. He yelled at me because of what my parents did, I know that the teachers here blame me for it."

Brittany shook her head. "Your parents did it, not you. I remember how our class used to pray in the corner, but I guess those prayers didn't work, because now all the grown ups are doing is getting mad at us for not doing things their way. I wish sometimes that I could just run away and live as far away from this place as I can."

"Excuse me, girls," a voice behind them emerged and Brittany looked up to see Michael Flores standing in the doorway and he was looking down at the two of them.

Suzie balked when she saw him and backed away from him. "I'm going inside," she whispered to her friend. "The last thing I need is another frontal assault by another know-it-all grown-up." With that the girl walked into the school and Michael was left looking down at Brittany, a sheepish look on his face.

"I saw your book report," he said softly, his voice cracking. "I wanted to talk to you about it; I wanted to tell you that I liked it, and that I was really sorry to hear about your mother."

"Yeah, well, life goes on," she responded, her voice unemotional and the tone of her response like a dagger that went straight to his heart.

Eventually, the teacher cleared his throat, but spoke, thus causing her to look up. When she did, she could see that his face seemed to depict someone who had been struck by her unemotional words. "Brittany, when I said I read your report, I didn't mean the one you had written about 'Swiss Family Robinson', I was meaning the other one. Now, I know why you wrote that book report, and I'm ashamed of the fact that I didn't understand that before. I just didn't notice it until Leo brought it into my classroom and gave it to me. For some reason, I think that he did me a huge favor when he gave it to me."

Brittany shrugged her shoulders and instead of speaking to him, she turned around and started to walk across the courtyard towards the gate that led away from the school's grounds. "What's the point?" She asked curtly. "There's always going to be a grown up around who will tell me that I am foolish for trying to find God. Maybe I am just being silly and maybe I'm just some stupid kid who's not supposed to know anything and am simply supposed to take everyone else's word for it. I don't know, all I know is I'm probably supposed to be here so that I can be punished by you, or an angel, and maybe even by God. What does it matter anymore?"

The child shook her head. "I do believe it, though." As these words escaped from her, she could suddenly feel the emotions building up inside of her and without warning, she sank to the ground, her knees scraping against the gravel on the ground. She ignored this and instead bowed her head as she began to cry bitterly, her sobs loud and Michael started to walk towards her.

Suddenly, they heard the loud peals of the school bell and Michael suddenly realized that he had better get to his classroom, the school day was about to begin. Yet, right now, he felt completely torn. Torn between his job, and the responsibility that he had for this frail weeping child who was now on the ground before him.

Seconds passed and he turned around to see that Leo was watching them from across the courtyard and was now approaching. When he reached where Michael now stood, he reached out and rested a gentle hand on Michael's shoulder. "You're needed inside, let me take care of her."

"Who says you can?" Leo shot back softly. "You and I both know that she needs to find healing, and right now, you are too emotionally torn up to offer her this. Go on inside and teach the children, I have no pressing engagements, Michael, I will take care of Brittany, she's in good hands with me."

Michael eventually nodded, turned around, and slowly went inside the school as Leo crouched down next to the weeping child. Without speaking, he wrapped her in his arms and picked her up off the ground. As he felt her body now trembling with grief, he tightened his hold on her and walked slowly towards the small church where they had spoken to each other less than a week ago. As he reached the building and with her still wrapped securely in his arms, he walked inside.

For her part, Brittany eventually opened her eyes and focused on his earnest profile. She reached over and touched one side of his face, and this caused him to look down at her with a gentle smile. Seconds passed and Leo lowered himself in one of the pews and began to stroke the tears that were unmercifully falling from beneath her despondent eyes.

"Big girls don't cry," she eventually whimpered, but her voice emerged so softly that Leo seemed not to have overheard her utterance.

Without saying anything in response to her, but having heard them, Leo glanced over at the portrait that she had seen the day her mother died. It was obvious to him that she remembered having been in this place on that particular day as well as having been here when Holly's funeral had taken place.

At this moment, all Brittany was feeling was lost. The only good to have come out of the past days was her having the chance to resolve the tension that had culminated with Adam. She felt a certain amount of comfort in knowing that the Angel of Death had not only saved her life, but in protecting her, he had sacrificed a part of himself for her. As shame enveloped her, she realized that no matter how hard she tried, she could not forget how the angel had been so understanding towards her when she had told him all the pain she carried in the wake of her mother's murder.

Today, she rested in the arms of this strange man and now she felt an unusual almost indescribable kinship with him. "Big girls don't cry," she repeated the words her grandmother had said to her when her grandfather had died. Although, this was no longer something she willingly believed in, she seemed to only say these words as a means of convincing herself of these professed ideas.

Leo looked down at her, his eyes serene as they regarded the puffy, wet, eyes of the child in his arms. "Big girls do cry, little one," he whispered to her as he shook his head gently, his voice filled with comfort and empathy. "Everyone cries, Brittany. Even God cries, especially now when He sees how much pain you are obviously in. You see, He's been watching over you all the while seeing how you conceal all the pain that dwells in your spirit. He knows that you are doing this only for the sake of everyone else, you are even trying to do it for the sake of one of His angels."

As she listened to Leo speaking, something inside of her conveyed that he was not just a man she had met at school, but that there was something monumentally special about him. Instead of speaking further, she waited for him to speak. When he didn't, the young girl looked up. "Are you an angel?" She asked meekly, her face filled with indescribable sadness.

"No, baby girl, I'm not," he whispered, but continued to stroke the tears from the face of the child.

Brittany nodded, but buried her face against him. "You are like an angel, or maybe you're like Fynn, the man from my favorite book."

Leo smiled secretly at her, his eyes never losing the compassion that dwelled in them. "You may not believe me, but I can promise you that today, your mother is being held in the arms of love, just as you are at this very moment."

She looked up at him, but upon hearing her mother mentioned, she tried without much success at wiping the persistent tears from her eyes.

He pressed a handkerchief into her hands and continued to speak, his voice gentle. "I know that you are trying to find your faith again, Brittany. I also know how hard it is to do so when there are so many people who are trying to tell you that you should not have it at all," he whispered as she used the corner of the small piece of cloth to wipe the moisture from beneath her eyes. "Isn't that the case, little one?"

