Sequel: Angels and Hunters. ›
Angel of Mine
By home, you mean...Heaven?
"ADRIEL!"
He cried out in vain, watching as her body fell to earth with a stomach churning crack, a sound that he had never heard before. A surge if adrenaline and fear pushed his body forward as he ran towards his daughters shattered frame.
He knelt next to her lifting her head from the wet concrete and placing it gently on to his lap, he moved a long strand of dark hair away from her flickering eyes and looked down at her broken figure, deep crimson gashes danced across her rib cage, leaking hot blood on to the ground,
"Dad?"
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, he placed a finger delicately on her split lip attempting to hush his child, encouraging her to preserve as much energy as she could, he had never felt this way before, the fear that tore through his insides, nor the heavy sorrow that laid on his heart. He couldn't take his eyes off of her fractured body and the blood that spilled on to the concrete, her eyes that flickered slowly open and closed again as she tried to retain her energy, he watched as her chest quickly rose and then fell as she took short sharp breaths, he brushed a tear from her skinned swollen cheek and hung his head, taking deep breaths in an attempt to control the rush of sadness that had rapidly built up behind his eyes, repeating the same mantra silently to himself,
"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real..."
Her body ached for relief and a searing pain ripped through he torso as she attempted to get closer to him, she settled for remaining where she was, laying still and savouring his scent and touch, something she had barely experienced in her early life as an abandoner fledgling, she felt her eyes become heavy, her vision blurred and she watched as her fathers image that loomed over her began to blur, she could make out his pained expression and felt a weight of sadness cripple her heart, she never meant to hurt him, she just wanted to make him proud. Air was now becoming a scarce commodity to her as she felt her lungs tighten and her airways restrict, she took a deep breath and attempted to string together a sentence,
"I don't blame you"
She whispered through chapped lips, he looked down at her taking a few moments to figure out what she had just muttered
"What?"
"For leaving, it's not your fault."
He smiled down at her even though grief was still holding his heart in a vice like grip, she reached out a hand and held his as tightly as she could, hoping to give a little comfort sensing he needed it.
His head was still a derangement of fast paced and confused thoughts, he looked around the empty streets around him and then up at the full moon that had just peaked from behind a thin blanket of grey cloud and then back down at her,
"I'm sorry"
He muttered and lifted her off of the ground causing her to howl in pain, he let out a staggered sob as he stumbled forward, desperate to get his daughter some where comfortable.
He took her to a quiet side street and lay her on top of his coat, it provided little comfort but somewhat cushioned her wounds, he sat on the ground next to her still gripping her hand and stroking her forehead, her breath had become no more than a quiet rasp the steady stream occasionally being broken by a quiet groan of pain.
His tears where now falling thick and fast, his stomach was tied in to agonising knots, his heart in his mouth. A cold wind blew over them and dragged a few empty fast food wrappers away from them, it wasn't until she looked up at him that he realized he was sobbing uncontrollably
she hushed him her grip increasing slightly on his hand, her voice cracked as she attempted to string a sentence together,
"I love...you....dad"
his heart raced and swelled with both love and a crippling anguish,
"I love you too sweetheart"
He watched as her eyes began to glaze over and lose their shine, he watched her last breath.
A heartbreaking silence swept through the air as the hand of death came and took his child from him, her skin turned to a sickly pale as the blood stopped pulsing through her system and was now nothing more than a shallow puddle on the floor next to her, his tears flowed silently and rapidly from his cheeks and on to hers he watched as they carried the blood off of her skin, he gently touched her forehead in an attempt to heal her but wiped his tears away furiously realizing this was a foolish move to make with out the aid of his powers his daughter was really gone, it took a moment for that to sink in, he would never see her smile again a smile that showed how truly happy she was and could easily light up a room, he would never hear her infectious laughter echo through the often dirty hotel rooms they had stayed in over the years, he pulled his child on to his lap and held her as though she where a rare and fragile gift,
"Adriel" His voice was already cracking with emotion "You mean more to me than anything that has happened or ever will happen, I'm sorry I couldn't save you my sweet angel, please forgive me, PLEASE!"
He cried out in to the silent night, sadness engulfing his body in a sudden overwhelming wave of emotions many of which he had never encountered before, he let out a scream of sheer agony as the tears continued to flow silently and freely down his face.
He looked down at her ashen face, the street lights casting an eerie glow across her now hollowing cheeks, her eyes where fixed in a glassy stare, almost as if she were looking at the stars, he could remember watching her as a child sitting out on the lawn and staring at the night sky pointing out many constellations to her carers, he remembered her sheer joy and the whoop of delight as a shooting star sailed by her window in the small hours of the night, he smiled fondly his face still wet as he remembered his daughters love of the sky, he lovingly closed her eyes in an attempt to shield himself from the pain he could see in the clouding of her iris.
He curled part of his jacket around her and looked on sadly, she looked as though she where...sleeping, her fatal wounds had been covered but still remained, the blood continued to slip between the cracks in the paving slabs she was laid upon. The best that the heartbroken father could do was pretend his child will awaken again, that was his breaking point, before now he had some sort of weakening hold on his emotions but now his shield had crumbled and left behind the broken shell of a father who never got to have a relationship with his only child, he had done nothing but fail her all through her life from giving her up to letting her down and now being unable to save her life.
For hours he sat there, next to her begging her to return to him, channelling his sorrow through loud sobs and burying his face in to her shoulder trying desperately to memorise her scent, and store it in his mind.
