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  “Wait, you bought an eighty-thousand-dollar car for a three-hour drive?” She asked.

  “Yeah. I needed a car and it was just sitting there looking like the sun on wheels. So I said, ‘what the hell’ and bought it.”

  “Wow, that’s quite a story.”

  “Yes, I feel like a complete idiot for landing in the wrong state, though.”

  “Oh don’t. People confuse Kansas City, Kansas, with Kansas City, Missouri, all the time. And as strange as it is, Kansas City, Missouri, is the Kansas City that everyone talks about.”

  “Yeah, just imagine how I feel,” Oscar replied. “So now I’m looking for a bed and breakfast for the night, and I’m going to head back sometime tomorrow.” After taking a swig of his drink, he continued, “Andrea, has anyone told you how beautiful you are?”

  “Stop . . .” as she blushed again.

  “No really, I’m serious; you are stunning. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? Twenty-nine, thirty?”

  “Oh come on, I don’t look that young.” She looked at him in disbelief.

  “Actually, you do. I’m many things but I am not a flatterer,” he said seriously. “It’s so obvious and disingenuous.”

  “I’m thirty-eight.”

  “Have you ever been interested in doing some modeling or acting?”

  “Yeah, when I was a kid, but those days are so far in my rearview mirror.”

  “Who says they are?”

  “Well, just look at me.”

  “Yeah, I’m looking and I see a gorgeous woman with an amazing figure and a dazzling white smile. Your skin is flawless, even your hair is in good health, and anybody could be held captive by those big, beautiful blue eyes.” As he said this he stared directly into her eyes. She felt as if he was speaking to the creature that existed inside her physical body. She was drawn into his brown eyes, falling into a deeper attraction with each kind word he spoke.

  “Our clients range from four to fifty-two years old,” Oscar continued. “You are never too old to chase your dreams. There are all kinds of models out there.”

  “Really? I thought it was a young woman’s game,” she confessed.

  “It is but if you are driven and determined, my company can find all kinds of work for you.”

  “And what is this company anyway?”

  “LOTAS, Lillian & Oscar’s Talent Agency and Scouting, named after my partner and me,” he replied, taking another sip.

  “Oh, okay. I’ve never heard of your company. Who do you represent?”

  “Well, we’ve only been in business six years, but we represent all kinds of talent. Kelli Brisbane, Matt Kingsley, and Bali Mora, to name a few.”

  “Wow, those are some really high profile clients.” Andrea was impressed.

  “Listen, it is getting late and I must get going or I’ll be sleeping in my car. I’ll be leaving tomorrow to meet the client I told you about earlier. You don’t strike me as the kind of person who will let a once in a lifetime opportunity pass her by. Here is my card. Call me if you seriously want to follow your dreams.” Oscar started for the door.

  “Uh, okay, I’ll think about it,” Andrea replied looking hard at the business card.

  “Don’t think too hard.” And then he left.

  Oscar walked out of the bar and Andrea watched him through the doors, following him with her eyes as he passed by the window and to his yellow Stingray. He climbed in and the sports car roared like a big cat. He pulled off and she watched as the dust settled. He was gone for the night.

  “So what are you gonna do, hon?” Sally said as she washed her glasses and got ready to shut down for the night.

  “You know, I honestly don’t know. I’m just not so sure about him.”

  “What’s to be sure of? He’s handsome, drives an awesome car, and dresses better than anyone I’ve ever seen in person . . . You know what I think? You’re just scared of following your dreams. You’ve been stuck in this humdrum town for so long, you’re like an animal that’s been caged and when the cage is finally open, it’s afraid to escape.

  “Don’t be like me. I haven’t even left the town, let alone the state, except for that time you took me to see Dr. Jacobs. I’m on my last few months, and I wasn’t good enough to be something special, and to be totally honest, most of us ain’t good enough to become anything special, but you . . . you are the most special person to be born in this town in a long time.

