Genesis: Falling Angel (23 page)

Chapter 28 – Gabrielle

First there was fire.

It burned too deeply to be physical. The soul burns, screaming as the heat increases with each sin the flames come across. I forgot who I was. My name, my friends, and my family all vanished. If I ever had those things, that is. All of it vanishes in the blink of an eye. It’s an all-consuming, white-hot fire that leaves nothing but the ashes of memory behind. I wanted to scream, but the pain was too deep. I couldn’t get any sound past my lips. The burning was all that there was. Nothing existed beyond it.

My sins flashed before my eyes. People I didn’t recognize flashed into my mind and vanished without a trace. There was shouting. There was envy. There was pain and confusion. Above all, there was a man with violet eyes that looked at me in such a strange way.

I held onto the image of him. I clung to that soft, beautiful gaze. He was important, I knew. He was probably more important than any of the other faces I had seen. He had been the most frequent to appear as my memories were being wiped away. The fire tugged at the memory, but I pulled harder still. It was mine. The fire would not claim it.

Still the pain raged on. I remembered the feel of the man’s lips on mine, the heat that I had felt then. I remembered something foggy, as though I had been dazed. The man had wings in that memory. He was carrying me. He was so very important. I needed him. Why wasn’t he there to rescue me? Where was he? Why did he leave me alone?

The only other memory I kept was that of my death. Once again, my eyes had been locked on the same man. My throat had been slit, letting blood pool over some strange symbol on the floor. He had rushed to me, but it was too late. He had spoken to me, but I had not heard the words. I had to tell him something. It was something important.

I reached out for the words. They were so very important. I needed to say them. Why could
n’t I say them? What was happening to me? Where was I? He needed to know before I faded away completely. I felt it happening. I felt that I was losing myself. My very soul seemed to be pulled from my body. I fought to keep it, and I managed to at least retain that.

Then there was ice.

This time, my soul felt frozen. A strange, cold hatred seeped into my being. I was still focused on the man, so I turned my anger on him. I was certain that he was supposed to save me. If he had gotten to me in time, I wouldn’t be in this horrible place. I wouldn’t be burning and freezing and weeping. I wouldn’t be gnashing my teeth. I wouldn’t be doing anything but living. Living, even though the fire and ice made me aware of the pains, did not even compare to the torture I experienced.

The ice continued to anger me. It seeped several memories back into my mind. It reminded me that my torture was not my own fault. Others were to blame. One memory was of a blonde man with piercing blue eyes. He yelled at me, casting me from his sight. I hated him. The next was of a man with long dark hair and golden eyes. I remembered running to his door and being only feet away before I was captured. I hated him. I remembered a woman with a raspy voice that had left me on my own in the streets of a dark city. I hated her. There was a man with a bored look and snowy white hair that toyed with my emotions. I hated him.

Then there was the man with violet eyes once more. He had been on a mission to turn me over to my murderer. He had lied to me countless times. He had kissed me without regarding my feelings. He had been arrogant, crude, and selfish in his actions. Yet I didn’t hate him. The word for what I felt for him had been lost in the fire. I no longer knew what to refer to him as. I struggled to remember his name. The pain was so much easier to bear with thoughts of him in my mind. I just needed a little more. I just needed to pull the memories back. I reached for them. I wrapped my mind around them. He had looked at me strangely. He had looked at me like I was the only one he saw.

Perhaps I was.

Then I was awake on a black, glossy floor. A dull ache remained from the fire and ice. I looked around wildly, but I saw nothing. I scrambled to my feet. I wondered briefly if that was my eternity: a big, dark room with glossy floors. The thought seemed less maddening than the fire and ice.

I heard screams in the distance. There were sounds like that of metal creaking. There were wet, slicing sounds. There were incoherent, gurgling attempts at speech. Whips and chains were also present. Something told me it was just for show. The true tortures lay below. Everyone had their own, personalized torture. I wasn’t quite sure how I knew this.

Two eyes appeared in the dark. They were filled with flames and burning souls. I wondered briefly if that was where I had been. Whatever it was that was before me, it was enormous. Its eyes were bigger than me. When it spoke, its voice shook the room.

