Angela woke up in her comfortable king sized bed and flopped onto the floor. She got herself up and walked groggily towards the bathroom, rubbing her eyes and yawning. When she walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light, she paused and realized she'd just walked into the big white room where the Maker of Dreams lived. He was standing in the center of the room, waiting for her.
"Good morning Angela. Did you sleep well?" he asked, watching as Angela walked over to him.
"I slept fine; what do you want?" she asked as politely as she could.
"Your boy is getting better," he said. She stopped in front of him and nodded. "It'll be just a matter of time before he says he's okay�and you know what that means." She nodded again.
"Yes, I'll be done with him," she said.
" 'Only if your promise is you,' " the Maker quoted, lovingly stroking the side of her face. "I'll need you to do some things for me here when you've finished with him."
"�All right."
"You've become too attached to him, Angela," the Maker said, sitting down on a white chair that materialized beneath him. "I was afraid this was going to happen. You'll be punished accordingly, but�"
"Punished?" Angela asked. "What are you talking about?"
"You're putting our existence into jeopardy by becoming so close to him. You weren't supposed to talk to him to begin with, but someone with your amateur skills, I figured you needed to."
"Amateur skills?" she said, getting angry.
"I know he's an attractive young man, Angela, but you are not to see him after you finish your mission. This is strictly professional. Why, just speaking with him on the phone is enough to expose our secrets."
"So Taylor and I talk on the phone! What's the big deal?"
"Angela, if I knew this was going to happen, then I wouldn't have made you the angel on this mission."
"Who are you anyway?"
"Angela, please. I'm very angry with you right now." She was confused. "You will finish your mission with Mr. Hanson and that will be the end of it! If I even as much think you'll do otherwise you will be banished from the Earthbound Angels and you will lose all of your abilities! Your money? Gone. Your house and all of your possessions? Gone. Your mother? Gone! I don't like to do that but this is too important, Angela! I will strip you of your powers and leave you in a gutter to die! Now go!" With a wave of his hand Angela found herself back in her bathroom.
"Oh my God," she whispered, putting her hands over her mouth. She felt tears streaming down her face and she had no one to turn to, unless� She looked around, then ran back over to her bed, got in, and put herself quickly to sleep.
She arrived in Taylor's room a moment later as he was walking out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower with a towel around his waist. She looked at the time; why was he up so early? Did he get up this early every day?
"Angel? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, feeling her immediately. He realized he was only wearing a towel and got very self-conscious.
"Thank God you're awake," she said, throwing her arms around him. He could feel her shaking and immediately put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.
"Angel, what's wrong?"
"He threatened me! He said he was going to take away all of my abilities and leave me in a gutter to die!" she said, beginning to sob onto him. Taylor looked around and picked her up, bringing her over to the bed and sitting down on it with her in his lap. "I didn't know where else to go; I don't have anybody else to talk to and I'm so afraid of what he's going to do to me."
"Who?"
"The Maker! The Maker of Dreams! He said I was getting too attached to you and that if I saw you after you got better then I was going to expose the secret and he was going to take everything away from me! All of my things, all my money, he said he was going to kill my mother�I don't know what to do, Taylor!"
"This Maker guy, he's the one who sent you out here?"
"Yes."
"He doesn't sound like a very good guy." Angela sniffed, still crying.
"I don't know much about him�this is my first mission and I didn't exactly know how it was going to happen. I'm just so scared, Taylor."
"Shh�it's okay," he said. She was rocking and he began to rock with her instead of trying to make her stop. "He's not going to do any of that."
"How do you know?" she asked, pushing away from him. "You don't even know this guy!"
"Neither do you! Angel, this guy sent you here to take care of me. Why would he do something like that if he's in charge of sending Angels to take care of people with problems?" Taylor asked. Angel hugged him again and put her lips to his ear.
"I have a feeling," she whispered as softly as she could, "he's not the one in charge. I think he may be a bad guy."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice as low as hers.
