7/VII. Only One Life (Remastered)

“But I guess I was wrong…”

“What was wrong?” Michael asked Raphael as the Archangels gathered around the throne after the punishment of Adam.

“I mean… I was a bit disappointed since Adam disobeyed Father just as Samael did.” Raphael replied as he pouted.

“He was coerced to sin, that dastard Samael, always interfering with the beautiful creations of Father.” Raguel spoke badly of Samael and expected Michael to react violently as if tempting him to make a huge brawl out of that comment.

Michael knew exactly what Raguel expected and he did not bite the bait.

“Don’t expect too much of the humans, they have free will like us, they are meant to obey what they will to or wish to do.” Michael brought a scroll to the table and laid it out to the other Archangels.

“What’s that?” Jophiel curiously peeked.

“Our next order - we are going to be busy. The human’s sin has brought forth many problems, especially in the physical realm – the Earth.” Michael spoke in a manner of great importance and urgency.

“What… happened? We were away for one day and… those are a lot of orders.” Azrael seemed restless, she has been back from Earth with her choir, the Principalities, and they have been dealing with a lot.

They’ve constructed a place where the dead souls can rest before the spirits can return to Father - that is the “Paradise”.

“The system is crumbling down, and the creatures are now susceptible to death, and we need to maintain the balance of Earth, the life and death, to maintain growth and that there will be future generations to come.” Michael sternly encouraged the Archangels to keep up with the new assignment.

“We need to work more because of one temptation!” Raguel sighed in disbelief, the one deed that Adam did, affected all life on Earth.

Everyone had access to the Tree of Life, they could have been immortals, innocent, and in joy forever in the midst of prosperity, never going hungry, as there were a lot of fruits in the garden, but just that one time, that one time they desired to be the gods, ruined everything.

“We were literally made to work.” Michael tried to shut down more complaints.

“So what do we do first?” Uriel pitched in.

“We were assigned to many various roles, we just need to follow them, but we need to evolve the creatures, up their defence mechanisms and find an appropriate place to migrate them so that the life expectancy will grow and lengthen, the only ones with differing purpose are the Principalities.” The captain gave the description of their order in general.

“Principalities? We already got a lot going on, Michael.” Azrael’s spoke for her choir – creating the Paradise and the Lake of Fire was in no feat easy, but here she was and her choir still willing to work after that extensive terraformation.

“I know. I’m… I’m sorry. The additional job is collecting the spirit of the animals and plants or any living thing and bringing them back to the Creator.” Michael did not want to be unreasonable, but this was one of the responsibilities of the Principalities.

“Okay… we can do that.” She reacted a bit early, but agreed to take the additional role.

“Any inquiries, questions, with regards your roles?” The Archangels looked at each other, hesitating to ask Michael about a sensitive subject.

“What is it?” Michael inquired about their confusing behaviour. He can read their minds but he wanted to hear their questions from their own mouths.

The rest stayed silent for a while, but-

“What about the Fallen?” Raphael opened his mouth and volunteered.

“The Fallen?” Michael curled his brows, he didn’t know what was going on and what the fallen was.

“The older fledglings branded the rebels, ‘Fallen’, they… they are taking their physical forms from Hell and occupying a part of the Earth with the most negative spiritual energy.” Raguel articulated that statement with great concern.

Occupying part of the Earth – a concerning statement. Michael thought.

“What of it?” Michael seemed uncaring, his apathetic attitude towards the destruction that the Fallen is doing on Earth, came to the other Archangels as disdain to the battle they just won previously with Samael.

“Are you hearing yourself?” Raguel grabbed Michael’s robe of purity by his neck.

The captain only sighed and sharply gazed at Raguel.

“Do we have any orders to fight them? Destroy them?” Michael tapped his fingers on the scroll as he looked eye to eye to Raguel, protesting his point of lethargy.

“Rag, please let go of Michael. He’s right.” Raphael always tries to get in and mediate between the two, the Angel of Justice versus the Angel of Mercy, they always get on each other’s nerves – especially after the Great Rebellion.

“You don’t go doing something without Father’s permission or order. That’s exactly the opposite of obedience.” Michael rolled the scroll and nonchalantly burned it in his hands.

“We don’t need an order to destroy them. We have free will to do things on our own.” Raguel mockingly replied to Michael’s protest, baiting him once more to reach vehemently.

