Logline

Celestia Aurora must find herself, after learning that she is only half angel, in order to protect her loved ones and prove to everyone that she isn't evil, like all the Nephilim that came before her.

Blurb

Celestia Aurora was Heaven's most loved little angel because they thought she was their future, a gift from God. What they didn't know was that she wasn't a full-blooded angel, but only half - a Nephilim. Her mother brought her to Earth to hide her away and save her from her angelic aunts and uncles, where she found herself thrust into the arms of her human family. Aurora, as she is known down here, has to learn to be human and figure out her life's purpose. Is she really an abomination, who was never meant to exist?

Chapter 1: The Afterfall

After waking up and staring at a vintage-styled chandelier with fake candles for a while, I realized that my wrists, back, and chest really hurt. I guess the concealment sigils are complete. Most of my chest feels like it's burning. That's where the biggest sigil is. They all look the same but are different sizes. I am disoriented and weak. Falling down to Earth was mostly scary, but the ritual to conceal my nature hurt like nothing I had experienced before. My mom told me that it had to be done, so they couldn't find me here. They...the beings that were trying to kill me – angels.

The wooden door to the room opens with a sharp creak and a beautiful, tall, mocha-skinned, green-eyed woman with dark brown almost black curls walks in. "Hello, Aurora. I am Sydney Dallas. I work with the CPS (Child Protective Services). How are you feeling?" she asked me with a caring voice. I still don't know who she is or why she called me by my middle name, so I don't say anything back. After waiting for an answer I don't give, she sighs and continues "Your mother left all the important documents and a letter explaining the situation. We are going to go to my office downtown tomorrow." Seeing my confused expression, Sydney explained "We will meet your father there and discuss your future." Oh...

She continues speaking to me even though I don't respond to her "The doctor I called to do an evaluation changed your bandages earlier in the day. I don't know if you woke up before this, but you were left on my porch swing late last night. You didn't have any serious injuries, except the tattoos on your body. You will need to change the bandages again though. Hopefully, your dad can help with that if he decides to take custody tomorrow."

She waits a bit after that. I think she was expecting me to say something or at least fill in the silence, but I didn't know what I was supposed to say, so I didn't. Everything I've ever known is gone and there is no going back. Almost all of my heavenly family despise me.

"I brought you some food earlier, it's on the nightstand, and you can rest if you want or come downstairs. Tomorrow we will go to my office, and we will go from there." She starts walking out of the room but stops and turns right before going over the threshold. "You should be prepared for the possibility of your dad not agreeing to take you in. Don't worry though, we have group homes with free spots here, and some in the state over that will fit. No matter what happens, you won't be alone!"

After I am left alone in the room again, I try to turn on my right side to sleep like that, but I immediately groan and regret it. When will these sigils stop hurting? I see the food on the nightstand she was talking about, but it's the last thing on my mind. Sydney's words from earlier ring through my head and make me think about her statement. Not agreeing to take me in. That's basically rejection. I could be rejected by both sides of my family. That stings.

Somehow the fresh wound on my chest, which hurts the most out of all the sigils currently, is enough to distract me from those thoughts. Since I am half-human, the Heavenly Fire feels like it's still burning me, even though it's been at least a day since it happened. When I move the sting feels more intense, which is kind of a bummer for the whole breathing thing. I wonder if it would feel like that for the rest of time? Or if it will fade and become at least bearable the more time passes?

Needing a distraction, I thought back on the things I already know about this world and humans. Earth isn't alien to me. My mom always told me stories about humans and their history. She even showed me how a lot of things work down here. Like going to the bathroom, showering, or painting. She loved to paint and taught me. She said I had a natural talent.

This wasn't even my first visit to Earth. I went with my mom many times and even a couple of times with some of my uncles. Each visit taught me something new and made me even more curious. I still don't know a lot of things, which would make things hard at first, but I have always been a fast learner, so I hope to accumulate fast.

Now, I have to make Earth my home and hope my uncles don't find me. Blending in with the natural inhabitants is a must in my situation, so I can't draw any attention. You never know who or what might be listening or watching. I want to see if humans have any information about Nephilim because I only know the basics from my mom, that Nephilim are the spawns of angels and humans, and they sometimes develop unnatural abilities. All my uncles told me was that they are untrustworthy, but they have never elaborated on why that is.

