Chapter Five: Elaboration

A rather light, though long, chapter. Falian explains some of the more specific details about himself, and Elizabeth starts to see his point about fate.

 

I crept warily out of my room. It was extremely odd to wake up this morning knowing that my guardian angel was in the apartment with me.

Falian was awake, as I suspected he might be. He was sitting at the kitchen table. And looking at me.

“Good morning,” I greeted, dropping my eyes to the floor.

“Good morning,” he greeted back.

I walked over and took a seat across from him. When I looked up he was smirking slightly. “What?” I asked.

“Your hair,” he said, still smiling.

“What about it?” I ran a hand through it subconsciously.

“It’s first thing in the morning, and you brushed your hair.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not at all…it’s just that you never brush your hair this early.”

I blushed and looked down at the table. “I’m not used to company,” I mumbled. I looked back up. “And even less used to having someone know every detail of my existence.”

He shrugged. “Can’t help it.”

“Hungry?” I asked, eager to change the subject.

He nodded hesitantly. “I don’t want to keep stealing your food, though.”

“I owe you my life, two times over.” He frowned at that. “A little food hardly repays that, so none of this talk of ‘stealing’.” I stood up and started searching the kitchen.

“You forget that you’re also providing me with room and board.”

“Does cereal sound good, or is that not grand enough for an angel?” I asked, blatantly ignoring the room and board statement.

He smiled a little. “Cereal most definitely sounds good.”

I poured two bowls and handed him one. We ate in silence.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” he asked when we had both finished.

“I figured I would apply for a job at the video store that’s hiring down the block. You know, try to get some grasp on reality again.”

He stopped looking at me, instead staring off into space. His expression portrayed deep thought.

“What’s got you so…captivated?” I dared to ask after a minute.

He looked back at me, amusement replacing the deep thought in his eyes. “Captivated?” he asked.

“It seemed like the best way to describe it,” I responded, trying not to smile and failing entirely.

He laughed. The sound was lovely. “I don’t hear you use that word every day.”

“Enough about the word captivated! What was it?”

“I was just pondering how I could forge enough documents so that I could apply as well. I don’t think it’s going to work.”

I smiled a bit. “You’re stuck here, I’m afraid.”

He became dead serious. “Be careful, alright?”

I blinked. “It’s just an application.”

“I’m not talking about that. I’m accompanying you today.”

“What?” I protested.

“Listen to me,” he said before I could say anything else. “I meant when you start working there. Any place you have to go without me is a place where you could be…hurt.”

“I don’t think there are many ways to get hurt in a video store.”

“Maybe not many obvious ways, but there will be ways. I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough.” He paused, leaning forward onto the table and staring into my eyes. “Fate is going to try to correct its mistake. It’s going to try to kill you in any way possible. You have to be on guard at all times. If you become careless for even a minute, it can mean the difference between life and death.”

I blinked again. “Even in a video store?”

He smirked slightly. “Even in a video store.” He paused, the smile fading. “Are you sure you understand how crucial this is?”

“Yup. Be prepared for death and destruction when you’re not around and all that.”

He nodded, not even acknowledging the humor in my response.

I shifted uncomfortably. “So how exactly is your company going to help?” I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company…” I added hastily. I kicked myself inwardly. “I just don’t understand how your presence is going to prevent all the death and destruction,” I finished.

“Not exactly prevent…but I will do everything in my power to stop you from getting hurt,” Falian replied.

“Isn’t it a bit hopeless…fighting against fate?” I wondered aloud.

“Nothing is ever hopeless.” Black fire ignited in his eyes. “I will protect you, I swear.”

I looked down at my hands for a few moments, then back up at him. “I suppose I should get ready for the day.” I paused. He waited for me to continue, as if he knew there was more. “There are some questions I have to ask you later,” I said in a rush.

“Later? Why not now?” he asked.

“You know. Gotta get ready, application, all that.”

He shook his head, smiling. “Later, then.”

I had little time to think alone as I showered and dressed. And most of the thoughts ended up being about Falian.

“Stupid guardian angel, falls and messes everything up,” I grumbled as I pulled my shirt over my head. And saves your life a little voice in my head reminded me. “And saves my life,” I admitted.