"Well his whole way of getting me here was kind of suspicious. I've been to workshops, so to speak, about how to work with my abilities and learn what I'm fully capable of, and there was never any mention about a weird crystal that would send me here while I'm asleep." She took Taylor's hand and put it around the crystal that dangled from her neck. "That's what's been getting me here."
"So�"
"Taylor!! We're gonna be late!" Zac yelled, pounding on the door.
"Just a minute, Zac!"
"No! I'm not going to be late because of you again!"
"Then get a ride with Dad. I'm going to be late," Taylor yelled back.
"Dad already left!"
"Go the fuck away, Zac! I'm in the middle of something here." Zac huffed loudly and stormed away. "I'm sorry, Angel."
"No, you should get to work."
"This is more important," he told her. "So I'll be a little late, they don't need me right now. You need me right now."
"It's not about me, Taylor."
"Right now it is." He kissed her cheek and held onto her. "You're important to me, Angel. I hate to see you like this. Let me take care of you for once." She bit her lip. "Everything's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen, all right?"
"I'm scared."
"I know you are." He kissed her again. "It'll be okay." She nodded. "Okay, honey, I really need to go to work."
"All right."
"Do you want me to give you a call at lunch?" She nodded.
"Yes."
"Okay, I'll do that," he told her. "Are you going to be here tonight?" She sighed.
"I don't know. I hope so."
"Well if you're not I'll call you again. If you are, I'll see you tonight." He laid her down on the bed and realized again that he was still in a towel. "Oh, shit," he said, standing up. "Don't look."
"I won't." She put her hands over her eyes as he got dressed.
"You're not looking, are you?" he asked.
"No, Taylor, I'm not." After he was dressed he threw his towel back in the bathroom.
"Okay." She removed her hands and opened her eyes. "I'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah�" He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Everything will be okay."
"Taylor!!"
"Coming!" Taylor yelled. "I'll call you at lunch."
"Have a good day."
"I will." He turned around and left. She knew he was completely clueless on what to do about her problem but just his presence eased her. Outside the room Zac was waiting for him. Angela closed her eyes and saw the two of them together.
"What the fuck was going on in there?" Zac asked.
"My best friend had an emotional breakdown, what the hell was I supposed to do? 'I know you're crying your eyes out, but I gotta go to work, sorry.' I'm not like that, Zac."
"Your best friend?" Zac asked, skeptical. "Are you talking about that Angela chick?"
"Yes, if you must know."
"Since when is she your best friend?" Zac asked as the two of them went down the stairs.
"Since always," Taylor said. "Don't be so rude. She's the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Are you sure she isn't your girlfriend?" Zac asked.
"You're so young, Zac�" Taylor said, and shook his head as they left quickly. Angela, back in Taylor's bedroom, lying on his bed, smiled.
That evening Angela was excited to wind up back in Taylor's room the moment he opened the door and walked inside. "Hey Angel," he said. He walked over to her and gave her a hug, happy she was there. "How was your day?" he asked.
"Oh, it doesn't matter," she said. "How was your day?"
"No, I want to hear about your day. It's not always about me." He sat down in his chair, pulling her onto his lap. "What'd you do today?"
"Well," she said, "I woke up, had an episode here, then went to school, lolled around, went to sleep and here I am. What'd you do today?"
"Oh come on, Angel," he said. "Give me a little more than that." She sighed and put her head against his chest. She didn't want to tell him about her day; she was constantly looking around her and praying she wasn't going to get into trouble and that she would get to see Taylor again.
"My day doesn't matter, Taylor," she airily said.
"Fine. Be that way," he said and sighed. "I'm happy you're here. Everything's just perfect when you're here."
"Things are okay when I'm not here too," she said. "You don't need me anymore, Taylor. You're going to finish your album, do whatever it is you do and have a long happy life without me."
"I need you more than you think I need you," he told her.
"No you don't. You're better."
