Juet

She stared at her charge, her wings glowing ever red. The anger in her heart grew; as the anger grew so did her confusion. Her charge fell into an uneasy sleep, she reached down and put her hand on her charge’s shoulder. They were both trembling. She pulled her hand away, stood straight up, and looked down at her charge. Her charge a beautiful young girl. She was fourteen, her long blonde hair came down to the center of her back. It is a gorgeous natural curly head of hair, but this night it was a tangled mess. A testament to the horrors of the day. Her charge lay on her side, curled up into the smallest ball her 5 foot frame would allow.

“Alisiea?” the angel whispered.

Alisiea did not stir, she lay there, half covered by her leopard print quilt. The angel kneeled beside the bed, pulled the quilt up onto her charge’s shoulders. She let her hand rest on her charge, Alisiea had stopped trembling. The angel stood, hand still on her charge.

“Sleep soundly, let nothing wake you.” Her soft voice pierced the darkness of the large bedroom.

She pulled her hand away from her charge, she turned to survey the room. The darkness of the day seemed to seep into the room. The red glowing from her wings seemed to be the only light. The queen sized bed stood at the far end of the rectangle room, beside the bed stands a small computer desk. Home to a laptop and jewelry case. Just beyond the foot of the bed a three person futon sits against the wall facing a large flat screen television. The small entertainment center is home to a game system, hardly used by Alisiea, and a DVD player. The angel stared at the room, convinced the room was indeed empty. She let her true emotions shine through. Her wings began to glow a midnight blue. The deeper her confusion the darker her wings began to get. She stepped away from the bed, closed her eyes, and flew away from her charge.

She did not know where she was going, she felt so lost. Unsure of how to proceed, unsure of most anything; at least right now. Her faith in man fading, one question haunting her mind. ‘Why would one human do that to another human?’ she kept her eyes closed as she flew, sighing deeply she finally opened them. The air was crisp and cool, hints of purple seeped into her feathers. The night air always held some happiness for her, she could forget the troubles of everyday in the night sky. She began to notice where she was, her wings seeped a dark blue light. She was at his grave. Daniel, her former charge. She landed, softly on her booted feet, slowly she walked to Daniel’s grave. Holding her wings high enough so they did not hit the ground. She loved the length of her wings, but hated them touching the ground.

Daniel, I have lost my faith in mankind. Why should I continue to protect them, they do not listen.” She whispered as she fell gracelessly to her knees. Her wings began to lose all color. The glow was nearly gone, she let them fall to the ground. There she sat wishing that the horrors of the day would leave her.

“We protect them, because they need our protection. We must not lose faith in them. Zahra your wings betray you. My sister, what troubles you?”

The angel, Zahra, stood straight up. Her tall wings held rigid, ready to attack. He held her gaze.

“Teagan, brother.” Zahra relaxed, the glow from her wings began to slowly reappear. A soft lavender light surrounded them. As she stared at Daniel’s grave.

“Tell me what troubles you. Why do you stand at the grave of your former charge?” Teagan stared at Zahra. Her unwillingness to answer only worried him. He stood there and just looked at her.

Zahra stood tall, her six foot frame rigid. Her long strawberry hair hung below her waist, the breeze catching the lose hair that was not tucked behind her glowing wings. Her green eyes seem to lose their vibrancy, her hands hung still against her long dress. The dress reflected the color of her wings, with a black sash at the waist flowing down to the ground. She finally looked at him. “My charge, Alisiea, I do not know how to help her. The situation she is in, I have never seen before.”

Teagan stooped down next to the grave, His tall frame bend gracefully. His wings resting on the ground, his wings never betrayed his mood. He had learned to control his light; she had never seen his wings anything but black. His dark wings were as tall as he. His six foot five body stood straight up, his shoulder length black hair catching in the breeze as he stood. For an angel he had the most demonic red eyes she had ever seen, they offset his olive skin. He set his strong jaw and looked at his sister; the lavender from her wings began to fade. “Tell me about the situation, my sister, tell me everything.”

Zahra bent down next to the grave, she sat on the ground. She looked at Teagan, he followed her lead. When he had settled into a position, she looked at him. Her wings glowing a dark blue. “Alisiea, my charge, is a beautiful young girl. She is strong, but she…” Zahra stopped speaking, her voice trailing off into nothingness.

“You feel the human’s emotions stronger than any of our brothers or sisters.” Teagan’s voice sounded deeper than normal to her, it was comforting. The strength of his warrior body was reflected in his voice. He moved his hand to Zahra’s hand; he took her hand in both of his. “Sister, Zahra, start at the beginning. Tell me everything.”

Zahra pulled her hand away; she allowed her wings to wrap around her legs. There she sat, half embraced by her own, darkening wings. “My charge fell into the arms of a man.

He was a friend of a friend, which is how it all started. They were both invited to their mutual friend’s home. Alisiea had always been a little shy, but with him, with Eron she felt free. They sat and talked for hours. He was her Romeo, she felt so safe with him. I thought she was safe, she is my charge, I should have seen it, I should have known. I guess I was too caught up in seeing my charge happy, she had not been happy in a long time.

