A 'Touched By an Angel' story

By: Yvette Jessen

Part 1, Helena

It was a warm day as the Angel of Death named Andrew drove the school bus through the small town of Fairbrook, North Dakota. He had been assigned to watch over a young girl named Helena, and he could tell by the way she carried herself that she needed an angel or two around.

As he drove, he could hear the soft swells of music emerging from the 12-year-old girl and he could somehow tell that she was only reacting this way simply because of the internalized misery she felt. He had only been driving this route a little over a week, and yet, he was already aware of all the troubles the children seemed to have with one another.

He watched the petite young girl through the mirror each time the bus would stop, his warm green eyes regarding her with sympathy and compassion. She looked to be so lonely and it seemed as though she did not appear to have a friend in the world.

Behind him, he could hear the older boys laughing, all the while preparing to get off the bus.

As he pulled the bus to the side of the road, he could still hear the loud boys behind him, and as they were preparing to get off, he glanced up and watched sadly as they walked down the aisle towards the doors of the bus, and starting to pelt the girl with spit-wads. She began to cry softly as she wiped her hands down the front of her blouse in an attempt to get rid of the small wet wads of paper.

Andrew closed the doors and glanced towards the back of the bus where a younger angel was now seated. It was Raphael, a young Caseworker who looked to be more or less like a teenager himself than an angel from God. The younger of the angels made his way up the aisle and regarded Andrew with a smile.

Both angels knew from the events they had witnessed that if Andrew were to actually report those three boys, it would just go all the harder on Helena.

This made Raphael rather angry, and he sighed deeply as he moved up a few seats and sat watching the girl as she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. He shook his head, unable to comprehend why she was crying about something as insignificant as this, but he figured that there must be a deeper meaning behind it, which might explain why God had decided to send two angels to help the young girl instead of one. He also realized that Andrew was an Angel of Death, so it scared him to even begin to contemplate that something could happen to that young girl.

Once the bus began to slow down once again, Raphael started collecting the books he carried with him, and when it eventually stopped, he stood up and walked towards the doors.

His assignment was getting up as well, and once the doors opened, she practically flew from the bus, running as fast as she could towards a nearby row of apartment buildings. Raphael nodded towards Andrew and got off behind her. He turned back towards his friend, as Andrew nodded at him and closed the doors, leaving him standing on the side of the road.

After some moments of hesitation, Raphael walked silently towards the apartment where he and Andrew lived. He sighed once again as he reached the rows of mailboxes and watched as she ran away. Her sandy blonde ponytail bouncing as she ran, but when she turned around again and saw him walking in the same direction, she ran even faster.

Seconds passed and Raphael saw her tumble, and fall hard on the sidewalk, her books skidding across the pavement. Her hands rubbed against her eyes as she wiped the tears away, looked up, and saw him running towards her. "Don't run away, please, I won't hurt you," he called out as she started to stand up and run away. "Are you OK?" He asked as he looked down and saw that her knee was bleeding slightly and she held her hand over it.

Upon hearing his voice, she nodded meekly, but said nothing.

Raphael pulled some tissues from his pocket, "your knee's bleeding. Let me help you." He took the tissues and wiped them over the wound. She flinched upon feeling his soft hand and the tissues against her leg, but after a few moments she relaxed as soon as she heard his gentle voice filled with compassion as he finished wiping the blood and rocks from her injured knee. "You'll probably want to wash it good when you get home, so it doesn't get infected," he said gently.

"Thank you," she whispered, and when he looked into her eyes, he could tell that this girl was more than just shy; she looked as though she was a hermit. His eyes fell on her unusual clothing. The brown 70's style jumpsuit she was wearing made her look as though she had stepped out of an old 'Brady Bunch' episode. Her brown eyes were shadowed by sadness, almost as though she existed in a hidden secret world of her own.

"You're welcome," the angel responded with a reassuring smile as he looked at her. He felt a strange sensation about her, but before he could say another word, an older girl ran over to them.

"Boy are you in for it. Mom said the school called again today," the girl's eyes fell on Raphael who was still standing there. "Helena, how could you be so stupid and fail Math, it's so easy?"

Helena stood there shaking her head. How was she going to tell her older sister why things had all fallen apart for her during this term? She shrugged her shoulders, looked at Raphael and walked away. Her older sister was still standing next to the angel when she turned a corner and walked towards the apartment where her family lived.

"You new here or something?" The girl's voice interrupted Raphael's contemplations.

"Uh, yeah, my friend and I have been here for about a week or so,“ the Mexican angel answered, his voice filled with the typical street-smartness that seemed to embody him. Perhaps this was the reason that the Father had often sent him to work with young people, it was because somehow, he had the ability to work through their oftentimes harder exterior.

"You got a name?" She asked, her voice hard.

"Raphael,“ he answered his eyes still on where he had seen Helena disappear some moments before.

"Don't tell me that you actually like my little sister?" She asked, smirking.

"I just met her," Raphael replied, "and what if I do?"

"No skin off my nose," came the girl's nonchalant response as she walked away.

Raphael was left standing alone. He couldn't comprehend why this girl's older sister would be so cruel to her. Of course, a lot of the times he had dealt with kids who were a bit rough around the edges, but he could not understand why it was that these two girls were so opposite, but yet they seemed to both be harboring the same sort of secret.

He shrugged his shoulders and picked up his belongings and walked in the direction of the apartment where he lived. Standing at the door, he simply shrugged his shoulders, opened the door and went inside.

Once inside, he saw Tess, one of the supervisors. He smiled warmly at the older angel; she was a heavyset woman with deep brown eyes, gray hair, and mahogany colored skin. "You're back early, did you see your assignment?" Tess asked as she stood up, and wiped her hands down the front of her skirt.

"Yes, I saw her on the bus,“ Raphael answered and shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't look as though it went all that well," Tess commented. "You want to talk about it, or would you rather get some feedback from Andrew when he gets back?"

"I guess so, I mean; Tess, I'm not hardly the same age as this girl, and even though the high school kids ride the bus, it just doesn't seem to look right that I'm even there," he paused before he could find the courage to continue speaking. When he did, Tess could tell that his voice was emerging worried. "Tess, can I ask you something?"

"You know you can,“ Tess answered. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, it's just that something strange happened on the bus with my assignment and I can't understand it," Raphael said shaking his head. "Is it normal for a child to be so emotional and to cry just because some of the guys were picking on her? I mean; yeah, they were shooting spit-wads at her, but she was crying the entire time." As he spoke Andrew came inside, his eyes filled with sadness as he closed the door and stared at the two of his friends who were seated on the sofa.

"What a day," he muttered, his voice filled with annoyance, which Tess immediately reacted upon.

"What is it, Angel Boy?" She asked using the term of endearment she often used to refer to Andrew.

"Helena," Andrew said softly. "Why does the Father want both of us to take care of her? I don't even know if something is going to happen to her, and I know that it would break my heart if it did," He shook his head sadly. "Raphael, what happened after she got off the bus?"

"Well, once she got off, she just took off like a scared rabbit. I didn't really understand why that had happened, but a few minutes later, I saw her trip on the sidewalk and wanted to stop and help her. She had hurt her knee, but when she saw me coming towards her, she looked at me like...like.... I don't know; she looked petrified, like I was going to hurt her or something."

"Did anything else happen?" Tess asked.

"No, well nothing really, except after I wiped the blood from her knee with a tissue, I told her she should wash it and bandage it when she gets home. Then an older girl came over to her and had said that she was in trouble with her mother because she had failed Math. When the girl saw me, she started interrogating me about what I was doing talking to her little sister. Then she walked away and I came back here."

"That is strange," Tess mused.

"This really bothers me, Tess," Andrew interjected. "In all the years that I have worked with young people, I have never seen a child this reclusive. On the bus, she would sing to herself, and it was almost like she was lost in her own little world or something," he concluded.

"Maybe her own little world, as you call it, is better to her than this one," Tess said softly.

"Maybe," Andrew mused, but from looking at him, both of the angels could tell that the compassionate Angel of Death was worried about her and from looking at Raphael; the feeling was mutual.

"Perhaps, this shadow that does exist within her, and her fantasies are the only way to escape from this sort of reality that she must cope with,“ Tess said. "There remains no question in my mind, babies, this little girl needs help, and it looks to me that the Father is intending on the two of you working together to fulfill it."

As soon as she had spoken, Tess disappeared leaving Raphael and Andrew alone; neither of the angels knew what they should say about this situation.

"Raphael, tell me exactly what happened when you reached her," Andrew spoke as soon as their supervisor was gone.

"Well, when I reached her after she fell, the first thing I noticed were her eyes. She looked really scared like I was going to hurt her or something. When I started wiping the blood away, I could only feel that she was scared, and that she didn't want to make eye contact with me. She kept looking at the ground like she believed that she was beneath me, or something. I guessed that she was probably afraid that I could sense something about her,“ Raphael said softly. "Then I remember before she had fallen that she had run from the bus as though her life was in jeopardy."

"All that I had seen was her running from the bus," Andrew said softly, shaking his head. "I guess tomorrow we'll learn a little bit more."

"Yeah, I guess so,“ Raphael said. "We can at least hope so anyway."

*~*~*~*

The following morning, once the school bus had arrived and Helena had climbed aboard and took a seat, Raphael approached. "Hi," he offered.

"Hi," she said more to her lap than to him.

"Are you OK?" he asked. "How's your knee?"

"It's OK," she whispered softly causing Andrew to briefly turn around once the bus had stopped.

"Helena? That's your name, right?" Raphael asked.

She nodded, and glanced around, her sad eyes meeting his for a split second.

"I'm Raphael," he introduced himself.

"Why are you talking to me?" she asked, "no one ever speaks to me here."

"I'm sorry," he offered, and he really was. His heart went out to the girl, there was pain in her expression that he couldn't describe, and it saddened him that she found more security in looking down than at making eye contact with someone else. "I want to be your friend," he finally said.

"You do?" She completely turned around in her seat and faced him.

"Yeah," he smiled warmly as the bus stopped and the three boys were waiting on the street. He immediately noticed that as the bus slowed down, her expression had changed and her entire body tensed up.

As they were getting on, one of the boys doubled his fist up and began to pound against her arm, and as the second boy was about to hit her as well, causing Raphael to stand up abruptly and grab the fist of the second boy. He stared angrily at the boy, and finally the boy's hand relaxed and lowered.

"Hey Buddy, what's your deal?" he sneered looking at the angel.

"What's yours?" Raphael challenged him. "Or are you such a coward that you have to go and beat up girls to show everyone how tough you are?" The boys continued walking up the aisle, but Raphael didn't stop speaking, "I've never seen a more pathetic demonstration in my life."

Andrew turned around and his eyes met those of his friend. He shook his head, but he could tell that Raphael was too upset to even think rationally about what he was doing. After some moments had passed, the Angel of Death turned back around to face the street.

Helena's head slowly raised as the three boys made their way to the back of the bus. She could see Raphael's upset expression, but she spoke, breaking the silence. "Why did you do that?" she asked, her voice neither angry nor friendly. It stung Raphael's conscience because it sounded as though the girl was completely neutral about everything that happened to her.

He sighed deeply, "because I'm your friend, and what those guys are doing is wrong."

Helena looked as though she was about to burst into tears, but somehow something stopped her and she shrugged her shoulders and turned back around.

*~*~*~*

Helena Williams said nothing else and when the bus pulled up to the school, she quickly got off and ran towards the doors, which would lead inside the middle school. If she could only tell someone about how it felt being the scapegoat in school, she figured that she would feel much better about her situation at home. Her guilt overshadowed everything about her, and as she walked alone into the school. Once inside, she ran into one of her former teachers, Mr. Jackson.

David Jackson was her favorite teacher; he seemed to be the only person she knew who cared about her and what happened to her. He had taught her English during the previous year and had always tried to make himself available for his students, and Helena was one of the students he always talked to before school started. He was well liked one of the most popular teachers it the school. He was somewhat new to the small community of Fairbrook, only lived there for a little over a year. He and his wife, Rachel, were both actively involved in the PTA, and his colleagues all had something positive to say about him.

He was extremely found of Helena Williams, she was one of his favorite students, and he found himself encouraging her endlessly when it came to writing. She was the type of student who had a hidden talent when it came to poetry, and her poems, though dark, were absolutely beautiful. But, he could see that she was having a really rough time fitting in with the other kids, and his heart really went out to her.

"Helena, are you OK?" he asked when he saw her walking towards the door of his classroom. As usual, she carried herself with her head down, and her shoulders slumped. "Earth to Helena," he spoke softly, his voice gentle as he addressed the forlorn young girl.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly looking up and meeting his gentle blue eyes.

"Are you OK?" he repeated his question.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess."

"You guess? Come on Helena, I know something's bothering you; I wish you trusted me enough to tell me about it. Is it the Wilford boys? Have they been teasing you again?" he asked.

She nodded, "yeah, but what else is new? Will this ever stop, will I ever just be accepted for who I am not be used as a punching bag? I always worry about when I go into the cafeteria and how many times a week I get tripped, or pushed around. I wonder if Shannon is going to start hitting me in gym class, or if someone's gonna throw old tampons in the trees in front of my apartment. My mom has already changed the phone number twice, Mr. Jackson. Does it ever stop?" She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at him.

"It will stop, Helena, it will. I promise," he said gently. "One day these childish antics will stop and these kids will grow up. Stay strong. I know it's hard, I was teased a lot when I was your age, but it changed, and now I'm much better off than most of those people who teased me."

"Really?" she asked not sure she wanted to believe him.

He nodded, grinning impishly. "It will. Want to hear a secret?" Once she nodded, he came closer to her and began to dramatically whisper in her ear. "I went back to my class reunion some years ago, and most of the popular kids were pretty messed up, and I turned out OK. I have my wife, am active in the community, and have the best job I could ever ask for. I came out on top, and so will you. Keep your chin up."

Helena nodded as he finished speaking and she could hear the warning bell ringing, "thanks, Mr. Jackson."

He smiled, "now you'd better get going, you only have five minutes to get to class," he said as some of the kids from his first period class started filtering into the room.

Helena nodded and wiped the stray tears away. She walked out of the classroom and made her way towards her locker. She sighed deeply as her hand ran across her stomach. Every time she got upset about something, she would begin to feel dull pains in her stomach. She didn't know why it was that this happened, but she could only guess that it had something to do with the pain she felt from the rejection of her classmates added to all the events that were taking place at home, both things left her feeling completely powerless. She looked down at the ground as she walked. The kind words from the teacher forgotten once she reached her locker.

It had been during the summer that Helena's mother had remarried. Her stepfather had moved into her mother's apartment about three years before. Her older sister had started at the high school, and was in the drill team there. She was pretty and popular, and Helena felt insignificant in the shadow of her sister. One time, she had even carried a photo of her beautiful sister and showed it to some of her classmates. Rather than accepting her, as she had hoped, they asked her why she wasn't pretty like her sister. Later, she ripped the picture up, and never mentioned her family again.

It was during that same summer that Helena began to be physically and emotionally abused by her stepfather. No one would have believed her anyway, she had told her mother, and she didn't, so how could she have expected anyone else to?

Once she walked into her science class and took a seat one of the boys threw a paper airplane at her, when she turned around, the bell rang and the teacher entered the classroom. Nothing was done or said, and the teacher began writing on the chalkboard. Helena opened her notebook and began writing, her thoughts constantly returning to Raphael's words on the bus.

*~*~*~*

Once the school day ended, Raphael walked out of the high school and over towards the bus. He had seen Helena coming out of the middle school and walked over to meet her, "hey."

Helena nodded slightly, "hi."

"How was your day?" Raphael asked.

"OK," she answered her voice soft, almost inaudible.

"We don't live very far away, you want to walk with me?" Raphael asked. "I need to get some exercise, anyway, and the bus wobbles so much."

Helena thought about it for a second, and finally nodded, "OK." Her hesitancy didn't go unnoticed by the angel, but he didn't mention it because she began to walk next to him.

"You're not very happy, are you?" He asked.

"No, I hate it here,“ she answered honestly.

"Is it the teasing?" Raphael asked.

There was something sincere about his voice, and Helena looked up at him. "In part," she said, honestly. "I just don't feel like I fit in here."

"I'm sure it will get better," he said confidently.

"Do you ever feel lonely?" She asked.

"I think everyone now and again,“ Raphael replied.

"Do people ever tease you?" She asked him.

"No, not really," he said honestly.

"What about your family?" Helena asked.

"I uh have what a lot of people call an extended family," he said softly his eyes briefly glancing skyward.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It was just a question."

"Don't worry about it," he said smiling. "What about you?"

"My father walked out on us right after I was born," Helena said softly, "I don't even know who or where he is. My mom always told me that he wasn't worth it, even though I always wondered about him. I have an older sister and we both live with our mother, but she just recently got married again, and I don't like my step-father at all."

"That's must be pretty tough," Raphael said gently.

"I guess," she shrugged her shoulders. "You know it's crazy, but I used to go and sit in the park and watch the sky and I would pray and ask God if He could find my father and send him a message that I can't bear living here. Then one day I wrote about it in my diary, but my sister found it and read it,“ Helena said, "I guess after that I just stopped going and believing, because I was afraid that Mary would tell on me for doing something she always considered to be silly."

"But, what do you think? I get inspired by prayers and I enjoy looking at the stars,“ Raphael said. "I wouldn't worry about what your sister says or thinks."

"That's easy for you to say," Helena answered, her eyes shadowing over. "Everything my sister says to my mother, she believes, and my mother doesn't believe or listen to me at all."

"Is that really how you feel?" He asked.

"No, it's the truth."

"I have an idea," he said abruptly. "Why don't we go to the park this evening, and we can both do those things you spoke of?" he paused before he continued, "or are you able to leave?" His thoughts were now centered on the strict conditions she apparently had to live under. "I think you want to, and I don't know where the park is."

Helena nodded, "OK, I guess, my mother and step-father are going out, and my sister has to go to a football game."

"Great," Raphael answered and he smiled gently at her as they made their way in the direction of the apartment complex, he couldn't get over the way she carried herself. Her eyes were constantly on the ground and her forlorn expression never changed.

Finally, he broke his silence, "Helena, why are you always so sad? It can't be just the teasing, I have a feeling that something's wrong, I want to help if I can." Raphael reached over and squeezed her shoulder, his eyes filled with sadness when he saw the extent of her sadness.

"It's nothing,“ she said.

"Please, come with me, you can at least talk to Andrew about it. He's a good friend of mine, and he will listen, I know he will," the angel said softly.

She shook her head, "I can't."

Raphael took her hand and squeezed it, "please, I really do want to be your friend."

"I know, I'll see you later. When do you want to meet?" she asked.

"How about right here at 7?" Raphael finally managed to speak.

"Can we meet at 8?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting here. I'll bring a blanket and a basket so we can have something to eat while we're there. Is that OK?"

Helena nodded and walked towards the door of her apartment. After a few seconds, she turned back around and smiled weakly at him before disappearing inside.

*~*~*~*

Raphael was waiting in the courtyard at 8 as they had agreed. He carried a large blanket and a basket filled with sandwiches, potato chips and fruit. Andrew had been there waiting for him when he came in and as the two of them had discussed what was happening with the young girl, Andrew offered his friend some words of support as they were putting the food together.

He had sat the basket down on the ground when he saw Helena walking across the courtyard to meet him. Her hair was pulled back in a typical ponytail and she wore a white long-sleeved dress and sandals on her feet. She draped a button down the front sweater over her arms and approached him hesitantly. "Hi," she whispered upon meeting him.

He picked up the basket as she led him away from the courtyard and in the direction of the park. After about ten minutes, they arrived, and the angel bought two can drinks from a street vender. Once he returned to her, they walked towards a small hill and they spread out the blanket and sat the basket of food on top of the edge of the blanket.

Once they both had sat down, Raphael looked over at her, "its really nice here, Helena. Thanks for showing me how to find it."

She nodded and looked at him. "You would have eventually found it," she answered.

Raphael shrugged his shoulders and handed her a wrapped sandwich and opened the bag of potato chips. "I hope you like these chips, they're my favorite kind."

She reached inside the bag, pulled a chip out and ate it. After a few seconds, she smiled, "I like them, too."

The young Mexican angel unwrapped a sandwich and took a bite.

"Where did you live before you moved here?" Helena asked.

"I had a project in Salt Lake City. The last night before we arrived here in town, we had gone to a concert. Have you ever been to a live concert?"

"No, my sister has, but I've never gone to see anything like that," Helena answered taking a bite of her sandwich.

"It was this group called 'Starshine,' and it was really good even if the music was a little dark in nature, they focus a lot on abuse, and it was kind of sad for me to hear how many innocent children die from being abused by adults. The statistics are shocking and during this concert, I heard about a lot of dreadful things that happen to kids everyday," he paused. "Anyway, that was one of my first concert experiences, but the music was really good."

"I've heard of them, you know they're originally from Fairbrook, in fact, Mitch Johnson, their lead singer went to school here," Helena said. "How were your seats?"

"We had front row seats actually because a couple of my friends work for social services, and they had gotten special permission for us to sit there. Anyway, when it was over, I got to meet the members of the band. It was really cool."

"Yeah, I can imagine," she said softly, her eyes on the sky.

"What kind of music do you like?" Raphael asked.

"I like all kinds of music, I had a dream when I was younger of being a musician when I grew up, that or a writer," Helena answered. "I guess that's kinda stupid, huh?"

"No, it's not stupid, I think it's cool, I really like to play the guitar, this makes me feel really close to God, simply because He gave me the ability to make music."

"God? I guess I'm not really all that religious," Helena said softly. "I guess if I can get through each day, then I have something to be thankful for."

"I don't think it's religious, really, it's just faith," Raphael said softly. "I mean; you wake each morning with the faith that the floor will be under your feet when you crawl out of bed, or that the water will be warm when you turn the knob with the capital H on it. I mean, the same is with God, I have faith that He will see me through each day, and that when I am troubled, He will raise me up and help me to see the light."

"The light? Anymore all I see is darkness," Helena said softly. "Besides that, my mother doesn't believe in God, and my family no longer goes to church," she answered.

"Why?"

"I guess my stepfather just decided that since he didn't believe in God, that we don't either," she said softly. "You know, I want to believe, but the way things are, I can't. I can't believe that a loving God would allow me to be hurt by the other kids, not to mention belittled by my older sister as well as my stepfather." She lowered her eyes and stared down at her lap. When she looked back over at him, she could see the sadness in her eyes. "Raphael, please forgive me if I offended you, I mean; this has been so wonderful for me, like something out of a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yeah, to be able to talk to someone and not feel so alone," she began.

He reached over and squeezed her arm gently, she cringed from beneath his touch, but rather than speak about what had transpired, he reached over and grabbed the sweater she had brought with her. "I think you should put your sweater on, or you'll get sick, it's kind of chilly out here."

She nodded and accepted the sweater from him and put it on. Once she had it on, she looked at him, her eyes soft, "Raphael, will you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Just, hold me," she looked up at him as though the barrier that had been surrounding her was about to crumble.

The angel slid closer to her and wrapped his arms gently around her. He could feel her head against his shoulder and her breath warm against his cheek. He could see her eyes filling with tears, but for some reason, her hard determination remained and she held back the intense emotions he suspected that she was desperate to talk about.

For some time, they remained in each others arms, until Helena looked up at him, "thank you," she mumbled backing away.

Raphael reached over and grabbed her hand before she could stand up and move away from him, "Helena, tell me what it is that's bothering you, I'm worried about you."

"I'm afraid," she finally said as her gaze met his soft brown eyes.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," he said.

Helena stood up and started to walk away. He sighed deeply, but out of respect for the young girl, he didn't push her any further. Instead, he packed the rest of the food in the basket, grabbed the blanket off the ground, and followed her.

Before he left the park, Tess appeared and looked at him. "You're doing fine, Raphael, don't push her."

"I know, but how can I not? She's hurting so much, and it's not just the physical pain, but the emotions are almost too overwhelming to be real."

*~*~*~*

Raphael didn't see her on the bus or at the school until two weeks after they had gone to the park. As he was walking out of the school that afternoon, he saw her again. "Helena," he called out and ran to catch up with her.

She stopped and turned to face him, "yeah?"

"I hadn't seen you since we had gone to the park, how are you doing?" He asked.

"OK."

"Did I offend you with my questions?" Raphael asked, "I didn't mean to if I did."

"No, I've been sick. I just haven't been in school for the past week and a half."

"Is it anything serious?" He asked.

"No, I just came down with the flu, or something," she said. "Have you really been looking for me?"

"Well, yeah," he smiled warmly at her. "Why don't we walk back to the apartment complex together?" Raphael offered. "I've been thinking that it would be kind of nice to introduce you to some of my friends."

Helena shook her head, "I can't."

"Well, why don't you come by later then?" He suggested.

"No, you don't understand. I can't. Raphael, my mother has forbid me from seeing you again, she says you're too old for me, and that I have no business hanging out with you," she said. "My sister saw us together on the hill in the park, she told my mother about it, and now my mother doesn't want me to hang around with you." She looked at him, anguish in her eyes.

"But, why? Why would she forbid you from having friends?" Raphael asked. "You know I wouldn't hurt you."

Helena looked up at him, her eyes swimming in tears. "I don't want to stop being your friend. You're the only person I have ever met who likes me for me, and who doesn't try to hurt me."

Something about her statement struck Raphael's conscience and he took her hand firmly, but gently in his own, "come with me, we're going to talk to my friends." He led her in the direction of the apartment complex.

"No, Raphael, if my mother sees us together, she'll kill me," her eyes pleaded with him and he finally stopped pulling on her arm, the words 'don't push her' echoing through his mind.

He looked down at the girl standing next to him and for some reason, could sense the overwhelming need radiating from her to talk to someone. The tears had started to stream down her cheeks, and her defenses were beginning to break down again. The young Caseworker led her in the direction of the park where they had been two weeks before. Once there, he sat down on a bench that was concealed by the trees. She slowly followed suit, her head resting in her hands once she was seated on the bench.

Raphael closed his eyes and began to silently pray. Please, Father, send Andrew or someone with more experience to us, I don't know what else I can say to her that will help her. Please, give me the wisdom to reach her until someone comes to help us. Although he was not certain if another angel would come, his prayer did help him feel a little bit better. He continued to ponder whether or not Andrew would actually sense something was wrong, and since he and Andrew were working together on this case, he knew that the compassionate Angel of Death was the ideal angel to come and find them.

He looked over at her and could see her frightened face. He had never seen a girl as consumed with fear as she appeared to be. He finally wrapped her in his arms and held her as he had done two weeks before. "Just cry, Helena, it'll make you feel better."

Helena began to softly weep in his arms, her tears falling on his denim jacket. He ran his hands through the softness of her hair, and looked down at her. "You feel alone, don't you? Like there's no one else in the world that could possibly understand how much pain you're in."

She nodded weakly and continued to cry bitterly in his arms.

Raphael glanced up after a few seconds, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Andrew had arrived at the park and was now coming towards where they were both seated. Thank you Father, he whispered softly, all the while thinking that with Andrew present, everything would work out OK.

Andrew sat down next to Raphael without saying a word and placed his hand on the shoulder of the crying girl. "Hello," he whispered softly to Helena. "It's OK, sweetheart, you're not alone, you're never alone." His words were filled with compassion and hope, both things he knew that she had lost.

"Hi, Andrew," Raphael said, his arms were still wrapped around Helena. The girl had heard his words and looked up. Upon seeing Andrew, she recognized him as being the bus driver and she immediately moved away from him as though his presence made her uncomfortable. She covered her face with one of her hands; the other was still clutching Raphael's shoulder.

"What's your name?" He whispered; his green eyes filled with sadness when he saw the forlorn girl in his fellow angel's arms.

When she didn't look up or offer him an answer, Raphael spoke. "This is Helena."

Andrew nodded, and reached over and rested his hand on her shoulder, it was still trembling and once more he could tell that she was frightened, "you're afraid?"

She nodded, but said nothing. After a few seconds his soft manner and voice caused her to uncover her eyes and look at him. But, within seconds, she looked back down at the ground unable to even maintain eye contact with him.

"Why?" He asked gently.

She shook her head once again.

"You're afraid I'm going to hurt you?" Andrew asked as he withdrew his hand from her shoulder. "You've been hurt by someone and you believe I'm like the one that harmed you."

This time, she looked up and got her first real look at the man sitting next to her. His green eyes expressed openness and his soft words made her want to tell him everything, including the most painful parts of her life. Then she thought about her mother, and could only stammer softly, "Iuh," her voice trailed as she tried to enunciate her thoughts again. "I have to go home," she said weakly. "My mother's waiting."

"Helena, you know you can talk to me," Andrew said gently, "I'll believe whatever you tell me."

"You'd believe me?" she asked not even questioning how it was that he seemed to possess the ability to read her innermost thoughts.

Andrew nodded, "of course."

She looked down at her watch, "I have to go. I can't tell you, I'm afraid to. I don't want to hurt anyone, and my parents would be very angry if I'm late."

Before either of them could reply, she stood up and fled.

"See what I mean, Andrew. She's petrified about something,“ Raphael said once she was gone.

"You and I both know what it is, Raphael, but it's going to be up to her to tell us what is wrong and why she feels that she must protect a family that does not seem willing or able to protect her," Andrew whispered. "It's going to take some time, and all we can do is continue to work with her as we have been."

"I know you're right, but this is so hard to see a child being hurt and being unable to do anything to help her," Raphael whispered as he felt the arm of his friend around his shoulder.

"I know, but now we have to trust that the Father will protect her, and give her the strength she desperately needs to seek out that help."

*~*~*~*

"You're nothing but a stupid, forgetful clod," Greg sneered as he looked down at his stepdaughter. "I told you that you were supposed to clean the kitchen this morning, and you forgot?"

Helena closed her eyes and nodded. She could feel the stinging pain from his slapping her across the face, her body feeling weak from the abuse he subjected her to whenever he got angry.

When he finally turned away, she walked slowly out of the room. The phone began ringing in the living room, but she ignored it, as she made her way into the bathroom. The shower would at least alleviate the pain, but the anguished emotions would remain with her for the rest of her life. She would never be whole, she felt like a part of her was already dead, and there wasn't any name that she knew that could be put to what had happened to her. She turned the water on as fast as it would go, and climbed into the tub, the shame enveloping her as the tears fell from her eyes.

She looked down at her body all the while feeling ugly, and insignificant. Her arms wrapped around herself as the water soothed the pain, her stepfather subjected her to, away. "She'd never believe me," she could hear his words stinging her conscience, and she remembered the day that she had spoken to her mother. It seemed like it was only yesterday when Greg had hit her the first time, and spoke cruel and punishing words to her.

