Chapter 5

We were gliding just above the clouds, the warm breeze gently brushing against my face. I was flying, and it was incredible. As their bodies protruded forward, we picked up speed. Soon we were at an angle, and all that was beneath me were the clouds—white and fluffy, soft, cottony clouds—oh, what fun it would be to bounce on them. I was overwhelmed by the magic of this moment. How I wished this was more than a dream.

We looked down upon a castle which looked like an ice sculpture, one that you might see at a black-tie affair. Or perhaps it was something grander, like crystals. With all that I had already seen, I didn’t think it was possible that I could still be amazed. A bright ring resembling a force field encased the castle, protecting it. But from what? There were no windows, only a colossal door, as if meant for a giant. There was a simple elegance to it, yet it looked cold and empty from the outside. Certainly one could get lost inside this enormous castle.

As we approached the entrance the ring disappeared, leaving me to think it had been a figment of my imagination, but as we stood at the front door, it returned. The gigantic door opened, seemingly sensing our presence, and we walked in.

While I was making my observations, Davin spoke. “Welcome to Halo City, my human.” He slowly knelt down on one knee, much like an old-fashioned gentleman.

Not knowing what to say, I simply gave him a smile. He linked my arm through his and led the way. Contrary to the coldness surrounding this place, it felt strangely warm and inviting inside. Although I had imagined it to be dark, it was surprisingly bright, even with the absence of windows. The light somehow penetrated the walls. I imagined this was what being in the center of a diamond would be like, thousands of brilliant facets sparkling through. There was no fancy furniture; just unadorned and elegant décor.

“What are we doing here?” I whispered as I unlinked Davin’s arm. I had a slightly uneasy feeling, like we were sneaking into a stranger’s home.

Michael turned slightly, purposely avoiding eye contact with me, and said flatly, “You are here to speak to Phillip. He will know what to do. He knows you’re here, and he will ask you many questions, thanks to Davin.” As soon as he finished speaking, he walked right past me, brushing my shoulder as if I wasn’t there. As I moved forward, he turned to look at me with narrowed eyes, insinuating that I was the one at fault.

“Jerk,” I mumbled to myself.

Davin looked at me and said, “Well, I, ummm…well…” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, succumbing to the fact that we had no other choice. Then he realized I was more focused on Michael. “Don’t worry about him. He’s quite nice once you get to know him. He is somewhat of a grouch today, maybe because you’re around.”

“What?” I muttered under my breath in shock. Did I hear him correctly? It didn’t matter. Being a grouch was an understatement. Egotistical and rude was more like it, but I didn’t say anything. For no apparent reason at all, I was getting annoyed with Davin, but that quickly subsided when I realized it was me who had wanted to stay. He was just being friendly. I was also anxious to meet Phillip, and was feeling uneasy about what he planned to ask. At this point all I wanted were answers. I would endure rudeness, annoyance, and just about anything to understand this mysterious world.

While waiting for Phillip, I began to become intrigued by these angels. How many were there? Were there male and female angels? This Philip must be powerful and wise if we were coming to speak to him. I had expected to see an old man with a long white beard, perhaps with a cane. I suppose it had been ingrained in my mind that age and gray hair implied great wisdom. But that wasn’t the case. When Phillip arrived, I was surprised to see that he was quite handsome, and appeared only slightly older than Michael.

“Hello and welcome,” he said with an authoritative tone.

He took several steps down and faced me directly. Excitement rose through me; my heart beat faster, simultaneously feeling joy and fear, knowing he was someone of great importance. I timidly held my head up and looked directly into his eyes. I saw that he had the same shade of brown eyes as Michael.

He continued, “I was wondering if you could tell me how you got here?”

I paused to figure out how I should answer his question. I couldn’t believe he had just asked me that! Here I was, waiting patiently to get my answers, and I kept getting questioned the same way. Why was it that I had no answers, and everyone kept asking me, as if I knew? I felt frustrated by his inquiry, since I was hoping to finally receive the answers I had been searching for. Flushed with anger, I spoke with attitude. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t know, and everyone keeps asking me the same question. How come you don’t know—you had to have seen me coming. Aren’t angels all-knowing?”

I couldn’t believe I had blurted out like that, and I immediately regretted how I had said it. What was I thinking? I was appalled at myself for being so rude. I couldn’t take it back even if I had wanted to. I wanted to apologize for my bad behavior, but what I feared more was how he might react. Surprisingly, he just smiled, and I instantly relaxed.