He remained next to her until he couldn't shed another tear, he placed her body on to the floor once more, he placed a final soft kiss on her forehead before whispering,
"It's time for you to go home now Angel"
He cried out in vain, watching as her body fell to earth with a stomach churning crack, a sound that he had never heard before. A surge if adrenaline and fear pushed his body forward as he ran towards his daughters shattered frame.
He knelt next to her lifting her head from the wet concrete and placing it gently on to his lap, he moved a long strand of dark hair away from her flickering eyes and looked down at her broken figure, deep crimson gashes danced across her rib cage, leaking hot blood on to the ground,
"Dad?"
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, he placed a finger delicately on her split lip attempting to hush his child, encouraging her to preserve as much energy as she could, he had never felt this way before, the fear that tore through his insides, nor the heavy sorrow that laid on his heart. He couldn't take his eyes off of her fractured body and the blood that spilled on to the concrete, her eyes that flickered slowly open and closed again as she tried to retain her energy, he watched as her chest quickly rose and then fell as she took short sharp breaths, he brushed a tear from her skinned swollen cheek and hung his head, taking deep breaths in an attempt to control the rush of sadness that had rapidly built up behind his eyes, repeating the same mantra silently to himself,
"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real..."
Her body ached for relief and a searing pain ripped through he torso as she attempted to get closer to him, she settled for remaining where she was, laying still and savouring his scent and touch, something she had barely experienced in her early life as an abandoner fledgling, she felt her eyes become heavy, her vision blurred and she watched as her fathers image that loomed over her began to blur, she could make out his pained expression and felt a weight of sadness cripple her heart, she never meant to hurt him, she just wanted to make him proud. Air was now becoming a scarce commodity to her as she felt her lungs tighten and her airways restrict, she took a deep breath and attempted to string together a sentence,
"I don't blame you"
She whispered through chapped lips, he looked down at her taking a few moments to figure out what she had just muttered
"What?"
"For leaving, it's not your fault."
He smiled down at her even though grief was still holding his heart in a vice like grip, she reached out a hand and held his as tightly as she could, hoping to give a little comfort sensing he needed it.
His head was still a derangement of fast paced and confused thoughts, he looked around the empty streets around him and then up at the full moon that had just peaked from behind a thin blanket of grey cloud and then back down at her,
"I'm sorry"
He muttered and lifted her off of the ground causing her to howl in pain, he let out a staggered sob as he stumbled forward, desperate to get his daughter some where comfortable.
He took her to a quiet side street and lay her on top of his coat, it provided little comfort but somewhat cushioned her wounds, he sat on the ground next to her still gripping her hand and stroking her forehead, her breath had become no more than a quiet rasp the steady stream occasionally being broken by a quiet groan of pain.
His tears where now falling thick and fast, his stomach was tied in to agonising knots, his heart in his mouth. A cold wind blew over them and dragged a few empty fast food wrappers away from them, it wasn't until she looked up at him that he realized he was sobbing uncontrollably
she hushed him her grip increasing slightly on his hand, her voice cracked as she attempted to string a sentence together,
"I love...you....dad"
his heart raced and swelled with both love and a crippling anguish,
"I love you too sweetheart"
He watched as her eyes began to glaze over and lose their shine, he watched her last breath.
A heartbreaking silence swept through the air as the hand of death came and took his child from him, her skin turned to a sickly pale as the blood stopped pulsing through her system and was now nothing more than a shallow puddle on the floor next to her, his tears flowed silently and rapidly from his cheeks and on to hers he watched as they carried the blood off of her skin, he gently touched her forehead in an attempt to heal her but wiped his tears away furiously realizing this was a foolish move to make with out the aid of his powers his daughter was really gone, it took a moment for that to sink in, he would never see her smile again a smile that showed how truly happy she was and could easily light up a room, he would never hear her infectious laughter echo through the often dirty hotel rooms they had stayed in over the years, he pulled his child on to his lap and held her as though she where a rare and fragile gift,
"Adriel" His voice was already cracking with emotion "You mean more to me than anything that has happened or ever will happen, I'm sorry I couldn't save you my sweet angel, please forgive me, PLEASE!"
He cried out in to the silent night, sadness engulfing his body in a sudden overwhelming wave of emotions many of which he had never encountered before, he let out a scream of sheer agony as the tears continued to flow silently and freely down his face.
He looked down at her ashen face, the street lights casting an eerie glow across her now hollowing cheeks, her eyes where fixed in a glassy stare, almost as if she were looking at the stars, he could remember watching her as a child sitting out on the lawn and staring at the night sky pointing out many constellations to her carers, he remembered her sheer joy and the whoop of delight as a shooting star sailed by her window in the small hours of the night, he smiled fondly his face still wet as he remembered his daughters love of the sky, he lovingly closed her eyes in an attempt to shield himself from the pain he could see in the clouding of her iris.
He curled part of his jacket around her and looked on sadly, she looked as though she where...sleeping, her fatal wounds had been covered but still remained, the blood continued to slip between the cracks in the paving slabs she was laid upon. The best that the heartbroken father could do was pretend his child will awaken again, that was his breaking point, before now he had some sort of weakening hold on his emotions but now his shield had crumbled and left behind the broken shell of a father who never got to have a relationship with his only child, he had done nothing but fail her all through her life from giving her up to letting her down and now being unable to save her life.
For hours he sat there, next to her begging her to return to him, channelling his sorrow through loud sobs and burying his face in to her shoulder trying desperately to memorise her scent, and store it in his mind.
He remained next to her until he couldn't shed another tear, he placed her body on to the floor once more, he placed a final soft kiss on her forehead before whispering,
"It's time for you to go home now Angel"