*Chapter Twenty: Secrets of the Past*
Screeching. Lights flashing. Screaming. Silence. Darkness.
Sydney sat up so fast that she could feel her heart thud against her chest. She peered into the darkness, wondering when the dream would stop. It had been attacking her mind for many years, each time a different scene flashing in front of her. Even though it had a miscellaneous ways of showing itself, the awful dream repeated the same thoughts over and over again.
Then the last hearing that she had been to jumped out of the darkness at her and into her mind. The judge and the whole crowd in the courtroom had been shocked to hear her plea guilty.
"Girl, pss…over here," a small voice directly across from her whispered. Sydney nervously glanced around her, wondering if anybody else in the room was awake. When she decided that no one was, she stood up and walked over the door, gripping the bars with her cold fingers.
"What do you want?" Sydney asked the girl across from her.
"You were dreaming." Her blue eyes glowed in the darkness.
"How could you tell…Angela was it?" the teenager asked as loudly as she dared.
"You were crying out in your sleep for your mom and dad. Then you let out a few muffled screams," she explained. Sydney's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. "And yes, it's Angela. Your name slipped my mind."
"Sydney. It looks as if I'll be staying here for a while," she grumbled. Crossing her arms, she sat down on the concrete floor.
"For assisting in that murder? You plead guilty, right?"
"Wow. News sure travels fast in this jail. How'd you find out so quickly?" Sydney could barely make out Angela nod her head towards the small TV that was placed in the upper right corner in the room. "I was on TV? Sweet!" she said, a grin playing her face.
"Yeah," Angela sighed. "But that's not something to be proud of…especially in your case. Actually, I was on TV a long time ago," she paused, pushing a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "When I killed those two in a car crash."
"That must have been pretty harsh," Sydney said, raising her eyebrows. "I mean, you'll be in here for life sentence, right?" Angela just cocked her head to one side and stared off into another world. "Right?" Sydney repeated. Angela jumped and nodded her head abruptly.
"Yeah," she murmured. "Uh…you better get back to sleep, girl," Angela told her. "Looks like you've got a big day tomorrow. On the news, they announced your schedule for the next few days: packed!"
"I'm not tired anymore," Sydney sighed. "You know how I was dreaming? Well, I keep having the same dream over and over again. I always wake up at this one point."
"What happens in the dream?" Angela asked curiously.
"I'm not exactly sure; can't make out the whole picture. But here's all I can tell you. First of all, I'm with two other people and then there's this big screeching noise. Next thing I know, there's bright lights shining wildly in my face and the two people with me scream. Then all is dark and that's when I wake up."
"Wow. Sounds pretty dramatic…like a…" Angela's words trailed off and her face turned white. "Like a car accident…" she mumbled under her breath. Sydney's eyes widened and she stood up.
"Car a-accident?" she stuttered. "Wait! Now I remember! After the darkness there's men tugging at me and grabbing my arm. Then I'm…oh my gosh, Angela!" Sydney broke out in sobs. "I see my parents—the two people with me—dead! The screeching was the brakes and the lights were the car's headlights that hit us." Her body froze and her mind fell into a daze. She struggled to see Angela's face through the darkness.
"January 1, 1991," Angela mumbled. Her cheeks were sheet white.
"Yes," Sydney gasped. "But…but how did you know?"
"Um…Sydney? I…I…oh I can't do this, God! I can't!" Angela cried. She fell to the floor of her cell and let her tears flow onto the hard concrete.
"Can't do what, Angela?" Sydney asked slowly.
"Sydney," Angela sobbed. "I was the one…I did it…I killed them!" she whispered.
"You mean to say that you're the one who killed my parents? You're the one who hit us? I can't believe this…I just can't!" Sydney's glare pierced the darkness as a single tear dropped from her brown eye.
"I'm so sorry, girl. I never meant to…honestly. And now that night is clear to me. I remember who I am."
"And who are you?" Sydney snapped.
"I'm an angel," Angela whispered. Sydney stared at the girl in front of her in shock and pain. How could this be? An angel?
"You're telling me that you're an angel," she laughed. "And you want me to believe that why?"
"Because it's true. God sent me here twelve years ago to earth. But something unexpected happened. I hit a car with humans in it. I was waiting here for many years, hoping that God would send someone to bring me back home. But he never did. So I forgot who I was as time passed. You helped me to remember it now. I guess I should probably complete my mission—my assignment," Angela said. Suddenly a brilliant light shone about her and her figure glowed in a glorious image. "God loves you, Sydney. He wants to be a part of your life if you'll just let him into your heart. And he's willing to forgive you for what you've done."
"You really are an an-angel," Sydney said awestricken. "I can't believe this!"
"Why is it so hard to believe that God would send an angel to you, Sydney?" Angela asked quietly.
"Well, where was an angel when my parents died! Huh? Why didn't God send an angel then?" Sydney snapped.
"There was an angel there on that cold night, Sydney," a new voice spoke. Suddenly, a figure appeared in between the two cells. He also shone with the same glorious light as Angela. "My name is Adam and I'm the Angel of Death. I stayed with your parents the whole time. They're with God now—in Heaven. There's no more pain and no more suffering for them," Adam explained. He slowly reached down and touched Sydney's hand.
"The Angel of Death?" she asked surprised. "I didn't picture you to be like this. I thought you were supposed to have a black cloak with a long bony finger pointing to the grave," Sydney said with almost a laugh.
"No," Adam chuckled. "In human form, we angels look exactly like you."
"And when we're in spiritual form, you can't see us," Angela told the teenager. "Now, Sydney, are you ready to ask for God's forgiveness?"
"Yes, I am," she answered meekly. "I'm ready."
