Dark Bright: Claiming His Angel

Prologue

GADREEL RAISED HIS sword of cerulean flames high above his head. He tightened his hands around the hilt as he prepared to strike the final blow. Except... He wasn’t sure how much time passed as he stood still above his injured brother as the fighting around them roared to deafening heights.

Strike down the Fallen, roared Mikael from somewhere nearby.

Gadreel looked up and saw death all around him. The aggression coursing through him pulsed like a living entity urging him on. This was no longer paradise.

His gaze fell on Gabriel in time to see him separate Simi’s head from his shoulders with his ax. Anguished at the sight, Gadreel’s only thought was for his brother. Simi, he thought.

Erase them from the Heavens, Gabriel cried out as he walked past the rolling head of their brethren with no regard or remorse in his hardened eyes.

Gadreel focused on Simi’s head and lifeless eyes that peered back at him. His hands loosened around the hilt of his sword, but when he looked up at Gabriel and met his gaze Gadreel tightened his fingers again, this time with resolve. He looked back down at his target, Dantanian, who was weak and wounded at his feet.

With one quick swing of Gadreel’s sword, Dantanian’s head would be separated from his body as well. Dantanian would be no more.

Why didn’t he escape to the desolate place with Lucifer and the others? Gadreel asked himself. Did Dantanian think his disobedience would be forgiven? Do he and the others not understand that our Father’s forgiveness is solely designed for his favored, the humans?

Finish it, Gadreel, Dantanian said as he coughed. Low light escaped through the deep wounds in his chest and side.

Gadreel furrowed his brows as he flared his fingers out then reasserted his grip on his sword. He bested Dantanian in battle, but searching inside himself he could not find the desire to kill his brother. He knew the Fallen were wrong to question their Lord. They were not fit for the Heavens. Yet, Gadreel wondered if death was a suitable sentence.

Isn’t my questioning and hesitancy to carry out the orders given to me by my superiors just as unlawful, he asked himself. In my hesitation am I not flirting with the penalty of death?

Gadreel looked around the Hall of Echoes again. Headless bodies strewed the once pristine place that inspired the Garden of Eden. It was once a place of peace and reflection. Now it will forever be marred by a history of death and fratricide.

I can’t contribute to this madness.

When his weary eyes met Gabriel’s again, Gadreel saw the questions mounting in his commander’s eyes. He saw when Gabriel’s gaze hardened with resolve. Gadreel actually felt the unmistakable yet foreign feeling of fear ripple through him when Gabriel’s lips thinned and the Angel started toward him.  

With a hint of thought, the heavenly flame that encompassed Gadreel’s sword rescinded and it disappeared into space and time to return when he needed it. Moving as fast as he could, Gadreel whipped his robe out of the way, bent and lifted Dantanian over his shoulder, and made for the Pool of Province.

Gadreel risked his very existence as he ran with Dantanian in tow. He ignored the calls to halt his progress. He dodged the expertly aimed daggers and arrows of his brethren who tried to stop him. To Gadreel’s surprise some of the judged, the Fallen, stepped in front of some of the blows aimed at him and Dantanian.

As Gadreel jumped over the bodies of Fallen and Devoted, he knew what he was doing meant that he would never again step foot in the Heavens, his home. That once he jumped into the Pool of Province, a reflective gateway that allowed Angels to observe humans and crossover to the earth without divine permission, the ability to cross back over or to any plane from this moment forth will be forever revoked.

Noooo, Dantanian cried out.

It is the only way to save you, Gadreel said as he ran up the stairs to the great pool.

Gadreel stumbled forward when something hit his back. The momentum caused him to lose his tight grip on Dantanian’s body and it fell forward, hitting the tepid pool first. Gadreel followed, sighing as water that wasn’t wet covered him from head to toe for a brief moment.

The transition from pool to earth’s sky was jarring at the angle Gadreel was falling. He worked harder than he ever had to in order to fight the wind and position himself forward and head down. Gadreel didn’t have to call out for his wings to expand. His large white feathered wings flared out automatically to slow his descent.

Scanning the sky, Gadreel searched for his brother, but what he found wasn’t an Angel soaring through the darkening skies. What he saw was a smoking body tumbling and rolling toward the earth. Gadreel positioned his wings back so he could dive but suddenly felt an intense debilitating pain with the movement.

Crying out as pain spiked with every pump of his wings, Gadreel realized they were ablaze as well. There was only one thing for him to do. Gadreel dived toward Dantanian, tucking his wings back. When he slammed into his unconscious brother, Gadreel shook off the pain and extended his burning wings to slow them before slamming into the ocean.

