This wasn't origionally intended to be a two-part fic, but then it turned out to be *really* long, so I picked a point where I could cut it off (and yes, it *is* a cliffhanger) so I could post the first part, then get the second part up when it's done. This is my first stab at an investigation fic, so I would love to know what you think :)
"Good morning, Melanie!" August said cheerfully as she walked into the coffee shop as she did every morning.
"Hi, August," Melanie smiled back, "the usual?"
"Sure," August replied. 'The usual' was a cup of tea in a travel cup. It was up to Melanie to decide what kind of tea it was. As Melanie went about making August's tea, August went to the condement table and got a packet of sugar and a stirring straw. She rummaged through her purse and found the two dollars she needed to pay for the tea.
"It's ready," Melanie called from behind the table.
August picked up her tea and exchanged it for her two dollars. She then went over to a table and lifted the lid off of the cup. It was green tea today. She poured in the contents of the sugar packet and mixed it in. After that she went out the door, habitually saying, "Goodbye," to Melanie.
She walked over to her blue-green Dodge Spirit and opened the door, placing her tea in the cupholder. She turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking lot to school.
August drove onto the ramp leading to the highway and instictively searched the oncoming traffic for a place to slip in. Spotting an open space behind a purple convertible, she turned on her blinker and prepared to merge.
What she didn't see was a truck two lanes over that was going to switch lanes into the same spot. By the time she did spot it, there was no way for her to stop. There was a car directly behind her and if she stopped, she would crash right into it.
August braced herself for the crash by closing her eyes and letting out a scream.
The crash never came. August cautiously opened her eyes to find herself driving in her lane with the rest of the traffic.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone waving at her from the black car next to her. Being so shaken up by what had just happened, she didn't think to wave back, but the person's image did register in her brain as someone she had seen before. When she calmed herself down, she turned around to wave back at the guy in the black car, but he wasn't there.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Aaron waited for August by the door of the Anthropology building. He did this every morning and every day, they would walk to Professor Dunn's class together.
He spotted her familiar red hair and waved. As she walked closer, Aaron noticed that August looked a little ... un-August-like.
"Are you okay?" he asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I almost got into a car accident," August replied, not mentioning that she *had* in fact seen a ghost.
"You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?" he asked, concerned.
"No, I'm fine," August said, a little less than convincingly as they walked into the building.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Professor Dunn?" August approached Declan after class.
Declan looked up from his desk, "Hi ... um ... Agnes?"
"August," August corrected.
"August ... right," Declan said, "what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Um ..." August faltered, "You like to investigate miracles, right?"
"Yeah," Declan said, not quite sure where this was going, but very interested.
"Well, there's this guy that I saw this morning, when I was driving to school," she started, "I think he's an angel."
"Really?" Declan asked, even more intrigued.
August went on to explain the whole story. She had almost gotten into an accident, but somehow, without her even trying, she had avoided it. What really caught Declan's attention was how the angel 'disappeared'.
"Have you seen this guy before?" Declan asked, "Before this morning, I mean."
"Well, yes, actually," August said, "this isn't the first time this has happened. One time, when I was really little, about eight, I think, I was leaning over the railing of a bridge that went over a river. Then I lost my balance and was about to flip right over the railing into the water, but then I found myself lying down on the bridge, and he was there, standing over me."
Declan just sat there, wide eyed, "Wow," he said.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Well, what if his car stalled?" Peggy challenged. Declan had come to her office and given her all the info on his latest 'miracle', "Then, by the time she turned around, he would be out of sight."
"Peggy," Declan said, "she closed her eyes; she had no control of her car. How can you explain her opening her eyes being in the lane with the rest of the traffic?"
"Maybe it's just a --"
"Coincidence?" Declan cut Peggy off.
"It's not altogether impossible, Declan," Peggy reminded him.
"She said that this morning wasn't the first time she had seen him," Declan said, "the angel, I mean."
"Oh?" Peggy inquired.
"She said he also saved her from falling off a bridge when she was eight,"
Peggy thought for a moment, "What if this guy she keeps seeing --"
"The angel," Declan interjected.
"He's not necissarily an angel," Peggy said.
"He could be,"
"You don't know that,"
"Yeah, I'm just saying that he *could* be an angel," Declan argued his point.
Peggy sighed, "Well, what if this *angel* is a hallucination that she made up in her mind?"
"Even if the angel is a hallucination, that doesn't explain the miracles themselves," Declan said triumphantly.
"But there probably *is* a way to explain it," Peggy said, "and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find it."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Erin DeJong flipped through old family pictures. She had more time to do things like this now that August was in college. She looked through the faded black-and-white photos that captured her youth, and helped her remember her brother, Gerald.
Gerald was very tall: at least six feet. He had the brightest green eyes you could imagine and a nest of haphazardly arranged bright red hair to contrast his eyes. He was the kind of person you couldn't help but be happy around. Even now as she remembered him, his memory didn't make her sad.
Years back, when August had just turned three years old, Gerald was taking her out for a birthday ice cream. On the way back, there had been a car accident. Gerald died saving August's life.
She remembered it very clearly, getting the phone call from the hospital, saying that Gerald was in critical condition, but August survived with barely a scratch.
She only had one scar, a cut on her upper right arm from a shard of flying glass.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Peggy was on her way home from work. It had been a long day. She put her brain in auto-pilot mode as she drove half asleep.
All of the sudden, she felt her foot being guided to step on the break, even though the upcoming light was green.
Then, a car driving on the other street of the intersection ran right through the red light. The car would have hit Peggy.
As Peggy drove through the intersection, something in her passenger seat caught her eye.
There was a girl there!
She looked again to make sure it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Sure enough, there was a little girl, about four years old, with curly black hair sitting in the passenger seat.
