Armin walked towards the stairwell at the end of his floor, wishing desperately that he wouldn't have to run into Kayla again. It was now mid-October, and for the first half of his semester, he had done his best to grit his teeth and deal with the petty malice the girls on his floor showed him every week.

As he neared the door leading to the long series of stairs in the building, he felt somebody shove past him in a hurry. Kayla sneered at him over his shoulder and spat "Pay attention for once!" as she ran out of sight. Armin groaned and made himself stop for a moment so he could calm down.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl he hadn't seen before sitting in one of the lounge chairs, looking at him with a horrified expression on her face. Armin turned to her and helplessly shrugged his shoulders, at a loss as to why he was being singled out nonstop. The girl grimaced and threw her hands up sheepishly in response.

Armin sighed and walked off his floor, muttering to himself "At least there's one decent person on this floor."

When he arrived at his Japanese classroom, he was the only one there, which didn't surprise him as he was super early. The windows were cracked open, and chilly October air was seeping through. Armin wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck, hoping that Annie would arrive soon. While he waited, Armin had his favorite Japanese song playing on repeat. It was a power ballad about something that he couldn't comprehend.

About 5 minutes later, she came plodding in, looking exhausted. Armin knew that she was finishing up her midterms for the semester, and that she had been pulling multiple all-nighters trying to keep up.

"Hey, Annie! Uh, are you doing ok?" he asked her hesitantly, watching her collapse into the seat next to him.

"Hi Armin. Well, I stayed up 'til about 4 in the morning trying to prepare for that damned Child Psychology exam. I knew that kids could be a pain in the ass, but this definitely takes the cake."

Armin grimaced, knowing that Annie's Psychology major could be far more stressful than this Music major.

"But hey, you made it, right?"

"I guess. Hey, what's that you're listening to?"

She was looking at the cover art of the song he was listening to. Armin grinned at her and gave her one of her earbuds.

"This is my favorite song ever! Here, listen to it and tell me what you think!"

The two friends sat side by side, sharing Armin's headphone's as they listened to the woman's strong voice say things in Japanese that were beyond their understanding.

Armin watched a small smile grow on Annie's face as the song reached its climax.

"I knew she'd like it" he mused, pleased that he had shared the beauty of the song with somebody.

When the song was finished, Annie yanked the earbud out and told him "I see why you love it so much. I wonder what she's singing about though."

Armin shrugged and told her "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's something really beautiful."

Annie smirked and said "Are you sure, Armin? For all we know, this could be a ballad about killer rabbits."

Armin burst out in a fit of giggles and Annie sniggered.

It took them both a minute to regain their composure. Armin clutched at his aching stomach and asked her "Why killer rabbits, Annie?"

She gave him a smug look and told him "Hey, you never know."

As they continued to laugh, the rests of their classmates came in, and soon after, their sensei came suit.

The class session dragged on, until the two of them were finally able to leave. They headed towards their favorite dining hall, their stomachs rumbling.

Lunch was spent mostly in silence as they devoured their food with gusto. Annie yawned when she finished and asked him "Hey, is everything going ok on your floor?"

Armin sighed and told her "Yeah. I just can't understand why there are so many mean girls on my floor."

Annie muttered "Birds of a feather flock together, as they always say. And bitches aren't an exception."

He pushed away his plate and said "I wish my Dad was still around. He was a police officer, and he would've been on this so fast."

Annie looked at him sadly and asked him "Your Dad was really protective of you, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. He didn't put up with any crap. He was always the first person in my family to get angry when anything would happen to me."

"He must've been a badass policeman."

"Oh, he was. Nobody could stand in his way when he was on the job."

Annie smiled and asked him "Do you have a favorite memory of him?"

Armin sat still and pondered for a moment, trying to think through his times with his father Will, the giant of a man with a golden heart.

