by LJ Amodeo
“Me and Sam? What?” I gasped.
“A dark soul. An unhappy one. Haven’t you noticed whenever something good presents itself to you, it turns unpleasant. That was not an intervention of evil, but your own doings. The acts of your own soul. But your faith, your heart is what deterred the bad from completely possessing you. The little faith you have left kept Sam at bay. In her earthly form, Samantha wasn’t physically able to touch you or weaken you.” My father mentioned. That had proven to be true––every time I touched Sam, it was painful. An uncomfortable spark charged through my veins, I recalled.
“What happens to me now? Must I stay here forever?” I stared blankly at him.
“You will have to decide that, Elizabeth. You can stay here and take your rightful place with the Trinity, or you can return to your life, before you crossed paths with Michael and Samantha.”
“If I choose to stay––?” I needed to know what would become of my life.
“Then in reality, you will suffer a brain aneurism, only for medical purposes. But you’ll reign among us as you were meant to.”
“And if I choose life?” I looked down at my fingers twisting nervously around the hem of my dress.
“If you choose to live . . . ” He hesitated. “All that has ensued, including Michael will not have existed in your memory, except as a religious icon,” he spoke somberly. I nodded my head in disbelief, knowing that this could not be happening. No one would believe me. I felt alone, desperate and despaired of ever knowing the truth of why I had to exist.
“And what of all the souls? How will I protect them?”
“You are the key, Elizabeth, and you alone must write the final chapter of our existence. Listen to what they say. Their message is powerful.”
“But how can the voices protect me? You said it yourself that they are evil,” my voice trembled.
“Beth, when you hear the voices are they always the same? Do you fear them all the time?”
“No. They are different each time.” I flinched thinking about the hideous ones that taunted me.
“The voices that will guide you are the lost souls, not the fallen ones. They are different and they present themselves that way. Listen to the ones that float in your mind like a sonata, a balance of beautiful melodies and symphonies. Those are the lyrics you want to write in your journal. They will help you write your story––the final chapter.” He proclaimed.
“What about Sam?” I felt a rush of concern sweep across my cheeks.
“Sam will no longer be a threat. There will be angels who will walk with you and protect you. If there are others who pose an imminent threat, then and only then shall Michael return.”
I could not begin to imagine my life without Michael. The one I fell deeply, passionately, and explicitly in love with. But how would we make it work? He was an angel, and I a human destined for destruction. A flicker of Freddie’s face crossed my mind. I unwillingly reached up and touched my lips, remembering his passionate kiss.
“You must decide by sunset.” My father interrupted my thoughts. He rose from his seat and walked to the door. “I will leave you to decide the path of your life, but understand, there will be others looking for you. It’s only a matter of time. I’m sorry I cannot do more for you, Elizabeth. I hope you understand.” He whispered, as he exited the chamber.
A disturbing weakness washed over my body. Trembling uncontrollably, I sat rigidly, balancing my head in my palms; feeling the droning beat throbbing in my skull. The faint sounds of birds’ chirps resonated through the open window. I wiped my tears, thinking about my life. The life I’d live without Michael, as cold chills pricked at my arms. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on him, that he was different from the others at school. I never imagined, however, that he was, Michael the Archangel. It was surreal, unimaginable and utterly unforgettable.
I fell in love with an angel, and the angel fell in love with me.
Chapter 15: Bring Me to Life
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul don't let me die here
there must be something more bring me to life . . .
Evanescence
A light tapping sounded on the thick door of my father’s chamber. I did not turn my head to see who it was that entered it. I already knew from the heavenly scent that followed.
“Elizabeth. May I?” He paused at the door. I turned slightly toward him and nodded approvingly for him to enter.
“There is so much I need to say. So if you’d allow me, I’d like to begin by saying I am sorry. Sorry that I was not able to be completely truthful with you,” Michael said kneeling before me. His soft hands held mine as if in prayer. My eyes scanned his broad shoulders to his beautifully translucent wings. Gently, I stroked the delicate extension that jutted from his back, curious to know its feel. His wings seemed fragile enough to tear from a stroke of a finger, yet resilient to withstand the most unmerciful battles the world could ever fathom.
