Miracle

Pt. 16

"So, do you have magic powers and stuff?" Lily asked with a grin, leaning her head back against the couch. There they sat, a bottle of Lily's fancy wine on the table between them, a silent agreement that it was time to open it and delve into the conversation. She wanted to know everything about him now that she'd found out he was an angel. She'd been asking him about himself for the last hour and a half; she couldn't help herself - it's not every day you meet an angel.

She'd already learned so much. He was like, five million and fifty years old, though he mentioned he'd stopped keeping track at one point, so he could be even older. It was honestly a shock, given how young he looked. He told her most angels didn't age; if an older person died, they would still become a young angel. Angels usually looked the age of 20-30 years old, while children were able to stay the age they were when they passed. She also asked him about the confusing crescent-shaped mark on her neck that she'd seen when she woke up. He said he had no idea what it was... but then when did she get it? What even was it?

"Yeah, actually, I do have a few," he confirmed. "I can heal people, super strength, to be honest, I have a lot. Being an angel, I can basically have anything I want, but it makes me weak if I use a lot of magic at once. And those big wings aren't just for show. I can actually fly with them if I want." wow, what would it be like to have all those powers? She thought it would be super cool to have wings. "Is that how you did all that stuff on our date? You used your magic?" she asked, sitting up and looking over at him. He nodded. "Did it drain you doing that, Alex? You didn't have to do that for me," she said, feeling slightly guilty, even though she hadn't really done anything wrong.

He played with the end of her hair. "I was pretty drained afterward. I had to rest to refill my energy, but don't worry, I'm fine now. It was totally worth it."
She swallowed, biting her lip, her eyes running over his handsome face. It was crazy how she hadn't seen him in so long, but he was still just as good-looking.

Today, he was wearing a somewhat casual all-white outfit - a fitted white shirt and white jeans - he looked mouth-watering right now. He chuckled, watching her look him over.
"So... how did you become a Guardian Angel?" Lily asked timidly.
He gave her a pressed smile, looking down. "Well, I want to warn you. To become a Guardian Angel, it takes sacrifice. This isn't a happy story."
She nodded acknowledgment. He looked into the distance, getting lost in memory.

*****Flashback

"Leave... Leave, Alex! We can't just leave Mom and Dad!" I didn't look back at her as I pulled our backpacks out of our shared closet, throwing them onto the bed. I finally turned my head, watching her pace back and forth. My eyes suddenly met the nasty purple bruise around her left eye; it only fueled my passion more to leave. Our father had a little too much to drink while I was at work, and when I came home seeing the bruise on my sister's face, I knew we had to leave... tonight.

Reaching into drawers, I started pulling out random articles of clothes, shoving them into the bags. Alice wrapped her small hands around my arms to stop me. I gently pushed her off. "Please, Alex, let's just think about this..." I quickly turned, looking at her. I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Alice, we can't stay here. Look at yourself, you're skin and bones, you're pale, stressed, and tired... they are fucking killing you slowly, Alice. Open your eyes to reality, please..." I forced myself to hold back the tears as I looked into her big blue eyes.
Giving her shoulder a squeeze, I turned away, lifting the old mattress.

I pulled our passports out along with two plane tickets to New York. It was far enough away to give us both the fresh start we needed, away from our parents, away from all the drugs, alcohol, and pain. I could raise my sister the right way. Alice wiped away her tears. "But... I'm scared. I don't know how to be on my own. How will we make money to survive?" She shook her head, looking down as I slid my phone into my bag along with my wallet and passports.