Mother Nature

My heart rate was through the roof as I sat in my kitchen with the three celestial beings before me. There they were, in all their magnificence, just staring down at me, a mortal, chosen for a job I didn’t feel prepared for. My legs shook as I sat in the chair waiting for them to address me. They stared at me, and I knew they were sizing me up, silently judging me, and I hated it. Ever since I can remember they have had a problem with me, and I wasn’t too fond of them either. I tried not to think about why they decided to pay me a visit today, and instead I just tried to concentrate on coming off as strong and capable; something I didn’t think they saw me as. “Do you know why we arranged this meeting?” Gabriel asked breaking the silence. He definitely scared me the most. From what my mom told me, he was no one to mess with. These three knew everything; they were God’s right hand, but Gabriel, he was the star.

“No.” I said honestly, making sure to hold their eye contact. I knew they thought God picked the wrong girl for the job, as if they knew better than he did I thought while smirking to myself. I knew I was quiet, meek, and small, but that didn’t make me weak.

“As you know.” Gabriel said taking a seat at the kitchen table across from me. “Your family comes from a long line of protectors; people whom God gave the gift of dominion over nature and its animals. Soon, your mother will relinquish her title over to you, and you will become nature’s protector, however, it has become clear that you’ve been sheltered here. You may have a knowledge of earth, its creatures, and its beings, but you don’t have experience. You haven’t struggled with nature and the repercussions of its fall like your ancestors did, so we have decided to send you away. You leave tonight.”

I felt my world slowly caving in around me as all I could think was: leave to go where? This place is all I’ve ever known. Sure my mother and I have lived a peaceful life here in the mountains, but what was wrong with that? I connected with nature better here. I was free to use my gifts here, and be one with the animals around me. I used my abilities more than anyone else ever has, and I was stronger because of it. “Where will I go?” I asked breaking away from my thoughts. I heard my voice falter as my heart was constricting in my chest. The thought of leaving everything that I have grown to love hurt more than anything in the world, and the worst part: I knew I didn’t have a choice in this. No one ever had a choice in the things life threw at them, especially me. All I could do was chose to fight it or accept it with a quiet strength, either way the result would be the same: I was leaving.

“You’ll go to Wilson, Kansas. We will bring you there, and from then on you’re on your own. You’re allowed to contact your mother, but she isn’t allowed to take you back home or stay with you out there.” Stephan said speaking up from the back of the room.

“Will I be given money? Food? Clothes? Anything?” I asked as my fists balled up in my lap. I could feel my nails digging into my palms threatening to break skin, but I didn’t care. I would do anything to prevent crying in front of these three men. I had something to prove before they came here, but after hearing the reason for their arrival, I had even more to prove. They came here tonight because I was too sheltered, and to them that meant I was weak; I wasn’t going to give them any indication that they were right by crying over things I couldn’t change.

“Yes. You’ll be given the necessities, but not enough to last you your entire stay. You’ll be there for 6 months, so you better find a job.” Stephan said looking around my house like he had a million places he would rather be than here.

“Is that all you came to tell me?” I asked wanting them to leave as much as they looked like they wanted to.

“I’m sure you know the rules already, but don’t reveal your gift to anyone except your chosen, and don’t disrupt the balance.” Gabriel said coming to a stand. “We will be here tonight to take you. Pack your things and say goodbye.”

I hated how cold they came off, and I was happy to see them disappear before my eyes. I slowly unclenched my fists, wincing at the dents my nails had made. The tears that had threatened to fall earlier were now nowhere in sight, and all that remained was a numb feeling. Tonight I was supposed to just up and leave? Head to a place I knew nothing of with no one I knew? There would be no one I could be free with and confide in about my gift; I would be alone. “Honey?” my mom asked cautiously as she walked in through the door. Had she known for a long time that this was coming? Couldn’t they have given me more time? A warning?

“Did you know?” I asked, my voice quiet and cracking once again.

She ran to my side, hugging me and said, “No, not until last night, and I was told I couldn’t tell you. I’m so sorry baby.”

I hugged her back and let the silent tears that I hid earlier freely flow down my cheeks. My chest heaved from the sobs as the fear of the unknown hit me like a ton of bricks. “I don’t want to be alone.” I whispered more to myself than my mom.

