Falling From Grace

by SL Naeole

  "Grace, I know that you're far different from any human girl that Robert's ever known. You're certainly the first that he's ever wanted us to meet. I'm just not sure if you're truly capable of feeling for Robert what you'd feel for one of your own kind if he weren't what he was," Ameila sighed, her shoulders hunched down as her words flowed out in the answer that I had asked for, but didn't really want.

  "And, Robert's past is what it is. He's lived a very long life--and he hasn't done so alone. I have seen the strongest of minds succumb to the charms of my son. He is, after all, an angel. It isn't his gift, of course--just who he is."

  I nodded my head, not wanting to accept that she thought I had the mind of a lemming, eager and willing to follow the pack--I could see where Robert got his obtuseness from. Wanting to change the direction of this conversation before it brought me even more down, I asked, "So these gifts--every angel has them?"

  Ameila's lips pursed. "Each angel possesses a strength that is beneficial to all of us as a whole. Think of it as a body part. Each one of us could be an arm, a leg, an ear. Separate, we have our own, individual purpose. Together, we're one body. There are some things we all can do, like change the way someone feels, alter their moods with our own, alter the way the weather behaves. You already know that we can rearrange the natural way of things--your hair for example--and move things without touching them at all. You humans call it telekinesis; we call it laziness.

  "And then there are the strengths that are ours and ours alone. Some are purely physical. I'm aware that Robert has shown you that I can change forms. This is my ability, what I contribute to my kind as well as yours. Robert's, as you now know, is healing. It's the mental abilities, however...those we can share.

  "There are those of us who can see the futures of each mortal walking this earth because the future is a living, breathing entity, much like you humans. And, because of our ability to share our thoughts so freely without a care, when one knows, all can know if we want them to. We will all know when someone will die, when someone will become sick, when someone will become hurt if the beginning of the chain chooses to send forth this knowledge. This constant influx of information might seem daunting and overwhelming to you, but for us, it is merely a blip, taking up only a fragment, a fraction of our minds.

  "We're also very strong. We never get sick--our bodies are not human, though we look it--we have hearts and we have lungs; we eat, but we don't need to follow the same human rituals as you do. Our hearts will keep on beating without oxygen or sustenance because we're not alive as a result of their existence. We are alive because of our destinies."

  Ameila paused then, her face growing very serious as she looked over at Robert still standing in the gazebo. She looked at her son with what can only be described as motherly concern, the silent thought that mingled within her head, whether she was sharing them or not, creating a crease in her otherwise perfect brow. She took a deep breath and sighed, patting my hand before continuing, "But destiny...destiny is no living, breathing thing either. It does not change with the tide. It isn't shaped by emotions or actions. It has been set in stone from the moment life itself has existed. The destinies of those not yet born have already been laid out."

  I tried to digest all of this new information as Ameila continued to pat my hand, knowing that I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the tide of revelations and secrets that had washed into my mind--not just this night--but over the past few days. Sensing that we weren't alone anymore, I looked up from Ameila's face and saw that Robert was standing in front of me, a small box in his hand. I blanched at the angry expression that ironed into his face the harsh lines of confusion. Even then, he was so beautiful it made my heart sprint towards an unseen finish line. He glared at his mother as he handed her the small box, which she then handed to me.

  I took it, thanking her softly, and opened it. Inside was a...rock. "Um...thanks," I mumbled, the confusion clear in my tone and on my face.

  "It's a piece of the Parthenon. Robert told me that your mother had an extreme fondness for Greek mythology--I thought that you would appreciate something that came from a time when it was more than just myth," Ameila explained, smiling as she picked up the rock. "Robert and Lark say I'm terrible at giving gifts; I think too much about it, they both tell me. If you don't like it, please just let me know."

  I snatched the rock from her fingers, afraid to offend her, and actually appreciating the sentiment behind her choice. "I like it. Really. I didn't understand it at first, but now that I do... Thank you, Ameila." I gave her my brightest smile, hoping it appeared sincere. I wasn't lying. I just wasn't sure that I would feel the same way after tonight.

