“You said I could trust you, Milo. You told me you would never lie to me.”
The conversation quickly turned serious. Milo refused to look at me.
“Non-serviam?” I asked pressing harder for answers. “I will not serve?”
Milo kept his eyes on the water, jaw clenched. The game was definitely over.
“Are you a fallen angel?” I asked in a whisper.
“I am…that I am.” The words slowly rolled out of his mouth.
My lower lip began to quiver not in fear but anger. My mind suddenly became alerted. This entire time, the angels lied to us. They were the fallen angels from the Bible; sinister evil creatures who preyed on young women so they could create their own master race.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me.” Milo reached for me, but I pulled back. Hurt crossed his eyes.
“Oh yeah? Give me a good reason why?” My body tensed in fear this time. I had to figure out a way to get off this cove. Fast.
“I am not what you think I am.”
“An evil angel with a plan to take over our world?” I said getting up, picking up my shoes, socks and sweater. I walked past Milo in the direction of the woods. He didn’t try to stop me.
“If you stay I’ll tell you everything. I’ll tell you where we came from.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear what Milo had to say, but it was enough to catch my interest, so I stopped and slowly turned around.
“You’ll answer all of my questions?” I asked. “No clothing coming off?”
Milo slightly smiled, then nodded. I dropped to the ground near him keeping my distance.
Milo took a deep breath before he said a word. “We are light beings from a different realm out there”—he pointed at the sky—“what you call heaven, we call Eden,” Milo said.
“So you’re…aliens?” I asked, studying his face.
He chuckled. “We prefer the biblical term, angel. At least we were until…we became fallen.”
My mind grew foggy with confusion. “You mean to tell me the story of the fallen angels in the bible is true? Lucifer is real?”
“We were cast out of Eden for breaking the one and only rule that was given to us. We were forbidden to have physical contact with humans. But it proved to be too”—he drew his gaze over me—“tempting.”
Stunned and overwhelmed, I drew my knees up to my chin and hugged them.
“When our Father found the Earth, humans were already here. We don’t know where you came from, or how you were created. The humans of those days were primitive beings who didn’t understand logic, or speak a language. They used sound to communicate. Our Father decided they needed guidance and education, so he sent the Grigori angels to teach them reasoning, to watch over them,” Milo explained. “Over time the Grigori were regarded as Gods by the humans. They loved the attention so much they became lost in their selfish pursuit for power. Led by the angel Azazel, the Grigori began to lust over the Daughters of Man. So they sinned. They matted with human women who later became pregnant and died shortly after giving birth. Their bodies were too fragile and could not survive the birth of a giant child.”
“The Nephilim,” I stated swallowing hard at the seriousness in his face.
“Yes, the Nephilim.”
“That’s why there was a flood? To get rid of the giants?”
Milo nodded. “The giants were cannibals who raped and murdered many people. There was so much evil on Earth in those days.”
“What happened to the Grigori angels?” I asked.
“Our Father never expected the angels to turn against him, so he cursed them to crave the flesh of humans forever. He cast them out of Eden, they were forbidden to return. The Grigori and the other angels who have fallen rule over the Earth today.”
Chills ran up my spine. I realized I’d been holding my breath as Milo spoke. When he became silent, I exhaled. There was a question that nagged my thoughts, a question I was afraid to find the answer to. But I needed to know.
“Were you a Grigori?” I finally asked.
“No.” He assured me. “I was an archangel.”
“Like Michael?”
He smiled at my surprise. “Yes.”
“What’s Eden like?”
“Eden,” Milo began, a painful expression crossing his face. “Is more beautiful than Earth.” Milo’s eyes became soft at his memory of Eden. “The lake waters are crystal clear, the mountains vast and green. The air always smells of crisp, fresh linen free of pollution. It’s never cold there. Evil doesn’t exist, sadness, or sickness. The angels live together in peace.”
“Is that the reason you come here? It reminds you of Eden?”
“Yes.”
“You miss it don’t you?”
“Every day,” Milo said sadly then turned his face to the sky.
I felt terrible for him, but I couldn’t help but wonder why any angel would leave a paradise to come to a world filled with darkness? I wondered what or who caused his fall from grace.
“Milo,” I began afraid to even ask the question. “Why did you fall?”
Milo grew quiet considering my question, and I could tell he didn’t want to answer. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes,” I lied. I really didn’t want to know. But I needed to know.
He grew quiet again, thoughtful this time. Without looking at me, he replied, “A girl.”
My heart sank. I looked away trying to hide the jealousy written all over my face. I hated myself for feeling this way.
“Angela?” I asked dryly.
“No, not Angela,” he replied. “The girl underneath the oak tree. I still remember the day I first saw her,” he continued nostalgically. “I’d stumbled into her yard because I was thirsty. There was a birdbath in the middle of a beautiful garden, she was reading underneath an old oak tree. Although she couldn’t see me, I could definitely see her.” He smiled, his eyes distant. “I became enamored by her innocent beauty, her rosy cheeks, I kept coming back to see her day after day.” Milos face quickly darkened. “That’s when the cravings began. An unexplainable hunger stirred deep at my core. It consumed my thoughts, my body. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I had never felt anything like it before. All I knew in that moment was that I had to know everything about her…” Milo trailed off then grew silent again.