Alisiea trusted him instantly, she snuggled into him. He would hold her. There was something off about him, I should have looked harder. The night went by, she did not want it to end. The two of them sat together, holding hands. He was her protector that night. She felt safe in his arms, she looked at her Romeo. His eyes, a deep pool green. Not just green the pools of green were broken up by a burnt orange, with flecks of gold, and swirling lines of blue. Her Romeo’s eyes were filled with sadness, but in them she saw the love that could be hers. I think of those eyes now, those eyes are filled with malice. How could I have not seen?

The first month, he was everything she dreamed of, he accepted her, and he was her comforter. He was her everything. Alisiea had fallen in love with him. The connection between her and I began to fade, even so I still was always near her. As he took over the role of her guardian, I found myself alone with my own thoughts. She did not need me anymore, so it seemed. I was expecting to be reassigned; however, that order never came. I found myself wandering, waiting, wanting nothing more than to have a purpose. I did not know it at that time, Alisiea still needed a protector.

Three weeks into the relationship, a barrier began to form around Alisiea. Alisiea’s voice was fading, I could no longer hear her clearly. Her voice, normally soft, came to me as if she were whispering to me. Her presence was harder to feel, I could no longer judge where she was. There were days I lost track of her. I thought that week was terrible. Then I lost all track of where she was, she wanted him, she wanted Eron as a protector. That was clear. There was nothing more I could do, the only thing I could do was wait.

Four weeks into the relationship Eron began to appear differently, there was something off about him, yes. But now…now he seemed as if he was finally ready to reveal who he truly was, who he truly wanted to become. When I first began to notice Eron’s true form, it was like hearing a scream. A scream from far away. I knew something was off, the fact I had not been reassigned only compounded my worry. I had lost her voice completely. There was nothing for me to protect; I did not understand why I was still there.

I began lurking around the places she would normally go, just to see how she was, how her new protector was treating her. After all she was my charge, at least for now. This was the first day we were not together in years, by human count. Even so it was a strange feeling, being alone, not hearing her. During the nights I would go to the nearest human city, I needed voices. I would sit on a bus, or in a café, or anywhere I could find a human voice I could hear. Generally that voice was the voice of one of His children. One of God’s adopted. I could hear their prayers, a voice, something I needed.

The first day I was alone, Saturday I believe. I can back to Alisiea’s home, it was mid-morning, and she was not there. I was worried about her. She would be out with him, I did not know where he might go. I began searching for her. I was unable to find her, which was not normal. I am an angel, nothing can hide from me; and yet, she was hidden from me. After a full day of searching for her, I went back to her home. Unable to find any trace of her, I began asking questions. Questioning Father:

“Why was I still here? Why do I sit here and wait? When will the reassignment take place? Father I do not understand. Please explain this to me. Father, help me understand.”

I had never questioned Father before; I had always understood His orders. He was not giving up on me, I knew that. I knew that very well. Never had He left me, or any of His angels without orders. We always had a job to do, I knew there had to be something I was missing. Standing in the corner of the room, I listened to Father’s creation. The light in the room, the light from my wings seeped a dark green. Something pulled at my mind. The woods, they called to me. The more I listened, I realized it was Father. He was guiding me north. I followed the call. I found myself in the woods behind Bishop, the Alisiea called home.

The dense evergreens were guiding me to a small clearing. For just a moment I hesitated. Just the sound of Eron’s voice made me shutter. I did not know why. Slowly, cautiously, I made my way into the clearing. Amid the knee high grass, there she was. I had found her. She looked happy, but looks can be so very deceiving. She was sitting there next to him on a concrete slab. “Bob Marley’s Grave”; its unofficial name. I knew the place. I feared what this place would become for her. I hoped to be mistaken. The concrete slab was not much bigger that my charge. He pushed back on her shoulders.

“Alisiea!” I called out to her, knowing she could not hear me.

I looked at Eron, it was then that I saw something I had never seen before. I saw a burst of teal come from Eron. It formed a cloud around him; only for an instant.

*****

A flash of orange escaped the warrior’s wings. He stared at Zahra. She had never seen a color come from his wings, much less concern from the warrior. “Sister, come with me. Now.” He commanded. Teagan’s voice was harsh.

She followed him as he stood, Teagan did not say anything to her. He trusted her to follow him. She did trust him, and followed him. He was after all an archangel, a warrior, her older brother. The young angel followed in silence. She would ask questions when they arrived. She was so distracted by the color seeping from his wings; she had not noticed that he was leading her back to Alisiea. Alisiea lay there shaking. Both of the angels landed softly. Zahra stood at the foot of the bed; instinctively she reached for her charge. Teagan stopped her. That was concerning in and of itself. He moved silently to the side of the bed. Teagan laid his hands on the human’s shoulder.

“I am sorry young one.” Teagan finally spoke.

Alisiea’s small frame relaxed. Her eyes stopped shifting wildly; her sleep became more of a healing sleep. Zahra stood still, soft orange emitting from her wings. Teagan stepped beside her.

“Do not concern yourself; she will rest easy for the rest of the night.” Teagan spoke softly.

“Why did you bring us back here?” Zahra could no longer hold back her curiosity.

Teagan did not answer; instead he surveyed the room. Zahra began to speak. Teagan held a hand up; stopping his sister. She was not even sure she could speak; seeing Teagan concerned. Archangels did not show their light very often. If an archangel did; they were caught off guard. Teagan relaxed; he lifted his wings high over the bed. He sat on the bed settling his wings over the small teenager. Zahra stood staring in wonder. Warriors did not let humans see them or feel their presence. She had never seen an archangel willingly let a human touch them. He motioned to her; she sat on the bed next to the well-muscled warrior. Her wings were devoid of color; they followed the contour of the bed. She moved the tips of her wings across the wooden floor. Her own way of letting Alisiea know she was there.

