“Well, that would make the most sense. Fighting the devil and his demons is what you’re supposed to do, right?” I smiled, finding some humor in the situation, but Gabriel was unfazed and obviously didn’t agree.
“Yes, but it’s slightly more complicated than that.”
His seriousness erased the smile from my face. “I’m sure it is.”
Quiet filled the room. Gabriel glanced at the clock on the mantel and said, “It isn’t quite late yet, but you must be tired after everything that transpired tonight.”
I followed his gaze. He was right, it wasn’t late, yet I suddenly felt like all the energy in my body had been drained, probably because I was coming off an adrenaline high from the chase. Tiredness crept in. I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive a night on the streets. I had to make a decision: Do I stay, or do I leave?
I went with gut instinct. “I wouldn’t mind some sleep.”
Gabriel led me down one of the hallways to the spare room, where I placed both of my bags on the floor and turned to look at the man who claimed he was an angel.
“If you need anything, let me know.”
After he left, I stood staring at the empty doorway. I still wasn’t sure if I trusted him. He seemed like a decent guy, but that was the problem. He wasn’t a guy. Well, he had the physical form of a man, but why would anyone go around calling themselves an angel?
Sighing in frustration, I rubbed my hands over my head. My brain was not in the mood to figure all this out. Nothing made sense. How could Sister Helen be a part of some secret society? She was the cheery nun who had always been the mother I never had, the one who chased away my nightmares and made everything right again. That’s what was frustrating. She had sent me into the unknown, thrown me right into evil’s path, without so much as a backward glance. It was unlike her, and because of this, I knew she was in over her head. Sister Helen would never put me in harm’s way.
My emotions battled against each other. I knew I had to do this for her—whatever this was, or wherever it would take me.
I dropped my arms to my sides, closed the bedroom door, and took a shower. When I finished, I crawled into the guest bed and shut off the light on the nightstand. I should have fallen asleep right away, but I couldn’t quiet my mind.
3
Jordan
New York City, Twelve Hours Ago
I couldn’t believe summer was already over. It felt like I graduated just yesterday from Sacred Heart High School, yet here I was, two months later, preparing to leave for my mission trip to Africa. My plan surprised most people when they asked what I would be doing after high school. Typically, they wanted to hear which college I would be attending, but college didn’t seem like the right step for me yet.
I turned away from my empty closet and looked at the packed bag on my bed. Almost everything I owned fit in that single duffel. As an orphan living at Holy Trinity, it wasn’t like I had many belongings.
A knock on the half-open door drew my attention away from the bag. It was Sophia. Her long, wavy blonde hair swayed as she entered the room. She wore sandals with white shorts and a blue blouse that accentuated her equally blue eyes.
“Sorry to intrude,” she said in her singsong voice, “but the car’s here to take me to the train station.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yes. It’s about a three-hour train ride, and I want to get there before tonight.”
“But orientation isn’t until tomorrow morning,” I protested.
“I know. I just want to be early.”
“A whole day early?” I questioned with a smirk.
“Of course.” She stepped into my open arms for a hug. “I’m going to miss you,” she confessed.
“Me too,” I replied, releasing her. “But this is your time to start fulfilling your dreams, so don’t worry about me. Harvard is lucky to have you, and you deserve to be there.”
“Thanks. I’m still going to miss you,” she said, tears in her eyes.
I grabbed her for one more hug. “I know what you’re thinking,” I murmured in her ear. “This isn’t goodbye.”
She stepped back and looked at me. “Promise?”
“Promise.” I meant it. “Now, if you don’t move into your dorm until tomorrow, where are you staying tonight?”
“I’m staying with my roommate, Dafne. I met her in July. Remember I told you, we got along really well? Her parents don’t live far from campus, and they suggested I come early since I have no one else to help me move in.”
With all this talk of parents and no help, I knew Sophia was upset. “Don’t let it get to you, and definitely don’t think about it.”
“Easy for you to say. At least you had parents who wanted you.”
I looked at her skeptically. “That’s not fair, Sophia. They wanted me, but they’re dead.”
Shaking her head, she realized the fault in her words. “I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just hate that my mom abandoned me.”
Before I could respond, Dane, the boy I’d shared this room with for my entire life, kicked the door open, much like he did every time he entered our room, and proceeded to insert himself into our conversation.
“Dead parents or no dead parents, I don’t see how anyone could want you.”
“Dane!” Sophia exclaimed, coming to my defense.
“What?”
“Apologize.”
“What for?”
“For being impolite.”
He shrugged off her remark.
“Don’t worry about it, Sophia. Whatever he says doesn’t bother me,” I told her. And it was true. I didn’t let Dane’s snide comments get to me. Though he and I never got along, I was still civil to him, even if he never returned the sentiment. As kids, I knew we were never going to be close friends, so I gave him the space he needed and would go play downstairs. That was how I met Sophia.