I left my room. “Let’s go,” I said, grabbing my jacket and heading out the door.

Falian followed silently.

Due to the fact that I was staring at him, I couldn’t help but notice he was glancing warily every which way as we walked side-by-side along the sidewalk. “Looking out for danger?” I guessed, smiling.

He looked at me and smiled back. “Oh, you know, hanging pianos about to drop on you and incoming missiles; you have to be careful.”

I laughed. “The sad part is that I wouldn’t be surprised.”

When we arrived at the video store, nobody besides me took much notice of Falian. I got an application form and sat on the floor in a corner of the store, filling it out with a clipboard and a blue pen. Falian sat beside me, and sometimes I felt his gaze on me.

“This part really bugs me,” I said when the silence was starting to become uncomfortable. “Regardless of what job you’re applying for, they make you talk like you’re a demigod or something. Who seriously needs college degrees or ‘experience in this field’ to work in a video store? It’s not as if anyone with that stuff would be applying here.”

“They’ll hire you anyways,” Falian replied.

“Is that a fact or a guess?”

He smiled. “I told you I wasn’t psychic anymore, so a guess. But a likely guess.”

When I’d completed and turned in the application, I was left with a wide open schedule for the rest of the day. I looked to Falian when we were out on the sidewalk again. “How about we do lunch?” I asked on a whim.

“Lunch? Isn’t it a bit early?” Falian replied, though he didn’t seem repelled by the idea at all.

“Brunch, then,” I corrected.

He smiled, and we began walking. “Do you know any places that serve brunch?”

“I’m sure there’s one somewhere around here, but my idea of brunch is waltzing into whatever place we decide upon and eating whatever is the best choice on the menu.”

“Alright, but I do wish you’d reserve your money.”

“Adriana was very generous, and need I remind you yet again that you’ve already saved my life twice?” I didn’t add what else I was thinking – that I was concerned about him going without food for the five days we were apart. “How about that restaurant?” I asked, pointing.

He sighed, stopping to press the walk button in front of the intersection we needed to cross. “That place looks lovely. Just remember, Elizabeth, that providing me with these things is never an obligation.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I muttered, although I felt a peculiar rush when he used my name. The light above turned from “Don’t Walk” to “Walk,” so I began crossing the street. Almost instantaneously I felt Falian’s arm around my waist, pulling me backwards. I didn’t have time to react before a speeding car ran the red light, right where my body would’ve been at that moment.

Falian didn’t let me go for several seconds after the car had passed, as if he were afraid that it would come back and try to hit me again. When he finally did, he asked, “Are you alright?”

I let out the breath that I wasn’t aware I was holding. “I think so.” I shakily crossed the street, Falian right behind me, making sure to look both ways this time.

We walked in silence for a couple of minutes, Falian remaining behind me, and I was grateful for the chance to recover my composure. Eventually I was able to purposefully slow down and match pace with him. “That makes three,” I commented appreciatively.

He simply nodded, although I could see in his eyes some emotion that he wasn’t expressing openly.

The other two times I nearly died, I had no idea of the danger I was in until I was told. This time, however, every fiber of my being knew just how close I was to death. It made me absolutely terrified – and also all the more thankful. I glanced over at Falian, a sense of comfort washing over me as I realized that I was protected. For the first time in my life…or was it?

“You remember those questions I wanted to ask you from before?”

He glanced at me and nodded once again. He seemed distant, as if I’d pulled him from some deep train of thought.

“Well…I was thinking I could ask them when we sit down to have brunch.”

“I have no problem with that,” he replied. His eyes quickly brightened with interest.

We reached the restaurant shortly, and we were soon seated in a relatively private booth beside a window.

As soon as the waiter left after taking our drink orders, I turned to Falian. My heart skipped suddenly, unsure how to begin. I looked down at the table.

“What were the questions you had before?” he asked gently, probably sensing my unease.

“I keep having these dreams…” I murmured, opting to stare off into space.

“What are the dreams about?”

I looked down again, unsure how to bring up the subject. How did you tell someone who knew everything about you about an event in your life? “Okay, this might sound a bit odd, seeing as they’re my memories and not yours…but…do you remember Mark Stoughs?” I winced involuntarily at the name.