It seems I have a lot of work down here, just not today. I drift off hoping the pain will recede tomorrow. That night I dreamt about how my family and everyone I ever knew turned on me.

.     .     .

I was in my bed dreaming about the strawberry lava cake I had with Uncle Gabriel today. In Heaven, every day is a good day. We live out our dreams and happy endings for eternity. The others in my family barely need any sleep to function, but I am the youngest angel around, the first one born, not created, so it's different for me.

I felt that someone was shaking me awake, maybe it was mom or one of my uncles. I opened my eyes and found that I was right, it was Uncle Michael. I smiled at him "Uncle Michael what are you..." My words died on my tongue the moment I felt his sword at my throat. He looked at me with so much hatred...I was confused.

He yelled, "Get up, abomination!" In the blink of an eye, he yanked me off my bed and I fell to the floor. I was scared and confused.

"What's going on? I don't understand! Why are you doing this?" I fired question after question at him, panicking with every second that passed. Michael tilted his head in concentration. He was the most powerful archangel in Heaven and his piercing stare can make the strongest angels crumble from fear. Apparently, I wasn't the exception. My limbs were shaking and my breath was coming out in heaps.

"You don't even know, do you?" He asked me with realization striking him in the next moment. What was I supposed to know? I was just sleeping. Was I not allowed to dream about sweets?

I shook my head "Know what? I didn't do anything!"

He looked at me with pity and replied "Of course you didn't do anything. You are Nephilim, your mere existence is blasphemy. I will end you and your treacherous mother for the sins she committed against Heaven" He swung his sword and I closed my eyes praying that this was just a nightmare, like the ones humans have. However, in the back of my mind, I already knew that this wasn't one because there are no nightmares in Heaven.

.     .     .

I am startled awake by some dogs barking in the distance. My heart is racing and I am sweating. It was just a dream, or I guess a memory, flashback, or whatever it's called. Now I have those since I am on Earth and apparently half-human. I just wish everything would go back to normal with the perfect eternal life with my big angelic family. Why did this happen to me? I see no point in lying down since I won't be able to fall asleep again and I don't know what time it is.

Looking out of the window I realize it's dawn. As my mom would tell me "It's your time, I named you partially after it, after all." As Sydney correctly referred to me by my middle name - Aurora. But no one in Heaven called me that. Most called me by my first name Celestia, while some called me by the nickname 'Cel.'

I always felt closer to the angels who called me by a nickname. The ones who used my first name or my full name didn't seem like they cared that much about me. I can't know their feelings, but that's how I felt then and how I feel now.

I get dressed in my white robe and go to the bathroom for the first time...ever. After I just sit on the bed waiting for the green-eyed woman to wake up, briefly thinking about taking a bath but there isn't a tub in the bathroom. Only the metallic pipe thing humans use to shower. I don't know how to turn it on, so there's not going to be a shower for me. It's ironic that I learned how to shower but didn't ask how one turns on the water for said shower.

The room is plain and there's nothing I could do except sit here and wait. The bed faces a dresser that I don't open, and the window is to the right of it. I listen to the people outside for a while. After a few minutes I hear a knock on the door and Sydney doesn't even wait before barging in...it feels startling, even though I was waiting for her... I suppose this is her house, so she can do whatever she wants.

"I see you are awake and dressed." She looks over the nightstand by the bed and sees the untouched food. "You didn't eat anything last night, which is understandable, but you must be hungry." Quickly, she takes the food with her and motions me to follow. We go downstairs and as she puts everything away, I take a moment to observe my surroundings.

The walls of the house have a colorful wallpaper design full of flowers and vines. She doesn't have much furniture or decorations, but the ones she does have look well preserved. The only piece of technology in the room was the television that stood mounted on the wall over the unused fireplace.

After a simple glance around her living room, it didn't seem like Sydney Dallas had much. She was a polite person and from my brief observation of her in her natural environment I see she is happy in her home.

Humans were supposed to be weak and easily corruptible by evil, at least that's what most of my uncles said about them. Sydney doesn't seem corrupt though. I don't feel anything bad from her, just a woman doing her job contentedly. She seems happy with her life, even though it doesn't seem like she has much. No family pictures, no animal companion, no riches... As far as first impressions go, I think Sydney is one of the good ones.

