Chapter 3

Chapter Three.
The beginning of a most difficult job!

In my hideout in the woods I watched her in my mind.
It was like watching a movie play out in front of me and I was sort of like the director. Now I will leave out the beginning where she wakes up and dose her girl stuff then she goes out of her house with a "goodbye uncle", and sets off for school. I got a clear view of the road so on the way I gave her a nudge in her mind "it would be a good idea not to have both ears in headphones". That kept her from not hearing the honk of the horn of a car. I kept the traffic down for her so she could get to school on time and other small things with out interfering to much then I watched as she went into the school and walked up the hall.

Rachel and her buddies were in the hall they looked angry !
I went into there mind to see if they were going to get violent.

No they might yell at her asking if she was the cause for my absence and other such nonsense but these girls were not the fighting type.

I wasn’t supposed to interfere with other peoples anger so I let it be.
Of course when they saw her they yelled and screamed!
I felt her disappointment at knowing that I was absent and her flinching at there harsh words as she was trying not to cry and trying to find the best getaway.
I helped with that. I gave her an idea for a smart remark that would leave the girls speechless long enough for her to get away.She took my hint and said the word it worked they went quit thinking for a few moments.
She took the chance and quickly left the hall and went into the class room.

Studying her mind I could tell she was hurt at my not being here and she felt betrayed by her own imagination and was trying hard not to cry !

I felt really bad. "I should have done something about the weather" I thought
"she doesn’t like rain so I could make it for most of the time overcast and keep to the shadows its to late to get to school now but I will do better tomorrow".

Suddenly I heard another voice in my head "you had better have a good explanation ready for her she doesn’t trust people very well because she gets teased and made a joke of to much she might feel you are doing the same to her so be prepared for her anger tomorrow"! "Huh where did that come from"?

The mind was somewhere in the class room.
I went through them all until I came to our history teacher Mr.Pratt.

He was a middle aged man with blond hair and sparkling blue eyes !
Going gray in some spots, A thin frail face but a mischievous smile .
His hair which he always had in a ponytail was almost totally white
He wore strange cloths.Boots of real black leather up to his knees and a tunic with a lace frill with gray leggings. He looked like he stepped out of some sort of comic boot or came from way before my time and that's saying something !

"Who are you"? I said with a weary voice.
He winked right at me and said "I think you know".
I suddenly recognized the voice it was her Guardian angel!
" What are you doing here"?
"I am Mr. Pratt always have been it’s the best way to keep an eye on her".
"But see she is a young girl and needs someone who was human once or is and understands her and is her own age who can relate to her".
"That is why we chose you".
So you had better think of something to say to her that will explain yourself".

I sat in the same position for the longest time then said "Ill tell her I was sick and had to stay back". "Lame son but you could try". "You have a better one"?
"Yes tell her you have very sensitive skin and the doctors have told you to stay out of the sun so you have to stay in the shad or stay home on sunny days".

I though for a few moments "well that would be telling almost the truth".
"Yes you see we angels don’t lie no matter what".
I smiled "OK I see! "Well ill try that approach on her and see how things go".

He winked at me again and the image faded out until only her consense was visible.
I continued to watch her feeling more and more terrible as she stared out of the window with a hurt face.

After school I watched her go into the forest her school books under her arm as she went into a quite meadow with a single tree in the center.
She sat under the tree and thought about the day.

Why was she so affected about that boy who she had only just met she shouldn’t be so affected this way it was so strange."I shouldn’t be so affected by a boy who sat with me only once I am just being silly".

"Hi"! I said coming toward her. She looked up from her daydream with a start.
"Oh sorry! "I didn’t know you came this way to".

"No no"! "Its fine" she smiled "I just didn’t expect anyone to come this way because I am the only one who likes to climb up into this part o the forest".

"Well like I said I like to go on treks in the forest as well".
"I thought you were sick"! She couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice at this.
He frowned "no now who told you that"? "Well that’s usually the reason".
"Did the teachers tell you nothing"? "No all they said was that you were taking this day off no explanation". "Well thanks a lot". I said to the Guardian angel Mr. Pratt I still didn’t know his real name. Then I looked at her and said "that’s not the reason I am just very allergic to the sun that is why I did not come to school today and am now standing hear in the shade" ."Oh I see". Elena voice softened a bit "that is understandable". "Ill come over there then we can walk together in the forest if you want to". "That would be nice I would like to have company", I said she smiled shyly and got up and walked toward the place I was standing. "Well you probably know the area better then I do so why don’t you show me around"?