Chapter One

ANIYA (A-Nigh-ah) age 5

Aniya looked over her shoulder at her momma who was sitting in one of the chairs against the wall. Her momma tried to hide her face but Aniya knew she was crying. Sometimes her momma was sad because of daddy, so she cried. Them times, momma didn’t want her to know.

Like them times, Aniya pretended not to notice. She played and kept smiling instead. Her smiles always made momma feel better. At least that was what momma said.

Can I play with you?

Aniya stopped moving the car over the street map mat and looked up at the boy who stood over her. He had on clothes momma would frown at. Aniya knew because when her momma told her that they had to go to the hospital earlier, she put on her favorite shorts and star top. Momma took her by the arm and pulled her back to her closet to put her in warm clothes instead.

Summer clothes aren’t for winter weather, momma said then sniffed as she wiped a tear from her face. The memory made Aniya feel even sadder.

Your momma let you wear shorts? Aniya asked as she looked up at the boy.

I don’t have a momma, the boy said.

He sat down beside her, so close that if she wasn’t wearing the brown pants she hated, she would feel the warmth of his leg on her skin.

Momma says to be sorry for people who don’t have moms. I’m sorry to you.

The boy smiled at her.

Aniya looked at his smile, his round face, and his big blue eyes, and felt as if she was being hugged by the best warmest bear in the world. She liked bears.

She liked him.

Aniya held out one of the two cars she held.

The boy took the car then looked her directly in the eyes. Thank you, Aniya.

Frowning, she asked, How do you know my name?

The boy shrugged. I don’t know. I just do. He placed the car on the mat and started moving it around.

Mimicking his shrug by raising and dropping her shoulders, Aniya switched the remaining car to her dominant right hand and also began moving it around the mat. The two played together, rolling the cars around, stopping at imaginary red lights, and passing through a fictional fast food drive-thru until...

Aniya, a voice called again.

Aniya looked over her shoulder at where her momma sat. Her momma was standing now. A man in a long white coat, a woman wearing all white, and father Hannigan stood with momma. But it was Father Hannigan who called Aniya, and he was looking at her. 

Aniya, Father Hannigan repeated as he walked toward her and the boy. Come on dear, your mother needs you to go with her.

Aniya rolled to her knees then pushed to her feet. She left the car on the mat and bent to get it but didn’t pick it up. She decided she’d rather take something else with her instead of the car. Can my friend come too? she asked as she looked up at Father Hannigan.

Aniya, I don’t... Father Hannigan’s words died away when he looked at the boy.

Aniya noticed the frown on Father Hannigan’s face, so she turned back to her friend so she could see why the Father was looking at him in that way. Her friend was standing beside her but there was something else. Now he had hold of her hand. Aniya didn’t feel when he touched her but she was happy he did.

They were friends.

When Father Hannigan lowered himself in front of them, Aniya turned to him. She liked when he spoke to her, eye to eye. Father Hannigan had pretty eyes, like the color of her doll’s brown hair.

But...

Aniya looked back at her new friend. She liked his eyes better. They were blue like the sky. She smiled and her friend smiled back.

What’s your name son? Father Hannigan asked.

I’m not supposed to say, her friend said.

No? Father Hannigan asked. Well, I can understand that. Can you tell me where your mother is? Father Hannigan looked past them then back to the boy.

His momma is dead, Aniya explained. But he knows we feel sorry for him. She looked over her shoulder again. Don’ cha? 

Her friend nodded his head.

Just as Aniya turned back around to look at the Father, she was lifted into the air and wrapped in her momma’s arms. Her momma was all out crying now, and Aniya felt horrible. She hated this feeling. Today wasn’t like the other times. Aniya’s insides felt bad when her momma cried before...but it never felt this bad.

Momma. Aniya’s voice cracked as she spoke. Aniya placed her hands on her momma’s cheeks. Momma, don’t cry. It hurts my tummy when you cry.

We have to say goodbye to daddy, Aniya, her momma said as she cried. Can you be stronger than momma, baby?

Aniya felt the warm tears that fell from her eyes but she made no noise. She was going to be strong. Her momma always said she was stronger. They played a lot of games and Aniya knew she was stronger. Momma said so.

But her insides still hurt. Until...

Suddenly, just like that, Aniya’s insides felt fine. Actually, they felt better than fine. Now Aniya felt like she always felt right before she got to eat her favorite snack, cinnamon applesauce. As she thought of applesauce, she wondered if her friend liked applesauce too. When Aniya looked down to ask, she saw that her friend was touching her leg.

