The Girl
Amber Amos was a young woman. She was simple and did not have much. If one looked at her they wouldn’t be that impressed. She did not have a body that was tall or muscled. Though in this modern age a person did not need to be physically imposing to gain power. If power is what one sought. Though the girl did not look like she craved anything with the way she lived.
She had enough money to live in more than her measly apartment. The place usually had around five things wrong with it every week. Even though it would make more sense for her to get angry about such things, she waved them off. Everyone that came in to fix something was always treated kindly by her. Even when they were idiots.
Amber woke up every morning and had a simple breakfast. Usually just toast and coffee so that her day could be started quickly. For special occasions she would would make pancakes or scrambled eggs. Though it was impossible to understand how she could tell what was a special occasion and what was a normal day.
During breakfast she would have the television turned on to a news program. She would watch how the world was handling itself. Maybe making sure that she didn’t have the worst life on Earth. Or maybe she wanted to make sure she was ‘kept in the loop’. It was hard to imagine she wished for better, but everyone had that weakness. Everyone envied their neighbors to some extent.
After breakfast Amber took a quick shower as she hadn’t taken one the night before. Her morning showers were quick and got the bare minimum done. Her night showers, though, could last for up to an hour. At points she would just let the water pour over her, her form hidden by the shower curtain.
Amber then got dressed for work. A woman like her deserved a high paying position of respect. Yet she was a simple janitor. Her job before that didn’t matter. What mattered was she had decided to take on such a thankless job.
Her clothes were never fully clean. Besides her washer and drying not working well, there was the fact her clothes tended to be ruined quickly. It wouldn’t make sense to put so much time and effort into something that wouldn’t matter.
Amber then walked to the bus stop. Today it was raining and she was without an umbrella. She had gone through five in the last week and didn’t want to waste money on another one. The raindrops went on her skin, clothing, and backpack. It seemed as though she would drown.
The bus today would run an hour late. The delay could’ve been tolerable if there was a covered area for her to stand or sit under. Yet there wasn’t. So Amber just stood in the rain as there was no other choice.
The girl shivered as the bus pulled up. She waited patiently for her turn and then walked calmly on. Amber sat down and watched the scenery. The landscape around her was covered in buildings but not enough to be considered a city. She fell asleep and then woke up as her stop came up.
Amber entered the building in relative silence. She would laugh and tell jokes, but mostly she was silent. Even when people mocked her she would not say a word. There wouldn’t be much point in trying to threaten them for two reasons.
The first was that would mean risking her job. As she didn’t have a job to go to after her current one, she couldn’t risk being fired.
The second was that she wasn’t physically threatening. Even when she was furious she was adorable. She didn’t have the body to make someone fear for their lives.
Amber was good at her work. If it had been a reputable job, she would’ve been called skilled. Indeed she was able to successfully clean some of the grossest stalls and urinals to grace California. It was a miracle she didn’t go crazy after all that was seen by her eyes.
She went to lunch with some of her friends. Though she never encountered them much outside of work. Amber’s days tended to be spent alone as if she were afraid of something. As though something haunted her dreams and made it impossible to do much.
Today she spent her lunch gossiping with friends. There was a new hire who wasn’t working out. He was much too egotistical to go far in life. If he had wealth or good looks, his destiny might be different. A good thing to remember.
Amber’s friends could make the darkest heart believe her life meant something. She could go so much further if only she tried. If only she risked what she considered a comfortable lifestyle. If only she asked for help.
Amber stayed as late as she could every night. This night was no different. The stars were out and the last bus had left for the evening. She drank coffee to give her an extra boost for the long journey. The fact she did this every work night made it seem as if she liked the adventure.
A cold look came over her face and a person could believe Amber was dangerous. For a moment in time there was such a strength in her that the strongest angel would kneel.
Amber’s trip home started simple. The only sounds were some cars and her footsteps. It was extremely peaceful but the girl didn’t appear calm. Her eyes tried to be discreet in their search for an attacker. Her footsteps were calm and yet her legs tensed as if to prepare themselves for a race.
She could call a taxi to take herself home. Modern day technology would allow her to use an app on her phone to get someone to drive her. Yet she continued to walk the same fateful route every night. Tonight, though, things would be much worse than usual. An opportunity if one so dared.
“Hey, it’s the fag!” A man yelled.
