I Might As Well Be Your Appointed Angel

Chapter 14

"Now, there are a few things we must take care of before you go on your trip with Raphael tomorrow afternoon. I'm here to help you accomplish these tasks."

My posture straightens as I try to meet the humanoids expectations. He chuckles to himself before tilting his head to the side endearingly.

"Why ever are you standing like that?"

I rub my neck nervously before hunching and folding my arms. 

He reassures me. "Diana, you do not have to be perfect. But you do need to be diligent. Let's proceed, shall we?" He smiles. 

"Proceed with what? What task am I needing to accomplish?"

"Last I checked, you were assigned a letter to write. No?" He sticks his tongue out as I clasp both hands to my cheek in shock.

"How could I forget!" I scold. Suddenly, the downstairs TV goes mute. I hear my parents whisper to one another before making their way up the stairs. As they climb, I can hear slight dialogue. 

"Didn't it sound like she was talking to herself?" My mother questions before my dad lets out a sigh. Within moments, they've reached the room door and begin to knock. I stare at the beers on the dresser and rush to quietly tuck them away before opening the room door.

"Hi guys" They smile halfheartedly before beginning to poke their head around the room. 

"Hi honey. What you up to? Everything okay?"

"Yes, I just completely forgot I had a deadline and it got to me a bit." My father looks worried and disappointed simultaneously. My mother looks just plain worried. I begin to scratch my head as I think of a way out of this situation.

My mother continues. "Honey, were you talking to yourself just now?"

I begin to glisten at the forehead. My nerves get the best of me as my body begins to jitter. Suddenly, Gabriel appears behind them. My mouth drops open as I attempt to process what might potentially happen. He puts his fingers to his lips and motions for me to be calm. 

"They can't hear me." He assures me. Only you can. 

My parents begin to grow impatient. "Mama?"

I gaze back towards them and reassure them everything is okay. "No! I wasn't talking to myself!" I let out a forced laugh. I was sending an audio message since I wasn't in the mood for a phone call. 

"Okay honey. Well, if you need anything you can always shoot us a text. We're just downstairs."

"Thanks Mom. Really."

"Love you baby." My dad is ready to go. He's seen enough. He is the first to make his way downstairs. My mom lingers behind.

Gabriel moves out of my fathers way and watches him walk down the stairs before returning his focus to me. 

"I have a better idea. Instead of a letter. Why don't we practice our face to face communication."

I begin to sweat and do my best not to make eye contact. My mother simultaneously looks down to the side as she carefully thinks of what she wants to say next. 

I then hear Gabriel say "Tell your mother about the trip. This is the perfect time."

I get nervous and stall. My mom begins to speak. "You know Honey,"

The whisper suddenly comes back.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

I slam my palm against my forehead again and begin to scream. 

"Honey! Honey, what's wrong? Babe! Babe call the ambulance. Something's wrong with her."

I began to experience an excruciating ringing in my ear that causes me to drop to my knees. 

"Stop!" I plead. My mother rushes to comfort me but I am inconsolable. I continue to plead the voice to leave me alone when I hear a whisper. "You will know suffering until you decide on a Master."

The voice is dark and morbid. It sounds insidious. My eyes bolt open as I enter a catatonic state. Suddenly, Gabriel appears before me. He stands so close it's as if I'm looking up at the statue of liberty. His eyes are intense. He looks focused. His arms are folded as if he is sizing me up. He then whispers "Nuakh" and an intense wind takes over the room. 

The curtains begin to sway violently. The accessories on the dresser slam against the wall. The draws open as clothes fly out. My mom grasps her mouth as he eyes widen. She begins to let out a silent cry. "What's wrong with my baby?" She moans. 

"Babe! Babe? You Okay?" I hear my dad scream from downstairs. Gabriel has his palm out in a gripping motion as if he was extinguishing something with a forcefield of some sort. The heavy wind continues. My body begins to move with the wind as I grab on to the floor for balance. My body grows weak. Suddenly I am swept away with the wind. But before anything else can happen, it goes dark.