This time, when we left Aunt Molly’s house, April and I weren’t by ourselves. Michael walked right beside us, holding a flashlight.

“Now, we shouldn’t have let you guys leave by yourselves, not when it was dark out already.” He said, grunting, as he navigated a tricky turn. “But everything happens for a reason. That’s what Molly told me, and I believe her.” April reached for my hand and I took it. This time, it felt warm.

For the first time in my life, I was certain everything would be alright. I wasn’t sure how long this feeling would last, but I had made a promise. I had to come back and see Michael. And I owed it to him to be alright. We made it to the arm barrier, which would have looked almost sinister at night had it not been for Michael’s flashlight. As we got in, Michael patted me on the shoulder.

“See you soon, Rodion.” He said. “And you, too, April.”

“Yes, of course.” April smiled at Michael.

As we pulled away, we saw the outlines of his large figure merging into darkness.

“You know which way to go?” I asked, and April nodded. We were back on the road and I saw the exact spot from my dream, where Ryder overtook me. Was any of it real? I wondered, as we passed it and continued on.

We drove in silence for a while, and then April reached for my hand.

“Rodion, listen. Aunt Molly warned me not to ask you about what you saw when you were, well, you know, out. So, ummm.” She stopped speaking, “so you don’t have to tell me anything. Not unless you really want to.”

“Alright.” I responded, sounding gruffer than I intended. I wasn’t sure how I could ever tell anyone about what I’d seen in that half-dream, half-nightmare, even if I wanted to. Where would I even start? The details, the double, the fantastical images of Ryder in a truck. The planning of a murder. And seeing my own death.

“But she wanted me to tell you that the stuff you saw, it’ll take you some time to process,” April continued. “And she also told me to tell you that if you had questions, you could call her. And that some things you saw may actually be real, but some were just projections.”

“What?”

“Projections of what might happen. That’s what she said. Like a movie script that exists, but was never made into a movie. That’s how she put it.”

“So how would I know what was real and what wasn’t?”

“I don’t know.” I could just see her shrugging. We were on the turnpike now, the lights flashing past us, and I didn’t need to ask why April decided not to take the quaint Route 30. “But I guess it’s meant to help you. Whatever you saw.”

“Why didn’t she tell me herself?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. She said you wouldn’t react well, that it was better coming from me. I dunno. I’d always wanted to do a past life regression, but she told me I should wait a bit. That it was too early. Like after your experience, ‘cause you’re just eighteen, she said it was early too, but that for you, it was really good that you did it.”

“April, this is confusing.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Well, alright,” April flipped her hair, like she always did when she was flustered. “I mean, and I’m just repeating what my aunt said, but like there are these guardians, like guardian angels, and she and Michael, they work with Archangel Michael, and that basically in your case, things will work out and your guardian angels brought you to them for a reason.”

“Ummm. Yeah.” I frowned. “This sounds really weird. You know that, right?”

“I do, but I’m supposed to tell you. And like some stuff Aunt Molly says, like she knows things even before I tell her.”

“She’s psychic?”

“Yep. But I mean, you should have figured it out. She says we’re all psychic, but some of us just don’t let ourselves see things, and close off our abilities.”

“Well, I definitely don’t have psychic abilities.” I shook my head.

“You might! I mean, look at her husband, he discovered he was psychic in his forties.”

“Wait, him, too?”

“Yeah.” April’s voice trailed off.

“So Aunt Molly can tell things about people? Did she say anything about me?” I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, a knowing. The other shoe was about to drop. It always did.

“I mean. I don’t know. Kinda.” April, normally direct, was being vague. This wasn’t a good sign.

“Tell me.” I pushed. We passed an exist sign for Greenfield. A few more minutes, and we’d be reaching Pittsburgh.

“Like, well,” April paused and darted her eyes. “Alright, I guess I can tell you. Aunt Molly said you were basically good and if you healed from trauma, you’d be great.”

“For real?” A wave of relief came over me. “She said that?” Even the mention of trauma no longer triggered me.

“Yes. For real.”

“This is really weird, but I like it.” I said, a huge smile plastered on my face. I felt giddy and suddenly very awake. I’d be great! Wow!

I could almost picture myself as a rich and powerful man. Maybe almost like the person I was at the end of my dream, but not running away from a creepy double.

“April, let’s go out somewhere. When we get to Pittsburgh.” I looked at her. April’s profile was sharp, and I noticed the necklace with the two hearts reflecting in the light. The bear claw necklace hung over it and I instinctively reached for mine, feeling the white bone.

“What? But I need to get home.” She protested.

“But you’re leaving soon. Let’s go hang out. It’s so nice out. And it’s Friday night.”

“Where would we go?”

“Anywhere. I dunno. Schenley park? Flagstaff?”

“Flagstaff? Alright, I guess. I’ll have to call my mom and tell her I’ll be late.”

“So we’re going?”

“Yes!”

“You still got that cooler, right?” I turned to the back seat. “We can even have a picnic.”

“A picnic at night?” She giggled, and that reassured me April was fully on board with the idea.

“Yes. Exactly.” I reached and kissed her on the cheek.

***

That night, April and I talked about everything. We sat on Flagstaff Hill, all alone in the dark, speaking, watching the city, and making plans for our future. Our future, not two separate futures. Not April’s future on her own at Penn, and my own pathetic one in Pittsburgh.

“I want to stay together, Rodion.” April said. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” I mumbled and kissed her. She pulled away,

“I’m serious.”

“Me, too. I’m serious, too. I seriously want you right now.” I reached for her and this time she didn’t interrupt.

After we were done, we lay together in the darkness, holding each other.

“Do you think she was serious about Archangel Michael?” I asked. “Like, how can that even be real?”

“I dunno.” April wrapped herself around me. “But why not? Wouldn’t it be awesome if that stuff was true? Like we actually had guardian angels, and they protected us from harm? And gave us signs and stuff?”

“Like clues?”

“Yeah, clues, to help us.”

“So how would you know if you got the right clue?”

“I guess if things were working out, you’d know.” April giggled.

“Like right now, I guess guardian angels are looking after us.”

“I guess they are.”

And at that moment I saw a fox. April must have seen it, too, for she yelped,

“Look! A fox!”

We saw the animal running on the edge of the hill. It waved its tail and disappeared into the woods.

“That’s cool!” April looked at me. “I’ve never seen a fox here before.”

“We saw one together, like two weeks ago, remember?” I stared at April in disbelief.

“I don’t remember.” April shook her head. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” I said, then, pausing, added. “Or maybe it was in a script that never got made into a movie.”

I was only half-joking.