Amber stopped as four others appeared. Worthington, California tended to be a very open minded place. People here could look over a person’s sexuality. Except for these five, people kept any homophobia to themselves.
Amber was bisexual and must now be used to the harassment of her fellow man. This was even more of a reason she should’ve found someone to drive her home at night. With these five men, it wasn’t safe for her to walk at night.
As the men came closer she took off to an alley. She was scared but refused to scream. She knew that no one would come to help her anyways. Better to save her air for something more important.
“She’s not getting away this time!” One of the men said with a laugh. “Send Betsy over to her.”
A few seconds later and a Golden Retriever was rushing down the alleyway after Amber. The girl had planned out many escape routes that helped her stay alive every night. She twisted and turned down alleyways. When she was at the fence, there was something different. The men had clumsily placed barbed wire on top.
Amber’s resolve broke and she turned around. Betsy had stopped feet from her and was barking. The five men walked up behind their dog and grinned at the woman. The oldest stood in front. He didn’t have any hair on his head. The only hair was a small mustache on his face.
“Why won’t you just die?” He asked and crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t be alive. You’re an abomination to God.”
Amber remained silent. It wasn’t fear that kept her mouth shut but wisdom. She knew to focus on an escape route rather than her feelings. There was something to be admired in that. If anything was worth admiring in her, that was.
“Why do you keep quiet?” The man hissed. “Every night you manage to escape us, but not now. Now you must pay for your crimes.”
Amber turned away from the man and rushed to the fence. She put her backpack on her chest right before she started the climbed. The men yelled at the woman and the dog tried to bite her.
The barbed wire dug into Amber’s backpack as she attempted to flip over the fence. She landed hard on her back and the sound of bones breaking was loud. The girl allowed a moment of recovery and started walking back home as fast as she could. It wasn’t a fast pace but it was still faster than the confused men.
Amber was not physically imposing which made these moments surprising. Her mind was lost to everything but her goal. All she wanted was to get home and go to sleep. The world didn’t exist to her at this moment.
It would take her a good hour to get back home. At that point she would have become numb enough to the pain. She was used to a lot of pain, but nothing on this level. A few bones breaking was normal but more than a few bones had been broken this night. Besides the bones, the barbed wire had cut into some of her chest.
Amber would be more than weak tonight.
Which was where I would come in to help.
For the whole day I had taken an incorporeal form. My mind could see many places without my body moving. Well, what humans would call moving. To me it felt as if I were turning my ‘head’ left and right. Until now, this had suited my job.
I focused on Amber’s apartment and moved through the tunnels. These pathways could only by traversed by angels, like myself, or demons. The tunnels went everywhere one could ever hope to go. While it felt like two minutes to me, no time had passed in reality.
Once I exited the tunnels, I decided on a human form. Many humans could not look at an angel and survive the experience. Their minds were created to see and understand the world a certain way. Just like a snake was able to see things they could never hope to. So when one of the two-legged creatures looked at us they would die from the shock. Their minds would not be able to handle what they saw.
My essence formed itself into a middle aged human male’s body. Wrinkles formed on my face to indicate how old this body supposedly was. The clothing I chose contradicted the body’s age. I decided on a white t-shirt and ripped blue jeans. Amber wasn’t one I wanted to woo and so fashion standards didn’t apply.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. I could walk around her apartment and distract myself that way. There was a difference between what could be seen from an angel’s natural body and the ones they chose to wear. When I was in my natural state everything was revealed to me. There was no need to open a drawer when I could already see its contents. There was no need to light a candle when I could already see it burning.
This body’s feet started walking around the small apartment. How could humans deal with such limited vision? It took effort to walk when my usual form of movement was so much easier. Yet humans could experience joys the likes of angels, unless they decided to take on human forms, would never be able to. The human experience of sex was one of my favorites.
It had been millennium since I had decided to leave Heaven. No one had stopped me from going as something much bigger had been going on. After taking a human form, I had run into a woman who found me appealing. I had continued to delve into that carnal pleasure ever since.
After some time the sound of a key unlocking the door could be heard. I walked until I was a few feet in front of the door. Once Amber entered she looked shocked and then extremely angry. It was an amusing sight to see one so broken pretend to be so strong.