Just like he had said, her mother hadn't believed her, and continued acting as though Helena had made up the entire story. Helena later found out that everything Greg ever said to her mother was a lie. He would tell Helena's mother that she was at fault for unfinished chores, and tattle when she swore under her breath. Helena found herself feeling completely isolated, and alone at home, where she should have felt the safest. As a result, she started writing poetry, and once she had shared a poem with Mr. Jackson. She had internally wished that he would have said something about this poem to someone who could help her, but he never did, he only commented on how dark and melodramatic it was.

It was during that summer that everything had happened. She was alone in the apartment with Greg, after he had been injured at his workplace, and was out on sick leave. Her sister had been at drill team practice, and her mother was working as a waitress at the local delicatessen, and she was alone with him for much of the day.

The first morning when the abuse had started, she had forgotten to take the garbage out, and he had been drinking beer and came into the living room and pulled her to her feet by her hair and stood staring into her eyes all the while being forced to hearing his insults and feeling his fist hard against her body. She tried with all her might to get away from him, and when she was finally able to craw away from him, she locked herself in her room and wouldn't come out except during meals.

Over the past three months, it had progressively gotten worse, and her mental state was starting to deteriorate. She had started attending special counseling groups at school, but she was too afraid to say what was really bothering her, and would hide it beneath the problems she encountered at school. Her pain had reached a depth where her sensitivity was intense, and her fear of anyone discovering her secret would hate her as much as she hated herself.

Her family remained steadfast, they would not discuss private issues outside of the family, and because she was the youngest, and her sister was always gone, she found herself hiding away, a mere shadow of the person she used to be. Her hopelessness made her want to kill herself, but the things that stopped her from doing that was her fear of death, and her questions of whether it was as bad as she had been told. Either way, she felt trapped, alone and abandoned.

She turned off the water and grabbed a large towel from the cupboard, and wrapped it around herself. The clothes she had been wearing, she stuffed them into the wicker basket that was sitting next to the toilet. She grabbed her robe off the toilet, and put it on. She would have to find a way to cope with what had been happening in her life, somehow she would, but she knew that she needed help, and chances were at this point, that she would have to endure all of this alone.

Her mind drifted, and she reflected on the words Andrew had told her at the park, and then on Raphael when he had spoken about God. They had both said that they would listen to her, maybe they would help get her out of this nightmare. She sighed deeply, and looked towards the translucent window, maybe Andrew and Raphael would be the people she could tell, maybe they would be able to help her find a way out without hurting her mother or anyone else.

She knew where Raphael lived, because she had seen him come outside when they had met to go to the park, but when could she tell him? It was Friday night, but everyone was at home. Then she remembered that tomorrow Greg would be coaching little league, her mother would be working all day, and her sister would be with her friends. Maybe tomorrow would be the day she would try to get herself out of this nightmare. She continued to reflect on Andrew's words as she left the bathroom.

*~*~*~*

Saturday morning came and Andrew entered the kitchen wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair was somewhat ruffled, and the start of a beard was shadowing his face, but he carried himself with confidence and optimism as he went straight for the coffee pot and began to get things ready for a hot cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. He sat the coffee can on the counter, and approached the door. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and peeped through the small glass hole in the door. When he saw that it was Helena, he smiled weakly and threw the door open.

"Helena, come on in," he offered smiling at her gently. "I just woke up, and was going to make some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"Orange juice, maybe,“ came her meek reply. "I thought Raphael was here."

"He is, we share this apartment and right now, he's still sleeping. He usually sleeps late on the weekends," Andrew explained as he made his way back towards the kitchen. Once there, he pulled a package of juice from the refrigerator. Once he opened it, he poured some into a glass and handed it to her. "Why don't we sit down while the coffee's making?"

"OK," she whispered. "I just came by to apologize for my behavior yesterday."

"No need to apologize, Helena, you've been through something pretty difficult, haven't you?" He asked.

She nodded, "yeah, I guess so."

Seconds later, Andrew stood up and went into the kitchen to pour some coffee into a cup, and was by her side within moments. "I know you don't know us very well, but both Raphael and I are concerned about you. We'll do whatever we can to help." He ran his hand through his hair, and smiled comfortingly at her. "Are any of your family at home right now?" He finally asked.

"No, my mom's working, my stepfather's coaching little-league, and my sister's at the mall with her friends," Helena said, then added, "she didn't want to drag me along."

"You don't seem to have a very good relationship with your family, do you?" Andrew asked.

She shook her head, but after a few minutes, she looked over at him and saw compassion in his eyes, just like when she had looked at him the day before. "Andrew, I'm afraid," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of what?"

"I'm afraid to tell you about what's been happening to me. I don't want you or Raphael to hate me," she covered her face in her hands and shook her head.

"We'd never hate you, Helena,“ was Andrew's response. He didn't add that hate was not a part of his vocabulary; instead, he rested his hand on her arm and squeezed it comfortingly. After they sat in silence for a few minutes, her emotions got the better of her and she collapsed in his arms weeping.

After a couple of minutes, she sat back up, wiped the sleeve of her shirt over her eyes and her brown eyes sought his. Her emotional outburst had apparently ended and her face contorted and she once again appeared to be almost stoic. "Thank you," she mumbled more to herself than to him.

As she was starting to stand up, Andrew reached over and grabbed her arm gently but firmly, causing the tears to burn her eyes and she gasped in pain when she felt the hand on her arm. "Sit down, Helena, and tell me what's been happening with your parents."

She looked over at him, her eyes widening wondering how she could have betrayed herself in exposing her secret. "How did you know?" she finally asked meekly.

"I just do," he said softly. "Someone's been hurting you, haven't they?"

Helena nodded numbly, the tears still streaming down over her face. "L-last summer, my step-father and I were alone in the apartment, and he started to hit me, and would say horrible things to me when he would get angry. Since then, he's been doing things to me when my mom and sister are gone," she shook her head, the tears of shame streaming down her cheeks. "After I told my mother, she didn't believe me, and then when she asked Greg about the accusations, it only got worse. He blames me for everything now and hits me if I do anything he considers wrong. I-I don't know what to do. My mom believes everything he says."

"How old are you?" Andrew asked softly.

"12," she answered hoarsely.

"You haven't been able to talk to anyone else about this, have you?" he asked gently.

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders; "I guess I didn't want to get my mom into trouble."

"And what about you and how all this is affecting you?" Andrew asked. "I know right now, you're in a lot of emotional pain and you shouldn't even be thinking about your mother right now. You should concentrate on how you feel, Helena. How does all of this make you feel about yourself?"

"It hurts so much, I feel ugly, and whenever Greg is around, I'm so afraid," she answered honestly.

"I know you are, but now you have friends who are going to help you," Andrew began. "We're not going to allow him to hurt you any more Helena, we're going to help you."

As he spoke, Raphael came into the room and sat down next to them. He reached over and took her hand in his and when she looked over at him, he squeezed it comfortingly.

"I don't know, I don't want to make any problems for my mom,“ Helena said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"But, you would be willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of protecting your mother?" Andrew asked, and after a few minutes, he shook his head. "No, you can't live under such burdens, Helena, you're a 12-year-old child. It's your mother who should be protecting you, not the other way around."

"What's going on?" Raphael finally managed to ask.

Helena looked at Andrew, shame was evident in her face, and her brown eyes were shadowed with fear but the Angel of Death squeezed Helena's free hand as he continued to speak. "No one's going to hate you, Helena. You shouldn't be afraid to talk about this, it's not your fault," he turned to his friend. "Her stepfather has been abusing her."

Helena looked away from Raphael, her eyes unable to meet his. The younger of the two angels looked horrified, but he nodded, so much about her made sense to him now. "I guess we need to call someone to come and talk to her, a social worker or something."

Helena shook her head, "no, I'm afraid to."

"We know and that's completely normal, Helena," Andrew said gently. "We both know that this is hard for you, but the social workers will help you, and a counselor will tell you that what he is doing to you is wrong, and that you are not at fault for what has happened, and that you are innocent. But, you need help, sweetheart, and without it, you could be seriously hurt or killed by your stepfather in one of his fits of rage."

Raphael nodded as Andrew reached over to retrieve the phone book that was sitting on the coffee table. As he began to look through the yellow pages, he wondered if helping Helena would bring her even more trouble. As he looked back over at her, he knew that he had to do something to help her; she needed help desperately.

"But, what about my mother?" Helena asked, "if you get involved in this, she'll hate me for telling you. She already thinks I'm lying about what happened."

Andrew shook his head, "I don't know, but I think right now, you're much more important than the reaction of your mother."

Helena nodded numbly, she had to admit, he had a point. She had inwardly wanted someone to help her like he was doing, but she had no idea that a practical stranger would go out of their way to help her. She glanced over towards Raphael; he was watching as his friend was thumbing through the phone book and sat neither smiling or frowning.

Andrew reached for the telephone once he found the number he was looking for and began dialing. After a few seconds, he spoke into the receiver upon getting an answer, "yes, and good morning. I don't know if I've called the right office, but I need to speak to someone about a young girl who has been physically and probably emotionally abused by her stepfather,“ he paused. "No, she's not my child, her name's Helena, and she's a friend."

"Yes, you've reached the right office," the man's voice informed him.

"Can you send someone to speak to us?" Andrew asked. "It is very important."

"Of course, give me your name and address," the man said.

"Andrew Halo," he quickly improvised using the nickname Tess often gave him. "My address is 10980 Fairbrook Court, apartment 23,“ he paused and continued after a few moments. "Someone will be here in 20 minutes?" He asked and after another pause, he spoke again. "OK, thank you very much."

He hung up the phone, and looked at Helena, "he said a social worker would be here in 20 minutes to speak with all of us."

"What's going to happen to me?" Helena asked, her voice small, but edged with fear.

"If they find something out of place, then they'll remove you from the home," Raphael offered honestly.

Helena sighed deeply; this was what she feared the most. Now she was in too deep, and it would be only a matter of time before her mother would find out what she had told. Would she ever forgive her youngest daughter for betraying the trust of her family in speaking the truth? She sighed deeply and glanced over at Raphael and Andrew. Her hand came to rest on her stomach. It had started hurting again, and she was holding it tightly with her hand. She closed her eyes trying to block out the fear that was knotting her stomach. She stood up, the dizziness beginning to overwhelm her.

"Are you feeling OK?" Andrew asked gently, concern evident in his voice.

Her response to his question was to cover her mouth with her hand and run in the direction of the bathroom. After a few seconds, they could hear her vomiting and Andrew looked at his friend, the same thoughts cursing through the minds of both angels: This was not good.

"Is she OK, Andrew?" Raphael whispered. "She's not dying, is she?"

"No, she's just overburdened and is experiencing a great deal of physical pain along with the abuse she's endured. She is trying to figure out and cope with what has been happening to her," Andrew said gently. "I really wish there was something I could do for her, but right now I don't know what that would be except to ask the Father to help her."

After some time, Helena emerged from the bathroom, her eyes were swimming in tears and she sat back down on the sofa, her shoulders slumped and her head rested in her lap. Finally, after a few seconds, she glanced warily up at them.

"Do you feel any better?" Raphael asked softly.

She nodded slightly, said nothing, but wiped her hand over her mouth. Her head dropped back in her lap.

*~*~*~*

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and Andrew went to open it. On the opposite side of the door stood Tess, and next to her stood a dark-haired younger man.

"Mr. Halo?" Tess asked and behind this persona of not supposed to knowing Andrew, he could see a twinkle in the eyes of his superior angel. He nodded, and she spoke again, "My name is Tess, and this is my associate, Brandon Montgomery we're with CPG, Children's' Protection Group."

"Please come in," Andrew said softly, and backed away from the door to allow them inside the apartment.

Once they entered and he had closed the door, they approached Helena, who was sitting on the sofa. "We understand you have a complaint about child abuse?"

"Yes, we met Helena some time ago, and this morning she came by and told me about some pretty dreadful things that have been happening to her,“ Andrew began, not sure where this story was going to lead.

"As you probably know, Mr. Halo, accusations of child abuse is a very serious charge," Brandon began, "as government civil servants, we have to make sure that the accusations are serious enough for us to bring action against someone who has been accused of harming a child. However, we also must be aware that the child's statement is factual, and that the child isn't just saying things out of spite."

"I understand, Mr. Montgomery," Andrew began, "I realize that false accusations can really harm the relationship between the parents and the children."

Brandon nodded, "I'm glad you understand the seriousness of this."

"Helena," Tess spoke to the girl, "you know we're here to help, don't you baby?"

Helena nodded warily, her eyes never leaving her lap, her shame evident, and her fear of telling these strangers what she had told Andrew overshadowing everything else.

"We know you're frightened, but, you have nothing to be afraid of. We're here to help you, but in order for us to do that, you need to tell us what has been happening to you,“ Tess said gently.

"I don't know if it's abuse, but my stepfather has hit me. He gets angry and he hits me, and I don't understand. He told me that if I told my mom, she won't believe me,“ Helena said softly as she pulled the sleeve of her sweater up and they could see the bruises there.

"What does he do?" Brandon asked.

"He yells and screams at me, and says that I'm stupid, and then he hits me,“ Helena’s voice was small, and shadowed with shame.

"Where was your mother when this happened?" Tess asked.

"She was working at Hally's deli as a waitress, and my sister Mary was at drill team practice,“ Helena said. "When I went and told my mom about it, she didn't believe me, just like Greg said."

Brandon nodded, "I see, and how did you come to meet Mr. Halo and his friend?"

"Andrew was the bus driver, and then Raphael was on the school bus and sat behind me. When I got off one day, he had followed me wanting to talk to me,“ Helena said. "But, I was afraid of him."

"You were afraid he was going to hurt you?" Tess asked.

"Yes," came her meek reply. "After we became friends, I was afraid that he'd hate me if he knew about what has been happening at home. I told my mom and she didn't believe me, so I didn't expect him to believe me either."

"Did it get worse for you after you talked to your mother?" Brandon asked.

"Yes, Greg started blaming me for everything, and my mom believed him. He'd intentionally do something like forget to fill the ice trays and then when my mom would ask him about it, he'd say that I was the one that emptied them, and that it was my fault. Then my mom would get mad at me, and start yelling at me about not pulling my weight around the house."

"When was the last time he abused you?" Tess asked.

"Last night after I got home. That's why I came to talk to Andrew and Raphael about it,“ Helena said softly. "Yesterday when we were all at the park, Andrew tried to talk to me about it, but I didn't want to, I was scared. Then I got home, it happened again, and I thought about what he had said to me, and I came back to talk to him because I thought I could trust him."

"You can trust him, he's a good, caring man," Brandon said softly.

Andrew blushed slightly, and looked at Raphael, who simply nodded. Witnessing this spectacle wasn't particularly easy for either of them. Inwardly they couldn't comprehend how an adult could possibly live with the knowledge that they had been harming innocent children.

Finally, after some moments of silence passed, Brandon turned his attention to Raphael, "you should be commended for what you have done. Helena has many of the signs we're trained to look for in abused and neglected children. Many adults don't even see these signs until it's too late and a number of people are in denial about what has happened to a child." He paused and turned to face Andrew. "In order for us to get an accurate report of what Helena has been through, we need you and your friend to make a statement about Helena, things you've noticed about her behavior and things she had said to you. This is very important, because without it, we have a 'he said / she said' type of scenario, and that would be of little help in removing Helena from the current situation she's now facing."

"I understand. When should we do this?" Andrew asked.

"In lieu of the situation, I would say that it needs to be done as soon as possible," Brandon said.

Andrew nodded, "OK, how about right now?"

Brandon pulled three forms from his briefcase, "this is done in the same way a police report is done," he explained. "I know this is hard, but the first step is unfortunately the most difficult."

Helena wiped her eyes with a tissue and sighed sadly as Andrew and Raphael began to fill out the forms the social workers had supplied them with.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply as Brandon placed a form in front of her. After a few seconds, she looked up and made eye contact with Tess. "Is my mother going to get into trouble because of what I have said?"

Upon seeing the fear in the eyes of the child, Tess took a deep breath, "I don't know, Helena. At this stage in the game, it's hard to say to what extent the responsibility that rests on your mother is. In this case, I wouldn't worry, not believing you can't be charged legally, and your mother can't be liable unless she's aware of what has been happening and has done nothing to prevent it."

"You mean because she hasn't seen it?" She asked.

Tess nodded, "I know how hard it must be for you to not have your mother believe in you. It's dreadful for a child to grow up without that element of trust in the relationship with their parents."

Brandon nodded in concurrence as Andrew and Raphael continued filling out the forms, "I remember when I first went to work for the agency, I worked with a little boy who was in the same situation you're now in, Helena, and he was also in a lot of pain. Once he faced everything, he felt better, but there was nothing that could have made up for the inner torment and lost innocence that he had battled."

Raphael suddenly remembered the concert he and his friends had seen before coming here, and how the group, 'Starshine', had been working and trying to make it known that this issue existed and that there had to be something that people could do about it. He remembered the song entitled; "For the Sake of the Children" and how the group had donated a great deal of money to this charity that helps abused and neglected children. He recalled how the words to the song were strong, angry, but also very empowering.

After he had seen the concert, he remembered the lead singer speaking to the audience about the goals of his group. "Child abuse is like murdering of the souls of our children and it must stop, they shouldn't have to live their lives in fear, they should be free to speak their minds when it comes to things like whether or not their rights as human beings have been violated. We can all make a difference to these children, and we can make their lives a blessing rather than watching them leave this world another statistic. All we have to do, is look for the signs in the kids and believe in them when they speak of their pain and heartache."

After the concert, the four angels had the chance to shake the lead singer's hand and congratulate them for their work and dedication to the cause of the helping the children. Andrew had been doubly surprised to learn that this caring man had been sexually abused as a child and was striving to make people aware of this terrible issue as an important one. He continued thinking about this man he had met, and finally looked over at Brandon, signed the form, and slid it across the table. "My friends and I saw a band perform a few weeks ago, and they were really good. They were called 'Starshine', do you know of them?"

"Yeah, their lead singer is my cousin, Mitch,“ Brandon said, "their band has been performing for children's charities for over 10 years now. I got into this work because of what Mitch went through and his music is his way of dealing with the anguish of what it's like to live with sexual abuse."

"I thought their music was great," Raphael offered and looked over at Andrew who had started to sign his form, "do you remember, Andrew?"

The blonde headed angel nodded, "Yes, their concert was very good. They write all the songs they perform, don't they?"

Brandon nodded, "yes, my cousin was really into writing when he was a teenager, and he got a lot of his feelings out through poetry and music."

This time, Tess joined the discussion, "you know, it's funny that you should mention them, I've been hoping to get them to come to the schools here and do a concert, but I imagine that with their schedule, it would be hard to get them to book a concert here."

Brandon laughed, "I can understand that, Mitch and the guys are about to go on another tour to youth conferences and parent groups. Their message is pretty strong, help the kids at all costs, listen to them, and don't turn your back on them."

Helena looked up, "you said that he lived through what I'm going through?"

Brandon nodded, "yes, he was abused by one of his coaches in school. This happened before the issue even became a public one. Ever since he graduated from Music School, he has been trying to find out everything he can about this particular issue, using statistics, and information from books or organizations as a way of informing people about the significance of it."

"Brandon, you never told me that," Tess said.

"Sorry, I thought you knew."

"Do you have a schedule of their performances?" Raphael asked.

"I can get one, Mitch and I are still pretty close,“ Brandon said. "I was actually going to join up with them, but instead, I met Judy and we got married last spring. I had to give up music, and take this job after my daughter, Tricia, was born."

"You're into music?" Andrew asked.

"I dapple around in it a little bit, but I haven't picked up a guitar in well over a year," he said as he put the forms in his briefcase.

Helena glanced up, the color draining from her face as she looked outside the window, and could see her stepfather walking up the path in the direction of the apartment where she lived. She sighed deeply, and looked at the people gathered in the apartment. "I have to go," she stammered, "my stepfather's back, and if my mother finds out I've been here, she'll kill me."

"Why?" Brandon asked gently.

"She doesn't want me hanging around with Raphael," Helena said.

Brandon looked at Tess and shook his head.

Andrew took a deep breath, "is this normal for abusive parents to isolate a child like this?" He asked Brandon.

"It has been known to happen," Brandon answered. "Helena, did your mother say why she didn't want you hanging around with Raphael?"

"She said that he was too old for me," Helena said softly. "She thinks I'm looking for a boyfriend, but I'm not, and it's just because Mary, my older sister, saw us at the park together two weeks ago," Helena said. She was feeling more and more nervous about not going back home. She was already in enough trouble. She finally stood up, and started walking towards the door. "I have to go, my mother wants me home in time for lunch, and Greg would tell her if I'm not there."

Brandon shook his head, and Tess placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and spoke, "No, baby, we're going to have a little talk with your stepfather, and we want you to stay right here."

"Tess is right, Helena," Brandon said and stood up. There was an angry look of determination on the face of the younger man and once Tess was on her feet, they walked towards the front door of the apartment. "I want you three to stay right here, OK?"

Andrew nodded and once they were gone, Helena looked at them, "what do you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know," Raphael answered honestly, "but I'm glad I'm not the one that they're going to confront, because Tess looks like a no-nonsense type, and Brandon Montgomery looks like he could pass for a linebacker."

*~*~*~*

"Excuse me, my name is Tess, and this is my colleague, Brandon Montgomery, we're from 'Children's' Protection Group', and we'd like to speak to you about your stepdaughter, Helena." Tess said approaching the tall, burley man who was in the process of unlocking the front door of his apartment.

"I'm Greg Hunter," he said, his voice gruff. "I'm not sure I understand why you folks are here. Has Helena gotten into some kind of trouble?"

"She hasn't gotten into any trouble, Sir," Brandon answered trying to keep the edge out of his voice, "We'd like to come inside and have a talk with you. We're simply here to inform you that one of your neighbors has reported to us that Helena has been physically and emotionally abused here, and we've been sent out to investigate."

"Why here?" Greg asked once the door opened and he allowed them inside the apartment. "This must be some kind of mistake. When my wife gets home, she can clear everything up. You can have a talk with my other stepdaughter, Mary as well, and she'll tell you that Helena is a very imaginative child and chances are she has been telling you folks wild stories."

Brandon sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hunter, but that won't be necessary." He picked up his briefcase and pulled a business card from the leather bound notebook he carried. "This is the card of the agency, and I would like you to give this to your wife when she gets home. We're going to be taking Helena out of the home temporarily until we get this situation sorted out. Keep in mind, Sir, that no accusations have been filed, but our concern is for the safety and well-being of the child, nothing more."

Greg was left standing near the doorway of the apartment as the two social workers were leaving. "Who's been telling you people lies about us?" he demanded angrily.

Tess looked at the man, and spoke all the while trying to keep her temper at bay. "We are not at liberty to disclose that information at this point in time. As of right now, Helena will not be returning to your home unless she is accompanied by a social worker,“ Tess took a deep breath and continued. "As you know, Mr. Hunter, our job is not to determine guilt or innocence, but rather to determine if a child is in an abusive home, and remove them from it if the information we have acquired is an indication that a child is being abused. We will be in touch with your wife in the upcoming days."

Brandon and Tess walked outside leaving Greg fuming at the front door of his apartment.

*~*~*~*

Helena was still sitting on the sofa in Andrew and Raphael's apartment when the social workers returned some ten minutes later. "Helena," Brandon said once Andrew had opened the door, and they stepped into the living room. "We've spoken to your stepfather, and we think it's best that you move into foster care until this problem gets resolved. Do you understand?"

Helena shook her head.

"Brandon, you're never going to make her understand with legalities," Tess said softly, and turned to face Helena. "It's going to be hard for you to understand, baby, but we're going to send you to live with someone else for a little while."

She nodded, "who is it?"

"I'd have to check the databanks, but I think I have an idea of where you could go, and you wouldn't have to change schools,“ Brandon said.

Andrew smiled gently at the girl. "You see, Helena, everything's going to be OK."

Helena's face paled, "no it won't."

"What makes you so sure?" Brandon asked.

"I think I know," Raphael said. "Helena isn't accepted at the school, and the other kids pick on her. It's not easy for her, Mr. Montgomery. She has a real hard time there, and if this were to come out, she would be in for an even longer haul than the one she already faces."

Brandon nodded, "yes, I think I can understand, but because this is a small town, there really isn't any other option."

Helena nodded, and glanced over at Raphael. Her feelings of gratitude towards him were evident, but her tough acceptance stabbed at his heart.

"I promise you this," Brandon said softly, "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Helena."

"Mr. Montgomery, where will she be living?" Andrew asked.

"There's a teacher at the school who I will be talking to, and if he agrees, then he and his wife will become foster parents until this is settled,“ Brandon answered.

"I was wondering. What should we do if Helena's mother or stepfather confronts us? I mean we do live here, and they may not be exactly neighborly towards us. I did talk to Mary two weeks ago, so she may know that we were the ones who told you guys something about what's been happening,“ Raphael said.

"That's a pretty valid point," Brandon said, "I don't think you two should move out because of this, but if they approach you, contact us immediately. I'll leave my card here, and my cellular phone number is printed there as well as a pager number."

Andrew nodded as the two social workers stood up to leave. "Come with us, Helena,“ Tess said softly and extended her hand towards the girl.

Helena accepted the angel's outstretched hand and approached the door with them, and once Andrew opened it, they all stepped outside.

As Helena was walking towards Tess' prided red Cadillac, she glanced up and saw Mary coming up the sidewalk with two of her friends.

"Hey, what's going on?" Mary shouted, once she saw her sister with a woman she didn't know. She broke away from her friends and approached the two social workers. "What are you doing with my sister?" she demanded, her teeth clenched and it appeared as though she had every intention of lashing out at someone.

Helena looked up at Mary, her eyes shadowing sadness, but there was a hidden strength behind them, a strength that Mary had never seen before. Mary turned around to see that two of her friends had dashed off in the direction of the apartment of the parents of the two girls.

"I asked a question, what do you want with my sister?" she started running towards Brandon as though she was going to hit him. But, she suddenly stopped, her fists relaxed and her eyes widened when she glanced up and saw Andrew was now standing beside her, his hands were resting on her shoulders and suddenly, she felt an overwhelming sense of calm. When her eyes met his, he gently shook his head. She remained stationary as her sister got into the Cadillac and the social workers drove away.

Andrew allowed his hands to drop from her shoulders and he took a step away from her.

By this time, Mary's two friends were returning with Greg Hunter. The tall man was walking towards where Andrew and Raphael were standing. "What the hell is going on here?" The man sneered once he approached. He reached out and gripped Andrew's shoulder, "I asked a question, Buddy, and I expect an answer."

"You think you're so tough, don't you?" Raphael spoke, and from looking at him, one would be ready to bet that he intended on intervening.

Andrew looked over at his friend, his voice soft, "Don't say anything else, just go back inside." He could detect the anger, which was emanating from Greg, and he knew that this man was more than capable of harming them, especially while they were in human form. The compassionate Angel of Death would never wish to see another angel harmed, and he was well aware that it did not matter if he was harmed, himself. He would not forgive himself if someone had harmed his friend.

Raphael, seeing this in his friend, immediately fell silent, nodded and turned to go as Greg spoke, his voice etched with anger. "You're the one that has been telling those people lies about me. Admit it, you scumbag, you're trying to destroy my family with your lies."

"I don't lie," Andrew said softly as Greg pulled on his arm forcing him to turn around. Greg's eyes were bulging, and his breath reeked of cigarettes and alcohol as he started to push Andrew against the wall of the building.

Mary stood by unable to speak, and finally, her two friends successfully pulled her away from the two men. She turned around and could see her mother coming up the walk. "Mom, Helena's gone."

Rayan Hunter looked at her older daughter, her eyes wide. She glanced up to see that her husband had cornered a second man against one of the apartment buildings and she watched in shock as he hauled back and started punching the other man, and after a second, the second man sank to the ground. Once she recovered, she ran towards her husband's unsuspecting back.

"Greg, what are you doing?" She screamed and the man turned around upon hearing his name. "Why are you beating up this guy?"

"This guy called the 'Children's' Protection Group' on us and two social workers just drove off with Helena. They came by while you were at work, and wouldn't even listen to me," Greg sneered.

"What?" Rayan asked. "Someone better explain to me what exactly is going on around here or there's going to be hell to pay."

Raphael came running outside once Greg had stopped punching his friend, and he looked up at the woman, but after a few seconds, back at the other angel, "Andrew, are you OK?" He had brought a wet cloth with him and wiped it over his friend's face.

Rayan grabbed Raphael's shoulder and jerked him away from Andrew. The Mexican angel was left looking into the angry brown eyes of Helena's mother. "What happened to my daughter?" she demanded.

"She's been taken somewhere safe, where your husband won't be able to hurt her again," Raphael said evenly, as he jerked his shoulder away from her, and returned to Andrew's side.

Greg approached them, his anger reaching the boiling point as he stood over the two angels about to take his anger out on both of them. After a few seconds, Rayan grabbed his hand, "No more fighting, Greg!" she said evenly. "This is not the way to find out what is going on, and you can bet the farm that I will." As she spoke, she pulled her husband away from Andrew and Raphael. "Mary" she hollered when she saw her older daughter standing next to her friends, "get in the house this instant."

The older girl hastened to obey her mother, as Raphael tried to help his friend stand up and led him inside. "Are you OK?" he asked again once he realized the danger had apparently passed.

Andrew's eyes opened slightly, and he nodded numbly. "What happened?"

"Helena's stepfather is what happened,“ Raphael said.

"I should have known," Andrew said softly. "No one takes such accusations lightly. That's why Mr. Montgomery said what he did about it being a serious charge. I think he had a feeling that something like this would happen. I just didn't know it was going to happen so soon," The Angel of Death said softly, but after some moments passed, he looked at Raphael. "Thanks for helping me."

"Don't sweat it, Amigo," Raphael said smiling weakly. "You and I, we make a pretty decent team. Maybe not as good as you, Tess and Monica, but we're doing pretty good. Do you think we should contact the police about what Greg Hunter did to you?"

Andrew shook his head sadly. "I think the Father has another plan in mind."

"I know, but violent people like him should not be set free. And what about that other girl? Do you think she's being abused too, Andrew?"

"She probably is, and I have this strange feeling that Greg is deeply afraid of what could happen if the truth is told. Unfortunately, it's going to take the courage of those two girls to help make it happen, and I am really not sure if they will find the strength to do so."

"Can't we say something to them, to help Mary recognize the truth?" Raphael asked.