“Yeah, that’s what Samael said, then the Rebellion happened.” Michael’s retort quickly woke Raguel up from the reality that even though they have free will, they’re simply soldiers of the Almighty, nothing more, nothing less, and soldiers, do not move without any orders.

The Archangels looked away as Michael completely destroyed Raguel’s debate and inquiries about the Fallen.

They have the same concern, but given that Michael answered Raguel directly and uncaring, they did not dare to raise their worries again.

“Do you still care for Samael, your twin?” Michael was about to exit the throne room as Raguel probed Michael’s standpoint. The other Archangels were as curious as Raguel.

The throne room was empty as the Creator was out in the universe He created, the only ones there were the Archangels.

He always felt that he could be honest with his feelings with the Archangels, but, based from his experience about Eon, this was proven otherwise.

“I care about all of you. I was the firstborn. I have taught everything to all of you, I have cared for all of you since you were a young fledgling, how can I not care?” His back turned on them, but his heart and soul said otherwise.

Michael had been betrayed for the first time by Samael, the second time by Raguel, and he never expected those heartaches to come from the closest ones he has. Samael is his twin, while Raguel was his right –hand angel, second in command.

His fleeting footsteps were the only ones echoing in the throne room as he left after answering Raguel’s question.

The other Archangels were heart-broken to hear those words from Michael.

They can feel the dread in Michael’s voice. It was the first time he has been honest with his feelings after the Great Rebellion.

“Let’s go, we have no time to stand around.” Jophiel tapped Azrael’s back as they floored out of the throne room to their expected places and duties.

That was the last time that the Archangels got together before they were sent to Earth, they were busy to meet each other.

They became busy with the spiritual war, and the survival of the Earth and the survival of mankind.

-------------------- // --------------------

“That’s… that’s so sad, Arthur.” Johnny’s puppy eyes appeared again.

He wanted to wail in frustration, but seeing that Arthur was so calm, he did not dare to cry.

Holding back his tears, Johnny asked Matthew, “Are you… are you entirely sure that that call is really important and urgent?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Johnny.” He stroke Johnny’s back and the child hiccups from holding back his tears.

“Are you not…” Arthur sighed heavily as he closed the Bible that they were reading.

“He’s swamped with work, you know that kids, right?” The two stood in unison and faced Matthew, teary-eyed, pouting, and disappointed.

“WE KNOW!” The twins shouted in unison, as if angry at Matthew for pointing out the reality of their dad’s nature of work.

After the promise of staying with the kids, Edward got a phone call as soon as he stood up and apologized to the kids and rode the helicopter that landed atop the mansion’s roof back to work.

Somehow, Matthew was glad to see Arthur’s reaction as it means that the angel has human tendencies.

He was free to express his emotions in the human world, freer than when he was in heaven.

“Come on, let’s prepare lunch, okay?” Matthew tried to sympathize with the kids, but his father was always a hands-on one, especially to him the eldest who was destined to take up the same mantle of being a butler to the Smith household.

“OKAYYY…” The twins answered in unison again, as if reading each other’s minds, then burst out laughing. “Hahahhahahahha!”

As the three were happily preparing lunch, the radio from the bedroom played a piano piece beautifully, and-

“Breaking news! Another victim of the organ-snatching syndicate has been found dead near the docks of the Cabrillo Beach without its liver and two of his kidneys. The victim, Danica Ray, an eight year old girl, was reportedly kidnapped last two days ago from the school gates of LACC…” And of course, Michael heard the report and he drowned out all noises as he listened to the news.

He sent several clones to investigate the previous places that the culprits dumped the bodies on.

-------------------- // --------------------

“What’s this?” The man picked out a mushroom from beneath a tree.

“That’s… that’s conocybe filaris. That’s poisonous.”

“What’s poisonous?” Adam nonchalantly put the orangey-long mushroom inside his mouth to chump as Michael replied with, “You will die if you eat it.”

“Come on!” He then threw the mushroom he just picked up.

“And as I told you, you need to cook those food before eating, anything that is not a fruit, needs to be eaten cooked.”

“That’s a rhyme I’m going to teach to anyone who lives here on these lands!” Adam shouted in frustration as they ventured far to the forest, far from the beach, after they ate the fish that the woman cooked.

His shout echoed far in the forest, it disturbed the flock of birds and they flew off to a distance.

