by Shel Delisle
This could take a while.
But before I can make sure it only hits the ground, Natura Time Bends too. Her arrow flips into me, piercing my side just below Michael’s protective vest.
Chapter 28
“Argh.” What just happened? I hold my side. It hurts so bad. I lift my hand, and my shirt. No mark.
“Grace, what’s wrong?” Michael asks, worry in his eyes.
“Something’s happened to me. I have to go to her.” I pat the pocket of my flannel shirt. Thankfully, it’s still there.
And then, I zoom back to my other self.
}{
“Child, child, what have I done?”
It should be obvious. You shot me. But I’m not gonna complain because there’s no need to piss you off again.
Mother Nature dismounts the elephant and crouches where I lay. My other half returns with a whooshing feeling, and I remember the vial of healing waters from Bethesda Fountain in my pocket. I grit my teeth and grab the arrow.
“No, don’t,” Frank says.
I pull the arrow from my side and scream. More blood begins to flow. “Frank, in my shirt pocket. Get the vial,” my voice croaks.
He does, but his thick fingers fumble with the small, rubber stopper.
“Let me do it,” Natura says with some annoyance.
She takes the vial from Frank and in one smooth motion, gets the stopper off and pours some of the water on my wound. Immediately, the skin seals itself and the pain disappears. I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”
“What were you thinking, child?”
Enough with the child thing, already. “I wanted to save Frank. If you knew him like I do, then you’d know he’s a good Angel, and he’s just frustrated by a few things.” Mother Nature has a blank expression. “He lost his temper,” I continue.
Her face is still blank, but after a moment it seems to sink in, and her face softens. “I’ve been known to do that, too.”
Really? I hadn’t noticed. I slough off my own irritated feelings, and try a little compassion. “We all do.”
I feel like we might be having a Kumbaya moment, when Michel swoops in accompanied by Annex, Cherish, and Valor, the Cherub who used to work outside concerts and was promoted to protection of Michael’s office. I sit up, then stand. All better.
“Grace. You’re okay,” Michael says, relief apparent on his face. He holds his arms out, palms up. “Now that we are gathered together, we should resolve a few things. First, there will be no more camping in The Wilds. It only fosters a sense of separation, and there are far more important things for us to face, united.”
“Are you saying we should just accept our lower status?” Frank asks.
I’d expected Annex to comment, but he’s unusually quiet, and rarely looks up from the ground.”
Michael gives his wings a flap. “Is that your perception? Because I, for one, don’t share it.” He continues without waiting for Frank’s response, all take-charge. “Cherish, I’d like you to return to Izzy, but if you’d prefer another Assignment, I’m open to that, too.”
Cherish nods her head. “I’d like to go back to Izzy.”
“Frank, originally you’d wanted to pursue a career as a Cherub. If it still interests you, I’m sure they’d love to have you. In fact, I’d like to have you stationed outside my office.”
That seems like a plum Assignment. But maybe Michael wants to keep an eye on him too.
Frank steps forward and shakes Michael’s hand. “I’d be honored, but why are you doing this?”
“Let’s just say mistakes have been made.” He hesitates, then clears his throat. “I’ve made mistakes, you’ve made mistakes. Even Natura has made mistakes.”
Confession: I feel like raising my hand to admit my own, but I’m actually flying under the radar for a change.
At first Natura shakes her head, but Michael gives her his sternest look and she changes it to a nod.
Michael moves in front of Annex and crosses his arms, waiting for Annex to meet his eyes. When he does, Michael says, “I know we got off to a rocky start. I’m sorry for that, and I’ve learned from Grace that some individuals are better trained on-the-job. I’d like to offer you a position as a personal advisor to me on Internal Affairs. You have some ideas about things we might need to… re-vamp. I like to think we’d work well together.”
I’m so excited for Annex, I can barely stand it! Here’s a chance for him to make some real changes.
Annex takes a deep breath, and then looks back to the ground. “I’m honored that you asked me, but I must, respectfully, decline.”
