“A Clear Sky”
The cloudy sky seemed to match Emily’s mood. The day had been as long as her face was at the moment, but she pushed on, with her head to the ground, trudging to her apartment on 3rd street. As she was about to cross the street, Emily looked from left to right, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a white blur. She turned to where she had seen it, but only saw a girl, kneeling on the grimy sidewalk. Emily saw the girl slowly getting up, looking dazed and confused. Her hair was a dirty brown, and was disheveled as the rest of her. The only things that weren’t bedraggled were her eyes. They were brilliant blue like a flowing river.
“Hi,” Emily said, “Are you okay? You seem lost.” “I’m actually a little bit confused. I.. um.. I just got off track,” the girl stuttered, as she slowly gained awareness. “Well, do you need help?” questioned Emily. She knew that she had to be home in 15 minutes, but she sensed that this girl needed her help.
“Well it’s a long story. I can’t explain it too much, but do you think I could stay with you tonight? It’s a lot to ask,” she spoke, “but I really need help.” Thinking of all the things she had learned, Emily knew not to say yes to a stranger. But, something tugged at her, and although she tried to will herself to say no, she found herself nodding yes. A smile spread across the girls face, and they began to head to Emily’s home.
The stranger then said, “I realized I haven’t even introduced myself, how rude of me!” She exclaimed. “My name is Sky. I’m 14 years old and my favorite color is yellow.”
             Same age as me, Emily thought.
“So, are you from around here?” Emily asked. Sky looked off into the distance, not replying the question, but instead stared at a flock of passing birds. They reached the apartment, with its chipped paint and old signs. Emily could only wonder what Sky would think of the place where she lived. But from what Emily could see, perhaps Sky’s circumstances weren’t great either.
As they entered, Emily wasn’t surprised to find her mom was gone, and had left a note, saying, “Out for a few days, some frozen dinners are in the fridge.”  She turned to Sky, and said, “Make yourself at home, dinner will be ready in a few.” Sky turned and sat in the loveseat on the dirty carpet. As she turned, Emily noticed that her back appeared deformed in an odd way. Weird, she thought. 
Dinner was Mac and cheese from a frozen, Lean Cuisine, food box. The night seemed to pass quickly and not many words were exchanged. At 9:00 pm, Emily went out to the balcony to get some fresh air. She turned her head up to the black sky and remembered the days before her mom and she had moved to the city. Those were days when there was a family, bright and beautiful as the stars in the country sky.  Now there seemed to be a dull film over the sky and the stars were invisible amidst the city lights. There was no bright and beautiful family any longer, just her Mom and Emily. Emily heard the door creak open and turned around to see Sky coming out on the balcony.
         “You know,” Sky began, “If people sat outside every night and looked at the stars, I bet they would think a lot differently.” She spoke in a whisper. “Why do you say that?” Emily asked, looking up at the darkness full of hidden stars.
           “Stars are much like humans, it’s at the darkest times that they often shine the brightest.” And with that Sky walked out.
Early the next morning Emily woke up, and looked around. Where had Sky gone? Hoping that Sky hadn’t left, she searched around the tiny apartment calling her name. No replies. As she rushed to grab the keys off the counter a note fell to the ground. Picking it up she read- Emily, I’ve gone on a short walk- I’ll be back at 7:00.
Glancing at the clock she saw it was 6:45, 15 minutes to get ready. She rushed to the bathroom to change. Sky returned and the two ate together.
“So, do you think you’ll be needing to stay any longer?” Emily cautiously asked. Sky looked down at the remaining bite of her waffle, drenched in syrup and quietly said, “No, I think I’ll be going today.” Although Emily expected to be relieved at hearing the news that she wouldn’t have a stranger staying in her house, she felt a pang of disappointment, mostly at the fact that she would once again be lonely. “So is there any place you need to get to?” Emily questioned.  “You know, before you leave?”  “Well actually,” Sky began, “ I do need to catch a train.” She spoke. “Okay, well I can take you to the train station now if you want.” Emily offered.
Sky nodded and they headed out the door. Emily knew the route to the train station by heart, and it was only a 3-minute walk. They walked at a good pace and made it just in time for Sky to make the 8:15 am train. As they walked into the station Sky looked around at everything for a long time, seeming to take it all in. Emily bought one ticket, headed for Chicago, at Sky’s request, and they both headed out to the train platform. There was only 3 minutes until it was to arrive. The time ticked away, and Emily searched for something fitting to say as they parted. When nothing came to her mind, she looked to her left and realized Sky was gone. Searching around the station she saw a flash of dirty brown hair heading straight for the tracks. In the distance a train whistle blew.
She looked down to the tracks and saw Sky standing, with panic written on her face. She must’ve been pushed off! Emily thought. A rush filled Emily’s body and she knew the only way to save Sky was to jump; and push Sky out of the way. So many thoughts flooded through her mind, but the main one was jump. And so she did. Flying through the air she landed with a thud, just before the train reached. Emily used all of her strength and moved Sky to the side, just as the train flew by. Suddenly a white flash hit her eyes. It was the last thing she saw. Until..
BEEP BEEP! Monitors all around her flashed and screamed as Emily opened her eyes. They were flooded with white, and blue suits moving around her. One of the blue suits neared and spoke something she couldn’t quite make out. She realized she was in a hospital. Thinking back to the last thing she could remember, everything rushed back to her. Jerking up, out of the sheets and jumbled wires amidst her arms, she opened her eyes wide. The next thing she knew a man with a mask and glasses came beside her.
  “Emily Parker,” he said in awe, “You are 1 in a million. To survive being hit by a train? Now that’s a story to tell. We have your tests in scans, and we’ve concluded that to survive what you did, well, that’s not humanly possible. Anyway, we have a few prescriptions you need to take, but otherwise, you’re free to go when you feel ready.”
Except for a small headache, Emily felt fine. She swung her legs over the bed and slowly walked to the door. Stopping by the pharmacy to grab her prescriptions, she made her way back home. Not sure whether she was in denial or just crazy, she tried to make sense of all that had just happened. The only think she could think of was Sky. Where had she gone?
Finally Emily reached the apartment. She walked up the stairs and slowly creaked open the door; hoping Sky would be there. Sky wasn’t there, but a note was.
“Emily,
I hope this finds you well. And I hope you are well as you read this. It’s me, Sky. Don’t worry about me; I am in a perfectly safe place. But I wanted to explain, to the best of my abilities, what you experienced. I am an angel. I was sent to be a Guardian, for you. On my journey to earth, something switched and my powers were weakened, I’m not sure how. I came in a different state then I usually do, instead of powerful, I was powerless. You came to my rescue. When I asked to stay the night, it was not to guard you, but rather because I needed help. Thinking I had failed my mission, I decided I would leave the next day. I thought I was not needed. But it was then that you showed me what my real purpose was. I was sent to protect you, but you protected me. In all my years of being a Guardian, I never have been the one receiving the guarding. You have forever changed my life and I am forever indebted to you. I’ve thought and thought, but the most proper way I can think to express my thanks is this letter, and something tonight. You might want to look up at 8:00 P.M.
Yours truly,
Sky”
In amazement and awe, a small tear rolled down Emily’s cheek. It was 7:59, almost 8:00. Emily strolled out to the balcony. She tilted her head up to the sky. Every star shone brightly; just like they had when she was a little girl in the country.  A smile almost as bright as the stars spread across her face. It was truly a beautiful night sky.