“They really turned wild? All of them?” The woman asked the armoured angel, whilst walking in the muddy rainforest.

“They did.” He looked back, and with his eyes and replied coldly.

The woman stopped in their tracks, and-

“I know… I know that I’m the reason why we’re here, stuck in this vicious cycle of trying to survive, and you’re here, maybe against your will, but don’t I… don’t I deserve any second chance?” Her voice cracked, trying to hold back her tears.

“It’s already bad enough that we’re here, but… your actions, your words, I feel like we’re still at the Garden, and you pointing the blame on me.” She continued, as if wailing her worries and concerns to the partner that God has given her.

She cried out her concern, and the two men stopped walking and looked back, but Adam was the one who approached the woman and gently talked to her.

“I’m sorry, if you feel that way, I… never thought that that’s how I present myself to you. You are my wife, the one that the Light has created to be my partner in this life, in good times and in bad times, I can change, I promise. Michael?” Adam appeased the woman and tries to wring Michael in the same position.

“I don’t care, frankly, I just want to teach you how to survive and live, let’s keep going.” Adam became wide-eyed, but looked back at the woman and held her hand as they move forward.

“Okay, I just want to make it clear that everything is forgiven, okay?” Adam discussed it with Michael in front of his wife to show his support of ‘second chance’ for everyone that the woman talked about earlier.

“And as I said, I don’t care.” Michael just brushes off the conversation as he continued leading them to a clear ground.

He spotted a clear ground nearby.

A kilometre southeast from the lake, which was a breeding ground of the edible fishes, and an oasis is near located at the west side of the direction, perfect place to camp and establish a temporary foothold.

“What is it?” Adam stopped as he noticed Michael did on the clear grassy grounds.

“We will set up camp here.” The angel inhaled deeply and closed his eyes and glanced around the grounds.

“Why in the woods?” Adam questioned the angel’s intentions.

“I think we are a lot safer on the beach?” The woman, of course, agreed with her husband.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay here for about three to four days with you, I’ll stand guard.” Michael reassured the couple.

“Guard? Like those cherubs and seraphs guarding the Tree of Life?” Adam vaguely recalled the angels standing guard just outside of the Garden’s entrance.

“Yes, I’ll protect you and your wife, no matter what, I’m much more stronger than those Cherubs and Seraphs.” The angel smirked and smiled at Adam’s worried demeanor.

“Okay, what do we need to, you know, make this place comfortable?”

“You, here.” Michael handed his dagger to Adam’s hands.

“What do I-“

“Create a hunting stick that I made previously.”

“The point-y thing? Why do I have to? I can just walk back to retrieve the ones we used earlier, I mean.”

“They’re no longer usable since we torched them. The pointy think has become dull and ashen in that fire.”

“Oh… ok…” Adam’s thoughts wander around the forest as he tries to locate another stick that he can chisel to create a sharp pointy hunting tool.

“What about me?” The woman willing volunteered for any additional work.

“We need to gather leaves and sticks.” Michael gave the instruction to the woman.

“For cooking? Again? I’m still full from that fish.”

“No, not for cooking, but for your home- a tent, a shade that you can use to protect yourself from being too hot and being too cold.”

“Oh! Sure!” The woman scurried far further into the woods to gather the large leaves and sticks that Michael required of her.

“What do you think of her, really?” The strokes of Michael’s dagger as Adam holds it thinly echoed into the rainforest.

“Her? The woman?” Michael grabbed a few sticks near Adam, and gathered them in a stack.

“Yeah, I…” Adam sighed as another stroke sharpened the edge of the stick he held.

“What?”

“I just… I know that God made her for me, but… is this still the right thing? I mean, she… tempted me to disobey the Light, and…”

“Your relationship with her, your feelings with her, is it still the same as when Father made her for you?”

“Yes, and… that will not change, the day that the Light made her for me, the same joy is still in this heart.”

“But you have doubts…”

“Yes.”

“The act of disobedience is evil on itself, but you had a choice not to be swayed, but you were still swayed.”

“She… she tempted me.” Adam was trying to evade the responsibility of his own choices.

“Stop pointing the blame at her, and start looking at your own reflection. You had a choice, you had free will, and you chose to disobey Father.” Indeed, but the truth crashed him the first time when they were driven out and he didn’t want the words come out of Michael, his friend.

“Am I your friend? Do you really have to word it that way?” He stopped and looked eye to eye to Michael.

