Five minutes had passed and Mark lifted his head to look at Jen, and she turned her head to look back.
"Jen..." He began, calmer for the moment, "Go on into the kitchen and get yourself some of the eggs I made. I'm going to step outside and return the call." She handed him back his cell phone and nodded before heading to the kitchen to let him have his privacy. On her way, she also grabbed the grocery bag with the orange juice in it which still sat on the couch.
Inside, Mark could feel himself fuming again.
He knew this to be no accident, it had Henry written all over it.
Jen got herself a plate of eggs, a glass of orange juice, and took a seat at the table, looking toward the front door as Mark spoke with Vickie again on his cell out on the front porch.
Ten minutes had passed and Jen had finished up, standing from the table now and taking her plate to the sink. She returned to the table to gulp down the rest of her juice and after a couple steps toward the sink again, she paused. What was that sound?
A noise. A pretty odd one.
It had sounded like wings flapping.
Or maybe the whip of a coat in heavy winds.
Then, a feeling.
Something stood not too far behind her.
It was eerie.
Jen hesitated to look back, but at the same time, curiousity struck.
So, slowly, she turned and once she was face-to-face with what was there, she gasped and literally jumped back a bit. However, as she did, she lost her footing and slipped which resulted in her falling backwards to the floor and slamming her head against the cabinets beneath the sink.
It ached so much, that Jen was sure she was now bleeding, though she wasn't. She sat back up quickly, a hand over the spot on her head, "Who are you?! How did you get in here?!"
It was a man, average height. Brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing a beige-colored overcoat. He stared down at Jen, his expression calm and pretty serene. And honestly, he was rather attractive.
"Jennifer..." He spoke up, raspiness in his voice, "I mean you no harm."
Her name! He knew it!
"Stay away from me! Henry sent you! How else can you know me?! MARK!" Jen screamed, panicking, and threw the glass she had been drinking from at him as hard as she could, aiming for his face.
The man reached out to intercept the glass, catching it. He looked at it for a moment then sat it down on the kitchen table next to him. He calmly took a step forward, "He won't see me. Please, calm down."
"Get away! MARK, HELP!" Jen cried out again.
This time the man stayed put and didn't move.
Mark had just finished the call when he heard Jen that second time and nearly broke the front door on his rush back inside. He ran into the kitchen and hurried to her side, kneeling down when he saw her on the floor, "Hey, what happened? Why are you on the floor?"
Jen raised an arm, pointing a finger at the mysterious man who had appeared. Mark turned his head, looking at the area she pointed toward, but he didn't see a thing, "What? What are you pointing at?"
The man shook his head, "I told you he wouldn't see me, Jennifer."
"... you don't see him..." She whispered and put her hands to her head, whimpering, "I'm going crazy, aren't I...?"
Mark shook his head and helped Jen back up to her feet, "Relax. You're fine. I think the stress of what happened can affect the mind, but try to focus... you've got to stay focused as best you can. Can you do that for me?"
He immediately regretted the way he said that last part to her. It almost felt as if his tone were speaking to a child, but Jen seemed unbothered as she nodded slowly. Her attention was elsewhere. To Mark, she was staring off into space.. but in reality, her eyes were actually back on the strange man again, "How do you know my name?"
Mark was worried. She was obviously beginning to show signs of losing her mind.
"Jen, there's no one there. Stay with me." He stepped into the path of where she'd been looking, wanting her attention back.
The man was now blocked from Jen's view and she looked at Mark, "Oh. I'm sorry Mark. You're right... this has to be my imagination."
The man's head tilted a bit, "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Jennifer. I am an angel. I'm yourangel."
That was certainly unexpected. Jen paused and suddenly burst into laughter. Hysterically.
Mark stared at her now, growing more worried. What was this sudden outburst about? She really did seem to be losing her mind.
"Oh..." Jen finally calmed enough to speak, "...that was funny!"
The man now appeared disappointed at her reaction.
"Uh, Jen... come on, I think you'd better rest..."
Mark said as he took her by the hand and guided her back to her bedroom.