Guardian Angel

Chapter One

Chapter One

I grew up privileged.

I knew that more than anyone else.

I grew up in a large loving family that watched each other's backs, who took care of each other.

I was able to grow up peacefully in a home with two loving parents, who did everything they could to take care of me and give me this wonderful life. I was able to attend a good school, get a good job, make good money, all the while my family was hovering overhead to make sure I stayed on the path they'd carved out for me. Everything went smoothly, perfectly, and without wrinkles.

My parents were very proud of this. Always smiling and lavishing praise on my older brother for being able to provide us with this kind of life, even when he insisted he'd had nothing to do with it and never once admitting he'd actually set aside a work day to come take care of me because it was a bad day.

Because even when life is perfect, there are bad days.

Even with all this perfection swimming around us, there were days my father didn't get out of bed. There were days he laid there all day, all night, staring at the wall. When I was younger, I'd always wanted to go into his room to see if he was okay, if he was alive, because sometimes, he just looked dead, laying there in bed, unshaven, not having eaten.

"Does he hate me?" I whispered under my breath once when I was nine.

"What?" My father looked up from where he was standing at the stove, snapping out of his own stupor because he'd also been lost in thought while burning my pancakes.

"Nothing," I murmured, staring at the table.

"Sorry they're a little burnt," dad said, placing the plate in front of me and turning to the plate he'd made for dad, "I'm gonna run this upstairs to daddy, okay? Hades will be here any minute." I looked up and watched him go, gathering up a full course meal on his way out. I looked back down at the burnt pancakes with gobs of chocolate chips that gave it a sort of lopsided smile.

Fast forward a few years, graduating from middle school with honors. My little ropes spiraled with colors to show what opportunities I took advantage of, from the biomedical sciences to Future Inventors of Hades, a program Hades had implemented shortly after I started school. My robes were too big for me because they didn't have my size and dad was too busy to order them, but I didn't mind. I was anxious to see them standing on the sidelines, waiting eagerly for me to get my accomplishments announced to the whole stadium.

And they did, both of my parents and Hades stood on the sidelines, listening intently as my instructor read off my name and I went walking across the stage to gather my diploma and other paperwork. I glanced over at where my parents and Hades were. Hades looked relieved, almost like he'd been expecting no awards at all. Dad looked tired, but he gave me a smile and a wave anyway. Father, on the other hand, was just watching me intently, glancing every so often at Hades, like he was waiting for Hades's permission to be proud of me.

A few years later and I was graduating high school with more honors and scholarships to the highest medical facilities in the land and beyond. I'd spent three years in Atlantis studying medicine, two studying fae medicine in Annwn, two studying physical therapy in Duat. All of the points were racking up like crazy, like a video game leaderboard, and I was getting so close to the top. To that point in life where my parents would back off and let me be, to the point where Hades would also step back and give me space.

But it seemed like no matter where I turned, there they were with a whole list of things I had yet to do. I hadn't actually earned my doctorate yet, because I had taken some time off school to help nurse my cousin, Four, back to health.