"No, we can't. If we tell either of them the truth, they won't believe us. They didn't believe Helena, and so we can't expect them to believe us either,“ Andrew said softly.

*~*~*~*

Mitch Johnson sat on the stage and looked out at the empty house. The concert from the night before had been much more difficult than he had ever thought possible. It had been the first concert his band 'Starshine' had done for the new tour, and it was going to get more difficult before it would be getting better. This was the first time he had performed a full house of abused children, or friends or family of abuse victims and this reminded him of what he had experienced as a child and how cut off he felt. This had been a difficult concert not only for him, but also for the other band members, who were all aware of the painful past he had been trying to come to grips with.

Those guys had been friends with him throughout his childhood, and the horrible experience he had, somehow became their experience too. These guys were more than his friends; they were his family. They changed his life, and through their music, they set the goal of changing the lives of the children.

Lost in his daydreams, he didn't hear that someone had entered the auditorium and was walking down the aisle towards the stage. The woman was tall with auburn hair, and well dressed. "Good morning Mr. Johnson, I wanted to come by and tell you that I really enjoyed the concert last night." She spoke, her voice a lilting Irish baroque.

"Thank you, Ma'am, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" Mitch stood up and extended his hand towards the pretty woman who was approaching him.

"My name is Monica," came the soft answer as she reached out and squeezed the hand of the musician. "I was really touched by your music and the message you shared about child abuse. There should be more people like you out there to help those who need it."

"Thanks, I'm glad that the music and the message of 'Starshine' left you with a good message and feeling,“ Mitch answered, smiling.

"It reminded me of the gifts we all possess and how much we use them to create good," Monica said smiling warmly. "Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I'd hate to think how I would handle things if I learned that a child I love was being abused."

"Thank you, Monica, that's really touching what you just said, and I appreciate that our music helped you reach that conclusion." Mitch said and picked up the guitar that was sitting on the ground next to him.

Monica smiled weakly. "Anyway, I just wanted to wish you luck with your music. I think it's wonderful that you are doing so much for abused and neglected children. It'd be nice if more people cared as much as you do."

"Thank you very much," Mitch said softly, his mind was already about 1,000 miles away. He watched as Monica made her way back up the aisle, and outside through the auditorium doors. He wished that people would understand the pain he often suffered in what he was doing. He shook his head slowly and picked up the guitar and began strumming. The words to the song he had written, "For The Sake of the Children" was drifting through the empty house as his soft baritone touched on the words that affected him so long ago.

My world was torn apart

A child whose reality was of the dark

Made up in the shadow that engulfed

And took away their innocence.

I opened my eyes and could see the light

But, I was separated from it, a victim of the night.

For the child who's soul has died,

Will never get over the unforgettable lie.

This song is for the sake of the children

The innocent, the loving, the true

Enlighten us all with a voice of a child

And put an end to the shame of the sad and the blue.

I'll never understand the idea

That a child would suffer such a crime

It always tore my heart apart

To know that I too had my time

The heart was open the love outpouring

But, why didn't they see the crying, the mourning

The child inside cut off from society

And the fear hiding behind their hopeless pity.

This song is for the sake of the Children

Give them a hopeful sign

Believe in their hearts, for they are innocent

And help revive the lost spirits of time.

"Mitch, that sounds so great," came a voice. He glanced up and could see Ron Theiss, his longtime friend and band mate, coming towards him. He placed the guitar back on the stage and stood up.

"Thanks, Ron, I thought I'd mess around with these chords again,“ Mitch said to his friend. "I'm wondering if that A7 should be changed in the introduction to an A. Tell me what you think." He picked up the guitar, and began playing the introduction with the A chord, rather than the A7.

"It sounds good either way," Ron said, "but I think the A sounds better, too. Anyway I thought I'd tell you that I just got off the phone with your cousin, Brandon,“ Ron said. "He didn't have much time, but asked if you could fax the tour dates to him. He apparently met some folks who'd seen our concert some weeks ago and was interested in having them."

"Yeah, I can do that. How's Brandon doing anyway? Is he still on?" Mitch stood up, jumped off the stage, and walked down the aisle towards the door that would lead into the control room.

"No, he said he was in a hurry, but that he'd call you tonight. He told me that the folks he talked to live out in Fairbrook,“ Ron said. "I didn't get any details from him, but they said that there was some to-do about a 12-year-old girl out there. He sounded pretty upset about it, but you know how Brandon is."

"Yeah, he's got a sensitive soul, he'd really have made a great back-up guitarist for the group. But, I think Tricia's just the cutest kid I've ever seen, and I think Judy's pretty cool too,“ Mitch said.

Ron chuckled, "yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway, it seems that the girl in Fairbrook has been removed from her home, and Brandon is pretty concerned about her. He said that she's got a real rough go ahead of her."

"What happened to her?" Ron said.

"Like I said, he didn't go into details, but the step-father is suspected of physical and emotional abuse, and on top of the problems she's got at home, she's also been the scapegoat at her school. It's really pathetic, I tell you, I wish sometimes I could take these abusive parents and throw 'em against a wall."

Mitch nodded, "yeah, I'm with you on that."

"You're still kinda upset about last night, aren't you?" Ron asked.

"I guess so, you know so damn much comes back to me when I see those kids. I remember so much that I thought I had forgotten. It's maddening, Ron. Sometimes, I just want to start screaming at the top of my lungs about what happened to me, and when I read these books or watch these documentaries, I still get sick from it. I know that my God-given message in life is to let people know that it doesn't have to continue, and that's what I get out of the music. But man, they're just kids, they should be having fun, not living in a psychological box,“ Mitch said passionately.

"Yeah, I know, it's hard. You were my best friend in school, and I still kick myself sometimes when I think about what you went through, and how blind I was to what Coach Schlange was doing. It makes me positively ill. When you told me about the abuse, I was pretty shocked, but I felt stupid, because I didn't have the courage to do anything about it myself."

"You know I never blamed you, Ron," Mitch said softly.

"Maybe not, but I did,“ Ron said. "I still think maybe we should go and do a concert at the school. I mean I know that going back to Fairbrook is going to be hard on you, but maybe it can make a difference to this girl Brandon's been trying to help, and maybe it will help you come to grips with what happened."

Mitch sighed deeply, "I guess you noticed that I've been avoiding going back to Fairbrook, huh?"

Ron nodded, confirming his friend's difficulties with the small town. "Listen, I think we should, because chances are, if there's one child there who's being abused, there are probably others, and Brandon's colleague, Tess, has been calling pretty consistently every week trying to get us to play Fairbrook Middle School."

"You think it would make a difference?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, I do, and it may not just be with the kids in the school," he answered, pointing to his friend. "You're our leader, and we'll go wherever you go. I think you know that 'Starshine' is like a family."

"Yeah, I know, Ron," Mitch answered, his voice small. "Of all the things I do know, that point is well taken."

"Well, you know how it is,“ Ron said as they entered the control room. The other two members of 'Starshine' were waiting for them as they came in. "A friendship is sometimes the closest thing one actually has to a family."

"Hey guys," Mitch said, "Ron and I've been talking and I guess now's as good a time as any for us to reschedule a couple of dates, and go back to Fairbrook Middle School."

The guys in the room nodded, their respect for Mitch Johnson was evident.

*~*~*~*

Brandon hung up the telephone and looked across the desk at Helena, and smiled at the girl. "I found just the place for you to stay until this gets settled, Helena."

The girl shrugged her shoulders, and Brandon sighed deeply. A limp tea bag had more energy than this child and although he could understand her fear, he felt a sense of sadness that he couldn't do more for her.

"Come with me, and I'll drive you over, the Jacksons are waiting,“ Brandon said softly. "I should tell you a little about them before we leave here, he's a teacher at your school, and she's a librarian downtown."

"Mr. Montgomery, I already know about them. Mr. Jackson was my English teacher last year," Helena said softly.

Brandon nodded and walked towards the door right as the phone rang. He picked it up, "hello?"

"Mr. Montgomery, it's Andrew Halo, I tried to contact Tess, but her line was busy. Something has happened," came the voice across the line.

"What is it?" Brandon asked.

"Helena's stepfather confronted us about her after you left,“ Andrew said.

"Did he do anything to you?" Brandon asked.

"I'm afraid he did, Mr. Montgomery," Andrew said softly. "I am not only afraid for the safety of Helena, but also for the other child currently in this home."

"Listen, Mr. Halo, please let me call you back, I'll discuss the situation with Tess, and we'll come by your apartment as soon as possible. If anything else happens before one of us calls you back, call the police,“ Brandon said.

"OK," Andrew said softly. "We'll wait for you to call." He hung up the phone and turned to face Raphael. "The Father, and the social workers want us to wait," was all he said.

"I know we're doing the right thing helping Helena," Raphael began, "but we're going to have to be careful."

"I know," was all Andrew could say.

*~*~*~*

Helena sat in the front seat of Brandon's car as he drove her through a neighborhood and stopped in front of a small white frame house. "Helena, we're here."

She nodded, "I'm scared, is he going to hate me?"

"Of course not," Brandon said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. After a second, he opened the door and got out.

She nodded weakly, opened the car door as well, got out, and followed him to the front door. Once he rang the doorbell, she swallowed the lump in her throat. When the door opened, she looked up and her eyes met the green eyes of David Jackson.

"Helena, you?" The man's eyes sought those of Brandon who simply nodded.

Helena looked back down at the ground, the shame returning to her face, and she couldn't bring herself to look up and into the eyes of her favorite teacher.

David Jackson nodded towards Brandon, "please come in, my wife is getting the room ready. She'll join us when she's finished. He looked down at Helena, the girl looked as though she was embarrassed and would have preferred to have been anywhere else but where she was. He reached down, took her hand in his, and squeezed it comfortingly, "it's OK, I guess I should have known."

The social worker and the girl entered the small house, and after he closed the door, he turned around. Helena remained standing, but she stared down at the floor as the two men sat down. After a few moments, Rachel Jackson entered the room and upon seeing Helena, she smiled warmly and approached the girl. "Come with me, I'll show you where your room is."

Helena stood up and walked towards the young woman, her head was down the entire time.

"Hey, it's OK, no one's going to hurt you here," Rachel smiled at the forlorn girl. The two of them left the room and once they were in Helena's new room, Rachel closed the door. "I thought maybe we could get better acquainted while my husband and Mr. Montgomery talk."

Helena shrugged her shoulders.

"My name's Rachel, my husband is David. You know him, I think, he was your English teacher last year, right?" She said gently.

"How did you know?" Helena asked.

"I've seen your picture, in the Yearbook. You're Helena Williams, right?"

"Yeah," she said looking down at her lap.

"David speaks of you often. He said you're one of his favorite students," she said warmly.

Helena shrugged her shoulders, her eyes never leaving her lap.

"You know, you have a pretty face, you should look at people when you're talking to them. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Helena. The people who have willingly harmed you have something to be ashamed of, but not you," Rachel said as an idea came to her mind. "I have an idea, why don't you and I go do some shopping this afternoon? We can go and have a makeover, or something fun, maybe check for sales on some clothes. David has to help the Cub Scouts today, and I need to get some new stuff for work. What do you say?"

Helena looked up and nodded meekly. She couldn't deny it, it sounded like fun, and Rachel seemed more like an older sister than a foster mother. She felt herself immediately relaxing in the presence of the young woman.

They came out of the room. "Guys, we're going shopping," Rachel announced matter-of-factly.

David and Brandon looked up from their paperwork. "Have fun, you two," David said smiling.

"Be careful," Brandon said, his concern for Helena was evident in his words.

"We will," Rachel said as she grabbed her jacket and ushered Helena out the front door.

Once they were gone, he looked over at Brandon. "I'm glad you brought her here, she probably would have had an even more difficult time with everything if she was sent to stay with complete strangers."

Brandon nodded. "Yeah, I kind of figured that. Mr. Jackson, I don't want to alarm you or your wife, but Helena’s stepfather has already assaulted the people who contacted us today. I'm afraid for them, as well as for Helena when she goes back to school."

"Yes, I understand, and I will inform the faculty of the situation," he answered.

"It's important that this doesn't go beyond the faculty, though," Brandon said.

"I know, Helena has a hard time with her classmates, and this may put her in an even more vulnerable situation,“ David answered. "I would like to meet the two people that have helped her, though, if that's possible."

"Yes of course, I'm sure it would be fine. I will be seeing them later today and will mention this to them," Brandon said once David had signed the paperwork, and he stood up to leave the small comfortable house.

*~*~*~*

Rachel and Helena made their way through the large mall; both of their arms were loaded down with packages. "You know, I think we should probably call it a day, why don't we have a late lunch before we head back?"

Helena nodded, she felt so tired. The afternoon shopping trip had been the must fun, and as they walked inside a large Chinese restaurant, they took seats at a table, and Rachel reached for a menu.

"I hope you like Chinese food, David and I are vegetarian, and this is the only restaurant in the whole mall that serves their meals without meat or meat by-products," she said.

Helena nodded, "I like to try different things," she answered. "Is it OK if I eat meat while living with you?"

Rachel laughed and smiled, "we've never insisted that someone live like us and we're not going to start now. But, I'd like to challenge you to give it a try."

Helena laughed, "OK, I'll try," her expression changed as she began to contemplate whether or not she wanted to confide in the young woman, "Rachel, can I talk to you about something?" she finally asked.

"Sure you can, what's up?"

"How does somebody know if their friend is really a true friend or if they just feel sorry for you? I mean I've never felt the way I'm feeling now before, but I have this friend, and I wonder if he really cares for me, or if I'm just an object of sympathy," Helena said.

"Do you feel good when you think about him?" Rachel asked. "Does he show concern and understanding when you are sad, or does his he distance himself from you when those feelings emerge?"

Helena shook her head, "I'm afraid, that he only feels sorry for me because of what has happened. But, he's the best friend I've ever had, and I can't imagine not having him for a friend."

"It sounds like you care about him a great deal."

"I do, but there's something different about him, something really wise, as though he's more than what he seems," Helena said. "I just don't want him to feel sorry for me."

"Who said he would? You're a likable person, Helena, and this person probably sees that quality in you himself, and he probably likes it,“ Rachel said. "What's his name?"

"Raphael," she answered, "Rachel, he's so kind, and he's cute, and funny. He and his friend Andrew are the ones that called Tess and Mr. Montgomery because of what I told them about Greg this morning. They made me feel comfortable about talking about what had been happening and they seemed to understand me. I never knew how it felt to have friends like that."

"You know what, Helena? Those are the kinds of friends many people would spend their entire lives looking for, and most would probably never find them,“ Rachel said. "Even if Raphael doesn't feel as inspired by you as you do by him, you can rest assured that he is the type of person who will always be there for you, as your friend. As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important gift that God can offer any of us."

Helena nodded and smiled, "you're right and I'm really grateful that they wanted to do so much to help me. I've never had real friends, and this is all so new to me."

Rachel smiled as the waitress approached the table and took their orders.

*~*~*~*

Andrew and Raphael were putting the dishes away after their dinner with Monica when the doorbell rang. Andrew went to answer the door and upon seeing that Brandon Montgomery was standing on the other side of the door, he opened it. "Mr. Montgomery, thank you for coming."

The social worker entered the apartment and smiled warmly at the three angels. "Hi, I contacted Tess about what happened with you guys this afternoon, and she said that I should stop by to make sure things are OK. I didn't think Hunter would start harassing you so soon after this whole mess started. How are you feeling, Mr. Halo?"

"I'm OK," Andrew said honestly. "But, please call me Andrew. This is Monica, and she's a friend of ours."

"Hello," Monica offered smiling warmly.

Brandon nodded as his cellular phone began to ring. "Sorry, but I need to take this."

The three of them nodded as Brandon pulled the antennae on his phone and answered, "Hello?" A pause, "Mitch, hey buddy, how you doin'?" He stopped again, "yeah, I called to get one of your schedules for the band. Some of the folks here asked about it, they said that they had met you guys about a month ago." A pause, and they could only guess that Mitch was now speaking.

"Yeah? Really, that's so great, Tess is gonna go bananas. You know she's been hassling you guys about coming back here, so this is really going to floor her."

As he continued to speak to his cousin, Monica glanced over at Andrew and smiled. She could not even begin to fathom Tess going bananas about anything.

Brandon's voice started again breaking her out of her reverie and when she heard those words, she knew that her assignment was having second thoughts about coming to Fairbrook. "Are you sure you're up to it?" a pause, "yeah, I know you're strong, Mitch, you've always been."

Andrew suddenly noticed that Brandon started fidgeting at this point, "yeah, her name's Helena Williams, I'm at the home of the guys who helped her out. It's a sad situation Mitch, this girl; you'd have to see her to believe her. She's so fragile," he paused, "yeah, kinda like you were, I even told her about you, but she was more afraid of her mother than what she was dealing with. She wanted to go back home, and Tess and I told her she couldn't. If her friends hadn't have been here, I don't know what she would have done. These guys are heroes, Mitch."

Raphael was now blushing by the time Brandon hung up the phone. He glanced up and noticed the angel's red face and grinned. "Really, Raphael, you really shouldn't be listening to other peoples' conversations."

Monica started to laugh, but then Brandon's face became serious. "I had tried to call him earlier, but they had been rehearsing. They're actually going to come back to Fairbrook. I think Helena has a lot to do with their change of plans, too."

Andrew nodded, "they're pretty well known in this town, aren't they?"

"Yeah, Mitch and the guys are kinda celebrities around here. They started recording their stuff at the small studio downtown when they first formed the group, and they're kind of the pride of this town. That's why I stopped playing for them when I got married. I didn't want to go on tour; there was too much stress involved. But the ironic thing is, they haven't been back to Fairbrook in ages, and started recording their music in Bismarck and not here."

"Mr. Montgomery, is it possible for us to see Helena?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah, actually David Jackson did say he wants to meet you guys,“ Brandon said. "Helena's staying with them now, and it looks like she's going to be OK," he paused, "well about as OK as someone in this kind of situation can be anyway."

Andrew nodded, "I'm glad we were able to help, Mr. Montgomery."

"Call me Brandon, both of you," he answered, but changed the subject and looked at Andrew earnestly. "I don't know if anything else with Mr. Hunter is going to happen to you, but I want to let you know that if any of them approach either of you, this will be taken into account with the situation facing Helena. If there's anything else I can do for you guys, just give me a call."

Andrew nodded as the social worker stood up to leave. They walked to the door as Brandon stepped outside. Once they closed the door, Andrew turned to face his friends. "I think we should all be really careful."

"Yes," Monica said softly. "Tess told me about what happened here. This situation is really horrible. How can someone do this to a child?"

"I don't know," Andrew said softly, "but it will be OK. Helena thought she was alone, now she knows she's not, but in the near future we have to let this brave little girl know that she's not, that she never was."

"You know, it's strange," Raphael began. "I honestly thought when we were at that concert a month ago that it would prepare us for facing something like this, but I had no idea that I would feel this badly for Helena and Mary."

"We know," Monica said softly. "I made contact with Mitch, but there's still so much pain in him, and I think that when he gets here, it's going to come back."

"So, we're still working with Helena, Andrew?" Raphael asked.

"No, you are," Andrew began. "I will start working with Mary very soon."

"You mean Helena's sister is now your assignment?" Raphael asked.

"They both are, but right now Mary needs an angel more than any of them," Andrew said softly. "If she stays in that home much longer, she's going to need an Angel of Death."

*~*~*~*

Mitch Johnson hung up the phone after speaking to his cousin. He had come home that evening after a long rehearsal with the band. Luckily, there wasn't a concert scheduled for that night and he knew he could have used a break. He had been thinking about his own experiences in Fairbrook and he shuddered. It had been a really long time since he had been back, and he wasn't so sure he was ready for the emotional trauma this would bring him.

Brandon had asked him how he felt about going back, but he wasn't really sure. He was left with a feeling of impending doom whenever he thought about it. He sighed deeply and looked around the apartment. He knew that his cousin had been right, and he couldn't deny the courage Brandon had when he left the band and moved back to Fairbrook. The two of them were like brothers, and it was hard for him to think about the fact that he had never even gone there to visit, and although Brandon and Judy understood how hard it was for him, they had realized how stigmatized he had been with the town. It felt like going back to one's past, and having to accept every aspect of it including the not so good parts.

He looked over at the music awards that he had gotten in college. All of the awards or plaques he'd gotten in school were now gone. He often wondered if he could just block out that horrible time in his life, but every time he turned around, a piece of it was haunting him in some way. A few months ago, he realized that it wasn't necessarily the objects he possessed that reminded him of what had happened, but events, thoughts, and feelings he encountered through his work that did.

Could he break away from those emotions, and continue to hide them? He wasn't sure if he ever could completely understand the feelings he had about going back and confronting his past, but maybe taking this step and going back to Fairbrook might give him the courage he thought he had lost. He picked up his guitar and began strumming a few chords, a new melody being born as a new song started cursing through his mind. Maybe this new song would contain those healing words he desperately needed.

*~*~*~*

Helena woke up Monday morning dreading going back to school. She pulled out one of the new blouses that Rachel had bought her during the weekend and removed it from the hanger. Before putting it on, she ran her fingers across the material, but after standing there for a few minutes and looking at her reflection, she didn't contemplate school until Rachel knocked on the door some moments later, "Helena, are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting dressed," she called out and put the blouse on and began to button it. Once she found a new pair of jeans and the vest that completed her new look she picked up a brush and began to run it through her straight brown hair. Once she had finished, she grabbed a rubber band from off the dresser and left the room.

At the table, Rachel had set out some granola cereal and soymilk as Helena came into the room. "Good morning," she said as she sat down at the table. "Rachel, can you French braid my hair?"

Rachel came over and started working with Helena's hair as she spoke to her husband, "Honey, do you think you can you pick up some more milk when you come home tonight? We're about out."

David looked up, "yeah, sure. We shouldn't be too late getting back, there's no faculty meeting until tomorrow morning." He looked over at them as his wife had finished braiding Helena's hair. "You look great," he said gently putting his newspaper down and standing up. "I'll be ready in a few minutes, Helena, I have to go shave and then we can go."

Helena nodded.

"How do you feel about going to school today?" Rachel asked.

"I'm scared," she answered honestly, but her face brightened after a few minutes and she continued, her voice trying to maintain a sort of strength, "maybe I'll get to see Raphael after school lets out."

"Maybe you will, but don't be too upset if you don't," Rachel said.

"I'll try not to," she said softly as she reached for the spoon that was sitting on the table and began to eat the cereal.

*~*~*~*

At the same time, Andrew and Raphael were going about business as usual. In angelic form, each one went and checked on the two girls, and upon discovering that they were OK, they returned to the apartment, and as Andrew sat down at the table, Raphael came into the room. He was running a comb through his dark brown hair, and he smiled at Andrew when he saw his friend seated at the table. It was plain to see that the upsetting weekend had taken its toll on both angels.

Monica had returned to her assignment and Tess was still working with Brandon and indirectly, she was trying to get Greg into aggression therapy before someone else were to get hurt. Andrew sat down at the table and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He had been thinking of nothing else except Helena the entire weekend, and he was wondering how she was dealing with all the changes that had suddenly encompassed her life. He glanced up and could see that his assignment was now leaving her apartment with her friends, and there was no time like the present to go after her.

As Andrew followed the girls in the direction of the school, he was still thinking about Helena. He couldn't deny that he felt a bond with the girl, but he also sensed that it was much more than the angels being able to help her and he sighed deeply as his feet shuffled against the concrete of the sidewalk.

Upon arriving at the school, he remained in angelic form and watched as Mary and a group of her friends were standing around a convertible smoking cigarettes. He walked slowly in the other direction where Raphael was now standing, and holding some books. The Father had instructed the young Mexican angel to enroll in the school as a senior and now, Andrew realized for the first time since they had received the assignment, that Raphael had, in fact, taken on the traits of a teenage boy, and it had been this way since he had met Helena on the school bus.

Unfortunately for Raphael, she had seen him, stubbed out her cigarette, and was walking towards him. Her face was contorted and she was scowling at him. "Hey, Super-Snoop!" When Raphael didn't turn around, she reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and jerked him around to face her. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Didn't your daddy teach you any manners?"

"Did yours?" Raphael shot back before he could stop himself from speaking harshly. He could see Andrew was now standing behind Mary and he was shaking his head.

"It's an act," Andrew spoke, but only Raphael could hear him, and the younger of the two angels nodded.

Mary glowered at him, "I have the power here to make you wish you weren't even born, Nosy," she said. "I can do it, you know, I know all the right people."

Raphael sighed deeply, he was so tempted to lash out at the girl, but the patience and love of the Father enveloped him, and this alone calmed his down and he began to walk slowly away from her without saying anything else.

Mary was left standing where she was. After a few minutes she shrugged her shoulders and walked inside the school.

*~*~*~*

Helena came outside of the school that afternoon, her face was down slightly and she walked in the direction of where she had met Raphael two other times before. She had promised David that she wouldn't go very far from the school and was hopeful that she would be able to get outside for a few minutes. The day hadn't been too bad. In her new clothes, she felt more like someone who fit in somewhat, and not so much of an outcast as she normally felt. Though the kids still teased her, she managed to get through the day without any major problems.

As she wandered outside, she could see Raphael coming outside like the times before, and she started walking towards where he was.

Before she reached him, she stopped when she saw her sister coming towards her. "Oh boy," she muttered under her breath, "here it comes."

"Well lookie here, if it isn't little Miss Priss," Mary sneered. "Are you happy now?" She pushed Helena forcefully and the impact from the push caused Helena to fall to the ground.

Helena said nothing, just stood up and started dusting herself off. She said nothing to her sister, only started to walk around her and in the direction of where Raphael was waiting.

Mary turned around and grabbed a hold of Helena's braided hair. "Wait a minute," she screeched pulling hard on the younger girl's hair. "Don't you even realize what you've done to Mom? She was up crying all night Saturday night. What ever happened to family loyalty anyway?"

Helena felt the tears brimming under her eyes as she felt her hair being pulled and she attempted to free herself from Mary's grip. "Let go, Mary."

Mary laughed bitterly. "How can you live with yourself? You've turned against your family, the only family you've ever had."

"No, it's not the only family I have. I know I have a father somewhere and I'm going to find him," she whispered more to herself than to her sister. "I know that you aren't my family, you're my half-sister, but you've never treated me the way a sister should."

Mary released her hold on Helena's hair, and looked at her with a surprised expression on her face. "How can you say that? I've treated you with nothing but kindness."

"Only when Mom was around, but when we were alone, you didn't care. You've put me down and so did your friends. Now that I have friends that care about me, you have done everything you could to ruin it, and now you're telling Mom things about my friend Raphael, because you don't want me to be able to find people that accept me. That's not family loyalty, it's cold, heartless, and cruel."

Mary pushed Helena again and was about to continue pushing her, but Raphael had come between the two girls. His face looked angry as he looked at Mary, "why don't you just leave her alone, Mary? She's been through enough, and your treatment of her isn't helping."

"How dare you!" Mary yelled glaring at the angel. "You and your do-gooder friend have ruined my family. My father is being accused of abusing her and now my mother is devastated. If you ask me, I think she should just let Greg lose on both you and your friend. He'd knock you both into the middle of next week, of that I'm certain."

"Maybe so, but I don't believe that would help in bringing Helena home. Isn't that what you all want? I don't think anyone would want to continue carrying this whole thing out," Raphael said calmly.

Mary could say nothing more; instead she turned around and walked away without looking back. "You'll be sorry; both of you will."

He ignored her words and turned to face Helena, "are you OK?"

She nodded, "yeah, I think so."

"You really do know how to handle yourself, I'm impressed," he said.

"Did you honestly believe that I couldn't?" she asked.

"I didn't know, to be quite honest," he said. "I could only remember how you were two weeks ago, and how upset you were about everything that was going on."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I feel different somehow, like I have more strength, does that make any sense?" Helena asked.

"Yeah, I guess it does. I wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about you these last couple of days," Raphael said.

"You have?" She asked.

He nodded, "yeah, of course. I know how hard things must have been for you."

"Is that the only reason you thought of me? Because you felt pity for me?" Helena asked, her expression suddenly changing from hopefulness to sadness. Her disappointment was evident, but she held back any hurtful worlds or accusations that she might have had. She had half expected him to say that. How could he like her? She still felt filthy and disgusting about herself, and she couldn't expect him to say that he liked her for anything more than a friend.

"No, I didn't mean for it to sound like that, Helena," Raphael said. "I mean you and I are friends, right? I like you as you are, and in my eyes, you're just a good friend."

"You mean, you like me?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and her voice cracked. He thought for a second that she was going to cry, but once he nodded, she threw her arms around him and held onto him as though she would never let go.

They stood holding each other for sometime, and when their hug ended, Raphael looked down into her soft brown eyes. "I think you're one of the most courageous people I have ever met."

She shrugged her shoulders, but turned around when she heard her name being called. "I guess I should go, I think David's ready and I don't want to keep him waiting."

"I'll see you later then, OK?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah OK, I'll meet you here right after school," she said.

Before he walked back across the courtyard in the direction of where he lived, he gave her a quick but gentle kiss on the cheek. Once that was done and he was walking away, Helena looked up in the direction of where David was standing. The expression on her face depicted that she was absolutely elated.

She looks like a girl who's in love, he thought once she joined him. "Did you have a good day, Helena?"

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't seem to hear his question. He smiled gently; she deserved to have some happiness in this place, he thought to himself as he walked in the direction of his car. She followed him, and every so often he would glance back and notice that she was now walking with a new spring in her step.

*~*~*~*

Raphael made his way towards the apartment and inside, he couldn't stop thinking about Helena, and how much admiration he had for the girl. She had been through a lot, but yet her strength was what he admired most. He could tell that the Father was immensely proud of her, but he just had to smile when he remembered how she had stood up to Mary. It was inspirational.

After about thirty minutes passed, he looked up when he heard the front door open and he saw Andrew coming inside the living room. "Hi."

"Hello," Raphael looked up from the assignment he was working on. "Can we talk, Andrew?"

"Sure, what's the matter?"

"I can't stop thinking about what has been happening with Helena, and I wonder when it would be right for us to tell her the truth," Raphael said softly.

"You know that the Father always informs us when the time is right," Andrew said softly. "I also know that you care for this girl, probably more than you think."

"Yeah, I guess it's just that Helena is a pretty special person to me and I don't want to hurt her,“ Raphael said. "I know that I have learned a lot from you, but there's one thing that you're better at doing than me, and that's saying good-bye to assignments when they realize what it is they need to learn."

