Tonya was walking to Monica's office to say a quick hello before the group session that was scheduled. The girls had just finished with breakfast and there was a half hour break between breakfast and group therapy. Tonya remembered back to the conversation she had heard between Laura and Sarah the night before, and she was growing more and more worried. At breakfast, neither girl had said a word. Tonya guessed that Laura was silent because she was thinking about Friday, but Tonya couldn't figure out why Sarah looked so down. Maybe she's just worried about Laura. She is her best friend, after all. Tonya didn't know what to do, and that's when she decided to talk to Monica. She always loved her talks with Monica. She always came out of them feeling better, encouraged, and ready to return to her assignment with a smile. She needed that talk now, as it was Thursday, and Tonya feared that something terrible was going to happen the following day. July 7th. The anniversary of Laura's mother's death.
As Tonya quietly walked down the empty hallway, hearing nothing but her own shoes shuffling against the linoleum floor, she doubted whether or not she could help Laura at all. She guessed that she only had a day to reach Laura and convince her that life was worth living. She won't even open up to me. That alone could take weeks. Tonya could hear Tess in her mind, saying "God works in mysterious ways angel baby, and in His own time. But don't worry, things will always work out." But Tonya was feeling like she didn't have enough time to complete her God-given task, and so, she felt relieved that she was going to see her good friend Monica.
She turned a corner and almost ran right into a tall woman with dark hair.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry." Tonya apologized. The woman smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
"No big deal. You seem like you're in a bit of a rush." She noticed.
"Yeah, I'm, uh, going to see a friend." Tonya replied. The woman smiled again.
"Are you going to see Monica, perhaps?" The woman asked, causing Tonya to cock her head and narrow her eyes. How does she know? The woman noticed the confusion in Tonya's face, and it gave her secret pleasure. Her plan was working.
"Don't worry Tonya. I know all about you." For the woman that Tonya had run into, was the fallen angel, Kathleen. But of course, Tonya was completely oblivious to who she was, or why she was at Summerlea. She just didn't understand how this woman knew her name. She was feeling a bit uneasy, but willed herself to play dumb.
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a patient here." Tonya said and Kathleen snickered quietly.
"Oh Tonya. There's no need to tell me that. I'm Kathleen, and I'm an angel, just like you, on assignment here at Summerlea." Kathleen was lying through her teeth, but she was, after all, working for the Prince of Lies.
Tonya's eyes widened as she looked at the woman standing in front of her. She's an angel. She has to be. There's no way she could know I'm an angel, unless she was an angel too. She knows my name and she knows Monica. There's another angel on assignment.
"You're an angel?" Tonya asked, trying not to give away her status until she was sure that Kathleen was telling the truth.
"Yes, I'm an angel, just like you Tonya. I'm here, just like you, Tess, Andrew and Monica. In fact, Monica and I are really good friends. We go way back. She's the most trustworthy, wonderful angel I know." Kathleen lied some more, but knew how much Tonya loved and cared about Monica. She knew if she claimed to be a good friend of Monica's, she would gain Tonya's trust, just like she wanted.
"You're a friend of Monica's?" Tonya asked as her eyes lit up. Kathleen smiled and nodded.
"Yep, we've been through a lot together." She said.
"Monica's the greatest. Wow, I can't believe there's another angel here. I wonder why Tess never mentioned it. Oh well, Tess tends to be forgetful sometimes." Tonya replied with a giggle.
"You're right, she can be." Kathleen was playing along, as if she knew Tess just as well as the naive angel standing in front of her. "So how's Laura? Have you gotten through to her yet?" Tonya lowered her head and sighed, knowing now she could trust Kathleen. All of God's angels were definitely trustworthy. She knew that, but Tonya didn't realize she was confiding in the wrong angel.
"Well, she won't open up to me, and tomorrow is the anniversary of her mom's death. I-I think, I mean, I just have this feeling that she's going to try to kill herself again. But I don't feel like I have enough time to get through to her." She confessed. Kathleen already knew all this, and now, she had to work hard at discouraging the young angel while still pretending to be a friend.