“You see, I might have some answers for you, but I wanted to know if you knew anything first.”

“You know how I got here?” I asked in an apologetic tone, realizing what an idiot I had been for not being more patient.

“Perhaps we can figure it out together,” he said with certainty. “Please, have a seat next to me.”

He pointed to a chair beside him that I was certain hadn’t been there before. I thought that was peculiar, but maybe I had missed seeing it. I hesitated to sit next to him, but I did as instructed. Philip sat down next to me and paused, appearing to be deep in thought. He glanced at Michael and Davin, who nodded, clearly agreeing to whatever task Philip was suggesting. I gathered they could communicate telepathically.

He inhaled deeply and began to speak. Whatever he was about to reveal seemed to be something I wasn’t supposed to know. “Humans only know a fraction of our history, although they spend years and years of research trying to find concrete evidence of our existence on Earth. What I am about to tell you has never been disclosed to any human. Fair warning, if you decide to share this information with another human, they may think you have lost your mind. You understand what I’m trying to say, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied. In his own polite way, he was asking me to keep my mouth shut. There were tons of people I could share this information with, but Phillip was right. Who would believe me? I was so humbled and honored to be here in their presence that I would do just about anything they asked.

“Very well, let’s start from the beginning. I will make it short and simple. A long time ago, angels roamed the Earth with the guidance of the Twelve Angels. We refer to them as Earth angels. They learned how to be human. Much time was spent studying their mannerisms, learning about their emotions and anything that would help make the task of blending with the humans easier. There were thousands of them. They could travel at immense speed and were exceptionally stronger than anything imaginable. They didn’t look anything like the angels you are taught about in school or church. They didn’t have wings or bright halos around their heads.

“The humans were completely unaware of their existence. Their sole purpose was to observe and guide humans away from temptation, poor judgment, and sometimes death. Just like humans have the Ten Commandments, angels had their Ten Divine Commandments. The second one proclaimed that they were forbidden to love a human or to procreate. The resistance proved to be far too difficult for some, though most were able to resist. For the others, the urge became unbearable the longer they stayed in the human world. They had forgotten who they were and their purpose, thus procreating life that was forbidden. For a long period of time, the ‘forbidden children’ remained hidden. Many were able to grow well into their teens, some making it to their twenties.

“You see, our kind is governed by a Royal Council. The Royal Council consists of God’s first angels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Raguel, Uriel, Zerachiel, Remiel and many others who were created before us. They make decisions based on what they agree to be in our best interest. When they found out about the children born into human society, all angels were immediately banned from having any physical or emotional contact with humans. However, permission was granted for a select few to stay behind and continue their duties. The agreement was that they could not procreate, and in return, they would be allowed to live and die as humans.”

Angels lived among us, I thought to myself. It was hard to imagine, but I could have spoken to one. The thought of actually being that close to an angel was unbelievable. I broke out of my thoughts when Phillip spoke.

“I know this is difficult to take in, but do you understand?” he asked.

“What you are telling me is that there is a chain of command with angels?”

“Yes, first the Royal Council, then the Twelve, followed by Earth angels. These angels have no wings. They blend with the humans quite well, perhaps too well. Lastly, the forbidden children.”

“What happened to these children?” I asked, afraid of what his answer might be.

“They were sent here, this place called the Crossroads, and you are standing in Halo City. Humans use the term, nephilim for these children, but we call them alkins. “Alkin” are the alpha—the first of its kind, half angel, half human. They are the first generation to be born into human society.”

Michael and Davin came to my mind. I remembered Michael saying that we were at Crossroads, between life and death. Davin referred to himself as an angel with no wings. Alkins didn’t have wings. Thoughts flooded my mind. Everything was coming at me hard and fast. Out of impulse, I turned to look at Michael and Davin. I felt ashamed that I was the reason a secret so profound had been revealed. A secret that had been concealed for who knows how long. And I, a mere human, was responsible for its exposure. I wanted to tell them how sorry I was, how ashamed I felt, but they didn’t even look up at me. Their heads remained low, almost as if they were embarrassed about who they were. I quickly turned back so they wouldn’t notice me.

“Are you an alkin?” I asked Philip.

