Vita Et Morte (Now Published as a Paperback)

Prologue

Laughter is sunshine; it chases winter from the human face.

- Victor Hugo -

***

"Someone help!" I screamed hoarsely as I plodded through the frozen lake. Well, what used to be frozen since I was currently neck deep in freezing cold water, my thick snow gear dragging me down in my struggle to stay afloat.

Whoever said it was a good idea to walk over the frozen lake to get her phone that skidded over as she hiked by the bank with her trusted husky, was such an idiot.

Oh, wait.

Right.

That idiot was me.

"Aela! Run for help, please!" I called out to my dog by the shore, still barking and whining, walking back and forth as she tried to get to me. "No, Aela! Go! Run! Find mama and papa!"

Aela continued to whine while I tried to shoo her away and towards the direction of our vacation cabin where no doubt my parents were, at that moment, having hot cocoa and warm apple pie. She wanted to come to me, putting her front paw on the frozen lake bank - but the urgency in my frozen, gloved hands was making her think twice.

"Please, Aela!" I pleaded, my voice getting thicker by the second as the cold seeped through my thick coat and into my skin. "Run, girl! Go get help!"

At last, after a few more seconds of shooing, my dog finally ran - hopefully towards home where I hoped to God she would be able to show my parents I was neck deep in trouble. Literally. And it was already on the verge of closing in over my head and around me.

"HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE!" I screamed one more time, a last ditch attempt before I felt the tiredness seep through my aching bones, dragging me deeper down the icy cold darkness.

As my vision started to blur and blacken around the edges, the water slowly closing in on me, I heard a loud flapping of wings. Probably. I wasn't sure anymore since the water had already muffled all sound.

And hands.

Yes, hands... Pulling me out of the coldness and into--

Warm. This is so warm. I thought, feeling arms cradling me closer to the warmth that my body needed so desperately.

"You silly, silly girl," a voice whispered close to my ear. And as I tried to open my eyes to look at my rescuer, I felt a soft kiss on my forehead.

"W-who are y-you?" I stuttered, the cold making me shiver uncontrollably as I slowly succumbed to darkness.

The only thing I would remember before the darkness totally got to me would be my rescuer's eyes.

Those bright, golden eyes I'd never seen on anyone before.

***

"You disobeyed your orders, Ramliel."

I didn't say anything as I continued to watch the girl inside the cabin from my perch on top of the tallest pine tree in her backyard. The girl, who was sleeping with a frown on her brows and moving about, whispering things about gold and eyes and water. The same girl who I should have left to drown this afternoon but chose not to. The same girl who I should have escorted to the afterlife as was instructed of me. The same girl who was desperately calling for anyone to save her.

Which I did.

Much to my superior's consternation.

"Your orders were to--"

"Let her die and escort her to Interdel."

Michael, my boss so to speak, frowned. "Yes. And you didn't just go against your orders. You even saved the girl."

I turned my golden eyes towards him and without blinking, replied, "I couldn't do it. It's not yet her time."

"But you will be--"

"I don't care, Michael."I turned my gaze back to the girl we were discussing. "Punish me as you see fit. But I know that what I did during that moment was right."

Michael sighed. "I wouldn't be the one dishing out your punishment, you know that. Gabriel will. But..." he bit his lip as he ran his hand through his red hair, agitated, his white wings flapping slightly in stark contrast to my still, black ones. "Fine. I won't report this. But the next time she gets into the same situation - do not - I mean it this time, Ramliel - DO NOT INTERFERE."

I chose to remain silent because I didn't want to lie to him. I couldn't promise what he was asking of me.

There's something about this girl...

"I mean it, Ramliel. Do your mission. Do what is asked of you. I won't always be here to cover your blunders."

And as I felt his large wings take flight, leaving me to my thoughts while I continued to gaze at the girl in question, I began to question myself and my motives.

What is it about you? I should have left you to die...

I didn't know what came over me this afternoon when I saw her fall in the lake. Truth be told, I was simply waiting. I was told that my mission was around that area and when I saw her, I already knew it was her.

So I waited.

Yes, I waited for her to die.

But at that last moment before she took her final breath, I didn't know what came over me as I flew over to where she was and... saved her.

Was it the way she adamantly held on to life, struggling to stay afloat despite the heaviness of everything around her? Was it the way she was able to coax her dog to follow her instructions even though it was always looking in my direction and asking with its gaze for me to save its master?

Why in the world would I save you? Why would I even kiss you? I thought, frowning, my gaze still locked onto her scrunched up face that even in her disturbed slumber, looked beautiful.

I remembered her brown eyes locking onto mine. I heard her asking me who I was before she lost consciousness. Those little gestures were enough to get my heart thumping like mad.

Do angels even have the capacity to feel? We do not have a 'heart', do we? But why is it that my hands trembled when I took her in my arms? And when she snuggled to my chest, inside it thundered doubly?

I shook my head and ran my hand through my midnight black hair, flustered and questioning my sanity. With one last glance at her, I took flight and circled her home once before flying to the next town where my next mission was.

Yes. The angel of death needed to get back to work.

***

VITA ET MORTE is now published as an e-book and paperback over at Amazon Kindle and
http://www.Amazon.com (or wherever country the Amazon store is currently available).

In the Philippines, it is available in paperback format via http://www.materica.store.

Please be kind enough to leave a review when you purchase over at Amazon or you could reach me via my social media accounts (Twitter and IG): @wuthie16 and through my website at
http://RuthMedinaIlasco.com

Thank you very much and I hope I get to interact with you soon! Much love. ❤️