"There is one memory I can think of" he told her, thinking back to his elementary school years. "Like I've already told you, my Dad was always there for me when people tried to hurt me. There was a time when I was in 3rd grade when I was getting picked on by some stupid kids…"

Armin sat in the guidance counselor's office, sniffling and wiping away his tears. The pack of 5th graders had been at it again, except their usual verbal taunts had been mixed with words that Armin had never heard of before.

"What did they mean when they called me a-"

"Armin?"

In the doorway stood the guidance counselor, a kind old woman who did her best to look out for every student that came to her for help. Armin had made himself tell her what had happened right after school ended, when Zachary and his friends had backed him up against the lockers and toyed with him, until a teacher finally walked by.

"Sweetie, your father's waiting in the main office. Please come with me."

Armin followed her, trying to forget what he had been put through.

When they walked into the main office, the principal and Armin's father, a massive blonde giant, were talking in hushed voices. Armin was able to pick up parts of what they were saying.

"I want a full report of what's been happening to my kid, you understand? This has gone on long enough."

"Look, Mr. Arlert, I know you're upset-"

"Upset? You've been letting these brats target my child for weeks now! Do you have any idea what might've happened if Armin hadn't gone to the guidance counselor sooner?"

"But I can't just write up Zachary and those other boys like that! Their parents have dedicated their time and money to improving this school-"

"Either write a report, or I'll file one with my workplace. I've wasted my time trying to put up with your crap."

Will saw Armin out of the corner of his eye, and his composure momentarily faltered when he saw the tears drying on his child's cheeks. Armin looked up at him with eyes pleading to be taken as far from the school as possible.

"Armin told me everything that's happened to him, Mr. Arlert" the guidance counselor told him. "It's worse than I thought. What those boys said to him…"

She shuddered, and Armin watched his father grit his teeth. Will glared down at the principal, who quaked under his gaze.

"You've heard my last warning. I don't get a response from you by next week, expect my boss to be contacting you."

He looked at Armin and gently said "Let's go home, son."

Armin and his Dad left the elementary school hand in hand, his father looking imposing in his uniform.

"He must've been called on duty" Armin realized.

While Will drove them home, he kept looking at Armin over his shoulder, worry creasing his features. Armin was gazing out the window, trying to keep the images of Zach and his goons out of his memory. The newest insult that the pig had spouted was still itching at the back of his mind, and Armin had a sinking sensation that it was the cruelest word in Zach's vocabulary.

"Armin?" Will hesitantly asked him, as the scenery around them zoomed by, "are you ok son?"

Armin gulped and told him "I…I don't know, Dad. Zach was really mean today. Meaner than usual. He and his friends kept calling me this weird word…"

"What word?" Will was gripping the wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles bleach-white. Armin shuddered, knowing that his father was going to snap once he heard what had happened.

"Um…Dad…what's a "faggot"?

His father swore so loudly that Armin nearly jumped out of his seat in fright. Will was breathing heavily, trying to not lose his temper in front of his kid. The car was at a stoplight, giving him the opportunity to fully look at Armin. Will's agitation was making Armin shudder, it was so palpable.

"They called you a what?" his father asked him. Armin thought that his dad was begging him to deny what he had just said.

Armin sniffled, feeling the tears welling up again. Will grimaced, and shot a quick look at the car's clock.

"Hey, let's head over to the park real quick, ok? I want you to tell me everything that happened."

"Ok Dad."

Will drove them to the park near their home, a quiet area near the river that teemed with various colors in the spring. Will opened the door of the car and helped Armin out, leading him by the hand to one of the nearby benches. They sat down together, and Will looked down at him intently, his sharp blue eyes boring into his son's exhausted face.

"What have these boys been doing to you, son? Please don't hide any of this from me."

Armin made himself look up at his dad, and he began to speak.

"A few weeks ago, Zach and his friends starting shoving me up against the lockers after school ended, and yelling in my face about how "girly" and a wimp I am. I didn't do anything to make them angry, I promise! All I did was walk past them after class, and…"

Will gently laid his hand on top of Armin's, covering it up completely.

