The Wayward Son

White. That’s all Remy could see. The dreams of angel. Remy heard about it a long time ago from Ariel. Few angels have actually fallen asleep from exhausting all their energy. Each one saw only white. Remy experimented and tried to move his fingers. Nothing worked though. Giving up, Remiel just let his body loose and hoped he would wake up soon. Too bright to stick around.

Remy closed his eyes and waited. Something would happen sooner or later. Then he felt a pulling sensation. Like his body was being torn apart piece by piece. Either Remiel was dying or he was waking up. He couldn’t have been sure. He’d never slept before. He once watched over someone in a coma for twelve years, but never slept.

Remiel’s thought process was broken by his body breaking in two and reconnecting. Remy sat straight up, eyes open wider than he’d ever had them. Blinking a few times, Remy let the light clear up and what he saw surprised him. Dark red walls, thin carpet, desk on the other side of the bed he was sitting on. It was Taylor’s room. Remy got up fast, but immediately staggered and fell into a wall. The crash didn’t stop though. Propping himself on the wall, Remy moved to a window.

“Where are you going?” Remy her someone ask from the room’s entrance. He knew it was Taylor, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Remy didn’t even know how she could see him.

Unsure of what to say, Remy answered with, “Just getting some air.”

Taylor started walking to Remy slow. Remiel didn’t move. He couldn’t move. Not for lack of trying. His body was just drained. Remy was surprised was still standing. When close, Taylor placed a hand on Remy’s chest and back, letting him lean on her as they walked back to the bed. Remy sat down without trying to move again. Looking at Taylor, he wanted to ask how she could see him, but that would alert her to who he was or even what he wasn’t.

Leaving Remy to sit for a moment, Taylor walked back outside the room and returned just as fast with a bowl and rag. Remy smirked at her speed. He guessed she was worried that he would try and run again. Seeing he was still there, Taylor relaxed and sat next to him.

Taylor didn’t speak when she started to dab her wet rag on Remy’s back. She didn’t know the words for this moment either. Finally though, she asked, “Who are you?”

“Remy.”

“Not your name. Who?” Taylor kept on. Remiel stopped her at that and turned to her. His blue eyes shined a bit in the sun. Shaking off his looks, Taylor continued, “I’ve seen you twice. Both times, you saved my life. And this last time, you saved dozens of others and somehow survived an explosion without so much as a scratch. So who?”

Remy smiled. He liked this girl. Even though she didn’t know him and was probably afraid of him, she just wanted answers. “I’m Remy,” Remiel finally answered, though it didn’t clear anything up.

Taylor laughed and pushed Remy’s gaze away from her, continuing to dab his back with the cold water.

******

After Taylor finished checking out Remy and splashing water on him. She left Remy alone in her bed for awhile, thinking he went back to sleep.

Remy didn’t. He couldn’t. When he heard Taylor close the apartment’s door, Remiel sat up and looked at the wall across from him. Knowing what had to happen, Remy prayed. ‘Here me, legions. I, Remiel, guardian of the innocent, slayer of the crimson beast, summon you. Here me and head my call.’

Luckily, Remy was answered. The sunlight intensified in the room for only a moment, leaving behind the messenger for the day. It didn’t make it any better that it was someone Remy knew very well. Her black hair fell in a wave onto her shoulders, slung over her white dress beautifully. From her back sprung two large wings, shimmering both black and white depending on how the light hit them.

“Sariel,” Remy greeted.

Sari smiled and collided into Remy’s chest, almost knocking him over. She hadn’t seen her best friend in months, so it was expected. Letting out a sigh of relief, Remy put an arm around Sari and kissed her shoulder.

After a minute in the embrace, Remy pushed Sariel back and looked at her quizzically, “What’s happened to me?”

Sari turned away from Remy, twisting on her heels. Something she did when she was nervous. Angels may not age, but most retain the mentality of teenagers. Just something to keep them pure. Sariel and Remiel were model images of this fact.

“Sari,” Remy said coldly, causing Sariel to turn back to him.

“You’re human,” Sari whispered.

“What?”

Sari stepped back close to him and explained, “Well not all the way. You’re only about a fourth of the way there right now. So I can still take you back and fix you. It’ll be okay.”

Remy thought about it and answered, “No.” Sari stepped back from him. The corner of her eye glistened with a tear. She had heard of him speak of things like this, but never thought Remy would go through with it. “I’m not going back.”

“That’s why…you stayed down here?” Sari asked.

“Yes,” Remiel felt the regret filling him, but he wasn’t going to change his mind. “I can’t go back.”

“Why not?” Sari screamed.

Remy stood up and fell back almost instantly. Sari caught him, but backed up. “I don’t trust the hierarchy anymore. It is only one angel telling us all what to do. No one has seen the Maker in centuries! I’ve been down here protecting the humans from demons for months and nothing has changed! Just one more after another! Why? What is it for?” Remy’s anger actually filled him with enough strength to stand, but as soon as his rant was done, he fell back to the bed. “Why should I go back?”

Sari dropped to her knees and whispered, “For me?”

Remy stepped of the bed and knelt in front of her. Lifting her chin to meet his eyes, Remy kissed her. When he broke free, Remy pulled her in close and said, “I can’t. Not again. I’m sorry.”

Sari started to cry. Each drop shining like a diamond in the light and solidifying into just that as they struck the surface. The tears of an angel. More valuable than anything else, but something none of them wanted. Sariel stood up and backed away from Remy. Without another word, she disappeared into the light once again, leaving Remy alone.

If only he was alone. Remy didn’t notice it awhile ago, but now that it was silent, he could hear someone else in the room. Not bothering to turn around, he asked, “How much did you hear?”

“I came in at the hug,” Taylor told him. “I forgot my purse.”

“It’s okay. Can you help me up? I’ll explain.”

Quickly, Taylor ran to Remy and helped him to the bed again. Sitting next to him, she started to ask questions, “That girl had wings. Was she an angel? Are you angel? Where did she want to bring you? Was it Heaven? Why did you say no? Whose the Maker?”

She only stopped when Remy touched a finger to her lips. Her questions suddenly stopped at Remy’s touch, letting him explain. “I am called Remiel. I am an angel…”

“You’re an angel!” Taylor exclaimed but quieted back down when she saw Remy’s expression.

“I was brought to life after the Fall. Since then, I had been serving on Earth as a guardian. Moving with the epicenter of civilization,” as Remy spoke, Taylor’s eyes widened, like everything she believed was being confirmed. “As of late, I have been losing faith in the orders I have been given. I’ve spent the last four months avoiding my return back to Paradise. I have no reason, besides my feeling of undeserving. When I stopped that bus’ explosion from killing that bus driver, I exhausted the last of my power and had apparently, turned myself human. And I have decided to stay as such. To age….to die.”

Taylor didn’t seem to fully grasp what Remy had just told her. When she finally did react, all she could say was, “Whoa.”

Remy smirked. Humans. They’ll never to cease to amaze him and now he was one.