She pulled away from me and brushed back my long, brown hair. “I remember feeling alone before I met your father.” She said with a sad smile. “After my mother and father died I had no one to confide in. I felt like I was always hiding half of me from everyone; it was really hard, but when you meet your chosen everything will change. You’ll survive this honey. I know you’re strong.”

I wiped away my tears and realized how childish I was being. Maybe the angels were right and I was weak. Maybe I did need some character building. I mean my mom lost both of her parents at a young age, had to live on her own with no one who really knew her, and then my father died prematurely a few years back leaving her alone yet again, and here I was crying about leaving home. I was 20 years old for peats sake; I wasn’t a kid anymore. I needed to get out there and experience the world I was gifted to protect. “You’re right mom.” I said coming to a stand. “I can do this, and I will survive. In fact, I’m going to do it with a happy heart. There is no need to be bitter about things we can’t change. Right?” I think my words were meant more for me than they were for her, but regardless they were true. I could do this, and I would do it with a good attitude. I would show Stephan and Gabriel and Job that I could do this. I would show them just how strong I really was.

My mom smiled at me and I could see that she was proud, but I wasn’t feeling like I was anything to be proud of, not yet anyway. Right now they were all just words, the hard part was making those words my reality. I left my mom in the kitchen to start packing, and as I did I could still feel the fear and loss in the back of my head. This had been my home since I was a baby, and I hated to leave it. The animals here were my friends, they protected me, and loved me, and they would be a hard goodbye. I laughed to myself thinking about my best friends being animals. Maybe it was a good thing I was being sent away.

After stuffing all my essential belongings into a duffle bag, I sat down on my bed and just looked around. I had created so many memories here. This is where I learned everything about who I was, and it hurt to think of leaving it. It was only for 6 months, but a half a year is a long time for someone who has never been with other mortals for long periods of time. Normally it was just me, the occasional angel, and my animals. "How are you holding up, Ruby?" my mom asked as she came into my room.

"I'm alright actually. Change is hard, but I'll be fine." I said smiling at her patting the spot next to me on the bed.

She came and sat down by me, wrapping her arm around me and said, "Honey, I've never really told you a lot about the world outside our walls, probably because it hurt me too much to talk about what happened out there, but you need to know now that you're leaving. I should have told you years ago."

I saw her eyes water and I just pulled her into my arms. "No mom. You did what you thought was best. I know we came here because there was a danger. You were just trying to protect us."

She laughed lightly as she pulled away from me and said, "Perhaps I tried to protect you too much."

"So what happened?" I asked. I had always wondered what had killed my father and my grandparents, but it was never talked about here. When I was younger I used to fight my mom over it, but when I grew up and saw the pain the memories caused her I left it alone.

"Your grandparents died protecting me." she said sniffling as she recalled the death of her parents. "My mother had just passed the title of Protector on to me when a prophecy came out. I don't remember exactly what it said, but it talked about a dark force coming to power, corrupting nature and wanting to be it's ruler. I'm not really sure. Regardless, I did see nature becoming corrupted. Animals turning on humans in ways that were unnatural, other beings turning on each other, and people from the same species dividing themselves into light and dark. I did my best to counteract it and bring back the balance, but there was another being out there counteracting what I would do. My mother and I knew there had to be a leader out there directing all of the attacks, and sure enough we got wind that there was a leader of it all and his plan was to kill me in order to take my place. I didn't know who he was, or what he had planned, but I knew he started to create an army. There were multiple attacks on my life, but I fended them all off. Eventually, he got sick of the failed attempts and came after me himself."

I saw my mother shudder and her eyes glazed over as if she was truly reliving the memory. "So he found me in my home while I was packing up to live on the run. I swear I have never seen anyone who had looked so vicious in my life. He looked human except for his red eyes and grey skin. I had never seen or heard of a creature like him before. He instantly grabbed me by my neck and threw me on the ground. I was able to burn his arm with my ability to wield fire, and he retracted his arm in searing pain, but it only made him angrier. I started using every ability I had to try and fight him off, but it only slowed him down. There was nothing that seemed to be able to kill him. I had totally forgot while I was fighting that my parents were stopping by to see me off."

I knew the hardest part of her story was coming as silent tears slipped down her face, and I couldn't help but start to tear up with her. "My parents came through the door just as I was about to give up, and together, they sacrificed themselves for me. I don't know how it happened, but somehow they used their souls to kill him. It was as if their connection and love for each other was too powerful for the darkness in him to live. He just kind of exploded when their light hit him, and I was left with my dead parents on the floor." She looked over at me as her makeup ran down her face and it hurt everything in me to see my mother cry like this. She had never been anything but strong in my eyes. I hadn't seen one tear fall down her face in all my years on this earth.

