It’s not my fault my guardian angel fell in love with me. 

“You”– I sputtered, grasping nothing but empty air.  ”I was collecting those for a reason!”

“So sorry.”  Gabriel’s eyes were filled with a mirth I didn’t share.  ”I just thought you might be protected sooner than later.”

“Why wouldn’t wings protect me?”  I crossed my arms, shielding more than my heart.  My throat ached, my eyes burned and I blinked, fury radiating through me.

“They would, but you have to earn your feathers.”  Gabriel glanced down.  ”We really don’t have time for Angel 101.  We need to go.”

“I thought I was an Old Soul.”  I grit my teeth.  ”Now I’m half angel with your feathers on my wings.  What the heck am I?”

“Do you have a problem with using my feathers?” Gabriel loomed over me, his own perfect wings raising.  Raising my chin, I met his stare dead on.

“Those were my feathers. You had no right to take them.”

“Technically, they were mine.”

“If you want them so bad, take them!”  I reached behind me, grasping the tiny cluster of feathers.  Just as I tugged my arm down, Lucky barked, “Don’t!”

“Why not?” I snarled.  ”I don’t want feathers from someone who doesn’t”– I stopped, swallowing hard.

“Who doesn’t what?”  Gabriel’s voice softened, the furrows smoothing in his forehead.

“Doesn’t like me.”  I stared down at the clouds.  ”It just feels wrong.”

“But you can’t pull out the feathers.”  Lucky broke between us, rearing on his back paws to look up at me.  ”If you do, you won’t be able to help to your full ability.”

I dropped my hands.  ”I don’t know anything!  How can I help at all?”

“Just follow your heart.”  Lucky cocked his head, sniffing.  ”We’ve got to go.”

“Go?” I echoed.  ”Go where?”

“To help your friend Delaney.”  Gabriel touched my hand.  ”Ariella, I…”

“How am I supposed to help?” I turned away from him, focusing on Lucky.  The last thing I wanted him to know was how bad I ached, like every bit of joy had been beaten out of me.

“Close your eyes.”  Lucky’s tail whipped the cloud around him into white wisps.  ”Imagine Delaney.  You should see her.”

“How come I never had these powers before?”  I crossed my arms.  ”Shouldn’t I have had visions before?”

“No, because I kept you from them.”  Gabriel held up a hand as my mouth dropped open.  ”I’ll explain later.”  He sighed as I raised an eyebrow, my jaw snapping shut as fast as it had opened.  ”Long story short, visions and dreams are like…clouds.  They just float through the air, coming as they will.  You can walk through them and ignore them or let them cling to you, listening to their whispers.  That’s what you’ve got to do now.”

“And this will help Delaney?”

The smile in his blue eyes killed me.  I’d never be able to look at him without thinking of those words…those terrible three words again.  Tearing my gaze away, I closed my eyes, sealing off the tear threatening to spill over.

“Ariella!”  Delaney burst through the doors of my mother’s store, her cheap white apron fluttering around her jeans.  ”Ariella, you’ll never believe…”  She stopped, glancing around the empty store.  ”Madre?” she called, using the nickname we’d shared for my mother since Delaney had started taking Spanish in the fourth grade.  ”Madre, are you here?”

She turned her head, her eyes raking through the dozens of decorated fake Christmas trees, the boxes of ornaments and glittering Nativity scenes.  Her shoulders fell, her face crumpling.  Her disappointment radiated through me, shattering the joy of seeing her.

I had never not been there.  I had never not spent the afternoon with her–not since we were six.  

I screamed, but her head turned, her feet moving towards the door.  She raised her hand and it jerked open.  Stepping back, she stared at the dark haired woman smiling on the other side.

“Perhaps you can help me.”

“Delaney!” I screamed.  Throwing my arms together, I kicked off the cloud like I was diving off a board, barreling through the clouds.

Approximately five seconds later, I realized I was pretty stupid.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  A NEW recipe mañana! 

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