She nodded and started down the trail I followed her trying to think of something that would make her talk. "So you lived her for a long time"? "Since school started I live with my uncle". "Do you like the neighborhood"? "I like it well enough I get lots of time alone". "You like being alone"? "Sure no one really wants to try to talk to me anyway in fact you are the first person in a long time to talk to me I think you made a lot of people surprised." I smiled "did I surprise you"?
"Oh most defiantly I wasn’t expecting you to come up to me at all much less to want to sit with me". "You’d be surprised at how much different I am from the others".
I said with a smile. She was silent for some time after this I raked my brain thinking of something to say it wasn’t good! Being a quite person myself I didn’t know how to carry on a long conversation finally I asked "so where are we going"?
"Oh I am taking you to one of my favorite places".She said looking up at me "it is where I go when I want to just get quit and think". "Sounds good to me".
I said and followed her I kept looking at her she kept looking a if she wanted to reach out and hold my hand but was to shy I went through her mind to see what would she do if I took the first step and took her hand. I could see that she wanted it but she was afraid and expecting me to pull away if she tried. I would have to go slowly with her in order to gain her full friendship and trust I was already falling in love with this shy girl who was so cut and awkward around others. I could see the wisdom in the angel making me her guardian he probably knew I would fall for her and thus make a perfect guardian. "Yes" said a voice in my head "but don’t let love make you interfere with her life completely". I didn’t quite understand what the voice had just said but I stored it away for later pondering. "Hear we are"!
Said Elena with a smile standing in a wooded spot full of trees and well shaded there was a large oak and a ladder going up its trunk. "There is my secrete spot you are the only one besides uncle who knows about this spot because he helped me build it" .
"It nice"! I said looking at the house and smiling "so I am the only other ehe
I wonder what that means"? "You shouldn’t pry into her mind about that".
Said the voice "what if you are disappointed let her say so if she feels it" .
"Ok I will leave that part of her mind untouched although I really would like to know". "You should let her say so it is her choice and if you know then you might say something to give yourself away". "That’s true". I thought"I might say something suspicious if I knew the truth might as well just enjoy my ignorance while it lasts". "So do you want to go up and see inside"? She asked in a small voice. "Sure why not". I said with a smile "it looks sturdy enough". "Oh don’t worry it is come on up then". "After you" I said she smiled and started climbing the ladder. I watched her go up then climbed up myself it was a very homey little tree house decorated just so with a bench and a table and other small nick knacks.
It reminded me suddenly of my boyhood when my father and I used to go into the woods together and we would make big tree houses. I had always been very close with father and when he died the estate would have been mine but then the tragedy struck!
I was 20 and the property was to go to me but then well I didn’t really like to think about that day. I didn’t remember much of it anyway so after that I roamed around the city of London hiding from everyone. Afraid of what I might do to people if I made contact with them. But contact with them was unavoidable and soon I was in the slums where there was filth and disease and I soon found a way to feed and at the same time not feel to bad about how I fed myself.
My silent pondering was broken by Elena.
"Edward"? "Huh"? I said she laughed "you were thinking about something and got lost in your train of thought". I smiled "yes I was thinking that this tree house reminded me a lot of what me and my father used to do together we used to build tree houses together" ."That’s nice" said Elena "it must be nice to be able to grow up knowing your father". She said it in a longing voice and I knew right away I had not been sensitive to her feelings. I went up to her and stood by her as she looked out the window and said "I am sorry about your parents I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings". I was really close now almost touching her.
She noticed and stepped back a couple of inches as she said "no its fine you didn’t hurt me".
"I think we should get back home it is getting late and I need to be home by dinner."

"Ok"! I said as she started down the ladder I watched her climb down feeling that this would take a very long time to help her break out of this shell.
The first day was soon to be over and I hardly got her to speak .
Well I wasn’t that talkative myself that was the problem I needed to find more thing to talk about that would make a long conversation.
We walked home in silence it was starting to get dark and the moon shone into the forest! We were soon out and walking down a dirt road.
She turned to me and said "well here is where we say goodbye".
"It was nice to talk to you". "Can I walk you to your door"?
I asked she looked at me reddening as she said "you are really fast you know
I hardly know you and I don’t think uncle will approve ether of a guy I hardly know" .And with that without looking back she ran to her house.
I sighed "great first day" I thought "all I did in the end was end up making her more embarrassed of me". "You did as well as you could".Said the voice in my head "remember what I said these kind of things take time". "You cant expect her to warm up to you on the very first day putting into consideration she hardly talks to anyone and especially not to boys". "So she is actually more embarrassed of herself because she really doesn’t know what to do or how to behave in front of her opposite sex because she never did before". "Great so what am I supposed to do"? "Just continue to act friendly with her and try to make her comfortable and she will soon see you are not that hard to get along with and she will calm down and warm up to you"."But like I said you need patience with shy people you of all people should know that" .I smiled "yes I was a very shy boy myself". "I understand I need patience for this girl".

"Good I am glad you understand" said the voice "tomorrow is no school".
"Go to her home and ask her out but do it in a way that she can have time to think". Then take her into your part of the woods and just be quite let her be the first to speak believe me it works much better that way".

"Hey"! I said to the voice as it faded away "If your so good at all this why don’t you go to her yourself"? "You forget I am her real guardian Angel and that makes me invisible to her so I need you".
"Anyway she dose like you I could see it in her eyes".

"Thanks that helps a lot" I sighed as jumped up to her window ledge and watched her get ready for another night of sleep.