"Anway," she said wiping away her tears. "I went into hiding after that knowing that his army was still out there to carry out his mission, and that's when I found this place. I would go out to the market in town every once in a while for human interaction, and that's where I met your father. He was able to control water like you can. He was a fae. He was the love of my life, and he made everything fall into place." she smiled sadly at the memory, and I felt a loss at never getting the chance to meet him. It was something that always hurt me when I was younger.

"I knew most of that demons army had been destroyed since the pull of his corruption no longer kept them tied to his will, so I felt safe starting my life with him. We continued to live in the mountains just to be safe, but life was good; I wasn't afraid to go outside, and I didn't need to be on the run." she sniffled from her earlier sobs, and I knew another heartbreaking turn of events was coming. "Soon, I was pregnant with you, and we were so excited. He wanted to name you Ruby, but I was leaning more towards Summer."

I felt a few tears slip down my cheeks at the thought of my father loving me so much before I was even born. The thought of him picking out my name made me smile, and I felt like it was a part of him I could always carry with me. "Not long after I gave birth to you. Some of that demon's loyal monsters found us." My mom spit the words out of her mouth, her hate for them and the demon plain as day. "You father killed them all protecting me while I ran with you in my arms to keep you safe. When I heard him call out to me and I knew everything was over I ran over to where he last was. I was so happy we had finally destroyed the last of my fears that I didn't even notice the arrow lodged in his back." Her sobs came back full force this time, and I couldn't help but cry with her as she retold the story. No more silent tears that just slipped down our faces, but sobs that racked your whole body making you incapable of speech. I rubbed her back, soothing her as her breathing returned to normal, and she started to finish her story. "It wasn't a deadly shot other than it was laced with poison. He hobbled back to our house as I carried you, and he spent the next 2 hours in agonizing pain; I couldn't do anything but watch him die." She turned a serious face on me and said, "That's why I've kept you here. I don't know how many loyal followers of his are still out there, and I want you to be aware of the danger you face."

Both of our eyes were swollen and puffy by the end of her story, and I gained a new respect for my mother. She was the strongest woman I knew, and there was nothing I wouldn't do to take her pain away. My heart broke at the thought of my father dying like that because of his love for me and my mother. If these beings were out there still, I was going to make sure they paid for their crimes. I was going to make sure they rotted in the hell they came from. "I'll be careful mom. I won't let you down." I said hugging her, not wanting to let her go. There was so much I hadn't known about my mother until today, and wished I didn't have to leave. I wanted to get to know her more and let her teach me how to be strong like she was, but it just wasn't meant to be.

"I know you won't." She said smiling at me. "Go get cleaned up, and I'll do the same. Gabriel will be here soon."

She got up to leave, but I grabbed her hand and said, "Mom what gave you the strength to carry on after dad died? I've heard that most people die after their chosen dies."

"I had you." she said with a sad smile. "I live for you."

I had always known my mother loved me, but somehow this revelation made her love for me seem all the more real and tangible. As she left my room my thoughts were swimming, but my brain wasn't functioning. I had learned so much I never knew, and it made stepping out into the world all the more scary. I thought I knew everything there was to know about earth and all its creatures, but this threw a wrench in that right away. What else didn't I know?

As I freshened up and splashed my face with cold water I realized that there was no planning this thing out, there were no assurances in this new adventure, and I had no choice but to go with the flow. My mother was stronger than I ever will be, but I was going to be as strong as I could for the adventure that lies ahead, and I wasn't going to complain about it.

"Are you ready?" Gabriel asked me appearing in my room out of nowhere.

"Gosh!" I said clutching my chest at his sudden appearance. "Ever heard of knocking?" I asked angry at his lack of respect for my privacy.

He laughed slightly and said, "It's time to go. Are you ready or not?"

"Yeah I am." I said taking one last look around my room.

"You'll do great." my mom said coming into my room and wrapping me in a big hug. Her face left no traces of the tears she just shared with me, and she was back to being my strong, loving mother.

"Thank you." I said taking a step back.

"We have to go now or we will be late." Gabriel said with little patience.

"Late?" I asked as he took my hand in his. "Late for what?"