“Yes, I’m your friend and a true friend will tell you the truth.” The angel returned the sincerity and stopped what he was doing and looked him in the eye as well.

“The snake told us the truth, that we knew good from evil, how’s that any different from your truth?” He twisted Michael’s words again.

“I don’t deceive, I don’t lie, and I don’t make empty promises. I’m only here to help. That’s my truth.” The angel can only show his concern through his actions, and it seems that his words cannot fully convince Adam of his good intentions.

Adam wanted to convince Michael that he had no say in what happened, and that that choice was not his to make, but his wife’s, but his expectations failed as Michael was as wise as the Light, maybe not as wise, but certainly wiser than him.

“You don’t understand, you never will.” It was his cheap excuse to divert the blame again to Michael, and not look inside.

“I had the same temptation, the snake rebelled and promised freedom, but I did not give in.” The angel empathized Adam by sharing his experience.

“You mean-“ The man was dumb-founded. A powerful being resisting temptation may be outright easy, but Adam knew that freedom was one of the most important things that Michael longed for.

It was not easy to resist the desire of your heart.

“Don’t put the blame to others, look inside, and reflect.” Michael tried to cut short the conversation as it was already getting sensitive.

-------------------- // --------------------

“Got it!” The woman laid the last leaf as Michael tighten the rope of the roof of the tent set at the flat grounds while Adam took care of the cooking of his hunted fishes.

“Good. imperfect, but beautiful.” The angel grinned. The leaves were uneven, but it covered the necessary space for the shelter.

“If that’s how you talk, you really should fix that mouth of yours, Mikhael.” Adam coaxed Michael to shut up.

“Hmmm, I only speak the truth.” Unsuccessful in his attempt, Michael rebutted back.

“Well, even if you only speak the truth, you shouldn’t always speak what’s on your mind, especially if it is a bad thing.” The woman agreed with her husband.

“Why?” That advice left Michael puzzled and confused.

“Uhmmm… because it makes others feel bad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The angel was not a fool not to accept that advice.

“*Pffffft… hahhahahahhahah…” Adam smirked and chuckled a little as he see Michael consider his wife’s suggestion.

“What are you laughing at?” Michael grinned back and inquired about Adam’s reaction.

“I just… are you really an angel - a powerful, wiser being than, all of us, humans?” Adam’s words hit the mark, but Michael didn’t take offense.

“He’s joking, but see my point?” The woman reiterated her point earlier.

“Yes.” The angel only grinned back. “I do feel bad for him.” He teased Adam back.

“Hahahhahhahhaa… you’re a good joker, Mikhael.” The three chuckled in the darkness of the night.

“I enjoy your company, both of you.”

The three poked at each other’s insecurities as jokes, as they chow down the fishes that Adam hunted at the lake near the rain forest.

“So… how will this work out?” Adam stood at the door of the tent as Michael throws the sticks to the burning fire.

“I’ll stand by here to guard you and your wife.” Michael grabbed the dagger Adam used to clean the fishes and the fleeting sound of the dagger hitting its sheath as Michael puts it back got Adam to gulp in fear.

“Stand by? Can we… you know, get any privacy here.”

“Privacy?”

“Yeah, I mean, the Light always left us to our own devices, He’s not always there overseeing us, right?” Michael squinted his eyes as if not understanding what Adam is trying to push through.

“Riiiiiiiiiiiight, okay… I’ll set up a perimeter, and walk through the woods.” Adam thought Michael would not get it, but seeing as he distanced himself that night, message cleared and delivered!

-------------------- // --------------------

“Isn’t that how mom distanced herself from you, Arthur?” Johnny quite did not understand yet the concept of cringiness and awkwardness.

“Yeah…” The twins were both emotionally upset from their father’s workaholic attitude and their mother’s dismissive behavior.

Understandable, the only person holding them together was the butler, Matthew.

Matthew discussed Arthur’s health condition to Edward, but he didn’t appear to be worried too much as both the patient and the butler was doing their best to maintain the kid’s health and monitor his heart.

And for the next two years, that was their routine, home-schooling with a dedicated butler, about a hundred guard dogs, a dismissive mother, and a workaholic father.

Not much has change, even if there Arthur has a life-threatening medical condition.

-------------------- // --------------------

“I think the kids need to be enrolled to a public school.” Edward suggested to Matthew as they’re reviewing the educational exercises that they prepared.