“This is amazing. I have never had one of your kind here. Oh, what did you do to end up here? Did you call Daddy a bad name? Did you whore around with a few humans?”

“Who are you?” I asked, feeling very afraid.

“I have many names. You lo
ok so much like her, you know. You’re just like the first human woman. She was naïve and curious like you. She devoured the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I remember how the two first humans didn’t accept the blame for their curiosity. The man blamed the woman. The woman blamed the serpent, but who was at fault? Curious, dimwitted humans.  Your curiosity has given you a torture far greater than hers.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I said softly.

“Adam’s woman was the bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. He called her woman, for she was taken out of man. Didn’t you ever read that dreadful book?”

I could not remember, so I shook my head.

“You remind me of
her
. The servant of Gabriel is what you are. You are naïve and curious. You are ignorant. You are sinful. In fact, you may have caused a greater curse on the earth than
she
did. How does that make you feel, to know that you’ve doomed the very race you sought to save? Does it wound you? Does it burn you? Cry all you wish.

Something clicked in my mind. “I am nothing like Eve,” I said. I wasn’t sure where I had gotten the name from, but I did not back down. My fear was dying off.

“Oh, you think you’re better than her, then? What makes you so special, my dear?”

“I did not defy God. I began a mission for Him. I have been tempted, but I have not gone astray. I am not perfect, and I will admit my faults where necessary. My face may remind you of Eve, but that is where the similarity ends. Adam and Eve’s curiosity may have cost th
em the Garden of Eden, but were they really evil at heart? Is curiosity evil?”

“Silence. I will forgive your insolence if you bow to me. Pray to me for forgiveness. Do it now.”

I glared at him. “I do not hate anyone. These lies you have implanted in my head are fading quickly. I do not hate you, for you were once my brother. Despite this, you are not worthy of worship. I will not bow to you.”

A deep rumbling came from the dark.
“You will worship me.”

My memories came pouring in. I remembered long walks with Gabriel while he told me of some new poem he’d written. I remembered drinking from the vial that caused my fall to earth. I remembered being attacked by a troll and rescued by a man with violet eyes. I remembered traveling with that man and a dragon. Everything was coming back to me. His name was Adrian. The thought filled me with delight.

“No!” I shouted. “My name is Gabrielle, and I do not belong here. I need to speak with my Father, so if you would kindly let me leave here.”

“You bear the eyes of a Fallen. I cannot let you leave. You have angered me.”

Something approached me in the dark at rapid speed. I closed my eyes, willing myself to go home. A strange peace filled my mind, and I felt my body being lifted. I wasn’t sure where at first. Then, a light, tingling sensation began on my back. My wings were forming, black as night. My heart was gone. I was losing the ability to feel, but I clung to Adrian as I had when I had been tortured.

I clung to the kiss, which had been so human that it had disturbed me. I thought of the time I’d told him we’d never be together, and how much heartbreak I had felt. I thought of him showing me his Bible, and the way his flesh had burned. I thought of the hopeless way in which he said he had no salvation. I thought of us sleeping in the same bed, hands clasped. I thought of waking up to him, and feeling nothing but shock and anger, yet still loving him all the same.

Still, my emotions faded. I arrived in a familiar white room with an empty, cold feeling in my chest. I still felt peace, and I felt joy. However, I didn’t feel for Adrian as I had.

Gabriel greeted me with a glare. “You have a lot of things to atone for.” I opened my mouth to respond, but he embraced me. “Don’t ever run off like that again. I was afraid. I’ve never been afraid.”

He pulled away from me just as quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. I smiled at him. He glanced over me. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Just like my old self,” I said,
but my voice was hollow.

He smiled. “Good. I was afraid you’d have those crazy thoughts forever.”

I was glad to see him. Still, I brushed past him to go to my meadow. Once at the pond, I whispered, “Show me him.”

This time, it obeyed. Adrian lay crumpled on the floor over the engraving, which was still stained with my blood. Lilith stood over him. She was saying something to him that was too low for me to hear and holding a new knife. The meaning became clear.

“Can you show me my death?” I whispered.