"H-how did you know that?" She whispered as she lowered her arms and looked at him curiously.

"I read your book report, Brittany, I shared it with Monica, and with your teacher, but you were the teacher this time, and you taught not only an angel or two about faith, you also taught your uncle, your friend Suzie, your teacher and by the time all of this is over, you will have indirectly showed this to an entire town," Leo said softly.

"But I lost it," she whispered meekly, the tears streaming down over her shame-filled cheeks. "I hate Him!"

"You don't hate God, sweetheart, you just hate the pain. You hate that the grown-ups here in this town have ignored you for years. You hate that while you have been desperately trying to find your way back to God, that those who profess to be your teachers and elders are going beyond that role and are trying to impose that which you should feel or believe." Leo smiled gently at her. "You have lost a great deal in that struggle, Brittany, but if you allow it, what you will find will change not only you, but it will change those around you."

The child looked up at him. "I-I don't know how to anymore…" she whimpered softly, her head down and her eyes on her lap.

Leo brushed His hands against both of her cheeks and gently He tipped her face up so that she was looking deeply into His eyes. "That's why I'm here now, sweetheart, I'm here to show you how." As He said these words, the sanctuary was suddenly filled with light. She blinked a few times when she saw this sudden brightness, but managed to look at Him and immediately recognized that the light was emanating from the Man who now held her in His arms. With innocence, she regarded Him, all the while licking her lips and shaking her head. "Do you recognize Me now, My child?" He whispered softly when she did not speak.

"F-Father?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. Deep inside of her, she was not sure if she was able to believe it. Somehow, she continued to listen to the voice emanating from her broken heart, all the while making her want to believe it. Time seemed to tick slowly by as she awaited the answer that would confirm or disprove her assumption.

"Yes, My child, your heart speaks the truth," He said gently, His arms still holding tightly to her.

"No, Adam told me You were nice," Brittany offered without hesitation. "Should I be afraid?"

"No," He whispered as He brushed a gentle hand against her face, a small chuckle still emerging as He smiled down at her innocent face. "You have absolutely no reason to be afraid of Me. I would never hurt you, Brittany, I'm here to help."

Brittany shook her head. "When we were at school and had first met, You sort of reminded me of Adam…" Her voice trailed off and she looked at Him with hopelessness shadowing her unhappy eyes.

Instead of an immediate verbal response, He smiled gently at her and nodded, but after a few moments, He took a deep breath and began to speak, His voice filled with gentility. "You love him dearly, don't you?"

Brittany nodded. "Yes, he's my best friend, but I was so scared that he only came when I felt badly or when something really terrible had happened."

"I know, sweetheart, but you remember that a friend is a very special gift, and Adam is your friend, whether he is physically with you or not. For now, Adam will stay until you and your family have had a chance to grieve that which you have lost," He said gently as He continued to brush the tears from beneath her eyes. "But, I want you to remember something very important, Brittany, OK?"

"Remember that no matter how much time passes between Adam's visits, that does not imply or mean that he has ever stopped caring for you. He loves you dearly, My child, and he will always be here for you when you need him the most."

"I thought…" her voice trailed and she looked down at her lap, her words filled with sadness, but amidst these words were traces of shame.

"I know, and I also realize how hard it is to share a friendship with someone who can't always be physically present, but no matter what happens, Adam will always be your friend, and he will always care for you. That's why he gave you a watch; that was his way of telling you that he will always remember you. You see, he carries a similar watch as well. I gave it to him, just as I gave Andrew his." He took a deep breath and smiled gently at her. "Brittany, there's someone else who cares for you as well."

"Mm-hmm," He smiled gently and nodded. "You may not always see Me present, but I'm here, and like I told Suzie, you can talk to Me any time you want. You can ask Me anything you want. I also can promise you that even if your teachers don't appreciate your talents and gifts, I always will." As He spoke, her book report appeared in His hands and He handed it to her.

He nodded. "You wonder how you can make a difference here, don't you?" He asked gently as she brushed her hand across the cover of the report.

"You hold that answer in your hand. Now, go and share this with whomever will listen, and don't be afraid, because I'm always here, and if you ever need Me, all you have to do is call out to Me. No matter what happens, I will answer you, because I love you, little one."

"I know, but this will provide you the greatest amount of comfort," He whispered as He stroked her cheek gently, but after some time had passed, He could see that the contemplative look on her face had not changed. "Brittany, is something still troubling you, sweetheart?"

"Why did my mommy have to die?" She whispered as she found the courage to look up at Him. "Couldn't You have helped her or stopped this from happening somehow?"

"Your mother made some choices, honey, and although it may be hard for you to understand, these choices had a drastic impact on you as well as the rest of your family," He whispered gently. "If I were to have changed these events, then I would have taken away one of the greatest gifts I offered to mankind, and that is free-will."

"Yes, he did," the Father whispered. "It wasn't your time yet, and there was something more for you to do here."

"It seems as though that is happening, but it's not, take a look," He smiled at her as she turned around and could see that the door was opening to the sanctuary. When she turned back around to face Him, she not only noticed that the light was gone, but that He had vanished as well.

"I love You, Father," she whispered as the tears streamed down her cheeks as the door behind her closed and she glanced back around to see that Hunter Livingston had entered the room and was making his way down the aisle towards where she was sitting in the front pew.

"Brittany?" Hunter spoke and upon hearing this, she turned back around. "Who are you talking to?"

"I went looking for you at school, I guess, I thought you'd be there," he whispered. "I guess you weren't ready to go back yet. I saw your teacher, Mr. Flores and he said that you and Leo were talking."

"I wanted to tell you that I was sorry about the way I acted. I guess after Sam left, I just tried to delve myself into my work to hide how much it hurt," Hunter whispered. "I always wanted to be there for you, but I guess deep inside I really didn't know how. I thought if I just hid away from everything that was going on, that I would be able to forget, but I can't forget, and I realized that as hard as it was for me, it was even harder for you."

Brittany looked at him. "You're all I have left, Uncle Hunter," the child whispered.

