A Fallen Angel

Chapter 11 - Bring me to life

---Nate's POV---

We had been searching non-stop for hours on end now and still no trace of Caitlin. I knew the others were getting restless and worried for my behavior but I couldn't help it. It felt as if my whole reason for existing had been taken away from me, yanked out of m chest and leaving me behind to crumble under the pain and weight of the loss.

For a moment, I could understand how it would feel to have to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders. You were forced to hold on because of the people around you, while your body and soul were begging, crying and pleading to just stop and let the weight crush you.

Losing Caitlin was all my own fault. I shouldn't have let them take her. Her parents could have stopped them if I had thought ahead like Zadkiël and contacted them before the council could gather. Maybe I could have seen that Marcus had been tainted by a Demon's blood and could have warned the others. Maybe-

"Nate..."

It was just my name, but the sound of my shortened nickname caused an explosion of pain and sorrow in the depths were my heart once was. I looked op at Zadkiël, knowing that he had called me out of my dark thoughts. He flinched though, undoubtedly not knowing how much pain that nickname would cause.

It was Caitlin's. She was the only one who ever nicknamed her friends. I was Nate, Zadkiël was Zeke and Gabriël was Gabe. All of her friends had a nickname, except for Michael. She dared call him Mickey once but quickly called him by his full name again when he half jokingly threatened to smite her if she ever called him like that again.

A chuckle slipped from my lips, though it sounded tired instead of joyful. Gabe and Zeke both looked at me before sharing a look filled with worry and sorrow as they pushed themselves to fly a bit faster.

"She has passed through here. I call feel her energy, though very faintly." I muttered suddenly, feeling shocked that I had founded a trace of her on this planet. Both Gabe and Zeke seemed overjoyed at the news but I felt confused.

"Why is the trail so faded? We left just two days after she was...Fallen. But the trail feels as if weeks have passed." I stated aloud, looking at the others as we followed the trail swiftly, afraid to lose it.

Gabe sighed and shook his blond hair out of his eyes, the piercing blue's looking straight at me with compassion. "In your grief, you seem to have forgotten that our realm is one of the slowest ones in existence. One month in our home is a full year in the human world Nate."

My hand flew to my chest at the burning pain in my heart when I processed that news and shook my head slowly. Off course; all the angels with a charge had to live in the charge's realm so they could interview when necessary. They would visit our realm for a day or two but only when they knew that nothing was going to happen with their charge in a few months.

Zeke swallowed and looked from me to Gabe and back. "But Caitlin isn't on Earth, she's here, on Dayomir. We've been gone for two days, one in Paradiso and one in Earth, so that means..."

Gabe sighed and folded his wings to land as he lead us to the source of the trail we were following. "That means that over three weeks has passed since Caitlin had been banished. She could be anywhere on this planet, which is why we need to work swiftly and concentrate."