“A public school, Master Edward?” He stopped grading the papers and listened to Edward.

“Yeah, what do you think?”

Without a care in the world, the twins were dozing away in sleep at the adjacent bedroom, while Edward and Matthew discussed the current situation.

The twins were already six years old, and they need exposure as much as they can as they were home-schooled for about two to three years now.

“Of course! That… that would be great, Master Edward.” Matthew was excited for the two.

“The kids, they need social interaction, though they both have common sense, experience is still needed to be able to integrate into society.” He gleefully continued as his eyes glistened up.

“I’m glad we are both on the same page. I got enrolled previously on the Los Angeles City College, I think that’s a great start, right?” He signed the documents lying on his study table for Matthew to organize.

“I will do a research on it, Master Edward, nothing to worry.”

“Thank you, Matthew, for that, and for the many times you have assumed my role with the kids.”

“You’re not angry, Master Edward?”

“No, of course not, I’m relieved that you’re here, and as the two are geniuses, I don’t want to leave their emotional quotient behind, as that would just make a clever devil.” Edward gently patted Matthew on the back.

“You’re welcome, Sir.”

“Thanks, again.”

The two closed the study room and as they exited the door, the two observed the twins sleeping peacefully on the king-sized bed that Matthew chose for them.

“Pass your research to me in about 2 days, they’re growing, and I can’t stop time.” Edward’s eyes reflected regret and pity as he look at his two sons lying asleep.

“Yes, Sir Edward.”

-------------------- // --------------------

After about a 24-hour day research, Matthew was able to get the requirement list and the admissions testing schedule for the kindergarten and first grade level of the LACC.

Apart from those information, he also researched and called up some key folks on the Advanced Academics Department that handles geniuses.

“What’s that?” Arthur curiously surveyed Matthew’s laptop and phone and several research portfolios scattered around the kids’ bedroom floor.

“Your father wants you two to enroll to the Los Angeles City College. I’m checking if you can pass the grades on an accelerated level given our advanced home-schooling lessons and your intellectual quotients.”

“LACC? Even if we’re homeschooled, we would need recognition from the government for further legalities about our skills and academic levels, understandable.” Arthur then picked up one of the pictures of the LACC that Matthew printed.

“Yes. I know you will just breeze the elementary, middle, and highschool part of the curriculum, since our home-schooling is already at the senior-high electives.”

“Then, why don’t we just take an Advanced Academics Test?” He laid the picture down towards Matthew’s side of the table.

“You father… no, we think that a little socialism will get you to look at a world at a different perspective, you know, being in a community, a part of a group.”

“Socializing…” The child looked down and contemplated. I’m really bad at that, especially after God gave me Eon. I’ve been suppressing my emotions and as I close them up, my words and actions also show that I’m a closed up person.

“Yes, it’s best to get you to experience it.” Arthur scoffed at the idea, as an angel, he was always alone, worked alone, especially with the orders on Earth.

After Samael’s rebellion, he had always been alone as the fledglings treated him or looked at him like he’s some kind of a monster.

“Humans, they’re better much off in groups, but I’m an angel, I don’t need…” His words doesn’t reflect what was in his heart.

“You’re a human right now, and it wouldn’t hurt to know other people, become friends, you know.” Matthew retorted and reasoned with him.

“Friends tell the truth to each other.” He remembered the days when he befriended Adam.

“And?” The butler can only wonder where Arthur’s reasoning was going.

“Do you think I can be friends with other humans and not tell them that I am an angel?” He spoke in a more reasonable manner.

“Well, you can avoid the subject.”

“What if they ask?”

“Then… do the right thing.” Arthur grinned at Matthew’s suggestion. He’s right, but at a grey area, what is the right thing in that kind of situation, then?

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Go to sleep.”

-------------------- // --------------------

As Matthew passed the research documents to Edward, their father decided to get the kids to apply to the Advanced Academic Department of the LACC.

The dean and Edward came to an understanding that though the twins already breezed through the curriculum through home-schooling.

They need to be in a normal classroom for at least 6 months per grade to normalize socializing and improve their emotional quotient.

“Good morning, kids, today, I want to introduce to you, the two of our transferred students from home-schooling. Come on, introduce yourselves.” The Alpha-I first grader teacher was kind, her smile and quick analysis of the twins made the two comfortable in presenting themselves to the whole classroom.