“What now?” I whispered, staring into his eyes.
He lowered his head onto my lap; hesitating to touch him, my hand remained suspended over his velvet hair. I wasn’t sure what to do. Unable to caress the hair of an archangel like I had done before. Wondering if loving him made me a sinner.The archangel, I thought, squeezing my eyes tightly to fight back my stinging tears. But my desire to touch him, hold him, was much stronger than my decency, as my hand dropped and stroked his soft hair. Michael tightened his arms around my thighs pulling me closer to his shivering chest.
“I’m as confused as you are,” his musical voice whispered.
“Michael?” I said, lifting his face between the palms of my hands. “I am sorry that I didn’t believe you . . . about Sam.” I bit my lip, feeling remorseful.
He nodded his head. “No, don’t apologize. How could you know? I was not truthful with you. Keeping this secret from you almost cost me your life. I have never let my guard down, especially protecting the bloodline, until now!” he stuttered painfully.
“Why? Why was this time different for you?”
“Because you’re different, Elizabeth. You are not like the others I’ve protected.” He stood up and rested his eyes on a picture against the far wall. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to fight back tears. I turned to look at the picture that struck him speechless. Saint Anne.
“You have a certain energy . . . a power so strong that it shielded my abilities to see the evil that surrounded you. To keep them at a safe distance from you. You weakened me.” he said, breaking my connection with the woman responsible for my bloodline.
“For every century I have protected the sacred line, I never let Sam or her kind slip through the cracks as many times as she had with you. I feel I’m no longer worthy to carry the title of Great Warrior. The time has come for me to face my final judgment. I have failed you. I have failed them. I must surrender myself to the Fallen Brethren.” He looked away.
“No! No! What are you saying? You . . . you want to be condemned, like . . . like Sam’s father, like Lucifer? Michael, are you crazy? Please, don’t say that! It would kill me if anything happened to you. And then what—what happens to all the centuries you protected the descendants of the Holy Trinity, the souls of the right and just? Throw it away, forget about them? I won’t let you do that! I won’t let you become one of them! You’re will not fall!” I shouted desperate for Michael to hear my pleas. His face ached with defeat. No longer would I bear the cross of losing him or giving up on us.
“If I had lost you, for all the centuries I had trailed her, it wouldn’t have mattered anymore. I would surrender,” he whispered cupping my face in his hands.
“How long have you been chasing her, Michael?” I asked as my mind raced in all directions.
“A very long time. Since the Templars revealed the scroll to your ancestors.”
My mouth gaped open in disbelief. At seventeen, I was naive, vulnerable, but for a boy who was centuries old, at this moment he was as fragile as a lost child. I raised m
yself from the chair and walked to the window, wrapping my arms around my shivering body. Michael moved to sit on the leather chaise. I knew I had to make a choice soon, but I didn’t want to think about it now. I wanted to share this time with Michael.
“It is beautiful here. Everything is vibrant, peaceful.” I noted taking in the scenery and amplified sounds of nature. I hoped to change the mood in the room around us, continuing to make small talk, praising the natural beauty of the meadow and the vivid color of the lake. As hard as I tried to distract myself from the turmoil that twisted inside me, it proved to be useless. Michael’s scent, even closer now, reminded me of who he really was. What he was and why we met in the first place. His fingers traced the outline of my arms, as my skin immediately reacted to his touch. I swayed forward for a moment, and then back. He stretched his arms around my body pulling me into his chest. His face snuggled into the hollow of my shoulder, as my eyes fluttered shut.
“Don’t leave me,” I whispered, securing my hands on his forearms.
“This must be your decision, Elizabeth. I can’t help you with it in any way.” His soft lips brushed against my ear.
“But I want to be with you.”
“Then you must choose.”
This was a choice I had to make alone. My destiny had been decided for me. No matter what I chose to do with my life, this fate was mine alone and written in the scriptures long, long ago. Although Sam was my eternal enemy, I couldn’t help but to think of her last moments before she was cast back to her inferno. The final hour of her defeat. So I decided to inquire, “What happened to Sam?”
“Don’t worry about her. She won’t come looking for you.”