“Sister.” He started. “Tell me everything.” His voice did not falter. Zahra felt like a foot soldier being debriefed after a mission that did not go as planned. Teagan stared at her; his wings lost all color. “I know you are hurt; I can see that.”

Zahra averted her eyes; she held her wings close to her body.

“Do not try to deny it; you fly slower.” He reached for her wing. She pulled away. “You see. There are only a few thi…”

“Alright!” Zahra interrupted. Her wings glowed green with annoyance. “As I stated before; a flash of teal surrounded him…”

*****

The color was gone in an instant. Eron began pulling at her clothes. Cautiously testing his boundaries. Slowly; carefully stripping her down. She did not protest, and I turned away. I distracted myself with Father’s creation. That is when I heard her cry out. I spun around ready to defend her; what I saw troubled me. He was laying on top of her; pulling at her clothes. She was pushing on his chest; trying to wriggle free. Teal flashed around him again. He pulled himself off of her. She started sobbing. I moved closer; as I did Eron began to speak to her.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to push you.” He sounded genuine.

It surprised me to hear his voice like that. From what I had seen and heard; a genuine apology was the last thing I expected. He leaned on her side and smiled. A half smirk that would be burned into both of our memories. She returned a sad smile. It was then I saw something behind them. Cautiously, slowly I moved away from them. I am not positive about what I saw; by the time I was in the right location only a feeling lingered. I felt a warning from Father’s creation. I could hear the trees and grass cry out. I followed the cries; until I could see a trail of teal light. I increased my speed; throwing caution to the wind. When it came into view; I was astonished. Never had I seen such a creature. It was tall; taller than I am. Translucent glowing skin. Skin? More like scales. When the creature shifted his weight; the scales revealed different images. When the creature turned and saw me; he looked strange. As if he could not fool my eyes. The creature looked human; only for a moment. When it spoke to me; it revealed its true form.

“Your time will come, Angel.” With that he vanished.

Leaving me alone in Father’s creation. Creation felt normal again. Except the warning with in my heart. It was Father. A warning; I should have listened closer. I should have pulled her away; although, I do not know how I would have accomplished that.

I could not even find my charge. She was not at the grave. Eron had taken the one moment when I was distracted to leave with her. She was not with in eyesight; nor could I hear her. What I could hear was Father’s voice telling me to return to her home. I followed orders and returned to her bedroom. It was empty; as I expected it to be.

“Daughter.” I heard His voice. Father’s voice was always soothing. I found myself sitting on her empty bed. Waiting. Wanting. Wanting nothing more than orders; only moments later Father continued. “Daughter, she is your charge. Soon she shall return here. Stay with her. She is one of my adopted. Your task is to stay beside her no matter what. Be near her, no matter what comes. Time is not going to be kind to her. You are strong my daughter; stay beside her.”

With that I was left alone. Orders had come through. Directly from Father; He knew more than He was saying. He knows everything. My charge was to be shadowed. That concerned me. Each child is given a guardian when they are born. If the child rejects Father their guardian angel can no longer hear their voice. If the child accepts Father; Father takes over guardianship. I was losing touch with her, and still Father ordered me to shadow her. Father knew more than He would say.

The light began to fade; still I was alone. Pondering the words I had heard earlier. The light outside was nearly gone. The sun had set; the last of its rays brightened the horizon. My charge entered her bedroom. She was slow; every move thought out. She was in pain. Troubled. I reached to her; grazing her shoulder lightly. I could feel the emotional turmoil; she thought she loved Eron. He had apologized. What they did the rest of this time I was not with her? There are even things angels do not know. She knew in her heart that Eron was right for her, but she is a young human. Still I could feel something inside her that fought against Eron. I encouraged that fight in her.

The night was slow; even for me. I sat on the side of the bed; wings held high. Alisiea crawled into bed, pulled her blankets over her shoulders. I laid my wings on her.

******

“You touched her with your wings! They can feel that!” Teagan burst out.

As a warrior Teagan had been trained to stay out of sight and feeling of the humans. He had never understood why the guards were so open to touching the humans. He never understood humans. The ones Father called His own. Father loved them; so Teagan tried to love them.

“Brother, she needed to know I was there. Somehow this event; was horrifying for her.” Zahra’s wings fluttered a little.

“Sister, you are not telling me everything. You are leaving something out.”

Zahra sighed. “Father gave me an order; that I told you, the order worries me.” She paused for a moment. “I do not know if I can be strong for her. I do not even know what I am up against.” She stopped again gaining control over the rainbow of colors emitting from her wings. She closed her eyes; drained all color from her wings.

“If Father gave you the order; He knows you are capable.”

“I might be; however, I feel more like a warrior than a guardian.”

“At times there is little difference between the two.” Teagan paused; looked at his sister, he felt compassion for her. “Please, continue.”