"Don't be so certain of that. Saying good-bye is never easy," Andrew said softly. "I have had assignments that I really liked, people who were more inspiring than they believed and to see them come to understand God's love, was like watching a butterfly emerge from a cocoon. It's beautiful, but sad at the same time, because we have to move on, and I have to take new assignments."

"How did you cope when you felt connected to an assignment?" Raphael asked.

"It was hard, but it was also rather nice," Andrew said softly. "Helena is a very special young girl, she's going to learn eventually who we are, and why we're here, but that doesn't mean that we're going to immediately leave, but she will have to understand that soon we will."

"How will I tell her?"

"The same way you tell other assignments, you just tell them, but you allow God's love to come through your words," Andrew began. "If you want to talk to her about the possibility of us leaving, I'll come with you, but right now it's very important that we not say anything about who we are simply because she's a very frightened young girl, and if we tell her, she may not be able to understand or handle it so well, but in time, she will."

"I met her after school today, and she looked good," Raphael said. "How are things going with Mary?"

"Not so good, she's got a thick shell and many layers of hurt to burrow through and I'm simply not sure how much more there will be before I can help her," Andrew said softly.

*~*~*~*

In a small office belonging to a local police force just outside of Des Moines, a young dispatcher was looking down at her computer monitor and entering names. As she did, a person search that she had started had come up with something and she looked up to call out to her boss. "Pat, I think you should take a look at this."

"Yes, Carol?" A middle-aged man in a distinctive policeman's uniform entered the office and looked down at the young woman who was working at the computer. "Did you find something?"

"Ever since you told me about your brother's missing daughter, I've been working online trying to get information about her. Now, I may have found something on the computer that you might want to take a look at," Carol said softly.

"What did you find?" he looked up at her.

"Well, according to the hospital records, there was a little girl born on or around the twelfth of June near Santa Rivera, North Dakota. It says here that the mother is Rayan Williams, but the father's unknown, presumed dead."

"That's all? I mean; there's no information about the father at all?"

"Nothing, like I said, it's all very strange how they had this entire thing set up. Maybe we should consider contacting the hospital and asking them about it," she said.

Patrick Summer stood up, "show me what you managed to find out."

Carol pulled a second chair up to the computer and the policeman sat down next to her. "It says here that the mother's name is Rayan Williams, and she had named the daughter Helena Yvonne Williams. On this it says that the father's name is unknown, and on all the other listings, the father's name is clearly listed."

Pat rubbed his chin. "Is there anything else distinctive about this child?"

"Nothing, it says here that the mother had another daughter with someone else, and she is two years older than Helena. The name for the girl is Margarita Annette Williams," Carol typed some commands into the computer. "According to this, the woman and two girls disappeared some years ago, and didn't turn up again until Rayan Williams remarried. The name of the man she married is Greg Hunter."

"Run his name," Pat said calmly.

Carol did as he said and upon pushing the return bar, the computer screen suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree and as Pat began to read, the color drained from his handsome face.

"Oh my God," Carol whispered as her hand covered her mouth when she saw the man's past appear on the screen.

Pat nodded as he continued to read. "It says here that he's a repeated child abuse offender, and has been out on parole for the last two years. Lives in Fairbrook, North Dakota."

"Are you going to go, Pat?" Carol asked weakly.

"No, but I think Danny would want to know about this. I think he has to find out the truth," he said softly. "If this is his daughter, and she is living with Greg Hunter, she is probably in some kind of danger. This man's record is anything but squeaky clean, and it says that a number of residents in a town in California were trying to have his parole revoked some years ago, which proved unsuccessful."

Carol nodded as he continued to speak. "Could you make a print out of all this information for me?"

The secretary nodded, "yes, I'll get this to you as soon as possible." As she began printing out the information he had requested, Patrick Summers went back into his office. When she finished the printouts some five minutes later, she took them inside and gave them to her boss. Patrick began to read the printouts but not before calling his brother and requesting that he come in immediately.

After some twenty minutes, Danny Summer came into the office and smiled warmly at his brother. "Hey, what's the story?"

"Dan, I think Carol may have found your daughter." He proceeded to tell his brother about the news they had found on the computer. "Do you recognize the name Rayan Williams?"

"I don't remember much, I'm afraid. The mother of my daughter was kind of a hippie type, you know, always going by strange names. When I knew her, she had gone by the name 'Iris Blume'," he answered.

"How did you get into a group of hippies, Dan? I mean you were hardly the paisley type," Patrick remarked.

"No, you know I wasn't really into the ideals and lifestyle, I was more or less only into the music, and I was at 'Woodstock' in '69. I guess it's like I told Mom, it was during my rebellious period. A few years later, I had met up with this young woman and we had started dating in college. She was pretty wild, never wanted to study, and was always into that 'free love' kind of thing. I guess, I had thought that she was it for me, but after my daughter was born, this woman just took off with the baby and I never saw her again. It was a little later on that I discovered that she had already had a daughter before she had even met me, and had probably done the same thing to the father of the other girl as well."

Patrick nodded sympathetically. "I think you should go, something about this story is connected, I just know it. I can't shake the idea that this girl is your daughter, Dan. I have all the information about Rayan Williams, and the two daughters, as well as Greg Hunter, their stepfather. He's got a pretty smeared up record, though." He handed his brother a manila folder. Inside were the printouts that Carol had given him.

Dan accepted the information his brother held, and spoke, his voice was strained with emotion, "I understand."

"I know that this is not the easiest thing for me to tell you, but I think you should be careful when you go out there," Dan said.

"I will, Bro', and thank you." With the papers in hand, Dan Williams stood up and made his way towards the door of his brother's office. As he did, a tremor shot through him and he sighed sadly.

*~*~*~*

That evening Helena sat at the dinner table with Rachel and David. Her eyes were shining as she told them about what had happened with Raphael and how she had started feeling much better about everything that had been happening.

David and Rachel smiled; it was nice to see the girl feeling better. When the phone rang, David stood up and went to answer it. "Hello?"

The person calling hung up the phone without saying anything. He shrugged his shoulders and hung up the phone. When the phone immediately began to ring again, he sighed deeply and pulled the cord out of the wall and returned to the dinner table.

"Who was that?" Rachel asked once he sat down.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, they hung up. I have a feeling that word is getting out around here about what's been happening to you, Helena and things aren't going to be getting any easier, I'm afraid."

Helena nodded numbly, "I kind of figured, it's my sister, Mary, she's pretty angry that I told Raphael and Andrew about what has been happening and she feels that I betrayed the trust of my family by coming out and talking about what has been happening to me."

"Did you tell your family about what had been happening before you told your friends?" Rachel asked.

"I tried to tell my mother about it, and Mary was in the room, but she said nothing except that she shook her head," Helena said.

"They didn't believe you, huh?" David asked.

"No, and Greg said that nobody would believe it if I did tell anyone," she whispered.

"My guess is that he was dead wrong. Andrew and Raphael believed you, Brandon and Tess and we believe you," Rachel said. "That's not nobody."

"What I mean is, my family didn't," she said.

"I'm sorry," David said softly. "I know that must have been very difficult for you to deal with."

She shrugged her shoulders. She had a strong suspicion that they were right and that it would be getting harder for her at school since her sister had said her peace. She swallowed the lump in her throat wondering if there was any possible way that she could get out of Fairbrook once and for all. If she could than it would be much easier for her to face what had been happening to her at home.

*~*~*~*

It wasn't until early the following morning that Helena realized just how difficult things were going to get for her. The other kids not only teased her, but they had also started jeering at her, calling her worse names than usual, and tripping her in the hall. One boy tried to touch her, and she had to push him away, which resulted in her almost getting into a fight with him. When things couldn't get worse, she walked into her counseling session, and three of the other kids in the group walked out saying that things in school would be worse on them if they were seen talking with her, or were known to be in touch with her.

She stepped out of the school that afternoon feeling pretty dejected and had the hopes of getting some peace, but what she saw was three older boys coming towards her. She recognized all of them as being friends of her sister and knew that things were about to get even worse. They were smiling wickedly at her and one of them reached out towards her with the intention of touching her.

"Well, well, well, she claims to be in trouble with her family, maybe we should show her some trouble. What do you guys think?" The three boys managed to corner her and two of them reached out and roughly grabbed each of her arms. She began to panic as they pulled on her from one side to the other, thus dragging her through the courtyard. She clamped her eyes shut as the tears began to stream down her face. The third boy was laughing as he reached for her throat with the intention of taking her face roughly in his hand and trying to kiss her.

She was starting to feel sick from the motion and her stomach began to hurt again. When she couldn't take much more, she started screaming and as she did her hands were trying to move to her mouth, but the boys held her arms tightly and she feared that she would soon become so dizzy that she might vomit. "Let me go," she cried as she felt the hot breath of one of the boys against her cheek.

As the boy pressed his lips against hers, her blood went cold, and she tried to break away from him. Her screams were muffled by the boy's mouth against hers. She could feel the salty tears streaming from beneath her eyelids and her desperate pleas went ignored.

As the boy broke the kiss, he laughed wickedly at her as the other two boys ignored her desperate pleas, and continued to push her around.

Glancing up, she noticed that Andrew was coming in the direction of the schoolyard where Helena was being bullied.

Helena's eyes met those of Andrew's and could see the compassion and sympathy, which emanated from his green eyes. She was catapulted back to earth when one of the boys pulled a knife and had brought it up against her throat.

Her eyes widened upon seeing the metal blade glistening in the sunlight, and she began to weep bitterly as she felt the cold steel against her neck.

Seconds later, the boys heard a siren in the distance, and within seconds, they heard a police car approaching. They released her and she sank to the ground in a heap, all the while hysterically crying when Andrew finally reached her, his appearance transformed, and he was now dressed in a beige suit and tie, and was glowing. At that moment, he could see that now, Helena was staring at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"Don't be afraid, Helena," Andrew said softly as he approached where she was on the ground. He could see the fear wracking her body, and she tried to crawl quickly away from him. He was glowing, and she had no idea what was going to happen, was she going to die?

As she tried to get on her feet, she stumbled and fell once again, complete terror evident in her petrified eyes, and Andrew was left to wonder if she was frightened by who he is, or if she was frightened because of what had happened with those boys.

Andrew followed and spoke gently to her. "Helena," he called out, his voice drifting across the school ground, but the girl didn't stop until she reached the stairs, which would lead her safely up and inside the building.

Upon reaching the stairs, she tripped on the first step and fell hard against the cement steps. Her hand rubbed up against her face and when she felt the moisture on her hand, she realized that her nose was bleeding. She turned around and saw Andrew was now coming closer, and in her fright, she forgot about her nose and attempted to climb her way up the stairs using her hands as well as her feet. Her fingers were still moist from when she had rubbed her nose, and she smeared blood on the stairs in her attempts to climb to safety.

After a second she realized she wasn't going anywhere and could feel some pressure against one of her feet. She turned around slightly, and noticed that Andrew was now at her side, had reached out, and grabbed her left foot firmly in his hand. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," he spoke softly, but when she continued to struggle against his hand that was holding her foot, he repeated his words again, this time using her name in an effort to make her relax, "it's OK, Helena, I won't hurt you."

She continued to struggle against his hand, but when he didn't release her foot, she stopped trying to get away from him, and turned around slowly, her eyes wide with fear. "Y-you," she stammered, her voice cracking. She eventually looked up at him, her eyes still brimming with tears, and Andrew could see that what she had witnessed was extremely frightening for her. She looked down at her lap, and after a few seconds, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "W-what was that light I saw? Y-you were glowing, and I-I have n-never seen anything like it in my life."

Andrew smiled weakly at her, knowing that his answer was important to her, and when his eyes met her own, he spoke. "Helena, that light meant that God was with you," he attempted to explain.

"Are you going to do something to me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, Helena. I'm not going to do anything to you," he answered.

She shook her head; her eyes were still clamped shut. Contrary to his words, she was petrified that he would do something to her because she seemed to have learned his secret. "Who are you?" she finally asked him.

"You mustn't be afraid of me, I would never hurt you, I think you know that," he offered once again as he released her foot and moved over to sit down on the stairs beside her. He pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. "I'm an angel, Helena, and I was sent to help you."

"M-me?" she looked at him, but after his gaze fell on her, her eyes lowered and she stared down at the blood that was on one of her hands.

Andrew rested his hand gently on her shoulder and nodded. By this time he was no longer glowing and was now casually dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

By this time, Raphael had come out of the school and had spotted them from across the courtyard. As he got closer and saw Helena's face, he immediately knew that something was wrong and he had a funny feeling that the frightened girl knew the truth about who Andrew was.

When he eventually reached them, he sat down next to her. "Hi," he offered not sure what exactly to say.

She looked up and shrugged her shoulders. She was terrified, it was in her eyes and she was obviously trying to come to grips with what she had seen. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" she finally asked.

The answer to her question didn't come from Raphael, but rather, it came from Andrew. "He didn't want to frighten you. Most people who find out who I am are ready to hear the truth, but you weren't, at least not yet. This does not change the fact that I truly wanted to help you."

"Helena, he'd never hurt anyone," Raphael insisted.

She nodded as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She wiped the tissue over her nose to stop the bleeding.

Andrew placed his hand on her shoulder once again, "this is why I didn't want to tell you just yet, you've been through so much, and right now, I feel badly that you had to find out this way, and that it frightened you. It was never my intent to scare you."

By this time, David Jackson had come outside and was approaching them. "What happened? Who are you guys?" he asked.

Andrew looked up. "My name is Andrew, and this is Raphael."

"David Jackson," he said. "Are you the two fellas that called the 'Children's Protection Group' about her?"

Raphael nodded, "yeah."

"I'm pleased to meet you both," David said offering his hand to shake with both of the angels. "It's really wonderful that the two of you were there for her when she needed someone. I'm thankful."

Raphael nodded, "it's nothing, but if I can, I would like to talk to her alone." His eyes sought those of his friend, and fellow angel, Andrew.

Andrew and David left them alone, and together, they walked back in the direction of the middle school building. Finally Raphael placed his hand on her shoulder, "I have to tell you something."

She looked up, "what?"

He began to glow the light of God's love encompassing him, and he smiled gently at her. "Just look."

"Y-you're an angel, too?" She stammered.

"Yeah," he said softly and nodded. "You know how you were afraid last weekend that if you told us your secret that we'd hate you?" She nodded, and he continued. "Well, now you know ours, but you don't hate us, do you?" She smiled weakly and shook her head as he continued, "Andrew wouldn't hurt anyone, he's one of the kindest angels that there is."

"He is?" Helena looked at him, her expression was skeptical, but when her eyes met his, she knew that she had to believe his words. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you, Helena," Raphael said gently. "We weren't sent to frighten you or to hurt you, we came here because God knew that without a little help, you would have eventually been killed by the hands of your stepfather."

"K-killed?"

"Andrew is an Angel of Death, Helena," Raphael said softly. "But, he understands why you reacted this way, and he knows that it's frightening for you. As with anyone, he also can be hurt when people react to him in fear. See, he doesn't just take people home, he does Casework, too."

"Casework?"

"Yes, that is helping people to deal with life," Raphael said softly. "And although he says it's OK for you to be afraid, I think it sometimes hurts him when people run away from him without listening to what he has to say."

"I didn't want to hurt his feelings, it's just that I've never met anyone like him, like you." She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. "When I saw what had happened with those boys, I was afraid that he would hurt me. I mean, I couldn't help being afraid, I'd never seen anything like that in my life, " she said softly.

"I know," Raphael said, "and Andrew does understand."

"I hope he does, I know he's done more to help me than anyone else," she said weakly. "It's just that I never really thought I would meet an angel, much less two."

"It's the truth, Helena, and God does exist, and He does love you," Raphael said gently.

Helena looked at him and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I shouldn't say this, but I'm still so afraid."

"Neither of us would ever do anything to hurt you, Helena," He said reassuringly.

"Will you tell Andrew how sorry I am that I ran away from him?" Helena asked.

"No, I won't tell him for you, you can tell him that yourself, he doesn't bite, you know?" Raphael said as he wrapped his arms around the girl. "Come on, I know you're still afraid, but you did talk to him on Saturday, and I think you know that he's not going to do anything that would hurt you, he cares for you."

"You make it sound uncomplicated and easy," she said.

"It is," Raphael said smiling at her. "Are you afraid of me?" he finally asked.

"No,“ she answered.

"Then you shouldn't be afraid of him, either," Raphael said gently and then he brushed her hair out from in front of her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"I don't know," she answered softly.

"I'll be right here with you," he smiled and offered her his hand. "I guess we should get back inside, they're probably waiting for us, and I'm kind of curious about what's going on."

She nodded, "OK."

Raphael continued to hold her hand, as they walked back towards the school building together. Once inside the classroom, they found Andrew and David there, and they were talking. When they saw Helena and Raphael coming inside, they turned to face the two of them.

"Is everything OK, now?" David asked.

Raphael nodded as Andrew approached Helena and whispered to her, "I'll tell you about what you saw, I promise, but I would rather talk about it later if that's OK."

She looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry I freaked out."

"It's OK, I understand why you did,“ Andrew whispered again and rested his hand on her shoulder and she looked back up.

David led them outside his classroom, "I was wondering if you guys could give her a lift home? I have to go to a faculty meeting and I'm afraid that if she can't get home now, that she'd have to wait here alone for awhile."

"We would but we don't have a car with us here, it's back at the apartment building where we live," Andrew said. "I walked here since it's not far away."

"Then maybe you can take my car, and drop her off and bring the car back here," David offered. "I've just got so much to do here, and I'm afraid that Helena would be bored if she had to sit around here and wait for me."

Andrew shrugged his shoulders.

"I have an idea, why don't we just go for a walk downtown or something?" Raphael suggested.

David nodded, "that sounds like a good idea, and I should be finished in about two hours, and we can all meet in front of the cinema downtown at five."

"OK, that sounds good," Andrew said as they led Helena outside.

*~*~*~*

Mitch was still packing his things for the tour when there came a knock at his apartment door. I wonder who that could be, he thought to himself as he went to open the door. He opened the door and stood face to face with his cousin Brandon. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I took the day off and decided to come by and say 'hi'. It's been awhile since I had seen you and was wondering how you were doing,“ Brandon answered.

"Well, as you can see, the guys and me are getting ready to go on tour," he said.

"I know, Tess said that you were planning on going to Fairbrook next week. I was really amazed that you decided to go so quickly. I called the principal there and she said that the middle school would have an early afternoon concert booked for two days from now. She wanted to have it during school hours."

"That's great, then all the students can hear the message," he answered. "I wanted to ask you, how's the young girl you and Tess helped out last week?"

"She seems to be doing fine, but her half-sister is really giving her a hard time, though. I heard this from her foster father, David Jackson. Although, he and his wife have been really helpful, they have a really hard time right now, prank calls, and two days ago I heard that one of the windows to David's classroom was broken. I mean; those folks have been really great to her considering everything that has happened. Then there are her two friends, Andrew and Raphael."

"Those the guys who were at the concert?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, those guys have been awesome, they're the ones that got Helena to open up about her stepfather's abuse, and they also called the agency about her,“ Brandon said.

"People like that are like angels of mercy," Mitch said softly but neither of them could see that Monica was now standing in the room and listening as the two of them talked.

"Yeah, no kidding, and they seem like really nice guys too, they're very kindhearted," Brandon said.

"I guess it's good, but has the stepfather tried anything else since the weekend?" Mitch asked.

Brandon shook his head, "thank God, no, but that guy he's as sneaky as a snake, so I really hope Helena's friends are being careful."

*~*~*~*

Dan Summers flight landed in Bismarck Airport at about the same time and once he had gotten off the plane, he made his way in the direction of a rental car agency. He had read all the information his brother had given him during this trip from Des Moines and he was determined to get to Fairbrook as soon as possible. He stopped by the airport convenience store and bought a state map and made his way to the rental agency.

He was absolutely horrified at the prospect that Helena Williams could be his daughter. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he read that the girl's stepfather was a man with a colorful past, and had been indicted on several counts of physical, emotional and even sexual abuse against children, and this alone made his blood run cold.

If Rayan Hunter was the mother of his daughter, he knew what he would have to do, but he realized that if she was his daughter, than he had no other option than to try everything he could, to gain full custody of his daughter, a young girl whom he had never seen before. He wondered all the while that if Helena was his daughter, how she would react to him, a perfect stranger coming out there and claiming to be her father.

Sighing deeply, he got into the line for the rental car agency and waited. Patrick seemed so sure that Helena is my daughter, he thought to himself as he waited. Once he had gotten a small car from the agency, he left and went to retrieve it. It would take about two hours until he would arrive in Fairbrook and hopefully it would be before sunset. He was determined to find out if Helena was the daughter that had disappeared from his life some 13 years ago. At any rate, if she was being abused, he would have to find some way to help her.

He glanced down at his hands, they were covered with sweat, and he realized just how nervous he really was.

*~*~*~*

Andrew, Raphael, and Helena made their way downtown. It had proven to be a nice day, as they walked into the local ice cream parlor. They each bought an ice cream cone, and walked outside and tried to find an empty bench. There were many benches lining the street, but they searched and eventually found one that was concealed by a crop of trees, and sat down.

The Angel of Death looked over at Helena, "are you feeling any better?"

She nodded, but her gaze remained on her ice cream cone, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Helena," Andrew spoke her name softly.

She looked up, her eyes shadowed with shame, but also with a trace of fear.

Andrew reached over and took Helena's free hand in his. "Look at me, Helena."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"You have no reason to be afraid of me, sweetheart. I would never ever do anything that would hurt you." Andrew said softly.

She hesitantly reached out towards him and touched his face as he began to glow. "I-I…"

"Shhh, it's OK," Andrew said softly all the while taking her hand and holding tightly to it. She could tell by looking at him, that he was trying to offer her some sort of comfort. She sighed contentedly as the light began to disappear, and she was left once again staring into the green eyes of her friend.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything; she just remained where she was, her eyes never leaving Andrew's face. After a few seconds passed, she finally became aware of her surroundings and looked around, all the while realizing that she had dropped the ice cream that she had been holding onto the ground. After a few more seconds, she looked up at him, "you're not angry at me?"

"No," Andrew said gently. "Why would I be angry at you?"

"I just thought that you would be mad at me too, like the boys who were picking on me," she said, shame evident in her face.

"Why do you feel like you deserve this kind of treatment?" Andrew asked gently.

She shrugged her shoulders, and looked back at him shyly without offering any answer.

The compassionate angel looked at her in confusion, but it was obvious that Helena probably felt this way because of the abuse. He knew that her stepfather had dehumanized her and she somehow believed that she was beneath everyone else. Andrew couldn't understand why she would feel like she deserved such bad treatment, but he had a suspicion it was because she blamed herself for what Greg Hunter had done to her.

Andrew looked deeply into her eyes, "don't ever believe for an instant, that you deserve to be treated in an inhumane way, Helena. No human being deserves to be treated in such a way, and God knows that this is hard for you, and He weeps for you, and for your pain. You've been a victim of something terrible, and you should never ever think that you've done something wrong. Your stepfather has done wrong, but not you, not ever you."

She nodded weakly; her eyes were still on the ground. After a few seconds, she looked up at Raphael, and spoke, her voice soft, "I think you're very lucky to have such an incredible person for a friend. I wish I could be that lucky."

Raphael nodded unsure of what he should say next, but he smiled at the girl.

Andrew looked at her earnestly, "Helena, God is really proud of you for showing your courage, and strength. It takes a very strong person to be able to do what you have done, and He knows that this is difficult for you."

"Please, don’t tell me that you’re going to leave me here alone. I have a feeling now that maybe you were both planning to disappear or something, since I know the truth," she said softly. "I don't know what I would do if you suddenly left and I was stuck here all by myself. I'm so scared to be alone right now, especially after all that has happened." The tears she held back started to stream down her cheeks and when she looked at them, both of their faces blurred by them.

Andrew nodded. "I know you are, and I promise that we won't leave until you're safe and no longer feel alone. But, Helena, we want you to know that we will eventually be leaving here. You're going to have to find the courage inside to handle everything on your own, but you will, with God and the support of your friends. I don't want you to ever forget, that regardless of where we are, you will always be our friend, and you will always have the love of God to help you through whatever it is you face."

Helena wrapped her arms around Andrew and hugged him with all her might, "I wish you were my father," she said softly, her tears still falling and were now landing on his shoulder.

The angel blushed slightly, but using his free arm, he embraced the young girl. He could feel that she was still frightened, no longer of them, but of what would eventually happen to her when they would leave. More than anything, he wished that he had the ability, or power to always take care of her, but this was an impossible wish. He continued to hold her in his embrace until his ice cream began to melt and a blob of it fell onto his hand.

When Raphael saw it, he began to laugh, and looked at his friend, "way to go, dude. If you don't eat that, you're entire hand will turn dark brown when all that ice cream melts.

*~*~*~*

Dan drove into Fairbrook that evening, and decided first to check into a hotel, and then look through the phone book for the address of Greg and Rayan Hunter. He wanted to go by there immediately, but thought it best to calm himself down after the long drive from Bismarck. He hadn't even thought about dinner yet, and he figured that he would have to grab something to eat after he went to find the mother of the girl who was suspected to be his daughter. Once he got checked into a hotel, he grabbed the local phone book and began searching for the address he needed. Once he found it, he wrote the information down, and left again without thinking about getting dinner.

It only took him about ten minutes to get to the apartment complex where they lived, and as he pulled into a parking lot, he could see a group of teenagers standing around an old convertible smoking cigarettes and talking. Ignoring them, he walked slowly towards the apartment number, which he had found in the phone book. He wasn't sure about what would happen, but once he reached the door, he sighed deeply and knocked.

Some moments later, the door swung open, "yes?" Rayan had opened the door and was standing face to face with Daniel Summers. "Dan?" she said after a second upon her recognition of the person who was standing on the opposite side of the door.

"Iris," Dan swallowed, but his next words were filled with hurt, and anguish, "I want to see my daughter."

"Rayan, who's out there?" the voice of Greg Hunter could be heard through the apartment and Rayan slammed the door closed before Dan could say another word. He shook his head and turned away from the door. It was obvious to him that Rayan or Iris or whoever she was wasn't about to let him see Helena. At least now, he knew that Helena Williams was his daughter. Sighing deeply, he walked back towards the rental car, which was out in the parking lot.

As he made his way, he could see two other people coming up the sidewalk. One of the two people he clearly recognized. He swallowed the golf ball sized lump that formed in his throat when he saw the Angel of Death walking in the direction from which he had come. He sighed deeply and quickly hid himself among the trees and watched them as they entered another apartment and closed the door.

He made his way back out into the parking lot. The group of teenagers had disbanded and he noticed that one of the girls was coming over to where he was standing and about to unlock the car.

"Excuse me, Mister, but a friend of mine asked me to come over and ask you something. I was just wondering, are you one of the 'CPG' people that came out to investigate her sister's case," the girl asked.

"What case?" Dan asked.

"Aw, you know, the situation about Helena?" the girl asked.

"Are you telling me that Helena Williams is now being cared for by 'CPG'?" Dan asked some of the color returning to his already pale face.

"Well, you should know that, you work for them," the girl said.

"I see," was all he said. He glanced back over at the apartment building. "What's your name?"

"Angela Simmons," she answered, "but I have a feeling you're not with CPG, are you and you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

"No, I'm not," he said. "I work out in Des Moines and came back here to check something out."

"Really? That sounds like a pretty big deal if you came to this hole in the wall town."

Dan smiled, but nodded.

"And you're here because of Helena?" Angela asked.

"In part, do you know where she is?" he asked.

"Nobody knows where she's living right now, but I remember when they took her away. I was walking through the complex with her sister, Mary, and they came out of this guy's apartment. I went to get Mr. Hunter, and when he came out, he started beating the crud out of this poor guy. I felt almost sorry for the guy, but I knew he was lying. I mean; I know Mr. Hunter, and he's really cool," she said.

Dan pulled the group of forms that his brother had given him that morning. "If Greg Hunter is so cool, like you say, then why does he have a rap sheet ten miles long as a convicted child abuser?" He held up the form and showed it to Angela.

"Is this for real?"

"Yes, it is," Dan answered. "Unfortunately, you and your friends don't know Greg Hunter the way his victims and law enforcement people do."

"But, I don't get it," she said after she had read part of the report and returned the papers to him, "I know them, they've been living here for the past three years or so. Mary's on the drill team with me."

"Mary isn't Helena's sister," Dan answered, "she's her half-sister, and Greg Hunter is not Helena's real father, he's her stepfather."

"How do you know so much about them anyway? I mean most of what you're saying would be considered private family stuff. Strangers wouldn't know about that kind of stuff," Angela asked.

"You're right, a stranger wouldn't know about that, but I'm not exactly a stranger, Angela. I'm Helena's father, her real father," Dan said.

"No way, Mary told all of us that he just walked out on them when Helena was just a baby," Angela said.

"That's what her mother told her," Dan said softly, "but, there’s no truth to that."

"I'd hate to say it, but I think I would believe my friend over anyone else in this case," Angela said looking at him. "But, still I can't help but wonder about that report."

"Has Mary ever said anything to you about her stepfather?" Dan asked.

"No, never, and she's my best friend," Angela answered.

"You're a good friend to her then, Angela," Dan said gently. "I have to go now, I have to get something to eat, you take care of yourself."

"Yeah, sure, Mr. uh, what's your name anyway?"

"Just call me Dan," he answered.

"OK, Dan," she said as he got in the car and drove out of the parking lot. She made her way back over towards her friends. "Mary, this is pretty intense, this guy claims to be Helena's father," she said as she pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and reached for a lighter.

"Did you find out anything else?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, that your stepfather apparently has a criminal past," she answered.

"Oh get real Angela, everyone in town knows Greg Hunter, and they think he's pretty cool," one of the boys answered. "My dad even helps him coach little league."

"Yeah, OK, Hank, but what about the fact that this guy claims to be Helena's father?" Angela asked, "this guy's probably a big shot. From the looks of him, he most likely works for the government, carries a gun, and everything."

"Oh come on," Hank said, "a little nothing like Helena doesn't have big shot government guy for a father. If she did, he probably works for the post office or something. You probably heard it all wrong. Let's face it, that girl is spreading lies about her family, and is probably the reason that this joker has come out here anyway." He looked over towards where Mary was standing, but the girl's face had gone pale and she was walking expressionless towards the apartment building.

*~*~*~*

Mitch Johnson and the group 'Starshine' arrived in Fairbrook that same evening, and met with Brandon Montgomery and Tess. Both social workers had been given keys to the middle school and were helping the band set up their instruments. "It's so great that you guys decided to come and play here. The kids will be so excited," Tess was saying.

