The Wayward Son

Remy walked with Taylor on his arm. It had been two weeks since he had officially let go of Paradise and his angelic nature and not once, did Taylor run out of questions. She was astounded at the idea of Remy being thousands of years old and wanted to know as much as Remy would tell her. Some things, he just wasn’t ready to talk about.

“Did you know any presidents?” Taylor asked him as they walked on Liberty Island. Remy admitted to never going there, so Taylor took him. Remiel guessed that the American history made her wonder.

“A few. I was George Washington’s guardian throughout the Revolutionary War. Keeping him alive was difficult. I was actually on the boat when he crossed the Delaware,” Remy told her.

Taylor bounced around excitedly, “Was he really standing like in the picture?”

Remy laughed, “No. No, he was slouched down in the middle with the rest of us. It was really cold.”

Both laughing, they walked to the ferry heading back to the mainland. The sun was setting and Taylor wanted to get home. Amazed as Taylor was, she welcomed Remy into her apartment without hesitation. She lived alone in a one bedroom apartment, so Remy didn’t have to worry about hiding, but he never did feel quite at home. It was a feeling he would have to get used to.

Once on the boat, Taylor pulled Remy out of the wind and collided into his chest, trying to block herself from the wind. At least, that’s what Remy thought. He had trouble thinking of her as anything but a friend. Humans were more difficult to understand than angels. One day, Remy would have to do something about it to appear normal. Soon even, he would begin to age.

“Taylor?” Remy asked, as she began to breath slow. Taylor let out a gentle moan, but didn’t move. Remy laughed a bit when he noticed she fell asleep.

When the boat halted at the docks, Remy moved Taylor in an attempt to wake her, but she was unwilling to stir. Holding her steady, Remiel turned and hefted her onto his back. Still somewhat awake, Taylor wrapped her arms around Remy’s neck and positioned herself comfortably. Smiling, Remy walked.

*****

It took awhile to get back to the apartment, but Remy had yet to even feel the slightest glimmer of weariness. His body may have been human, but he was still built better than most. Walking slowly up the stairs, Remy laid Taylor down on the bed and covered her with a sheet. He stared for a moment. Remy still thought of her as his principal and seeing her happy and safe made him smile.

Brushing away a piece of brown hair out of Taylor’s eyes, Remiel stepped away from the bed and into the bathroom. Remy leaned against the sink and looked at himself. His blonde hair less shiny than it used to be and his eyes, faded of power. He knew what was happening. He was transitioning. It had actually happened before, but he had heard stories. Remiel was becoming human. He wasn’t quite there yet. He was close though.

Thinking, Remy dropped his jacket to the floor and took of his shirt. He hoped he could see them one last time before he lost his chance entirely. Remy took in deep breaths, focusing everything he had onto something that was once second nature. His body ached and his muscles pulsed with an unnatural heat.

“Augh!” Remy roared out as he toppled over the sink.

He couldn’t control his own body as he grasped the sink’s porcelain. Agony struck him like a whip to the back, stripping away all he once was. Again Remy screamed, shaking the very walls themselves. The pain made him grip tighter on the sink, beginning to crack the porcelain.

“Remy?” Remy could hear Taylor say from the other room. “Remy, what’s wrong?”

“Stay away!” Remiel screamed, suffering through another blast of pain.

Staggering as he let loose the sink, Remy crashed into the bath and kicked on the water by accident. The cold water sent him into shock and only doubled his pain. Remy grabbed at whatever he could, but his fingers found no hold.

Taylor couldn’t stay away. Not out of curiosity, but worry. Hesitant, she stepped into the bathroom and saw Remy seizing in the tub. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed and started to rush towards him.

“BACK!” Remy yelled again. Taylor listened this time and backed into the wall.

“He’s right. You shouldn’t go near him,” someone said from the doorway.

Taylor looked to the voice and then noticed the woman standing next to her. She was short with pure snow white hair and diamond eyes. Furled into her back was a pair of wings just as white. Taylor kept scanning her and saw that she was wearing only a large blue tee shirt as her outfit.