  “If this guy can do half of what he says, then you’ll be doing ten times better than everyone here put together. Get out of this town. Chase your dreams.”

  After a pause Andrea said, “What about Max? I can’t leave my dog behind.”

  “I’ll take care of him,” Sally replied, “and when you settle down, we’ll both fly out to LA. Deal?”

  Andrea thought, came to a conclusion, and smiled brightly.

  Sally smiled back at her.

  “Call him, honey.”

  Andrea left the bar, climbed into her Blazer, and drove home thinking about everything both Oscar and Sally had said. When she arrived home, she hopped into bed and studied the card. After a moment of pondering, she reached for her cell phone and dialed the number on the card. She was about to hang up when the phone was answered on the sixth ring.

  “Oscar here.”

  “Hey, Oscar . . . it’s Andrea.”

  “Andrea, I didn’t expect to hear from you tonight, but I assume you have made a decision?”

  “Yes, yes, I have. I want to go with you tomorrow,” she said.

  “That is wonderful news. Simply wonderful,” he exclaimed. “Your life is about to be changed forever. Tomorrow I will pick you up at the bar at eight o’clock sharp.”

  “Great. . . . What should I pack?”

  “Nothing. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Okay, good-night.”

  “Night.”

  The next morning, Andrea was more excited than she’d ever been in her life. She felt like a teenager again. Tonight, her life was going to change. She met a man by sheer luck who wanted to help her change her life. She prepared for what was apparently going to be her last day. She went to the bank and submitted her resignation letter, which was a surprise to her manager, but once she explained why, he was more than happy and wished her luck.

  When the news made its way around the bank, her fellow coworkers pooled their money and bought her a farewell cake from the local baker. Once the baker knew, he obviously told the butcher and the news spread like wild fire. The cake was so good and she was so happy that she cried.

  When the work day finally came to an end, she hugged everyone and said that she would miss them all, and would try to keep in touch with everyone as much as possible. They asked her not to forget about the “little people” when she became a big star, and she promised that she never would.

  She raced home and was pulled over by Tommy, the police officer, another one of her lifetime friends who she graduated high school with. Even he knew the good news. He wrote her a speeding ticket, for old times’ sake, with no intention of filing it. She hugged him and was sent on her way.

  Once home, she showered and put on her best smelling perfume and tried to wait as long as she could. She was so excited that she only waited twenty minutes before leaving for the bar, arriving ninety minutes early. Sally gave her a big hug and a kiss and told her that the drinks were on the house. Those that were there also offered their well-wishes. It seemed that everyone in the town knew. In a town of less than 900 people, news traveled fast. Andrea sat at a table and waited for the handsome and eccentric Oscar to walk into the bar and rescue her from her dreary existence.

  Andrea looked at her watch and it was fifteen minutes to eight and her heart began pounding. She fought hard to control her breathing and remain calm. Suddenly, the doors opened and Andrea looked toward the entrance thinking it was Oscar, but it wasn’t.

  A woman walked in, an unfamiliar one. It was clear that the stranger was new in town, but she wasn’t
dressed fancy like Oscar was last night. She was dressed simply. She wore a white flower dress, a dark denim jacket, and opened-toed sandals. She looked nice but not unlike any other woman you’d see in a big city. The very beautiful red-haired woman walked up to the bar and sat down.

  Andrea noticed the stranger and wondered who she was, until her curiosity got the better of her and she struck up a conversation.

  “You’re not from around here are you?” Andrea asked.

  “Is it that obvious?” the stranger responded.

  “Yeah, it is. We don’t get a lot of strangers around here.”

  “Sophia.”

  “Andrea.”

  “Now we aren’t strangers,” Sophia said.

  “I guess not.”

  “What can I get you to drink, honey?” Sally asked.

  “Water is fine,” Sophia answered.

  “Water? Ha! What are you a nun?” Andrea questioned.

  “Ha-ha, no I can drink like a fish, but I’m driving to Missouri.”