Before I knew it I was in a beautiful field of some sort in what I assumed was Wilson, Kansas. There were wild flowers everywhere, and grass that went up to my knees. I felt so at peace here with the night's wind gently blowing against my face. "You don't need to know what you'll be late for. Town is just down that dirt path to your right. Good luck." Gabriel said as he took off leaving me all alone in the middle of nowhere at night.

"This was a really safe idea, Gabriel. Super smart. Not like you could have, I don't know, walked me to town or anything. Or better yet dropped me off tomorrow morning." I said hoping he could hear me from where ever he disappeared to.

I seemed to just be in an open pasture area near a road, but Gabriel forgot to mention what direction I should take once I reached the road. I often wondered how he was an angel, because he seemed like a cold jerk to me. "Well, I supposed I'll just head right." I said to myself.

"Umm hello?" I heard someone ask me to me over to my left.

When I turned I saw a man approaching me, but with the sun setting I couldn't quite see him, and I was instantly on guard ready to attack at any moment. Even though I had supernatural abilities, I was trained in hand to hand combat to deal with humans who couldn't know about my abilities or the supernatural. "Don't come any closer. Who are you?" I asked.

I saw the figure put his hands up in surrender, but that didn't mean I was backing down. "Woah. Umm no harm meant. My name is Jake, and I don't really know what I just saw, but it was weird, and I'm the one who should be freaking out, not you."

Crap. I thought to myself. What exactly did he see? "Well Jake, my name is Ruby. If you aren't here to harm me, I won't hurt you. Understand?" I asked cautiously.

I saw him nod his head and he started moving closer towards me, and I saw he couldn't be much older than I was. He was actually kind of cute with his curly brown hair and brown eyes, and I was pretty sure after getting a clear look at him that he was harmless. Being so connected to nature meant I could sense things about people, and it made me pretty good at determining who was and wasn't a threat once I could see them. "I definitely am not here to hurt you. I come here at least once a month to unwind and get some fresh air, but never have I ever seen someone appear out of thin air with a dude who disappeared a second later."

This is so not good I thought while biting my lip. It was a nervous habit I've had since I was a kid, and I just couldn't shake it. Gabriel was very specific that I couldn't tell anyone about who I was. "Well, funny story."I said trying to think as fast as I could about a story to tell him. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and all I could think about was Gabriel giving me a hard time about failing within the first five minutes of being by myself. "Do you believe in angels?" I asked. I mean humans knowing about angels wasn't a crime. I would just tell him that's what we both were.

"Yeah I guess. I mean I was born and raised a Catholic." he said visibly confused and terrified of what I was insinuating.

"Well you just met two angels. I'm here on a mission of sorts, and that's all I can say." I said as confidently as I could, praying he would believe me.

"Am I high?" he asked more to himself than to me.

"No." I said taking a step towards him. "I'm very real, and I really would like help getting to the nearest town, so if you could help me with that I would be so grateful!" I said pleading with him to not pass out or do something stupid.

"Umm. Yeah I guess I can show you. I mean I was going there anyway before you showed up." I could tell he was in a state of shock, but he let me follow him nonetheless and that was all I needed.

"So you have a place to stay?" he asked absentmindedly.

"No actually. My angel friend that you saw isn't much of a friend. He would like my stay here to be difficult, so I only have what's here in my duffle bag." I said patting the bag slung over my shoulder.

"Well, I don't know what to do in this situation because well, I've never been in this situation, but I think it's only right of me to offer you my spare bedroom. At least until you get back on your feet or complete your mission or whatever." he said scratching the back of his neck.

I laughed at his nervousness, and said, "You know, you're taking this a lot better than I could have ever expected. I would actually love to take you up on your offer, but only if you want that. Don't feel obligated to do anything for me. I'm really not that important."

"My mom was super into angels and stuff being Catholic and what not, so I guess I always assumed they were out there, but I never expected to meet one." he said turning to look at me with a small smile on his face.

I bumped him with my shoulder as we continued to walk down the road into town, and said, "Well now you have. You must be pretty special for fate to have picked you out of all the humans to meet me here on this random night." Wait a minute, I thought to myself. Gabriel said I was going to be late for something. Late to meet Jake? I asked myself. Was I fated to find him here? I looked over to him and tried not to look worried, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It wasn't easy getting mixed up in my life. After hearing my mother's stories I didn't really want anyone involved with me; it was too dangerous.