Listening to Milo talk about her was like listening to someone you really like gush about how great his ex-girlfriend used to be. But the new revelation opened my eyes. It forced me to realize how fragile humans were. How would our relationship work? If it ever got that far. I’d grow old while he remained the same beautiful Milo? We were heading down the road to heartbreak. I was human. He was a fallen angel cursed to roam the Earth for eternity. We were a tragedy waiting to happen.
“What happened to her?” I asked as I fought back guilt.
“She grew older.” In other words, she died, I thought. I could tell by his pained expression it hurt him to talk about her. I didn’t press him with any more questions.
We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. The only sound was the soft, warm breeze that kissed my face. I could have stayed like that all day, but my wet jeans were beginning to cause a rash on my skin.
“I’m all wet.” I frowned.
“I have a dryer,” Milo offered.
“At your house?” I asked.
He nodded.
My breathing quickened. A tremor of excitement ran through my body. I’d never been to a guy’s house. Especially one I liked. I was curious to see his room, excited to get a glimpse into his private life. It was the perfect opportunity to snoop around for clues about Priscilla’s whereabouts.
“Okay,” I replied.
The sky slowly vanished as we walked further into the woods with only a few fragments of sky peeking through the auburn leaves. Milo led the way up the treacherous hike as I cautiously tried to avoid the tree branches above me and fallen logs below. Milo looked back to me to make sure I was kee
ping up, I smiled in return showing no signs of weakness.
On the path I came upon a decaying tree with a lotus flower bursting with color, it was growing on one of its smaller branches. At first, I was confused by the location of the lotus, I always thought they only grew in water. I stared at its glimmering neon violet petals that seemed to be glowing. Its colors reminded me of a beautiful summer sunset, golden on the inside with a fiery red rim. Specs of silvery white resembling glitter seemed to float around its petals. I was immediately hypnotized by its brilliant fluorescent beauty. The lotus was pleasing to the eye—desirable even. There was a buzz in my fingertips as I slowly reached for it aching to touch the soft petals. My fingers were only an inch away from the lotus when I heard Milo’s warning voice.
“Don’t move,” he said sternly.
My eyes fell on the blackest snake I had ever seen in my life coiled on the branch above the lotus silently waiting to attack. I stood very still. With one blow to the head, Milo killed the snake with a large rock. Milo looked around the woods nervous, almost as if he knew there was someone out there…watching us. My breathing became shallow and sped up. What was a snake doing out so late in the season when they should be hibernating?
“We need to get out of here,” Milo said quickly grasping my hand.
CHAPTER
22
It was dark out when we arrived at the two-story brick bungalow style house Milo shared with Eli, Dylan, Lee, and Trent located near fraternity row at Georgia Tech where the houses were so close to each other you could reach out with one foot and touch the neighbor’s yard. And while the other houses were well kept, Milo’s resembled more of a frat house than a family home. The angels were having a party. The music thumped through the open windows and the broad porch—furnished in old worn out chairs and couches—was full of college-age girls in clusters drinking beer.
Eli was on the porch roof with a funnel in hand welcoming his guests. He pointed a finger at us when we arrived and said, “You two have some catchin’ up to do!”
“The neighbors don’t mind the music?” I asked.
“It’s nothing but college students around here,” Milo said.
Just as we walked down the concrete pathway, Lee stopped two frat boys dressed in Chubbies and pastel-colored Polo shirts who reminded me of Mason and the jocks from Dixon High.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lee asked.
“Yeah, no pussies allowed,” Eli yelled from the rooftop. “Go back to your house daddy!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The music grew louder as we stepped inside. The smell of stale beer and pizza wafted in the air. The house was sparsely decorated with shabby furniture, a fifty-two-inch television took front stage hung above the fireplace with a game console connected. Trent was playing a video game of zombies while two angel groupies cheered him on.
The house looked like it hadn’t been remodeled with the exception of the open concept floor plan. Built-in wood cabinets on both sides of the fireplace were full of party trophies: empty alcohol bottles of different kinds. From where I stood I could see into the kitchen. A pool table replaced the dining room table where there was a serious game of beer pong happening.
Milo nodded at his roommates as soon as they noticed us, I smiled politely and waved as my way of saying ‘hello.’ Thankfully, Dylan wasn’t around. He was probably out with a new conquest.
“Let’s go to my room, it’s quiet,” Milo whispered into my ear.
Everyone in the house exchanged looks and smiles as if to say ‘they’re about to get it on.’ I shifted my focus away suddenly feeling uncomfortable. They probably thought I was just like the quill lovers the angels brought home every night: loose and easy. I let out a soft curse under my breath wondering why I decided to come to Milo’s house. My clothes dried on the bike ride, so a dryer wasn’t necessary.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Eli came out of one of the rooms.
“Goin’ to the love shack, ey?” Eli said. “I’ll let you two be.”
Love Shack?