"You don't need to apologize for any of this, son" he told Armin, his voice softer than usual. "None of this is your fault. The only ones to blame for this crap are those snot-nosed brats. I promise you, I'm gonna do whatever I can to stop this from happening again."

Armin managed to give a small smile in response. He knew that his father's words were filled with integrity; William Arlert always made good on his word when he swore to protect somebody from future harm. It didn't matter how dangerous the situation seemed for the victim, Will was absolutely ruthless with hunting down their attackers and ensuring that justice was served.

The new insult that Armin had heard earlier that day was still agitating the back of his mind, and he felt an unpleasant desire to know what it meant.

"Uh…so Dad, what does that word mean?" he asked his father.

Will let out a sad sigh and briefly looked away, desperate to avoid the conversation that was about to take place.

"No child should know what that word means, son" he began. "That's a vile word used by people who are desperate to believe that they're superior to others. I can't tell you exactly what that word means, because there are some things in this world that you won't be able to understand until you're a bit older."

He paused, and then bent down, wrapping a huge arm around Armin's frail shoulders. Will pulled his son close to him, holding him close in a tight side hug.

"Armin, buddy, listen to me" Will pleaded. "The boys that attacked you will never be better than you; they've already sunk to the level of absolute trash. They tried to hurt you and call you things because they hate you for being different. But Armin, there's nothing wrong with you. You might not be like other boys your age, but your difference is a blessing, not a curse. You were made this way for a special reason, and that reason isn't so that you can be picked on."

Armin felt himself finally relaxing, his father's words soothing his hurt.

"You might have to deal with more ugly people like them in the future, son, but no matter how hateful and twisted they may be, they'll never be able to overcome the love that you have in your life. I love you. Your mother loves you. Your grandparents love you. And don't you ever forget that no matter what happens, most of all, God loves you too."

With that, Will bent down and wrapped Armin up completely, in a massive embrace, holding him tight against his huge torso. Armin snuggled into the hug, trying and failing to wrap his small arms around his father.

"I love you, son" Will gently told Armin.

"I love you too, Dad" Armin replied, no longer afraid of being hurt by Zach and his goons again.

Will lifted Armin up, still in his embrace, and carried his son back to the car, where they drove away towards the house of Armin's grandparents, where a family dinner was being planned for the night.

When they entered their house, they were greeted by Judie, Armin's beloved grandma, whirling around her kitchen in a dark blue apron, dancing to old music on her radio as she cooked up several delicious smelling dishes.

"Hello boys!" she sang, rapidly stirring a massive pot of what Armin guessed was mashed potatoes by the smell. "Dinner will be ready soon. Will, would you do me a favor and help your father set up the table?"

"Of course, Mom" he told her, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. Will grabbed a stack of plates from the cupboard and went into the dining room, where the clack of the ceramic could be heard. Armin heard his grandpa shout a greeting from the kitchen, and Armin yelled hello back in reply.

Judie turned to Armin and beamed at him.

"How did school go today, dear?" she asked him, gently tussling his hair as she continued to stir the pot of potatoes.

Armin smiled back at her and told her "Well, those boys came after me again. But Dad's not gonna let them get away with it. He took me to the park after he picked me up from school and gave me a long talk that calmed me down. He's gonna make sure that they get disciplined, and that I don't get hurt again."

Judie sighed in relief and muttered "I'm sorry that they even once went after you, sweetie. May God have mercy on their souls…and on the souls of their parents who taught them to act in such a detestable way."

The two of them heard the front door open, and Armin felt his spirits surge. He whirled around with a wide grin on his face and ran forward.

"Mom!" he shouted, overjoyed at seeing his mother after a long and troubling day.

His mother, a beautiful woman with long blondish-brown hair, opened her arms wide with a smile as Armin tackled her, nearly knocking her off her feet. She chuckled and held her child close, happy to see him as well.