The man nodded and looked at the little girl. "I know, and now I know that tragedy has to hit us before I realize it." He looked down at his hands. "I don't know what will happen, Brittany, but I do know that I need you probably more than you need me." As he spoke, he could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks and when Brittany looked at him, she could see just how lost he was.

"No, I talked to Him and He talked to me," Brittany said softly. "He gave me this report and said that I helped people."

"You did," Hunter affirmed. "You really did, little one, much more than you believe right now, but you did, and something tells me that there are more." He pointed to the door leading outside and Brittany turned around. When she did, she could see that Michael Flores and Vicki Hudson were coming down the aisle towards them.

"I think they want to talk to you," Hunter said softly. "But, maybe you should hear them out."

Brittany nodded as the two teachers sat down next to them and Michael found the courage to look over at them.

When he finally had the courage to speak, his voice was soft. "It's our free period," he offered freely. "Vicki and I wanted to find out if you were OK. We wanted to show you something, Brittany."

Vicki placed a notebook into the child's hand and Brittany opened it. Scrawled across the pages were signatures from students and teachers alike. One of them belonged to Suzie and she smiled when she noticed that Michael's name was scrawled across it as well.

"It's a petition," Michael said softly. "But, it's not complete. There's one more thing we need before we send this to the school board and ask them to overturn the rule that Suzie's parents tried to impose on us."

"Yes," the child responded meekly as Michael handed her a pen and she affixed her name on the final page of the petition. As she finished, she handed the page to Hunter, who signed it as well.

Once the teachers had the formal copy of the petition, Michael looked at her. "Thank you, Brittany," he said softly. "I will need your book report. I think that it will leave an even bigger impact than what is on this petition."

Wordlessly, Brittany handed the report to her teacher as she and her uncle got up off the pew.

"It will," a voice emerged and he looked up to see that Adam was now standing in the room. The angel was smiling gently at them, a soft glow surrounding him. "You will make a difference, just follow your heart." With that, he disappeared and Michael was left staring at the spot where the angel had stood.

"He really was an angel," Michael whispered, the awe shadowing his handsome face.

Vicki nodded. "That's what I had tried to tell you all along," she winked at him and hugged Brittany's report against her chest. "Now, this community is finally going to listen to her. It's been a long time coming."

Outside, Adam was standing next to Hunter's car when the two of them came outside. Brittany looked up at the angel when she saw him, her eyes a mix between sadness and exhaustion. It had been a long day for both of them and now it was time for the two of them to start over.

"Adam," Brittany cried out when she eventually found her voice and walked slowly over to the angel and wrapped her arms around him. As she held tightly to him, she rested her head against his shoulder and felt the relief wash over her when the angel returned her embrace.

"How are you?" He asked, his voice still filled with nervousness. Somewhere in the depths of his heart, he was concerned about whether or not things between the little girl and him would ever be OK.

"I'm OK," she smiled weakly at him as she felt him picking her up off the ground, all the while, holding her tightly in his embrace. "Adam, I'm sorry I got so mad at you…" she whispered but her voice trailed off as she looked helplessly at him.

The angel brushed a gentle finger against her lips, thus stopping the flow of words. "You have no reason to apologize to me, sweetheart," he whispered. "But, now I know that everything is going to be alright, and the Father has assured me that I could stay with you for a while."

"I know, He told me," Brittany said softly, but her voice was loud enough that Hunter could hear her.

"You did, God told me that Adam will stay with me until I'm OK," she looked up at the angel. "I know you're not at fault for what happened to my mom, Adam."

The angel could feel the tears in his eyes when he heard these words, but instead of speaking, he held tightly to the little girl, his face buried against her shoulder. "Brittany, you're an inspiration."

Hunter looked at him and then down at his niece. "I had forgotten," he whispered.

"It's not too late to rediscover the gift that she is, Hunter," Adam said softly. "She needs you as much as you need her. The two of you are family, and through the help of one another, you may find your way back to Samantha, just as this community will find its way back to the Father."

"I don't think she's ever going to forgive me," he whispered. "I made so many mistakes."

Brittany took a deep breath. "It would be better if you did. She wanted to sell the hotel and leave here. She told me that living in Connecticut would be nice, and we'd be closer to Grandma too." As she spoke, she looked at Adam. "What should we do? I think God wants us to stay here, Adam."

"We have to stay here at least for six months," Hunter said. "I will sell the house, and we'll move up north, but it's going to take some time. We have to square everything with your grandfather's attorneys, but I think Jason and Sam will both be really glad when we tell them that we will come up there."

"Brittany, did you ever know why your uncle didn't go to stay with Sam and Jason?" Adam asked softly.

The small girl shook her head and waited for him to continue speaking. When he didn't, she finally looked at Hunter. "Why didn't you go?"

Hunter took a deep breath. "You were still here, and I knew that you were never very close to your mom, you loved her, but you didn't feel close to her. I decided to stay because after your grandma left, you would have been, for the most part, alone. I felt that it was important for you to have some semblance of family, someone around who cared. But, then all these problems started with the estate, all these crooks seemed to come out of the woodwork, and I got so caught up in it that I forgot about you. It breaks my heart to admit it, Brittany, but it's the truth."

Hunter nodded. "I lost myself in this whole mess, but that's the truth. Sam and I didn't get into any arguments because of you, it was because I had changed and things got out of hand. The crops are gone, Brittany, and once we sell the house; the money from the sale is all we are going to have to live on. That will take a half a year to take care of and then we will leave Virginia."

Brittany looked at Adam. "Will I still see you, Adam? Will you still be my friend, and come visit me?"

The angel nodded. "Do you remember what the Father said to you?" Before she could answer, he continued. "He said that our friendship will still exist, and no matter the distance between us, we will remain friends forever. He told you to remember that, because even though the coming months will bring a great many changes for you, they will be happy changes, and you'll be happy."

"I won't be happy without you, though," she whispered. "I want you to be with me too, Adam, you're my best friend."

The angel smiled. "You're mine too, little one, but I will be back to see you. It may not be as frequent as these past few years, but you will see me now and again."