Falian’s eyes seemed to darken, although they were already black as night. “Yes,” he replied, sounding strained.

“The dreams – well, maybe nightmares – they’re about him. About the last time I was with him, before I ran away for good.” It all came pouring out in a rush then. “I keep seeing myself, bruised but not broken, the apartment destroyed…I’m thinking about how I’m going to be destroyed, too. And then I’m not. He falls to the ground, and he doesn’t get up. And I run away, leaving him there. I remembered after the first time I dreamed that. He did fall, and I did run, and I didn’t ask why at the time, because I didn’t care.” I looked up to gauge his reaction.

His lips were tightly pressed together – he looked like he was suppressing emotion.

“And then I met you…” I murmured, not realizing that I was staring at him. When I did realize, I looked back down at the table.

The waiter took this inopportune time to deliver our drinks and ask what our orders were. I just knew it had to be because I hadn’t finished with my sentence, and it sounded all wrong. Frustrated, I looked down the menu and ordered the first thing that sounded good.

Falian ordered as well, and I waited impatiently for the waiter to leave.

“As I was saying,” I continued as soon as the waiter was out of earshot. “Then I met you. And you tell me you were my guardian angel. I didn’t even know if I believed in angels, or God, for that matter. I always thought that a God couldn’t exist with the horrible things that happened to me. I know that sounds incredibly selfish, but I just couldn’t shake the thought, no matter how hard I tried. And then all of a sudden I recalled that event, when something horrible could’ve happened but didn’t.” I stared at him, hopeful.

“It was me,” he confessed, smiling a tight smile. “I couldn’t let him hurt you – not after you’d been hurt before.”

Painful memories of abuse flashed by. “So you protected me then, too,” I stated, a bit awed.

“I was your guardian angel,” he replied, amused. Suddenly his expression turned guilty. “I shouldn’t take all the credit. If it wasn’t God’s will for me to do that…”

“Is it God’s will for you to protect me now?” I asked.

He paused, seeming to brood over the answer, as if not sure himself. “You were supposed to die. But it seemed like it was…flexible. Somehow. He allowed me the choice of falling to protect you, if I was to become a flesh and blood human. If it wasn’t His will to let me choose that, I wouldn’t have been able to fall. Or I would fall – and it wouldn’t have the effects I would want it to, and I’d have total separation from God instead. And how could I care for someone without the source of all care?”

My mind was swarming. “Right…” I managed to say. “…You’re a complete flesh and blood human?” I asked suddenly.

“Yes. If you check my biology, I will be one hundred percent human. I am allowed to exist like one, also. All the rules apply – the only thing different about me is my angel memories. My powers as an angel faded quickly after I fell. You’re lucky I retained them long enough to heal you.” He switched gears completely then. “You see, there are two types of fallen angels. I’m the rarer of the two. The most common fallen angels are the ones who become demons, as a result of rebelling against God.” He trembled almost imperceptibly, but somehow I caught it. “Angels have nightmares about that kind of thing. Figuratively, of course. I saw it happen once…” His gaze drifted, and he frowned in memory for a second. “Anyways, my fall wasn’t quite like that. The other type of fallen angel, my type, is the kind that turns human. You need to have the choice presented to you by God for that to happen. He rarely ever condones such action, and most of the angels wouldn’t take the opportunity even if it was given to them. Why leave the eternal presence of God for some half-and-half painful fleshy existence, anyway? I never thought I would want to.” He looked back at me. “And then I learned that you were going to die.”

I stared at the grain in the wooden table. I didn’t know what to think or feel. “I’m sorry that I caused you to fall,” I mumbled. I vaguely remembered saying something like that before.

He laughed then, surprising me. “I told you not to be sorry already. It was my choice – I wanted to fall.”

I looked up at him. “Why is that?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Because I don’t want you to die, Elizabeth. Not now. Not like this.”

“What do you care? We all die eventually anyway,” I stated.

“It didn’t seem like it was the right time.”

“Fate seemed to think it was.”

He sighed heavily. “I was given the choice. Maybe that was for a reason. Maybe we can change fate,” he said, sounding hopeful.