"Hey, sweetie. It's good to see you" she said, her light brown eyes twinkling with joy.

A small frown creased her features and she asked him "Are you ok? The guidance counselor told me about what happened today.

Armin nodded and as they walked into the kitchen with her arm wrapped around his shoulder, the two of them only a few inches apart in height.

"I'm ok. Dad and I had a long talk that really made me feel better. And he's gonna do everything he can to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"Oh, good. I'm glad, Armin."

Judie greeted her with a wave, saying "Hi Ellie! I'm almost finished cooking. Will and John are in the dining room setting up the table."

"Hi Judie! It's good to be here. I'm starving!"

Mother and son walked into the dining room, their stomachs rumbling and their spirits high.

Annie had a small smile on her face as Armin finished telling her his memory.

"That's awesome, Armin" she said. "You had a really cool dad."

Armin nodded and told her "You should've seen what happened after Dad confronted my principal. Dad told me and everybody else that he had contacted his boss at the police station as backup, in case my principal refused to do anything. Well, sure enough, nothing was done, so Dad's boss and a few other police officers got involved."

Armin sniggered, and Annie raised an eyebrow in question.

"They found out that I wasn't the only one that Zach had been bullying. A few other kids in my school were also getting picked on by him, and Zach's filthy rich parents were bribing my principal to cover it all up. When the district found out, they were furious, and fired my principal. Zach and his parents had everything completely blow up in their faces, and they had to leave the state because their reputation was ruined."

The memory of his father pounding the air with his fists and bellowing "Justice, motherf-cker!" after learning that Armin's principal had been fired as punishment was a scene that Armin cherished. William Arlert had no pity for the man who had covered up his son's torment.

"I'm glad that your father looked out for you so much. Dads can be true superheroes sometimes."

"He really was a superhero, Annie. Well, to me, at least. He always showed up when I needed him most."

He stiffened, realizing that there was another memory of his father resurfacing from his subconscious.

"Uh, actually, I have a close second favorite memory of him…"

Annie saw how shaken he already looked and hesitantly asked him "What's the memory?"

Armin gulped and told her "About 10 years ago, I got lost during the Memorial Day parade…"

Armin looked around at the crowds pressing in on him, terror seizing control of him. Only a few minutes ago, the mass of people walking around the street had separated him from his family, and Armin didn't know where they could be. Everywhere he looked, people thronged around him, pushing forward and taking Armin in the flow.

While he desperately thought of what to do, a group of middle-aged men saw him in the middle of the tide, and walked over to him. Their leader bent down so that he and Armin were at eye level.

"Hey buddy, you look lost."

"Please, help me!" Armin pleaded. "I can't find my family!"

The men looked at each other and nodded. The leader told Armin "Come with us, and we'll help you find them."

Armin followed the group of men through the massive crowd to the backyard of a rundown house. The house blocked out his view of the street and the throngs surrounding it. It dawned on Armin too late that nobody in the area would be able to see past the house.

Suddenly, a large hand clamped down on Armin's shoulder, gripping him in place, while another hand wrapped around his mouth and nose, holding a strange smelling cloth. Armin tried to scream for help and failed, the cloth and hand blocking out his feeble noise. The smell overwhelmed his senses, and Armin's vision faded to black.

When he woke up, he found himself in a rotting one-floor cabin in a woods far from his hometown. The one window in the building showed a cloudy sky outside that had no light coming through. Armin tried to move and realized that he was bound and gagged. He attempted to scream, and only a pitiful muffle came out.

"Why is this happening to me?!" he thought, panicking at the knowledge that he had been kidnapped.

Outside, he could hear his kidnappers chatting idly about the situation.

"The brat should be awake by now, right?"

"Probably. Bet the little -'s scared out of his mind."

"What should we do if he tries to run away?"