Brittany nodded, but from somewhere came crying and she could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. "I don't want to lose you," she wept softly.

"You won't," Adam whispered as he wrapped her in his arms. "I promise." He pulled a watch from his pocket and held it up. "Do you still want me to keep this?"

Through her tears, she could see the gold pocket watch as it shimmered in the sunlight. She reached her hand out to it, but discovered that before she could touch it, the object had disappeared. "Adam…" she whispered.

Brittany did and noticed that the watch was now hanging from around her neck on a golden chain.

"You're becoming a young lady now, you're growing up, and finding so much courage inside of you," Adam whispered. "But, you're always going to be special to me."

The young girl nodded and threw herself into the arms of the angel. Hunter stood watching and looked at Adam, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Sometimes I think you know more about being a parent to a child than I do," the man whispered. "You always leave such a powerful impression on her. I don't think I could ever have that sort of impact on anyone, much less someone like Brittany."

"You can, Hunter," Adam said softly as he ruffled the tousled hair of the child. "Just allow yourself to do so. Don't hide the truth from her and be attentive to her thoughts and her needs. I see no reason whatsoever for you to not reach her. You just need to be there for her, and let her know that she is special." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "You wonder why it is that she and I are so close. We have been there for each other. We listen to each other, and enjoy the time we share with each other. This is something Holly missed out on, but now…Now you have the chance to find a relationship with Brittany that her own mother didn't have."

Hunter nodded and looked at Brittany. "You really were lonely a lot of the time, weren't you?"

The small girl answered simply with a mute nod as the angel squeezed her shoulder. "You will have a great many opportunities to make this up to her, starting right now." He glanced off in the distance.

Walking towards them was Suzie's mother and the woman did not look at all happy. Suzie was following her, the child's eyes downcast.

"Mister Livingston?" The stern sounding voice emerged and Brittany unconsciously cringed.

"Yes, and you must be Mrs. Jeffries," Hunter responded and looked at Suzie. "Hello, Suzie."

The child looked up for a moment and then glanced back down at the ground without saying anything.

"I want to ask you what the meaning is of your niece giving my daughter a book on God," the woman demanded, her eyes staring at Brittany with disapproval lacing her words.

Brittany looked up when she heard that and before anyone could stop her from speaking, she spoke. "Uncle Hunter, why do grown ups always try to silence us?"

"Because they're insecure, Brittany," Hunter answered and looked at Rita. "Now, we can discuss this if you can control your temper."

"I want to know why it is Brittany gave a book about God to Suzie, when Suzie doesn't believe in God," Rita said.

"Yes she does," Brittany said, all the while keeping her voice level. Behind her, Adam rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I said that Suzie does believe in God, and what you have done to her is not fair, Mrs. Jeffries," Brittany said evenly. "Just because you're her mom doesn't mean that you can decide for her what she believes."

"It's true, Mom," Suzie whispered. "I believe in God, and I believe in angels too."

Rita turned to face her daughter, but after a few moments, she looked at Brittany. "This is your doing, isn't it?"

"Maybe," Susie said, "but it happened long before I read that book. I knew about God because Brittany introduced me to her friend, and what she didn't tell me, I learned from Adam."

"That would be me," the angel broke his silence and looked at Rita, all the while his arms wrapped gently around Brittany's shoulders. "I met your daughter when she was a little girl, and had visited her class. Today, both she and Brittany are my friends."

"You don't seem to like your daughter hanging out with anyone," Hunter remarked. "You are angry that Brittany and Adam helped your daughter find her faith, but I'm going to tell you something, both girls need it, especially now in the wake of all the tragedy that has enfolded this town. Mrs. Jeffries, no one has the right to tell a child what to believe, they should allow that child to believe or not believe as they see fit. It's shameful that a parent imposes their will on someone they profess to love and treasure."

"I know that children need attention, that they need to be accepted and understood for being what they are. They need to know that they are safe to ask questions when they want to tap into the wisdom of someone who is older. Your daughter is afraid of you, just as Brittany was once afraid of her own mother. Now Holly is gone, and I must raise this child, but I will promise you this, Mrs. Jeffries, I will never make my niece afraid of me. If she has questions, she will have every right to ask those questions, and doing so without fear is a gift. You have failed to give your child that, otherwise, Suzie would be standing next to you and not cowering in fear away from you."

At that moment, Rita turned around to see that her daughter was, in fact, doing just what Hunter had described, she was standing with her head down some three feet away from them. The little girl's head was bowed slightly, her eyes staring shamefully down at the pavement before her.

When Brittany saw this, she looked up to see that Adam was just behind her, his hands resting firmly but gently on her shoulders, his eyes filled with gentility. After a few seconds had passed, Brittany looked up at the angel. "Adam, maybe you should go and support her, she looks really lost," the child whispered softly.

Adam nodded and smiled gently at the child before lowering his hands and walking without a word over to where Suzie. When he reached her, he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder and after a few seconds, she looked up. When she made eye contact with him, she offered her hand to him and he pulled her into his arms.

"Suzie," Rita spoke her daughter's name as she started to walk towards her daughter.

When Suzie didn't respond to this, but instead, remained in Adam's arms, Brittany looked up at Hunter. "Do you think this will help Suzie, Uncle Hunter, or will Mrs. Jeffries take her anger out on her?"

"I don't know, but from the looks of it, Mrs. Jeffries is losing her credibility and fast," he said softly and pointed some three feet away. Standing and watching this scenario play out some three feet away was Vicki Hudson, Michael Flores, and Justin Waters. "If there were any questions as to whether or not faith can move mountains, then they would have been answered by either you or Adam." He smiled at her as they walked over to Hunter's car and he opened the passenger side door.

As they were about to get into the car, the sound of Suzie's cries shattered the stillness, thus causing all of the people present to stop what they were doing and run towards the two of them. Suzie was on the floor, her body shaking violently, her hands now protectively behind her neck.

"What did you do to her?" Brittany screamed as she ran towards Rita's unsuspecting back and saw that her friend was now lying on the ground unconscious.

"She didn't," the angel affirmed as Andrew appeared next to Suzie, his hands characteristically stuffed in his pockets and his head bowed as he got down on the ground next to the child.