  “Oh, what part?”

  “KC.”

  “Oh, really. I’m actually supposed to be heading there tonight.”

  “No kidding. By yourself?” Sophia wondered.

  “No, I met a guy yesterday, but it’s not what you think.”

  “I didn’t think anything . . . What’s out there?”

  “I feel kind of silly telling you this,” Andrea confessed.

  “Here ya go, honey.” Sally interrupted with the water. “And take this Blackjack over to your new BFF.”

  “Thanks.” She took her drink, left the bar to sit next to Andrea, and handed her the Blackjack.

  “Do you mind?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Okay, so tell me why you’re headed out there,” Sophia continued as she sat.

  “Well, yesterday I met this guy, a talent agent, and somehow he gets lost and he ended up in Wilsonton. Anyway, he strikes up a conversation with me and thinks I have potential to be a model and wants me to travel with him to Missouri and eventually California. I know it sounds strange and maybe even naïve but . . . I’m going to take a chance,” Andrea said.

  “It doesn’t sound naïve to me. I’m sure Oscar told you a pretty convincing story,” Sophia said.

  “How do you know his name? Who are you?” Andrea stood from the table and when she did, she bumped into a barmaid and made her spill her order of drinks. But Sophia stood up and the entire bar froze in time, except for her and Andrea. Andrea looked around and then looked at the woman who was a couple inches shorter than her.

  “Okay, what the hell is going on?” Andrea yelled with panic in her voice.

  “Keep calm, Andrea Lewis-Rose. I’m a friend. My name is Sophia and I’m here to warn you about Oscar.”

  “Warn me?”

  “Yes, he is not who he claims to be. Do not trust him. The kingdom of darkness has conspired against you. I don’t know what they are planning, but it will be terrible, I assure you.”

  “The kingdom of darkness? Do I look stupid to you? I don’t believe you. I don’t even know you.”

  “But I know you. I know about your abusive husband. I know that he is dead now from drunk driving. He is suffering in hell right now as we speak.”

  “So what, everybody in this town knew about my abusive husband . . . and if he is burning in hell, the drunken bastard deserves every second he’s there,” Andrea said clearly unimpressed.

  “. . . I know your son.”

  “Well, see that’s where you’re wrong because I’ve never had a child. Let alone a son,” Andrea refuted.

  “No, you do have a son. His name is David Lewis-Rose. He came to heaven as a six-month-old baby the night he died. He died when you were kicked down the stairs, and he and I are great friends. He asked me to come down to warn you. He’s been keeping a close eye on your chronicles ever since he grew up and learned about you. He loves you so very much and wants you to be with him in heaven. He is bright, strong, and courageous. Most importantly, he loves The One, our Creator, very much.”

  “David?” she said as a tear fell from her eyes. She was crying because this was the name that she chose for her son. She never told anyone the name she picked, not even Kenneth. “If you’re telling the truth then, he should be eighteen now?”

  “Yes,” Sophia confirmed.

  “How do you know all this? What are you?” Andrea asked.

  At this question, Sophia decided on a big risk and transformed into a beautiful angel in front of Andrea’s eyes. Sophia was gorgeous; she wore a pristine white sleeveless robe. The bottom part of the robe ended at mid-thigh, and she looked much like the ginger woman who met Andrea in the bar, except her hair was made of actual fire.

  Her eyes were stunning, reddish orange and positively amazing. Her white feathery wings resembled those of a majestic eagle, and her wingspan was seven-feet long. Andrea could hardly believe what she was seeing. She felt serenity, love, and strength but also fear and disorientation, and her heart rate elevated. This state of euphoria left Andrea fixated, and she stared at the angel that was undeniably spectacular and terrifying at the same time. She couldn’t say a word as she looked up to the being that now stood taller than she was.

  “Oh my god. Are you an angel?” Andrea asked in astonishment.