While she kept her eyes on me, one of her hands closed and locked the door. She used the door as a means to stabilize herself. She was going to be in danger of falling until I healed her. If she allowed me to.
“Who are you?” Amber asked.
“My name is Ravar.” I replied calmly. “I am an angel. Originally from Heaven but nowadays I walk in the mortal realm. Honestly, this place is more livable than home ever was.”
“You really expect me to believe you’re an angel? Angels are not supposed to like the ‘mortal realm’.”
“The reality of angels and demons is much different than you know.”
“How so?”
“I’m afraid I’m not here to give a history lesson.”
This was always my favorite part of these deals. Humans could be convinced easily that any miraculous action was that of an angel. And most, especially those in Amber’s situations, would then trust me. The idea that all angels were to be trusted ran deep in the human psyche. A disastrous thing for father to implement, yet useful now.
I would allow a few minutes to let Amber suffer in her pain. A few more minutes until she lost control. A few more minutes and then I’d heal her. For some reason watching her suffer hurt me. It shouldn’t as she was a mere human. A thing that didn’t deserve to be loved. Not in the way father had commanded on a night he was extremely drunk.
I walked over to Amber and placed a hand on her head. It didn’t matter where I lay my hands or even if I laid them on her at all. But touching while healing helped calm a human’s mind. It allowed a sense of normality to the strange action.
Amber stood up and checked for cuts. She looked up at me in amazement and fear. She couldn’t believe it and soon she would be in my trap. In a web she would never be able to escape from. Those who were like her always caved.
“So you’re an angel.” She said softly. “I’m sorry. I guess...I guess there is a lot I have to learn.”
“And you have a limited time to do so.” I replied. “Especially with those men who chase you.”
“Why do you care? If you’re not living in Heaven, aren’t you a fallen angel?”
Fallen angels was a misnomer. It was not a crime to leave Heaven. It was not a crime to live on Earth or in Hell. The only crime was to cause unneeded conflict. To leave too many corpses behind you. I never did anything myself. The only thing I gave people were options.
“I may not be living in Heaven, but that hardly means I am without morals.” I replied. “The cosmos are much more complicated than you would believe. The lines between good and evil are not simple. There is a very thin line between angel and demon that can be crossed.”
“Then if you’re an angel, it doesn’t mean I should trust you.” Amber said and crossed her arms. “You might mean me harm no matter your origins.”
She was a smart one. That could cause a problem. Usually the downtrodden were so in need of any help, that they didn’t question me. They would see a way out of their personal hell and take it. Amber was different. I could tell she was one of the stronger ones. Or maybe my assessment was wrong.
“I come to offer you a way out of your life.” I said. “I have watched you for awhile. I’ve seen the horrible life you lead. You do not want help but you need it. You desperately need a way out. You deserve so much better than you’ve been given, Amber Amos.”
“No I don’t.” Amber replied with a grimace. “I’m just a human. I can’t ask for too much.”
“That is your humility talking. You are afraid that if you ask too much then bad things will happen. That is not true. If you believe it know that it is your fear making you believe.”
If Amber had been a Christian, this part would be more than easy. But she wasn’t. She was willing to believe anything she saw with her own two eyes. She didn’t believe in Heaven or Hell but now she had proof of angels. Her paradigm was being reworked and that could be difficult to deal with.
“If I were to accept your help, what would you do?” Amber asked.
“I would give you an item to help you.” I replied. “Before I left Heaven I stole a few objects. Others I’ve gathered while on Earth. Each one is perfect for a human to use. Some can make you rich while others can punish your enemies. I have a crystal ball that actually works. Unfortunately I can only give one item per human.”
The last part I said dramatically. The human didn’t look as if she bought that part of my act. Luckily she looked conflicted. I was offering her the world and normal human greediness was eating away at her. Amber’s life was pathetic and she knew that no matter how she tried to hide the truth. There was all the reason in the world for her to accept my offer.
“And what will this cost me?” Amber asked. “I don’t believe anything is free. Especially not what you’re offering me.”
Joy went through my human chest. There was still the possibility she would refuse as the cost was great. She wasn’t an atheist and so had opinions on souls. She would feel very protective of it. I was able to break Christians who truly believed in their religion and so I felt fairly confident. Amber had a horrible life and could feel like she had nothing left to lose.
“A small price.” I replied. “All you need to give me is your soul.”