"What happened to her?" Brittany asked as her uncle retrieved his cell phone and called for an ambulance.

"She's got a very rare nervous condition," Rita offered weakly, her eyes on her daughter. "Now you know why I don't believe in God. What kind of God would allow a child to suffer like this? Tell me, Brittany, I really want to know." She got down on the ground next to where her daughter now lay and she brushed a gentle hand through the child's hair.

"He has," Adam offered. "You just don't realize it, because you're spending all your time being angry, thus denying yourself and your family the idea that a loving and unconditional God actually does exist. Perhaps, what doesn't exist to you is this idea that God could be anything other than this punishing and jealous deity that you have spent much of your life being convinced of and fearing. You see your daughter's illness as a curse brought about by some punishing God simply because of the mistakes of your family, or your own misperceived shortcomings. But, that's not the case, Rita. God doesn't punish His children by giving one of them an incurable illness."

"He told you?" Rita asked as Suzie opened her eyes and began to rub them. When her mother's critical gaze met her own, the young girl found the courage to retain eye contact with her.

Before any of the angels present could speak, and before Suzie could say anything in response to this inquiry, Hunter took a deep breath. "Sometimes children are better able to believe in something than grown-ups."

"No, but I do know that sometimes things happen that none of us can explain, they are simply things that we should understand and accept without questioning it." As he spoke, Adam came over and took Brittany's hand, and led her over to where Suzie lay. Once they were out of earshot, Hunter continued speaking, his voice low. "You see, on the day that our family's advisor was caught trying to harm Brittany, the police later informed me that he was still yelling about some invisible force that had protected her from him. This was some hours after he had been caught up at the house. He would have killed this child without thinking twice about his actions. All he cared about was money, was getting what he thought was his."

"What does this have to do with my daughter claiming to have spoken to God?" Rita asked.

"It has a lot to do with it, you see, God saved my niece's life. He made it possible for me to not be alone. He insured us both that we would not be alone, and He did so by sending His angels. Mrs. Jeffries, there have been angels here, they have come into our lives for a purpose. One of them is Adam. So when you ask an angel why your daughter is sick, or why it is that these things happen, an angel who responds will always tell you the truth. An angel that lies is not a servant of God," Hunter took a deep breath as he continued to speak. "Just as a God that punishes is not the God of love that I believe in, or that Brittany and Suzie adore. So when Suzie says that He did tell her, I have no reason to believe otherwise."

Rita looked at him, and then when she looked up and saw that Michael, Vicki and Justin were listening to this, she shook her head. "This is all crazy, you're all mad."

"No," Hunter whispered. "We're just trying to find our faith that people like you have tried to take away from us."

"You're not?" Hunter asked skeptically. "I beg to differ, Mrs. Jeffries, take a look at what you have already robbed from the children of this town, look at what you are denying your daughter because you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Rita said defensively. "I don't have to stay here and listen to this either." As she spoke, the approaching ambulance could be heard, the sounds of it getting louder and louder until it pulled to the side of the road and the attendants went to tend to Suzie.

Hunter remained standing to one side, his eyes downcast when he saw that Andrew had followed Suzie into the ambulance, he watched as Adam got to his feet and with Brittany next to him, they returned to his side. "She won't ever understand, will she Adam?" He asked once the angel and his companion were standing next to him.

"Well, just as Brittany was able to remind you, I think maybe Suzie will remind her mother," Adam said smiling as he looked down at his young friend.

"No, her illness isn't life threatening, it is more a nuisance than anything else, but what Mrs. Jeffries will have to understand about it is that the pressure and fear that she is exerting on Suzie is leaving a more lasting impact than anything else," Adam said softly.

"Just routine checks for her condition, don't be alarmed, Vicki," the angel said and looked at the two men who were standing with her. "Suzie will be fine, but you need to take that petition and submit it to the school board before five o'clock."

Three days later, Michael walked into a large open room, his eyes scanning the room and when he saw Hunter, Brittany, Adam and Vicki seated on one side of the room, he approached. "Hi," he whispered and Brittany looked up.

"Hello, Mr. Flores," Hunter whispered and nodded as the room suddenly went silent and the members of the school board entered and took their seats at the front of the room.

Once they were seated, the head of the small committee stood up and with a notebook in head, he addressed the assembly. "It comes as a surprise to see that a number of people here in attendance, specifically considering that this meeting is not generally open to the public."

Taking a deep breath, the man continued. "Seeing as this community is seriously affected by the events that take place in our local public schools, it is of the opinion of this committee as well as a number of parents and teachers that this debate be reopened and thoroughly examined here in this place, this afternoon. This debate pertains to a certain byline as written by Rita Jeffries on January 24 of this year, and which had been passed unanimously by this committee as well as various civic and community leaders. Due to a petition started in Georgia Whitehall Primary School, this debate will be reopened and voted on, today, March 21."

As the man stopped speaking, he scanned the crowd and his eyes stopped moving when he saw Michael. "Mr. Michael Flores, the committee gives you the floor for a five minute presentation of your stand."

Michael took a deep breath and got to his feet and went over to a podium that was situated at the front of the room. He opened his notebook and addressed the people assembled. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I have been a public servant for over five years. During that time, I have taught children to appreciate and understand the English language to the best of my abilities. It isn't just a job for me, it is my livelihood, to enrich the minds of these children, to answer their questions based on my experiences, but to give them the freedom to determine for themselves what they feel and believe about what it is they read. I am a teacher first and foremost, I teach and encourage them to open a book and get whatever out of it that they are able to. However, I do encourage them to read more than just the words, but rather to attain a sense of self in relation to what it is they have read. It is my belief that reading a story can influence and inspire a child to grow and mature in a way that nothing else can. However, by disallowing a child to read a certain book denies that child the opportunity and right to experience the material, not in the way that I, a teacher, see fit, but rather, in the manner in which they do, thus enriching and enabling them to get everything out of what it is they have read..."

"What does this have to do with the issue of prayer in school?" Rita Jeffries shouted impatiently from the other side of the room.

