Clocks (Cloaked and Cameo)
 

The Cloaked Schemer:

Kendrick checked his list, then his watch. There was nothing for it, he would have to move on to the next one if the accident didn't happen soon. Blonde hair flying in the wind, the angel ruffled his black wings a little. He was dressed in white and black, to signify his work. He stood by the curb in front of a university, waiting for an accident to happen. He then would collect the soul and escort it to meet the appropriate people. Sometimes the job was nothing more then a matter of numbers, but at others... Guardian Angels could get so attached to their charges sometimes. Kendrick had a hard time understanding it, their lives were so brief compared to that of an angel.

Alexis sighed and pushed a strand of her black hair out of her face as her attention drifted yet again to the clock hanging on the wall. Class should be over any minute now... Yes! They were dismiss and she eagerly jumped up, shoving her things carelessly into her bag. A small smile formed on her face as she headed out of the building. The mindless chatter around her faded out and she hummed lightly to herself as she headed off the grounds. She didn't have to work today, so she planned on getting home to relax for an hour or so before taking off and hanging with friends. With that thought in mind, she happily left the school grounds and turned right to head to the bustop that would take her to her street corner.

Checking his watch again, he peered out at the students. A yes, that one's angel was acting up, she knew what was coming. A big, bright, yellow bus came towards the students. It wasn't the normal way either, the vehicle was actually rolling over itself on it's side. Finally it slid with a screech towards the students. There would only be one death, but many injuries.

Casually, the angel flew over the wreckage and watched as panicked people ran all around. Kendrick's eyes searched for the one glowing soul that was supposed to materialize. His eyes widened when none did. Brown eyes crinkled in concentration as he searched everywhere in the wreckage, only to gasp. There she was! Completely unharmed, standing off to the side. The angel flew to her side, ignoring her guardian at the same time. It wasn't possible, the black haired girl should have been dead.

Alexis froze when she heard the screeching of tires. She turned her head and seemed frozen in her spot as the yellow bus came right towards her and the other students. She couldn't get her feet to move. But she knew that if she didn't, she could very well die in this accident. She quickly backed up towards the wall that surrounded the school and nearly jumped out of her skin when the bus crashed right next to her.

She drew in a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly, trembling lightly at how close she came to dying. Her eyes scanned over the scene and she could see a few of her friends and classmates injured in the wreck. She instantly pulled out her cellphone, as did many others, and dialled 911 as fast as she could. She told the operator what had happened in a shaky voice, barely able to get the words out. But thankfully the woman on the other line understood what she was saying and told her that an ambulance was on the way. And sure enough, off in the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard.

Her Guardian stood by her side and he shot a wary look at Kendrick. Derek wasn't ready to let his charge die. Not today. Not tomorrow. Nor anytime in the near future. He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, letting brown hair fall over his eyes. "You might as well leave. No-one's dead here."

Kendrick ignored him, and stared at the girl. If she did not die, the whole balance might be upset, unless another took her place upon the roster. Quickly he went to examine all the others. Still he found no souls to be taken away. Frustrated he returned to the girl and her guardian. "I won't leave until I have a soul to bring back. You know very well that it is impossible for me to do so." His voice was loud, and carried well across the distance. But unknown to him and her guardian, her near death experience had opened her ears to death himself.

Derek narrowed his eyes slightly at Kendrick. "You're not taking her." he repeated, his voice emphasizing his point. He scanned over the wreckage and was glad that the ambulance came around the corner. He really didn't like watching people die, but on most cases it was inevitable.
Alexis jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She looked around her quickly to locate the source of the voice, but was coming up blank. She took a few steps back from the accident scene, wanting to escape the mysterious voice. But she knew that the medics would want to take a look at her, even though she felt fine. But since there was no-one around her, she took a deep breath. "... Who's there?" she asked, keeping her voice steady. No need to freak out unnecessarily.

"I will be taking her," said the dark winged angel. It was horrible how they became so attached, mused Kendrick. His thoughts were interrupted when the young woman seemed to respond to some of their conversation. "Is it me you hear?" He was perplexed. It made no sense at all that she would escape death, only to hear the angel come to take her away. He looked from the girl to her guardian, silently asking him if he knew what was going on. Kendrick had never heard of something happening of this nature, it was completely unheard of.

Derek glanced at his charge curiously before turning his attention back to Kendrick. He shrugged his shoulders, showing that he had no idea what was happening.
Alexis nodded, even though she wasn't sure whether or not whoever this speaker was could see her. "Yes... Where are you?" she asked. Based on what she heard, she didn't like what this man was saying. What was it about souls and taking her? That did not sound like something she wanted to stick around for.

