HellChild

The Discovery

It's been a couple of months since Devil left. A few months since the war. Gabriel has gotten better, but he still can't leave yet. He's able to walk around more and he's able to sleep easier. I just wish he lets my in the room when he gets up. It's sad to just keep seeing him in bed. Well, I'm going to surprise him today. I didn't tell him when I was coming, so he doesn't know I'm even here yet.

I open the door to his room to see him standing by the window. As soon as hears the door open he turns around. I immediately notice something is missing. Something majestic, something so graceful. His wings. They're gone.

"Gabriel?"

"Lela. It's good to see-"

"Where are your wings?"

He blushes and bows his head. He walks back over to his bed and sits down. I sit down on the bed next to him. He doesn't look at me, but keeps his head down. I ask again.

"Where are your wings?" I ask in a sterner voice.

"Gone." Is all he says.

"I can see they're gone. How did this happen? When?"

"During the war. Devil cut them off. Wings are vital to both demons and angels. If you don't have your wings, you're useless. Well, others don't think any less of you. They actually feel sorry for you. What I mean is, there is nothing I can do as an angel now. Wings are for flight, used as defense, for fighting, for everything. I can't be a war angel or a guardian angel now. I'm surprised Michael even saved me. I don't understand why he didn't just let me die. I would have been better off. Like I said, I'm uselss now."

"Gabriel. You're not useless. I might still be a little new to Heaven, and the rules and customs and all of that, but I know enough to know that you are not useless. Is there a way to get your wings back?"

"No. Once you are stripped of your wings, you never get them back."

"You're still not useless, you know."

We sit in silence for a while. Finally, Gabriel decides to move. I look at where his wings used to be. All there is now are a couple a stubs. His skin grew over the bone, and no white feathers remain. I get up and walk over to him.

"Take off my wings."

"What?" He looks at me agast. "Why?"

"If you're not going to have wings, then I won't either. We'll be wingless together."

"Lela, no. When my wings were cut off, there was nothing else that I could think of. It's painful. It's actually very rare for an angel or demon to live without their wings. There is no pain like it. You feel like...like...I don't know. There's nothing to compare to. It's awful. I still feel like I have wings sometimes. I can't live with myself if I am the reason you lose your wings. I don't want you to lose your wings at all. Lela, please."

He looks at me with tears forming in his eyes. I can tell that whenever I wasn't here, he's been crying. I can imagine why. If losing your wings is as bad as Gabriel makes it out to be, then I would cry a lot too. I feel so bad for him. I wish there is something, anything, that I can do. I can't let myself leave him lke this. I put my hand over my mouth and start crying.

"Lela? What's wrong?" Gabriel asks.

He brings me closer to me, and I lay my head on his shoulder. He's still the same Gabriel, just without wings. I will always love him. I will always be there for him. I wrap my own wings around us, so that we are engulfed in white feathers. He hugs me tighter, kissing me on my forehead.

"I just don't want to lose you." I say in a tearful voice. "Does losing your wings mean you're going to die?"

"No. No, of course is doesn't. It just make life more difficult, but I'm not going to die because of it."

I bring myself even closer. I'm surprised we even still have room to move closer. I don't want to lose him. I can't. I've lost my parents because of that demon, I can't lose Gabriel because of her, too. I wish there was some way to bring her out of Hell. I still think there is a way. But Gabriel says that it's impossible. I guess he's right.

I hear Gabriel draw in a sharp breath, then stuggle to continue breathing. He grunts and coughs.

"Gabriel? What's wrong?" I ask.

"N-Nothing. I'm...fine." He gasps and struggles again.

"Gabriel?" I ask, more panick in my voice.

"I'm fine!" He gives a soft grunt of pain.

"No, you're not. I'm going to get some help."

I get off the bed and walk towards the door. Then I hear Gabriel start to calm down again, his breathing returning to normal. He takes deep breaths and lays back down on his bed.

"What happened, Gabriel?" I ask again.

He sighs. "When I said...that losing your wings...means you're useless...well,...that was...part of what happens...when you lose them." In between each phrase, he takes a few somewhat struggled breaths.

"So it feels like you're slowly dying a painful death?" I ask.

He nods. "That's exactly what it feels like."

"How long does it happen?"

"For a few more weeks at least. Maybe more."

I walk back over to him and give him a quick hug. He needs some rest, especially after what just happened. I decide to leave him alone for now. I walk out the door and into the hallway. Michael is standing outside.

"So you know now." He says.

I look at him in surprise. "What?"

"You found out about his wings."

"Oh. Yeah, he did. How did you know? DId you know about them? Why hasn't he told me? What-" I started talking really fast, so Michael puts his hands on my shoulder to shut me up.

"Yes, I did know. I was there when they were cut off. I saved his life."

"What?"

"Devil cut his wings off. She also gave him a nasty stomach wound, and made his legs temporarily useless. The only reason he was still fighting was because of his wings. When she cut them off, he fell to the ground. She landed beside him and was about to kill him. I couldn't let that happen. I blocked her, sending her flying quite a few feet away. I picked him up and flew away. He was passed out in my arms, so I decided not to tell him what happened. When he woke up, all he remembered was his wings. He doesn't know what happened when he fell. He will find out in time, so do me a favor and do not tell him anything."

I stare at him in shock. It takes me a while to proccess all he just said. Then I understand. "Yes, I promise not to tell him." I'm just glad he's alive.