The morning air is crisp, the sun barely peeking over the mountains and the city is about to come alive. I exhale cigarette smoke, letting out a cloud that encircles my head like a halo before dissipating in the slight breeze coming in from the east. It’s been another long night of staring at the clock and willing myself to sleep, sleep doesn’t come easy, not since the cancer all but robbed me of a pain free night, not since my wife left. But I am alive all the same and today, like every other day, will be different. I’m going to keep telling myself that until it happens, I start back into the apartment, flicking my cigarette into a storm drain.
I’m not in the mood to be talking to the neighbors this morning but Robert from 258 says hello and I’m not such a callous asshole that I’d ignore him. We make idle small talk about his daughter, Katie. She just started the 4th grade, and I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm for father-daughter day next week. The guy is wrapped around her finger and he’ll never be able to help it. After my brief chat with Robert I’m starting to feel better, not great, but better. Today might be different after all, my mom is at work and my sister is in class, looks like the apartment is mine for today.
I’ll be starting at the same University in a few months and after the divorce it made sense economically to move back in with the family for the time being. Now before I give you the idea that my life is all doom and gloom I’ll pump the brakes, I’ve had my rough patches and come back strong every single time. There’s just always been this nagging in the back of my mind, like a pebble in my boot, this not quite clear sense of wrong. I’ve been to shrinks and traveled across the country in search of answers, I’ve tried college and blue collar work, nothing sates the urge to run; and to not stop until I feel like I belong again. I suppose some questions have no answers.
I fumble for my key, sliding it into the lock. The door opens as it has every day for six months, but something is different; I can feel someone in the apartment. Without a sound I draw my Glock 26 from under my coat and make my way towards the living room, a quick step around the corner brings me face to face with the intruder. For a moment my brain switches off as the muzzle of my weapon slowly drifts towards the carpet, any thought of a threat forgotten.
Standing before me is a woman, I say woman, but “Angel” would be far more precise. She’s over six foot tall if she’s an inch, her hair, tied back, is a rainbow of pinks, greens and blues, her perfect alabaster skin and flowing dress serves only to enhance her breathtaking features. It was her eyes, however, that made my heart skip a beat, they were the largest I’d ever seen but not unpleasantly so, and a beautiful shade of pink. It took me a second to realize something was desperately wrong as she gasped, a beautiful hand covering her mouth as she took in my shocked self, those beautiful eyes filling with tears. When she spoke, it was akin to wind chimes on a spring day as she struggled to hold back a sob. Her words cracked through me like a shot nonetheless.
“After all this time…. Is it really you?”
I’m just staring like an idiot, the rational part of me is wondering who this woman is, a larger part that I’m unable to quantify is filled with joy at her presence. I stifle my internal dialogue as she takes a step towards me. The muzzle of my weapon snaps up and the front sight comes to rest on the bridge of her perfect nose, I fall into cop mode; “Ma’am, I need you to keep your hands where I can see them and stay right where you are” my badge comes off of my belt in a smooth motion; I hold it up so she can see it clearly. “Sheriff’s Department, how did you get in here?”
I expected anything other than the small smile that graced her lips for a brief moment before another tear made its way down an alabaster cheek. When she spoke I had to fight to stay focused.
“I can’t imagine you remember me, and to say that we are old friends would not nearly do the matter justice. I will say that I am no threat and you may lower your weapon”
I came back to my senses against the warmth that threatened to take me over at hearing her voice a second time and scoffed. “Ma’am I-“
“Celestia”
I shake my head against a fresh wave of something at hearing her name, what the fuck is going on? “Excuse me?”
More tears fell as her voice turned almost desperate “My name is Celestia Everfree, and I’ve been searching for you, Daniel, for the last thousand years”
Shock, disbelief, and finally anger, I experienced them all in the space of about three seconds.
How the hell does she know my name?
“Listen lady, I don’t know who the hell you think I am, but I’m done fucking around.”
I closed the gap as quickly as I could, with the intention of taking her down and getting the cuffs on her when the front door opened. My mom’s voice echoed down the hall.
“Danny? I got off early so I figured we’d go to the park, get you outta here for a bi-“She rounded the corner and caught sight of the position I was in, my gun trained on our uninvited guest.