"I will tell you, Mrs. Jeffries," Michael said, his voice completely level. "One of my students wrote a book report for my class recently. She had been inspired by the book, 'Hello Mister God, Here is Anna'. Now, because of the title of this particular book and what it implies, I was forced, by no will of my own to disallow her from presenting this report to her class. Later, someone came to me and gave me a copy of this report, and I began to read it outside of class. I did not read it as a teacher, nor did I affix any sort of grade or grammatical check to the report, I read it as an interested party and nothing more. The ten-year-old girl who wrote it had received so much from the book that it made me realize how foolish I had been behaving. I am proud of where I call home, yet it never ceases to amaze me that a country that boasts: 'In God We Trust' would disallow a child from giving a book report because the name 'God' is in the title of the book. I ask you this: Do you disallow American currency to come into your home because the name 'God' is printed on the bills? 'In God We Trust' is there, printed on the bills a subtle reminder of what this country was founded on, yet, would you stop accepting money because you stopped believing in a higher power, Mrs. Jeffries? I think not."

A silence descended upon the room and Michael checked his watch before continuing to speak. "This nation was founded because we desired to have religious freedom. We're taught that at a very early age in our history classes. That means, the right to believe in whatever higher power we see fit to believe in, it's in the Constitution, and yet, here we sit debating this issue, thus completely contradicting ourselves. Children at Georgia Whitehall Primary School are not being told how to pray, nor are they being told what to believe in. They have the freedom to believe in God, and to pray to God if they wish to. At least before Mrs. Jeffries came into this hall and tried to dictate her wishes on the masses, thus upsetting an idea that started long before I came into this community. However, it is something that made me wants to stay and raise my children here. You take that away, then you might as well take away the freedom to dress as one would wish, or the freedom to think and choose for oneself. This is more than a question about whether or not the right to pray in a school setting is ethical or right, this is a question of whether or not this committee, and this community truly believes in the freedoms that this very nation was founded upon, the freedom of spiritual beliefs, the freedom to exercise one's right to discover what it is they feel about the world around them."

With that, he stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat. "Mrs. Jeffries, your rebuttal?" The man requested and the woman stood up. "You have five minutes."

Rita approached the podium and looked out at the sea of eyes and began to speak, thus addressing the people present. "A public school system is a creation of this state which ensures us equality. This means that just because one student writes a book report that she deserves preferential treatment. There are books that are appropriate for a fifth grade reading list and there are books that are inappropriate. A child who tries to present a book report about God uses the written word as a means to indoctrinate her fellow students and teachers about the existence of something which is questionable."

As Brittany heard these words, she could feel the anger building up in her. She looked at Adam and could feel the angel reaching for her hand and when he held it, he squeezed it gently.

"As for Mr. Flores arguments about history, I don't believe that it is relevant to this discussion…" Her voice trailed off when she heard some of the people in attendance muttering amongst themselves. Sighing deeply, she glanced down at her lap and tried to get her thoughts straight. After a few moments, her composure was once more collected and she began to speak once again. "The freedoms that we are guaranteed are fine and good, but I should be able to send my children to a school where she is not influenced by things that are not taught in the home." With that, she sat down as the murmurs continued. Seconds passed and the presiding member had to pound his gavel.

"Good, then I give the floor to Miss Brittany Harrows," the speaker said softly as Brittany got to her feet.

She looked at Adam and when the angel nodded, she walked to the podium and waited as an attendee came over and adjusted the microphone so that the child could offer her statements. Once she was ready, Rita's husband Warren stood up, his face covered with outrage.

"This is absurd," he said as Brittany put her notebook on the podium. "Children should be seen and not heard."

"Why do you say that?" Hunter stood up and looked at the man angrily. "Perhaps that was the case in the caveman days, but today, and in my family, my niece has every right to speak her mind. Now, you think that she has no rights, but this entire thing does directly affect her and regardless of how old or young she is, does not mean that we, as adults, have the right to dictate to her how to feel, nor have we the right to silence her."

"Order," the head of the board pounded his gavel and looked at Brittany. "I'm sorry, Miss Harrows, but both Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Livingston are speaking out of order. As I have already conveyed, the floor is yours."

Brittany nodded. "Oh, OK, thank you." She opened her notebook and looked at the microphone. "Can you hear me?" She greeted the group.

Brittany took a deep breath. "Father, please help me do this right," she prayed softly and smiled weakly when she looked up to see that the Father was present, and He was watching her proudly. Smiling at Him, she realized that no one else could see Him present, but that didn't stop her, instead she tapped the microphone and began to speak. "OK, I'm ready now."

"That's good, please begin," the presiding school board member spoke and Brittany nodded.

"OK, basically what I wanted to say was that my grandpa taught me how to pray when he was alive, and he would take me to church when I was little. I didn't remember very much about it until the day my mom died. It sounds stupid, but it's true. I realized that after Mr. Flores told me that I couldn't give my report. Through all of that, I started to understand how terrible life must be without some sort of faith. I mean; I never really thought that a person could get into trouble for feeling that way, but it really bothered me. If I'm being told that there is no God to have faith in, then what's the point of having joy in life. I would never tell another kid to believe like me, but I decided that if I can't read the report to my class like I wanted to, then I'm going to read it here. I even rewrote some of it."

    'Hello Mister God,' the little girl said, she had been saying that for a long time not really caring who heard her words, but waiting for an answer of some kind to life's greatest questions. She never wondered whether it was that God existed or if He was just an imaginary friend like she had when she was little. She simply thought about how she would like to have Him take her in His arms and comfort her when she was sad. Yet, through it all, there was something inside of me that always seemed to understand isolation. I knew about how lonely she must have been because I live in a town where everyone thinks we're snobs, or without problems or struggles. They judge us without knowing us, but my friend, Adam, said that God won't judge us, that He loves us, and I believe him. Through the book and his friendship, I started to believe it without doubting.

