Birthmarked

15-Battle Cry

When I was a kid, I used to run as fast as I could. And when I thought I couldn't run any faster, I pretended I could fly. I wanted to sprout wings and fly as high as they would take me. I wanted to touch the sky with my finger tips and taste the clouds with my tongue.

"But can't you fly?" a boy named Will asked. The son of my first foster parents, he was the only one who never looked at my birthmark and pointed a finger.

We stood in the bathroom one day, looking at my birthmark in the mirror. I turned from my reflection to look into his round, freckled face. "People don't fly."

"Then you must be a fairy," he said in wonder.

I turned back to the mirror and lifted my shirt again. He placed his small fingers to my back and traced the mark of wings tattooed to my skin.

"You must be an angel," he had whispered.

An angel . . . An angel that could sprout wings and fly. As I ran, I felt like I could. But I could only wish, for it was not fast enough to get me to Edon.

I ran into the large front yard, expecting to see a slaughter. I skidded to a halt, lifting my eyes as I watched the battle that went on in the sky.

The sight took my breath away. These beautiful creatures that fought with bright shining swords and weapons above me bared no resemblance to the angels I had grown use to.

Once shed from their human forms, they were magnificent to look at.

The creatures they fought were not as fortunate. Their beauty was marred by their savage expressions and scarred, deformed bodies.

From the looks of it, I had come out on the end. There were more bodies on the ground than there were in the sky.

A cry of pain and defeat filled the sky as two more bodies fell to the ground, too close for comfort. I screamed as one fell at my feet, a gaping whole in its chest, the edges steaming.

Someone grabbed me from behind. I turned quickly and swung wildly.

"Penny, Penny, it's me."

"Oh my God," I breathed, throwing my arms around Edon. "I didn't see you! I thought you were dead!"

"It won't be that easy," he said quietly.

He pulled away, wiping my tears with his thumbs. "Are you okay?" I nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. Oh, Edon, I thought you were gone," I said, leaning into his hand.

"I'm right here. I won't ever leave you." I looked up at him. "Why did you come out here?" I asked.

The sound of giant wings flapping made me turn. Isra, Nehemiah, Sofie, Zach, Haelyn, Mac, Rebecca, Mnakir, Nathan, and Ian all descended from the sky on wings as beautiful as they were. They no longer held weapons but a grim knowledge that this was only the beginning.

"What the hell? I thought you guys said you didn't have wings?"

Zach said, "We are angels. Of course we have wings. We have no certain gender, but in these human bodies we must remain as so. But I couldn't expect a human to understand."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Excuse you, but as a child of an angel and a mortal, I am not completely human, and as the girl that's going to save your sorry ass, I think I can understand a little anatomy lesson."

Rebecca snickered. He turned on her, hissing, a scary sound for such a beautiful angel.

"Peace," Haelyn said in a soft voice. It was the first word I had ever heard him say.