"Thanks." he said smiling over at me. Maybe living with him wasn't the best option as I considered the danger he was in, but I didn't really have any other choices. I mean it was Kansas, how harmful could this place be, right? "It's just a few more blocks before we hit my house." He said as the dirt road soon turned into a paved street weaving through a small neighborhood. "It's a pretty small town, but people are always passing through to go to Wilson State Park, so jobs aren't really an issue if you're looking."

"Thank you for everything. You have done more than I ever could have imagined. I was very blessed to have found you." I said while also thanking Gabriel. As much as I didn't like him, he did help me find Jake.

"It's really not a problem. It's the least I can do, and to be honest, I'm not that freaked out which freaks me out more than being freaked out." he said laughing.

"I can definitely relate to that feeling." I said while thinking back to the first time I learned how to use my water abilities. It was before I knew about the family business, and although I freaked out at first, I quickly found myself becoming comfortable with the idea of everything, and that freaked me out even more. There was a part of me that thought I should want to be normal and think this was all to weird, but those feelings never came; I felt born for it.

"You can relate to being freaked out? An angel?" he asked shocked.

I laughed and said, "Only God knows everything. I can be just as surprised as you are by events." And it was true. I was definitely not expecting on meeting him in that field, or expecting to be sent away, or hear the horror story that is my mother's life. A pang of sorrow hit my heart thinking back to my mother. She had been through so much, and I wanted to be able to ease some of her sorrow. If there was one thing I wanted to do as Protector when the title got passed down to me, it would be to eradicate the threat that had killed so many of my family members. I wanted justice, and I wanted it now.

"Well this is my humble abode." Jake said stopping in front of a tiny blue house. It was so antique looking I couldn't help but smile. It reminded me of my own home.

"It's so cute." I said following Jake up the steps to his front door.

"Thanks. It's definitely a small house, but it has always been just me so it never bothered me. I hope it's okay for you." he asked looking over to me for my approval.

"It's more than okay, and I can't thank you enough." I said giving him a hug.

It seemed to take him off guard and I wondered if I crossed a line since we were still strangers, but I felt like it was the least I could do at the moment to assure him how grateful and happy I was. He slowly returned the hug and stepped away as he unlocked the door to his house. "I can see us becoming fast friends." I said as much to myself as I did to him.

He laughed and said, "I really can't believe this is happening." I winced as I assumed the shock was finally wearing off, and wondered what would happen next. Would he kick me out? Try to tell everyone he met an angel? I just didn't know. "An angel who fell from the sky just said we are becoming friends." he said to himself.

"Yup. Are you okay? Should I leave?" I asked really unsure of what to do. I could feel the fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks at the thought of going outside and walking some more. Today had been way too long of a day, and I was just as confused and lost as he was.

"No. No." he said shaking his head. "I'm just trying to process everything, but I think we could become fast friends too. I guess that's what I'm trying to digest. I never thought I could feel so close to anyone in such a short amount of time. I just feel comfortable around you. Maybe angels have the effect on humans?" he asked trying to process the situation as much as I was.

"I don't know about that, but maybe." I said not wanting to let it slip that I actually wasn't an angel. "But I kinda feel the same about you. We were just fated I suppose." I said wanting to leave it at that. I really wasn't in to asking too many questions when it came to fate and fate's reasons. I just needed to go with the flow as I said earlier. "I don't mean to be rude." I said feeling kind of awkward. "But where can I sleep? I'm pretty tired, and I don't think I can stand much longer." I said with a small laugh.

"Oh, my bad." he said walking over to a closet and pulling out some blankets and pillows. "I have a spare bedroom just down that hall on the right. My bedroom is on the other side of the hall. I'll be there if you need anything." he said handing over the blankets and pillows he took from the closet.

"Thank you again." I said as I started to walk down the hallway.

"Not a problem." he said walking into what looked to be his kitchen. "Good night Ruby."

"Good night." I said smiling at him over my shoulder. As soon as I walked into the room I shut the door, quickly changed, and jumped into bed throwing the blankets over me. I snuggled up tight in them and sighed in contentment. The blankets hugged my body, letting every aching limb rest, and for the first time since this morning I felt a true peace wash over me. I shuddered under the blankets as my body broke out in little goose bumps and I smiled. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here after all. Maybe I could really do this and take over as Protector will no casualties. I breathed in, and as I breathed out, every anxiety and worry left my body and I was left to sleep in peace.