Mitch nodded, "yeah, I'm glad that we could help." Inside he felt weak and dizzy. It had been the first time he and the guys had played Fairbrook schools since they had formed the band about ten years ago. This was a constant reminder of what had happened with Coach Schlange, and he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had. He turned to his band mates, "guys, I need some fresh air, I'll be outside if you need me."

The other members nodded, knowing how hard it must be for him to come back there. "OK, let me know if you need anything," Ron called out.

Mitch walked outside, it had been a long time since he had seen the school, but most of it looked the same. They had renovated the building, but otherwise, it just looked like a newer version of what he had seen as a kid. He walked outside and could see the stars shining high over his head. He sighed deeply. He knew that it was important to return to Fairbrook, but was he really ready to face his past? He had done so well concealing it in his mind. He glanced up and saw a man coming towards him.

"Hi, I thought I'd be the only one out here," the man spoke.

"Nope, but the sentiment was rather close to mine," Mitch asked when the taller man reached him. "I'm Mitch Johnson."

"Dan Summers," the man spoke and glanced up and could see that Monica was now walking towards them.

"Hello," the Irish angel spoke all the while smiling at the two of them.

"I know you, you showed up after the concert some weeks ago," Mitch said. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Monica said smiling. "I decided to go for a walk and thought I would come by the middle school."

"What for?" Mitch asked. "I can think of about 100 other places that are more interesting than a school."

"I wanted to see it, actually," Dan said and smiled. "I just got into town tonight."

"Yeah?" Mitch smiled.

"Yeah, I've been trying for the last 12 years to find my daughter, and I managed to trace her here," Dan said honestly. "I figure she's about middle school age now."

"You didn't know your daughter?" Monica asked.

"No, her mother took off with her when she was a baby," Dan said.

"Excuse me for saying so, but you don't sound so happy about it, what's wrong?" Monica asked.

"I think she's in some kind of trouble," Dan said softly. "I think it's the same kind of trouble that your band sings about," Dan said softly. "I knew who you were from the start, my brother works for the police in Des Moines and well, I got tickets when you guys played there," Dan said softly.

"You mean, you think she's been abused, huh?"

Dan nodded, "I got some information this morning about it because my brother's been helping me find her, and we discovered that she and her mother have been living in Fairbrook for some time now. I flew out here today, and tried to see her, but she closed the door in my face, wouldn't even let me talk to her."

"You don't know what to do about it, do you?" Mitch asked. "I mean, you're confused about going to her, or what you're supposed to say to her, or how to act around her, huh?"

"Yes, it's been 12 years, and I'm supposed to be able to at least see my daughter, and her mother won't let me. I mean I always wanted to be there to protect her, and to watch over her. She's been on my mind for the last 12 years," Dan admitted not even adding that he had seen someone who had frightened him.

"What's your daughter's name?" Mitch asked.

"Helena," Dan answered.

"Listen, if it's the Helena I think it is, then maybe I can help. Come on inside, the social workers are still here and my cousin Brandon has been working on her case since she opened up about what had happened. He can put you in touch with the people she's staying with,“ Mitch said as he clapped the shoulder of the other man. "I think he'd be really glad to know you're here, too because the situation she's in sounds pretty bad."

"You really do care about these kids, don't you?" Dan asked as the musician was leading him back inside the school.

"Yeah I do. See, it wasn't so long ago that I was in exactly the same situation she's in right now," Mitch answered honestly. "I guess I have a better understanding of what these kids go through than most people."

"Yes, you said at the concert that you are a survivor of sexual abuse," Dan said.

Mitch nodded, "I got into the music business, because I figured that this would be the way I would be able to come to grips with what had happened to me. See, most people ignore the problem, which doesn't help it at all. When people ignore it, they try to smother it out of existence, and sometimes that only makes the problem worse. The deal is, when people don't open up about it, and don't face it, then they create a sort of circle. You've probably heard that this behavior goes through families?"

Dan nodded, "yes I did hear that, but how does one stop it?"

"Well, for me personally, I learned that the best preventative measure is to talk about it and not allow myself to live in shame because of it. A lot of people live in denial about it for years and when they finally do talk about it, they are able to accept it as a fact of life or a lesson."

"Does it help?"

"You bet it does. I held it in for about 10 years, and it almost put me in an emotional coma. I grew into an adult believing that I deserved to be dehumanized not only by my coach, but also by my peers,“ Mitch said. "I avoided coming back here because of that, essentially running away from my past instead of facing it. I realize now that if I had come to Fairbrook before now, Helena and possibly other children would have been spared from living in the emotional box that I had lived in, and maybe this wouldn't have culminated into the big ugly snowball that now exists."

Dan looked at Mitch, "I really am grateful to you, you are probably the one person that inspired me to try to find my daughter."

"It's cool because your daughter has inspired me to come back here and face everything, so you see how sometimes a cycle can be a good thing."

Dan extended his hand to Mitch, but once they shook hands, Dan sighed deeply before he spoke again, "I don't know where Helena got that courage, but I'm really glad she has it." Once Dan went inside the school, Mitch looked at Monica.

"You are very wise, Mitch, the effect that you have on others is very special," Monica said softly. "But, don't hide behind that effect, because God wants you to face your past, as well as inspire others about facing theirs."

Before Mitch could say anything, he noticed that the young angel was gone, and instead of contemplating her words, he simply walked towards the door leading inside the school and followed Dan inside.

*~*~*~*

Mary walked back in the direction of the apartment where her family lived; her face indicated that she was extremely confused. She looked around the courtyard, and slowly made her way up the walk in the direction of the apartment where she lived.

Angela had told her that this guy from Des Moines claimed to be Helena's father. Her mother had told her that he had left when Helena was a baby, but from what Angela had said, it appeared as though it was the other way around. This left questions buzzing in her head about her father, and she wondered if she could even begin to ask her mother about who her real father was. She remembered asking when she was 9 and how her mother had slapped her across the face for even mentioning it.

As she made her way inside the apartment, she saw her mother alone in the kitchen. Rayan had waited until Greg had gone to bed, and had pulled a bottle of tequila out of the cupboard and had started doing shots.

Mary walked slowly over to her mother, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Her mother turned and faced her, "why would anything be wrong?"

A tremor shot through Mary when she saw her mother's haggard appearance. "Angela said that she talked to some guy tonight who claimed to be Helena's father."

Rayan looked at her older daughter, "he's not her father, it was a mistake."

"If it's a mistake, then why are you standing in here getting blitzed?" Mary asked.

"Young lady, don't you dare ask such questions," Rayan said evenly.

"Look I was just asking. Mom, I'm worried about you. Angela said that this guy claims that you took off with us after Helena was born. It just doesn't make sense; you always told me that our fathers abandoned us. If Helena's father has been searching for her, then what about my father, where is he and why hasn't he been looking for me as well?" Mary asked.

"You're out of line, forget about it, and go to bed," Rayan answered as she drank the liquor.

"No, I'm not going to bed, and I'm not going to forget about it. Where's my father and why won't you tell me the truth?" Mary asked. "Or maybe I've been wrong in believing you, maybe Helena was right, maybe everything she had been telling had been the truth and everything you have said has been a lie."

Rayan slammed the bottle of tequila on the counter and slapped Mary across the face in very much the same way she had done the last time Mary had asked about her father. "Don't you ever say anything like that again. Do you understand me? I don't owe you an explanation for anything. Now get to bed this instant, and maybe I'll forget about this by tomorrow morning."

Mary's eyes filled with tears, and she ran out of the kitchen. After a few minutes, the front door slammed and she ran across the courtyard in the direction of the park as fast as she could. She didn't stop until she reached a bench and sat down. She was completely alone.

She looked up at the sky, and could see the stars peeking out. For some reason, she remembered the diary entry she had read of her sister some time ago, about finding strength in the sky. "This is so stupid, strength through the sky," she said softly under her breath, "I defended my mother, and she's lied to me. I've never felt so alone or confused in my life."

"I guess now you know how your sister's been feeling during all of this," a voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see Andrew standing next to where she was sitting.

"What are you doing here?" she asked bitterly.

"I saw you leaving. You looked like you could use a friend," he said as he sat down next to her.

"Why would you want to be my friend?" Mary asked. "I've done everything wrong, I treated my sister like trash, and you're her friend, not mine."

"Yes, I am Helena's friend, but Mary, everyone needs a friend now and then, and that includes you," Andrew said gently. "I have a feeling that you did what you thought was the right thing to do. Helena doesn't hate you for it, she loves you, you're her sister."

"How would you know if she loves me, I've been nothing but mean to her ever since we were little kids," Mary said.

"She does love you, Mary, the only trouble is, now she's starting to believe you don't love her," Andrew said softly.

Mary looked down at her hands but said nothing.

"Right now, Helena needs you. She needs to know the love you have for her isn't based on conditions, agreements, or false loyalty. That's not love, love is something else, it's being able to care for someone more than one's own selfish pride. It's a gift that God gives to every one of His children," Andrew said.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Because it's the truth, and you need to hear it. Nobody hates you for what you've done," the angel said softly.

"You're wrong, I hate myself for it," she reached into her pocket and pulled a cigarette out and stuck it in her mouth. That done, she dug around in her pocket until she found a lighter.

Andrew reached over, took the cigarette out of her mouth, and tossed it to the ground. "A cigarette isn't going to solve your problems, Mary, but it may create more. You know a lot of people kill themselves this way?"

"Maybe, but maybe me being dead would make things easier for everyone else. Helena has a father, my mother has Greg, and I have nothing," she said softly.

"You have your friends, aren't they important to you?" Andrew asked.

Mary nodded, "yeah, I guess, but you know what I mean."

"No, I don't," Andrew said softly.

"I mean someone special, who doesn't expect unrealistic things from me or things that I'm not comfortable about doing. The others, they talk cool, and they smoke, and then there's Greg, and my mother. As long as I keep my mouth shut about the sappy things, then everything is fine, but if I talk about how much I hate my life, then everything's melodramatic or stupid," she said. "The only way I can hide it is to act tough."

"Being tough isn't defined as blocking out your feelings, Mary," Andrew said gently. "Tough is being able to be honest with yourself and to face them regardless of how painful it might be," he paused, "Helena isn't the only one Greg has been abusing, is she?"

Mary looked at him, "what do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Mary, he's been abusing you exactly like he has done with Helena, hasn't he?" Andrew asked his eyes never leaving hers.

"No, never," she began, but when his eyes didn't move away from her own, and her gaze fell to the ground, he could see that her shame filled eyes filled with tears and began to stream down her cheeks. After a few seconds, she nodded reluctantly, "yeah."

"Why didn't you tell someone about it?" Andrew asked.

"Probably because I didn't think it was considered significant enough to say anything about it," Mary admitted. "I was there when Helena told my mother about it, and she didn't believe her, so I guess I was afraid to back up Helena's story, because my mom wouldn't have believed me either. My mom was about to marry Greg, and if she knew, it would have devastated her."

Andrew placed his hand on the girl's shoulder and realized that it was shaking slightly, as though the girl was about to start crying, but something was preventing her from it. "You wanted to believe in your mother's choice so you would have a father."

The tears continued to stream down Mary's cheeks as Andrew's words struck a nerve, "yeah."

He looked at the girl sympathetically, "isn't it better to grow up in a stable environment without a father than to grow up with a father who abuses you and dehumanizes your sister?"

Mary looked at him, "who are you? How come you know so much about me? We've never talked, and yet you know my innermost feelings."

Andrew smiled weakly at the girl, "I'm a friend, Mary."

She looked at him, but shook her head. "No, I mean, there's something about you that's different; you're kind, and gentle with people, even when Greg was beating you up, you didn't want to hurt him, and you could have, I know you could have."

Andrew smiled but this time he shook his head. "No I couldn't have hurt him."

"Why?"

"Because that's not a part of me, Mary," he said gently.

"Not a part of you? Do you mean you would just let someone beat you up?" she asked. "You sound like a wimp or something."

"No, I don't consider myself a wimp, I just don't like fighting, it accomplishes nothing and hurts more than heals," Andrew said. "If I had to fight, I would most likely end up feeling horrible about it, I just don't like it at all. If that makes me look like a wimp to you, then I guess I am then."

Mary nodded as though she understood his words, but finally she looked at him, respect in her eyes, but also a trace of fear. "No, it's just that you seem to care about people. I remember last Saturday, when I was trying to get my sister away from those people, and you came over to me and put your hand on my shoulder. I suddenly felt calm as though I was watching the entire thing in a movie, and it wasn't really happening."

Andrew nodded, "I remember how upset you were. I think you were allowing yourself to care about your sister, rather than to hide it by acting tough."

Mary nodded, "what should I do?" she finally asked.

Andrew's sympathy went out to the girl, but he spoke gently, "the only thing you can do is be honest with yourself, Mary. Helena has done this, and now it's your turn."

"But, she has you and Raphael to help her, I don't have anyone," Mary said softly.

"Mary, we're not just here for Helena, if you want our help, you have to ask for it," Andrew said gently. "I didn't know if there was anything I could do for you until I followed you here tonight. Helena won't have us around to help her, but you'll be here, and both of you can depend on each other. Isn't that what sisters are supposed to do?"

"Maybe, but I'm so confused," she said shaking her head. "I've never asked anyone for help, not even from the guys at school."

"I know, and you know sometimes the first time is always the hardest," Andrew stood up, "it's late now, and I need to get back home, unless you want to talk some more about this."

Mary shook her head, "no, but you've given me a lot of things to think about."

Andrew reached down and patted her shoulder, "you know where we live, if you need us, come by, OK?" He started to walk away.

"Wait, you never even told me your name," she called out to him.

"My name is Andrew," he said gently.

"Thank you, Andrew," she said.

He nodded and walked slowly away from where she was sitting.

Once he was gone, Mary picked up the cigarette Andrew had tossed to the ground, put it back inside the package, stood up, and walked over to the garbage can and dropped the pack inside the receptacle. As she turned around, she sighed deeply, but walked over to the hill where she had seen her sister and Raphael almost three weeks ago. She sat down and her eyes glanced up to the stars. "Strength through the sky," she mumbled, "maybe Helena had a point with her fascination with the sky; maybe it can help."

*~*~*~*

Helena woke up the following morning to hear the phone ringing in the living room. After about ten minutes, Rachel charged into her room. "Helena, I have wonderful news for you."

"What?" she asked.

"It's about your real father, he's here in Fairbrook. Brandon Montgomery just called and told David that your father, Dan, will be coming by the house later today to see you. He's really your father, and he has proof. This isn't a joke," Rachel said as David appeared in the doorway.

She looked over at him, "it's real? He's really come here to find me?"

"Yes," David said gently, "and you may be moving out of here soon to go live with him."

"You mean, I won't have to go back to the way it used to be?"

"No, Helena, you're going to be free from all of those horrible things very soon,“ David said softly.

"I have to tell Andrew and Raphael about this," she said softly, "they won't believe it." She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet and began to pull the nicest outfit that she could find out. It was going to be a day she would never forget.

"Why don't you go into the living room and call them?" Rachel offered.

Helena left the room quickly and Rachel and David smiled at each other sadly. Both were so fond of Helena and they knew that they would miss her terribly when she left their home, but they couldn't help but feel a strong sense of joy that this girl would finally find some peace in her life, and maybe through her father, she would finally find that sense of security she so desperately needed.

*~*~*~*

"Raphael!" Helena shouted into the phone. "You're not going to believe this, my father, my real father, has come to find me."

Raphael smiled upon hearing the excited voice on the other end of the line. "You're kidding? That's great!"

"He's supposed to come see me tonight, will you and Andrew come? I want to have my best friends there when he arrives," she said softly.

"Yes, we'll be there," Raphael said smiling. "You know I wouldn't want to miss this for anything. So tell me, where's he from, what's his name?"

"I only know his first name, it's Daniel, but everyone keeps calling him Dan," Helena said. "I can't believe that he's here, or that he's been looking for me."

"Why not? You're worth looking for, aren't you?" Raphael asked, his voice filled with laughter.

"I don't know, but I'm so happy, but I'm also nervous, what if he doesn't like me or he thinks I'm weird?" she asked.

"Weird? You? Oh come on, you're putting me on, right? I mean; believe me, you are not weird, Helena," Raphael answered, "but I would say that you're special, and you deserve to be happy. Anyway, I'll meet you this afternoon, in the same place."

"OK, I don't know how I'm going to get through this day, I'm so nervous," she said.

"I know, but I'll see you later," he answered.

Once he hung up the phone, he turned to face Andrew who had been watching the entire side of Raphael's conversation with Helena. "They found her father, or I should say, her father came and found her. She wants us to come over tonight for the meeting."

"Great," Andrew said and smiled.

"I guess I'd better get going, I have a history exam today," Raphael answered with a smirk. "I wonder how long the Father wants me to play a school kid."

Andrew smiled. "No telling, did you remember to study for it?"

"Hahaha, very funny," Raphael said with a smile. "Who ever said that an Angel of Death didn't have a sense of humor?"

"Those who have not yet met Adam, I'd say," Andrew said with a smirk and they both laughed.

*~*~*~*

Mitch was standing on the stage in the middle school's auditorium next to the schools principal, a middle-aged woman named Marjourie Keller. "Good afternoon, everyone," she said to the assembled students. "We're making a surprise assembly this afternoon to welcome the members of the group 'Starshine' back to our school. As you know, their lead singer, Mitch Johnson and their bass player, Ron Hallow, attended school here 15 years ago. We have invited them to come and perform for the afternoon instead of holding regular 6th period."

The excited girls in the front row began to squeal upon hearing the name of the band that was going to perform for them. When the squeals died down, the principal smiled and looked out over the throng of students.

Helena was sitting near the back of the crowded auditorium, but didn't seem so anxious to get to the front of the room. Her mind was still on her father, and though she was happy that 'Starshine' had come to her school, she was thinking more about what would happen at David and Rachel's house later that evening. After a few seconds passed, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around and was facing David who had managed to find her in the crowd of students, "Helena, can you come with me? Mr. Montgomery is here, and he wants to speak with you."

The bewildered girl nodded and followed him outside of the auditorium, "I don't understand," she said to him as they were approaching the social worker. Once they greeted him, Helena looked at both men somewhat perplexed. "What's going on?" she finally asked.

Brandon smiled at the girl, "I was told that you should be brought to the stage, Helena. The band wants to have you backstage during the concert."

"Me? But, why?"

"Because, you're the reason they're here. I told Mitch your story, and he was very touched by what I shared. They have been avoiding coming here for years, and their message here has been overshadowed by doubt, insecurity, and fear. I don't really know why, but Mitch just came to me last weekend and said that they're coming back to Fairbrook. It was just like that, very spontaneous. They changed their tour schedule at the last minute, too."

"It couldn't have been me, Mr. Montgomery," Helena objected. "I'm not all that important."

"Well, you're going to find out this afternoon just how important you are, and the impact you have had on them. Come on, I'll take you backstage. Thanks David for finding her for me."

David nodded and walked back inside the auditorium.

Helena followed the social worker to the backstage area, and once she was there and seated, Mitch spotted them and walked over to them, greeted his cousin, took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Don't worry," he said softly.

She nodded, and followed the musician out onto the stage. When the other kids saw her, they looked at Mitch curiously.

Judging from the reaction of the kids, Mitch could tell that they had all heard the rumors that had been circulating around town about Helena. He looked out at the students, picked up the microphone with his free hand. With his hand still holding hers, he began to speak. "15 years ago, I was standing where this young lady now is. Her story is what brought us here, she inspired me to face my fear of this town." He turned to Helena, and smiled, but with the microphone still in his hand, he addressed her so that everyone could hear his words, "Helena, you have shown us all the strength one person can possess. Thank you for being here, you've been a pillar of strength for me personally to come back here and face my own past," that said, he wrapped his arms around the startled girl and held her firmly in his embrace.

Helena could only stand there in a sort of trance as the musician hugged her, when she felt his tears on her shoulder, she realized that his words were sincere and she wrapped her arms around him as well and began to cry openly.

He released her after a few minutes and a stool was brought from backstage and placed near where the band would be performing. Mitch brought her to the stool and indicated that she should sit down. Once she was sitting on the stool, Mitch returned to the microphone, "OK, I would like to dedicate this first song to Helena Williams, it's called 'The Strength of One'. It was written after I heard about her troubles, both at home and here at school."

I will never forget the day time stood still

It was long ago but it haunted my soul

The words of strength that came to me

Where of a friend I had yet to meet.

A powerful gift of one young girl

The strength of her heart

And the love from within.

The strength of one

One only child,

The gift of time and all is done

The heart is reborn

The soul alive

Because one so young

Had the strength of one.

The heart is fragile, the soul alone

It haunted me until I could let go,

A struggling acceptance of the past

Was all that was left to show

But, I heard a story of a friend

Of how her heart

Had the strength of many.

I'll hold on to the memory

Of the strength of this one child.

The strength of one

One only child,

The gift of time and all is done

The heart was reborn

The soul alive,

Because she

Had the strength of one.

His eyes were on Helena when the final chords were played, and the crowd of students burst into applause. He came over to her. "I don't know if this will help you with everything you have been through, Helena, but I wanted to show you and everyone else, that you're never alone in this. I've lived it myself, and I suffered from the same feelings you've had to endure."

She looked into his eyes, "thank you."

Mitch wrapped his arms around her once again, "please stay, we're going to play some more, and then we're going to take you to meet your father."

"You know about him?"

Mitch nodded, "I met him last night, he's a nice guy." He returned to the stage and picked up the microphone. "OK, everyone, we weren't invited here to just play music, but also to bring you a message. I know sometimes to sit and listen to adults talk about things is a drag, but this is very important. It's why we play music and what 'Starshine' was designed for." He took a deep breath, "Like I said when I introduced my friend, Helena, over there, I was sitting there where you are now some 15 years ago. I had a lot of the same hang-ups that you guys now have and on top of that, I am a survivor of sexual abuse,“ he looked out at the throng of students. "How would all of you feel, if you were living in that kind of a situation and then were rejected by your peers because you were considered weird?"

The students looked at each other and back at him. "You can't tell by looking at someone if they have lived through this, but there are signs that you should be able to look at your classmates and tell if something is wrong. One is, they are very sensitive, and somewhat reclusive. They try to find an escape from everything, and they spend much of their time alone. A child who cries easily may not be crying because they were called names, hit, or pushed, but maybe because they were experiencing a sort of pain in their hearts, and a sort of death in their soul. The hurtful words, the jeers, and childish pranks only add to that person's feeling of isolation. But how long does it have to go on? 'This is for the sake of the children'."

Mitch picked up his guitar and the band began to play the song. Helena sat and listened, her thoughts suddenly encompassed with her own reaction to his words. She remembered how Raphael and Andrew had told her that she was special. For the first time in her life, she actually began to believe it as Mitch sang. He had called her a friend. She wouldn't be alone ever again; she had friends in this musician, in David, Rachel, and two of God's beautiful angels. There was nothing more important to her at this moment then to know that she had her friends, and she would soon be reunited with her father.

As the hour progressed and 'Starshine' played all their best music, each band member took a chance to speak to their audience. At the end of the concert, they began to play their final song, 'Someday'.

Someday the children will smile

The pain of yesterday

Merely a shadow of the past

Someday, the world will have peace

A glowing radiance

In a newborn time of love.

Someday will one day come

It will be a time for everyone

The children will smile

And after awhile

The pain will fade

Like the clouds and the rain

Someday the world will know

The dark sides of humanity

But, they will overcome them

Even the shadows of sadness and pain

A change of seasons

And spring showers washing it away

Someday will one day come

A time for everyone

The children will smile

And after awhile

The sun will be divine

And we'll always be...Starshine.

The crowd burst into applause and the curtain closed. The principal walked over to the microphone. "Thank you guys for coming here and giving us your message," she said sincerely.

Once Mitch sat down his guitar, he walked over to Helena. "Come on, we're going to disassemble everything a little bit later, but I thought maybe we could go somewhere and talk a little before we go and meet your father. He's not supposed to be at David and Rachel's for another hour."

Helena nodded and stood up.

Together, they walked off the stage and outside. "Did you like the concert?" he asked.

She nodded, "yeah, it was my first, and I liked the music very much."

"I'm glad. Everything I said up there was the truth," Mitch said. "You really did inspire me."

"I never really had such good friends before, or knew what it felt like to hear someone say that about me. My sister always tried to sabotage my having friends just like she tried to ruin my friendship with Raphael."

"Yeah, I heard about that. I think you really like Raphael, yes?"

"I love him, he helped me so much, and he always was my friend. You know what I mean, right?" Once he nodded, she continued. "I didn't want people to feel sorry for me, because if they did, then they're not really my friends. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, that's why I kept my story to myself for about 10 years, I didn't want people to feel sorry for me. I didn't realize until later how much it was eating away at me, though," Mitch said as they sat down on a bench in the courtyard.

"Were you ever afraid that people would hate you if they found out?"

"Oh yeah, I was, and from what I understand now, it's pretty normal for a victim to feel that way. You feel that way too, don't you?"

Helena nodded. "Yeah, I feel so ugly and disgusting, like I've done something really wrong. I had started feeling isolated at home, and didn't know what to do, so I started spending all my free time in my room with the door closed, and music playing."

"You have strong feelings about music, don't you?" he asked.

"I think music is like going into another world or something. When I hear the words to songs and sing along, it's like I'm not alone anymore, but then I go to school, and those feelings come back to me, I guess I realized just how alone I really was. I started writing poetry about my feelings, but nobody really understood them until I met Andrew and Raphael. They seemed to understand what I was feeling and they cared about me like no one else had before."

"They are really special to you, huh?" Mitch asked.

She nodded, "yes, they are."

"You know those kinds of friendships are really a blessing. When I was in school, I had Ron, he's the bass player in the band, and he and I didn't realize how special that friendship was until after we graduated and I eventually told him about what had happened to me. When he got married last year, I was his 'best man' and he'll probably be mine when I get married. Since I was an only child, Ron's like the brother I never really had."

Helena stood up, "I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but Raphael's supposed to meet me here in a few minutes," she said.

Mitch nodded, "yeah, that's cool, besides, I'd like to see him again."

Once they reached the open area of the courtyard, Raphael had come outside and was waiting for her, and when he saw Mitch Johnson walking beside her, he walked over to join them. "Hey, I didn't think I'd get to see you again. How did you end up here?"

Mitch smiled, "the guys and I just did a show at the middle school. We're gonna be at your school tomorrow afternoon."

"That's really cool," the angel said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing the concert then. How did you guys meet anyway?"

Helena told Raphael about what had happened, and once she was done, the young Mexican angel smiled. "I always told you that you were someone special."

"I never really believed that until now."

Mitch smiled at them, "Helena, I think that we should get you to David's house so you can meet your father. He's very anxious to see you. He wanted to come by the school today, but Brandon said that he should wait, and that we'd bring you to see him in a more private setting."

"I want to see him so badly, but I'm so nervous," she said softly. She grabbed Raphael's hand; "you're coming with me, right?"

"Yeah, I am," he said and they walked towards parking lot. There, Andrew joined them and at the car, they met David and Brandon."

"Listen guys, I think that we should get going, Dan's been driving Rachel crazy at the house," David said once they reached the car. Everyone got in and they drove out to the house where Helena had been living.

As they pulled up to the curb some ten minutes later, a dark hared man came outside the house and approached the car as Andrew was getting out. Once Helena was out of the car, she watched as Andrew walked towards the house. Along the fence in front of the house, Andrew looked up and his eyes locked with those of Dan Summers.

"You? What are you doing here?" Dan began to yell at Andrew, causing the angel to back up slightly. "Get away from her."

"You don't understand, I'm Helena's friend," Andrew spoke, but he could feel Dan pushing him away from the young girl, and as he fell backwards onto the ground, he could feel the fist of the man against the side of his face.

"You're 'death', and you're not taking my baby," Dan shouted as he tried to shield his daughter from Andrew.

"Leave him alone, he's my friend," Helena shouted looking at the man who was trying to push the her friend away from her.

Dan did not stop his assault against Andrew, and eventually he had pushed the angel to the ground and was hovering over him, his eyes gleaming and within a split second, he looked up and could see that Helena was now staring sadly at him, and she rested her hand on Andrew's shoulder, his eyes were now closed, and she could tell that he was now unconscious. "Please, God," she whispered stroking his face with a trembling hand. "Let Andrew be OK."

*~*~*~*

The tears were still streaming down Helena's face when Raphael and Mitch managed to get Dan away from Andrew. Once they had managed, Helena was still on the ground next to Andrew. Everything had fallen apart and she was so frightened. She was still holding Andrew in her arms when he slowly opened his eyes and reached up and touched her tearstained face.

"Shhh, I'm OK, Helena," he spoke and although his voice was soft, it was filled with love and his reassurances.

By this time, Dan was standing in the doorway watching his daughter and Andrew outside. "What have I done?" Dan eventually asked as David stood on the doorstep and watched the events taking place.

"You assaulted her best friend, Dan," he said simply.

"Y-you don't understand," Dan said softly.

"No, you don't," David said softly. "That little girl has endured more than her share of violence and hatred. She needs to be around people who care for her, and who don't raise a fist in her presence."

"You really don't know who that guy is, do you?"

"Yes, his name is Andrew, and he saved your daughter's life, and she knows it," David said softly.

Dan continued to watch his daughter and Andrew get to their feet. Helena wrapped her arm around the wounded angel's shoulders and helped him walk towards the front door.

As she passed by Dan, he reached out and rested his hand against her shoulder. "Forgive me?"

Helena looked into the eyes of her father for the first time, and after making eye contact with Andrew, the young girl wearily nodded, but continued to help Andrew inside.

Once inside the house, David closed the door and they all sat down on the couch. As soon as they were comfortable, Helena managed to look at Dan. "You're my father?"

Dan nodded, "yes, I've been trying to find you for the last 12 years."

"But, why did you try to hurt Andrew?" Helena asked. "He's my friend."

Dan looked down at her, he could see in her eyes the strong feelings she had for the Angel of Death. He took a deep breath, but the words would not come. Instead, he looked at the people assembled and tried to explain what had happened, and how long he had been trying to find his daughter. "Helena was born during a time that I was going through a rebellious period in my life. I had just gotten out of college and was trying to find a job, and met Helena's mother. She was a hippie, not that there's anything bad about that, but that's what she was, and after Helena was born, she disappeared with her. I didn't even know her name until my brother Patrick and the dispatcher at the precinct house, spent an entire weekend doing research for me."

"That's amazing," David said.

"I can't believe that you're here, you look like your grandmother, Helena," Dan said softly. He looked at Andrew. "You really helped her?"

"We only did what we had to do to," Andrew said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's our friend, and we wanted to help."