Kendrick approached the young woman, and placed a hand on her shoulder gently. It was the first time he had ever touched anyone since his own death, anyone living that was. "I am standing before you. You cannot see me is that it?" They would see her as crazy if any heard, but after the accident he supposed it would not be seen as badly. His wings rose almost of their own volition, to surround the two. For some reason Kendrick did not want Derek to listen in on their conversation. IT was curiosity, maybe now he would understand why it was that angels became so attached to their human charges.

Alexis flinched back when she felt a faint pressure on her shoulder. She shook her head slowly, looking around in the whole space in front of her, but only seeing the wreckage from the bus. "No.. I can't see you." she said. She wasn't very comfortable with this situation and really wanted to get out of it.
Derek frowned when his charge was blocked from his view. What was he supposed to do now? It was against the rules to touch an Angel of Death and it would result in his death. If he died, there was no way he'd be able to protect Alexis. That was the last thing he wanted.

Seeing her flinch he removed his hand. Loneliness seemed to fill him, for the first time in centuries. Death was always alone, with never one person , angel or otherwise, wiling to deal with it. It stood alone like a dessert island in the middle of the ocean. A volcano above the wreckage it had caused stood silently watching new life arrive.

This young woman could hear him, feel him. It was a strange sensation to know this. "Perhaps... Perhaps you were meant to die another day," murmured Kendrick as he backed away from the young woman. Her name was Alexis, and after checking his list a surprise met his eyes. Kendrick found that Alexis's name had disappeared, vanished completely from the parchment.

Relief flooded through her body as Alexis felt the hand that was on her shoulder move away. She blinked her blue eyes a few times, hoping that would help whoever this mysterious man was appear. But there still was no sight of him. She took a step back, closer to the school wall when she heard what was said next. She couldn't really understand what was said, but she was sure that she heard the word die. An uncomfortable feeling twisted in her stomach and she took another step back. She knew that she really should wait for the paramedics to check her over, but she decided she felt fine enough not to see a doctor, so she turned and walked quickly away from the accident, wanting to get far away from whatever it was that wanted her dead.

Out of curiosity he followed the young woman. Darkness followed with him as rain began to fall, punctuating the sad events of the day. Kendrick felt miserable, and for once in his angelic life hated what he did. There were others like him, angels of death.. Enough that his absence would not halt any of their work. He felt it was well warranted considering the circumstances. It was necessary to find out why her name had disappeared from the list, and why she could hear and feel him.

"I mean you no harm Alexis," said Kendrick as he approached her quickly. It was the truth, without her name on the parchment there was no need to take her soul away. The dark haired girl ... She seemed all too familiar sometimes when the light came across her face in just the right way. Or the way the wind blew her hair in all different directions... It reminded the angel of dim memories that had best lay forgotten.

Derek followed closely after the two, keeping an eye on his charge. Sure, he did have other people to look after. But he wasn't going to risk leaving her alone with this Death Angel. What if he took her away? He wouldn't be able to stand the thought. So for now, he was going to watch and wait. The moment Kendrick tried something though, he was going to have to intervene.

Alexis bit her lip lightly when it started to rain and she sped up her walking. It wasn't that she didn't like the rain... It's just that after everything that's happened recently, she just really wanted to get home, curl up under a blanket and forget the whole thing. When she heard the man's voice again, she quickly looked over her shoulder. But again, she saw nothing except the street and sidewalk. "How come I can't see you?" she asked, hoping that whoever this was would be able to answer her.

Feeling the presence of her guardian, he quickly flashed the parchment containing the names of the souls he was supposed to greet. As he walked backwards Kendrick pointed to each name, making a show of the fact that Alexis wasn't there. Turning around once more, he jogged until he stood at her shoulder. "Because I'm an angel of death," answered Kendrick simply.

Her reaction was certainly going to be interesting. So far Alexis had taken things calmly enough, considering that she was hearing a voice with no body. A person with no visual substance was following her around and speaking with her; that was enough to drive any human crazy. It had certainly done so on other occasions when other ghosts appeared to them.

Derek's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did relax some when he seen the list. At least his charge wasn't going to die anytime soon. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He figured now would be a good time to check up on the others he was supposed to be watching. After all, who knew what kind of trouble they could get into. So he faded away and prayed that she wasn't going to get hurt.

Alexis froze in mid-step. An angel of death was following her? Her heart-rate picked up it's pace and she resisted the strong urge just to run. But she saw no point in it. After all, if death was after her, where could she go? "... Why are you following me?" she asked, hoping her voice was even and that his answer wasn't so that he could kill her.

A soft chuckle left Kendrick at her reaction. It was so nice to be recognized sometimes, even if it was with fear in most cases. "I follow you, because you can hear me. That hasn't happened before. I'm simply trying to solve this little problem." He turned to find her guardian angel gone for the moment, and raised an eyebrow. By rights he was her guardian at the moment with no other angel to protect her. It was a strange paradox of sorts. If an accident happened, if someone came to harm Alexis, would Kendrick be in a position to help her or would he have to let things take their course? He shook his head, not wanting to be faced with such a complex dilemma.