Zahra nodded, “I had my wings over her…

*****

Encouraging her to fight against him, that was my reason for letting her touch my wings. I could see deeper into Eron heart than she could. There was something evil with in him. I sat there beside her most of the night, her emotions were calming. I stood, dragging my wings across her as I walked to the window. Father had said she was one of His, but she had not made that choice. Her fading voice was evidence that she was rejecting Father. Whatever was going to happen; it would bring my charge closer to Father. As I stared out the window; movement in the room caught my attention. I spun around; spread my wings wide and drained all color from them. There he stood; darkness with in him. It shielded him. I knew he stood there; for the first time I knew what he was. As fast as I could muster I was between him and my sleeping charge.

“How sweet, you think she is yours to protect.” The fallen angel sneered. “Can you even hear her?”

I stood there; unmoving. She was my charge; I had my orders. Orders that were not to be disobeyed.

“Answer me!” The threat in his voice was clear. “Angel, angel, angel. “ His voice was much calmer now. “You are in for a wonderful time.”

The emphasis he put on wonderful made me want to shudder. Outwardly I showed no fear; the very fact that this being brought fear to my heart worried me. He reached for my charge.

“Step away from her! You will not touch her.” I stood between the two; ready to fight him.

“Oh, please.” There was a demonic glint in his eye. “So predictable. Your time is yet to come, my pretty guard.” He reached out to touch my hair.” As he did I slapped his hand away. Looking from his hand to my face; he forced a smile. “Your time will come angel. I look forward to hearing you beg.”

With that he was gone, time meant nothing. The threat that loomed over my charge; danced in my mind.

I am unsure how long I just stood there. The sun finally rose over the eastern horizon; bathing the room in a glow of orange light. It was a Saturday; that meant a trip to the neighboring town. I shadowed her as ordered. Nothing happened over the next week. Anytime she and Eron were together; the darkness was not there. Thus far I had not seen the fallen one; I had not had any more late night visits either. It was late one Saturday night. She had spent the day with him. He was raining her, and I was losing the war. Staring out into the darkness, I could feel him enter the room.

“Your time has come, my angel.” It was a whisper that echoed throughout the room.

I could feel the evil that enveloped the room. This was a warning. Alisiea’s life was about to change. Bishop was by no means a sleepy town. There was always something happening. The youth of the town were not soft. Eron was no exception from the norm. He was into drugs; satanic worship; the boy was pure evil in human form; he was smart. He controlled her with just a touch; he had trained her to listen only to him. This was not the first time he had done this to a girl. He was practiced at this art. I watched him closely the next day. He would grab her belt loop and pull just a bit; she would change in an instant. Her head would fall, eyes downcast, and she would not say another word. She could no longer hear my voice. When I reached out to touch her; all I could feel was cold. I was failing her and she was leaving me. She wanted him to be her protector. He was taking her from me. He was gaining more and more control over her. In one day I had lost everything from her. The silence from her was deafening. My touch gained nothing. It was that Sunday I lost her completely. She wanted him. And me? I was a stalker. A ghost that followed her. She lay in bed that night; I tried to connect with her. That is when he appeared at the foot of her bed. I was between them in an instant. He laughed.

“Your time is here. She is ours. I will give you one chance to walk away. One.” His voice was soft; laced with a malice I had never heard before. “Give up angel.”

I was no longer fearful. Father had ordered that she be protected. He called her one of His. “She will never be yours.” I said to him.

“Poor little guardian.” As he said this to me; three demons appeared behind him. Hissing, shells of evil. “She is ours.”

I spread my wings as wide as they would go. “She is my…” I started, allowing my voice to shake the room “Charge. I will not stand by and let you harm her!” with that I could see the mounting fear in their eyes. I pulled my short dagger from its hidden sheath. I drained all the color from my wings. I stood there forcing the shadows back. Black wings glowing, silver dagger gleaming in the moonlight. The fallen one looked just as terrified as his companions.

“Stop overreacting angel.” His voice quivered. “We just came to see if Master’s plaything was well.” He had regained his calm. “We can work together on this…”

“She is my charge.” I let the anger flash through the room. “You will never again call her ‘plaything’. I will never work with you.” Before I could drain the color from my wings, they were gone.

Slipping my dagger back in its place. I let myself fall back on the bed. Lowering my wings, the rainbow of colors returned. I allowed myself to feel the emotions. I only allowed myself to feel them for a few moments. Standing guard was my duty; I drained all the colors of my wings. I stood beside the window; feeling the room, the rest of the night past without further interruption.

The next day Alisiea had plans to spend with a group of friends. Eron included. I would not leave her side. I watched her ready herself in the morning. Humans are so interesting; she had to put every strand of hair in place. Put on her mask of make-up. She wanted to be perfect for him. Perfect for her Romeo, Eron. She wore shorts, and a white tank-top. She wanted him to notice her. To want her. She slipped out of the house through the back door. Not noticed by her parents. They gathered at the cemetery. Eron was the first to be there. As he greeted her; she began to slowly change. She started off to see her other friends. Eron grabbed her belt loop, and pulled her back a bit. When he did she stood a step behind him. He smiled. For the first time I wanted to hear the wayward ones. I opened my mind, and asked Father. His answer was ‘yes.’

In one moment I heard them all. It was overwhelming. Slowly it began to subside. Eron’s voice pierced through. His smile had widened. I could hear his thoughts and voice. “She is ready.” He thought. “I will test her tonight.”

I moved closer to her. I touched her shoulder, trying to pass a warning to her. I felt her shudder. She was not closed off from me completely. That over joyed my heart. She stayed with him that disappointed me. I stayed beside her. Closing my mind to Eron’s thoughts, I wished she would walk away from him. I continued to whisper warnings to her. Eventually she tuned me out, and stopped responding to me altogether. Remembering Father’s orders I shadowed them. Eron made an excuse and pulled her away. They wandered far from the group of friends.