I looked horrible. Blood was seeping from my neck. I was dirty. I wasn’t moving, just staring with wide eyes. Then, Adrian raced into the picture. He pulled me into his arms, cradling my body. Then, he spoke.

“Relax.”

“
You’ll go home. You’ll be ok. You probably won’t even remember any of this.”

“
Gabrielle, don’t fight it. Just let this human body go. You’ll be perfect again, like you wanted to be. Gabriel will be with you.”

“I love you, okay? There,
I said it.”

The emotions broke free. Worry, sadness, anger. Most of all, I felt that
I loved him. Not in the cold, platonic way that Gabriel and I loved each other. I loved him with the kind of romantic love I’d only ever observed in humans. I wanted to be with him. I didn’t belong in Heaven anymore. Someday, maybe, I’d return. Perhaps there would be forgiveness for Adrian. Perhaps he would one day join me and I could show him the very meadow I sat in.

Earth had permanently changed me. I never had belonged as an angel. My wings and eyes had marred me as an outsider since my creation. The separation from my race had allowed me to grow, to be able to desire to be part of the mortal world. I had gained echoes of emotions that no other angel was capable of feeling. My mission to earth had been to prepare me for the day that I would become a permanent resident. I would return to fight Lilith, and then I would be a part of the world I was meant for. God did not make mistakes, but He sometimes didn’t reveal
things as quickly as I wanted Him to.

I rose to my feet and began walking. At one point, I ran into Gabriel.

“Where are you going? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he whispered. He noticed my wings and reached toward them, but I grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t touch them. They’re beautiful,” I murmured.

“Gabrielle, the others—”

“I don’t belong here, anyways, Gabriel,” I said, finally turning on him. “The day you asked for me, God decided my fate. I know what I’m doing now. Either you can help me or you can abandon me. I’ve always been at your side, and I would hope you would do the same for me.”

I left him then. Soon, I was before two large wooden doors. “Father,” I said. “I need to speak with you.” I had never gone to him directly. That was Gabriel’s job. However, I felt that He would allow me to enter just this once. I had too many questions. There were so many things left for Him to explain. I had held sin in my heart, and it embarrassed me to even ask to stand in His presence. It was an almost insult.

Still, the doors creaked open. I shielded my eyes immediately from the pure, white light that filled the room.

Enter.

The word entered my mind, but there was no true voice behind it. I was in awe of the light, so it took me a moment to comprehend the word, even though it was stated so strongly. I started to step forward.

“Gabrielle!”

I turned to see Gabriel land before the great doors. “I’m going in, anyways,” I said.

“Shall we, then?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

I clasped his hand tightly, and we strode into the house of our Lord.

The doors gently closed behind us.

Chapter 29
– Adrian

Once again, I was on the ground, paralyzed.

Lilith hovered over me with a knife. Of course there would have to be another sacrifice. Satan was bloodthirsty. I at least managed to blink so my vision didn’t blur. Lilith propped me up in a sitting position. “You have been very naughty,” she whispered.

Once more, she was Gabrielle. My eyes stung. How dare she take on her form! How dare she stare at me with Gabrielle’s steely gray eyes! How dare she wear tanned flesh and golden hair that never belonged to her! How dare she smile so serenely after stealing what was mine!

I was starting to regain movement. The second I could move, I would destroy her. I had to. Gabrielle needed me to. If I died in the process, so be it. Gabrielle would be safe. The earth would be safe. That was all that mattered.

She said in Gabrielle’s clear, high voice, “Well, Adrian. It’s really sad that you could
n’t save her. I’ve had my throat sliced before.” She drew a line with her finger over a neck that wasn’t hers to have. She stuck out her tongue and rolled back her eyes in a crude display of death. “It hurts, honey. Oh, it hurts. I’ve got news for you, too. She’s not going ‘home’ or whatever you two called it. She’s burning now.”

My heart nearly stopped. Burning? Gabrielle was burning? No, that was impossible. She was an angel. She was pure. When she died, she went to
Heaven. God called her home. I was sure of it.

