Part 1

What if I told you that your guardian angel is not a loved one, but somebody who has been assigned to you? Whelp, that’s the case with me. Hi, my name is Treyton, I am 25 but would have been 29 this year if I hadn’t died. I have been assigned to a mischievous 17-year-old young woman, and can I just say that I do not miss being that age? Anyways, she’s at that age where she is starting to mix into the wrong group of “kids” and frankly it’s making my job more and more difficult. I have been assigned to her for 4 years now and she hasn’t always been like this.

Maeve is her name- the young woman that I have been assigned to. She has deep auburn hair, light emerald eyes and a face full of beautifully placed freckles. Don’t let her looks deceive you because this chick can carry herself. She’s 5’8” and could take on anyone at the school if she wanted to. Running and working out has always been her outlet so as a result she is strong. As I was saying, she hasn’t always been such a troublemaker. In fact, she was the type of girl to make sure that everyone was heard during conversations, gave advice to her friends when they were up to no good and all around wanted to make sure that everyone felt loved- a beautiful trait truly. Sadly, that little girl was crushed by unfortunate life circumstances and she was left with no choice but to put herself together in ways that resulted in her hardened heart.

Maeve grew up in a home that doesn’t allow you to flourish in the way you would need. She had been forced to grow up during her childhood to be the parent of not only her parents but her siblings as well. Her mom is very much so codependent on her father, and her father is addicted to pain medication. Child protective services have been there various times but no one thought of the wealthy family of six to be a complete mess. Her mother suffering from postpartum depression has not gotten out of bed since Maeve’s littlest brother was born- which was 6 years ago, and refuses to get help. Similarly, Maeve’s father has been addicted to pain medication for 5 years and cannot see the damage that he is inflicting on his children. Two parents who need help but refuse to, as you could imagine it wasn’t an easy childhood for Maeve. How can you raise 4 children when you can’t even help yourself?

She no longer lives with her family but rather in the streets since being kicked out of her home for being vocal about their issues. Maeve doesn’t have much, not even the bare basic necessities; and it’s times like these where I wish I was more than just an angel so I could do more than just watch helplessly. I’ll give it to her though because despite being homeless she has not missed one day at school. Now, Maeve’s pride is like no other. She doesn’t like anyone knowing about her circumstances so she sleeps in an abandoned church building across the street from her high school. She gets up to shower in the gym locker room- before the school starts waking up with busy bodies of students. Luckily, the locker room provides soap, shampoo and the basic things that she needs for hygiene. As for clothing, she is always in the lost-and-found picking up what others have left behind. With her effortless beauty and intelligence, she can make anything work; although that doesn’t mean she should have to.

She has more potential than what she gives herself credit for. She has been homeless for 3 months now and somehow is managing to make it work. Her grades have not dropped once, no missing assignments and always scores the best on all of her tests and quizzes. Despite the wrong crowd she is mixing herself into, I am genuinely proud of her. I often think of my past life on Earth and wonder if I could get through what this 17-year-old is currently managing effortlessly.

As her guardian angel I know everything about her, including her deepest darkest secrets. You see, guardian angels work on a rotation. After being someone’s guardian for 5 years, you will be assigned a new person to watch over. How does the rotation work, you ask? Well, we have what I call groups. Now, these groups are based on the year you died, so basically if you died in the same year as another guardian angel then you’re in the same rotation group. Interesting, right? Anyways, when you are assigned to someone you are essentially given a chart that has anything and everything you need to know about your mentee a.k.a. the person you are responsible for. You have a full 7 days to remember all of the information before your official first day of guardianship.

Now the mysterious part, how do you become a guardian angel? Well let me start by saying that not everyone has the qualities to be a guardian angel. When you die, there is this unknown rule where if you die a heroic death you become a guardian angel. Heroic, you ask? Yes, you must die while trying to save someone other than yourself. For example, I died while trying to save my little brother. How? Well that’s something that you will need to stay tuned for.