  “Yes, I am. And the man you know as Oscar is really a demon named Ornias. He is very dangerous and you must flee this place. Drive west to the next town. I will meet you there and take you the rest of the way to the West Coast. I must leave now.”

  “Wait, tell me more.”

  Sophia transformed back to a human woman and fixed the barmaid’s food and drinks as she talked to Andrea.

  “No, there isn’t any time. Just do as I say and everything will work out fine.” Sophia left the bar and when she did, time unfroze and the barmaid steadied her tray as Andrea backed away, wondering what she had truly just witnessed.

  “Whoops, almost made a mess there, sorry Andrea,” said the barmaid.

  Andrea halfheartedly acknowledged her and ran into the bathroom to pull herself together.

  There were too many people outside of the bar for Sophia to simply gate back to heaven, so she got into a car and started it without a key and began driving west to the next town where she would later meet Andrea. Once the bar disappeared from her rearview mirror, a man appeared in the middle of the road. She swerved and hit a light pole. Sophia was dazed and had a gash on her forehead right above her eye. Had she been in heaven or in her angelic body, she would have healed almost instantaneously. However, since she wasn’t in her natural element or state, she didn’t.

  She opened the car door, unfastened her seatbelt, and stumbled out of the car. She called out to the man and asked if he was okay, but all she could see were two eerie bloodred eyes staring at her. Then she knew it was a demon. She just didn’t know who it was. Sophia summoned all of her remaining strength and transformed into the magnificent being that appeared before Andrea. She began healing, but it didn’t change two facts.

  The first was that she was tired from the crash she just endured and the other was that she wasn’t a warrior. She was a messenger. However, every angel is equipped with heavenly armor. Whether they are warrior class angels or not, all angels prepare for battle because whenever they enter earth’s atmosphere, they can be attacked at any moment. Nevertheless, before things escalated, she would attempt to communicate with the demon that stood in the shadows—out of the light of the remaining light pole.

  “Who are you demon?” Sophia called out.

  The demon said nothing.

  “Answer me, maybe we can come to a resolution,” Sophia called out again.

  “There will be no resolution,” the demon responded.

  Sophia recognized the voice and summoned her armor by the power of her mind and a gold chest plate, helmet, shin guards, boots, gauntlets, shield, and sword suddenly appeared. Even the top and bottom of her wings were covered with some sort of gold protective plating,
but the middle of the wings were left exposed; they weren’t indestructible, only protected.

  “Ornias,” Sophia said taking a defensive posture.

  Ornias stepped out from the shadows prepared for battle. Donning the same armor as Sophia, except it was blackened with rough edges.

  “Did you think I would not see you talking to Andrea? I saw everything through the window. I even watched you reveal yourself to that worthless wench,” Ornias seethed.

  “What do you want with her?”

  “If I just told you, you’d never know the satisfaction of earning it. How about we fight for it?” Ornias suggested and then continued, “If you win I will tell you our plans for Andrea. If I win, then I will keep you alive just long enough to find out what those plans are. Fair enough?”

  “I do not wish to fight you,” Sophia admitted in a last ditch effort to dissuade him from a melee.

  “At this point, what you wish is irrelevant,” Ornias declared.

  Ornias attacked Sophia. She tried to hold her ground, parrying when possible and blocking other flurries. Ornias swung his dark sword as demonic and angelic steel met. Although Sophia wasn’t a warrior, she was no slouch either, having taken lessons from the great archangel Michael. She tried her best to dodge as many of the attacks as she could but Ornias’s strength, combined with the fact that he was well rested, gave him a distinct advantage in the confrontation. When he finally saw an opening in Sophia’s defense, he exploited it.

  Ornias elbowed Sophia in the face. He dodged a back roundhouse kick and hit her with the handle of his sword. Sophia stumbled back, gathered her footing, and lunged forward in a straight stabbing motion. Ornias swiftly evaded her attempt and kneed her in the midsection, which knocked the wind out of her. He spun around and swung his shield in a backhanded motion and it collided with her face.