  I placed the rock back into the box and closed the lid carefully. Searching for a pocket to place the box in, I looked down at my clothes and blushed, embarrassed at my state of undress. Why hadn't I realized that I'd been in my pajamas this entire time? "Um...I'd like to go home now," I said as I stood up, feeling extremely self-conscious

  When Robert offered me his hand so that he could lift me into his arms, I stepped back. "And I'd like Lark to be the one to take me home."

  He flinched. Actually flinched, as though I had hurt him, like such a thing were possible. Of course I had hurt him, I realized. I'd hurt his pride. Grace the SuperFreak was rejecting him.

  He stiffened, his eyes, cold steel, were angry. "If that's what you wish to think."

  And in an instant, he was gone.

  Ameila sighed, her face pained. "I will talk to him. He is upset at his sister and I for interfering. We never have before, and for all his time here on this earth, he doesn't understand why.

  "Thank you, Grace, for allowing us this visit. I should like to speak to you again sometime, situations permitting, of course." She kissed my cheek and disappeared, leaving so quickly, she might have never been there at all.

  "Lark?" I called out; I did not know where she had disappeared to, or if she was even there. I just knew that if she wasn't, I'd have a very long walk home. In my boxers.

  As if that would happen.

  Suddenly she was there, appearing as if out of nowhere, and I began to sputter like a mad person.

  It was unnerving, and she knew it.

  And she liked it.

  I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. "Lark, could you take me home? I-I know I should have asked you first before I told Robert that you would, but I..." The words seemed to fail me.

  Lark's face lit up, then. I caught my breath--her smile, coupled with her now blazing white glow would have lit up a ballroom. Instead, it illuminated the two of us: Me with a face so sad and drawn I'm sure even Tragedy would tell me I was a downer, while Lark's face could only be called ethereal and breathtaking.

  Another musical duet--the sound of her laughter--filled my head, but this time I could actually see her amusement. "I guess I should tell you now that I owe you, Grace. You've given me far more entertainment in one night than I've had witness to in decades. No one has ever turned my brother down for anything. It's not...normal for you humans to do so; you're always so easily charmed that we could tell you to walk off of a cliff and you'd do so. And, apparently, Robert doesn't take rejection very well. I think he's had this coming for a long time and I'm glad that it was you that did it."

  I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't know what to say to anything, really. I could feel the exhaustion wearing down on me as the seconds ticked by and knew that if I didn't lie down soon, I'd be pass out on the bench. Everything else was secondary.

  I looked at Lark--her unseeing eyes seeing far more than they let on were pointed directly at me. "Are you ready?" she asked, her foot tapping with impatience. My human thought process was too slow for her.

  I nodded my head. She came towards me with her arms outstretched, and I shrank back. "Wh-what are you doing?" I asked, backing away from her even as she came closer.

  "You wanted me to take you home, right?" she said, her tone bored.

  "Well...yes, but I was th
inking that perhaps you came in a car or something," I mumbled as her hands got closer to my arms.

  She stopped then and placed one hand on her hip, while pointing towards her face with the other. "Do you see these eyes? I know that I can. I can see what I look like through your eyes. Tell me what department of motor vehicles office is going to allow me to even apply, much less take the test with eyes like these?"

  And she was right, of course. Her nearly colorless, sightless eyes were obvious. Even more so in her beautiful face.

  "So, how are you going to take me home?"

  She smirked. "How did Robert get you here?"

  Oh.

  "Oh. What? Did you think he was the only one who could fly without wings?" She laughed again. "I see there are a lot of things that Robert didn't explain to you."

  "It's kind of hard to explain thousands of years of information in a day," I muttered.

  "That is true, but you'd think that'd he at least tell you some of the basics. Instead he went all theatrical on you--trying to get you so frightened, you'd cling to him. Typical male."