“Who are you?” Taylor asked, still backed up against the wall.

“Not important. Get out. Remiel will be fine,” she ordered, but Taylor was too frightened to move. The angel waited, but saw that Taylor wasn’t going anywhere. “Suit yourself,” she said.

The angel walked slow to the still seizing Remiel and took hold of his shoulders. Even with her petite frame, she was able to hold Remy down. Only once did she back up when Remy let out another scream. As he did, his eyes shown with a white light, filling the room in its warm touch.

“God. No,” the white haired angel prayed. “Keep him alive. He deserves to live. He needs to live.” Then all went silent. Remy’s eyes faded back to their ocean blue. Getting only a faded glance at the angel, Remy fell back limp. The angel sighed and looked up to the ceiling saying, “Thank you, father.”

Turning off the water, the angel turned to Taylor and gestured for her help. Taylor moved to Remy and helped the angel lift him from the tub, moving him to the bed in the next room. With him rested, the two went back to the bathroom and cleaned up. The angel stepped inside touched a hand to each thing broken and instantly, it was mended. The only left altered after it all was the smallest thing left lying on the tile. Taylor saw it first and leaned down to pick it up. The small white feather was untouched by the water and puffed out as if fresh.

“A feather?” Taylor asked as she turned it in her hand.

The angel sighed and turned to look at the feather Taylor was holding. “It’s Remiel’s. All that’s left of his wings,” the angel explained.

“What does that mean?”

“Come,” the angel touched a hand to Taylor’s shoulder and led her into the small kitchen just outside the bathroom. Once there, she turned back to Taylor and hugged her. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

Taylor took in the embrace and for the first time that day, felt sadness overwhelm her. She hadn’t noticed, but the hug from that angel released the fear she felt with Remy’s pain. “What happened?” she asked, trying to keep herself from crying.

The angel broke the hug and paced around the kitchen, “Remiel changed. His wings are gone. He’s…” the angel stuttered, “human.”

“What happens now?”

The angel shrugged, “I don’t know. No one does. Even the Fallen retained their angelic nature. Never before has an angel become human. I guess, he just lives his life out, grows old and then dies.”

“And goes back to Heaven?” Taylor questioned. She figured that would be the case for an angel.

“No.”

“What?”

The angel stepped sat down on a stool and explained, “Angels don’t have souls. Not truly at least. We are made up entirely of what would be our soul. When Remiel turned, his soul became his body. As that dies, so does his soul, meaning nothing happens to it. When an angel dies, they go nowhere. They just die.”

“Does Remy know?” Taylor kept asking questions. She wanted to know. She had a good feeling that Remy would be sticking around.

“No and he doesn’t need to. Truthfully, I can’t even tell you if he’ll remember who he is when he wakes up.”

Taylor walked to her, “What are you talking about? He won’t remember anything?”

“Probably not. I’m not sure. I have to go. I can’t be here when he wakes up. I’m sorry,” the angel said and walked to the hallway.

Taylor stopped her, “Wait. What’s your name?”

The angel laughed. She hadn’t realized that she didn’t even introduce herself. “My name is Ariel. Goodbye, Taylor Lane. I’ll be watching,” Ariel turned and smiled. “We all will.”

Taylor covered her eyes as Ariel turned into light. As the angel’s presence faded, Taylor walked back to the room and looked over Remy. She had an ex-angel in her room and he probably wouldn’t even know it. Sitting down next to him, Taylor placed a hand on his chest and felt his heart beat. He was alive. That was at least one good thing.

Almost jumping out her skin when Remiel rolled over. “Hey. Go slow.”

Remy opened his eyes, his once blue eyes faded to a light grey. Seeing Taylor, he asked, “What happened?”

“You…uh…slipped in the bathroom and hit your head,” Taylor lied. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I got a headache,” Remy joked as he rubbed his head. “I have a question.”

Taylor smiled and said, “What’s that?”

Smirking, Remy asked, “Who am I?”