“Did you . . . kill her?” I muttered painfully, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Evil doesn’t die, Elizabeth. That’s a misconception humans have about angels and demons. We are condemned to live a life of immortality. Evil eludes itself for some time, until it feels strong enough to resurface again with a purpose. But that can mean a thousand years for most,” he replied, weary of sharing some insight on the spirit world.
“Sam will not be back for a very long time, at least not in your lifetime,” he muttered.
“How can you be so sure that she will not come back?” I turned to face him, worried about her return.
“I can show you why she will not return, if you’d like.” He murmured.
“You can? Then, show me.” I breathe with parted lips.
“Are you sure you’re up for it? You can stop it when you’ve had enough.” His face became disquieted.
I nodded apprehensively.
“It may be difficult to watch. Therefore, I must ask you one last time, are you certain that this is what you want?”
“Yes,” I whispered closing my eyes.
“Then I will show you. No more secrets.” he replied, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“No more secrets.” I repeated.
I watched his creamy hand rise to the hub of my breasts. My spine retracted toward the window with trepidation as he placed his warm palm over my heart. An instant surge of light flashed, blinding my vision and taking me back as far as my childhood. A restraining force pulled my body through the blackest abyss, rewinding the epoch of my life.
My entire life reeled before me in fast replay.
Visions of myself, my father and my mom raced past me in blurred imagery. Freddie and I giggling in Miss Barlam’s fourth-grade art class. Next, Freddie chasing me at Middle Falls while we played dragons and fairies through the woods. As I turned in search of Freddie, the dragon, another beast hid behind a tree. Her eyes set on me while her long black hair floated eerily.
The scene brushed away, finally dawdled, allowing me a clearer perspective into my present life. Michael floating past me in the library. Seconds before I turned my head, he’d genuflected before me, and then our eyes met. Immediately, I was enthralled by this magnificent being.
Visions pulled me into my bedroom. A cold presence hovered over my sleeping body. The distorted figure stood over me, repeatedly striking its fist into my rib. Forcefully trying to inflict pain. Something snapped inside me. It tried several times to puncture my flesh to no avail until the alarm began its call for help. My mother’s quickened footsteps thundered through the walls. Light streamed in and the deity slipped away. Mom, help me! I squealed. The pain.
Next, bright lights pushed me past into an emergency room, as doctors prodded and probed at my skull, removing sections of thin bone to operate on the aneurism in my brain. A poison Samantha purposely planted in my skull to trigger excruciating headaches and hallucinations. My mother cried at the hands of a nameless doctor who consoled her while my near lifeless body, covered in thin sheets, stayed sustained by life-support machines. I was clinging to life when Michael floated past my room, stopping momentarily to gently kiss my forehead as I lay unconscious. A gentle kiss that miraculously took away the demon’s infliction. Gardenias scented the room as he moved on, taking with him a woman who, like a little bird, took her final breath, and in the arms of an angel ascended into heaven.
My visions raced forward again, this time showing me Freddie’s awkward youth transforming from an unhinged teenager into a glorious warrior as he rushed passed me in the woods. His demeanor mirrored one of an angelic mercenary and not of an innocent boy.
The ghastly imagery spun around to Samantha. A seductive wanton entering the classroom, as she conveniently positioned herself into my simple life, and I voluntarily placed myself into her hands. In a hasty jolt, my body sped through Caneadea and into Cuba, setting Samantha’s chalet as the stage. Her bedroom, an engulfed inferno burned while I lay across her bed positioned like da Vinci’s interpretation of the human body. In the blazing fury, Sam’s deformed body crouching in a corner watched me sleep as she anxiously bit through the skin of her fingernails. Her eyes glowered in various shades of lime, while her lips twisted and sneered exposing the sharp fangs that protruded from her salivating mouth. Her evil mirth vibrated off the crimson walls, while she made several attempts to puncture my torso and pull my insides out. Each time she tried, her hand jounced in excruciating pain, proving that I indeed was protected by a power much greater than hers. Although, my sacred blood may have dominated hers, her determination to end everything good would not prevail. She intended to try again.
