The angels gathered, all wearing their white gowns and wreaths of different colors. I was in pure bliss. The children tagged each other and flew around the main room. The archangels grinned and laughed like proud grandparents. 

The main room doors shoved open and two guards had Dion’s arms locked theirs on either side. I stood up from my seat as did the Archangels. 

“What’s going on?” 

“Skye,” Dion coughs. His head hung down and there was regret in his eyes. Three marks presented themselves on his abdomen. My mouth gaped open in shock. 

His wings wilted as feathers floated down. I held my breath to stop my heart from pounding rapidly. There was always something new happening with Dion. I wanted to forget it all. He was the moon, and I was the sun. He moved the clouds in my sky, but it felt as if he created storms. 

Every week, there was something new and every week, I wanted the Archangels to forgive him. One day, Dion will be my king and I, his Queen. This is what I want. 

Michael stood in front of the guards, leaned to whisper something to him, and looked Dion dead in the eyes, saying something before turning to me. 

Years have passed, and Dion brought me flowers after each mishap. I was surrounded by groups of roses, tulips, and carnations. Time passed within seconds. I went to bed exhausted from playing with the children and tending gardens.

I opened my eyes and blinked. This isn’t my bedroom. The view was dark and unsettling. I squinted, trying to clear my vision. The weight of my wings pulled me down. I was lying face first on the cold ground. My chest felt like hit with bricks. I lifted my head slowly, and it hurt to blink. 

I moved my body slowly with a pounding headache. Where was I?

White feathers laid on the ground. A long cut on my leg singed like a burn. I looked around and watched as the ocean waves crashed onto the shore. Sharp pain shot through my temples. I placed a hand on my forehead and winced in pain. Why don’t I remember what happened to me? 

This didn’t look like Heaven. The sky was transitioning to a midnight blue tint. There was no light, no laughter; I realized where I was. How could I have ended up here? My bare toes pressed against the sand. It was partially wet and bits stuck to my feet like clay. I grimaced, disappointed at how I couldn’t clean myself. Despite the alluring view of the beach, rain poured down lightly. Have I upset the gods?

My feet dragged against the grains. Even on a gloomy night, the beach looked radiant. I groaned, patting my hands on my aching sides. I looked down to see scratches on my hips and bruises all over me. It looked as though a tiger attacked me. It’s unlike me to brawl. Who would I go against? 

There was no battle to win and no enemy to fight. My head spun and the buildings ahead of me swayed back and forth. I paused and shut my eyes. The waves crashed along the shore, soothing me. I tirelessly ran across the beach, allowing the wind to push me forward towards to the street. 

The road was a racetrack. Tires screeched and horns honked on my left. Hell was more peaceful than this, aside from the screams and pleas of broken souls. This fell like a different hell. I squinted my eyes and looked around as if some figure will magically appear to tell me what happened. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Fear joined my loneliness, and I wanted to stop and lie back down helplessly.

None of this made sense. They sent rotten angels to Hell as punishment, not some beach in the hottest state of America. I was familiar with the view of Los Angeles, as I watched people on earth, vacating and living there, but I landed in San Diego of all places. 

I moved toward the street, noticing warm parts of the sand rub against my heels. If I were human, this would be the time to stop a vehicle and plead for help. My energies couldn’t sense other celestials nearby.

Every honk and shout made my ears wiggle. The cement was cold and gravel pricked my skin. My body numbed itself from the pain. The cuts and scrapes will heal. My memory fogged. All I remembered was that in a second, friends surrounded me and everyone was merry. 

Anything other than that was a blur. Walking around has become exhausting. The corners of my wings wilted like dying flowers. A feather or two dropped to the ground. 

Hopefully, someone will find it and get peace in their life. I smirked at the thought. With all these cars passing by, can people see my wings? My skin was cold and exposed. I must have looked like a deranged and lost nudist to the people on earth. All I am is a glow of light in the dark, or at least I should be. My wings twitched. I crossed the street blindly. A car honked, and the noise filled the air. So, the humans can see me. I stopped midway and shut my eyes, shielding them with my hands from the headlights. 