She takes me outside and we walk to a dark blue metal box. Sydney gets inside it and does something with her hands that suddenly makes the metallic thing vibrate and make this horrific sound. This must be a car, humans have had them for a while now, even before I was born. It's a faster way to travel, although not very healthy to use. I get inside and take the seat next to her. She arranges the belt thing over me and fastens it to the seat itself. It feels like I am glued to it now and I can't bend forward.

"We are going to my office now. I work at the local CPS offices downtown. Actually, our branch works out of a repurposed building. It's technically a historic site in the surrounding area. It's been here since the 1920s. It has a very beautiful yard with a fountain." She briefly looked over at me and paused. Although my mother trusted her, I still hadn't uttered a word to her. Sydney continued once she saw I wasn't going to talk to her.

"Anyway, I am babbling a little, but I work for kids and teenagers like you there. We find them new homes if they were abandoned or monitor homes of people with suspect behavior to see if a child is treated correctly. I love my job and have been doing it for more than fifteen years. It's mostly paperwork, but the feeling I get when I unite an abandoned child with their new family makes the whole process worth it."

We stop at a cafe, so she can get herself a morning coffee. It looks like a typical diner-style restaurant with checkered black and white flooring with bright-colored booths. Sitting inside the farthest unoccupied booth, we wait for a waitress to come to take our order.

"Hello and welcome to Gloria's Diner. Sydney! Good morning, do you want the usual?" While the two women talk, I take my time to think about what I want to eat. Being unconscious for so long has its consequences and I feel weak. I am guessing it's because I lack the energy I would get from food. Back home I didn't need food to survive. I don't know what to get, but I always heard that pancakes were a good breakfast food, so I'm about to order that, whenever they are done talking.

"How's everything going with the family?" Sydney asks politely.

The waitress answered, "Oh, you know same old." She looks very sad when she says that. I don't know why but I feel like I can read her emotions. Sorrow, anger, frustration, and pain over something. "We are still trying, but the IVF isn't working...all that money down the drain."

"Don't give up hope yet. I am sure things will work out! You can always go down the adoption route if you want, I can help you there." Sydney encouraged her. Adopting sounds noble and I like that she helps families that way.

The waitress sighed, "I know Sydney, thank you, but I don't think I want to give up on the pregnancy experience yet. I will keep that in mind though. Anyway, who do we have here, and what can I get you except the usual?"

"Pancakes!" I rushed out the word because I wanted to try them so badly. Coming down to Earth made me realize that food isn't optional here, my stomach has been peckish all morning and not being shy about voicing it. I have never felt hunger before this, and it isn't a fun feeling.

Sydney looks at me with surprise. I guess that's the first time she heard my voice. The waitress writes it down and disappears before Sydney can tell her anything else. It's quiet and awkward before the waitress comes back with Sydney's coffee. "Anything you want to drink, sweetie?"

I realized I was thirsty, too. "Water, please." She nodded and left again. Sydney doesn't continue the conversation after we are alone again, she seems to be looking at something on her phone. I just look out of the window to my right until the food comes.

It's amazing, and I finish it faster than I probably should, but in my defense, these are the best pancakes ever. I might even state they are better than the strawberry lava cake I had with Uncle Gabriel. It might also be because down here I am leaning into my human tendencies, while in Heaven I didn't.

Sydney interrupts my thoughts "I will go pay for breakfast and you can head back to the car if you want or wait with me." I nod and head outside. I swear she looks disappointed I didn't wait with her. As I'm passing the cashier, where Sydney got in line to pay the bill, I see the waitress again. Something in me itches to make her feel better. I can't explain why but I go up to her, touch her hand, and say "I am sure you will be a great mother when it happens. If I had the ability, I would grant you that miracle because you seem to be a good person. Have faith!"

She tears up and squeezes my hand in response "Thank you!"

I go outside to wait for Sydney in the car, but I discover I don't remember what the car looks like. There are many in the parking lot to my left and they are all dark colors. They look the same to me even though they might have significant differences. Waiting for Sydney near the alley is the best option because I don't want to go to the wrong car.

A girl comes from the direction of the trash containers, and she's wiping dirt from her jeans. Behind her walks a smirking man with a sinister smile and when he sees me, I swear his grin gets even wider. "What is a girl like you doing at a place like this, gorgeous?" My cheeks flush and I look down waiting for him to leave, but he stops by me instead.