    This book is not just about a little girl who looks to God to help her find answers, but it is about how most of the kids I know seem to look at God. We have been told that God either doesn't exist, or that miracles don't ever happen, and if they do, we're not worthy to receive them. We have been told that God is someone mean, angry and jealous. Yet, somehow, Anna never stopped believing that God existed as a kind and loving friend. It is special for her to know that He is looking out and watching over her, and that is what I believe about God, and that is what I experienced when I would pray with my classmates in school. I learned that one doesn't have to be in school in order to talk to Him, but that we can always find trust and kindness in the strangest, but also the most tragic of events, like my mother dying.

    Somehow, even after my teacher disallowed me to report on this book, I found out that I related to this book even more than initially. I suddenly could relate to her isolation, and I understood her questions. I always knew what it felt like to be alone in a crowd. Others may surround me, but I still look out and watch while everyone else is dancing and having fun, but knowing that if I need a partner to share the dance with, that God will dance with me.

    As I was reading this story, I was able to see a little girl who I could relate to, but at the same time thinking about how special it was to look at the world with innocence and optimism. I have wanted to see this world in the same way, but I realized that I probably would never understand it, simply because people consider me to be childish because I believe in fantasy. Either that, or they think I'm insignificant because I'm a kid.

    Hello Mister God, Here Is Anna, showed me that I wasn't alone, that maybe if there is a child like me out there someone, then I won't feel alone anymore, I will have someone, even in the pages of a story, who understands the isolation that I know. I really love this story, not just because of the fact that God is mentioned in it, but because while my faith has been wavering, I believed that through this, I would be able to find it again.

Silence filled the room, and suddenly, without warning, someone from the back of the room began to applaud and Brittany looked up to see that Suzie had entered the room. She left the podium and went to embrace her friend. By this time, the other people began to applaud as well, and it was at that moment that Rita turned around and her eyes widened when she saw her daughter standing in the room, Andrew was right behind her, his eyes filled with joy.

Suzie took a deep breath and smiled. "I was released from the hospital this morning and Andrew brought me here."

Rita's face flushed and Brittany looked at her friend. "I have a couple of more minutes left, you want to say something?" She asked.

Suzie looked at Brittany, and shrugged her shoulders, but before she could respond, Adam stood up. "Why, what are you so afraid of?"

"Perhaps not, but you have done nothing here but shout at people. You and your husband have shouted at Brittany, you have shouted at Michael, and now you're pushing your parental rights and shouting at your daughter," Hunter said as he stood up. "Excuse me for saying so, but with behavior like that, I start to wonder if you're hiding something or are using this entire issue to hide the truth from this community."

"What do you mean, Mr. Livingston?" Warren demanded as he stood up, his fists clenched.

"Oh Mr. Jeffries, do I have to spell it out to you?" As he spoke, Suzie and Brittany looked around the room as Adam got up and went over to the two girls.

Once he had reached them, he wrapped them in his arms. "Come, let's get out of here." Brittany nodded as the angel escorted the two girls out of the room, thus leaving Hunter staring at the couple as he walked towards the podium.

"This town has been roped into this faithless mentality for months now. Lose our faith, and we'll loose the truth about what has been happening here. My younger sister, Brittany's mother, was murdered, and both Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries have been doing everything in their power to keep the truth from coming out, including trying to dictate to this community what we are supposed to believe about God. Why would they do that, you ask? I will tell you. This morning, I received a call from the DA's office explaining to me that formal charges have been filed against a Mr. Gordon Jeffries for the murder of my sister, Holly Harrows. Holly had hired Mr. Jeffries without my prior knowledge and he was as money hungry as they come," Hunter said as shock descended on the room. "It's true, if you need verification, you can contact the DA or contact our local police department. I don't know why it is that Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries are trying to impose this faithless punishment on our community, but I can tell you this, we chose it for ourselves. I am just as guilty of accepting this nonsense as anyone else in this room, but do you see what lost faith can do to a community? It can make a man resort to murder, and that same man who murdered my sister, nearly murdered my niece. Is this what we want to happen to our community, to our children, to encase them in lies and deception?"

Rita's face was as white as a piece of paper as Hunter continued to speak. She looked at her husband, who had stood up and left the room. Hunter looked at the people assembled. "I know that neither Rita nor Warren Jeffries are responsible for what Gordon Jeffries has done, and I ask that this community not judge them for these acts." He swallowed as he continued to speak. "Please, consider this, the faith of this town is important, it is what attracted a number of people as well as businesses. If you take that away from it, then we might as well pack our bags and leave this town."

Outside in the corridor, Adam was sitting on the bench next to Suzie. Brittany was walking listlessly through the corridor, and the angel looked around the now empty corridor. Suzie looked up, her eyes filled with pain and the angel could tell that she carried so much shame that she couldn't make eye contact with any of them.

A few silent moments passed and Adam looked at her. "No one blames you for any of this, Suzie," he whispered soothingly.

"No you're not, you've got more to lose than me is all," Brittany said shrugging her shoulders. "Suzie, you and me are friends, and no matter what happens, we will always be friends."

The young girl nodded numbly, and without speaking, she eventually found the courage to look up at Adam, the same question looming.

Knowing this, Suzie took a deep breath and started to walk back to towards the room. "I'm going to tell the truth, then. I have to, it would be wrong not to."

Brittany and Adam followed her back into the room as her Father came out into the corridor. They could all hear Hunter's voice as he finished speaking and they watched as Rita was about to leave. Suzie looked at the people assembled. and spoke up. "I have something to say."

Rita looked over at her daughter with the intention of silencing her, but when she realized from the look of determination on her daughter's face, she would not be successful. She looked around, when she couldn't take the look on her daughter's face, and she saw how all the people now looking at Suzie, she thought better of it and sat back down.

Suzie approached the front of the room and once she was standing before the microphone, she looked at the school board. "I am taking Brittany's last two minutes and then I will leave."

The presiding school board member nodded and Suzie looked out across the people, when she saw that Leo was leaning against the wall and watching the proceedings, she smiled weakly and began to speak.

"When I first started school here, I met one of the most wonderful friends that I will probably ever have, her name is Brittany Harrows. I used to tease her when we were little, I showed her in every way that I didn't like her, but the only reason I did that stuff was because she had something I didn't, she had faith. This, through our friend, Adam, she shared it with me, and through her friendship I learned to like myself." She took a deep breath before she was able to continue speaking. "My mom and dad think that I am like them, that I don't believe in God, but I do, and that won't ever change, no matter what they say or do to me, I will always believe in Him, and I will talk to him with or without your silly rules."