Smoke rose, and a metallic scent greeted my nostrils. I opened my eyes and blinked twice to see that the vehicle I encountered had crashed into the street sign nearby. This was my fault. What do I do? Do I help him? I forced myself to fly over to the now wrecked vehicle. My wings fluttered lightly. The driver struck face first into the steering wheel. Blood trickled down the left side of his face. As an angel, this was nothing. Seeing blood and wounds was a regular occurrence. 

In my point of view, this happened in slow motion. Fate had chosen its next victim. I looked around frantically and the humans were already reacting. Smoke and a small spark came from the hood of the vehicle. At least it didn’t combust. That won’t be a pretty sight for anyone to see. 

“Oh my God!” a woman cried. 

God wasn’t the one who did this. People gasped and muttered. To the humans, this happened within seconds. They had a name for it; a freak accident. This was a sick twist of fate. This innocent life didn’t have to go.

Three people from the other side of the road whipped out their cellphones and called for an ambulance. I had to act fast. A spark of light flashed before my eyes again, this time energy surged behind me. Instead of looking away, I watched as wings appeared from the clouds. Angel of Death, here she comes. Azrael takes her sweet time coming down. 

“Skye, what are you doing here?” 

For an angel, her smile was quite demonic. Wind blew from behind her carrying tree leaves into the air. It felt as if time froze. The weeping of humans around us echoed. Azrael scanned the lifeless body next to me. “What a waste.” she clicked her tongue. 

I pressed my lips together and shrugged slightly. The Angel of Death was always so smooth and not as intimidating as humans would think. She wasn’t exactly the most feminine angel out of the bunch, but she was cool and unbothered. I admired her. 

“Good to see you too, Azrael.” I said quietly. My eyes flickered over at the blood splat. 

She smirked and hopped onto car’s roof. She held out her hands and pulled the person’s soul from their corpse. I was in awe but the putrid smell of dry blood upset my stomach. What’s done is done. Azrael carried the soul in a lifeless human form in her arms. 

She nods farewell to me and flaps her wings. They were black and sinister. Three feathers fell to the ground. The feeling of sorrow flooded the area as people cried for this decaying human. 

Police vehicles and ambulances were coming through. Can someone come and treat my wounds? I looked down at the bruises turning purple on my sides. I can’t hang around these people any longer. Which way do I go? There were several businesses. My instinct told me to get out of a person’s view before anyone else got hurt. 

I read street signs and names on buildings. I was near Sunset Cliffs; it sounded like a safe area. Using my tainted wings, I hovered in the air towards a beach house. How many beaches were in this city? This must be what humans called vacation. Hopefully, there was a shop somewhere so I can get something to cover myself with. I pushed myself to fly over and landed on the deck, nearly falling into the outdoor pool. 

The pool was clear and blue. The lights at the bottom caused a glow. I kneeled next to it and looked into the water. There was no reflection. 

The sound of ocean waves splashing against rocks in front of the beach house was calming. This was quite the view, enticing for humans who just want to lie down on the lounger. They must watch the sunset and listen to waves crashing. I imagined women sipping on martinis and discussing amongst each other. The rain was coming to a halt, but the fog hadn’t cleared. I felt a presence behind me. Who could it be? 

The clouds joined in the sky, the place where I’m supposed to be. A voice calls to me; a man’s voice. “Skye,” I whipped my head to the right, looking at the doors. “Skye, turn around.” The voice echoed and grew louder. I turned around completely. A tall shadow peers through the fog. I could’ve sworn there were horns sticking out from the top of his head. 

“Don’t come any closer.” I shout. The rain subsides. He stops, and I stepped backwards cautiously, keeping myself inches away. 

Beyond the fog and smoke, a tall, muscular figure outlined. I don’t recall knowing a physically attractive man. He approached me with a hint of stride. “Don’t panic. It’s me, Skye. You know who I am. If we get inside, I can explain further.” He holds out his hand as if I’m some frightened animal. My body jolts a bit. 

I pressed my feet firmly, getting ready to fly off. My right side felt punched, and I wasn’t in the proper condition to go up in the air, but I need to get away. I whipped myself around, wanting another angel to come out, to interrupt this moment. I looked down, ready to jump into the body of water below me.