Alexis was silent for a few seconds before she forced her feet to start moving again. She was surprised that this Death Angel hasn't killed her yet. Not that she was complaining, of course. She was glad that she was still alive. She glanced over her shoulder again, hoping that this mysterious man would suddenly appear. But again, she saw the empty street behind her. "How do you recommend fixing the problem? Not killing me, I hope." she said, keeping her voice light and calm. There was no need to let him know how scared she was.

Kendrick laughed at her morbid sense of humor. If he didn't know any better she could have been a fallen death angel. Somehow, it didn't seem so far fetched considering she was speaking with him. She did seem familiar, and she shouldn't have. "No, not killing you at all. That won't happen, since your name isn't on the list anymore for some reason." He was perplexed and confused, and it came trough his voice as he spoe from behind Alexis's shoulder.

An angel... Perhaps she had been one? She seemed to have an angelic quality about her. There was another explanation for this familiarity, a harder one to swallow. "Tell me about your parents, and your life. It may hold the key." Perhaps she was related by blood to an angel, perhaps it had been someone he knew. It would explain quite a bit. There was also the chance that Kendrick didn't even remember, since for some reason he had forgotten many things when he shouldn't have.

Alexis was silent for a few seconds, thinking over what this man had said. But she was so glad she wasn't gong to die anytime soon. That knowledge actually seemed to help her relax around this.. Death Angel? She was sure that's what he was.. After all, he was killing people and was invisible. She was actually tempted to reach behind her to see if she could touch this man. After all, if he could touch her, than shouldn't it work the other way around.

But she didn't want to risk scaring him off, so she kept her hands by her side as she headed down the sidewalk. She bit her lip lightly, contemplating whether or not she should reveal any personal information about herself... But if he is an Angel, the chance that he already knows all this information is very highly. "Well... I was adopted when I was about 6... My adoptive parents couldn't seem to have any children of their own, so they figured adoption was the only way they were going to have a child. But when I was 10, they managed to conceive their own child." she said, shrugging lightly. "He's a nice boy. Always nice to me, at least... Last year my father died in a car accident, so it's just been the three of us." That was really all she was willing to share. No need to talk about herself too much. After all, she didn't know the guy she was talking too.

Nodding, Kendrick kept following the girl. So she could be something... Not quite human, the trick was figuring out if that was the reason behind this development. The man chuckled when he realized she couldn't see his nod. "It sounds like you have a wonderful family. You're very lucky." The angel moved forward to walk at her side, and folded his wings so they didn't brush her. It wouldn't do to have her tripping over them all the time, then again people would start thinking Alexis was clumsy.

(Sorry for the short and late response!)

((It's fine.))

Alexis smiled lightly as she nodded. "Yeah. They're great." she said. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and pushed the strands behind her hair. She was very much aware of people looking at her as she passed them and she appeared to be speaking to herself. But she honestly didn't care. She was silent for a long moment. "... Do you have any family?" she asked. She didn't think he did, but she figured she might as well ask. She didn't want to sound rude.

Kendrick blinked, surprised at the question. "I had a family, but then I died my first death only to be turned into an angel. It's horrible, because I can't remember any of them, or much from my life before this. Sometimes I wish it was otherwise, these little snippets of memories are so frustrating!" He had said a little too much, but he felt like he could talk to the young woman. Besides, it was only fair considering all the angel of death was putting her trough.

He caught the people staring, and sent a little nudge to their guardians about it. Alexis might not have cared, but Kendrick did. IT wouldn't do for the young woman to have her reputation ruined because of him. A few days spend in his company would already do enough to how she viewed the world.

Alexis was silent for a second, instantly regretting asking the question. It was obvious to her that she upset this Death Angel and now she felt bad. "I'm sorry to hear that.." she muttered, dropping her gaze to the ground for a moment before lifting it so she didn't end up running into anybody. She bit her lip lightly before unconsciously looking over her shoulder once more. "... If you don't mind my asking... What's your name?"

The guardians about the other people shot Kendrick a curious look, wondering why he was following after that young woman without taking her soul, but they remained silent about it. They whispered quiet words into their charges ears and they averted their attention away from the strange person talking to herself.

A smile flitted across his face, and was clearing audible in his voice. "No need to apologize. You're such a good listener that I let more slip then I had intended." Kendrick saw her looking over her shoulder, so he tapped the said shoulder to tell her where he was. "My name is Kendrick, it's a pleasure to meet you Alexis." It was, surprisingly enough.

The angel found himself enjoying her company, and felt guilty for having frightened her. If a choice did come up between doing his duty, and letting her go he would still do what he had to do. If not, suffering would happen. Death was a natural part of the life cycle, without it things seemed to mean less.