Chapter 9: I'll always be there to save you I-Angela

"It all started in 1938..."

Zander told his story from before he became a guardian to his first day in Zoriah and by the time he was done, her face had gone through a myriad of several emotions. She was very pissed off and mad at him. However, when he revealed to her, she was one of the kids he had saved back then from kidnappers who were looking to get free child labor in their factories.

She, as most guardians, didn't know their past before Zoriah. Traumatic experiences were commonly placed in new guardians and, due to that, they had the experiences mostly sealed or forgotten during their rehabilitation into the Zorian community. they only had some prized belongings and mementos which, by choice, they decided to keep as it held certain significance. Izora had a hairpin that was modeled after a blue Ixora, a semi-tropical evergreen flowering shrub.

In Zander's story, he told her about a girl by the name Angela who had been kidnapped from Greenwich. He had found the kidnappers, beat them senseless and rescued her. She was passed out, and he took her back home.

"you're up already?" he said as she opened her eyes and tried to sit up. "Take it easy," he said.

"Where am I?" Angela asked in a timid and scared tone. She remembered how she was grabbed off the street by those men while playing around the orphanage and her heart filled with fear. She was about to scream when Ken held her hands.

"you're safe here. Those bad people have been dealt with. Rest up and eat," he said as he gave her a sandwich.

She looked at the stranger giving her food like she was looking at a poisonous snake but for some reason she felt like even if this was a snake, it could be trusted

"Sorry, that's all I have here for now. My sister and I live alone and this is all we can manage at this time."

Angela nodded, and after some minutes, she ate. When she was done, a little girl walked in and greeted her.

"Hi, my name is Bettie, but my friends call me Bett. I'm Ken's little sister. Let me help you heal your wounds," she said and without even waiting for a response, Bettie took Angela's hand and all the bruises which Ken had tried cleaning healed up without leaving so much as a scar.

Angela was taken aback by the sudden refreshing sensation and the serene feeling that washed over her. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Please don't worry. I'm not some freak. I just have a certain gift of life and I can heal people and animals, ok?" Bettie spoke and Angela just nodded and didn't pry any further like the explanation had told her everything she had to know. Bettie took her and showed her where to bathe.

Bettie brought in some of her own clothes, which were mostly too small for Angela, and they had to settle for Ken's clothes. They washed Angela's clothes, and they stayed up for very long and they talked at length about lots of things and before Angela knew it, the previous tension had disappeared and they spoke like very good friends.

Ken, who was looking at everything going on (except the part of the bathing and dressing-obviously), smiled. He came into Bettie's room where Angela had been lodged and saw them both asleep Bettie in Angela's hands. HE stood at the door for a few minutes and smiled before going to cover them up from the cold.

As he walked out, he remembered the words of his 'Mother'-

"One day, you will find someone who makes you feel like you have known them forever. Don't let them go. Even if you feel like you're going to shatter into a million pieces, they will always be there to pick you up and put you back together again."

'I may have found my guardian angel, Mother.'

Angela lived with Ken and Bettie for about 2 months. While Ken worked, she and Bettie became such good friend, they became sisters. When he came back home, he and she bonded quite a lot, too. They even went to see the Wimbledon finals where Don Budge of the USA won against Bunny Austin of Great Britain.

After about 1 month of staying together, they developed feelings for each other. Especially seeing as how hardworking Ken was and how caring Angela was. Their relationship was however short-lived when after 3 months of staying at Ken's, Angela finally found out about her orphanage which was found in Greenwich.

Ken had gathered enough money for three tickets and was going to take Angela back home. They had always talked about it, but when the time finally came, Angela was not happy in the least. She cried for nearly a day, not wanting to let go of the two people who made her the happiest she'd been in her entire life.

Angela had also awakened her own magical abilities, which before were randomly triggered and which she had assumed were just a case of being possessed by a demon. When she saw Bettie use her healing abilities, she was shocked out of her mind, thinking she had found a kindred soul. And now she had found not one, but two. Ken had also helped her control her power and be able to use it in her daily life without someone freaking out or getting herself hurt or being discovered. He thought about her magic and more about her 'powers'. They both even took training lessons and drills from his 'Mother'

"No, I don't want to leave you, Ken," she retorted as she burst into tears. "I finally found someone who doesn't tell me what sister Abigail says when she tells me I'm cursed. Please, with you I feel full Ken, complete. I don't want to leave u or Bettie. finally, people don't accuse me of being bad luck, can't I just be happy this once?" she continued as she cried incessantly.

Ken or Zander (obviously) caressed her hair softly and retorted her rhetorical question.

"Didn't you tell me about your junior siblings at the orphanage? What about them? They have a big sister who cares about them so much. Or do you also want to take their sister away from them?"

His series of questions were welcomed by prolonged silence. Angela hadn't wanted to admit it before, but she missed her siblings greatly. he had seen through her facade and he knew she had to go back home. She didn't ask any question anymore but just clung to his neck like a koala bear on its mama. Silently sobbing and sobbing till she fell asleep in his arms. He kept caressing her head till she was deep asleep.

The next day, she woke up quite early. She instinctively held tighter on Ken as if to make sure he wasn't gone.

"Woah. someone sure is feisty this morning. Don't bother. I didn't go anywhere." He said with a smile. She responded in kind with a warm smile of her own. Suddenly, she remembered that would be the last time she saw her prince and her smile turned upside down. She started sobbing all over again till Ken came to the rescue.

"it's ok. I will come find you. When we both grow old enough, I'll come and save you, ok?"

she nodded between sniffles

"I made you something," he said as he removed a hairpin which looked like it was gold plaited with a blue bouquet of flowers at one end and the other tip shaped like a fine nail.

"I made it with magic. The same I taught of you. The flower is a natural flower altered with magic to be as hard as a diamond. This body is completely gold. my Mother showed me how to find gold and I came across this on one of my 'training sessions' in former gold coast."

"it is hard enough to be used in self-defense like I thought you. It has a conceal spell that makes it look and feel like ordinary copper. Always keep this as a reminder that I will come save you. No matter how long it takes. You're my Ixora and I'll always come back to find you. I say you should go back to your family because it's the right thing to do. Deep down, I want to keep you for myself, but that's not the right thing to do."

"I'm letting you go because I know no matter what, I'll find you no matter what. I'll always be there to save you Angela"

She took it from his hand and hid it in her bosom as if she was hiding it from the rest of the world. "I'll never forget you, Ken. not in a billion years."

She hugged him and kissed his cheek. And then hugged him some more.

Angela, Ken and Bettie spent that day together one last time. They took the train to Greenwich and when they arrived, Ken took them to the park, which was her last known location, and once they found out where her siblings where; they shared one last group hug before she left them. Her hair was now tied around her hairpin. She turned around one last time to wave at her, plus one before going back home. Unbeknownst to her, the hairpin she so treasured would be all that would keep her conscious of the promise of salvation from her knight in shining armor. Who she would only see a few centuries later.