The Hunt

Part 4

THE HUNT

PART FOUR

ONCE, I was a young girl named Katia. I was like any other teenager, except I was an angel. I lived in Heaven with other angels. I had a mother, father and three brothers, Henry, Alfie and Joseph.

My mother was a blonde haired beauty, and so was I, and my father had deep blue eyes with mouse brown hair. They were both gorgeous. And a perfect match. They were always kind, caring and understanding. Perfect.

My older brothers were triplets, two years older than me. They all had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me. They were thoughtful, happy and generous. Perfect.

When I was younger, I was also a perfect, happy girl. I was blonde and blue eyed. I had many friends at school and I loved drawing.

It all changed one night, when I met a girl named Elsie. She was different to us angels, she wasn't boring. She always did things her way.

All my life I had been told to obey the ten commandments, no matter what, but Elsie never did. When I asked her if she'd ever been caught sinning she'd always reply, "What does it matter to you?"

I became good friends with Elsie but my family never approved.

"Why did you befriend that girl, Katia?" my mother asked over dinner once. "She's a bad influence." At first I said nothing, but one day I shouted back, "Live with it."

That was the first commandment I had broken. 'Do not disrespect your mother or father.'

I told Elsie about it the next day and she laughed. I liked impressing Elsie so I decided to break another commandment. It all seemed so childish, but I believed I would be different rather than just another perfect angel in Heaven.

Most angels had blonde hair and blue eyes, and in school Elsie stuck out. Angels would stare at her short, black hair and grey, misty eyes. She was different.

My mother warned me: "Katia, if you become the same as Elsie, the Elders will punish you both. Your hair and wings will turn black!"

In actual fact, Elsie's hair and wings were already black. No other angels had black hair or wings. I always wanted to be just like Elsie, and I knew I had to sin.

For a year I carried on lying, stealing and disrespecting my family. My hair had turned a dirty blonde, and my wings were grey. Angels knew I was changing and would warn me everywhere I went, but I would laugh grin and fly away

"How do you get black hair and wings?" I complained to Elsie when we were flying to her home.

"I'll show you," she said, grinning. I almost did a backflip in happiness.

We got to her house and walked in. Her mother, who also had black hair and wings, welcomed me in.

"Oh, darling, I do love your hair." She winked at me.

"Could be darker," I grumbled. Elsie then took my hand.

"Follow me."

Elsie showed me the basement, which was full of candles, but I could only look at the statue in the middle. It was of Satan.

"No," I said, drawing back.

"Mother and I worship him," Elsie said. "It's why we're different to other angels."

"Elsie, I can't." I started to back out of the room. "You know, I'm okay with grey wings, people notice me that way. I can't worship Satan, it's..."

"It's what?" Elsie snapped. "Wrong? and hurting your family isn't?" My eyes grew wide at her comment. "With this," she whispered. "Everything will okay. Katie you felt lonely before now...why would God make his angels hurt like that?

You want to be different, right? Well it doesn't get better than this. and you do it once and then that's it, you change forever."

I knelt in front of the statue with Elsie, and I told her I'd do it one time only. As soon as we bowed down, I felt a chill up my spine.

"Did it work?" I asked Elsie.

"Turn around," she said.

I did but it saw my worst nightmare. An Elder, a protector of the Heavens, was standing in the room. His white hair and wrinkled skin suggested he was high up in the food chain.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said with a sigh. "Katia, you performed tasks which require great consequences. I have to go throughout the punishment that was given to you by God."

"Please," I said. "Don't blame Elsie, she just-"

"She is not who you think she is."

I looked over to Elsie but she had gone, almost as if she disappeared out of thin air.

"She was a daemon, sent above by God to test his angels," the Elder explained.

"But why?"

"You must go now."

"What?" I yelled. "No! My family!"

"They will hear of this."

"But," I started to sob. "I have to explain, please. I don't want to die yet."

"You are a protector now," he said. "Of God's children on Earth. You're different, Katia, and one day your destiny will come."

The scenery changed. My skin started to tingle and my bones felt stiff. Colours shifted in front of my eyes.

Then, I stood on an open beach. I breathed the salty air and looked around the sandy shore. I breathed out and then back in.

It felt the same as home, except I felt different; more powerful.

I looked in the blue waves and a black haired girl looked back. My eyes were shifting colours, before settling on a vivid orange shade.

I looked up at the clear blue sky, wishing I could tell my family goodbye.

Here I can be different.

❦

Author's Note: Thankyou for reading, voting, commenting and fanning:) You guys are the best!! Please feedback:)

-Megan , x