“John…” Arthur turned to his brother who was a bit anxious standing in front of many other kids in the room.

“I am Nathaniel Joseph D. Smith. My nickname’s Arthur from the Poem, Lancelot. Here is my twin, Nathan Joseph D. Smith, his nickname’s Johnny, he’s a bit shy in front of many people, but we’re okay with talking.” Arthur did the talking most of the time on their first day.

SFX: [School Ring Bells: DING, DING, DING, DING!]

“Okay, make sure to do your assignments, okay?”

“Yes, Miss Flora.”

“Good, Arthur and Johnny, can you stay with me for a little while, please?”

“Yes, Miss Flora.” The two answered in unison.

Their homeroom teacher couldn’t stop complementing the two boys of how they did good in the class and how they befriended every kid in the class on their first day.

Johnny was crying a lot because he was happy this is the first time he heard such kind words from another adult other than Matthew, and their father.

“Waaaaaaaaa!!!” He was too touched to stop crying.

“Wowwowowoowowwowow, I didn’t do anything, Johnny… I… I’m saying, you’re good.” Miss Flora did her best to stop Johnny from crying further or else there may be misunderstanding.

“Waaaaaa!!!”

“He’s happy, Miss Flora. Thank you.” Arthur was a bit more composed compared to Johnny.

“Oh, then… cry your heart out?” The look of confusion quite became visible at Flora’s face as Arthur consoled Johnny.

“There… there, Johnny…”

“I was told by the Dean that you two were both geniuses, and I have my fair share of prejudice to geniuses, they’re usually arrogant and aloof.”

“Our father told us to socialize, he said, it’s human.” One of the first statements of Arthur turned out to be a bit weird even for the teacher.

“Human?” The words he chose got Flora thinking what kind of home environment the children were experiencing.

“Yes.” His cold eyes pierced Flora’s heart.

It’s as if she knew that they were not treated as humans because of their intelligence.

“Arthur… are you abused at home?” She quickly raised her concern.

“No, but I have read in a medical journal that parental absence affect the development of the emotional quotient.” Arthur immediately dodged that bullet.

“Parental absence?” And what? Medical Journal? Those next statements even confused Flora. What kind of books does these two read?

“My father is a government official, whilst my mother is a full-time nurse at the hospital down town, the only one who is always there for us is our Guardian, Matthew.” Arthur apathetically described their family tree.

“We’re… *hiccup* not abused, Miss *hiccup* Flora.” Johnny, on the other hand, emotionally explained it.

“Abused is not the word, but deprived.” The child simply expounded on his and Arthur’s experiences.

“Not of love, but of the normal norms of parenting.” Arthur added.

“Not of love?” Flora tried to dig deeper.

“We love Matthew, we love each other, we love our parents, we love you, Miss Flora, that’s enough for us.” Love was a fleeting concept, though the twins befriended everyone in the class, they isolated themselves at play time, and they rarely talked to the other kids.

“Can you tell me what love is in your perspective?” She sweetly smiled at them and continued to press on the questioning.

“Love is… worrying about someone, trusting someone’s words, and caring for that certain someone.” Arthur proudly expressed what’s in his heart and smiled back.

He walked across the room as he recognized the sound of the car that Matthew drives.

“Love is patiently and enthusiastically waiting for someone who promised to be there for you unconditionally.” He spotted the black sedan enter the school’s driveway to the parking lot, and at the same time, noticed one of his classmates standing at the school gates alone.

“Miss Flora, I will be right back. I just need to check something.”

“Check what?” Arthur sprinted to the gates and grabbed his classmate by the shoulder as a white van approached the girl.

“Mom is waiting inside for us.” He got the attention of the little girl, as she was just about to direct the men inside the van to their “supposed” location as they were asking her for directions.

“But I…” His female classmate couldn’t understand his intention.

“Mom’s worried.” He only repeated himself.

“Okay.” She smiled back and held Arthur’s hands and walked back inside the school.

“Kids! Come in!” Miss Flora waved to the two asking them to come back inside the school.

Arthur knows malicious intent when he sees one, the men inside that van, they’re not asking for directions.

The two on the rear part of the van opened the large sliding door, that’s not asking for directions, that’s for kidnapping purposes.