"Don't be ridiculous, he's bound tight. Even if he manages to get out of those bonds, we'll shoot him in the leg, and that's the end of that."

As if the man wanted to validate what he was saying, Armin heard a pistol being withdrawn and loaded with bullets.

"No! I don't want to die in the hands of these cruel people!"

Armin wriggled about, trying desperately to move his arms out of their bonds. He heard the men swear in anger, and footsteps coming towards him.

"Mom, Dad, somebody help me!" Armin thought, shouting a silent plea. "Grandma, grandpa, do something, please!"

Armin then remembered a religious lecture that Grandma Judie had given him when the drama surrounding Zach and his school finally finished up. She had taken him aside and told him rather sternly that in all situations, no matter how hopeless it seemed to be, Armin should always call on God to save him.

Armin shut his eyes tight and prayed the hardest he had ever prayed in his whole life: "God, please save me!"

At that moment, another pair of footsteps could be heard outside the cabin, and Armin heard his kidnappers stop in their tracks. Armin watched in confusion as sunlight began to slowly seep in, illuminating the inside of the cabin.

"Who the - are you?!" he heard the leader shout. Armin could hear the newcomer stop outside the cabin. The sunlight was becoming intense, nearly blinding Armin.

Armin heard a strong man's voice say calmly but firmly "Give Armin to me, and I'll spare you cowards your lives."

The four kidnappers all swore at Armin's apparent savior, and he heard them draw out their guns.

"Walk your sorry behind away, or we'll blast you to bits! Doesn't matter how big you are, you're 1 against 4!"

A cold edge of steel coated the newcomer's tone as he replied "Then so be it."

A split second later, Armin clamped his eyes shut and cringed as rapid gunfire sounded next to the cabin, his kidnappers screaming in agony. After only a matter of moments, the last gunshot echoed away, and he heard bodies crumple to the ground.

Heavy footfalls sounded in the cabin as the stranger walked towards Armin, still bound on the floor. Armin felt warmer for some reason, as if the sunlight itself was coming his way.

Two strong yet gentle hands easily undid the bindings all over Armin's body, and he gasped for air as the gag in his mouth was removed. He slowly opened his eyes and squinted at the light entering his field of vision. Armin looked up and gasped when he saw who had come to his aid.

A tall and powerfully built man with short blonde hair was kneeling next to him, a gentle smile on his face. Armin couldn't see him clearly because of the light in the cabin. He thought that the sunlight must've been pouring in all of a sudden. He vaguely recognized a police uniform on the man, and he wondered if his father had somehow come to his rescue.

"But is this really my dad? How did he get here the instant I said that prayer?"

The man extended a massive hand towards Armin, who hesitantly took it. The stranger carefully helped Armin rise to his feet, making sure that the boy didn't stumble. Armin looked up at the man in awe, no longer feeling terrified.

"You're safe now, buddy" the man said to him, still smiling down at him. "Those men can't do anything else to you."

Armin sniffled and felt tears of relief welling up within him. The man opened his arms, and Armin gladly leaned into the embrace, feeling the stranger's powerful arms wrap around him tightly, holding him tenderly.

Knowing that he had been taken from his family was overwhelming, and Armin quickly began to sob. "I was so scared…I was so scared…" he whispered, shaking all over.

His helper made soft shushing sounds, and began slowly rocking Armin back and forth in his hug, soothing the boy.

"I know, buddy. That's why I came for you. I'm sorry that those men wanted to kidnap you. But they can't do anything else to you now."

Armin felt a wave of exhaustion rush over him, and the man stood up, still holding Armin close to him. He walked towards the entrance of the cabin, and Armin's vision was filled with what he thought was the sunlight.

The last thing he heard before falling asleep in his helper's arms was the man gently whispering to him "Let's go home, buddy."

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Armin finally woke up in his mother's arms, as she wept profusely. He saw that all around him, his dad, grandma and grandpa were standing around them, everybody looking completely worn out.