“Where are we going?” she questioned.

‘It is a surprise.” He said softly. “Now, no more questions.”

She fell silent beside him. Slowly her steps fell to just behind him. He was leading her back to the grave. They sat down on the slab of concrete. I tried to whisper to her once again. The darkness surrounded her. My light glowed, but she would not come to me. Eron pulled at her clothes, this time he paid no attention to her pleads. I could not watch, I screamed warnings at her. She had closed herself off to me. The fallen one appeared before me. Eron pulled her away. It was almost if he knew what was happening. A human that was working with a fallen angel; how could that be? I had not heard of such a thing; then again this was only my second assignment. Earth was still a mystery to me; as were humans. I could not think about that right now. Right now a fallen one stood before me; a shell of his former glory; still dangerous and powerful. Alisiea was gone; Eron had taken her away from me. She still seemed to want him. I had truly become her stalker. Not a very good stalker; I had lost her again. The fallen one that stood in front of me looked behind me for a moment.

“Little angel.” He spoke, moving towards me.

I flipped my wings open; moving closer to him. I would not fear him. He flipped his broken wings open. Feathers falling to the forest floor; a rainbow of colors escaping his wings, his wings then lost all color. He reached out for my wings. I pulled away from him, unwilling to let him touch me.

“Do you fear me, little angel?” he sneered.

I scoffed. I would not let him see that I was afraid of what power he had, what his touch could do to me. I tried to walk around him, which is when he flexed his wings even more, throwing feathers as he did.

“You do not seem to understand. So let me spell it out for you. She is ours. She will never be yours. Never.”

“She is mine!” I almost yelled. “She is my charge.” I regained control of my voice.

“If she was yours; wouldn’t she be with you?”

That was a question I could not answer. He knew I could not answer that. He smiled at me, reaching again for my wings. That is when I heard her scream. It was not an audible scream; I could hear her voice again. I could feel her. In that moment; while I was distracted by her, he grabbed my wing. I could feel the darkness in him. Trying to block out her voice. I knocked his arm off my wing; I called to her. She did not answer. I called her again. This time I could hear her voice. She wanted someone to protect her. Eron was failing her. I took my advantage. I sent her a beautiful place to go; although it was in her mind. I could give her a sanctuary, a place for her mind to hide. There she settled until the ordeal was over. Eron had left her there. Alone. When Eron left her; the fallen angel and his three demons left as well.

As he was leaving; he looked at me, “Until we meet again, little angel.” With that he disappeared.

I was left alone with a broken human. I knew this was bound to happen again. He was not secretive about that, in fact he almost taunted me with the knowledge. Alisiea sat there silent. She held herself close. I was unsure of what she needed. She had closed herself off once again. I could not reach her anymore. Not that she would’ve listened to my warnings anyway. She has been listening to him. I couldn’t do much, but I could leave her home. I wiggled my way back into her mind. Taking her mind back to it’s happy place; then I steered her body back to her bedroom. There I released her mind. Back in her relatively safe room I stood and watched my young charge. She cried. I did what I could. Which was not much. She closed herself off from everything. Moments like this, were moments that made me wish guardian angels did not abide by such strict rules. The case was rare that a guardian could take control of their human. Alisiea had stayed in her bedroom for days, leaving only when she absolutely had too. Eron was careful. He had not left any visible marks. She was careful to hide her emotions from her family.that was something she had always done. The next time she left home was to go meet him. She had carefully snuck out of the house, wanting to avoid her brother and parents. I followed; of course. Orders were orders. She may not have wanted me there, but Father did. Alisiea wandered the streets, she did not know where she was going. I was not sure she cared. Something inside her was fighting the urge to go see Eron. I began to think that maybe my warnings had not fallen on completely deaf ears. It did not matter Eron was out wandering the streets; looking for his girl. The fallen angel strutting behind him.

“There you are.” The fallen angel called to me.

I extended my wings; appeared in front of Alisiea, thinking I could stop a human. That is where I was wrong. He walked right through my wing. In that moment I knew; Eron was human. There was something; something that hid itself very well. Something powerful enough to walk through me. I was not going to show the fear that caused; the fallen angel already knew. He snickered as he grabbed my wing. He held me back as Eron took my charge. In my confusion I was not ready for him to grab me. Alisiea must have wanted Eron. That would be the only way he could have walked right through me.

“She doesn’t want you.” he sneered.

“She is my charge.” I fired back. It was true she did not want my protection.

“Poor little angel. You have failed her. You have failed. I have been nice to you so far.” his demeanor changed. “Just walk away angel. That will be the easiest for you. I was like you once. Starry eyed and hopeful, it disgusts me how much you remind me of me.”

“If that is true. If we are alike. Then you must know that I won’t walk away because of a few warnings. Or have you forgotten what angel backed by God can do?” I wasn’t over the fear, but I had to put that behind me for her. There had to be a moment where she would not want Eron.

“Calm down little…”

“Call me ‘little angel’ again…”

“Don’t you think you are overreacting?” he was trying to wiggle his way back into my mind.

I stared at him. Wanting to know what he was thinking. A fallen angel daring to stand between a guardian and her charge.