“No. I am one of the Twelve.” There was a note of arrogance to his tone. “When the alkins were found, a few of the Twelve Angels were reassigned to Halo City with them. It became our responsibility to guide and mentor the alkins to be more like angels rather than humans. That was the day the Twelve Angels were divided. Margaret, Agnes, and I were chosen to become their mentors. The rest stayed behind to continue their assignments. Like humans, angels were not created perfectly. There is one particular angel who has rebelled and has taken many alkins with him. We call them the fallen. We don’t know where they are.”

He suddenly and gracefully stood up and spread his wings. It was a vision of elegance and poise, majestic and holy; a miraculous moment that I knew I would never forget. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and reality of what was happening. Part of me wanted to touch him, to be sure that this was real. Was I truly witnessing an angel? Was I really having this conversation? I was completely unaware of the fact that my eyes were wide and my bottom lip might as well have been on the floor, until Philip cleared his throat.

Embarrassed by my actions, I quickly diverted attention by asking another question, “What do the fallen look like?” I was relieved to finally get to this question, seeing as they would be the ones coming after me.

“You ask many questions. You already know too much,” he said softly. I thought that was the end of our conversation, but he continued to speak. “Humans would imagine them to look like monsters, but in fact, they look like us.”

I was in shock. I had expected him to tell me otherwise. “Then how can you tell the difference between a fallen and an angel?” I asked with a worried expression.

“By appearances, you can’t tell us apart.”

A part of me was glad that they didn’t look like hideous creatures, but knowing the possibility they might be after me sent a painful chill through every bone in my body. Now that I had that information, I wanted to know more about the alkins.

“How many alkins exist here?” I asked, eagerly thinking that I’d finally get the answer that Michael wouldn’t reveal. Then I worried that maybe he wouldn’t tell me since he thought I knew too much.

“There are thousands of alkins who reside here. I would like you to meet the officers who already know you are here. The other alkins are not aware of your presence, and I would like to keep it that way.”

Wow! Thousands, I repeated Phillip’s words in my head. My whole body seemed to explode with excitement and I could barely contain myself.

“I would like to introduce you to…” motioning his hands, they entered one by one. “Vivian, Caleb, Ruth, Paul. And you’ve already met Michael and Davin.” Each was flawless. Their beauty was breathtaking, a vision of royalty at its finest, and they all possessed a soothing glow in their eyes. I had pictured them in white gowns, but they were wearing jeans and T-shirts just like Michael and Davin. They were dressed just like human beings. It was true…you couldn’t tell the difference between humans and the alkins.

Nobody said a word. There was an uncomfortable silence. I became their subject, and they stared at me with confused and curious eyes.

Phillip broke the silence, “You have to excuse their demeanor. It has been quite some time since they’ve seen a human. We are going to have to monitor you from here on. It is important that we keep an eye on you, just in case the fallen find out about your involvement with us. They are not so friendly. You are an easy target since they can sense your presence now. Once you have entered our world, your aura will stand out from the rest of the humans on Earth. There is a possibility they may think you are an alkin.”

Fallen may think I’m an alkin echoed inside my head. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. What kind of mess did I get myself into? I thought I was only dreaming, and it was turning out to be a nightmare.

“Do you think it would be safer for her to stay here?” Davin asked hopefully.

“She can’t stay here. She is not an alkin,” Caleb replied.

“However, it would give us the opportunity to be educated about her world,” Vivian said, enthusiastically. “Her world has advanced so much since we came here.”

Michael shot her a disapproving look. I could tell that he didn’t like her response at all. I knew the reason. He didn’t want me around.

Phillip interrupted, “I don’t think that would be a good idea. You don’t need Claudia in order to learn about her world. You can research on your own.”

“True. But hearing it from Claudia would be much faster. And why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Vivian spoke out. “Divine Commandments can be altered to fit the situation.”

“She is not one of us. Need I remind you of the obvious again? She is human, not an alkin,” Caleb said with slight irritation, and then paused to think. “What if the fallen come here?”

Phillip was about to answer Caleb’s question when Agnes and Margaret entered the room, and everyone became silent. It was the first time I was able to see Margaret’s face. She was stunning, just like the goddess I remembered. This time, she wore her hair straight down, as smooth as silk. She looked at me, nodding her head to acknowledge my presence. She began to speak, her hypnotic voice exactly the way I remembered from before.

“The fallen can only enter our world if they take an alkin who has the soul of the Holy Spirit. Only Royal Council angels have the soul of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah was one of the Royal Council. He fell in love with a human many lifetimes ago. His descendants are now with the Royal Council. I doubt any of them are left on Earth. If there is a possibility that the one still exists, the chances are very slim to none. We do not make mistakes. So you need not worry. Hypothetically, if one does exist, then it is out of our hands. And if the fallen finds the one, there will be war.”