I reluctantly answer, "Waiting for someone."

He looks around and takes something out of his pocket. Handing it to me he says "Wanna wait together?" It was a clear plastic bag with two candy-like objects inside. I don't know what that is, but I get the feeling that I should leave.

I am just about to tell him I'm leaving when Sydney shows up and drags me behind her. She yells at the man "Get out of here before I call the cops!" The man doesn't seem to be fazed by her and is still looking straight into my eyes. Sydney takes my hand and pulls me to the right car. After I get inside, she shuts the door, sits on the driver's side, and pushes the lock button. I look back toward the alley and the creepy man is still looking straight at me laughing hysterically. I don't like what happened at all and feel a little sick, too.

"You shouldn't talk to strangers Aurora, especially bad men like that. Also, don't take anything they give you. Don't you know the saying 'Don't take candy from strangers.' It applies here, too." Sydney was a little mad and it showed in her tone.

I calmly reply, "I wasn't going to take it." What I didn't voice out loud was that I didn't think that small bag was filled with candy.

She took us to her workplace, where she explained that we were going to meet my father today. It was still quite early in the morning even though we had driven and eaten before coming. There aren't that many people in the building. Sydney explains she would talk to him first, and then take him to meet me. That was going to happen in a few hours.

There was nothing left to do but wait. I didn't even have any other clothes to change into. My white dress was the only thing I took with me when my mom and I got out of Heaven. I didn't need anything of the sort back home. Humans had a lot of clothes, though. They expressed themselves through fashion, but some just used them to show their status in society. At least that's what my mom had told me. I only had this plain white dress, it didn't have different colors, it wasn't embroidered, didn't show anything about me.

I get the sudden need to change it, but immediately feel guilty about that. Some people on Earth don't have food or water and here I am worrying about clothes. My uncles were right, temptation was everywhere down here, even in the air. I need to get outside because all the new emotions inside me make me feel suffocated and overwhelmed. I don't need new clothes, but I want them to impress a person I have never met before. It's stupid!

I ask Sydney "Can I go outside and wait in the courtyard?" She looks up from her computer and I guess she sees something on my face that makes her agree.

"Sure. Just make sure to stay by the fountain, where I can see you." I don't wait for her to say anything else or change her mind as I rush out and sit on the bench facing away from the building next to the fountain. It's peaceful here and the garden looks well-kept.

My emotions are acting up and that's new to me, considering they aren't positive ones. Why do I feel so bad about something I haven't actually done but simply want to do? Why are the feelings so intense? I was always happy in Heaven, but I never felt any of the negative emotions that humans have before. It's like growing up somewhere on the equator, and then suddenly moving to the north pole. You are used to the heat and don't even notice it, but once you are somewhere cold, you feel the difference amplified. At least that's how I feel about it.

On top of that, my chest still aches. Heavenly Fire was created to kill demons, and I am not one. I am half-human, and God's creation wasn't meant to be the target of Heavenly Fire. While it didn't kill me, making me feel all the agony and pain evil inflicted on innocents, before finally burning me from the inside out, like it was supposed to with demons, it still hurts worse than any other carving made by earthly weapons would, but humans won't understand that.

I spend some time in the courtyard observing things around me with my mind racing. Has he arrived already? I am feeling something new... again. Shocker! It's anxiousness about the upcoming meeting. Will he like me? Will he accept me? Will I be left without a home? Will he hate me for being only half-human? Well, I'm certainly not going to advertise my angelic nature. At best, they would think I was crazy, and at worst, my aunts and uncles could find me. They might not be able to locate me themselves because of the sigils, but hearing humans talk about someone claiming to be an angel, would get their attention swiftly.

I could just have faith and hope for the best, I guess. I know that, but being down here I'm not as resolute as I would have been about it back home. All these negative feelings are suffocating me, and my resolution slowly crumbles. I HATE it... all of it! Maybe Uncle Michael is right, and I'm feeling like this because I am an abomination. Is this completely normal for humans to feel? Hating yourself and questioning everything? Am I just not used to it, yet? I have a lot of things to figure out about my human half and my purpose, preferably without any supernatural forces finding out where I am... good or evil.