Chapter Zero
The line was endless. It was a privilege to even be considered for a position as a Guardian. We were created for this very purpose; to protect the Pure. I had been waiting a near millennium to receive my assignment, and I have watched every other Guardian before me as they received theirs.
“Ezequiel, come forth for your assignment.”
I stepped forward and approached the large desk, behind which were three Superiors handing out assignments.
“Ah, Ezequiel; good to see you, friend! You’ve waited a long time, yes?”
“Yes,” I replied as a light-tan folder was placed in my hands.
“This is your assignment.
I read through the file, familiarizing myself with my subject. It took me a moment to process the information, and I was moved me to ask the question, “She was not born yet?”
My Superior glanced at the sentence to which I was pointing.
“That’s right. We are all assigned a subject on the date of conception. Believe me, it take you just as long to learn everything you must about her as it will for her to grow in her mother’s womb.”
“Right, and what does this mean, here? Child will receive Given Name upon birth.”
“Your subject is predestined become one of us, but she will not receive the influence from her parents. As you can see in the description, there; your subject will come to the Faith on her own. Her Given Name is the one she would receive upon entering the Gates.”
I nodded and was prepared to truly walk away, until one final thing caught my attention.
“The Enemy has interest in this Child and will make several attempts to sway Child from the Path. If my subject is predestined to join us, how will I prevent the Enemy from taking her off the Path?”
“Everything you need to know is in the file, Ezequiel. And remember, if you do not know the answer, just ask.”
Ask and you shall receive. The billboard above the the information desk flashed the words in gold. I thanked the Superior and went on my way.
Nine Earth-months later.
I entered the waiting room and glanced around. The agonizing wails of laboring women filled my ears. I followed Some appeared to have received the man-made drug to relieve their pain and wore partial smiles as they interacted with their nurses and family members. But I was not here to observe them, I was officially on duty.
“Paging Doctor Florence to Room Seven, patient is ready to deliver.”
Room 7, that was where I needed to be. I made my way through the hallways, following the numbers until I came to the right room. The door was open as the doctor entered and spoke to the three people in the room. The nurse was instructing the young mother to breathe while a young man stood on the other side of the bed, soothing her.
“You’re doing great, sis,” he said, which surprised me; I almost assumed he was the father. I snapped my fingers and my subject’s file appeared in my hands. I flipped to the section regarding family.
Father-figure not present until Child is ten years old. Mother’s brother will be in delivery room as he is her only family.
I sent the file away as a cry filled the room. The nurse was cheering and the doctor was holding the newborn.
“Oh, she is beautiful!” said the doctor as the baby was placed on the mother’s chest. “And I don’t say that to just anyone. Your baby is something special. Look at all that hair!”
A smile of relief, though still pained, crossed the mother’s face as she looked at her new daughter. I smiled when I heard the distant chimes. We always rung the chimes when one of our own was born, or coming Home.
However, moments like this never came without minor setbacks. The Enemy was always lurking, always prepared to pounce if we were not alert. And I was very aware of the shadows entering the room.
“Ezequiel.”
“You’ve already lost,” I said, turning to see who was sent this time. “This one is Ours.”
“My boss sent me to trigger the Events,” the lower-level demon cackled. “Those are my orders. You can even check with your Boss, if you like. It’s allowed.”
“I looked at the Events pages. There isn’t anything happening today, apart from the Birth.”
“Oh, this Event is not connected to your subject. Watch me work.”
I scowled, but held my post as the minion went toward the beeping machine and stuck a ghastly, clawed hand into the back. It sputtered to life as my subject’s mother began to gasp for air and convulsed. The nurse took the baby away as the doctor began to check vitals. The brother asked all the right questions, but was sent away and the door to the room closed in his face.
The demon cackled before vanishing. I went to wear the baby was now wrapped snuggly in a blanket and under a warm lamp. She was peaceful and a brief glance at her chart showed she was in good health. Less could be said for the mother. The flat-line machine tone was all I could hear.
1 Earth-week later.
The brother held in his sorrows as his sister’s coffin was lowered into the ground. His niece slept soundly in the baby carriage beside him. It was a quiet ceremony, with no witnesses but the minister and the grave keepers. I stood opposite the brother, watching and waiting. He had to call the baby by her Given Name. It would only be revealed in the file when it was spoken for the first time.
“I am truly sorry for your loss, young man,” the minister spoke solemnly as he passed. “If there is anything else I can do-”
“I need to take my niece home,” the brother said, placing his hands on the bar of the buggy and pushing it away from the site.
I lingered a moment, sensing a change in the realm. Across the yard, I saw a lone visitor with a bouquet of flowers in their hand. Behind them was one of my fellow Guardians, whom I had not seen since my Assignment Day. They waved back, but there was no time to socialize.
The simple thought of the brother and his niece brought me to the pathway they were going.
“Your momma told me she wanted to take you away from this town,” he was speaking to the sleeping infant. “And I completely agree with her reasoning… She wasn’t supposed to die. Even the autopsy showed nothing of concern.”
He expelled his sorrows now. The tears flowed from his eyes like the Four Rivers. He paused mid-stride and closed his eyes. I frowned, but there was nothing I could do. He was not my subject.
“He is hurting.”
“Ariel,” I greeted her with a pained smile. “I was wondering where you were.”
“As he grows further away, so must I,” she replied, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. “The Events of his life direct him through a hard trial, but I still hope this Event will push him in the right direction. He remains one of Ours until he makes the choice not to be.”
“But even then, we stay close enough to assist. All he needs to do is ask.”
“Correct. Ezequiel, our job as Guardians is important. You’re only just beginning yours, even though you waited a long time to be assigned. I am sure you prepared as well as anyone could.”
“But I will be seeing you, right?’ I asked as our subjects started moving again. “I appreciate talking to someone.”
“As do I, and yes. You will see me… I just watch and wait, and hope.”
Ariel vanished but not before motioning to our subjects. I looked at the brother and saw that he smiled at the now open eyes of his niece.
“So, I think I should call you something besides ‘my niece’, don’t you think?” he whispered, letting the baby hold his smaller finger on his left hand. “Well, your mother’s favorite flower was the rose so… What do you say we go get something for you drink, Myrtle-Rose?”
Before my eyes, a large book appeared and flipped open. It stopped on a page, which was full of names, and a large pen began writing at the top the name that was just spoken.