"Not in that way," he said. "I don't need you to make me better. I need you as my friend. Nobody knows me like you do. You're so important to me, Angel�" She shook her head although he couldn't see it.
"I'm just here to make you better, Taylor, and you are. You're better. You're okay now." He nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm okay." He was about to go on when someone knocked on the door. "Get up." She got up and walked with him to the door, holding his hand. He opened the door with his free hand and looked at the person behind it, confused. "Can I help you?"
"I'm here for Angela," the Maker of Dreams said, looking next to Taylor directly at Angela.
"You're what? Who are you?"
"Come with me," he said to Angela, ignoring Taylor's questions. He took Angela's hand and pulled her out of the door. Taylor was still holding tightly onto her and the three of them were pulled through the doorway and into the white room. Taylor looked around, confused, but froze immediately upon seeing Angela in front of him.
"Angel?" he asked, staring directly at her. He could see her now, bright brown eyes, long chestnut hair, pale but beautiful skin. She was, in a word, perfect. He took in her beauty, amazed, and drew attention from the Maker of Dreams.
"You," he said, "were not supposed to come with. Go home." The Maker lifted his hand to send him away.
"Taylor!!" Angela screamed as the white room disappeared, Taylor heard one more thing in his mind: Talk to Zo�. A moment later Taylor found himself outside his room, looking around, very confused. For a moment he thought it was a dream but he couldn't feel Angela's presence anymore, and a sudden shrill scream rang through his ears and he dropped to his knees in pain.
"Taylor? Are you okay?" Zac asked, stepping out of his room with what looked like a children's book in his hands. Taylor looked up, taking his hands off his ears.
"He took Angel."
"What?" Zac asked. Zo� came out of Zac's room, twirling and singing something Taylor didn't understand. Taylor stood.
"He took Angel! The guy who was here!"
"Um�Taylor, is everything all right?" he asked. "You're acting kind of weird."
"No! Nothing's all right? He took her! Did you see him?" Zo� came twirling by, still singing.
"Um, see who, Taylor?" Zac asked.
"The Maker!"
"The Maker?" Zac asked. "Okay�you're freaking me out. Let's go back in your room, maybe you should just rest."
"No! I've gotta find her!" he yelled. Angela's voice screamed again. Taylor cried out in pain at such a loud, shrill noise directly into his ears. Zo� continued to twirl and sing and Zac began to panic.
"Oh my God�Taylor�I'm going to get Mom."
"No! No, she wouldn't�Zo� will you fucking shut up!!" Taylor yelled at his little sister, who immediately stopped singing and began to cry. Zac picked her up.
"No, Zo�, you sing all you want. Taylor's gone crazy," Zac told her, shooting a look at Taylor. "He doesn't mean it. You sing all you want."
"Zac, I need to find Angel."
"Then go find her," Zac said, and gave Zo� a kiss. "I don't see how this has anything to do with me, or with some maker guy�" Upon hearing the word 'maker' Zo� began to sing again, softer now, and Taylor looked at her, her little head on Zac's shoulder.
"The Maker makes your wish come true," she was singing, "only if your promise is you�"
"Oh my God," Taylor said. "Zo�? Zo�, where'd you hear that?"
"Angel," Zo� said. "Angel taught me everything."
"Does she know your friend?" Zac asked.
"Shut up Zac," Taylor snapped. "Zo�, tell me, do you know where I can find Angel?" Zo� turned her head away. "Zo�, come on."
"You did yell at her," Zac said.
"Zo, bubs, I'm sorry," Taylor said. "I'm very sorry I yelled at you, but I need you help. Angel's gone and he took her. I need you to help me find her. Please, Zo�." Zo� looked back at him.
"Angel's gone?"
"Yes. She's in trouble and we need to help her."
"What the hell kind of friends do you have, Taylor?" Zac asked. Taylor ignored him.
"Will you help me, Zo?" Taylor asked. She nodded. "Great. How do we get there?"