Milo opened the door to his room. It was impeccably clean with minimal furniture. A large king-size bed with gray sheets took up most of the room. A tan hand woven rug covered the floor. So this is where the magic happened, I thought. I brushed the thought away. I didn’t want to think about the countless girls Milo had taken to his bed. My attention shifted to the empty white walls, only a large oval mirror hung near the closet to my right. A bar stool replaced the traditional side table with a small reading lamp. Near the only window in the room, there was an old record player with a small collection of vinyl records.
“Sorry about them,” Milo said closing the door.
“You’re room is…tidy,” I noted.
He opened the closet door where his clothes were neatly organized by color; blacks, grays, whites.
“OCD much?” I teased.
“I like everything in its place. It’s much easier to find,” Milo said as he rummaged through a chest of built-in drawers where he fished out a white t-shirt and pajama shorts.
“The bathroom is the first door to your right,” he said handing the clothes to me.
I opened the door located right next to Milo’s room only to be surprised by a couple who was making out inside.
“I’m sorry,” I said closing the door horrified.
I waited outside the bathroom for a few seconds before the couple came out adjusting their clothes. Once inside, I changed out of my clothes and into Milo’s. I allowed the white t-shirt to hang over my face for a few seconds as I sniffed and inhaled the scent of fresh linen. I smiled. Milo was a clean freak, and I loved it.
Looking in the mirror, I brushed out any knots in my hair with one hand and pinched my cheeks to make them appear rosier. I lifted my arm to smell my armpits, they didn’t smell bad, they smelled of lake water and sweat. I opened the medicine cabinet in search of anything to spray myself but only found aftershave. Good enough.
“What are you doing?” I asked the girl in the mirror. A line of worry crossed her face. “Don’t do anything stupid you might regret.”
Back in the room, a mellow, hazy song played on the record player shifting the mood. The lights were low and somber, almost dreamlike. I found Milo sitting on his bed. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I walked into the room which only made me more nervous. Thankfully, he got up, took my clothes, and excused himself downstairs to wash my clothes.
While I waited, I went straight to Milo’s closet where three pairs of clean shoes were stacked on a shoe rack; a pair of leather boots, running sneakers and shower sandals. Milo was a minimalist at heart. I counted only twenty pieces of clothing hanging in the closet. Opening every single drawer looking for clues of anything that could connect him to my sister, I found Milo’s shirts immaculately folded, but found nothing out of the ordinary. No receipts, box of personal items, books, journals. You’d think Milo would at least have a few photographs of himself or his motorcycle lying around but I didn’t find any.
I strolled over to the record player and settled on the floor and flipped through Milo’s collection of vinyl records: Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Creedence Clearwater, AC/DC, Queen. Milo was the classic rock type.
When Milo came back into the room, I said, “You’ve got great taste in music.”
He flashed me a lazy grin then found a comfortable spot in front of me. Milo subtly sniffed the air then narrowed his eyes.
“Are you wearing my aftershave?”
My face blushed. “Yes.”
“Smells good on you.”
I looked around the room trying to pick something to change the subject until my eyes landed on a small box under the record player.
“What’s that?” I asked pointing at the box.
Milo grabbed the wooden box. “It’s an old tattoo device I brought with me from Eden.”
“Wow. Really?” I said fascinated. The
box was about the size of a shoe box. There was a carving on the lid of what I thought was a dragon, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a snake. My excitement vanished. I thought back to the snake I’d encountered earlier today. I shuddered.
“The ink was blessed by the seraphim angels,” he explained. The golden hinges lightly groaned as he opened the box. From it, he unfolded a muslin cloth and placed it on the rug. He drew out three ancient looking tools with needles poking out and neatly placed them over the cloth. “The tattoos protect the archangels in battle.”
“In battle? From what? I thought evil didn’t exist in Eden?”
“Not in Eden. Earth.” His face turned serious. “There are unseen evil forces that live among you.”
“Unseen evil forces?” I echoed.
“Demons,” Milo growled with dark eyes.
The word demon caused me to freeze I let out a nervous chuckle. “Demons exist?”
“The spirits of the Nephilim. They roam the Earth causing catastrophic events; plane crashes, tsunamis, earthquakes. They hunt humans for their souls so they can’t reincarnate. Once the soul is devoured by a demon, it’s gone forever.”
I’d seen the portrayal of demons in many movies and read about them in books, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe they existed.
“So our version of heaven and hell…”
“Don’t exist.”
“Can they hurt us?”
“The only way a demon can physically hurt you is if they—possess a human.”
I needed to lay down. The idea of an evil demon roaming the Earth freaked me out. My eyes frantically searched the room for any signs of them.
“Don’t worry,” Milo laughed softly. “There are none here.”
“It isn’t funny, you know!” I slapped his shoulder. “Why doesn’t anyone know about this? Why can’t we see them?”
“Because they live inside the veil. Only psychics and those who have the sight can see them.”
“Like Angela.”
Milo nodded. “Can you imagine your life if you had the sight? To watch your worst nightmares come to life?”
THE TRAGIC + DIVINE Page 21