With that, she stepped away from the microphone, and went over to the man standing in the corner of the room. Without another word, she embraced Leo. "Was that OK?" She asked insecurely.

Leo merely nodded, and when the embrace ended, He vanished, thus leaving a shocked school board in His wake. In fact, the only ones who weren't left surprised by this event were two young girls and an angel.

"Where did He go?" Hunter asked eventually breaking his silence and looking down at his niece.

"Home," was all Brittany said and when Suzie came over to her, she smiled. "Did you know who He was?"

Suzie winked. "He said we like to talk, but that was the secret of the century." She looked at Adam. "Your boss is nice, Adam," she said winking and the angel chuckled.

"Yes, He is," Adam smiled as he ruffled the hair of the two girls. "He made you a promise, and that was that you would make a difference here. Look around."

The two girls did as the angel said and they were both surprised to see that the school board was now whispering amongst themselves. "We have decided," the presiding member said after a few moments of silence had passed.

"Yes, unanimously," the man said. "As of today, the degree signed on January 24, has been overturned. Brittany Harrows will be allowed to give her book report in her class, but Mr. Flores, if I were you, I'd give her an 'A' for it. She used what she read to influence an entire town, and that's not always easy to do."

Michael nodded. "You're right, Sir, it's not." He turned and looked at Brittany. "You asked me if a miracle could make it possible, well, it did." He took out a red felt tip marker and on the top of the first page of Brittany's work, he wrote a large letter A.

When she had it back in her hand, she held it up so everyone could see it and was surprised when the observers all cheered. They all cheered except for Suzie's parents, who had returned to hear the decision.

Rita looked at her daughter and then at her husband. What no one saw was that Andrew had walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. She turned and he spoke. "You should be very proud of your daughter, Mrs. Jeffries, she had the courage to strive to do what is right, and she changed a lot of peoples' minds."

"What difference does that make, she won against us, her parents?" Rita snapped.

"She won against a political machine, not against you. If you think that you cannot learn from your children, then you're wrong. Brittany Harrows did not learn much from her mother while she was alive, but she definitely taught Holly a great deal. Use the childlike wisdom in your daughter, tap into it. Suzie is a very intelligent young girl, but she has to be allowed to think for herself, if you disallow her to do so, then she might as well die."

Rita looked over at her daughter who was looking down at Brittany's report, the young girl smiling. She remembered how her daughter had hugged Leo before He had left the room, and sighing, she tried without success to remember when the last time her daughter had given her as exuberant a hug as she had given to that stranger. Whoever he was, it made her realize something, her daughter may have an illness, but she was still special.

Sighing sadly, she looked at her husband without realizing that he had the same thoughts cursing through his head. The two of them walked over to where Hunter, Suzie, Brittany and Adam were now standing.

Yet, although Brittany was surprised by the reaction of Rita Jeffries, the one that was surprised was Suzie, she stared up at her mother, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Let's go home," Warren said simply and the young girl nodded and looked at Adam.

"Don't leave without saying good-bye," she whispered and accepted the hands of her parents before walking slowly away.

"I won't," Adam said and looked down at Brittany. "I promise," he whispered as they walked away.

Two weeks passed and the Saturday morning dawned beautiful, the sky above the large mansion was blue. Brittany crawled out of bed and looked around the room that she had spent the last ten years of her young life. Today, it was filled with boxes and suitcases. She would be leaving there today, the movers would come and she would move into her uncle's cabin not too far from the estate. She was not unhappy, in fact, she had anticipated this day for as long as she could remember.

"Good morning," Adam came into the room. The angel was dressed in a beige suit, his gray eyes filled with love as he regarded the young girl.

"Hi Adam," she yawned and stretched as she looked up at him. "You're leaving, aren't you?" She eventually asked when she saw his mode of dress.

The angel nodded. "Yes, but I know you're going to be OK now, you and Hunter will see me again very soon."

"Yes, I will be at your new house in Connecticut when you move in," the angel smiled at her.

"Last night," he responded softly. "An angel always keeps his promises, and I want you to remember that. When we meet again, you'll know for certain that I told you the truth, but now you have faith."

"I won't forget," the young girl said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him pulling her onto his lap. "I love you, Adam."

"I love you too, sweetheart," the angel said as he pulled a golden chain from his pocket and handed it to her. "You can put your watch around your neck now," the angel said smiling.

Brittany reached over and took the watch from off the nightstand and put it on the chain. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

"As are you, my little lady," Adam smiled as he latched the necklace around her neck. "Don't forget my friend, I always will be your friend, even if the time that passes seems too long, I won't forget you." With that, he kissed her forehead and disappeared.

Brittany sat holding the watch in her hand, but nodded. This time, she knew that Adam was true to his word. As she ran her hand over the cover of the watch, the door opened and she looked up to see her uncle.

"I really am," the young girl smiled weakly as her uncle came over and sat down on the bed.

Brittany shook her head. "My space is with you, Uncle Hunter. This was never my home, it was just a place where I spent a lot of time. The only time I ever really felt at home was when Adam was here, and now that he's said 'good-bye' and promised that he would be back to see me, I know that I don't belong here anymore."

"I never did, even though after your grandfather died, I owned the place," Hunter said softly as he shook his head. "Now that your mother, and my mother are no longer here, it seems rather pointless for either of us to stay here."

"Good idea, come on," Hunter grabbed her hand and stood up. When she got to her feet, he wrapped her in his arms and picked her up off the floor and swung her around the room.

Brittany began to giggle and on one corner of the room, Leo stood watching them. He was smiling and nodding approvingly at the two of them. Seconds later, Adam and Monica appeared next to Him and He cast a brief glance in their directions before looking back at the two humans in the room. "Good work, My angels," He said simply.

Adam smiled. "That's what friends are for," he whispered and the three of them disappeared and a dove flew over the mansion and disappeared through the trees. From the window, the sounds of Brittany's laughter could be heard.