Authors Note: Please keep in mind that Angel is telling this to Jim, that's why I italicized all the words that are her memories. (that's almost everything:P) I hope you will enjoy this new chapter!

A necklace and three artefacts

Right after we had left you and your mother behind, my father and I took our carriage. I couldn't speak a word the whole journey. We just sat there in silence, moved forward by my dad's odd pet.
I don't know how far we've travelled. I didn't really care. It seemed like an endless road to me, until suddenly we stopped.
It was a big house and I remembered seeing it on a picture once, shown by my father. It was his 'workplace'. I had never been there before. He always told me that his projects were top secret.
It was already dark outside when we entered the building. Inside, my father immediately ran towards an painting. He shove it aside and revealed a safe. Curious as I am I wanted to know what was in there. Impatiently I watched my dad opening it.
In his hand he held three artefacts: a little anchor, a heart and a cross. All the same size. I recognised them as the symbols for hope, faith and love.
My mother had believed in them and when she died I inherited her necklace with the three things on it. I believed in them as well, but I wondered why they were so important. They looked normal to me. Had we driven all that way just to get three little pendants?
At that moment my father picked another thing from the safe. It had the form of an circle and there were three symbols cut out of it. The same symbols as the artefacts. They would fit right in it.
"What is it?", I asked.
My father looked serious and worried.
"This…", he replied, "Is a very powerful stone. With those artefacts in it any human can have enormous powers at his disposal. Many people are after it and are willing to do anything to get it into their hands. The artefacts alone are already incredibly valuable, but together…"
He took a short pause to put all the things in a bag. He looked at me shortly.
"…Let just say this must not fall into the wrong hands", he continued.
I nodded. It was very clear to me. Apparently my father had been planning this for moths. Our house was sold and he told me that he had bought a new one in a place I had never heard about before. But that was exactly what my father wanted. With a little luck we could start a whole new life without being chased by freaky people.
At that point I already missed you, because we could never return to our previous lives. We had to leave everything behind.
With our bags packed an the artefacts safely with us, my father and I closed the door. We set off, hoping that everything would turn out fine.

For a few months everything did turn out fine for us. The house was nice, the garden beautiful and we were quite happy together. Still I was sad.
I had no one to talk with, no one who cared. School wasn't interesting to me. I longed for your space adventures and wished I could go on such a trip with you.
But besides that part, we were doing alright.
My father was sweet to me, like he had always been. He was relieved that it had turned out this way, which made him a lot more easy to handle.
I guess he thought those men who wanted the necklace and the artefacts would never find us. As the months flew by I started to become more relaxed as well.
But none of that was true. They had tracked us down to our new home and were determent to get what they wanted.
It was a quiet day when my father and I sat in the garden. Everyone could enter our garden, even without permission. Now I look back on it, I realise that we should have been more careful. But at that time we never even thought for one second that hose people would suddenly ran into our backyard.
My father dragged me into the house and closed the door.
"That won't hold them for long", he sighed bitterly.
Quickly he opened the secret box with the artefacts and gave one to me.
"Here…", he said, "It comes with great danger, but at least they will not get it. I am sorry I involved you in this."
My father gave me a short kiss on my forehead and put a note in my hand.
"Go to that address…go to Sarah…if anything happens."
"I love you dad", I whispered.
"I love you too, Honey", he said, "You're gonna make it through this. You have a gift. Only you can do it now. You think you can't, but I know you can. The artefact will help you find your power…"
I didn't understand what he meant. I wasn't important. The only thing that was important was my father. I saw in his eyes that this was goodbye. I couldn't hold back my tears and hugged him.
We heard the door crack. They would soon come in. My father released himself from my embrace and took me by my shoulders.
"Hide…don't let them find you! Can you promise me that?"
I looked through my tears into his eyes.
"I…I promise"
My father smiled. "Good. Now go! Quickly!", he said.
His arms pushed me away from him and I ran to my secret hide-out in the house.
From there I could see everything happening: the breaking of the door, the creatures coming in, the beating and the kicking on my dad…
At that moment I just wanted to protect my father and ran to him, but I wasn't able to do anything. I had to stay hidden, or they would find me. I made a promise…and I didn't want to break it, for my father.
One of the creatures picked up the other artefacts and the necklace. They looked at it shortly and noticed that one of them was missing.
"The girl must have it!", yelled the biggest, who was probably the leader.
I closed my hand around the Guarding Angel. Please don't let them find me, I prayed.
Luckily they left, thinking that I was already gone. I guess they were out looking for the last artefact, which I had in my pocket.
I waited a couple of minutes before I found the courage to leave my hide-out. I ran towards my dad, to see if I could still safe him. When I got there, it was to late. He just laid there motionless on the floor.
I wiped away my tears and ran through the door. He would have wanted me to escape, I thought. I looked everywhere around me, because I was still afraid that I might be followed. When I was convinced that the cost was clear, I dared to ran towards the woods.

I had absolutely no idea were I was going. Rain came down on my hair and I sneezed. The wind was so cold that it made me shiver. I had left the house without food or money. Very stupid indeed, and now I had to pay for my foolishness.
With no money I had no place to sleep, so I improvised. Under a bridge or somewhere else; I didn't really care. I had nothing left to fight for. I even wished to die that night, so I could be with my mom and dad again.
When I put my hand in my pocket, I felt the artefact and the note. I had forgotten all about it. I ironed the paper and saw my dad's handwriting: fluently, with curls on the end of each word. He always did that.
The address was still very clear, even though it was touched by the rain.
Benbow Inn. There it was, right in front of my nose on the paper: Benbow Inn
I didn't know what to do with it, because I had not even a clue were I was now. Thinking I would never find the way, I put the note back in my pocket.
I don't know for how long I've walked in the rain. Three days? A week? I can't remember it. My coughing increased, but I refused to do something about it.
Hunger came over me and eventually I passed out. That's the last thing I can remember…

Jim stared at me, like he could not believe what he had just heard. I couldn't blame him; I hardly believed it myself. It was such an amazing story and I was worn out by telling it. I let my head fell back into the pillow and closed my eyes for a moment.
When I opened them again, Jim was still sitting there. His face was sweet and worried as always.
I smiled. "Please ask me, I know you want to."
He grinned. "You know me to well", he said.
I just had to laugh. The dramatic look on his face was too much for me not to do so.
"Alright", Jim continued, when I had calmed down a bit, "Do you still have the artefact? Which one was it?"
I went with my hand under the pillow and brought out the pendant.
"The heart", I replied, and showed him the little artefact in the palm of my hand.
We both thought that they sure made a lot of trouble over such a little thing.
I yawned and placed it on the nightstand. Jim gave me a kiss on my forehead and left the room. I was so exhausted that I had no trouble getting to sleep. With a content smile on my face I closed my eyes.