“Oh
, yes. Burning and freezing. She is most likely meeting with dear Lucifer. She fell the moment her blood touched that marking on the floor. It wasn’t only blood that Lucifer wanted. He wanted a pure soul. What’s purer than an angel’s soul? She’s having everything ripped from her as we speak. Her memories are fading. She probably keeps trying to scream, but can’t. She’s probably shaking in front of Lucifer now. How does that sound, Adrian?”

She gripped my jaw. “You’ll be mine, whether you live
or die. You’ll go straight to Hell, but I’ll come visit you. Maybe you’ll share a space with Gabrielle. She won’t remember you, of course. Maybe you’ll be the one to torture her, once you forget her. I hear the incubi have very
damaging
techniques.”

I realized that I had actually been that vulgar at one point. Sexual references had flown from my mouth in quick succession. They probably made up ninety percent of my speech. It was amazing to see how much I’d change
d. The thought of returning to Hell and having all of that progress erased was maddening. I was able to twitch my fingers and toes, but nothing more.

“Don’t think I don’t see that. You’ll be dead before it wears off enough for you to even open your mouth. I don’t want to hear you speak in that defiant tone anymore. I’d love to hear you scream, but I guess this will do.” She held the knife up, and it gleamed in the firelight. “Should I castrate you first? Apparently, with your kind, that would make you a complete outcast. It’s supposed to hurt your pride more than it would hurt a mortal man.”

At that point in time, the threat meant nothing. I was still reeling over the fact that she wanted me to torture Gabrielle. How had God let her fall? How could she be suffering after all the work she did to please Him? She spoke so highly of Him. I had to put faith in her and Him. I had to believe that He wouldn’t let her suffer. It was all I had to hold onto.

Faith was a strange thing. I blindly believed in something that I may never know anything about. All I could do was believe that God was good. All I could do was pray that he would rescue Gabrielle. I closed my eyes, silently begging for his help.

“Are you
praying
?” Lilith shrieked in delight. “Oh, what
fun
! What are you asking for? A lightning bolt to strike me down? For the knife to turn to sand? Or some other supernatural thing? God doesn’t answer the prayers of demons, Adrian. Only His precious angels and humans are listened to.”

I looked at her. I would’ve liked to see Gabriel. Perhaps he would tell me that Gabrielle was safe. Maybe he would tell me off for being such a jerk to her. I would love to see him, actually. He had the power to fight Lilith. He had God backing him up.

“Do you have any last words?” Lilith asked mockingly. She held up a hand to her ear as she turned back into the serpent-woman she was. “Nothing? Well, if you insist.” She held up the dagger, eyes twinkling with glee. I closed my eyes, preparing for the blow.

“Lilith.”

My eyes snapped open. Lilith had frozen. A light, white glow filled the room. “Lilith, it’s time for you to return home,” the voice said once more.

Lilith dropped the dagger. “No,” she whispered. “No. No. No!” She whirled around to face the speaker.

It was Gabriel. He was dressed in white robes. His long, golden hair rested at his shoulders. His skin was tanned, and his eyes were a cold, deep blue. He was just as handsome as I remembered. He was absolutely perfect. Even in my relief to see him, I hated him. Still, he looked so much like Gabrielle. Or she looked like him. The resemblance was more creepy than striking.

“Lilith, you are guilty of crimes against God and all of his creation. Your sins are equal to Satan’s at this point. Are you going to come quietly, or do you want a fight?”

Lilith swiped the knife off the floor, though she was shaking. “Gabriel, always so good to see you!” she gushed. “How’s Gabrielle doing? Is she well? No hard feelings, right? I was just following orders.”

He did not answer. His hand went to the hilt of his sword. His eyes blazed with white light.

“Oh, right. She’s rotting in Hell as we speak.” She had completely turned to face him. “What will you do without a companion to bore to death?”

Soft, tan hands came into my view. They tilted my chin back so that I could look up at their owner.

There she was. Gabrielle stood behind me in all of her beauty. It had intensified, made more prominent by the pale light emanating from her. Her eyes were a blazing white. She wore a white dress similar to the one she’d worn when we first met. She smiled, slowly. I could return it at that point, but I was too stunned to.

“Perhaps if you cooperate,” Gabriel began, “your punishment will not be as severe this time. Come with me.” He held out one hand to her. She scowled and tossed the dagger, aiming straight for his chest.