You could knock me over with an Angel’s feather. And if Michael’s expression is any indication, that same feather could bowl him over too.
“Why?” I ask in a hushed voice.
“I’d like to spend my time with Virginia,” he says to me. To Michael, he says, “You won’t get any trouble from me.”
Virginia. He never told me her name, but she must have lived.
“I’m disappointed, but understand what you want. Do you understand what it means?”
Annex nods once and turns his back to Michael, burying his face in both palms. Michael unsheathes and raises his flaming sword. Two blindingly quick slices and the rest of Annex’s wings fall to the ground.
Seeing them lay there feels like a punch to the gut. Something that I’ve wanted for so long, and he gave them up so easily. Maybe we’re not as much alike as he thought. Tears well in my eyes as I dab healing water on his cuts. I manage to say in a shaky voice, “I hope you make each other very happy, my friend.”
“I’ll miss you, Grace, but after you get your wings, maybe you’ll come visit me.” He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and waves at the rest of the group. Then, without warning, he’s gone.
Chapter 29
“This has been the most trying day, and it’s still morning,” Mother Nature says while unfurling her wings.
I couldn’t agree more.
Michael nods in agreement. He looks unhappy with Annex’s decision—not angry—just sad. “It’s time for us to leave. Valor, please fly Grace with you. And no detours. She’s got final exams tomorrow.”
I’m grateful that I won’t have to slog back through The Wilds, but strangely, not at all excited about the prospect of a flight. Does that mean I’ve matured or am I simply depressed about Annex?
Before I can puzzle it out, Valor scoops me up, and we ascend above The Garden. I yawn and have a hard time keeping my eyes open to take in the beauty skimming by beneath us.
“That’s alright, you take a nap,” Valor says. “Boy, is Victor going to be happy to hear you’re okay.”
My eyes snap open. “Victor?”
“When he wasn’t allowed to join the Angel army because of his past transgression with Annex, he asked me to keep an eye on you. There were a couple times today I was afraid I’d have bad news for him. Then, I thought I’d fly you to see him, but Michael must’ve heard that thought. That’s why Michael said no detours.”
So that explains why Victor was missing today. Relief that he still cares washes over me and I yawn again, letting my eyes stay closed this time, the soft breeze of our flight lulling me to sleep.
}{
I bombed my History of Mankind final, which is not too surprising since I was only there for the first week of class, but despite that, I’d thought when I’d taken it that maybe I’d done good enough for a passing grade. It wasn’t, as I learn when the exams are handed back today and I see the grade at the top of my paper read 16/100.
The exam had been three essays. The first was: Cite five events that signify the evolution of mankind. Give supporting details.
On that one…no clue and I’d just written a big question mark in the space provided.
The second question was: Explain how Heaven might influence mankind’s history. Please explore only one example in detail.
I’d written boatloads about Mother Nature’s influence. I wrote about Noah’s ark and Yosemi
te. Half my essay was devoted to the recent spate of tornados and how that had directly affected a whole town. On that one I’d only received half credit. There was a note on my paper from Professor Vivid about my tornado example. Grace, if this was a current events class this would be a great essay, but it is a history class and as such you should be pulling from the material we covered in class.
Well, if I’d been in class I would’ve.
The third question was about the effects of war on mankind. Again, my absence made it hard, but I wrote what I thought was a very good essay about The Battle of The Garden of Eden.
Zero points on that one. Her only comment was: History is based on fact. This very imaginative account would be excellent for Creative Writing. Perhaps you should consider becoming a Muse.
At the bottom of the exam was a note to see her after class.
I look over at Justice and he seems happy with his grade. “How’d you do?” he mouths at me.
I roll my eyes at him.
After the bell rings, I tell Justice to go on to Powers without me and make my way to Professor Vivid’s desk. She looks up from another class’s test papers that she’s grading.
“Grace, I’m sure you realize that you’ll need to repeat this class next term.”