“Danny, what the fuck is going on?” Mom asked
I jerked my head towards the door, without looking away from the woman. “ I found her in here after I came back from having a smoke and I think she may be delusional. I’m just gonna cuff her real quick and get some backup to take her to the station, wait in the kitchen while I get this under control okay?”
Mom backed out of the room, keeping her eyes on “Celestia” the whole time, “I’ll wait for your word Danny, just be careful”
It was about then that “Celestia” began to cry in earnest, low sobs echoing from her corner of the room, and for some reason I couldn’t begin to pinpoint I had an almost uncontrollable urge to gather her up in my arms and hold her until that horrible sound stopped. She gathered herself after a moment and spoke.
“Will you give me no chance to speak? Am I to be imprisoned because of what you do not understand?”
I shake my head “Once I’m sure you’re not a thre-“it was at this point that I realized the idiocy of that argument, she could have rushed me a hundred times over, and if she really is nuts the best thing to do would be to indulge her, at least until I could take her peacefully; she might become violent otherwise. Sighing, I raised my eyes to hers, and indicated the couch.
“Sit. I’m going to give you the opportunity to explain yourself then I’m afraid I have to take you to jail”
Instead of losing her mind, her eyes closed and a sigh of relief escaped her beautiful lips, “Thank you Daniel, hopefully when I finish my tale, detaining me will be the last idea you would entertain”
I don’t even try and hide the eye roll that follows, “Yeah, okay. My patience is wearing thin, say what you have to say”
I heard movement behind me and saw Mom step back around the corner a questioning look on her face, “Celestia’s” eyes flicked to her then back to me as she took a deep breath and began telling her story.
“I would venture a guess that you do not feel as though you belong? That you are slightly out of step with the world around you?” When I didn’t answer, she continued “There is a very good reason for that, put simply, you are not of this world. You are something else entirely.
My shock must have been visible at the accuracy of her words; a small smile appeared on her tear streaked face. “You have felt it then? It is as though you are the gear that does not quite mesh with the rest of the machine. I have the answers Daniel. You were once known as Eiric, and you were my...friend” she stumbled over the word, her voice cracking, enough that I caught it amongst her otherwise regal speech. “You were a soldier of mine, one of my Royal Guards, as well as my agent. I trusted you above all others, and for a time the world we called home was as safe and secure as it has ever been, until one day there was a cataclysmic event the likes of which I had not witnessed before nor do I ever hope to witness again overtook the Royal City and…and you were taken from m-” Her voice cracked again, and I decided right then that no matter what kind of disorder this woman had, I really did not like hearing her cry. “From me and until today I had given up hope of ever seeing you again”
I raised my hand to silence her for a moment “ That’s a great story, but you have to understand ma’am, that sounds fucking insane, everybody feels out of place sometimes, that doesn’t mean anything. The question I need answered is why are you here and more importantly how in the hell do you know my name if we “haven’t seen each other for a thousand years”.”
She flinched at my words like I’d slapped her, before reaching up to the windowsill and producing my wallet, “I detected a thaumatic field that had the slightest hint of you, I found this and I was compelled to investigate.”
Wait what? “Thaumatics? You mean magic? That’s impossible” I scoffed.
Celestia didn’t miss a beat “Daniel there are a great many things you either do not understand or have forgotten, allow me to show you rather than continue to convince you with mere words” she said, closing her eyes.
I chuckled “Sure, knock yourself ou-” her eyes snapped open and Jesus I was not ready for the blazing white orbs that inhabited her sockets, when she spoke I almost pissed myself; she still sounded the same, that beautiful wind chimey sound, but there was a power behind her speech, a hum that terrified me on every level.
“Your hand please Daniel” after a moments hesitation I offered her my hand, which was crisscrossed with scars from a gunshot wound I had sustained some years back, leaving three fingers numb. Her hand closed the gap and hovered over mine, and a not unpleasant sensation almost like being immersed in a warm tub flooded my body. I wasn’t ready for the flash of light that followed, and it took me a good few seconds to recover, my whole body was shaking. I chanced a look down to see a hand, my hand….
Oh my God…
In perfect working order, no deep scars and missing muscle tissue, I wiggled my fingers and discovered that I could feel them. I looked back at Celestia, her eyes were soft as she gazed into mine, I looked over my shoulder to see mom staring at Celestia in shock. Celestia merely had a small smile on her face.
“As I said Daniel, I have been looking for you for a very long time, and I have a great many things to show you”
