To Heaven and Hell

Chapter 1

Phoenix

I tap my fingers together lightly. I know that I shouldn't be nervous, but I am. Everyone gets an assignment eventually, but I wasn't expecting mine to come this soon. Usually, so I have heard, people get an assignment later, after a few years. I wasn't expecting to be dead for three weeks and get an assignment. But I have been told that I am special. I am a unique case.

I think that is bullshit.

But what can I do about it? I am dead. But I am beginning to think that heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be. I wish I could go back to my life; I want to live on earth again. But that's never going to happen, not after--

"Phoenix Noel?"

A shudder shoots up my spine. I brush my black hair away from my face and stand. A large man holds open the door for me. I head into the room labeled Conference A. I am greeted face to face with four men sitting at a table. They shuffle papers around as I stand uncomfortably in front of them. The men are dressed in black suits and look extremely professional. It is a major contrast compared to the casual decor around them. The couch and recliner chair suggest that the meetings in this Conference A room aren't very professional.

"Close the door Abel," the man with swirling brown hair says.

"Yes, Michael." The large man that let me in proceeds to leave the room and shuts the door behind him.

Michael comes around from the table and stands in front of me. "Phoenix, it is very nice to meet you!" he greets. "My name is Michael." He smiles wide and holds out his hand to me.

I take it and give him a gracious smile as well. "Please, call me Nix. I don't like to go by Phoenix."

He nods, "Very well. So, I assume you know why--"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," I hold up my hand, "But I have a question."

Michael brushes his thick brown curls away from his forehead. "What is it?" he asks gently.

"When you say your name is Michael, do you mean..." I trail off not finishing my question.

"The Archangel?" he finishes for me with a chuckle. "Yes, yes I am."

"Oh," the nervous word escapes my mouth. Never in a million years did I expect to come face to face with an Archangel.

His eyebrows arch. "Alrighty. So, shall we continue?" He turns around and grabs a paper, not waiting for my confirmation to continue. Holding out the paper to me he continues to explain. "As you know we always give assignments to people. Now those assignments vary from acting as a guardian angel to answering prayers and so on."

I glance down at the paper in my hands. Park Matthews is written across the top. There is a paperclip holding a few pictures to the page. I pull them off and flip through them. The first is a little boy with thick dark hair, and glasses that are too big for his face. Then next is of same boy, except older. He is grown into his features, and glasses. When I look at the third picture, I see the same boy again, but sick. No hair, pale skin, chapped lips, sunken eyes. I see the same boy with cancer.

I look up at Michael, "What do I have to do?" My voice comes out in a weaker than I intended it too.

Michael heaves an unexpected sigh. "We ran into an issue. This boy, Park, he was taken to hell. He was missorted and taken by Lucifer before we could stop him."

"So what do I--"

The Archangel holds out a hand to stop me. "Let me finish please."

I nod, with another shudder running through my body.