  I thought about that for a bit. "Well, could you tell me the things that he didn't?"

  Her face looked thoughtful. She approached me, and very quickly, before I could retreat, scooped me up in her arms. "I'll tell you as much as you want to know that I can." And she pushed off with her feet, launching us into the sky...and we were sailing.

  THE CALL

  The awkward feeling of being carried by Lark kept me from talking for a few minutes, despite the flood of questions that was threatening to breach the levies of my self-control. She carried me in a way that made it feel like I were a pile of dirty laundry. She didn't want me to drop, but at the same time, she didn't want me to touch her either. And, much like with Robert, we were surrounded by what looked like smoke. It almost looked like our feet were on fire, and at any moment, bright orange and yellow flames would start licking at my legs.

  "Why the smoke?" I asked finally, starting my inquisition.

  "Well, we're kind of conspicuous--two people just indiscriminately flying around--so this helps to hide us when we travel this way. It's sort of like angel camouflage."

  I nodded, understanding the need to remain unseen. Now that the first question was out of the way, I couldn't stop the current that had been pent up too long. Instead, I just let the first question to fall out next have its chance to be heard. "What kind of special abilities do you have?"

  "Well, you know how my mother was talking about how our minds are always open, and connected? That we can always hear each other?" I nodded as she continued, "Well, she wasn't exactly telling the truth. She wasn't lying, of course. You already know about that rule. It is true, our minds are all connected, but for most of us, we have to be near each other in order to hear each other's thoughts.

  "I, on the other hand, don't need to be near anyone. I can hear the thoughts of anyone, anywhere." She had a smug look on her face, as though she were proving it right now by listening in on someone she probably shouldn't.

  "Whose thoughts are you listening to now?" I asked, curious.

  She gave me a wicked grin. "The President of the United States. He's playing a game of Battleship online by himself and is mad that he's losing."

  I couldn't contain the loud snort of laughter that burst out of my mouth. She couldn't lie, so I had no reason to doubt her, which made the whole image in my mind just that much more comical.

  "What else do you want to know? I know that can't be your only question," she said, trying to control the corners of her twitching mouth.

  "What are some of the things you can't do?"

  "Hmm...well, the list is pretty long. How long do you plan on living again?" She raised a solitary eyebrow and looked at me--well, it looked like she was looking at me--and smiled slyly.

  I looked to the side, her sightless, yet seeing eyes giving me the creeps. "I'll live for as long as it takes to learn everything about Robert I can."

  The smile on Lark's face grew wider. I assumed it was because she was looking forward to a lot more occasions where I'd be turning her brother down for one thing or another. "Okay then, let's see...we're not allowed to tell anyone about who or what we are without a good reason. It's pretty self-explanatory why, but the good reasons part is kind of confusing. Some things that I'd never figure to be a good enough reason turns out to be perfectly fine. It's all circumstantial, basically.

  "We're not allowed to lie. We physically cannot do it--the consequences against us are instantaneous and...severe. We're not allowed to take a human life without just cause. The punishment for that can be very severe. But as with the lying, for the most part it is physically impossible for us to do it."

  We swayed to the side a bit--a flock of birds passing us as though we didn't exist--and Lark smiled a knowing, semi-amused smile. "Just for your own future reference, animals don't see us. Dogs, cats, wild ferocious lions--we simply don't exist as far as they're concerned. There are some of us who can speak to them, but for the most part, we're just an aberration of space. It was be explained in the bible, if you've ever read it, that God gave man dominion over the earth, blah-blah-blah. Long story short, we're air to them."

  She watched the birds sail through the sky, and sighed, continuing with her list. "We're not allowed to use our powers for personal benefits outside of what we need. We don't live hand to mouth, of course, because that wouldn't be believable for society. They see us--so beautiful and graceful in comparison to you--and they can't believe that we're poor or uneducated.