He caught it inches from his robe. In a quick, proud display, he slid the knife over his hand. Though razor sharp, it did not cut him. He wore no cocky smirk or grin. He was calm, patient. “That was your last warning,” he said. “Gabrielle.”

She jumped over me, landing right behind Lilith. The ground shook from the impact, and Lilith whirled around far too late. Gabrielle’s fist knocked into her chest. The sound of her ribs cracking filled the room. The moment she was on her back, Gabrielle jumped on her, fist pounding against her face repetitively. With each blow, black blood spewed from Lilith’s mouth.

I wasn’t sure if Gabriel was too shocked by the display of violence or if he was just letting her have her fun. Angels could be sadistic, too, I was sure. Why else would he have ripped off my wings?

Gabrielle paused, then. The white light faded from her eyes. “You’ve never fought one of us, have you? We’re very serious about our jobs, you see,” she said in her sweet, musical voice. “I may have been some ragdoll for you to play with while I was human, but my might comes straight from my Fathe
r. You stand no chance against Him or us.” She grabbed Lilith’s head, slamming it down. “You have taught me hatred. I have learned to be wrathful. You tried to take away the only person I’ve loved and now you will suffer.” She drew her fist back once more, though this time it blazed with white fire.

“Gabrielle, that’s enough,” Gabriel said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, blinking as though she’d come out of a trance. She removed herself from Lilith’s body and stretched her wings casually. She looked at me with a small smile once more.

She had never looked more beautiful.

Gabriel drew his sword. White flame flickered along the length of the blade. I could almost feel the heat from it from where I was. Gabrielle took a step back, though she didn’t seem to notice the heat. In one quick motion, the sword was embedded in Lilith’s chest.

A scream rose from her lips. She seemed to wither up, her scaly flesh drying out into a brown husk. Black wisps of darkness rose from her dying form. Her eyes became hollow. In only moments, she was nothing more than dust.

Gabriel sheathed the sword. “I’m returning,” he said to Gabrielle. “I will see you soon.” He gently kissed her forehead before vanishing.

My heart sank. Of course she was going home. She had forgotten me. She was cold, ruthless. All angels were at some point or another. It pissed me off to think that she’d just forgotten everything.

“What’s going to happen?” I asked.

“The demons will return to hiding. The world will be wiped clean of any trace of the cities. Humanity will have to start from scratch. It’s sad, but it must be done. At least the problems are returning to the abyss.”

I winced. I was one of those “prob
lems.” Had she really forgotten?

“I wanted to thank you. You helped me so much, despite your faults. You brought me exactly where I needed to be.” She smiled then, and it reached her gray eyes.

“I’m happy that I helped,” I said softly. I reached for her hand, and she did not pull away.

“Do you know what we are, Adrian?” she asked, smile fading.

“No. Tell me,” I replied. I wasn’t sure if I could handle yet another rejection.

“We are perfectly impossible. We are from opposite realms. We are a combination of light and dark, balancing each other out. We are exactly what God wants us to be.” She leaned in close. “This is a genesis, Adrian. This is our genesis.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Don’t you see? The world will be reshaped. Many humans will die out, but many will live. There are many demons that will return to the earth to tempt mortals. Humanity needs guidance. They need someone from the world of light to pass judgment. They need someone from the world of darkness to halt sinful acts before they occur. They need us to watch over humans and demons together, to make sure there is balance. They need rulers. We will be the first creations God has personally made since the first genesis.”

“I’m still not following.”

She looked frustrated. “
I’m talking about Adam and Eve, Adrian. We are the new Adam and Eve, and it is our job to rebuild the earth.” She grasped my hand even more tightly. “We can’t be like we are now, though. We have to be different. We have to be mortals.” She sucked in a deep breath and blurted, “I love you too, you know.”

That was good enough for me. I pulled her close into a kiss she didn’t run away from. She may have even smiled a bit. I wondered what it would be like, being human.
What would it be like to be a ruler of so many souls in desperate need of guidance?

She pulled away from me. “We’ll have to write a new book, you know. This new beginning must be documented.”

“Of course.”

Outside, the world was crumbling, making way for its regenesis.