The Damned Holies (The Fallen Wars 1)

Chapter Twenty-One

-Aimee, Earth-

When I arrived back on Earth after my little training session with God, I quickly masked any part of the new me that could be traced. I didn’t want them to know I was back. I wanted some time alone. Some time of freedom.

I quickly decided on Antarctica; one of the most desolate places on the planet. The wind whipped my long hair around me and the snow clouded my vision, even though my eyes were quadruple the sharpness they used to be. It was amazing how I could see all the details; the patterns on the snowflakes, the light prisms that bounced off the ice, and the even the sea life hundreds of meters below the surface of the murky ocean. Even though I was in Antarctica, I never felt the cold. I felt like an electrical circuit; power flowed through all my limbs but had no escape so it just kept moving throughout me. It was amazing, invigorating, and I felt invincible -- I was invincible.

I kicked an ice boulder with my toe and it flew miles away. With my powerful wings, I hoisted myself up into the air and plummeted down, impacting the frozen ground so hard I left a crater. I felt no pain, the powerful gusts of wind only felt like a gentle spring breeze, and the negative temperatures only felt slightly chilly. I flew over the ice and dove through it, my strong fingers slicing through the thick ice like butter.

I held my breath under the water. I truly was immortal -- my lungs didn’t beg for oxygen. I dove deeper and deeper, using my Heavenly light to see once I was so far below the surface, any traces of sunlight were gone. Something inside me glowed under my skin, maybe it was the energy I was feeling, but I could adjust how bright it was. I seemed to be swimming north, because the ocean water got increasingly warmer. Saltwater didn’t even sting my eyes anymore.

I came across a gigantic Great White shark, who foolishly mistook me for prey. It was dispatched of quickly and efficiently, using no effort at all. The carcass floated up to the surface slowly, as if to let me admire my handiwork. I smiled to myself in the murky deep.

The ocean floor soon began to rise, welcoming sunlight back, until there was no more water left, and now I stood on a crowded beach. I toned down my light. All attention focused on me, silence turned into excited whispers.  I stepped onto the cool, damp sand as waves lapped against my ankles. Everyone on the beach crowded around me and I smiled.

“An angel!”

“A real angel!”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Which one is she?”

“Why does she have wings? The others don’t have wings…”

Their accents told me I was in Australia. “Hello,” I smiled and squinted, they were like an ocean of light. Were these what the angels saw? Auras? I made them fade away before my eyes.

“Good afternoon!”

“Hello!”

A toddler had wandered out away from its parents and waddled up to me. The little girl wore a diaper and sun hat that matched her sundress. She looked up at me with her wide blue eyes, blonde curls dancing in the wind, and reached her arms up at me. I bent down and picked her up, smiling down at her as I rested her on my hip.

A woman pushed through the crowd. “Abigail,” she scolded and the child threw her arms around my neck. My wings caught her attention and she then tried to tug on the white feathers.

“I assume this is your daughter?”

“Yes,” the mother mumbled, embarrassed.

“You have a beautiful baby girl. She looks just like her mother.”