April 25, 2004 The Warrior Megan lay quiet. She was too scared to move. The three men stood over her, each with a gun. She'd curled her tiny body into a ball and tried to pray. She didn't dare cry or even scream. I know I'm not coming out of this alive. If only I'd listened to Ms. Kingston, maybe I wouldn't be in this mess. Why don't I ever listen? "Just you wait girl, soon we'll have what we're after and you'll be free to go," one of the men said smugly. "Yea! Free to go six feet under!" the second one laughed. Megan watched as the third one smiled. She knew his name was Mark, and apparently he was the mastermind. He was a strong man, who perhaps at one point had been good looking. Mark was focused on the window of the small house. Megan knew he was waiting for someone and suddenly he let out a low whistle. "Get the girl ready!" He ordered his two cronies. The two grabbed her and undid her restraints. "Poor little Megan, just wait till she sees you." Megan wanted to scream and beg for her life at the same time. She longed to know who she was to be the bait for, and she knew she was about to find out. The three men hid as the door slowly opened. "Mark!" called the voice. Megan's ear perked up. No! This can't be! "Mark let her go and I'll give you anything!" "Ms. Kingston!" Megan gasped. Leslie Kingston spun around and saw her charge standing there. "Megan, what did they do to you?" Leslie demanded. She appears all right, with the exception of a few bruises. Megan didn't get to answer. Mark left his hiding spot. "My dear Leslie," he greeted. "You son of a bitch! What did you do to her?" "Relax, she's pretty much unharmed for the moment anyway," he replied suggestively. Leslie felt her blood run cold. If he so much as looks at her the wrong way, I'll kill him. Megan was watching the scene play before her, while her heart pounded in her chest. "What do you want?" "You know exactly what I want." "Enlighten me." "I want to kill you, Leslie." "Well that's a new one." Megan watched on as Mark raised his gun and her breath caught in her throat. "You wouldn't kill me in front of a child." "Of course not! You are going to watch her die." "NO!" Megan cried. "No? Well than you can watch your mentor die, little brat!" Mark released the safety. He pulled the trigger. Leslie braced herself for the shot but it never came. She opened her eyes and saw Megan fall to the floor. "NO!" She screamed. A pain ran all throughout her body as her mind tried to grasp what had just happened. Mark was paralyzed; he had not been planning on hurting the girl unless matters grew out of his hands. The other two men bolted, suddenly scared. "YOU BASTARD!" Leslie snapped. Mark heard the sirens and ran, right into a cop. Leslie was kneeling next to the child's body and fought to hold onto her. Why aren't my powers working? Why can't I save her? The paramedics took both Leslie and Megan to the hospital. As Leslie lay in the bed, she vanished. Up in the heavens, way above the tallest buildings, Leslie materialized. She knew the council was there to decide her fate. She just hoped they would not let Megan die. "Angel Leslie," the Master called. "Yes, my Lord." "You let your innocent die," he coolly stated. "Forgive me my Lord, I did not know she'd move in front of the gun. Please, I beg of you, let her live. She's only 16!" "We aren't going to let her die, she is to be granted wings for her act of selflessness," St. Pete replied. "Thank you!" "You, however, are not to see her ever again," the Master announced. "WHAT?" "You heard him. No more seeing Megan, no more watching over her." "But, I..." "Do not disobey me!" Leslie vanished and materialized in the hospital room. She felt an ache run throughout her body and a hole in her heart. I can't believe they did this to me. It is not fair, what if they discover her powers? Leslie opened a portal and got out of the bed. She crossed into her Ancestor's Land and was met by a sister. "Leslie, is it true?" "Atea, yes. They've cut my Guardianship to Megan," she wept. "We've appointed you her guardian. You said her powers exceed yours, and that was with without her Wings. Her powers will no doubt increase," Atea said. "Go to her now." A portal opened and Atea ushered Leslie through it. Leslie looked around to see she'd returned to her hospital room. Her telepathy told her that St. Pete was with her charge at the moment. *** Megan lay in the bed. She was barely alive, but her soul was wide-awake. She rose out of her shell and to St. Peter's greeting center. This was her first hint that things were not right, but she was less ready for her reception. "Megan," a man called. "Do not be afraid. I am St. Peter, I guard the Gates of Heaven." "Heaven? That would make me dead." "As a doornail, but in you case not really. You are being given wings, for your act of selflessness." "Wings?" "Yes." "Meaning?" "In mortal terms, you're a living Angel." "Oh, right," laughed Megan. "There is one condition." "You mean God has rules? Why am I not surprised?" "Just for you, you must not see Leslie, or rather Ms. Kingston." "What? Why not?" "She failed her mission." "She's an Angel too? Damn, I so knew that!" Megan exclaimed. "Her mission was to protect you, and she failed." "But...that wasn't her fault!" Megan defended. St. Pete didn't hear her. He'd already hit the Earth button and Megan appeared in her hospital room. Great, so I'm an Angel, but I can't see my mentor. Heaven so sucks! The room began to grow foggy. Now what's going on? "Megan, follow my voice." "Ms. Kingston?" "Hush, follow my voice." Megan followed and was greeted by a bright light. She walked through and gasped at the sight. What happened? "Ms. Kingston!" "I am right here!" Megan looked towards her left and saw her mentor. She ran to her open arms and collapsed in them. "I'm so glad you're safe." "Um...I am...well, I'm not sure I'm okay," Megan stuttered. She looked down at the cracked burnt ground. Leslie hugged her tight. "I know you're an angel. I've already been told." "So you've come to say good-bye," Megan concluded breaking the embrace. She knew her mentor would always do the "right" thing. Leslie studied the child in front of her. "No." "No?" Megan echoed. "I have not come to say good-bye. God may control my Angel status, but I am not just an angel." "What?" "Look around you, tell me what do you see?" "Ruins, it looks like a bomb went off." "This is all that is left of the old lands." "Old lands." "Atlantis." "Right," Megan sarcastically answered. "Megan, you should not scoff. You have the powers granted to the defenders and protectors, but not even God knows it. They could not sense it, but your Angel status has completely awoken your gifts," Leslie informed. Atea emerged from the mist. "You were right, Leslie. She is one of us. How that is possible, I have not yet discovered." "Atea, what matters is that she is just as strong as we are. She needs to be protected. If no one knows exactly what her power is that we can't know how it will affect her." "What POWER? I don't want to have any power and I don't want to be some angel! Can't we just go back to the way things were?" Megan yelled. A dark cloud opened and black demons sprang forth. "Give us your power!" They screeched. "Over my dead body!" Leslie stood protectively in front of Megan. Bolts of energy left her hands, but the black darts fired in return never reached her or any of the others. A bright light covered the ruins and drove back the demons. "Leslie look! Megan is casting this barrier! Her power exceeds anything I've ever seen before. Perhaps she is the adopted one the books speak of." "No, that would make her..." End Part 1 Author's Note: Hehehe, I so love cliffhangers, don't you? So what is Megan? She's a Protector of Atlantis for those who didn't pick that up and for giving up her life to save that of her mentor's she has become an Angel. Leslie was Megan's Guardian Angel, and a Protector now she is to guide Megan into her new powers. Well that is unless God and St. Pete find out Megan is a protector. So stay tuned for Part 2.