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Re-birth

Rebirth:

He has watched her grow for seventeen years now; it had not been easy. This human was definitely troublesome since her birth. Gaylen felt he was still being punished from his involvement with Angelica so many years ago; every human he was assigned to since he regained his Orbital Soul status had been nothing but trouble.

His first assignment was a boy who began his trouble by the age of seven; always being destructive, getting into altercations at school, arguments with his parents. It continued to get worse as he grew; smoking, drinking and eventually got a girl pregnant. His second assignment was shared with Nigier as it was a set of twins; and one was no better than the other. They continued to wreak havoc in their family and community until eventually one died and the other ended up in prison; an untimely gang related incident. His assignments thereafter continued on in the same manner for years after and now he had Gretchen, his most recent assignment.

He sat in the chair that was adjacent to her bed. Often he would come after she fell asleep to just watch and reflect. Today was not a good day for her as she got suspended from school for her behavior and her parents were threatening to send her away to her aunt’s house. His job was not to alter the outcome but to try to “influence” it by diverting certain things from her life.

Over the years he had learned to sit back and observe behavior before deciding how to help get them where they were supposed to be. The ultimate goal in their assignment was to stay with their human until purposes were met; whether that be they learned a very important lesson from previous life, their destiny on earth was fulfilled or they passed on.

Gretchen’s destiny was to learn that life and family were important and not to be taken for granted. In her previous life she was a wiley young woman who never understood the blessings she had. Her parents had so much love for her that they could not fathom the idea their daughter did anything wrong; in their eyes she was perfect; however, like a lot of parents that found it difficult to hold their children accountable it created a sense of invincibility in the child and therefore she felt like there was nothing she couldn’t do; or get away with. Ultimately she ended up taking the life of a small child in a hit and run accident. She had been at a party earlier and even though she had been in trouble before for drinking and driving her parents always got her out of it; but this time there was no paying off a ticket, no community service. A child was dead and punishment would be harsh and quick. After pleading guilty to manslaughter charges she was sentenced to a twelve year stint in a woman’s correction facility where she was murdered by a fellow inmate in less than a years time.

She was reborn and now assigned to Gaylen. He had hoped this time he would get an easy assignment but he was mistaken. She was a troubled teen that challenged his patience on every level. Humans were unable to see their Orbs therefore they had no idea that a “presence” was guiding them through life; and that also made it especially hard for the Orbs.

There was something off; a feeling of unease sat with him as she lay there sleeping. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but there was definitely something amis. She had been at school that day and wasn’t feeling well. One of the many female students she had problems with approached her angrily with accusations many female teenagers face; a boy. The girl was accusing Gretchen of sleeping with her boyfriend; which she did, and the argument escalated into a physical altercation. This was not unusual with Gretchen as she was always ready and willing for a fight; however, this time she was not so quick to push back. She actually tried to avoid the fight but by the time the principal got there the scene was chaos which led to both girls being suspended.

Sitting in the chair with his legs outstretched before him with one arm laying across his stomach while the other he used to prop his face. He stared at her wondering just what it was that was happening. Although it was his job to guide her he had no insight into the end result. He knew nothing of what was coming; only that he had to try to divert her from anything that would influence her destiny.

Yes, something was off he was sure of it and he would find out just what it was but for now it was time to leave. It was his sister’s engagement party this evening and after feeling her wrath for the last time he was late he’d be sure he got there on time tonight.

As he readied for the party he couldn’t stop his thoughts from returning to Gretchen. There was something happening and it worried him that he couldn’t figure it out. As he began walking the short distance from his cottage to his parents' castle he saw someone sitting on the gray arched bench that sat just under the big oak tree near the water. As he neared he realized it was his mother; this was her favorite place to go to gather her thoughts. He shifted his direction a bit and began walking towards her. His father had the bench made for her; it was a precine granite bench with specs of white that shined like tiny diamonds whenever the moon was bright in the sky. It was surrounded by a mixture of beautiful bright flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds seeking out the sweet nectar produced by them.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” she sighed; even if she didn’t hear the grass crunch under his feet Antoinette knew her son was approaching her. “Yes it is Mother; why are you sitting out here all alone instead of enjoying the festivities?” Gaylen sat down next to his mother and simply stared at the light bouncing off the soft waves of the lake in front of him. She laid her head on his shoulder, “I just wanted to get some fresh air for a minute. This is my favorite place in all the land, you know; it is a very special place for me.” Gaylen understood why it was her favorite; from the light sound of water, the soothing sounds the frogs make at night to the crickets; it exuded peace. He always wondered how his mother was able to keep the flower garden as full and lush as she did year round. The mixture of pinks, blues and purples of the flowers entwined with lush green crabgrass that encircled the whole tree. She had a large sphere-like copper brush finished container that hung on a shepherds hook to the right of the tree across from the bench. She kept it filled with a liquid nectar she made herself for the hummingbirds. “I know it is; I remember sitting here with you when I was a young boy and watching you work in this flower garden for hours on end. The peace it bestowed on you was evident. As a matter of fact I don’t think there was ever a time I hadn’t seen this garden immaculate; or the glass feeder empty. I used to love how bright and golden the nectar looked in the sun.” Gaylen had always been in awe of this place; it just felt magical.