Dan smiled briefly, but changed the subject, "Helena, I would like to have you come live with me, would you be willing? I mean, I'm not much of a father, I don't even know how to be a father, but I have been hoping to find you for so long, and I can't just go back to my job and my life not having you be a part of it."

Helena looked around the group of people assembled in the living room, and finally her gaze came to rest on Raphael and Andrew, "you'll be leaving, I'm almost certain of it," she looked at Mitch, "you'll be touring," and finally she looked at David and Rachel and shrugged her shoulders.

"You have to make your own choice, Helena. Dan's your father, and you need to be in a place where you'll be happy," Rachel said and the others nodded.

"I want to go, but I'm afraid," she looked at Mitch, "have you ever been afraid of doing something?"

The musician nodded, "I've been afraid of many things, facing my past, coming back to Fairbrook and trying to make heads and tails of my feelings about all of this. But, fear is something that is a part of life. Your friends will always be with you, if in no other way, but in spirit. You have a loving father, one who has chosen to put you ahead of everything, even if it didn't seem like it at first."

She nodded and looked up at her father, "I'll go, but I need to do something before I say good-bye to everyone."

Dan nodded and finally, she was able to hug her father for the first time in her life.

*~*~*~*

At this moment, Mary was standing outside with the police, her dark brown hair hanging in clumps around her face, and her eyes had dark circles around them. She wiped a tissue over her face and looked at the four policemen that were assembled nearby.

Her mind drifted back to what had happened during that morning. She had spent most of the evening at the park, and upon returning home, her stepfather had confronted her about where she had been during that night and had beaten her. His face had been contorted and angry rather than worried about where she had gone and why she had been upset in the first place. Never in the three years she had known Greg Hunter had he been known to so brutally beat her up, but this time, he had physically taken his anger out on her, almost leaving her ready to go to the emergency room.

This morning, he had snapped and he lashed out at her blackening both of her eyes and her stomach was bruised from when he had pushed her down the stairs. Before passing out, she thought that she had seen Andrew, but within a brief space of time, she realized that it was someone older, and this man was glowing. She had no idea who he was, because when she had woken up, the man she had seen was gone.

Her mother, on the other hand, had drank too much liquor the night before, was still passed out on the sofa, and she did not even witness what had taken place upon Mary's return to the apartment and she had been left to wonder if her mother even cared about how the entire situation was affecting her. She felt completely alone, and to make matters worse, she started to feel that she couldn't even turn to her mother for any kind of consolation. Her stepfather was now more like a rabid animal than someone to talk to or call 'Daddy'.

The situation with Helena had simply compounded the entire incident, but for the first time in her life, she didn't blame her younger sister for it. In fact, Mary admired her sister for the inner strength she possessed and she wished more than anything that she had the same quality. The emotional pain she felt made her leave the apartment and she went downtown to the mall instead of going to school. While she had been at the mall, the police had approached her about skipping school and brought her to the police station during the afternoon.

She had tried to talk to them about all the events leading up to her going to the mall, but they seemed preoccupied with other cases and during the evening hours, drove her back to the apartment building with the intention of leaving her with her parents.

Now she was standing amongst the policemen not wanting to go back home, but she was also not sure what it was she was supposed to do and she realized that if she had returned to her mother's apartment, Greg would have killed her.

Some moments later, she saw Andrew and Raphael getting out of a red convertible and were walking towards the apartment building, but he seemed to be ignoring her as he had walked away without looking back. When one of the policemen finally spoke to her, she came crashing back down to Earth, the pain was in her eyes, but her own pride prevented her from talking openly about her feelings.

"Are you sure you're OK, Mary?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "sure."

"Sure? That doesn't sound very convincing to me. You're in some kind of trouble, aren't you? You understand, I can't do anything about it unless you tell me what is wrong. Since, I haven't seen you around town during regular school hours, I'm assuming that you have not cut school before," the policeman was saying.

"Look, I'm fine, OK? I just needed some time to myself away from everything," Mary answered, her voice trying to stay even and calm. "Is there really a law against that?"

"OK, so you needed a break, that I can accept, but what I can't comprehend how you look right now. Would you mind telling me where you got those shiners, then?" he asked, referring to the bruises around her eyes.

She shook her head, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Why don't you just try me?" the policeman asked.

"Because I don't think you care either way, and I figure you probably wouldn't do anything about it anyway, so what difference does it make?" Mary said bitterly.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, and just tell me what it is that has made you so skittish about what you've been through?" the policeman pressed. "Listen, all the cards on the table, Mary. I have a kid sister who's about your age, and if I came home one day and saw her looking like you look now, I'd probably go bananas."

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern but I'm OK. Besides, everyone in town has said that he's such a great guy, and isn't capable of sexual abuse, or physical abuse for that matter. What does it matter anyway? I'm not Helena, and I don't have a father! I'm a nobody! The only person who hasn't implied as much has been Helena's friend, Andrew."

"Hey Mort," the policeman looked away for a second, "didn't we get an anonymous tip somewhere about a guy named Andrew?"

"Yeah, we did, there's been more than one call about him too, people are saying that he's been abusing children. I think he's the next bozo we're going to have to bring in," the other policeman answered.

Mary looked at the two policemen, her eyes widening upon hearing the exchange between them. As she listened to them converse, she sighed deeply and started to back slowly away from them. As usual no one seems to notice me, she thought to herself bitterly. Her outburst probably would get Andrew into trouble, and she looked down at the ground guiltily. Now, she was getting the kindhearted friend of her sister into trouble, the one person who said all along that he would be her friend, and somehow these cops had gotten their wires crossed and suddenly thought Andrew was the culprit to her injuries. She wiped her hand gently over her eyes and sighed deeply. Now, I've betrayed him too.

"Mary?" The policeman turned around, and when he saw her running away from them back in the direction of town, he sighed deeply and started to follow her, but his partner reached out and grabbed his arm, "what?"

"Follow her, she'll lead us to this Andrew character," the other policeman said. "Keep yourself at a safe distance. We don't want to arouse her suspicions."

*~*~*~*

Mary scanned the crowd in front of the local cinema and walked slowly inside. Her own tears blurred her vision, but she wiped them out of her eyes and wandered through the lobby. She couldn't go to Andrew, the cops were all over the place and if she did, then she'd lead them right to him. She approached a group of video games and looked up at the fortune telling machine. After a couple of seconds of staring at it, she dropped a quarter in the slot. After that, a slip of paper dropped and she leaned down to pick it up. As she looked down and read the slip of paper, tears began to stream down her cheeks. In a flowing script, the paper had the following statement: "You will meet someone who will change your life."

Yeah, right, she thought to herself as she glanced down at her watch. The movie was about to begin, and she walked slowly towards the door leading inside. As she walked through the doors and into the auditorium, she could see people seated inside the large room, and all of them seemed to have someone with them, and she was there alone. She looked around the room and although no one was paying attention to her, she suddenly was left to feel alone and isolated. This feeling remained even after the lights were dimmed and the screen was filled with color. Without sitting down, she walked back outside and in the hallway, which would lead to the lobby and concession stand.

As she wandered aimlessly back out into the lobby, her eyes fell on the policeman who was still standing around outside. She sighed deeply, her assumption had been accurate, and they had been following her, after all. I guess I was right, they aren't playing anything straight with me, they're following me as though I'm a spy or something. She waited until the policeman turned his back to where she was standing, and she ran as quickly as she could back through the lobby.

The lobby was now full of people, and she hoped that the policeman wouldn't see where she was going. She walked quickly into the rest room and approached the mirror. Her eyes were both dark from the bruises, and her hand ran through her dark brown hair. She reached inside her purse and pulled out a comb. Maybe I can do something about this, she thought to herself and began to comb her hair.

Once her hair was combed, she pulled a dark brown clip from her purse and pulled her hair back from her face. It looked better, but her eyes were still dark from Greg's punches. She pulled out a tube of concealing make-up and began to rub some cream against the bruises on her eyes, but the pain was so intense when she touched the area around her eyes, that they began to fill with tears. Trying to ignore the pain, she continued her futile attempts to conceal the bruises under the make-up. She inspected herself in the mirror, wondering if she would be able to elude the man following her.

She came slowly out of the rest room, and walked towards the doors that would lead outside. The policeman didn't seem to recognize her as she was leaving, but after a few seconds, she glanced back and noticed that he had started walking slowly away from the cinema in the direction she was going in. Her eyes were staring straight ahead as she walked in the direction of where she attended school, the fortune falling to the ground as she made her way in the darkness.

Behind her, Tess had bent down and retrieved the fallen slip of paper. As she read the script on it, she nodded and in angelic form, she followed the young girl.

*~*~*~*

There were so many times that she had felt lost whenever she had thought about all the events going on and how she had hidden the pain behind all the events that were going on at the school. Now, she realized that her entire life was nothing but an act.

As she walked towards the tennis courts, she sighed deeply, and glanced up to see that Mitch Johnson was also walking alone through the courtyard. She recognized him from the fliers in school about 'Starshine', but she had never seen him up close before, and she wasn't prepared to show someone that she respected as much as him how vulnerable she really was. She sat down on the bench near the door that would lead inside the school and dropped her head into her hands. "Dear God, I need some help."

"He knows baby," Tess now stood in front of her.

Mary looked up and could see that Tess was glowing and she backed against the bench. "W-who are you?"

"I'm an angel, sweetheart, my name is Tess, and I'm here because you asked God for some help."

"I don't think I deserve it," she whispered.

"You do, baby, you just have to allow yourself to experience that love," Tess' voice was filled with love, but there was a strength in her words that Mary had never before heard in her life. "You have to give up the act, Margarita Annette Williams."

Mary's eyes filled with tears when she heard her full name emerge from the angel. "I'm scared."

"I know, but God's proud of you for trying to find the truth, and in doing so, you're finding your way back to him." Tess said gently. "Now, you must make a few more steps, and don't worry, Mary, you're never alone."

When the young girl looked up, she noticed that Tess was now gone. Resting her head in her hands, she began to weep bitterly, but within moments, she glanced up and could see the same policeman standing nearby. It was the same one who had been at the apartment complex, but also at the cinema. Why can't they just leave me in peace, she thought to herself as she stood up slowly and started to walk quietly in the direction of the door that would lead inside the auditorium of the school.

If she could sneak inside the school and through the backstage area of the auditorium, then maybe she could get away from him, and make it back in the direction of where Andrew lived. She had to warn him, but she wasn't sure how with this cop on her tail.

She walked quickly in the direction of the door, but before she made it, a hand reached out and touched her arm. She turned around and was looking into Mitch's dark eyes.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "nothing, I'm not doing anything," she answered almost defensively.

"Who are you running away from, then?"

"Nobody, I just wanted to be alone, nothing else."

Mitch looked over and could see the policeman a safe distance away from where they were standing. He could see the girl's bruised face in the lights that were illuminating the tennis courts, and he reached over, gently took her face in his hands, and tilted her chin up so she would be looking into his dark brown eyes. Self consciously, she closed her eyes, but not before a tear escaped from under her eyelid.

"Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Nobody," she mumbled.

"You're lying and trying to protect someone," he answered softly, his voice depicting the pain he felt when he looked at her. His hand rubbed gently under her moistened eyes. "Who did this to you?" he repeated his question, this time his voice was softer than the first time he had asked.

She pulled away, breaking her contact with him. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I can't leave you alone, you're hurting, and you need someone to help you," he said gently.

"No, I'm not, I'm fine," she said trying to sound braver than she actually was.

"If you believe that, then you're not just lying to me, you're lying to yourself," he said.

"I don't want to hurt anyone else, I've already betrayed my friend, and if I say anything else then I'll betray my family, too," she replied.

Mitch sighed deeply, "you don't want to hurt anyone, but have you realized that you're hurting yourself in the process of trying to protect others? I know how you feel, I held back a lot over the last ten years, and you're reacting to it all the same way I did."

Mary looked at him and nodded weakly, finally her voice came out in a whisper. "It's just that it's embarrassing."

"I know," he said comfortingly, "come over here and sit down, we're going to have a little talk. I mean, it looks like you could use someone to talk to, anyway."

"But, don't you have to get set up for the concert tomorrow?" she asked.

"The guys have everything under control, don't worry about that," he said softly and sat down on the bench. "What's your name?"

"Mary," she whispered, finally sitting down next to him.

He nodded, "I'm Mitch."

"I know, you used to go to school here, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

She looked down at her hands. "Do you know what's more embarrassing than admitting to what's been happening at home?"

"What?"

"Accepting how and why I've been treating my little sister so badly during all of this. I've been nothing like what a big sister should be," Mary said. "I guess I deserve all these horrible things that have happened to me simply because of what I've done to her."

"Nobody deserves to be subjected to abuse, Mary, it doesn't matter what kind of abuse it is, and it doesn't matter what kind of rationale there is. It's plain wrong," Mitch said gently.

Mary nodded, "you're very kind, but I really don't know what to say and I don't want to burden you with my problems."

"Don't ever believe for an instant, that you are burdening someone with this. If you have been through something like this, then you should talk to someone about it. You're a child, and you shouldn't be alone in this, and you know what? You're not," he smiled gently at her.

"I don't know who I can trust is all," she said. "Like earlier tonight, I tried to tell the cops about it, and instead of listening to me, they started talking to each other about my friend, Andrew, and they totally ignored everything I had to say. Instead of talking to me when I was there, after I left the parking lot, they started following me, like I was a criminal or was going to lead them to Andrew and betray him. They're still following me, you see that guy over there?"

Mitch nodded, "Yeah."

"He's been following me all evening. I guess he hopes I'll lead them to Andrew, but I won't. I mean they think Andrew hurt me, but he didn't, he's my friend, and it scares me that the cops want him for something. The person I talked to last night couldn't have done what they have accused him of."

"Then you do know Andrew?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, he's good friends with my sister."

"Then, that means you're Helena's older sister, right?"

Mary said nothing only nodded. She looked across the courtyard and could still see the policeman watching them. An uncomfortable shiver went down her spine.

Mitch sighed deeply, his gaze following Mary's. "Did you hear anything else about Andrew when you were talking to the police?" he finally asked.

"No, and I don't understand why this is happening, I mean Andrew is very kind to others. Last night after I confronted my mother about who my father was, she slapped me, and I left and went to the park. Andrew followed me, and he sat with me and talked to me for a long time. He told me that I could always come and talk to him and that he'd be there for me if I needed him." Mary paused reaching into her jacket pocket, but when she found that her cigarettes were gone, she sighed deeply and continued speaking. "I found him really easy to talk to, like this friend whom I had been waiting for my entire life. I had tried to sabotage Helena's friendship with him and Raphael, but he didn't dwell on that, he just accepted me at face value. He really seemed to understand how much pain I felt inside. It was almost like he could read my innermost thoughts about everything. He told me that my sister loved me, but I don't think I deserve her love."

"You deserve her love, the question you should be asking yourself is, do you love your sister?" Mitch asked.

She nodded, "I never realized how much I did, until last night when Andrew asked me about it. I never really knew how much courage she had until now. My friends all picked on her, and she just dealt with it like she knew that one day things would be different for her."

"Yes, I noticed that about her, too. She's a strong person, but, Mary, so are you. When you let go of all that 'toughness' then you will find that true strength is the courage to accept and love yourself, but also to understand what it is you've been denied."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been living with abuse and covering it up because you think it's your obligation to protect others rather than putting that responsibility on an adult where it belongs. The problem is, and most people don't realize it, but the best way to overcome this kind of situation is to take the first step. I know it's hard, I had to do the same thing myself, and I’ve been making steps regarding this for the last ten years. Helena had to come to grips with her situation as well as contemplate her relationship with you and your mother. On top of that, she's had to deal with the abuse and how she has internalized it. She's had a lot of extra pressures put on her because of how she's treated in school," Mitch said.

"And you think I'm an awful person because of what I've done to her," she finished for him.

"No I never said that. I don't think you're an awful person at all, but I do think you are afraid to admit to what has happened to you, and your attitude towards Helena shows the fear is building inside of you about having to make some difficult choices."

"Mitch, I'm scared," she admitted.

"I know," he put his arms around her, and held her in his embrace. His thoughts were constantly returning to Andrew, but he knew that Mary really needed his attention and he wasn't going to do to her what the police had done, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if Mary would have the courage to tell the authorities who it really was who had abused her.

*~*~*~*

Andrew emerged from his apartment about a half hour after he and Raphael had returned. As he came outside, he could see a girl coming up the walk, and recognized her as being Mary.

He couldn't help but notice that she looked a little bit better than she had out in the parking lot earlier that evening. He sighed deeply as he reflected on the situation with both girls, and it tore his gentle heart up when he saw how badly beaten she had been.

Within moments of his emerging from the apartment, he could hear the sound of someone shouting. "He's come out!"

"Stop, you're under arrest," one of the policemen shouted coming towards him, his weapon drawn, "OK, Mr. Halo, you're under arrest for child abuse."

Shock encompassed the face of the handsome Angel of Death as realization hit him that these people thought he had beaten Mary up, and now she was running towards them, the tears falling from her bruised and swollen eyes.

When she reached them, she looked down at the ground, guiltily, but after a few seconds, she looked directly at Andrew, "run," she mouthed the single word to him, and he could do nothing but back away slowly and look at the people now assembled around the courtyard.

Three policemen eventually attacked the defenseless angel, leaving him lying on the pavement as the police cuffed him and jerked him roughly off the ground.

"Oh no," Mary muttered under her breath, and watched as they were escorting Andrew to the waiting car. She ran towards the angel's back, and when she reached him, she grabbed his arm. "Please don't take him, he couldn't have done anything wrong, he's not a bad person!" The police pulled Andrew away and her contact with him was broken.

Andrew looked down at her, a look of intense sadness in his eyes, but he shook his head slightly indicating that she shouldn't get involved in this situation, but she could feel the compassion that he carried for her in the depths of his green eyes.

This act alone was too much for her and she began to cry hysterically. "This is all my fault," she looked up at him, her next words tearing at his heart. "Please, Andrew, forgive me!" She began to run towards them again, reached out, and grabbed his arm again as she slid to the ground in a heap, the crying becoming louder as seconds passed. "Please, don’t hate me."

"I don't hate you, Mary, and I don't blame you for this, the truth will come out, sweetheart," Andrew said softly, his face depicting defeat, but his words trying to offer the desperate teenager some sort of consolation.

The police led him away from where she was kneeling and she watched him being led away. As she watched, the tears continued to stream down her cheeks and washed away the make-up she had painfully applied at the cinema.

She waited until Andrew was seated in the back seat of a police car and the two cars had driven away before she got off the ground and began to dust herself off. After a few moments of standing there, a flood of guilt washed over her as she began to sob softly in the stillness, her body sinking once more to the ground.

*~*~*~*

Some minutes after the two police cars drove away, Tess came over to her and rested her hands on the girl's trembling shoulders. She kept her head down and after a few minutes Tess helped the young girl off the ground.

"There, there, baby," Tess said gently.

"Y-you're back," Mary wept as she collapsed in the arms of the angel.

"Yes, baby, I'm here, shhh," Tess soothed her. "Come with me, I'll take you to David and Rachel."

Mary nodded numbly and allowed Tess to help her off the ground. As she stood up, she could see the piercing eyes of Greg Hunter peering out the window at them. The ever-present scowl was on his face. She looked at Tess. "What's going to happen to Andrew?"

"I'm sure he'll be OK," Tess said gently.

"He didn't do anything to me," Mary whispered.

"I know, baby," Tess said as she brushed the teenagers matted hair from out of her eyes.

"H-he told the cops that Andrew had beat me up, but it wasn't true, he did it, he pushed me down the stairs, and t-then, he told me that I would never ever have a father who loves me," Mary could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she spoke, her voice filled with sadness.

"You already have a father who loves you, Mary, and He loves you a lot," the angel's eyes glanced skyward, but when Mary didn't return the smile, Tess put her arms around the girl. "I know things look hard right now, but things will get better, you just have to keep the faith, baby."

Mary nodded numbly, but to her, this nightmare was far from being over.

*~*~*~*

Helena was sitting at the table at the hotel where she was getting better acquainted with her father. Dan had proven to be a very interesting man, and she found that when she spoke to him, she realized that they had a lot of things in common. Both loved Astronomy, and were fascinated with various styles of music.

He joined her at the table, "now that we're alone, I have to ask you a question that's been bugging me since we left David and Rachel's, do you know about who Andrew is? I mean do you know that Andrew is…?"

Helena nodded, but said nothing else.

"Will you tell me about what he told you?"

She shook her head, "I can't. I would rather keep it to myself."

"You really care about him, don't you?" Dan asked after a few moments.

She nodded slowly, "I never knew what it felt like to have friends until I met him and Raphael. I love them so much, and they really care about me, and I never believed that I was worth caring about."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, really. It has to do with what had been happening to me at home," Helena answered softly, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she remembered the problems she had been having at the home of her mother. "I remember when my mom married Greg, and how these things started happening. I thought it was my fault. Andrew always told me that it wasn't my fault, though, and he helped me to believe that."

"Andrew's right. But, all the same, I think you've been through some pretty nightmarish stuff, huh?" Dan asked after a few seconds.

Helena shrugged her shoulders, and looked at him sadly.

"You know I've always wanted to be there for you, to take care of you, and make sure you would always be safe. Since finding out what has been happening to you, I started to feel like a failure as a father."

"You couldn't be a failure, you didn't know," she said softly. "Besides, I know you didn't leave me 12 years ago," she added.

"How do you know, your mother told you I took off after you were born," he objected.

"But, you said you wanted me to be safe, and I believe you," she said.

Dan Summers looked down at his lap as the phone rang. He stood up and walked over to take the call. "Hello?"

"Dan, it's Mitch Johnson, I wanted to contact you and let you know that Andrew called David and told him that the Fairbrook police had arrested him, and somehow the trumped up charges pending against him are for child abuse."

"What?" Dan practically shouted.

"I'm telling you, Dan, the cops went and busted Andrew on trumped up charges of child abuse. We've got to do something to help him," Mitch said softly. "Andrew is the example for all of us, and if he's made an example of, then people will think that people who try to protect children are made out to be like culprits."

"I know," Dan said softly and after a few minutes, he said good-bye and hung up the phone. Once he did, Helena was standing in the room, and she had a look of determination on her face.

"I want to go with you," she said looking at her father.

"No, it'd be better if I go alone," he looked at her earnestly. "I have a feeling that he won't feel up to having visitors tonight, and I don't know how he'll look under these circumstances."

Helena nodded reluctantly and reached for a piece of hotel stationary and began to write. After some minutes, she handed her father a sealed envelope. "Would you give this to Andrew, Daddy?"

Dan could feel the tears brimming under his eyes when he heard Helena call him 'Daddy', and reached out and accepted the envelope. "I'll give it to him." He reached for his jacket and put it on. "I'll be back within an hour."

Helena nodded as he left the room, her eyes filling with tears as soon as he was gone.

*~*~*~*

Andrew sat alone in the jail cell and he sighed sadly as he wordlessly listened to the radio the small town jailer had turned on, and all the while he wondered how it was that the police actually believed that he would bring harm to a child.

The entire scenario befuddled him, but as he sat on the cot, he could hear the commentary of the basketball game that was being broadcast there. His mind continued to wander, but he had been sending up prayers ever since the police had brought him in. He trusted God completely, but he was uncertain as to what he could do from there to help his assignment.

He couldn't stop thinking about Mary. Although, this assignment had started out to be centered on Helena, he was now assigned to the elder of the two girls, and this frightened him when he thought about how hard Mary had taken his arrest. Both girls needed a lot of help, that much was clear, and when he thought about Helena's father being back in her life, he wondered if Dan would be able to help his daughter cope with everything that had happened to her. However, no matter how hard he tried, his main concern was for the older girl, Mary. Andrew couldn't stop thinking about Mary, she was older than Helena, but he sensed that this girl was experiencing all this pain, and she believed that she must muddle through it all alone. Mary had spent so much time concealing the pain she was living with, that she had started to deny that the abuse had even been happening to her.

He couldn't help but contemplate how she had reacted when the police were escorted him away from the apartment complex earlier that evening. She had reached out and grabbed his arm and it looked as though all the strength and endurance she had discovered during the past few days had wavered and left her weak and despairing once again. Andrew could almost sense that Mary had felt as though she was loosing her best friend and that she had blamed herself for everything that had happened. Her eyes had been forlorn, and she was alone and when she pleaded with him for forgiveness. It stung at his heart that this girl would actually believe that she was the one responsible for what had happened to him.

"Mr. Halo?" a voice broke into his thoughts, and he glanced up to see Dan Summers standing in front of the cell.

He said nothing, just remained seated on the cot.

"How are you?"

Andrew shrugged his shoulders, "OK. How's Mary?"

"I don't know, I guess she's at David and Rachel Jackson's house," he answered.

Andrew looked at the man somewhat skeptically, simply because the last time they had seen each other was when Dan had tried to beat him up. "You remembered me?"

"Yes," Dan said softly. "I remembered my father."

"I wasn't sent for your daughter, Dan," Andrew said softly. "I was sent to help two young girls get out of a horrible situation."

Dan dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out the envelope Helena had given him. "Here, Andrew, I was asked to give you this."

The angel accepted the envelope, opened it slowly, and began to read.

"She knows that you're an angel, doesn't she?" Dan asked.

"Yes," Andrew said softly, "she knows the truth."

"I don't understand how she came to meet you," Dan began, his voice filled with confusion. "If you're an Angel of Death, why are you trying to help a teenage girl out of an abusive home. Isn't that a bit out of your jurisdiction or something?"

"Perhaps it is," Andrew said softly, "but Dan, I was not sent here because your daughter or someone she loves could die, I was sent here to help two teenagers discover that God loves them, the same as He loves you, Dan." Andrew took a deep breath before he was able to continue. "Your daughter is a very strong and courageous young girl, and one that you should be immensely proud. She not only had the courage to try and get help, but somehow she helped her older half-sister find the courage to do so as well. God is so proud of your daughter, Dan, and before you ask me, the answer to your question about whether or not she will die, is 'no'."

Dan nodded numbly. "I'm sorry I hurt you, will you forgive me?"

"Yes," Andrew said softly. "I didn't realize that you might have remembered me, and I know that you are very sad about your father, but please keep in mind, Dan, that even when someone dies, they are not dead, they are in Heaven with God, and He will comfort and take care of them. Now, you have Helena, and I hope that you will always look out for her and take care of her. She needs that after what she had been through."

"You knew that Helena had been abused by her stepfather?" Dan asked. "I mean, I had read a long report about Greg Hunter while I was flying out here yesterday, and in it was a listing of all his past offenses listed," Dan said. "We just have to show this to a judge and maybe we can spring you out of here."

"I'm not quite sure I understand," Andrew said softly.

"It basically means his history is listed, and he's had past convictions of abusing children. When I read the report, I was horrified not just because of the possibility that Helena was my daughter, but because it's a terrible situation for any child to be in," Dan said. "My brother found the stuff on him actually. He works for a police precinct in Iowa."

Andrew nodded, his eyes sad. He glanced down at his hands, and then back over at Dan. "Do you know why people do such things to children?"

"I don't know, I wish I did, but someone once told me that abusers want to have power over someone else, but exact reasons, I don't really know. I guess if the experts on the subject knew specifically what pinpoints this behavior, then they would have found a way to stop it by now," Dan answered honestly.

"I can't imagine anything more horrifying for a child to live with than this," Andrew said compassionately.

Dan looked at the angel and smiled ironically, "I guess they don't have this kind of thing where you come from, do they?"

Andrew shook his head, "no, where I come from no child would ever suffer."

"It must be nice," he mused.

Andrew smiled slightly. "Thank you for bringing Helena's letter to me."

"I couldn't have refused her," Dan said. "But, there's something I want to ask you."

The angel looked at Dan curiously but with an openness that indicated that he had no idea what the man standing before him was going to ask. "I know that I really screwed up when I hurt you earlier, but I was wondering if we could start over. Is it possible for us to reconcile?"

Andrew nodded and smiled, "if that's what you want, and you're sure about it, then I accept and would like that very much."

Dan stuck his hand through the bars separating the two men, and Andrew grasped his hand. Once they had finished shaking hands, he looked at the man in the jail cell. "I want you to know that I probably wouldn't have done that had Helena not told me about what you had done for her."

"Helena is very special person and I care very much for her. Take good care of her, give her lots of love, and help her to overcome all the things that have been happening to her," Andrew said.

"Does your advice have anything to do with that note Helena wrote you?" Dan asked.

"In part," Andrew answered, but then asked a question of his own. "You didn't read it before giving it to me, did you?"

"No," Dan answered.

Andrew handed the note to Dan between the bars and his new friend began to read.

Dear Andrew,

My father has brought this to you for me, and I want you to know that of all

the people I have ever met in my life, you and Rafael will always be my best

friends in the entire world. I love you!

Helena

Around the border of the letter were hand drawn angels and stars. Some of the stars had faces, and others had been colored in with the same black ink that she had used in writing the letter.

Dan handed the note back to Andrew. "You did tell her then, didn't you?"

Andrew nodded, "I didn't intend to, but some boys were bullying her some days ago and I was on stand-by."

"You mean they would have killed my daughter and you would have…?" His voice trailed off.

Andrew nodded simply.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Dan asked.

The angel nodded, "yes, the truth is, I care about both girls very deeply."

"The other girl being Helena's half-sister?"

"Yes, her name is Mary, she's been in a lot of pain over the past few months, Dan, and she doesn't know how to deal with it. I talked to her last night, and then saw her again tonight when I got arrested, she was at the apartment complex. She blames herself for what happened."

"You mean, for you being arrested?" Dan asked.

"Yes, she thinks that she led the police to me," Andrew said, "I know she didn't, but she still blames herself for it. Tonight when I saw her, I noticed how her face was all bruised. She had been beaten by someone, and I'm guessing that her stepfather had been the one who took his anger out on her."

Dan nodded and looked at Andrew, "you're really a very selfless...angel, Andrew."

All Andrew could do was shrug his shoulders.

"I think the police went and arrested the wrong man," Dan mused softly.

*~*~*~*

Tess drove Mary back to the Jackson house. Once there, she ushered distraught teenager inside. Rachel came out of the kitchen as they walked into the living room. Upon seeing Mary, she approached the girl, put her arms around her, and led her from the room and into the kitchen.

"I have to get some salve out of the refrigerator for your eyes. Do they hurt?" Rachel asked.

