Diary of an Angel Read Online Free PDF Page A

shoulders between my hands. “Angela, check on Kailey!” She hesitated. “You need to check on Kailey.” More hesitation. “Do you know what Kailey is doing?” I continued to persist until she finally relented. Wiping her hands on her apron, she made for the back of the house. Frustrated, the devil continued to attack her with distractions and doubts. To my great relief, though, Angela remained on course. Clairus and I followed close behind her, whispering words of encouragement.
    Angela reached the back door and opened it. She needed only a second to discover Kailey, beginning to scale the large oak. Kailey had managed to shimmy her way up to the lowest branch, on which she teetered precariously. Next to her on the branch, doing what she could to keep Kailey from falling, was Viana.
    “Kailey! Get down from there. You’ll fall,” Angela shouted.
    “No I won’t,” insisted the six-year-old.
    “Kailey Anne, you get down or you’re grounded!”
    Kailey made one last wistful glance up the tree she had planned to conquer, then started working her way back to the ground. Angela hurried over to help her. Once she had Kailey safely back on the ground, Angela gave her a big bear hug, followed by a vigorous pat on her bottom. “You’re much too small to be climbing trees, sweetheart.”
    Kailey didn’t protest, but rolled her eyes and offered an exacerbated “OK” before running off to ride her bicycle. Viana smiled and waved at us as she chased after her.
    “Well, that was a little tougher than I thought it would be,” I said.
    “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, kid.” Clairus replied, patting me on the back. “You did well, though.”
    Angela finished preparing the rest of the meal in silence. Jack’s beat-up Ford truck rumbled into the driveway at half past five. Angela was putting the finishing touches on supper, while attempting to get any of her children to help set the table. Kailey had run off to a friend’s house without permission. Justin lounged on the couch, utterly enthralled by his latest video game. Catherine was locked in her room, glued to her computer, where she kept the whole world abreast of her every thought and action, and gobbled up the gobs of gossip about who’s dating whom and who broke up with whom.
    With our help, Angela suppressed an urge to cut the cord of every T.V., computer, and video-game console, and then to flush a certain teenaged daughter’s cell-phone down the toilet—I didn’t entirely think that was a bad idea.
    Jack entered the kitchen through the back door. A tall, dark, bristled-faced man with large muscles and deep brown eyes. Lyra wasn’t kidding—he was a hunk. Glaven came trailing behind. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jack’s homecoming. He greeted Angela half-heartedly, then went to the living room to relax in his chair.
    “Can’t I get someone to help me around here!” she grumbled to herself, beginning to feel a surge of anger. “Justin, turn off that stupid video game and come set the table before I microwave your Xbox for dinner!”
    Despite her earnest threats, Justin made only a nominal response. With some more prodding from Avin, he eventually came to help, though too late to do anything useful.
    Jack remained camped-out in his chair until Angela called everyone for supper. Kailey, somehow, magically appeared. Perhaps feeling some hunger pains. Perhaps the work of Viana. Catherine, though, was still oblivious to the world outside her room. Angela sighed and sent Justin to retrieve her. A mission he accepted all too eagerly.
    A few moments later a scream rang out through the house. “Get out, moron!” Then a door slammed. A second later Justin came scampering back to the table, a silly grin plastered to his face. “Justin, what did you do to your sister?” Angela asked, not really wanting to know.
    “Nothing,” he replied, with feigned innocence.
    Catherine stormed in just as he spoke. “I want that little creep to stay out of