“Yes, the nectar is a special blend; the hummingbirds seem to like it as do the butterflies. You know I sprinkle some on top of the flowers just for them,” she smiled proudly as she looked over her garden. She patted his leg before she stood up; turning and looking down at him she stretched her hand out, “come now. We better head up there before your sister finds us and transports us into the house; you know I hate when she does that!”

Christina harbored the power to transport things through time and places; a gift that is extremely useful in certain situations yet annoying when she’s your sister and does so just to get you to her side in a split second at her whim. With a circular motion of both hands, a small spell and whala! Just like that you are snatched from your current position and into whatever space and time she chooses. Quite annoying to Gaylen.

As they walked, Antoinette linked her arm into Gaylen’s. “Something is bothering you?” She knew her son very well and it was clear in his eyes there was something disturbing his peace. “You know me so well,” he said as he came to a stop and turned to his mother. “Gretchen, my human, there’s something not quite right.” His mother turned to him as he finished, “this girl has given me fits since she was five. I’m always trying to divert her from the things she does but it does no good, always drinking, smoking, fighting, running away.” He paused, turning his attention from the moon he was looking up at to his mother, “today she had an altercation at school, that is not unusual; however, she actually tried to back down.” His mother looked deep into her son’s eyes and asked, “is this not what you would want her to do? Not engage in the altercation? I would say that is progress.” “No,” he paused as he shook his head, not accepting that answer, “there’s something more. Something I am not aware of. I can’t put my finger on it but I can feel something huge is about to happen. I don’t understand why I can’t see it.”

Antoinette dropped her head. She knew very well what was happening; she had only been planning this for years. She had seen her son’s pain when he lost Angelica and she had disagreed with the council about the gifted. They were not evil, they were given the gift to help souls cross over when needed, help the living with their mourning; how is that evil? All she needed was time.

She had seen a vision of her son and Angelica; happy. Together they faced many obstacles they would have to overcome in order for their destiny to be fulfilled and there were going to be times Antoinette could not interfere. But there was no rule in giving it a little nudge; and the time had come.

She placed both her hands on either side of his face as she stepped closer to her son, “Look closer Gaylen, what you seek is closer than you think. Your very assignment stems from the answer.” He stared so deep into his mother’s eyes he swore he saw her soul. He felt the heat from his mother’s hands on his face and the swirling feeling that was inside his head now. His mother had great powers and entering into someone’s thoughts and memories was one of her strongest.

He began seeing bits and pieces of his past flying through his mind so quickly he was seeing shards of bright lights as if he were flying at great speeds through every year of his life. Some things were blurs while others were perfectly clear. He saw him and Christina playing in the lake, running along the acres of lush green grass, he saw himself and Nigier with their twin humans, his fall from grace and then…HER.

Realization began to set in as he jerked away from his mother, his breathing was ragged and he stumbled backwards. This could not be! He stared at his mother; his body felt numb. What had she done?! He shook his head abruptly; afraid to think it could be true. “Mother?! What did you do?” His body began to shake, both from fear and excitement at the possibility.

“Your human is pregnant Gaylen, this is why she is changing. She will struggle, she will face hard times and it will be up to you my son to ensure she stays well. Because then and only then will your greatest wish come true. She has been granted her re-birth.” Gaylen’s heart dropped. “But..how?? This is forbidden? Do you know the danger you have put yourself in Mother? Put us all in?” “Is this not what you wanted? Your eternal wish? You have paid long enough my son and yes I am well aware of the dangers; but a Mother’s love knows no bounds. This stays between us! No one must ever know.” He was astonished…he had a second chance and this time he would not fail her.

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