“Look, we both seem to want the girl.” This sudden turn to diplomacy was unnerving. “Why don’t we let her choose.”

I looked him over. It was clear he did not want a fight with me. Somehow that made me feel a bit better. “Fine, but we let whatever happens; happen. We do not interfere with humans. If she wants my help; or the help of any others, we help her.” I could tell he did not like that. I did not really care. They wanted Alisiea, I was not sure why.

“Do you think I would agree to that?” he scoffed.

“Do you really have a choice in the matter?” I was unsure how he would respond to that; in all honesty I was not sure where the burst of confidence had come from.

“Fine, deal. You and I can no longer interfere.”

“Unless.” I guided.

He sighed, rolled his eerie eyes. “Unless she asks for the help.”

“Deal, you know that means no more nightly whispers to her.” I reminded him.

“Means the same for you.” he added.

“She is my charge, I won't leave her alone.” I barked back.

He stared me down; at least he tried. I was not going to disobey orders. I would not become him. “Alright.” he conceded. “No more nightly whispers, but you need to let her make her own mind up…”

“Have you forgotten every rule that an angel has?” I interrupted.

He stared at me. My guess? He was trying to get his mind to think like an angel again. If only for a moment. “Fine. Deal.” he finally spoke.

“Where did he take her?” I asked. Not that I thought that he would actually give me a truthful answer.

“Do you really want to know?” he smirked. “Do you really want to see what he is doing to her? To his playth…”

“You will not call her that again.” my wings flared. She was still mine; no matter the deal that was made.

He flinched, and pointed towards the creek that cut the town into two. I lowered my wings. When I walked by him I flipped my wingtips at him. Making him flinch again. Walking towards the creek, I saw him force her across. She was trembling, that much was evident. I called out to her mind. I could hear her. She was crying for help. She would not let me fully help her. What could I do? I reached out to her mind. I took her mind to a beautiful pink sand beach. The crashing waves; the sounds of the wind. I tried to ease her mind. She wasn’t letting me in, at least not completely. She kept me at arms length. I could hear him in the background. He taunted me. I pushed his voice to the back of my mind. I could hear Eron in her mind. I pushed his voice away, She still wanted him, in a strange way he still had a hold of her. I don’t know how long I held her mind at ease. I could no longer hear Eron in her head. His sadistic whispers. I released her mind. She was in a concrete hole. That was the best way to describe this, she was laying in an old concrete culvert. The space was big enough for her to lay in, it had collapsed just above her head. She had bruises on her arms, and legs. This time he was not so easy with her. As I had done before. I guided her home. This time it was down a steep embankment, and through a creek. He had left her clothes on the banks of the creek. I guided her, whispering to her to get dressed. I lead her home. Her walk was slow, she was in pain. I did not push her mind to remember what had happened. I took her home. Slowly eased her mind again. Finally in her room. She curled up in her bed. After making sure she was safe. With the deal that was made; I knew he would leave her alone for the night. I asked Father if I could leave for a time. When Father assured me; I left.

“That is where we are now.” I cleared my throat. “She is meeting up with him in the morning.” I looked at him, “Why are you on earth?”

Teagan glanced at me, “I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I have been sent to guard a small church; here in this town.” he smirked at me. “It seems Alisiea will have more than one protector.”

“Teagan, you are a warrior. What are you doing on protection detail?”

“I did not ask. From what you have told me; there is more than just human on human. According to Father, there will be many choices for Alisiea. There is a family here that will help her along the way.” Teagan began briefing me on everything he knew. I followed what he was saying. This fallen angel was not to be underestimated.

Teagan rose to leave. Leaving me alone with my sleeping charge. The next day she would be with Eron again. Morning came slowly. My charge woke early. Alisiea woke; I wasn’t sure she even wanted to wake up. She was slow to move. She readied herself with her mask of make up. Eron demanded that she look a certain way, or she demanded that she looked a certain way for him. She snuck out of the house once again. I followed her silently; as I had been doing all this time. There we were once again. The banks of the creek. The lush green fading into the clay shores. The clear waters rushing by. There on the other side of the creek; there was the culvert that held her captive. Eron walked up behind her.

“Hello, sweet thing.” he spoke. I could hear the malice in his voice.

She shuddered, trying hard to hide it from him. He grabbed her, pulling her to the other side of the creek. There I stood. Helpless. She would not let me in this time. She closed her mind off to everything. Even to me. I could not stand the silence. I had to watch silently, as Eron had his way with her.

“Oh, Guardian.” the fallen said from behind me. “Can’t you reach her?”

He knew I could not hear her, I could not reach her, she did not want me. She did not believe I was there anymore. I could not help her. The fallen one laughed in my ear, taunting me with my seeming failure. I stood there and watched as Eron made her compliant to his will. It was almost two hours before they left us. Eron left her in the same way he did the day before. Alone, naked, and broken. I ventured over to her. My broken human. Now she wanted my help. I pulled her from the culvert. Cleaned her up, Eron had left her bleeding. I stopped the bleeding, cleaned the young girl, and clothed her. There we sat on the banks of the creek. I wrapped my wings around her, she trembled in my lap. I was not even sure where to go. I could take her home, but what good would that do? So she could hide the pain from everyone, again? So she could say ‘I am fine?’ That was the most common human lie there was. My charge was an expert at saying this phrase. That is when it hit me. Teagan. My brother was sent here to help. I sat there until my charge became suspicious. I then guided her to the small church I knew my brother was responsible for protecting.