“Let the danger come!” Davin shouted passionately, raising his fist in the air, as if already victorious.

I was startled by his sudden outburst. A multitude of arguments began. They were speaking in Latin, and I could not understand. Realizing instantly that this was all because of me, I began to feel horror in my body. I was plagued by thoughts of this mysterious, beautiful, unknown existence, possibly on the verge of destruction, all because I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want to, go back. I was desperate to make this right.

“Can you please stop? I’ll leave! Just please don’t fight. I’m so sorry.” My voice became softer as I saw them glaring down on me. Maybe it was not my place to have an opinion. I was sure my sudden outburst didn’t help matters. All I wanted to do was hide. Nobody wanted me here, and I had nowhere to go.

Vivian interrupted, “Why not ask the human?”

Ask me what? I didn’t even know what they were arguing about.

“She has a name,” Michael said.

I was surprised to hear him respond in that way. It was as if I mattered to him, like he was defending me. Could he care a little? Could it be possible that he wasn’t mad at me anymore? But then I thought What does it matter, and why do I care so much about what he thinks of me anyway?

Phillip looked at me tenderly and said, “I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to leave. We will be keeping an eye on you as promised, to make sure you stay safe. However, this is an unprecedented incident. I can only hope that my judgments are correct. Michael, I think it would be best that you be appointed as her guardian angel.”

“What!” Michael and Davin exclaimed simultaneously.

“Why?” shouted Davin. “He doesn’t even like her.”

In the midst of Davin’s opposition, I tried to wrap my head around his words—he doesn’t even like her. I was disappointed at this thought, and admittedly, a bit sad too. Why did he think so little of me? I felt cursed, like being human was dirty and not worthy of this angelic being. How could someone who disliked me be the right guardian angel to protect me? I guess maybe I did care what he thought.

“Like has nothing to do with this, Davin,” replied Philip. “Michael is trained to be a guardian angel. And you are one of our gatekeepers. I need you here for now.”

“I see your point,” Davin replied, looking disappointed.

Michael glanced at me and then turned to Phillip. “I don’t think I’m ready to be a guardian angel.”

“Nothing can prepare you for what you are about to do. One can never be ready enough,” Phillip countered. “I believe you will be fine. Just listen to your heart and stick to the Divine angel rules.”

“You don’t understand. I…,” Michael said as he was about to protest again.

Phillip interrupted him. “Nothing you say will change my mind. I’ve appointed you as Claudia’s guardian angel, and that is final.”

Michael just stood there, looking down, impassive. From his body language, I could tell he wasn’t happy with Phillip’s decision. Great! I might as well be dead. The way he felt about me, he probably wouldn’t lift a finger to save me. I was just about to tell Phillip that I didn’t need a guardian angel and that I could take care of myself when Michael looked up. I waited to see what he would do.

Michael looked at Davin and then looked at me blankly. How I wished I could read his thoughts. He must be cursing inside, wondering how he could get out of being my guardian angel. He started walking toward me.

“Michael, wait.” A soft-spoken, gentle voice came from a distance.

It took me a second to even see where this voice was coming from. As she appeared, she jumped up eagerly and wrapped her whole body around Michael, like a child hugging her daddy. Michael held her tightly but tenderly and pulled her face away to give her a kiss on the cheek. I was taken aback by the sight of a child and by seeing a different side of him, affectionate and caring. Part of my anger toward him subsided, but not completely. My heart softened to see their interaction. I estimated that she was about seven years old. She had long blonde curls, reminding me of Goldilocks. It wasn’t hard to stare back when she gazed at me with those irresistible baby blue eyes. Where did she come from? Was she the only child here?

“No need to worry, Alexa Rose, I’ll be back soon. I need to take Claudia home, then I’ll be right back,” Michael said sweetly, a tone he had never used to speak to me.

“Promise?” she pouted.

“I promise,” he said as he placed her down slowly. Before he stood up, he whispered something into her ear, making her giggle.

“Okay. I will,” she responded cheerfully.

As she walked away, she acknowledged my presence with a cute little smile.

After Alexa Rose left, Agnes turned to me and said, “It’s time to send you back. Meanwhile, try to stay calm.”

As she said those words, I felt my body slowly droop. I heard a faint voice from a distance, “Davin, send them back safely. Michael, be on your guard!”