We were both five years old when I found her in the games room one day, playing cards by herself. She had only just arrived at Holy Trinity and hadn’t made any friends yet. I asked her if she wanted to play UNO instead. At first, she hesitated, but soon, she agreed, and our friendship was solidified.
As for Dane, I knew he was a lost cause. I couldn’t force him to return my respect, so I tolerated his antics. It wasn’t like I could switch rooms or ask for a new roommate. Holy Trinity was at its capacity, and I simply had to deal with the situation I was given.
“Every time I find the two of you together, you’re always discussing your sob stories,” Dane scoffed. “It’s pathetic you’re both so hung up on people you’ve never even met.”
“That’s not true!” Sophia exclaimed. Instinctively, she grabbed at her necklace and rubbed the pendant. It was a St. Michael medallion and was related to her mom, but I wasn’t entirely sure how since Sophia hated talking about her. In fact, Sophia hated talking about any memories from her childhood. “I was five years old when I came here, so trust me, I remember my mom,” she told Dane. “Thinking about her isn’t pathetic. What’s pathetic is you. At least I express my emotions and try to deal with them. Instead, you lash out at everyone around you and ignore the fact you hate it just as much as I do, that you have no idea why your parents didn’t want you either.”
“Maybe they didn’t want me. I’ll never know because I was barely a few months old when I was left here. But who cares? They had no part in my life, just like your mom, so why should I spend my time fantasizing about them?”
“Sophia?” Sister Helen called from downstairs. “The car’s waiting.”
Dropping the chain around her neck, she called back, “Coming!” Sophia turned to me once more and gave me a quick hug. “Keep me updated about your mission and write me whenever you can. I want to know everything, and when you get back, we need to meet up no matter what.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed.
With that, she exited the room without so much as a glance in Dane’s direction.
I walked over to the
window to watch the driver load in Sophia’s luggage. My friend waited on the sidewalk with Sister Helen, the two exchanging a heartfelt goodbye.
“Are you ever going to tell her you like her?”
“Dane, would you stop with that already? I don’t have feelings for Sophia.”
“Sure, you don’t.”
I ignored his comment and remained fixed to the window until the sound of a drawer slamming pulled my attention away. I looked over at him. Dane was grabbing his things and stuffing them in a bag. Apparently, he was leaving now too.
I observed his tall figure bent over to reach for shoes in the closet. He had always been taller than me until two years ago, when I finally caught up to his height. He was more muscular though, and I didn’t think I would ever match him in strength. His black hair fell into his eyes—an odd look, since he always kept his hair so well-groomed. He wore black jeans with a gray t-shirt and combat boots. The beginnings of a tattoo peeked out from under his left sleeve.
He looked up, and his black eyes registered annoyance when he caught me staring.
“Would you leave me alone?” he demanded.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Well, stop staring at me,” he complained. He rubbed his angular jaw, a usual gesture whenever he tried to think something through. I imagined he was trying to decide if he should bring his posters with him, the ones plastered over every inch of wall space on his side of the room.
“I guess you’re leaving now too?”
“Yeah. The sooner I get out of here, the better. I cannot wait to leave this place.”
“You came of legal age in July. Why did you wait another month to leave?”
“The apartment complex I wanted to move into was full. It’s close to where I work, so I waited until they had an opening.” Abruptly, he stopped and shook his head. “Why am I telling you this?”
“Because you want to be my friend after all?” I teased, smiling.
He flipped me his middle finger and continued to pack.
Shaking my head in disbelief at his rude gesture, I figured I would just leave him alone, but my curiosity overcame me fast. “Do you have any roommates?”
He ignored me and stood on his bed to take down the posters.
“Okay… Probably not then. I mean, who could possibly want to live with you?” I blurted out the words before I knew what I was saying.
He gave me a mean glare. “Who says I’m living with anyone?” he replied, jumping down from the bed. “Although, I do have friends, unlike you.”
“You mean those guys you hang out with who look like junkies?”
He stopped his packing to give me another mean glare. “You know nothing about me, so stop judging me with all your assumptions. They might be junkies, but that doesn’t mean I am.” He paused. “I’ve got my shit together more than you think. I’ve saved enough money to afford an apartment on my own, busting my ass like I did working all those jobs. It might be a studio, but it’s better than this place. I already have a job set up for myself too, working at a tattoo shop. What do you have to show for yourself other than some asinine idea you want to help people? It’s time to grow up, Jordan.”
He zipped up his duffel and swung it over his shoulder, ready to leave. Before he could though, I offered my hand. Dane stared at it.
“Although what you just said was hurtful, I’m going to look past it. I egged you on in the first place. I also want to wish you the best of luck.”
Dane was hesitant to shake my hand, seeking deception in my words. But there was none. I truly meant what I said.
He quickly grasped my hand and shook it. Of course, he had to get in one last dig. That was who Dane was, and no one would ever change him.
“You too, when you figure out what you want to do with your life.” Then, he let go and left the room.