I was overjoyed to see him standing there at the main door of the building. Teagan smirked at me. Standing right in Alisiea’s path. She did not even try to move around him. She just gave in and sat down on the sidewalk to the front door of the building. She sat there, sobbing. Quietly I spoke to her. Nothing came of it, she was closing herself off again.

“Brother.” I began.

“Give it a moment.” He spoke. His voice was calming. “She will come.”

“She?” I asked, I did not like being kept in the dark.

“Her.” he said pointing down the street.

She looked to be about nineteen, maybe twenty. She was not much older than Alisiea. She had long straight black hair. The last few inches of her hair was colored purple. Blunt bangs framed the girl’s face. She walked with purpose, heading straight for Alisiea. Boots beating against the pavement. I knew her. I could hear her voice. She was one of Father’s.

“I wonder if she is ok?”

I could hear her thoughts, a voice was so welcoming. “No she is not.” I spoke. I knew she heard me.

It was soothing to hear a voice. Asking questions, wanting answers, stray thoughts. She had bright blue eyes, and a bright smile. When she saw Alisiea her smile faded.

“Are you ok?” she asked Alisiea.

Alisiea looked at her, “I am fine.”

“No you are not.” She said. “You are crying.”

Alisiea straightened, she was uncomfortable. The girl noticed.

“Ok, I will make you a deal. You take my number, and you promise me that you will text me or call me before you do something drastic.”

Alisiea looked at her.

“I won’t leave you alone.” The girl stared at Alisiea. “You make me this deal and I will leave you alone.”

Alisiea sighed before she unlocked her phone. “Fine.” she huffed.

The girl gave her number, watching carefully to make sure Alisiea saved her number. When Alisiea was done, the girl got up and started to walk away.

“Please, if you need anything; text me.” The girl said as she walked away.

Alisiea nodded, looking down at her phone. She did not seem to care.

I looked at Teagan, concern growing in my heart. She had closed herself off completely.

“Take the girl home.” Teagan suggested.

I nodded, guiding her home.

Alisiea followed me without much of a fight. She did not seem to have much fight left in her. When she got her to her house, she seemed to come back to reality. Without my help she snuck back into her house. She closed the door to her room. She crawled into her bed; she did not seem to want to move. I watched her close. She fell into an uneasy sleep. Hours past; she startled herself awake. She was crying. She still did not let me help her. She sat on her bed crying, I tried to comfort her. It was no use. Her phone sat on the bedside table. I touched it; making it go off. She ignored her phone. I touched it again. It took three more times before she picked up her phone. She searched for the notification. She found nothing that would have made her phone make noise. In fact her phone was on silent mode; as always. She stared at her phone. I moved behind her to see what she was doing. She was texting the girl. I smiled; she was reaching out.

“Hey i dont know if you remember me. But i just wanted to say goodbye.”

She sent the message. Alisiea was never one for punctuation or grammar.

“I do remember you. Look I don’t know what you are going through. But I can tell you that things can get better. You don't have to let go of everything. Whatever the situation is, I can help. If you just let me.”

Aliseia read the message. And set her phone down, she had no intention of answering. Until her phone sounded again.

“I will make you a deal. This is a small town; I can find your house. You have two choices. You either answer me, or I find your house. Break in and make sure you don’t do anything drastic. You have 5 minutes to answer. If you don’t answer; I start breaking down doors.”

I giggled. This girl was forcing Alisiea to make a choice. Alisiea stared at her phone for a moment. “Fight back Alisiea. Don’t just give up.” I encouraged.

I was not even sure my voice would reach her.

“OK i wont do anything.” she sent back.

“So tell me. What is there to do in this town? I am new here.”

Alisiea read the message a few times. “You are not even going to as me about the message”

“Why would I? You don’t seem to want to talk about it.” she sent back.

Somehow this girl knew not to push Alisiea for an answer. I guessed Teagan was responsible for that.

The two of them texted for hours. They talked about nothing really. I checked on the conversation a few times. I wanted to give Alisiea some privacy. She needed that much. Alisiea finally ended the conversation at three in the morning. Alisiea was tired. I peeked into her phone. The last message this girl sent to my charge said: “Let me tell you this. No matter what, you are worth more than you know. If someone loves you they will wait for you.”

Alisiea had looked at her phone, rolled her eyes, crawled into bed, and went to sleep. I watched her all night; as I had for many nights. Her silent watcher. The night passed with no visits. Teagan had his duties to tend to, and the deal kept the fallen one away. I prayed that this girl would be able to reach Alisiea. Reach her like I never could.

The morning came quickly. Alisiea debated with herself. Should she go or not? I tried to encourage her to stay, or at least seek out the girl. Alisiea had to pass the church in order to meet up with Eron. Honestly I wanted the girl to be at the church. I was guessing that if Teagan had anything to do with it; she would be there. She would be there sitting and waiting for my charge. Alisiea had indeed ignored my voice. She readied herself. Like every morning with her mask of makeup. Trying to make herself look how he wanted her to look. When she was finished, we left. She snuck out again. She ventured down the streets of the little town. Walking towards the church; I saw Teagan with the girl. The girl seemed to know what was going on; she stood next to Teagan.

“Does she know we are her?” I asked as we approached.