"A little," Mary admitted. "I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You're not, don't worry," Rachel answered as then entered the kitchen and Mary took a seat at the small table. Once there, Rachel opened the door, dug around a little and found the small bottle of ointment she needed. She closed the door, walked over to Mary, opened the salve, and began to squeeze on the tube. Once she had enough of the medicine on her hand, she rubbed her hand against Mary's bruised face. "Let me know if this hurts, and don't worry, it's all natural so if it gets in your eyes, it won't do anything damaging to them."

"No, it doesn't hurt so much, it's just cold. My mom used to use steaks for black eyes," Mary said. "She would always come up with some weird cure-all. I guess it's left over from her hippie days."

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have any steaks here so you'll have to settle for the medicine. David and I are vegetarian." Once Rachel had finished applying the medicine, she looked at Mary, the girl looked exhausted, "you look kind of tired, do you want to go to bed?"

Mary nodded timidly.

"Come with me, then, I have to get you one of David's T-shirts to sleep in. Tomorrow, we can go shopping and get you some more things,“ Rachel said.

"What's going to happen to me?" Mary asked, looking at the young woman.

"I don't know, I guess David's going to call Brandon Montgomery from the 'Children's Protection Group' tonight, and he'll see what he can do to help you. I figure he can probably come out here tomorrow and talk to you, but I think right now, it'd be better for you to get some rest," Rachel said gently. "I have a feeling that when he comes, he's just going to verify that you're here and get some information from you and Tess about what happened."

"But, she wasn't there yet, and she didn't see what happened to Andrew," Mary objected.

"I know, but this situation isn't about Andrew, it's about you," Rachel sat down in the other chair opposite of where Mary was seated.

"But, you don't understand Andrew's my friend, and I'm scared," she answered.

"I know," Rachel said. Although she had not met him except for once, she could see that the mere mention of the angel's name seemed to accomplish nothing except to make this girl agitated. However, in the midst of this, there was something else going through Rachel's mind, and that was her intense desire to actually speak with the man that had unselfishly sought to protect the two girls, thus giving up his freedom in the process.

"What's going to happen to him?"

"I don't know, I suspect that Helena's father will help him," Rachel said as she stood up. "Come with me, you need to get some sleep."

Mary stood up and followed Rachel towards the door that would lead out into the living room. Once they had gone up stairs and were in David's attic study, Rachel pulled some sheets down from the cabinet and laid them on the chair. She picked up one of the sheets and spread it across the bed. Once she was finished, she walked out of the room and returned some minutes later with a T-shirt and boxer shorts. "I hope these will fit you OK."

"Yeah, thanks," Mary said softly glancing upwards towards the skylight.

"Don't worry, everything will be much better in the morning, it always looks better after you've had a few hours sleep," Rachel said gently. "Good night, Mary." She left the room quietly and closed the door.

Mary changed into the clothes that Rachel had brought and laid down on the bed and stared up at the skylight. The stars were out on this clear autumn evening and she could only lay there and wonder if there was a chance of her ever having a normal life. I wish I had my father, she thought to herself, and when her thoughts drifted to her little sister, she spoke to the stillness. "Dear God, I wish I had her courage."

After some moments passed, her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry bitterly in the darkness.

*~*~*~*

Rachel joined David and Tess in the living room some moments later. "Did you call Brandon?" she asked her husband.

"No, not yet, we've been trying to find his phone number," David answered.

"It's on the dining table, I saw it this morning before you left for work," Rachel said. "Tess would you like anything?"

The angel shook her head, "no thank you."

David went and picked up the phone, "first I'm going to call Dan, he may not know about all of this yet, and I'm hoping he might be able to help, then I'll call Brandon."

After a few seconds passed, David spoke into the phone after it had been answered at the hotel room where Dan and Helena were staying, "Helena?"

"Yes," came the answer.

"Is your father there?" David asked.

"No, he left a little while ago and went down to the jail to see Andrew. I wanted to go with him, but he said no," she answered.

"Then, you knew that Andrew was arrested?" he asked.

"Yes," her voice sounded tired, but also sad.

"How did you find out?"

"Mitch called about half an hour ago and told him that the police had arrested him at the apartment complex where he and Raphael live. I didn't hear anything about Raphael, do you know if they arrested him too?" Helena asked, her voice soft.

"No they didn't," David handed the phone to Tess. "Maybe you can reassure her that Raphael is OK."

Tess nodded and accepted the phone. "Helena, honey, its Tess?" She spoke into the receiver.

"Is Raphael OK?" Helena asked weakly.

"Yes, he's fine, and you'll probably see him before he moves on," Tess said trying to ignore the confused glances emanating from David and Rachel.

"Thank God he's OK, I was so scared when Mitch told us that they had arrested Andrew," she said honestly.

"Both Andrew and Raphael are OK," Tess said gently.

"OK, but is there anything I can do for them?" Helena asked.

"You can pray, baby, that's all anyone can do," Tess said gently.

"I will Tess, I promise," Helena said.

"You take care of yourself baby, get some rest," Tess said as she handed the phone back to David.

Once he said good-bye to Helena, David started to walk towards the stairs to go up to bed, but his wife gently nudged him, breaking him out of his reverie. "Weren't you going to call Brandon Montgomery about Mary tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're right," David picked up Brandon's business card and dialed. After a few minutes, Brandon's wife, Judy, picked up the phone. "This is David Jackson, I need to speak to Brandon, is he there?"

The woman yawned, "no, he's supposed to be out at the high school tonight, he's been helping Mitch and the guys set up their equipment for tomorrow's concert. Do you have a message for him?"

"Nothing important, but if you talk to him in the next half hour, tell him I’m going to drive out to the school. I've got some important information for him."

"No problem," Judy answered and after a second David could hear an infant crying, "I gotta go, Tricia just woke up. I'll let him know if he calls here."

"Thank you," David hung up the phone and turned to face Rachel, "I'm going to the school. I'll be back in a little while, don't open the door for anyone while I'm gone."

Rachel nodded and gave him a quick kiss, "OK, be careful."

David pulled out his car keys and walked to the front door. Once it opened and closed, Rachel turned to face Tess. "You know, this evening is getting weirder and weirder by the minute," she mumbled looking at her watch. "I guess since it's after ten, I guess we should call it a night. If your commute is too far away, you're welcome to stay here for the night, Tess."

"Thank you," the angel nodded.

"Then shall I show you where you'll be sleeping?"

Tess followed the kind-hearted woman out of the living room, and up the stairs to the guest room.

*~*~*~*

Twenty minutes later, David Jackson pulled into the high school parking lot and got out. It looked as though Mitch and the band were still there, and he walked in the direction of the doors that would lead into the auditorium. As he made his way, he noticed Mitch's band mate Ron Theiss standing near the doorway. The bass player looked up and when he saw David, he waved. "Hey what are you doing out here?"

"I was wondering if Brandon was still around? I had called his wife earlier and she said he came out here to help you guys set up," David said.

"Yeah, I saw him earlier this evening, he looked kind of frazzled. I hope the news you have for him is good. He's been pretty out of it tonight and has been going through all those forms that Dan gave him back at your place. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him so involved in a case as he is in this one."

"Ron, I'm afraid it's more bad news. Mary, Helena's older half-sister is now staying at our house, and she looks pretty bad, too," David said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Her face looks like she's been the unmasked goalkeeper for the Grizzlies is what I mean," David said referring to his favorite Hockey team.

Ron sighed, "you mean, in plain English that someone has been using her as a punching bag?"

David nodded as Mitch came outside and joined them. "Hey David, what are you doing here?"

"I came out here looking for Brandon, actually," David said. "You guys know that Andrew got arrested about two hours ago."

"Yeah, Brandon told me, but do you have any idea as to why?" Mitch asked.

"I don't know," David answered, "I think that the cops are working with Hudson, you know how he tends to put on false fronts when dealing with people. How else do you think he ended up little league coach and Cub Scoutmaster? He plays a part that he's so active in the community, and then he beats his stepchildren."

"I know what you mean," Mitch said as Brandon came outside and joined the three men.

"Hey Mitch, the guys got everything set up, and Ray needs to see you inside for sound check."

"OK, I'll talk to you later, David," Mitch said and walked back inside. Ron waved and followed him towards the door.

"What's up?" Brandon asked. "I didn't expect to see you out here tonight."

"I called your wife earlier this evening," David said. "It looks as though Helena's not the only person in the Hunter household being abused."

Brandon sighed deeply. "What happened?"

"Mary, Helena's half-sister, is at my house now. She was sitting on the ground out in the courtyard earlier this evening and Tess brought her to my house. Brandon, she looked terrible, her eyes were blackened, and she had just witnessed Andrew's arrest. She's pretty much an emotional basket case right now. I think it took every bit of her self-control to tell us what had happened."

"I'm not surprised," Brandon replied sadly. "From what I've heard, Greg Hunter has moved more than 40 times in the last ten years, and has a paper trail longer than the Mississippi behind him."

"You mean, he's done this in the past?" David asked.

"Yeah, and look at this. It says here that Greg Hunter has been convicted in New Mexico, California, and Oregon on various counts of crimes against children and young people. He's done time, gotten out on Parole, then moved somewhere else, and started over," Brandon said.

"It sounds like he's the type of person who would gain someone's trust, and then mistreat them," David said.

"Well, not entirely, the women haven't gotten hurt by him, all of his crimes have been against children," Brandon said angrily.

"So what you're basically saying is Greg Hunter's reputation is determined by his ability to persuade people like Helena's mother that he's some squeaky clean clean-cut guy,“ David said.

Brandon nodded, "yeah and because Rayan Williams is now Rayan Hunter, it would be harder to prove that he's even been abusing the two girls. Now, because they're legally married, she's protected legally and can't testify against her husband."

"But, what if the court could get testimony from Helena or Mary?" David asked.

"Since they're minors, the attorneys for the defense could have their testimony thrown out, or request that the girls not be allowed to testify at all," Brandon answered.

"But, if they are witnesses, then their words could help CPG put Hunter away for good,“ David objected.

"I don't know about that, children testifying in court isn't often done because most experts fear for the child's emotional well being," Brandon said. "I'll tell you this, with all the information Dan has provided, we will probably not have any problem getting a judge to sign a warrant for Hunter's arrest, but still, the problem with getting Andrew out of jail remains. I'll have to go by the town hall tomorrow morning and see if Judge Guthrie will sign it. Knowing her like I do, she'll probably sign it within an hour."

David sighed deeply, "do you think this will finally be over, Brandon?"

"No, it's not over yet, it's just beginning, and chances are, it's going to drag out for months before it's completely over," Brandon said sadly. "I'll be meeting with Tess in the morning as well and I will get the information her. From there, we'll have to see where this will take us."

"How are you handling everything personally?" David asked noticing Brandon's tired expression. "You look kind of frazzled."

"Quite frankly, it reminds me of what Mitch went through about 15 years ago," Brandon said honestly.

"I hear you guys were pretty close back then."

"Yeah, he's more like my brother than my cousin, actually. We've been through a lot together, and I have a feeling he has been a sort of catalyst in a lot of this. Well, him, and Andrew and Raphael."

"What do you think we can do for Andrew?" David asked, his concern showing.

"I'm afraid we can't do anything for him," Brandon said softly. "Well, short of prayers anyway."

*~*~*~*

It was a very long and uncomfortable night for Tess. She was in Helena's old room at David and Rachel's house, and she couldn't sleep. David hadn't returned as of yet and she found herself constantly looking at the clock to see how late it was. She prayed almost constantly, hoping that the Father would help her get through this night without problems, but it wasn't until soon after one in the morning that she realized what it was that the Father did not want her to go to sleep just yet.

As she laid in bed, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she said and the door opened. She half expected to see David or Rachel, but when she saw Mary standing in the doorway, she offered the girl a sympathetic smile. The tired angel could see the expression on Mary's face depicted that the teenager was tired, but she could tell that she had been crying.

"Can I come in?" she asked weakly. "I'd understand if you'd rather not talk to me right now, it's really very late."

"No, baby, it's OK, come on in." Tess said as she sat up in bed and pulled the blankets up to her waist. Mary walked slowly into the room and sat down in the bay window. "How are you doing?" The angel finally asked.

"I'm tired, but I couldn't sleep," she said honestly. "I just laid in bed tossing and turning."

"I know the feeling," Tess answered with a smile. "Why couldn't you sleep, Mary?"

"I don't know, I just couldn't," Mary said.

"If you don't mind me saying so, I've noticed that you've had a much harsher way of dealing with everything than Helena," Tess said.

She looked at the angel, "I'm so sorry about what happened with Andrew. I mean; I didn't know what had happened until the police had brought me back to the apartment tonight. I had cut school, and was walking around the mall. I guess when they saw me there during school hours they called the cops. When they brought me back, they started drilling me about it and I accidentally mentioned Andrew, but only in passing. I didn't know what his last name was, and I was mad because the cops only seemed to care about some stupid fax they had gotten about him, but not about me."

Tess nodded. "A fax?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "yeah. They said that some anonymous tipper gave them Andrew's name, and they said that he did this to me, but Andrew didn't, Tess, it was my stepfather."

"I know, baby, you told me that earlier, but now you have to be very brave, Mary," Tess said gently.

"What do I have to do?" Mary asked.

"Tell the police the truth, Mary, you tell them what really happened and they will have not other option but to let your friend go," Tess said gently. "That's the only way you will be able to free your friend. If you tell them who really hurt you, they will have no other choice in the matter."

"What about my mom?" Mary asked weakly.

"What about her?" Tess asked as she crawled out of bed and came over to sit down next to the forlorn girl. As soon as she was seated, she rested a comforting hand on Mary's shoulder. "If your mother's been lying to you all this time and won't tell you anything about him, then it's going to be up to you to make the step and try to find out the truth. I know you're only 15, baby, but I also know that you have a right to know your birth father, and he may be a much better person than the 'father' you've been living with."

Mary looked at Tess, "How did you know that?"

"Well, let me tell you something," Tess began. "You haven't gotten too many positive examples of a father, and I know you want to have one, but sometimes, a friend is an even greater blessing. You remember what Ol' Tess said to you some time about God loving you, and He wants to be your Father too, and I can promise you this, your Heavenly Father would never ever hurt you, He will love you as a child should be loved, and He will support you when you need the support."

"He will?" She looked at Tess.

"Yes, He will, honey, He will always hold you when you need him," Tess said gently. "Do you know now what you are going to do?"

"I'm not sure what I should do, quite honestly, I've never been so confused in my life," she said and stood up. "I guess right now, I should go back to my room and try to sleep."

"If you need me baby, I'm here to help you, but if not, I'll see you in the morning," Tess said gently. "Try not to worry, everything will be OK," she said gently.

Mary looked back at the angel and smiled weakly. "I hope you're right, Tess. Thanks for talking to me, you're a good friend."

"So are you," Tess said gently. Once Mary was gone, she closed the door, crawled back under the covers and closed her eyes. After the Father's assurances came to her, she smiled slightly in the stillness and drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*

Tess was sitting at her desk when Brandon came in the following morning. He held a big stack of papers in his arms and looked tired. He must have been working on the Helena Williams case all night, she thought to herself. She had never seen a human looking more haggard than he did that morning. "Good morning, Brandon, you look terrible, is something wrong?" she asked as he slumped into a chair next to her desk.

"I've been up most of the night going over these files," he said. "I was going to head over to the city hall a little bit later and give Judge Guthrie all this paperwork, but I thought you might want to look over it first."

"That's probably smart, you look as though you could use a little rest," she began to thumb through the papers and after a few minutes, she looked up at him.

"I don't know anymore, Tess. I mean; every time I think I understand everything involved in this case, something else comes into it."

Tess looked at him and nodded, "I heard that Mary Williams has been taken out of the home, there was a message on my desk this morning."

"Yeah, but I don't know really, David Jackson came by the school while I was helping Mitch get things set up for this morning's concert and he told me that she had been physically abused by someone. He was assuming that it was Greg Hunter, just because of everything that has been going on, and she had said so herself," Brandon said. "This case is starting to become too much for me."

"I can tell," Tess said gently.

"I don't know if I can go on anymore," Brandon said softly. "I feel like I'm just ready to give up and throw in the towel."

"You know you cannot do that, Brandon, your work is so important, and God sent me here to let you know that you are making a difference here," Tess said gently.

"God?" Brandon looked at her, and when he saw her beginning to glow, he had to rub his eyes with his fist before he could look at her in complete shock.

"Brandon Montgomery, I am an angel, sent from God to tell you that what you are doing is saving lives and he is so proud of you. You have unselfishly worked to save the lives of the children of this community, thus trying to protect them, and help them learn that they deserve something better. The Father is so proud of the fact that you have given so much to help these children, these souls that are lost, and damaged. You give them hope, and faith that their lives will get better."

"I do?" He asked.

"Yes," she said and at that moment, there was a knock at the door.

He looked up and could see that Tess had disappeared, and he went to open the door.

Dan was standing on the other side, and he offered the social worker a warm smile. "Good morning, I wanted to come by and discuss my legal options with you regarding my daughter, Helena."

"OK, have a seat, Mr. Summer."

Dan smiled and sat down. "I don't know specifically who I am supposed to speak to about this, but I would like to be able to eventually take my daughter back to Iowa with me, and since she's currently in your care, I figured I should discuss this with you," he said.

"You'd need to get a lawyer, I believe, and file a petition for custody," Brandon answered. "There's still going to be a question regarding Helena's mother and her rights as a parent."

"I understand," Dan answered. "I would like to ask what I would need to do in order to become legal guardian until both the abuse and the custody cases are taken to court? I would be willing to find an apartment and move to Fairbrook if that becomes a deciding factor with this."

"I think that would work out then, but because things are going to be taken place in this district, you would have to be a resident in order for us to release her into your care," Brandon said.

"I understand, Mr. Montgomery," Dan said. "I also understand that she's currently in the care of Rachel and David Jackson."

Brandon looked at Dan, "I'd like to ask you a question, would you be willing to allow Helena to testify against her stepfather in a child abuse case?"

"Well, the truth is, I can't decide, that's a question you would have to ask Helena," Dan said, "but if it were up to me, I would let her do it, as long as she feels up to it."

"Not as revenge against her mother for taking her away from you 12 years ago?" Brandon asked.

"No, only because of what she's been through, she deserves to be heard, both girls do," Dan said.

"You know about Helena's half-sister, then?" Brandon asked.

"Yes, a friend told me about her," came his simple response. He looked down at his watch, "I guess I'd better get going, it looks as though I will have to go look for an apartment today. Thank you for your help, and if you need any information from me, call the hotel and leave a message for me. Once I get a place, I'll contact you." He shook Brandon's hand, stood up, and left the office.

"Once Dan Summer finds an apartment, I will put in my recommendation for him to become Helena's legal guardian," he whispered to the stillness all the while wondering if Tess was still there.

"You do that, baby, and then when you're done with that, go home and get some rest, Brandon, you need it," Tess smiled as he stood up and with all of the papers in his hands, he left the office.

*~*~*~*

Andrew woke up from an uncomfortable night's sleep, and he could hear the sounds of a radio playing out in the lobby of the police station, the sounds of the basketball game of the night before replaced with the swells of country music. The jailer came by his cell, "I see you're awake," he said.

"Yes," was all the weary angel said as he looked at the man addressing him. He looked to be about 60 years old and seemed friendly enough. His wrinkled hand held a brown lunch bag.

He handed Andrew the bag through the bars of the cell, "I brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you," came his soft answer.

"I don't know much why they brought you in here, Mr. Halo, but I heard about what you did for that little girl and I think it's nice what you did," the man said.

"How did you know about that?" Andrew asked.

"It's a small town, I've lived here for over fifty years and most of the news in these parts travels fast. Besides that, my nephew told me about it, his name's Brandon Montgomery, and he works for CPG. He said he met you some days ago, and that you were looking out for the child as though she was your own," he said.

Andrew shrugged his shoulders, "I remember Brandon, he's a very nice guy."

"You know, I don't get it, the boys here are acting like you're some kind of a drug dealer or something, but you seem pretty different than most of the folks we get in here. What's your story?"

Andrew looked at him skeptically, "my story?"

"What are you wanted for?" the man asked.

"It's hard to explain," Andrew answered, "but they're wrong, I didn't hurt anyone."

"Well, that's obvious after hearing about the little girl. Listen, I gotta get back up front, you enjoy your breakfast. Oh, and don't mention that we talked. Those young uns wouldn't comprehend why I talked to a prisoner and they'd probably make a stink about it to those folks at county."

"I won't, thank you for bringing me something to eat." Andrew walked back over to the cot as the man walked away. He opened the bag and found a muffin with egg, ham and cheese, two pieces of toast and jelly, and a Styrofoam cup of coffee.

Andrew could still hear the music as it played on the radio, but his thoughts constantly were on the two girls.

His relief that Dan was going to take care of Helena made him feel better, and after he had finished his breakfast, he took the letter from his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper, "I love you," was written neatly there and the stars and angels she drew reminded him of home. Did she draw them because she knew that he would find comfort in them or because when she had seen him glowing, that this represented the same type of comfort? Maybe in all of this, she had drawn them as a sign that it didn't matter where came from or who he really was, all that mattered to her was that he was one of her friends and that was enough.

Andrew reached up and felt the moisture around his eyes, and it was at that moment that he realized that through the pictures, Helena was telling him that nothing else mattered, and she would do all she could for him just as he had sacrificed so much for her.

*~*~*~*

Mitch and rest of the band 'Starshine' stood on the stage in the high school auditorium. This had been a great concert and as they were about to start singing their new song, "Make a Change".

It's always been a hope of mine

To have the chance

To make a change

It makes me sometimes

Want to cry

When I realize

All I have to do is try

It's a change in your life

To see where the optimism lies

Give it the time to open wide.

The gifts of life

Are always there

All you have to do

Is take a chance

And make a change.

It's always been a prayer of mine

To find the courage

To make a change

How often it makes

Me celebrate

When I realize

Changes happen everyday.

If you want a change

Have the strength to stand alone

Never fear the unknown

And the door

Will open wide

All you have to do

Is have the courage

To make a change.

The students in the auditorium began applauding as Helena entered the back of the large auditorium. She had been dismissed from her class to come and meet up with Mitch before the end of the concert. As she walked closer to the stage, various heads turned and stared at her. Girls began whispering among themselves, and the three boys who had harassed her in the parking lot had spotted her, stood up, and were coming closer to her.

Before she managed to reach the stage, two of the boys had intercepted her and the other was standing behind her, blocking her exit. When she turned around to walk back in the direction she had come in, he was looking down at her, his eyes menacing. "Well, look who's here, guys. I thought this little nobody was in the middle school. Now she's coming around here looking for trouble."

One of the boys reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, "this time you ain't gonna get away without getting what you have coming," he sneered.

Mitch could see her fright from his vintage point on the stage and he knew there was really nothing he could do for her, there were about 100 students separating the band from Helena.

Seconds passed and a girl's voice was heard shouting over the group of boys. Helena looked up and was face to face with Mary. "Leave her alone, Hank, I mean it or I'll knock you into the middle of next week myself!"

Helena eyes widened when she heard the tone in Mary's voice. She could hardly believe her eyes; her sister was actually defending her. She pulled her arm away from the second boy and turned to face her sister, surprise evident on the face of the younger girl. "Mary?"

The three boys looked at Mary, the same surprise was also evident in their eyes, but eventually, they shrugged their shoulders and walked quickly away. Helena and Mary were standing there unable to say anything; their eyes were locked on each other. Finally, Mary spoke, her voice barely above a whisper and her voice cracking as she spoke. "Please forgive me, Helena."

Helena looked into the eyes of her sister, the tears beginning to stream down her own cheeks, but she stepped closer to her sister and opened her arms without saying a word.

Mary began to cry openly as she wrapped her arms around her little sister.

"I love you, Mary," Helena said, her voice cracking, once they were hugging.

"I know," Mary said weakly, "I love you too. I never realized how much until now."

Mitch, by this time had gotten the attention of the principal and asked him to bring the two girls to the backstage area so that they would have some privacy. He could see that the other kids were paying more attention to Helena and Mary than they were to the concert.

The man stepped off the stage and walked down the aisle towards where the two girls were still hugging each other. "Girls, come with me," he said and rested his hand on Mary's shoulder.

Mary looked up, and nodded. She took the hand of her sister and together they walked up the stairs, onto the stage, and behind the curtain that separated them from rest of the spectators. By this time, Mitch and the members of 'Starshine' began to sing their final song, "Someday".

As the words to the song drifted through the auditorium, Mary's eyes filled with tears. "You're going to leave, aren't you?"

Helena looked at her sister and nodded, "I guess so, my dad wants me to live with him in Des Moines."

"You're lucky, Helena, and you deserve to be happy, but I'll miss you so much. It seems like I'll never have the chance to make up to you all these years when I was so mean to you," Mary looked down at her feet as the song ended and the audience began to applaud.

Helena swallowed, the painful memories shadowed in her eyes, but offered her sister a brave smile once the noise died down. "Don't go back home, Mary and don't let Greg do anything else to you. Promise me, if Mom doesn't believe you, then you should go somewhere else, like to David and Rachel's, but don't go back there, Greg is nothing a real father should be."

"I don't know if I can, I don't have the courage you do," Mary said.

"I think you do," she offered. "I always admired you because you were always strong. I often wished that I had the same kind of strength you have in dealing with things."

"I wasn't courageous, I was in denial. I wanted to have a father, Helena, and I was willing to sacrifice everything to know what it feels like to have a father who would wrap me in his arms and tell me I am his little girl. Andrew even said that it was better to not have a father than to have one who's like Greg."

"You talked to Andrew?" Helena asked.

"Yeah," Mary answered. "I talked to him two nights ago. I had asked Mom about my father, and she wouldn't tell me. Then I left, and Andrew followed me to the park. He spent about an hour talking to me about everything, and he got me to tell him that Greg had been abusing me as well."

"Why didn't you tell Mom?" Helena asked. "Mom thought I was a liar."

"I wanted to, but I was scared that she wouldn't believe me. Greg had her wrapped around his little finger. They had lived together for the last three years, and I was sure that she would believe him over me. He even said that, but when I heard you telling Mom about what had happened, her reply reaffirmed that," Mary said sadly.

"I remember, so is that the reason you didn't say anything? Was it because you were scared?"

Mary nodded.

Mitch approached the two girls. "Hi," he said softly.

Helena looked up at him, "hi, Mitch, this is my sister."

"I know, we've met, hi Mary," he said gently and looked at Helena. "When you see Andrew again, tell him that I wish him the best, OK?"

"I will," Helena promised.

"Mitch, are you guys going to be around Fairbrook any longer?" Mary asked.

The musician shook his head, "we're leaving tonight, our tour starts tomorrow night in Bismarck and we've gotta tear down everything, load it up, and head out as soon as possible."

Mary looked at him, "thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For helping me last night. You talked to me when no one else was there for me. I was feeling pretty much alone when you found me outside. I didn't know what to do, and you came and talked to me without expecting anything in return," Mary said.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Mary, you both inspired me to look at many aspects of my life, and I am really thankful," he said and took one of Mary's hands and one of Helena's hands in his own. "I'll always be there for both of you if you need me. I'll do everything I can for you."

"You've done so much already," Helena said softly and Mary nodded in concurrence.

Mitch shook his head, "the three of us have all lived through something terrible, and maybe that connects us to each other, I don't know. But, I've learned more this past week about what it means to make a difference than I have ever learned in my life. You are both responsible for that." He looked down at his watch, "I hate having to be on such a tight schedule, but I guess I'd better get busy and help the guys take everything down, I'm sorry I don't have much time to talk, and it looks like you have to get back to your classes anyway."

"Will we see you again?" Mary asked.

"You will, but after the tour's over, I'll get in touch with you through my cousin, Brandon. Just don't forget to keep him informed of where you're going and how you're doing."

Helena nodded. "I guess this is good-bye then, huh?"

He nodded and once he gave both girls a hug, he headed back over to where the other three members of 'Starshine'. Behind him, Monica followed in angelic form.

The two girls were left standing alone, and Mary looked at her sister. "Did you have plans after school?"

"Yeah, my dad's picking me up and taking me to see Andrew," Helena said.

"I have drill team practice,“ Mary said, "but I don't know if I feel like going."

"Why not? You always had fun with that. Why should you stop doing something you love?" Helena said as the two girls walked down the stairs and down the aisle that would take them out of the auditorium.

Mary sighed, "yeah, maybe."

"Maybe?" Helena shook her head, "for the first time I can remember, you and I are actually talking to each other like friends, and now you're acting like the bride of Frankenstein. Come on Mary, you know very well that you like showing off on Friday nights at the football games. I think you should go; it would get your mind of things. If I had something like drill team practice, then I'd go."

"Were you ever interested in being on the drill team?" Mary asked as they walked outside and sat down on a bench separating the two schools.

"I don't know, I was more interested in music, and getting into the choir," Helena answered honestly, "you know I've always loved to sing."

"Why didn't you do it then?" Mary asked.

"I guess I wanted to, but I was afraid of failing at it. I knew some of the people in choir, and they are so arrogant about it, like they think they were God's gift to singing and better than everyone else, and it really annoyed me," she admitted.

"I don't believe it!" Mary said loudly.

"What?"

"That you can be annoyed with someone," Mary snickered. "I always thought that you didn't try things because you didn't want to bring attention to yourself."

"Not really, I'm just not egotistical about it. You know I've loved to sing since I was little, and never felt like the choir director was giving me much of a chance," she admitted.

"I never really thought that you contemplated that, I thought you didn't do things because you were always a sort of pushover," Mary said. "I hope that doesn't offend you, I guess I didn't know you very well."

Helena laughed, "Oh, come on, Mary, you can't mean that even after I've taken everything your friends have dished out?"

Mary looked down at the ground with a guilty expression on her face, "I'm sorry, but I've just realized that those people aren't really my friends and besides that, cigarettes aren't all they're cracked up to be."

"Don't worry about it," Helena said as she heard the bell ringing announcing the dismissal of classes, and she stood up. "I guess I'd better get going or I'll be late for Math."

Mary nodded, "I have English, I'll see you later then, huh?"

"I'll call you at David and Rachel's, or see if my dad can bring me by later," Helena said and walked quickly back in the direction of the middle school building.

Mary was left sitting on the bench, but after a few moments, she stood up and walked slowly away.

*~*~*~*

Brandon Montgomery stood in front of the downtown courthouse. He held the files in his hands and sighed deeply. Once he got this information to the judge, the case would pretty much be out of his hands.

Using his weight, he managed to push the door open and go inside the large marble building. He approached the security desk once inside. "Hello, I'm Brandon Montgomery from 'Children's Protection Group'. I have some information for Judge Guthrie in Family Court."