I heard Sister Helen giving him a brief goodbye on the way out and walked back over to the window to see Sophia’s car door closing. I lifted my hand to wave, not sure if she could see me, and watched as the car disappeared down the street. Seconds later, Dane exited the building and started off along the sidewalk. He rounded the corner and was gone.
Dane was right. It was time to grow up. He wasn’t so confused by the transition like I was. He actually knew what he wanted from life. He’d been a skilled artist ever since we were children, able to draw anything and everything. In high school, he was fascinated with tattooing and got some even before he legally could. They were always in places where the sisters couldn’t see since they would be furious if they found out. But he had discovered something he was passionate about, to the point he’d learned how to tattoo and now had a job doing the very thing he loved.
I left the window and sat on the edge of my bed. Seeing the room empty made me realize my childhood was truly over. It was officially time to move on, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
Out of all the people I knew, I thought Sophia would be the least surprised to learn I wanted to embark on this adventure rather than go to college. Helping people had always been something I was drawn to—so much so, I frequently gave money to the homeless and volunteered at soup kitchens and for charities. The kids at school thought I was insane for doing these things so willingly. They assumed it was because I’d lived in a religious orphanage my entire life and the sisters forced me to be charitable. I had to explain that being a good citizen and a decent person was not a requirement of the residents at Holy Trinity.
Sophia had always understood I enjoyed helping people, which was why her surprise perplexed me. She’d persisted in trying to convince me to apply for college. At one point, I even gave in and let her help me pick out schools. I settled on Cornell, NYU, Fordham, and Columbia. She forced me to put Harvard on the list because that was where she wanted to go, although Cornell was my top choice. I really liked the location, and it had such a great selection of programs I knew I would find something to interest me.
I wasn’t sure I would get accepted though. I had good grades and test scores, but most of these schools were elite. Sophia believed I was smart enough to get in. I had to remind her several times, she was the smarter one, the valedictorian. It didn’t seem to stop her from pushing me to apply.
Although I didn’t get in to Columbia or Harvard, I was offered admission to Cornell, NYU, and Fordham. It was a tough choice because I didn’t want to throw away an amazing opportunity, but after doing some research and thinking it over, I deferred my acceptance to Cornell for two years. They let students do this if they had a good reason to take a gap year, and a mission trip was definitely a good reason. This meant I could have the best of both worlds.
Sister Helen agreed it was the best solution. Sophia wanted me to just go to school, but I knew I was meant for a different path, one less traditional. I needed these two years off to answer my mysterious call to help others first. Apparently, Dane didn’t think it was the right thing to do either, but who cared about what he thought?
Glancing at the clock on my bedside table, I realized I’d better leave now to pick up my paycheck so I would be back in time for dinner. I made my way downstairs, past two rowdy eight-year-olds who knocked me against the railing. After righting myself, I continued through the wide double doors into the front part of the building, which housed the offices.
Sister Helen looked up from her desk when I knocked on her door. “Can I help you, Jordan?”
I gazed upon her face. Her blue eyes, strong cheekbones, and silver mane of wild curls. She had this way of smiling that wasn’t a full smile but a mere perk of the lips expressing her most genuine emotions. Her bold, spunky personality was unlike any of the other sisters. While most of them wore full habits, Sister Helen preferred a long skirt with a white button-up shirt and a solid black vest. Nothing ever covered her hair. Never.
“I just wanted to let you know, I’m going out to run an errand. I’ll be back in time for dinner,” I assured her.
“Excellent. The other sisters and I
are really looking forward to it, though farewell dinners are such a bittersweet occasion. We’ve prepared all your favorite food.”
“That sounds great, Sister Helen. I’m really looking forward to it too.”
“See you later, Jordan. Be safe.”
With a grateful smile, I pulled her office door closed.
4
Gabriel
New York City, Present Day
After the shower turned off and the light in the guest room flickered out, I sat in the living room composing music until the nighttime news came on. Then, making sure the volume was low, I watched the breaking headline announce a fire was burning at an abandoned orphanage in Brooklyn. Understanding inherently that it was Holy Trinity, I turned off the television. Jordan didn’t need to know until morning.
I waited a little longer to be sure he was asleep before rising from the couch and walking to my office on the opposite side of the apartment. My storage chest sat below the window and responded to my celestial energy when I rested my hand on it, softly clicking open. I reached inside and grasped a long gold horn. After opening the window, I pressed the horn to my lips and blew. Notes flowed through the city and out into the sky, the sound capturing only the attention of those the call was meant for, drifting past humans and finding the ears of archangels.
I hoped they would answer, because it was finally time…
Time to deal with everything that happened in Heaven.
5
Gabriel
Heaven, In the Beginning
“Gabriel! You must come quick!” Raphael exclaimed.
“What is wrong?”
“We have all been sent a message to gather in council.”
My brow creased. “In council? What for? I received no message.”
“Your message was brought to the Watch Tower. The Cherubim thought you were on duty. I flew down quickly to find you. The message was brief. All it said was, we are to gather in council,” Raphael explained, concern on his face.
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