As they were walking back, he looked back and glared right at the men in the white van, they were going to react violently, but seeing a police car nearby, they quickly retreated, closed the van door, and drove away from the school grounds.

SFX: [Click, click] Car alarm

“Art!” Matthew waved from across the parking lot, but Arthur’s eyes were still set to the white van driving away from the school grounds.

“Kids, what was that?” Flora pulled Arthur aside and as the kid held the other classmate, he dragged her as well.

“Arthur helped me.”

“You… you remember my name?”

“Yes, and Johnny, right?” Her smile was the most pleasant thing that Arthur witnessed that day.

It certainly washed away the malicious intent that Arthur felt from those would-be kidnappers.

“Oh! There’s your dad, Esther.” Flora waved at the police officer that’s coming out of the police car, a Sergeant, Arthur noticed the insignia.

“A sergeant?” He squinted his eyes to get a good look at the face of the policeman.

“Hmm, my dad’s a policeman.”

“Is he?” It’s a rhetorical question, but seeing that her father passed by the white van without suspecting a single thing, Arthur doubted the abilities of Esther’s father.

“Miss Flora, I’m sorry, I’m late.” He looked at her, with sweat running down his chins.

Arthur proved wrong, from the black stains in his hands that Arthur noticed, he deduced that the policeman has been fiddling with the booking liquid,

He deduced that the policeman made multiple arrests that day, the sleeves has been folded multiple times showing scuffle from multiple suspects, and the holster of his gun is losing the magnetic touch of the clip, meaning he had to draw his gun on multiple occasions for this to be.

“Are you a policeman?” Arthur was not curious since there was already a police uniform and a car nearby that screams that, but what he wanted to hear was if he was a straight cop, not a bad cop.

Somehow, the sergeant felt that he was being was being tested by this kid, he looked arrogant asking that question but seeing through the six year old kid wits, he knows what he wanted to ask about.

“I am. I am a good cop.” He smiled reassuring the kid, this made Arthur more confused by the second.

He had not yet met a man who can deduce as fast as he can, but he felt that his test was somehow found out and he passed.

He squinted his eyes in disbelief, “No good cop says they’re a good cop.” He retorted.

“That’s right, but that’s what you want to hear from me, right?” The policeman got his hat and put it on Arthur as a gift.

“Thank you.” He removed the hat and looked at it intently.

“You’re welcome. Thanks for caring for Esther while I patrol.”

“No worries.”

“You do patrol?”

“Yes.” Arthur was getting on Flora’s nerves, he keeps interrupting the adult’s conversation.

“Then, I have a gift for you.” Gift? The curious kid got the policeman puzzled.

“A gift?” He darted his eyes to the kid curiously.

“Gimme your notepad.” Arthur reached out his open hand to get the notepad.

“Here.” The policeman handed out his notepad from his left chest pocket and gave it to the kid.

“Aaaaarthuuuuur~ haaaaaaaaaaaa.” Matthew was out of his breathe as he ran from the parking lot to the front of the school building.

Arthur was scribbling something on the notepad of the policeman and Johnny and Esther stood in silence.

“Who are you?” The policeman was quite curious for the man running from the parking lot.

He seemed to call out the kid’s name, but the kid did not respond.

“Matthew, *gasp* I’m the guardian of Johnny and Arthur, I’m picking them up, why’s a policeman here? *gaspt* Are my kids in trouble?” He panted and gasped for air as he replied.

“No, no, I’m picking up my kid, Esther, I think they are classmates.” Greg introduced Esther to Matthew.

“We are!” Esther’s smile washed down the exhaustion of the policeman.

He’s been at his shift from four in the morning to four in the afternoon, that’s about twelve hours.

“And you are?” Matthew offered his hand for a handshake.

“Oh! Greg McMillan, sergeant from Los Angeles Police Department.” Greg returned the favor and shook Matthew’s and showed his identification card.

“Cool! Police… are you new?” Matthew leaned closer to read his ID.

“Sure, I just entered a year ago.” A new guy? He’s unfamiliar.

“Oh!”

“Why do you ask?” The sergeant appeared to have no idea.

“Nothing. Arthur, what are you doing?” Matthew only smirked and turned his attention to Arthur.

“What are those, Arthur?” Flora bent her knees to be at eye level of Arthur, peeking at the notepad that he’s scribbling at.

Arthur drew a map downtown, the piers, and a small scale map, with the roads as lines, and written down the schools, and the white van plate number.