The security guard nodded, "your colleague called and informed us that you were on your way." He handed Brandon a visitors badge and directed him to the elevator. "Judge Guthrie is waiting for you in her office."

"Thank you," Brandon said as he affixed the badge to his jacket and walked towards the elevator. He rode up to the second floor and once the doors opened, Judge Guthrie was standing in the hallway waiting for him. She was a fairly youthful judge, with dark brown curly hair. Her green eyes looked out through a pair of old fashioned reading glasses.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Montgomery," she said approaching him and taking some of the files out of his arms.

"Thank you, Judge Guthrie," he said after she removed some of the heavy files from his arms. "Good afternoon," he said smiling.

"Come into my office," she said as they headed down the hall.

Brandon followed her. He had never met her before today, but he had always heard that she was almost too laid back to actually be a judge. At the same time, she had only been on the job for a short period of time, but her hard as nails philosophies had already began to have their effects on the various departments of the city.

She opened the door to her office and indicated that he should come inside. Once she laid the files she was carrying on her desk, she approached a coffee pot, which was on one of the smaller desks in her spacious office. "I hope you don't mind, but I made some coffee. Would you like a cup?"

"Very much, thank you, Your Honor," he said placing the papers he had been carrying on the desk and making his way over to where she stood.

She picked up a ceramic cup, poured some coffee into the cup, then turned around, and handed the cup to him. Next she poured some coffee into a second cup and carried it over to her desk. He followed; it was time to get to work.

*~*~*~*

Dan pulled up in front of the school as Helena came outside. She looked a little nervous, but otherwise fine. "Hi," she said as she approached the car.

"You ready?" He asked her as she got into the passenger side and put on her seat belt.

"Yeah, I think so," Helena said.

"You nervous?"

"A little, I've never been inside a jail before," she admitted.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said gently. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to, I think Andrew will understand."

"I have to go see him, you know I can't run away from him, he's my friend," Helena said assuredly. "If I don't go see him today, I'll probably never get the chance to. I have to do this."

"OK," he consented as he started the car and drove out of the school's parking lot. Taking a deep breath, he decided to change the subject. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?" she asked.

"It's actually about what will be happening to you. I went by CPG this morning and spoke to Brandon Montgomery about you. He told me that chances are, I couldn't take you with me back to Iowa, since the case against your stepfather is in this county, also your mother does have legal rights in regards to where you will live." He glanced over and saw her expression change, her eyes looked sad, but she said nothing. "No, don't be sad, Helena, because I thought if you wanted, maybe I could stay with you here until things get settled. What do you think of that idea?"

Helena looked at him, her eyes widening, "you mean you would be able to stay here with me?"

Dan nodded, "yeah, if you want me to, that is. It's not going to be easy, there's a lot of things happening now, and I have a feeling that it's going to be much harder on you than it was before."

"I always knew that talking about what had happened would result in me being taken away from Mom, but that was before I knew that you existed, and that you had been looking for me all this time," she said honestly.

"I told them both that I couldn't go back to Des Moines and leave you here, and since it's not an appropriate time to take you back there, I thought I would stay here, I've already gotten us an apartment near the city center, took our stuff over there, and have left the address with the CPG before coming to pick you up."

"That sounds really great, but what about your job?" she asked not sure she wanted to believe that all of this was actually happening.

"Well, I have some vacation time coming and I figured that after a few weeks, I can go to work at the agency in Bismarck during this time. This would mean a commute and possibly you spending a little bit of time at David and Rachel's, but they didn't seem to have any problem with that, would you?" Dan said.

"I think that it's the best news I've heard in a long time," she said.

"I'm glad, Helena. I wasn't sure how you would feel about this since I know you've had a hard time here," he said.

"I know, but I saw my sister today, and she seemed so sad about the possibility that I would be leaving. I started thinking that it might be kind of nice for us to have some time together before I leave," she said softly.

"Are you two getting along now? I heard that you weren't very close," Dan offered.

"I guess before, we weren't. But, she actually defended me at school today, and then she asked me to forgive her. It was weird, but it was also nice. I never thought Mary would ever talk to me, much less ask me to forgive her for what she had done."

Dan nodded as he pulled the car up to the police station some ten minutes later. Once he stopped, he turned to Helena, his eyes serious, "are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded and removed the seat belt. Once she got out of the car, Dan led her inside.

The police station, and county jail were all in one building, a single story structure on the outskirts of town. It was a fairly older building, but the area around it was neatly decorated with flowers, and the dirt road leading to it reminded Helena of the movies she had seen about the old west. Parked in the parking lot were two or three squad cards, but otherwise the parking lot was empty. Dan pulled up to the front of the building and parked the car.

They got out of the car and walked to the door leading inside the building. As they entered, Helena noticed that the only person there was a man in his sixties who was standing at the desk. It struck her as being odd that he was the only person there. Upon hearing them enter, he looked up at them. "You two here to see Mr. Halo?" he asked.

Dan nodded, "yes, and to answer your question, both of us would like to see him."

The man nodded and stood up. "I remember you from when you were here last night, Sir." He walked around the desk and smiled at Helena. "I heard about you, you're Mr. Halo's friend, aren't you?"

Helena nodded, "yes Sir."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, then," he walked into an office, grabbed a key from one of desks, came back out into the lobby, and walked over to a second door. "Come with me, I'll take you back to see him."

She looked at her father who nodded reassuringly. After a few seconds of hesitation, she followed the man back into the jail. As soon as she walked through the door, he closed it behind her, and she suddenly realized how dark it was there. How terrible it must be for Andrew to be in this dreadful place, she thought to herself when she saw the light from the windows in the cells. The shadows that extended along the hallway were from the outside light, as well as the bars covering the windows. If she had been totally alone, she would have been frightened in this place.

Seconds later, the man stopped in front of a cell near the back of the small jail. The man patted her shoulder and walked back down the hallway, through the doorway, and back out in the lobby. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and looked inside the cell. When she saw the angel, she felt the tears stinging her eyes.

He was sitting on the cot, his eyes closed, and apparently he was in prayer, that or else he hadn't even heard them coming inside the cellblock. She could see that his head was down, but she glanced up and spoke. "Andrew?" her voice came out barely above a whisper. When he didn't hear her the first time, she spoke again, this time her voice was a fraction louder.

He turned around and looked over in the direction of where the voice had originated. When he saw her, he stood up, and walked over to the bars, which separated them. "Helena, what are you doing here?"

She swallowed and looked up at him; unable to find the words she wanted to say.

"You shouldn't have come here," he said gently. "It's not safe."

"I had to," she said softly. "I didn't want to stay away from you, you're my friend and I couldn't leave you here alone." She covered her eyes with her hand and wiped the tears away. "You're not mad at me for coming here, are you?"

"No, I'm not mad, I'm just worried about you," Andrew said softly. "I'm glad you came. I got your note last night and had been thinking about you since then."

Helena nodded feeling somewhat shy, but she looked at him, her brown eyes meeting his green ones. "Mitch said he wishes you well and Mary said that she's been worried about you."

"Did you see your sister?"

"Yes, she and I saw each other today at her school. Mitch's band, 'Starshine' had their last concert here this morning, and I had been dismissed from my classes to over to the school for it. Those same boys that teased me earlier this week, the ones that you wanted to protect me from, were also there, and they wanted to hurt me, but Mary defended me. Andrew, I never would have thought that she would defend me, but she did," Helena said.

"I want you to tell Mary that what happened to me isn't her fault," Andrew said. "I think she needs to hear it."

"I'll tell her," Helena promised and looked at him earnestly.

"I'm very grateful to you for coming to see me, Helena," he said gently.

"Not half as grateful as I am to you and Raphael for helping me," she said. "Please don't leave here without saying good-bye."

He nodded and smiled, as she walked slowly towards the door that would lead back into the station. The tears that had been brimming under her eyes began to stream down her cheeks as she emerged from the dark interior of the jail.

Dan approached her when he saw her tearstained face. "Are you OK?"

She nodded numbly and sat down in a chair that was situated in the corner. The man who had shown her how to get inside, went back to work at the large desk and she was left alone. Her father walked back into the interior of the jail.

When he reached the cell, he could see Andrew still standing where he had been when Helena had spoken to him. He could see that the angel was deep in thought, but rather than say anything else to him, he turned back towards the door and walked back out into the lobby. Once he had reached his daughter, he could see her crying openly, and he walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "It's going to be OK, Helena."

She looked up at her father, "please Daddy, we've got to help him," she said softly as she collapsed in the arms of her father sobbing.

Dan Summer held her tightly in his arms, but swallowed hard, and looked at the ground unable to say anything.

*~*~*~*

Judge Guthrie and Brandon worked until late that afternoon and after he explained everything he knew to the Judge, she picked up a pen. "Mr. Montgomery, I'm going to follow the recommendation of CPG, but I would like to meet with both victims in this case, as well as the father of younger of the two girls before you transfer custody from David and Rachel Jackson to Daniel Summer."

"I understand, Your Honor," he said. "Mr. Summer has informed our office that he will move to Fairbrook so that his daughter remains in this district. Both Tess and I felt that she should spend some time getting to know him."

"I understand, and what about the two individuals that filed the first report with you, a Mr. Andrew Halo and a fellow named Raphael?" She asked looking down at the forms in front of her.

"Unfortunately, I don't know for certain whether they will be able to testify, in fact I'm wondering if they will have to withdraw their testimony all together, due to Mr. Halo's own legal problems," Brandon said honestly.

"What legal problems?" the judge asked.

As she spoke, someone knocked on the door, and she went to open it. Outside, stood a young girl as well as Tess. "Uh, Y-your honor?"

"Come in," the judge said gently as Mary Williams hesitantly came inside the office.

"M-my name is Mary Williams, and I was told that I should talk to you about what happened to me yesterday," the girl stammered.

The judge smiled gently at the young girl. "Who was it that hurt you, Mary, was it Mr. Hunter or Mr. Halo?"

"It was Greg Hunter, Your Honor," Mary said softly. "He was mad at me because I asked my mom about who my real father was. I thought that if my sister had a father, that maybe I did too, and I tried to ask her about it. Anyway, after that happened, I ran away and came back the following morning. When I got back, Greg was really mad at me and he beat me up, and pushed me down the stairs."

"I see, and Mr. Halo?"

"Andrew talked to me, and he helped me to realize that I am better off without a father than I would be with someone like Greg for a father," she said softly.

"You mean, you do not want to press any charges against Mr. Halo, and you would be willing to make a report as to what really happened?" The Judge asked.

Mary nodded bravely, "please take Andrew out of jail, he didn't do anything wrong. The only thing he's guilty of is caring for me and for Helena."

Within the hour, Mary had filled out all the necessary paperwork and had signed it. She and Tess left soon after that.

"I suppose everything is taken care of, Mr. Montgomery," the judge said with a smile. "I did speak to your supervisor, but only briefly today, and it looks like your department is doing a remarkable job with this particular case."

"Thank you,“ he answered and stood up.

"Go home now, Mr. Montgomery, get some rest, and that's an order," she smiled, her sense of humor now taking over, "or I'll hold you in contempt."

Brandon smiled weakly, "thank you, Your Honor." He stood up, and extended his hand to her. Once he had shaken hands with the judge, he left her office, went downstairs, returned the badge to the security desk, and made his way outside. Once he reached his car, he knew that there was not much more to be done, got in his car, and left the courthouse, driving in the direction of his house. The battle he had charged into had been won, but the war hadn't and he was left wondering if he still had the footing to win this. Without Andrew and Raphael, he wasn't sure how much credibility their case would have.

*~*~*~*

Mary and Tess arrived back at the Jackson house after their visit with the judge. Against the persuasion of her sister, she had skipped drill team practice, but Tess had encouraged her to tell the judge the truth and now she was sitting on pins and needles as to whether it was enough to free Andrew.

She walked into the kitchen and greeted Rachel, "hi."

"Hi Mary," Rachel said climbing down from the chair she was standing on top of. "Did you have a good day?"

"I guess," she answered looking at the ground. "Have you heard anything about Andrew?"

Rachel shook her head, "I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything, but Helena's dad called and he's bringing her by a little later for dinner."

"She told she was going to see Andrew, so maybe she has some news for us," Mary said.

"You talked to her?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, she was at my school this afternoon and the guys started giving her a hard time," she smiled weakly, "I had to defend her from them."

David entered the kitchen at this time, "hey, did I hear right?"

Mary looked at him, her smile was weak, but she looked proud, "yeah, you did."

The young teacher smiled and looked at Rachel, "are you sure I can't help you a little?"

Rachel smiled, but looked at sternly, "no, honey I have everything under control."

"Yeah OK," David relented sitting down at the kitchen table as the doorbell rang.

Mary looked at the two of them before Rachel excused herself. "I think I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap, I'm still not feeling all that well."

Rachel nodded and tossed her dusting rag onto the counter and walked to the door. Before she opened the door, she looked through the hole. It was Dan and Helena.

She threw the door open, "hey how are you?"

Dan nodded and Rachel immediately noticed that Helena's face looked as though she had been crying for the last half hour and she nearly forgot that Tess was still there, and she went and took the girl's hand and led her from the room.

"How's Mary?" Dan asked. "Andrew's been concerned about her."

"She's doing OK, this entire situation has her pretty frazzled. What's the story with CPG, are they going to be able to get her out of the home? And what about you? Are you going to do anything about everything that's going on here?"

Dan held up his hands, "one question at a time, please. To answer your first question, CPG is removing both girls from their mother's custody. Brandon went to see the judge regarding the stepfather, and it looks like she's going to sign a warrant, if she hasn't already done so. CPG has put Helena in my custody, and I just signed a lease on an apartment not far from here."

"Then Helena will be able to stay here?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, but when my vacation runs out, I'll have to work at the government offices in Bismarck. This means, that I would have to share custody of Helena, and until this situation gets settled, I would like it if she could stay with you and David during the time I have to work," Dan said.

"We wouldn't have a problem with that, Dan. In fact, I think David will be thrilled," Rachel said, but had to ask the question that had been bothering her since they arrived, "and what about Andrew? What can you do for him?"

"What needed to be done for me has already been done," Andrew's voice and Dan and Rachel turned around to see the angel standing in the doorway looking at them with a warm smile on his face.

"What happened, did you escape?" Dan asked.

"No," Andrew began. "The jailer came through and he told me that I have been released because the charges against me had been dropped."

"How did this happen?" Rachel wanted to know.

"Mary apparently went to the judge's office this afternoon and told her what really happened. I guess after she told the truth, the judge faxed the information over to the county jail and they released me. I don't know what else happened, I just know that if it weren't for Mary, I would probably still be sitting there counting floor tiles."

"I'm really relieved, Andrew, as I'm sure the girls will be as well," Rachel said.

"Where is Mary, I think I should tell her," Andrew said gently.

"Yes, perhaps you should, she's upstairs in David's study," Rachel said. "I'll show you."

*~*~*~*

Andrew tapped gently on the closed door that would lead into David's small attic study, but when he heard no answer he opened it slowly and stuck his head inside the room. When he saw Mary asleep on the bed, he slowly approached where she was lying. Upon seeing her asleep, he looked down at her face, it was puffy and swollen from the crying that she had done. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was heavy as she slept, but he could only guess that her sleeping was uneasy, as her breathing came out in gasps and sighs rather than the calm breathing that one has when they are in deep sleep.

He reached down and brushed a lock of her hair from her face and noticed that the areas around her eyes were still dark from when she had been hit. He continued to look down at her as she slept, and after a few seconds, he touched her arm and gently whispered her name, "Mary."

She sighed as though trying to answer him, but her eyes remained closed.

"Mary, wake up," Andrew tried again, whispering her name and this time, she shifted where she was lying, and after a few seconds her eyes slowly opened, but it took her a few minutes to focus on the man who was standing in the room and looking down at her.

"Andrew?" she asked once her eyes were completely open and she was looking up at him. After a second, she spoke again. "Thank God you're OK. I was so scared for you."

"Hi Mary," he said and smiled.

"Am I dreaming all this, are you really here?" she asked and reached out towards him as though she didn't believe that he was actually standing over her. When her outstretched hand came to rest on his arm and she could feel it underneath her hand, her eyes filled with tears and she sat up and wrapped her arms around him in a backbreaking embrace.

"I'm here, Mary and everything is OK now," Andrew said gently as he hugged her.

Mary nodded as though she understood, but after a second, her voice came out barely above a whisper. "How did you get out of there?"

"I got some help from a friend," Andrew answered honestly and smiled weakly.

"Helena?"

He shook his head. "No, I got some help from a brave friend of mine who chose to tell a judge the truth."

"Me?" She asked almost in complete disbelief.

"Yes," came his simple reply.

Mary looked down at her hands, and finally, she looked at him, her eyes sad as she recalled the events leading to his arrest. When he remained silent, she continued speaking, "I don't know how you could be so kind to me, especially since everything that happened last night was my fault."

"No, Mary, it wasn't your fault. What happened last night was just an accident, you weren't responsible for it, you mustn't believe that." Andrew looked at her intently and rested his hand on her shoulder. After a few seconds passed, he realized that no matter what he said to her, she wouldn't believe it. "You mustn't believe that you're the one at fault for what happened, I don't blame you and God doesn't blame you either."

Mary nodded numbly, but she was completely unsure if she could believe his words, especially those about God. "God? But, I don't understand."

Andrew looked at her intently "I think you do. I also think you know that you have that same courage that you described as only being in Helena."

"I don't know if I do or not. I mean, you made me feel so safe when you talked to me the other night. Nobody had ever done that for me before, and you made me feel like you really understood and cared about me. I never realized how much I needed to have someone come and talk to me about my feelings until you actually did."

"You've been through a lot of pain Mary, and you're still a child,“ Andrew said softly and took her hand in his own.

She nodded as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. "The other night, when you talked to me, I felt like you somehow possessed the ability to touch me deep down inside. Like you knew me better than I know myself, does that make sense?"

Andrew smiled gently and squeezed her hand. "I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, but I will be leaving Fairbrook now that you and Helena are safe."

"You're leaving," she said more to herself than to him, but after a few minutes, he nodded and she continued speaking, "just like Mitch, and like Helena will be doing. I'll be alone, with no one left. Can you imagine how it feels to be totally alone? I've felt this way for the last 15 years, like I have been living in a virtual box not knowing what to do, or who to talk to about something like this."

"You can always pray, Mary. God will always listen to you," he said gently.

"Maybe, but I never really believed in Him, and thenthen I met you, and you talked to me, and you're the only person who has been able to help me, and now you're leaving. You're probably the only person I've ever been able to talk to about all of this. I wanted to have a father, and you knew all along what I was feeling about what I didn't have, but you also knew that I was hurting."

Andrew listened and watched as the girl's voice became more and more emotional as each second passed. He looked sadly down at his lap, but when he heard her voice begin once again, he looked deeply in her eyes, and could see the sadness overwhelming him.

"I wish you could stay. I guess now you think I'm being selfish for wanting you to stay here with me, to protect me, or to be something for me that you never would want to be," she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, Mary, I cannot be your father, I can only be your friend, but it doesn't change the fact that I would do everything I could for you and that I do care about you," he whispered.

After some moments, he watched as she crawled out of bed and walked towards the window. Her hand rested against the glass and she looked out across the field, her eyes clouding over as she began reciting a poem she had once heard.

The sky above

The trees abound

All life's treasures

Are around.

Peacefulness is in my heart

Calmness exists beyond me.

Friends surround,

Time is standing still.

In this whole world I see,

People walking, sharing

Yet here I am

With friends around

I am not alone.

Her voice was cracking when she finished speaking. She turned around and faced him.

"Did you write that poem?" he asked, "it's very nice."

"Of course not. How could I write that when I'm alone?" she asked bitterly. "I'm not surrounded by friends, or experiencing a feeling where people share and care about each other. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but the only world I can see is one where I'm alone, and everyone else has someone like in this poem. If I could look at the world the way that poet saw it, maybe I would feel better about you leaving and having to say good-bye, but I can't."

"I'm sorry, I really am. If we could stay with you and Helena, we would," Andrew came over to the window and rested his hand on her shoulder. "If there was a way I could help you see the same beauty that I see in this world, then I would. If I could help you to find that one special person who would take care of you and look out for you, then I would find them, because you deserve it, but I haven't the power to do any of those things." He rested his other hand on her other shoulder and turned her around to face him. Once she was turned around, he spoke softly, his voice filled with sadness and regret as he repeated those same words to her, "if I could do any of those things for you, then I would, I wish I could, but I cannot, but you could for yourself." He wrapped his arms around her and held her.

In his arms, she began to cry, her tears falling on his shoulder, "you have to leave, but you won't forget me, will you?"

Andrew was first to break the embrace, but once he did, he brushed the hair from her eyes, and smiled weakly. "No, I won't ever forget you, I promise."

"I'm sorry that I got so upset with you about this, I know it's not your fault you have to leave, it’s mine," she looked down at her feet as she spoke, her voice soft.

"Mary, you've got to stop believing that you're at fault for everything that happens. I have to leave, it's not because of anything you've done, but because of who we are and what where our path leads us. Come over here and sit down. It's OK," Andrew said as he took her hand and led her over to a chair. Once she was seated, and he was still holding her hand tightly in his own, he kneeled down in front of her and looked her in the eyes.

"Do you remember a woman named Tess?" Andrew asked gently.

Mary nodded unable to speak, all she could do was stare at Andrew as he began to glow, the light of God's love filling the room and he looked at her with love and compassion in his eyes.

As she looked at him, she could feel the warmth of the light that emanated throughout the room. She was staring at Andrew and then down at her lap, and finally back at him. After a few more minutes passed, the light vanished and she was left facing him, her eyes looking at him in wonder.

"You're an-an angel?" Mary asked once the light vanished.

Andrew nodded, "yes."

"Then you can really understand things about me without me talking about them? Is that why you knew so much about me the other night when we were talking?" she asked nervously.

"I only knew what God told me about you, but everything you said, you said because you needed to talk about it, not because of anything I had done," Andrew answered.

"Why did you get try to get me to talk if you already knew what I was going to say?" She asked weakly.

"I didn't, but Mary, what God wanted was for you to speak about what happened. To hear me speak of them is not as healing as it would be for you to speak of them. It's a part of the reason I was sent here, to help you not only find your way back to God and ask Him for the strength you lacked, but also to help you understand that your painful feelings are real, and that in facing them, you will be able to overcome the pain you carry."

"I n-never really was all that faithful, Andrew," she whispered. "You always talked about God, and I was left feeling like you were trying to convert me or something."

The angel shook his head. "No, that was never my intent, I wanted only to tell you that God does love you, that you're His beautiful child, and even when you look for a father to love, you must know that you may not have one here on Earth, but you will always have a Father who will love you, and He will accept you as you are, and will one day enfold you in His arms. Today, just know that it's true, God will always be there for you."

"What about when I was hurt?" She asked weakly. "Where was He then?"

"He was weeping for you, because it saddened Him to see you endure so much pain," Andrew said gently. "For every tear you shed, the Father sheds one as well."

She nodded timidly, and backed slowly away from him, breaking contact with him.

"Does this frighten you?" Andrew asked.

"A little, I'm not used to telling other people about how I feel," she admitted.

"It's never easy to show someone that you're hurting inside, but sometimes putting your trust in others will help make the pain go away," Andrew said gently.

"Maybe, but it's still not easy when so many people have knifed me in the back in the past," she said. "How do you deal with it when people don't measure up to your expectations?"

"I try not to have any expectations of others, and I try not to judge them if they don't 'measure up'," Andrew said.

Mary looked into his eyes and back down at her hands unable to say anything else. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she spoke again, "What about Helena, does she know the truth about who you are?" she asked trying to divert the focus away from her own painful emotions.

"Yes, she knows, but it was only by accident that she found out, I had no intention of telling her when I did, I wanted to wait until she was ready," came his simple answer.

"Why did you then?" Mary asked.

"I am an Angel of Death, Mary, and when some boys attacked her at school some days ago, I was sent to her and she saw me, and it frightened her," Andrew said, but when he noticed her eyes slightly widen, he continued. "Does it frighten you to learn this, Mary?"

She looked at him uncertain of how to answer his question. Instead, she asked one of her own. "Were you sent to me when I was pushed down the stairs?"

"No, why do you ask?" She asked.

"I saw someone, a man, he was dressed in beige, and he was glowing," Mary said softly. "I thought for a minute that it was you, but then I realized that it was someone else, someone who was older."

"That was Adam, and yes, he's an angel like me," Andrew said.

"He helped me not be afraid, but when I woke up, I thought he had been a dream, because he was gone," she said softly.

"No, he wasn't a dream, he was really there for you." he said softly.

"There's so many questions I wish I could ask you," she said softly.

"I wish I could answer everything you ask, but I can't, there's just not time,“ Andrew said gently. "That's why I'm leaving Fairbrook. I know that you will be OK, and I wanted you to know the truth, because I don't think you believed it when I told you that my arrest had nothing to do with you or Helena. I also want you to know that you and Helena are both very special to me as well as to Raphael and Tess, and I know that it's not easy for us to have to say good-bye to you."

Mary nodded, "you know that Helena was often inspired by the stories of angels and stuff, don't you?"

"No, I didn't know that," Andrew said, "but I do remember that she and Raphael had gone to look at the sky right after we had arrived in town."

"I used to think she was kinda stupid to get inspired by that kind of stuff," Mary admitted. "But I don’t think that anymore, I just wish that there could be someone to show me that I won't feel so alone after you are gone."

"You're not going to be alone, you'll have Helena, and she's always going to need you,“ Andrew said. "Remember what I told you the other night about God being with you? As long as you have Him, you will never ever be alone, Mary." He took a deep breath before continuing "Just try to appreciate the time that you and Helena have left here before she leaves Fairbrook. That's all I can tell you, Mary, regardless of where we are, we'll always be your friends, and as long as you have friends, you'll never be alone."

"There's no way I can stay with you, is there?"

"I'm sorry," he said and shook his head. "You already knew the answer to that question before you even asked it."

Mary stood up and walked over to where her backpack was sitting in the corner of the room. She grabbed the bag, opened it, and pulled out a small photograph. "This is my drill team picture, and I want you to take it with you, then I'll know for sure that you won't forget me."

Andrew chuckled softly and accepted the small snapshot. Once he stuck it inside the pocket of his jacket, he turned around to face her one last time. "Don't ever give up on making that poem your reality, Mary."

She nodded and threw her arms around his neck. The tears continued to stream down her cheeks as their embrace ended. She could only watch as Andrew left the room slowly and once the door closed, she rested her face in her hands and cried.

*~*~*~*

By this time, Andrew had knocked on the door to the room where Helena was resting. Tess opened the door and smiled gently at her 'Angel Boy', but all the while knowing that he wanted to tell his young friend good-bye.

The compassionate Angel of Death could not get over the frightened expression on her face and he came over and sat down on the bed next to her. "Are you OK?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just wish…"

"What?"

"I wish I could stay with you," she whispered.

Andrew wrapped his arms around Helena, and smiled gently at her. "I know, and your sister has the same wish, but now you have your father, Helena, and he's a nice person. He really does care about you."

"I know," she whispered. "Will you tell Raphael good-bye for me?"

Andrew nodded. "I will."

Helena reached out and took his hand, but after a few moments, she released it and turned to leave the room, the sadness evident in her eyes. As she came out, she could see that her father was standing in the hallway.

"Go and tell him good-bye, Helena, it will probably be a long time before you see him again," Dan said gently.

Helena returned to the room and was happily surprised to see Andrew was still there, and that Raphael had joined him. "I'll miss you," she whispered softly as she embraced Raphael.

"We'll miss you too, Helena," Andrew answered and once her hug with Raphael ended, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly in his embrace. "Take care of yourself, and take care of Mary, she really needs you now."

She broke the embrace and looked up into his gentle green eyes. "Do you still have the note I got to you through my father?" She asked softly.

"Yes," he answered.

"Please keep it with you," she said, her voice cracking.

"We'll always hold on to it," he promised.

She turned to face Raphael, "I love you," she said softly as she threw herself into the arms of the younger angel once again and began to weep bitterly. "I thought you left without saying 'good-bye'," she sobbed.

"No, I was sent on another assignment, but I wouldn't leave without saying good-bye," Raphael said gently.

Helena smiled weakly, and after she had said good-bye to the angels, she could only watch as they left the room, went down the hall and down the stairs. Once they got downstairs and had met Rachel and Dan in the living room, Andrew spoke. "We're going, now, but I wanted to thank you both for all your help."

Dan stood up, "how'd Helena handle everything?"

"She's pretty strong, Dan, I wouldn't worry about her too much," Raphael said.

"Yes, she's going to be OK," Andrew began, "but Mary the one who needs someone now. Helena has gone upstairs to be with her sister."

Rachel nodded, "I'm somehow not surprised, she's been asking about you pretty consistently since last night. I assume that you did talk to Mary about your leaving?" Once Andrew nodded, Rachel smiled slightly, "Andrew, we wish the best for you and your friends, and please always know that you will always have a place with us."

"Thank you, Rachel," Tess said, "come on babies, it's time to go."

The three angels walked towards the front door, opened it, and they stepped outside. Once they were gone, Rachel and Dan were left sitting on the sofa unable to say anything, both seemed to be caught up in their own thoughts.

Moments later, Helena and Mary came out into the living room. Both had been crying, and when Dan saw the expression on the face of his daughter, he stood up and walked over to the two of them putting his arms around both girls.

"I know you're afraid that we're going to be leaving you here alone, Mary," Dan began, "but Helena and I have decided to stay in Fairbrook. In fact, our apartment is about three blocks from here."

Mary looked at her sister, "you didn't tell me about that. Why?"

"It's his idea," Helena said, smiling weakly. "But, I like it, don't you?"

Mary nodded, and looked at Dan, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Mary, in fact, it's not necessary for you to say anything. You're not going to be alone, and you'll always have a family with us," Dan said, and looked down at the older of the two girls, her tear-stained face tearing at his heart. He smiled at her, his dark eyes twinkling, as he wrapped her securely in his embrace, and spoke again. "I'll see what my brother and I can do to help you find your father, too."

Mary nodded still wrapped in his embrace. She couldn't find the words to speak; instead, she remained in the secure embrace of Helena's father, her tears falling freely on Dan Summer's shoulder.

When the embrace ended, both girls went over to the window and watched as the three angels got into Tess' prided red convertible and they drove away. As they did, both girls glanced skyward as they drove out of sight.

"Thank you dear Father," Helena whispered as she watched a dove took to flight and flew through the trees.

"Come back soon," Mary whispered softly as the bird of peace disappeared over the horizon.