Do you like applesauce? she asked him.

I do.

Aniya smiled. Then a strange thought occurred to her, where is my daddy going?

But she never got to ask, because momma turned and walked away from her friend. Aniya’s pain came back and it hurt worse now that he wasn’t touching her leg. Aniya screamed and kicked. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to say goodbye to her daddy. She wanted to stay with her new friend and eat applesauce. But it had to have cinnamon because that was the best kind.

I don’t want to go. Let me down, she wailed and then kicked. Her momma almost lost hold of her but Aniya didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything but not hurting.

Aniya, her momma begged. Please. This isn’t easy for me either. You are the stronger one. Be momma’s strong girl.

No. You win the game. I don’t want to be strong anymore.

Aniya Yuna Greer! her mother screamed as she sat her down on her feet.

Aniya made the crying noises now. She couldn’t hold them in. She sucked in air then let out sob after sob. She sobbed until she felt that good feeling again.

Now she knew it was her friend’s doing. He was holding her hand again. Aniya couldn’t even thank him because her lips were quivering so bad.

Mrs. Greer, Father Hannigan said, I think this boy is a comfort to your Aniya. I think it’s best you let him tag along. I’ll go look for his father.

What? her momma asked as she frowned down at the two of them.

I think the boy has a calming effect on Aniya. I will locate his father and let him know he is with you.

Can’t see how he would mind. He let the kid wander off alone. And look how he’s dressed, the nurse said as she walked up beside Father Hannigan. I’ll go get a warm blanket and some children’s pajamas for him. They’ll be better than those shorts and that short sleeve top in the middle of winter.

Nodding but not looking too happy, Aniya’s mother took her hand and pulled her along.

Aniya tightened her fingers around her friend’s hand as they walked and tried to keep up. She mentally counted the numbers above the doors as she walked. 18...16...14...12...

Her mother let go of her hand as she entered room 10 without her.

Don’t be scared, her friend told her.

I don’t want to be, Aniya admitted.

Then don’t. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, her friend said as he gently squeezed her hand.

Aniya heard her mother sobbing again but she didn’t want to look into the room.

Aniya, come here, her momma said, reaching a hand out to her. She cried as she spoke. Daddy is going to go to sleep and he isn’t going to wake up again. Leave your friend outside and come say goodbye.

Aniya reluctantly let go of the boy’s hand and walked slowly into the room. When she got close enough, her momma wiggled her fingers on her outstretched hand, urging her closer. Aniya pulled back. The heavy weight of her momma’s words hit her hard.

He isn’t going to wake up again.

Aniya’s eyes roamed past her momma’s hand, to the metal bed rail, to the white sheet that covered her daddy. She could see the side of his face. He looked like he was sleeping.

Daddy, Aniya whispered.

The pain came back. Aniya started to moan and her body started to shake. She ran to her momma and buried her face against her momma’s legs.

She didn’t know when her friend entered the room but she did hear the doctor calling out for him to stop. Aniya felt her momma move, and the movement pushed her away; but when she turned to see what was happening, a bright light filled the room, making it hard to see.

When the light went away, Aniya had to blink a few times to focus. The machines in the room, mostly silent when they came in, were now making too much noise, beeping and ringing. Her friend was beside her daddy’s bed. His hand was on Daddy’s arm.

What the hell? The doctor pulled her friend away from the bed and started looking over her daddy.

Joe? her momma cried out.

Forgotten and confused, Aniya backed away until she hit the wall. She didn’t even notice that her friend was standing beside her again. When she looked at him, he smiled.

I don’t like it when you’re sad, Aniya. So, I made your dad better.

Happy, Aniya launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.

1 WEEK LATER

Celia Greer waved as she walked by the nurse’s station. She didn’t stop to talk. She was way too excited at the wonderful turn of events. Today, her husband Joe was being released with a clean bill of health.

Last week...

Celia faltered a step at the thought and had to use the wall to steady herself. Just days ago, Joe was minutes from taking his last breath. At least that was what the doctors told her. But...something miraculous happened.

Celia shook her head, smoothed out imaginary wrinkles from her fitted coat, and took a stable step forward.

Joe is fine now. That is all that matters.

That was her thought, but when Celia reached the door to her husband’s room, she wasn’t prepared for what she saw. Joe was sitting on the bed, fully dressed. His things were packed neatly on a chair beside the bed and what she knew were discharge papers were on the bedside table. 

What had her holding her hand over her heart was the sight of the little boy

It was the little boy from last week, the one who touched Joe and...