Armin tried to mumble, and Ellie Arlert immediately snapped to attention.

"Armin!" she wailed, holding him closer and shuddering.

Armin could see that she was disheveled, her long hair plastered to her face with sweat and tears. The rest of his family looked likewise, especially his father, who was leaning on the kitchen counter for support. It was evident that his son's kidnapping had taken a heavy toll on him.

Judie and John drew closer to Armin, who was sitting up. His mother helped him rise to his feet as she tried to calm herself down. His family members were looking down at him with worry stretching their faces.

His grandpa shakenly asked him "Armin, what happened to you?"

Judie turned to him and firmly shook her head, saying "John, this isn't the time! Let him recover before he tells us."

Armin told them all "No, it's ok, I'll tell you what happened."

The four adults tensed up as Armin related what transpired after being separated from them during the parade. He watched rage contort their faces as he described what his kidnappers had said about the possibility of him escaping.

When he arrived to the topic of his rescuer, Armin perked up and turned to his mom with a wide grin.

"You don't need to be upset, Mom! Dad found me in the woods and brought me back home!"

Ellie squealed in relief and turned to her husband with excitement.

"Oh Will, I knew it was you! You didn't have to be so modest about it!"

His father looked completely bewildered, and tried to speak up when his parents followed suite.

"I'm proud of you, son" John Arlert told Will, and Judie simply looked at Will with a most loving expression.

Armin beamed up at him and said softly "Thank you for rescuing me, Dad. I was so scared, but you found me and took care of the bad guys. You're my hero!"

Will waved his huge arms around in a panic, and pleadingly said to everybody gathered "H-hey, wait!"

They all looked at him in confusion. Will had a known reputation in his family and job as being a very humble man who never got arrogant when being thanked for good work. But even still, nobody in the room could understand why he was getting so flustered.

He walked towards Armin and knelt down, placing his hand on Armin's shoulder and looking him square in the eye. Armin slowly began to realize he may have been mistaken over his rescuer's identity after all.

"Buddy…" his father began to say, "I'm not the one who found you. I was called by my station because they found you asleep and unharmed on their doorstep. Nobody knows who delivered you to the police station. I only picked you up there and brought you home. I had no idea that you were taken to a forest."

Armin gawked up at him as the rest of his family balked at the revelation. His grandparents shot each other confused looks as his mother began to stutter.

"W…what? But Will, then who found our son?"

"I don't have a clue, Ellie. But it wasn't me. I was driving around the city looking for him; I never went out towards the countryside, where the wooded areas are."

Aching to get an answer, Armin told his father "But Dad, it was you! You showed up and used your gun on the bad guys, and you were dressed up in your police uniform too! Not to mention, it looked like you were glowing…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Armin saw his grandma freeze in place.

His father paused, registering Armin's description and slowly asked his son "What do you mean I was glowing, buddy?"

"When you showed up outside the cabin, sunlight started pouring in, and when you took off my bindings, I couldn't see your face clearly because the sunlight was washing over you!"

His grandma was watching him intently as everybody tried to process what Armin was saying.

"Armin, sweetie, you may have been imagining things because of the horrible stress you were under" his mother told him carefully. "But the important thing is, you're safe. If we ever find the man who saved you, we'll definitely be thanking him."

Will groaned and muttered "Buddy, I'm so sorry. I've failed you as your father…"

Armin threw his arms around his father and begged him "Don't say that Dad! This isn't your fault, none of this is! I'm not mad at you, I promise! I'm just shaken that this happened, that's all."

His father hugged him back, and carried him away, laying him tenderly on the couch and placing a blanket over him. The two of them looked at each other for a while, and when Armin looked at his father's face closely, he recognized with shock dried tears on his father's cheeks.

"He really did blame himself for what happened to me. Oh, Dad…"

"Dad, please don't be so hard on yourself!" Armin whispered up to him, wanting desperately for his father to not hate himself. "No matter what happened, you did find me, and that's what's important."