I didn’t reply, still unsatisfied with his answer to my question. I was so frustrated, trying to wrap my mind around it all, and I couldn’t express it in words effectively.

“You seem…” Falian started, gazing intently at me.

“How do I seem?” I asked when he didn’t continue.

Confusion creased his brow. “I don’t know. I used to be able to feel what you were feeling. But now, I can only guess.”

I sat up straighter, having slouched down unconsciously. “Then, what’s your guess?”

“A bit angry. And disapproving, sort of.”

“Not bad.”

“How close was I?”

“I’d give it an 80%,” I replied, smiling now.

The waiter came by then, delivering our food.

“Fast service,” I commented, starting to eat immediately.

We ate in silence once again, as we had during breakfast. A feeling somewhat like dread crept up in me at the thought of starting daily rituals as simple as this with Falian. I couldn’t quite place why that was; perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was so abnormal, I couldn’t imagine him fitting into everyday life. I looked at him frequently during the meal, and I wondered if he noticed.

We both finished rather quickly. I wondered what we were going to do for the rest of the day. Being out and about in the city was rare for me, although I lived in it, so I wasn’t sure what to do next. “The application is the only thing I had planned for the day. Usually I just go back to my apartment and read or think when I have nothing else to do,” I thought aloud.

“I know,” Falian responded, smiling.

“I keep forgetting that.” I smiled back. “But now you’re here.” I wondered how complicated that was going to make things.

“I always was here.”

“I wasn’t aware of it at the time. And also, you were up there,” I pointed at the ceiling, “and I was down here.” I pointed at the floor.

“That last one, I have to admit, made somewhat of a large difference as compared to now.”

“Somewhat?” I asked, incredulous.

He laughed. “Alright, this is completely insane compared to how it used to be.”

“That’s a lot more like it,” I replied, grinning.

The waiter came by to see how we were doing, and I asked for the bill.

Once the waiter left to get the bill, I turned back to Falian. “I’m still not quite clear on what we’re going to do now.”

“I would think it best if you carry on with your life as you normally would, unless it could endanger you. In addition, being in your apartment seems to be a better choice than going anywhere at the moment,” Falian responded.

“So am I on house arrest now?” I asked, smiling.

He shrugged, smiling as well. “If you want to be.”

I suddenly had another question. “I’m curious…since you fell, do I have another guardian angel?”

Falian’s brow creased. “I don’t think I know the answer to that question. Normally angels have to be replaced if they fall the more common way, or something comes up…but I fell the rare way, and you’re supposed to die. I would think another guardian angel would be somewhat contradictory. It could happen, I suppose – though I’m not sure what they would be protecting you from at this point.”

I nodded, thinking.

The waiter came by with the bill. I paid, tipped, and left with Falian.

As we walked back, I was slightly more cautious due to my previous near-death experience. I shuddered to think what would become of me if those things became a daily occurrence. Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t the heaviest thing on my mind. I thought a lot about the new information Falian had told me…and about Falian in general.

Normally I wouldn’t trust someone so quickly. Normally that got me hurt, sometimes in more ways than one. But Falian…for once, it seemed like someone in the world wanted to do me more good than harm.

Reviews

[Forist.johnston]

I'm feeling a romantic twist coming on�. =] I love where it's headed, can't wait to read more. To chapter 6!

[KEi]

I like this. It's like a demented mixture between Twilight and Final Destination.

I'm wondering, though, if there's going to be an evil twist.
Something just seems ominous.

I can't place it.

Ahh well.

Still. I shall be reading ad reviewing zee uzzer chapterz soon.
Hopefully my reviews will gain some life.
(Wow, two a.m. No wonder I'm feeling lazy. xD)

K. E. King

[Wolfwind Words]

I love the way this is going! I'm getting the feeling that her fallen angel is in love with here more than she fathoms at this point. The intersection seen was intense, my heart was beating faster after that car came racing by!
Great job!

[Alexanne Dauntless]

I definitely like where this is headed. I also love the fallen angel explanation. Wonder how I never managed to think of that! haha. But yeah it's really good. I absolutely love the plot and storyboard. =]]