Lipgloss on your Wings - Branded Angel Novels book 1

Chapter 16

   The whole school week passed by uneventfully, Alaster was a little moody with me, but he still stuck with us during free periods and lunch. My shift at the charity shop was pretty excellent, someone bought in a bag of bric-a-brac and I found a vintage purse which I fell in love with and paid only a couple of quid for. That was a good day.

   In fact, it was turning out to be a pretty good week towards the end, on Thursday me and Boiye won a round at badminton, needless to say we didn’t win the whole game, and me and Ori had ventured into the woods Thursday night to play magical forest land and I’m not ashamed to say we pretended we were fairies. Ori being more close to an actual fairy than me, even without getting her wings out.

I still didn’t know if they actually had wings, obviously I’d seen an angels wings in my dream/vision but it was hard to picture them on Ori or Jarryd, I‘d seen him with his shirt off a couple of times, innocently of course, and there was nothing on his back to indicate wings hiding under there.

   Friday night I was so ready for sleep and anticipating a nice late morning in bed the next day, I stretched like a satisfied cat before I snuggled under my covers, sporting hot pink and goldfish flannel pyjamas.

   I was in a small room, one of many in a large period building. The peach painted walls and floral curtains fluttering in the breeze drew the attention away from the hospital style bed in the centre, giving a sense of home in an environment very much not. There was a single non personal frame on the wall with a print of a vase of flowers cased inside and a real vase of flowers on an old oak side table next to the bed.

   The woman in the bed seemed relaxed and at peace, breathing rhythmically, her hands crossed on top of the sheets. She had hair like a stray summer cloud, her eyes were closed and the sunlight leaking in through the thin fabric of the curtains highlighted her lids in a pale lavender.

   A second after I found myself in the room the door behind me opened without a sound except the soft brushing of the carpet as it swept wide.

   I nearly faltered as I saw who stepped into the room. I put my hand to my chest and tears welled in my eyes.

   He looked so different but I knew it was him, Melvin Glendale, the man my mother killed.

   I was confused as to why I was being shown him in this vision. It felt like torture seeing him awake and healthy, unaware of his future demise.

   I loved him so much, he was like the grandparent I never had, my real grandparents all live too far away to bother with their extended family. The first time I saw him was the day after the accident, he was in a coma, a bruised and broken shadow of his former self. I wondered if he ever heard me talking to him, apologising to him. I wondered if he knew that I was still trying to make it up to the universe for what happened to him.

   Melvin took a seat in a lone wooden backed chair next to the woman’s bedside. He straightened one edge of her sheet that had tucked up underneath her feet and smoothed it down caringly and gently. He plucked a flower stem from the vase on the table, choosing one that had not yet bloomed, hiding it’s treasure of petals beneath it’s green exterior shell. He placed the stem under one of her palms, the bud resting on her chest.

   I watched him in awe, I knew he was a good man, I could feel that much about him when I sat with him in hospital. Knew my trips into the city everyday were worthwhile because it was the least he deserved.

   Once the scene was satisfactory to him he placed one hand over the woman’s forehead, whispering words under his breath as he stroked her hair back, I could see his lips forming words of love and acceptance.

   I noticed a pink glow, growing in intensity underneath his moving palm, he made a point of his

thumb and first two fingers, with his other two fingers pressed into his palm as he marked out the symbol of the cross from her head, to her heart and from her left shoulder, to her right. After the last point of the cross he hovered his hand over her heart, there was a flash of pink light, her breathing stilled and stopped and her face fell lax, stripping away the suffering and being left with a simple look of peace. Then the bud burst into full bloom in an instant, the fresh waxy petals full of life and vibrant colour.

   I fell to my knees and gasped in disbelief as an unfamiliar but completely recognisable voice whispered to my soul.

   “Don’t be upset. I am an angel of death, I was here to pass elderly souls on, when my body died on Earth, my soul returned to heaven.  You showed unconditional and selfless love for me, because of this, you’ve created a bond between us, enabling Annaleise to help you, she has gifted you with visions of the past. These are limited but she can show you enough to guide you in the right direction of what you need to know next. There is a curse of dark forces at work amongst our guardians. If you choose to, you will be able to put an end to it. You’re a pure heart and a strong soul and your decisions are your own. But also remember there is no right or wrong. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”

   His parting informal sentence warmed me as I felt the smile it was delivered with, but it did nothing to lift the bittersweet sadness in my heart.

   I’m pretty sure I was still asleep even though I heard the text vibrating my phone on my bedside table, I also knew it would be Jarryd, asking me what I’d seen this time.

I’d already decided on my next step.