Will sighed and whispered back "I know that, son. I just feel…so worthless…I let you disappear right under my nose, just because it was crowded along the street. And somebody from another division out there found you in those woods, instead of me. I feel like a failure, Armin…"

Armin smiled gently up at him, and told him "You're not a failure, Dad. You're my hero. And you'll always be my hero."

At last, his father smiled, and said softly "Thank you, buddy. I love you. Now get some sleep, ok?"

"I love you too, Dad. I will."

It was evening when Armin woke up again, and the only person in the room with him was his grandma, wrapped up in numerous midnight blue prayer shawls and clutching her rosary in intense prayer. She was the religious matriarch of the Arlerts, always desperate for Armin to understand how importance faith seemed to be. When she saw that Armin was awake, she hurried over to him and sat down next to him.

"How do you feel, sweetie?" she asked, worry still burdening her.

"Much better."

"Good. Sweetie, I have a question for you. Can you describe to me who this man was that you were talking about earlier?"

"Sure, grandma. I really did think that he was Dad. From what I could tell, he looked just like him: super tall and strong, short blonde hair, a police uniform. The weird thing is, I really think he was glowing. I thought at first that it was just the sunlight, but I couldn't see him clearly because he was giving off light. And he showed up the instant I prayed to God to save me."

He watched his grandma gawk in awe. Neither of them spoke as she processed the description.

Armin hesitantly asked her "Grandma, do you know who saved me?"

She breathed deeply and told her "I have a very good idea who did, sweetie, but I'm not entirely certain. But I do know that God definitely did save you today."

The rosary in her hands jingled as she drew it back up, closing her eyes and returning to her previous state of prayer. Armin bent forward, trying to understand the Latin prayer that she was whispering.

"Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen."

Annie sat in silence as she considered the possibilities in Armin's memory. Armin watched her as he himself wondered if an angel had been the one to save him back then.

"Honestly, Armin, there's no way that your Dad was the one who rescued you" she told him, biting her lip. "That wouldn't make sense. I'm not really a believer in this stuff, but it does sound like you had a guardian angel come to your aid."

"That's probably what grandma thought that night, too" he mused. "I think she was under the impression that Michael the Archangel was the one who saved me."

"For all I know, it could be."

They sat in silence together, contemplating the mysteries of Armin's memories. All around them, the cafeteria had grown silent, as the afternoon had grown late and lunch was finishing up. Classes for the two friends were finished for the day, and they were both eager to go back to their dorms and relax.

Annie glanced at her phone and told him "Hey, I gotta get going. Anything else you need to tell me?"

Armin paused to think and then asked her "Are you free Friday night? Would you be up for going to that café downtown? Maybe try a good pastry there?"

He earned a smug smile from his best friend. "Why Armin Arlert, are you asking me out on a coffee date?"

"A platonic coffee date" he corrected her with a wink.

Annie laughed and said "Deal. I could use a night out after all the bullshit midterms I've had to go through. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok Annie. See ya."

They walked in opposite directions towards their dorms, Armin watching her turn around the corner of the cafeteria over his shoulder. After a moment, he continued to walk, aching for Friday to come so that he could spend a good evening out.

On his way back to his dorm, he walked past a tall, well-built blonde with a golden cross necklace resting on his muscular chest. Armin felt his cheeks turn a light scarlet as he saw how buff the guy was. The hunk saw Armin looking at him, and gave him a small smile. Armin made himself look away, trying to hide his rapidly darkening cheeks. He heard the guy walk away, and he let himself breathe.

"He's so hot! And…he looks like the guy from that dream I had!"

Annie's warning flashed through his head, and Armin grimaced, knowing that she was right. But even with her advice in his head, he couldn't stop himself from being giddy.

"What if he's the one? I mean, you never know…"

Armin walked on to his dorm, stuck between his giddiness and the ominous sensation that he was making a terrible mistake.