Rushford: I sat beside Sam at the lake. She excused herself to make a call on her cell phone, vanishing into the woods. Prince savagely clawed at our screen door and pushed his way out, charging into the forest. The animal thrusted forward, leaping toward its assailant. Abruptly, the dreadful sounds of a whimpering animal fiercely fighting its enemy echoed in through the trees. The empty howls of my Prince, led me to the unsightly scene of a demonic beast ripping the vocal chords out of my dog’s neck. The monster plunged its distorted blade-like fingers into Prince’s head, injecting its black poison and forcefully pulling his beautiful face off his skull. The monster, whose face I looked at was not Sophie’s. I vomited.
A radiant moon under a starry sky above the lake came into view. There I emerged, at the rim of the lake in a creamy gown, beautiful and feminine. My skin glowed flawlessly in contrast to the sheer fabric that covered my body. Under the twilight sky my hair floated harmoniously to the hum of the delicate wind, allowing my toes to touch the icy water. Like a drug, a profound desire for a quick fix gripped at my throat, frantically yearning to drink it. I dropped to my knees, cupping my hands into the icy liquid, hungering to satisfy my cravings. Abruptly, something vile and wicked yanked the thin necklace around my neck, attempting to choke me, enjoying it as it watched me suffocate. Voices emerged clearly, calling my name. Michael’s voice echoed loudest, forbidding me from drinking the liquid poison that reflected the moon’s eerie silhouette.
My eyes scoped the mirrored lake for him. I pulled the chain around my neck off to catch my breath. The necklace fell into the water, slowly sinking out of sight. No one stood behind me. Yet, my desire to quench this thirst
was much greater now. My hands involuntarily dipped into the frozen water and rose, bringing the icy fluid to my burning lips. I drank it. But as the icy water trickled through my body, a grotesque hand reached up and pulled my body forward into the frigid lake. My limbs reacted immediately to the frozen waters, constricting each struggling movement I made. I fell deeper still, sinking into the blackened depths of the lake, consuming water, and struggling to fight against my fast approaching death. I fought, but I kept going under. In the murky water, my eyes watched the incubus slither toward my limp body. Its demonic presence floated effortlessly toward me. I closed my eyes. Just let it end, was my last thought before I was forcefully pulled out.
The next journey rushed me into the darkness of the woods. As I ran into a drab, dense forest, thick clouds formed overhead, casting a dreary gloom over the plush woodland. The clarity of a heavy and hideous panting trailed closely behind me. I darted through the trees while thorns and twigs lashed at my exposed skin. My feet sank in the murky wetness of the earth as I forced my burning muscles to keep running. I swiveled my head to look into the green eyes of the disfigured incubus advancing on me. The inimical demon was drifting above the forest floor, mocking my inept velocity, its forked tongue ejecting out between its revolting fangs and its claws reached for me like twisted vines of a tormented tree.
I ran fast, but apparently I could not outrun the beast. Its hot, pungent breath burned down my back, as I peered at its unsightly head lurching forward flagitiously hissing and shrieking closer to me. The smell of rotted flesh permeated from this fey creature as it advanced. Images of my life’s end flashed before my eyes. There laid my defeated corpse, broken on the muddy earth, as the child of Satan crouched above me, shredding and ripping apart my body, limb by limb, eventually expelling a seed from my bloodied stomach; its victory prize. And waiting in the depths of the forest, in the likeness of a warrior, Michael progressed with all his splendor and magnitude, hurling the beast into massive trees in thunderous snaps and cataclysmic explosions. Winged protectors lashed at the demented creature, hurling it against the rocky mounds, over and over again. The anger and passion in Sam’s fight were fierce, as she prompted her fury with intense determination. Freddie cut across the blackened sky, jabbing Sam from behind, slashing her with forceful blows against her scaly spine. In the end, her crusade of dragons was crushed, as they retreated one by one into their black hole. Yet, Sam continued to lash untiringly at the White Knights, while they attacked from every angle around her, eventually pummeling her deformed body until every bone that shaped her was crushed. Her chilling cries of defeat eerily vibrated across the blazoned sky as her disciplined soldiers carried her broken body from our sights.