The girl smiled and disappeared leaving Peggy to wonder if it *had* been a hallucination.
"Good morning, Melanie!" August said cheerfully as she walked into the coffee shop as she did every morning.
"Hi, August," Melanie smiled back, "the usual?"
"Sure," August replied. 'The usual' was a cup of tea in a travel cup. It was up to Melanie to decide what kind of tea it was. As Melanie went about making August's tea, August went to the condement table and got a packet of sugar and a stirring straw. She rummaged through her purse and found the two dollars she needed to pay for the tea.
"It's ready," Melanie called from behind the table.
August picked up her tea and exchanged it for her two dollars. She then went over to a table and lifted the lid off of the cup. It was green tea today. She poured in the contents of the sugar packet and mixed it in. After that she went out the door, habitually saying, "Goodbye," to Melanie.
She walked over to her blue-green Dodge Spirit and opened the door, placing her tea in the cupholder. She turned the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking lot to school.
August drove onto the ramp leading to the highway and instictively searched the oncoming traffic for a place to slip in. Spotting an open space behind a purple convertible, she turned on her blinker and prepared to merge.
What she didn't see was a truck two lanes over that was going to switch lanes into the same spot. By the time she did spot it, there was no way for her to stop. There was a car directly behind her and if she stopped, she would crash right into it.
August braced herself for the crash by closing her eyes and letting out a scream.
The crash never came. August cautiously opened her eyes to find herself driving in her lane with the rest of the traffic.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone waving at her from the black car next to her. Being so shaken up by what had just happened, she didn't think to wave back, but the person's image did register in her brain as someone she had seen before. When she calmed herself down, she turned around to wave back at the guy in the black car, but he wasn't there.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Aaron waited for August by the door of the Anthropology building. He did this every morning and every day, they would walk to Professor Dunn's class together.
He spotted her familiar red hair and waved. As she walked closer, Aaron noticed that August looked a little ... un-August-like.
"Are you okay?" he asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I almost got into a car accident," August replied, not mentioning that she *had* in fact seen a ghost.
"You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?" he asked, concerned.
"No, I'm fine," August said, a little less than convincingly as they walked into the building.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Professor Dunn?" August approached Declan after class.
Declan looked up from his desk, "Hi ... um ... Agnes?"
"August," August corrected.
"August ... right," Declan said, "what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Um ..." August faltered, "You like to investigate miracles, right?"
"Yeah," Declan said, not quite sure where this was going, but very interested.
"Well, there's this guy that I saw this morning, when I was driving to school," she started, "I think he's an angel."
"Really?" Declan asked, even more intrigued.
August went on to explain the whole story. She had almost gotten into an accident, but somehow, without her even trying, she had avoided it. What really caught Declan's attention was how the angel 'disappeared'.
"Have you seen this guy before?" Declan asked, "Before this morning, I mean."
"Well, yes, actually," August said, "this isn't the first time this has happened. One time, when I was really little, about eight, I think, I was leaning over the railing of a bridge that went over a river. Then I lost my balance and was about to flip right over the railing into the water, but then I found myself lying down on the bridge, and he was there, standing over me."
Declan just sat there, wide eyed, "Wow," he said.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Well, what if his car stalled?" Peggy challenged. Declan had come to her office and given her all the info on his latest 'miracle', "Then, by the time she turned around, he would be out of sight."
"Peggy," Declan said, "she closed her eyes; she had no control of her car. How can you explain her opening her eyes being in the lane with the rest of the traffic?"
"Maybe it's just a --"
"Coincidence?" Declan cut Peggy off.
"It's not altogether impossible, Declan," Peggy reminded him.
"She said that this morning wasn't the first time she had seen him," Declan said, "the angel, I mean."
"Oh?" Peggy inquired.
"She said he also saved her from falling off a bridge when she was eight,"
Peggy thought for a moment, "What if this guy she keeps seeing --"
"The angel," Declan interjected.
"He's not necissarily an angel," Peggy said.
"He could be,"
"You don't know that,"
"Yeah, I'm just saying that he *could* be an angel," Declan argued his point.
Peggy sighed, "Well, what if this *angel* is a hallucination that she made up in her mind?"
"Even if the angel is a hallucination, that doesn't explain the miracles themselves," Declan said triumphantly.
"But there probably *is* a way to explain it," Peggy said, "and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find it."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Erin DeJong flipped through old family pictures. She had more time to do things like this now that August was in college. She looked through the faded black-and-white photos that captured her youth, and helped her remember her brother, Gerald.
Gerald was very tall: at least six feet. He had the brightest green eyes you could imagine and a nest of haphazardly arranged bright red hair to contrast his eyes. He was the kind of person you couldn't help but be happy around. Even now as she remembered him, his memory didn't make her sad.
Years back, when August had just turned three years old, Gerald was taking her out for a birthday ice cream. On the way back, there had been a car accident. Gerald died saving August's life.
She remembered it very clearly, getting the phone call from the hospital, saying that Gerald was in critical condition, but August survived with barely a scratch.
She only had one scar, a cut on her upper right arm from a shard of flying glass.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Peggy was on her way home from work. It had been a long day. She put her brain in auto-pilot mode as she drove half asleep.
All of the sudden, she felt her foot being guided to step on the break, even though the upcoming light was green.
Then, a car driving on the other street of the intersection ran right through the red light. The car would have hit Peggy.
As Peggy drove through the intersection, something in her passenger seat caught her eye.
There was a girl there!
She looked again to make sure it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Sure enough, there was a little girl, about four years old, with curly black hair sitting in the passenger seat.
The girl smiled and disappeared leaving Peggy to wonder if it *had* been a hallucination.