Fallen

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Ariel

Ariel stood, staring at her reflection in the small bathroom mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself. Her glow was gone. All angels were born with a certain glow unique to themselves. And hers, hers was gone. It had dimmed until it's own near extinction. It was merely a shadow of what it used to be. Her eyes, surrounded now by dark circles, seemed to sink into her face. All of her seemed beaten down as if she had just suffered a defeat. And well, she guessed she had. It had been the biggest defeat of all.

How would she come back from this? She wasn't sure if she could. Her whole life had been flipped upside down. In one single moment, all she had ever known had been so brutally ripped away from her. Without cause, without warning, she was sentenced to this life. A life she wasn't made for. How long it would take her to come to terms with this, she didn't know. Would she ever come to terms with it? That she couldn't say either.

"Ariel, are you dressed yet?"

Raziel's voice came to her and violently ripped her out of the dark place her doubts and fears had taken her to. It was her saving grace. That seemed to have started to be a regular occurrence.

"Yes. I'm dressed."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Centering herself and preparing herself for what was ahead. This was real, she was alive. Not whole, but alive and that was a miracle in herself. Latching onto that fact and holding on, she reopened her eyes. The t-shirt that she was wearing hung loose on her petite frame. It was the smallest shirt that Raziel was able to find in his wardrobe. For pants however... the options had been limited. She was wearing the only pair of shorts he owned that didn't immediately fall off her hips. Even then she had been forced to roll the waistband several times so that she wasn't simply drowning in the pants. And as for shoes, barefoot it would be. There was no chance that

It wasn't ideal but it was the only option she had. She couldn't very well go walking around only covered by Raziel's shirt. So this is what she would wear for now. They would have to get her something appropriate for the city. She couldn't very well go traipsing about there in Raziel's t-shirt. She would nearly freeze to death not to mention the unwanted attention she would attract. She could see it now, the headline: "Mysterious woman spotted walking around Time Square in nothing but a men's shirt." She shivered. That was not a pleasant sounding situation. So yes, better covering clothes would have to be acquired.

Leaving the bathroom, she met Raziel's gaze. Or she would have if it had been fixed on her face. He was languidly dragging his gaze over her frame, starting at her bare feet and all the way up to her face. His eyes were electric and she was being electrocuted. Her body sprung to life as if a switch was flipped. A fire began to brew in the pit of her stomach, threatening to spread and completely engulf her. Their gazes were locked, the both of them entrapped in whatever this spell was. She was lost, drowning in this sensation. She was drowning but she didn't care. If she never left this moment she would be completely content. The spark in her gut suddenly became a blaze. The sensation they were stuck in grew even stronger. The burning in Raziel's eyes only spurred on the flame inside her. He took a step toward her, intent on merging the twin flames smoldering beneath the surface.

And just like that, the spell was broken. Terror unbiddenly took the place of the fire in her. The blaze in her gut extinguished and cold dread replaced it. When Raziel took that step all she could see was her attacker taking a similar step out of the shadows. Milicious intent in his gaze. She backed away, hastily retreating from the threat.

"No!" she shook her head rapidly. Pleading, begging.

"Don't! Please. Leave me alone, don't hurt me." her eyes filled with tears and they began to stream down her cheeks.