But, seriously, was it too much to ask for a little appreciation? I’d just been in the biggest battle that Heaven had witnessed in a millennia or three. Maybe a little pat on the back? The Good Guy knows I hadn’t gotten my wings yet, but a nice work, Grace would’ve made me feel a lot better. But because my Mission was secret, she’s unaware of all that.
Heck, she probably thinks I was a slacker, skipped her lectures, and deserve to fail. I grit my teeth, nod and leave for the exam in Powers.
Old, lamb-haired Professor Keen is a sight for sore eyes. At least he knew what I’d been up to, since he was himself a soldier in the battle. The exam in Powers is one-part written and one-part practical. The written part is tomorrow, and should be a breeze since Professor Keen is much more concerned about how we handle our powers. Today, each student must demonstrate two Elemental Controls and two instances of Unconventional Communication. Almost everyone performs the umbrella stunt in the rainy environment, though a few choose the desert. Justice is the only student to show how to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures. I’m proud of him, and I can tell he’s proud of himself.
“That was awesome,” I tell him when he sits back down in his seat next to mine. “You have to show me how to do that.” Not that I plan on having a Mission in Antarctica, but you never know, plus it would have come in handy during the blizzard.
When it’s my turn, Professor Keen calls me up. I do the umbrella using the waterproofing technique I’d discovered on Earth. The rain pours onto my protection, falling off in sheets.
“Very good. A considerable improvement,” Professor Keen says.
Next, I’m on to starting a fire. There’s no way around this skill—it’s a requirement for everyone to pass the class. I remember what happened at the beginning of this term and shiver. Not good at all. But on my Mission I’d watched Victor do it, and I’d watched Annex start the bonfires too. Both of them had remained very, very calm.
I can tell Professor Keen is a little nervous, because his grip on the fire extinguisher is white-knuckled, but I smile sweetly at him, and say, “I’ve got it.”
I take a calm, deep breath, and blow ever so gently at the small pile of tinder. There’s one spark and a fire catches, exactly as it’s supposed to. Professor Keen gives it one quick blast with the foam and says, “Excellent.”
For Unconventional Communication, I’d decided to speak with one of the birds that Professor Keen has in the classroom. I only felt a little guilty about my previous experience. Just because this skill came naturally to me, didn’t mean that it was easy. A lot of the AITs hadn’t mastered it yet. Most of them, Harmony included, had only gotten part of a garbled message.
There are three birds in the classroom to choose from. A duck for the rainy environment, a hawk for the desert, and a penguin for the arctic. We aren’t required to use the bird that corresponds to the environment we chose for our other skill demonstration. The duck would totally be the easy way out. I’d already spoken with one in Tara’s driveway on my first Mission. It feels a little like cheating. I consider the hawk. He’s flying in lazy circles around the classroom, occasionally swooping toward the floor. The whole routine makes me a bit nervous, and I find it irritating. The penguin on the other hand is cool. And he’s flightless like me.
“The penguin,” I tell Professor Keen once I’ve made my decision.
I approach the bird and say, “Hello.”
He makes a noise that sounds like he’s gargling while saying ha, ha, but what I hear is: It’s very warm in here, could you be bothered to adjust the A/C? In my mind he speaks with a clipped British accent that matches his formal attire.
I ignore his request and ask, “Do you wish you could fly?”
He ignores my question and flaps his wings, waddling forward. It’s quite warm. Where is that boy who likes cooler weather? Do you think it would be possible to get him to return? I feel like I could perspire.
I look to Justice and wave him to the front of class. “He wants the arctic again,” I tell him and Professor Keen.
Professor Keen brings the weather, and for one moment I’m freezing, until Justice bundles both of us into a toasty blanket.
Much better, the penguin gargles. Now what was your question?
“Does it ever bother you that you can’t fly?”
How silly. I’m a bird whether I fly or not. And that’s the only thing that matters.
“Thank you,” I say.