“It’s the places of the murders of the children left without their internal organs.” Arthur’s response got the sergeant and the teacher taken aback.

Both were surprised as to how the kid was updated with the news and how he knew the others that were not disclosed to the media.

“What are you reading at home?” Flora scolded Matthew as Arthur discussed his drawing to Greg further.

“Sorry, I…” Matthew can only scratch his head in this awkward situation.

“We were watching the evening news, Matt, sorry.” Johnny made a flimsy excuse for Arthur.

“These circles… what are these?” On the small scale map, there were circles that Arthur encircled repeatedly.

“Those are the schools that the children were kidnapped at, and the squares are the future prospects.” Arthur nonchalantly explained.

The sergeant can only wonder in horror and amazement. His eyes widened as he realized one of the square was situated in LACC.

“This is this school.” He squinted his eyes, and knelt to be at eye level of the kid.

“A white van drove away asking Esther for direction.” Arthur stated what happened earlier as he witnessed it firsthand.

“Nobody asked for direction then open their rear door of the van, right?” He continued and turned to Esther for confirmation.

“Mmm.” Esther quickly agreed and nodded.

“So that white van nearly kidnapped my daughter?” The policeman only sighed and turned his eyes to his only daughter.

“This is the plate number.” Arthur clearly saw the plates of the white van. It’s clearly stolen but at least they don’t have any dead end.

“I’ll run this number.” Greg opened his hands trying to get the notepad from Arthur’s.

“The van was stolen, so is the plate number.” That next set of statement did surprise the sergeant again, but not that much since the first deductions.

“Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.”

“The plate number was stolen from a political figure. You should start from there.” The child gave in the advice to the policeman.

“Did you do all of these investigation?” Greg gazed sharply on the kid and looked him eye to eye as he inquired about the deductions of the child.

“Did you think I would spend that much time to do your job for you?” Arthur arrogantly retorted.

If you say it that way, my question seemed to be ridiculous and weird. The sergeant thought.

“For now, I’ll take your word and I will not question your methods.” Arthur looked him in the eye as well as soon as he heard those words from his mouth.

“Art.” Matthew broke the ice between the two. The tension built-up appeared to be broken down by Matthew’s voice.

“Thank you.” Arthur bowed in reverence and respect to the policeman.

“Do you take this information seriously?” Flora curiously asked and approached Matthew as soon as he got a hold of Johnny’s hands.

“Yes, they’re my kids.” The guardian can only answer vaguely.

“Then, my answer is yes, as well, I will take his word seriously, you have no qualms about this, Miss Flora, right?” Greg gently patted Arthur’s head and stood up from his kneeling position.

“I trust the kids, they’re geniuses.” Flora only smiled sweetly to the answer of the two adults.

“I think, I will need your help further.” Greg grinned and looked at Arthur with great expectations.

Arthur started scribbling again on the notepad, “This is our address.” And then gave back the notepad to the policeman.

“Why did you give me this?” This information. He didn’t say it out loud.

“Cause you’re a good cop, right?” Arthur glanced upwards and returned the question with another.

“That question is not a test, isn’t it?” Greg chuckled a little.

“No.” The kid shook his head and smirked back to the cop.

“My dad is a good cop!” Esther joined in the conversation and grinned at the two, proud of his father, and arrogantly puffed her chest and looked down on both Arthur and Johnny.

“I know.”

Greg escorted the black sedan where Matthew, Johnny and Arthur rode back to the mansion and then got home and typed in his reports about what Arthur witnessed and deduced.

He called Flora for additional details of the kids, but other than they’re geniuses, he was only able to get details about their guardian, Matthew.

-------------------- // --------------------

“Why’d you help that policeman? Your father told you and me not to garner any attention, right?” Matthew voiced his concerns only when they were alone in the mansion.

“Matt, you told me to do the right thing, and besides, you only have one life, there’s no second life to right the wrong, you just need to do what you can in this one.” Arthur’s explanation quite convinced Matthew but not too much of him.

“That’s awfully hypocrite as you have lived many lives before this.” He retorted back.

“I didn’t live a life before this. I live in accordance to order.” The angel within him remembered the many faces he used to integrate into the human society without proper identity.

“Then… this?” Matthew pointed out the monitor screen of the television where the evening news was playing about the murders.

“This is according to my own free will, with my own-“