“She knows there is something that she needs to be aware of.” Teagan answered.

I nodded. Praying that my charge would listen to her.

“Hey.” The girl called out.

Alisiea stopped, looked at her. “Oh.” she looked up from the ground. “Hi.”

“Don’t go.” the girl started. “I don’t know where you are going, who you are going to see. You don’t look like you even want to be there.”

Alisiea looked at her, “What would you know?”

“More than you think.” the girl retorted. “Why go to him?”

“Who told you?!” Alisiea fired back.

“No one. You just look like you don’t want to see him.” she answered. “I know we talked a lot last night. I never told you my name. Roxie.”

“Alisiea.”

“Spend the day with me.” Roxie suggested.

“I can’t.” Alisiea answered, almost in tears. I could hear her mind.

She was opening up to me again. “Trust her, trust Roxie. Tell her.” I repeated over and over again to my charge.

“Fine.” Alisiea blurted out. She was talking more to me than Roxie.

“Fine?” Roxie asked. She looked puzzled.

“I am not going to put you in the middle of all this.” Alisiea spoke. Her voice was soft.

“Then who are you going to turn to for help?” Roxie stated. “What is going on?”

“Tell her.” I repeated.

“Trust her.” Teagan added.

That is when the fallen one appeared. He was ready to fight back. I did not expect him to keep to the deal. In fact I was surprised that he had kept the deal as long as he had.

“Don’t trust them.” He whispered to Alisiea.

“Surprising…” Teagan started.

“Brother, please.” I said to him. I did not want an altercation; I was more concerned with Alisiea.

Teagan sighed, he was uncomfortable with the fallen one there. As a warrior Teagan was wired to fight the fallen.

“Hey,” Roxie started pulling my attention back to the two humans. Teagan and the fallen continued to glare at each other. “Are you going to tell me what is happening?”

“Are you going to leave me alone about it?” Alisiea fired back.

“Not likely.” Roxie answered.

I giggled; it seemed this girl was not one to back away from a fight. The more agitated Alisiea became; the more Roxie seemed in control.

“If I tell you, will you shut up.” Alisiea seemed annoyed. I could hear it in her voice.

As the two warriors glared at one another. The fallen seemed to have fear in his eyes. I could not blame him for that. I would not want to stand against Teagan. As the stare down continued, the human girl seemed to be succeeding where I had failed.

“Fine!” Alisiea yelled. She had succumbed to anger quicker than normal.

She went into detail about what Eron had done to her, and to my surprise Roxie did not seem phased. I opened my mind to Roxie, I wanted her to know she was not alone. I could hear her crying inside.

“Stay strong.” I whispered to her.

“I can’t!” She thought back to me.

“I am here to help you, if you want the help.” I gave her the familiar feeling of God’s power; Father’s power.

“Thank you.” She thought, her grip on her emotions was slipping.

When Roxie felt that I was of God; she let me in completely. I held her emotions steady as she listened to the horrendous story Alisiea was telling. I held her soul steady as she found out about the torturous things one human can inflict upon another. I held her heart together as she discovered what Alisiea thought love was. In the moments where Roxie would have failed; I held steady.

When Alisiea has finished telling her story; Roxie looked at her no different than she had before.

“We need to go to the police.” Roxie suggested.

“No!” Alisiea yelled. “I love him; I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Ok.” Roxie said. “That is not what love is; love is not where someone takes advantage of you…”

“I don’t take advantage of her. She is mine. Step away from her.” It was Eron. He had rounded the corner of the church building, and interrupted Roxie.

Roxie stood from where she was sitting and planted herself in front of Alisiea. The fallen one moved beside Eron. Teagan stood on one side of Roxie while I stood on the other.

“Alisiea come here.” Eron demanded.

Alisiea hesitated, I was whispering to her to stay with Roxie.

“Alisiea!” He yelled.

Alisiea flinched and walked towards him, only to hesitate once again when she saw Roxie.

“That is not love.” Roxie spoke. “He is only going to hurt you again. Don’t go with him.”

Alisiea stared at Eron. Sighed “I don’t want him to hurt you.” She whispered.

Alisiea started to walk away. Roxie grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “He can’t hurt me, and besides even if he does hurt my body he cannot over power my God.” Roxie spoke. Loud enough for Eron to hear her.

“Can your God protect me?” Alisiea asked.

Roxie smiles; so did I. “Of course He can.”

“I want His protection.” Alisiea said. Maybe she was desperate, I did not know.

“Then ask Him. Tell Him you believe in Him.” Roxie told her.

Alisiea closed her eyes. Eron took a step closer. Roxie did not move. Teagan and I stopped the human. It was over. Alisiea was asking for Father’s help. Alisiea wanted God. She believed. The fallen angel wailed and ran. Eron was powerless. His usual confidence was gone. He shook where he stood, facing the power of God alone. Alisiea asked God, Father, for His protection. With that, my job was done. Her healing could begin.

Of course I did check up on the girls. Roxie and Alisiea became the best of friends. Alisiea’s faith grew stronger. She learned what true love was. She even now uses her story to encourage others. I learned a lot watching those two girls. Roxie stood next to Alisiea as she started her next stages of life. I would not say Alisiea is fully healed from the worst parts of life; what I would say is Alisiea is stronger than she knows. She passes that strength on to others. I moved on to other assignments, but I will never forget the lessons I learned from Alisiea and a small town church.