"Tonya, take it from me, humans are strange creatures. Especially teenagers. Teenagers kill themselves everyday. We can't always stop them. They have free will. Even teenagers with angels kill themselves." She said, as Tonya seemed to slowly lose hope, but a small light was still flickering inside her. Kathleen hated that light.
"Yeah, but it's my assignment to stop her from killing herself. That's my job. There's gotta be hope." Tonya tried to convince Kathleen, but Kathleen was too quick with a response.
"Honey, I've been an angel for hundreds of years. You've only been an angel for a few, am I right? So let me be straight with you. Convincing a teenager not to kill themselves is nearly impossible. It's not really an assignment that should have been given to such a young angel. I'm not saying you can't do it, but even the best angels have failed this assignment. Believe me, once that kids' mind is set, there's not changing it. But hey, don't let me stop you. You never know. Maybe you can do it, but it'll be the first time I've ever seen such a young, inexperienced angel do it. I've even seen angels older and more experienced than me fail. Just do me a favour, little angel. Don't get your hopes up too high. I would hate to see such a wonderful angel like yourself set yourself up for such a let down." Kathleen said, in a caring, motherly voice. It was all she could do not to grin when she saw the colour practically drain from Tonya's face. The cheeriness, the optimism, the hope and the faith all seemed to disappear as she deeply considered the words Kathleen had put into her head.
There was a moment of silence before either said a word. Tonya was lost for words. Why would God give her an assignment that she couldn't handle? But Kathleen may be right. I've only been an angel for a few years. And I have to get Laura to open up before tomorrow or something bad will happen.
"Tonya, I have to run, but don't give up. Just don't get your hopes up okay? It was nice meeting you and I'll see you again. Now, you can go and see Monica." Kathleen said as she started walking away, but Tonya shook her head.
"No, I think I need to go for a walk. Bye Kathleen." With that, and a downcast face, Tonya walked in the opposite direction of Monica's office. Kathleen smiled to herself. Her plan was working already. She was even turning Tonya away from Monica, which was perfect. I can't have Monica filling Tonya's head with nonsense about not giving up and all her encouragement. It will be harder to keep Tonya feeling worthless and hopeless. Kathleen started heading off, but saw that Monica was standing in her way, arms crossed.
"Hey Monica. Didn't see you there." Kathleen said, with a casual tone that irritated Monica.
"What did you say to her, Kathleen? I have never seen that little one so down before." Monica asked, hiding the tears that were trying to escape. Kathleen grinned, and her smile gave Monica a cold chill down her spine.
"Tell you what, Monica. You stick to your assignment, and I'll stick to mine." Kathleen said coldly.
"Tonya happens to be my assignment, Kathleen." Monica replied, wide-eyed with rage. Kathleen snickered.
"Well then, we have a bit of a problem, don't we? Tonya is also my assignment. Looks like this could be an interesting battle, eh Monica?" She laughed.
"God will always triumph over evil, Kathleen. Tonya has God on her side." Monica replied, but Kathleen only rolled her eyes.
"Just wait Monica. I have the upper hand here. Tonya just decided against talking to you and you know why? It's because she's believing everything I've said and there's not a thing you can do, because you can't tell her who I am!" With those words and a devious chuckle, Kathleen walked away, leaving Monica feeling angry and frustrated. That was when she felt Tess's hands rest on her shoulders.
"Don't be discouraged, angel girl. Don't let Kathleen get to you." Tess's voice was so soothing, but Monica could only shake her head.
"But Tonya...She believes Kathleen. She won't even talk to me. She usually does Tess. She always talks to me whenever she feels discouraged, but she went in the other direction. Why, Tess? Why?" Monica could feel the tears streaming down her face, and Tess pulled her close and held her.
"This is all part of God's plan. Never give up on that. Tonya will be okay. Lay your trust in God above. He will make everything okay." Tess said as Monica couldn't find any words to respond. All she could do was cry.