The Jewels; Mother of Pearl (#ABA2017)

Chapter Eighteen

"What kind of powers do Angels have?" Lola asked.

Annika shrugged, "we are stronger than most, but we can still be knocked out or killed like any human. We can fly, change form, we can mimic other people's voices, our tears have healing properties, we can curse people and give them bad luck. Things like that," she explained.

Lola nodded, "what kind of forms can you change into?"

"Angels can turn into doves, butterflies and mice, Dark Angels turn into crows, snakes and moths," Annika explained.

"What can you turn into then?" Lola asked.

"I can only turn into this," she did a small twirl to show herself off, "I can imitate the look of an Angel and a Dark Angel and I can turn into a crow."

"Why can you turn into a crow?" Lola asked.

Annika opened her wings to reveal the dark feathers, she ran her fingers through them, "crows are said to work for Dark Angels back in the Ancient Times, like them they like shiny things and to steal things. I can turn into a crow because I've seen enough tragedy to have turned into a Dark Angel if I were an Angel."

Lola nodded as she looked to the ground, but she hadn't realised how dark it had become. The sky had grown dark and all the stars looked down on the earth. Lola and Annika still roamed the woods.

"The stars a pretty," Lola commented when there was a gap in the canopy.

"When a human dies, their soul turns into a star," Annika stated as she held her thumb to the sky, "the more beautiful the person's soul is, the brighter their star will be when they die. They use the stars as a way to keep track of people in this universe, aka earth. So there is a space up there for every human, as time goes on they may age and fade, but they won't disappear forever. It's like ancestors are watching you always this way."

Lola smiled, "that's pretty cool. In a way we actually do go to heaven," Lola informed, she looked to Annika, "is your home heaven?" Lola asked.

Annika shrugged but nodded, "yep. The world in the clouds as you humans call it, very nice view from up there," she informed as she lowered her thumb.

"Do you have friends or family in the heavens?" Lola asked.

Annika shook her head, "I've never been one to have friends and Angels can't have specific families anymore, in one way we are all related, but in another we are probably the most distant of cousins known in existence... and besides, there aren't too many Humanoids left anyway... none actually."

There was suddenly gasping and high pitch shrieking sounds, they were distant but echoed throughout the forest and the trees. Lola gasped as she looked around, Annika didn't seem too surprised, "get down," Annika instructed.

"What?" Lola asked.

"Get down!" she practically yelled as she pinned Lola to the ground and laid down next to her. The whole canopy and the stars were momentarily blocked from view as something flew past them too quick to register what they could be. They flew right where Lola and Annika were standing and they flew above the forest in the sky.

Every time one went by Lola could feel the pressure of their air when they zipped by and their quick presence. After a while everything became still again. When Annika sat up, Lola copied, only to get pushed back down again. Lola tried not to make any noise as a Dark Angel jumped through the bushes, her wings were out, but they seemed fragile and frail. Her thin bones and tight skin seemed to make her stumble from one side to the other.

Annika and Lola rolled onto their stomach, somewhat hidden in the grass, the Dark Angel was stumbling like a drunk. "What's wrong with it?" Lola asked.