Joe?

Joe took his eyes off the little boy who sat on the bed beside him and looked up at her. The boy was dressed for summer just like before; but his clothes were different and he looked clean, so she now doubted he was homeless. His lips spread into a grin, displaying the cutest dimples.

With a start, Celia noticed then that Joe looked different than the way he did yesterday and much different than the way he’d looked for years before he wound up in the hospital. He now looked like the man she married seven years ago, and nothing like the alcoholic he was for the past four years.

Celia, Joe said, have you met...

Celia watched the boy place his hand on Joe’s lap. Joe stopped talking and looked down at the kid who looked not much older than Aniya. To her surprise, Joe didn’t finish what he was saying. He just nodded at the boy as if they were communicating in their heads.

Taken aback as she looked at her black six-foot-two inches, two-hundred-pound husband sitting beside a dark haired, blue eyed, tiny little boy, Celia couldn’t fathom what was silently being discussed between the two of them.

The boy moved closer to Joe, who leaned down and offered his ear. Celia watched in awe as the boy whispered something to her husband. When the boy was finished, he leaned back, rolled over, then began to slide off the high bed.

Instinctively, Celia moved to help the boy down but Joe stood and raised his hand to stop her.

He doesn’t need our help, honey.

Dumbfounded, Celia nodded as she watched the boy’s toes touch the floor before he settled solidly on his feet.

When the kid turned around, he was smiling. Then he waved first to her then to Joe and walked past them through the hospital room doorway.

What did he say? Celia asked.

He said the same thing he said when I...when I came back, Joe said then smiled. He said that God is watching us.

Celia raised her brow. Being a Black woman raised in the South, she knew the Lord. But she wasn’t necessarily religious. But then again...

Celia suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit her. She had to close her eyes to remain standing. When she opened them, she saw Joe and he looked just as confused as she felt. What was even odder, she couldn’t remember when she arrived or how she got to his room, or even why they were just standing there looking at each other.

What was I just doing? she asked her husband.

You know, Joe said frowning, I don’t know. He grabbed his duffle bag, his discharge papers, and then her hand. But, come on, love of my life, he said, smiling. I have so much to make up for.

Chapter Two

ANIYA AGE 14

The music was so loud that Aniya felt her chest vibrating with the beat. She laced her right skate then stretched her leg out, rolling her foot out to test how secure the skate was. It felt fine so she pulled her left skate on and started lacing it.

Aniya, Michelle said, tapping her shoulder, your dad is coming at nine, right?

Aniya looked up at her best friend. She frowned. Huh?

Michelle tapped the glitter pink watch on her wrist.

Aniya nodded as she held up eight fingers and a thumb, acknowledging nine. She nodded again when Michelle motioned to the roller rink then skated away.

It took a little longer to strap up her left skate. The shoestring was shredded and the metal aglet had peeled away, making it harder to thread through the eyelets. Aniya was on her umpteenth attempt to thread the shoelace when they were pulled from her hand. Confused, Aniya followed the much larger hands that held her shoelace upward until she saw the smile on Tyler’s face. He was Michelle’s older cousin and he was kneeling in front of her.

Tyler held up a finger then pulled out some clear tape. He then wrapped the tape around the end of the frayed lace. Threading it through the eyelets was easy then. When Tyler finished, he tied her lace snuggly then patted her on the outside of her thigh.

Thank you, Aniya said.

Tyler mouthed the words, You’re welcome.

Aniya stretched her left leg out and tested her skate then pushed up off the bench. She waved to Tyler then skated toward the rink.

I’M HUNGRY AND HOT, Aniya said as she pointed to the snack pit. She skated toward the carpet then stepped up on it as she pinched her shirt in the center of her chest and fanned it in and out.

Aniya was joined by her friends. Michelle and Jody glided on either side of her, but when they transitioned from skating on hard floor to skating on carpet, Jody wobbled. Aniya grabbed for her friend, but her skate wheel locked up. Impulsively, Aniya reached for Michelle. They all ended up on the floor laughing.

It took a few tries for all three to get back on their feet.

You guys alright? Max asked as he skated toward them. He took Michelle’s hand in his.

Aniya looked at her friend’s hand in Max’s and a tinge of jealousy reared inside her, but she shook it off as she watched the happy couple sitting at a table. The two made a cute couple and friends were always happy for friends.

My butt hurts, Jody said. Sorry guys.

Aniya grimaced but she waved Jody’s apology away. They will probably fall at least three more times before night’s end because of Jody. Unlike Aniya and Michelle, Jody was new at skating and they all kinda