Professor Keen nods at me. “Well done, Grace.”
As I walk back to my desk, I can’t get the penguin’s answer out of my head. It makes me think about Annex, and his Wingless One status. I think that means he’s still an Angel no matter what.
For my final skill, I’m called to the front of the class again. I’ve picked showing how to use my heart for past Assignments. Maybe I’m showing off a little here, because no one else in the classroom even has past Assignments, but I thought this was a cool skill when Annex taught it to me. I tell Professor Keen that Izzy and Tara are in Topeka, Kansas preparing for a concert that night. Then, I decide to push myself. Annex had told me I could see the future, and so I open my heart even further and say, “They’ll be in St. Louis the night after next, and Chicago this weekend.”
Impressive. I hear Professor Keen’s thought clearly.
“Thanks,” I say, and love the surprised look on his face.
So, I aced this class, despite flunking the other, and with my appointment this afternoon at Perpetuity to finish out my wing fitting, that’ll make this day way above average.
Chapter 30
Hope takes the last measurement right as my shoulders are about to give out from maintaining an Angelic posture for so long. “All done,” she says, leaving me to get dressed on my own.
I think about the set of wings I ended up with. They aren’t as big as Michael or Victor’s, more like the compact wings that Professor Keen has. But they aren’t quite as tidy. The edges have a soft, feathery trim, and near my shoulders there’s an opalescent glow. So, basically, they’re perfect.
For me.
I walk out of the wing-fitting department in Perpetuity already feeling lighter, almost like I could float back home.
The department next to Hope’s HQ is Stationery & Gifts. There’s an old guy with a long, white beard dressed in a plain robe that shimmers and reflects every color I’ve ever seen, first appearing cobalt, then aqua, then a deep violet. He’s looking at a quill pen. Studying it carefully from every angle as if he wants to absorb it. I’m pretty sure it’s Dad. What with the Seraphim flying overhead and all.
Why would He need to buy anything at Perpetuity?
“Hi,” I say in a soft voice, torn between a desire to talk to him and worries about inter
rupting him.
“Grace! What a delight!”
I’m humbled by His warmth, and can’t help but smile. Then, I don’t want Him to think I’m speechless, so I end up blurting, “Hey, I didn’t know you shopped here too. I figured you just had whatever you needed.”
He laughs. “I’m not shopping. I’m just taking inventory. Seeing what’s available. Seeing if I need to improve anything. For instance, what do you think of this? It seems a little old-fashioned to me.” He waves the quill pen back and forth.
“I think quill pens are pretty and sentimental.” Like the one Victor gave me. “But since everyone is using tablets, maybe you could make a stylus that has a quill attached?”
“Ah! Very good idea. Very creative.” He takes out a notebook from inside his coat pocket and writes in it. “I’m so fortunate for having run into you today.”
I created something! “Yeah, me too.”
He lays a hand on my shoulder. There’s a vibration that comes through His palm and fills my body with the most incredible sensation. One touch and I’ve never felt so loved before. “Thank you for undertaking that special Mission for us.”
One of the Seraphim swoops low, skimming just above my head, as if he’s trying to snoop on our conversation.
“Thank you for sending me. I learned a lot.”
“Wonderful. What did you learn?”
I learned that Nature can be both beautiful and cruel. That Annex is not as bad as I thought. That Muses have some crazy outfits.
I learned that The Wilds are not nearly as scary as I thought, and that I might like to go back some day. And finally, I learned that Victor looks awesome under a waterfall, but that he can be infuriating. Then I say, “Everything is not exactly as it appears.” The same blasted Seraphim swoops in again.
“Very good. That’s a significant lesson.”
I feel proud of myself, but still have to wonder why He and I don’t see things the same way. “Can I ask you a question?” And the annoying Seraphim is back again. That’s it! Anger swells—I’ve had enough. Before He can answer, I say, “Can you ask them to stop flying over your head for a minute? It’s so distracting.”