  "For whatever reason, you humans seem to think that beauty and intelligence go hand in hand, so we fill the roles that society and humanity dictates we belong in. It is the easiest way to blend in, and we don't fight it. Besides, the money we get as a result can be far more attractive to you humans than any innate charming ability we possess.

  "No angel can break our laws without judgment from the Seraphim, and punishment from the Thrones-"

  "Seraphim? Thrones?" I knew I sounded confused because I genuinely was. "You have punishment thrones?"

  "The Seraphim are the elders, some of the oldest of our kind who hand down judgments either for or against our actions, while the Thrones...they're the angels who actually dole out the punishments to the condemned that are handed down by the Seraphim. When one of the rules are broken, and a sentence has been handed down, they are the ones who carry out that sentence," she explained, her eyes shimmering like iridescent glass--cold and hard with an ethereal light that had no explanation...no source.

  She closed them, realizing that I had been staring, and gave me a half-smile. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, there can be no interfering in the destiny of a human. We can see the destinies of most people, and sometimes, our nature dares us to interfere, to help or punish as we would see fit. But, the majority of us are not Seraphim, nor Thrones, and for good reason. If you want to know, most of us are your typical, push you out of the way of a moving vehicle type guardian angel.

  "What else? Oh! We're not allowed to harm wing-bringers-"

  "What are wing-bringers?" I interrupted, the name sparking an immediate interest in me.

  "Yes, Robert didn't tell you about that either, did he?" She shook her head. "A wing-bringer is someone who is the catalyst to the rebirth of an angel, meaning they are the person who triggers the growth of an angel's wings. Call it puberty for angels."

  I looked at her, shocked. There really were winged angels? After seeing all three of them without wings, I had assumed that they were merely symbolic, or a part of the mythology that was told to throw humans off of the truth.

  She shook her head again. "Just because you don't see them on us, that doesn't mean we don't have them. Well...Robert and I don't have them. We haven't met our wing-bringers yet. That reminds me of another one of the rules; we're not allowed to show our wings in public. Even in flight, most of the winged ones don't use them. They're merely decorative, from what many have told me, and bear no real purpose when
it comes to flying."

  "So why the significance of the wing-bringer, if the wings aren't all that important?" I asked.

  She turned her head to look at me, her face very serious then. "Wings are extremely important. We cannot get into Heaven without them."

  I looked at her in shock. "But, you're angels! Isn't that where you belong? Isn't that where you live?" The few stories and the pictures that I knew all told a different story entirely compared to the confusing one that was now being laid brick by brick in my mind.

  "Grace, toss your preconceived notions about those naked, harp playing sissies you've seen painted on church ceilings out of the window. Angels are born on earth, just like humans, and live on earth until such time that we're deemed worthy to enter Heaven. But--and I want this to be perfectly clear to you--we do not live there. Simply being an angel doesn't mean that we're automatically granted access--it is not our dream to end up there like you humans do. You should know above all things that there are no guarantees in life. That rings true for human and angel alike.

  "Robert is over fifteen-hundred years old. He hasn't even seen a feather pop up, much less a complete set of wings. He knows his destiny is to ascend and answer the call. It is all of our destinies. We're just not sure when exactly that will be and what it will be. I've only been around for five hundred years; that's practically an infant when you compare me to some of the others. I might have to wait a millennia before I even get an idea as to what my call will lead me to, and even then, only after I meet my wing-bringer and the circumstances are right."

  I felt breathless at all of the information that she was revealing to me--so many secrets and yet, I knew that this wasn't even the tip of the iceberg--there was so much I still wanted to know. "So, this wing-bringer...what exactly does he or she do--how do they bring wings?"

  She seemed to contemplate that for a bit. "You know, I don't know. It's not something that is written down as an exact science. Wing-bringers have been human lovers, human enemies, complete strangers, newborns, the aged and the infirm. The belief amongst some of the elders is that there must be a great pull of emotions for the wing-bringer in order to trigger the change.